Diversity, Humanity, Talent
I got sucked into Britain's got talent this evening - managed a small amount of marking earlier but knew I didn't have the energy to continue, so had a vague idea I would be able to meditate on the nature of fame and/ or talent if I watched the live final...honestly, the excuses we feed ourselves in order to subside onto the sofa with an element of self justification. Anyway we had the FA cup on earlier. I saw bits of a couple of the semi finals earlier this week, but otherwise I haven't been looking at it; through lack of time rather than snobbery or anything like that. There is something compulsive about watching it once you start - helped by vestigial memories of watching 'Opportunity Knocks' on TV in the seventies alongside the great childhood treat of going to a seaside special on the coast perhaps; and also the urge, as each act is so short, to watch just one more. And of course hear the judges' carefully (at least half the time) pre-scripted comments, especially if they're a bit bitchy. Mind you not if the performer in question is a vulnerable pre-teen. That hasn't been nice.
I thought Diversity were great and was delighted they won: Diversity for Royal Variety, then. Their act was fantastic, exceptionally well choreographed. They must have put in a lot of practice for the three minute or so routine. Their name reflects their diversity of age range and has wider resonances for the whole concept of the show and of the appeal of this sort of performance evening generally, with everyone doing their turn. I wonder if any poets applied and were auditioned in the earlier stages. Performance poets maybe?
Contrasting but also interesting and diverse-within-its field was last night's Newsnight Review on the state of poetry in contemporary Britain; Simon Armitage speaking up for Ruth Padel (quite rightly I think); Josephine Hart apparently championing poetry festivals, Luke Wright promoting himself in wryly good humoured fashion, and a performance poet Akala talking about his engagement with groups and schoolkids - he mentioned an interesting exercise involving extracting metaphors from Shakespeare and Hip Hop lyrics and getting children to explore them and see if they could identify from which each was sourced. Perhaps I'll try that in a class one day.
Armitage is likely to be going off to Afghanistan soon so there was some discussion of this role of front-line poet as it were. This isn't as new (or revived from past centuries) a development as it sounded. Tony Harrison has some unforgettable poetry - all in his inimitable rhyming couplets - from his visit to Iraq during the first Gulf War. But asking whether this is the poet's place is still a valid question. I discuss this with students sometimes: how appropriate is it to generate art or creative writing from a national or international tragedy. And how inappropriate is it to ignore this aspect of human experience and concentrate on more personal lyrical writing instead? Whatever one's answer, overtly political or otherwise message-laden poetry is unlikely to be successful. 'We hate poetry that has a palpable design on us,' said Keats. Poems that provoke thought though, that offer a parable rather than preaching a sermon in verse, are a much more viable idea. And poems which lift the fundamentally compassion qualities of humanity above chronicles of violence and factionalism are perhaps the most memorable of all. In class I sometimes bring Michael Symmons Robert's commissioned poem 'Last Words'(in its entirety here), about the phone calls made by those trapped inside the Twin Towers on 9/11:
You have a new message:
There is nothing new in this.
My voice has printed like a bruise,
like a kiss, like a kiss so strong
it leaves a bruise. I love you.
You know it, I'm sure.
Beyond the smoking ruins,
smoking planes, and empty rooms,
above and beyond is a network.
A matrix of souls,
as fragile as lace,
but endless and unbreakable.
To save the message, press.
Very moving, and allowing the reader to surmise that despite the richness and sometimes terrible conflict of differing beliefs, politics, agendas, there is an overarching humanity to our experience which mustn't be forgotten.
Newsnight Review also had a review of the BBC's poetry season, most of the programs of which I have on iplayer so will be able to reflect on at some point to come (post marking, possibly; also post-moving, which is happening next week). Probably after the excitement over Britain's Got Talent has all died down again. But that's the thing about poetry: it's 'news that stays news' as Ezra Pound explained - perhaps one reason why it is important to have important events poetically acknowledged.
So much for meditating on the nature of fame or talent though. I thought about this a little last night too, as I and colleagues met with some newly ex-students who had just handed in their last assignments and projects. Diversity and talent certainly in evidence and a new journey in life just beginning. I remember some lifestyle news article a few weeks ago reconfirming that what really counts in order to gain expertise of a skill or subject area is repeated practice. Ten years worth of several hours per day in fact. Unpracticed genius or no-hoper 'grinds' are more myth than fact according to the latest research. As far as poetry goes, I still think I'm right back at the beginning. I want to begin again and enjoy the journey more thoroughly, more properly. But of course the journey is ongoing.
I thought Diversity were great and was delighted they won: Diversity for Royal Variety, then. Their act was fantastic, exceptionally well choreographed. They must have put in a lot of practice for the three minute or so routine. Their name reflects their diversity of age range and has wider resonances for the whole concept of the show and of the appeal of this sort of performance evening generally, with everyone doing their turn. I wonder if any poets applied and were auditioned in the earlier stages. Performance poets maybe?
Contrasting but also interesting and diverse-within-its field was last night's Newsnight Review on the state of poetry in contemporary Britain; Simon Armitage speaking up for Ruth Padel (quite rightly I think); Josephine Hart apparently championing poetry festivals, Luke Wright promoting himself in wryly good humoured fashion, and a performance poet Akala talking about his engagement with groups and schoolkids - he mentioned an interesting exercise involving extracting metaphors from Shakespeare and Hip Hop lyrics and getting children to explore them and see if they could identify from which each was sourced. Perhaps I'll try that in a class one day.
Armitage is likely to be going off to Afghanistan soon so there was some discussion of this role of front-line poet as it were. This isn't as new (or revived from past centuries) a development as it sounded. Tony Harrison has some unforgettable poetry - all in his inimitable rhyming couplets - from his visit to Iraq during the first Gulf War. But asking whether this is the poet's place is still a valid question. I discuss this with students sometimes: how appropriate is it to generate art or creative writing from a national or international tragedy. And how inappropriate is it to ignore this aspect of human experience and concentrate on more personal lyrical writing instead? Whatever one's answer, overtly political or otherwise message-laden poetry is unlikely to be successful. 'We hate poetry that has a palpable design on us,' said Keats. Poems that provoke thought though, that offer a parable rather than preaching a sermon in verse, are a much more viable idea. And poems which lift the fundamentally compassion qualities of humanity above chronicles of violence and factionalism are perhaps the most memorable of all. In class I sometimes bring Michael Symmons Robert's commissioned poem 'Last Words'(in its entirety here), about the phone calls made by those trapped inside the Twin Towers on 9/11:
You have a new message:
There is nothing new in this.
My voice has printed like a bruise,
like a kiss, like a kiss so strong
it leaves a bruise. I love you.
You know it, I'm sure.
Beyond the smoking ruins,
smoking planes, and empty rooms,
above and beyond is a network.
A matrix of souls,
as fragile as lace,
but endless and unbreakable.
To save the message, press.
Very moving, and allowing the reader to surmise that despite the richness and sometimes terrible conflict of differing beliefs, politics, agendas, there is an overarching humanity to our experience which mustn't be forgotten.
Newsnight Review also had a review of the BBC's poetry season, most of the programs of which I have on iplayer so will be able to reflect on at some point to come (post marking, possibly; also post-moving, which is happening next week). Probably after the excitement over Britain's Got Talent has all died down again. But that's the thing about poetry: it's 'news that stays news' as Ezra Pound explained - perhaps one reason why it is important to have important events poetically acknowledged.
So much for meditating on the nature of fame or talent though. I thought about this a little last night too, as I and colleagues met with some newly ex-students who had just handed in their last assignments and projects. Diversity and talent certainly in evidence and a new journey in life just beginning. I remember some lifestyle news article a few weeks ago reconfirming that what really counts in order to gain expertise of a skill or subject area is repeated practice. Ten years worth of several hours per day in fact. Unpracticed genius or no-hoper 'grinds' are more myth than fact according to the latest research. As far as poetry goes, I still think I'm right back at the beginning. I want to begin again and enjoy the journey more thoroughly, more properly. But of course the journey is ongoing.
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