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'

JCC 'Tw@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'

JCC- '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!