Watch Bill Murray Read Rousing Poem About Dogs And Take A Nap During SXSW Panel



Bill Murray appears to live a very charmed life. He’s always doing something interesting. This weekend was no exception. Murray was at SXSW to promote Isle of Dogs, an animated movie that Murray lends his voice to. Murray helped publicize the upcoming Wes Anderson film by reading poetry to a captivating audience in Austin, Texas.

Murray voices a talking dog named “Boss” in the stop-motion movie that also stars Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, and Jeff Goldblum. To promote Isle of Dogs, Murray read a rousing poem titled “Dog” that was written by Lawrence Ferlinghetti in the 1950s. The poem was read with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach played by a cellist.

However, it appears that Murray’s stirring rendition of the poem seemed to have taken all of the comedian’s energy and Bill napped during the SXSW panel for Isle of Dogs. First, when a fan forgot the question they were about to ask Murray, the comedian mocked them by saying, “Sir, you might want to loosen that headband.” Then video caught Murray nodding off during the presentation. Being Bill Murray is probably very tiring.

Here is poem “Dog” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti:

The dog trots freely in the street
and sees reality
and the things he sees
are bigger than himself
and the things he sees
are his reality
Drunks in doorways
Moons on trees
The dog trots freely thru the street
and the things he sees
are smaller than himself
Fish on newsprint
Ants in holes
Chickens in Chinatown windows
their heads a block away
The dog trots freely in the street
and the things he smells
smell something like himself
The dog trots freely in the street
past puddles and babies
cats and cigars
poolrooms and policemen
He doesn’t hate cops
He merely has no use for them
and he goes past them
and past the dead cows hung up whole
in front of the San Francisco Meat Market
He would rather eat a tender cow
than a tough policeman
though either might do
And he goes past the Romeo Ravioli Factory
and past Coit’s Tower
and past Congressman Doyle
He’s afraid of Coit’s Tower
but he’s not afraid of Congressman Doyle
although what he hears is very discouraging
very depressing
very absurd
to a sad young dog like himself
to a serious dog like himself
But he has his own free world to live in
His own fleas to eat
He will not be muzzled
Congressman Doyle is just another
fire hydrant
to him
The dog trots freely in the street
and has his own dog’s life to live
and to think about
and to reflect upon
touching and tasting and testing everything
investigating everything
without benefit of perjury
a real realist
with a real tale to tell
and a real tail to tell it with
a real live
barking
democratic dog
engaged in real
free enterprise
with something to say
about ontology
something to say
about reality
and how to see it
and how to hear it
with his head cocked sideways
at streetcorners
as if he is just about to have
his picture taken
for Victor Records
listening for
His Master’s Voice
and looking
like a living questionmark
into the
great gramaphone
of puzzling existence
with its wondrous hollow horn
which always seems
just about to spout forth
some Victorious answer
to everything

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