I had the good fortune to meet Steve twice.

The first time was at Little Stabs at Happiness at the ICA in 1999 I think. They were showing a new print of The Wicker Man which I had never seen before. Mark I think was in Shanghai doing a Ls@h event over there, so Jarvis and Steve had been drafted in to do DJ duty. I managed to talk to Steve after the film. It was small talk really - talking about how the tour was going, and I asked him about Marley and he told me he had recent taken him to Leeds castle. Can't remember much else.

The second time was the day of the Albert Hall show. Some of us in here met up in a pub not far from the venue. We were chatting away, when I noticed this really tall guy walking through the crowd. I kept nudging people and whispering "That's Steve!", but nobody but me seemed to notice. He walked out, so I ran out the door after him. He was with someone I didn't recognise - I think it was Liam the tour manager. I yelled "Hey are you Steve?" He turned round and smiled and said yeah. I think I said something like "Oh cool". Then he said, I have to go and play with my band now." And I was like "I know!" Then I said an awkward goodbye and went back into the pub to tell the rest of the B.I. crowd what had happened.

Wish I'd asked for a photo now.

The rhythm section of Steve and Nick isolated on Lipgloss 

 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bsYRLIC14V8&pp=ygUYUHVscCBsaXBnbG9zcyBiYXNzIGRydW1z

-- Edited by Eamonn on Monday 15th of May 2023 11:13:50 PM

Ah, didn't realise the whole album was on there. Wonder if Nick has had to listen to this type of stuff as part of his tour homework! I imagine the muscle memory is still alert.

From Mojo's Britpop special, 2009:

I've never known Jarvis have a problem with narcotics. Ever. I was taking a lot more drugs than he was, but I didn't think I was taking that many. With Pulp no one ever went to rehab, no one was taking heroin. I don't recall Jarvis ever regularly taking drugs. But it did become a fairly regular part of the studio experience during This is Hardcore, and that's a dangerous thing. It became a bit of a self-indulgent record. But in a way that's also its finest hour, because something glorious came out of that. I feel very affectionate about that record. I think we really reached something with that.

 

Will think of Steve next time I listen to the album.

 

liltman wrote:

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Heres a Steve memory that just came to mind was thinking about my first ever gig, seeing Pulp in Brid back in December 95, and wanting to know what had happened that caused Steve to dive into the crowd during a seemingly unplanned encore to scrap with some guy that had been heckling him throughout the gig! What with that and the searches on the way in, it was quite the eventful first gig! Can anyone remember why that happened - have a vague memory I read it was to do with a woman?

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 This must the same incident Russell mentions in his book (although he says it was Belfast).

In Belfast, a skinhead was shouting constant abuse and sticking two fingers up at us. Steve dived into the audience after him and went down. Paul ran from the side of the stage and curled himself into a ball (like someone bombing at a swimming poo)l. Pauls jump went not only the full length of the stage, but over a 6 foot pit, the heads of the local security guards and about twelve feet into the audience. After the show, we went back to pace out the jump, which exceeded the world long jump record by 5 feet. Paul had the advantage of a 6 foot rise, but it looked superhuman. He bundled the guy outside. When he came back in, dusting off his hands, he said euphemistically, "Ee'll ave a fat lip in the morning."

 I also read somewhere Steve dived in because someone was shouting racist abuse - but I can't find the source for that...

 Sorry that doesn't really answer the question. 

-- Edited by Zurdta on Thursday 25th of May 2023 08:47:31 AM

-- Edited by Zurdta on Thursday 25th of May 2023 08:49:13 AM

-- Edited by Zurdta on Thursday 25th of May 2023 08:49:36 AM

Seems Steve had form for breaking up fights

Didn't he once also stop a fight that involving a couple of members of Menswe@r once?

And iirc didn't he call Jarvis out for lashing out at Mark the first night at Brixton in 2011?

They were, Jarv's specs went flying and Steve got full-on kicked in the face when he stooped to pick them up.

Incidentally, Jarvis also got attacked in the street at Christmas 1994 and ended up in hospital.

Eamonn wrote:

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Did he? 'kin 'ell... maybe that's where he wrote Misshapes.

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 Makes a lot of sense to me.

Agreed. Love Is Blind too, and given its the first taste of modern-Pulp, arguably quite an important one.

Well, don't forget there were 2 bassists who played that bassline before Steve did. He definitely made it his own though.