About His Person

Simon Armitage: Chief Inspector of the Poetry Police

To paraphrase Pete Townshend, I take inspiration for my songwriting anyway, anyhow, anywhere I can. In the case of About His Person (No Gold or Silver), I quite shamelessly nicked someone else's words. When I say nicked, I borrowed Simon Armitage's poem About His Person. But not before I tried to get hold of Simon to ask if I could use his prose and that I wouldn't be recording it or putting it on my next million seller album: I would just be playing it in front of polite middle class folk/acoustic club audiences in my little part of the world.

The reply I received from his management company was so draconian (they wanted me to sign copyright contracts, disclaimer clauses and everything), I sort of gave up on the idea. Until earlier this week, when I spent a couple of days on it and turned it into, I think, a dark but poignant little ditty that leaves the listener asking questions; just like the poem, really.

But, as I say, I can't share the finished product with you: I wouldn't want the Poetry Police kicking my door in during one of their dawn raids.

However, I can share this little film with you. And, no, it's not my handwriting, nor is it my music.