Sue Boyle:
Sue Boyle
A couple of years ago, the poet Sue Boyle heard me play one of my songs at a meeting of Ware Poets, where she was the guest reader. I was immensely honoured when she asked if I would set her beautiful and intriguing poem, ‘A Leisure Centre Is Also A Temple Of Learning’, to music. At the time I was a very novice singer/songwriter/musician indeed, and the challenge seemed overwhelming. The poem is in free verse, and while it contains internal rhymes and rhythms, it doesn’t conform to any conventional song structure. It was a bit like attempting an abstract painting; freedom from rules meant that it would be all too easy to end up with a meaningless mess!
I made a few attempts that didn’t come to anything, and the task lurked at the back of my mind for ages – I really wanted to do it, but didn’t feel capable. Then a couple of months ago I bumped into Sue again, at a poetry reading in Cambridge. She was so lovely and encouraging that it inspired me to try again – and a little further down the line I had a few more ideas on how to approach it.
This is a recording made with me on acoustic guitar, and Dan Ketteridge on electric guitar:
I made a few attempts that didn’t come to anything, and the task lurked at the back of my mind for ages – I really wanted to do it, but didn’t feel capable. Then a couple of months ago I bumped into Sue again, at a poetry reading in Cambridge. She was so lovely and encouraging that it inspired me to try again – and a little further down the line I had a few more ideas on how to approach it.
This is a recording made with me on acoustic guitar, and Dan Ketteridge on electric guitar: