I write this post with some excitement because MADNESS, DURAN DURAN , OMD , THE BEATLES and best of all perhaps the ROLLING STONES all have produced their best new records in 30 or 40 even 50 years respectively… though on the Latter there is no cunningly extracted BRIAN JONES to match the clear as a bell LENNON of NOW AND THEN sadly ..I wrote this post as it’s the great poets birthday at COLERIDGE Cottage near me..I hope to report some exciting changes there as the great man’s poetry has meant so much to me in my life…He is also the most quoted in the world of Music.
Recently I visited the rather dilapidated ALFOXTON house. I’m proud to say the owners were partially inspired to buy from seeing my film I wrote, directed and presented 10 years ago (after I’d been ill for a few years) I visited to watch the most fantastic performance of S TAYLOR COLERIDGEs, Rhyme of the ANCIENT MARINER done in a solo performance in a magnificent piece of solo acting. I took some photographs and greatly enjoyed the performance. The Buddhists who now run music and literary retreats from the house still need money desperately and the house is still partially derelict so there’s still so much to be done but I had a great time…
I also have to mention an extraordinary theatre company I met about 20 years ago called FORKBEARD fantasy. They were a surrealist troop of SHAKESPEAREAN comedy actors with dark gothic tales based in EDGAR ALLEN POE style imagery and strange use of projection and clever animations. They were quirky and unique. TERRY GILLIAM was patron and I can see the PYTHON quality to what they did. They started in the late 60s and only just retired though they haven’t performed for many years. What has inspired me to write this is there was really nothing out there that shows their brilliance on stage and which after all is what they mainly did. They have a very modest website and they appear to be selling off to auction all their props and everything they ever did.. heartbreaking… I will never forget seeing their magnificent exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum (or rather a wing of it at the now closed THEATRE Museum. The now sadly defunct theatre museum was in covent garden. That was a major stage for some sort of appreciation for their work and I hoped that sky arts or the BBC ( these.days definitely not the BBC!) would do a special about them because they’d been around for so many years and delighted so many people too. I’ve seen CIRQUE DU SOLEIL and BEATLES LOVE as well as.many west end shows and FORKBEARD will always be my favourite experience…
I actually met them and nearly performed on stage for them but the chap that they had turned up so I didn’t. But it was great fun meeting them and helping them with their get in of.props when they visited Bournemouth university when I was studying Arts administration for events at the art school in Bournemouth. They were really funny guys and they were really interesting to meet and were creative and special and totally unique. I can’t think of another FORKBEARD FANTASY…. They also did a lot for communities being both innovative and clever but if you don’t fit.i diversity criteria ( in a dictatorial manner these days) you have more pressure as it is In today’s world and they are getting on in age too and are after years of hard work entitled to retire . I enjoyed my pint with them and it’s nice to know they were good mates with NEIL INNES who I met…
Their brand of unusual imaginative thinking imagery and ideas was in another age…the age of people like HAWKWIND or MR BENN ( I grew up at number 52 just like the series spooky !) RENTAGHOST or BLAKES 7. When things were very very trippy and imaginative and it reflected in what they did, I shall miss them as there is nothing really online about them. I have spent hours. Painstakingly videoing old film rare footage I have ..it was the only way so a steady hand ! No way of converting old film to YouTube… I have THE FALL OF THE HOUSE of USHERETTES performances that they did. The best thing they ever did…This has taken me hours and hours and the final exciting installment will be uploaded soon. For now these are the original episodes of the greatest show I’ve ever seen on stage, which when you consider I’ve seen CIRQUE DU SOLEIL. I’ve seen great actors like Michael GAMBON on the West end stage too so It’s quite an accolade yet most people don’t even know who they are. I hope you enjoy these exciting episodes..!
I also have some interesting news that my very first electronic (band ) recording has been put together on a cover of DAVID BOWIE’s MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD. It’s an electronica 80s style record in the SPARKS HUMAN LEAGUE OMD style and it will be fun to share it with you so that will be coming soon.. I’m also featured on a UFO podcast that is one of the best and most popular in the world. UFO chronicles which has many millions of listeners. I did a long show with him and he seems to think he will still be using it. So in the next few months expect that to be posted too…
Ben Manning's Music + Arts 