Hall of Fame: 4
When I was young- by which I mean my teens, I was a grade-A head banger. Heavy metal was my bible, with an occasional flirtation with 90’s grunge and classic rock. However, even during those crusty dreadlocked days, I harboured a secret obsession with Pulp. Always did, always will.
Pulp were formed in Sheffield in 1978. Their line-up consisted of vocalist Jarvis Cocker, keyboardist Candida Doyle, guitarist Mark Webber, bassist Steve Mackey and drummer Nick Banks.
Pulp had very difficult beginnings. The 1980’s gleaned no success for them- although an early incarnation of the band were granted a session with the outstanding John Peel. The band changed direction following this but still did not gain popularity- one gig at a rugby club even ended in a riot. For such a shaky start in life, it’s amazing to think this band sold more than 10 million records as of 2001.
Pulp are unusual. A bizarre concoction of musical tastes within the band leads to a very diverse musical styling. Cocker is a Leonard Cohen fan and leans towards folksy ballads; Mackey is a lover of acid house, and introduced Cocker to the rave scene. The bands early work is a positive reflection of The Human League, another very successful Sheffield band.
Following a move to Island Records, the songs “Babies” “Razzamatazz” “Lipgloss” and “Do You Remember the First Time?” became very popular and the band finally earned the status they deserved. The final song was their first UK Top Forty hit, and incidentally, my favourite song! The band was named by Melody Maker magazine as a band to watch, and their single “OU” was named alongside Suede’s “The Drowners” as single of the week by the same magazine.
The bands three most famous albums, “His ‘n’ Hers” (1994) “Different Class “(1995) “This Is Hardcore” (1998) are all different but engagingly so. The band obviously moves and flows with ease as their musical style changed over their years together. “His ‘n’ Hers” is my favourite, and the album for which the band were nominated for a Mercury Prize.
I think one of the reasons I love this band so much is because I adore Jarvis Cocker. Such an unusual and challenging man, lyrically he is easily as good as Morrissey and probably even slightly weirder. I often chuckle to myself pushing the hoover round and listening to Pulp at the lines “Still you’ve bought a toy that can reach the places he never goes” from “Do You Remember The First Time?” and “I seem to have left an important part of my brain somewhere in a field in Hampshire” from “Sorted Out for E’s and Whizz”. “Sorted” originally shocked the media and was seen as putting drug taking in a positive light. The band hotly denies this, and I personally love the song- it’s a total festival anthem. The sleeve of the single did include instructions on how to hide amphetamines in a DIY “wrap” however, so read into that what you will.
Jarvis Cocker, whilst we’re on the subject, is also a ludicrously beautiful man as well as a genius. I’m always going to have a childish lust for skinny, messy haired indie boys with cheekbones like razorblades. Have you seen him cavorting about in the video for “Babies”? Go and lock the door and watch it now. You’re welcome.
Unlike some other 1990’s indie bands, for example Suede-“Pulp have a very wide spread appeal. Pretty much everyone I know is a fan. Recently, I spent a day giggling and chatting with my friend Charlie, lying on the floor of her house with “Lipgloss” on repeat all day. I can still remember dancing, without being aware of the irony, at a school disco to “Common People”. I know you’re wondering if I did the moves from the video, and the answer is yes. Yes I did.
Following a long hiatus, the band are now back together performing and Cocker said in one interview he is working on new material for the band. I haven’t yet seen them live as much as I would love to, but I hope they’re every bit as good as I’ve always imagined. I’m so glad Pulp are back and I have total faith that the band won’t sully what has gone before and continue to be amazing.
At work, some people have quotes on the walls of their cubicle. I have this:-
“Brothers, sisters, can’t you see, the futures owned by you and me. There won’t be fighting in the streets, they think they’ve got us beat, but revenge is going to be so sweet.
We’re making a move, we’re making it now, we’re coming out of the sidelines. Just put your hands up, it’s a rager. We want your homes, we want your lives, we want the things you won’t allow us. We won’t use guns, we won’t use bombs, we’ll use the one thing we’ve got more of: that’s our minds.”
This post is for all the mis-shapes, mistakes and misfits out there.
