The Folkways Collection ‘The Folkways Collection’ is a 24 part series available as a freely downloadable podcast. Each episode is an hour long. Here is what the site says: “This series of 24 one-hour programs explores the remarkable collection of music, spoken word, and sound recordings that make up Folkways Records (now at the Smithsonian … Read more
What is a meme? It is a term borrowed from evolutionary biology. Used in an internet context, the definition (taken from wikipedia) is: “An Internet meme is a piece of digital content that spreads rapidly, widely, and organically from person to person on the internet. The term is a reference to memes as virus-like self-replicating … Read more
I like to buy magazines that I wouldn’t normally buy every now and then. It is a great way to nurture creativity and to get the brain thinking in ways that are different. Recently I bought an issue of ‘BBC Focus’ magazine, which is a science and technology magazine here in the UK, produced by … Read more
[from a new poetry sequence which I am developing] I watched the little specs of dust as they floatedIn shafts of light through the churchA voice was working its way through a sermonBut my mind was engaged in this little worldWhere the dust bits fall then spin and whirlSome micro universe where I can imagineA … Read more
I have been reading Robert Fripp’s online diary for a few years now. It is a fascinating source of information about touring, making music, running a music business. Oh, and the obsessions that Fripp has developed over the years – not being photographed, having been ripped off a few years ago by his management. He … Read more
I thought it would be useful to set out some of the ideas and techniques I use to produce new poems. When the creative muse is off on holiday, I sometimes draw inspiration from old poems. I am also really interested in techniques from popular music, particularly approaches like remixing, remastering and cut-ups. These ideas … Read more
I first came across Time Banks UK a couple of years ago. It builds on an idea I was aware of when I worked in the voluntary sector (now fashionably known as the Third Sector!) in the 1980s. It’s a way to encourage community building by getting people to offer their skills into a bank … Read more
Last year I posted about the Liverpool band, The Open, several times. I thought their two albums were fantastic. The first, full of catchy pop songs – and the second reaching out into diverse influences like free jazz, reminded me of Talk Talk (another big favourite). I’ve just been listening to the two albums again, … Read more
R.E.M.hq: EXTRAS-REMix When the last REM album (Around the Sun) came out a couple of years ago, I saw the video to the first single, – ‘Leaving New York’. It was nothing startling or different, but then why would REM want to do that when they have a formula that works. As with much of … Read more
A quote from e e cummings: “One’s not half of two, it’s two that are halves of one” Wow. I found that in a book I have just begun to read called ‘Man’s journey to Simple Abundance’ edited by Sarah Ban Breathnach.