Words Written In Trust

[arthurfrog]

Hello, what a great site! I wish more bands would do this, its very generous to your fans old and new. So on to my question: I just bought an old Poison Girls cardboard box set screen printed with "Words Written In Trust," containing several zines (Impossible Dream nos. 1 and 2, also an anti-nuke zine), a great Poison Girls sticker, and a fabulous limited edition screen printed lyric book called "Words." I can't find reference to it anywhere. Do you recall making it, and if so, are the contents of my box everything that was originally in it, or was it just for the lyric book? Maybe someone out there just kept their merch collection in the cardboard box. Or should there have been vinyl, etc., too? In any case I am very happy, it is such a cool document of the moment. I would just like to know where I can find more information about the set. Thanks! PS, I can send pictures if that would be helpful to jog any memories...

[richardfamous]

Hi frogman!

You have something very rare and quite special!

I only have a 'mock up' copy, and I hand printed the things!

There is a story behind this and I will write more later.

Richard

[richardfamous]

Hi arthurfrog
OK - for a better story!
Poison Girls started in Brighton but moved, in 1977, to Burleigh House, a licensed squat just outside Epping due for demolition to make way for the proposed M25 London Orbital motorway. It was a dilapidated mansion with lots of rooms, one of which we made into a dedicated screen printing room. Everything was hand printed, using paper liberated from a Robert Maxwell owned printers shop cellar. We also developed a way of using typed lyrics on 'Roneo' stencils, incorporating hand cut paper stencils, and screen printing the result
(for younger readers, 'Roneo' printers were hand duplicators using A4 size waxed paper stencils cut by a manual typewriter and used as the essential means of communication of choice by political leafleteers everywhere. Roneos died a death with the introduction of photocopiers, and of course, personal computers and printers)
Anyway we used to hand print lyric sheets and posters to hand out at gigs. However as our time at Burleigh House was coming to it's inevitable end (bulldozers at the door), we decided to print a lyric book as the last project for the screen printing room.
The result was a labour of love. 100 copies of 'Words Written In Trust'. It came out as a 12"square hand printed book of lyrics, packaged in a hand printed cardboard 'album mailer', and if I remember, a screen printed 'Abort The System' poster, and a lino printed 'Poisongirlfriends' postcard. We finished the run about a week before we were thrown out of Burleigh House. Because of the chaos of relocating, most of the finished books were sold through the Rough Trade shop who, in a fit of genius, advertised it in their big weekly mail order advert in the NME. They were swamped by orders and were thoroughly pissed off that we only had 100 to sell! Big problem for them as they had to return lots of money to would be punters, and blamed us!

So to answer your question, you have got hold of someones Poison Girls stash. The Impossible Dreams were sold separately, and were produced later, as were the stickers. However 'Words Written In Trust' is very rare, and was much admired by punk historians and punk graphic magpies as a prime example of its kind.
Where did you get it from?

Richard

[arthurfrog]

Richard, thanks so much for the detailed reply. I'm a collector of such things, and if truth be known, a dabbler/dealer in print ephemera, too as it supports the habit. I've always loved the Poison Girls 'Impossible Dream' and have been trying to complete my set for ages. So imagine my delight when this popped up on ebay (uk - package came from London SW) and it turned out to be full of extras, too. The Words Written in Trust box is just too fantastic. Hope you don't mind me saying that the Roneo texts with those screen print borders reminds me of an arts & crafts style in some ways. In other words handmade and intentional. Intimate. Anyway my favorite song has too be State Control and Rock n Roll, it just never gets old. -- A.Frog