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. Clarke writes about his English teacher, Mr. Malone, with affection. 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. Manchesters hidden musical treasures: who knew? 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. Think about it; the North Pole is no place for the higher primates. Best line: The carpet was monotonous, its pattern gave the impression of small animal crapping at regular intervals.. This book was not for me there were too many references to other muicians, which for some people would be of interest, but not me. Please whitelist confidentials.com to continue to our site and enjoy an Ad-Light experience. Instead we get perhaps John Cooper Clarkes hardest hitting poems. Who would have voted for anybody who said, I'm going to abolish pubs? However, I laughed out loud and thoroughly enjoyed the book once he started performing. Last time he came to Manchester he enjoyed a bit of zhuzhed up marrowbone at The Bull & Bear but dont worry, hes still a man of the people, I'm a fussy eater but I'm not snobbish about it. Unusually, I was more interested in reading this biography for the company the man kept, rather than the man himself. I remember him from the 70s and from assorted TV appearances. Crucially, he found the humour in these situations and used this extensively in his verse. He is considered a major figure in punk poetry and punk literature . If anything rejigged my career, it's the Arctic Monkeys doing 'I Wanna Be Yours., That's how I got into it, from school. [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. But little do I care. I do recognise that there's a lot of the hack in the way I write poetry. Subscribe to Louder Than War and help keep the flame of independent music burning. If it's got some kind of lasting value, you say it's poetic. 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. 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. Extra charming, in fact, because I clandestinely downloaded the audio book to hear the great poet's self-defined adenoidal Mancunian Yiddish and Cockney slang-laced voice reading his life to me. What is John Cooper Clarke most famous poem? S. Eliot was an English poet and critic. I Wanna Be Yoursis very different from a lot of the poems that have been analyzed on Poem Analysis. I think I've got that. His life and career spans a big timescale, and with his constant demons this is no mean feat. It's Working Men's Club. It might have been useful to have more of his poems in the book. John Cooper Clarke, poet, shares the eight tracks, book and luxury he would want with him if cast away to a desert island. 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. Why pull the ladder up? Though he needs no such affirmation, it cements Clarkes status as one of the most distinctive voices in pop cultural history its impossible not to hear him read every word aloud in your head with that unforgettable Manc drawl and reveals much about a remarkable life and career. May he rest in peace. 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 . I Wanna Be Yours, (Macmillan), is a groundbreaking piece of literature. But Clarke is one of a kind, and with this piece he redefined traditional ideas of poetry altogether. What kind of poet is John Cooper Clarke? [13][14] He described this period of his life: "It was a feral existence. 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. 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. When I asked about the last time he said his favourite word wow, he says it was in response to his wifes confit duck. I like learning about poetry, the nuances and the cleverly picked phrases. Leading line: They packed us into the white hotel. The worlds defining voice in music and pop culture: breaking whats new and whats next since 1952. 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. On three separate occasions Clarke has to be resuscitated from the point of death. Beasley Street Leading line: Time flies slides down the wall. All mixed up with drug taking anecdotes. Bit of a bizarre analogy, certainly, but totally exposed and kind of tragic. The subject of the piece remains unnamed (lucky guy), but the ambiguity of the poem deems it one of the Salford lads finest pieces. 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). 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. 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. 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 (born 25 January 1949) is an English performance poet, who first became famous as a " punk poet" in the late 1970s. To me, it depends on the artist. But really it is another example of Clarke having fun with the written word. John Cooper Clarke up against Damo Suzuki and Georgia Ruth. [26] He has also been a panellist on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. They were all Coca Cola and amphetamines. He was later blown away when his adopted nephew grew into one of rocks all-time greats. He was known for his phrasing. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. I want to talk to John about eating and drinking out. That's the one thing I miss about living in Manchester. He's like Edward Scissorhand's older and more sensitive brother. Credit: Getty. John Cooper Clarke (1983). "Id been halfway out the door when the proprietor told me that some young men in a band wanted a word because theyd done my poetry at school. Leading line: People mention murder the moment you arrive. [2][9] Clarke toured with Linton Kwesi Johnson, and has performed on the same bill as bands such as the Sex Pistols, the Fall, Joy Division, Buzzcocks, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Elvis Costello, Rockpile and New Order (including at their May 1984 Music for Miners benefit concert at London's Royal Festival Hall). In fact Im not sure what it actually is, stream of consciousness myth making? 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. Its really my only skill. Poem Solutions Limited International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct,London, EC1A 2BN, United Kingdom, Discover and learn about the greatest poetry ever straight to your inbox, Discover and learn about the greatest poetry, straight to your inbox. Not all of his groups were such a shambles, however. February picture of the month: the extremes of city life. Revolutions are often bloody affairs and, in this instance, there were executions, somebody had to pay but the result of this is a land where peasants eat cake and children have healthy teeth and gums. Are we still asking if you can wear black with blue? I didnt want the 15+ hours of this to end, and had I the time, Id listen to it again right away. Read John Cooper Clarke's poem for Topman's show at London Collections Men. (I Married A) Monster From Outer Space(I've Got A Brand New) Track Suit23rd36 hoursA Distant RelationAction ManApart From The RevolutionAre You The BusinessArts N' CraftsBeasley StreetBelladonnaBronze AdonisBunch Of TwigsBurnleyConcussionConditional DischargeCycle AccidentDay My Pad Went MadDay the World Stood StillDrive She SaidDumb Row The name of a group is important and that one is unforgettable. I never really understood that. 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. Running parallel with Clarkes rise to fame is a descent into serious drug addiction. The only person that I could ever point at that ever made a living out of poetry was Charles Baudelaire. 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. The Road to Mandalay by Rudyard Kipling. When I phone John Cooper Clarke at his home in Colchester, hes been listening to Radio 4s obituary show, The Last Word. It is not Clarke that embraced punk, however, but the other way around. John Cooper Clarke (born 25 January 1949) is an English performance poet, who first became famous as a "punk poet" in the late 1970s. There are pharmacy-robbing brothers Angie and Marcel, and there is moustachioed jazz aficionado Spanish Fred, dressed with psychotic attention to detail in a pinstripe suit with his hair slicked back. That poem I wrote for Plan B for the movie Ill Manors. I don't think that songs are poetry but I think that a good song has something poetic about it. anarchic punk poetry John Cooper Clarke is . If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. 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. 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". 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. Contents John cooper clarke twat on after dark 1982 John Cooper Clarke (known as Alice Cooper) has this important message about heroin addiction, saying the best prevention is never starting. Hes done a great deal and drops a lot of names. The term poetic is often used to describe all manner of art: movies, paintings, photographs. I didn't get any encouragement. I cant prove this, because sadly there is no recorded evidence, but youve gotta believe me.. Benjamin Zephaniah Writer. It's kind of Dickensian. It is an immensely engaging memoir that fizzes with wit, and it is simultaneously a chronicle of a lifetimes worth of extraordinary culture. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Clarke is also very keen on lists: there are a lot of them. 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. But unlike any other art forms, everybody gives it a go. Grab one of the last remaining tickets for John Cooper Clarke at The Bridgewater Hall here. 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 was born in Manchester in 1949. His recorded output has mainly centred around musical backing from the Invisible Girls, which featured Martin Hannett . 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. 5. 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. 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. Leading line: I cant go back to Salford, the cops have got me marked. His musical albums include Snap, Crackle & Bop; Zip Style Method; Disguise in Love; and Walking Back to Happiness. Each performance seemed unique., Clarke got to know Arctic Monkeys in their early days at the Boardwalk in Sheffield. [11] The film featured live performances of mainstream artists (the Police, the Go-Go's, XTC, Devo) as well as more obscure bands (Pere Ubu, Invisible Girls, the Alley Cats, Athletico Spizz '80, Chelsea) using concert footage from around the world. He explains in an interview . "One of Britain . His musical albums include Snap, Crackle & Bop; Zip Style Method; Disguise in Love; and Walking Back to Happiness. He reckons the parts of Salford he grew up in havent changed and he doesnt think MediaCity counts. 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. [23] He has appeared as a guest on the comedy panel show Would I Lie To You? It also contains the line 'Keith Joseph smiles and a baby dies, in a box on Beasley Street'. 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. A Music War, in which he performed his poem "Health Fanatic". There is the PE teacher Mr Durcan who arranged for arguing students to duke it out, Marquess of Queensbury style in the ring after school. Hailed as Manchester's 'punk poet', he is a key figure of the punk rock era in the UK, from his biting prose to his famously Messy Hair. His vocals from both of his Suns of Arqa tracks have been used on numerous remixes by the band ever since. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. I can only think of one instance where a poem has become a song. He would approach a song as though it were a poem and then he would decide how to sing it. [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. Best Poems does not have poems published by this Poet yet. 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. The band's Alex Turner has said he is very fond of Clarke's work and takes inspiration for lyrics from his poems. Sinatra sings it. Time for an eyebrow raise Clarkes language rage is in full force here. Around this time, he performed on stage with several punk and post-punk bands and continues to perform regularly. I'm seeing the value of pubs now because they've been banned. None of them were licensed. JCC will be joining Squeeze on their UK tour - tickets available from Gigs and Tours. Maybe it's a limitation in me. It involved people that are much younger than myself in the gangster world of East London. The relationship that tabloids have with their readership is not a didactic one of master-pupil. When you hear his version of Lost In Music you realise that even when Sister Sledge did it, it was always a Fall tune.. I was in it to win it so I always wrote with a kind of loosely specified audience. Since my main imperative was now the acquisition of ever-increasing amounts of heroin, there was always something better to do than write poetry. Grab one of the last remaining tickets for John Cooper Clarke at The Bridgewater Hall here. They've all turned into takeaways, secondhand shops, estate agents. In. 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. 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. Four of Clarke's five lots made a loss, giving a total loss of 233.54. I was surprised that the reviews and descriptions made no mention of Clarke's addictions. 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. Very sonorous, a kind of mezzo baritone. Where was the editor? 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. Fact: I Wanna Be Yours is a metaphorical masterpiece. He currently resides in England, United Kingdom. "Don't do it.". I was always more of a Baudelaire than a Wordsworth. 9.50 GBP. Most of his poems are set to music and feel very contemporary. With a song, you can hold notes on. In which I get beaten up says Clarke as introduction to this poem on its live recording. Confidentials Manchester, Dublin weekend: history, seafood, literature and shiny chests. Are You the Business? [6] He began his performance career in Manchester folk clubs, where he began working with Rick Goldstraw and his band the Ferrets. It's an alarmingly ridiculous idea. 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. 7 alternative places to go for Valentine's Day in Manchester, Department: the most beautiful shop on Barlow Moor Road, Manchester Architecture: A History. Even his musical tastes were mine in those early days; Dylan and Captain Beefheart. 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. On Sale John Cooper Clarke's age is 73. Give it a name. Berry showed him how to write songs. 4. Cooper Clarke spent some time in the 80s sharing an apartment in Brixton with notorious femme fatale Nico - famous for singing in The Velvet Underground with rock legend Lou Reed. Sometimes a band hit . A RIOT OF OUR OWN BY JOHNNY GREEN & GARRY BARKER. [28], Clarke has lived for nearly 20 years in Colchester, Essex, with his second wife, Evie, who is French. Contents 1 Quotes 1.1 BBC Four - Evidently.John Cooper Clarke (30 May 2012) 1.2 BBC Radio 4 - Dr John Cooper Clarke at the BBC (Nov 2016) Poetry has never been regarded as a reliable engine of wealth. I'm smiling. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he released several albums. It's more of two guys in a pub". Please check for alternative titles or spellings. 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. British punk poet who set lyrics of rebellion to the music of lesser-known bands. Of all the artists who appear in the book, The Fall, Clarke says, were the best of the best. It come across as a noir origin story, people with outrageous characters and ending with Clarke himself emerging from the story as a poet ready to take on the world. Leading line: Its a sociologists paradise. 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. 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. But I'm glad they don't. Famous fans include Ben Drew, aka the aforementioned Plan B as well as Alex Turner and his Arctic Monkeys. Nothing ages you more than trying to look like you're 'down with all that'. His wife Evie, whos French, is the better cook. 9.09 GBP. They were speaking my language. The rest is history. 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. How often do you see a poet's memoir these days! I was not equipped psychologically to deal with any of this new reality, he writes. '''Twat"", one of his most famous poems. But hes never mannered. Leading line: If you like your coffee hot, let me be your coffee pot. 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. 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. A clear favourite among artists and a clear favourite for all ill-fated lovers. John Cooper Clarke (born January 25, 1949) is famous for being poet. [1] In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he released several albums. Part One, Picture of the Month: Where Manchester began. His life is as extraordinary as youd expect and had me wondering if it is actually a privilege to be working class. 2nd May 2020. Toppermost of the poppermost. And today he turns 70. 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. I chose the audiobook version, and who wouldnt given his unique style. Some advice for you. When will Manchester City achieve European Champions League glory? About John Cooper Clarke. 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. Even one hes never read. John Cooper Clarke", "BBC One Would I Lie to You?, Series 9, Episode 3", "Would I Lie to You? With kind-of-terrible, kind-of-hysterical comments Like a nightclub in the morning, youre the bitter end every claim is unleashed like a bomb. His set is characterised by lively rapid-fire renditions of his poems, usually performed a cappella. 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. Could anyone, I ask, with enough time and dedication, learn how to be a poet or is it something youre born with? John Cooper Clarke: a poet with a fondness for the f-word The influential English punk poet is still full of piss and vinegar after five decades By Liisa Ladouceur Apr 9, 2018 Gerald. 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. Please continue to help us support the fight against dementia with Alzheimer's Research Charity. Wait hang onit IS that crazy singer! Spooky & spot on even back then. Read More. He released several albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and continues to perform regularly. The 2023 GQ Food & Drink Awards shortlist. John Cooper Clark Offers 3 Simple Words on Heroin: "Don't Do It". This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. SNAP, CRACKLE & BOP CD. They have one daughter, Stella.[15][29].