Jarvis Cocker Praises Michael Jackson

Former Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker has paid tribute to his old foe Michael Jackson during an appearance on Question Time.

Jarvis Cocker released his new album 'Further Complications' earlier this year. Produced by Steve Albini, it showed a rock influenced side to the indie icon. However Cocker's songwriting skills, and above all his peerless wit, showed through.

It's all a long way from the mid 90s. After years of craving success, Jarvis Cocker's group Pulp scaled the charts with a series of golden singles. Becoming one of the nation's best loved pop acts, the band were nominated for a number of Brit awards at the 1996 ceremony.

However it was all to end in farce. Stunned by the overblown pomposity of Michael Jackson's performance Jarvis Cocker - plus another member of Pulp - invaded the stage with Cocker waggling his bottom in the King Of Pop's general direction.

All hell broke loose. Jarvis Cocker was accused of assaulting child dancers, with the British tabloids leaping to his defence. Pushing his fame into ever higher levels, the singer was later left disillusioned by the entire period, channelling his frustration into Pulp's classic album 'This Is Hardcore'.

Yet on a recent instalment of 'Question Time' the singer paid tribute to Michael Jackson. The pop icon died on Thursday (June 25th) and Cocker was keen to state the 'Thriller' star's importance.

"If there's a tragedy about the whole thing, I would say that's that if he'd have kept making great records - like he did in the mid-'80s - up to now that would have been great. But for some reason, for the last 20 years he didn't do that, and for me that's the tragic part of it," he said.

Asked if he thought Michael Jackson was a genius, Jarvis Cocker replied "Yeah. He invented the moonwalk!" to the audience's delight.

However the former Pulp singer also chastised the host David Dimbleby for claiming that he "mooned" Michael Jackson at the Brit awards. "You described it incorrectly earlier," he said, pointing at Dimbleby. "I never mooned anybody in my whole life!"

Cocker was joined on the programme by Labour Party Deputy Leader Harriet Harman, former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith, Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson David Lawes and Daily Mail columnist Peter Hitchins.