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![]() Thursday, November 5, 1998 Published at 17:40 GMT ![]() ![]() UK ![]() Good ode, Des ![]() Des Lynam: "I love poetry deeply" ![]() Sports commentator Des Lynam has recorded an album of poetry - including one he wrote himself.
He was persuaded to make Time to Stand and Stare - an album of 22 poetry readings to a full orchestral accompaniment after his oratory prowess was highlighted during the World Cup which ended with his poignant rendition of Rudyard Kipling's If.
It will be set to music from BBC soundtracks. And Mr Lynam proved he had talents beyond broadcasting skills when he revealed he was no stranger to penning prose himself. The very last reading on the album is entitled The Silly Isles, and was written by the commentator in 1982 in protest at the Falklands War. The idea for the CD followed BBC 1's coverage of the tournament, which ended with Mr Lynam reading If, accompanied by the World Cup music - Faure's Pavanne - and clips from the tournament. Thereafter the BBC was inundated with calls from fans wanting to know where they could get a recording. Mr Lynam said of his own work: "I wrote it in Christmas 1982 when I was on holiday in Spain. "It was something that I felt very strongly about and I was moved to write about. I thought that things had become very gung-ho.
"But I love poetry deeply and was very glad to record the album." Mike Cobb of BBC music said fans would probably be surprised at this new dimension to Mr Lynam's talents. He went on: "The idea obviously came about following the world Cup. "We found that Des was a big fan of poetry himself and it turned out that he had written this particular poem. "When we were looking for poems to record, we obviously thought of this one. It is a very moving piece. "He had reservations about recording his own poem. He is a very modest man and doesn't see himself as a great poet or a great reader." Mr Cobb said that Mr Lynam was a very genuine reader, which would make the poetry more meaningful to listeners than the voice of an actor. He added that he thought the album would be very successful, saying: "Des has tremendous appeal across a large age group."
by Desmond Lynam
Politicians without their guile
Since 1823 or so
But threaten us with armoured might
But when those exocets are fired ![]() |
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