Selected Comments

Ressurection in the Cartoon ... passionate, humorous, worldly-wise, kick-ass poetry grounded in an absurdist 20th-century pop iconography.
                     —Susan Musgrave, The Vancouver Sun

A truly invigorating combination of rants raves and reveries. A candidly close encounter with an assured literary intelligence.
                     —The Toronto Star

Beautifully captures the rainbow of emotions that comprise the human spirit... Intoxicatingly lovely!
                     —Now Magazine

Poetry full of flashes of insight. Imaginative in a strange way, he takes inordinate chances with logic, countering absurdity with absurdity, and expanding our sense of human emotional possibilities.
                     —The Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature

The words of Robert Priest never fail to put me into some kind of appreciative trance. His writing ages well; the short stories, his odes to his private parts and songs about sperm, his litanies about his ex-wife and memories of his mom are modern classics.
                     —Donna Lypchuck, Eye Magazine

Dramatic and visionary. There is a superb balance between poetry of ideas and poetry of feeling. The content is frank and often erotic, but the leaven of laughter is never far away.... Magnificent, profound, religious and challenging.
                     —Canadian Book Review Annual

Featuring everything from Gandhi's sex life to misdirected kisses at misses; Priest pulls you into his poems through sheer voice-power. He invokes his poems into being; transforming the written into spoken magic.
                     —Excalibur (University of Toronto)

He is a punk enchanter, singing truth through insanity and vision... a powerful and cathartic experience.
                     —Spectrum Arts

His imagination is centrifugal, complex, sensual and subtle... he brings an often ugly, sometimes beautiful world to our attention by fully exercising a complex imagination and an energetic interest in language.
                     —University of Windsor Review

Tongue 'n' Groove

Grand & Mystic
                     —Jason Anderson, Eye Magazine

From the short, satirical "Wedding Poem," through the intensely beautiful "Hera" to the visionary and political "Lesser Shadows," Priest shows a depth and complexity that operates on many levels, raising his performance above a bar-room rant or a wishy-washy poetry reading to an intense experience, something akin to a trance session.
                     —Lucy Mallows, Budapest Sun, Oct 22-28, 1998

Some of these are mellow thoughts about lovers, poems and trees, others are down right rambunctious rocking sprees or resemble the scary voices you hear in your head. He's got a range.
                     —Elysia Gallo, Budapest Week

This is the edge of poetry...there seems to be a synergous amalgamation between songs. The passing from mundane to supra-mundane torches from beginning to end is quite unique.
                     —Suzanne Legault, Northern Life (Sudbury)

Robert Priest's poetry for children

Rich and original!
                     —Canadian Children's Literature

Robert Priest writes powerful children's literature.
                     —Michael Hollett, Now Magazine

Robert Priest is a children's entertainer of considerable charm.
                     —Liam Lacey, The Globe & Mail

Priest is a poet of undeniable talent.
                     —Quill & Quire

Designed to stretch kids' already limber imaginations and tickle their funny bones.
                     —Peter Goddard, The Toronto Star

All in all this is wonderful, slightly wacky stuff, as sophisticated as kids and as naive.
                     —Performance Magazine

Priest's world is colourful and peaceful, a place for kids (and everyone else) to learn and grow.
                     —Daryl Jung, Now Magazine

This is a lovely book! A child's garden of verses for the nineties.
                     —Quill & Quire

Priest's prose mesmerizes through alliteration and rhyme, making The Ballad of the Blue Bonnet a treasure to be passed down or a keepsake to refresh memories forever.
                     —Donna Nurse, Books in Canada (April 1995)

Colourful, loaded with repetitions, and with captivating images and phrases, these poems will undoubtedly be memorized and sung for a long time to come. Highly recommended.
                     —Elizabeth ST. Jacques, Canadian Book Review Annual

Playsongs and Lullabies

This album is pure magic!
                     —The Kingston Whig Standard Magazine

...ideal for parents and others who can use this program at home to entertain pre-schoolers as nap-time preparation, or to work off an imbalance between boredom and excess energy.
                     —Kitchener-Waterloo Record

The Teds deliver a sweet 20-song collection of children's music that seems as much of a child's experiences as it is about them... The music, in fact becomes a kind of psychological drive shaft for the energy and wonder of children at play.
                     —Craig Macinnis, The Toronto Star

Lullabies and Playsongs is very different from anything on the kids' market today in that parents (or any adult) are as likely to love the music and lovely lyrics as their kids. Pick one up for your kids. Or maybe one for yourself.
                     —Kids Toronto

full of charm and innocence... soothing and reassuring. The album never condescends. It teaches and shows resect for the child's world and the child's place in it. It's a fine addition to any child's collection; as important, adults won't quickly tire of hearing it.
                     —The Beacon Herald

The Teds are three very talented artists. Pre-schoolers will enjoy the gentle lyrics and soothing arrangements on Side A. The basic rock and roll beat of A Hill is a Thrill will have your toddler bouncing and jumping... guaranteed to set little feet in motion.
                     —The Toronto Sun

Special
                     —Eleanor Barrington, Today's Parent Magazine

Children's entertainment of considerable charm
                     —Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail

Winterlong

New age music and poetry for and about childhood
                     —Today's Parent

For parents, children's music must be able to hold up to the repeated listening that youngsters often demand. And for songs to stand that test, they must have catchy lyrics as well as musical durability. That makes The Teds one act worth looking for. Made up of celebrated poet Robert Priest, composer Allen Booth and singer Djanet Sears, the Toronto-based trio boasts two of the most listenable releases available: Playsongs and Lullabies and the recent Winterlong (both on Waterlily). Performers like The Teds show that children's music has come a long way. They make songs for youngsters a truly grown-up pleasure.
                     —Nicholas Jennings, MacLeans (Dec. 14, 1992)

Robert Priest's works copyright © to the author.