Stripped by Barney Ashton-Bullock (inspired by Depeche Mode)

Bio: Barney Ashton-Bullock is the poet in the hybrid music/poetry/pop projects ‘Andy Bell is Torsten’ (with Erasure’s Andy Bell) and the ‘Downes Braide Association’ (with Geoff Downes of Buggles, Asia and Yes). Barney is widely published in cult poetry journals – Travesties, Queerlings, Ice Floe, Poetry Bus, the ‘Avalanches In Poetry’ Leonard Cohen tribute anthologies, various themed Dreich pamphlets, Pilot Press’s ‘Queer Anthology Of Healing’ and Broken Sleep’s Aphex Twin anthology. Recent pamphlets and collections  include ‘Café Kaput!’ (Broken Sleep, 2020), ‘F**kpig Zeitgeist!’ and ‘Bucolicism’ (both Cherry Red, 2021), ’Geopoliticus, Pupsy!’ (Red Ceilings Press, 2022) and ‘Cul-de-Sacrilege!’ (Polari Press. 2022).

stripped

spiralling sonic-melodic impurities,
dosed up on carefree impunities
and electro inviolate volatilities - 

of attuning to the DM vision 
of fey frissons of rote subverse 
of am-dram chorus-line perverse -

Gahan’s barked croon nuance 
of decentred showboat inverse,
of massprod, odd-bod, synth-pop - 

leashed left-field leatherpets 
in anthemic sub-porn outreach
to suburban self-styled radicats -

monophonic top-line fingerings
making filth-ish politely palatable, 
masticable to those copycat clad, 

and poss bound, in an imported 
mail-order imply of wipe-clean, 
under bed stashed, skagged PVC - 

we, who dare to be different, 
alone, behind locked doors; 
“Come with me into the trees”

ahem, amen …indeed!