Doris

by Ivor Cutler

Doris the hen and Oliver Parrot discover their duets are not only fun to sing, but lucrative too.

Hardcover

About the author

Ivor Cutler was a Scottish poet, songwriter and humorist. He became known for his regular performances on BBC radio, and in particular his numerous sessions recorded for John Peel's influential radio programme, and later for Andy Kershaw's programme. He appeared in the Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour film in 1967 and on Neil Innes' television programmes. Cutler also wrote books for children and adults and was a teacher at A. S. Neill's Summerhill School and for 30 years in inner-city schools in London.

In live performances Cutler would often accompany himself on a harmonium. Phyllis King appears on several of his records, and for a number of years was a part of his concerts. She usually read small phrases but also read a few short stories. The two starred in a BBC radio series, King Cutler, in which they performed their material jointly and singly. Cutler is known to have had a long term relationship with King, but they never married or set up home together. Cutler also collaborated with pianist Neil Ardley and singer Robert Wyatt.

Cutler was an anti-intellectual and noted eccentric, dressing in a distinctive style including plus-fours and hats adorned with many badges, travelling mainly by bicycle and often communicating by means of sticky labels printed with "Cutlerisms", one of which, "never knowingly understood" came to be summary applied by supporters and detractors alike. Others included "Kindly disregard", reserved for official correspondence, and "to remove this label take it off", designed to confuse pedants.

Many of Cutler's poems and songs involve conversations delivered as a monologue and, in these, one party is often Cutler as a child, a part of his intended "bypassing the intellect". Cutler describes poverty and neglect from his parents with great stoicism. He focuses on acceptance and gratitude for the basic elements of life, nature and love, which allows him to make points about mother-love in particular. The humour develops from the child's curiosity and the playful or self-serving lies the parent tells him to get, for example, a chore done or simply to stop the incessant questions. Cutler recited his poems in a gentle Scottish burr, and this, combined with the absurdity of the subject matter, is a mix that earned him a faithful cult following. John Peel once remarked that Cutler was probably the only performer whose work had been featured on Radio 1, 2, 3 and 4. Cutler was a member of the Noise Abatement Society and the Voluntary Euthanasia Society. He retired from performing in 2004, and died on 3 March 2006. The reception room of his home contained a number of pieces of ivory cutlery, deliberately intended as a pun on his name.

Reviews

[Books Kids Like · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doris, the chicken, has a lovely voice. It is as sweet as a bird. Every morning she scrubs the floor of Oliver Parrot's office and sings. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday her song is about a mouse. On Tuesday and Thursday Doris sings about a sheep. Each day people walking to work or the shops stop to listen to Doris sing. Oliver decides to cash in on Doris' talent. He goes outside with a wastebasket and charges 3 pennies to those who stop and listen and 2 pennies to those who walk by slowly. When Doris finds out she is angry and chases him. When she catches him she perches on his shoulders and sings a new song. People enjoy the new song so much that Doris quits her cleaning job and begins singing in the park while perched on Oliver's shoulders. Oliver, hoping to cut into Doris' profits, begins to sing and chases the crowd away. He sees his mistake and starts to moan in a beautiful humming tone. Doris has a brilliant idea. They go to Doris' house where Oliver Parrot practices humming deep harmony to Doris' songs. The next morning a crowd gathers at the bottom of her cliffside home. They love Doris and Oliver's performance and fill a bathtub full of money and other gifts. While Oliver has visions of millionaire life, Doris helps him realize that the joy he gets from humming is more important than the money. Oliver tips the tub and buries the money. Monday they return to the office where Oliver finds his wastebasket is tied to the desk.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com

[Katy-Margaret Doss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review for Doris by Ivor Cutler. This book is about a chicken named Doris, who has a beautiful singing voice. Doris loves to sing as she works and poeople will stop and listen to her beautiful singing. Doris's boss,Oliver Parrot, is greedy and wants to make money off of Doris' singing and begins charging money to people who stop to hear her sing. Doris is angry when she discovers what Oliver Parrot has been doing. Oliver is embarrassed and feels guilty for using Doris to make money. Doris decides that she and Oliver could be a duo, Doris singing and Oliver humming. They practice and Practice and one day the largest crowd they had ever seen comes to hear them sing. I really liked this book. I thought it was cute and kids would enjoy reading this as well. I really liked the illustrations as well. I could use this book in therapy to work on sequencing events in a story, reading comprehension and naming colors.