Henry Skipper Interview
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Why did you decide to start a Twitter account
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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
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Do you
think it’s important to preserve the Norfolk dialect?
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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.
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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
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Have you
lived in Norfolk all your life?
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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.
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I
understand that you do poetry translations of the work of T.
S. Eliot
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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…..
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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.
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Were you
influenced by other Norfolk performers such as Sidney Grapes
and Sid Kipper
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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.
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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.
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What is
your favourite Norfolk dialect word? |
Thass gorta be ‘Teetermatorter’ wot is a see-saw.
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You
must be very pleased with Norwich’s recent run of form?
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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!
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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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