17
May
13

Tollbooth – Stirling

A truly memorable gig at the Tollbooth in Stirling – the audience were amazing in a real theatre type setting – it felt more like a conversation than a gig which was good considering  the gigs we did in october november and december were in big venues like the Liverpool Philharmonic hall, Brighton Dome, Londons Queen Elizabeth hall with 16-1800 people per show.  

Mr Clarke was amazing last night, signing, dancing and a plethora of new poetry.  I loved the way the crowd sangalongajohn – really warm crowd

Mr Johnny Green and I had a good walk today after breakfast to discover just how beautiful and Hilly this city is – stunning and historic – and a great sculpture of William Wallace in a Toga.  We like Stirling

John and I are on the Culture Studio with Janice Forsyth on BBC Radio Scotland today at 2pm today discussing poetry, gigs and scotland – Tune in and have a listen here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01sdtyy

Also – the weather is glorious – who says it always rains in scotland – we need some sun cream - 

Edinburgh, here we come - 

16
May
13

John Cooper Clarke Tour

I’m back on tour with John Cooper Clarke – if you missed him on “Have I Got News For You” last friday get him again on ‘Catch Up” – he was brilliant and well worth a watch.

The Brilliant Luke Wright is also joining us for the Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen gigs and he’s ace so come along and join us and our poetry winnebago

and for all things JCC get on Johns website - 

http://www.johncooperclarke.com/

Here’s what we are doing over the next week – Check out the venues online for tickets

16.05.2013 Tolbooth, Stirling Stirling
18.05.2013 Picturehouse, Edinburgh Edinburgh
19.05.2013 Gardyne Theatre, Dundee

Dundee

 

 

20/05/2013Lemon Tree, Aberdeen

Aberdeen

 

 

11
May
13

Why Wigan deserve to win the FA CUP

In a climate of cool footballers with Bentleys and sports cars

acting like pop stars

spoilt kids on millions of pounds

arses wiped by club officials 

above the law and dodgy solicitors

loop hole after loop hole

Diamonds and liars

headphones and hip hop

rape charges and hair cuts

gun toting tee shirts

and dodgy girl after dodgy girl after dodgy girl

little boy after little boy thinking they own the world

tattoo after tattoo after tattoo

grow up and be a man

you have a choice

like emerson boyce

Who carried out the beautiful boy in his arms

so poorly the boy couldn’t even lift his head to look up

that’s why Wigan deserve to win the FA CUP

28
Apr
13

What Me Mam Taught Me

We buried my Mam last friday – it was a beautiful day and our whole family came together to celebrate her life. We sang at her graveside. scattered peonies, soil from Ireland and holy water from St Brigid’s shrine onto her coffin while my mate Ged played the flute.

 A few weeks before she died, she asked if i would do her eulogy.  How do i write about a woman who achieved so much and touched the hearts of so many people?  I purposely left it till the morning of the funeral and went for a swim and whilst travelling up and down the pool, i gathered these words together and loads of people have asked me for a copy, so here it is

What Me Mam Taught Me

 

How to dream

That God is free

That love isn’t all you need

What Me Mam Taught Me

 

She taught me

That I lived in the greatest city on earth

How to show my value as well as my worth

Success only comes through hard work

What Me Mam Taught Me

 

She taught me

That my family will see me through                                  

Maureen Seamus Patricia Theresa Chris and Hugh

She said, “If you work with them, they’ll work with you”

What Me Mam Taught Me

 

She taught me

That charity begins at home

That it’s good to spend some time alone

Say something positive, don’t just moan

What Me Mam Taught Me

 

To Travel

To sail eight of the seven seas

That solitude is a dead good beach

That a caravan in wales isn’t all you need

What Me Mam Taught Me

 

To find beauty in the angry young man

To have as many kids as you can

To only have a Silver Cross Pram

What Me Mam Taught Me

 

She said that

Through reading and writing I would escape

That I could always have my say

To say a prayer every single day

What Me Mam Taught Me

 

 

She taught me

Drink too much & I’ll be depressed

If I take drugs I’ll be a mess

Eat too much food I’ll be obessed (she really said obese but that wouldn’t have rhymed)

What Me Mam Taught Me

To swim

To dance

To show true precision

To have confidence in all my decisions

For everyday to be a mission

What Me Mam Taught Me

 

Don’t want to be in, it’s better to be out

A whisper can be louder than a shout

To put my brain in gear before I use my mouth (I’m still working on this one)

What Me Mam Taught Me

 

To take life slow don’t live too fast

To live each day as if your last

Abstain from meat and on Friday fast

What Me Mam Taught Me

 

If someone’s down, pick them up

If someone’s thirsty, give them your cup

If someone’s bored, give them a book

What Me Mam Taught Me

If someone’s homeless, take them in

That God will always forgive a sin

To put my litter in the bin

What Me Mam Taught Me

 

That Women’s Lib is nothing to do with burning bras

That if you believe in yourself you will go far

To always drive a Nissan car

What Me Mam Taught Me

 

She said

Michael, tell them not to cry

Because I have live such a fantastic life

And you can see me in all the children’s eyes

 

That a sunset is someone you love saying goodbye

Did you see the sunset on Thursday night?

So no sadness today, let’s celebrate her life

What Me Mam Taught Me

 

 

22
Apr
13

Patricia Garry

Patricia Garry

My Beautiful & Inspirational Mother passed away last wednesday after battling cancer for many years – Her funeral is this friday 26th of April at St Bernard’s in Burnage at 12 noon. We shall be celebrating her life afterwards at Chancellors Hotel in Fallowfield.

20
Apr
13

And the world carried on

sat in silence by her bedside 

I could see a silver Vauxhall Zafira passing by, outside, on the busy road 

I could see a number 50 bus, packed to the rafters, windows steamed up

I could see a minibus full of kids on a school trip

a ford fiesta, silver, parking up on the pavement

a man in a black Mac walking past with his dog

a teenage boy on his bike, 

3 primary aged children, running and chasing each other, their mum walking slowly behind carrying their green book bags

a man delivering leaflets house to house

a red Volkswagen Golf

six or seven cyclists, in a line, on racing bikes wearing bright colours and helmets

the post man

a delivery van

an ambulance

an Ice cream van singing “If you go down to the woods today”

A couple holding hands and walking slowly, not talking to eachother

Another number 50 bus

An articulated lorry with “McVitties” written down the side

Two young girls, laughing aloud and looking at one of their phones

a grey Toyota Yaris

a motorbike

a schoolboy

a girl in a hijab

a dad, holding the hand of his young son

a Nissan Micra.

I could not understand why.

 

 

19
Apr
13

and Finally – Final Sonnet & probably one of the greatest ever written

I thought of walking round and round a space
Utterly empty, utterly a source
Where the decked chestnut tree had lost its place
In our front hedge above the wallflowers.
The white chips jumped and jumped and skited high.
I heard the hatchet’s differentiated
Accurate cut, the crack, the sigh
And collapse of what luxuriated
Through the shocked tips and wreckage of it all.
Deep-planted and long gone, my coeval
Chestnut from a jam jar in a hole,
Its heft and hush became a bright nowhere,
A soul ramifying and forever
Silent, beyond silence listened for. 

Seamus Heaney



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