I don't usually go in for the type of poetry Alan Bern writes. Last night at Pegasus, though, his performance along with "Lucinda" was surprisingly refreshing and enjoyable.

It's real easy to take this whole thing too seriously. I take art too seriously a lot. But Alan Bern gave us a night of unpretentious surprises that were just fun to see. Lucinda danced about in a silver leotard all over the store and someone interrupted the performance looking for a Lonely Planet on East Asia, and there was a haunting Spanish whisper piece that blew my friend Casey away. So much going on!

The whole thing was very Berkeley, and that's cool. I think that the performance as a whole had something for everyone. You couldn't hate or love the whole thing, but there were parts that I really dug. Actually, it was probably one of the better readings I've been to lately.