Engine Punk

Me with cabaret performing friend at Summer Steam 2012 (photo : Jayne Blewett) Well, I didn't do a reading at Summer Steam but who cares? There was so much do and I had a great time despite leaving early (well, nearly midnight) to visit elderly relatives the following day. The party went on far into the night and ended with an extemporization with that doyen of chap hop Professor Elemental. Now, I don't rap but I do rock and his metal version of Fighting Trousers is highly amusing. Shame I missed it. With Pirate Copy and their followers we had everything - piartes, zombies and steampunks The playlist was running a bit late and there were about 3 more bands to go on when I left including the good Professor. Never was being bitten so much fun But best of all were the people - all walks of life, young and old, being creative, having a silly but very good time and with the most open of open minds. The Newsreaders gave us punk covers and some original materia...

Steampunk Summer 2012 I will be reading excerpts from The Horsepower Whisperer at Steampunk Summer 2012 at Woodland Valley Farm, Ladock near Truro this Saturday (September 1st) and talking about my work. I might even read some of The Wormton Lamb, too. Tickets are available from Limelight in Truro and Tanya's Courage Trust in Penzance. It's not just me, you understand, there's also a huge line up of steam punk activities and something like a dozen bands. Should be brilliant if previous ones are anything to go by....

That's me on the left, looking vaguely spiritual but feeling more like The Hooded Claw in that hat, as I proselytise (good word) with my Suzuki clutch tool and a wooden raygun that I found - fashioned by the forces of nature itself - by the tracks of the Liskeard and Caradon Railway The Steampunk movement in Cornwall has been growing steadily during 2011 since a like-minded group of scientists, inventors, artists, explorers, adventurers, dollymopps, ruffians and natural philosophers had a bit-of-a-do fighting a squid in Falmouth last April. Organised by a variety of inspired and industrious individuals under the collective identity of Steampunk Kernow, notable members of our illustrious circle have subsequently survived a hot-air balloon crash, broken innumerable speed records on the Bodmin & Wenford railway (the cream teas went especially quickly) and cavorted with specially created daleks and oods in a Dr Who-themed Christmas party in The Bird in Hand, an ancient coachi...

Steam Punk is a close but older relative of Engine Punk. I don’t want to get bogged down in defining differences right now - I aspire to breakdown barriers not reinforce them - but with the exciting prospect of the Steampunk Kernow party in Falmouth , with its nautical theme and evocation of the age of exploration, I’ve indulged in some ancestral delving into the first generation steam punk activities of my grandfather's favourite uncle. From an ancient scrapbook, I am fortunate to have this watercolour self-portrait of Great Uncle Walter. On the same page were very small photos of gondolas and heavily flooded streets. Great Uncle Walter is world famous in my family. Like me, he was a man of many parts, except that most of mine are old car and bike parts. Great Uncle Walter was an artist, a photographer, sailor, entrepreneur, founder member of the Falmouth volunteer fire brigade and inventor. His portrait of the Mayor of Falmouth still hangs in the civic chambers. Among his sur...