The Louis Theroux Podcast

John Cooper Clarke on touring with the Buzzcocks, meeting Chuck Berry, and inspiring the Arctic Monkeys 

2026-11-04

In this episode, Louis speaks with the Poet Laureate of Punk, the Bard of Salford, the Doctor: performance poet John Cooper Clarke. The pair discuss John’s time touring with the Buzzcocks, meeting Chuck Berry backstage, and how his poetry inspired Alex Turner to form Arctic Monkeys.   Warnings: Strong language and adult themes.   Links/Attachments:  Book: Have It, John Cooper Clarke (2026) https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/john-cooper-clarke/have-it/9781037404191  Book: I Wanna Be Yours, John Cooper Clarke (2020) https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/john-cooper-clarke/i-wanna-be-yours/9781509896127   Advert: Honey Monster & John Cooper Clarke (1988) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ced-0BwY9E   Poem: A Subaltern’s Love Song, John Betjeman (1940) https://allpoetry.com/A-Subaltern's-Love-Song   Poem: Slough, John Betjeman (1937) https://allpoetry.com/poem/8493391-Slough-by-Sir-John-Betjeman   Song: That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore, The Smiths (1985) https://open.spotify.com/track/48veRDsAEBOJJnVnnabV99   Poem: Evidently Chickentown, John Cooper Clarke (1980) https://open.spotify.com/track/3bJxvUhRN4nJgab71HkIjc   TV Show: The Sopranos (1999-2007) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0141842/   Poem: TWAT, John Cooper Clarke (1979) https://open.spotify.com/track/0yEZiblovbuepAogvzSe2w   Poem: I Wanna Be Yours, John Cooper Clarke (1982) https://open.spotify.com/album/2etRijq79Wz2U9TIy9ZpdM   Song: I Wanna Be Yours, Arctic Monkeys (2013) https://open.spotify.com/track/5XeFesFbtLpXzIVDNQP22n   Film: House of Usher (1960) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053925/   Book: Tales of Mystery & Imagination, Edgar Allen Poe (1839) https://wordsworth-editions.com/product/tales-of-mystery-and-imagination/   Book: Les Fleurs du Mal, Charles Baudelaire (1857) https://dauntbooks.co.uk/shop/books/the-flowers-of-evil-les-fleurs-du-mal/   Poem: The Man Who Didn’t Love Elvis, John Cooper Clarke (2018) https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/john-cooper-clarke/the-luckiest-guy-alive/9781509896066  Poem: Salome Malone, John Cooper Clarke (1978) https://open.spotify.com/track/597ALlSF9Zz08DmYaTrKAr  Song: I’m A Lazy Sod, Sex Pistols (1977) https://open.spotify.com/track/760CNZQRrfO7Dse1mkYVn6   Poem: A Cheap Agnostic Funeral, John Cooper Clarke (2026) https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/john-cooper-clarke/have-it/9781037404191   Producer: Millie Chu  Senior Assistant Producer: Maisie Ellen Williams  Junior Production Manager: Rosie Pender Production Executive: Francesca Bassett Original Music: Miguel D’Oliveira Video Editor: Scott Edwards Audio Editor: Tom Guest Executive Producer: Arron Fellows  A Mindhouse Studios Production for Spotify. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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2026-11-04

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Join Louis Theroux as he embarks on a series of in-depth and freewheeling conversations with a curated collection of fascinating figures from across the globe. The Louis Theroux Podcast is a Spotify podcast from Mindhouse, now available everywhere.