At Bedford Rhythm Festival, 2006.

John Cooper Clarke (born January 25, 1949) is an English performance poet from Salford, Greater Manchester. He is often referred to as a punk poet, having initially achieved recognition in the late 1970s amidst the flourishing punk movement. His recorded output has mainly centred around musical backing from The Invisible Girls, which featured Martin Hannett, Pete Shelley, Bill Nelson, Paul Burgess and Steve Hopkins. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (768 × 1024 pixel, file size: 327 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (768 × 1024 pixel, file size: 327 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total... Performance poetry is poetry that is specifically composed for or during performance before an audience. ... For other uses, see Salford (disambiguation). ... Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England which has a population of 2. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... The Invisible Girls were a rock band formed in Salford, Greater Manchester in 1978 to provide musical back drop to the recorded output of Salford punk poet John Cooper Clarke. ... Martin Hannet (right) with Bernard Sumner in Cargo Studio, Rochdale (1979) Martin Hannett (May 31, 1948 – April 18, 1991), sometimes credited as Martin Zero, was an innovative record producer who helped develop Joy Division and co-founded Factory Records with Tony Wilson. ... Pete Shelley Pete Shelley (born Peter McNeish, April 17, 1955 in Leigh, Lancashire) is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, best-known as the leader of Buzzcocks, one of the first generation punk rock groups from England. ... Bill Nelson (born William Nelson on 18 December 1948) is a prolific guitarist, songwriter, painter and experimental musician from Wakefield, Yorkshire, England, UK. He currently lives in Selby, Yorkshire, England, UK. // Nelson was educated at the Wakefield College of Art, where he developed an interest in the work of poet... Paul Burgess (born in Manchester, England, UK in 1950) is a UK-based rock drummer, notable for his association with a wide range of British rock and folk-rock bands, most of which have sizable cult followings. ...

Career

Clarke has opened for such acts as the Sex Pistols, The Fall, Joy Division, Buzzcocks and Elvis Costello and his set was, and still is on occasion, characterized by lively, rapid-fire renditions of his poems, which were usually performed a capella. The Sex Pistols in 1977. ... The Fall are an English post-punk band, formed in Manchester in 1976. ... Joy Division were an English rock band that formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. ... Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Manchester in 1975, led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Pete Shelley for nearly their entire existence. ... Elvis Costello (born Declan Patrick MacManus August 25, 1954 in London) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. ... Poetry (ancient Greek: poieo = create) is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. ... A cappella music is vocal music or singing without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. ...

Often referred to as "the bard of Salford", he usually refers to himself on stage as "Johnny Clarke, the name behind the hairstyle". The Bard (ca. ...

Having released a handful of records into the early 1980s, Clarke performed his live act less frequently and spent much of that decade battling a heroin addiction (and making an incongruous appearance in two UK commercial for Sugar Puffs in 1988, taking second billing to the Honey Monster). Heroin (INN: diacetylmorphine, BAN: diamorphine) is an opioid synthesized directly from the extracts of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum. ... Sugar Puffs is the name of a breakfast cereal made from wheat puffs coated in honey and brown sugar. ... Sugar Puffs packaging, featuring the Honey Monster. ...

More recently, Clarke has turned some of his stage act away from an emphasis on performance poetry and towards more of a stand-up-oriented affair, but poetry is still very much a key part of his performance. He has in the recent past supported Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros. He also can often be seen supporting The Fall on British tours or performing as a headlining act in his own right. He also duetted with a poem entitled Last Resort with Reverend Jon McClure at a Reverend and the Makers concert at London's Spread Eagle, which Later was released as the b-side for the bands single Heavyweight Champion Of The World. Clarke also recorded a song with the band entitled Dead Man's Shoes which is rumoured to appear on the upcoming album The State Of Things. Clarke's recording of Evidently Chickentown from his album Snap, Crackle & Bop was also featured prominently in the closing scene of the The Sopranos episode Stage 5. The same poem also appears in the film Control with Clarke portraying himself in a re-creation of a 1977 concert where he supported Joy Division. Performance poetry is poetry that is specifically composed for or during performance before an audience. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros. ... The Fall are an English post-punk band, formed in Manchester in 1976. ... Reverend and the Makers is the brain child of Sheffields Reverend A.K.A Jon McClure. ... Heavyweight Champion Of The World is the top ten debut single by Reverend and The Makers, as well as the first single from their debut album The State Of Things. ... The State Of Things is the debut album from Sheffield indie band Reverend and The Makers. ... Snap, Crackle & Bop is the fourth album by John Cooper Clarke, originally released in 1980. ... The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase and originally broadcast on the HBO network. ... Stage 5 is the 79th episode of the HBO original series, The Sopranos. ... Control is a biopic film about the late Ian Curtis (1956-1980), lead singer of the legendary post-punk rock band Joy Division. ... Joy Division were an English rock band that formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. ...

Clarke is from a Roman Catholic background, and is reportedly now living in Essex. He notably had a "domestic partnership" with singer Nico in the 1980s. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Essex is a county in the East of England. ... For the prequel to Ico, see Shadow of the Colossus. ...

In June 2007, Clarke worked with Liverpudlian conceptual artist Alan Williams for an Exhibition entitled 'Ou est la maison de fromage (Translated)'. The work aimed to be a covert form of appropriation that investigated the potential of literal translation as a visual act as well as touching on notions of authorship and originality. It presented the appropriation and transference both content and context and drew attention to shifts in meaning. This article is about the city in England. ... A concept is an abstract, universal psychical entity that serves to designate a category or class of entities, events or relations. ... Appropriation is the act of taking possession of or assigning purpose to properties or ideas and is important in many topics, including: Appropriation (sociology) in relation to the spread of knowledge Appropriation (art) Appropriation (visual art) [1] Appropriation (music) in reference to the re-use and proliferation of different types... Look up translate in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up content in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Discography

• Où Est la Maison de Fromage? (1978)
• Disguise In Love (1978)
• Walking Back to Happiness (1979)
• Snap, Crackle & Bop (1980)
• Me and My Big Mouth (1981)
• Zip Style Method (1982)

Walking Back to Happiness is the third album by John Cooper Clarke, originally released in clear vinyl in 1979, though is has long been out of print. ... Snap, Crackle & Bop is the fourth album by John Cooper Clarke, originally released in 1980. ... Zip Style Method is the fourth album by John Cooper Clarke, originally released in 1982. ...

Bibliography

Ten Years In an Open-Necked Shirt (1981)

External links

• John Cooper Clarke Home Page
• Interview with The Chap magazine
• John Cooper Clarke Image Gallery
• Interview with The Argotist Online