Poet Jan Brierton brings Wild Words, a live celebration of the everyday power of poetry and prose, to Dublin's historic Ambassador Theatre for one night only this November.
For this night of poetry, spoken word and stories, Jan will read from her acclamed collections What Day Is It? and Everybody Is A Poem, with special guests Donna Ashworth, PJ Gallagher and Emmet Kirwan.
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Listen: Ray D'Arcy talks to Jan Brierton
We asked Jan for her choice cultural picks...
FILM
Donyale Luna: Super Model. Having worked in the fashion industry over 20 years, I am always fascinated by real life stories of designers, models and creatives. Until watching this I had never heard of Donyale Luna and so what a thrill to discover her story.
Told by her daughter through Lunas’s drawings, letters and stories from her scrap books and diary. Lunas is a story of a remarkable rise in the fashion industry against the back drop of racial discrimination, at a time when there virtually no opportunities for non-white faces in fashion. The film is so visually rich, featuring beautiful images, and clips from the worlds of fashion, film music and art.
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MUSIC
On constant rotation in my ‘kitchen disco’ are Little Simz and Cooper T.
Little Simz Drop 7 - a 7-track ep, it’s an audio collage of hip hop, beats, dance beats, all layered with Little Simz flows. I love Simz' lyrics, witty smart and her flow is effortless.
‘I’m cold like the drink you’re gonna buy me’, from Cooper T’s single Original - this song is full of some of the best one-liners I’ve ever heard. It’s a sarcastic spoken word track over catchy hooks and beats from two self-proclaimed Manchester ‘musical misfits’'.
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BOOK
John Cooper Clarke, I Wanna Be Yours. John is a hero of mine and I’ve had the pleasure of opening up for him the last time he performed in Dublin. He is THE best storyteller, and so it’s no surprise that this memoir is jam-packed with some brilliant stories from his extraordinary life. His adventures in poetry, fashion, music and his well-documented drug addiction. I can’t help but hear John’s accent in my head when I’m reading his words.
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THEATRE
Accents by Emmet Kirwan. I saw this play during its run in the Project Arts Centre. Emmet Kirwan is one of Ireland's most gifted writers and spoken word artists. He writes and performs powerfully and emotionally alongside the most incredible soundscape created by the late Eoin French.
In Accents, Kirwan riffs on capitalism, class, family and fatherhood. I was thinking about it for days after.
Emmet recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of his stage play Dublin Old School, another incredible piece of writing. The story really resonated with me; the relationship between Jason and Daniel brought to mind my own complex relationship with my brother. The play was adapted into a film in 2018.
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TV
Brassic – from episode 1, season 1, I wanted to be in Vinny’s gang. I am currently rewatching all the seasons of Brassic before I watch the new series (6)
Set in northern England, Brassic is a comedy drama created by the brilliant Joe Gilgun and Danny Brocklehusrt. Vinny (Gilgun) and his band of merry men chase the next ‘big job’ in each episode. Always full of mischief, slapstick action and fast-moving storylines, each episode manages to have me laughing at the gang’s outrageous carry-ons. I love Joseph Gilgun's face on screen, there is such a softness and vulnerability to Vinny. Along with Gilgun, Bronagh Gallagher as Carol is perfection.
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GIG
The next one is Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds in November. I worship at the alter of Nick Cave and the bad Seeds. His live gigs are transformative and there is a real reverence among the audience. They have just released a new album which they are touring, The Wild God. And so, I can’t wait for these 2 dates in November. I’ll go to both!
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ART
Tracey Emin is an artist I admire, fearless and vulnerable at once. There is such power in her most recent work. I love the confessional and confrontational nature of her work. I am in London for a couple of days this month and plan to get to the White Cube gallery to see some of her new pieces.
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PODCAST
The Rest Is Entertainment - Richard Osman and Marina Hyde are the best double act. I’ve just recently found this twice weekly podcast, and I LOVE it. Each episode gives a sharp insight into pop culture, lifting the curtain to show us behind the scenes of media, from two incredibly knowledgeable and well-placed commentators not afraid to ask their own industry contacts about certain hot topics.
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TECH
I am a bit of a dinosaur when it comes to tech. But I love Instagram – it’s the only social media app that I engage with every day. It’s given me a platform to share my poems with a wide audience and because I have always communicated visually for work, I can find great inspiration for shoots and creative ideas.
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The TFI Live App is the only other app I check daily. I don’t drive and rely on public transport to move me around the city. This app is more reliable than even the digital signs at bus stops!
THE NEXT BIG THING...
Zaho de Sagazan... Theres some songs that I think cannot be touched, they should NOT be covered. David Bowie's Modern Love is one of them. BUT Zaho de Sagazan's version is perfection, I think Bowie would approve. Shere ally has managed to keep the sensibility of the original and yet still putting her own stamp on it. . .. seek it out! It never fails to get me moving. Zaho is playing in the Academy next February and I’ve already got my tickets! She is definitely one to watch.
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Jan Brierton brings Wild Words to the Ambassador Theatre, Dublin on November 28th - find out more here.
