It's all kind of a blur in my mind - but I know it happened. North America & Canada between April 22nd & May 1st. Oh yes. First of all, thanks to The Dirty Projectors in New York, Honeycut in San Francisco, Mono in VCF in Seattle & The Choir Practice in Vancouver - fantastic opening acts one & all; you really should try & check them out. Now, what else? Oh yes - thanks to Amy Winehouse & crew for drinking all our beer in Coachella - good for our health. & thanks to The Jesus & Mary Chain, Arctic Monkeys & Gillian Welch for providing a great soundtrack to the day. The second show in New York was filmed by Vice magazine so look out for that going on the web soon. Best record shop in the Western Hemisphere is in Seattle - it's called Bop Street (I think). Vancouver smells nice.

It's full steam ahead with the Meltdown festival now - I'm hoping we can do some kind of deal so bits can be shown on the internet - that way all you lot in foreign climes won't feel left out. All being well there should be some new content on this page now - 'bout bloody time I say. I know - & I still haven't done a new podcast - it will happen, honest. Oh & whilst I was away the number of visitors to this page passed the one million mark - I'll tell my Mum to stop logging on now; I guess I look popular enough.

You can't calm cheetahs.

xx Jarvis

Being upside-down can make all the blood rush to your head in an unpleasant way so I'll keep this quite short: we are playing in North America soon & need support bands for New York (2 shows), San Francisco, Seattle & Vancouver - do you think you could help? Same idea as the Europe shows - you recommend LOCAL bands that would be good for the job (preferably with a link to somewhere I can hear their music) & I'll do the rest. It worked a treat before - let's unleash the magic again!

G'day xx Jarvis

What can I say? I have no excuses, no illnesses, no nothing - there is
simply no excuse for the amount of time that has elapsed since we last
spoke. I can't blame the UK tour - the audiences were kind, my kin-folk in
Sheffield did not turn on me & tear my flesh. I could say that I've been
busy turning up to award ceremonies & leaving at the end of the night
empty-handed but that would be somewhat pathetic, would it not? I could say
that I was busy coming up with the epoch-defining version of Heaven 17's
"Temptation" that Beth Ditto & I performed at the Hammersmith Palais the
other week - but the truth is, we only rehearsed it once on the night before
the event. Maybe the up-coming curatorship of the Meltdown festival on
London's South Bank this June has eaten up all my time? Oh, whatever; I'm
sorry, ok? Let's just leave it at that.


This site is going to undergo a revamp in the next couple of weeks - new
songs, videos, etc. If you have any bands you think that I MUST put on at
the Meltdown let me know - you did a great job of recommending supports for
the European tour. Handy hint: isn't it irritating when you rummage around
frantically for a pen only to discover that it won't write when you finally
find it? Well, here's a cure: hold a lighted match or lighter to the nib of
the pen for a few seconds & then try again - usually it will work! (only
works with ballpoints). I'd like to pretend that I discovered that myself
but I actually got it from "Sometimes a Great Notion" - the book I was
reading the other month. By the way, thanks to everyone who sent in
suggestions for my future reading matter - much appreciated.


I'll try not to leave it so long next time - oh & yes, I should be
recording some new podcasts next week too.


It's all 'appening.

More ramblings...

THANKYOU! THANKYOU! That's Thanks to all of you who attended the concerts in
Europe & made them so pleasurable. Thanks to everyone who suggested local
support bands & a very sizeable Thanks to all the bands who played with us:

Jennifer Gentle in Milan, Roosbeef in Amsterdam, Ruacutane in Brussels, Baby, You Can Follow Me Down in Cologne, Gabriela Martini in Hamburg, Superautomaticdog in Copenhagen & The Tiny in Stockholm - I would heartily recommend that you check these groups out cos they're great.

Now it's back to reality - unpack my suitcase, wash my smalls, etc but every now & then throughout the day a memory from the past 12 days floats to the surface of my consciousness & I smile.

So, thankyou once again - I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Roll on the UK dates!

Hear ye, hear ye - the tour of the year is underway & I just want to say thanks very much to everyone who suggested bands who could play with us. We have bands for all the dates now so you can stop sending in suggestions.

First up, on Thursday night in Milan, were Jennifer Gentle & they were great - why not have a look at their MySpace page? Go on - you know you want to.

Next up will be Amsterdam - who's playing with us there? Well, you'll just have to wait to find out won't you? I'm going to try to stay in touch throughout the tour - as long as I don't get too wasted on Gouda & Tulips.

Stay beautiful.

Love, Jarvis xx

I guess this will be the last
opportunity we get to have a chat before we are engulffed by goodwill to
all, etc. Thanks for visiting - those of you who came to the Roundhouse:
thanks for rocking - those of you who have left messages: thanks for caring
- those who head our nations & pursue repressive policies under the name of
Democracy whilst encouraging the despoilment of our Mother Earth in the name
of "the Market" : thanks for nothing. Ooh Missis. Misletoe & Wine is
poisonous! Anyway, have a lovely time & I hope 2007 has many treats in store
for you.


I have posted some pictures I took the other day. Look at them in order & you
may find them amusing.

Keep up the good work

xx Jarvis

Ok, so now we've been corresponding for a few months I thought maybe
it was time that we got to know one another a bit better. My full name is
Jarvis Branson Cocker & I was delivered into this world on the 19th of
September 1963 in Nether Edge Hospital, Sheffield (now luxury apartments).
I would like to thank each & every one of you who has visited this site -
especially those who have left messages. I read the messages but I don't
reply personally because I am a vengeful god & my ways are mysterious. Think
of this as your crash-pad, a safe-house, somewhere where no-one will bother
you or try to hurt you. Talk to each other - you seem like a nice bunch. I
take great interest in your progress.
On a more mundane note - I have played 3 concerts & I am very happy
with how they went. All those of you who came: thanks for your patience. In
fact - Chanks! I was nervous about playing unfamiliar material for the first
time but, with your help, I pulled it off. & I didn't die of exhaustion or
forget all the words or fall over or anything! More will follow.
Have any of you read "Sometimes a Great Notion" by Ken Kesey? I was
always put off this book by its length & subject matter (Union -breaking
Oregon logging family) but I'm about half-way through now & it's really
reminded me of what a great writer Kesey was. In a way what the book's about
doesn't matter - you just sit back & let the guy get on with it. & the
collision between the rustic subject matter & the writer's acid-influenced
prose-style is quite something. Feel free to let me know about any
books/authors that you'd particularly recommend - let's get intelecktshuall!
It feels like the first phase of this site is coming to an end &
something new is in the air - I've been rummaging about in the loft & will
try & post some interesting bits & bats that I've unearthed when I get the
chance. Hopefully I will be constructing my own site in the very near future
so imagine what fun that's gonna be!
Ok, that's all for now - wrap up warm & try & find a hat that doesn't
make your head itch too much. MySpace, MyThoughts.
love, Jarvis xx

Top o' the Modem to ya! Yes, I was in Dublin's fair city last week taking
part in "Came so Far for Beauty"; an evening of people singing the songs of
Leonard Cohen. & what did I learn? Well, that Guinness makes you sing with a
frog in your throat, that Lou Reed has has designed his own pair of
spectacles & that there are 13,000 Leonard Cohen fans in the Dublin area.
I know that dead tree media is pretty passe nowadays but if you fancy it I
have edited the issue of the Observer Music Monthly that comes out this
Sunday. There are articles on Lee Hazlewood, underage discos & Russian
Depeche Mode fans plus some very ugly photos of yours truly. Only available
in the UK I guess - I'll try to make it up to my international friends
somehow.
Are you getting that Autumn feeling yet? When exactly does mellow
fruitfulness turn into irreversible decay? Dunno - but isn't it time to go
& take a tin of cling peaches & some corned beef round to a local
pensioner's house? Share the bounty of the harvest. All together: "We plough
the fields & scatter...."
Laters.

Good Morning,
Feeling guilty about not communicating with my public for a
while, so.....

Forgive me Cyber-sisters & Binary-brothers - I haven't been in touch for
ages, I know. Truth is, I've been proper poorly - I would like to think it
was due to working so hard on bringing you the album of the Millennium (so
far) but it's more likely to do with licking too much loose change (see my
last communication). Anyway I'm better now & even managed to attend the
premiere of the film "Children of Men" the other night - I would heartily
recommend this film to you: it has a powerful message & Michael Caine gives
a wonderful portrayal of an old hippy - but also it features one of yours
truly's songs over the end credits (tho' you have to wait a while to hear
it). Failing that you could always go out & collect some conkers - saw loads
today in Paris just going to waste cos it has never caught on here as a
sport. Quelle dommage.
Keep me in the loop.
love, Jarvis xx

Message on behalf of Jarvis:
Jarvis has recorded a series of short story readings, available as podcasts. Jarvis will be delving into his favourite books for these podcasts, the first of which is available now with further podcasts being released