To celebrate Nick Banks' upcoming autobiography So It Started There we would like you to tell us where 'It Started' for you. What was your first Pulp single or album? Do you still have it? Where did you first see Pulp play live? What other memories do you have of how you discovered Pulp? Contributions will be published on this page.
Nick Banks has kindly shared his own where 'It Started' memories here.
Nick's autobiography was published in paperback and a special hardback edition on 28th September 2023 by Omnibus Press. The hardback edition is limited to 1,000 copies and, if ordered direct from the publisher, includes the chance to win an original prop from the Common People music video. It can also be ordered from all the usual online and high street booksellers.
In School, aged 11. It was the end of year show and some lads were doing a dance to Common People. I never listened to current music and said the guy singing sounded creepy. One boy told me the album was great and did me a copy on tape. If I'd not taken a shine to him I'd probably never have listened to it. But I did give it a go and the next week I rented out all the other albums on CD from the library. My life was changed forever.
My first Pulp single must've been Babies - I remember being very, very small and hearing it quite often, as Pulp was one of my late dad's favourite bands. When I was older, my first album was His n Hers. There was no wondering if the songs were right for me, it clicked immediately, and it felt like I already knew it inside out, from distant memories. They've been my favourite band ever since :-)
I was in 10th grade, I think. Maybe, late 9th grade. Roughly 15 years old. On the cover of the Rolling Stone magazine was Richard Ashcroft. The magazine gave This is Hardcore four stars in that issue. They also gave Cornelius' Fantasma 3.5 stars. And Tortoise's TNT four stars.
That magazine was like ground zero for my music obsession which lasts to this day. I was a music fan before that issue of Rolling Stone, but after that... it became a sickness.
I bought This is Hardcore on CD and vinyl and double CD from Japan, later on. I spent a shit ton of money on import CD singles from the UK. Kind of embarrassing to admit really. I remember paying $16 to hear Sad Song by Oasis on some Japanese import.
Fucking pathetic.
Pulp never let me down like that, anyway!
I worked my way backwards after that, and tried to start dressing like Jarv at school. Which is weird because at the time I weight 250 lbs and looked like a football player.
I went to art school. So it all kind of …
I first stumbled across Pulp when they played Leeds Met , March 1993. They were supporting St Etienne, who I did not stay to watch. And so, Pulp and Jarvis came into my life and have been steadfast narrators through my life since. My grown up children travel to see Pulp with me, I have bought them up well!
April 1994 a friend got tickets to see a band at The Riverside in Newcastle and played His 'n' Hers to me that afternoon before we went to the gig. Hooked from then!
For me, it started with a YouTube video of Jarvis’ 2018 interview with Paul McCartney at Paul’s Liverpool high school, now Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts (LIPA). In 2023, I had been watching YouTube videos of the Beatles’ early live performances. YouTube queues up related or similar videos and the Jarvis/Paul interview appeared at the top of my queue.
The interview took place in front of an audience of teenage LIPA students. Before the interview, Jarvis walked onstage and said “Hi, I’m Jarvis” and a murmur of recognition rippled through the audience. I had no idea who he was, but the students seemed to know him, so I assumed he was one of their teachers — Jarvis does look like a high school geography teacher. As I watched the interview, I wondered why this “teacher” was in the many music videos appearing in my YouTube queue.
“Common People” was the first video I watched. Then “Do You Remember The First Time” and “Something Changed” (I cried when I first heard that …
I think I first saw the original video for Babies on MTV's 120 Minutes in 1992. The look of the band and the video seemed unusual at the time and of course the song and the lyrics were/are great. After that I bought the records. I finally got to see the band live in Helsinki less than two weeks ago, which was great.
I’d first heard of Pulp in the car with my mom in maybe ‘22? (I know, I’ve not been a fan long, but I haven’t been alive very long either). At the time my younger sister was really obsessed with Blur, and despite only knowing them, kept claiming she loved Britpop. So, of course, I’m in the car with my mom, (sans my sister, however,) and she shuffled a Britpop playlist. I remember a song from His ‘N’ Hers coming on, and I don’t remember which one, probably Babies. That was my introduction to Pulp. Of course because of streaming services I’m able to listen to Pulp whenever I want. So I’m slowly gaining interest and for a while my favorite song is I Want You. I have a vivid memory of thinking about how much I loved Pulp, and then thinking ‘shoot, but my birthday was yesterday.’ Inconvenient timing, but luckily my birthday is the very last day of August so I consider September 1st to be the anniversary of liking Pulp. They’ve been my favorite band since. So it started there. A bit later I’ve …
For me, it started when my boyfriend introduced me to this band back in 2018. One day, my boyfriend (who wasn't my boyfriend yet) saw me wearing a David Bowie shirt. He probably noticed I liked music and asked if I knew Jarvis Cocker. I didn't know who he was at the time, so my boyfriend introduced me to Pulp and suggested I listen to the song "Babies."
At first, I didn't really get into it, but a few days later, I decided to give "Something Changed" and "Common People" a try, and I found them to be really awesome. The band was amazing, and each member had their own unique style, especially Jarvis. I loved how he sang like he was telling a story, which was something new for me.
I guess that my "it started."
I remember - must have been in the 9ties(?) - I came home from work, was a scaffolder then and the TV was on. At this time me and my wife were heavy into country (Gram Parsons, Butch Hancock, Hank Williams). But mind - my wife gave into my wooing because I owned all records by Velvet Underground. (We're now together for 42 years).
The TV was on and there was a spindly guy languishing between so big loudspeakers. And this guy poured some water from a bottle over this head.
Yes this was my first 'contact' with Jarvis. We own all the records by Pulp, we've read the book by Jarvis, the other one by Russel Senior and Mark Sturdy's 'Truth and beauty'.
While reading this books my 'faith' in Pulp got stronger, but sadly my wife lost her faith. And now, when I'm listening to Pulp I get these glances... how, why, for whatever reasons on can stand this music. Her favorite expression is Eurodisco.
But for me the intelligence of Jarvis is just second to David Byrne. And like David Jarvis can dance. …
I remember - must have been in the 9ties(?) - I came home from work, was a scaffolder then and the TV was on. At this time me and my wife were heavy into country (Gram Parsons, Butch Hancock, Hank Williams). But mind - my wife gave into my wooing because I owned all records by Velvet Underground. (We're now together for 42 years).
The TV was on and there was a spindly guy languishing between so big loudspeakers. And this guy poured some water from a bottle over this head.
Yes this was my first 'contact' with Jarvis. We own all the records by Pulp, we've read the book by Jarvis, the other one by Russel Senior and Mark Sturdy's 'Truth and beauty'.
While reading this books my 'faith' in Pulp got stronger, but sadly my wife lost her faith. And now, when I'm listening to Pulp I get these glances... how, why, for whatever reasons on can stand this music. Her favorite expression is Eurodisco.
But for me the intelligence of Jarvis is just second to David Byrne. And like David Jarvis can dance. …
I remember - must have been in the 9ties(?) - I came home from work, was a scaffolder then and the TV was on. At this time me and my wife were heavy into country (Gram Parsons, Butch Hancock, Hank Williams). But mind - my wife gave into my wooing because I owned all records by Velvet Underground. (We're now together for 42 years).
The TV was on and there was a spindly guy languishing between so big loudspeakers. And this guy poured some water from a bottle over this head.
Yes this was my first 'contact' with Jarvis. We own all the records by Pulp, we've read the book by Jarvis, the other one by Russel Senior and Mark Sturdy's 'Truth and beauty'.
While reading this books my 'faith' in Pulp got stronger, but sadly my wife lost her faith. And now, when I'm listening to Pulp I get these glances... how, why, for whatever reasons on can stand this music. Her favorite expression is Eurodisco.
But for me the intelligence of Jarvis is just second to David Byrne. And like David Jarvis can dance. …
Back in 1995, I was in Grade 12 and prepared for an entrance exam for university. My friend, she was not from Greece but her Dad was loaded, introduced me Different Class. Then, I fell in love with Pulp. Different Class helped me through the horrible year and Pulp became my all-time favorite band until now. I was in Asia and had no chance to see Pulp's concert; however, Jarvis Cocker came to my hometown, Taipei City, for the SimpleLife Festival in 2008. That was my only chance to see Jarvis Cocker. Now I live in Canada with my little one, what I can do is watch some videos on the Internet. I wish someday I will have a chance to see Pulp's concert in person! WE LOVE PULP!!
First pulp gig, 1996, Wembley arena, it wasn’t long after the Michael Jackson incident at the Brits. The band came on stage and Jarvis said ‘ I hope you lot are gonna come and visit me in prison’
The place went mad!!
They were brilliant.
I’m off to Norway in august to see them again with my son who’s 16 and a pulp fan also
Must say I read Nick’s book and it’s great (my cover was different though, it features Jarvis as well)
1998. I was 32, disillusioned with empty partying, booze and questionable sex, coping with reduced expectations, bitter about the bad relationships I’d got myself into, just generally jaded. One day, browsing the new releases, I happened upon this CD with a rather unsettling cover..
I’d never heard of Pulp but decided to buy This Is Hardcore anyway, because of and in spite of that cover art. Looked dark, and I was in a dark place, so why not?
I had no idea how deeply I would relate to the music within but oh, did I ever. No need to be coping with fame, it still hit multiple bullseyes. I still love the album and think it’s incredibly insightful about just about everything it touches on, even though I don’t relate to it in the same way now.
I would soon devour the rest of Pulp’s music as they became an all-time favourite and, at times, a full-blown obsession. I’ve been fortunate enough to see them live three times. And I’ll gladly do it again.
I was (and still am) a huge comedy fan and I would often travel into the city to see comedy. The runner of one particular comedy room would collate incredible front-of-house playlists to play between acts. When I saw a show there one night, Common People played over the speakers, and I remember Shazam-ing it for later reference. I had never heard of Pulp before, they were popular in Australia, but never to the same extent as in the UK. I remember hearing Disco 2000 and Babies play later that night, and thinking they must be by the same band as that first song, because they all had the same unique vocals.
That was it with Pulp until several months passed, and Melbourne was in lockdown, and I decided to delve into their discography on Spotify. I started with Different Class, then moved on to His N Hers. The frightening nature of domestic interiors felt like an especially pertinent subject matter when I couldn't leave the house for more than an hour a day. I would sit in the dark in the …
Sixth form, 1993. St Etienne were touring So Tough, and playing Portsmouth Southsea Pier. A gang of us piled in a car and we set off on the 40 mile trip along the south coast from Dorset. The gig was memorable for one reason only - the support band. Some lanky fella who sang about women and babies. The singer cracked a few jokes, and had to fill a bit of time when the keyboard didn’t work. I was smitten. Went home and ordered whatever was available from the record shop - Razamatazz and Babies on 12”.
I worked for HMV in the 90s, I'd vaguely heard them and then my collegue put on His n Hers and she read the lyrics at the counter, then the rest is history. First gig well I saw a tiny bit of the 94 Glastonbury set. Missed the 95 one as I was pissed. Didn't see them properly until 98 I think! 40 odd gigs later.. (including jarvis solo and relaxed muscle etc...)
It was Disco 2000, played repeatedly on the Radio 1 breakfast show, which I listened to from my parents’ kitchen every weekday as I got myself ready for school... it was like nothing I'd ever heard before, the lyrics and the delivery sounded like they had been extracted from my mind - it was like music made just for me! I have the memory that this was before Different Class had been released, and they were playing it from the album preview just because they thought it was a great tune... I remember being surprised and delighted when - seemingly ages later - it was announced as a single. By that point I'd bought the album (to get that song) and absolutely devoured it. Everyone seemed to be talking about them, about which songs were best, and all that. I caught a repeat of Glastonbury '95 on the radio one night, which I managed to tape most of, and that became my textbook for exploring further back into their catalogue ("oh right, that's where Babies fits in"). I bought everything they released …
I think I was around fiften, and this guy at school - Sean, I think - was now I realise doing a very good cosplay of Jarvis at school. Talkig to Sean he played me the hits, and on my little mp3 player I managed to download 20 songs. I was hooked, and I devoured everything. When they reformed in 2011 I saw them so mnay times, in Hyde Park I cried and rang my girlfriend in all the confetti and was just so happy.
I was a goth in high school, so naturally I got picked on a bit. I had been meaning to listen to Pulp properly for a few years, but I suppose there reached a point in school where’d been picked on a bit too much, and I suppose I thought “Ah, these lot are weirdos like me. They’ll get it.” And so I listened to Different Class for the first time. I ended up becoming obsessed. It was the best decision I have ever made, and I met the love of my life as a result of it. I’ll be moving across the country to live with her next year, all because of Pulp.
It started two years ago (only!). I was cleaning my appartment and listening to some songs on Spotify when that weird, gloomy, orchestral song started. It catched my attention very quickly, especially when the lyrics kicked in; I was thinking "oh that's the kind of songs I like, it has such a strong narrative!". It was This Is Hardcore, and still to this day, I think it was the best way to get to know Pulp, I was surprised by how different every song was from another, and that changed my opinion on some kind of music I thought I disliked!
Then I learned about the band, started watching lots and lots of live stuff and they quickly became my number one on the list of bands I wanted to see live (so it was like a miracle when they announced very quickly that they were touring again this year!!). Got my tickets for Sheffield on the 14th, and waited patiently for july. The little cherry on top to this whole experience was when it was just on the eve of the gig, I won a ride on the now famous …
I listened to Common People at Glastonbury in about 2021 because I thought it was James Acaster in the thumbnail. Then, I got really into Common People and Disco 2000 in around November 2022. I forgot entirely about Pulp until February 2023 when I was trying to impress a girl I liked. This led to me listening to Different Class, and then, at the advice of my maths teacher, His'n'Hers. Then, from then onwards, I listened to more and more Pulp, rounding out their discography, and eventually buying every album and CD single officially released by Pulp on CD!
Well, it started, I suppose, like it must for many: I listened to Common People, one day in 2020, and got really into it, and kept on replaying to it, bouncing around the living room; and not much later, I listened to Disco 2000 and the same thing happened, and it got caught in my brain... and then it was the emotional rush of Do You Remember the First Time? and I was hooked. Underwear too. And it took a little longer for me to revisit Pulp, but in my first autumn at university, there waiting for me were Babies and Lipgloss and Mis-Shapes, the next summer was Bar Italia, Pink Glove, Acrylic Afternoons, She's a Lady, This Is Hardcore, Sunrise, Razzmatazz, I Want You, Joyriders and all the rest. It was a slow drip-feed, working my way through their discography - and it started a love affair that continues to this day.
It was spring 1994, I was 15. I kind of had one foot in the indie world (Kingmaker!) but hadn't quite gone all-in yet - I was probably still picking up second-hand Tears for Fears and Roxy Music albums at the car boot.
But my best friend at the time (thanks Ian) kept on going on about this amazing band he'd heard called Pulp, and despite my weird resistance eventually lent me his tapes of Intro and His'n'Hers. I wasn't totally sold at first, but after a few spins they started working their way in, especially lyrically: "the sun rose from the gasometers at 6.30am" still has to be one of the all-time great opening lines, and not one you were likely to hear on a Bryan Ferry record anytime soon.
I think the real hook for me was that they were somehow depicting exciting things happening in a very believable world. Those songs with their tales of love, sex and existential drama against a backdrop of rainy bus journeys, drab suburbia, stupid boys and all the rest weren't set in the exact …