*Borough High Street -a “Then-1979 & Now-2023” photo shoot – John Cooper Clarke

Throughout the final couple of months of 2022 – because of stuff such as illness, hospitalisation, recuperation, flu & good old Covid – me old London Shoes were not able to get out and about on-the-road to undertake any blogs, which was a shame as, since its inception in 2017,  Shoes has always published an Christmas themed end of year blog – but sometimes ‘life’ has a habit of de-railing the best laid plans, and all that.

Then…..1979

But never mind 2023 brings a new year, and a new opportunity – one which my London Shoes intends to utilise to publish as many blogs as possible – big or small topics – long or short blogs – as there is so much on my ‘To Do List’ that I want to knock-out.

So – to kick-off 2023, Shoes has put together this very short piece, which is sort of, of a ‘Then & Now’ nature – a theme that Shoes intends to do a lot more of this year.

The subject matter is very uncomplicated – its is simply a ‘then’ photo of the so called Punk Poet…. “John Cooper Clarke” taken during a 1979 promo photoshoot in Borough High Street-London SE1 – just a couple of hundred yards from the River Thames and the southern bank end of London Bridge.

John Cooper Clarke was born in Salford-Manchester in 1949, and burst on the scene as a stand-up ‘alternative’ poet during the punk era in the late 1970’s.

The ‘Bard of Salford’ or ‘Punk Poet’ as he was commonly referred to, became popular because of his appearance and his rapid, quick fire delivery of poems/verse and monologue’s – and very soon found himself appearing on the same bill as bands like the Sex Pistols – Buzzcocks – Joy Division – Siouxsie-and-the Banshees – Elvis Costello etc.

Now……2023

In 1980 John Cooper Clarke released his 4th album “Snap Crackle & Bop” on which there is the track “Evidently Chicken Town” – where he uses a full scale onslaught of profanity to convey an overall sense of desperation, futility and exasperation – of the life going on around him.

I’m not a massive fan of JCC or his work – but I’ve always liked and never tired of his “Evidently Chicken Town” – and evidently I’m not the only one, as its been used or referred to in many tv and films throughout the 43 years since it was recorded – inc The Soprano’s and a couple of Danny Boyle films -n and it is still a firm fan favourite in John Cooper Clarke’s live performances.

Anyway – for this particular blog, I thought I would track down the exact spot on the corner of Borough High Street & St. Thomas Street where the 1979 photo was taken, some 43yrs ago – and attempt to replicate it for a ‘then & now’ photo.

The site hasn’t really changed much at all – the building is still a Barclays Bank branch (my old employers of course). The junction is still extremely busy, probably more so today – however, the bollard that John Cooper Clarke is sitting on in the original photo, is no longer there – and so I had to stand in the middle of a busy road, trying to do a ‘now’ photo from the exact same spot – it wasn’t easy I tell ya – I do suffer for my art.

So that’s it – the first cab of the rank for London Shoes 2023 blogs – short & sweet – small but perfectly formed – and I managed to do another one this week, so that will be following shortly.

I will end this blog by copying & pasting a brief snippet from the said John Cooper Clarke’s “Evidently Chicken Town” – with the profanity toned down a bit. Its still one of my favs though.

“The bloody pies are bloody old
The bloody chips are bloody cold
The bloody beer is bloody flat
The bloody flats have bloody rats
The bloody clocks are bloody wrong
The bloody days are bloody long
It bloody gets you bloody down
Evidently chicken town”………

____________________________________

See below the full gallery of photos taken to support this ‘Then & Now’ blog

____________________________________

(Then) John Cooper Clarke – (the ‘Punk Poet’)- on the corner of Borough High Street and St. Thomas Street-London SE1 – photo from a 1979 photoshoot

(Now) The exact same location of the initial 1979 photoshoot

Me – trying (very badly) to replicate the original John Cooper Clarke photo from 1979. There are no longer bollards in situ as there were in 1979 – so had to stand in the middle of an extremely busy junction, to take a photo.

Another wider view of the 1979 photo location – surprisingly, (for today’s world) – the building is still operating as Barclays Bank (Borough High Street branch)

Looking in the other direction at the site of the 1979 photoshoot site – John Cooper Clarke wouldn’t have had this view

The cover of John Cooper Clarke’s 1980 released “Snap Crackle & Bop” album – on which the track “Evidently Chicken Town” can be found

John Cooper Clarke – as he is these days

Another photo of me attempting to replicate the 1979 John Cooper Clarke promo photo – this time with limited pedestrian numbers – very challenging for the extremely busy Borough High Street