Video Verse: We’ll Always Have Paris by Randall Stephens

We’re proud to show you another video by Randall Stephens in the lead-up to the release of his album Product. As always, we accept submissions of things like videos, as well as articles and the like so if you’ve got a spoken word video see our submissions page and submit to us.

Video and Words by Randall Stephens

As we continue releasing clips my friend/filmmaker Alex Scott has edited with me, I thought it’d be good to include a few of the lower-key and more intimate performances too, starting with this, from a feature at Lygon street’s Red Wheelbarrow books, back in March.

“We’ll Always Have Paris” takes its title from a Casablanca quote (yeah the film not the city). One of my oldest flagship poems, it dates back to July 2008 and I usually have an intro/preamble explaining how it came about. The deal was: being stood up by a just-friends-friend who was supposed to meet me in Paris but suddenly changed her travel plans just before our planned rendezvous there, not knowing that I had a massive crush on her. To me this is about grinding yourself inside for not expressing yourself more honestly, clearer or sooner. A lesson I’m still learning.

The redoubtable Jacky T and I have also been working together on an audio version for the online release of my album Product. Jack has composed some achingly beautiful music to go along with this, and I can’t wait to share that with you too, soon.

Before you ask, yes the woman in question eventually did get to hear it. She liked… the poem. I hope you do too, and that you enjoy this new video version.

Randall can be seen featuring at the following events:

Melbourne Poets Union featuring Darkwing Dubs, supported by Elizabeth ‘Lish’ Škec. MC’d by Randall Stephens
Wednesday, June 26 @ 7pm / The Basement, Architects 1:1, 31 Niagara Lane, Melbourne / $10-8 / Open Mic

The Oppositional Disobedience Disorder Support Group presents the Inaugural ODDie Awards, MC’d by Benjamin Solah as ‘Bolshi Ben Solah’ with performances by Randall Stephens, ReVerse Butcher, James Jackson, Steve Smart, Matt James and others
Saturday, June 29 @ 6.30pm / Revolt Artspace, 12 Elizabeth St, Kensington / Entry by Donation

Little Raven presents Saucy, an evening of burlesque and erotic spoken word featuring from Iron Man Dosh Luckwell, Kathryn O’Halloran, Hunter Bruin, Mardi O’Connor and Randall Stephens, Miss Charity Case, Harlotte Brontë, Bambi Lipschitz and Cupcake Kitten
Sunday, June 30 @ 7.30pm / The Toff in Town, 2/252 Swanston St, Melbourne / $15-10

Pleasure Forum Australia featuring Little Raven Publishing, Aimee Nichols, Sara Dalle, J.McLaren, Ana Malcolm, Koraly Dimitriadis, Jack Voltaire, John Bartlett, T.J.Minogue, Stu Lynch, Van Roberts, Megan, Thomas Caldwell, Steve Smart, Mardi O’Connor and Randall Stephens
Tuesday, July 9 @ 7.30pm / Loop Bar, 23 Meyers Place, Melbourne / $10

Little Raven presents The Good Bits featuring Randall Stephens, Vanessa de Largie, Helen Symonds, Ben John Smith, Alicia Sometimes, Urszula Dawkins, Kathryn O’Halloran, Dosh Luckwell and Joe Dolce
Friday, August 16 @ 7.30pm / Hares and Hyenas, 63 Johnston St, Fitzroy / $15-10

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Annie Solah

Annie Solah is a writer, poet, spoken word artist, activist and the Director of Melbourne Spoken Word. She grew up in Western Sydney before calling Melbourne home in 2008, where she's performed since 2010 around Melbourne's regular spoken word and poetry nights including Passionate Tongues, The Dan Poets, Voices in the Attic and House of Bricks as well as the NGV and White Night. She's released a chapbook, broken bodies, and two spoken word albums, Duel Power with Santo Cazzati and The World Doesn't Make Sense EP.