Mik Artistik

9^th December 2010

In bed on Thursday night, I heard The Bespoken Word on Radio 4, recorded at the Cheltenham Literary Festival.

Being Radio 4 they had selected a bunch of rap poets. I wasn’t too keen on this and wondered whether to switch it off, but among the yowling, growling voices, I heard someone called Mik Artistik.

Apparently he makes a living by touring the north of England drawing portraits on brown paper bags. As I listened he performed a rappish poem called Cancer. Defiant and perceptive, it acutely told the tale of someone living with the disease.

The next morning I e- mailed him and he sent me a copy of the poem.

I spoke to him later on the phone and apparently he doesn’t have cancer, has never had it. It was purely a work of the imagination.

Hello Jane,

Thank you for your email. It gave me a jolt and made me thank God

I can run about painting and doing poetry and music.

I am happy that the cancer poem has given you a buzz and some cheer

and I hope you continue to paint and create Stuckist stuff.

It's a touchy subject for lots of people, I think.

I am in rude health and had some misgivings about doing it initially because

Ben and Johnny who are in my band, Mik Artistik's Ego Trip, both lost their parents

to cancer. However we had a few chats about it and boom it's out there now.

Here it is...

Woke up this mornin ..Cancer ,

had a cuppa tea .. .. Cancer,

went for a wee............. Cancer

Cancer's killin me.

Went to the pictures ...Cancer

had a cuppa coffee .. Cancer,

had a fuckin toffee.. Cancer

Cancer's all I see.

There's nothin that I want for Christmas,

There's nowhere that I want to be,

I sometimes feel like killin meself,

..but Cancer's killin me.

I've lost four stone... Cancer,

I can fit in me jeans ..Cancer

I look like a dream..Cancer

Cancer's killin me.

I wish it were flu but it's ..Cancer.

What can I do I've got.. Cancer.

I wish it were you that had Cancer,

instead of ..Cancer killin me

It's also on our album "BLASTER" with a Latin backing, available on cdbaby.com

Merry Christmas lass,

Mik