Jarvis Cocker

Jarvis Cocker

Jarvis Branson Cocker (born 19 September 1963) is an English musician best known for fronting the band Pulp. Through his work with the band, Cocker became one of the key players in the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s.

History

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 "Pulp", they eventually found fame in the 1990s with the success of the albums His 'n' Hers (1994) and Different Class (1995).

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.

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 Channel 4 - "Journeys into the Outside". Here he took a trip across the globe, meeting so-called "outsider artists", 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 parody of "Common People" ("Showbiz People") which was featured on the satirical comedy show Spitting Image in 1996.

BRIT Awards incident

See also: BRIT Awards § Jarvis Cocker's stage invasion (1996)

Cocker invaded the stage at the 1996 BRIT Awards in a spur of the moment protest against the late Michael Jackson's performance. Jackson performed surrounded by children and a rabbi, while making 'Christ-like' poses and performing his recent hit, "Earth Song". Cocker and his friend Peter Mansell (a former Pulp member) performed an impromptu stage invasion in protest.

Cocker was later detained and interviewed by the police on suspicion of assault. He was accompanied by Bob Mortimer (of Vic Reeves & Bob Mortimer fame; Bob used to be a solicitor, and represented him in that capacity). He was subsequently released without charge. Opinions from the press on Cocker's actions were mixed. The 2 March 1996, edition of Melody Maker, for example, suggested Cocker should be knighted, and Noel Gallagher, of Oasis 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 behaviour. 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 Cocker, which cost £30,000, was placed in Rock Circus, London.

Solo career

Jarvis: 2006-2009

At the 2006 Reading festival, the video for 'Running the World' was played on the main video screens of the main stage before the headline act, Muse, performed. This video contained a karaoke-like presentation of the song's lyrics to encourage the crowd to sing along.

Cocker is now following a solo career — his debut album, Jarvis, came out in the UK on 13 November 2006. In March 2007, he appeared on French band Air's new album Pocket Symphony.

On 14 February 2007, he was chosen to give the award for Best British Newcomer (awarded to the Fratellis) at the Brit Awards.

He curated the 2007 Meltdown Festival at the South Bank Centre in London. The acts he chose include Motörhead, Roky Erickson and the Explosives with Clinic, Devo with Drumsize, Iggy & The Stooges, Cornershop and The Jesus and Mary Chain.

In March 2008, Cocker made a small tour of Latin America (México, Argentina and Chile) where he presented a new song called "Girls Like It Too".

He has also recently released a new album, 'Further Complications'.

Further Complications: 2008-present

Jarvis Cocker planned to release a new studio album, and has revealed the names of two tracks set for the record. Speaking to NME.com, he said that he had written "Girls Like It Too" and "The Usual" and hoped to have enough material to record the follow-up to his solo debut soon. "I've got vague ideas," he said of the forthcoming LP. "I'd like to do another album before the end of the year."

Cocker debuted a new song, "Angela", on BBC2's "The Summer Exhibition: A Culture Show Special", on 13 June 2008. the video is available inside the UK.

On March 6, Pitchfork Media revealed the cover art and album title for Further Complications, due out May 18, 2009. It was recorded by Steve Albini.

Side projects

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'". He also performed live with The All Seeing I on Top Of The Pops, singing "Walk Like A Panther" in place of Tony Christie, who sang on the recorded version.

In 2001 he contributed "Everybody Loves The Underdog" to the soundtrack for Mike Bassett: England Manager.

Cocker has also directed music videos, most notably "On" by Aphex Twin, "Sudden Rush" by Erlend Øye and "Aftermath" by Nightmares on Wax. (All three co-directed with Martin Wallace). He also made a very brief appearance in the music video for "A Little More For Little You" by Swedish rockers The Hives.

He re-emerged in 2003 to promote a new album, under the pseudonym "Darren Spooner", for his new band Relaxed Muscle. The same year, he appeared on the Richard X album Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1. In 2004, Cocker collaborated with Nancy Sinatra on her new album, as well as with Marianne Faithfull on her album Kissin' Time, with the song "Sliding through Life on Charm."

File:JarvisJune2005bySamWhatmore.JPG

Cocker during the opening week of the 2005 Venice Bienniale

In 2005 Cocker co-wrote three tracks ("La Degustation", "Basque Country" and "Fred de Fred") on Sheffield-based electronica duo The Lovers' self-titled debut album. 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.

Cocker also contributed to the soundtrack for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, writing and performing three Electro tracks: "This Is the Night", "Do the Hippogriff" and "Magic Works". He appeared briefly in the film as lead singer of the band The Weird Sisters. 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).

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 two-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 12 October 2006, a fictional Jarvis Cocker was a lead character in a drama on BBC Radio 2, as part of their 'Imagine' competition.

Cocker and Beth Ditto (The Gossip) recently collaborated on a cover version of Heaven 17's "Temptation" at the NME Awards in London.

In 2008, Cocker contributed Born to Cry, (originally a Pulp song released on the Notting Hill soundtrack CD - though not featured in the film and co-written by Richard Hawley) to Tony Christie's album of songs by Sheffield based songwriters, Made in Sheffield.

On 31 December 2008, Cocker guest edited the BBC's Today programme, the results of which can be heard here.

Personal life

Cocker was born in Sheffield. His father, Mac, a DJ and actor, left the family and moved to Sydney, Australia, when Jarvis was seven and had no contact with him or his sister thereafter, leaving them to be brought up by their mother, now a Conservative councillor.

In 1988, at age 25, Cocker took a sabbatical from Pulp to study Fine Art and Film at Central St Martins, from which he graduated in 1991.

Jarvis Cocker credits his upbringing almost exclusively in female company for his interest in how women think and what they have to say. He wrote a song ("A Little Soul" on This Is Hardcore) about being abandoned by his father, and in 1998 traveled with his sister to Australia to meet him for the first time in nearly 30 years. Mac Cocker had a successful radio DJ career in Sydney beginning with Double J in the 1970s and then Triple J in the 1980s, and did not counter a common impression there that he was Joe Cocker's brother or cousin (despite both being from Sheffield, they are not related in any way). By the time of his son's visit, Mac Cocker had moved to a hippie commune in Darwin, Northern Territory. Cocker says he has forgiven his father for abandoning them. "I don't feel any bitterness towards him at all. I feel sorry for him."

Cocker has lived in Paris since 2003, with his wife, Camille Bidault-Waddington, and his son, Albert (born 24 March 2003). In April 2009 he announced that they were divorcing "on amicable terms", but that he was staying in Paris to remain in his son's life.

Cocker had previously lived in Paris in the early 1990s, writing lyrics for Pulp's breakthrough album His 'n' Hers there.

Discography

See Pulp and Relaxed Muscle for their respective discographies

Albums

• Jarvis (13 November 2006) #37 UK
• Further Complications (18 May 2009) #19 UK, #155 US

Singles

from Jarvis

• "Running the World" (download only) (21 August 2006)
• "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time" (8 January 2007) UK #36, UK Indie #1
• "Fat Children" (16 July 2007) UK #158

non-album single

• "Temptation (Live)" (Beth Ditto & Jarvis Cocker) (18 February 2008) UK #148

from Further Complications

• "Angela" (download only) (17 April 2009)

Others

• The Trip (with Steve Mackey) (2006)
• Songs for the Young at Heart (2007) - contributed a reading of The Lion and Albert
• Marianne Faithfull's album, Easy Come, Easy Go (2008) - "Somewhere (A Place For Us)"
• Everything That Happens Will Happen Today by David Byrne and Brian Eno (2008) - uncredited guitar

External links

• Official website
• Template:Myspace
• Jarvis Cocker at Rough Trade Records
• Template:Last.fm
• The Independent