THE POET'S NOTES

The books
There are plenty of reviews of the books on the relevant pages of this website. All I would personally add is that 'Coming Home' was an attempt to embody in a poetic sequence the entire story of creation (as explained by the Indian mystic Avatar Meher Baba) and seemed to be a way of using modern - usually lyrical - poetry for a long narrative that was NOT better or more suitably done in a novel. And that 'Britain's Dreaming' is (mostly) much more modest, being only (!) about where devolving Britain has come from, where it is and where it may be going at the turn of the millennium. Again, a sequence of poems telling the story of Boudicca's revolt in terms of an England's Dreaming 1970s punk rock tour seemed a good way to use poems/lyrics in a narrative in a way a novel couldn't achieve or really attempt. The section on Wales was the only section completely ignored by Welsh reviewers, but I hope Welsh readers might recognise some heart ache in it. The third section revisits 'Coming Home' territory, being love poems to and about Everything. Sorry. Can't help it.

The CDs/tapes
'Boudicca; Britain's Dreaming' (56 minutes) was recorded with my punk vocal band/ theatre troupe Never Mind The Testoerone; Here Comes Boudicca. My least commercial album and easily my personal favourite, it records and mixes three differently terrified performances, - an early studio version, a peak outdoor live-and-wildly-kicking performance just after we'd stormed out of the Glastonbury Festival in a justified but now wryly regretted show of principle and the farewell performance at the UEA Studio, Norwich. A whole summer of noise in the mix. If you don't want to follow the crowd, if you're only going to buy one of my efforts, and if you like history, great women and punk rock, buy this.

"mesmerising rhythms" (Eastern Daily Press)

'Marked For Life' (STUDIO 65 minutes). My schooldays poetry/ theatre show. This studio album, full of Les Chappell's production artistry, was recorded during the school Christmas hols in 1999, after two of its twelve venue tour dates. For a few days after recording "Born To Run In Abersychan" I thought I might have written and sung a rock classic and be able to leave teaching. Comic monologues/ poems "Morning Assembly", "Ofsted" and "School Production" are probably more my territory, however. Includes "staffroom pleasers," comic character and story poems, teenage wasteland poems, some sustained lyricism, six original rocksongs and Les Chappell's gorgeous guitar.

"funny and poignant" (The Teacher)

"hilarious tour de force" (New Times)

'Marked For Life: Live At Cardiff' (LIVE 74 minutes) Two of the three Welsh tour dates featured here.The one man stage show as performed with the original moody and gritty 70s soundtrack to an "intimate" but lively audience in Cardiff Bay. The album begins with an interview with Roy Noble on BBC Radio Wales and ends with some extracts, including the review being phoned through by the South Wales Argus, from a sell out show in Cwmbran's Congress Theatre.

"totally entertaining show" ( South Wales Argus)

'Bristol City Ruined My Life...But Made My day' (75 minutes)

My most successful record by some distance. A couple of copies have even reached Australia. Favourite track a glorious rough-throated crowd chant of "Everywhere We Go" from the City terraces at Kenilworth Road on our way to a 3-0 away victory over Luton. Lots of crowd noise, and red-hearted poetry for men. It also features more of my attempts to be Dylan, Bowie, Led Zeppellin and The Clash with the help of genuine rock star Les Chappell. And it includes Paul Cheeseley's millennium announcement at Ashton Gate about John Atyeo. Some of it has since been performed live at Ashton Gate.

"A gem" Adrian Chiles, Radio 5 Live.