At first look and listen Rick and his brand of performance poetry might seem a bit ballsy and belligerent. Righteous, chip paper written rants on the state of society. Scratch the surface though and you'll find a sensitive sage, a watcher, a man who sees through the surfaces of the human condition. This is born in part from places of suffering which he opens up about in the article. Though, those experiences have also sent kindness and humour coursing through his resilient veins. I'm braver for knowing him and I’m sure you will be too.
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Rick
I’m Rick, aka ‘Macca the Poet’, as I like to call myself on the spoken word circuit. A proud Yorkshireman, originally from Leeds, and have been complaining on the streets of London since the vintage year of 2014.
I’m getting involved in the project as I think it’s a great idea to showcase the faces of the poetry scene and the stories behind the work. I met Tim at an open mic night at Orbit Brew last year and he told me about WSR, as well as his love for film photography – I’m also a big fan of analogue photography so naturally this felt like a great project to be involved in.
It’s also good to share the struggles and the stuff people don’t really see as it can help people in similar situations. Life can be shit so it’s good to reflect, write and do something positive, and creative at the same time.
This project spoke to me on a personal level, as I’ve had type one diabetes since 1998 (the year of the best World Cup) and writing and performing are a bit of an outlet for that. Part of my ongoing recovery from T1D (and the impact it has on my mental health) has been writing and the poetry has helped me find an escape from what is a shitty thing to live with. I wouldn’t say any of the poems are directly about living with a medical condition but there’s times when either feeling pretty low or sat in a hospital waiting room, the more depressing side of my writing rears its head. Other than that, it’s just my usual disgust at the monotony of life, overpriced pints and the rich taking from the poor.
Speaking of pints, boozing can also be an outlet for me and I often reflect about what life might have been like if I took health more seriously… (but is there really owt wrong with a nice cold pint?!) But anyway, that’s one of the main reasons this poem feels meaningful to me and relevant to the themes of addiction, sobriety curiosity and recovery.
The Day Alcohol Ruined My Life
Imagine all the things I could have been
And all the places I could have seen
Everything I ever wanted
Drank away in a distant dream
Regretting the days
I never got clean
The day alcohol ruined my life
Imagine all the books I could have read
All those words now left unsaid
I went out and got pissed instead
Fell down the stairs and broke my leg
10 pints and I’m ready for bed
The day alcohol ruined my life
Mad for it Mondays
Two-for-one Tuesdays
Wet your whistle Wednesdays
Thirsty Thursdays
Back on the lash on Friday
Just some of the days
Alcohol ruined my life
I could have been professional footballer
One of the greats
And Leeds United’s top scorer
Up there with Barclaysmen
Tony Yeboah and David Ginola
Sponsored by Adidas and Diadora
Scored an overhead kick
From a fucking corner
Until the day alcohol ruined my life
I should have been a movie star
Champagne and caviar
Me and Arnie in the Terminator
Sunset strip and the boulevard
Cocaine, hookers and fast cars
Enough money to fly to Mars
Until the day alcohol ruined my life
The day alcohol ruined my life
I lost my kids
And lost my wife
I woke up in East Fife
On the day
Alcohol ruined my life
On the Writing Process
I suppose as most writers will say, there’s no set process. I don’t sit down in a room with ambient mood lighting, put on my reader’s glasses and put pen to paper. Most of my poems are written from an observation or thought. A sentence or two comes to my head and it unfolds from there, it could be done in a day or a week. Sometimes I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and write a stanza or two in my notes app. But usually it’s something that’s annoyed me. Classic grumpy Yorkshireman vibes.
For example, my poem Tooting was written after I’d just got back to London from Leeds and I was getting on the blue bullet (Viccy Line) with my luggage and could barely get on. Not only that, it’s not like up north where you wait in the queue for the bus and get on in order, I was waiting right next to the door for the train but somehow still was cast aside like the fish and chip paper I had lobbed in the bin earlier on. In my head I just thought ‘up north there’s this thing called queuing, down south it looks more like chuffing looting’ then the poem just evolved from there.
Most stuff just comes naturally on the commute in, or out of work. Sometimes at the boozer. ‘Same’ was inspired by hearing the same conversations over and over again. So, stuff like that just comes to me and then I take it from there.
Everything is also pretty DIY for me. As a writer (or creative) it’s nice to get your work out there physically, as well as on the socials. That’s why I started creating my own zines and it was also an opportunity to combine shots I’d taken on my 35mm film camera, which helps bring them to life. And in some ways, images are more powerful when the words are with them. This then spiralled into me creating a proper printed pamphlet via Burley Fischer Books and it was nice to see it stocked on their shelves.
The writing is also a good coping mechanism, or maybe even a distraction and escape from the day-to-day. When you live through any pain, torment, heartbreak, addiction, depression, writing down how you feel can help.
Respect to anyone out there going through struggles, you’re not alone.
Favourite poets, poetry nights, books or other resources:
I’d say my favourite poet is Dr John Cooper Clarke, his work is what I really resonate with and love how he writes. It’s real, working class and gritty.
I also like the fact that he used to perform at gigs before the likes of Joy Division back in the Madchester days, mixing spoken word with the music scene, and pioneering punk poetry.
In terms of the poetry nights, I’ve been to some good across London and met great people through them. Always like Lost Souls as it’s a good vibe down there, with a good mix of people. Orbit Beers is a good one, Av a Word is another I like, was lucky enough to have Rich Bliss ask me to feature there earlier this year.
I’ve done Testing Ground a couple of times as well, over in my old neck of the woods, Mile End. There’s loads more I need to try get to as well.
@PulsePoetryOfficial is a good resource on IG for anyone looking for poetry nights – so many going on so fill your boots. Best thing to do is get out there and find some that you like and just give a bash.
Anything else you’d like to add/in closing:
Remember “ear all, see all, say nowt; eyt all, sup all, pay nowt; and if ivver tha does owt fer nowt – allus do it fer thissen” – A Yorkshireman’s Proverb.
Postscript
Tim: When I met with Rick he took a tidy portrait of me that I thought I’d share to demonstrate his prowess with a camera. It was the first time he’d held a Hasselblad which can be a fickle mistress and he nailed it. Despite the dodgy subject matter!
Write Speak Recover, in collaboration with TheNeverPress is an open, free collection of original portraits of poets using their art to find strength in their recovery journey from any form of dis-ease.
We invite you to follow Write Speak Recover on Instagram and to reach out to Tim Foley at WSR or us directly at the zine to learn more, or put yourself forward to be featured in this initiative.
Hit the logo for more Write Speak Recover content 👇
If you need support, here are some resources:
Samaritans
Alcohol Change
Recovery Dharma
Alcoholics Anonymous
This article was brought to you by Tim Foley and Graham Thomas.