The Cribs’ Ryan Jarman reveals how he owns Keanu Reeves’ jacket and a locket of Kurt Cobain’s hair
In an exclusive interview with Far Out, The Cribs‘ Ryan Jarman revealed how he came into possession of a jacket worn by Keanu Reeves in a classic movie and a locket of Kurt Cobain’s hair.
Jarman is the latest guest on Far Out’s new YouTube series, Existential Boozer, which sees guests delve into the deeply personal and sometimes humourous Proust Questionnaire.
One particular question is in regards to Jarman’s greatest extravagance, which is the famous jacket that Keanu Reeves wore in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 movie, Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Jarman explained, “I guess in 2009, I think it was, it was definitely when Johnny (Marr) was in the band, and some guy was trying to sell me Keanu Reeves’ jacket from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It was like the one he got married in, or something, and he wanted loads of money for it.”
The guitarist hilariously continued, “I don’t even know how he got in touch with me, but suffice to say, I ended up buying it, and it’s lived in my mum’s attic for the last ten years.”
Later, in the conversation, Jarman revealed that his most treasured possession is a locket of Kurt Cobain’s hair that he was generously gifted by Courtney Love, who became an unlikely friend.
Jarman shared that the gift arrived shortly after he “got stabbed in the back on that table full of glass” at the NME Awards in 2006. Around this time, The Cribs would regularly be in Los Angeles, and Jarman would stay at the Hole vocalist’s home whenever he was in town, revealing, “Whenever I was in LA I would be living with Courtney Love at her house, which was great, you know what I mean, and when I was a kid, the idea that’s where I’d stay in LA… I wouldn’t have really believed it.”
“So, I used to stay with her a lot, and after that NME Awards incident, she gave me a lock of Kurt Cobain’s hair,” he told Far Out. Jarman then revealed that he keeps his most prized possession “in a little drug baggy”.
He also explained his trepidation in sharing the story, adding, “I’ve literally never told anyone about that because I felt a bit embarrassed to tell people.” Jarman continued, “There’s almost like a rub of whether or not that’s bad taste. But, it’s like she gave it to me almost as this talismanic kind of thing. Because I’d had this incident, and she was like ‘Look, this is what happens when you die young’.”
While Jarman considers it to be a “cool gesture”, he also understood “it wasn’t like a fun gift” due to the words Love said when giving it to him.
Despite it being Jarman’s most prized possession, it’s kept safe at the bottom of his sock drawer rather than in a museum for rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia.
The Cribs’ new album, Selling A Vibe, is set for release on January 9th, 2026. Next year, they will head out on a UK tour, as well as a huge show in Leeds next summer at Millennium Square.
Watch the full conversation with Ryan Jarman on Far Out’s Existential Boozer below.
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