the man the myth
but before i get carried away, here are a few neat little facts:
jarvis branson cocker
date of birth:
19 september 1963
place of birth:
sheffield, england
height:
6'2
shoe size:
9
favourite drink:
beer ('but im fond of cocktails')
favourite body part (his own):
his fingers
where he finds those fab thereds:
london charity shops
as we are all only humble, common folk, we may never be able to pin it down. but here is my futile attempt:
jarvis has style. i dont just mean the way he dresses, but the way he carries himself. he has an attitude that would perhaps be seen as pretentious in others, but in jarvis, it is only fitting. he knows how many people love and adore him, and he accepts it, with grace. he is (quite often) terribly long-winded, though it is done with modesty (which is, in this writers opinion, what remains of his adolescent insecurities). he does not have to flaunt the fact that he is a) a pop star, b) brilliant, c) well cultured, d) a man with many talents, e) quite good looking in a pasty, skinny sort of way. why does he not have to flaunt it? because, unlike many pop stars, he is well aware of his own humanity. this perspective, coming from a man whose face is pinned up on thousands of bedroom walls, is quite refreshing.
'what about his musical talent?'
well, obviously, if you need to ask youve never listened to a pulp record in your life. i order you to go listen to one now. start with either differnt class or his 'n' hers, then all the others. yes. all of them.
have you done that? . . . good. now lets move on to the next bit.
'how does he pull off some of those lyrics?'
thats like asking the meaning of life: if youre lucky, you find out when you die. but, as religions make speculations on the meaning of life, pulp fans do the same with jarvis. perhaps it is the way he can write as an incredibly unsavoury narrator (sometimes even as himself! see: 'i spy' and 'the professional'), knowing full well that people will pass it off, glaze over it, if you will. why people will pass it off is another matter. i personally believe it's because he is simply talking about the nastier bits of life that no one really likes to think about. in one way songs like 'the professional' are like the velvet underground's 'heroin:' somebody is finally verbalising subjects that were in the past a musical faux pas. in the v.u.'s case, really super hard drugs; in pulp's case, really super disgusting people (and letting them speak for themselves, at that!).
also, he uses really good grammar.
'arent you going to say anything about the way he dresses??'
well, i didnt really think i needed to, but if you insist. . .
jarvis knows how to dress!!! he appreciates the goodness of fuzzy sweaters, knows how to find shirts that suit his, umm, slender build, and always seems to be colour-co-ordinated. and as if that wasnt enough, he somehow makes really huge, seventies-esque sunglasses look good!!
(that im too lazy to put on my own site)
take me back to
the beginning!!
