1048 - Homework

A busy day at home… What did I do?
It’s all a beer-soaked blur now, finally
Amazingly, I cleaned all my windows
I’ve now got windows through which you can see!
I’ve almost finished a new track, to be
Called ‘Couldn’t Think Of Anything To Say’
It needs remixing, keyboard part, maybe
And after four hours doing that, a play
On the guitar, the first for many days
Watched Monty Python, ‘Elizabeth’ too
Cate Blanchett in love with Walter Raleigh!
Walter, he chased the Armada away
No sign of Francis Drake…But that’s how you
Keep the Yanks interested in history!
Sat 18 July 2009

993 - Sunny music

A dreaded sunny day, so rare; so what
Should I do with it now that it is here?
I finished my song ‘The World At War’ that
Has tormented me for half of this year
I improved ‘High Over Liverpool,’ mere
Changes to volume levels on guitar
‘Deborah in February’ was my clear
Favourite to begin work on, but the star
In my heaven was near, in Manchester
And so, rather than start that song, I met
Her for a browse round St Anne’s Square. Yorkshire
Is where we’re going tomorrow by car
Hebden Bridge to be precise. But I put
Some tracks down for ‘Deborah’ this evening. Cheers!
Sun 24 May 2009

964 - Munch of the day

Awoke with my brown-skinned girl by my side
Breakfast, and then with great skill she helped me
Sort out phone pictures, and then with some pride
Showed me her own pix of her family
And travels over the last year or three
Got cloudy, so I chose to go swimming
With Josie (too cold to go to the sea)
Roads packed with United fans, all driving
To the game against Spurs (seems they’re winning
The title once again, Ferguson’s side…!)
A fun time in Stockport pool with Josie
Followed by a late afternoon’s eating
And joking around. Back home, guitar played
Quick call to my girl, football on TV…
Sat 25 Apr 2009

924 - Blood on the strings

Last night I cleaned the blood off my guitar
From Friday's gig. I'd not dared use my pick
In case I dropped it way down on the floor
From my high stool, making me look a prick
I'd strummed for hours at home, but at the gig
My fingers bled by the third song, maybe
Because the guitar fell down flat, I flicked
The strings too hard, I don't know. It shocked me
After I finished singing, hands gory
And that's when fingers started to feel sore:
Only when I saw blood; that cartoon trick
When the character flew till he saw he
Had gone off a cliff, and then he fell far
Down into the sea, legs, arms, flailing quick
Mon 16 Mar 2009

920 - The night before

A busy day organising meetings
There’s always someone unavailable
The tales they spin always contain some stings
There’s one with bells on here that you can pull
But never mind work, tomorrow is all
My own, taking it off, cleaning my car
Buying shoes at the local Salford mall
And practising my songs on the guitar
Tomorrow night is a big one, by far
The biggest test of my poor voice which sings
So rarely at home, barely capable
Of rising above whispers. I can’t Marr
This chance to play the Smiths and other things
Please please please don’t let me be miserable
Thur 12 Mar 2009

905 - Bolton swings

Left work early and bought a new T-shirt
Went home and practised tonight’s guitar piece
In the end wasn’t sure how well it worked
But it went okay, and people were nice
A good time had by all, cheap at the price
I had three plates of extra hot chilli
And watched the other acts, a nice surprise
To see Gordon Zola sing a ditty
Or two. Jeff played his keyboard for Andy
Anti-war themes, and politics, weren’t shirked
Some rude poems, but best of all, the place
Had some spectators in it, more healthy
Than performers only. My new T-shirt
Didn’t quite keep me warm; thought I would freeze!
Wed 25 Feb 2009

904 - End of the beginning

A hectic week gets ever more hectic
The kitchen thermostat is turned to full
No let up at work, no time to be sick
While outside work it’s just incredible
Tomorrow night I hope to impress all
The watchers and participants up there
In Bolton at the gig, set out my stall
And show what I can do, what I’ve learned here
At home over the years with wine or beer
And a guitar for company; now slick
With the hard work done, ready and able
And no reason I can see to feel fear
Tomorrow night, me and my guitar pick
Will be revealed; moving in for the kill
Tue 24 Feb 2009

871 - Special request

The flat is quiet and so lonely tonight
No sound of music, TV, radio
No smiles, fingers, soft flesh to set alight
These smouldering embers from five days ago
When I last saw you, when we felt the glow
Now you are a receding star, too dark
To pick out from the cluster. Do you know
My future’s in your palm, and needs to talk
To me? Would I suit you? This is hard work
Getting you off my mind so I can write
Especially with that laughter from below
Even a strummed guitar now from the Turks
They’ve heard me play, perhaps they thought they might
Give it a go. Why not give it a go?
Thur 22 Jan 2009

848 - The bony-arsed rocker's lament

My arse hurts after a while in this chair
Was in it for hours yesterday making
Sweet music, but not quite so sweet to the
Neighbours from hell (they’ve got no taste), riffing
Along to rock, soul, reggae, anything
And even learning Acid Pro usage
Now I can record rough demos; cooking
On gas, my friend. Hey! Danger, high voltage!
Got calloused fingers; used each appendage
More than ever before lately, I swear
May play more later, do more composing
I sit now doing daily sonnetage
Went to Jodrell Bank, the telescope there
Endlessly pointing, probing and seeking
Tue 30 Dec 2008

840 - Guitar love story

I'm very close right now to my guitar
A love that I've neglected thru the years
Me and my acoustic met in the far-
Off year of '82 in Brum. But tears
Of frustration were to come. It appears
That all relationships are this rocky
Except in this case the rock stopped, the cause
Given as musical difficulty
(Not differences). The chords were too tricky
So dis-chord and finger fatigue were our
Coda. Then ten years' separation. Here's
The romantic part. In '98 we
Started seeing each other. Regular
Sessions followed, especially after beers
Mon 22 Dec 2008

834 - Account of a day off work

The neighbours seemed to shag three times last night
Or maybe just three attacks of bedbugs
That made the mattress shake and creak; all quiet
Voicewise, though - no female moans reached my lugs
Despite these interruptions, aural tugs
From my own Land of Nod, I slept quite well
Got up at nine-twenty and had some glugs
Of juice, turned on TV, watched Jeremy Kyle
Exposing and exploiting chavs a while
I shaved, washed, dyed my hair, the sky less bright
As noon drew on; played swing, including Duke’s
And Artie Shaw’s top tunes. Can nearly tell
Where notes are on guitar with eyes shut tight
Then collected son from London uni digs
Tue 16 Dec 2008

810 - Blues in A flat (take 2)

I’m here all alone in this flat, the cold
Keeps rushing in when I put rubbish out
Into the balcony bin, and I sold
My soul to the tobacco king about
This time last night, smoked some shivering out-
Side the small theatre. Now there’s three smokes left
But not much else. Feel too cold to check out
The show at the Lowry tonight. What’s left
To do, since there is no-one here? A swift
Departure once more leaves no-one to hold
But my true love. I’ll get some records out
And play my pink guitar, and still have left
Enough energy to suffer the cold
Tomorrow, when I’ll be out and about
Sat 22 Nov 2008

800 - Relaxation by guitar

The cares of the day were partly smoothed down
By listening to him play on his guitar
The Australian master was in town
A man who can play music from afar
From centuries back and new out this year
Might get his CD cheap from Amazon
Already I’m playing Cavatina
Not myself, of course, sure you understand
But merely on a hits compilation
While I write this and attempt to wind down
After a hectic day, a can of beer
By my side, by way of consolation
For no longer having my love around
And a conference tomorrow to chair
Wed 12 Nov 2008

684 - Good day

I feel great, top of the world mama, yeah
This life can be good if you are selfish
Have had a really nice day; went to a
Chinese buffet with friends and filled my dish
And since then did some ironing, got pissed
And played electric guitar and keyboard
Undertones, Sweet, Sparks, Sabbath, Jim Webb. Missed
The chance to play much Brel; couldn’t afford
To risk playing after eleven, sword
Of Damocles stuff if you do that. The
Rules state you must be quiet then. I wish
I was in a detached house; then I could
Do what I like and play on. But, whinger
You can watch a DVD if you wish…
Sat 19 July 2008

682 - In the pink

My pink guitar, the new love of my life
I’ll stroke and stretch your strings with my fingers
My pick will pick you up just like a wife
On the threshold; let each long lick linger
My salmon pink star, electric singer
Accompany me when my feeble voice
Attempts a duet, plug in amp, tongue a
Hillman Imp to your flash Rock n Rolls Royce
I’ll never smash you, at least not by choice
No Pete Townshend treatment, trouble or strife
No setting alight, Hendrix-style singes
I’ll stay faithful, not just one of the boys
To you my axe that’s sharper than a knife
Clear as a bell pulled by expert ringers
Thur 17 July 2008

641 - Sky of blue and tea of green

I drink my green tea by day and red wine
Or beer by night, but in moderation
And if I avoid alcohol I find
The evenings bring me more inspiration
Today however I’m writing this down
At work, because it’s Friday, and then I
Can relax with a drink later, the sound
Of music replacing typing, the cry
Of guitar strings and not the anguished sigh
As I look at my inbox, write a line
Of poetry, then feel the frustration
As writer’s block hits and the clock ticks by
My tea’s all gone, the chocolate tasted fine
And I’ll walk home, now that this poem’s done
Fri 6 June 2008

593 - Saturday night party for one

I’ve played guitar along to 90s hits,
And Cockney Rebel, Bloc Party, Dionne,
With Brakspear’s Triple Beer and cigarettes.
I even played Yes ‘Going For The One.’
Stopped when Brian Wilson covers came on,
Because I had to write tonight’s sonnet
Before tonight’s Match of the Day came on.
Yes, I want to enjoy the football. Let’s
Watch Derby beaten by West Ham. No bets
Placed today, true, but even so, well, it’s
Great to see what Paul Jewell says. It’s fun
Watching him squirm in interviews. I’ll get
Some food together, and then I will sit
On the sofa till bedtime comes along…
Sat 19 Apr 2008

450 - Smashie and Nicey rock on!

I own CDs by all the followin'
AC/DC, Dave Bowie, Johnny Cash
Miles Davis, ELO, Leonard Cohen
Funkadelic, Grateful Dead and The Clash
Hendrix, Greg Isaacs, Crosby Stills and Nash
The Jam, The Killers and Hank Williams
Nirvana, Oasis, Prince, Queen and Ash
Radiohead, Sparks, Lucinda Williams
Teardrop Explodes, guitarist John Williams
The Undertones, The Velvets live, Dylan
Wagner and XTC, Yeah Yeah Yeahs' thrash
John Zorn. Nobody else named Williams
In a short while I hope to be playin'
Along on acoustic, and gettin' smashed

Wed 28 Nov 2007

310 - I cannot serenade you from the street

I cannot serenade you from the street,
My love, with my guitar and my flat tone
Of voice, because it wouldn’t be discreet,
For we’d not be romantically alone.
I’d have to dodge the joggers, and your phone
Might ring, and you’d be arguing with ma,
And my singing might cause the dogs to moan,
And would be drowned out by each passing car.
You wouldn’t open your window that far
So I could see your long blonde hair, your sweet
Smile, and your twinkling eyes that once had shown
Me silent songs not sung to a guitar.
And so the evening once more is complete
Without your neighbours having cause to groan.
Wed 11 July 2007

309 - Like Johnny Cash, I'm on the 309

Like Johnny Cash, I’m on the 309,
But still breathing okay, fortunately,
Because my train set off somewhat behind
The man in black, who’s far ahead of me.
Are his eyes good again? What can he see,
As he stands beside Orbison and Charles,
Dark glasses even more necessary,
Perhaps, as they stand in great golden halls?
Good rockin’ tonight! Hear it as it falls
Through clouds of dancing angels, looking fine,
Though they should behave with more dignity,
And not be party to such devilish balls.
Meanwhile, down here, when will I get the time
To strum my guitar along to those three?
Tue 10 July 2007