3292 - Absolute professionals

Just got home from the Absolute Bowie
Gig at the Ruby Lounge, it was good stuff
Though many guitar solos deafened me
I was right by the speaker, made me deaf
The first part of the set were highlights of
The Ziggy Stardust songs, the middle was
The mid-70s funky pop, enough
People were dancing, Golden Years
And though less funky, also Life on Mars
The third part was the least interesting to me
But still good in parts, though of course the guff
Of Let's Dance had to be played, yes of course!
Tired myself earlier writing poetry
And finished Fifty Shades, no that's no bluff!

Sat 22 Aug

3272 - In cold flat

Woke up real late, about ten, but since then
I've done quite a lot, and brain's sleepy now
Finished 'In Cold Blood' started end of June
My progress through it has been rather slow
But it was a good read. Long tome ago
Before I was born, a terrible crime
Was done in Kansas, people said, 'Oh no!
The poor Clutters!' They met their hanging time
After 5 years on Death Row, pantomime
Of appeals exhausted, as despised men
But Capote had interviewed them so
Extensively, this book really does chime
With crime fans and more serious readers when
He probes and seems to take us there somehow

3225 - The One Day Late Show

Oops, one day late, I did so much last night
I didn't post a sonnet, clean forgot
The main reason was painting the walls white
In the spare room (I didn't start til 8)
Then played guitar, watched Big Brother til late
And went to bed with 'Mrs Dalloway'
By Virginia Woolf, depression and fate
Of a gloomy end looming large each day
As borne out by Ginny's watery way
Of ending it all, fed up of her plight
In real life (and death). Well, now that I've put
This belated entry online, today
Will be covered shortly, when I shall write
About Wednesday - that's today - not as hot

Tue 16 June

3171 - Prague pilgrim's progress

Getting in the holiday zone of mind
Excitement builds. Today, getting my phone
Mended so I can charge it and still find
Power to post on Twitter. Having flown
To Prague, I'll want and need to have well shown
The sights I see, the folk I meet, also
In German places, beer and mountains grown
To gross proportions, only goats may go
To those high heights! My German learning's slow
I'm struggling to study the lingo, kind
Of lazy maybe, but distraction's blown
It away, along with 'Dragon Tattoo'
(The book), but I could catch up when flyin'
Or waitin' in stations for trains to come

3148 - I'm not only there for the beer

Off out shortly for a well-deserved pint
At the King's Arms comedy night, Salford
The weather's been bad, a night out I've pined
For these last two evenings, though not been bored
Kept myself busy, word up, word up, word
Started 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'
Book (seen the film a while back) and it's weird
Very heavy going, interesting too
And a fitting read as I'm sitting through
The many episodes of 'The Bridge' - wind
My mind back to my own memory hoard
Of seeing Copenhagen and Malmo
And travelling the bridge by train, the sound
Crossed, two lands joined that once were far abroad

3146 - Ramming the point home

Been watching three episodes of The Bridge
And it's tired me out! Also I should read
While I've got some free time, my heritage
As a Derby fan well celebrated
By 'Clough's War' which suggests Clough was indeed
An out-of-control maverick, his own worst
Enemy at times, but brilliant, afraid
Of none, unable perhaps to stop cursed
Honesty that does us no good, a burst
Of ill-chosen words causing a wreckage
Of bad feelings when none were intended
Still, though Derby were left behind, Forest
Were the winners in the end - he managed
Them to two European Cups, he did

3137 - Black hole moon

Oh hell, I forgot my exercises
And now I've eaten a big meal, so I
Don't think I can do press-ups and stretches
And stomach-straining stuff, or I might throw
This morning, nipped out of the office to
See the partial eclipse up on Bridge Street
And of course I took a picture or two
I saw a crescent sun briefly shine bright
My eyes felt dazzled for several minutes
Once I had sat back at my desk. It was
The first here since '99, after my
John o'Groats to Land's End bike ride, that feat
Remembered in a tattoo. My task is
Tonight to finish that huge book. I'll try!

3128 - Wrestling with women

I'm tired, even though I slept til near nine
Stayed up quite late, two nights out in a row
And I can't even be bothered to iron
Would rather read more of that book, to go
Closer to the end of the huge thing, know
That I can then take books on the train once
Again, books that don't weigh a ton, don't grow
Too big and heavy, like two wrestlers' sons
Do women wrestle? Yes of course they can
Sit on each other, but I wonder when
They wrestle, do they violently throw
Each other around, is their style like men's?
And women's rugby's a favourite of mine
Think I'd like to watch it. Watch your ears, though!

3112 - Cold day

A rare sick day, because of this darn cold
Have enjoyed doing little, relaxing
Watching daytime TV, trying to hold
That enormous hardback book and reading
About Jamaica, shooting and killing
In the 70s, and periodically
Snuggling down on the sofa and dozing
Third dose of Kyle today on the TV
May play guitar if I've the energy
Tuesday night's pub quiz had to be cancelled
Shame as it's a good group with beer quaffing
But recuperation is necessary
By Wednesday, when I'm out with Helen. Should
Be a nice one, poetry and drinking

3104 - Copin' with Copenhagen

Yesterday I watched three films, tired me out
Today I read a hundred pages of
This huge hardback Pearl bought me that's about
Shootings in Jamaica. Editor, bruv -
You asleep on de job, seen? Not 'One Love'
In this book, more like multiple gangsta
Lots of motorway crashes lately. Tough
Times. Not only here, but even over
In old Copenhagen, there's a terror
Attack on a cafe - free speech, don't shout
Quite so loudly, tone it down, but be tough
On terrorists and murderers that scare
The innocent. Jo worries war's afoot
I tell her it's nothing, as time may prove...

3085 - Big bleater

I've felt quite strong all day, but energy
Is running out now as eleven's here
Did exercises, guitar wizardry
Can't beat playing along, not only hear
Then watched a footy match with Lou, my fear
Realised that it would make me miss part of
The eviction, Celebrity Big Brother
Thank goodness, Patsy's gone, so sorry love
But you're boring, though not as bad as Kav
Let's hope he goes next! A win for Derby
At home to Blackburn puts us back up there
Though our team's got more holes than a big sieve
Count Arthur Strong? Is this meant as funny?
Give me Great Expectations - the end's near...

3054 - Dozy Boxing Day

This is a day late, I confess. Spent at
My mother's house in Greasby. Robin was
Here til 3pm, then he drove in that
Downpour which turned into a blizzard fast
Back to Lichfield for a pub gig. I spaced
Out a bit in the afternoon, think it
Was tiredness, but football updates helped pass
The time. Birmingham thumped 4-0, a great
Result for The Rams, anchored in third spot
Almost finished that novel - what was it?
Oh never mind, didn't give me a buzz
It's Viv Albertine's autobiog fate
Has decreed I read next, and now I've got
Two more good books as presents for Christmas!

Fri 26 Dec

3048 - Time is a drag

Not quite sure what to do tonight. Wanted
To play guitar, but Louis' gone to bed
So it would be selfish, some might have said
To do that which I had contemplated
So I'll find something else to do instead
At least there's no need for booze in my head
Although the time is dragging now, I've fed
Myself well, something I once neglected
When I had beer and fags I'd collected
Mind you, writing about this makes me dread
That I might start wanting it. I have read
To the end 'The Land of Green Plums.' I sped
Through it last night, this morning completed
It, and chose new listening tracks. Excited!

3039 - Cold comfort flat

Jeez, hope this cold weather won't last too long
Though I suspect it may last all winter
Just what we don't need, big bills to prolong
The general austerity. Guess the poor
Will either freeze or go bankrupt this year
Food banks, that's another 'big issue' now
Luckily, I don't yet need a voucher
To get free handouts of food, if I plough
This work furrow as I'm doing, allow
Myself to pay off debts, I can belong
With the somewhat-better-off, if not the
Decidedly-better-off, and highbrow
Nature means I can always go along
Cheaply, reading, walking, playing guitar

3026 - Fave rave

Some fun posts on Twitter and Facebook, yeah
After writing this, I will play guitar
Then read my book of pop music, nearer
And nearer the eighties I get. Writer
Thinks the early eighties were the best years
Largely, I reckon, because of his age
I'm slightly older and my top era
Would be the late 70s, just a page
In time before his fave, when all the rage
Was post-punk, new wave, disco, whatever...
Wait! Reggae, two-tone, late era rock stars
It had it all. But there was good tuneage
Also in the early eighties, for sure
But since then it's gradually got poorer

3022 - Virtuous circle

Just exercised, woo-hoo, gives such a sense
Of pride and well-being, doing the right thing
As time goes on I'm seeing me less tense
About opportunities of doing
My will power's increasing as my drinking
Becomes history and I need to fill
Time differently, better, more interesting
Is all that's around, and more time to kill
Which in a virtuous circle means I will
Do more of what's right and ego intends
And less time-wasting. Not too much reading
Must get the level right, or books might spill
Over into 'doing' time, a defence
Against decisive action, achieving

3019 - Pop a doodle doo

The heat is on - that's a dramatic start
But it simply means that the heat is on
Literally in the flat. Shivers, depart!
Think tonight I'll just read my big book, fun
Indeed, a great tome on pop, lots of tune
References to check out on Spotify
Many of which are new to me, a boon
If ever there was one, big fish to fry
And then pour the contents real carefully
Into my ears. Louis gave me a start
When I went in his room to turn heat on
There he was asleep in bed. Wondered why
Then remembered he had stayed up til eight
Must have been watching the by-election

3012 - Look, don't touch

It's Friday night, but should I play guitar
Or give my hands a rest? After last night
They've felt a bit strained, You know how hands are
When they're over-used. My digits like sprites
Fly over fretboard, sonic dynamite
Portraying thoughts in fractions of seconds
But maybe not tonight, no not tonight
Which means I'll just relax as bed beckons
Read more Clough biog, read how he descends
Deeper into alcohol, still deeper
In his green top, his face flushed red and bright
He'd battle on without Pete, his best friend
So now, as I wonder where's Louis, where?
I'll settle down for a night cheap and quiet

3007 - Off the walls

A nice long relaxing day spent inside
A large part of it reading football book
(The Clough biography), listening beside
To footy on the radio, not much luck
For Arsenal again. Who's gonna attack
Chelsea, seemingly safe up in first place?
I also cleaned the flat, sprayed off the muck
From the kitchen walls, and the floor, displaced
The bits off Louis' soles are a disgrace
All trodden in, removed now. Then I tried
For the second time lately to not look
While I played guitar, both treble and bass
On my acoustic, while watching Come Dine
(Repeat), me and my plectrum showing pluck

3000 - Big 'ead strikes again

I'm feeling quite sleepy this Sunday eve
After reading a lot, that always tires
I finished the Paul Lake, only a brief
Time took til the autobiog expired
The book, I mean, not him. Next up, I fired
With great speed through old pix of football grounds
Blurred pix snapped by old cameras now retired
To landfill sites. It showed the Baseball Ground
In Derby being demolished and quite ground
Into the ground, so to speak. Then, believe
It or not, the next book also conspires
To include Derby FC - well it's bound
To, as it's a biog of Cloughie. Give
It up for Ole Big 'ead, the man's inspired