Jarvis Cocker

Jarvis Cocker (born 19.9.1963)

Jarvis Cocker is an English songwriter, singer and musician. He first rose to fame in the 1990s when his band, Pulp, was part of the popular Britpop movement.

Jarvis Cocker: Childhood

Jarvis Cocker was born in Sheffield, in Northern England. His father, Mac, moved to Sydney, Australia - leaving the family behind. Mac was an actor and a DJ. Jarvis and his sister were raised by their mother, who is now a Conservative councillor. In 1998, Cocker and his sister travelled to Australia to visit their father for the first time. Mac Cocker had sustained a successful radio DJ career (possibly aided by the fact that he encouraged rumours that he was Joe Cocker's brother) and had moved to a hippie commune in Darwin.

At the age of 25, Jarvis Cocker moved to London to study Fine Art and Film at Central St. Martins. He graduated in 1991.

Jarvis Cocker: Music Career

Pulp was originally formed as Arabacus Pulp (a term picked up by Cocker in an Economics lesson). Cocker was 15 at the time. The name was later changed to Pulp and they released three albums between 1983 and 1992 (If, Freaks and Separations). Following Jarvis Cocker's hiatus to study in London, the band finally found fame in the 1990s.

The band's breakthrough album, His 'n' Hers was released in 1994 on Island Records and included the singles 'Babies', 'Do You Remember The First Time?' and 'Lipgloss'.

In 1995, Pulp released Different Class, which performed even better than its predecessor and was the winner of that year's Mercury Music Prize. The album launched the singles 'Common People' and 'Mis-Shapes'.

Different Class would prove to be the band's biggest hits. The two follow-ups, This Is Hardcore (released in 1998) and We Love Life (released in 2001) were both successful but never quite achieved the same success as Different Class. Following the release of a greatest hits album, the band went on hiatus and remain so.

During Pulp's golden years of Britpop, Jarvis Cocker often guested on TV programmes and even presented his own arts series for Channel 4 entitled Journeys Into the Outside. In 1996, Spitting Image performed a parody of 'Common People'.

At the 1996 BRIT Awards, Jarvis Cocker took umbrage at Michael Jackson's self-important performance of 'Earth Song', in which he set himself up as a Christ-like figure, surrounded by children and a rabbi. Jarvis Cocker and his friend Peter Mansell invaded the stage during the performance and Jarvis waggled his bottom at the audience. Jarvis Cocker was detained by the police on suspicion of assault. The comedian Bob Mortimer, a former solicitor, accompanied him and represented him in a legal capacity. Jarvis Cocker was released without charge. Following the incident, Pulp's record sales went through the roof and a £30,000 waxwork figure of Jarvis Cocker was placed in situ at Rock Circus.

In 2003, Jarvis Cocker adopted the pseudonym Darren Spooner, for his band Relaxed Muscle.

In November 2006, Jarvis Cocker released his debut solo album, entitled Jarvis. The following year, he appeared on Pocket Symphony, by Air.

The 2007 Meltdown Festival at London's Southbank Centre was curated by Jarvis Cocker and he chose acts as diverse as Devo, Motorhead and Roky Erikson to perform.

In May 2009, Jarvis Cocker released Further Complications, which featured the singled 'Angela' and 'Girls Like It Too'. The album was recorded by Steve Albini.

Jarvis Cocker has undertaken a number of side projects and collaborations. In 1996, he appeared on Lush's album Lovelife, performing a duet with their singer Miki Berenyi. He also wrote a number of songs for The All Seeing I's album Pickled Eggs & Sherbert. Jarvis Cocker has sung with Nancy Sinatra and Marianne Faithfull.

Jarvis Cocker: Personal Life

Jarvis Cocker lived in Paris with his wife Camille Bidault-Waddington. They have a son together, Albert, who was born in April 2003. Camille and Jarvis divorced in 2009, on amicable terms.