Three Items Listed Below:
(1) 'Sick Of War'. My poem for Palestine
(2) BUS. Barnstaple Ukulele Strummers
(3) 'Isn't Sex Noisy'. My new book
(1)
Sick Of War
After William Blake
Oh Polluted earth, sick of war,
witness to all the wasted lives;
waiting for that last bone
to snap, in the Gaza Strip;
where a terrified child will die,
and the cries of a grieving family
will echo in the body of your soil -
We ask that you forgive us all.
We ask for your Sunflowers.
(2)
BUS
Barnstaple Ukulele Strummers
I'm starting a ukulele players/interest group. Many people have said to me that they have always wanted to "have a go" at this beautiful little instrument.
I have set out some rough ideas below. Nothing has been finalised yet. If you are interested in joining our group, or know of anyone who may be, please contact me: colin.shaddick@btinternet.com
When will it start:
BUS routes will begin on: (TBA)
The time of the shift will probably be from 8pm till we stop.
Where will it be held:
The BUS Depot will be: (TBA)
What will we do:
The journey will be split into three:
(1) A Strum-along
This could be an opportunity for all to join in with some well known tunes. It could start with some easy tunes to encourage the people who have never played before. I've found a handful of tunes to kick us off, but I'm sure people will have suggestions of what they would like to play.
(2) Show Pieces
This could be a time to focus more on the arrangements of particular tunes to make them more interesting. Perhaps working towards performing in front of an audience some day. I have a few ideas in this area, but I am open to suggestions.
(3) Open Mic
I expect some players would appreciate the opportunity to perform solo in front of a friendly audience, so we'll make some time for this too.
Don't miss out. Catch the BUS!
(3)
'Isn't Sex Noisy' is now available
'Please go to my Poetry page for a review by the Eccentric Club. London'.
ISBN 978-0-9546801-6-2
Colin Shaddick
Original Plus
128 pages
Paperback
Signed copies direct from the author £9.00
July 2008
Barnstaple's "splendidly eccentric" poet and singer/songwriter finally unleashes his creative opus.
In his book, Isn't Sex Noisy, Colin Shaddick brings us a wide range of songs (with tongue firmly lodged in his cheek) and presents this first collection of thirty-one songs, forty-four poems, seven haiku and a sample of his humorous illustrations, with a wry smile and a jaunty whistle of content.
All are sharply observed works that often reflect a difficult, but interesting life. The voices that howl at us from the pages are full of passion and often laced with an extremely large spoonful of humour and wit.
"People often ask me what inspires me. It's a difficult question, but I think it's the minutiae in life that attracts me. The odd things we all do, or experience: everyday mishaps that often get overlooked.
My good friend, Ken Sprague: internationally known as The Peoples Artist, always encouraged me to look at life from a different angle. 'Everyone is a special kind of artist,' he would say. I owe a great deal to Ken.
I started taking my poetry more seriously about 10 years ago, after I suddenly approached a few of life's more painful twists and turns; without brakes! I suppose I looked on writing as a kind of safety valve: a productive way to keep my sanity and let off steam at the same time.
Song writing was something I thought I could try too. Then, the poetry and song writing appeared to be walking hand-in-hand. My poems started to be published in small magazines, and out of the blue, BBC Radio 4 invited me on the Ramblings show, with Clare Balding, featuring my haiku! Shortly after that, my songs started to get air play and two of my creations made it into the John Peel, Festive Fifty Show, for two consecutive years."
Isn't Sex Noisy is a very playful and extremely well produced collection of work. It takes the reader on a virtual roller coaster ride from humour to pathos, with many stops in between. A very enjoyable read.