Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Branson Cockeris an English musician, singer-songwriter, actor, voice actor, radio presenter and music video director. He is known for being the frontman of the band Pulp. Through his work with the band, he became a figurehead of the Britpop genre of the mid-1990s. Following Pulp's hiatus, Cocker has led a successful solo career, and presents a BBC Radio 6 Music show called Jarvis Cocker's Sunday Service...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPop Singer
Date of Birth19 September 1963
actively exist great indie people prove seemed stuff tv war
When I was in Pulp, I actively did more TV stuff because that was during the Great Britpop Wars, and it seemed important to prove that indie people could speak. That war doesn't exist anymore.
kindness
Because if you give everything away then you become a kind of non-person.
champion john music peel seek spirit tonight
Part of what tonight is about is to keep the spirit of John Peel alive. To seek out new music and champion new talent.
drift far gradually time
You write a song about how you think at the time, and then gradually you drift away from that, and when it's far enough in the past, that's when you think, 'Now I have to write something new.'
growing-up ambition kids
As a shy kid growing up in Sheffield, I fantasized about how it would be great to be famous so I wouldn't actually have to talk to people and feel awkward. And of course, as we all know from fairy stories, when you achieve that ambition, you find out you don't want it.
party thinking funny-things
There are some quite funny things about getting famous and stuff, but I think there comes a point where you have to think to yourself, "Well, am I doing this because I want to go to a party and meet Britney Spears? Or am I doing it because I want to create something that excites me?"
band kingdoms shy
Being chronically shy I needed to create a persona for myself and be involved with a band where I could be ruler of my own kingdom. Then Pulp became hugely popular and I lost control of it, which is when it all went wrong.
nice people drug
You don't often hear people say, 'Oh, since he's been taking them drugs, he's such a nice person! He's really come out of his shell, he's really nice, he's blossomed'.
dream taken thinking
I think basically becoming famous has taken the place of going to Heaven in modern society, hasn't it? That's the place where your dreams will come true. It's an act of faith now; they think that's going to sort things out.
rough-edges interesting passionate
I am passionate about keeping the human dimension in things. You have to keep the rough edges and the inconsistencies, that's what makes it interesting. I've always striven to be as sloppy as possible.
sexy thinking needs
Anyone who thinks they're sexy needs their head checked.
hands awkward insane
For TV you also get those pre-interviews when researchers ask you what you're going to say. The pre-interview drives me insane. If they've already decided the outcome, why don't I just hand in an essay? Maybe if we talk we'll find something out. I'd rather just have an awkward pause.
party years two
It's weird: The leader of the Conservative Party in England is two years younger than me, and I still don't really feel like a responsible adult.
nice people persons
It's good that I managed to hoodwink so many people. I am actually not that nice a person.