Conspire Poetry - Fernando M. Rivas

Fernando Rivas

Masks

(CLICK)
Joyous song of sunbeams we sing
gladman smiles to all
why gladder than glad and thank you
why most welcome
smiley and smarmy and joyous
so joyous
absolutely fucking epiphanous
absolutely and impeccably bliss-o-phaellic
clowns you clowns you clowns you wide-mouthed, red-lipped clowns.

O rise to the occasion you all you buffoons
your so absolutely cleverest of most indeterminate humor, yes
you are, well and I must indelibly enunciate and unrestrainedly applaud
your flawless timing your perfect delivery
and the tidal wave of laughter coming at you from the audience
laughter and laughter and laughter
ratings
advertising dollars

Sorry to say some are not listening, no indeed, no and most
irreperably
no.

Primarily
those homeless men sleeping in the rain
blue-black puddles so incessantly rippling
the whores neither
on this bad night of cold downpours and malevolent johns
high-heel sandals spitter-spattering raindrops
running mascara
rouge and lipstick like a bad paint job
shorty short skirts and fishnets that trap your randomizing eyeviews.

But we can and do and fuck it all if we just don’t go on laughing
laughing laughing laughing
ha, what a merry go round we got ourselves this time, boys
Laughing all the way
merrily merrily merriy rowing
row row row
and rows upon rows of newsreel footage
video-tapes of last year’s disasters
packaged and re-sold for the hungry eye-viewers
faces of death
now and gruesomely smiling sneering terribly grimacing
mask
mask of money, mask of glory, mask of success
mask, o human mask
smiley and sadface
walking hand in hand
chasing us right into late-night beddy-bye television-land
just before we get too terribly anxiously awesomely tired to change the
channel
(CLICK)

Fernando M. Rivas is a Cuban-born composer, arranger and producer. He graduated from the Juilliard School of Music in 1977 with a Bachelor's in Composition. There he studied with David Diamond (winner of the National Arts Award) and Vincent Persichetti. Mr. Rivas won the Marion Freschl Prize for Vocal Composition in 1975 and the Princess Grace Foundation Grant in 1986 for outstanding original work in musical theater.

Mr. Rivas has written extensively for television, radio, film and theater, composing background music, themes and jingles. He was Director of Continuity for WSKQ radio in New York in 1985 and again in 1987. He has written identification jingles for Channel 41, WXTV and Channel 47, WNJU both in the tri-state area. He wrote, arranged, produced and recorded the 1995 Creciendo Contigo campaign jingle for Telemundo's Channel 47. Mr. Rivas owns his own studio and publishing company, JAM, Just Arrived Music listed with ASCAP. In 1995 CBS America chose Mr. Rivas' studio to record their national Spanish-language radio program HBO Espectaculares.

As well as the commercial work, Mr. Rivas has also composed for the theater, writing and co-writing nine musicals as well as hundreds of songs. His work was featured in 1987 by the Theater Communications Group when he collaborated with Maria Irene Fornes and ito Puente in the musical work Lovers and Keepers. In 1990 he began to write for the Children's Television Workshop and has composed a number of songs for the popular show Sesame Street featuring singers as diverse as Celia Cruz and Cindy Lauper. In 1995 and in 1996, along with the other writers and composers on Sesame Street Mr. Rivas was the recipient of Emmys for his work on that show.

Mr. Rivas has worked as musical director with the Coconut Grove Playhouse in the show Miami Lights, 1990; with INTAR theater in New York in various productions; with the Puerto Rican Travelling Theater in 1986, for Lady Liberty. He has written musical scores for five full lengh feature films, most notably Ranger, produced by Alexandria Films. He has worked with many artists of international fame such as Celia Cruz, Willie Colon, Iris Chacon, Paquito de Rivera, El Gran Combo and others as keyboardist, composer and arranger. And in 1993 he was called upon to program keyboards for a road production of the Broadway hit Will Rogers' Follies.

As a producer and musical arranger his work can be heard on the Vedisco label on their latest release RITMO, CARISMA Y SABOR by the salsa-rap artist EL DANDY.

Also, in 1997, Mr.Rivas, along with writer Luis Santeiro, was a recipient of the Richard Rodgers Award for the musical-theater piece in progress: Barrio Babies.

At the same time he pursues a commercial career in music Mr. Rivas continues to write classical music, poetry and short stories.

Masks (CLICK) Joyous song of sunbeams we sing gladman smiles to all why gladder than glad and thank you why most welcome smiley and smarmy and joyous so joyous absolutely fucking epiphanous absolutely and impeccably bliss-o-phaellic clowns you clowns you clowns you wide-mouthed, red-lipped clowns. O rise to the occasion you all you buffoons your so absolutely cleverest of most indeterminate humor, yes you are, well and I must indelibly enunciate and unrestrainedly applaud your flawless timing your perfect delivery and the tidal wave of laughter coming at you from the audience laughter and laughter and laughter ratings advertising dollars Sorry to say some are not listening, no indeed, no and most irreperably no. Primarily those homeless men sleeping in the rain blue-black puddles so incessantly rippling the whores neither on this bad night of cold downpours and malevolent johns high-heel sandals spitter-spattering raindrops running mascara rouge and lipstick like a bad paint job shorty short skirts and fishnets that trap your randomizing eyeviews. But we can and do and fuck it all if we just don’t go on laughing laughing laughing laughing ha, what a merry go round we got ourselves this time, boys Laughing all the way merrily merrily merriy rowing row row row and rows upon rows of newsreel footage video-tapes of last year’s disasters packaged and re-sold for the hungry eye-viewers faces of death now and gruesomely smiling sneering terribly grimacing mask mask of money, mask of glory, mask of success mask, o human mask smiley and sadface walking hand in hand chasing us right into late-night beddy-bye television-land just before we get too terribly anxiously awesomely tired to change the channel (CLICK)

Fernando M. Rivas is a Cuban-born composer, arranger and producer. He graduated from the Juilliard School of Music in 1977 with a Bachelor's in Composition. There he studied with David Diamond (winner of the National Arts Award) and Vincent Persichetti. Mr. Rivas won the Marion Freschl Prize for Vocal Composition in 1975 and the Princess Grace Foundation Grant in 1986 for outstanding original work in musical theater. Mr. Rivas has written extensively for television, radio, film and theater, composing background music, themes and jingles. He was Director of Continuity for WSKQ radio in New York in 1985 and again in 1987. He has written identification jingles for Channel 41, WXTV and Channel 47, WNJU both in the tri-state area. He wrote, arranged, produced and recorded the 1995 Creciendo Contigo campaign jingle for Telemundo's Channel 47. Mr. Rivas owns his own studio and publishing company, JAM, Just Arrived Music listed with ASCAP. In 1995 CBS America chose Mr. Rivas' studio to record their national Spanish-language radio program HBO Espectaculares. As well as the commercial work, Mr. Rivas has also composed for the theater, writing and co-writing nine musicals as well as hundreds of songs. His work was featured in 1987 by the Theater Communications Group when he collaborated with Maria Irene Fornes and ito Puente in the musical work Lovers and Keepers. In 1990 he began to write for the Children's Television Workshop and has composed a number of songs for the popular show Sesame Street featuring singers as diverse as Celia Cruz and Cindy Lauper. In 1995 and in 1996, along with the other writers and composers on Sesame Street Mr. Rivas was the recipient of Emmys for his work on that show. Mr. Rivas has worked as musical director with the Coconut Grove Playhouse in the show Miami Lights, 1990; with INTAR theater in New York in various productions; with the Puerto Rican Travelling Theater in 1986, for Lady Liberty. He has written musical scores for five full lengh feature films, most notably Ranger, produced by Alexandria Films. He has worked with many artists of international fame such as Celia Cruz, Willie Colon, Iris Chacon, Paquito de Rivera, El Gran Combo and others as keyboardist, composer and arranger. And in 1993 he was called upon to program keyboards for a road production of the Broadway hit Will Rogers' Follies. As a producer and musical arranger his work can be heard on the Vedisco label on their latest release RITMO, CARISMA Y SABOR by the salsa-rap artist EL DANDY. Also, in 1997, Mr.Rivas, along with writer Luis Santeiro, was a recipient of the Richard Rodgers Award for the musical-theater piece in progress: Barrio Babies. At the same time he pursues a commercial career in music Mr. Rivas continues to write classical music, poetry and short stories.