Sara’s Universal Soul Show – Steven Berkoff

Welcome to another Universal Soul Show. I'm Sarah Griffiths, here with you for the next hour. My guest today coming up shortly is going to be the giant of British theatre, actor, writer and director Stephen Berkoff, Famed, of course, for his plays with adaptations performed right across the world and in many different languages. Amongst them, it could be Kafka's Metamorphosis, the Trial, Agamemnon, Fall of the House Of Usher, and of course, famous for his villainous roles in films such as A Clockwork Orange, Romance, Rambo, Octopussy, and more recently, Girl With a Dragon Tattoo. But first of all, a huge thank you to all of you who've reached out to the show over the last few weeks, wherever you are in the world, as, of course, we are broadcasting globally here at women's radio station. These are the ways to contact me here at the show by email. You can reach me on presenterswomensradiostation.com on Facebook, the Universal Soul show, and Twitter womensradiostn or. Or UniversalSoulsh. The last part of the show, as ever, will bring the best things in life for free. We're gonna be giving away the poetry books by Hafiz to one lucky winner. And of course, announcing this week's giveaway. Well, without further ado, I'm delighted to say I'm joined by the legend of British theatre that is Stephen Berkoff. Stephen, thank you for being here. Oh, thank you very much for asking me. Can we, for a moment, just rewind back to your early days in the East End? What age were you, Stephen, and what first hooked you into theatre as being something that might channel your creativity? Well, I always had an inclination towards the most fantastic kind of stories, fairy tales, little novels and, you know, that kind of literature. When I was a school kid and, and I was quite precocious, I would pick up books that maybe were a little bit advanced for me, but if they had a story that thrilled me, exalted me, excited me, that would be the most wonderful way I could spend an hour or two. So whilst doing that and reading, I thought, I want to do something special with my life. I didn't think, as I might now, that God put breath in you for a reason. And it wasn't just to do menial and pathetic and dull work. It's to do something absolutely extraordinary, magnificent and marvelous. That's what I felt as a child of 12 or 13. I wanted to be doing something which was exalted and which would excite the world. And so I thought, first of all, of Being a writer. Well, I went to a school which was appalling. It was a really dreadful school in Hackney because we were shifted from the East End. And my early school in the East End was a quite good one called Rains Foundation. I started with enormous ambition and one or two subjects was even top of the class. And I had these school report in English and French, top boy, very good work. And I felt I would really like to excel in something. So even on the first day of school in Harbor Square, this little. I went to school with my new uniform, which my mother paid for, you know, it's very costly for her, very poor. We were and boarded at Gardener's Corner, just off Commercial Road, off Whitechapel. And I was so proud I was at grammar school. This was exciting, where you have different teachers for different subjects. Yes. And so at the end of the day, at 4 o', clock, I had my little case and I said to the teacher, oh, excuse me, sir, can I have some homework? And he was surprised and I don't think anyone ever asked him. But I needed that because I had brought my little satchel with me and that made me feel it was like a proper school, like I used to see in American movies with kids with piles of books. So he said to the other kids in the class, anyone else like to have some homework? Very few put their hands up and I was amazed. I was shocked. So the school was, in a way, it was quite good. But they were devotees to brutal sadism. They loved giving the cane. Now, I thought, I'm doing well at school, I'm getting top marks. I'm in the A group, this A, B and C. And yet for kind of minor little. What should I say? What's the word? Can't think of it. Can't think of English anymore. Just indiscretion. Indiscretion. So like speaking in class or being late, if you had three of them within a certain period, they take you to the front of the class, you bend down and they thrash you. It's horrendous. And I remember, even to this day, I remember the first cane as it whipped through the air. I gasped. I'd never experienced such pain in all my life. I gasped and howled, but I couldn't catch my breath. He said, keep down, keep down, boy. Second one, and I started screaming, keep down, keep down. And then the third one was over. I limped to my desk and I had three when I got home, three bright red wheels on my arms. But my mother, poor thing, she thought that was maybe normal and she should have gone to the school and said, you know, how dare you do that? So I then left the school and went to Hackney because we were given better accommodation in what they call council houses, which are awfully nice because there you had your own bathroom. Lovely. Hey, that's right. So I'm in Manor House, going to Hackney Downs Grammar School. So I thought, oh, God, thank you, I'm starting again, so I'm going to be good. I don't want any more of that cane rubbish. And I went to the school and I met the headmaster, his name was Mr. Balk, and had a brief chat because I was joining, obviously, two years after the official time for my age group, 11, I was joining at 13. And then he decided to put me in the lowest grade, the C group. See how I got on. Well, that so depressed me that so really that ruined me that I walked home. In fact, I went home, I didn't stay at the school. I walked home over Hackney Downs weeping my head off. And then my mother was surprised to see me. I said, they put me in the C group. Of course, she didn't do anything. So she said, well, just do your best and they'll upgrade you. But once I was in this group, I was with such a bunch of gutter snipes in the class. Some were very nice. I have still a friend from that class. But some of them were like violent, nasty, cheap, coarse, because that's why they were in the C group. So I persevered for a few weeks and then suddenly I felt myself drift. I had no interest anymore, just detachment, totally. And the teachers, since we're the C group, I sense no enthusiasm from them. No interest, no care, no passion, no observation of what children need. They would often hit their children, pull their ears, tug their hair. And one ugly swine who taught us French, name was Delafeld or something, used to have the. What they call these to what you wipe the chalk off the blackboard with eraser, wooden thing. And he used to sometimes throw it at you where you have to dodge you to be hit on the head. So this guy was a maniac. So I thought, I've got to get out of this school. So I didn't want to talk so much about it, but the only thing I could think of is that I've got to be an artist, I've got to do something with my life. Do you know, it's horrific to hear that experience. And I am perpetually challenged and depressed by what many adults feel is appropriate in terms of even in this day and age in terms of their attitude towards children. And if you think that's within your lifetime, we've gone from physically abusing children in that way to even now being very intolerant, showing dissatisfaction to, towards children for very menial, quote, crimes, but giving them an inherent sense very early that there's something wrong with them. As you say, I must be better, I must do it better. When I think, you know, certainly on the Universal Soul show, it's this belief of humans are fundamentally good until we're told otherwise. Stephen, we've touched on that already. Reading and writing is two of the things you love. We're going to come onto one of the third things that feed your soul, which is music. Your first choice of music is the Rite of Spring by Stravinsky. Why that piece? Well, Stravinsky is Russian. My grandparents are Russian. For some reason, when I first heard this piece, it touched something in me. It was not only the rhythms, the power of the piece, the lyricism and the extraordinary passion. And I heard this beat, this dum, dum, dum, dum, dum. And it made me absolutely enthralled. And I could see it. And there was no one, no English, British composer, even French writing anything like this. So this was the most exciting music I had ever heard. And ironic that it was actually written, I believe, for, for ballet, for movement. And then you had this, you know, this incredible heritage with physical theatre. So obviously that movement was in. You're going to hear it now and then chat more in just a couple of minutes. Thank you, Sam. It. Sa. Stephen Berkoff is staying with me. Lots more to talk about as we continue to explore what foods is all. So I hope you'll stay with us. WRS women's radio station. Voice of women Worldwide. Sarah's Universal Soul Show. What does your soul or spirituality mean to you? Welcome to future Classical Woman Awards with me, Stefania Passamonte on women's radio station. Welcome back. I'm Russ Cain. You're listening to in conversation with on women's radio station. I'm Angie. And I'm Patsy. And we're open. To see what other programs we have on women's radio station, head to our website, womensradiostation.com hi, my name is Michelle Bartlett, the founder of Live Laugh Love Ladies club. We're looking for ladies to link arms across the globe. 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We're currently welcoming donations to help towards our running costs to keep this important initiative alive. To donate, simply head to our website. Every little will help. I'm here with Stephen Burkhoff. Stephen, pitiful your experience as a child in school. But somehow one can't help think. I remember there was a quote and it said all creativity comes out of dissatisfaction. The fact that your creativity came forward and to the fore. Where did it take you then after that awful experience at school? Well, since school was so dissatisfied and I had no real creative input into anything else because I wasn't given any opportunity. When we had English lessons, we didn't study literature or drama or poetry or be encouraged to write something. We were just taught nouns and pronouns and adjectives and past, perfect and imperfect. So the technicalities for three years. And so one day the teacher, his name was Joe Brearley, a lovely Welshman who basically ignored the C grade, just said. He said, well, I'd like you to write an essay today on a certain subject just because maybe he was bored and didn't want to mark any more paper, just wanted to give us a bit of time off. So I wrote an essay. And then when he came in the next time, after I had given it to him, he said, stephen, you know, I've wasted your time for three years. Oh, how wonderful. I didn't know you could write like this. And he was the teacher of Harold Pinter, who was at the same school. Gosh. But Harold Pinter was there about eight years, seven years earlier. He was older than me. And he encouraged Pinter and he encouraged him. He looked at his poetry, his attempts at verse, his attempts at writing prose. Encouraged him in drama, told him plays to read, put him in a drama. He had a very good drama group, Joe Brearley, and they have a lovely little amphitheater in the old school before I burned it down. Is that true? Yeah. Okay, good. And then after I burnt it down, of course, they sent me away. But he said, you know, I've been wasting. Oh, this is terrible. And he felt for me, and he said, oh, this is not good. I mean, I wish I could. And now you're leaving. And I didn't pay much attention to that. I said, yes, sir, but I need a reference to get a job. I didn't know what job I would do. I would do anything. And how did you feel at that point, about the world, about life ahead of you? Fascinated. To leave work? I did. Not. To leave work. To leave school. To leave school, I didn't mind what work I did. It didn't mean anything. So school had failed you in any way? Absolutely, totally failed me. So when I left school, I left school. I was a month short of my 15th birthday, so I was 14 and 11 months, 15 to leave school. It's wonderful. So I didn't care what I did as long as I had money in my hand. What did you dream about doing with it? What was your aim with it? The money. What would your first purchase have been? Is to be able to go out and have a girlfriend and be able to pay to go to the movies or go to the dance hall and not always. Ask my mother, who was doing the best she could, giving me 15 shillings a week, which today is probably like a fiver or something. I didn't have enough money, so that was almost critical because although I was 15, I. I was dating young women of 15 or 16 or 17, and I felt silly having no money. And when we went out to the movies, I would say, do you think you could pay me? Because that's all I've got. And I felt so ashamed. So when I went to work, I had pounds, just three pounds, but pounds in my little brown pay packet. But also to be recognised as you were by the gentleman at school and then rewarded for your efforts, whatever they were, is a very satisfying thing. Oh, it was wonderful because I discovered the world because I took a job. I went into the manor house underground to work, and it was my first job. One of the first was as a messenger boy for an advertising agency in Gerrard street called, I think it was called Augur and Turner. And what were you thinking about your creativity at this point? Was it still there? Then I thought, I'm in advertising, I will be a copywriter. That means I will write the ads. You know, I thought, I can do this and I will. And so I did, you know, I did the messenger Boeing. So I had to know my way all around London and Fleet street and all the newspapers and all the officers bringing the blocks to be okayed. So I got to know the world. But that didn't work out. And I got in trouble for being late and taking too long for lunch. And so then I took another series of jobs. And so between the ages of 15 and 20, I had about 100 different jobs. Good Lord. Yeah, I counted them and it is very close to 100. That's material, isn't it? For later on. Great material. And in the end, because it was part of my background, my father, you know, he was a tailor and didn't want to teach me tailoring, which I would have loved to have because I would love to be creative. And cut. Why didn't he want to do that? Steve couldn't be bothered. Okay. And you see, for him, the tailoring was called then in the argot of those East European Jews called the schmatter business, which means the rag trade, you know, I mean, it's not all rags, some most beautiful things. But for those people living in the east and having to mass produce, it was called the schmatter business. What did you feel your mother felt about you at that point in life? She just watched and did the best she could and, you know, hoped something better would happen. And one day it did. So one day, you know, we were all fraternizing in my local area, which is N16, Stamford Hill, which is a curious area with all young people, much like myself, having left school and not having any particular career or trade or gift. Although you had got a gift, did you feel it had been recognised by the teacher at school for A moment it was recognized by Mr. Brearley. But then I just went to the Hill, Stamford Hill, and my favorite occupation was in the pin tables machine being, you know, bouncing the ball. And we all did. That was very exciting, like Tommy. And then one day, we always had our noses to the ground to see what's going on. Some guy said, we go in the merchant navy because you can do trips around the Mediterranean. It's only two or three weeks and you save all your money. So if you went into the merchant navy, my friend Barry Wise did that. Then another chap I knew who was a bit more intelligent, he said, you know, some of the big clothing firms were employing people to go to Germany and France on the American PX stores, because in the American bases they had stores from England so that the American soldiers who were with their families could buy themselves suits or buy themselves, you know, knickknacks from the country. And they thought, why they should go to German tailors. They don't understand. So we or England set up a lot of these called stores in these PX stores. So we had these little areas, and Burberry was one of them. So I went for an interview and I did my best. I got an interview with Burberry's, and they said, fine, you'd be a salesman. I can see you doing a campaign for Burberry right now. I should relook that up. Yes. So I became a. I was a salesman already because I'd worked in a shop. So I went to Germany and that was the first time I had really been abroad. To Europe? Yes. How old were you now? Around 18. 18. So I'd left home and I had a small flat or room in a little town called Bitburg, which is not too far from, I think, Bitburg Eiffel, near Frankfurt. And I was learning German and I was working in the store, and I was meeting all sorts of fascinating people and especially American soldiers who were enlisted, you know, and therefore they had other ideas. They were going to university afterwards. And we talked and they said, what would you like to do? What are your plans? I said, well, I want to be an actor. I want to be a writer, maybe an actor. Oh, very interesting, Steve. And come out and have lunch with us. Where'd the actor idea come from, Stephen? There it came, because I thought, I can't start writing unless I know the mechanics of the stage. You see, it's difficult to write a play. I did write one or two little pieces, but I thought, if you're an actor, then, you know, how a play is formed, how to develop a character, how to develop a plot. And, you know, we're going to talk about that more after we hear your second choice of music, which is Pretrushka by Stravanowski. That's tricky to say, but. But and in actual fact, that's what I now, having had the pleasure to work with you, shows up so much through your work, your care of the actor when you are there as the director, because you have obviously clearly experienced this firsthand. I love your story. It gives so much hope, I think, to so many people that come out through school and feel unfulfilled, that nobody has spotted their talents, that it can still happen. We're going to hear this and we're going to talk more. Stephen, thanks so much. Sam it. Petrushka by Stravinsky There choice of Stephen Berkoff, who's staying with me here on the Universal Soul Show. Hope you can too. We'll be right back after these few ads. Welcome to women's radio station, the voice of women worldwide. Hungry an average woman eats about 2 to 3 kilos of lipstick in her lifetime. 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The website is www.germany. Women's Radio Station is a not for profit community interest company. Supporting women is our passion. We're currently welcoming donations to help towards our running costs to keep this important initiative alive. To donate, simply head to our website. Every little will help. I'm here with Stephen Berkoff. Stephen, just before the break and before Petrushka, we hit on this idea that you'd had. I'm gonna be an actor. Then how did you see that panning out? How did that journey begin and bringing you right up to where you then were placed in British theatre? Well, I had the dream to be an actor and my experience of acting only was from what I was watching in the movies and now going to the movie house. Who inspired you then? Well, the movies I saw then usually were the American movies, which inspired everybody because they're more real and more feisty and more dynamic and they didn't have these funny accents. Everybody sounded strong, mature. I loved the American voice. And we didn't have these funny either. Funny, odd cockney sounds, all these upper cloth sounds, they seem more real to me. So I became enamored of the American movies and that, that inspired me quite a lot. And I saw some remarkable films in those days, I still remember. And I thought I must become, but I didn't know how to become one. You can't just walk into a film studio and say, I want to act. So one day I sat down and wrote a couple of dozen letters to studios and. In America? No, in England. Yeah, in England. So I could at least see them. And those days, they nearly all answered. It was extraordinary. And one said, you know, you can't just ask to be an actor or desire to be. You've got to study. Now, if you haven't studied, then you have nothing to offer. So they said, if just to get the taste, go to an evening class. So there's an evening class not far from you called the City Literary Institute. Very famous institute, which still operates, doesn't it? Oh, yes. And it caters for young men who have maybe missed the boat, who are a little, you know, broken hearted because they haven't found what they want to do and they're confused. So you go to these classes in the evening, suddenly you find allies, friends, comrades, people who care for you, listen to you. You don't have the dopes of my area. Some, not all dopes, of course. Some are very charming dopes, but they're people who talk about plays and the teacher's talking about Shakespeare and choose a speech to give us. So it was a language your soul, in essence needed or was craving. Absolutely. So I started to befriend these people. I started to understand them and to go out with them. And so I was in two minds. I was schizophrenic because I would be going to my local area or in the West End, I would see people from my local area. And I'm with these rather smart, intelligent, interesting young men and women. So I thought I. I gotta hide, because they'll say, hello, Steve Eggs. And I don't want to hear that because I'm with Now my. So, like a split you. I was split. So eventually one of the students said, you know, if you want to be an actor, the evening classes are good just to get you going. But you can't get work. You have to go to a drama school. Because when you go to a drama school, you can then say to any future employer, I've been studying seriously. And then one of the guys said to me, you know, I've got in to this one school. They like me because they need men. Because in those days, a drama school was full of debutantes and these funny, weird women. Particularly the school I went to. Where did you go, Stephen? It was called Webber Douglas School. What advice would you give to young actors now coming out of drama school, coming out to the profession? Well, the only thing I can suggest, really, is that you've got to study. And what you get out of drama school is only very, very superficial kind of entree into it. The teachers aren't always that good. What you must do is devote yourself to the classics. You take Shakespeare and you learn and you study like you're a dancer. You study one speech every week. One week. You study for a whole week and learn it. Iago, Richard iii, Macbeth, you know, Shylock, Hamlet, Mercutio, Prospero, Puck, Oberon. Study them. Study them. Not just now and again, because you've got an audition for Some crummy rep company, but because you want to develop and become stronger and more powerful and more proud of yourself. It's interesting how you nurtured. As I mentioned earlier, I had the privilege of working with you 1995, on Coriolanus. Playing Coriolanus yourself, playing Virgilia to you, watching you nurture this group of young men who were your company, and almost inspiring them and all of us to just. With an ethos and discipline of work. It reminded me of being in a dance company somehow. Ah, that's nice to hear that. Because I admire dance companies. They're hardworking, they're not only devoted, but it's part of their. Almost their religion. It's part of their whole raison d' etre to do the class every single day. And I think of actors that I mixed with when I left drama school and, you know, their ethos, as you call it, or motivation, was to get into the pub every day. Stephen, tell me, how do you feel about how you've been perceived over your time in the business? You know, when people are sort of saying, the maverick of British theatre, enfants, terrible. You know, has it bothered you how people have seen you? Do you care? Do you feel it's accurate? What do you feel your contribution is? Well, you know, if people just recognize that I'm trying to do something different and that they find that interesting, exciting, new, and that it opens up the imagination of other actors around me and also spectators and future actors and. And students, I'm delighted. I'm not too bothered when people say, oh, he's this, or he's a maverick or he's terrible or something like that. I'm not really that bothered. And people have also said, in original, everything he does. A man whom one should never expect, they expected in terms of. If your agent were going to call you tomorrow and give you your perfect job that you haven't done to date, does that exist? What would it be? Well, you know, first of all, because I've done my own work for so many years, and I have directed my own work, as well as very often acting in my own work, and also very often writing the play. So I both write the play, then I direct it, then I act, and so many people won't employ me because they think, oh, he does it. Who would you let direct you? Is there anybody you would be interested to have direct you? I would be very happy to be directed if somebody, you know, was patient and interesting. But at the moment, to be quite frank, I don't Think there's anybody I would want to direct Me, because I know my own signature, my own sound, my own pulse, I know my own style. And this is something that most directors have no knowledge of and they're not really competent to direct. And yet I know firsthand how much you get from working in an ensemble and as a group, that generosity. I think people have often missed in you if they haven't had the opportunity of working with you. Well, maybe. I hope that's true. I wasn't trying to be dismissive of directors, but they don't study their craft. Now, actors, how we started when I was in the 60s, 70s, we all went to classes, I did dance classes, went to the gym every day. Studied mime in Paris with Lecoq. So we had a new language of movement where we could suggest the setting, the environment, the props, with mime, with movement. And these directors don't know anything about that. So it would be difficult to be direct. Stephen, we've touched on reading, directing the theatre, writing music. The last thing which I love, which I think, again, really says so much about, is your love of animals. We share a love of Oriental cats. I know you've written some incredible things about the atrocities that people commit. Trophy hunters, you mentioned. Also earlier you said that you felt God didn't put us here for our breath not to be magnificent. Does that indicate. Do you feel you have a religion? What do you think happens when we go life after it? Well, I don't know. I mean. And what I think about animals is that they're part of us, they're part of the world. They're in a minuscule way. Not necessarily minuscule. They contain many of our genes, like baboons. We share 98% of the DNA of the monkey family. And for people to actually go out, these people we heard about last week, this woman who shot this goat on an island of Scotland, this beautiful goat with this lovely fur, and his eye was open. And it may have been traipsing around the island, eating the grass and flirting with the female goats. And suddenly this total idiot, I call her the undead, because there's no life in them. It's the brutality, it's so horrible that everything they touch, they kill. Everything they go near, they ruin. It's this destruction, isn't it, that seems. It's terrible. And she said, well, I don't know what the fuss is about, because it's legal, they all come out with this thing. And where can. The biggest effing lie is that with conservation and we're giving. Raising money, I think you stupid bastards is what the Nazis would say when they kind of gassed people. You actually watched my guest from last week, Chris Tarrant's show. I believe I did. I thought it was remarkable. I thought he had a tremendous sensitivity for the subject, as if he wasn't so familiar with it. He was learning things for the very first time. And his shock at the appalling atrocities of the Germans during the Second World War was beyond belief then, ironically, are the atrocities that continue even in our day and age now. Yes. I want to thank you personally for the huge inspiration you've been to me throughout my life. And on behalf of everybody else I know that you know is inspired by your work. I hope you're going to keep surprising us with more and more work to come. If people were to ask you how you like to be thought of, how would you describe yourself? Let people describe me in any way they want. I just want to believe that if you're on this earth, and the earth is so wonderful, it is so astonishing, it is so breathtaking, and that if I'm on this earth, you've got to do something to justify why God put this oxygen in your lungs and do something absolutely incredible, marvelous, beautiful, compassionate. And whatever you do, you do not slay an animal. That is the worst crime. So from one of the greatest contributors to British theatre, you've certainly left an imprint that is impossible not to celebrate. Stephen. To one of the greatest female blues singers of all time. We're now going to hear your last choice of music, which is Bessie Smith. After you've gone. Thanks so much for being here, Stephen. It's been my pleasure, Sarah. And you were wonderful to work with. And you're such a very skilled actress. And I hope we see more of you on stage. Let's do something together. Oh, yes. Now listen, honey. While I say how can you tell me that you're going away? Don't say that we must part. Don't break my aching heart. You know I love you true for many years. Love you night and day. How can you leave me? Can't you see my tears? Don't listen while I say. After you gone and left me crying. After you've gone. There's no denying you feel blue, you feel sad. You miss the dearest hell you ever had. There'll come a time now, don't forget it. There come a time when you regret it. Someday when you grow lonely. Your heart will break like mine. And you want me only after you gone. After you gone away. After you gone. Help me crying after you gone there's no denying you feel blue, you feel sad. You missed the best pal you ever had. Lord, there'll come a time now don't forget it. There'll come a time when you regret it someday when when you grow lonely, Your heart will break like mine and you want me only after you gone. After you gone away. The wonderful Bessie Smith there. Stay tuned to hear who's won the poetry books by Hafiz in the Best things in life for free and for today's giveaway and a big thank you to Stephen Berkoff for being my guest. We're going to hear him read a piece from his own work after the break. WRS women's radio station Voice of Women Worldwide Sarah's Universal Soul Show. What does your soul or spirituality mean to you? Welcome to future Classical Woman awards with me, Stefania Passamonte on women's radio station. Welcome back. I'm Russ Cain. You're listening to in conversation with on women's radio station. I'm Angie. And I'm Patsy and we're open. To see what other programs we have on women's radio station, head to our website womensradiostation.com hi, my name is Michelle Bartlett, the founder of Live Laugh Love Ladies Club. We're looking for ladies to link arms across the globe. This is a new vibrant brand connecting women socially. Our club members enjoy great food, fun and inspiring speakers while making friends of all generations. If you're a social butterfly in your community, this fast growing franchise may be for you. Or we invite national companies to advertise within our close network of members. Please visit LiveLaughladies Club. Are you looking to enhance your career? Are you looking to grow your business? Well then why not? Visit wearthecity.com wearthecity.com is a website for working women. It's full of inspirational stories of women that have been there, seen it and done it. We also feature events, women's networks and other articles that may help you to progress both in terms of your connections and business ideas. Visit wearethecity.com and take your business or career to the next level. Women's radio station Voice of Women Worldwide presents future classic women Awards nominees concert Friday 23rd November at 7pm hosted by me, Stefania Passamonte with some of the most amazing nominees we heard so far on the program. It will be St. James Catholic Church Mary Born. Please join us for a fantastic evening of classical music. Are you struggling with money? Turn to us as a national charity helping people struggling to make ends meet. Job loss, illness or bereavement can cause a real financial crisis. We give practical help to get people back on track. Whether you're thinking of having a baby, trying to get out of an unhappy relationship, or just unsure what benefits you may be entitled to, we can help visit turntous.org.uk WRS Women's radio station Voice of Women Worldwide Women's Radio station is a not for profit, community interest company. Supporting women is our passion. We're currently welcoming donations to help towards our running costs to keep this important initiative alive. To donate, simply head to our website. Every Little Will help. Coming up, who's won the beautiful poetry books by Hafiz and also our brand new giveaway. All the Moon Belongs to everyone the best things in life, they're free Stars belong to everyone they claim that for you and for me Flowers in spring the robins that sing the sunbeams that shine they're yours and they're mine Love can come to everyone Best things in life they're free Moon belongs to everyone the best things in life, they're free the stars belong to everyone they glitter there for you and me Flowers in spring the robin they sing Sunbeam the shine down the Yo's and the mayo Love can come to everyone Best things in life, they are free all of the good things Every one of the better things the best, best things in life they are free. Sam cooked that well. Incidentally, Sam Cooke, born in 1931, so just six years old when the inimitable Bessie Smith we heard as Stephen's final music choice died sadly after a car crash aged 43. And then of course he became a blues and soul legend in his own right. Interestingly, what comes up when researching these things? Bessie Smith died in a car crash, I found out, while she was driving along Route 61 between Memphis, Tennessee and Clarksdale, Mississippi, where Sam Cooke was actually born. So extraordinary kind of coincidence. And then Sam Cooke ended up dying young, also at just 33 years old in 1964 by a gunshot in quite dubious circumstances. So some quite amazing stories to both of those incredible singers lives when you sort of just scratch the surface and look at it a little bit. Anyway, onto our giveaway from last week we've got the two collections by Sufi poet Hafiz. The first was called I Heard God Poems of Hope and Joy. And the second, the subject tonight is love 60 wild and sweet poems, as we said last week. Unbelievable to read his poetry and think he was writing in the 14th century so the winner this week of our giveaway is the lovely Eamonn Clark in Cheshire. So huge congratulations to you, Eamonn. If you send me a direct message with your details, I'll make sure we get those out to you as soon as possible. Well, thank you also to Delia Black, who in fact won our very first giveaway some months back now, which was tickets to the German Street Theatre, favorite spot of mine. I can't believe it's actually two years since I did two Strindberg plays there, the Stronger and Storm. Anyway, she went recently with her daughter Nicole to see Parents Evening and this is what she had to say about it. Hi, Sarah and everyone at women's radio station. I just wanted to say a big thank you for my prize. I won two tickets to see the play called Parents Evening at the German Street Theatre in Piccadilly Circus. The actors, Amy Marston and Peter Hamilton Dyer were just brilliant. They were so expressive in an intimate theatre. You really have to get it right throughout. And they did. The play was so cleverly directed by Stella Powell Jones and I've never cried in a theatre before, but I actually cried on Saturday afternoon. I took my daughter Nicole, who's an actor, and we received such a warm welcome by everyone at the theatre. It was just a fabulous day. So thank you again. I never miss a Universal Soul Show. I just love the diversity of your guests, their choice of music, and I always am left feeling relaxed and inspired and I can't wait for the next one. Oh, thanks, Delia Black, so much for that. Lovely to hear from you. Anyway, moving on to this week's giveaway, we've got a collection of plays by my guest, Stephen. In there you'll find the plays East, West, Greek Sink, the Belgrano Massage, Lunch, the Bow of Ulysses, Sturm Undrang, and signed for you especially by Stephen as well. Even though they're written for stage, I have to say they make really interesting reading and of course, made extra special as Stephen has signed them for us. So if you fancy that, you know what to do. Before we finish, we're just going to hear Stephen read a piece to us. Go on, have another smoke, suck another fag. Fill your veins with tar till your lungs are rags. Flapping in your chest, desperate to suck air. But those sacks are full of holes and you ain't even got a spare. Just like a worn out bagpipe full of rips and rents. It squeaks when you try to squeeze it and it never gonna mend. You're wheezing when you try so hard to climb the stairs, puffing like a rusty train that's on its final legs. At last you reach the top step. Grip the banister like steel, your gnarly knuckles bloodless white. Oh, you badly want to pee. Just a few more steps to go. Puff, pant, squeak, gasp, hiss. Okay, unzip. Your thing is out. Ooh, it badly. Knees to piss. Just stand there quivering like a leafless dying tree, Dreaming of times long past when peeing was ecstasy. Now the carbon's thickened your tubes. The pee dribbles slowly out. Dripping, dripping, please. A few drops more, just about strain it out. Few more steps to the bedroom door. Just plunk down on the bed, on the bedside table, tobacco, cigarette papers. Okay, roll a thick one for my resting head. I roll real good, lick the paper's edge, stick it between my lips, slide it, suck it. Ah, the first familiar brew, wow. Goes straight to my head. Cough, cough, splatters, spit. Always on the first bloody drag, just the lungs begging leave us alone. But on the second, there's no more nag. Suck, suck, blow, blow. The tips, a bold red eye. It burns my larynx, squirms, but I'm feeling mighty fine. Shame the effing cost so high. My bedroom stinks like a waiting room in railway stations of the past and its rancid air. I sleep and squeak, don't know how long I can last. Go through the night in chokes and gasps and shreds of sleep where few morning comes, dig the crust from my eyes and gob in the spittoon. O God, I need a fag real bad. I turn to roll a snout. The ashtray's full of ancient butts, like death has spat them out. Never mind. I pull a tiny sheet, sprinkle my beloved weed. But hacks and coughs disturb my hands and I spill the precious seed. I crawl into the carpet, shag. I rescue bits and scraps, but mostly cat hairs and dust. Never mind, it will do to make a fag. I light once more and suck it down. But my lungs won't take no more. Cough, choke and spit and hack. That's the end. My throats rip, draw. It's getting dark. Although it's morn. You just took your last breath. So be quiet now and close your eyes. You won't need fags when you're dead. You're not a smoker, are you? Yeah. Still. Yeah. Try not to. Not too much. Just to roll up. It's just about my life. Gonna die a bit soon, do you reckon? Have you got a date planned? Well, no, I don't think so, not yet. I was hoping I'd go on for another few years, you know, maybe to 99 or 110. And will you do some theatrical funeral, do you think so? I'll have to plan it and so it would all be quite. Get the right good people. Music and music. Viking burial? Yeah, Viking. Maybe, something like that. Stephen, thanks a million. Should we go and have tea? If you have time. Absolutely. Do you? Yeah. Thanks again to Stephen for being here today. Thank you to all of you for listening. Wherever you are around the world, I wish you a wonderful week and I'll be back with another show very soon. Until then, much love and bye for now. There was a time I used to look into my father's eye In a happy home I was the king I had to go through.