I am a performance poet. It certainly wasn’t planned, but had a lot to do with reaching the age at which I had always said I would start to write. By then, my life had changed so much that writing fiction was impossible. Poetry, on the other hand, fits neatly into my lifestyle.
And it turns out I have an awful lot to say. I may have started off shouting into the void, but within a fairly short space of time, I acquired a supportive audience. I write about society, politics, economics, the odd things that happen to me because of the way I live, and a whole load of universal stuff as well. My poems are all about the arguments and usually have a political point. They are strongly in the punk tradition: short, sharp, caustic and satirical, finishing with a good punchline.
My own experience reinforces how precarious all our lives are in this capitalist system: life-changing illness took me from Head of English in a secondary school, to off-grid wanderer, outside society. This was a choice, but one made from limited options – my freedom comes at a price, of insecurity and even vulnerability. As a result, I find my poetry often tackles themes of inequality and explores inherent paradoxes in the way we live.
Life on the side of the road gives me an interesting perspective on lots of subjects; I write honestly and humorously about my experiences. This is the world you recognise, but some of the views might be less familiar. I’m fascinated by human behaviour and psychology, society, politics and economics. I can’t resist exploring hypocrisy, whether it’s my own or other people’s, and examples crop up repeatedly in my work. A life lived in underground dance music and free party culture provides another interesting set of references, and means my poetry tends to go down well with music audiences. It also means my past (and still sometimes my present) is firmly tied up in DIY culture: the politics of making your own art and entertainment, outside the law and commercialisation.
Lateral G 