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Start by following John Cooper Clarke.
Showing 1-13 of 13
“As they used to say on Stingray: 'Anything can happen in the next half-hour'. I've always tried to live with that thought in mind.”
― Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt
― Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt
“Two ugly sisters from Fordham
Took a walk one day out of boredom
On the way back
A sex maniac
Jumped out of a bush and ignored 'em.”
―
Took a walk one day out of boredom
On the way back
A sex maniac
Jumped out of a bush and ignored 'em.”
―
“Poetry is not something you have to retire from”
―
―
“people mention murder the moment you arrive i’d consider killing you if i thought you were alive you’ve got this slippery quality it makes me think of phlegm and a dual personality i hate both of them”
― Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt
― Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt
“I don't have any lifestyle advice.”
―
―
“Hooker goes up to a Yorkshireman and sez: "Will you sleep with me for a £100?" He sez: "I'm not tired but I could do with the money".”
―
―
“If I have a cup of coffee I'll sit down at a table. I hate that idea: eating on the go. It's like men wearing short trousers. Where will it end?”
― Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt
― Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt
“I embraced the minimalist lifestyle. It's been a long road. I got it down to a George Foreman Grill and a bottle of disinfectant.”
―
―
“Tripe stand bloody fell over.”
― Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt
― Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt
“Five a.m. and mooching round
Compartments in my brain
Every corner occupied
By garbage and disdain
Down all day - up all night
Beneath that energy draining light
The Paperboy's Wife”
― The Luckiest Guy Alive
Compartments in my brain
Every corner occupied
By garbage and disdain
Down all day - up all night
Beneath that energy draining light
The Paperboy's Wife”
― The Luckiest Guy Alive
“You Ain't Nothing but a Hedgehog''
You aint nothing but a hedge-
hog
Foragin' all the time
You aint nothing but a hedge-
hog
Foragin' all the time
You aint never pricked a
predator
You aint no porcupine.”
―
You aint nothing but a hedge-
hog
Foragin' all the time
You aint nothing but a hedge-
hog
Foragin' all the time
You aint never pricked a
predator
You aint no porcupine.”
―
“By this time, punk rock had got hijacked by politicos. I think that’s what killed it. Before then it had just been a genuine explosion of naive rebellion, a means for the young to express themselves in whatever way they imagined within the punk-rock guidelines. In that sense, punk was the last real youth tribe, but as soon as it got tied up with the propaganda, narrow politics, and sloganeering of activists, all the fun and imagination was kicked out of it.
Punk rock was no exercise in socialism, I know that for a fact. Most of the punks weren’t at all political: even the swastika stuff was only there to wind people up. The political brigade didn’t understand rock and roll, or really know anything about it: for them, the entertainment was secondary to the propaganda. They didn’t subscribe to the star system which rock and roll thrives on, but they knew a big name when they saw it. The memorable April 1978 Rock Against Racism concert in Victoria Park in East London, for instance, was due to be headlined by the Tom Robinson Band, but the late addition of The Clash rather usurped their status as top of the bill. A world-class act, just back from the States, they were keen to lend their name to a noble cause. As guest vocalist on ‘White Riot’, the event also provided Sham 69’s Jimmy Pursey with the opportunity to cast off the taint of fascism he had so unjustly acquired.
I was very anxious not to be seen as a part of any narrow political agenda, but there was always a danger of that happening in a small place like England. I never wanted to be seen as being in anybody’s pocket. If you’re an avowedly political artist you’re a sloganeer, and that’s the end of it: a base hireling who propagates the ideas of others. The record companies only want your money, but those other people want your heart. To know any artist’s political worldview is unhelpful. It’s unhelpful for the artist, and especially unhelpful to an appreciation of their artistic products. That’s particularly true of actors.”
― I Wanna Be Yours
Punk rock was no exercise in socialism, I know that for a fact. Most of the punks weren’t at all political: even the swastika stuff was only there to wind people up. The political brigade didn’t understand rock and roll, or really know anything about it: for them, the entertainment was secondary to the propaganda. They didn’t subscribe to the star system which rock and roll thrives on, but they knew a big name when they saw it. The memorable April 1978 Rock Against Racism concert in Victoria Park in East London, for instance, was due to be headlined by the Tom Robinson Band, but the late addition of The Clash rather usurped their status as top of the bill. A world-class act, just back from the States, they were keen to lend their name to a noble cause. As guest vocalist on ‘White Riot’, the event also provided Sham 69’s Jimmy Pursey with the opportunity to cast off the taint of fascism he had so unjustly acquired.
I was very anxious not to be seen as a part of any narrow political agenda, but there was always a danger of that happening in a small place like England. I never wanted to be seen as being in anybody’s pocket. If you’re an avowedly political artist you’re a sloganeer, and that’s the end of it: a base hireling who propagates the ideas of others. The record companies only want your money, but those other people want your heart. To know any artist’s political worldview is unhelpful. It’s unhelpful for the artist, and especially unhelpful to an appreciation of their artistic products. That’s particularly true of actors.”
― I Wanna Be Yours




