Jarvis Cocker To Receive Honourary Doctorate

Former Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker will receive an honorary doctorate from Sheffield Hallam University in November.

Cocker claims the university gave him a start in art and music and led to him being given a place at London, England's Central St. Martin's College in 1988.

"Sheffield Hallam started my career in two ways — firstly as a musician because John Peel 'discovered' us at Sheffield Polytechnic, and then as an artist," Cocker explained to Uncut.

Aside from being an exceptionally talented lyricist, Cocker is known for his musically inspired antics. He was quite possibly the first to pull a "Kanye" at a music awards show, for instance.

In 1996, Cocker protested against Michael Jackson's performance at the BRIT Awards by jumping on stage with now ex-Pulp bassist Peter Mansell. The two ran across the stage, lifting their shirts and pointing their "clothed bottoms" in Jackson's direction during his performance of "Earth Song," which featured Jackson as a Christ-like figure surrounded by children.

Cocker has become increasingly more eccentric in his live performances over the last few years. Whether it's performing the worm on stage or drawing creepy eyes on his hands, it's clear he's still one of Britain's most compelling musicians.

Earlier this year, Cocker curated a six-day art installation in Paris, France's Galerie Chappe themed around the question "What is music?" It included yoga classes, a public jam session and one day devoted to children, which saw Cocker leading a bunch of French kids through some entertaining choreography.

All in all, we applaud Cocker's honorary degree, even if he didn't apologize for his MJ stunt after Jacko's death this past summer: