Gav Munro
John Cooper Clarke- Portrait of a Poetic Polymath
How would describe someone you didn't like?
How about this?
'Your bad breath, vamps disease, destruction, and decay
Please, please, please, please, take yourself away
Like a death a birthday party
You ruin all the fun
Like a sucked and spat our Smartie,
You’re no use to anyone
Like the shadow of the guillotine
On a dead consumptive’s face
Speaking as an outsiderWhat do you think of the human race
What kind of creature bore you Was is some kind of bat They can’t find a good word for you But I can…
T*@T'
How about articulating you're undying love for someone?
How about this?
'I wanna be your vacuum cleaner Breathing in your dust I wanna be your Ford Cortina I will never rust If you like your coffee hot Let me be your coffee pot You call the shots I wanna be yours'
You may know him best from The Sopranos, the closing scene of episode Stage 5 when Evdiently ChickenTown plays over the credits.
Whether you know him or not, you should. John Cooper Clarke.
Reading his words aren't enough, he's a performance poet:
I first heard of him through his book Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt when I was about 8 years old.
Me and my best mate Noel would sit round memorising and performing the poems for each other, it was brilliant...
He's finally getting the recognition he deserves with his poems being included in the English national syllabus and Alex Turner writing the music and recording "I Wanna be Yours' reaching millions of new fans.
Here's my tribute to the great man....Well played Johnny!
