here’s the link

lemme know what you think if you see it.

It’s part of a series run by the Roundhouse and you can watch live online here come join me for some spoken spokeyness live and in your face. make a cuppa, grab some hob nobs and see if I fall over when trying to talk and walk.

Boom

This week started on Monday with a gig in Southampton at 451 Nuffield Theatre. A very sit down spoken word affair. the word poetry being used a lot. To be honest not the kind of thing I associate myself with most times due to the word poetry still having the ability to go through me like a bad joke (but that’s my own issue). I had a lovely evening. Travelled up with my friend Deanna Rodger and told some stories about Birmingham and then ran off to get a train with Deanna and Sophia Blackwell where we played cards with the greatest deck of footballer picture cards ever and listened to Deanna talk about the Apocalypse.

Tuesday (last night) my good friend and film buddy Eddie sorted us out press tickets to see Iron Man 2 in Leicester Square. Massive screen, packed out and a thoroughly enjoyable blockbuster. If you enjoyed the first one you’ll really like this and it reinforces the fact that Robert Downey Jr has all of the charisma and range that Ed Norton was supposed to have.

In a minute today I’m off to BBC Radio 3 to record ‘The Verb’ definitely my favourite radio spoken word type show. Ian Mcmillan the host is lovely and I always learn something or find out about someone when I go on there. I’ll be speaking extracts from ‘RETURN’ and talking a bit about stuff I think.

Tomorrow night I’m hosting Secret Wars Euro league in Southampton @ The Soul Cellar last battle I hosted between Southampton and Barcelona was brilliant and the Southampton lads set a high bar with their piece so I’m looking forward to seeing what happens tomorrow. I’ll be doing bits in between stuff and generally hosting proceedings. Come down.

Friday night I’m doing this                                             

I wrote something for the start of the album

and will be performing it with live string section.

Which is nice.

And then it’s Saturday and I’m off to Brum to teach and see my granddad who just reached over from Jamaica. Writing the starts of lots of ideas at the minute too so on course for my new full spoken word set in time for summer. Supposed to be hot today.

nice one

Last night did a gig at Westminster Student Uni (shout to Ray and Robin for sorting it out) and dawned on me that this summer it’s 10 years since I graduated. Nuts.

After 5 years of pretty much bumming around, shitty temping jobs, building sites and a lot of credit card fueled travel I found my feet in 2005 and the rest, as they say, is everything that has happened since.

Last night got to share the billing with David J. Now David I’m proud to say is now a good friend of mine. We met in 2006 and toured together on ‘Exposed’ for Apple & Snakes and I consider him one of my better friends in this big beast of a capital city. A big man with a big heart and real talent. One of those people who you remember the first time you saw him live. For me it’s not even about the mastery of flow and delivery. It’s the slice of a personality you get each time he’s on stage that is more than the sum of it’s parts. Hip-Hop grown, Science, History, Anthropology, Sociology nurtured and delivered with skill. For me he is one of the only people who can genuinely call themselves a performance poet.

Click here to view the embedded video.

He’s also the only person I’ve ever directly referenced in a piece. (near the end)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Told you I was on this diary thing.

See you in a bit. I want some sausages and a cup of tea

Boom

I wasn’t lying. I’m on this now. My own online diary. Tomorrow night I got a gig at Westminster Uni which apparently is pretty close to Baker Street Tube. It’s a pretty stellar spoken word line up including Inua Ellams, the godfather David J and more that I’ve forgotten but I remember being heavy. Come down if you’re near.

Today and tomorrow are like my belated weekend after Saturday and Sunday spent in Fareham teaching 14 year olds about character writing and rhyming games. Wrote start of a new rhyming story on train down. Had fun. Made some friends. Ate Mcdonalds twice in two days. Felt dirty. And wrote a short film idea on the way back. Result.

Loads of admin stuff to get done and if we’re admitting strengths and weaknesses then you may as well slap me in the face with a big wet fish full of emails, invoices and bank shit that I still struggle with after 5 years doing this now. cack.

Head full of ideas too. Getting well back into rhyming after speaking a non-rhyming film for a month. ‘RETURN’ tour kicks of end of this month so satisfying my frontal rhyming lobe with an album of new stuff. Got a new one I’m gonna try out one tomorrow night in Westminster. Boom.

So yeah. Bye

p.s. just for laughs

Click here to view the embedded video.

There’s loads going on and it’s been a nuts year so far. Every January I wonder what could possibly happen to push things further than they’ve gone the year before and by every March I see how. 2010 is already nuts.

Finished my first ever 3 week run of my latest story ‘RETURN’. chuffed with how it went and now booking tour. When I get home on Sunday night I’ll be putting up some dates and more info about it.

Loads of projects in the pipeline too. What does that mean? pipeline? I guess it means something int he pipes on its way right? pretty obvious actually eh? Yeah bear pipelines.

Right so in the mean time sign up for my mailing list on my myspace page  just scroll down underneath the gig listings and click the grey button. Its all part of my plan for the future of my stories.

So yeah, sorry for being rubbish for a bit, but I’m on it now.

Nice one

Polar

So it’s nearly here. Me and Yael finished working on the script day before yesterday ready for rehearsals to start next week. ‘RETURN’ is going to be alright.

Can’t wait to share this with people.

Feels like my story telling has gone up a level with this and with some hard work it’s going to be a performance piece to remember.

You can get tickets for the Battersea Arts Centre run here

Working with Marie Blunck on the design and Yael Shavit on developing the script and as director is pretty much my dream team.  We’re currently booking for the national tour this year and I’ll upload the dates and venues as soon as things are confirmed. For now ‘RETURN’ runs from 2nd to 25th March at Battersea Arts Centre, just up from Clapham Junction. So come down and see what I’m really proud of.

Nice one

I don’t get excited that often. That sounds quite sad but it’s true. Genuinely excited I mean. Not just happy with something or looking forward to something, I mean proper excited.

I am proper excited about ‘RETURN’ for more about the idea click here and scroll down.

It’s gonna be ace. I’ll be doing a full run at Battersea Arts Centre in March 2010 then off on national/international tour after that. I’ll be putting up more details, dates and stuff when things are all in place but for now I just wanted you to know that the thing waking me up at 4am to write ideas down is ‘RETURN” and it’s going to be wicked.

Nice one

shame on you polar

This Is How We Do It                                        Montell Jordan

Children’s Story                                                  Slick Rick

It’s a shame                                                          Monie Love

The World Is Yours                                             Nas

Award Tour                                                          A Tribe Called Quest

Get Familiar                                                         Bullion

Battling Go-Go Yubari In Downtown L.A.      edIT

Parasite                                                                  Nick Drake

Hate or Love                                                         LSK

99-100                                                                   daysis

Mars to the Manor                                              Willo Wispa

Splitmilk                                                               Malign Intellect

Let Me Be Your Fantasy                                    Baby D

Survival of the Fittest                                        Mobb Deep

Easy Lover                                                           Phil Bailey & Phil Collins