- Author, Rowenna Hoskin
- Role, BBC News
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“You’re not Dylan Thomas. I’m not Patti Smith. This isn’t the Chelsea Hotel. We’re modern idiots.”
But why did she name Dylan Thomas, a Welsh poet and writer?
Well, it has fascinated musicians for decades.
Taylor Swift will visit her homeland when she plays Principality Stadium this summer, with tickets selling out in minutes.
Could she now sing one of Wales’ most famous sons at the concert in Cardiff?
The heavy drinker Welshman died at the age of 39 in 1953, while on tour in New York.
He influenced 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.
Who is Dylan Thomas?
Dylan Marlais Thomas is perhaps Wales’ best-known writer, with one of his most famous works, 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 the path to writing.
In 1934 he moved to London where his first collection of poetry, 18 Poems, was praised by a number of established poets.
He went from prodigy to living legend as the first poet to be glorified by celebrity culture – his words, voice, image and private life were disseminated internationally through the new media of the 20th century which are radio, television, cinema and audio recordings, according to a 2014 BBC article.
You may have heard his poems Fern Hill, And Death Shall Have No Dominion and Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, which are staples of memorial services.
In the 1940s he became a regular presence on the BBC, writing screenplays, reading poetry and short stories, as well as acting.
He married Caitlin Macnamara in 1937 and the couple had three children.
Thomas first visited the United States in 1950 to earn money from a tour.
It constitutes the model that certain poets still follow today.
He died while staying at the Chelsea Hotel in New York, also mentioned in Taylor Swift’s song.
What is the Chelsea Hotel?
You might also be wondering what the Chelsea Hotel is, which is also mentioned in the song – and no, it’s not in London.
Alongside Dylan Thomas, famous visitors include Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, as well as Leonard Cohen and Janis Joplin – with the hotel being where they met and had their affair, inspiring Cohen’s song Chelsea Hotel No .2.
Jack Kerouac wrote his classic book On the Road while staying there in the 1950s.
Writers Mark Twain, Tom Wolfe and Arthur C Clarke also lived in the hotel.
It was also at this hotel that Sid Vicious of the punk band Sex Pistols was charged with murder in 1978 after Nancy Spungen was found stabbed to death in the room they shared.
Vicious died of a heroin overdose before the case went to trial.
Andy Warhol filmed Chelsea Girls at this hotel in 1966.
Other famous visitors include Jimi Hendrix, Madonna, actress Isabella Rosselini and filmmaker Shirley Clarke.
Could Taylor Swift visit Swansea?
Taylor Swift will be in Wales to perform at the Principality Stadium on June 18 for her Era tour.
The tour, which kicked off on March 17, 2023 and will continue through December 2024, has seen Swift raise more than $1.04 billion – with sold-out concerts, hotels and ticket sites crashing.
The singer’s concert in Cardiff sold out within minutes, leaving many fans scrambling for resale tickets.
So the question that remains is: Could Laugharne or Dylan Thomas’ Cwmdonkin Drive expect a visit from Swift this summer?