Hidden Gems: The Humorous Works of Ivor Cutler

Yo Ho! Nightrider here!

As a promotion for “The Boy with the Thorn in His Side” made famous by Manchester’s The Smiths, Ivor Cutler presents the music video from Rough Trade/HMV Records. He looks for the single amongst other Smiths singles that would make one very jealous. At the end of the video, he comments about how a little boy like him would eventually present a song for HMV. One may ask “Why are you talking about Ivor Cutler in a Smiths video? Who the hell is Ivor Cutler?”

Ivor Cutler was a Scottish songwriter, poet, and humorist. Born on 15 January 1923, Cutler began his music career in 1959 by writing songs and poetry with appearances on BBC radio; he also made his first album Ivor Cutler of Y’Hup in the same year. Since then, he made numerous albums, children’s books, and poetry books. Cutler appeared in The Beatles’ “Magical Mystery Tour” film after getting noticed by Paul McCartney. He associated with John Peel of “Peel Sessions” fame in 1969 and gained a new generation of fans as a result.

An eccentric person, Ivor Cutler’s humor and reflections knew no bounds. His famous “Cutlerisms” are a way he communicates via sticky notes. Some of his “Cutlerisms” include:
“Kindly disregard,” “true happiness is a hypocrite,” “add 15 inches to your stride and save 4% of insects,” “changing your pants is like taking a clean plate,” and “No!” He hated loud noises and joined the Noise Abatement Society. One time when reporting to BBC Studios, Cutler came with a boiled egg taped to his head with no explanation as to why.

Here’s a “small” list of songs and poetry pieces from some of Cutler’s albums:

Ludo (1967)
“Mud”
“Darling, Will You Marry Me Twice?”
“I Had a Little Boat”
“Cockadoodledon’t”
“Shoplifters”
“I’m Happy”
“Go On, Jump!”
“Good Morning! How Are You? Shut Up!”
“A Suck of My Thumb”