latests news - 18 January 2014

Sorry for the delay with updates, folks. Sadly after an excellent Christmas with my folks, I got a bad chest infection and a few weeks later I still haven’t shifted the thing, which has proved very annoying. Here are some notes anyhow (even though some of these are more plans than anything else)

Writers of the third kind – the workshop is scheduled for 29/01/2014 @ the sweet green tavern in Bolton from 7pm. All welcome as always. A Means to an End – nothing scheduled in gig wise for the moment but I can confirm we are scheduled for Cadence Festival in June, and the Inspire Festival in Glossop in August. Have our fingers in about five other pies for gigs / festivals at the moment so am hopeful for some more too and once I am feeling better (See above – chest infection) we will start rehearsing again proper which I am looking forward to as there are several new pieces pending at the moment.

Poetry – Although I am still writing at the moment, I don’t have any plans for performance (Had to cancel two offers in January because of ill health), I have been still writing and passed around another draft of my next book ‘the end of summer’ to a few friends just before Christmas. Without giving too much away, I am pretty excited by the contents of the book and feel it is heading ahead in the direction the book should have been heading, and is pretty nearly done now (About to submit it to a publisher). Before that, in springtime, I have nearly finished off a collection of anti war poetry, which will be called Euro with the writer Nick Armbister that I have been writing over the past 6 months or so. I have completed around 20 or 21 poems for this, and is totally different from my last two proper collections and leads nicely into the end of summer, which again is totally different, and after discussion with Nick we will start work on a possible follow up at the end of 2014.

I also have some poetry due to get published over the next month or three in a few websites / journals. Will keep you informed as I know more here.

Twisted Promise - Work has also just picked up again on a possible poetic play with a writer called P.R. McDowell. We wrote a well-received poetic monologue called ‘twisted promise’ at the end of last year. Work started at the end of last year on a follow up / prequel called Twisted Promise II, which is maybe half done and will be complete maybe over the next month or so, then once we have part 3 and 4 completed we will then look at staging the piece or perhaps even releasing it as a short book (If Part 3 and 4 follow the length of Part 2 – that is very possible).

Work with Amanda Silbernagel – After some discussion with Amanda, this project has now been put on hold until Amanda’s schedule improves and we will complete an album perhaps in 2015 / 2016. Watch this space.

Jeffarama! - loud n proud book review

The energy of punk music I have looked at as an essential time in music, where in the case of one of my favourite all time acts of all time, Joy Division came by a sudden need to express themselves which went in a totally different direction to what they expected which followed in my own writing and performances. Although I started writing when I was 10 and even went to university (which nearly then put me off), as soon as I hit the stage properly in 2008, a rush overcame me which 5 years later still hasn’t left my heart (even though I am more into page poetry temporary) where you go onto stage and sometimes leave people in fits of applause or tears, the energy of confronting people and say ‘this is me’ is something that all performing poets go through.

Although driven by different demons, Jeffarama author of ‘Loud and Proud’ wouldn’t mind me saying when he started around the same time as me back in 2008, his first performance in Bolton was only likely to be a one off after he had scribbled down some words which became ‘Punk’s not dead’ and kinda took and led him eventually to gathering headline shows all over the North West.

‘Loud and Proud’ his debut full length collection (excluding a split book with myself at the end of 2011), contains 40 or so of his pieces which have become standards up and down his shows from ‘Appointment with Fear’ (about a dodgy dentist appointment) and Manchester Ritz (about the legendary night club) and Don’t date.com which is about his very comedic and funny adventures on the dating scene, these are poems about real life which, although carry across the stage perfectly also jump out of the book perfectly too in a energy that Jeff’s idol John Cooper Clarke would defo be proud off.

Surprisingly also, maybe showing a subtle which I was aware off but not perhaps not as well known is a number of his softer pieces such as Nat of the Wanderers (a tribute to Nat Lofthouse, an legendary Bolton Wanderers player_ and Cotton town, a tribute to his late mother which add a different level to this book.

I believe Jeff is going to be recording a CD this year to go with the book which will feature some new stuff (wrote since the book was completed) which will add a nice footnote to the book, but to quote Tony Walsh, one of Manchester best Poet’s ‘it’s 45 Rpms all the way with this guy’, certainly not 33rpms on this stirring, yearning book which is well worth £5 of your time.

More details including ordering - please go to http://www.writeoutloud.net/profiles/jeffarama or email him direct on jeffinbolton@yahoo.com

dropped phone call (from new love poetry e book - love songs for cathy v)

I ring you in the usual way

During a early lunch

But you drop the phone

When you hear my voice

Leaving me with nothing

But the droning ambience

Of a lost call.

Perhaps you are still in bed

In the middle of a deep sleep

After a late

Late

Late night

Talking

I had forgotten you mentioning

With a few bottles of wine

At your friend Jane’s

And couldn’t be bothered

Staggering out of bed

To answer the phone,

Or maybe your Cat

Has instead of missing

The dressing table

After jumping from your bed

Has leaped over the suite

Onto the window

And knocked the phone flying

Cutting me off into oblivion.

 Perhaps it was a BT error

Or you are on the phone

To your mate, Steve

For one of your epic

Three or four hour calls

Which frequently has me thinking

What the hell

You could talk about

For so long

And is meant to feel minor

When Steve says he sometimes

Talk to one of your ex’s

All night long

Sometimes,

Or maybe you are rushing off

To the shop

Across the road

To pay your lottery ticket

Before rushing off

To your doctors

Then asda up the road

Before it closes

And really

Really

Could not be bothered

Answering my call

At least then.

Whatever reason

It still hasn’t clouded

Over my love

For you.

(NB. A Short Poem from a ebook of poems I wrote for my partner Cathy called ''Love Songs for Cathy V', of which a hard copy can be bought here - http://www.lulu.com/shop/andy-n/love-songs-for-cathy-v/paperback/product-21381711.html. I will welcomely send over a PDF of the book to anybody if interested free of charge. Email me onaen1mpo@yahoo.co.uk or PM etc.)

Christmas Poem for Cathy (2013)

Put your head against mine
On Christmas morning
Just before the Alarm goes off
And your cats start marching
Up and down in your kitchen
And remember what it was like,

Of the way Snow used to come down
Outside where you used to live
Leaving that taxi taking us to my parents
Going up and down that hill
Like it was trying to tackle
A ski slope rather than a ride out,

In particular when I knocked off
All of the labels skidding down the road
Leaving us guessing all the way down
Whose present was who’s
Much to the amusement
Of both my father and brother,

And on the way back
When the taxi driver
Couldn’t get his taxi going again
And I had to help him
Push it back up the hill
In a attempt to get kickstart it

Totally defying gravity

A lot like what your cats do
Every morning.



(For Cathy. Blog to follow next few days but have a great Christmas all!)

live @ joshua wilson brain tumour charity night 7 december 2013

Dear all;

Last Saturday my band 'a means to an end' played a set at the  joshua wilson brain tumour charity night @ the duck club, bury and had a great time.

here are some selected videos from the night..

true colours - behind blue eyes
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvdI_HqBXng)

trevor edge
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvrSaGBHoK8)

trevor edge - 2
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EulzhZsN8dY)

tony kinsella
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9ySVSToIjU)

pete slater
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zEo3QaKEvA)

pete slater and john 'blackneck' matthews
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZ0iJ1ed0Co&list=UUSnVliEClzutG1pg9S1Bgwg)

john 'blackneck' matthews
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt3OuVPzIA0)

john 'blackneck' matthews 2
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXh2-DODf7Y)

john 'blackneck' matthews 3
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFECMaWNCzM)

jeffarama! it ain't gonna happen
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3LT4ZREk-0)

gordon zola
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WedCMC1eNdU)

gordon zola - 2
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWLcFwOx4wY)

a means to an end - ghost of liverpool empire
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v06Plq7Z8iw)

a means to an end - ever wondered?
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v06Plq7Z8iw)

John Dawson (a tribute)

I have just found out John Dawson before, a regular member of the writing workshop I co run with Amanda ‘Writers of the Third Kind’  over the past two years or so sadly passed away on Monday 18 November 2013.

He was 75.

I am do not know yet what has happened here but I know he was poorly over the summer, but still managed to run the last of his charity nights in Radcliffe Hospice the other month.

He wasn’t very well that night but still managed to get up and read out a poem or two with a charm and smile that I hope didn’t desert him right up until the end that was constant throughout his poetry.

The piece below which is from a booklet of his published last year ‘thirty rhyming poems’ is one of my favourites of his and while not one of his funnier pieces sums up the way I shall miss him.

Rest in Peace, John.

You will be missed. 

Missed

A pair of slippers, an empty chair

The room now cold and bare

His coat still hangs behind the door

A stack of old newspapers on the floor

A cup of cold tea, beside his bed

A dip in the pillow where he lay his head

We had some good times grand dad and me

It doesn’t seem long, since I sat on his knee

Always laughing, and full of fun

But alas his race is run

I still can’t believe he’s no longer there

Just a pair of slippers and a empty chair.

The End of Summer - delay

Sadly my next book ‘the end of summer’ has hit a delay folks.

It won’t be out now until 2014 I think now.

This isn’t because I have hit a writers block or anything like that. The book itself is pretty well wrote aside from one final piece I have in my thoughts need a final re-drafting but it kinda made sense with Christmas approaching to leave it until Christmas itself when I can then finally look at it what to do next with it.

In the meantime, while The End of Summer takes a well deserved break other projects are bubbling along nicely.

As always including hopefully a split book with another writer and a play with two other writers.

Next week or two, I will hope to share something from the book previously unpublished.

Hope you are having a nice Winter guys.

A