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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
A bit disappointing. I'm not a huge fan of JCC although I acknowledge his importance as a performing poet who has claimed his place in the world of punk. This book is amusing and interesting in places, although relies a bit too heavily on the 'then we went to this place and did this thing' with lists and lists of famous people that JCC clearly enjoys meeting and knowing. Unfortunately it's almost as if he's more smitten with their fame then their work. He says little about his own work, we're left largely uniformed as to his inspiration or much progression in his career.
However, he spent at least 20 years essentially as a heroin addict, which leaves little time for other pursuits. His heroin years take up pretty much the final third of the book. I admire his candour in these confessions (and his resilience in surviving) but he doesn't really explore the issues behind his addiction. It's amusing enough, but I found it a bit shallow, all told.
However, he spent at least 20 years essentially as a heroin addict, which leaves little time for other pursuits. His heroin years take up pretty much the final third of the book. I admire his candour in these confessions (and his resilience in surviving) but he doesn't really explore the issues behind his addiction. It's amusing enough, but I found it a bit shallow, all told.
funny
informative
medium-paced
Cooper Clarke's mighty memoirs hold true to the person he is. An action packed life, all filled into this book, means it is tightly packed with stories from his childhood and leads up to the present day. A life that is so interesting and at times a car crash - Clarke puts it across in the most casual way possible, making the book a pleasure to read.
medium-paced
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Så lycklig över att vara samtida med John Cooper Clarke. Igår kväll underhöll han hela Hammersmith Apollo med sin legendariska performancepoesi och den där clarkeska deadpanhumorn.
Bara ur bokens prolog:
"All my life, all I ever wanted to be was a professional poet [...]
The life of a useless flâneur, however, was not encouraged in the 1950s, especially among the blue-collar population of a heavy-industrial metropolis like Manchester."
Gick med i Audible igen och lyssnade på ett kapitel i taget, sedan satte jag mig med pappersboken och penna i handen och gick igenom allt igen. En fantastisk popkulturell upplevelse, peak joie de vivre!
Bara ur bokens prolog:
"All my life, all I ever wanted to be was a professional poet [...]
The life of a useless flâneur, however, was not encouraged in the 1950s, especially among the blue-collar population of a heavy-industrial metropolis like Manchester."
Gick med i Audible igen och lyssnade på ett kapitel i taget, sedan satte jag mig med pappersboken och penna i handen och gick igenom allt igen. En fantastisk popkulturell upplevelse, peak joie de vivre!
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
He is so brilliant with words. Just fantastic. His depiction of his use of drugs was impactful especially how it was just ‘part of life’.
'I Wanna Be Yours' is a brilliant punk biog in which Dr Clarke gets pretty much everything right that most rockstars-cum-writers get wrong. It's a youth-heavy story which doesn't get dragged down by drug talk. It's charming, scathing and human - and even though it took me a while (famously slow with non-fiction as I am), I loved it... A worthy winner of Piccadilly Records' 2020 Book of the Year award, after all.
Captures a moment and a movement in time from before to after. It's an elegant punk tome all the better for the audio version. A raw look at drugs, punk and poetry.
This memoir is so typically Clarke’s, and it's the reason i wanted to buy it. I have a signed physical copy, but couldn’t resist hearing his angelic salford-smokey voice on audiobook. He does repeat himself a lot, but the best sections have some amazing insights. The first part is like a pop art collage of the 50s, and towards the end has the inner workings of huge stars of alt rock including joy division and Elvis Costello tours. A great book with an endearing touch at the end.