Heathcote Williams reads his poem 'Advertisement' in 1980

Today is Heathcote Williams' birthday. Happy Birthday, Heathcote! You are sorely missed. Let's celebrate this great man by watching him reading one of his poems.

Heathcote Williams is my favorite poet. There was just something that i could really identify with in his writings. The way he explored themes, the verbiage he used, the way he managed to make everything feel big and engrossing...

Here's the video of him reading the poem "Advertisement" from 1980. Heathcote reads this poem in a way that makes it the coolest thing in the world.

Part of the reason why this performance is so cool is because of delivery. Heathcote avoids that damned "poet's voice" and just reads the stuff in a semi-casual, deadpan dramatic manner. And it leaves lasting impression. There is this thousand mile chill in his voice. The way he slightly slides between the tones is nothing short of astounding.

There is not much happening on the screen. Heathcote just sits on a chair and reads the poem. Sometimes he looks at the camera, then his eyes move back to the sheet of paper with the text. Slowly but surely, the camera moves towards him. You can see his hands trembling a little, you start to see the details of his face. The camera gets closer and closer until it is a close-up. Heathcote stops reading and for a moment or so gives a piercing chilling glance straight into the camera.