Once known as a supplier of "good vibes" to a host of punk-era artists like the Clash, Ian Dury, Wreckless Eric, and the B-52's, Jock Scot established himself in the '80s and '90s as a sort of raconteur rock poet with a wry, boho spirit.
Born in Leith, Scotland in 1952, Scot came from a musical family, but eventually found his voice as a writer of stark, edgy poetry and prose. His first published book of poems, and Where Is My Heroine? arrived in 1993 to much critical acclaim, drawing praise from such diverse admirers as Motörhead's Lemmy and author Irvine Welsh. That same year he was approached by musician Davy Henderson, formerly of the Edinburgh cult band the Fire Engines, to collaborate on a track by Henderson's most recent outfit, the Nectarine No. 9. The song "Going Off Someone" was featured on Nectarine No. 9's Un-Loaded for You EP and led to several more collaborations on their 1995 album Saint Jack, as well as a sampler EP for Postcard Records. Two years later, Henderson and his bandmates backed up Scot on his own musical debut My Personal Culloden, which Postcard released in 1997. An eclectic mix of spoken word, experimental rock, post-punk, and sound pastiche, the album became something of a cult record over time. Throughout the late '90s and 2000s, Scot continued to write and perform, collaborating with artists like Belle & Sebastian and British Sea Power. In 2006, he released a second LP, Caledonian Blues, which featured collaborations with Gareth Sager (the Pop Group, Rip Rig + Panic). In 2015, British label Heavenly delivered a reissue of the long out of print My Personal Culloden. ~ Timothy Monger