Joycean Pharmacy Splendiferousness

I mentioned in passing that I got to give a first public reading of a "poem to dissuade" in public there this week. It was in Joycean setting "Sweny's pharmacy", which you can read all about here . The event was the brainchild of Pearse McGloughlin, who you'll all remember is this week's guest on the Sunday Scrapbook - the show will be listenable here after this Sunday. Anyway - having accepted the invite to appear on my show, Pearse delighted me by asking me to return the favour at this inaugural experimental event.

It was an intimate gig. There were 13 of us there, including those performing and camera men (14 if you include the forbidding looking trench coated, mustachioed, behatted, shop dummy that stood at the door with a "Private Party" sign). Kalle Ryan and Pearse kicked things off with a reading of the part of Ullyses that mentions Buck Mulligan's appearance in Sweny's. Then Kalle took the floor with a great poem dwelling on the hole in the floor, and rounding off with his list of Do's and Don'ts for Casper Ryan - and Casper was there in person to gurgle his agreement or otherwise with the advice. (Casper and Kalle can be found in the scrapbook archives too with their show on the theme of family - over here)

Next up was Barry of "the blue choir" fame, complete with indie issue woolly hat, and fresh from a successful turn around Castlepalooza, he filled the bottles and jars of the place with his warm and lovely tunes and played a quirky take on his imagining of God's discovery of him working out the lotto numbers.

I was on after that. It was funny playing to such a small crowd, felt like I made eye contact with everyone twice during each poem. (Except the dummy, who was stubbornly faced the other way) I got to say my "Poem which attempts to dissuade you from bringing your Geranium to Boots" and I had a little tribute to Casper as well in the shape of my poem about babies being sound poets.

Pearse got up next and gave us his new song - "Mercedes and the Kingfisher" - which he will also be playing on the Scrapbook show as well. It is a gorgeous flight of impossibility and shows off his impressive vocal range to great advantage, a pleasure to listen to.

Lastly Kalle rounded the night off, with Pearse playing backing music - Kalle read out the original "When Harry met Sally scene" with Molly Bloom getting all hot and bothered with her heaving bosoms at the end of Ullyses, Yes Yes YES!!!

Twas a great idea for a Wednesday evening, a quick and early concentrated shot of niceness and fun. Proceeds go to keep this lovely little shop going - the hat was passed around. Hopefully Pearse will organise a few more of em... maybe someone will even eventually sing, the song, you know, that song, the famous Joycean number click here for it - go to 1 min 5 seconds for the good stuff.