Benjamin Zephaniah RIP

[horsefly 4,310]

Very sad news. He contributed so much to British cultural life.

[Herman 9,819]

Oh no, that is very sad news. He always came across as a sound and principled bloke. 

RIP Benjamin. 

[Mr Angry 1,570]

1 hour ago, Herman said:

Oh no, that is very sad news. He always came across as a sound and principled bloke. 

RIP Benjamin. 

I’ve never been into performance poetry but this guy was different-as you mention, he was principled-he turned down an OBE because of its connotations with imperialism and slavery-and seemed to be a genuinely nice guy.

[How I Wrote Elastic Man 1,189]

Sad news 

I remember he played a festival in Brockwell Park, Brixton back in 1984 that I was at. 

RIP 

[Nuff Said 5,163]

I loved this, quoted from The Guardian:

When he was nine, he decided to stop eating animals. “I experienced racism in and out of the classroom, so in the playground I would often find myself sitting in a corner talking to the local cats,” he wrote in the Guardian last year. “When the cats were away, I’d talk to the birds and the bees. Amazingly, I never met a racist animal.” 

[littleyellowbirdie 2,577]

3 hours ago, Nuff Said said:

I loved this, quoted from The Guardian:

When he was nine, he decided to stop eating animals. “I experienced racism in and out of the classroom, so in the playground I would often find myself sitting in a corner talking to the local cats,” he wrote in the Guardian last year. “When the cats were away, I’d talk to the birds and the bees. Amazingly, I never met a racist animal.” 

He never had Norfolk and Norwich terriers then. Our Norfolks and Norwich's used to scrap along breed lines.

Never had problems when it was just Norfolks.

[A Load of Squit 5,209]

1 hour ago, littleyellowbirdie said:

He never had Norfolk and Norwich terriers then. Our Norfolks and Norwich's used to scrap along breed lines.

Never had problems when it was just Norfolks.

You're a f***ing idiot.

[nevermind, neoliberalism has had it 159]

yellowbirdie and a woman of same age waiting for a bus in Norfolk. Its late by a long time. He asks her 'have you ever had se. with a black man'?. She looks him in the eye and says 'there's no such thing in our family'.

Luckily the bus came who knows what would have happened.... a pure bred Norfolk fable.

[nevermind, neoliberalism has had it 159]

Benjamin Zephania was one of the greatest poets this country ever had. RIP good man.

[Mr Angry 1,570]

On 07/12/2023 at 19:27, How I Wrote Elastic Man said:

Sad news 

I remember he played a festival in Brockwell Park, Brixton back in 1984 that I was at. 

RIP 

I guess you went to see The Fall? I was at that festival, I know The Damned headlined and New Model Army , Joolz and Strawberry Switchblade played but I can only remember NMA and Joolz, and I hadn’t even been drinking!

[How I Wrote Elastic Man 1,189]

29 minutes ago, Mr Angry said:

I guess you went to see The Fall? I was at that festival, I know The Damned headlined and New Model Army , Joolz and Strawberry Switchblade played but I can only remember NMA and Joolz, and I hadn’t even been drinking!

yes, my first Fall gig

Spear of Destiny played too, they got some awful stick, more than The Fall.  Quite a lot of NMA fans there, IIRC

[Mr Angry 1,570]

2 hours ago, How I Wrote Elastic Man said:

yes, my first Fall gig

Spear of Destiny played too, they got some awful stick, more than The Fall.  Quite a lot of NMA fans there, IIRC

Yeah, I think Spear of Destiny was the main reason I went. I didn’t venture down the front, I was right at the back. There’s a good write up of all of the GLC festivals from 1984, including the one where a load of NF jumped on the stage and attacked The Redskins while they were playing-I was at that one and it was pretty scary.

https://www.ukrockfestivals.com/glc-festivals-1984.html