Sunday, March 1, 2009
Here's something remarkable: a BBC radio programme about poetry which is actually half-decent. Nay, truly excellent in fact. It's about the poetry renaissance in Newcastle in the 1960s, and was made by Lee Hall, director of "Billy Eliot", a Geordie who turns out to know his stuff. You'll hear bits of readings by Basil Bunting, Hugh McDiarmid, Bob Cobbing, Yeats and Pound, and enlightening interviews with Bunting, MacSweeney, Tom Pickard and Connie Fisher, among others. Some great snatches of Bunting reading Whitman and Wordsworth. It's called A Strong Song Tows Us.
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6 comments:
Remarkable indeed! I had the radio on in the car when it came on (I didn't know about it). I'd have fallen off my chair if I hadn't had my seatbelt on. Bunting reading Briggflatts was good to hear (although it's out there on the internet), as was the historical stuff on Whitman and Sunderland. (Sadly I missed the last bit - I've still got it to listen to).
Fascinating. Wish I'd seen it was on sooner, as I'd have liked to have recorded it.
Dominic: yes, the Whitman-Sunderland connection was new to me too. It should be possible to record it Sam, as it's still on the BBC site. Should be possible to get it as a podcast too, which is what I want to do. I'll have to look into it.
Alan,
Nice to meet you, and sorry we didn't get further chances to talk. I had to do my usual hasty exit for the Faversham train. This response isn't, obviously, for the blog. My own email address is laurieduggan@btinternet.com
Cheers for now,
Laurie
I'm probably just being a luddite, but I couldn't record anything from i-Player. If you do manage to get one, let me know.
Will do Sam.
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