What makes a poem scary? Can poetry capture the horrors of childhood, and why do some of the things that frightened us when we were young stay with us for life?
This week on Scarred for Life, we’re joined by the brilliant Robin Ince who's returning for another wonderfully wide-ranging conversation about horror, poetry, creativity and the things that leave a lasting impression on us.
Robin talks about his love of writing poetry, from celebrating horror legends like Peter Cushing to exploring childhood anxiety, loneliness and the experience of being the quiet kid at school. He even treats us to readings of some of his own work, including a moving poem about the love between Peter Cushing and his wife, Helen, and a powerful piece about finding your place in the world....and of course, a little ditty about Killer Crabs - the musical he just did for one night only with Josie Long and Reece Shearsmith at Latitude Festival.
We also explore the darker side of poetry, including Edgar Allan Poe, William Blake and the gothic imagery that makes certain poems genuinely unsettling. Robin shares his thoughts on why poetry is often misunderstood, how the way we’re taught literature at school can kill our enthusiasm for it, and why you don’t need to follow a set of rules to call yourself a poet.
And because this is Scarred for Life, there’s plenty of horror along the way. Robin shares his childhood fascination with horror films, including the book that introduced him to the genre at just eight years old, and tells us about his gloriously chaotic theatrical readings and musical performances inspired by Guy N. Smith’s killer-crab novels, including Night of the Crabs.
We also get into the future of creativity, the rise of artificial intelligence, and why Robin believes we should be more concerned about human greed and the people controlling technology than the technology itself.
#RobinInce #ScarredForLife #ScaryPoetry #HorrorFilms #PeterCushing #EdgarAllanPoe #GothicHorror #Poetry #ClassicHorror #BritishHorror
🎃 Welcome to a very special Scarred for Life Halloween episode.
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Produced and edited by Nikki Druce @NikkiMacabreLondon
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