'Goodbye to the Madhouse' IS OUT NOW in all good records shops and online ( HMVonline)
The extraordinary story of this album’s making is told in the August 2007 issue of Rock’n’Reel, be sure to pick up a copy!
The new McDermotts Two Hours album Goodbye To The Madhouse will be released on 20th August 2007 by www.onthefiddlerecordings.com The album will be distributed by folk specialist www.properdistribution.com and will be available in all good record stores and I-tunes. Please keep checking back for information.
This is a poem from Nick's new book 'All Kinds of Disorder'. The book comes with a CD of 5 poems where Nick has worked with Jon Sevink of the The Levellers.
If you want to buy it then copies (including CD, p&p) are only £5.00.
Please make cheques payable to Tommy McDermotts Theatre
24 Egremont Place
Brighton
BN2 0GA
(01273 609121)
The Power of Prayer
We have new neighbours.
They keep parking on old Ford
with no tax disc on the sidewalk.
They come back drunk at three
in the morning and row over the television.
Steve wears a leather and torn jeans.
Leila's about nineteen: long dark hair,
too much mascara and short skirts
It's only a six month let.
But they keep the kids up.
I can see we're going to have words.
My wife tells me no.
She wasn't in last week
when this stranger was shouting on the doorstep
for some money they owed him
and Steve came down and beat him up.
Worse. They keep screwing about dawn.
She squeals and moans and shrieks.
He grunts like he's hitting a heavy backhand.
The wall shakes. But I don't think they notice.
Then the kids are up playing Pirate Ships.
I get a lot of headaches
and keep falling asleep at work.
I'm not what you call religious
but sometimes when all else fails
I get down on my knees
and beg for some kind of release.
I've seen them do it often:
come out of the house, rowing.
Steve gets in his car, pulls out and revs up
while Leila slams the door and lingers
on the sidewalk, biting her lip.
When we moved in
the agent called it a busy tree-lined street
which serves as a main bus route.
The old Ford wrapped itself
round our beech tree with the birdfeed
I haul in with a walking-stick. The horn jammed.
Steve's head came though the windscreen.
But his legs were mashed inside the chasis.
Leila leaped back into the doorway
with a few cuts. Some people
on the double-decker bus puked up.
We went out to help.
But there was nothing to be done.
The funeral's next week.
At the crematorium.
Leila says that she won't be staying on.
I told her I'm sorry for what happened
And I've been down to confess.
But this is what I worked for,
this is what I have to protect.
I think if he'd fot the chance
Steve would have understood that.
For more information about the book and recordClick here to go to the McDermott's website
