Procrastinating at YouTube I type in sentimental search terms in hope of dredging up long lost gems.
And I am not disappointed. The magnificent John Cooper Clarke is there – about 50 separate videos,some original, others homages to the man.
For those who have not had the pleasure, here are a few nasal rhymes from a true original:
Health Fanatic
Beasley Street
I mustn’t go down to the sea again
Have you heard the Arctic Monkeys? Heavily indebted to JCC and not in a bad way.
“And there in’t no love,
No Montagues or Capulets –
Just banging tunes and DJ sets
And dirty dancefloors
And dreams of naughtiness”
Silly, funny and genuinely elegant at the same time.
I happened to be in the UK at the time when the Arctic Monkeys were the biggest thing since who knows what. I do like their lyrics – but hadn’t thought of the JCC debt.
Nice to see you commenting at Clay Shirky’s silly essay, by the way.