"I saw him dossing in Peel Park
That's when I fell for John Cooper Clarke…"
The spoof song I Married A Cult Figure From Salford, sung by Cathy La Crème, dates back to the 1980s when it was the UK's first ever double B sided single and played on Radio One by the likes of John Peel.
In those days, producer John Crumpton couldn't afford to make a video for the track – but thirty years later he's got one out there in loving digital techno colour for the YouTube age. Not that it's on YouTube yet. The vid is being screened at Salford's Black Lion this Wednesday along with six other top short films for Kino's regular film night at the creative hub pub.
Featuring actors Tam Hinton (as Johnny Clarke), Neil Bell (as the voice of Johnny Clarke) and Cathy Priest (as Cathy La Crème), spliced with 1982 footage of Clarke himself, the five minute wonder tells the story of a girl who is thwarted as the punk legend's rise to fame leaves her behind…
"Then he started mixing with some right queer folk
Entrepreneurs who were always broke
Egging him on with promises of wealth
They soon had him making a cult of himself…"
"In those long gone days the idea of an artist `selling out' was viewed as a betrayal of their fans and their supposed artistic integrity" says the film's producer and director John Crumpton "In a short space of time JCC had gone from being the thinking person's punk poet to signing a lucrative recording contract with CBS Records, and was relocating from seedy Salford to sunny Stevenage.
"I've always been a big fan of John Cooprt Clarke" he adds "Hopefully, when he sees this he'll laugh at what we've created thirty years on –and not be dialling up his legal team!"
I Married A Cult Figure From Salford is being shown alongside half a dozen other short films, including BEST, Steven Spencer's wicked animation of the rise, fame and fall of the Man United legend.
The full line up of Kino Short is…
ROOM 6 (Dir/Prod/Writ; Robert Lonsdale): why is Room 6 an unpopular place to visit? 4 mins
THE ABDUCTION (Dir/Prod/Writ; Mariusz Cwynar): hostage and ransom plan goes wrong. 3 mins
I MARRIED A CULT FIGURE FROM SALFORD (Dir/Prod/Writ; John Crumpton): see above. 5 mins
BEST (Dir/Animator; Steven Spencer): animated re-telling of the George Best story. 9 mins.
SPECTACLE MACABRE (Dir/Writ; Kasia Wisniowski): a killer's inner world explored. 2 mins
THE SHOT (Dir/Writ; David Schofield): photographer meets sandwich van worker with a twist. 8mins.
SECRET TEST SCREENINGS – two short test films from Jason Windgard, winner of this years Virgin shorts award, made for some giant corporation.
After each film there will be a short Q&A session with the people involved in making them and tickets are limited so book asap. Further info e-mail info@kinofilm.org.uk
Kino Short
Wednesday 9th May
Black Lion Pub, Chapel Street, Salford
7:45pm £4/£3
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