26.10.04 Jarvis pays tribute to John Peel
Following the sad news of John Peel's death earlier today, Jarvis has paid tribute to him by posting a message on the Radio 1 website. Peel was credited by Jarvis for 'validating' an early Pulp when he offered the band a coveted Peel Session in 1981. Pulp recorded a further three sessions for him in 1993, 1994 and 2001. Peel even gave Pulp the chance to host his radio show for three nights during November 1997 and more recently Pulp played at a party in celebration of Peel's 40 years in broadcasting. Here's what Jarvis had to say:
"It would be absolutely impossible to write a history of the last 40 years of the British music scene without mentioning John Peel's name. He was one of those few people about whom you could truly say that the world would have been a much different place without him. For many years he almost single-handedly championed new & challenging music in the U.K. Through his radio sessions he allowed unknown & unsigned bands to be heard for the first time. Through his work with the BBC World Service he brought some of those same bands to a Worldwide audience. On the few occasions I was fortunate enough to meet him I found him to be a witty but quite shy man who was completely unimpressed by the "razzmatazz" of the music industry but who could instantly lay his hands on any obscure single you could mention hearing on his show whilst in your teens.
My teens were when Peel was most important to me I guess: the local radio stations wouldn't play any "Punk Rock" cos they thought it "wasn't music". One night in frustration I started tuning the dial & suddenly - Bang! - there it was; I caught the end of an Elvis Costello track, heard the dry, slightly droney voice that followed & I was hooked. A whole new world opened up - stuff that you would never get to hear anywhere else. & it was fun! It wasn't dry & academic - the monologues that invariably followed each song were often as entertaining as the tracks themselves (sometimes more so). In a world that is becoming ever more homogenised & pre-programmed John Peel stuck up for the "sore thumbs" of the music scene & I really can't think of anyone who could have done it better or who's going to do it now he's gone. I will miss him greatly & my utmost sympathy goes out to his friends & family."
23.10.04 Jarvis, Franz... and Harry Potter?
The plot thickens... this appeared in today's Sun newspaper: "Jarvis Cocker has been signed to write the soundtrack for the fourth Harry Potter film. As well as composing the music for Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, the former Pulp frontman will make a cameo appearance. Movie bosses were determined to bring in a trendy British musician to give the film a sprinkling of Britpop cool after the previous Potter flicks were scored by prolific American composer John Williams - most famous for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, ET and the chilling theme from Jaws. Jarvis will be responsible for picking additional music for the film and has already chosen Franz Ferdinand to appear and write a track."
25.09.04 More DJing...
Jarvis and Steve recently DJed at the Mis-Shapes club in New York. Check out the fantastic photos of them in action at www.misshapes.com. Jarvis has also been quoted in the Metro newspaper as saying that he'd like to work with Charlotte Church. He says: "I have good ideas about her sound and have written the perfect song." As ever, you don't know if he's on to something big or just taking the piss.
28.08.04 Jarvis DJ Set
Jarvis will be DJing tonight at the TDK Cross Central Festival held at the Kings Cross Freight Depot. The two day festival is described as an "alternative music and cultural event, celebrating music culture, film and art at a unique urban space in Kings Cross".
22.08.04 Cow Parade
Jarvis & Camille Cocker have dressed an artifical cow as part of the Manchester Cow Parade. A number of artists have taken part in the Parade by clothing cows which have been put on display across the city. On 5 October, each cow will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to a Manchester childrens' charity. Click here to see Jarvis & Camille's effort, titled 'Jersey Cow'. Meanwhile, Radio 1 will be playing a live Pulp track from Leeds Festival in 2000 as part of the Lamacq Live show tomorrow night.
30.06.04 Live Pulp
Although they have a nasty habit or rescheduling these things, BBC 6 Music are playing a Pulp concert from the BBC archives on Tuesday 6 July. Also of interest is a Jarvis Cocker fag-end currently for sale on eBay (proceeds to the British Lung Foundation apparently). Retrieved from a café at Charles de Gaulle airport, the bidding currently stands at £3.50. (Update: eBay removed the item from their listings before the auction finished.)
15.03.04 Get Ur Handbag On
Real Pulp news is so hard to come by at the moment that a picture of Jarvis carrying a wicker-style shopping basket is making waves. Ever the trend setter, Jarvis appears to have pushed his luck with The Sun too far - they printed this picture, commenting on his "girly hair-do", his "granny's shopping basket" and "the sort of tartan scarf you'd see at a teddy bears' picnic". We reckon his jacket is alright though. Click on the thumbnail for the full effect!
30.01.04 Richard Hawley
Some very interesting Hawley news here from XFM online: "An inside source has confirmed that former Suede frontman Brett Anderson has already begun recording tracks for a possible solo record enlisting the help of former Longpig and Pulp guitarist Richard Hawley. Recently, Hawley had posted the following message on his website, "...I've been asked to co-write with Bret [sic] Anderson on his first solo outing, I'll keep you posted as things happen if you like." A source confirmed to XFM that "Brett has been working on new material co-writing songs with Richard Hawley and working on recordings of least three new tracks in [Hawley's] Sheffield studios. Richard was quite surprised to be asked when Brett called him up, but [Anderson] said he was a massive fan and would love to work with him."
01.01.04 Live Pulp
The fabulous BBC 6 Music are broadcasting another archived Pulp concert on Tuesday 6 January. The Dream Ticket programme starts at 10pm, with the Pulp set likely to be on between 11pm and midnight. 6 Music have recently broadcast Pulp's summer 2000 performance from Leeds Festival and the December 2002 Auto concert. More info here. Update: Despite rescheduling it for 13 January (only to cancel yet again) it appears that they'll now play it on Tuesday 20 January.
15.03.04 Get Ur Handbag On
