I was raking a few old computer files the other day and came across a short book review of Tony O'Neill's 'Songs From The Shooting Gallery: Poems 1999-2006' and another short piece written after attending a reading given by him and Tommy Trantino. I'd thought I'd post for a little glimpse back in time -
Whatchoo need.
Songs From The Shooting Gallery: Poems 1999-2006 by Tony O'Neill $14.00 from Burning Shore Press (www.burningshorepress.com)
The books that I treasure most are the ones that have been recommended to me. A ‘review’ always conjures images of teachers removing the soul of a book for points to include in an exam essay. This is not a review. This is a recommendation.
After touring with Marc Almond at age eighteen and a successful stint as Kenickie's keyboardist, O’Neill crash landed in LA with more than a weekend interest in drugs and the participant of a Las Vegas quickie marriage. A less than successful collaboration with The Brian Jonestown Massacre signalled O’Neill’s departure from the music arena and his participation in full time heroin and cocaine use.
Changing his lifestyle and returning to writing with a successful novel and Short Story/Poem collection have some filing O’Neill beside Burroughs, Jim Carroll and Dan Fante, but I’m sure he’s as interested in placements and accolades as I am in giving them. What he is passionate about, and dedicated to, is his writing.
In ‘Songs From The Shooting Gallery’, his first full poetry collection, there are no sacred places, nowhere O’Neill will not gladly bring you with him. He knows his subject matter intimately and makes this work for him. The blood pools between each word, some of which feel like blunt force trauma yet always with enough human heat which warms you to the fact that something important is being communicated. O’Neill reveals himself and in doing so clicks into place a few more pieces of the puzzle to reveal how some of us live and allows us to keep our eyes open that bit longer when looking at the ragged facets of our world.
But it’s not all needles and mayhem. Still remaining uncompromising in his descriptions, some moments are intensely moving and intimate, especially those centring around his wife and young daughter.
With ‘Songs’, O’Neill has dealt us an imaginative, intense and a hold on tight ride of a first collection.
(Originally published on Susan Tomaselli's website Dogmatika and in Ulla's Nib in 2007)
Tony and Tommy: A New York Reading. Tony O’Neill and Tommy Trantino McNally Robinson Booksellers, Prince Street, NY. Thursday, June 21st, 7:00 PM Having got myself to the Village on old childhood navigational instinct (lived in NY as a kid) I was
wandering around a little wide eyed looking for
the bookshop where the reading was to take place
and soaking in the atmosphere as a tall, tanned,
white haired man past me doing the very same thing.
It took me several more steps to realise that I had just
passed Tommy Trantino. Having only seen a short
interview on YouTube I still took the chance and
trotted back around in front of him. We had previously
shared a brief correspondence so I quickly introduced
myself whereby I was greeted with a bear hug and
a warm welcome.
We ducked into the nearest café and the stories I was personally regaled with then and later on as part of the audience are still swimming in my head and I hope that they will one day make it onto the printed page. A short time later I was introduced to Tony O’Neill and his beautiful wife Vanessa for the first time. I had been hoping to catch up with the guy since reading his novel ‘Digging the Vein’ and the meeting was certainly no disappointment. Everything kicked off at 7pm sharp. This was due to the fact that Tommy had to return to New Jersey early, which I later discovered was part of a parole requirement. Tony read first and arrived at the mike with the Rat Packesque cool of an old pro. He started with the opening section from the first chapter of ‘Digging the Vein’. Other highlights included the poems ‘To all of My Dead and Missing Uncles’ and ‘For Steve P.’. Tony finished with two love poems, one to his wife entitled ‘Vanessa’ and the other to his daughter entitled ’23-01-03’. The later generating a reflective silence in the audience before the applause. You learn quickly that Tommy Trantino’s presence and enthusiasm is infectious. Admitting to not having read in public before he still did so with great gusto and feeling. Sitting down away from the mike, not really needing it, he read the short piece ‘The Lore of the Lamb’. It is humorous but ultimately a touching piece about a childhood incident, a mother-son relationship and the futility of some of societies rules. It left the audience in no doubt of his ability as a writer and verbal interpreter of his own work. The audience, a wide spectrum of personalities, I think in the end came away with a better understanding of the subject matter and deeper appreciation of these two talented writers. Afterward I visited several bars with Tony and Vanessa and got very drunk. They are both warm and very entertaining people each committed to the definite goal of getting more exposure for Tony’s writing. I hope they succeed. Signed copies of Tony’s novel ‘Digging the Vein’ and poetry collection ‘Songs From the Shooting Gallery’ plus The Stoker Anthology (1974-1994) signed by Tommy Trantino may still be available from McNally Robinson Booksellers.
(Originally published on Susan Tomaselli's website Dogmatika 2007)
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