On the first day of April in the year 2009 'The Eccentric Club (UK) Committee' awarded me the grand title of:
'The Great British Eccentric of the Year.'
The competition was 'The Greatest British Eccentric of the Year 2009 Award'. I actually managed to gain third place in this wonderful fun-filled battle between the country's leading eccentrics. The other nominees for this fabulous award were:
Lord Bath, Vivienne Westwood, Catherine Tate, Sebastian Horsley, Ray Frensham, Dave West, Barry Kirk and Rob Lowe.
The Eccentric Club went on to say:
"You were all Great and very brave to enter the contest, so we thought to have three 'Great' certificates and one 'Greatest' and to allow the judges to decide the order of their presentation.
Click on the links below for brief reviews of the event:
http://eccentricclub.blogspot.com/2009/04/eccentric-outcome-of-awardsceremony.html
http://rayfrenshamworld.blogspot.com/2009/04/great-british-eccentric-of-year-2009.html
My North Devon Journal (Eccentric)Blog:
www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk/eccentricallycolin
Eccentric Club Blog:
http://eccentricclub.blogspot.com/
Inside The Eccentric Club
Is the BBC the most eccentric interpreter of whatever they film? For a quick peek into the workings of this famous club, please follow the link.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/london/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8487000/8487684.stm
Prince Philip's passion for eccentricity
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/expat/tessamayes/10136803/prince-philips-passion-for-eccentricity
Imants and the Duke Dinner with the Duke of Edinburgh. The Eccentric Club. 17th February. 2010 It wasn’t a fluke that we talked with the Duke. It was arranged by Imants von Wenden. No clarion call. The group was kept small; minimal cost for the cards he’d been senden. The Prince was on form. His manner was warm and he mingled with us before dinner. Imants had a smile about as wide as a mile – He could see the occasion was a winner! Three cheers for our Club and may our shoulders rub continually, with friends high, mid and low. It’s all down to Imants who, by the seat of his pants, has made the Eccentric Club grow! Why not become a Friend of the Eccentric Club? http://www.eccentricclub.co.uk/friends-of-the-eccentric-club.php
Harry Notch
Harry Notch was a bit eccentric.
He'd ride his bike on a path concentric.
He never did travel all that far:
just from here to there... but he grooved the tar!
© Colin Shaddick. April 09.
Are you eccentric?
http://www.eccentricclub.co.uk/registration.php
This is the lovely little home of North Devon's "splendidly eccentric poet" and riotous roots rascal, Colin Shaddick aka Uke Stanza!
Conformity is addictive. Just say 'no'!
Who is this salty songster? Why has he got two names? Is he a folkie, or a poet? Can he do both?
My music is that which has its toes dipped in a 'tradition', but goes on to express something about a way of life that exists now. My music is 'folk' - or put in a more modern way - 'roots' music.
"ah recons al songs is folk songs; leastways, i ain't never heard no horse sing um!" - Big Bill Broonzy
Not everbody would agree with the above quote, but there it is. You can't please 'em all!
‘inclusifolk’ is a homespun, do-it-yourself, under the stairs - and at the moment - strictly personal record label, promoting my own poetry and musical experiments. I aim to persue a non-fundamentalist path towards meeting my ideals. As the name suggests, it is an ‘inclusive’ artform and as well as incorporating some traditional folk structures, it also draws on elements of the many folk music sub genres.
A few examples would be: Antifolk, Country, Rockabilly, Counterfolk, Skiffle, Urban folk, Folk metal, Dada blues, Progressive folk, Filk music, Folk punk, Psychobilly, Neo-folk, Folktronica, Nu-folk, Psych folk, Outsider folk and of course, all kinds of poetry.
‘inclusifolk’ is a wild dog straining on a leash!
‘inclusifolk’ poems, songs and performances are often risque, but even then, can
demonstrate a social awareness, much like the British working class humour of the Music Hall days.
"... Never go back and rewrite while you're working, keep on it as if it were final." - Hunter S. Thompson
"I don’t wait for a seal of approval before performing my work. I just write something I think is acceptable and then perform it. It’s about showing the world who I am, and I sometimes favour a performance before the final polish."
'inclusifolk' is about thinking the unthinkable, saying the unsayable and challenging the status quo. 'inclusifolk' is intended, eventually, to provide a single arena for a wide range of creative genres. 'inclusifolk' is about coexistance: where voices from the outside can be heard alongside more established ones. I'm interested in work that blurs boundaries.
If you agree, or don't agree with the philosophy of 'inclusifolk' why not get in touch. Maybe we could collaborate on a project; share a gig. You never know, this could be the start of something!
"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." - George Bernard Shaw.
Many, many thanks to 'Tigerplum' for designing and creating the inclusifolk website. The look they have produced perfectly compliments the ethos I'm attempting to create.
Here's to a future where all plums have stripes!
Order some from your corner shop today.
‘Three star listing’
Colin is pleased to announce that inclusifolk is now a three star listed site at the Poetry Kit.