The Path To Strange Books: Spoken Word Adventures In Legendary Brighton Arts Venues Part 6

Rosi’s Tinted Spectacles was a music and spoken word event that ran from 2008 to 2010 in various Brighton venues, beginning in the Hanover Canteen. It was organised and compered by Rosi Lalor. Here she is:

I performed at the event many times, sometimes with celery. Here I am suitably tinted:

As well as performing at regular spoken word events in Brighton, I’ve performed many shows in various odd temporary venues, such as bars, community centres, artist’s open houses, open-air street events, art galleries and even an allotment:

Here are a few of them: In 2009, I performed with one of my paintings stuck to my hand in a performance-art evening at Mocha café…

In 2010, I organised and compered The Christmas Cabaret, performing my stories between folk and jazz acts, in the palatial Brighton Ballrooms in Kemptown (now Proud Cabaret). I made a giant winged egg and hung it at the back of the stage. Here it is:

In 2010, my short story “Dunce” was performed as a monologue by an actor wearing (as the role demanded) a fez, at the New Venture Theatre. He did an excellent job. If only I could remember his name.

You can read “Dunce” for FREE here: https://strangebooks.com/strange-story-weird-fiction/

To be continued…

The Path To Strange Books: Spoken Word Adventures In Legendary Brighton Arts Venues Part 5

In 2008 I was asked to perform in Brighton’ s Bom-Banes Cafe. From 2008-2017 I performed many shows at Bom-Banes, incorporating my stories, artwork and sounds.

Bom-Banes Cafe is run by Jane Bom-Bane. Here she is:

Here is Jane talking about Bom-Banes Cafe:

Here are a few of the flyers I made:

These were memorable shows. Like they don’t say about the sixties: If you can’t remember it, you weren’t there.

You can visit Bom-Banes here:

To be continued…

The Path To Strange Books: Spoken Word Adventures In Legendary Brighton Arts Venues Part 2

In 2005 I became resident storyteller at the Alternative Folk Nights in Brighton’s Duke of York Picturehouse cinema, where unsuspecting cinema goers were treated to my surreal monologues and stories. These evenings took place in the bar and were organised by Felicity Beckett who often provided music. Here she is…

Flick also made the cool and cute flyers. Here are a few of them:

I remember introducing a story by hammering a watch into pieces. It wasn’t a trick.

To be continued…

The Path To Strange Books: Spoken Word Adventures In Legendary Brighton Arts Venues Part 1

My spoken word adventures began in 1999 at the now legendary arts cinema Brighton Cinematheque on Middle Street where Mel Absolon organised cabarets consisting of short films and performances.

These were eclectic, exciting events. I performed wearing an oversized top hat with holes for eyes and mouth in the spirit of DaDa and Cabaret Voltaire.

I remember one evening a virtual fireplace which filled the cinema screen behind me as I performed suddenly being replaced with the words ‘Not for public screening’. ‘Oh,’ I remember saying, ‘it’s gone out.’

Brighton Cinematheque was a fantastic phenomenon where, in exchange for a pound or for nothing at all, you could see a Kenneth Anger movie, a John Waters double bill or work by local artists such as ourselves. Here is a great article about it… Memories of Brighton Cinematheque: https://www.lazaruscorporation.co.uk/articles/cinematheque-changing-reels

It was during this time that my top hat shrank to a more manageable size and grew an eye.

To be continued…