MAT LLOYD

Stoked to have a piece in @saraprinslooart amazing ‘Its Okay Zine’ that’s raising money for suicide prevention charity Papyrus UK , the first print sold out in 48 hours but don’t worry you can pre order the next print HERE!!!  

"PAPYRUS recognises that children and young people are among the higher risk groups in England when it comes to suicide. As many of our members have been touched personally by a young suicide, we do all we can to raise awareness and mitigate risk of suicide among the under 35s.

Super proud to have a piece in ‘The Pioneer Club Creatives 2020’ zine which is both showcasing amazing talent and raising money for Britain’s oldest indoor skate park -  The Pioneer Club!!! 

Visit their website and get yourself a copy £6 all in>>>>click here!!! Big shout out to Kelli Watson of 'We Can Fly' fame for putting it all together and love to EVERYONE involved!!

This is from the first time I visited the VANS Europe HQ back in early 2017. I’d been asked to write a spoken word piece on the history of a Tribe Called Quest and I was flown out to the Switzerland headquarter to perform it on stage in-front of the whole VANS HQ team. I couldn’t tell anyone (not even my team at VANS) or share what I was doing as the shoe wouldn’t be released until the following year.

I put a lot of time, research and mental energy into the pice as I really wanted it to be perfect. I had three weeks to create it and I really think I didn’t listen, read or watch anything that wasn’t ‘A Tribe Called Quest’ related for that whole time.

I remember getting super stressed out when creating the piece and after a couple of weeks working on it and a few sleepless nights in a fit of desperation I rang my friend Nick @retailwhore on instagram (who also worked at VANS). I told him what I was doing and that I needed to read him the piece and get his opinion or my head might explode! I knew he’d give me an honest answer whether I liked it or not. When I’d finished he said in typical Nick fashion “It’s fucking amazing!” and I new I was on the right track.

The actual day of course went really well and despite all the sleepless nights, anxiety and nerves I got a standing ovation which i will never forget. The photos are from after the performance when I could finally relax and have a well deserved beer. Sometimes when everything feels too much or your head feels like it might explode, pick up the phone, it really is - good to talk.

PS. Here's a video of a live performance I did in London of the piece when the collection finally launched - Beats Rhymes and Phife Live in London

Some students represented the sentencing of idiot and used handcuffs to do this as well as prison bars and chains. A lot discussed the subject of consequences and the repercussions of your actions as well as the characters situation. The current issues of UK knife crime, gangs and youth violence came up when analysing the poem as a class. Described by them as a dark and deeply emotional as well as a poem which could be used to inspire others and conveys a very important message. A lot of our students thought that alcohol was most probably to blame for Idiots actions, as well as bad impulses and peer pressure from friends. A lot of the work made had links with the miss use of alcohol and the sadness and brutality of death. I think a lot of our students related to the poem and we thank you for writing such a raw and realistic piece of work. I hope it inspired my classes and makes them question the decisions they make in life." Sara Prinsloo

Stoked to receive these photos from Friday nights performance at TOWER London thanks to my good friend and photographer James North http://jnorth.co.uk/

I'm a great believer in writing every day.  Whether it be a couple of lines or a whole poem, its all part of exercising my poetic muscle.  Sometimes these exercises will appear on line as a tweet or an Instagram post.  Not always good, often mediocre, sometimes awful, but I'm still glad I made the effort.  Some days I find it easy to put pen to paper but on others I struggle for inspiration.  There are a few tricks I have learnt to use and I'd like to share one with you.

Yesterday I was struggling to write anything coherent (insert joke here), the TV was off, no music, no internet and I just couldn't get my brain to settle.  I nearly gave up, ok I did.  I began randomly surfing reviews for 'Only Lovers Left Alive', a movie I'd watched the previous night.  On the films Wikipedia page I game across a review by Jonathan Romney.  He rounds off the review with;

"classy piece of cinematic dandyism that makes the Twilight cycle redundant in one exquisitely languid stroke."

Something about the poetic feel of the line that got the creative fire started.  I made a note of the line and then began surfing for more of his reviews.  I found a review of 'In Pursuit of Silence' and made a note of the line; "sabotages its own logic by slapping on an undistinguished new age-y score"

I was deep into Mr. Romneys reviews now making notes of lines from an Anguish review "grungy ordinariness", I even found some inspiration in 'Jack Reacher';

"Possibly to minimise distraction, the supporting cast is on the bland side, but it’s nice to get a glimpse of Robert Knepper, the inimitably abject T-Bag in TV’s "Prison Break"

I surfed around the Guardians website (not my usual haunt), reading other reviews by Jonathan Romney making notes of phrases and lines that seemed to stoke the fire of creativity and then began to build a poem.  You don't have to use film reviews by Jonathan Romney, but it helps as his turn of phrase is so poetic.  You can just grab the nearest book or paper and make a list of a number of phrases, lets say a minimum of ten that catch you eye, and then use them to build/create a poem.

Below is what I created, whether good or not, it helped get the creative juices flowing!  Now I just need to work out whether I'm obliged to give Jonathan Romney a writing credit?

Fisticuffs

Dandyism
Sabotaged your suburbanite logic
With one exquisitely languid
Stroke.

Once
A story of empowerment
With a ring of Authenticity,
You Counterpointed the
Abrasive.

However
After less than strenuous exercise
Your theological subtext
Turned out to be nothing more
Than a grungy
Ordinariness.

-----

Just a quick note, I do not know and have never met Jonathon Romney.

"Most people get three chances - I got FIVE" from Ode to Baudelaire by Kirsty Allison

Let me put my metaphorical cards on the table.  Kirsty Allison and I, are in a sense, estranged friends.  We roll in different circles but every so often the edges touch and we find ourselves sharing a stage somewhere.   I already admire her poetry greatly.  Kirsty has a rock and roll style that oozes a nonchalant coolness that means she could wear dark glasses in the dead of night and it wouldn't seem weird.

Of course Kirsty hasn't just released a standard poetry book.  'unedited' is a limited edition hand bound collection.  I didn't get in fast enough with my order so had to wait for the next batch.  It was worth it.  The book is hand crafted and contains images and illustrations alongside the poetry, mine has even been painted in.  The pages aren't neat, they're all different, some plain, some lined, some brown, some blue, brought together with Kirsty's poetry it's perfect.

The poems of course are beautiful, they make my mind bleed thoughts that inspire me to put my pen to paper.  To be inspired in my writing is why I read others poetry, and so much of what she's put together will influence how and what, I release in the future.  'unedited' I hope, will be the first of many collections Kirsty crafts and releases, and I'm hopeful our circles will meet again soon.

Find out more about Kirsty and purchase 'unedited' from https://kirstyallison.com
Kirsty Allison and I are both members of Lazy Gramaphone, to find out more visit http://www.lazygramophone.com

I was interviewed last week for an upcoming documentary called 'We Can Fly'.  Currently scheduled for release in August it aims to look at the freedom and creativity embodied in skate culture.  As the project progresses, small 'Snippets' are being released to promote the project and you can see mine below:

The Creativity Series: Mat Lloyd - Skater & Poet from Edd Hawkes on Vimeo.

Photo of me looking gormless for the podcast

I was stoked to be interviewed for the latest episode of a great new podcast called, 'The Thinking, The Striving, The Breathing'. Hosted by my old friend Anthony Christofi or Toffy as I know him, it aims to showcase inspirational personalities (his words not mine) and ways that you can make improvements to your life.

We sat down for half an hour and discussed careers, poetry, skateboarding, smoking, inspiration and much more. Listen to me say the word 'like' way too much and Toffy slip in a mum joke! The podcast is positive and just long enough to listen to on your morning commute.

Listen via iTunes or soundclound, and don't forget to subscribe!

iTunes direct link:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/thinking-striving-breathing/id1132990729

Soundcloud direct link:
https://soundcloud.com/achristofi/002-mat-lloyd

Ok, first things first.  I am writing this on my MacBook Pro, and I love my MacBook Pro!  I use my MacBook Pro to edit photos, videos, podcasts and sometimes a little music.  It's awesome and I genuinely believe if my house burnt down, I'd only be gutted about losing my skateboard (of course) and my laptop...everything else can burn.

The only problem I have with my laptop is that I just can't seem to write new poetry on it.  By that I mean, for some reason, typing ideas/lines for a new piece on my laptop, seems to sap the creativity out of me, and I find myself staring at a blank screen.  Seriously I can have a great idea (of course I'd say that) and by the time I've loaded up 'Word', it's just floated out of my head.  It's like staring at my laptop screen automatically gives me 'writers block', well 'poetry block' to be exact.
Like many writers I tend to opt for a pad & pen, I'm rarely without one close at hand, but I do see more and more poets writing into their phones.  I've done quite a few gigs recently where poets will stand up and read directly from their phones (it infuriates me when they pause to scroll down).  I use my phone as an absolute last resort when it comes to writing on the go as it seems to have the same effect as my laptop.

To make me sound even more kooky (read eccentric), and I'm not try to be 'that guy', about a year ago I bought a typewriter.  Yep an old skool Seiko Silver Reed SR180 Deluxe, it's older than me and I love it!  Maybe even more than my MacBook.  It doesn't seem to have the same effect that writing on my laptop has and whilst it can be frustrating to have to type something out repeatedly due to the lack of a delete button and my sausage fingers, this repetition is helping me learn the piece!  It also looks pretty great on my Instagram too!  Obviously it hasn't replaced the need for my note pad and certainly isn't as portable as my laptop but there is something pleasing about banging away on those keys.  And if like me, your handwriting fluctuates from readable to what the fuck is that mess - a typewriter makes a lot of sense.

Maybe I'm just a paper and ink type of writer?  What's your choice? Are you a pen and paper writer or are you all about the digital?

PS. a lot of people ask me about the note book in the picture, it's from Explorer Press.

Thom Gunn's 'Jack Straw's Castle' is one of my favourite books.  I feel like I need to include a 'caveat' with that statement and tell you that Thom Gunn is not one of my favourite poets.

When I first started performing in London a poet I respected greatly read a poem from the book called 'Courage, a Tale'.  It's about a boy who is told if he masturbates 100 times he will die.  Yes you read that right...if he masturbates 100 times he will die.  I loved the poem and when I discovered it was published in 1976 (before I was born) that seemed to make me love it more.  I sought out a copy of the book which I discovered was out of print, and found a copy at a second hand book store in St. Albans.

The collection is full of beautiful work by Thom Gunn but 'Courage, a Tale' will always be a favourite, and 'Jack Straw's Castle' will always be one of my favourite books.  If you're lucky enough to stumble across a copy, don't hesitate to grab it.  Hell, theres not many poems by well respected and established poets about masturbating.

Thom Gunn died in April 2004.

Read the full interview here.

More from Kelli Watson http://thatkellikat.tumblr.com/
Photo Credit: Dave Boyle

Firstly congratulations to Stuart Hancock who took home a British Composer Award last week for his excellent work on 'Snapshot Songs'. This means the work will be getting some coverage over the next few days which includes my poem 'This City' being performed with an 80 deep choir and a full orchestra!

The awards ceremony is going to be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on the Hear and Now programme at 10pm this Saturday (12th). Stuart's was the third of ten awards – you’ll hear his acceptance speech and the first two minutes’ worth of a compilation (covering excerpts of ‘This City’ / Mat Lloyd, ‘Bulletin 1’ / Kieron Rennie, and ‘Black Dog’ / Kate Donnachie, Bobbi Leet) and later in the show, an interview he did with the presenter at the after-party.

Finally BBC Three Counties Radio will be talking to Stuart about Snapshot Songs next Wednesday the 16th. He'll be on the Nick Coffer around 1.15 – and will hopefully get to play a song or two!

I still count my blessings that my work was chosen for the project and will not forget sitting in a sold out Barbican hearing it for the first time.

Both should be available to catch up on iPlayer if you miss them.

Finally after a long wait 'The Cracks and Curbs EP' is a reality.  My second official collection since 'Demo Tape' in 2009.  This limited edition comes signed and bagged with a selection of stickers direct from my hands.  This is the only way to get this edition as once it hits independent book stores and AMAZON it'll just be the standard book.

Get it now for £4 by clicking the 'Buy Now' button below.

Skateboard videos.  Sometimes when I'm a bit sleepy (read hungover) on a weekend and I'm getting ready to go skateboarding with the crew I pop on a skate video in the back ground.  The weekend normally means an early start and some mornings I could use a little stoke!  It's the same with poetry, sometimes, I could use a little stoke.

We've all been there, those days when we lack inspiration.  Those days when we just can't seem to get anything down on the page, those days when everything we write just doesn't cut it.  First I would say write anyway, even if what you've written today is bad, at least you have written.  I try to write something everyday, and if you follow me on instagram you can see some of these daily scribbling's under the hashtag #notadaywithoutaline Writing everyday keeps me thinking and developing ideas.  Of course not all (read most) of the ideas are good, but at least I'm writing.  And every so often those ideas, some new, some old eventually develop into full poems that I use on stage.

Secondly when you're feeling really uninspired, remember, CREATIVITY BREEDS!  Its true!!  Whenever my tank is low I find surrounding myself with creative people is the best way for me to get inspired to be creative.  Recently I've found myself going to the Poetry Cafe for Poetry Unplugged and just sitting watching other poets.  Seeing other people perform gives me ideas and the drive to put pen to paper and start writing!  Just being around creative people makes me want to create!!

Back in May I started recording a podcast called 'Skateboarder And...', where I get to sit down with skateboarders who have an artistic passion.  Across eight episodes (number 9 is in the works), I've talked to; illustrators, photographers, company owners, furniture makers, artists and skate shop owners, and their passion is infectious.  The great upside to taking the time to sit down with all these creative people is that it's made me more creative!  It really has improved my writing, my drive and the ideas just kept coming.  I would advise everyone, when your tanks running low, push yourself to write something everyday (good or bad), watch/read other performers/poets and definitely talk to other creative people and share your ideas!

To listen to the latest episode of the Skateboarder And... podcast click below:
https://soundcloud.com/skateboarderandpodcast

As Gil Scott Heron sang "No matter how far wrong you've gone, You can always turn around".  And this is the case for Kevin 'Spanky' Long.  Back in 2010 he had a part in EMERICA Stay Gold, was Pro on Baker Skateboards and had what looked like a promising future ahead of him.  By 2013 however after a lot of partying and a now legendary incident with fire he was dropped from the Baker skateboards team losing his Pro model and (I would think) his primary source of income.  That's when things got interesting...

Vice.com just launched a two part Epicaly Later'd 'Revisiting Kevin 'Spanky' Long' that documents his fall from pro to flow and his rise back to pro in 2015.  His journey is inspiring, and reminds us that no mater how far you feel you may have strayed from your current path, what ever it may be...put in the work and don't give up!





Image Source MonsterChildren.com