Hi laura,
Thanks for reading 'if you don't like the record' I have to admit that this site has inspired me to have a go (some day) at actually performing my stuff. Clearly, reading your profile you're a bit of an expert. Pity I can't take my own advice but one day . .
Steve

Comment is about Laura Taylor (poet profile)

Original item by Laura Taylor

A rare moment of cosmological navel-gazing, Graham.

Comment is about A World Turned Upside-Down (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

:)

As someone who has made several life-changing decisions, including one which nearly cost me my life, I applaud the content! And I hope you sing it when you perform it :D

Comment is about If You Don't Like The Record -Change it! (blog)

Original item by Steve Higgins

:)

Write us a poem about Dunnocks, Darren - they have far more interesting habits!

Comment is about Selling spoken word: reasons to be cheerful at Burning Eye (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

My next poem is about Chaffinches.

Comment is about Selling spoken word: reasons to be cheerful at Burning Eye (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

I enjoyed this article too and it's great to think there's someone out there looking to give the spoken word more respect.

As for page vs performance poetry, I still maintain there is a difference, but it becomes less of one depending on the skill of the poet. There are plenty of stonking performance poets out there, whose work I just wouldn't want to buy - because it doesn't work on page for me without the delivery; I suppose it depends on personal taste in reading matter.

'Poetry written by urban poets, writing about real life using accessible everyday language.'

That's pretty much what I love about the performance scene. I don't want to hear about chaffinches - nor for that matter do I want to read about them ;)

Comment is about Selling spoken word: reasons to be cheerful at Burning Eye (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Hi Cynthia,
Thanks for looking in on 'if you don't like the record' I chose that title because it was the first line I wrote and everything else came later. Slow down is good though and perhaps more appropriate, certainly for me as the advice given in the poem is advice I could never take (as much as I might want to . .)
Steve

Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

Thanks for all your comments guys and gals but I must confess that while this may be great advice . . .I have yet to follow it myself!

Comment is about If You Don't Like The Record -Change it! (blog)

Original item by Steve Higgins

Hello Nigel,

Thanks for your comment on my "Two Line Horror Story",not my best work but fun to do.

Thanks
Shirley

Comment is about Nigel Astell (poet profile)

Original item by Nigel Astell

PS. Still learning to WOL. I see this won the hertz thingie. So it should!

Comment is about The Last Song (blog)

Original item by Cate

Have you done the Caen Flight Harry? Ecstacy!
Not far from me. Smug.

Comment is about Pidgin poem about wondrous canal lock (blog)

Original item by Harry O`N eill

Memory returns! This 'poem' was written out of pure spleen! (How surprising!) The opening is the clue. I had just read some pretentious offering - hence the pretention of my opening.
Oh dear, I had better do some shame.

Comment is about BLANKETY BLANK SLATE (directed infant rage 2012) (blog)

Original item by Barrie Singleton

Have you stopped taking the pills again JC?

Comment is about A World Turned Upside-Down (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

Tommy,
Trust you to wait six months before hitting me with stand alone conjunctions!

The football`s on in a minute. What are you tryin` to do - spoil Saurez`s goals for me?

If I can figure them out I might reply :)

Comment is about Tommy Carroll (poet profile)

Original item by Tommy Carroll

Cracking comment Gromit! Even your critique is pure poetry Harry. Re sympathy: I am an odd cove in that my psychology does not engender chemistry; I see everythng in shades of black, but depression eludes me. The cure cost me a lot of money but it was money well spent - assuming one wants to be out of step with almost everyone almost all of the time. Cheers.

Comment is about BLANKETY BLANK SLATE (directed infant rage 2012) (blog)

Original item by Barrie Singleton

Many thanks M.C. on your comments on the poem Top 10-Non movers. I began to get into music in the early eighties with the new wave scene. Bands like the Specials, Police and Madness where I then progressed into rock and metal music. But I also appreciate music from the sixties-The Big Four, stones etc. I even like some of todays music Adele etc. I just feel that today with MTV etc that chart music today has become formulaic and stale relying on looks and glamour rather than raw talent. And as for Rap and Hip Hop music,it has progressed from a brute force which was incisive as the punk era into a formulaic splurge of singing about cliched lifestyles, style but no substance.
I agree with you variety is important enjoying music ranging from Adele right up to Napalm Death.

Cheers for your comments

Dean

Comment is about M.C. Newberry (poet profile)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

barrie,

I can`t tell if this is actually asking for sympathy.

But how can anyone sympathise with a guy who can write brilliant stuff like; I dragged my reluctant cognition forward through the slough of respond` and `conceived of my parents personal war (during a lull in the bombing)`...whatever it was, you`re obviously cured.

(Re `His image`...millions of us are waggling masses of ridiculous configuration...come down off that snooker table and join us)

Comment is about BLANKETY BLANK SLATE (directed infant rage 2012) (blog)

Original item by Barrie Singleton

I`d like to say Yup!

(but...if only?)

Comment is about If You Don't Like The Record -Change it! (blog)

Original item by Steve Higgins

Thank you for your comments on my last two poems, trying to evolve and experiment a bit! Hope you are well : )

Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)

Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas

Poets on the move. This should bring the system down

Comment is about Poet Tim Wells to stand as Class War candidate at general election (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

A mantra I myself aspire to, rather than expecting some other bugger to sort it out for you.

Comment is about If You Don't Like The Record -Change it! (blog)

Original item by Steve Higgins

Oh Dave! You torturer - OF MY MIND. Glad I wandered back. Do we grow to realise the error of our murderous ways or just absorb a cultural nuance - set aside for wasps? Are you familiar with Zimbardo's 'Stanford Prison Experiment'? (Invoked again in recent squaddy behaviour.)
AJJ a neat condensation of a massive subject.

Comment is about August jam jars (blog)

Original item by Dave Bradley

Oh Dave! A positive blood-orgy! Sooooo neat combining the blood of 'unclean' with the blood of redemption. I wish I had thought of that. So glad I popped in. And a BONUS BALL! Isobel had led me to submit to 'Touch and Go' but, almost blindly, I followed her directions. NOW I understand! What a multifaceted place is WOL!

Comment is about Touching the hem of the robe (blog)

Original item by Dave Bradley

Spufford is new to me - hail Google! What joy to see that he undermines Bishop Dawkins! I feel deeply complimented by your comments Dave.
Many thanks. I am convinced that perceptions at birth - common across all mankind - predispose us to the CERTAINTY of absolute power 'out there'. Only a high degree of maturation brings release from bondage. Increasingly, we die immature; schooling (institutionalising) sees to that.

Comment is about BLANKETY BLANK SLATE (directed infant rage 2012) (blog)

Original item by Barrie Singleton

Interesting. Nice use of words and flow to the poem. And yes, done it. Sometimes. But only sometimes.

Comment is about If You Don't Like The Record -Change it! (blog)

Original item by Steve Higgins

Fascinating. Unusual. Compelling. Had to read it again out loud, slowly. The perfect poetic companion to my recent reading, Francis Spufford's 'Unapologetic'.

Comment is about BLANKETY BLANK SLATE (directed infant rage 2012) (blog)

Original item by Barrie Singleton

But - what kind of poems is this lady reading - to use the pronoun 'much' instead of 'some'. It does seem from that one word, that the review must be a severely slanted one. And I do think that 'God's Glory' is manifestly revealed in 'much' poetry that does not wave the specific 'Christian' flag. So said, by all means greatly enjoy a specifically targeted collection. I often do myself. Just don't make it sound uniquely 'God's-glory' possessive.

Comment is about Book Review by Ellen Tanner Marsh: Reaching Towards His Unbounded Glory (blog)

Original item by Joseph J. Breunig 3rd

Great posting and a pleasure to read. It rolls along, keeping the reader in a smiling nostalgia. I best liked the first two stanzas and the last one. IMO, you could probably do without the morallising one, Stanza Three, which is a bit of a mood dampener. But true enough, and it's your poem.

Comment is about Remembered Hallowe’ens of Childhood (blog)

Original item by C Richard Miles

Thanks for the comment about "The Political Poet".
I had commented on the work of certain WOL
contributors insofar that I sought to show there
were differing points of view to a stance taken
by them - and found myself consigned to the
category of "troll" and told to remove myself
from their sight (or words to that effect).
My short poem was a response to an attitude
that brooked no argument or alternative point
of view...clearly only interested in approbation and applause for a pre-set POV.
I enlarged upon that later in another short poem that finishes...
See the open hand reach out,
A closed hand is a fist.
The open mind makes room for doubt,
A closed mind will resist.
....................................

Comment is about Joseph J. Breunig 3rd (poet profile)

Original item by Joseph J. Breunig 3rd

It is certainly very interesting, and challenging in the precise diction selected to cover so much relativity in symbolism. It demands multiple readings. And that is only a good thing.

Comment is about Crest (blog)

Original item by Katy Megan

I've loved music - with a few exceptions which
shall remain nameless - for much of my life.
Indeed, I write songs, some of which feature
here and elsewhere. I came to adolescence in
the 50s - young enough to thrill to the daily
change in songs in the Top 20, with hits that
are "classics" of their kind now - but also old
enough to see what a singer like Frank Sinatra was about. He stayed with me through the years
- and his many recordings as his breathtaking (literally!) skills developed will never date.
He had - and will continue to have - something
for every generation as it grows to maturity.
The joy of music is, of course, its amazing
variety - and I thank my lucky stars for it.

Comment is about Top Ten Non-Movers (blog)

Original item by Dean Carroll

Sock it to world. Yes! Great theme and well presented. Great choice of title -maybe because it can also be ambiguous.

Would you consider 'Slow down'?

Comment is about If You Don't Like The Record -Change it! (blog)

Original item by Steve Higgins

I enjoyed reading this. The enterprize sounds worthy. PagevsPerformance is such a lark. IMO, the only aspect of this debate worth discussing is Spelling and Punctuation which means nothing in recitation, and rather more to the reader. Otherwise, what is the difference?

Comment is about Selling spoken word: reasons to be cheerful at Burning Eye (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

A useful code for getting by! But it takes nerve
to change direction and that isn't always easy.
No wonder so many poems moan about what IS - rather than what COULD BE.

Comment is about If You Don't Like The Record -Change it! (blog)

Original item by Steve Higgins

Graphic and succinct. We all meet our inner
demons at some time or other and have to fight
the good fight - not always easy.
Otherwise, allowing for the random upper and lower
case use of the wording, a couple of typos.
"Its harder..." should be "It's harder..." - and
"too grow" should be "to grow".
Cheers.

Comment is about Inner Demon (blog)

Original item by Tj Steele

thanks for the comment over what next, tommy.

yeah, i guess it is kinda song like. if i get a punk band together - i would defo sing it, or maybe pass it onto a friend.

thanks either way. the revolution will happen!

Comment is about What next? (blog)

Original item by Gray Nicholls

thanks for the comment over what next, tommy.

yeah, i guess it is kinda song like. if i get a punk band together - i would defo sing it, or maybe pass it onto a friend.

thanks either way. the revolution will happen!

Comment is about Tommy Carroll (poet profile)

Original item by Tommy Carroll

know both norman and gemma so am pleased to see this is still carrying on. good stuff!

Comment is about Ringing the changes at Write Out Loud Middleton (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Hi Dave, thank you for the comments on One Million Broken Souls, its very much appreciated. I found myself in that situation when I was young, it didn't last long though. Three weeks on the street was long enough for me, it was a real eye opener though. Again, thank you for the comments, I hope this finds you well.

Comment is about Dave Bradley (poet profile)

Original item by Dave Bradley

Well - neither of those poems would have been written had you not set me a challenge. (Now tell me to tidy my home!)
Sadly, I suspect the energy comes from infant rage, redirected - another human paradox.
I am glad you write only when passion dictates. At our Workshop, we use the term 'toothpaste job' for a poem 'squeezed out' to a set theme. It usually shows! Off now, to kill some windmills . . .

Comment is about RENEWAL (blog)

Original item by Barrie Singleton

That's more like it Barrie - and all with such wonderful metre!

It's the way we conquer illness that I find staggering - things you'd never have survived even a couple of years ago. A great thing for our loved ones - not so great for the planet and the human race in general.

I wish I had your energy. Writing poetry can be a tortuous exercise for me unless I'm in a passionate mood.

Comment is about RENEWAL (blog)

Original item by Barrie Singleton

thank u sir...yeah love happens only,when n how we cant tell...and we cant force others for this also

and love itself says die for other...only thing is we fear to be lonely

Comment is about Love or Lie (blog)

Original item by SATYAJIT BEHERA

ok mam...actually i am quiet busy now on my academics so unable to giv proper attention here..i will take care of ur advice

Comment is about SATYAJIT BEHERA (poet profile)

Original item by SATYAJIT BEHERA

Your son and I have a lot in common, for I too like to play my favorite bits of trax over and over again. I like to play techno or drum and bass, but sometimes I play classical music too when the neighbors have tired of me. Tell your son he is as normal as me, and i was once normal enough to be a soldier.

Fantastic words, fantastic insight into someone that many do not know a lot about. He sounds quite a kind chap, brave too. And obviously with these words, full of love to give.

Tell him an old soldier has a smile on his face because of his words, and pass on my love too.

Brilliant!

Comment is about Comfort in patterns (blog)

Original item by Ian Beckett

Yup, truly astounded by this one. I like the last stanza the best. 'there will be the lateness, the loneliness, the dark, the deafening quiet, and the unanswered hope. I curse the morrow........I need the morow.

Brilliant bit of writing.

Keep posting

Best wishes,

Mike

Comment is about PRISONER BY CHOICE (blog)

Original item by Dr. Joe Simplicio

Hi Satyajit, I was initially a bit concerned with the frequent reference to disease, but having read the last line it all made sense. I said this to emmy92 as well; It's like resignation to ones love, that, even though you may lose something of yourself, you are giving in to the demands of others because of love. It speaks of unconditional love in all honesty, but a love that cannot be returned.

Good piece of writing, better than my own. I hope my words here made sense, i appear to be going through a kind of block at the moment.

Keep writing and keep posting. Nice one.

Mike

Comment is about Love or Lie (blog)

Original item by SATYAJIT BEHERA

Aye, emmy! A sad poem but a good one. The last line is so poetic when backed up with the other lines. Like a kind of resignation. You're resigned to your fate even though you may lose again.

Brilliant.

Mike

Comment is about Take me away (blog)

Original item by emmy92

Cute and soooo true; it's sad that many negative reviewers waste their time writing abusive feedback and that of the original poster; well-thought-out feedback of an opposing viewpoint is always welcomed - when it's done respectfully; nicely conceived.

-Joe Breunig,
Reaching Towards His Unbounded Glory

Comment is about THE POLITICAL POET (blog)

Original item by M.C. Newberry

Many thanks for your comment on the Devils Box. It originally started off as a song lyric for a novel I was writing, but realised it would work better as a poetry piece, with a few choice alterations. Anyway keep on writing and cheers

Dean

Comment is about Tj Steele (poet profile)

Original item by Tj Steele

Still no cigar? Oh well, I enjoyed the challenge. Thanks Isobel.

Comment is about RENEWAL (blog)

Original item by Barrie Singleton