A poet’s song
January 7th, 2008 by Steve BowbrickI didn’t expect much of this one but I’m a junkie for stuff about the creative process so I listened and it’s just excellent - the first of four half-hours apparently. They call it ‘an exploration of the differences between poetry and song’ but it’s really a genteel Radio 4 version of a Reality TV format: poets write lyrics for singers.
There’s something interesting about the reactions of the participants, too: the poets (Paul Farley and Jo Shapcott) are blown away by the whole process but the singers (Jamie Cullum and Doc Brown) are almost blasé. Maybe they just lead more exciting lives. The pay-off is unmissable and quite moving. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series (MP3).
