Well you know that I regularly keep in touch with Mark at his various film thingies. I first met him in March 1998 when he did Little Stabs at Happiness at the ICA. I remember being really nervous and then I saw him smoking and being a little shocked by that. I remember lighting his cigarette and when the event was closing down I went up to talk to him, but I got caught up in a misunderstanding about the price of a bottle of nail varnish and getting too embarressed to speak to him. However as I was just leaving, he came out of the ICA theatre. He was wearing a blue jumper, the same colour as his eyes, and I thanked him for the evening and shook his hand. His hand was quite warm and rather smooth, considering he'd been playing guitar for about I think, 10 years or so by then. I left the ICA with a warm glow, undisturbed even by the drunk bloke who fell asleep on me on the night bus home.

I also met Jarvis there in 1999 and I talked to him about his "Outsider Artists" programme. I can remember the film as well that night, it was The Wicker Man. Jarvis has a big blob of shaving foam hanging off his ear, so I sneeked up behind him and whisked it off. He spun round and I rather sheepishly should him the resulatant emulsion on my finger.

Interesting way to meet someone.

Steve was also at Little Stabs one night, ironically it was one night that Mark wasn't there. I think he was at the Shanghai Stabs that night. Anyway, Steve was very nice to me, I asked him about Marley and he said something about taking him to Leeds castle or something. I think he'd started going out with Katie Grand around that time and I think I may have called her Zoe (Marley's mum's name) by accident, because I didn't know.

Just before I went to Uni, in 1999, Jarvis was holding a sort of birthday gig at that September's Stabs and Candida was there, but I think I offended her by waving a camera in her face.
Oops.

I didn't mean to, and I'm very sorry for it. I just wanted to talk to her about her cousin Max, who I had been to sixth form college with.

Haven't met Russell, but did stand right in front of him at the Venini gig at the Falcon in again, 1999.

Was going to meet Richard Hawley when he played at the RFH in 2010, as some of the Hawley forum members where congragating in the atrium, but unfortunately he'd been whisked off because he was doing The Andrew Marr show, early the next morning.

I've went to see Jarvis & Steve djing at Lux, in Lisbon (the only time they came to Lisbon, even Pulp, the entire band never came here...), I think it was 2004, or 2005? I'm not sure Anyway, Jarvis signed my His n'Hers record. He wrote my name, then "suits you " then I think it's an "L", but I'm not sure, then "Jarvis Cocker,  XX", I suppose 

I'm not really into this, asking for autographs. But it felt nice looking at him from bellow - he's really tall - and so close and keep a signed copy of my all time favourite band.

-- Edited by glosslip on Wednesday 7th of September 2011 11:39:28 AM

Is that all Sarah? You mean you haven't met Magnus Doyle or Jamie Pinchbeck? You're just not putting the effort in are you?

None. Too socially awkward.

I met Nick and his wife at Jarvis's first solo show at Plug, through a friend. Nick seemed a little guarded and i was a bit surprised. Must have been weird seeing Jarvis in Sheffield and not being on stage with him though. His wife was lovely. And as I said elsewhere I was at Steve Mackey's stag do at Glasto in 2009 following Jarvis's gig, but only met Simon Stafford as I'm friends with his partner. He was very friendly.

Wickerman wrote:

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Indeed, Mark knows what it is to be a real fan and want the band to do some nice things, so I guess that's why he's so open about it. He lived the fan's dream: joining the band you love.

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 That is pretty awesome when you stop to think about it.

 

And Liltman, who is Simon Stafford?

I met all of them many years ago at a signing in San Francisco in 1996.  They were all very sweet and took the time to say hello, shake hands, personalize the autographs, etc.  They were there for hours, the line was crazy.  The next day while in line for the show at Bimbo's, Russell walked by and stopped to chat with us for a bit.   Candida wore the shirt we gave her on stage that night, which was quite nice.  The next day in L.A. is when we got to interview Russell and watch soundcheck which I've mentioned before (Jarvis was wildly ill from some Hawaiian flu or something but thankfully managed to make it through the show). 


More recently I have been too paralyzed by fear and etiquette to approach them, though I did manage to say hi to Nick at Brixton; he was very cheerful and kind... 

It's pretty easy to meet any band at a club show if you have the stamina/inclination to wait around at the stage door for hours (either before soundcheck or after the show).  Of course, there's always the chance that the band members won't stop, as Sleeve mentioned, but I would think there must be a good reason if they don't (next engagement, business stuff, grumpiness, exhaustion, etc).

OK...

First one was Russell in the lounge of a Sheffield guesthouse in September 1997. Bit of an awkward meeting (gauche and nervous 18-year-old has summit with somewhat prickly ex-pop star recently separated from a well-known group... you can probably imagine how it went), but we stayed in touch and crossed paths on good terms quite a few times subsequently - notably around the Venini period, and then in Sheff a few times around 04/05.

Nick for the book in 2002 - absolute gent, couldn't have been more helpful and affable. Also very nicely came along to the book launch, and found myself standing next to him at the first Artery comeback gig in about '08.

Candida briefly at the Jarvis / Stunt Kites gig at Sheffield City Hall in '03. Short but sweet - she'd read the book!

And lastly, Mark in Sheffield earlier this year. Highly enjoyable miniature Pulp trainspotter's convention.

And the ex-members - probably not as many as you'd expect from reading the book as a lot of those interviews were phoners, but at one time or another I've managed to rack up Jon Short, Wayne Furniss, Peter Dalton, Jim Sellars, Saskia, Peter Boam, David Hinkler, Simon Hinkler, Tim Allcard, Magnus Doyle and Stephen Havenhand (think that's all of them!).

Oh, and Hawley came to the book launch too, had a nice chat with him at the end of the night.

Am I right in thinking Nick used to have a pub in Sheffield? Still does?

Did anyone ever go there and was he in?

Oh I certainly don't think the lyrics are about her! Like you say, it would just be that her name fitted the song or something

I remember the shaving foam story ... A girl I knew back then, Dominique, wrote about it in Pulp People. I was so jealous!