It’s 15.37 on 14th November 2020, my grey, overcast 65th birthday

It’s 15.37 on 14^th November 2020, my grey, overcast 65^th birthday, rainy enough to abandon a walk in my new duffle coat, the whole day overcast by the Coronavirus Pandemic. I think we would be celebrating otherwise - if the world were different. A party, even. The only cheering thing has been the ‘resignation’ of The Cum (as he appears in my recent poems): he’s shot himself off through the letterbox of Number 10 for the final time. I have to consider how to react in the poems I am writing at the moment, versions of Keats’ sonnets. See here for that part of the ‘English Strain’ and links to the rest of the project (so far) here: 

http://robertsheppard.blogspot.com/2020/09/an-overdub-understudy-version-of-keats.html

 

Five years ago it was a different story (see picture above) and I’d like to share some links to records of that day, one of our big parties, events we started in Esher, years before, and perhaps entered legend under the guise of our Smallest Poetry Festival in the World in 1994. There is little recording of this event except this magnificent t-shirt design by Stephen Sheppard.

 

See here for more on that event: http://robertsheppard.blogspot.com/2017/04/ship-of-fools-press-exhibition-smallest.html

 But five years ago was recorded more. Photos and videos, even. A party at which I was surprised to receive a book, An Educated Desire, anonymously edited by Scott Thurston, a series of over 60 poems and/or images made by poets and artists, for me. I am still stupendously grateful, and you can read about it here:

 http://robertsheppard.blogspot.com/2015/11/an-educated-desire-for-robert-sheppard.html

and here:

http://robertsheppard.blogspot.com/2016/11/robert-sheppard-at-60-educated-desire.html

and still purchase it from Knives, Forks, Spoons; it's available HERE,  along with a sample and a list of contributors. 

 

BUT I also decided to do something myself at this party. I played a set of songs on guitar and voice and harp. A small fragment of the set (a big mistake to do this at my own party!) was filmed and may be encountered here:

https://robertsheppard.blogspot.com/2020/03/if-dylan-can-release-his-back-catalogue.html

There was, in fact, this give and take: there was, also, a fantastic party (of which I am releasing no details here.) Do I dare to imagine that we might be able to meet like this again? I do dare. As Horace Silver finishes his solo at 16.15 and I post this into the social mediation of a blogpost.

If Dylan can release his back-catalogue, so can I...

This video, taken by Liz Eales, was shot on 14th November 2015, my 60th birthday party, at which I misguidedly decided to entertain my guests. I should have just enjoyed myself! Anyway, here it is.

This was also the night that An Educated Desire was published, by Knives Forks and Spoons, a book of poems written for my birthday (secretly edited by Scott Thurston).

Here's more on the book, and the evening, here and here.

Little Albert returns for one night only

Here's Steve and me taking some tentative steps with Lou Reed's 'Perfect Day'. Our only rehearsals are actually playing at Maggi's New Year's (and other) parties, i.e., performing. Here we are at about 3.30 in the morning!

‘My Funny Valentine’, recorded croakily after too many hours singing, and a version of ‘Motherless Child Blues’ recorded earlier in the evening, in summer, 2015 may be viewed here.

New Year 2013 we also recorded ‘Motherless Child Blues’, this time BEFORE Maggi’s piano had been re-tuned. Here!

Steve was the keyboard player and founder member of the Liverpool band The High Five in the 1980s and his latest band is gigging under the name Cat Sundies. I was the singer and harmonica player of Little Albert Fly. No expense was spared when Tony Parsons and I played the Shakespeare's Head in Hove: they didn't pay. But here's a sideways photo of me and Tony in 1977 or 1978, taken by M. Foy.

Tony and I may be glimpsed here when he was fifty performing 'Motherless Child Blues' with me reading a bit of my poem 'Smokestack Lightning', in 2006. I also performed the poem as a song-piece at the Bluecoat in 2008: You can access that here. The event was filmed by musician and poet Ade Jackson, who has worked with Steve. Small world!