Revolutions are often bloody affairs and, in this instance, there were executions, somebody had to pay but the result of this is a land where peasants eat cake and children have healthy teeth and gums. John reckons literacy has always been important in Manchester, the birthplace of The Manchester Guardian. Near the end hes given up drugs, married and has a grown up daughter. 9.09 GBP. Discombobulated youths, confined spaces Clarke gets it all spot on. Its what we all talk about in everyday conversation, but Clarke converts it to gritty poetry. He enjoys cooking at home too, although hes a one pan guy. Take a tip from John Cooper Clarke John Cooper Clarke is an English performance poet, who first became famous as a "punk poet" in the late 1970s. The name of a group is important and that one is unforgettable. Read More. The 2023 GQ Food & Drink Awards shortlist. After a decade or two lost to heroin, John Cooper Clarke was able to pick up his mantle of alternative poet laureate and carry on making us laugh and cry. Salford poet John Cooper Clarke has certainly led a fascinating life and documents it in - a lot of - detail in this memoir. Children. Extra charming, in fact, because I clandestinely downloaded the audio book to hear the great poet's self-defined adenoidal Mancunian Yiddish and Cockney slang-laced voice reading his life to me. I can only think of one instance where a poem has become a song. There is the PE teacher Mr Durcan who arranged for arguing students to duke it out, Marquess of Queensbury style in the ring after school. On three separate occasions Clarke has to be resuscitated from the point of death. Yes, he's a bit superficial with all his accent on style and clothes, and, sure, rhyming poetry is old hat in a way, and he uses the same meter in most all of his poems, and he's so much better without musical backing (despite the talents of Martin Hannett and Vini Reilly, two musicians I otherwise revere unreservedly), but, damn! My late great friend Barry Cryer used to say, Analysing humour is like dissecting a frog. See Jim Moir aka Vic Reeves paintings for evidence of how broad his impact still is. John Cooper Clarke is an English performance poet, who first became famous as a "punk poet" in the late 1970s. I Wrote the Songs There was little of the 'poet in the making' insight. John Cooper Clarke's age is 73. Nay lads! I will say that I did miss some sort of lead up to his performances. "What a great name! Simple yet utterly perfect, Evidently Chickentown is a stark depiction of a location so grim that Clarke can only adequately express this by using a stream of continuous expletives. John's 2018 poetry collection The Luckiest Guy Alive. Especially detailed are the account of his early years in a display that threatens to derail his story. Site by. He was later blown away when his adopted nephew grew into one of rocks all-time greats. And yet they voted for Tony Blair., Whoever went in a pub for the good of their health? Few artists could draw such vocal and heartfelt appreciation from a set as diverse and rich in talent as Steve Coogan, Alex Turner, Stewart Lee, Pete Shelley, Craig Charles and Wilko Johnson, the list goes on. Around this time, he performed on stage with several punk and post-punk bands and continues to perform regularly. They've all turned into takeaways, secondhand shops, estate agents. I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke is many things. he followed with my fat friend fell down the stairs last night..we thought eastenders had finished early.. not bad for a sickly Salford boy punk poet, who regularly appears on 9 out of ten cats enjoy cool countdownjust say graphic reference to hard drugs some will find difficult.. thanks John ever in Aylesbury there is a bed here always as room as kids are off to university my mind of man although many music differences, read it as in his own style has never left any associates out to dry and his will nice on the andy warhol factory goings on..lips willed although offers millions ever when doing at time.. solid.. spoiler.. just as good now freed from chain of addiction.. excellent narrated by himeslf he even second guesses you..as I say no matter where you are born, your dreams are valid.. thanks Johnny boy, your london mate..my life mirrowed yours without the talent and adventures..but now clean and boys working towards phd.. but I get slated I believe anything really worth knowing can never be taught, and if I was educated I would be a fool.. but spell I hear you.. a must listen..love to alo. 4. Cooper Clarke spent some time in the 80s sharing an apartment in Brixton with notorious femme fatale Nico - famous for singing in The Velvet Underground with rock legend Lou Reed. Fact: I Wanna Be Yours is a metaphorical masterpiece. Instead we get perhaps John Cooper Clarkes hardest hitting poems. Though he needs no such affirmation, it cements Clarkes status as one of the most distinctive voices in pop cultural history its impossible not to hear him read every word aloud in your head with that unforgettable Manc drawl and reveals much about a remarkable life and career. Please continue to help us support the fight against dementia with Alzheimer's Research Charity. The often divisive production that Martin Hannett brought to John Cooper Clarke's poetry works to best effect here, complimenting the dark undertones and careful alliteration of 'in an X certificate exercise ex-servicemen excrete'. His life is as extraordinary as youd expect and had me wondering if it is actually a privilege to be working class. I used to think trees were dirty, because when I was a kid in Salford you'd climb them and come off filthy, it was like you'd been up a chimney and even if you got a stretch of park you just had to scrape the grass and there were, like, cinders underneath it was horrible[5], His first job was a laboratory technician at Salford Tech. In the 1800s, poetry was perhaps akin to rock n roll, with its proponents being declared mad, bad and dangerous to know. John Cooper Clarke (born 25 January 1949) is a British performance poet from Salford, Lancashire. Contents 1 Quotes 1.1 BBC Four - Evidently.John Cooper Clarke (30 May 2012) 1.2 BBC Radio 4 - Dr John Cooper Clarke at the BBC (Nov 2016) Theres a whole wide world in those two words; it calls up an emotional response. I always loved I married a monster from out of space big bug eyes and a death ray glare, feet like water wings purple hair. Clarke's poem "Out of Control Fairground" was printed inside the Arctic Monkeys' 2007 single "Fluorescent Adolescent" CD. One of my all time favourite memoirs. He hastens to add that he values newspapers hugely and doesnt like to see any newspaper collapse. Bob Mortimer has shared a new lockdown poem in the style of John Cooper Clarke - watch it below . By Paul Henderson. Please check for alternative titles or spellings. So witty and clever, with an encyclopaedic knowledge of fashion, music and pop culture. Come my old age, my nursing home will have a very different soundtrack to the Hits of the Blitz that the grandparents favoured. Clarke's recording of "Evidently Chickentown' was also used in the penultimate closing scene of one of modern TV's most famous and respected television shows, "The Sopranos". John Cooper Clarke is a phenomenon: Poet Laureate of Punk, rock star, fashion icon, TV and radio presenter, social and cultural commentator. Click the button below to see the extras you get! Of all the artists who appear in the book, The Fall, Clarke says, were the best of the best. Not in the smoothest sense, though: Clarke makes a lot of claims concerning death, unemployment and the passage of time. He never does the same song the same way twice. Evie. Beasley Street- a punk poem by John Cooper Clarke Far from crazy pavements - The taste of silver spoons A clinical arrangement On a dirty afternoon Where the fecal germs of Mr Freud Are rendered obsolete The legal term is null and void In the case of Beasley Street In the cheap seats where murder breeds Somebody is out of breath "My paternal grandfather had been a regular soldier in India until 1948, and bore an uncanny resemblance to Mahatma Ghandi (who apparently suffered from corns and bad breath, in other words a supercallousedfragilemysticplaguedwithhalitosis, as Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke almost sang).". Suspended Sentence I never really understood that. Clarke lost much of the 1980s to a heroin addiction, when he lived in a flat in Brixton with Nico, the late singer and muse of the Velvet Underground; he dislikes any attempt to glamorise that. Above a pretty upbeat musical backdrop, his abrupt dictation is all the more compelling. It draws on his childhood perceptions specifically, the poverty he came across on the streets of Salford while Britains backdrop was entirely Thatcherite. He was the original punk. Immediately were giggling like old pals. In his younger days, Clarke spent 36 hours in prison for supposed car theft, despite there being no concrete evidence against him. He eats out a lot more these days than in the throes of his well-documented drug addiction where he survived on sugary cakes and pastries. Are we still asking if you can wear black with blue? Clarke is also very keen on lists: there are a lot of them. It refers to lines of verse that contain five sets of two beats, the first of which is stressed and the second is unstressed. When I saw this show listed in the Fringe guide I initially thought "that's funny this guy has the same name as that crazy UK singer. The sartorially suave punk poet grew up in the Higher Broughton area of Salford, opposite the Rialto Picture House where he spent a lot of time immersed in the movie world that inspired much of his work. The name of a group is important and that one is unforgettable. I mean, crikey! Surely a poet of the music world, if ever there was one, and one whose impact on left-field arts is impossible to overestimate. When I asked about the last time he said his favourite word wow, he says it was in response to his wifes confit duck. It refers to macaronis who were kind of pre-Beau Brummel dandies from 200 years ago. This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. Putting a punk spin on simple matters has given the northern man a master status: purveyor of subcultural shock. I wanted to know more about his writing but this isn't that sort of memoir. Best line: If you like your coffee hot, let me be your coffee pot. It's more of two guys in a pub". Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt His book choice was Against Nature by Joris-Karl Huysmans, his luxury item was a boulder of opium twice the size of his head and his favourite track was "How Great Thou Art" by Elvis Presley. Poetry with swearing in it.. John Cooper Clarke (born 25 January 1949) is an English performance poet who first became famous during the punk rock era of the late 1970s when he became known as a "punk poet". The first half of the book acts as a social history of Salford and Manchester in the 50s and 60s and it's a fascinating read and it flew by. For many, Arctic Monkeys cover of Clarkes 1982 poem I Wanna Be Yours, the closing track on AM, was the gateway into the bard of Salfords work. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he released several albums. They were speaking my language. The rest is history. He also starred in another 1982 film titled John Cooper Clarke Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt produced for the Arts Council of Great Britain and Channel 4. [1] In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he released several albums. The combative stage persona he developed with his formative gigs at Bernard Mannings Embassy Club meant that shows in front of these viscious, drunken, delinquent, blocked-up punks held no terrors for me, and his sharp stage get-up was perfectly suited to the scene. It's an alarmingly ridiculous idea. The subject of the piece remains unnamed (lucky guy), but the ambiguity of the poem deems it one of the Salford lads finest pieces. . What can I say, the 70's and 80's were a weird, weird, gloriously outrageous, wonderfully fun, utterly ridiculous era. John Cooper Clark Offers 3 Simple Words on Heroin: "Don't Do It". The book is a sure fire cure for insomnia. Finally, we get back onto the subject of Radio Four and another shared love:Im Sorry, I Havent a Cluewhich has survived many personnel changes from the deaths of Willie Rushton and Barry Cryer as well as long time presenter, Humphrey Lyttelton making way for Jack Dee. John Cooper Clarke, poet, shares the eight tracks, book and luxury he would want with him if cast away to a desert island. You can finesse the way you approach any part of the song. I think she's great. [2] He returned to live performance in the 1990s, appearing again with Suns of Arqa in 1992 at The Witchwood in Ashton-under-Lyne. His recorded output has mainly centred around musical backing from the Invisible Girls, which featured Martin Hannett . And, now, I will have to go and buy some of his poetry! British punk poet who set lyrics of rebellion to the music of lesser-known bands. There are pharmacy-robbing brothers Angie and Marcel, and there is moustachioed jazz aficionado Spanish Fred, dressed with psychotic attention to detail in a pinstripe suit with his hair slicked back. The same way that somebody who's a good painter back in them days would have been a commercial artist. WONDERFUL NEW VIDEO FROM SPARKS for new single The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte, Dark Star: Out Flew Reason album review, Watch This! I'll give you an example whereby I've tried to stay true to myself while dealing with the modern world. John Hegley Poet. A master wordsmith, his love of language and humour leaps from every page. One of his more upbeat musical compositions accompany this one, the delivery of which veers startlingly close to a sung melody. I saw people like John Lee Hooker, The Animals, The Who. Each day repeats on easy, cheesy, greasy, queasy, beastly Beasley Street. Like having a cig and a pint at the same time and being able to swear about current events. Poems covered in the Educational Syllabus. Leading line: If you like your coffee hot, let me be your coffee pot. Each performance seemed unique., Clarke got to know Arctic Monkeys in their early days at the Boardwalk in Sheffield. Linton Kwesi Johnson Poet. Show more Download Higher quality (128kbps) Lower. But unlike any other art forms, everybody gives it a go. The book is also an at times bleak account of his descent into heroin addiction, always written with a lightness of touch, but never swerving in its mission to bare all. . He really wasn't limited to any sub-genre. In fact Im not sure what it actually is, stream of consciousness myth making? 9.50 GBP. Even his shambolic attempts to form a Beatles-inspired band in the 60s meant we were punk rockers before that became a good thing.. Earning the epithet of Punk Poet, John Cooper Clarke managed to somehow ride the zeitgeist of punk as a poet while looking like a skinny, burst Bob Dylan. "One of Britain . So glad Majorca is on the list utter genius and my favourite! This the man who first taught him that poetry should be heard, not read, and who managed to transform his classroom into a hothouse of proto-rap battles. I was going to preface this by saying its not really a poem, but it would be better to say it isnt a poem at all. This Time It's Personal CD. I Wanna Be Yoursis very different from a lot of the poems that have been analyzed on Poem Analysis. You heathens! Theres a reason why John Cooper Clarke was dubbed the first punk poet: his words have long delivered an honest exposure of urban Britain. John Cooper Clark is a performance poet who first became famous in the late 1970s. I chose the audiobook version, and who wouldnt given his unique style. If it's got some kind of lasting value, you say it's poetic. Leading line: Far from perfect strangers; Id like to keep it that way. In fact, theres a lesson to be taken from these 36 hours: he may announce lifes many depressing elements, but he also aspires to address them through some commentary and a spot of dark humour. Dr John Cooper Clarke's 2019 autobiography, named after his most famous poem I Wanna Be Yours, (Macmillan), is a groundbreaking piece of literature. Media City ain't Ordsall any more than The Vatican City is Rome, he says, The modern priestly class of show-business is kept apart from the hoi polloi of Ordsall. Its really my only skill. [20] On their 2020 eponymous debut album, English band Working Mens Club pays homage to the poet in the track John Cooper Clarke, referencing his poem "Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman" and book The Luckiest Guy Alive. Berry showed him how to write songs. ", John famously set his poetry to music when he signed to Rabid Records - not my favourite way to consume his poetry, I have to tell him and he agrees, saying he just couldn't think of a good argument against it. 9.50 GBP. Its lines are pretty abrupt and evoke a lot of cynicism Im not your psychoanalyst and Disgust is just his dumb disguise first spring to mind but thats what Clarke is all about. Authors; . Read John Cooper Clarke's poem for Topman's show at London Collections Men. They drive the book, his difficult life and the mean spirit which is probably not his true self. Clarke writes about his English teacher, Mr. Malone, with affection. John Cooper Clarke (born 25 January 1949) is an English performance poet who became famous during the punk rock era of the late 1970s when he became known as a "punk poet". A book of two halves by Britain's "bargain basement Baudelaire" as poet John Cooper Clarke writes an autobiography of sorts. [16][17], Clarke was the subject of a BBC Four documentary, Evidently John Cooper Clarke, in May 2012, screened as part of the BBC's Punk Britannia season. I can see the worth of a Martin's meat and potato pie. The only two things I disagree with him on are a) Genesis (dude, you've confused them with the Grateful Dead--that's the band with the 30 minute guitar solos) and b) that an artist should never avow their politics. I'm annoyed at myself for finishing this book so quickly but I couldn't bloody help it ! If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. I wanted to like this book, I'm a fan of John Cooper Clarke's work and have seen him on stage a couple times and loved his shows. Sinatra's a case in point. I Don't Wanna Be Nice "One of the more upbeat compositions made to accompany Clarke's poetry, the delivery of the recorded version of "IDon't Wanna Be Nice' veers startlingly close to a sung melody. Felt wrong listening to it at my usual 1.5 speed so I set it at normal pace and 15 hours in John's company later I'm going to start again at the beginning. On Sale I Wanna Be Yours explores the feelings of love and want, cleverly articulated by Clarke wishing to be the everyday things that come into close physical contact with the object of his affection, such as raincoats, vacuum cleaners and coffee pots. He embodied its ethos before the concept even existed. I cant prove this, because sadly there is no recorded evidence, but youve gotta believe me.. Its notoriously difficult to pin down why, but we agree that a song is not a poem. At the same time, you had people like Wordsworth, waxing lyrical about the Lake District. I bought this book because I like his poetry. "For many years as well - this is where Ive been ploughing the lonely furrow - rhyming was seen to be a capital offence. Twat (certainly not Clarkes first or last foray into the four letter realm) is one of John Cooper Clarke angriest yet somehow most charming poems. And today he turns 70. John Cooper Clarke (known as Alice Cooper) has this important message about heroin addiction, saying the best prevention is never starting. Endless name dropping and lists of songs, even ad jingles. John Cooper Clarke is an English performance poet, who first became famous as a "punk poet" in the late 1970s. Throughout the 60s, he was a member of a comically inept beat combo whose Spinal Tap-style career is worthy of its own book. From music hall and working mens clubs to punk and post-punk, whether as an observer or participant, Clarke has done it all. If you get one of them early in the day from a branch of Martin's straight out of the oven. They were speaking my language. It's Working Men's Club. Pest is ostensibly about someone urinating in public but really is Clarke delighting in his mastery of the English language. "Id been halfway out the door when the proprietor told me that some young men in a band wanted a word because theyd done my poetry at school. Leading line: They packed us into the white hotel. 2023 Louder Than War. He completely dismantles it sometimes and puts it back together. "Two ugly sisters from Fordham Took a walk one day out of boredom On the way back A sex maniac Jumped out of a bush and ignored 'em." John Cooper Clarke 8 likes Like "I don't have any lifestyle advice." John Cooper Clarke 5 likes Like "Hooker goes up to a Yorkshireman and sez: "Will you sleep with me for a 100?" The most striking thing about hearing this poem performed live is the staccato call-and-response nature of the delivery. The second, post-Pistols half of I Wanna Be Yours sees Clarke encountering just about all of the great, good and downright grim of 70s and 80s music Elvis Costello, Gil Scott-Heron, Nico, Mark E. Smith, Richard Hell, Linder Sterling and legendary NME scribe Nick Kent to name a few but its the obscure local characters, the figures skulking around the peripheries, that are the most entertaining. Clarke is unashamed to tell it like it was (for him), to drop names, to joke and tease, and even to give some clever and interesting social perspective to the post war years in terms of style and the way his generation and mine (boom and Blank--he's got about 12 years on me) absorbed and carried on our culture through film, TV, music, and then style and books. I wanted to enjoy this more, having seen JCC twice,once in his heyday when he was more poet than standup or celebrity,the second time he was slower,less shocking. Dr John Cooper Clarke's 2019 autobiography, named after his most famous poem I Wanna Be Yours, (Macmillan), is a groundbreaking piece of literature. In a way it kind of cramps my style.. After 20 years of performing the same material, Clarke re-established contact with guitarist Rick Goldstraw, who had founded Blue Orchids and played with The Fall and Nico. Thats terrible. Wise words from punk poet John Cooper Clarke, Kurt Cobain's sunglasses taught a whole generation of kids how to be cool, Mark three years without David Bowie by listening to his best songs, James McAvoys lowkey watch is a people's champion, Meet the men paying to have their jaws broken in the name of manliness, 10 of the best GQ-approved first watches money can buy. Bit of a bizarre analogy, certainly, but totally exposed and kind of tragic. There's no pubs where I live anymore. A lesser known Clarke number but amongst his most literary and witty, Are You the Business? The 73-year-old poet was born in England, United Kingdom. Everybody else has been teachers, librarians or whatever. In July 2019 Clarke was the guest for BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. A prime example: I Dont Want To Be Nice. Poet Laureate of Punk, fashion icon, TV and radio presenter, social and cultural commentator. John Cooper Clarke rose to fame as a 'people's poet' in the 1970s, and is one of Britains best known spoken word artists (Photo: Paul Wolfgang Webster) By Louise Rhind-Tutt October 13, 2017. Written in the style of what I did on my holiday, liberally sprinkled with old man type groovy speak, eg natch kinda. Goldshaw began handling Clarke's affairs, and the two toured with the Mescaleros and several times supporting the Fall. "Evidently Chickentown" (recited by Christopher Eccleston) is featured in the made-for-television film Strumpet. JCC will be joining Squeeze on their UK tour - tickets available from Gigs and Tours. You go outside if you like fresh air that much.. I was watching a programme about Motown.