Planning and poetry

I’m really excited about the next APG evening. Paul Feldwick is giving a presentation on ‘Planning and Poetry’. I quite like a bit of poetry, but I’m more of a fan of what people describe as urban poetry rather than the Oscar Wilde variety. John Cooper Clarke being one of my favourites. I think urban isn’t really the right description for it. It draws too much of a likeness with commercial Hip Hop and Rap genres. It doesn’t really explain its depth, realness and accessibility. It’s about real life observations, some so obviously simple and down to earth that it is often receives criticism as being an unitelligent genre.

This genre has evolved into a marketable entity in the form of artisits such as The Streets, Lily Allen, Just Jack and more recently NME award winner Jamie T. They all get bad press as the ASBO generation if you like. People can’t seem to look past the image and the unpolished, almost amateurish sound. But that is the point, it is a completely different sound and that must be good – not everyone has to like it. Give it a chance and listen to the words. A lot of it is very intelligent and makes some, gritty and often humerous interpretations of everday situations and emotions. Take this poem for example.