By Stephanie Roman
Either Jarvis Cocker has reached the seventh level of enlightened musical nirvana, or he's gone completely off his rocker. Pulp's ex-frontman is recently divorced and has a new album, Further Complications, due out May 19. Check out today's letter to Jarv's fans from the man himself. He's just announced either a well-timed publicity stunt or a genuine breakdown. Imagine Jarvis leading an aerobics class or joining a drum circle with local school kids. Cheesy or brilliant?
Jarvis is making an exhibition of himself!
Friends of Jarvis,
As we're sure some of you are already aware, the man is back, so is his
groove and he wants to share it with you. Hence, he's giving a series of
dance, music and aerobics classes for you all to enjoy live via the
Internets right now, or more specifically 12pm til 6pm Parisian time. If
you haven't logged on already, then we're sad to inform you of some of the
things you've missed; Jarvis managing a musically accompanied yoga class, a
beautiful belly dancer, performing hard rock with class of over excited 8
year olds and numerous jam sessions with an eclectic mix of locals fresh
off the street.
So visit http://jarviscocker.net without delay and don't forget to grab
your free Mp3 from the imminent "Further Complications." album which you
can now pre order via the same site, and all good (and also bad) record
retailers, such as:
Rough Trade: http://bit.ly/DsQbZ
Amazon: http://bit.ly/QdugJ
Play: http://bit.ly/YWcju
Here's a message from Jarvis to explain exactly what you can expect to see
via the live feed over the next few days:
Back in October 2006, when I was asked to edit The Observer Music Monthly
in the UK, I asked the question "What is Music for?". Two & a half years on
I would like to shorten that question to: WHAT IS MUSIC?
ALSO
I have lost count of the number of articles proclaiming the imminent or
actual death of the music industry. Does this mean that music can now go
back to being an art form again? & If so, is it the first art form to begin
adapting itself to the post-capitalist society we now find ourselves living
in? Or is it just something you get free when you buy a mobile phone?
Digital content.
ALSO
What happens if you get a band to rehearse in an art gallery instead of a
rehearsal space? What if you invite members of the public to play with the
band? Or invite them to submit song titles which the band then have to base
an improvisation upon? Could a live band provide the accompaniment to an
aerobics class? What happens if you play music from 12 noon til 7pm, 7 days
a week? & What if you invite the kids from the local school to come round
on their Wednesday off?
SO
From Tuesday 5th of May until Sunday 10th of May I will be occupying
Galerie Chappe, 4, Rue Andre Barsacq, 75018 Paris, France (+33 1 42 62 42
12 www.galeriechappe.fr) from 12 noon til 6/7pm each day (maybe later some
nights) & attempting to answer these pertinent questions. I will be
assisted by the members of my band: Martin Craft, Steve Mackey, Tim McCall,
Ross Orton & Simon Stafford plus, at various times, we hope to be joined by
other musicians currently living in the Paris area.
& THEN
If you live locally please come down & join in this experiment. If you
don't you can follow its progress on www.jarviscocker.net which will run
for the duration of the installation. Each day will be archived &
re-broadcast for the convenience of those living in different time-zones.
& FINALLY
A selection of Rankin's photography for my soon-to-be-released album
"Further Complications" will be on view during the course of this show.
These images are an integral part of the exhibition & will also be offered
for sale through the gallery.
– – – – – – – – –
TIMETABLE OF EVENTS
FRIDAY 8th MAY
12 – 2pm – BAND REHEARSAL
2 – 3pm – IMPROVISATIONS ON A THEME (throughout the course of the
exhibition a box will be available in the gallery into which members of the
public can post titles, phrases, suggestions, lyrics or anything else that
the band can then base improvisations around. During this hour the band
will create a number of pieces based on� selections of this material).
3 – 4pm – AEROBICS CLASS
4 – 5pm – BRING AN INSTRUMENT (members of the public are invited to bring
an instrument with them & play along with the band. Amplification will be
available for electric instruments).
5 – 6pm – GUEST PERFORMANCE (an invited guest will play with the band)
SATURDAY 9th MAY
12 – 2pm – BAND REHEARSAL
2- 3pm – BRING AN INSTRUMENT
3 – 4pm – DANCING (the band will play an hour of music designed to
encourage people to dance. Dress appropriately)
4 – 6pm – SET-UP FOR OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE (weather permitting)
6 – 7pm – OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE (the band will play a short open-air concert
just outside the gallery)
SUNDAY 10th MAY
12 – 2pm – BAND REHEARSAL
2 – 3pm – QUIET HOUR (an hour of the softest music the band can play)
3 – 4pm – GUEST PERFORMANCE
4 – 6pm – REVIEW OF THE WEEK (the band will play music written over the
course of the past 6 days)
This is a very rough schedule & will be subject to change at the drop of a
hat – but it does give some idea of the kind of things that will be
happening. Updates will be available during the course of the exhibition
through the gallery's website.
– – – – – – – – –
Join the Jarvis Facebook group for videos, tour dates, news and other
treats: http://bit.ly/16weYg
Alternatively there's Jarvspace should you be so inclined:
http://www.myspace.com/jarvspace
