Lisa Knight's Blog, page 23
March 17, 2015
POETRY: REEFERING BY PAUL TRISTRAM
He’s as weak and as skinny as a war victim,
sofa-surfs out of necessity, around and around
his-straining-friends houses he un-merrily goes.
Stole a Government Housing Benefit Queue
at the last Legitimate place he lived at (Fool!)
essentially cutting off his own nose and shooting
himself in the foot at exactly the same time.
Does not wash for weeks at a time until someone
throws a towel at him and tells him to or leave?
His front teeth are brown from hash smoke
he claims “What’s the point, I’ve no one to brush
them for?” “How about for yourself!” was offered back.
But if he looked after himself you then wouldn’t
feel sorry for him, and he’s a sympathy vampire,
he desperately needs your empathy to exist.
Hasn’t had sex in over a decade, claimed in a pub
once that he could no longer remotely remember
what it in fact smells or tastes like anymore.
That was back in his early thirties now he’s
in his middle forties and drug dealing to teenagers
(They think he’s cool because he looks like
an itinerant Gandalf or a hippy from Woodstock!)
and lays around all day on other people’s computers,
smoking dope and using their gas, electric
and other amenities that they work hard all day for.
He’s a leech, scrounging scum and a parasite,
a subtle cuckoo who rewards you with a mind of envy
for letting him enter the warm, safe side of your door.
Written by Paul Tristram
MUSIC BLOG: DIG THE NEW BREED – TUESDAY 17TH MARCH 2015
Laura Marling – Strange.
Karen Meat & The Players – Pizza & Beer.
The Corner Laughers – Fairytale Tourist.
Bullythemusic – I Remember.
STEVE GILMORE’S MUSIC REVIEWS: SAM ‘BLUZMAN’ TAYLOR – KEEP THE BLUES ALIVE
You can listen to this track on MP3.COM
Way back in the sweet smoke filled days of my youth, while the rest of my peers were getting brained on the Beatles, the Stones et al, I was quietly grooving away to dub versions and American blues. Initially, I admit, that I was introduced to the music by a passel of white, English bands like Steam Packet and – more importantly – John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. Personally one of my own Giants of Rock, John Mayall’s blues outfit had it all, and every bit of it authentic to the bone. It started me on a road to Buddy Guy, BB King, John Lee Hooker, Memphis Slim and a billion others. So, it’s a fair guess that I’ve imbibed a few pints of the stuff, and – personal preferences aside – should be able to make an objective critique of whether this track does ‘keep the blues alive’
The only trick I’ve got to master now is how to stop dancing long enough to write this review down…
You may remember for LAW’s review a day or so back that Sam Taylor is his grandfather. A grandfather who has a list of credits to his name that defies description and inspires respect. Obviously though, as always, it has to come down to the music and on that score… I am speechless. As slick as s*** off a shingle, Keep The Blues Alive is a sharply focused, supremely confident piece of blues that have you reeling in musical references. Whether this music is created by a base of musicians or whether Sam got all of it down, it’s a technical marvel of its age. THIS, my friends, is the way to create music that lives and breathes, music that inspires and evokes emotions you won’t even believe you had. Music, to put it simply, with immense heart and soul.
OK, I have to admit to a distinct bias, as I’ve tried to explain above, but I also know what works and what doesn’t. So what would you, a casual listener, expect from a track that I would rave about? World class performance for starters, that’s for sure (and on that stage, genre doesn’t really play a part), it has to have life affirming qualities – as I’ve also explained above. What it has to contain, above all, is a meaningful, coherent arrangement, and a faultless production and Keep The Blues Alive scores on every single point. It’s a terrific slice of HUGE fun that is probably best enjoyed in the company of friends. Fellow musicians, hold on to your jaws, the Bluzman shows how it’s done. Keep The Blues Alive doesn’t just breathe life into the genre, it expands it to encompass a blend of styles that can only come from a musician of the calibre of Sam ‘Bluzman’ Taylor – a very class act.
MUST HAVE
Written by Steve Gilmore
March 16, 2015
BRYN FORTEY’S BOOK REVIEWS: LOU REED: THE LIFE BY MICK WALL
Gary Cole-Wilkin, who is well worth checking out if you like your singer/songwriter in a laidback and tuneful musicality, has a new album called ME up on Bandcamp. Track one is ‘The Comeback Kid’, which could well have been the title of this Lou Reed biography by well-known rock writer and critic, Mick Wall.
Reed, throughout his career, made a habit of messing up whatever opportunities came his way, but somebody always came along who felt he was too talented to be allowed to fail. There are those who would grab eagerly at a second chance, but third fourth fifth, etc. Chances went begging for him, yet he survived the rocky road he travelled like a Pilgrim doing penance. He would take one step forward and two steps back, to become a much-respected figure by the time of his death on 27 October 2013. He was indeed an expert at the comeback.
Lou Reed, it must be admitted, does not come across as a likeable character. He wanted success, but on his own terms, and he was more than willing to trample on others in his scramble to achieve it. But it seemed that much of what he did was either condemned or ignored at the time, only to receive a more positive recognition later. He sometimes seemed to be ahead of his time with everyone else playing catch-up.
The Velvet Underground, the Andy Warhol-inspired group which provided Reed with the bedrock upon which to build a career, enjoyed little success during its lifetime but became a source of inspiration for many musicians and singers who followed. The music they played was certainly at odds with the love-in hippy vibes so popular at the time, but Lou Reed always was someone who ignored current trends.
He was also someone who discarded and/or alienated people with an alarming regularity. Even Warhol himself, who had been Baron Frankenstein to Reed’s Monster, was pushed to one side. John Cale and Nico too; along with various managers, record company executives, lovers and friends.
David Bowie had taken time out from his own conquest of the world to bring Mick Ronson on board and produce the Transformer album that did indeed transform Reed from a former band singer with VU into a solo performer. In return, Lou turned against Bowie. Some claimed it was jealousy, others that he felt intimidated by Bowie’s still escalating success. It was even suggested it was because Bowie had used the word ‘pinned’ in his song ‘Cracked Actor’, a drug slang term used by Reed. Lou felt David had stolen from him, so bad-mouthed him whenever the occasion arose. Bowie never stopped acknowledging Reed’s talent though.
Nothing was straightforward with Lou; his private life was more chaotic than his professional one. Various addictions played a big part, as did lovers of both sexes, and he was often abusive towards partners. He married three times yet by the end he had cleaned up his act and settled into life with wife number three, Laurie Anderson, best known for her ‘O Superman’ hit single.
Lou Reed chronicled New York and the seamier side of life like no other songwriter; rarely commercial but readily influential. Mick Wall has written many other music based biographies and tells Reed’s story with a practised ease and enthusiasm.
I enjoyed the book.
March 12, 2015
POETRY: YOU’RE LOVELY IN A LOVELY KIND OF WAY BY PAUL TRISTRAM
It makes me want to scale mountains.
Swim through oceans of alcohol.
Fight my twisted fate with a greased pickaxe handle.
Burglarize The Garden Of Eden,
not to carve our initials into The Tree
but actually into God’s face, itself.
Written by Paul Tristram
March 10, 2015
POETRY: YOUR OPINION GETS A “FUCK OFF” FROM ME, EVERY TIME! BY PAUL TRISTRAM
I couldn’t give ‘Two Fucks’
for how right you think that you are!
This is my life I’m living
and I’m going to do it my own way.
Keep your ‘Pinocchio’ nose
in your own God Damn business
and your judgemental,
pointing fingers out of mine.
Your opinions mean less than shit!
And your curtain-twitching mentality is a joke.
Squirm, you envious Bastard, squirm.
I’ve got a rigid middle-finger for your
lonely journey back to nowhere land.
Written by Paul Tristram
March 5, 2015
POETRY: THE STUNT PEG BY PAUL TRISTRAM
We were at The Bar, swapping stories
of humiliation, when he won, hands down.
He spoke of being 14 years old
and doing BMX tricks in front of his mates
and brand new girlfriend in the street
right outside of his parent’s house.
Everything was going great until it suddenly wasn’t.
Of course, he happened to be in mid-air at the time,
he landed arse-first upon his back stunt peg,
which-what with the force of the fall and all-
inserted itself right into his jacksie, completely.
Yet, that wasn’t the worse part, oh no,
that was saved for when his Mother heard his cry,
came running out of the house, hysterically,
removed the aforementioned BMX with a yank
but then had to bend him over and surgically
use her fingers to retrieve his lost underwear.
Written by Paul Tristram
March 3, 2015
AUTHOR NEWS & ANTHOLOGY OPENINGS – 03.03.15
Voices From A Coma #3 Deadline information
Quarterly Horror Anthology with a different theme each time!
Theme: Manipulation
Deadline: 30th April 2015
Word Count: up to 3500 (if over, please enquire)
Format: .doc or .docx; double spaced; Times New Roman or Arial; font size: 12
Reprints: Not if printed within last 5 years; may be subject to re-write
Blog: Terminus point via Joshua M Reynolds
So, given that the Old World is fast approaching its terminus point, it behooves me to point out that it is entirely likely that the range of Warhammer Fantasy-related tie-in fiction of all shapes, sizes and lengths, will join it in the apocalyptic fires of the End Times. As in, they’ll go out of print. Which means that if you ain’t got ‘em by now, you won’t be getting them.
Now, it’s possible that this is simple hyperbole on my part, but who knows? Certainly not me, which is why I’m writing this. So why not grab a copy of one of my books before it’s too late?
For a full list of books please click HERE
CAMDEN RADIO – BROADCAST THREE
PERFECT IS TEMPORARY EP BY HOWARD BILLINGTON
YANNA AVLIANOS – GET ON YOUR KNEES
Call for submissions: Throughout March Boo Books will be open to submissions from writers, in all genres of fiction. They are looking for novels, novellas and short story collections with a view to publication in late 2015 and into 2016.
Click HERE for more information
Gothic Tales of Terror is now open for submissions.
Deadline: April 25, 2015
Poetry: Up to 500 words (Prose poetry is acceptable)
Flash Fiction: No
Short Stories: 3000-5000 words
Illustrations: preferably black and white, 6″ x 9″
Payment (monetary payment payable within 10 days of receipt of signed contract; printed copy within 60 days of publication):
Short Stories:$0.005 a word
Poetry: $0.10 a line
Illustrations: $20
Reprints: Yes, but they will receive secondary consideration
Multiple submissions: Yes
Simultaneous submissions: Yes, but please notify me immediately if your story or poem is accepted elsewhere.
Target Publication Date: October 1, 2015
Click HERE for more information
North by West Midlands by Louise M. Hart (excerpt)
I journeyed north in pursuit of happier thoughts
And a deep fried mars bar
But, blind were the eyes, watching me arrive
And burnt was the mars bar
My baggage was heavy with burdens
Beside me, were a loving Mother and my black (and white) dog
It had been a long, exhausting ride
Whose terminus,
Under the conceit of summer sunshine, concealed the cloudy thoughts
That burst inside my mind
Books, books and more books
SONGS OF THE SATYRS (featuring Josh Reynolds) via Amazon UK / US
HEATER VOLUME 3 NO.1 (featuring Jack Buxton) via Amazon UK/ US
HOFFMAN’S CREEPER & OTHER DISTURBING TALES BY CAMERON TROST via SMASHWORDS
*Use the code RAE75 at checkout to get this book FREE until March the 7th*
Suggested reading
BRYN FORTEY’S BOOK REVIEWS: RIGHT OFF BY HENRY DENANDER
SAINT FRANCIS BY ROBIN WYATT DUNN IN THE FABLE #1
BURNT OUT BLUES BY PAUL TRISTRAM
POETRY: BURNT OUT BLUES BY PAUL TRISTRAM
Sometimes it is the only sensible thing to do.
When your body can’t take any more punishment,
your brains have been on the ropes for far too long.
You have had loud, fast, screaming, angry music
BLASTING in your poor ears for a month or two,
every knob has been turned up to 11 and broken off!
It is time to hang the mirrors back up on the walls
and give them their proper jobs back again.
Bag the empties in 4 or 5 bin liners, in 2 separate stints
and for Christ Sake, start smoking that cigarette slower.
A gentle walk to the shop to stock up on necessities
electric, gas, sketch pads, porn and comfort foods.
Then it is time to lock the doors and windows,
turn off the phones and slip into your Majestic
Burgundy Bathrobe and jump onto the sleepless settee.
To watch movies, documentaries and daytime TV
for 3 or 4 days in a row, uninterrupted by anyone.
The settee’s far more superior to the bed upstairs
at times like these, it’s back cwtches you up
without you first having to buy it a couple of drinks
and having to listen to its inane laughter and chatter.
Written by Paul Tristram
