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Henry Skipper Interview


Why did you decide to start a Twitter account 
Well, my neffew, he larn me orl about Twitface and he say thass a gud way to git my thorts out thar. To start with I coont hardly say nuthin wot with at bein unlee 140 charactors - but then when they goo to 280 that give me a bit more ruum.

https://twitter.com/olehenryskipper


Do you think it’s important to preserve the Norfolk dialect?
I spuse thar int too many people about now wot speak proper Norfuck loike wot I dew - so I spuse thass important to try ‘n’ keep at gorn. Though some moight say good riddence. Our wicar, he say thass orl about Norfuck culture and that shud be reserved for posterior – cos thass uneek. Though wot my Twitterins hev to do with cultur, I dunt roightly know.

Is it true that the vicar at Little Waddingham has made recordings of you?
Oh yis, in fact he come round yisty with his mobial phun. At fust I dint know wot he wus gorn to dew with his phun – cos I hev one of them land lines misself. But apparently that hev a wideo player orn at. So he sit me down and put his phun on one of them thar tripod things wot they use at Carra Rud and git me to speak some of my Twitterins.Anyrud, he was also the person wot say I shud rit down me New Norfuck Anals – wot that Carmrun Shelf bluk put orn his literarture website.

The New Norfolk Anals

Have you lived in Norfolk all your life?
I’ve lived in Little Waddingham orl me loife. I goo to Little Waddingham Primry Schule and then I goo orn the sugar beet when I wus fifteen. I hent bin outta Norfuck apart from when I went ter watch Norwich play Arsenal but we lorst 7 nil – so that wus that. Now um gittin too old fer gorn abroad and furthermore the ole tractor int that relyerble no more.

I understand that you do poetry translations of the work of T. S. Eliot
A lotta peeple say that they carnt understand wot Elliott is runnin orn about – but once I hev translearted it inta Norfolk that become more clearer. I hev done The Four Quarters and The Wasted Land

Earprul is the cruellest month, breedin’
Sugar beet outa the dead land, mixin
Memry and manure…..

I understand that your wife suffers from mental health problems?
Yis, she hev escearped from Hellesdun agin and is orn the run. Norfuck police say that she is armed and dengerous and shunt be approoched. Bit loike orn our hunnymoon.

Were you influenced by other Norfolk performers such as Sidney Grapes and Sid Kipper
I remembar them thar Boy John Letters in your pearper when I were young. And that Kipper Family – they used ter sing at Little Waddingham willage hall. Some people say I look a bit loike Henry Kipper, but I carnt see at myself. That Singing Pustman – he were gud too. But thar wunt nobody wot wus doin pootry and the loike -so I thort I’d give it a goo.

What other projects have you in the pipeline?
Well, I hev actuerlly bin riting a book about Norfuck squit wot our wicar say is wery gud - cos he say thar int nobody else wot know as much about squit as was wot I dew. But he say that’ll be hard to publish cos that is a small market. But then I say to him, look at orl those lucal books in Jarrolds wot nobody buy – they git publisst.

What is your favourite Norfolk dialect word?
Thass gorta be ‘Teetermatorter’ wot is a see-saw.

You must be very pleased with Norwich’s recent run of form?
Yis, that Danial Farke is doin a good jorb - tho I carnt understand a bloomin word he say. He mearke Paul Lambert seem comprehensuble. Come on yew yellers!

Finally, how would you like to be remembered?
Well, I wud loike to be remembared as someone wot wus still alive. But if that int posserble, I’d loike to be remembared with a statue in Little Waddingham – next ter the duck pond.

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