Shaun Lawton - New Beginnings

New Beginnings

In 1970 he moved to London and took a job as a laboratory technician at the Polytechnic of Central London (now University of Westminster). It was while he was there that he began writing song lyrics as well as poetry but it was his single-handed construction of an oversized model of one-and-a-half turns of the DNA helix out of pieces of plastic for an Open-Day exhibition that caused the most comment and lined him up as a research assistant. From 1971 on he began performing his poetry spontaneously at folk clubs, bars and colleges, sometimes warming up audiences for star performers such as Noel Murphy of the Dubliners. He occasionally "gigged" with fellow poets Pete Brown and Liverpool Poet Brian Patton. Even then he resisted suggestions he get his poetry published, maintaining that he only wrote for his own performances and not to be read. It was the performance and not the reading that for him took the poetry off the page and brought it to life. But, in 1973, at the behest of local talent scout Andy Gould who at the time worked for Radio Luxembourg, he wrote an English lyric for a French song which went on to win the Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg! He wasn't expecting it as it was intended to be a joke but the song Wonderful Dream, sung by Anne-Marie David, which for him didn't match up to his other lyrics, entered the UK charts and enabled him to leave his steady employment for good and become part of the underground music scene as a rock-poet. Embarrassed at the song's success he changed his name to Gabe Rainbow in time for the US release - it got a "rave" review in Billboard. So, to distance himself even further he went through several name changes, including Abbey Swine and Arfur Sparkle. In 1973, together with rock musicians Steve Waller, Dave Clague, Tom Compton and Matt Irving he turned a desolate pub, The Two Brewers at Clapham North, into one of the hottest rock pubs south of the river. Many "names" came along for a "blow". It was a hang-out for Rory Gallagher and Kevin Coyne while Lawton provided the comedy and over-the-top rock 'n' roll, exploiting the flaws in his singing to the full.

His first complete One-Man-Show of performance poetry was set up for him by Kevin Coyne in May 1975 at the Oval House Theatre, Kennington Oval in south London. It was better attended than anticipated and extra seats had to be put in. A Royal Court Theatre director who attended the show suggested a career in acting which eventually led Lawton to enrol in a course in drama at East 15. He followed this by joining Peter Gill's 1977 production of "The Cherry Orchard" at London's Riverside Studios.

In 1976, after three years in the writing, he completed his semi-autobiographical play for the stage: Desperado Corner.

Ned Chaillet wrote in The Times on 17th Jan 1981:

"...Mr. Lawton's special achievement is to signal the deeper feelings through the obscenity and the joking."

On Jan 19th. 1981 Cordelia Oliver wrote in The Guardian: "

...those passages which are genuinely moving are those in which Lawton has found expression for the bitterness, the anger or the bewilderment which together drive the play along."

And Trevor Griffiths writing in The Scotsman on 19th Jan 1981 summed up:

"Savagely funny, but not for the squeamish"