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BIZARRE: John cooper clarke - You Need To See This

Van Morrison’s music maestro steps out of the shadows

EXCLUSIVE: Child actor turned guitarist, musical director and composer Ronnie Johnson has spent half a century backing the rock ‘n roll greats. In an exclusive interview with Simon Walters, he reveals why he is launching his own new band – and the unlikely reason Van Morrison says he employed him.

The Independent UK

“I was sitting there with my four-track and there was this riff that I had. I started singing this melody and saying that line, ‘I want to be yours…’ And I remembered the poem”: How Arctic Monkeys’ most popular song was created from early-’80s punk poetry

It has an astonishing 3.4 billion streams worldwide

MusicRadar

John Cooper Clarke reveals how Arctic Monkeys collaboration changed his life

Poet said he ‘can’t thank the band enough’ for setting his poem ‘I Wanna Be Yours’ to music

The Independent UK

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One To Watch: Freya Beer, music's new glam-goth poet

Freya Beer is the poet-turned-musician who is bringing a cult following into her B-movie world of smoky cool

Evening Standard

Johnny Green obituary

Other lives: Road manager for the Clash who wrote a book about his time with the punk band

The Guardian - UK

John Cooper Clarke: 'More people than ever seem to be into me'

The bard of Salford is hitting the London Palladium and at the peak of his powers as the world’s only punk poet national treasure

Evening Standard

John Cooper Clarke to receive 2025 Northern Music Award: ‘I am honoured’

The Northern Music Awards recognises and celebrates musical talent from the north of England.

Evening Standard

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On my radar: Siobhan Finneran’s cultural highlights

The actor on the band she can’t wait to see, the best place to meet friends for food in Manchester, and performance poetry that made her laugh and cry

The Guardian - UK

Sunday with John Cooper Clarke: ‘My wife does a chicken with 60 cloves of garlic’

The poet talks about newspapers and television, coffee and strawberries, and how Monday’s gloomy presence hangs over every Sunday

The Guardian - UK

What by John Cooper Clarke review – sharp social commentary from the Bard of Salford

With subjects ranging from Elvis to bubble and squeak, the poet’s unmistakable delivery elevates his satirical verse to the realms of high art

The Guardian - UK

“I couldn’t listen to Genesis or Yes and feel like they were writing songs for me. It wasn’t my music! But with punk, I could understand the songs; the words mattered”: John Cooper Clarke on inspiration, addiction and being endorsed by Arctic Monkeys

“There are all sorts of technical gizmos you can get these days, but I still prefer a notebook and pencil,” says the performance poet

MusicRadar

‘I write all my poems with a quill by candlelight’: John Cooper Clarke on the joy of life without tech

The punk poet has no smartphone, no email, not even a computer. Everyone should try it, he says

The Guardian - UK

The best recent poetry – review roundup

WHAT by John Cooper Clarke; Girls That Never Die by Safia Elhillo; Skin by David Harsent; Absence by Ali Lewis

The Guardian - UK

‘Good for Chanel and good for Manchester’: Fashion show delights city’s luminaries

Catwalk in the city’s fashionable Northern Quarter celebrated its musical, cultural and sporting prowess

The Guardian - UK

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The Independent UK

‘Bard of Salford’ John Cooper Clarke awarded freedom of city

The punk poet is now on the national curriculum for schools.

Evening Standard

A farewell to Banner’s, the restaurant I have loved for 30 years

After three decades, the diner that came to define Crouch End is set to close. Robert Chalmers tells the story of a true cult classic

The Guardian - UK

John Cooper Clarke’s honest playlist: ‘The thrill of Elvis has never gone away’

The poet grew up listening to Bill Haley & His Comets and plays northern soul to kickstart a party, but whose blues does he find too painful to hear?

The Guardian - AU

Five Great Reads: shoebox living, getting your gut right and rhyming Cortina with vacuum cleaner

Guardian Australia’s weekend wrap of essential reads from the past seven days, selected by Kris Swales

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Evening Standard

Who is John Cooper Clarke? As I Wanna Be Yours author performs for the Arctic Monkeys

The much-loved love poem pledging eternal devotion is full of mundane details and the poet took to the stage to perform in front of Monkeys fans this weekend

The Guardian - UK

‘A billion listens? Is that a lot?’ John Cooper Clarke on penning possibly the world’s favourite poem

I Wanna Be Yours, a love poem that rhymes Ford Cortina with vacuum cleaner, has been a school text and a wedding staple. But now, thanks to TikTok and Arctic Monkeys, it has gone spectacularly global. So who was it written for?

The Guardian - UK

‘You can feel the history in there’: the return of New Century Hall

It played host to Hendrix and the Stones and was a haven for acid-house parties. After lying dormant for years, Manchester’s iconic concert hall is back

Manchester Evening News

The Manchester acts worth watching at Glastonbury 2022

Here's our round-up of 10 Manchester talents worth watching at Glastonbury this year...

Dublin Live

Dublin concerts May 2022: The best gigs in the capital this month

Your round up of all of the gigs and live events happening in Dublin in May

Manchester Evening News

When Harry met John Cooper Clarke - and began a seven-year hunt to find the Great Mancunians

'The project is very much a celebration of the Mancunian spirit'

Manchester Evening News

Salford icon John Cooper Clarke wants YOU to open his headline London show

The punk poet is on the lookout for some new talent

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