This poem may be tailored towards a past decade, but its atmospheric despair still rings today. 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. Kae writes in a kind of language that I don't really use, addressing a public that I have no knowledge of. I've just realised that now after all these years.. Show more Ratings Friends & Following 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. This brings us to our shared love of specialised languages like Yiddish, which Inotice John lends from a lot, and Polari. John Cooper Clarke | John Peel Centre for Creative Arts Among the revelations of I Wanna Be Yours, however, is the fact that the two distinctly voiced flatmates came extremely close to recording an album of duets under the name Nico And Johnnie. was John Cooper Clarke, a skinny punk from up north, from whose mouth down south this poem poured forth. The name of a group is important and that one is unforgettable. 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. John Cooper Clarke - John Cooper Clarke Poems | Best Poems Well, I'm a fan so I found this autobiography super charming. Now you get children in them so you can't even swear in a pub anymore. I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke See Jim Moir aka Vic Reeves paintings for evidence of how broad his impact still is. Since my main imperative was now the acquisition of ever-increasing amounts of heroin, there was always something better to do than write poetry. Beasley Street is one of John Cooper Clarkes darker poems. 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. He also cites poets like Charles Baudelaire, Arthur Rimbaud and Edgar Allan Poe among his chief inspirations, but even more influential in his early days were figures such as Muhammad Ali, with his swaggering rhyming trash talk, and Edwardian music hall star Billy Merson. JCC goes into . It's 'mom' upside down. Any amateur review cannot do justice to the genius of JCC, so I just urge you to read it! A Music War, in which he performed his poem "Health Fanatic". Please check for alternative titles or spellings. Weve all either experienced or observed one sat by the pool in what looks like a plastic hotel, looking on to the hysteria of other families as they squabble to make full use of water inflatables, alcohol, dinner specials of the day and just the overall package deal that theyve paid for. He toured with Bill Nelson's band Be-Bop Deluxe in 1978 and was signed by Epic Records, who issued the studio album Disguise In Love, produced by Hannett, in 1978. They have done me so much good those lads. John Cooper Clark is a performance poet who first became famous in the late 1970s. 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. Read More. The punk poetry of John Cooper Clarke | Dangerous Minds Then right at the end, in 2004, hes buying crystal meth. John Cooper Clarke - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia Introduction to the English rock singer and poet, Sir John Cooper Clarke, and reading of two poems "I wanna be yours" & "I've got. 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. 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". His set is characterised by lively rapid-fire renditions of his poems, usually performed a cappella. To me, it depends on the artist. Most of his poems are set to music and feel very contemporary. I've got MediaCity to thank for introducing me to the genius that was Sean Locke. The second The Luckiest Guy Alive, came 35 years later. You never meet an artist who isn't a fan [of Mark]. Discombobulated youths, confined spaces Clarke gets it all spot on. Technique. Came across JCC through the Arctic Monkeys. 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. His vocals from both of his Suns of Arqa tracks have been used on numerous remixes by the band ever since. When I saw the book in my local bookshop on Christmas Eve, I grabbed it. 9.09 GBP. He would approach a song as though it were a poem and then he would decide how to sing it. He was the original punk. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The state of urban living has long been a strong concern for Clarke, and in Beasley Street he relays that with power. 14.00 GBP. A lesser known Clarke number but amongst his most literary and witty, Are You the Business? It might have been useful to have more of his poems in the book. Sinatra sings it. In the 1800s, poetry was perhaps akin to rock n roll, with its proponents being declared mad, bad and dangerous to know. Looks like Clarkes not the only one feeling entrapped this is a classic piece of poetry. 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. But hes never mannered. By Paul Henderson. The same way that somebody who's a good painter back in them days would have been a commercial artist. John reckons literacy has always been important in Manchester, the birthplace of The Manchester Guardian. I've never been one of those people that writes poetry as a means of self-expression alone. It was too good. John Cooper Clarke is an English performance poet, who first became famous as a "punk poet" in the late 1970s. John Cooper Clarke", "BBC One Would I Lie to You?, Series 9, Episode 3", "Would I Lie to You? They sound like my sort of band. I've got to check them out. It is far from gratuitous, take the swearing out and the poem would cease to function as such. A serious note is being struck here and this poem looks at a life after revolution. Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt by John Cooper Clarke - Goodreads On Sale POETRY QUOTE BLACK T-SHIRT. ", I'm seeing the value of pubs now because they've been banned. I asked him what they were called, and he said The Arctic Monkeys, Clarke remembers. Leading line: If you like your coffee hot, let me be your coffee pot. 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. 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 . [22], 2015 saw Clarke present a documentary on Thomas De Quincey's Confessions of an English Opium-Eater in the BBC's second series of The Secret Life of Books. 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. 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. You go outside if you like fresh air that much.. I Wanna Be Yours : John Cooper Clarke : 9781509896103 You can finesse the way you approach any part of the song. Credit: Getty Images. John Cooper Clarke - TWAT (on After Dark, 1982) - YouTube In addition, he published two poetry collections, Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt and The Luckiest Guy Alive. Are we still asking if you can wear black with blue? was an indian famous poet (May 7, 1861 August 7, 1941) Thomas. First book of 2021. Idiot. Evidently Chickentown wouldnt have achieved its master status had it not been for Clarkes repetitive fucking (words only, dont worry). But I'm glad they don't. [1] In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he released several albums. Best Poems does not have poems published by this Poet yet. He embodied its ethos before the concept even existed. 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. Leading line: Its a sociologists paradise. Contents John cooper clarke twat on after dark 1982 addiction and then the massive comeback as major poet he enjoys today. John Cooper Clarke shot to prominence in the 1970s as the original 'people's poet'. Putting a punk spin on simple matters has given the northern man a master status: purveyor of subcultural shock. People think the internet is as reliable as a newspaper. Im relieved. Around this time, he performed on stage with several punk and post-punk bands and continues to perform regularly. City curiosities: an alternative tour of Manchester Part One, Mundane Magic: Oxford Road, River Medlock and a Frenchman. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He's like Edward Scissorhand's older and more sensitive brother. He released several albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and continues to perform regularly. Series 15: Episode 1", "Pointless Celebrities Next on BBC One", "BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs, John Cooper Clarke, poet", "BBC Two Celebrity Antiques Road Trip, Series 9, Episode 7", "John Cooper Clarke: The punk poet whose time has come again", "John Cooper Clarke Post-War Glamour Girl / Kung Fu International CBS UK S CBS 6541", "Movie Highlights | Interviews, Quizzes & More", "Various Short Circuit Live At The Electric Circus (Vinyl) at Discogs", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Cooper_Clarke&oldid=1142709900, People associated with the University of Salford, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, "Pity the Plight" (2012 Ill manors album Plan B), This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 23:42. Best line: The boys are on the wagon. A RIOT OF OUR OWN BY JOHNNY GREEN & GARRY BARKER. Features 30 new poems, including the favourites; I've Fallen In Love With My Wife and Get Back on Drugs you Fat F*ck. 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". With Lauren Laverne. For decades it was seen as corny. I didn't get any encouragement. I think Mr Clarke was given too much freedom with this meandering diary with a tendency to show off. 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 . Well bet that when you listen to its leading lines, youll naturally prescribe a name in your head. The term I'm looking for here is the common touch. John Cooper Clarke - Slam Poetry I'm smiling. In October of 1981 Clarke appeared in episode 2 of series 3 of The Innes Book of Records (TV series), reciting "Evidently Chickentown". Follow us on Vero for exclusive music content and commentary, all the latest music lifestyle news and insider access into the GQ world, from behind-the-scenes insight to recommendations from our Editors and high-profile talent. Leading line: Youre fucking lost and fucking found, stuck in fucking Chickentown. The most striking thing about hearing this poem performed live is the staccato call-and-response nature of the delivery. His unique poetry was put to music by producer Martin Hannett and a band of Mancunians The Invisible Girls. Maybe it's a limitation in me. 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. He shot to cultural prominence in the Seventies,. 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. 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. [10], Clarke appeared in a 1982 music documentary compilation Urgh! 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. I saw people like John Lee Hooker, The Animals, The Who. 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. Everything that they wanted to achieve, I wanted to stop happening, he writes. "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. 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. What kind of poet is John Cooper Clarke? Best line: If you like your coffee hot, let me be your coffee pot. But really it is another example of Clarke having fun with the written word. All mixed up with drug taking anecdotes. Best line: Like a death a birthday party, you ruin all the fun.. 1. I like learning about poetry, the nuances and the cleverly picked phrases. John Cooper Clarke was born in Manchester in 1949. I Wanna Be Yours, (Macmillan), is a groundbreaking piece of literature. John Cooper Clarke interview: 'Poetry is not something you have to He still performs, and appeared on AM on "I Wanna Be Yours." I think she's great. Dont worry, we wont ask who. Even one hes never read. 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). Dr John Cooper Clarke's 2019 autobiography, named after his most famous poem I Wanna Be Yours, (Macmillan), is a groundbreaking piece of literature. JCC goes into. In the early 1900s, poetry was taken seriously enough that it was part of the Olympics. In one particularly grim passage he has to arm himself to try and score in the perilous underworld of late-70s New York. Beasley Street Punk poet John Cooper Clarke upset some of his fans with 'transphobic' content at a gig in Sheffield (Photo: Getty) Posting on Twitter, he said: "Walked out of @official_jcc gig. However, I laughed out loud and thoroughly enjoyed the book once he started performing. "Evidently Chickentown" (recited by Christopher Eccleston) is featured in the made-for-television film Strumpet. He hastens to add that he values newspapers hugely and doesnt like to see any newspaper collapse. 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. Few and far between, we say. ", 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. Everybody else has been teachers, librarians or whatever. "What a great name! 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. Around this time, he performed on stage with several punk and post-punk bands and continues . John Cooper Clarke Wiki, Biography, Age, Career, Relationship, Net The most surprising influence of all, however, is the agony aunt section of his mothers Womans Own magazine, one of the first places he fell in love with the written word. With a song, you can hold notes on. They were speaking my language. The rest is history. [21] In October 2020 Clarke published an autobiography which took its title from his poem I Wanna Be Yours. Best line: The pandemonium prompted the police, who patrolled the precinct in panda cars, to pull up and peruse the problem, while pickpockets picked pockets in pairs.. There's a reason why John Cooper Clarke was dubbed the first "punk poet": his words have long delivered an honest exposure of urban Britain. He was later blown away when his adopted nephew grew into one of rocks all-time greats. Best line: The carpet was monotonous, its pattern gave the impression of small animal crapping at regular intervals.. John Cooper Clarke, punk poet and the Bard of Salford is in danger of becoming a national treasure. 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. It is not Clarke that embraced punk, however, but the other way around. Not all of his groups were such a shambles, however. 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. The debate on bringing back the death penalty was rumbling on when Clarke wrote down his observations on what the result of this might be. They were speaking my language. I knew nothing about Clarke but had listened to his interview for Desert Island Discs. John Cooper Clarke's memoir 'I Wanna Be Yours' - the big talking points Features John Cooper Clarke's bracing new memoir 'I Wanna Be Yours' - the big talking points The veteran poet. Roger McGough Poet. They've all turned into takeaways, secondhand shops, estate agents. The shock and awe of those times would not seem to be particularly fertile ground for a poet to thrive in, but, hidden in the depths of Salford, a young poet was getting ready to do exactly that. In 1988, he made an appearance in two UK adverts for Sugar Puffs, taking second billing to the Honey Monster. A newspaper is answerable to libel laws for a start.. I listened to it as an audiobook, and Clarke is so engaging and skilled at storytelling that this book could've been twice as long and it still wouldve felt like no time at all. I love playingWheres Wallywith poems find the metaphor, spot the simile detour relationship never really went beyond that which is strange because I love music and essentially lyrics are just poems to music. It involved people that are much younger than myself in the gangster world of East London. In fact Im not sure what it actually is, stream of consciousness myth making? Australian Premiere/UK] THE POPEYE, FEB 27, 2023. I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke is available to buy now from all good book shops. Poetry has never been regarded as a reliable engine of wealth. 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'. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke - Poem Analysis Bob Mortimer parodies John Cooper Clarke in new lockdown poem Have you got a sense of humour? Yeah, I think you can learn to be a poet to a greater or lesser extent. An exercise in acute alliteration that saw such excessive use of a plosive P that Clarke advised the first 16 rows of his audience to watch out. Through his poetry he engaged with disaffection and grit a decade before the punks picked up their pens, with more wit than Joe Strummer could dream of. Some of the toughest guys I ever knew were all vying for attention with million-dollar words, the slickest of rhymes, and ever more arcane vocabulary, Clarke recalls. D r John Cooper Clarke, Salford's favourite son, arrives in the whitewashed upper room of St John near London's Smithfield meat market trailing a suitcase. So playing to my strengths, I thought, I'm gonna make a living doing this. 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. Are you happier now than you have ever been? It was hand to mouth. 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. 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. When I asked about the last time he said his favourite word wow, he says it was in response to his wifes confit duck. John Cooper Clarke - Haiku We both just love words. Keywords Fashion GQ Style Magazine. What made it easy to remember was the sonorous language of poetry. What can I say, the 70's and 80's were a weird, weird, gloriously outrageous, wonderfully fun, utterly ridiculous era. Why pull the ladder up? I will say that I did miss some sort of lead up to his performances. John Cooper Clark Offers 3 Simple Words on Heroin: "Don't Do It". But you might be surprised to learn that hes not a fan of its modern-day iteration. His musical albums include Snap, Crackle & Bop; Zip Style Method; Disguise in Love; and Walking Back to Happiness. His career has been more as a performer, though he insists that its important to write the poems down, saying, You've got to learn the words somehow. Cant find it anywhere :-(. Are You the Business? Part of me dies under my overalls. 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. John Cooper Clarke up against Damo Suzuki and Georgia Ruth. I just wanted to take the line of least resistance. I am but I don't like to analyse it too much. Of all the artists who appear in the book, The Fall, Clarke says, were the best of the best. At the same time, you had people like Wordsworth, waxing lyrical about the Lake District. The clubs I used to frequent: The Twisted Wheel, The Oasis, The Jungfrau - all those great rock and roll venues were really for under 18s. John Cooper Clarke is an English punk poet who became famous in the late 70s and recorded I Wanna Be Yours in 1982.. John Cooper Clarke on Apple Music He has a great deal of respect for the tabloid hack who puts themselves in danger for a good story. Leading line: I cant go back to Salford, the cops have got me marked. The Luckiest Guy Alive is the first new book of poetry from Dr John Cooper Clarke for several decades - and a brilliant, scabrous, hilarious collection from one of our most beloved and influential writers and performers.. Cooper Clarke's status as the 'Emperor of Punk Poetry' is certainly confirmed here, but so is his reputation as a brilliant versifier, a poet of vicious wit and a . Grab one of the last remaining tickets for John Cooper Clarke at The Bridgewater Hall here. As the acclaimed punk poet turns 70 today, weve delved into his lyrical archives and sourced his best works. I asked him what they were called, and he said The Arctic Monkeys. Its really my only skill. Immediately were giggling like old pals. 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. Every Glastonbury poster and line-up since 1970, Soundtrack Of My Life: Ted Lasso star Phil Dunster, J-hope fulfils another fantasy with his J. Cole collab On The Street, Daisy Jones & The Six: backstage with the TV band everyones going to be watching, Final Fantasy 16 is a lavish RPG twist on Bayonetta and its all the better for it. It's kind of Dickensian. 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. If nothing else, I Wanna Be Yours stands as a thrilling document of some of musics most exciting moments of the last century. 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.