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Andy Hickie
Roger Hughes
History
Born: Surrey in 1969
1987-1994: active as London based DJ
1994: Started writing for performance after experiencing the New York slam poetry scene. First published poem, published as part of 'Word Express' by Kensington and Chelsea Library Service. Winner Farrago Slam, London.
1997: MA in Literature and Cultural History in Liverpool
2001: Moved to Snowdonia
2002: Contributes vocals to 'waves' released on 7' single by Witches Castle Recordings, London.
2004: Third in 'John Tripp Award’ for Spoken poetry
2005: Commissioned by W.I.D. to develop poetry and dance performance piece 'Don't Step on the Cracks'
2007: Runner-up in ‘John Tripp Award’ for Spoken poetry
2008: Second in Glastonbury Festival Grand Slam
2008: Publishes first collection of poetry ‘Skintight the Sidewalk’
1987-1994: active as London based DJ
1994: Started writing for performance after experiencing the New York slam poetry scene. First published poem, published as part of 'Word Express' by Kensington and Chelsea Library Service. Winner Farrago Slam, London.
1997: MA in Literature and Cultural History in Liverpool
2001: Moved to Snowdonia
2002: Contributes vocals to 'waves' released on 7' single by Witches Castle Recordings, London.
2004: Third in 'John Tripp Award’ for Spoken poetry
2005: Commissioned by W.I.D. to develop poetry and dance performance piece 'Don't Step on the Cracks'
2007: Runner-up in ‘John Tripp Award’ for Spoken poetry
2008: Second in Glastonbury Festival Grand Slam
2008: Publishes first collection of poetry ‘Skintight the Sidewalk’
‘Skintight the Sidewalk’ is available to order by contacting Martin Daws through his myspace page or via email. Live dates:
30 Jan: POETica, Bangor
16 Feb: O’Bheal, Cork
24 Feb: RA, Dublin
25 Feb: Whitehouse Poets, Limerick
9 Mar: Tate Britain, London
26 Mar: theAbsurd, Mold
16 Feb: O’Bheal, Cork
24 Feb: RA, Dublin
25 Feb: Whitehouse Poets, Limerick
9 Mar: Tate Britain, London
26 Mar: theAbsurd, Mold
Links:
Other profiles:
Martin Daws
On himself:
I’m a journeyman – it’s fascinating to see how I’ve evolved over the years; how my experiences have influenced me. I’m a pretty singular person and I’m happy to walk my own path in life, hopefully with a growing degree of integrity. At the moment I’ve got a great clarity of mind and purpose and I’m applying myself to positive action. This is the antidote to my tendency to be lazy. I see myself as a work in progress, while I think other people probably see me as a write off!
On life:
Life is a blessing. I’m grateful for the chance to learn from my mistakes and attempt to help other people get through theirs. I’m a lucky man to have received so much love in my life.
On work:
I love being creative; for me it’s a natural state. At school I took pride in my ability to read and write. The praise I used to receive from my teachers helped me build self-esteem and, to be honest, I’m still working the same formula – I write stuff and seek recognition for it. If I can inspire someone to think something new or try their hand at poetry then that’s a bonus, if by doing spoken word I can create some unity or sympathy among people then I’ve done a good job.
At the moment:
I've been listening to jazz pianist Bill Evans. I was given a biography of him for Christmas and I need to hear the music the biographer is talking about. Bill Evans was a great musician. He brought a classical music sensibility and touch to the jazz, most famously on the 'Kind of Blue' album he did with Miles Davis. That album was inspired by his style and his playing on it is truly beautiful. Another jazz book I got for Christmas is 'Jazz in the Bittersweet Blues of Life' by Wynton Marsalis and Carl Vigerland. It’s an interesting documentary book of the life on the road of a touring jazz musician.
On defining influences:
I'd say it was the spoken word scene in London in the mid-nineties. This is what inspired me to start writing for performance. The scene at the time was energised by the arrival of several young poets from overseas - the Caribbean, North America - and the maturing of a young generation of British poets whose influences were largely musical. This was the time that hip-hop poetry was born and began to take lyricism away from the beat and into the freer forms of spoken word. I look back at that time and I feel lucky to have seen some truly banging poetry performances in underground jams that could sometimes pull 400 very hip people.
On the future:
I'm reading ‘Jazz in the bittersweet blues of life’ as research for a story I'm writing about a jazz musician who is experimented on by a genetic scientist to try and isolate a genius gene! It's a crazy story. I’m keen to develop a form of live literature that I call ‘melted prose’. It’s a hybrid of spoken word, poetry and prose and it goes with music.
I’m also working on an audio-visual project with a filmmaker to be screened at the Tate Britain in March. It’s a new format for me and that’s exciting.
I’m working my way up the rungs of the spoken ladder. 2008 broke a few new levels for me with the release of my book/CD and a run at the Edinburgh Fringe. Hopefully 2009 will bring some more gigs and I’d like to get more media exposure as a way to reach new audiences.
