Radar: What I'm Reading, Watching, Listening To This Week - 14th July

"The programme discussed the effects a nuclear war would have on the planet."

Reading

Bad Lilies is an online poetry magazine edited by Kathyrn Gray and Andrew Nielson, both poets in their own right. I’ve very much enjoyed the selections of their most recent issue which, though featuring only twelve poets, showcases a range of voices and styles. In this most recent issue we have David Wheatley’s highly formal ‘Song of the Strimmer’ (you may well have read my blog post on Michael Laskey’s The Lawnmower) which joins the pantheon of grass-cutting poems, along with Alan Buckley’s finely turned ‘Pendant’ which is spare at 12 short lines yet powerful (though not about grass-cutting). This is contrasted with Donavan Macabee’s gregarious, long lined ‘Hanging Out with Jesus on a Sunny Day’ which ends with an unexpectedly moving and lasting image. His other poem ‘Cumberland Koans’ takes the form of aphorisms showcasing in two poems the poet’s ability to shapeshift - I’ll be looking out for more of his work. Sarah Westcott’s ‘The last ʻōʻō’ is a thoughtful and echoing lyric poem about the beauty of birdsong. Jo Bratten’s ‘Women speaking about Marlon Brando for 15 Minutes’ has so many excellently turned and memorable lines such as ‘upstairs my neighbour is pressing her lovers’/ names to the night like luminescent stickers.’ I could  quote more but you should just go and read her poems. Gita Ralleigh’s ‘The Lammergeier’s Shadow’, like Bratten, shows herself to be highly skilful in employing imagery in tightly wrought stanzas. I think what marks out all of these poems is a sense of distillation and careful attention to choice of language; this might seem like a trite thing to say, but these qualities are so often lacking in so much contemporary poetry. 

On a final note, where would poetry be without ventures like Bad Lilies? These are the kinds of endeavours upon which a poetry culture is built.

Listening To

Rare Earth, BBC Radio 4

I was interested to hear this in the car, as I drove back from the supermarket on Friday. The programme discussed the effects a nuclear war would have on the planet. Not only would it kill millions of people (maybe even a billion) per attack, but it would also destroy the earth’s resources, blocking out sunlight and therefore making it impossible to grow crops. We would have to live on stored food. I was particularly interested to listen to this following the podcast I mentioned in my last weekly update (The Wargame) in which former politicians simulate what would happen in the event of a nuclear attack from Russia. While I’m aware there may well be a bit of fear mongering going on here, and a bit of media sensationalism, I suppose it doesn’t hurt to be reminded of the fragility of our planet, to cherish it and life all the more. 

Oasis (mainly on Youtube)

Owing to their recent reunion, after 16 years,I’ve been going back to Oasis and listening through their back catalogue particularly songs from the album Don’t Look Back in Anger. If you want to know, you can read this which takes you through My Top 10 Oasis Tracks. Looking at some of the photographs of their opening gig in Cardiff, at a time with so much conflict and division in the world, it’s very affirming to see the way in which music brings so many people together, happy and singing. Let's just hope Liam and Noel can get through the next 40 gigs of their world tour without another bust-up!

Watching 

Wimbledon, BBC 1 & 2, and BBC iPlayer

My wife and I have been watching a bit of Wimbledon on the TV over the last week or so. There is something incredibly nostalgic about this tennis tournament. Growing up we always watched WImbledon, it was like one of the year’s milestones to have that on in the background. The Ashes or test cricket was another one, before of course they started to privatise that coverage with Sky. I hope Wimbledon never gets privatised in that way. It’s interesting that they’ve now replaced the line judges with Hawkeye technology, which originated in cricket test matches to help the umpires decide on LBW appeals. The role of technology/AI is ever-increasing, and I guess it does save time and arguments, however it also means we’ll never again see the likes of John McEnroe’s famous outburst ‘You cannot be serious!’ Indeed, is there an argument to say that in digitising, we’re dehumanising, but more importantly de-dramatising?