Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker shares what he would tell Bob Dylan if he ever met him

A chance encounter between music legends Jarvis Cocker and Bob Dylan may not have happened, but the Pulp frontman knows what to say.

Speaking to a crowd in Minneapolis on Pulp’s More tour, Cocker confirmed he had a rough idea of what he’d say to the Mr. Tambourine Man and Things Have Changed hitmaker. Though an elusive artist, some have managed to bump their way into Dylan’s presence, like Chumlee from Pawn Stars. Whether Cocker managed to do the same on the US tour is yet to be disclosed, but the Spike Island and Common People hitmaker has shared what he’d ask Dylan. While in the city, Cocker joked that he would “probably bump into Bob Dylan” while wandering around, but it doesn’t appear to have happened. Dylan was likely on tour, with the Rough and Rowdy Ways show seeing the veteran songwriter head across the US and Europe. Dylan will continue the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour in 2026.

Cocker said: “I thought, ‘well I’ll probably bump into Bob Dylan when I get to Minneapolis, so I better think of what I’ll say to him.’ So I’ve got some of the things I was gonna say to him if I bumped into him.

“I was gonna say, ‘Bob, never walk in the rain wearing shepherd’s slippers.’ That’s because I did that yesterday and I fell over. Yeah. I went to Trader Joe’s to get some water. It was pissing it down with rain, I don’t know if you were here yesterday. I got into the entrance and just went *whoosh*. So I was going to warn him about that.”

Though it’s sound advice, Cocker hasn’t yet had a chance to pass on the message to Dylan. He added: “Not met him yet, there’s still time.” Cocker had previously praised Dylan for the Rough and Rowdy Ways performances, comparing the experience to “watching a séance”.

Speaking to Rolling Stone Magazine, Cocker said: “I started listening because I saw him in London, on the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour. The stage was very dark, but I liked that — you felt like you were watching a séance, like they were trying to make contact with some spirits. He was playing the piano, just leaning on it.

“He did that song Key West, and that was just the most amazing song — it seemed so on the edge of disappearing. I looked up Key West — it’s almost like an island, isn’t it? But I still don’t know what that song is about. Murder Most Foul — when I first heard it, I really couldn’t believe it.”

Cocker’s experience with the Dylan tour last year pushed him into listening to more songs from the veteran songwriter. The Pulp frontman added: “I started listening to Bob Dylan, for the first time. I started on the train. It was practicalities, because the Victoria line is really noisy.

“You can only bear it if you ride with your fingers in your ears. So I thought instead of doing that, I could listen to Bob, with Blood on the Tracks. I got hooked on Tangled Up in Blue, and then what’s the next one — Simple Twist of Fate. He tells you a story in such a magical way.”