"Let me Die a Youngman's Death" by Roger McGough (poetry reading)

Yes, who would want to end "not with a bang but a whimper"? Nor me, neither. I'd rather die with me boots on too - or go missing in action.

And if I had a choice about what I'd be doing as I breathed my last gasp...still that's no way to treat a lady.

However my short term plan is to wake up tomorrow morning as Robert Altman said.

The Cavern is the night club in Liverpool where the Beatles started their career. Roger McGough is strongly associated with Liverpool though he was born in Lancashire. There are undoubtedly some who'll be offended that this isn't read in a Liverpudlian accent, instead of an ersatz East-End Cockney gangster a la Bob Hoskins or Ray Winstone.

I thought about that. Then I decided - to hell with 'em, they're only Scousers. He did say he was a gangster, didn't he?

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Youngman's
• Death
• Roger
• McGough

[liuzhou]

Have you ever heard Roger read this.He does it with humor.Something you miss out on completely.

[SpokenVerse]

@liuzhou Thank you for pointing out my shortcomings. Without people like you. how would I ever know?

[hamiltonpaul73]

You capture the cadence of English dialect wonderfully - and this local speech adds a charm and a mischievous sense of humor to the piece.

[SpokenVerse]

Thanks. It's comedy, albeit macabre, and the comedy lies in a succession of typically-British clichés used as adjectives to qualify the noun "death".

I knew this treatment wouldn't please some people, but I have to do the poem justice as best I can.

[liverpoolpictorial]

Do you honestly feel you're suitable to do the spoken verse?

[SpokenVerse]

I dunno mate. I often ask myself the same thing...

[mark919]

@liuzhou

How right you are!

[luketuffey]

Great video, but i think this reading is completely out of context to the poem. The fast pace and lack of punctuation are meant to link to the face paced, wild life he wants to live. More importantly the fast pace adds to the humour. Also, just because the word 'death' is repeated, readers seem to adopt a gloomy, hopeless voice. The use of the puns 'tumour' for humour, and short back and 'insides' should be evidence enough that the poem is light hearted. :)

[jegthepeg]

I like this delivery it's reminiscent of Ivor Cutler

[gardenvarietypenis]

I disagree, Ben, a lighthearted, sarcastic inflection would be an unimaginative reading--the poem's audience should be able to discern it's intent.

[hamiltonpaul73]

@liuzhou Was that a real question - or was it just a rude observation because I made a compliment about the video? I was speaking generally - because I don't know the exact dialect that he is imitating. Of course, there are hundreds of dialects in England - as there are in Australia, America, and Canada.

[liuzhou]

@hamiltonpaul73 English dialect? What are you talking about? There are hundreds of them.

[hamiltonpaul73]

"Lighthearted" . . . "sarcasm"?

Could you please explain, giving specific examples, to help me understand what you mean.

[bentaylor200]

I disagree, I think this reading completely misses the sarcasm and lightheartedness of this poem.