Man, Liverpool in the 60s had to be the coolest creative spot on the planet. As if The Beatles weren’t enough, the city also gifted the world the Merseybeat poets. Brian Patten, Roger McGough and Adrian Henri wrote lyrical poems that clattered and cajoled the emotions of men and women who previously cared not a jot for poetry or those who claimed ownership of it. I’m no expert in their work and don’t know too much of it, but I was gifted a few collections by Brian Patten just last year and find myself dipping in regularly to learn about the psyche of the everyman and to learn more about myself.
I’ll likely put flesh on the bones of my reasons for reading this poem in a long-form article sometime soon, but as I said in the video, I felt a wee bit vulnerable and self conscious when explaining the why. I chose to stop drinking alcohol last year and that feels like a big thing. Especially in a country where booze is sloshed around to mark any and every occasion. Now, my decision was a personal one and I am in no way judging anyone for drinking, but this poem found its way to me not long after I made the call and has stuck with me since. One too many times of being that guy coupled with a catastrophic family tale that is tangled and twisty, and I felt it was time to stop. The stopping has been fine, but it is still weird to navigate certain situations without a drink or two and man, I miss a decent glass of red or a whisky by the fire with mates. At least booze-free beers are on the up, and my pals have been nothing but ace! Anyway, more of that later. In the meantime please do enjoy some Brian Patten and go have a gander at the Merseybeat poets. 10 days to go…
Bottle-talk by Brian Patten