Ivor Cutler

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Ivor Cutler in his apartment in Gospel Oak, North London (1973)

Ivor Cutler (born January 15, 1923 in Glasgow , † March 3, 2006 in London ) was a British poet , songwriter and comedian . He gained notoriety through his regular appearances on the BBC radio program , through numerous recording sessions for John Peel's influential radio show and later for the programs of Andy Kershaw . He starred in the Beatles film Magical Mystery Tour in 1967 and in Neil Innes ' television series The Innes Book of Records in 1981 . Cutler has written books for children and adults, taught at AS Neill's Democratic School in Summerhill, and for 30 years in inner-city schools in London.

Life

Ivor Cutler was born in Glasgow to Jewish parents of Eastern European descent. Citing his childhood as the source of his artistic ambitions, he recalled a feeling of being left behind when his younger brother was born:

"Without that I would not have been so screwed up as I am, and therefore not as creative."

"Without that I would not have been screwed up as I am and consequently not as creative."

In 1939 Cutler was evacuated to Annan . He became a navigator in the Royal Air Force in 1942 , but was soon dismissed because of his "dreaminess". He moved to London and joined the Inner London Education Authority , teaching music, drama and poetry to children aged 7-11. He hated corporal punishment because of his deeply humanistic outlook, and after teaching in the 1950s, he cut up his tawse and distributed the pieces around the class. He was briefly married and had two children.

Cutler was known as an eccentric , was conspicuously dressed in plus fours and hats with numerous badges , mostly rode a bicycle and often communicated with stickers on which sayings called Cutlerisms were printed. One of these sayings never knowingly understood was used by both his supporters and opponents, other sayings were kindly disregard for official correspondence, and to remove this label take it off .

Cutler's trademarks were surreal, bizarre comparisons and his attention to the small details of life, which he described in naive language. His behavior when performing appeared fragile, insecure and a little stooped. His writings sometimes slipped into moody or macabre. Many of his poems and songs are written from a child's perspective. The humor of his works is fed by childlike curiosity and the selfish lies that parents tell their children to encourage them to do housework or to stop their incessant questioning. According to his own statements in an interview with Andy Kershaw on his radio show, he also gave private poetry lessons .

Musical career

Cutler began writing poetry and songs in the late 1950s and made his first radio appearances on the BBC Home Service , where he appeared 38 times on Monday Night at Home between 1959 and 1963. He quickly gained popularity through live performances in which he played his songs and accompanied himself on the harmonium . This success led to the release of a series of phonograms that began with the 1959 EP Ivor Cutler of Y'Hup . Cutler continued to appear on the BBC's programming throughout the 1960s. An appearance on the television show Late Night Line-Up drew Paul McCartney's attention to him and he offered Cutler a role in the Beatles film Magical Mystery Tour . There Cutler played the bus conductor Buster Bloodvessel, who was passionately drawn to Ringo Starr's aunt Jessie. After the film, Cutler recorded the album Ludo in 1967 as the Ivor Cutler Trio with bassist Gill Lyons and percussionist Trevor Tomkins , produced by Beatles producer George Martin . Cutler played both piano and harmonium on the album, which was influenced by traditional jazz and boogie-woogie , and is considered the most traditional album of his career. In 1969 Cutler recorded the first peel session . Of the effects of these recordings, Cutler said:

“I gained a whole new audience thanks to Peel. Much to the amazement of my older fans, who find themselves among 16-to-35s in theaters, and wonder where they come from. "

“Thanks to Peel, I reached a whole new audience. Much to the astonishment of my old fans, who found each other at performances between 16 and 35 year olds and wondered where they came from. "

In the 1970s Cutler sang on Neil Ardley's 1972 album A Symphony of Amaranths , and Robert Wyatt , former Soft Machine vocalist , asked Cutler to take over the harmonium and vocals on two songs from his 1974 album Rock Bottom . The collaboration with Wyatt resulted in a recording deal with Virgin Records and Cutler recorded three albums in the mid-1970s: Dandruff (1974), Velvet Donkey (1975) and Jammy Smears (1976). In return , Wyatt Cutler covered Go and sit upon the grass (from the album Velvet Donkey ) under the title Grass . Wyatt's version was released in 1981 as the single Grass / Trade Union and in 1982 on the compilation Nothing Can Stop Us . Cutler combined his songs and poems with recitations performed by his performance partner Phyllis King on all of the sound carriers .

During that decade took Cutler his recordings for John Peel to different episodes of his series Life in a Scotch Sitting Room imagine that in 1978 as the basis for the album Life in a Scotch Sitting Room, Vol. 2 served (Volume 1 was a single piece of 1974 album Dandruff ) and which have been viewed as partially autobiographical because Cutler told stories from his childhood in an environment full of exaggerated Scottish national pride. Cutler also published this work as a book, which appeared in 1984 with illustrations by Martin Honeysett . He also worked with the artist Frances Broomfield on an illustrated reader that was never completed.

With Brooch Boat, Cutler contributed a piece to the 1980 cult album Miniatures , which was produced and published by Morgan Fisher and which consisted exclusively of one-minute recordings. In the 1980s Rough Trade Records released the three albums LPs Privilege (1983), Prince Ivor (1986) and Gruts (1986). Cutler also released the single Women of the World on Rough Trade in 1983 , recorded with Linda Hirst. In the 1990s it piqued the interest of Creation Records , better known as the Oasis record label . Creation released two albums of poetry and spoken word : A Wet Handle (1997) and A Flat Man (1998).

When performing live, Cutler often accompanied himself on a harmonium . Phyllis King was featured on many of his records and performed with Cutler for many years. She usually read short sentences, less often short stories. The duo had their own radio show on the BBC, King Cutler . Cutler worked with pianist Neil Ardley and singer Robert Wyatt .

Cutler had a loyal fan base. John Peel said Cutler was probably the only artist who appeared equally on all of the BBC's radio stations. Cutler campaigned against noise pollution and for euthanasia . In 2004 he said goodbye to the stage and died on March 3, 2006. The reception room of his house shows a collection of ivory cutlery , a play on his name.

Discography

  • Ivor Cutler of Y'Hup EP (1959)
  • Who Tore Your Trousers? (1961)
  • Get Away from the Wall EP (1961)
  • Ludo (1967)
  • Dandruff (1974)
  • Velvet Donkey (1975)
  • Jammy Smears (1976)
  • Life in a Scotch Sitting Room, Vol. 2 (Live, 1978)
  • Privilege (1983)
  • Prince Ivor (1986)
  • Gruts (1986)
  • Peel Sessions EP (1989)
  • A Wet Handle (1997)
  • A Flat Man (1998)
  • An Elpee and Two Epees (compilation, 2005)

bibliography

poetry
prose
Children's books
  • Meal One . Armada Lions.
  • Balooky Klujypop . (1975) Heinemann.
  • The Animal House . Armada Lions.
  • The Vermillion Door (1984). Walker Books.
  • The Pomegranate Door (1984). Walker Books.
  • Herbert the Chicken (1984). Walker Books.
  • Herbert the Elephant (1984). Walker Books.
  • Herbert the Questionmark (1984). Walker Books.
  • Herbert the Herbert (1984). Walker Books.
  • One and a Quarter (1987). ISBN 0-233-98060-1
  • Herbert: 5 Stories (1988). Walker Books. ISBN 0-7445-4778-4
  • Grape Zoo (1991). Walker Books. ISBN 0-7445-2327-3
  • Doris the Hen (1992). Heinemann. ISBN 0-434-93354-6
  • The New Dress (1995). The Bodley Head. ISBN 0-370-31873-0
Other
  • Befriend a Bacterium: Stickies by Ivor Cutler (1992). Pickpocket Books. ISBN 1-873422-11-3

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Colin Irwin: Obituaries: Ivor Cutler. The Independent, March 12, 2006, accessed June 12, 2015 .
  2. ↑ Cult poet Ivor Cutler dies at 83rd BBC News, March 7, 2006, accessed February 12, 2013 .
  3. ↑ a b c d Mark Espiner: Obituary: Ivor Cutler. The Guardian, March 7, 2006, accessed February 12, 2013 .
  4. ^ Obituaries: Ivor Cutler. The Daily Telegraph, March 7, 2006, accessed February 12, 2013 .
  5. ↑ a b c d e Stewart Mason: Ivor Cutler - Biography. Allmusic , accessed February 12, 2013 .
  6. ^ Claire Smith: Survival of the wittiest. The Scotsman, March 13, 2004, accessed February 12, 2013 .
  7. ^ A b Patrick Newley: Obituaries: Ivor Cutler. The Stage, March 15, 2006, accessed February 12, 2013 .
  8. ^ Keeping It Peel - Ivor Cutler. BBC Radio 1, accessed February 12, 2013 .
  9. ↑ Jeremy Cutler: The Works of Ivor Cutler - Recordings. (No longer available online.) Ivorcutler.org, January 2009, archived from the original on October 6, 2012 ; accessed on February 12, 2013 .
  10. ↑ Jeremy Cutler: The Works of Ivor Cutler - Books UK. (No longer available online.) Ivorcutler.org, January 2009, archived from the original on December 9, 2012 ; accessed on February 12, 2013 .
personal data
SURNAME Cutler, Ivor
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British poet, songwriter and comedian
DATE OF BIRTH January 15, 1923
PLACE OF BIRTH Glasgow
DATE OF DEATH March 3, 2006
Place of death London