EP33 - A MAN OF LETTERS - Repeat Beat Poet

Writer, spoken word artist, journalist, DJ, historian, researcher, poet, slam poet, life-long student. Peter deGraft-Johnson is The Repeat Beat Poet, aka PJ, and Mr. Loose Egusi (his afrobeat DJ name). Talking about flâneurs, Argentinian funk, plumbing, and other random things. Slam poetry is a fake-competitive parlour game of poetry, where two poets go head to head in front of a very vocal and involved audience. The line between poets and rappers has gotten thin. Poetic writing can elevate theatre, drama, film, music - The right words, in the right order, being delivered in the right way. We feel faster than we can think. Poetic constructs can deliver emotions and meaning. How the church and spirituality forged PJ’s creativity. Music in the church was formative, recorder, clarinet, piano, jazz piano, drums, percussion, guitar, singing, saxophone. Bill Legend from the famous rock band T-Rex taught PJ drums. Essex legend Scroobius Pip was a big inspiration for PJ’s writing, also Kae Tempest, Saul Williams and East-coast 90s hip hop. How George Bush’s foreign policy inspired the ten year old PJ’s first poetry. A poem isn’t finished until it’s read aloud and responded to. The struggle to make poetry a full time job and income. Why did he have to go to London to find the poetry scene he wanted? Re-discovering your birthplace, and the city you grew up in. Big up Chelmsford Forgotten facebook group. A yacht getting stuck in Chelmsford viaduct united the city in comedy. Big up Thirst Drinks Syndicate, Matt Chinnery and Danny Bounce playing African music on vinyl with PJ at Loose Egusi - the name itself is a triple pun, too much for our humble brains! If you’re interested in poetry, speak to teachers at school (if you’re young), find a local poetry night, or look online to watch videos. Sangita is going to write some poetry and perform at Waxes Lyrical - Ethan she has committed! PJ reads his poem about Chelmsford ‘Questions for my City’ which is on display at The Meadows shopping centre Chelmsford.

Repeat Beat Poet
Loose Egusi

Are You Creative? recorded by Adam at Lawker Media, Chelmsford, ESSEX
Edited by Nick Hearne
Artwork by Alpaca Antenna

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Thanks to NGDA for their support

Recorded in Chelmsford, Essex, UK