Category Archives: Poetry

Entropy Is All

Posted on by
Photograph by Thierry Bal of Musarc performing The White Noisery

The gateless gate opens
To reveal no sound
Except the hum of life

These are our eons
Cast all around us
We are blind to them

I hear the sound of surf
Sweeping all mind away
But there is great unity

Let’s all move in time
Above the morass
We call human life

Inspired by The White Noisery (2012) by Jennifer Walshe

This poem was composed for the Musarc Winter Konsert 2023: We Are Participating.
There was a Shared Reader and Writing Project for members of the choir and this was my final input after several discussions and Zoom calls. The poem was incorporated into a psalm “The night is cold and the radio seems to be on”, which was written by members of the choir and performed with the audience.

Information about the Musarc Concert
Information about Jennifer Walshe
“Without a doubt, hers is the most original compositional voice to emerge in Ireland in the last 20 years.” Michael Dervan, The Irish Times

Angels of Fire 1983

Posted on by

In memory of Benjamin Zephaniah 1958-2023

The sad and much too early death of Benjamin Zephaniah this week prompted memories of the first time I saw him way back in 1983 at the Angels of Fire Festival. I was excited to see him since I had heard about him through the New Musical Express, which was my reading matter, rather than the Poetry Review. To put this in context, Angels of Fire was a six night poetry festival featuring new performance poetry and upcoming modern poets, at the Cockpit Theatre near Marylebone. The choice of performers was certainly prescient and varied, since several of them went on to have long careers. This festival of poetry, which gave me an excellent grounding in many different voices, was shaken up by the rockin’ dub protest poetry of Benjamin, which seem like a righteous breath of fresh air at the time.

I went to every night of the festival, since I regarded it as my first documentary photography project. I did not really know what I was doing, but was allowed to take photos as a member of the audience (times have changed…). Of course I was not being paid, but I managed to wangle my way in for free for a few nights through British Library Sound Archive contacts, who were recording it. I felt at home there since I had worked at the Cockpit as a Stage Manager. Fortunately the festival was sponsored by City Limits, a London listings magazine, and I made some early print sales, with the photos being used in their poetry column. Eventually some of theses photographs were exhibited at The Drill Hall in Chenies Street WC1.

Seething Wells

I was also looking forward to seeing Seething Wells (aka Steven Wells 1960-2009), who lived up to his moniker, along with other early ranting poets such as Little Brother and Joolz. The more refined feminist poetic tradition was also represented by Michèle Roberts and Alison Fell, while a notable contemporary wordsmith was Jeremy Reed, full of Bowie references. The world of sound poetry was not forgotten either, with the appearance of the legendary Bob Cobbing (1920-2002), later to be seen at The Klinker in Islington. Here are some of the photographs I took of these poets:

Joolz
Michèle Roberts
Alison Fell
Jeremy Reed
Bob Cobbing

I was heartened to see Benjamin Zephaniah become become a Professor of Poetry and part of the National Curriculum, turn down his OBE, and always act with generosity, wit and humility. Here he is in full flow at the ICA a year later, I believe.

†

Track of the Year 2020

Posted on by

My Wanderings In The Weary Land by The Waterboys

Good Luck, Seeker

This is an unlikely choice, and the idea that the pseudo Irish folk band The Waterboys would be a 2020 favourite was derided, even laughed at, by several of my contemporaries. Nevertheless Mike Scott and his cronies have metamorphosed into a soul rock band, with electronic backing. They are both hilarious and sincere, in a way that maybe Morrissey used to be.

The actual track is a rock stomper that you can actually dance to. The music is credited to Jim Keltner, the great American session drummer, although whether he actually plays is unknown, it does sound a bit processed. The other music credit is to Anthony Thistlethwaite, a long time accompanist of The Waterboys, presumably he plays the violin. Still it is the lyrics and singing of Mike Scott which animates this bulldozing epic, like a whole life in song. The coda is a proper rock guitar freakout, the like of which is rarely heard these days, but advances in a most satisfying manner after the emotions of the verses.

EaJb9OlWsAEjqEy

Yes there is a whole life in this song, ecstatic, searching and moving. The moment when he exclaims “And I Ran” makes you want to run alongside, imagining your own experiences through the vagaries of existence. It resolves, after many adventures, at “love’s fortress”, truly a A Long Days Journey Into Night. Yet he manages to emerge into the “small damp dawn”. Such a joy to hear the height of unbridled emotion, instead of some tinkly, mousy, half-formed musings so common these days. His optimism is infectious, he will keep running and never become “one of them!”

This song is track 9 or track 2 side 2 of the album Good Luck, Seeker. The album itself is a slightly mixed bag, starting with the Van Morrison inspired The Soul Singer. It traverses through some electro-folk and then the psychedelic Dennis Hopper and Freak Street. However it is side 2, track 8 onwards, which comprises a suite of spiritual songs taking us on a true journey. Some are delivered as poetry rather than sung, which appears to have upset some fans. Yet I find the balance between the rock bombast and dreamy romanticism works perfectly, the songs reflecting off each other, building a plangent vista. We slowly move into a spiritual realm, arriving bizarrely at The Society of The Inner Light at Steeles Road in London. The album finishes with the calming Land of Sunset, but before that there is a kind of reprise of Weary Land. The short Everchanging boldly proclaims “a new vista of fresh probabilities”. Still moving indeed, and all highly energising.

Good Luck, Seeker 1

My Wanderings In The Weary Land – the official audio on You Tube

Ω