Gerry Rafferty, who wrote and sang one of my favourite songs, 'Baker Street', has died. Sad news. His other major song, 'Stuck In The Middle With You', was prominent in Reservoir Dogs.
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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My second serious girlfriend Rosamond Harrison gave me a copy of 'City to City' for my birthday in 1978 and from then on I was hooked. I bought all his other albums myself. I knew that he had become an alcoholic recluse but was hoping that he would be able to make a comeback which unfortunately never happened. He was a gigantic talent who will be sadly missed by millions of his devoted fans including me.
Best wishes from Simon