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Street Operator

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Steve memories. Steve thoughts. Please share then here, he's so missed.

 

Today I was struck by his part in Have You Seen Her Lately?, the way it underpins the whole song, emotions in tow, the restraint of the arrangement, the way it rises and falls... masterful.

 

Such a talented musician, his contributions both telling and subtle, his ability far-reaching yet applied so unselfishly... I aspire to be someone like Steve Mackey.



-- Edited by lipglossed on Friday 5th of May 2023 11:47:05 PM

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Legendary

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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.

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Mis-Shape

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I watched a Arcade Fire show on TV a few months ago and Win Butler gave a shout-out to Steve in the audience and said, "I love that guy" - and it just seemed like a typical thing someone would say about him. I never met him but the hole he's left in the universe is ridiculously large.

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The Only Way is Down

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The rhythm section of Steve and Nick isolated on Lipgloss smile

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



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

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The Boss

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Thanks for this, Ive ended up listening to the full album that way. Bless him, what a musician.

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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.



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Street Operator

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Steve's bass on Help the Aged is my favourite thing about the whole track.



-- Edited by lipglossed on Saturday 20th of May 2023 02:16:54 PM

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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.

 



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The Boss

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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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liltman wrote:

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?


 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

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The Boss

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God I forgot that bit and Ive read Russells book! Yeah hes either mistaken or it was a common occurrence! It was a hell of an impressive dive from Steve.

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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?

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The Only Way is Down

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I think they all called Jarvis out on that. Russell says something to that end in his booky wook.

Weren't Steve and Jarvis attacked on their way home from Select (?) magazine's Xmas Party in 1993 (?) too?

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Street Operator

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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.



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The Only Way is Down

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

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Street Operator

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Eamonn wrote:

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


 Makes a lot of sense to me.



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Street Operator

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There was a web article I saw back when the news came, naming Steve's five best Pulp basslines. Predictably, they were Pulp's five most-celebrated songs (Common People, Disco 2000, Babies, First Time? and Hardcore). Steve has an essential role in all of these, they're all fantastic basslines... and there's a quote about his "knack for playing into the surface of the song" that has stuck with me, too. But I thought about an alternative five:

Steve's 5 best Pulp basslines
(in no particular order)

Have You Seen Her Lately?
I Spy
Like a Friend
Party Hard
Sheffield: Sex City

So many contenders, though... Would be interested to see what other people think.

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The Only Way is Down

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

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Eamonn wrote:

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


 Definitely a template being set down there (although I struggle with the song because I'm always expecting Jarvis to burst into the chorus of 'Happy Together'). Really shows Steve's knack for unselfishly providing a steady, low-fret grounding, the foundation upon which Jarvis and Russell can go buck-wild.



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The Only Way is Down

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

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A great drum and bass pairing makes all the difference to a band. I remember reading something to the effect of those are the instruments that are scientifically proven to make you want to get up and dance which I suppose makes sense as they give the song a pulse and a groove. The combination of Nick and Steve was invaluable to getting things going I think,they lifted the songs up and gave them more of a bounce. Each member adds their bit on top of the foundation then but, yeah, hard to pick out a favourite. Party Hard springs to mind though and of course you can hear the bass prominently in Like A Friend but I agree he did a great job of blending into the overall sound. Same with Nick on the drums. So good but plays for the song in my opinion. I think especially with a band like Pulp where the lyrics are so important you don't want to detract with bass lines and drum patterns that steal the show, you want to more complement what's going on and play for the song and having that restraint is important too. You have to play what fits.

EDIT: Just an edit to say, Steve seemed like a great partner for Jarvis to bounce ideas off too from what I've gathered in interviews over the years. And in Russell's book, it sounds like he was very proactive in getting things organised and done. Very sad he's gone and found I'll be honest my eyes welled up when Jarvis spoke about Steve before Something Changed at the gig in Dublin. Gone far too soon



-- Edited by Jean on Monday 19th of June 2023 11:48:28 AM

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Street Operator

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Yeah, he always played *for* the song. His basslines were never boring, though, or one-note; he always produced this groove that fitted so snugly with the music, underpinning and underlining it without ever being too domineering. And as you say, he also helps get the lyrics across by doing that. Also very good at varying his lines, also very good at insistent, repetitive ones.

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