Ivor Cutler
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Ivor Cutler (born Isadore Cutler, 15 January 1923 – 3 March 2006) was a Scottish poet, singer, musician, songwriter, artist and
humorist A humorist (American) or humourist (British spelling) is an intellectual who uses humor, or wit, in writing or public speaking, but is not an artist who seeks only to elicit laughs. Humorists are distinct from comedians, who are show business e ...
. He became known for his regular performances on BBC radio, and in particular his numerous sessions recorded for John Peel's influential eponymous late night radio programme (
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
), and later for
Andy Kershaw Andrew J. G. Kershaw (born 9 November 1959) is a broadcaster and disc jockey, predominantly on radio, and known for his interest in world music. Kershaw's shows feature a mix of country, blues, reggae, folk music, African music, spoken word ...
's programme. He appeared in
the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
' ''
Magical Mystery Tour ''Magical Mystery Tour'' is a record by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a double EP in the United Kingdom and an LP in the United States. It includes the soundtrack to the 1967 television film of the same name. The EP ...
'' film in 1967 and on
Neil Innes Neil James Innes (; 9 December 1944 – 29 December 2019) was an English writer, comedian and musician. He first came to prominence in the pioneering comedy rock group Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band and later became a frequent collaborator with the M ...
' television programmes. Cutler also wrote books for children and adults and was a teacher at A. S. Neill's Summerhill School and for 30 years in inner-city schools in London. In live performances Cutler would often accompany himself on a
harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. Th ...
.
Phyllis King Phyllis April King is a British poet. She appears and reads her material on Ivor Cutler's albums ''Dandruff'', ''Velvet Donkey'' and ''Jammy Smears''. King designed some of the Ivor Cutler album covers, and has published poetry and children's b ...
appears on several of his records, and for several years was a part of his concerts. She usually read small phrases but also read a few short stories. The two starred in a BBC radio series, ''King Cutler'', in which they performed their material jointly and singly. Cutler also collaborated with pianist
Neil Ardley Neil Richard Ardley (26 May 1937 – 23 February 2004) was a prominent English jazz pianist and composer, who also made his name as the author of more than 100 popular books on science and technology, and on music. Early years Neil Ardley ...
, singer Robert Wyatt, guitarist Fred Frith, musicians
David Toop David Toop (born 5 May 1949) is an English musician, author, curator, and Emeritus Professor. From 2013 to 2021 he was professor of audio culture and improvisation at the London College of Communication. He was a regular contributor to British ...
and
Steve Beresford Steve Beresford (born 6 March 1950) is a British musician who graduated from the University of York He has played a variety of instruments, including piano, electronics, trumpet, euphonium, bass guitar and a wide variety of toy instruments, suc ...
.


Early life

Ivor Cutler was born in 1923 in
Govan Govan ( ; Cumbric?: ''Gwovan'?''; Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south ba ...
, Glasgow, into a middle-class
Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
ish family of Eastern European descent. His father Jack Moris Cutler was a draper and jeweller. He cited his childhood as the source of his artistic temperament, recalling a sense of displacement when his younger brother was born: "Without that I would not have been so screwed up as I am, and therefore not as creative." He was educated at the
Shawlands Academy Shawlands Academy is a state secondary school in the Shawlands area of Glasgow, Scotland. Admissions Shawlands Academy was Glasgow's designated International School and one of Scotland's most multicultural schools. It was situated in Shawlan ...
. In 1939 Cutler was evacuated to Annan.Guardian (7 March 2006).
Unassuming master of offbeat humour whose eccentric take on the world entertained generations
.
He joined the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
as a navigator in 1942 but was soon grounded for "dreaminess" and worked as a storeman.Obituary
(7 March 2006). ''The Daily Telegraph''.
He moved to London where he was employed by the
Inner London Education Authority The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) was an ad hoc local education authority for the City of London and the 12 Inner London boroughs from 1965 until its abolition in 1990. The authority was reconstituted as a directly elected body corp ...
to teach music, dance, drama and poetry to 7- to 11-year-olds.Mason, Stewart. "
Biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...
. Allmusic. Retrieved 10 March 2006.
Cutler's deeply held views on humanity meant he disliked corporal punishment and on leaving a teaching job he held in the 1950s he cut up his
tawse The tawse, sometimes formerly spelled taws (the plural of Scots taw, a thong of a whip) is an implement used for corporal punishment. It was used for educational discipline, primarily in Scotland, but also in schools in a few English cities ...
and handed the pieces to the class.Smith, Claire (13 March 2004).
Survival of the wittiest
. ''The Scotsman''.


Musical career

Cutler began writing songs and poetry in the late 1950s, making the first of many appearances on BBC radio on the
Home Service Home Service is a British folk rock group, formed in late 1980 from a nucleus of musicians who had been playing in Ashley Hutchings' Albion Band. Their career is generally agreed to have peaked with the album ''Alright Jack'', and has had an ...
, where he featured on the ''Monday Night at Home'' programme on 38 occasions between 1959 and 1963. He gained popularity playing songs where he would often accompany himself on either a
piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...
or the
harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. Th ...
, and this success led to the release of a series of records starting with 1959's ''Ivor Cutler of Y'Hup'' EP. Cutler appeared in the pop musical film '' It's All Over Town'' in 1964, and continued to make appearances on the BBC's programmes during the 1960s, and as a result of an appearance on the television show ''Late Night Line-Up'', he was noticed by
Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
, who invited Cutler to appear in
The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
' ''
Magical Mystery Tour ''Magical Mystery Tour'' is a record by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a double EP in the United Kingdom and an LP in the United States. It includes the soundtrack to the 1967 television film of the same name. The EP ...
'' film. In the film, Cutler plays would-be courier Buster Bloodvessel who becomes passionately attracted to Ringo Starr's Aunt Jessie. Following this film role, Cutler recorded an LP, '' Ludo'' (1967), produced by The Beatles'
George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the " Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the ...
, and credited to the Ivor Cutler Trio, made up of Cutler with bassist Gill Lyons and percussionist
Trevor Tomkins Trevor Ramsey Tomkins (12 May 1941 – 9 September 2022) was a British jazz drummer best known for his work in a number of British bands in the 1970s, including Gilgamesh. Biography Tomkins was born in London and studied music at the Guildhall ...
. The LP, taking inspiration from
trad jazz Trad jazz, short for "traditional jazz", is a form of jazz in the United States and Britain in the 1930s, 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, played by musicians such as Chris Barber, Acker Bilk, Kenny Ball, Ken Colyer and Monty Sunshine, based on a re ...
and
boogie-woogie Boogie-woogie is a genre of blues music that became popular during the late 1920s, developed in African-American communities since 1870s.Paul, Elliot, ''That Crazy American Music'' (1957), Chapter 10, p. 229. It was eventually extended from pi ...
, sees Cutler playing the piano as well as his usual harmonium, and is considered the most traditionally musical of all his records. After its release Cutler continued to perform for BBC radio, recording the first of his sessions for John Peel in 1969. Cutler's work on Peel's shows would introduce him to successive generations of fans, and in the early 1990s, Cutler said, "Thanks to Peel, I gained a whole new audience, to the amazement of my older fans, who find themselves among 16-to-35s in theatres, and wonder where they came from."Garner, Ken (1993). ''In Session Tonight''. London: BBC Books. In the 1970s,
Neil Ardley Neil Richard Ardley (26 May 1937 – 23 February 2004) was a prominent English jazz pianist and composer, who also made his name as the author of more than 100 popular books on science and technology, and on music. Early years Neil Ardley ...
had Cutler sing on his album ''A Symphony of Amaranths'' (1971),Gibson, David (3 April 1995).
Cutler Collection
. Retrieved 10 March 2006.
and former- Soft Machine drummer Robert Wyatt asked Cutler to play
harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. Th ...
and sing on two of the tracks on his album '' Rock Bottom'' (1974). The collaboration with Wyatt led to Cutler being signed to Wyatt's record label
Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman (musician), Tom Newman. It ...
, for whom Cutler recorded three LPs in the mid-1970s: ''
Dandruff Dandruff is a skin condition that mainly affects the scalp. Symptoms include flaking and sometimes mild itchiness. It can result in social or self-esteem problems. A more severe form of the condition, which includes inflammation of the skin, ...
'' (1974), ''
Velvet Donkey ''Velvet Donkey'' is an album by Ivor Cutler, originally released in 1975 on Virgin Records. Cutler is joined on the record by Fred Frith who plays viola on several tracks, and by Phyllis King who reads six of her own poems and short stories ...
'' (1975) and ''
Jammy Smears ''Jammy Smears'' is a studio album by Ivor Cutler, originally released in 1976. It was the last of the three albums he released on Virgin Records, and as with the previous two he is joined by Phyllis King, who reads six of her own poems and shor ...
'' (1976). Each of these discs intersperses Cutler's poems and songs with readings by his performing companion
Phyllis King Phyllis April King is a British poet. She appears and reads her material on Ivor Cutler's albums ''Dandruff'', ''Velvet Donkey'' and ''Jammy Smears''. King designed some of the Ivor Cutler album covers, and has published poetry and children's b ...
. Wyatt would later cover Cutler's song "Go and Sit upon the Grass". During the decade Cutler used his sessions for John Peel to introduce numerous episodes of his ''Life in a Scotch Sitting Room'' series, culminating in the 1978 LP '' Life in a Scotch Sitting Room, Vol. 2'', regarded as a particularly autobiographical work, on which Cutler recounts tales from his childhood amid an environment of
exaggerated Exaggeration is the representation of something as more extreme or dramatic than it really is. Exaggeration may occur intentionally or unintentionally. Exaggeration can be a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It may be used to evoke stron ...
Scottishness. Cutler also produced the work as a book, which was published in 1984 with illustrations by
Martin Honeysett Martin Honeysett (20 May 1943 – 21 January 2015) was an English cartoonist and illustrator. Early life Honeysett was born in Hereford. When he was two years old, his parents moved to London. He attended Selhurst Grammar School in Croydon ...
. Cutler contributed the track "Brooch Boat" to the cult 1980 album ''Miniatures'', produced and edited by
Morgan Fisher Stephen Morgan Fisher (born 1 January 1950) is an English keyboard player and composer, and is most known as a member of Mott the Hoople in the early 1970s. However, his career has covered a wide range of musical activities, and he is still ac ...
, which consisted entirely of one-minute-long recordings. In the 1980s, Rough Trade Records released three LPs—'' Privilege'' (1983), ''
Prince Ivor ''Prince Ivor'' is a double album by Ivor Cutler, originally released in 1986 on Rough Trade Records. The album's title should be pronounced "Prance eeVOR" (cf. ''Prince Igor''). It contains 12 plays written for Radio 3 between January 1979 a ...
'' (1986) and '' Gruts'' (1986). Cutler also released the single "Women of the World", recorded with Linda Hirst, through the label in 1983. In the 1990s,
Creation Records Creation Records Ltd. was a British independent record label founded in 1983 by Alan McGee, Dick Green, and Joe Foster. Its name came from the 1960s band The Creation, whom McGee greatly admired. The label ceased operations in 1999, although ...
released two new volumes of poems and spoken word work: '' A Wet Handle'' (1997) and '' A Flat Man'' (1998).


Books and poetry

Poetry and books for children were an important part of Cutler's literary output. There were crossovers, where parts of the public performances, albums, and books had the same name – the most notable and regular favourite at performances was ''Life in a Scotch Sitting Room, Volume 2'', combining the book with the album.


Reception and legacy

Cutler was a noted eccentric, dressing in a distinctive style including
plus-fours Plus fours are breeches or trousers that extend four inches (10 cm) below the knee (and thus four inches longer than traditional knickerbockers, hence the name). Knickerbockers have been traditionally associated with sporting attire sinc ...
and hats adorned with many badges, travelling mainly by bicycle and often communicating by means of sticky labels printed with "Cutlerisms", one of which, "never knowingly understood" came to be applied by supporters and detractors alike (the latter phrase is a play on 'never knowingly undersold', the slogan of the
John Lewis Partnership The John Lewis Partnership plc (JLP) is a British company which operates John Lewis & Partners department stores, Waitrose & Partners supermarkets, its banking and financial services, and other retail-related activities. The privately-held pu ...
). Others included "Kindly disregard", reserved for official correspondence, and "to remove this label take it off". The reception room of his home contained some pieces of ivory cutlery, a pun on his name. Composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Jim O'Rourke covered Cutler's 1983 song "Women of the World" on his album ''
Eureka Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...
'' (1999). In October 2012 in Seattle, Washington, the Mark Morris Dance Group premiered a work entitled "Wooden Tree," featuring recordings of Cutler's renditions of his songs. In 2014 a new play, ''The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler'', a co-production by
Vanishing Point A vanishing point is a point on the image plane of a perspective drawing where the two-dimensional perspective projections of mutually parallel lines in three-dimensional space appear to converge. When the set of parallel lines is perpendicul ...
and
National Theatre of Scotland The National Theatre of Scotland, established in 2006, is the national theatre company of Scotland. The company has no theatre building of its own; instead it tours work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at h ...
, was performed. Cutler earned a faithful cult following. John Peel once remarked that Cutler was probably the only performer whose work had been featured on Radio 1, 2, 3 and 4. Cutler was a member of the Noise Abatement Society and the Voluntary Euthanasia Society. He retired from performing in 2004, and died on 3 March 2006, in London. Reflections upon his poetry, humour and legacy continued well after his death.


Discography

*1959 ''Ivor Cutler of Y'Hup'' (EP,
Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...
) *1961 ''Who Tore Your Trousers?'' (Decca) *1961 ''Get Away from the Wall'' (EP, Decca) *1967 ''Ludo'' (
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...
) *1974 ''
Dandruff Dandruff is a skin condition that mainly affects the scalp. Symptoms include flaking and sometimes mild itchiness. It can result in social or self-esteem problems. A more severe form of the condition, which includes inflammation of the skin, ...
'' (
Virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...
) *1975 ''
Velvet Donkey ''Velvet Donkey'' is an album by Ivor Cutler, originally released in 1975 on Virgin Records. Cutler is joined on the record by Fred Frith who plays viola on several tracks, and by Phyllis King who reads six of her own poems and short stories ...
'' (Virgin) *1976 ''
Jammy Smears ''Jammy Smears'' is a studio album by Ivor Cutler, originally released in 1976. It was the last of the three albums he released on Virgin Records, and as with the previous two he is joined by Phyllis King, who reads six of her own poems and shor ...
'' (Virgin) *1978 '' Life in a Scotch Sitting Room, Vol. 2'' ( Harvest) *1983 '' Privilege'' (with Linda Hirst, Rough Trade) *1986 ''
Prince Ivor ''Prince Ivor'' is a double album by Ivor Cutler, originally released in 1986 on Rough Trade Records. The album's title should be pronounced "Prance eeVOR" (cf. ''Prince Igor''). It contains 12 plays written for Radio 3 between January 1979 a ...
'' (Rough Trade) *1986 '' Gruts'' (Rough Trade) *1989 ''Peel Sessions'' (EP, Strange Fruit, 1969 recordings) *1997 '' A Wet Handle'' (Creation) *1997 '' Ludo'' (Rev-Ola, 1967 recordings) *1998 '' A Flat Man'' (Creation) *2019 ''Singing While Dead'' (EP, Hoorgi House, 4 unreleased 1950s recordings)


Compilations

*1980 ''Brooch Boat'' Ivor's contribution to Morgan Fisher's ''Miniatures'' LP. A compilation of 51 one minute masterpieces by 51 different artists ( Cherry Red) *2005 ''An Elpee and Two Epees''''An Elpee and Two Epees'' is a CD compilation of Cutler's first three releases. (the Decca recordings) *2012 ''Essential Masters 1959-1961'' (Comedy Classics, the Decca recordings in a different order) *2017 ''Gruts For Tea Again'' (Coda)


Vídeo

*2005 ''Looking for Truth with a Pin, and Cutler's Last Stand'' documentary and live performance (Claptrap)


Bibliography

;Poetry *''Many Flies Have Feathers'' (1973). Trigram Press. *''A Flat Man'' (1977). Trigram Press. *''Private Habits'' (1981). Arc Publications. *''LARGE et Puffy'' (1984). Arc Publications. *''Fresh Carpet'' (1986). Arc Publications. *''A Nice Wee Present from Scotland'' (1988). Arc Publications. *''A Fly Sandwich and Other Menu'' (1991). Methuen. *''Is That Your Flap, Jack?'' (1992). Arc Publications. *''A Stuggy Pren'' (1994). Arc Publications. *''A Wet Handle'' (1996). Arc Publications. *''South American Bookworms'' (1999). Arc Publications. *''Under the spigot'' (2001). Arc Publications. *''Scots Wa' Straw'' (2003). Arc Publications ;Prose *''Gruts'' (1962). Museum Press. *''Cockadoodledon't!!!'' (1966). Dennis Dobson. *''Life in a Scotch Sitting Room, Vol.2'' (1984). Methuen. *''Gruts'' (1986). Methuen. *''Fremsley'' (1987). Methuen. *''Glasgow Dreamer'' (1990). Methuen. ;Children's books *''Meal One''. (1971) Armada Lions Edition (1988) *''Balooky Klujypop''. (1975) Heinemann. *''The Animal House''. (1976) 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). *''Herbert: 5 Stories'' (1988). Walker Books. *''Grape Zoo'' (1991). Walker Books. *''Doris the Hen'' (1992). Heinemann. *''The New Dress'' (1995). The Bodley Head. ;Other *''Befriend a Bacterium: Stickies by Ivor Cutler'' (1992). Pickpocket Books. (A collection of stickers that Cutler used to hand out to people).


DVD video

*''Looking for Truth with a Pin'' ( BBC Four documentary, 2005
(IMDB entry)
* "I'm going in a field" - musical performance/outtake on the ''Magical Mystery Tour'' Blu-ray. (2012)


References


External links



— interview at ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
,'' 15 January 2004 * *
John Peel Sessions - Ivor Cutler
* *
BBC Radio 4 - Great Lives
— The singer-songwriter KT Tunstall tells Matthew Parris why she adores the Scottish poet, author, artist and humorist Ivor Cutler. With biographer Bruce Lindsay. 27 April 2021 {{DEFAULTSORT:Cutler, Ivor 1923 births 2006 deaths people from Govan Writers from Glasgow Scottish songwriters Jewish poets Scottish Jews Creation Records artists Harmonium players Scottish male comedians Decca Records artists Virgin Records artists Harvest Records artists Rough Trade Records artists 20th-century Scottish poets 21st-century Scottish poets Scottish male poets Musicians from Glasgow 20th-century Scottish comedians 21st-century Scottish comedians 20th-century British male writers 21st-century British male writers 20th-century organists 21st-century organists Royal Air Force personnel of World War II