A new poetry show hit Radio 4 last week hosted by Matt Harvey, supported by Elvis McGonagall (aka Shouty McJacket). Elvis’s ranty radical persona is a great counterpoint to Matt’s deceptively dulcet drawl which, like Totnes muesli, contains multi-grains, his being of truth, wit and wisdom.

The Dead Poets’ Slam was wonderful (or is it wondermental?), though whether they can maintain this standard remains to be seen. Three performers compete by reading a dead poet’s poem, the audience voting for their favourite.

At one of Write Out Loud’s epic Bordeaux poetry nights, the American barman interrupted proceedings to ask if he might read. He delivered Ginsberg’s epic, Howl, with such passion it was as if he had written it himself, and the crowd hung on every syllable. Not a pin dropped; we’d have known.

Byron Vincent had chosen Ginsberg’s classic, which he read in his own inimitable style. Shame. Where are you now, Matt the barman? The ever-excellent Lucy English, by contrast, brought Sylvia Plath’s ‘Balloons’ to life, though I am not sure it was the best choice for a slam, and she was always on a bit of a loser with Elvis to follow. His winning rendition of the late Adrian Mitchell’s ‘Tell me Lies about Vietnam’ stuffed the audience’s ears with the silver of his flawless, impassioned delivery. Almost as good as hearing Mitchell read it himself.

The show was punctuated by brief musical improvs that I am sure some of you will enjoy, finishing with an improvised poem “written by the audience”. Find out for yourselves. Pity about the title, but well worth listening to.

Wondermentalist Cabaret, BBC Radio 4 Tuesdays (for four weeks), 23.00 - 23.30

You can catch the first episode on the listen again thingy:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00y2f1f

Elvis McGonagall’s profile at: http://writeoutloud.net/public/poetview.php?profilesid=140

Enjoy!

Julian Jordon