Poetry 1

The Skies of Autumn

The skies of Autumn
Are on fire with dusk,
Fiery red like a poppy
Stretched out across the sky.
It scatters its seeds
Of colour and light
Onto infertile bricks
And infertile minds.

Rufus Wainwright in concert

I have seen Rufus Wainwright in concert before and he was great, so I was really looking forward to seeing him live again. The concert was spilt into two parts. At the start a guy came on stage and told the audience that the first part of the show was something like a song cycle and asked us not applaude Rufus during the perfomance or until he had made his exit. A big screen was lowered down and the lights dimmed. Rufus appeared at a door dressed in a long black robe with feathers stitched to his shoulders and walked very very slowly towards the piano. He didn't say anything but just started to play. His songs were very unusual, dark, intense, sad and emotionally spent. It was certainly not easy listening. The screen behind him projected images of his eye opening and shutting in slow motion. It was all very arty and like something you would expect to find at the Edinburgh festival. I have no idea what it all meant, maybe something to do with the eye being the window to the soul. It was not all my cup of tea but kudos to Wainwright for trying something innovative and different. It would be easy just to rest on your laurels and go through the motions. For the second half Rufus came out on stage dressed normally and waving to the crowd, who received him very warmly. He was his usual self: charming, funny, quirky, camp. He played a selection of his more popular songs, including The Art Teacher, my own personal favourite. He totally messed up Poses but managed to make light of it and charm his way out of a sticky situation. He really is very very talented, being able to sing while playing complex accompaniment on the piano. He has a great voice, very powerful and distinct, and is also a very accomplished pianist. The best song of the night was the last one, written by his mother, the late singer Kate McGarrigle. It was called something like 'Walking Blues' or 'Walking along' but it had a lovely melody and was beautifully interpretated by Wainwright, who dedicated the song to her. I certainly enjoyed the second half more than the first but as a whole it was not as good or entertaining as the first concert. Hopefully next time he will skip the experimental stuff and play it straight, if you excuse the pun.

George & Arthur by Julian Barnes

I initially judged this book by it's cover (being an artist I liked the design), but fortunately this flawed buying procedure turned out to be successful, as I immensely enjoyed this accomplished piece of work. It is extremely well written, with an excellent description and development of two very different but equally intriguing characters. Based on true events, it seems to have been very well researched and a bygone era is brought vividly and convincingly to life. There are many themes explored throughout the novel, guilt and innocence, the mystery of life and death, but these are skillfully woven into a plot that at times reads like a thriller. In this sense it's quite an usual book, but personally made it all the more interesting. All in all, this is an absorbing, very readable and often touching book by an obviously very talented writer. 9/10