Today’s show preview and interview is with poet, performer, broadcaster and all-round legend Roger McGough.
Needing little introduction, McGough has been active in literature since 1959, publishing over 100 poetry books for adults and children. He has been described as “the godfather of modern poetry.”
As one of the Liverpool Poets, he was part of Penguin’s series of books with The Mersey Sound in 1967, alongside Adrian Henri and Brian Patten, which remains one of the bestselling poetry anthologies of all time.
His poem The Sound Collector has been adapted into a musical, stopping off at the OSO in Barnes, West London, this month.
Where: OSO Arts Centre
When: 11-12 May 2024
Ticket link: https://osoarts.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173654661
I chatted to Roger to find out more. My thanks to him for finding a gap in his busy schedule.
It’s lovely to speak with you to chat about The Sound Collector. I’ve always felt the poem to be a bit sinister, to be honest, but very enjoyable.
Yes, it’s funny, I’ve heard that before. It’s interesting how popular it is with children in schools. My Twitter is always full of schools asking when I am going to do it again.
The Sound Collector, he goes around stealing things, taking things. You know he’s a baddie, but ..
Why make it into a stage musical? Where did the idea come from?
I did a musical recently, Money-Go-Round, set in the wild wood, based on The Wind in the Willows. It was one of the first books I really loved. I played Mr Badger in a school production.
I wrote the lyrics for an American production on Broadway. All sorts of things. Always loved it. So I did Money-Go-Round, and it worked very well.
So it got me thinking, I enjoyed doing that, what else have I got? I’d actually done a version of The Sound Collector years ago for another London company. Quite a different show with two ladies living next door to each other. So I was thinking about what’s going on today.
As you know, there’s a blind musician in this version, a piano player, but that didn’t come first. I was more interested in the girl next door, Topsy, who is an influencer, and being so much aware of children.
So much conversation today is about kids and their phones, and how it’s competitive, and everyone feels they’re trotting on the edge of failure. It’s a horrible thing.
Who is The Sound Collector in this situation? Children should hopefully go away feeling they can support each other, and don’t be fooled by what you see. Conversations are far more important that what’s on the screen.
You’re working with Steve [Halliwell] and Jonny [Dansiger] again with Jam Jar Productions. What’s the process of writing and devising the show like between the three of you?
We work very well together. I write the thing like a play, and send to Steve, who puts it to music. We might change a bit here and there. Sometimes, I have a vague tune in my head.
Jonny is a young director. Very good. He comes in and is very good on the tech side of things. I’m so un-tech! He’s a sound man as well, so he loves all that. The Sound Collector is very much up his street. He’s very clever and has lots of ideas.
We all have our way of seeing things. I leave it to them when it comes to casting. When I was in New York as the librettist for this American production, I sat in during the auditions. Each person was great. They could sing and dance.
We had a professional auditioner in the company. We liked someone, but she had instinct about who would work in an ensemble. For me, it was a bit like ‘bloody hell’ it’s nothing to do with the best people. I didn’t like being involved.
Here, it’s very different. It’s who is the best for the role. I can’t say one person is better than another. I leave that to Steve. Then, when Jonny, our director, works with them on stage, I very much stand back.
We tend to agree on who we choose but he knows more about their acrobatic ability, for example. But everyone is so good. They can come a long way for an audition and it’s awful to say ‘sorry you don’t quite fit’.
Tell me a bit about how the sound works in this production.
It’s instinct. Jonny is doing a lot of that. We maybe got a bit carried away on the first show. There was too much of it. How much do you leave for children to imagine? If we talk about the waves coming in on the sand, do you need to hear the waves? The sound is probably already there in your head.
We’re still learning as we go along, really. We have had one show so far, in Sale. Interesting to see how the children reached to it. They got really involved and they were hissing and all that.
There’s only two people in it. They didn’t know how it would be received, it was a surprise to them.
Jonny is very good on the sound. It’s an immersive sort of show with lights and sound. We talked about the things he missed himself. It’s all about the senses.
Why bring it to this venue in Barnes?
I know it well and love it. I’m a supporter and ambassador of it. And it’s round the corner! When I wrote it, my first thought was to go bigger, but then no, go round the corner!
That’s great. Now, you’re known for so many things. Obviously the poems but also The Scaffold and Lily the Pink. So how would you most like to be remembered?
Generously! Actually, I’ve got a book of collected poems coming out in June [order here].
I’ve been working a lot on that when I haven’t been sound collecting. Going through reams and reams of proofs. Probably the poetry, really. Maybe I should do something between now and then …
My favourite poem of yours is The Leader ….
Yes, that never goes away, does it? It was published in 1979 and speaks to everyone.
Is there anything else you want to say about The Sound Collector?
We’ve made some physical changes since Sale, and Steve’s added some more music with more sound behind the music, some orchestrations and not just a piano.
After Barnes, it goes on to Glastonbury and so on. We’ve learned things from it. It’s a great little cast, and we’re looking forward to doing it.