Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The Milkman Of Human Kindness

I'm the only person
in a room with Billy Bragg.
And Billy Bragg is stripped to the waist.
And holding a ukulele across his chest.
And the ukulele has loose strings.
Billy performs 'Help Save The Youth Of America'
for me and for me alone,
whilst strumming
on the ukulele. And i can tell
that although he's singing
the words live,
the music is pre-recorded
and being piped-in from somewhere else.
And when he finishes the song,
The Bard of Barking lowers the ukulele.
And only then does he reveal
that he's been wearing
a black brassiere throughout.

2 comments:

© John Warwick Arden said...

Just read a post of yours on Sqt's Spare Parts- the comment about 'I'm chained to a behemoth in my spare bedroom :)' and I had to laugh!! Sounds like a great title for a horror movie!!

Thought I would come over and pay you a visit.

Your post about Billy Bragg was quite cute; I had the good fortune of meeting Billy about 18th months ago in London at one of his 'jam sessions'. Billy has still got it!

I remember the first time I heard 'Milkman of human kindness' when I was a teen- I taped it and two other songs off TV and played it 'til it began to shred. I think he played 'Here Comes Richard'...actually, NO!! It was 'A13 to Shoeburryness', and...yes, it's all coming back to me...it was 'Richard'.

I love those lines 'I saw two shooting stars last night I wished on them, but they were only satellites'...What poetry.

That, 'New England' and 'Waiting For the Great Leap Forward' really sum up for me his attempt to balance his political stance and his sense of the romantic- not easy for any of us, I would venture.

Keep up the good work...

© John Warwick Arden said...

I've gone and posted to the wrong person, haven't I? You don't have the behemoth, do you? Want one?? (kidding) I stand by the Billy Bragg comments though. I liked your dream and it brought back some pleasant memories for me; nothing wrong with that- even if I get my bloggers arse about.

Keep the faith, and next time you see Billy, I never thought to ask him- I tried talking to the taxman about poetry and the taxman looked at me with with a blank expression; next time you see Billy, you might ask him on my behalf...what gives with that?