att Abbott’s a performance poet from up North, and was previously the lyricist and front man in the band Skint &
Demoralised, beloved by Steve Lamacq. His kitchen sink realism style of poetry has been influenced by John Cooper Clarke and Norwich’s own Luke Wright and is winning him fans all over the country. Apart from doing loads of shows, he also runs workshops for the homeless and in youth offenders institutes. He’s politically charged, he’s honest, funny and a big talent. And he’s at Norwich Arts Centre this month. I spoke to him about what the kids think of poetry these days and who the best lyricists are.
How long have you been writing poetry for and what does it offer you as an art form? I started writing poetry in October 2006, a few months before my 18th birthday. At the time, it was the height of the indie music scene and my mates were on stage brandishing a fuzzy guitar and skinny jeans too. I won't lie; I wanted a bit of the action! But I'm no singer, and I'm no musician, and whilst I did form a couple of bands which (fortunately) never surfaced, it was when I tried my hand at "punk poetry" that something really clicked. I could quite feasibly write a poem, and within minutes stick a recording on MySpace, or perform it at a gig that night. No guitar, no band; just words. Which meant that I could do it to a good standard without months of practice or hundreds of quid on an instrument, pedals, amps, etc., and that the audience needed no musical persuasion to connect with what I was doing. In many ways that's still what it offers me as an art form; minimal barriers. You first got up onstage as a poet when you were 17. What was that first time like for you? To be honest I was quite lucky because I wasn't expecting it, and when I realised it was going to happen, I only had a few minutes to prepare. So I didn't really have time to fret or stew or get nervous. Also, I didn't realise how difficult it was standing
14 / August 2015/
outlineonline.co.uk
“Poetry and spoken word is in many ways the same as song lyrics, including rap”
there on the mic! I performed three poems, and it went really well. Afterwards, I went straight to the (unlicensed) bar, and somebody came up and congratulated me. Te adrenaline was like nothing I'd ever felt before, and since that moment, I've never really looked back. I was hooked. If you had the opportunity to provide lyrics for any musician(s) who would it be and why? Interesting question! If I had the choice of collaborating with any musical artist I'd choose the Pet Shop Boys. I love Neil Tennant as a songwriter and I love a lot of his lyrics, and I think it'd be a really interesting combination. Which poets, old and new, do you
particularly relate to, or enjoy? To be blatantly honest, I'm not from a "poetry background" and I'll be the first to admit that in terms of actual poetry, I'm not massively well read. Having said that, in terms of me starting as a performance poet (in the style of a punk poet to begin with), it has to be John Cooper Clarke. I'm also massively into Charles Bukowski, I love Oscar Wilde, James Joyce and D.H. Lawrence and I'm getting into T.S. Eliot too. In terms of contemporary poets, I really love Luke Wright's stuff. Mike Garry is always worth seeing live. I'm a big fan of Louise Fazackerley. Helen Mort is destined to be the next laureate. Elvis McGonagall and Attila the Stockbroker are huge inspirations to me. You’re from Wakefield. To what extent has your environment affected what you have to say in your poetry? To a massive extent. Te golden rule is only write about what you know. So whilst they're not all explicitly about Wakefield as a place, I view the world through eyes that grew up in Wakefield, and my initial understanding of culture is the culture that I experienced in Wakefield. It's a part of who I am. By no means should this be a limitation, and for decent periods I've lived in London and Sheffield and I've done a lot of travelling around the UK on tour and for work, but I'll always be a Wakey lad. You’ve run quite a few workshops with young people. How do find their reaction to the idea of performance poetry? Is poetry more hip now than perhaps 30 years ago do you think? Well, there's a reason that a lot of places use "spoken word" as opposed to "poetry" when they're describing these kind of workshops! Te thing that I always tell people is that poetry and spoken word is in many ways the same as song lyrics, including rap, in that you're using words to first of all create music and also to paint pictures. I tell stories, offer opinion, relay emotions and sometimes have a laugh. As well as working with schools, I do workshops with homeless charities and young offenders institutes. Tey often sneer and say "poetry's shit", and then half an hour later they sheepishly say, "do you want to read one of mine...", to which I grin, obviously! You’re doing a show at the Edinburgh Fringe this year for the first time, and you’re previewing it at Norwich Arts Centre. What can we expect when we come see you? Well, one of the best compliments that I tend to receive us, "do you know, I never usually like poetry, but I liked that" or, "I didn't expect to like it, but I did." I suppose I'm reaching out to "normal people" who aren't "into" poetry and shouting "DON'T WORRY, I'M ONE OF YOU!" but whilst doing poetry. See you in Te Ten Bells afterwards!
Lizz Page INFORMATION
Matt Abbott will be at Norwich Arts Centre on 12th August. Pay what you can.
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