Friday 30 April 2010

May 2010: rebels, revolutionaries and the return of the fox

My dear friends, flanuers and foxcubs

I hope spring is springing up nicely where you are, I saw my first
ducklings of the year on the canal yesterday which is always a cause for celebration and every time I walk down the street something new is blossoming… I love the colours, much as I love this place it can tend to the drab in places and I want frivolity, prettiness and joy…. Let’s celebrate the so called weeds which spring up amongst the broken paving slabs and raise a glass to buddlia, patron plant of the peoples republic of mancunia.

Thank you so much to everyone who got in touch after last months mailing, I really appreciate your comments, not least because hurtling words into cyberspace one can never be sure of their impact. It delights me the diggers resonate so loudly and it was a joy to hear from so many people with a passion for radical history.

Mays first Sunday is going to be rather unusual (I don’t know quite what to expect myself, but then I never do) It will be curated by Tim and he plans to tell tales of Rebels, Revolutionaries, and Independent Thinkers He says “My plan includes the following: John Bradford, John Dee, Fredrick Engels & Karl Marx, the Pankhursts, the English Civil War Siege of Manchester, Elizabeth Gaskell, the Jacobites and Bonnie Prince Charlie, Jerome Caminada, Annie Horniman and the Peterloo Massacre and hopefully others. As this will be an LRM event, I am anticipating our usual interactive style, which makes our explorings so very enjoyable!”

The meeting point is at the front of the Duke of Wellington pub in the Shambles at 2:00pm. Afterwards doubtless some will share a beverage and banter in a convivial pub but several of us will be hotfooting it across the river to enjoy Sounds of the Other City Salford’s musical extravaganza

Mayday is possibly my favourite bank holiday of the year being a heady mix of Beltaine, dancing and workers solidarity. Some of you may recall last year’s inaugural LRM Fox Hunt; a giant game of tactical hide and seek with high vis jackets and much silliness on the streets. I have heard the impatient cries of tally ho and bow to demand for another round – but this year the game will be bigger, trickster-ier and even more ridiculous.

I am delighted The LRM Fox Hunt will manifest itself again as part of The HideandSeek Sandpit at Contact Theatre on Saturday 15th May 7pm-ish as part of the always interesting Futureeverything. http://www.futureeverything.org/assets/files/FE10_Brochure.pdf
More details as soon as we have them but be assured: glorious shenanigans will result. And of course not a single real fox will be troubled; we are not scum and barbarity is never sporting.

If you can keep a secret and want to play a special role in the game please get in touch with me as soon as possible, but don’t tell anyone you are doing so. The LRM: like M15 but with more glitter and a nicer mission

Our friends are also up to all kinds of exciting things this week (hence the lack of another mini-fest: we want collaboration not competition between interesting people: there is more than enough energy and imagination to go round. And we like not having to do all the organising) The following all come heartily recommended:

Manchester No Borders are hosting a community barbeque in Hulme tomorrow http://nobordersmanchester.blogspot.com/ The LRM will never tell you how or if to vote but we will say loud and proud: everyone is welcome here. Fuck off racists, no pasaran!

The Manchester Municipal Design Corporation and Manchester Modernist Society invite everyone to meet at the Odeon Oxford Road on Tuesday to celebrate a cultural landmark by projecting images onto its façade. They promise there will be popcorn and a seminar afterwards. Action starts 9.30pm prompt. The Manchester Modernist Map is being launched on Friday too http://www.manchestermodernistsociety.org/map.html

A call has been issued for events to form part of Hazard, Manchester’s biennial festival of intervention and mischief, the deadline for ideas is May 17th and if anyone has any thoughts on this and whether The LRM should get involved please do holler http://www.hazardmcr.org

And finally, on a more ongoing basis the gardening group at Platt Fields are looking for people who want to join with them to grow vegetables on a shared plot, no experience needed and a very warm welcome is promised http://www.plattfields.org

I hope something here appeals and you never get bored with our city; there is magick everywhere if you look hard enough

Much love
Morag x

PS I have re-entered the modern age: yes, I now have a working phone, tv and internet connection (fingers crossed) and can only apologise for all cross at my elusiveness when they were not working. Truthfully it was quite nice to be silent for a bit but now there are adventures to be had and contacts to be made. If you are new to loitering or just want some information or a chat please do feel free to call the once again hot hotline on 079 749 29589 or email loiter@hepzombie.co.uk I will also be striving to blog more now at www.nowhere-fest.blogspot.com but suspect the streets will continue to tempt me away from the screen

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