Round 5: Art

Soldiers and contour drawing

This was a difficult couple of weeks for me. Music and particular punk are very important to me, they pulled me into art and adulthood. Critical distance is important, but Katrina's poem was a challenge which I wanted to take on. Since Peter Saville designed the Unknown pleasures album cover and Jamie Reid made cut ups Punks means of communication I was never going to look at the world in the same way. Punk and its consequent waves of influence, and our early relationship are forever entwined.

Round 4: Poetry

Jubilee

Punk’s gobby charm largely passed me by,

lost in a chasm between disco and metal.

I’ll admit to a headbanger award at Dreamland,

(a 50’s frock in a sea of denim), split ends thrashing

to Mötorhead’s Overkill; yet, still too shy

to compete as a disco champ, unlike Emin.  

And while I flitted between the pages of Sounds,

you were NME. I shouldn’t sneer; we got together

to Smash It Up, never to be DLT’s kind of couple.

And while I loved the women’s spikes and chains,

who could afford ‘Sex’ on the Kings Road?

And I saw Rotten once with PIL (so much better

than the Pistols) he walked off after 20 minutes.

I disliked him then and now. This is heresy to you,

with your three pairs of bondage trousers,

your home-stencilled Combat shirts –

I knew no one like you in Margate. And now,

Reid’s pins hold a number to a marathon vest,

punters paying to advertise two companies

for 3 hours, 39 minutes. Today, you’ll thread

a safety pin through your lapel. And while I dance

to Sister Sledge, I’ll loosen my hair for the Sabbath.

Katrina Naomi 11 May 2012