Sometimes a band hit . Im holding you to that, John. He's met the fish man on the way. He's the most straightforward interpreter of a song that it's possible to get. 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".He released several albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and continues to perform regularly. Best line: Like a death a birthday party, you ruin all the fun.. And I've never really shook that off.. John Cooper Clarke (born January 25, 1949) is famous for being poet. I've just realised that now after all these years.. And yet they voted for Tony Blair., Whoever went in a pub for the good of their health? Dr John Cooper Clarke's 2019 autobiography, named after his most famous poem I Wanna Be Yours, (Macmillan), is a groundbreaking piece of literature. He is a wonderful writer and storyteller but I would have swapped the first 100 pages about his childhood for a longer reflection on his most recent years. He has a great deal of respect for the tabloid hack who puts themselves in danger for a good story. 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. His only prose work is I Wanna Be Yours, a memoir. The saddest of all, however, is when he realises that an emaciated, greasy heroin dealer is in fact Chet Baker, once jazzs handsome, charismatic Prince of Cool, now a shadow of his former self. Could anyone, I ask, with enough time and dedication, learn how to be a poet or is it something youre born with? 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I don't think that songs are poetry but I think that a good song has something poetic about it. I am 53 and saw John many times.. and lover his warts and all adventures..not for everyone, but most working class boys or anyone who is not interested in average people and prepared to not to be told how to live..gets messy , but met all the rock n roll greats and all the people worth knowing who were on same path..his wit and compassion to fellow musicians in trouble would help emotionally never wandered..a good man knows a good man..first saw at Glastonbury..and said with paper they in hand look my divorce..not bad 50/50 on house she got the inside and I got the outside and pay for arrangements..I was hooked.. also part of the school curriculum (wanna be your washing machine). John Cooper Clarke is an English poet who is regarded as a "punk poet." He became famous in the late 1970s and released several albums. Clarke writes about his English teacher, Mr. Malone, with affection. On this rare occasion that Clarke took a writing trip away from socialism, he proved his leading status as a hopeless romantic. We have a small favour to ask. The only person that I could ever point at that ever made a living out of poetry was Charles Baudelaire. You can't see the joints. Of all the artists who appear in the book, The Fall, Clarke says, were the best of the best. Twat And, no, I will not burn my copy of "Ou est la Maison de Fromage," for I love you live and solo as you are best heard. I can write blank verse, but where's the groove? Enter the Dragon, exit Johnny Clarke. Again we are presented with a nightmarish vision of the future that may sound unnecessarily alarmist these days, but as Tom Robinson once pointed out, just because it didnt go the way of military repression or fascists taking over the Conservative party, that doesnt mean to say it couldnt have done. The 70s were scary times and Clarke mirrored these concerns. The relationship that tabloids have with their readership is not a didactic one of master-pupil. Clarke often seemed to bear beats in mind when writing and performing, possibly indicating there is a frustrated rock star hiding under the poetic exterior. He kicked me in the balls and said something profound. It's Working Men's Club. He shot to cultural prominence in the Seventies, producing and performing poetry that tackled real-life matters with zero fear and total vibrance. Opening and closing your mouth. . 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. [1] In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he released several albums. He released several albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and continues to perform regularly. John Cooper Clarke: If I might start this off, I'm a late convert to your work, Grian! I never really understood that. Where was the editor? He believes The Guardian now pushes a narrow set of beliefs, insisting he was always more of "a red top guy. 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. Click the button below to see the extras you get! Around this time, he performed on stage with several punk and post-punk bands and continues to perform regularly. In January 2018 Clarke appeared as a contestant on an academic version of BBC One's Pointless Celebrities partnered with historian Suzannah Lipscomb; they reached the head-to-head round. If youre an Arctic Monkeys fan, youll probably recognise this one, as Alex Turner used its lyrics for a leading number on the bands 2013 album, AM. Barrett Strong - the guy that wrote Money, one of the first lyricists with the Motown label - went to Berry Gordy when he was just starting up the label with a book of poetry and said, if you can use any of these for lyrics, that'd be great. Thats terrible. Clarke is also very keen on lists: there are a lot of them. I also recommend his love show! Another speciality is clothing and fashion, something he takes very seriously. 'It will provide some much-needed employment in a depressed area'. He released several albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and continues to perform regularly.His recorded output has mainly centred around musical backing from the . Simple and timeless, it addresses the realities of raw feelings as Clarke expresses a desire to be the electric heater youll get cold without. John Cooper Clark Offers 3 Simple Words on Heroin: "Don't Do It". This Time It's Personal CD. You can divide I Wanna Be Yours into two distinct sections: before and after the legendary Sex Pistols gig at Manchester Free Trade Hall in 1976. To me, it depends on the artist. I grew up with much the same memories: UCP cafes, meat and potato pies, running home on a Friday night to watch Ready Steady Go, and the Twisted Wheel and Jigsaw clubs in Manchester. On Sale POETRY QUOTE BLACK T-SHIRT. All the things that didn't use to be crimes. He released several albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and continues to perform regularly. I don't know why more people don't do it. John Otway is not exactly a household name. The Road to Mandalay by Rudyard Kipling. So in celebration of his birthday, we've delved into Clarkes archives and handpicked his top pieces of poetry. I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke is many things. Evidently Chickentown wouldnt have achieved its master status had it not been for Clarkes repetitive fucking (words only, dont worry). 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. 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. His wife Evie, whos French, is the better cook. If youre wondering how to deal with someone elses problems, the solution is right in this piece of poetry. Failure to hang yourself justified the axe.. Leading line: Its a sociologists paradise. Best line: Im not your psychoanalyst, Id rather talk to mice.. British punk poet who set lyrics of rebellion to the music of lesser-known bands. johncooperclarke .com. Poetry and I have a difficult relationship. John Cooper Clarke Wiki & Bio Home Activity About Blog IQ Token FAQ 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. 2023 Louder Than War. He was later blown away when his adopted nephew grew into one of rocks all-time greats. Around this time, he performed on stage with several punk and post-punk bands and continues to perform regularly. If nothing else, I Wanna Be Yours stands as a thrilling document of some of musics most exciting moments of the last century. The name of a group is important and that one is unforgettable. 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. It was hand to mouth. John Cooper Clarke is a different breed of the poet. John Cooper Clarke is an English performance poet, who first became famous as a "punk poet" in the late 1970s. It was too good. (catalogue number NOZE 1), which was a collection of live recordings, demos and rehearsals. Take a tip from John Cooper Clarke Kae writes in a kind of language that I don't really use, addressing a public that I have no knowledge of. [28], Clarke has lived for nearly 20 years in Colchester, Essex, with his second wife, Evie, who is French. If it's got some kind of lasting value, you say it's poetic. What can I say, the 70's and 80's were a weird, weird, gloriously outrageous, wonderfully fun, utterly ridiculous era. One of the greatest and coolest things I've always been able to tell people is that, not only do I live in the town where Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Humpty Dumpty were written, but that the captivating individual that is John Cooper Clarke lives here. Benjamin Zephaniah Writer. Sat around with a load of swearing old blokes playing darts and farting.. He would approach a song as though it were a poem and then he would decide how to sing it. Leading line: Youre fucking lost and fucking found, stuck in fucking Chickentown. Best line: "The fucking scene is fucking sad, the fucking news is fucking bad, the fucking weed is fucking turf, the fucking speed is fucking surf" Kung Fu International "In which I get beaten up" says Clarke as introduction to this poem on its live recording. 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. With so much to see, its inevitable that we would [], 1984. Bob Mortimer has taken on the role of John Cooper Clarke. But hes never mannered. He hastens to add that he values newspapers hugely and doesnt like to see any newspaper collapse. Clarkes episode of being beat up on a Saturday night outside a takeaway is translated into a playful (and ironic) piece here, proving that he isnt scared to admit his human downfalls post-night out. But of all the times when we might consider poetry to have been encouraged, the punk explosion of 76/77 would likely not be included. anarchic punk poetry John Cooper Clarke is . By 1978, he was opening for the Sex Pistols and the Buzzcocks, and . Ellie-Jo meets Heather Linnitt in Chorlton to check out the modern vintage marvel that is Jonathan Schofield and the epic tale of Manchester architecture, Jonathan Schofield gazes down from an impossible angle at the 'old city', We are still experiencing political turmoil, after all. I'm from an industrial city. So why pick on cigs? In a way it kind of cramps my style.. Very sonorous, a kind of mezzo baritone. Dr John Cooper Clarke's 2019 autobiography, named after his most famous poem I Wanna Be Yours, (Macmillan), is a groundbreaking piece of literature. John Cooper Clarke is an English punk poet who became famous in the late 70s and recorded I Wanna Be Yours in 1982.. Hes even on the GCSE curriculum these days! I'm smiling. I Wanna Be Yours is out now via Pan Macmillan. John Cooper Clarke up against Damo Suzuki and Georgia Ruth. However, I laughed out loud and thoroughly enjoyed the book once he started performing. In this autobiography he is engaging and pretty honest (irritating as well). "With charm you've got to get up close." Login Sign Up. 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. I like learning about poetry, the nuances and the cleverly picked phrases. I was not equipped psychologically to deal with any of this new reality, he writes. [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. The photographs of David Bailey, are quite rightly seen as a poetic take on the 60s. Looks like Clarkes not the only one feeling entrapped this is a classic piece of poetry. Clarke's poem "Out of Control Fairground" was printed inside the Arctic Monkeys' 2007 single "Fluorescent Adolescent" CD. Keywords Fashion GQ Style Magazine. 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! fascinating detail about his early life in Manchester leading up to punk superstardom, drug. John Cooper Clarke is an English poet who is regarded as a punk poet. He became famous in the late 1970s and released several albums. A clear favourite among artists and a clear favourite for all ill-fated lovers. Its at this point Clarke, then a local favourite in the working mens clubs and casinos of the North West, transforms in an instant into the nationally known poet laureate of punk hes still venerated as today. The book is a sure fire cure for insomnia. People think the internet is as reliable as a newspaper. His unique poetry was put to music by producer Martin Hannett and a band of Mancunians The Invisible Girls. Subscribe to Louder Than War and help keep the flame of independent music burning. Dr. John Cooper Clarke is a Salford-born poet and performer who has shared bills with the likes of Joy Division, the Sex Pistols and the Fall, and released multiple albums. Igr kvll underhll han hela Hammersmith Apollo med sin legendariska performancepoesi och den dr clarkeska deadpanhumorn. Its a great word. A newspaper is answerable to libel laws for a start.. [4] He also duetted with Reverend Jon McClure at a Reverend and the Makers concert at London's Spread Eagle, performing the poem "Last Resort", which would later be released as the B-side for the band's single "Heavyweight Champion of the World". In fact it is extremely dark but, given that it looks at the worst excesses of slum dwelling, how could it not be. You go outside if you like fresh air that much.. He has such a striking and inimitable presence, it's like seeing a Tim Burton character come to life. Dr John Cooper Clarke's 2019 autobiography, named after his most famous poem. Leading line: They packed us into the white hotel. [27], In November 2019 Clarke was a participant, alongside Phill Jupitus, in BBC's Celebrity Antiques Road Trip. I Wanna Be Yoursis very different from a lot of the poems that have been analyzed on Poem Analysis. Kung Fu International 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. 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. Well, I'm a fan so I found this autobiography super charming. The subject of the piece remains unnamed (lucky guy), but the ambiguity of the poem deems it one of the Salford lads finest pieces. Famous fans include Ben Drew, aka the aforementioned Plan B as well as Alex Turner and his Arctic Monkeys. 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". He released several albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and continues to perform regularly. "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?" Best line: Theyd hang you for incontinence and fiddling your tax. I've never heard anybody with an Ordsall accent in employment in MediaCity.". The state of urban living has long been a strong concern for Clarke, and in Beasley Street he relays that with power. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he released several albums. Im relieved. Describing himself as more ofa boulevardier, John tells me he was never a frequenter of pubs, seeing them as somewhere your dad went. He layers them over melodies, relaying a sort of spoken song that makes his compositions an outpour of awareness rather than just forms of entertainment. Part of me dies under my overalls. The band's Alex Turner has said he is very fond of Clarke's work and takes inspiration for lyrics from his poems. It is through you visiting Poem Analysis that we are able to contribute to charity. I Wanna Be Yours, (Macmillan), is a groundbreaking piece of literature.