By Ron Worthy
I first met Carl Hancock-Rux last year in a local hangout, The Alibi, in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, NY. Although I owned his album, Rux Revue, and had loads of respect for the brother, I didn’t want to crowd him. It’s the Brooklyn way. Live and Let Live. So, it wasn’t until months later that we connected around the jukebox and started to discuss music. More than a year later, I am so happy to announce that this brother will be contributing to the legacy we are building here at soulhead.com. We are sure that his experiences as a culture creator and maven will yield amazing results. Stay tuned for his first piece later today.
For those who are not aware of Carl’s previous work, Carl is an award-winning poet, playwright, novelist, essayist and recording artist. He is the former Head of the MFA Writing for Performance Program at the California Institute of the Arts (2006–09) and has taught or been in residence at the University of California–San Diego, Stanford University (my alma mater), the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Holiins University, the University of Iowa and Brown University. He has appeared in dozens of collaborations and recently appeared in Nelson George’s Brooklyn Boheme film about the neighborhood of Fort Greene.
We have also provided a few links below in addition to this excerpt from a recent NY Times piece on Carl.
Carl Hancock Rux has many talents. He’s a poet, author, playwright, actor and musician.
He’s currently working on a new album; a novel about German colonialism in Africa; and an opera about Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.
Mr. Rux also has a number of awards. His first book of poetry, 1998’s “Pagan Operetta,” earned him The Village Voice Literary Prize. Mr. Rux’s 2002 play, “Talk,” won an Off-Broadway Theater Award. His albums have received praise from Rolling Stone and SPIN magazines.
But awards aren’t what drive Mr. Rux — it’s the process itself. Full Article.
Carl Hancock-Rux around the Social Web:
In addition, here are a couple videos to help get you better acquainted with Carl’s work:
Carl Hancock-Rux – Protean Character (shot on location at the Alibi in Fort Greene, NY)
Gerald Clayton and Carl Hancock Rux in The Greene Space