Evolutionen som nølende, majestætisk popsang

Åh, ja, Jarvis Cocker er tilbage, så cool og vittigt ambitiøs:

Jarvis' metaforkataloger

- apropos metaforist-hitlisterne nedenfor: Jarvis Coker, mester-metaforist ud i sangskriverkunst og specialiteten: Sammenligningslistesangen:

TO MØRKE LISTER

- fra bonus track'et (This Is Hardcore) "Like A Friend!

You are that last drink I never should have drunk
You are the body hidden in the trunk
You are the habit I can't seem to kick
You are my secrets on the front page every week

You are the car I never should have bought
You are the train I never should have caught
You are the cut that makes me hide my face
You are the party that makes me feel my age

[Refrain]
Like a car crash I can see but I just can't avoid
Like a plane I've been told I never should board
Like a film that's so bad but I gotta stay till the end
Let me tell you now, it's lucky for you that we're friends

- fra Weeds-nummeret "Bad Cover Version"

Ah, sing your song
About all the sad imitations that got it so wrong

It's like a later Tom and Jerry
When the two of them could talk
Like the Stones since the eighties
Like the last days of Southfork
Like Planet of the Apes on TV
The second side of 'Til the Band Comes In
Like an own-brand box of cornflakes
He's going to let you down my friend

LYS LISTE

- fra nummeret "Everything I Cannot See" på Charlotte Gainsbourgs plade 5:55 (OG JEG FIK BILLETTER TIL CG-KONCERT I FØDSELSDAGSGAVE FRA MIN ELSKEDE, TAK! OG HVAD JARVIS SKREVET HAR OG CHARLOTTE SYNGER, DU!)

You're my life, you're my hope
You're the chain, you're the rope
You're my god, you're my hell
You're the sky, you're myself
You're the reason i'm living
You're all that i have to discover

You're the rain, you're the stars
You're so near, you're so far
You're my friend, you're my foe
You're the miles left to go
You are everything i ever wanted
And you are my lover

Salomé strikes back

Så fin, skarp og delikat en KONCEPTplade, Jarvis Cocker og Chilly Gonzalez' Room 29, "om" et værelse på Los Angeles' legendariske hotel Chateau Marmont - Her Cockers tekst til sangen "Salomé":

"Don't know what to do
I seem to have lost my head over you
Now see it rolling on the ground beside your feet

So shake your tambourine
Maybe it will cast out this wicked dream
That took root in my heart
Whilst I was just wandering about
Then bang - my head was gone
But hey good looking
Haven't I seen you somewhere

Salomé
Viewing figures went though the roof
Salomé
Breakdown or breakthrough

I saw a head in a box
The head was mine
I got quite a shock
I dropped it and then they re-boxed it

I saw a crowd out in the street
My money box kept them sweet, yeah
They made it turn a pretty profit
You shook your tambourine above it

Salomé
Viewing figures just went through the roof
Salomé
Breakdown or breakthrough

Oh there goes my head
Still in a box
Tucked under your arm
Now I'm at a loss
But I just love to watch you dancing
One more time
I'm out of my box
I'm out of my mind
Oh, but you're the boss
Yes you know that you are
So shake your pretty money maker
Yeah shake your pretty money maker

Yes shake your tambourine
Maybe it will cast out this wicked dream
That took root in my heart
Sometime while I was not really looking
Hey good looking"

Jeg har lige læst Oscar Wildes fængselsbrev De Profundis, og Wilde skrev jo i 1891 et skuespil om Salomé, som Cocker garanteret har i baghovedet - det slutter blodigt sådan her, og nu er det hende, der har ordet:

"SALOMÉ
[She leans over the cistern and listens.]
There is no sound, I hear nothing. Why does he not cry out, this man? Ah! if any man sought to kill me, I would cry out, I would struggle, I would not suffer. . . Strike, strike, Naaman, strike, I tell you. . . . No, I hear nothing. There is a silence, a terrible silence. Ah! something has fallen upon the ground. I heard something fall. He is afraid this slave. He is a coward, this slave! Let soldiers be sent. [She sees the Page of Herodias and addresses him.] Come hither, thou wert the friend of him who is dead, wert thou not? Well, I tell thee, there are not dead men enough. Go to the soldiers and bid them go down and bring me the thing I ask, the thing the Tetrarch has promised me, the thing that is mine. [The Page recoils. She turns to the soldiers.] Hither, ye soldiers. Get ye down into this cistern and bring me the head of this man. Tetrarch, Tetrarch, command your soldiers that they bring me the head of Jokanaan.
[A huge black arm, the arm of the Executioner, comes forth from the cistern, bearing on a silver shield the head of Jokanaan. Salome seizes it. Herod hides his face with his cloak. Herodias smiles and fans herself. The Nazarenes fall on their knees and begin to pray.]
Ah! thou wouldst not suffer me to kiss thy mouth, Jokanaan. Well! I will kiss it now. I will bite it with my teeth as one bites a ripe fruit. Yes, I will kiss thy mouth, Jokanaan. I said it; did I not say it? I said it. Ah! I will kiss it now. . . . But, wherefore dost thou not look at me Jokanaan? Thine eyes that were so terrible, so full of rage and scorn, are shut now. Wherefore are they shut? Open thine eyes! Lift up thine eyelids, Jokanaan! Wherefore dost thou not look at me? Art thou afraid of me, Jokanaan, that thou wilt not look at me? . . . And thy tongue, that was like a red snake darting poison, it moves no more, it speaks no words, Jokanaan, that scarlet viper that spat its venom upon me. It is strange, is it not? How is it that the red viper stirs no longer? . . . Thou wouldst have none of me, Jokanaan. Thou rejectedst me. Thou didst speak evil words against me. Thou didst bear thyself toward me as to a harlot, as to a woman that is a wanton, to me, Salomé, daughter of Herodias, Princess of Judæa! Well, I still live, but thou art dead, and thy head belongs to me. I can do with it what I will. I can throw it to the dogs and to the birds of the air. That which the dogs leave, the birds of the air shall devour. . . . Ah, Jokanaan, thou wert the man that I loved alone among men. All other men were hateful to me. But thou wert beautiful! Thy body was a column of ivory set upon feet of silver. It was a garden full of doves and lilies of silver. It was a tower of silver decked with shields of ivory. There was nothing in the world so white as thy body. There was nothing in the world so black as thy hair. In the whole world there was nothing so red as thy mouth. Thy voice was a censer that scattered strange perfumes, and when I looked on thee I heard a strange music. Ah! wherefore didst thou not look at me, Jokanaan? With the cloak of thine hands, and with the cloak of thy blasphemies thou didst hide thy face. Thou didst put upon thine eyes the covering of him who would see his God. Well, thou hast seen thy God, Jokanaan, but me, me, thou didst never see. If thou hadst seen me thou hadst loved me. I saw thee, and I loved thee. Oh, how I loved thee! I love thee yet, Jokanaan, I love only thee. . . . I am athirst for thy beauty; I am hungry for thy body; and neither wine nor apples can appease my desire. What shall I do now, Jokanaan? Neither the floods nor the great waters can quench my passion. I was a princess, and thou didst scorn me. I was a virgin, and thou didst take my virginity from me. I was chaste, and thou didst fill my veins with fire. . . Ah! ah! wherefore didst thou not look at me? If thou hadst looked at me thou hadst loved me. Well I know that thou wouldst have loved me, and the mystery of love is greater that the mystery of death.

HEROD
She is monstrous, thy daughter I tell thee she is monstrous. In truth, what she has done is a great crime. I am sure that it is. A crime against some unknown God.

HERODIAS
I am well pleased with my daughter. She has done well. And I would stay here now.

HEROD
[Rising.]
Ah! There speaks my brother's wife! Come! I will not stay in this place. Come, I tell thee.

Surely some terrible thing will befall. Manasseh, Issadar, Zias, put out the torches. I will not look at things, I will not suffer things to look at me. Put out the torches! Hide the moon! Hide the stars! Let us hide ourselves in our palace, Herodias. I begin to be afraid. [The slaves put out the torches. The stars disappear. A great cloud crosses the moon and conceals it completely. The stage becomes quite dark. The Tetrarch begins to climb the staircase.]

THE VOICE OF SALOMÉ
Ah! I have kissed thy mouth, Jokanaan, I have kissed thy mouth. There was a bitter taste on my lips. Was it the taste of blood ? . . . Nay; but perchance it was the taste of love. . . . They say that love hath a bitter taste. . . . But what matter? what matter? I have kissed thy mouth.

HEROD
[Turning round and seeing Salomé.]
Kill that woman!
[The soldiers rush forward and crush beneath their shields Salomé, daughter of Herodias, Princess of Judæa.]"

Mester Unmack - Rinkøbing reality

 
Vi så Love Shop i Generator i Ringkøbing i aftes (på billedet befinder de sig vist på deres hotel i Kolding), og det var en grande koncert, inklusive et sent battle med en aggressiv røgalarm; en sang, mine ører hang fast på, var "Mesteren" fra den nye plade:

Følg mig sikkert ud
fra korridorerne
på socialkontorerne
der blander kærlighed og straf

Vægtløs uden ord
kom nyd paraderne
svaje gennem gaderne
der skratter himmelsk ned i dag

Og solen bliver stærk
– se dig i mit øje
og dagen bliver hed
– løftet af et blik
lykken er den ubalance
når tæppet trækkes væk

Som var det sidste gang
jeg skulle synge din sang
her kommer mesteren
…mesteren

Opløst uden skam
i gråd bag vagterne
pigebørn selv slagterne
har taget fri fra flæsk og blod

Voldsom sød musik
beruser kvinderne
tager elskerinderne
der står klædt ud som jaget vildt

Og solen bliver stærk
– se dig i mit øje
og dagen bliver hed
– løftet af et blik
lykken er den ubalance
når tæppet trækkes væk

Som var det sidste gang
jeg skulle synge din sang
her kommer mesteren
…mesteren

Salig tager i dag
sig ud for masserne
på offerpladserne
på vejen væk fra synd og skam

(som - via det ambivalente, ildevarslende ord 'mester" - mindede mig om Jarvis Cockers sang  "Hold Still", der opnår litd af den samme effekt med det samme ord:

The train was leaving in ten minutes or so
Struggling with the suitcases I did not see you go
My heart stopped beating and I felt my blood run cold

"Hold still" I told you but you moved
Now you're gone, I can't find you growing
Yeah, we are growing but why bother?
When you can hover

On your knees and behold the might of the master
Eyes explode at the very sight of the master
We're cosmic dust but you're everything to me

Like a single parent at the fair
And you're spinning above me
Spinning
You're moving fast but you're going nowhere
Yeah, baby that's the way

On your knees and behold the might of the master
Eyes explode at the very sight of the master
Kittens are cute but a full grown cat can be cuter
I'm alive but I plan to die in the future
Hold still, hold still, hold still

We're cosmic dust but you're everything to me )

Hvor blev Jarvis af? Please explain?

Slutningen på min vrantne anmeldelse af Peder Frederik Jensens novellesamling Banedanmark er, opdager jeg lige nu, blevet slettet i avisen, forbandet nok og sikkert af pladshensyn, men det er jo altid en dårlig undskyldning:

Og det, jeg grundlæggende savner, er humor, at der les både med og mod alle disse stout desperate, jævne kvinder og mænd. Som hos den engelske singer-songwriter Jarvis Cocker, der altid har en vittig fest med alle sine lige så nedbankede ”Common People” og med ambitionen om at føle helt ægte med og som dem, selvom om man forbliver en ferm singer-songwriter eller tog-novelle-forfatter uden, trist nok, tog-blad til sine tog-noveller.

Pulp Poetry

God (gammel), lystig og kynisk og bare løsagtig sang, Pulp har indspillet som julegave til deres fans, der jo så ikke kan lade være at håbe intenst på en FAKTISK NY PLADE i det nye år, og Tesco'er var der overalt i London, åbent 24 timer ligesom 7-eleven, som jeg til gengæld ikke så nogen af!?

AFTER YOU

On the last night on earth when the horses run free
The scriptures foretell of a party in Hackney
In a dimly lit room crammed with loathing and hate
They’re selling their souls and I just can’t wait

I shrivel inside at the sight of her beauty
I fall to the floor as she’s shaking her booty
The rain makes me shiver; the wind turns me blue
Oh – the things we get up to, to get through the night after you

I knew it was wrong; I began to suspect
When she reached over and pressed the eject
I was up to the gunnels against your advice
I felt so ashamed that I did it twice

From disco to disco; from Safeway to Tesco
We’re shopping around from the cradle til death row
From Tesco it’s down to the 7-11
To chase through the night time, to chase through the night after you
After you

I can’t explain why I need to be free
But if you need to be naked that’s alright by me
It’s the fast track express to the graveyard, I know
So what are you waiting for? Hey ho, let’s go

From disco to disco; from Safeway to tesco
We’re shopping around from the cradle til death row
Don’t stop til the train has pulled into the station
I’ll hold the door for you – no, I insist, after you
After you
After you

Improviseret frygt for hunde og hvepse (gaven Jarvis)

En af de bedste julegaver var Jarvis Cockers Mother, Brother, Lover. Selected Lyrics med ikke bare (så godt som) alle de bidende følsomme tekster, men også hyper-informative NOTER til (så godt som) alle de bidende følsomme tekster, bl.a. transskriberede impro-sekvenser fra live-optræden med "His'n Hers", hvor Jarvis efter oplistningen af ting, han frygter, "I'm frightened of Belgian chocolates/ I'm frightened of potpourri/ I'm frightened of James Dean posters" spørger publikum, hvad de er bange for:

Keele University in October 1994:
JARVIS: Maybe you can tell me ... can you tell me what people in Keele are frightened of? Apart from getting crushed against that wall there. What are you frightened of?
GIRL IN AUDIENCE: Pardon?
JARVIS: I want to know what you are frightened of?
GIRL: Dogs.
JARVIS: What? Sorry?
GIRLS: Dogs!
JARVIS: Dogs. It's not a very well-known fact ... you've probably seen a lot of nature programmes, yeah? And in these nature programmes they make out that man was descended from the apes. And at at one time we were all walking around like this, yeah? We evolved to stand upright and drive cars. And er ... support football teams. But recent research ... recent research has proved that man is not descended from the apes as had previously been believed, but man is actually descended from dogs (...) this will explain lot of behaviour you get to see at night clubs and discos. Yeah like a dog sniffs a lamp post ...

Eller endnu skarpere improviseret på STIKordet "hvepse" i tv-programmet Butt Naked, også 1994 (og åh, Jarvis er også mit danse- eller bare bevægelses-idol):

3 populærmusikalske meta-hymner

1. The Beatles: Only a Northern Song

If you're listening to this song
You may think the chords are going wrong
But they're not
He just wrote it like that

When you're listening late at night
You may think the bands are not quite right
But they are
They just play it like that

It doesn't really matter what chords I play
What words I say or time of day it is
As it's only a Northern Song

It doesn't really matter what clothes I wear
or how I fare or if my hair is brown
When it's only a Northern Song

If you think the harmony
Is a lttle dark and out of key
You're correct
There's nobody there
And I told you there's no one there

2. WAR: This Funky Music Makes You Feel Good

This Funky Music Makes You Feel Good

This Funky Music Makes You Feel Good

This Funky Music Makes You Feel Good

This Funky Music Makes You Feel Good

This Funky Music Makes You Feel Good

This Funky Music Makes You Feel Good

This Funky Music Makes You Feel Good

This Funky Music Makes You Feel Good

This Funky Music Makes You Feel Good

This Funky Music Makes You Feel Good

 

3. Pulp: Something Changed

I wrote this song two hours before we met.
I didn't know your name or what you looked like yet.
Oh I could have stayed at home and gone to bed.
I could have gone to see a film instead.
You might have changed your mind and seen your friends.
Life could have been very different but then,
something changed.
Do you believe that there's someone up above?
Does he have a timetable directing acts of love?
Why did I write this song on that one day?
Why did you touch my hand and softly say.
Stop asking questions that don't matter anyway.
Just give us a kiss to celebrate here today.
Something changed.
When we woke up that morning we had no way of knowing,
that in a matter of hours we'd change the way we were going.
Where would I be now if we'd never met?
Would I be singing this song to someone else instead?
I dunno but like you said
something changed.

Bonusmareridt

En hidtil usynlig sang fra en til bevidstløshed klassisk plade der som pludseligt bonustrack bliver næsten uudholdeligt nærværende og derpå hjemsøgende - eksempel "You're a Nightmare" fra xtra-cd'en på luxusudgaven af Pulps (HVORFOR spiller de ikke på Roskilde!?) His'n Hers, som har forfulgt mig aggressivt ret præcist et døgn nu, når det ikke er mig, der aggressivt har forfulgt den, som da jeg kom ud fra Empire i går ved midnat (efter at have set Super, hysterisk sjov og følsom anti-superheltefilm med Rain Wilsom og Ellen Page) og jeg ikke længere havde sangen i hovedet, men desperat VILLE have sangen i hovedet og satte den på repeat, straks jeg kom hjem, så jeg kunne falde i søvn til det taktfaste ekko af my man Jarvis Cocker croonende det perfekte omkvæd for 17 år siden:

All day / I'm doing fine / 'cos there are things / to pass the time
Smoke a cig / and drink some tea / watch a programme / on TV
I just don't care where you are now / 'cos I'm sorted out, and how
I've got it all set up you see / But when I close my eyes it happens to me
You're a nightmare / and you've made it all wrong
You're a nightmare to me / Oh hoh / You're a nightmare
oh and I just can't see / why you should keep on happening to me
oh yeah / aah / Well it stopped some time in May / whilst you were still away
Was I in bed or on a bus / doing something pathetically ridiculous?
I never noticed it at first / But when you came back it got worse
It's the idea of you, you see / when I close my eyes it happens to me
Oh you're a nightmare / and you've got it all wrong
You're a nightmare to me / Oh hoh / You're a nightmare
and I just can't see / why you should keep on / happening to me
You're a nightmare / and you've got it all wrong
You're a nightmare to me / Oh hoh / You're a nightmare
and I just can't see / why you should keep on
happening / happening to me / Oh oh oh
And there were hotel bedroom birthdays / sleep in factory hallway
I remember always Yeah there were hotel bedroom birthdays
and sleep in factory hallway / I remember always
Why do you keep on / hanging round
Can't you see it gets me down?
Because when I look at you I see / somebody I just don't want to be
Oh woh you're a nightmare / and you got it all wrong
You're a nightmare to me / Oh hoh / You're a nightmare
and you just can't see / why you should keep on / happening to me
You're a nightmare / and you've got it all wrong
Yeah you're a nightmare to me / Oh hoh / You're a nightmare
and I just can't see / oh why why you should keep on / happening to me
You're a mightmare / and you've got it all wrong
Oh you're a nightmare to me / Oh hoh / You're a nightmare
oh and I just can't see / why you're / why you're
you're always hanging around / you're always hanging round
You're always hanging around / You're always hanging round
You're always hanging round / You're always hanging round
you're always hanging round / You're always hanging round.

Hvad jeg burde have spurgt om ved (hvert) Gymnasie-info-møde

I wonder why the schools don't teach anything useful these days
Like how to fall from grace, and slide with elegance from a pedestal
I never asked to be on in the first place.

(fra Marianne Faithfull & Jarvis Cockers fantastiske sang "Sliding Thorugh Life on Charm" på MF-cd'en Kissin Time)