2 ROGER MCGOUGH B 1937 General characteristics Roger

2. ROGER MCGOUGH (B. 1937)

General characteristics � � Roger Mc. Gough, another veteran of contemporary British poetry, is also tied to a particular locality – Liverpool A major exponent of the Liverpool scene, Roger Mc. Gough writes poetry of a performative nature and is therefore not just an accomplished poet but also a great entertainer In the work of Roger Mc. Gough, one can find poetry in one of its most appealing and approachable guises A prolific writer, he has published more than 50 books of adult and children’s poetry, as well as several plays

The Beatles connection � � � After attending the University of Hull to study French and geography, Mc. Gough dabbled as a pop singer and lyricist in the band the Scaffold Along with his two band mates, including Beatles-brother Mike Mc. Cartney, he earned minor fame for his song “Lily the Pink, ” which reached number one on the UK charts in 1968 He contributed to mainstream culture by assisting with the dialogue for the Beatles’ film The Yellow Submarine (1968), though his name did not appear in the credits

� � � As a poet, Mc. Gough came to national prominence through the publication of The Mersey Sound in 1967 The Mersey Sound is an anthology of poetry by three Liverpool poets: Mc. Gough, Brian Patten and Adrian Henri. It went on to sell over 500, 000 copies, becoming one of the bestselling poetry anthologies of all time The title of the anthology was a conscious association of the three Liverpool poets with the musical phenomenon caused by the eruption of the Beatles and associated bands from the same city, known collectively as the "Merseybeat"

Let Me Die a Youngman's Death � � One of Mc. Gough's early poems, Let Me Die a Youngman's Death (but not, as the poem states, before the poet reaches 73, 91 or 104 years of age), was included in a BBC anthology of the British nation's hundred favourite poems Roger Mc. Gough has been famously nicknamed 'the patron saint of poetry' by fellow writer and former Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy

Patron saint of poetry? � � Influenced by the Beat culture in the United States, Mc. Gough embraces freedom of expression through his poems’ subjects and verse structure He focuses primarily on the ordinary and every day, and his poetry is both accessible and popular Though approachable, Mc. Gough’s poetry also exhibits considerable depth. Mc. Gough considers poetry a form of subversion. He often uses various forms of humour, particularly wordplay, to confront serious topics in an effort to expose the subjectivity of reality

Examples ‘First Day at School’ A millionbillionwillion miles from home Waiting for the bell to go. (To go where? ) Why are they all so big, other children? So noisy? So much at home they Must have been born in uniform Lived all their lives in playgrounds Spent the years inventing games That don't let me in. Games That are rough, that swallow you up. And the railings. All around, the railings. Are they to keep out wolves and monsters? Things that carry off and eat children? Things you don't take sweets from? Perhaps they're to stop us getting out Running away from the lessins. Lessin. What does a lessin look like? Sounds small and slimy. They keep them in the glassrooms. Whole rooms made out of glass. Imagine. I wish I could remember my name Mummy said it would come in useful. Like wellies. When there's puddles. Yellowwellies. I wish she was here. I think my name is sewn on somewhere Perhaps the teacher will read it for me. Tea-cher. The one who makes the tea.

‘Q’ I join the queue We move up nicely. I ask the lady in front What are we queuing for. 'To join another queue, ' She explains. 'How pointless, ' I say, 'I'm leaving. ' She points To another long queue. 'Then you must get in line. ' I join the queue. We move up nicely

‘Let Me Die a Young Man’s Death’ Let me die a youngman's death not a clean and inbetween the sheets holywater death not a famous-last-words peaceful out of breath death When I'm 73 and in constant good tumour may I be mown down at dawn by a bright red sports car on my way home from an allnight party Or when I'm 91 with silver hair and sitting in a barber's chair may rival gangsters with hamfisted tommyguns burst in and give me a short back and insides Or when I'm 104 and banned from the Cavern may my mistress catching me in bed with her daughter and fearing for her son cut me up into little pieces and throw away every piece but one Let me die a youngman's death not a free from sin tiptoe in candle wax and waning death not a curtains drawn by angels borne 'what a nice way to go' death

Study questions � � � Identify and discuss the subjects of Mc. Gough’s poems. Does Mc. Gough’s general idea of ‘poetry as subversion’ apply to the three poems? Find analyse examples of wordplay in the texts. Which aspect of the modern/postmodern condition does ‘Q’ capture? In what ways is humour intertwined with sadness in ‘Let Me Die’?