Poetry Archives - Iron Man Records

John Sinclair (1941-2024) Last of the Beatnik Warrior Poets and Cultural Revolutionary has passed away at 82. The work must go on

23 November 2024Mark

“Rock N Roll music is a weapon of cultural revolution. There are not enough musicians around today who are hip to this fact” John Sinclair is best known as the Sixties "marijuana" activist who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for giving two joints to an undercover policewoman. He was eventually freed when John Lennon and Yoko Ono spoke out on his behalf. Less understood is his role as the founder and chairman of the radical anti-war group, The White Panther Party, an offshoot of the Black Panthers. The Black Panther Party was a militant political organization formed after the brutal murders of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Robert…

John Sinclair – Renegade Poet, Beatnik and Cultural Revolutionary

23 November 2024Mark

Immortalized by John Lennon’s 1972 song that bears his name, Sinclair is an iconic figure of ‘60s counterculture, famous for, among other things, having co-founded the anti-racist White Panther Party and for managing Detroit’s legendary proto-punk outfit MC5 early in its history. Following a highly publicized two-year stint in prison for marijuana possession (Lennon’s song was a protest against his incarceration), Sinclair has stuck to his guns as an advocate for marijuana reform. “Living Euro to Euro, sleeping on the couches and extra beds of friends, a man without a country and a post office box in New Orleans for a permanent address.” That's how spoken word poet John Sinclair describes…

Save Acocks Green Library

14 March 2024Mark

Libraries are great for many reasons, and the importance of Acocks Green Library extends far beyond just being a repository of books. The Library was built in 1932, so it’s nearly 100 years old. Acocks Green Library was built in modernised Georgian style, in sandstone bricks and Grinshill stone. The City's Coat of Arms is over the main door. The internal joinery is of oak, including substantial areas of glazed oak framing, and the floors and dados in the entrance hall are terrazzo. The building was refurbished 1994-5. Acocks Green Library, like all the local Libraries across Birmingham, provides important services for the local community. Here’s some of the reasons why…

Sinead O’Brien – European Tour 2022

11 September 2022Mark

“You have seen nothing yet”, asserts Sinead O’Brien in single Girlkind – and you are inclined to believe her. Building on her arresting releases since 2018, the multifaceted Irish poet, songwriter and performer is ascending into new territory with her debut LP, Time Bend and Break the Bower, released via Chess Club Records. Demanding a visceral response from her audiences, O’Brien issues a challenge to those who would box her music inside a notion of tradition. Instead, the artist’s poetry – a constant, active absorption of how people speak, communicate and clash in the era we are living through – is an essential clarion call heard in the future. Communing at…

Framework Recording Studios, Birmingham

30 September 2021Mark

Iron Man Records works with Simon Reeves at Framework Recording Studios, a purpose built recording studio based in Birmingham, just outside the clean air zone. Simon specialises in recording, mixing and mastering. Framework Recording Studios UNIT 8A, Western Industrial Complex, Western Road, Birmingham, B18 7QD Bookings: Telephone (UK+44) 07790 158210 email [email protected] The vast majority of the 40,000 songs uploaded daily to Spotify are home recordings. For artists and songwriters to share content at a fast and frequent pace, it makes sense to sharpen your music production. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune to employ a top producer to help you capture something creative. Better production creates a stronger impression…

Church of Burn’s ‘Festival of Money’ 22-24th JULY 2021 at The Cockpit, London

4 May 2021Mark

The Company of Church of Burn is staging a three day Festival of Money at The Cockpit, London on 22-24th JULY 2021. Church of Burn's 'Festival of Money' Film, Seminars, Talks, Poetry, Dance, Social Dreaming & more. Church of Burn will conduct a Synod, Service & Ritual each evening. Tickets May. Stay tuned. https://churchofburn.org Alongside seminars, talks, social dreaming matrixes, poetry & movement, art, film, performance and more - around the theme of money and sacrifice - we’ll be staging a Church of Burn event on each of the three evenings. It looks likely we’ll have reduced capacity in order to adhere to social distancing rules. However, the event itself will…

Bringing The Inside Out – Words and poems of people living in, working in and visiting care and nursing homes

3 February 2021Mark

'I would urge Health and Wellbeing Boards, Clinical Commissioning Groups, NHS memory clinics, social care services and charities, along with the rest of us, to please listen and consider how poetry and other art forms can positively impact the wellbeing and quality of life for those with a dementia and the people who care for them.' Paul M. Camic, Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health Bringing The Inside Out 2020 Hear the real lived experience of carers, people experiencing a dementia living in care homes, and relatives about their experience of the pandemic. "Bringing The Inside Out" is a publication which includes the powerful words of people with a…

Warrior Beings – Moksha

30 December 2020Mark

Michelle ‘Moksha’ Watson has published a new book of her poems called ‘Warrior Beings.’ In case you wondered, Michelle is an Iron Man Records Patron and all round supporter of the cause. ‘Warrior Beings’ is the first solo collection of poetry by Michelle Watson, aka ‘Moksha Poetess’. It’s a beautifully produced volume, laid out with style by Slim Smith. It’s set out in five chapters (‘Self’, ‘Heart’, ‘Ikigai’, ‘Cut and Paste’ and ‘Light’), each illustrated with her striking visual art. Michelle has been a spoken word artist and singer songwriter on the London and Festival scene for over two decades, as well as producing a number of transformative theatrical happenings. Including:…