Pulp: Pulp People Newsletter 16

OK, listen up. This is number sixteen. This is the one when Pulp conquered the States... when Steve became a father... when Nick married Sarah, his beautiful child bride..

Oh yes, there's been plenty going on at the Pulp camp. Jarvis caught Hawaiian plague (serves him right for choosing such an exotic location, bet you'll stick to Catcliffe next time eh Jarv?) but was miraculously cured, E.R. style, in a dramatic medical stunt during the US tour... sadly Denver was cancelled because of it. (sorry Denver).

We all breathed a sigh of relief as Island decided not to go ahead with Gavin Friday as support for the tour. Instead this was provided by a string of equally dodgy local bands... Roy Castle has been trumpeting in his grave as record sell-outs were recorded in Toronto (3 minutes 45 seconds), New York (2 hours), and Los Angeles (4 hours). Records for Pulp in America, anyway. Touts were selling tickets for an astonishing $100-plus, which, lets face it, is pretty stupid staggering. Shows sold out everywhere except Detroit. Seismic horrors haunted the band as they witnessed (sort of) an earthquake in San Francisco which measured 4.8 on the Richard Banks quake-o-meter... seismic horrors of a different nature (heh, heh) haunted Mark as he was cornered for "a considerable length of time" in the dressing room by none other than Cynthia Plastercaster... (guess what the prize in this issue's competition is...)

I'd like to welcome all our new American & Canadian chums (all 72 of you - see stats page) to the coolest fan club in the world of pop. We're not like other fanclubs. We're better, we're nicer/we're better cooks and we've got a lot more style than your usual executives-in-offices arrangement. We're here to help you! We don't just chuck all your letters in the bin (well not immediately) - we answer all your questions, however inconsequential they (often) appear... the group really do read the fan mail & fanzines, they really do eat/wear/smoke the presents you send (unless we get to them first)... we don't make a profit, we just do it out of the goodness of our own hearts (cough, splutter). Which reminds me - thanks so much to all you honest people out there who sent us replacement cheques as mentioned in the last newsletter. It was by no means enough, but it sure helped, and the good news from the Pulp accountant is that the fan club might actually... break even!! Which will be nice. Oh yes, one other thing whilst I've got my financial hat on - all you fanzine/website writers out there: please check with us before printing details about Pulp People! Membership is currently £12, a figure insisted upon by the accountant in a futile bid to not lose £2000 again this year..it seems to be working. Just because it used to cost £2/£3/£5/£7 doesn't mean it still does, haven't you lot ever heard of inflation?

I'm running out of space here so I guess I'll call it a day. Couple of other things - just discovered a box of #14 newsletters (the red one) under the table, so if anyone wants one, send us an A5 sae and I'll get one off to you. Also, I've got an orange Trainspotting T Shirt (slim fit) going begging - free to whoever sends me the nicest bribe.

There's no free gift this time, we're saving up for the scrapbook.

PULP SCHEDULE Summer 1996

JUNE
European Tour - Longpigs support

Friday 21 — Czech Republic - Prague Festival. Bummer! This was cancelled due to one of the Pulp trucks being held up at customs for ages & ages... sniffer dogs eventually revealed the cause to be Richard Banks - turns out the Czechs have a law against him. Bad luck Richard!

Saturday 22 - Germany, Loreley - Rockpalast Festival.

Monday 24 - Germany, Munich - Live aus dem Alabama.

Tuesday 25 - Germany, Bonn - Biscuithalle.

Thursday 27 - Germany, Munster - Jovel.

Friday 28 - Denmark - Rosklide Festival.

Sunday 30 - Finland - Turku Festival.

JULY

Tuesday 2 - Iceland, Reykjavik - Laugardalsholl.

Wednesday 3 - Norway - Quart Festival.

Saturday 6 - Belgium - Torhout Festival.
Sunday 7 - Belgium - Werchter Festival.
Bands also playing at the Torhout / Werchter Festivals include: Moloko, Massive Attack, Radiohead, Bjork and Neil Young, Pulp are on the second stage at 15.45. Well, we're going anyway.

Monday 8 - France, Paris - Olympia.

Thursday 11 — Shetland Islands - Clickimin Centre. Bad one - this has been postponed to the 13th August (or thereabouts), due to "logistical problems"... apologies to all you Shetlanders, but the pulp
experience will happen, it's just tricky shipping out the 100m high Richard Banks the group are now using as a stage prop. The show is already sold out, but all tickets will be valid on the 13th.

Saturday 13 - Ireland - Dublin - Feile Festival.

Sunday 14 - Scotland - Strathclyde Country Park - T in the Park.

Credit Card Hotline - 0141 339 8383; For Accomodation - 01698 281 111

AUGUST

Saturday 17 - Hylands Park - Chelmsford.
Sunday 18 - Victoria Park - Warrington.
The line up is the same for both days:
Main Stage: Pulp, Supergrass, Cast, Gary Numan, Stereolab, Jonathan Richman, Longpigs.
2nd Stage: Heavy Stereo, Fluffy, Super Furry Animals, Denim, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Tiger.
Gates Open 12pm.
Credit Card Line (London) is 0171 287 0932, for everywhere else it's 0115 934 2000.

Saturday 24 - Spain - Barcelona

Pulp People Population Explosion

OK, so here's what the pulp statisticometer came up with. These figures are very interesting (oh yes); it was only a year or so ago that boys outnumbered girlies by a couple of hundred..and now look at it. And what's happened to all you French Peuple de Pulp? We used to have loads of you, now we're left with a measly 81. Anyway, I think it's kind of cool (but then I am a librarian); you can impress your folks by saying, "Hey, look mom, I'm the only Pulp fan in the whole of Estonia!"...

Competition Time!

I don't know why we bother with these competitions, I really don't, it's not as if we expect everyone to enter, but since so many of you profess to be Pulp's "biggest fan" I thought maybe, just maybe, some of you might like a copy of the cd we were offering. So how many entries did we get? I'll tell you. 31. That's a 1.31% reply rate.
Fantastic.

Thanks alot to all of you who took the time to enter - here are the winning entries. Because we invent the rules here at Pulp Towers, we have decided to award four cd's and save the rest for a more deserving public, or until we get some decent replies. So, in no particular order...

Pulp are my number 1 band because...
..."Jarvis' forelock is mysterious". (Kimiyo Endo)

Pulp are my number 1 band because...
"Now I understand why that bastard of a boy I snogged at the disco doesn't call me when he said he would" (Rebecca Kiernan)

Pulp are my number 1 band because...
"I'm a compulsive liar, the Tindersticks are far better". (Reuben Wilmott)

Pulp are my Number 1 band because...
"Alex is so cool, she's a diamond, she's beautiful, and kind, and caring, and humorous, and sexy, and just the best fanclub leader in the whole wide world". (Nick K.) (Obviously never met her - Type Ed)

Senor Doctor Pulp comes to you this time by the grace of God - or, more accurately, the grace of Pru. What I'm trying to say is, it was a close thing, this was very nearly a blank page. But! Nurse Pru saved the day, and here are the answers to (most of) your pulpy queries...

♦ Lori Scott-Reed from Selly Oak wants to ask Pulp who their childhood heroes were? She would also like to know their favourite cartoon characters - do they, like her, adore Ren + Stimpy? (Richard Banks gets our vote)
Mark's childhood hero was, as if it isn't obvious, Kevin Keegan; Candida opts for the abstract: "Villains were my heroes". The same goes for cartoon characters.

♦ On a more serious note Briege O'Hanlan from Co Tyrone would like to ask the group about their theories on how the world began. Big Bang? God? Pulp?
Candida goes for the traditional Darwinian theory whereas Mark, with the usual optimism, says "I have none, I worry about how it will end."

♦ Slava Kupriyanov, our only Russian-American Pulp Person, asks the doctor what Jarvis and the rest of the group think about the Beatles?
Mark is a big fan, he loves them. He reckons the best LP is "Let it be"; As for Candida, her reply was "Alot - All positive."

♦ Jane Knowles from Scunthorpe is one of the many Pulp People wanting to know where the photograph for the sleeve of Common People was taken?
This photograph was taken in a cafe in Sheffield, no-one remembers where exactly.

♦ Jenny Bridgewater from Walsall would like to ask each individual member, what do they consider to be their best song?
Candida favours 59 Lynhurst Grove, I Spy and Common People. Webbo sensibly opts for mid-period Pulp, before he joined, with My Legendary Girlfriend.

♦ The lovely Margote of Tournico...Pulp fame would be interested to know, how many languages does Jarvis speak? We presume "speak", in this context constitutes more than "This next song is about..."
Jarvo gave this a considerable amount of thought before giving us his answer: "None".

♦ Alice Booth from Cheshire wants to know what are the names of the pubs at the end of the Mis-Shapes video - it's driving her mad!
According to the Pulp Pub Watch, the pubs are: The Beeches, The Stag, and The Kings Head.

♦ Christian Dixon from Leeds along with practically everyone else wants to know where each one of the twelve photographs on the Different Class inserts were taken?
Right then in order to re-create these memorable scenes you would have to travel to: Regents Park (Candida); Scarborough Beach (Russell); North Yorkshire Moors (Steve); Thirsk Town Centre, and a chip shop in Scarborough (Jarvis); A Bus Stop next to St Pauls Cathedral (Nick); Lastly, and somewhat appropriately we feel, Webbo was snapped in a Tesco's car park.

♦ Claire Slater of Gillingham wonders whether the group have ever met Morrissey? If so, what did they make of him?
Candida has, and she found Morrissey "Strong, and yet shy at the same time." Mark on the otherhand hasn't and has no wish to either.

♦ Charmaine Pang is after any Pulp beauty secrets or regimes the members of the group employ to stay so handsome / lovely / svelte etc.?
We interviewed each member of the group individually on this important matter, and their replies were as follows:
Jarvis: "Are you joking?"
Nick: "Alcohol, late nights and Polyfilla."
Steve: "Fruit, vegetables, water, exercise, Clinique Factor 2½ Face Scrub and Turnaround Lotion."
Russell and Candida mysteriously share the same secret: Blood of young virgins - Male or Female, they don't care. Names and addresses to the usual place...
For some peculiar reason Mr. Webster declined to comment on this question.

♦ Hayley from Liverpool wants to know who is the lovely boy who stars in the Disco 2000 video?
Well Hayley, "unfortunately for you, the lovely boy is married - Pat and Jo Skinny are a husband and wife team and good friends of Pulp. That's all we know.




Sorry to anyone whose question hasn't been answered - we do our best, but sometimes the answers are beyond even our capabilities. Don't let this put you off sending questions for us to put to the band.

Media Pulp

They seem to love us at Smash Hits, because yet again Pulp People gets an incredible 10/10 in their "Fan Club Investigation (19/6/96). Of course we know how cool we are but it's not often that anyone actually agrees, so we're very pleased about that. And not only do they love the fan club, they love the website too! (12/6/96) Mind you, these are the same people who wrote "The tonsil-tastic rags to riches rise of Mariah Carey", so we're not letting it go to our heads.

Regal Pulp

That well known rag the Daily Star somehow managed to make an entire page's worth of editorial out of a complete lie! (not something we'd know anything about here). Apparently, pop mad Prince William is a diehard Pulp fan and has written to the group asking for a signed poster (11/4/96). Well tough luck Wills because we have a rule around here: No royal teenagers with crap hair and stupid idiots for parents allowed! In fact, I'm thinking of taking this a bit further and eliminating anyone who owns a Sleeper / Radiohead / Blur / Oasis record, however as this would most likely result in me making a hasty visit to the Dole Office, I won't.

Edinburgh Film Festival

Very late item of news, so late in fact that we've only got sketchy details; Steve, Jarvis, and Pedro Romhanyi will be doing something of a cinematic nature involving Pulp videos and "Maybe some other things", on Monday the 12th of August. Sorry but we don't know what cinema it's at yet.

Jarvo/Bazza Collaboration

Ex-Bad Seed Barry Adamson will be releasing a new LP at the end of July entitled "Oedipus Schmoedipus". It contains "Set the controls for the heart of the pelvis", which wins the Pulp People prize for most silly song title this year. But don't let that put you off buying it.

Pulp Bandwagon

Common People is hardly out of the charts and already it's being sampled by people who clearly have no original ideas of their own; yes I'm talking about the 2.4.U 12" on Anthm-Atics records - two tracks of complete cak! They've even pressed it in blue vinyl, as if that's gonna make any difference... reserve your copy now from Bradleys Records, Halifax. I am, of course, extremely grateful to Graham for sending me a free copy so I didn't have to fork out hard cash for it. Thanks pal.

Pulp People, where are you?

We seem to have had an abnormal amount of mail returned recently (I blame Greg myself) - so if you are waiting for a newsletter or a membership pack or if you know any of these people, please get in touch and we'll send you what is rightfully yours: [list of 12 names]. Please can we remind you that you must send us notification of any change of address, and can you always put your address on any correspondence - it makes things easier for us. Thanks.

Music Scene

This is the section where we unashamedly plug super cool bands to watch out for. First up is SOUL BOSSA. No doubt about it, they're the most exciting band currently making records in the UK. And what a coincidence, they're signed to Dishy, the coolest label in the UK! Amazing! So go and get a copy of "Sore Loser" just as soon as you can, and if you like 'em, let us know.

Don't forget about the very beautiful BABY BIRKIN, who play regularly in London - check them out too.

And keep an eye open for the ELECTRIC SOUND OF JOY - remember, you saw it here first, and we know what we're talking about.

Library Corner

PULP - Martin Aston. Pan Books, £7.99 (0330347918)
I was hoping to have received a copy of the latest cash in book about Pulp by the time we went to press, but it's not arrived - the publishers probably saw our reviews of the other two and decided they didn't need the publicity. No doubt you'll buy it anyway.

Forgetful

Got a couple of things here that I need your help with - a questionnaire filled in by Candida and returned to me without an address. It belongs to a pulp person named Victoria - but which Victoria??? We have dozens of you, so will the rightful owner write in and claim it soon please.

Secondly, I've got a pair of Pulp pants signed by Jarvis for Lisa... but (I'm really sorry) I've forgotten which Lisa they belong to! And don't all you Lisa's write in claiming them, because it will come back to me as soon as I see the right one. They've been sitting on my desk for ages now and frankly I'll be glad to get rid of them.

Fanzines

Here we go with this issues' update...

♦ First up, not only is it new, but it's Dutch and edited by the fantastically named Kiki Klinkhamer. It's called Common People but features Radiohead, Menswear, Oasis, Charlatans, Supergrass as well as Pulp. Mostly written in Dutch but has features in English as well. We enjoyed this but could not make head or tail of how to pay for it or order it for that matter... Anyway write to: Kiki & Femke, [...] Delft, The Netherlands.

♦ Another new one which looks nice but uses alot of information gleaned from Pulp People is Mis-Prints, £1.50. Issue 1 available from [...], Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, [...]. As well as Pulp it features Manfred Mann Ocean Colour Scene, Cast, Blur, Ash and Oasis. It's alright...

♦ Continuing the Euro-zine theme, we've got Razzmatazz. Written completely in Spanish, therefore useless to us. We did manage to decipher that it had articles on Hippies, Life and Love, Greetings and Faces, and not forgetting El Enigma, freak celebre. It's free from: Alex X. [...] Barcelona.

♦ Issue 2 of Jarvzine costs £1. This 'zine devoted wholly to Jarvis is available from Laura, [...], Wallasey, Wirral, [...].

♦ The second issue of Synthetic Fluff is available from Becky & Sarah, [...] Sylmar, CA [...], USA, and displays a very worrying obsession with Mr Senior. Contributions from pulp people from around the world, and a sexy picture of Candida. Yum-ee. Lets itself down in the last few pages by a frightening double page Blur review, but I dunno, some of you might like it. For your very own copy, send £2 or $3 to the above address.

♦ Juicy is a new Pulp fanzine from the States. Nice full colour cover and interesting interview with Mark. In fact this is definitely a cut above the rest but lets itself down with lots of little mistakes and the fact that a large proportion of it is taken directly off the Pulp website... Anyway, give it a go, send $3/£2 to: Alexandrea, [...], Portland, OR [...], USA.

♦ The last ever issue of Jammy Jezzabelle arrived today, complete with free felt pen. Well, it's not really free because the 'zine costs £1, so in actual fact it's quite a pricey one; it's choc full of reviews of the last tour, tarot readings, poetry and pulp experiences. There really is a lot to get your teeth in to. Available from: Lisa [...], Feltham, Middlesex, TW14 [...].

♦ Last but not least is issue 4 of Las Lagrimas de Macondo - yep, it's Spanish, it's beautifully laid out, and we've got no idea what George, the writer, is on about. Could be saying, "Pulp are a load of old shite" and we'd never know the difference. See for yourself -send 375pts or some kind of barter plus an A4 envelope to George, [...] Madrid, Spain.

...Wanted...Wanted...Wanted...Wanted...Wanted...Wanted...

✸ Mario [...], Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal. Mario, 27, has been a member for some time and is looking for a CD that he is having trouble finding; It's the Common People "Night" single - the one with acoustic versions of Razzmatazz, Dogs Are Everywhere and Joyriders (CIDX 613). If anyone's got a spare copy lying around - do him a favour, he's able to reply in English, French, Spanish and Italian - show off.

✸ Sarra [...] is after a tape of the Mark Radcliffe Session which had an extended version of Sheffield Sex City and is also (understandably) desperate to hear Live On, so if anyone's got a tape of it write to her at [...], London, N19 [...].

✸ Jennifer [...], Bulwell, Nottingham, NG6 [...] wants a copy of Jarvis on Shooting Stars please - willing to cover the cost of a video.

✸ Sue [...], Worksop, S80 [...], wants a copy of No Sleep 'til Sheffield because her "Twat of a husband messed up the video". Happy to cover the cost of tape and postage.

✸ Rebecca, of [...] Dudley, DY2 [...], Also wants a copy of No Sleep... (Extended version), Pop Quiz, and Top of the Pops - willing to pay for tapes and postage.

✸ Louise [...], Bedford, MK40 [...] is desperate for copies of O.U. , Razzmatazz, Babies (Original release), Lipgloss and Do You Remember... happy to pay but don't be greedy - we're all friends here.

✸ Veena, from [...], Tyseley, Birmingham, B11 [...], is desperate for a copy of the Letterman Show - will cover post, packing and everything else...

✸ Daniel [...], Bolton, BL6 [...] is after copies of all the really old Pulp songs that never made it to vinyl. Too many to list here, but in particular, Maureen.

✸ Julie [...], Morecambe, LA4 [...], is desperate to get hold of cd copies of Lipgloss and The Sisters ep. Try Record Collector, Julie, or Esprit Mail Order...

✸ Anje [...], Taucha, Germany, is after a copy of the Berlin concert (17/6/96) - apparently it was broadcast live on the unfeasibly named Radio Fritz. We'd like a copy here at Pulp HQ (Archives Dept) too, please. Thanks!

...Pulp Penpals...Pulp Penpals...

The penpals section of the newsletter is proving highly successful, so anyone else out there who has no friends - check this out.

♣ Becky [...], Cleethorpes, [...], is looking for pen friendship from anyone, anywhere - so long as they love Suede, Gene, Menswear, Marion, The Verve, Shed Seven, Elastica, St. Etienne, The Bluetones and the Stooges... Ha Ha, just kidding.

♣ Sharon [...], Suffolk, [...], will write to anyone who is obsessed with, and goes weak at the knees whenever they see Patti Smith - no not really! - Jarvis Cocker.

♣ 22 year old Ineka of [...], Bury, [...] still feels 16 at heart, and has a worrying fetish for vampires, cats and tall, skinny, floppy fringed boys in uniform - school uniform that is!

♣ Melissa would like to write to anyone who loves the colour silver, is 14 or over and has a 'Totally weird sense of humour, and is going to tell me something interesting'... All those who qualify, write to [...], Windsor, [...].

♣ Leo and Cris hail all the way from sunny Barcelona: "We're 19, we really love Pulp, and our favourite songs are: David's Last Summer, She's a Lady and F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E., What do you think about them? What do they make you feel? Our favourite groups are The Smiths, Gene, Suede and The MC5. Write to them at [...] Barcelona, Spain.

♣ Charmaine [...] seeks pen-persons who like Menswear, Supergrass, Blurgh and perhaps Bjork. Also she'd just love to hear from boys who wear eye liner, but will reply to anyone if they write to her at: [...], Ontario, [...], Canada.

♣ Ian [...] is begging for correspondents who like Longpigs, Supergrass, Blurgh, Menswear, Bluetones, Heavy Stereo and Sergio Mendes. Preferably of a female nature, and if they live in the West Country and drive a tractor whilst sucking on a piece of straw - even better! Yes we cater for all tastes here at P.P. and if you're sick enough to want to write to this individual, you can do so at - [...], Chippenham, [...].

♣ Stephanie [...], Marburg, Germany, is an International Pulp Person looking for people (especially boys) into Sun Ra, Blur and Gum-miburchen etc.

♣ Gemma [...] is 14 years old and can't wait to write to anyone anywhere about Oasis, Manics, Marion and Faust. She's at: [...], Ilkley, [...].

♣ Hayley [...], who lives at [...], Liverpool, is after penpals into the same things as her; these include: joining a band, going to concerts, 60's culture, Manics, lo-fi bands (whatever that means), mods, Iggy, and St Etienne. She's also hoping to start an indie fanzine so any contributions would be welcome. Promises to reply to all those brave enough to write.

♣ Last penpal is Steve [...], Ramsgate, [...], he's 27, and would love to hear from Pulp Persons any age, anywhere, or more specifically "Gorgeous Pulpettes like the mad ones you tend to find at the gigs!". We've obviously not been going to the same concerts Steve. He's also looking for a companion for european dates, particularly Iceland in July!

Pulp Favours

Karen [...] from Leeds wrote to tell us about the Sunday market at Cleethorpes where many obscure/bootleg Pulp recordings can be found for two to four pounds each. There is also a record fair in the winter gardens every month.

Ralf [...], Wickham, PO17 [...] is offering to tape the Pulp 'Sex Appeal' bootleg CD for anyone willing to send him a blank C90. This is a dodgyish recording of the group at Shepherds Bush Empire 19/10/95. 15 songs, including Lipgloss, Razzmatazz, Joyriders and Babies..

If anyone is still looking for a copy of Pulp Fiction-Romance, Melanie [...] is offering to do copies of it - Send a blank C90 to: [...], Aberdeen, [...].

Kirsty [...], who lives at [...], Runcorn [...], is offering assistance to anyone travelling to the Warrington concert in August from out of town - she will be happy to meet up and escort you to Victoria Park so you don't get lost. Thanks Kirsty, what a kind thought!

Lonely Hearts

♥ Becky is looking for a lad called Daniel. They met at Humberside Ice Arena - she was in black, he wore jeans and a red (?) shirt. They danced and hung on to each other for most of the concert but sadly Pulp's performance left Becky in such a daze that she forgot to get his address, so Daniel, of you're reading this - get in touch with Becky at [...].

♥ Lovely Louise of [...] is looking for a male companion who looks similar to Jarvis in the Razzmatazz video, (who isn't?), preferably between 18 and 20. To share love, life and all things Pulp.

Pulp People Postcard?

This is just something that I was thinking about in bed the other night (you see, you lot haunt me 24 hours a day) - the idea was, to get you all to send us a passport size photo of yourself, and we'd create some kind of montage type thing, which we'd use, depending on how many we get, to make either a postcard in conjunction with the group, or a poster, a series of postage stamps, erm.. haven't got a lot further than that really. But I'd like this to happen, it won't be one of the famous Pulp People ideas that never comes off... that was when Mark was running the show, anyway, so it's hardly surprising. So, get along to your nearest photo booth today. More details when I think of them in the next newsletter.

Pulp Boutique

We've been having a bit of a clearout here at Pulp Towers and some stock is on special offer at 1993 prices. Numbers are limited so order now to avoid disappointment. Please list 1st and 2nd choices; p+p free in the UK but anywhere else please add £2/$3. Please make cheques out to PULP. No foreign cheques!

Funny how these silly old hate mailers can never spell...