Hasan Ali Toptaş: Reckless

And Other Stories

Just in case you needed any more temptation, here’s an interesting press we came across recently:

Louise Gluck: The Wild Iris

Not the sun merely, but the earth
itself shines, white fire
leaping from the showy mountains
and the flat road
shimmering in early morning

An unanswerable case against poetry

 

Having considered that matter in – of course – all its aspects, I have decided that there is no excuse for poetry.

Patti Smith: M Train

Vintage dust jackets

 

 

Here’s to the Swinburne Pharisee

Johnny Cash & Brother Claude Ely – Aint No Grave!

Gert rarely (never) reblogs, but she was mesmerised by this performance of the great gospel song Ain’t No Grave Gonna Hold Me Down by Johnny Cash near the end of his life. Scuttle over to Thom Hickey’s Immortal Jukebox to hear it and to enjoy Thom’s description of Brother Claude Ely’s antics. If you’re looking for a blog with really interesting writing about some great music, this is it. And what a nice change it makes from the manufactured jollity of Xmas.
Put your comments on the Jukebox blog, please, so Thom can respond.

The Immortal Jukebox

‘In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed … Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting?’
(St Paul 1 Corinthians)

‘When Brother Claude Ely would get up to sing, I mean he would just get a key on the guitar and when he started singing, it was like the heavens would open up’ (Dennis Hensley lead guitarist at Brother Ely’s Revival meetings)

‘Aint No grave gonna hold my body down .. Gonna get up out of the ground!’ (Brother Claude Ely)

Christmas Cracker 5

As I said in CC1 I often, to the delight and/or outrage of my friends, casually drop the name of an obscure artist into conversation stating that they recorded one of the greatest records ever made. I then respond…

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Giuseppe Pontiggia: The Invisible Player

I found Pontiggia’s The Invisible Player in a favourite second hand bookshop several months ago. Published by the Italian Eridanos press and with small painting on the cover of a red winged figure (angel or devil?) about to fly or fall in a curved baroque space, it attracted me immediately.

Advice to youth

Go to bed early, get up early–this is wise. Some authorities say get up with the sun; some say get up with one thing, others with another. But a lark is really the best thing to get up with.