Friday 19th august

Interview with poet Timothy Grayson

Photo © Miles Marr Studiio 68

Leicester has a vibrant poetry scene. Timothy Grayson is an energetic and accomplished member of the poetry fraternity, busily making plans for a tour of America. We caught up with him to find out more about his work.

Tim, there is an event coming up called Gomorrah on 27th August. Tell me about the background to this.

Gomorrah was conceived, albeit without a name, a couple of years ago, not long after I brought the Poetry Brothel back to the UK.

It was clear that the concept would work on a bigger scale, though I was initially just thinking poetry and I wanted to establish our reputation in and outside local arts and literature scenes first.

I wanted to establish the brand. After a few extremely successful shows, there was something I found intriguing: if this Brothellian approach [of exciting the audience to invest in our work] worked with poetry, why not try the rest of the arts?

This was when I knew the time was right to have a tester for Gomorrah - I could picture it. I gathered together a 'feast' of different artists, from Poetry 'Whores' to photographers, from 'Fallen Songstresses' to portrait artists, whacked them onto a menu and hosted them at 'Belshazzar's Feast.

This was billed as a subterranean carnival of cultural delights, to see what worked and what didn't. It was still a Brothellian event as the audience were having to spend money for time with each artist, but we didn't brand it a Poetry Brothel as the skills on offer were too diverse.

It was such a success that I knew the time was right for a similar thing, just on a bigger scale.

How does one go about "sexing up" the arts?

Good question. The sex appeal is already there, it's just rarely harnessed. For too long, poetry (for example) has been seen as an archaic practice: one with no place in the modern world.

There's quite a few attempting to popularise poetry, but in my experience those who do don't think about the average punter; I've never encountered many who truly think "you know what, f*ck it, I want the average person to give a sh*t" and then go about finding a way to make them give one.

The Brothellian Movement of Artisans packages work in an irresistible way - it's a marketing philosophy. We give the arts a seductive, dangerous element and people feel compelled to invest in them.

Steven Silverman highlights our vision for Gomorrah perfectly, in the Brothellian Manifesto. He wrote 'Only in rock music have artists regularly been harnessing this Sex Appeal of Talent over the most recent decades; we believe the time is ripe to apply the same knowledge to other artistic fields. Ultimately, we envisage a society where the quill or the sketchbook holds as much sexual potency as the electric guitar; where the illustrator or poet is as much of a sex symbol as the rock star.'

Too f*cking right. Part of your project is about going on tour in America. Following in the footsteps of Oscar Wilde in fact.

Tell me some more about that. What do you hope to achieve?

I aim to bring the discoveries of the English Poetry Brothel to American soil, to interview various cultural activists and establish a network of like-minded individuals on both sides of the Atlantic, and to discover ways to improve future Brothellian events, as well as learning how a country's culture can elevate their interpretation of the Brothellian ideology.

We'll be photographically documenting it, as well as filming our progress and uploading it onto the Internet every day. You'll be able to follow us on our blog. (see below for the link.)

Nathan Lunt, Kerry Ann Lou, Tim Grayson, Steven Silverman

Is this a good time to be writing poetry, in England today?

The modern, consumerist mindset is that of *clicks fingers* speed. The audience is always craving something different, but they don't usually want to spend a massive proportion of their lives partaking in it.

Look at viral videos, they're, what, a minute and a half long? Westerners put up with watching them for a few minutes max, but they'll switch off after that unless it really grabs them.

Poetry, in comparison to, say, the novel, is almost tailored for this type of person. With a novel, you can't dip in and out of it, you can get lost within it, but if you don't like to spend your time reading or listening to audiobooks, you'll never get to experience it (unless you read the synopsis).

With poetry, you can dip in and out of it. You can spend a few minutes reading or listening to something that will make you think, open doors, even change the way you look at the world - then frees you up to do something else.

Poetry was popular once. Can it ever be so again?

I think so, yes. The rise and rise of Poetry Brothels - worldwide - is a solid testament to this.

Is Leicester a good place for poets?

It's a fantastic place for all sorts of creative professionals, but yes, with nights such as Word!, Short Fuse, Stanza, Brightside and Ping..K! (not to mention the Poetry Brothel), it's an especially starting point for writers and poets who want to get their work out there.

Poetry and business seem to be diametrically opposed opposites. Is it possible for poets to earn a living from their work?

It's rare, but possible. The main thing is to never be too proud to get a part time job. Events and shows such as the Poetry Brothel help poets make something from their work, but it's never enough for them to write home about.

It's possible to street-hustle, but again, that doesn't make a great deal. Of course, there are always awards and bursaries, which can help those looking at getting a collection published in a book, but that route doesn't really excite me.

There are always workshops at schools and colleges, and perhaps even hosting your own shows. You've got to remember that great Romantic poets like Byron and Shelley had the money to BE poets! Poets without titles, like John Clare or Dylan Thomas, were always in debt - Thomas was forced to sell his furniture at times, repurchasing when he got a bit more cash!

It proves that, in the grand scheme of things, financial gain isn't really a measure of creative success. In life, perhaps this is accurate, but in death - what matters is the work itself.

That may sound morbid, but what's important is having your work read - putting it on the (chopping) block and letting the public make up their mind. If it grabs the attention of someone who can help you make a living from it, fair play to you.

What other Leicester-based poets do you admire?

I respect a few, but 'admire' is quite a strong word. I think that's only suitable for my fellow two Decadent Romantics, Nathan Lunt and Steven Silverman. Steve's been with us since the very first Leicester-based Poetry Brothel; he's an excellent poet, analytical thinker and the main author of the Brothellian Manifesto.

I noticed Nathan had all the makings of an exceptional poet when I first saw him perform, but now we've witnessed his poetry lead him to become the first East Midlands Poetry Slam Champion.

They're both exceptionally different poets, but compliment each other perfectly. Someone once told Nathan, "Steve's the light [look at me!], you're the heat [right, listen to this!], and Tim's the focus [right, this is how we'll get there]."

I think that sums up the Decadent Romantics quite well.

What makes a good poet?

Commitment to the tenets of craft, talent and imagination. 'Bad' poetry is born through the neglect of these ideals.

Explore more

Tim Grayson's web site

The Gomorrah web site

Tour Blog

Word - poetry and spoken word night

Pinggg...k poetry group on Facebook

Nathan Lunt - Urban inspiration

Steven Silverman

Our article on business and the arts

Our report on poets at the Leicester Fringe