WHY IS TAYLOR SWIFT SINGING ABOUT DYLAN THOMAS?
"You’re not Dylan Thomas. I’m not Patti Smith. This ain’t the Chelsea hotel. We’re modern idiots."
Taylor Swift fans woke up to a new album this morning, The Tortured Poets Department.
But why did she name drop Dylan Thomas, a Welsh poet and writer?
Well, he's been fascinating musicians for decades.
Taylor Swift will be playing the Principality Stadium this summer, with tickets selling out within minutes.
The Welshman has been inspiring artists for decades.
He crossed over to influence rock stars such as Bob Dylan (who changed his name from Zimmerman) and The Beatles, who included his image on the album cover of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Recently, Johnny Depp visited his birth place in Swansea, he said at the time: "I'm still floating a little, having been in the room where Under Milk Wood began."
Who is Dylan Thomas?
Dylan Marlais Thomas is perhaps Wales' best-known writer, with perhaps his most famous work the radio play Under Milk Wood.
He was born on 27 October 1914 and grew up at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive, Swansea.
A submission to a BBC poetry competition resulted in it being read on air, which started him on his path in writing.
In 1934 he moved to London where his first poetry collection, 18 Poems, was praised by a number of established poets.
He went from prodigy to a living legend as the first poet to be magnified by celebrity culture - his words, voice, image and private life broadcast on an international scale through the 20th Century’s new media of radio, television, film and audio recordings, according to a 2014 BBC article.
You will have heard his poems, And Death Shall Have No Dominion and Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, which are staples at memorial services.
In the 1940s, Dylan became a regular presence on the BBC, writing scripts, reading poetry and short stories, as well as acting.
He married Caitlin Macnamara in 1937 and the couple had three children.
The family settled in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, in 1949.
The couple had a volatile marriage which was exacerbated by heavy drinking on both sides.
Dylan Thomas first travelled to America in 1950 to earn money through a tour.
He had harboured desires to travel there since the 1930s, but World War Two prevented him.
His poems were being published there, and he had a considerable stateside following. He also became known for his excessive drinking as well as his poetry.
His 1950s US tours set the template that poets follow to this day.
He died in the Chelsea Hotel in New York, which is also referenced in Taylor Swift's song.
Could Laugharne or Cwmdonkin Drive expect a visit from Swift when she plays Cardiff's Principality Stadium on 18 June?
2024-04-19T06:53:04Z dg43tfdfdgfd