My new one-man show, appearing at SHUNT, London Bridge, on the 3rd, 4th & 5th of June. Support from Tim Clare. Starts 7:45, ends 9:15. Tickets are £5 on Wednesday and Thursday, £10 on Friday. Ticket includes access to all the other events at Shunt that evening. If you've not seen the inside of Shunt, this is a good opportunity to do so, before it relocates in July. Oh, and bring your passport- it's a security thing (it's in the tunnels under London Bridge).
CK Ogden, Kenneth Koch, Bruce Boston, Edwin Morgan, Charles Bernstein, Frank OHara, Roald Dahl, Phillip K Dick, Donald Barthelme, Nathan Jones, Luke Kennard, Tom Lehrer, Stewart Lee, David Berman, Joe Sheerin, Roddy Lumsden, Lorraine Schein, WH Auden, Johnny Clarke, Bryan Gysin, Dorothy Malloy, Ian Davitz, Jeff Lint, Masta Ace, the dictionary, etc, etc.
Things To Do Before You Leave Town, published by Penned in the Margins, January 09. Amazon is currently sold out, but you can but it direct from the publishers
here.
This is a new commission for The Institute of the Future of the Book. It's for a schools project, where a bunch of kids are given a selection of texts supposedly discovered in the year 3000. Some of these books are from the last thousand years, some are from the 'next' thousand. In the future, no one knows what to make of these books. No timeline has been kept. All records have been destroyed (probably by their Mutant Ant overlords). An archivist from 3000 comes back through a timehole, and asks the kids to help him make sense of all the books. They need to select and annotate each finding, curating a "Museum of the Book".
So anyway, this is my poem from the year 3000. This fantastic animation is made by Line and a Dot. Listen to her music here.
This animation has been in a box under my bed for about five years. It was used in my critically acclaimed theatre production Poetry Boyband ("Pure Gold" -Gay Times). I thought I'd dust it off, add a v/o and throw it up here. The 3D modeling is by Richard 'Avo' Atherton, who's made music videos for The Coral and the like. The music is BBC Radiophonic Workshop, circa Patrick Troughton.
An animation of the title poem from my book. This video is made by the amazing Line and a Dot.
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For the last six-odd years I've been lucky enough to do a special Christmas gig with John Cooper Clarke, Luke Wright and Martin Newell at Colchester Art Centre. This is from the last one. I'm reading my Exercises In Style rip-off, Trips To Spar. Apologies for the rap at the end.
When I lived in Liverpool I was introduced to a style of poetry known as Broochism (invented by songwriter Tom Brookes?). I can't remember the Broochist manifesto anymore, but it has something to do with being over 75% adjective and having to sound like it was written by an old lady who wears massive brooches.
Thanks to Nafe Jones, JLD and Smeech for capturing my horse. This was commissioned as part of the Bluecoat's Chapter and Verse festival in Liverpool.
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Opening 10 minutes from my live show, Infinite Lives: How Video Games Hacked Literature. Also on the show: Tim Clare, Joe Dunthorne, and occasionally Chris Hicks, if he's in the neighbourhood. This show is currently on hiatus- we're looking for a theatre to help us develop it. Recorded at Bethnal Green Workingmen's Club.
This film was recorded for a special poetry event at the FACT Centre in Liverpool. The poetry reading takes place in The Poetry Cafe in Covent Garden.
I took famous poems and bounced them, line-by-line, through a series of automated Internet translation programs (mostly Babelfish). Once I'd translated, I deleted any words I didn't like, then put it back into the translator again. After approx 1,000 translations, the poems had become a completely new text, divorced from its original author and lawsuits regarding Intellectual Property.
I began collaborating with my computer on poetry about 12 years ago. However, I have learnt a series of chilling facts about my co-author that have led me to fear and eventually despise it. A bit like what happened to Simon and Garfunkle. That is, if Art Garfunkle turned out to be a semiotic timebomb buried deep in the heart of our global communication network. Which in many ways he was.
I'm giving a lecture on my CGP project at Imperial College London on the 4th December 2008.
More computer-generated poems can be read on my blog over there ==>
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The Dead That Never Lived: an evening of eulogies for famous fictional characters. I've just finished directing this production up in Newcastle. This is the last 10 minutes.
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Aisle16's Services to Poetry: recorded on tour and edited from the back seat of Luke's Wright's red Ford Escort. This is the full film.
Me performing my old slam poem, The Love Conspiracy.
I have the honor and confidence to introduce you to this business in view of the fact that you are trustworthy and reliable.
I am Mr. Ross Sutherland
I work as a poet and journalist in the country of GREAT BRITAIN.
I have come into a large depository of words that I cannot get at. The original owner of this depository has died without leaving a beneficially to the account. My investigation proved to me that nobody knows about this depository since the words are not operational.
I need your help.
I estimate the value of the depository to be US$19,780,000 USD. It is my wish and intention to take this depository abroad for investment.
I will need you to set up a transfer. Please send new details to me. Or you might send details of an existing space with no words in it for me to use. I will bring my position and influence to facilitate transfer immediately by legal means.
There is no risk to this business. What I request is absolute secrecy and confidentiality. And that you will never never disappoint me when the words are transfered to you.
When the transfer is done I will bring all documents used in this process to destroy them in your presence when I come over for my share.
Sharing shall be 20% for you, 75% for me and the remaining 5% to offset any expenses done by each party. In poetry every word counts. I'm sure you can appreciate this.
I've been in a far away land for a quarter of a year now and the only time I ever really speak English is when I say bigmac or coca cola, so please excuse my redneck vernacular.
Yes, I appreciate English a lot more now that I don..t have it. I listen to open-mike nights or poets on you tube or myspace and write things like "Donna is a grass" on walls when I can. I..m quite certain that I need to maintain healthy levels of the English so I thank you and your kind for your words!
Managed to catch both your solo performance and 'Lost In Translation' at Port Eliot last weekend. Both had me in stitches...truly funny and inspirational stuff. I did try and get a copy of your book after but they went so quickly that I missed out. I will be ordering one over t'internet imminently.
Hello Ross! I discovered you thanks to a reading of your poem "Things to do before you leave town" by Damian Lewis. It is a great piece of writing, love it, specially because I'm leaving town in a few days actually. Also loved your text about words and bank transfers, wonderful!
Hi Ross, thanks for stoppin' by my page, that was a great gig at the old queen's...a fun nite. Hope to see you another time. Dolores. ps Hope you dig my voice
how was monday - sorry I missed it - had a deadline the next day... will be leaving town tomorrow so if you are free for a quick one at any one point today - shout - i'd love to see you xxx
hah. that sounds like a good game! you should find the video in your inbox. at least, thats the first draft. please note that the quality on the upload isnt very good, it looks better in real life, i'll burn you a dvd. i am going to sleep now for 3 days. hurray!! X
Hey thanks for the add. I really like your poems. I started performing about a year ago now. Only done it half a dozen times, just at local open mics etc but I really enjoy it and it would be good if you could give my poems a listen when you have the time.
seriously busy - got an essay to write to not sure i'll be done by tomorrow night - would hate to miss it though... might come on wednesday OR(!) just gimme a shout as i'm on reading week as of hand-in on tuesday. basically call when sat in a pub and i'll come meet you! will be good to see you!xxx
i likelike the significance of 4am esp the line "into the small of the lounge" and the poor sleeping weatherman, he's good. i saw 4am everyday this week and i think you got it spot on. by the way, what did you make this strangeloop on? merci beacoup. x