I Wanna Be Yours

Description

'One of Britain's outstanding poets' Sir Paul McCartney 'Riveting' Observer 'An exuberant account of a remarkable life' New Statesman This is a memoir as wry, funny, moving and vivid as its inimitable subject himself. This book will be a joy for both lifelong fans and for a whole new generation. John Cooper Clarke is a phenomenon: Poet Laureate of Punk, rock star, fashion icon, TV and radio presenter, social and cultural commentator. At 5 feet 11 inches (32in chest, 27in waist), in trademark dark suit, dark glasses, with dark messed-up hair and a mouth full of gold teeth, he is instantly recognizable. As a writer his voice is equally unmistakable and his own brand of slightly sick humour is never far from the surface. I Wanna Be Yours covers an extraordinary life, filled with remarkable personalities: from Nico to Chuck Berry, from Bernard Manning to Linton Kwesi Johnson, Elvis Costello to Gregory Corso, Gil Scott Heron, Mark E. Smith and Joe Strummer, and on to more recent fans and collaborators Alex Turner, Plan B and Guy Garvey. Interspersed with stories of his rock and roll and performing career, John also reveals his boggling encyclopaedic take on popular culture over the centuries: from Baudelaire and Edgar Allan Poe to Pop Art, pop music, the movies, fashion, football and showbusiness - and much, much more, plus a few laughs along the way.

John Cooper Clarke shot to prominence in the 1970s as the original 'people's poet'. Since then his career has spanned cultures, audiences, art forms and continents. Today, 'JCC' is as relevant and vibrant as ever, and his influence just as visible on today's pop culture. Aside from his trademark 'look' continuing to resonate with fashionistas young and old, and his poetry included on the national curriculum syllabus, his effect on modern music is huge.

"I Wanna Be Yours by John Cooper Clarke is many things. It is an immensely engaging memoir that fizzes with wit, and it is simultaneously a chronicle of a lifetime's worth of extraordinary culture. From music hall and working men's clubs to punk and post-punk, whether as an observer or participant, Clarke has done it all. The book is also an at times bleak account of his descent into heroin addiction, always written with a lightness of touch, but never swerving in its mission to bare all." --NME "It's impossible not to hear Clarke's voice, rhythmic and deadpan, while reading his memoir. Like his poetry, his prose style is wry and dry. At nearly 500 pages, the book is long though the language is succinct. Mad anecdotes and whimsical gags abound, but wisdom often lurks beneath the wordplay." --Guardian "The self-proclaimed 'bargain basement Baudelaire' detonates zingers on every page of his highly entertaining memoir." --Irish Times "This riveting memoir of the Salford dandy's ascent to national treasuredom charms with tales of heroin and Sugar Puffs." --Observer