When Jarvis Cocker turns your childhood obsession into a crowd joke.
Comedy writer Ruth Husko was left red-faced when Jarvis Cocker unknowingly roasted her teenage self in front of thousands at Pulp’s Birmingham gig.
During the June 19 show, Cocker reminisced about a 1998 NEC performance where a lone balloon fell from a failed stage trick—only for an overzealous fan (15-year-old Husko) to wave it around like a “moron.”
Now, decades later, he reenacted the moment, calling it “the most humiliating experience of his life,” unaware the “woman” he mocked was Husko herself.
Mortifying experience at Pulp last night but taking comfort that I’m not the worst person Jarvis Cocker has ever impersonated pic.twitter.com/fPhBzygwMl
— Ruth Husko (@dank_ackroyd) June 20, 2025
“Back then, I’d have done anything for Jarvis to notice me,” she tweeted. “Now he’s doing an impression of me looking like a fucking dollop in front of thousands.”
She joked about the irony, adding, “At least I didn’t dress as Rolf Harris in 2002.”
Pulp’s tour continues, with rumours of a Glastonbury secret set.
Meanwhile, Husko can laugh—mostly—about being immortalised as Cocker’s accidental comedy foil.
