Said the Shotgun to the Head

Though the pagecount may seem misleading considering some pages only contain a line or two of text, the book is a 7 x 6 installation piece as well as a good read. The text seems to act as a character throughout the book due to it's continuously interesting style and placement as well as it's ability to mimic the emotion invoked in the poem. A must have for anyone who enjoys new art and isn't afraid of deep thoughts.

I had no idea who Saul Williams was until I saw him with the Plea for Peace tour reccently. Watching him preform excerpts from "said the shotgun to head" I was immeadiately entranced by the conviction of his words and the eloquence of them. When his segment of the show was up, I went and bought this book from the merchandise table and I was not disappointed. I am an avid fan of modern poetry, and this book takes on a very hip hop feel to it. The imagery is wonderful, the message is powerful, and his gift with words, crafting them and setting them to poetry, is amazing. Yes, it is one long poem, but the layout of the book makes it very easy to follow. I don't regret my impulse buy at the concert that night, as Saul Williams is a talented poet and preformer.

Saul Williams is one of my favorite poets. He gathers material from everyday life and transcends into something I would say ethereal. It's really difficult to put this particular one continuous poem piece into words of compliment, but I'm still reading this book. I've read over it at least 20 times and pick up something new everytime. Great for long road trips or quiet evenings.

Saul Williams is amazingly tallented. This book of poetic stream of wordplay gave me chills many times over. I recommend it to anyone who wants their conceptions of how words can be put together completely altered. Brilliant crafting.

"..."said the shotgun to the head" is an innovation to live and die in the moment, a confrontation of the politics of empire, a dare to transform oneself in the face of fear and a post 9-11 love song all in one."