Monday 19th March 2018
Productive day. Stuck to the hours I used to work decades ago in the warehouse: 8.15am – 5.00pm with a ten-minute break at 10.00am, half an hour from 12.30pm and a fifteen-minute break around 3.15pm. Kept the social media off the desktop and just cranked out the end of term papers and student feedback forms, then switched to Wednesday’s session.
Mark Speeding tagged me in an appraisal of the album ON FIRE by Galaxie 500 on Facebook this evening and it reminded me of something from a gig review some twenty-four years ago:
"...they make Galaxie 500 and Mazzy Star sound like kick-ass rabble rousers in comparison." - Sharon O'Connell - Melody Maker, 14th May 1994.
Productive day. Stuck to the hours I used to work decades ago in the warehouse: 8.15am – 5.00pm with a ten-minute break at 10.00am, half an hour from 12.30pm and a fifteen-minute break around 3.15pm. Kept the social media off the desktop and just cranked out the end of term papers and student feedback forms, then switched to Wednesday’s session.
Mark Speeding tagged me in an appraisal of the album ON FIRE by Galaxie 500 on Facebook this evening and it reminded me of something from a gig review some twenty-four years ago:
"...they make Galaxie 500 and Mazzy Star sound like kick-ass rabble rousers in comparison." - Sharon O'Connell - Melody Maker, 14th May 1994.
I remembered this quote and knew I had the review of CODEINE live at Islington Powerhaus pasted into an old notebook. In the process of digging it out, I found a bunch of A4 hardback's containing original handwritten dated drafts from SHADES OF GREY and TIGHTROPE WALKER - which I thought had gone forever. Strangely enough, a couple of them in their published form I intend to perform at Gong Fu Poets next week. Listening to Galaxie 500 now. Good, but not as hypnotically anaesthetising as THE WHITE BIRCH. I saw Codeine live at the Riverside in 94 and people were nearly nodding out and falling over. This review encapsulates the kind of aesthetic I was aiming for in some of my early writings. Now, of course, I'll get to see all the old stuff with the original dates of composition - so thanks massively, Mark.
Maybe I should just take a few years out to edit some retro volumes. 10.40 pm.
Tuesday 18th March 2018
WORK LOG: Morning pages. Made a set-list booklet for Gong Fu poets gig next week, did some intros and links for it on the bus into Durham. Session at Waddington Street Centre went okay: end of term paperwork, Absurd Words, Golden Shovel, writing about atmospheric film scenes, then discussion about themed collections with a look at Carol Ann Duffy’s The World’s Wife. Poetry Jam flyers up and another set rehearsal. 11.00pm.
Good to have the heating on whilst shaving. Good to get the Gong Fu Poets set rehearsed. Enjoyed my soups – tomato for lunch, lentil late afternoon. Enjoyed my stollen. Babble Gum was good, but I can’t even remember the names of any of the main guests – all new to me. I put my name in the hat for open mic. Was going to road-test ‘wax jacket’ for Gong Fu but looked like lots of students in and didn’t want to piss them off, so I did three Blue Notebook pieces – Big Air, Consequences and Purple Song. Enjoyed the gig but pleased to be heading home. 11.05 pm.
Wednesday 21st March 2018
Happy World Poetry Day! Only found out coz Facey-B flagged up an old post in memories from a few years back. Chuffed I saw it coz I just ditched the intended evening workshop and made it all poetry. Took a couple of hours to plan and another hour to set up at Waddy. Of course, I prepped too much stuff - but we’ll get round to using it another week. Good to get a nap on the bus back to Consett. Good to get a few rehearsals in for Gong Fu. Wish I could memorize though. Sara Dennis shared a Richard E Grant article on Facebook this evening resulting in ‘Withnail and I’ quotes aplenty in the comments. Love that film. Nice to have a bit of online chat with Jenni. Hope her flu clears up soon. Pleased to get all my food in tonight. Gonna start canvassing for more workshops soon. I aim to get some ANOMALIES done next week. OK. 11.41 pm.
Thirty-one years ago, tonight: having just seen The Mission play Glasgow Barrowlands, me and my good friend Stephen J. Clark would be just about to start our seven-hour overnight stand in Buchanan bus station. Sleep not really an option. 11.53 pm.
Thursday 22nd March 2018
Pleased to get a set together in ten minutes for Saturday’s gig in Sunderland. Selected, sequenced and rehearsed on the spot whilst making a full English brunch – all old poems but decided to replace one with a new piece. I want the whole set to be from memory but the new poem is being a pain. Of course, it doesn’t help to almost nail one version then re-edit it. Also had three more full run-throughs of set for Gong Fu Poets. Aiming to do it three times every day for a week; it won’t be memorized but at least I’ll be able to look up from the paper. I envy people who can learn stuff. I can’t remember more than about ten percent of everything I read without great repetition. Really pisses me off. But of course, no point moaning about it. I spent much of 1998 doing that when let out of hospital. Did little good. Still, often wonder how far on I’d be with a better brain. 10.58 pm.
Friday 23rd March 2018
Great bunch of people at The Peacock in Sunderland for the city’s Creative Writing Festival Spoken Word event. Very strong sets from Rowan McCabe, Mandy Maxwell, Tony Gadd, Patrick Shannon and headliner Jess Green. Very good open mic people as well, delivering mini-sets. Many thanks to Iain Rowan for organising.
I won’t attempt gigs without the book anymore. Can’t trust myself not to have memory blanks. Four times I went through my ten-minute set clean outside the venue and come stage time I stalled on the first stanza of something I’ve delivered loads. It knocked me for the rest of the set. Fuck it! I’m on the Metro to Newcastle now, so I can get the last bus home to Consett. Hope I get there in time. 10.59 pm.
Maybe I should just take a few years out to edit some retro volumes. 10.40 pm.
Tuesday 18th March 2018
WORK LOG: Morning pages. Made a set-list booklet for Gong Fu poets gig next week, did some intros and links for it on the bus into Durham. Session at Waddington Street Centre went okay: end of term paperwork, Absurd Words, Golden Shovel, writing about atmospheric film scenes, then discussion about themed collections with a look at Carol Ann Duffy’s The World’s Wife. Poetry Jam flyers up and another set rehearsal. 11.00pm.
Good to have the heating on whilst shaving. Good to get the Gong Fu Poets set rehearsed. Enjoyed my soups – tomato for lunch, lentil late afternoon. Enjoyed my stollen. Babble Gum was good, but I can’t even remember the names of any of the main guests – all new to me. I put my name in the hat for open mic. Was going to road-test ‘wax jacket’ for Gong Fu but looked like lots of students in and didn’t want to piss them off, so I did three Blue Notebook pieces – Big Air, Consequences and Purple Song. Enjoyed the gig but pleased to be heading home. 11.05 pm.
Wednesday 21st March 2018
Happy World Poetry Day! Only found out coz Facey-B flagged up an old post in memories from a few years back. Chuffed I saw it coz I just ditched the intended evening workshop and made it all poetry. Took a couple of hours to plan and another hour to set up at Waddy. Of course, I prepped too much stuff - but we’ll get round to using it another week. Good to get a nap on the bus back to Consett. Good to get a few rehearsals in for Gong Fu. Wish I could memorize though. Sara Dennis shared a Richard E Grant article on Facebook this evening resulting in ‘Withnail and I’ quotes aplenty in the comments. Love that film. Nice to have a bit of online chat with Jenni. Hope her flu clears up soon. Pleased to get all my food in tonight. Gonna start canvassing for more workshops soon. I aim to get some ANOMALIES done next week. OK. 11.41 pm.
Thirty-one years ago, tonight: having just seen The Mission play Glasgow Barrowlands, me and my good friend Stephen J. Clark would be just about to start our seven-hour overnight stand in Buchanan bus station. Sleep not really an option. 11.53 pm.
Thursday 22nd March 2018
Pleased to get a set together in ten minutes for Saturday’s gig in Sunderland. Selected, sequenced and rehearsed on the spot whilst making a full English brunch – all old poems but decided to replace one with a new piece. I want the whole set to be from memory but the new poem is being a pain. Of course, it doesn’t help to almost nail one version then re-edit it. Also had three more full run-throughs of set for Gong Fu Poets. Aiming to do it three times every day for a week; it won’t be memorized but at least I’ll be able to look up from the paper. I envy people who can learn stuff. I can’t remember more than about ten percent of everything I read without great repetition. Really pisses me off. But of course, no point moaning about it. I spent much of 1998 doing that when let out of hospital. Did little good. Still, often wonder how far on I’d be with a better brain. 10.58 pm.
Friday 23rd March 2018
Home all day. Enjoyed listening to the current New Model Army album ‘Winter’ as I typed. And great to read the opening instalment of Joolz Denby’s online autobiography as well. Got some cheat sheets printed out for Sunderland gig. Just found out today that a book about musical group Swans called 'Sacrifice and Transcendence' by Nick Soulsby is to be published late June. Thanks to Jarboe’s Facebook page for info. Watched a great recent Steve Jones interview on life with the Sex Pistols and beyond. Think it was a promo for his autobiography, ‘Lonely Boy’. Also repeat viewing of documentary about Rotten v McClaren court case. Done three more rehearsals of Gong Fu set. Need to cut down on the intros. Good online chat with Jenni. Pleased the house isn’t so cold this week. 11.20 pm.
Saturday 24th March 2018
I won’t attempt gigs without the book anymore. Can’t trust myself not to have memory blanks. Four times I went through my ten-minute set clean outside the venue and come stage time I stalled on the first stanza of something I’ve delivered loads. It knocked me for the rest of the set. Fuck it! I’m on the Metro to Newcastle now, so I can get the last bus home to Consett. Hope I get there in time. 10.59 pm.
Sunday 25th March 2018
On the couch most of the day reading the ‘Renegade’ Mark E Smith book, sporadically pausing to check out some of The Fall’s music online and finding it for the most part not to my liking. Despite a number of disagreements with Smith’s opinions I found it a decent read. Also looked at an essay on performing onstage from the page. Ate lots of cake and drank hot chocolate. Squandered hours. 10.59 pm.
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