Jarvis Cocker

• Name — Jarvis Cocker • Born — 19 September 1963 • Birthplace — Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England • Genre — * Alternative rock • post-punk • Britpop • indie rock • art rock • Occupation — * Singer • musician • songwriter • radio presenter • Instrument — * Vocals • guitar • keyboards • Years Active — 1978–present • Current Member Of — * Pulp • Relaxed Muscle • Website — jarviscocker.net

Jarvis Cocker was born and grew up in Sheffield. He attended City School. His father, Mac Cocker, a DJ and actor, left the family and moved to Sydney, Australia, when Cocker was seven, and had no contact with his son or daughter, Saskia, until Jarvis was in his thirties. Following their father's departure, both children were brought up by their mother, Christine Connolly, who later became a Conservative councillor. In the 1970s and 1980s, Mac Cocker was a radio DJ in Sydney with Double J (later renamed Triple J). Jarvis wrote a song ("A Little Soul" on This Is Hardcore) about being abandoned by his father and working briefly as a butler. In 1998, Cocker and his sister travelled to Australia to meet their father for the first time in nearly 30 years. Cocker later said he forgave his father (who died in 2016) for abandoning them, saying, "I don't feel any bitterness towards him at all. I feel sorry for him." For much of the 1980s, Cocker lived on unemployment benefits in a derelict factory. In his twenties, Cocker squatted in London.

Cocker founded the band Pulp originally under the name Arabicus Pulp (named after a tradable commodity he learned about in an economics class) at the age of 15 while he was a pupil at City School. After numerous line-up changes, and shortening the name to "Pulp", the band eventually found fame in the 1990s with the success of the albums His 'n' Hers (1994) and Different Class (1995). Cocker was Pulp's frontman, and part of his trademark image was his glasses, which seemed to "stay magically on his face" no matter what antics he performed. This feat was achieved using "a huge rubber band round the back" of his glasses. Pulp released two more albums (This Is Hardcore and We Love Life) to critical acclaim, though neither achieved the commercial success of Different Class. After releasing a greatest hits album, the band went on hiatus from 2003 to 2010, then returned to activity in 2011. Pulp returned in 2022, touring and eventually releasing a new studio album More. The latter was a critical and commercial success, becoming Pulp's first No. 1 album since This Is Hardcore. Cocker was a frequent guest on TV shows in the 1990s, such as Later... With Jools Holland, and hosted an art series for Channel 4Journeys into the Outside. (with Jarv Is) (2020) • Chansons d'Ennui Tip-Top (2021) • This Is Going to Hurt (Original Soundtrack) (with Jarv Is) (2022)