Forget the qualifications. Put it down to being utterly tired. Besides, I always get nervous when talk turns messianic or hubristic. Sounds mean. It's not a day for qualifications. Will is right on that.
It's a drinking day. A great day, particularly for African Americans, but also for Americans generally: a good moment in American history. So let's just go with that. Here's a glass. And here's a Central European drinking it.
To the future! You too, Max Beckmann.
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Tomorrow the trekking really gets under way. The Liverpool talk. Spent most of today revising and revising. Still don't know if I like it. But it's what I am going to say. Then, straight down to Aldeburgh. Then, straight up to Newcastle. Back down for two days teaching, then London, London, and London again. That's neatly before Warwick. And Cambridge. And London. And Canterbury. And Bath...
5 comments:
Excellent - my mood entirely.
SP
not exactly my mood but it will do
http://drinksoakedtrotsforwar.com/2008/11/06/blood-tastes-good/
There's a 'Poetry Kit Liverpool Poets' Link on my blog if you want to do a few name checks. No doubt they'll all be along to see you. Except me. I'll be in Cafe' Kafka with the Vienna Labyrinth poets.
I'd recommend taking a phrase book for when you get to Geordieland. There's a good one 'Larn Yersel Geordie' or something like that. It's all based on an ancient Friesian Island dialect. Scouse is not so problematic. It's like Irish.
Enjoy!
Dee do tha doh don't dee dare lah, is a common phrase in the Scouseology primer for unknowers of this liminal West Coast spot: whose Liverpool Scotland electoral division -- Scotty Road on the northern fringe of the city center - was the only place outside Ireland to have voted in one of Parnell's Irish Parliamentary Party MP. Athlone man Thomas Power O'Connor - in the 1885 general election, and who was returned, unopposed, by this constituency on an Irish nationalist platform, in the 1918, 1922, 1923, 1924 and 1929 - the year he died. Though after the Sinn Féin landslide of 1918 when the Home Rule party ceased top exist, he sat as an independent.
For much of his time as an MP, he wrote a nightly review of the parliamentary doings for the Pall Mall Gazette and became "Father of the House of Commons", with unbroken service of 49 years 215 days.
He was a prolific author who wrote a wide rabge of books including bios and an account of the Parnell movement, who also founded and edited several newspapers and journals: the Star (1887), the Weekly Sun (1891), the Sun (1893), M.A.P. and T.P.’s Weekly (1902).
He was the first President of the Board of Film Censors in 1917, Fellow of the of the oldest journalist's body in the world, the Chartered Institute of Journalists, which honours him still with the T.P. O'Connor charity fund and there is a busdt of him outside the houses of parliament, whose inscription reads:
"His pen could lay bare the bones of a book or the soul of a statesman in a few vivid lines."
The Dublin and Liverpool accent is very similar in many respects and there is an ex-soccer player from the N inner city of Dublin called Johnny Giles who does the analyses with another Dublin legend, Eamon Dunphy who ghosted Roy Keane's bio and the level and quality of soccer craic on show, is more enjoayable top watch than most of the matches, Dunphy in particular, especially if he's obviously had a few pints pre-airing, goes for the jugualr of any newbs. Souness lasted a month or two but couldn't hack it. Dunphy one night with about four pints in him, live on air, more or less called him a c.nt to his face, harumphin and shakin his head as Souness sat frozen, unable to believe what was happenin, gettin a right maulin.
But Johnny though, his mantra is:
..when i was playin for man U with Georgie best, Matt Busby would never have had the centre back that fowrard of the opposition's left half, and when i was at leeds with billy bremner, i mean, we had to work for the ball, and the level of professionalism on the wing half, as the ball went in to the holdiong players, we used to knock on from a full back position and get in that way, d'yer know wharra mean dare laaahhh!!
rerifie - is the letter sequence, fir eire, men of ireland, or i referi, yes yes..nah..
Thank you, BA...
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