Brian Moses

“An idea is like a knock on the door. Ignore the knocking and whoever it is goes away. ”

About Brian Moses

Where does poetry end and song begin? It’s hard to tell in Brian Moses’ poetry – and you certainly have to listen to his performances to get the full effect! Brian skillfully weaves percussion with the rhythms of the poem, and makes full use of pitch, pace and pause and bring out the drama. Listen to the way he relishes every syllable.

In Brian’s imagination, the exotic and extraordinary meet the everyday – with very entertaining results. Monsters coming home from school. A shopping trolley that sounds like a sports car. A hotel full of snakes. He also notices and celebrates the odd things that happen in real life – as in ‘Walking with my Iguana’. The odd things that people say also make good starting points. Sometime they can even make a whole book, as with The Secret Lives of Teachers.

Brian uses the sounds of words to musical effect. In ‘Ssssnake Hotel’, you can hear the alliteration of all the repeated ’s’sounds. Repetition is also important, as it is in many songs.

As a teenager, Brian Moses wanted to be rock star and began writing songs. When he realized he wasn’t going to make a career in pop music, he put his guitar aside and started writing poetry instead. But the music goes on. When Brian goes into schools he takes several different instruments with him to help bring the poems to life.

Brian's recording was made on 16 May 2003 at The Audio Workshop, London and was produced by Anne Rosenfeld.