This morning my shopkeeper a softly spoken man called
Abdullah said “We’re going to come see your show tonight”. I lit up “how many
tickets would you like”. After some discussion with his son and wife “may I
have four” he said “yes” I replied. I am over the moon. It cheers me up. It
takes about an hour to get to the theatre and I know how hard he works so it’s
an honour that he would come see the show.
I’ve been in mourning for my lost my ipod! But today I found an earlier model. I left the shop put on the headphones tuned
in and turned on. London swept past me like it were a slow
release camera shot of streaking brake lights on a motorway. Discover your inner ipod I say! I spent
the day at The Riverside Rooms in The Artist in Residence joint at The Southbank
Centre. At 6pm I dived onto the tube at embankment to Hammersmith.
The play is coming into it’s own. I am starting to really
enjoy it and hopefully so are the audience which sold out tonight. I returned home
at about 10.30pm and sat on the tube happy with myself at a job well done. Then I got the text. “Lemn. we came but they wouldn’t let us in.
They said there were no tickets under my name”. I had totally forgotton to put
his name on the door. I feel so bad.
I made the mistake of going online when I got home. An anonymous person sent in a link to an “in depth review” of my play in The
Times Literary Supplement. The reviewer Jane O’Grady pursues her singular point with vigour to the detriment of the play. And that is her right as reviewer, but in depth it isn’t. Time Out wrote fair
review too. Both are slightly Ouch. But hey it’s all part
of the deal isn’t it? I can handle it. And More importantly tomorrow I shall walk
in to the shop to see Abdullah and apologise.
that poor lady from the TLS, so traumatised at the thought you might not love her…. me thinks she is protesting too much…. still at least she finds you “Black, charismatic, attractive,”
Also,
“Noone would ever dream of putting on a one-man show entitled “why I don't hate black people”,
it might not be in the title but plenty of comedy focuses on what white people think of black people.
Pay her no mind… your words obviously hit the button.. keep up the good work Lemn
x
habesha woman
I read Jane O'Grady's piece and clearly she ws impressed by Lemn's verve and charisma. Her point seems to me that white people are presented with two equally
dead end despairing positions: they are either patronizingly over-friendly (the little old lady on the bus) or more straightforwardly racist. What should they do?
They should think about it!
And I is white.
Could peopl please sign their names when writing a note.
Lemn Sissay
Sorry, Lemn. My name's Daniel. I'm the anonymous who posted the link to The On-Line Review site and explained today what (I think) Jane O'Grady meant by the two positions which your show, not life, offered white people.
By the way I liked the music and your performance. Was The End rerecorded by you for the Apocalypse Now moment? I also liked the country cow-punk guitar with sliding barre chords denoting a redneck hoe down in Wigan! Good luck tonight
Daniel