Target reached!
If we hit the target, we will stretch it, which would give us extra funds to promote...
Lords of Misrule
Hoarwithy, England, United Kingdom
Aim
To publish a sequel to the acclaimed story of an iconic dance side that broke the rules, set up a new model in the world of Morris dancing.
LORDS OF MISRULE
MORE MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM FROM THE BAD BOYS OF BORDER MORRIS
The bad boys of Border Morris are the Silurian men of Ledbury, those anarchic rebels who breathed life into the dying tradition, and whose legacy can be seen in the hundreds of Border sides that are such a force in 21st Century morris. That story was told in my previous book, 'The Fool and his Dancers'. But there is more to say.
Continuing the themes explored in the first book, the sequel, 'Lords of Misrule', is likewise a story about friendship and fun with a backdrop of morris dancing. In this book, I examine what the word ‘fun’ might mean to a group of these eccentric morris dancers bound for a weekend of dance in mainland Europe. The greater part of such an adventure is of course the travel but, as the Taoists say, “The journey is the reward.” It is also excellent source material for the telling of a good tale.
So join me, Rob Elliott, and a bunch of entertaining Silurian characters en route through some fundraising antics to help pay for their trip to Helmond in Holland. Along the way, we shall see how Silurian met the challenge of maintaining their reputation, their high standards and their audience appeal once they had lost the iconic and emblematic figurehead of their Fool, the dynamo around which their energy had buzzed. We shall also find out what happens when things begin to unravel.
Supporting this project would enable me to round off the Silurian story in a satisfactory way, exploring the human foibles of a group of disparate characters who created the one-time go-to nonconformist Morris side in a world of conformity.
As a personal thank you from me, all of you whose pledges help us hit our target and make this a reality will see your names listed on a separate acknowledgements page in the book.
A choice of distinctive rewards for you . . .
In addition to 'Lords of Misrule' itself, and by way of celebration of Silurian’s 50th birthday, we also have a few optional tasters you might like to choose from. For those of you who may not have seen the previous book, 'The Fool and his Dancers', we still have a few copies left, so you have the opportunity to order both books here. And of course, every reward comes with a Silurian 50th anniversary lapel badge! No, not you Silurian - you already have your badges.
Andy Griffin – still dancing (and drawing) after all these years!
Where would Silurian be without Andy Griffin? Not just a superb dancer (for the last 40+ years!) but a highly talented cartoonist too. Since joining the side, he has illustrated leaflets, flyers, posters, badges and a coat of arms to help the Silurian cause – his latest efforts feature on our two 50th anniversary badges. On top of that, he also profusely illustrated my first book about Silurian, 'Don’t Blame Me, I’m Only the Triangle Player'. In homage to his skills, I have collated 50 of the best cartoons into a little booklet of creative gems.
And, talking of cartoons . . .
My brother, Chris Elliott, is another highly creative person, artistically talented in many fields, among which is drawing cartoons. He lives and works in New Zealand, but once came to visit back in 1984 when Silurian were busy making waves and rocking the Morris boat. Out on tour with us one weekend, he came up with his own unique interpretation of what he saw. We have taken three of these and reproduced them as three unframed A5 prints on quality card paper – another unmissable must-have memento!
Lastly, for the indecisive amongst you.
As ever, we like to look after you through the difficulty of making choices. So, to take the pain out of it, there is the ‘bumper bundle’ offer for those of you who really can’t decide: a signed copy of ‘Lords of Misrule’, a copy of ‘The Fool and his Dancers’, a signed copy of Andy Griffin’s cartoons, three cartoons from Chris Elliott, and TWO Silurian 50th anniversary badges. What’s not to like?
This project successfully funded on 4th October 2019