Performance Poetry Profile: Daniel X. O'Neil
by David Gecic

Originally published in Letter eX (June 1991)

Daniel X. O'Neil is one of the most active entertainers on the Chicago poetry scene; he is also a good poet.

Daniel has recently self-published a book called Bricks: A New Book of Poems. In typical Daniel X. O'Neil style, he has embarked on a whirlwind campaign to promote this book. He has gathered together a designer, Johhny Stepping, and several investors to aid him in this work. He has also recently hired a promoter.

Daniel X. O'Neil always tries to appear larger than life. He has a large staff behind him backing him up and doing promotional work. He sees himself as an entertainer and goes all out to satisfy his audiences, seeking a bigger and more diverse audience than other poets. He is always promoting, always trying to charm his audience. In short, he is in pursuit of stardom. Daniel seems to revel in the image of stardom.

He has called himself "The Worldwide Entertainment Juggernaut of the 21st Century." Is this an illusion?

Daniel certainly has the energy. He has had two plays produced and will shortly have a third. He also directed "Make the Rich Pay", and adaptation of a Micheal Gold play at the Wicker Park Fieldhouse. He has been featured at many venues in the Chicago area. Since the publication of his book in December of 1992, he has had 15 major peformances at locations as varied as Pachamama's Hovel, The David Leonardis Gallery, and Shelter.

O'Neil's performances are varied and are a mixture of glitz, motion props, and often audience plants. His performances tend to involve the audience; when Daniel is on the stage, the audience is too.

He has had some more subdued performances; for example his recent feature at Estelle's and the Czar Bar, but his more recent performance at the Hot House is more typical of Daniel X. O'Neil's performance.

Daniel read several pieces of other poets' work, the "Contradiction Kid" backing him up with some percussion work. An artist painted a picture of him during the performance. He asked from the stage if anyone would applaud the resurgence of right-wing violence in Germany. Thax Douglas the current host of Estelle's stood up in the audience and read in a deadpan manner, "Why, yes, I would consider, at some point in the future, applauding the resurgence of right-wing violence in the newly reunified Germany." Daniel lept from the stage, pulled out a Buck Rogers-type toy laser pistol, held it to Mr. Douglas' head, and read a poem.

He also talked about his playwriting. He announced several of his past productions (to contribute to his superstardom image), and annouced a performance of his play Revere the Police, Disdain the Citizens!

This is a play written for bondage night at the Dome Room. In it, a prisioner is beaten for the crime of "Failing to Faithfully Watch The Cop Shows on TV After Dinner Each Night." This play is reminiscent of his earlier play The Goddess Speaks, which had an equally bizarre theme. It was performed at Shelter, Edge of the Lookingglass, and Club Dreamerz in the summer of 1990. The Goddess Speaks combined music, video, film, and acting to tell the story of a revolt against the Goddesss of Free Trade and Commerce by her follower, TV Man, and a character called Seeker for Freedom. It was put on by a group Daniel helped create called Post-Industrial Stage.

At the Hot House, he also performed his sarcastic "Man Poet With Axe Speaks to Women" in a bad English accent. At the end he stated, "that was kinda silly and I'll be the first to admit it," as he quickly went into one of his stronger pieces, "Fire at J.D. Salinger's House!" which paints the image of the author of Catcher in the Rye suddenly driven out of his reclusive lifestyle by a fire at his house:

His neighbors called him Jerry, patted/ his back softly as he leaned on the/ satellite dish and cried, just now learning what it was like/ to have the national mood seep into the ground next to/ his house, burning paper and ink like nothing.

Then he pulled out a variety of objects, from posters to poetry necklaces, saying, "These are the products ladies and gentlemen. Everything you see is on sale, even my sweater."

A budding star must have product to sell - but poetry necklaces? They are a laminated piece of thick paper with the illustration from the cover of his book on one side and a poem on the other, hanging on a brass chain. When asked about the purpose of posters with poems on them and poetry necklaces Daniel states, "When I create a poem, the poem becomes product. I don't have to work at it. I just have to give the poem away. And if people purchase a book, poem, or necklace, they can take it home with them, adding to the enjoyment of the poem."

It is important for him to get his work into people's hands other than those who normally hear or purchase poetry. "I spread poetry to non-poetry audiences," he says, "I don't know if it's an important thing to do or if I'm on some sort of crusade, but people who are normally not into poetry get very excited about my work, and I like that. I bring poetry to non-poetry crowds and that is the majority of people in the USA. These are the people I want to get."

Some of his work tends to be a little political and some pieces in his book particularly "Peace Speech" and "Episode from a Revolt," are essays rather than poetry. "A poem is not the place for exposition," he says, "A poem's the place for poetry."

Some of his poetry, while it is poetry rather than essays, has a highly political-social theme. In "Cause of Death" he speaks about a soul who goes to heaven after being hit by a car who finds out that he should be in the death-by-war line. He argues but he is still sent to the death-by-war line. This is a subtle political statment abvout war in our streets.

Daniel was born in Pittsburg and is rooted in working class values. In "Drill Press Operator" he shows the frustration of being a working man:

"History will be kind to me."/ He had no consolation or basis for this,/ but thought that it sounded nice,/ pulling down the heavy/ metal apparatus so many times a day.

In "Citizen" and "Episode from a Revolt" he shows the violence that this frustration can cause. He creates good images in a poem called "Optimism";

At least/ the leaf thinks out loud, losing its grip/ on the branch/ "I die in color."

In "Death of a Book," he talks about a writer whose house catches on fire; he throws his works out the window and they blow away in the breeze.

Bricks cannot be read casually. Some of its poems have very subtle levels which do not come across with casual reading.

This is perhaps the greatest weakness of Daniel X. O'Neil's performances. The glitz and schtick cover up a lot of the substance of his work. He often delivers poems one after another and does not allow the audience to pause and reflect. People need to take the work home with them in order to get the content.

This is a disadvantage that is not present in his book. Several poems, howver, such as "Regional Warlord Song," are not up to the quality of the rest of the book and could have been omitted. Bricks does show the potential of Daniel X. O'Neil to be an extremely good poet. Go to your local bookstore and check it out.