Cocked and loaded
There’s an old yarn you may have heard mentioned whenever reviewers recall a certain UK band. It goes like this: In the Brit-pop war of 1995, a common question asked was Blur or Oasis? The correct answer to said question was Pulp.
Zing! It’s funny cuz it’s true, etc., etc. It’s been a decade and then some and a second Brit-pop war is raging. Except it’s more of a free-for-all than a war as a new wave of fantastic British bands sling their tunes back and forth, all seemingly influenced by Pulp. Kaiser Chiefs or Franz Ferdinand? Arctic Monkeys or Long Blondes? Futureheads or Kooks? The answer remains, after all these years: Pulp.
If Pulp hadn’t blazed a delicious trail of wry, witty, starkly critical social and sexual commentary, punctuated by the grunts, thrusts and groans of Jarvis Cocker, it’s difficult to imagine the above groups having much success. Or at least, rising about that first blush of success to have something more lasting and meaningful.
The world’s continuing relationship with Jarvis Cocker is proof that maybe some of them can last it out. They may not be mega-super-star-legendary-stadium packers for the rest of their lives, but if they’ve been following the game, they know the score: That isn’t necessarily something to aim for. Why be the culture when you can be the counter culture? It’s so much cooler.
For the tall, sexy-skinny shadow of Pulp still looms over pop culture in the form of Jarvis Cocker. Pulp was quits some time ago, and for awhile, I thought we’d lost Cocker to the “God, just let me live out the rest of my life in a cabin by the sea” mentality that comes from years of brutal touring and recording schedules. He moved to Paris, got married, had a kid. But he’s slowly emerged to again influence my world in fits and starts.
The man who once stormed the stage at the Brit Awards at the height of his fame to protest the way Michael Jackson was playing Jeebus to a bunch of innocent kiddies (Man, was Jarvis ahead of his time or what?) now counts a role in a Harry Potter film among his career highlights. I know, cuz I’m a big ol’ nerdy fan. He played Myron Wagtail, lead singer of the Wyrd Sisters (the name had to be changed for the movie after a Winnipeg-based band ACTUALLY called the Weird Sisters filed a lawsuit), the wizarding rock band that performs at the yule ball in Harry’s fourth year in the movie Goblet of Fire. Cocker, along with Radiohead alumni Phil Selway and Johnny Greenwood, penned three songs included in the motion picture soundtrack. They played Do The Hippogriff in the movie, and let me assure you that even if you aren’t a fan of Harry Potter, it’s worth a viewing just to see Jarvis shimmy and shake his way through the song and intone the words “shake your booty like a boggart in pain.” They sell the fact that they’re a famous wizard band and take it so far beyond what they had to that it’s just delightful. Johnny Greenwood, by the way? Still unbelievably pretty.
Last year, I watched Children of Men in a theatre and insisted to my friend that we stick around through to the end of the credits. This flick was so moving, I wasn’t the only straggler. We sat there, hushed, as the music started and I thought “This sounds familiar.” It was Mr. Cocker. Cheekily informing me that “cunts are still running the world.” It’s a weary sort of song, but as long as somebody is singing it, I have hope. Running the World was included on his 2006 solo album with the disarmingly simple title: Jarvis. The album is, without a doubt, a shining example of a master craftsman plying his trade with bracing, brutal honesty. There isn’t enough of the good stuff being produced. There isn’t enough Jarvis.
Why this paean to Jarvis Cocker? Why now? Why today? Because, babies. It’s his birthday. So raise a glass, crank the volume on your tinny, shitty, computer speakers, and take in this tiny little bit. Seek out more. If you like the following tunes, seek out the albums (Jarvis is available on iTunes, all 14 explicit tracks of it) and do what you gotta do to get your hands on the goods. Nobody deserves your hard-earned chashola more than Jarvis Cocker.
The Weird Sisters - Do the Hippogriff: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Jarvis Cocker - Running the World: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Pulp - Mile End: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download Bonus: Jarvis Cocker - Don't Let Him Waste Your Time: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadBuy Jarvis Cocker from:
iTunes: full album + singles
InSound: here
Pulp music is available from:
iTunes: discography is here
InSound: discography and more
Buy Wyrd Sisters here:
iTunes: available with full-album purchase only
