Poet John Cooper Clarke has tall tales to tell you!
he Bard of Salford John Cooper Clarke wants to tell you his amazing life story.
The legendary punk poet has a who’s who of names to drop following an extraordinary career in the arts.
His roles have spanned everything from rock star, fashion icon, TV and radio presenter, social and cultural commentator, writer and performer.
Not many people can have claimed to have compered for the likes of rock and roll pioneer Chuck Berry on tour. Nor can they have persuaded a sceptical Bernard Manning for a 20 minute poetry slot in his comedy club. But John Cooper Clarke has done both!
The poet will begin his autobiographical I Wanna Be Yours tour this summer. The gigs were supposed to start in May but will now stretch from June 24 2021 to April 30 2022. The original gigs have been rescheduled and four more have been added due to high demand.
John Cooper Clarke will now perform at Bedford
Corn Exchange on November 24, Nottingham Playhouse on November 26, Bexhill De La Warr Pavilion on March 16, 2022 and Cambridge Corn Exchange on April 1 next year.
The tour follows on from the release of his memoir I Wanna Be Yours in October last year. The book, published by Picador, explores his extraordinary life and is filled with remarkable personalities from Nico to Chuck Berry, Bernard Manning to Linton Kwesi Johnson, Elvis Costello to Gregory Corso, The Fall’s Mark E Smith to Gil Scott Heron and The Clash’s Joe Strummer to more recent fans and collaborators like Alex Turner, Plan B and Guy Garvey.
It is interspersed with stories of his rock ’n’ roll and performing career. John also reveals his mind-boggling encyclopaedic take on popular culture over the centuries from Baudelaire and Edgar Allan Poe to pop art, pop music, movies, fashion, football and show business – with more than a few laughs along the way!
It was praised by The
Guardian as a “riveting memoir of the Salford dandy’s ascent to national treasuredom charms with tales of heroin and Sugar Puffs”.
The Daily Telegraph feted him as “The Godfather of British Performance Poetry”.
And a whole slew of stars have lined up on the biography section of johncooperclarke.com to pay homage to the Bard of Salford’s contribution to culture. Perhaps the starriest of them all is former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, who said: “John Cooper Clarke is one of Britain’s outstanding poets.
“His anarchic punk poetry has thrilled people for decades and his no nonsense approach to his work and life in general has appealed to many people including myself for many years.
“Long may his slender frame and spiky top produce words and deeds that keep us on our toes and alive to the wonders of the world. Keep rockin’ John!”
The autobiography followed on from John’s poetry collection The Luckiest Guy Alive, which was published in autumn 2018. It was one of the best-selling poetry collections of 2019, selling over 25,000 copies in three months.
So there has never been a better time to take in
John’s new show, which is a breath-taking showcase of poetry and spoken word. He will share life stories and take you on an incredible journey with pieces from the new book as well as his usual musings, off-the-wall chat, riffs, gags and wicked humour.
Tickets bought for the original dates will still be valid. Tickets are on sale now via www.gigsandtours.com, www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.johncooperclarke.com sites.