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| Where are the rebels? |
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Full blurb:
Seemingly from out of nowhere emerges a startling collection of poems from a writer prepared to leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of truth, beauty and brutality. Ridgwell’s poems will drag you down the dark alleys of the literary underground with a compelling combination of ferocity, melancholy and sad hung over blues refrains.
In this choice collection, the reader will encounter dead strippers, dead girlfriends, deadbeat jobs, and the beauty and banality of modern existence in all its convoluted complexity. ‘Fight fire with fire,’ says Ridgwell, ‘and be prepared to rock and roll right to the bitter end!’
’Where are the rebels?’ is a ground-breaking and thought provoking collection, a must have for any adventurous and esoteric reader, and the literary equivalent of a fully-automated and loaded AK47!
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First page first lines:
From ‘Where are the rebels?’
Where are the rebels?
Now the days are long
And the nights are short
And I think of those who have died
And those who are still alive
And those who have yet to be born
Pass the wine
Rock and Roll
And fuck everything
No compromise
Beat the Dust published two of Joe’s poems in its November 2007 issue.
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Category: Poetry collection
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Author: Joseph Ridgwell
To celebrate the publication by Blackheath Books of Joseph Ridgwell’s first poetry collection, Beat the Dust decided to get various girl bands from the 50s onwards to interview him:
The Marvellettes: ‘Are you just a breath-taking, first sight soul-shaking, one night love-making, next day heart-breaking guy?’
Joseph Ridgwell: Of course I am, but please remove that wig.
The Shangri-Las: ‘You know something funny?’
Joseph Ridgwell: Betty, is that Jimmy's ring you're wearing?
The Shangri-Las: ‘What d’you mean when you say that he came from the wrong side of town?’
Joseph Ridgwell: 'When I say I'm in love you better believe I'm in love, L.U.V!’
Girls Aloud: ‘What will the neighbours say this time?’
Joseph Ridgwell: Shut the fuck up, you useless skinny hunks of shit… but I'll shag the racist one who married a black man - nice tits.
The Supremes: ‘Has loneliness made up your mind to live alone?’
Joseph Ridgwell: Living alone has made up my mind to embrace loneliness.
The Ronettes: ‘How does it feel?’
Joseph Ridgwell: You tell me, baby!
The Chiffons: ‘What makes you think he’ll believe all your lies?’
Joseph Ridgwell: I don't give a fuck if he does or doesn't believe my lies, as long as you believe them and he never finds out.
Sugababes: ‘How obvious should a girl be?’
Joseph Ridgwell: Very obvious, to the point of degradation.
The Tammy’s: ‘What’s so sweet about sweet sixteen?’
Joseph Ridgwell: Everything and nothing.
The Spice Girls: ‘So tell me what you want, what you really really want?’
Joseph Ridgwell: Fuck me, another bunch of talentless but now decrepit hunks of shit. Shut up and fuck off back to total obscurity where you belong.
The Shirelles: ‘Is this a lasting treasure or just a moment’s pleasure?’
Joseph Ridgwell: Whatever you want, baby, but I'm off down the boozer.
All Saints: ‘Where d’you think you’re sleeping tonight?’
Joseph Ridgwell: On the couch.
The Three Degrees: ‘Is this my beginning or is this the end?’
Joseph Ridgwell: Don't be dramatic, it's just a one night stand.
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Publisher: Blackheath Books
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Reviews:
‘Joe Ridgwell is a man to watch. He's stacked with talent. This book of poems is just the beginning. Look out world.’ - Mark SaFranko author of ‘Hating Olivia’ and ‘Lounge Lizard’
‘Joe Ridgwell is the kind of poet that those obnoxious fucking poetry critics hate. He didn't go to school and swallow the classics, and come out regurgitating them for up-their-own-arse poetry journals that nobody reads. He's an East End geezer who wields stanzas like some people wield Stanley knives. In some idealistic alternate reality, where our national drug of choice is something a bit stronger than reality TV, Joe Ridgwell would the fucking poet laureate.’ - Tony O’Neill author of ‘Digging the Vein’ and ‘Down and Out on Murder Mile’.
‘Tough...raw...from the heart, and from the gut. Ridgwell might be the best young writer out there.’ - Mikael Covey – editor of litup magazine.
‘[Joe Ridgwell] has been around the “scene” for years, terrorising litzines and blogs with his unsympathetic, realistic tales of how things are… The chapbook’s opening salvo is the literary equivalent of a call to arms… Whatever you say or think of this book you certainly won’t be disappointed!’ - Sean McGahey - editor of The Beat.
“Where are the Rebels? is a raw, brutal repository of Ridgwell's personal peccadilloes and obsessions…[the] poetry oscillates violently… Give it a few years and this chapbook may well enjoy a reception akin to Trocchi's Young Adam.” - Alan Kelly, Dogmatika.
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| Book code: BTD017 |
| Price: £ 5.00 |
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