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22:18:00 o'clock BST
Hearing Lily The Pink?
Roger McGough
Readers of this blog who have trudged all the way from the first entry in the Archives will recognise how, in my teenage search to get laid, my main technique was to use the celebrity of others. One man loomed large in this and I had never met him.
You see, most 17/18/19 year olds getting a girl back to their bedsit would stick the latest Stones or Beatles album onto their Dansette. I, however, took a different angle. I'd put on poetry. Really ... off-the-wall poetry, to be "different." It sort-of worked sometimes.
I had only the one album of two poets, sent to me, an embryonic rock writer, as a review copy by CBS. But I fell in thrawl to one of the poets on it: funny, real, acerbic, with a voice that beguiled. Lines like "Come live with me and be my love, I keep a flat for mating. There's half an hour before the bus; shall we do it while we're waiting?" The other feller seemed too old to write poems about dating 16 year old girls so made me feel a tad uncomfortable - I skipped his tracks. Both were backed by delicious accoustic guitar from someone named Andy Roberts. The album was called the "Incredible New Liverpool Scene." It was well used, well worn. I have it still, although it's rather beaten up.
Today, I was in the same room as that poet I felt so attuned to 40 years ago. The setting was Dylan Thomas' boathouse in the heart of Laugharne Weekend. In fact, with my wife and our friends Doug and Rosemarie making up around a sixth of the audience, it was pretty inevitable that I'd sit right next to Roger McGough.
Awkward, really, sitting next to a poet reading his work. No, never sit next to a poet, you might just mess up his art; never sit next to a poet, you cannot let out a fart. Your stomach mustn't grumble and even when he makes you laugh so much that your sides want to split, you'll be too polite to let rip with a proper guffaw (especially if you weren't supposed to roar but should have nodded sagely.) And then he does a sombre poem just when your hayfever demands a loud but probably over-dramatic sounding sniff. Never sit next to a poet.
I couldn't resist pulling out the battered old album during the questions. What you see inthe picture is Roger displaying it to the crowd - well, the other 23 - with me in my dotage suddenly remembering all the sex I'd hoped to get from this vinyl and cardboard object, finally in the hands of its creator.
According to the sleeve notes, this album will be a collector's item one day. So I thought I'd try to get Roger McGough to autograph it. He agreed ... but I added the warning: "Careful, it's a bit fragile. I used it to get girls." A brief puzzled look crossed his face. Did he think: this old bloke's some kind of perv? Still, Mr. McGough let the remark go and found a blank spot above his words to sign.
We were honoured to be in the presence of this warm, entertaining genius who must end up as Poet Laureate when Her Madge realises it's okay to be funny and a poet at the same time. Will my album end up on e-bay as a collector's item? Over my dead body.
Mr. McGough, if you are passing, there must be a couplet in this!
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In fact, Mr. McGough did pass this way. I received the following email:
dear Peter,
I did enjoy your blogpiece. it was a funny gig wasn't it? Like being in the front parlour with a lot of relations you'd never met.
Many thanks.
Roger -
AirGuitar, you are spot on about the talent of the Liverpool Scene and particularly guitarist Andy Roberts.
As a student at Liverpool Uni in the late 60's/early 70's, any Liverpool Scene gig was a must. I particularly liked the "cultural bingo" - poems in between bingo calls! (Well it was different!). Andy Roberts played a blinding electric guitar as well as acoustic. He was so good that he could imitate the guitar greats such as Clapton and Zappa to a T.
The Liverpool poets toured with Willy Russell some time in the 1990's (not as "Liverpool Scene"). If memory serves, Andy Roberts was on the tour, still playing as great as ever.
I have a much played Liverpool Scene album too - I Am The Human Tapeworm; I Got the John Mayall, Can't Fail Blues - brilliant!
06/05/08 20:22