REVIEW

Dr John Cooper Clarke

Weymouth Pavilion

Potty-mouthed performance poet Dr John Cooper Clarke appeared at the Pavilion as part of the b-side arts festival.

He pretty much invented the art back in the late 70s when he supported punk bands and would be showered with saliva for his rhyming couplets.

The man often referred to as the ‘Bard of Salford’ is a living legend.

He’s still stick thin, dressed in his trademark black jacket and drainpipes tucked into purple pixie boots, still with a mess of black straggly hair -- now patchy and thinning – still with his sunglasses firmly attached and with his metallic gnashers glinting in the spotlights.

The honorary Doctor of Arts - from Salford Uni - stumbles around the stage like a drunken uncle at a wedding.

He almost falls over at one point and struggles with an errant mike stand. Most poems are recited from his ragged notebooks with such a rapid-fire delivery in his dry Mancunian drawl that the words are often mangled and merge into one.

But despite his shambling stage presence and constant swearing he is a totally endearing character. His on-stage banter is quite bonkers, but hilarious, as are the daft limericks he recites. At one point he even starts singing the jingles for old adverts.

The man has made a career out of his sharp lyricism and otherworldly appearance. And he has kudos. His poem I Wanna Be Yours is a staple on GCSE English syllabuses and was reworked for an Arctic Monkeys’ album track.

Plus one of his most famous poems Evidently Chickentown was used during an episode of hit gangster series The Sopranos.

It was a joy to see him in action as his influence has permeated pop culture from poetry, music fashion and comedy. The Doctor remains a unique figure who still prescribes the best medicine – laughter.

GRAHAM JAMES