Blixa Bargeld
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Blixa Bargeld | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Christian Emmerich |
Also known as | Blixa |
Born | January 12, 1959 |
Origin | West Berlin, Germany |
Genre(s) | Alternative rock, industrial, indie, experimental |
Occupation(s) | Musician, band leader, solo artist, spoken word artist, actor |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitarist |
Years active | 1980–present |
Label(s) | Mute, EGO, Some Bizzare, Our Choice, Rough Trade |
Associated acts | Einstürzende Neubauten Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds |
Website | www.blixa-bargeld.com |
Blixa Bargeld (born Christian Emmerich on January 12, 1959 in West Berlin, Germany) is a composer, author, actor, singer, musician, performer and lecturer in a number of artistic fields. He is best known for his studio work and tours with the groups Einstürzende Neubauten and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
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[edit] Artistic career
In 1980 he founded the music group Einstürzende Neubauten which released numerous albums and singles, performed all over the world, and still exists to this day. His stage name comes from Blixa, a German brand of blue felt pen, and Bargeld, German for hard cash (fiat currency, as opposed to representative currency) . Bargeld also refers to German Dada artist Johannes Theodor Baargeld
From 1983 to 2003, Blixa Bargeld was a long-time guitarist and backing vocalist in Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Bargeld also sang several "co-vocals" with Cave, such as on "The Carny" and "The Weeping Song."
He is credited with playing guitar on the Gun Club song, "Yellow Eyes", off the 1987 album Mother Juno.[1]
Since the middle of the 90s Bargeld has appeared live with his solo Rede/Speech Performances. During these performances, usually supported by Neubauten's sound engineer Boris Wilsdorf, he works with microphones, sound effects, overdubbing with the help of sampler loops, and speaks English or German. The performed pieces include such curiosities as a vocal creation of the DNA of an angel and a parody of a techno song.
His guitars of choice include Fender Jaguars and Mustangs, as seen on Concert DVD "God Is In The House", partner documentary "No More Shall We Part: The Recording Sessions", and various other media appearances.
[edit] Personal life
- Blixa Bargeld had a short romance with Cinema of Transgression's Lung Leg, documented in Nick Zedd's Totem of the Depraved.
- He is married to Erin Zhu who is also the webmaster of http://neubauten.org and lives in San Francisco, Shanghai, Beijing and Berlin.
- Blixa is a vegetarian, as are most of the members of Einstürzende Neubauten.[2]
[edit] Solo discography
- 1995 "Commissioned Music"
- 1996 "Die Sonne" (with Gudrun Gut and Members of the Ocean Club, album and single)
- 2000 "Recycled" (Soundtrack composed by Blixa Bargeld, arranged and directed by Tim Isfort and performed by his orchestra)
- 2001 "Elementarteilchen": Audioplay based on Michel Houellebecq's novel Les Particules élémentaires.
- 2006 "Blixa Bargeld liest Bertolt Brecht Erotische Gedichte" spoken voice recording in German of Bertolt Brecht's erotic poems
[edit] Other recordings
- 1993 "Radio Inferno" (see also: Inferno)
[edit] Filmography
- Recycled
- The Mummy (in which his only role was to make the characteristic growl of the mummy itself)
- Die Totale Therapie
- Die Terroristen!
- Wings of Desire (as himself, during the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds performance)
- Nihil oder Alle Zeit der Welt
- Dandy (1987, directed by Peter Sempel)
- Kalt wie Eis
- Liebeslieder (1995)
- Palast der Republik (2004)
- Halber Mensch (2005)
- On Tour with Neubauten.org (2006)
- Listen With Pain (2006)
- Blixa Bargeld: Rede / Speech DVD (2006)
[edit] References
- ^ Mother Juno album sleeve.
- ^ Kochen mit Alexander Hacke, 21.06.2005, intro.de (in German)
[edit] External links
- Blixa Bargeld website
- Einstürzende Neubauten official website
- Blixa Bargeld received the Qwartz d'Honneur
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