Sad news. Founder Pink Floyd member Richard Wright has died. Pink Floyd are, of course, one of the great bands of the 20th century.
THAT HANDSOME MAN A PERSONAL BRIEF REVIEW BY TODD SWIFT I could lie and claim Larkin, Yeats , or Dylan Thomas most excited me as a young poet, or even Pound or FT Prince - but the truth be told, it was Thom Gunn I first and most loved when I was young. Precisely, I fell in love with his first two collections, written under a formalist, Elizabethan ( Fulke Greville mainly), Yvor Winters triad of influences - uniquely fused with an interest in homerotica, pop culture ( Brando, Elvis , motorcycles). His best poem 'On The Move' is oddly presented here without the quote that began it usually - Man, you gotta go - which I loved. Gunn was - and remains - so thrilling, to me at least, because so odd. His elegance, poise, and intelligence is all about display, about surface - but the surface of a panther, who ripples with strength beneath the skin. With Gunn, you dressed to have sex. Or so I thought. Because I was queer (I maintain the right to lay claim to that
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SEEING PINK FLOYD AT THE STUDENTS UNION BAR 13 FEBRUARY 1971 AS PART OF THEIR BRAIN DAMAGE TOUR
After playing in North America, Europe, and appearing
at the biggest clubs, halls and universities in Britain
I couldn't understand why they came to this Technical College
in Farnborough that could only sell 300 tickets.
I mean they were like royalty they were that big.
First I knew about them coming was when I saw
an “Eye of Argus” poster on the Students' notice board
advertising the time, date, price, and showing
The Mekon in front of a green sky hovering over
a wavy pink and black field where a dead tree grew.
I don't remember much about the night itself
apart from the smell of musk, the songs
Careful with That Axe, Eugene
and Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun,
the bass line travelling through me like an earthquake,
the light show of shifting psychedelic patterns projected
behind the band of Gilmour, Wright, Waters and Mason,
and hearing these footsteps walking across the ceiling.
An hour after they finished I was by the side
of a dual carriageway when this huge black cat
ran in front of me then sat down to groom itself.
The eyes glowed wine red in the light and as it turned
there was more of a rainbow look to them.
It was very sleek looking and well muscled
with a long black tail wrapped around its body.
After a few minutes it leaped off into the dark
and never came back the same way that
the original Pink Floyd won't be coming back.