Tim Turnbull
Heartbreak Hotel
Down at the end of Denmark St.
past the shops chock full of Strats,
of Marshall amps, Les Pauls, SG’s
and music by the rack,
in each of which a sad-eyed
adolescent mangles Purple Haze
and pony-tailed assistants wince
at every note he plays,
where roadies collect cabs for bands,
return them when they’ve wrecked them,
and dreamers ask to try that Gretsch
then only buy a plectrum;
past the bookers who audition
teen narcissists for pop videos;
past the wannabe DJ’s who strut
in stupid hats and baggy clothes;
yeah, there at the end of Denmark St.
some joker’s stuck a jobcentre.
It’s rammed to the roof with proper jobs
but no one,
not a one of us,
will ever stoop to enter.
past the shops chock full of Strats,
of Marshall amps, Les Pauls, SG’s
and music by the rack,
in each of which a sad-eyed
adolescent mangles Purple Haze
and pony-tailed assistants wince
at every note he plays,
where roadies collect cabs for bands,
return them when they’ve wrecked them,
and dreamers ask to try that Gretsch
then only buy a plectrum;
past the bookers who audition
teen narcissists for pop videos;
past the wannabe DJ’s who strut
in stupid hats and baggy clothes;
yeah, there at the end of Denmark St.
some joker’s stuck a jobcentre.
It’s rammed to the roof with proper jobs
but no one,
not a one of us,
will ever stoop to enter.
Page(s) 37
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