Sublime. What a new time in recent times to add to his classics. Speaking of which, this is how I felt in 2014 when re-reading John's 10 Years...

Poets, Punks, Beatniks and Counter Culture Heroes (2010), Ozit – includes rare JCC film footage from the 1980s Clarke, John Cooper (2020). I wanna be yours. London. ISBN 978-1-5098-9610-3. OCLC 1148197088. {{ cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link) 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. And when you happen to see him, in these very ordinary settings, it's a bit like magic. He has such a striking and inimitable presence, it's like seeing a Tim Burton character come to life. He's like Edward Scissorhand's older and more sensitive brother. Clarke is no saint and he has his flaws, but he recounts a life well lived. This is a tale well told with lots of self-deprecating one liners, but Clarke’s voice is remarkable and he has to be heard. Some of his early stuff is raw and angry, like Beasley Street: If you're in recovery or thinking about it, definitely don't read this as it is a quite upbeat retelling of tales of scoring and how good various episodes of that were. I certainly know more now about what it entails than I did before. And whilst he is clean, it does feel like there's a degree of yearning there, but I'm guessing that's the way it is for most recovering addicts perhaps.Probably the least interesting section in many ways is, inevitably, the one dealing with JCC's years of drug addiction. Reading about his adventures on tour around the world with various groups and artists is to enjoy a colourful whirlwind of people and places, entertainingly described. However, the story of his constant pursuit of narcotics soon becomes exhausting to read, although it powerfully brings home the nature and effects of addiction: in this he pulls few punches.

Some of the stories John Cooper Clarke tells are enough to make any punk fan toe-curlingly envious. I know I was as I read it. I wanted to have the experiences that he had. I wanted to be living that roguish lifestyle and see the things that he had seen, the performers that he got to see. I didn’t live through that time period but I did get to experience it somewhat vicariously through I Wanna Be Yours. This is definitely a book that needs a reread. His acquaintances run the gamut from Bernard Manning to Nico - via everyone famous from Manchester and the punk/post punk era. Clarke said that the explosion of punk music chimed with his own poetic ambitions, and that he felt a kinship with the likes of the Sex Pistols. But Clarke says that when the 1980s began his addiction drove him to work for financial incentives. A joy to listen to, punctured with his trademark caustic wit and wisdom, Clarke the People's Poet is capable of a florid turn of phrase, but keeps the lyrical flourishes infrequent enough to be impactful. Clarke the Cabaret Comic can't resist the occasional corny feedline punchline but there are more proper laughs in here than the majority of memoirs by better-known comedians, and the humour, which runs the gamut from playground to gallows, never distracts from what is a remarkably controlled narrative of an out-of-control period in the life of one of Manchester and Britain's finest.Short Circuit – Live At The Electric Circus [35] (1978), Virgin (various artists, features Clarke performing "(You Never See a Nipple In The) Daily Express" and "I Married a Monster From Outer Space" I went for the audiobook version and it's sublime. I could listen to John Cooper Clarke read the telephone directory. To hear the great man read his hugely entertaining autobiography is a rare treat. Lyrical Genius". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 2 July 2007 . Retrieved 20 August 2007. Alex Turner also has "John Cooper Clarke" tattooed on his arm Crossing The Floor, another particular favourite, is more contentious; it caused one Goodreads reviewer to become so enraged that he decided he'd put the book in the bin, rather than donate it to a charity shop where it would at least have done some good. The reviewer condemns the poem as offensively transphobic, but imo he completely misses the point. In his typically mordant style, JCC tells the story of a man who's just fed up with being a man and doing 'man' things, and wants to dress as a woman instead - but he doesn't sound 100% committed, and he's very realistic:

Clarke added: “It was a tedious saying among hippies: if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. I was very much part of the problem.” The final quarter is rather like a ship sailing from tumultuous waters into a welcoming harbour, as JCC talks about meeting his French wife Evie and his life of domesticity in Colchester with her and their daughter Stella. He's clearly proud as punch that his work is now on the GCSE English syllabus and has influenced the likes of Ben Drew and The Arctic Monkeys, bringing his work to a new audience. However, this has not sold me on autobiographies as I thought it would. Don't get me wrong, I love JCC and you could feel his dry humour throughout. There were some great sections of writing but on the whole, it felt like a bit of a slog to get through. I think this is because he details a lot of social history, particularly in Manchester in the 60s and the lists of significant people who some of us will never have heard of get tedious. I appreciate that Clarke probably feels that these details are a big part of his most formative years but I felt it could have been cut down. Not all the poems are as good as this, of course. There are one or two that read as mildly homophobic or transphobic (nothing outright, really, but I noticed regardless) and some that I maybe don't get because they're more specific to Britain. However, for the most part, I enjoyed this little book quite a lot. His sense of humor is biting and slightly dark, which suits me right down to the ground, and his way of playing with language is just...fun. John Cooper Clarke (born 25 January 1949) is an English performance poet who first became famous as a " punk poet" in the late 1970s. [1] In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he released several albums. Around this time, he performed on stage with several punk and post-punk bands and continues to perform regularly.a b c d e f g h i Strong, Martin C. (2003). The Great Indie Discography. Canongate. pp.33–34. ISBN 1-84195-335-0. What impresses me the most about his poetry, and by extension this book, is how artistic his artlessness is. Clarke writes with the same fervour as anyone who loves producing doggerel for the masses, but these works aren't just throwaway poems. He understands and applies the underpinning skills of a great poet. His sprung rhymes cascade down with unrelenting glee, and he can bring his unique poetic voice to themes big and small. "I've Fallen in Love with my Wife' is a most romantic paean to the ordinariness of marital life, whilst 'Bongo's Trousers' is a catchy piece of satirical poetry that definitely deflates the wankery of celebrities who try and lecture people about poverty and social justice. His 'Haiku No.1' should be taught to every student trying to wrap their head around the form and 'Pies' is (like so many of his other works) a masterpiece of technique with a big dash of humour. I Wanna Be Yours is very much a book of four quarters. The first, detailing his childhood and early life in a mainly Jewish area (he acted as a "shabas goy" for his orthodox neighbours) of Salford in Manchester is fascinating: as a piece of writing on the social history of this part of Lancashire in the early 50s it is glorious, vivid and full of detail. JCC's writing evokes so much atmosphere that you can visualise everything in glorious sepia.

Clarke's poem "Out of Control Fairground" was printed inside the Arctic Monkeys' 2007 single " Fluorescent Adolescent" CD. The poem is also the inspiration behind the single's video, in which clowns brawl. The band's Alex Turner has said he is very fond of Clarke's work and takes inspiration for lyrics from his poems. [16] [17] a b c Hattenstone, Simon (29 May 2012). "John Cooper Clarke: 'It's diabolical how poor I am' ". The Guardian . Retrieved 9 October 2015. I was really excited when I found out that he was going to be releasing an autobiography. His crazy and random tales from his crazy and random life. I couldn’t wait. I listened to I Wanna Be Yours on Audiobook. I wanted to hear how John Cooper Clarke told his stories. Would they be like his poems? Would I be totally mesmerised and engaged. The answer to both of those questions is yes. His lyric style does not end at his poetic outputs. I genuinely feel that his lyricism and enunciation would be like having an every day conversation with John Cooper Clarke.By early 1980s, he was also in the grip of a heroin addiction which would see him write very little for over a decade. He cleaned up in the early 90s after marrying his second wife, Evie, and having a daughter, Stella. His star began to rise again in 2007 when one of his poems was used in an episode of The Sopranos and others were included on the GCSE syllabus, which led to collaborations with artists like Plan B and Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys. Every drug addict is virtually the same person. There’s not really much point in dwelling on it. I needed money more than ever, so I had to work. The glamour was flaking off with every new job. I really felt like I was selling my sorry ass.” 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. Felt wrong listening to it at my usual 1.5 speed so I set it at normal pace and 15 hours in John's company later I'm going to start again at the beginning. I Wanna Be Yours takes the reader from John's birth in 1949 through to the present day, and what a wild and wonderful life it has been. His impeccable taste and poet's sensibility was evident from a very young age. Arctics go for poetry". Ananova. Archived from the original on 30 June 2007 . Retrieved 20 August 2007.