Artist Spotlight: Meet the poet shaping Torquay’s open mic scene – Photo 1 of 2

This fortnight I’m shaking things up a bit and introducing you to Andy Fennell, aka Flippant Remarks – a performance poet, co-organiser and host of Be Spoken at the Crown and Sceptre pub in St Marychurch.

From dead-end jobs and poor spelling to graduating from Dartington College and creating Torquay’s thriving spoken word scene, Andy’s story proves that sometimes the best accidents are the ones that break your ankle.

How did you get into performance poetry and stand-up? Was there a specific moment when you thought, I need to try this?

I have been an enthusiastic writer since I learnt to read, though, for a long time, I struggled with my spelling. Coming out of school with a poor education, I found myself in various dead-end jobs working in kitchens, factories and warehouses until I had a lucky break, or at least I should say I broke my ankle, and got pensioned off from Royal Mail. I could not have had a better accident if I had tried.

This gave me the chance to go to Dartington College of Performing Arts where I studied Performance Writing with Theatre. I was clueless about the whole business of taking a degree and probably should have gone about it differently, but it gave me the chance to experiment and think about my writing, as well as having the confidence to stand in front of people and risk making an utter tit of myself, something I’d never imagined I would be able to do. After I had graduated with a Desmond (2:2) I went on to teach adults who had had similar problems at school that I did. I also had the confidence to speak at family weddings and funerals.

After the death of my wife and in the wake of lockdowns and social distancing, I began to attend open mic poetry nights. This was nerve wracking at first, but thankfully, I haven’t yet had to deal with hecklers (unless you count my girlfriend); a good deal of the people in these events are there to present their own work and none of us would care to set a precedent. My nerves have improved and now I am getting better at listening to other people’s work, rather than worrying so much about my own. Not that I haven’t ever bombed, meeting with a po-faced audience when you expected them to be laughing uproariously makes you question whether you really are as funny as you think.

Tell us about Be Spoken at the Crown and Sceptre. What made you want to start it?

My reasons for starting Be Spoken at the Crown and Sceptre were twofold: one: to give more writers the chance to air their work publicly and two: to help support a friendly and lovely pub with a history of hosting music nights. It has now been running for a year and a half and, being an old cynic, I am constantly surprised by the response. The most encouraging part is seeing people leave in a happy mood, even me.

Be Spoken has now helped give birth to Poetry Alfresco, meeting up in open spaces during the summer months (weather permitting). It has also led to the Out of the Woodwork project, meaning for poets and writers to dig around in the bottom of their drawers and bring those written works back into the daylight, in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Encouraging Torquay to admit to itself that it does have some culture.

What strikes me most about Andy’s journey is the honesty. Breaking your ankle and getting pensioned off from Royal Mail isn’t the typical path to performance arts education, but it opened a door that might have stayed closed forever. That willingness to “risk making an utter tit of myself” is the courage every creative person needs – whether you’re standing on stage with a microphone or exhibiting paintings in a gallery.

The phrase “Encouraging Torquay to admit to itself that it does have some culture” resonates deeply with what we’re all trying to do here. Whether it’s visual arts, spoken word, music, or comedy – we’re building something together. Andy’s creating safe, warm spaces for writers to bring their work “out of the woodwork” and into the light, and that’s exactly what our creative community needs.

If you fancy experiencing spoken word in a warm, friendly atmosphere, Be Spoken runs every third Monday of the month at the Crown and Sceptre in St Marychurch, TQ1 4QA. The next open mic night is April 20th, starting at 8pm.

Whether you want to share your own work or simply enjoy listening to others, you’ll be welcomed with open arms. No hecklers allowed (girlfriends excepted).

If you’d like to be featured in our Artist Spotlight series or know of local creative projects we should cover, drop me a line athannah@print2wall.co.uk. At Print2Wall, we offer museum-quality fine art printing and bespoke framing services to help artists and photographers bring their vision to life – visit us at www.print2wall.co.uk