John Cooper Clarke
I Wanna Be Yours
A very entertaining autobiography which really brings to life the times that JCC grew up in - a lot of which I can relate to (3 channels on telly?) It's obviously got a lot about punk rock and the RnR lifestyle and also brings out how literary JCC is. Well, he is a poet after all. Some you feel is a little pushing it but who wouldn't bend a few facts when writing their life story. He's well known as a(n ex-) heroine addict, making the Honey Monster collaboration all the more funny, or not, and at first his exploits are entertaining. But after a while the interesting bits are interweaved with how he had to get more (and more) gear and it does get a little repetitive. Junkies have to get smack. Enough already (as he would have written). I suspect he's upset a few by implicating them in his dealings and I never know with autobiographies if all those mentioned are forewarned let alone agree to the stories. After he kicks his habit and settles down into family life it gets a bit twee but then we're swept through about 20 years with a few more amusing anecdotes and name dropping. To be fair the book is very readable and he does come across as a good sort (when not junked out) who is very appreciative of those who have supported and helped him in career and life. I Wanna Be Yours is only mentioned in passing as on the school syllabus and covered by The Arctic Monkeys so we don't find the roots of it. Although read at my wedding (as for many others I suspect) I always wondered if it was a poem about heroine rather than his true love much as there is ambiguity (amongst some) about Lou Reed's Perfect Day.
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