Overview

'Nothing short of dazzling' - Alex Turner Dr John Cooper Clarke's dazzling, scabrous voice has reverberated through pop culture for decades, his influence on generations of performance poets and musicians plain for all to see. In WHAT, the original 'People's Poet' comes storming out of the gate with an uproarious new collection, reminding us why he is one of Britain's most beloved writers and performers. James Brown, John F. Kennedy, Jesus Christ: nobody is safe from the punk rocker's acerbic pen - and that's just the first poem. Hot on the heels of The Luckiest Guy Alive and his sprawling, encyclopaediac memoir I Wanna Be Yours, the good Doctor returns with his most trenchant collection of poems yet. Vivid and alive, with a sensitivity only a writer with a life as varied and extraordinary as Cooper Clarke's could summon, WHAT is an exceptional collection from one of our foremost satirists.

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9781035033195

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Reviews

A big-hearted poet of boundless humour and unmistakable style -- Kit Fan * Guardian * A rhymer to be reckoned with . . . with a panache contemporary poets should aspire to and respect * Sunday Times * A primordial gift for language * Financial Times * I say to people, have you heard of John Cooper Clarke and if they say, yes, yeah he's an absolute genius and you just go, 'oh - ok, you've saved me a lot of time -- Steve Coogan John Cooper Clarke uses words like Chuck Berry uses guitar riffs melody and anger, humour and disdain in equal measure. He's the real deal, really funny and really caustic, the velvet voice of discontent. -- Kate Moss 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. -- Sir Paul McCartney

A big-hearted poet of boundless humour and unmistakable style -- Kit Fan * The Guardian * A rhymer to be reckoned with . . . with a panache contemporary poets should aspire to and respect * The Sunday Times * A primordial gift for language * Financial Times * I say to people, “Have you heard of John Cooper Clarke?” and if they say, “Yes, yeah he’s an absolute genius” and you just go, “Oh – OK, you’ve saved me a lot of time.” -- Steve Coogan John Cooper Clarke uses words like Chuck Berry uses guitar riffs melody and anger, humour and disdain in equal measure. He's the real deal, really funny and really caustic, the velvet voice of discontent. -- Kate Moss 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. -- Sir Paul McCartney

Author Information

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, Cooper Clarke is as relevant and vibrant as ever, and his influence is just as visible on today's pop culture. His new poems were collected in The Luckiest Guy Alive, which was followed by a bestselling autobiography I Wanna Be Yours and poetry collection WHAT. 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 life is huge.

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