Taking us through the contents of his attic, the Pulp frontman shows there was always more to him than ironic posturing.

Still skinny as a rake, salt and pepper hair uncombed, his bag full of books, the epitome of the rumpled dandy about town. but Jarvis Cocker shows thoroughly the intrinsic value of POP and that is also one of the best things about Pulp as a band - they use strings and synths and all the hallmarks of 90s pop rock music and it sounds fantastic. One of the most interesting items is the label from a bar of Imperial Leather, with a little bit of soap still attached to it.Die Schilderungen der 80er Jahre, in denen er an der idealen Besetzung von Pulp bastelt und versucht, erfolgreich seine musikalischen Ideen umzusetzen, bekommen ihre Längen und verlieren an Würze. Even the most seemingly worthless objects – a used bar of Imperial Leather soap, a plaster cast of his wonky teeth, a polyester shirt, a green plastic apple – released a rush of memories, undisturbed since the day they were interred. There’s something deeply endearing about these early exploits, a lost world of fanzines and flyposting. there's a lot of books written by musicians at the moment that have excellent graphic design and photos and I love it.

A poor condition book can still make a good reading copy but is generally not collectible unless the item is very scarce. After all, they were a band with plenty of intellect and intentionality behind them, but sometimes they were also just a nexus for the faintly rum. Artist Jeremy Deller meets Jonny Banger, founder of Sports Banger: a rave/fashion/food bank/political activism collective whose latest clothing collection bears the label “The People Deserve Beauty”. Irony ruled the 1990s, but we used it brutally: it was insecure, and negative, and kept real enthusiasms hidden. Jumbles were nirvana: not only did they help Cocker find his own style – see the polyester BHS shirt on page 29 – they also served tea and cake.This was a Christmas present, probably not a book I would have chosen for myself, but it is an enjoyable, engaging and entertaining read, a memoir told through the memorabilia Cocker found while sorting his loft.