Russell Senior, the violinist and guitarist who performed with Pulp from 1983 to 1997, says he “physically collapsed” when he left the band.
Senior‘s departure from the band came following disagreements with the musical direction of the group. In his autobiography, Freak Out the Squares, Senior recalled trying to sabotage the This is Hardcore lead single, Help the Aged, by playing a blues guitar riff. The former Pulp instrumentalist, who rejoined the band briefly for their first reunion in 2011, found himself “backing away” from the band in their initial run after a corporate gig in Barcelona. Issues with feeling like “Jarvis Cocker‘s backing band” were also at play, and the day Senior had confirmed his departure from the band, he “physically collapsed”. Despite this, Senior says “living well is the best revenge” and says he has no regrets about leaving the group.
Pulp would tour without Senior over the decades after his departure, including their most recent reunion, which saw the release of More, their first album since 2001’s We Love Life. Speaking to The Guardian in 2009, two years before Senior joined Pulp for their first reunion tour, the veteran instrumentalist shared he was disappointed with Help the Aged, believing it was not a “worthy” successor to Common People.
He said: “The last concert I did with Pulp was a corporate gig for a lager company in Barcelona. We were put up in a fantastic hotel, there were supermodels hanging around, but we were playing for bored executives. I felt myself backing away.
“There were other things, such as awards ceremonies where somebody’s coke dealer has nicked your limo and you have to walk home because the record company are looking after Jarvis. We had become his backing band.
“Previously, the music always came collectively, from creative clashes, but I think Jarvis believed his own press and suddenly he was coming in with his own tunes. I didn’t think Help the Aged was worthy of following Common People, so I sabotaged it by playing blues guitar in the studio.”
Senior would leave the band soon after, meeting Cocker at a “small hotel in London” where he told the frontman he was departing. “I think the band were relieved, to be honest, because the atmosphere had become so poisonous,” he said.
Leaving the band appeared to be for the best as Senior says his “physical collapse” afterwards was similar to “cartoon characters who have run off a cliff, and only start falling once they look down.”
He added: “I’ve got a songwriting credit on Common People, but I’d be struggling if I didn’t work at all now. I’ve produced bands, but nobody any good. I’ve sold antique glass and I am writing a novel. I’ve no regrets. It would have been harder if they had succeeded. I am proud of the records with my name on. But they say living well is the best revenge.”
