Pulp guitarist Mark Webber has announced details of his personal history of Pulp, which gathers material from the extensive collection of ephemera and objects that he has accumulated over four decades of involvement with the band. The book combines images with Webber’s reminiscences to chronicle a history of Pulp, told from the inside. I’m With Pulp, Are You? features photographs, flyers, record covers, set lists, badges, posters, press clippings, and merchandise, alongside masses of promotional material to present a unique history of one of Britain’s most beloved bands. I'm With Pulp, Are You? also features a foreword by Jarvis Cocker, and newly commissioned essays by music writers Simon Reynolds and Luke Turner.
Webber explains, “I began to excavate the boxes of Pulp ephemera that I’d hoarded over the years and was amazed to discover so many things that I hadn’t seen for decades, things I’d completely forgotten about. It’s taken a while to get it all together into a book, and in the meantime the group unexpectedly reunited to go on tour again. I’m excited to finally share the stuff I’ve saved, and to present it in this way, along with memories of my experiences of being involved in Pulp from the 1980s ’til now.”
When Mark Webber discovered Pulp as a teenage music fan in 1985, the band was on first-name terms with most of their limited audience. Over the next few years, Mark began to help out with stage sets and light shows, eventually becoming the group’s first tour manager and running the fan club. Having been called upon to play guitar and keyboards at live shows, he began to contribute to songwriting and recordings before being asked to join the band in 1995. This incredible backstory—from being a fan to joining his favourite band—provides the unique perspective of I’m With Pulp, Are You?
Pulp formed in 1978, while frontman Jarvis Cocker was still at school. After many years and personnel changes, they finally began to achieve widespread recognition in the 1990s with hit singles like ‘Babies’, ‘Do You Remember the First Time?’ and ‘Common People’, and the albums Different Class and This is Hardcore. Following a hiatus that started in 2002, Pulp made a surprise return to play concerts in 2011-12 and are currently back on tour again. Having recently completed sold out shows in the UK and Latin America, the “encore” continues with European summer festivals and a sold-out US tour scheduled for autumn 2024.
