If

If you go home with somebody, and they don’t have books, don’t f*** ‘em!
John Waters

Children of the Sun

So last night my mate Simon is coming round we're going to watch some Led Zeppelin, some Chet Atkins and some Queen on dvd  oh and we're going to eat some take out curry too. Simon's just got a new mandolin and brings that and a bottle of glenmorangie too.

Well after eating, playing with the mandolin and my 12 string guitar and somehow having drunk the whole bottle of whisky (I rarely drink, honestly) and starting on a bottle of caol ila I keep for medicinal porpoises we find ourselves in my tiny studio and recording a version of Hawkwind's children of the sun, Simon plays the acoustic guitar, mandolin and bass, and I do the vocals, lead guitars, and electronics and the mix.. not easy when one is literally swimming in the water of life...

it's not turned out bad at all we think, here it is, thought I'd share it with you, if anyone wants to make a silly video to go with it that would be cool, or if anyone else has done their own versions of tracks from x in search of space it would be really cool to pull a compilation together... we might do master of the universe next, but we might do a jethro tull track.. we'll see... oh yeah no hangover..

Download

Wake up call

Ah! Up then from the ground sprang I
And hailed the earth with such a cry
As is not heard save from a man
Who has been dead, and lives again.
About the trees my arms I wound;
Like one gone mad I hugged the ground;
I raised my quivering arms on high;
I laughed and laughed into the sky

Edna St. Vincent Millay

Star Child

Goodbye Arthur C Clarke who became a star child today.

Tomorrow

five elements

Fifth Element by Luc Besson was on TV last night, I've seen a load of times, but as I'm having a lazy night I watch it again, and am still amazed by how good it is. It has also left me with a great idea for a poem.. inspiration is when your senses are open to all things, and if you have an idea that needs feeding, it is amazing how things will put themselves into the right terms for you to go deeper with that idea. - It's also making me think I should have a classic movie spree, just indulge in some fave films over the next while, I'm not a big dvd buyer, I don't like owning too many things, I think they end up owning you..

anyway some of my favourite movies...

The Wicker Man (the real version, not the silly remake)

Fifth Element

Un Coeur en Hiver (probably my favourite film ever)

Breakfast at Tiffanys

Wings of Desire

fight club

The guru

magnolia

Addams Family Values

Ascenseur Pour le Effachaud

Dr No

American Beauty (love the film but also because it is actually Joyce's Ulysses transcribed to film..oh yes it is...)

amongst the trains

Just a quick thank you to all who came to the reading last night in the amazing setting of the National Railway Museum.. Stephenson's Rocket, The Mallard, The Flying Scotsman acting as silent watchers in the great hall, as the poetry lifted off from the page. A lovely reading for me, as I had a number of dear friends come to the show, and there were also many Siddique 'virgins,' to ply with the strong wine of poetry.. you naughty things you!

love 
John

becoming

"First say to yourself what you would be; 
 and then do what you have to do."
  --Epictetus

I tend to leave notes for myself around the house in order to become. Often it feels like we're faking when we say, 'I am a writer,' or 'I am a poet.' Yet unless we can look ourselves in the the in the mirror and say it how will we become. a good amount of laughing at myself seems to help too though, 'I'm an artist dahling.'