Storytelling: On Common Ground - the Life and Times of John Clare

Today, wouldya believe it, I was back with the Crick Crack Club! This was a live-streamed event from King's Place, which I booked last Christmas (!), and which took place at the venue: but with the live streaming, I asked for my ticket to be changed to a virtual one. After all, the Irish government wouldn't let me go back in time for it! (Well, they would've, but I'd have had to quarantine upon coming back to Ireland. And even if I did do that, I don't want to risk it, as I'm living with my elderly mother.) Means I had to miss this weekend's London Social Detours Meetup, which this week was today, but what the hey. Anyway, the storytelling was On Common Ground - The Life and Times of John Clare, as told by Hugh Lupton.

So, no special link required - I just had to log onto my account on the King's Place website. I joined the live stream a minute or two late, would you believe - even with 0 commuting time! - but never mind, storytelling never starts on the dot, and I joined the others waiting. People joined gradually - at the most, there were 66 people on the stream.

In due course, we saw the venue - Ben Haggarty was MC-ing, and oh, what a joy to see him stride across the stage! Even in a mask (which he soon removed). Some heads were visible in the audience - it was hard to see what they'd done about social distancing, but it looked as though some chairs had been removed. In Hall Two, where this took place, the chairs are free-standing, which makes it easier. Anyway, I half expected Ben to break into the Crick Crack chant, but he didn't - perhaps self-conscious about all the people watching online, whom he couldn't see.

Hugh came on in a more self-effacing manner, confiding in us how good it was to be back storytelling after six months! Now, he specialises in tales of olde England.. and today's tale had to do with enclosures. So he explained to us how John Clare lived at the time of what he called the Second Enclosure, at the end of the 18th / beginning of the 19th Century, when what had been common ground for centuries was suddenly fenced off, for the express use of the gentry, while the common folk lost a common source of income, losing the ability to feed livestock on commonage.

He draws a direct comparison between that and what happened after the Norman conquest, with what was called the "forestation" of England - where before had been the greenwood, used by all for game and firewood, now the forests were owned by the gentry, and common folk who were caught hunting, or collecting brushwood there, would be crippled or killed. Hence the stories of Robin Hood, as he explained, who represents the common man, living in the greenwood, and fighting the establishment, in the form of the Sheriff of Nottingham. Clare, in fact, apparently wrote a couple of Robin Hood stories himself.

And so, back to Clare. Hugh wove an absolutely spellbinding, poetic version of his lifestory, his love of the countryside, and his love for the daughter of a local landowner. Clare himself, being dirt poor, had no chance with her father - for her part, forbidden from marrying him, she never married at all, it seems. Ironically, he became a well-known poet, feted in the highest circles as the "peasant poet" - Hugh told an amusing anecdote about a posh couple who arrived at the Clares' cottage one evening, looking for the celebrated poet, and were rather nonplussed at what they found..

Clare went mad at the end of his life, apparently - which Hugh attributes to the enclosures, which may well be true, as he was deprived of the ability to wander freely, as he once had. And the story is told in Hugh's inimitable style - with accompaniment of both bodhrán and Tibetan singing bowl, this was a gorgeous and memorable experience. How I've missed storytelling..! It was just over an hour long, but so worth watching. Happily, if I want to repeat the experience, it is available for another week.. and I must really get around to listening to the cd of Hugh Lupton, accompanied by Nick Hennessy, called Liberty Tree, which I bought ages ago! and only just rediscovered. (Speaking of recordings, I never realised he had so many on his website - must get around to watching some, some day.)

Sadly, there was yet more storytelling at King's Place this evening - Ben Haggarty performed Storytelling for Grownups - the Grateful and the Dead. But that wasn't live-streamed. :-( Live only, with social distancing, and sold out a while ago. Of course. And wouldn't you know it, the Crick Crack Club has no further events scheduled.. Roll on the end of this lockdown nightmare.

Meantime, film again on Saturday - anything on Meetup is happening too late. The next film on my list has actually jumped in rating since I listed it - so the plan is to watch Budrus, on Reel Palestine again. This is the true story of how a village mobilised people from all factions to prevent the Israeli army building a wall through the middle of it - which would, incidentally, destroy their olive groves. Only became a feasible protest when the women got involved, it turns out! (Didn't work, in the end, of course..)