Every revolution seems to have its resident poet and Punk was no exception. Looking like an elongated cartoon Bob Dylan, John Cooper Clarke was there from the very start, supporting the Sex Pistols and a raft of Manchester bands such as the Buzzcocks, The Fall and Joy Division. And just like many of the early Punks he also released his first single, the ‘Innocents’ EP, on an independent record label (Manchester’s Rabid Records).
His live act consisted of a cappella readings of his satirical but always funny poetry read at breakneck speed. By the time of his first studio album, 1978s ‘Disguise In Love’, he had teamed up with Martin Hannett, the Buzzcocks (see ABON 0111) and future Joy Division producer, and a collection of musicians assembled by Hannett to set his by now well-honed poems to music. Hannett was a brilliant producer for many seminal acts but with Cooper Clarke he was also the perfect musical partner - creating musical stages on which Cooper Clarke’s lyrics and voice were elevated and enhanced but which were also remarkable listening experiences in themselves.
‘Health Fanatic’ is a perfect example. A series of musical bleeps, thuds and ticks over which - behind which, in fact – Bill Nelson of Be-Bop Deluxe-fame plays a feedback-drenched guitar trying to mimic some kind of surreal dentist’s drill. It would have made an interesting Post-Punk instrumental in its own right but against Cooper Clarke’s ever-so-cutting put-down of the (in 1978) nascent jogging and gym scene it seems to mirror beautifully the noises that might emanate from a health fanatic’s body during a particularly rigorous work-out…while Cooper Clarke splutters and coughs his way through the ‘middle-eight’.
Cooper Clarke has recorded many more albums since ‘Disguise In Love’ but only one more masterpiece, 1980s ‘Snap, Crackle and Bop’ which was also produced by Hannett. Cooper Clarke spent most of the 80s as a very strung-out heroin casualty, but somehow managed to get himself caste as a co-star to the Honey Monster in 1988′s Sugar Puffs childrens’ TV advertising campaign. Maybe it was those ‘Snap, Crackle and Bop’ creds that got him the gig. Nothing to do of course with the fact that some of the team in the advertising agency working on the Sugar Puffs account at the time were ex-Punks or that Martin Hannett’s brother worked in same agency.
Cooper Clarke subsequently kicked his heroin addict and has since become, quite rightly, the leading member of the national treasury, Punk poet division.
Released 1978.
Available on the album, ‘Disguise In Love’: Amazon
Tommy Omelette. NMJ
Ahhh…JCC…genius!
Saw him supporting The mighty Fall a few years back…his legs are still THAT thin!
Who was Martin Hannett’s brother – I missed that at BMP!!!!?