Dr. John Cooper Clarke
21st April 2018
The Crystal Palace Theatre, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Leah Victoria.
The English language is a wondrous thing. We use it in everyday life to not only communicate to each other, but to establish relationships, request items that we need, and of course to entertain. It is used to convey news, to insult and to educate. And while we each go about our lives using this language many times a day, there are those who walk amongst us who are masters of it; creating stunning pieces of work that often leave you … as they say in England – gobsmacked. Dr. John Cooper Clarke is one such master, so it is of little wonder that tonight’s show at The Crystal Palace Theatre is sold out.
But before Clarke graces the stage, a little piece of kiwi history and a poet of our own warms up the crowd.
RIANZ award winner Andrew Fagan arrives with a maniacal grin and a headlamp firmly strapped to his forehead; dressed in black he watches the crowd as he positions himself between a large paper book to his left and an oversized burlap knapsack perched upon a stand to his right. “I’m a recovering addict” he announces to the room before asking people to guess what substance he used to abuse. Cries of alcohol, weed and even cocaine were offered up from the audience, Fagan reacting emotionally to each and every one in a different way, but the answer was always a no. Declaring that he would show everyone exactly what the substance is he pulled a large container from his knapsack and shook it, the contents rattling inside with a strange dull thud like sound; Fagan offering to give the audience samples if they put their hands up. And when it came to the small paper packages and the soft jellies that held their form in the shape of a snake, there were certainly more than a few fellow addicts in the audience, some even leaving their seats from the very back of the theatre to come down to the first few rows to ensure they did not miss out.
With Fagan himself partaking of his own saccharide wares, it was poetry time; using his headlamp to illuminate the pages he delivered each and every one with fervour from his large paper book, a bell signalling the end of each. Tales of the sea and acid trips that resulted in “shouting down the clouds”, Fagan gifted the audience small personal insights into his rich tapestry of a life. The loss of a fellow roadie workmate on the job and how a friend would no longer require her “teeth and gums” now that she had passed were contemplative sombre pieces while humorous anecdotes of the spilling of “immortal nectar” easily had the audience laughing along with him.
Following a rather lengthy delay, finally Dr. John Cooper Clarke was introduced to the stage. Striding out from behind the antiquated gold waves of the stage curtain to a dramatic soundtrack, his impossibly long lean legs were encased in skin tight black denim that came to a sudden stop kissing the tops of his stunning leopard print ankle boots. Wearing one of his trademark button up jackets, Clarke regarded the audience through his sunglasses, clutching one of his notebooks in his hands. Thanking the audience Clarke immediately began to speak of how due to only just flying in from LA he had not had time to drop his guest list at the gate which would be “the kiss of death” to a man in his profession. It was of course the perfect segue into his masterpiece “The Official Guest List’ which he impressively recited at the pace of a race horses hooves!
Born in Salford, Lancashire in 1949 Clarke was originally inspired to write poetry by John Malone, his English Teacher. Soon he was working the Manchester folk club circuit which is where he met and began working with Rick Goldstraw and his band the Ferrets. Following his EP Innocents in 1977 his first album Oú est la maison de fromage? in 1978 released on the independent Rabid label signalled the start of a long and illustrious career. The people’s poet, Clarke is often referred to as the ‘The Bard of Salford’ although he often prefers to call himself by his stage name ‘Johnny Clarke; the name behind the hairstyle’.
Many of his pieces are snippets of history and times gone by; Auckland audiences being treated to both ‘Beasley Street’ (inspired by Camp Street in Lower Broughton) and ‘Beasley Boulevard’; the combination of hearing both live in the same evening really something quite special. Keeping the audience laughing with one-liners and questionable limericks, Clarkes deadpan delivery of such makes for a unique and often spirted performance, his occasional flash of a smile or laughter at his own mistakes enthralling the audience no end. Crowd pleaser ‘Twat’ saw his fans gleefully shout the title of the poem while ‘I’ve Fallen In Love With My Wife’ was not only another insight into Clarkes own personal life but a reminder of how love can affect all of us in different and not necessarily logical ways.
While requests were occasionally tossed out from the crowd – ‘I Wanna Be Yours’ being a popular one thanks to the Artic Monkeys adaptation for their 2013 AM album – Clarke played it by his own rules. Often working with musicians throughout his career, tonight’s performance was completely acapella. Surrounded by the crumbling walls and stunning architecture of the historical Crystal Palace, its hardwood floors replicating the subject matter of many of his works it was perfection personified that enthralled and delighted fans both young and old. Alas thanks to his thoroughly engaging set, time flew by and soon the charismatic Clarke was bidding the crowd farewell but not before leaving them with the brilliantly explicit ‘Evidently Chickentown’.
Long live John Cooper Clarke!
Dr. John Cooper Clarke:
Andrew Fagan:
Were you there at The Crystal Palace Theatre for this punk-fuelled spoken word show? Or have you seen Dr. John Cooper Clarke perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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