Peggy Suicide - Julian Cope

Rock music certainly throw up its fair share of... well let's say 'unique' characters and Julian Cope is up there with the most unique. Maybe even the most unique of all. It may be tempting, depending upon your stance to view him as either a genius or a total nutter. Either way I think you would be doing him a bit of a dis-service as he is much more complex than that with his true character probably being a mix of both.

We were lucky to catch Julian at the Irish Centre in Leeds on the back of a tour to promote his new book 'The Modern Antiquarian'. Only Julian Cope could write a book about standing stones and make megalithic history seem as if it were only yesterday. I guess it was, relatively speaking. Anyway it was a strange evening but enthralling. Half spoken passages from his literature, some poetry and a few songs. Odd but very Cope and, judging by the way he had the whole audience entranced, a success.

'Peggy Suicide' is probably his strongest album since leaving The Teardrop Explodes and maybe even his best to date. Part rock, part folk, part punk and part psychedelic tinged pop. 'East Easy Rider' and 'Beautiful Love' being prime examples of the latter.

Ever since I saw him on TOTP standing on his microphone stand; the presence of foot pegs making it look a bit like a vandalised BMX, I have always kept eye and an ear out for what he is doing. I still only have this one album but what an album. Fascinating. And amazing that he never fell off that microphone stand!