JOHN COOPER CLARKE Sits In (10)

2016-01-24: Dr John Cooper Clarke sits in for Jarvis again, with a healthy helping of punk, crooners and old-fashioned R&B. He prescribes tracks from featured album 'Looking Stateside: 80 US R&B, Mod, Soul and Garage Nuggets' and even treats us to one of his own records, as it references Ernest Borgnine who was born this day in 1917. The Sabbath Special comes courtesy of Sam Cooke and The Soul Stirrers. 

JOHN COOPER CLARKE Sits In (9)

2015-08-09: Dr John Cooper Clarke returns to treat us with another spoonful of soothing Sunday sounds. His diagnosis calls for a healthy dose of Big Youth washed down with a little Sinatra. Side effects come courtesy of The Cramps' record collection.

JOHN COOPER CLARKE Sits In (8)

2015-08-02: Dr John Cooper Clarke delves into his medical bag of music to soothe you on a Sunday afternoon. His diagnosis calls for a healthy dose of Link Wray washed down with a little Bob Dylan. Side effects are provided by The Velvet Underground.

JOHN COOPER CLARKE Sits In (7)

Dr John Cooper Clarke sits in for Jarvis again, determined not to let a few aches and pains get in the way of a groovin' good time. 

JOHN COOPER CLARKE Sits In (5)

John Cooper Clarke sits in while Jarvis is away, presenting a show jam-packed with rockabilly, pysch, crooners and more. In his new feature Cockney Corner, there's Low era David Bowie, Anthony Newley and Chas 'n' Dave. Frankie Avalon makes John consider level-headed hairdressing: "you don't want a 'wacky' barber, you want a man with a steady hand and a sober world view!" His Sabbath Special track comes from the star-studded Million Dollar Quartet. And in the A-Z of Peel slot, John rewinds to P and plays Pulp's very first Peel Session. Birthdays: Plastic Bertrand. Valete: Johnnie Ray and Buddy Holly.

JOHN COOPER CLARKE Sits In (4)

John Cooper Clarke sits in again. He notes that Little Richard was 80 last week; observes that today in 1875, America's oldest active gun club was founded; and proposes a musical 'Battle of the Dons'. His boiler has broken down, so he picks some tracks with a chilly resonance. Plus: today is International Anti-Corruption Day; this year is the 45th anniversary of The Velvet Underground's debut album; and On This Day in 1960, soap opera Coronation Street premiered. And speaking of northern things, John recalls hanging out at The Twisted Wheel, the birthplace of Northern Soul. John also highlights this week's featured album, Nuggets, a groundbreaking compilation of 1960s garage rock.

JOHN COOPER CLARKE Sits In (3)

John Cooper Clarke sits in, playing lots of great rare records for us while Jarvis is in Chile. John's not feeling very well, but his default setting is 'laughing through the tears' so he plays some songs related to ill health. He also muses about having to choose between very different guitar stylings — considers the great Manchester bands ('the end is listless') — pays tribute to the late Herbert Lom, remembering his psychiatrist drama The Human Jungle — notes that Bob Lind was born On This Day — recalls an anecdote about Elvis seeing shapes in the clouds — and talks fondly of the Spanish. John will return to the station on Christmas Day with a selection box of festive tunes.

John Cooper Clarke Sits In (2)

John Cooper Clarke sits in again, playing more toe-tapping tracks and reading out messages from listeners. With spoken word by Eminem and The Courtesy Group, plus a tribute to the late Frank Sidebottom. John says no to a questionnaire and tells an anecdote about a miniatures shop. He also tells the story of the Million Dollar Quartet, points out the irony of tracksuits and recalls a joke about Frank Sinatra. He finishes with Pulp's My Legendary Girlfriend, featuring a great deal of moody spoken word by Mr Cocker.

John Cooper Clarke Sits In (1)

Bard of Salford John Cooper Clarke sits in, playing stacks of his treasured vinyl. He talks about how many of Britain's run down holiday resorts have been revived by the pink pound, and shares a valuable Northern soul track which he bought in Poundland. He muses on how some accessories make you behave in certain ways: walking sticks and pipes magically make you act like an old duffer. He enthuses about the snarling guitar sound of Link Wray, who stabbed his amp with a bowie knife to get the right effect. He recites a jingle he wrote for a Martini commercial, Home Honey, I'm High. Lou Rawls tells a story about a not-so-sharp hustler. And John thinks about the appeal of pirates and his love of nautically themed parties.

John Cooper Clarke

It's American Independence Day, so the show features audio tributes to Paul Revere, Yankee Doodle Dandy and other American icons. On This Day, Leo Szilard patented the atom bomb; Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass was published (we hear a poem from it); and so was Thoreau's book Walden. There's a Miranda July soundpiece about night-time driving and Jarvis wonders about ice cream vans. Poet John Cooper Clarke joins Jarvis. He explains how he got into poetry by writing lyrics, and cites Baloo-voicing Phil Harris as a major influence. They also consider mobile phones, poetic forms and whether a poem should rhyme. John inspires two listeners to write an ode to their dirty kitchen. Birthdays: Giuseppe Garibaldi, Thomas Barnardo, Irving Caesar, Mitch Miller, Eva Marie Saint, Louis B Mayer (the MGM lion roars), Gina Lollobrigida, Colin Welland, Stephen Foster, Ron Kovic, Bill Withers, David 'Kid' Jensen and Alan 'Blind Owl' Wilson.