A Bit About Spoz SPOZ…because it’s easier than his real name, ‘GIOVANNI ESPOSITO’ and happens to be the bit between the ‘E’ and the ‘ito’ (sort of). SPOZ…is an award winning performance poet, singer / songwriter, film maker, playwright and is the poet-in-residence at Birmingham City FC. He has been seen on BBC Television, has been heard on BBC Radio Four, Radio Five Live, Radio West Midlands, Radio Coventry & Warwickshire, Capital Gold and on the toilet. Spoz has performed at the Glastonbury festival, Cheltenham Literature festival, Warwick Words festival, Ledbury Poetry Festival, Bartons Arms Comedy Club, the Shambala festival and in front of his mom. “Spoz takes run-of-the-mill and real life scenarios, beats them with a blunt instrument and flushes them down the bog of the spoken word. Roger McGough meets Billy Connolly” – Warwick Words Festival. SPOZ…was ‘crowned’ Birmingham’s eleventh poet laureate (yes, we’ve had eleven!) in October 2006. He continues to work extensively in schools, lifting the appeal of writing and performing poetry to hitherto, unseen heights. “I would thoroughly recommend Spoz to bring poetry alive in your school”- Sharon Taylor, Head of English, Birchensale Middle School, Worcestershire. SPOZ…writer, director and producer of the smash hit musical comedy ‘Black Country Rock’. Rave reviews at the Birmingham International festival and the Edinburgh Fringe festival.

‘Cause last year was sunny, last year was hot,
Last year was glorious ... this year, it's not.

But hush little baby, cause daddy's cotton is high!
He struck it rich with pesticides from ICI
That stuff made his cotton farm grow and grow
But still, your mommy says, "Where did the summertime go?"

Well mommy ...

The summertime went into the tank of your SUV
And that half a minute drive when you could have walked it in three
The summertime climbed into your daily apathy
And drove it down that cul-de-sac called, "Waster? Who? Me?"
The summertime went into that multi national corporation
Into their shares and dividends and global exploitation
It went into your ignorance that says ‘natural evolution',
Though it might be in the first blow of the eco revolution.

The summertime disappeared with the resources we all squander,
As world leaders treat ‘Kyoto' like the latest car from Honda.
It laughed at the 5.2% cut as desperate and deluded
And wept as the good ole USA refused to be included.
The summertime went to the bottom of the pile, like green technologies
       that exist,
It was misrepresented like ‘cut the carbon', doesn't mean ‘cut your wrist'

So when you're asked to downsize your footprint,
Don't say that you don't know how,
‘Cause we may hear those words of Kenneth Wolstenholme again...
"They think it's all over - it is now".

© Giovanni Esposito (aka Spoz)