As poet, musician, artist, transvestite performer in Leigh Bowery's Offset collective, and co-founder of Hangman Records and Books with Billy Childish, Sexton Ming has built up a fanatical following as one of the godfathers of outsider culture. This book comprises of highlights from the last twenty-five years of his poems, songs, stories and the odd few anecdotes.

The title comes from a criticism levelled at him by the cartoonist Ralph Steadman, and as Sexton opinionates; "It's the nicest thing a human being can say to another". The one constant in this compendium is Sexton's in-built compulsion to steer clear of artistic pretension and head straight for the gut reaction, whether it be laughter, pathos, shock, or more often than not a mixture of all three.

"The Lost Winegum Mine" is as pure an encapsulation of lost childhood as you can possibly get. Enticing the reader with empathy and humour, it culminates in a two line pay off that hits home with the ferocity of a Tyson knockout blow. The true account of "My Mother's Last Words", where Sexton displays a light comedic touch within the most sombre of occasions, sits surprisingly easily with the chronologically juxtapositioned "The Parish Of Tarma", a bewildering tale of Saxons, Chelsea Buns and voodoo. The character Randos The Bull, originally created as a device to induce false endings, comes into his own in several stories, most notably "Andy Warthog and his Factory", in which the fridge delivering, flatulent, muscular bull encounters Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground. The old Velvets' classic "I'm Waiting For The Man" will never sound the same after reading this story.

His experiences drumming with the independent cult band Television Personalities inspired the missive "What To Expect When Playing Rock 'n' Roll". This poem should be handed out free to any teenager who harbours their first dream of playing in a rock band, and as a result, will potentially increase the number of accountants in the City at a stroke.

Anyone who has attended a Sexton Ming poetry reading knows that the poems share equal importance with his uniquely earthy vocals, so a companion CD is enclosed with the book to ensure readers do not miss out on the full appeal of his recitals.

An essential and entertaining read, where the only bull offered in the book is the aforementioned Randos. Sexton Ming may be a failed intellectual, but where literature aims to power right to the core of all human emotion, he is an undoubted success.

Lee McFadden 24/02/04