Jarvis Cocker is a versatile kind of guy. Besides forming Pulp in 1978, and embarking on a successful solo career, he has been a BBC radio presenter, an editor, and sometime documentarian. Though it’s increasingly common to see photos of him rubbing shoulders with famous musicians and Hollywood stars, there are still some places you’d be surprised to find Jarvis. For instance:
1. On a show with everyone’s favorite Golden Girl, Bea Arthur
In 1992, comedian Sean Hughes had his own series, the eponymous Sean’s Show. For some reason, Pulp were booked to play the bar on the show. Way in the background, you can see the band miming to their b-side. ‘Inside Susan,’ but the real shocker is when Bea Arthur makes her entrance. Bet you’d never thought you’d see Jarvis and Bea on your screen at the exact same time (unless you regularly do picture-in-picture with Maude and a Pulp video going together..)
2. Being pulled across the stage by a kitten on Shooting Stars
Yes, Jarv dared to go on Vic and Bob’s oddball Shooting Stars in 1996, so he shouldn’t have been surprised that they would hurl all manner of humiliations at him, including this one suggesting that a kitten could outperform the ‘weed in tweed.’
3. Duetting with Ali G
Jarvis performed a unique version of ‘Help The Aged’ in a 2000 episode of Da Ali G Show. His look of slight bemusement remains from when he is told he looks like a kidney fiddler to when Ali riffs about his grandmother.
4. In a Nick Cave video
Jarvis made a cameo appearance in ‘Fifteen Feet Of Pure White Snow,’ from Cave’s 2001 album, No More Shall We Part. In the video, people dance as if in spiritual rapture. Not only are Jarvis’ dancing feet possessed; so, too, are his gyrating hands.
5. At Hogwarts
He’s sung about ‘Black Magic,’ so it’s no surprise that Jarvis is actually the lead singer of one of the most popular bands in the wizarding world. The Weird Sisters made their film debut in 2005’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, where they performed one of their hits, ‘Do The Hippogriff.’ And the Weird Sisters are truly a supergroup: besides Jarvis, the band also consists of Pulp’s Steve Mackey; Jason Buckle of All Seeing I; Steve Claydon of Add N To (X); and Radiohead’s Phil Selway and Jonny Greenwood.
5. Behind the counter at HMV
In conjunction with the release of his 2009 solo album, Further Complications, Jarvis manned the cash registers at the London Oxford Street branch of HMV for a day. Now we know for sure that Jarv’s the sort of creepy cashier who makes you want to get out of the store as quickly as possible! But he is a persuasive marketer, as he tells us that his new album is not only a ‘marvelous deal’ but also an ‘incredible deal.’
Where have you been surprised by the sudden and inexplicable appearance of Jarvis Cocker?
