Baldwin's Catholic Geese

by Keith Hutson

Overview

Keith Hutson’s debut collection, Baldwin’s Catholic Geese, looks at the delight and heartbreak of being human through the lens of beloved music hall and variety stars like Hylda Baker and Frankie Howerd, as well as less celebrated, now long-forgotten acts of the past: The Bryn Pugh Sponge Dancers, Macauley’s Leaping Infants, Willy Netta’s Singing Jockeys, and many more. Hutson’s vividly realised portraits bring back to life a whole cast of the extraordinary characters who have entertained us for over two centuries. Comedy is brought into sharp relief by hardship. His Baldwin’s Catholic Geese is a social history chronicle in poems, focusing on what it means for all of us who have to make the most of our luck – the good, the bad, and the bizarre. Keith Hutson has written for Coronation Street and for many well-known comedians. He has published two poetry pamphlets, Routines (2016) and Troupers (2018).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781780374567
Publisher:	Bloodaxe Books
Publication date:	02/21/2019
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	529 KB

About the Author

Keith Hutson has written for Coronation Street and for many well-known comedians. His award-winning poetry has been widely-published both in the UK and internationally. He plays to packed houses and was a 2018 Laureate’s Choice poet. He is a member of the Poetry Salzburg editorial board and delivers poetry and performance workshops in schools for the Prince’s Trust. A Mancunian by birth, Keith now lives in Halifax, West Yorkshire, where he is Poet-In-Residence at the Square Chapel Theatre. He has an MA (Poetry) from Manchester Metropolitan University. His two pamphlets, Routines (Poetry Salzburg, 2016) and Troupers (Smith|Doorstop, 2018) were followed by his first book-length collection, Baldwin's Catholic Geese, from Bloodaxe in 2019.

Table of Contents

The Opener 11

Juvenile 12

Coming On Strong 13

Revival 14

The Fish Fryer 15

No Contest 16

Lady Be Good 17

Hylda 18

Heart 20

Glasgow Empire 21

Bad Impresario 22

Accept No Imitations 23

Family Business 24

My Old Man 25

The Call of the Wild 26

Raising Steam 28

And They're Off! 29

Night Class 30

The World's Greatest Whistler 31

Morton Fraser's Harmaniacs 32

The Man with the Xylophone Skull 33

The Ray Conniff Singers 34

Tiddly Om Pom Pom 36

Slave Song 37

Straight Man 38

Frontiersman 39

The Reluctant Sitter 40

Anthony Howell and His Disenchanted Sow 42

Largesse 43

The Art of Hunger 44

Praise Poem 45

Zazel, The Shooting Star! 46

Without a Net 47

Dr Zhivago 48

Power Sharing 49

The Dancing Quakers 50

Inextricable 51

The Audience 52

Exotica 54

Widow Twankey 55

Burlington Bertie 56

Out from Under 57

Mary Poppins 58

Self Help 59

Saddled 60

Better Out Than In 61

Beyond Belief 62

Crowd Control 63

Engagement 64

Controlled Explosion 65

Le Pétomane 66

Castrato 67

Tragedian 68

Nightmare Scenario 69

Lo! Hear the Gentle Lark 70

Foreign Exchange 71

Counter Culture 72

Brass Band 73

Pleasure Craft 74

Response 75

Bad Rap 76

Roughage 77

Three Sightings of Batman 78

The Hard Stuff 80

Little Wonder 81

Go Gentle 82

Street Cred 83

The Man Who Killed Houdini 84

Here's Looking at You 85

Lament 86

Buccaneer 87

Double Act 88

Scandal 89

Vintage 90

Clever Bugger 91

Civic Theatre 92

Hostess Trolley 93

Dumbing Up 94

Town Crier 95

Light Brigade 96

Speech Coach 97

A Funny Thing Happened… 98

Dun Roamin' 99

Confidence Trick 100

Caretaker 101

Immense 102

Above All 103

Vera 104

Eleven, Plus 105

Stepping Out 106

The Belly Dancers of Burnage 107

Crossing the Floor 108

The Highland Live-Wire 109

Hostilities 110

I'm Here Alt Week! 112

All the Rage 113

Chanteur 114

Memory Man 116

Soul Mates 117

That's Your Lot 118

Notes 119

Bibliography 127