Nothing to do with this article, but I know you like a piccy and why not one from a childhood book I loved? Just bought this copy!!! ‘Twitchy Whisker on the Track’
I have tried to sustain regular posts - articles even: though that was never the intention, I enjoy it massively and hope to resume - soon.
Meanwhile however, other events sort of closed me down a bit, and now I have to catch up with people waiting to be interviewed for Captain Cat’s Chat. Then I’ll have that to edit, promo to do so it can be launched something like on time…
But an older, a priori element has risen and demanded attention. Some of you are partly to blame for this. A very old artist friend (Chris Bilton) of mine and I decided it might be an idea to collaborate - some years ago now. Long story short, it took the shape of an online post, then a pamphlet. Publishing being what it is (not what it should be - not even self-publishing), we felt we should wait before submitting - for various reasons, not least product quality.
So we circulated a facsimile pamphlet of art and poetry among members of established writong groups and got very warm feedback - positive and encouraging beyond ‘well I suppose it’s OK’ - they wanted to know more. As did we. So we worked on it some more - because a pamphlet has to be X pages, even a mini one. It is now full size, in two books as it were. One of these - our collaborative part, has now become the basis of an exhibition.
OK, I thought, artists also get the KB 101 times out of ten. But exhibitions come and go so we’ve negotiated some windows, just local stuff. Not complete verses, but fragments accomanying artworks. I drafted it into a slide show so we could go over it and edit. And I naturally though, well wouldn’t you, it needs music. Hey, what if we could - if the infrastructure was there, couldn’t we have a sound track to the exhibition?
That got us excited - and the galleries too. They of course asked if it would be live music. Shazbat, I was doing this as something other than a band, but hey-ho as annoying nitwits say. I sent Chris a track I’d recently finished, which he liked - and introduced me to his friend Alan Jackson. Alan put something together based on my stuff and I thought, hang on, hang on… We co-wrote something, having not even met yet, and it’s our favourite piece of the three items we have. So it’s growing annd it seemed we could maybe record it, maybe do bits, then hold events for people to come and do their poems/songs whatever.
Wait up - poetry? I recently invited a couple of people to read, interwoven with musical moments. Prompted by Matt Butt at ROR, we no - Chris agreed a slide projection would be a good idea. So, you lovelies who liked my little set of poems - those who liked the dragon stuff I put up here a while back - it’s gathered momentum. And it’s coming soon, so help me God.
So I make no apology for no articles for a while - I’ve started some but heck, I’m so busy and the PC screen is torture for my eyes. It’s a-coming though, sure as the very next thing - which in this house is dinner and time to knock off - heck, I wrote and edited the script today cos we had one reader confirm. Thing is, we can record it too, so you have (in the olden days) a CD to go with the pamphlet or whatever media happens to allow this to be duplicated sufficiently… And or available seperately - it goes on and on and - well Captain Cat will of course be putting it all in his chat - and hopefully it’ll be on Rockingham Radio too. Youtube I suppose, and everywhere us fab influencers can get…
Peace and love and hi to all the subscribers and followers new and not so new - I do read your stuff when I can. Heck, people who complie and edit anthologies must have brains of steel! How do they read it all?
SIgning off cos I just printed some stuff to erm - read
xxxxxxxAlex