Biography

I Wanna Be Yours

I Wanna Be Yours

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  • Create Date：2021-09-10 06:52:29
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
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  • Author：John Cooper Clarke
  • ISBN：1509896120
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Summary

Poet Laureate of Punk， rock star， fashion icon， TV and radio presenter， social and cultural commentator。 At 5' 11' （116lb， 32in chest， 27in waist）， in trademark suit jacket， skin-tight drainpipes and dark glasses， with jet-black back-combed hair and mouth full of gold teeth， John Cooper Clarke is instantly recognizable。 As a writer his voice is equally unmistakable。This memoir covers an extraordinary life， filled with remarkable personalities: from Nico to Chuck Berry， from all the great punks to Bernard Manning， and on to more recent fans and collaborators Alex Turner and Plan B。 John also reveals his boggling encyclopaedic knowledge of 20th-century popular culture， from Baudelaire to Coronation Street。 Inimitable and iconic， his book will be a joy for lifelong fans and for a whole new generation。

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Reviews

Mark Farley ，

The venerable， original punk rock balladeer and raconteur。I went into this book completely blind about the works of Clarke， apart from noticing his name cropping up on the festival posters I fantasied about attending when I was growing up。 I'm not interested in poetry whatsoever， but I have an affinity for the beats and anyone a little bit different。 Especially those happily willing to shock and subversion within their craft and entertainments。 I mean， his stuff isn't really for me in general， b The venerable， original punk rock balladeer and raconteur。I went into this book completely blind about the works of Clarke， apart from noticing his name cropping up on the festival posters I fantasied about attending when I was growing up。 I'm not interested in poetry whatsoever， but I have an affinity for the beats and anyone a little bit different。 Especially those happily willing to shock and subversion within their craft and entertainments。 I mean， his stuff isn't really for me in general， but he is certainly a legend。 That doesn't mean that I didn't find I WANNA BE YOURS a highly entertaining read。 The man has lived and he has stories for miles about who you wouldn't imagine。 And it will come as no surprise to anyone that the man can write really well。 It's a cracking read for anyone interested in social commentary， life and culture in Britain as a whole and being a pioneer in a very niche world。 。。。more

Clint Banjo ，

I’m not Baudelaire， Bukowski or Proust， SirBut here’s four stars from a Mickey Mouser！！！

Sean Keefe ，

Just as much fun as you’d imagine it to be。

Vince Summers ，

Really interesting autobiography， loved his unsentimental way of describing his childhood and growing up。 His life was fascinating， mixing and working with an amazing selection of musicians and artists。His love of music and poetry comes through， with a great width of knowledge。 The nice thing is that he describes himself fairly dispassionately without trying to make himself more likeable， seems to be a 'warts and all' memoir， also quite surprising he survived to write it！ Really interesting autobiography， loved his unsentimental way of describing his childhood and growing up。 His life was fascinating， mixing and working with an amazing selection of musicians and artists。His love of music and poetry comes through， with a great width of knowledge。 The nice thing is that he describes himself fairly dispassionately without trying to make himself more likeable， seems to be a 'warts and all' memoir， also quite surprising he survived to write it！ 。。。more

Tony ，

Evidently a good readThis is the story of a poet， okay don't switch off。 It is a fascinating journey through the eyes of a man who conducted a lifetime affair with words。 He is not shy in relating his accomplishments but then again he doesn't try to hide his flaws。 A very funny and honest book， a guide to the punk era， and the music。 Also an extremely frank and unashamed account of his heroin addiction。 This is one of the finest and enjoyable autobiographies it has been my pleasure to read。 Dr J Evidently a good readThis is the story of a poet， okay don't switch off。 It is a fascinating journey through the eyes of a man who conducted a lifetime affair with words。 He is not shy in relating his accomplishments but then again he doesn't try to hide his flaws。 A very funny and honest book， a guide to the punk era， and the music。 Also an extremely frank and unashamed account of his heroin addiction。 This is one of the finest and enjoyable autobiographies it has been my pleasure to read。 Dr John a poet for all seasons。 。。。more

Ian Mapp ，

Unusually， I was more interested in reading this biography for the company the man kept， rather than the man himself。His acquaintances run the gamut from Bernard Manning to Nico - via everyone famous from Manchester and the punk/post punk era。Its a whistle stop， slightly meandering tale of his life from 1949 to present day - taking in the mundane （fire watcher at Plymouth Docks） to his ups and downs in his career - where like the greats， he has never rested on his laurels and continued to produc Unusually， I was more interested in reading this biography for the company the man kept， rather than the man himself。His acquaintances run the gamut from Bernard Manning to Nico - via everyone famous from Manchester and the punk/post punk era。Its a whistle stop， slightly meandering tale of his life from 1949 to present day - taking in the mundane （fire watcher at Plymouth Docks） to his ups and downs in his career - where like the greats， he has never rested on his laurels and continued to produce new material。I read the book - and reading some reviews here - I kind of wish I had gone for the audio book - but never mind， its impossible to not read it and hear his accent， joyfully and amusingly coming from every page。 Not so sure about the faux cockney rhyming slang - it never works if it needs to be explained - but I did like the "scam or scamolas" that were frequently commented upon。Everything is bluntly told with humour and with no excuses。 A great read。 I really ought to catch him at a theatre near be whilst he is still alive。。。。。。 one of of his closing remarks。 。。。more

John ，

Brilliant of course！！Brilliantly written but then what else would you expect from a legend like JCC？？ Also you can read it in his voice which helps！！

Janet Ratcliffe ，

Absolutely nothing less than you would expect from the fabulous Dr JCC- brilliant reading， fascinating life story， self deprecating and very candid honesty regarding his drug addiction。 A fair few laugh out loud moments， my favourite being a reference to a Jimmy Saville photograph with a monkey （possibly traumatised） - really made me laugh。 If you like Dr John Cooper Clarke then you will love this book

Sandra Bunting ，

Fascinating autobiography of a poet living in the world of rock and punk。 A character much more complex， interesting and obsessive than I had otherwise thought。 Intriguing to watch the development of British post war culture， the American music influence， swinging London， hippy， punk and new wave with the various stars， addictions and good times。 A big book that I couldn't put down， enjoyed thoroughly and learned a lot。 Fascinating autobiography of a poet living in the world of rock and punk。 A character much more complex， interesting and obsessive than I had otherwise thought。 Intriguing to watch the development of British post war culture， the American music influence， swinging London， hippy， punk and new wave with the various stars， addictions and good times。 A big book that I couldn't put down， enjoyed thoroughly and learned a lot。 。。。more

Pat ，

I've been a fan of The Bard of Salford since I first saw him performing Beasley Street on some awful regional TV show back in the late 70s。 He made me realise at an early age that poetry was more than just something to bore us stupid in school English lessons。 I really wanted to rate this higher - if pushed I could probaby go 3。5 but it just didn't snap like I expected。 Anyone that's seen JCC in action knows his machine gun delivery and sardonic humour and there wasn't a lot of evidence of that。 I've been a fan of The Bard of Salford since I first saw him performing Beasley Street on some awful regional TV show back in the late 70s。 He made me realise at an early age that poetry was more than just something to bore us stupid in school English lessons。 I really wanted to rate this higher - if pushed I could probaby go 3。5 but it just didn't snap like I expected。 Anyone that's seen JCC in action knows his machine gun delivery and sardonic humour and there wasn't a lot of evidence of that。 It's difficult when a big chunk of the book deals with the mundanity of the life of a herion addict but that's essentially the story - everything in his life took second place to the pursuit of heroin。 Once he'd kicked the habit， the story kind of fizzled out & I'd liked to have seen a bit more attention paid to his rennaissance & how he became the elder statesman of alternative poetry。 Still worth a read if you're a fan。 。。。more

David ，

I didn’t want the 15+ hours of this to end， and had I the time， I’d listen to it again right away。 The bits of the book I’d previously dipped into were superbly written， but hearing the Bargain Basement Baudelaire read his own life story lifts it to another level altogether。 Toppermost of the poppermost。 All human life is here， an authentically-informed whistle-stop tour of western culture and Clarke’s engagement with it for 60-odd years。 In the section where he describes his 1965 life， taking i I didn’t want the 15+ hours of this to end， and had I the time， I’d listen to it again right away。 The bits of the book I’d previously dipped into were superbly written， but hearing the Bargain Basement Baudelaire read his own life story lifts it to another level altogether。 Toppermost of the poppermost。 All human life is here， an authentically-informed whistle-stop tour of western culture and Clarke’s engagement with it for 60-odd years。 In the section where he describes his 1965 life， taking in the YCL， a near-addiction to Bo Diddley， Chuck Berry， Jimmy Reed， Buddy Guy， Elmore James and Sugar Pie de Santo， I thought he was quoting from my imaginary diaries of a decade later。 It’s an unimpeachable talent who can honestly describe his narcotics habit， come out of it alive and triumphant， whilst finding humour in its squalid pathos。 Thanks to Aberdeen City Library （JCC is a stout defender of this basic educational right） ✊🏼 for lending me this。 Luxury。 Pure， unashamed luxury… 。。。more

Adrian ，

I knew his name alright， and have heard him speaking on TV a few times， just didn’t know a lot about the man - but I thought the book seemed interesting enough to take a chance on。 Looking back， I probably wish I had have went with the audiobook to hear John reading it himself in his distinctive tones， but all the same I enjoyed this。 The life of the punk poet， from his early days in Manchester， is always entertaining – I did enjoy the post-war years of his childhood in Manchester （Though I woul I knew his name alright， and have heard him speaking on TV a few times， just didn’t know a lot about the man - but I thought the book seemed interesting enough to take a chance on。 Looking back， I probably wish I had have went with the audiobook to hear John reading it himself in his distinctive tones， but all the same I enjoyed this。 The life of the punk poet， from his early days in Manchester， is always entertaining – I did enjoy the post-war years of his childhood in Manchester （Though I would have sacrificed some of it for his later years） and the pop culture references in the 50’s and 60’s but it’s when his careerkicks off that the book really moved up a gear for me。 He’s got a great turn of phrase， as you’d expect， and gets himself into some scrapes。 I enjoyed his accounts of the punk years and there are a lot of names mentioned ， Nico and Martin Hannett， Chuck Berry， Mark E smith and Alex Turner to name but a few。 There’s a lot about his heroin addiction in there， and maybe his later years were a bit rushed， but I did enjoy this。 Going to check out more of his poetry。 。。。more

Mark Suffern ，

Twat。。I love a bit of nostalgia so I really enjoyed the bits about growing up in Manchester。Doesn't go overboard on the misery of drug addiction。Well worth the read。 Twat。。I love a bit of nostalgia so I really enjoyed the bits about growing up in Manchester。Doesn't go overboard on the misery of drug addiction。Well worth the read。 。。。more

Martin Raybould ，

Given the quantity of drugs he pumped into his skinny body， JCC is lucky to alive to tell the tale。 His warts and all account of his rise， fall and rise again is a cautionary tale yet one where the highs outnumber the lows。

Richard Vernon ，

He's a fascinating character and a great raconteur， so this was always going to be fun。 Its split into short chapters and is roughly split between him growing up in Manchester， doing a mix of various jobs （I say jobs， he gets plenty of cushy numbers！）， and then making his way in the world of entertainment。 He played so many gigs in such a range of places - it seems always on the go to earn money to buy heroin。 He is incredibly open about this， I dread to think of the financial cost if nothing el He's a fascinating character and a great raconteur， so this was always going to be fun。 Its split into short chapters and is roughly split between him growing up in Manchester， doing a mix of various jobs （I say jobs， he gets plenty of cushy numbers！）， and then making his way in the world of entertainment。 He played so many gigs in such a range of places - it seems always on the go to earn money to buy heroin。 He is incredibly open about this， I dread to think of the financial cost if nothing else， but he is not regretful and if anything looks back fondly upon all the shenanigans that went with it。 A smack-head that made the school syllabus and advertised Sugar Puffs！ Somehow he also has an amazing recall if detail， people， places， films etc。 I enjoyed his company throughout this book。 。。。more

Mark ，

I wanted to enjoy this more， having seen JCC twice，once in his heyday when he was more poet than standup or celebrity，the second time he was slower，less shocking。 The poems speak for themselves， Salford laconic，best delivered in his early persona ， rapid-fire， and those rhythms that lodge in your head。 Took gall to stand up and read them， especially to those punk audiences back in the day。 Its a self-centred life of an addict but what a life。。。。 how on every tour as soon as he checked into a hot I wanted to enjoy this more， having seen JCC twice，once in his heyday when he was more poet than standup or celebrity，the second time he was slower，less shocking。 The poems speak for themselves， Salford laconic，best delivered in his early persona ， rapid-fire， and those rhythms that lodge in your head。 Took gall to stand up and read them， especially to those punk audiences back in the day。 Its a self-centred life of an addict but what a life。。。。 how on every tour as soon as he checked into a hotel the priority was to get heroin， there's a touching story about how Nico gets him a friend to help supply him and he realises later it was Chet Baker，the jazz trumpeter，fallen on hard times。Maybe an audiobook would have worked better for me，but that's just a quibble。 。。。more

Jane Caruana ，

I loved this！ His humour， his voice and his honesty shine through。 Pure JCC and a survival story。 If you know his work you can hear his voice。

Mike Scialom ，

Read this in 48 hours， literally couldn't put it down - well I could， I mean I had to sometimes， but each time it was only with great reluctance。 The first half of 'I Wanna Be Yours' is one of the finest first-hand social history accounts of growing up in Manchester during the 1950s and 1960s you could ask for。 Every rich details of place， clothes， reading matter - OK comics， but MAD and the Beano were game-changers in their own way - and family arrangements is fully locked in and ready to surpr Read this in 48 hours， literally couldn't put it down - well I could， I mean I had to sometimes， but each time it was only with great reluctance。 The first half of 'I Wanna Be Yours' is one of the finest first-hand social history accounts of growing up in Manchester during the 1950s and 1960s you could ask for。 Every rich details of place， clothes， reading matter - OK comics， but MAD and the Beano were game-changers in their own way - and family arrangements is fully locked in and ready to surprise and delight。 It's heart-warming - and slightly tragic， because of the poverty， the lack of opportunity， and the grim forbearance that such conditions imposed on even a young child。 I read it and winced， while also wondering if I could compare my own childhood in such detail （I couldn't）。 The second half concerns his apparently sudden ascent into the top echelons of the punk movement as its sort of poet laureate。 Suddenly you're in a world of CBGB's in New York， concerts in Australia， the relentless on-the-road life of a performer at the top of his tree - one who is also trying to manage his increasing dependence on heroin。 All the fame stuff is a bit of a let-down really - the great poet says so himself。 There's nothing much about how he writes his astonishing verse， and no real insights into the people he hangs out with， even Nico who he lives with for a while in the 1980s。 Perhaps he's being gentlemanly。 The detail about getting off heroin， on to methadone， then on to tranquillisers， before settling for a bag of weed， is a lot， but you have to admire his resilience and strength of character， it's incredible he's still around。 The thought that he's heading for 'national treasure' status is uplifting， if only because it's so unlikely， but John Cooper Clarke deserves it， and his output will survive the test of time， which is what any poet would settle for。 Thanks， Mr Clarke， it's impossible not to be fond of you！ 。。。more

Rob Burton ，

It was the best of times it was the worst of times - a Tale of Two Jonnies might have been a better title。I've already complained about the obsessive listing of stuff and details that I'm not sure that at his advanced age without the judicious help of Drs Google and Wikipedia he could remember。I'm not too far away from my 70's myself and what I can remember is seeing JCC at Bristol Colston Hall supporting Siouxsie And The Banshees - a tour of which he never mentions and which according to Dr Goo It was the best of times it was the worst of times - a Tale of Two Jonnies might have been a better title。I've already complained about the obsessive listing of stuff and details that I'm not sure that at his advanced age without the judicious help of Drs Google and Wikipedia he could remember。I'm not too far away from my 70's myself and what I can remember is seeing JCC at Bristol Colston Hall supporting Siouxsie And The Banshees - a tour of which he never mentions and which according to Dr Google I saw on July 31st 1981。 This gig was fantastic， JCC was great - we'd bought the albums and he was at the top of his game。 Siouxsie And The Banshees were also fantastic。。。 I'd been turned onto them by the punks in my next door flat playing their albums LOUD - so thanks guys。 Fast forward many many years JCC was performing at the Plough Arts Centre in Great Torrington North Devon。 A group of us had booked to celebrate a mates birthday there。 It was a disaster。 JCC couldn't remember his lines， he could barely remember his name - what an embarrassment and a huge let down for us fans。 Even Dr Google couldn't put a date on this one。 So a Tale of Two Johns in real life as in this book。To be fair I preferred the book from around the middle when he seems to have given up on the lists and name dropping although it does continue but I continued to read to the very end。 I am glad that he got his life together， found love， a family and got straight - because I really did enjoy his early work - and props to him for fulfilling his dream of being a working professional poet。 。。。more

David Boddy ，

Give him an adjective - irrepressible！

Cooch ，

Very good， in parts excellent， autobiography。A very witty and humorous account of his life。 Way better than the usual， part ghost written， celebrity fare。 However， there is a slight impression that his seedier sides have been a little sanitised and so he comes across as a bit too good to be true。

Fred Garnett ，

Every line is ****ing greatnot sure about the ****ing bookto paraphrase the ***ing manWell worth a read whether you like pop， punk， prog or Manchester

Lee ，

"I’d been halfway out the door when the proprietor told me that some young men in a band wanted a word because they’d done my poetry at school。 I asked him what they were called， and he said The Arctic Monkeys。 The name of a group is important and that one is unforgettable。 They were speaking my language。 There’s a whole wide world in those two words; it calls up an emotional response。 Think about it; the North Pole is no place for the higher primates。 That’s terrible。 I mean， crikey！ Get that m "I’d been halfway out the door when the proprietor told me that some young men in a band wanted a word because they’d done my poetry at school。 I asked him what they were called， and he said The Arctic Monkeys。 The name of a group is important and that one is unforgettable。 They were speaking my language。 There’s a whole wide world in those two words; it calls up an emotional response。 Think about it; the North Pole is no place for the higher primates。 That’s terrible。 I mean， crikey！ Get that monkey out of there！" 。。。more

Isobel Taylor ，

A fantastic read for fans of JCC， like his poems you can hear his voice in every word。 An absolutely captivating read。

Nicole ，

This was recommended by a friend who grew up in Salford。 I opted for the audio version as it is read by himself。 It was a real pleasure。 Turns out another friend of mine lived in the same house as JCC， many years ago， and said how nice JCC was。 Another friend accidentally split his lip in a pub in Salford。 It's her claim to fame now。 Anyway the book is an absolute joy to listen to， definitely recommended it。 This was recommended by a friend who grew up in Salford。 I opted for the audio version as it is read by himself。 It was a real pleasure。 Turns out another friend of mine lived in the same house as JCC， many years ago， and said how nice JCC was。 Another friend accidentally split his lip in a pub in Salford。 It's her claim to fame now。 Anyway the book is an absolute joy to listen to， definitely recommended it。 。。。more

Jan Hughes ，

Always loved JC-C and have seen him perform quite a few times。His poems， his wit and humour all wonderful。This book is brilliant。 I could hear his voice as I read， making it all the more enjoyable。I grew up roughly the same time and in roughly the same area and so I could relate to all the things he reminisced about。I cannot recommend this book enough - you don’t even need to be a fan to enjoy it。Keep on keepin’on Doctor John Cooper-Clarke

Steve Gillway ，

Great autobiography。 It is 300 pages before the "showbiz" part of JCC comes to the fore。 Therefore， you get a real insight into the formative years and growing up in he Manchester environs。 The book is honest about his drug addiction， yet it is peppered with very funny asides。 Very enjoyable read。 Great autobiography。 It is 300 pages before the "showbiz" part of JCC comes to the fore。 Therefore， you get a real insight into the formative years and growing up in he Manchester environs。 The book is honest about his drug addiction， yet it is peppered with very funny asides。 Very enjoyable read。 。。。more

Elaine ，

I didn't know JCC was an aficionado of clothing。 And his memory for detail before 1980 is jaw dropping 。 I saw him support Slim Gaillard in the early 1980s although I'm on page 333 and there is no mention of this; To me it was a special night; one of my first trips to London and seeing jazz and poetry in one sitting; wow I didn't know JCC was an aficionado of clothing。 And his memory for detail before 1980 is jaw dropping 。 I saw him support Slim Gaillard in the early 1980s although I'm on page 333 and there is no mention of this; To me it was a special night; one of my first trips to London and seeing jazz and poetry in one sitting; wow 。。。more

Christopher ，

The best bits are when he lists a few things and asks "Can you see where I'm going with this？" The best bits are when he lists a few things and asks "Can you see where I'm going with this？" 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=I Wanna Be Yours

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=I Wanna Be Yours&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,I Wanna Be Yours&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0