2. Peter Cook: Missing Links

‘Peter Cook: Missing Links’ posits a shared influence on punk and altcom in Peter Cook. While ostensibly detached from either scene, with more missed encounters than direct associations (for example, he was considered as a scriptwriter for the Pistols film project, but this collaboration never materialised), there were yet a couple of key moments that highlighted proximity, in particular the ‘Derek and Clive’ recordings with Dudley Moore, and Cook’s appearance as the host on music show Revolver—the latter, however, emphasising disengagement from both audience and bands. The chapter also traces a line of development of ‘alternative’ performance spaces from satirical cabaret in the 1960s (particularly the Establishment Club, co-founded by Cook), through 1970s ‘alternative theatre’, towards a space for ‘alternative’ critical comedy.