Search This Blog

Friday 15 October 2010

Poetry Cafe outing - Desperado Housewives

The Desperado Housewives played the poetry cafe yesterday. Sadly Helen McCookerybook has lost her voice. It's coming back and she'll be ready to play/sing once more on Saturday at the Palatine in Stoke Newington - 8pm start, it's free.

Razz stepped into the breach as an honorary third Desperado Housewife. He seemed to get rather enthusiastic about the new role, suggesting that we call him Doris. I said new members had to undergo an initiation ceremony and bake us a cake. He didn't refuse, so I'm quite excited about that.

The other performers were all interesting, and I particularly was moved by Tom Paley, who at 82 is still in love with his lost old love, Joan Howard. He read sonnets he'd written to her and sung a very beautiful song. His phrasing was lovely, and the dynamics were wonderful. Very good musical work that made the personal story even more touching.

Tom's story made me appreciate my own life at the moment. Stimulated by Tom's story, even though I hadn't rehearsed it I sang a new song that Matt and I had written together, 'Oh Lordy', inspired by a photograph of a murdered drug lord that I catalogued at work. I pointed out that Matt and I hadn't seen each other for fifteen years when we met once more at an Ivor Cutler gig, but had been too shy/reserved to get together before. I know that may seem strange to people who know us as we are both perceived as outgoing people (I think) but that is because we are performers. That doesn't stop us from being self-conscious in our personal lives.

Thanks Mr Cutler, for helping out with my love life. Sometimes Matt and I listen to the odd song of Ivor's, like 'Going in a Field'. We have confessed that even if we liked him before, now we both feel extra affection for him and his work.

No comments:

Post a Comment