my life as a artist
questions, questions, questions
Monday 6th August 2007 9:19 PM
In November, I'm doing a couple of readings at the Aldeburgh poetry festival, and having an exhibition of my art in the Peter Pears gallery at the same time. The recognition is quite gratifying, although I do miss the romance of being a criminally overlooked and deeply misunderstood renaissance figure, crying in the wilderness. The festival are publishing a poetry paper and have asked all the participating poets to answer a questionnaire, the questions coming from famous poems. Here are the questions and answers. I don't know how many of them I got right.
a) How is it that you live, and what is it you do? William Wordsworth.
To be honest with you, Willie, I don't know how it is I live. In the words of your fellow bard, Toyah Wilcox, 'it's a mystery'. I can only imagine that God got bored of eternity, and he willed us into existence so he'd have someone to play blind-mans bluff with. I write poems and paint pictures, blindfolded.
b) What manner of man art thou? Why lookst thou so? S.T.Coleridge.
Well Sam, I'm a Yorkshireman/spaceman cross, and there might be a bit of collie in there somewhere, as well. I look like this because I attempted to cut my own hair with some cheap hair-clippers that I got at the car-boot sale.
c) What is that sound that so thrills the ear? W.H. Auden
Glad you like it Wystan! It's a track called 'Moonlight on Vermont', and it's being performed by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. You can find it on the album 'Trout Mask Replica', along with other traditional folk songs from other planets.
d) Say, is there beauty yet to find? Rupert Brooke
I think there might be some left in the fridge.
e) What's heaven? George Mackay Brown
There's a few schools of thought on this one, George. Gogol says it's a place 'where angels live in sadness', whereas Google says it's a gay discothèque in London. Until those two get together and sort it out, it's difficult to say. To me, heaven is striding out over Cader Idris, on a sunny day, eating vegetable dansak.
f) Is there anybody there? Walter de la Mare
I don't know Walter, have you tried knocking? It's the second moonlit door on the left… and by the way, it may look like the 'forest's ferny floor' to you, but that's actually my garden your horse is eating.
g) Were we led all that way for birth or death? T.S. Eliot.
Lighten up, Tom! It doesn't matter! With existence being an eternal cycle of death and rebirth, they basically amount to the same thing. Thank your lucky stars that at least you saw silken girls bringing sherbert. We don't get anything like that round here, not since they built the by-pass.
h) Okay, what shall we do now? Roger McGough
Tom's suggesting that we go through half-deserted streets that follow like a tedious argument, but the last time we did that, we ended up watching the smoke that rises from the pipes of lonely men in shirt sleeves. I think I'd rather go to the Lake District with Sam and see if we can't peak under the blindfolds.
Where do your poems come from?
From that luminous, thin strip of beach, where the sand is still wet from the waves.
I think I got seven out of ten.
Comments
Wonderful Love it. Inspiring, intelligent and makes me laugh too. No body blogs it quite like you do.
Posted by Ann Ardent-Fan , on Wednesday 8th August 2007, 3:36 PM
Well the 250 / 500 is still a burning issue, even including spaces we still only get around 250 characters. While blogs are your strong point I'm afraid internet character counting probably isn't. Phil (below) must be distraught.
Posted by I Lovehardsums , on Wednesday 8th August 2007, 1:05 PM
A top blog. Not far behind Jade Goodys "Existentialism And Me", but still lagging somewhat in the wake of "Eileens Car Boot Etiquette". Surprised that Aldburgh did not include this from the Cowshed Poets Collective "Who the f***i
Posted by Phil Latterly , on Wednesday 8th August 2007, 12:54 PM
You really do cheer me up. Keep on writing the blog. By the way, read Frost at Midnight by Coleridge, beautiful poetry.
Posted by Les Miserable , on Tuesday 7th August 2007, 6:52 PM
Are you thinking of Chesil beach, near Weymouth? It isn't really sand though - more sort of pebbles. It is probably wet at least some of the time.
Posted by Steve , on Monday 6th August 2007, 11:26 PM
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