| Jarvis Cocker |
.jpg)
Jarvis
Cocker in concert, 2006
|
| Background information |
| Birth name |
Jarvis Branson Cocker |
| Born |
19 September 1963
 Sheffield, England |
| Genre(s) |
Alternative
Rock
Indie
Rock
Britpop |
| Occupation(s) |
Singer, songwriter, keyboardist,
guitarist |
| Instrument(s) |
Lead vocals, keyboards,
guitar |
| Years active |
1978 - present |
Associated
acts |
Pulp
Relaxed Muscle |
Jarvis Branson Cocker (born 19
September 1963,
in Sheffield,
England)
is an English
Britpop
musician, best known for fronting the band Pulp.
|
Contents
- 1 Pulp
- 2 Post-Pulp
- 3 Personal
life
- 4 Discography
- 5 References
- 6 External
links
|
Pulp
Cocker founded "Arabacus Pulp" (named after a tradeable
commodity seen by Cocker in an economics class) at the age of 15 while
he was still at The City School. After
numerous line-up changes, and a shortening of the name to just "Pulp",
they eventually found fame in the 1990s with the success of the albums His
'n' Hers (1994) and Different
Class (1995).
Cocker invaded the stage at the 1996 BRIT
Awards to protest against Michael Jackson's performance.
Jackson performed surrounded by children and a rabbi, while making 'Christ-like' poses
and performing his then-recent hit, "Earth Song". Cocker and his friend Peter
Mansell (a former Pulp member) performed an impromptu stage
invasion in protest. In the ensuing confusion, as others attempted to
eject Cocker from the stage, three child performers received minor
injuries.
Cocker was later detained and interviewed by the police on
suspicion of assault. He was subsequently released without charge.
Opinions from the press on Cocker's actions were mixed. The March 2, 1996, edition of Melody
Maker, for example, suggested Cocker should be
knighted, while Cocker's friend Noel
Gallagher, of Oasis fame claimed "Jarvis
Cocker is a star and he should be given an MBE". Gallagher is also
quoted as saying of Jackson's behaviour "For Michael Jackson to come
over to this country after what's all gone on - and I think we all know
what I'm talking about here - to dress in a white robe, right, thinking
he's the Messiah - I mean who does he think he is? Me?"
However, other journalists and the organisers of the BRIT Awards were
outraged by Cocker's behavior. In response to the ensuing media
scrutiny of the action, Cocker responded, "My actions were a form of
protest at the way Michael Jackson sees himself as some kind of
Christ-like figure with the power of healing... I just ran on the
stage... I didn't make any contact with anyone as far as I recall."
The resulting press attention saw the band's record sales soar
and a waxwork statue of Jarvis Cocker, which costs £30,000, was placed
in Rock Circus, London. Earth Song
went back up the charts, became Jacksons biggest UK hit spending 6
weeks at #1 and his album of the time HIStory became the best selling double disk
album of all time selling 36 million units.
Cocker is also renowned for his wit and observations of the
cultural scene. He was a frequent guest on TV shows in the 1990s, as
well as hosting an arts series for the BBC - "Journeys into the Outside". Here he took
a trip across the globe, meeting so-called "outsider artists", meeting
people who create wacky and wonderful works of art and trying to
understand what compels them to do so. Cocker's penchant for TV
appearances was reflected in a song parody of Common
People (Showbiz People)
which featured on the satirical comedy show Spitting
Image in 1996.
Cocker sang a duet, Ciao!, with Miki
Berenyi on British shoegazing band Lush's
1996 album Lovelife.
He co-wrote several songs ("Walk Like A Panther", "1st Man in
Space", "Drive Safely Darlin'", "Stars On Sunday", and "Happy Birthday
Nicola") on The All Seeing I's album Pickled
Eggs & Sherbet, released in 1999. He contributed lead
vocals to "Drive Safely Darlin'".
Pulp released two more albums (This
Is Hardcore and We
Love Life) to critical acclaim, though neither
achieved the commercial success of Different Class.
After releasing a greatest hits album the band are now on hiatus.
Post-Pulp
Cocker has also directed some music
videos, most notably On by Aphex
Twin, Sudden Rush by Erlend Øye
and Aftermath by Nightmares
on Wax.
He re-emerged in 2003 to promote a new album, under the pseudonym
"Darren Spooner", for his new band Relaxed
Muscle. Also in 2003, he appeared on the Richard X
album Richard X
Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1. 2004 then brought
Cocker briefly back into the limelight with two collaborations with Nancy
Sinatra on her new album, as well as a collaboration with Marianne Faithfull on
her album Kissin' Time,
with the song "Sliding through Life on Charm."
In 2005 Jarvis Cocker co-wrote three tracks ("La Degustation",
"Basque Country" and "Fred de Fred") on French Sheffield-based
electronic duo The Lovers' self-titled debut
album. He has also contributed to the soundtrack for Harry
Potter and the Goblet of Fire, writing and
performing three Electro
tracks entitled "This is the Night", "Do The Hippogriff" and "Magic
Works". According to J. K. Rowling these songs should have
been made in the style of early rock'n'roll but Jarvis made Electro songs
for unknown reason. He appeared briefly in the film as lead singer of a
highly popular early wizard rock'n'roll band the Weird Sisters
(unnamed in the film owing to a legal scuffle with real-life group the Wyrd
Sisters). According to Harry Potter and
the Goblet of Fire this band should have just played music but not
sing. The fictitious group also featured Jonny
Greenwood and Phil Selway from Radiohead,
Steve
Mackey from Pulp, Jason Buckle from Relaxed Muscle and Steve Claydon from Add
N to (X).
Jarvis as Myron Wagtail.
Jarvis Cocker singing his Electro song 'Do the Hippogriff' at the Hogwarts Yule Ball.
That same year he also covered "I Can't Forget" by Leonard
Cohen as part of the tribute show for the film Leonard Cohen: I'm Your
Man.
In 2006 Cocker appeared on albums Monsieur
Gainsbourg Revisited (song "I Just Came to Tell
You That I'm Going", co-performed with Kid Loco) and Rogue's
Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys
(song "A Drop of Nelson's Blood"). His song "Running the World"
appeared over the closing credits of the film Children
of Men. Also in 2006, along with Steve
Mackey, he 'curated' the 2-CD Compilation, The Trip,
which featured a wide selection of tracks by artists as varied as The
Fall, Gene Pitney, The
Beach Boys, and The Polecats. He also co-wrote lyrics
on the Charlotte Gainsbourg album 5:55,
with Neil
Hannon and members of Air. On October 12th 2006, a fictional
Jarvis Cocker was a lead character in a drama on BBC Radio 2, as part
of their 'Imagine' competition.
DJ Jarvis. Cocker putting a palazzo through
its paces during the opening week of the 2005 Venice Bienniale
Jarvis Cocker is now following a solo career, after his father
Matthew Cocker-Logan, suggested he needed him to buy a retirement home
- his debut album, Jarvis, came
out in the UK on November 13, 2006. In March 2007 he appeared on French band Air's new
album Pocket Symphony.
On Valentine's Day 2007, he was chosen to
give the award for Best British Newcomer (awarded to the Fratellis)
at the Brit Awards.
Jarvis and Beth Ditto (The
Gossip) recently collaborated on a cover version of the classic 80s
track Temptation by Heaven 17 at the NME Awards in London.
Jarvis is due to Curate this year's Meltdown
Festival at the South Bank Centre in London this
June.
Personal life
Cocker is from a musical family - his father, Matthew "Ghion"
Cocker-Logan, and his uncles were both musicians.
Cocker has lived in Paris since 2003, with his wife, Camille
Bidault-Waddington, and his son, Albert.
Discography
- See Pulp and Relaxed
Muscle for their respective discographies
Albums
- Jarvis (November
13, 2006)
#37 UK
- Songs for the Young at
Heart (2007) - contributed a reading of The
Lion and Albert
Singles
- "Running the World" (download only)
- "Don't Let Him Waste
Your Time" (January
8, 2007) UK
#36
- "Fat Children" (July 16, 2007) UK #158
References
-
Noel Gallagher interviewed by Chris Evans on TFI Friday,
1996
-
http://www.mlp.cz/space/opatrilp/Pulp/the_Brits_96.html
-
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2024716,00.html
-
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2099249,00.html
External links
Music
sample:
