The Door’s Open for SCRUFFMOUTH — Artist Profile. By Kevin Locsin

Why do you look so sad and forsaken? When one door is closed don’t you know another is open? — Bob Marley

As a former professional soccer player, quality assurance tester for Electronic Arts, and Bikram Yoga instructor, Kevan “SCRUFFMOUTH” Cameron has seen many doors close and several others open over the years. The lyric above from Bob Marley’s Coming In From The Cold, a personal favourite of his, definitely rings true for the Sherwood Park native. Now adding SFU School for the Contemporary Arts to the list of open doors, he joined me for a short interview to discuss his experience as a spoken word artist.

Kevan “SCRUFFMOUTH” Cameron

Spoken word or SLAM poetry was always an immediate outlet for Kevan. Being a SLAM poet for some time now, he looked back on his early years and how they differ from his practice today:

“When I first started I had so much stuff that I wanted to write and perform. Whereas now… I’m almost back at a blank slate space where I’m reflecting.”

This blank space of reflection is in part the reason why Kevan finds himself taking courses this semester. He sees school and particularly CA 319 as an opportunity to inform his writing and ensure that he is able to create from a place of relevancy. He likens himself and fellow artists to court jesters and village idiots of old, whose responsibilities included entertainment as well as critique and accountability. In his opinion, the arts should be funded as they fulfill a need in society for self-reflection and social commentary. He goes on to say that “there is a benefit for society to know and even respect the artists and the rabble-rousers within it. Because I think that only contributes to the stabilization of society despite the inescapable change it will go through”. For him, artists play an integral role in the formation and reformation of a healthy society as the world around us continues to evolve.

All that said, Kevan also believes in the following statement:

“An artist should never rely, expect, or fucking-even want [funding] sometimes.”

How grounded can he get? It is evident that he is an artist who simultaneously understands his value and his humility. As he continues his spoken word practice in this way, whether he expects it or fucking-even wants it, I’m confident that more doors will soon open for SCRUFFMOUTH.