It’s impossible to feel cool when you’re standing next to Jarvis Cocker. You’re always going to be at least the second most hip person in the room, third if Pulp’s bassist Steve Mackey is there, too. Needless to say, when I briefly spoke to the Brit-pop greats earlier this week at SXSW about Pulp, a witty Florian Habicht-directed documentary about the band’s final reunion show in Sheffield in 2012, I felt like, well, a common person. I mean, c’mon, Jarvis: did you have to wear the most stylish jacket ever? NOT COOL.
(So cool.)
When you were watching the documentary, was there anything you were surprised to see, maybe something you didn’t realize you were doing?
Jarvis Cocker: I suppose perspiring. Hopefully people won’t be too offended by that because it shows that we all make an effort to give a lot on stage. But y’know, I was quite surprised by how much I was perspiring.
I saw Pulp at Radio City Music Hall in 2012, and because I was in the front row, that’s one of things I noticed, actually. We were in the splash-zone.
JC: That was a special show for us to play because we never dreamed we’d end up in Radio City Music Hall.
Steve Mackey: But eventually we found our way to Radio City.
JC: We were always trying to do a budget glamorous thing…so we were excited.
What are some of your other favorite rock documentaries?
SM: Talking Heads made the one that everyone loves. Woodstock‘s alright.
JC: I only saw that one for the first time three years ago.
All 87 hours of it?
JC: Maybe not all of it. It’s amazing. You think they didn’t have much technology then, but the sound’s really good and you can see everything, and supposedly everybody would be stoned, and yet they made a fantastic film.
Also fantastic: Pulp.
