POPPY Chancellor is among loved ones
hailing the musician in a documentary filmed two weeks after he was
diagnosed with the cancer that claimed his life.
IRVINE Welsh and Billy Bragg hail him as a hero. Shane MacGowan was one of his closest friends.
His romances with singer Neneh Cherry and actress Anna Chancellor made gossip columns, as did his friendships with aristocracy.
But few outside of the post-punk music scene know much about poet Jock Scot. Yet his family and friends says his influence on music, literature and the arts was extraordinary.
For Poppy Chancellor, his daughter with Four Weddings and A Funeral star Anna, he was just dad – albeit a rather unusual one.
Poppy spoke out as a documentary about her father’s bohemian life – from meeting Ian Dury and The Blockheads and following them to London to becoming a performance poet and opening gigs for the likes of Joe Strummer, The Pogues and The Libertines – is being finished.
Jock lost his battle with cancer earlier this year.
“He was fearless, articulate and highly
intelligent. I love making people laugh and I love getting on a stage
and being in front of people.
“All his daughters have a fundamental essence of Jock. We have to be the centre of attention.”
Jock was born John Graham Manson Leslie in Leith. His father died at 47 when Jock was 15 and he was raised on a council estate in Musselburgh. After quitting his labourer’s post to follow The Blockheads, Jock never had a job but supported himself with performing.
But few outside of the post-punk music scene know much about poet Jock Scot. Yet his family and friends says his influence on music, literature and the arts was extraordinary.
For Poppy Chancellor, his daughter with Four Weddings and A Funeral star Anna, he was just dad – albeit a rather unusual one.
Poppy spoke out as a documentary about her father’s bohemian life – from meeting Ian Dury and The Blockheads and following them to London to becoming a performance poet and opening gigs for the likes of Joe Strummer, The Pogues and The Libertines – is being finished.
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| Keith Allen, Jock Scot, Neneh Cherry and Glen Colson at Wembley Stadium in 1983 |
Artist and illustrator Poppy said: “When I was younger, I remember thinking how boring other people’s parents were.
“Dad and I were rebellious – troublemakers on the lookout for fun. I remember being the only kid in the bookies or the pub.
“I felt like I was in on the joke, the secret life of adults. I had an attitude but luckily so did dad. So when I suggested we break into the park after dark to go on the swings, he’d be the one flinging me over the gate.”
Poppy’s parents split up when she was four. But Jock, who found fame after moving from Musselburgh, East Lothian, to London in the 1970s, remained a hugely influential figure in Poppy’s life.
“Dad and I were rebellious – troublemakers on the lookout for fun. I remember being the only kid in the bookies or the pub.
“I felt like I was in on the joke, the secret life of adults. I had an attitude but luckily so did dad. So when I suggested we break into the park after dark to go on the swings, he’d be the one flinging me over the gate.”
Poppy’s parents split up when she was four. But Jock, who found fame after moving from Musselburgh, East Lothian, to London in the 1970s, remained a hugely influential figure in Poppy’s life.
Jock’s lyrical talent saw him become a
regular on the punk circuit after meeting Dury at a concert at
Edinburgh’s Playhouse. The singer, taken by the Scot’s way with words,
employed him as a roadie and introduced him to the music scene.
Jock would go on to write and perform his own work as well as regularly opening for acts such as Strummer and The Libertines.
His ability to silence the rowdiest of crowds with his words, wearing his trademark kilt and Doc Martens, became his forte.
He attracted the attention of fledgling writers who adored music, such as Trainspotting author Welsh, who read his poems. He said Jock and Iggy Pop were his key influences.
Poppy, 29, the middle of Jock’s three daughters, said: “He had a wonderful way with words. He could insult you and make you laugh at the same time.
Jock would go on to write and perform his own work as well as regularly opening for acts such as Strummer and The Libertines.
His ability to silence the rowdiest of crowds with his words, wearing his trademark kilt and Doc Martens, became his forte.
He attracted the attention of fledgling writers who adored music, such as Trainspotting author Welsh, who read his poems. He said Jock and Iggy Pop were his key influences.
Poppy, 29, the middle of Jock’s three daughters, said: “He had a wonderful way with words. He could insult you and make you laugh at the same time.
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| Poppy with her dad |
“All his daughters have a fundamental essence of Jock. We have to be the centre of attention.”
Jock was born John Graham Manson Leslie in Leith. His father died at 47 when Jock was 15 and he was raised on a council estate in Musselburgh. After quitting his labourer’s post to follow The Blockheads, Jock never had a job but supported himself with performing.
Poppy never performed on stage with her
father but does feature in a recording on one of his albums, which Jock
made when she was eight. She sang alongside her sister and performed it
at one of his last shows before he died of cancer aged 63 in April.
Poppy says her father always encouraged her to pursue art and was friends with notable artists such as Humphrey Ocean.
She said: “Artwork and posters were always all over the walls. He collected postcards from galleries and loved finding a good art book in the charity shop. He was always drawing little cartoons and illustrating notes in his scrap books. His whole being was creative.
“I have wonderful memories of the things that he took seriously, like birds, horseracing and history. He would suddenly become very serious and start reciting facts that you were supposed to remember when looking for a lesser spotted woodpecker.
Poppy says her father always encouraged her to pursue art and was friends with notable artists such as Humphrey Ocean.
She said: “Artwork and posters were always all over the walls. He collected postcards from galleries and loved finding a good art book in the charity shop. He was always drawing little cartoons and illustrating notes in his scrap books. His whole being was creative.
“I have wonderful memories of the things that he took seriously, like birds, horseracing and history. He would suddenly become very serious and start reciting facts that you were supposed to remember when looking for a lesser spotted woodpecker.
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| Jock with Poppy and Anna Chancellor |
“We watched the Grand National together most years. Dad would put a bet on for everyone and there would be a lucky dip.”
Poppy, who has worked as an illustrator for Adidas and Cath Kidston, said: “I grew up under a huge red and yellow Lion Rampant flag. When I saw it hung up at his wake, I felt very proud and utterly heartbroken.
“Dad would often tell me about the Scotland- England match he went to at Wembley in 1977 and how his friends had a suitcase they filled with turf from the pitch and planted in their garden back in Scotland.
“You couldn’t think about Jock without thinking about Scotland. He was very proud. He wore tartan most days and, if it was an important event, he’d have a kilt on.”
Poppy, who has worked as an illustrator for Adidas and Cath Kidston, said: “I grew up under a huge red and yellow Lion Rampant flag. When I saw it hung up at his wake, I felt very proud and utterly heartbroken.
“Dad would often tell me about the Scotland- England match he went to at Wembley in 1977 and how his friends had a suitcase they filled with turf from the pitch and planted in their garden back in Scotland.
“You couldn’t think about Jock without thinking about Scotland. He was very proud. He wore tartan most days and, if it was an important event, he’d have a kilt on.”
Poppy’s life with her father was mostly
spent in London but there were trips to Scotland. She added: “He would
take me to Musselburgh to see all my aunties. I haven’t been up there
since he died but I’d like to go back to Portobello beach. We used to
walk there a lot and go to Luca’s, his favourite ice cream shop.
“I would like him to be remembered as the loving, intelligent artist that he was.”
Film-maker Robert Greene’s documentary, Jock Scot: Services to Rock N Roll, has contributions from ex-girlfriend Cherry, his pal MacGowan and Libertines singer Pete Doherty.
It was filmed just two weeks after Jock was diagnosed with cancer in 2015.
Robert said: “The thing I’m trying to put across is there was no master plan for Jock. He didn’t pursue a career and led a bohemian life but it was one that was culturally rich and significant.”
Barnes, Julie-Anne. "Daughter of Jock Scot Remembers 'rebellious' Dad Who Could Silence a Crowd with His Words." Dailyrecord. 2016. Accessed August 08, 2016. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/real-life/daughter-jock-scot-remembers-rebellious-8576895#6rmIPG1BEgVtj143.97.
“I would like him to be remembered as the loving, intelligent artist that he was.”
Film-maker Robert Greene’s documentary, Jock Scot: Services to Rock N Roll, has contributions from ex-girlfriend Cherry, his pal MacGowan and Libertines singer Pete Doherty.
It was filmed just two weeks after Jock was diagnosed with cancer in 2015.
Robert said: “The thing I’m trying to put across is there was no master plan for Jock. He didn’t pursue a career and led a bohemian life but it was one that was culturally rich and significant.”
Barnes, Julie-Anne. "Daughter of Jock Scot Remembers 'rebellious' Dad Who Could Silence a Crowd with His Words." Dailyrecord. 2016. Accessed August 08, 2016. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/real-life/daughter-jock-scot-remembers-rebellious-8576895#6rmIPG1BEgVtj143.97.
