"Something went wrong in the lab today. Contamination."
No further explanation, he grew twitchy, finger nails bitten to the quick. Thick hair on his back.
It wasn't all bad. Christ, he was fit. Rampant. Fun for a while, but I soon needed a break. I heard he was trawling bars, brawling. Ripped some guys wrist off in an arm wrestle. A week later, a rasping phonecall. I gasped when I saw him. Blisters, lesions, spitting up bile. All the time he swore he could fix it. I didn't tell him I was late. The next day, bug eyed pickling things in jars, limbs. He wouldn't see a doctor, not even when his cock dropped off.
I was getting bigger. I pictured it inside curled up like a gub. Friends say get rid. Who wants a kid with wings?
Mike Edwards 2009
Sunday, 7 June 2009
Darth Vader: Yoda's Eulogy
Here to pay our respects to late Darth Vader we are.
Enlisted for training in the ways of the force at an early age he did; against better judgement of mine. Escpecially young Vader not immune to youthful mischief. Judgement this brought him, not helped by certain disabilities. Suspect in string of obscene phone calls his heavy breathing make him. Still only just learning, mind tricks only work on weak minded much to cost of poor woman whose knee aches still.
Hard to convince image is nothing, Vader became as he grew older. Dark helmet hard make one look? Think that what made him I know not. Still chancellor seemed to like it. With that he would now show off size of light saber. Insistent he was on red one.
Darth Vader: fiery in life as in death he be. Fucked he now is. Truly and well.
James Fisher 2009
Enlisted for training in the ways of the force at an early age he did; against better judgement of mine. Escpecially young Vader not immune to youthful mischief. Judgement this brought him, not helped by certain disabilities. Suspect in string of obscene phone calls his heavy breathing make him. Still only just learning, mind tricks only work on weak minded much to cost of poor woman whose knee aches still.
Hard to convince image is nothing, Vader became as he grew older. Dark helmet hard make one look? Think that what made him I know not. Still chancellor seemed to like it. With that he would now show off size of light saber. Insistent he was on red one.
Darth Vader: fiery in life as in death he be. Fucked he now is. Truly and well.
James Fisher 2009
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
Afterlife: The Party by James Fisher
(In the afterlife one of the spirits gently blushes while all the others sing to it Happy Death Day to You. At the end of the song they call for a speech).
Now, this is the spirit talking:
I really don't know what to say to this kind surprise other than Thank You. The wandering, solitary nature of my manisfetation might not make me the easiest soul to spend eternity with, but I truly am lucky to be resting with the souls that I do.
One moment I found myself in the company of you fine spirits and just the moment before I was standing face to face with a speedin 10 ton lorry.
As well as the thanks I already give for this party, I would also like to thank those who made it possible for me to be here. I would like to thank my undertaker, I would like to thank the vicar, I would like to thank my gravedigger...
(Chokes up)
I'm sorry, I always do this when I look back. I would also like to thank Madam Rosa who somewhere back there helps me in my contact with the previous world...
Medium (off): Don't mention it.
...and assures those who unfortunately cannot be with us yet. But when one day they do find their way here I may rest assured that they will be assured that I really have been alright.
Thank you.
Now, this is the spirit talking:
I really don't know what to say to this kind surprise other than Thank You. The wandering, solitary nature of my manisfetation might not make me the easiest soul to spend eternity with, but I truly am lucky to be resting with the souls that I do.
One moment I found myself in the company of you fine spirits and just the moment before I was standing face to face with a speedin 10 ton lorry.
As well as the thanks I already give for this party, I would also like to thank those who made it possible for me to be here. I would like to thank my undertaker, I would like to thank the vicar, I would like to thank my gravedigger...
(Chokes up)
I'm sorry, I always do this when I look back. I would also like to thank Madam Rosa who somewhere back there helps me in my contact with the previous world...
Medium (off): Don't mention it.
...and assures those who unfortunately cannot be with us yet. But when one day they do find their way here I may rest assured that they will be assured that I really have been alright.
Thank you.
Revising the current Dead material - suggestions from Claire, James and Viv
Hello Ross n all
We are just having a brainstorm in purgatory here - that place where the dead have not quite decided where they are going yet.
Anyway, we would like to make some suggestions about revising the current material for the show.
We think that Scrooge McDuck is a tad too long and could do with some editing - not loads, but could we look at this again to see what could be removed from the piece. This is based on feedback we had from the audience about the night in June last year. We are at risk of losing the audience if we put a piece that is too long after the length of Ghost Town.
Thinking about Ghost Town, we also think this was tiny bit long and could do with some cropping - say 30 secs or so. Also, no Citizen Kane in the footage? e.g. Rosebud - the most famous death scene in cinema? Think this should defo go in!
We think that the Grim Reaper's scythe needs serious 'blinging up' for the 22nd. Claire to sort.
It might be worth thinking about Charles Manson again and not totally removing it. The video of his poem e.g '...the truth is in your slaughter houses...' etc is particularly poignant. All it needs is some kind of intro into establishing Manson as truth twisiting itself into fiction. Also consider placing this after Autopsy, leading the newsreader's poem into news footage i.e. Manson.
Sweet as.
Ross / Panda - wot yer say? You are The Gaffers on this one.
xx Claire, Viv and The Fisher Man (a.k.a The Assassin)
We are just having a brainstorm in purgatory here - that place where the dead have not quite decided where they are going yet.
Anyway, we would like to make some suggestions about revising the current material for the show.
We think that Scrooge McDuck is a tad too long and could do with some editing - not loads, but could we look at this again to see what could be removed from the piece. This is based on feedback we had from the audience about the night in June last year. We are at risk of losing the audience if we put a piece that is too long after the length of Ghost Town.
Thinking about Ghost Town, we also think this was tiny bit long and could do with some cropping - say 30 secs or so. Also, no Citizen Kane in the footage? e.g. Rosebud - the most famous death scene in cinema? Think this should defo go in!
We think that the Grim Reaper's scythe needs serious 'blinging up' for the 22nd. Claire to sort.
It might be worth thinking about Charles Manson again and not totally removing it. The video of his poem e.g '...the truth is in your slaughter houses...' etc is particularly poignant. All it needs is some kind of intro into establishing Manson as truth twisiting itself into fiction. Also consider placing this after Autopsy, leading the newsreader's poem into news footage i.e. Manson.
Sweet as.
Ross / Panda - wot yer say? You are The Gaffers on this one.
xx Claire, Viv and The Fisher Man (a.k.a The Assassin)
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Monday, 25 May 2009
Dates With Death
Hi Fellow Dead-Stars
The Dead do not rest - they stalk the Earth once more.
And the abosulute schedule is thus:
June
(NOT July as it says in the blog below)
We will be working at ARC in Stockton in June on the following dates:
Monday 22 June
Tuesday 23 June
Wednesday 24 June
All of the dates will be similar to last year (a 10am - 5pm run each day). I would like to suggest that we have a showing of work in progress to a small audience (i.e ARC team and a couple of others I'd like to suggest) to kep momentum, not go home feeling a bit bereft and, crucially, get some feedback.
September
We will be working at ARC again on:
Tuesday 29 Sept - full tech run
Wednesday 30 Sept - It's showcase time!! This is when venues and promoters will come to see the show, and we utilise the day to develop a tour plan from this, taking on board concerns from punters from the outset about how we go about marketing and audience development, for which I have some cunning suitably funeric ideas up my shroud sleeve! I will taking the lead on this day and will keep you updated on plans when they are developing.
It is really important all cast members can come to ALL of these dates. I'm really pleased to say that we will be having, as Ross has already mentioned, a brass section with us again (albeit a lot smaller) and Panda will be joining us again for 2 of the days in June is Assistant Director capacity.
As already said, please get your ideas up on this blog!!!!!
In memoriam
Claire
xxxxxxxxxxxx
The Dead do not rest - they stalk the Earth once more.
And the abosulute schedule is thus:
June
(NOT July as it says in the blog below)
We will be working at ARC in Stockton in June on the following dates:
Monday 22 June
Tuesday 23 June
Wednesday 24 June
All of the dates will be similar to last year (a 10am - 5pm run each day). I would like to suggest that we have a showing of work in progress to a small audience (i.e ARC team and a couple of others I'd like to suggest) to kep momentum, not go home feeling a bit bereft and, crucially, get some feedback.
September
We will be working at ARC again on:
Tuesday 29 Sept - full tech run
Wednesday 30 Sept - It's showcase time!! This is when venues and promoters will come to see the show, and we utilise the day to develop a tour plan from this, taking on board concerns from punters from the outset about how we go about marketing and audience development, for which I have some cunning suitably funeric ideas up my shroud sleeve! I will taking the lead on this day and will keep you updated on plans when they are developing.
It is really important all cast members can come to ALL of these dates. I'm really pleased to say that we will be having, as Ross has already mentioned, a brass section with us again (albeit a lot smaller) and Panda will be joining us again for 2 of the days in June is Assistant Director capacity.
As already said, please get your ideas up on this blog!!!!!
In memoriam
Claire
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Friday, 22 May 2009
GET UP so i can kill you again
Hello again, members of The Dead That Never Lived blogosphere.
As you may know (you’re checking old blogs, so I will assume you do know). The Dead That Never Lived has received a small pot of funding. This money is so we can give the show an overhaul, then do a showcase event in September. Success at this showcase would then lead to a national tour in 2010.
We have three days of rehearsal coming up in June, at the end of which we have to have an all new “Tour Model” TDNL, ready to hit the road.
1. CAST
The first problem is whittling down the cast. We have to produce a tight cast unit that can effectively tour. Our original cast of 13 just wouldn’t be able to work on the road.
Because one of the primary goals of our application is the development of poetry in the North East, I think that some of the work developed by non North-East writers will have to be absorbed by the North East cast.
That would leave the cast as:
Viv
Steve
Simon
Robbie
Claire
Me
Mike Edwards
and
The Fisher Man
You can see I’ve also removed our actors from the cast (Anglea/Amanda/Shirley) as I think that we need to concentrate on developing the acting skills of the poets. Angela, Amanda and Shirley all helped us a great deal with our stagecraft, but I think we need to take the skills they taught us and apply them ourselves.
Both Moxy and Tim produced fantastic work and were extremely inspiring writers and performers. It’s gutting to lose them, and I really want to keep their work in the show.
My initial thoughts would be to ask Steve to try out for “The Impossible Deathbed Lament of Scrooge McDuck”
and Claire or Viv for “Dog-Eared Death”. Claire, I don’t know if you’d rather take a more Producer-type role for this production, whatever you feel most comfortable with.
2. MATERIAL
We also need some new material for the show. So far, the show has:
1. "George Aligayah" by Jon Osbourne (performed by James Fisher)
2. "Sermon Intro" by Ross Sutherland (performed by Ross Sutherland)
3. "The Impossible Deathbed Lament Of Scrooge McDuck" by Tim Clare (performed by ?????????)
4. "Snow White finally succumbs" by Moxy (video)
5. "Andy Lippincott" by Jeff price (performed by Viv Wiggins)
6. "Rutger Haur" by Ross Sutherland (performed by Simon Hymes)
7. "Lon Cheney" by Claire Morgan (video)
8. "Grim Reaper" by Mike Edwards (performed by Mike Edwards)
9. "Autopsy" by Ross Sutherland (performed by Robbie Hurst, Viv Wiggins, Steve Urwin & Claire Morgan)
10. "Dog-eared death" by Moxy (performed by ????????)
11. "Death Never Fucking Stops" by Ross Sutherland & Mike Edwards (performed by entire cast)
12. "Sermon close" by Ross Sutherland (performed by Ross Sutherland)
(Simon and Robbie’s "Election" video, I’d like to use as a viral video to promote the show, but not include in the show itself.)
I reckon that the content comes to about 45 minutes. Another 15 minutes should be easy enough to fill. Before we meet in July, I’d like to encourage you guys to submit works here on the blog that you think might be suitable.
Ideally, we’re looking for work that directly engages with the theme:
A SERIES OF EULOGIES FOR DEAD FICTIONAL CHARACTERS.
rather than poems that just deal with Death in the abstract. Scrooge McDuck is the model, really.
However, submit everything. Better to have too much to choose from than not enough.
Similarly, if you hear a poem read at an open mic night that seems on-theme, befriend the poet and ask them for a copy.
One last thing here: consider writing a piece that could include the brass band. It would be great to keep a band in the show, but we need to find a way of incorporating what they do into the core of the performance.
Hopefully, by the time we get to rehearsal, we’ll have those new poems in place.
3. THE IS NO THREE
That’s it! I’m really looking forward to working with you guys again. You can send me a private email at rossgsutherland@yahoo.com, or call me on 07719446025. I don’t have my diary here in front of me, I’ll ask Claire to put up a post with the exact schedule.
Keep checking back here for more info…please submit poems, and please comment on each others poems, and for god sake, don’t die.
Disjecta Membra,
Ross Sutherland
As you may know (you’re checking old blogs, so I will assume you do know). The Dead That Never Lived has received a small pot of funding. This money is so we can give the show an overhaul, then do a showcase event in September. Success at this showcase would then lead to a national tour in 2010.
We have three days of rehearsal coming up in June, at the end of which we have to have an all new “Tour Model” TDNL, ready to hit the road.
1. CAST
The first problem is whittling down the cast. We have to produce a tight cast unit that can effectively tour. Our original cast of 13 just wouldn’t be able to work on the road.
Because one of the primary goals of our application is the development of poetry in the North East, I think that some of the work developed by non North-East writers will have to be absorbed by the North East cast.
That would leave the cast as:
Viv
Steve
Simon
Robbie
Claire
Me
Mike Edwards
and
The Fisher Man
You can see I’ve also removed our actors from the cast (Anglea/Amanda/Shirley) as I think that we need to concentrate on developing the acting skills of the poets. Angela, Amanda and Shirley all helped us a great deal with our stagecraft, but I think we need to take the skills they taught us and apply them ourselves.
Both Moxy and Tim produced fantastic work and were extremely inspiring writers and performers. It’s gutting to lose them, and I really want to keep their work in the show.
My initial thoughts would be to ask Steve to try out for “The Impossible Deathbed Lament of Scrooge McDuck”
and Claire or Viv for “Dog-Eared Death”. Claire, I don’t know if you’d rather take a more Producer-type role for this production, whatever you feel most comfortable with.
2. MATERIAL
We also need some new material for the show. So far, the show has:
1. "George Aligayah" by Jon Osbourne (performed by James Fisher)
2. "Sermon Intro" by Ross Sutherland (performed by Ross Sutherland)
3. "The Impossible Deathbed Lament Of Scrooge McDuck" by Tim Clare (performed by ?????????)
4. "Snow White finally succumbs" by Moxy (video)
5. "Andy Lippincott" by Jeff price (performed by Viv Wiggins)
6. "Rutger Haur" by Ross Sutherland (performed by Simon Hymes)
7. "Lon Cheney" by Claire Morgan (video)
8. "Grim Reaper" by Mike Edwards (performed by Mike Edwards)
9. "Autopsy" by Ross Sutherland (performed by Robbie Hurst, Viv Wiggins, Steve Urwin & Claire Morgan)
10. "Dog-eared death" by Moxy (performed by ????????)
11. "Death Never Fucking Stops" by Ross Sutherland & Mike Edwards (performed by entire cast)
12. "Sermon close" by Ross Sutherland (performed by Ross Sutherland)
(Simon and Robbie’s "Election" video, I’d like to use as a viral video to promote the show, but not include in the show itself.)
I reckon that the content comes to about 45 minutes. Another 15 minutes should be easy enough to fill. Before we meet in July, I’d like to encourage you guys to submit works here on the blog that you think might be suitable.
Ideally, we’re looking for work that directly engages with the theme:
A SERIES OF EULOGIES FOR DEAD FICTIONAL CHARACTERS.
rather than poems that just deal with Death in the abstract. Scrooge McDuck is the model, really.
However, submit everything. Better to have too much to choose from than not enough.
Similarly, if you hear a poem read at an open mic night that seems on-theme, befriend the poet and ask them for a copy.
One last thing here: consider writing a piece that could include the brass band. It would be great to keep a band in the show, but we need to find a way of incorporating what they do into the core of the performance.
Hopefully, by the time we get to rehearsal, we’ll have those new poems in place.
3. THE IS NO THREE
That’s it! I’m really looking forward to working with you guys again. You can send me a private email at rossgsutherland@yahoo.com, or call me on 07719446025. I don’t have my diary here in front of me, I’ll ask Claire to put up a post with the exact schedule.
Keep checking back here for more info…please submit poems, and please comment on each others poems, and for god sake, don’t die.
Disjecta Membra,
Ross Sutherland
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)