Good Pop, Bad Pop cover art

Good Pop, Bad Pop

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Good Pop, Bad Pop

By: Jarvis Cocker
Narrated by: Jarvis Cocker
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

What if the things we keep hidden say more about us than those we put on display?

We all have a random collection of the things that made us—photos, tickets, clothes, souvenirs, stuffed in a box, packed in a suitcase, crammed into a drawer. When Jarvis Cocker starts clearing out his loft, he finds a jumble of objects that catalogue his story and ask him some awkward questions:

Who do you think you are?

Are clothes important?

Why are there so many pairs of broken glasses up here?

From a Gold Star polycotton shirt to a pack of Wrigley's Extra, from his teenage attempts to write songs to the Sexy Laughs Fantastic Dirty Joke Book, this is the hard evidence of Jarvis's unique life, Pulp, 20th-century pop culture, the good times and the mistakes he'd rather forget. And this accumulated debris of a lifetime reveals his creative process—writing and musicianship, performance and ambition, style and stagecraft.

This is not a life story. It's a loft story.

Recorded on location with the author and featuring archival material, Good Pop, Bad Pop, is an intimate and immersive listening experience with an icon of British culture.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Jarvis Cocker (P)2022 Penguin Audio
Music Social Sciences Entertainment
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Jarvis has done a creative weave of a story on how he became a figurehead for British Indie Scene. I love the way he knows who he is and shows the listener.

I tried to stay objective

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Love it. Upbeat but soothing. Funny, honest, and genuine account of days that has past and what inspired and led him to be the musician he is today. I'd love to hear more of his stories.

Unexpected gem, he's a wonderful narrator

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Loved the premise of sorting through piles of hoarded tat to spark memories of Jarvis’s life and the “becoming Jarvis Cocker the pop legend” story. It’s also a story of working class Sheffield and youth in the 80s and 90s. Very enjoyable.

Great coming of age story

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The story is like a 6 hour pulp song that I just couldn’t stop listening to. Draws you in and hearing names and places and stories draws you back to so many songs that I loved then and still do now. Can not wait for the next part. Ended perfectly and was very inspiring.

Absolutely loved it

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An innovative take on the musician auto biography; infinitely enjoyable, amusing and insightful. Cleverly blending the artefact contents of an attic with personal story. Greatly nostalgic and a wonderful time capsule of of an interesting artist.

Better than an autobiography

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Fabulous and unique recollections of the past by Jarvis Cocker, presented in an innovative way through sorting through his attic’s contents. Enjoyed it immensely. Looking forward to the next instalment!

Excellent

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I really enjoyed this origin story of how Jarvis Cocker became the musician we know - the quirky portraits of childhood and growing up in Sheffield, moving out of home and finding his voice, all told through the narrative device of sorting through odds and ends found in a loft. Terrific style throughout, Jarvis reads his story well, and the additional sound production really brought it to life. Highly recommended.

Portrait of the Artist as a Sheffielder

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Jarvis narrates superbly and plays clips etc that one couldn't get from a mere reading.

Amust for any Pulp fan

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Essentially Jarvis: the early years, a biography told through objects. Can't beat hearing JC reading his own life story. Loved it.

Good book, great narrator.

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I really enjoyed this book. I am a fan of Jarvis so came in biased, but was pleasantly surprised to hear that the regular narrative style had been dismissed to create a very intimate narration style. I won’t say too much else because I want you to have the same experience I did, but if you have an interest in Pulp or Jarvis at all this book is a must.

One of the better rock biographies

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