• Reading age: 16 to 18

To get a sense of the significance of Carlo Spinazzola’s work, it is important to see it in the context of the full breadth of the artistic undertakings he applied himself to. To see him just as a poet, or as a musician, or as a painter, is to miss the spirit that ran through all his work. He was all of these things and none – his artistic output flowed naturally, taking a number of forms, always in the same spirit. His life and his work spoke the same honest message, and this honesty gave all of his endeavours a depth, commitment and truthfulness that is unmistakable. Carlo and his blues lived together, and together they created for us a powerful legacy of words, music, art and memory. Whether his inner torments instigated his creativity or were the necessary payment exacted for his gifts is a moot point, for in the end Carlo succumbed to his demons. In 2003 the blues carried him away at the age of thirty-three. By turns funny, crude and, above all, moving, The Blue Room is the work of a true artist. Gathered from notebooks written throughout Spinazzola’s lifetime the poems here are the expression of a young artist of our generation.

Carlo Spinazzola (1970-2003) was an integral part of the creative scene in Cape Breton during his lifetime. As a songwriter and musician he wrote, performed and recorded around the Island, across the province and in other parts of Canada.

Carlo Spinazzola's profile page