Russell Senior
Russell Senior | |
---|---|
Birth name | Russel Senior |
Born | Sheffield, England | 18 May 1961
Genres | Alternative rock, post-punk, Britpop, indie rock, indie pop, art rock |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instruments |
|
Years active | 1978–present |
Formerly of | Pulp |
Russell Senior (born 18 May 1961) is a British musician and the former guitarist and violinist of the band Pulp.
Senior was born and grew up in
Pulp
Senior first met Pulp in 1980 when he reviewed a show of theirs for his fanzine, also called The Bath Banker. He joined the third line-up of the band in 1983, the other members being
In the earlier days of the band, Senior wrote lyrics and/or provided vocals for a number of songs such as "Fairground" and "Anorexic Beauty" on Freaks and "This House is Condemned" on Separations.
As the band became successful, Senior became dissatisfied with the touring, recording and publicity treadmill the band found themselves on after their long-awaited success, and on 20 January 1997 he left Pulp to work on other projects.
In 2010 he revealed he was still friendly with his old band members, and said he left in 1997 because, "I liked the idea of ending on a high, I didn't want to slowly fade away."[2]
In November 2010, it was announced that Pulp were to reform and play live in 2011, which included Russell Senior in the line-up.[7][8] He however did not continue with the band for their 2012 tour.
In October 2015, Senior released his first book, Freak Out the Squares: Life in a Band Called Pulp. Within the book, Senior recalls stories of the band's earlier days, their rise to fame and his decision to leave. Alongside this, he gives personal recounts and diary entries of the reunion tour, and the toll it takes on him and his fellow band members. The book released to positive reviews, with an overall of 4/5 on Goodreads.
Other work
In 1999 he formed Venini with Debbie Lime (vocals), Nick Eastwood (bass - later with Dolly TV and Hiem), Bob Barton (drums - later with The Human League), and Danny Hunt (keyboards - later with Ladytron).[9] They released three singles before splitting in 2000.
Senior has also worked as a producer with Baby Birkin and more recently
He has co-written a musical about the
Personal life
He continues to live in Sheffield with his girlfriend and has two children.[4] Aside from the music world he is also a dealer in antique glassware.[5]
References
- ^ "Bath University, School of Management". The Independent. London, UK. 12 December 2010. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^ a b "Discord of the miners' strike influenced a musical journey". The Yorkshire Post. 25 March 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
- ^ "Interviews: Venini". musicOMH.com.
- ^ a b "Russell Senior". Acrylic Afternoons. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^ a b c Simpson, Dave (2 June 2009). "The ones that got away". The Guardian (UK). Retrieved 2 April 2013.
- ^ "Interview: Venini". musicOMH. 2 August 1999. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^ "Pulp Is Reuniting!". Perez Hilton. 11 August 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
- ^ Swash, Rosie (8 November 2010). "Pulp reunite for live dates in 2011". The Guardian (UK).
- ^ "Senior back in service". New Musical Express. 27 April 1999. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
- ^ "Russell Senior Discography". Discogs. 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^ Lawson, Helen (20 January 2012). "Russell Senior behind plans to bring 1980s miners' strike to the Sheffield stage as musical". The Stool Pigeon. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
- ^ "Two Tribes - The Miner' Strike Musical". tt84.co.uk. 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.