Click away

Click, click, click...here are a few links to things you might find interesting:

There's a little piece here about art and mystery (and in particular about the artist Steve McQueen...no, not that Steve McQueen...). There was a longer interview with McQueen in the same paper a few weeks ago too (that's here).

The English poet U.A. Fanthorpe died recently and this week's BBC Radio 4 'Poetry Please' is a UAF special. I listened to it making the tea yesterday and really enjoyed it (especially her poem 'Seminar: Felicity and Mr Frost'). At a time when there's been so much talk about far right politicians (politicians...hah!) there is nothing like a kitchen full of lesbian poets on a Sunday afternoon to make you feel reassured and that all is not completely wrong with the world. You can listen to the programme here for the next few days. There's a lovely aside about crowd-pleasing from Rosie Bailey in it too.


Speaking of the nasty parties there's an interview with the british national party's Nick Griffin here. Talk about trying to give a respectable face to ideas that are about anything but respect (can ideas have a face..?). According to this article he went to Cambridge too...another fine product of the old establishment. I wouldn't waste eggs on him, I have to say, even rotten ones.


Much as the news (what with swine flu, the BNP and politics in general) may make you feel like getting loaded I can tell you that really drugs are a very bad idea (that mother in 'Almost Famous' is so right...). There's a drug-related poem of mine just now at the very marvellous ink-sweat-and-tears web-what's-it (and there are a few other blog friends featured on there nearby too).

Then after that you might want to read this article about an intensive meditation course. I read it today and it's worth a look...if you're not busy meditating or anything (can you be busy meditating...yes and no, I suppose...). On the course you can't talk to anyone for ten days! Can you imagine? I think I'd explode.

And a song...gotta end on a song. 'Two' is a lovely album from Kathryn Williams and Neill MacColl that came out last year (in the UK anyway...I think it's just out in the US now). It got quite a lot of publicity on its release but (like books) there are so many new albums coming out all the time that it's easy for great things to get lost in the rush. 'Two' really is an album to savour – gentle vocals, wandering lyrics, very poetic songwriting – and I listened to it last week and it made me very happy. Williams did the cover artwork herself and many of the lyrics show a real interest in the visual sense. I couldn't find my favourite songs from 'Two' on youtube but they're all good anyway. Here's what I could find:




Until next time.
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