Yeah, I think you can learn to be a poet to a greater or lesser extent. 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. 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. Leading line: I cant go back to Salford, the cops have got me marked. Read John Cooper Clarke's poem for Topman's show at London Collections Men. In 1988, he made an appearance in two UK adverts for Sugar Puffs, taking second billing to the Honey Monster. John Cooper Clark Offers 3 Simple Words on Heroin: "Don't Do It". John Cooper Clarke, punk poet and the Bard of Salford is in danger of becoming a national treasure. Among poets, John Cooper Clarke is the closest thing to a rock star our contemporary times can offer. [27], In November 2019 Clarke was a participant, alongside Phill Jupitus, in BBC's Celebrity Antiques Road Trip. John Cooper Clarke is an English performance poet, who first became famous as a "punk poet" in the late 1970s. [28], Clarke has lived for nearly 20 years in Colchester, Essex, with his second wife, Evie, who is French. After a show at The Boardwalk in Sheffield, Clarke was approached by a young musician called Alex Turner who had studied him at school, and whose band were about to become megastars. 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. I think Mr Clarke was given too much freedom with this meandering diary with a tendency to show off. I do recognise that there's a lot of the hack in the way I write poetry. He released several albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and continues to perform regularly. It's kind of Dickensian. 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. How so? 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. And yet they voted for Tony Blair., Whoever went in a pub for the good of their health? 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". Few and far between, we say. 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. Wait hang onit IS that crazy singer! Contents John cooper clarke twat on after dark 1982 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. He never does the same song the same way twice. Best line: Im not your psychoanalyst, Id rather talk to mice.. After a 40 odd year career, its perhaps surprising that John Cooper Clarke has only actually released two books of poetry. I Wanna Be Yoursis very different from a lot of the poems that have been analyzed on Poem Analysis. Take a tip from John Cooper Clarke First shown: 05/02/1979If you would like to license a clip from this video please . 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. John Cooper Clarke. I am but I don't like to analyse it too much. Even his musical tastes were mine in those early days; Dylan and Captain Beefheart. However, I laughed out loud and thoroughly enjoyed the book once he started performing. Dr John Cooper Clarke's 2019 autobiography, named after his most famous poem I Wanna Be Yours, (Macmillan), is a groundbreaking piece of literature. This brings us to our shared love of specialised languages like Yiddish, which Inotice John lends from a lot, and Polari. I can only think of one instance where a poem has become a song. You could still smell the polycell. On Sale I Just Wanna Be Yours T-Shirt. For all the ludicrous stories of drug-smuggling and evading the police, there are some truly harrowing moments. Dont worry, we wont ask who. I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke is available to buy now from all good book shops. By Paul Henderson. I've just realised that now after all these years.. May he rest in peace. I can write blank verse, but where's the groove? "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. Theres a whole wide world in those two words; it calls up an emotional response. Their common problem is that theyre not someone else. Fascinating for anyone interesting in recent history, music history, fashion and pop culture. Best line: Dancin In The Daylight, Singin In The Smog, You Aint Nothin But A Hedgehog., All Selections by Banjo you can find his authors archive here. His vocals from both of his Suns of Arqa tracks have been used on numerous remixes by the band ever since. You go outside if you like fresh air that much.. Unusually, I was more interested in reading this biography for the company the man kept, rather than the man himself. I want to talk to John about eating and drinking out. He still performs, and appeared on AM on "I Wanna Be Yours." I put it down to the smoking ban. The gutturally nasal Northern machine gun verse of John Cooper Clarke, as full of vitriol as it is humour and irony, is as inimitably his own as the black hairspray explosion and 28 inch waist black drainpipes still omnipresent in his 70s (70s!). Despair obviously drives the poem, carved into claims that instantly slots it into the social realism commentary club. A live performance of the same poem appears in the film Control, with Clarke portraying himself in a re-creation of a 1977 concert in which he supported Joy Division, despite being 30 years older than the events depicted in the film. [23] He has appeared as a guest on the comedy panel show Would I Lie To You? 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. Having an idea to write such a poem is one thing, but to create such a masterfully crafted text is quite another. The state of urban living has long been a strong concern for Clarke, and in Beasley Street he relays that with power. Part One, Picture of the Month: Where Manchester began. 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. 1. Article What is Baroque? was an indian famous poet (May 7, 1861 August 7, 1941) Thomas. 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. But what they refuse to see is the absolute madness of it all. I thought maybe I could get a job in advertising. John Cooper Clarke", "BBC One Would I Lie to You?, Series 9, Episode 3", "Would I Lie to You? 9.50 GBP. Around this time, he performed on stage with several punk and post-punk bands and continues . 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. [26] He has also been a panellist on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. 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. City curiosities: an alternative tour of Manchester Part One, Mundane Magic: Oxford Road, River Medlock and a Frenchman. 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. "What a great name! (Sept. 26, 1888 Jan. 4, 1965) Famous Poets; Langston Hughes; Carl Sandburg; John Keats; Walt Whitman; Why pull the ladder up? Much older than Johnny Rotten, Pete Shelley and co. (or at least the only one not lying about his age), he always loathed the hippies. Salford poet John Cooper Clarke has certainly led a fascinating life and documents it in - a lot of - detail in this memoir. A RIOT OF OUR OWN BY JOHNNY GREEN & GARRY BARKER. It's a terrific song. The bits of the book Id previously dipped into were superbly written, but hearing the Bargain Basement Baudelaire read his own life story lifts it to another level altogether. 9.09 GBP. 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". 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. Some advice for you. It refers to macaronis who were kind of pre-Beau Brummel dandies from 200 years ago. 14.00 GBP. Four of Clarke's five lots made a loss, giving a total loss of 233.54. Discover John Cooper Clarke famous and rare quotes. It is not Clarke that embraced punk, however, but the other way around. I Dont Want To Be Nice In October of 1981 Clarke appeared in episode 2 of series 3 of The Innes Book of Records (TV series), reciting "Evidently Chickentown". I listen to it on a Friday to see if I'm on it.. "Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt (film)", John Cooper Clarke performs Beasley Street at Hammersmith Palais, "John Cooper Clarke interview: 'Poetry is not something you have to retire from', "John Cooper Clarke On Life In Higher Broughton", "John Cooper Clarke: 'It's diabolical how poor I am', "Plan B's Ill Manors set to hijack charts in Olympics opening week", "John Cooper Clarke honoured by University of Salford", "Does Rock 'N' Roll Kill Braincells?! Describing himself as more ofa boulevardier, John tells me he was never a frequenter of pubs, seeing them as somewhere your dad went. 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 the only thing I ever had a natural aptitude for. Running parallel with Clarkes rise to fame is a descent into serious drug addiction. Kung Fu International In addition, he published two poetry collections, Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt and The Luckiest Guy Alive. THE VERY BEST OF JOHN COOPER CLARKE - CD. 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. I mean, crikey! Enter the Dragon, exit Johnny Clarke. John Cooper Clarke is an English performance poet, who first became famous as a "punk poet" in the late 1970s. All rights reserved. They have done me so much good those lads. Often referred to as "the bard of Salford",[9] he usually refers to himself on stage as "Johnny Clarke, the name behind the hairstyle". Hes done a great deal and drops a lot of names. A book of two halves by Britain's "bargain basement Baudelaire" as poet John Cooper Clarke writes an autobiography of sorts. . I'll mither my daughter to Goggle [sic] them on her Skyper. A Music War, in which he performed his poem "Health Fanatic". He kicked me in the balls and said something profound. A clear favourite among artists and a clear favourite for all ill-fated lovers. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. I asked him what they were called, and he said The Arctic Monkeys. Sinatra's a case in point. I also recommend his love show! Its onomatopoeic innit? He would approach a song as though it were a poem and then he would decide how to sing it. A book that I did not want to end, so I tried to eke it out rather than devour it. 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. They've all turned into takeaways, secondhand shops, estate agents. One of my all time favourite memoirs. I know he likes his food, saying in a recent Guardian interview that the only foods he wont eat are flapjacks, falafel and tripe. He released several albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and continues to perform regularly. Come my old age, my nursing home will have a very different soundtrack to the Hits of the Blitz that the grandparents favoured. JCC featured on BBC Radio 4's Chain Reaction in August 2011 being interviewed by none other than New Order's Peter Hook. It was heavily weighted toward the early years and away from his poetry. Im relieved. 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. He embodied its ethos before the concept even existed. Apart From the Revolution So witty and clever, with an encyclopaedic knowledge of fashion, music and pop culture. Leading line: Time flies slides down the wall. [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. This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. And today he turns 70. He seems to be very happy. You call the shots, I wanna be yours. I always thought, who would like this? When will Manchester City achieve European Champions League glory? The first half of the book is an exercise in nostalgia as Clarke details growing up in the 1950's, 60's and early 1970's and the social and cultural developments in Britain during those decades with a welter of information about his favourite films, books, comics, songs, bands and much more. Meet the men who get turned on hearing about their partners sexual past, Simone Rocha is the incumbent Cool Guy brand, An entirely accurate ranking of the 15 best comedy films ever, Print copies & Digital access for only 1. 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. anarchic punk poetry John Cooper Clarke is . Like having a cig and a pint at the same time and being able to swear about current events. The Road to Mandalay by Rudyard Kipling. Each performance seemed unique., Clarke got to know Arctic Monkeys in their early days at the Boardwalk in Sheffield. 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. I got into it Michael Gove style, learning it off by heart without even understanding anything about it. "Don't do it.". 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. Ive worked with the best of them, but The Fall I would watch night in, night out, Clarke remembers. John Cooper Clark is a performance poet who first became famous in the late 1970s. I was always more of a Baudelaire than a Wordsworth. Ive been a fan since my teens and its always nerve-racking meeting your heroes. Every single person that visits Poem Analysis has helped contribute, so thank you for your support. With Lauren Laverne. From music hall and working mens clubs to punk and post-punk, whether as an observer or participant, Clarke has done it all. He is considered a major figure in punk poetry and punk literature . fascinating detail about his early life in Manchester leading up to punk superstardom, drug. I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke He reckons the parts of Salford he grew up in havent changed and he doesnt think MediaCity counts. 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. When I saw the book in my local bookshop on Christmas Eve, I grabbed it. Everything that they wanted to achieve, I wanted to stop happening, he writes. I don't think that songs are poetry but I think that a good song has something poetic about it. But really it is another example of Clarke having fun with the written word. The worlds defining voice in music and pop culture: breaking whats new and whats next since 1952. John Cooper Clarke shot to prominence in the 1970s as the original 'people's poet'. It involved people that are much younger than myself in the gangster world of East London. 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. JCC goes into fascinating detail about his early life in Manchester leading up to punk superstardom, drug addiction and then the massive comeback as major poet he enjoys today. [4] During an April 2018 episode of Steve Jones' radio show Jonesy's Jukebox, Clarke revealed one of his early inspirations to be the poet Sir Henry Newbolt, reciting from memory a portion of Newbolt's poem "Vita Lampada". [1] In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he released several albums. Evidently Chickentown wouldnt have achieved its master status had it not been for Clarkes repetitive fucking (words only, dont worry). 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. I Wanna Be Yours is out now via Pan Macmillan. Interspersed with the most unlikely offerings that came with the disco era. 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. John Cooper Clarke (known as Alice Cooper) has this important message about heroin addiction, saying the best prevention is never starting. Get that monkey out of there!". There is Bill Man Mountain Benny, a local gangster and nightclub owner with his own theme tune. The punk . John Cooper Clarke, poet, shares the eight tracks, book and luxury he would want with him if cast away to a desert island. When you hear his version of Lost In Music you realise that even when Sister Sledge did it, it was always a Fall tune.. John Cooper Clarke (1983). You can't see the joints. All mixed up with drug taking anecdotes. The first, Ten Years In An Open Necked Shirt was released in 1983. So playing to my strengths, I thought, I'm gonna make a living doing this. Endless name dropping and lists of songs, even ad jingles. The band's Alex Turner has said he is very fond of Clarke's work and takes inspiration for lyrics from his poems. Anybody with a pen and a piece of paper can do it. He said, 'He taught me how to knock the poetry out of it. But you might be surprised to learn that hes not a fan of its modern-day iteration. His wife Evie, whos French, is the better cook. [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". Depressing, we know, but the acclaimed slapstick of his poetic creations doesnt waver. [2] He returned to live performance in the 1990s, appearing again with Suns of Arqa in 1992 at The Witchwood in Ashton-under-Lyne. Dr John Cooper Clarke's 2019 autobiography, named after his most famous poem I Wanna Be Yours, (Macmillan), is a groundbreaking piece of literature. 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. Goldshaw began handling Clarke's affairs, and the two toured with the Mescaleros and several times supporting the Fall. John Otway is not exactly a household name. 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. Please whitelist confidentials.com to continue to our site and enjoy an Ad-Light experience. I cant prove this, because sadly there is no recorded evidence, but youve gotta believe me.. 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). I like learning about poetry, the nuances and the cleverly picked phrases. 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. The name of a group is important and that one is unforgettable. "Finding your perfect reading is like finding the most comfortable but beautiful pair of shoes you have ever worn. Kae writes in a kind of language that I don't really use, addressing a public that I have no knowledge of.