Blog Entries by Alain English

The Ballad of Jack McGee (based on the TV show "The Incredible Hulk")
by Alain English

My name is Mr Jack McGee
I'm a journalist by trade

The paper that I write for
Is very widely read

We've published many stories
Of a controversial slant

But the story that I have to tell
Is one we couldn't print

I was in Culver, years ago
Writing up a robbery

The locals had some stories
T...

Thursday 11th September 2014 4:06 pm

Who Are You, William Shakespeare?

Who Are You, William Shakespeare? By Alain English

William Shakespeare, poet and the writer

The wonder of our stage, and an icon of the theatre

Will you help me, William Shakespeare?

I'm a little bit confused here

For all that I've heard said about you

I still feel I don't know you

I'm mystified and curious

In need of explanations

I hope that you can ease my mind

By a...

Wednesday 23rd April 2014 11:32 am

Shakespeare Authorship Debate

I have arranged a panel debate on Shakespeare's authorship with the motion 'Shakespeare Authorship Question - Does this Matter?'

The speakers booked are Dr William Leahy(author of "Shakespeare and his Authors: Critical Perspectives on the Authorship Question"), Alexander Waugh (Executive Director of the Shakespeare Authorship Coalition), Dr Duncan Salkeld (Reader in Shakespeare...

Sunday 13th April 2014 2:58 pm

An Asperger Actor by Alain English - book for sale!

This is My Life
by Alain English

This book you are holding
Is my life
My experiences, my feelings
My actions all bound up
And summarised in ther

This is my life
Although very often
I wish it had not been

I don't want to blame
Or vilify anyone
My journey is my own

Many times I have judged myself
As a failure
As a self-deluded idiot
Who could never face the truth
As a coward
...

Monday 3rd March 2014 4:55 pm

Sappho Rose Review

"Sappho... in Nine Fragments" by Jane Montgomery Griffiths

Directed by Jessica Ruano

At the Rose, Bankside 21st May - 2nd June 2013

Victoria Grove lit up the stage one year ago as the eponymous "La Chunga" and now she returns in a second run of the one-woman play "Sappho.... in Nine Fragments" following an earlier run...

Sunday 26th May 2013 12:21 pm

Stories of Shakey P Review

Charlie Dupre's new CD "The Stories of Shakey P" is a recording of his show of the same name. In it, the lyrical rapper/MC performer takes a swing at Shakespeare (and his contemporary Christopher Marlowe) with a really funny, fast-paced rhythmical wit that sends up the Bard while taking the living rise of out of him.

The first track sees Shakespeare and Marlowe re-imagined as teenaged rap...

Sunday 14th April 2013 4:03 pm

Blood Privilege Review

"Blood Privilege"

Written by Don Fried

Directed by Andy McQuade

The White Rabbit Theatre

Stoke Newington, London

March 27 - April 14 2013

Review by Alain English

Fringe company Second Skin Theatre continue their run of theatrical hits with this chilling look at Elizabeth Bathory, a Hungarian Countess accused of murdering over 600 women.

...

Saturday 30th March 2013 3:55 pm

Paper Tiger Poetry March 15th

It's the March edition of Paper Tiger Poetry with St Patrick's flavour featuring two poets of Celtic origin - Donall Dempsey and Hollie McNish. There will be a little bit of Yeats plus a dance at the end! Hosted by Alain English. With open-mic. 7:30pm for 8pm start. £5 entry.

VENUE:

Tea House Theatre
139 Vauxhall Walk
Vauxh...

Sunday 3rd March 2013 1:40 pm

Sappho In Nine Fragments

"Sappho In Nine Fragments" by Jane Montgomery Griffiths

Directed by Jessica Ruano at the White Rabbit Theatre

Reviewed by Alain English on 19/01/2013

After her show-stealing performance in the title role as "La Chunga", Second Skin Theatre present a one-woman show featuring the sexual enigma that is Victoria Grove. With soft skin covering a dancer's nimble physique, her lusci...

Monday 21st January 2013 8:13 pm

The Christmas Dinner Review

"The Christmas Dinner"
by Duncan Stevens
Staged by Second Skin Theatre
Directed by Andy McQuade
Seen by Alain English on 15th December 2012
At White Rabbit Theatre

This is certainly a unique production in London Fringe history. Staged two weeks ago as "The Exorcism" based on a 1970s television play, it was forced to close down after legal objections. It has since reopened in thi...

Saturday 15th December 2012 10:25 pm

Paper Tiger Poetry One Year Anniversary - It's Slam Time!

We're back for our final event of the year with Paper Tiger Poetry - it's slam time!
To celebrate Christmas and our One Year Anniversary, we are hosting our Santa Slam! Poets will compete over two rounds for a £50 cash prize! Email me if you fancy a slot!

Featuring Catherine Brogan and Niall O'Sullivan and hosted by Alain English.

Start time: 8pm
Open-mic signup from 7pm
£...

Saturday 8th December 2012 3:55 pm

"Annapurna Poems" Review

"Annapurna Poems" by Yuyutsu RD Sharma

Review by Alain English

Poet and translator Yuyutsu RD Sharma has put together this collection to honour the Annapurna mountain region in Nepal from where is from - a region he can no longer access due to social and political upheaval that has cut him off from the area. His poetry speaks of the power and beauty of the mountains, in reverence...

Friday 23rd November 2012 3:27 pm

Quills Review

Quills by Doug Wright

Staged by Second Skin Theatre

White Rabbit Cocktail Club

October 17th - November 11th

Review by Alain English on 27th October 2012

After their West End debut with Mario Vargas Llosa's "La Chunga" last year, Second Skin Theatre raise the bar up another level with this production Doug Wright's "Quills". There will be some in the audience fami...

Sunday 28th October 2012 11:37 am

There's Only One Jimmy White!

A popular snooker legend is receiving a testimonial this year, and I have penned this tribute to celebrate him...

There's Only One Jimmy White!

b...

Friday 30th March 2012 5:00 pm

The Aberdeen Poems by Alain English

The Aberdeen Poems by Alain English

Girdle Ness

On the bench

I land myself

Some flowers placed

Beneath my feet

The white horse skips

Along the bay

It gallops past

As I give way

Surrendering at last to fate

My fingers grasp at heaven's gate

With weariness

I come to rest

Upon the rocks of Girdle Ness

A Life At S...

Friday 30th March 2012 4:45 pm

Gigs this Week - ending with Paper Tiger Poetry!

Here we go...

Sunday 4th December

RRRANTS at the Camden Eye

2 Kentish Town

London NW1 9NX

Maplink: http://g.co/maps/ntgfz

Gig starts: 7:30

Free Entry

Monday 5th December

Hammer and Tongue

The Victoria

451 Queensbridge Road

London

E8 3AS

Maplink: http://www.thedalstonvic.co.uk/...

Saturday 3rd December 2011 4:19 pm

Gigs All Round Next Two Weeks...

Hi there, everyone

These are the gigs I am doing over the next couple of weeks:

Monday 28th November

A Spoonful of Poison

Star of Kings

126 York Way

Kings Cross

London N1 0AX

Maplink: http://starofkings.co.uk/about/

Event starts 8pm (sign up between 7pm and 8pm)

Free Entry

Tuesday 29th November

Needle and Thread

H...

Monday 28th November 2011 1:21 pm

Anonymous Review

"Anonymous" Review (Warning spoilers ahead!)

Well, it's here. I've been waiting for months to see this picture and now I have. I wasn't disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed it - it certainly works as a story and as a film and remains intriguing and watchable throughout. The story posits Edward De Vere, the 17th Earl Oxford as the true author of Shakespeare's plays and relates how th...

Sunday 30th October 2011 9:29 pm

Major New Gigs in London and Aberdeen

Wednesday 9th November

Camden School of Enlightenment

Camden Head

100 Camden Street

London

NW1 0LU

Map: http://g.co/maps/qv88a

Time: 8pm

Entry Free

I'm doing William McGonagall in nothing but a top hat...

Saturday 12th November

Demented Eloquence

Cellar 35 underneath Noose and Monkey

31-35 Rosemount Viaduct

Aberdeen

...

Friday 30th September 2011 3:20 pm

La Chunga Review

La Chunga by Mario Vargas Llosa

Directed by Andy McQuade

Produced by Second Skin Theatre

Staged Ryan's Bar, Stoke Newington Church Street

Performed on 20/09/2011

This piece by Second Skin Theatre is an electrifying but also thought-provoking play with some deep meditations on relationships between men and women. Set in a bar in Mexico run by La Chunga (Victoria Grove)...

Wednesday 21st September 2011 1:07 am

Shakespeare Authorship Question in advance of the film "Anonymous"

I came to this popular argument after sitting in on a talk with the actor Sir Derek Jacobi. During the talk, he was challenged on authorship and suggested a book for further reading "Shakespeare: The Unorthodox Biography" by Diana Price. I read the book and later blogged the production of a play "Shakespeare Inc." that was written by Don Fried and staged at the Rosemary Branch Theatre here in L...

Saturday 17th September 2011 10:06 pm

RRRANTS Gig on 2nd October

A gig with the wonderful RRRANTS crew on 2nd October (note the Baron's Court GE date is on the 3rd October)

2nd October 2011

RRRANTS

The Camden Eye

2 Kentish Town Road

London NW1 9NX

Maplink: http://www.thecamdeneye.co.uk/Location.php

Gig starts: 7:30

Entry i...

Thursday 15th September 2011 3:35 pm

Alarm Bells Story, as performed at Spark in the Canal Cafe Theatre, London on Monday 7th February

It was a while since I did this, but it seems the right time to put this up...

Alarm Bells Story

It happened in the Vale of Leven Hospital on the coast of Loch Lomond. Peter, an electrical engineer from Clydebank was there to see his wife Katherine giving birth to their son. They had been married some months before. They had a tumultuous affair that nearly ended when Kath...

Monday 29th August 2011 4:14 pm

Two Open-Mics to take us into September...

Wednesday 31st August

3 1/2 Minutes

Avalon Bar

141-143 Shoreditch High Street

London E1 6JE

Multimap: http://g.co/maps/tr4r

Time: 7:30 - 10:30

Entry: £5

Friday 2nd September

Intimates

Poetry Cafe

22 Betterton Street

London

WC2H 9BX

Multimap: http://g.co/maps/c62m

Time: 7:30pm

Entry: £5

Sunday 28th August 2011 7:07 pm

Manorlogz Entry - A Tale of Paul Hunter

Hi there,

Here is my entry into Manorlogz, with "A Tale of Paul Hunter"..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cigAbClKe8.

Enjoy!

Alain

Tuesday 16th August 2011 12:49 pm

London Poetry

These are some poems I have composed over the years about living day-to-day in my adopted city of London. Please read and enjoy!

The Real Eastenders

Between Bow Road and West Ham Station

Is Walford East, or Bromley-by-Bow

Welcome to the real Eastenders

Albert Square is awash in dirt

The tower blocks lined in scaffolding

Perpetual redevelopment of industr...

Tuesday 9th August 2011 11:53 pm

New Gig This Sunday

Sunday 23rd August

Alain English features at the Bardaid Festival with Rhythmical Ravings and Rants

Upstairs at the Camden Eye

2 Kentish Town Road

Camden

London NW1 (opposite Camden Town tube station on the Northern Line)

Gig starts at 8pm

Tickets £5

For more details see http://www.rrrants.com/

Saturday 23rd July 2011 12:00 am

Gigs this week and beyond...

Hi all,

Here are my poetry gigs for this week and a couple for the week after....

Alain

Sunday 19th June

Word4Word

Theatre Royal Stratford East Bar

Gerry Raffles Square

Stratford

London E15 1BN

Maplink: http://www.stratfordeast.com/your_visit/

Hosted by Kat Francois

Gig starts: 8pm

Free Entry

Monday 20th Jun...

Sunday 19th June 2011 1:29 pm

Latest Poetry and Speaking Appearances

Hi folks - these are my upcoming major gigs - they include a public speaking spot at the Autism Show at the Excel Centre where I will be talking about employment.

Friday 17th June

Bingo Masters Breakout

St Aloysius Social Club

20 Phoenix Road

Euston

London

NW1 1TA

Maplink: http://uk.local.yahoo.com/entity.html?&p=st+aloysius+social+club&poi=Euston%252C+Grea...

Thursday 9th June 2011 5:08 pm

Gigs this Week

Tuesday 31st May

Needle and Thread

Half Moon Pub

10 Half Moon Lane

Herne Hill

London SE24 9HU

Maplink: http://www.halfmoonpub.co.uk/index.php?option=com_phocamaps&view=map&id=1&Itemid=57

Gig starts: 8:30

Entry is free

_________________________________________________________

Friday 3rd June

Intimates

Poetry Cafe

22 Betterton Place

...

Sunday 29th May 2011 12:31 pm

The Crucifixion and Resurrection of John Higgins

Hi folks, as I write this, the Champion's League Final is raging on with Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United getting whupped by Barcelona. But for me the sporting highlight of the year was this, embodied in the last snooker poem I will ever write. I give you:

The Crucifixion and Resurrection of John Higgins

John Higgins came from lowly Scottish lands

His father was a...

Saturday 28th May 2011 8:26 pm

The Legend of Annie Inglis

It's been over a year since she passed away
But her story still resonates today.

My friends, I give you the Legend of Annie Inglis...

http://vimeo.com/23205255

Tuesday 3rd May 2011 3:43 pm

Gigs this Week - Open-Micing Like a Madman

Monday 11th April

Talking Rhythm!

The Prince of Greenwich

72 Royal Hill

London

SE10 8RT

Time: 7:30pm

Maplink: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=SE10+8RT&aq=&sll=51.531401,-0.132608&sspn=0.00554,0.013711&gl=uk&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=London+SE10+8RT,+United+Kingdom&z=15

Entry £3

Tuesday 12th April

N...

Sunday 10th April 2011 8:18 pm

Acoustically Speaking

Maplink: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?ie=UTF8&q=scream+lounge+croydon&fb=1&gl=uk&hq=scream+lounge&hnear=Croydon%2C+Greater+London&hl=en&view=map&cid=9722770529243460687&ll=51.367976%2C-0.099349&spn=0.003617%2C0.008733&z=16&iwloc=A

Sunday 20th March

Acoustically Speaking

Scream Lounge Southend

South Croydon

CR0 1DN

Doors open 7:00

Gig starts 7:30

Entry £5.0...

Friday 18th March 2011 7:13 pm

New Gig

a new gig tonight in Dalston - here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=106472809432434

Saturday 12th March 2011 3:43 pm

Gigs this Week

Sunday 6th March

Torriano Poets

Torriano Meeting House

99 Torriano Avenue

NW5 2RX

Maplink:http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=NW5+2RX&aq=&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=16.72257,34.892578&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=London+NW5+2RX,+United+Kingdom&z=15

Gig starts 7:30

Entry £5/£3

Gonna drum up a little support for the gig below...

...

Saturday 5th March 2011 1:38 pm

Featured Slot With Bang Said the Gun

Thursday 24th February

FEATURED SLOT

Bang Said the Gun

The Roebuck

50 Great Dover Street

SE1

Maplink: http://www.theroebuck.net/map.html

£5 on the door

8pm start

Featuring with Ray Antrobus and Poeterry.

Wednesday 23rd February 2011 7:44 pm

New Gig This Sunday

Sunday 20th February

Word4Word

Theatre Royal Stratford East

Gerry Raffles Square

London

E15

Maplink: http://www.stratfordeast.com/your_visit/

Free Entry

Gig starts 8pm

Hosted by the inimitable Kat Francois featuring Tuggstarr, G.R.E.Ed.S and Special K.

Monday 14th February 2011 3:55 pm

Gigs this Week

Hi folks,

This is all my gigs for this week. Come along!

Tuesday 15th February

RRRANTS

The Goat Inn

37 Sopwell Lane

St Albans

AL1 1RN

Maplink: http://www.goatinn.co.uk/Find-The-Goat-Inn-St-Albans.aspx

Gig starts at 8pm

Wednesday 16th February

Touch Me I'm Sick

The Old Crown Pub

33 New Oxford Street

London

WC1A 1BH

Mapl...

Sunday 13th February 2011 8:13 pm

New Documentary Reviews

Flow: For Love of Water (2008)

Directed by Irena Salina

This documentary, five years in the making, covers how the world's water resources have become privatised and how we are running out of fresh water. The first part of the film looks at poisonous modern chemicals affecting our water supply, causing illnesses and changing the sex of mammals and fish.

The water systems of countri...

Wednesday 9th February 2011 11:11 pm

Latest Gigs

Maplink: http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=51.51749006432411%7E-0.12409105896949768&lvl=15&dir=0&sty=c&eo=0&where1=WC2H+9BX%2C+Camden&q=WC2H+9BX

Hello once again,

Here are my latest poetry gigs. I hope you are able to come along to them.

Thursday 10th February

Survivor's Poetry

Poetry Cafe

22 Betterton Street

Covent Garden

London

WC2H 9BX

Gig starts: 8pm

...

Wednesday 9th February 2011 11:12 am

Maplink: http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=51.52246163858934%7E-0.057306066155433655&lvl=15&dir=0&sty=c&eo=0&where1=E1+1BJ%2C+London&q=E1+1BJ

Hi gang,

Here are my latest gigs! Please come along and enjoy!

Thursday 3rd February

A Spoonful of Poison

The Urban Bar

176 Whitechapel Road

London

E1 1BJ

Gig starts: 8pm

Entry is free

Friday 4th Feb...

Thursday 3rd February 2011 12:22 am

The Vanessa Show - Batman Live Auditions

Hi guys,

This is my appearance on the Vanessa Show - cut to 24:36 to see the Batman segment: http://www.five.tv/shows/the-vanessa-show/episodes/episode-17-99

Shame I didn't get it, but what the hell...

Alain

Wednesday 2nd February 2011 10:41 pm

Peak Oil Film Reviews

These are a couple of films I have recently seen on Peak Oil - check them out if you can.

The End of Suburbia (2004)

Directed by Gregory Greene

A chilling look at what seems to be the imminent demis of the American Dream, the movie examines the origins of modern suburbia and how that way of life, powered by cheap energy, is now threatened by the coming oil crash.

Central t...

Thursday 27th January 2011 10:38 pm

The Sorry People

"The Sorry People", a theatre show produced by RRRANTS at the Ovo Theatre in St Albans 26th January 2011.

Written by and starring Paul Eccentric, with Samantha Sweetland.

This is an excellent one-hour show with Paul Eccentric playing a variety of different characters, all of them uniquely perverse and self-serving. From a prostitute to a serial killer and finally an ageing voyeur, Paul ...