Interview with David Kappell
Most of us are familiar with the oh so popular magnetic poetry, however there is a man behind the words, and that man is David Kappell. Besides being an inventor, Dave Kappell is also a songwriter and musician. His writer's block created a huge success and we all owe our magnetic poems on our fridge's to Mr. Kappell.
What were your aspirations as a child? Did you ever think that you would become an inventor?
When I was a child I wanted to be a "movie star." Later (and still, in a perverse way) a rock & roll star. I've always been a tinkerer, but never had any stated aspirations to be a so-called "inventor."
What was the muse behind your magnetic poetry?
I suppose my muse was David Bowie. And William Burroughs. They were the ones that first got me cutting things up.
Why did you decide to create magnetic poetry? What was your goal?
(Taken from site www.magpo.com/story.html)
It all started with a song and a sneeze. Dave Kapell, founder of Magnetic Poetry, was suffering from writer's block while trying to compose song lyrics. To overcome this problem, he wrote down interesting words on pieces of paper and rearranged them, looking for inspiration. What he hadn't figured into this experiment was his allergies. One good sneeze and any progress was sent flying across the room. Dave decided to glue the words to pieces of magnets and stick them to a pizza tin. Then he got hungry and the now magnetized words made their way to the refrigerator door. Before too long, Dave wasn't the only one rearranging his would-be song lyrics. When friends came over, Dave noticed they started to move the magnets around, amusing themselves by writing the first magnetic poems.
After seeing his friends having fun, Dave thought he might be able to sell his word kits at a local craft fair. He made up 100 kits and set up shop at Calhoun Square, a mall in the Uptown area of Minneapolis. All 100 kits were gone after 3 hours. That night, he recruited as many friends as pizza and beer could draw and made up more kits--all of which sold as rapidly the next day.
Is there anything specific about magnets that attracted you to them (pun intended)?
Everybody likes magnets on some level. They're mysterious, the force they contain (a strong force, unlike gravity, which is a weak force). But in the beginning, the magnets found their way to me; a roommate brough home a stack of mis-printed advertising magnets from the pizza joint she worked at, and gave them to me. Thanks, Heather, wherever you are!
Are you a writer yourself? If so, what have you written?
I created magnetic poetry as a songwriting tool for myself. I've written hundreds of songs.
I can't remember any of the poems I've written using magnetic poetry. And I haven't written any down. Really, it's true. That's sort of the nature of the product.
What were your expectations of your product?
I had no expectations for my "product" initially; it was not a product at all, just a tool for my own use. When people saw mine and played with it, they wanted one for themselves, so I would provide it for a price. It just sort of snowballed from there.
What other products have you created?
You can see all of Magpo's products on our website, magneticpoetry.com. I came up with many or most of them, including Poetry Stones and Stone Faces. I make lots of stuff in my spare time (woodwork, songs, paintings, sculptures, recipes, etc.) but most of it, like Magnetic Poetry in the beginning, is not meant to be sold.
Thanks Dave for the interview!