NOT EXACTLY MUSIC: FEVER DREAMS BY JOE CASSIS: A HEARTBREAKING YET REWARDING EMOTIONAL JOURNEY
NOT EXACTLY MUSIC: In this series, I will write about projects crafted by musicians that are not songs, EPs, or albums. In other words, if one day, Travis Barker was to release a short animated film, I might write about it. Okay, that was pretty fucking random but I am sure you get the idea. This section will perhaps also include my thoughts on music documentaries and biopics I watch. In the first entry of this series, I will tell you all about what it was like to read the remarkably talented and versatile Canadian vocalist, songwriter, musician, and poet Joe Cassis' newest collection of poems.
First of all, I would love to start this article by apologizing to Joe for not writing and publishing this review earlier. I am not even sure I want to call this a review but whatever this is, thank you, yes, you, the reader for taking the time. Also, thank you in advance for giving Joe’s work a fair chance, I can assure you, you will not regret it. "Relax, Relapse", Joe’s previous poetry book, was characterized by the emotionally intense mental images we would get from reading his carefully chosen words. For instance, in one of my favorite poems of this body of work, Joe compares the evolution of his relationship with someone to a child holding a balloon and sadly letting it go. I could provide you with numerous examples of how beautifully written the whole book truly is. However, I will be dedicating the rest of my article to telling you about Joe’s newest body of work: "Fever Dreams in a Porcelain Skull"
"it resists, but I persist.
its grip grows grimmer
as I shimmer with hope (Cassis, 2021, Fever Dreams in a Porcelain Skull)
and feel my body
melt the weight"
The minute I started reading "Fever Dreams in a Porcelain Skull", I noticed that Joe decided to pick up right he left off by continuing to provide intensely vivid emotional imagery that shoots us right in the heart. Early on during my reading of this body of work, I experienced an emotion that felt like seeing that light at the end of a tunnel. After two exquisitely tragic pages, page 3 was a glimpse of hope. Reading the last two stanzas of that page felt like watching the happiest of endings of a movie in which the protagonist finally gets to experience true joy after what seemed like an infinite journey of misery. "we’re happy we’re in love we have everything we’ve ever
wanted." (Cassis, 2021) What a feeling!
As a certified emo weirdo, I genuinely appreciate when any form of art enables me to go through a wide range of emotions. That is exactly what Joe graciously does not only throughout this whole book but also on the very same page. For instance, the line: ”I still smell her hair on the wind” is found completely by itself right in the middle of a page. This simple line alone had my mind racing. This line sparked some joy but also some sadness in me. Does it mean that the person whom this line is about is always with him, no matter where he happens to be in this insane gigantic world? Is it about temporary pain like a long-distance relationship? Is it about a type of pain that is permanent such as break up or death? Well, you will have to read Joe's book to find out. Yes, I do like it when any artistic representation makes me feel like I have been to hell and back in a matter of seconds, minutes, or hours. However, I also appreciate when art pushes me to sincerely question myself on its meaning or reconsider aspects of my existence and that is the effect that specific page/line had on me.
Certain pages illustrate extremely conflicted feelings one can go through when battling inner demons. For instance, on the ninth page of the book, Joe expresses the desire of trying to remain alive while not wanting inner demons to negatively affect the existence of loved ones. A desire many of us have possibly felt in the past or are feeling right this second. The following excerpt is an excellent example of how Joe magnificently articulates this feeling: "I will the ones who love me to never see me, I pray the souls of my heroes are calm, and soothed." (Cassis, 2021) Throughout "Fever Dreams in Porcelain Skull", Joe wisely uses words to simultaneously paint visually stunning imagery and tragic emotions. During my reading of the book, I thought to myself: "Wow, that particular line could be transformed into a breathtaking painting. Shit, let's forget about that epic painting for a second and concentrate on the fact that true, raw emotions are on display for the world to read and feel." This observation I made can be illustrated by many lines and stanzas but here are some of the lines that captivated me the most: "I push to tear myself apart. my porcelain skull cracks from the pressure" (Cassis, 2021). Joe's exceptional choice of words is not the only component that makes his latest poetry release so special; he made sure to play with the font to create an even more mind-boggling and emotionally charged experience. For example, Joe cleverly separates the letters of the word separate from one page to another.
Before letting you go, I deem it crucial to specify that Joe's work, while being considerably well-written, remains accessible to readers who perhaps do not have much experience with poetry. Do not let the word poetry make you miss out on a painful yet beautiful emotional adventure. As always, I genuinely hope this article has sparked some curiosity in you to give Joe's work at least a bit of your time and attention. (CHECK OUT THE LINKS AT THE END OF THE ARTICLE) Once again, thank you to anyone who has taken time out of their hectic (or not) schedule to read this blog entry.
Shoutout to Michel Lafontaine who is responsible for the spectacular visual art found throughout the book @art.by.meesh on Instagram
Your emo kid at heart forever,
Ariane
USEFUL LINKS
Click here to purchase Joe's poetry books
Common Cycles' Bandcamp, Joe's solo musical endeavor
My review of Common Cycles' latest album
Joe's Post-Hardcore norescue's Bandcamp
WOW I wanna read this so bad. It's now in my wishlist and will buy it soon 😱 you're amazing as always 💙
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