Kevin Pocock

There’s a YouTube Pick of The Week straight after this commentary, so you can either skip straight there or read the following, which is related to the song I’ve chosen this week…but probably not inthe way that you’re assuming. Anyway, onward!

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Hello everyone. I found out something very interesting over the weekend: If you publish posts, traffic increases. Marvellous. Now that I realise exactly what this space is for, let’s keep doing…that thing that it’s for. Incidentally, the other thing I found out over the weekend is that a coalition UK government is quite clearly doomed.

This is based on a highly scientific experiment which involved consuming a coalition glass of red wine – majority shiraz, minority pinot noir. Then the beers wanted to have their say…and then gin called for shot-glass proportioned representation and…the result? Complete alcoholic fallout. It could be some weeks, or even months until any of those parties will be elected again.

Anyway, onto writing matters. The fine people at Den of Geek have allowed me to have a look at the new footballing film: One Night in Turin, a revisiting of the events surrounding England’s tumultuous journey through the 1990 world cup. You can wince at my footballing pun in the intro, and read the rest of the words after it here.

If you do, thanks. If not, well thanks for getting this far. If you didn’t even get this far, then you smell. And if you just read that as you smell, well don’t worry about it because in reading it, know that it means you don’t smell. Blimey, now I know how hard those Choose Your Own Adventure writers had it.

One person who clearly did choose his own adventure, is a gent called Tom Perkins, of  film vid-blog FILMXTRA. This morning he found himself drenched in a plagiarism downpour of which The Following Preview blog has all the details. Do read that post, it’s very,  very interesting.

Essentially Tom took film reviews from several sites and writers and read them allowed to camera in a presenter style, truly fit for the 21st century YouTube generation. What he didn’t do was ask anyone if he could present their views, and went about claiming the reviews as his own. Oh sorry, I’ve made a typo. He read the reviews ‘aloud’, it wasn’t ‘allowed’.

Den of Geek was one of the sites affected, but there were others who are also a tad disgruntled at his brazen attempt to make a name for himself, and his blog, off the back of others’ works. Bizarre, it really is. Tom has since ‘apologised’…in a way, but the matter will probably end his film review ‘career’. Similarly I feel a little sorry for him in a way. But not in much of one. ‘Til next time.

Kev.

Carol Ann Duffy, who is really impressing me with her constant, creative variety in the role of Poet Laureate, has written the following piece in light of the General Election. It’s delightfully sharp, quick-witted and delivers verse with plenty to debate in admirable brevity.

Here’s a boat that cannot float.

Here’s a queue that cannot vote.

Here’s a line you cannot quote.

Here’s a deal you cannot note …

and here’s a sacrificial goat,

here’s a cut, here’s a throat,

here’s a drawbridge, here’s a moat …

What’s your hurry? Here’s your coat.

On the subject of poetry, if you happen to be in North London tomorrow, the arts collective I’m part of – Lazy Gramophone – is holding an event called Lazy Sunday.

Full details can be found at the facebook group here, and it should be a lively and entertaining event, equally mixed with Sunday cool.

Readings by William Conway (from sections of his Tastes of Ink) as well as performances by the top gent (and excellent poet and musician), Joshua Idehen, The Sea Kings and Jem Cooke will feature.

I’ll be there milling about and chatting to peeps as well. Not as part of any performance, just to have a bit of a natter. Maybe see you then. And let’s hope that – for the good of the country – whatever is to happen, happens quickly in Westminster.