A staggering, swaggerig paean to pop from one of the rising stars of British poetry. Craig Smith takes us into the mind of a could have been/should have been rock star, whose encyclopaedic knowledge of pop history provides the backing track to his own obsession with hitting the big time. The poem's central character is a triumph of characterisation, as vivid as any seen in verse since Dorn's 'Gunslinger'.
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...his poem could only come from a writer steeped in the culture and caught up in the scene. What I say is: give this boy a backstage pass. SIMON ARMITAGE -- Advance review
Driven by a feverish energy, ambitious, witty and studded with
brilliant passages ...
Driven by a feverish energy, ambitious, witty and studded with
brilliant passages ...
PETER SANSOM -- Advance review
From the Author
Have you ever picked up a guitar and dreamed of Stardom? Have you ever done a mock interview in your head, lying in the bath, laughing with Jonathan Ross or David Letterman about your fruitless early years in the wilderness? Have you even known that you were going to make it, known in your very soul you were going to be famous, from your split-ends down to your toenails you would soon be mega, massive, global, that before too long everyone the world over would recognise your name, your likeness, would recognise your greatness?
And did your dreams, plans and schemes come to nothing?
That's what this long poem, 'A Quick Word with a Rock and Roll Late Starter' is all about. Heroic Failure. Tragic Anonymity. The Dream that Didn't Come True.
And did your dreams, plans and schemes come to nothing?
That's what this long poem, 'A Quick Word with a Rock and Roll Late Starter' is all about. Heroic Failure. Tragic Anonymity. The Dream that Didn't Come True.
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Customer Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
In a world where poetry is dominated by only a handful of recognised writers, it comes as a tremendous relief to find a rising star with such a fresh and obvious talent. If 'The Streets' are to be seen as the most powerful musical event of the past twenty years, then Craig Smith must send similar shivers down the spine of the poetry world. The comparison is not unreasonable; many of 'The Streets' finer lyrics are echoed here...
A 40 page poem that fizzes along, keeps you hooked, draws you in then makes you want to start all over again. Think John Cooper Clarke with his sharp tongue, eye for the curious and sharp-suited rhymes, or 'The Ramones' kicking off a revolution with a string of two minute wonders. For the muso's out there, try and spot those musical references or even remember some of those experiences - it's amazing how many times Craig Smith seems to have been there with you when you thought you were alone.
This book excites the hell out of me; I dearly hope that this is the shape of things to come and indeed that in the world of poetry "The times they are a changin".
A 40 page poem that fizzes along, keeps you hooked, draws you in then makes you want to start all over again. Think John Cooper Clarke with his sharp tongue, eye for the curious and sharp-suited rhymes, or 'The Ramones' kicking off a revolution with a string of two minute wonders. For the muso's out there, try and spot those musical references or even remember some of those experiences - it's amazing how many times Craig Smith seems to have been there with you when you thought you were alone.
This book excites the hell out of me; I dearly hope that this is the shape of things to come and indeed that in the world of poetry "The times they are a changin".
By A Customer
Sharp, clever and witty look at the world of the deluded 'rock star', not so much a has been as a never was, full of spot-on references and clever lines.
By A Customer
Not often do you enjoy a book inside and out in equal measure - this is a book to revisit - the pages rock and roll on through astute images; contemporary, sentimental and original. Not so much a quick word as a stimulating conversation.
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