Columbus discovered Ohio: Mark Gonzales poetry reading, Wexner Center, Columbus, Oh - Brief Article

THE WEXNER CENTER IS THIS BIG MUSEUM IN COLUMBUS, OHIO. Les Wexner is the guy that owns every store in the mall. Tino Razo, Bobby Puleo, Leo Fitzpatrick, Ryan Weibust, Bobby Puleo and myself all headed to Ohio to check out this bowl and see a little Mark Gonzales poetry reading. Dude, it was tight. The bowl is the same one that was in some Chicago museum and now it's off to Germany. The bowl was called "Free Basin." Is that a stupid name or what? Did Cypress Hill come up with that? Whatever, It was so much fun to skate. Ramp killers include Jon Iddings, the elusive Chaz McGee (who was rumored to be doing back-flips), Eric Barkow, Sue Bishop, Kokomoe Joe, Chris Higgins, Mike Newton, Craig Dransfield, the hesh and fresh Davis brothers... I don't know, Nick Tague might have been there, Smelly Brewce Martin, Donny Humes--all the Ohio Players. The Wexner bowl was the best thing Columbus has ever had to skate, except for maybe the legendary Apple Park from the '70s, but I'm not that old. I'm more from the times of slappy nosegrinds.

RELATED ARTICLE: MARK'S OBSERVATIONS

1. Public speaking is usually reserved for people in suits

2. Kids know when they are being lied to

3. I needed someone big who was real and not real on stage with me for protection

4. Someone from the audience screamed "Bust a freestyle," but I don't freestyle

5. A girl asked what life was about. I replied "Business." I tried to read the business section from the New York Times, but someone had stolen it. Later I found it, and invited someone up from the audience and they read it for me

6. I peeled an orange and drank some H2O

7. The audience became restless. So Iran a loop around them and jumped off the stage to mimic a skate move without a board.

8. I read about a country songwriter that had just passed away. He had lived in Memphis

9. Amanda, the girl who organized the event, asked me to end it up soon. She said I had been on stage for an hour

10. I wondered wether or not I should straighten up the stage before I said goodnight

11. After the speaking I signed copies of high-tech poetry and posed for photos with people, then drove to Cincinnati

Mark Gonzales

COPYRIGHT 2002 High Speed Productions, Inc
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group