Refreshing the poets other blogs cannot reach?

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

Okay, okay, “Guest Blogger.” Let’s do this thing.

Deep breath. Check flies. Remember to smile. Aaaand….

“Hi! Welcome to My Place. My name’s Tony and I’m going to be your Guest Blogger for the next two weeks. Across my blogcupancy, to coin a phrase, I hope to open discussions on, not just the influence of place on poets and poetry, but also for us to discuss what the place for poetry is in the modern and virtual world. (Other blogs are also available. Warning – may contain poetry, nuts and mild peril. In case of drowsiness do not drive or operate heavy machinery.)”

I’m very pleased to be involved actually as I’ve been really enjoying this site over recent months. I’ve made a few postings and comments already and, in recent weeks I’ve been delighted to be asked to act as mentor/buddy/fluffer to the very talented Mr Byron Vincent. I’d like to think that’s been going pretty well behind the scenes and Byron and I will go public on how that’s been working in the next week or so. Meanwhile, there have been loads of interesting contributions and it’s been fascinating to watch the writers’ work emerging. I’m really looking forward to meeting and hearing everyone at The Big Chill and, as my stint as guest blogger includes the festival itself, no doubt I’ll be offering some reflections after the event.

But along the way, and in the hope of getting some discussions going – I’m going to take my inspiration from this, a half-forgotten Heineken beer advert from the 1980’s. I remember this well and still think it’s a work of genius.

Are you old enough to remember that? Seen it before? It makes me laugh every time! So….

….across my next few blogs I’m going to pose several questions which the above clip raises for me. These include:

The poet and accent.

The poet and intoxicants.

The poet as loner.

The poet and The Great Outdoors – an exclusive report from behind The Big Chill’s frontline. And…

The poet and “The P word.” Can poetry shake off its baggage?

But I’m hoping this will be a dialogue not a monologue, people. These things work best when they’re a conversation not a soliloquy. So all you cyber-lurkers out there. You! Yes you! Do please join in. Let’s refresh the old parts a bit, prove that August is not a wasteland but the coolest month and, whatever happens….

….please don’t leave me “walking about a bit on my own.”

tagged under: Tony Walsh

Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumble | Reddit

ABOUT THIS AUTHOR

Tony Walsh

Hi I'm a poet based in Manchester, profiled at the links below. I've performed all around the Uk, in Ireland and in Warsaw at the Palace of Science and Culture for The British Council. Everywhere from Glastonbury Festival to the British Library via pubs, clubs, prisons, schools, universities, festivals and once, just once, under a gazebo on a building site. http://www.myspace.com/tonywalshpoet http://www.applesandsnakes.org/artists.php?contact_ref=37408 http://www.writeoutloud.net/poets/tonywalsh

6 Comments

subscribe comments feed

Naomi Wilds
August 3rd, 2009

Thanks so much for posting this – it really made me laugh and I agree with those questions too. Looking forward to more posts and indeed saying hello in person at the Big Chill

Reply
Byron vincent
August 4th, 2009

As an intoxicated loner with a regional accent I await further posts and the ensuing parley with baited breath Tony. Good Stuff.

See you at the Big Chill x

Reply
Joe Hakim
August 5th, 2009

This is all very applicable to me… hope you have a good festival Tony.

Joe

Reply
Tony Walsh Reply:
August 5th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Cheers everyone.

I’ve got another couple of posts all ready to go as soon as we can sort some techie problems. Hopefully tonight.

We’ve now got in narrowed down to a problem with the Knob betweeen the chair and the screen

Reply
Dominic ORourke
August 6th, 2009

@ Joe – I particularly like what you do with the Hull accent, you work it well into your poetry, and your performances are all the better for it.

@ Tony – your own accent is quiet soft for a northerner!! Do you play it down or up when it suits? If so, when does it suit?

Reply
Tony Walsh
August 11th, 2009

Hi Dominic

It was good to meet you properly at the weekend. Thanks for commenting on here.

You’re right, I’ve not got the strongest Northern accent compared to some. I was brought up on a council estate in the brief post-industrial zone between the inner-city Manchester accent and places like Ashton, Hyde, Stalybridge etc which speak with a more Lancashire sound. My dad’s Irish and I can hear the odd word or inflection from that source also.

I’ve got distinctly northern vowel sounds though and I drop h’s and t’s etc. I talk too quickly and can be hard to understand, I’m sure. I never play up my accent but, I s’pose I do soften it sometimes, sounding my h’s etc.

When is it at it’s strongest? When I’ve had a drink with me oldest mates!

Interesting how accents can evolve over just a few years. The Manchist-oh accent is evolving, and the upwards inflection thing, as lampooned here by Taylor Mali

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmLE2bliXCI

The London and estuary accents also seem to be becoming more of an amalgam of multi-cultural influences?

Posh isn’t as posh as it used to be either!

Reply