THE 60s was a very creative period in England and especially in music.
Those of a certain age would remember a Liverpool outfit called The Scaffold who had a surprise number one hit in 1968 with Lily The Pink, a charming comic folk song.
The Scaffold comprised John Gorman, Mike McGear (whose real name was Peter Michael McCartney, the brother of Beatle Paul McCartney) and Roger McGough.
The Scaffold were described as a comedy, poetry and music trio and McGough went on to make a name for himself as a performance poet.
He recently appeared at Nottingham Playhouse and I took the opportunity to purchase Selected Poems: Roger McGough (Penguin Books) which provided a perfect illustration of his many talents as a wordsmith.
McGough studied at the University of Hull at a time when Philip Larkin, widely regarded as one of the country’s greatest poets, was a librarian there.
His credentials as a poet are excellent, he is an international ambassador for poetry and was awarded the CBE for services to literature in 2004. In 2001 he was honoured with the Freedom of the City of Liverpool.
McGough’s wonderful Scouse humour abounds through this collection in which he examines all walks of life from the mundane to the ridiculous.
‘Love in the Laundrette’, ‘”What does your father do?’ and ‘The Lesson’ are particular favourites.
There also is a fair amount of social comment included and some poignant reminders of our mortality.