Came across JCC through the Arctic Monkeys. 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. Much later down the line, now a successful performance-poet, he spent time as the de facto frontman of The Invisible Girls, a band assembled to provide musical accompaniment that included an eye-watering number of bona fide legends including Buzzcocks Pete Shelley, Joy Division and New Orders Stephen Morris, The Falls Karl Burns, 10ccs Paul Burgess, Be-Bop Deluxes Paul Nelson and the Durutti Columns Vinni Reilly. TWAT."". My all-time favourite, Sean Locke was the funniest guy alive. He released several albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and continues to perform regularly. On Sale POETRY QUOTE BLACK T-SHIRT. He shot to cultural prominence in the Seventies, producing and performing poetry that tackled real-life matters with zero fear and total vibrance. 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". There's all sorts of things come into play, innit? With Lauren Laverne. You can't see the joints. He hastens to add that he values newspapers hugely and doesnt like to see any newspaper collapse. I asked him what they were called, and he said The Arctic Monkeys. In a way it kind of cramps my style.. His musical albums include Snap, Crackle & Bop; Zip Style Method; Disguise in Love; and Walking Back to Happiness. Trochaic pentameter is an uncommon form of meter. As he reveals in his book of the same name, we have the compilers of the 1990s GCSE English syllabus, who included three of Clarkes poems, to thank for it. Along the way we get treated to some of John Cooper Clarkes finest writing and maybe as we gained a poet, we lost an author. The 2023 GQ Food & Drink Awards shortlist. This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. Why pull the ladder up? John Cooper Clarke", "BBC One Would I Lie to You?, Series 9, Episode 3", "Would I Lie to You? [2] His first releases were on Tosh Ryan and Martin Hannett's independent label Rabid,[7] starting with the EP Innocents in October 1977. 14.00 GBP. "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. Goldshaw began handling Clarke's affairs, and the two toured with the Mescaleros and several times supporting the Fall. Best line: The carpet was monotonous, its pattern gave the impression of small animal crapping at regular intervals.. I'll mither my daughter to Goggle [sic] them on her Skyper. Around this time, he performed on stage with several punk and post-punk bands and continues to perform regularly. John Cooper Clarke up against Damo Suzuki and Georgia Ruth. If nothing else, I Wanna Be Yours stands as a thrilling document of some of musics most exciting moments of the last century. One of his more upbeat musical compositions accompany this one, the delivery of which veers startlingly close to a sung melody. John then interviewed Kevin Eldon a week . His only prose work is I Wanna Be Yours, a memoir. John Cooper Clarke: If I might start this off, I'm a late convert to your work, Grian! John Cooper Clarke is a phenomenon: Poet Laureate of Punk, rock star, fashion icon, TV and radio presenter, social and cultural commentator. I was born one year after JCC and about three miles from where he was born, so it was pretty obvious this was going to resonate with me. Most of his poems are set to music and feel very contemporary. Running parallel with Clarkes rise to fame is a descent into serious drug addiction. 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. new Brix Smith track from her forthcoming Valley Of The Dolls album, Manic Street Preachers may be a classic band but its a new generation of fans who should be listening, John Robb announces book tour to go with his upcoming book The Art Of Dakness the History Of Goth, Video: Living Body release live session for new single CONSUMER, Everett True plays The Fall : music writer announces solo show playing songs of legendary post punk band, The Velvet Hands: Sucker Punch album review, From Bonham To Buddha And Back: by Clementine Moss book review, Dark Mark Lanegan: Confessions Of The Night Porter Iman Kakai-Lazell book review, Wild Billy Childish & CTMF : Failure Not Success album review, The Slow Readers Club: The Library, Barrow in Furness live review, WATCH THIS : Essential Logic video premiere for new single Sky Rocket, WATCH THIS! It was too good. In addition, he published two poetry collections, Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt and The Luckiest Guy Alive. My late great friend Barry Cryer used to say, Analysing humour is like dissecting a frog. Upon receipt, Clarke commented: "Now I'm a doctor, finally my dream of opening a cosmetic surgery business can become a reality. JCC will be joining Squeeze on their UK tour - tickets available from Gigs and Tours. Beasley Street Crucially, he found the humour in these situations and used this extensively in his verse. Johns thrilled that people too young to remember punk rock may have discovered him on a compulsory basis when his poems were added to the GCSE syllabus in the 90s. John Cooper Clarke is an English performance poet, who first became famous as a "punk poet" in the late 1970s. Despite a pretty grim situation occurring He kicked me in the balls and said something profound you cant help but laugh at his lines, because they paint an entertaining picture. Bit of a bizarre analogy, certainly, but totally exposed and kind of tragic. Around this time, he performed on stage with several punk and post-punk bands and continues . This developed from him stealing prescription amphetamines at school in the 50s and robbing pharmacies for opiates as an adolescent to eventually succumbing to heroin addiction under the pressures of celebrity, a habit that would eventually have a crippling effect on his work. Interspersed with the most unlikely offerings that came with the disco era. It is far from gratuitous, take the swearing out and the poem would cease to function as such. In one particularly grim passage he has to arm himself to try and score in the perilous underworld of late-70s New York. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. I Wanna Be Yours, (Macmillan), is a groundbreaking piece of literature. I think I've got that. Donnie Sutherland on Sounds and After Dark:John Cooper Clarke reading his poem 'Twat' on Australian show After Dark in 1982.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donn. S. Eliot was an English poet and critic. A native of Salford, Clarke and his trademark spiky bouffant have performed on the same bill as legendary Manchester bands like the Fall, the Buzzcocks, and Joy Division (as well as many other bands); managed to place Snap, Crackle & Bop, an album of his verses set to music, at #26 on the U.K . [2] He returned to live performance in the 1990s, appearing again with Suns of Arqa in 1992 at The Witchwood in Ashton-under-Lyne. Subscribe to Louder Than War and help keep the flame of independent music burning. [] challenging as the juggling fiends of fate have seen several must sees on at the same time; i.e. Manchesters hidden musical treasures: who knew? John Otway is not exactly a household name. Her run of success on the British TV show Opportunity Knocks led both Clarke and his mother to believe that he could make a living at poetry.[8]. Now I can add John Cooper Clarke's I Wanna Be Yours to make a list of two. It refers to lines of verse that contain five sets of two beats, the first of which is stressed and the second is unstressed. [15] That same year, Clarke featured in rapper Plan B's feature film Ill Manors and subsequently the Ill Manors album. He completely dismantles it sometimes and puts it back together. Best line: I pleaded for mercy, I wriggled on the ground. "Finding your perfect reading is like finding the most comfortable but beautiful pair of shoes you have ever worn. Like a lot of Brits, he has a clear dislike of someone, but, unlike a lot Brits, he manifests that into angry, firing verses that make for a condemning rant. Throughout the 60s, he was a member of a comically inept beat combo whose Spinal Tap-style career is worthy of its own book. It draws on his childhood perceptions specifically, the poverty he came across on the streets of Salford while Britains backdrop was entirely Thatcherite. Linton Kwesi Johnson Poet. Clarkes time spent sharing a Brixton flat with actor and songwriter Nico, while both were deep in the mire of serious heroin addiction, is well-documented. His unique poetry was put to music by producer Martin Hannett and a band of Mancunians The Invisible Girls.Seminal tracks such as Beasley St and Evidently Chickentown featured on the album Snap Crackle and Bop, one of 4 hit 70/80s album releases. This is perhaps a reflection of his upbringing in Salford which he describes in a way that highlights the fact that it is a dirty, grimy area this can often inform his poetry. JCC featured on BBC Radio 4's Chain Reaction in August 2011 being interviewed by none other than New Order's Peter Hook. Cant find it anywhere :-(. A brief summary of his concerns: political turbulence, tacky holidays, people you cant help but hate, walking down streets of squalor and being a hopeless romantic. John Cooper Clarke (1983). The term poetic is often used to describe all manner of art: movies, paintings, photographs. Instead we get perhaps John Cooper Clarke's hardest hitting poems. . The second The Luckiest Guy Alive, came 35 years later. Best Poems does not have poems published by this Poet yet. Salford poet John Cooper Clarke has certainly led a fascinating life and documents it in - a lot of - detail in this memoir. None of them were licensed. [2] He lived in the Higher Broughton area of the city and became interested in poetry after being inspired by his English teacher, John Malone,[3] whom he described as "a real outdoor guy, an Ernest Hemingway type, red blooded, literary bloke". (Sept. 26, 1888 Jan. 4, 1965) Famous Poets; Langston Hughes; Carl Sandburg; John Keats; Walt Whitman; I know he likes his food, saying in a recent Guardian interview that the only foods he wont eat are flapjacks, falafel and tripe. Then right at the end, in 2004, hes buying crystal meth. Read More. I didn't want to work for a living when I was a teenager. I mean, he is in my house, but in general houses. John reckons Jack has done a terrific job of maintaining Lytteltons air of lugubrious resignation. [21] In October 2020 Clarke published an autobiography which took its title from his poem I Wanna Be Yours. It involved people that are much younger than myself in the gangster world of East London. As the acclaimed punk poet turns 70 today, weve delved into his lyrical archives and sourced his best works. I thought he had a lovely voice, you know? I also recommend his love show! About John Cooper Clarke. A five star no-brainer for me, but I really wonder how others not having a similar background might feel about it. John Cooper Clarke is an English punk poet who became famous in the late 70s and recorded I Wanna Be Yours in 1982.. Wait hang onit IS that crazy singer! He kicked me in the balls and said something profound. Feargal Kinney gave us his top 10 John Cooper Clarke poems. Benjamin Zephaniah Writer. A light hearted look at songs that could have been famous, this is Clarke at his most whimsical as he lists songs with titles that are almost familiar, such as Some Enchanted Afternoon and Greasy Kind Of Love. Pest is ostensibly about someone urinating in public but really is Clarke delighting in his mastery of the English language. Have you got a sense of humour? For me it will be The Clash, The Slits, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Blondie, Siouxsie and the Banshees and of course, The Saints. John Cooper Clarke is a different breed of the poet. I got hold of your stuff last night and I like your style, the overcoat, the look, the voice, these are all the ingredients to make great records. Above a pretty upbeat musical backdrop, his abrupt dictation is all the more compelling. I like learning about poetry, the nuances and the cleverly picked phrases. He released several albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and continues to perform regularly. He's like Edward Scissorhand's older and more sensitive brother. Depressing, we know, but the acclaimed slapstick of his poetic creations doesnt waver. I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke is available to buy now from all good book shops. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he released several albums. These days, hes a showbiz guy who often brings his Mancunian wit to daytime TV shows like Eight Out Of Ten Cats Does Countdown, filmed at MediaCity - where he bemoans the irony that you cant buy a newspaper. If you get one of them early in the day from a branch of Martin's straight out of the oven. His vocals from both of his Suns of Arqa tracks have been used on numerous remixes by the band ever since. It's more of two guys in a pub". "One of Britain . I wasn't a punk, but a signed-up drippy hippy, and the music I was into then Pink Floydian and trippy, but I rushed out quick and bought his Gimmix single, though with safety-pinned punks I had to mingle. meet Salomey Maloney. And I've never really shook that off.. 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. That poem I wrote for Plan B for the movie Ill Manors. But really it is another example of Clarke having fun with the written word. 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. I can only think of one instance where a poem has become a song. People think the internet is as reliable as a newspaper. But truth be told, you cant escape the rough turbulence of its profanity and that fact does well to showcase the frustration of living in a satellite-style town. Children. Fascinating for anyone interesting in recent history, music history, fashion and pop culture. fascinating detail about his early life in Manchester leading up to punk superstardom, drug. In 1988, he made an appearance in two UK adverts for Sugar Puffs, taking second billing to the Honey Monster. Dont worry, we wont ask who. His recorded output has mainly relied on musical backing from the Invisible Girls, which featured Martin Hannett, Steve Hopkins, Pete Shelley, Bill Nelson, and Paul Burgess. The frog dies and nobody laughs. I couldn't put it better than the late Baz.. Article What is Baroque? Way back In 2012 As part of their Punk Britannia season, the BBC celebrated punk performance poet legend John Cooper Clarke through BBC4 documentary Evidently John Cooper Clarke with a month of Radio 6Music specials. I ask John what he thinks of modern poets like Kae Tempest who he says he likes and describes as "a river to [their] people". With a song, you can hold notes on. Looks like Clarkes not the only one feeling entrapped this is a classic piece of poetry. A master wordsmith, his love of language and humour leaps from every page. Could anyone, I ask, with enough time and dedication, learn how to be a poet or is it something youre born with? I think Mr Clarke was given too much freedom with this meandering diary with a tendency to show off. Oh, those tragic Brit holidays. How often do you see a poet's memoir these days! From squid-gaming to gladiator-duelling, love is a battlefield with these unconventional Manchester date nights. We both just love words. I was eagerly anticipating this and got it within a few hours of release; went for the audiobook version because JCC has one of the most characterful and listenable voices in showbusiness. I knew nothing about Clarke but had listened to his interview for Desert Island Discs. His life and career spans a big timescale, and with his constant demons this is no mean feat. Show more Download Higher quality (128kbps) Lower. Fortunately, Clarke did. 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. How so? John's 2018 poetry collection The Luckiest Guy Alive features 30 new poems including the favourites; I've Fallen In Love With My Wife and Get Back on Drugs you Fat F*ck. Surely a poet of the music world, if ever there was one, and one whose impact on left-field arts is impossible to overestimate. Everything that they wanted to achieve, I wanted to stop happening, he writes. John Cooper Clarke shot to prominence in the 1970s as the original 'people's poet'. I am but I don't like to analyse it too much. The result of that time was this a piece of poetry that feels more like a piece of meditation. Leading line: Time flies slides down the wall. He laughs as he remembers The Vault, a room many pubs had with a dartboard, no carpet and no women - a room where swearing was allowed. All mixed up with drug taking anecdotes. Clarke's recording of "Evidently Chickentown" from his album Snap, Crackle & Bop was also featured prominently in the closing scene of The Sopranos episode Stage 5. [12], Clarke released Zip Style Method in 1982, but thereafter performed his live act less frequently, spending much of the 1980s mired in heroin addiction, living in a "domestic partnership" with singer and fellow addict Nico. I don't think that songs are poetry but I think that a good song has something poetic about it. He was comparatively old - in his late twenties - by the time punk hit, but he looked and sounded every inch the punky malcontent, and he . "What a great name! Best line: Did Bob Marley like the odd smoke? When gangsters were no longer cool thanks to early 1960s TV series The Untouchables, they changed their name to The Vendettas, then again to The Chaperones after a line-up change, and then again to The Lovely Flowers in a doomed attempt to cash in on the whole horticultural vibe of the late 60s, and for which he assumed the stage name Brett Vandergelt Junior. John Cooper Clarke is an English performance poet, who first became famous as a "punk poet" in the late 1970s. Was Jesus Christ a decent bloke?. There's a bit where I'm in it, reciting Chickentown in an Irish Pub but I wrote this poem especially for it called Pity The Plight of Young Fellows. Leading line: Its a sociologists paradise. The name of a group is important and that one is unforgettable. The Bowling Green Disco Thong Single Review, Noel Gallagher new single featuring Johnny Marr, LISTEN! There have been times when poetry was very much in vogue. So in celebration of his birthday, we've delved into Clarkes archives and handpicked his top pieces of poetry. But Clarke is one of a kind, and with this piece he redefined traditional ideas of poetry altogether. Rhythm machines at the ready, his cultural performance is about to kick off Theres a real sense of artistic perception when Cooper Clarke is on stage, because he doesnt just stand there and read lines of words. Well, he admits, I got drunk with another fella whod just brought up a previous paella. This may have been the artists worst nightmare, but at least he saw the funny side of it. It's not a place for a first date, is it? Evidently Chickentown wouldnt have achieved its master status had it not been for Clarkes repetitive fucking (words only, dont worry). After a 40 odd year career, its perhaps surprising that John Cooper Clarke has only actually released two books of poetry. That point is quite obvious name-dropping a politician in a dark line that was actually censored by the BBC upon play in 1980. One of his more playful numbers, this tale of take away violence at the hands of an embryonic Bruce Lee was released as a b-side to single Post War Glamour Girls in 1978, and its light hearted nature echoes the nightclub circuit in which Clarke cut his teeth before the punk era. Leading line: People mention murder the moment you arrive. John Cooper Clarke is a poet and musician who was most popular during the late 70s/early 80s but has had widespread success in recent years. But I'm glad they don't. Poetry and I have a difficult relationship. Each day repeats on easy, cheesy, greasy, queasy, beastly Beasley Street. The reasons the Beasley Streets exist is judged to be political, with one of the poems strongest lines directed at Keith Joseph, then described as the architect of Thatcherism; Keith Joseph smiles and a baby dies in a box on Beasley Street. I will say that I did miss some sort of lead up to his performances. All the things that didn't use to be crimes. They were all Coca Cola and amphetamines. 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! Leading line: Far from perfect strangers; Id like to keep it that way. He might not be a pub man but John loves a good restaurant. Fact: I Wanna Be Yours is a metaphorical masterpiece. 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. Their common problem is that theyre not someone else. 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". We practised at home, and got to be pretty good, Clarke claims. His unique poetry was put to music by producer Martin Hannett and a band of Mancunians The Invisible Girls.Seminal tracks such as Beasley St and Evidently Chickentown featured on the album Snap Crackle and Bop, one of 4 hit 70/80s album releases. A relatively simple yet typically colourful condemnation of an unnamed individual; all the best components of Clarkes work are found here. Best line: The boys are on the wagon. is a barrage of questions from the subtle to the absurd, each one laugh inducing and perfectly crafted. So glad Majorca is on the list utter genius and my favourite! He currently resides in England, United Kingdom. Leading line: Youre fucking lost and fucking found, stuck in fucking Chickentown. Here we present some of his best work, which will go some way to explaining why he has become, of all things, a national treasure. He might consider himself relegated to the realm of the old fashioned but at 73, John Cooper Clarke is as relevant and influential as ever. The 73-year-old poet was born in England, United Kingdom. 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. Around this time, he performed on stage with several punk and post-punk bands and continues to perform regularly. I didnt want the 15+ hours of this to end, and had I the time, Id listen to it again right away. Click the button below to see the extras you get! Dr John Cooper Clarke's 2019 autobiography, named after his most famous poem. From music hall and working mens clubs to punk and post-punk, whether as an observer or participant, Clarke has done it all. So witty and clever, with an encyclopaedic knowledge of fashion, music and pop culture. "With charm you've got to get up close." Login Sign Up. Twat I Wrote the Songs The projected track list included The Beat Goes On by Sonny and Cher, Love is Strange by Mickey and Sylvia, Welcome Home by Peters and Lee, I Just Want to Stay Here by Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorm, and Thanks for the Memory by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross. John Cooper Clarke - Haiku. We are still experiencing political turmoil, after all. I was tempted to count all the words in Pest and see what percentage of them actually began with P, but realised in the nick of time what kind of a nerd that would make me. The often divisive production that Martin Hannett brought to John Cooper Clarkes poetry works to best effect here, complimenting the dark undertones and careful alliteration of in an X certificate exercise ex-servicemen excrete. He's the most straightforward interpreter of a song that it's possible to get. Clarke's poem "Out of Control Fairground" was printed inside the Arctic Monkeys' 2007 single "Fluorescent Adolescent" CD. 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. Sometimes a band hit . Best line: Like a death a birthday party, you ruin all the fun.. When you hear his version of Lost In Music you realise that even when Sister Sledge did it, it was always a Fall tune.. From the emergence of rock n roll in the late 50s; The Beatles and The Stones; the rise of Northern Soul at the Wigan Casino; mid-70s dub reggae; punk rock; and Manchesters immortal Factory-led post-punk scene in the 80s, Clarke saw them all. I think it was on Sky Arts. 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. The lists of people he knows and has worked with is impressive, from Bernard Manning to Gil Scot-Heron, from The Clash to Nico, from Plan B to Chuck Berry to list a very few. 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". 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. He has such a striking and inimitable presence, it's like seeing a Tim Burton character come to life. I digress. I'll give you an example whereby I've tried to stay true to myself while dealing with the modern world. I was on drugs. I can see the worth of a Martin's meat and potato pie. Anywhere else in a pub, the landlord or landlady would say, There's a room for that kind of language. To be honest, [women] wouldn't want to go in The Vault. It is not Clarke that embraced punk, however, but the other way around. Kung Fu International John Cooper Clarke has always been adjacent to musicians, but in I Wanna Be Yours he recounts his many attempts at forming bands of his own. For all the ludicrous stories of drug-smuggling and evading the police, there are some truly harrowing moments. It was heavily weighted toward the early years and away from his poetry. Very sonorous, a kind of mezzo baritone. I do recognise that there's a lot of the hack in the way I write poetry. The effect of this is to hammer home the points made. This one is all about violence. The memoir all obsessives of the self-professed Bargain Basement Baudilaire have been waiting for. I Wanna Be Yours (2020) Is the autobiography of erstwhile punk poet - now peoples poet Dr John Cooper Clarke - the book title itself taken from one of Clarkes most popular poems of the same name. Dr John Cooper Clarke's 2019 autobiography, named after his most famous poem. Despair obviously drives the poem, carved into claims that instantly slots it into the social realism commentary club.