Poetry is the new rock n roll. (Revisited)

An old poem rewritten for Amy Winehouse.

They say poetry is the new rock n roll

Write another poem buddy. Go buddy go

Write about a rock star

write about her vices

write about her falls from grace

her personal crises

but write about a rock star

and dress her up in sequins

for rock n roll ain't a world

in which Jo meek wins.

Yeah poetry is the new rock n roll

Write another poem buddy go buddy go

Write about a rock star

write about he cocaine

talk about her cocaine

talk about her cocaine

talk about her...

Oh buddy push the needle on

and write about a rock star

sing it when you're done

sing it to a techno beat

badum badum badum

Yeah poetry is the new rock n roll

Write another poem buddy go buddy go

Write about a rock star

but not about her rehab

no don't write about her rehab

NO NO NO

write about her drinking

and write about her gear

because happy stories of the cure

are not what we want to hear

Yeah poetry is the new rock n roll.

(Guitar solo)

Yeah poetry is the new rock n roll

Write another poem buddy go buddy go

Write about a rock star

then kill her when you're done

kill her with a fatal dose

her vomit or a gun

but kill that fucking rock star

don't let her get too old

that way you'll get to number one

before the body's cold

Yeah poetry is the new rock n roll.


My poetry can be found Here

Mangrove Steelband rehearsing at the Tabernacle prior to carnival.

This is what goes on round here at this time of year. What a magical thing to find.

Offer.

A poem by yesterday's muse.

you appealed for help

I offered.

Please do not ask me for that which I offered.

That would be embarrassing

I don't have what I offered

I only have the offer.

Surely the offer is enough.

Enough to make me feel good.

About offering.

I will always love you. Brilliant lipsync performance.

Borrowers or squatters.

A friend phoned this morning. Concerned that squatters were breaking into the flat next door to hers. Initially they had said that they were from the council then owned up.

I went round and spoke to them. they seemed to think that stealing someone's home was acceptable. "It is not theft". They said. "We are just borrowing it".

The blue dress.

He gave her red things. Trinkets. He had no money but she would not accept the one thing of value he could give her.

she gave him blue things. Trinkets. She had money but she could not give him the one thing that he valued.

Until.

She called him. 'Where are you?' 'At home'. 'I am at the shop down the road, you know the one we talked about this morning. Come down here'.

He walked. Across the road from the shop he saw her, she came out of the door, beckoned, smiled, danced. In a blue silk dress.

He knew.

he crossed the road. The Red bus was doing 30 when it hit him. He died happy.

Which is more than could be said about her.

Pink shoes

The ghost of carnival past and the detritus of the Muse.

Bottle tops pressed into the tarmac by crouds at past Carnivals, Powis Square, Notting Hill.
The Muse left in a hurry leaving me with nothing to do but write poems about ballet shoes.

Sirens but no mermaids.

Dreaming of sirens I awoke to find next door on fire. Fire engines do not resemble mermaids.

Not a poem but the surreal start to my day; dozing and dreaming I was brought round by the sound of many sirens and they did not pass the house. I thought 'Strange, A bit early for the looters. Surely they are still asleep or playing grand theft auto on their stolen consoles'. I went up to the roof and saw that I was surrounded by fire engines and smoke coming out of the school next door.

downstairs I opened the front door to the fire brigade who asked me to leave immediately.

What to take, what to take?

I took my false tooth and stetson. I should have put some socks on, That was a mistake, not putting socks on.

now, later, the fire is out, my flat is smoky and greyish like someone has been burning car tyres in there. I have to keep out for a day or two until the smell has cleared but it could have been far worse.

It was caused by builders working on the roof earlier this week, had been smoldering for a while. I had been very lucky that it did not go off at 1.00 am when no-one would have seen the smoke.

Fire brigade were great. They had to take some of the school roof off to get water into the fire. "Most of it came out through the school" said a fireman. Some of it didn't!

MANGROVE STEEL BAND PRACTICE ON ALL SAINTS ROAD 25TH & 26TH AUGUST

UPDATE: Mangrove Steelband will now be having their final rehearsals in the Tabernacle Courtyard Tonight (Thursday) and tomorrow night. It will finish at 9.00 pm due to noise restrictions. The Tabernacle is on Powis Square W11.

The following is from Matthew at Mangrove. Please read this and give your support. It is important.

PREPARATIONS FOR CARNIVAL 2011

MANGROVE STEEL BAND PRACTICE ON ALL SAINTS ROAD 25TH & 26TH AUGUST

We are contacting businesses and residents of All Saints Road to seek their support for our

local steel band to be able to continue a tradition that has been taking place since 1980.

RBK&C have advised us that a Temporary Entertainment Licence will now be required for

these ‘performances’ to continue with much restricted hours. Mangrove would like to point

out that the band’s appearance on All Saints Road is not intended to be a performance, and

no action has ever been taken to advertise or attract an audience.

We would propose that the band sets up both evenings by 8pm and rehearse until 10pm on

Thursday 25th and midnight on Friday 26th. It has been our custom and practice to set up

in the street order to give our young members the experience of playing on the float and

in the open prior to taking part in the Panorama steel band competition in Kensal Road on

Saturday 27th August.

Our young people have been working hard practising every night in Tabernacle so they may

give their peak performance at Panorama and this is the goal they work towards throughout

the year.

Over the years we have gathered informal feedback from businesses and residents and the

general view expressed has been:

• These informal rehearsals attract large numbers of people to All Saints Road giving a

very positive and happy ‘vibe’ to the street. Restaurants and the off-licence have

reported a welcome increase in business on the evenings the band is on the road.

• There has never been any unpleasant incidents or criminal activity during these

rehearsal sessions

• Local families look forward to coming to the street to support their local band and to

meet their friends and neighbours in a safe and informal setting

• The people of Notting Hill show extreme patience each year as up to 2 million people

come onto our streets, and many local families enjoy this annual pre-carnival get

together prior to being invaded by the outside world

• SUPPORTING AND ENCOURAGING THIS POSITIVE MUSICAL ACTIVITY BY OUR

LOCAL YOUNG PEOPLE WOULD BE A WELCOME COUNTERPOINT TO RECENT

DISTURBANCES AND PROVIDE A PLATFORM FOR YOUNG BLACK PEOPLE TO BE

SEEN IN A POSITIVE LIGHT.

WE ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT BY SIGNING OUR PETITION TO RBK&C.

MANGROVE STEEL BAND – MANAGER MATTHEW PHILLIP 020 7243 9999

EMAIL: matthew@mangrovesteelband.com WEBSITE: www.mangrovesteelband.com

MANGROVE STEEL BAND PRACTICE ON ALL SAINTS ROAD ON THURSDAY 25TH AND FRIDAY

26TH AUGUST 2011

We the undersigned would like to declare our support for Mangrove Steel Band to continue

their 30-year tradition of bringing the young band members to All Saints Road to practice on

their carnival float from 8-10pm on 25th and 8pm-midnight on 26th August. We welcome the

positive activity offered by Mangrove to local young people throughout the year.

This annual tradition brings a festive atmosphere to the street and will be a welcome

counterpoint to recent disturbances in the area which impacted on at least one business.

DATE

NAME

ADDRESS

RESIDENT

OR BUSINESS

COMMENTS

Notting Hill Carnival will Go ahead but All Saint's Road on the Friday is stopped.

I have learned today from a Police source that the Carnival will be proceeding but with much tighter Security and Policing.

The Popular (among locals) Friday night final rehearsal by Mangrove Steelband in All Saint's Road is in danger of being banned. A petition is being drawn up now and will be published here soon.

more later.

Looting and thuggery in Portobello, Westbourne Park Road. #2

This is local Restaurant Bumpkin in Westbourne Park Road W11. Boarded up and closed after Sunday night's looting spree. The whole area was boarded up and closed last night. Police everywhere and fortunately no sign of the gangs of looters that we saw the previous night.

The Cow was thankfully open for a while where I met up with Gaz Mayall, Ray Roughler Jones and others to drink a beer or two and try to get on with life. The Cow closed early, I went for a walk about with a friend, found the Cock and Bottle open; another pleasant surprise.

The atmosphere here had been tense all day. Surreal.

I'm not going to say much more on the matter other than it occurs to me that parents have lost control of their children and need to clamp down and where are the community elders right now? Who is talking to the kids.

We are going to be battened down again this evening with a massive police presence.

UPDATE: Wednesday night was quiet but spooky, a big police presence on the streets and gangs of youths hanging out. A couple of strange faces appeared to be moving from group to group. Nothing kicked off. Curious to find that I am being treated as the enemy by some because I talk to the police about the situation. A raddled over the hill 'rock chick wannabe' had a go at me for talking to the "filth". What is wrong with some people. It is our home that is being threatened by these thugs. We need a Police presence.

good to see that the Castle and Portobello Lounge were open last night with some live music.

Parliament is being recalled on Thursday.

This is the Message sent to MP's by the chief whip.