The Luckiest Guy Alive

The Luckiest Guy Alive is the first new book of poetry from Dr John Cooper Clarke for several decades. It’s a brilliant, scabrous, and hilarious collection from one of our most beloved and influential writers and performers. From the 'Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman' to a hymn to the seductive properties of the pie—by way of hand-grenade haikus, machine-gun ballads, and a meditation on the loss of Bono’s leather pants—The Luckiest Guy Alive collects stunning set pieces and tried-and-tested audience favourites to show Cooper Clarke still effortlessly at the top of his game.

Cooper Clarke’s status as the 'Emperor of Punk Poetry' is certainly confirmed here, but so is his reputation as a brilliant versifier, a poet of vicious wit, and a razor-sharp social satirist. Effortlessly immediate and contemporary, full of hard-won wisdom and expert blindsidings, it’s easy to see why the good Doctor has continued to inspire several new generations of performers from Alex Turner to Plan B: The Luckiest Guy Alive shows one of the most compelling poets of the age on truly exceptional form.

'The godfather of British performance poetry' - Daily Telegraph

'John Cooper Clarke is one of Britain's outstanding poets. His anarchic punk poetry has thrilled people for decades... long may his slender frame and spiky top produce words and deeds that keep us on our toes and alive to the wonders of the world.' - Sir Paul McCartney