h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This is much more what I'm into posting about now.

It'll bits from poems, links to music, film and fine art stuff.

Start with the 2 Henry Reed poems. First verses from his 2 poems, Lessons of the War, dedicated to Alan Mitchell which I like to think was his lover.

1. Naming of Parts

To-day we have naming of parts. Yesterday,
We had daily cleaning. And to-morrow morning,
We shall have what to do after firing. But to-day,
To-day we have naming of parts. Japonica
Glistens like coral in all of the neighbouring gardens,
And to-day we have naming of parts.

Full poem

http://wonderingminstrels.blogspot.com/2000/04/naming-of-parts-henry-reed.html


I'll do 2. 'Judging Distances' in the next post..but I'm too tired right now.

Before I do 'Judging of distances' I'm doing Yeats', 'An Irish Airman forsees his Death' in case I forget.

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19414

okay, part 2. of 'Lessons of the War',

' Judging Distances'.

First verse. (Henry Reed).


Not only how far away, but the way that you say it
Is very important. Perhaps you may never get
The knack of judging a distance, but at least you know
How to report on a landscape: the central sector,
The right of the arc and that, which we had last Tuesday,
And at least you know


Full poem.

http://www.solearabiantree.net/namingofparts/judgingdistances.html

Actually that's a great site for information about him.

From that site, part of his obituary in the Times, (he died in 1986)

'...Though he could be the most entertaining of men, he had a depressive temperament and was both hypercritical and vain about his work, so that he would worry even over commas to the extent of not publishing at all. He was, consequently, the despair of literary editors, for though he talked entrancingly about the books sent to him, he seldom managed, in later life to commit anything to paper. His only criticism to appear in book form is the useful British Council pamphlet The Novel Since 1939 (1947).

He was unmarried.'


I think the last sentence may indicate code for him being gay. I guessed he was and am pleased if true. So Alan Mitchell who it is dedicated to may well have been his lover.

Time for a song I think..one of my favourites..Don McLean's American pie.

This the full version with the lyrics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAsV5-Hv-7U

Here is my favourite bit from the original 'play for today' version of Brimstone and Treacle 1976..banned for many years because of its ending to do with their disabled daughter..(not on this clip)

A young Michael Kitchen playing the 'devil'. And brilliant stuff from Denholm Elliot and Patricia Lawrence.

Could never bring myself to watch the prettified Sting version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMjP-okFe8o

And hopefully anyone watching this..(if there's anyone out there ) will understand what's being really demonstrated by this clip. they don't make them like this anymore.

Original titles and music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXiVmvWTBRQ

'Play for today' was such a big part of my education as a child

About time a woman put in an appearance here and some proper art

Excellent interview with Tracy Emin on Newsnight..showing quite a bit of her work and her explaining about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi2z-zpA6gg&feature=related

Oberon speaking from scene I of a Midsummer's Night Dream by William Shakespeare.

(set in a wood near Athens.)

'...I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:...'

Had a brilliant idea for a piece of art.

Set up the video camera on the tripod and film the aeroplanes coming in..and then edit it so it looks like they are all coming in together in a row..

But I can't do it..because I'm so dishevelled in my mind and can't concentrate on anything.

But just writing it is good.

god in heaven help me...it's so annoying to have such ideas and not be able to do them.

I'm going to try like hell to get this thing made. I don't care how much vodka it will take.

I can do a day one and a night one.

But really I just don't know..I haven't even done any of the bank and money stuff.

But I'm so pleased I posted the Tracy Emin. She is one of my favourite artists.

From Oscar Wilde's 'Ballad of Reading gaol', written whilst in prison for homosexuality..though it was called 'gross indecency'.

'I never saw a man who looked
With such a wistful eye
Upon that little tent of blue
Which prisoners call the sky,
And at every drifting cloud that went
With sails of silver by..

and,

'Yet each man kills the thing he loves
By each let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!'


**

Full poem.

http://www.poetry-online.org/wilde_the_ballad_of_reading_goal.htm

Written after release actually I discovered...for factual accuracy.

One of my favourite English painters is Paul Nash. Have posted about him somewhere else recently.

Official war artist for both world wars. Some brilliant stuff of his I've seen in the Imperial War Museum, not far from me. But I think my favourite..which is a bit silly..but partly because of the name and the tennis ball in it, is 'Event on the Downs'. Its to do with the South Downs..but because I was born just near the North Downs..it means a lot.

Both chalk hills with a particular flora and fauna..also Neolithic stones.

http://www.rennart.co.uk/nash.html

Event on the Downs

http://dulwichgalleryfriends.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/11-web-paul-nash-event-on-the-downs-1934-oil-on-canvas-51-x-61cm-the-government-art-collection-uk-c-tate-london-20091.jpg


(Crikey this thread is fun and good for the soul.)

Shutting this down now.

I'm starting this up again so much happier.

Can't think what to put in it at present. Think about that tomorrow.

Okay time for a bit of J. S. Bach. This YouTube is brilliant because along with music..first part of St. John's Passion you get the manuscript written in his hand. And its truly beautiful how he wrote the visual score in the notes. And of course the actual music is amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIcinMxNYBc&feature=related

Also Prelude and first fugue from Well Tempered Clavier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqMgCYUJBuo

Totally totally brilliant.

I'm still getting over it. What on earth can you post after that? I'll have to think of something very*apparently* trivial.

(And I think this maybe the first day in a while when I don't suddenly go downhill...the tablets must be working at last ).

Right I'm posting this link to Mark Wallinger another favourite artist of mine that is incredibly eclectic. I had thought to write a lot of blurb here about why I like his work so much but I'll leave it. He lives just down the road from me in Camberwell..I don't know if he still lives there though.

I'd like to have a link here next to a very good artist friend of mine..but that can wait to a later post.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/mark-wallinger-mane-attraction-1609205.html

(kea I don't have direct contact with you..but I really hope you sometimes look at this thread..and I got very cross about what was done on your ps..but its *your* ps and I was hardly very respectful on it. But if you ever come here, I hope you find it interesting because I have a very high regard for your intellect and intelligence. And I'm still happy)