I did actually, read it somewhere that she writes poetry and that she and Mick used to talk poetry and philosophy at night when they couldn't sleep. Or something like that.
As part of the Petersham Festival last month, the flaxen Texan of Richmond Hill joined national poetry treasure (cliché gag I know, but) Roger McGough at the German School in Petersham for a night of poetry. The event was entitled 'THAT AWKWARD AGE' so at first I thought we were gunna be the only ones there under 50, but nevermind - it was wondrous.
I'm a sucker for poetry readings, in fact I think they're the best bang for your buck entertainment-wise in London, esp if you get the big names, like Roger McGough. But this was Roger McGough and Jerry Hall - such an unlikely ticket. My husband kept asking, now what is this we're going to?
Mr McGough read some old, many new and several other poets' poems. That's when you know anything is good - books, films, poems - when you hear/see them again and you enjoy it just as much or more as ya did the first time. He is, like I said, such a treasure. In a way I rate him up there with hearing Seamus Heaney read, which I have four times. McGough's a comedian, a performer - not just a great poet. And you get all that rolled into one: perfect comedic timing, hilarious little ditties, compelling sad stories told poet-style. All for like, £15.
Jerry's hair is amazingly insane. It's kind of necessary. First she and Roger read a couple of poems together duet-style. Then she would intersperse his longer readings with shorter ones consisting of her favourites by well-known poets, albeit with a mild THAT AWKWARD AGE flavour to them. Then she started reading her own.
My favourite was the longest one, about how when she was a girl growing up in rural Texas her grandmother used to whisk all the grandchildren off to random funerals for people they didn't know because she liked funerals. It finishes with her grandpappy greeting them on their return, sittin' on his front porch drinkin' lemonade or some such. Divine.
She read just three or four in total. Everyone in that audience wanted more. MORE POEMS JERRY. Like Mr McGough said himself that night, I want to hear more of Jerry's own poems.
She was also there signing and promoting her new book, Jerry Hall: My Life in Pictures. Husband and I had a quick flick through it at the interval, it's something else. And not just pictures, there's a lot about her early days growing up poor in Texas and more glamorous stuff, like her rise to fame, the details you want on her relationship with Bryan Ferry and the ups and downs of being a tall drink of luscious nectar married to the world's biggest rock star.
Can't wait for the first collection, Jerry.
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