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[ "Melissa Gilbert", "Relationships", "Was she ever married?", "actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married", "When did they marry?", "February 22, 1988," ]
C_f7930dd76a52485aa1b2cfd00047723f_0
Did they have any children?
3
Did Melissa and Bo have any children?
Melissa Gilbert
After her break up with Rob Lowe, Gilbert left for New York City to star in the play A Shayna Maidel. Gilbert was set up with actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married on February 22, 1988, only seven weeks after her relationship with Rob Lowe ended. Gilbert became pregnant months later. On May 1, 1989, she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman. They divorced in 1992. Only weeks after Gilbert's divorce filing, Bruce Boxleitner's former wife, Kathryn Holcomb, set Boxleitner up with Gilbert. Holcomb by then was married to actor Ian Ogilvy. Gilbert had met Boxleitner as a teenager when they both were on Battle of the Network Stars when Gilbert introduced herself, and she had a pin-up of him in her locker. But Boxleitner ignored her because she was a teen and he was many years older than she was. After reconnecting, the couple started dating on and off for over a year. They were engaged twice and Boxleitner broke up with her each time. After reuniting for a third time, they finally married on January 1, 1995, in her mother's living room. Gilbert quickly became pregnant, but went into premature labor more than two months before her due date. She gave birth to a son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, named in honor of Michael Landon, on October 6, 1995. His middle name is in honor of Garrett Peckinpah, her friend Sandy Peckinpah's son, who had died suddenly of meningitis at age 16. Gilbert is also stepmother to Boxleitner's two sons with Holcomb, Sam (born 1980) and Lee (born 1985). On March 1, 2011, Gilbert announced that she and Boxleitner had separated. On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner. On January 29, 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed the actress's engagement to fellow actor Timothy Busfield. The couple married on April 24, 2013. Since July 2013, Gilbert and Busfield have resided in Howell, Michigan. CANNOTANSWER
she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman.
Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) is an American actress, television director, producer, politician and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous commercials and guest starring roles on television. From 1974 to 1983, she starred as Laura Ingalls Wilder, the second oldest daughter of Charles Ingalls (played by Michael Landon) on the NBC series Little House on the Prairie. During the run of Little House, Gilbert appeared in several television films, including The Diary of Anne Frank and The Miracle Worker. As an adult, she continued her career mainly in television films. Gilbert has also continued with guest starring roles on television and has completed voice work for animation such as Batman: The Animated Series as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl. From 2009 to 2010, Gilbert appeared as Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring production of Little House on the Prairie, the Musical. In 2012, she was a contestant on season fourteen of the popular reality dance competition show Dancing with the Stars on ABC. Gilbert served as the President of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005. In 2009, her autobiography Prairie Tale: A Memoir, was released. In 2014, she wrote a short story for children, called Daisy and Josephine as well as My Prairie Cookbook: Memories and Frontier Food from My Little House to Yours. In 2016, Gilbert ran for U.S. Congress as a Democrat in Michigan's 8th congressional district and she won the Democratic primary. She later dropped out because of health issues stemming from a 2012 accident. Early life and family Gilbert was born in Los Angeles, California, on May 8, 1964, to a newly engaged couple, Kathy Wood and David Darlington, and given up for adoption immediately after birth. She was adopted one day later by actor and comedian Paul Gilbert and his wife, dancer and actress Barbara Crane, the daughter of The Honeymooners creator Harry Crane. They later adopted a son, Jonathan, who co-starred on Little House on the Prairie. Gilbert's parents divorced when she was 8 years old. Her mother then married Harold Abeles, and together they had biological daughter Sara Rebecca Abeles (the actress known professionally as Sara Gilbert) on January 29, 1975. On February 13, 1976, Paul Gilbert died. Although 11-year-old Melissa was told that he had suffered a stroke, she found out years later that he had been a VA patient who dealt with constant pain and that he had taken his own life. The marriage of Barbara and Harold Abeles later ended in divorce. According to her biography, Gilbert was raised in her adoptive mother's Jewish religion, but did not have any formal religious education or conversion ceremony. Career Early years Gilbert's earliest television appearances were in dozens of commercials, including one for Alpo dog food with Lorne Greene (Michael Landon's television father on Bonanza). She also attended school with Landon's daughter, Leslie Landon. It was Leslie who informed her that she had won the role of Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, beating out over 500 child actresses for the part. The pilot was shot in 1973 and was a ratings success. Almost a year later, Gilbert began filming the series. Gilbert became extremely close to the Landon family after her adoptive father died. However, a rift developed between Michael Landon and Gilbert after the revelation of Landon's affair with Little House young makeup artist, Cindy Clerico. Gilbert had limited contact with Landon after Little House ended during the 1983–84 season. Seven years later, she was contacted by Landon's family and upon news of his condition, paid him a heartfelt visit following his May 9, 1991, appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson where he discussed his pancreatic cancer. She visited Landon at his Malibu home where he was, by then, bedridden, and they spent the afternoon together. Landon died one week later. When Gilbert gave birth to her son with second husband Bruce Boxleitner on October 6, 1995, they named him Michael, in honor of Landon. Career after Little House Gilbert has continued to work regularly, mainly in television. She starred as Jean Donovan in the biopic Choices of the Heart (1983), and as Anna Sheridan in three episodes of Babylon 5 with then-husband Boxleitner in 1996. She also provided the voice of Batgirl on the 1990s Batman: The Animated Series, though she would be replaced by voice actress Tara Strong for the series' follow-up The New Batman Adventures. For her contribution to the television industry, Gilbert received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6429 Hollywood Blvd in 1985. Her then-fiancé, Rob Lowe, was present with her when her star was unveiled during the ceremony. In 1998, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 2006, Gilbert appeared as Shari Noble, a patient looking to reconstruct her nipples after committing zoophilia with her dog in a season four episode of Nip/Tuck. In 2008 and through 2009, Gilbert played Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the musical adaptation of Little House on the Prairie. This world premiere production at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis was directed by Francesca Zambello and also starred Kara Lindsay as Laura. The show ran through October 19 and was on a US National tour for 2009–10. The tour ended in June 2010 at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. In March and April 2018, Gilbert starred in an Off-Off-Broadway, limited-run production of Geraldine Aron's 2001 one-woman play 2001 My Brilliant Divorce. Dancing with the Stars In March 2012, Gilbert joined the cast of celebrity contestants on season 14 of Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. During week four's show, while dancing the Paso Doble, she fell and hit her head on Maksim's leg and suffered a mild concussion and was taken to a hospital. She went home to recuperate, but returned to continue in the competition. In week eight of competition, she was eliminated, finishing in fifth place. Screen Actors Guild presidency Gilbert was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild in 2001 after a contentious candidacy, in which she ultimately beat her opponent, Rhoda actress Valerie Harper, 21,351 votes to 12,613 votes after a second vote was taken. In 2003, she was re-elected, defeating Kent McCord with 50% of the vote to his 42%. In July 2005, she announced that she would not seek a third term. She was succeeded by Alan Rosenberg, who assumed the guild presidency on September 25. 2016 congressional campaign On August 10, 2015, Gilbert announced her campaign for Michigan's 8th congressional district in the 2016 elections to the United States House of Representatives. Gilbert, who was the presumptive Democratic nominee in the district, dropped out of the race in May 2016, citing health issues. Personal life Relationships After her relationship with Rob Lowe ended, Gilbert left for New York City to star in the play A Shayna Maidel. Gilbert was set up with actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married on February 22, 1988, seven weeks after her split from Lowe. Their son, Dakota Paul Brinkman, was born on May 1, 1989. The couple divorced in 1992. Weeks after Gilbert's divorce filing, actor Bruce Boxleitner's former wife set him up with Gilbert. Gilbert had met Boxleitner as a teenager when they both were on Battle of the Network Stars; he was her teenage crush. After reconnecting, they dated on and off for over a year. They were engaged twice and both engagements were ended by Boxleitner. After reuniting for a third time, they married on January 1, 1995, in her mother's living room. Gilbert gave birth to their son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, on October 6, 1995. He is named in honor of Michael Landon and Garrett Peckinpah, her friend Sandy Peckinpah's son, who died of meningitis at age 16. Gilbert was stepmother to Boxleitner's two sons. On March 1, 2011, Gilbert announced that she and Boxleitner had separated. On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner. In January 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed her engagement to actor Timothy Busfield. They married on April 24, 2013, lived in Howell, Michigan, from 2013 to 2018, and moved to New York City late in 2018. Tax issues Following her announcement as a candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan, a spokesperson for her opponent's campaign referred to Gilbert as a "tax cheat". Gilbert owed $360,000 in back federal taxes and $112,000 in California state taxes. Gilbert has stated the tax debt is an outgrowth of a stalled acting career, the economy, and divorce. She has negotiated a repayment plan with the IRS. Health issues Gilbert has battled alcoholism and drug abuse, which she wrote about in her 2009 autobiography. While playing the role of Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring musical Little House on the Prairie, a visit to the doctor revealed that Gilbert had been working with a broken back for months. On July 22, 2010, Gilbert underwent surgery to replace a disc as well as fuse a vertebra in her lower spine. The surgery was described as a complete success. In January 2015, Gilbert decided to have her breast implants removed for health reasons. Filmography Film Television Awards and nominations References Sources Gilbert, Melissa (2009). Prairie Tale: A Memoir (1st ed.). Gallery Books. External links About Melissa Gilbert 1964 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American actor-politicians American adoptees American child actresses American film actresses Leaders of American trade unions American memoirists American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American television directors American voice actresses American women television directors Jewish American actresses Participants in American reality television series Presidents of the Screen Actors Guild Michigan Democrats Women in Michigan politics Activists from California American women memoirists 21st-century American Jews
false
[ "Else Hansen (Cathrine Marie Mahs Hansen) also called de Hansen (1720 – 4 September 1784), was the royal mistress of king Frederick V of Denmark. She is his most famous mistress and known in history as Madam Hansen, and was, alongside Charlotte Amalie Winge, one of only two women known to have been long term lovers of the king.\n\nLife\n\nThe background of Else Hansen does not appear to be known. Tradition claims her to be the sister of Frederick's chamber servant Henrik Vilhelm Tillisch, who in 1743 reportedly smuggled in his sister to the king at night, but modern research does not support them to be the same person.\n\nRoyal mistress\nIt is not known exactly when and how Hansen became the lover of the king. Frederick V was known for his debauched life style. According to Dorothea Biehl, the king was known to participate in orgies or 'Bacchus parties', in which he drank alcohol with his male friends while watching female prostitutes stripped naked and danced, after which the king would sometime beat them with his stick and whip them after having been intoxicated by alcohol. These women where economically compensated, but none of them seem to have had any status of a long term mistress, nor did any of the noblewomen and maids-of-honors, which according to rumors where offered to the king by their families in hope of advantages but simply married of as soon as they became pregnant without any potential relationship having been anything but a secret. The relationship between the king and Else Hansen was therefore uncommon.\n\nElse Hansen gave birth to five children with the king between 1746 and 1751, which is why the affair is presumed to have started in 1746 at the latest and ended in 1751 at the earliest. At least her three younger children where all born at the manor Ulriksholm on Funen, a manor owned by Ulrik Frederik von Heinen, brother-in-law of the de facto ruler of Denmark, the kings favorite Adam Gottlob Moltke, who likely arranged the matter. The manor was named after the royal Ulrik Christian Gyldenlove, illegitimate son of a previous king. The king's children with Hansen where baptized in the local parish church near the manor, where they were officially listed as the legitimate children of the wife of a non existent man called \"Frederick Hansen, ship writer from Gothenburg to China\". The frequent trips to Ulriksholm by Hansen as soon as her pregnancies with the king became evident was publicly noted. Neither Else Hansen nor any other of the king's mistresses where ever any official mistress introduced at the royal court, nor did they have any influence upon state affairs whatever, as politics where entrusted by the king to his favorite Moltke.\n\nIn 1752, the relationship between the king and Hansen may have ended – in any case, it was not mentioned more or resulted in any more children. She settled in the property Kejrup near Ulriksholm with her children, officially with the status of \"widow of the late sea captain de Hansen\".\n\nLater life\nAfter the death of Frederick in 1766, she acquired the estate Klarskov on Funen. She sold Klarskov and moved to Odense in 1768. In 1771, however, she bought Klarskov a second time and continued to live there until her death.\n\nHer children were not officially recognized, but unofficially they were taken care of by the royal court: her daughters were given a dowry and married to royal officials and the sons careers where protected, and her grandchildren where also provided with an allowance from the royal house.\n\nAfter Hansen, the king did not have any long term mistress until Charlotte Amalie Winge (1762–66).\n\nLegacy\nAt Frederiksborgmuseet, there are three paintings of Hansen by Jens Thrane the younger from 1764. Hansen is known by Dorothea Biehl's depiction of the decadent court life of Frederick V.\n\nIssue \nHer children were officially listed with the father \"Frederick Hansen, sea captain\".\nFrederikke Margarethe de Hansen (1747–1802)\nFrederikke Catherine de Hansen (1748–1822)\nAnna Marie de Hansen (1749–1812)\nSophie Charlotte de Hansen (1750–1779)\nUlrik Frederik de Hansen (1751–1752)\n\nSources\n Charlotte Dorothea Biehl, Interiører fra Frederik V's Hof, udgivet af Louis Bobé.\n Aage Christens, Slægten de Hansen, 1968.\n\nReferences\n\n1720 births\n1784 deaths\nMistresses of Danish royalty\n18th-century Danish people\n18th-century Danish women landowners\n18th-century Danish landowners", "Maria Komnene (c. 1144 – 1190) was Queen of Hungary and Croatia from 1163 until 1165. Maria's father was Isaac Komnenos (son of John II).\n\nMarriage\nShe married c. 1157 to King Stephen IV of Hungary (c. 1133 – 11 April 1165). They did not have any children.\n\nSources \n Kristó Gyula - Makk Ferenc: Az Árpád-ház uralkodói (IPC Könyvek, 1996)\n Korai Magyar Történeti Lexikon (9-14. század), főszerkesztő: Kristó Gyula, szerkesztők: Engel Pál és Makk Ferenc (Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1994)\n\nHungarian queens consort\n1140s births\n1190 deaths\nMaria\n12th-century Byzantine women\n12th-century Hungarian women\n12th-century Byzantine people\n12th-century Hungarian people" ]
[ "Melissa Gilbert", "Relationships", "Was she ever married?", "actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married", "When did they marry?", "February 22, 1988,", "Did they have any children?", "she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman." ]
C_f7930dd76a52485aa1b2cfd00047723f_0
Was he their only child?
4
Was Dakota Paul Brinkman the only child of Bo and Melissa?
Melissa Gilbert
After her break up with Rob Lowe, Gilbert left for New York City to star in the play A Shayna Maidel. Gilbert was set up with actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married on February 22, 1988, only seven weeks after her relationship with Rob Lowe ended. Gilbert became pregnant months later. On May 1, 1989, she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman. They divorced in 1992. Only weeks after Gilbert's divorce filing, Bruce Boxleitner's former wife, Kathryn Holcomb, set Boxleitner up with Gilbert. Holcomb by then was married to actor Ian Ogilvy. Gilbert had met Boxleitner as a teenager when they both were on Battle of the Network Stars when Gilbert introduced herself, and she had a pin-up of him in her locker. But Boxleitner ignored her because she was a teen and he was many years older than she was. After reconnecting, the couple started dating on and off for over a year. They were engaged twice and Boxleitner broke up with her each time. After reuniting for a third time, they finally married on January 1, 1995, in her mother's living room. Gilbert quickly became pregnant, but went into premature labor more than two months before her due date. She gave birth to a son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, named in honor of Michael Landon, on October 6, 1995. His middle name is in honor of Garrett Peckinpah, her friend Sandy Peckinpah's son, who had died suddenly of meningitis at age 16. Gilbert is also stepmother to Boxleitner's two sons with Holcomb, Sam (born 1980) and Lee (born 1985). On March 1, 2011, Gilbert announced that she and Boxleitner had separated. On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner. On January 29, 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed the actress's engagement to fellow actor Timothy Busfield. The couple married on April 24, 2013. Since July 2013, Gilbert and Busfield have resided in Howell, Michigan. CANNOTANSWER
They divorced in 1992.
Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) is an American actress, television director, producer, politician and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous commercials and guest starring roles on television. From 1974 to 1983, she starred as Laura Ingalls Wilder, the second oldest daughter of Charles Ingalls (played by Michael Landon) on the NBC series Little House on the Prairie. During the run of Little House, Gilbert appeared in several television films, including The Diary of Anne Frank and The Miracle Worker. As an adult, she continued her career mainly in television films. Gilbert has also continued with guest starring roles on television and has completed voice work for animation such as Batman: The Animated Series as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl. From 2009 to 2010, Gilbert appeared as Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring production of Little House on the Prairie, the Musical. In 2012, she was a contestant on season fourteen of the popular reality dance competition show Dancing with the Stars on ABC. Gilbert served as the President of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005. In 2009, her autobiography Prairie Tale: A Memoir, was released. In 2014, she wrote a short story for children, called Daisy and Josephine as well as My Prairie Cookbook: Memories and Frontier Food from My Little House to Yours. In 2016, Gilbert ran for U.S. Congress as a Democrat in Michigan's 8th congressional district and she won the Democratic primary. She later dropped out because of health issues stemming from a 2012 accident. Early life and family Gilbert was born in Los Angeles, California, on May 8, 1964, to a newly engaged couple, Kathy Wood and David Darlington, and given up for adoption immediately after birth. She was adopted one day later by actor and comedian Paul Gilbert and his wife, dancer and actress Barbara Crane, the daughter of The Honeymooners creator Harry Crane. They later adopted a son, Jonathan, who co-starred on Little House on the Prairie. Gilbert's parents divorced when she was 8 years old. Her mother then married Harold Abeles, and together they had biological daughter Sara Rebecca Abeles (the actress known professionally as Sara Gilbert) on January 29, 1975. On February 13, 1976, Paul Gilbert died. Although 11-year-old Melissa was told that he had suffered a stroke, she found out years later that he had been a VA patient who dealt with constant pain and that he had taken his own life. The marriage of Barbara and Harold Abeles later ended in divorce. According to her biography, Gilbert was raised in her adoptive mother's Jewish religion, but did not have any formal religious education or conversion ceremony. Career Early years Gilbert's earliest television appearances were in dozens of commercials, including one for Alpo dog food with Lorne Greene (Michael Landon's television father on Bonanza). She also attended school with Landon's daughter, Leslie Landon. It was Leslie who informed her that she had won the role of Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, beating out over 500 child actresses for the part. The pilot was shot in 1973 and was a ratings success. Almost a year later, Gilbert began filming the series. Gilbert became extremely close to the Landon family after her adoptive father died. However, a rift developed between Michael Landon and Gilbert after the revelation of Landon's affair with Little House young makeup artist, Cindy Clerico. Gilbert had limited contact with Landon after Little House ended during the 1983–84 season. Seven years later, she was contacted by Landon's family and upon news of his condition, paid him a heartfelt visit following his May 9, 1991, appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson where he discussed his pancreatic cancer. She visited Landon at his Malibu home where he was, by then, bedridden, and they spent the afternoon together. Landon died one week later. When Gilbert gave birth to her son with second husband Bruce Boxleitner on October 6, 1995, they named him Michael, in honor of Landon. Career after Little House Gilbert has continued to work regularly, mainly in television. She starred as Jean Donovan in the biopic Choices of the Heart (1983), and as Anna Sheridan in three episodes of Babylon 5 with then-husband Boxleitner in 1996. She also provided the voice of Batgirl on the 1990s Batman: The Animated Series, though she would be replaced by voice actress Tara Strong for the series' follow-up The New Batman Adventures. For her contribution to the television industry, Gilbert received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6429 Hollywood Blvd in 1985. Her then-fiancé, Rob Lowe, was present with her when her star was unveiled during the ceremony. In 1998, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 2006, Gilbert appeared as Shari Noble, a patient looking to reconstruct her nipples after committing zoophilia with her dog in a season four episode of Nip/Tuck. In 2008 and through 2009, Gilbert played Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the musical adaptation of Little House on the Prairie. This world premiere production at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis was directed by Francesca Zambello and also starred Kara Lindsay as Laura. The show ran through October 19 and was on a US National tour for 2009–10. The tour ended in June 2010 at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. In March and April 2018, Gilbert starred in an Off-Off-Broadway, limited-run production of Geraldine Aron's 2001 one-woman play 2001 My Brilliant Divorce. Dancing with the Stars In March 2012, Gilbert joined the cast of celebrity contestants on season 14 of Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. During week four's show, while dancing the Paso Doble, she fell and hit her head on Maksim's leg and suffered a mild concussion and was taken to a hospital. She went home to recuperate, but returned to continue in the competition. In week eight of competition, she was eliminated, finishing in fifth place. Screen Actors Guild presidency Gilbert was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild in 2001 after a contentious candidacy, in which she ultimately beat her opponent, Rhoda actress Valerie Harper, 21,351 votes to 12,613 votes after a second vote was taken. In 2003, she was re-elected, defeating Kent McCord with 50% of the vote to his 42%. In July 2005, she announced that she would not seek a third term. She was succeeded by Alan Rosenberg, who assumed the guild presidency on September 25. 2016 congressional campaign On August 10, 2015, Gilbert announced her campaign for Michigan's 8th congressional district in the 2016 elections to the United States House of Representatives. Gilbert, who was the presumptive Democratic nominee in the district, dropped out of the race in May 2016, citing health issues. Personal life Relationships After her relationship with Rob Lowe ended, Gilbert left for New York City to star in the play A Shayna Maidel. Gilbert was set up with actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married on February 22, 1988, seven weeks after her split from Lowe. Their son, Dakota Paul Brinkman, was born on May 1, 1989. The couple divorced in 1992. Weeks after Gilbert's divorce filing, actor Bruce Boxleitner's former wife set him up with Gilbert. Gilbert had met Boxleitner as a teenager when they both were on Battle of the Network Stars; he was her teenage crush. After reconnecting, they dated on and off for over a year. They were engaged twice and both engagements were ended by Boxleitner. After reuniting for a third time, they married on January 1, 1995, in her mother's living room. Gilbert gave birth to their son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, on October 6, 1995. He is named in honor of Michael Landon and Garrett Peckinpah, her friend Sandy Peckinpah's son, who died of meningitis at age 16. Gilbert was stepmother to Boxleitner's two sons. On March 1, 2011, Gilbert announced that she and Boxleitner had separated. On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner. In January 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed her engagement to actor Timothy Busfield. They married on April 24, 2013, lived in Howell, Michigan, from 2013 to 2018, and moved to New York City late in 2018. Tax issues Following her announcement as a candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan, a spokesperson for her opponent's campaign referred to Gilbert as a "tax cheat". Gilbert owed $360,000 in back federal taxes and $112,000 in California state taxes. Gilbert has stated the tax debt is an outgrowth of a stalled acting career, the economy, and divorce. She has negotiated a repayment plan with the IRS. Health issues Gilbert has battled alcoholism and drug abuse, which she wrote about in her 2009 autobiography. While playing the role of Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring musical Little House on the Prairie, a visit to the doctor revealed that Gilbert had been working with a broken back for months. On July 22, 2010, Gilbert underwent surgery to replace a disc as well as fuse a vertebra in her lower spine. The surgery was described as a complete success. In January 2015, Gilbert decided to have her breast implants removed for health reasons. Filmography Film Television Awards and nominations References Sources Gilbert, Melissa (2009). Prairie Tale: A Memoir (1st ed.). Gallery Books. External links About Melissa Gilbert 1964 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American actor-politicians American adoptees American child actresses American film actresses Leaders of American trade unions American memoirists American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American television directors American voice actresses American women television directors Jewish American actresses Participants in American reality television series Presidents of the Screen Actors Guild Michigan Democrats Women in Michigan politics Activists from California American women memoirists 21st-century American Jews
false
[ "Blanche del Carretto (1432 – 1458), was Lady of Monaco by marriage to Catalan, Lord of Monaco. She has also been called Marguerite del Carretto.\n\nShe was the daughter of Galeotto I del Carretto, Margrave of Finale. Blanche and Catalan had only one child. Her husband designated their daughter Claudine as ruler of Monaco upon his death. When he died in 1457, he was succeeded by their daughter Claudine, then only a child, but the regency government was assigned to Blanche's mother-in-law Pomellina Fregoso rather than to Blanche. Pomellina was deposed by Claudine's cousin Lambert in 1458, who assumed the Lordship of Monaco himself. Blanche died the same year of the accession of Lambert. \n\n Issue\n\n Claudine, Lady of Monaco (1451-1515)\n\nReferences\n\n Michel-Yves Mourou, Princesses de Monaco, Editions du Rocher, Monaco, 2010. \n\n1458 deaths\n1432 births\nHouse of Grimaldi\n15th-century French people \n15th-century French women", "Walter Simonds Franklin (November 6, 1799 – September 20, 1838) was a lawyer who practiced in Pennsylvania. He served as the seventh Clerk of the United States House of Representatives, from 1833 until his death in 1838.\n\nPersonal life\n\nAncestry\nFranklin's parents were Samuel Rhoades Franklin and Sarah Simonds.\nHis father was the son of Mary Rhoades, a daughter of Samuel Rhoades, who had been a member of the First Continental Congress. His father's brother, Walter Franklin was a prominent Pennsylvania lawyer, later state Attorney General and state judge.\n\nEarly life\nFranklin was born in New York, the only surviving child of his parents. As a teenager, he moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to live with his uncle and namesake. Walter attended Litchfield Law School in Connecticut, where he met and, in 1821, married Sarah Buel. They moved to York, Pennsylvania, where Franklin practiced law.\n\nChildren\nThe Franklins had six children.\n\nTheir eldest was William Buel, who was a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and post-bellum was a civil engineer. Their second child was Samuel Rhoads, a rear admiral in the U. S. Navy, before, during, and after the Civil War. Their third child was Thomas, \"apparently the black sheep of the family.\" Their fourth child was Anne, who died, apparently, in childbirth. Their fifth child was Frederick Buel, who died in his twenties. Their sixth child was named the same as his father, Walter Simonds. He attended Harvard, served in the Union Army as a brevet lieutenant colonel, and post-bellum was a civil engineer and businessman.\n\nThe summer before his death, Franklin wrote to Secretary of War Joel Poinsett requesting that his eldest son, then 15, be admitted to West Point the following summer. Poinsett refused. Franklin's sudden death that fall left the family almost penniless. At this point, Senator James Buchanan, a family friend, intervened, and convinced Poinsett to reverse his decision.\n\nCareer\n\nFranklin was named as Clerk for the Twenty-third United States Congress on December 2, 1833, and served for the next two congresses, dying in office of a sudden \"malignant fever\". He was the third Pennsylvanian to hold the post.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\noffice of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives\nTombstone\n\nClerks of the United States House of Representatives\nPennsylvania lawyers\nLitchfield Law School alumni\n1799 births\n1838 deaths\nAmerican people of English descent\n19th-century American lawyers\nFranklin military family" ]
[ "Melissa Gilbert", "Relationships", "Was she ever married?", "actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married", "When did they marry?", "February 22, 1988,", "Did they have any children?", "she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman.", "Was he their only child?", "They divorced in 1992." ]
C_f7930dd76a52485aa1b2cfd00047723f_0
Did she ever remarry?
5
Did Melissa ever remarry after her 1992 divorce?
Melissa Gilbert
After her break up with Rob Lowe, Gilbert left for New York City to star in the play A Shayna Maidel. Gilbert was set up with actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married on February 22, 1988, only seven weeks after her relationship with Rob Lowe ended. Gilbert became pregnant months later. On May 1, 1989, she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman. They divorced in 1992. Only weeks after Gilbert's divorce filing, Bruce Boxleitner's former wife, Kathryn Holcomb, set Boxleitner up with Gilbert. Holcomb by then was married to actor Ian Ogilvy. Gilbert had met Boxleitner as a teenager when they both were on Battle of the Network Stars when Gilbert introduced herself, and she had a pin-up of him in her locker. But Boxleitner ignored her because she was a teen and he was many years older than she was. After reconnecting, the couple started dating on and off for over a year. They were engaged twice and Boxleitner broke up with her each time. After reuniting for a third time, they finally married on January 1, 1995, in her mother's living room. Gilbert quickly became pregnant, but went into premature labor more than two months before her due date. She gave birth to a son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, named in honor of Michael Landon, on October 6, 1995. His middle name is in honor of Garrett Peckinpah, her friend Sandy Peckinpah's son, who had died suddenly of meningitis at age 16. Gilbert is also stepmother to Boxleitner's two sons with Holcomb, Sam (born 1980) and Lee (born 1985). On March 1, 2011, Gilbert announced that she and Boxleitner had separated. On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner. On January 29, 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed the actress's engagement to fellow actor Timothy Busfield. The couple married on April 24, 2013. Since July 2013, Gilbert and Busfield have resided in Howell, Michigan. CANNOTANSWER
they finally married on January 1, 1995,
Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) is an American actress, television director, producer, politician and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous commercials and guest starring roles on television. From 1974 to 1983, she starred as Laura Ingalls Wilder, the second oldest daughter of Charles Ingalls (played by Michael Landon) on the NBC series Little House on the Prairie. During the run of Little House, Gilbert appeared in several television films, including The Diary of Anne Frank and The Miracle Worker. As an adult, she continued her career mainly in television films. Gilbert has also continued with guest starring roles on television and has completed voice work for animation such as Batman: The Animated Series as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl. From 2009 to 2010, Gilbert appeared as Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring production of Little House on the Prairie, the Musical. In 2012, she was a contestant on season fourteen of the popular reality dance competition show Dancing with the Stars on ABC. Gilbert served as the President of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005. In 2009, her autobiography Prairie Tale: A Memoir, was released. In 2014, she wrote a short story for children, called Daisy and Josephine as well as My Prairie Cookbook: Memories and Frontier Food from My Little House to Yours. In 2016, Gilbert ran for U.S. Congress as a Democrat in Michigan's 8th congressional district and she won the Democratic primary. She later dropped out because of health issues stemming from a 2012 accident. Early life and family Gilbert was born in Los Angeles, California, on May 8, 1964, to a newly engaged couple, Kathy Wood and David Darlington, and given up for adoption immediately after birth. She was adopted one day later by actor and comedian Paul Gilbert and his wife, dancer and actress Barbara Crane, the daughter of The Honeymooners creator Harry Crane. They later adopted a son, Jonathan, who co-starred on Little House on the Prairie. Gilbert's parents divorced when she was 8 years old. Her mother then married Harold Abeles, and together they had biological daughter Sara Rebecca Abeles (the actress known professionally as Sara Gilbert) on January 29, 1975. On February 13, 1976, Paul Gilbert died. Although 11-year-old Melissa was told that he had suffered a stroke, she found out years later that he had been a VA patient who dealt with constant pain and that he had taken his own life. The marriage of Barbara and Harold Abeles later ended in divorce. According to her biography, Gilbert was raised in her adoptive mother's Jewish religion, but did not have any formal religious education or conversion ceremony. Career Early years Gilbert's earliest television appearances were in dozens of commercials, including one for Alpo dog food with Lorne Greene (Michael Landon's television father on Bonanza). She also attended school with Landon's daughter, Leslie Landon. It was Leslie who informed her that she had won the role of Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, beating out over 500 child actresses for the part. The pilot was shot in 1973 and was a ratings success. Almost a year later, Gilbert began filming the series. Gilbert became extremely close to the Landon family after her adoptive father died. However, a rift developed between Michael Landon and Gilbert after the revelation of Landon's affair with Little House young makeup artist, Cindy Clerico. Gilbert had limited contact with Landon after Little House ended during the 1983–84 season. Seven years later, she was contacted by Landon's family and upon news of his condition, paid him a heartfelt visit following his May 9, 1991, appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson where he discussed his pancreatic cancer. She visited Landon at his Malibu home where he was, by then, bedridden, and they spent the afternoon together. Landon died one week later. When Gilbert gave birth to her son with second husband Bruce Boxleitner on October 6, 1995, they named him Michael, in honor of Landon. Career after Little House Gilbert has continued to work regularly, mainly in television. She starred as Jean Donovan in the biopic Choices of the Heart (1983), and as Anna Sheridan in three episodes of Babylon 5 with then-husband Boxleitner in 1996. She also provided the voice of Batgirl on the 1990s Batman: The Animated Series, though she would be replaced by voice actress Tara Strong for the series' follow-up The New Batman Adventures. For her contribution to the television industry, Gilbert received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6429 Hollywood Blvd in 1985. Her then-fiancé, Rob Lowe, was present with her when her star was unveiled during the ceremony. In 1998, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 2006, Gilbert appeared as Shari Noble, a patient looking to reconstruct her nipples after committing zoophilia with her dog in a season four episode of Nip/Tuck. In 2008 and through 2009, Gilbert played Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the musical adaptation of Little House on the Prairie. This world premiere production at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis was directed by Francesca Zambello and also starred Kara Lindsay as Laura. The show ran through October 19 and was on a US National tour for 2009–10. The tour ended in June 2010 at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. In March and April 2018, Gilbert starred in an Off-Off-Broadway, limited-run production of Geraldine Aron's 2001 one-woman play 2001 My Brilliant Divorce. Dancing with the Stars In March 2012, Gilbert joined the cast of celebrity contestants on season 14 of Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. During week four's show, while dancing the Paso Doble, she fell and hit her head on Maksim's leg and suffered a mild concussion and was taken to a hospital. She went home to recuperate, but returned to continue in the competition. In week eight of competition, she was eliminated, finishing in fifth place. Screen Actors Guild presidency Gilbert was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild in 2001 after a contentious candidacy, in which she ultimately beat her opponent, Rhoda actress Valerie Harper, 21,351 votes to 12,613 votes after a second vote was taken. In 2003, she was re-elected, defeating Kent McCord with 50% of the vote to his 42%. In July 2005, she announced that she would not seek a third term. She was succeeded by Alan Rosenberg, who assumed the guild presidency on September 25. 2016 congressional campaign On August 10, 2015, Gilbert announced her campaign for Michigan's 8th congressional district in the 2016 elections to the United States House of Representatives. Gilbert, who was the presumptive Democratic nominee in the district, dropped out of the race in May 2016, citing health issues. Personal life Relationships After her relationship with Rob Lowe ended, Gilbert left for New York City to star in the play A Shayna Maidel. Gilbert was set up with actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married on February 22, 1988, seven weeks after her split from Lowe. Their son, Dakota Paul Brinkman, was born on May 1, 1989. The couple divorced in 1992. Weeks after Gilbert's divorce filing, actor Bruce Boxleitner's former wife set him up with Gilbert. Gilbert had met Boxleitner as a teenager when they both were on Battle of the Network Stars; he was her teenage crush. After reconnecting, they dated on and off for over a year. They were engaged twice and both engagements were ended by Boxleitner. After reuniting for a third time, they married on January 1, 1995, in her mother's living room. Gilbert gave birth to their son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, on October 6, 1995. He is named in honor of Michael Landon and Garrett Peckinpah, her friend Sandy Peckinpah's son, who died of meningitis at age 16. Gilbert was stepmother to Boxleitner's two sons. On March 1, 2011, Gilbert announced that she and Boxleitner had separated. On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner. In January 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed her engagement to actor Timothy Busfield. They married on April 24, 2013, lived in Howell, Michigan, from 2013 to 2018, and moved to New York City late in 2018. Tax issues Following her announcement as a candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan, a spokesperson for her opponent's campaign referred to Gilbert as a "tax cheat". Gilbert owed $360,000 in back federal taxes and $112,000 in California state taxes. Gilbert has stated the tax debt is an outgrowth of a stalled acting career, the economy, and divorce. She has negotiated a repayment plan with the IRS. Health issues Gilbert has battled alcoholism and drug abuse, which she wrote about in her 2009 autobiography. While playing the role of Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring musical Little House on the Prairie, a visit to the doctor revealed that Gilbert had been working with a broken back for months. On July 22, 2010, Gilbert underwent surgery to replace a disc as well as fuse a vertebra in her lower spine. The surgery was described as a complete success. In January 2015, Gilbert decided to have her breast implants removed for health reasons. Filmography Film Television Awards and nominations References Sources Gilbert, Melissa (2009). Prairie Tale: A Memoir (1st ed.). Gallery Books. External links About Melissa Gilbert 1964 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American actor-politicians American adoptees American child actresses American film actresses Leaders of American trade unions American memoirists American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American television directors American voice actresses American women television directors Jewish American actresses Participants in American reality television series Presidents of the Screen Actors Guild Michigan Democrats Women in Michigan politics Activists from California American women memoirists 21st-century American Jews
false
[ "Anne Louise, Duchess of Noailles (1632–22 May 1697), was a French courtier. She served as dame d'atour to the queen dowager of France, Anne of Austria, from 1657 until 1666.\n\nThe daughter of Antoine Boyer, Lord of Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, Louise married Anne de Noailles, who became the first Duke of Noailles in 1646. He predeceased her, dying on 15 February 1678. She did not remarry and died on 22 May 1697.\n\nShe had two notable children:\nAnne Jules de Noailles, 2nd Duke of Noailles (1650–1708) and Marshal of France, married Marie-Françoise de Bournonville.\nLouis Antoine de Noailles, cardinal de Noailles (1651–1729), never married.\n\nNotes\n\nReferences\n\n1632 births\n1697 deaths\n17th-century French women\nFrench duchesses\nDuchesses of Noailles\nHouse of Noailles\nFrench ladies-in-waiting\nCourt of Louis XIV", "Leona Maricle (December 23, 1905 – March 25, 1988) was an American stage and film actress known for \"distinctive characterizations of colorful ladies.\"\n\nMaricle was a graduate of the College of Industrial Arts. Her Broadway debut came in The Trial of Mary Dugan (1927). Her final appearance on Broadway was in Never Too Late (1962).\n\nIn the mid-1930s, she and her husband were active in summer stock theatre in Skowhegan, Maine.\n\nHer husband, Louis Jean Heydt, was a character actor in films from the 1930s through the 1950s. They divorced. She did not remarry but he did. \n\nOn March 25, 1988, Maricle died of an apparent heart attack in her apartment in Manhattan. Her obituary in The New York Times gave her age as 81. She was survived by a cousin, Marijane Maricle of Manhattan, and a niece, Joan Hickman of Lake Charles, Louisiana.\n\nSelected filmography\n O'Shaughnessy's Boy (1935)\n Theodora Goes Wild (1936)\n Women of Glamour (1937)\n Woman Chases Man (1937)\n The Lone Wolf in Paris (1938)\n Curtain Call (1940)\n Under Age (1941)\n My Reputation (1946)\n\nReferences\n\nBibliography\n Blottner, Gene. Columbia Noir: A Complete Filmography, 1940-1962. McFarland, 2015.\n\nExternal links\n\n1905 births\n1988 deaths\nAmerican film actresses\nAmerican stage actresses\nActresses from Texas\nPeople from Wichita Falls, Texas\n20th-century American actresses" ]
[ "Melissa Gilbert", "Relationships", "Was she ever married?", "actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married", "When did they marry?", "February 22, 1988,", "Did they have any children?", "she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman.", "Was he their only child?", "They divorced in 1992.", "Did she ever remarry?", "they finally married on January 1, 1995," ]
C_f7930dd76a52485aa1b2cfd00047723f_0
Who did she marry the second time?
6
Who did Melissa marry the second time?
Melissa Gilbert
After her break up with Rob Lowe, Gilbert left for New York City to star in the play A Shayna Maidel. Gilbert was set up with actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married on February 22, 1988, only seven weeks after her relationship with Rob Lowe ended. Gilbert became pregnant months later. On May 1, 1989, she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman. They divorced in 1992. Only weeks after Gilbert's divorce filing, Bruce Boxleitner's former wife, Kathryn Holcomb, set Boxleitner up with Gilbert. Holcomb by then was married to actor Ian Ogilvy. Gilbert had met Boxleitner as a teenager when they both were on Battle of the Network Stars when Gilbert introduced herself, and she had a pin-up of him in her locker. But Boxleitner ignored her because she was a teen and he was many years older than she was. After reconnecting, the couple started dating on and off for over a year. They were engaged twice and Boxleitner broke up with her each time. After reuniting for a third time, they finally married on January 1, 1995, in her mother's living room. Gilbert quickly became pregnant, but went into premature labor more than two months before her due date. She gave birth to a son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, named in honor of Michael Landon, on October 6, 1995. His middle name is in honor of Garrett Peckinpah, her friend Sandy Peckinpah's son, who had died suddenly of meningitis at age 16. Gilbert is also stepmother to Boxleitner's two sons with Holcomb, Sam (born 1980) and Lee (born 1985). On March 1, 2011, Gilbert announced that she and Boxleitner had separated. On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner. On January 29, 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed the actress's engagement to fellow actor Timothy Busfield. The couple married on April 24, 2013. Since July 2013, Gilbert and Busfield have resided in Howell, Michigan. CANNOTANSWER
Bruce Boxleitner's
Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) is an American actress, television director, producer, politician and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous commercials and guest starring roles on television. From 1974 to 1983, she starred as Laura Ingalls Wilder, the second oldest daughter of Charles Ingalls (played by Michael Landon) on the NBC series Little House on the Prairie. During the run of Little House, Gilbert appeared in several television films, including The Diary of Anne Frank and The Miracle Worker. As an adult, she continued her career mainly in television films. Gilbert has also continued with guest starring roles on television and has completed voice work for animation such as Batman: The Animated Series as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl. From 2009 to 2010, Gilbert appeared as Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring production of Little House on the Prairie, the Musical. In 2012, she was a contestant on season fourteen of the popular reality dance competition show Dancing with the Stars on ABC. Gilbert served as the President of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005. In 2009, her autobiography Prairie Tale: A Memoir, was released. In 2014, she wrote a short story for children, called Daisy and Josephine as well as My Prairie Cookbook: Memories and Frontier Food from My Little House to Yours. In 2016, Gilbert ran for U.S. Congress as a Democrat in Michigan's 8th congressional district and she won the Democratic primary. She later dropped out because of health issues stemming from a 2012 accident. Early life and family Gilbert was born in Los Angeles, California, on May 8, 1964, to a newly engaged couple, Kathy Wood and David Darlington, and given up for adoption immediately after birth. She was adopted one day later by actor and comedian Paul Gilbert and his wife, dancer and actress Barbara Crane, the daughter of The Honeymooners creator Harry Crane. They later adopted a son, Jonathan, who co-starred on Little House on the Prairie. Gilbert's parents divorced when she was 8 years old. Her mother then married Harold Abeles, and together they had biological daughter Sara Rebecca Abeles (the actress known professionally as Sara Gilbert) on January 29, 1975. On February 13, 1976, Paul Gilbert died. Although 11-year-old Melissa was told that he had suffered a stroke, she found out years later that he had been a VA patient who dealt with constant pain and that he had taken his own life. The marriage of Barbara and Harold Abeles later ended in divorce. According to her biography, Gilbert was raised in her adoptive mother's Jewish religion, but did not have any formal religious education or conversion ceremony. Career Early years Gilbert's earliest television appearances were in dozens of commercials, including one for Alpo dog food with Lorne Greene (Michael Landon's television father on Bonanza). She also attended school with Landon's daughter, Leslie Landon. It was Leslie who informed her that she had won the role of Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, beating out over 500 child actresses for the part. The pilot was shot in 1973 and was a ratings success. Almost a year later, Gilbert began filming the series. Gilbert became extremely close to the Landon family after her adoptive father died. However, a rift developed between Michael Landon and Gilbert after the revelation of Landon's affair with Little House young makeup artist, Cindy Clerico. Gilbert had limited contact with Landon after Little House ended during the 1983–84 season. Seven years later, she was contacted by Landon's family and upon news of his condition, paid him a heartfelt visit following his May 9, 1991, appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson where he discussed his pancreatic cancer. She visited Landon at his Malibu home where he was, by then, bedridden, and they spent the afternoon together. Landon died one week later. When Gilbert gave birth to her son with second husband Bruce Boxleitner on October 6, 1995, they named him Michael, in honor of Landon. Career after Little House Gilbert has continued to work regularly, mainly in television. She starred as Jean Donovan in the biopic Choices of the Heart (1983), and as Anna Sheridan in three episodes of Babylon 5 with then-husband Boxleitner in 1996. She also provided the voice of Batgirl on the 1990s Batman: The Animated Series, though she would be replaced by voice actress Tara Strong for the series' follow-up The New Batman Adventures. For her contribution to the television industry, Gilbert received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6429 Hollywood Blvd in 1985. Her then-fiancé, Rob Lowe, was present with her when her star was unveiled during the ceremony. In 1998, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 2006, Gilbert appeared as Shari Noble, a patient looking to reconstruct her nipples after committing zoophilia with her dog in a season four episode of Nip/Tuck. In 2008 and through 2009, Gilbert played Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the musical adaptation of Little House on the Prairie. This world premiere production at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis was directed by Francesca Zambello and also starred Kara Lindsay as Laura. The show ran through October 19 and was on a US National tour for 2009–10. The tour ended in June 2010 at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. In March and April 2018, Gilbert starred in an Off-Off-Broadway, limited-run production of Geraldine Aron's 2001 one-woman play 2001 My Brilliant Divorce. Dancing with the Stars In March 2012, Gilbert joined the cast of celebrity contestants on season 14 of Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. During week four's show, while dancing the Paso Doble, she fell and hit her head on Maksim's leg and suffered a mild concussion and was taken to a hospital. She went home to recuperate, but returned to continue in the competition. In week eight of competition, she was eliminated, finishing in fifth place. Screen Actors Guild presidency Gilbert was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild in 2001 after a contentious candidacy, in which she ultimately beat her opponent, Rhoda actress Valerie Harper, 21,351 votes to 12,613 votes after a second vote was taken. In 2003, she was re-elected, defeating Kent McCord with 50% of the vote to his 42%. In July 2005, she announced that she would not seek a third term. She was succeeded by Alan Rosenberg, who assumed the guild presidency on September 25. 2016 congressional campaign On August 10, 2015, Gilbert announced her campaign for Michigan's 8th congressional district in the 2016 elections to the United States House of Representatives. Gilbert, who was the presumptive Democratic nominee in the district, dropped out of the race in May 2016, citing health issues. Personal life Relationships After her relationship with Rob Lowe ended, Gilbert left for New York City to star in the play A Shayna Maidel. Gilbert was set up with actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married on February 22, 1988, seven weeks after her split from Lowe. Their son, Dakota Paul Brinkman, was born on May 1, 1989. The couple divorced in 1992. Weeks after Gilbert's divorce filing, actor Bruce Boxleitner's former wife set him up with Gilbert. Gilbert had met Boxleitner as a teenager when they both were on Battle of the Network Stars; he was her teenage crush. After reconnecting, they dated on and off for over a year. They were engaged twice and both engagements were ended by Boxleitner. After reuniting for a third time, they married on January 1, 1995, in her mother's living room. Gilbert gave birth to their son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, on October 6, 1995. He is named in honor of Michael Landon and Garrett Peckinpah, her friend Sandy Peckinpah's son, who died of meningitis at age 16. Gilbert was stepmother to Boxleitner's two sons. On March 1, 2011, Gilbert announced that she and Boxleitner had separated. On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner. In January 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed her engagement to actor Timothy Busfield. They married on April 24, 2013, lived in Howell, Michigan, from 2013 to 2018, and moved to New York City late in 2018. Tax issues Following her announcement as a candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan, a spokesperson for her opponent's campaign referred to Gilbert as a "tax cheat". Gilbert owed $360,000 in back federal taxes and $112,000 in California state taxes. Gilbert has stated the tax debt is an outgrowth of a stalled acting career, the economy, and divorce. She has negotiated a repayment plan with the IRS. Health issues Gilbert has battled alcoholism and drug abuse, which she wrote about in her 2009 autobiography. While playing the role of Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring musical Little House on the Prairie, a visit to the doctor revealed that Gilbert had been working with a broken back for months. On July 22, 2010, Gilbert underwent surgery to replace a disc as well as fuse a vertebra in her lower spine. The surgery was described as a complete success. In January 2015, Gilbert decided to have her breast implants removed for health reasons. Filmography Film Television Awards and nominations References Sources Gilbert, Melissa (2009). Prairie Tale: A Memoir (1st ed.). Gallery Books. External links About Melissa Gilbert 1964 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American actor-politicians American adoptees American child actresses American film actresses Leaders of American trade unions American memoirists American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American television directors American voice actresses American women television directors Jewish American actresses Participants in American reality television series Presidents of the Screen Actors Guild Michigan Democrats Women in Michigan politics Activists from California American women memoirists 21st-century American Jews
true
[ "I Told You So is a 1970 Ghanaian movie. The movie portrays Ghanaians and their way of life in a satirical style. It also gives insight into the life of a young lady who did not take the advice of her father when about to marry a man, she did not know anything about the man she was going to marry, but rather took her mother's and uncle's advice because of the wealth and power the man has.\n\nThe young lady later finds out that the man she is supposed to marry was an armed robber. She was unhappy of the whole incident. When her dad ask what had happened, she replied that the man she was supposed to marry is an armed robber; her father ended by saying \"I told you so\".\n\nCast\nBobe Cole\nMargret Quainoo (Araba Stamp)\nKweku Crankson (Osuo Abrobor)\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n \n I TOLD YOU SO GHANAIAN MOVIE\n\n1970 films\nGhanaian films", "\"The King Who Wished to Marry His Daughter\" is a Scottish fairy tale collected by John Francis Campbell in Popular Tales of the West Highlands, listing his informant as Ann Darroch from Islay.\n\nIt is Aarne-Thompson type 510B, unnatural love. Others of this type include Cap O' Rushes, Catskin, Little Cat Skin, Allerleirauh, Donkeyskin, The She-Bear, Tattercoats, Mossycoat, The Princess That Wore A Rabbit-Skin Dress, and The Bear.\n\nSynopsis\nA king lost his wife a long time ago, and declared he would not marry anyone who did not fit her clothes. One day, their daughter tried on her dress and found it fit. Her father declared he would marry her. At her foster-mother's advice, she put him off with demands for clothing: a dress of swan's down, a dress of moorland canach, a silk dress that stood on the ground with gold and silver, a gold shoe and a silver shoe, and a chest that could lock inside and out, and travel over land and sea. When she got the chest, she put her clothing in it and got in herself, and asked her father to put it to sea, so she could see how well it worked. It carried her off to another shore.\n\nThere, a herder-boy would have broken it open, but she got him to get his father instead. She stayed with his father for a time, and went into service at the king's house, in the kitchen. She refused to go to the sermon because she had bread to bake, and sneaked off to go dressed in the swan-down dress and the king's son fell in love with her. She went again, in the moorland canach dress, and then in that of gold and silver, with the shoes, but the third time, the king's son had set a guard, and she escaped, but leaving a shoe behind.\n\nWhen the king's son tried it on women, a bird sang that it was not that one but the kitchen maid. Every woman failed, and he fell ill. His mother went to the kitchen to talk, and the princess asked to try it. She persuaded her son, and it fit. They married and lived happily ever after.\n\nVariants\nReverend Sabine Baring-Gould collected an English variant titled The Golden Bull: a princess is forced by her father to wed a prince from a remote country for political reasons. Disagreeing with the marriage, she asks her father for three dresses (the first depicting the night sky \"besprent with stars\"; the second one a sky with clouds and the third \"embroidered all over with birds\") and for a hollowed out metallic golden bull, which she intends to use as a hiding spot.\n\nSee also\nFair, Brown and Trembling\n\nReferences\n\nKing who Wished to Marry His Daughter\nKing who Wished to Marry His Daughter" ]
[ "Melissa Gilbert", "Relationships", "Was she ever married?", "actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married", "When did they marry?", "February 22, 1988,", "Did they have any children?", "she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman.", "Was he their only child?", "They divorced in 1992.", "Did she ever remarry?", "they finally married on January 1, 1995,", "Who did she marry the second time?", "Bruce Boxleitner's" ]
C_f7930dd76a52485aa1b2cfd00047723f_0
Did they have any children?
7
Did Melissa and Bruce have any children?
Melissa Gilbert
After her break up with Rob Lowe, Gilbert left for New York City to star in the play A Shayna Maidel. Gilbert was set up with actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married on February 22, 1988, only seven weeks after her relationship with Rob Lowe ended. Gilbert became pregnant months later. On May 1, 1989, she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman. They divorced in 1992. Only weeks after Gilbert's divorce filing, Bruce Boxleitner's former wife, Kathryn Holcomb, set Boxleitner up with Gilbert. Holcomb by then was married to actor Ian Ogilvy. Gilbert had met Boxleitner as a teenager when they both were on Battle of the Network Stars when Gilbert introduced herself, and she had a pin-up of him in her locker. But Boxleitner ignored her because she was a teen and he was many years older than she was. After reconnecting, the couple started dating on and off for over a year. They were engaged twice and Boxleitner broke up with her each time. After reuniting for a third time, they finally married on January 1, 1995, in her mother's living room. Gilbert quickly became pregnant, but went into premature labor more than two months before her due date. She gave birth to a son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, named in honor of Michael Landon, on October 6, 1995. His middle name is in honor of Garrett Peckinpah, her friend Sandy Peckinpah's son, who had died suddenly of meningitis at age 16. Gilbert is also stepmother to Boxleitner's two sons with Holcomb, Sam (born 1980) and Lee (born 1985). On March 1, 2011, Gilbert announced that she and Boxleitner had separated. On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner. On January 29, 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed the actress's engagement to fellow actor Timothy Busfield. The couple married on April 24, 2013. Since July 2013, Gilbert and Busfield have resided in Howell, Michigan. CANNOTANSWER
she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman.
Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) is an American actress, television director, producer, politician and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous commercials and guest starring roles on television. From 1974 to 1983, she starred as Laura Ingalls Wilder, the second oldest daughter of Charles Ingalls (played by Michael Landon) on the NBC series Little House on the Prairie. During the run of Little House, Gilbert appeared in several television films, including The Diary of Anne Frank and The Miracle Worker. As an adult, she continued her career mainly in television films. Gilbert has also continued with guest starring roles on television and has completed voice work for animation such as Batman: The Animated Series as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl. From 2009 to 2010, Gilbert appeared as Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring production of Little House on the Prairie, the Musical. In 2012, she was a contestant on season fourteen of the popular reality dance competition show Dancing with the Stars on ABC. Gilbert served as the President of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005. In 2009, her autobiography Prairie Tale: A Memoir, was released. In 2014, she wrote a short story for children, called Daisy and Josephine as well as My Prairie Cookbook: Memories and Frontier Food from My Little House to Yours. In 2016, Gilbert ran for U.S. Congress as a Democrat in Michigan's 8th congressional district and she won the Democratic primary. She later dropped out because of health issues stemming from a 2012 accident. Early life and family Gilbert was born in Los Angeles, California, on May 8, 1964, to a newly engaged couple, Kathy Wood and David Darlington, and given up for adoption immediately after birth. She was adopted one day later by actor and comedian Paul Gilbert and his wife, dancer and actress Barbara Crane, the daughter of The Honeymooners creator Harry Crane. They later adopted a son, Jonathan, who co-starred on Little House on the Prairie. Gilbert's parents divorced when she was 8 years old. Her mother then married Harold Abeles, and together they had biological daughter Sara Rebecca Abeles (the actress known professionally as Sara Gilbert) on January 29, 1975. On February 13, 1976, Paul Gilbert died. Although 11-year-old Melissa was told that he had suffered a stroke, she found out years later that he had been a VA patient who dealt with constant pain and that he had taken his own life. The marriage of Barbara and Harold Abeles later ended in divorce. According to her biography, Gilbert was raised in her adoptive mother's Jewish religion, but did not have any formal religious education or conversion ceremony. Career Early years Gilbert's earliest television appearances were in dozens of commercials, including one for Alpo dog food with Lorne Greene (Michael Landon's television father on Bonanza). She also attended school with Landon's daughter, Leslie Landon. It was Leslie who informed her that she had won the role of Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, beating out over 500 child actresses for the part. The pilot was shot in 1973 and was a ratings success. Almost a year later, Gilbert began filming the series. Gilbert became extremely close to the Landon family after her adoptive father died. However, a rift developed between Michael Landon and Gilbert after the revelation of Landon's affair with Little House young makeup artist, Cindy Clerico. Gilbert had limited contact with Landon after Little House ended during the 1983–84 season. Seven years later, she was contacted by Landon's family and upon news of his condition, paid him a heartfelt visit following his May 9, 1991, appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson where he discussed his pancreatic cancer. She visited Landon at his Malibu home where he was, by then, bedridden, and they spent the afternoon together. Landon died one week later. When Gilbert gave birth to her son with second husband Bruce Boxleitner on October 6, 1995, they named him Michael, in honor of Landon. Career after Little House Gilbert has continued to work regularly, mainly in television. She starred as Jean Donovan in the biopic Choices of the Heart (1983), and as Anna Sheridan in three episodes of Babylon 5 with then-husband Boxleitner in 1996. She also provided the voice of Batgirl on the 1990s Batman: The Animated Series, though she would be replaced by voice actress Tara Strong for the series' follow-up The New Batman Adventures. For her contribution to the television industry, Gilbert received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6429 Hollywood Blvd in 1985. Her then-fiancé, Rob Lowe, was present with her when her star was unveiled during the ceremony. In 1998, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 2006, Gilbert appeared as Shari Noble, a patient looking to reconstruct her nipples after committing zoophilia with her dog in a season four episode of Nip/Tuck. In 2008 and through 2009, Gilbert played Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the musical adaptation of Little House on the Prairie. This world premiere production at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis was directed by Francesca Zambello and also starred Kara Lindsay as Laura. The show ran through October 19 and was on a US National tour for 2009–10. The tour ended in June 2010 at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. In March and April 2018, Gilbert starred in an Off-Off-Broadway, limited-run production of Geraldine Aron's 2001 one-woman play 2001 My Brilliant Divorce. Dancing with the Stars In March 2012, Gilbert joined the cast of celebrity contestants on season 14 of Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. During week four's show, while dancing the Paso Doble, she fell and hit her head on Maksim's leg and suffered a mild concussion and was taken to a hospital. She went home to recuperate, but returned to continue in the competition. In week eight of competition, she was eliminated, finishing in fifth place. Screen Actors Guild presidency Gilbert was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild in 2001 after a contentious candidacy, in which she ultimately beat her opponent, Rhoda actress Valerie Harper, 21,351 votes to 12,613 votes after a second vote was taken. In 2003, she was re-elected, defeating Kent McCord with 50% of the vote to his 42%. In July 2005, she announced that she would not seek a third term. She was succeeded by Alan Rosenberg, who assumed the guild presidency on September 25. 2016 congressional campaign On August 10, 2015, Gilbert announced her campaign for Michigan's 8th congressional district in the 2016 elections to the United States House of Representatives. Gilbert, who was the presumptive Democratic nominee in the district, dropped out of the race in May 2016, citing health issues. Personal life Relationships After her relationship with Rob Lowe ended, Gilbert left for New York City to star in the play A Shayna Maidel. Gilbert was set up with actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married on February 22, 1988, seven weeks after her split from Lowe. Their son, Dakota Paul Brinkman, was born on May 1, 1989. The couple divorced in 1992. Weeks after Gilbert's divorce filing, actor Bruce Boxleitner's former wife set him up with Gilbert. Gilbert had met Boxleitner as a teenager when they both were on Battle of the Network Stars; he was her teenage crush. After reconnecting, they dated on and off for over a year. They were engaged twice and both engagements were ended by Boxleitner. After reuniting for a third time, they married on January 1, 1995, in her mother's living room. Gilbert gave birth to their son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, on October 6, 1995. He is named in honor of Michael Landon and Garrett Peckinpah, her friend Sandy Peckinpah's son, who died of meningitis at age 16. Gilbert was stepmother to Boxleitner's two sons. On March 1, 2011, Gilbert announced that she and Boxleitner had separated. On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner. In January 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed her engagement to actor Timothy Busfield. They married on April 24, 2013, lived in Howell, Michigan, from 2013 to 2018, and moved to New York City late in 2018. Tax issues Following her announcement as a candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan, a spokesperson for her opponent's campaign referred to Gilbert as a "tax cheat". Gilbert owed $360,000 in back federal taxes and $112,000 in California state taxes. Gilbert has stated the tax debt is an outgrowth of a stalled acting career, the economy, and divorce. She has negotiated a repayment plan with the IRS. Health issues Gilbert has battled alcoholism and drug abuse, which she wrote about in her 2009 autobiography. While playing the role of Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring musical Little House on the Prairie, a visit to the doctor revealed that Gilbert had been working with a broken back for months. On July 22, 2010, Gilbert underwent surgery to replace a disc as well as fuse a vertebra in her lower spine. The surgery was described as a complete success. In January 2015, Gilbert decided to have her breast implants removed for health reasons. Filmography Film Television Awards and nominations References Sources Gilbert, Melissa (2009). Prairie Tale: A Memoir (1st ed.). Gallery Books. External links About Melissa Gilbert 1964 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American actor-politicians American adoptees American child actresses American film actresses Leaders of American trade unions American memoirists American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American television directors American voice actresses American women television directors Jewish American actresses Participants in American reality television series Presidents of the Screen Actors Guild Michigan Democrats Women in Michigan politics Activists from California American women memoirists 21st-century American Jews
false
[ "Else Hansen (Cathrine Marie Mahs Hansen) also called de Hansen (1720 – 4 September 1784), was the royal mistress of king Frederick V of Denmark. She is his most famous mistress and known in history as Madam Hansen, and was, alongside Charlotte Amalie Winge, one of only two women known to have been long term lovers of the king.\n\nLife\n\nThe background of Else Hansen does not appear to be known. Tradition claims her to be the sister of Frederick's chamber servant Henrik Vilhelm Tillisch, who in 1743 reportedly smuggled in his sister to the king at night, but modern research does not support them to be the same person.\n\nRoyal mistress\nIt is not known exactly when and how Hansen became the lover of the king. Frederick V was known for his debauched life style. According to Dorothea Biehl, the king was known to participate in orgies or 'Bacchus parties', in which he drank alcohol with his male friends while watching female prostitutes stripped naked and danced, after which the king would sometime beat them with his stick and whip them after having been intoxicated by alcohol. These women where economically compensated, but none of them seem to have had any status of a long term mistress, nor did any of the noblewomen and maids-of-honors, which according to rumors where offered to the king by their families in hope of advantages but simply married of as soon as they became pregnant without any potential relationship having been anything but a secret. The relationship between the king and Else Hansen was therefore uncommon.\n\nElse Hansen gave birth to five children with the king between 1746 and 1751, which is why the affair is presumed to have started in 1746 at the latest and ended in 1751 at the earliest. At least her three younger children where all born at the manor Ulriksholm on Funen, a manor owned by Ulrik Frederik von Heinen, brother-in-law of the de facto ruler of Denmark, the kings favorite Adam Gottlob Moltke, who likely arranged the matter. The manor was named after the royal Ulrik Christian Gyldenlove, illegitimate son of a previous king. The king's children with Hansen where baptized in the local parish church near the manor, where they were officially listed as the legitimate children of the wife of a non existent man called \"Frederick Hansen, ship writer from Gothenburg to China\". The frequent trips to Ulriksholm by Hansen as soon as her pregnancies with the king became evident was publicly noted. Neither Else Hansen nor any other of the king's mistresses where ever any official mistress introduced at the royal court, nor did they have any influence upon state affairs whatever, as politics where entrusted by the king to his favorite Moltke.\n\nIn 1752, the relationship between the king and Hansen may have ended – in any case, it was not mentioned more or resulted in any more children. She settled in the property Kejrup near Ulriksholm with her children, officially with the status of \"widow of the late sea captain de Hansen\".\n\nLater life\nAfter the death of Frederick in 1766, she acquired the estate Klarskov on Funen. She sold Klarskov and moved to Odense in 1768. In 1771, however, she bought Klarskov a second time and continued to live there until her death.\n\nHer children were not officially recognized, but unofficially they were taken care of by the royal court: her daughters were given a dowry and married to royal officials and the sons careers where protected, and her grandchildren where also provided with an allowance from the royal house.\n\nAfter Hansen, the king did not have any long term mistress until Charlotte Amalie Winge (1762–66).\n\nLegacy\nAt Frederiksborgmuseet, there are three paintings of Hansen by Jens Thrane the younger from 1764. Hansen is known by Dorothea Biehl's depiction of the decadent court life of Frederick V.\n\nIssue \nHer children were officially listed with the father \"Frederick Hansen, sea captain\".\nFrederikke Margarethe de Hansen (1747–1802)\nFrederikke Catherine de Hansen (1748–1822)\nAnna Marie de Hansen (1749–1812)\nSophie Charlotte de Hansen (1750–1779)\nUlrik Frederik de Hansen (1751–1752)\n\nSources\n Charlotte Dorothea Biehl, Interiører fra Frederik V's Hof, udgivet af Louis Bobé.\n Aage Christens, Slægten de Hansen, 1968.\n\nReferences\n\n1720 births\n1784 deaths\nMistresses of Danish royalty\n18th-century Danish people\n18th-century Danish women landowners\n18th-century Danish landowners", "Maria Komnene (c. 1144 – 1190) was Queen of Hungary and Croatia from 1163 until 1165. Maria's father was Isaac Komnenos (son of John II).\n\nMarriage\nShe married c. 1157 to King Stephen IV of Hungary (c. 1133 – 11 April 1165). They did not have any children.\n\nSources \n Kristó Gyula - Makk Ferenc: Az Árpád-ház uralkodói (IPC Könyvek, 1996)\n Korai Magyar Történeti Lexikon (9-14. század), főszerkesztő: Kristó Gyula, szerkesztők: Engel Pál és Makk Ferenc (Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1994)\n\nHungarian queens consort\n1140s births\n1190 deaths\nMaria\n12th-century Byzantine women\n12th-century Hungarian women\n12th-century Byzantine people\n12th-century Hungarian people" ]
[ "Melissa Gilbert", "Relationships", "Was she ever married?", "actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married", "When did they marry?", "February 22, 1988,", "Did they have any children?", "she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman.", "Was he their only child?", "They divorced in 1992.", "Did she ever remarry?", "they finally married on January 1, 1995,", "Who did she marry the second time?", "Bruce Boxleitner's", "Did they have any children?", "She gave birth to a son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner," ]
C_f7930dd76a52485aa1b2cfd00047723f_0
Did she have any daughters?
8
Did Melissa have any daughters?
Melissa Gilbert
After her break up with Rob Lowe, Gilbert left for New York City to star in the play A Shayna Maidel. Gilbert was set up with actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married on February 22, 1988, only seven weeks after her relationship with Rob Lowe ended. Gilbert became pregnant months later. On May 1, 1989, she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman. They divorced in 1992. Only weeks after Gilbert's divorce filing, Bruce Boxleitner's former wife, Kathryn Holcomb, set Boxleitner up with Gilbert. Holcomb by then was married to actor Ian Ogilvy. Gilbert had met Boxleitner as a teenager when they both were on Battle of the Network Stars when Gilbert introduced herself, and she had a pin-up of him in her locker. But Boxleitner ignored her because she was a teen and he was many years older than she was. After reconnecting, the couple started dating on and off for over a year. They were engaged twice and Boxleitner broke up with her each time. After reuniting for a third time, they finally married on January 1, 1995, in her mother's living room. Gilbert quickly became pregnant, but went into premature labor more than two months before her due date. She gave birth to a son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, named in honor of Michael Landon, on October 6, 1995. His middle name is in honor of Garrett Peckinpah, her friend Sandy Peckinpah's son, who had died suddenly of meningitis at age 16. Gilbert is also stepmother to Boxleitner's two sons with Holcomb, Sam (born 1980) and Lee (born 1985). On March 1, 2011, Gilbert announced that she and Boxleitner had separated. On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner. On January 29, 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed the actress's engagement to fellow actor Timothy Busfield. The couple married on April 24, 2013. Since July 2013, Gilbert and Busfield have resided in Howell, Michigan. CANNOTANSWER
she gave birth to son
Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) is an American actress, television director, producer, politician and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous commercials and guest starring roles on television. From 1974 to 1983, she starred as Laura Ingalls Wilder, the second oldest daughter of Charles Ingalls (played by Michael Landon) on the NBC series Little House on the Prairie. During the run of Little House, Gilbert appeared in several television films, including The Diary of Anne Frank and The Miracle Worker. As an adult, she continued her career mainly in television films. Gilbert has also continued with guest starring roles on television and has completed voice work for animation such as Batman: The Animated Series as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl. From 2009 to 2010, Gilbert appeared as Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring production of Little House on the Prairie, the Musical. In 2012, she was a contestant on season fourteen of the popular reality dance competition show Dancing with the Stars on ABC. Gilbert served as the President of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005. In 2009, her autobiography Prairie Tale: A Memoir, was released. In 2014, she wrote a short story for children, called Daisy and Josephine as well as My Prairie Cookbook: Memories and Frontier Food from My Little House to Yours. In 2016, Gilbert ran for U.S. Congress as a Democrat in Michigan's 8th congressional district and she won the Democratic primary. She later dropped out because of health issues stemming from a 2012 accident. Early life and family Gilbert was born in Los Angeles, California, on May 8, 1964, to a newly engaged couple, Kathy Wood and David Darlington, and given up for adoption immediately after birth. She was adopted one day later by actor and comedian Paul Gilbert and his wife, dancer and actress Barbara Crane, the daughter of The Honeymooners creator Harry Crane. They later adopted a son, Jonathan, who co-starred on Little House on the Prairie. Gilbert's parents divorced when she was 8 years old. Her mother then married Harold Abeles, and together they had biological daughter Sara Rebecca Abeles (the actress known professionally as Sara Gilbert) on January 29, 1975. On February 13, 1976, Paul Gilbert died. Although 11-year-old Melissa was told that he had suffered a stroke, she found out years later that he had been a VA patient who dealt with constant pain and that he had taken his own life. The marriage of Barbara and Harold Abeles later ended in divorce. According to her biography, Gilbert was raised in her adoptive mother's Jewish religion, but did not have any formal religious education or conversion ceremony. Career Early years Gilbert's earliest television appearances were in dozens of commercials, including one for Alpo dog food with Lorne Greene (Michael Landon's television father on Bonanza). She also attended school with Landon's daughter, Leslie Landon. It was Leslie who informed her that she had won the role of Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, beating out over 500 child actresses for the part. The pilot was shot in 1973 and was a ratings success. Almost a year later, Gilbert began filming the series. Gilbert became extremely close to the Landon family after her adoptive father died. However, a rift developed between Michael Landon and Gilbert after the revelation of Landon's affair with Little House young makeup artist, Cindy Clerico. Gilbert had limited contact with Landon after Little House ended during the 1983–84 season. Seven years later, she was contacted by Landon's family and upon news of his condition, paid him a heartfelt visit following his May 9, 1991, appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson where he discussed his pancreatic cancer. She visited Landon at his Malibu home where he was, by then, bedridden, and they spent the afternoon together. Landon died one week later. When Gilbert gave birth to her son with second husband Bruce Boxleitner on October 6, 1995, they named him Michael, in honor of Landon. Career after Little House Gilbert has continued to work regularly, mainly in television. She starred as Jean Donovan in the biopic Choices of the Heart (1983), and as Anna Sheridan in three episodes of Babylon 5 with then-husband Boxleitner in 1996. She also provided the voice of Batgirl on the 1990s Batman: The Animated Series, though she would be replaced by voice actress Tara Strong for the series' follow-up The New Batman Adventures. For her contribution to the television industry, Gilbert received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6429 Hollywood Blvd in 1985. Her then-fiancé, Rob Lowe, was present with her when her star was unveiled during the ceremony. In 1998, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 2006, Gilbert appeared as Shari Noble, a patient looking to reconstruct her nipples after committing zoophilia with her dog in a season four episode of Nip/Tuck. In 2008 and through 2009, Gilbert played Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the musical adaptation of Little House on the Prairie. This world premiere production at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis was directed by Francesca Zambello and also starred Kara Lindsay as Laura. The show ran through October 19 and was on a US National tour for 2009–10. The tour ended in June 2010 at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. In March and April 2018, Gilbert starred in an Off-Off-Broadway, limited-run production of Geraldine Aron's 2001 one-woman play 2001 My Brilliant Divorce. Dancing with the Stars In March 2012, Gilbert joined the cast of celebrity contestants on season 14 of Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. During week four's show, while dancing the Paso Doble, she fell and hit her head on Maksim's leg and suffered a mild concussion and was taken to a hospital. She went home to recuperate, but returned to continue in the competition. In week eight of competition, she was eliminated, finishing in fifth place. Screen Actors Guild presidency Gilbert was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild in 2001 after a contentious candidacy, in which she ultimately beat her opponent, Rhoda actress Valerie Harper, 21,351 votes to 12,613 votes after a second vote was taken. In 2003, she was re-elected, defeating Kent McCord with 50% of the vote to his 42%. In July 2005, she announced that she would not seek a third term. She was succeeded by Alan Rosenberg, who assumed the guild presidency on September 25. 2016 congressional campaign On August 10, 2015, Gilbert announced her campaign for Michigan's 8th congressional district in the 2016 elections to the United States House of Representatives. Gilbert, who was the presumptive Democratic nominee in the district, dropped out of the race in May 2016, citing health issues. Personal life Relationships After her relationship with Rob Lowe ended, Gilbert left for New York City to star in the play A Shayna Maidel. Gilbert was set up with actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married on February 22, 1988, seven weeks after her split from Lowe. Their son, Dakota Paul Brinkman, was born on May 1, 1989. The couple divorced in 1992. Weeks after Gilbert's divorce filing, actor Bruce Boxleitner's former wife set him up with Gilbert. Gilbert had met Boxleitner as a teenager when they both were on Battle of the Network Stars; he was her teenage crush. After reconnecting, they dated on and off for over a year. They were engaged twice and both engagements were ended by Boxleitner. After reuniting for a third time, they married on January 1, 1995, in her mother's living room. Gilbert gave birth to their son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, on October 6, 1995. He is named in honor of Michael Landon and Garrett Peckinpah, her friend Sandy Peckinpah's son, who died of meningitis at age 16. Gilbert was stepmother to Boxleitner's two sons. On March 1, 2011, Gilbert announced that she and Boxleitner had separated. On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner. In January 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed her engagement to actor Timothy Busfield. They married on April 24, 2013, lived in Howell, Michigan, from 2013 to 2018, and moved to New York City late in 2018. Tax issues Following her announcement as a candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan, a spokesperson for her opponent's campaign referred to Gilbert as a "tax cheat". Gilbert owed $360,000 in back federal taxes and $112,000 in California state taxes. Gilbert has stated the tax debt is an outgrowth of a stalled acting career, the economy, and divorce. She has negotiated a repayment plan with the IRS. Health issues Gilbert has battled alcoholism and drug abuse, which she wrote about in her 2009 autobiography. While playing the role of Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring musical Little House on the Prairie, a visit to the doctor revealed that Gilbert had been working with a broken back for months. On July 22, 2010, Gilbert underwent surgery to replace a disc as well as fuse a vertebra in her lower spine. The surgery was described as a complete success. In January 2015, Gilbert decided to have her breast implants removed for health reasons. Filmography Film Television Awards and nominations References Sources Gilbert, Melissa (2009). Prairie Tale: A Memoir (1st ed.). Gallery Books. External links About Melissa Gilbert 1964 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American actor-politicians American adoptees American child actresses American film actresses Leaders of American trade unions American memoirists American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American television directors American voice actresses American women television directors Jewish American actresses Participants in American reality television series Presidents of the Screen Actors Guild Michigan Democrats Women in Michigan politics Activists from California American women memoirists 21st-century American Jews
false
[ "Saba, Lady Holland (; 1802–1866) was the eldest daughter of Sydney Smith and the second wife of Sir Henry Holland, a prominent physician and travel writer, with whom she had two daughters. She made a name for herself as the author of a much-read memoir of her famous father.\n\nSome of Smith's often-quoted sayings were first recorded in Lady Holland's memoir, including:Why, you never expected justice from a company, did you? They have neither a soul to lose, nor a body to kick. and\nThank God for tea! What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea. I can drink any quantity when I have not tasted wine.; otherwise I am haunted by blue devils by day, and dragons by night.\n\nHer daughters were Caroline Holland (1834–1909; author of Notebooks of a Spinster Lady, published posthumously in 1919) and Gertrude Holland (1840–1898).\n\nNotes\n\nReferences\n\n1802 births\n1866 deaths\n19th-century British women writers\nBritish memoirists\nBurials at Kensal Green Cemetery\nWives of baronets\nBritish women memoirists\n19th-century memoirists", "Mamani kaPhahlo was a Queen of the Mpondomise in her own right from the 1750s, following after her father King Phahlo. She is also known as Mbingwa. As the eldest among 3 daughters of the Great Wife of King Phahlo, she successfully challenged her half-brothers from the smaller houses for the throne upon the death of her father. Although, she married Ntsibatha, a Mpondo Princess, she passed on without issue. She was succeeded by one of her brothers, Sontlo, who she installed in her position despite challenges from some royal family members\n\nEarly life and family\nMamani (sometimes called Mbingwa) was born to the King of the Mpondomise, Phahlo, and a Xesibe Princess whose name is sadly not known. Mamani's mother was the Great Wife. To her mother, she was the eldest of 3 daughters and did not have any brothers. Her father had sons with his other wives. Her birth and death dates are unknown.\n\nOne of Mamani's sisters, Thandela, married the Xhosa King Phalo and was the mother of Gcaleka. Gcaleka later became the King of the Xhosas. Not much is known about the other sister.\n\nAscending to the throne and reign\nIn the 1750s Mamani's father, Phahlo, passed on. Traditionally her father was meant to be succeeded by a child of the Great Wife. However, custom dictated that the heir needed to be a male heir. If the Great Wife did not have male children, like Mamani's mother, then a male heir would be searched for among the children of the other wives, starting with the wife married to the king for the longest (i.e. most senior wife) followed by the junior wives (according their seniority), until a son is found. If a son is not found then one of the king's brothers (preference given to the oldest brother and his male-descendants, then moving down to the youngest brother) would assume the position. \n\nHowever the Great Wife of Phahlo did not have any male children. Defy tradition and custom, as the eldest of the 3 daughters of Phahlo's Great Wife, Mamani ascended the throne upon the death of her father. This event triggered the saying among historians who write about the Mpondomise \"the woman who became a king\". \n\nWhen dissenters rose against her, she killed them. She mounted armies against those who challenged her authority too. Her reign was felt throughout the lands of the Mpondomise (from uMthatha to Umzimkhulu. She was a strong monarch.\n\nMarriage and issue \nDespite being a woman herself, Mamani married a Princess from the Mpondo kingdom, the daughter of King Nyawuza called Ntsibatha. Instead of consummating the marriage herself, she asked her dearest brother, Sontlo, to do it. Sontlo was the son of Mamani's maternal aunt and Mamani's father, Phahlo.\n\nSuccessor\nGradually she began to hand over monarchal duties to Sontlo, while, she actively influenced the successful transition of power to him. Thus, Sontlo became her successor while she was alive and continued to reign upon her death.\n\nReferences\n\nLegendary rulers\nLegendary progenitors\nAfrican queens" ]
[ "Melissa Gilbert", "Relationships", "Was she ever married?", "actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married", "When did they marry?", "February 22, 1988,", "Did they have any children?", "she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman.", "Was he their only child?", "They divorced in 1992.", "Did she ever remarry?", "they finally married on January 1, 1995,", "Who did she marry the second time?", "Bruce Boxleitner's", "Did they have any children?", "She gave birth to a son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner,", "Did she have any daughters?", "she gave birth to son" ]
C_f7930dd76a52485aa1b2cfd00047723f_0
How long was she married to her second husband?
9
How long was Melissa married to Bruce Boxleitner?
Melissa Gilbert
After her break up with Rob Lowe, Gilbert left for New York City to star in the play A Shayna Maidel. Gilbert was set up with actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married on February 22, 1988, only seven weeks after her relationship with Rob Lowe ended. Gilbert became pregnant months later. On May 1, 1989, she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman. They divorced in 1992. Only weeks after Gilbert's divorce filing, Bruce Boxleitner's former wife, Kathryn Holcomb, set Boxleitner up with Gilbert. Holcomb by then was married to actor Ian Ogilvy. Gilbert had met Boxleitner as a teenager when they both were on Battle of the Network Stars when Gilbert introduced herself, and she had a pin-up of him in her locker. But Boxleitner ignored her because she was a teen and he was many years older than she was. After reconnecting, the couple started dating on and off for over a year. They were engaged twice and Boxleitner broke up with her each time. After reuniting for a third time, they finally married on January 1, 1995, in her mother's living room. Gilbert quickly became pregnant, but went into premature labor more than two months before her due date. She gave birth to a son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, named in honor of Michael Landon, on October 6, 1995. His middle name is in honor of Garrett Peckinpah, her friend Sandy Peckinpah's son, who had died suddenly of meningitis at age 16. Gilbert is also stepmother to Boxleitner's two sons with Holcomb, Sam (born 1980) and Lee (born 1985). On March 1, 2011, Gilbert announced that she and Boxleitner had separated. On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner. On January 29, 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed the actress's engagement to fellow actor Timothy Busfield. The couple married on April 24, 2013. Since July 2013, Gilbert and Busfield have resided in Howell, Michigan. CANNOTANSWER
On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner.
Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) is an American actress, television director, producer, politician and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous commercials and guest starring roles on television. From 1974 to 1983, she starred as Laura Ingalls Wilder, the second oldest daughter of Charles Ingalls (played by Michael Landon) on the NBC series Little House on the Prairie. During the run of Little House, Gilbert appeared in several television films, including The Diary of Anne Frank and The Miracle Worker. As an adult, she continued her career mainly in television films. Gilbert has also continued with guest starring roles on television and has completed voice work for animation such as Batman: The Animated Series as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl. From 2009 to 2010, Gilbert appeared as Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring production of Little House on the Prairie, the Musical. In 2012, she was a contestant on season fourteen of the popular reality dance competition show Dancing with the Stars on ABC. Gilbert served as the President of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005. In 2009, her autobiography Prairie Tale: A Memoir, was released. In 2014, she wrote a short story for children, called Daisy and Josephine as well as My Prairie Cookbook: Memories and Frontier Food from My Little House to Yours. In 2016, Gilbert ran for U.S. Congress as a Democrat in Michigan's 8th congressional district and she won the Democratic primary. She later dropped out because of health issues stemming from a 2012 accident. Early life and family Gilbert was born in Los Angeles, California, on May 8, 1964, to a newly engaged couple, Kathy Wood and David Darlington, and given up for adoption immediately after birth. She was adopted one day later by actor and comedian Paul Gilbert and his wife, dancer and actress Barbara Crane, the daughter of The Honeymooners creator Harry Crane. They later adopted a son, Jonathan, who co-starred on Little House on the Prairie. Gilbert's parents divorced when she was 8 years old. Her mother then married Harold Abeles, and together they had biological daughter Sara Rebecca Abeles (the actress known professionally as Sara Gilbert) on January 29, 1975. On February 13, 1976, Paul Gilbert died. Although 11-year-old Melissa was told that he had suffered a stroke, she found out years later that he had been a VA patient who dealt with constant pain and that he had taken his own life. The marriage of Barbara and Harold Abeles later ended in divorce. According to her biography, Gilbert was raised in her adoptive mother's Jewish religion, but did not have any formal religious education or conversion ceremony. Career Early years Gilbert's earliest television appearances were in dozens of commercials, including one for Alpo dog food with Lorne Greene (Michael Landon's television father on Bonanza). She also attended school with Landon's daughter, Leslie Landon. It was Leslie who informed her that she had won the role of Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, beating out over 500 child actresses for the part. The pilot was shot in 1973 and was a ratings success. Almost a year later, Gilbert began filming the series. Gilbert became extremely close to the Landon family after her adoptive father died. However, a rift developed between Michael Landon and Gilbert after the revelation of Landon's affair with Little House young makeup artist, Cindy Clerico. Gilbert had limited contact with Landon after Little House ended during the 1983–84 season. Seven years later, she was contacted by Landon's family and upon news of his condition, paid him a heartfelt visit following his May 9, 1991, appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson where he discussed his pancreatic cancer. She visited Landon at his Malibu home where he was, by then, bedridden, and they spent the afternoon together. Landon died one week later. When Gilbert gave birth to her son with second husband Bruce Boxleitner on October 6, 1995, they named him Michael, in honor of Landon. Career after Little House Gilbert has continued to work regularly, mainly in television. She starred as Jean Donovan in the biopic Choices of the Heart (1983), and as Anna Sheridan in three episodes of Babylon 5 with then-husband Boxleitner in 1996. She also provided the voice of Batgirl on the 1990s Batman: The Animated Series, though she would be replaced by voice actress Tara Strong for the series' follow-up The New Batman Adventures. For her contribution to the television industry, Gilbert received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6429 Hollywood Blvd in 1985. Her then-fiancé, Rob Lowe, was present with her when her star was unveiled during the ceremony. In 1998, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 2006, Gilbert appeared as Shari Noble, a patient looking to reconstruct her nipples after committing zoophilia with her dog in a season four episode of Nip/Tuck. In 2008 and through 2009, Gilbert played Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the musical adaptation of Little House on the Prairie. This world premiere production at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis was directed by Francesca Zambello and also starred Kara Lindsay as Laura. The show ran through October 19 and was on a US National tour for 2009–10. The tour ended in June 2010 at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. In March and April 2018, Gilbert starred in an Off-Off-Broadway, limited-run production of Geraldine Aron's 2001 one-woman play 2001 My Brilliant Divorce. Dancing with the Stars In March 2012, Gilbert joined the cast of celebrity contestants on season 14 of Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. During week four's show, while dancing the Paso Doble, she fell and hit her head on Maksim's leg and suffered a mild concussion and was taken to a hospital. She went home to recuperate, but returned to continue in the competition. In week eight of competition, she was eliminated, finishing in fifth place. Screen Actors Guild presidency Gilbert was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild in 2001 after a contentious candidacy, in which she ultimately beat her opponent, Rhoda actress Valerie Harper, 21,351 votes to 12,613 votes after a second vote was taken. In 2003, she was re-elected, defeating Kent McCord with 50% of the vote to his 42%. In July 2005, she announced that she would not seek a third term. She was succeeded by Alan Rosenberg, who assumed the guild presidency on September 25. 2016 congressional campaign On August 10, 2015, Gilbert announced her campaign for Michigan's 8th congressional district in the 2016 elections to the United States House of Representatives. Gilbert, who was the presumptive Democratic nominee in the district, dropped out of the race in May 2016, citing health issues. Personal life Relationships After her relationship with Rob Lowe ended, Gilbert left for New York City to star in the play A Shayna Maidel. Gilbert was set up with actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married on February 22, 1988, seven weeks after her split from Lowe. Their son, Dakota Paul Brinkman, was born on May 1, 1989. The couple divorced in 1992. Weeks after Gilbert's divorce filing, actor Bruce Boxleitner's former wife set him up with Gilbert. Gilbert had met Boxleitner as a teenager when they both were on Battle of the Network Stars; he was her teenage crush. After reconnecting, they dated on and off for over a year. They were engaged twice and both engagements were ended by Boxleitner. After reuniting for a third time, they married on January 1, 1995, in her mother's living room. Gilbert gave birth to their son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, on October 6, 1995. He is named in honor of Michael Landon and Garrett Peckinpah, her friend Sandy Peckinpah's son, who died of meningitis at age 16. Gilbert was stepmother to Boxleitner's two sons. On March 1, 2011, Gilbert announced that she and Boxleitner had separated. On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner. In January 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed her engagement to actor Timothy Busfield. They married on April 24, 2013, lived in Howell, Michigan, from 2013 to 2018, and moved to New York City late in 2018. Tax issues Following her announcement as a candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan, a spokesperson for her opponent's campaign referred to Gilbert as a "tax cheat". Gilbert owed $360,000 in back federal taxes and $112,000 in California state taxes. Gilbert has stated the tax debt is an outgrowth of a stalled acting career, the economy, and divorce. She has negotiated a repayment plan with the IRS. Health issues Gilbert has battled alcoholism and drug abuse, which she wrote about in her 2009 autobiography. While playing the role of Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring musical Little House on the Prairie, a visit to the doctor revealed that Gilbert had been working with a broken back for months. On July 22, 2010, Gilbert underwent surgery to replace a disc as well as fuse a vertebra in her lower spine. The surgery was described as a complete success. In January 2015, Gilbert decided to have her breast implants removed for health reasons. Filmography Film Television Awards and nominations References Sources Gilbert, Melissa (2009). Prairie Tale: A Memoir (1st ed.). Gallery Books. External links About Melissa Gilbert 1964 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American actor-politicians American adoptees American child actresses American film actresses Leaders of American trade unions American memoirists American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American television directors American voice actresses American women television directors Jewish American actresses Participants in American reality television series Presidents of the Screen Actors Guild Michigan Democrats Women in Michigan politics Activists from California American women memoirists 21st-century American Jews
true
[ "Shreemati Rasasundari (1810–1899) was a 19th-century Bengali writer. She is notable for her autobiography, which provides a rare insight into the life of a 19th-century Bengali housewife.\n\nEarly life\nRasasundari was born in March 1810 in Pabna District, Bengal Presidency, East India Company ruled India. She self-educated herself at home, but only to a limited extent. She married Sitanath Sarkar when she was 12 in 1822. Her husband was a Zamidar in Ramdia, Faridpur District. Her mother-in-law and three widowed sister-in laws lived with them. Her mother-in-law was particularly fond of her.\n\nCareer\nRasasundari was a deeply religious women. She had limited literacy. She got her chance to learn when her husband bought a handwritten copy of the religious text Chaitanya Bhagavata. She tried to read from the Chaitanya Bhagavata and using her limited knowledge taught herself how to read at 25. She learned how to write when she was 50, with the support of one of her sons. Her husband, Sitanath Sarkar, died when she was 59, leaving her a widow. She found herself with free time and started writing her autobiography. In 1886 she published her autobiography Amar Jibon (my life). Her autobiography focused on her and her role in the family. She depicts the role of women in Bengali society and how they were bound by their duties to their families through writing about her own life. She wrote about having to eat after making sure everyone in the household had eaten and despite having servants was expected to do household chores. She added more to a second edition of her autobiography which was published in 1898. The book depicted her attempt to shape her life and the intense societal pressures faced by Bengali women.\n\nDeath\nRasasundari died in 1899.\n\nReferences\n\n1810 births\n1899 deaths\nBangladeshi feminists\nBengali writers\nPeople from Pabna District", "Elizabeth Wilks born Lizzie Bennett (17 July 1861 – 16 November 1956) was a British doctor, suffragist, tax resister and philanthropist. She was married to Mark Wilks who was sent to jail for her refusal to pay tax and his refusal to make his wife tell him how much she earned.\n\nLife\nWilks was born in De Montfort Square in Leicester to John and Sarah Annie Bennett. She attended the university of London and when she left in 1896 she was a qualified doctor and she had a degree in surgery. The same year she married Mark Wilks who was a London teacher.\n\nWilks was a founder member of the Women's Tax Resistance League which was a group who objected particularly to women paying tax to a government over which they had no electoral control. Wilks became the treasurer of the organisation whose motto was \"No Vote No Tax!\".\n\nWilks came to notice when she refused to pay her tax in 1908. Married women were not required to pay taxes per se in Britain at that time. According to the law a married couple's joint income was added together and the husband paid the tax. However Elizabeth, who as a doctor, earned more than her husband, refused to tell her husband how much she earned. This put the authorities into a quandary as Elizabeth was not liable to pay tax and her husband was nominally willing to pay the tax but he said that he had no idea how much to pay. There was no legal requirement for Elizabeth to tell her husband about her income. In 1910 the authorities illegally seized some of her goods in an attempt to levy the tax on her income. The authorities then tried to claim the tax either from them as a couple or by her husband alone. This was legally unsatisfactory as Mark was being asked for tax on her income (of about £600 per annum) that he was nominally unaware of. 3,000 teachers signed a petition when Mark Wilks was placed in Brixton Jail and there was a demonstration in Trafalgar Square to protest at his treatment. He was released after a fortnight to a celebrations at Caxton Hall from the supporters of the Women's Tax Resistance League. His support included the writer George Bernard Shaw. Despite a debate in the House of Lords where it was realised that the law was unfair, British law did not get amended until 1972.\n\nThe Wilks moved to the village of Headley Down in Hampshire where Elizabeth was concerned by the quality of the public housing in 1933. She raised the money to build sixteen new residences which were managed by the newlyformed Headley Public Utility Society.\n\nWilks died in Headley Down in 1956 and she left her home and ten acres of woodland to the Headley Public Utility Society. The residences were given to the local authority but the Headley PUS still maintains the woodlands for public benefit.\n\nReferences \n\n1861 births\n1956 deaths\nPeople from Leicester\nBritish suffragists\nBritish philanthropists\nPeople from East Hampshire District" ]
[ "Melissa Gilbert", "Relationships", "Was she ever married?", "actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married", "When did they marry?", "February 22, 1988,", "Did they have any children?", "she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman.", "Was he their only child?", "They divorced in 1992.", "Did she ever remarry?", "they finally married on January 1, 1995,", "Who did she marry the second time?", "Bruce Boxleitner's", "Did they have any children?", "She gave birth to a son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner,", "Did she have any daughters?", "she gave birth to son", "How long was she married to her second husband?", "On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner." ]
C_f7930dd76a52485aa1b2cfd00047723f_0
Why did they divorce?
10
Why did Gilbert and Boxleitner divorce?
Melissa Gilbert
After her break up with Rob Lowe, Gilbert left for New York City to star in the play A Shayna Maidel. Gilbert was set up with actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married on February 22, 1988, only seven weeks after her relationship with Rob Lowe ended. Gilbert became pregnant months later. On May 1, 1989, she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman. They divorced in 1992. Only weeks after Gilbert's divorce filing, Bruce Boxleitner's former wife, Kathryn Holcomb, set Boxleitner up with Gilbert. Holcomb by then was married to actor Ian Ogilvy. Gilbert had met Boxleitner as a teenager when they both were on Battle of the Network Stars when Gilbert introduced herself, and she had a pin-up of him in her locker. But Boxleitner ignored her because she was a teen and he was many years older than she was. After reconnecting, the couple started dating on and off for over a year. They were engaged twice and Boxleitner broke up with her each time. After reuniting for a third time, they finally married on January 1, 1995, in her mother's living room. Gilbert quickly became pregnant, but went into premature labor more than two months before her due date. She gave birth to a son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, named in honor of Michael Landon, on October 6, 1995. His middle name is in honor of Garrett Peckinpah, her friend Sandy Peckinpah's son, who had died suddenly of meningitis at age 16. Gilbert is also stepmother to Boxleitner's two sons with Holcomb, Sam (born 1980) and Lee (born 1985). On March 1, 2011, Gilbert announced that she and Boxleitner had separated. On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner. On January 29, 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed the actress's engagement to fellow actor Timothy Busfield. The couple married on April 24, 2013. Since July 2013, Gilbert and Busfield have resided in Howell, Michigan. CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) is an American actress, television director, producer, politician and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous commercials and guest starring roles on television. From 1974 to 1983, she starred as Laura Ingalls Wilder, the second oldest daughter of Charles Ingalls (played by Michael Landon) on the NBC series Little House on the Prairie. During the run of Little House, Gilbert appeared in several television films, including The Diary of Anne Frank and The Miracle Worker. As an adult, she continued her career mainly in television films. Gilbert has also continued with guest starring roles on television and has completed voice work for animation such as Batman: The Animated Series as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl. From 2009 to 2010, Gilbert appeared as Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring production of Little House on the Prairie, the Musical. In 2012, she was a contestant on season fourteen of the popular reality dance competition show Dancing with the Stars on ABC. Gilbert served as the President of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005. In 2009, her autobiography Prairie Tale: A Memoir, was released. In 2014, she wrote a short story for children, called Daisy and Josephine as well as My Prairie Cookbook: Memories and Frontier Food from My Little House to Yours. In 2016, Gilbert ran for U.S. Congress as a Democrat in Michigan's 8th congressional district and she won the Democratic primary. She later dropped out because of health issues stemming from a 2012 accident. Early life and family Gilbert was born in Los Angeles, California, on May 8, 1964, to a newly engaged couple, Kathy Wood and David Darlington, and given up for adoption immediately after birth. She was adopted one day later by actor and comedian Paul Gilbert and his wife, dancer and actress Barbara Crane, the daughter of The Honeymooners creator Harry Crane. They later adopted a son, Jonathan, who co-starred on Little House on the Prairie. Gilbert's parents divorced when she was 8 years old. Her mother then married Harold Abeles, and together they had biological daughter Sara Rebecca Abeles (the actress known professionally as Sara Gilbert) on January 29, 1975. On February 13, 1976, Paul Gilbert died. Although 11-year-old Melissa was told that he had suffered a stroke, she found out years later that he had been a VA patient who dealt with constant pain and that he had taken his own life. The marriage of Barbara and Harold Abeles later ended in divorce. According to her biography, Gilbert was raised in her adoptive mother's Jewish religion, but did not have any formal religious education or conversion ceremony. Career Early years Gilbert's earliest television appearances were in dozens of commercials, including one for Alpo dog food with Lorne Greene (Michael Landon's television father on Bonanza). She also attended school with Landon's daughter, Leslie Landon. It was Leslie who informed her that she had won the role of Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, beating out over 500 child actresses for the part. The pilot was shot in 1973 and was a ratings success. Almost a year later, Gilbert began filming the series. Gilbert became extremely close to the Landon family after her adoptive father died. However, a rift developed between Michael Landon and Gilbert after the revelation of Landon's affair with Little House young makeup artist, Cindy Clerico. Gilbert had limited contact with Landon after Little House ended during the 1983–84 season. Seven years later, she was contacted by Landon's family and upon news of his condition, paid him a heartfelt visit following his May 9, 1991, appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson where he discussed his pancreatic cancer. She visited Landon at his Malibu home where he was, by then, bedridden, and they spent the afternoon together. Landon died one week later. When Gilbert gave birth to her son with second husband Bruce Boxleitner on October 6, 1995, they named him Michael, in honor of Landon. Career after Little House Gilbert has continued to work regularly, mainly in television. She starred as Jean Donovan in the biopic Choices of the Heart (1983), and as Anna Sheridan in three episodes of Babylon 5 with then-husband Boxleitner in 1996. She also provided the voice of Batgirl on the 1990s Batman: The Animated Series, though she would be replaced by voice actress Tara Strong for the series' follow-up The New Batman Adventures. For her contribution to the television industry, Gilbert received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6429 Hollywood Blvd in 1985. Her then-fiancé, Rob Lowe, was present with her when her star was unveiled during the ceremony. In 1998, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 2006, Gilbert appeared as Shari Noble, a patient looking to reconstruct her nipples after committing zoophilia with her dog in a season four episode of Nip/Tuck. In 2008 and through 2009, Gilbert played Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the musical adaptation of Little House on the Prairie. This world premiere production at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis was directed by Francesca Zambello and also starred Kara Lindsay as Laura. The show ran through October 19 and was on a US National tour for 2009–10. The tour ended in June 2010 at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. In March and April 2018, Gilbert starred in an Off-Off-Broadway, limited-run production of Geraldine Aron's 2001 one-woman play 2001 My Brilliant Divorce. Dancing with the Stars In March 2012, Gilbert joined the cast of celebrity contestants on season 14 of Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. During week four's show, while dancing the Paso Doble, she fell and hit her head on Maksim's leg and suffered a mild concussion and was taken to a hospital. She went home to recuperate, but returned to continue in the competition. In week eight of competition, she was eliminated, finishing in fifth place. Screen Actors Guild presidency Gilbert was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild in 2001 after a contentious candidacy, in which she ultimately beat her opponent, Rhoda actress Valerie Harper, 21,351 votes to 12,613 votes after a second vote was taken. In 2003, she was re-elected, defeating Kent McCord with 50% of the vote to his 42%. In July 2005, she announced that she would not seek a third term. She was succeeded by Alan Rosenberg, who assumed the guild presidency on September 25. 2016 congressional campaign On August 10, 2015, Gilbert announced her campaign for Michigan's 8th congressional district in the 2016 elections to the United States House of Representatives. Gilbert, who was the presumptive Democratic nominee in the district, dropped out of the race in May 2016, citing health issues. Personal life Relationships After her relationship with Rob Lowe ended, Gilbert left for New York City to star in the play A Shayna Maidel. Gilbert was set up with actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married on February 22, 1988, seven weeks after her split from Lowe. Their son, Dakota Paul Brinkman, was born on May 1, 1989. The couple divorced in 1992. Weeks after Gilbert's divorce filing, actor Bruce Boxleitner's former wife set him up with Gilbert. Gilbert had met Boxleitner as a teenager when they both were on Battle of the Network Stars; he was her teenage crush. After reconnecting, they dated on and off for over a year. They were engaged twice and both engagements were ended by Boxleitner. After reuniting for a third time, they married on January 1, 1995, in her mother's living room. Gilbert gave birth to their son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, on October 6, 1995. He is named in honor of Michael Landon and Garrett Peckinpah, her friend Sandy Peckinpah's son, who died of meningitis at age 16. Gilbert was stepmother to Boxleitner's two sons. On March 1, 2011, Gilbert announced that she and Boxleitner had separated. On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner. In January 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed her engagement to actor Timothy Busfield. They married on April 24, 2013, lived in Howell, Michigan, from 2013 to 2018, and moved to New York City late in 2018. Tax issues Following her announcement as a candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan, a spokesperson for her opponent's campaign referred to Gilbert as a "tax cheat". Gilbert owed $360,000 in back federal taxes and $112,000 in California state taxes. Gilbert has stated the tax debt is an outgrowth of a stalled acting career, the economy, and divorce. She has negotiated a repayment plan with the IRS. Health issues Gilbert has battled alcoholism and drug abuse, which she wrote about in her 2009 autobiography. While playing the role of Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring musical Little House on the Prairie, a visit to the doctor revealed that Gilbert had been working with a broken back for months. On July 22, 2010, Gilbert underwent surgery to replace a disc as well as fuse a vertebra in her lower spine. The surgery was described as a complete success. In January 2015, Gilbert decided to have her breast implants removed for health reasons. Filmography Film Television Awards and nominations References Sources Gilbert, Melissa (2009). Prairie Tale: A Memoir (1st ed.). Gallery Books. External links About Melissa Gilbert 1964 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American actor-politicians American adoptees American child actresses American film actresses Leaders of American trade unions American memoirists American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American television directors American voice actresses American women television directors Jewish American actresses Participants in American reality television series Presidents of the Screen Actors Guild Michigan Democrats Women in Michigan politics Activists from California American women memoirists 21st-century American Jews
false
[ "Colasterion (from the Greek word for \"instrument of punishment\" or \"house of correction\") was published by John Milton with his Tetrachordon on 4 March 1645. The tract is a response to an anonymous pamphlet attacking the first edition of The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce. Milton makes no new arguments, but harshly takes to task the \"trivial author\".\n\nBackground\n\nMilton married in Spring 1642, and shortly after, his wife Marie Powell, left him and returned to live with her mother. The legal statutes of England did not allow for Milton to apply for a divorce and he resorted to promoting the lawfulness of divorce. Although the laws did not change, he wrote four tracts on the topic of divorce, with The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce as his first tract. The first tract was created during a time of humiliation, and Milton was motivated towards writing on the topic after reading the work of Martin Bucer on divorce. Although it is impossible to know why exactly Powell separated from Milton, it is possible that Powell's family, a strong royalist family, caused a political difference that was exacerbated by the English Civil War.\n\nDuring the time of composing the tracts, Milton attempted to pursue another woman known only as Miss Davis, but this resulted in failure. He continued to pursue the topic until his wife returned to him and they were to reconcile. This reconciliation could have come in part from the failure of the royalists, including Powell's family, to prevail during the English Civil War and lacking justification to further distance themselves from Milton. According to George Thomason, an early collector of English Civil War tracts, Colasterion was published on 4 March 1645 along with Tetrachordon.\n\nTract\nColasterion is a personal response to the anonymous pamphlet An Answer to a Book, Intituled, The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce, or, A Pleas for Ladies and Gentlewomen, and all other Married Women against Divorce (1644). The work contains many insults against the anonymous author, including \"wind-egg\", \"Serving-man\", and \"conspicuous gull\". In the tract, Milton promotes an idea of separation, and, in his situation, a separation from his previous wife.\n\nNotes\n\nReferences\n Miller, Leo. John Milton among the Polygamophiles. New York: Loewenthal Press, 1974.\n Milton, John. Complete Prose Works of John Milton Vol II ed. Don Wolfe. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1959.\n Patterson, Annabel. \"Milton, Marriage and Divorce\" in A Companion to Milton. Ed. Thomas Corns. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2003.\n\nWorks by John Milton\n1645 books", "The relationship between religion and divorce is complicated and varied. Different religions have different perceptions of divorce. Some religions accept divorce as a fact of life, while others only believe it is right under certain circumstances like adultery. Also, some religions allow remarriage after divorce, and others believe it is inherently wrong. This article attempts to summarize these viewpoints of major world religions and some important traditions regarding divorce in each faith.\n\nChristianity\n\nThe great majority of Christian denominations affirm that marriage is intended as a lifelong covenant, but vary in their response to its dissolubility through divorce. The Catholic Church treats all consummated sacramental marriages as permanent during the life of the spouses, and therefore does not allow remarriage after a divorce if the other spouse still lives and the marriage has not been annulled. However, divorced Catholics are still welcome to participate fully in the life of the church so long as they have not remarried against church law, and the Catholic Church generally requires civil divorce or annulment procedures to have been completed before it will consider annulment cases. Annulment is not the same as divorce - it is a declaration that the marriage was never valid to begin with. Other Christian denominations, including the Eastern Orthodox Church and many Protestant churches, will allow both divorce and remarriage even with a surviving former spouse, at least under certain conditions. For example, the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection, in its 2014 Discipline, teaches:\n\nIn societies that practised Puritanism, divorce was allowed if one partner in the marriage was not completely satisfied with the other, and remarriage was also allowed. The Church of England also took an indissolublist line until 2002, when it agreed to allow a divorced person to remarry in church during a former spouse's lifetime under \"exceptional circumstances.\"\n\nBible commentary on divorce comes primarily from the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and the epistles of Paul. Jesus taught on the subject of divorce in three of the Gospels, and Paul gives a rather extensive treatment of the subject in his First Epistle to the Corinthians chapter 7: \"Let not the wife depart from her husband...let not the husband put away his wife\" (1 Corinthians 7:10-11), but he also includes the Pauline privilege. He again alludes to his position on divorce in his Epistle to the Romans, albeit an allegory, when he states \"For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth. . . . So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress\" (Romans 7:2-3).\n\nIn , and , Jesus came into conflict with the Pharisees over divorce concerning their well-known controversy between Hillel and Shammai about —as evidenced in Nashim Gittin 9:10 of the Mishnah. Do Jesus’ answers to the Pharisees also pertain to Christians? Are Christians who adopt these teachings Judaizers? The differences in opinions about these questions usually arise over whether Jesus opposed the Law of Moses or just some of the viewpoints of the Pharisees, and whether Jesus just addressed a Jewish audience or expanded his audience to include Christians, for example \"all nations\" as in the Great Commission.\n\nSince Deuteronomy 24:1-4 did not give Jewish women the right to directly initiate a divorce (See Agunah), did Jesus' answers \"in the house\" to his disciples expand the rights of women or did they merely acknowledge that some Jewish women, such as Herodias who divorced Herod Boethus, were wrongfully taking rights because Jewish women were being assimilated by other cultures? (See , .) In other words, did Jesus confine his remarks to the Pharisaical questions, and did he appeal to his own authority by refuting the oral authority of the Pharisees with the formula \"You have heard...But I say to you\" in ? Expressions used by Jesus such as \"you have heard\", \"it hath been said\", \"it is written\", \"have you never read\", \"keep the commandments\", \"why do you break the commandments with your traditions?\" and \"what did Moses Command you?\" seem to indicate that Jesus generally respected the Hebrew Bible and sometimes opposed Pharisaical Opinions. He was critical of the Pharisees.\n\nBuddhism\nBuddhism has no religious concept of marriage (see Buddhist view of marriage). In Buddhism, marriage is a secular affair, subject to local customs.\n\nIslam\n\nAccording to the Quran, marriage is intended to be unbounded in time, but when marital harmony cannot be attained, the Quran allows the spouses to bring the marriage to an end (2:231). Divorce in Islam can take a variety of forms, some initiated by the husband and some initiated by the wife. The main traditional legal categories are talaq (repudiation), khulʿ (mutual divorce), judicial divorce and oaths. The theory and practice of divorce in the Islamic world have varied according to time and place. Historically, the rules of divorce were governed by sharia, as interpreted by traditional Islamic jurisprudence, and they differed depending on the legal school. Historical practice sometimes diverged from legal theory. In modern times, as personal status (family) laws were codified, they generally remained \"within the orbit of Islamic law\", but control over the norms of divorce shifted from traditional jurists to the state.\n\nJudaism\nJudaism has always accepted divorce as a fact of life, though an unfortunate one. Judaism generally maintains that it is better for a couple to divorce than to remain together in a state of bitterness and strife. It is said that shalom bayit (domestic harmony) is a desirable state.\n\nLegal procedures\nIn general, it is accepted that for a Jewish divorce to be effective the husband must hand to the wife, and not vice versa, a bill of divorce called a get, while witnesses observe. Although the get is mainly used as proof of the divorce, sometimes the wife will tear the get to signal the end of the marriage and to ensure it is not reused. However, from ancient times, the get was considered to be very important to show all those who needed to have proof that the woman was in fact free from the previous marriage and free to remarry. In Jewish law, besides other things, the consequences of a woman remarrying and having a child while still legally married to another is profound: the child would be a mamzer, an \"estranged person\" to be avoided. Also, the woman would be committing adultery should she remarry while still legally married to another. An enactment called Herem de-Rabbenu Gershom (the proscription of Gershom ben Judah, accepted universally throughout European Jewish communities), prohibited a husband from divorcing his wife against her will.\n\nIn halakha (Jewish law), divorce is an act of the parties to the marriage, which is different from the approach adopted by many other legal systems. That is, a Jewish divorce does not require a decree from a court. The function of the court, in the absence of agreement between the parties, is to decide whether the husband should be compelled to give the get or for the wife to accept the get. But, notwithstanding any such ruling, the parties remain married until such time as the husband actually delivers the get.\n\nJewish law, in effect, does not require proof or even an allegation of moral or other fault by either party. If both parties agree to a divorce and follow the prescribed procedure, then the court would not need to establish responsibility for the marriage break-down. In this sense it is a \"no-fault\" approach to divorce.\n\nA woman who has been refused a get is typically referred to as an \"agunah\". Where pre-nuptial agreements are enforceable in civil courts, appropriate provisions may be made to compel the giving of the get by the husband in the event of a civil divorce being obtained. However, this approach has not been accepted universally, particularly by the Orthodox.\n\nA wife can initiate a divorce process on several grounds (including lack of satisfaction in her sexual life). However, this right extends only so far as petitioning a court to force her husband to divorce her.\n\nOne part of the complex process of divorce in Judaism, is the creation of the get itself. The get is crafted with great care and responsibility in order to ensure that no mistakes create consequences in the future. For example, exactly twelve lines are written in permanent ink telling the names of both parties, place, and time of the divorce. Because of the danger of the birth of mamzerim if the process is not performed properly, and because divorce law is extraordinarily complex, the process is generally supervised by experts.\n\nPhilosophical approaches\n\nFrom the philosophical and mystical point of view, divorce is a unique procedure of tremendous importance and complexity, because it nullifies the holiest of connections that can exist in the Universe (similar to a connection between a person and God).\n\nIn some Jewish mythologies, Adam had a wife before Eve named Lilith who left him. The earliest historically documentation of this legend appears in the 8th-10th centuries Alphabet of Ben Sira. Whether this particular tradition is older is not known.\n\nOthers\n\nWicca\nThe Wiccan equivalent of a divorce is described as a handparting. Wiccans traditionally see either a high priest or high priestess to discuss things out before a divorce. However a handfasting (marriage) that falls apart peacefully does not necessarily need a handparting.\n\nUnitarian Universalism\nIn Unitarian Universalism, because they affirm the \"right of conscience\", divorce is allowed and should be a decision by the individual person and is seen as ending a rite of passage. Such divorces have sometimes taken the form of divorce rituals as far back as the 1960s. Divorces are largely seen as a life choice.\n\nHinduism\nIn Hinduism Divorce and Remarriage is allowed. Arthashastra which is one of the sastras in Hinduism says:\n\nA woman, hating\nher husband, can not dissolve her marriage with him against his\nwill. Nor can a man dissolve his marriage with his wife against her\nwill. But from mutual enmity, divorce may be obtained\n(parasparam dveshánmokshah). If a man, apprehending danger\nfrom his wife desires divorce (mokshamichhet), he shall return to\nher whatever she was given (on the occasion of her marriage). If a\nwoman, under the apprehension of danger from her husband,\ndesires divorce, she shall forfeit her claim to her property\n\nReferences \n\nhttp://www.bibleissues.org, https://web.archive.org/web/20091027092358/http://geocities.com/dcheddie/divorce1.html, http://students.eng.fiu.edu/~denver/divorce1.html\n\nFurther reading\n Amato, Paul R. and Alan Booth. A Generation at Risk: Growing Up in an Era of Family Upheaval. Harvard University Press, 1997. and . Reviews and information at \n Gallagher, Maggie. \"The Abolition of Marriage.\" Regnery Publishing, 1996. .\n Lester, David. \"Time-Series Versus Regional Correlates of Rates of Personal Violence.\" Death Studies 1993: 529–534.\n McLanahan, Sara and Gary Sandefur. Growing Up with a Single Parent; What Hurts, What Helps. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1994: 82.\n Morowitz, Harold J. \"Hiding in the Hammond Report.\" Hospital Practice August 1975; 39.\n Office for National Statistics (UK). Mortality Statistics: Childhood, Infant and Perinatal, Review of the Registrar General on Deaths in England and Wales, 2000, Series DH3 33, 2002.\n U.S. Bureau of the Census. Marriage and Divorce. General US survey information. \n U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Survey of Divorce (link obsolete).\n\nDivorce\nDivorce\nDivorce" ]
[ "Melissa Gilbert", "Relationships", "Was she ever married?", "actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married", "When did they marry?", "February 22, 1988,", "Did they have any children?", "she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman.", "Was he their only child?", "They divorced in 1992.", "Did she ever remarry?", "they finally married on January 1, 1995,", "Who did she marry the second time?", "Bruce Boxleitner's", "Did they have any children?", "She gave birth to a son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner,", "Did she have any daughters?", "she gave birth to son", "How long was she married to her second husband?", "On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner.", "Why did they divorce?", "I don't know." ]
C_f7930dd76a52485aa1b2cfd00047723f_0
What else did you find interesting with her relationships?
11
What else did you find interesting with Melissa's relationships in addition to the two marriages and resulting children?
Melissa Gilbert
After her break up with Rob Lowe, Gilbert left for New York City to star in the play A Shayna Maidel. Gilbert was set up with actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married on February 22, 1988, only seven weeks after her relationship with Rob Lowe ended. Gilbert became pregnant months later. On May 1, 1989, she gave birth to son Dakota Paul Brinkman. They divorced in 1992. Only weeks after Gilbert's divorce filing, Bruce Boxleitner's former wife, Kathryn Holcomb, set Boxleitner up with Gilbert. Holcomb by then was married to actor Ian Ogilvy. Gilbert had met Boxleitner as a teenager when they both were on Battle of the Network Stars when Gilbert introduced herself, and she had a pin-up of him in her locker. But Boxleitner ignored her because she was a teen and he was many years older than she was. After reconnecting, the couple started dating on and off for over a year. They were engaged twice and Boxleitner broke up with her each time. After reuniting for a third time, they finally married on January 1, 1995, in her mother's living room. Gilbert quickly became pregnant, but went into premature labor more than two months before her due date. She gave birth to a son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, named in honor of Michael Landon, on October 6, 1995. His middle name is in honor of Garrett Peckinpah, her friend Sandy Peckinpah's son, who had died suddenly of meningitis at age 16. Gilbert is also stepmother to Boxleitner's two sons with Holcomb, Sam (born 1980) and Lee (born 1985). On March 1, 2011, Gilbert announced that she and Boxleitner had separated. On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner. On January 29, 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed the actress's engagement to fellow actor Timothy Busfield. The couple married on April 24, 2013. Since July 2013, Gilbert and Busfield have resided in Howell, Michigan. CANNOTANSWER
On January 29, 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed the actress's engagement to fellow actor Timothy Busfield.
Melissa Ellen Gilbert (born May 8, 1964) is an American actress, television director, producer, politician and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. Gilbert began her career as a child actress in the late 1960s, appearing in numerous commercials and guest starring roles on television. From 1974 to 1983, she starred as Laura Ingalls Wilder, the second oldest daughter of Charles Ingalls (played by Michael Landon) on the NBC series Little House on the Prairie. During the run of Little House, Gilbert appeared in several television films, including The Diary of Anne Frank and The Miracle Worker. As an adult, she continued her career mainly in television films. Gilbert has also continued with guest starring roles on television and has completed voice work for animation such as Batman: The Animated Series as Barbara Gordon / Batgirl. From 2009 to 2010, Gilbert appeared as Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring production of Little House on the Prairie, the Musical. In 2012, she was a contestant on season fourteen of the popular reality dance competition show Dancing with the Stars on ABC. Gilbert served as the President of the Screen Actors Guild from 2001 to 2005. In 2009, her autobiography Prairie Tale: A Memoir, was released. In 2014, she wrote a short story for children, called Daisy and Josephine as well as My Prairie Cookbook: Memories and Frontier Food from My Little House to Yours. In 2016, Gilbert ran for U.S. Congress as a Democrat in Michigan's 8th congressional district and she won the Democratic primary. She later dropped out because of health issues stemming from a 2012 accident. Early life and family Gilbert was born in Los Angeles, California, on May 8, 1964, to a newly engaged couple, Kathy Wood and David Darlington, and given up for adoption immediately after birth. She was adopted one day later by actor and comedian Paul Gilbert and his wife, dancer and actress Barbara Crane, the daughter of The Honeymooners creator Harry Crane. They later adopted a son, Jonathan, who co-starred on Little House on the Prairie. Gilbert's parents divorced when she was 8 years old. Her mother then married Harold Abeles, and together they had biological daughter Sara Rebecca Abeles (the actress known professionally as Sara Gilbert) on January 29, 1975. On February 13, 1976, Paul Gilbert died. Although 11-year-old Melissa was told that he had suffered a stroke, she found out years later that he had been a VA patient who dealt with constant pain and that he had taken his own life. The marriage of Barbara and Harold Abeles later ended in divorce. According to her biography, Gilbert was raised in her adoptive mother's Jewish religion, but did not have any formal religious education or conversion ceremony. Career Early years Gilbert's earliest television appearances were in dozens of commercials, including one for Alpo dog food with Lorne Greene (Michael Landon's television father on Bonanza). She also attended school with Landon's daughter, Leslie Landon. It was Leslie who informed her that she had won the role of Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie, beating out over 500 child actresses for the part. The pilot was shot in 1973 and was a ratings success. Almost a year later, Gilbert began filming the series. Gilbert became extremely close to the Landon family after her adoptive father died. However, a rift developed between Michael Landon and Gilbert after the revelation of Landon's affair with Little House young makeup artist, Cindy Clerico. Gilbert had limited contact with Landon after Little House ended during the 1983–84 season. Seven years later, she was contacted by Landon's family and upon news of his condition, paid him a heartfelt visit following his May 9, 1991, appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson where he discussed his pancreatic cancer. She visited Landon at his Malibu home where he was, by then, bedridden, and they spent the afternoon together. Landon died one week later. When Gilbert gave birth to her son with second husband Bruce Boxleitner on October 6, 1995, they named him Michael, in honor of Landon. Career after Little House Gilbert has continued to work regularly, mainly in television. She starred as Jean Donovan in the biopic Choices of the Heart (1983), and as Anna Sheridan in three episodes of Babylon 5 with then-husband Boxleitner in 1996. She also provided the voice of Batgirl on the 1990s Batman: The Animated Series, though she would be replaced by voice actress Tara Strong for the series' follow-up The New Batman Adventures. For her contribution to the television industry, Gilbert received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6429 Hollywood Blvd in 1985. Her then-fiancé, Rob Lowe, was present with her when her star was unveiled during the ceremony. In 1998, she was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In 2006, Gilbert appeared as Shari Noble, a patient looking to reconstruct her nipples after committing zoophilia with her dog in a season four episode of Nip/Tuck. In 2008 and through 2009, Gilbert played Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the musical adaptation of Little House on the Prairie. This world premiere production at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis was directed by Francesca Zambello and also starred Kara Lindsay as Laura. The show ran through October 19 and was on a US National tour for 2009–10. The tour ended in June 2010 at Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. In March and April 2018, Gilbert starred in an Off-Off-Broadway, limited-run production of Geraldine Aron's 2001 one-woman play 2001 My Brilliant Divorce. Dancing with the Stars In March 2012, Gilbert joined the cast of celebrity contestants on season 14 of Dancing with the Stars. She was paired with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. During week four's show, while dancing the Paso Doble, she fell and hit her head on Maksim's leg and suffered a mild concussion and was taken to a hospital. She went home to recuperate, but returned to continue in the competition. In week eight of competition, she was eliminated, finishing in fifth place. Screen Actors Guild presidency Gilbert was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild in 2001 after a contentious candidacy, in which she ultimately beat her opponent, Rhoda actress Valerie Harper, 21,351 votes to 12,613 votes after a second vote was taken. In 2003, she was re-elected, defeating Kent McCord with 50% of the vote to his 42%. In July 2005, she announced that she would not seek a third term. She was succeeded by Alan Rosenberg, who assumed the guild presidency on September 25. 2016 congressional campaign On August 10, 2015, Gilbert announced her campaign for Michigan's 8th congressional district in the 2016 elections to the United States House of Representatives. Gilbert, who was the presumptive Democratic nominee in the district, dropped out of the race in May 2016, citing health issues. Personal life Relationships After her relationship with Rob Lowe ended, Gilbert left for New York City to star in the play A Shayna Maidel. Gilbert was set up with actor Bo Brinkman, a cousin of actors Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid. The couple married on February 22, 1988, seven weeks after her split from Lowe. Their son, Dakota Paul Brinkman, was born on May 1, 1989. The couple divorced in 1992. Weeks after Gilbert's divorce filing, actor Bruce Boxleitner's former wife set him up with Gilbert. Gilbert had met Boxleitner as a teenager when they both were on Battle of the Network Stars; he was her teenage crush. After reconnecting, they dated on and off for over a year. They were engaged twice and both engagements were ended by Boxleitner. After reuniting for a third time, they married on January 1, 1995, in her mother's living room. Gilbert gave birth to their son, Michael Garrett Boxleitner, on October 6, 1995. He is named in honor of Michael Landon and Garrett Peckinpah, her friend Sandy Peckinpah's son, who died of meningitis at age 16. Gilbert was stepmother to Boxleitner's two sons. On March 1, 2011, Gilbert announced that she and Boxleitner had separated. On August 22, 2011, Gilbert filed for divorce from Boxleitner. In January 2013, Gilbert's representative confirmed her engagement to actor Timothy Busfield. They married on April 24, 2013, lived in Howell, Michigan, from 2013 to 2018, and moved to New York City late in 2018. Tax issues Following her announcement as a candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan, a spokesperson for her opponent's campaign referred to Gilbert as a "tax cheat". Gilbert owed $360,000 in back federal taxes and $112,000 in California state taxes. Gilbert has stated the tax debt is an outgrowth of a stalled acting career, the economy, and divorce. She has negotiated a repayment plan with the IRS. Health issues Gilbert has battled alcoholism and drug abuse, which she wrote about in her 2009 autobiography. While playing the role of Caroline "Ma" Ingalls in the touring musical Little House on the Prairie, a visit to the doctor revealed that Gilbert had been working with a broken back for months. On July 22, 2010, Gilbert underwent surgery to replace a disc as well as fuse a vertebra in her lower spine. The surgery was described as a complete success. In January 2015, Gilbert decided to have her breast implants removed for health reasons. Filmography Film Television Awards and nominations References Sources Gilbert, Melissa (2009). Prairie Tale: A Memoir (1st ed.). Gallery Books. External links About Melissa Gilbert 1964 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American actor-politicians American adoptees American child actresses American film actresses Leaders of American trade unions American memoirists American musical theatre actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American television directors American voice actresses American women television directors Jewish American actresses Participants in American reality television series Presidents of the Screen Actors Guild Michigan Democrats Women in Michigan politics Activists from California American women memoirists 21st-century American Jews
false
[ "\"Find an Island\" is a song by New Zealand musician Benee. It was released as a single on 11 October 2019 as the lead single from Benee's second extended play Stella & Steve. The song peaked at number 83 on the Australian ARIA Charts, becoming her first charting single in that territory.\n\nAbout the song, Benee told Coup de Main magazine \"The song is about a tiny little argument I had with my guitar player Tia. We had some weird little bicker, and you know when you’re having a petty argument with a friend you don't want to swear at them or put them down or anything, but I was like, 'What would I say?' It'd be like, 'Find an island, go somewhere else'.\"\n\nCritical reception\nHelen Ehrlich from Culture Affinity Magazine said with \"Find an Island\" Benee continues her pattern of dropping poppy and punchy songs\". Ehrlich said \"'Find An Island' is swinging and sultry song about removing negative people from your mind and life.\" Andrew Drever from Sydney Morning Herald called the song a \"tropical slow-burner\". In the EP review, Nathan Gunn from Tone Deaf described the song as \"a cruisy summer track\".\n\nCharts\n\nReferences\n\n2019 singles\n2019 songs\nBenee songs\nRepublic Records singles\nSongs written by Benee\nSongs written by Djeisan Suskov\nSongs written by Josh Fountain\nSong recordings produced by Josh Fountain", "Modern Romance: An Investigation is a research book written by American actor and stand-up comedian Aziz Ansari and American sociologist and New York University professor Eric Klinenberg. The book was published in 2015 and provides research information exploring the change in romantic society that has occurred in the past decade. One of the main concepts in the book concerns the paradox of choice in relationships: having more options may seem better at first glance, though so many options can ultimately make \"settling\" for anyone a lot more difficult.\n\nBackground\nAnsari, who has discussed how romance and technology interact in his standup comedy, wrote on his website that he wanted to explore the subject further. He writes, \"Every one of us engages on a journey to find love and companionship. We meet people, date, get into and out of relationships, all with hope of finding someone with whom we share a deep connection and truly love. This journey seems fairly standard now, but it's wildly different from what people did even just decades ago.... Some of our problems are unique to our time. 'Why did this guy just text me an emoji of a pizza?' 'Should I go out with this girl even though she listed Combos as one of her favorite snack foods? Combos!!?'\"\n\nThe book combines comedy and social science.\n\nResearch\nAnsari and Klinenberg, a professor at New York University, interviewed hundreds of people in various cities around the world, including Wichita, Kansas, Buenos Aires, Paris, and Tokyo, to investigate how the Internet and technology have affected modern love and relationships.\n\nThe pair also set up a forum on reddit, \"Modern Romantics\", soliciting responses to their questions, including:\n\"Do you do online research before a first date? Did their web self line up with their real world self? Has what you found misled you or been an accurate predictor? Did it make you more or less excited?\"\n\"Has anyone started an affair or cheated on someone through social media? If social media didn't exist, would something like this have happened anyway?\"\n\"Have you ever broken up with someone or been broken up with via social media or text?\"\n\nAcademics in the fields of anthropology, psychology, sociology and technology also contributed to their research, including Eli Finkel (Northwestern University), Helen Fisher (Rutgers University), Sheena Iyengar (Columbia Business School), Barry Schwartz (Swarthmore College), Sherry Turkle (MIT), and Robb Willer (Stanford University).\n\nRelease\nThe book was released on June 16, 2015. As part of the promotion, Ansari appeared at the second BookCon convention, which took place May 30–31 in New York City.\nThe book received The Goodreads Choice Award for Non-Fiction in 2015.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\nOfficial website\nReddit: Modern Romantics\n\n2015 non-fiction books\nSociology books" ]
[ "Tropic Thunder", "Promotion" ]
C_4d02f75601a64091b6ff73fb8c6deeda_0
What is the rating of the movie?
1
What is the rating of the Tropic Thunder movie?
Tropic Thunder
A trailer for the film was released in April 2008. The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5, commenting: "This could either be good or very, very bad." Gary Susman of Entertainment Weekly questioned whether the film would "... turn into precisely the kind of bloated action monstrosity that it's making fun of." The trailer received the "Best Comedy Trailer" award at the 9th annual Golden Trailer Awards. DreamWorks also released a red band trailer, the first of its kind used by the studio to promote one of its films. Stiller, Downey, and Black appeared on the seventh-season finale of American Idol in a sketch as The Pips performing with Gladys Knight (via archival footage). The three actors also later performed a sketch at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards which featured the actors attempting to create a successful viral video to promote the film with awkward results. In September 2008, Stiller and Downey attended the San Sebastian International Film Festival to promote the film. A screening was shown, but it was not chosen to compete against the other films at the festival. Between April 2008 and the film's commercial release in August 2008, the film had over 250 promotional screenings. On August 3, 2008, Stiller, Downey, and Black visited Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine Corps base in California, to present a screening to over a thousand military members and their families. The screening was on behalf of the United Service Organizations and included the actors heading to the screening by helicopter and Humvees. On August 8, 2008, a special 30-minute fictional E! True Hollywood Story aired about the making of Tropic Thunder. In video games, a themed scavenger hunt was incorporated into Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, and Stiller allowed his likeness to be used in the online Facebook application game based on the film. As a tie-in for the film's release, Paramount announced it would market the energy drink known in the film as "Booty Sweat". Michael Corcoran, Paramount's president of consumer products, commented on the release: "We're very excited, because it has the potential to live for quite a while, well beyond the film." The drink was sold in college bookstores, on Amazon.com, and at other retailers. CANNOTANSWER
The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5,
Tropic Thunder is a 2008 action-comedy film directed by Ben Stiller, who wrote the screenplay with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen. The film stars Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, and Brandon T. Jackson as a group of prima donna actors making a Vietnam War film. When their frustrated director (Steve Coogan) drops them in the middle of a jungle, they are forced to rely on their acting skills to survive the real action and danger. Tropic Thunder parodies many famous war films, specifically those based on the Vietnam War. The ensemble cast includes Tom Cruise, Nick Nolte, Danny McBride, Matthew McConaughey, and Bill Hader. Stiller developed Tropic Thunder premise during the production of Empire of the Sun in the spring of 1987, and later enlisted Theroux and Cohen to complete a script. The film was green-lit in 2006, and was produced by Stuart Cornfeld, Stiller, and Eric McLeod for Red Hour Productions and DreamWorks Pictures as an international co-production between the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. Filming took place in 2007 on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i over thirteen weeks and was the largest film production in the island's history. The extensive marketing campaign included faux websites for the three main characters and their fictional films, a fictional television special, and selling the energy drink advertised in the film, "Booty Sweat". Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks released Tropic Thunder in the US on August 13, 2008. It received generally positive reviews for its characters, story, faux trailers, and cast performances. However, the depiction of the mentally handicapped and use of blackface makeup attracted controversy. The film opened at the top of the American box office and retained the number-one position for three consecutive weeks, ultimately grossing more than $195 million worldwide before its release on home media on November 18, 2008. Downey was nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, while both he and Cruise received nominations for a Golden Globe Award. Plot Hook-handed Vietnam veteran Staff Sergeant John "Four Leaf" Tayback's memoir Tropic Thunder is being made into a film. With the exception of newcomer supporting actor Kevin Sandusky, the cast—fading action hero Tugg Speedman, overbearing five-time Academy Award-winning Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus, loudmouthed rapper Alpa Chino, and drug-addicted comedian Jeff Portnoy—all cause problems for the inexperienced director Damien Cockburn, who cannot control them, resulting in a million-dollar pyrotechnics scene being wasted. With the project months behind schedule, studio executive Les Grossman gives Damien an ultimatum: get the cast under control or the project will be cancelled. On Four Leaf's advice, Damien drops the actors into the middle of the jungle, with hidden cameras and rigged special effects explosions to film "guerrilla-style". The actors have guns that fire blanks, along with a map and scene listing that will lead to a helicopter waiting at the end of the route. Unknown to the actors and production, the group have been dropped in the middle of the Golden Triangle, the home of the heroin-producing Flaming Dragon gang. Just as the group is about to set off, Damien inadvertently steps on an old land mine and is blown up, stunning the actors. Tugg, believing Damien faked his death to encourage the cast to give better performances, assures the others that Damien is alive, and that they are still shooting the film. Kirk is unconvinced but joins them in their trek through the jungle just to get out of the jungle. When Four Leaf and pyrotechnics operator Cody Underwood try to locate the deceased director, they are captured by Flaming Dragon. Four Leaf is revealed to have hands; he confesses to Underwood that he actually served in the Coast Guard, has never left the United States, and that he wrote his "memoir" as a tribute. As the actors continue through the jungle, Kirk, who has become convinced that Tugg's ineptitude is putting them in jeopardy, and Kevin, the only actor who bothered to properly prepare for his role, discover that Tugg is leading them in the wrong direction. The resulting argument results in Kirk leading the rest of the cast back toward the resort they are staying at as an increasingly delirious Tugg is captured by Flaming Dragon. Taken to their base, Tugg believes it is a POW camp from the script. The gang discovers he is the star of their favorite film, the box-office bomb Simple Jack, and force him to reenact it several times a day, leading him to become brainwashed. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Tugg's agent Rick 'Pecker' Peck confronts Les over an unfulfilled term in Tugg's contract that entitles him to a TiVo. Flaming Dragon calls during the discussion and demands a ransom for Tugg, but Les instead delivers a profanity-laden death threat. Les is uninterested in rescuing Tugg and is instead delighted at the prospect of a large insurance payout if Tugg dies. He attempts to convince Pecker to play along by promising a Gulfstream V jet and "lots of money". Kirk, Alpa, Jeff, and Kevin discover Flaming Dragon's heroin factory. After witnessing Tugg being tortured, they plan a rescue attempt based on the film's script. Kirk impersonates a farmer towing a "captured" Jeff on the back of a water buffalo, distracting the armed guards so Alpa and Kevin can infiltrate and find the prisoners, but a combination of broken Mandarin Chinese and inconsistencies in his story sets off the gang's boss. The actors, knowing their cover has been blown, begin firing, fooling the gang members into surrender. Their control of the gang falls apart when Jeff grabs the leader and heads for the drugs, and the gang, realizing the guns fire blanks, recover their guns and fight back. The four actors locate Four Leaf, Cody, and Tugg and cross a bridge rigged to explode to get to Underwood's helicopter. Tugg initially remains behind, believing Flaming Dragon to be his "family," but runs back screaming, chased by an angry horde. Four Leaf destroys the bridge, rescuing Tugg, but as the helicopter takes off, the gang boss fires an RPG at the helicopter. Rick unexpectedly stumbles out of the jungle and saves them by throwing a TiVo box into the path of the grenade. The crew return to Hollywood and footage from the hidden cameras is compiled into the feature film Tropic Blunder, which becomes a major critical and commercial success. The film wins Tugg his first Academy Award, which Kirk presents to him at the ceremony. Cast Ben Stiller as Tugg Speedman: Once the highest-paid, highest-grossing action film star ever due to his Scorcher franchise, his career has stalled, and he now has a reputation for appearing in nothing but box office bombs. After drawing negative coverage for his portrayal in Simple Jack, in which he plays a mentally-challenged farm boy, he takes the role of Four Leaf Tayback in an attempt to save his career. Tugg's faux trailer at the film's start is a preview for Scorcher VI: Global Meltdown, the latest in his series and a spoof of long-running summer action blockbuster franchises. Jack Black as Jeff Portnoy: A drug-addicted comedian-actor well known for portraying multiple parts in films that rely on toilet humor, particularly jokes about flatulence. In the film-within-a-film, he plays a raspy-voiced soldier named Fats. He fears he is only considered an actor because of his farts and nothing else. Portnoy's faux trailer for juvenile family comedy The Fatties: Fart 2, about a family (with each member played by Portnoy) which enjoys passing gas, spoofs Eddie Murphy's portrayal of multiple characters in films such as Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. Robert Downey Jr. as Kirk Lazarus: An Australian method actor and five-time Academy Award winner, Lazarus had a controversial "pigmentation alteration" surgery to temporarily darken his skin for his portrayal of the black character, Staff Sergeant Lincoln Osiris. Lazarus refuses to break character until he has recorded the DVD commentary for a part and only speaks in his character's African American Vernacular English. Lazarus's faux trailer, Satan's Alley, is about two gay monks in a 12th-century Irish monastery, parodying films like Brokeback Mountain and Downey's own scenes with Tobey Maguire (who in a cameo portrays himself playing the other monk) in Wonder Boys. Downey said he modeled Lazarus on three actors: Russell Crowe, Daniel Day-Lewis and Colin Farrell. Lazarus was originally intended to be Irish, but Downey felt more comfortable using an Australian accent, since he had portrayed an Australian character in Natural Born Killers. Nick Nolte as Four Leaf Tayback: The author of Tropic Thunder, a fake memoir of his war experiences on which the film-within-a-film is based. He suggests the idea of dropping the actors in the middle of the jungle to get them looking and feeling like soldiers lost in a foreign land. Matthew McConaughey as Rick "The Pecker" Peck: Speedman's extremely devoted agent and best friend. Steve Coogan as Damien Cockburn: The inexperienced British film director who is unable to control the actors in the film. The character was partly inspired by Richard Stanley, and his experience of directing the 1996 film The Island of Dr. Moreau, with Val Kilmer and Marlon Brando. Jay Baruchel as Kevin Sandusky: A novice actor, he is the only cast member to have read the script and book and attended the assigned boot camp prior to the film. Sandusky plays a young soldier named Brooklyn in the film-within-a-film. Brooklyn and Sandusky each occupy the position of straight man in character in the film-within-a-film and its cast, being the only actor without an internal conflict or deep-seated insecurity. He often serves as a mediator when tensions between the cast get high. Danny McBride as Cody: The film's explosives expert and helicopter pilot. He has developed a reputation for being a dangerous pyromaniac after an incident while working on Freaky Friday nearly blinded Jamie Lee Curtis. Brandon T. Jackson as Alpa Chino: A closeted homosexual rapper who is attempting to cross over into acting, portraying a soldier named Motown, while promoting his "Bust-A-Nut" candy bar and "Booty Sweat" energy drink. He feels his image as a rapper would not allow him to be openly gay. His name is a play on Al Pacino. Kevin Hart turned down the role because he did not want to play a gay character. Bill Hader as Studio Executive Rob Slolom: Grossman's assistant and right-hand man. Brandon Soo Hoo as Tran: The 12-year-old young leader of the Flaming Dragon gang. The character was compared to God's Army guerrilla leaders Johnny and Luther Htoo. Reggie Lee as Byong: The second-in-command of the Flaming Dragon gang. Trieu Tran as Tru: A dedicated soldier, and actor, in the Flaming Dragon gang. Tom Cruise as Les Grossman: The profane, ill-tempered studio executive producing Tropic Thunder. Various commentators believe he is loosely based on Scott Rudin, famous for his volcanic temper and poor treatment of others. Various actors and celebrities portray themselves, including Tobey Maguire, Tyra Banks, Maria Menounos, Martin Lawrence, The Mooney Suzuki, Jason Bateman, Lance Bass, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Alicia Silverstone, Christine Taylor, Mini Anden, Anthony Ruivivar, Yvette Nicole Brown, Rachel Avery, Sean Penn, and Jon Voight. Co-writer Justin Theroux appears in two brief roles as a UH-1 Huey gunner and the disc jockey from Zoolander (shown in a deleted scene). Production Script Stiller developed the premise for Tropic Thunder while shooting Empire of the Sun, in which he played a small part. Stiller wanted to make a film based on the actors he knew who, after taking part in boot camps to prepare for war film roles, became "self-important" and "self-involved" and appeared to believe they had been part of a real military unit. Co-writer Theroux revealed that the initial script concept was to have actors go to a mock boot camp and return with posttraumatic stress disorder. The final script was developed to satirize Vietnam War films such as Apocalypse Now, Rambo, Missing in Action, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Hamburger Hill, and The Deer Hunter. Theroux pointed out that since viewers had an increased awareness of the inner workings of Hollywood due to celebrity websites and Hollywood news sources, the script was easier to write. Dialogue for unscripted portions of the storyboard was developed on set by the actors or was improvised. Casting Stiller's original plan was cast Keanu Reeves as Tugg Speedman and himself as Rick Peck. Etan Cohen created the role of Kirk Lazarus as a way of lampooning the great lengths that some method actors go to depict a role. Downey was approached by Stiller about the part while on vacation in Hawaii. Downey said on CBS' The Early Show that his first reaction was, "This is the stupidest idea I've ever heard!" and that Stiller responded, "Yeah, I know – isn't it great?" In another interview, Downey said that he accepted the part but, having no idea where or even how to start building the character of Lazarus, eventually settled on a jive-esque speech pattern and a ragged bass voice; he then auditioned Lazarus' voice over the phone to Stiller, who approved the characterization immediately. Downey revealed that he modeled the character on actors Russell Crowe, Colin Farrell, and Daniel Day-Lewis. The initial script was written for Downey's character to be Irish, but was altered after Downey stated he could improvise better as an Australian (he had previously played a similar outlandish Australian character in the film Natural Born Killers). Downey's practice of remaining in character between takes and even off the film set was also written into the script for his character to perform. Downey required between one and a half to two hours of make-up application. According to Downey, "One makeup artist would start on one side of my face and a second makeup artist would start on the other side, and then they'd meet in the middle." Downey acknowledged the potential controversy over his role: "At the end of the day, it's always about how well you commit to the character. If I didn't feel it was morally sound, or that it would be easily misinterpreted that I'm just C. Thomas Howell [in Soul Man], I would've stayed home." Co-star Brandon T. Jackson stated: "When I first read the script, I was like: What? Blackface? But when I saw him [act] he, like, became a black man ... It was just good acting. It was weird on the set because he would keep going with the character. He's a method actor." Stiller commented on Downey's portrayal of a white actor playing a black man: "When people see the movie – in the context of the film, he's playing a method actor who's gone to great lengths to play a black guy. The movie is skewering actors and how they take themselves so seriously." Stiller previewed the film before the NAACP, and several black journalists reacted positively to the character. Cruise was initially set to cameo as Stiller's character's agent, Rick Peck. Instead, Cruise suggested adding a studio head character, and the idea was incorporated into the script. Stiller and Cruise worked together to create the new character, Les Grossman, as a middle-aged businessman. The role required that Cruise don a fatsuit, large prosthetic hands, and a bald cap. It was Cruise's idea to give the character large hands and dance to "Low". Stiller intended to keep Cruise's role a secret until the film's release. In addition, Paramount Pictures refused to release promotional pictures of Cruise's character to the media. In November 2007, images of Cruise wearing a bald headpiece and a fatsuit appeared on Inside Edition, as well as on the Internet. Cruise's attorneys threatened a lawsuit if photos showing Cruise in costume were published. They approached various sites that were hosting the image and quickly had it removed. A representative for Cruise stated: "Mr. Cruise's appearance was supposed to be a surprise for his fans worldwide. Paparazzi have ruined what should have been a fun discovery for moviegoers." The photography agency INF, who debuted the image, responded with a statement: "While these pictures were taken without breaking any criminal or civil laws, we've decided to pull them from circulation effective immediately." Serving as a last-minute replacement, Tobey Maguire was available to be on set for only two hours to film his scenes in Satan's Alley. Downey said he was amazed Maguire would agree to do the film and felt like they were creating a "karmic pay-off" for their scenes together in the 2000 film Wonder Boys, where Downey's character has a one-night stand with Maguire's character. After Cruise vacated the role of Rick Peck, Owen Wilson was cast to play the part. Following his suicide attempt in August 2007, Wilson dropped out of the film and was replaced by Matthew McConaughey. Filming Although Southern California and Mexico were considered for the main unit filming, the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i (where Stiller has a home) was selected for the majority of the shooting. Kaua'i was chosen over Mexico because a tax credit for in-state spending was negotiated with the Kaua'i Film Commission. John Toll, the cinematographer, stated the island was also selected for its similarity to Vietnam, based on its dense foliage, variety of terrains, and weather. Kaua'i was first scouted as a possible location to film Tropic Thunder in 2004. Stiller spent more than 25 hours over 6 weeks exploring the island, using all-terrain vehicles, boats, and helicopters. After the film was greenlit by DreamWorks in 2006, pre-production lasted for six months, most of this time spent on scouting additional locations for filming. Filming for the Los Angeles and interior scenes occurred on sets at Universal Studios in Hollywood. Tropic Thunder was the first major studio production on Kaua'i in five years. After filming was completed, it was deemed the largest production filmed on the island to date, and contributed more than $60 million to the local economy. Tim Ryan, the executive editor of Hawaii Film & Video Magazine, commented on the filming on the island: "I think Tropic Thunder will give Kaua'i much needed and long idled publicity in the production arena ... It should put Kaua'i back on the production consideration radar." Preliminary production crews were on the island starting in December 2006 and principal photography began in July 2007, with filming lasting thirteen weeks over seven separate locations on the island. Much of the filming took place on private land as well as conservation status designated areas. Casting calls on the island sought 500 residents to portray the villagers in the film. Two units shot simultaneously on the island from the ground, and an aerial unit shot from helicopters. Many of the sets and the bridge used for one of the final scenes were built in three months. The island's erratic weather hampered filming with rain and lighting issues. The crew also faced complications in moving the equipment and cast due to the difficult terrain. The film advising company Warriors Inc. was enlisted to ensure the war scenes, including the attire worn by the actors, looked authentic. Former members of the U.S. military taught the actors how to handle, fire, and reload their weapons, as well as perform various tactical movements. The opening war scene was filmed over three weeks and required fifty stuntmen. Animatics were used to map out the necessary camera angles for filming. Effects Six companies working on different scenes and elements created 500 shots of visual effects in the film. These were at times altered weekly due to the reactions of test audiences in screenings. CIS Visual Effects Group assisted with the Scorcher VI faux trailer and twenty additional shots for the home media release. To expand on the comedy in the film, some of the explosions and crashes were embellished to look more destructive. The visual effects supervisor Michael Fink reflected on the exaggerated explosions: "We worked really hard to make the CG crashing helicopter in the hot landing sequence look real. Ben was adamant about that, but at the same time he wanted the explosion to be huge. When you see it hit the ground, it was like it was filled with gasoline! It was the same thing with Ben's sergeant character, who almost intercepts a hand grenade ... Now, I was in the Army for three years and no hand grenade would make an explosion like that ... But it was a big dramatic moment and it looks really cool ... and feels kind of real." Filming the large napalm explosion in the opening scene of the film required a 450-foot (137-meter) row of explosive pots containing 1,100 gallons (4,165 liters) of gasoline and diesel fuel. All the palm trees used in the explosion were moved to the specific location after the crew determined the impact of the lighting and necessary camera angles. Due to the size and cost of the 1.25-second explosion, it was performed only once and was captured by twelve cameras. For the safety of the crew and cast, the detonators were added one hour before the explosion and nobody was allowed to be within during detonation. The explosion was made up of twelve individual explosions and resulted in a mushroom cloud that reached in the air. For the scene in the film, Danny McBride's character, Cody Underwood, was the only actor shown in the shot of the explosion. All the other characters were added digitally. The explosion of the bridge in one of the final scenes used nine cameras to capture the shot, and the crew was required to be away for their safety. Promotion A trailer for the film was released in April 2008. The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5, commenting: "This could either be good or very, very bad." Gary Susman of Entertainment Weekly questioned whether the film would "... turn into precisely the kind of bloated action monstrosity that it's making fun of." The trailer received the "Best Comedy Trailer" award at the 9th annual Golden Trailer Awards. DreamWorks also released a red band trailer, the first of its kind used by the studio to promote one of its films. Stiller, Downey, and Black appeared on the seventh-season finale of American Idol in a sketch as The Pips performing with Gladys Knight (via archival footage). The three actors also later performed a sketch at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards which featured the actors attempting to create a successful viral video to promote the film with awkward results. In September 2008, Stiller and Downey attended the San Sebastián International Film Festival to promote the film. A screening was shown, but it was not chosen to compete against the other films at the festival. Between April 2008 and the film's commercial release in August 2008, the film had over 250 promotional screenings. On August 3, 2008, Stiller, Downey, and Black visited Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine Corps base in California, to present a screening to over a thousand military members and their families. The screening was on behalf of the United Service Organizations and included the actors heading to the screening by helicopter and Humvees. On August 8, 2008, a special 30-minute fictional E! True Hollywood Story aired about the making of Tropic Thunder. In video games, a themed scavenger hunt was incorporated into Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, and Stiller allowed his likeness to be used in the online Facebook application game based on the film. As a tie-in for the film's release, Paramount announced it would market the energy drink known in the film as "Booty Sweat". Michael Corcoran, Paramount's president of consumer products, commented on the release: "We're very excited, because it has the potential to live for quite a while, well beyond the film." The drink was sold in college bookstores, on Amazon.com, and at other retailers. Faux websites and mockumentary Several faux websites were created for the main characters and some of their prior film roles. A website for Simple Jack, a faux film exhibited within the film, was removed by DreamWorks on August 4, 2008, due to protests from disability advocates. In addition, other promotional websites were created for "Make Pretty Skin Clinic", the fictitious company that performed the surgery of the film's character Kirk Lazarus, along with one for the energy drink "Booty Sweat". In mid-July 2008, a faux trailer for the mockumentary Rain of Madness was released. The mockumentary was a parody of Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse. It follows co-writer Justin Theroux as a fictitious documentarian named Jan Jürgen documenting the behind-the-scenes aspects of the film within the film. Marketing for the faux documentary included a movie poster and an official website prior to Tropic Thunders release. The mockumentary was released on the iTunes Store after the film's release and was also included on the home video release. Amy Powell, an advertising executive with Paramount, reflected on the timing of the release of Madness: "We always thought that people would be talking about Tropic Thunder at the water cooler, and that's why we decided to release Rain of Madness two weeks into Tropics run—to keep this positive buzz going." Release Theatrical release Tropic Thunder held an early screening at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con, two weeks before it officially premiered on August 11, 2008, at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, California and two days before its wide release. Members of several disability groups picketed before the premiere, protesting at the portrayal of intellectual disability shown in the film. The groups revealed that it was the first time that they had ever protested together at an event. As a result of the protest, the normally unobstructed views of the red carpet leading to the premiere were blocked off by 10-foot (3-m)-high fences and there was an increase in the number of security personnel present. No protests were held at the United Kingdom's September premiere. The North American release was scheduled for July 11, 2008, but was delayed until August 15, before being brought forward to August 13. As a result of the move from July, 20th Century Fox moved its family comedy Meet Dave in the open slot. The August 13 release date was also the opening weekends for the animated family film Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the horror film Mirrors. Studios consider the third week of August to be a weaker performing period than earlier in the summer because of students returning to school. Previous R-rated comedies such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Superbad were released in mid-August and performed well at the box office. Reacting to Tropic Thunders release date, Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount Pictures, stated: "For a young person at the end of summer, you want to have some fun and forget about going back to school. What better than a crazy comedy?" Home media Tropic Thunder was released in the United States on DVD and Blu-ray on November 18, 2008, three months after its release and a week after the end of its theatrical run in the U.S. and Canada. The film was released on home video on January 26, 2009, in the United Kingdom. Special features include an unrated director's cut of the film which is 12 minutes longer than the theatrical release, audio commentaries (including one featuring Stiller, Downey, and Black, with Downey providing his commentary as Lincoln Osiris, a nod to a joke in the film that Lazarus never breaks character until he completes the DVD commentary), several featurettes, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, and the Rain of Madness mockumentary. For the film's first week of release, Tropic Thunder placed on several video charts. It reached second place on the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart and Nielsen's Blu-ray Disc chart, earning $19,064,959 (not including Blu-ray sales). In rentals, it placed first on the Home Media Magazine'''s video rental chart. The DVD sales in 2008 totaled $42,271,059, placing it in 28th for DVD sales for the year. By September 2009, 2,963,000 DVD units have been sold, gathering revenue of $49,870,248. Reception Critical response The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 82% based on 252 reviews and an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "With biting satire, plenty of subversive humor, and an unforgettable turn by Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder is a triumphant late summer comedy." Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score from reviews by mainstream critics, gave a film score of 71 out of 100 based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". After attending an industry screening in April 2008 Michael Cieply from The New York Times stated that the film was "... shaping up as one of [DreamWorks]'s best prospects for the summer." Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film a positive review, writing "There are some wildly funny scenes, a few leaden ones and others that are scattershot, with humorous satire undercut by over-the-top grisliness. Still, when it's funny, it's really funny." A review in Variety by Todd McCarthy was critical: "Apart from startling, out-there comic turns by Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise, however, the antics here are pretty thin, redundant and one-note." Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com would later call the film "intermittently amusing but entirely smug and hateful." Rick Groen of The Globe and Mail also gave the film a negative review, calling it "... an assault in the guise of a comedy—watching it is like getting mugged by a clown." J.R. Jones of Chicago Reader stated "The rest of the movie never lives up to the hilarity of the opening, partly because the large-scale production smothers the gags but mostly because those gags are so easy to smother." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave 3.5/4 and wrote, "The movie is, may I say, considerably better than Stiller’s previous film, Zoolander (2001). It’s the kind of summer comedy that rolls in, makes a lot of people laugh and rolls on to video." The faux trailers before the film also received mixed reviews. David Ansen of Newsweek approved of the trailers, writing "Tropic Thunder is the funniest movie of the summer—so funny, in fact, that you start laughing before the film itself has begun." Christy Lemire, writing for the Associated Press, called the trailers "... the best part of the trip." Robert Wilonsky of The Village Voice was critical, saying that the trailers' comedy "... resides in the land of the obvious, easy chuckle." Downey, Stiller, Black and Cruise were repeatedly singled out for praise by numerous critics, claiming that they "stole the show", were "... off-the-charts hilarious ...", and would bring viewers "... the fondest memories of [their] work." Scott Feinberg, of the Los Angeles Times, criticized the concept of Downey's portrayal of an African-American, writing "... I just can't imagine any circumstance under which a blackface performance would be acceptable, any more than I can imagine any circumstance under which the use of the N-word would be acceptable." Sara Vilkomerson said Cruise did "... an astonishingly funny and surprising supporting performance." Logan Hill of New York argued against Cruise's cameo saying that it "... just makes him look a little lost and almost pathetic—shucking and jiving, trying to appeal to the younger moviegoers who are abandoning him." Several critics commented on the controversy over lines in the film talking about the mentally disabled. Duane Dudek of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote that the film "... is just sophomoric enough to offend. And while it is also funny, it is without the empathy or compassion to cause us to wonder why we are laughing." Christian Toto of The Washington Times argued against the opposition, "Tropic Thunder is drawing fire from special interest groups for ... its frequent use of the word 'retard', but discerning audiences will know where the humor is targeted. And they'll be laughing too hard to take offense." Kurt Loder of MTV contrasted the opposition to the lines with Downey character portrayal of an African American, "The scene in which the derisive Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) nails Lazarus' recitation of black-uplift homilies as nothing more than the lyrics to the Jeffersons theme is funny; but the one in which Lazarus quietly explains to Speedman that his Simple Jack character failed because he made the mistake of going 'full retard'—rather than softening his character with cuteness in the manner of Forrest Gump—is so on-the-nose accurate, it takes your breath away." Critics' lists In January 2009, Entertainment Weekly included Tropic Thunder in its list "25 Great Comedies From the Past 25 Years" for its "spot-on skewering of Hollywood." The film also appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008. Stephen King placed it at the fourth position, calling the film "the funniest, most daring comedy of the year." The Oregonians Marc Mohan, placed it sixth, and several critics placed it seventh: Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News, Premiere magazine, Mike Russell of The Oregonian, as well as Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle. David Ansen of Newsweek placed it eighth and Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly included the film in the tenth position. Box office Stacey Snider, the chief executive of DreamWorks, suggested that the film would earn around $30 million in its opening weekend and go on to be as successful as Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which earned $129 million in the U.S. and Canada and $260 million worldwide. The Dark Knight had been the number one film at the box office for the four weeks prior to the release of Tropic Thunder. Bob Thompson, a writer for the National Post, speculated that Tropic Thunders opening weekend would outperform The Dark Knight for the weekend. In a list compiled prior to the summer's film releases, Entertainment Weekly predicted that the film would be the tenth highest-grossing film of the summer at the American box office with $142.6 million.Tropic Thunder opened in 3,319 theaters and, for its first five days of American and Canadian release, earned $36,845,588. The film placed first in the weekend's box office with $25,812,796, surpassing Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Mirrors, which debuted the same weekend. Reacting to the film's opening receipts, DreamWorks spokesman Chip Sullivan stated "We're thrilled, quite frankly. It played out exactly how we hoped." In foreign markets for the film's opening weekend, it was released in 418 Russian and 19 United Arab Emirates locations earning $2.2 million and $319,000, respectively. The film maintained its number one position at the American and Canadian box office for the following two weekends, making it the second film in 2008 (after The Dark Knight) to hold the number-one position for more than two consecutive weekends. The film's widest release was in 3,473 theaters, placing it in the top 25 widest releases in the U.S. for 2008. For 2008, the film was the fifth-highest-grossing domestic R-rated film. The film's U.S. and Canada gross of over $110 million made Tropic Thunder Stiller's most successful film as a director. The film has had gross receipts of $110,515,313 in the U.S. and Canada and $85,187,498 in international markets for a total of $195,702,811 worldwide. Accolades In October 2008, Paramount chose to put end-of-year award push funds behind Tropic Thunder, and began advertising for Downey to receive a nomination by the Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor. In a November 2008 issue by Entertainment Weekly, Downey's film role was considered one of the three contenders for Best Supporting Actor. As a way of extending the film-within-a-film "universe" into real life, there were at least two online "For Your Consideration" ads touting Downey's character, Kirk Lazarus, for Best Supporting Actor; one of these contains "scenes" from Satan's Alley that were not in the trailer as released in theaters. At least one of the ads was produced by Paramount Pictures and intended for early For Your Consideration awareness for Downey's role. On January 22, 2009, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated Downey for Best Supporting Actor. At the 81st Academy Awards, Downey lost to Heath Ledger for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight. With the onset of the annual Hollywood film award season at the end of 2008, Tropic Thunder began receiving nominations and awards starting with a win for "Hollywood Comedy of the Year Award" at the 12th annual Hollywood Film Festival on October 27, 2008. The film was nominated for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical, for the Satellite Awards. In addition, Downey was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The Broadcast Film Critics Association nominated Downey for Best Supporting Actor and awarded Tropic Thunder Best Comedy Movie at the BFCA's Critics' Choice Awards. Both Downey and Cruise received nominations from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actor. The Boston Society of Film Critics recognized the cast with its Best Ensemble award. Downey was also nominated by both the Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for Best Supporting Actor awards. ControversyTropic Thunder was criticized by the disability advocacy community. The website for Simple Jack was withdrawn on August 4 amid several groups' concerns over its portrayal of intellectual disability. A spokesman for DreamWorks said, "We heard their concerns, and we understand that taken out of context, the site appeared to be insensitive to people with disabilities." A coalition of more than 20 disability advocacy groups, including the Special Olympics and the Arc of the United States, objected to the film's repeated use of the word "retard". DreamWorks offered to screen the film for the groups on August 8 to determine if it still offended them. The screening was postponed to the same day of the premiere on August 11. After representatives for the groups attended the private screening and were offended by its content, the groups picketed outside the film's premiere. Timothy Shriver, the chairman of the Special Olympics, stated, "This population struggles too much with the basics to have to struggle against Hollywood. We're sending a message that this hate speech is no longer acceptable." Disability advocates and others who previewed the film reported that the offensive treatment of individuals with mental disabilities was woven throughout the film's plot. Disability advocates urged people not to see the film, claiming it is demeaning to individuals with mental disabilities and would encourage bullying. Stiller defended the film, stating "We screened the movie so many times and this didn't come up until very late ... in the context of the film I think it's really clear, they were making fun of the actors and actors who try to use serious subjects to win awards." Co-writer Etan Cohen echoed Stiller's rationale: "Some people have taken this as making fun of handicapped people, but we're really trying to make fun of the actors who use this material as fodder for acclaim." He went on to state that the film lampoons actors who portray intellectually disabled or autistic characters such as Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, and Sean Penn in I Am Sam. A DreamWorks spokesman did not directly respond to the criticism, claiming that Tropic Thunder "... is an R-rated comedy that satirizes Hollywood and its excesses, makes its point by featuring inappropriate and over-the-top characters in ridiculous situations." The film's advertising was altered, but none of the scenes in the film were edited as a result of the opposition. In response to the controversy, the director's cut of the DVD (but not the Blu-ray) includes a public service announcement in the special features that discourages use of the word "retard". Another aspect that drew warning before the release of the movie and criticism afterwards was Robert Downey Jr. playing a white Australian actor who dons "blackface" as part of his method acting the role of an African-American man. He responded by pointing out that this was a case of donning "blackface" in order to point out how wrong it is. Others have point out that the wrongness of "blackface" is addressed within the movie itself by an actual African-American, and that the climax of movie pins on Downey Jr.'s shedding of his method acting; in this way the movie mocks, rather than embraces, both "blackface" and the extreme and ridiculous things method actors sometimes do for their roles. Some have pointed out that how the film characterized and how non-Jewish Tom Cruise portrayed the Jewish character of Les Grossman (in addition to his name, he also references the Jewish holiday of Purim) is antisemitic. Critics have also referred to this performance as "Jewface" as early as 2008 (years before Sarah Silverman raised awareness of the term), calling it "vulgar" and "exploitation". Reportedly, Tom Cruise was largely responsibly for the final form Les Grossman took, including using him as an additional villain, the hairiness of the character and the "fat hands". MusicTropic Thunders score and soundtrack were released on August 5, 2008, the week before the film's theatrical release. The score was composed by Theodore Shapiro and performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony. William Ruhlmann of AllMusic gave the score a positive review, stating it is "...an affectionate and knowing satire of the history of Hollywood action movie music, penned by an insider." Thomas Simpson of Soundtrack.Net called it "...a mixture of fun, seriousness, rock n' roll and great scoring." Five songs, "Cum On Feel the Noize" by Quiet Riot, "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones, "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield, "Low" by Flo Rida and T-Pain, and "Get Back" by Ludacris, were not present on the soundtrack, yet did appear in the film. The soundtrack features songs from The Temptations, MC Hammer, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Edwin Starr, and other artists. The single "Name of the Game" by The Crystal Method featuring Ryu has an exclusive remix on the soundtrack. The soundtrack debuted 20th on Billboards Top Soundtracks list and peaked at 39th on its Top Independent Albums list. James Christopher Monger of allmusic compared the music to other film's soundtracks such as Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and Forrest Gump'' and called it "...a fun but slight listen that plays out like an old late-'70s K-Tel compilation with a few bonus cuts from the future." Spin-off Cruise reprised his character Les Grossman for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. On June 9, 2010, it was announced that a spin-off film would be developed centering on Grossman. A script has been written by Michael Bacall. In March 2012, Bacall gave an update on the long-rumored Les Grossman spin-off movie, revealing that the film will attempt to uncover where Grossman's well-documented anger issues originated. See also List of films featuring fictional films References External links English-language films 2008 films 2008 action comedy films 2000s satirical films American films American action comedy films American satirical films British films British action comedy films British satirical films German films English-language German films German action comedy films German satirical films Mandarin-language films Films about actors Films about filmmaking Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Hawaii Films shot in Los Angeles Military humor in film Films about the United States Army Films directed by Ben Stiller Films produced by Ben Stiller Films with screenplays by Etan Cohen Films with screenplays by Justin Theroux Films scored by Theodore Shapiro DreamWorks Pictures films Paramount Pictures films Red Hour Productions films 2008 comedy films Torture in films Blackface minstrel shows and films
true
[ "The Régie du cinéma was a provincial film classification organization responsible for the motion picture rating system within the Canadian province of Quebec; of which its roles were merged into the Government of Quebec's Ministry of Culture and Communications on 1 April 2017. Its mandate was to classify and approve films for distribution to Quebec's movie theatres and home video outlets. Its purview devolved from the Cinema Act (RSQ, C-18.1). As of 2010, the Agency had a net income of 7 million dollars and has accumulated more than 85 million dollars in cash in their bank account.\n\nRating system\nThe Régie du cinéma rates all films and videos. The same classifications are used for television broadcasts, who make their own determinations as to a program's rating.\n\nThe current ratings are:\n\nEach rating can also include one or a number of complementary indications. The possible combinations are as follows:\n\nG rated films usually can have some swearing in them, as long as the offensive language is not prevalent throughout. Violence can also be permitted, but only in a fantasy context. Sex can be present as long as it is filmed with extreme maintenance. Horror elements can be present, but have to be filmed in a way that would not scare children under 13 years of age. In cases where objectionable material can be found, the Not recommended for young children tag, which indicates that the movie could contain material inappropriate for young children but does not prohibit them from viewing the film, is added to the original rating.\n\n13+ rated films usually have content that likely would not be suitable for young children. Typically, scenes of violence that are darker than what is depicted in traditional fantasy films warrant a 13+ rating. As opposed to G movies, strong horror elements can be present; these are usually accompanied with the Horror tag. Vulgar Language is more prevalent and scenes of sexual acts or nudity can be more explicit.\n\n16+ rated films are usually movies with more explicit violence than what a 13+ movie can afford. Most of these cases, a movie deals with extreme violence. In some cases, it can be for sex and nudity, and that rating usually occurs to soft-core pornography. Horror elements can also be present, although in these cases, they are mostly mixed with violence. In rare cases, a movie is rated 16+ for the language it uses.\n\n18+ rated films are mostly hard-core or soft-core pornography movies, but they can also feature movies of extreme violence and gore. It is rare that a normal movie will get an 18+ rating for the language or horror elements it has. Sometimes, nudity and sex is strong enough to warrant an 18+ rating without going into the edges of pornography, but is usually accompanied by another indication, such as violence.\n\nMovies that have not yet been rated feature the indication En attente de classement (Rating Pending). This is common on print advertising before the release of a movie. The movie must have been rated by the Régie by the time it is released.\n\nWhile not a classification per se, educational or pedagogical movies, sport and physical exercise programs, and promotional materials are exempt from classification.\n\nThe Régie does not cut sequences from movies; they are rated in the format provided by the production company. Nonetheless, the Régie has the authority to deny classification, in which case the movie cannot be distributed in any format in the province of Québec. Such movies usually feature inhumane sexual exploitation.\n\nSee also\n Canadian motion picture rating system\n Canadian Home Video Rating System, the English-speaking equivalent of the Régie's ratings for home video materials\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n \n Régie du cinéma ratings database (includes a brief description of each movie and a rationale for the rating)\n\nCanadian motion picture rating systems\nQuebec government departments and agencies\nEntertainment rating organizations\nMotion picture rating systems\nCinema of Quebec", "Jawan of Vellimala (English: The Soldier of Vellimala) is a 2012 Malayalam film written by James Albert and directed by debutant Anoop Kannan. It stars Mammootty, Sreenivasan, Mamta Mohandas and Asif Ali.\n\nCast\n Mammootty as Gopikrishnan,retired soldier,Indian Army\n Asif Ali as Koshi Oommen\n Sreenivasan as Varghese\n Mamta Mohandas as Deepa\n Leona Lishoy as Jenny Varghese\n Ann Sheetal as Jenny's friend\n Baburaj as Chacko\n Joji as dam security guard\n Sunil Sukhadha as Ittichan\n Joju George as Vinu\n Kottayam Nazeer as Rafi\n Niyas Backer as Shibu\n Sadiq\n Ranjith as Dr. Shivaprasad (cameo)\n Devan as Lt Col.Rajagopal (cameo)\n Vineeth Sreenivasan as Narrator(Voice-only)\n\nRelease and reception\n\nSify gave the movie a negative review adding \"Jawan of Vellimala is a messy tale that can surprise you with its hollowness. An amateurish effort at best, this film is unintentionally funny at times and lacks much fizz.\" The noted reviewer of Sify Moviebuzz making it clear that the movie collapsed in all aspects and establishes his arguments with several examples, giving the verdict as \"below average\" and moreover a very amateurish effort at its best.\n\nRediff.com gave the movie a negative rating of 2 out of 5 stars. Rediff.com critic Paresh C. Palicha furnishes the review heading as \"Nothing new in Jawan of Vellimala\" and added \"At the end, Jawan of Vellimala, which held so much promise in the beginning, just fizzles out.\"\n\nThe Times of India gave the movie a negative rating of 2 out of 5 stars stating \"Finally, when it happens, what is intended to be a glorious end, looks plainly dramatic and even a blessed actor like Mammootty fails to shoulder the burden\" and concludes with a note \"Jawan of Vellimala lacks appeal not because it is predictable, but because of the shocking manner in which it ruins what could have been a promising plot.\"\n\nindiaglitz gave the movie a rating of 6/10 adding \"The execution of 'Jawan of Vellimala' certainly ruins the possibilities of a great movie from a promising plot. But the movie will be fine for a onetime watch, if you don't go with bigger expectations.\"\n\nSoundtrack\n\nBox office\nThe film collected around 1710 from 1st weekend from UK box office.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links \n \n\n2012 films\n2010s Malayalam-language films\nIndian films\n2012 directorial debut films" ]
[ "Tropic Thunder", "Promotion", "What is the rating of the movie?", "The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5," ]
C_4d02f75601a64091b6ff73fb8c6deeda_0
Who are the actor in the movie?
2
Who are the actors in the Tropic Thunder movie?
Tropic Thunder
A trailer for the film was released in April 2008. The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5, commenting: "This could either be good or very, very bad." Gary Susman of Entertainment Weekly questioned whether the film would "... turn into precisely the kind of bloated action monstrosity that it's making fun of." The trailer received the "Best Comedy Trailer" award at the 9th annual Golden Trailer Awards. DreamWorks also released a red band trailer, the first of its kind used by the studio to promote one of its films. Stiller, Downey, and Black appeared on the seventh-season finale of American Idol in a sketch as The Pips performing with Gladys Knight (via archival footage). The three actors also later performed a sketch at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards which featured the actors attempting to create a successful viral video to promote the film with awkward results. In September 2008, Stiller and Downey attended the San Sebastian International Film Festival to promote the film. A screening was shown, but it was not chosen to compete against the other films at the festival. Between April 2008 and the film's commercial release in August 2008, the film had over 250 promotional screenings. On August 3, 2008, Stiller, Downey, and Black visited Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine Corps base in California, to present a screening to over a thousand military members and their families. The screening was on behalf of the United Service Organizations and included the actors heading to the screening by helicopter and Humvees. On August 8, 2008, a special 30-minute fictional E! True Hollywood Story aired about the making of Tropic Thunder. In video games, a themed scavenger hunt was incorporated into Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, and Stiller allowed his likeness to be used in the online Facebook application game based on the film. As a tie-in for the film's release, Paramount announced it would market the energy drink known in the film as "Booty Sweat". Michael Corcoran, Paramount's president of consumer products, commented on the release: "We're very excited, because it has the potential to live for quite a while, well beyond the film." The drink was sold in college bookstores, on Amazon.com, and at other retailers. CANNOTANSWER
Stiller, Downey, and Black
Tropic Thunder is a 2008 action-comedy film directed by Ben Stiller, who wrote the screenplay with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen. The film stars Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, and Brandon T. Jackson as a group of prima donna actors making a Vietnam War film. When their frustrated director (Steve Coogan) drops them in the middle of a jungle, they are forced to rely on their acting skills to survive the real action and danger. Tropic Thunder parodies many famous war films, specifically those based on the Vietnam War. The ensemble cast includes Tom Cruise, Nick Nolte, Danny McBride, Matthew McConaughey, and Bill Hader. Stiller developed Tropic Thunder premise during the production of Empire of the Sun in the spring of 1987, and later enlisted Theroux and Cohen to complete a script. The film was green-lit in 2006, and was produced by Stuart Cornfeld, Stiller, and Eric McLeod for Red Hour Productions and DreamWorks Pictures as an international co-production between the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. Filming took place in 2007 on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i over thirteen weeks and was the largest film production in the island's history. The extensive marketing campaign included faux websites for the three main characters and their fictional films, a fictional television special, and selling the energy drink advertised in the film, "Booty Sweat". Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks released Tropic Thunder in the US on August 13, 2008. It received generally positive reviews for its characters, story, faux trailers, and cast performances. However, the depiction of the mentally handicapped and use of blackface makeup attracted controversy. The film opened at the top of the American box office and retained the number-one position for three consecutive weeks, ultimately grossing more than $195 million worldwide before its release on home media on November 18, 2008. Downey was nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, while both he and Cruise received nominations for a Golden Globe Award. Plot Hook-handed Vietnam veteran Staff Sergeant John "Four Leaf" Tayback's memoir Tropic Thunder is being made into a film. With the exception of newcomer supporting actor Kevin Sandusky, the cast—fading action hero Tugg Speedman, overbearing five-time Academy Award-winning Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus, loudmouthed rapper Alpa Chino, and drug-addicted comedian Jeff Portnoy—all cause problems for the inexperienced director Damien Cockburn, who cannot control them, resulting in a million-dollar pyrotechnics scene being wasted. With the project months behind schedule, studio executive Les Grossman gives Damien an ultimatum: get the cast under control or the project will be cancelled. On Four Leaf's advice, Damien drops the actors into the middle of the jungle, with hidden cameras and rigged special effects explosions to film "guerrilla-style". The actors have guns that fire blanks, along with a map and scene listing that will lead to a helicopter waiting at the end of the route. Unknown to the actors and production, the group have been dropped in the middle of the Golden Triangle, the home of the heroin-producing Flaming Dragon gang. Just as the group is about to set off, Damien inadvertently steps on an old land mine and is blown up, stunning the actors. Tugg, believing Damien faked his death to encourage the cast to give better performances, assures the others that Damien is alive, and that they are still shooting the film. Kirk is unconvinced but joins them in their trek through the jungle just to get out of the jungle. When Four Leaf and pyrotechnics operator Cody Underwood try to locate the deceased director, they are captured by Flaming Dragon. Four Leaf is revealed to have hands; he confesses to Underwood that he actually served in the Coast Guard, has never left the United States, and that he wrote his "memoir" as a tribute. As the actors continue through the jungle, Kirk, who has become convinced that Tugg's ineptitude is putting them in jeopardy, and Kevin, the only actor who bothered to properly prepare for his role, discover that Tugg is leading them in the wrong direction. The resulting argument results in Kirk leading the rest of the cast back toward the resort they are staying at as an increasingly delirious Tugg is captured by Flaming Dragon. Taken to their base, Tugg believes it is a POW camp from the script. The gang discovers he is the star of their favorite film, the box-office bomb Simple Jack, and force him to reenact it several times a day, leading him to become brainwashed. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Tugg's agent Rick 'Pecker' Peck confronts Les over an unfulfilled term in Tugg's contract that entitles him to a TiVo. Flaming Dragon calls during the discussion and demands a ransom for Tugg, but Les instead delivers a profanity-laden death threat. Les is uninterested in rescuing Tugg and is instead delighted at the prospect of a large insurance payout if Tugg dies. He attempts to convince Pecker to play along by promising a Gulfstream V jet and "lots of money". Kirk, Alpa, Jeff, and Kevin discover Flaming Dragon's heroin factory. After witnessing Tugg being tortured, they plan a rescue attempt based on the film's script. Kirk impersonates a farmer towing a "captured" Jeff on the back of a water buffalo, distracting the armed guards so Alpa and Kevin can infiltrate and find the prisoners, but a combination of broken Mandarin Chinese and inconsistencies in his story sets off the gang's boss. The actors, knowing their cover has been blown, begin firing, fooling the gang members into surrender. Their control of the gang falls apart when Jeff grabs the leader and heads for the drugs, and the gang, realizing the guns fire blanks, recover their guns and fight back. The four actors locate Four Leaf, Cody, and Tugg and cross a bridge rigged to explode to get to Underwood's helicopter. Tugg initially remains behind, believing Flaming Dragon to be his "family," but runs back screaming, chased by an angry horde. Four Leaf destroys the bridge, rescuing Tugg, but as the helicopter takes off, the gang boss fires an RPG at the helicopter. Rick unexpectedly stumbles out of the jungle and saves them by throwing a TiVo box into the path of the grenade. The crew return to Hollywood and footage from the hidden cameras is compiled into the feature film Tropic Blunder, which becomes a major critical and commercial success. The film wins Tugg his first Academy Award, which Kirk presents to him at the ceremony. Cast Ben Stiller as Tugg Speedman: Once the highest-paid, highest-grossing action film star ever due to his Scorcher franchise, his career has stalled, and he now has a reputation for appearing in nothing but box office bombs. After drawing negative coverage for his portrayal in Simple Jack, in which he plays a mentally-challenged farm boy, he takes the role of Four Leaf Tayback in an attempt to save his career. Tugg's faux trailer at the film's start is a preview for Scorcher VI: Global Meltdown, the latest in his series and a spoof of long-running summer action blockbuster franchises. Jack Black as Jeff Portnoy: A drug-addicted comedian-actor well known for portraying multiple parts in films that rely on toilet humor, particularly jokes about flatulence. In the film-within-a-film, he plays a raspy-voiced soldier named Fats. He fears he is only considered an actor because of his farts and nothing else. Portnoy's faux trailer for juvenile family comedy The Fatties: Fart 2, about a family (with each member played by Portnoy) which enjoys passing gas, spoofs Eddie Murphy's portrayal of multiple characters in films such as Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. Robert Downey Jr. as Kirk Lazarus: An Australian method actor and five-time Academy Award winner, Lazarus had a controversial "pigmentation alteration" surgery to temporarily darken his skin for his portrayal of the black character, Staff Sergeant Lincoln Osiris. Lazarus refuses to break character until he has recorded the DVD commentary for a part and only speaks in his character's African American Vernacular English. Lazarus's faux trailer, Satan's Alley, is about two gay monks in a 12th-century Irish monastery, parodying films like Brokeback Mountain and Downey's own scenes with Tobey Maguire (who in a cameo portrays himself playing the other monk) in Wonder Boys. Downey said he modeled Lazarus on three actors: Russell Crowe, Daniel Day-Lewis and Colin Farrell. Lazarus was originally intended to be Irish, but Downey felt more comfortable using an Australian accent, since he had portrayed an Australian character in Natural Born Killers. Nick Nolte as Four Leaf Tayback: The author of Tropic Thunder, a fake memoir of his war experiences on which the film-within-a-film is based. He suggests the idea of dropping the actors in the middle of the jungle to get them looking and feeling like soldiers lost in a foreign land. Matthew McConaughey as Rick "The Pecker" Peck: Speedman's extremely devoted agent and best friend. Steve Coogan as Damien Cockburn: The inexperienced British film director who is unable to control the actors in the film. The character was partly inspired by Richard Stanley, and his experience of directing the 1996 film The Island of Dr. Moreau, with Val Kilmer and Marlon Brando. Jay Baruchel as Kevin Sandusky: A novice actor, he is the only cast member to have read the script and book and attended the assigned boot camp prior to the film. Sandusky plays a young soldier named Brooklyn in the film-within-a-film. Brooklyn and Sandusky each occupy the position of straight man in character in the film-within-a-film and its cast, being the only actor without an internal conflict or deep-seated insecurity. He often serves as a mediator when tensions between the cast get high. Danny McBride as Cody: The film's explosives expert and helicopter pilot. He has developed a reputation for being a dangerous pyromaniac after an incident while working on Freaky Friday nearly blinded Jamie Lee Curtis. Brandon T. Jackson as Alpa Chino: A closeted homosexual rapper who is attempting to cross over into acting, portraying a soldier named Motown, while promoting his "Bust-A-Nut" candy bar and "Booty Sweat" energy drink. He feels his image as a rapper would not allow him to be openly gay. His name is a play on Al Pacino. Kevin Hart turned down the role because he did not want to play a gay character. Bill Hader as Studio Executive Rob Slolom: Grossman's assistant and right-hand man. Brandon Soo Hoo as Tran: The 12-year-old young leader of the Flaming Dragon gang. The character was compared to God's Army guerrilla leaders Johnny and Luther Htoo. Reggie Lee as Byong: The second-in-command of the Flaming Dragon gang. Trieu Tran as Tru: A dedicated soldier, and actor, in the Flaming Dragon gang. Tom Cruise as Les Grossman: The profane, ill-tempered studio executive producing Tropic Thunder. Various commentators believe he is loosely based on Scott Rudin, famous for his volcanic temper and poor treatment of others. Various actors and celebrities portray themselves, including Tobey Maguire, Tyra Banks, Maria Menounos, Martin Lawrence, The Mooney Suzuki, Jason Bateman, Lance Bass, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Alicia Silverstone, Christine Taylor, Mini Anden, Anthony Ruivivar, Yvette Nicole Brown, Rachel Avery, Sean Penn, and Jon Voight. Co-writer Justin Theroux appears in two brief roles as a UH-1 Huey gunner and the disc jockey from Zoolander (shown in a deleted scene). Production Script Stiller developed the premise for Tropic Thunder while shooting Empire of the Sun, in which he played a small part. Stiller wanted to make a film based on the actors he knew who, after taking part in boot camps to prepare for war film roles, became "self-important" and "self-involved" and appeared to believe they had been part of a real military unit. Co-writer Theroux revealed that the initial script concept was to have actors go to a mock boot camp and return with posttraumatic stress disorder. The final script was developed to satirize Vietnam War films such as Apocalypse Now, Rambo, Missing in Action, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Hamburger Hill, and The Deer Hunter. Theroux pointed out that since viewers had an increased awareness of the inner workings of Hollywood due to celebrity websites and Hollywood news sources, the script was easier to write. Dialogue for unscripted portions of the storyboard was developed on set by the actors or was improvised. Casting Stiller's original plan was cast Keanu Reeves as Tugg Speedman and himself as Rick Peck. Etan Cohen created the role of Kirk Lazarus as a way of lampooning the great lengths that some method actors go to depict a role. Downey was approached by Stiller about the part while on vacation in Hawaii. Downey said on CBS' The Early Show that his first reaction was, "This is the stupidest idea I've ever heard!" and that Stiller responded, "Yeah, I know – isn't it great?" In another interview, Downey said that he accepted the part but, having no idea where or even how to start building the character of Lazarus, eventually settled on a jive-esque speech pattern and a ragged bass voice; he then auditioned Lazarus' voice over the phone to Stiller, who approved the characterization immediately. Downey revealed that he modeled the character on actors Russell Crowe, Colin Farrell, and Daniel Day-Lewis. The initial script was written for Downey's character to be Irish, but was altered after Downey stated he could improvise better as an Australian (he had previously played a similar outlandish Australian character in the film Natural Born Killers). Downey's practice of remaining in character between takes and even off the film set was also written into the script for his character to perform. Downey required between one and a half to two hours of make-up application. According to Downey, "One makeup artist would start on one side of my face and a second makeup artist would start on the other side, and then they'd meet in the middle." Downey acknowledged the potential controversy over his role: "At the end of the day, it's always about how well you commit to the character. If I didn't feel it was morally sound, or that it would be easily misinterpreted that I'm just C. Thomas Howell [in Soul Man], I would've stayed home." Co-star Brandon T. Jackson stated: "When I first read the script, I was like: What? Blackface? But when I saw him [act] he, like, became a black man ... It was just good acting. It was weird on the set because he would keep going with the character. He's a method actor." Stiller commented on Downey's portrayal of a white actor playing a black man: "When people see the movie – in the context of the film, he's playing a method actor who's gone to great lengths to play a black guy. The movie is skewering actors and how they take themselves so seriously." Stiller previewed the film before the NAACP, and several black journalists reacted positively to the character. Cruise was initially set to cameo as Stiller's character's agent, Rick Peck. Instead, Cruise suggested adding a studio head character, and the idea was incorporated into the script. Stiller and Cruise worked together to create the new character, Les Grossman, as a middle-aged businessman. The role required that Cruise don a fatsuit, large prosthetic hands, and a bald cap. It was Cruise's idea to give the character large hands and dance to "Low". Stiller intended to keep Cruise's role a secret until the film's release. In addition, Paramount Pictures refused to release promotional pictures of Cruise's character to the media. In November 2007, images of Cruise wearing a bald headpiece and a fatsuit appeared on Inside Edition, as well as on the Internet. Cruise's attorneys threatened a lawsuit if photos showing Cruise in costume were published. They approached various sites that were hosting the image and quickly had it removed. A representative for Cruise stated: "Mr. Cruise's appearance was supposed to be a surprise for his fans worldwide. Paparazzi have ruined what should have been a fun discovery for moviegoers." The photography agency INF, who debuted the image, responded with a statement: "While these pictures were taken without breaking any criminal or civil laws, we've decided to pull them from circulation effective immediately." Serving as a last-minute replacement, Tobey Maguire was available to be on set for only two hours to film his scenes in Satan's Alley. Downey said he was amazed Maguire would agree to do the film and felt like they were creating a "karmic pay-off" for their scenes together in the 2000 film Wonder Boys, where Downey's character has a one-night stand with Maguire's character. After Cruise vacated the role of Rick Peck, Owen Wilson was cast to play the part. Following his suicide attempt in August 2007, Wilson dropped out of the film and was replaced by Matthew McConaughey. Filming Although Southern California and Mexico were considered for the main unit filming, the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i (where Stiller has a home) was selected for the majority of the shooting. Kaua'i was chosen over Mexico because a tax credit for in-state spending was negotiated with the Kaua'i Film Commission. John Toll, the cinematographer, stated the island was also selected for its similarity to Vietnam, based on its dense foliage, variety of terrains, and weather. Kaua'i was first scouted as a possible location to film Tropic Thunder in 2004. Stiller spent more than 25 hours over 6 weeks exploring the island, using all-terrain vehicles, boats, and helicopters. After the film was greenlit by DreamWorks in 2006, pre-production lasted for six months, most of this time spent on scouting additional locations for filming. Filming for the Los Angeles and interior scenes occurred on sets at Universal Studios in Hollywood. Tropic Thunder was the first major studio production on Kaua'i in five years. After filming was completed, it was deemed the largest production filmed on the island to date, and contributed more than $60 million to the local economy. Tim Ryan, the executive editor of Hawaii Film & Video Magazine, commented on the filming on the island: "I think Tropic Thunder will give Kaua'i much needed and long idled publicity in the production arena ... It should put Kaua'i back on the production consideration radar." Preliminary production crews were on the island starting in December 2006 and principal photography began in July 2007, with filming lasting thirteen weeks over seven separate locations on the island. Much of the filming took place on private land as well as conservation status designated areas. Casting calls on the island sought 500 residents to portray the villagers in the film. Two units shot simultaneously on the island from the ground, and an aerial unit shot from helicopters. Many of the sets and the bridge used for one of the final scenes were built in three months. The island's erratic weather hampered filming with rain and lighting issues. The crew also faced complications in moving the equipment and cast due to the difficult terrain. The film advising company Warriors Inc. was enlisted to ensure the war scenes, including the attire worn by the actors, looked authentic. Former members of the U.S. military taught the actors how to handle, fire, and reload their weapons, as well as perform various tactical movements. The opening war scene was filmed over three weeks and required fifty stuntmen. Animatics were used to map out the necessary camera angles for filming. Effects Six companies working on different scenes and elements created 500 shots of visual effects in the film. These were at times altered weekly due to the reactions of test audiences in screenings. CIS Visual Effects Group assisted with the Scorcher VI faux trailer and twenty additional shots for the home media release. To expand on the comedy in the film, some of the explosions and crashes were embellished to look more destructive. The visual effects supervisor Michael Fink reflected on the exaggerated explosions: "We worked really hard to make the CG crashing helicopter in the hot landing sequence look real. Ben was adamant about that, but at the same time he wanted the explosion to be huge. When you see it hit the ground, it was like it was filled with gasoline! It was the same thing with Ben's sergeant character, who almost intercepts a hand grenade ... Now, I was in the Army for three years and no hand grenade would make an explosion like that ... But it was a big dramatic moment and it looks really cool ... and feels kind of real." Filming the large napalm explosion in the opening scene of the film required a 450-foot (137-meter) row of explosive pots containing 1,100 gallons (4,165 liters) of gasoline and diesel fuel. All the palm trees used in the explosion were moved to the specific location after the crew determined the impact of the lighting and necessary camera angles. Due to the size and cost of the 1.25-second explosion, it was performed only once and was captured by twelve cameras. For the safety of the crew and cast, the detonators were added one hour before the explosion and nobody was allowed to be within during detonation. The explosion was made up of twelve individual explosions and resulted in a mushroom cloud that reached in the air. For the scene in the film, Danny McBride's character, Cody Underwood, was the only actor shown in the shot of the explosion. All the other characters were added digitally. The explosion of the bridge in one of the final scenes used nine cameras to capture the shot, and the crew was required to be away for their safety. Promotion A trailer for the film was released in April 2008. The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5, commenting: "This could either be good or very, very bad." Gary Susman of Entertainment Weekly questioned whether the film would "... turn into precisely the kind of bloated action monstrosity that it's making fun of." The trailer received the "Best Comedy Trailer" award at the 9th annual Golden Trailer Awards. DreamWorks also released a red band trailer, the first of its kind used by the studio to promote one of its films. Stiller, Downey, and Black appeared on the seventh-season finale of American Idol in a sketch as The Pips performing with Gladys Knight (via archival footage). The three actors also later performed a sketch at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards which featured the actors attempting to create a successful viral video to promote the film with awkward results. In September 2008, Stiller and Downey attended the San Sebastián International Film Festival to promote the film. A screening was shown, but it was not chosen to compete against the other films at the festival. Between April 2008 and the film's commercial release in August 2008, the film had over 250 promotional screenings. On August 3, 2008, Stiller, Downey, and Black visited Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine Corps base in California, to present a screening to over a thousand military members and their families. The screening was on behalf of the United Service Organizations and included the actors heading to the screening by helicopter and Humvees. On August 8, 2008, a special 30-minute fictional E! True Hollywood Story aired about the making of Tropic Thunder. In video games, a themed scavenger hunt was incorporated into Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, and Stiller allowed his likeness to be used in the online Facebook application game based on the film. As a tie-in for the film's release, Paramount announced it would market the energy drink known in the film as "Booty Sweat". Michael Corcoran, Paramount's president of consumer products, commented on the release: "We're very excited, because it has the potential to live for quite a while, well beyond the film." The drink was sold in college bookstores, on Amazon.com, and at other retailers. Faux websites and mockumentary Several faux websites were created for the main characters and some of their prior film roles. A website for Simple Jack, a faux film exhibited within the film, was removed by DreamWorks on August 4, 2008, due to protests from disability advocates. In addition, other promotional websites were created for "Make Pretty Skin Clinic", the fictitious company that performed the surgery of the film's character Kirk Lazarus, along with one for the energy drink "Booty Sweat". In mid-July 2008, a faux trailer for the mockumentary Rain of Madness was released. The mockumentary was a parody of Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse. It follows co-writer Justin Theroux as a fictitious documentarian named Jan Jürgen documenting the behind-the-scenes aspects of the film within the film. Marketing for the faux documentary included a movie poster and an official website prior to Tropic Thunders release. The mockumentary was released on the iTunes Store after the film's release and was also included on the home video release. Amy Powell, an advertising executive with Paramount, reflected on the timing of the release of Madness: "We always thought that people would be talking about Tropic Thunder at the water cooler, and that's why we decided to release Rain of Madness two weeks into Tropics run—to keep this positive buzz going." Release Theatrical release Tropic Thunder held an early screening at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con, two weeks before it officially premiered on August 11, 2008, at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, California and two days before its wide release. Members of several disability groups picketed before the premiere, protesting at the portrayal of intellectual disability shown in the film. The groups revealed that it was the first time that they had ever protested together at an event. As a result of the protest, the normally unobstructed views of the red carpet leading to the premiere were blocked off by 10-foot (3-m)-high fences and there was an increase in the number of security personnel present. No protests were held at the United Kingdom's September premiere. The North American release was scheduled for July 11, 2008, but was delayed until August 15, before being brought forward to August 13. As a result of the move from July, 20th Century Fox moved its family comedy Meet Dave in the open slot. The August 13 release date was also the opening weekends for the animated family film Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the horror film Mirrors. Studios consider the third week of August to be a weaker performing period than earlier in the summer because of students returning to school. Previous R-rated comedies such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Superbad were released in mid-August and performed well at the box office. Reacting to Tropic Thunders release date, Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount Pictures, stated: "For a young person at the end of summer, you want to have some fun and forget about going back to school. What better than a crazy comedy?" Home media Tropic Thunder was released in the United States on DVD and Blu-ray on November 18, 2008, three months after its release and a week after the end of its theatrical run in the U.S. and Canada. The film was released on home video on January 26, 2009, in the United Kingdom. Special features include an unrated director's cut of the film which is 12 minutes longer than the theatrical release, audio commentaries (including one featuring Stiller, Downey, and Black, with Downey providing his commentary as Lincoln Osiris, a nod to a joke in the film that Lazarus never breaks character until he completes the DVD commentary), several featurettes, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, and the Rain of Madness mockumentary. For the film's first week of release, Tropic Thunder placed on several video charts. It reached second place on the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart and Nielsen's Blu-ray Disc chart, earning $19,064,959 (not including Blu-ray sales). In rentals, it placed first on the Home Media Magazine'''s video rental chart. The DVD sales in 2008 totaled $42,271,059, placing it in 28th for DVD sales for the year. By September 2009, 2,963,000 DVD units have been sold, gathering revenue of $49,870,248. Reception Critical response The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 82% based on 252 reviews and an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "With biting satire, plenty of subversive humor, and an unforgettable turn by Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder is a triumphant late summer comedy." Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score from reviews by mainstream critics, gave a film score of 71 out of 100 based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". After attending an industry screening in April 2008 Michael Cieply from The New York Times stated that the film was "... shaping up as one of [DreamWorks]'s best prospects for the summer." Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film a positive review, writing "There are some wildly funny scenes, a few leaden ones and others that are scattershot, with humorous satire undercut by over-the-top grisliness. Still, when it's funny, it's really funny." A review in Variety by Todd McCarthy was critical: "Apart from startling, out-there comic turns by Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise, however, the antics here are pretty thin, redundant and one-note." Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com would later call the film "intermittently amusing but entirely smug and hateful." Rick Groen of The Globe and Mail also gave the film a negative review, calling it "... an assault in the guise of a comedy—watching it is like getting mugged by a clown." J.R. Jones of Chicago Reader stated "The rest of the movie never lives up to the hilarity of the opening, partly because the large-scale production smothers the gags but mostly because those gags are so easy to smother." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave 3.5/4 and wrote, "The movie is, may I say, considerably better than Stiller’s previous film, Zoolander (2001). It’s the kind of summer comedy that rolls in, makes a lot of people laugh and rolls on to video." The faux trailers before the film also received mixed reviews. David Ansen of Newsweek approved of the trailers, writing "Tropic Thunder is the funniest movie of the summer—so funny, in fact, that you start laughing before the film itself has begun." Christy Lemire, writing for the Associated Press, called the trailers "... the best part of the trip." Robert Wilonsky of The Village Voice was critical, saying that the trailers' comedy "... resides in the land of the obvious, easy chuckle." Downey, Stiller, Black and Cruise were repeatedly singled out for praise by numerous critics, claiming that they "stole the show", were "... off-the-charts hilarious ...", and would bring viewers "... the fondest memories of [their] work." Scott Feinberg, of the Los Angeles Times, criticized the concept of Downey's portrayal of an African-American, writing "... I just can't imagine any circumstance under which a blackface performance would be acceptable, any more than I can imagine any circumstance under which the use of the N-word would be acceptable." Sara Vilkomerson said Cruise did "... an astonishingly funny and surprising supporting performance." Logan Hill of New York argued against Cruise's cameo saying that it "... just makes him look a little lost and almost pathetic—shucking and jiving, trying to appeal to the younger moviegoers who are abandoning him." Several critics commented on the controversy over lines in the film talking about the mentally disabled. Duane Dudek of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote that the film "... is just sophomoric enough to offend. And while it is also funny, it is without the empathy or compassion to cause us to wonder why we are laughing." Christian Toto of The Washington Times argued against the opposition, "Tropic Thunder is drawing fire from special interest groups for ... its frequent use of the word 'retard', but discerning audiences will know where the humor is targeted. And they'll be laughing too hard to take offense." Kurt Loder of MTV contrasted the opposition to the lines with Downey character portrayal of an African American, "The scene in which the derisive Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) nails Lazarus' recitation of black-uplift homilies as nothing more than the lyrics to the Jeffersons theme is funny; but the one in which Lazarus quietly explains to Speedman that his Simple Jack character failed because he made the mistake of going 'full retard'—rather than softening his character with cuteness in the manner of Forrest Gump—is so on-the-nose accurate, it takes your breath away." Critics' lists In January 2009, Entertainment Weekly included Tropic Thunder in its list "25 Great Comedies From the Past 25 Years" for its "spot-on skewering of Hollywood." The film also appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008. Stephen King placed it at the fourth position, calling the film "the funniest, most daring comedy of the year." The Oregonians Marc Mohan, placed it sixth, and several critics placed it seventh: Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News, Premiere magazine, Mike Russell of The Oregonian, as well as Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle. David Ansen of Newsweek placed it eighth and Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly included the film in the tenth position. Box office Stacey Snider, the chief executive of DreamWorks, suggested that the film would earn around $30 million in its opening weekend and go on to be as successful as Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which earned $129 million in the U.S. and Canada and $260 million worldwide. The Dark Knight had been the number one film at the box office for the four weeks prior to the release of Tropic Thunder. Bob Thompson, a writer for the National Post, speculated that Tropic Thunders opening weekend would outperform The Dark Knight for the weekend. In a list compiled prior to the summer's film releases, Entertainment Weekly predicted that the film would be the tenth highest-grossing film of the summer at the American box office with $142.6 million.Tropic Thunder opened in 3,319 theaters and, for its first five days of American and Canadian release, earned $36,845,588. The film placed first in the weekend's box office with $25,812,796, surpassing Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Mirrors, which debuted the same weekend. Reacting to the film's opening receipts, DreamWorks spokesman Chip Sullivan stated "We're thrilled, quite frankly. It played out exactly how we hoped." In foreign markets for the film's opening weekend, it was released in 418 Russian and 19 United Arab Emirates locations earning $2.2 million and $319,000, respectively. The film maintained its number one position at the American and Canadian box office for the following two weekends, making it the second film in 2008 (after The Dark Knight) to hold the number-one position for more than two consecutive weekends. The film's widest release was in 3,473 theaters, placing it in the top 25 widest releases in the U.S. for 2008. For 2008, the film was the fifth-highest-grossing domestic R-rated film. The film's U.S. and Canada gross of over $110 million made Tropic Thunder Stiller's most successful film as a director. The film has had gross receipts of $110,515,313 in the U.S. and Canada and $85,187,498 in international markets for a total of $195,702,811 worldwide. Accolades In October 2008, Paramount chose to put end-of-year award push funds behind Tropic Thunder, and began advertising for Downey to receive a nomination by the Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor. In a November 2008 issue by Entertainment Weekly, Downey's film role was considered one of the three contenders for Best Supporting Actor. As a way of extending the film-within-a-film "universe" into real life, there were at least two online "For Your Consideration" ads touting Downey's character, Kirk Lazarus, for Best Supporting Actor; one of these contains "scenes" from Satan's Alley that were not in the trailer as released in theaters. At least one of the ads was produced by Paramount Pictures and intended for early For Your Consideration awareness for Downey's role. On January 22, 2009, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated Downey for Best Supporting Actor. At the 81st Academy Awards, Downey lost to Heath Ledger for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight. With the onset of the annual Hollywood film award season at the end of 2008, Tropic Thunder began receiving nominations and awards starting with a win for "Hollywood Comedy of the Year Award" at the 12th annual Hollywood Film Festival on October 27, 2008. The film was nominated for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical, for the Satellite Awards. In addition, Downey was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The Broadcast Film Critics Association nominated Downey for Best Supporting Actor and awarded Tropic Thunder Best Comedy Movie at the BFCA's Critics' Choice Awards. Both Downey and Cruise received nominations from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actor. The Boston Society of Film Critics recognized the cast with its Best Ensemble award. Downey was also nominated by both the Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for Best Supporting Actor awards. ControversyTropic Thunder was criticized by the disability advocacy community. The website for Simple Jack was withdrawn on August 4 amid several groups' concerns over its portrayal of intellectual disability. A spokesman for DreamWorks said, "We heard their concerns, and we understand that taken out of context, the site appeared to be insensitive to people with disabilities." A coalition of more than 20 disability advocacy groups, including the Special Olympics and the Arc of the United States, objected to the film's repeated use of the word "retard". DreamWorks offered to screen the film for the groups on August 8 to determine if it still offended them. The screening was postponed to the same day of the premiere on August 11. After representatives for the groups attended the private screening and were offended by its content, the groups picketed outside the film's premiere. Timothy Shriver, the chairman of the Special Olympics, stated, "This population struggles too much with the basics to have to struggle against Hollywood. We're sending a message that this hate speech is no longer acceptable." Disability advocates and others who previewed the film reported that the offensive treatment of individuals with mental disabilities was woven throughout the film's plot. Disability advocates urged people not to see the film, claiming it is demeaning to individuals with mental disabilities and would encourage bullying. Stiller defended the film, stating "We screened the movie so many times and this didn't come up until very late ... in the context of the film I think it's really clear, they were making fun of the actors and actors who try to use serious subjects to win awards." Co-writer Etan Cohen echoed Stiller's rationale: "Some people have taken this as making fun of handicapped people, but we're really trying to make fun of the actors who use this material as fodder for acclaim." He went on to state that the film lampoons actors who portray intellectually disabled or autistic characters such as Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, and Sean Penn in I Am Sam. A DreamWorks spokesman did not directly respond to the criticism, claiming that Tropic Thunder "... is an R-rated comedy that satirizes Hollywood and its excesses, makes its point by featuring inappropriate and over-the-top characters in ridiculous situations." The film's advertising was altered, but none of the scenes in the film were edited as a result of the opposition. In response to the controversy, the director's cut of the DVD (but not the Blu-ray) includes a public service announcement in the special features that discourages use of the word "retard". Another aspect that drew warning before the release of the movie and criticism afterwards was Robert Downey Jr. playing a white Australian actor who dons "blackface" as part of his method acting the role of an African-American man. He responded by pointing out that this was a case of donning "blackface" in order to point out how wrong it is. Others have point out that the wrongness of "blackface" is addressed within the movie itself by an actual African-American, and that the climax of movie pins on Downey Jr.'s shedding of his method acting; in this way the movie mocks, rather than embraces, both "blackface" and the extreme and ridiculous things method actors sometimes do for their roles. Some have pointed out that how the film characterized and how non-Jewish Tom Cruise portrayed the Jewish character of Les Grossman (in addition to his name, he also references the Jewish holiday of Purim) is antisemitic. Critics have also referred to this performance as "Jewface" as early as 2008 (years before Sarah Silverman raised awareness of the term), calling it "vulgar" and "exploitation". Reportedly, Tom Cruise was largely responsibly for the final form Les Grossman took, including using him as an additional villain, the hairiness of the character and the "fat hands". MusicTropic Thunders score and soundtrack were released on August 5, 2008, the week before the film's theatrical release. The score was composed by Theodore Shapiro and performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony. William Ruhlmann of AllMusic gave the score a positive review, stating it is "...an affectionate and knowing satire of the history of Hollywood action movie music, penned by an insider." Thomas Simpson of Soundtrack.Net called it "...a mixture of fun, seriousness, rock n' roll and great scoring." Five songs, "Cum On Feel the Noize" by Quiet Riot, "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones, "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield, "Low" by Flo Rida and T-Pain, and "Get Back" by Ludacris, were not present on the soundtrack, yet did appear in the film. The soundtrack features songs from The Temptations, MC Hammer, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Edwin Starr, and other artists. The single "Name of the Game" by The Crystal Method featuring Ryu has an exclusive remix on the soundtrack. The soundtrack debuted 20th on Billboards Top Soundtracks list and peaked at 39th on its Top Independent Albums list. James Christopher Monger of allmusic compared the music to other film's soundtracks such as Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and Forrest Gump'' and called it "...a fun but slight listen that plays out like an old late-'70s K-Tel compilation with a few bonus cuts from the future." Spin-off Cruise reprised his character Les Grossman for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. On June 9, 2010, it was announced that a spin-off film would be developed centering on Grossman. A script has been written by Michael Bacall. In March 2012, Bacall gave an update on the long-rumored Les Grossman spin-off movie, revealing that the film will attempt to uncover where Grossman's well-documented anger issues originated. See also List of films featuring fictional films References External links English-language films 2008 films 2008 action comedy films 2000s satirical films American films American action comedy films American satirical films British films British action comedy films British satirical films German films English-language German films German action comedy films German satirical films Mandarin-language films Films about actors Films about filmmaking Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Hawaii Films shot in Los Angeles Military humor in film Films about the United States Army Films directed by Ben Stiller Films produced by Ben Stiller Films with screenplays by Etan Cohen Films with screenplays by Justin Theroux Films scored by Theodore Shapiro DreamWorks Pictures films Paramount Pictures films Red Hour Productions films 2008 comedy films Torture in films Blackface minstrel shows and films
true
[ "Best of Nollywood Awards (stylized as BON Awards) is an annual film event presented by Best of Nollywood Magazine honouring outstanding achievement in the Nigerian Movie Industry. The first edition was held on December 6, 2009, in Ikeja, Lagos State. The 2013 ceremony honouring movies of 2013, was held at Dome, Asaba, Delta State on December 5, 2013. Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan as the chief host, and the nomination party was held at the State House in Lagos. The red carpet used for the event was aimed to be one of the longest in history.\n\nCeremonies \n 2009 Best of Nollywood Awards\n 2010 Best of Nollywood Awards\n 2011 Best of Nollywood Awards\n 2012 Best of Nollywood Awards\n 2013 Best of Nollywood Awards\n 2014 Best of Nollywood Awards\n 2015 Best of Nollywood Awards\n 2016 Best of Nollywood Awards\n 2017 Best of Nollywood Awards\n2018 Best of Nollywood Awards\n\nCategories \nAs of 2013, the BON Awards have approximately 35 categories.\n\n Best Lead Actor in an English Movie\n Best Lead Actress in an English Movie\n Best Lead Actor in a Yoruba film\n Best Lead Actress in a Yoruba film\n Best Supporting Actor in an English film\n Best Supporting Actress in an English film\n Best Supporting Actor in a Yoruba film\n Best Supporting Actress in a Yoruba film\n Most Promising Act of the Year (male)\n Most Promising Act of the Year (female)\n Best Child Actor (male)\n Best Child Actor (female)\n Comedy of the Year\n Movie with the Best Social Message\n Best Kiss in a Movie\n Best Makeup in a Movie\n Onga Best Use of Nigerian Food in a Movie\n\n Best Short film of the Year\n Best Use of a Costume in a Movie\n Best Screenplay\n Best Edited Movie\n Best Sound in a Movie\n Best Production Design\n Best Cinematography\n Director of the Year\n Movie of the Year\n Best Special Effects\n Best Actor (Hausa)\n Best Actress (Hausa)\n Best Supporting Actor (Hausa)\n Best Supporting Actress (Hausa)\n Revelation of the Year (Female)\n Revelation of the Year (Male)\n Movie Journalist of the Year\n Marketer of the Year\n\nReferences \n\n \n2009 establishments in Nigeria\nNigerian film awards\nAwards established in 2009\nEntertainment events in Nigeria\nMagazine awards", "South Indian International Movie Awards, also known as the SIIMA Awards, rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. SIIMA Awards are presented for numerous categories in each of the four language films(Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil & Telugu). SIIMA award for Best Actor recognizes the performance of an actor in a leading role in South Indian movie. SIIMA award for Best Actor was first given during the year 2012.\n\nSuperlatives\n\nWinners & Nominees\n\nCritics choice\n\nReferences\n\nSouth Indian International Movie Awards" ]
[ "Tropic Thunder", "Promotion", "What is the rating of the movie?", "The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5,", "Who are the actor in the movie?", "Stiller, Downey, and Black" ]
C_4d02f75601a64091b6ff73fb8c6deeda_0
When was the release of the movie?
3
When was the release of the Tropic Thunder movie?
Tropic Thunder
A trailer for the film was released in April 2008. The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5, commenting: "This could either be good or very, very bad." Gary Susman of Entertainment Weekly questioned whether the film would "... turn into precisely the kind of bloated action monstrosity that it's making fun of." The trailer received the "Best Comedy Trailer" award at the 9th annual Golden Trailer Awards. DreamWorks also released a red band trailer, the first of its kind used by the studio to promote one of its films. Stiller, Downey, and Black appeared on the seventh-season finale of American Idol in a sketch as The Pips performing with Gladys Knight (via archival footage). The three actors also later performed a sketch at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards which featured the actors attempting to create a successful viral video to promote the film with awkward results. In September 2008, Stiller and Downey attended the San Sebastian International Film Festival to promote the film. A screening was shown, but it was not chosen to compete against the other films at the festival. Between April 2008 and the film's commercial release in August 2008, the film had over 250 promotional screenings. On August 3, 2008, Stiller, Downey, and Black visited Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine Corps base in California, to present a screening to over a thousand military members and their families. The screening was on behalf of the United Service Organizations and included the actors heading to the screening by helicopter and Humvees. On August 8, 2008, a special 30-minute fictional E! True Hollywood Story aired about the making of Tropic Thunder. In video games, a themed scavenger hunt was incorporated into Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, and Stiller allowed his likeness to be used in the online Facebook application game based on the film. As a tie-in for the film's release, Paramount announced it would market the energy drink known in the film as "Booty Sweat". Michael Corcoran, Paramount's president of consumer products, commented on the release: "We're very excited, because it has the potential to live for quite a while, well beyond the film." The drink was sold in college bookstores, on Amazon.com, and at other retailers. CANNOTANSWER
August 2008,
Tropic Thunder is a 2008 action-comedy film directed by Ben Stiller, who wrote the screenplay with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen. The film stars Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, and Brandon T. Jackson as a group of prima donna actors making a Vietnam War film. When their frustrated director (Steve Coogan) drops them in the middle of a jungle, they are forced to rely on their acting skills to survive the real action and danger. Tropic Thunder parodies many famous war films, specifically those based on the Vietnam War. The ensemble cast includes Tom Cruise, Nick Nolte, Danny McBride, Matthew McConaughey, and Bill Hader. Stiller developed Tropic Thunder premise during the production of Empire of the Sun in the spring of 1987, and later enlisted Theroux and Cohen to complete a script. The film was green-lit in 2006, and was produced by Stuart Cornfeld, Stiller, and Eric McLeod for Red Hour Productions and DreamWorks Pictures as an international co-production between the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. Filming took place in 2007 on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i over thirteen weeks and was the largest film production in the island's history. The extensive marketing campaign included faux websites for the three main characters and their fictional films, a fictional television special, and selling the energy drink advertised in the film, "Booty Sweat". Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks released Tropic Thunder in the US on August 13, 2008. It received generally positive reviews for its characters, story, faux trailers, and cast performances. However, the depiction of the mentally handicapped and use of blackface makeup attracted controversy. The film opened at the top of the American box office and retained the number-one position for three consecutive weeks, ultimately grossing more than $195 million worldwide before its release on home media on November 18, 2008. Downey was nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, while both he and Cruise received nominations for a Golden Globe Award. Plot Hook-handed Vietnam veteran Staff Sergeant John "Four Leaf" Tayback's memoir Tropic Thunder is being made into a film. With the exception of newcomer supporting actor Kevin Sandusky, the cast—fading action hero Tugg Speedman, overbearing five-time Academy Award-winning Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus, loudmouthed rapper Alpa Chino, and drug-addicted comedian Jeff Portnoy—all cause problems for the inexperienced director Damien Cockburn, who cannot control them, resulting in a million-dollar pyrotechnics scene being wasted. With the project months behind schedule, studio executive Les Grossman gives Damien an ultimatum: get the cast under control or the project will be cancelled. On Four Leaf's advice, Damien drops the actors into the middle of the jungle, with hidden cameras and rigged special effects explosions to film "guerrilla-style". The actors have guns that fire blanks, along with a map and scene listing that will lead to a helicopter waiting at the end of the route. Unknown to the actors and production, the group have been dropped in the middle of the Golden Triangle, the home of the heroin-producing Flaming Dragon gang. Just as the group is about to set off, Damien inadvertently steps on an old land mine and is blown up, stunning the actors. Tugg, believing Damien faked his death to encourage the cast to give better performances, assures the others that Damien is alive, and that they are still shooting the film. Kirk is unconvinced but joins them in their trek through the jungle just to get out of the jungle. When Four Leaf and pyrotechnics operator Cody Underwood try to locate the deceased director, they are captured by Flaming Dragon. Four Leaf is revealed to have hands; he confesses to Underwood that he actually served in the Coast Guard, has never left the United States, and that he wrote his "memoir" as a tribute. As the actors continue through the jungle, Kirk, who has become convinced that Tugg's ineptitude is putting them in jeopardy, and Kevin, the only actor who bothered to properly prepare for his role, discover that Tugg is leading them in the wrong direction. The resulting argument results in Kirk leading the rest of the cast back toward the resort they are staying at as an increasingly delirious Tugg is captured by Flaming Dragon. Taken to their base, Tugg believes it is a POW camp from the script. The gang discovers he is the star of their favorite film, the box-office bomb Simple Jack, and force him to reenact it several times a day, leading him to become brainwashed. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Tugg's agent Rick 'Pecker' Peck confronts Les over an unfulfilled term in Tugg's contract that entitles him to a TiVo. Flaming Dragon calls during the discussion and demands a ransom for Tugg, but Les instead delivers a profanity-laden death threat. Les is uninterested in rescuing Tugg and is instead delighted at the prospect of a large insurance payout if Tugg dies. He attempts to convince Pecker to play along by promising a Gulfstream V jet and "lots of money". Kirk, Alpa, Jeff, and Kevin discover Flaming Dragon's heroin factory. After witnessing Tugg being tortured, they plan a rescue attempt based on the film's script. Kirk impersonates a farmer towing a "captured" Jeff on the back of a water buffalo, distracting the armed guards so Alpa and Kevin can infiltrate and find the prisoners, but a combination of broken Mandarin Chinese and inconsistencies in his story sets off the gang's boss. The actors, knowing their cover has been blown, begin firing, fooling the gang members into surrender. Their control of the gang falls apart when Jeff grabs the leader and heads for the drugs, and the gang, realizing the guns fire blanks, recover their guns and fight back. The four actors locate Four Leaf, Cody, and Tugg and cross a bridge rigged to explode to get to Underwood's helicopter. Tugg initially remains behind, believing Flaming Dragon to be his "family," but runs back screaming, chased by an angry horde. Four Leaf destroys the bridge, rescuing Tugg, but as the helicopter takes off, the gang boss fires an RPG at the helicopter. Rick unexpectedly stumbles out of the jungle and saves them by throwing a TiVo box into the path of the grenade. The crew return to Hollywood and footage from the hidden cameras is compiled into the feature film Tropic Blunder, which becomes a major critical and commercial success. The film wins Tugg his first Academy Award, which Kirk presents to him at the ceremony. Cast Ben Stiller as Tugg Speedman: Once the highest-paid, highest-grossing action film star ever due to his Scorcher franchise, his career has stalled, and he now has a reputation for appearing in nothing but box office bombs. After drawing negative coverage for his portrayal in Simple Jack, in which he plays a mentally-challenged farm boy, he takes the role of Four Leaf Tayback in an attempt to save his career. Tugg's faux trailer at the film's start is a preview for Scorcher VI: Global Meltdown, the latest in his series and a spoof of long-running summer action blockbuster franchises. Jack Black as Jeff Portnoy: A drug-addicted comedian-actor well known for portraying multiple parts in films that rely on toilet humor, particularly jokes about flatulence. In the film-within-a-film, he plays a raspy-voiced soldier named Fats. He fears he is only considered an actor because of his farts and nothing else. Portnoy's faux trailer for juvenile family comedy The Fatties: Fart 2, about a family (with each member played by Portnoy) which enjoys passing gas, spoofs Eddie Murphy's portrayal of multiple characters in films such as Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. Robert Downey Jr. as Kirk Lazarus: An Australian method actor and five-time Academy Award winner, Lazarus had a controversial "pigmentation alteration" surgery to temporarily darken his skin for his portrayal of the black character, Staff Sergeant Lincoln Osiris. Lazarus refuses to break character until he has recorded the DVD commentary for a part and only speaks in his character's African American Vernacular English. Lazarus's faux trailer, Satan's Alley, is about two gay monks in a 12th-century Irish monastery, parodying films like Brokeback Mountain and Downey's own scenes with Tobey Maguire (who in a cameo portrays himself playing the other monk) in Wonder Boys. Downey said he modeled Lazarus on three actors: Russell Crowe, Daniel Day-Lewis and Colin Farrell. Lazarus was originally intended to be Irish, but Downey felt more comfortable using an Australian accent, since he had portrayed an Australian character in Natural Born Killers. Nick Nolte as Four Leaf Tayback: The author of Tropic Thunder, a fake memoir of his war experiences on which the film-within-a-film is based. He suggests the idea of dropping the actors in the middle of the jungle to get them looking and feeling like soldiers lost in a foreign land. Matthew McConaughey as Rick "The Pecker" Peck: Speedman's extremely devoted agent and best friend. Steve Coogan as Damien Cockburn: The inexperienced British film director who is unable to control the actors in the film. The character was partly inspired by Richard Stanley, and his experience of directing the 1996 film The Island of Dr. Moreau, with Val Kilmer and Marlon Brando. Jay Baruchel as Kevin Sandusky: A novice actor, he is the only cast member to have read the script and book and attended the assigned boot camp prior to the film. Sandusky plays a young soldier named Brooklyn in the film-within-a-film. Brooklyn and Sandusky each occupy the position of straight man in character in the film-within-a-film and its cast, being the only actor without an internal conflict or deep-seated insecurity. He often serves as a mediator when tensions between the cast get high. Danny McBride as Cody: The film's explosives expert and helicopter pilot. He has developed a reputation for being a dangerous pyromaniac after an incident while working on Freaky Friday nearly blinded Jamie Lee Curtis. Brandon T. Jackson as Alpa Chino: A closeted homosexual rapper who is attempting to cross over into acting, portraying a soldier named Motown, while promoting his "Bust-A-Nut" candy bar and "Booty Sweat" energy drink. He feels his image as a rapper would not allow him to be openly gay. His name is a play on Al Pacino. Kevin Hart turned down the role because he did not want to play a gay character. Bill Hader as Studio Executive Rob Slolom: Grossman's assistant and right-hand man. Brandon Soo Hoo as Tran: The 12-year-old young leader of the Flaming Dragon gang. The character was compared to God's Army guerrilla leaders Johnny and Luther Htoo. Reggie Lee as Byong: The second-in-command of the Flaming Dragon gang. Trieu Tran as Tru: A dedicated soldier, and actor, in the Flaming Dragon gang. Tom Cruise as Les Grossman: The profane, ill-tempered studio executive producing Tropic Thunder. Various commentators believe he is loosely based on Scott Rudin, famous for his volcanic temper and poor treatment of others. Various actors and celebrities portray themselves, including Tobey Maguire, Tyra Banks, Maria Menounos, Martin Lawrence, The Mooney Suzuki, Jason Bateman, Lance Bass, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Alicia Silverstone, Christine Taylor, Mini Anden, Anthony Ruivivar, Yvette Nicole Brown, Rachel Avery, Sean Penn, and Jon Voight. Co-writer Justin Theroux appears in two brief roles as a UH-1 Huey gunner and the disc jockey from Zoolander (shown in a deleted scene). Production Script Stiller developed the premise for Tropic Thunder while shooting Empire of the Sun, in which he played a small part. Stiller wanted to make a film based on the actors he knew who, after taking part in boot camps to prepare for war film roles, became "self-important" and "self-involved" and appeared to believe they had been part of a real military unit. Co-writer Theroux revealed that the initial script concept was to have actors go to a mock boot camp and return with posttraumatic stress disorder. The final script was developed to satirize Vietnam War films such as Apocalypse Now, Rambo, Missing in Action, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Hamburger Hill, and The Deer Hunter. Theroux pointed out that since viewers had an increased awareness of the inner workings of Hollywood due to celebrity websites and Hollywood news sources, the script was easier to write. Dialogue for unscripted portions of the storyboard was developed on set by the actors or was improvised. Casting Stiller's original plan was cast Keanu Reeves as Tugg Speedman and himself as Rick Peck. Etan Cohen created the role of Kirk Lazarus as a way of lampooning the great lengths that some method actors go to depict a role. Downey was approached by Stiller about the part while on vacation in Hawaii. Downey said on CBS' The Early Show that his first reaction was, "This is the stupidest idea I've ever heard!" and that Stiller responded, "Yeah, I know – isn't it great?" In another interview, Downey said that he accepted the part but, having no idea where or even how to start building the character of Lazarus, eventually settled on a jive-esque speech pattern and a ragged bass voice; he then auditioned Lazarus' voice over the phone to Stiller, who approved the characterization immediately. Downey revealed that he modeled the character on actors Russell Crowe, Colin Farrell, and Daniel Day-Lewis. The initial script was written for Downey's character to be Irish, but was altered after Downey stated he could improvise better as an Australian (he had previously played a similar outlandish Australian character in the film Natural Born Killers). Downey's practice of remaining in character between takes and even off the film set was also written into the script for his character to perform. Downey required between one and a half to two hours of make-up application. According to Downey, "One makeup artist would start on one side of my face and a second makeup artist would start on the other side, and then they'd meet in the middle." Downey acknowledged the potential controversy over his role: "At the end of the day, it's always about how well you commit to the character. If I didn't feel it was morally sound, or that it would be easily misinterpreted that I'm just C. Thomas Howell [in Soul Man], I would've stayed home." Co-star Brandon T. Jackson stated: "When I first read the script, I was like: What? Blackface? But when I saw him [act] he, like, became a black man ... It was just good acting. It was weird on the set because he would keep going with the character. He's a method actor." Stiller commented on Downey's portrayal of a white actor playing a black man: "When people see the movie – in the context of the film, he's playing a method actor who's gone to great lengths to play a black guy. The movie is skewering actors and how they take themselves so seriously." Stiller previewed the film before the NAACP, and several black journalists reacted positively to the character. Cruise was initially set to cameo as Stiller's character's agent, Rick Peck. Instead, Cruise suggested adding a studio head character, and the idea was incorporated into the script. Stiller and Cruise worked together to create the new character, Les Grossman, as a middle-aged businessman. The role required that Cruise don a fatsuit, large prosthetic hands, and a bald cap. It was Cruise's idea to give the character large hands and dance to "Low". Stiller intended to keep Cruise's role a secret until the film's release. In addition, Paramount Pictures refused to release promotional pictures of Cruise's character to the media. In November 2007, images of Cruise wearing a bald headpiece and a fatsuit appeared on Inside Edition, as well as on the Internet. Cruise's attorneys threatened a lawsuit if photos showing Cruise in costume were published. They approached various sites that were hosting the image and quickly had it removed. A representative for Cruise stated: "Mr. Cruise's appearance was supposed to be a surprise for his fans worldwide. Paparazzi have ruined what should have been a fun discovery for moviegoers." The photography agency INF, who debuted the image, responded with a statement: "While these pictures were taken without breaking any criminal or civil laws, we've decided to pull them from circulation effective immediately." Serving as a last-minute replacement, Tobey Maguire was available to be on set for only two hours to film his scenes in Satan's Alley. Downey said he was amazed Maguire would agree to do the film and felt like they were creating a "karmic pay-off" for their scenes together in the 2000 film Wonder Boys, where Downey's character has a one-night stand with Maguire's character. After Cruise vacated the role of Rick Peck, Owen Wilson was cast to play the part. Following his suicide attempt in August 2007, Wilson dropped out of the film and was replaced by Matthew McConaughey. Filming Although Southern California and Mexico were considered for the main unit filming, the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i (where Stiller has a home) was selected for the majority of the shooting. Kaua'i was chosen over Mexico because a tax credit for in-state spending was negotiated with the Kaua'i Film Commission. John Toll, the cinematographer, stated the island was also selected for its similarity to Vietnam, based on its dense foliage, variety of terrains, and weather. Kaua'i was first scouted as a possible location to film Tropic Thunder in 2004. Stiller spent more than 25 hours over 6 weeks exploring the island, using all-terrain vehicles, boats, and helicopters. After the film was greenlit by DreamWorks in 2006, pre-production lasted for six months, most of this time spent on scouting additional locations for filming. Filming for the Los Angeles and interior scenes occurred on sets at Universal Studios in Hollywood. Tropic Thunder was the first major studio production on Kaua'i in five years. After filming was completed, it was deemed the largest production filmed on the island to date, and contributed more than $60 million to the local economy. Tim Ryan, the executive editor of Hawaii Film & Video Magazine, commented on the filming on the island: "I think Tropic Thunder will give Kaua'i much needed and long idled publicity in the production arena ... It should put Kaua'i back on the production consideration radar." Preliminary production crews were on the island starting in December 2006 and principal photography began in July 2007, with filming lasting thirteen weeks over seven separate locations on the island. Much of the filming took place on private land as well as conservation status designated areas. Casting calls on the island sought 500 residents to portray the villagers in the film. Two units shot simultaneously on the island from the ground, and an aerial unit shot from helicopters. Many of the sets and the bridge used for one of the final scenes were built in three months. The island's erratic weather hampered filming with rain and lighting issues. The crew also faced complications in moving the equipment and cast due to the difficult terrain. The film advising company Warriors Inc. was enlisted to ensure the war scenes, including the attire worn by the actors, looked authentic. Former members of the U.S. military taught the actors how to handle, fire, and reload their weapons, as well as perform various tactical movements. The opening war scene was filmed over three weeks and required fifty stuntmen. Animatics were used to map out the necessary camera angles for filming. Effects Six companies working on different scenes and elements created 500 shots of visual effects in the film. These were at times altered weekly due to the reactions of test audiences in screenings. CIS Visual Effects Group assisted with the Scorcher VI faux trailer and twenty additional shots for the home media release. To expand on the comedy in the film, some of the explosions and crashes were embellished to look more destructive. The visual effects supervisor Michael Fink reflected on the exaggerated explosions: "We worked really hard to make the CG crashing helicopter in the hot landing sequence look real. Ben was adamant about that, but at the same time he wanted the explosion to be huge. When you see it hit the ground, it was like it was filled with gasoline! It was the same thing with Ben's sergeant character, who almost intercepts a hand grenade ... Now, I was in the Army for three years and no hand grenade would make an explosion like that ... But it was a big dramatic moment and it looks really cool ... and feels kind of real." Filming the large napalm explosion in the opening scene of the film required a 450-foot (137-meter) row of explosive pots containing 1,100 gallons (4,165 liters) of gasoline and diesel fuel. All the palm trees used in the explosion were moved to the specific location after the crew determined the impact of the lighting and necessary camera angles. Due to the size and cost of the 1.25-second explosion, it was performed only once and was captured by twelve cameras. For the safety of the crew and cast, the detonators were added one hour before the explosion and nobody was allowed to be within during detonation. The explosion was made up of twelve individual explosions and resulted in a mushroom cloud that reached in the air. For the scene in the film, Danny McBride's character, Cody Underwood, was the only actor shown in the shot of the explosion. All the other characters were added digitally. The explosion of the bridge in one of the final scenes used nine cameras to capture the shot, and the crew was required to be away for their safety. Promotion A trailer for the film was released in April 2008. The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5, commenting: "This could either be good or very, very bad." Gary Susman of Entertainment Weekly questioned whether the film would "... turn into precisely the kind of bloated action monstrosity that it's making fun of." The trailer received the "Best Comedy Trailer" award at the 9th annual Golden Trailer Awards. DreamWorks also released a red band trailer, the first of its kind used by the studio to promote one of its films. Stiller, Downey, and Black appeared on the seventh-season finale of American Idol in a sketch as The Pips performing with Gladys Knight (via archival footage). The three actors also later performed a sketch at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards which featured the actors attempting to create a successful viral video to promote the film with awkward results. In September 2008, Stiller and Downey attended the San Sebastián International Film Festival to promote the film. A screening was shown, but it was not chosen to compete against the other films at the festival. Between April 2008 and the film's commercial release in August 2008, the film had over 250 promotional screenings. On August 3, 2008, Stiller, Downey, and Black visited Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine Corps base in California, to present a screening to over a thousand military members and their families. The screening was on behalf of the United Service Organizations and included the actors heading to the screening by helicopter and Humvees. On August 8, 2008, a special 30-minute fictional E! True Hollywood Story aired about the making of Tropic Thunder. In video games, a themed scavenger hunt was incorporated into Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, and Stiller allowed his likeness to be used in the online Facebook application game based on the film. As a tie-in for the film's release, Paramount announced it would market the energy drink known in the film as "Booty Sweat". Michael Corcoran, Paramount's president of consumer products, commented on the release: "We're very excited, because it has the potential to live for quite a while, well beyond the film." The drink was sold in college bookstores, on Amazon.com, and at other retailers. Faux websites and mockumentary Several faux websites were created for the main characters and some of their prior film roles. A website for Simple Jack, a faux film exhibited within the film, was removed by DreamWorks on August 4, 2008, due to protests from disability advocates. In addition, other promotional websites were created for "Make Pretty Skin Clinic", the fictitious company that performed the surgery of the film's character Kirk Lazarus, along with one for the energy drink "Booty Sweat". In mid-July 2008, a faux trailer for the mockumentary Rain of Madness was released. The mockumentary was a parody of Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse. It follows co-writer Justin Theroux as a fictitious documentarian named Jan Jürgen documenting the behind-the-scenes aspects of the film within the film. Marketing for the faux documentary included a movie poster and an official website prior to Tropic Thunders release. The mockumentary was released on the iTunes Store after the film's release and was also included on the home video release. Amy Powell, an advertising executive with Paramount, reflected on the timing of the release of Madness: "We always thought that people would be talking about Tropic Thunder at the water cooler, and that's why we decided to release Rain of Madness two weeks into Tropics run—to keep this positive buzz going." Release Theatrical release Tropic Thunder held an early screening at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con, two weeks before it officially premiered on August 11, 2008, at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, California and two days before its wide release. Members of several disability groups picketed before the premiere, protesting at the portrayal of intellectual disability shown in the film. The groups revealed that it was the first time that they had ever protested together at an event. As a result of the protest, the normally unobstructed views of the red carpet leading to the premiere were blocked off by 10-foot (3-m)-high fences and there was an increase in the number of security personnel present. No protests were held at the United Kingdom's September premiere. The North American release was scheduled for July 11, 2008, but was delayed until August 15, before being brought forward to August 13. As a result of the move from July, 20th Century Fox moved its family comedy Meet Dave in the open slot. The August 13 release date was also the opening weekends for the animated family film Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the horror film Mirrors. Studios consider the third week of August to be a weaker performing period than earlier in the summer because of students returning to school. Previous R-rated comedies such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Superbad were released in mid-August and performed well at the box office. Reacting to Tropic Thunders release date, Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount Pictures, stated: "For a young person at the end of summer, you want to have some fun and forget about going back to school. What better than a crazy comedy?" Home media Tropic Thunder was released in the United States on DVD and Blu-ray on November 18, 2008, three months after its release and a week after the end of its theatrical run in the U.S. and Canada. The film was released on home video on January 26, 2009, in the United Kingdom. Special features include an unrated director's cut of the film which is 12 minutes longer than the theatrical release, audio commentaries (including one featuring Stiller, Downey, and Black, with Downey providing his commentary as Lincoln Osiris, a nod to a joke in the film that Lazarus never breaks character until he completes the DVD commentary), several featurettes, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, and the Rain of Madness mockumentary. For the film's first week of release, Tropic Thunder placed on several video charts. It reached second place on the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart and Nielsen's Blu-ray Disc chart, earning $19,064,959 (not including Blu-ray sales). In rentals, it placed first on the Home Media Magazine'''s video rental chart. The DVD sales in 2008 totaled $42,271,059, placing it in 28th for DVD sales for the year. By September 2009, 2,963,000 DVD units have been sold, gathering revenue of $49,870,248. Reception Critical response The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 82% based on 252 reviews and an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "With biting satire, plenty of subversive humor, and an unforgettable turn by Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder is a triumphant late summer comedy." Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score from reviews by mainstream critics, gave a film score of 71 out of 100 based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". After attending an industry screening in April 2008 Michael Cieply from The New York Times stated that the film was "... shaping up as one of [DreamWorks]'s best prospects for the summer." Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film a positive review, writing "There are some wildly funny scenes, a few leaden ones and others that are scattershot, with humorous satire undercut by over-the-top grisliness. Still, when it's funny, it's really funny." A review in Variety by Todd McCarthy was critical: "Apart from startling, out-there comic turns by Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise, however, the antics here are pretty thin, redundant and one-note." Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com would later call the film "intermittently amusing but entirely smug and hateful." Rick Groen of The Globe and Mail also gave the film a negative review, calling it "... an assault in the guise of a comedy—watching it is like getting mugged by a clown." J.R. Jones of Chicago Reader stated "The rest of the movie never lives up to the hilarity of the opening, partly because the large-scale production smothers the gags but mostly because those gags are so easy to smother." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave 3.5/4 and wrote, "The movie is, may I say, considerably better than Stiller’s previous film, Zoolander (2001). It’s the kind of summer comedy that rolls in, makes a lot of people laugh and rolls on to video." The faux trailers before the film also received mixed reviews. David Ansen of Newsweek approved of the trailers, writing "Tropic Thunder is the funniest movie of the summer—so funny, in fact, that you start laughing before the film itself has begun." Christy Lemire, writing for the Associated Press, called the trailers "... the best part of the trip." Robert Wilonsky of The Village Voice was critical, saying that the trailers' comedy "... resides in the land of the obvious, easy chuckle." Downey, Stiller, Black and Cruise were repeatedly singled out for praise by numerous critics, claiming that they "stole the show", were "... off-the-charts hilarious ...", and would bring viewers "... the fondest memories of [their] work." Scott Feinberg, of the Los Angeles Times, criticized the concept of Downey's portrayal of an African-American, writing "... I just can't imagine any circumstance under which a blackface performance would be acceptable, any more than I can imagine any circumstance under which the use of the N-word would be acceptable." Sara Vilkomerson said Cruise did "... an astonishingly funny and surprising supporting performance." Logan Hill of New York argued against Cruise's cameo saying that it "... just makes him look a little lost and almost pathetic—shucking and jiving, trying to appeal to the younger moviegoers who are abandoning him." Several critics commented on the controversy over lines in the film talking about the mentally disabled. Duane Dudek of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote that the film "... is just sophomoric enough to offend. And while it is also funny, it is without the empathy or compassion to cause us to wonder why we are laughing." Christian Toto of The Washington Times argued against the opposition, "Tropic Thunder is drawing fire from special interest groups for ... its frequent use of the word 'retard', but discerning audiences will know where the humor is targeted. And they'll be laughing too hard to take offense." Kurt Loder of MTV contrasted the opposition to the lines with Downey character portrayal of an African American, "The scene in which the derisive Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) nails Lazarus' recitation of black-uplift homilies as nothing more than the lyrics to the Jeffersons theme is funny; but the one in which Lazarus quietly explains to Speedman that his Simple Jack character failed because he made the mistake of going 'full retard'—rather than softening his character with cuteness in the manner of Forrest Gump—is so on-the-nose accurate, it takes your breath away." Critics' lists In January 2009, Entertainment Weekly included Tropic Thunder in its list "25 Great Comedies From the Past 25 Years" for its "spot-on skewering of Hollywood." The film also appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008. Stephen King placed it at the fourth position, calling the film "the funniest, most daring comedy of the year." The Oregonians Marc Mohan, placed it sixth, and several critics placed it seventh: Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News, Premiere magazine, Mike Russell of The Oregonian, as well as Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle. David Ansen of Newsweek placed it eighth and Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly included the film in the tenth position. Box office Stacey Snider, the chief executive of DreamWorks, suggested that the film would earn around $30 million in its opening weekend and go on to be as successful as Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which earned $129 million in the U.S. and Canada and $260 million worldwide. The Dark Knight had been the number one film at the box office for the four weeks prior to the release of Tropic Thunder. Bob Thompson, a writer for the National Post, speculated that Tropic Thunders opening weekend would outperform The Dark Knight for the weekend. In a list compiled prior to the summer's film releases, Entertainment Weekly predicted that the film would be the tenth highest-grossing film of the summer at the American box office with $142.6 million.Tropic Thunder opened in 3,319 theaters and, for its first five days of American and Canadian release, earned $36,845,588. The film placed first in the weekend's box office with $25,812,796, surpassing Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Mirrors, which debuted the same weekend. Reacting to the film's opening receipts, DreamWorks spokesman Chip Sullivan stated "We're thrilled, quite frankly. It played out exactly how we hoped." In foreign markets for the film's opening weekend, it was released in 418 Russian and 19 United Arab Emirates locations earning $2.2 million and $319,000, respectively. The film maintained its number one position at the American and Canadian box office for the following two weekends, making it the second film in 2008 (after The Dark Knight) to hold the number-one position for more than two consecutive weekends. The film's widest release was in 3,473 theaters, placing it in the top 25 widest releases in the U.S. for 2008. For 2008, the film was the fifth-highest-grossing domestic R-rated film. The film's U.S. and Canada gross of over $110 million made Tropic Thunder Stiller's most successful film as a director. The film has had gross receipts of $110,515,313 in the U.S. and Canada and $85,187,498 in international markets for a total of $195,702,811 worldwide. Accolades In October 2008, Paramount chose to put end-of-year award push funds behind Tropic Thunder, and began advertising for Downey to receive a nomination by the Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor. In a November 2008 issue by Entertainment Weekly, Downey's film role was considered one of the three contenders for Best Supporting Actor. As a way of extending the film-within-a-film "universe" into real life, there were at least two online "For Your Consideration" ads touting Downey's character, Kirk Lazarus, for Best Supporting Actor; one of these contains "scenes" from Satan's Alley that were not in the trailer as released in theaters. At least one of the ads was produced by Paramount Pictures and intended for early For Your Consideration awareness for Downey's role. On January 22, 2009, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated Downey for Best Supporting Actor. At the 81st Academy Awards, Downey lost to Heath Ledger for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight. With the onset of the annual Hollywood film award season at the end of 2008, Tropic Thunder began receiving nominations and awards starting with a win for "Hollywood Comedy of the Year Award" at the 12th annual Hollywood Film Festival on October 27, 2008. The film was nominated for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical, for the Satellite Awards. In addition, Downey was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The Broadcast Film Critics Association nominated Downey for Best Supporting Actor and awarded Tropic Thunder Best Comedy Movie at the BFCA's Critics' Choice Awards. Both Downey and Cruise received nominations from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actor. The Boston Society of Film Critics recognized the cast with its Best Ensemble award. Downey was also nominated by both the Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for Best Supporting Actor awards. ControversyTropic Thunder was criticized by the disability advocacy community. The website for Simple Jack was withdrawn on August 4 amid several groups' concerns over its portrayal of intellectual disability. A spokesman for DreamWorks said, "We heard their concerns, and we understand that taken out of context, the site appeared to be insensitive to people with disabilities." A coalition of more than 20 disability advocacy groups, including the Special Olympics and the Arc of the United States, objected to the film's repeated use of the word "retard". DreamWorks offered to screen the film for the groups on August 8 to determine if it still offended them. The screening was postponed to the same day of the premiere on August 11. After representatives for the groups attended the private screening and were offended by its content, the groups picketed outside the film's premiere. Timothy Shriver, the chairman of the Special Olympics, stated, "This population struggles too much with the basics to have to struggle against Hollywood. We're sending a message that this hate speech is no longer acceptable." Disability advocates and others who previewed the film reported that the offensive treatment of individuals with mental disabilities was woven throughout the film's plot. Disability advocates urged people not to see the film, claiming it is demeaning to individuals with mental disabilities and would encourage bullying. Stiller defended the film, stating "We screened the movie so many times and this didn't come up until very late ... in the context of the film I think it's really clear, they were making fun of the actors and actors who try to use serious subjects to win awards." Co-writer Etan Cohen echoed Stiller's rationale: "Some people have taken this as making fun of handicapped people, but we're really trying to make fun of the actors who use this material as fodder for acclaim." He went on to state that the film lampoons actors who portray intellectually disabled or autistic characters such as Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, and Sean Penn in I Am Sam. A DreamWorks spokesman did not directly respond to the criticism, claiming that Tropic Thunder "... is an R-rated comedy that satirizes Hollywood and its excesses, makes its point by featuring inappropriate and over-the-top characters in ridiculous situations." The film's advertising was altered, but none of the scenes in the film were edited as a result of the opposition. In response to the controversy, the director's cut of the DVD (but not the Blu-ray) includes a public service announcement in the special features that discourages use of the word "retard". Another aspect that drew warning before the release of the movie and criticism afterwards was Robert Downey Jr. playing a white Australian actor who dons "blackface" as part of his method acting the role of an African-American man. He responded by pointing out that this was a case of donning "blackface" in order to point out how wrong it is. Others have point out that the wrongness of "blackface" is addressed within the movie itself by an actual African-American, and that the climax of movie pins on Downey Jr.'s shedding of his method acting; in this way the movie mocks, rather than embraces, both "blackface" and the extreme and ridiculous things method actors sometimes do for their roles. Some have pointed out that how the film characterized and how non-Jewish Tom Cruise portrayed the Jewish character of Les Grossman (in addition to his name, he also references the Jewish holiday of Purim) is antisemitic. Critics have also referred to this performance as "Jewface" as early as 2008 (years before Sarah Silverman raised awareness of the term), calling it "vulgar" and "exploitation". Reportedly, Tom Cruise was largely responsibly for the final form Les Grossman took, including using him as an additional villain, the hairiness of the character and the "fat hands". MusicTropic Thunders score and soundtrack were released on August 5, 2008, the week before the film's theatrical release. The score was composed by Theodore Shapiro and performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony. William Ruhlmann of AllMusic gave the score a positive review, stating it is "...an affectionate and knowing satire of the history of Hollywood action movie music, penned by an insider." Thomas Simpson of Soundtrack.Net called it "...a mixture of fun, seriousness, rock n' roll and great scoring." Five songs, "Cum On Feel the Noize" by Quiet Riot, "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones, "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield, "Low" by Flo Rida and T-Pain, and "Get Back" by Ludacris, were not present on the soundtrack, yet did appear in the film. The soundtrack features songs from The Temptations, MC Hammer, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Edwin Starr, and other artists. The single "Name of the Game" by The Crystal Method featuring Ryu has an exclusive remix on the soundtrack. The soundtrack debuted 20th on Billboards Top Soundtracks list and peaked at 39th on its Top Independent Albums list. James Christopher Monger of allmusic compared the music to other film's soundtracks such as Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and Forrest Gump'' and called it "...a fun but slight listen that plays out like an old late-'70s K-Tel compilation with a few bonus cuts from the future." Spin-off Cruise reprised his character Les Grossman for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. On June 9, 2010, it was announced that a spin-off film would be developed centering on Grossman. A script has been written by Michael Bacall. In March 2012, Bacall gave an update on the long-rumored Les Grossman spin-off movie, revealing that the film will attempt to uncover where Grossman's well-documented anger issues originated. See also List of films featuring fictional films References External links English-language films 2008 films 2008 action comedy films 2000s satirical films American films American action comedy films American satirical films British films British action comedy films British satirical films German films English-language German films German action comedy films German satirical films Mandarin-language films Films about actors Films about filmmaking Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Hawaii Films shot in Los Angeles Military humor in film Films about the United States Army Films directed by Ben Stiller Films produced by Ben Stiller Films with screenplays by Etan Cohen Films with screenplays by Justin Theroux Films scored by Theodore Shapiro DreamWorks Pictures films Paramount Pictures films Red Hour Productions films 2008 comedy films Torture in films Blackface minstrel shows and films
true
[ "Dick Figures is an American adult-oriented animated comedy series created and written by Ed Skudder and Zack Keller.\n\nSeries overview\n\nEpisodes\n\nPilot\n\nSeason 1 (2010–11)\n\nSeason 2 (2011)\n\nSeason 3 (2011–2012)\n\nSeason 4 (2012)\n\nSeason 5 (2013–2014)\nSeason 5's release and production was subject to two large hiatuses. Due to the production of the movie, season 5's production was put on hold until after the movie was done so there was a one-year gap between the end of season 4 and the beginning of season 5. A hiatus also occurred between episodes 3 and 4 due to both the weekly release of the movie starting on September 17, 2013 and the crew taking a break from the year-long production of the movie. Regular release of the season resumed in April 2014.\n\nAs well as being released on YouTube for free viewing, the season was also available to buy in advance to the YouTube release.\n\nMovie (2013)\nDick Figures: The Movie was released on September 17, 2013. On the same day, it was split up into 12 different chapters and released weekly on YouTube. The full movie can be seen now for online streaming on Yekra, Amazon.com, Hulu and Netflix and can be purchased for digital download through iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, PlayStation Network, and Xbox.\n\nMessin' With Sasquatch (2015)\n\nReferences\n\nLists of web series episodes\nLists of American adult animated television series episodes", "The New Release was a company that owned and operated DVD rental kiosks. The company was based in Houston and was part of privately held TNR Entertainment Corp. TNR was acquired by NCR in 2009. NCR had in 2008 partnered with Blockbuster to establish a channel for kiosk DVD rentals, and TNR's acquisition furthered this aim. NCR's DVD kiosks were purchased by Redbox in 2012 \n\nTNR was backed by an institutional investor group including Celerity Partners, LP of Los Angeles; Chapton Partners, LP, a Houston family partnership; Laminar Direct Capital, L.P., a member of the D. E. Shaw group of companies and MCG Capital, a leading specialized financial services company and financial advisor.\n\nEach of its interactive kiosks held up to 1,000 DVDs, including new releases and classic titles. To rent a movie, consumers swiped their credit card, make their selection and the machine then dispensed the movie(s). The charge per rental was $1 per day; and keeping a DVD more than 14 days was effectively the same as purchasing the DVD.\n\nThe kiosks were located at grocery stores including Albertson's, Dillon’s, Kroger, Publix and others—and promotions included a “Movie Lover’s Survey,” “Movie For a Year” and a “First Movie Free.”\n\nThe company also operated kiosks under the name \"moviecube,\" a California company which it acquired.\n\nHistory\nFounded in 2002, The New Release focused primarily on the grocery channel. The first kiosks were installed in Houston, HEB locations, with later expansion into Dallas, Kroger locations. Acquired by NCR in 2009, its kiosks eventually became the property of Redbox when Redbox acquired all of NCR's DVD rental kiosks in 2012.\n\nPromotions\nThe New Release periodically created promotions to entice current consumers and attract new ones. The New Release held a “Movie Lover’s Survey,” where they gave away free movies to the first 500 respondents.\n\nThe New Release gave away “Movie For a Year” to 45 customers throughout North America.\n\nIn the past, The New Release produced a “First Movie Free” promotion in many of its locations nationwide.\n\nSee also\nOnline video rental\nVideo store\n\nReferences\n\nVideo rental services\nRetail companies established in 2002\nCompanies based in Houston\nNCR Corporation" ]
[ "Tropic Thunder", "Promotion", "What is the rating of the movie?", "The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5,", "Who are the actor in the movie?", "Stiller, Downey, and Black", "When was the release of the movie?", "August 2008," ]
C_4d02f75601a64091b6ff73fb8c6deeda_0
Who produced the film?
4
Who produced the film Tropic Thunder?
Tropic Thunder
A trailer for the film was released in April 2008. The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5, commenting: "This could either be good or very, very bad." Gary Susman of Entertainment Weekly questioned whether the film would "... turn into precisely the kind of bloated action monstrosity that it's making fun of." The trailer received the "Best Comedy Trailer" award at the 9th annual Golden Trailer Awards. DreamWorks also released a red band trailer, the first of its kind used by the studio to promote one of its films. Stiller, Downey, and Black appeared on the seventh-season finale of American Idol in a sketch as The Pips performing with Gladys Knight (via archival footage). The three actors also later performed a sketch at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards which featured the actors attempting to create a successful viral video to promote the film with awkward results. In September 2008, Stiller and Downey attended the San Sebastian International Film Festival to promote the film. A screening was shown, but it was not chosen to compete against the other films at the festival. Between April 2008 and the film's commercial release in August 2008, the film had over 250 promotional screenings. On August 3, 2008, Stiller, Downey, and Black visited Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine Corps base in California, to present a screening to over a thousand military members and their families. The screening was on behalf of the United Service Organizations and included the actors heading to the screening by helicopter and Humvees. On August 8, 2008, a special 30-minute fictional E! True Hollywood Story aired about the making of Tropic Thunder. In video games, a themed scavenger hunt was incorporated into Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, and Stiller allowed his likeness to be used in the online Facebook application game based on the film. As a tie-in for the film's release, Paramount announced it would market the energy drink known in the film as "Booty Sweat". Michael Corcoran, Paramount's president of consumer products, commented on the release: "We're very excited, because it has the potential to live for quite a while, well beyond the film." The drink was sold in college bookstores, on Amazon.com, and at other retailers. CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
Tropic Thunder is a 2008 action-comedy film directed by Ben Stiller, who wrote the screenplay with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen. The film stars Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, and Brandon T. Jackson as a group of prima donna actors making a Vietnam War film. When their frustrated director (Steve Coogan) drops them in the middle of a jungle, they are forced to rely on their acting skills to survive the real action and danger. Tropic Thunder parodies many famous war films, specifically those based on the Vietnam War. The ensemble cast includes Tom Cruise, Nick Nolte, Danny McBride, Matthew McConaughey, and Bill Hader. Stiller developed Tropic Thunder premise during the production of Empire of the Sun in the spring of 1987, and later enlisted Theroux and Cohen to complete a script. The film was green-lit in 2006, and was produced by Stuart Cornfeld, Stiller, and Eric McLeod for Red Hour Productions and DreamWorks Pictures as an international co-production between the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. Filming took place in 2007 on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i over thirteen weeks and was the largest film production in the island's history. The extensive marketing campaign included faux websites for the three main characters and their fictional films, a fictional television special, and selling the energy drink advertised in the film, "Booty Sweat". Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks released Tropic Thunder in the US on August 13, 2008. It received generally positive reviews for its characters, story, faux trailers, and cast performances. However, the depiction of the mentally handicapped and use of blackface makeup attracted controversy. The film opened at the top of the American box office and retained the number-one position for three consecutive weeks, ultimately grossing more than $195 million worldwide before its release on home media on November 18, 2008. Downey was nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, while both he and Cruise received nominations for a Golden Globe Award. Plot Hook-handed Vietnam veteran Staff Sergeant John "Four Leaf" Tayback's memoir Tropic Thunder is being made into a film. With the exception of newcomer supporting actor Kevin Sandusky, the cast—fading action hero Tugg Speedman, overbearing five-time Academy Award-winning Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus, loudmouthed rapper Alpa Chino, and drug-addicted comedian Jeff Portnoy—all cause problems for the inexperienced director Damien Cockburn, who cannot control them, resulting in a million-dollar pyrotechnics scene being wasted. With the project months behind schedule, studio executive Les Grossman gives Damien an ultimatum: get the cast under control or the project will be cancelled. On Four Leaf's advice, Damien drops the actors into the middle of the jungle, with hidden cameras and rigged special effects explosions to film "guerrilla-style". The actors have guns that fire blanks, along with a map and scene listing that will lead to a helicopter waiting at the end of the route. Unknown to the actors and production, the group have been dropped in the middle of the Golden Triangle, the home of the heroin-producing Flaming Dragon gang. Just as the group is about to set off, Damien inadvertently steps on an old land mine and is blown up, stunning the actors. Tugg, believing Damien faked his death to encourage the cast to give better performances, assures the others that Damien is alive, and that they are still shooting the film. Kirk is unconvinced but joins them in their trek through the jungle just to get out of the jungle. When Four Leaf and pyrotechnics operator Cody Underwood try to locate the deceased director, they are captured by Flaming Dragon. Four Leaf is revealed to have hands; he confesses to Underwood that he actually served in the Coast Guard, has never left the United States, and that he wrote his "memoir" as a tribute. As the actors continue through the jungle, Kirk, who has become convinced that Tugg's ineptitude is putting them in jeopardy, and Kevin, the only actor who bothered to properly prepare for his role, discover that Tugg is leading them in the wrong direction. The resulting argument results in Kirk leading the rest of the cast back toward the resort they are staying at as an increasingly delirious Tugg is captured by Flaming Dragon. Taken to their base, Tugg believes it is a POW camp from the script. The gang discovers he is the star of their favorite film, the box-office bomb Simple Jack, and force him to reenact it several times a day, leading him to become brainwashed. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Tugg's agent Rick 'Pecker' Peck confronts Les over an unfulfilled term in Tugg's contract that entitles him to a TiVo. Flaming Dragon calls during the discussion and demands a ransom for Tugg, but Les instead delivers a profanity-laden death threat. Les is uninterested in rescuing Tugg and is instead delighted at the prospect of a large insurance payout if Tugg dies. He attempts to convince Pecker to play along by promising a Gulfstream V jet and "lots of money". Kirk, Alpa, Jeff, and Kevin discover Flaming Dragon's heroin factory. After witnessing Tugg being tortured, they plan a rescue attempt based on the film's script. Kirk impersonates a farmer towing a "captured" Jeff on the back of a water buffalo, distracting the armed guards so Alpa and Kevin can infiltrate and find the prisoners, but a combination of broken Mandarin Chinese and inconsistencies in his story sets off the gang's boss. The actors, knowing their cover has been blown, begin firing, fooling the gang members into surrender. Their control of the gang falls apart when Jeff grabs the leader and heads for the drugs, and the gang, realizing the guns fire blanks, recover their guns and fight back. The four actors locate Four Leaf, Cody, and Tugg and cross a bridge rigged to explode to get to Underwood's helicopter. Tugg initially remains behind, believing Flaming Dragon to be his "family," but runs back screaming, chased by an angry horde. Four Leaf destroys the bridge, rescuing Tugg, but as the helicopter takes off, the gang boss fires an RPG at the helicopter. Rick unexpectedly stumbles out of the jungle and saves them by throwing a TiVo box into the path of the grenade. The crew return to Hollywood and footage from the hidden cameras is compiled into the feature film Tropic Blunder, which becomes a major critical and commercial success. The film wins Tugg his first Academy Award, which Kirk presents to him at the ceremony. Cast Ben Stiller as Tugg Speedman: Once the highest-paid, highest-grossing action film star ever due to his Scorcher franchise, his career has stalled, and he now has a reputation for appearing in nothing but box office bombs. After drawing negative coverage for his portrayal in Simple Jack, in which he plays a mentally-challenged farm boy, he takes the role of Four Leaf Tayback in an attempt to save his career. Tugg's faux trailer at the film's start is a preview for Scorcher VI: Global Meltdown, the latest in his series and a spoof of long-running summer action blockbuster franchises. Jack Black as Jeff Portnoy: A drug-addicted comedian-actor well known for portraying multiple parts in films that rely on toilet humor, particularly jokes about flatulence. In the film-within-a-film, he plays a raspy-voiced soldier named Fats. He fears he is only considered an actor because of his farts and nothing else. Portnoy's faux trailer for juvenile family comedy The Fatties: Fart 2, about a family (with each member played by Portnoy) which enjoys passing gas, spoofs Eddie Murphy's portrayal of multiple characters in films such as Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. Robert Downey Jr. as Kirk Lazarus: An Australian method actor and five-time Academy Award winner, Lazarus had a controversial "pigmentation alteration" surgery to temporarily darken his skin for his portrayal of the black character, Staff Sergeant Lincoln Osiris. Lazarus refuses to break character until he has recorded the DVD commentary for a part and only speaks in his character's African American Vernacular English. Lazarus's faux trailer, Satan's Alley, is about two gay monks in a 12th-century Irish monastery, parodying films like Brokeback Mountain and Downey's own scenes with Tobey Maguire (who in a cameo portrays himself playing the other monk) in Wonder Boys. Downey said he modeled Lazarus on three actors: Russell Crowe, Daniel Day-Lewis and Colin Farrell. Lazarus was originally intended to be Irish, but Downey felt more comfortable using an Australian accent, since he had portrayed an Australian character in Natural Born Killers. Nick Nolte as Four Leaf Tayback: The author of Tropic Thunder, a fake memoir of his war experiences on which the film-within-a-film is based. He suggests the idea of dropping the actors in the middle of the jungle to get them looking and feeling like soldiers lost in a foreign land. Matthew McConaughey as Rick "The Pecker" Peck: Speedman's extremely devoted agent and best friend. Steve Coogan as Damien Cockburn: The inexperienced British film director who is unable to control the actors in the film. The character was partly inspired by Richard Stanley, and his experience of directing the 1996 film The Island of Dr. Moreau, with Val Kilmer and Marlon Brando. Jay Baruchel as Kevin Sandusky: A novice actor, he is the only cast member to have read the script and book and attended the assigned boot camp prior to the film. Sandusky plays a young soldier named Brooklyn in the film-within-a-film. Brooklyn and Sandusky each occupy the position of straight man in character in the film-within-a-film and its cast, being the only actor without an internal conflict or deep-seated insecurity. He often serves as a mediator when tensions between the cast get high. Danny McBride as Cody: The film's explosives expert and helicopter pilot. He has developed a reputation for being a dangerous pyromaniac after an incident while working on Freaky Friday nearly blinded Jamie Lee Curtis. Brandon T. Jackson as Alpa Chino: A closeted homosexual rapper who is attempting to cross over into acting, portraying a soldier named Motown, while promoting his "Bust-A-Nut" candy bar and "Booty Sweat" energy drink. He feels his image as a rapper would not allow him to be openly gay. His name is a play on Al Pacino. Kevin Hart turned down the role because he did not want to play a gay character. Bill Hader as Studio Executive Rob Slolom: Grossman's assistant and right-hand man. Brandon Soo Hoo as Tran: The 12-year-old young leader of the Flaming Dragon gang. The character was compared to God's Army guerrilla leaders Johnny and Luther Htoo. Reggie Lee as Byong: The second-in-command of the Flaming Dragon gang. Trieu Tran as Tru: A dedicated soldier, and actor, in the Flaming Dragon gang. Tom Cruise as Les Grossman: The profane, ill-tempered studio executive producing Tropic Thunder. Various commentators believe he is loosely based on Scott Rudin, famous for his volcanic temper and poor treatment of others. Various actors and celebrities portray themselves, including Tobey Maguire, Tyra Banks, Maria Menounos, Martin Lawrence, The Mooney Suzuki, Jason Bateman, Lance Bass, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Alicia Silverstone, Christine Taylor, Mini Anden, Anthony Ruivivar, Yvette Nicole Brown, Rachel Avery, Sean Penn, and Jon Voight. Co-writer Justin Theroux appears in two brief roles as a UH-1 Huey gunner and the disc jockey from Zoolander (shown in a deleted scene). Production Script Stiller developed the premise for Tropic Thunder while shooting Empire of the Sun, in which he played a small part. Stiller wanted to make a film based on the actors he knew who, after taking part in boot camps to prepare for war film roles, became "self-important" and "self-involved" and appeared to believe they had been part of a real military unit. Co-writer Theroux revealed that the initial script concept was to have actors go to a mock boot camp and return with posttraumatic stress disorder. The final script was developed to satirize Vietnam War films such as Apocalypse Now, Rambo, Missing in Action, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Hamburger Hill, and The Deer Hunter. Theroux pointed out that since viewers had an increased awareness of the inner workings of Hollywood due to celebrity websites and Hollywood news sources, the script was easier to write. Dialogue for unscripted portions of the storyboard was developed on set by the actors or was improvised. Casting Stiller's original plan was cast Keanu Reeves as Tugg Speedman and himself as Rick Peck. Etan Cohen created the role of Kirk Lazarus as a way of lampooning the great lengths that some method actors go to depict a role. Downey was approached by Stiller about the part while on vacation in Hawaii. Downey said on CBS' The Early Show that his first reaction was, "This is the stupidest idea I've ever heard!" and that Stiller responded, "Yeah, I know – isn't it great?" In another interview, Downey said that he accepted the part but, having no idea where or even how to start building the character of Lazarus, eventually settled on a jive-esque speech pattern and a ragged bass voice; he then auditioned Lazarus' voice over the phone to Stiller, who approved the characterization immediately. Downey revealed that he modeled the character on actors Russell Crowe, Colin Farrell, and Daniel Day-Lewis. The initial script was written for Downey's character to be Irish, but was altered after Downey stated he could improvise better as an Australian (he had previously played a similar outlandish Australian character in the film Natural Born Killers). Downey's practice of remaining in character between takes and even off the film set was also written into the script for his character to perform. Downey required between one and a half to two hours of make-up application. According to Downey, "One makeup artist would start on one side of my face and a second makeup artist would start on the other side, and then they'd meet in the middle." Downey acknowledged the potential controversy over his role: "At the end of the day, it's always about how well you commit to the character. If I didn't feel it was morally sound, or that it would be easily misinterpreted that I'm just C. Thomas Howell [in Soul Man], I would've stayed home." Co-star Brandon T. Jackson stated: "When I first read the script, I was like: What? Blackface? But when I saw him [act] he, like, became a black man ... It was just good acting. It was weird on the set because he would keep going with the character. He's a method actor." Stiller commented on Downey's portrayal of a white actor playing a black man: "When people see the movie – in the context of the film, he's playing a method actor who's gone to great lengths to play a black guy. The movie is skewering actors and how they take themselves so seriously." Stiller previewed the film before the NAACP, and several black journalists reacted positively to the character. Cruise was initially set to cameo as Stiller's character's agent, Rick Peck. Instead, Cruise suggested adding a studio head character, and the idea was incorporated into the script. Stiller and Cruise worked together to create the new character, Les Grossman, as a middle-aged businessman. The role required that Cruise don a fatsuit, large prosthetic hands, and a bald cap. It was Cruise's idea to give the character large hands and dance to "Low". Stiller intended to keep Cruise's role a secret until the film's release. In addition, Paramount Pictures refused to release promotional pictures of Cruise's character to the media. In November 2007, images of Cruise wearing a bald headpiece and a fatsuit appeared on Inside Edition, as well as on the Internet. Cruise's attorneys threatened a lawsuit if photos showing Cruise in costume were published. They approached various sites that were hosting the image and quickly had it removed. A representative for Cruise stated: "Mr. Cruise's appearance was supposed to be a surprise for his fans worldwide. Paparazzi have ruined what should have been a fun discovery for moviegoers." The photography agency INF, who debuted the image, responded with a statement: "While these pictures were taken without breaking any criminal or civil laws, we've decided to pull them from circulation effective immediately." Serving as a last-minute replacement, Tobey Maguire was available to be on set for only two hours to film his scenes in Satan's Alley. Downey said he was amazed Maguire would agree to do the film and felt like they were creating a "karmic pay-off" for their scenes together in the 2000 film Wonder Boys, where Downey's character has a one-night stand with Maguire's character. After Cruise vacated the role of Rick Peck, Owen Wilson was cast to play the part. Following his suicide attempt in August 2007, Wilson dropped out of the film and was replaced by Matthew McConaughey. Filming Although Southern California and Mexico were considered for the main unit filming, the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i (where Stiller has a home) was selected for the majority of the shooting. Kaua'i was chosen over Mexico because a tax credit for in-state spending was negotiated with the Kaua'i Film Commission. John Toll, the cinematographer, stated the island was also selected for its similarity to Vietnam, based on its dense foliage, variety of terrains, and weather. Kaua'i was first scouted as a possible location to film Tropic Thunder in 2004. Stiller spent more than 25 hours over 6 weeks exploring the island, using all-terrain vehicles, boats, and helicopters. After the film was greenlit by DreamWorks in 2006, pre-production lasted for six months, most of this time spent on scouting additional locations for filming. Filming for the Los Angeles and interior scenes occurred on sets at Universal Studios in Hollywood. Tropic Thunder was the first major studio production on Kaua'i in five years. After filming was completed, it was deemed the largest production filmed on the island to date, and contributed more than $60 million to the local economy. Tim Ryan, the executive editor of Hawaii Film & Video Magazine, commented on the filming on the island: "I think Tropic Thunder will give Kaua'i much needed and long idled publicity in the production arena ... It should put Kaua'i back on the production consideration radar." Preliminary production crews were on the island starting in December 2006 and principal photography began in July 2007, with filming lasting thirteen weeks over seven separate locations on the island. Much of the filming took place on private land as well as conservation status designated areas. Casting calls on the island sought 500 residents to portray the villagers in the film. Two units shot simultaneously on the island from the ground, and an aerial unit shot from helicopters. Many of the sets and the bridge used for one of the final scenes were built in three months. The island's erratic weather hampered filming with rain and lighting issues. The crew also faced complications in moving the equipment and cast due to the difficult terrain. The film advising company Warriors Inc. was enlisted to ensure the war scenes, including the attire worn by the actors, looked authentic. Former members of the U.S. military taught the actors how to handle, fire, and reload their weapons, as well as perform various tactical movements. The opening war scene was filmed over three weeks and required fifty stuntmen. Animatics were used to map out the necessary camera angles for filming. Effects Six companies working on different scenes and elements created 500 shots of visual effects in the film. These were at times altered weekly due to the reactions of test audiences in screenings. CIS Visual Effects Group assisted with the Scorcher VI faux trailer and twenty additional shots for the home media release. To expand on the comedy in the film, some of the explosions and crashes were embellished to look more destructive. The visual effects supervisor Michael Fink reflected on the exaggerated explosions: "We worked really hard to make the CG crashing helicopter in the hot landing sequence look real. Ben was adamant about that, but at the same time he wanted the explosion to be huge. When you see it hit the ground, it was like it was filled with gasoline! It was the same thing with Ben's sergeant character, who almost intercepts a hand grenade ... Now, I was in the Army for three years and no hand grenade would make an explosion like that ... But it was a big dramatic moment and it looks really cool ... and feels kind of real." Filming the large napalm explosion in the opening scene of the film required a 450-foot (137-meter) row of explosive pots containing 1,100 gallons (4,165 liters) of gasoline and diesel fuel. All the palm trees used in the explosion were moved to the specific location after the crew determined the impact of the lighting and necessary camera angles. Due to the size and cost of the 1.25-second explosion, it was performed only once and was captured by twelve cameras. For the safety of the crew and cast, the detonators were added one hour before the explosion and nobody was allowed to be within during detonation. The explosion was made up of twelve individual explosions and resulted in a mushroom cloud that reached in the air. For the scene in the film, Danny McBride's character, Cody Underwood, was the only actor shown in the shot of the explosion. All the other characters were added digitally. The explosion of the bridge in one of the final scenes used nine cameras to capture the shot, and the crew was required to be away for their safety. Promotion A trailer for the film was released in April 2008. The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5, commenting: "This could either be good or very, very bad." Gary Susman of Entertainment Weekly questioned whether the film would "... turn into precisely the kind of bloated action monstrosity that it's making fun of." The trailer received the "Best Comedy Trailer" award at the 9th annual Golden Trailer Awards. DreamWorks also released a red band trailer, the first of its kind used by the studio to promote one of its films. Stiller, Downey, and Black appeared on the seventh-season finale of American Idol in a sketch as The Pips performing with Gladys Knight (via archival footage). The three actors also later performed a sketch at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards which featured the actors attempting to create a successful viral video to promote the film with awkward results. In September 2008, Stiller and Downey attended the San Sebastián International Film Festival to promote the film. A screening was shown, but it was not chosen to compete against the other films at the festival. Between April 2008 and the film's commercial release in August 2008, the film had over 250 promotional screenings. On August 3, 2008, Stiller, Downey, and Black visited Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine Corps base in California, to present a screening to over a thousand military members and their families. The screening was on behalf of the United Service Organizations and included the actors heading to the screening by helicopter and Humvees. On August 8, 2008, a special 30-minute fictional E! True Hollywood Story aired about the making of Tropic Thunder. In video games, a themed scavenger hunt was incorporated into Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, and Stiller allowed his likeness to be used in the online Facebook application game based on the film. As a tie-in for the film's release, Paramount announced it would market the energy drink known in the film as "Booty Sweat". Michael Corcoran, Paramount's president of consumer products, commented on the release: "We're very excited, because it has the potential to live for quite a while, well beyond the film." The drink was sold in college bookstores, on Amazon.com, and at other retailers. Faux websites and mockumentary Several faux websites were created for the main characters and some of their prior film roles. A website for Simple Jack, a faux film exhibited within the film, was removed by DreamWorks on August 4, 2008, due to protests from disability advocates. In addition, other promotional websites were created for "Make Pretty Skin Clinic", the fictitious company that performed the surgery of the film's character Kirk Lazarus, along with one for the energy drink "Booty Sweat". In mid-July 2008, a faux trailer for the mockumentary Rain of Madness was released. The mockumentary was a parody of Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse. It follows co-writer Justin Theroux as a fictitious documentarian named Jan Jürgen documenting the behind-the-scenes aspects of the film within the film. Marketing for the faux documentary included a movie poster and an official website prior to Tropic Thunders release. The mockumentary was released on the iTunes Store after the film's release and was also included on the home video release. Amy Powell, an advertising executive with Paramount, reflected on the timing of the release of Madness: "We always thought that people would be talking about Tropic Thunder at the water cooler, and that's why we decided to release Rain of Madness two weeks into Tropics run—to keep this positive buzz going." Release Theatrical release Tropic Thunder held an early screening at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con, two weeks before it officially premiered on August 11, 2008, at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, California and two days before its wide release. Members of several disability groups picketed before the premiere, protesting at the portrayal of intellectual disability shown in the film. The groups revealed that it was the first time that they had ever protested together at an event. As a result of the protest, the normally unobstructed views of the red carpet leading to the premiere were blocked off by 10-foot (3-m)-high fences and there was an increase in the number of security personnel present. No protests were held at the United Kingdom's September premiere. The North American release was scheduled for July 11, 2008, but was delayed until August 15, before being brought forward to August 13. As a result of the move from July, 20th Century Fox moved its family comedy Meet Dave in the open slot. The August 13 release date was also the opening weekends for the animated family film Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the horror film Mirrors. Studios consider the third week of August to be a weaker performing period than earlier in the summer because of students returning to school. Previous R-rated comedies such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Superbad were released in mid-August and performed well at the box office. Reacting to Tropic Thunders release date, Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount Pictures, stated: "For a young person at the end of summer, you want to have some fun and forget about going back to school. What better than a crazy comedy?" Home media Tropic Thunder was released in the United States on DVD and Blu-ray on November 18, 2008, three months after its release and a week after the end of its theatrical run in the U.S. and Canada. The film was released on home video on January 26, 2009, in the United Kingdom. Special features include an unrated director's cut of the film which is 12 minutes longer than the theatrical release, audio commentaries (including one featuring Stiller, Downey, and Black, with Downey providing his commentary as Lincoln Osiris, a nod to a joke in the film that Lazarus never breaks character until he completes the DVD commentary), several featurettes, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, and the Rain of Madness mockumentary. For the film's first week of release, Tropic Thunder placed on several video charts. It reached second place on the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart and Nielsen's Blu-ray Disc chart, earning $19,064,959 (not including Blu-ray sales). In rentals, it placed first on the Home Media Magazine'''s video rental chart. The DVD sales in 2008 totaled $42,271,059, placing it in 28th for DVD sales for the year. By September 2009, 2,963,000 DVD units have been sold, gathering revenue of $49,870,248. Reception Critical response The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 82% based on 252 reviews and an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "With biting satire, plenty of subversive humor, and an unforgettable turn by Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder is a triumphant late summer comedy." Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score from reviews by mainstream critics, gave a film score of 71 out of 100 based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". After attending an industry screening in April 2008 Michael Cieply from The New York Times stated that the film was "... shaping up as one of [DreamWorks]'s best prospects for the summer." Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film a positive review, writing "There are some wildly funny scenes, a few leaden ones and others that are scattershot, with humorous satire undercut by over-the-top grisliness. Still, when it's funny, it's really funny." A review in Variety by Todd McCarthy was critical: "Apart from startling, out-there comic turns by Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise, however, the antics here are pretty thin, redundant and one-note." Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com would later call the film "intermittently amusing but entirely smug and hateful." Rick Groen of The Globe and Mail also gave the film a negative review, calling it "... an assault in the guise of a comedy—watching it is like getting mugged by a clown." J.R. Jones of Chicago Reader stated "The rest of the movie never lives up to the hilarity of the opening, partly because the large-scale production smothers the gags but mostly because those gags are so easy to smother." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave 3.5/4 and wrote, "The movie is, may I say, considerably better than Stiller’s previous film, Zoolander (2001). It’s the kind of summer comedy that rolls in, makes a lot of people laugh and rolls on to video." The faux trailers before the film also received mixed reviews. David Ansen of Newsweek approved of the trailers, writing "Tropic Thunder is the funniest movie of the summer—so funny, in fact, that you start laughing before the film itself has begun." Christy Lemire, writing for the Associated Press, called the trailers "... the best part of the trip." Robert Wilonsky of The Village Voice was critical, saying that the trailers' comedy "... resides in the land of the obvious, easy chuckle." Downey, Stiller, Black and Cruise were repeatedly singled out for praise by numerous critics, claiming that they "stole the show", were "... off-the-charts hilarious ...", and would bring viewers "... the fondest memories of [their] work." Scott Feinberg, of the Los Angeles Times, criticized the concept of Downey's portrayal of an African-American, writing "... I just can't imagine any circumstance under which a blackface performance would be acceptable, any more than I can imagine any circumstance under which the use of the N-word would be acceptable." Sara Vilkomerson said Cruise did "... an astonishingly funny and surprising supporting performance." Logan Hill of New York argued against Cruise's cameo saying that it "... just makes him look a little lost and almost pathetic—shucking and jiving, trying to appeal to the younger moviegoers who are abandoning him." Several critics commented on the controversy over lines in the film talking about the mentally disabled. Duane Dudek of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote that the film "... is just sophomoric enough to offend. And while it is also funny, it is without the empathy or compassion to cause us to wonder why we are laughing." Christian Toto of The Washington Times argued against the opposition, "Tropic Thunder is drawing fire from special interest groups for ... its frequent use of the word 'retard', but discerning audiences will know where the humor is targeted. And they'll be laughing too hard to take offense." Kurt Loder of MTV contrasted the opposition to the lines with Downey character portrayal of an African American, "The scene in which the derisive Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) nails Lazarus' recitation of black-uplift homilies as nothing more than the lyrics to the Jeffersons theme is funny; but the one in which Lazarus quietly explains to Speedman that his Simple Jack character failed because he made the mistake of going 'full retard'—rather than softening his character with cuteness in the manner of Forrest Gump—is so on-the-nose accurate, it takes your breath away." Critics' lists In January 2009, Entertainment Weekly included Tropic Thunder in its list "25 Great Comedies From the Past 25 Years" for its "spot-on skewering of Hollywood." The film also appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008. Stephen King placed it at the fourth position, calling the film "the funniest, most daring comedy of the year." The Oregonians Marc Mohan, placed it sixth, and several critics placed it seventh: Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News, Premiere magazine, Mike Russell of The Oregonian, as well as Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle. David Ansen of Newsweek placed it eighth and Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly included the film in the tenth position. Box office Stacey Snider, the chief executive of DreamWorks, suggested that the film would earn around $30 million in its opening weekend and go on to be as successful as Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which earned $129 million in the U.S. and Canada and $260 million worldwide. The Dark Knight had been the number one film at the box office for the four weeks prior to the release of Tropic Thunder. Bob Thompson, a writer for the National Post, speculated that Tropic Thunders opening weekend would outperform The Dark Knight for the weekend. In a list compiled prior to the summer's film releases, Entertainment Weekly predicted that the film would be the tenth highest-grossing film of the summer at the American box office with $142.6 million.Tropic Thunder opened in 3,319 theaters and, for its first five days of American and Canadian release, earned $36,845,588. The film placed first in the weekend's box office with $25,812,796, surpassing Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Mirrors, which debuted the same weekend. Reacting to the film's opening receipts, DreamWorks spokesman Chip Sullivan stated "We're thrilled, quite frankly. It played out exactly how we hoped." In foreign markets for the film's opening weekend, it was released in 418 Russian and 19 United Arab Emirates locations earning $2.2 million and $319,000, respectively. The film maintained its number one position at the American and Canadian box office for the following two weekends, making it the second film in 2008 (after The Dark Knight) to hold the number-one position for more than two consecutive weekends. The film's widest release was in 3,473 theaters, placing it in the top 25 widest releases in the U.S. for 2008. For 2008, the film was the fifth-highest-grossing domestic R-rated film. The film's U.S. and Canada gross of over $110 million made Tropic Thunder Stiller's most successful film as a director. The film has had gross receipts of $110,515,313 in the U.S. and Canada and $85,187,498 in international markets for a total of $195,702,811 worldwide. Accolades In October 2008, Paramount chose to put end-of-year award push funds behind Tropic Thunder, and began advertising for Downey to receive a nomination by the Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor. In a November 2008 issue by Entertainment Weekly, Downey's film role was considered one of the three contenders for Best Supporting Actor. As a way of extending the film-within-a-film "universe" into real life, there were at least two online "For Your Consideration" ads touting Downey's character, Kirk Lazarus, for Best Supporting Actor; one of these contains "scenes" from Satan's Alley that were not in the trailer as released in theaters. At least one of the ads was produced by Paramount Pictures and intended for early For Your Consideration awareness for Downey's role. On January 22, 2009, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated Downey for Best Supporting Actor. At the 81st Academy Awards, Downey lost to Heath Ledger for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight. With the onset of the annual Hollywood film award season at the end of 2008, Tropic Thunder began receiving nominations and awards starting with a win for "Hollywood Comedy of the Year Award" at the 12th annual Hollywood Film Festival on October 27, 2008. The film was nominated for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical, for the Satellite Awards. In addition, Downey was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The Broadcast Film Critics Association nominated Downey for Best Supporting Actor and awarded Tropic Thunder Best Comedy Movie at the BFCA's Critics' Choice Awards. Both Downey and Cruise received nominations from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actor. The Boston Society of Film Critics recognized the cast with its Best Ensemble award. Downey was also nominated by both the Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for Best Supporting Actor awards. ControversyTropic Thunder was criticized by the disability advocacy community. The website for Simple Jack was withdrawn on August 4 amid several groups' concerns over its portrayal of intellectual disability. A spokesman for DreamWorks said, "We heard their concerns, and we understand that taken out of context, the site appeared to be insensitive to people with disabilities." A coalition of more than 20 disability advocacy groups, including the Special Olympics and the Arc of the United States, objected to the film's repeated use of the word "retard". DreamWorks offered to screen the film for the groups on August 8 to determine if it still offended them. The screening was postponed to the same day of the premiere on August 11. After representatives for the groups attended the private screening and were offended by its content, the groups picketed outside the film's premiere. Timothy Shriver, the chairman of the Special Olympics, stated, "This population struggles too much with the basics to have to struggle against Hollywood. We're sending a message that this hate speech is no longer acceptable." Disability advocates and others who previewed the film reported that the offensive treatment of individuals with mental disabilities was woven throughout the film's plot. Disability advocates urged people not to see the film, claiming it is demeaning to individuals with mental disabilities and would encourage bullying. Stiller defended the film, stating "We screened the movie so many times and this didn't come up until very late ... in the context of the film I think it's really clear, they were making fun of the actors and actors who try to use serious subjects to win awards." Co-writer Etan Cohen echoed Stiller's rationale: "Some people have taken this as making fun of handicapped people, but we're really trying to make fun of the actors who use this material as fodder for acclaim." He went on to state that the film lampoons actors who portray intellectually disabled or autistic characters such as Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, and Sean Penn in I Am Sam. A DreamWorks spokesman did not directly respond to the criticism, claiming that Tropic Thunder "... is an R-rated comedy that satirizes Hollywood and its excesses, makes its point by featuring inappropriate and over-the-top characters in ridiculous situations." The film's advertising was altered, but none of the scenes in the film were edited as a result of the opposition. In response to the controversy, the director's cut of the DVD (but not the Blu-ray) includes a public service announcement in the special features that discourages use of the word "retard". Another aspect that drew warning before the release of the movie and criticism afterwards was Robert Downey Jr. playing a white Australian actor who dons "blackface" as part of his method acting the role of an African-American man. He responded by pointing out that this was a case of donning "blackface" in order to point out how wrong it is. Others have point out that the wrongness of "blackface" is addressed within the movie itself by an actual African-American, and that the climax of movie pins on Downey Jr.'s shedding of his method acting; in this way the movie mocks, rather than embraces, both "blackface" and the extreme and ridiculous things method actors sometimes do for their roles. Some have pointed out that how the film characterized and how non-Jewish Tom Cruise portrayed the Jewish character of Les Grossman (in addition to his name, he also references the Jewish holiday of Purim) is antisemitic. Critics have also referred to this performance as "Jewface" as early as 2008 (years before Sarah Silverman raised awareness of the term), calling it "vulgar" and "exploitation". Reportedly, Tom Cruise was largely responsibly for the final form Les Grossman took, including using him as an additional villain, the hairiness of the character and the "fat hands". MusicTropic Thunders score and soundtrack were released on August 5, 2008, the week before the film's theatrical release. The score was composed by Theodore Shapiro and performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony. William Ruhlmann of AllMusic gave the score a positive review, stating it is "...an affectionate and knowing satire of the history of Hollywood action movie music, penned by an insider." Thomas Simpson of Soundtrack.Net called it "...a mixture of fun, seriousness, rock n' roll and great scoring." Five songs, "Cum On Feel the Noize" by Quiet Riot, "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones, "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield, "Low" by Flo Rida and T-Pain, and "Get Back" by Ludacris, were not present on the soundtrack, yet did appear in the film. The soundtrack features songs from The Temptations, MC Hammer, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Edwin Starr, and other artists. The single "Name of the Game" by The Crystal Method featuring Ryu has an exclusive remix on the soundtrack. The soundtrack debuted 20th on Billboards Top Soundtracks list and peaked at 39th on its Top Independent Albums list. James Christopher Monger of allmusic compared the music to other film's soundtracks such as Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and Forrest Gump'' and called it "...a fun but slight listen that plays out like an old late-'70s K-Tel compilation with a few bonus cuts from the future." Spin-off Cruise reprised his character Les Grossman for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. On June 9, 2010, it was announced that a spin-off film would be developed centering on Grossman. A script has been written by Michael Bacall. In March 2012, Bacall gave an update on the long-rumored Les Grossman spin-off movie, revealing that the film will attempt to uncover where Grossman's well-documented anger issues originated. See also List of films featuring fictional films References External links English-language films 2008 films 2008 action comedy films 2000s satirical films American films American action comedy films American satirical films British films British action comedy films British satirical films German films English-language German films German action comedy films German satirical films Mandarin-language films Films about actors Films about filmmaking Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Hawaii Films shot in Los Angeles Military humor in film Films about the United States Army Films directed by Ben Stiller Films produced by Ben Stiller Films with screenplays by Etan Cohen Films with screenplays by Justin Theroux Films scored by Theodore Shapiro DreamWorks Pictures films Paramount Pictures films Red Hour Productions films 2008 comedy films Torture in films Blackface minstrel shows and films
false
[ "Suneel Darshan is an Indian filmmaker, film director, producer and writer who works in the Bollywood industry.\n\nBiography\nDarshan began his career in 1987 as a film producer. He produced the film Inteqam, which starred Sunny Deol and Anil Kapoor. In 1993, he produced the film Lootere, which was directed by his brother Dharmesh Darshan, who made his directional debut with the film. The movie did well at the box office and the brothers went on to collaborate several times after that.\n\nSuneel himself made his directional debut in 1996 with the action movie Ajay. Darshan also produced the film and wrote the dialogue for the film. The movie starred Sunny Deol and Karisma Kapoor, and did well at the box office, despite a theatre strike in Maharashtra in January 1997.\n\nIn 1999, Darshan directed and produced the action drama Jaanwar. The film marked his first collaboration with Akshay Kumar, and the film became a hit. The movie also starred Karisma Kapoor and Shilpa Shetty.\n\nDarshan's next film was Ek Rishtaa (2001), which was written, directed and produced by him. The film starred Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Karisma Kapoor and Juhi Chawla. It was one of the highest grossers of the year. It was well received and critically appreciated.\n\nAfter that he produced Andaaz (2003), which was a big hit, Barsaat and Dosti: Friends Forever (2005) which was one of the year's biggest hits overseas. His most recent film Shakalaka Boom Boom performed poorly at the box office.\n\nAfter a seven year hiatus Darshan launched his son Shiv Darshan in his film Karle Pyaar Karle (2014). The film was declared a disaster at the Indian box office.\n\nTo celebrate Kumar's 50th birthday on September 9, 2017 Zee Cinema hosted the world premiere of Shanivaar Ki Raat Akshay Ke Saath. It showcased four of Kumar's films: Jaanwar, Andaaz, Ek Rishtaa and Dosti: Friends Forever. All were produced and directed by Darshan.\n\nFilmography\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n\n20th-century Indian film directors\nHindi-language film directors\nYear of birth missing (living people)\nLiving people\n21st-century Indian film directors\nHindi film producers", "Nellie Bly Baker (September 7, 1893 – October 12, 1984) was an American actress active in the silent film era and early talkies, mostly playing minor roles. She is often confused with the journalist Nellie Bly (1864–1922). Baker's career as an actress took place from 1921–1934 and she performed in 13 films. She was never the star or had the main role in any films, playing minor or supporting characters. Many of these films were made by Associated First National Pictures, First National Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures. Most of the films she performed in were silent films.\n\nThe Red Kimono \n\nBaker had a minor role in 1925 in the silent film The Red Kimono starring Priscilla Bonner, produced by Dorothy Davenport for Mrs. Wallace Reid Productions; however the film itself was not minor. Baker played the neighbor of the main character, Clara. The focus of the film was a real story about prostitution. It was popular enough that a copy of the film became available in DVD format in the early 2000s. It was also notable in that it was one of the few independent films written and produced by women. In the 1920s, the film was banned in the city of Chicago and the United Kingdom.\n\nWorking With Charlie Chaplin \n\nBaker was noticed by Charlie Chaplin when she worked in his First National Studio as a phone secretary. Chaplin cast her in A Woman of Paris (1923), in which Baker gave a notable performance as a masseuse. Baker also played the slum nurse in Chaplin's 1921 The Kid, produced by Associated First National Pictures. Baker's roles in these films were small, but working alongside Chaplin was good publicity for her. A Woman of Paris was the film that kick-started her acting career; her performance as a masseuse impressed other film companies who offered her roles.\n\nSmall Film Roles 1924–1926 \n\nBaker played the minor role of Ellen in Associated First National Pictures' The Goldfish (1924), a love story based around each lover presenting a goldish to the other if they decide to part ways.\n\nIn 1924, Baker played Katinka in How to Educate a Wife. The film was a silent movie produced by Warner Brothers Pictures and is presumed to be lost.\n\nIn 1926, Baker performed in the film produced by Academy Photoplays, The Salvation Hunters, playing the role of The Woman. Filming took place in Chinatown and San Fernando Valley. It was a drama directed by Josef von Sternberg, who was later noticed by Chaplin for this film and invited to work with him in his film studio. The film was the first American independent silent film, and was a success, though produced with very limited funds. The film centered around realism; it was very basic but had a deep message that produced a reaction from the audience.\n\nAlso in 1926, Baker played a beautician in That Model from Paris, a silent film produced by Tiffany Productions Inc.\n\nStarring as a Maid \n\nBaker played the role of a maid in four films, The Snob (1924), Breakfast at Sunrise (1927), Love and the Devil (1929) and The Bishop Murder Case (1930). The Snob, produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, is considered a lost film and did not get much press release or popularity. It was about a married couple who part ways when the husband becomes consumed by status and money. Baker's role in this film was again a minor one. In Breakfast at Sunrise, produced by First National Productions, she plays the maid of Madeline, who was one of the main characters. In Love and the Devil, produced by First National Productions, she plays a maid who plots with Barotti, a lead character, against the main characters in the film. In 1930, she played a minor character, the maid Beedle, in The Bishop Murder Case, a black and white drama and detective film about solving a murder by \"the bishop\". The film was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Corp.\n\nThe End of Baker's Film Career \n\nIn 1929 Baker played a character named Sippie in The Painted Angel, a film about a nightclub hostess. It was produced by First National Productions. She performed in a handful of films produced by this company.\n\nBaker performed in her last film role as a laundress in Sadie McKee (1934).\n\nPersonal life \n\nBaker was married to J. H. O'Bryan (sometimes spelled O'Brien). She was the first licensed State of California guide in the mountains and worked in the Lundy, California and Mono Lake area of the Sierra Nevada. She is also known for building the \"upside down\" house on display near Lee Vining, California.\n\nBaker died in Lone Pine, California on October 12, 1984, aged 91.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n\n1893 births\n1984 deaths\nAmerican film actresses\nAmerican silent film actresses\n20th-century American actresses\nPeople from Oklahoma" ]
[ "Tropic Thunder", "Promotion", "What is the rating of the movie?", "The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5,", "Who are the actor in the movie?", "Stiller, Downey, and Black", "When was the release of the movie?", "August 2008,", "Who produced the film?", "I don't know." ]
C_4d02f75601a64091b6ff73fb8c6deeda_0
Who is the director of the film?
5
Who is the director of the film Tropic Thunder?
Tropic Thunder
A trailer for the film was released in April 2008. The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5, commenting: "This could either be good or very, very bad." Gary Susman of Entertainment Weekly questioned whether the film would "... turn into precisely the kind of bloated action monstrosity that it's making fun of." The trailer received the "Best Comedy Trailer" award at the 9th annual Golden Trailer Awards. DreamWorks also released a red band trailer, the first of its kind used by the studio to promote one of its films. Stiller, Downey, and Black appeared on the seventh-season finale of American Idol in a sketch as The Pips performing with Gladys Knight (via archival footage). The three actors also later performed a sketch at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards which featured the actors attempting to create a successful viral video to promote the film with awkward results. In September 2008, Stiller and Downey attended the San Sebastian International Film Festival to promote the film. A screening was shown, but it was not chosen to compete against the other films at the festival. Between April 2008 and the film's commercial release in August 2008, the film had over 250 promotional screenings. On August 3, 2008, Stiller, Downey, and Black visited Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine Corps base in California, to present a screening to over a thousand military members and their families. The screening was on behalf of the United Service Organizations and included the actors heading to the screening by helicopter and Humvees. On August 8, 2008, a special 30-minute fictional E! True Hollywood Story aired about the making of Tropic Thunder. In video games, a themed scavenger hunt was incorporated into Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, and Stiller allowed his likeness to be used in the online Facebook application game based on the film. As a tie-in for the film's release, Paramount announced it would market the energy drink known in the film as "Booty Sweat". Michael Corcoran, Paramount's president of consumer products, commented on the release: "We're very excited, because it has the potential to live for quite a while, well beyond the film." The drink was sold in college bookstores, on Amazon.com, and at other retailers. CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
Tropic Thunder is a 2008 action-comedy film directed by Ben Stiller, who wrote the screenplay with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen. The film stars Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, and Brandon T. Jackson as a group of prima donna actors making a Vietnam War film. When their frustrated director (Steve Coogan) drops them in the middle of a jungle, they are forced to rely on their acting skills to survive the real action and danger. Tropic Thunder parodies many famous war films, specifically those based on the Vietnam War. The ensemble cast includes Tom Cruise, Nick Nolte, Danny McBride, Matthew McConaughey, and Bill Hader. Stiller developed Tropic Thunder premise during the production of Empire of the Sun in the spring of 1987, and later enlisted Theroux and Cohen to complete a script. The film was green-lit in 2006, and was produced by Stuart Cornfeld, Stiller, and Eric McLeod for Red Hour Productions and DreamWorks Pictures as an international co-production between the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. Filming took place in 2007 on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i over thirteen weeks and was the largest film production in the island's history. The extensive marketing campaign included faux websites for the three main characters and their fictional films, a fictional television special, and selling the energy drink advertised in the film, "Booty Sweat". Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks released Tropic Thunder in the US on August 13, 2008. It received generally positive reviews for its characters, story, faux trailers, and cast performances. However, the depiction of the mentally handicapped and use of blackface makeup attracted controversy. The film opened at the top of the American box office and retained the number-one position for three consecutive weeks, ultimately grossing more than $195 million worldwide before its release on home media on November 18, 2008. Downey was nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, while both he and Cruise received nominations for a Golden Globe Award. Plot Hook-handed Vietnam veteran Staff Sergeant John "Four Leaf" Tayback's memoir Tropic Thunder is being made into a film. With the exception of newcomer supporting actor Kevin Sandusky, the cast—fading action hero Tugg Speedman, overbearing five-time Academy Award-winning Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus, loudmouthed rapper Alpa Chino, and drug-addicted comedian Jeff Portnoy—all cause problems for the inexperienced director Damien Cockburn, who cannot control them, resulting in a million-dollar pyrotechnics scene being wasted. With the project months behind schedule, studio executive Les Grossman gives Damien an ultimatum: get the cast under control or the project will be cancelled. On Four Leaf's advice, Damien drops the actors into the middle of the jungle, with hidden cameras and rigged special effects explosions to film "guerrilla-style". The actors have guns that fire blanks, along with a map and scene listing that will lead to a helicopter waiting at the end of the route. Unknown to the actors and production, the group have been dropped in the middle of the Golden Triangle, the home of the heroin-producing Flaming Dragon gang. Just as the group is about to set off, Damien inadvertently steps on an old land mine and is blown up, stunning the actors. Tugg, believing Damien faked his death to encourage the cast to give better performances, assures the others that Damien is alive, and that they are still shooting the film. Kirk is unconvinced but joins them in their trek through the jungle just to get out of the jungle. When Four Leaf and pyrotechnics operator Cody Underwood try to locate the deceased director, they are captured by Flaming Dragon. Four Leaf is revealed to have hands; he confesses to Underwood that he actually served in the Coast Guard, has never left the United States, and that he wrote his "memoir" as a tribute. As the actors continue through the jungle, Kirk, who has become convinced that Tugg's ineptitude is putting them in jeopardy, and Kevin, the only actor who bothered to properly prepare for his role, discover that Tugg is leading them in the wrong direction. The resulting argument results in Kirk leading the rest of the cast back toward the resort they are staying at as an increasingly delirious Tugg is captured by Flaming Dragon. Taken to their base, Tugg believes it is a POW camp from the script. The gang discovers he is the star of their favorite film, the box-office bomb Simple Jack, and force him to reenact it several times a day, leading him to become brainwashed. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Tugg's agent Rick 'Pecker' Peck confronts Les over an unfulfilled term in Tugg's contract that entitles him to a TiVo. Flaming Dragon calls during the discussion and demands a ransom for Tugg, but Les instead delivers a profanity-laden death threat. Les is uninterested in rescuing Tugg and is instead delighted at the prospect of a large insurance payout if Tugg dies. He attempts to convince Pecker to play along by promising a Gulfstream V jet and "lots of money". Kirk, Alpa, Jeff, and Kevin discover Flaming Dragon's heroin factory. After witnessing Tugg being tortured, they plan a rescue attempt based on the film's script. Kirk impersonates a farmer towing a "captured" Jeff on the back of a water buffalo, distracting the armed guards so Alpa and Kevin can infiltrate and find the prisoners, but a combination of broken Mandarin Chinese and inconsistencies in his story sets off the gang's boss. The actors, knowing their cover has been blown, begin firing, fooling the gang members into surrender. Their control of the gang falls apart when Jeff grabs the leader and heads for the drugs, and the gang, realizing the guns fire blanks, recover their guns and fight back. The four actors locate Four Leaf, Cody, and Tugg and cross a bridge rigged to explode to get to Underwood's helicopter. Tugg initially remains behind, believing Flaming Dragon to be his "family," but runs back screaming, chased by an angry horde. Four Leaf destroys the bridge, rescuing Tugg, but as the helicopter takes off, the gang boss fires an RPG at the helicopter. Rick unexpectedly stumbles out of the jungle and saves them by throwing a TiVo box into the path of the grenade. The crew return to Hollywood and footage from the hidden cameras is compiled into the feature film Tropic Blunder, which becomes a major critical and commercial success. The film wins Tugg his first Academy Award, which Kirk presents to him at the ceremony. Cast Ben Stiller as Tugg Speedman: Once the highest-paid, highest-grossing action film star ever due to his Scorcher franchise, his career has stalled, and he now has a reputation for appearing in nothing but box office bombs. After drawing negative coverage for his portrayal in Simple Jack, in which he plays a mentally-challenged farm boy, he takes the role of Four Leaf Tayback in an attempt to save his career. Tugg's faux trailer at the film's start is a preview for Scorcher VI: Global Meltdown, the latest in his series and a spoof of long-running summer action blockbuster franchises. Jack Black as Jeff Portnoy: A drug-addicted comedian-actor well known for portraying multiple parts in films that rely on toilet humor, particularly jokes about flatulence. In the film-within-a-film, he plays a raspy-voiced soldier named Fats. He fears he is only considered an actor because of his farts and nothing else. Portnoy's faux trailer for juvenile family comedy The Fatties: Fart 2, about a family (with each member played by Portnoy) which enjoys passing gas, spoofs Eddie Murphy's portrayal of multiple characters in films such as Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. Robert Downey Jr. as Kirk Lazarus: An Australian method actor and five-time Academy Award winner, Lazarus had a controversial "pigmentation alteration" surgery to temporarily darken his skin for his portrayal of the black character, Staff Sergeant Lincoln Osiris. Lazarus refuses to break character until he has recorded the DVD commentary for a part and only speaks in his character's African American Vernacular English. Lazarus's faux trailer, Satan's Alley, is about two gay monks in a 12th-century Irish monastery, parodying films like Brokeback Mountain and Downey's own scenes with Tobey Maguire (who in a cameo portrays himself playing the other monk) in Wonder Boys. Downey said he modeled Lazarus on three actors: Russell Crowe, Daniel Day-Lewis and Colin Farrell. Lazarus was originally intended to be Irish, but Downey felt more comfortable using an Australian accent, since he had portrayed an Australian character in Natural Born Killers. Nick Nolte as Four Leaf Tayback: The author of Tropic Thunder, a fake memoir of his war experiences on which the film-within-a-film is based. He suggests the idea of dropping the actors in the middle of the jungle to get them looking and feeling like soldiers lost in a foreign land. Matthew McConaughey as Rick "The Pecker" Peck: Speedman's extremely devoted agent and best friend. Steve Coogan as Damien Cockburn: The inexperienced British film director who is unable to control the actors in the film. The character was partly inspired by Richard Stanley, and his experience of directing the 1996 film The Island of Dr. Moreau, with Val Kilmer and Marlon Brando. Jay Baruchel as Kevin Sandusky: A novice actor, he is the only cast member to have read the script and book and attended the assigned boot camp prior to the film. Sandusky plays a young soldier named Brooklyn in the film-within-a-film. Brooklyn and Sandusky each occupy the position of straight man in character in the film-within-a-film and its cast, being the only actor without an internal conflict or deep-seated insecurity. He often serves as a mediator when tensions between the cast get high. Danny McBride as Cody: The film's explosives expert and helicopter pilot. He has developed a reputation for being a dangerous pyromaniac after an incident while working on Freaky Friday nearly blinded Jamie Lee Curtis. Brandon T. Jackson as Alpa Chino: A closeted homosexual rapper who is attempting to cross over into acting, portraying a soldier named Motown, while promoting his "Bust-A-Nut" candy bar and "Booty Sweat" energy drink. He feels his image as a rapper would not allow him to be openly gay. His name is a play on Al Pacino. Kevin Hart turned down the role because he did not want to play a gay character. Bill Hader as Studio Executive Rob Slolom: Grossman's assistant and right-hand man. Brandon Soo Hoo as Tran: The 12-year-old young leader of the Flaming Dragon gang. The character was compared to God's Army guerrilla leaders Johnny and Luther Htoo. Reggie Lee as Byong: The second-in-command of the Flaming Dragon gang. Trieu Tran as Tru: A dedicated soldier, and actor, in the Flaming Dragon gang. Tom Cruise as Les Grossman: The profane, ill-tempered studio executive producing Tropic Thunder. Various commentators believe he is loosely based on Scott Rudin, famous for his volcanic temper and poor treatment of others. Various actors and celebrities portray themselves, including Tobey Maguire, Tyra Banks, Maria Menounos, Martin Lawrence, The Mooney Suzuki, Jason Bateman, Lance Bass, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Alicia Silverstone, Christine Taylor, Mini Anden, Anthony Ruivivar, Yvette Nicole Brown, Rachel Avery, Sean Penn, and Jon Voight. Co-writer Justin Theroux appears in two brief roles as a UH-1 Huey gunner and the disc jockey from Zoolander (shown in a deleted scene). Production Script Stiller developed the premise for Tropic Thunder while shooting Empire of the Sun, in which he played a small part. Stiller wanted to make a film based on the actors he knew who, after taking part in boot camps to prepare for war film roles, became "self-important" and "self-involved" and appeared to believe they had been part of a real military unit. Co-writer Theroux revealed that the initial script concept was to have actors go to a mock boot camp and return with posttraumatic stress disorder. The final script was developed to satirize Vietnam War films such as Apocalypse Now, Rambo, Missing in Action, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Hamburger Hill, and The Deer Hunter. Theroux pointed out that since viewers had an increased awareness of the inner workings of Hollywood due to celebrity websites and Hollywood news sources, the script was easier to write. Dialogue for unscripted portions of the storyboard was developed on set by the actors or was improvised. Casting Stiller's original plan was cast Keanu Reeves as Tugg Speedman and himself as Rick Peck. Etan Cohen created the role of Kirk Lazarus as a way of lampooning the great lengths that some method actors go to depict a role. Downey was approached by Stiller about the part while on vacation in Hawaii. Downey said on CBS' The Early Show that his first reaction was, "This is the stupidest idea I've ever heard!" and that Stiller responded, "Yeah, I know – isn't it great?" In another interview, Downey said that he accepted the part but, having no idea where or even how to start building the character of Lazarus, eventually settled on a jive-esque speech pattern and a ragged bass voice; he then auditioned Lazarus' voice over the phone to Stiller, who approved the characterization immediately. Downey revealed that he modeled the character on actors Russell Crowe, Colin Farrell, and Daniel Day-Lewis. The initial script was written for Downey's character to be Irish, but was altered after Downey stated he could improvise better as an Australian (he had previously played a similar outlandish Australian character in the film Natural Born Killers). Downey's practice of remaining in character between takes and even off the film set was also written into the script for his character to perform. Downey required between one and a half to two hours of make-up application. According to Downey, "One makeup artist would start on one side of my face and a second makeup artist would start on the other side, and then they'd meet in the middle." Downey acknowledged the potential controversy over his role: "At the end of the day, it's always about how well you commit to the character. If I didn't feel it was morally sound, or that it would be easily misinterpreted that I'm just C. Thomas Howell [in Soul Man], I would've stayed home." Co-star Brandon T. Jackson stated: "When I first read the script, I was like: What? Blackface? But when I saw him [act] he, like, became a black man ... It was just good acting. It was weird on the set because he would keep going with the character. He's a method actor." Stiller commented on Downey's portrayal of a white actor playing a black man: "When people see the movie – in the context of the film, he's playing a method actor who's gone to great lengths to play a black guy. The movie is skewering actors and how they take themselves so seriously." Stiller previewed the film before the NAACP, and several black journalists reacted positively to the character. Cruise was initially set to cameo as Stiller's character's agent, Rick Peck. Instead, Cruise suggested adding a studio head character, and the idea was incorporated into the script. Stiller and Cruise worked together to create the new character, Les Grossman, as a middle-aged businessman. The role required that Cruise don a fatsuit, large prosthetic hands, and a bald cap. It was Cruise's idea to give the character large hands and dance to "Low". Stiller intended to keep Cruise's role a secret until the film's release. In addition, Paramount Pictures refused to release promotional pictures of Cruise's character to the media. In November 2007, images of Cruise wearing a bald headpiece and a fatsuit appeared on Inside Edition, as well as on the Internet. Cruise's attorneys threatened a lawsuit if photos showing Cruise in costume were published. They approached various sites that were hosting the image and quickly had it removed. A representative for Cruise stated: "Mr. Cruise's appearance was supposed to be a surprise for his fans worldwide. Paparazzi have ruined what should have been a fun discovery for moviegoers." The photography agency INF, who debuted the image, responded with a statement: "While these pictures were taken without breaking any criminal or civil laws, we've decided to pull them from circulation effective immediately." Serving as a last-minute replacement, Tobey Maguire was available to be on set for only two hours to film his scenes in Satan's Alley. Downey said he was amazed Maguire would agree to do the film and felt like they were creating a "karmic pay-off" for their scenes together in the 2000 film Wonder Boys, where Downey's character has a one-night stand with Maguire's character. After Cruise vacated the role of Rick Peck, Owen Wilson was cast to play the part. Following his suicide attempt in August 2007, Wilson dropped out of the film and was replaced by Matthew McConaughey. Filming Although Southern California and Mexico were considered for the main unit filming, the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i (where Stiller has a home) was selected for the majority of the shooting. Kaua'i was chosen over Mexico because a tax credit for in-state spending was negotiated with the Kaua'i Film Commission. John Toll, the cinematographer, stated the island was also selected for its similarity to Vietnam, based on its dense foliage, variety of terrains, and weather. Kaua'i was first scouted as a possible location to film Tropic Thunder in 2004. Stiller spent more than 25 hours over 6 weeks exploring the island, using all-terrain vehicles, boats, and helicopters. After the film was greenlit by DreamWorks in 2006, pre-production lasted for six months, most of this time spent on scouting additional locations for filming. Filming for the Los Angeles and interior scenes occurred on sets at Universal Studios in Hollywood. Tropic Thunder was the first major studio production on Kaua'i in five years. After filming was completed, it was deemed the largest production filmed on the island to date, and contributed more than $60 million to the local economy. Tim Ryan, the executive editor of Hawaii Film & Video Magazine, commented on the filming on the island: "I think Tropic Thunder will give Kaua'i much needed and long idled publicity in the production arena ... It should put Kaua'i back on the production consideration radar." Preliminary production crews were on the island starting in December 2006 and principal photography began in July 2007, with filming lasting thirteen weeks over seven separate locations on the island. Much of the filming took place on private land as well as conservation status designated areas. Casting calls on the island sought 500 residents to portray the villagers in the film. Two units shot simultaneously on the island from the ground, and an aerial unit shot from helicopters. Many of the sets and the bridge used for one of the final scenes were built in three months. The island's erratic weather hampered filming with rain and lighting issues. The crew also faced complications in moving the equipment and cast due to the difficult terrain. The film advising company Warriors Inc. was enlisted to ensure the war scenes, including the attire worn by the actors, looked authentic. Former members of the U.S. military taught the actors how to handle, fire, and reload their weapons, as well as perform various tactical movements. The opening war scene was filmed over three weeks and required fifty stuntmen. Animatics were used to map out the necessary camera angles for filming. Effects Six companies working on different scenes and elements created 500 shots of visual effects in the film. These were at times altered weekly due to the reactions of test audiences in screenings. CIS Visual Effects Group assisted with the Scorcher VI faux trailer and twenty additional shots for the home media release. To expand on the comedy in the film, some of the explosions and crashes were embellished to look more destructive. The visual effects supervisor Michael Fink reflected on the exaggerated explosions: "We worked really hard to make the CG crashing helicopter in the hot landing sequence look real. Ben was adamant about that, but at the same time he wanted the explosion to be huge. When you see it hit the ground, it was like it was filled with gasoline! It was the same thing with Ben's sergeant character, who almost intercepts a hand grenade ... Now, I was in the Army for three years and no hand grenade would make an explosion like that ... But it was a big dramatic moment and it looks really cool ... and feels kind of real." Filming the large napalm explosion in the opening scene of the film required a 450-foot (137-meter) row of explosive pots containing 1,100 gallons (4,165 liters) of gasoline and diesel fuel. All the palm trees used in the explosion were moved to the specific location after the crew determined the impact of the lighting and necessary camera angles. Due to the size and cost of the 1.25-second explosion, it was performed only once and was captured by twelve cameras. For the safety of the crew and cast, the detonators were added one hour before the explosion and nobody was allowed to be within during detonation. The explosion was made up of twelve individual explosions and resulted in a mushroom cloud that reached in the air. For the scene in the film, Danny McBride's character, Cody Underwood, was the only actor shown in the shot of the explosion. All the other characters were added digitally. The explosion of the bridge in one of the final scenes used nine cameras to capture the shot, and the crew was required to be away for their safety. Promotion A trailer for the film was released in April 2008. The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5, commenting: "This could either be good or very, very bad." Gary Susman of Entertainment Weekly questioned whether the film would "... turn into precisely the kind of bloated action monstrosity that it's making fun of." The trailer received the "Best Comedy Trailer" award at the 9th annual Golden Trailer Awards. DreamWorks also released a red band trailer, the first of its kind used by the studio to promote one of its films. Stiller, Downey, and Black appeared on the seventh-season finale of American Idol in a sketch as The Pips performing with Gladys Knight (via archival footage). The three actors also later performed a sketch at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards which featured the actors attempting to create a successful viral video to promote the film with awkward results. In September 2008, Stiller and Downey attended the San Sebastián International Film Festival to promote the film. A screening was shown, but it was not chosen to compete against the other films at the festival. Between April 2008 and the film's commercial release in August 2008, the film had over 250 promotional screenings. On August 3, 2008, Stiller, Downey, and Black visited Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine Corps base in California, to present a screening to over a thousand military members and their families. The screening was on behalf of the United Service Organizations and included the actors heading to the screening by helicopter and Humvees. On August 8, 2008, a special 30-minute fictional E! True Hollywood Story aired about the making of Tropic Thunder. In video games, a themed scavenger hunt was incorporated into Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, and Stiller allowed his likeness to be used in the online Facebook application game based on the film. As a tie-in for the film's release, Paramount announced it would market the energy drink known in the film as "Booty Sweat". Michael Corcoran, Paramount's president of consumer products, commented on the release: "We're very excited, because it has the potential to live for quite a while, well beyond the film." The drink was sold in college bookstores, on Amazon.com, and at other retailers. Faux websites and mockumentary Several faux websites were created for the main characters and some of their prior film roles. A website for Simple Jack, a faux film exhibited within the film, was removed by DreamWorks on August 4, 2008, due to protests from disability advocates. In addition, other promotional websites were created for "Make Pretty Skin Clinic", the fictitious company that performed the surgery of the film's character Kirk Lazarus, along with one for the energy drink "Booty Sweat". In mid-July 2008, a faux trailer for the mockumentary Rain of Madness was released. The mockumentary was a parody of Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse. It follows co-writer Justin Theroux as a fictitious documentarian named Jan Jürgen documenting the behind-the-scenes aspects of the film within the film. Marketing for the faux documentary included a movie poster and an official website prior to Tropic Thunders release. The mockumentary was released on the iTunes Store after the film's release and was also included on the home video release. Amy Powell, an advertising executive with Paramount, reflected on the timing of the release of Madness: "We always thought that people would be talking about Tropic Thunder at the water cooler, and that's why we decided to release Rain of Madness two weeks into Tropics run—to keep this positive buzz going." Release Theatrical release Tropic Thunder held an early screening at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con, two weeks before it officially premiered on August 11, 2008, at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, California and two days before its wide release. Members of several disability groups picketed before the premiere, protesting at the portrayal of intellectual disability shown in the film. The groups revealed that it was the first time that they had ever protested together at an event. As a result of the protest, the normally unobstructed views of the red carpet leading to the premiere were blocked off by 10-foot (3-m)-high fences and there was an increase in the number of security personnel present. No protests were held at the United Kingdom's September premiere. The North American release was scheduled for July 11, 2008, but was delayed until August 15, before being brought forward to August 13. As a result of the move from July, 20th Century Fox moved its family comedy Meet Dave in the open slot. The August 13 release date was also the opening weekends for the animated family film Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the horror film Mirrors. Studios consider the third week of August to be a weaker performing period than earlier in the summer because of students returning to school. Previous R-rated comedies such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Superbad were released in mid-August and performed well at the box office. Reacting to Tropic Thunders release date, Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount Pictures, stated: "For a young person at the end of summer, you want to have some fun and forget about going back to school. What better than a crazy comedy?" Home media Tropic Thunder was released in the United States on DVD and Blu-ray on November 18, 2008, three months after its release and a week after the end of its theatrical run in the U.S. and Canada. The film was released on home video on January 26, 2009, in the United Kingdom. Special features include an unrated director's cut of the film which is 12 minutes longer than the theatrical release, audio commentaries (including one featuring Stiller, Downey, and Black, with Downey providing his commentary as Lincoln Osiris, a nod to a joke in the film that Lazarus never breaks character until he completes the DVD commentary), several featurettes, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, and the Rain of Madness mockumentary. For the film's first week of release, Tropic Thunder placed on several video charts. It reached second place on the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart and Nielsen's Blu-ray Disc chart, earning $19,064,959 (not including Blu-ray sales). In rentals, it placed first on the Home Media Magazine'''s video rental chart. The DVD sales in 2008 totaled $42,271,059, placing it in 28th for DVD sales for the year. By September 2009, 2,963,000 DVD units have been sold, gathering revenue of $49,870,248. Reception Critical response The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 82% based on 252 reviews and an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "With biting satire, plenty of subversive humor, and an unforgettable turn by Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder is a triumphant late summer comedy." Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score from reviews by mainstream critics, gave a film score of 71 out of 100 based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". After attending an industry screening in April 2008 Michael Cieply from The New York Times stated that the film was "... shaping up as one of [DreamWorks]'s best prospects for the summer." Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film a positive review, writing "There are some wildly funny scenes, a few leaden ones and others that are scattershot, with humorous satire undercut by over-the-top grisliness. Still, when it's funny, it's really funny." A review in Variety by Todd McCarthy was critical: "Apart from startling, out-there comic turns by Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise, however, the antics here are pretty thin, redundant and one-note." Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com would later call the film "intermittently amusing but entirely smug and hateful." Rick Groen of The Globe and Mail also gave the film a negative review, calling it "... an assault in the guise of a comedy—watching it is like getting mugged by a clown." J.R. Jones of Chicago Reader stated "The rest of the movie never lives up to the hilarity of the opening, partly because the large-scale production smothers the gags but mostly because those gags are so easy to smother." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave 3.5/4 and wrote, "The movie is, may I say, considerably better than Stiller’s previous film, Zoolander (2001). It’s the kind of summer comedy that rolls in, makes a lot of people laugh and rolls on to video." The faux trailers before the film also received mixed reviews. David Ansen of Newsweek approved of the trailers, writing "Tropic Thunder is the funniest movie of the summer—so funny, in fact, that you start laughing before the film itself has begun." Christy Lemire, writing for the Associated Press, called the trailers "... the best part of the trip." Robert Wilonsky of The Village Voice was critical, saying that the trailers' comedy "... resides in the land of the obvious, easy chuckle." Downey, Stiller, Black and Cruise were repeatedly singled out for praise by numerous critics, claiming that they "stole the show", were "... off-the-charts hilarious ...", and would bring viewers "... the fondest memories of [their] work." Scott Feinberg, of the Los Angeles Times, criticized the concept of Downey's portrayal of an African-American, writing "... I just can't imagine any circumstance under which a blackface performance would be acceptable, any more than I can imagine any circumstance under which the use of the N-word would be acceptable." Sara Vilkomerson said Cruise did "... an astonishingly funny and surprising supporting performance." Logan Hill of New York argued against Cruise's cameo saying that it "... just makes him look a little lost and almost pathetic—shucking and jiving, trying to appeal to the younger moviegoers who are abandoning him." Several critics commented on the controversy over lines in the film talking about the mentally disabled. Duane Dudek of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote that the film "... is just sophomoric enough to offend. And while it is also funny, it is without the empathy or compassion to cause us to wonder why we are laughing." Christian Toto of The Washington Times argued against the opposition, "Tropic Thunder is drawing fire from special interest groups for ... its frequent use of the word 'retard', but discerning audiences will know where the humor is targeted. And they'll be laughing too hard to take offense." Kurt Loder of MTV contrasted the opposition to the lines with Downey character portrayal of an African American, "The scene in which the derisive Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) nails Lazarus' recitation of black-uplift homilies as nothing more than the lyrics to the Jeffersons theme is funny; but the one in which Lazarus quietly explains to Speedman that his Simple Jack character failed because he made the mistake of going 'full retard'—rather than softening his character with cuteness in the manner of Forrest Gump—is so on-the-nose accurate, it takes your breath away." Critics' lists In January 2009, Entertainment Weekly included Tropic Thunder in its list "25 Great Comedies From the Past 25 Years" for its "spot-on skewering of Hollywood." The film also appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008. Stephen King placed it at the fourth position, calling the film "the funniest, most daring comedy of the year." The Oregonians Marc Mohan, placed it sixth, and several critics placed it seventh: Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News, Premiere magazine, Mike Russell of The Oregonian, as well as Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle. David Ansen of Newsweek placed it eighth and Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly included the film in the tenth position. Box office Stacey Snider, the chief executive of DreamWorks, suggested that the film would earn around $30 million in its opening weekend and go on to be as successful as Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which earned $129 million in the U.S. and Canada and $260 million worldwide. The Dark Knight had been the number one film at the box office for the four weeks prior to the release of Tropic Thunder. Bob Thompson, a writer for the National Post, speculated that Tropic Thunders opening weekend would outperform The Dark Knight for the weekend. In a list compiled prior to the summer's film releases, Entertainment Weekly predicted that the film would be the tenth highest-grossing film of the summer at the American box office with $142.6 million.Tropic Thunder opened in 3,319 theaters and, for its first five days of American and Canadian release, earned $36,845,588. The film placed first in the weekend's box office with $25,812,796, surpassing Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Mirrors, which debuted the same weekend. Reacting to the film's opening receipts, DreamWorks spokesman Chip Sullivan stated "We're thrilled, quite frankly. It played out exactly how we hoped." In foreign markets for the film's opening weekend, it was released in 418 Russian and 19 United Arab Emirates locations earning $2.2 million and $319,000, respectively. The film maintained its number one position at the American and Canadian box office for the following two weekends, making it the second film in 2008 (after The Dark Knight) to hold the number-one position for more than two consecutive weekends. The film's widest release was in 3,473 theaters, placing it in the top 25 widest releases in the U.S. for 2008. For 2008, the film was the fifth-highest-grossing domestic R-rated film. The film's U.S. and Canada gross of over $110 million made Tropic Thunder Stiller's most successful film as a director. The film has had gross receipts of $110,515,313 in the U.S. and Canada and $85,187,498 in international markets for a total of $195,702,811 worldwide. Accolades In October 2008, Paramount chose to put end-of-year award push funds behind Tropic Thunder, and began advertising for Downey to receive a nomination by the Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor. In a November 2008 issue by Entertainment Weekly, Downey's film role was considered one of the three contenders for Best Supporting Actor. As a way of extending the film-within-a-film "universe" into real life, there were at least two online "For Your Consideration" ads touting Downey's character, Kirk Lazarus, for Best Supporting Actor; one of these contains "scenes" from Satan's Alley that were not in the trailer as released in theaters. At least one of the ads was produced by Paramount Pictures and intended for early For Your Consideration awareness for Downey's role. On January 22, 2009, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated Downey for Best Supporting Actor. At the 81st Academy Awards, Downey lost to Heath Ledger for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight. With the onset of the annual Hollywood film award season at the end of 2008, Tropic Thunder began receiving nominations and awards starting with a win for "Hollywood Comedy of the Year Award" at the 12th annual Hollywood Film Festival on October 27, 2008. The film was nominated for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical, for the Satellite Awards. In addition, Downey was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The Broadcast Film Critics Association nominated Downey for Best Supporting Actor and awarded Tropic Thunder Best Comedy Movie at the BFCA's Critics' Choice Awards. Both Downey and Cruise received nominations from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actor. The Boston Society of Film Critics recognized the cast with its Best Ensemble award. Downey was also nominated by both the Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for Best Supporting Actor awards. ControversyTropic Thunder was criticized by the disability advocacy community. The website for Simple Jack was withdrawn on August 4 amid several groups' concerns over its portrayal of intellectual disability. A spokesman for DreamWorks said, "We heard their concerns, and we understand that taken out of context, the site appeared to be insensitive to people with disabilities." A coalition of more than 20 disability advocacy groups, including the Special Olympics and the Arc of the United States, objected to the film's repeated use of the word "retard". DreamWorks offered to screen the film for the groups on August 8 to determine if it still offended them. The screening was postponed to the same day of the premiere on August 11. After representatives for the groups attended the private screening and were offended by its content, the groups picketed outside the film's premiere. Timothy Shriver, the chairman of the Special Olympics, stated, "This population struggles too much with the basics to have to struggle against Hollywood. We're sending a message that this hate speech is no longer acceptable." Disability advocates and others who previewed the film reported that the offensive treatment of individuals with mental disabilities was woven throughout the film's plot. Disability advocates urged people not to see the film, claiming it is demeaning to individuals with mental disabilities and would encourage bullying. Stiller defended the film, stating "We screened the movie so many times and this didn't come up until very late ... in the context of the film I think it's really clear, they were making fun of the actors and actors who try to use serious subjects to win awards." Co-writer Etan Cohen echoed Stiller's rationale: "Some people have taken this as making fun of handicapped people, but we're really trying to make fun of the actors who use this material as fodder for acclaim." He went on to state that the film lampoons actors who portray intellectually disabled or autistic characters such as Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, and Sean Penn in I Am Sam. A DreamWorks spokesman did not directly respond to the criticism, claiming that Tropic Thunder "... is an R-rated comedy that satirizes Hollywood and its excesses, makes its point by featuring inappropriate and over-the-top characters in ridiculous situations." The film's advertising was altered, but none of the scenes in the film were edited as a result of the opposition. In response to the controversy, the director's cut of the DVD (but not the Blu-ray) includes a public service announcement in the special features that discourages use of the word "retard". Another aspect that drew warning before the release of the movie and criticism afterwards was Robert Downey Jr. playing a white Australian actor who dons "blackface" as part of his method acting the role of an African-American man. He responded by pointing out that this was a case of donning "blackface" in order to point out how wrong it is. Others have point out that the wrongness of "blackface" is addressed within the movie itself by an actual African-American, and that the climax of movie pins on Downey Jr.'s shedding of his method acting; in this way the movie mocks, rather than embraces, both "blackface" and the extreme and ridiculous things method actors sometimes do for their roles. Some have pointed out that how the film characterized and how non-Jewish Tom Cruise portrayed the Jewish character of Les Grossman (in addition to his name, he also references the Jewish holiday of Purim) is antisemitic. Critics have also referred to this performance as "Jewface" as early as 2008 (years before Sarah Silverman raised awareness of the term), calling it "vulgar" and "exploitation". Reportedly, Tom Cruise was largely responsibly for the final form Les Grossman took, including using him as an additional villain, the hairiness of the character and the "fat hands". MusicTropic Thunders score and soundtrack were released on August 5, 2008, the week before the film's theatrical release. The score was composed by Theodore Shapiro and performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony. William Ruhlmann of AllMusic gave the score a positive review, stating it is "...an affectionate and knowing satire of the history of Hollywood action movie music, penned by an insider." Thomas Simpson of Soundtrack.Net called it "...a mixture of fun, seriousness, rock n' roll and great scoring." Five songs, "Cum On Feel the Noize" by Quiet Riot, "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones, "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield, "Low" by Flo Rida and T-Pain, and "Get Back" by Ludacris, were not present on the soundtrack, yet did appear in the film. The soundtrack features songs from The Temptations, MC Hammer, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Edwin Starr, and other artists. The single "Name of the Game" by The Crystal Method featuring Ryu has an exclusive remix on the soundtrack. The soundtrack debuted 20th on Billboards Top Soundtracks list and peaked at 39th on its Top Independent Albums list. James Christopher Monger of allmusic compared the music to other film's soundtracks such as Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and Forrest Gump'' and called it "...a fun but slight listen that plays out like an old late-'70s K-Tel compilation with a few bonus cuts from the future." Spin-off Cruise reprised his character Les Grossman for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. On June 9, 2010, it was announced that a spin-off film would be developed centering on Grossman. A script has been written by Michael Bacall. In March 2012, Bacall gave an update on the long-rumored Les Grossman spin-off movie, revealing that the film will attempt to uncover where Grossman's well-documented anger issues originated. See also List of films featuring fictional films References External links English-language films 2008 films 2008 action comedy films 2000s satirical films American films American action comedy films American satirical films British films British action comedy films British satirical films German films English-language German films German action comedy films German satirical films Mandarin-language films Films about actors Films about filmmaking Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Hawaii Films shot in Los Angeles Military humor in film Films about the United States Army Films directed by Ben Stiller Films produced by Ben Stiller Films with screenplays by Etan Cohen Films with screenplays by Justin Theroux Films scored by Theodore Shapiro DreamWorks Pictures films Paramount Pictures films Red Hour Productions films 2008 comedy films Torture in films Blackface minstrel shows and films
false
[ "The Ukrainian Film Academy () is a Ukrainian association of experts and professionals in the field of cinema and film production. It was founded in 2017 to support and develop modern Ukrainian cinema. Since 2017, the Ukrainian Film Academy has been holding the prestigious \"Golden Dzyga Film Awards\" annual event.\n\nFounders \n\nThe initiator, creator, and manager of the academy and its award was the Odesa International Film Festival. In 2017, during the creation of the Film Academy, all leading positions of the Film Academy were taken by OIFF managers: Anna Machukh, Director of the OIFF Film Market, became the Executive Director of the Ukrainian Film Academy, OIFF PR Director Kateryna Zvezdina became the PR Director, OIFF Viktoriya Tigipko - Chairman of the main governing body of the Film Academy - the supervisory board. Since 2018, the PR director of the film academy is the PR director of the OIFF - Tetyana Vlasova, and since 2019 the coordinator of the film academy - Yaroslava Kiyashko.\n\nHistory \n\n\"It's time for our country to have its own Oscar. The industry is reviving, we want to promote our actors, directors, producers - everyone who works in this complex field. It is important to draw public attention to this event.\" Viktoriya Tigipko, President of the Ukrainian Film Academy and the Odesa International Film Festival\n\nThe Ukrainian Film Academy was established as a non-profit public organization on February 8, 2017, which was announced on February 20 of the same year at a press conference held by the founders, sponsors, and partners of the Film Academy on the occasion of the First National Film Award. The establishment of the Film Academy was initiated by the Odesa International Film Festival with the support of the State Agency of Ukraine for Cinematography and the Joint Stock Company \"TASKOMBANK.\" Anna Machukh has been appointed Executive Director of the Ukrainian Film Academy and the National Film Award. On April 20, the awards ceremony of the First National Film Award \"Golden Dzyga\" was held.\n\nPurpose and activities \n\nThe Ukrainian film academy was created with the aim of popularizing Ukrainian cinema in Ukraine and abroad, and providing comprehensive support for the development of national cinema by:\n\n Organization and holding of events during which experts of the film industry will objectively determine the best achievements and personalities in the National Cinema. One of these events is the annual ceremony of awarding the National Film Award \"Golden Dzyga\" for outstanding achievements in Ukrainian cinema.\n\n Organization of events to familiarize moviegoers with the latest Ukrainian cinematography.\n\n Financial support for educational film programs.\n\nMembership in the film academy \n\nMembership in the film academy, according to its charter, is based on the principle of voluntariness and is individual. The academy can include anyone who meets the requirements of one of three categories:\n\n Representatives of the film industry who, since 1991, have participated as authors (actors, screenwriters, directors, cameramen, production designers, or composers) or producers in the creation of one or more full-length feature films or three or more short documentaries and/or animated films.\n\n Cultural, art, and film industry figures who have made a significant contribution to the development and promotion of Ukrainian cinema (among them distributors, film critics, and heads of International Film Festivals).\n\n Patrons and sponsors of domestic cinema.\n\nApplications for membership in the film academy were accepted from February 20 to March 19, 2017. According to the results, out of 343 applications, 242 Ukrainian filmmakers received the status of a member of the Ukrainian film academy. The second acceptance of applications for membership in the film academy lasted from April 27, 2017, to January 15, 2018.\n\nAs of 2019, the Academy consists of 355 Ukrainian film professionals.\n\nFilm Academy management bodies \n\n The General assembly of members is the highest governing body of the film academy, in which all current members of the film academy have the right to participate.\n\n The Executive director manages the daily work of the organization. He is elected by the supervisory board of the film academy for a three-year term.\n\n The Supervisory Board is the governing body of the film academy, which monitors the work of the executive director of the management company. It consists of five people who cannot be members of the film academy, three of whom are permanent and are elected for a term of 20 years. It is headed by the chairman of the supervisory board, who is elected from among the members of the supervisory board for a term of 20 years. Viktoriya Tigipko was elected the first chairman of the supervisory board of the Ukrainian film academy in early April 2017.\n\nThe advisory body of the film academy is the management board, which consists of 15 members, 12 of whom are elected by the general meeting of the film academy and three are appointed by the supervisory board of the film academy. The board of the Ukrainian National Film Academy is headed by the chairman of the management board, who is elected by the decision of the management board from among the approved members of the management board. The first chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian film academy in early April 2017 was the famous Ukrainian film director and actor Mikhailo Illienko, who held this position until November 2018. Currently, the chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian film academy is Ukrainian film critic Volodymyr Voitenko.\n\nBoard of the Ukrainian film academy \nComposition of the Board of the Ukrainian film academy (from October 2018):\n\n Volodymyr Voitenko, film critic — Chairman of the Board\n Sergey Bordenyuk, cinematographer\n Lyudmila Gordeladze, actress\n Ivanna Dyadyura, film producer\n Denis Ivanov, producer, film demonstrator\n Mikhailo Illienko, film director\n Sergey Lavrenyuk, producer\n Yuri Minzyanov, producer\n Yegor Olesov, producer\n Andriy Rizol, producer\n Vlad Ryashin, producer\n Igor Savichenko, producer\n Akhtem Seitablayev, film director, actor\n Valeria Sochivets, producer\n Marina Stepanska, film director\n\nFilm Academy logo \n\nThe concept of the logo of the Ukrainian Film Academy was developed by the marketing team \"Quadrate 28.\" When developing the logo, it was based on the image of the symbol of the film academy - the \"Golden Dzyga,\" embodied by the famous Ukrainian artist Nazar Bilyk.\n\nSee also \n Cinema of Ukraine\n Golden Dzyga\n\nReferences\n\nSource \n Володимир Войтенко став головою правління Української кіноакадемії. Кінокритика. 14 листопада 2018. Процитовано 14.11.2018.\n\nMaterials \n Положення про Правління Української кіноакадемії на сайті Бюро української кіножурналістики\n Положення про Наглядову раду Української кіноакадемії на сайті Бюро української кіножурналістики\n Українська кіноакадемія оголосила новий склад Правління та Наглядової ради. Детектор медіа. 25 жовтня 2018.\n\nExternal links \n \n \n \n\nCinema of Ukraine\nUkrainian culture\nArts in Ukraine\nEntertainment in Ukraine\nArts organizations established in 2017\nFilm organizations in Ukraine", "Karnataka State Film Award for Best Director is a state film award of the Indian state of Karnataka given during the annual Karnataka State Film Awards. The award honors Kannada language films. This award is presented to the Director of First Best Film award-winning film. This award is named after H. L. N. Simha. The first director of Kannada Cinema who was brought First National Award to Kannada Cinema.\n\nSuperlatives\n\nAward winners\nThe following is a complete list of award winners and the name of the films for which they won.\n\nSee also\n Cinema of Karnataka\n List of Kannada-language films\n\nReferences\n\nKarnataka State Film Awards\nKannada-language films" ]
[ "Tropic Thunder", "Promotion", "What is the rating of the movie?", "The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5,", "Who are the actor in the movie?", "Stiller, Downey, and Black", "When was the release of the movie?", "August 2008,", "Who produced the film?", "I don't know.", "Who is the director of the film?", "I don't know." ]
C_4d02f75601a64091b6ff73fb8c6deeda_0
When was the promotion happened?
6
When did the promotion for Tropic Thunder happen?
Tropic Thunder
A trailer for the film was released in April 2008. The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5, commenting: "This could either be good or very, very bad." Gary Susman of Entertainment Weekly questioned whether the film would "... turn into precisely the kind of bloated action monstrosity that it's making fun of." The trailer received the "Best Comedy Trailer" award at the 9th annual Golden Trailer Awards. DreamWorks also released a red band trailer, the first of its kind used by the studio to promote one of its films. Stiller, Downey, and Black appeared on the seventh-season finale of American Idol in a sketch as The Pips performing with Gladys Knight (via archival footage). The three actors also later performed a sketch at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards which featured the actors attempting to create a successful viral video to promote the film with awkward results. In September 2008, Stiller and Downey attended the San Sebastian International Film Festival to promote the film. A screening was shown, but it was not chosen to compete against the other films at the festival. Between April 2008 and the film's commercial release in August 2008, the film had over 250 promotional screenings. On August 3, 2008, Stiller, Downey, and Black visited Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine Corps base in California, to present a screening to over a thousand military members and their families. The screening was on behalf of the United Service Organizations and included the actors heading to the screening by helicopter and Humvees. On August 8, 2008, a special 30-minute fictional E! True Hollywood Story aired about the making of Tropic Thunder. In video games, a themed scavenger hunt was incorporated into Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, and Stiller allowed his likeness to be used in the online Facebook application game based on the film. As a tie-in for the film's release, Paramount announced it would market the energy drink known in the film as "Booty Sweat". Michael Corcoran, Paramount's president of consumer products, commented on the release: "We're very excited, because it has the potential to live for quite a while, well beyond the film." The drink was sold in college bookstores, on Amazon.com, and at other retailers. CANNOTANSWER
Between April 2008 and the film's commercial release in August 2008, the film had over 250 promotional screenings.
Tropic Thunder is a 2008 action-comedy film directed by Ben Stiller, who wrote the screenplay with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen. The film stars Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, and Brandon T. Jackson as a group of prima donna actors making a Vietnam War film. When their frustrated director (Steve Coogan) drops them in the middle of a jungle, they are forced to rely on their acting skills to survive the real action and danger. Tropic Thunder parodies many famous war films, specifically those based on the Vietnam War. The ensemble cast includes Tom Cruise, Nick Nolte, Danny McBride, Matthew McConaughey, and Bill Hader. Stiller developed Tropic Thunder premise during the production of Empire of the Sun in the spring of 1987, and later enlisted Theroux and Cohen to complete a script. The film was green-lit in 2006, and was produced by Stuart Cornfeld, Stiller, and Eric McLeod for Red Hour Productions and DreamWorks Pictures as an international co-production between the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. Filming took place in 2007 on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i over thirteen weeks and was the largest film production in the island's history. The extensive marketing campaign included faux websites for the three main characters and their fictional films, a fictional television special, and selling the energy drink advertised in the film, "Booty Sweat". Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks released Tropic Thunder in the US on August 13, 2008. It received generally positive reviews for its characters, story, faux trailers, and cast performances. However, the depiction of the mentally handicapped and use of blackface makeup attracted controversy. The film opened at the top of the American box office and retained the number-one position for three consecutive weeks, ultimately grossing more than $195 million worldwide before its release on home media on November 18, 2008. Downey was nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, while both he and Cruise received nominations for a Golden Globe Award. Plot Hook-handed Vietnam veteran Staff Sergeant John "Four Leaf" Tayback's memoir Tropic Thunder is being made into a film. With the exception of newcomer supporting actor Kevin Sandusky, the cast—fading action hero Tugg Speedman, overbearing five-time Academy Award-winning Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus, loudmouthed rapper Alpa Chino, and drug-addicted comedian Jeff Portnoy—all cause problems for the inexperienced director Damien Cockburn, who cannot control them, resulting in a million-dollar pyrotechnics scene being wasted. With the project months behind schedule, studio executive Les Grossman gives Damien an ultimatum: get the cast under control or the project will be cancelled. On Four Leaf's advice, Damien drops the actors into the middle of the jungle, with hidden cameras and rigged special effects explosions to film "guerrilla-style". The actors have guns that fire blanks, along with a map and scene listing that will lead to a helicopter waiting at the end of the route. Unknown to the actors and production, the group have been dropped in the middle of the Golden Triangle, the home of the heroin-producing Flaming Dragon gang. Just as the group is about to set off, Damien inadvertently steps on an old land mine and is blown up, stunning the actors. Tugg, believing Damien faked his death to encourage the cast to give better performances, assures the others that Damien is alive, and that they are still shooting the film. Kirk is unconvinced but joins them in their trek through the jungle just to get out of the jungle. When Four Leaf and pyrotechnics operator Cody Underwood try to locate the deceased director, they are captured by Flaming Dragon. Four Leaf is revealed to have hands; he confesses to Underwood that he actually served in the Coast Guard, has never left the United States, and that he wrote his "memoir" as a tribute. As the actors continue through the jungle, Kirk, who has become convinced that Tugg's ineptitude is putting them in jeopardy, and Kevin, the only actor who bothered to properly prepare for his role, discover that Tugg is leading them in the wrong direction. The resulting argument results in Kirk leading the rest of the cast back toward the resort they are staying at as an increasingly delirious Tugg is captured by Flaming Dragon. Taken to their base, Tugg believes it is a POW camp from the script. The gang discovers he is the star of their favorite film, the box-office bomb Simple Jack, and force him to reenact it several times a day, leading him to become brainwashed. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Tugg's agent Rick 'Pecker' Peck confronts Les over an unfulfilled term in Tugg's contract that entitles him to a TiVo. Flaming Dragon calls during the discussion and demands a ransom for Tugg, but Les instead delivers a profanity-laden death threat. Les is uninterested in rescuing Tugg and is instead delighted at the prospect of a large insurance payout if Tugg dies. He attempts to convince Pecker to play along by promising a Gulfstream V jet and "lots of money". Kirk, Alpa, Jeff, and Kevin discover Flaming Dragon's heroin factory. After witnessing Tugg being tortured, they plan a rescue attempt based on the film's script. Kirk impersonates a farmer towing a "captured" Jeff on the back of a water buffalo, distracting the armed guards so Alpa and Kevin can infiltrate and find the prisoners, but a combination of broken Mandarin Chinese and inconsistencies in his story sets off the gang's boss. The actors, knowing their cover has been blown, begin firing, fooling the gang members into surrender. Their control of the gang falls apart when Jeff grabs the leader and heads for the drugs, and the gang, realizing the guns fire blanks, recover their guns and fight back. The four actors locate Four Leaf, Cody, and Tugg and cross a bridge rigged to explode to get to Underwood's helicopter. Tugg initially remains behind, believing Flaming Dragon to be his "family," but runs back screaming, chased by an angry horde. Four Leaf destroys the bridge, rescuing Tugg, but as the helicopter takes off, the gang boss fires an RPG at the helicopter. Rick unexpectedly stumbles out of the jungle and saves them by throwing a TiVo box into the path of the grenade. The crew return to Hollywood and footage from the hidden cameras is compiled into the feature film Tropic Blunder, which becomes a major critical and commercial success. The film wins Tugg his first Academy Award, which Kirk presents to him at the ceremony. Cast Ben Stiller as Tugg Speedman: Once the highest-paid, highest-grossing action film star ever due to his Scorcher franchise, his career has stalled, and he now has a reputation for appearing in nothing but box office bombs. After drawing negative coverage for his portrayal in Simple Jack, in which he plays a mentally-challenged farm boy, he takes the role of Four Leaf Tayback in an attempt to save his career. Tugg's faux trailer at the film's start is a preview for Scorcher VI: Global Meltdown, the latest in his series and a spoof of long-running summer action blockbuster franchises. Jack Black as Jeff Portnoy: A drug-addicted comedian-actor well known for portraying multiple parts in films that rely on toilet humor, particularly jokes about flatulence. In the film-within-a-film, he plays a raspy-voiced soldier named Fats. He fears he is only considered an actor because of his farts and nothing else. Portnoy's faux trailer for juvenile family comedy The Fatties: Fart 2, about a family (with each member played by Portnoy) which enjoys passing gas, spoofs Eddie Murphy's portrayal of multiple characters in films such as Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. Robert Downey Jr. as Kirk Lazarus: An Australian method actor and five-time Academy Award winner, Lazarus had a controversial "pigmentation alteration" surgery to temporarily darken his skin for his portrayal of the black character, Staff Sergeant Lincoln Osiris. Lazarus refuses to break character until he has recorded the DVD commentary for a part and only speaks in his character's African American Vernacular English. Lazarus's faux trailer, Satan's Alley, is about two gay monks in a 12th-century Irish monastery, parodying films like Brokeback Mountain and Downey's own scenes with Tobey Maguire (who in a cameo portrays himself playing the other monk) in Wonder Boys. Downey said he modeled Lazarus on three actors: Russell Crowe, Daniel Day-Lewis and Colin Farrell. Lazarus was originally intended to be Irish, but Downey felt more comfortable using an Australian accent, since he had portrayed an Australian character in Natural Born Killers. Nick Nolte as Four Leaf Tayback: The author of Tropic Thunder, a fake memoir of his war experiences on which the film-within-a-film is based. He suggests the idea of dropping the actors in the middle of the jungle to get them looking and feeling like soldiers lost in a foreign land. Matthew McConaughey as Rick "The Pecker" Peck: Speedman's extremely devoted agent and best friend. Steve Coogan as Damien Cockburn: The inexperienced British film director who is unable to control the actors in the film. The character was partly inspired by Richard Stanley, and his experience of directing the 1996 film The Island of Dr. Moreau, with Val Kilmer and Marlon Brando. Jay Baruchel as Kevin Sandusky: A novice actor, he is the only cast member to have read the script and book and attended the assigned boot camp prior to the film. Sandusky plays a young soldier named Brooklyn in the film-within-a-film. Brooklyn and Sandusky each occupy the position of straight man in character in the film-within-a-film and its cast, being the only actor without an internal conflict or deep-seated insecurity. He often serves as a mediator when tensions between the cast get high. Danny McBride as Cody: The film's explosives expert and helicopter pilot. He has developed a reputation for being a dangerous pyromaniac after an incident while working on Freaky Friday nearly blinded Jamie Lee Curtis. Brandon T. Jackson as Alpa Chino: A closeted homosexual rapper who is attempting to cross over into acting, portraying a soldier named Motown, while promoting his "Bust-A-Nut" candy bar and "Booty Sweat" energy drink. He feels his image as a rapper would not allow him to be openly gay. His name is a play on Al Pacino. Kevin Hart turned down the role because he did not want to play a gay character. Bill Hader as Studio Executive Rob Slolom: Grossman's assistant and right-hand man. Brandon Soo Hoo as Tran: The 12-year-old young leader of the Flaming Dragon gang. The character was compared to God's Army guerrilla leaders Johnny and Luther Htoo. Reggie Lee as Byong: The second-in-command of the Flaming Dragon gang. Trieu Tran as Tru: A dedicated soldier, and actor, in the Flaming Dragon gang. Tom Cruise as Les Grossman: The profane, ill-tempered studio executive producing Tropic Thunder. Various commentators believe he is loosely based on Scott Rudin, famous for his volcanic temper and poor treatment of others. Various actors and celebrities portray themselves, including Tobey Maguire, Tyra Banks, Maria Menounos, Martin Lawrence, The Mooney Suzuki, Jason Bateman, Lance Bass, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Alicia Silverstone, Christine Taylor, Mini Anden, Anthony Ruivivar, Yvette Nicole Brown, Rachel Avery, Sean Penn, and Jon Voight. Co-writer Justin Theroux appears in two brief roles as a UH-1 Huey gunner and the disc jockey from Zoolander (shown in a deleted scene). Production Script Stiller developed the premise for Tropic Thunder while shooting Empire of the Sun, in which he played a small part. Stiller wanted to make a film based on the actors he knew who, after taking part in boot camps to prepare for war film roles, became "self-important" and "self-involved" and appeared to believe they had been part of a real military unit. Co-writer Theroux revealed that the initial script concept was to have actors go to a mock boot camp and return with posttraumatic stress disorder. The final script was developed to satirize Vietnam War films such as Apocalypse Now, Rambo, Missing in Action, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Hamburger Hill, and The Deer Hunter. Theroux pointed out that since viewers had an increased awareness of the inner workings of Hollywood due to celebrity websites and Hollywood news sources, the script was easier to write. Dialogue for unscripted portions of the storyboard was developed on set by the actors or was improvised. Casting Stiller's original plan was cast Keanu Reeves as Tugg Speedman and himself as Rick Peck. Etan Cohen created the role of Kirk Lazarus as a way of lampooning the great lengths that some method actors go to depict a role. Downey was approached by Stiller about the part while on vacation in Hawaii. Downey said on CBS' The Early Show that his first reaction was, "This is the stupidest idea I've ever heard!" and that Stiller responded, "Yeah, I know – isn't it great?" In another interview, Downey said that he accepted the part but, having no idea where or even how to start building the character of Lazarus, eventually settled on a jive-esque speech pattern and a ragged bass voice; he then auditioned Lazarus' voice over the phone to Stiller, who approved the characterization immediately. Downey revealed that he modeled the character on actors Russell Crowe, Colin Farrell, and Daniel Day-Lewis. The initial script was written for Downey's character to be Irish, but was altered after Downey stated he could improvise better as an Australian (he had previously played a similar outlandish Australian character in the film Natural Born Killers). Downey's practice of remaining in character between takes and even off the film set was also written into the script for his character to perform. Downey required between one and a half to two hours of make-up application. According to Downey, "One makeup artist would start on one side of my face and a second makeup artist would start on the other side, and then they'd meet in the middle." Downey acknowledged the potential controversy over his role: "At the end of the day, it's always about how well you commit to the character. If I didn't feel it was morally sound, or that it would be easily misinterpreted that I'm just C. Thomas Howell [in Soul Man], I would've stayed home." Co-star Brandon T. Jackson stated: "When I first read the script, I was like: What? Blackface? But when I saw him [act] he, like, became a black man ... It was just good acting. It was weird on the set because he would keep going with the character. He's a method actor." Stiller commented on Downey's portrayal of a white actor playing a black man: "When people see the movie – in the context of the film, he's playing a method actor who's gone to great lengths to play a black guy. The movie is skewering actors and how they take themselves so seriously." Stiller previewed the film before the NAACP, and several black journalists reacted positively to the character. Cruise was initially set to cameo as Stiller's character's agent, Rick Peck. Instead, Cruise suggested adding a studio head character, and the idea was incorporated into the script. Stiller and Cruise worked together to create the new character, Les Grossman, as a middle-aged businessman. The role required that Cruise don a fatsuit, large prosthetic hands, and a bald cap. It was Cruise's idea to give the character large hands and dance to "Low". Stiller intended to keep Cruise's role a secret until the film's release. In addition, Paramount Pictures refused to release promotional pictures of Cruise's character to the media. In November 2007, images of Cruise wearing a bald headpiece and a fatsuit appeared on Inside Edition, as well as on the Internet. Cruise's attorneys threatened a lawsuit if photos showing Cruise in costume were published. They approached various sites that were hosting the image and quickly had it removed. A representative for Cruise stated: "Mr. Cruise's appearance was supposed to be a surprise for his fans worldwide. Paparazzi have ruined what should have been a fun discovery for moviegoers." The photography agency INF, who debuted the image, responded with a statement: "While these pictures were taken without breaking any criminal or civil laws, we've decided to pull them from circulation effective immediately." Serving as a last-minute replacement, Tobey Maguire was available to be on set for only two hours to film his scenes in Satan's Alley. Downey said he was amazed Maguire would agree to do the film and felt like they were creating a "karmic pay-off" for their scenes together in the 2000 film Wonder Boys, where Downey's character has a one-night stand with Maguire's character. After Cruise vacated the role of Rick Peck, Owen Wilson was cast to play the part. Following his suicide attempt in August 2007, Wilson dropped out of the film and was replaced by Matthew McConaughey. Filming Although Southern California and Mexico were considered for the main unit filming, the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i (where Stiller has a home) was selected for the majority of the shooting. Kaua'i was chosen over Mexico because a tax credit for in-state spending was negotiated with the Kaua'i Film Commission. John Toll, the cinematographer, stated the island was also selected for its similarity to Vietnam, based on its dense foliage, variety of terrains, and weather. Kaua'i was first scouted as a possible location to film Tropic Thunder in 2004. Stiller spent more than 25 hours over 6 weeks exploring the island, using all-terrain vehicles, boats, and helicopters. After the film was greenlit by DreamWorks in 2006, pre-production lasted for six months, most of this time spent on scouting additional locations for filming. Filming for the Los Angeles and interior scenes occurred on sets at Universal Studios in Hollywood. Tropic Thunder was the first major studio production on Kaua'i in five years. After filming was completed, it was deemed the largest production filmed on the island to date, and contributed more than $60 million to the local economy. Tim Ryan, the executive editor of Hawaii Film & Video Magazine, commented on the filming on the island: "I think Tropic Thunder will give Kaua'i much needed and long idled publicity in the production arena ... It should put Kaua'i back on the production consideration radar." Preliminary production crews were on the island starting in December 2006 and principal photography began in July 2007, with filming lasting thirteen weeks over seven separate locations on the island. Much of the filming took place on private land as well as conservation status designated areas. Casting calls on the island sought 500 residents to portray the villagers in the film. Two units shot simultaneously on the island from the ground, and an aerial unit shot from helicopters. Many of the sets and the bridge used for one of the final scenes were built in three months. The island's erratic weather hampered filming with rain and lighting issues. The crew also faced complications in moving the equipment and cast due to the difficult terrain. The film advising company Warriors Inc. was enlisted to ensure the war scenes, including the attire worn by the actors, looked authentic. Former members of the U.S. military taught the actors how to handle, fire, and reload their weapons, as well as perform various tactical movements. The opening war scene was filmed over three weeks and required fifty stuntmen. Animatics were used to map out the necessary camera angles for filming. Effects Six companies working on different scenes and elements created 500 shots of visual effects in the film. These were at times altered weekly due to the reactions of test audiences in screenings. CIS Visual Effects Group assisted with the Scorcher VI faux trailer and twenty additional shots for the home media release. To expand on the comedy in the film, some of the explosions and crashes were embellished to look more destructive. The visual effects supervisor Michael Fink reflected on the exaggerated explosions: "We worked really hard to make the CG crashing helicopter in the hot landing sequence look real. Ben was adamant about that, but at the same time he wanted the explosion to be huge. When you see it hit the ground, it was like it was filled with gasoline! It was the same thing with Ben's sergeant character, who almost intercepts a hand grenade ... Now, I was in the Army for three years and no hand grenade would make an explosion like that ... But it was a big dramatic moment and it looks really cool ... and feels kind of real." Filming the large napalm explosion in the opening scene of the film required a 450-foot (137-meter) row of explosive pots containing 1,100 gallons (4,165 liters) of gasoline and diesel fuel. All the palm trees used in the explosion were moved to the specific location after the crew determined the impact of the lighting and necessary camera angles. Due to the size and cost of the 1.25-second explosion, it was performed only once and was captured by twelve cameras. For the safety of the crew and cast, the detonators were added one hour before the explosion and nobody was allowed to be within during detonation. The explosion was made up of twelve individual explosions and resulted in a mushroom cloud that reached in the air. For the scene in the film, Danny McBride's character, Cody Underwood, was the only actor shown in the shot of the explosion. All the other characters were added digitally. The explosion of the bridge in one of the final scenes used nine cameras to capture the shot, and the crew was required to be away for their safety. Promotion A trailer for the film was released in April 2008. The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5, commenting: "This could either be good or very, very bad." Gary Susman of Entertainment Weekly questioned whether the film would "... turn into precisely the kind of bloated action monstrosity that it's making fun of." The trailer received the "Best Comedy Trailer" award at the 9th annual Golden Trailer Awards. DreamWorks also released a red band trailer, the first of its kind used by the studio to promote one of its films. Stiller, Downey, and Black appeared on the seventh-season finale of American Idol in a sketch as The Pips performing with Gladys Knight (via archival footage). The three actors also later performed a sketch at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards which featured the actors attempting to create a successful viral video to promote the film with awkward results. In September 2008, Stiller and Downey attended the San Sebastián International Film Festival to promote the film. A screening was shown, but it was not chosen to compete against the other films at the festival. Between April 2008 and the film's commercial release in August 2008, the film had over 250 promotional screenings. On August 3, 2008, Stiller, Downey, and Black visited Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine Corps base in California, to present a screening to over a thousand military members and their families. The screening was on behalf of the United Service Organizations and included the actors heading to the screening by helicopter and Humvees. On August 8, 2008, a special 30-minute fictional E! True Hollywood Story aired about the making of Tropic Thunder. In video games, a themed scavenger hunt was incorporated into Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, and Stiller allowed his likeness to be used in the online Facebook application game based on the film. As a tie-in for the film's release, Paramount announced it would market the energy drink known in the film as "Booty Sweat". Michael Corcoran, Paramount's president of consumer products, commented on the release: "We're very excited, because it has the potential to live for quite a while, well beyond the film." The drink was sold in college bookstores, on Amazon.com, and at other retailers. Faux websites and mockumentary Several faux websites were created for the main characters and some of their prior film roles. A website for Simple Jack, a faux film exhibited within the film, was removed by DreamWorks on August 4, 2008, due to protests from disability advocates. In addition, other promotional websites were created for "Make Pretty Skin Clinic", the fictitious company that performed the surgery of the film's character Kirk Lazarus, along with one for the energy drink "Booty Sweat". In mid-July 2008, a faux trailer for the mockumentary Rain of Madness was released. The mockumentary was a parody of Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse. It follows co-writer Justin Theroux as a fictitious documentarian named Jan Jürgen documenting the behind-the-scenes aspects of the film within the film. Marketing for the faux documentary included a movie poster and an official website prior to Tropic Thunders release. The mockumentary was released on the iTunes Store after the film's release and was also included on the home video release. Amy Powell, an advertising executive with Paramount, reflected on the timing of the release of Madness: "We always thought that people would be talking about Tropic Thunder at the water cooler, and that's why we decided to release Rain of Madness two weeks into Tropics run—to keep this positive buzz going." Release Theatrical release Tropic Thunder held an early screening at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con, two weeks before it officially premiered on August 11, 2008, at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, California and two days before its wide release. Members of several disability groups picketed before the premiere, protesting at the portrayal of intellectual disability shown in the film. The groups revealed that it was the first time that they had ever protested together at an event. As a result of the protest, the normally unobstructed views of the red carpet leading to the premiere were blocked off by 10-foot (3-m)-high fences and there was an increase in the number of security personnel present. No protests were held at the United Kingdom's September premiere. The North American release was scheduled for July 11, 2008, but was delayed until August 15, before being brought forward to August 13. As a result of the move from July, 20th Century Fox moved its family comedy Meet Dave in the open slot. The August 13 release date was also the opening weekends for the animated family film Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the horror film Mirrors. Studios consider the third week of August to be a weaker performing period than earlier in the summer because of students returning to school. Previous R-rated comedies such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Superbad were released in mid-August and performed well at the box office. Reacting to Tropic Thunders release date, Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount Pictures, stated: "For a young person at the end of summer, you want to have some fun and forget about going back to school. What better than a crazy comedy?" Home media Tropic Thunder was released in the United States on DVD and Blu-ray on November 18, 2008, three months after its release and a week after the end of its theatrical run in the U.S. and Canada. The film was released on home video on January 26, 2009, in the United Kingdom. Special features include an unrated director's cut of the film which is 12 minutes longer than the theatrical release, audio commentaries (including one featuring Stiller, Downey, and Black, with Downey providing his commentary as Lincoln Osiris, a nod to a joke in the film that Lazarus never breaks character until he completes the DVD commentary), several featurettes, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, and the Rain of Madness mockumentary. For the film's first week of release, Tropic Thunder placed on several video charts. It reached second place on the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart and Nielsen's Blu-ray Disc chart, earning $19,064,959 (not including Blu-ray sales). In rentals, it placed first on the Home Media Magazine'''s video rental chart. The DVD sales in 2008 totaled $42,271,059, placing it in 28th for DVD sales for the year. By September 2009, 2,963,000 DVD units have been sold, gathering revenue of $49,870,248. Reception Critical response The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 82% based on 252 reviews and an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "With biting satire, plenty of subversive humor, and an unforgettable turn by Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder is a triumphant late summer comedy." Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score from reviews by mainstream critics, gave a film score of 71 out of 100 based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". After attending an industry screening in April 2008 Michael Cieply from The New York Times stated that the film was "... shaping up as one of [DreamWorks]'s best prospects for the summer." Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film a positive review, writing "There are some wildly funny scenes, a few leaden ones and others that are scattershot, with humorous satire undercut by over-the-top grisliness. Still, when it's funny, it's really funny." A review in Variety by Todd McCarthy was critical: "Apart from startling, out-there comic turns by Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise, however, the antics here are pretty thin, redundant and one-note." Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com would later call the film "intermittently amusing but entirely smug and hateful." Rick Groen of The Globe and Mail also gave the film a negative review, calling it "... an assault in the guise of a comedy—watching it is like getting mugged by a clown." J.R. Jones of Chicago Reader stated "The rest of the movie never lives up to the hilarity of the opening, partly because the large-scale production smothers the gags but mostly because those gags are so easy to smother." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave 3.5/4 and wrote, "The movie is, may I say, considerably better than Stiller’s previous film, Zoolander (2001). It’s the kind of summer comedy that rolls in, makes a lot of people laugh and rolls on to video." The faux trailers before the film also received mixed reviews. David Ansen of Newsweek approved of the trailers, writing "Tropic Thunder is the funniest movie of the summer—so funny, in fact, that you start laughing before the film itself has begun." Christy Lemire, writing for the Associated Press, called the trailers "... the best part of the trip." Robert Wilonsky of The Village Voice was critical, saying that the trailers' comedy "... resides in the land of the obvious, easy chuckle." Downey, Stiller, Black and Cruise were repeatedly singled out for praise by numerous critics, claiming that they "stole the show", were "... off-the-charts hilarious ...", and would bring viewers "... the fondest memories of [their] work." Scott Feinberg, of the Los Angeles Times, criticized the concept of Downey's portrayal of an African-American, writing "... I just can't imagine any circumstance under which a blackface performance would be acceptable, any more than I can imagine any circumstance under which the use of the N-word would be acceptable." Sara Vilkomerson said Cruise did "... an astonishingly funny and surprising supporting performance." Logan Hill of New York argued against Cruise's cameo saying that it "... just makes him look a little lost and almost pathetic—shucking and jiving, trying to appeal to the younger moviegoers who are abandoning him." Several critics commented on the controversy over lines in the film talking about the mentally disabled. Duane Dudek of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote that the film "... is just sophomoric enough to offend. And while it is also funny, it is without the empathy or compassion to cause us to wonder why we are laughing." Christian Toto of The Washington Times argued against the opposition, "Tropic Thunder is drawing fire from special interest groups for ... its frequent use of the word 'retard', but discerning audiences will know where the humor is targeted. And they'll be laughing too hard to take offense." Kurt Loder of MTV contrasted the opposition to the lines with Downey character portrayal of an African American, "The scene in which the derisive Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) nails Lazarus' recitation of black-uplift homilies as nothing more than the lyrics to the Jeffersons theme is funny; but the one in which Lazarus quietly explains to Speedman that his Simple Jack character failed because he made the mistake of going 'full retard'—rather than softening his character with cuteness in the manner of Forrest Gump—is so on-the-nose accurate, it takes your breath away." Critics' lists In January 2009, Entertainment Weekly included Tropic Thunder in its list "25 Great Comedies From the Past 25 Years" for its "spot-on skewering of Hollywood." The film also appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008. Stephen King placed it at the fourth position, calling the film "the funniest, most daring comedy of the year." The Oregonians Marc Mohan, placed it sixth, and several critics placed it seventh: Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News, Premiere magazine, Mike Russell of The Oregonian, as well as Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle. David Ansen of Newsweek placed it eighth and Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly included the film in the tenth position. Box office Stacey Snider, the chief executive of DreamWorks, suggested that the film would earn around $30 million in its opening weekend and go on to be as successful as Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which earned $129 million in the U.S. and Canada and $260 million worldwide. The Dark Knight had been the number one film at the box office for the four weeks prior to the release of Tropic Thunder. Bob Thompson, a writer for the National Post, speculated that Tropic Thunders opening weekend would outperform The Dark Knight for the weekend. In a list compiled prior to the summer's film releases, Entertainment Weekly predicted that the film would be the tenth highest-grossing film of the summer at the American box office with $142.6 million.Tropic Thunder opened in 3,319 theaters and, for its first five days of American and Canadian release, earned $36,845,588. The film placed first in the weekend's box office with $25,812,796, surpassing Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Mirrors, which debuted the same weekend. Reacting to the film's opening receipts, DreamWorks spokesman Chip Sullivan stated "We're thrilled, quite frankly. It played out exactly how we hoped." In foreign markets for the film's opening weekend, it was released in 418 Russian and 19 United Arab Emirates locations earning $2.2 million and $319,000, respectively. The film maintained its number one position at the American and Canadian box office for the following two weekends, making it the second film in 2008 (after The Dark Knight) to hold the number-one position for more than two consecutive weekends. The film's widest release was in 3,473 theaters, placing it in the top 25 widest releases in the U.S. for 2008. For 2008, the film was the fifth-highest-grossing domestic R-rated film. The film's U.S. and Canada gross of over $110 million made Tropic Thunder Stiller's most successful film as a director. The film has had gross receipts of $110,515,313 in the U.S. and Canada and $85,187,498 in international markets for a total of $195,702,811 worldwide. Accolades In October 2008, Paramount chose to put end-of-year award push funds behind Tropic Thunder, and began advertising for Downey to receive a nomination by the Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor. In a November 2008 issue by Entertainment Weekly, Downey's film role was considered one of the three contenders for Best Supporting Actor. As a way of extending the film-within-a-film "universe" into real life, there were at least two online "For Your Consideration" ads touting Downey's character, Kirk Lazarus, for Best Supporting Actor; one of these contains "scenes" from Satan's Alley that were not in the trailer as released in theaters. At least one of the ads was produced by Paramount Pictures and intended for early For Your Consideration awareness for Downey's role. On January 22, 2009, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated Downey for Best Supporting Actor. At the 81st Academy Awards, Downey lost to Heath Ledger for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight. With the onset of the annual Hollywood film award season at the end of 2008, Tropic Thunder began receiving nominations and awards starting with a win for "Hollywood Comedy of the Year Award" at the 12th annual Hollywood Film Festival on October 27, 2008. The film was nominated for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical, for the Satellite Awards. In addition, Downey was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The Broadcast Film Critics Association nominated Downey for Best Supporting Actor and awarded Tropic Thunder Best Comedy Movie at the BFCA's Critics' Choice Awards. Both Downey and Cruise received nominations from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actor. The Boston Society of Film Critics recognized the cast with its Best Ensemble award. Downey was also nominated by both the Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for Best Supporting Actor awards. ControversyTropic Thunder was criticized by the disability advocacy community. The website for Simple Jack was withdrawn on August 4 amid several groups' concerns over its portrayal of intellectual disability. A spokesman for DreamWorks said, "We heard their concerns, and we understand that taken out of context, the site appeared to be insensitive to people with disabilities." A coalition of more than 20 disability advocacy groups, including the Special Olympics and the Arc of the United States, objected to the film's repeated use of the word "retard". DreamWorks offered to screen the film for the groups on August 8 to determine if it still offended them. The screening was postponed to the same day of the premiere on August 11. After representatives for the groups attended the private screening and were offended by its content, the groups picketed outside the film's premiere. Timothy Shriver, the chairman of the Special Olympics, stated, "This population struggles too much with the basics to have to struggle against Hollywood. We're sending a message that this hate speech is no longer acceptable." Disability advocates and others who previewed the film reported that the offensive treatment of individuals with mental disabilities was woven throughout the film's plot. Disability advocates urged people not to see the film, claiming it is demeaning to individuals with mental disabilities and would encourage bullying. Stiller defended the film, stating "We screened the movie so many times and this didn't come up until very late ... in the context of the film I think it's really clear, they were making fun of the actors and actors who try to use serious subjects to win awards." Co-writer Etan Cohen echoed Stiller's rationale: "Some people have taken this as making fun of handicapped people, but we're really trying to make fun of the actors who use this material as fodder for acclaim." He went on to state that the film lampoons actors who portray intellectually disabled or autistic characters such as Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, and Sean Penn in I Am Sam. A DreamWorks spokesman did not directly respond to the criticism, claiming that Tropic Thunder "... is an R-rated comedy that satirizes Hollywood and its excesses, makes its point by featuring inappropriate and over-the-top characters in ridiculous situations." The film's advertising was altered, but none of the scenes in the film were edited as a result of the opposition. In response to the controversy, the director's cut of the DVD (but not the Blu-ray) includes a public service announcement in the special features that discourages use of the word "retard". Another aspect that drew warning before the release of the movie and criticism afterwards was Robert Downey Jr. playing a white Australian actor who dons "blackface" as part of his method acting the role of an African-American man. He responded by pointing out that this was a case of donning "blackface" in order to point out how wrong it is. Others have point out that the wrongness of "blackface" is addressed within the movie itself by an actual African-American, and that the climax of movie pins on Downey Jr.'s shedding of his method acting; in this way the movie mocks, rather than embraces, both "blackface" and the extreme and ridiculous things method actors sometimes do for their roles. Some have pointed out that how the film characterized and how non-Jewish Tom Cruise portrayed the Jewish character of Les Grossman (in addition to his name, he also references the Jewish holiday of Purim) is antisemitic. Critics have also referred to this performance as "Jewface" as early as 2008 (years before Sarah Silverman raised awareness of the term), calling it "vulgar" and "exploitation". Reportedly, Tom Cruise was largely responsibly for the final form Les Grossman took, including using him as an additional villain, the hairiness of the character and the "fat hands". MusicTropic Thunders score and soundtrack were released on August 5, 2008, the week before the film's theatrical release. The score was composed by Theodore Shapiro and performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony. William Ruhlmann of AllMusic gave the score a positive review, stating it is "...an affectionate and knowing satire of the history of Hollywood action movie music, penned by an insider." Thomas Simpson of Soundtrack.Net called it "...a mixture of fun, seriousness, rock n' roll and great scoring." Five songs, "Cum On Feel the Noize" by Quiet Riot, "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones, "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield, "Low" by Flo Rida and T-Pain, and "Get Back" by Ludacris, were not present on the soundtrack, yet did appear in the film. The soundtrack features songs from The Temptations, MC Hammer, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Edwin Starr, and other artists. The single "Name of the Game" by The Crystal Method featuring Ryu has an exclusive remix on the soundtrack. The soundtrack debuted 20th on Billboards Top Soundtracks list and peaked at 39th on its Top Independent Albums list. James Christopher Monger of allmusic compared the music to other film's soundtracks such as Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and Forrest Gump'' and called it "...a fun but slight listen that plays out like an old late-'70s K-Tel compilation with a few bonus cuts from the future." Spin-off Cruise reprised his character Les Grossman for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. On June 9, 2010, it was announced that a spin-off film would be developed centering on Grossman. A script has been written by Michael Bacall. In March 2012, Bacall gave an update on the long-rumored Les Grossman spin-off movie, revealing that the film will attempt to uncover where Grossman's well-documented anger issues originated. See also List of films featuring fictional films References External links English-language films 2008 films 2008 action comedy films 2000s satirical films American films American action comedy films American satirical films British films British action comedy films British satirical films German films English-language German films German action comedy films German satirical films Mandarin-language films Films about actors Films about filmmaking Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Hawaii Films shot in Los Angeles Military humor in film Films about the United States Army Films directed by Ben Stiller Films produced by Ben Stiller Films with screenplays by Etan Cohen Films with screenplays by Justin Theroux Films scored by Theodore Shapiro DreamWorks Pictures films Paramount Pictures films Red Hour Productions films 2008 comedy films Torture in films Blackface minstrel shows and films
true
[ "Don Juan Manuel's Tales of Count Lucanor, in Spanish Libro de los ejemplos del conde Lucanor y de Patronio (Book of the Examples of Count Lucanor and of Patronio), also commonly known as El Conde Lucanor, Libro de Patronio, or Libro de los ejemplos (original Old Castilian: Libro de los enxiemplos del Conde Lucanor et de Patronio), is one of the earliest works of prose in Castilian Spanish. It was first written in 1335.\n\nThe book is divided into four parts. The first and most well-known part is a series of 51 short stories (some no more than a page or two) drawn from various sources, such as Aesop and other classical writers, and Arabic folktales.\n\nTales of Count Lucanor was first printed in 1575 when it was published at Seville under the auspices of Argote de Molina. It was again printed at Madrid in 1642, after which it lay forgotten for nearly two centuries.\n\nPurpose and structure\n\nA didactic, moralistic purpose, which would color so much of the Spanish literature to follow (see Novela picaresca), is the mark of this book. Count Lucanor engages in conversation with his advisor Patronio, putting to him a problem (\"Some man has made me a proposition...\" or \"I fear that such and such person intends to...\") and asking for advice. Patronio responds always with the greatest humility, claiming not to wish to offer advice to so illustrious a person as the Count, but offering to tell him a story of which the Count's problem reminds him. (Thus, the stories are \"examples\" [ejemplos] of wise action.) At the end he advises the Count to do as the protagonist of his story did.\n\nEach chapter ends in more or less the same way, with slight variations on: \"And this pleased the Count greatly and he did just so, and found it well. And Don Johán (Juan) saw that this example was very good, and had it written in this book, and composed the following verses.\" A rhymed couplet closes, giving the moral of the story.\n\nOrigin of stories and influence on later literature\nMany of the stories written in the book are the first examples written in a modern European language of various stories, which many other writers would use in the proceeding centuries. Many of the stories he included were themselves derived from other stories, coming from western and Arab sources.\n\nShakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew has the basic elements of Tale 35, \"What Happened to a Young Man Who Married a Strong and Ill-tempered Woman\".\n\nTale 32, \"What Happened to the King and the Tricksters Who Made Cloth\" tells the story that Hans Christian Andersen made popular as The Emperor's New Clothes.\n\nStory 7, \"What Happened to a Woman Named Truhana\", a version of Aesop's The Milkmaid and Her Pail, was claimed by Max Müller to originate in the Hindu cycle Panchatantra.\n\nTale 2, \"What happened to a good Man and his Son, leading a beast to market,\" is the familiar fable The miller, his son and the donkey.\n\nIn 2016, Baroque Decay released a game under the name \"The Count Lucanor\". As well as some protagonists' names, certain events from the books inspired past events in the game.\n\nThe stories\n\nThe book opens with a prologue which introduces the characters of the Count and Patronio. The titles in the following list are those given in Keller and Keating's 1977 translation into English. James York's 1868 translation into English gives a significantly different ordering of the stories and omits the fifty-first.\n\n What Happened to a King and His Favorite \n What Happened to a Good Man and His Son \n How King Richard of England Leapt into the Sea against the Moors\n What a Genoese Said to His Soul When He Was about to Die \n What Happened to a Fox and a Crow Who Had a Piece of Cheese in His Beak\n How the Swallow Warned the Other Birds When She Saw Flax Being Sown \n What Happened to a Woman Named Truhana \n What Happened to a Man Whose Liver Had to Be Washed \n What Happened to Two Horses Which Were Thrown to the Lion \n What Happened to a Man Who on Account of Poverty and Lack of Other Food Was Eating Bitter Lentils \n What Happened to a Dean of Santiago de Compostela and Don Yllán, the Grand Master of Toledo\n What Happened to the Fox and the Rooster \n What Happened to a Man Who Was Hunting Partridges \n The Miracle of Saint Dominick When He Preached against the Usurer \n What Happened to Lorenzo Suárez at the Siege of Seville \n The Reply that count Fernán González Gave to His Relative Núño Laynes \n What Happened to a Very Hungry Man Who Was Half-heartedly Invited to Dinner \n What Happened to Pero Meléndez de Valdés When He Broke His Leg \n What Happened to the Crows and the Owls \n What Happened to a King for Whom a Man Promised to Perform Alchemy \n What Happened to a Young King and a Philosopher to Whom his Father Commended Him \n What Happened to the Lion and the Bull \n How the Ants Provide for Themselves \n What Happened to the King Who Wanted to Test His Three Sons \n What Happened to the Count of Provence and How He Was Freed from Prison by the Advice of Saladin\n What Happened to the Tree of Lies \n What Happened to an Emperor and to Don Alvarfáñez Minaya and Their Wives \n What Happened in Granada to Don Lorenzo Suárez Gallinato When He Beheaded the Renegade Chaplain \n What Happened to a Fox Who Lay down in the Street to Play Dead \n What Happened to King Abenabet of Seville and Ramayquía His Wife \n How a Cardinal Judged between the Canons of Paris and the Friars Minor \n What Happened to the King and the Tricksters Who Made Cloth \n What Happened to Don Juan Manuel's Saker Falcon and an Eagle and a Heron \n What Happened to a Blind Man Who Was Leading Another \n What Happened to a Young Man Who Married a Strong and Ill-tempered Woman\n What Happened to a Merchant When He Found His Son and His Wife Sleeping Together \n What Happened to Count Fernán González with His Men after He Had Won the Battle of Hacinas \n What Happened to a Man Who Was Loaded down with Precious Stones and Drowned in the River \n What Happened to a Man and a Swallow and a Sparrow \n Why the Seneschal of Carcassonne Lost His Soul \n What Happened to a King of Córdova Named Al-Haquem \n What Happened to a Woman of Sham Piety \n What Happened to Good and Evil and the Wise Man and the Madman \n What Happened to Don Pero Núñez the Loyal, to Don Ruy González de Zavallos, and to Don Gutier Roiz de Blaguiello with Don Rodrigo the Generous \n What Happened to a Man Who Became the Devil's Friend and Vassal \n What Happened to a Philosopher who by Accident Went down a Street Where Prostitutes Lived \n What Befell a Moor and His Sister Who Pretended That She Was Timid \n What Happened to a Man Who Tested His Friends \n What Happened to the Man Whom They Cast out Naked on an Island When They Took away from Him the Kingdom He Ruled \n What Happened to Saladin and a Lady, the Wife of a Knight Who Was His Vassal \n What Happened to a Christian King Who Was Very Powerful and Haughty\n\nReferences\n\nNotes\n\nBibliography\n\n Sturm, Harlan\n\n Wacks, David\n\nExternal links\n\nThe Internet Archive provides free access to the 1868 translation by James York.\nJSTOR has the to the 1977 translation by Keller and Keating.\nSelections in English and Spanish (pedagogical edition) with introduction, notes, and bibliography in Open Iberia/América (open access teaching anthology)\n\n14th-century books\nSpanish literature\n1335 books", "The UWF Heavyweight Championship was the premier title in the Universal Wrestling Federation owned by Bill Watts. When Mid-South Wrestling Association changed its name to the UWF, the Mid-South North American Championship was retired and a tournament was held to crown a new UWF Heavyweight Champion. When Jim Crockett Promotions purchased the UWF, the title was defended in Crockett for a while and was then retired. \n\nIt should not be confused with the UWF Heavyweight Championship that was defended in the Universal Wrestling Federation promotion owned by Herb Abrams. That title and promotion began several years after Watts' promotion was sold.\n\nTitle history\n\nReferences\n\nUniversal Wrestling Federation (Bill Watts) championships\nHeavyweight wrestling championships" ]
[ "Tropic Thunder", "Promotion", "What is the rating of the movie?", "The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5,", "Who are the actor in the movie?", "Stiller, Downey, and Black", "When was the release of the movie?", "August 2008,", "Who produced the film?", "I don't know.", "Who is the director of the film?", "I don't know.", "When was the promotion happened?", "Between April 2008 and the film's commercial release in August 2008, the film had over 250 promotional screenings." ]
C_4d02f75601a64091b6ff73fb8c6deeda_0
Are there any military involve in the shooting of the film?
7
Are there any military involved in the shooting of the Tropic Thunder film?
Tropic Thunder
A trailer for the film was released in April 2008. The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5, commenting: "This could either be good or very, very bad." Gary Susman of Entertainment Weekly questioned whether the film would "... turn into precisely the kind of bloated action monstrosity that it's making fun of." The trailer received the "Best Comedy Trailer" award at the 9th annual Golden Trailer Awards. DreamWorks also released a red band trailer, the first of its kind used by the studio to promote one of its films. Stiller, Downey, and Black appeared on the seventh-season finale of American Idol in a sketch as The Pips performing with Gladys Knight (via archival footage). The three actors also later performed a sketch at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards which featured the actors attempting to create a successful viral video to promote the film with awkward results. In September 2008, Stiller and Downey attended the San Sebastian International Film Festival to promote the film. A screening was shown, but it was not chosen to compete against the other films at the festival. Between April 2008 and the film's commercial release in August 2008, the film had over 250 promotional screenings. On August 3, 2008, Stiller, Downey, and Black visited Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine Corps base in California, to present a screening to over a thousand military members and their families. The screening was on behalf of the United Service Organizations and included the actors heading to the screening by helicopter and Humvees. On August 8, 2008, a special 30-minute fictional E! True Hollywood Story aired about the making of Tropic Thunder. In video games, a themed scavenger hunt was incorporated into Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, and Stiller allowed his likeness to be used in the online Facebook application game based on the film. As a tie-in for the film's release, Paramount announced it would market the energy drink known in the film as "Booty Sweat". Michael Corcoran, Paramount's president of consumer products, commented on the release: "We're very excited, because it has the potential to live for quite a while, well beyond the film." The drink was sold in college bookstores, on Amazon.com, and at other retailers. CANNOTANSWER
Stiller, Downey, and Black visited Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine Corps base in California, to present a screening to over a thousand military members and their families.
Tropic Thunder is a 2008 action-comedy film directed by Ben Stiller, who wrote the screenplay with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen. The film stars Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jay Baruchel, and Brandon T. Jackson as a group of prima donna actors making a Vietnam War film. When their frustrated director (Steve Coogan) drops them in the middle of a jungle, they are forced to rely on their acting skills to survive the real action and danger. Tropic Thunder parodies many famous war films, specifically those based on the Vietnam War. The ensemble cast includes Tom Cruise, Nick Nolte, Danny McBride, Matthew McConaughey, and Bill Hader. Stiller developed Tropic Thunder premise during the production of Empire of the Sun in the spring of 1987, and later enlisted Theroux and Cohen to complete a script. The film was green-lit in 2006, and was produced by Stuart Cornfeld, Stiller, and Eric McLeod for Red Hour Productions and DreamWorks Pictures as an international co-production between the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom. Filming took place in 2007 on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i over thirteen weeks and was the largest film production in the island's history. The extensive marketing campaign included faux websites for the three main characters and their fictional films, a fictional television special, and selling the energy drink advertised in the film, "Booty Sweat". Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks released Tropic Thunder in the US on August 13, 2008. It received generally positive reviews for its characters, story, faux trailers, and cast performances. However, the depiction of the mentally handicapped and use of blackface makeup attracted controversy. The film opened at the top of the American box office and retained the number-one position for three consecutive weeks, ultimately grossing more than $195 million worldwide before its release on home media on November 18, 2008. Downey was nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, while both he and Cruise received nominations for a Golden Globe Award. Plot Hook-handed Vietnam veteran Staff Sergeant John "Four Leaf" Tayback's memoir Tropic Thunder is being made into a film. With the exception of newcomer supporting actor Kevin Sandusky, the cast—fading action hero Tugg Speedman, overbearing five-time Academy Award-winning Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus, loudmouthed rapper Alpa Chino, and drug-addicted comedian Jeff Portnoy—all cause problems for the inexperienced director Damien Cockburn, who cannot control them, resulting in a million-dollar pyrotechnics scene being wasted. With the project months behind schedule, studio executive Les Grossman gives Damien an ultimatum: get the cast under control or the project will be cancelled. On Four Leaf's advice, Damien drops the actors into the middle of the jungle, with hidden cameras and rigged special effects explosions to film "guerrilla-style". The actors have guns that fire blanks, along with a map and scene listing that will lead to a helicopter waiting at the end of the route. Unknown to the actors and production, the group have been dropped in the middle of the Golden Triangle, the home of the heroin-producing Flaming Dragon gang. Just as the group is about to set off, Damien inadvertently steps on an old land mine and is blown up, stunning the actors. Tugg, believing Damien faked his death to encourage the cast to give better performances, assures the others that Damien is alive, and that they are still shooting the film. Kirk is unconvinced but joins them in their trek through the jungle just to get out of the jungle. When Four Leaf and pyrotechnics operator Cody Underwood try to locate the deceased director, they are captured by Flaming Dragon. Four Leaf is revealed to have hands; he confesses to Underwood that he actually served in the Coast Guard, has never left the United States, and that he wrote his "memoir" as a tribute. As the actors continue through the jungle, Kirk, who has become convinced that Tugg's ineptitude is putting them in jeopardy, and Kevin, the only actor who bothered to properly prepare for his role, discover that Tugg is leading them in the wrong direction. The resulting argument results in Kirk leading the rest of the cast back toward the resort they are staying at as an increasingly delirious Tugg is captured by Flaming Dragon. Taken to their base, Tugg believes it is a POW camp from the script. The gang discovers he is the star of their favorite film, the box-office bomb Simple Jack, and force him to reenact it several times a day, leading him to become brainwashed. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Tugg's agent Rick 'Pecker' Peck confronts Les over an unfulfilled term in Tugg's contract that entitles him to a TiVo. Flaming Dragon calls during the discussion and demands a ransom for Tugg, but Les instead delivers a profanity-laden death threat. Les is uninterested in rescuing Tugg and is instead delighted at the prospect of a large insurance payout if Tugg dies. He attempts to convince Pecker to play along by promising a Gulfstream V jet and "lots of money". Kirk, Alpa, Jeff, and Kevin discover Flaming Dragon's heroin factory. After witnessing Tugg being tortured, they plan a rescue attempt based on the film's script. Kirk impersonates a farmer towing a "captured" Jeff on the back of a water buffalo, distracting the armed guards so Alpa and Kevin can infiltrate and find the prisoners, but a combination of broken Mandarin Chinese and inconsistencies in his story sets off the gang's boss. The actors, knowing their cover has been blown, begin firing, fooling the gang members into surrender. Their control of the gang falls apart when Jeff grabs the leader and heads for the drugs, and the gang, realizing the guns fire blanks, recover their guns and fight back. The four actors locate Four Leaf, Cody, and Tugg and cross a bridge rigged to explode to get to Underwood's helicopter. Tugg initially remains behind, believing Flaming Dragon to be his "family," but runs back screaming, chased by an angry horde. Four Leaf destroys the bridge, rescuing Tugg, but as the helicopter takes off, the gang boss fires an RPG at the helicopter. Rick unexpectedly stumbles out of the jungle and saves them by throwing a TiVo box into the path of the grenade. The crew return to Hollywood and footage from the hidden cameras is compiled into the feature film Tropic Blunder, which becomes a major critical and commercial success. The film wins Tugg his first Academy Award, which Kirk presents to him at the ceremony. Cast Ben Stiller as Tugg Speedman: Once the highest-paid, highest-grossing action film star ever due to his Scorcher franchise, his career has stalled, and he now has a reputation for appearing in nothing but box office bombs. After drawing negative coverage for his portrayal in Simple Jack, in which he plays a mentally-challenged farm boy, he takes the role of Four Leaf Tayback in an attempt to save his career. Tugg's faux trailer at the film's start is a preview for Scorcher VI: Global Meltdown, the latest in his series and a spoof of long-running summer action blockbuster franchises. Jack Black as Jeff Portnoy: A drug-addicted comedian-actor well known for portraying multiple parts in films that rely on toilet humor, particularly jokes about flatulence. In the film-within-a-film, he plays a raspy-voiced soldier named Fats. He fears he is only considered an actor because of his farts and nothing else. Portnoy's faux trailer for juvenile family comedy The Fatties: Fart 2, about a family (with each member played by Portnoy) which enjoys passing gas, spoofs Eddie Murphy's portrayal of multiple characters in films such as Nutty Professor II: The Klumps. Robert Downey Jr. as Kirk Lazarus: An Australian method actor and five-time Academy Award winner, Lazarus had a controversial "pigmentation alteration" surgery to temporarily darken his skin for his portrayal of the black character, Staff Sergeant Lincoln Osiris. Lazarus refuses to break character until he has recorded the DVD commentary for a part and only speaks in his character's African American Vernacular English. Lazarus's faux trailer, Satan's Alley, is about two gay monks in a 12th-century Irish monastery, parodying films like Brokeback Mountain and Downey's own scenes with Tobey Maguire (who in a cameo portrays himself playing the other monk) in Wonder Boys. Downey said he modeled Lazarus on three actors: Russell Crowe, Daniel Day-Lewis and Colin Farrell. Lazarus was originally intended to be Irish, but Downey felt more comfortable using an Australian accent, since he had portrayed an Australian character in Natural Born Killers. Nick Nolte as Four Leaf Tayback: The author of Tropic Thunder, a fake memoir of his war experiences on which the film-within-a-film is based. He suggests the idea of dropping the actors in the middle of the jungle to get them looking and feeling like soldiers lost in a foreign land. Matthew McConaughey as Rick "The Pecker" Peck: Speedman's extremely devoted agent and best friend. Steve Coogan as Damien Cockburn: The inexperienced British film director who is unable to control the actors in the film. The character was partly inspired by Richard Stanley, and his experience of directing the 1996 film The Island of Dr. Moreau, with Val Kilmer and Marlon Brando. Jay Baruchel as Kevin Sandusky: A novice actor, he is the only cast member to have read the script and book and attended the assigned boot camp prior to the film. Sandusky plays a young soldier named Brooklyn in the film-within-a-film. Brooklyn and Sandusky each occupy the position of straight man in character in the film-within-a-film and its cast, being the only actor without an internal conflict or deep-seated insecurity. He often serves as a mediator when tensions between the cast get high. Danny McBride as Cody: The film's explosives expert and helicopter pilot. He has developed a reputation for being a dangerous pyromaniac after an incident while working on Freaky Friday nearly blinded Jamie Lee Curtis. Brandon T. Jackson as Alpa Chino: A closeted homosexual rapper who is attempting to cross over into acting, portraying a soldier named Motown, while promoting his "Bust-A-Nut" candy bar and "Booty Sweat" energy drink. He feels his image as a rapper would not allow him to be openly gay. His name is a play on Al Pacino. Kevin Hart turned down the role because he did not want to play a gay character. Bill Hader as Studio Executive Rob Slolom: Grossman's assistant and right-hand man. Brandon Soo Hoo as Tran: The 12-year-old young leader of the Flaming Dragon gang. The character was compared to God's Army guerrilla leaders Johnny and Luther Htoo. Reggie Lee as Byong: The second-in-command of the Flaming Dragon gang. Trieu Tran as Tru: A dedicated soldier, and actor, in the Flaming Dragon gang. Tom Cruise as Les Grossman: The profane, ill-tempered studio executive producing Tropic Thunder. Various commentators believe he is loosely based on Scott Rudin, famous for his volcanic temper and poor treatment of others. Various actors and celebrities portray themselves, including Tobey Maguire, Tyra Banks, Maria Menounos, Martin Lawrence, The Mooney Suzuki, Jason Bateman, Lance Bass, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Alicia Silverstone, Christine Taylor, Mini Anden, Anthony Ruivivar, Yvette Nicole Brown, Rachel Avery, Sean Penn, and Jon Voight. Co-writer Justin Theroux appears in two brief roles as a UH-1 Huey gunner and the disc jockey from Zoolander (shown in a deleted scene). Production Script Stiller developed the premise for Tropic Thunder while shooting Empire of the Sun, in which he played a small part. Stiller wanted to make a film based on the actors he knew who, after taking part in boot camps to prepare for war film roles, became "self-important" and "self-involved" and appeared to believe they had been part of a real military unit. Co-writer Theroux revealed that the initial script concept was to have actors go to a mock boot camp and return with posttraumatic stress disorder. The final script was developed to satirize Vietnam War films such as Apocalypse Now, Rambo, Missing in Action, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Hamburger Hill, and The Deer Hunter. Theroux pointed out that since viewers had an increased awareness of the inner workings of Hollywood due to celebrity websites and Hollywood news sources, the script was easier to write. Dialogue for unscripted portions of the storyboard was developed on set by the actors or was improvised. Casting Stiller's original plan was cast Keanu Reeves as Tugg Speedman and himself as Rick Peck. Etan Cohen created the role of Kirk Lazarus as a way of lampooning the great lengths that some method actors go to depict a role. Downey was approached by Stiller about the part while on vacation in Hawaii. Downey said on CBS' The Early Show that his first reaction was, "This is the stupidest idea I've ever heard!" and that Stiller responded, "Yeah, I know – isn't it great?" In another interview, Downey said that he accepted the part but, having no idea where or even how to start building the character of Lazarus, eventually settled on a jive-esque speech pattern and a ragged bass voice; he then auditioned Lazarus' voice over the phone to Stiller, who approved the characterization immediately. Downey revealed that he modeled the character on actors Russell Crowe, Colin Farrell, and Daniel Day-Lewis. The initial script was written for Downey's character to be Irish, but was altered after Downey stated he could improvise better as an Australian (he had previously played a similar outlandish Australian character in the film Natural Born Killers). Downey's practice of remaining in character between takes and even off the film set was also written into the script for his character to perform. Downey required between one and a half to two hours of make-up application. According to Downey, "One makeup artist would start on one side of my face and a second makeup artist would start on the other side, and then they'd meet in the middle." Downey acknowledged the potential controversy over his role: "At the end of the day, it's always about how well you commit to the character. If I didn't feel it was morally sound, or that it would be easily misinterpreted that I'm just C. Thomas Howell [in Soul Man], I would've stayed home." Co-star Brandon T. Jackson stated: "When I first read the script, I was like: What? Blackface? But when I saw him [act] he, like, became a black man ... It was just good acting. It was weird on the set because he would keep going with the character. He's a method actor." Stiller commented on Downey's portrayal of a white actor playing a black man: "When people see the movie – in the context of the film, he's playing a method actor who's gone to great lengths to play a black guy. The movie is skewering actors and how they take themselves so seriously." Stiller previewed the film before the NAACP, and several black journalists reacted positively to the character. Cruise was initially set to cameo as Stiller's character's agent, Rick Peck. Instead, Cruise suggested adding a studio head character, and the idea was incorporated into the script. Stiller and Cruise worked together to create the new character, Les Grossman, as a middle-aged businessman. The role required that Cruise don a fatsuit, large prosthetic hands, and a bald cap. It was Cruise's idea to give the character large hands and dance to "Low". Stiller intended to keep Cruise's role a secret until the film's release. In addition, Paramount Pictures refused to release promotional pictures of Cruise's character to the media. In November 2007, images of Cruise wearing a bald headpiece and a fatsuit appeared on Inside Edition, as well as on the Internet. Cruise's attorneys threatened a lawsuit if photos showing Cruise in costume were published. They approached various sites that were hosting the image and quickly had it removed. A representative for Cruise stated: "Mr. Cruise's appearance was supposed to be a surprise for his fans worldwide. Paparazzi have ruined what should have been a fun discovery for moviegoers." The photography agency INF, who debuted the image, responded with a statement: "While these pictures were taken without breaking any criminal or civil laws, we've decided to pull them from circulation effective immediately." Serving as a last-minute replacement, Tobey Maguire was available to be on set for only two hours to film his scenes in Satan's Alley. Downey said he was amazed Maguire would agree to do the film and felt like they were creating a "karmic pay-off" for their scenes together in the 2000 film Wonder Boys, where Downey's character has a one-night stand with Maguire's character. After Cruise vacated the role of Rick Peck, Owen Wilson was cast to play the part. Following his suicide attempt in August 2007, Wilson dropped out of the film and was replaced by Matthew McConaughey. Filming Although Southern California and Mexico were considered for the main unit filming, the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i (where Stiller has a home) was selected for the majority of the shooting. Kaua'i was chosen over Mexico because a tax credit for in-state spending was negotiated with the Kaua'i Film Commission. John Toll, the cinematographer, stated the island was also selected for its similarity to Vietnam, based on its dense foliage, variety of terrains, and weather. Kaua'i was first scouted as a possible location to film Tropic Thunder in 2004. Stiller spent more than 25 hours over 6 weeks exploring the island, using all-terrain vehicles, boats, and helicopters. After the film was greenlit by DreamWorks in 2006, pre-production lasted for six months, most of this time spent on scouting additional locations for filming. Filming for the Los Angeles and interior scenes occurred on sets at Universal Studios in Hollywood. Tropic Thunder was the first major studio production on Kaua'i in five years. After filming was completed, it was deemed the largest production filmed on the island to date, and contributed more than $60 million to the local economy. Tim Ryan, the executive editor of Hawaii Film & Video Magazine, commented on the filming on the island: "I think Tropic Thunder will give Kaua'i much needed and long idled publicity in the production arena ... It should put Kaua'i back on the production consideration radar." Preliminary production crews were on the island starting in December 2006 and principal photography began in July 2007, with filming lasting thirteen weeks over seven separate locations on the island. Much of the filming took place on private land as well as conservation status designated areas. Casting calls on the island sought 500 residents to portray the villagers in the film. Two units shot simultaneously on the island from the ground, and an aerial unit shot from helicopters. Many of the sets and the bridge used for one of the final scenes were built in three months. The island's erratic weather hampered filming with rain and lighting issues. The crew also faced complications in moving the equipment and cast due to the difficult terrain. The film advising company Warriors Inc. was enlisted to ensure the war scenes, including the attire worn by the actors, looked authentic. Former members of the U.S. military taught the actors how to handle, fire, and reload their weapons, as well as perform various tactical movements. The opening war scene was filmed over three weeks and required fifty stuntmen. Animatics were used to map out the necessary camera angles for filming. Effects Six companies working on different scenes and elements created 500 shots of visual effects in the film. These were at times altered weekly due to the reactions of test audiences in screenings. CIS Visual Effects Group assisted with the Scorcher VI faux trailer and twenty additional shots for the home media release. To expand on the comedy in the film, some of the explosions and crashes were embellished to look more destructive. The visual effects supervisor Michael Fink reflected on the exaggerated explosions: "We worked really hard to make the CG crashing helicopter in the hot landing sequence look real. Ben was adamant about that, but at the same time he wanted the explosion to be huge. When you see it hit the ground, it was like it was filled with gasoline! It was the same thing with Ben's sergeant character, who almost intercepts a hand grenade ... Now, I was in the Army for three years and no hand grenade would make an explosion like that ... But it was a big dramatic moment and it looks really cool ... and feels kind of real." Filming the large napalm explosion in the opening scene of the film required a 450-foot (137-meter) row of explosive pots containing 1,100 gallons (4,165 liters) of gasoline and diesel fuel. All the palm trees used in the explosion were moved to the specific location after the crew determined the impact of the lighting and necessary camera angles. Due to the size and cost of the 1.25-second explosion, it was performed only once and was captured by twelve cameras. For the safety of the crew and cast, the detonators were added one hour before the explosion and nobody was allowed to be within during detonation. The explosion was made up of twelve individual explosions and resulted in a mushroom cloud that reached in the air. For the scene in the film, Danny McBride's character, Cody Underwood, was the only actor shown in the shot of the explosion. All the other characters were added digitally. The explosion of the bridge in one of the final scenes used nine cameras to capture the shot, and the crew was required to be away for their safety. Promotion A trailer for the film was released in April 2008. The Calgary Herald gave it a rating of 3/5, commenting: "This could either be good or very, very bad." Gary Susman of Entertainment Weekly questioned whether the film would "... turn into precisely the kind of bloated action monstrosity that it's making fun of." The trailer received the "Best Comedy Trailer" award at the 9th annual Golden Trailer Awards. DreamWorks also released a red band trailer, the first of its kind used by the studio to promote one of its films. Stiller, Downey, and Black appeared on the seventh-season finale of American Idol in a sketch as The Pips performing with Gladys Knight (via archival footage). The three actors also later performed a sketch at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards which featured the actors attempting to create a successful viral video to promote the film with awkward results. In September 2008, Stiller and Downey attended the San Sebastián International Film Festival to promote the film. A screening was shown, but it was not chosen to compete against the other films at the festival. Between April 2008 and the film's commercial release in August 2008, the film had over 250 promotional screenings. On August 3, 2008, Stiller, Downey, and Black visited Camp Pendleton, a U.S. Marine Corps base in California, to present a screening to over a thousand military members and their families. The screening was on behalf of the United Service Organizations and included the actors heading to the screening by helicopter and Humvees. On August 8, 2008, a special 30-minute fictional E! True Hollywood Story aired about the making of Tropic Thunder. In video games, a themed scavenger hunt was incorporated into Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, and Stiller allowed his likeness to be used in the online Facebook application game based on the film. As a tie-in for the film's release, Paramount announced it would market the energy drink known in the film as "Booty Sweat". Michael Corcoran, Paramount's president of consumer products, commented on the release: "We're very excited, because it has the potential to live for quite a while, well beyond the film." The drink was sold in college bookstores, on Amazon.com, and at other retailers. Faux websites and mockumentary Several faux websites were created for the main characters and some of their prior film roles. A website for Simple Jack, a faux film exhibited within the film, was removed by DreamWorks on August 4, 2008, due to protests from disability advocates. In addition, other promotional websites were created for "Make Pretty Skin Clinic", the fictitious company that performed the surgery of the film's character Kirk Lazarus, along with one for the energy drink "Booty Sweat". In mid-July 2008, a faux trailer for the mockumentary Rain of Madness was released. The mockumentary was a parody of Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse. It follows co-writer Justin Theroux as a fictitious documentarian named Jan Jürgen documenting the behind-the-scenes aspects of the film within the film. Marketing for the faux documentary included a movie poster and an official website prior to Tropic Thunders release. The mockumentary was released on the iTunes Store after the film's release and was also included on the home video release. Amy Powell, an advertising executive with Paramount, reflected on the timing of the release of Madness: "We always thought that people would be talking about Tropic Thunder at the water cooler, and that's why we decided to release Rain of Madness two weeks into Tropics run—to keep this positive buzz going." Release Theatrical release Tropic Thunder held an early screening at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con, two weeks before it officially premiered on August 11, 2008, at the Mann Village Theatre in Westwood, California and two days before its wide release. Members of several disability groups picketed before the premiere, protesting at the portrayal of intellectual disability shown in the film. The groups revealed that it was the first time that they had ever protested together at an event. As a result of the protest, the normally unobstructed views of the red carpet leading to the premiere were blocked off by 10-foot (3-m)-high fences and there was an increase in the number of security personnel present. No protests were held at the United Kingdom's September premiere. The North American release was scheduled for July 11, 2008, but was delayed until August 15, before being brought forward to August 13. As a result of the move from July, 20th Century Fox moved its family comedy Meet Dave in the open slot. The August 13 release date was also the opening weekends for the animated family film Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the horror film Mirrors. Studios consider the third week of August to be a weaker performing period than earlier in the summer because of students returning to school. Previous R-rated comedies such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Superbad were released in mid-August and performed well at the box office. Reacting to Tropic Thunders release date, Rob Moore, vice chairman of Paramount Pictures, stated: "For a young person at the end of summer, you want to have some fun and forget about going back to school. What better than a crazy comedy?" Home media Tropic Thunder was released in the United States on DVD and Blu-ray on November 18, 2008, three months after its release and a week after the end of its theatrical run in the U.S. and Canada. The film was released on home video on January 26, 2009, in the United Kingdom. Special features include an unrated director's cut of the film which is 12 minutes longer than the theatrical release, audio commentaries (including one featuring Stiller, Downey, and Black, with Downey providing his commentary as Lincoln Osiris, a nod to a joke in the film that Lazarus never breaks character until he completes the DVD commentary), several featurettes, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, and the Rain of Madness mockumentary. For the film's first week of release, Tropic Thunder placed on several video charts. It reached second place on the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart and Nielsen's Blu-ray Disc chart, earning $19,064,959 (not including Blu-ray sales). In rentals, it placed first on the Home Media Magazine'''s video rental chart. The DVD sales in 2008 totaled $42,271,059, placing it in 28th for DVD sales for the year. By September 2009, 2,963,000 DVD units have been sold, gathering revenue of $49,870,248. Reception Critical response The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 82% based on 252 reviews and an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "With biting satire, plenty of subversive humor, and an unforgettable turn by Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder is a triumphant late summer comedy." Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score from reviews by mainstream critics, gave a film score of 71 out of 100 based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". After attending an industry screening in April 2008 Michael Cieply from The New York Times stated that the film was "... shaping up as one of [DreamWorks]'s best prospects for the summer." Claudia Puig of USA Today gave the film a positive review, writing "There are some wildly funny scenes, a few leaden ones and others that are scattershot, with humorous satire undercut by over-the-top grisliness. Still, when it's funny, it's really funny." A review in Variety by Todd McCarthy was critical: "Apart from startling, out-there comic turns by Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise, however, the antics here are pretty thin, redundant and one-note." Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com would later call the film "intermittently amusing but entirely smug and hateful." Rick Groen of The Globe and Mail also gave the film a negative review, calling it "... an assault in the guise of a comedy—watching it is like getting mugged by a clown." J.R. Jones of Chicago Reader stated "The rest of the movie never lives up to the hilarity of the opening, partly because the large-scale production smothers the gags but mostly because those gags are so easy to smother." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave 3.5/4 and wrote, "The movie is, may I say, considerably better than Stiller’s previous film, Zoolander (2001). It’s the kind of summer comedy that rolls in, makes a lot of people laugh and rolls on to video." The faux trailers before the film also received mixed reviews. David Ansen of Newsweek approved of the trailers, writing "Tropic Thunder is the funniest movie of the summer—so funny, in fact, that you start laughing before the film itself has begun." Christy Lemire, writing for the Associated Press, called the trailers "... the best part of the trip." Robert Wilonsky of The Village Voice was critical, saying that the trailers' comedy "... resides in the land of the obvious, easy chuckle." Downey, Stiller, Black and Cruise were repeatedly singled out for praise by numerous critics, claiming that they "stole the show", were "... off-the-charts hilarious ...", and would bring viewers "... the fondest memories of [their] work." Scott Feinberg, of the Los Angeles Times, criticized the concept of Downey's portrayal of an African-American, writing "... I just can't imagine any circumstance under which a blackface performance would be acceptable, any more than I can imagine any circumstance under which the use of the N-word would be acceptable." Sara Vilkomerson said Cruise did "... an astonishingly funny and surprising supporting performance." Logan Hill of New York argued against Cruise's cameo saying that it "... just makes him look a little lost and almost pathetic—shucking and jiving, trying to appeal to the younger moviegoers who are abandoning him." Several critics commented on the controversy over lines in the film talking about the mentally disabled. Duane Dudek of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote that the film "... is just sophomoric enough to offend. And while it is also funny, it is without the empathy or compassion to cause us to wonder why we are laughing." Christian Toto of The Washington Times argued against the opposition, "Tropic Thunder is drawing fire from special interest groups for ... its frequent use of the word 'retard', but discerning audiences will know where the humor is targeted. And they'll be laughing too hard to take offense." Kurt Loder of MTV contrasted the opposition to the lines with Downey character portrayal of an African American, "The scene in which the derisive Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson) nails Lazarus' recitation of black-uplift homilies as nothing more than the lyrics to the Jeffersons theme is funny; but the one in which Lazarus quietly explains to Speedman that his Simple Jack character failed because he made the mistake of going 'full retard'—rather than softening his character with cuteness in the manner of Forrest Gump—is so on-the-nose accurate, it takes your breath away." Critics' lists In January 2009, Entertainment Weekly included Tropic Thunder in its list "25 Great Comedies From the Past 25 Years" for its "spot-on skewering of Hollywood." The film also appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008. Stephen King placed it at the fourth position, calling the film "the funniest, most daring comedy of the year." The Oregonians Marc Mohan, placed it sixth, and several critics placed it seventh: Elizabeth Weitzman of the New York Daily News, Premiere magazine, Mike Russell of The Oregonian, as well as Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle. David Ansen of Newsweek placed it eighth and Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly included the film in the tenth position. Box office Stacey Snider, the chief executive of DreamWorks, suggested that the film would earn around $30 million in its opening weekend and go on to be as successful as Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which earned $129 million in the U.S. and Canada and $260 million worldwide. The Dark Knight had been the number one film at the box office for the four weeks prior to the release of Tropic Thunder. Bob Thompson, a writer for the National Post, speculated that Tropic Thunders opening weekend would outperform The Dark Knight for the weekend. In a list compiled prior to the summer's film releases, Entertainment Weekly predicted that the film would be the tenth highest-grossing film of the summer at the American box office with $142.6 million.Tropic Thunder opened in 3,319 theaters and, for its first five days of American and Canadian release, earned $36,845,588. The film placed first in the weekend's box office with $25,812,796, surpassing Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Mirrors, which debuted the same weekend. Reacting to the film's opening receipts, DreamWorks spokesman Chip Sullivan stated "We're thrilled, quite frankly. It played out exactly how we hoped." In foreign markets for the film's opening weekend, it was released in 418 Russian and 19 United Arab Emirates locations earning $2.2 million and $319,000, respectively. The film maintained its number one position at the American and Canadian box office for the following two weekends, making it the second film in 2008 (after The Dark Knight) to hold the number-one position for more than two consecutive weekends. The film's widest release was in 3,473 theaters, placing it in the top 25 widest releases in the U.S. for 2008. For 2008, the film was the fifth-highest-grossing domestic R-rated film. The film's U.S. and Canada gross of over $110 million made Tropic Thunder Stiller's most successful film as a director. The film has had gross receipts of $110,515,313 in the U.S. and Canada and $85,187,498 in international markets for a total of $195,702,811 worldwide. Accolades In October 2008, Paramount chose to put end-of-year award push funds behind Tropic Thunder, and began advertising for Downey to receive a nomination by the Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor. In a November 2008 issue by Entertainment Weekly, Downey's film role was considered one of the three contenders for Best Supporting Actor. As a way of extending the film-within-a-film "universe" into real life, there were at least two online "For Your Consideration" ads touting Downey's character, Kirk Lazarus, for Best Supporting Actor; one of these contains "scenes" from Satan's Alley that were not in the trailer as released in theaters. At least one of the ads was produced by Paramount Pictures and intended for early For Your Consideration awareness for Downey's role. On January 22, 2009, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated Downey for Best Supporting Actor. At the 81st Academy Awards, Downey lost to Heath Ledger for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight. With the onset of the annual Hollywood film award season at the end of 2008, Tropic Thunder began receiving nominations and awards starting with a win for "Hollywood Comedy of the Year Award" at the 12th annual Hollywood Film Festival on October 27, 2008. The film was nominated for Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical, for the Satellite Awards. In addition, Downey was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The Broadcast Film Critics Association nominated Downey for Best Supporting Actor and awarded Tropic Thunder Best Comedy Movie at the BFCA's Critics' Choice Awards. Both Downey and Cruise received nominations from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actor. The Boston Society of Film Critics recognized the cast with its Best Ensemble award. Downey was also nominated by both the Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for Best Supporting Actor awards. ControversyTropic Thunder was criticized by the disability advocacy community. The website for Simple Jack was withdrawn on August 4 amid several groups' concerns over its portrayal of intellectual disability. A spokesman for DreamWorks said, "We heard their concerns, and we understand that taken out of context, the site appeared to be insensitive to people with disabilities." A coalition of more than 20 disability advocacy groups, including the Special Olympics and the Arc of the United States, objected to the film's repeated use of the word "retard". DreamWorks offered to screen the film for the groups on August 8 to determine if it still offended them. The screening was postponed to the same day of the premiere on August 11. After representatives for the groups attended the private screening and were offended by its content, the groups picketed outside the film's premiere. Timothy Shriver, the chairman of the Special Olympics, stated, "This population struggles too much with the basics to have to struggle against Hollywood. We're sending a message that this hate speech is no longer acceptable." Disability advocates and others who previewed the film reported that the offensive treatment of individuals with mental disabilities was woven throughout the film's plot. Disability advocates urged people not to see the film, claiming it is demeaning to individuals with mental disabilities and would encourage bullying. Stiller defended the film, stating "We screened the movie so many times and this didn't come up until very late ... in the context of the film I think it's really clear, they were making fun of the actors and actors who try to use serious subjects to win awards." Co-writer Etan Cohen echoed Stiller's rationale: "Some people have taken this as making fun of handicapped people, but we're really trying to make fun of the actors who use this material as fodder for acclaim." He went on to state that the film lampoons actors who portray intellectually disabled or autistic characters such as Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, and Sean Penn in I Am Sam. A DreamWorks spokesman did not directly respond to the criticism, claiming that Tropic Thunder "... is an R-rated comedy that satirizes Hollywood and its excesses, makes its point by featuring inappropriate and over-the-top characters in ridiculous situations." The film's advertising was altered, but none of the scenes in the film were edited as a result of the opposition. In response to the controversy, the director's cut of the DVD (but not the Blu-ray) includes a public service announcement in the special features that discourages use of the word "retard". Another aspect that drew warning before the release of the movie and criticism afterwards was Robert Downey Jr. playing a white Australian actor who dons "blackface" as part of his method acting the role of an African-American man. He responded by pointing out that this was a case of donning "blackface" in order to point out how wrong it is. Others have point out that the wrongness of "blackface" is addressed within the movie itself by an actual African-American, and that the climax of movie pins on Downey Jr.'s shedding of his method acting; in this way the movie mocks, rather than embraces, both "blackface" and the extreme and ridiculous things method actors sometimes do for their roles. Some have pointed out that how the film characterized and how non-Jewish Tom Cruise portrayed the Jewish character of Les Grossman (in addition to his name, he also references the Jewish holiday of Purim) is antisemitic. Critics have also referred to this performance as "Jewface" as early as 2008 (years before Sarah Silverman raised awareness of the term), calling it "vulgar" and "exploitation". Reportedly, Tom Cruise was largely responsibly for the final form Les Grossman took, including using him as an additional villain, the hairiness of the character and the "fat hands". MusicTropic Thunders score and soundtrack were released on August 5, 2008, the week before the film's theatrical release. The score was composed by Theodore Shapiro and performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony. William Ruhlmann of AllMusic gave the score a positive review, stating it is "...an affectionate and knowing satire of the history of Hollywood action movie music, penned by an insider." Thomas Simpson of Soundtrack.Net called it "...a mixture of fun, seriousness, rock n' roll and great scoring." Five songs, "Cum On Feel the Noize" by Quiet Riot, "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones, "For What It's Worth" by Buffalo Springfield, "Low" by Flo Rida and T-Pain, and "Get Back" by Ludacris, were not present on the soundtrack, yet did appear in the film. The soundtrack features songs from The Temptations, MC Hammer, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Edwin Starr, and other artists. The single "Name of the Game" by The Crystal Method featuring Ryu has an exclusive remix on the soundtrack. The soundtrack debuted 20th on Billboards Top Soundtracks list and peaked at 39th on its Top Independent Albums list. James Christopher Monger of allmusic compared the music to other film's soundtracks such as Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and Forrest Gump'' and called it "...a fun but slight listen that plays out like an old late-'70s K-Tel compilation with a few bonus cuts from the future." Spin-off Cruise reprised his character Les Grossman for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. On June 9, 2010, it was announced that a spin-off film would be developed centering on Grossman. A script has been written by Michael Bacall. In March 2012, Bacall gave an update on the long-rumored Les Grossman spin-off movie, revealing that the film will attempt to uncover where Grossman's well-documented anger issues originated. See also List of films featuring fictional films References External links English-language films 2008 films 2008 action comedy films 2000s satirical films American films American action comedy films American satirical films British films British action comedy films British satirical films German films English-language German films German action comedy films German satirical films Mandarin-language films Films about actors Films about filmmaking Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Hawaii Films shot in Los Angeles Military humor in film Films about the United States Army Films directed by Ben Stiller Films produced by Ben Stiller Films with screenplays by Etan Cohen Films with screenplays by Justin Theroux Films scored by Theodore Shapiro DreamWorks Pictures films Paramount Pictures films Red Hour Productions films 2008 comedy films Torture in films Blackface minstrel shows and films
true
[ "Patriot Park is a theme park in Kubinka, Russia that is themed around equipment of the Russian military. The park, which officially opened in 2016, is designed around a military theme, and includes interactive exhibits with military equipment.\n\nThe park incorporates the Aviation Museum of the Kubinka air base and the Kubinka Tank Museum. The location of the exhibits and the restrictions for civilian visitors are changed very often without any notifications. In 2020 the Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces was completed and plans for an Armed Force Museum are in progress.\n\nThe park has hosted International Military-Technical Forum \"Army\" since 2015.\n\nSpecifications \n Total land area — 5,414 hectares (54.14 km2)\n Military base — 3,530 hectares (35.3 km2)\n Civilian part — 1,884 hectares (18.84 km2)\n Maximum planned attendance is 20,000 visitors\n\nThe shooting range inside Patriot Park has an area of over 160 hectares (1.6 km2) and 32 shooting bays:\n One 1400 m long shooting bay\n 21 shooting bays of 300 m length\n 10 shooting bays of 50 m length\n\nThe entire shooting range is more than 2,500 m wide, and each bay has a stand with seats for spectators and participants. There are also firearm storage facilities, changing rooms and a restaurant. The total grandstand capacity is over 2,000 people.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n\n Complete set of photos of Park Patriot collection\n\nMinistry of Defence (Russia)\nAmusement parks in Russia\nOdintsovsky District\nKubinka", "The shooting ratio or \"Bertolo code\" in filmmaking and television production is the ratio between the total duration of its footage created for possible use in a project and that which appears in its final cut.\n\nA film with a shooting ratio of 2:1 would have shot twice the amount of footage than was used in the film. In real terms this means that 120 minutes of footage would have been shot to produce a film of 60 minutes in length.\n\nWhile shooting ratios can vary greatly between productions, a typical shooting ratio for a production using film stock will be between 6:1 and 10:1, whereas a similar production using video is likely to be much higher. This is a direct result of the significant difference in price between video tape stock and film stock and the necessary processing. Although the decisions, styles and preferences of the filmmakers can affect the shooting ratio of a project greatly, the nature of the production (genre, form, single camera, multi-camera, etc.) greatly affects the typical range of the ratios seen – documentary films typically have the highest (often exceeding 100:1 following the rise of video and digital media) and animated films have the lowest (typically as close to 1:1 as possible, since the creation of footage frame by frame makes the time costs of animation extremely high compared to live action). Animated productions will often shoot acting reference (by animators of themselves and or others), location reference, and performance reference (taken of voice actors), but these pieces of reference footage are not regarded as counting towards the shooting ratio, as they were never intended to appear in the projects they were created for. Audition footage, screen tests, and location reference are similarly not counted towards a narrative film's shooting ratio, live action or animated, for the same reason. Since a documentary may potentially use any footage that is shot at any point for any reason, documentary productions do not have similar exceptions. Head slates, tail slates, and outtakes are counted live action shooting ratios because, although the footage is not intended for use in the final picture, it is contained on the same reels and masters as the footage that is intended for final picture. Animated and visual effects projects typically do not include slates as part of the shooting ratio, since they virtually are instantaneous and zero-cost to create in digital formats.\n\nIn modern productions, due to the rise of digital cinema, shooting ratios are less limited by price of stock and storage, since the vast majority of productions are now entirely or partially digital. Shooting ratios instead defined and limited by the expense (in time, labor, and money, and memory) of actually shooting and editing the film, rather than cost of raw media.\n\nReferences\n\nFilm and video terminology\nRatios\nTelevision terminology" ]
[ "The Police", "1979: Reggatta de Blanc" ]
C_99f5eef46d72402dbe1a292c41149f71_0
Was there any hits from this album
1
Was there any hits from Reggatta de Blanc?
The Police
In October 1979, the group released their second album, Reggatta de Blanc, which topped the UK Albums Chart, and became the first of five consecutive UK No. 1 albums. The album spawned the hit singles "Message in a Bottle" (No. 1 UK, No. 2 Canada, No. 5 Australia) and "Walking on the Moon" (No. 1 UK). The album's singles failed to dent the US top 40, but Reggatta de Blanc still hit No. 25 on the US album charts. The band's first live performance of "Message in a Bottle" was on the BBC's television show Rock Goes to College filmed at Hatfield Polytechnic College in Hertfordshire. The instrumental title track "Regatta de Blanc" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. In February 1980, the single "So Lonely" was re-issued in the UK. Originally a non-charting flop when first issued in late 1978, upon re-release the track became a UK top 10 hit, peaking at No. 6. In March 1980, the Police began their first world tour, which included places that had seldom hosted foreign performers---including Mexico, India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Greece, and Egypt. The tour was subsequently documented in the film The Police Around the World (1982), directed by Kate and Derek Burbidge, which encompasses footage shot by Anne Nightingale originally intended for a BBC production The Police in the East. In May 1980, A&M in the UK released Six Pack, a package containing the five previous A&M singles (not including "Fall Out") in their original sleeves plus a mono alternate take of the album track "The Bed's Too Big Without You" backed with a live version of "Truth Hits Everybody". It reached No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart (although chart regulations introduced later in the decade would have classed it as an album). CANNOTANSWER
Regatta de Blanc" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police became globally popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Emerging in the British new wave scene, they played a style of rock influenced by punk, reggae, and jazz. Their 1978 debut album, Outlandos d'Amour, reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart on the strength of the singles "Roxanne" and "Can't Stand Losing You". Their second album, Reggatta de Blanc (1979), became the first of four consecutive No. 1 studio albums in the UK and Australia; its first two singles, "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon", became their first UK number ones. Their next two albums, Zenyatta Mondatta (1980) and Ghost in the Machine (1981), led to further critical and commercial success with two songs, "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", becoming UK number-one singles and Top 5 hits in other countries; the latter album and single were their breakthrough into the US as both reached the Top 3 there. Their final studio album, Synchronicity (1983), was No. 1 in the UK, Canada, Australia, Italy and the US, selling over 8 million copies in the US. Its lead single, "Every Breath You Take", became their fifth UK number one, and only US number one. During this time, the band were considered one of the leaders of the Second British Invasion of the US; in 1983 Rolling Stone labelled them "the first British New Wave act to break through in America on a grand scale, and possibly the biggest band in the world." The Police disbanded in 1986, but reunited in early 2007 for a one-off world tour that ended in August 2008. They were the world's highest-earning musicians in 2008, due to their reunion tour. The Police have sold over 75 million records, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time. The band won a number of music awards, including six Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards—winning Best British Group once, and an MTV Video Music Award. In 2003, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Four of their five studio albums appeared on Rolling Stones list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". The band were included among both Rolling Stones and VH1's lists of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". History 1977: Formation In late November 1976, while on tour with the British progressive rock band Curved Air in Newcastle upon Tyne, in the northeast of England, the band's American drummer, Stewart Copeland, met and exchanged phone numbers with ambitious singer-bassist (and former schoolteacher) Gordon Sumner a.k.a. Sting (so nicknamed because of his habit of wearing a black-and-yellow striped sweater resembling a wasp), who at the time was playing in a jazz-rock fusion band called Last Exit. On 12 January 1977, Sting relocated to London and, on the day of his arrival, sought out Copeland for a jam session. Curved Air had recently split up and Copeland, inspired by the contemporary punk rock movement, was eager to form a new band to join the burgeoning London punk scene. While less keen, Sting acknowledged the commercial opportunities, so they formed The Police as a trio, with Corsican guitarist Henry Padovani recruited as the third member. After their debut concert on 1 March 1977 at Alexander's in Newport, Wales (which lasted only ten minutes), the group played London pubs and Punk clubs touring as backing band and support act for Cherry Vanilla and for Wayne County & the Electric Chairs. On 1 May 1977, The Police released on Illegal Records their debut single "Fall Out," recorded at Pathway Studios in Islington, North London on 12 February 1977 (a couple of weeks before the band's debut live performance), with a budget of £150. This is the only Police recording featuring Henry Padovani. Mick Jagger reviewed the single in Sounds magazine. Also in May 1977, former Gong musician Mike Howlett invited Sting to join him in the band project Strontium 90. The drummer Howlett had in mind, Chris Cutler, was unavailable, so Sting took Copeland. The band's fourth member was guitarist Andy Summers. A decade older than Sting and Copeland, Summers was a music industry veteran who had played with Eric Burdon and the Animals and Kevin Ayers among others. Strontium 90 performed at a Gong reunion concert in Paris on 28 May 1977, and played at a London club (under the name of "the Elevators") in July. The band also recorded several demo tracks: these were released (along with live recordings and an early version of "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic") 20 years later on the archive album Strontium 90: Police Academy. Summers's musicality impressed Sting, who was becoming frustrated with Padovani's rudimentary abilities and the limitations they imposed on The Police's potential. Shortly after the Strontium 90 gig, Sting approached Summers to join the band. He agreed, on the condition the band remain a trio, with him replacing Padovani. Restrained by loyalty, Copeland and Sting resisted the idea, and The Police carried on as a four-piece version. However, they only performed live twice: on 25 July 1977 at the Music Machine in London and on 5 August at the Mont de Marsan Punk Festival. Shortly after these two gigs (and an aborted recording session with ex-Velvet Underground member John Cale as producer on 10 August), Summers delivered an ultimatum to the band and Padovani was dismissed leaving him free to join Wayne County & The Electric Chairs. The effect of Summers's arrival was instant: Copeland said: "One by one, Sting's songs had started coming in, and when Andy joined, it opened up new numbers of Sting's we could do, so the material started to get a lot more interesting and Sting started to take a lot more interest in the group." The Police's power trio line-up of Copeland, Sting, and Summers performed for the first time on 18 August 1977 at Rebecca's club in Birmingham in the West Midlands. A trio was unusual for the time, and this line-up endured for the rest of the band's history. Few punk bands were three-pieces, while contemporary bands pursuing progressive rock, symphonic rock and other sound trends usually expanded their line-ups with support players. The musical background of all three players may have made them suspect to punk purists, with music critic Christopher Gable stating, The band were also able to draw on influences from reggae to jazz to progressive and pub rock. While still maintaining the main band and attempting to win over punk audiences, Police members continued to moonlight within the art rock scene. In late 1977 and early 1978, Sting and Summers recorded and performed as part of an ensemble led by German experimental composer Eberhard Schoener; Copeland also joined for a time. These performances resulted in three albums, each of them an eclectic mix of rock, electronica and jazz. Various appearances by the Schoener outfit on German television made the German public aware of Sting's unusual high-pitched voice, and helped pave the way for The Police's later popularity. The bleached-blond hair that became a band trademark happened by accident. In February 1978, the band, desperate for money, was asked to do a commercial for Wrigley's Spearmint chewing gum (directed by Tony Scott) on the condition they dye their hair blond. The commercial was shot with the band, but was shelved and never aired. 1977–1978: Recording contract and Outlandos d'Amour Copeland's older brother Miles was initially sceptical of the inclusion of Summers in the band, fearing it would undermine their punk credibility, and reluctantly agreed to provide £1,500 to finance The Police's first album. Recording Outlandos d'Amour was difficult, as the band was working on a small budget, with no manager or record deal. It was recorded during off-peak hours at the Surrey Sound Studios in Leatherhead, Surrey, a converted recording facility above a dairy which was run by brothers Chris and Nigel Gray. During one of his periodic studio visits, Miles heard "Roxanne" for the first time at the end of a session. Where he had been less enthusiastic about the band's other songs, the elder Copeland was immediately struck by the track, and quickly got The Police a record deal with A&M Records on the strength of it. "Roxanne" was issued as a single in the spring of 1978, while other album tracks were still being recorded, but it failed to chart. It also failed to make the BBC's playlist, which the band attributed to the song's depiction of prostitution. A&M consequently promoted the single with posters claiming "Banned by the BBC", though it was never really banned, just not play-listed. Copeland later admitted, "We got a lot of mileage out of it being supposedly banned by the BBC." The Police made their first television appearance in October 1978, on BBC2's The Old Grey Whistle Test to promote the release of Outlandos d'Amour. Though "Roxanne" was never banned, the BBC did ban the second single from Outlandos d'Amour, "Can't Stand Losing You". This was due to the single's cover, which featured Copeland hanging himself over an ice block being melted by a portable radiator. The single became a minor chart hit, The Police's first, peaking at No. 42 in the UK. The follow-up single, "So Lonely", issued in November 1978, failed to chart. In February 1979, "Roxanne" was issued as a single in North America, where it was warmly received on radio despite the subject matter. The song peaked at No. 31 in Canada and No. 32 in the US, spurring a UK re-release of it in April. The band performed "Roxanne" on BBC1's Top of the Pops, and the re-issue of the song finally gained the band widespread recognition in the UK when it peaked at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart. The group's UK success led to gigs in the US at the famous New York City club CBGB, The Rathskeller (The RAT) in Boston and at The Chance in Poughkeepsie, New York, from which "Roxanne" finally debuted on US radio on WPDH, and a gruelling 1979 North American tour in which the band drove themselves and their equipment around the country in a Ford Econoline van. That summer, "Can't Stand Losing You" was also re-released in the UK, becoming a substantial hit, peaking at No. 2. The group's first single, "Fall Out", was reissued in late 1979, peaking at No. 47 in the UK. 1979: Reggatta de Blanc In October 1979, the group released their second album, Reggatta de Blanc, which topped the UK Albums Chart and became the first of four consecutive UK No. 1 studio albums. The album spawned the hit singles "Message in a Bottle" (No. 1 UK, No. 2 Canada, No. 5 Australia) and "Walking on the Moon" (No. 1 UK). The album's singles failed to enter the US top 40, but Reggatta de Blanc still reached No. 25 on the US album charts. The band's first live performance of "Message in a Bottle" was on the BBC's television show Rock Goes to College filmed at Hatfield Polytechnic College in Hertfordshire. The instrumental title track "Reggatta de Blanc" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. In February 1980, the single "So Lonely" was reissued in the UK. Originally a non-charting flop when first issued in late 1978, upon re-release the track became a UK top 10 hit, peaking at No. 6. In March 1980, the Police began their first world tour, which included places that had seldom hosted foreign performers—including Mexico, India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Greece and Egypt. The tour was subsequently documented in the film The Police Around the World (1982), directed by Kate and Derek Burbidge, which contains footage shot by Annie Nightingale originally intended for a BBC production The Police in the East. In May 1980, A&M in the UK released Six Pack, a package containing the five previous A&M singles (not including "Fall Out") in their original sleeves plus a mono alternate take of the album track "The Bed's Too Big Without You" backed with a live version of "Truth Hits Everybody". It reached No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart (although chart regulations introduced later in the decade would have classed it as an album). 1980–1981: Zenyatta Mondatta Pressured by their record company for a new record and a prompt return to touring, the Police released their third album, Zenyatta Mondatta, in October 1980. The album was recorded in a three-week period in the Netherlands for tax reasons. The album gave the group their third UK No. 1 hit, "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (the UK's best-selling single of 1980) and another hit single, "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da", both of which reached No. 10 in the US. While the three band members and co-producer Nigel Gray all expressed immediate regret over the rushed recording for the album, which was finished at 4 a.m. on the day the band began their world tour, the album received high praise from critics. The instrumental "Behind My Camel", written by Andy Summers, won the band a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, while "Don't Stand So Close to Me" won the Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance for Duo or Group. 1981–1982: Ghost in the Machine and Brimstone and Treacle The Police's fourth album, Ghost in the Machine, co-produced by Hugh Padgham, was recorded at Air Studios on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, with the exception of "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" which was recorded at Le Studio at Morin Heights, Quebec, Canada, and released in 1981. It featured thicker sounds, layered saxophones, and vocal textures. It spawned the hit singles "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (featuring pianist Jean Roussel), their fourth UK No. 1 (No. 3 in the U.S.), "Invisible Sun", and "Spirits in the Material World". As the band was unable to agree on a cover picture, the album cover had three red pictographs, digital likenesses of the three band members in the style of segmented LED displays, set against a black background. In the 1980s, Sting and Summers became tax exiles and moved to Ireland (Sting to Roundstone, County Galway, and Summers to Kinsale in County Cork) while Copeland, an American, remained in England. The group opened and closed the 1981 concert film, Urgh! A Music War. The film, which captured the music scene in the wake of punk, was masterminded by Stewart Copeland's brothers Ian and Miles. The film had a limited release but developed a mythic reputation over the years. At the 1982 Brit Awards in London, the Police received the award for Best British Group. After the Ghost in the Machine Tour concluded in 1982, the group took a sabbatical and each member pursued outside projects. By this time, Sting was becoming a major star, and he established a career beyond the Police by branching out into acting. Back in 1979, he had made a well-received debut as the "Ace Face" in the British drama film Quadrophenia, a film loosely based on The Who's rock opera, followed by a role as a mechanic in love with Eddie Cochran's music in Chris Petit's Radio On. In 1982, Sting furthered his acting career by co-starring in the Richard Loncraine film Brimstone and Treacle. He also had a minor solo hit in the United Kingdom with the movie's theme song, a cover of the 1929 hit "Spread a Little Happiness" (which appeared on the Brimstone & Treacle soundtrack, along with three new Police tracks, "How Stupid Mr Bates", "A Kind of Loving", and "I Burn for You"). Over 1981 and 1982, Summers recorded his first album with Robert Fripp, I Advance Masked. In 1983, Stewart Copeland composed the musical score for Francis Ford Coppola's film Rumble Fish. The single "Don't Box Me In (theme From Rumble Fish)", a collaboration between Copeland and singer-songwriter Stan Ridgway (of the band Wall of Voodoo) received significant airplay upon release of the film that year. Also in 1983, Sting filmed his first big-budget movie role-playing Feyd-Rautha in David Lynch's Dune. As Sting's fame rose, his relationship with Stewart Copeland deteriorated. Their increasingly strained partnership was further stretched by the pressures of worldwide publicity and fame, conflicting egos, and their financial success. Meanwhile, both Sting's and Summers's marriages failed. 1983: Synchronicity and "The Biggest Band in the World" In 1983, the Police released their last studio album, Synchronicity, which spawned the hit singles "Every Breath You Take", "Wrapped Around Your Finger", "King of Pain", and "Synchronicity II". By that time, several critics deemed them "the biggest rock band in the world". Recording the album, however, was a tense affair with increasing disputes among the band. The three members recorded their contributions individually in separate rooms and over-dubbed at different times. The Synchronicity Tour began in Chicago, Illinois in July 1983 at the original Comiskey Park, and on 18 August the band played in front of 70,000 in Shea Stadium, New York. Near the end of the concert, Sting announced: "We'd like to thank the Beatles for lending us their stadium." Looking back, Copeland states, "Playing Shea Stadium was big because, even though I'm a septic tank (rhyming slang for 'Yank'), The Police is an English band and I'm a Londoner – an American Londoner – so it felt like conquering America." They played throughout the UK in December 1983, including four sold out nights at London's Wembley Arena, and the tour ended in Melbourne, Australia on 4 March 1984 at the Melbourne Showgrounds (the final concert featured Sunnyboys, Kids In The Kitchen, Bryan Adams and Australian Crawl, with the Police topping the bill). Sting's look, dominated by his orange-coloured hair (a result of his role in Dune) and tattered clothing, both of which were emphasised in the music videos from the album, carried over into the set for the concert. Except for "King of Pain", the singles were accompanied by music videos directed by Godley & Creme. Synchronicity became a No. 1 album in both the UK (where it debuted at No. 1) and the US. It stayed at No. 1 in the UK for two weeks and in the US for seventeen weeks. It was nominated for Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, but lost to Michael Jackson's Thriller. "Every Breath You Take" won the Grammy for Song of the Year, beating Jackson's "Billie Jean". "Every Breath You Take" also won the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, while the album won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. "Every Breath You Take" also won the American Video Award for Best Group video, and the song won two Ivor Novello Awards in the categories Best Song Musically and Lyrically and Most Performed Work from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors. 1984–1986: Hiatus, aborted sixth studio album During the group's 1983 Shea Stadium concert, Sting felt performing at the venue was "Everest" and decided to pursue a solo career, according to the documentary The Last Play at Shea. After the Synchronicity tour ended in March 1984, the band went on hiatus while Sting recorded and toured in support of his successful solo debut LP, the jazz-influenced The Dream of the Blue Turtles, released in June 1985; Copeland recorded and filmed The Rhythmatist (1985); and Summers recorded another album with Robert Fripp (Bewitched, 1984) and the theme song for the film 2010—which was not used in the film, but included on the soundtrack album. At the 1985 Brit Awards held at London's Grosvenor Hotel on 11 February, the band received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In July the same year, Sting and Copeland participated in Live Aid at Wembley Stadium, London. In June 1986, the Police reconvened to play three concerts for the Amnesty International A Conspiracy of Hope tour. Their last performance on stage before their split was on 15 June at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. They ended their set with "Invisible Sun", bringing out Bono to sing the final verse. When they finished, they handed U2 their instruments for the all-star finale of "I Shall Be Released". As the lead singer of U2 – who themselves would soon be regarded as the biggest band in the world – Bono stated, "It was a very big moment, like passing a torch." In July of that year, the trio reunited in the studio to record a new album. However, Copeland broke his collarbone in a fall from a horse and was unable to play the drums. As a result of the tense and short-lived reunion in the studio, "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" was released in October 1986 as their final single and made it into the UK Top 25. It also appeared on the 1986 compilation Every Breath You Take: The Singles, which reached No. 1 in the UK album charts. A rerecorded version of "De Do Do Do De Da Da Da" was subsequently also included on the DTS-CD release of the Every Breath You Take: The Classics album in 1995. The album has sold over five million copies in the US. Following the failed effort to record a new studio album, the Police effectively disbanded. In the liner notes to the Police's box set Message in a Box, Summers explains: "The attempt to record a new album was doomed from the outset. The night before we went into the studio Stewart broke his collarbone falling off a horse and that meant we lost our last chance of recovering some rapport just by jamming together. Anyway, it was clear Sting had no real intention of writing any new songs for the Police. It was an empty exercise." 1986–2006: Disbandment Each band member continued with his solo career over the next 20 years. Sting continued recording and touring as a solo performer to great success. Summers recorded a number of albums, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with other musicians. Copeland became a prolific producer of movie and television soundtracks, and he recorded and toured with two new bands, Animal Logic and Oysterhead. However, a few events did bring the Police back together, albeit briefly. Summers played guitar on Sting's album ...Nothing Like the Sun (1987), a favour the singer returned by playing bass on Summers' album Charming Snakes (1989) and later singing lead vocals on "'Round Midnight" for Summers' tribute to Thelonious Monk Green Chimneys (1999). On 2 October 1991 (Sting's 40th birthday), Summers joined Sting on stage at the Hollywood Bowl during The Soul Cages Tour to perform "Walking on the Moon", "Every Breath You Take", and "Message in a Bottle". The performance was broadcast as a pay-per-view event. On 22 August 1992, Sting married Trudie Styler in an 11th-century chapel in Wiltshire, southwest England. Summers and Copeland were invited to the ceremony and reception. Aware that all band members were present, the wedding guests pressured the trio into playing, and they performed "Roxanne" and "Message in a Bottle". Copeland said later that "after about three minutes, it became 'the thing' again". In 1995 A&M released Live!, a double live album produced by Summers featuring two complete concerts—one recorded on 27 November 1979 at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston during the Reggatta de Blanc tour, and one recorded on 2 November 1983 at the Omni in Atlanta, Georgia, during the Synchronicity Tour (the latter was also documented in the VHS tape Synchronicity Concert in 1984). On 10 March 2003, the Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and performed "Roxanne", "Message in a Bottle", and "Every Breath You Take" live, as a group (the last song was performed alongside Steven Tyler, Gwen Stefani, and John Mayer). In the autumn of 2003, Sting released his autobiography, Broken Music. In 2004, Copeland and Summers joined Incubus onstage at KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas concert in Los Angeles performing "Roxanne" and "Message in a Bottle". In 2004, Henry Padovani released an album with the participation of Copeland and Sting on one track, reuniting the original Police line-up for the first time since 1977. Also in 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the Police No. 70 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2006, Stewart Copeland released a rockumentary about the band called Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out, based on Super-8 filming he did when the band was touring and recording in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In October 2006, Andy Summers released One Train Later, an autobiographical memoir detailing his early career and time with the band. 2007–2008: Reunion tour In early 2007, reports surfaced the trio would reunite for a tour to mark the Police's 30th anniversary, more than 20 years since their split in 1986. On 22 January 2007, the punk wave magazine Side-Line broke the story the Police would reunite for the Grammys, and would perform "Roxanne". Side-Line also stated the Police were to embark on a massive world tour. Billboard magazine later confirmed the news, quoting Summers' 2006 statement as to how the band could have continued post-Synchronicity: "The more rational approach would have been, 'OK, Sting, go make a solo record, and let's get back together in two or three years.' I'm certain we could have done that. Of course we could have. We were definitely not in a creative dry space. We could have easily carried on, and we could probably still be there. That wasn't to be our fate. It went in another way. I regret we never paid it off with a last tour." The band opened the 49th Annual Grammy Awards on 11 February 2007 in Los Angeles, announcing, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are The Police, and we're back!" before launching into "Roxanne". A&M, the band's record company, promoted the 2007–08 reunion tour as the 30th anniversary of the band's formation and of the release of their first single for A&M, "Roxanne". The Police Reunion Tour began in late May 2007 with two shows in Vancouver. Stewart Copeland gave a scathing review of the show on his own website, which the press interpreted as a feud occurring two gigs into the tour. Copeland later apologised for besmirching "my buddy Sting," and chalked up the comments to "hyper self-criticism". Tickets for the British leg of the tour sold out within 30 minutes, and the band played two nights at Twickenham Stadium on 8 and 9 September. On 29 and 30 September 2007, Henry Padovani joined the group on stage for the final encore of their two shows in Paris, playing the song "Next to You" as a four-piece band. In October 2007, the group played the largest gig of the reunion tour in Dublin in front of 82,000 fans. The group headlined the TW Classic festival in Werchter, Belgium on 7 June 2008. They also headlined the last night of the 2008 Isle of Wight Festival on 15 June, the Heineken Jammin' Festival in Venice on 23 June and the Sunday night at Hard Rock Calling (previously called Hyde Park Calling) in London on 29 June. In February 2008, the band announced that, when the tour finished, they would break up again. "There will be no new album, no big new tour," said Sting. "Once we're done with our reunion tour, that's it for The Police." The final show of the tour was on 7 August 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The band performed the opening song, "Message in a Bottle", with the brass band of the New York Metropolitan Police Corp. Later, they performed "Sunshine of Your Love" and "Purple Haze" as a tribute to the rock trios that preceded them: Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. While announcing the show, the group also donated $1 million to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's initiative to plant one million trees in the city by 2017. The world's highest-earning musicians in 2008, the tour sold 3.7 million tickets and grossed $358 million, making it the third-highest-grossing tour of all time at its conclusion. On 11 November 2008, the Police released Certifiable: Live in Buenos Aires, a Blu-ray, DVD and CD set of the band's two performances in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the tour (1 and 2 December 2007). Those sets with two DVDs also included a documentary shot by Copeland's son Jordan entitled Better Than Therapy as well as some photographs of Buenos Aires taken by Andy Summers. Musical style The Police started as a punk rock band, but soon expanded their music vocabulary to incorporate reggae, pop and new wave sonorities to their sound. In his retrospective assessment Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic argues that the notion of the Police as a punk rock band was true only "in the loosest sense of the term". He states the band's "nervous, reggae-injected pop/rock was punky" and had a "punk spirit" but it "wasn't necessarily punk". A "power trio," The Police are known as a new wave and post-punk band, with many songs falling in the reggae-fusion genre. Legacy In 2003, the Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the Police number 70 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and in 2010, the band were ranked 40th on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Four of the band's five studio albums appeared on Rolling Stone'''s 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Ghost in the Machine (number 322), Reggatta de Blanc (number 369), Outlandos d'Amour (number 434), and Synchronicity (number 455). In 2008, Q magazine named Synchronicity among the top 10 British Albums of the 1980s. The primary songwriter for the Police, Sting was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. In Rolling Stone's 2004 list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, "Every Breath You Take" ranked number 84 (the highest new wave song on the list), and "Roxanne" ranked number 388. "Message in a Bottle" ranked number 65 in the magazine's 2008 list of the 100 greatest guitar songs. Q magazine named "Every Breath You Take" among the top 10 British Songs of the 1980s, and in a UK-wide poll by ITV in 2015 it was voted The Nation's Favourite 80s Number One. In May 2019, "Every Breath You Take" was recognized by BMI as being the most performed song in their catalogue, overtaking "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" performed by the Righteous Brothers. With a string of UK number one albums, the Police were among the most commercially successful British bands of the early 1980s, and with success overseas they are typically regarded as in both the vanguard of the Second British Invasion, and the new wave movement. With a history of playing to large audiences (such as Shea Stadium in 1983), the Police were a featured artist in the stadium rock episode of the 2007 BBC/VH1 series Seven Ages of Rock along with Queen, Led Zeppelin, U2 and Bruce Springsteen. Despite the band's well-documented disagreements with one another, Summers confirmed in 2015 that Sting, Copeland and he are good friends. Summers said, "Despite the general press thing about 'God, they hate each other', it's actually not true, we're very supportive of one another." DiscographyOutlandos d'Amour (1978)Reggatta de Blanc (1979)Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)Ghost in the Machine (1981)Synchronicity (1983) Concert tours The Police Around the World Tour (1977–1980) Zenyatta Mondatta Tour (1980–1981) Ghost in the Machine Tour (1981–1982) Synchronicity Tour (1983–1984) The Police Reunion Tour (2007–2008) Band members Stewart Copeland – drums, percussion, backing and lead vocals, keyboards, guitars (1977–1986, 2003, 2007–2008) Sting – lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, double bass, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica (1977–1986, 2003, 2007–2008) Andy Summers – guitars, backing and lead vocals, keyboards (1977–1986, 2003, 2007–2008) Henry Padovani – guitar (1977; 2007 reunion tour finale, Paris with Sting, Summers, and Copeland) Awards and nominations Brit Awards 1982: Best British Group 1985: Outstanding Contribution to Music Grammy Awards |- !scope="row" | 1981 | "Reggatta de Blanc" | rowspan= "2" | Best Rock Instrumental Performance | |- !scope="row" rowspan= "2" | 1982 | "Behind My Camel" | |- | "Don't Stand So Close to Me" | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |- !scope="row" rowspan= "4" | 1984 | rowspan= "2" | Synchronicity| Album of the Year | |- | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |- | rowspan= "2" | "Every Breath You Take" | Record of the Year | |- | Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |- !scope="row" | 1986 | The Police Synchronicity Concert | Best Music Video, Long Form | |- Juno Awards |- | rowspan="2" | 1984 | Synchronicity| International Album of the Year | People's Choice Awards |- | 2008 | Themselves | Favorite Reunion Tour | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 10 March 2003. Other lists Ranked No.70 on Rolling Stone''s Immortals, the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Ranked No.40 on VH1's List of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. See also List of best-selling music artists List of highest-grossing concert tours List of new wave artists List of reggae rock artists References Citations Sources External links thepolice.com thepolicetour.com 1977 establishments in England 1977 in London A&M Records artists Brit Award winners British musical trios English new wave musical groups Grammy Award winners Juno Award for International Album of the Year winners Musical groups established in 1977 Musical groups reestablished in 2007 Musical groups disestablished in 2008 Musical groups from London Reggae rock groups
false
[ "Greatest Hits is a 1988 compilation album by Kenny Rogers.\n\nAll of the tracks on the album were selected from his various recordings for RCA Nashville between 1983–87. There is one track that was not originally a single called \"She's Ready for Someone to Love Her\", which makes fully half of this greatest hits track list identical to the most recent 1987 album I Prefer the Moonlight.\n\nOne single that is notably missing is \"Tomb of the Unknown Love\" from 1985's The Heart of the Matter. The song was a #1 single in both the US and Canada. Also missing is Rogers' 1986 single \"The Pride is Back\" which made #30 on the US Billboard AC chart, it had not yet been released on any album. \"I Don't Call Him Daddy\" was released as a single in support of this album, but with little promotion it peaked at #86 on the country chart.\n\nTrack listing\n\nChart performance\n\n1988 greatest hits albums\nKenny Rogers compilation albums\nRCA Records compilation albums", "The Hollies' Greatest Hits was the first greatest hits collection by British pop group The Hollies. The album was released by Imperial Records in the U.S. in May 1967 and by Capitol Records in Canada, under the title The Hits of the Hollies and with two different tracks, in July 1967. This was released a year before Parlophone issued its own hits album in England and six years before Epic issued another album in North America with this title. When Imperial was dissolved into United Artists Records in 1971, this album went out of print, prompting Epic (the group's then-current label) to issue its own \"Greatest Hits\" album two years later.\n\nThe album was available in both mono and stereo formats. A little over half of the songs on the stereo version were electronically altered (e), meaning that the mono tapes were used. The Canadian version of the album deleted the songs \"Memphis\" and \"Tell Me to My Face\", substituting early Hollies hits \"Stay\" and \"(Ain't That) Just Like Me\".\n\nNeither Capitol Records, which assumed control of the United Artists catalog in 1979, nor Parlophone Records, the current holder of the group's catalog, have issued this album on CD, as the 1973 U.S./Canadian greatest hits album on Epic, also titled The Hollies' Greatest Hits, contains six of these hits (\"Bus Stop\", \"Pay You Back With Interest\", \"Look Through Any Window\", \"Stop Stop Stop\", \"Just One Look\" and \"On a Carousel\").\n\nTrack listing\nAll tracks composed by Graham Nash, Allan Clarke and Tony Hicks, except where indicated.\n\nSide 1\n\"Bus Stop\" § e (Graham Gouldman) – 2:51 (from Bus Stop)\n\"Pay You Back with Interest\" § stereo – 2:39 (from Stop! Stop! Stop!)\n\"Here I Go Again\" e (Clive Westlake, Mort Shuman) – 2:17 (from Here I Go Again)\n\"Tell Me to My Face\" § stereo – 3:02 (from Stop! Stop! Stop!)\n\"I'm Alive\" e (Clint Ballard Jr.) – 2:22 (from Hear! Here!)\n\"Look Through Any Window\" (Gouldman, Charles Silverman) – 2:16 (from Hear! Here!)\n\nSide 2\n\"Stop Stop Stop\" § stereo – 2:52 (from Stop! Stop! Stop!)\n\"Whatcha Gonna Do 'Bout It\" stereo (Doris Payne, Gregory Carroll) – 2:17 (from Bus Stop)\n\"Just One Look\" e (Payne, Carroll) – 2:30 (from Here I Go Again)\n\"Memphis\" e (Chuck Berry) – 2:30 (from Here I Go Again)\n\"I Can't Let Go\" stereo (Chip Taylor-Al Gorgoni) – 2:25 (from Beat Group!)\n\"On a Carousel\" § e – 3:08 (from Imperial single 66231)\n\nCanadian Track Listing \nAll tracks composed by Graham Nash, Allan Clarke and Tony Hicks, except where indicated. Also indicates the original Canadian LP's\n\nSide 1\n\"Stop Stop Stop\" § – 2:52 (from Stop! Stop! Stop!)\n\"Look Through Any Window\" (Graham Gouldman, Charles Silverman) – 2:16 (from I Can't Let Go / Look Through Any Window)\n\"I Can't Let Go\" (Chip Taylor-Al Gorgoni) – 2:25 (from I Can't Let Go / Look Through Any Window)\n\"Stay\" (Maurice Williams) - 2:13 (from Stay with The Hollies)\n\"Pay You Back with Interest\" § – 2:39 (from Stop! Stop! Stop!)\n\"Here I Go Again\" (Clive Westlake, Mort Shuman) – 2:17 (from Stay with The Hollies)\n\nSide 2\n\"Bus Stop\" § (Graham Gouldman) – 2:51 (from Bus Stop)\n\"I'm Alive\" (Clint Ballard Jr.) – 2:22 (from In The Hollies Style)\n\"(Ain't That) Just Like Me\" (Earl Carroll, Billy Guy) - 2:09 (from Stay with The Hollies)\n\"On a Carousel\" § – 3:08 (from Capitol of Canada single 72450)\n\"Whatcha Gonna Do 'Bout It\" (Doris Payne, Gregory Carroll) – 2:17 (non-single LP debut)\n\"Just One Look\" (Payne, Carroll) – 2:30 (from Stay with The Hollies)\n\nPersonnel\nAllan Clarke - vocals, harmonica, guitar\nTony Hicks - lead guitar, vocals\nGraham Nash - rhythm guitar, vocals\nEric Haydock - bass guitar\nBernie Calvert - bass guitar on §\nBobby Elliott - drums\nDon Rathbone - drums on \"(Ain't That) Just Like Me\"\n\nReferences \n\nThe Hollies compilation albums\n1967 greatest hits albums\nImperial Records compilation albums\nAlbums produced by Ron Richards (producer)" ]
[ "The Police", "1979: Reggatta de Blanc", "Was there any hits from this album", "Regatta de Blanc\" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance." ]
C_99f5eef46d72402dbe1a292c41149f71_0
Did it help the growth of the band
2
Did the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance help the growth of The Police?
The Police
In October 1979, the group released their second album, Reggatta de Blanc, which topped the UK Albums Chart, and became the first of five consecutive UK No. 1 albums. The album spawned the hit singles "Message in a Bottle" (No. 1 UK, No. 2 Canada, No. 5 Australia) and "Walking on the Moon" (No. 1 UK). The album's singles failed to dent the US top 40, but Reggatta de Blanc still hit No. 25 on the US album charts. The band's first live performance of "Message in a Bottle" was on the BBC's television show Rock Goes to College filmed at Hatfield Polytechnic College in Hertfordshire. The instrumental title track "Regatta de Blanc" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. In February 1980, the single "So Lonely" was re-issued in the UK. Originally a non-charting flop when first issued in late 1978, upon re-release the track became a UK top 10 hit, peaking at No. 6. In March 1980, the Police began their first world tour, which included places that had seldom hosted foreign performers---including Mexico, India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Greece, and Egypt. The tour was subsequently documented in the film The Police Around the World (1982), directed by Kate and Derek Burbidge, which encompasses footage shot by Anne Nightingale originally intended for a BBC production The Police in the East. In May 1980, A&M in the UK released Six Pack, a package containing the five previous A&M singles (not including "Fall Out") in their original sleeves plus a mono alternate take of the album track "The Bed's Too Big Without You" backed with a live version of "Truth Hits Everybody". It reached No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart (although chart regulations introduced later in the decade would have classed it as an album). CANNOTANSWER
The album's singles failed to dent the US top 40, but Reggatta de Blanc still hit No. 25 on the US album charts.
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police became globally popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Emerging in the British new wave scene, they played a style of rock influenced by punk, reggae, and jazz. Their 1978 debut album, Outlandos d'Amour, reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart on the strength of the singles "Roxanne" and "Can't Stand Losing You". Their second album, Reggatta de Blanc (1979), became the first of four consecutive No. 1 studio albums in the UK and Australia; its first two singles, "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon", became their first UK number ones. Their next two albums, Zenyatta Mondatta (1980) and Ghost in the Machine (1981), led to further critical and commercial success with two songs, "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", becoming UK number-one singles and Top 5 hits in other countries; the latter album and single were their breakthrough into the US as both reached the Top 3 there. Their final studio album, Synchronicity (1983), was No. 1 in the UK, Canada, Australia, Italy and the US, selling over 8 million copies in the US. Its lead single, "Every Breath You Take", became their fifth UK number one, and only US number one. During this time, the band were considered one of the leaders of the Second British Invasion of the US; in 1983 Rolling Stone labelled them "the first British New Wave act to break through in America on a grand scale, and possibly the biggest band in the world." The Police disbanded in 1986, but reunited in early 2007 for a one-off world tour that ended in August 2008. They were the world's highest-earning musicians in 2008, due to their reunion tour. The Police have sold over 75 million records, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time. The band won a number of music awards, including six Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards—winning Best British Group once, and an MTV Video Music Award. In 2003, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Four of their five studio albums appeared on Rolling Stones list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". The band were included among both Rolling Stones and VH1's lists of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". History 1977: Formation In late November 1976, while on tour with the British progressive rock band Curved Air in Newcastle upon Tyne, in the northeast of England, the band's American drummer, Stewart Copeland, met and exchanged phone numbers with ambitious singer-bassist (and former schoolteacher) Gordon Sumner a.k.a. Sting (so nicknamed because of his habit of wearing a black-and-yellow striped sweater resembling a wasp), who at the time was playing in a jazz-rock fusion band called Last Exit. On 12 January 1977, Sting relocated to London and, on the day of his arrival, sought out Copeland for a jam session. Curved Air had recently split up and Copeland, inspired by the contemporary punk rock movement, was eager to form a new band to join the burgeoning London punk scene. While less keen, Sting acknowledged the commercial opportunities, so they formed The Police as a trio, with Corsican guitarist Henry Padovani recruited as the third member. After their debut concert on 1 March 1977 at Alexander's in Newport, Wales (which lasted only ten minutes), the group played London pubs and Punk clubs touring as backing band and support act for Cherry Vanilla and for Wayne County & the Electric Chairs. On 1 May 1977, The Police released on Illegal Records their debut single "Fall Out," recorded at Pathway Studios in Islington, North London on 12 February 1977 (a couple of weeks before the band's debut live performance), with a budget of £150. This is the only Police recording featuring Henry Padovani. Mick Jagger reviewed the single in Sounds magazine. Also in May 1977, former Gong musician Mike Howlett invited Sting to join him in the band project Strontium 90. The drummer Howlett had in mind, Chris Cutler, was unavailable, so Sting took Copeland. The band's fourth member was guitarist Andy Summers. A decade older than Sting and Copeland, Summers was a music industry veteran who had played with Eric Burdon and the Animals and Kevin Ayers among others. Strontium 90 performed at a Gong reunion concert in Paris on 28 May 1977, and played at a London club (under the name of "the Elevators") in July. The band also recorded several demo tracks: these were released (along with live recordings and an early version of "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic") 20 years later on the archive album Strontium 90: Police Academy. Summers's musicality impressed Sting, who was becoming frustrated with Padovani's rudimentary abilities and the limitations they imposed on The Police's potential. Shortly after the Strontium 90 gig, Sting approached Summers to join the band. He agreed, on the condition the band remain a trio, with him replacing Padovani. Restrained by loyalty, Copeland and Sting resisted the idea, and The Police carried on as a four-piece version. However, they only performed live twice: on 25 July 1977 at the Music Machine in London and on 5 August at the Mont de Marsan Punk Festival. Shortly after these two gigs (and an aborted recording session with ex-Velvet Underground member John Cale as producer on 10 August), Summers delivered an ultimatum to the band and Padovani was dismissed leaving him free to join Wayne County & The Electric Chairs. The effect of Summers's arrival was instant: Copeland said: "One by one, Sting's songs had started coming in, and when Andy joined, it opened up new numbers of Sting's we could do, so the material started to get a lot more interesting and Sting started to take a lot more interest in the group." The Police's power trio line-up of Copeland, Sting, and Summers performed for the first time on 18 August 1977 at Rebecca's club in Birmingham in the West Midlands. A trio was unusual for the time, and this line-up endured for the rest of the band's history. Few punk bands were three-pieces, while contemporary bands pursuing progressive rock, symphonic rock and other sound trends usually expanded their line-ups with support players. The musical background of all three players may have made them suspect to punk purists, with music critic Christopher Gable stating, The band were also able to draw on influences from reggae to jazz to progressive and pub rock. While still maintaining the main band and attempting to win over punk audiences, Police members continued to moonlight within the art rock scene. In late 1977 and early 1978, Sting and Summers recorded and performed as part of an ensemble led by German experimental composer Eberhard Schoener; Copeland also joined for a time. These performances resulted in three albums, each of them an eclectic mix of rock, electronica and jazz. Various appearances by the Schoener outfit on German television made the German public aware of Sting's unusual high-pitched voice, and helped pave the way for The Police's later popularity. The bleached-blond hair that became a band trademark happened by accident. In February 1978, the band, desperate for money, was asked to do a commercial for Wrigley's Spearmint chewing gum (directed by Tony Scott) on the condition they dye their hair blond. The commercial was shot with the band, but was shelved and never aired. 1977–1978: Recording contract and Outlandos d'Amour Copeland's older brother Miles was initially sceptical of the inclusion of Summers in the band, fearing it would undermine their punk credibility, and reluctantly agreed to provide £1,500 to finance The Police's first album. Recording Outlandos d'Amour was difficult, as the band was working on a small budget, with no manager or record deal. It was recorded during off-peak hours at the Surrey Sound Studios in Leatherhead, Surrey, a converted recording facility above a dairy which was run by brothers Chris and Nigel Gray. During one of his periodic studio visits, Miles heard "Roxanne" for the first time at the end of a session. Where he had been less enthusiastic about the band's other songs, the elder Copeland was immediately struck by the track, and quickly got The Police a record deal with A&M Records on the strength of it. "Roxanne" was issued as a single in the spring of 1978, while other album tracks were still being recorded, but it failed to chart. It also failed to make the BBC's playlist, which the band attributed to the song's depiction of prostitution. A&M consequently promoted the single with posters claiming "Banned by the BBC", though it was never really banned, just not play-listed. Copeland later admitted, "We got a lot of mileage out of it being supposedly banned by the BBC." The Police made their first television appearance in October 1978, on BBC2's The Old Grey Whistle Test to promote the release of Outlandos d'Amour. Though "Roxanne" was never banned, the BBC did ban the second single from Outlandos d'Amour, "Can't Stand Losing You". This was due to the single's cover, which featured Copeland hanging himself over an ice block being melted by a portable radiator. The single became a minor chart hit, The Police's first, peaking at No. 42 in the UK. The follow-up single, "So Lonely", issued in November 1978, failed to chart. In February 1979, "Roxanne" was issued as a single in North America, where it was warmly received on radio despite the subject matter. The song peaked at No. 31 in Canada and No. 32 in the US, spurring a UK re-release of it in April. The band performed "Roxanne" on BBC1's Top of the Pops, and the re-issue of the song finally gained the band widespread recognition in the UK when it peaked at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart. The group's UK success led to gigs in the US at the famous New York City club CBGB, The Rathskeller (The RAT) in Boston and at The Chance in Poughkeepsie, New York, from which "Roxanne" finally debuted on US radio on WPDH, and a gruelling 1979 North American tour in which the band drove themselves and their equipment around the country in a Ford Econoline van. That summer, "Can't Stand Losing You" was also re-released in the UK, becoming a substantial hit, peaking at No. 2. The group's first single, "Fall Out", was reissued in late 1979, peaking at No. 47 in the UK. 1979: Reggatta de Blanc In October 1979, the group released their second album, Reggatta de Blanc, which topped the UK Albums Chart and became the first of four consecutive UK No. 1 studio albums. The album spawned the hit singles "Message in a Bottle" (No. 1 UK, No. 2 Canada, No. 5 Australia) and "Walking on the Moon" (No. 1 UK). The album's singles failed to enter the US top 40, but Reggatta de Blanc still reached No. 25 on the US album charts. The band's first live performance of "Message in a Bottle" was on the BBC's television show Rock Goes to College filmed at Hatfield Polytechnic College in Hertfordshire. The instrumental title track "Reggatta de Blanc" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. In February 1980, the single "So Lonely" was reissued in the UK. Originally a non-charting flop when first issued in late 1978, upon re-release the track became a UK top 10 hit, peaking at No. 6. In March 1980, the Police began their first world tour, which included places that had seldom hosted foreign performers—including Mexico, India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Greece and Egypt. The tour was subsequently documented in the film The Police Around the World (1982), directed by Kate and Derek Burbidge, which contains footage shot by Annie Nightingale originally intended for a BBC production The Police in the East. In May 1980, A&M in the UK released Six Pack, a package containing the five previous A&M singles (not including "Fall Out") in their original sleeves plus a mono alternate take of the album track "The Bed's Too Big Without You" backed with a live version of "Truth Hits Everybody". It reached No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart (although chart regulations introduced later in the decade would have classed it as an album). 1980–1981: Zenyatta Mondatta Pressured by their record company for a new record and a prompt return to touring, the Police released their third album, Zenyatta Mondatta, in October 1980. The album was recorded in a three-week period in the Netherlands for tax reasons. The album gave the group their third UK No. 1 hit, "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (the UK's best-selling single of 1980) and another hit single, "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da", both of which reached No. 10 in the US. While the three band members and co-producer Nigel Gray all expressed immediate regret over the rushed recording for the album, which was finished at 4 a.m. on the day the band began their world tour, the album received high praise from critics. The instrumental "Behind My Camel", written by Andy Summers, won the band a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, while "Don't Stand So Close to Me" won the Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance for Duo or Group. 1981–1982: Ghost in the Machine and Brimstone and Treacle The Police's fourth album, Ghost in the Machine, co-produced by Hugh Padgham, was recorded at Air Studios on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, with the exception of "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" which was recorded at Le Studio at Morin Heights, Quebec, Canada, and released in 1981. It featured thicker sounds, layered saxophones, and vocal textures. It spawned the hit singles "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (featuring pianist Jean Roussel), their fourth UK No. 1 (No. 3 in the U.S.), "Invisible Sun", and "Spirits in the Material World". As the band was unable to agree on a cover picture, the album cover had three red pictographs, digital likenesses of the three band members in the style of segmented LED displays, set against a black background. In the 1980s, Sting and Summers became tax exiles and moved to Ireland (Sting to Roundstone, County Galway, and Summers to Kinsale in County Cork) while Copeland, an American, remained in England. The group opened and closed the 1981 concert film, Urgh! A Music War. The film, which captured the music scene in the wake of punk, was masterminded by Stewart Copeland's brothers Ian and Miles. The film had a limited release but developed a mythic reputation over the years. At the 1982 Brit Awards in London, the Police received the award for Best British Group. After the Ghost in the Machine Tour concluded in 1982, the group took a sabbatical and each member pursued outside projects. By this time, Sting was becoming a major star, and he established a career beyond the Police by branching out into acting. Back in 1979, he had made a well-received debut as the "Ace Face" in the British drama film Quadrophenia, a film loosely based on The Who's rock opera, followed by a role as a mechanic in love with Eddie Cochran's music in Chris Petit's Radio On. In 1982, Sting furthered his acting career by co-starring in the Richard Loncraine film Brimstone and Treacle. He also had a minor solo hit in the United Kingdom with the movie's theme song, a cover of the 1929 hit "Spread a Little Happiness" (which appeared on the Brimstone & Treacle soundtrack, along with three new Police tracks, "How Stupid Mr Bates", "A Kind of Loving", and "I Burn for You"). Over 1981 and 1982, Summers recorded his first album with Robert Fripp, I Advance Masked. In 1983, Stewart Copeland composed the musical score for Francis Ford Coppola's film Rumble Fish. The single "Don't Box Me In (theme From Rumble Fish)", a collaboration between Copeland and singer-songwriter Stan Ridgway (of the band Wall of Voodoo) received significant airplay upon release of the film that year. Also in 1983, Sting filmed his first big-budget movie role-playing Feyd-Rautha in David Lynch's Dune. As Sting's fame rose, his relationship with Stewart Copeland deteriorated. Their increasingly strained partnership was further stretched by the pressures of worldwide publicity and fame, conflicting egos, and their financial success. Meanwhile, both Sting's and Summers's marriages failed. 1983: Synchronicity and "The Biggest Band in the World" In 1983, the Police released their last studio album, Synchronicity, which spawned the hit singles "Every Breath You Take", "Wrapped Around Your Finger", "King of Pain", and "Synchronicity II". By that time, several critics deemed them "the biggest rock band in the world". Recording the album, however, was a tense affair with increasing disputes among the band. The three members recorded their contributions individually in separate rooms and over-dubbed at different times. The Synchronicity Tour began in Chicago, Illinois in July 1983 at the original Comiskey Park, and on 18 August the band played in front of 70,000 in Shea Stadium, New York. Near the end of the concert, Sting announced: "We'd like to thank the Beatles for lending us their stadium." Looking back, Copeland states, "Playing Shea Stadium was big because, even though I'm a septic tank (rhyming slang for 'Yank'), The Police is an English band and I'm a Londoner – an American Londoner – so it felt like conquering America." They played throughout the UK in December 1983, including four sold out nights at London's Wembley Arena, and the tour ended in Melbourne, Australia on 4 March 1984 at the Melbourne Showgrounds (the final concert featured Sunnyboys, Kids In The Kitchen, Bryan Adams and Australian Crawl, with the Police topping the bill). Sting's look, dominated by his orange-coloured hair (a result of his role in Dune) and tattered clothing, both of which were emphasised in the music videos from the album, carried over into the set for the concert. Except for "King of Pain", the singles were accompanied by music videos directed by Godley & Creme. Synchronicity became a No. 1 album in both the UK (where it debuted at No. 1) and the US. It stayed at No. 1 in the UK for two weeks and in the US for seventeen weeks. It was nominated for Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, but lost to Michael Jackson's Thriller. "Every Breath You Take" won the Grammy for Song of the Year, beating Jackson's "Billie Jean". "Every Breath You Take" also won the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, while the album won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. "Every Breath You Take" also won the American Video Award for Best Group video, and the song won two Ivor Novello Awards in the categories Best Song Musically and Lyrically and Most Performed Work from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors. 1984–1986: Hiatus, aborted sixth studio album During the group's 1983 Shea Stadium concert, Sting felt performing at the venue was "Everest" and decided to pursue a solo career, according to the documentary The Last Play at Shea. After the Synchronicity tour ended in March 1984, the band went on hiatus while Sting recorded and toured in support of his successful solo debut LP, the jazz-influenced The Dream of the Blue Turtles, released in June 1985; Copeland recorded and filmed The Rhythmatist (1985); and Summers recorded another album with Robert Fripp (Bewitched, 1984) and the theme song for the film 2010—which was not used in the film, but included on the soundtrack album. At the 1985 Brit Awards held at London's Grosvenor Hotel on 11 February, the band received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In July the same year, Sting and Copeland participated in Live Aid at Wembley Stadium, London. In June 1986, the Police reconvened to play three concerts for the Amnesty International A Conspiracy of Hope tour. Their last performance on stage before their split was on 15 June at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. They ended their set with "Invisible Sun", bringing out Bono to sing the final verse. When they finished, they handed U2 their instruments for the all-star finale of "I Shall Be Released". As the lead singer of U2 – who themselves would soon be regarded as the biggest band in the world – Bono stated, "It was a very big moment, like passing a torch." In July of that year, the trio reunited in the studio to record a new album. However, Copeland broke his collarbone in a fall from a horse and was unable to play the drums. As a result of the tense and short-lived reunion in the studio, "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" was released in October 1986 as their final single and made it into the UK Top 25. It also appeared on the 1986 compilation Every Breath You Take: The Singles, which reached No. 1 in the UK album charts. A rerecorded version of "De Do Do Do De Da Da Da" was subsequently also included on the DTS-CD release of the Every Breath You Take: The Classics album in 1995. The album has sold over five million copies in the US. Following the failed effort to record a new studio album, the Police effectively disbanded. In the liner notes to the Police's box set Message in a Box, Summers explains: "The attempt to record a new album was doomed from the outset. The night before we went into the studio Stewart broke his collarbone falling off a horse and that meant we lost our last chance of recovering some rapport just by jamming together. Anyway, it was clear Sting had no real intention of writing any new songs for the Police. It was an empty exercise." 1986–2006: Disbandment Each band member continued with his solo career over the next 20 years. Sting continued recording and touring as a solo performer to great success. Summers recorded a number of albums, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with other musicians. Copeland became a prolific producer of movie and television soundtracks, and he recorded and toured with two new bands, Animal Logic and Oysterhead. However, a few events did bring the Police back together, albeit briefly. Summers played guitar on Sting's album ...Nothing Like the Sun (1987), a favour the singer returned by playing bass on Summers' album Charming Snakes (1989) and later singing lead vocals on "'Round Midnight" for Summers' tribute to Thelonious Monk Green Chimneys (1999). On 2 October 1991 (Sting's 40th birthday), Summers joined Sting on stage at the Hollywood Bowl during The Soul Cages Tour to perform "Walking on the Moon", "Every Breath You Take", and "Message in a Bottle". The performance was broadcast as a pay-per-view event. On 22 August 1992, Sting married Trudie Styler in an 11th-century chapel in Wiltshire, southwest England. Summers and Copeland were invited to the ceremony and reception. Aware that all band members were present, the wedding guests pressured the trio into playing, and they performed "Roxanne" and "Message in a Bottle". Copeland said later that "after about three minutes, it became 'the thing' again". In 1995 A&M released Live!, a double live album produced by Summers featuring two complete concerts—one recorded on 27 November 1979 at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston during the Reggatta de Blanc tour, and one recorded on 2 November 1983 at the Omni in Atlanta, Georgia, during the Synchronicity Tour (the latter was also documented in the VHS tape Synchronicity Concert in 1984). On 10 March 2003, the Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and performed "Roxanne", "Message in a Bottle", and "Every Breath You Take" live, as a group (the last song was performed alongside Steven Tyler, Gwen Stefani, and John Mayer). In the autumn of 2003, Sting released his autobiography, Broken Music. In 2004, Copeland and Summers joined Incubus onstage at KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas concert in Los Angeles performing "Roxanne" and "Message in a Bottle". In 2004, Henry Padovani released an album with the participation of Copeland and Sting on one track, reuniting the original Police line-up for the first time since 1977. Also in 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the Police No. 70 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2006, Stewart Copeland released a rockumentary about the band called Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out, based on Super-8 filming he did when the band was touring and recording in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In October 2006, Andy Summers released One Train Later, an autobiographical memoir detailing his early career and time with the band. 2007–2008: Reunion tour In early 2007, reports surfaced the trio would reunite for a tour to mark the Police's 30th anniversary, more than 20 years since their split in 1986. On 22 January 2007, the punk wave magazine Side-Line broke the story the Police would reunite for the Grammys, and would perform "Roxanne". Side-Line also stated the Police were to embark on a massive world tour. Billboard magazine later confirmed the news, quoting Summers' 2006 statement as to how the band could have continued post-Synchronicity: "The more rational approach would have been, 'OK, Sting, go make a solo record, and let's get back together in two or three years.' I'm certain we could have done that. Of course we could have. We were definitely not in a creative dry space. We could have easily carried on, and we could probably still be there. That wasn't to be our fate. It went in another way. I regret we never paid it off with a last tour." The band opened the 49th Annual Grammy Awards on 11 February 2007 in Los Angeles, announcing, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are The Police, and we're back!" before launching into "Roxanne". A&M, the band's record company, promoted the 2007–08 reunion tour as the 30th anniversary of the band's formation and of the release of their first single for A&M, "Roxanne". The Police Reunion Tour began in late May 2007 with two shows in Vancouver. Stewart Copeland gave a scathing review of the show on his own website, which the press interpreted as a feud occurring two gigs into the tour. Copeland later apologised for besmirching "my buddy Sting," and chalked up the comments to "hyper self-criticism". Tickets for the British leg of the tour sold out within 30 minutes, and the band played two nights at Twickenham Stadium on 8 and 9 September. On 29 and 30 September 2007, Henry Padovani joined the group on stage for the final encore of their two shows in Paris, playing the song "Next to You" as a four-piece band. In October 2007, the group played the largest gig of the reunion tour in Dublin in front of 82,000 fans. The group headlined the TW Classic festival in Werchter, Belgium on 7 June 2008. They also headlined the last night of the 2008 Isle of Wight Festival on 15 June, the Heineken Jammin' Festival in Venice on 23 June and the Sunday night at Hard Rock Calling (previously called Hyde Park Calling) in London on 29 June. In February 2008, the band announced that, when the tour finished, they would break up again. "There will be no new album, no big new tour," said Sting. "Once we're done with our reunion tour, that's it for The Police." The final show of the tour was on 7 August 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The band performed the opening song, "Message in a Bottle", with the brass band of the New York Metropolitan Police Corp. Later, they performed "Sunshine of Your Love" and "Purple Haze" as a tribute to the rock trios that preceded them: Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. While announcing the show, the group also donated $1 million to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's initiative to plant one million trees in the city by 2017. The world's highest-earning musicians in 2008, the tour sold 3.7 million tickets and grossed $358 million, making it the third-highest-grossing tour of all time at its conclusion. On 11 November 2008, the Police released Certifiable: Live in Buenos Aires, a Blu-ray, DVD and CD set of the band's two performances in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the tour (1 and 2 December 2007). Those sets with two DVDs also included a documentary shot by Copeland's son Jordan entitled Better Than Therapy as well as some photographs of Buenos Aires taken by Andy Summers. Musical style The Police started as a punk rock band, but soon expanded their music vocabulary to incorporate reggae, pop and new wave sonorities to their sound. In his retrospective assessment Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic argues that the notion of the Police as a punk rock band was true only "in the loosest sense of the term". He states the band's "nervous, reggae-injected pop/rock was punky" and had a "punk spirit" but it "wasn't necessarily punk". A "power trio," The Police are known as a new wave and post-punk band, with many songs falling in the reggae-fusion genre. Legacy In 2003, the Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the Police number 70 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and in 2010, the band were ranked 40th on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Four of the band's five studio albums appeared on Rolling Stone'''s 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Ghost in the Machine (number 322), Reggatta de Blanc (number 369), Outlandos d'Amour (number 434), and Synchronicity (number 455). In 2008, Q magazine named Synchronicity among the top 10 British Albums of the 1980s. The primary songwriter for the Police, Sting was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. In Rolling Stone's 2004 list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, "Every Breath You Take" ranked number 84 (the highest new wave song on the list), and "Roxanne" ranked number 388. "Message in a Bottle" ranked number 65 in the magazine's 2008 list of the 100 greatest guitar songs. Q magazine named "Every Breath You Take" among the top 10 British Songs of the 1980s, and in a UK-wide poll by ITV in 2015 it was voted The Nation's Favourite 80s Number One. In May 2019, "Every Breath You Take" was recognized by BMI as being the most performed song in their catalogue, overtaking "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" performed by the Righteous Brothers. With a string of UK number one albums, the Police were among the most commercially successful British bands of the early 1980s, and with success overseas they are typically regarded as in both the vanguard of the Second British Invasion, and the new wave movement. With a history of playing to large audiences (such as Shea Stadium in 1983), the Police were a featured artist in the stadium rock episode of the 2007 BBC/VH1 series Seven Ages of Rock along with Queen, Led Zeppelin, U2 and Bruce Springsteen. Despite the band's well-documented disagreements with one another, Summers confirmed in 2015 that Sting, Copeland and he are good friends. Summers said, "Despite the general press thing about 'God, they hate each other', it's actually not true, we're very supportive of one another." DiscographyOutlandos d'Amour (1978)Reggatta de Blanc (1979)Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)Ghost in the Machine (1981)Synchronicity (1983) Concert tours The Police Around the World Tour (1977–1980) Zenyatta Mondatta Tour (1980–1981) Ghost in the Machine Tour (1981–1982) Synchronicity Tour (1983–1984) The Police Reunion Tour (2007–2008) Band members Stewart Copeland – drums, percussion, backing and lead vocals, keyboards, guitars (1977–1986, 2003, 2007–2008) Sting – lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, double bass, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica (1977–1986, 2003, 2007–2008) Andy Summers – guitars, backing and lead vocals, keyboards (1977–1986, 2003, 2007–2008) Henry Padovani – guitar (1977; 2007 reunion tour finale, Paris with Sting, Summers, and Copeland) Awards and nominations Brit Awards 1982: Best British Group 1985: Outstanding Contribution to Music Grammy Awards |- !scope="row" | 1981 | "Reggatta de Blanc" | rowspan= "2" | Best Rock Instrumental Performance | |- !scope="row" rowspan= "2" | 1982 | "Behind My Camel" | |- | "Don't Stand So Close to Me" | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |- !scope="row" rowspan= "4" | 1984 | rowspan= "2" | Synchronicity| Album of the Year | |- | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |- | rowspan= "2" | "Every Breath You Take" | Record of the Year | |- | Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |- !scope="row" | 1986 | The Police Synchronicity Concert | Best Music Video, Long Form | |- Juno Awards |- | rowspan="2" | 1984 | Synchronicity| International Album of the Year | People's Choice Awards |- | 2008 | Themselves | Favorite Reunion Tour | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 10 March 2003. Other lists Ranked No.70 on Rolling Stone''s Immortals, the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Ranked No.40 on VH1's List of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. See also List of best-selling music artists List of highest-grossing concert tours List of new wave artists List of reggae rock artists References Citations Sources External links thepolice.com thepolicetour.com 1977 establishments in England 1977 in London A&M Records artists Brit Award winners British musical trios English new wave musical groups Grammy Award winners Juno Award for International Album of the Year winners Musical groups established in 1977 Musical groups reestablished in 2007 Musical groups disestablished in 2008 Musical groups from London Reggae rock groups
false
[ "Alexandre Petrovic (1925 - November 22, 2003) was a scientist who is known for formulating the Cybernetic Theory of Craniofacial Growth in 1977.\n\nLife\nAlex was born in Belgrade, Serbia. His father was a Serbian physician who at that time was doing his post-graduate training in surgery at University of Strasbourg School of Medicine. After birth, Alex's mother and him joined their father in Strasbourg where they lived for about 10 years before returning to Belgrade. Petrovic obtained his Medical degree in 1954, did his speciality in hematology in 1957 and his Doctorate in 1961. He did his Postdoc fellowship at McGill University, Canada in 1962.\n\nHe was a professor of physiology and physiopathology at Louis Pasteur University . He also served as a visiting professor at Department of Orthodontics at Louisiana State University School of Dentistry where he taught craniofacial biology and research methodology.\n\nCareer\nHe was the founder and long time director of Research Laboratory for Craniofacial Cartilage and Bone Growth Center. He also helmed the directorship for French Institute of Health and Medical Research. Dr. Petrovic is known for developing a cybernetic model of growth to help understand how the facial growth takes places through the different control processes. Dr. Petrovic was first introduced to American Orthodontic community at Moyer's Growth Symposium at University of Michigan School of Dentistry.\n\nDr. Petrovic's lab was known to introduce orthodontics to the following ideas \n\n In 1967, he demonstrated that amount and growth rate of the cartilage in condyle can be changed due to the Orthopedic forces\n Growth categorization of the human tissue level growth can be used as a predictor of jaw growth and treatment outcome when coupled with cephalometric analysis.\n\nReferences\n\nOrthodontists\n1925 births\n2003 deaths\n20th-century dentists", "The Church of Daniel's Band is a Wesleyan-Holiness Christian church originally organized in imitation of the early Methodist class meetings at Marine City, Michigan. The church has four congregations in the U.S. state of Michigan.\n\nBackground\n\nThe Church of Daniel's Band was founded in 1893 by former members of the Wesleyan Methodist Church. The main premise of the break was the doctrine of divine healing.\n\nIn the year of its foundation, it had four to five congregations with anywhere between 120 and 217 members and eight ministers.\n\nThe name of the church was chosen based on the title of a sermon delivered by Charles Spurgeon, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle in Newington, London, on August 3, 1890. The sermon, titled \"Daniel's Band,\" related the story of Daniel in the Old Testament. In that sermon, he exhorted his listeners, \"The Lord preserved Daniel, and he will preserve you, dear friend, if you belong to 'Daniel's Band.' The church is also called a \"band\" as a reference to 1800s Wesleyan revival class meetings referred to as \"bands\" and \"societies.\"\n\nIts doctrines and polity are based on Methodism, though it prefers to be a \"non-denominational Christian church.\" It stresses evangelism, perfectionism, fellowship, religious freedom, and asceticism.\n\nIt has historically been a small body, although it did experience a period of growth in the late 1910s and early 1920s. During that time, it grew from four local churches with 129 members to six local churches with 393 members in several states and provinces throughout the U.S. and Canada. Between 1950 and 1951, it again experienced a period of growth, going from 121 members to 200 members. In 2007, reports indicated it had between one and four employees.\n\nAll four of the church's congregations are in the state of Michigan. It is registered in Midland, Michigan, with additional congregations in Beaverton, Linwood, and Gladwin.\n\nThe Church of Daniel's Band's Campground in Beaverton hosts a week of services and fellowship each August.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\nChurch of Daniel's Band (official website)\n\nReligious organizations established in 1893\nHoliness denominations\nChristian denominations established in the 19th century\nChristian new religious movements" ]
[ "The Police", "1979: Reggatta de Blanc", "Was there any hits from this album", "Regatta de Blanc\" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.", "Did it help the growth of the band", "The album's singles failed to dent the US top 40, but Reggatta de Blanc still hit No. 25 on the US album charts." ]
C_99f5eef46d72402dbe1a292c41149f71_0
Was there any additional members during that album
3
Were there any additional members added to the Police during the Reggatta de Blanc album?
The Police
In October 1979, the group released their second album, Reggatta de Blanc, which topped the UK Albums Chart, and became the first of five consecutive UK No. 1 albums. The album spawned the hit singles "Message in a Bottle" (No. 1 UK, No. 2 Canada, No. 5 Australia) and "Walking on the Moon" (No. 1 UK). The album's singles failed to dent the US top 40, but Reggatta de Blanc still hit No. 25 on the US album charts. The band's first live performance of "Message in a Bottle" was on the BBC's television show Rock Goes to College filmed at Hatfield Polytechnic College in Hertfordshire. The instrumental title track "Regatta de Blanc" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. In February 1980, the single "So Lonely" was re-issued in the UK. Originally a non-charting flop when first issued in late 1978, upon re-release the track became a UK top 10 hit, peaking at No. 6. In March 1980, the Police began their first world tour, which included places that had seldom hosted foreign performers---including Mexico, India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Greece, and Egypt. The tour was subsequently documented in the film The Police Around the World (1982), directed by Kate and Derek Burbidge, which encompasses footage shot by Anne Nightingale originally intended for a BBC production The Police in the East. In May 1980, A&M in the UK released Six Pack, a package containing the five previous A&M singles (not including "Fall Out") in their original sleeves plus a mono alternate take of the album track "The Bed's Too Big Without You" backed with a live version of "Truth Hits Everybody". It reached No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart (although chart regulations introduced later in the decade would have classed it as an album). CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police became globally popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Emerging in the British new wave scene, they played a style of rock influenced by punk, reggae, and jazz. Their 1978 debut album, Outlandos d'Amour, reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart on the strength of the singles "Roxanne" and "Can't Stand Losing You". Their second album, Reggatta de Blanc (1979), became the first of four consecutive No. 1 studio albums in the UK and Australia; its first two singles, "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon", became their first UK number ones. Their next two albums, Zenyatta Mondatta (1980) and Ghost in the Machine (1981), led to further critical and commercial success with two songs, "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", becoming UK number-one singles and Top 5 hits in other countries; the latter album and single were their breakthrough into the US as both reached the Top 3 there. Their final studio album, Synchronicity (1983), was No. 1 in the UK, Canada, Australia, Italy and the US, selling over 8 million copies in the US. Its lead single, "Every Breath You Take", became their fifth UK number one, and only US number one. During this time, the band were considered one of the leaders of the Second British Invasion of the US; in 1983 Rolling Stone labelled them "the first British New Wave act to break through in America on a grand scale, and possibly the biggest band in the world." The Police disbanded in 1986, but reunited in early 2007 for a one-off world tour that ended in August 2008. They were the world's highest-earning musicians in 2008, due to their reunion tour. The Police have sold over 75 million records, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time. The band won a number of music awards, including six Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards—winning Best British Group once, and an MTV Video Music Award. In 2003, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Four of their five studio albums appeared on Rolling Stones list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". The band were included among both Rolling Stones and VH1's lists of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". History 1977: Formation In late November 1976, while on tour with the British progressive rock band Curved Air in Newcastle upon Tyne, in the northeast of England, the band's American drummer, Stewart Copeland, met and exchanged phone numbers with ambitious singer-bassist (and former schoolteacher) Gordon Sumner a.k.a. Sting (so nicknamed because of his habit of wearing a black-and-yellow striped sweater resembling a wasp), who at the time was playing in a jazz-rock fusion band called Last Exit. On 12 January 1977, Sting relocated to London and, on the day of his arrival, sought out Copeland for a jam session. Curved Air had recently split up and Copeland, inspired by the contemporary punk rock movement, was eager to form a new band to join the burgeoning London punk scene. While less keen, Sting acknowledged the commercial opportunities, so they formed The Police as a trio, with Corsican guitarist Henry Padovani recruited as the third member. After their debut concert on 1 March 1977 at Alexander's in Newport, Wales (which lasted only ten minutes), the group played London pubs and Punk clubs touring as backing band and support act for Cherry Vanilla and for Wayne County & the Electric Chairs. On 1 May 1977, The Police released on Illegal Records their debut single "Fall Out," recorded at Pathway Studios in Islington, North London on 12 February 1977 (a couple of weeks before the band's debut live performance), with a budget of £150. This is the only Police recording featuring Henry Padovani. Mick Jagger reviewed the single in Sounds magazine. Also in May 1977, former Gong musician Mike Howlett invited Sting to join him in the band project Strontium 90. The drummer Howlett had in mind, Chris Cutler, was unavailable, so Sting took Copeland. The band's fourth member was guitarist Andy Summers. A decade older than Sting and Copeland, Summers was a music industry veteran who had played with Eric Burdon and the Animals and Kevin Ayers among others. Strontium 90 performed at a Gong reunion concert in Paris on 28 May 1977, and played at a London club (under the name of "the Elevators") in July. The band also recorded several demo tracks: these were released (along with live recordings and an early version of "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic") 20 years later on the archive album Strontium 90: Police Academy. Summers's musicality impressed Sting, who was becoming frustrated with Padovani's rudimentary abilities and the limitations they imposed on The Police's potential. Shortly after the Strontium 90 gig, Sting approached Summers to join the band. He agreed, on the condition the band remain a trio, with him replacing Padovani. Restrained by loyalty, Copeland and Sting resisted the idea, and The Police carried on as a four-piece version. However, they only performed live twice: on 25 July 1977 at the Music Machine in London and on 5 August at the Mont de Marsan Punk Festival. Shortly after these two gigs (and an aborted recording session with ex-Velvet Underground member John Cale as producer on 10 August), Summers delivered an ultimatum to the band and Padovani was dismissed leaving him free to join Wayne County & The Electric Chairs. The effect of Summers's arrival was instant: Copeland said: "One by one, Sting's songs had started coming in, and when Andy joined, it opened up new numbers of Sting's we could do, so the material started to get a lot more interesting and Sting started to take a lot more interest in the group." The Police's power trio line-up of Copeland, Sting, and Summers performed for the first time on 18 August 1977 at Rebecca's club in Birmingham in the West Midlands. A trio was unusual for the time, and this line-up endured for the rest of the band's history. Few punk bands were three-pieces, while contemporary bands pursuing progressive rock, symphonic rock and other sound trends usually expanded their line-ups with support players. The musical background of all three players may have made them suspect to punk purists, with music critic Christopher Gable stating, The band were also able to draw on influences from reggae to jazz to progressive and pub rock. While still maintaining the main band and attempting to win over punk audiences, Police members continued to moonlight within the art rock scene. In late 1977 and early 1978, Sting and Summers recorded and performed as part of an ensemble led by German experimental composer Eberhard Schoener; Copeland also joined for a time. These performances resulted in three albums, each of them an eclectic mix of rock, electronica and jazz. Various appearances by the Schoener outfit on German television made the German public aware of Sting's unusual high-pitched voice, and helped pave the way for The Police's later popularity. The bleached-blond hair that became a band trademark happened by accident. In February 1978, the band, desperate for money, was asked to do a commercial for Wrigley's Spearmint chewing gum (directed by Tony Scott) on the condition they dye their hair blond. The commercial was shot with the band, but was shelved and never aired. 1977–1978: Recording contract and Outlandos d'Amour Copeland's older brother Miles was initially sceptical of the inclusion of Summers in the band, fearing it would undermine their punk credibility, and reluctantly agreed to provide £1,500 to finance The Police's first album. Recording Outlandos d'Amour was difficult, as the band was working on a small budget, with no manager or record deal. It was recorded during off-peak hours at the Surrey Sound Studios in Leatherhead, Surrey, a converted recording facility above a dairy which was run by brothers Chris and Nigel Gray. During one of his periodic studio visits, Miles heard "Roxanne" for the first time at the end of a session. Where he had been less enthusiastic about the band's other songs, the elder Copeland was immediately struck by the track, and quickly got The Police a record deal with A&M Records on the strength of it. "Roxanne" was issued as a single in the spring of 1978, while other album tracks were still being recorded, but it failed to chart. It also failed to make the BBC's playlist, which the band attributed to the song's depiction of prostitution. A&M consequently promoted the single with posters claiming "Banned by the BBC", though it was never really banned, just not play-listed. Copeland later admitted, "We got a lot of mileage out of it being supposedly banned by the BBC." The Police made their first television appearance in October 1978, on BBC2's The Old Grey Whistle Test to promote the release of Outlandos d'Amour. Though "Roxanne" was never banned, the BBC did ban the second single from Outlandos d'Amour, "Can't Stand Losing You". This was due to the single's cover, which featured Copeland hanging himself over an ice block being melted by a portable radiator. The single became a minor chart hit, The Police's first, peaking at No. 42 in the UK. The follow-up single, "So Lonely", issued in November 1978, failed to chart. In February 1979, "Roxanne" was issued as a single in North America, where it was warmly received on radio despite the subject matter. The song peaked at No. 31 in Canada and No. 32 in the US, spurring a UK re-release of it in April. The band performed "Roxanne" on BBC1's Top of the Pops, and the re-issue of the song finally gained the band widespread recognition in the UK when it peaked at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart. The group's UK success led to gigs in the US at the famous New York City club CBGB, The Rathskeller (The RAT) in Boston and at The Chance in Poughkeepsie, New York, from which "Roxanne" finally debuted on US radio on WPDH, and a gruelling 1979 North American tour in which the band drove themselves and their equipment around the country in a Ford Econoline van. That summer, "Can't Stand Losing You" was also re-released in the UK, becoming a substantial hit, peaking at No. 2. The group's first single, "Fall Out", was reissued in late 1979, peaking at No. 47 in the UK. 1979: Reggatta de Blanc In October 1979, the group released their second album, Reggatta de Blanc, which topped the UK Albums Chart and became the first of four consecutive UK No. 1 studio albums. The album spawned the hit singles "Message in a Bottle" (No. 1 UK, No. 2 Canada, No. 5 Australia) and "Walking on the Moon" (No. 1 UK). The album's singles failed to enter the US top 40, but Reggatta de Blanc still reached No. 25 on the US album charts. The band's first live performance of "Message in a Bottle" was on the BBC's television show Rock Goes to College filmed at Hatfield Polytechnic College in Hertfordshire. The instrumental title track "Reggatta de Blanc" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. In February 1980, the single "So Lonely" was reissued in the UK. Originally a non-charting flop when first issued in late 1978, upon re-release the track became a UK top 10 hit, peaking at No. 6. In March 1980, the Police began their first world tour, which included places that had seldom hosted foreign performers—including Mexico, India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Greece and Egypt. The tour was subsequently documented in the film The Police Around the World (1982), directed by Kate and Derek Burbidge, which contains footage shot by Annie Nightingale originally intended for a BBC production The Police in the East. In May 1980, A&M in the UK released Six Pack, a package containing the five previous A&M singles (not including "Fall Out") in their original sleeves plus a mono alternate take of the album track "The Bed's Too Big Without You" backed with a live version of "Truth Hits Everybody". It reached No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart (although chart regulations introduced later in the decade would have classed it as an album). 1980–1981: Zenyatta Mondatta Pressured by their record company for a new record and a prompt return to touring, the Police released their third album, Zenyatta Mondatta, in October 1980. The album was recorded in a three-week period in the Netherlands for tax reasons. The album gave the group their third UK No. 1 hit, "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (the UK's best-selling single of 1980) and another hit single, "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da", both of which reached No. 10 in the US. While the three band members and co-producer Nigel Gray all expressed immediate regret over the rushed recording for the album, which was finished at 4 a.m. on the day the band began their world tour, the album received high praise from critics. The instrumental "Behind My Camel", written by Andy Summers, won the band a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, while "Don't Stand So Close to Me" won the Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance for Duo or Group. 1981–1982: Ghost in the Machine and Brimstone and Treacle The Police's fourth album, Ghost in the Machine, co-produced by Hugh Padgham, was recorded at Air Studios on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, with the exception of "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" which was recorded at Le Studio at Morin Heights, Quebec, Canada, and released in 1981. It featured thicker sounds, layered saxophones, and vocal textures. It spawned the hit singles "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (featuring pianist Jean Roussel), their fourth UK No. 1 (No. 3 in the U.S.), "Invisible Sun", and "Spirits in the Material World". As the band was unable to agree on a cover picture, the album cover had three red pictographs, digital likenesses of the three band members in the style of segmented LED displays, set against a black background. In the 1980s, Sting and Summers became tax exiles and moved to Ireland (Sting to Roundstone, County Galway, and Summers to Kinsale in County Cork) while Copeland, an American, remained in England. The group opened and closed the 1981 concert film, Urgh! A Music War. The film, which captured the music scene in the wake of punk, was masterminded by Stewart Copeland's brothers Ian and Miles. The film had a limited release but developed a mythic reputation over the years. At the 1982 Brit Awards in London, the Police received the award for Best British Group. After the Ghost in the Machine Tour concluded in 1982, the group took a sabbatical and each member pursued outside projects. By this time, Sting was becoming a major star, and he established a career beyond the Police by branching out into acting. Back in 1979, he had made a well-received debut as the "Ace Face" in the British drama film Quadrophenia, a film loosely based on The Who's rock opera, followed by a role as a mechanic in love with Eddie Cochran's music in Chris Petit's Radio On. In 1982, Sting furthered his acting career by co-starring in the Richard Loncraine film Brimstone and Treacle. He also had a minor solo hit in the United Kingdom with the movie's theme song, a cover of the 1929 hit "Spread a Little Happiness" (which appeared on the Brimstone & Treacle soundtrack, along with three new Police tracks, "How Stupid Mr Bates", "A Kind of Loving", and "I Burn for You"). Over 1981 and 1982, Summers recorded his first album with Robert Fripp, I Advance Masked. In 1983, Stewart Copeland composed the musical score for Francis Ford Coppola's film Rumble Fish. The single "Don't Box Me In (theme From Rumble Fish)", a collaboration between Copeland and singer-songwriter Stan Ridgway (of the band Wall of Voodoo) received significant airplay upon release of the film that year. Also in 1983, Sting filmed his first big-budget movie role-playing Feyd-Rautha in David Lynch's Dune. As Sting's fame rose, his relationship with Stewart Copeland deteriorated. Their increasingly strained partnership was further stretched by the pressures of worldwide publicity and fame, conflicting egos, and their financial success. Meanwhile, both Sting's and Summers's marriages failed. 1983: Synchronicity and "The Biggest Band in the World" In 1983, the Police released their last studio album, Synchronicity, which spawned the hit singles "Every Breath You Take", "Wrapped Around Your Finger", "King of Pain", and "Synchronicity II". By that time, several critics deemed them "the biggest rock band in the world". Recording the album, however, was a tense affair with increasing disputes among the band. The three members recorded their contributions individually in separate rooms and over-dubbed at different times. The Synchronicity Tour began in Chicago, Illinois in July 1983 at the original Comiskey Park, and on 18 August the band played in front of 70,000 in Shea Stadium, New York. Near the end of the concert, Sting announced: "We'd like to thank the Beatles for lending us their stadium." Looking back, Copeland states, "Playing Shea Stadium was big because, even though I'm a septic tank (rhyming slang for 'Yank'), The Police is an English band and I'm a Londoner – an American Londoner – so it felt like conquering America." They played throughout the UK in December 1983, including four sold out nights at London's Wembley Arena, and the tour ended in Melbourne, Australia on 4 March 1984 at the Melbourne Showgrounds (the final concert featured Sunnyboys, Kids In The Kitchen, Bryan Adams and Australian Crawl, with the Police topping the bill). Sting's look, dominated by his orange-coloured hair (a result of his role in Dune) and tattered clothing, both of which were emphasised in the music videos from the album, carried over into the set for the concert. Except for "King of Pain", the singles were accompanied by music videos directed by Godley & Creme. Synchronicity became a No. 1 album in both the UK (where it debuted at No. 1) and the US. It stayed at No. 1 in the UK for two weeks and in the US for seventeen weeks. It was nominated for Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, but lost to Michael Jackson's Thriller. "Every Breath You Take" won the Grammy for Song of the Year, beating Jackson's "Billie Jean". "Every Breath You Take" also won the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, while the album won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. "Every Breath You Take" also won the American Video Award for Best Group video, and the song won two Ivor Novello Awards in the categories Best Song Musically and Lyrically and Most Performed Work from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors. 1984–1986: Hiatus, aborted sixth studio album During the group's 1983 Shea Stadium concert, Sting felt performing at the venue was "Everest" and decided to pursue a solo career, according to the documentary The Last Play at Shea. After the Synchronicity tour ended in March 1984, the band went on hiatus while Sting recorded and toured in support of his successful solo debut LP, the jazz-influenced The Dream of the Blue Turtles, released in June 1985; Copeland recorded and filmed The Rhythmatist (1985); and Summers recorded another album with Robert Fripp (Bewitched, 1984) and the theme song for the film 2010—which was not used in the film, but included on the soundtrack album. At the 1985 Brit Awards held at London's Grosvenor Hotel on 11 February, the band received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In July the same year, Sting and Copeland participated in Live Aid at Wembley Stadium, London. In June 1986, the Police reconvened to play three concerts for the Amnesty International A Conspiracy of Hope tour. Their last performance on stage before their split was on 15 June at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. They ended their set with "Invisible Sun", bringing out Bono to sing the final verse. When they finished, they handed U2 their instruments for the all-star finale of "I Shall Be Released". As the lead singer of U2 – who themselves would soon be regarded as the biggest band in the world – Bono stated, "It was a very big moment, like passing a torch." In July of that year, the trio reunited in the studio to record a new album. However, Copeland broke his collarbone in a fall from a horse and was unable to play the drums. As a result of the tense and short-lived reunion in the studio, "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" was released in October 1986 as their final single and made it into the UK Top 25. It also appeared on the 1986 compilation Every Breath You Take: The Singles, which reached No. 1 in the UK album charts. A rerecorded version of "De Do Do Do De Da Da Da" was subsequently also included on the DTS-CD release of the Every Breath You Take: The Classics album in 1995. The album has sold over five million copies in the US. Following the failed effort to record a new studio album, the Police effectively disbanded. In the liner notes to the Police's box set Message in a Box, Summers explains: "The attempt to record a new album was doomed from the outset. The night before we went into the studio Stewart broke his collarbone falling off a horse and that meant we lost our last chance of recovering some rapport just by jamming together. Anyway, it was clear Sting had no real intention of writing any new songs for the Police. It was an empty exercise." 1986–2006: Disbandment Each band member continued with his solo career over the next 20 years. Sting continued recording and touring as a solo performer to great success. Summers recorded a number of albums, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with other musicians. Copeland became a prolific producer of movie and television soundtracks, and he recorded and toured with two new bands, Animal Logic and Oysterhead. However, a few events did bring the Police back together, albeit briefly. Summers played guitar on Sting's album ...Nothing Like the Sun (1987), a favour the singer returned by playing bass on Summers' album Charming Snakes (1989) and later singing lead vocals on "'Round Midnight" for Summers' tribute to Thelonious Monk Green Chimneys (1999). On 2 October 1991 (Sting's 40th birthday), Summers joined Sting on stage at the Hollywood Bowl during The Soul Cages Tour to perform "Walking on the Moon", "Every Breath You Take", and "Message in a Bottle". The performance was broadcast as a pay-per-view event. On 22 August 1992, Sting married Trudie Styler in an 11th-century chapel in Wiltshire, southwest England. Summers and Copeland were invited to the ceremony and reception. Aware that all band members were present, the wedding guests pressured the trio into playing, and they performed "Roxanne" and "Message in a Bottle". Copeland said later that "after about three minutes, it became 'the thing' again". In 1995 A&M released Live!, a double live album produced by Summers featuring two complete concerts—one recorded on 27 November 1979 at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston during the Reggatta de Blanc tour, and one recorded on 2 November 1983 at the Omni in Atlanta, Georgia, during the Synchronicity Tour (the latter was also documented in the VHS tape Synchronicity Concert in 1984). On 10 March 2003, the Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and performed "Roxanne", "Message in a Bottle", and "Every Breath You Take" live, as a group (the last song was performed alongside Steven Tyler, Gwen Stefani, and John Mayer). In the autumn of 2003, Sting released his autobiography, Broken Music. In 2004, Copeland and Summers joined Incubus onstage at KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas concert in Los Angeles performing "Roxanne" and "Message in a Bottle". In 2004, Henry Padovani released an album with the participation of Copeland and Sting on one track, reuniting the original Police line-up for the first time since 1977. Also in 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the Police No. 70 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2006, Stewart Copeland released a rockumentary about the band called Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out, based on Super-8 filming he did when the band was touring and recording in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In October 2006, Andy Summers released One Train Later, an autobiographical memoir detailing his early career and time with the band. 2007–2008: Reunion tour In early 2007, reports surfaced the trio would reunite for a tour to mark the Police's 30th anniversary, more than 20 years since their split in 1986. On 22 January 2007, the punk wave magazine Side-Line broke the story the Police would reunite for the Grammys, and would perform "Roxanne". Side-Line also stated the Police were to embark on a massive world tour. Billboard magazine later confirmed the news, quoting Summers' 2006 statement as to how the band could have continued post-Synchronicity: "The more rational approach would have been, 'OK, Sting, go make a solo record, and let's get back together in two or three years.' I'm certain we could have done that. Of course we could have. We were definitely not in a creative dry space. We could have easily carried on, and we could probably still be there. That wasn't to be our fate. It went in another way. I regret we never paid it off with a last tour." The band opened the 49th Annual Grammy Awards on 11 February 2007 in Los Angeles, announcing, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are The Police, and we're back!" before launching into "Roxanne". A&M, the band's record company, promoted the 2007–08 reunion tour as the 30th anniversary of the band's formation and of the release of their first single for A&M, "Roxanne". The Police Reunion Tour began in late May 2007 with two shows in Vancouver. Stewart Copeland gave a scathing review of the show on his own website, which the press interpreted as a feud occurring two gigs into the tour. Copeland later apologised for besmirching "my buddy Sting," and chalked up the comments to "hyper self-criticism". Tickets for the British leg of the tour sold out within 30 minutes, and the band played two nights at Twickenham Stadium on 8 and 9 September. On 29 and 30 September 2007, Henry Padovani joined the group on stage for the final encore of their two shows in Paris, playing the song "Next to You" as a four-piece band. In October 2007, the group played the largest gig of the reunion tour in Dublin in front of 82,000 fans. The group headlined the TW Classic festival in Werchter, Belgium on 7 June 2008. They also headlined the last night of the 2008 Isle of Wight Festival on 15 June, the Heineken Jammin' Festival in Venice on 23 June and the Sunday night at Hard Rock Calling (previously called Hyde Park Calling) in London on 29 June. In February 2008, the band announced that, when the tour finished, they would break up again. "There will be no new album, no big new tour," said Sting. "Once we're done with our reunion tour, that's it for The Police." The final show of the tour was on 7 August 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The band performed the opening song, "Message in a Bottle", with the brass band of the New York Metropolitan Police Corp. Later, they performed "Sunshine of Your Love" and "Purple Haze" as a tribute to the rock trios that preceded them: Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. While announcing the show, the group also donated $1 million to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's initiative to plant one million trees in the city by 2017. The world's highest-earning musicians in 2008, the tour sold 3.7 million tickets and grossed $358 million, making it the third-highest-grossing tour of all time at its conclusion. On 11 November 2008, the Police released Certifiable: Live in Buenos Aires, a Blu-ray, DVD and CD set of the band's two performances in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the tour (1 and 2 December 2007). Those sets with two DVDs also included a documentary shot by Copeland's son Jordan entitled Better Than Therapy as well as some photographs of Buenos Aires taken by Andy Summers. Musical style The Police started as a punk rock band, but soon expanded their music vocabulary to incorporate reggae, pop and new wave sonorities to their sound. In his retrospective assessment Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic argues that the notion of the Police as a punk rock band was true only "in the loosest sense of the term". He states the band's "nervous, reggae-injected pop/rock was punky" and had a "punk spirit" but it "wasn't necessarily punk". A "power trio," The Police are known as a new wave and post-punk band, with many songs falling in the reggae-fusion genre. Legacy In 2003, the Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the Police number 70 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and in 2010, the band were ranked 40th on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Four of the band's five studio albums appeared on Rolling Stone'''s 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Ghost in the Machine (number 322), Reggatta de Blanc (number 369), Outlandos d'Amour (number 434), and Synchronicity (number 455). In 2008, Q magazine named Synchronicity among the top 10 British Albums of the 1980s. The primary songwriter for the Police, Sting was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. In Rolling Stone's 2004 list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, "Every Breath You Take" ranked number 84 (the highest new wave song on the list), and "Roxanne" ranked number 388. "Message in a Bottle" ranked number 65 in the magazine's 2008 list of the 100 greatest guitar songs. Q magazine named "Every Breath You Take" among the top 10 British Songs of the 1980s, and in a UK-wide poll by ITV in 2015 it was voted The Nation's Favourite 80s Number One. In May 2019, "Every Breath You Take" was recognized by BMI as being the most performed song in their catalogue, overtaking "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" performed by the Righteous Brothers. With a string of UK number one albums, the Police were among the most commercially successful British bands of the early 1980s, and with success overseas they are typically regarded as in both the vanguard of the Second British Invasion, and the new wave movement. With a history of playing to large audiences (such as Shea Stadium in 1983), the Police were a featured artist in the stadium rock episode of the 2007 BBC/VH1 series Seven Ages of Rock along with Queen, Led Zeppelin, U2 and Bruce Springsteen. Despite the band's well-documented disagreements with one another, Summers confirmed in 2015 that Sting, Copeland and he are good friends. Summers said, "Despite the general press thing about 'God, they hate each other', it's actually not true, we're very supportive of one another." DiscographyOutlandos d'Amour (1978)Reggatta de Blanc (1979)Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)Ghost in the Machine (1981)Synchronicity (1983) Concert tours The Police Around the World Tour (1977–1980) Zenyatta Mondatta Tour (1980–1981) Ghost in the Machine Tour (1981–1982) Synchronicity Tour (1983–1984) The Police Reunion Tour (2007–2008) Band members Stewart Copeland – drums, percussion, backing and lead vocals, keyboards, guitars (1977–1986, 2003, 2007–2008) Sting – lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, double bass, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica (1977–1986, 2003, 2007–2008) Andy Summers – guitars, backing and lead vocals, keyboards (1977–1986, 2003, 2007–2008) Henry Padovani – guitar (1977; 2007 reunion tour finale, Paris with Sting, Summers, and Copeland) Awards and nominations Brit Awards 1982: Best British Group 1985: Outstanding Contribution to Music Grammy Awards |- !scope="row" | 1981 | "Reggatta de Blanc" | rowspan= "2" | Best Rock Instrumental Performance | |- !scope="row" rowspan= "2" | 1982 | "Behind My Camel" | |- | "Don't Stand So Close to Me" | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |- !scope="row" rowspan= "4" | 1984 | rowspan= "2" | Synchronicity| Album of the Year | |- | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |- | rowspan= "2" | "Every Breath You Take" | Record of the Year | |- | Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |- !scope="row" | 1986 | The Police Synchronicity Concert | Best Music Video, Long Form | |- Juno Awards |- | rowspan="2" | 1984 | Synchronicity| International Album of the Year | People's Choice Awards |- | 2008 | Themselves | Favorite Reunion Tour | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 10 March 2003. Other lists Ranked No.70 on Rolling Stone''s Immortals, the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Ranked No.40 on VH1's List of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. See also List of best-selling music artists List of highest-grossing concert tours List of new wave artists List of reggae rock artists References Citations Sources External links thepolice.com thepolicetour.com 1977 establishments in England 1977 in London A&M Records artists Brit Award winners British musical trios English new wave musical groups Grammy Award winners Juno Award for International Album of the Year winners Musical groups established in 1977 Musical groups reestablished in 2007 Musical groups disestablished in 2008 Musical groups from London Reggae rock groups
false
[ "\"(If There Was) Any Other Way\" is a song by Canadian singer Celine Dion. It was included on her first English-language album, Unison (1990). \"(If There Was) Any Other Way\" was released by Columbia Records as the album's lead single in Canada on 26 March 1990. The next year, it was issued as the second single in other countries. The song was written by Paul Bliss, while production was handled by Christopher Neil.\n\nAfter its release, \"(If There Was) Any Other Way\" received positive reviews from music critics. The song peaked at number 23 in Canada and number 35 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, it became a success on the adult contemporary charts, reaching number eight in the United States and number 12 in Canada. Two accompanying music videos for the song were filmed. Dion performed \"(If There Was) Any Other Way\" during her Unison Tour (1990–91).\n\nBackground and release\nIn 1990, Dion was preparing to issue her first English-language album, Unison. After releasing various French-language albums in Canada and France in the '80s, she recorded new English songs in London, Los Angeles and New York. At first, Unison was released in Canada, and \"(If There Was) Any Other Way\" was chosen as its lead single. Written by British musician, Paul Bliss, and produced by British record producer, Christopher Neil, it was issued on 26 March 1990.\n\nOne year later on 18 March 1991, \"(If There Was) Any Other Way\" was released as the second single in the United States after \"Where Does My Heart Beat Now\". For the US market the single was remixed by Walter Afanasieff. This US version features a different audio mix from the Canadian single version and the album version: reverb has been applied throughout (most noticeably to Dion's vocal track), the guitars have been rebalanced so that they are less audible in some places in the song and more prominent in others, the drum track features \"rimshot\" effects during the chorus, additional synthesizer lines have been overdubbed onto the existing keyboard track (most noticeably in the bar before the instrumental break), and the fadeout has been slightly extended in length. It was also used in the American music video of the song that year. Additionally \"(If There Was) Any Other Way\" was remixed by Daniel Abraham, a French record producer living in New York. His dance remixes appeared on a promotional US single.\n\n\"(If There Was) Any Other Way\" was also released as a single in selected European countries, Australia, and Japan in June 1991.\n\nCritical reception\nAllMusic's senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine picked the song as an album standout along with \"Where Does My Heart Beat Now\". Larry Flick from Billboard noted that Dion \"continues to soar\" with a \"spirited, up-tempo\" song. He complimented the \"crystalline production and shimmering backup vocal support combined with a passionate lead performance\". Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report wrote about the song: \"Nothing like witnessing the growth and development of a genuine artist. Celine definitely falls into that category, capturing the hearts of Americans the way she's been doing in her native Canada for the past several years. Switching from torch song to snappy rhythm affords listeners an opportunity to hear another side of this wonderful talent\". Music & Media noted that \"talented Canadian chanteuse enters the Whitney Houston racket\" and described it as \"satisfying AC pop.\" Christopher Smith from TalkAboutPopMusic described it as a \"pop-soft rock mid tempo number\".\n\nCommercial performance\nIn Canada \"(If There Was) Any Other Way\" entered the RPM Top Singles chart on 31 March 1990 and peaked at number twenty-three on 9 June 1990. The song also entered the RPM Adult Contemporary chart on 24 March 1990 and reached number twelve there. In the United States \"(If There Was) Any Other Way\" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, dated 6 April 1991, and peaked at number thirty-five on 1 June 1991. The track also entered Billboards Adult Contemporary chart dated 30 March 1991, reaching number eight.\n\nMusic video\nThere were two music videos made for the song. The first one was directed by Derek Case and released in March 1990 for the Canadian market. The second one was filmed for the US market in Los Angeles, California, and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was directed by Dominic Orlando and premiered in March 1991. The two videos were included separately on Dion's 1991 home video Unison, depending on the Canadian or US release.\n\nLive performances\nDion performed \"(If There Was) Any Other Way\" on a few Canadian television shows in 1990. She also sang it on the Canadian/US variety show, Super Dave and performed it in Norway in 1991. It was included in her Unison Tour as well.\n\nTrack listings and formatsAustralian 7\", cassette, CD / Canadian 7\" single\"(If There Was) Any Other Way\" – 3:59\n\"(If There Was) Any Other Way\" (Instrumental) – 3:59Canadian cassette / European 3\", 7\" / Japanese 3\" single\"(If There Was) Any Other Way\" – 3:59\n\"I'm Loving Every Moment With You\" – 4:08European 12\", CD single\"(If There Was) Any Other Way\" – 3:59\n\"I'm Loving Every Moment With You\" – 4:08\n\"If We Could Start Over\" – 4:23US 7\" single\"(If There Was) Any Other Way\" – 3:59\n\"Where Does My Heart Beat Now\" – 4:33US cassette single\"(If There Was) Any Other Way\" (Walter Afanasieff Remix) – 4:13\n\"Where Does My Heart Beat Now\" – 4:33US promotional CD single'\n\"(If There Was) Any Other Way\" (Daniel Abraham's 7\" Remix) – 3:54\n\"(If There Was) Any Other Way\" (Daniel Abraham's 12\" Remix) – 5:39\n\nCharts\n\nWeekly charts\n\nYear-end charts\n\nCredits and personnel\nRecording\nRecorded at West Side Studios, London\n\nPersonnel\nCeline Dion – lead and backing vocals\nChristopher Neil – producer, backing vocals\nPhil Palmer – guitars\nPaul Bliss – songwriter, drums, keyboard programming, backing vocals\nSimon Hurrell – engineer\nWalter Afanasieff – additional producer, keyboards, percussion (Remix only)\nDaniel Abraham – additional producer (Dance Remix only)\n\nRelease history\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n\n1990 singles\n1990 songs\nCeline Dion songs\nColumbia Records singles\nDance-pop songs\nEpic Records singles\nSong recordings produced by Christopher Neil", "Point Blank is the third album by the hard rock band Bonfire. It was released in 1989 on the label BMG International. During the recording sessions of this album, Hans Ziller was fired from the band, but the album features 10 songs written by him as well as 3 that feature him playing. Freddy Curci from Alias, Sheriff and Zion also contributed to additional backing vocals for this album. Originally, the band had recorded 30 songs and settled on 17 tracks for the album.\n\nIt entered the UK album charts on 21 October 1989, and reached number 74; it was only in the chart for 1 week.\n\nTrack listing\n\nRemastered Edition\nIn 2009 Point Blank was remastered by Toni Ubler for the company Yesterrock. This edition of the album now featured 7 additional songs, all live performances by Bonfire from circa 1989 when the album was originally released. The track listing is as follows:\n\nBand members\nClaus Lessmann - lead & backing vocals, acoustic guitar\nAngel Schleifer - guitar, backing vocals\nJoerg Deisinger - bass, backing vocals, mouth drums\nEdgar Patrik - drums, percussion, backing vocals\n\nAdditional musicians\n Hans Ziller - 2nd guitar solo on #01, acoustic slide guitar on #04, lead guitar on #05\n Fred Curci - additional backing vocals\n\nCovers\nIn 1991, Desmond Child covered the song \"The Price of Loving You\" for his Discipline album.\n\nReferences\n\n Billboard's Listing of Point Blank Album\n\nBonfire (band) albums\n1989 albums" ]
[ "The Police", "1979: Reggatta de Blanc", "Was there any hits from this album", "Regatta de Blanc\" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.", "Did it help the growth of the band", "The album's singles failed to dent the US top 40, but Reggatta de Blanc still hit No. 25 on the US album charts.", "Was there any additional members during that album", "I don't know." ]
C_99f5eef46d72402dbe1a292c41149f71_0
Was any of the songs featured in film or other media
4
Were any of the songs from Reggatta de Blanc featured in film or other media?
The Police
In October 1979, the group released their second album, Reggatta de Blanc, which topped the UK Albums Chart, and became the first of five consecutive UK No. 1 albums. The album spawned the hit singles "Message in a Bottle" (No. 1 UK, No. 2 Canada, No. 5 Australia) and "Walking on the Moon" (No. 1 UK). The album's singles failed to dent the US top 40, but Reggatta de Blanc still hit No. 25 on the US album charts. The band's first live performance of "Message in a Bottle" was on the BBC's television show Rock Goes to College filmed at Hatfield Polytechnic College in Hertfordshire. The instrumental title track "Regatta de Blanc" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. In February 1980, the single "So Lonely" was re-issued in the UK. Originally a non-charting flop when first issued in late 1978, upon re-release the track became a UK top 10 hit, peaking at No. 6. In March 1980, the Police began their first world tour, which included places that had seldom hosted foreign performers---including Mexico, India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Greece, and Egypt. The tour was subsequently documented in the film The Police Around the World (1982), directed by Kate and Derek Burbidge, which encompasses footage shot by Anne Nightingale originally intended for a BBC production The Police in the East. In May 1980, A&M in the UK released Six Pack, a package containing the five previous A&M singles (not including "Fall Out") in their original sleeves plus a mono alternate take of the album track "The Bed's Too Big Without You" backed with a live version of "Truth Hits Everybody". It reached No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart (although chart regulations introduced later in the decade would have classed it as an album). CANNOTANSWER
Message in a Bottle
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police became globally popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Emerging in the British new wave scene, they played a style of rock influenced by punk, reggae, and jazz. Their 1978 debut album, Outlandos d'Amour, reached No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart on the strength of the singles "Roxanne" and "Can't Stand Losing You". Their second album, Reggatta de Blanc (1979), became the first of four consecutive No. 1 studio albums in the UK and Australia; its first two singles, "Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon", became their first UK number ones. Their next two albums, Zenyatta Mondatta (1980) and Ghost in the Machine (1981), led to further critical and commercial success with two songs, "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", becoming UK number-one singles and Top 5 hits in other countries; the latter album and single were their breakthrough into the US as both reached the Top 3 there. Their final studio album, Synchronicity (1983), was No. 1 in the UK, Canada, Australia, Italy and the US, selling over 8 million copies in the US. Its lead single, "Every Breath You Take", became their fifth UK number one, and only US number one. During this time, the band were considered one of the leaders of the Second British Invasion of the US; in 1983 Rolling Stone labelled them "the first British New Wave act to break through in America on a grand scale, and possibly the biggest band in the world." The Police disbanded in 1986, but reunited in early 2007 for a one-off world tour that ended in August 2008. They were the world's highest-earning musicians in 2008, due to their reunion tour. The Police have sold over 75 million records, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time. The band won a number of music awards, including six Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards—winning Best British Group once, and an MTV Video Music Award. In 2003, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Four of their five studio albums appeared on Rolling Stones list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". The band were included among both Rolling Stones and VH1's lists of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". History 1977: Formation In late November 1976, while on tour with the British progressive rock band Curved Air in Newcastle upon Tyne, in the northeast of England, the band's American drummer, Stewart Copeland, met and exchanged phone numbers with ambitious singer-bassist (and former schoolteacher) Gordon Sumner a.k.a. Sting (so nicknamed because of his habit of wearing a black-and-yellow striped sweater resembling a wasp), who at the time was playing in a jazz-rock fusion band called Last Exit. On 12 January 1977, Sting relocated to London and, on the day of his arrival, sought out Copeland for a jam session. Curved Air had recently split up and Copeland, inspired by the contemporary punk rock movement, was eager to form a new band to join the burgeoning London punk scene. While less keen, Sting acknowledged the commercial opportunities, so they formed The Police as a trio, with Corsican guitarist Henry Padovani recruited as the third member. After their debut concert on 1 March 1977 at Alexander's in Newport, Wales (which lasted only ten minutes), the group played London pubs and Punk clubs touring as backing band and support act for Cherry Vanilla and for Wayne County & the Electric Chairs. On 1 May 1977, The Police released on Illegal Records their debut single "Fall Out," recorded at Pathway Studios in Islington, North London on 12 February 1977 (a couple of weeks before the band's debut live performance), with a budget of £150. This is the only Police recording featuring Henry Padovani. Mick Jagger reviewed the single in Sounds magazine. Also in May 1977, former Gong musician Mike Howlett invited Sting to join him in the band project Strontium 90. The drummer Howlett had in mind, Chris Cutler, was unavailable, so Sting took Copeland. The band's fourth member was guitarist Andy Summers. A decade older than Sting and Copeland, Summers was a music industry veteran who had played with Eric Burdon and the Animals and Kevin Ayers among others. Strontium 90 performed at a Gong reunion concert in Paris on 28 May 1977, and played at a London club (under the name of "the Elevators") in July. The band also recorded several demo tracks: these were released (along with live recordings and an early version of "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic") 20 years later on the archive album Strontium 90: Police Academy. Summers's musicality impressed Sting, who was becoming frustrated with Padovani's rudimentary abilities and the limitations they imposed on The Police's potential. Shortly after the Strontium 90 gig, Sting approached Summers to join the band. He agreed, on the condition the band remain a trio, with him replacing Padovani. Restrained by loyalty, Copeland and Sting resisted the idea, and The Police carried on as a four-piece version. However, they only performed live twice: on 25 July 1977 at the Music Machine in London and on 5 August at the Mont de Marsan Punk Festival. Shortly after these two gigs (and an aborted recording session with ex-Velvet Underground member John Cale as producer on 10 August), Summers delivered an ultimatum to the band and Padovani was dismissed leaving him free to join Wayne County & The Electric Chairs. The effect of Summers's arrival was instant: Copeland said: "One by one, Sting's songs had started coming in, and when Andy joined, it opened up new numbers of Sting's we could do, so the material started to get a lot more interesting and Sting started to take a lot more interest in the group." The Police's power trio line-up of Copeland, Sting, and Summers performed for the first time on 18 August 1977 at Rebecca's club in Birmingham in the West Midlands. A trio was unusual for the time, and this line-up endured for the rest of the band's history. Few punk bands were three-pieces, while contemporary bands pursuing progressive rock, symphonic rock and other sound trends usually expanded their line-ups with support players. The musical background of all three players may have made them suspect to punk purists, with music critic Christopher Gable stating, The band were also able to draw on influences from reggae to jazz to progressive and pub rock. While still maintaining the main band and attempting to win over punk audiences, Police members continued to moonlight within the art rock scene. In late 1977 and early 1978, Sting and Summers recorded and performed as part of an ensemble led by German experimental composer Eberhard Schoener; Copeland also joined for a time. These performances resulted in three albums, each of them an eclectic mix of rock, electronica and jazz. Various appearances by the Schoener outfit on German television made the German public aware of Sting's unusual high-pitched voice, and helped pave the way for The Police's later popularity. The bleached-blond hair that became a band trademark happened by accident. In February 1978, the band, desperate for money, was asked to do a commercial for Wrigley's Spearmint chewing gum (directed by Tony Scott) on the condition they dye their hair blond. The commercial was shot with the band, but was shelved and never aired. 1977–1978: Recording contract and Outlandos d'Amour Copeland's older brother Miles was initially sceptical of the inclusion of Summers in the band, fearing it would undermine their punk credibility, and reluctantly agreed to provide £1,500 to finance The Police's first album. Recording Outlandos d'Amour was difficult, as the band was working on a small budget, with no manager or record deal. It was recorded during off-peak hours at the Surrey Sound Studios in Leatherhead, Surrey, a converted recording facility above a dairy which was run by brothers Chris and Nigel Gray. During one of his periodic studio visits, Miles heard "Roxanne" for the first time at the end of a session. Where he had been less enthusiastic about the band's other songs, the elder Copeland was immediately struck by the track, and quickly got The Police a record deal with A&M Records on the strength of it. "Roxanne" was issued as a single in the spring of 1978, while other album tracks were still being recorded, but it failed to chart. It also failed to make the BBC's playlist, which the band attributed to the song's depiction of prostitution. A&M consequently promoted the single with posters claiming "Banned by the BBC", though it was never really banned, just not play-listed. Copeland later admitted, "We got a lot of mileage out of it being supposedly banned by the BBC." The Police made their first television appearance in October 1978, on BBC2's The Old Grey Whistle Test to promote the release of Outlandos d'Amour. Though "Roxanne" was never banned, the BBC did ban the second single from Outlandos d'Amour, "Can't Stand Losing You". This was due to the single's cover, which featured Copeland hanging himself over an ice block being melted by a portable radiator. The single became a minor chart hit, The Police's first, peaking at No. 42 in the UK. The follow-up single, "So Lonely", issued in November 1978, failed to chart. In February 1979, "Roxanne" was issued as a single in North America, where it was warmly received on radio despite the subject matter. The song peaked at No. 31 in Canada and No. 32 in the US, spurring a UK re-release of it in April. The band performed "Roxanne" on BBC1's Top of the Pops, and the re-issue of the song finally gained the band widespread recognition in the UK when it peaked at No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart. The group's UK success led to gigs in the US at the famous New York City club CBGB, The Rathskeller (The RAT) in Boston and at The Chance in Poughkeepsie, New York, from which "Roxanne" finally debuted on US radio on WPDH, and a gruelling 1979 North American tour in which the band drove themselves and their equipment around the country in a Ford Econoline van. That summer, "Can't Stand Losing You" was also re-released in the UK, becoming a substantial hit, peaking at No. 2. The group's first single, "Fall Out", was reissued in late 1979, peaking at No. 47 in the UK. 1979: Reggatta de Blanc In October 1979, the group released their second album, Reggatta de Blanc, which topped the UK Albums Chart and became the first of four consecutive UK No. 1 studio albums. The album spawned the hit singles "Message in a Bottle" (No. 1 UK, No. 2 Canada, No. 5 Australia) and "Walking on the Moon" (No. 1 UK). The album's singles failed to enter the US top 40, but Reggatta de Blanc still reached No. 25 on the US album charts. The band's first live performance of "Message in a Bottle" was on the BBC's television show Rock Goes to College filmed at Hatfield Polytechnic College in Hertfordshire. The instrumental title track "Reggatta de Blanc" won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. In February 1980, the single "So Lonely" was reissued in the UK. Originally a non-charting flop when first issued in late 1978, upon re-release the track became a UK top 10 hit, peaking at No. 6. In March 1980, the Police began their first world tour, which included places that had seldom hosted foreign performers—including Mexico, India, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Greece and Egypt. The tour was subsequently documented in the film The Police Around the World (1982), directed by Kate and Derek Burbidge, which contains footage shot by Annie Nightingale originally intended for a BBC production The Police in the East. In May 1980, A&M in the UK released Six Pack, a package containing the five previous A&M singles (not including "Fall Out") in their original sleeves plus a mono alternate take of the album track "The Bed's Too Big Without You" backed with a live version of "Truth Hits Everybody". It reached No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart (although chart regulations introduced later in the decade would have classed it as an album). 1980–1981: Zenyatta Mondatta Pressured by their record company for a new record and a prompt return to touring, the Police released their third album, Zenyatta Mondatta, in October 1980. The album was recorded in a three-week period in the Netherlands for tax reasons. The album gave the group their third UK No. 1 hit, "Don't Stand So Close to Me" (the UK's best-selling single of 1980) and another hit single, "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da", both of which reached No. 10 in the US. While the three band members and co-producer Nigel Gray all expressed immediate regret over the rushed recording for the album, which was finished at 4 a.m. on the day the band began their world tour, the album received high praise from critics. The instrumental "Behind My Camel", written by Andy Summers, won the band a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, while "Don't Stand So Close to Me" won the Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance for Duo or Group. 1981–1982: Ghost in the Machine and Brimstone and Treacle The Police's fourth album, Ghost in the Machine, co-produced by Hugh Padgham, was recorded at Air Studios on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, with the exception of "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" which was recorded at Le Studio at Morin Heights, Quebec, Canada, and released in 1981. It featured thicker sounds, layered saxophones, and vocal textures. It spawned the hit singles "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" (featuring pianist Jean Roussel), their fourth UK No. 1 (No. 3 in the U.S.), "Invisible Sun", and "Spirits in the Material World". As the band was unable to agree on a cover picture, the album cover had three red pictographs, digital likenesses of the three band members in the style of segmented LED displays, set against a black background. In the 1980s, Sting and Summers became tax exiles and moved to Ireland (Sting to Roundstone, County Galway, and Summers to Kinsale in County Cork) while Copeland, an American, remained in England. The group opened and closed the 1981 concert film, Urgh! A Music War. The film, which captured the music scene in the wake of punk, was masterminded by Stewart Copeland's brothers Ian and Miles. The film had a limited release but developed a mythic reputation over the years. At the 1982 Brit Awards in London, the Police received the award for Best British Group. After the Ghost in the Machine Tour concluded in 1982, the group took a sabbatical and each member pursued outside projects. By this time, Sting was becoming a major star, and he established a career beyond the Police by branching out into acting. Back in 1979, he had made a well-received debut as the "Ace Face" in the British drama film Quadrophenia, a film loosely based on The Who's rock opera, followed by a role as a mechanic in love with Eddie Cochran's music in Chris Petit's Radio On. In 1982, Sting furthered his acting career by co-starring in the Richard Loncraine film Brimstone and Treacle. He also had a minor solo hit in the United Kingdom with the movie's theme song, a cover of the 1929 hit "Spread a Little Happiness" (which appeared on the Brimstone & Treacle soundtrack, along with three new Police tracks, "How Stupid Mr Bates", "A Kind of Loving", and "I Burn for You"). Over 1981 and 1982, Summers recorded his first album with Robert Fripp, I Advance Masked. In 1983, Stewart Copeland composed the musical score for Francis Ford Coppola's film Rumble Fish. The single "Don't Box Me In (theme From Rumble Fish)", a collaboration between Copeland and singer-songwriter Stan Ridgway (of the band Wall of Voodoo) received significant airplay upon release of the film that year. Also in 1983, Sting filmed his first big-budget movie role-playing Feyd-Rautha in David Lynch's Dune. As Sting's fame rose, his relationship with Stewart Copeland deteriorated. Their increasingly strained partnership was further stretched by the pressures of worldwide publicity and fame, conflicting egos, and their financial success. Meanwhile, both Sting's and Summers's marriages failed. 1983: Synchronicity and "The Biggest Band in the World" In 1983, the Police released their last studio album, Synchronicity, which spawned the hit singles "Every Breath You Take", "Wrapped Around Your Finger", "King of Pain", and "Synchronicity II". By that time, several critics deemed them "the biggest rock band in the world". Recording the album, however, was a tense affair with increasing disputes among the band. The three members recorded their contributions individually in separate rooms and over-dubbed at different times. The Synchronicity Tour began in Chicago, Illinois in July 1983 at the original Comiskey Park, and on 18 August the band played in front of 70,000 in Shea Stadium, New York. Near the end of the concert, Sting announced: "We'd like to thank the Beatles for lending us their stadium." Looking back, Copeland states, "Playing Shea Stadium was big because, even though I'm a septic tank (rhyming slang for 'Yank'), The Police is an English band and I'm a Londoner – an American Londoner – so it felt like conquering America." They played throughout the UK in December 1983, including four sold out nights at London's Wembley Arena, and the tour ended in Melbourne, Australia on 4 March 1984 at the Melbourne Showgrounds (the final concert featured Sunnyboys, Kids In The Kitchen, Bryan Adams and Australian Crawl, with the Police topping the bill). Sting's look, dominated by his orange-coloured hair (a result of his role in Dune) and tattered clothing, both of which were emphasised in the music videos from the album, carried over into the set for the concert. Except for "King of Pain", the singles were accompanied by music videos directed by Godley & Creme. Synchronicity became a No. 1 album in both the UK (where it debuted at No. 1) and the US. It stayed at No. 1 in the UK for two weeks and in the US for seventeen weeks. It was nominated for Grammy Awards for Album of the Year, but lost to Michael Jackson's Thriller. "Every Breath You Take" won the Grammy for Song of the Year, beating Jackson's "Billie Jean". "Every Breath You Take" also won the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, while the album won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. "Every Breath You Take" also won the American Video Award for Best Group video, and the song won two Ivor Novello Awards in the categories Best Song Musically and Lyrically and Most Performed Work from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors. 1984–1986: Hiatus, aborted sixth studio album During the group's 1983 Shea Stadium concert, Sting felt performing at the venue was "Everest" and decided to pursue a solo career, according to the documentary The Last Play at Shea. After the Synchronicity tour ended in March 1984, the band went on hiatus while Sting recorded and toured in support of his successful solo debut LP, the jazz-influenced The Dream of the Blue Turtles, released in June 1985; Copeland recorded and filmed The Rhythmatist (1985); and Summers recorded another album with Robert Fripp (Bewitched, 1984) and the theme song for the film 2010—which was not used in the film, but included on the soundtrack album. At the 1985 Brit Awards held at London's Grosvenor Hotel on 11 February, the band received the award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In July the same year, Sting and Copeland participated in Live Aid at Wembley Stadium, London. In June 1986, the Police reconvened to play three concerts for the Amnesty International A Conspiracy of Hope tour. Their last performance on stage before their split was on 15 June at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. They ended their set with "Invisible Sun", bringing out Bono to sing the final verse. When they finished, they handed U2 their instruments for the all-star finale of "I Shall Be Released". As the lead singer of U2 – who themselves would soon be regarded as the biggest band in the world – Bono stated, "It was a very big moment, like passing a torch." In July of that year, the trio reunited in the studio to record a new album. However, Copeland broke his collarbone in a fall from a horse and was unable to play the drums. As a result of the tense and short-lived reunion in the studio, "Don't Stand So Close to Me '86" was released in October 1986 as their final single and made it into the UK Top 25. It also appeared on the 1986 compilation Every Breath You Take: The Singles, which reached No. 1 in the UK album charts. A rerecorded version of "De Do Do Do De Da Da Da" was subsequently also included on the DTS-CD release of the Every Breath You Take: The Classics album in 1995. The album has sold over five million copies in the US. Following the failed effort to record a new studio album, the Police effectively disbanded. In the liner notes to the Police's box set Message in a Box, Summers explains: "The attempt to record a new album was doomed from the outset. The night before we went into the studio Stewart broke his collarbone falling off a horse and that meant we lost our last chance of recovering some rapport just by jamming together. Anyway, it was clear Sting had no real intention of writing any new songs for the Police. It was an empty exercise." 1986–2006: Disbandment Each band member continued with his solo career over the next 20 years. Sting continued recording and touring as a solo performer to great success. Summers recorded a number of albums, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with other musicians. Copeland became a prolific producer of movie and television soundtracks, and he recorded and toured with two new bands, Animal Logic and Oysterhead. However, a few events did bring the Police back together, albeit briefly. Summers played guitar on Sting's album ...Nothing Like the Sun (1987), a favour the singer returned by playing bass on Summers' album Charming Snakes (1989) and later singing lead vocals on "'Round Midnight" for Summers' tribute to Thelonious Monk Green Chimneys (1999). On 2 October 1991 (Sting's 40th birthday), Summers joined Sting on stage at the Hollywood Bowl during The Soul Cages Tour to perform "Walking on the Moon", "Every Breath You Take", and "Message in a Bottle". The performance was broadcast as a pay-per-view event. On 22 August 1992, Sting married Trudie Styler in an 11th-century chapel in Wiltshire, southwest England. Summers and Copeland were invited to the ceremony and reception. Aware that all band members were present, the wedding guests pressured the trio into playing, and they performed "Roxanne" and "Message in a Bottle". Copeland said later that "after about three minutes, it became 'the thing' again". In 1995 A&M released Live!, a double live album produced by Summers featuring two complete concerts—one recorded on 27 November 1979 at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston during the Reggatta de Blanc tour, and one recorded on 2 November 1983 at the Omni in Atlanta, Georgia, during the Synchronicity Tour (the latter was also documented in the VHS tape Synchronicity Concert in 1984). On 10 March 2003, the Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and performed "Roxanne", "Message in a Bottle", and "Every Breath You Take" live, as a group (the last song was performed alongside Steven Tyler, Gwen Stefani, and John Mayer). In the autumn of 2003, Sting released his autobiography, Broken Music. In 2004, Copeland and Summers joined Incubus onstage at KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas concert in Los Angeles performing "Roxanne" and "Message in a Bottle". In 2004, Henry Padovani released an album with the participation of Copeland and Sting on one track, reuniting the original Police line-up for the first time since 1977. Also in 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the Police No. 70 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2006, Stewart Copeland released a rockumentary about the band called Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out, based on Super-8 filming he did when the band was touring and recording in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In October 2006, Andy Summers released One Train Later, an autobiographical memoir detailing his early career and time with the band. 2007–2008: Reunion tour In early 2007, reports surfaced the trio would reunite for a tour to mark the Police's 30th anniversary, more than 20 years since their split in 1986. On 22 January 2007, the punk wave magazine Side-Line broke the story the Police would reunite for the Grammys, and would perform "Roxanne". Side-Line also stated the Police were to embark on a massive world tour. Billboard magazine later confirmed the news, quoting Summers' 2006 statement as to how the band could have continued post-Synchronicity: "The more rational approach would have been, 'OK, Sting, go make a solo record, and let's get back together in two or three years.' I'm certain we could have done that. Of course we could have. We were definitely not in a creative dry space. We could have easily carried on, and we could probably still be there. That wasn't to be our fate. It went in another way. I regret we never paid it off with a last tour." The band opened the 49th Annual Grammy Awards on 11 February 2007 in Los Angeles, announcing, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are The Police, and we're back!" before launching into "Roxanne". A&M, the band's record company, promoted the 2007–08 reunion tour as the 30th anniversary of the band's formation and of the release of their first single for A&M, "Roxanne". The Police Reunion Tour began in late May 2007 with two shows in Vancouver. Stewart Copeland gave a scathing review of the show on his own website, which the press interpreted as a feud occurring two gigs into the tour. Copeland later apologised for besmirching "my buddy Sting," and chalked up the comments to "hyper self-criticism". Tickets for the British leg of the tour sold out within 30 minutes, and the band played two nights at Twickenham Stadium on 8 and 9 September. On 29 and 30 September 2007, Henry Padovani joined the group on stage for the final encore of their two shows in Paris, playing the song "Next to You" as a four-piece band. In October 2007, the group played the largest gig of the reunion tour in Dublin in front of 82,000 fans. The group headlined the TW Classic festival in Werchter, Belgium on 7 June 2008. They also headlined the last night of the 2008 Isle of Wight Festival on 15 June, the Heineken Jammin' Festival in Venice on 23 June and the Sunday night at Hard Rock Calling (previously called Hyde Park Calling) in London on 29 June. In February 2008, the band announced that, when the tour finished, they would break up again. "There will be no new album, no big new tour," said Sting. "Once we're done with our reunion tour, that's it for The Police." The final show of the tour was on 7 August 2008 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The band performed the opening song, "Message in a Bottle", with the brass band of the New York Metropolitan Police Corp. Later, they performed "Sunshine of Your Love" and "Purple Haze" as a tribute to the rock trios that preceded them: Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience. While announcing the show, the group also donated $1 million to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's initiative to plant one million trees in the city by 2017. The world's highest-earning musicians in 2008, the tour sold 3.7 million tickets and grossed $358 million, making it the third-highest-grossing tour of all time at its conclusion. On 11 November 2008, the Police released Certifiable: Live in Buenos Aires, a Blu-ray, DVD and CD set of the band's two performances in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the tour (1 and 2 December 2007). Those sets with two DVDs also included a documentary shot by Copeland's son Jordan entitled Better Than Therapy as well as some photographs of Buenos Aires taken by Andy Summers. Musical style The Police started as a punk rock band, but soon expanded their music vocabulary to incorporate reggae, pop and new wave sonorities to their sound. In his retrospective assessment Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic argues that the notion of the Police as a punk rock band was true only "in the loosest sense of the term". He states the band's "nervous, reggae-injected pop/rock was punky" and had a "punk spirit" but it "wasn't necessarily punk". A "power trio," The Police are known as a new wave and post-punk band, with many songs falling in the reggae-fusion genre. Legacy In 2003, the Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked the Police number 70 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and in 2010, the band were ranked 40th on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Four of the band's five studio albums appeared on Rolling Stone'''s 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: Ghost in the Machine (number 322), Reggatta de Blanc (number 369), Outlandos d'Amour (number 434), and Synchronicity (number 455). In 2008, Q magazine named Synchronicity among the top 10 British Albums of the 1980s. The primary songwriter for the Police, Sting was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. In Rolling Stone's 2004 list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, "Every Breath You Take" ranked number 84 (the highest new wave song on the list), and "Roxanne" ranked number 388. "Message in a Bottle" ranked number 65 in the magazine's 2008 list of the 100 greatest guitar songs. Q magazine named "Every Breath You Take" among the top 10 British Songs of the 1980s, and in a UK-wide poll by ITV in 2015 it was voted The Nation's Favourite 80s Number One. In May 2019, "Every Breath You Take" was recognized by BMI as being the most performed song in their catalogue, overtaking "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" performed by the Righteous Brothers. With a string of UK number one albums, the Police were among the most commercially successful British bands of the early 1980s, and with success overseas they are typically regarded as in both the vanguard of the Second British Invasion, and the new wave movement. With a history of playing to large audiences (such as Shea Stadium in 1983), the Police were a featured artist in the stadium rock episode of the 2007 BBC/VH1 series Seven Ages of Rock along with Queen, Led Zeppelin, U2 and Bruce Springsteen. Despite the band's well-documented disagreements with one another, Summers confirmed in 2015 that Sting, Copeland and he are good friends. Summers said, "Despite the general press thing about 'God, they hate each other', it's actually not true, we're very supportive of one another." DiscographyOutlandos d'Amour (1978)Reggatta de Blanc (1979)Zenyatta Mondatta (1980)Ghost in the Machine (1981)Synchronicity (1983) Concert tours The Police Around the World Tour (1977–1980) Zenyatta Mondatta Tour (1980–1981) Ghost in the Machine Tour (1981–1982) Synchronicity Tour (1983–1984) The Police Reunion Tour (2007–2008) Band members Stewart Copeland – drums, percussion, backing and lead vocals, keyboards, guitars (1977–1986, 2003, 2007–2008) Sting – lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, double bass, keyboards, saxophone, harmonica (1977–1986, 2003, 2007–2008) Andy Summers – guitars, backing and lead vocals, keyboards (1977–1986, 2003, 2007–2008) Henry Padovani – guitar (1977; 2007 reunion tour finale, Paris with Sting, Summers, and Copeland) Awards and nominations Brit Awards 1982: Best British Group 1985: Outstanding Contribution to Music Grammy Awards |- !scope="row" | 1981 | "Reggatta de Blanc" | rowspan= "2" | Best Rock Instrumental Performance | |- !scope="row" rowspan= "2" | 1982 | "Behind My Camel" | |- | "Don't Stand So Close to Me" | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |- !scope="row" rowspan= "4" | 1984 | rowspan= "2" | Synchronicity| Album of the Year | |- | Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |- | rowspan= "2" | "Every Breath You Take" | Record of the Year | |- | Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal | |- !scope="row" | 1986 | The Police Synchronicity Concert | Best Music Video, Long Form | |- Juno Awards |- | rowspan="2" | 1984 | Synchronicity| International Album of the Year | People's Choice Awards |- | 2008 | Themselves | Favorite Reunion Tour | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Police were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 10 March 2003. Other lists Ranked No.70 on Rolling Stone''s Immortals, the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Ranked No.40 on VH1's List of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. See also List of best-selling music artists List of highest-grossing concert tours List of new wave artists List of reggae rock artists References Citations Sources External links thepolice.com thepolicetour.com 1977 establishments in England 1977 in London A&M Records artists Brit Award winners British musical trios English new wave musical groups Grammy Award winners Juno Award for International Album of the Year winners Musical groups established in 1977 Musical groups reestablished in 2007 Musical groups disestablished in 2008 Musical groups from London Reggae rock groups
true
[ "A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the soundtrack to the film of the same name, in 1938. The first soundtrack album of a film's orchestral score was that for Alexander Korda's 1942 film Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book, composed by Miklós Rózsa.\n\nOverview\nWhen a feature film is released, or during and after a television series airs, an album in the form of a soundtrack is frequently released alongside it.\n\nA soundtrack typically contains instrumentation or alternatively a film score. But it can also feature songs that were sung or performed by characters in a scene (or a cover version of a song in the media, rerecorded by a popular artist), songs that were used as intentional or unintentional background music in important scenes, songs that were heard in the closing credits, or songs for no apparent reason related to the media other than for promotion, that were included in a soundtrack.\n\nSoundtracks are usually released on major record labels (just as if they were released by a musical artist), and the songs and the soundtrack itself can also be on music charts, and win musical awards.\n\nBy convention, a soundtrack record can contain any kind of music including music \"inspired by\" but not actually appearing in the movie; the score contains only music by the original film's composers.\n\nContemporaneously, a soundtrack can go against normality, (most typically used in popular culture franchises) and contains recently released or exclusive never before released original pop music selections, (some of which become high-charting records on their own, which due to being released on another franchises title, peaked because of that) and is simply used for promotional purposes for well known artists, or new or unknown artists. These soundtracks contain music not at all heard in the film/television series, and any artistic or lyrical connection is purely coincidental.\n\nHowever depending on the genre of the media the soundtrack of popular songs would have a set pattern; a lighthearted romance might feature easy listening love songs, whilst a more dark thriller would compose of hard rock or urban music.\n\nIn 1908, Camille Saint-Saëns composed the first music specifically for use in a motion picture (L'assasinat du duc de Guise), and releasing recordings of songs used in films became prevalent in the 1930s. Henry Mancini, who won an Emmy Award and two Grammys for his soundtrack to Peter Gunn, was the first composer to have a widespread hit with a song from a soundtrack.\n\nBefore the 1970s, soundtracks (with a few exceptions), accompanied towards musicals, and was an album that featured vocal and instrumental, (and instrumental versions of vocal songs) musical selections performed by cast members. Or cover versions of songs sung by another artist.\n\nAfter the 1970s, soundtracks started to include more diversity, and music consumers would anticipate a motion picture or television soundtrack. Majority of top charting songs were those featured or released on a film or television soundtrack album.\n\nNowadays, the term \"soundtrack\" sort of subsided. It now mostly commonly refers to instrumental background music used in that media. Popular songs featured in a film or television series are instead highlighted and referenced in the credits, not a part of a \"soundtrack\".\n\nIn advertisements or store listings, soundtrack albums are sometimes confused with original cast albums. These are albums made with the original stage cast of a musical, and are recorded by the cast either in live performance or in a studio, not transferred from a movie soundtrack.\n\nIn some cases, recorded dialogue may be incorporated into the soundtrack album. This comes in two kinds: audio clips from the movie itself (used on the albums for Pulp Fiction and Apollo 13, for example) or radio dramas that involve the characters from the movie involved in other events (example: King of Pirates, from FLCL). The unusual first soundtrack album of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, issued in 1956 in conjunction with the film's first telecast, was virtually a condensed version of the film, with enough dialogue on the album for the listener to be able to easily follow the plot, as was the first soundtrack album of the 1968 Romeo and Juliet, and the soundtrack albums of The Taming of the Shrew (1967 version), Cromwell, and Little Big Man. In the case of Patton, the bulk of the album featured the film's musical score, while the opening and final tracks featured George C. Scott's opening and closing speeches from the movie. The highly unusual soundtrack album of the 1972 mystery film Sleuth was designed as a sort of teaser, with Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine's voices heard for the first three minutes, after which the dialogue was abruptly cut off and the musical score of the film took over, forcing listeners to \"see the film if they wished to know what the mystery was all about.\"\n\nIn a few rare instances, the complete soundtrack for a film — dialogue, music, sound effects, etc. — has been released. One notable example was a 3-LP set of the 1977 Rankin-Bass film The Hobbit. Because this particular film was produced for television, it lent itself well to the LP format: built-in commercial insert points were used to end each LP side, thus avoiding any additional editing. Another example was the above-mentioned Zeffirelli Romeo and Juliet - the movie proved so popular that two years after the film's original release, an album set of the complete soundtrack was released. Still another example was the Laurence Olivier Richard III, the soundtrack of which was released as a 3-LP album by RCA Victor in 1955.\n\nExtra tracks\nSometimes tracks not in the movie are included in the album, especially on a CD release of the soundtrack as opposed to an LP. Some of these may be \"outtakes\" (songs or instrumental music recorded for use in the movie but \"cut\" in the final edit as released), or they may have been used in trailers but not in the movie itself. Examples include the South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut soundtrack. Two other well-known examples are the soundtrack albums to Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel and The King and I both of which include two or more songs not heard in the finished film.\n\nPopularity in cultures\n\nSoundtrack albums account for the bulk of the Indian music industry. Music from the Indian film industry, particularly the music of Bollywood, usually sells more than Indian pop records.\n\nLists\n\nBest-selling soundtrack albums\n\nAlbum streams\n\nSee also\nSoundtrack\nCast recording - for musical theater\nShow tune\nFilm score\n\nReferences\n\nAlbum types", "\"Lapdance\" is a song by American rock/hip hop band N.E.R.D. from their debut studio album, In Search Of.... The nu metal song features rappers Vita and Lee Harvey, and was produced by the Neptunes.\n\nIt was ranked number 93 on VH1's \"100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop\".\n\nA remix of \"Lapdance\" by Trent Reznor appeared on the compilation album Spin This. Although it is censored, an uncensored version of the remix is available on a rare promo single disc. A remix of \"Lapdance\" by Paul Oakenfold appeared on the soundtrack album Swordfish. The song uses comparison of politicians to strippers giving a lap dance for free due to the use of their excessive propaganda without ever taking action.\n\nCharts\n\nCertifications\n\nUsage in other media\n In 2001, the song was included in the soundtrack of Kiss of the Dragon.\n A brief snippet of the song was used in the Scrubs episode \"My Fifteen Minutes\".\n Featured in the 2002 video game BMX XXX.\n In 2003, the song was featured in the pilot for The WB teen drama, One Tree Hill.\n Featured in the 2003 video game True Crime: Streets of LA.\n Remixed version of \"Lapdance\" was featured in the 2003 superhero film, Daredevil.\n In the 2009 video game, DJ Hero, \"Lapdance\" is mixed with two songs: \"The Big Beat\" by Billy Squier and \"Rockit\" by Herbie Hancock. The latter was mixed by Grandmaster Flash.\n In the 2011 episode of Black Mirror, \"Fifteen Million Merits\", the instrumental for the song was featured in an advertisement for the fictional pornographic show, Wraith Babes.\n In 2011, \"Lapdance\" was released as DLC for the 2010 video game Dance Central\n In 2013, \"Lapdance\" was used in the trailer for the film Identity Thief.\n In 2014, the song was used in the trailer for the film Penguins of Madagascar.\n In 2014, the song was used in the film Step Up: All In.\n In 2015, the song was used in the trailer and TV Spot for the film, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 and Daddy's Home.\n In 2019, it featured in the second episode of season 7 of Orange Is the New Black.\n\nReferences\n\n2001 debut singles\nN.E.R.D. songs\nNu metal songs\nSong recordings produced by the Neptunes\nSongs written by Chad Hugo\nSongs written by Pharrell Williams\n2001 songs\nRap rock songs" ]
[ "Víctor Jara", "Artistic work" ]
C_0e9d2d4006a54ad29d442fbf0a5c2508_1
What can you tell me about Jara's artistic work?
1
What can you tell me about Victor Jara's artistic work?
Víctor Jara
After joining the choir at the University of Chile in Santiago, Jara was convinced by a choir-mate to pursue a career in theater. He subsequently joined the university's theater program and earned a scholarship for talent. He appeared in several of the university's plays, gravitating toward those with social themes, such as Russian playwright Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths, a depiction of the hardships of lower-class life. In 1957, he met Violeta Parra, a singer who had steered folk music in Chile away from the rote reproduction of rural materials toward modern song composition rooted in traditional forms, and who had established musical community centers called penas to incorporate folk music into the everyday life of modern Chileans. Jara absorbed these lessons and began singing with a group called Cuncumen, with whom he continued his explorations of Chile's traditional music. He was deeply influenced by the folk music of Chile and other Latin American countries, and by artists such as Parra, Atahualpa Yupanqui, and the poet Pablo Neruda. In the 1960s, Jara started specializing in folk music and sang at Santiago's La Pena de Los Parra, owned by Angel Parra. Through these activities, he became involved in the Nueva Cancion movement of Latin American folk music. He released his first album, Canto a lo humano, in 1966, and by 1970, he had left his theater work in favor of a career in music. His songs were inspired by a combination of traditional folk music and left-wing political activism. From this period, some of his best-known songs are "Plegaria a un Labrador" ("Prayer to a Worker") and "Te Recuerdo Amanda" ("I Remember You Amanda"). CANNOTANSWER
He was deeply influenced by the folk music of Chile and other Latin American countries, and by artists such as
Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez (; 28 September 1932 – 16 September 1973) was a Chilean teacher, theater director, poet, singer-songwriter and socialist political activist tortured and killed during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. He developed Chilean theater by directing a broad array of works, ranging from locally produced plays to world classics, as well as the experimental work of playwrights such as Ann Jellicoe. He also played a pivotal role among neo-folkloric musicians who established the Nueva Canción Chilena (New Chilean Song) movement. This led to an uprising of new sounds in popular music during the administration of President Salvador Allende. Jara was arrested shortly after the Chilean coup of 11 September 1973, which overthrew Allende. He was tortured during interrogations and ultimately shot dead, and his body was thrown out on the street of a shantytown in Santiago. The contrast between the themes of his songs—which focused on love, peace, and social justice—and the brutal way in which he was murdered transformed Jara into a "potent symbol of struggle for human rights and justice" for those killed during the Pinochet regime. His preponderant role as an open admirer and propagandist for Che Guevara and Allende's government, in which he served as a cultural ambassador through the late 1960s and until the early 1970s crisis that ended in the coup against Allende, marked him for death. In June 2016, a Florida jury found former Chilean Army officer Pedro Barrientos liable for Jara's murder. In July 2018, eight retired Chilean military officers were sentenced to 15 years and a day in prison for Jara's murder. Early life Víctor Lidio Jara Martinez was born on September 28, 1932, his parents were working as tenants and they lived near the town of La Quiriquina, located twelve kilometers from the old Chillan, he had about five brothers. His exact place of birth is uncertain, but in any case, he was born in the Ñuble Region. At the age of five, his family moved to Lonquén, a town near Santiago de Chile, where his father, Manuel Jara, had rented a small piece of land that he worked from sun to sun with a miserable performance. His father was illiterate and did not want him and his other siblings to go to school so that they could help him in the fields from the ages of six and seven. His mother, on the other hand, knew how to read a little and from the beginning she insisted that they at least learn the letters. Jara's mother was a mestiza with deep Araucanian roots in southern Chile, she was self-taught, and played the guitar and the piano. She also performed as a singer, with a repertory of traditional folk songs that she used for local functions like weddings and funerals. The relationship between her parents became more tense with each passing day, her father began to drink and disappeared from the house several days in a row, leaving all the work in the hands of Amanda. Later, her mother moved to Santiago and took a job as a cook in a restaurant in Vega Poniente. Because she was so skilled she did well there and so she was able to educate three of her children, including Victor. She died when Jara was 15, leaving him to make his own way. He began to study to be an accountant, but soon moved into a seminary, where he studied for the priesthood. After a couple of years, however, he became disillusioned with the Catholic Church and left the seminary. Subsequently, he spent several years in army service before returning to his hometown to pursue interests in folk music and theater. Musical career After joining the choir at the University of Chile in Santiago, Jara was convinced by a choir-mate to pursue a career in theater. He subsequently joined the university's theater program and earned a scholarship for talent. He appeared in several of the university's plays, gravitating toward those with social themes, such as Russian playwright Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths, a depiction of the hardships of lower-class life. In 1957, he met Violeta Parra, a singer who had steered folk music in Chile away from the rote reproduction of rural materials toward modern song composition rooted in traditional forms, and who had established musical community centers called peñas to incorporate folk music into the everyday life of modern Chileans. Jara absorbed these lessons and began singing with a group called Cuncumén, with whom he continued his explorations of Chile's traditional music (working as a guitarist and vocalist from 1957 to 1963). He was deeply influenced by the folk music of Chile and other Latin American countries, and by artists such as Parra, Atahualpa Yupanqui, and the poet Pablo Neruda. In the 1960s, Jara started specializing in folk music and sang at Santiago's La Peña de Los Parra, owned by Ángel Parra. Through these activities, he became involved in the Nueva Canción movement of Latin American folk music. In 1966, Víctor released his first album homonymous, by the record company "Demon", being the only album released under this label and the Víctor Jara's first solo work, the album would later be re-released under the titles Canto a lo humano and Sus mejores canciones, and in 2001 an reissue on CD by Warner Music Chile was released, with the original title. This version on CD also included five bonus tracks, four of which are songs by Víctor Jara along with Cuncumén. The album includes some Jara's versions of some Latin American folk songs, such as; "La flor que anda de mano en mano", and "Ojitos verdes", two Chilean folk songs, "La cocinerita", an Argentinian folk song, or "Ja jai", a Bolivian traditional. The authorship of this album, as well as its singles, was in the hands of Camilo Fernández, owner of the Demon record company, from its launch in 1966 until 2001, when he recently transferred the rights to the widow of Víctor Jara, after years of profiting from the album (as well as with others from Patricio Manns, Isabel and Ángel Parra, among others) without ever financially rewarding its authors or family. In 1967 released their second album homonymous, this album apart from the controversial song "The appeared" includes Jara's covers of some folk songs from Chile, Argentina, Bolivia or Spain as; «Despedimiento del angelito», «Ay mi palomita», «Casi, casi», «Qué alegres son las obreras» or «Romance del enamorado y la muerte». Also, the album was subsequently released under the name of Desde longuén hasta siempre with a variation of different covers. In 1968, Jara released his first collaborative album entitled, "Canciones folklóricas de América" (Folkloric Songs of America), with Quilapayun. In 1970, he had left his theater work in favor of a career in music. His songs were inspired by a combination of traditional folk music and left-wing political activism. From this period, some of his best-known songs are "Plegaria a un Labrador" ("Prayer to a Worker") and "Te Recuerdo Amanda" ("I Remember You Amanda"). Political activism Early in his recording career, Jara showed a knack for antagonizing conservative Chileans, releasing a traditional comic song called "La beata" that depicted a religious woman with a crush on the priest to whom she goes for confession. The song was banned on radio stations and removed from record shops, but the controversy only added to Jara's reputation among young and progressive Chileans. More serious in the eyes of the Chilean right wing was Jara's growing identification with the socialist movement led by Salvador Allende. After visits to Cuba and the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, Jara had joined the Communist Party. The personal met the political in his songs about the poverty he had experienced firsthand. Jara's songs spread outside Chile and were performed by American folk artists. His popularity was due not only to his songwriting skills but also to his exceptional power as a performer. He took a decisive turn toward political confrontation with his 1969 song "Preguntas por Puerto Montt" ("Questions About Puerto Montt"), which took direct aim at a government official (Edmundo Pérez Zujovic) who had ordered police to attack squatters in the town of Puerto Montt. The Chilean political situation deteriorated after the official was assassinated, and right-wing thugs beat up Jara on one occasion. In 1970, Jara supported Allende, the Popular Unity coalition candidate for president, volunteering for political work and playing free concerts. He composed "Venceremos" ("We Will Triumph"), the theme song of Allende's Popular Unity movement, and welcomed Allende's election to the Chilean presidency in 1970. After the election, Jara continued to speak in support of Allende and played an important role in the new administration's efforts to reorient Chilean culture. He and his wife, Joan Jara, were key participants in a cultural renaissance that swept Chile, organizing cultural events that supported the country's new socialist government. He set poems by Pablo Neruda to music and performed at a ceremony honoring him after Neruda received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1972. Throughout rumblings of a right-wing coup, Jara held on to his teaching job at Chile's Technical University. His popular success during this time, as both a musician and a Communist, earned him a concert in Moscow. So successful was he that the Soviet Union tried to latch onto his popularity, claiming in their media that his vocal prowess was the result of surgery he had undergone while in Moscow. Backed by the United States, which opposed Allende's socialist politics, the Chilean military staged a coup d'état on 11 September 1973, resulting in the death of Allende and the installation of Augusto Pinochet as dictator. At the moment of the coup, Jara was on his way to the Technical University (today the Universidad de Santiago). That night, he slept at the university along with other teachers and students, and sang to raise morale. Torture and murder After the coup, Pinochet's soldiers rounded up Chileans who were believed to be involved with leftist groups, including Allende's Popular Unity party. On the morning of 12 September 1973, Jara was taken prisoner, along with thousands of others, and imprisoned inside Chile Stadium. The guards there tortured him, smashing his hands and fingers, and then mocked him by asking him to play the guitar. Jara instead sang the Chilean protest song Venceremos. Soon after, he was killed with a gunshot to the head, and his body was riddled with more than 40 bullets. According to the BBC "There are many conflicting accounts of Jara’s last days but the 2019 Netflix documentary Massacre at the Stadium pieces together a convincing narrative. As a famous musician and prominent supporter of Allende, Jara was swiftly recognised on his way into the stadium. An army officer threw a lit cigarette on the ground, made Jara crawl for it, then stamped on his wrists. Jara was first separated from the other detainees, then beaten and tortured in the bowels of the stadium. At one point, he defiantly sang Venceremos (We Will Win), Allende’s 1970 election anthem, through split lips. On the morning of the 16th, according to a fellow detainee, Jara asked for a pen and notebook and scribbled the lyrics to Estadio Chile, which were later smuggled out of the stadium: “How hard it is to sing when I must sing of horror/ Horror which I am living, horror which I am dying.” Two hours later, he was shot dead, then his body was riddled with machine-gun bullets and dumped in the street. He was 40." After his murder, Jara's body was displayed at the entrance of Chile Stadium for other prisoners to see. It was later discarded outside the stadium along with the bodies of other civilian prisoners who had been killed by the Chilean Army. His body was found by civil servants and brought to a morgue, where one of them was able to identify him and contact his wife, Joan. She took his body and gave him a quick and clandestine burial in the general cemetery before she fled the country into exile. Forty-two years later, former Chilean military officers were charged with his murder. Legal actions On 16 May 2008, retired colonel Mario Manríquez Bravo, who was the chief of security at Chile Stadium as the coup was carried out, was the first to be convicted in Jara's death. Judge Juan Eduardo Fuentes, who oversaw Bravo's conviction, then decided to close the case, a decision Jara's family soon appealed. In June 2008, Judge Fuentes re-opened the investigation and said he would examine 40 new pieces of evidence provided by Jara's family. On 28 May 2009, José Adolfo Paredes Márquez, a 54-year-old former Army conscript arrested the previous week in San Sebastián, Chile, was formally charged with Jara's murder. Following his arrest, on 1 June 2009, the police investigation identified the officer who had shot Jara in the head. The officer played Russian roulette with Jara by placing a single round in his revolver, spinning the cylinder, placing the muzzle against Jara's head, and pulling the trigger. The officer repeated this a couple of times until a shot fired and Jara fell to the ground. The officer then ordered two conscripts (one of them Paredes) to finish the job by firing into Jara's body. A judge ordered Jara's body to be exhumed in an effort to gather more information about his death. On 3 December 2009, Jara was reburied after a massive funeral in the Galpón Víctor Jara, across from Santiago's Plaza Brasil. On 28 December 2012, a judge in Chile ordered the arrest of eight former army officers for alleged involvement in Jara's murder. He issued an international arrest warrant for one of them, Pedro Barrientos Núñez, the man accused of shooting Jara in the head during a torture session. On 4 September 2013, Chadbourne & Parke attorneys Mark D. Beckett and Christian Urrutia, with the assistance of the Center for Justice and Accountability, filed suit in a United States court against Barrientos, who lives in Florida, on behalf of Jara's widow and children. The suit accused Barrientos of arbitrary detention; cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; extrajudicial killing; and crimes against humanity under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), and of torture and extrajudicial killing under the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA). It alleged that Barrientos was liable for Jara's death as a direct perpetrator and as a commander. The specific claims were that: On 11 September 1973, troops from the Arica Regiment of the Chilean Army, specifically from La Serena, attacked the university where Jara taught. The troops prohibited civilians from entering or leaving the university premises. During the afternoon of 12 September 1973, military personnel entered the university and illegally detained hundreds of professors, students, and administrators. Víctor Jara was among those arbitrarily detained on the campus and was subsequently transferred to Chile Stadium, where he was tortured and killed. In the course of transporting and processing the civilian prisoners, Captain Fernando Polanco Gallardo, a commanding officer in military intelligence, recognized Jara as the well-known folk singer whose songs addressed social inequality, and who had supported President Allende's government. Captain Polanco separated Jara from the group and beat him severely. He then transferred Jara, along with some of the other civilians, to the stadium. Throughout his detention in the locker room of the stadium, Jara was in the physical custody of Lieutenant Barrientos, soldiers under his command, or other members of the Chilean Army who acted in accordance with the army's plan to commit human rights abuses against civilians. The arbitrary detention, torture, and extrajudicial killing of Jara and other detainees were part of a widespread, systematic attack on civilians by the Chilean Army from 11 to 15 September 1973. Barrientos knew, or should have known, about these attacks, if for no other reason than that he was present for and participated in them. On 15 April 2015, a US judge ordered Barrientos to stand trial in Florida. On 27 June 2016, he was found liable for Jara's killing, and the jury awarded Jara's family $28 million. On 3 July 2018, eight retired Chilean military officers were sentenced to 15 years in prison for Jara's murder and the murder of his Communist associate and former Chilean prison director Littre Quiroga Carvajal. They received three extra years for kidnapping both men. A ninth suspect was sentenced to five years in prison for covering up the murders. In November 2018, it was reported that a Chilean court ordered the extradition of Barrientos. Theater work 1959. Parecido à la Felicidad (Some Kind of Happiness), Alejandro Sieveking 1960. La Viuda de Apablaza (The Widow of Apablaza), Germán Luco Cruchaga (assistant director to Pedro de la Barra, founder of ITUCH) 1960. The Mandrake, Niccolò Machiavelli 1961. La Madre de los Conejos (Mother Rabbit), Alejandro Sieveking (assistant director to Agustín Siré) 1962. Ánimas de Día Claro (Daylight Spirits), Alejandro Sieveking 1963. The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Bertolt Brecht (assistant director to Atahualpa del Cioppo) 1963. Los Invasores (The Intruders), Egon Wolff 1963. Dúo (Duet), Raúl Ruiz 1963. Parecido à la Felicidad, Alejandro Sieveking (version for Chilean television) 1965. La Remolienda, Alejandro Sieveking 1965. The Knack, Ann Jellicoe 1966. Marat/Sade, Peter Weiss (assistant director to William Oliver) 1966. La Casa Vieja (The Old House), Abelardo Estorino 1967. La Remolienda, Alejandro Sieveking 1967. La Viuda de Apablaza, Germán Luco Cruchaga (director) 1968. Entertaining Mr Sloane, Joe Orton 1969. Viet Rock, Megan Terry 1969. Antigone, Sophocles 1972. Directed a ballet and musical homage to Pablo Neruda, which coincided with Neruda's return to Chile after being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Discography Studio albums Víctor Jara (1966) Víctor Jara (1967) Canciones folklóricas de América (with Quilapayún) (1968) Pongo en tus manos abiertas (1969) Canto libre (1970) El derecho de vivir en paz (1971) La Población (1972) Canto por travesura (1973) Tiempos que cambian (unfinished) (Estimated release: 1974) Manifiesto (1974; reissued in 2001) Live albums Víctor Jara en Vivo (1974) El Recital (1983) Víctor Jara en México (1996) Habla y canta (1996; reissued in 2001) En Vivo en el Aula Magna de la Universidad de Valparaíso (2003) Compilations Te recuerdo, Amanda (1974) Víctor Jara. Presente (1975) Vientos del Pueblo (1976) Canto Libre (1977) An unfinished song (1984) Todo Víctor Jara (1992) 20 Años Después (1992) The Rough Guide to the Music of the Andes (1996) Víctor Jara presente, colección "Haciendo Historia" (1997) Te Recuerdo, Víctor (2000) Antología Musical (2001) 1959–1969 – Víctor Jara (2001) Latin Essential: Victor Jara (2003) Colección Víctor Jara (2004) Víctor Jara. Serie de Oro. Grandes Exitos (2005) Tribute albums A Víctor Jara by Raímon (1974) Het Recht om in Vrede te Leven by Cornelis Vreeswijk (1978) Cornelis sjunger Victor Jara: Rätten till ett eget liv by Cornelis Vreeswijk (1979) Konzert für Víctor Jara by various artists (1998) Inti-illimani interpeta a Víctor Jara by Inti-Illimani (1999) Quilapayún Canta a Violeta Parra, Víctor Jara y Grandes Maestros Populares by Quilapayún (2000) Conosci Victor Jara? by Daniele Sepe (2000) Tributo Rock a Víctor Jara by various artists (2001) Tributo a Víctor Jara by various artists (2004) Lonquen: Tributo a Víctor Jara by Francesca Ancarola (2005) Even in Exile by James Dean Bradfield (2020) Documentaries and films The following are films or documentaries about and/or featuring Víctor Jara: 1973: El Tigre Saltó y Mató, Pero Morirá…Morirá…. Director: Santiago Álvarez – Cuba 1974: Compañero: Víctor Jara of Chile. Directors: Stanley Foreman/Martin Smith (Documentary) – UK 1976: Il Pleut sur Santiago. Director: Helvio Soto – France/Bulgaria 1978: Ein April hat 30 Tage. Director: Gunther Scholz – East Germany 1978: El Cantor. Director: Dean Reed – East Germany 1999: El Derecho de Vivir en Paz. Director: Carmen Luz Parot – Chile 2001: Freedom Highway: Songs That Shaped a Century. Director: Philip King – Ireland 2005: La Tierra de las 1000 Músicas [Episode 6: La Protesta]. Directors: Luis Miguel González Cruz, – Spain 2010: Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune Director: Kenneth Bowser 2019:Masacre en el estadio. Netflix In popular culture Jara is one of many desaparecidos (people who vanished under the Pinochet government and were most likely tortured and killed) whose families are still struggling to get justice. Joan Jara currently lives in Chile and runs the Víctor Jara Foundation, which was established on 4 October 1994 with the goal of promoting and continuing Jara's work. She publicized a poem that Jara wrote before his death about the conditions of the prisoners in the stadium. The poem, written on a piece of paper that was hidden inside the shoe of a friend, was never named, but it is commonly known as "Estadio Chile" (Chile Stadium, now known as Víctor Jara Stadium). On 22 September 1973, the Soviet astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh found an asteroid that he initially called "SO2", but later he would end up calling it "2644 Victor Jara". The 1975 anthology For Neruda, for Chile contains a section called "The Chilean Singer", with poems dedicated to Jara. In 1989, Scottish rock band Simple Minds dedicated "Street Fighting Years" track to Victor Jara. In the late 1990s, British actress Emma Thompson started to work on a screenplay that she planned to use as the basis for a movie about Jara. Thompson, a human rights activist and fan of Jara, saw his murder as a symbol of human rights violations in Chile, and believed a movie about his life and death would raise awareness. The movie was to feature Antonio Banderas as Jara and Thompson as his wife, Joan. However, the project was not completed. In 2007, a fishing schooner built in 1917 in Denmark was renamed after the singer-songwriter. He sails at social and cultural events, and when he's not on the high seas he's at the museum in the port of Lübeck, Germany. The title song on Rory McLeod's album Angry Love is about Jara. In a list prepared by the renowned American magazine Rolling Stone, published on June 3, 2013, Víctor Jara is named as one of the "15 Rock & Roll Rebels", being the only Latin American to integrate the list. In 2020, James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers released a concept album about Victor Jara called 'Even In Exile', that album was rated 4 out of 5 stars by The Guardian. On September 7, 2021, the Municipality of Estación Central approved the name change of "Avenida Ecuador" to "Avenida Víctor Jara". See also Nueva Canción Chilena Estadio Victor Jara 2644 Victor Jara Brigada Victor Jara Galpón Víctor Jara References Bibliography Jara, Joan (1983). Victor: An Unfinished Song. Jonathan Cape, London. Kósichev, Leonard. (1990). La guitarra y el poncho de Víctor Jara. Progress Publishers, Moscow External links Resources in English Three chapters from Victor: An Unfinished Song by Joan Jara Discography Victor Jara: The Martyred Musician of Nueva Cancion Chilena Background materials on the Chilean Workers' Movement in the 1970s Report of the Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation GDR Poster Art: Víctor Jara Allende’s Poet. Nick MacWilliam for Jacobin, 2 August 2016. Resources in Spanish Fundación Víctor Jara Lyrics of all his Songs Discography Vientos del Pueblo: Un Homenaje a Víctor Jara 1932 births 1973 deaths Anti-fascists Anti-capitalists Assassinated Chilean people Burials in Chile Chilean male actors Chilean educators Chilean folk singers Chilean male poets Chilean male singer-songwriters Chilean theatre directors Chilean Christians Chilean communists Chilean torture victims Deaths by firearm in Chile Executed writers Former Roman Catholics Latin American folk singers Marxist humanists Nueva canción musicians People from Chillán University of Chile alumni Chilean Marxists People murdered in Chile Communist Party of Chile politicians University of Santiago, Chile alumni Political music artists 20th-century Chilean poets 20th-century Chilean male writers 20th-century Chilean male singers
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[ "\"Tell Me What You Want Me to Do\" is the title of a number-one R&B single by singer Tevin Campbell. To date, the single is Campbell's biggest hit peaking at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spending one week at number-one on the US R&B chart. The hit song is also Tevin's one and only Adult Contemporary hit, where it peaked at number 43. The song showcases Campbell's four-octave vocal range from a low note of E2 to a D#6 during the bridge of the song.\n\nTrack listings\nUS 7\" vinyl\nA \"Tell Me What You Want Me to Do\" (edit) – 4:16\t\nB \"Tell Me What You Want Me to Do\" (instrumental) – 5:00\n\n12\" vinyl\nA \"Tell Me What You Want Me to Do\" (edit) – 4:16\t\nB \"Tell Me What You Want Me to Do\" (album version) – 5:02\n\nUK CD\n \"Tell Me What You Want Me to Do\" – 4:16\n \"Goodbye\" (7\" Remix Edit) – 3:48\n \"Goodbye\" (Sidub and Listen) – 4:58\n \"Goodbye\" (Tevin's Dub Pt 1 & 2) – 6:53\n\nJapan CD\n \"Tell Me What You Want Me to Do\" – 4:10\n \"Tell Me What You Want Me to Do\" (instrumental version) – 4:10\n\nGermany CD\n \"Tell Me What You Want Me to Do\" (edit) – 4:10\n \"Just Ask Me\" (featuring Chubb Rock) – 4:07\n \"Tomorrow\" (A Better You, Better Me) – 4:46\n\nCharts\n\nWeekly charts\n\nYear-end charts\n\nSee also\nList of number-one R&B singles of 1992 (U.S.)\n\nReferences\n\nTevin Campbell songs\n1991 singles\n1991 songs\nSongs written by Tevin Campbell\nSongs written by Narada Michael Walden\nSong recordings produced by Narada Michael Walden\nWarner Records singles\nContemporary R&B ballads\nPop ballads\nSoul ballads\n1990s ballads", "\"Tell Me What You Want\" is the fourth single by English R&B band Loose Ends from their first studio album, A Little Spice, and was released in February 1984 by Virgin Records. The single reached number 74 in the UK Singles Chart.\n\nTrack listing\n7” Single: VS658\n \"Tell Me What You Want) 3.35\n \"Tell Me What You Want (Dub Mix)\" 3.34\n\n12” Single: VS658-12\n \"Tell Me What You Want (Extended Version)\" 6.11\n \"Tell Me What You Want (Extended Dub Mix)\" 5.41\n\nU.S. only release - 12” Single: MCA23596 (released 1985)\n \"Tell Me What You Want (U.S. Extended Remix)\" 6.08 *\n \"Tell Me What You Want (U.S. Dub Version)\" 5.18\n\n* The U.S. Extended Remix version was released on CD on the U.S. Version of the 'A Little Spice' album (MCAD27141).\n\nThe Extended Version also featured on Side D of the limited gatefold sleeve version of 'Magic Touch'\n\nChart performance\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n Tell Me What You Want at Discogs.\n\n1984 singles\nLoose Ends (band) songs\nSong recordings produced by Nick Martinelli\nSongs written by Carl McIntosh (musician)\nSongs written by Steve Nichol\n1984 songs\nVirgin Records singles" ]
[ "Víctor Jara", "Artistic work", "What can you tell me about Jara's artistic work?", "He was deeply influenced by the folk music of Chile and other Latin American countries, and by artists such as" ]
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What songs is he known for?
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What songs is Victor Jara known for?
Víctor Jara
After joining the choir at the University of Chile in Santiago, Jara was convinced by a choir-mate to pursue a career in theater. He subsequently joined the university's theater program and earned a scholarship for talent. He appeared in several of the university's plays, gravitating toward those with social themes, such as Russian playwright Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths, a depiction of the hardships of lower-class life. In 1957, he met Violeta Parra, a singer who had steered folk music in Chile away from the rote reproduction of rural materials toward modern song composition rooted in traditional forms, and who had established musical community centers called penas to incorporate folk music into the everyday life of modern Chileans. Jara absorbed these lessons and began singing with a group called Cuncumen, with whom he continued his explorations of Chile's traditional music. He was deeply influenced by the folk music of Chile and other Latin American countries, and by artists such as Parra, Atahualpa Yupanqui, and the poet Pablo Neruda. In the 1960s, Jara started specializing in folk music and sang at Santiago's La Pena de Los Parra, owned by Angel Parra. Through these activities, he became involved in the Nueva Cancion movement of Latin American folk music. He released his first album, Canto a lo humano, in 1966, and by 1970, he had left his theater work in favor of a career in music. His songs were inspired by a combination of traditional folk music and left-wing political activism. From this period, some of his best-known songs are "Plegaria a un Labrador" ("Prayer to a Worker") and "Te Recuerdo Amanda" ("I Remember You Amanda"). CANNOTANSWER
"Plegaria a un Labrador" ("Prayer to a Worker") and "Te Recuerdo Amanda" ("I Remember You Amanda").
Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez (; 28 September 1932 – 16 September 1973) was a Chilean teacher, theater director, poet, singer-songwriter and socialist political activist tortured and killed during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. He developed Chilean theater by directing a broad array of works, ranging from locally produced plays to world classics, as well as the experimental work of playwrights such as Ann Jellicoe. He also played a pivotal role among neo-folkloric musicians who established the Nueva Canción Chilena (New Chilean Song) movement. This led to an uprising of new sounds in popular music during the administration of President Salvador Allende. Jara was arrested shortly after the Chilean coup of 11 September 1973, which overthrew Allende. He was tortured during interrogations and ultimately shot dead, and his body was thrown out on the street of a shantytown in Santiago. The contrast between the themes of his songs—which focused on love, peace, and social justice—and the brutal way in which he was murdered transformed Jara into a "potent symbol of struggle for human rights and justice" for those killed during the Pinochet regime. His preponderant role as an open admirer and propagandist for Che Guevara and Allende's government, in which he served as a cultural ambassador through the late 1960s and until the early 1970s crisis that ended in the coup against Allende, marked him for death. In June 2016, a Florida jury found former Chilean Army officer Pedro Barrientos liable for Jara's murder. In July 2018, eight retired Chilean military officers were sentenced to 15 years and a day in prison for Jara's murder. Early life Víctor Lidio Jara Martinez was born on September 28, 1932, his parents were working as tenants and they lived near the town of La Quiriquina, located twelve kilometers from the old Chillan, he had about five brothers. His exact place of birth is uncertain, but in any case, he was born in the Ñuble Region. At the age of five, his family moved to Lonquén, a town near Santiago de Chile, where his father, Manuel Jara, had rented a small piece of land that he worked from sun to sun with a miserable performance. His father was illiterate and did not want him and his other siblings to go to school so that they could help him in the fields from the ages of six and seven. His mother, on the other hand, knew how to read a little and from the beginning she insisted that they at least learn the letters. Jara's mother was a mestiza with deep Araucanian roots in southern Chile, she was self-taught, and played the guitar and the piano. She also performed as a singer, with a repertory of traditional folk songs that she used for local functions like weddings and funerals. The relationship between her parents became more tense with each passing day, her father began to drink and disappeared from the house several days in a row, leaving all the work in the hands of Amanda. Later, her mother moved to Santiago and took a job as a cook in a restaurant in Vega Poniente. Because she was so skilled she did well there and so she was able to educate three of her children, including Victor. She died when Jara was 15, leaving him to make his own way. He began to study to be an accountant, but soon moved into a seminary, where he studied for the priesthood. After a couple of years, however, he became disillusioned with the Catholic Church and left the seminary. Subsequently, he spent several years in army service before returning to his hometown to pursue interests in folk music and theater. Musical career After joining the choir at the University of Chile in Santiago, Jara was convinced by a choir-mate to pursue a career in theater. He subsequently joined the university's theater program and earned a scholarship for talent. He appeared in several of the university's plays, gravitating toward those with social themes, such as Russian playwright Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths, a depiction of the hardships of lower-class life. In 1957, he met Violeta Parra, a singer who had steered folk music in Chile away from the rote reproduction of rural materials toward modern song composition rooted in traditional forms, and who had established musical community centers called peñas to incorporate folk music into the everyday life of modern Chileans. Jara absorbed these lessons and began singing with a group called Cuncumén, with whom he continued his explorations of Chile's traditional music (working as a guitarist and vocalist from 1957 to 1963). He was deeply influenced by the folk music of Chile and other Latin American countries, and by artists such as Parra, Atahualpa Yupanqui, and the poet Pablo Neruda. In the 1960s, Jara started specializing in folk music and sang at Santiago's La Peña de Los Parra, owned by Ángel Parra. Through these activities, he became involved in the Nueva Canción movement of Latin American folk music. In 1966, Víctor released his first album homonymous, by the record company "Demon", being the only album released under this label and the Víctor Jara's first solo work, the album would later be re-released under the titles Canto a lo humano and Sus mejores canciones, and in 2001 an reissue on CD by Warner Music Chile was released, with the original title. This version on CD also included five bonus tracks, four of which are songs by Víctor Jara along with Cuncumén. The album includes some Jara's versions of some Latin American folk songs, such as; "La flor que anda de mano en mano", and "Ojitos verdes", two Chilean folk songs, "La cocinerita", an Argentinian folk song, or "Ja jai", a Bolivian traditional. The authorship of this album, as well as its singles, was in the hands of Camilo Fernández, owner of the Demon record company, from its launch in 1966 until 2001, when he recently transferred the rights to the widow of Víctor Jara, after years of profiting from the album (as well as with others from Patricio Manns, Isabel and Ángel Parra, among others) without ever financially rewarding its authors or family. In 1967 released their second album homonymous, this album apart from the controversial song "The appeared" includes Jara's covers of some folk songs from Chile, Argentina, Bolivia or Spain as; «Despedimiento del angelito», «Ay mi palomita», «Casi, casi», «Qué alegres son las obreras» or «Romance del enamorado y la muerte». Also, the album was subsequently released under the name of Desde longuén hasta siempre with a variation of different covers. In 1968, Jara released his first collaborative album entitled, "Canciones folklóricas de América" (Folkloric Songs of America), with Quilapayun. In 1970, he had left his theater work in favor of a career in music. His songs were inspired by a combination of traditional folk music and left-wing political activism. From this period, some of his best-known songs are "Plegaria a un Labrador" ("Prayer to a Worker") and "Te Recuerdo Amanda" ("I Remember You Amanda"). Political activism Early in his recording career, Jara showed a knack for antagonizing conservative Chileans, releasing a traditional comic song called "La beata" that depicted a religious woman with a crush on the priest to whom she goes for confession. The song was banned on radio stations and removed from record shops, but the controversy only added to Jara's reputation among young and progressive Chileans. More serious in the eyes of the Chilean right wing was Jara's growing identification with the socialist movement led by Salvador Allende. After visits to Cuba and the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, Jara had joined the Communist Party. The personal met the political in his songs about the poverty he had experienced firsthand. Jara's songs spread outside Chile and were performed by American folk artists. His popularity was due not only to his songwriting skills but also to his exceptional power as a performer. He took a decisive turn toward political confrontation with his 1969 song "Preguntas por Puerto Montt" ("Questions About Puerto Montt"), which took direct aim at a government official (Edmundo Pérez Zujovic) who had ordered police to attack squatters in the town of Puerto Montt. The Chilean political situation deteriorated after the official was assassinated, and right-wing thugs beat up Jara on one occasion. In 1970, Jara supported Allende, the Popular Unity coalition candidate for president, volunteering for political work and playing free concerts. He composed "Venceremos" ("We Will Triumph"), the theme song of Allende's Popular Unity movement, and welcomed Allende's election to the Chilean presidency in 1970. After the election, Jara continued to speak in support of Allende and played an important role in the new administration's efforts to reorient Chilean culture. He and his wife, Joan Jara, were key participants in a cultural renaissance that swept Chile, organizing cultural events that supported the country's new socialist government. He set poems by Pablo Neruda to music and performed at a ceremony honoring him after Neruda received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1972. Throughout rumblings of a right-wing coup, Jara held on to his teaching job at Chile's Technical University. His popular success during this time, as both a musician and a Communist, earned him a concert in Moscow. So successful was he that the Soviet Union tried to latch onto his popularity, claiming in their media that his vocal prowess was the result of surgery he had undergone while in Moscow. Backed by the United States, which opposed Allende's socialist politics, the Chilean military staged a coup d'état on 11 September 1973, resulting in the death of Allende and the installation of Augusto Pinochet as dictator. At the moment of the coup, Jara was on his way to the Technical University (today the Universidad de Santiago). That night, he slept at the university along with other teachers and students, and sang to raise morale. Torture and murder After the coup, Pinochet's soldiers rounded up Chileans who were believed to be involved with leftist groups, including Allende's Popular Unity party. On the morning of 12 September 1973, Jara was taken prisoner, along with thousands of others, and imprisoned inside Chile Stadium. The guards there tortured him, smashing his hands and fingers, and then mocked him by asking him to play the guitar. Jara instead sang the Chilean protest song Venceremos. Soon after, he was killed with a gunshot to the head, and his body was riddled with more than 40 bullets. According to the BBC "There are many conflicting accounts of Jara’s last days but the 2019 Netflix documentary Massacre at the Stadium pieces together a convincing narrative. As a famous musician and prominent supporter of Allende, Jara was swiftly recognised on his way into the stadium. An army officer threw a lit cigarette on the ground, made Jara crawl for it, then stamped on his wrists. Jara was first separated from the other detainees, then beaten and tortured in the bowels of the stadium. At one point, he defiantly sang Venceremos (We Will Win), Allende’s 1970 election anthem, through split lips. On the morning of the 16th, according to a fellow detainee, Jara asked for a pen and notebook and scribbled the lyrics to Estadio Chile, which were later smuggled out of the stadium: “How hard it is to sing when I must sing of horror/ Horror which I am living, horror which I am dying.” Two hours later, he was shot dead, then his body was riddled with machine-gun bullets and dumped in the street. He was 40." After his murder, Jara's body was displayed at the entrance of Chile Stadium for other prisoners to see. It was later discarded outside the stadium along with the bodies of other civilian prisoners who had been killed by the Chilean Army. His body was found by civil servants and brought to a morgue, where one of them was able to identify him and contact his wife, Joan. She took his body and gave him a quick and clandestine burial in the general cemetery before she fled the country into exile. Forty-two years later, former Chilean military officers were charged with his murder. Legal actions On 16 May 2008, retired colonel Mario Manríquez Bravo, who was the chief of security at Chile Stadium as the coup was carried out, was the first to be convicted in Jara's death. Judge Juan Eduardo Fuentes, who oversaw Bravo's conviction, then decided to close the case, a decision Jara's family soon appealed. In June 2008, Judge Fuentes re-opened the investigation and said he would examine 40 new pieces of evidence provided by Jara's family. On 28 May 2009, José Adolfo Paredes Márquez, a 54-year-old former Army conscript arrested the previous week in San Sebastián, Chile, was formally charged with Jara's murder. Following his arrest, on 1 June 2009, the police investigation identified the officer who had shot Jara in the head. The officer played Russian roulette with Jara by placing a single round in his revolver, spinning the cylinder, placing the muzzle against Jara's head, and pulling the trigger. The officer repeated this a couple of times until a shot fired and Jara fell to the ground. The officer then ordered two conscripts (one of them Paredes) to finish the job by firing into Jara's body. A judge ordered Jara's body to be exhumed in an effort to gather more information about his death. On 3 December 2009, Jara was reburied after a massive funeral in the Galpón Víctor Jara, across from Santiago's Plaza Brasil. On 28 December 2012, a judge in Chile ordered the arrest of eight former army officers for alleged involvement in Jara's murder. He issued an international arrest warrant for one of them, Pedro Barrientos Núñez, the man accused of shooting Jara in the head during a torture session. On 4 September 2013, Chadbourne & Parke attorneys Mark D. Beckett and Christian Urrutia, with the assistance of the Center for Justice and Accountability, filed suit in a United States court against Barrientos, who lives in Florida, on behalf of Jara's widow and children. The suit accused Barrientos of arbitrary detention; cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; extrajudicial killing; and crimes against humanity under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), and of torture and extrajudicial killing under the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA). It alleged that Barrientos was liable for Jara's death as a direct perpetrator and as a commander. The specific claims were that: On 11 September 1973, troops from the Arica Regiment of the Chilean Army, specifically from La Serena, attacked the university where Jara taught. The troops prohibited civilians from entering or leaving the university premises. During the afternoon of 12 September 1973, military personnel entered the university and illegally detained hundreds of professors, students, and administrators. Víctor Jara was among those arbitrarily detained on the campus and was subsequently transferred to Chile Stadium, where he was tortured and killed. In the course of transporting and processing the civilian prisoners, Captain Fernando Polanco Gallardo, a commanding officer in military intelligence, recognized Jara as the well-known folk singer whose songs addressed social inequality, and who had supported President Allende's government. Captain Polanco separated Jara from the group and beat him severely. He then transferred Jara, along with some of the other civilians, to the stadium. Throughout his detention in the locker room of the stadium, Jara was in the physical custody of Lieutenant Barrientos, soldiers under his command, or other members of the Chilean Army who acted in accordance with the army's plan to commit human rights abuses against civilians. The arbitrary detention, torture, and extrajudicial killing of Jara and other detainees were part of a widespread, systematic attack on civilians by the Chilean Army from 11 to 15 September 1973. Barrientos knew, or should have known, about these attacks, if for no other reason than that he was present for and participated in them. On 15 April 2015, a US judge ordered Barrientos to stand trial in Florida. On 27 June 2016, he was found liable for Jara's killing, and the jury awarded Jara's family $28 million. On 3 July 2018, eight retired Chilean military officers were sentenced to 15 years in prison for Jara's murder and the murder of his Communist associate and former Chilean prison director Littre Quiroga Carvajal. They received three extra years for kidnapping both men. A ninth suspect was sentenced to five years in prison for covering up the murders. In November 2018, it was reported that a Chilean court ordered the extradition of Barrientos. Theater work 1959. Parecido à la Felicidad (Some Kind of Happiness), Alejandro Sieveking 1960. La Viuda de Apablaza (The Widow of Apablaza), Germán Luco Cruchaga (assistant director to Pedro de la Barra, founder of ITUCH) 1960. The Mandrake, Niccolò Machiavelli 1961. La Madre de los Conejos (Mother Rabbit), Alejandro Sieveking (assistant director to Agustín Siré) 1962. Ánimas de Día Claro (Daylight Spirits), Alejandro Sieveking 1963. The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Bertolt Brecht (assistant director to Atahualpa del Cioppo) 1963. Los Invasores (The Intruders), Egon Wolff 1963. Dúo (Duet), Raúl Ruiz 1963. Parecido à la Felicidad, Alejandro Sieveking (version for Chilean television) 1965. La Remolienda, Alejandro Sieveking 1965. The Knack, Ann Jellicoe 1966. Marat/Sade, Peter Weiss (assistant director to William Oliver) 1966. La Casa Vieja (The Old House), Abelardo Estorino 1967. La Remolienda, Alejandro Sieveking 1967. La Viuda de Apablaza, Germán Luco Cruchaga (director) 1968. Entertaining Mr Sloane, Joe Orton 1969. Viet Rock, Megan Terry 1969. Antigone, Sophocles 1972. Directed a ballet and musical homage to Pablo Neruda, which coincided with Neruda's return to Chile after being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Discography Studio albums Víctor Jara (1966) Víctor Jara (1967) Canciones folklóricas de América (with Quilapayún) (1968) Pongo en tus manos abiertas (1969) Canto libre (1970) El derecho de vivir en paz (1971) La Población (1972) Canto por travesura (1973) Tiempos que cambian (unfinished) (Estimated release: 1974) Manifiesto (1974; reissued in 2001) Live albums Víctor Jara en Vivo (1974) El Recital (1983) Víctor Jara en México (1996) Habla y canta (1996; reissued in 2001) En Vivo en el Aula Magna de la Universidad de Valparaíso (2003) Compilations Te recuerdo, Amanda (1974) Víctor Jara. Presente (1975) Vientos del Pueblo (1976) Canto Libre (1977) An unfinished song (1984) Todo Víctor Jara (1992) 20 Años Después (1992) The Rough Guide to the Music of the Andes (1996) Víctor Jara presente, colección "Haciendo Historia" (1997) Te Recuerdo, Víctor (2000) Antología Musical (2001) 1959–1969 – Víctor Jara (2001) Latin Essential: Victor Jara (2003) Colección Víctor Jara (2004) Víctor Jara. Serie de Oro. Grandes Exitos (2005) Tribute albums A Víctor Jara by Raímon (1974) Het Recht om in Vrede te Leven by Cornelis Vreeswijk (1978) Cornelis sjunger Victor Jara: Rätten till ett eget liv by Cornelis Vreeswijk (1979) Konzert für Víctor Jara by various artists (1998) Inti-illimani interpeta a Víctor Jara by Inti-Illimani (1999) Quilapayún Canta a Violeta Parra, Víctor Jara y Grandes Maestros Populares by Quilapayún (2000) Conosci Victor Jara? by Daniele Sepe (2000) Tributo Rock a Víctor Jara by various artists (2001) Tributo a Víctor Jara by various artists (2004) Lonquen: Tributo a Víctor Jara by Francesca Ancarola (2005) Even in Exile by James Dean Bradfield (2020) Documentaries and films The following are films or documentaries about and/or featuring Víctor Jara: 1973: El Tigre Saltó y Mató, Pero Morirá…Morirá…. Director: Santiago Álvarez – Cuba 1974: Compañero: Víctor Jara of Chile. Directors: Stanley Foreman/Martin Smith (Documentary) – UK 1976: Il Pleut sur Santiago. Director: Helvio Soto – France/Bulgaria 1978: Ein April hat 30 Tage. Director: Gunther Scholz – East Germany 1978: El Cantor. Director: Dean Reed – East Germany 1999: El Derecho de Vivir en Paz. Director: Carmen Luz Parot – Chile 2001: Freedom Highway: Songs That Shaped a Century. Director: Philip King – Ireland 2005: La Tierra de las 1000 Músicas [Episode 6: La Protesta]. Directors: Luis Miguel González Cruz, – Spain 2010: Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune Director: Kenneth Bowser 2019:Masacre en el estadio. Netflix In popular culture Jara is one of many desaparecidos (people who vanished under the Pinochet government and were most likely tortured and killed) whose families are still struggling to get justice. Joan Jara currently lives in Chile and runs the Víctor Jara Foundation, which was established on 4 October 1994 with the goal of promoting and continuing Jara's work. She publicized a poem that Jara wrote before his death about the conditions of the prisoners in the stadium. The poem, written on a piece of paper that was hidden inside the shoe of a friend, was never named, but it is commonly known as "Estadio Chile" (Chile Stadium, now known as Víctor Jara Stadium). On 22 September 1973, the Soviet astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh found an asteroid that he initially called "SO2", but later he would end up calling it "2644 Victor Jara". The 1975 anthology For Neruda, for Chile contains a section called "The Chilean Singer", with poems dedicated to Jara. In 1989, Scottish rock band Simple Minds dedicated "Street Fighting Years" track to Victor Jara. In the late 1990s, British actress Emma Thompson started to work on a screenplay that she planned to use as the basis for a movie about Jara. Thompson, a human rights activist and fan of Jara, saw his murder as a symbol of human rights violations in Chile, and believed a movie about his life and death would raise awareness. The movie was to feature Antonio Banderas as Jara and Thompson as his wife, Joan. However, the project was not completed. In 2007, a fishing schooner built in 1917 in Denmark was renamed after the singer-songwriter. He sails at social and cultural events, and when he's not on the high seas he's at the museum in the port of Lübeck, Germany. The title song on Rory McLeod's album Angry Love is about Jara. In a list prepared by the renowned American magazine Rolling Stone, published on June 3, 2013, Víctor Jara is named as one of the "15 Rock & Roll Rebels", being the only Latin American to integrate the list. In 2020, James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers released a concept album about Victor Jara called 'Even In Exile', that album was rated 4 out of 5 stars by The Guardian. On September 7, 2021, the Municipality of Estación Central approved the name change of "Avenida Ecuador" to "Avenida Víctor Jara". See also Nueva Canción Chilena Estadio Victor Jara 2644 Victor Jara Brigada Victor Jara Galpón Víctor Jara References Bibliography Jara, Joan (1983). Victor: An Unfinished Song. Jonathan Cape, London. Kósichev, Leonard. (1990). La guitarra y el poncho de Víctor Jara. Progress Publishers, Moscow External links Resources in English Three chapters from Victor: An Unfinished Song by Joan Jara Discography Victor Jara: The Martyred Musician of Nueva Cancion Chilena Background materials on the Chilean Workers' Movement in the 1970s Report of the Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation GDR Poster Art: Víctor Jara Allende’s Poet. Nick MacWilliam for Jacobin, 2 August 2016. Resources in Spanish Fundación Víctor Jara Lyrics of all his Songs Discography Vientos del Pueblo: Un Homenaje a Víctor Jara 1932 births 1973 deaths Anti-fascists Anti-capitalists Assassinated Chilean people Burials in Chile Chilean male actors Chilean educators Chilean folk singers Chilean male poets Chilean male singer-songwriters Chilean theatre directors Chilean Christians Chilean communists Chilean torture victims Deaths by firearm in Chile Executed writers Former Roman Catholics Latin American folk singers Marxist humanists Nueva canción musicians People from Chillán University of Chile alumni Chilean Marxists People murdered in Chile Communist Party of Chile politicians University of Santiago, Chile alumni Political music artists 20th-century Chilean poets 20th-century Chilean male writers 20th-century Chilean male singers
true
[ "Herman van Doorn (born 1963) is a Dutch singer also known as \"Hermanherman\". He is known for singing the Dutch theme songs for the long running animated series Pokémon.\n\nBiography\n\nVan Doorn studied at the Conservatory of Utrecht and Berklee College in Boston, with the emphasis to jazz vocals and improvisation. His styles widely range from improvised music and modern composed music, to pop and musical theatre. His most famous work is performing the Dutch theme songs for the television series Pokémon.\n\nDiscography\n\nAlbums \n 1999: \"For What You Are Is Never Seen\"\n 2001: \"Movin\"\n 2010: \"Fugain\" \n 2017: \"1418\"\n\nSingles \n 2010: \"Le Printemps\" (From the album: \"Fugain\")\n 2010: \"Attention Mesdames Et Messieurs\" (From the album: \"Fugain\")\n 2011: \"Fête Foraine\" \n 2014: \"For The Fallen\" (From the album: \"1418\")\n\nReferences \n\n1963 births\nLiving people\nDutch pop singers\nDutch jazz singers", "\"What's Easy for Two Is Hard for One\" (also known as \"What's Easy for Two Is So Hard for One\") is a song written and produced by Smokey Robinson and released as a single by singer Mary Wells for the Motown label.\n\nSong information\nIn this song, the narrator is longing for a longtime partnership with a suitor and constantly begs the man to \"take her to the preacher man\" in hopes the couple does \"what should be done\" because \"what two can easily do is so hard to be done by one\".\n\nRelease and reaction\nReleased in mid-1963, the song returned Wells to the top 30 where it peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 (and #8 R&B). Wells covered the song at least two more times.\n\nCovers\n\"What's Easy for Two Is Hard For One\" is one of the most covered Motown songs within the company.\n The Temptations recorded a version in 1965. Remained unreleased until 1999.\n The Marvelettes recorded a version in 1966. It was released in 1968 (#114 U.S. Pop).\n Connie Haines released a version in 1966.\n Barbara Randolph recorded a version in 1966.\n Lulu recorded a version for Decca Records in 1964.\n The Intruders recorded a version for their 1974 album, Energy of Love.\n\nPersonnel\n\nMary Wells' version\nLead vocals by Mary Wells\nBacking vocals by The Andantes: Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps\nInstrumentation by The Funk Brothers\n\nTemptations' version\nLead vocals by Paul Williams\nBacking vocals by Eddie Kendricks, David Ruffin, Otis Williams, and Melvin Franklin\nInstrumentation by The Funk Brothers\n\nConnie Haines' version\nLead vocals by Connie Haines\nBacking vocals by The Andantes\nInstrumentation by The Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra\n\nMarvelettes' version\nLead vocals by Wanda Young\nBacking vocals by The Andantes\nInstrumentation by The Funk Brothers\n\nReferences\n\n1963 singles\nMary Wells songs\nThe Marvelettes songs\nSongs written by Smokey Robinson\nMotown singles\nSong recordings produced by Smokey Robinson\n1963 songs" ]
[ "Víctor Jara", "Artistic work", "What can you tell me about Jara's artistic work?", "He was deeply influenced by the folk music of Chile and other Latin American countries, and by artists such as", "What songs is he known for?", "\"Plegaria a un Labrador\" (\"Prayer to a Worker\") and \"Te Recuerdo Amanda\" (\"I Remember You Amanda\")." ]
C_0e9d2d4006a54ad29d442fbf0a5c2508_1
Did Jara do anything besides music?
3
Did Victor Jara do anything besides music?
Víctor Jara
After joining the choir at the University of Chile in Santiago, Jara was convinced by a choir-mate to pursue a career in theater. He subsequently joined the university's theater program and earned a scholarship for talent. He appeared in several of the university's plays, gravitating toward those with social themes, such as Russian playwright Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths, a depiction of the hardships of lower-class life. In 1957, he met Violeta Parra, a singer who had steered folk music in Chile away from the rote reproduction of rural materials toward modern song composition rooted in traditional forms, and who had established musical community centers called penas to incorporate folk music into the everyday life of modern Chileans. Jara absorbed these lessons and began singing with a group called Cuncumen, with whom he continued his explorations of Chile's traditional music. He was deeply influenced by the folk music of Chile and other Latin American countries, and by artists such as Parra, Atahualpa Yupanqui, and the poet Pablo Neruda. In the 1960s, Jara started specializing in folk music and sang at Santiago's La Pena de Los Parra, owned by Angel Parra. Through these activities, he became involved in the Nueva Cancion movement of Latin American folk music. He released his first album, Canto a lo humano, in 1966, and by 1970, he had left his theater work in favor of a career in music. His songs were inspired by a combination of traditional folk music and left-wing political activism. From this period, some of his best-known songs are "Plegaria a un Labrador" ("Prayer to a Worker") and "Te Recuerdo Amanda" ("I Remember You Amanda"). CANNOTANSWER
theater
Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez (; 28 September 1932 – 16 September 1973) was a Chilean teacher, theater director, poet, singer-songwriter and socialist political activist tortured and killed during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. He developed Chilean theater by directing a broad array of works, ranging from locally produced plays to world classics, as well as the experimental work of playwrights such as Ann Jellicoe. He also played a pivotal role among neo-folkloric musicians who established the Nueva Canción Chilena (New Chilean Song) movement. This led to an uprising of new sounds in popular music during the administration of President Salvador Allende. Jara was arrested shortly after the Chilean coup of 11 September 1973, which overthrew Allende. He was tortured during interrogations and ultimately shot dead, and his body was thrown out on the street of a shantytown in Santiago. The contrast between the themes of his songs—which focused on love, peace, and social justice—and the brutal way in which he was murdered transformed Jara into a "potent symbol of struggle for human rights and justice" for those killed during the Pinochet regime. His preponderant role as an open admirer and propagandist for Che Guevara and Allende's government, in which he served as a cultural ambassador through the late 1960s and until the early 1970s crisis that ended in the coup against Allende, marked him for death. In June 2016, a Florida jury found former Chilean Army officer Pedro Barrientos liable for Jara's murder. In July 2018, eight retired Chilean military officers were sentenced to 15 years and a day in prison for Jara's murder. Early life Víctor Lidio Jara Martinez was born on September 28, 1932, his parents were working as tenants and they lived near the town of La Quiriquina, located twelve kilometers from the old Chillan, he had about five brothers. His exact place of birth is uncertain, but in any case, he was born in the Ñuble Region. At the age of five, his family moved to Lonquén, a town near Santiago de Chile, where his father, Manuel Jara, had rented a small piece of land that he worked from sun to sun with a miserable performance. His father was illiterate and did not want him and his other siblings to go to school so that they could help him in the fields from the ages of six and seven. His mother, on the other hand, knew how to read a little and from the beginning she insisted that they at least learn the letters. Jara's mother was a mestiza with deep Araucanian roots in southern Chile, she was self-taught, and played the guitar and the piano. She also performed as a singer, with a repertory of traditional folk songs that she used for local functions like weddings and funerals. The relationship between her parents became more tense with each passing day, her father began to drink and disappeared from the house several days in a row, leaving all the work in the hands of Amanda. Later, her mother moved to Santiago and took a job as a cook in a restaurant in Vega Poniente. Because she was so skilled she did well there and so she was able to educate three of her children, including Victor. She died when Jara was 15, leaving him to make his own way. He began to study to be an accountant, but soon moved into a seminary, where he studied for the priesthood. After a couple of years, however, he became disillusioned with the Catholic Church and left the seminary. Subsequently, he spent several years in army service before returning to his hometown to pursue interests in folk music and theater. Musical career After joining the choir at the University of Chile in Santiago, Jara was convinced by a choir-mate to pursue a career in theater. He subsequently joined the university's theater program and earned a scholarship for talent. He appeared in several of the university's plays, gravitating toward those with social themes, such as Russian playwright Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths, a depiction of the hardships of lower-class life. In 1957, he met Violeta Parra, a singer who had steered folk music in Chile away from the rote reproduction of rural materials toward modern song composition rooted in traditional forms, and who had established musical community centers called peñas to incorporate folk music into the everyday life of modern Chileans. Jara absorbed these lessons and began singing with a group called Cuncumén, with whom he continued his explorations of Chile's traditional music (working as a guitarist and vocalist from 1957 to 1963). He was deeply influenced by the folk music of Chile and other Latin American countries, and by artists such as Parra, Atahualpa Yupanqui, and the poet Pablo Neruda. In the 1960s, Jara started specializing in folk music and sang at Santiago's La Peña de Los Parra, owned by Ángel Parra. Through these activities, he became involved in the Nueva Canción movement of Latin American folk music. In 1966, Víctor released his first album homonymous, by the record company "Demon", being the only album released under this label and the Víctor Jara's first solo work, the album would later be re-released under the titles Canto a lo humano and Sus mejores canciones, and in 2001 an reissue on CD by Warner Music Chile was released, with the original title. This version on CD also included five bonus tracks, four of which are songs by Víctor Jara along with Cuncumén. The album includes some Jara's versions of some Latin American folk songs, such as; "La flor que anda de mano en mano", and "Ojitos verdes", two Chilean folk songs, "La cocinerita", an Argentinian folk song, or "Ja jai", a Bolivian traditional. The authorship of this album, as well as its singles, was in the hands of Camilo Fernández, owner of the Demon record company, from its launch in 1966 until 2001, when he recently transferred the rights to the widow of Víctor Jara, after years of profiting from the album (as well as with others from Patricio Manns, Isabel and Ángel Parra, among others) without ever financially rewarding its authors or family. In 1967 released their second album homonymous, this album apart from the controversial song "The appeared" includes Jara's covers of some folk songs from Chile, Argentina, Bolivia or Spain as; «Despedimiento del angelito», «Ay mi palomita», «Casi, casi», «Qué alegres son las obreras» or «Romance del enamorado y la muerte». Also, the album was subsequently released under the name of Desde longuén hasta siempre with a variation of different covers. In 1968, Jara released his first collaborative album entitled, "Canciones folklóricas de América" (Folkloric Songs of America), with Quilapayun. In 1970, he had left his theater work in favor of a career in music. His songs were inspired by a combination of traditional folk music and left-wing political activism. From this period, some of his best-known songs are "Plegaria a un Labrador" ("Prayer to a Worker") and "Te Recuerdo Amanda" ("I Remember You Amanda"). Political activism Early in his recording career, Jara showed a knack for antagonizing conservative Chileans, releasing a traditional comic song called "La beata" that depicted a religious woman with a crush on the priest to whom she goes for confession. The song was banned on radio stations and removed from record shops, but the controversy only added to Jara's reputation among young and progressive Chileans. More serious in the eyes of the Chilean right wing was Jara's growing identification with the socialist movement led by Salvador Allende. After visits to Cuba and the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, Jara had joined the Communist Party. The personal met the political in his songs about the poverty he had experienced firsthand. Jara's songs spread outside Chile and were performed by American folk artists. His popularity was due not only to his songwriting skills but also to his exceptional power as a performer. He took a decisive turn toward political confrontation with his 1969 song "Preguntas por Puerto Montt" ("Questions About Puerto Montt"), which took direct aim at a government official (Edmundo Pérez Zujovic) who had ordered police to attack squatters in the town of Puerto Montt. The Chilean political situation deteriorated after the official was assassinated, and right-wing thugs beat up Jara on one occasion. In 1970, Jara supported Allende, the Popular Unity coalition candidate for president, volunteering for political work and playing free concerts. He composed "Venceremos" ("We Will Triumph"), the theme song of Allende's Popular Unity movement, and welcomed Allende's election to the Chilean presidency in 1970. After the election, Jara continued to speak in support of Allende and played an important role in the new administration's efforts to reorient Chilean culture. He and his wife, Joan Jara, were key participants in a cultural renaissance that swept Chile, organizing cultural events that supported the country's new socialist government. He set poems by Pablo Neruda to music and performed at a ceremony honoring him after Neruda received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1972. Throughout rumblings of a right-wing coup, Jara held on to his teaching job at Chile's Technical University. His popular success during this time, as both a musician and a Communist, earned him a concert in Moscow. So successful was he that the Soviet Union tried to latch onto his popularity, claiming in their media that his vocal prowess was the result of surgery he had undergone while in Moscow. Backed by the United States, which opposed Allende's socialist politics, the Chilean military staged a coup d'état on 11 September 1973, resulting in the death of Allende and the installation of Augusto Pinochet as dictator. At the moment of the coup, Jara was on his way to the Technical University (today the Universidad de Santiago). That night, he slept at the university along with other teachers and students, and sang to raise morale. Torture and murder After the coup, Pinochet's soldiers rounded up Chileans who were believed to be involved with leftist groups, including Allende's Popular Unity party. On the morning of 12 September 1973, Jara was taken prisoner, along with thousands of others, and imprisoned inside Chile Stadium. The guards there tortured him, smashing his hands and fingers, and then mocked him by asking him to play the guitar. Jara instead sang the Chilean protest song Venceremos. Soon after, he was killed with a gunshot to the head, and his body was riddled with more than 40 bullets. According to the BBC "There are many conflicting accounts of Jara’s last days but the 2019 Netflix documentary Massacre at the Stadium pieces together a convincing narrative. As a famous musician and prominent supporter of Allende, Jara was swiftly recognised on his way into the stadium. An army officer threw a lit cigarette on the ground, made Jara crawl for it, then stamped on his wrists. Jara was first separated from the other detainees, then beaten and tortured in the bowels of the stadium. At one point, he defiantly sang Venceremos (We Will Win), Allende’s 1970 election anthem, through split lips. On the morning of the 16th, according to a fellow detainee, Jara asked for a pen and notebook and scribbled the lyrics to Estadio Chile, which were later smuggled out of the stadium: “How hard it is to sing when I must sing of horror/ Horror which I am living, horror which I am dying.” Two hours later, he was shot dead, then his body was riddled with machine-gun bullets and dumped in the street. He was 40." After his murder, Jara's body was displayed at the entrance of Chile Stadium for other prisoners to see. It was later discarded outside the stadium along with the bodies of other civilian prisoners who had been killed by the Chilean Army. His body was found by civil servants and brought to a morgue, where one of them was able to identify him and contact his wife, Joan. She took his body and gave him a quick and clandestine burial in the general cemetery before she fled the country into exile. Forty-two years later, former Chilean military officers were charged with his murder. Legal actions On 16 May 2008, retired colonel Mario Manríquez Bravo, who was the chief of security at Chile Stadium as the coup was carried out, was the first to be convicted in Jara's death. Judge Juan Eduardo Fuentes, who oversaw Bravo's conviction, then decided to close the case, a decision Jara's family soon appealed. In June 2008, Judge Fuentes re-opened the investigation and said he would examine 40 new pieces of evidence provided by Jara's family. On 28 May 2009, José Adolfo Paredes Márquez, a 54-year-old former Army conscript arrested the previous week in San Sebastián, Chile, was formally charged with Jara's murder. Following his arrest, on 1 June 2009, the police investigation identified the officer who had shot Jara in the head. The officer played Russian roulette with Jara by placing a single round in his revolver, spinning the cylinder, placing the muzzle against Jara's head, and pulling the trigger. The officer repeated this a couple of times until a shot fired and Jara fell to the ground. The officer then ordered two conscripts (one of them Paredes) to finish the job by firing into Jara's body. A judge ordered Jara's body to be exhumed in an effort to gather more information about his death. On 3 December 2009, Jara was reburied after a massive funeral in the Galpón Víctor Jara, across from Santiago's Plaza Brasil. On 28 December 2012, a judge in Chile ordered the arrest of eight former army officers for alleged involvement in Jara's murder. He issued an international arrest warrant for one of them, Pedro Barrientos Núñez, the man accused of shooting Jara in the head during a torture session. On 4 September 2013, Chadbourne & Parke attorneys Mark D. Beckett and Christian Urrutia, with the assistance of the Center for Justice and Accountability, filed suit in a United States court against Barrientos, who lives in Florida, on behalf of Jara's widow and children. The suit accused Barrientos of arbitrary detention; cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; extrajudicial killing; and crimes against humanity under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), and of torture and extrajudicial killing under the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA). It alleged that Barrientos was liable for Jara's death as a direct perpetrator and as a commander. The specific claims were that: On 11 September 1973, troops from the Arica Regiment of the Chilean Army, specifically from La Serena, attacked the university where Jara taught. The troops prohibited civilians from entering or leaving the university premises. During the afternoon of 12 September 1973, military personnel entered the university and illegally detained hundreds of professors, students, and administrators. Víctor Jara was among those arbitrarily detained on the campus and was subsequently transferred to Chile Stadium, where he was tortured and killed. In the course of transporting and processing the civilian prisoners, Captain Fernando Polanco Gallardo, a commanding officer in military intelligence, recognized Jara as the well-known folk singer whose songs addressed social inequality, and who had supported President Allende's government. Captain Polanco separated Jara from the group and beat him severely. He then transferred Jara, along with some of the other civilians, to the stadium. Throughout his detention in the locker room of the stadium, Jara was in the physical custody of Lieutenant Barrientos, soldiers under his command, or other members of the Chilean Army who acted in accordance with the army's plan to commit human rights abuses against civilians. The arbitrary detention, torture, and extrajudicial killing of Jara and other detainees were part of a widespread, systematic attack on civilians by the Chilean Army from 11 to 15 September 1973. Barrientos knew, or should have known, about these attacks, if for no other reason than that he was present for and participated in them. On 15 April 2015, a US judge ordered Barrientos to stand trial in Florida. On 27 June 2016, he was found liable for Jara's killing, and the jury awarded Jara's family $28 million. On 3 July 2018, eight retired Chilean military officers were sentenced to 15 years in prison for Jara's murder and the murder of his Communist associate and former Chilean prison director Littre Quiroga Carvajal. They received three extra years for kidnapping both men. A ninth suspect was sentenced to five years in prison for covering up the murders. In November 2018, it was reported that a Chilean court ordered the extradition of Barrientos. Theater work 1959. Parecido à la Felicidad (Some Kind of Happiness), Alejandro Sieveking 1960. La Viuda de Apablaza (The Widow of Apablaza), Germán Luco Cruchaga (assistant director to Pedro de la Barra, founder of ITUCH) 1960. The Mandrake, Niccolò Machiavelli 1961. La Madre de los Conejos (Mother Rabbit), Alejandro Sieveking (assistant director to Agustín Siré) 1962. Ánimas de Día Claro (Daylight Spirits), Alejandro Sieveking 1963. The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Bertolt Brecht (assistant director to Atahualpa del Cioppo) 1963. Los Invasores (The Intruders), Egon Wolff 1963. Dúo (Duet), Raúl Ruiz 1963. Parecido à la Felicidad, Alejandro Sieveking (version for Chilean television) 1965. La Remolienda, Alejandro Sieveking 1965. The Knack, Ann Jellicoe 1966. Marat/Sade, Peter Weiss (assistant director to William Oliver) 1966. La Casa Vieja (The Old House), Abelardo Estorino 1967. La Remolienda, Alejandro Sieveking 1967. La Viuda de Apablaza, Germán Luco Cruchaga (director) 1968. Entertaining Mr Sloane, Joe Orton 1969. Viet Rock, Megan Terry 1969. Antigone, Sophocles 1972. Directed a ballet and musical homage to Pablo Neruda, which coincided with Neruda's return to Chile after being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Discography Studio albums Víctor Jara (1966) Víctor Jara (1967) Canciones folklóricas de América (with Quilapayún) (1968) Pongo en tus manos abiertas (1969) Canto libre (1970) El derecho de vivir en paz (1971) La Población (1972) Canto por travesura (1973) Tiempos que cambian (unfinished) (Estimated release: 1974) Manifiesto (1974; reissued in 2001) Live albums Víctor Jara en Vivo (1974) El Recital (1983) Víctor Jara en México (1996) Habla y canta (1996; reissued in 2001) En Vivo en el Aula Magna de la Universidad de Valparaíso (2003) Compilations Te recuerdo, Amanda (1974) Víctor Jara. Presente (1975) Vientos del Pueblo (1976) Canto Libre (1977) An unfinished song (1984) Todo Víctor Jara (1992) 20 Años Después (1992) The Rough Guide to the Music of the Andes (1996) Víctor Jara presente, colección "Haciendo Historia" (1997) Te Recuerdo, Víctor (2000) Antología Musical (2001) 1959–1969 – Víctor Jara (2001) Latin Essential: Victor Jara (2003) Colección Víctor Jara (2004) Víctor Jara. Serie de Oro. Grandes Exitos (2005) Tribute albums A Víctor Jara by Raímon (1974) Het Recht om in Vrede te Leven by Cornelis Vreeswijk (1978) Cornelis sjunger Victor Jara: Rätten till ett eget liv by Cornelis Vreeswijk (1979) Konzert für Víctor Jara by various artists (1998) Inti-illimani interpeta a Víctor Jara by Inti-Illimani (1999) Quilapayún Canta a Violeta Parra, Víctor Jara y Grandes Maestros Populares by Quilapayún (2000) Conosci Victor Jara? by Daniele Sepe (2000) Tributo Rock a Víctor Jara by various artists (2001) Tributo a Víctor Jara by various artists (2004) Lonquen: Tributo a Víctor Jara by Francesca Ancarola (2005) Even in Exile by James Dean Bradfield (2020) Documentaries and films The following are films or documentaries about and/or featuring Víctor Jara: 1973: El Tigre Saltó y Mató, Pero Morirá…Morirá…. Director: Santiago Álvarez – Cuba 1974: Compañero: Víctor Jara of Chile. Directors: Stanley Foreman/Martin Smith (Documentary) – UK 1976: Il Pleut sur Santiago. Director: Helvio Soto – France/Bulgaria 1978: Ein April hat 30 Tage. Director: Gunther Scholz – East Germany 1978: El Cantor. Director: Dean Reed – East Germany 1999: El Derecho de Vivir en Paz. Director: Carmen Luz Parot – Chile 2001: Freedom Highway: Songs That Shaped a Century. Director: Philip King – Ireland 2005: La Tierra de las 1000 Músicas [Episode 6: La Protesta]. Directors: Luis Miguel González Cruz, – Spain 2010: Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune Director: Kenneth Bowser 2019:Masacre en el estadio. Netflix In popular culture Jara is one of many desaparecidos (people who vanished under the Pinochet government and were most likely tortured and killed) whose families are still struggling to get justice. Joan Jara currently lives in Chile and runs the Víctor Jara Foundation, which was established on 4 October 1994 with the goal of promoting and continuing Jara's work. She publicized a poem that Jara wrote before his death about the conditions of the prisoners in the stadium. The poem, written on a piece of paper that was hidden inside the shoe of a friend, was never named, but it is commonly known as "Estadio Chile" (Chile Stadium, now known as Víctor Jara Stadium). On 22 September 1973, the Soviet astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh found an asteroid that he initially called "SO2", but later he would end up calling it "2644 Victor Jara". The 1975 anthology For Neruda, for Chile contains a section called "The Chilean Singer", with poems dedicated to Jara. In 1989, Scottish rock band Simple Minds dedicated "Street Fighting Years" track to Victor Jara. In the late 1990s, British actress Emma Thompson started to work on a screenplay that she planned to use as the basis for a movie about Jara. Thompson, a human rights activist and fan of Jara, saw his murder as a symbol of human rights violations in Chile, and believed a movie about his life and death would raise awareness. The movie was to feature Antonio Banderas as Jara and Thompson as his wife, Joan. However, the project was not completed. In 2007, a fishing schooner built in 1917 in Denmark was renamed after the singer-songwriter. He sails at social and cultural events, and when he's not on the high seas he's at the museum in the port of Lübeck, Germany. The title song on Rory McLeod's album Angry Love is about Jara. In a list prepared by the renowned American magazine Rolling Stone, published on June 3, 2013, Víctor Jara is named as one of the "15 Rock & Roll Rebels", being the only Latin American to integrate the list. In 2020, James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers released a concept album about Victor Jara called 'Even In Exile', that album was rated 4 out of 5 stars by The Guardian. On September 7, 2021, the Municipality of Estación Central approved the name change of "Avenida Ecuador" to "Avenida Víctor Jara". See also Nueva Canción Chilena Estadio Victor Jara 2644 Victor Jara Brigada Victor Jara Galpón Víctor Jara References Bibliography Jara, Joan (1983). Victor: An Unfinished Song. Jonathan Cape, London. Kósichev, Leonard. (1990). La guitarra y el poncho de Víctor Jara. Progress Publishers, Moscow External links Resources in English Three chapters from Victor: An Unfinished Song by Joan Jara Discography Victor Jara: The Martyred Musician of Nueva Cancion Chilena Background materials on the Chilean Workers' Movement in the 1970s Report of the Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation GDR Poster Art: Víctor Jara Allende’s Poet. Nick MacWilliam for Jacobin, 2 August 2016. Resources in Spanish Fundación Víctor Jara Lyrics of all his Songs Discography Vientos del Pueblo: Un Homenaje a Víctor Jara 1932 births 1973 deaths Anti-fascists Anti-capitalists Assassinated Chilean people Burials in Chile Chilean male actors Chilean educators Chilean folk singers Chilean male poets Chilean male singer-songwriters Chilean theatre directors Chilean Christians Chilean communists Chilean torture victims Deaths by firearm in Chile Executed writers Former Roman Catholics Latin American folk singers Marxist humanists Nueva canción musicians People from Chillán University of Chile alumni Chilean Marxists People murdered in Chile Communist Party of Chile politicians University of Santiago, Chile alumni Political music artists 20th-century Chilean poets 20th-century Chilean male writers 20th-century Chilean male singers
true
[ "Galpón Víctor Jara (“Víctor Jara Warehouse”) is a cultural center located in Santiago, Chile, in Barrio Brasil, an area of the city known for its strong artistic and cultural scene. Managed by the Víctor Jara Foundation, the center is named for the Chilean singer-songwriter and activist who was killed by the Chilean army following the Chilean coup of 11 September 1973. The Galpón is a popular live venue for Chilean bands, particularly those of the New Chilean Cumbia, gypsy and cueca musical styles, such as Chico Trujillo, Banda Conmoción and La Mano Ajena.\n\nHistory\n\nFollowing the return to democracy in Chile in 1990, efforts to achieve justice and recognition for Víctor Jara slowly gained momentum. In the early 2000s, the Víctor Jara Foundation campaigned to convert the Víctor Jara Stadium, where Jara was tortured and killed (the stadium, originally called Estadio Chile, was renamed to commemorate Jara in 2004), into a cultural center, but encountered difficulties from local authorities. A solution was found in the space occupied by the Foundation itself, in Plaza Brasil, the heart of Barrio Brasil, a cultural hub in the western part of Santiago. Galpón Víctor Jara opened there in 2003. Joan Jara, the Foundation’s founder and Jara’s widow, said at the time that\n“we want to be a meeting place for all kinds of artists: Chilean, foreign and those alternative artists who don’t fit in anywhere else.”\n\nIn 2009, a large public funeral for Víctor Jara was held at the Galpón, with thousands of mourners gathering to honor the singer. Jara’s remains had been exhumed as part of investigations into his death. The casket was carried on a procession through the streets of Santiago and re-buried in the General Cemetery.\n\nThe Galpón has been forced to close on a number of occasions. In 2010, the then mayor of Santiago, Pablo Zalaquett, closed the center because it did “not comply with the infrastructure required of a venue holding events of such a nature.” It was reopened shortly after, once the application for a new permit was in process. The venue has also been closed on a few occasions due to complaints about loud noise. This occurred most recently in September 2012, just prior to celebrations for the 80th anniversary of Jara’s birth, and calling a halt to the planned Cumbre Internacional de la Cumbia event (“International Cumbia Summit”). The center was reopened a couple of weeks later with a temporary permit, and Joan Jara remarked that “This has been such a long process. At least there exists the possibility that we can continue to develop this work, which I believe is very important for Chilean artists,” in 2013, it was closed because \"it has never obtained a definitive building permit or a final resolution from the municipality of Santiago.\"\n\nSee also\nVíctor Jara\nVíctor Jara Foundation\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n[www.fundacionvictorjara.cl Víctor Jara Foundation]. (Spanish).\n\nMusic venues in Chile\nLists of things named after Víctor Jara", "20 Años Después () is a compilation music album of singer-songwriter Victor Jara. It was released in Spain by Fonomusic in 1992. The compilation was re-edited in 1998 with the 13th original track, \"El Aparecido\", omitted from the original compilation.\n\nTrack listing\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\nVictor Jara Foundation – Spanish Language\n20 Años Después album text/lyrics and cover art\nBiographical Notes: The Victor Jara Story\n\nVíctor Jara compilation albums\n1992 compilation albums\nSpanish-language compilation albums" ]
[ "Víctor Jara", "Artistic work", "What can you tell me about Jara's artistic work?", "He was deeply influenced by the folk music of Chile and other Latin American countries, and by artists such as", "What songs is he known for?", "\"Plegaria a un Labrador\" (\"Prayer to a Worker\") and \"Te Recuerdo Amanda\" (\"I Remember You Amanda\").", "Did Jara do anything besides music?", "theater" ]
C_0e9d2d4006a54ad29d442fbf0a5c2508_1
Was Jara an actor or a playwrite?
4
Was Victor Jara an actor or a playwrite?
Víctor Jara
After joining the choir at the University of Chile in Santiago, Jara was convinced by a choir-mate to pursue a career in theater. He subsequently joined the university's theater program and earned a scholarship for talent. He appeared in several of the university's plays, gravitating toward those with social themes, such as Russian playwright Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths, a depiction of the hardships of lower-class life. In 1957, he met Violeta Parra, a singer who had steered folk music in Chile away from the rote reproduction of rural materials toward modern song composition rooted in traditional forms, and who had established musical community centers called penas to incorporate folk music into the everyday life of modern Chileans. Jara absorbed these lessons and began singing with a group called Cuncumen, with whom he continued his explorations of Chile's traditional music. He was deeply influenced by the folk music of Chile and other Latin American countries, and by artists such as Parra, Atahualpa Yupanqui, and the poet Pablo Neruda. In the 1960s, Jara started specializing in folk music and sang at Santiago's La Pena de Los Parra, owned by Angel Parra. Through these activities, he became involved in the Nueva Cancion movement of Latin American folk music. He released his first album, Canto a lo humano, in 1966, and by 1970, he had left his theater work in favor of a career in music. His songs were inspired by a combination of traditional folk music and left-wing political activism. From this period, some of his best-known songs are "Plegaria a un Labrador" ("Prayer to a Worker") and "Te Recuerdo Amanda" ("I Remember You Amanda"). CANNOTANSWER
He appeared in several of the university's plays,
Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez (; 28 September 1932 – 16 September 1973) was a Chilean teacher, theater director, poet, singer-songwriter and socialist political activist tortured and killed during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. He developed Chilean theater by directing a broad array of works, ranging from locally produced plays to world classics, as well as the experimental work of playwrights such as Ann Jellicoe. He also played a pivotal role among neo-folkloric musicians who established the Nueva Canción Chilena (New Chilean Song) movement. This led to an uprising of new sounds in popular music during the administration of President Salvador Allende. Jara was arrested shortly after the Chilean coup of 11 September 1973, which overthrew Allende. He was tortured during interrogations and ultimately shot dead, and his body was thrown out on the street of a shantytown in Santiago. The contrast between the themes of his songs—which focused on love, peace, and social justice—and the brutal way in which he was murdered transformed Jara into a "potent symbol of struggle for human rights and justice" for those killed during the Pinochet regime. His preponderant role as an open admirer and propagandist for Che Guevara and Allende's government, in which he served as a cultural ambassador through the late 1960s and until the early 1970s crisis that ended in the coup against Allende, marked him for death. In June 2016, a Florida jury found former Chilean Army officer Pedro Barrientos liable for Jara's murder. In July 2018, eight retired Chilean military officers were sentenced to 15 years and a day in prison for Jara's murder. Early life Víctor Lidio Jara Martinez was born on September 28, 1932, his parents were working as tenants and they lived near the town of La Quiriquina, located twelve kilometers from the old Chillan, he had about five brothers. His exact place of birth is uncertain, but in any case, he was born in the Ñuble Region. At the age of five, his family moved to Lonquén, a town near Santiago de Chile, where his father, Manuel Jara, had rented a small piece of land that he worked from sun to sun with a miserable performance. His father was illiterate and did not want him and his other siblings to go to school so that they could help him in the fields from the ages of six and seven. His mother, on the other hand, knew how to read a little and from the beginning she insisted that they at least learn the letters. Jara's mother was a mestiza with deep Araucanian roots in southern Chile, she was self-taught, and played the guitar and the piano. She also performed as a singer, with a repertory of traditional folk songs that she used for local functions like weddings and funerals. The relationship between her parents became more tense with each passing day, her father began to drink and disappeared from the house several days in a row, leaving all the work in the hands of Amanda. Later, her mother moved to Santiago and took a job as a cook in a restaurant in Vega Poniente. Because she was so skilled she did well there and so she was able to educate three of her children, including Victor. She died when Jara was 15, leaving him to make his own way. He began to study to be an accountant, but soon moved into a seminary, where he studied for the priesthood. After a couple of years, however, he became disillusioned with the Catholic Church and left the seminary. Subsequently, he spent several years in army service before returning to his hometown to pursue interests in folk music and theater. Musical career After joining the choir at the University of Chile in Santiago, Jara was convinced by a choir-mate to pursue a career in theater. He subsequently joined the university's theater program and earned a scholarship for talent. He appeared in several of the university's plays, gravitating toward those with social themes, such as Russian playwright Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths, a depiction of the hardships of lower-class life. In 1957, he met Violeta Parra, a singer who had steered folk music in Chile away from the rote reproduction of rural materials toward modern song composition rooted in traditional forms, and who had established musical community centers called peñas to incorporate folk music into the everyday life of modern Chileans. Jara absorbed these lessons and began singing with a group called Cuncumén, with whom he continued his explorations of Chile's traditional music (working as a guitarist and vocalist from 1957 to 1963). He was deeply influenced by the folk music of Chile and other Latin American countries, and by artists such as Parra, Atahualpa Yupanqui, and the poet Pablo Neruda. In the 1960s, Jara started specializing in folk music and sang at Santiago's La Peña de Los Parra, owned by Ángel Parra. Through these activities, he became involved in the Nueva Canción movement of Latin American folk music. In 1966, Víctor released his first album homonymous, by the record company "Demon", being the only album released under this label and the Víctor Jara's first solo work, the album would later be re-released under the titles Canto a lo humano and Sus mejores canciones, and in 2001 an reissue on CD by Warner Music Chile was released, with the original title. This version on CD also included five bonus tracks, four of which are songs by Víctor Jara along with Cuncumén. The album includes some Jara's versions of some Latin American folk songs, such as; "La flor que anda de mano en mano", and "Ojitos verdes", two Chilean folk songs, "La cocinerita", an Argentinian folk song, or "Ja jai", a Bolivian traditional. The authorship of this album, as well as its singles, was in the hands of Camilo Fernández, owner of the Demon record company, from its launch in 1966 until 2001, when he recently transferred the rights to the widow of Víctor Jara, after years of profiting from the album (as well as with others from Patricio Manns, Isabel and Ángel Parra, among others) without ever financially rewarding its authors or family. In 1967 released their second album homonymous, this album apart from the controversial song "The appeared" includes Jara's covers of some folk songs from Chile, Argentina, Bolivia or Spain as; «Despedimiento del angelito», «Ay mi palomita», «Casi, casi», «Qué alegres son las obreras» or «Romance del enamorado y la muerte». Also, the album was subsequently released under the name of Desde longuén hasta siempre with a variation of different covers. In 1968, Jara released his first collaborative album entitled, "Canciones folklóricas de América" (Folkloric Songs of America), with Quilapayun. In 1970, he had left his theater work in favor of a career in music. His songs were inspired by a combination of traditional folk music and left-wing political activism. From this period, some of his best-known songs are "Plegaria a un Labrador" ("Prayer to a Worker") and "Te Recuerdo Amanda" ("I Remember You Amanda"). Political activism Early in his recording career, Jara showed a knack for antagonizing conservative Chileans, releasing a traditional comic song called "La beata" that depicted a religious woman with a crush on the priest to whom she goes for confession. The song was banned on radio stations and removed from record shops, but the controversy only added to Jara's reputation among young and progressive Chileans. More serious in the eyes of the Chilean right wing was Jara's growing identification with the socialist movement led by Salvador Allende. After visits to Cuba and the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, Jara had joined the Communist Party. The personal met the political in his songs about the poverty he had experienced firsthand. Jara's songs spread outside Chile and were performed by American folk artists. His popularity was due not only to his songwriting skills but also to his exceptional power as a performer. He took a decisive turn toward political confrontation with his 1969 song "Preguntas por Puerto Montt" ("Questions About Puerto Montt"), which took direct aim at a government official (Edmundo Pérez Zujovic) who had ordered police to attack squatters in the town of Puerto Montt. The Chilean political situation deteriorated after the official was assassinated, and right-wing thugs beat up Jara on one occasion. In 1970, Jara supported Allende, the Popular Unity coalition candidate for president, volunteering for political work and playing free concerts. He composed "Venceremos" ("We Will Triumph"), the theme song of Allende's Popular Unity movement, and welcomed Allende's election to the Chilean presidency in 1970. After the election, Jara continued to speak in support of Allende and played an important role in the new administration's efforts to reorient Chilean culture. He and his wife, Joan Jara, were key participants in a cultural renaissance that swept Chile, organizing cultural events that supported the country's new socialist government. He set poems by Pablo Neruda to music and performed at a ceremony honoring him after Neruda received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1972. Throughout rumblings of a right-wing coup, Jara held on to his teaching job at Chile's Technical University. His popular success during this time, as both a musician and a Communist, earned him a concert in Moscow. So successful was he that the Soviet Union tried to latch onto his popularity, claiming in their media that his vocal prowess was the result of surgery he had undergone while in Moscow. Backed by the United States, which opposed Allende's socialist politics, the Chilean military staged a coup d'état on 11 September 1973, resulting in the death of Allende and the installation of Augusto Pinochet as dictator. At the moment of the coup, Jara was on his way to the Technical University (today the Universidad de Santiago). That night, he slept at the university along with other teachers and students, and sang to raise morale. Torture and murder After the coup, Pinochet's soldiers rounded up Chileans who were believed to be involved with leftist groups, including Allende's Popular Unity party. On the morning of 12 September 1973, Jara was taken prisoner, along with thousands of others, and imprisoned inside Chile Stadium. The guards there tortured him, smashing his hands and fingers, and then mocked him by asking him to play the guitar. Jara instead sang the Chilean protest song Venceremos. Soon after, he was killed with a gunshot to the head, and his body was riddled with more than 40 bullets. According to the BBC "There are many conflicting accounts of Jara’s last days but the 2019 Netflix documentary Massacre at the Stadium pieces together a convincing narrative. As a famous musician and prominent supporter of Allende, Jara was swiftly recognised on his way into the stadium. An army officer threw a lit cigarette on the ground, made Jara crawl for it, then stamped on his wrists. Jara was first separated from the other detainees, then beaten and tortured in the bowels of the stadium. At one point, he defiantly sang Venceremos (We Will Win), Allende’s 1970 election anthem, through split lips. On the morning of the 16th, according to a fellow detainee, Jara asked for a pen and notebook and scribbled the lyrics to Estadio Chile, which were later smuggled out of the stadium: “How hard it is to sing when I must sing of horror/ Horror which I am living, horror which I am dying.” Two hours later, he was shot dead, then his body was riddled with machine-gun bullets and dumped in the street. He was 40." After his murder, Jara's body was displayed at the entrance of Chile Stadium for other prisoners to see. It was later discarded outside the stadium along with the bodies of other civilian prisoners who had been killed by the Chilean Army. His body was found by civil servants and brought to a morgue, where one of them was able to identify him and contact his wife, Joan. She took his body and gave him a quick and clandestine burial in the general cemetery before she fled the country into exile. Forty-two years later, former Chilean military officers were charged with his murder. Legal actions On 16 May 2008, retired colonel Mario Manríquez Bravo, who was the chief of security at Chile Stadium as the coup was carried out, was the first to be convicted in Jara's death. Judge Juan Eduardo Fuentes, who oversaw Bravo's conviction, then decided to close the case, a decision Jara's family soon appealed. In June 2008, Judge Fuentes re-opened the investigation and said he would examine 40 new pieces of evidence provided by Jara's family. On 28 May 2009, José Adolfo Paredes Márquez, a 54-year-old former Army conscript arrested the previous week in San Sebastián, Chile, was formally charged with Jara's murder. Following his arrest, on 1 June 2009, the police investigation identified the officer who had shot Jara in the head. The officer played Russian roulette with Jara by placing a single round in his revolver, spinning the cylinder, placing the muzzle against Jara's head, and pulling the trigger. The officer repeated this a couple of times until a shot fired and Jara fell to the ground. The officer then ordered two conscripts (one of them Paredes) to finish the job by firing into Jara's body. A judge ordered Jara's body to be exhumed in an effort to gather more information about his death. On 3 December 2009, Jara was reburied after a massive funeral in the Galpón Víctor Jara, across from Santiago's Plaza Brasil. On 28 December 2012, a judge in Chile ordered the arrest of eight former army officers for alleged involvement in Jara's murder. He issued an international arrest warrant for one of them, Pedro Barrientos Núñez, the man accused of shooting Jara in the head during a torture session. On 4 September 2013, Chadbourne & Parke attorneys Mark D. Beckett and Christian Urrutia, with the assistance of the Center for Justice and Accountability, filed suit in a United States court against Barrientos, who lives in Florida, on behalf of Jara's widow and children. The suit accused Barrientos of arbitrary detention; cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; extrajudicial killing; and crimes against humanity under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), and of torture and extrajudicial killing under the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA). It alleged that Barrientos was liable for Jara's death as a direct perpetrator and as a commander. The specific claims were that: On 11 September 1973, troops from the Arica Regiment of the Chilean Army, specifically from La Serena, attacked the university where Jara taught. The troops prohibited civilians from entering or leaving the university premises. During the afternoon of 12 September 1973, military personnel entered the university and illegally detained hundreds of professors, students, and administrators. Víctor Jara was among those arbitrarily detained on the campus and was subsequently transferred to Chile Stadium, where he was tortured and killed. In the course of transporting and processing the civilian prisoners, Captain Fernando Polanco Gallardo, a commanding officer in military intelligence, recognized Jara as the well-known folk singer whose songs addressed social inequality, and who had supported President Allende's government. Captain Polanco separated Jara from the group and beat him severely. He then transferred Jara, along with some of the other civilians, to the stadium. Throughout his detention in the locker room of the stadium, Jara was in the physical custody of Lieutenant Barrientos, soldiers under his command, or other members of the Chilean Army who acted in accordance with the army's plan to commit human rights abuses against civilians. The arbitrary detention, torture, and extrajudicial killing of Jara and other detainees were part of a widespread, systematic attack on civilians by the Chilean Army from 11 to 15 September 1973. Barrientos knew, or should have known, about these attacks, if for no other reason than that he was present for and participated in them. On 15 April 2015, a US judge ordered Barrientos to stand trial in Florida. On 27 June 2016, he was found liable for Jara's killing, and the jury awarded Jara's family $28 million. On 3 July 2018, eight retired Chilean military officers were sentenced to 15 years in prison for Jara's murder and the murder of his Communist associate and former Chilean prison director Littre Quiroga Carvajal. They received three extra years for kidnapping both men. A ninth suspect was sentenced to five years in prison for covering up the murders. In November 2018, it was reported that a Chilean court ordered the extradition of Barrientos. Theater work 1959. Parecido à la Felicidad (Some Kind of Happiness), Alejandro Sieveking 1960. La Viuda de Apablaza (The Widow of Apablaza), Germán Luco Cruchaga (assistant director to Pedro de la Barra, founder of ITUCH) 1960. The Mandrake, Niccolò Machiavelli 1961. La Madre de los Conejos (Mother Rabbit), Alejandro Sieveking (assistant director to Agustín Siré) 1962. Ánimas de Día Claro (Daylight Spirits), Alejandro Sieveking 1963. The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Bertolt Brecht (assistant director to Atahualpa del Cioppo) 1963. Los Invasores (The Intruders), Egon Wolff 1963. Dúo (Duet), Raúl Ruiz 1963. Parecido à la Felicidad, Alejandro Sieveking (version for Chilean television) 1965. La Remolienda, Alejandro Sieveking 1965. The Knack, Ann Jellicoe 1966. Marat/Sade, Peter Weiss (assistant director to William Oliver) 1966. La Casa Vieja (The Old House), Abelardo Estorino 1967. La Remolienda, Alejandro Sieveking 1967. La Viuda de Apablaza, Germán Luco Cruchaga (director) 1968. Entertaining Mr Sloane, Joe Orton 1969. Viet Rock, Megan Terry 1969. Antigone, Sophocles 1972. Directed a ballet and musical homage to Pablo Neruda, which coincided with Neruda's return to Chile after being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Discography Studio albums Víctor Jara (1966) Víctor Jara (1967) Canciones folklóricas de América (with Quilapayún) (1968) Pongo en tus manos abiertas (1969) Canto libre (1970) El derecho de vivir en paz (1971) La Población (1972) Canto por travesura (1973) Tiempos que cambian (unfinished) (Estimated release: 1974) Manifiesto (1974; reissued in 2001) Live albums Víctor Jara en Vivo (1974) El Recital (1983) Víctor Jara en México (1996) Habla y canta (1996; reissued in 2001) En Vivo en el Aula Magna de la Universidad de Valparaíso (2003) Compilations Te recuerdo, Amanda (1974) Víctor Jara. Presente (1975) Vientos del Pueblo (1976) Canto Libre (1977) An unfinished song (1984) Todo Víctor Jara (1992) 20 Años Después (1992) The Rough Guide to the Music of the Andes (1996) Víctor Jara presente, colección "Haciendo Historia" (1997) Te Recuerdo, Víctor (2000) Antología Musical (2001) 1959–1969 – Víctor Jara (2001) Latin Essential: Victor Jara (2003) Colección Víctor Jara (2004) Víctor Jara. Serie de Oro. Grandes Exitos (2005) Tribute albums A Víctor Jara by Raímon (1974) Het Recht om in Vrede te Leven by Cornelis Vreeswijk (1978) Cornelis sjunger Victor Jara: Rätten till ett eget liv by Cornelis Vreeswijk (1979) Konzert für Víctor Jara by various artists (1998) Inti-illimani interpeta a Víctor Jara by Inti-Illimani (1999) Quilapayún Canta a Violeta Parra, Víctor Jara y Grandes Maestros Populares by Quilapayún (2000) Conosci Victor Jara? by Daniele Sepe (2000) Tributo Rock a Víctor Jara by various artists (2001) Tributo a Víctor Jara by various artists (2004) Lonquen: Tributo a Víctor Jara by Francesca Ancarola (2005) Even in Exile by James Dean Bradfield (2020) Documentaries and films The following are films or documentaries about and/or featuring Víctor Jara: 1973: El Tigre Saltó y Mató, Pero Morirá…Morirá…. Director: Santiago Álvarez – Cuba 1974: Compañero: Víctor Jara of Chile. Directors: Stanley Foreman/Martin Smith (Documentary) – UK 1976: Il Pleut sur Santiago. Director: Helvio Soto – France/Bulgaria 1978: Ein April hat 30 Tage. Director: Gunther Scholz – East Germany 1978: El Cantor. Director: Dean Reed – East Germany 1999: El Derecho de Vivir en Paz. Director: Carmen Luz Parot – Chile 2001: Freedom Highway: Songs That Shaped a Century. Director: Philip King – Ireland 2005: La Tierra de las 1000 Músicas [Episode 6: La Protesta]. Directors: Luis Miguel González Cruz, – Spain 2010: Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune Director: Kenneth Bowser 2019:Masacre en el estadio. Netflix In popular culture Jara is one of many desaparecidos (people who vanished under the Pinochet government and were most likely tortured and killed) whose families are still struggling to get justice. Joan Jara currently lives in Chile and runs the Víctor Jara Foundation, which was established on 4 October 1994 with the goal of promoting and continuing Jara's work. She publicized a poem that Jara wrote before his death about the conditions of the prisoners in the stadium. The poem, written on a piece of paper that was hidden inside the shoe of a friend, was never named, but it is commonly known as "Estadio Chile" (Chile Stadium, now known as Víctor Jara Stadium). On 22 September 1973, the Soviet astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh found an asteroid that he initially called "SO2", but later he would end up calling it "2644 Victor Jara". The 1975 anthology For Neruda, for Chile contains a section called "The Chilean Singer", with poems dedicated to Jara. In 1989, Scottish rock band Simple Minds dedicated "Street Fighting Years" track to Victor Jara. In the late 1990s, British actress Emma Thompson started to work on a screenplay that she planned to use as the basis for a movie about Jara. Thompson, a human rights activist and fan of Jara, saw his murder as a symbol of human rights violations in Chile, and believed a movie about his life and death would raise awareness. The movie was to feature Antonio Banderas as Jara and Thompson as his wife, Joan. However, the project was not completed. In 2007, a fishing schooner built in 1917 in Denmark was renamed after the singer-songwriter. He sails at social and cultural events, and when he's not on the high seas he's at the museum in the port of Lübeck, Germany. The title song on Rory McLeod's album Angry Love is about Jara. In a list prepared by the renowned American magazine Rolling Stone, published on June 3, 2013, Víctor Jara is named as one of the "15 Rock & Roll Rebels", being the only Latin American to integrate the list. In 2020, James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers released a concept album about Victor Jara called 'Even In Exile', that album was rated 4 out of 5 stars by The Guardian. On September 7, 2021, the Municipality of Estación Central approved the name change of "Avenida Ecuador" to "Avenida Víctor Jara". See also Nueva Canción Chilena Estadio Victor Jara 2644 Victor Jara Brigada Victor Jara Galpón Víctor Jara References Bibliography Jara, Joan (1983). Victor: An Unfinished Song. Jonathan Cape, London. Kósichev, Leonard. (1990). La guitarra y el poncho de Víctor Jara. Progress Publishers, Moscow External links Resources in English Three chapters from Victor: An Unfinished Song by Joan Jara Discography Victor Jara: The Martyred Musician of Nueva Cancion Chilena Background materials on the Chilean Workers' Movement in the 1970s Report of the Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation GDR Poster Art: Víctor Jara Allende’s Poet. Nick MacWilliam for Jacobin, 2 August 2016. Resources in Spanish Fundación Víctor Jara Lyrics of all his Songs Discography Vientos del Pueblo: Un Homenaje a Víctor Jara 1932 births 1973 deaths Anti-fascists Anti-capitalists Assassinated Chilean people Burials in Chile Chilean male actors Chilean educators Chilean folk singers Chilean male poets Chilean male singer-songwriters Chilean theatre directors Chilean Christians Chilean communists Chilean torture victims Deaths by firearm in Chile Executed writers Former Roman Catholics Latin American folk singers Marxist humanists Nueva canción musicians People from Chillán University of Chile alumni Chilean Marxists People murdered in Chile Communist Party of Chile politicians University of Santiago, Chile alumni Political music artists 20th-century Chilean poets 20th-century Chilean male writers 20th-century Chilean male singers
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[ "Playwrite is an EPUB-based desktop publishing application developed by Wundr. It runs on Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) or later. Playwrite can import HTML and plain text files. Playwrite is the only desktop publishing software which uses EPUB as the native file type.\n\nFeatures\nPlaywrite's has the following main features:\n\n Responsive e-books (design once, work on tablets, smartphones, and other devices)\n WYSIWYG editing\n Automatic table of contents (multi-level)\n Spelling and grammar checker (multi-language)\n Supports drag and drop of video, audio, and images\n Variety of templates in different genres (textbooks, novels, academic journals...)\n Font and color schemes to easily update the look and feel of your content\n Intuitive user-interface\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n \n\nEPUB readers\nMacOS text-related software\nTypesetting software\nDesktop publishing software\nSoftware that uses Qt", "2644 Victor Jara, provisional designation , is an asteroid from the inner regions of the asteroid belt, approximately in diameter. It was discovered on 22 September 1973, by Soviet-Russian astronomer Nikolai Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory in Nauchnij, on the Crimean peninsula. It was named after Chilean singer and composer Víctor Jara.\n\nOrbit and classification \n\nVictor Jara is a non-family asteroid of the main belt's background population. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.8–2.5 AU once every 3 years and 2 months (1,168 days; semi-major axis of 2.17 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 3° with respect to the ecliptic.\n\nThe body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken at the Palomar Observatory in April 1954, or nearly 20 years prior to its official discovery observation.\n\nPhysical characteristics\n\nDiameter and albedo \n\nAccording to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, Victor Jara measures 5.914 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.153.\n\nRotation period \n\nAs of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of Victor Jara has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown.\n\nNaming \n\nThis minor planet was named by the discoverer after Chilean folk singer and activist Víctor Jara, who was assassinated on 16 September 1973, just six days prior to the planet's discovery. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 15 May 1984 ().\n\nVíctor Jara, a prominent communist political activist in Chile, toured the Soviet Union in the 1960s and praised its culture, its scientific achievements and the friendliness of its working people. He was tortured and murdered shortly after the 1973 Chilean coup d'état led by Army Commander-in-Chief Augusto Pinochet, that ended the government of the socialist Salvador Allende.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links \n Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info )\n Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books\n Asteroids and comets rotation curves, CdR – Observatoire de Genève, Raoul Behrend\n Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (1)-(5000) – Minor Planet Center\n \n \n\n002644\nDiscoveries by Nikolai Chernykh\nMinor planets named for people\nNamed minor planets\n19730922\nLists of things named after Víctor Jara" ]
[ "Víctor Jara", "Artistic work", "What can you tell me about Jara's artistic work?", "He was deeply influenced by the folk music of Chile and other Latin American countries, and by artists such as", "What songs is he known for?", "\"Plegaria a un Labrador\" (\"Prayer to a Worker\") and \"Te Recuerdo Amanda\" (\"I Remember You Amanda\").", "Did Jara do anything besides music?", "theater", "Was Jara an actor or a playwrite?", "He appeared in several of the university's plays," ]
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Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?
5
Besides his music and acting, are there any other interesting aspects about this article?
Víctor Jara
After joining the choir at the University of Chile in Santiago, Jara was convinced by a choir-mate to pursue a career in theater. He subsequently joined the university's theater program and earned a scholarship for talent. He appeared in several of the university's plays, gravitating toward those with social themes, such as Russian playwright Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths, a depiction of the hardships of lower-class life. In 1957, he met Violeta Parra, a singer who had steered folk music in Chile away from the rote reproduction of rural materials toward modern song composition rooted in traditional forms, and who had established musical community centers called penas to incorporate folk music into the everyday life of modern Chileans. Jara absorbed these lessons and began singing with a group called Cuncumen, with whom he continued his explorations of Chile's traditional music. He was deeply influenced by the folk music of Chile and other Latin American countries, and by artists such as Parra, Atahualpa Yupanqui, and the poet Pablo Neruda. In the 1960s, Jara started specializing in folk music and sang at Santiago's La Pena de Los Parra, owned by Angel Parra. Through these activities, he became involved in the Nueva Cancion movement of Latin American folk music. He released his first album, Canto a lo humano, in 1966, and by 1970, he had left his theater work in favor of a career in music. His songs were inspired by a combination of traditional folk music and left-wing political activism. From this period, some of his best-known songs are "Plegaria a un Labrador" ("Prayer to a Worker") and "Te Recuerdo Amanda" ("I Remember You Amanda"). CANNOTANSWER
In the 1960s, Jara started specializing in folk music
Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez (; 28 September 1932 – 16 September 1973) was a Chilean teacher, theater director, poet, singer-songwriter and socialist political activist tortured and killed during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. He developed Chilean theater by directing a broad array of works, ranging from locally produced plays to world classics, as well as the experimental work of playwrights such as Ann Jellicoe. He also played a pivotal role among neo-folkloric musicians who established the Nueva Canción Chilena (New Chilean Song) movement. This led to an uprising of new sounds in popular music during the administration of President Salvador Allende. Jara was arrested shortly after the Chilean coup of 11 September 1973, which overthrew Allende. He was tortured during interrogations and ultimately shot dead, and his body was thrown out on the street of a shantytown in Santiago. The contrast between the themes of his songs—which focused on love, peace, and social justice—and the brutal way in which he was murdered transformed Jara into a "potent symbol of struggle for human rights and justice" for those killed during the Pinochet regime. His preponderant role as an open admirer and propagandist for Che Guevara and Allende's government, in which he served as a cultural ambassador through the late 1960s and until the early 1970s crisis that ended in the coup against Allende, marked him for death. In June 2016, a Florida jury found former Chilean Army officer Pedro Barrientos liable for Jara's murder. In July 2018, eight retired Chilean military officers were sentenced to 15 years and a day in prison for Jara's murder. Early life Víctor Lidio Jara Martinez was born on September 28, 1932, his parents were working as tenants and they lived near the town of La Quiriquina, located twelve kilometers from the old Chillan, he had about five brothers. His exact place of birth is uncertain, but in any case, he was born in the Ñuble Region. At the age of five, his family moved to Lonquén, a town near Santiago de Chile, where his father, Manuel Jara, had rented a small piece of land that he worked from sun to sun with a miserable performance. His father was illiterate and did not want him and his other siblings to go to school so that they could help him in the fields from the ages of six and seven. His mother, on the other hand, knew how to read a little and from the beginning she insisted that they at least learn the letters. Jara's mother was a mestiza with deep Araucanian roots in southern Chile, she was self-taught, and played the guitar and the piano. She also performed as a singer, with a repertory of traditional folk songs that she used for local functions like weddings and funerals. The relationship between her parents became more tense with each passing day, her father began to drink and disappeared from the house several days in a row, leaving all the work in the hands of Amanda. Later, her mother moved to Santiago and took a job as a cook in a restaurant in Vega Poniente. Because she was so skilled she did well there and so she was able to educate three of her children, including Victor. She died when Jara was 15, leaving him to make his own way. He began to study to be an accountant, but soon moved into a seminary, where he studied for the priesthood. After a couple of years, however, he became disillusioned with the Catholic Church and left the seminary. Subsequently, he spent several years in army service before returning to his hometown to pursue interests in folk music and theater. Musical career After joining the choir at the University of Chile in Santiago, Jara was convinced by a choir-mate to pursue a career in theater. He subsequently joined the university's theater program and earned a scholarship for talent. He appeared in several of the university's plays, gravitating toward those with social themes, such as Russian playwright Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths, a depiction of the hardships of lower-class life. In 1957, he met Violeta Parra, a singer who had steered folk music in Chile away from the rote reproduction of rural materials toward modern song composition rooted in traditional forms, and who had established musical community centers called peñas to incorporate folk music into the everyday life of modern Chileans. Jara absorbed these lessons and began singing with a group called Cuncumén, with whom he continued his explorations of Chile's traditional music (working as a guitarist and vocalist from 1957 to 1963). He was deeply influenced by the folk music of Chile and other Latin American countries, and by artists such as Parra, Atahualpa Yupanqui, and the poet Pablo Neruda. In the 1960s, Jara started specializing in folk music and sang at Santiago's La Peña de Los Parra, owned by Ángel Parra. Through these activities, he became involved in the Nueva Canción movement of Latin American folk music. In 1966, Víctor released his first album homonymous, by the record company "Demon", being the only album released under this label and the Víctor Jara's first solo work, the album would later be re-released under the titles Canto a lo humano and Sus mejores canciones, and in 2001 an reissue on CD by Warner Music Chile was released, with the original title. This version on CD also included five bonus tracks, four of which are songs by Víctor Jara along with Cuncumén. The album includes some Jara's versions of some Latin American folk songs, such as; "La flor que anda de mano en mano", and "Ojitos verdes", two Chilean folk songs, "La cocinerita", an Argentinian folk song, or "Ja jai", a Bolivian traditional. The authorship of this album, as well as its singles, was in the hands of Camilo Fernández, owner of the Demon record company, from its launch in 1966 until 2001, when he recently transferred the rights to the widow of Víctor Jara, after years of profiting from the album (as well as with others from Patricio Manns, Isabel and Ángel Parra, among others) without ever financially rewarding its authors or family. In 1967 released their second album homonymous, this album apart from the controversial song "The appeared" includes Jara's covers of some folk songs from Chile, Argentina, Bolivia or Spain as; «Despedimiento del angelito», «Ay mi palomita», «Casi, casi», «Qué alegres son las obreras» or «Romance del enamorado y la muerte». Also, the album was subsequently released under the name of Desde longuén hasta siempre with a variation of different covers. In 1968, Jara released his first collaborative album entitled, "Canciones folklóricas de América" (Folkloric Songs of America), with Quilapayun. In 1970, he had left his theater work in favor of a career in music. His songs were inspired by a combination of traditional folk music and left-wing political activism. From this period, some of his best-known songs are "Plegaria a un Labrador" ("Prayer to a Worker") and "Te Recuerdo Amanda" ("I Remember You Amanda"). Political activism Early in his recording career, Jara showed a knack for antagonizing conservative Chileans, releasing a traditional comic song called "La beata" that depicted a religious woman with a crush on the priest to whom she goes for confession. The song was banned on radio stations and removed from record shops, but the controversy only added to Jara's reputation among young and progressive Chileans. More serious in the eyes of the Chilean right wing was Jara's growing identification with the socialist movement led by Salvador Allende. After visits to Cuba and the Soviet Union in the early 1960s, Jara had joined the Communist Party. The personal met the political in his songs about the poverty he had experienced firsthand. Jara's songs spread outside Chile and were performed by American folk artists. His popularity was due not only to his songwriting skills but also to his exceptional power as a performer. He took a decisive turn toward political confrontation with his 1969 song "Preguntas por Puerto Montt" ("Questions About Puerto Montt"), which took direct aim at a government official (Edmundo Pérez Zujovic) who had ordered police to attack squatters in the town of Puerto Montt. The Chilean political situation deteriorated after the official was assassinated, and right-wing thugs beat up Jara on one occasion. In 1970, Jara supported Allende, the Popular Unity coalition candidate for president, volunteering for political work and playing free concerts. He composed "Venceremos" ("We Will Triumph"), the theme song of Allende's Popular Unity movement, and welcomed Allende's election to the Chilean presidency in 1970. After the election, Jara continued to speak in support of Allende and played an important role in the new administration's efforts to reorient Chilean culture. He and his wife, Joan Jara, were key participants in a cultural renaissance that swept Chile, organizing cultural events that supported the country's new socialist government. He set poems by Pablo Neruda to music and performed at a ceremony honoring him after Neruda received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1972. Throughout rumblings of a right-wing coup, Jara held on to his teaching job at Chile's Technical University. His popular success during this time, as both a musician and a Communist, earned him a concert in Moscow. So successful was he that the Soviet Union tried to latch onto his popularity, claiming in their media that his vocal prowess was the result of surgery he had undergone while in Moscow. Backed by the United States, which opposed Allende's socialist politics, the Chilean military staged a coup d'état on 11 September 1973, resulting in the death of Allende and the installation of Augusto Pinochet as dictator. At the moment of the coup, Jara was on his way to the Technical University (today the Universidad de Santiago). That night, he slept at the university along with other teachers and students, and sang to raise morale. Torture and murder After the coup, Pinochet's soldiers rounded up Chileans who were believed to be involved with leftist groups, including Allende's Popular Unity party. On the morning of 12 September 1973, Jara was taken prisoner, along with thousands of others, and imprisoned inside Chile Stadium. The guards there tortured him, smashing his hands and fingers, and then mocked him by asking him to play the guitar. Jara instead sang the Chilean protest song Venceremos. Soon after, he was killed with a gunshot to the head, and his body was riddled with more than 40 bullets. According to the BBC "There are many conflicting accounts of Jara’s last days but the 2019 Netflix documentary Massacre at the Stadium pieces together a convincing narrative. As a famous musician and prominent supporter of Allende, Jara was swiftly recognised on his way into the stadium. An army officer threw a lit cigarette on the ground, made Jara crawl for it, then stamped on his wrists. Jara was first separated from the other detainees, then beaten and tortured in the bowels of the stadium. At one point, he defiantly sang Venceremos (We Will Win), Allende’s 1970 election anthem, through split lips. On the morning of the 16th, according to a fellow detainee, Jara asked for a pen and notebook and scribbled the lyrics to Estadio Chile, which were later smuggled out of the stadium: “How hard it is to sing when I must sing of horror/ Horror which I am living, horror which I am dying.” Two hours later, he was shot dead, then his body was riddled with machine-gun bullets and dumped in the street. He was 40." After his murder, Jara's body was displayed at the entrance of Chile Stadium for other prisoners to see. It was later discarded outside the stadium along with the bodies of other civilian prisoners who had been killed by the Chilean Army. His body was found by civil servants and brought to a morgue, where one of them was able to identify him and contact his wife, Joan. She took his body and gave him a quick and clandestine burial in the general cemetery before she fled the country into exile. Forty-two years later, former Chilean military officers were charged with his murder. Legal actions On 16 May 2008, retired colonel Mario Manríquez Bravo, who was the chief of security at Chile Stadium as the coup was carried out, was the first to be convicted in Jara's death. Judge Juan Eduardo Fuentes, who oversaw Bravo's conviction, then decided to close the case, a decision Jara's family soon appealed. In June 2008, Judge Fuentes re-opened the investigation and said he would examine 40 new pieces of evidence provided by Jara's family. On 28 May 2009, José Adolfo Paredes Márquez, a 54-year-old former Army conscript arrested the previous week in San Sebastián, Chile, was formally charged with Jara's murder. Following his arrest, on 1 June 2009, the police investigation identified the officer who had shot Jara in the head. The officer played Russian roulette with Jara by placing a single round in his revolver, spinning the cylinder, placing the muzzle against Jara's head, and pulling the trigger. The officer repeated this a couple of times until a shot fired and Jara fell to the ground. The officer then ordered two conscripts (one of them Paredes) to finish the job by firing into Jara's body. A judge ordered Jara's body to be exhumed in an effort to gather more information about his death. On 3 December 2009, Jara was reburied after a massive funeral in the Galpón Víctor Jara, across from Santiago's Plaza Brasil. On 28 December 2012, a judge in Chile ordered the arrest of eight former army officers for alleged involvement in Jara's murder. He issued an international arrest warrant for one of them, Pedro Barrientos Núñez, the man accused of shooting Jara in the head during a torture session. On 4 September 2013, Chadbourne & Parke attorneys Mark D. Beckett and Christian Urrutia, with the assistance of the Center for Justice and Accountability, filed suit in a United States court against Barrientos, who lives in Florida, on behalf of Jara's widow and children. The suit accused Barrientos of arbitrary detention; cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment; extrajudicial killing; and crimes against humanity under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), and of torture and extrajudicial killing under the Torture Victim Protection Act (TVPA). It alleged that Barrientos was liable for Jara's death as a direct perpetrator and as a commander. The specific claims were that: On 11 September 1973, troops from the Arica Regiment of the Chilean Army, specifically from La Serena, attacked the university where Jara taught. The troops prohibited civilians from entering or leaving the university premises. During the afternoon of 12 September 1973, military personnel entered the university and illegally detained hundreds of professors, students, and administrators. Víctor Jara was among those arbitrarily detained on the campus and was subsequently transferred to Chile Stadium, where he was tortured and killed. In the course of transporting and processing the civilian prisoners, Captain Fernando Polanco Gallardo, a commanding officer in military intelligence, recognized Jara as the well-known folk singer whose songs addressed social inequality, and who had supported President Allende's government. Captain Polanco separated Jara from the group and beat him severely. He then transferred Jara, along with some of the other civilians, to the stadium. Throughout his detention in the locker room of the stadium, Jara was in the physical custody of Lieutenant Barrientos, soldiers under his command, or other members of the Chilean Army who acted in accordance with the army's plan to commit human rights abuses against civilians. The arbitrary detention, torture, and extrajudicial killing of Jara and other detainees were part of a widespread, systematic attack on civilians by the Chilean Army from 11 to 15 September 1973. Barrientos knew, or should have known, about these attacks, if for no other reason than that he was present for and participated in them. On 15 April 2015, a US judge ordered Barrientos to stand trial in Florida. On 27 June 2016, he was found liable for Jara's killing, and the jury awarded Jara's family $28 million. On 3 July 2018, eight retired Chilean military officers were sentenced to 15 years in prison for Jara's murder and the murder of his Communist associate and former Chilean prison director Littre Quiroga Carvajal. They received three extra years for kidnapping both men. A ninth suspect was sentenced to five years in prison for covering up the murders. In November 2018, it was reported that a Chilean court ordered the extradition of Barrientos. Theater work 1959. Parecido à la Felicidad (Some Kind of Happiness), Alejandro Sieveking 1960. La Viuda de Apablaza (The Widow of Apablaza), Germán Luco Cruchaga (assistant director to Pedro de la Barra, founder of ITUCH) 1960. The Mandrake, Niccolò Machiavelli 1961. La Madre de los Conejos (Mother Rabbit), Alejandro Sieveking (assistant director to Agustín Siré) 1962. Ánimas de Día Claro (Daylight Spirits), Alejandro Sieveking 1963. The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Bertolt Brecht (assistant director to Atahualpa del Cioppo) 1963. Los Invasores (The Intruders), Egon Wolff 1963. Dúo (Duet), Raúl Ruiz 1963. Parecido à la Felicidad, Alejandro Sieveking (version for Chilean television) 1965. La Remolienda, Alejandro Sieveking 1965. The Knack, Ann Jellicoe 1966. Marat/Sade, Peter Weiss (assistant director to William Oliver) 1966. La Casa Vieja (The Old House), Abelardo Estorino 1967. La Remolienda, Alejandro Sieveking 1967. La Viuda de Apablaza, Germán Luco Cruchaga (director) 1968. Entertaining Mr Sloane, Joe Orton 1969. Viet Rock, Megan Terry 1969. Antigone, Sophocles 1972. Directed a ballet and musical homage to Pablo Neruda, which coincided with Neruda's return to Chile after being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Discography Studio albums Víctor Jara (1966) Víctor Jara (1967) Canciones folklóricas de América (with Quilapayún) (1968) Pongo en tus manos abiertas (1969) Canto libre (1970) El derecho de vivir en paz (1971) La Población (1972) Canto por travesura (1973) Tiempos que cambian (unfinished) (Estimated release: 1974) Manifiesto (1974; reissued in 2001) Live albums Víctor Jara en Vivo (1974) El Recital (1983) Víctor Jara en México (1996) Habla y canta (1996; reissued in 2001) En Vivo en el Aula Magna de la Universidad de Valparaíso (2003) Compilations Te recuerdo, Amanda (1974) Víctor Jara. Presente (1975) Vientos del Pueblo (1976) Canto Libre (1977) An unfinished song (1984) Todo Víctor Jara (1992) 20 Años Después (1992) The Rough Guide to the Music of the Andes (1996) Víctor Jara presente, colección "Haciendo Historia" (1997) Te Recuerdo, Víctor (2000) Antología Musical (2001) 1959–1969 – Víctor Jara (2001) Latin Essential: Victor Jara (2003) Colección Víctor Jara (2004) Víctor Jara. Serie de Oro. Grandes Exitos (2005) Tribute albums A Víctor Jara by Raímon (1974) Het Recht om in Vrede te Leven by Cornelis Vreeswijk (1978) Cornelis sjunger Victor Jara: Rätten till ett eget liv by Cornelis Vreeswijk (1979) Konzert für Víctor Jara by various artists (1998) Inti-illimani interpeta a Víctor Jara by Inti-Illimani (1999) Quilapayún Canta a Violeta Parra, Víctor Jara y Grandes Maestros Populares by Quilapayún (2000) Conosci Victor Jara? by Daniele Sepe (2000) Tributo Rock a Víctor Jara by various artists (2001) Tributo a Víctor Jara by various artists (2004) Lonquen: Tributo a Víctor Jara by Francesca Ancarola (2005) Even in Exile by James Dean Bradfield (2020) Documentaries and films The following are films or documentaries about and/or featuring Víctor Jara: 1973: El Tigre Saltó y Mató, Pero Morirá…Morirá…. Director: Santiago Álvarez – Cuba 1974: Compañero: Víctor Jara of Chile. Directors: Stanley Foreman/Martin Smith (Documentary) – UK 1976: Il Pleut sur Santiago. Director: Helvio Soto – France/Bulgaria 1978: Ein April hat 30 Tage. Director: Gunther Scholz – East Germany 1978: El Cantor. Director: Dean Reed – East Germany 1999: El Derecho de Vivir en Paz. Director: Carmen Luz Parot – Chile 2001: Freedom Highway: Songs That Shaped a Century. Director: Philip King – Ireland 2005: La Tierra de las 1000 Músicas [Episode 6: La Protesta]. Directors: Luis Miguel González Cruz, – Spain 2010: Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune Director: Kenneth Bowser 2019:Masacre en el estadio. Netflix In popular culture Jara is one of many desaparecidos (people who vanished under the Pinochet government and were most likely tortured and killed) whose families are still struggling to get justice. Joan Jara currently lives in Chile and runs the Víctor Jara Foundation, which was established on 4 October 1994 with the goal of promoting and continuing Jara's work. She publicized a poem that Jara wrote before his death about the conditions of the prisoners in the stadium. The poem, written on a piece of paper that was hidden inside the shoe of a friend, was never named, but it is commonly known as "Estadio Chile" (Chile Stadium, now known as Víctor Jara Stadium). On 22 September 1973, the Soviet astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh found an asteroid that he initially called "SO2", but later he would end up calling it "2644 Victor Jara". The 1975 anthology For Neruda, for Chile contains a section called "The Chilean Singer", with poems dedicated to Jara. In 1989, Scottish rock band Simple Minds dedicated "Street Fighting Years" track to Victor Jara. In the late 1990s, British actress Emma Thompson started to work on a screenplay that she planned to use as the basis for a movie about Jara. Thompson, a human rights activist and fan of Jara, saw his murder as a symbol of human rights violations in Chile, and believed a movie about his life and death would raise awareness. The movie was to feature Antonio Banderas as Jara and Thompson as his wife, Joan. However, the project was not completed. In 2007, a fishing schooner built in 1917 in Denmark was renamed after the singer-songwriter. He sails at social and cultural events, and when he's not on the high seas he's at the museum in the port of Lübeck, Germany. The title song on Rory McLeod's album Angry Love is about Jara. In a list prepared by the renowned American magazine Rolling Stone, published on June 3, 2013, Víctor Jara is named as one of the "15 Rock & Roll Rebels", being the only Latin American to integrate the list. In 2020, James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers released a concept album about Victor Jara called 'Even In Exile', that album was rated 4 out of 5 stars by The Guardian. On September 7, 2021, the Municipality of Estación Central approved the name change of "Avenida Ecuador" to "Avenida Víctor Jara". See also Nueva Canción Chilena Estadio Victor Jara 2644 Victor Jara Brigada Victor Jara Galpón Víctor Jara References Bibliography Jara, Joan (1983). Victor: An Unfinished Song. Jonathan Cape, London. Kósichev, Leonard. (1990). La guitarra y el poncho de Víctor Jara. Progress Publishers, Moscow External links Resources in English Three chapters from Victor: An Unfinished Song by Joan Jara Discography Victor Jara: The Martyred Musician of Nueva Cancion Chilena Background materials on the Chilean Workers' Movement in the 1970s Report of the Chilean National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation GDR Poster Art: Víctor Jara Allende’s Poet. Nick MacWilliam for Jacobin, 2 August 2016. Resources in Spanish Fundación Víctor Jara Lyrics of all his Songs Discography Vientos del Pueblo: Un Homenaje a Víctor Jara 1932 births 1973 deaths Anti-fascists Anti-capitalists Assassinated Chilean people Burials in Chile Chilean male actors Chilean educators Chilean folk singers Chilean male poets Chilean male singer-songwriters Chilean theatre directors Chilean Christians Chilean communists Chilean torture victims Deaths by firearm in Chile Executed writers Former Roman Catholics Latin American folk singers Marxist humanists Nueva canción musicians People from Chillán University of Chile alumni Chilean Marxists People murdered in Chile Communist Party of Chile politicians University of Santiago, Chile alumni Political music artists 20th-century Chilean poets 20th-century Chilean male writers 20th-century Chilean male singers
true
[ "Přírodní park Třebíčsko (before Oblast klidu Třebíčsko) is a natural park near Třebíč in the Czech Republic. There are many interesting plants. The park was founded in 1983.\n\nKobylinec and Ptáčovský kopeček\n\nKobylinec is a natural monument situated ca 0,5 km from the village of Trnava.\nThe area of this monument is 0,44 ha. Pulsatilla grandis can be found here and in the Ptáčovský kopeček park near Ptáčov near Třebíč. Both monuments are very popular for tourists.\n\nPonds\n\nIn the natural park there are some interesting ponds such as Velký Bor, Malý Bor, Buršík near Přeckov and a brook Březinka. Dams on the brook are examples of European beaver activity.\n\nSyenitové skály near Pocoucov\n\nSyenitové skály (rocks of syenit) near Pocoucov is one of famed locations. There are interesting granite boulders. The area of the reservation is 0,77 ha.\n\nExternal links\nParts of this article or all article was translated from Czech. The original article is :cs:Přírodní park Třebíčsko.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\nNature near the village Trnava which is there\n\nTřebíč\nParks in the Czech Republic\nTourist attractions in the Vysočina Region", "Damn Interesting is an independent website founded by Alan Bellows in 2005. The website presents true stories from science, history, and psychology, primarily as long-form articles, often illustrated with original artwork. Works are written by various authors, and published at irregular intervals. The website openly rejects advertising, relying on reader and listener donations to cover operating costs.\n\nAs of October 2012, each article is also published as a podcast under the same name. In November 2019, a second podcast was launched under the title Damn Interesting Week, featuring unscripted commentary on an assortment of news articles featured on the website's \"Curated Links\" section that week. In mid-2020, a third podcast called Damn Interesting Curio Cabinet began highlighting the website's periodic short-form articles in the same radioplay format as the original podcast.\n\nIn July 2009, Damn Interesting published the print book Alien Hand Syndrome through Workman Publishing. It contains some favorites from the site and some exclusive content.\n\nAwards and recognition \nIn August 2007, PC Magazine named Damn Interesting one of the \"Top 100 Undiscovered Web Sites\".\nThe article \"The Zero-Armed Bandit\" by Alan Bellows won a 2015 Sidney Award from David Brooks in The New York Times.\nThe article \"Ghoulish Acts and Dastardly Deeds\" by Alan Bellows was cited as \"nonfiction journalism from 2017 that will stand the test of time\" by Conor Friedersdorf in The Atlantic.\nThe article \"Dupes and Duplicity\" by Jennifer Lee Noonan won a 2020 Sidney Award from David Brooks in the New York Times.\n\nAccusing The Dollop of plagiarism \n\nOn July 9, 2015, Bellows posted an open letter accusing The Dollop, a comedy podcast about history, of plagiarism due to their repeated use of verbatim text from Damn Interesting articles without permission or attribution. Dave Anthony, the writer of The Dollop, responded on reddit, admitting to using Damn Interesting content, but claiming that the use was protected by fair use, and that \"historical facts are not copyrightable.\" In an article about the controversy on Plagiarism Today, Jonathan Bailey concluded, \"Any way one looks at it, The Dollop failed its ethical obligations to all of the people, not just those writing for Damn Interesting, who put in the time, energy and expertise into writing the original content upon which their show is based.\"\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links \n Official website\n\n2005 podcast debuts" ]
[ "White Lion", "Return of the Pride" ]
C_3e817baeffb34afc85a9704f8aa120a6_1
When was the return of the pride?
1
When was the return of the pride by White Lion made?
White Lion
A White Lion compilation "The Definitive Rock Collection" was released in 2007 and the band was set for a summer tour with Poison and Ratt only to be dropped by the tour promoter after ex-White Lion guitarist Vito Bratta threatened to take legal action over the band name. In response to the rumors surrounding WHITE LION and the POISON/RATT summer tour, Tramp issued a statement explaining that tour promoters Live Nation's decision was not based on any controversy over whether Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as White Lion. Live Nation's decision was based upon the threatened lawsuit by Vito Bratta. Even though Live Nation believed Vito's lawsuit to be frivolous and had confirmed that Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as WHITE LION, they did not want to spend 'one dollar' on litigation. Faced with the cancellation of a tour that was to begin within weeks, the band's attorneys went the extra mile to work out a deal with Vito Bratta to drop his threatened lawsuit but even with the threat of litigation eliminated, Live Nation continued on their ill-informed course of dropping White Lion from the Poison tour. Extremely upset with the decision Tramp acknowledges the many fans across the United States who are also extremely disappointed by Live Nation's decision. Despite the threatened legal action and the band's removal from the POISON/RATT tour, White Lion continued touring and fulfilled their many headline shows in the U.S. that were scheduled between the Poison shows, including the Rocklahoma festival with Poison, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Slaughter, Y&T, Gypsy Pistoleros, Dirty Penny, Greg Leon Invasion and Zendozer. Tramp also confirmed to MelodicRock.com that the band has just finished recording its new studio album and The CD will be mixed by Dennis Ward and will be titled "Return of the Pride". The new studio album entitled "Return of the Pride" was released on March 14, 2008 and the band was now once again simply known as White Lion. The band did a world tour to support the album. White Lion toured India and played to 42,000 at Shillong, Meghalaya, and a 30,000 plus crowd at the Dimapur stadium in Nagaland. The band was invited to India by the head of the Tripura Royal Family Maharaja Kirit Pradyot Deb Burman. The album featured the singles "Dream" and "Live Your Life". A live DVD was released on December 5, 2008 entitled "Bang Your Head Festival 2005". CANNOTANSWER
The new studio album entitled "Return of the Pride" was released on March 14, 2008
White Lion was an American glam metal band that was formed in New York City in 1983 by Danish vocalist/guitarist Mike Tramp and American guitarist Vito Bratta. Mainly active in the 1980s and early 1990s, they released their debut album Fight to Survive in 1985. The band achieved success with their No. 8 hit "Wait" and No. 3 hit "When the Children Cry" from their second album, the double platinum selling Pride. The band continued their success with their third album, Big Game which achieved Gold status and their fourth album Mane Attraction which included a supporting tour. White Lion disbanded in 1992 and not long after their first compilation album, The Best of White Lion was released. Mike Tramp reformed White Lion with all new musicians in 1999 and again in 2004, following a failed attempt to reform the original line up. The new White Lion released a live album in 2005 and a brand new studio album Return of the Pride in 2008. Biography Fight to Survive After moving from Denmark to Spain and then New York City, vocalist Mike Tramp (formerly of the bands Mabel, Studs and Danish Lions) met Staten Island guitarist Vito Bratta (formerly of Dreamer) in 1983. They decided to put together a new band and recruited drummer Nicki Capozzi and bassist Felix Robinson (formerly of Angel) and named the group White Lion. White Lion was signed by Elektra Records in 1984 and recorded their debut album Fight to Survive. Elektra was unhappy with the final recording, and after refusing to release the album, terminated the band's contract. The album Fight to Survive was eventually released by Victor Company of Japan, Ltd, (JVC Records) in Japan in 1985. Philadelphia-based Grand Slamm Records bought the album from Elektra and released it in America the following year, under licensed by Elektra/Asylum Records. A few months later, Grand Slamm Records went bankrupt. Fight to Survive charted at number 151 on Billboard 200 and featured the band's debut single and music video, "Broken Heart". In 1985, Felix Robinson departed after they were dropped by Elektra and was replaced by bassist Dave Spitz (brother of Anthrax guitarist Dan Spitz). With the Tramp, Bratta, Capozzi, Spitz line-up, the band recorded a round of demos and continued to play shows in New York while shopping around for a new record deal. This incarnation of White Lion was hired to play a fictional band in the Tom Hanks/Shelley Long movie The Money Pit, which was released a year later. The soundtrack features the song "Web of Desire" (credited to "White Lion and Robey (portrayed by Louise Robey), which was demoed that year. The film soundtrack was never officially released although the song plays in the movie during both of their scenes. Dave Spitz left at the end of 1985 to join Black Sabbath, and was replaced by James LoMenzo. Nicki Capozzi was subsequently fired and replaced by former Anthrax drummer Greg D'Angelo. Pride Early in 1987, the band was signed by Atlantic Records. The recording of the album took six weeks and on June 21, 1987 their album Pride was released. The first single, "Wait", was released on June 1, 1987, but did not reach the charts for nearly seven months. The Pride tour started in July 1987 as White Lion opened for Frehley's Comet. The next year and a half was filled with constant touring, opening for such bands as Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Stryper and Kiss. In January 1988 White Lion landed the opening slot for AC/DC on their Blow Up Your Video American tour. While touring with AC/DC, the Pride album and "Wait" single finally charted, due in no small part to MTV airing the "Wait" music video in regular rotation—nearly seven months after the single's release. "Wait" hit No. 8 on the singles chart, while Pride hit No. 11 on the album charts. Pride would remain on the Top 200 Billboard album charts for a full year, selling two million copies in the US alone and achieving double platinum status. In August 1988, the album's second single, "Tell Me", reached No. 58. Around the time this single was released, White Lion played at the Ritz club in New York City. The show was filmed and later aired on MTV. The Pride album's third single, a power ballad titled "When the Children Cry", made it to No. 3 on the charts with heavy MTV airplay. The success of "When the Children Cry" would eventually push sales of Pride over the two million mark. In addition, Vito Bratta was recognized for his instrumental talents by racking up Best New Guitarist awards with both Guitar World magazine and Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazine. "All You Need Is Rock 'n' Roll" was the final single released from the album. In the spring of 1989, the Pride tour finally ended, and the band released their first video albums titled "Live at the Ritz" and "One Night in Tokyo" both of which featuring full concerts on VHS. The band then immediately began work on their next album. Big Game & Mane Attraction In August 1989, White Lion released their third album, Big Game, a musically eclectic follow-up to Pride that featured the single "Little Fighter" (which peaked at No. 52), in Memory of The Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace boat which was destroyed by the French. A cover of Golden Earring's "Radar Love" (which peaked at No. 59) was released as the second single and "Cry for Freedom", a political song about apartheid in South Africa was released as the third single. "Going Home Tonight" was released as the album's final single. The album quickly went gold, with a peak of No. 19 on the album charts. The band's success continued with more constant touring. After two years of writing and recording, White Lion released their fourth album Mane Attraction in the spring of 1991. The album featured the singles "Love Don't Come Easy" which peaked at number 24 on The Mainstream Rock Charts, "Lights and Thunder" which is a eight-minute heavy rock epic with a complex structure inspired by Led Zeppelin’s Achilles Last Stand.and a re-recorded version of the band's debut single "Broken Heart", all of which featured music videos. "Out with the Boys" and "You're All I Need" were released as promo singles and "Farewell to You" featured a music video montage. The album also contained White Lion's only instrumental song, "Blue Monday", a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan, who had died while the band was writing the album. The album's two ballads "You're All I Need" and "Till Death Do Us Part" gained popular airplay in Indonesia and the Philippines. Greg D'Angelo and James LoMenzo left the band soon after the album's release, citing "musical differences," but White Lion carried on with bassist Tommy T-Bone Caradonna and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso (Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Suicidal Tendencies, Y&T, Fiona). Break-up After briefly touring in support of Mane Attraction, Tramp and Bratta decided to fold the group, their last show being held in Boston at the Channel in September 1991. Exactly one year later, in September 1992, the band's first compilation album was released, titled The Best of White Lion. A Video/DVD album featuring concert footage, behind the scenes interviews and all of the band's music videos was also released, titled Escape from Brooklyn. When asked what the album would be like if he and Vito Bratta had released another album after Mane Attraction, Tramp said it would have hinted at their growth and evolution, and taken them further away from the '80s sound. He commented: After White Lion James LoMenzo and Greg D'Angelo joined Zakk Wylde's band, Lynyrd Skynhead, in the mid 1990s which became the band Pride & Glory when Greg D'Angelo was replaced by Brian Tichy. Pride & Glory released one album, then James LoMenzo left the band. James went on to record and tour with ex-Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth, Zakk Wylde's band Black Label Society, thrash metal pioneers Megadeth, and in 2013, joined John Fogerty's solo band. Vito Bratta stayed briefly with Atlantic Records to help produce an album for CPR, and later tried to form a new music group that never panned out. Despite a dedicated worldwide following of guitar aficionados, Vito disappeared from public view from 1994 until his interview by Eddie Trunk live on February 16, 2007. Vito is the sole owner of the White Lion music catalog, retaining the legal and distributive rights to all four original albums. The material was licensed entirely to Bratta's Vavoom Music, Inc, when Tramp sold off his share in the mid 1990s. Freak of Nature Mike Tramp went on to form the hard rock / heavy metal band Freak of Nature, The follow up was significantly heavier and darker than White Lion, featuring two guitar players and more visceral songs with a strong rhythmic foundation. The band released three albums between 1992 and 1998, Freak of Nature, Gathering of Freaks, and Outcasts. The band shared stages with Helloween and Dio in Europe in 1993. Freak of Nature eventually disbanded in 1996. Tramp has often called Freak of Nature the best band he has been a part of and also said that he wanted to stray from the 80s sound and adopt a more 70s approach. Mike Tramp solo career Following Freak of Nature, Tramp began a solo career, releasing his debut album as a solo artist in 1998 titled Capricorn. The album featured former Freak of Nature bandmates, guitarist Kenny Korade and bass player Jerry Best. Former White Lion bass guitarist James LoMenzo performed backing vocals on the album. The song "Better Off" was released as Tramp's debut solo single and features his first solo music video. The album also features the singles "Already Gone", "If I Live Tomorrow" and "Take a Little Time". It would be five years before Tramp returned to the studio to record his follow-up album, Recovering the Wasted Years, during which time he would move to Australia, with the aim of raising his son away from the rigors of big city life and to plan his next career move. Recovering the Wasted Years was released in 2002 and featured the singles "Living a Lie" and "Endless Highway" both featuring live music videos. In 2003, Tramp followed-up with his third album, More to Life Than This, which Tramp once again produced himself but relied on producer/engineer Flemming Rasmussen (Metallica) to engineer and mix the sessions in his very own Sweet Silence Studios. The album's title track, "More to Life Than This", and "Don't Want to Say Good Night" were both released as singles. A music video made in Australia was released for the song "Lay Down My Life For You". Also in 2003, Tramp released the double disc live album Rock 'N' Roll Alive, which features Tramp performing live versions of songs from White Lion, Freak of Nature, and his solo albums. In 2004, Tramp released the solo album Songs I Left Behind. The new White Lion and legal issues In 1999 after commencing his solo career, Mike Tramp, with all new musicians, also released Remembering White Lion, which featured new versions of some of White Lion's classic songs and started what would be a long battle to reform White Lion. In 2000, momentum for a new White Lion continued with the release of a second best of album titled White Lion Hits followed by an updated White Lion compilation titled The Essential White Lion. In October 2003, Tramp announced a White Lion reunion with the original members. This statement was quickly denied by the other former members. Later Tramp said that Vito Bratta wanted nothing to do with a reunion. With summer festivals in Europe already booked, Tramp attempted to put together a "new White Lion" featuring former members James LoMenzo and Jimmy DeGrasso, along with Warren DeMartini of Ratt. Vito Bratta filed suit claiming partial ownership of the name, and the tour was scrapped. Tramp later commented that despite his willingness, "There will never be an original White Lion reunion". In 2004 due to legal issues, the album Remembering White Lion was re-released under the new title Last Roar featuring the band name Tramp's White Lion. In late 2004, Mike Tramp organized another group of unknown musicians and continued with a new White Lion under the act Tramp's White Lion, this however did not stop the persistent legal issues with former members. Despite all the issues, 'TWL' (a.k.a. White Lion 2) played and re-recorded White Lion songs, touring and releasing a box set titled The Bootleg Series in 2004 and a double-live CD entitled Rocking the USA in 2005. The band had several concerts cancelled in late 2005 as promoters backed away due to the threat of possible legal action and by the end of the year Tramp had almost completely given up on White Lion, but six months later was inspired to continue with the booking of a European tour for November and December 2006. Tramp's White Lion played several dates in Europe including Sweden, Norway, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. In 2005, a Concert Anthology DVD was released followed by the album Anthology in 2006 featuring never before released songs and demo versions of White Lion classic songs from previous albums. On February 16, 2007, Vito Bratta appeared on the Eddie Trunk radio show in New York, stating that despite what Mike Tramp said, he had never refused a White Lion reunion, stating that the only reason he was unable to participate was due to the illness of his father. He added that he would still be open to the idea and has not closed the door to returning to the music industry again. Trunk made it clear that Bratta's involvement in the show was something that he had wanted to happen since White Lion first broke up in 1991. Bratta took calls and answered questions from fans for almost three hours. On April 6 and 7, 2007, at the L'Amours Reunion Shows in New York, Bratta made his first public musical appearances in over 15 years. Three weeks later Mike Tramp called the same show from Australia, speaking about Bratta and the band's new album, including the tour dates that Tramp's White Lion had recently confirmed. Tramp said that he was thankful that Bratta had finally answered fan's questions, the same questions he himself had been asked many times over the past 15 years. He also stated that he felt uncomfortable answering on Vito's behalf, and that he was upset that Vito had withdrawn himself from the music industry. Return of the Pride A White Lion compilation The Definitive Rock Collection was released in 2007 and the band was set for a summer tour with Poison and Ratt only to be dropped by the tour promoter after ex-White Lion guitarist Vito Bratta threatened to take legal action over the band name. In response to the rumors surrounding the White Lion and the Poison/Ratt summer tour, Tramp issued a statement explaining that tour promoters Live Nation's decision was not based on any controversy over whether Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as White Lion. Live Nation's decision was based upon the threatened lawsuit by Vito Bratta. Even though Live Nation believed Bratta's lawsuit to be frivolous and had confirmed that Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as White Lion, they did not want to spend 'one dollar' on litigation. Faced with the cancellation of a tour that was to begin within weeks, the band's attorneys went the extra mile to work out a deal with Vito Bratta to drop his threatened lawsuit but even with the threat of litigation eliminated, Live Nation continued on their ill-informed course of dropping White Lion from the Poison tour. Extremely upset with the decision, Tramp acknowledges the many fans across the United States who were also disappointed by Live Nation's decision. Despite the threatened legal action and the band's removal from the Poison/Ratt tour, White Lion continued touring and fulfilled their many headline shows in the U.S. that were scheduled between the Poison shows, including the Rocklahoma festival with Poison, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Slaughter, Y&T, Gypsy Pistoleros, Dirty Penny, Greg Leon Invasion and Zendozer. Tramp also confirmed to MelodicRock.com that the band had just finished recording its new studio album and the CD would be mixed by Dennis Ward and titled Return of the Pride. The new studio album entitled Return of the Pride was released on March 14, 2008 and the band was now once again simply known as White Lion. The band did a world tour to support the album. White Lion toured India and played to 42,000 at Shillong, Meghalaya, and a 30,000 plus crowd at the Dimapur stadium in Nagaland. The band was invited to India by the head of the Tripura Royal Family Maharaja Kirit Pradyot Deb Burman. The album featured the singles "Dream" and "Live Your Life". A live DVD was released on December 5, 2008 entitled Bang Your Head Festival 2005. White Lion: final activities Following the release of Return of the Pride, Tramp faced a tumultuous time of professional indecision as he tried to decide between continuing his solo career or pouring his energy into White Lion. With White Lion ultimately put on hold again Tramp continues with his solo career releasing the album Mike Tramp & The Rock 'N' Roll Circuz in 2009, which is also now the name of his solo band, a Copenhagen-based band with all Danish members. The album was initially intended to be the next new White Lion album but a new solo band was formed instead. The album hit the IFPI, Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums' at number 16 and features the singles "All of My Life" and "Come On" which also features a music video. In 2011, Tramp released the solo album Stand Your Ground featuring the singles "Distance" and "Hymn to Ronnie", a tribute song to former Heaven & Hell and Black Sabbath vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who died on May 16, 2010. On April 8, 2013, Tramp released the acoustic folk style rock album Cobblestone Street. The album charted at Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums' at number 21 and features the singles "New Day" and "Revolution". While promoting his solo album, Tramp announced in several interviews that there would no longer be a White Lion of any kind, including the new White Lion or any possible reunions. In August 2014, Tramp released the acoustic folk style rock album Museum. The album charted at Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums' at number 3 and includes the singles "Trust in Yourself" which features a music video directed by his son Dylan and "Freedom". Following this release, Tramp once again confirmed there would be no more White Lion. With White Lion officially over, the voice of the band Mike Tramp continued with his solo career releasing the album Nomad in 2015. The album charted on Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums at number 21 and features the singles "High Like a Mountain" and "Give It All You Got", which features a music video filmed and edited in Copenhagen. In 2016, following up on Nomads success and the award for "Classic Rock Album of the Year" at High Voltage Rock Awards, Tramp released the single "Stay" which like previous singles was played heavily on Danish national radio. "Stay" came with a video that showed former White Lion frontman Mike Tramp in total isolation, living the life of a forest worker in the beautiful Scandinavian woods. Band members Last line-up Mike Tramp – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1983–1992,1999–2009) Jamie Law – lead guitar (2004–2009) Troy Patrick Farrell – drums (2004–2009) Claus Langeskov – bass (2004–2009) Henning Wanner – keyboards (2004–2009) Former members Vito Bratta – lead guitar, backing vocals (1983–1992) Joe Hasselvander – drums (1983) Nicki Capozzi – drums (1983–1984) Felix Robinson – bass (1983–1984) Bruno Ravel – bass (1984) Dave Spitz – bass (1985) James LoMenzo – bass, backing vocals (1985–1991) Greg D'Angelo – drums (1985–1991) Jimmy DeGrasso – drums (1991–1992) Tommy T–Bone Caradonna – bass (1991–1992) Kasper Damgaard – lead guitar (1999–2003) Nils Kroyer – bass (1999–2003) Bjarne T. Holm – drums (1999–2003) Dan Hemmer – keyboards (1999–2003) Timeline Social issues Unlike most bands of their genre, White Lion recorded occasional songs that addressed social or political issues such as apartheid ("Cry for Freedom"), the war in El Salvador ("El Salvador") and the effect of divorce on children ("Broken Home"). The song "Little Fighter" was about the Rainbow Warrior, a ship owned by the environmental group Greenpeace that was destroyed by operatives of the French intelligence service. This concern for political and social issues was also hinted at in the cover art to their album Big Game, which featured a lion's head hidden in tall grass with the White House in the background. Discography See also List of glam metal bands and artists References American glam metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups disestablished in 1992 Musical groups reestablished in 1999 Atlantic Records artists
false
[ "The year 2000 is the 4th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2000 had 6 events beginning with, Pride FC - Grand Prix 2000: Opening Round.\n\nDebut Pride FC fighters\n\nThe following fighters fought their first Pride FC fight in 2000:\n\n Dan Henderson\n Gilbert Yvel\n Hans Nijman\n Heath Herring\n Herman Renting\n Igor Borisov\n Johil de Oliveira\n John Marsh\n\n John Renken\n Kazuyuki Fujita\n Ken Shamrock\n Masaaki Satake\n Mike Bourke\n Osamu Kawahara\n Ricardo Almeida\n Ricco Rodriguez\n\n Royce Gracie\n Ryan Gracie\n Shannon Ritch\n Takayuki Okada\n Tokimitsu Ishizawa\n Tra Telligman\n Willie Peeters\n Yoshiaki Yatsu\n\nEvents list\n\nPride FC: Grand Prix 2000 - Opening Round\n\nPride FC - Grand Prix 2000: Opening Round was an event held on January 30, 2000 at The Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.\n\nResults\n\nPride 2000 Grand Prix Bracket\n\nPride FC: Grand Prix 2000 - Finals\n\nPride FC - Pride Grand Prix 2000: Finals was an event held on May 1, 2000 at The Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.\n\nResults\n\nPride 2000 Grand Prix Bracket\n\nPride 9: New Blood\n\nPride 9 - New Blood was an event held on June 4, 2000 at The Nagoya Rainbow Hall in Nagoya, Japan.\n\nResults\n\nPride 10: Return of the Warriors\n\nPride 10 - Return of the Warriors was an event held on August 27, 2000 at The Seibu Dome in Saitama, Japan.\n\nResults\n\nPride 11: Battle of the Rising Sun\n\nPride 11 - Battle of the Rising Sun was an event held on October 31, 2000 at Osaka-jo Hall in Osaka, Japan.\n\nResults\n\nPride 12: Cold Fury\n\nPride 12 - Cold Fury was an event held on December 23, 2000 at The Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. This event featured the debut of future PRIDE Champion, Dan Henderson.\n\nResults\n\nSee also\n Pride Fighting Championships\n List of Pride Fighting Championships champions\n List of Pride Fighting events\n\nReferences\n\nPride Fighting Championships events\n2000 in mixed martial arts", "Pride Festival of Central PA, alternatively called PrideFest of Central PA, is a non-profit which hosts a three-day annual gay pride event that takes place in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.\n\nHistory\nThe first pride event in Central Pennsylvania took place in Linglestown, Pennsylvania in the late 1980's. From there it was moved to Ski Roundtop and Harrisburg Area Community College before eventually finding a long term home in Riverfront Park in 1992, when it was also formed as a non-profit. The festival now features musical acts, drag queens, and attracts thousands of attendees. In 2018, it became the first Pride to ever take place on a US State Capitol when it was held at Soldier's Grove, Pennsylvania State Capitol. In 2020 and 2021, the Festival was cancelled due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.\n\nCurrently\nOn July 30, 2022, it is anticipated that the Central PA Pride Festival will return. 3 days of events will include:\nVoice United - a pre-Pride concert presented by The Central PA Womyn's Chorus, Harrisburg Gay Men's Chorus, and MCC of the Spirit Choir, on Friday night before Festival.\nPride Festival - held in Harrisburg on the last Saturday in July. Entertainment includes bands, drag shows, Family Zone, vendors, and food. \nSpirits United - Sunday church services celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.\n\nLGBT events in Pennsylvania\nPride parades in the United States\nCulture of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania" ]
[ "White Lion", "Return of the Pride", "When was the return of the pride?", "The new studio album entitled \"Return of the Pride\" was released on March 14, 2008" ]
C_3e817baeffb34afc85a9704f8aa120a6_1
was it successful?
2
was Return of the Pride by White Lion successful?
White Lion
A White Lion compilation "The Definitive Rock Collection" was released in 2007 and the band was set for a summer tour with Poison and Ratt only to be dropped by the tour promoter after ex-White Lion guitarist Vito Bratta threatened to take legal action over the band name. In response to the rumors surrounding WHITE LION and the POISON/RATT summer tour, Tramp issued a statement explaining that tour promoters Live Nation's decision was not based on any controversy over whether Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as White Lion. Live Nation's decision was based upon the threatened lawsuit by Vito Bratta. Even though Live Nation believed Vito's lawsuit to be frivolous and had confirmed that Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as WHITE LION, they did not want to spend 'one dollar' on litigation. Faced with the cancellation of a tour that was to begin within weeks, the band's attorneys went the extra mile to work out a deal with Vito Bratta to drop his threatened lawsuit but even with the threat of litigation eliminated, Live Nation continued on their ill-informed course of dropping White Lion from the Poison tour. Extremely upset with the decision Tramp acknowledges the many fans across the United States who are also extremely disappointed by Live Nation's decision. Despite the threatened legal action and the band's removal from the POISON/RATT tour, White Lion continued touring and fulfilled their many headline shows in the U.S. that were scheduled between the Poison shows, including the Rocklahoma festival with Poison, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Slaughter, Y&T, Gypsy Pistoleros, Dirty Penny, Greg Leon Invasion and Zendozer. Tramp also confirmed to MelodicRock.com that the band has just finished recording its new studio album and The CD will be mixed by Dennis Ward and will be titled "Return of the Pride". The new studio album entitled "Return of the Pride" was released on March 14, 2008 and the band was now once again simply known as White Lion. The band did a world tour to support the album. White Lion toured India and played to 42,000 at Shillong, Meghalaya, and a 30,000 plus crowd at the Dimapur stadium in Nagaland. The band was invited to India by the head of the Tripura Royal Family Maharaja Kirit Pradyot Deb Burman. The album featured the singles "Dream" and "Live Your Life". A live DVD was released on December 5, 2008 entitled "Bang Your Head Festival 2005". CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
White Lion was an American glam metal band that was formed in New York City in 1983 by Danish vocalist/guitarist Mike Tramp and American guitarist Vito Bratta. Mainly active in the 1980s and early 1990s, they released their debut album Fight to Survive in 1985. The band achieved success with their No. 8 hit "Wait" and No. 3 hit "When the Children Cry" from their second album, the double platinum selling Pride. The band continued their success with their third album, Big Game which achieved Gold status and their fourth album Mane Attraction which included a supporting tour. White Lion disbanded in 1992 and not long after their first compilation album, The Best of White Lion was released. Mike Tramp reformed White Lion with all new musicians in 1999 and again in 2004, following a failed attempt to reform the original line up. The new White Lion released a live album in 2005 and a brand new studio album Return of the Pride in 2008. Biography Fight to Survive After moving from Denmark to Spain and then New York City, vocalist Mike Tramp (formerly of the bands Mabel, Studs and Danish Lions) met Staten Island guitarist Vito Bratta (formerly of Dreamer) in 1983. They decided to put together a new band and recruited drummer Nicki Capozzi and bassist Felix Robinson (formerly of Angel) and named the group White Lion. White Lion was signed by Elektra Records in 1984 and recorded their debut album Fight to Survive. Elektra was unhappy with the final recording, and after refusing to release the album, terminated the band's contract. The album Fight to Survive was eventually released by Victor Company of Japan, Ltd, (JVC Records) in Japan in 1985. Philadelphia-based Grand Slamm Records bought the album from Elektra and released it in America the following year, under licensed by Elektra/Asylum Records. A few months later, Grand Slamm Records went bankrupt. Fight to Survive charted at number 151 on Billboard 200 and featured the band's debut single and music video, "Broken Heart". In 1985, Felix Robinson departed after they were dropped by Elektra and was replaced by bassist Dave Spitz (brother of Anthrax guitarist Dan Spitz). With the Tramp, Bratta, Capozzi, Spitz line-up, the band recorded a round of demos and continued to play shows in New York while shopping around for a new record deal. This incarnation of White Lion was hired to play a fictional band in the Tom Hanks/Shelley Long movie The Money Pit, which was released a year later. The soundtrack features the song "Web of Desire" (credited to "White Lion and Robey (portrayed by Louise Robey), which was demoed that year. The film soundtrack was never officially released although the song plays in the movie during both of their scenes. Dave Spitz left at the end of 1985 to join Black Sabbath, and was replaced by James LoMenzo. Nicki Capozzi was subsequently fired and replaced by former Anthrax drummer Greg D'Angelo. Pride Early in 1987, the band was signed by Atlantic Records. The recording of the album took six weeks and on June 21, 1987 their album Pride was released. The first single, "Wait", was released on June 1, 1987, but did not reach the charts for nearly seven months. The Pride tour started in July 1987 as White Lion opened for Frehley's Comet. The next year and a half was filled with constant touring, opening for such bands as Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Stryper and Kiss. In January 1988 White Lion landed the opening slot for AC/DC on their Blow Up Your Video American tour. While touring with AC/DC, the Pride album and "Wait" single finally charted, due in no small part to MTV airing the "Wait" music video in regular rotation—nearly seven months after the single's release. "Wait" hit No. 8 on the singles chart, while Pride hit No. 11 on the album charts. Pride would remain on the Top 200 Billboard album charts for a full year, selling two million copies in the US alone and achieving double platinum status. In August 1988, the album's second single, "Tell Me", reached No. 58. Around the time this single was released, White Lion played at the Ritz club in New York City. The show was filmed and later aired on MTV. The Pride album's third single, a power ballad titled "When the Children Cry", made it to No. 3 on the charts with heavy MTV airplay. The success of "When the Children Cry" would eventually push sales of Pride over the two million mark. In addition, Vito Bratta was recognized for his instrumental talents by racking up Best New Guitarist awards with both Guitar World magazine and Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazine. "All You Need Is Rock 'n' Roll" was the final single released from the album. In the spring of 1989, the Pride tour finally ended, and the band released their first video albums titled "Live at the Ritz" and "One Night in Tokyo" both of which featuring full concerts on VHS. The band then immediately began work on their next album. Big Game & Mane Attraction In August 1989, White Lion released their third album, Big Game, a musically eclectic follow-up to Pride that featured the single "Little Fighter" (which peaked at No. 52), in Memory of The Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace boat which was destroyed by the French. A cover of Golden Earring's "Radar Love" (which peaked at No. 59) was released as the second single and "Cry for Freedom", a political song about apartheid in South Africa was released as the third single. "Going Home Tonight" was released as the album's final single. The album quickly went gold, with a peak of No. 19 on the album charts. The band's success continued with more constant touring. After two years of writing and recording, White Lion released their fourth album Mane Attraction in the spring of 1991. The album featured the singles "Love Don't Come Easy" which peaked at number 24 on The Mainstream Rock Charts, "Lights and Thunder" which is a eight-minute heavy rock epic with a complex structure inspired by Led Zeppelin’s Achilles Last Stand.and a re-recorded version of the band's debut single "Broken Heart", all of which featured music videos. "Out with the Boys" and "You're All I Need" were released as promo singles and "Farewell to You" featured a music video montage. The album also contained White Lion's only instrumental song, "Blue Monday", a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan, who had died while the band was writing the album. The album's two ballads "You're All I Need" and "Till Death Do Us Part" gained popular airplay in Indonesia and the Philippines. Greg D'Angelo and James LoMenzo left the band soon after the album's release, citing "musical differences," but White Lion carried on with bassist Tommy T-Bone Caradonna and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso (Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Suicidal Tendencies, Y&T, Fiona). Break-up After briefly touring in support of Mane Attraction, Tramp and Bratta decided to fold the group, their last show being held in Boston at the Channel in September 1991. Exactly one year later, in September 1992, the band's first compilation album was released, titled The Best of White Lion. A Video/DVD album featuring concert footage, behind the scenes interviews and all of the band's music videos was also released, titled Escape from Brooklyn. When asked what the album would be like if he and Vito Bratta had released another album after Mane Attraction, Tramp said it would have hinted at their growth and evolution, and taken them further away from the '80s sound. He commented: After White Lion James LoMenzo and Greg D'Angelo joined Zakk Wylde's band, Lynyrd Skynhead, in the mid 1990s which became the band Pride & Glory when Greg D'Angelo was replaced by Brian Tichy. Pride & Glory released one album, then James LoMenzo left the band. James went on to record and tour with ex-Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth, Zakk Wylde's band Black Label Society, thrash metal pioneers Megadeth, and in 2013, joined John Fogerty's solo band. Vito Bratta stayed briefly with Atlantic Records to help produce an album for CPR, and later tried to form a new music group that never panned out. Despite a dedicated worldwide following of guitar aficionados, Vito disappeared from public view from 1994 until his interview by Eddie Trunk live on February 16, 2007. Vito is the sole owner of the White Lion music catalog, retaining the legal and distributive rights to all four original albums. The material was licensed entirely to Bratta's Vavoom Music, Inc, when Tramp sold off his share in the mid 1990s. Freak of Nature Mike Tramp went on to form the hard rock / heavy metal band Freak of Nature, The follow up was significantly heavier and darker than White Lion, featuring two guitar players and more visceral songs with a strong rhythmic foundation. The band released three albums between 1992 and 1998, Freak of Nature, Gathering of Freaks, and Outcasts. The band shared stages with Helloween and Dio in Europe in 1993. Freak of Nature eventually disbanded in 1996. Tramp has often called Freak of Nature the best band he has been a part of and also said that he wanted to stray from the 80s sound and adopt a more 70s approach. Mike Tramp solo career Following Freak of Nature, Tramp began a solo career, releasing his debut album as a solo artist in 1998 titled Capricorn. The album featured former Freak of Nature bandmates, guitarist Kenny Korade and bass player Jerry Best. Former White Lion bass guitarist James LoMenzo performed backing vocals on the album. The song "Better Off" was released as Tramp's debut solo single and features his first solo music video. The album also features the singles "Already Gone", "If I Live Tomorrow" and "Take a Little Time". It would be five years before Tramp returned to the studio to record his follow-up album, Recovering the Wasted Years, during which time he would move to Australia, with the aim of raising his son away from the rigors of big city life and to plan his next career move. Recovering the Wasted Years was released in 2002 and featured the singles "Living a Lie" and "Endless Highway" both featuring live music videos. In 2003, Tramp followed-up with his third album, More to Life Than This, which Tramp once again produced himself but relied on producer/engineer Flemming Rasmussen (Metallica) to engineer and mix the sessions in his very own Sweet Silence Studios. The album's title track, "More to Life Than This", and "Don't Want to Say Good Night" were both released as singles. A music video made in Australia was released for the song "Lay Down My Life For You". Also in 2003, Tramp released the double disc live album Rock 'N' Roll Alive, which features Tramp performing live versions of songs from White Lion, Freak of Nature, and his solo albums. In 2004, Tramp released the solo album Songs I Left Behind. The new White Lion and legal issues In 1999 after commencing his solo career, Mike Tramp, with all new musicians, also released Remembering White Lion, which featured new versions of some of White Lion's classic songs and started what would be a long battle to reform White Lion. In 2000, momentum for a new White Lion continued with the release of a second best of album titled White Lion Hits followed by an updated White Lion compilation titled The Essential White Lion. In October 2003, Tramp announced a White Lion reunion with the original members. This statement was quickly denied by the other former members. Later Tramp said that Vito Bratta wanted nothing to do with a reunion. With summer festivals in Europe already booked, Tramp attempted to put together a "new White Lion" featuring former members James LoMenzo and Jimmy DeGrasso, along with Warren DeMartini of Ratt. Vito Bratta filed suit claiming partial ownership of the name, and the tour was scrapped. Tramp later commented that despite his willingness, "There will never be an original White Lion reunion". In 2004 due to legal issues, the album Remembering White Lion was re-released under the new title Last Roar featuring the band name Tramp's White Lion. In late 2004, Mike Tramp organized another group of unknown musicians and continued with a new White Lion under the act Tramp's White Lion, this however did not stop the persistent legal issues with former members. Despite all the issues, 'TWL' (a.k.a. White Lion 2) played and re-recorded White Lion songs, touring and releasing a box set titled The Bootleg Series in 2004 and a double-live CD entitled Rocking the USA in 2005. The band had several concerts cancelled in late 2005 as promoters backed away due to the threat of possible legal action and by the end of the year Tramp had almost completely given up on White Lion, but six months later was inspired to continue with the booking of a European tour for November and December 2006. Tramp's White Lion played several dates in Europe including Sweden, Norway, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. In 2005, a Concert Anthology DVD was released followed by the album Anthology in 2006 featuring never before released songs and demo versions of White Lion classic songs from previous albums. On February 16, 2007, Vito Bratta appeared on the Eddie Trunk radio show in New York, stating that despite what Mike Tramp said, he had never refused a White Lion reunion, stating that the only reason he was unable to participate was due to the illness of his father. He added that he would still be open to the idea and has not closed the door to returning to the music industry again. Trunk made it clear that Bratta's involvement in the show was something that he had wanted to happen since White Lion first broke up in 1991. Bratta took calls and answered questions from fans for almost three hours. On April 6 and 7, 2007, at the L'Amours Reunion Shows in New York, Bratta made his first public musical appearances in over 15 years. Three weeks later Mike Tramp called the same show from Australia, speaking about Bratta and the band's new album, including the tour dates that Tramp's White Lion had recently confirmed. Tramp said that he was thankful that Bratta had finally answered fan's questions, the same questions he himself had been asked many times over the past 15 years. He also stated that he felt uncomfortable answering on Vito's behalf, and that he was upset that Vito had withdrawn himself from the music industry. Return of the Pride A White Lion compilation The Definitive Rock Collection was released in 2007 and the band was set for a summer tour with Poison and Ratt only to be dropped by the tour promoter after ex-White Lion guitarist Vito Bratta threatened to take legal action over the band name. In response to the rumors surrounding the White Lion and the Poison/Ratt summer tour, Tramp issued a statement explaining that tour promoters Live Nation's decision was not based on any controversy over whether Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as White Lion. Live Nation's decision was based upon the threatened lawsuit by Vito Bratta. Even though Live Nation believed Bratta's lawsuit to be frivolous and had confirmed that Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as White Lion, they did not want to spend 'one dollar' on litigation. Faced with the cancellation of a tour that was to begin within weeks, the band's attorneys went the extra mile to work out a deal with Vito Bratta to drop his threatened lawsuit but even with the threat of litigation eliminated, Live Nation continued on their ill-informed course of dropping White Lion from the Poison tour. Extremely upset with the decision, Tramp acknowledges the many fans across the United States who were also disappointed by Live Nation's decision. Despite the threatened legal action and the band's removal from the Poison/Ratt tour, White Lion continued touring and fulfilled their many headline shows in the U.S. that were scheduled between the Poison shows, including the Rocklahoma festival with Poison, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Slaughter, Y&T, Gypsy Pistoleros, Dirty Penny, Greg Leon Invasion and Zendozer. Tramp also confirmed to MelodicRock.com that the band had just finished recording its new studio album and the CD would be mixed by Dennis Ward and titled Return of the Pride. The new studio album entitled Return of the Pride was released on March 14, 2008 and the band was now once again simply known as White Lion. The band did a world tour to support the album. White Lion toured India and played to 42,000 at Shillong, Meghalaya, and a 30,000 plus crowd at the Dimapur stadium in Nagaland. The band was invited to India by the head of the Tripura Royal Family Maharaja Kirit Pradyot Deb Burman. The album featured the singles "Dream" and "Live Your Life". A live DVD was released on December 5, 2008 entitled Bang Your Head Festival 2005. White Lion: final activities Following the release of Return of the Pride, Tramp faced a tumultuous time of professional indecision as he tried to decide between continuing his solo career or pouring his energy into White Lion. With White Lion ultimately put on hold again Tramp continues with his solo career releasing the album Mike Tramp & The Rock 'N' Roll Circuz in 2009, which is also now the name of his solo band, a Copenhagen-based band with all Danish members. The album was initially intended to be the next new White Lion album but a new solo band was formed instead. The album hit the IFPI, Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums' at number 16 and features the singles "All of My Life" and "Come On" which also features a music video. In 2011, Tramp released the solo album Stand Your Ground featuring the singles "Distance" and "Hymn to Ronnie", a tribute song to former Heaven & Hell and Black Sabbath vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who died on May 16, 2010. On April 8, 2013, Tramp released the acoustic folk style rock album Cobblestone Street. The album charted at Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums' at number 21 and features the singles "New Day" and "Revolution". While promoting his solo album, Tramp announced in several interviews that there would no longer be a White Lion of any kind, including the new White Lion or any possible reunions. In August 2014, Tramp released the acoustic folk style rock album Museum. The album charted at Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums' at number 3 and includes the singles "Trust in Yourself" which features a music video directed by his son Dylan and "Freedom". Following this release, Tramp once again confirmed there would be no more White Lion. With White Lion officially over, the voice of the band Mike Tramp continued with his solo career releasing the album Nomad in 2015. The album charted on Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums at number 21 and features the singles "High Like a Mountain" and "Give It All You Got", which features a music video filmed and edited in Copenhagen. In 2016, following up on Nomads success and the award for "Classic Rock Album of the Year" at High Voltage Rock Awards, Tramp released the single "Stay" which like previous singles was played heavily on Danish national radio. "Stay" came with a video that showed former White Lion frontman Mike Tramp in total isolation, living the life of a forest worker in the beautiful Scandinavian woods. Band members Last line-up Mike Tramp – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1983–1992,1999–2009) Jamie Law – lead guitar (2004–2009) Troy Patrick Farrell – drums (2004–2009) Claus Langeskov – bass (2004–2009) Henning Wanner – keyboards (2004–2009) Former members Vito Bratta – lead guitar, backing vocals (1983–1992) Joe Hasselvander – drums (1983) Nicki Capozzi – drums (1983–1984) Felix Robinson – bass (1983–1984) Bruno Ravel – bass (1984) Dave Spitz – bass (1985) James LoMenzo – bass, backing vocals (1985–1991) Greg D'Angelo – drums (1985–1991) Jimmy DeGrasso – drums (1991–1992) Tommy T–Bone Caradonna – bass (1991–1992) Kasper Damgaard – lead guitar (1999–2003) Nils Kroyer – bass (1999–2003) Bjarne T. Holm – drums (1999–2003) Dan Hemmer – keyboards (1999–2003) Timeline Social issues Unlike most bands of their genre, White Lion recorded occasional songs that addressed social or political issues such as apartheid ("Cry for Freedom"), the war in El Salvador ("El Salvador") and the effect of divorce on children ("Broken Home"). The song "Little Fighter" was about the Rainbow Warrior, a ship owned by the environmental group Greenpeace that was destroyed by operatives of the French intelligence service. This concern for political and social issues was also hinted at in the cover art to their album Big Game, which featured a lion's head hidden in tall grass with the White House in the background. Discography See also List of glam metal bands and artists References American glam metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups disestablished in 1992 Musical groups reestablished in 1999 Atlantic Records artists
false
[ "Merry Legs (1911-1932) was a Tennessee Walking Horse mare who was given foundation registration for her influence as a broodmare. She was also a successful show horse.\n\nLife\nMerry Legs was foaled in April 1911. She was a bay with sabino markings. She was sired by the foundation stallion Black Allan F-1, out of the American Saddlebred mare Nell Dement, registration number F-3, and bred by the early breeder Albert Dement. She was a large mare at maturity, standing high and weighing . Merry Legs was a successful show horse; as a three-year-old, she won the stake class at the Tennessee State Fair. She was also successful as a broodmare, giving birth to 13 foals, among them the well-known Bud Allen, Last Chance, Major Allen, and Merry Boy. For her influence on the breed, she was given the foundation number F-4 when the TWHBEA was formed in 1935. She died in 1932.\n\nReferences\n\nIndividual Tennessee Walking Horses\n1911 animal births\n1932 animal deaths", "The UCI Road World Championships – Men's team time trial was a world championship for road bicycle racing in the discipline of team time trial (TTT). It is organized by the world governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).\n\nNational teams (1962–1994)\nA championship for national teams was introduced in 1962 and held until 1994. It was held annually, except that from 1972 onward, the TTT was not held in Olympic years. There were 4 riders per team on a route around 100 kilometres long. Italy is the most successful nation with seven victories.\n\nMedal winners\n\nMedals by nation\n\nMost successful riders\n\nUCI teams (2012–2018)\nThere was a long break until a championship for trade teams was introduced in 2012. There were 6 riders per team. The championship was held up to 2018.\n\nMedal winners\n\nMost successful teams\n\nMost successful riders\n\nReferences \n \n \n\n \nMen's Team Time Trial\nRecurring sporting events established in 1962\nUCI World Tour races\nMen's road bicycle races\nLists of UCI Road World Championships medalists\nRecurring sporting events disestablished in 2018" ]
[ "White Lion", "Return of the Pride", "When was the return of the pride?", "The new studio album entitled \"Return of the Pride\" was released on March 14, 2008", "was it successful?", "I don't know." ]
C_3e817baeffb34afc85a9704f8aa120a6_1
did they go on tour?
3
did White Lion go on tour?
White Lion
A White Lion compilation "The Definitive Rock Collection" was released in 2007 and the band was set for a summer tour with Poison and Ratt only to be dropped by the tour promoter after ex-White Lion guitarist Vito Bratta threatened to take legal action over the band name. In response to the rumors surrounding WHITE LION and the POISON/RATT summer tour, Tramp issued a statement explaining that tour promoters Live Nation's decision was not based on any controversy over whether Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as White Lion. Live Nation's decision was based upon the threatened lawsuit by Vito Bratta. Even though Live Nation believed Vito's lawsuit to be frivolous and had confirmed that Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as WHITE LION, they did not want to spend 'one dollar' on litigation. Faced with the cancellation of a tour that was to begin within weeks, the band's attorneys went the extra mile to work out a deal with Vito Bratta to drop his threatened lawsuit but even with the threat of litigation eliminated, Live Nation continued on their ill-informed course of dropping White Lion from the Poison tour. Extremely upset with the decision Tramp acknowledges the many fans across the United States who are also extremely disappointed by Live Nation's decision. Despite the threatened legal action and the band's removal from the POISON/RATT tour, White Lion continued touring and fulfilled their many headline shows in the U.S. that were scheduled between the Poison shows, including the Rocklahoma festival with Poison, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Slaughter, Y&T, Gypsy Pistoleros, Dirty Penny, Greg Leon Invasion and Zendozer. Tramp also confirmed to MelodicRock.com that the band has just finished recording its new studio album and The CD will be mixed by Dennis Ward and will be titled "Return of the Pride". The new studio album entitled "Return of the Pride" was released on March 14, 2008 and the band was now once again simply known as White Lion. The band did a world tour to support the album. White Lion toured India and played to 42,000 at Shillong, Meghalaya, and a 30,000 plus crowd at the Dimapur stadium in Nagaland. The band was invited to India by the head of the Tripura Royal Family Maharaja Kirit Pradyot Deb Burman. The album featured the singles "Dream" and "Live Your Life". A live DVD was released on December 5, 2008 entitled "Bang Your Head Festival 2005". CANNOTANSWER
The band did a world tour to support the album.
White Lion was an American glam metal band that was formed in New York City in 1983 by Danish vocalist/guitarist Mike Tramp and American guitarist Vito Bratta. Mainly active in the 1980s and early 1990s, they released their debut album Fight to Survive in 1985. The band achieved success with their No. 8 hit "Wait" and No. 3 hit "When the Children Cry" from their second album, the double platinum selling Pride. The band continued their success with their third album, Big Game which achieved Gold status and their fourth album Mane Attraction which included a supporting tour. White Lion disbanded in 1992 and not long after their first compilation album, The Best of White Lion was released. Mike Tramp reformed White Lion with all new musicians in 1999 and again in 2004, following a failed attempt to reform the original line up. The new White Lion released a live album in 2005 and a brand new studio album Return of the Pride in 2008. Biography Fight to Survive After moving from Denmark to Spain and then New York City, vocalist Mike Tramp (formerly of the bands Mabel, Studs and Danish Lions) met Staten Island guitarist Vito Bratta (formerly of Dreamer) in 1983. They decided to put together a new band and recruited drummer Nicki Capozzi and bassist Felix Robinson (formerly of Angel) and named the group White Lion. White Lion was signed by Elektra Records in 1984 and recorded their debut album Fight to Survive. Elektra was unhappy with the final recording, and after refusing to release the album, terminated the band's contract. The album Fight to Survive was eventually released by Victor Company of Japan, Ltd, (JVC Records) in Japan in 1985. Philadelphia-based Grand Slamm Records bought the album from Elektra and released it in America the following year, under licensed by Elektra/Asylum Records. A few months later, Grand Slamm Records went bankrupt. Fight to Survive charted at number 151 on Billboard 200 and featured the band's debut single and music video, "Broken Heart". In 1985, Felix Robinson departed after they were dropped by Elektra and was replaced by bassist Dave Spitz (brother of Anthrax guitarist Dan Spitz). With the Tramp, Bratta, Capozzi, Spitz line-up, the band recorded a round of demos and continued to play shows in New York while shopping around for a new record deal. This incarnation of White Lion was hired to play a fictional band in the Tom Hanks/Shelley Long movie The Money Pit, which was released a year later. The soundtrack features the song "Web of Desire" (credited to "White Lion and Robey (portrayed by Louise Robey), which was demoed that year. The film soundtrack was never officially released although the song plays in the movie during both of their scenes. Dave Spitz left at the end of 1985 to join Black Sabbath, and was replaced by James LoMenzo. Nicki Capozzi was subsequently fired and replaced by former Anthrax drummer Greg D'Angelo. Pride Early in 1987, the band was signed by Atlantic Records. The recording of the album took six weeks and on June 21, 1987 their album Pride was released. The first single, "Wait", was released on June 1, 1987, but did not reach the charts for nearly seven months. The Pride tour started in July 1987 as White Lion opened for Frehley's Comet. The next year and a half was filled with constant touring, opening for such bands as Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Stryper and Kiss. In January 1988 White Lion landed the opening slot for AC/DC on their Blow Up Your Video American tour. While touring with AC/DC, the Pride album and "Wait" single finally charted, due in no small part to MTV airing the "Wait" music video in regular rotation—nearly seven months after the single's release. "Wait" hit No. 8 on the singles chart, while Pride hit No. 11 on the album charts. Pride would remain on the Top 200 Billboard album charts for a full year, selling two million copies in the US alone and achieving double platinum status. In August 1988, the album's second single, "Tell Me", reached No. 58. Around the time this single was released, White Lion played at the Ritz club in New York City. The show was filmed and later aired on MTV. The Pride album's third single, a power ballad titled "When the Children Cry", made it to No. 3 on the charts with heavy MTV airplay. The success of "When the Children Cry" would eventually push sales of Pride over the two million mark. In addition, Vito Bratta was recognized for his instrumental talents by racking up Best New Guitarist awards with both Guitar World magazine and Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazine. "All You Need Is Rock 'n' Roll" was the final single released from the album. In the spring of 1989, the Pride tour finally ended, and the band released their first video albums titled "Live at the Ritz" and "One Night in Tokyo" both of which featuring full concerts on VHS. The band then immediately began work on their next album. Big Game & Mane Attraction In August 1989, White Lion released their third album, Big Game, a musically eclectic follow-up to Pride that featured the single "Little Fighter" (which peaked at No. 52), in Memory of The Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace boat which was destroyed by the French. A cover of Golden Earring's "Radar Love" (which peaked at No. 59) was released as the second single and "Cry for Freedom", a political song about apartheid in South Africa was released as the third single. "Going Home Tonight" was released as the album's final single. The album quickly went gold, with a peak of No. 19 on the album charts. The band's success continued with more constant touring. After two years of writing and recording, White Lion released their fourth album Mane Attraction in the spring of 1991. The album featured the singles "Love Don't Come Easy" which peaked at number 24 on The Mainstream Rock Charts, "Lights and Thunder" which is a eight-minute heavy rock epic with a complex structure inspired by Led Zeppelin’s Achilles Last Stand.and a re-recorded version of the band's debut single "Broken Heart", all of which featured music videos. "Out with the Boys" and "You're All I Need" were released as promo singles and "Farewell to You" featured a music video montage. The album also contained White Lion's only instrumental song, "Blue Monday", a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan, who had died while the band was writing the album. The album's two ballads "You're All I Need" and "Till Death Do Us Part" gained popular airplay in Indonesia and the Philippines. Greg D'Angelo and James LoMenzo left the band soon after the album's release, citing "musical differences," but White Lion carried on with bassist Tommy T-Bone Caradonna and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso (Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Suicidal Tendencies, Y&T, Fiona). Break-up After briefly touring in support of Mane Attraction, Tramp and Bratta decided to fold the group, their last show being held in Boston at the Channel in September 1991. Exactly one year later, in September 1992, the band's first compilation album was released, titled The Best of White Lion. A Video/DVD album featuring concert footage, behind the scenes interviews and all of the band's music videos was also released, titled Escape from Brooklyn. When asked what the album would be like if he and Vito Bratta had released another album after Mane Attraction, Tramp said it would have hinted at their growth and evolution, and taken them further away from the '80s sound. He commented: After White Lion James LoMenzo and Greg D'Angelo joined Zakk Wylde's band, Lynyrd Skynhead, in the mid 1990s which became the band Pride & Glory when Greg D'Angelo was replaced by Brian Tichy. Pride & Glory released one album, then James LoMenzo left the band. James went on to record and tour with ex-Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth, Zakk Wylde's band Black Label Society, thrash metal pioneers Megadeth, and in 2013, joined John Fogerty's solo band. Vito Bratta stayed briefly with Atlantic Records to help produce an album for CPR, and later tried to form a new music group that never panned out. Despite a dedicated worldwide following of guitar aficionados, Vito disappeared from public view from 1994 until his interview by Eddie Trunk live on February 16, 2007. Vito is the sole owner of the White Lion music catalog, retaining the legal and distributive rights to all four original albums. The material was licensed entirely to Bratta's Vavoom Music, Inc, when Tramp sold off his share in the mid 1990s. Freak of Nature Mike Tramp went on to form the hard rock / heavy metal band Freak of Nature, The follow up was significantly heavier and darker than White Lion, featuring two guitar players and more visceral songs with a strong rhythmic foundation. The band released three albums between 1992 and 1998, Freak of Nature, Gathering of Freaks, and Outcasts. The band shared stages with Helloween and Dio in Europe in 1993. Freak of Nature eventually disbanded in 1996. Tramp has often called Freak of Nature the best band he has been a part of and also said that he wanted to stray from the 80s sound and adopt a more 70s approach. Mike Tramp solo career Following Freak of Nature, Tramp began a solo career, releasing his debut album as a solo artist in 1998 titled Capricorn. The album featured former Freak of Nature bandmates, guitarist Kenny Korade and bass player Jerry Best. Former White Lion bass guitarist James LoMenzo performed backing vocals on the album. The song "Better Off" was released as Tramp's debut solo single and features his first solo music video. The album also features the singles "Already Gone", "If I Live Tomorrow" and "Take a Little Time". It would be five years before Tramp returned to the studio to record his follow-up album, Recovering the Wasted Years, during which time he would move to Australia, with the aim of raising his son away from the rigors of big city life and to plan his next career move. Recovering the Wasted Years was released in 2002 and featured the singles "Living a Lie" and "Endless Highway" both featuring live music videos. In 2003, Tramp followed-up with his third album, More to Life Than This, which Tramp once again produced himself but relied on producer/engineer Flemming Rasmussen (Metallica) to engineer and mix the sessions in his very own Sweet Silence Studios. The album's title track, "More to Life Than This", and "Don't Want to Say Good Night" were both released as singles. A music video made in Australia was released for the song "Lay Down My Life For You". Also in 2003, Tramp released the double disc live album Rock 'N' Roll Alive, which features Tramp performing live versions of songs from White Lion, Freak of Nature, and his solo albums. In 2004, Tramp released the solo album Songs I Left Behind. The new White Lion and legal issues In 1999 after commencing his solo career, Mike Tramp, with all new musicians, also released Remembering White Lion, which featured new versions of some of White Lion's classic songs and started what would be a long battle to reform White Lion. In 2000, momentum for a new White Lion continued with the release of a second best of album titled White Lion Hits followed by an updated White Lion compilation titled The Essential White Lion. In October 2003, Tramp announced a White Lion reunion with the original members. This statement was quickly denied by the other former members. Later Tramp said that Vito Bratta wanted nothing to do with a reunion. With summer festivals in Europe already booked, Tramp attempted to put together a "new White Lion" featuring former members James LoMenzo and Jimmy DeGrasso, along with Warren DeMartini of Ratt. Vito Bratta filed suit claiming partial ownership of the name, and the tour was scrapped. Tramp later commented that despite his willingness, "There will never be an original White Lion reunion". In 2004 due to legal issues, the album Remembering White Lion was re-released under the new title Last Roar featuring the band name Tramp's White Lion. In late 2004, Mike Tramp organized another group of unknown musicians and continued with a new White Lion under the act Tramp's White Lion, this however did not stop the persistent legal issues with former members. Despite all the issues, 'TWL' (a.k.a. White Lion 2) played and re-recorded White Lion songs, touring and releasing a box set titled The Bootleg Series in 2004 and a double-live CD entitled Rocking the USA in 2005. The band had several concerts cancelled in late 2005 as promoters backed away due to the threat of possible legal action and by the end of the year Tramp had almost completely given up on White Lion, but six months later was inspired to continue with the booking of a European tour for November and December 2006. Tramp's White Lion played several dates in Europe including Sweden, Norway, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. In 2005, a Concert Anthology DVD was released followed by the album Anthology in 2006 featuring never before released songs and demo versions of White Lion classic songs from previous albums. On February 16, 2007, Vito Bratta appeared on the Eddie Trunk radio show in New York, stating that despite what Mike Tramp said, he had never refused a White Lion reunion, stating that the only reason he was unable to participate was due to the illness of his father. He added that he would still be open to the idea and has not closed the door to returning to the music industry again. Trunk made it clear that Bratta's involvement in the show was something that he had wanted to happen since White Lion first broke up in 1991. Bratta took calls and answered questions from fans for almost three hours. On April 6 and 7, 2007, at the L'Amours Reunion Shows in New York, Bratta made his first public musical appearances in over 15 years. Three weeks later Mike Tramp called the same show from Australia, speaking about Bratta and the band's new album, including the tour dates that Tramp's White Lion had recently confirmed. Tramp said that he was thankful that Bratta had finally answered fan's questions, the same questions he himself had been asked many times over the past 15 years. He also stated that he felt uncomfortable answering on Vito's behalf, and that he was upset that Vito had withdrawn himself from the music industry. Return of the Pride A White Lion compilation The Definitive Rock Collection was released in 2007 and the band was set for a summer tour with Poison and Ratt only to be dropped by the tour promoter after ex-White Lion guitarist Vito Bratta threatened to take legal action over the band name. In response to the rumors surrounding the White Lion and the Poison/Ratt summer tour, Tramp issued a statement explaining that tour promoters Live Nation's decision was not based on any controversy over whether Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as White Lion. Live Nation's decision was based upon the threatened lawsuit by Vito Bratta. Even though Live Nation believed Bratta's lawsuit to be frivolous and had confirmed that Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as White Lion, they did not want to spend 'one dollar' on litigation. Faced with the cancellation of a tour that was to begin within weeks, the band's attorneys went the extra mile to work out a deal with Vito Bratta to drop his threatened lawsuit but even with the threat of litigation eliminated, Live Nation continued on their ill-informed course of dropping White Lion from the Poison tour. Extremely upset with the decision, Tramp acknowledges the many fans across the United States who were also disappointed by Live Nation's decision. Despite the threatened legal action and the band's removal from the Poison/Ratt tour, White Lion continued touring and fulfilled their many headline shows in the U.S. that were scheduled between the Poison shows, including the Rocklahoma festival with Poison, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Slaughter, Y&T, Gypsy Pistoleros, Dirty Penny, Greg Leon Invasion and Zendozer. Tramp also confirmed to MelodicRock.com that the band had just finished recording its new studio album and the CD would be mixed by Dennis Ward and titled Return of the Pride. The new studio album entitled Return of the Pride was released on March 14, 2008 and the band was now once again simply known as White Lion. The band did a world tour to support the album. White Lion toured India and played to 42,000 at Shillong, Meghalaya, and a 30,000 plus crowd at the Dimapur stadium in Nagaland. The band was invited to India by the head of the Tripura Royal Family Maharaja Kirit Pradyot Deb Burman. The album featured the singles "Dream" and "Live Your Life". A live DVD was released on December 5, 2008 entitled Bang Your Head Festival 2005. White Lion: final activities Following the release of Return of the Pride, Tramp faced a tumultuous time of professional indecision as he tried to decide between continuing his solo career or pouring his energy into White Lion. With White Lion ultimately put on hold again Tramp continues with his solo career releasing the album Mike Tramp & The Rock 'N' Roll Circuz in 2009, which is also now the name of his solo band, a Copenhagen-based band with all Danish members. The album was initially intended to be the next new White Lion album but a new solo band was formed instead. The album hit the IFPI, Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums' at number 16 and features the singles "All of My Life" and "Come On" which also features a music video. In 2011, Tramp released the solo album Stand Your Ground featuring the singles "Distance" and "Hymn to Ronnie", a tribute song to former Heaven & Hell and Black Sabbath vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who died on May 16, 2010. On April 8, 2013, Tramp released the acoustic folk style rock album Cobblestone Street. The album charted at Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums' at number 21 and features the singles "New Day" and "Revolution". While promoting his solo album, Tramp announced in several interviews that there would no longer be a White Lion of any kind, including the new White Lion or any possible reunions. In August 2014, Tramp released the acoustic folk style rock album Museum. The album charted at Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums' at number 3 and includes the singles "Trust in Yourself" which features a music video directed by his son Dylan and "Freedom". Following this release, Tramp once again confirmed there would be no more White Lion. With White Lion officially over, the voice of the band Mike Tramp continued with his solo career releasing the album Nomad in 2015. The album charted on Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums at number 21 and features the singles "High Like a Mountain" and "Give It All You Got", which features a music video filmed and edited in Copenhagen. In 2016, following up on Nomads success and the award for "Classic Rock Album of the Year" at High Voltage Rock Awards, Tramp released the single "Stay" which like previous singles was played heavily on Danish national radio. "Stay" came with a video that showed former White Lion frontman Mike Tramp in total isolation, living the life of a forest worker in the beautiful Scandinavian woods. Band members Last line-up Mike Tramp – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1983–1992,1999–2009) Jamie Law – lead guitar (2004–2009) Troy Patrick Farrell – drums (2004–2009) Claus Langeskov – bass (2004–2009) Henning Wanner – keyboards (2004–2009) Former members Vito Bratta – lead guitar, backing vocals (1983–1992) Joe Hasselvander – drums (1983) Nicki Capozzi – drums (1983–1984) Felix Robinson – bass (1983–1984) Bruno Ravel – bass (1984) Dave Spitz – bass (1985) James LoMenzo – bass, backing vocals (1985–1991) Greg D'Angelo – drums (1985–1991) Jimmy DeGrasso – drums (1991–1992) Tommy T–Bone Caradonna – bass (1991–1992) Kasper Damgaard – lead guitar (1999–2003) Nils Kroyer – bass (1999–2003) Bjarne T. Holm – drums (1999–2003) Dan Hemmer – keyboards (1999–2003) Timeline Social issues Unlike most bands of their genre, White Lion recorded occasional songs that addressed social or political issues such as apartheid ("Cry for Freedom"), the war in El Salvador ("El Salvador") and the effect of divorce on children ("Broken Home"). The song "Little Fighter" was about the Rainbow Warrior, a ship owned by the environmental group Greenpeace that was destroyed by operatives of the French intelligence service. This concern for political and social issues was also hinted at in the cover art to their album Big Game, which featured a lion's head hidden in tall grass with the White House in the background. Discography See also List of glam metal bands and artists References American glam metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups disestablished in 1992 Musical groups reestablished in 1999 Atlantic Records artists
true
[ "Andrew Butterfield (born 7 January 1972) is an English professional golfer who plays on the Challenge Tour.\n\nCareer\nButterfield was born in London, England. He turned professional in 1993 and joined the Challenge Tour in 1996. He played on the Challenge Tour until qualifying for the European Tour through Q-School in 1999. Butterfield did not perform well enough on tour in 2000 to retain his card and had to go back to the Challenge Tour in 2001. He got his European Tour card back through Q-School again in 2001 and played on the European Tour in 2002 but did not find any success on tour. He returned to the Challenge Tour and played there until 2005 when he finished 4th on the Challenge Tour's Order of Merit which earned him his European Tour card for 2006. He did not play well enough in 2006 to retain his tour card but was able to get temporary status on tour for 2007 by finishing 129th on the Order of Merit. He played on the European Tour and the Challenge Tour in 2007 and has played only on the Challenge Tour since 2008. He picked up his first win on the Challenge Tour in Sweden at The Princess in June 2009. He also won an event on the PGA EuroPro Tour in 2004.\n\nProfessional wins (2)\n\nChallenge Tour wins (1)\n\nChallenge Tour playoff record (0–1)\n\nPGA EuroPro Tour wins (1)\n2004 Matchroom Golf Management International at Owston Hall\n\nPlayoff record\nEuropean Tour playoff record (0–1)\n\nResults in major championships\n\nNote: Butterfield only played in The Open Championship.\nCUT = missed the half-way cut\n\nSee also\n2005 Challenge Tour graduates\n2009 Challenge Tour graduates\n\nExternal links\n\nEnglish male golfers\nEuropean Tour golfers\nSportspeople from London\nPeople from the London Borough of Bromley\n1972 births\nLiving people", "The Bob Dylan England Tour 1965 was a concert tour by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan during late April and early May 1965. The tour was widely documented by filmmaker D. A. Pennebaker, who used the footage of the tour in his documentary Dont Look Back.\n\nTour dates\n\nSet lists \nAs Dylan was still playing exclusively folk music live, much of the material performed during this tour was written pre-1965. Each show was divided into two halves, with seven songs performed during the first, and eight during the second. The set consisted of two songs from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, three from The Times They Are a-Changin', three from Another Side of Bob Dylan, a comic-relief concert staple; \"If You Gotta Go, Go Now\", issued as a single in Europe, and six songs off his then-recent album, Bringing It All Back Home, including the second side in its entirety.\n\n First half\n\"The Times They Are a-Changin'\"\n\"To Ramona\"\n\"Gates of Eden\"\n\"If You Gotta Go, Go Now (or Else You Got to Stay All Night)\"\n\"It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)\"\n\"Love Minus Zero/No Limit\"\n\"Mr. Tambourine Man\"\n\nSecond Half\n\"Talkin' World War III Blues\"\n\"Don't Think Twice, It's All Right\"\n\"With God on Our Side\"\n\"She Belongs to Me\"\n\"It Ain't Me Babe\"\n\"The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll\"\n\"All I Really Want to Do\"\n\"It's All Over Now, Baby Blue\"\n\nSet list per Olof Bjorner.\n\nAftermath \nJoan Baez accompanied him on the tour, but she was never invited to play with him in concert. In fact, they did not tour together again until 1975. After this tour, Dylan was hailed as a hero of folk music, but two months later, at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, he would alienate his fans and go electric. Dylan was the only artist apart from the Beatles to sell out the De Montfort Hall in the 1960s. Even the Rolling Stones did not sell out this venue.\n\nReferences \n\nHoward Sounes: Down the Highway. The Life of Bob Dylan.. 2001.\n\nExternal links \n Bjorner's Still on the Road 1965: Tour dates & set lists\n\nBob Dylan concert tours\n1965 concert tours\nConcert tours of the United Kingdom\n1965 in England" ]
[ "White Lion", "Return of the Pride", "When was the return of the pride?", "The new studio album entitled \"Return of the Pride\" was released on March 14, 2008", "was it successful?", "I don't know.", "did they go on tour?", "The band did a world tour to support the album." ]
C_3e817baeffb34afc85a9704f8aa120a6_1
what were some singles?
4
what were some singles from Return of the Pride by White Lion?
White Lion
A White Lion compilation "The Definitive Rock Collection" was released in 2007 and the band was set for a summer tour with Poison and Ratt only to be dropped by the tour promoter after ex-White Lion guitarist Vito Bratta threatened to take legal action over the band name. In response to the rumors surrounding WHITE LION and the POISON/RATT summer tour, Tramp issued a statement explaining that tour promoters Live Nation's decision was not based on any controversy over whether Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as White Lion. Live Nation's decision was based upon the threatened lawsuit by Vito Bratta. Even though Live Nation believed Vito's lawsuit to be frivolous and had confirmed that Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as WHITE LION, they did not want to spend 'one dollar' on litigation. Faced with the cancellation of a tour that was to begin within weeks, the band's attorneys went the extra mile to work out a deal with Vito Bratta to drop his threatened lawsuit but even with the threat of litigation eliminated, Live Nation continued on their ill-informed course of dropping White Lion from the Poison tour. Extremely upset with the decision Tramp acknowledges the many fans across the United States who are also extremely disappointed by Live Nation's decision. Despite the threatened legal action and the band's removal from the POISON/RATT tour, White Lion continued touring and fulfilled their many headline shows in the U.S. that were scheduled between the Poison shows, including the Rocklahoma festival with Poison, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Slaughter, Y&T, Gypsy Pistoleros, Dirty Penny, Greg Leon Invasion and Zendozer. Tramp also confirmed to MelodicRock.com that the band has just finished recording its new studio album and The CD will be mixed by Dennis Ward and will be titled "Return of the Pride". The new studio album entitled "Return of the Pride" was released on March 14, 2008 and the band was now once again simply known as White Lion. The band did a world tour to support the album. White Lion toured India and played to 42,000 at Shillong, Meghalaya, and a 30,000 plus crowd at the Dimapur stadium in Nagaland. The band was invited to India by the head of the Tripura Royal Family Maharaja Kirit Pradyot Deb Burman. The album featured the singles "Dream" and "Live Your Life". A live DVD was released on December 5, 2008 entitled "Bang Your Head Festival 2005". CANNOTANSWER
The album featured the singles "Dream" and "Live Your Life".
White Lion was an American glam metal band that was formed in New York City in 1983 by Danish vocalist/guitarist Mike Tramp and American guitarist Vito Bratta. Mainly active in the 1980s and early 1990s, they released their debut album Fight to Survive in 1985. The band achieved success with their No. 8 hit "Wait" and No. 3 hit "When the Children Cry" from their second album, the double platinum selling Pride. The band continued their success with their third album, Big Game which achieved Gold status and their fourth album Mane Attraction which included a supporting tour. White Lion disbanded in 1992 and not long after their first compilation album, The Best of White Lion was released. Mike Tramp reformed White Lion with all new musicians in 1999 and again in 2004, following a failed attempt to reform the original line up. The new White Lion released a live album in 2005 and a brand new studio album Return of the Pride in 2008. Biography Fight to Survive After moving from Denmark to Spain and then New York City, vocalist Mike Tramp (formerly of the bands Mabel, Studs and Danish Lions) met Staten Island guitarist Vito Bratta (formerly of Dreamer) in 1983. They decided to put together a new band and recruited drummer Nicki Capozzi and bassist Felix Robinson (formerly of Angel) and named the group White Lion. White Lion was signed by Elektra Records in 1984 and recorded their debut album Fight to Survive. Elektra was unhappy with the final recording, and after refusing to release the album, terminated the band's contract. The album Fight to Survive was eventually released by Victor Company of Japan, Ltd, (JVC Records) in Japan in 1985. Philadelphia-based Grand Slamm Records bought the album from Elektra and released it in America the following year, under licensed by Elektra/Asylum Records. A few months later, Grand Slamm Records went bankrupt. Fight to Survive charted at number 151 on Billboard 200 and featured the band's debut single and music video, "Broken Heart". In 1985, Felix Robinson departed after they were dropped by Elektra and was replaced by bassist Dave Spitz (brother of Anthrax guitarist Dan Spitz). With the Tramp, Bratta, Capozzi, Spitz line-up, the band recorded a round of demos and continued to play shows in New York while shopping around for a new record deal. This incarnation of White Lion was hired to play a fictional band in the Tom Hanks/Shelley Long movie The Money Pit, which was released a year later. The soundtrack features the song "Web of Desire" (credited to "White Lion and Robey (portrayed by Louise Robey), which was demoed that year. The film soundtrack was never officially released although the song plays in the movie during both of their scenes. Dave Spitz left at the end of 1985 to join Black Sabbath, and was replaced by James LoMenzo. Nicki Capozzi was subsequently fired and replaced by former Anthrax drummer Greg D'Angelo. Pride Early in 1987, the band was signed by Atlantic Records. The recording of the album took six weeks and on June 21, 1987 their album Pride was released. The first single, "Wait", was released on June 1, 1987, but did not reach the charts for nearly seven months. The Pride tour started in July 1987 as White Lion opened for Frehley's Comet. The next year and a half was filled with constant touring, opening for such bands as Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Stryper and Kiss. In January 1988 White Lion landed the opening slot for AC/DC on their Blow Up Your Video American tour. While touring with AC/DC, the Pride album and "Wait" single finally charted, due in no small part to MTV airing the "Wait" music video in regular rotation—nearly seven months after the single's release. "Wait" hit No. 8 on the singles chart, while Pride hit No. 11 on the album charts. Pride would remain on the Top 200 Billboard album charts for a full year, selling two million copies in the US alone and achieving double platinum status. In August 1988, the album's second single, "Tell Me", reached No. 58. Around the time this single was released, White Lion played at the Ritz club in New York City. The show was filmed and later aired on MTV. The Pride album's third single, a power ballad titled "When the Children Cry", made it to No. 3 on the charts with heavy MTV airplay. The success of "When the Children Cry" would eventually push sales of Pride over the two million mark. In addition, Vito Bratta was recognized for his instrumental talents by racking up Best New Guitarist awards with both Guitar World magazine and Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazine. "All You Need Is Rock 'n' Roll" was the final single released from the album. In the spring of 1989, the Pride tour finally ended, and the band released their first video albums titled "Live at the Ritz" and "One Night in Tokyo" both of which featuring full concerts on VHS. The band then immediately began work on their next album. Big Game & Mane Attraction In August 1989, White Lion released their third album, Big Game, a musically eclectic follow-up to Pride that featured the single "Little Fighter" (which peaked at No. 52), in Memory of The Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace boat which was destroyed by the French. A cover of Golden Earring's "Radar Love" (which peaked at No. 59) was released as the second single and "Cry for Freedom", a political song about apartheid in South Africa was released as the third single. "Going Home Tonight" was released as the album's final single. The album quickly went gold, with a peak of No. 19 on the album charts. The band's success continued with more constant touring. After two years of writing and recording, White Lion released their fourth album Mane Attraction in the spring of 1991. The album featured the singles "Love Don't Come Easy" which peaked at number 24 on The Mainstream Rock Charts, "Lights and Thunder" which is a eight-minute heavy rock epic with a complex structure inspired by Led Zeppelin’s Achilles Last Stand.and a re-recorded version of the band's debut single "Broken Heart", all of which featured music videos. "Out with the Boys" and "You're All I Need" were released as promo singles and "Farewell to You" featured a music video montage. The album also contained White Lion's only instrumental song, "Blue Monday", a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan, who had died while the band was writing the album. The album's two ballads "You're All I Need" and "Till Death Do Us Part" gained popular airplay in Indonesia and the Philippines. Greg D'Angelo and James LoMenzo left the band soon after the album's release, citing "musical differences," but White Lion carried on with bassist Tommy T-Bone Caradonna and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso (Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Suicidal Tendencies, Y&T, Fiona). Break-up After briefly touring in support of Mane Attraction, Tramp and Bratta decided to fold the group, their last show being held in Boston at the Channel in September 1991. Exactly one year later, in September 1992, the band's first compilation album was released, titled The Best of White Lion. A Video/DVD album featuring concert footage, behind the scenes interviews and all of the band's music videos was also released, titled Escape from Brooklyn. When asked what the album would be like if he and Vito Bratta had released another album after Mane Attraction, Tramp said it would have hinted at their growth and evolution, and taken them further away from the '80s sound. He commented: After White Lion James LoMenzo and Greg D'Angelo joined Zakk Wylde's band, Lynyrd Skynhead, in the mid 1990s which became the band Pride & Glory when Greg D'Angelo was replaced by Brian Tichy. Pride & Glory released one album, then James LoMenzo left the band. James went on to record and tour with ex-Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth, Zakk Wylde's band Black Label Society, thrash metal pioneers Megadeth, and in 2013, joined John Fogerty's solo band. Vito Bratta stayed briefly with Atlantic Records to help produce an album for CPR, and later tried to form a new music group that never panned out. Despite a dedicated worldwide following of guitar aficionados, Vito disappeared from public view from 1994 until his interview by Eddie Trunk live on February 16, 2007. Vito is the sole owner of the White Lion music catalog, retaining the legal and distributive rights to all four original albums. The material was licensed entirely to Bratta's Vavoom Music, Inc, when Tramp sold off his share in the mid 1990s. Freak of Nature Mike Tramp went on to form the hard rock / heavy metal band Freak of Nature, The follow up was significantly heavier and darker than White Lion, featuring two guitar players and more visceral songs with a strong rhythmic foundation. The band released three albums between 1992 and 1998, Freak of Nature, Gathering of Freaks, and Outcasts. The band shared stages with Helloween and Dio in Europe in 1993. Freak of Nature eventually disbanded in 1996. Tramp has often called Freak of Nature the best band he has been a part of and also said that he wanted to stray from the 80s sound and adopt a more 70s approach. Mike Tramp solo career Following Freak of Nature, Tramp began a solo career, releasing his debut album as a solo artist in 1998 titled Capricorn. The album featured former Freak of Nature bandmates, guitarist Kenny Korade and bass player Jerry Best. Former White Lion bass guitarist James LoMenzo performed backing vocals on the album. The song "Better Off" was released as Tramp's debut solo single and features his first solo music video. The album also features the singles "Already Gone", "If I Live Tomorrow" and "Take a Little Time". It would be five years before Tramp returned to the studio to record his follow-up album, Recovering the Wasted Years, during which time he would move to Australia, with the aim of raising his son away from the rigors of big city life and to plan his next career move. Recovering the Wasted Years was released in 2002 and featured the singles "Living a Lie" and "Endless Highway" both featuring live music videos. In 2003, Tramp followed-up with his third album, More to Life Than This, which Tramp once again produced himself but relied on producer/engineer Flemming Rasmussen (Metallica) to engineer and mix the sessions in his very own Sweet Silence Studios. The album's title track, "More to Life Than This", and "Don't Want to Say Good Night" were both released as singles. A music video made in Australia was released for the song "Lay Down My Life For You". Also in 2003, Tramp released the double disc live album Rock 'N' Roll Alive, which features Tramp performing live versions of songs from White Lion, Freak of Nature, and his solo albums. In 2004, Tramp released the solo album Songs I Left Behind. The new White Lion and legal issues In 1999 after commencing his solo career, Mike Tramp, with all new musicians, also released Remembering White Lion, which featured new versions of some of White Lion's classic songs and started what would be a long battle to reform White Lion. In 2000, momentum for a new White Lion continued with the release of a second best of album titled White Lion Hits followed by an updated White Lion compilation titled The Essential White Lion. In October 2003, Tramp announced a White Lion reunion with the original members. This statement was quickly denied by the other former members. Later Tramp said that Vito Bratta wanted nothing to do with a reunion. With summer festivals in Europe already booked, Tramp attempted to put together a "new White Lion" featuring former members James LoMenzo and Jimmy DeGrasso, along with Warren DeMartini of Ratt. Vito Bratta filed suit claiming partial ownership of the name, and the tour was scrapped. Tramp later commented that despite his willingness, "There will never be an original White Lion reunion". In 2004 due to legal issues, the album Remembering White Lion was re-released under the new title Last Roar featuring the band name Tramp's White Lion. In late 2004, Mike Tramp organized another group of unknown musicians and continued with a new White Lion under the act Tramp's White Lion, this however did not stop the persistent legal issues with former members. Despite all the issues, 'TWL' (a.k.a. White Lion 2) played and re-recorded White Lion songs, touring and releasing a box set titled The Bootleg Series in 2004 and a double-live CD entitled Rocking the USA in 2005. The band had several concerts cancelled in late 2005 as promoters backed away due to the threat of possible legal action and by the end of the year Tramp had almost completely given up on White Lion, but six months later was inspired to continue with the booking of a European tour for November and December 2006. Tramp's White Lion played several dates in Europe including Sweden, Norway, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. In 2005, a Concert Anthology DVD was released followed by the album Anthology in 2006 featuring never before released songs and demo versions of White Lion classic songs from previous albums. On February 16, 2007, Vito Bratta appeared on the Eddie Trunk radio show in New York, stating that despite what Mike Tramp said, he had never refused a White Lion reunion, stating that the only reason he was unable to participate was due to the illness of his father. He added that he would still be open to the idea and has not closed the door to returning to the music industry again. Trunk made it clear that Bratta's involvement in the show was something that he had wanted to happen since White Lion first broke up in 1991. Bratta took calls and answered questions from fans for almost three hours. On April 6 and 7, 2007, at the L'Amours Reunion Shows in New York, Bratta made his first public musical appearances in over 15 years. Three weeks later Mike Tramp called the same show from Australia, speaking about Bratta and the band's new album, including the tour dates that Tramp's White Lion had recently confirmed. Tramp said that he was thankful that Bratta had finally answered fan's questions, the same questions he himself had been asked many times over the past 15 years. He also stated that he felt uncomfortable answering on Vito's behalf, and that he was upset that Vito had withdrawn himself from the music industry. Return of the Pride A White Lion compilation The Definitive Rock Collection was released in 2007 and the band was set for a summer tour with Poison and Ratt only to be dropped by the tour promoter after ex-White Lion guitarist Vito Bratta threatened to take legal action over the band name. In response to the rumors surrounding the White Lion and the Poison/Ratt summer tour, Tramp issued a statement explaining that tour promoters Live Nation's decision was not based on any controversy over whether Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as White Lion. Live Nation's decision was based upon the threatened lawsuit by Vito Bratta. Even though Live Nation believed Bratta's lawsuit to be frivolous and had confirmed that Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as White Lion, they did not want to spend 'one dollar' on litigation. Faced with the cancellation of a tour that was to begin within weeks, the band's attorneys went the extra mile to work out a deal with Vito Bratta to drop his threatened lawsuit but even with the threat of litigation eliminated, Live Nation continued on their ill-informed course of dropping White Lion from the Poison tour. Extremely upset with the decision, Tramp acknowledges the many fans across the United States who were also disappointed by Live Nation's decision. Despite the threatened legal action and the band's removal from the Poison/Ratt tour, White Lion continued touring and fulfilled their many headline shows in the U.S. that were scheduled between the Poison shows, including the Rocklahoma festival with Poison, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Slaughter, Y&T, Gypsy Pistoleros, Dirty Penny, Greg Leon Invasion and Zendozer. Tramp also confirmed to MelodicRock.com that the band had just finished recording its new studio album and the CD would be mixed by Dennis Ward and titled Return of the Pride. The new studio album entitled Return of the Pride was released on March 14, 2008 and the band was now once again simply known as White Lion. The band did a world tour to support the album. White Lion toured India and played to 42,000 at Shillong, Meghalaya, and a 30,000 plus crowd at the Dimapur stadium in Nagaland. The band was invited to India by the head of the Tripura Royal Family Maharaja Kirit Pradyot Deb Burman. The album featured the singles "Dream" and "Live Your Life". A live DVD was released on December 5, 2008 entitled Bang Your Head Festival 2005. White Lion: final activities Following the release of Return of the Pride, Tramp faced a tumultuous time of professional indecision as he tried to decide between continuing his solo career or pouring his energy into White Lion. With White Lion ultimately put on hold again Tramp continues with his solo career releasing the album Mike Tramp & The Rock 'N' Roll Circuz in 2009, which is also now the name of his solo band, a Copenhagen-based band with all Danish members. The album was initially intended to be the next new White Lion album but a new solo band was formed instead. The album hit the IFPI, Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums' at number 16 and features the singles "All of My Life" and "Come On" which also features a music video. In 2011, Tramp released the solo album Stand Your Ground featuring the singles "Distance" and "Hymn to Ronnie", a tribute song to former Heaven & Hell and Black Sabbath vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who died on May 16, 2010. On April 8, 2013, Tramp released the acoustic folk style rock album Cobblestone Street. The album charted at Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums' at number 21 and features the singles "New Day" and "Revolution". While promoting his solo album, Tramp announced in several interviews that there would no longer be a White Lion of any kind, including the new White Lion or any possible reunions. In August 2014, Tramp released the acoustic folk style rock album Museum. The album charted at Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums' at number 3 and includes the singles "Trust in Yourself" which features a music video directed by his son Dylan and "Freedom". Following this release, Tramp once again confirmed there would be no more White Lion. With White Lion officially over, the voice of the band Mike Tramp continued with his solo career releasing the album Nomad in 2015. The album charted on Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums at number 21 and features the singles "High Like a Mountain" and "Give It All You Got", which features a music video filmed and edited in Copenhagen. In 2016, following up on Nomads success and the award for "Classic Rock Album of the Year" at High Voltage Rock Awards, Tramp released the single "Stay" which like previous singles was played heavily on Danish national radio. "Stay" came with a video that showed former White Lion frontman Mike Tramp in total isolation, living the life of a forest worker in the beautiful Scandinavian woods. Band members Last line-up Mike Tramp – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1983–1992,1999–2009) Jamie Law – lead guitar (2004–2009) Troy Patrick Farrell – drums (2004–2009) Claus Langeskov – bass (2004–2009) Henning Wanner – keyboards (2004–2009) Former members Vito Bratta – lead guitar, backing vocals (1983–1992) Joe Hasselvander – drums (1983) Nicki Capozzi – drums (1983–1984) Felix Robinson – bass (1983–1984) Bruno Ravel – bass (1984) Dave Spitz – bass (1985) James LoMenzo – bass, backing vocals (1985–1991) Greg D'Angelo – drums (1985–1991) Jimmy DeGrasso – drums (1991–1992) Tommy T–Bone Caradonna – bass (1991–1992) Kasper Damgaard – lead guitar (1999–2003) Nils Kroyer – bass (1999–2003) Bjarne T. Holm – drums (1999–2003) Dan Hemmer – keyboards (1999–2003) Timeline Social issues Unlike most bands of their genre, White Lion recorded occasional songs that addressed social or political issues such as apartheid ("Cry for Freedom"), the war in El Salvador ("El Salvador") and the effect of divorce on children ("Broken Home"). The song "Little Fighter" was about the Rainbow Warrior, a ship owned by the environmental group Greenpeace that was destroyed by operatives of the French intelligence service. This concern for political and social issues was also hinted at in the cover art to their album Big Game, which featured a lion's head hidden in tall grass with the White House in the background. Discography See also List of glam metal bands and artists References American glam metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups disestablished in 1992 Musical groups reestablished in 1999 Atlantic Records artists
true
[ "40 Dayz & 40 Nightz is the second studio album by American rapper Xzibit. It was released on August 25, 1998 by Loud Records and RCA Records.\n\nThe album featured four singles \"What U See Is What U Get\", \"3 Card Molly\", \"Los Angeles Times\" and \"Pussy Pop\". \"What U See Is What U Get\" earned Xzibit some his highest charting placements in his career.\n\nTrack listing\n\nChart positions\n\nSingles\n\nReferences\n\n1998 albums\nHorrorcore albums\nAlbums produced by Bud'da\nAlbums produced by Soopafly\nXzibit albums\nRCA Records albums\nLoud Records albums", "\"If I Were You\" is a 1995 single written by k.d. lang and Ben Mink and performed by k.d. lang. The single was the first single released from lang's third studio album, All You Can Eat (1995), on 18 September 1995.\n\n\"If I Were You\" reached number 24 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart and number four on the RPM Adult Contemporary chart. On the US Billboard charts, the single reached number 15 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 and was lang's second and final number one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. Overseas, \"If I Were You\" peaked at number 23 in Australia, number 50 in New Zealand, and number 53 in the United Kingdom. Billboard named it lang's sixth-best song.\n\nTrack listings\n\nUS 7-inch and CD single\n \"If I Were You\" – 3:38\n \"Get Some\" – 3:37\n\nEuropean CD single\n \"If I Were You\" – 3:58\n \"Get Some\" – 3:37\n \"What's New Pussycat\" (live) – 2:44\n\nAustralian maxi-single\n \"If I Were You\" (album version)\n \"If I Were You\" (Close to the Groove edit)\n \"If I Were You\" (Smokin' Lounge Mix)\n \"If I Were You\" (Junior's X-Beat Mix)\n \"If I Were You\" (album edit)\n \"What's New Pussycat\" (live)\n\nCharts\n\nWeekly charts\n\nYear-end charts\n\nRelease history\n\nSee also\n List of number-one dance singles of 1996 (U.S.)\n\nReferences\n\n1995 singles\n1995 songs\nK.d. lang songs\nMusic videos directed by Kevin Kerslake\nSongs written by Ben Mink\nSongs written by k.d. lang" ]
[ "White Lion", "Return of the Pride", "When was the return of the pride?", "The new studio album entitled \"Return of the Pride\" was released on March 14, 2008", "was it successful?", "I don't know.", "did they go on tour?", "The band did a world tour to support the album.", "what were some singles?", "The album featured the singles \"Dream\" and \"Live Your Life\"." ]
C_3e817baeffb34afc85a9704f8aa120a6_1
did they have any problems with the album?
5
did White Lion have any problems with the album Return of the Pride?
White Lion
A White Lion compilation "The Definitive Rock Collection" was released in 2007 and the band was set for a summer tour with Poison and Ratt only to be dropped by the tour promoter after ex-White Lion guitarist Vito Bratta threatened to take legal action over the band name. In response to the rumors surrounding WHITE LION and the POISON/RATT summer tour, Tramp issued a statement explaining that tour promoters Live Nation's decision was not based on any controversy over whether Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as White Lion. Live Nation's decision was based upon the threatened lawsuit by Vito Bratta. Even though Live Nation believed Vito's lawsuit to be frivolous and had confirmed that Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as WHITE LION, they did not want to spend 'one dollar' on litigation. Faced with the cancellation of a tour that was to begin within weeks, the band's attorneys went the extra mile to work out a deal with Vito Bratta to drop his threatened lawsuit but even with the threat of litigation eliminated, Live Nation continued on their ill-informed course of dropping White Lion from the Poison tour. Extremely upset with the decision Tramp acknowledges the many fans across the United States who are also extremely disappointed by Live Nation's decision. Despite the threatened legal action and the band's removal from the POISON/RATT tour, White Lion continued touring and fulfilled their many headline shows in the U.S. that were scheduled between the Poison shows, including the Rocklahoma festival with Poison, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Slaughter, Y&T, Gypsy Pistoleros, Dirty Penny, Greg Leon Invasion and Zendozer. Tramp also confirmed to MelodicRock.com that the band has just finished recording its new studio album and The CD will be mixed by Dennis Ward and will be titled "Return of the Pride". The new studio album entitled "Return of the Pride" was released on March 14, 2008 and the band was now once again simply known as White Lion. The band did a world tour to support the album. White Lion toured India and played to 42,000 at Shillong, Meghalaya, and a 30,000 plus crowd at the Dimapur stadium in Nagaland. The band was invited to India by the head of the Tripura Royal Family Maharaja Kirit Pradyot Deb Burman. The album featured the singles "Dream" and "Live Your Life". A live DVD was released on December 5, 2008 entitled "Bang Your Head Festival 2005". CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
White Lion was an American glam metal band that was formed in New York City in 1983 by Danish vocalist/guitarist Mike Tramp and American guitarist Vito Bratta. Mainly active in the 1980s and early 1990s, they released their debut album Fight to Survive in 1985. The band achieved success with their No. 8 hit "Wait" and No. 3 hit "When the Children Cry" from their second album, the double platinum selling Pride. The band continued their success with their third album, Big Game which achieved Gold status and their fourth album Mane Attraction which included a supporting tour. White Lion disbanded in 1992 and not long after their first compilation album, The Best of White Lion was released. Mike Tramp reformed White Lion with all new musicians in 1999 and again in 2004, following a failed attempt to reform the original line up. The new White Lion released a live album in 2005 and a brand new studio album Return of the Pride in 2008. Biography Fight to Survive After moving from Denmark to Spain and then New York City, vocalist Mike Tramp (formerly of the bands Mabel, Studs and Danish Lions) met Staten Island guitarist Vito Bratta (formerly of Dreamer) in 1983. They decided to put together a new band and recruited drummer Nicki Capozzi and bassist Felix Robinson (formerly of Angel) and named the group White Lion. White Lion was signed by Elektra Records in 1984 and recorded their debut album Fight to Survive. Elektra was unhappy with the final recording, and after refusing to release the album, terminated the band's contract. The album Fight to Survive was eventually released by Victor Company of Japan, Ltd, (JVC Records) in Japan in 1985. Philadelphia-based Grand Slamm Records bought the album from Elektra and released it in America the following year, under licensed by Elektra/Asylum Records. A few months later, Grand Slamm Records went bankrupt. Fight to Survive charted at number 151 on Billboard 200 and featured the band's debut single and music video, "Broken Heart". In 1985, Felix Robinson departed after they were dropped by Elektra and was replaced by bassist Dave Spitz (brother of Anthrax guitarist Dan Spitz). With the Tramp, Bratta, Capozzi, Spitz line-up, the band recorded a round of demos and continued to play shows in New York while shopping around for a new record deal. This incarnation of White Lion was hired to play a fictional band in the Tom Hanks/Shelley Long movie The Money Pit, which was released a year later. The soundtrack features the song "Web of Desire" (credited to "White Lion and Robey (portrayed by Louise Robey), which was demoed that year. The film soundtrack was never officially released although the song plays in the movie during both of their scenes. Dave Spitz left at the end of 1985 to join Black Sabbath, and was replaced by James LoMenzo. Nicki Capozzi was subsequently fired and replaced by former Anthrax drummer Greg D'Angelo. Pride Early in 1987, the band was signed by Atlantic Records. The recording of the album took six weeks and on June 21, 1987 their album Pride was released. The first single, "Wait", was released on June 1, 1987, but did not reach the charts for nearly seven months. The Pride tour started in July 1987 as White Lion opened for Frehley's Comet. The next year and a half was filled with constant touring, opening for such bands as Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Stryper and Kiss. In January 1988 White Lion landed the opening slot for AC/DC on their Blow Up Your Video American tour. While touring with AC/DC, the Pride album and "Wait" single finally charted, due in no small part to MTV airing the "Wait" music video in regular rotation—nearly seven months after the single's release. "Wait" hit No. 8 on the singles chart, while Pride hit No. 11 on the album charts. Pride would remain on the Top 200 Billboard album charts for a full year, selling two million copies in the US alone and achieving double platinum status. In August 1988, the album's second single, "Tell Me", reached No. 58. Around the time this single was released, White Lion played at the Ritz club in New York City. The show was filmed and later aired on MTV. The Pride album's third single, a power ballad titled "When the Children Cry", made it to No. 3 on the charts with heavy MTV airplay. The success of "When the Children Cry" would eventually push sales of Pride over the two million mark. In addition, Vito Bratta was recognized for his instrumental talents by racking up Best New Guitarist awards with both Guitar World magazine and Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazine. "All You Need Is Rock 'n' Roll" was the final single released from the album. In the spring of 1989, the Pride tour finally ended, and the band released their first video albums titled "Live at the Ritz" and "One Night in Tokyo" both of which featuring full concerts on VHS. The band then immediately began work on their next album. Big Game & Mane Attraction In August 1989, White Lion released their third album, Big Game, a musically eclectic follow-up to Pride that featured the single "Little Fighter" (which peaked at No. 52), in Memory of The Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace boat which was destroyed by the French. A cover of Golden Earring's "Radar Love" (which peaked at No. 59) was released as the second single and "Cry for Freedom", a political song about apartheid in South Africa was released as the third single. "Going Home Tonight" was released as the album's final single. The album quickly went gold, with a peak of No. 19 on the album charts. The band's success continued with more constant touring. After two years of writing and recording, White Lion released their fourth album Mane Attraction in the spring of 1991. The album featured the singles "Love Don't Come Easy" which peaked at number 24 on The Mainstream Rock Charts, "Lights and Thunder" which is a eight-minute heavy rock epic with a complex structure inspired by Led Zeppelin’s Achilles Last Stand.and a re-recorded version of the band's debut single "Broken Heart", all of which featured music videos. "Out with the Boys" and "You're All I Need" were released as promo singles and "Farewell to You" featured a music video montage. The album also contained White Lion's only instrumental song, "Blue Monday", a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan, who had died while the band was writing the album. The album's two ballads "You're All I Need" and "Till Death Do Us Part" gained popular airplay in Indonesia and the Philippines. Greg D'Angelo and James LoMenzo left the band soon after the album's release, citing "musical differences," but White Lion carried on with bassist Tommy T-Bone Caradonna and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso (Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Suicidal Tendencies, Y&T, Fiona). Break-up After briefly touring in support of Mane Attraction, Tramp and Bratta decided to fold the group, their last show being held in Boston at the Channel in September 1991. Exactly one year later, in September 1992, the band's first compilation album was released, titled The Best of White Lion. A Video/DVD album featuring concert footage, behind the scenes interviews and all of the band's music videos was also released, titled Escape from Brooklyn. When asked what the album would be like if he and Vito Bratta had released another album after Mane Attraction, Tramp said it would have hinted at their growth and evolution, and taken them further away from the '80s sound. He commented: After White Lion James LoMenzo and Greg D'Angelo joined Zakk Wylde's band, Lynyrd Skynhead, in the mid 1990s which became the band Pride & Glory when Greg D'Angelo was replaced by Brian Tichy. Pride & Glory released one album, then James LoMenzo left the band. James went on to record and tour with ex-Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth, Zakk Wylde's band Black Label Society, thrash metal pioneers Megadeth, and in 2013, joined John Fogerty's solo band. Vito Bratta stayed briefly with Atlantic Records to help produce an album for CPR, and later tried to form a new music group that never panned out. Despite a dedicated worldwide following of guitar aficionados, Vito disappeared from public view from 1994 until his interview by Eddie Trunk live on February 16, 2007. Vito is the sole owner of the White Lion music catalog, retaining the legal and distributive rights to all four original albums. The material was licensed entirely to Bratta's Vavoom Music, Inc, when Tramp sold off his share in the mid 1990s. Freak of Nature Mike Tramp went on to form the hard rock / heavy metal band Freak of Nature, The follow up was significantly heavier and darker than White Lion, featuring two guitar players and more visceral songs with a strong rhythmic foundation. The band released three albums between 1992 and 1998, Freak of Nature, Gathering of Freaks, and Outcasts. The band shared stages with Helloween and Dio in Europe in 1993. Freak of Nature eventually disbanded in 1996. Tramp has often called Freak of Nature the best band he has been a part of and also said that he wanted to stray from the 80s sound and adopt a more 70s approach. Mike Tramp solo career Following Freak of Nature, Tramp began a solo career, releasing his debut album as a solo artist in 1998 titled Capricorn. The album featured former Freak of Nature bandmates, guitarist Kenny Korade and bass player Jerry Best. Former White Lion bass guitarist James LoMenzo performed backing vocals on the album. The song "Better Off" was released as Tramp's debut solo single and features his first solo music video. The album also features the singles "Already Gone", "If I Live Tomorrow" and "Take a Little Time". It would be five years before Tramp returned to the studio to record his follow-up album, Recovering the Wasted Years, during which time he would move to Australia, with the aim of raising his son away from the rigors of big city life and to plan his next career move. Recovering the Wasted Years was released in 2002 and featured the singles "Living a Lie" and "Endless Highway" both featuring live music videos. In 2003, Tramp followed-up with his third album, More to Life Than This, which Tramp once again produced himself but relied on producer/engineer Flemming Rasmussen (Metallica) to engineer and mix the sessions in his very own Sweet Silence Studios. The album's title track, "More to Life Than This", and "Don't Want to Say Good Night" were both released as singles. A music video made in Australia was released for the song "Lay Down My Life For You". Also in 2003, Tramp released the double disc live album Rock 'N' Roll Alive, which features Tramp performing live versions of songs from White Lion, Freak of Nature, and his solo albums. In 2004, Tramp released the solo album Songs I Left Behind. The new White Lion and legal issues In 1999 after commencing his solo career, Mike Tramp, with all new musicians, also released Remembering White Lion, which featured new versions of some of White Lion's classic songs and started what would be a long battle to reform White Lion. In 2000, momentum for a new White Lion continued with the release of a second best of album titled White Lion Hits followed by an updated White Lion compilation titled The Essential White Lion. In October 2003, Tramp announced a White Lion reunion with the original members. This statement was quickly denied by the other former members. Later Tramp said that Vito Bratta wanted nothing to do with a reunion. With summer festivals in Europe already booked, Tramp attempted to put together a "new White Lion" featuring former members James LoMenzo and Jimmy DeGrasso, along with Warren DeMartini of Ratt. Vito Bratta filed suit claiming partial ownership of the name, and the tour was scrapped. Tramp later commented that despite his willingness, "There will never be an original White Lion reunion". In 2004 due to legal issues, the album Remembering White Lion was re-released under the new title Last Roar featuring the band name Tramp's White Lion. In late 2004, Mike Tramp organized another group of unknown musicians and continued with a new White Lion under the act Tramp's White Lion, this however did not stop the persistent legal issues with former members. Despite all the issues, 'TWL' (a.k.a. White Lion 2) played and re-recorded White Lion songs, touring and releasing a box set titled The Bootleg Series in 2004 and a double-live CD entitled Rocking the USA in 2005. The band had several concerts cancelled in late 2005 as promoters backed away due to the threat of possible legal action and by the end of the year Tramp had almost completely given up on White Lion, but six months later was inspired to continue with the booking of a European tour for November and December 2006. Tramp's White Lion played several dates in Europe including Sweden, Norway, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. In 2005, a Concert Anthology DVD was released followed by the album Anthology in 2006 featuring never before released songs and demo versions of White Lion classic songs from previous albums. On February 16, 2007, Vito Bratta appeared on the Eddie Trunk radio show in New York, stating that despite what Mike Tramp said, he had never refused a White Lion reunion, stating that the only reason he was unable to participate was due to the illness of his father. He added that he would still be open to the idea and has not closed the door to returning to the music industry again. Trunk made it clear that Bratta's involvement in the show was something that he had wanted to happen since White Lion first broke up in 1991. Bratta took calls and answered questions from fans for almost three hours. On April 6 and 7, 2007, at the L'Amours Reunion Shows in New York, Bratta made his first public musical appearances in over 15 years. Three weeks later Mike Tramp called the same show from Australia, speaking about Bratta and the band's new album, including the tour dates that Tramp's White Lion had recently confirmed. Tramp said that he was thankful that Bratta had finally answered fan's questions, the same questions he himself had been asked many times over the past 15 years. He also stated that he felt uncomfortable answering on Vito's behalf, and that he was upset that Vito had withdrawn himself from the music industry. Return of the Pride A White Lion compilation The Definitive Rock Collection was released in 2007 and the band was set for a summer tour with Poison and Ratt only to be dropped by the tour promoter after ex-White Lion guitarist Vito Bratta threatened to take legal action over the band name. In response to the rumors surrounding the White Lion and the Poison/Ratt summer tour, Tramp issued a statement explaining that tour promoters Live Nation's decision was not based on any controversy over whether Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as White Lion. Live Nation's decision was based upon the threatened lawsuit by Vito Bratta. Even though Live Nation believed Bratta's lawsuit to be frivolous and had confirmed that Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as White Lion, they did not want to spend 'one dollar' on litigation. Faced with the cancellation of a tour that was to begin within weeks, the band's attorneys went the extra mile to work out a deal with Vito Bratta to drop his threatened lawsuit but even with the threat of litigation eliminated, Live Nation continued on their ill-informed course of dropping White Lion from the Poison tour. Extremely upset with the decision, Tramp acknowledges the many fans across the United States who were also disappointed by Live Nation's decision. Despite the threatened legal action and the band's removal from the Poison/Ratt tour, White Lion continued touring and fulfilled their many headline shows in the U.S. that were scheduled between the Poison shows, including the Rocklahoma festival with Poison, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Slaughter, Y&T, Gypsy Pistoleros, Dirty Penny, Greg Leon Invasion and Zendozer. Tramp also confirmed to MelodicRock.com that the band had just finished recording its new studio album and the CD would be mixed by Dennis Ward and titled Return of the Pride. The new studio album entitled Return of the Pride was released on March 14, 2008 and the band was now once again simply known as White Lion. The band did a world tour to support the album. White Lion toured India and played to 42,000 at Shillong, Meghalaya, and a 30,000 plus crowd at the Dimapur stadium in Nagaland. The band was invited to India by the head of the Tripura Royal Family Maharaja Kirit Pradyot Deb Burman. The album featured the singles "Dream" and "Live Your Life". A live DVD was released on December 5, 2008 entitled Bang Your Head Festival 2005. White Lion: final activities Following the release of Return of the Pride, Tramp faced a tumultuous time of professional indecision as he tried to decide between continuing his solo career or pouring his energy into White Lion. With White Lion ultimately put on hold again Tramp continues with his solo career releasing the album Mike Tramp & The Rock 'N' Roll Circuz in 2009, which is also now the name of his solo band, a Copenhagen-based band with all Danish members. The album was initially intended to be the next new White Lion album but a new solo band was formed instead. The album hit the IFPI, Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums' at number 16 and features the singles "All of My Life" and "Come On" which also features a music video. In 2011, Tramp released the solo album Stand Your Ground featuring the singles "Distance" and "Hymn to Ronnie", a tribute song to former Heaven & Hell and Black Sabbath vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who died on May 16, 2010. On April 8, 2013, Tramp released the acoustic folk style rock album Cobblestone Street. The album charted at Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums' at number 21 and features the singles "New Day" and "Revolution". While promoting his solo album, Tramp announced in several interviews that there would no longer be a White Lion of any kind, including the new White Lion or any possible reunions. In August 2014, Tramp released the acoustic folk style rock album Museum. The album charted at Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums' at number 3 and includes the singles "Trust in Yourself" which features a music video directed by his son Dylan and "Freedom". Following this release, Tramp once again confirmed there would be no more White Lion. With White Lion officially over, the voice of the band Mike Tramp continued with his solo career releasing the album Nomad in 2015. The album charted on Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums at number 21 and features the singles "High Like a Mountain" and "Give It All You Got", which features a music video filmed and edited in Copenhagen. In 2016, following up on Nomads success and the award for "Classic Rock Album of the Year" at High Voltage Rock Awards, Tramp released the single "Stay" which like previous singles was played heavily on Danish national radio. "Stay" came with a video that showed former White Lion frontman Mike Tramp in total isolation, living the life of a forest worker in the beautiful Scandinavian woods. Band members Last line-up Mike Tramp – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1983–1992,1999–2009) Jamie Law – lead guitar (2004–2009) Troy Patrick Farrell – drums (2004–2009) Claus Langeskov – bass (2004–2009) Henning Wanner – keyboards (2004–2009) Former members Vito Bratta – lead guitar, backing vocals (1983–1992) Joe Hasselvander – drums (1983) Nicki Capozzi – drums (1983–1984) Felix Robinson – bass (1983–1984) Bruno Ravel – bass (1984) Dave Spitz – bass (1985) James LoMenzo – bass, backing vocals (1985–1991) Greg D'Angelo – drums (1985–1991) Jimmy DeGrasso – drums (1991–1992) Tommy T–Bone Caradonna – bass (1991–1992) Kasper Damgaard – lead guitar (1999–2003) Nils Kroyer – bass (1999–2003) Bjarne T. Holm – drums (1999–2003) Dan Hemmer – keyboards (1999–2003) Timeline Social issues Unlike most bands of their genre, White Lion recorded occasional songs that addressed social or political issues such as apartheid ("Cry for Freedom"), the war in El Salvador ("El Salvador") and the effect of divorce on children ("Broken Home"). The song "Little Fighter" was about the Rainbow Warrior, a ship owned by the environmental group Greenpeace that was destroyed by operatives of the French intelligence service. This concern for political and social issues was also hinted at in the cover art to their album Big Game, which featured a lion's head hidden in tall grass with the White House in the background. Discography See also List of glam metal bands and artists References American glam metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups disestablished in 1992 Musical groups reestablished in 1999 Atlantic Records artists
false
[ "Coup de Grâce is the fourth album by the rock band Mink DeVille, released in 1981. The album represented a departure for the band, as frontman Willy DeVille dismissed the only other remaining original member of the band, guitarist Louis X. Erlanger, and hired Helen Schneider's backup band (\"The Kick\") to record the album. Moreover, the album was recorded for Atlantic (Mink DeVille had previously recorded with Capitol).\n\nDeVille told The New York Times:\nI had band problems, manager problems, record company problems. And yeah, I had drug problems. Finally, I got a new recording contract, with Atlantic, and a new manager. I cleaned up my act. I figured that since playing music with people I was friends with didn't seem to work out, I would hire some mercenaries, some cats who just wanted to play and get paid. And those guys turned out to be more devoted to the music than any band I ever had. They're professional, precise, but they're full of fire, too.\n\nJack Nitzsche produced the album, his third for Mink DeVille, along with Willy DeVille (the song \"Love Me Like You Did Before\" was produced by Willy DeVille and Thom Panunzio).\n\nReviews \n\nDutch rock magazine OOR named Coup de Grâce the fifth best album of 1981. AllMusic said about Coup de Grâce:\n\nThe band's sound combined with Nitzsche's timeless production style, which combined with that voice to create a purer rock & roll noise than even Bruce Springsteen's in 1981. The evidence is on the anthem \"Maybe Tomorrow,\" the slippery doo-wop feel of \"Love and Emotion,\" and the devastating read of Arthur Alexander's \"You Better Move On,\" that includes in its soulful Spanish stroll mix a pair of marimbas and the ever-lamenting accordion, turning the track into something that is so deadly serious it should have perhaps been in West Side Story. This was Mink DeVille near their zenith as a recording unit.\n\nThe Record said about the album, \"Coup de Grâce recapitulates and resolves the themes of Le Chat Bleu in an intriguing blend of soul-pop and razor-edged rock. Its influences are as distant as The Drifters and as contemporary as Bruce Springsteen.\"\n\nTrack listing \nAll songs written by Willy DeVille, unless otherwise noted.\n\n \"Just Give Me One Good Reason\" – 3:17\n \"Help Me to Make It (Power of a Woman's Love)\" (Eddie Hinton) – 4:09\n \"Maybe Tomorrow\" – 2:56\n \"Teardrops Must Fall\" – 4:12\n \"You Better Move On\" (Arthur Alexander) – 3:00\n \"Love & Emotion\" – 3:40\n \"So in Love Are We\" (DeVille, Roger Rich) – 3:42\n \"Love Me Like You Did Before\" – 3:15\n \"She Was Made in Heaven\" – 2:59\n \"End of the Line\" – 2:49\n\nPersonnel \n Ricky Borgia – guitar\n Louis Cortelezzi – baritone saxophone\n Willy DeVille – guitar, vocals\n Brother Johnny Espinet – percussion\n The Exhilarations – background vocals\n Ray Goodwin\n Alan Morgan\n Andy Deweese\n Joe Mendez\n Al \"Butch\" Floyd\n Jimmy Maelen – percussion\n Kenny Margolis – piano, accordion, vibraphone\n Eve Moon – background vocals\n Thommy Price – drums\n Joey Vasta – bass\n\nProduction \n Jim Ball – engineering\n Bob Defrin – art direction\n Willy DeVille – production\n Jack Nitzsche – arrangement, production\n Thom Panunzio – production, engineering, associate production\n John Pilgreen – cover photography\n Joyce Ravid – photography\n Sandi Young – design\n\nCharts\n\nReferences \n\n1981 albums\nMink DeVille albums\nAlbums produced by Jack Nitzsche\nAtlantic Records albums", "Randy the Band is an album by Swedish punk rock band Randy, released in October 2005 by Ny Våg Records and Epitaph Records/Burning Heart Records. As of July 2020, it is Randy's latest album.\n\nThe album produced one single, \"Razorblade,\" for which the band recorded a music video.\n\nCritical reception \n\nIn their review of the album, AllMusic called Randy \"one of [Sweden]'s most highly touted punk bands\" and positively likened the band to Green Day in saying that both groups are \"ferociously energetic.\" The review also complimented Randy for \"maintaining a knife-edge balance between youthful energy and tightly played rock & roll.\" While AllMusic did not give the album a formal rating or distinguish any tracks as highlights or standouts, the review itself individually praised the tracks \"Punk Rock High,\" \"Rich Boy,\" \"Teenage Tiger,\" \"I Raise My Fist,\" and \"Losing My Mind.\"\n\nPunkNews reviewer William David gave the album 8 out of 10 stars, remarking in their review, \"Anyone who has followed the career of this band knows they have consistently delivered hit album after hit album, and [this album] is no exception.\" He complimented the band's style of \"catchy-as-can-be rock n' roll\" and noted that the band had \"honed in on their melodic side this time around,\" differing from previous heavier and less melodic albums like Welfare Problems. David also compared the band's style in the album to The Clash, also complimenting the band for their guitar work, attention to melody, and socialist lyrical themes. David distinguished \"Razorblade,\" \"Evil,\" \"The Pretender,\" and \"Going Out With the Dead\" as standout tracks.\n\nLike AllMusic, Peter Gaston of Spin did not reward Randy the Band with a formal rating; however, in his review of the album, he praises the band's music for being \"taut and loaded with punchy, fist-pumping choruses.\" He favorably compares the second track on the album, \"Razorblade,\" to Social Distortion; he also favorably compares \"Better than Art\" to Andrew W.K.\n\nLike AllMusic and Spin, Sam Sutherland with Exclaim! did not award Randy the Band with a formal rating. However, he complimented the evolution in sound evident in the album, as well as the band's influence from predecessors in the punk rock and rock n' roll scenes: \"While the band aren't the type to boldly explore any new sonic territory, they still manage to spice up such tracks as 'Going Out with the Dead' with the full-on cheese factor of dueling guitar solos. 'Teenage Tiger' pays homage to Little Richard with its nonsensical lyrical styling, and 'Losing My Mind' calls up the filthy guitar solos of Greg Ginn and Dez Cadena.\" Sutherland compliments lead vocalist Stefan Granberg's performance on the album in particular. He notes that the politics in Randy the Band are more subdued than those in previous albums but still calls the album \"a solid release from a generally consistent band.\"\n\nTrack listing\n\nInformation\n Recorded at Decibel Studios\n Recorded by Estudiomac\n Mixed at Sjöbjörn Studio\n Mastered at Cutting Room Studios\n Mixed and engineered by Pelle Gunnerfeldt\n All tracks produced by Randy\n Artwork by Robert Pettersson\n Design (Cover/Laser/Back/Label), Layout by Hugo Sundkvist\n Published by Warner/Chappell and Picnic Music\n Released by Burning Heart on October 10, 2005\n Distributed by Epitaph Records/Epitaph Europe\n Performed by Randy\n\nCredits \n Fredrik Granberg - drums\n Johan Gustafsson - bass, background vocals\n Stefan Granberg - vocals, guitar\n Johan Brändström - guitar, background vocals, some lead vocals\n Randy - Primary Artist, Producer\n\nReferences\n\n2005 albums\n2005 in Swedish music\nRandy (band) albums\nNew wave albums by Swedish artists\nBurning Heart Records albums" ]
[ "White Lion", "Return of the Pride", "When was the return of the pride?", "The new studio album entitled \"Return of the Pride\" was released on March 14, 2008", "was it successful?", "I don't know.", "did they go on tour?", "The band did a world tour to support the album.", "what were some singles?", "The album featured the singles \"Dream\" and \"Live Your Life\".", "did they have any problems with the album?", "I don't know." ]
C_3e817baeffb34afc85a9704f8aa120a6_1
did they collaborate with anyone?
6
did the band White Lion collaborate with anyone?
White Lion
A White Lion compilation "The Definitive Rock Collection" was released in 2007 and the band was set for a summer tour with Poison and Ratt only to be dropped by the tour promoter after ex-White Lion guitarist Vito Bratta threatened to take legal action over the band name. In response to the rumors surrounding WHITE LION and the POISON/RATT summer tour, Tramp issued a statement explaining that tour promoters Live Nation's decision was not based on any controversy over whether Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as White Lion. Live Nation's decision was based upon the threatened lawsuit by Vito Bratta. Even though Live Nation believed Vito's lawsuit to be frivolous and had confirmed that Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as WHITE LION, they did not want to spend 'one dollar' on litigation. Faced with the cancellation of a tour that was to begin within weeks, the band's attorneys went the extra mile to work out a deal with Vito Bratta to drop his threatened lawsuit but even with the threat of litigation eliminated, Live Nation continued on their ill-informed course of dropping White Lion from the Poison tour. Extremely upset with the decision Tramp acknowledges the many fans across the United States who are also extremely disappointed by Live Nation's decision. Despite the threatened legal action and the band's removal from the POISON/RATT tour, White Lion continued touring and fulfilled their many headline shows in the U.S. that were scheduled between the Poison shows, including the Rocklahoma festival with Poison, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Slaughter, Y&T, Gypsy Pistoleros, Dirty Penny, Greg Leon Invasion and Zendozer. Tramp also confirmed to MelodicRock.com that the band has just finished recording its new studio album and The CD will be mixed by Dennis Ward and will be titled "Return of the Pride". The new studio album entitled "Return of the Pride" was released on March 14, 2008 and the band was now once again simply known as White Lion. The band did a world tour to support the album. White Lion toured India and played to 42,000 at Shillong, Meghalaya, and a 30,000 plus crowd at the Dimapur stadium in Nagaland. The band was invited to India by the head of the Tripura Royal Family Maharaja Kirit Pradyot Deb Burman. The album featured the singles "Dream" and "Live Your Life". A live DVD was released on December 5, 2008 entitled "Bang Your Head Festival 2005". CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
White Lion was an American glam metal band that was formed in New York City in 1983 by Danish vocalist/guitarist Mike Tramp and American guitarist Vito Bratta. Mainly active in the 1980s and early 1990s, they released their debut album Fight to Survive in 1985. The band achieved success with their No. 8 hit "Wait" and No. 3 hit "When the Children Cry" from their second album, the double platinum selling Pride. The band continued their success with their third album, Big Game which achieved Gold status and their fourth album Mane Attraction which included a supporting tour. White Lion disbanded in 1992 and not long after their first compilation album, The Best of White Lion was released. Mike Tramp reformed White Lion with all new musicians in 1999 and again in 2004, following a failed attempt to reform the original line up. The new White Lion released a live album in 2005 and a brand new studio album Return of the Pride in 2008. Biography Fight to Survive After moving from Denmark to Spain and then New York City, vocalist Mike Tramp (formerly of the bands Mabel, Studs and Danish Lions) met Staten Island guitarist Vito Bratta (formerly of Dreamer) in 1983. They decided to put together a new band and recruited drummer Nicki Capozzi and bassist Felix Robinson (formerly of Angel) and named the group White Lion. White Lion was signed by Elektra Records in 1984 and recorded their debut album Fight to Survive. Elektra was unhappy with the final recording, and after refusing to release the album, terminated the band's contract. The album Fight to Survive was eventually released by Victor Company of Japan, Ltd, (JVC Records) in Japan in 1985. Philadelphia-based Grand Slamm Records bought the album from Elektra and released it in America the following year, under licensed by Elektra/Asylum Records. A few months later, Grand Slamm Records went bankrupt. Fight to Survive charted at number 151 on Billboard 200 and featured the band's debut single and music video, "Broken Heart". In 1985, Felix Robinson departed after they were dropped by Elektra and was replaced by bassist Dave Spitz (brother of Anthrax guitarist Dan Spitz). With the Tramp, Bratta, Capozzi, Spitz line-up, the band recorded a round of demos and continued to play shows in New York while shopping around for a new record deal. This incarnation of White Lion was hired to play a fictional band in the Tom Hanks/Shelley Long movie The Money Pit, which was released a year later. The soundtrack features the song "Web of Desire" (credited to "White Lion and Robey (portrayed by Louise Robey), which was demoed that year. The film soundtrack was never officially released although the song plays in the movie during both of their scenes. Dave Spitz left at the end of 1985 to join Black Sabbath, and was replaced by James LoMenzo. Nicki Capozzi was subsequently fired and replaced by former Anthrax drummer Greg D'Angelo. Pride Early in 1987, the band was signed by Atlantic Records. The recording of the album took six weeks and on June 21, 1987 their album Pride was released. The first single, "Wait", was released on June 1, 1987, but did not reach the charts for nearly seven months. The Pride tour started in July 1987 as White Lion opened for Frehley's Comet. The next year and a half was filled with constant touring, opening for such bands as Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Stryper and Kiss. In January 1988 White Lion landed the opening slot for AC/DC on their Blow Up Your Video American tour. While touring with AC/DC, the Pride album and "Wait" single finally charted, due in no small part to MTV airing the "Wait" music video in regular rotation—nearly seven months after the single's release. "Wait" hit No. 8 on the singles chart, while Pride hit No. 11 on the album charts. Pride would remain on the Top 200 Billboard album charts for a full year, selling two million copies in the US alone and achieving double platinum status. In August 1988, the album's second single, "Tell Me", reached No. 58. Around the time this single was released, White Lion played at the Ritz club in New York City. The show was filmed and later aired on MTV. The Pride album's third single, a power ballad titled "When the Children Cry", made it to No. 3 on the charts with heavy MTV airplay. The success of "When the Children Cry" would eventually push sales of Pride over the two million mark. In addition, Vito Bratta was recognized for his instrumental talents by racking up Best New Guitarist awards with both Guitar World magazine and Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazine. "All You Need Is Rock 'n' Roll" was the final single released from the album. In the spring of 1989, the Pride tour finally ended, and the band released their first video albums titled "Live at the Ritz" and "One Night in Tokyo" both of which featuring full concerts on VHS. The band then immediately began work on their next album. Big Game & Mane Attraction In August 1989, White Lion released their third album, Big Game, a musically eclectic follow-up to Pride that featured the single "Little Fighter" (which peaked at No. 52), in Memory of The Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace boat which was destroyed by the French. A cover of Golden Earring's "Radar Love" (which peaked at No. 59) was released as the second single and "Cry for Freedom", a political song about apartheid in South Africa was released as the third single. "Going Home Tonight" was released as the album's final single. The album quickly went gold, with a peak of No. 19 on the album charts. The band's success continued with more constant touring. After two years of writing and recording, White Lion released their fourth album Mane Attraction in the spring of 1991. The album featured the singles "Love Don't Come Easy" which peaked at number 24 on The Mainstream Rock Charts, "Lights and Thunder" which is a eight-minute heavy rock epic with a complex structure inspired by Led Zeppelin’s Achilles Last Stand.and a re-recorded version of the band's debut single "Broken Heart", all of which featured music videos. "Out with the Boys" and "You're All I Need" were released as promo singles and "Farewell to You" featured a music video montage. The album also contained White Lion's only instrumental song, "Blue Monday", a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan, who had died while the band was writing the album. The album's two ballads "You're All I Need" and "Till Death Do Us Part" gained popular airplay in Indonesia and the Philippines. Greg D'Angelo and James LoMenzo left the band soon after the album's release, citing "musical differences," but White Lion carried on with bassist Tommy T-Bone Caradonna and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso (Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Suicidal Tendencies, Y&T, Fiona). Break-up After briefly touring in support of Mane Attraction, Tramp and Bratta decided to fold the group, their last show being held in Boston at the Channel in September 1991. Exactly one year later, in September 1992, the band's first compilation album was released, titled The Best of White Lion. A Video/DVD album featuring concert footage, behind the scenes interviews and all of the band's music videos was also released, titled Escape from Brooklyn. When asked what the album would be like if he and Vito Bratta had released another album after Mane Attraction, Tramp said it would have hinted at their growth and evolution, and taken them further away from the '80s sound. He commented: After White Lion James LoMenzo and Greg D'Angelo joined Zakk Wylde's band, Lynyrd Skynhead, in the mid 1990s which became the band Pride & Glory when Greg D'Angelo was replaced by Brian Tichy. Pride & Glory released one album, then James LoMenzo left the band. James went on to record and tour with ex-Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth, Zakk Wylde's band Black Label Society, thrash metal pioneers Megadeth, and in 2013, joined John Fogerty's solo band. Vito Bratta stayed briefly with Atlantic Records to help produce an album for CPR, and later tried to form a new music group that never panned out. Despite a dedicated worldwide following of guitar aficionados, Vito disappeared from public view from 1994 until his interview by Eddie Trunk live on February 16, 2007. Vito is the sole owner of the White Lion music catalog, retaining the legal and distributive rights to all four original albums. The material was licensed entirely to Bratta's Vavoom Music, Inc, when Tramp sold off his share in the mid 1990s. Freak of Nature Mike Tramp went on to form the hard rock / heavy metal band Freak of Nature, The follow up was significantly heavier and darker than White Lion, featuring two guitar players and more visceral songs with a strong rhythmic foundation. The band released three albums between 1992 and 1998, Freak of Nature, Gathering of Freaks, and Outcasts. The band shared stages with Helloween and Dio in Europe in 1993. Freak of Nature eventually disbanded in 1996. Tramp has often called Freak of Nature the best band he has been a part of and also said that he wanted to stray from the 80s sound and adopt a more 70s approach. Mike Tramp solo career Following Freak of Nature, Tramp began a solo career, releasing his debut album as a solo artist in 1998 titled Capricorn. The album featured former Freak of Nature bandmates, guitarist Kenny Korade and bass player Jerry Best. Former White Lion bass guitarist James LoMenzo performed backing vocals on the album. The song "Better Off" was released as Tramp's debut solo single and features his first solo music video. The album also features the singles "Already Gone", "If I Live Tomorrow" and "Take a Little Time". It would be five years before Tramp returned to the studio to record his follow-up album, Recovering the Wasted Years, during which time he would move to Australia, with the aim of raising his son away from the rigors of big city life and to plan his next career move. Recovering the Wasted Years was released in 2002 and featured the singles "Living a Lie" and "Endless Highway" both featuring live music videos. In 2003, Tramp followed-up with his third album, More to Life Than This, which Tramp once again produced himself but relied on producer/engineer Flemming Rasmussen (Metallica) to engineer and mix the sessions in his very own Sweet Silence Studios. The album's title track, "More to Life Than This", and "Don't Want to Say Good Night" were both released as singles. A music video made in Australia was released for the song "Lay Down My Life For You". Also in 2003, Tramp released the double disc live album Rock 'N' Roll Alive, which features Tramp performing live versions of songs from White Lion, Freak of Nature, and his solo albums. In 2004, Tramp released the solo album Songs I Left Behind. The new White Lion and legal issues In 1999 after commencing his solo career, Mike Tramp, with all new musicians, also released Remembering White Lion, which featured new versions of some of White Lion's classic songs and started what would be a long battle to reform White Lion. In 2000, momentum for a new White Lion continued with the release of a second best of album titled White Lion Hits followed by an updated White Lion compilation titled The Essential White Lion. In October 2003, Tramp announced a White Lion reunion with the original members. This statement was quickly denied by the other former members. Later Tramp said that Vito Bratta wanted nothing to do with a reunion. With summer festivals in Europe already booked, Tramp attempted to put together a "new White Lion" featuring former members James LoMenzo and Jimmy DeGrasso, along with Warren DeMartini of Ratt. Vito Bratta filed suit claiming partial ownership of the name, and the tour was scrapped. Tramp later commented that despite his willingness, "There will never be an original White Lion reunion". In 2004 due to legal issues, the album Remembering White Lion was re-released under the new title Last Roar featuring the band name Tramp's White Lion. In late 2004, Mike Tramp organized another group of unknown musicians and continued with a new White Lion under the act Tramp's White Lion, this however did not stop the persistent legal issues with former members. Despite all the issues, 'TWL' (a.k.a. White Lion 2) played and re-recorded White Lion songs, touring and releasing a box set titled The Bootleg Series in 2004 and a double-live CD entitled Rocking the USA in 2005. The band had several concerts cancelled in late 2005 as promoters backed away due to the threat of possible legal action and by the end of the year Tramp had almost completely given up on White Lion, but six months later was inspired to continue with the booking of a European tour for November and December 2006. Tramp's White Lion played several dates in Europe including Sweden, Norway, Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. In 2005, a Concert Anthology DVD was released followed by the album Anthology in 2006 featuring never before released songs and demo versions of White Lion classic songs from previous albums. On February 16, 2007, Vito Bratta appeared on the Eddie Trunk radio show in New York, stating that despite what Mike Tramp said, he had never refused a White Lion reunion, stating that the only reason he was unable to participate was due to the illness of his father. He added that he would still be open to the idea and has not closed the door to returning to the music industry again. Trunk made it clear that Bratta's involvement in the show was something that he had wanted to happen since White Lion first broke up in 1991. Bratta took calls and answered questions from fans for almost three hours. On April 6 and 7, 2007, at the L'Amours Reunion Shows in New York, Bratta made his first public musical appearances in over 15 years. Three weeks later Mike Tramp called the same show from Australia, speaking about Bratta and the band's new album, including the tour dates that Tramp's White Lion had recently confirmed. Tramp said that he was thankful that Bratta had finally answered fan's questions, the same questions he himself had been asked many times over the past 15 years. He also stated that he felt uncomfortable answering on Vito's behalf, and that he was upset that Vito had withdrawn himself from the music industry. Return of the Pride A White Lion compilation The Definitive Rock Collection was released in 2007 and the band was set for a summer tour with Poison and Ratt only to be dropped by the tour promoter after ex-White Lion guitarist Vito Bratta threatened to take legal action over the band name. In response to the rumors surrounding the White Lion and the Poison/Ratt summer tour, Tramp issued a statement explaining that tour promoters Live Nation's decision was not based on any controversy over whether Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as White Lion. Live Nation's decision was based upon the threatened lawsuit by Vito Bratta. Even though Live Nation believed Bratta's lawsuit to be frivolous and had confirmed that Mike Tramp has the legal right to perform as White Lion, they did not want to spend 'one dollar' on litigation. Faced with the cancellation of a tour that was to begin within weeks, the band's attorneys went the extra mile to work out a deal with Vito Bratta to drop his threatened lawsuit but even with the threat of litigation eliminated, Live Nation continued on their ill-informed course of dropping White Lion from the Poison tour. Extremely upset with the decision, Tramp acknowledges the many fans across the United States who were also disappointed by Live Nation's decision. Despite the threatened legal action and the band's removal from the Poison/Ratt tour, White Lion continued touring and fulfilled their many headline shows in the U.S. that were scheduled between the Poison shows, including the Rocklahoma festival with Poison, Ratt, Quiet Riot, Slaughter, Y&T, Gypsy Pistoleros, Dirty Penny, Greg Leon Invasion and Zendozer. Tramp also confirmed to MelodicRock.com that the band had just finished recording its new studio album and the CD would be mixed by Dennis Ward and titled Return of the Pride. The new studio album entitled Return of the Pride was released on March 14, 2008 and the band was now once again simply known as White Lion. The band did a world tour to support the album. White Lion toured India and played to 42,000 at Shillong, Meghalaya, and a 30,000 plus crowd at the Dimapur stadium in Nagaland. The band was invited to India by the head of the Tripura Royal Family Maharaja Kirit Pradyot Deb Burman. The album featured the singles "Dream" and "Live Your Life". A live DVD was released on December 5, 2008 entitled Bang Your Head Festival 2005. White Lion: final activities Following the release of Return of the Pride, Tramp faced a tumultuous time of professional indecision as he tried to decide between continuing his solo career or pouring his energy into White Lion. With White Lion ultimately put on hold again Tramp continues with his solo career releasing the album Mike Tramp & The Rock 'N' Roll Circuz in 2009, which is also now the name of his solo band, a Copenhagen-based band with all Danish members. The album was initially intended to be the next new White Lion album but a new solo band was formed instead. The album hit the IFPI, Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums' at number 16 and features the singles "All of My Life" and "Come On" which also features a music video. In 2011, Tramp released the solo album Stand Your Ground featuring the singles "Distance" and "Hymn to Ronnie", a tribute song to former Heaven & Hell and Black Sabbath vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who died on May 16, 2010. On April 8, 2013, Tramp released the acoustic folk style rock album Cobblestone Street. The album charted at Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums' at number 21 and features the singles "New Day" and "Revolution". While promoting his solo album, Tramp announced in several interviews that there would no longer be a White Lion of any kind, including the new White Lion or any possible reunions. In August 2014, Tramp released the acoustic folk style rock album Museum. The album charted at Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums' at number 3 and includes the singles "Trust in Yourself" which features a music video directed by his son Dylan and "Freedom". Following this release, Tramp once again confirmed there would be no more White Lion. With White Lion officially over, the voice of the band Mike Tramp continued with his solo career releasing the album Nomad in 2015. The album charted on Denmark's official top 40 hitlist albums at number 21 and features the singles "High Like a Mountain" and "Give It All You Got", which features a music video filmed and edited in Copenhagen. In 2016, following up on Nomads success and the award for "Classic Rock Album of the Year" at High Voltage Rock Awards, Tramp released the single "Stay" which like previous singles was played heavily on Danish national radio. "Stay" came with a video that showed former White Lion frontman Mike Tramp in total isolation, living the life of a forest worker in the beautiful Scandinavian woods. Band members Last line-up Mike Tramp – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (1983–1992,1999–2009) Jamie Law – lead guitar (2004–2009) Troy Patrick Farrell – drums (2004–2009) Claus Langeskov – bass (2004–2009) Henning Wanner – keyboards (2004–2009) Former members Vito Bratta – lead guitar, backing vocals (1983–1992) Joe Hasselvander – drums (1983) Nicki Capozzi – drums (1983–1984) Felix Robinson – bass (1983–1984) Bruno Ravel – bass (1984) Dave Spitz – bass (1985) James LoMenzo – bass, backing vocals (1985–1991) Greg D'Angelo – drums (1985–1991) Jimmy DeGrasso – drums (1991–1992) Tommy T–Bone Caradonna – bass (1991–1992) Kasper Damgaard – lead guitar (1999–2003) Nils Kroyer – bass (1999–2003) Bjarne T. Holm – drums (1999–2003) Dan Hemmer – keyboards (1999–2003) Timeline Social issues Unlike most bands of their genre, White Lion recorded occasional songs that addressed social or political issues such as apartheid ("Cry for Freedom"), the war in El Salvador ("El Salvador") and the effect of divorce on children ("Broken Home"). The song "Little Fighter" was about the Rainbow Warrior, a ship owned by the environmental group Greenpeace that was destroyed by operatives of the French intelligence service. This concern for political and social issues was also hinted at in the cover art to their album Big Game, which featured a lion's head hidden in tall grass with the White House in the background. Discography See also List of glam metal bands and artists References American glam metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1983 Musical groups disestablished in 1992 Musical groups reestablished in 1999 Atlantic Records artists
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[ "Walter Bullock (May 6, 1907 in Shelburn, Indiana –1953 in Los Angeles, California) was an American song lyricist and screenwriter. He recorded with his brother, James Russell Lowell Bullock. On April 22, 1930, they released a record on the Champion label (16004). Side A was I’m Satisfied With My Girl and side B was He Man Chew Tobacco.\n\nAfter graduating from DePauw University, Bullock started writing for Hollywood in 1936 and was to collaborate with many film composers. In 1936, he had two successes with Magnolias in the Moonlight with music by Victor Schertzinger, and When Did You Leave Heaven? with Richard A. Whiting.\n\nHe was nominated for two Academy Awards.\n\nSelected filmography\n The Gang's All Here (1943)\n Repeat Performance (1947)\n Out of the Blue (1947)\n Adventures of Casanova (1948)\n Golden Girl (1951)\n The Farmer Takes a Wife (1953)\n The I Don't Care Girl (1953)\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n\n1907 births\n1953 deaths\nAmerican male screenwriters\nPeople from Sullivan County, Indiana\nDePauw University alumni\nWriters from Indiana\n20th-century American composers\n20th-century American male writers\n20th-century American screenwriters", "Paulo Mendonça is a Swedish funk guitarist of Portuguese origin. He has made five studio albums and one live album, the first three in the 1990s He toured with Tina Turner among others. In 2008, he collaborated on Jeff Scott Soto's album, Beautiful mess. In 2013, he released Does anyone wanna funk? which featured the song Birds and the bees, a moderate success in Sweden and Germany \n\nHe was one of the first musicians ever to collaborate with the Swatch Group to provide tunes for its Melody line of wristwatches. His latest collaboration with Swatch is the PAULO MENDONCA-11 PM model, from the Winter 2013 collection.\n\nDiscography\n\nAlbums\n\nSingles\n\nDiscography and certifications as songwriter \nA discography of songs written and/or produced by Paulo Mendonca.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links \n Official site\n YouTube page\n Facebook page\n Instagram page\n Twitter account\n Last.fm artist page\n Spotify artist page\n Apple Music artist page\n\nYear of birth missing (living people)\nLiving people\nBrazilian guitarists\nBrazilian bass guitarists\nMale bass guitarists" ]
[ "Irving Thalberg", "Early years" ]
C_7b8dcb999ce54951992e991787a236a9_1
What year was he born?
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What year was Irving Thalberg born?
Irving Thalberg
Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome," caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to age twenty, or at most, age thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17, he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, Henrietta, to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an ad with the local newspaper hoping to find better work: "Situation Wanted: Secretary, stenographer, Spanish, English, high school education, no experience; $15." CANNOTANSWER
Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents,
Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 – September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and ability to select scripts, choose actors, gather production staff, and make profitable films, including Grand Hotel, China Seas, A Night at the Opera, Mutiny on the Bounty, Camille and The Good Earth. His films carved out an international market, "projecting a seductive image of American life brimming with vitality and rooted in democracy and personal freedom", states biographer Roland Flamini. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and as a child was afflicted with a congenital heart disease that doctors said would kill him before he reached the age of thirty. After graduating from high school he worked as a store clerk during the day and to gain some job skills took a night class in typing. He then found work as a secretary with Universal Studios' New York office, and was later made studio manager for their Los Angeles facility. There, he oversaw production of a hundred films during his three years with the company. Among the films he produced was The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923). In Los Angeles, he partnered with Louis B. Mayer's new studio and, after it merged with two other studios, helped create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). He was made head of production of MGM in 1925, at the age of twenty-six, helping MGM become the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years with MGM, until his premature death at the age of 37, he produced four hundred films, most of which bore his imprint and innovations, including story conferences with writers, sneak previews to gain early feedback, and extensive re-shooting of scenes to improve the film. In addition, he introduced horror films to audiences and coauthored the "Production Code", guidelines for morality followed by all studios. During the 1920s and 1930s, he synthesized and merged the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. Thalberg created numerous new stars and groomed their screen images. Among them were Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery, Spencer Tracy, Luise Rainer, and Norma Shearer, who became his wife. He had the ability to combine quality with commercial success, and was credited with bringing his artistic aspirations in line with the demands of audiences. After his death, Hollywood's producers said he had been the world's "foremost figure in motion-picture history". President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, given out periodically by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1937, has been awarded to producers whose body of work reflected consistently high quality films. Early years Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome", caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to the age of twenty, or at most, to thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17 he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, in order to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an advertisement in the local newspaper hoping to find better work: Career as producer Universal Studios He found work as an office secretary at Universal Pictures' New York office, and later became personal secretary to the studio's founder and president, Carl Laemmle. Among Thalberg's duties were transcribing and editing notes that Laemmle had written during screenings of his films. He earned $25 weekly, becoming adept at making insightful observations, which impressed Laemmle. Laemmle took Thalberg to see his Los Angeles production facility, where he spent a month watching how movie production worked. Before returning to New York, Laemmle told Thalberg to remain and "keep an eye on things for me." Two months later, Laemmle returned to California, partly to see how well Thalberg was able to handle the responsibilities he was given. Thalberg gave him suggestions, and thus impressed Laemmle by his ability to understand and explain problems. Thalberg suggested, "The first thing you should do is establish a new job of studio manager and give him the responsibility of watching day-to-day operations." Laemmle immediately agreed: "All right. You're it." In shock, Thalberg replied, "I'm what?" Laemmle told him to take charge of the Los Angeles studio, which he did in early 1919. When aged 20, Thalberg became responsible for immediately overseeing the nine ongoing film productions and nearly thirty scenarios then under development. In describing the rationale for this early appointment as studio manager, film historian David Thomson writes that his new job "owed nothing to nepotism, private wealth, or experience in the film industry." He reasons that despite "Thalberg's youth, modest education, and frail appearance ... it is clear that he had the charm, insight, and ability, or the appearance of it, to captivate the film world." Thalberg was one among the majority of Hollywood film industry workers who migrated from the East Coast, primarily from New York. Some film actors, such as Conrad Nagel, did not like the five-day train trip or the sudden warmth of the California climate. Neither did Marion Davies, who was not used to such "big wide spaces". Samuel Marx, a close friend of Thalberg's from New York, recalled how easily Thalberg adapted to Southern California, often standing outside his doorway during moments of contemplation to enjoy the scenery. "We were all young", said comedian Buster Keaton. "The air in California was like wine. Our business was also young—and growing like nothing ever seen before." Confrontation with Erich von Stroheim He quickly established his tenacity as he battled with well-known director Erich von Stroheim over the length of Foolish Wives (1922). Biographer Roland Flamini notes that the film was Universal's most expensive "jewel" ever in production, and its director and star, von Stroheim, was taking the film way over budget. Thalberg, now Universal's general manager, was forced to have the director quickly finalize production before the studio's working capital was used up. Flamini describes the situation: Thalberg had von Stroheim come to his office, which he did still wearing his film costume as a Russian Imperial Guard and escorted by members of his production team. Thalberg calmly told him, "I have seen all the film and you have all you need for the picture. I want you to stop shooting", to which von Stroheim replied, "But I have not finished as yet." "Yes, you have", said Thalberg. "You have spent all the money this company can afford. I cannot allow you to spend any more." Thalberg quietly explained that the director worked under the producer, and it was his responsibility to control costs. Von Stroheim, surrounded by his assistants, then confronted Thalberg: "If you were not my superior, I would smash you in the face." Thalberg, unflinching, said "Don't let that stop you." The result was that Thalberg soon afterward removed the cameras from von Stroheim's studio and took over editing. The uncut footage was pared down from five-and-a-half hours to three hours, to von Stroheim's deep dissatisfaction. A similar problem developed with von Stroheim's next film, Merry-Go-Round (1923). Although he had promised Thalberg to remain within budget this time, he continued production until it went to twice the agreed length and was not yet near completion. Flamini speculates why this happened: Thalberg again called von Stroheim to his office, handed him a long letter written and signed by himself, describing the problems, and summarily fired von Stroheim as of that moment. Thalberg's letter stated among the reasons, totally inexcusable and repeated acts of insubordination ... extravagant ideas which you have been unwilling to sacrifice ... unnecessary delays ... and your apparent idea that you are greater and more powerful than the organization that employs you. His dismissal of von Stroheim was considered an "earthquake in movie circles", notes Flamini. Producer David O. Selznick said that "it was the first time a director had been fired. It took great guts and courage ... Von Stroheim was utterly indifferent over money and could have gone on and spent millions, with nobody to stop him.". The opinion was shared by director Rouben Mamoulian, who said that the "little fellow at Universal", in one bold stroke, had "asserted the primacy of the studio over the director" and forever altered the balance of power in the movie industry. Effects of his young age According to Flamini, his youth was a subject of conversation within the movie community. Executives from other studios, actors, and film crew, often mistook him to be a junior employee. Movie columnist Louella Parsons, upon first being introduced to him, asked, "What's the joke? Where's the new general manager?" After five minutes of talking to Thalberg, however, she later wrote about "Universal's Boy Wonder": "He might be a boy in looks and age, but it was no child's mind that was being asked to cope with the intricate politics of Universal City." Novelist Edna Ferber responded the same way, writing that "I had fancied motion-picture producers as large gentlemen smoking oversized cigars. But this young man whose word seemed so final at Universal City ... impressed me deeply." The male actors in the studio had a similar reaction. Lionel Barrymore, who was nearly twice his age, recalled their meetings: Thalberg likewise gained the respect of leading playwrights, some of whom also looked down on him due to his youth. George S. Kaufman, co-author of Dinner at Eight, several Marx Brothers films, and two George Gershwin plays, came from New York to meet with Thalberg. Afterward he confided to his friend, Groucho Marx: "That man has never written a word, yet he can tell me exactly what to do with a story. I didn't know you had people like that out here." Actress Norma Shearer, whom he later married, was surprised after he greeted her at the door, then walked her to his office for her first job interview: "Then you're not the office boy?" she asked. He smiled, as he sat himself behind his desk: "No, Miss Shearer, I'm Irving Thalberg, vice-president of the Mayer Company. I'm the man who sent for you." His younger-than-normal age for a studio executive was usually mentioned even after he left Universal to help start up MGM. Screenwriter Agnes Christine Johnson, who worked with Thalberg for years, described his contribution during meetings: The same quality was observed by director and screenwriter Hobart Henley: "If something that read well in conference turns out not so good on the screen, I go to him and, like that—Henley snaps his fingers—he has a remedy. He's brilliant." Another assistant producer to Thalberg explains: His youth also contributed to his open-mindedness to the ideas of others. Conrad Nagel, who starred in numerous Thalberg films, reported that Thalberg was generally empathetic to those he worked alongside: "Thalberg never raised his voice. He just looked into your eyes, spoke softly, and after a few minutes he cast a spell on you." Studio attorney Edwin Loeb, who also worked to create AMPAS, explained that "the real foundation of Irving's success was his ability to look at life through the eyes of any given person. He had a gift of empathy, and almost complete perspective." Those opinions were also shared by producer Walter Wanger: "You thought that you were talking to an Indian savant. He could cast a spell on anybody." His talent as a producer was enhanced by his "near-miraculous" powers of concentration, notes film critic J. Hoberman. As a result, he was never bored or tired, and supplemented his spare time with reading for his own amusement, recalls screenwriter Bayard Veiller, with some of his favorite authors being Francis Bacon, Epictetus, and Immanuel Kant. Film projects at Universal Biographer Bob Thomas writes that after three years at the studio, Thalberg continually proved his value. Universal's pictures improved noticeably, primarily due to Thalberg's "uncanny sense of story." He took tight control over many key aspects of production, including his requirement that from then on scripts were tightly constructed before filming began, rather than during production. Thomas adds that he also "showed a remarkable capacity for working with actors, casting them aptly and advising them on their careers." After producing two films that were in production when he began work at Universal, he presented Laemmle with his idea for a film based on one of his favorite classic stories, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Rather than just a horror picture, Thalberg suggested turning it into a spectacle which would include a replica of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He had Lon Chaney play the hunchback. The film became Universal's most profitable silent film and established Chaney's career as a top-flight star. After nearly three years with Universal, Thalberg had supervised over a hundred movies, reorganized the studio to give more control to the managers, and had "stopped the defection" of many of their leading stars by offering them better, higher-paying contracts. He also produced a number of Universal's prestige films, which made the company profitable. However, he decided it was time to find a studio in Los Angeles more suitable to his skills, and spread word that he was available. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Cecil B. DeMille was the first who wanted to hire him, telling his partner Jesse Lasky, "The boy is a genius. I can see it. I know it." Lasky opposed the hire, stating, "Geniuses we have all we need." Thalberg then received an offer from Hal Roach, but the offer was withdrawn because Thalberg lacked experience with slapstick comedy films. In late 1922, Thalberg was introduced to Louis B. Mayer, president of a small but dynamic and fast-growing studio. At that first meeting, Thalberg "made a deep, immediate impression on Mayer", writes Flamini. After Thalberg had left, Mayer said to studio attorney Edwin Loeb: "Tell him if he comes to work for me, I'll look after him as though he were my son." Although their personalities were in many ways opposite, Mayer being more outspoken and nearly twice the younger man's age, Thalberg was hired as vice president in charge of production at Louis B. Mayer Productions. Years later, Mayer's daughter Irene Mayer Selznick recalled that "it was hard to believe anyone that boyish could be so important." According to Flamini, Thalberg was hired because, although Mayer was an astute businessman, "what he lacked was Thalberg's almost unerring ability to combine quality with commercial success, to bring artistic aspiration in line with the demands of the box office." Mayer's company subsequently merged with two others to become Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), with the 24-year-old Thalberg made part-owner and accorded the same position as vice president in charge of production. Three years after the merger, MGM became the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years at MGM, Thalberg supervised the production of over four hundred films. Although Thalberg and his colleagues at MGM knew he was "doomed" to not live much past the age of 30 due to heart disease, he loved producing films. He continued developing innovative ideas and overseeing most of MGM's pictures. Under Thalberg's management, MGM released over 40% more films yearly than Warner Brothers, and more than double Paramount's releases. From 1924 until 1936, when Thalberg died at the age of 37, "almost every film bore Thalberg's imprint", wrote Mark Vieira. Production innovations Thalberg's production techniques "broke new ground in filmmaking", adds Vieira. Among his contributions at MGM was his innovation of story conferences, sneak previews and scene retakes. He introduced the first horror films and coauthored the Production Code, the set of moral guidelines that all film studios agreed to follow. Thalberg helped synthesize and merge the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. MGM thereby became the only movie studio to consistently show a profit during the Great Depression. Flamini explains that the equation for MGM's success depended on combining stars, a Broadway hit or popular classic, and high standards of production. This combination at the time was considered a "revolutionary approach" in the film industry, which until then assumed a star was all that was needed for success, regardless of the story or production quality. The other studios began following MGM's lead with that same formula. Production techniques Thalberg generally followed a system in managing his productions. According to one of his assistants, Lawrence Weingarten, who later became a producer, "Thalberg directed the film on paper, and then the director directed the film on film." Thalberg was generally opposed to location shooting overseas where he could not oversee production and control costs, as happened with Ben Hur. Thus, he kept hundreds of back-lot carpenters at work creating realistic sets, as he did for fifteenth-century Romeo and Juliet (1936), or with China Seas (1935), to replicate the harbors of Hong Kong. Vieira points out that Thalberg's "fascination with Broadway plays" often had him create and present stories visually. For China Seas, for instance, he described for the screenwriters, director and others, exactly how he wanted the film to appear on screen: To be certain of achieving the desired effects, Thalberg made sure his cinematographers were careful in their use of light and shadow. Vieira observes that "more than any other producer or any other studio, Thalberg and MGM manipulated lenses, filters, and lighting instruments to affect the viewer." As a result, he notes, "most of Thalberg's films contain moments such as these, in which cinematic technique transcends mere exposition and gives the viewer something to treasure." Thalberg was supported by most of the studio in these kinds of creative decisions. "It was a big family," notes Weingarten. "If we had a success, everybody—and I mean every cutter, every painter, every plasterer—was excited about it, was abuzz, was in a tizzy about the whole idea of picture making." Taking risks with new subjects and stars In 1929, MGM released fifty films, and all but five showed a profit. Of those that failed, Hallelujah was also a gamble by Thalberg. When King Vidor, the film's producer and director, proposed the idea to Thalberg of a major film cast, for the first time, exclusively with African Americans, he told Thalberg directly, "I doubt that it will make a dollar at the box office." Thalberg replied, "Don't worry about that. I've told you that MGM can afford an occasional experiment." By the early 1930s, a number of stars began failing at the box office, partly due to the Great Depression that was now undermining the economy, along with the public's ability to spend on entertainment. Thalberg began using two stars in a film, rather than one, as had been the tradition at all the studios, such as pairing Greta Garbo with John Gilbert, Clark Gable with Jean Harlow, and William Powell with Myrna Loy. After experimenting with a few such films, including Mata Hari (1931), which were profitable, he decided on a multi-star production of another Broadway play, Grand Hotel (1932). It had five major stars, including Garbo, Joan Crawford, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, and Wallace Beery. "Before Thalberg," writes Vieira, "there was no Grand Hotel in the American consciousness." The film won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1932. Thalberg went against consensus and took another risk with The Great Ziegfeld (1936), costarring Luise Rainer. Although Louis B. Mayer did not want her in the role, which he felt was too minor for a new star, Thalberg felt that "only she could play the part", wrote biographer Charles Higham. Shortly after shooting began in late 1935, doubts of Rainer's acting ability emerged in the press. However, despite her limited appearances in the film, Rainer "so impressed audiences with one highly emotional scene" that she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. After her winning role in The Great Ziegfeld, Thalberg wanted her to play a role that was the opposite of her previous character, for The Good Earth (1937). For the part as a Chinese peasant, she was required to act totally subservient to her husband, being perpetually huddled in submission, and barely spoke a word of dialogue during the entire film. Rainer recalls that Mayer did not approve of the film being produced or her part in it: "He was horrified at Irving Thalberg's insistence for me to play O-lan, the poor uncomely little Chinese peasant." However, she again won the Oscar for Best Actress, becoming the first actress to win two consecutive Oscars, a feat not matched until Katharine Hepburn's two Oscar wins thirty years later. Grooming new stars Besides bringing a distinctive high quality "look" to MGM films and often recreating well-known stories or plays, Thalberg's actors themselves took on a characteristic quality. Thalberg wanted his female actors to appear "cool, classy and beautiful," notes Flamini. And he strove to make the male actors appear "worldly and in control." In general, Thalberg movies and actors came to be "luxurious," "glossy," and "technically flawless." By doing so, he made stars or boosted the careers of actors such as Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, John Gilbert, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Helen Hayes, Jean Harlow, Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore and Luise Rainer. Greta Garbo In 1925, a young Greta Garbo, then twenty, and unable to speak any English, was brought over from Sweden at Mayer's request, as he saw how she looked in still photos. A Swedish friend thought he would help her by contacting Thalberg, who then agreed to give her a screen test. According to author Frederick Sands, "the result of the test was electrifying." Thalberg was impressed and began grooming the new starlet the following day: "the studio arranged to fix her teeth, made sure she lost weight, and gave her an English tutor." Joan Crawford Joan Crawford's first role was a Thalberg production at MGM and she became one of their leading stars for the next thirty years. Crawford was somewhat jealous of Norma Shearer as she thought she was given the better material by her husband Thalberg out of nepotism. Nevertheless, she felt that his contribution to MGM was vital to the film industry. Not long after his early death, she recalls her concerns: "Thalberg was dead and the concept of the quality 'big' picture pretty much went out the window." Marie Dressler Thalberg also realized that old stars few had heard of could be made into new ones. Marie Dressler, a fifty-nine-year-old early vaudeville and movie star, who had played the top-billed lead, above Charles Chaplin and Mabel Normand), in the first feature-length comedy, Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914), was unable to get any roles in films after leaving show business for some years, finally working as a maid. MGM screenwriter Frances Marion suggested to Thalberg that she might fit well in a starring role for a new film, and was surprised that he knew of her prior successes. Thalberg approved of using her without a screen test and offered his rationale: By 1932, shortly before she died, Dressler was the country's number one box office star. Wallace Beery Marie Dressler was paired twice, in Min and Bill (1930) and Tugboat Annie (1933), with Wallace Beery, another major silent star who had been struggling to get work in sound pictures until Thalberg cast him. Beery had enjoyed a hugely successful silent film career dating back to 1913, but had been fired by Paramount shortly after sound pictures appeared. Thalberg cast him in the role of "Machine Gun Butch," which had been meant for recently deceased Lon Chaney, in The Big House (1930), an energetic prison picture that became a huge hit. Beery was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, and his burgeoning career at MGM had transformed him into the studio's highest paid actor within two more years, during which time he won the Oscar for The Champ and had become a phenomenal box office draw as a result of Thalberg's foresight. Getting audience feedback and reshooting According to Vieira, MGM had few failures during this period, and numerous blockbusters. Among the reasons was Thalberg's unique system of developing a script during story conferences with writers before filming began, and later giving "sneak previews" followed by audience feedback through written questionnaires. Often, where he felt improvement was needed, he arranged for scenes to be reshot. As Thalberg once stated, "The difference between something good and something superior is often very small." Bad decisions and missed opportunities Thalberg felt he had his "finger on the pulse of America. I know what people will do and what they won't do," he said. His judgment was not always accurate, however. Thalberg's bringing Broadway productions to the screen to develop higher picture standards sometimes resulted in "studied" acting or "stagey" sets, notes Flamini. In 1927, after the successful release of the first full-length talking picture, The Jazz Singer (1927), he nevertheless felt that talking pictures were a fad. Thalberg likewise did not think that color would replace black-and-white in movies. When an assistant protested against a script that envisioned a love scene in Paris with an ocean background, Thalberg refused to make changes, saying "We can't cater to a handful of people who know Paris." A more serious distraction to Thalberg's efforts was his obsession with making his wife Norma Shearer a prominent star, efforts which sometimes led to "overblown and overglamous" productions. Thalberg himself admitted to his obsession years later when he told a fellow producer: "You're behaving like I did with Norma. I knew positively that she could play anything. It's a kind of romantic astigmatism that attacks producers when they fall for an actress." Important films at MGM Ben Hur (1925) One of the first pictures he took charge of, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, was inherited and already in production by another studio when MGM was formed. The film was turning into a disastrous expense with cost overruns already in the millions due to its lavish sets and location shooting in Rome. Most studio executives chose to terminate the film to cut their losses. Thalberg, however, felt differently, and thought the film would affect movie audiences, due to its classic literary source, and would highlight MGM as a major new studio. He, therefore, discarded much of the original footage shot in Italy and recreated the set on MGM's back lots in Culver City, which added more millions to the production, yet gave him more control over production. The new set also included a replica of Circus Maximus for the dramatic chariot race scenes. Flamini notes that Thalberg's "gamble paid off," drawing international attention to MGM, and to Thalberg within the movie industry for his bold action. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty was the studio's next most expensive film after Ben Hur, with some now calling it "Thalberg's masterpiece." He initially had difficulty convincing Mayer that he could make the film without making heroes of the mutineers. He achieved that by instead making a hero of the British Royal Navy, whereby the officers and shipmates would from then on display their mutual respect. Thalberg also had to convince Clark Gable to accept the role against his will. He pleaded with Gable, eventually promising him that "If it isn't one of your greatest successes, I'll never ask you again to play a part you don't want." The film's other main stars were Charles Laughton and Franchot Tone. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Actor, and winning it for Best Picture. Thalberg accepted the award as producer from Frank Capra. Thalberg and Mayer partnership At first, Thalberg and studio chief Louis B. Mayer got along splendidly; however, they had different production philosophies. Thalberg preferred literary works, while Mayer preferred glitzy crowd-pleasing films. A clash was inevitable, and their relationship grew decidedly frosty. When Thalberg fell ill in the final weeks of 1932, Mayer took advantage of the situation and replaced him with David O. Selznick and Walter Wanger. Thalberg's reputation by that time for working long hours was widely known, and rumors about the related strain on his fragile health had become front-page news in entertainment trade publications. The Hollywood Reporter in January 1933 updated its readership about his condition and addressed growing concerns that he might be forced, despite his young age, to quit the business: Once Thalberg recovered sufficiently from his bout with the "flu" and was able to return to work later in 1933, it was as one of MGM's unit producers, albeit one who had first choice on projects as well as preferential access to all the studio's resources, including over casting its stars. Thalberg's good relationship with Nicholas Schenck, then president of Loew's Incorporated, proved to be an ongoing advantage for him. Loew's was the corporate parent of MGM, so Schenck was the true power and ultimate arbiter at the studio; and he usually supported Thalberg's decisions and continued to do so whenever disagreements about projects or production needs arose. As a result, Thalberg also continued to produce or coproduce some of MGM's most prestigious and critically acclaimed ventures in this period, such as The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) starring his wife Norma Shearer, China Seas (1935), A Night at the Opera (1935), San Francisco (1936), and Romeo and Juliet (1936). Personal life During his few years with Universal while living in New York, Thalberg had become romantically involved with Carl Laemmle's daughter, Rosabelle. Still in his early twenties and later spending most of his time in Los Angeles, his feelings toward her were no longer as strong. Flamini suspects that this may have affected his position at Universal and partly caused his decision to leave the company. "The Laemmles prayed that Irving would marry Rosabelle", notes Flamini. "They wanted their sons to be educated and their daughters to marry nice Jewish boys." Less than a year after he and Mayer took charge of the newly created MGM studios, and still only twenty-five years old, Thalberg suffered a serious heart attack due to overwork. Mayer also became aware of Thalberg's congenital heart problems and now worried about the prospect of running MGM without him. Mayer also became concerned that one of his daughters might become romantically involved, and told them so: Thalberg, aware of Mayer's feelings, made it a point of never giving too much attention to his daughters at social events. One of Thalberg's traits was his ability to work long hours into the night with little sign of fatigue. According to Vieira, Thalberg believed that as long as his mind was active in his work and he was not bored, he would not feel tired. Thalberg, who often got by with only five hours of sleep, felt that most people could get by with less than they realized. To keep his mental faculties at peak, he would read philosophical books by Bacon, Epictetus, or Kant. "They stimulate me. I'd drop out of sight in no time if I didn't read and keep up with current thought—and the philosophers are brain sharpeners." During the early 1930s, Thalberg was ambivalent about political events in Europe. While he feared Nazism and the rise of Hitler, he also feared Communism. At the time, notes Vieira, "given a choice between communism and fascism, many Americans—including Thalberg—would prefer the latter." Thalberg stated his opinion: When others suggested that many Jews could die in Germany as a result of Nazi anti-Semitism, he replied that in his opinion "Hitler and Hitlerism will pass." On one occasion, Catholic Prince Löwenstein of Germany, who himself had almost been captured before fleeing Germany, told him: "Mr. Thalberg, your own people are being systematically hunted down and rooted out of Germany." Thalberg suggested that world Jewry should nevertheless not interfere, that the Jewish race would survive Hitler. Within a few years, American film distribution was "choked off" in Germany. Led by Warner Brothers, all American studios eventually closed their German offices. Thalberg began dating actress Norma Shearer a few years after he joined MGM. Following her conversion to Judaism, they married on Thursday, September 29, 1927, in a private ceremony in the garden of his rented house in Beverly Hills. Rabbi Edgar F. Magnin officiated at the event, with Shearer's brother Douglas Shearer giving the bride away, and Louis B. Mayer serving as best man. The couple drove to Monterey for their honeymoon and then moved into their newly constructed home in Beverly Hills. After their second child was born, Shearer considered retiring from films, but Thalberg convinced her to continue acting, saying he could find her good roles. She went on to be one of MGM's biggest stars of the 1930s. Their two children were Irving Jr. (1930–1987) and Katharine (1935–2006). Death Thalberg and Shearer took a much-needed Labor Day weekend vacation in Monterey, California, in 1936, staying at the same beachfront hotel where they spent their honeymoon. A few weeks earlier, Thalberg's leading screenwriter, Al Lewin, had proposed doing a film based on a soon-to-be published book, Gone with the Wind. Although Thalberg said it would be a "sensational" role for Gable, and a "terrific picture," he decided not to do it: Besides, Thalberg told Mayer, "[n]o Civil War picture ever made a nickel". Shortly after returning from Monterey, Thalberg was diagnosed with pneumonia. His condition worsened steadily and he eventually required an oxygen tent at home. He died on September 14, at the age of 37. Sam Wood, while directing A Day at the Races, was given the news by phone. He returned to the set with tears in his eyes and told the others. As the news spread "the studio was paralyzed with shock", notes Thomas. "Work stopped and hundreds of people wept", with stars, writers, directors, and studio employees "all sharing a sense of loss at the death of a man who had been a part of their working lives", states Flamini. His funeral took place two days later, and when the services began the other studios throughout Hollywood observed five minutes of silence. Producer Sam Goldwyn "wept uncontrollably for two days" and was unable to regain his composure enough to attend. The MGM studio closed for that day. Services were held at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple that Thalberg had occasionally attended. The funeral attracted thousands of spectators who came to view the arrival of countless stars from MGM and other studios, including Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, the Marx Brothers, Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Howard Hughes, Al Jolson, Gary Cooper, Carole Lombard, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, among the screen luminaries. The ushers who led them to their seats included Clark Gable, Fredric March, and playwright Moss Hart. Erich von Stroheim, who had been fired by Thalberg, came to pay his respects. Producers Louis B. Mayer, the Warner brothers, Adolph Zukor, and Nicholas Schenck sat together solemnly as Rabbi Magnin gave the eulogy. Thalberg is buried in a private marble tomb in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, lying at rest beside his wife Norma Shearer Arrouge (Thalberg's crypt was engraved "My Sweetheart Forever" by Shearer). Over the following days, tributes were published by the national press. Louis B. Mayer, his co-founding partner at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, said he had lost "the finest friend a man could ever have", while MGM president Nicholas Schenck stated that "Thalberg was the most important man in the production end of the motion-picture industry. Leading producers from the other studios also expressed their feelings in published tributes to Thalberg: David O. Selznick described him as "beyond any question the greatest individual force for fine pictures." Samuel Goldwyn called him "the foremost figure in the motion-picture industry ... and an inspiration." M. H. Aylesworth, Chairman of RKO, wrote that "his integrity, vision and ability made him the spearhead of all motion-picture production throughout the world." Harry Warner, president of Warner Bros., described him as "gifted with one of the finest minds ever placed at the service of motion-picture production." Sidney R. Kent, president of Twentieth Century Fox, said that "he made the whole world richer by giving it the highest type of entertainment. He was a true genius." Columbia president Harry Cohn said the "motion picture industry has suffered a loss from which it will not soon recover...". Darryl F. Zanuck noted, "More than any other man he raised the industry to its present world prestige." Adolph Zukor, chairman of Paramount, stated, "Irving Thalberg was the most brilliant young man in the motion picture business." Jesse Lasky said, "It will be utterly impossible to replace him." Among the condolences that came from world political leaders, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." Among the pictures that were unfinished or not yet released at the time of his death were A Day at the Races, The Good Earth, Camille, Maytime, and Romeo and Juliet. Groucho Marx, star of A Day at the Races, wrote, "After Thalberg's death, my interest in the movies waned. I continued to appear in them, but ... The fun had gone out of picture making." Thalberg's widow, Norma Shearer, recalled, "Grief does very strange things to you. I didn't seem to feel the shock for two weeks afterwards. ... then, at the end of those two weeks, I collapsed." Legacy in the movie industry Thalberg's legacy to the movie industry is "incalculable", states biographer Bob Thomas. He notes that with his numerous production innovations and grand stories, often turning classic literature and Broadway stage productions into big-screen pictures, he managed to keep "American movies supreme throughout the world for a generation". Darryl F. Zanuck, founder of 20th Century-Fox said that during Thalberg's brief career, he had become the "most creative producer in the history of films". Thomas describes some of his contributions: Most of MGM's major films in the 1930s were, according to Flamini, "in a very real sense", made by Thalberg. He closely supervised the making of "more pictures than any other producer in Hollywood's history", and was considered the "archetype of the creative producer", adds Flamini. Upon his early death, aged 37, an editorial in The New York Times called him "the most important force" in the motion picture industry. The paper added that for the film industry, he "set the pace and others followed ... because his way combined style, glamour, and profit." He is described by Flamini as having been "a revolutionary in a gray flannel suit". Thalberg refused to take credit as producer, and as a result, his name never appeared on the screen while he was alive. Thalberg claimed that "credit you give yourself is not worth having". He also said "If a picture is good, they'll know who produced it. If it's bad, nobody cares." His final film, released after he died, was The Good Earth (1937), which won numerous Academy Awards. Its opening screen credit was dedicated to Thalberg: In 1938, the new multimillion-dollar MGM administration building in Culver City was named for Thalberg. The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, also named for him, awards producers for consistently high production achievements. Cultural legacy The Last Tycoon In October 1939, American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald began writing The Last Tycoon, a fictionalized biography of Thalberg, naming the protagonist Monroe Stahr to represent Thalberg. "Thalberg has always fascinated me", he wrote to an editor. "His peculiar charm, his extraordinary good looks, his bountiful success, the tragic end of his great adventure. The events I have built around him are fiction, but all of them are things which might very well have happened. ... I've long chosen him for a hero (this has been in my mind for three years) because he is one of the half-dozen men I have known who were built on a grand scale." Thomas notes that among the reasons Fitzgerald chose to write a book about a Thalberg-like character, was that "throughout his literary career, Fitzgerald borrowed his heroes from friends he admired, and inevitably a bit of Fitzgerald entered the characterizations." Fitzgerald himself writes that "When I like men, I want to be like them ..." Fitzgerald and Thalberg had real-life similarities: both were prodigies, both had heart ailments, and they both died at early ages. According to biographer Matthew J. Bruccoli, Fitzgerald believed that Thalberg, with his "taste and courage, represented the best of Hollywood. ... [and] saw Thalberg as a model for what could be done in the movies." Fitzgerald died before the novel was completed, however. Bruccoli writes of Fitzgerald's book: Although parallels between Monroe Stahr in the novel and Thalberg were evident, many who knew Thalberg intimately stated that they did not see similarities in their personalities. Norma Shearer said that the Stahr character was not at all like her former husband. In the 1976 film version, directed by Elia Kazan, Monroe Stahr was played by Robert De Niro. Kazan, in his pre-production notes, described the Stahr character as he saw him: In the 2016 television series based on the novel, Monroe Stahr is played by Matt Bomer. Others Fitzgerald also based his short story "Crazy Sunday", originally published in the October 1932 issue of American Mercury, on an incident at a party thrown by Thalberg and Shearer. The story is included in Fitzgerald's collection Taps at Reveille (1935). Thalberg was portrayed in the movie Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) by Robert Evans, who went on to become a studio head himself. Thalberg was portrayed by Bill Cusack in Young Indiana Jones and the Hollywood Follies (1994), a TV film based on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, in which Indiana Jones is depicted as taking part in Thalberg's conflict with Erich von Stroheim over Foolish Wives. In 2020, Thalberg was played by Ferdinand Kingsley in the David Fincher film Mank Thalberg, played by Tobey Maguire, is rumored to appear in the upcoming movie Babylon. Filmography Producer Reputation (1921) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) Merry-Go-Round (1923) His Hour (1924) He Who Gets Slapped (1924) The Unholy Three (1925) The Merry Widow (1925) The Tower of Lies (1925) The Big Parade (1925) Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) Torrent (1926) La Bohème (1926) Brown of Harvard (1926) The Road to Mandalay (1926) The Temptress (1926) Valencia (1926) Flesh and the Devil (1926) Twelve Miles Out (1927) The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) London After Midnight (1927) The Crowd (1928) Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) White Shadows in the South Seas (1928) Show People (1928) West of Zanzibar (1928) The Broadway Melody (1929) The Trial of Mary Dugan (1929) Voice of the City (1929) Where East Is East (1929) The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929) The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929) Hallelujah (1929) His Glorious Night (1929) The Kiss (1929) Anna Christie (1930) Redemption (1930) The Divorcee (1930) The Rogue Song (1930) The Big House (1930) The Unholy Three (1930) Let Us Be Gay (1930) Billy the Kid (1930) Way for a Sailor (1930) A Lady's Morals (1930) Inspiration (1931) Trader Horn (1931) The Secret Six (1931) A Free Soul (1931) Just a Gigolo (1931) Menschen hinter Gittern (1931), German-language version of The Big House (1930) The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931) The Guardsman (1931) The Champ (1931) Possessed (1931) Private Lives (1931) Mata Hari (1931) Freaks (1932) Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) Grand Hotel (1932) Letty Lynton (1932) As You Desire Me (1932) Red-Headed Woman (1932) Smilin' Through (1932) Red Dust (1932) Rasputin and the Empress (1932) Strange Interlude (1932) Tugboat Annie (1933) Bombshell (1933) Eskimo (1933) La Veuve Joyeuse (1934) French-language version of The Merry Widow Riptide (1934) The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) The Merry Widow (1934) What Every Woman Knows (1934) Biography of a Bachelor Girl (1935) No More Ladies (1935) China Seas (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) A Night at the Opera (1935) Riffraff (1936) Romeo and Juliet (1936) Camille (1936) Maytime (1937) A Day at the Races (1937) Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) The Good Earth (1937) Marie Antoinette (1938) Writer The Trap (1922) The Dangerous Little Demon (1922) Awards Academy Awards Notes Further reading Books Flamini, Roland. Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of M-G-M (1994) Marx, Samuel. Mayer and Thalberg: The Make-believe Saints (1975) Thomas, Bob. Thalberg: Life and Legend (1969) Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg's M-G-M. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2008. Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg: Boy Wonder to Producer Prince. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009. Articles Starman, Ray. "Irving Thalberg", Films In Review, June/July 1987, p. 347–353 External links Irving Thalberg at TCM Cinemagraphe Review of the Roland Flamini biography of Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of MGM Irving Thalberg at Virtual History Irving Thalberg profiled in Collier's Magazine (1924) Videos 1899 births 1936 deaths American film producers Film producers from California Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award American film studio executives American male screenwriters Cinema pioneers Silent film directors Silent film producers Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer executives Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences founders Businesspeople from Los Angeles Hollywood history and culture California Republicans New York (state) Republicans USC School of Cinematic Arts faculty 20th-century American businesspeople Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from New York (state) People from Brooklyn American anti-communists American people of German-Jewish descent Deaths from pneumonia in California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American writers Jewish American writers 20th-century American screenwriters
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[ "William Zeiman was a Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Zeiman was a member during the 1877 session from the 1st District of Dodge County, Wisconsin. He was born on March 31, 1846, in what is now North Prairie, Wisconsin in what is now Waukesha County, Wisconsin.\n\nReferences\n\nPeople from North Prairie, Wisconsin\nPeople from Dodge County, Wisconsin\nWisconsin Democrats\nMembers of the Wisconsin State Assembly\n1846 births\nYear of death missing", "John R. Hofstatter was a member of the Assembly during the 1911 session. Additionally, he was a Baraboo, Wisconsin alderman (similar to city councilman). He was a Democrat. Hofstatter was born in what is now Sumpter, Wisconsin in 1858.\n\nReferences\n\nPeople from Baraboo, Wisconsin\nPeople from Sumpter, Wisconsin\nMembers of the Wisconsin State Assembly\nWisconsin city council members\nWisconsin Democrats\n1858 births\nYear of death missing" ]
[ "Irving Thalberg", "Early years", "What year was he born?", "Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents," ]
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Who were his parents?
2
Who were Irving Thalberg parents?
Irving Thalberg
Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome," caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to age twenty, or at most, age thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17, he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, Henrietta, to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an ad with the local newspaper hoping to find better work: "Situation Wanted: Secretary, stenographer, Spanish, English, high school education, no experience; $15." CANNOTANSWER
Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann).
Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 – September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and ability to select scripts, choose actors, gather production staff, and make profitable films, including Grand Hotel, China Seas, A Night at the Opera, Mutiny on the Bounty, Camille and The Good Earth. His films carved out an international market, "projecting a seductive image of American life brimming with vitality and rooted in democracy and personal freedom", states biographer Roland Flamini. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and as a child was afflicted with a congenital heart disease that doctors said would kill him before he reached the age of thirty. After graduating from high school he worked as a store clerk during the day and to gain some job skills took a night class in typing. He then found work as a secretary with Universal Studios' New York office, and was later made studio manager for their Los Angeles facility. There, he oversaw production of a hundred films during his three years with the company. Among the films he produced was The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923). In Los Angeles, he partnered with Louis B. Mayer's new studio and, after it merged with two other studios, helped create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). He was made head of production of MGM in 1925, at the age of twenty-six, helping MGM become the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years with MGM, until his premature death at the age of 37, he produced four hundred films, most of which bore his imprint and innovations, including story conferences with writers, sneak previews to gain early feedback, and extensive re-shooting of scenes to improve the film. In addition, he introduced horror films to audiences and coauthored the "Production Code", guidelines for morality followed by all studios. During the 1920s and 1930s, he synthesized and merged the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. Thalberg created numerous new stars and groomed their screen images. Among them were Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery, Spencer Tracy, Luise Rainer, and Norma Shearer, who became his wife. He had the ability to combine quality with commercial success, and was credited with bringing his artistic aspirations in line with the demands of audiences. After his death, Hollywood's producers said he had been the world's "foremost figure in motion-picture history". President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, given out periodically by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1937, has been awarded to producers whose body of work reflected consistently high quality films. Early years Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome", caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to the age of twenty, or at most, to thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17 he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, in order to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an advertisement in the local newspaper hoping to find better work: Career as producer Universal Studios He found work as an office secretary at Universal Pictures' New York office, and later became personal secretary to the studio's founder and president, Carl Laemmle. Among Thalberg's duties were transcribing and editing notes that Laemmle had written during screenings of his films. He earned $25 weekly, becoming adept at making insightful observations, which impressed Laemmle. Laemmle took Thalberg to see his Los Angeles production facility, where he spent a month watching how movie production worked. Before returning to New York, Laemmle told Thalberg to remain and "keep an eye on things for me." Two months later, Laemmle returned to California, partly to see how well Thalberg was able to handle the responsibilities he was given. Thalberg gave him suggestions, and thus impressed Laemmle by his ability to understand and explain problems. Thalberg suggested, "The first thing you should do is establish a new job of studio manager and give him the responsibility of watching day-to-day operations." Laemmle immediately agreed: "All right. You're it." In shock, Thalberg replied, "I'm what?" Laemmle told him to take charge of the Los Angeles studio, which he did in early 1919. When aged 20, Thalberg became responsible for immediately overseeing the nine ongoing film productions and nearly thirty scenarios then under development. In describing the rationale for this early appointment as studio manager, film historian David Thomson writes that his new job "owed nothing to nepotism, private wealth, or experience in the film industry." He reasons that despite "Thalberg's youth, modest education, and frail appearance ... it is clear that he had the charm, insight, and ability, or the appearance of it, to captivate the film world." Thalberg was one among the majority of Hollywood film industry workers who migrated from the East Coast, primarily from New York. Some film actors, such as Conrad Nagel, did not like the five-day train trip or the sudden warmth of the California climate. Neither did Marion Davies, who was not used to such "big wide spaces". Samuel Marx, a close friend of Thalberg's from New York, recalled how easily Thalberg adapted to Southern California, often standing outside his doorway during moments of contemplation to enjoy the scenery. "We were all young", said comedian Buster Keaton. "The air in California was like wine. Our business was also young—and growing like nothing ever seen before." Confrontation with Erich von Stroheim He quickly established his tenacity as he battled with well-known director Erich von Stroheim over the length of Foolish Wives (1922). Biographer Roland Flamini notes that the film was Universal's most expensive "jewel" ever in production, and its director and star, von Stroheim, was taking the film way over budget. Thalberg, now Universal's general manager, was forced to have the director quickly finalize production before the studio's working capital was used up. Flamini describes the situation: Thalberg had von Stroheim come to his office, which he did still wearing his film costume as a Russian Imperial Guard and escorted by members of his production team. Thalberg calmly told him, "I have seen all the film and you have all you need for the picture. I want you to stop shooting", to which von Stroheim replied, "But I have not finished as yet." "Yes, you have", said Thalberg. "You have spent all the money this company can afford. I cannot allow you to spend any more." Thalberg quietly explained that the director worked under the producer, and it was his responsibility to control costs. Von Stroheim, surrounded by his assistants, then confronted Thalberg: "If you were not my superior, I would smash you in the face." Thalberg, unflinching, said "Don't let that stop you." The result was that Thalberg soon afterward removed the cameras from von Stroheim's studio and took over editing. The uncut footage was pared down from five-and-a-half hours to three hours, to von Stroheim's deep dissatisfaction. A similar problem developed with von Stroheim's next film, Merry-Go-Round (1923). Although he had promised Thalberg to remain within budget this time, he continued production until it went to twice the agreed length and was not yet near completion. Flamini speculates why this happened: Thalberg again called von Stroheim to his office, handed him a long letter written and signed by himself, describing the problems, and summarily fired von Stroheim as of that moment. Thalberg's letter stated among the reasons, totally inexcusable and repeated acts of insubordination ... extravagant ideas which you have been unwilling to sacrifice ... unnecessary delays ... and your apparent idea that you are greater and more powerful than the organization that employs you. His dismissal of von Stroheim was considered an "earthquake in movie circles", notes Flamini. Producer David O. Selznick said that "it was the first time a director had been fired. It took great guts and courage ... Von Stroheim was utterly indifferent over money and could have gone on and spent millions, with nobody to stop him.". The opinion was shared by director Rouben Mamoulian, who said that the "little fellow at Universal", in one bold stroke, had "asserted the primacy of the studio over the director" and forever altered the balance of power in the movie industry. Effects of his young age According to Flamini, his youth was a subject of conversation within the movie community. Executives from other studios, actors, and film crew, often mistook him to be a junior employee. Movie columnist Louella Parsons, upon first being introduced to him, asked, "What's the joke? Where's the new general manager?" After five minutes of talking to Thalberg, however, she later wrote about "Universal's Boy Wonder": "He might be a boy in looks and age, but it was no child's mind that was being asked to cope with the intricate politics of Universal City." Novelist Edna Ferber responded the same way, writing that "I had fancied motion-picture producers as large gentlemen smoking oversized cigars. But this young man whose word seemed so final at Universal City ... impressed me deeply." The male actors in the studio had a similar reaction. Lionel Barrymore, who was nearly twice his age, recalled their meetings: Thalberg likewise gained the respect of leading playwrights, some of whom also looked down on him due to his youth. George S. Kaufman, co-author of Dinner at Eight, several Marx Brothers films, and two George Gershwin plays, came from New York to meet with Thalberg. Afterward he confided to his friend, Groucho Marx: "That man has never written a word, yet he can tell me exactly what to do with a story. I didn't know you had people like that out here." Actress Norma Shearer, whom he later married, was surprised after he greeted her at the door, then walked her to his office for her first job interview: "Then you're not the office boy?" she asked. He smiled, as he sat himself behind his desk: "No, Miss Shearer, I'm Irving Thalberg, vice-president of the Mayer Company. I'm the man who sent for you." His younger-than-normal age for a studio executive was usually mentioned even after he left Universal to help start up MGM. Screenwriter Agnes Christine Johnson, who worked with Thalberg for years, described his contribution during meetings: The same quality was observed by director and screenwriter Hobart Henley: "If something that read well in conference turns out not so good on the screen, I go to him and, like that—Henley snaps his fingers—he has a remedy. He's brilliant." Another assistant producer to Thalberg explains: His youth also contributed to his open-mindedness to the ideas of others. Conrad Nagel, who starred in numerous Thalberg films, reported that Thalberg was generally empathetic to those he worked alongside: "Thalberg never raised his voice. He just looked into your eyes, spoke softly, and after a few minutes he cast a spell on you." Studio attorney Edwin Loeb, who also worked to create AMPAS, explained that "the real foundation of Irving's success was his ability to look at life through the eyes of any given person. He had a gift of empathy, and almost complete perspective." Those opinions were also shared by producer Walter Wanger: "You thought that you were talking to an Indian savant. He could cast a spell on anybody." His talent as a producer was enhanced by his "near-miraculous" powers of concentration, notes film critic J. Hoberman. As a result, he was never bored or tired, and supplemented his spare time with reading for his own amusement, recalls screenwriter Bayard Veiller, with some of his favorite authors being Francis Bacon, Epictetus, and Immanuel Kant. Film projects at Universal Biographer Bob Thomas writes that after three years at the studio, Thalberg continually proved his value. Universal's pictures improved noticeably, primarily due to Thalberg's "uncanny sense of story." He took tight control over many key aspects of production, including his requirement that from then on scripts were tightly constructed before filming began, rather than during production. Thomas adds that he also "showed a remarkable capacity for working with actors, casting them aptly and advising them on their careers." After producing two films that were in production when he began work at Universal, he presented Laemmle with his idea for a film based on one of his favorite classic stories, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Rather than just a horror picture, Thalberg suggested turning it into a spectacle which would include a replica of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He had Lon Chaney play the hunchback. The film became Universal's most profitable silent film and established Chaney's career as a top-flight star. After nearly three years with Universal, Thalberg had supervised over a hundred movies, reorganized the studio to give more control to the managers, and had "stopped the defection" of many of their leading stars by offering them better, higher-paying contracts. He also produced a number of Universal's prestige films, which made the company profitable. However, he decided it was time to find a studio in Los Angeles more suitable to his skills, and spread word that he was available. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Cecil B. DeMille was the first who wanted to hire him, telling his partner Jesse Lasky, "The boy is a genius. I can see it. I know it." Lasky opposed the hire, stating, "Geniuses we have all we need." Thalberg then received an offer from Hal Roach, but the offer was withdrawn because Thalberg lacked experience with slapstick comedy films. In late 1922, Thalberg was introduced to Louis B. Mayer, president of a small but dynamic and fast-growing studio. At that first meeting, Thalberg "made a deep, immediate impression on Mayer", writes Flamini. After Thalberg had left, Mayer said to studio attorney Edwin Loeb: "Tell him if he comes to work for me, I'll look after him as though he were my son." Although their personalities were in many ways opposite, Mayer being more outspoken and nearly twice the younger man's age, Thalberg was hired as vice president in charge of production at Louis B. Mayer Productions. Years later, Mayer's daughter Irene Mayer Selznick recalled that "it was hard to believe anyone that boyish could be so important." According to Flamini, Thalberg was hired because, although Mayer was an astute businessman, "what he lacked was Thalberg's almost unerring ability to combine quality with commercial success, to bring artistic aspiration in line with the demands of the box office." Mayer's company subsequently merged with two others to become Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), with the 24-year-old Thalberg made part-owner and accorded the same position as vice president in charge of production. Three years after the merger, MGM became the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years at MGM, Thalberg supervised the production of over four hundred films. Although Thalberg and his colleagues at MGM knew he was "doomed" to not live much past the age of 30 due to heart disease, he loved producing films. He continued developing innovative ideas and overseeing most of MGM's pictures. Under Thalberg's management, MGM released over 40% more films yearly than Warner Brothers, and more than double Paramount's releases. From 1924 until 1936, when Thalberg died at the age of 37, "almost every film bore Thalberg's imprint", wrote Mark Vieira. Production innovations Thalberg's production techniques "broke new ground in filmmaking", adds Vieira. Among his contributions at MGM was his innovation of story conferences, sneak previews and scene retakes. He introduced the first horror films and coauthored the Production Code, the set of moral guidelines that all film studios agreed to follow. Thalberg helped synthesize and merge the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. MGM thereby became the only movie studio to consistently show a profit during the Great Depression. Flamini explains that the equation for MGM's success depended on combining stars, a Broadway hit or popular classic, and high standards of production. This combination at the time was considered a "revolutionary approach" in the film industry, which until then assumed a star was all that was needed for success, regardless of the story or production quality. The other studios began following MGM's lead with that same formula. Production techniques Thalberg generally followed a system in managing his productions. According to one of his assistants, Lawrence Weingarten, who later became a producer, "Thalberg directed the film on paper, and then the director directed the film on film." Thalberg was generally opposed to location shooting overseas where he could not oversee production and control costs, as happened with Ben Hur. Thus, he kept hundreds of back-lot carpenters at work creating realistic sets, as he did for fifteenth-century Romeo and Juliet (1936), or with China Seas (1935), to replicate the harbors of Hong Kong. Vieira points out that Thalberg's "fascination with Broadway plays" often had him create and present stories visually. For China Seas, for instance, he described for the screenwriters, director and others, exactly how he wanted the film to appear on screen: To be certain of achieving the desired effects, Thalberg made sure his cinematographers were careful in their use of light and shadow. Vieira observes that "more than any other producer or any other studio, Thalberg and MGM manipulated lenses, filters, and lighting instruments to affect the viewer." As a result, he notes, "most of Thalberg's films contain moments such as these, in which cinematic technique transcends mere exposition and gives the viewer something to treasure." Thalberg was supported by most of the studio in these kinds of creative decisions. "It was a big family," notes Weingarten. "If we had a success, everybody—and I mean every cutter, every painter, every plasterer—was excited about it, was abuzz, was in a tizzy about the whole idea of picture making." Taking risks with new subjects and stars In 1929, MGM released fifty films, and all but five showed a profit. Of those that failed, Hallelujah was also a gamble by Thalberg. When King Vidor, the film's producer and director, proposed the idea to Thalberg of a major film cast, for the first time, exclusively with African Americans, he told Thalberg directly, "I doubt that it will make a dollar at the box office." Thalberg replied, "Don't worry about that. I've told you that MGM can afford an occasional experiment." By the early 1930s, a number of stars began failing at the box office, partly due to the Great Depression that was now undermining the economy, along with the public's ability to spend on entertainment. Thalberg began using two stars in a film, rather than one, as had been the tradition at all the studios, such as pairing Greta Garbo with John Gilbert, Clark Gable with Jean Harlow, and William Powell with Myrna Loy. After experimenting with a few such films, including Mata Hari (1931), which were profitable, he decided on a multi-star production of another Broadway play, Grand Hotel (1932). It had five major stars, including Garbo, Joan Crawford, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, and Wallace Beery. "Before Thalberg," writes Vieira, "there was no Grand Hotel in the American consciousness." The film won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1932. Thalberg went against consensus and took another risk with The Great Ziegfeld (1936), costarring Luise Rainer. Although Louis B. Mayer did not want her in the role, which he felt was too minor for a new star, Thalberg felt that "only she could play the part", wrote biographer Charles Higham. Shortly after shooting began in late 1935, doubts of Rainer's acting ability emerged in the press. However, despite her limited appearances in the film, Rainer "so impressed audiences with one highly emotional scene" that she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. After her winning role in The Great Ziegfeld, Thalberg wanted her to play a role that was the opposite of her previous character, for The Good Earth (1937). For the part as a Chinese peasant, she was required to act totally subservient to her husband, being perpetually huddled in submission, and barely spoke a word of dialogue during the entire film. Rainer recalls that Mayer did not approve of the film being produced or her part in it: "He was horrified at Irving Thalberg's insistence for me to play O-lan, the poor uncomely little Chinese peasant." However, she again won the Oscar for Best Actress, becoming the first actress to win two consecutive Oscars, a feat not matched until Katharine Hepburn's two Oscar wins thirty years later. Grooming new stars Besides bringing a distinctive high quality "look" to MGM films and often recreating well-known stories or plays, Thalberg's actors themselves took on a characteristic quality. Thalberg wanted his female actors to appear "cool, classy and beautiful," notes Flamini. And he strove to make the male actors appear "worldly and in control." In general, Thalberg movies and actors came to be "luxurious," "glossy," and "technically flawless." By doing so, he made stars or boosted the careers of actors such as Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, John Gilbert, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Helen Hayes, Jean Harlow, Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore and Luise Rainer. Greta Garbo In 1925, a young Greta Garbo, then twenty, and unable to speak any English, was brought over from Sweden at Mayer's request, as he saw how she looked in still photos. A Swedish friend thought he would help her by contacting Thalberg, who then agreed to give her a screen test. According to author Frederick Sands, "the result of the test was electrifying." Thalberg was impressed and began grooming the new starlet the following day: "the studio arranged to fix her teeth, made sure she lost weight, and gave her an English tutor." Joan Crawford Joan Crawford's first role was a Thalberg production at MGM and she became one of their leading stars for the next thirty years. Crawford was somewhat jealous of Norma Shearer as she thought she was given the better material by her husband Thalberg out of nepotism. Nevertheless, she felt that his contribution to MGM was vital to the film industry. Not long after his early death, she recalls her concerns: "Thalberg was dead and the concept of the quality 'big' picture pretty much went out the window." Marie Dressler Thalberg also realized that old stars few had heard of could be made into new ones. Marie Dressler, a fifty-nine-year-old early vaudeville and movie star, who had played the top-billed lead, above Charles Chaplin and Mabel Normand), in the first feature-length comedy, Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914), was unable to get any roles in films after leaving show business for some years, finally working as a maid. MGM screenwriter Frances Marion suggested to Thalberg that she might fit well in a starring role for a new film, and was surprised that he knew of her prior successes. Thalberg approved of using her without a screen test and offered his rationale: By 1932, shortly before she died, Dressler was the country's number one box office star. Wallace Beery Marie Dressler was paired twice, in Min and Bill (1930) and Tugboat Annie (1933), with Wallace Beery, another major silent star who had been struggling to get work in sound pictures until Thalberg cast him. Beery had enjoyed a hugely successful silent film career dating back to 1913, but had been fired by Paramount shortly after sound pictures appeared. Thalberg cast him in the role of "Machine Gun Butch," which had been meant for recently deceased Lon Chaney, in The Big House (1930), an energetic prison picture that became a huge hit. Beery was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, and his burgeoning career at MGM had transformed him into the studio's highest paid actor within two more years, during which time he won the Oscar for The Champ and had become a phenomenal box office draw as a result of Thalberg's foresight. Getting audience feedback and reshooting According to Vieira, MGM had few failures during this period, and numerous blockbusters. Among the reasons was Thalberg's unique system of developing a script during story conferences with writers before filming began, and later giving "sneak previews" followed by audience feedback through written questionnaires. Often, where he felt improvement was needed, he arranged for scenes to be reshot. As Thalberg once stated, "The difference between something good and something superior is often very small." Bad decisions and missed opportunities Thalberg felt he had his "finger on the pulse of America. I know what people will do and what they won't do," he said. His judgment was not always accurate, however. Thalberg's bringing Broadway productions to the screen to develop higher picture standards sometimes resulted in "studied" acting or "stagey" sets, notes Flamini. In 1927, after the successful release of the first full-length talking picture, The Jazz Singer (1927), he nevertheless felt that talking pictures were a fad. Thalberg likewise did not think that color would replace black-and-white in movies. When an assistant protested against a script that envisioned a love scene in Paris with an ocean background, Thalberg refused to make changes, saying "We can't cater to a handful of people who know Paris." A more serious distraction to Thalberg's efforts was his obsession with making his wife Norma Shearer a prominent star, efforts which sometimes led to "overblown and overglamous" productions. Thalberg himself admitted to his obsession years later when he told a fellow producer: "You're behaving like I did with Norma. I knew positively that she could play anything. It's a kind of romantic astigmatism that attacks producers when they fall for an actress." Important films at MGM Ben Hur (1925) One of the first pictures he took charge of, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, was inherited and already in production by another studio when MGM was formed. The film was turning into a disastrous expense with cost overruns already in the millions due to its lavish sets and location shooting in Rome. Most studio executives chose to terminate the film to cut their losses. Thalberg, however, felt differently, and thought the film would affect movie audiences, due to its classic literary source, and would highlight MGM as a major new studio. He, therefore, discarded much of the original footage shot in Italy and recreated the set on MGM's back lots in Culver City, which added more millions to the production, yet gave him more control over production. The new set also included a replica of Circus Maximus for the dramatic chariot race scenes. Flamini notes that Thalberg's "gamble paid off," drawing international attention to MGM, and to Thalberg within the movie industry for his bold action. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty was the studio's next most expensive film after Ben Hur, with some now calling it "Thalberg's masterpiece." He initially had difficulty convincing Mayer that he could make the film without making heroes of the mutineers. He achieved that by instead making a hero of the British Royal Navy, whereby the officers and shipmates would from then on display their mutual respect. Thalberg also had to convince Clark Gable to accept the role against his will. He pleaded with Gable, eventually promising him that "If it isn't one of your greatest successes, I'll never ask you again to play a part you don't want." The film's other main stars were Charles Laughton and Franchot Tone. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Actor, and winning it for Best Picture. Thalberg accepted the award as producer from Frank Capra. Thalberg and Mayer partnership At first, Thalberg and studio chief Louis B. Mayer got along splendidly; however, they had different production philosophies. Thalberg preferred literary works, while Mayer preferred glitzy crowd-pleasing films. A clash was inevitable, and their relationship grew decidedly frosty. When Thalberg fell ill in the final weeks of 1932, Mayer took advantage of the situation and replaced him with David O. Selznick and Walter Wanger. Thalberg's reputation by that time for working long hours was widely known, and rumors about the related strain on his fragile health had become front-page news in entertainment trade publications. The Hollywood Reporter in January 1933 updated its readership about his condition and addressed growing concerns that he might be forced, despite his young age, to quit the business: Once Thalberg recovered sufficiently from his bout with the "flu" and was able to return to work later in 1933, it was as one of MGM's unit producers, albeit one who had first choice on projects as well as preferential access to all the studio's resources, including over casting its stars. Thalberg's good relationship with Nicholas Schenck, then president of Loew's Incorporated, proved to be an ongoing advantage for him. Loew's was the corporate parent of MGM, so Schenck was the true power and ultimate arbiter at the studio; and he usually supported Thalberg's decisions and continued to do so whenever disagreements about projects or production needs arose. As a result, Thalberg also continued to produce or coproduce some of MGM's most prestigious and critically acclaimed ventures in this period, such as The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) starring his wife Norma Shearer, China Seas (1935), A Night at the Opera (1935), San Francisco (1936), and Romeo and Juliet (1936). Personal life During his few years with Universal while living in New York, Thalberg had become romantically involved with Carl Laemmle's daughter, Rosabelle. Still in his early twenties and later spending most of his time in Los Angeles, his feelings toward her were no longer as strong. Flamini suspects that this may have affected his position at Universal and partly caused his decision to leave the company. "The Laemmles prayed that Irving would marry Rosabelle", notes Flamini. "They wanted their sons to be educated and their daughters to marry nice Jewish boys." Less than a year after he and Mayer took charge of the newly created MGM studios, and still only twenty-five years old, Thalberg suffered a serious heart attack due to overwork. Mayer also became aware of Thalberg's congenital heart problems and now worried about the prospect of running MGM without him. Mayer also became concerned that one of his daughters might become romantically involved, and told them so: Thalberg, aware of Mayer's feelings, made it a point of never giving too much attention to his daughters at social events. One of Thalberg's traits was his ability to work long hours into the night with little sign of fatigue. According to Vieira, Thalberg believed that as long as his mind was active in his work and he was not bored, he would not feel tired. Thalberg, who often got by with only five hours of sleep, felt that most people could get by with less than they realized. To keep his mental faculties at peak, he would read philosophical books by Bacon, Epictetus, or Kant. "They stimulate me. I'd drop out of sight in no time if I didn't read and keep up with current thought—and the philosophers are brain sharpeners." During the early 1930s, Thalberg was ambivalent about political events in Europe. While he feared Nazism and the rise of Hitler, he also feared Communism. At the time, notes Vieira, "given a choice between communism and fascism, many Americans—including Thalberg—would prefer the latter." Thalberg stated his opinion: When others suggested that many Jews could die in Germany as a result of Nazi anti-Semitism, he replied that in his opinion "Hitler and Hitlerism will pass." On one occasion, Catholic Prince Löwenstein of Germany, who himself had almost been captured before fleeing Germany, told him: "Mr. Thalberg, your own people are being systematically hunted down and rooted out of Germany." Thalberg suggested that world Jewry should nevertheless not interfere, that the Jewish race would survive Hitler. Within a few years, American film distribution was "choked off" in Germany. Led by Warner Brothers, all American studios eventually closed their German offices. Thalberg began dating actress Norma Shearer a few years after he joined MGM. Following her conversion to Judaism, they married on Thursday, September 29, 1927, in a private ceremony in the garden of his rented house in Beverly Hills. Rabbi Edgar F. Magnin officiated at the event, with Shearer's brother Douglas Shearer giving the bride away, and Louis B. Mayer serving as best man. The couple drove to Monterey for their honeymoon and then moved into their newly constructed home in Beverly Hills. After their second child was born, Shearer considered retiring from films, but Thalberg convinced her to continue acting, saying he could find her good roles. She went on to be one of MGM's biggest stars of the 1930s. Their two children were Irving Jr. (1930–1987) and Katharine (1935–2006). Death Thalberg and Shearer took a much-needed Labor Day weekend vacation in Monterey, California, in 1936, staying at the same beachfront hotel where they spent their honeymoon. A few weeks earlier, Thalberg's leading screenwriter, Al Lewin, had proposed doing a film based on a soon-to-be published book, Gone with the Wind. Although Thalberg said it would be a "sensational" role for Gable, and a "terrific picture," he decided not to do it: Besides, Thalberg told Mayer, "[n]o Civil War picture ever made a nickel". Shortly after returning from Monterey, Thalberg was diagnosed with pneumonia. His condition worsened steadily and he eventually required an oxygen tent at home. He died on September 14, at the age of 37. Sam Wood, while directing A Day at the Races, was given the news by phone. He returned to the set with tears in his eyes and told the others. As the news spread "the studio was paralyzed with shock", notes Thomas. "Work stopped and hundreds of people wept", with stars, writers, directors, and studio employees "all sharing a sense of loss at the death of a man who had been a part of their working lives", states Flamini. His funeral took place two days later, and when the services began the other studios throughout Hollywood observed five minutes of silence. Producer Sam Goldwyn "wept uncontrollably for two days" and was unable to regain his composure enough to attend. The MGM studio closed for that day. Services were held at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple that Thalberg had occasionally attended. The funeral attracted thousands of spectators who came to view the arrival of countless stars from MGM and other studios, including Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, the Marx Brothers, Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Howard Hughes, Al Jolson, Gary Cooper, Carole Lombard, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, among the screen luminaries. The ushers who led them to their seats included Clark Gable, Fredric March, and playwright Moss Hart. Erich von Stroheim, who had been fired by Thalberg, came to pay his respects. Producers Louis B. Mayer, the Warner brothers, Adolph Zukor, and Nicholas Schenck sat together solemnly as Rabbi Magnin gave the eulogy. Thalberg is buried in a private marble tomb in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, lying at rest beside his wife Norma Shearer Arrouge (Thalberg's crypt was engraved "My Sweetheart Forever" by Shearer). Over the following days, tributes were published by the national press. Louis B. Mayer, his co-founding partner at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, said he had lost "the finest friend a man could ever have", while MGM president Nicholas Schenck stated that "Thalberg was the most important man in the production end of the motion-picture industry. Leading producers from the other studios also expressed their feelings in published tributes to Thalberg: David O. Selznick described him as "beyond any question the greatest individual force for fine pictures." Samuel Goldwyn called him "the foremost figure in the motion-picture industry ... and an inspiration." M. H. Aylesworth, Chairman of RKO, wrote that "his integrity, vision and ability made him the spearhead of all motion-picture production throughout the world." Harry Warner, president of Warner Bros., described him as "gifted with one of the finest minds ever placed at the service of motion-picture production." Sidney R. Kent, president of Twentieth Century Fox, said that "he made the whole world richer by giving it the highest type of entertainment. He was a true genius." Columbia president Harry Cohn said the "motion picture industry has suffered a loss from which it will not soon recover...". Darryl F. Zanuck noted, "More than any other man he raised the industry to its present world prestige." Adolph Zukor, chairman of Paramount, stated, "Irving Thalberg was the most brilliant young man in the motion picture business." Jesse Lasky said, "It will be utterly impossible to replace him." Among the condolences that came from world political leaders, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." Among the pictures that were unfinished or not yet released at the time of his death were A Day at the Races, The Good Earth, Camille, Maytime, and Romeo and Juliet. Groucho Marx, star of A Day at the Races, wrote, "After Thalberg's death, my interest in the movies waned. I continued to appear in them, but ... The fun had gone out of picture making." Thalberg's widow, Norma Shearer, recalled, "Grief does very strange things to you. I didn't seem to feel the shock for two weeks afterwards. ... then, at the end of those two weeks, I collapsed." Legacy in the movie industry Thalberg's legacy to the movie industry is "incalculable", states biographer Bob Thomas. He notes that with his numerous production innovations and grand stories, often turning classic literature and Broadway stage productions into big-screen pictures, he managed to keep "American movies supreme throughout the world for a generation". Darryl F. Zanuck, founder of 20th Century-Fox said that during Thalberg's brief career, he had become the "most creative producer in the history of films". Thomas describes some of his contributions: Most of MGM's major films in the 1930s were, according to Flamini, "in a very real sense", made by Thalberg. He closely supervised the making of "more pictures than any other producer in Hollywood's history", and was considered the "archetype of the creative producer", adds Flamini. Upon his early death, aged 37, an editorial in The New York Times called him "the most important force" in the motion picture industry. The paper added that for the film industry, he "set the pace and others followed ... because his way combined style, glamour, and profit." He is described by Flamini as having been "a revolutionary in a gray flannel suit". Thalberg refused to take credit as producer, and as a result, his name never appeared on the screen while he was alive. Thalberg claimed that "credit you give yourself is not worth having". He also said "If a picture is good, they'll know who produced it. If it's bad, nobody cares." His final film, released after he died, was The Good Earth (1937), which won numerous Academy Awards. Its opening screen credit was dedicated to Thalberg: In 1938, the new multimillion-dollar MGM administration building in Culver City was named for Thalberg. The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, also named for him, awards producers for consistently high production achievements. Cultural legacy The Last Tycoon In October 1939, American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald began writing The Last Tycoon, a fictionalized biography of Thalberg, naming the protagonist Monroe Stahr to represent Thalberg. "Thalberg has always fascinated me", he wrote to an editor. "His peculiar charm, his extraordinary good looks, his bountiful success, the tragic end of his great adventure. The events I have built around him are fiction, but all of them are things which might very well have happened. ... I've long chosen him for a hero (this has been in my mind for three years) because he is one of the half-dozen men I have known who were built on a grand scale." Thomas notes that among the reasons Fitzgerald chose to write a book about a Thalberg-like character, was that "throughout his literary career, Fitzgerald borrowed his heroes from friends he admired, and inevitably a bit of Fitzgerald entered the characterizations." Fitzgerald himself writes that "When I like men, I want to be like them ..." Fitzgerald and Thalberg had real-life similarities: both were prodigies, both had heart ailments, and they both died at early ages. According to biographer Matthew J. Bruccoli, Fitzgerald believed that Thalberg, with his "taste and courage, represented the best of Hollywood. ... [and] saw Thalberg as a model for what could be done in the movies." Fitzgerald died before the novel was completed, however. Bruccoli writes of Fitzgerald's book: Although parallels between Monroe Stahr in the novel and Thalberg were evident, many who knew Thalberg intimately stated that they did not see similarities in their personalities. Norma Shearer said that the Stahr character was not at all like her former husband. In the 1976 film version, directed by Elia Kazan, Monroe Stahr was played by Robert De Niro. Kazan, in his pre-production notes, described the Stahr character as he saw him: In the 2016 television series based on the novel, Monroe Stahr is played by Matt Bomer. Others Fitzgerald also based his short story "Crazy Sunday", originally published in the October 1932 issue of American Mercury, on an incident at a party thrown by Thalberg and Shearer. The story is included in Fitzgerald's collection Taps at Reveille (1935). Thalberg was portrayed in the movie Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) by Robert Evans, who went on to become a studio head himself. Thalberg was portrayed by Bill Cusack in Young Indiana Jones and the Hollywood Follies (1994), a TV film based on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, in which Indiana Jones is depicted as taking part in Thalberg's conflict with Erich von Stroheim over Foolish Wives. In 2020, Thalberg was played by Ferdinand Kingsley in the David Fincher film Mank Thalberg, played by Tobey Maguire, is rumored to appear in the upcoming movie Babylon. Filmography Producer Reputation (1921) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) Merry-Go-Round (1923) His Hour (1924) He Who Gets Slapped (1924) The Unholy Three (1925) The Merry Widow (1925) The Tower of Lies (1925) The Big Parade (1925) Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) Torrent (1926) La Bohème (1926) Brown of Harvard (1926) The Road to Mandalay (1926) The Temptress (1926) Valencia (1926) Flesh and the Devil (1926) Twelve Miles Out (1927) The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) London After Midnight (1927) The Crowd (1928) Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) White Shadows in the South Seas (1928) Show People (1928) West of Zanzibar (1928) The Broadway Melody (1929) The Trial of Mary Dugan (1929) Voice of the City (1929) Where East Is East (1929) The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929) The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929) Hallelujah (1929) His Glorious Night (1929) The Kiss (1929) Anna Christie (1930) Redemption (1930) The Divorcee (1930) The Rogue Song (1930) The Big House (1930) The Unholy Three (1930) Let Us Be Gay (1930) Billy the Kid (1930) Way for a Sailor (1930) A Lady's Morals (1930) Inspiration (1931) Trader Horn (1931) The Secret Six (1931) A Free Soul (1931) Just a Gigolo (1931) Menschen hinter Gittern (1931), German-language version of The Big House (1930) The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931) The Guardsman (1931) The Champ (1931) Possessed (1931) Private Lives (1931) Mata Hari (1931) Freaks (1932) Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) Grand Hotel (1932) Letty Lynton (1932) As You Desire Me (1932) Red-Headed Woman (1932) Smilin' Through (1932) Red Dust (1932) Rasputin and the Empress (1932) Strange Interlude (1932) Tugboat Annie (1933) Bombshell (1933) Eskimo (1933) La Veuve Joyeuse (1934) French-language version of The Merry Widow Riptide (1934) The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) The Merry Widow (1934) What Every Woman Knows (1934) Biography of a Bachelor Girl (1935) No More Ladies (1935) China Seas (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) A Night at the Opera (1935) Riffraff (1936) Romeo and Juliet (1936) Camille (1936) Maytime (1937) A Day at the Races (1937) Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) The Good Earth (1937) Marie Antoinette (1938) Writer The Trap (1922) The Dangerous Little Demon (1922) Awards Academy Awards Notes Further reading Books Flamini, Roland. Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of M-G-M (1994) Marx, Samuel. Mayer and Thalberg: The Make-believe Saints (1975) Thomas, Bob. Thalberg: Life and Legend (1969) Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg's M-G-M. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2008. Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg: Boy Wonder to Producer Prince. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009. Articles Starman, Ray. "Irving Thalberg", Films In Review, June/July 1987, p. 347–353 External links Irving Thalberg at TCM Cinemagraphe Review of the Roland Flamini biography of Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of MGM Irving Thalberg at Virtual History Irving Thalberg profiled in Collier's Magazine (1924) Videos 1899 births 1936 deaths American film producers Film producers from California Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award American film studio executives American male screenwriters Cinema pioneers Silent film directors Silent film producers Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer executives Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences founders Businesspeople from Los Angeles Hollywood history and culture California Republicans New York (state) Republicans USC School of Cinematic Arts faculty 20th-century American businesspeople Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from New York (state) People from Brooklyn American anti-communists American people of German-Jewish descent Deaths from pneumonia in California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American writers Jewish American writers 20th-century American screenwriters
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[ "The Extraordinary Tale of Nicholas Pierce is a 2011 adventure novel written by Alexander DeLuca. It follows the journey of a university teacher Nicholas Pierce, who suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder as he searches for his biological parents, traveling across states in the United States of America. He travels with a friend, who is an eccentric barista in a cafe in upstate New York, named Sergei Tarasov.\n\nPlot\nNicholas Pierce suffers from OCD. He is also missing the memory of the first five years of his life. Raised by adoptive parents, one day he receives a mysterious box from an \"Uncle Nathan\". Curious, he sets off on a journey to find his biological parents with a Russian friend, Sergei Tarasov. On the trip, they meet several people, face money problems and different challenges. They also pick up a hitchhiker, Jessica, who later turns out to be a criminal.\n\nFinally, Nicholas finds his grandparents, who direct him to his biological parents. When he meets them, he finds out that his vaguely registered biological 'parents' were actually neighbors of his real parents who had died in an accident. The mysterious box that he had received is destroyed. He finds out that it contained photographs from his early life.\n\n2011 American novels\nNovels about obsessive–compulsive disorder", "Bomba and the Jungle Girl is a 1952 adventure film directed by Ford Beebe and starring Johnny Sheffield. It is the eighth film (of 12) in the Bomba, the Jungle Boy film series.\n\nPlot\nBomba decides to find out who his parents were. He starts with Cody Casson's diary and follows the trail to a native village. An ancient blind woman tells him his parents, along the village's true ruler, were murdered by the current chieftain and his daughter. With the aid of an inspector and his daughter, Bomba battles the usurpers in the cave where his parents were buried.\n\nCast\nJohnny Sheffield\nKaren Sharpe\nWalter Sande\nSuzette Harbin\nMartin Wilkins\nMorris Buchanan\nLeonard Mudie\nDon Blackman.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n\n1952 films\nAmerican films\nAmerican adventure films\nFilms directed by Ford Beebe\nFilms produced by Walter Mirisch\nMonogram Pictures films\n1952 adventure films\nAmerican black-and-white films" ]
[ "Irving Thalberg", "Early years", "What year was he born?", "Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents,", "Who were his parents?", "Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann)." ]
C_7b8dcb999ce54951992e991787a236a9_1
Did he have any siblings?
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Did Irving Thalberg have any siblings?
Irving Thalberg
Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome," caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to age twenty, or at most, age thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17, he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, Henrietta, to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an ad with the local newspaper hoping to find better work: "Situation Wanted: Secretary, stenographer, Spanish, English, high school education, no experience; $15." CANNOTANSWER
Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome," caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart.
Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 – September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and ability to select scripts, choose actors, gather production staff, and make profitable films, including Grand Hotel, China Seas, A Night at the Opera, Mutiny on the Bounty, Camille and The Good Earth. His films carved out an international market, "projecting a seductive image of American life brimming with vitality and rooted in democracy and personal freedom", states biographer Roland Flamini. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and as a child was afflicted with a congenital heart disease that doctors said would kill him before he reached the age of thirty. After graduating from high school he worked as a store clerk during the day and to gain some job skills took a night class in typing. He then found work as a secretary with Universal Studios' New York office, and was later made studio manager for their Los Angeles facility. There, he oversaw production of a hundred films during his three years with the company. Among the films he produced was The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923). In Los Angeles, he partnered with Louis B. Mayer's new studio and, after it merged with two other studios, helped create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). He was made head of production of MGM in 1925, at the age of twenty-six, helping MGM become the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years with MGM, until his premature death at the age of 37, he produced four hundred films, most of which bore his imprint and innovations, including story conferences with writers, sneak previews to gain early feedback, and extensive re-shooting of scenes to improve the film. In addition, he introduced horror films to audiences and coauthored the "Production Code", guidelines for morality followed by all studios. During the 1920s and 1930s, he synthesized and merged the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. Thalberg created numerous new stars and groomed their screen images. Among them were Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery, Spencer Tracy, Luise Rainer, and Norma Shearer, who became his wife. He had the ability to combine quality with commercial success, and was credited with bringing his artistic aspirations in line with the demands of audiences. After his death, Hollywood's producers said he had been the world's "foremost figure in motion-picture history". President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, given out periodically by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1937, has been awarded to producers whose body of work reflected consistently high quality films. Early years Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome", caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to the age of twenty, or at most, to thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17 he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, in order to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an advertisement in the local newspaper hoping to find better work: Career as producer Universal Studios He found work as an office secretary at Universal Pictures' New York office, and later became personal secretary to the studio's founder and president, Carl Laemmle. Among Thalberg's duties were transcribing and editing notes that Laemmle had written during screenings of his films. He earned $25 weekly, becoming adept at making insightful observations, which impressed Laemmle. Laemmle took Thalberg to see his Los Angeles production facility, where he spent a month watching how movie production worked. Before returning to New York, Laemmle told Thalberg to remain and "keep an eye on things for me." Two months later, Laemmle returned to California, partly to see how well Thalberg was able to handle the responsibilities he was given. Thalberg gave him suggestions, and thus impressed Laemmle by his ability to understand and explain problems. Thalberg suggested, "The first thing you should do is establish a new job of studio manager and give him the responsibility of watching day-to-day operations." Laemmle immediately agreed: "All right. You're it." In shock, Thalberg replied, "I'm what?" Laemmle told him to take charge of the Los Angeles studio, which he did in early 1919. When aged 20, Thalberg became responsible for immediately overseeing the nine ongoing film productions and nearly thirty scenarios then under development. In describing the rationale for this early appointment as studio manager, film historian David Thomson writes that his new job "owed nothing to nepotism, private wealth, or experience in the film industry." He reasons that despite "Thalberg's youth, modest education, and frail appearance ... it is clear that he had the charm, insight, and ability, or the appearance of it, to captivate the film world." Thalberg was one among the majority of Hollywood film industry workers who migrated from the East Coast, primarily from New York. Some film actors, such as Conrad Nagel, did not like the five-day train trip or the sudden warmth of the California climate. Neither did Marion Davies, who was not used to such "big wide spaces". Samuel Marx, a close friend of Thalberg's from New York, recalled how easily Thalberg adapted to Southern California, often standing outside his doorway during moments of contemplation to enjoy the scenery. "We were all young", said comedian Buster Keaton. "The air in California was like wine. Our business was also young—and growing like nothing ever seen before." Confrontation with Erich von Stroheim He quickly established his tenacity as he battled with well-known director Erich von Stroheim over the length of Foolish Wives (1922). Biographer Roland Flamini notes that the film was Universal's most expensive "jewel" ever in production, and its director and star, von Stroheim, was taking the film way over budget. Thalberg, now Universal's general manager, was forced to have the director quickly finalize production before the studio's working capital was used up. Flamini describes the situation: Thalberg had von Stroheim come to his office, which he did still wearing his film costume as a Russian Imperial Guard and escorted by members of his production team. Thalberg calmly told him, "I have seen all the film and you have all you need for the picture. I want you to stop shooting", to which von Stroheim replied, "But I have not finished as yet." "Yes, you have", said Thalberg. "You have spent all the money this company can afford. I cannot allow you to spend any more." Thalberg quietly explained that the director worked under the producer, and it was his responsibility to control costs. Von Stroheim, surrounded by his assistants, then confronted Thalberg: "If you were not my superior, I would smash you in the face." Thalberg, unflinching, said "Don't let that stop you." The result was that Thalberg soon afterward removed the cameras from von Stroheim's studio and took over editing. The uncut footage was pared down from five-and-a-half hours to three hours, to von Stroheim's deep dissatisfaction. A similar problem developed with von Stroheim's next film, Merry-Go-Round (1923). Although he had promised Thalberg to remain within budget this time, he continued production until it went to twice the agreed length and was not yet near completion. Flamini speculates why this happened: Thalberg again called von Stroheim to his office, handed him a long letter written and signed by himself, describing the problems, and summarily fired von Stroheim as of that moment. Thalberg's letter stated among the reasons, totally inexcusable and repeated acts of insubordination ... extravagant ideas which you have been unwilling to sacrifice ... unnecessary delays ... and your apparent idea that you are greater and more powerful than the organization that employs you. His dismissal of von Stroheim was considered an "earthquake in movie circles", notes Flamini. Producer David O. Selznick said that "it was the first time a director had been fired. It took great guts and courage ... Von Stroheim was utterly indifferent over money and could have gone on and spent millions, with nobody to stop him.". The opinion was shared by director Rouben Mamoulian, who said that the "little fellow at Universal", in one bold stroke, had "asserted the primacy of the studio over the director" and forever altered the balance of power in the movie industry. Effects of his young age According to Flamini, his youth was a subject of conversation within the movie community. Executives from other studios, actors, and film crew, often mistook him to be a junior employee. Movie columnist Louella Parsons, upon first being introduced to him, asked, "What's the joke? Where's the new general manager?" After five minutes of talking to Thalberg, however, she later wrote about "Universal's Boy Wonder": "He might be a boy in looks and age, but it was no child's mind that was being asked to cope with the intricate politics of Universal City." Novelist Edna Ferber responded the same way, writing that "I had fancied motion-picture producers as large gentlemen smoking oversized cigars. But this young man whose word seemed so final at Universal City ... impressed me deeply." The male actors in the studio had a similar reaction. Lionel Barrymore, who was nearly twice his age, recalled their meetings: Thalberg likewise gained the respect of leading playwrights, some of whom also looked down on him due to his youth. George S. Kaufman, co-author of Dinner at Eight, several Marx Brothers films, and two George Gershwin plays, came from New York to meet with Thalberg. Afterward he confided to his friend, Groucho Marx: "That man has never written a word, yet he can tell me exactly what to do with a story. I didn't know you had people like that out here." Actress Norma Shearer, whom he later married, was surprised after he greeted her at the door, then walked her to his office for her first job interview: "Then you're not the office boy?" she asked. He smiled, as he sat himself behind his desk: "No, Miss Shearer, I'm Irving Thalberg, vice-president of the Mayer Company. I'm the man who sent for you." His younger-than-normal age for a studio executive was usually mentioned even after he left Universal to help start up MGM. Screenwriter Agnes Christine Johnson, who worked with Thalberg for years, described his contribution during meetings: The same quality was observed by director and screenwriter Hobart Henley: "If something that read well in conference turns out not so good on the screen, I go to him and, like that—Henley snaps his fingers—he has a remedy. He's brilliant." Another assistant producer to Thalberg explains: His youth also contributed to his open-mindedness to the ideas of others. Conrad Nagel, who starred in numerous Thalberg films, reported that Thalberg was generally empathetic to those he worked alongside: "Thalberg never raised his voice. He just looked into your eyes, spoke softly, and after a few minutes he cast a spell on you." Studio attorney Edwin Loeb, who also worked to create AMPAS, explained that "the real foundation of Irving's success was his ability to look at life through the eyes of any given person. He had a gift of empathy, and almost complete perspective." Those opinions were also shared by producer Walter Wanger: "You thought that you were talking to an Indian savant. He could cast a spell on anybody." His talent as a producer was enhanced by his "near-miraculous" powers of concentration, notes film critic J. Hoberman. As a result, he was never bored or tired, and supplemented his spare time with reading for his own amusement, recalls screenwriter Bayard Veiller, with some of his favorite authors being Francis Bacon, Epictetus, and Immanuel Kant. Film projects at Universal Biographer Bob Thomas writes that after three years at the studio, Thalberg continually proved his value. Universal's pictures improved noticeably, primarily due to Thalberg's "uncanny sense of story." He took tight control over many key aspects of production, including his requirement that from then on scripts were tightly constructed before filming began, rather than during production. Thomas adds that he also "showed a remarkable capacity for working with actors, casting them aptly and advising them on their careers." After producing two films that were in production when he began work at Universal, he presented Laemmle with his idea for a film based on one of his favorite classic stories, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Rather than just a horror picture, Thalberg suggested turning it into a spectacle which would include a replica of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He had Lon Chaney play the hunchback. The film became Universal's most profitable silent film and established Chaney's career as a top-flight star. After nearly three years with Universal, Thalberg had supervised over a hundred movies, reorganized the studio to give more control to the managers, and had "stopped the defection" of many of their leading stars by offering them better, higher-paying contracts. He also produced a number of Universal's prestige films, which made the company profitable. However, he decided it was time to find a studio in Los Angeles more suitable to his skills, and spread word that he was available. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Cecil B. DeMille was the first who wanted to hire him, telling his partner Jesse Lasky, "The boy is a genius. I can see it. I know it." Lasky opposed the hire, stating, "Geniuses we have all we need." Thalberg then received an offer from Hal Roach, but the offer was withdrawn because Thalberg lacked experience with slapstick comedy films. In late 1922, Thalberg was introduced to Louis B. Mayer, president of a small but dynamic and fast-growing studio. At that first meeting, Thalberg "made a deep, immediate impression on Mayer", writes Flamini. After Thalberg had left, Mayer said to studio attorney Edwin Loeb: "Tell him if he comes to work for me, I'll look after him as though he were my son." Although their personalities were in many ways opposite, Mayer being more outspoken and nearly twice the younger man's age, Thalberg was hired as vice president in charge of production at Louis B. Mayer Productions. Years later, Mayer's daughter Irene Mayer Selznick recalled that "it was hard to believe anyone that boyish could be so important." According to Flamini, Thalberg was hired because, although Mayer was an astute businessman, "what he lacked was Thalberg's almost unerring ability to combine quality with commercial success, to bring artistic aspiration in line with the demands of the box office." Mayer's company subsequently merged with two others to become Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), with the 24-year-old Thalberg made part-owner and accorded the same position as vice president in charge of production. Three years after the merger, MGM became the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years at MGM, Thalberg supervised the production of over four hundred films. Although Thalberg and his colleagues at MGM knew he was "doomed" to not live much past the age of 30 due to heart disease, he loved producing films. He continued developing innovative ideas and overseeing most of MGM's pictures. Under Thalberg's management, MGM released over 40% more films yearly than Warner Brothers, and more than double Paramount's releases. From 1924 until 1936, when Thalberg died at the age of 37, "almost every film bore Thalberg's imprint", wrote Mark Vieira. Production innovations Thalberg's production techniques "broke new ground in filmmaking", adds Vieira. Among his contributions at MGM was his innovation of story conferences, sneak previews and scene retakes. He introduced the first horror films and coauthored the Production Code, the set of moral guidelines that all film studios agreed to follow. Thalberg helped synthesize and merge the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. MGM thereby became the only movie studio to consistently show a profit during the Great Depression. Flamini explains that the equation for MGM's success depended on combining stars, a Broadway hit or popular classic, and high standards of production. This combination at the time was considered a "revolutionary approach" in the film industry, which until then assumed a star was all that was needed for success, regardless of the story or production quality. The other studios began following MGM's lead with that same formula. Production techniques Thalberg generally followed a system in managing his productions. According to one of his assistants, Lawrence Weingarten, who later became a producer, "Thalberg directed the film on paper, and then the director directed the film on film." Thalberg was generally opposed to location shooting overseas where he could not oversee production and control costs, as happened with Ben Hur. Thus, he kept hundreds of back-lot carpenters at work creating realistic sets, as he did for fifteenth-century Romeo and Juliet (1936), or with China Seas (1935), to replicate the harbors of Hong Kong. Vieira points out that Thalberg's "fascination with Broadway plays" often had him create and present stories visually. For China Seas, for instance, he described for the screenwriters, director and others, exactly how he wanted the film to appear on screen: To be certain of achieving the desired effects, Thalberg made sure his cinematographers were careful in their use of light and shadow. Vieira observes that "more than any other producer or any other studio, Thalberg and MGM manipulated lenses, filters, and lighting instruments to affect the viewer." As a result, he notes, "most of Thalberg's films contain moments such as these, in which cinematic technique transcends mere exposition and gives the viewer something to treasure." Thalberg was supported by most of the studio in these kinds of creative decisions. "It was a big family," notes Weingarten. "If we had a success, everybody—and I mean every cutter, every painter, every plasterer—was excited about it, was abuzz, was in a tizzy about the whole idea of picture making." Taking risks with new subjects and stars In 1929, MGM released fifty films, and all but five showed a profit. Of those that failed, Hallelujah was also a gamble by Thalberg. When King Vidor, the film's producer and director, proposed the idea to Thalberg of a major film cast, for the first time, exclusively with African Americans, he told Thalberg directly, "I doubt that it will make a dollar at the box office." Thalberg replied, "Don't worry about that. I've told you that MGM can afford an occasional experiment." By the early 1930s, a number of stars began failing at the box office, partly due to the Great Depression that was now undermining the economy, along with the public's ability to spend on entertainment. Thalberg began using two stars in a film, rather than one, as had been the tradition at all the studios, such as pairing Greta Garbo with John Gilbert, Clark Gable with Jean Harlow, and William Powell with Myrna Loy. After experimenting with a few such films, including Mata Hari (1931), which were profitable, he decided on a multi-star production of another Broadway play, Grand Hotel (1932). It had five major stars, including Garbo, Joan Crawford, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, and Wallace Beery. "Before Thalberg," writes Vieira, "there was no Grand Hotel in the American consciousness." The film won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1932. Thalberg went against consensus and took another risk with The Great Ziegfeld (1936), costarring Luise Rainer. Although Louis B. Mayer did not want her in the role, which he felt was too minor for a new star, Thalberg felt that "only she could play the part", wrote biographer Charles Higham. Shortly after shooting began in late 1935, doubts of Rainer's acting ability emerged in the press. However, despite her limited appearances in the film, Rainer "so impressed audiences with one highly emotional scene" that she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. After her winning role in The Great Ziegfeld, Thalberg wanted her to play a role that was the opposite of her previous character, for The Good Earth (1937). For the part as a Chinese peasant, she was required to act totally subservient to her husband, being perpetually huddled in submission, and barely spoke a word of dialogue during the entire film. Rainer recalls that Mayer did not approve of the film being produced or her part in it: "He was horrified at Irving Thalberg's insistence for me to play O-lan, the poor uncomely little Chinese peasant." However, she again won the Oscar for Best Actress, becoming the first actress to win two consecutive Oscars, a feat not matched until Katharine Hepburn's two Oscar wins thirty years later. Grooming new stars Besides bringing a distinctive high quality "look" to MGM films and often recreating well-known stories or plays, Thalberg's actors themselves took on a characteristic quality. Thalberg wanted his female actors to appear "cool, classy and beautiful," notes Flamini. And he strove to make the male actors appear "worldly and in control." In general, Thalberg movies and actors came to be "luxurious," "glossy," and "technically flawless." By doing so, he made stars or boosted the careers of actors such as Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, John Gilbert, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Helen Hayes, Jean Harlow, Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore and Luise Rainer. Greta Garbo In 1925, a young Greta Garbo, then twenty, and unable to speak any English, was brought over from Sweden at Mayer's request, as he saw how she looked in still photos. A Swedish friend thought he would help her by contacting Thalberg, who then agreed to give her a screen test. According to author Frederick Sands, "the result of the test was electrifying." Thalberg was impressed and began grooming the new starlet the following day: "the studio arranged to fix her teeth, made sure she lost weight, and gave her an English tutor." Joan Crawford Joan Crawford's first role was a Thalberg production at MGM and she became one of their leading stars for the next thirty years. Crawford was somewhat jealous of Norma Shearer as she thought she was given the better material by her husband Thalberg out of nepotism. Nevertheless, she felt that his contribution to MGM was vital to the film industry. Not long after his early death, she recalls her concerns: "Thalberg was dead and the concept of the quality 'big' picture pretty much went out the window." Marie Dressler Thalberg also realized that old stars few had heard of could be made into new ones. Marie Dressler, a fifty-nine-year-old early vaudeville and movie star, who had played the top-billed lead, above Charles Chaplin and Mabel Normand), in the first feature-length comedy, Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914), was unable to get any roles in films after leaving show business for some years, finally working as a maid. MGM screenwriter Frances Marion suggested to Thalberg that she might fit well in a starring role for a new film, and was surprised that he knew of her prior successes. Thalberg approved of using her without a screen test and offered his rationale: By 1932, shortly before she died, Dressler was the country's number one box office star. Wallace Beery Marie Dressler was paired twice, in Min and Bill (1930) and Tugboat Annie (1933), with Wallace Beery, another major silent star who had been struggling to get work in sound pictures until Thalberg cast him. Beery had enjoyed a hugely successful silent film career dating back to 1913, but had been fired by Paramount shortly after sound pictures appeared. Thalberg cast him in the role of "Machine Gun Butch," which had been meant for recently deceased Lon Chaney, in The Big House (1930), an energetic prison picture that became a huge hit. Beery was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, and his burgeoning career at MGM had transformed him into the studio's highest paid actor within two more years, during which time he won the Oscar for The Champ and had become a phenomenal box office draw as a result of Thalberg's foresight. Getting audience feedback and reshooting According to Vieira, MGM had few failures during this period, and numerous blockbusters. Among the reasons was Thalberg's unique system of developing a script during story conferences with writers before filming began, and later giving "sneak previews" followed by audience feedback through written questionnaires. Often, where he felt improvement was needed, he arranged for scenes to be reshot. As Thalberg once stated, "The difference between something good and something superior is often very small." Bad decisions and missed opportunities Thalberg felt he had his "finger on the pulse of America. I know what people will do and what they won't do," he said. His judgment was not always accurate, however. Thalberg's bringing Broadway productions to the screen to develop higher picture standards sometimes resulted in "studied" acting or "stagey" sets, notes Flamini. In 1927, after the successful release of the first full-length talking picture, The Jazz Singer (1927), he nevertheless felt that talking pictures were a fad. Thalberg likewise did not think that color would replace black-and-white in movies. When an assistant protested against a script that envisioned a love scene in Paris with an ocean background, Thalberg refused to make changes, saying "We can't cater to a handful of people who know Paris." A more serious distraction to Thalberg's efforts was his obsession with making his wife Norma Shearer a prominent star, efforts which sometimes led to "overblown and overglamous" productions. Thalberg himself admitted to his obsession years later when he told a fellow producer: "You're behaving like I did with Norma. I knew positively that she could play anything. It's a kind of romantic astigmatism that attacks producers when they fall for an actress." Important films at MGM Ben Hur (1925) One of the first pictures he took charge of, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, was inherited and already in production by another studio when MGM was formed. The film was turning into a disastrous expense with cost overruns already in the millions due to its lavish sets and location shooting in Rome. Most studio executives chose to terminate the film to cut their losses. Thalberg, however, felt differently, and thought the film would affect movie audiences, due to its classic literary source, and would highlight MGM as a major new studio. He, therefore, discarded much of the original footage shot in Italy and recreated the set on MGM's back lots in Culver City, which added more millions to the production, yet gave him more control over production. The new set also included a replica of Circus Maximus for the dramatic chariot race scenes. Flamini notes that Thalberg's "gamble paid off," drawing international attention to MGM, and to Thalberg within the movie industry for his bold action. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty was the studio's next most expensive film after Ben Hur, with some now calling it "Thalberg's masterpiece." He initially had difficulty convincing Mayer that he could make the film without making heroes of the mutineers. He achieved that by instead making a hero of the British Royal Navy, whereby the officers and shipmates would from then on display their mutual respect. Thalberg also had to convince Clark Gable to accept the role against his will. He pleaded with Gable, eventually promising him that "If it isn't one of your greatest successes, I'll never ask you again to play a part you don't want." The film's other main stars were Charles Laughton and Franchot Tone. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Actor, and winning it for Best Picture. Thalberg accepted the award as producer from Frank Capra. Thalberg and Mayer partnership At first, Thalberg and studio chief Louis B. Mayer got along splendidly; however, they had different production philosophies. Thalberg preferred literary works, while Mayer preferred glitzy crowd-pleasing films. A clash was inevitable, and their relationship grew decidedly frosty. When Thalberg fell ill in the final weeks of 1932, Mayer took advantage of the situation and replaced him with David O. Selznick and Walter Wanger. Thalberg's reputation by that time for working long hours was widely known, and rumors about the related strain on his fragile health had become front-page news in entertainment trade publications. The Hollywood Reporter in January 1933 updated its readership about his condition and addressed growing concerns that he might be forced, despite his young age, to quit the business: Once Thalberg recovered sufficiently from his bout with the "flu" and was able to return to work later in 1933, it was as one of MGM's unit producers, albeit one who had first choice on projects as well as preferential access to all the studio's resources, including over casting its stars. Thalberg's good relationship with Nicholas Schenck, then president of Loew's Incorporated, proved to be an ongoing advantage for him. Loew's was the corporate parent of MGM, so Schenck was the true power and ultimate arbiter at the studio; and he usually supported Thalberg's decisions and continued to do so whenever disagreements about projects or production needs arose. As a result, Thalberg also continued to produce or coproduce some of MGM's most prestigious and critically acclaimed ventures in this period, such as The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) starring his wife Norma Shearer, China Seas (1935), A Night at the Opera (1935), San Francisco (1936), and Romeo and Juliet (1936). Personal life During his few years with Universal while living in New York, Thalberg had become romantically involved with Carl Laemmle's daughter, Rosabelle. Still in his early twenties and later spending most of his time in Los Angeles, his feelings toward her were no longer as strong. Flamini suspects that this may have affected his position at Universal and partly caused his decision to leave the company. "The Laemmles prayed that Irving would marry Rosabelle", notes Flamini. "They wanted their sons to be educated and their daughters to marry nice Jewish boys." Less than a year after he and Mayer took charge of the newly created MGM studios, and still only twenty-five years old, Thalberg suffered a serious heart attack due to overwork. Mayer also became aware of Thalberg's congenital heart problems and now worried about the prospect of running MGM without him. Mayer also became concerned that one of his daughters might become romantically involved, and told them so: Thalberg, aware of Mayer's feelings, made it a point of never giving too much attention to his daughters at social events. One of Thalberg's traits was his ability to work long hours into the night with little sign of fatigue. According to Vieira, Thalberg believed that as long as his mind was active in his work and he was not bored, he would not feel tired. Thalberg, who often got by with only five hours of sleep, felt that most people could get by with less than they realized. To keep his mental faculties at peak, he would read philosophical books by Bacon, Epictetus, or Kant. "They stimulate me. I'd drop out of sight in no time if I didn't read and keep up with current thought—and the philosophers are brain sharpeners." During the early 1930s, Thalberg was ambivalent about political events in Europe. While he feared Nazism and the rise of Hitler, he also feared Communism. At the time, notes Vieira, "given a choice between communism and fascism, many Americans—including Thalberg—would prefer the latter." Thalberg stated his opinion: When others suggested that many Jews could die in Germany as a result of Nazi anti-Semitism, he replied that in his opinion "Hitler and Hitlerism will pass." On one occasion, Catholic Prince Löwenstein of Germany, who himself had almost been captured before fleeing Germany, told him: "Mr. Thalberg, your own people are being systematically hunted down and rooted out of Germany." Thalberg suggested that world Jewry should nevertheless not interfere, that the Jewish race would survive Hitler. Within a few years, American film distribution was "choked off" in Germany. Led by Warner Brothers, all American studios eventually closed their German offices. Thalberg began dating actress Norma Shearer a few years after he joined MGM. Following her conversion to Judaism, they married on Thursday, September 29, 1927, in a private ceremony in the garden of his rented house in Beverly Hills. Rabbi Edgar F. Magnin officiated at the event, with Shearer's brother Douglas Shearer giving the bride away, and Louis B. Mayer serving as best man. The couple drove to Monterey for their honeymoon and then moved into their newly constructed home in Beverly Hills. After their second child was born, Shearer considered retiring from films, but Thalberg convinced her to continue acting, saying he could find her good roles. She went on to be one of MGM's biggest stars of the 1930s. Their two children were Irving Jr. (1930–1987) and Katharine (1935–2006). Death Thalberg and Shearer took a much-needed Labor Day weekend vacation in Monterey, California, in 1936, staying at the same beachfront hotel where they spent their honeymoon. A few weeks earlier, Thalberg's leading screenwriter, Al Lewin, had proposed doing a film based on a soon-to-be published book, Gone with the Wind. Although Thalberg said it would be a "sensational" role for Gable, and a "terrific picture," he decided not to do it: Besides, Thalberg told Mayer, "[n]o Civil War picture ever made a nickel". Shortly after returning from Monterey, Thalberg was diagnosed with pneumonia. His condition worsened steadily and he eventually required an oxygen tent at home. He died on September 14, at the age of 37. Sam Wood, while directing A Day at the Races, was given the news by phone. He returned to the set with tears in his eyes and told the others. As the news spread "the studio was paralyzed with shock", notes Thomas. "Work stopped and hundreds of people wept", with stars, writers, directors, and studio employees "all sharing a sense of loss at the death of a man who had been a part of their working lives", states Flamini. His funeral took place two days later, and when the services began the other studios throughout Hollywood observed five minutes of silence. Producer Sam Goldwyn "wept uncontrollably for two days" and was unable to regain his composure enough to attend. The MGM studio closed for that day. Services were held at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple that Thalberg had occasionally attended. The funeral attracted thousands of spectators who came to view the arrival of countless stars from MGM and other studios, including Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, the Marx Brothers, Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Howard Hughes, Al Jolson, Gary Cooper, Carole Lombard, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, among the screen luminaries. The ushers who led them to their seats included Clark Gable, Fredric March, and playwright Moss Hart. Erich von Stroheim, who had been fired by Thalberg, came to pay his respects. Producers Louis B. Mayer, the Warner brothers, Adolph Zukor, and Nicholas Schenck sat together solemnly as Rabbi Magnin gave the eulogy. Thalberg is buried in a private marble tomb in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, lying at rest beside his wife Norma Shearer Arrouge (Thalberg's crypt was engraved "My Sweetheart Forever" by Shearer). Over the following days, tributes were published by the national press. Louis B. Mayer, his co-founding partner at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, said he had lost "the finest friend a man could ever have", while MGM president Nicholas Schenck stated that "Thalberg was the most important man in the production end of the motion-picture industry. Leading producers from the other studios also expressed their feelings in published tributes to Thalberg: David O. Selznick described him as "beyond any question the greatest individual force for fine pictures." Samuel Goldwyn called him "the foremost figure in the motion-picture industry ... and an inspiration." M. H. Aylesworth, Chairman of RKO, wrote that "his integrity, vision and ability made him the spearhead of all motion-picture production throughout the world." Harry Warner, president of Warner Bros., described him as "gifted with one of the finest minds ever placed at the service of motion-picture production." Sidney R. Kent, president of Twentieth Century Fox, said that "he made the whole world richer by giving it the highest type of entertainment. He was a true genius." Columbia president Harry Cohn said the "motion picture industry has suffered a loss from which it will not soon recover...". Darryl F. Zanuck noted, "More than any other man he raised the industry to its present world prestige." Adolph Zukor, chairman of Paramount, stated, "Irving Thalberg was the most brilliant young man in the motion picture business." Jesse Lasky said, "It will be utterly impossible to replace him." Among the condolences that came from world political leaders, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." Among the pictures that were unfinished or not yet released at the time of his death were A Day at the Races, The Good Earth, Camille, Maytime, and Romeo and Juliet. Groucho Marx, star of A Day at the Races, wrote, "After Thalberg's death, my interest in the movies waned. I continued to appear in them, but ... The fun had gone out of picture making." Thalberg's widow, Norma Shearer, recalled, "Grief does very strange things to you. I didn't seem to feel the shock for two weeks afterwards. ... then, at the end of those two weeks, I collapsed." Legacy in the movie industry Thalberg's legacy to the movie industry is "incalculable", states biographer Bob Thomas. He notes that with his numerous production innovations and grand stories, often turning classic literature and Broadway stage productions into big-screen pictures, he managed to keep "American movies supreme throughout the world for a generation". Darryl F. Zanuck, founder of 20th Century-Fox said that during Thalberg's brief career, he had become the "most creative producer in the history of films". Thomas describes some of his contributions: Most of MGM's major films in the 1930s were, according to Flamini, "in a very real sense", made by Thalberg. He closely supervised the making of "more pictures than any other producer in Hollywood's history", and was considered the "archetype of the creative producer", adds Flamini. Upon his early death, aged 37, an editorial in The New York Times called him "the most important force" in the motion picture industry. The paper added that for the film industry, he "set the pace and others followed ... because his way combined style, glamour, and profit." He is described by Flamini as having been "a revolutionary in a gray flannel suit". Thalberg refused to take credit as producer, and as a result, his name never appeared on the screen while he was alive. Thalberg claimed that "credit you give yourself is not worth having". He also said "If a picture is good, they'll know who produced it. If it's bad, nobody cares." His final film, released after he died, was The Good Earth (1937), which won numerous Academy Awards. Its opening screen credit was dedicated to Thalberg: In 1938, the new multimillion-dollar MGM administration building in Culver City was named for Thalberg. The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, also named for him, awards producers for consistently high production achievements. Cultural legacy The Last Tycoon In October 1939, American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald began writing The Last Tycoon, a fictionalized biography of Thalberg, naming the protagonist Monroe Stahr to represent Thalberg. "Thalberg has always fascinated me", he wrote to an editor. "His peculiar charm, his extraordinary good looks, his bountiful success, the tragic end of his great adventure. The events I have built around him are fiction, but all of them are things which might very well have happened. ... I've long chosen him for a hero (this has been in my mind for three years) because he is one of the half-dozen men I have known who were built on a grand scale." Thomas notes that among the reasons Fitzgerald chose to write a book about a Thalberg-like character, was that "throughout his literary career, Fitzgerald borrowed his heroes from friends he admired, and inevitably a bit of Fitzgerald entered the characterizations." Fitzgerald himself writes that "When I like men, I want to be like them ..." Fitzgerald and Thalberg had real-life similarities: both were prodigies, both had heart ailments, and they both died at early ages. According to biographer Matthew J. Bruccoli, Fitzgerald believed that Thalberg, with his "taste and courage, represented the best of Hollywood. ... [and] saw Thalberg as a model for what could be done in the movies." Fitzgerald died before the novel was completed, however. Bruccoli writes of Fitzgerald's book: Although parallels between Monroe Stahr in the novel and Thalberg were evident, many who knew Thalberg intimately stated that they did not see similarities in their personalities. Norma Shearer said that the Stahr character was not at all like her former husband. In the 1976 film version, directed by Elia Kazan, Monroe Stahr was played by Robert De Niro. Kazan, in his pre-production notes, described the Stahr character as he saw him: In the 2016 television series based on the novel, Monroe Stahr is played by Matt Bomer. Others Fitzgerald also based his short story "Crazy Sunday", originally published in the October 1932 issue of American Mercury, on an incident at a party thrown by Thalberg and Shearer. The story is included in Fitzgerald's collection Taps at Reveille (1935). Thalberg was portrayed in the movie Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) by Robert Evans, who went on to become a studio head himself. Thalberg was portrayed by Bill Cusack in Young Indiana Jones and the Hollywood Follies (1994), a TV film based on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, in which Indiana Jones is depicted as taking part in Thalberg's conflict with Erich von Stroheim over Foolish Wives. In 2020, Thalberg was played by Ferdinand Kingsley in the David Fincher film Mank Thalberg, played by Tobey Maguire, is rumored to appear in the upcoming movie Babylon. Filmography Producer Reputation (1921) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) Merry-Go-Round (1923) His Hour (1924) He Who Gets Slapped (1924) The Unholy Three (1925) The Merry Widow (1925) The Tower of Lies (1925) The Big Parade (1925) Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) Torrent (1926) La Bohème (1926) Brown of Harvard (1926) The Road to Mandalay (1926) The Temptress (1926) Valencia (1926) Flesh and the Devil (1926) Twelve Miles Out (1927) The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) London After Midnight (1927) The Crowd (1928) Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) White Shadows in the South Seas (1928) Show People (1928) West of Zanzibar (1928) The Broadway Melody (1929) The Trial of Mary Dugan (1929) Voice of the City (1929) Where East Is East (1929) The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929) The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929) Hallelujah (1929) His Glorious Night (1929) The Kiss (1929) Anna Christie (1930) Redemption (1930) The Divorcee (1930) The Rogue Song (1930) The Big House (1930) The Unholy Three (1930) Let Us Be Gay (1930) Billy the Kid (1930) Way for a Sailor (1930) A Lady's Morals (1930) Inspiration (1931) Trader Horn (1931) The Secret Six (1931) A Free Soul (1931) Just a Gigolo (1931) Menschen hinter Gittern (1931), German-language version of The Big House (1930) The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931) The Guardsman (1931) The Champ (1931) Possessed (1931) Private Lives (1931) Mata Hari (1931) Freaks (1932) Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) Grand Hotel (1932) Letty Lynton (1932) As You Desire Me (1932) Red-Headed Woman (1932) Smilin' Through (1932) Red Dust (1932) Rasputin and the Empress (1932) Strange Interlude (1932) Tugboat Annie (1933) Bombshell (1933) Eskimo (1933) La Veuve Joyeuse (1934) French-language version of The Merry Widow Riptide (1934) The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) The Merry Widow (1934) What Every Woman Knows (1934) Biography of a Bachelor Girl (1935) No More Ladies (1935) China Seas (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) A Night at the Opera (1935) Riffraff (1936) Romeo and Juliet (1936) Camille (1936) Maytime (1937) A Day at the Races (1937) Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) The Good Earth (1937) Marie Antoinette (1938) Writer The Trap (1922) The Dangerous Little Demon (1922) Awards Academy Awards Notes Further reading Books Flamini, Roland. Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of M-G-M (1994) Marx, Samuel. Mayer and Thalberg: The Make-believe Saints (1975) Thomas, Bob. Thalberg: Life and Legend (1969) Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg's M-G-M. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2008. Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg: Boy Wonder to Producer Prince. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009. Articles Starman, Ray. "Irving Thalberg", Films In Review, June/July 1987, p. 347–353 External links Irving Thalberg at TCM Cinemagraphe Review of the Roland Flamini biography of Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of MGM Irving Thalberg at Virtual History Irving Thalberg profiled in Collier's Magazine (1924) Videos 1899 births 1936 deaths American film producers Film producers from California Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award American film studio executives American male screenwriters Cinema pioneers Silent film directors Silent film producers Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer executives Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences founders Businesspeople from Los Angeles Hollywood history and culture California Republicans New York (state) Republicans USC School of Cinematic Arts faculty 20th-century American businesspeople Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from New York (state) People from Brooklyn American anti-communists American people of German-Jewish descent Deaths from pneumonia in California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American writers Jewish American writers 20th-century American screenwriters
false
[ "An only child is a person who does not have any siblings, neither biological nor adopted.\n\nOnly Child may also refer to:\n\n Only Child (novel), a novel by Jack Ketchum\n Only Child, a 2020 album by Sasha Sloan", "John August Kusche (1869 – 1934) was a renowned botanist and entomologist, and he discovered many new species of moths and butterflies. The plant of the aster family, Erigeron kuschei is named in his honor.\n\nNotable discoveries \n\nIn 1928, Kusche donated to the Bishop Museum 164 species of Lepidoptera he collected on Kauai between 1919 and 1920. Of those, 55 species had not previously been recorded on Kauai and 6 were new to science, namely Agrotis stenospila, Euxoa charmocrita, Plusia violacea, Nesamiptis senicula, Nesamiptis proterortha and Scotorythra crocorrhoa.\n\nThe Essig Museum of Entomology lists 26 species collected by Kusche from California, Baja California, Arizona, Alaska and on the Solomon Islands.\n\nEarly life \nHis father's name was Johann Karl Wilhelm Kusche, he remarried in 1883 to Johanna Susanna Niesar. He had three siblings from his father (Herman, Ernst and Pauline) and four half siblings from her second marriage (Bertha, Wilhelm, Heinrich and Reinhold. There were two other children from this marriage, which died young and whom were not recorded). His family were farmers, while he lived with them, in Kreuzburg, Germany.\n\nHis siblings quickly accustomed themselves to their new mother, however August, the eldest, did not get on easily with her. He attended a gardening school there in Kreuzburg. He left at a relatively young age after unintentionally setting a forest fire. \"One day on a walk through Kreuzburg forest, he unintentionally caused a huge forest fire. Fearing jail, he fled from home and somehow made it to America.\"\n\nHe wrote letters back to his family, urging them to come to America. His father eventually did, sometime shortly after February 1893. His father started a homestead in Brownsville, Texas. Yellow fever broke out and his father caught it. He managed to survive, while many did not, leaving him a sick old man in his mid-fifties. He wrote to August, who was then living it Prescott, Arizona, asking for money. August wrote back, saying \"Dear father, if you are out of money, see to it that you go back to Germany as soon as possible. Without any money here, you are lost,\" \n\nAugust didn't have any money either, and had been hoping to borrow money from his father. If he had wanted to visit him, then he would have had to make the trip on foot.\n\nWhen August arrived in America, he got a job as a gardener on a Pennsylvania farm. He had an affair with a Swiss woman, which resulted in a child. August denied being the child's father, but married her anyway. He went west, on horseback, and had his horse stolen by Native Americans. He ended up in San Francisco. His family joined him there. By this time he had three sons and a daughter.\n\nAfter his children grew up, he began traveling and collecting moths and butterflies.\n\nLater life \nHe traveled to the South Seas where he collected moths and butterflies. There he caught a terrible fever that very nearly killed him. He was picked up by a government ship in New Guinea, and was unconscious until he awoke in a San Francisco hospital. After that time he had hearing loss and lost all of his teeth. His doctor told him not to take any more trips to Alaska, and this apparently helped his condition.\n\nIn 1924 he lived in San Diego. He had taken a trip to Alaska just before this date. He worked as a gardener in California for nine years (1915–1924) where he died of stomach cancer.\n\nReferences \n\n19th-century German botanists\n1869 births\n1934 deaths\n20th-century American botanists\nGerman emigrants to the United States" ]
[ "Irving Thalberg", "Early years", "What year was he born?", "Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents,", "Who were his parents?", "Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann).", "Did he have any siblings?", "Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with \"blue baby syndrome,\" caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart." ]
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Did this impact him at all in life?
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Did any issue impact Irving Thalberg at all in life?
Irving Thalberg
Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome," caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to age twenty, or at most, age thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17, he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, Henrietta, to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an ad with the local newspaper hoping to find better work: "Situation Wanted: Secretary, stenographer, Spanish, English, high school education, no experience; $15." CANNOTANSWER
The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to age twenty, or at most, age thirty.
Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 – September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and ability to select scripts, choose actors, gather production staff, and make profitable films, including Grand Hotel, China Seas, A Night at the Opera, Mutiny on the Bounty, Camille and The Good Earth. His films carved out an international market, "projecting a seductive image of American life brimming with vitality and rooted in democracy and personal freedom", states biographer Roland Flamini. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and as a child was afflicted with a congenital heart disease that doctors said would kill him before he reached the age of thirty. After graduating from high school he worked as a store clerk during the day and to gain some job skills took a night class in typing. He then found work as a secretary with Universal Studios' New York office, and was later made studio manager for their Los Angeles facility. There, he oversaw production of a hundred films during his three years with the company. Among the films he produced was The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923). In Los Angeles, he partnered with Louis B. Mayer's new studio and, after it merged with two other studios, helped create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). He was made head of production of MGM in 1925, at the age of twenty-six, helping MGM become the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years with MGM, until his premature death at the age of 37, he produced four hundred films, most of which bore his imprint and innovations, including story conferences with writers, sneak previews to gain early feedback, and extensive re-shooting of scenes to improve the film. In addition, he introduced horror films to audiences and coauthored the "Production Code", guidelines for morality followed by all studios. During the 1920s and 1930s, he synthesized and merged the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. Thalberg created numerous new stars and groomed their screen images. Among them were Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery, Spencer Tracy, Luise Rainer, and Norma Shearer, who became his wife. He had the ability to combine quality with commercial success, and was credited with bringing his artistic aspirations in line with the demands of audiences. After his death, Hollywood's producers said he had been the world's "foremost figure in motion-picture history". President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, given out periodically by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1937, has been awarded to producers whose body of work reflected consistently high quality films. Early years Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome", caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to the age of twenty, or at most, to thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17 he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, in order to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an advertisement in the local newspaper hoping to find better work: Career as producer Universal Studios He found work as an office secretary at Universal Pictures' New York office, and later became personal secretary to the studio's founder and president, Carl Laemmle. Among Thalberg's duties were transcribing and editing notes that Laemmle had written during screenings of his films. He earned $25 weekly, becoming adept at making insightful observations, which impressed Laemmle. Laemmle took Thalberg to see his Los Angeles production facility, where he spent a month watching how movie production worked. Before returning to New York, Laemmle told Thalberg to remain and "keep an eye on things for me." Two months later, Laemmle returned to California, partly to see how well Thalberg was able to handle the responsibilities he was given. Thalberg gave him suggestions, and thus impressed Laemmle by his ability to understand and explain problems. Thalberg suggested, "The first thing you should do is establish a new job of studio manager and give him the responsibility of watching day-to-day operations." Laemmle immediately agreed: "All right. You're it." In shock, Thalberg replied, "I'm what?" Laemmle told him to take charge of the Los Angeles studio, which he did in early 1919. When aged 20, Thalberg became responsible for immediately overseeing the nine ongoing film productions and nearly thirty scenarios then under development. In describing the rationale for this early appointment as studio manager, film historian David Thomson writes that his new job "owed nothing to nepotism, private wealth, or experience in the film industry." He reasons that despite "Thalberg's youth, modest education, and frail appearance ... it is clear that he had the charm, insight, and ability, or the appearance of it, to captivate the film world." Thalberg was one among the majority of Hollywood film industry workers who migrated from the East Coast, primarily from New York. Some film actors, such as Conrad Nagel, did not like the five-day train trip or the sudden warmth of the California climate. Neither did Marion Davies, who was not used to such "big wide spaces". Samuel Marx, a close friend of Thalberg's from New York, recalled how easily Thalberg adapted to Southern California, often standing outside his doorway during moments of contemplation to enjoy the scenery. "We were all young", said comedian Buster Keaton. "The air in California was like wine. Our business was also young—and growing like nothing ever seen before." Confrontation with Erich von Stroheim He quickly established his tenacity as he battled with well-known director Erich von Stroheim over the length of Foolish Wives (1922). Biographer Roland Flamini notes that the film was Universal's most expensive "jewel" ever in production, and its director and star, von Stroheim, was taking the film way over budget. Thalberg, now Universal's general manager, was forced to have the director quickly finalize production before the studio's working capital was used up. Flamini describes the situation: Thalberg had von Stroheim come to his office, which he did still wearing his film costume as a Russian Imperial Guard and escorted by members of his production team. Thalberg calmly told him, "I have seen all the film and you have all you need for the picture. I want you to stop shooting", to which von Stroheim replied, "But I have not finished as yet." "Yes, you have", said Thalberg. "You have spent all the money this company can afford. I cannot allow you to spend any more." Thalberg quietly explained that the director worked under the producer, and it was his responsibility to control costs. Von Stroheim, surrounded by his assistants, then confronted Thalberg: "If you were not my superior, I would smash you in the face." Thalberg, unflinching, said "Don't let that stop you." The result was that Thalberg soon afterward removed the cameras from von Stroheim's studio and took over editing. The uncut footage was pared down from five-and-a-half hours to three hours, to von Stroheim's deep dissatisfaction. A similar problem developed with von Stroheim's next film, Merry-Go-Round (1923). Although he had promised Thalberg to remain within budget this time, he continued production until it went to twice the agreed length and was not yet near completion. Flamini speculates why this happened: Thalberg again called von Stroheim to his office, handed him a long letter written and signed by himself, describing the problems, and summarily fired von Stroheim as of that moment. Thalberg's letter stated among the reasons, totally inexcusable and repeated acts of insubordination ... extravagant ideas which you have been unwilling to sacrifice ... unnecessary delays ... and your apparent idea that you are greater and more powerful than the organization that employs you. His dismissal of von Stroheim was considered an "earthquake in movie circles", notes Flamini. Producer David O. Selznick said that "it was the first time a director had been fired. It took great guts and courage ... Von Stroheim was utterly indifferent over money and could have gone on and spent millions, with nobody to stop him.". The opinion was shared by director Rouben Mamoulian, who said that the "little fellow at Universal", in one bold stroke, had "asserted the primacy of the studio over the director" and forever altered the balance of power in the movie industry. Effects of his young age According to Flamini, his youth was a subject of conversation within the movie community. Executives from other studios, actors, and film crew, often mistook him to be a junior employee. Movie columnist Louella Parsons, upon first being introduced to him, asked, "What's the joke? Where's the new general manager?" After five minutes of talking to Thalberg, however, she later wrote about "Universal's Boy Wonder": "He might be a boy in looks and age, but it was no child's mind that was being asked to cope with the intricate politics of Universal City." Novelist Edna Ferber responded the same way, writing that "I had fancied motion-picture producers as large gentlemen smoking oversized cigars. But this young man whose word seemed so final at Universal City ... impressed me deeply." The male actors in the studio had a similar reaction. Lionel Barrymore, who was nearly twice his age, recalled their meetings: Thalberg likewise gained the respect of leading playwrights, some of whom also looked down on him due to his youth. George S. Kaufman, co-author of Dinner at Eight, several Marx Brothers films, and two George Gershwin plays, came from New York to meet with Thalberg. Afterward he confided to his friend, Groucho Marx: "That man has never written a word, yet he can tell me exactly what to do with a story. I didn't know you had people like that out here." Actress Norma Shearer, whom he later married, was surprised after he greeted her at the door, then walked her to his office for her first job interview: "Then you're not the office boy?" she asked. He smiled, as he sat himself behind his desk: "No, Miss Shearer, I'm Irving Thalberg, vice-president of the Mayer Company. I'm the man who sent for you." His younger-than-normal age for a studio executive was usually mentioned even after he left Universal to help start up MGM. Screenwriter Agnes Christine Johnson, who worked with Thalberg for years, described his contribution during meetings: The same quality was observed by director and screenwriter Hobart Henley: "If something that read well in conference turns out not so good on the screen, I go to him and, like that—Henley snaps his fingers—he has a remedy. He's brilliant." Another assistant producer to Thalberg explains: His youth also contributed to his open-mindedness to the ideas of others. Conrad Nagel, who starred in numerous Thalberg films, reported that Thalberg was generally empathetic to those he worked alongside: "Thalberg never raised his voice. He just looked into your eyes, spoke softly, and after a few minutes he cast a spell on you." Studio attorney Edwin Loeb, who also worked to create AMPAS, explained that "the real foundation of Irving's success was his ability to look at life through the eyes of any given person. He had a gift of empathy, and almost complete perspective." Those opinions were also shared by producer Walter Wanger: "You thought that you were talking to an Indian savant. He could cast a spell on anybody." His talent as a producer was enhanced by his "near-miraculous" powers of concentration, notes film critic J. Hoberman. As a result, he was never bored or tired, and supplemented his spare time with reading for his own amusement, recalls screenwriter Bayard Veiller, with some of his favorite authors being Francis Bacon, Epictetus, and Immanuel Kant. Film projects at Universal Biographer Bob Thomas writes that after three years at the studio, Thalberg continually proved his value. Universal's pictures improved noticeably, primarily due to Thalberg's "uncanny sense of story." He took tight control over many key aspects of production, including his requirement that from then on scripts were tightly constructed before filming began, rather than during production. Thomas adds that he also "showed a remarkable capacity for working with actors, casting them aptly and advising them on their careers." After producing two films that were in production when he began work at Universal, he presented Laemmle with his idea for a film based on one of his favorite classic stories, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Rather than just a horror picture, Thalberg suggested turning it into a spectacle which would include a replica of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He had Lon Chaney play the hunchback. The film became Universal's most profitable silent film and established Chaney's career as a top-flight star. After nearly three years with Universal, Thalberg had supervised over a hundred movies, reorganized the studio to give more control to the managers, and had "stopped the defection" of many of their leading stars by offering them better, higher-paying contracts. He also produced a number of Universal's prestige films, which made the company profitable. However, he decided it was time to find a studio in Los Angeles more suitable to his skills, and spread word that he was available. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Cecil B. DeMille was the first who wanted to hire him, telling his partner Jesse Lasky, "The boy is a genius. I can see it. I know it." Lasky opposed the hire, stating, "Geniuses we have all we need." Thalberg then received an offer from Hal Roach, but the offer was withdrawn because Thalberg lacked experience with slapstick comedy films. In late 1922, Thalberg was introduced to Louis B. Mayer, president of a small but dynamic and fast-growing studio. At that first meeting, Thalberg "made a deep, immediate impression on Mayer", writes Flamini. After Thalberg had left, Mayer said to studio attorney Edwin Loeb: "Tell him if he comes to work for me, I'll look after him as though he were my son." Although their personalities were in many ways opposite, Mayer being more outspoken and nearly twice the younger man's age, Thalberg was hired as vice president in charge of production at Louis B. Mayer Productions. Years later, Mayer's daughter Irene Mayer Selznick recalled that "it was hard to believe anyone that boyish could be so important." According to Flamini, Thalberg was hired because, although Mayer was an astute businessman, "what he lacked was Thalberg's almost unerring ability to combine quality with commercial success, to bring artistic aspiration in line with the demands of the box office." Mayer's company subsequently merged with two others to become Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), with the 24-year-old Thalberg made part-owner and accorded the same position as vice president in charge of production. Three years after the merger, MGM became the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years at MGM, Thalberg supervised the production of over four hundred films. Although Thalberg and his colleagues at MGM knew he was "doomed" to not live much past the age of 30 due to heart disease, he loved producing films. He continued developing innovative ideas and overseeing most of MGM's pictures. Under Thalberg's management, MGM released over 40% more films yearly than Warner Brothers, and more than double Paramount's releases. From 1924 until 1936, when Thalberg died at the age of 37, "almost every film bore Thalberg's imprint", wrote Mark Vieira. Production innovations Thalberg's production techniques "broke new ground in filmmaking", adds Vieira. Among his contributions at MGM was his innovation of story conferences, sneak previews and scene retakes. He introduced the first horror films and coauthored the Production Code, the set of moral guidelines that all film studios agreed to follow. Thalberg helped synthesize and merge the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. MGM thereby became the only movie studio to consistently show a profit during the Great Depression. Flamini explains that the equation for MGM's success depended on combining stars, a Broadway hit or popular classic, and high standards of production. This combination at the time was considered a "revolutionary approach" in the film industry, which until then assumed a star was all that was needed for success, regardless of the story or production quality. The other studios began following MGM's lead with that same formula. Production techniques Thalberg generally followed a system in managing his productions. According to one of his assistants, Lawrence Weingarten, who later became a producer, "Thalberg directed the film on paper, and then the director directed the film on film." Thalberg was generally opposed to location shooting overseas where he could not oversee production and control costs, as happened with Ben Hur. Thus, he kept hundreds of back-lot carpenters at work creating realistic sets, as he did for fifteenth-century Romeo and Juliet (1936), or with China Seas (1935), to replicate the harbors of Hong Kong. Vieira points out that Thalberg's "fascination with Broadway plays" often had him create and present stories visually. For China Seas, for instance, he described for the screenwriters, director and others, exactly how he wanted the film to appear on screen: To be certain of achieving the desired effects, Thalberg made sure his cinematographers were careful in their use of light and shadow. Vieira observes that "more than any other producer or any other studio, Thalberg and MGM manipulated lenses, filters, and lighting instruments to affect the viewer." As a result, he notes, "most of Thalberg's films contain moments such as these, in which cinematic technique transcends mere exposition and gives the viewer something to treasure." Thalberg was supported by most of the studio in these kinds of creative decisions. "It was a big family," notes Weingarten. "If we had a success, everybody—and I mean every cutter, every painter, every plasterer—was excited about it, was abuzz, was in a tizzy about the whole idea of picture making." Taking risks with new subjects and stars In 1929, MGM released fifty films, and all but five showed a profit. Of those that failed, Hallelujah was also a gamble by Thalberg. When King Vidor, the film's producer and director, proposed the idea to Thalberg of a major film cast, for the first time, exclusively with African Americans, he told Thalberg directly, "I doubt that it will make a dollar at the box office." Thalberg replied, "Don't worry about that. I've told you that MGM can afford an occasional experiment." By the early 1930s, a number of stars began failing at the box office, partly due to the Great Depression that was now undermining the economy, along with the public's ability to spend on entertainment. Thalberg began using two stars in a film, rather than one, as had been the tradition at all the studios, such as pairing Greta Garbo with John Gilbert, Clark Gable with Jean Harlow, and William Powell with Myrna Loy. After experimenting with a few such films, including Mata Hari (1931), which were profitable, he decided on a multi-star production of another Broadway play, Grand Hotel (1932). It had five major stars, including Garbo, Joan Crawford, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, and Wallace Beery. "Before Thalberg," writes Vieira, "there was no Grand Hotel in the American consciousness." The film won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1932. Thalberg went against consensus and took another risk with The Great Ziegfeld (1936), costarring Luise Rainer. Although Louis B. Mayer did not want her in the role, which he felt was too minor for a new star, Thalberg felt that "only she could play the part", wrote biographer Charles Higham. Shortly after shooting began in late 1935, doubts of Rainer's acting ability emerged in the press. However, despite her limited appearances in the film, Rainer "so impressed audiences with one highly emotional scene" that she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. After her winning role in The Great Ziegfeld, Thalberg wanted her to play a role that was the opposite of her previous character, for The Good Earth (1937). For the part as a Chinese peasant, she was required to act totally subservient to her husband, being perpetually huddled in submission, and barely spoke a word of dialogue during the entire film. Rainer recalls that Mayer did not approve of the film being produced or her part in it: "He was horrified at Irving Thalberg's insistence for me to play O-lan, the poor uncomely little Chinese peasant." However, she again won the Oscar for Best Actress, becoming the first actress to win two consecutive Oscars, a feat not matched until Katharine Hepburn's two Oscar wins thirty years later. Grooming new stars Besides bringing a distinctive high quality "look" to MGM films and often recreating well-known stories or plays, Thalberg's actors themselves took on a characteristic quality. Thalberg wanted his female actors to appear "cool, classy and beautiful," notes Flamini. And he strove to make the male actors appear "worldly and in control." In general, Thalberg movies and actors came to be "luxurious," "glossy," and "technically flawless." By doing so, he made stars or boosted the careers of actors such as Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, John Gilbert, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Helen Hayes, Jean Harlow, Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore and Luise Rainer. Greta Garbo In 1925, a young Greta Garbo, then twenty, and unable to speak any English, was brought over from Sweden at Mayer's request, as he saw how she looked in still photos. A Swedish friend thought he would help her by contacting Thalberg, who then agreed to give her a screen test. According to author Frederick Sands, "the result of the test was electrifying." Thalberg was impressed and began grooming the new starlet the following day: "the studio arranged to fix her teeth, made sure she lost weight, and gave her an English tutor." Joan Crawford Joan Crawford's first role was a Thalberg production at MGM and she became one of their leading stars for the next thirty years. Crawford was somewhat jealous of Norma Shearer as she thought she was given the better material by her husband Thalberg out of nepotism. Nevertheless, she felt that his contribution to MGM was vital to the film industry. Not long after his early death, she recalls her concerns: "Thalberg was dead and the concept of the quality 'big' picture pretty much went out the window." Marie Dressler Thalberg also realized that old stars few had heard of could be made into new ones. Marie Dressler, a fifty-nine-year-old early vaudeville and movie star, who had played the top-billed lead, above Charles Chaplin and Mabel Normand), in the first feature-length comedy, Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914), was unable to get any roles in films after leaving show business for some years, finally working as a maid. MGM screenwriter Frances Marion suggested to Thalberg that she might fit well in a starring role for a new film, and was surprised that he knew of her prior successes. Thalberg approved of using her without a screen test and offered his rationale: By 1932, shortly before she died, Dressler was the country's number one box office star. Wallace Beery Marie Dressler was paired twice, in Min and Bill (1930) and Tugboat Annie (1933), with Wallace Beery, another major silent star who had been struggling to get work in sound pictures until Thalberg cast him. Beery had enjoyed a hugely successful silent film career dating back to 1913, but had been fired by Paramount shortly after sound pictures appeared. Thalberg cast him in the role of "Machine Gun Butch," which had been meant for recently deceased Lon Chaney, in The Big House (1930), an energetic prison picture that became a huge hit. Beery was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, and his burgeoning career at MGM had transformed him into the studio's highest paid actor within two more years, during which time he won the Oscar for The Champ and had become a phenomenal box office draw as a result of Thalberg's foresight. Getting audience feedback and reshooting According to Vieira, MGM had few failures during this period, and numerous blockbusters. Among the reasons was Thalberg's unique system of developing a script during story conferences with writers before filming began, and later giving "sneak previews" followed by audience feedback through written questionnaires. Often, where he felt improvement was needed, he arranged for scenes to be reshot. As Thalberg once stated, "The difference between something good and something superior is often very small." Bad decisions and missed opportunities Thalberg felt he had his "finger on the pulse of America. I know what people will do and what they won't do," he said. His judgment was not always accurate, however. Thalberg's bringing Broadway productions to the screen to develop higher picture standards sometimes resulted in "studied" acting or "stagey" sets, notes Flamini. In 1927, after the successful release of the first full-length talking picture, The Jazz Singer (1927), he nevertheless felt that talking pictures were a fad. Thalberg likewise did not think that color would replace black-and-white in movies. When an assistant protested against a script that envisioned a love scene in Paris with an ocean background, Thalberg refused to make changes, saying "We can't cater to a handful of people who know Paris." A more serious distraction to Thalberg's efforts was his obsession with making his wife Norma Shearer a prominent star, efforts which sometimes led to "overblown and overglamous" productions. Thalberg himself admitted to his obsession years later when he told a fellow producer: "You're behaving like I did with Norma. I knew positively that she could play anything. It's a kind of romantic astigmatism that attacks producers when they fall for an actress." Important films at MGM Ben Hur (1925) One of the first pictures he took charge of, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, was inherited and already in production by another studio when MGM was formed. The film was turning into a disastrous expense with cost overruns already in the millions due to its lavish sets and location shooting in Rome. Most studio executives chose to terminate the film to cut their losses. Thalberg, however, felt differently, and thought the film would affect movie audiences, due to its classic literary source, and would highlight MGM as a major new studio. He, therefore, discarded much of the original footage shot in Italy and recreated the set on MGM's back lots in Culver City, which added more millions to the production, yet gave him more control over production. The new set also included a replica of Circus Maximus for the dramatic chariot race scenes. Flamini notes that Thalberg's "gamble paid off," drawing international attention to MGM, and to Thalberg within the movie industry for his bold action. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty was the studio's next most expensive film after Ben Hur, with some now calling it "Thalberg's masterpiece." He initially had difficulty convincing Mayer that he could make the film without making heroes of the mutineers. He achieved that by instead making a hero of the British Royal Navy, whereby the officers and shipmates would from then on display their mutual respect. Thalberg also had to convince Clark Gable to accept the role against his will. He pleaded with Gable, eventually promising him that "If it isn't one of your greatest successes, I'll never ask you again to play a part you don't want." The film's other main stars were Charles Laughton and Franchot Tone. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Actor, and winning it for Best Picture. Thalberg accepted the award as producer from Frank Capra. Thalberg and Mayer partnership At first, Thalberg and studio chief Louis B. Mayer got along splendidly; however, they had different production philosophies. Thalberg preferred literary works, while Mayer preferred glitzy crowd-pleasing films. A clash was inevitable, and their relationship grew decidedly frosty. When Thalberg fell ill in the final weeks of 1932, Mayer took advantage of the situation and replaced him with David O. Selznick and Walter Wanger. Thalberg's reputation by that time for working long hours was widely known, and rumors about the related strain on his fragile health had become front-page news in entertainment trade publications. The Hollywood Reporter in January 1933 updated its readership about his condition and addressed growing concerns that he might be forced, despite his young age, to quit the business: Once Thalberg recovered sufficiently from his bout with the "flu" and was able to return to work later in 1933, it was as one of MGM's unit producers, albeit one who had first choice on projects as well as preferential access to all the studio's resources, including over casting its stars. Thalberg's good relationship with Nicholas Schenck, then president of Loew's Incorporated, proved to be an ongoing advantage for him. Loew's was the corporate parent of MGM, so Schenck was the true power and ultimate arbiter at the studio; and he usually supported Thalberg's decisions and continued to do so whenever disagreements about projects or production needs arose. As a result, Thalberg also continued to produce or coproduce some of MGM's most prestigious and critically acclaimed ventures in this period, such as The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) starring his wife Norma Shearer, China Seas (1935), A Night at the Opera (1935), San Francisco (1936), and Romeo and Juliet (1936). Personal life During his few years with Universal while living in New York, Thalberg had become romantically involved with Carl Laemmle's daughter, Rosabelle. Still in his early twenties and later spending most of his time in Los Angeles, his feelings toward her were no longer as strong. Flamini suspects that this may have affected his position at Universal and partly caused his decision to leave the company. "The Laemmles prayed that Irving would marry Rosabelle", notes Flamini. "They wanted their sons to be educated and their daughters to marry nice Jewish boys." Less than a year after he and Mayer took charge of the newly created MGM studios, and still only twenty-five years old, Thalberg suffered a serious heart attack due to overwork. Mayer also became aware of Thalberg's congenital heart problems and now worried about the prospect of running MGM without him. Mayer also became concerned that one of his daughters might become romantically involved, and told them so: Thalberg, aware of Mayer's feelings, made it a point of never giving too much attention to his daughters at social events. One of Thalberg's traits was his ability to work long hours into the night with little sign of fatigue. According to Vieira, Thalberg believed that as long as his mind was active in his work and he was not bored, he would not feel tired. Thalberg, who often got by with only five hours of sleep, felt that most people could get by with less than they realized. To keep his mental faculties at peak, he would read philosophical books by Bacon, Epictetus, or Kant. "They stimulate me. I'd drop out of sight in no time if I didn't read and keep up with current thought—and the philosophers are brain sharpeners." During the early 1930s, Thalberg was ambivalent about political events in Europe. While he feared Nazism and the rise of Hitler, he also feared Communism. At the time, notes Vieira, "given a choice between communism and fascism, many Americans—including Thalberg—would prefer the latter." Thalberg stated his opinion: When others suggested that many Jews could die in Germany as a result of Nazi anti-Semitism, he replied that in his opinion "Hitler and Hitlerism will pass." On one occasion, Catholic Prince Löwenstein of Germany, who himself had almost been captured before fleeing Germany, told him: "Mr. Thalberg, your own people are being systematically hunted down and rooted out of Germany." Thalberg suggested that world Jewry should nevertheless not interfere, that the Jewish race would survive Hitler. Within a few years, American film distribution was "choked off" in Germany. Led by Warner Brothers, all American studios eventually closed their German offices. Thalberg began dating actress Norma Shearer a few years after he joined MGM. Following her conversion to Judaism, they married on Thursday, September 29, 1927, in a private ceremony in the garden of his rented house in Beverly Hills. Rabbi Edgar F. Magnin officiated at the event, with Shearer's brother Douglas Shearer giving the bride away, and Louis B. Mayer serving as best man. The couple drove to Monterey for their honeymoon and then moved into their newly constructed home in Beverly Hills. After their second child was born, Shearer considered retiring from films, but Thalberg convinced her to continue acting, saying he could find her good roles. She went on to be one of MGM's biggest stars of the 1930s. Their two children were Irving Jr. (1930–1987) and Katharine (1935–2006). Death Thalberg and Shearer took a much-needed Labor Day weekend vacation in Monterey, California, in 1936, staying at the same beachfront hotel where they spent their honeymoon. A few weeks earlier, Thalberg's leading screenwriter, Al Lewin, had proposed doing a film based on a soon-to-be published book, Gone with the Wind. Although Thalberg said it would be a "sensational" role for Gable, and a "terrific picture," he decided not to do it: Besides, Thalberg told Mayer, "[n]o Civil War picture ever made a nickel". Shortly after returning from Monterey, Thalberg was diagnosed with pneumonia. His condition worsened steadily and he eventually required an oxygen tent at home. He died on September 14, at the age of 37. Sam Wood, while directing A Day at the Races, was given the news by phone. He returned to the set with tears in his eyes and told the others. As the news spread "the studio was paralyzed with shock", notes Thomas. "Work stopped and hundreds of people wept", with stars, writers, directors, and studio employees "all sharing a sense of loss at the death of a man who had been a part of their working lives", states Flamini. His funeral took place two days later, and when the services began the other studios throughout Hollywood observed five minutes of silence. Producer Sam Goldwyn "wept uncontrollably for two days" and was unable to regain his composure enough to attend. The MGM studio closed for that day. Services were held at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple that Thalberg had occasionally attended. The funeral attracted thousands of spectators who came to view the arrival of countless stars from MGM and other studios, including Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, the Marx Brothers, Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Howard Hughes, Al Jolson, Gary Cooper, Carole Lombard, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, among the screen luminaries. The ushers who led them to their seats included Clark Gable, Fredric March, and playwright Moss Hart. Erich von Stroheim, who had been fired by Thalberg, came to pay his respects. Producers Louis B. Mayer, the Warner brothers, Adolph Zukor, and Nicholas Schenck sat together solemnly as Rabbi Magnin gave the eulogy. Thalberg is buried in a private marble tomb in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, lying at rest beside his wife Norma Shearer Arrouge (Thalberg's crypt was engraved "My Sweetheart Forever" by Shearer). Over the following days, tributes were published by the national press. Louis B. Mayer, his co-founding partner at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, said he had lost "the finest friend a man could ever have", while MGM president Nicholas Schenck stated that "Thalberg was the most important man in the production end of the motion-picture industry. Leading producers from the other studios also expressed their feelings in published tributes to Thalberg: David O. Selznick described him as "beyond any question the greatest individual force for fine pictures." Samuel Goldwyn called him "the foremost figure in the motion-picture industry ... and an inspiration." M. H. Aylesworth, Chairman of RKO, wrote that "his integrity, vision and ability made him the spearhead of all motion-picture production throughout the world." Harry Warner, president of Warner Bros., described him as "gifted with one of the finest minds ever placed at the service of motion-picture production." Sidney R. Kent, president of Twentieth Century Fox, said that "he made the whole world richer by giving it the highest type of entertainment. He was a true genius." Columbia president Harry Cohn said the "motion picture industry has suffered a loss from which it will not soon recover...". Darryl F. Zanuck noted, "More than any other man he raised the industry to its present world prestige." Adolph Zukor, chairman of Paramount, stated, "Irving Thalberg was the most brilliant young man in the motion picture business." Jesse Lasky said, "It will be utterly impossible to replace him." Among the condolences that came from world political leaders, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." Among the pictures that were unfinished or not yet released at the time of his death were A Day at the Races, The Good Earth, Camille, Maytime, and Romeo and Juliet. Groucho Marx, star of A Day at the Races, wrote, "After Thalberg's death, my interest in the movies waned. I continued to appear in them, but ... The fun had gone out of picture making." Thalberg's widow, Norma Shearer, recalled, "Grief does very strange things to you. I didn't seem to feel the shock for two weeks afterwards. ... then, at the end of those two weeks, I collapsed." Legacy in the movie industry Thalberg's legacy to the movie industry is "incalculable", states biographer Bob Thomas. He notes that with his numerous production innovations and grand stories, often turning classic literature and Broadway stage productions into big-screen pictures, he managed to keep "American movies supreme throughout the world for a generation". Darryl F. Zanuck, founder of 20th Century-Fox said that during Thalberg's brief career, he had become the "most creative producer in the history of films". Thomas describes some of his contributions: Most of MGM's major films in the 1930s were, according to Flamini, "in a very real sense", made by Thalberg. He closely supervised the making of "more pictures than any other producer in Hollywood's history", and was considered the "archetype of the creative producer", adds Flamini. Upon his early death, aged 37, an editorial in The New York Times called him "the most important force" in the motion picture industry. The paper added that for the film industry, he "set the pace and others followed ... because his way combined style, glamour, and profit." He is described by Flamini as having been "a revolutionary in a gray flannel suit". Thalberg refused to take credit as producer, and as a result, his name never appeared on the screen while he was alive. Thalberg claimed that "credit you give yourself is not worth having". He also said "If a picture is good, they'll know who produced it. If it's bad, nobody cares." His final film, released after he died, was The Good Earth (1937), which won numerous Academy Awards. Its opening screen credit was dedicated to Thalberg: In 1938, the new multimillion-dollar MGM administration building in Culver City was named for Thalberg. The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, also named for him, awards producers for consistently high production achievements. Cultural legacy The Last Tycoon In October 1939, American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald began writing The Last Tycoon, a fictionalized biography of Thalberg, naming the protagonist Monroe Stahr to represent Thalberg. "Thalberg has always fascinated me", he wrote to an editor. "His peculiar charm, his extraordinary good looks, his bountiful success, the tragic end of his great adventure. The events I have built around him are fiction, but all of them are things which might very well have happened. ... I've long chosen him for a hero (this has been in my mind for three years) because he is one of the half-dozen men I have known who were built on a grand scale." Thomas notes that among the reasons Fitzgerald chose to write a book about a Thalberg-like character, was that "throughout his literary career, Fitzgerald borrowed his heroes from friends he admired, and inevitably a bit of Fitzgerald entered the characterizations." Fitzgerald himself writes that "When I like men, I want to be like them ..." Fitzgerald and Thalberg had real-life similarities: both were prodigies, both had heart ailments, and they both died at early ages. According to biographer Matthew J. Bruccoli, Fitzgerald believed that Thalberg, with his "taste and courage, represented the best of Hollywood. ... [and] saw Thalberg as a model for what could be done in the movies." Fitzgerald died before the novel was completed, however. Bruccoli writes of Fitzgerald's book: Although parallels between Monroe Stahr in the novel and Thalberg were evident, many who knew Thalberg intimately stated that they did not see similarities in their personalities. Norma Shearer said that the Stahr character was not at all like her former husband. In the 1976 film version, directed by Elia Kazan, Monroe Stahr was played by Robert De Niro. Kazan, in his pre-production notes, described the Stahr character as he saw him: In the 2016 television series based on the novel, Monroe Stahr is played by Matt Bomer. Others Fitzgerald also based his short story "Crazy Sunday", originally published in the October 1932 issue of American Mercury, on an incident at a party thrown by Thalberg and Shearer. The story is included in Fitzgerald's collection Taps at Reveille (1935). Thalberg was portrayed in the movie Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) by Robert Evans, who went on to become a studio head himself. Thalberg was portrayed by Bill Cusack in Young Indiana Jones and the Hollywood Follies (1994), a TV film based on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, in which Indiana Jones is depicted as taking part in Thalberg's conflict with Erich von Stroheim over Foolish Wives. In 2020, Thalberg was played by Ferdinand Kingsley in the David Fincher film Mank Thalberg, played by Tobey Maguire, is rumored to appear in the upcoming movie Babylon. Filmography Producer Reputation (1921) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) Merry-Go-Round (1923) His Hour (1924) He Who Gets Slapped (1924) The Unholy Three (1925) The Merry Widow (1925) The Tower of Lies (1925) The Big Parade (1925) Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) Torrent (1926) La Bohème (1926) Brown of Harvard (1926) The Road to Mandalay (1926) The Temptress (1926) Valencia (1926) Flesh and the Devil (1926) Twelve Miles Out (1927) The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) London After Midnight (1927) The Crowd (1928) Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) White Shadows in the South Seas (1928) Show People (1928) West of Zanzibar (1928) The Broadway Melody (1929) The Trial of Mary Dugan (1929) Voice of the City (1929) Where East Is East (1929) The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929) The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929) Hallelujah (1929) His Glorious Night (1929) The Kiss (1929) Anna Christie (1930) Redemption (1930) The Divorcee (1930) The Rogue Song (1930) The Big House (1930) The Unholy Three (1930) Let Us Be Gay (1930) Billy the Kid (1930) Way for a Sailor (1930) A Lady's Morals (1930) Inspiration (1931) Trader Horn (1931) The Secret Six (1931) A Free Soul (1931) Just a Gigolo (1931) Menschen hinter Gittern (1931), German-language version of The Big House (1930) The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931) The Guardsman (1931) The Champ (1931) Possessed (1931) Private Lives (1931) Mata Hari (1931) Freaks (1932) Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) Grand Hotel (1932) Letty Lynton (1932) As You Desire Me (1932) Red-Headed Woman (1932) Smilin' Through (1932) Red Dust (1932) Rasputin and the Empress (1932) Strange Interlude (1932) Tugboat Annie (1933) Bombshell (1933) Eskimo (1933) La Veuve Joyeuse (1934) French-language version of The Merry Widow Riptide (1934) The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) The Merry Widow (1934) What Every Woman Knows (1934) Biography of a Bachelor Girl (1935) No More Ladies (1935) China Seas (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) A Night at the Opera (1935) Riffraff (1936) Romeo and Juliet (1936) Camille (1936) Maytime (1937) A Day at the Races (1937) Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) The Good Earth (1937) Marie Antoinette (1938) Writer The Trap (1922) The Dangerous Little Demon (1922) Awards Academy Awards Notes Further reading Books Flamini, Roland. Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of M-G-M (1994) Marx, Samuel. Mayer and Thalberg: The Make-believe Saints (1975) Thomas, Bob. Thalberg: Life and Legend (1969) Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg's M-G-M. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2008. Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg: Boy Wonder to Producer Prince. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009. Articles Starman, Ray. "Irving Thalberg", Films In Review, June/July 1987, p. 347–353 External links Irving Thalberg at TCM Cinemagraphe Review of the Roland Flamini biography of Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of MGM Irving Thalberg at Virtual History Irving Thalberg profiled in Collier's Magazine (1924) Videos 1899 births 1936 deaths American film producers Film producers from California Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award American film studio executives American male screenwriters Cinema pioneers Silent film directors Silent film producers Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer executives Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences founders Businesspeople from Los Angeles Hollywood history and culture California Republicans New York (state) Republicans USC School of Cinematic Arts faculty 20th-century American businesspeople Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from New York (state) People from Brooklyn American anti-communists American people of German-Jewish descent Deaths from pneumonia in California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American writers Jewish American writers 20th-century American screenwriters
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[ "Rohit Raju is an American professional wrestler best known for his time with Impact Wrestling, where he is a former one-time Impact X Division Champion. Before working for Impact Wrestling, he worked over 10 years on the independent circuit in promotions including Xtreme Intense Championship Wrestling (XICW). He signed a contract with Impact in 2017, where he debuted as part of Desi Hit Squad.\n\nProfessional wrestling career\n\nEarly career \nUnder the ring name Hakim Zane, he debuted between 2008 and 2009. From then on, Zane worked in matches in promotions including for the National Wrestling Alliance and several NWA affiliates.\n\nXtreme Intense Championship Wrestling (2013–2018)\nOn April 14, 2013, Zane held his first title as co-holder of the XICW Tag Team Championship with TD Thomas. They held the tag titles until September 8, 2013 at XICW 167: Jacobs vs. Venom, where they lost the titles to challengers Sonny Scarboni and Vinnie Scarboni. The following year, Zane won his first singles championship on April 27, 2014 at XICW 177: Jacobs vs. Shelley, where he defeated The DBA to win the XICW Midwest Heavyweight Championship. He later lost the title on December 14 at XICW 187 Hardcore with a Heart, to former WWE Cruiserweight Shannon Moore.\n\nThe following year in 2015, Zane won the XICW Light Heavyweight Championship on January 17, 2015 at XICW Best in Detroit VIII, defeating Caleb Stills, Chris Sabin and Owen Travers in a four-way match. Three months later on April 12 at XICW 192, Zane lost the Light Heavyweight title to Owen Travers in a two-out-of-three-falls match. Zane later won the Midwest Heavyweight title for a second time. His second reign began on June 5, 2016 at XICW 210 after defeating Rhino. He went on to defend the Midwest Heavyweight title against challengers including Robbie E and Matt Cross. His final title defense was August 7, 2016 at XICW 213, successfully defeating Cross.\n\nDuring 2017, Zane competed for the XICW Tag Team and Midwest Heavyweight titles on several occasions, however did not succeeding either title for a second time. He returned for one last match during a July 13, 2018 XICW show, challenging Jimmy Jacobs for the Midwest Heavyweight title but did not succeed in winning the championship.\n\nImpact Wrestling\n\nSporadic appearances (2017–2018)\nOn the May 11, 2017 episode of Impact!, Zane teamed with Idris Abraham in a tag match lost against Garza Jr. and Laredo Kid. Six months later, Zane returned and wrestled in his first singles match. During the November 30 episode of Impact!, Zane lost his debut singles match to Taiji Ishimori. He made his final televised appearance of the year on the December 9 episode of Xplosion, losing to Eddie Edwards.\n\nZane returned the following year on the January 11, 2018 episode Impact!, teaming with Caleb Konley and Trevor Lee in a six-man tag match lost to Dezmond Xavier, Garza Jr. and Sonjay Dutt. The following month on the February 8 episode of Impact!, Zane debuted the ring name Rohit Raju, teaming with El Hijo del Fantasma in a tag match lost against Ishimori and Matt Sydal.\n\nDesi Hit Squad (2018–2020)\nOn March 16 (which was taped on March 3) at Impact One Night Only: March Breakdown, Raju debuted with Gursinder Singh as the Desi Hit Squad. During the event, they defeated Sheldon Jean and Stone Rockwell. On the March 22 episode of Impact!, Raju challenged for the X Division Championship but lost to the reigning champion Sydal. For the course of the year, Raju and Gursinder Singh shared the ring as teammates and as opponents. Their final match was a singles competition during the October 11 episode of Impact! in which he defeated Gursinder Singh. By the November 1 episode of Impact!, the Desi Hit Squad was modified with the addition of Raj Singh, replacing Gursinder Singh. During the episode, they defeated The Beach Bums (Freddie IV and TJ Crawford). Raju wrestled his final match of the year on the November 22 episode of Impact!, teaming with Eli Drake, Jake Crist, Katarina and Glenn Gilbertti in the Second Annual Eli Drake Gravy Train Turkey Trot match, losing to Fallah Bahh, Alisha Edwards, Kikutaro, KM and Dezmond Xavier.\n\nThe following year, Raju returned with Raj Singh on the January 3, 2019 episode of Impact! in a tag team match against Bahh and KM, which was observed an \"audition\" by Impact Knockout Scarlett Bordeaux. The match concluded with the Desi Hit Squad losing to Bahh and KM. During the January 25 episode of Impact!, the Desi Hit Squad lost another tag team bout to The Rascalz (Dez and Wentz). During the early months of 2019, Raju competed in tag matches. On March 9 at Impact Wrestling-OVW One Night Only: Clash In The Bluegrass, Raju teamed with oVe (Dave Crist and Jake Crist), Madman Fulton in a tag match against Dustin Jackson, Melvin Maximus, Sam Thompson and Shiloh Jonze.\n\nX Division Champion (2020–2022) \nOn August 18, 2020, during Night 1 of Emergence, Raju defeated Chris Bey to win the X Division Championship in a three-way match that also involved TJP. On the September 15 episode of Impact!, he had Bey, TJP and Trey compete in a three-way match next week to determine who will face him for the title immediately afterwards, which Trey won but Raju quickly defeated him in his first title defense. At Victory Road, he issued the Defeat Rohit Challenge with his X Division Championship on the line, which was answered by Willie Mack but he took the count-out loss to retain the title. On the October 6 episode of Impact!, Raju lost to Jordynne Grace who answered his challenge, but changed the rules so that the title wasn't up for grabs. At Bound for Glory, Raju successfully retained his X Division Championship in a six-way intergender scramble match that involved Bey, Grace, TJP, Mack and Trey, the latter of which he pinned to win the match. On November 14 at Turning Point, Raju retained his title against Cousin Jake. On the November 24 episode of Impact!, he lost to Crazzy Steve disguised as Suicide, but managed to defeat him on the following week to retain his title. At Final Resolution, Raju lost the title to Manik, ending his reign at 120 days.\n\nOn January 16, 2021, at Hard to Kill, he failed to regain the X Division Championship in a three-way match that also involved Bey. On the February 2 episode of Impact!, Raju defeated TJP in a non-title bout, with help from returning Desi Hit Squad ally Mahabali Shera. At No Surrender, he failed to recapture the X Division title and put the blame on Shera during the following week's Impact!, resulting in him getting shoved into Chris Sabin and James Storm, and the latter hitting Raju with a beer bottle on the head. Raju would lose to Storm on the March 2 episode of Before the Impact and team with Shera in a losing effort against him and Sabin on the following week's Impact!, the latter of which saw his alliance with Shera end. This led to a match between the two on the March 16 episode of Impact!, where Raju won after using the ropes. On the March 30 episode of Before the Impact, Raju teamed up with Hernandez to defeat Shera and Fallah Bahh. On April 10, at Hardcore Justice, he realigned himself with Shera after helping him against Hernandez in a Chairly Legal match.\n\nOn the May 13 episode of Impact!, Raju competed in a six-way match to determine the number one contender for the X Division Championship, which was won by New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) talent El Phantasmo. Two days later, at Under Siege, he teamed with Shera in a four-way tag team match to determine who will get a shot at the Impact World Tag Team Championship, which was won by Ace Austin and Madman Fulton. On June 12, at Against All Odds, Raju competed in a five-way match to determine a number one contender for the X Division title, but it ended in a no contest. At Slammiversary, Raju failed to win the title in an Ultimate X match, which was won by defending champion Josh Alexander. On the August 5 episode of Impact!, he lost a four-way match to determine the number one contender to the X Division title, which was won by Jake Something. Raju went on to feud with Matt Cardona after costing him a match on the following week's Impact!, but failed to beat him in a one-on-one bout at Emergence. On the September 2 episode of Impact!, Raju teamed with Shera to face Cardona and Chelsea Green in a tag team match, with Raju getting the pin after hitting the latter with a knee strike. At Victory Road, he took on Cardona in a no disqualification match, but was defeated by him.\n\nOn the September 23 episode of Impact!, Raju defeated Chelsea Green in an intergender match, after a distraction from returning Desi Hit Squad ally Raj Singh. On the October 14 episode of Impact!, he competed in a three-way semi-final match to determine who will go on to Bound for Glory in another three-way match for the vacant X Division Championship, which was won by El Phantasmo. At Bound for Glory, Raju participated in the Call Your Shot Gauntlet match, where the winner could choose any championship match of their choice, eliminating NJPW talent Rocky Romero and Madman Fulton but was eliminated by Moose and W. Morrissey. He left Impact in January 2022.\n\nChampionships and accomplishments \nAll American Wrestling\nAAW Heritage Championship (2 times)\nBorder City Wrestling\nBCW Can-Am Tag Team Championship (1 time, current) – with Raj Singh\nGlory Pro Wrestling\nMidwest Territory Championship (1 time)\nImpact Wrestling\nImpact X Division Championship (1 time)\nGlobal Forged (2017)\nPro Wrestling Illustrated\n Ranked No. 72 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2021\nSuperkick'D\nSuperkick'D King of the 6IX Championship (1 time) \nXtreme Intense Championship Wrestling\nXICW Light Heavyweight Champion (1 time)\nXICW Midwest Heavyweight Champion (2 times)\nXICW Xtreme Intense Champion (1 time)\nXICW Tag Team Champion (1 time) – with TD Thomas\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n Impact Wrestling profile\n \n \n \n\n1980 births\nLiving people\nAmerican male professional wrestlers\nAmerican people of Indian descent\nProfessional wrestlers from Michigan", "Violent By Design (VBD) is a villainous professional wrestling stable in Impact Wrestling, led by Eric Young and also consisting of Deaner and Joe Doering.\n\nThe stable was formed on November 14, 2020 at the Turning Point event, where Doering debuted as Young's enforcer. The group would later be expanded with the additions of Deaner and Rhino. Rhino was kicked out of the stable in September 2021.\n\nHistory \nAt the Slammiversary event on July 18, 2020, Eric Young made his surprise return to Impact Wrestling as a surprise participant in a match for the vacant Impact World Championship, but he lost the match. He would win the title in September, only to lose it a month later to Rich Swann at Bound for Glory.\n\nShortly after losing the title, Joe Doering debuted as Young's enforcer at Turning Point and attacked The Deaners (Cody Deaner and Cousin Jake). During the following weeks, Young feuded with Deaner and Rhino and this resulted in a match between Deaner and Young on the December 8 episode of Impact!, which Young won, and a match at Final Resolution, between Young and Rhino, which Young won after Deaner turned on his partners and joined Young. \n\nOn the January 5, 2021 episode of Impact!, Deaner appeared in a new look with a bald shaved head, trimmed beard, and the modified name Deaner. At Hard To Kill, the trio was officially named Violent By Design (VBD), as they defeated Dreamer, Rhino, and Jake in an Old School Rules match. On the January 19 episode of Impact!, Young defeated Rhino and proceeded to injure him, taking him out of action. Subsequently, Cousin Jake would change his ring name to Jake Something and defeated Deaner at No Surrender. At Sacrifice, Deaner and Doering defeated Chris Sabin and James Storm in a tag team match after Rhino attacked Sabin, thus joining VBD in the process. At Hardcore Justice, VBD defeated Team Dreamer (Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, Willie Mack and Trey Miguel) in an eight-man Hardcore War match.\n\nVBD was scheduled to take on Chris Sabin, Eddie Edwards, James Storm and Willie Mack in an eight-man tag team match at Rebellion but Young suffered an injury and was replaced by the debuting W. Morrisey. Morrisey and VBD went on to win the match. On the May 20 episode of Impact!, Rhino invoked his Call Your Shot Gauntlet championship privilege as he and Doering defeated FinJuice (David Finlay and Juice Robinson) to win the World Tag Team Championship. On the June 3 episode of Impact!, Young declared the titles belonged to the group collectively, and as VBD leader, he would decide who defended them, thus he and Deaner would also be given a share of the titles under the Freebird Rule. At Against All Odds, Doering defeated All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) rival Satoshi Kojima, and Deaner and Rhino retained the tag team titles against Decay (Black Taurus and Crazzy Steve). On July 17, at Slammiversary, they lost the titles to The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) in a four-way tag team match that also involved Rich Swann and Willie Mack, and Fallah Bahh and No Way. \n\nOn August 20, at Emergence, they failed to regain the tag titles in a three-way tag team match that also involved Swann and Mack. After that, Young blamed Rhino for failing to recapture the titles and they tortured him to cure him of \"the sickness\". On the September 16 episode of Impact!, after losing to Decay, Rhino was attacked by Young, Deaner, and Doering, thus kicking him out of the VBD. On the September 30 episode of Impact, Rhino's former tag team partner Heath saved Rhino from a potential attack by VBD, and Heath then looked to give Rhino a hug afterwards, but Rhino would walk out of the ring. In the following weeks, Rhino was not sure which side to take, and Heath asks Impact EVP Scott D'Amore to make a match pitting him and anyone else against Violent By Design at Bound for Glory, which was accepted. At Bound for Glory, Rhino appeared as Heath's tag team partner, where they defeated VBD.\n\nChampionships and accomplishments\nImpact Wrestling\nImpact World Tag Team Championship (1 time)\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links \nViolent By Design's Impact Wrestling profile\nViolent By Design's profile at Cagematch.net\n\nImpact Wrestling teams and stables" ]
[ "Irving Thalberg", "Early years", "What year was he born?", "Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents,", "Who were his parents?", "Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann).", "Did he have any siblings?", "Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with \"blue baby syndrome,\" caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart.", "Did this impact him at all in life?", "The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to age twenty, or at most, age thirty." ]
C_7b8dcb999ce54951992e991787a236a9_1
Where did he go to school?
5
Where did Irving Thalberg go to school?
Irving Thalberg
Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome," caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to age twenty, or at most, age thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17, he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, Henrietta, to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an ad with the local newspaper hoping to find better work: "Situation Wanted: Secretary, stenographer, Spanish, English, high school education, no experience; $15." CANNOTANSWER
During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study,
Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 – September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and ability to select scripts, choose actors, gather production staff, and make profitable films, including Grand Hotel, China Seas, A Night at the Opera, Mutiny on the Bounty, Camille and The Good Earth. His films carved out an international market, "projecting a seductive image of American life brimming with vitality and rooted in democracy and personal freedom", states biographer Roland Flamini. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and as a child was afflicted with a congenital heart disease that doctors said would kill him before he reached the age of thirty. After graduating from high school he worked as a store clerk during the day and to gain some job skills took a night class in typing. He then found work as a secretary with Universal Studios' New York office, and was later made studio manager for their Los Angeles facility. There, he oversaw production of a hundred films during his three years with the company. Among the films he produced was The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923). In Los Angeles, he partnered with Louis B. Mayer's new studio and, after it merged with two other studios, helped create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). He was made head of production of MGM in 1925, at the age of twenty-six, helping MGM become the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years with MGM, until his premature death at the age of 37, he produced four hundred films, most of which bore his imprint and innovations, including story conferences with writers, sneak previews to gain early feedback, and extensive re-shooting of scenes to improve the film. In addition, he introduced horror films to audiences and coauthored the "Production Code", guidelines for morality followed by all studios. During the 1920s and 1930s, he synthesized and merged the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. Thalberg created numerous new stars and groomed their screen images. Among them were Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery, Spencer Tracy, Luise Rainer, and Norma Shearer, who became his wife. He had the ability to combine quality with commercial success, and was credited with bringing his artistic aspirations in line with the demands of audiences. After his death, Hollywood's producers said he had been the world's "foremost figure in motion-picture history". President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, given out periodically by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1937, has been awarded to producers whose body of work reflected consistently high quality films. Early years Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome", caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to the age of twenty, or at most, to thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17 he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, in order to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an advertisement in the local newspaper hoping to find better work: Career as producer Universal Studios He found work as an office secretary at Universal Pictures' New York office, and later became personal secretary to the studio's founder and president, Carl Laemmle. Among Thalberg's duties were transcribing and editing notes that Laemmle had written during screenings of his films. He earned $25 weekly, becoming adept at making insightful observations, which impressed Laemmle. Laemmle took Thalberg to see his Los Angeles production facility, where he spent a month watching how movie production worked. Before returning to New York, Laemmle told Thalberg to remain and "keep an eye on things for me." Two months later, Laemmle returned to California, partly to see how well Thalberg was able to handle the responsibilities he was given. Thalberg gave him suggestions, and thus impressed Laemmle by his ability to understand and explain problems. Thalberg suggested, "The first thing you should do is establish a new job of studio manager and give him the responsibility of watching day-to-day operations." Laemmle immediately agreed: "All right. You're it." In shock, Thalberg replied, "I'm what?" Laemmle told him to take charge of the Los Angeles studio, which he did in early 1919. When aged 20, Thalberg became responsible for immediately overseeing the nine ongoing film productions and nearly thirty scenarios then under development. In describing the rationale for this early appointment as studio manager, film historian David Thomson writes that his new job "owed nothing to nepotism, private wealth, or experience in the film industry." He reasons that despite "Thalberg's youth, modest education, and frail appearance ... it is clear that he had the charm, insight, and ability, or the appearance of it, to captivate the film world." Thalberg was one among the majority of Hollywood film industry workers who migrated from the East Coast, primarily from New York. Some film actors, such as Conrad Nagel, did not like the five-day train trip or the sudden warmth of the California climate. Neither did Marion Davies, who was not used to such "big wide spaces". Samuel Marx, a close friend of Thalberg's from New York, recalled how easily Thalberg adapted to Southern California, often standing outside his doorway during moments of contemplation to enjoy the scenery. "We were all young", said comedian Buster Keaton. "The air in California was like wine. Our business was also young—and growing like nothing ever seen before." Confrontation with Erich von Stroheim He quickly established his tenacity as he battled with well-known director Erich von Stroheim over the length of Foolish Wives (1922). Biographer Roland Flamini notes that the film was Universal's most expensive "jewel" ever in production, and its director and star, von Stroheim, was taking the film way over budget. Thalberg, now Universal's general manager, was forced to have the director quickly finalize production before the studio's working capital was used up. Flamini describes the situation: Thalberg had von Stroheim come to his office, which he did still wearing his film costume as a Russian Imperial Guard and escorted by members of his production team. Thalberg calmly told him, "I have seen all the film and you have all you need for the picture. I want you to stop shooting", to which von Stroheim replied, "But I have not finished as yet." "Yes, you have", said Thalberg. "You have spent all the money this company can afford. I cannot allow you to spend any more." Thalberg quietly explained that the director worked under the producer, and it was his responsibility to control costs. Von Stroheim, surrounded by his assistants, then confronted Thalberg: "If you were not my superior, I would smash you in the face." Thalberg, unflinching, said "Don't let that stop you." The result was that Thalberg soon afterward removed the cameras from von Stroheim's studio and took over editing. The uncut footage was pared down from five-and-a-half hours to three hours, to von Stroheim's deep dissatisfaction. A similar problem developed with von Stroheim's next film, Merry-Go-Round (1923). Although he had promised Thalberg to remain within budget this time, he continued production until it went to twice the agreed length and was not yet near completion. Flamini speculates why this happened: Thalberg again called von Stroheim to his office, handed him a long letter written and signed by himself, describing the problems, and summarily fired von Stroheim as of that moment. Thalberg's letter stated among the reasons, totally inexcusable and repeated acts of insubordination ... extravagant ideas which you have been unwilling to sacrifice ... unnecessary delays ... and your apparent idea that you are greater and more powerful than the organization that employs you. His dismissal of von Stroheim was considered an "earthquake in movie circles", notes Flamini. Producer David O. Selznick said that "it was the first time a director had been fired. It took great guts and courage ... Von Stroheim was utterly indifferent over money and could have gone on and spent millions, with nobody to stop him.". The opinion was shared by director Rouben Mamoulian, who said that the "little fellow at Universal", in one bold stroke, had "asserted the primacy of the studio over the director" and forever altered the balance of power in the movie industry. Effects of his young age According to Flamini, his youth was a subject of conversation within the movie community. Executives from other studios, actors, and film crew, often mistook him to be a junior employee. Movie columnist Louella Parsons, upon first being introduced to him, asked, "What's the joke? Where's the new general manager?" After five minutes of talking to Thalberg, however, she later wrote about "Universal's Boy Wonder": "He might be a boy in looks and age, but it was no child's mind that was being asked to cope with the intricate politics of Universal City." Novelist Edna Ferber responded the same way, writing that "I had fancied motion-picture producers as large gentlemen smoking oversized cigars. But this young man whose word seemed so final at Universal City ... impressed me deeply." The male actors in the studio had a similar reaction. Lionel Barrymore, who was nearly twice his age, recalled their meetings: Thalberg likewise gained the respect of leading playwrights, some of whom also looked down on him due to his youth. George S. Kaufman, co-author of Dinner at Eight, several Marx Brothers films, and two George Gershwin plays, came from New York to meet with Thalberg. Afterward he confided to his friend, Groucho Marx: "That man has never written a word, yet he can tell me exactly what to do with a story. I didn't know you had people like that out here." Actress Norma Shearer, whom he later married, was surprised after he greeted her at the door, then walked her to his office for her first job interview: "Then you're not the office boy?" she asked. He smiled, as he sat himself behind his desk: "No, Miss Shearer, I'm Irving Thalberg, vice-president of the Mayer Company. I'm the man who sent for you." His younger-than-normal age for a studio executive was usually mentioned even after he left Universal to help start up MGM. Screenwriter Agnes Christine Johnson, who worked with Thalberg for years, described his contribution during meetings: The same quality was observed by director and screenwriter Hobart Henley: "If something that read well in conference turns out not so good on the screen, I go to him and, like that—Henley snaps his fingers—he has a remedy. He's brilliant." Another assistant producer to Thalberg explains: His youth also contributed to his open-mindedness to the ideas of others. Conrad Nagel, who starred in numerous Thalberg films, reported that Thalberg was generally empathetic to those he worked alongside: "Thalberg never raised his voice. He just looked into your eyes, spoke softly, and after a few minutes he cast a spell on you." Studio attorney Edwin Loeb, who also worked to create AMPAS, explained that "the real foundation of Irving's success was his ability to look at life through the eyes of any given person. He had a gift of empathy, and almost complete perspective." Those opinions were also shared by producer Walter Wanger: "You thought that you were talking to an Indian savant. He could cast a spell on anybody." His talent as a producer was enhanced by his "near-miraculous" powers of concentration, notes film critic J. Hoberman. As a result, he was never bored or tired, and supplemented his spare time with reading for his own amusement, recalls screenwriter Bayard Veiller, with some of his favorite authors being Francis Bacon, Epictetus, and Immanuel Kant. Film projects at Universal Biographer Bob Thomas writes that after three years at the studio, Thalberg continually proved his value. Universal's pictures improved noticeably, primarily due to Thalberg's "uncanny sense of story." He took tight control over many key aspects of production, including his requirement that from then on scripts were tightly constructed before filming began, rather than during production. Thomas adds that he also "showed a remarkable capacity for working with actors, casting them aptly and advising them on their careers." After producing two films that were in production when he began work at Universal, he presented Laemmle with his idea for a film based on one of his favorite classic stories, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Rather than just a horror picture, Thalberg suggested turning it into a spectacle which would include a replica of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He had Lon Chaney play the hunchback. The film became Universal's most profitable silent film and established Chaney's career as a top-flight star. After nearly three years with Universal, Thalberg had supervised over a hundred movies, reorganized the studio to give more control to the managers, and had "stopped the defection" of many of their leading stars by offering them better, higher-paying contracts. He also produced a number of Universal's prestige films, which made the company profitable. However, he decided it was time to find a studio in Los Angeles more suitable to his skills, and spread word that he was available. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Cecil B. DeMille was the first who wanted to hire him, telling his partner Jesse Lasky, "The boy is a genius. I can see it. I know it." Lasky opposed the hire, stating, "Geniuses we have all we need." Thalberg then received an offer from Hal Roach, but the offer was withdrawn because Thalberg lacked experience with slapstick comedy films. In late 1922, Thalberg was introduced to Louis B. Mayer, president of a small but dynamic and fast-growing studio. At that first meeting, Thalberg "made a deep, immediate impression on Mayer", writes Flamini. After Thalberg had left, Mayer said to studio attorney Edwin Loeb: "Tell him if he comes to work for me, I'll look after him as though he were my son." Although their personalities were in many ways opposite, Mayer being more outspoken and nearly twice the younger man's age, Thalberg was hired as vice president in charge of production at Louis B. Mayer Productions. Years later, Mayer's daughter Irene Mayer Selznick recalled that "it was hard to believe anyone that boyish could be so important." According to Flamini, Thalberg was hired because, although Mayer was an astute businessman, "what he lacked was Thalberg's almost unerring ability to combine quality with commercial success, to bring artistic aspiration in line with the demands of the box office." Mayer's company subsequently merged with two others to become Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), with the 24-year-old Thalberg made part-owner and accorded the same position as vice president in charge of production. Three years after the merger, MGM became the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years at MGM, Thalberg supervised the production of over four hundred films. Although Thalberg and his colleagues at MGM knew he was "doomed" to not live much past the age of 30 due to heart disease, he loved producing films. He continued developing innovative ideas and overseeing most of MGM's pictures. Under Thalberg's management, MGM released over 40% more films yearly than Warner Brothers, and more than double Paramount's releases. From 1924 until 1936, when Thalberg died at the age of 37, "almost every film bore Thalberg's imprint", wrote Mark Vieira. Production innovations Thalberg's production techniques "broke new ground in filmmaking", adds Vieira. Among his contributions at MGM was his innovation of story conferences, sneak previews and scene retakes. He introduced the first horror films and coauthored the Production Code, the set of moral guidelines that all film studios agreed to follow. Thalberg helped synthesize and merge the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. MGM thereby became the only movie studio to consistently show a profit during the Great Depression. Flamini explains that the equation for MGM's success depended on combining stars, a Broadway hit or popular classic, and high standards of production. This combination at the time was considered a "revolutionary approach" in the film industry, which until then assumed a star was all that was needed for success, regardless of the story or production quality. The other studios began following MGM's lead with that same formula. Production techniques Thalberg generally followed a system in managing his productions. According to one of his assistants, Lawrence Weingarten, who later became a producer, "Thalberg directed the film on paper, and then the director directed the film on film." Thalberg was generally opposed to location shooting overseas where he could not oversee production and control costs, as happened with Ben Hur. Thus, he kept hundreds of back-lot carpenters at work creating realistic sets, as he did for fifteenth-century Romeo and Juliet (1936), or with China Seas (1935), to replicate the harbors of Hong Kong. Vieira points out that Thalberg's "fascination with Broadway plays" often had him create and present stories visually. For China Seas, for instance, he described for the screenwriters, director and others, exactly how he wanted the film to appear on screen: To be certain of achieving the desired effects, Thalberg made sure his cinematographers were careful in their use of light and shadow. Vieira observes that "more than any other producer or any other studio, Thalberg and MGM manipulated lenses, filters, and lighting instruments to affect the viewer." As a result, he notes, "most of Thalberg's films contain moments such as these, in which cinematic technique transcends mere exposition and gives the viewer something to treasure." Thalberg was supported by most of the studio in these kinds of creative decisions. "It was a big family," notes Weingarten. "If we had a success, everybody—and I mean every cutter, every painter, every plasterer—was excited about it, was abuzz, was in a tizzy about the whole idea of picture making." Taking risks with new subjects and stars In 1929, MGM released fifty films, and all but five showed a profit. Of those that failed, Hallelujah was also a gamble by Thalberg. When King Vidor, the film's producer and director, proposed the idea to Thalberg of a major film cast, for the first time, exclusively with African Americans, he told Thalberg directly, "I doubt that it will make a dollar at the box office." Thalberg replied, "Don't worry about that. I've told you that MGM can afford an occasional experiment." By the early 1930s, a number of stars began failing at the box office, partly due to the Great Depression that was now undermining the economy, along with the public's ability to spend on entertainment. Thalberg began using two stars in a film, rather than one, as had been the tradition at all the studios, such as pairing Greta Garbo with John Gilbert, Clark Gable with Jean Harlow, and William Powell with Myrna Loy. After experimenting with a few such films, including Mata Hari (1931), which were profitable, he decided on a multi-star production of another Broadway play, Grand Hotel (1932). It had five major stars, including Garbo, Joan Crawford, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, and Wallace Beery. "Before Thalberg," writes Vieira, "there was no Grand Hotel in the American consciousness." The film won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1932. Thalberg went against consensus and took another risk with The Great Ziegfeld (1936), costarring Luise Rainer. Although Louis B. Mayer did not want her in the role, which he felt was too minor for a new star, Thalberg felt that "only she could play the part", wrote biographer Charles Higham. Shortly after shooting began in late 1935, doubts of Rainer's acting ability emerged in the press. However, despite her limited appearances in the film, Rainer "so impressed audiences with one highly emotional scene" that she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. After her winning role in The Great Ziegfeld, Thalberg wanted her to play a role that was the opposite of her previous character, for The Good Earth (1937). For the part as a Chinese peasant, she was required to act totally subservient to her husband, being perpetually huddled in submission, and barely spoke a word of dialogue during the entire film. Rainer recalls that Mayer did not approve of the film being produced or her part in it: "He was horrified at Irving Thalberg's insistence for me to play O-lan, the poor uncomely little Chinese peasant." However, she again won the Oscar for Best Actress, becoming the first actress to win two consecutive Oscars, a feat not matched until Katharine Hepburn's two Oscar wins thirty years later. Grooming new stars Besides bringing a distinctive high quality "look" to MGM films and often recreating well-known stories or plays, Thalberg's actors themselves took on a characteristic quality. Thalberg wanted his female actors to appear "cool, classy and beautiful," notes Flamini. And he strove to make the male actors appear "worldly and in control." In general, Thalberg movies and actors came to be "luxurious," "glossy," and "technically flawless." By doing so, he made stars or boosted the careers of actors such as Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, John Gilbert, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Helen Hayes, Jean Harlow, Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore and Luise Rainer. Greta Garbo In 1925, a young Greta Garbo, then twenty, and unable to speak any English, was brought over from Sweden at Mayer's request, as he saw how she looked in still photos. A Swedish friend thought he would help her by contacting Thalberg, who then agreed to give her a screen test. According to author Frederick Sands, "the result of the test was electrifying." Thalberg was impressed and began grooming the new starlet the following day: "the studio arranged to fix her teeth, made sure she lost weight, and gave her an English tutor." Joan Crawford Joan Crawford's first role was a Thalberg production at MGM and she became one of their leading stars for the next thirty years. Crawford was somewhat jealous of Norma Shearer as she thought she was given the better material by her husband Thalberg out of nepotism. Nevertheless, she felt that his contribution to MGM was vital to the film industry. Not long after his early death, she recalls her concerns: "Thalberg was dead and the concept of the quality 'big' picture pretty much went out the window." Marie Dressler Thalberg also realized that old stars few had heard of could be made into new ones. Marie Dressler, a fifty-nine-year-old early vaudeville and movie star, who had played the top-billed lead, above Charles Chaplin and Mabel Normand), in the first feature-length comedy, Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914), was unable to get any roles in films after leaving show business for some years, finally working as a maid. MGM screenwriter Frances Marion suggested to Thalberg that she might fit well in a starring role for a new film, and was surprised that he knew of her prior successes. Thalberg approved of using her without a screen test and offered his rationale: By 1932, shortly before she died, Dressler was the country's number one box office star. Wallace Beery Marie Dressler was paired twice, in Min and Bill (1930) and Tugboat Annie (1933), with Wallace Beery, another major silent star who had been struggling to get work in sound pictures until Thalberg cast him. Beery had enjoyed a hugely successful silent film career dating back to 1913, but had been fired by Paramount shortly after sound pictures appeared. Thalberg cast him in the role of "Machine Gun Butch," which had been meant for recently deceased Lon Chaney, in The Big House (1930), an energetic prison picture that became a huge hit. Beery was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, and his burgeoning career at MGM had transformed him into the studio's highest paid actor within two more years, during which time he won the Oscar for The Champ and had become a phenomenal box office draw as a result of Thalberg's foresight. Getting audience feedback and reshooting According to Vieira, MGM had few failures during this period, and numerous blockbusters. Among the reasons was Thalberg's unique system of developing a script during story conferences with writers before filming began, and later giving "sneak previews" followed by audience feedback through written questionnaires. Often, where he felt improvement was needed, he arranged for scenes to be reshot. As Thalberg once stated, "The difference between something good and something superior is often very small." Bad decisions and missed opportunities Thalberg felt he had his "finger on the pulse of America. I know what people will do and what they won't do," he said. His judgment was not always accurate, however. Thalberg's bringing Broadway productions to the screen to develop higher picture standards sometimes resulted in "studied" acting or "stagey" sets, notes Flamini. In 1927, after the successful release of the first full-length talking picture, The Jazz Singer (1927), he nevertheless felt that talking pictures were a fad. Thalberg likewise did not think that color would replace black-and-white in movies. When an assistant protested against a script that envisioned a love scene in Paris with an ocean background, Thalberg refused to make changes, saying "We can't cater to a handful of people who know Paris." A more serious distraction to Thalberg's efforts was his obsession with making his wife Norma Shearer a prominent star, efforts which sometimes led to "overblown and overglamous" productions. Thalberg himself admitted to his obsession years later when he told a fellow producer: "You're behaving like I did with Norma. I knew positively that she could play anything. It's a kind of romantic astigmatism that attacks producers when they fall for an actress." Important films at MGM Ben Hur (1925) One of the first pictures he took charge of, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, was inherited and already in production by another studio when MGM was formed. The film was turning into a disastrous expense with cost overruns already in the millions due to its lavish sets and location shooting in Rome. Most studio executives chose to terminate the film to cut their losses. Thalberg, however, felt differently, and thought the film would affect movie audiences, due to its classic literary source, and would highlight MGM as a major new studio. He, therefore, discarded much of the original footage shot in Italy and recreated the set on MGM's back lots in Culver City, which added more millions to the production, yet gave him more control over production. The new set also included a replica of Circus Maximus for the dramatic chariot race scenes. Flamini notes that Thalberg's "gamble paid off," drawing international attention to MGM, and to Thalberg within the movie industry for his bold action. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty was the studio's next most expensive film after Ben Hur, with some now calling it "Thalberg's masterpiece." He initially had difficulty convincing Mayer that he could make the film without making heroes of the mutineers. He achieved that by instead making a hero of the British Royal Navy, whereby the officers and shipmates would from then on display their mutual respect. Thalberg also had to convince Clark Gable to accept the role against his will. He pleaded with Gable, eventually promising him that "If it isn't one of your greatest successes, I'll never ask you again to play a part you don't want." The film's other main stars were Charles Laughton and Franchot Tone. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Actor, and winning it for Best Picture. Thalberg accepted the award as producer from Frank Capra. Thalberg and Mayer partnership At first, Thalberg and studio chief Louis B. Mayer got along splendidly; however, they had different production philosophies. Thalberg preferred literary works, while Mayer preferred glitzy crowd-pleasing films. A clash was inevitable, and their relationship grew decidedly frosty. When Thalberg fell ill in the final weeks of 1932, Mayer took advantage of the situation and replaced him with David O. Selznick and Walter Wanger. Thalberg's reputation by that time for working long hours was widely known, and rumors about the related strain on his fragile health had become front-page news in entertainment trade publications. The Hollywood Reporter in January 1933 updated its readership about his condition and addressed growing concerns that he might be forced, despite his young age, to quit the business: Once Thalberg recovered sufficiently from his bout with the "flu" and was able to return to work later in 1933, it was as one of MGM's unit producers, albeit one who had first choice on projects as well as preferential access to all the studio's resources, including over casting its stars. Thalberg's good relationship with Nicholas Schenck, then president of Loew's Incorporated, proved to be an ongoing advantage for him. Loew's was the corporate parent of MGM, so Schenck was the true power and ultimate arbiter at the studio; and he usually supported Thalberg's decisions and continued to do so whenever disagreements about projects or production needs arose. As a result, Thalberg also continued to produce or coproduce some of MGM's most prestigious and critically acclaimed ventures in this period, such as The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) starring his wife Norma Shearer, China Seas (1935), A Night at the Opera (1935), San Francisco (1936), and Romeo and Juliet (1936). Personal life During his few years with Universal while living in New York, Thalberg had become romantically involved with Carl Laemmle's daughter, Rosabelle. Still in his early twenties and later spending most of his time in Los Angeles, his feelings toward her were no longer as strong. Flamini suspects that this may have affected his position at Universal and partly caused his decision to leave the company. "The Laemmles prayed that Irving would marry Rosabelle", notes Flamini. "They wanted their sons to be educated and their daughters to marry nice Jewish boys." Less than a year after he and Mayer took charge of the newly created MGM studios, and still only twenty-five years old, Thalberg suffered a serious heart attack due to overwork. Mayer also became aware of Thalberg's congenital heart problems and now worried about the prospect of running MGM without him. Mayer also became concerned that one of his daughters might become romantically involved, and told them so: Thalberg, aware of Mayer's feelings, made it a point of never giving too much attention to his daughters at social events. One of Thalberg's traits was his ability to work long hours into the night with little sign of fatigue. According to Vieira, Thalberg believed that as long as his mind was active in his work and he was not bored, he would not feel tired. Thalberg, who often got by with only five hours of sleep, felt that most people could get by with less than they realized. To keep his mental faculties at peak, he would read philosophical books by Bacon, Epictetus, or Kant. "They stimulate me. I'd drop out of sight in no time if I didn't read and keep up with current thought—and the philosophers are brain sharpeners." During the early 1930s, Thalberg was ambivalent about political events in Europe. While he feared Nazism and the rise of Hitler, he also feared Communism. At the time, notes Vieira, "given a choice between communism and fascism, many Americans—including Thalberg—would prefer the latter." Thalberg stated his opinion: When others suggested that many Jews could die in Germany as a result of Nazi anti-Semitism, he replied that in his opinion "Hitler and Hitlerism will pass." On one occasion, Catholic Prince Löwenstein of Germany, who himself had almost been captured before fleeing Germany, told him: "Mr. Thalberg, your own people are being systematically hunted down and rooted out of Germany." Thalberg suggested that world Jewry should nevertheless not interfere, that the Jewish race would survive Hitler. Within a few years, American film distribution was "choked off" in Germany. Led by Warner Brothers, all American studios eventually closed their German offices. Thalberg began dating actress Norma Shearer a few years after he joined MGM. Following her conversion to Judaism, they married on Thursday, September 29, 1927, in a private ceremony in the garden of his rented house in Beverly Hills. Rabbi Edgar F. Magnin officiated at the event, with Shearer's brother Douglas Shearer giving the bride away, and Louis B. Mayer serving as best man. The couple drove to Monterey for their honeymoon and then moved into their newly constructed home in Beverly Hills. After their second child was born, Shearer considered retiring from films, but Thalberg convinced her to continue acting, saying he could find her good roles. She went on to be one of MGM's biggest stars of the 1930s. Their two children were Irving Jr. (1930–1987) and Katharine (1935–2006). Death Thalberg and Shearer took a much-needed Labor Day weekend vacation in Monterey, California, in 1936, staying at the same beachfront hotel where they spent their honeymoon. A few weeks earlier, Thalberg's leading screenwriter, Al Lewin, had proposed doing a film based on a soon-to-be published book, Gone with the Wind. Although Thalberg said it would be a "sensational" role for Gable, and a "terrific picture," he decided not to do it: Besides, Thalberg told Mayer, "[n]o Civil War picture ever made a nickel". Shortly after returning from Monterey, Thalberg was diagnosed with pneumonia. His condition worsened steadily and he eventually required an oxygen tent at home. He died on September 14, at the age of 37. Sam Wood, while directing A Day at the Races, was given the news by phone. He returned to the set with tears in his eyes and told the others. As the news spread "the studio was paralyzed with shock", notes Thomas. "Work stopped and hundreds of people wept", with stars, writers, directors, and studio employees "all sharing a sense of loss at the death of a man who had been a part of their working lives", states Flamini. His funeral took place two days later, and when the services began the other studios throughout Hollywood observed five minutes of silence. Producer Sam Goldwyn "wept uncontrollably for two days" and was unable to regain his composure enough to attend. The MGM studio closed for that day. Services were held at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple that Thalberg had occasionally attended. The funeral attracted thousands of spectators who came to view the arrival of countless stars from MGM and other studios, including Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, the Marx Brothers, Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Howard Hughes, Al Jolson, Gary Cooper, Carole Lombard, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, among the screen luminaries. The ushers who led them to their seats included Clark Gable, Fredric March, and playwright Moss Hart. Erich von Stroheim, who had been fired by Thalberg, came to pay his respects. Producers Louis B. Mayer, the Warner brothers, Adolph Zukor, and Nicholas Schenck sat together solemnly as Rabbi Magnin gave the eulogy. Thalberg is buried in a private marble tomb in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, lying at rest beside his wife Norma Shearer Arrouge (Thalberg's crypt was engraved "My Sweetheart Forever" by Shearer). Over the following days, tributes were published by the national press. Louis B. Mayer, his co-founding partner at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, said he had lost "the finest friend a man could ever have", while MGM president Nicholas Schenck stated that "Thalberg was the most important man in the production end of the motion-picture industry. Leading producers from the other studios also expressed their feelings in published tributes to Thalberg: David O. Selznick described him as "beyond any question the greatest individual force for fine pictures." Samuel Goldwyn called him "the foremost figure in the motion-picture industry ... and an inspiration." M. H. Aylesworth, Chairman of RKO, wrote that "his integrity, vision and ability made him the spearhead of all motion-picture production throughout the world." Harry Warner, president of Warner Bros., described him as "gifted with one of the finest minds ever placed at the service of motion-picture production." Sidney R. Kent, president of Twentieth Century Fox, said that "he made the whole world richer by giving it the highest type of entertainment. He was a true genius." Columbia president Harry Cohn said the "motion picture industry has suffered a loss from which it will not soon recover...". Darryl F. Zanuck noted, "More than any other man he raised the industry to its present world prestige." Adolph Zukor, chairman of Paramount, stated, "Irving Thalberg was the most brilliant young man in the motion picture business." Jesse Lasky said, "It will be utterly impossible to replace him." Among the condolences that came from world political leaders, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." Among the pictures that were unfinished or not yet released at the time of his death were A Day at the Races, The Good Earth, Camille, Maytime, and Romeo and Juliet. Groucho Marx, star of A Day at the Races, wrote, "After Thalberg's death, my interest in the movies waned. I continued to appear in them, but ... The fun had gone out of picture making." Thalberg's widow, Norma Shearer, recalled, "Grief does very strange things to you. I didn't seem to feel the shock for two weeks afterwards. ... then, at the end of those two weeks, I collapsed." Legacy in the movie industry Thalberg's legacy to the movie industry is "incalculable", states biographer Bob Thomas. He notes that with his numerous production innovations and grand stories, often turning classic literature and Broadway stage productions into big-screen pictures, he managed to keep "American movies supreme throughout the world for a generation". Darryl F. Zanuck, founder of 20th Century-Fox said that during Thalberg's brief career, he had become the "most creative producer in the history of films". Thomas describes some of his contributions: Most of MGM's major films in the 1930s were, according to Flamini, "in a very real sense", made by Thalberg. He closely supervised the making of "more pictures than any other producer in Hollywood's history", and was considered the "archetype of the creative producer", adds Flamini. Upon his early death, aged 37, an editorial in The New York Times called him "the most important force" in the motion picture industry. The paper added that for the film industry, he "set the pace and others followed ... because his way combined style, glamour, and profit." He is described by Flamini as having been "a revolutionary in a gray flannel suit". Thalberg refused to take credit as producer, and as a result, his name never appeared on the screen while he was alive. Thalberg claimed that "credit you give yourself is not worth having". He also said "If a picture is good, they'll know who produced it. If it's bad, nobody cares." His final film, released after he died, was The Good Earth (1937), which won numerous Academy Awards. Its opening screen credit was dedicated to Thalberg: In 1938, the new multimillion-dollar MGM administration building in Culver City was named for Thalberg. The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, also named for him, awards producers for consistently high production achievements. Cultural legacy The Last Tycoon In October 1939, American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald began writing The Last Tycoon, a fictionalized biography of Thalberg, naming the protagonist Monroe Stahr to represent Thalberg. "Thalberg has always fascinated me", he wrote to an editor. "His peculiar charm, his extraordinary good looks, his bountiful success, the tragic end of his great adventure. The events I have built around him are fiction, but all of them are things which might very well have happened. ... I've long chosen him for a hero (this has been in my mind for three years) because he is one of the half-dozen men I have known who were built on a grand scale." Thomas notes that among the reasons Fitzgerald chose to write a book about a Thalberg-like character, was that "throughout his literary career, Fitzgerald borrowed his heroes from friends he admired, and inevitably a bit of Fitzgerald entered the characterizations." Fitzgerald himself writes that "When I like men, I want to be like them ..." Fitzgerald and Thalberg had real-life similarities: both were prodigies, both had heart ailments, and they both died at early ages. According to biographer Matthew J. Bruccoli, Fitzgerald believed that Thalberg, with his "taste and courage, represented the best of Hollywood. ... [and] saw Thalberg as a model for what could be done in the movies." Fitzgerald died before the novel was completed, however. Bruccoli writes of Fitzgerald's book: Although parallels between Monroe Stahr in the novel and Thalberg were evident, many who knew Thalberg intimately stated that they did not see similarities in their personalities. Norma Shearer said that the Stahr character was not at all like her former husband. In the 1976 film version, directed by Elia Kazan, Monroe Stahr was played by Robert De Niro. Kazan, in his pre-production notes, described the Stahr character as he saw him: In the 2016 television series based on the novel, Monroe Stahr is played by Matt Bomer. Others Fitzgerald also based his short story "Crazy Sunday", originally published in the October 1932 issue of American Mercury, on an incident at a party thrown by Thalberg and Shearer. The story is included in Fitzgerald's collection Taps at Reveille (1935). Thalberg was portrayed in the movie Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) by Robert Evans, who went on to become a studio head himself. Thalberg was portrayed by Bill Cusack in Young Indiana Jones and the Hollywood Follies (1994), a TV film based on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, in which Indiana Jones is depicted as taking part in Thalberg's conflict with Erich von Stroheim over Foolish Wives. In 2020, Thalberg was played by Ferdinand Kingsley in the David Fincher film Mank Thalberg, played by Tobey Maguire, is rumored to appear in the upcoming movie Babylon. Filmography Producer Reputation (1921) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) Merry-Go-Round (1923) His Hour (1924) He Who Gets Slapped (1924) The Unholy Three (1925) The Merry Widow (1925) The Tower of Lies (1925) The Big Parade (1925) Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) Torrent (1926) La Bohème (1926) Brown of Harvard (1926) The Road to Mandalay (1926) The Temptress (1926) Valencia (1926) Flesh and the Devil (1926) Twelve Miles Out (1927) The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) London After Midnight (1927) The Crowd (1928) Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) White Shadows in the South Seas (1928) Show People (1928) West of Zanzibar (1928) The Broadway Melody (1929) The Trial of Mary Dugan (1929) Voice of the City (1929) Where East Is East (1929) The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929) The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929) Hallelujah (1929) His Glorious Night (1929) The Kiss (1929) Anna Christie (1930) Redemption (1930) The Divorcee (1930) The Rogue Song (1930) The Big House (1930) The Unholy Three (1930) Let Us Be Gay (1930) Billy the Kid (1930) Way for a Sailor (1930) A Lady's Morals (1930) Inspiration (1931) Trader Horn (1931) The Secret Six (1931) A Free Soul (1931) Just a Gigolo (1931) Menschen hinter Gittern (1931), German-language version of The Big House (1930) The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931) The Guardsman (1931) The Champ (1931) Possessed (1931) Private Lives (1931) Mata Hari (1931) Freaks (1932) Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) Grand Hotel (1932) Letty Lynton (1932) As You Desire Me (1932) Red-Headed Woman (1932) Smilin' Through (1932) Red Dust (1932) Rasputin and the Empress (1932) Strange Interlude (1932) Tugboat Annie (1933) Bombshell (1933) Eskimo (1933) La Veuve Joyeuse (1934) French-language version of The Merry Widow Riptide (1934) The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) The Merry Widow (1934) What Every Woman Knows (1934) Biography of a Bachelor Girl (1935) No More Ladies (1935) China Seas (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) A Night at the Opera (1935) Riffraff (1936) Romeo and Juliet (1936) Camille (1936) Maytime (1937) A Day at the Races (1937) Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) The Good Earth (1937) Marie Antoinette (1938) Writer The Trap (1922) The Dangerous Little Demon (1922) Awards Academy Awards Notes Further reading Books Flamini, Roland. Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of M-G-M (1994) Marx, Samuel. Mayer and Thalberg: The Make-believe Saints (1975) Thomas, Bob. Thalberg: Life and Legend (1969) Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg's M-G-M. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2008. Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg: Boy Wonder to Producer Prince. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009. Articles Starman, Ray. "Irving Thalberg", Films In Review, June/July 1987, p. 347–353 External links Irving Thalberg at TCM Cinemagraphe Review of the Roland Flamini biography of Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of MGM Irving Thalberg at Virtual History Irving Thalberg profiled in Collier's Magazine (1924) Videos 1899 births 1936 deaths American film producers Film producers from California Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award American film studio executives American male screenwriters Cinema pioneers Silent film directors Silent film producers Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer executives Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences founders Businesspeople from Los Angeles Hollywood history and culture California Republicans New York (state) Republicans USC School of Cinematic Arts faculty 20th-century American businesspeople Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from New York (state) People from Brooklyn American anti-communists American people of German-Jewish descent Deaths from pneumonia in California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American writers Jewish American writers 20th-century American screenwriters
true
[ "Where Did We Go Wrong may refer to:\n \"Where Did We Go Wrong\" (Dondria song), 2010\n \"Where Did We Go Wrong\" (Toni Braxton and Babyface song), 2013\n \"Where Did We Go Wrong\", a song by Petula Clark from the album My Love\n \"Where Did We Go Wrong\", a song by Diana Ross from the album Ross\n \"Where Did We Go Wrong\", a 1980 song by Frankie Valli", "California Concordia College existed in Oakland, California, United States from 1906 until 1973.\n\nAmong the presidents of California Concordia College was Johann Theodore Gotthold Brohm Jr.\n\nCalifornia Concordia College and the Academy of California College were located at 2365 Camden Street, Oakland, California. Some of the school buildings still exist at this location, but older buildings that housed the earlier classrooms and later the dormitories are gone. The site is now the location of the Spectrum Center Camden Campus, a provider of special education services.\n\nThe \"Academy\" was the official name for the high school. California Concordia was a six-year institution patterned after the German gymnasium. This provided four years of high school, plus two years of junior college. Years in the school took their names from Latin numbers and referred to the years to go before graduation. The classes were named:\n\n Sexta - 6 years to go; high school freshman\n Qunita - 5 years to go; high school sophomore\n Quarta - 4 years to go; high school junior\n Tertia - 3 years to go; high school senior\n Secunda - 2 years to go; college freshman\n Prima - 1 year to go; college sophomore\n\nThose in Sexta were usually hazed in a mild way by upperclassmen. In addition, those in Sexta were required to do a certain amount of clean-up work around the school, such as picking up trash.\n\nMost students, even high school freshmen, lived in dormitories. High school students were supervised by \"proctors\" (selected high school seniors in Tertia). High school students were required to study for two hours each night in their study rooms from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Students could not leave their rooms for any reason without permission. This requirement came as quite a shock to those in Sexta (freshmen) on their first night, when they were caught and scolded by a proctor when they left their study room to go to the bathroom without permission. Seniors (those in Tertia) were allowed one night off where they did not need to be in their study hall.\n\nFrom 9:00 to 9:30 pm all students gathered for a chapel service. From 9:30 to 10 pm, high school students were free to roam, and sometimes went to the local Lucky Supermarket to purchase snacks. All high school students were required to be in bed with lights out by 10:00 pm. There were generally five students in each dormitory room. The room had two sections: a bedroom area and (across the hallway) another room for studying. Four beds, including at least one bunk bed, were in the bedroom, and four or five desks were in the study room\n\nA few interesting words used by Concordia students were \"fink\" and \"rack.\" To \"fink\" meant to \"sing like a canary\" or \"squeal.\" A student who finked told everything he knew about a misbehavior committed by another student. \"Rack\" was actually an official term used by proctors and administrators who lived on campus in the dormitories with students. When students misbehaved they were racked (punished). Proctors held a meeting once a week and decided which students, if any, deserved to be racked. If a student were racked, he might be forbidden from leaving the campus grounds, even during normal free time School hours were from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm. After 3:30 pm and until 7:00 pm, students could normally explore the local area surrounding the school, for example, to go to a local store to buy a snack. However, if a student were racked for the week, he could not do so.\n\nProctors made their rounds in the morning to make sure beds were made and inspected rooms in the evening to ensure that students were in bed by 10:00 pm. Often after the proctors left a room at night, the room lights would go back on and students enjoyed studying their National Geographic magazines. Student might be racked if they failed to make their beds or did not make them neatly enough.\n\nAlthough California Concordia College no longer exists, it does receive some recognition by Concordia University Irvine. This is also the location of its old academic records.\n\nSources\n\nExternal links \n Photos of old campus\n\nEducational institutions disestablished in 1973\nDefunct private universities and colleges in California\nEducational institutions established in 1906\n1906 establishments in California\n1973 disestablishments in California\nUniversities and colleges affiliated with the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod" ]
[ "Irving Thalberg", "Early years", "What year was he born?", "Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents,", "Who were his parents?", "Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann).", "Did he have any siblings?", "Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with \"blue baby syndrome,\" caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart.", "Did this impact him at all in life?", "The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to age twenty, or at most, age thirty.", "Where did he go to school?", "During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study," ]
C_7b8dcb999ce54951992e991787a236a9_1
What caused his illness in high school?
6
What caused Irving Thalberg illness in high school?
Irving Thalberg
Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome," caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to age twenty, or at most, age thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17, he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, Henrietta, to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an ad with the local newspaper hoping to find better work: "Situation Wanted: Secretary, stenographer, Spanish, English, high school education, no experience; $15." CANNOTANSWER
When he was 17, he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, Henrietta, to prevent him falling too far behind other students,
Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 – September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and ability to select scripts, choose actors, gather production staff, and make profitable films, including Grand Hotel, China Seas, A Night at the Opera, Mutiny on the Bounty, Camille and The Good Earth. His films carved out an international market, "projecting a seductive image of American life brimming with vitality and rooted in democracy and personal freedom", states biographer Roland Flamini. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and as a child was afflicted with a congenital heart disease that doctors said would kill him before he reached the age of thirty. After graduating from high school he worked as a store clerk during the day and to gain some job skills took a night class in typing. He then found work as a secretary with Universal Studios' New York office, and was later made studio manager for their Los Angeles facility. There, he oversaw production of a hundred films during his three years with the company. Among the films he produced was The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923). In Los Angeles, he partnered with Louis B. Mayer's new studio and, after it merged with two other studios, helped create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). He was made head of production of MGM in 1925, at the age of twenty-six, helping MGM become the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years with MGM, until his premature death at the age of 37, he produced four hundred films, most of which bore his imprint and innovations, including story conferences with writers, sneak previews to gain early feedback, and extensive re-shooting of scenes to improve the film. In addition, he introduced horror films to audiences and coauthored the "Production Code", guidelines for morality followed by all studios. During the 1920s and 1930s, he synthesized and merged the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. Thalberg created numerous new stars and groomed their screen images. Among them were Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery, Spencer Tracy, Luise Rainer, and Norma Shearer, who became his wife. He had the ability to combine quality with commercial success, and was credited with bringing his artistic aspirations in line with the demands of audiences. After his death, Hollywood's producers said he had been the world's "foremost figure in motion-picture history". President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, given out periodically by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1937, has been awarded to producers whose body of work reflected consistently high quality films. Early years Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome", caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to the age of twenty, or at most, to thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17 he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, in order to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an advertisement in the local newspaper hoping to find better work: Career as producer Universal Studios He found work as an office secretary at Universal Pictures' New York office, and later became personal secretary to the studio's founder and president, Carl Laemmle. Among Thalberg's duties were transcribing and editing notes that Laemmle had written during screenings of his films. He earned $25 weekly, becoming adept at making insightful observations, which impressed Laemmle. Laemmle took Thalberg to see his Los Angeles production facility, where he spent a month watching how movie production worked. Before returning to New York, Laemmle told Thalberg to remain and "keep an eye on things for me." Two months later, Laemmle returned to California, partly to see how well Thalberg was able to handle the responsibilities he was given. Thalberg gave him suggestions, and thus impressed Laemmle by his ability to understand and explain problems. Thalberg suggested, "The first thing you should do is establish a new job of studio manager and give him the responsibility of watching day-to-day operations." Laemmle immediately agreed: "All right. You're it." In shock, Thalberg replied, "I'm what?" Laemmle told him to take charge of the Los Angeles studio, which he did in early 1919. When aged 20, Thalberg became responsible for immediately overseeing the nine ongoing film productions and nearly thirty scenarios then under development. In describing the rationale for this early appointment as studio manager, film historian David Thomson writes that his new job "owed nothing to nepotism, private wealth, or experience in the film industry." He reasons that despite "Thalberg's youth, modest education, and frail appearance ... it is clear that he had the charm, insight, and ability, or the appearance of it, to captivate the film world." Thalberg was one among the majority of Hollywood film industry workers who migrated from the East Coast, primarily from New York. Some film actors, such as Conrad Nagel, did not like the five-day train trip or the sudden warmth of the California climate. Neither did Marion Davies, who was not used to such "big wide spaces". Samuel Marx, a close friend of Thalberg's from New York, recalled how easily Thalberg adapted to Southern California, often standing outside his doorway during moments of contemplation to enjoy the scenery. "We were all young", said comedian Buster Keaton. "The air in California was like wine. Our business was also young—and growing like nothing ever seen before." Confrontation with Erich von Stroheim He quickly established his tenacity as he battled with well-known director Erich von Stroheim over the length of Foolish Wives (1922). Biographer Roland Flamini notes that the film was Universal's most expensive "jewel" ever in production, and its director and star, von Stroheim, was taking the film way over budget. Thalberg, now Universal's general manager, was forced to have the director quickly finalize production before the studio's working capital was used up. Flamini describes the situation: Thalberg had von Stroheim come to his office, which he did still wearing his film costume as a Russian Imperial Guard and escorted by members of his production team. Thalberg calmly told him, "I have seen all the film and you have all you need for the picture. I want you to stop shooting", to which von Stroheim replied, "But I have not finished as yet." "Yes, you have", said Thalberg. "You have spent all the money this company can afford. I cannot allow you to spend any more." Thalberg quietly explained that the director worked under the producer, and it was his responsibility to control costs. Von Stroheim, surrounded by his assistants, then confronted Thalberg: "If you were not my superior, I would smash you in the face." Thalberg, unflinching, said "Don't let that stop you." The result was that Thalberg soon afterward removed the cameras from von Stroheim's studio and took over editing. The uncut footage was pared down from five-and-a-half hours to three hours, to von Stroheim's deep dissatisfaction. A similar problem developed with von Stroheim's next film, Merry-Go-Round (1923). Although he had promised Thalberg to remain within budget this time, he continued production until it went to twice the agreed length and was not yet near completion. Flamini speculates why this happened: Thalberg again called von Stroheim to his office, handed him a long letter written and signed by himself, describing the problems, and summarily fired von Stroheim as of that moment. Thalberg's letter stated among the reasons, totally inexcusable and repeated acts of insubordination ... extravagant ideas which you have been unwilling to sacrifice ... unnecessary delays ... and your apparent idea that you are greater and more powerful than the organization that employs you. His dismissal of von Stroheim was considered an "earthquake in movie circles", notes Flamini. Producer David O. Selznick said that "it was the first time a director had been fired. It took great guts and courage ... Von Stroheim was utterly indifferent over money and could have gone on and spent millions, with nobody to stop him.". The opinion was shared by director Rouben Mamoulian, who said that the "little fellow at Universal", in one bold stroke, had "asserted the primacy of the studio over the director" and forever altered the balance of power in the movie industry. Effects of his young age According to Flamini, his youth was a subject of conversation within the movie community. Executives from other studios, actors, and film crew, often mistook him to be a junior employee. Movie columnist Louella Parsons, upon first being introduced to him, asked, "What's the joke? Where's the new general manager?" After five minutes of talking to Thalberg, however, she later wrote about "Universal's Boy Wonder": "He might be a boy in looks and age, but it was no child's mind that was being asked to cope with the intricate politics of Universal City." Novelist Edna Ferber responded the same way, writing that "I had fancied motion-picture producers as large gentlemen smoking oversized cigars. But this young man whose word seemed so final at Universal City ... impressed me deeply." The male actors in the studio had a similar reaction. Lionel Barrymore, who was nearly twice his age, recalled their meetings: Thalberg likewise gained the respect of leading playwrights, some of whom also looked down on him due to his youth. George S. Kaufman, co-author of Dinner at Eight, several Marx Brothers films, and two George Gershwin plays, came from New York to meet with Thalberg. Afterward he confided to his friend, Groucho Marx: "That man has never written a word, yet he can tell me exactly what to do with a story. I didn't know you had people like that out here." Actress Norma Shearer, whom he later married, was surprised after he greeted her at the door, then walked her to his office for her first job interview: "Then you're not the office boy?" she asked. He smiled, as he sat himself behind his desk: "No, Miss Shearer, I'm Irving Thalberg, vice-president of the Mayer Company. I'm the man who sent for you." His younger-than-normal age for a studio executive was usually mentioned even after he left Universal to help start up MGM. Screenwriter Agnes Christine Johnson, who worked with Thalberg for years, described his contribution during meetings: The same quality was observed by director and screenwriter Hobart Henley: "If something that read well in conference turns out not so good on the screen, I go to him and, like that—Henley snaps his fingers—he has a remedy. He's brilliant." Another assistant producer to Thalberg explains: His youth also contributed to his open-mindedness to the ideas of others. Conrad Nagel, who starred in numerous Thalberg films, reported that Thalberg was generally empathetic to those he worked alongside: "Thalberg never raised his voice. He just looked into your eyes, spoke softly, and after a few minutes he cast a spell on you." Studio attorney Edwin Loeb, who also worked to create AMPAS, explained that "the real foundation of Irving's success was his ability to look at life through the eyes of any given person. He had a gift of empathy, and almost complete perspective." Those opinions were also shared by producer Walter Wanger: "You thought that you were talking to an Indian savant. He could cast a spell on anybody." His talent as a producer was enhanced by his "near-miraculous" powers of concentration, notes film critic J. Hoberman. As a result, he was never bored or tired, and supplemented his spare time with reading for his own amusement, recalls screenwriter Bayard Veiller, with some of his favorite authors being Francis Bacon, Epictetus, and Immanuel Kant. Film projects at Universal Biographer Bob Thomas writes that after three years at the studio, Thalberg continually proved his value. Universal's pictures improved noticeably, primarily due to Thalberg's "uncanny sense of story." He took tight control over many key aspects of production, including his requirement that from then on scripts were tightly constructed before filming began, rather than during production. Thomas adds that he also "showed a remarkable capacity for working with actors, casting them aptly and advising them on their careers." After producing two films that were in production when he began work at Universal, he presented Laemmle with his idea for a film based on one of his favorite classic stories, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Rather than just a horror picture, Thalberg suggested turning it into a spectacle which would include a replica of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He had Lon Chaney play the hunchback. The film became Universal's most profitable silent film and established Chaney's career as a top-flight star. After nearly three years with Universal, Thalberg had supervised over a hundred movies, reorganized the studio to give more control to the managers, and had "stopped the defection" of many of their leading stars by offering them better, higher-paying contracts. He also produced a number of Universal's prestige films, which made the company profitable. However, he decided it was time to find a studio in Los Angeles more suitable to his skills, and spread word that he was available. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Cecil B. DeMille was the first who wanted to hire him, telling his partner Jesse Lasky, "The boy is a genius. I can see it. I know it." Lasky opposed the hire, stating, "Geniuses we have all we need." Thalberg then received an offer from Hal Roach, but the offer was withdrawn because Thalberg lacked experience with slapstick comedy films. In late 1922, Thalberg was introduced to Louis B. Mayer, president of a small but dynamic and fast-growing studio. At that first meeting, Thalberg "made a deep, immediate impression on Mayer", writes Flamini. After Thalberg had left, Mayer said to studio attorney Edwin Loeb: "Tell him if he comes to work for me, I'll look after him as though he were my son." Although their personalities were in many ways opposite, Mayer being more outspoken and nearly twice the younger man's age, Thalberg was hired as vice president in charge of production at Louis B. Mayer Productions. Years later, Mayer's daughter Irene Mayer Selznick recalled that "it was hard to believe anyone that boyish could be so important." According to Flamini, Thalberg was hired because, although Mayer was an astute businessman, "what he lacked was Thalberg's almost unerring ability to combine quality with commercial success, to bring artistic aspiration in line with the demands of the box office." Mayer's company subsequently merged with two others to become Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), with the 24-year-old Thalberg made part-owner and accorded the same position as vice president in charge of production. Three years after the merger, MGM became the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years at MGM, Thalberg supervised the production of over four hundred films. Although Thalberg and his colleagues at MGM knew he was "doomed" to not live much past the age of 30 due to heart disease, he loved producing films. He continued developing innovative ideas and overseeing most of MGM's pictures. Under Thalberg's management, MGM released over 40% more films yearly than Warner Brothers, and more than double Paramount's releases. From 1924 until 1936, when Thalberg died at the age of 37, "almost every film bore Thalberg's imprint", wrote Mark Vieira. Production innovations Thalberg's production techniques "broke new ground in filmmaking", adds Vieira. Among his contributions at MGM was his innovation of story conferences, sneak previews and scene retakes. He introduced the first horror films and coauthored the Production Code, the set of moral guidelines that all film studios agreed to follow. Thalberg helped synthesize and merge the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. MGM thereby became the only movie studio to consistently show a profit during the Great Depression. Flamini explains that the equation for MGM's success depended on combining stars, a Broadway hit or popular classic, and high standards of production. This combination at the time was considered a "revolutionary approach" in the film industry, which until then assumed a star was all that was needed for success, regardless of the story or production quality. The other studios began following MGM's lead with that same formula. Production techniques Thalberg generally followed a system in managing his productions. According to one of his assistants, Lawrence Weingarten, who later became a producer, "Thalberg directed the film on paper, and then the director directed the film on film." Thalberg was generally opposed to location shooting overseas where he could not oversee production and control costs, as happened with Ben Hur. Thus, he kept hundreds of back-lot carpenters at work creating realistic sets, as he did for fifteenth-century Romeo and Juliet (1936), or with China Seas (1935), to replicate the harbors of Hong Kong. Vieira points out that Thalberg's "fascination with Broadway plays" often had him create and present stories visually. For China Seas, for instance, he described for the screenwriters, director and others, exactly how he wanted the film to appear on screen: To be certain of achieving the desired effects, Thalberg made sure his cinematographers were careful in their use of light and shadow. Vieira observes that "more than any other producer or any other studio, Thalberg and MGM manipulated lenses, filters, and lighting instruments to affect the viewer." As a result, he notes, "most of Thalberg's films contain moments such as these, in which cinematic technique transcends mere exposition and gives the viewer something to treasure." Thalberg was supported by most of the studio in these kinds of creative decisions. "It was a big family," notes Weingarten. "If we had a success, everybody—and I mean every cutter, every painter, every plasterer—was excited about it, was abuzz, was in a tizzy about the whole idea of picture making." Taking risks with new subjects and stars In 1929, MGM released fifty films, and all but five showed a profit. Of those that failed, Hallelujah was also a gamble by Thalberg. When King Vidor, the film's producer and director, proposed the idea to Thalberg of a major film cast, for the first time, exclusively with African Americans, he told Thalberg directly, "I doubt that it will make a dollar at the box office." Thalberg replied, "Don't worry about that. I've told you that MGM can afford an occasional experiment." By the early 1930s, a number of stars began failing at the box office, partly due to the Great Depression that was now undermining the economy, along with the public's ability to spend on entertainment. Thalberg began using two stars in a film, rather than one, as had been the tradition at all the studios, such as pairing Greta Garbo with John Gilbert, Clark Gable with Jean Harlow, and William Powell with Myrna Loy. After experimenting with a few such films, including Mata Hari (1931), which were profitable, he decided on a multi-star production of another Broadway play, Grand Hotel (1932). It had five major stars, including Garbo, Joan Crawford, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, and Wallace Beery. "Before Thalberg," writes Vieira, "there was no Grand Hotel in the American consciousness." The film won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1932. Thalberg went against consensus and took another risk with The Great Ziegfeld (1936), costarring Luise Rainer. Although Louis B. Mayer did not want her in the role, which he felt was too minor for a new star, Thalberg felt that "only she could play the part", wrote biographer Charles Higham. Shortly after shooting began in late 1935, doubts of Rainer's acting ability emerged in the press. However, despite her limited appearances in the film, Rainer "so impressed audiences with one highly emotional scene" that she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. After her winning role in The Great Ziegfeld, Thalberg wanted her to play a role that was the opposite of her previous character, for The Good Earth (1937). For the part as a Chinese peasant, she was required to act totally subservient to her husband, being perpetually huddled in submission, and barely spoke a word of dialogue during the entire film. Rainer recalls that Mayer did not approve of the film being produced or her part in it: "He was horrified at Irving Thalberg's insistence for me to play O-lan, the poor uncomely little Chinese peasant." However, she again won the Oscar for Best Actress, becoming the first actress to win two consecutive Oscars, a feat not matched until Katharine Hepburn's two Oscar wins thirty years later. Grooming new stars Besides bringing a distinctive high quality "look" to MGM films and often recreating well-known stories or plays, Thalberg's actors themselves took on a characteristic quality. Thalberg wanted his female actors to appear "cool, classy and beautiful," notes Flamini. And he strove to make the male actors appear "worldly and in control." In general, Thalberg movies and actors came to be "luxurious," "glossy," and "technically flawless." By doing so, he made stars or boosted the careers of actors such as Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, John Gilbert, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Helen Hayes, Jean Harlow, Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore and Luise Rainer. Greta Garbo In 1925, a young Greta Garbo, then twenty, and unable to speak any English, was brought over from Sweden at Mayer's request, as he saw how she looked in still photos. A Swedish friend thought he would help her by contacting Thalberg, who then agreed to give her a screen test. According to author Frederick Sands, "the result of the test was electrifying." Thalberg was impressed and began grooming the new starlet the following day: "the studio arranged to fix her teeth, made sure she lost weight, and gave her an English tutor." Joan Crawford Joan Crawford's first role was a Thalberg production at MGM and she became one of their leading stars for the next thirty years. Crawford was somewhat jealous of Norma Shearer as she thought she was given the better material by her husband Thalberg out of nepotism. Nevertheless, she felt that his contribution to MGM was vital to the film industry. Not long after his early death, she recalls her concerns: "Thalberg was dead and the concept of the quality 'big' picture pretty much went out the window." Marie Dressler Thalberg also realized that old stars few had heard of could be made into new ones. Marie Dressler, a fifty-nine-year-old early vaudeville and movie star, who had played the top-billed lead, above Charles Chaplin and Mabel Normand), in the first feature-length comedy, Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914), was unable to get any roles in films after leaving show business for some years, finally working as a maid. MGM screenwriter Frances Marion suggested to Thalberg that she might fit well in a starring role for a new film, and was surprised that he knew of her prior successes. Thalberg approved of using her without a screen test and offered his rationale: By 1932, shortly before she died, Dressler was the country's number one box office star. Wallace Beery Marie Dressler was paired twice, in Min and Bill (1930) and Tugboat Annie (1933), with Wallace Beery, another major silent star who had been struggling to get work in sound pictures until Thalberg cast him. Beery had enjoyed a hugely successful silent film career dating back to 1913, but had been fired by Paramount shortly after sound pictures appeared. Thalberg cast him in the role of "Machine Gun Butch," which had been meant for recently deceased Lon Chaney, in The Big House (1930), an energetic prison picture that became a huge hit. Beery was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, and his burgeoning career at MGM had transformed him into the studio's highest paid actor within two more years, during which time he won the Oscar for The Champ and had become a phenomenal box office draw as a result of Thalberg's foresight. Getting audience feedback and reshooting According to Vieira, MGM had few failures during this period, and numerous blockbusters. Among the reasons was Thalberg's unique system of developing a script during story conferences with writers before filming began, and later giving "sneak previews" followed by audience feedback through written questionnaires. Often, where he felt improvement was needed, he arranged for scenes to be reshot. As Thalberg once stated, "The difference between something good and something superior is often very small." Bad decisions and missed opportunities Thalberg felt he had his "finger on the pulse of America. I know what people will do and what they won't do," he said. His judgment was not always accurate, however. Thalberg's bringing Broadway productions to the screen to develop higher picture standards sometimes resulted in "studied" acting or "stagey" sets, notes Flamini. In 1927, after the successful release of the first full-length talking picture, The Jazz Singer (1927), he nevertheless felt that talking pictures were a fad. Thalberg likewise did not think that color would replace black-and-white in movies. When an assistant protested against a script that envisioned a love scene in Paris with an ocean background, Thalberg refused to make changes, saying "We can't cater to a handful of people who know Paris." A more serious distraction to Thalberg's efforts was his obsession with making his wife Norma Shearer a prominent star, efforts which sometimes led to "overblown and overglamous" productions. Thalberg himself admitted to his obsession years later when he told a fellow producer: "You're behaving like I did with Norma. I knew positively that she could play anything. It's a kind of romantic astigmatism that attacks producers when they fall for an actress." Important films at MGM Ben Hur (1925) One of the first pictures he took charge of, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, was inherited and already in production by another studio when MGM was formed. The film was turning into a disastrous expense with cost overruns already in the millions due to its lavish sets and location shooting in Rome. Most studio executives chose to terminate the film to cut their losses. Thalberg, however, felt differently, and thought the film would affect movie audiences, due to its classic literary source, and would highlight MGM as a major new studio. He, therefore, discarded much of the original footage shot in Italy and recreated the set on MGM's back lots in Culver City, which added more millions to the production, yet gave him more control over production. The new set also included a replica of Circus Maximus for the dramatic chariot race scenes. Flamini notes that Thalberg's "gamble paid off," drawing international attention to MGM, and to Thalberg within the movie industry for his bold action. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty was the studio's next most expensive film after Ben Hur, with some now calling it "Thalberg's masterpiece." He initially had difficulty convincing Mayer that he could make the film without making heroes of the mutineers. He achieved that by instead making a hero of the British Royal Navy, whereby the officers and shipmates would from then on display their mutual respect. Thalberg also had to convince Clark Gable to accept the role against his will. He pleaded with Gable, eventually promising him that "If it isn't one of your greatest successes, I'll never ask you again to play a part you don't want." The film's other main stars were Charles Laughton and Franchot Tone. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Actor, and winning it for Best Picture. Thalberg accepted the award as producer from Frank Capra. Thalberg and Mayer partnership At first, Thalberg and studio chief Louis B. Mayer got along splendidly; however, they had different production philosophies. Thalberg preferred literary works, while Mayer preferred glitzy crowd-pleasing films. A clash was inevitable, and their relationship grew decidedly frosty. When Thalberg fell ill in the final weeks of 1932, Mayer took advantage of the situation and replaced him with David O. Selznick and Walter Wanger. Thalberg's reputation by that time for working long hours was widely known, and rumors about the related strain on his fragile health had become front-page news in entertainment trade publications. The Hollywood Reporter in January 1933 updated its readership about his condition and addressed growing concerns that he might be forced, despite his young age, to quit the business: Once Thalberg recovered sufficiently from his bout with the "flu" and was able to return to work later in 1933, it was as one of MGM's unit producers, albeit one who had first choice on projects as well as preferential access to all the studio's resources, including over casting its stars. Thalberg's good relationship with Nicholas Schenck, then president of Loew's Incorporated, proved to be an ongoing advantage for him. Loew's was the corporate parent of MGM, so Schenck was the true power and ultimate arbiter at the studio; and he usually supported Thalberg's decisions and continued to do so whenever disagreements about projects or production needs arose. As a result, Thalberg also continued to produce or coproduce some of MGM's most prestigious and critically acclaimed ventures in this period, such as The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) starring his wife Norma Shearer, China Seas (1935), A Night at the Opera (1935), San Francisco (1936), and Romeo and Juliet (1936). Personal life During his few years with Universal while living in New York, Thalberg had become romantically involved with Carl Laemmle's daughter, Rosabelle. Still in his early twenties and later spending most of his time in Los Angeles, his feelings toward her were no longer as strong. Flamini suspects that this may have affected his position at Universal and partly caused his decision to leave the company. "The Laemmles prayed that Irving would marry Rosabelle", notes Flamini. "They wanted their sons to be educated and their daughters to marry nice Jewish boys." Less than a year after he and Mayer took charge of the newly created MGM studios, and still only twenty-five years old, Thalberg suffered a serious heart attack due to overwork. Mayer also became aware of Thalberg's congenital heart problems and now worried about the prospect of running MGM without him. Mayer also became concerned that one of his daughters might become romantically involved, and told them so: Thalberg, aware of Mayer's feelings, made it a point of never giving too much attention to his daughters at social events. One of Thalberg's traits was his ability to work long hours into the night with little sign of fatigue. According to Vieira, Thalberg believed that as long as his mind was active in his work and he was not bored, he would not feel tired. Thalberg, who often got by with only five hours of sleep, felt that most people could get by with less than they realized. To keep his mental faculties at peak, he would read philosophical books by Bacon, Epictetus, or Kant. "They stimulate me. I'd drop out of sight in no time if I didn't read and keep up with current thought—and the philosophers are brain sharpeners." During the early 1930s, Thalberg was ambivalent about political events in Europe. While he feared Nazism and the rise of Hitler, he also feared Communism. At the time, notes Vieira, "given a choice between communism and fascism, many Americans—including Thalberg—would prefer the latter." Thalberg stated his opinion: When others suggested that many Jews could die in Germany as a result of Nazi anti-Semitism, he replied that in his opinion "Hitler and Hitlerism will pass." On one occasion, Catholic Prince Löwenstein of Germany, who himself had almost been captured before fleeing Germany, told him: "Mr. Thalberg, your own people are being systematically hunted down and rooted out of Germany." Thalberg suggested that world Jewry should nevertheless not interfere, that the Jewish race would survive Hitler. Within a few years, American film distribution was "choked off" in Germany. Led by Warner Brothers, all American studios eventually closed their German offices. Thalberg began dating actress Norma Shearer a few years after he joined MGM. Following her conversion to Judaism, they married on Thursday, September 29, 1927, in a private ceremony in the garden of his rented house in Beverly Hills. Rabbi Edgar F. Magnin officiated at the event, with Shearer's brother Douglas Shearer giving the bride away, and Louis B. Mayer serving as best man. The couple drove to Monterey for their honeymoon and then moved into their newly constructed home in Beverly Hills. After their second child was born, Shearer considered retiring from films, but Thalberg convinced her to continue acting, saying he could find her good roles. She went on to be one of MGM's biggest stars of the 1930s. Their two children were Irving Jr. (1930–1987) and Katharine (1935–2006). Death Thalberg and Shearer took a much-needed Labor Day weekend vacation in Monterey, California, in 1936, staying at the same beachfront hotel where they spent their honeymoon. A few weeks earlier, Thalberg's leading screenwriter, Al Lewin, had proposed doing a film based on a soon-to-be published book, Gone with the Wind. Although Thalberg said it would be a "sensational" role for Gable, and a "terrific picture," he decided not to do it: Besides, Thalberg told Mayer, "[n]o Civil War picture ever made a nickel". Shortly after returning from Monterey, Thalberg was diagnosed with pneumonia. His condition worsened steadily and he eventually required an oxygen tent at home. He died on September 14, at the age of 37. Sam Wood, while directing A Day at the Races, was given the news by phone. He returned to the set with tears in his eyes and told the others. As the news spread "the studio was paralyzed with shock", notes Thomas. "Work stopped and hundreds of people wept", with stars, writers, directors, and studio employees "all sharing a sense of loss at the death of a man who had been a part of their working lives", states Flamini. His funeral took place two days later, and when the services began the other studios throughout Hollywood observed five minutes of silence. Producer Sam Goldwyn "wept uncontrollably for two days" and was unable to regain his composure enough to attend. The MGM studio closed for that day. Services were held at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple that Thalberg had occasionally attended. The funeral attracted thousands of spectators who came to view the arrival of countless stars from MGM and other studios, including Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, the Marx Brothers, Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Howard Hughes, Al Jolson, Gary Cooper, Carole Lombard, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, among the screen luminaries. The ushers who led them to their seats included Clark Gable, Fredric March, and playwright Moss Hart. Erich von Stroheim, who had been fired by Thalberg, came to pay his respects. Producers Louis B. Mayer, the Warner brothers, Adolph Zukor, and Nicholas Schenck sat together solemnly as Rabbi Magnin gave the eulogy. Thalberg is buried in a private marble tomb in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, lying at rest beside his wife Norma Shearer Arrouge (Thalberg's crypt was engraved "My Sweetheart Forever" by Shearer). Over the following days, tributes were published by the national press. Louis B. Mayer, his co-founding partner at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, said he had lost "the finest friend a man could ever have", while MGM president Nicholas Schenck stated that "Thalberg was the most important man in the production end of the motion-picture industry. Leading producers from the other studios also expressed their feelings in published tributes to Thalberg: David O. Selznick described him as "beyond any question the greatest individual force for fine pictures." Samuel Goldwyn called him "the foremost figure in the motion-picture industry ... and an inspiration." M. H. Aylesworth, Chairman of RKO, wrote that "his integrity, vision and ability made him the spearhead of all motion-picture production throughout the world." Harry Warner, president of Warner Bros., described him as "gifted with one of the finest minds ever placed at the service of motion-picture production." Sidney R. Kent, president of Twentieth Century Fox, said that "he made the whole world richer by giving it the highest type of entertainment. He was a true genius." Columbia president Harry Cohn said the "motion picture industry has suffered a loss from which it will not soon recover...". Darryl F. Zanuck noted, "More than any other man he raised the industry to its present world prestige." Adolph Zukor, chairman of Paramount, stated, "Irving Thalberg was the most brilliant young man in the motion picture business." Jesse Lasky said, "It will be utterly impossible to replace him." Among the condolences that came from world political leaders, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." Among the pictures that were unfinished or not yet released at the time of his death were A Day at the Races, The Good Earth, Camille, Maytime, and Romeo and Juliet. Groucho Marx, star of A Day at the Races, wrote, "After Thalberg's death, my interest in the movies waned. I continued to appear in them, but ... The fun had gone out of picture making." Thalberg's widow, Norma Shearer, recalled, "Grief does very strange things to you. I didn't seem to feel the shock for two weeks afterwards. ... then, at the end of those two weeks, I collapsed." Legacy in the movie industry Thalberg's legacy to the movie industry is "incalculable", states biographer Bob Thomas. He notes that with his numerous production innovations and grand stories, often turning classic literature and Broadway stage productions into big-screen pictures, he managed to keep "American movies supreme throughout the world for a generation". Darryl F. Zanuck, founder of 20th Century-Fox said that during Thalberg's brief career, he had become the "most creative producer in the history of films". Thomas describes some of his contributions: Most of MGM's major films in the 1930s were, according to Flamini, "in a very real sense", made by Thalberg. He closely supervised the making of "more pictures than any other producer in Hollywood's history", and was considered the "archetype of the creative producer", adds Flamini. Upon his early death, aged 37, an editorial in The New York Times called him "the most important force" in the motion picture industry. The paper added that for the film industry, he "set the pace and others followed ... because his way combined style, glamour, and profit." He is described by Flamini as having been "a revolutionary in a gray flannel suit". Thalberg refused to take credit as producer, and as a result, his name never appeared on the screen while he was alive. Thalberg claimed that "credit you give yourself is not worth having". He also said "If a picture is good, they'll know who produced it. If it's bad, nobody cares." His final film, released after he died, was The Good Earth (1937), which won numerous Academy Awards. Its opening screen credit was dedicated to Thalberg: In 1938, the new multimillion-dollar MGM administration building in Culver City was named for Thalberg. The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, also named for him, awards producers for consistently high production achievements. Cultural legacy The Last Tycoon In October 1939, American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald began writing The Last Tycoon, a fictionalized biography of Thalberg, naming the protagonist Monroe Stahr to represent Thalberg. "Thalberg has always fascinated me", he wrote to an editor. "His peculiar charm, his extraordinary good looks, his bountiful success, the tragic end of his great adventure. The events I have built around him are fiction, but all of them are things which might very well have happened. ... I've long chosen him for a hero (this has been in my mind for three years) because he is one of the half-dozen men I have known who were built on a grand scale." Thomas notes that among the reasons Fitzgerald chose to write a book about a Thalberg-like character, was that "throughout his literary career, Fitzgerald borrowed his heroes from friends he admired, and inevitably a bit of Fitzgerald entered the characterizations." Fitzgerald himself writes that "When I like men, I want to be like them ..." Fitzgerald and Thalberg had real-life similarities: both were prodigies, both had heart ailments, and they both died at early ages. According to biographer Matthew J. Bruccoli, Fitzgerald believed that Thalberg, with his "taste and courage, represented the best of Hollywood. ... [and] saw Thalberg as a model for what could be done in the movies." Fitzgerald died before the novel was completed, however. Bruccoli writes of Fitzgerald's book: Although parallels between Monroe Stahr in the novel and Thalberg were evident, many who knew Thalberg intimately stated that they did not see similarities in their personalities. Norma Shearer said that the Stahr character was not at all like her former husband. In the 1976 film version, directed by Elia Kazan, Monroe Stahr was played by Robert De Niro. Kazan, in his pre-production notes, described the Stahr character as he saw him: In the 2016 television series based on the novel, Monroe Stahr is played by Matt Bomer. Others Fitzgerald also based his short story "Crazy Sunday", originally published in the October 1932 issue of American Mercury, on an incident at a party thrown by Thalberg and Shearer. The story is included in Fitzgerald's collection Taps at Reveille (1935). Thalberg was portrayed in the movie Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) by Robert Evans, who went on to become a studio head himself. Thalberg was portrayed by Bill Cusack in Young Indiana Jones and the Hollywood Follies (1994), a TV film based on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, in which Indiana Jones is depicted as taking part in Thalberg's conflict with Erich von Stroheim over Foolish Wives. In 2020, Thalberg was played by Ferdinand Kingsley in the David Fincher film Mank Thalberg, played by Tobey Maguire, is rumored to appear in the upcoming movie Babylon. Filmography Producer Reputation (1921) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) Merry-Go-Round (1923) His Hour (1924) He Who Gets Slapped (1924) The Unholy Three (1925) The Merry Widow (1925) The Tower of Lies (1925) The Big Parade (1925) Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) Torrent (1926) La Bohème (1926) Brown of Harvard (1926) The Road to Mandalay (1926) The Temptress (1926) Valencia (1926) Flesh and the Devil (1926) Twelve Miles Out (1927) The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) London After Midnight (1927) The Crowd (1928) Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) White Shadows in the South Seas (1928) Show People (1928) West of Zanzibar (1928) The Broadway Melody (1929) The Trial of Mary Dugan (1929) Voice of the City (1929) Where East Is East (1929) The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929) The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929) Hallelujah (1929) His Glorious Night (1929) The Kiss (1929) Anna Christie (1930) Redemption (1930) The Divorcee (1930) The Rogue Song (1930) The Big House (1930) The Unholy Three (1930) Let Us Be Gay (1930) Billy the Kid (1930) Way for a Sailor (1930) A Lady's Morals (1930) Inspiration (1931) Trader Horn (1931) The Secret Six (1931) A Free Soul (1931) Just a Gigolo (1931) Menschen hinter Gittern (1931), German-language version of The Big House (1930) The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931) The Guardsman (1931) The Champ (1931) Possessed (1931) Private Lives (1931) Mata Hari (1931) Freaks (1932) Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) Grand Hotel (1932) Letty Lynton (1932) As You Desire Me (1932) Red-Headed Woman (1932) Smilin' Through (1932) Red Dust (1932) Rasputin and the Empress (1932) Strange Interlude (1932) Tugboat Annie (1933) Bombshell (1933) Eskimo (1933) La Veuve Joyeuse (1934) French-language version of The Merry Widow Riptide (1934) The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) The Merry Widow (1934) What Every Woman Knows (1934) Biography of a Bachelor Girl (1935) No More Ladies (1935) China Seas (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) A Night at the Opera (1935) Riffraff (1936) Romeo and Juliet (1936) Camille (1936) Maytime (1937) A Day at the Races (1937) Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) The Good Earth (1937) Marie Antoinette (1938) Writer The Trap (1922) The Dangerous Little Demon (1922) Awards Academy Awards Notes Further reading Books Flamini, Roland. Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of M-G-M (1994) Marx, Samuel. Mayer and Thalberg: The Make-believe Saints (1975) Thomas, Bob. Thalberg: Life and Legend (1969) Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg's M-G-M. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2008. Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg: Boy Wonder to Producer Prince. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009. Articles Starman, Ray. "Irving Thalberg", Films In Review, June/July 1987, p. 347–353 External links Irving Thalberg at TCM Cinemagraphe Review of the Roland Flamini biography of Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of MGM Irving Thalberg at Virtual History Irving Thalberg profiled in Collier's Magazine (1924) Videos 1899 births 1936 deaths American film producers Film producers from California Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award American film studio executives American male screenwriters Cinema pioneers Silent film directors Silent film producers Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer executives Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences founders Businesspeople from Los Angeles Hollywood history and culture California Republicans New York (state) Republicans USC School of Cinematic Arts faculty 20th-century American businesspeople Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from New York (state) People from Brooklyn American anti-communists American people of German-Jewish descent Deaths from pneumonia in California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American writers Jewish American writers 20th-century American screenwriters
false
[ "Sogndal Folk High School () was a folk high school in Sogndal municipality, Norway.\n\nOne of the first of its kind in Norway, it was founded by Jakob Sverdrup, inspired by Grundtvigianism during his studies, in 1871. Sverdrup was initially headmaster, but following illness he first left the post to his brother Hersleb Sverdrup, then to Henrik Mohn Dahl.\n\nReferences \n\nFolk high schools in Norway\nEducation in Vestland\nEducational institutions established in 1871\n1871 establishments in Norway\nSogndal", "Neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) are a class of drugs which block the neuraminidase enzyme. They are a commonly used antiviral drug type against influenza. Viral neuraminidases are essential for influenza reproduction, facilitating viral budding from the host cell. Oseltamivir (Tamiflu), zanamivir (Relenza), laninamivir (Inavir), and peramivir belong to this class. Unlike the M2 inhibitors, which work only against the influenza A virus, NAIs act against both influenza A and influenza B.\n\nThe NAIs oseltamivir and zanamivir were approved in the US and Europe for treatment and prevention of influenza A and B. Peramivir acts by strongly binding to the neuraminidase of the influenza viruses and inhibits activation of neuraminidase much longer than oseltamivir or zanamivir. However, laninamivir in the cells is slowly released into the respiratory tract, resulting in long-lasting anti-influenza virus activity. Thus the mechanism of the long-lasting activity of laninamivir is basically different from that of peramivir.\n\nThe efficacy was highly debated in recent years. However, after the pandemic caused by H1N1 in 2009, the effectiveness of early treatment with neuraminidase inhibitors in reducing serious cases and deaths was reported in various countries.\n \nIn countries where influenza-like illness is treated using NAIs on a national level, statistical reports show a low fatality record for symptomatic illness because of the universal implementation of early treatment using this class of drugs. Although oseltamivir is widely used in these countries, there have been no outbreaks caused by oseltamivir-resistant viruses and also no serious illness caused by oseltamivir-resistant viruses has ever been reported. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend the use of oseltamavir treatment for people at high risk for complications and the elderly and those at lower risk who present within 48 hours of first symptoms of infection.\n\nCommon side effects include nausea and vomiting. The abnormal behaviors of children after taking oseltamivir that have been reported may be an extension of delirium or hallucinations caused by influenza. It occurs in the early stages of the illness, such as within 48 hours after onset of the illness. Therefore, children with influenza are advised to be observed by their parents until 48 hours after the onset of the influenza illness, regardless of whether the child is treated with NAIs.\n\nSpecific neuraminidase inhibitors\nLaninamivir\nOseltamivir (Tamiflu)\nPeramivir (Rapivab)\nZanamivir (Relenza)\n\nStructures of the viral neuraminidase inhibitors in use\n\nNatural products\nCyanidin-3-sambubioside (extracted from black elderberry)\nCoptisine\nBerberine\n\nSee also \nDiscovery and development of neuraminidase inhibitors\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n\n \nCarbohydrate chemistry" ]
[ "Irving Thalberg", "Early years", "What year was he born?", "Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents,", "Who were his parents?", "Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann).", "Did he have any siblings?", "Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with \"blue baby syndrome,\" caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart.", "Did this impact him at all in life?", "The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to age twenty, or at most, age thirty.", "Where did he go to school?", "During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study,", "What caused his illness in high school?", "When he was 17, he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, Henrietta, to prevent him falling too far behind other students," ]
C_7b8dcb999ce54951992e991787a236a9_1
Did he graduate?
7
Did Irving Thalberg graduate?
Irving Thalberg
Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome," caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to age twenty, or at most, age thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17, he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, Henrietta, to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an ad with the local newspaper hoping to find better work: "Situation Wanted: Secretary, stenographer, Spanish, English, high school education, no experience; $15." CANNOTANSWER
brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him
Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 – September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and ability to select scripts, choose actors, gather production staff, and make profitable films, including Grand Hotel, China Seas, A Night at the Opera, Mutiny on the Bounty, Camille and The Good Earth. His films carved out an international market, "projecting a seductive image of American life brimming with vitality and rooted in democracy and personal freedom", states biographer Roland Flamini. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and as a child was afflicted with a congenital heart disease that doctors said would kill him before he reached the age of thirty. After graduating from high school he worked as a store clerk during the day and to gain some job skills took a night class in typing. He then found work as a secretary with Universal Studios' New York office, and was later made studio manager for their Los Angeles facility. There, he oversaw production of a hundred films during his three years with the company. Among the films he produced was The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923). In Los Angeles, he partnered with Louis B. Mayer's new studio and, after it merged with two other studios, helped create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). He was made head of production of MGM in 1925, at the age of twenty-six, helping MGM become the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years with MGM, until his premature death at the age of 37, he produced four hundred films, most of which bore his imprint and innovations, including story conferences with writers, sneak previews to gain early feedback, and extensive re-shooting of scenes to improve the film. In addition, he introduced horror films to audiences and coauthored the "Production Code", guidelines for morality followed by all studios. During the 1920s and 1930s, he synthesized and merged the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. Thalberg created numerous new stars and groomed their screen images. Among them were Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery, Spencer Tracy, Luise Rainer, and Norma Shearer, who became his wife. He had the ability to combine quality with commercial success, and was credited with bringing his artistic aspirations in line with the demands of audiences. After his death, Hollywood's producers said he had been the world's "foremost figure in motion-picture history". President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, given out periodically by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1937, has been awarded to producers whose body of work reflected consistently high quality films. Early years Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome", caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to the age of twenty, or at most, to thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17 he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, in order to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an advertisement in the local newspaper hoping to find better work: Career as producer Universal Studios He found work as an office secretary at Universal Pictures' New York office, and later became personal secretary to the studio's founder and president, Carl Laemmle. Among Thalberg's duties were transcribing and editing notes that Laemmle had written during screenings of his films. He earned $25 weekly, becoming adept at making insightful observations, which impressed Laemmle. Laemmle took Thalberg to see his Los Angeles production facility, where he spent a month watching how movie production worked. Before returning to New York, Laemmle told Thalberg to remain and "keep an eye on things for me." Two months later, Laemmle returned to California, partly to see how well Thalberg was able to handle the responsibilities he was given. Thalberg gave him suggestions, and thus impressed Laemmle by his ability to understand and explain problems. Thalberg suggested, "The first thing you should do is establish a new job of studio manager and give him the responsibility of watching day-to-day operations." Laemmle immediately agreed: "All right. You're it." In shock, Thalberg replied, "I'm what?" Laemmle told him to take charge of the Los Angeles studio, which he did in early 1919. When aged 20, Thalberg became responsible for immediately overseeing the nine ongoing film productions and nearly thirty scenarios then under development. In describing the rationale for this early appointment as studio manager, film historian David Thomson writes that his new job "owed nothing to nepotism, private wealth, or experience in the film industry." He reasons that despite "Thalberg's youth, modest education, and frail appearance ... it is clear that he had the charm, insight, and ability, or the appearance of it, to captivate the film world." Thalberg was one among the majority of Hollywood film industry workers who migrated from the East Coast, primarily from New York. Some film actors, such as Conrad Nagel, did not like the five-day train trip or the sudden warmth of the California climate. Neither did Marion Davies, who was not used to such "big wide spaces". Samuel Marx, a close friend of Thalberg's from New York, recalled how easily Thalberg adapted to Southern California, often standing outside his doorway during moments of contemplation to enjoy the scenery. "We were all young", said comedian Buster Keaton. "The air in California was like wine. Our business was also young—and growing like nothing ever seen before." Confrontation with Erich von Stroheim He quickly established his tenacity as he battled with well-known director Erich von Stroheim over the length of Foolish Wives (1922). Biographer Roland Flamini notes that the film was Universal's most expensive "jewel" ever in production, and its director and star, von Stroheim, was taking the film way over budget. Thalberg, now Universal's general manager, was forced to have the director quickly finalize production before the studio's working capital was used up. Flamini describes the situation: Thalberg had von Stroheim come to his office, which he did still wearing his film costume as a Russian Imperial Guard and escorted by members of his production team. Thalberg calmly told him, "I have seen all the film and you have all you need for the picture. I want you to stop shooting", to which von Stroheim replied, "But I have not finished as yet." "Yes, you have", said Thalberg. "You have spent all the money this company can afford. I cannot allow you to spend any more." Thalberg quietly explained that the director worked under the producer, and it was his responsibility to control costs. Von Stroheim, surrounded by his assistants, then confronted Thalberg: "If you were not my superior, I would smash you in the face." Thalberg, unflinching, said "Don't let that stop you." The result was that Thalberg soon afterward removed the cameras from von Stroheim's studio and took over editing. The uncut footage was pared down from five-and-a-half hours to three hours, to von Stroheim's deep dissatisfaction. A similar problem developed with von Stroheim's next film, Merry-Go-Round (1923). Although he had promised Thalberg to remain within budget this time, he continued production until it went to twice the agreed length and was not yet near completion. Flamini speculates why this happened: Thalberg again called von Stroheim to his office, handed him a long letter written and signed by himself, describing the problems, and summarily fired von Stroheim as of that moment. Thalberg's letter stated among the reasons, totally inexcusable and repeated acts of insubordination ... extravagant ideas which you have been unwilling to sacrifice ... unnecessary delays ... and your apparent idea that you are greater and more powerful than the organization that employs you. His dismissal of von Stroheim was considered an "earthquake in movie circles", notes Flamini. Producer David O. Selznick said that "it was the first time a director had been fired. It took great guts and courage ... Von Stroheim was utterly indifferent over money and could have gone on and spent millions, with nobody to stop him.". The opinion was shared by director Rouben Mamoulian, who said that the "little fellow at Universal", in one bold stroke, had "asserted the primacy of the studio over the director" and forever altered the balance of power in the movie industry. Effects of his young age According to Flamini, his youth was a subject of conversation within the movie community. Executives from other studios, actors, and film crew, often mistook him to be a junior employee. Movie columnist Louella Parsons, upon first being introduced to him, asked, "What's the joke? Where's the new general manager?" After five minutes of talking to Thalberg, however, she later wrote about "Universal's Boy Wonder": "He might be a boy in looks and age, but it was no child's mind that was being asked to cope with the intricate politics of Universal City." Novelist Edna Ferber responded the same way, writing that "I had fancied motion-picture producers as large gentlemen smoking oversized cigars. But this young man whose word seemed so final at Universal City ... impressed me deeply." The male actors in the studio had a similar reaction. Lionel Barrymore, who was nearly twice his age, recalled their meetings: Thalberg likewise gained the respect of leading playwrights, some of whom also looked down on him due to his youth. George S. Kaufman, co-author of Dinner at Eight, several Marx Brothers films, and two George Gershwin plays, came from New York to meet with Thalberg. Afterward he confided to his friend, Groucho Marx: "That man has never written a word, yet he can tell me exactly what to do with a story. I didn't know you had people like that out here." Actress Norma Shearer, whom he later married, was surprised after he greeted her at the door, then walked her to his office for her first job interview: "Then you're not the office boy?" she asked. He smiled, as he sat himself behind his desk: "No, Miss Shearer, I'm Irving Thalberg, vice-president of the Mayer Company. I'm the man who sent for you." His younger-than-normal age for a studio executive was usually mentioned even after he left Universal to help start up MGM. Screenwriter Agnes Christine Johnson, who worked with Thalberg for years, described his contribution during meetings: The same quality was observed by director and screenwriter Hobart Henley: "If something that read well in conference turns out not so good on the screen, I go to him and, like that—Henley snaps his fingers—he has a remedy. He's brilliant." Another assistant producer to Thalberg explains: His youth also contributed to his open-mindedness to the ideas of others. Conrad Nagel, who starred in numerous Thalberg films, reported that Thalberg was generally empathetic to those he worked alongside: "Thalberg never raised his voice. He just looked into your eyes, spoke softly, and after a few minutes he cast a spell on you." Studio attorney Edwin Loeb, who also worked to create AMPAS, explained that "the real foundation of Irving's success was his ability to look at life through the eyes of any given person. He had a gift of empathy, and almost complete perspective." Those opinions were also shared by producer Walter Wanger: "You thought that you were talking to an Indian savant. He could cast a spell on anybody." His talent as a producer was enhanced by his "near-miraculous" powers of concentration, notes film critic J. Hoberman. As a result, he was never bored or tired, and supplemented his spare time with reading for his own amusement, recalls screenwriter Bayard Veiller, with some of his favorite authors being Francis Bacon, Epictetus, and Immanuel Kant. Film projects at Universal Biographer Bob Thomas writes that after three years at the studio, Thalberg continually proved his value. Universal's pictures improved noticeably, primarily due to Thalberg's "uncanny sense of story." He took tight control over many key aspects of production, including his requirement that from then on scripts were tightly constructed before filming began, rather than during production. Thomas adds that he also "showed a remarkable capacity for working with actors, casting them aptly and advising them on their careers." After producing two films that were in production when he began work at Universal, he presented Laemmle with his idea for a film based on one of his favorite classic stories, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Rather than just a horror picture, Thalberg suggested turning it into a spectacle which would include a replica of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He had Lon Chaney play the hunchback. The film became Universal's most profitable silent film and established Chaney's career as a top-flight star. After nearly three years with Universal, Thalberg had supervised over a hundred movies, reorganized the studio to give more control to the managers, and had "stopped the defection" of many of their leading stars by offering them better, higher-paying contracts. He also produced a number of Universal's prestige films, which made the company profitable. However, he decided it was time to find a studio in Los Angeles more suitable to his skills, and spread word that he was available. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Cecil B. DeMille was the first who wanted to hire him, telling his partner Jesse Lasky, "The boy is a genius. I can see it. I know it." Lasky opposed the hire, stating, "Geniuses we have all we need." Thalberg then received an offer from Hal Roach, but the offer was withdrawn because Thalberg lacked experience with slapstick comedy films. In late 1922, Thalberg was introduced to Louis B. Mayer, president of a small but dynamic and fast-growing studio. At that first meeting, Thalberg "made a deep, immediate impression on Mayer", writes Flamini. After Thalberg had left, Mayer said to studio attorney Edwin Loeb: "Tell him if he comes to work for me, I'll look after him as though he were my son." Although their personalities were in many ways opposite, Mayer being more outspoken and nearly twice the younger man's age, Thalberg was hired as vice president in charge of production at Louis B. Mayer Productions. Years later, Mayer's daughter Irene Mayer Selznick recalled that "it was hard to believe anyone that boyish could be so important." According to Flamini, Thalberg was hired because, although Mayer was an astute businessman, "what he lacked was Thalberg's almost unerring ability to combine quality with commercial success, to bring artistic aspiration in line with the demands of the box office." Mayer's company subsequently merged with two others to become Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), with the 24-year-old Thalberg made part-owner and accorded the same position as vice president in charge of production. Three years after the merger, MGM became the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years at MGM, Thalberg supervised the production of over four hundred films. Although Thalberg and his colleagues at MGM knew he was "doomed" to not live much past the age of 30 due to heart disease, he loved producing films. He continued developing innovative ideas and overseeing most of MGM's pictures. Under Thalberg's management, MGM released over 40% more films yearly than Warner Brothers, and more than double Paramount's releases. From 1924 until 1936, when Thalberg died at the age of 37, "almost every film bore Thalberg's imprint", wrote Mark Vieira. Production innovations Thalberg's production techniques "broke new ground in filmmaking", adds Vieira. Among his contributions at MGM was his innovation of story conferences, sneak previews and scene retakes. He introduced the first horror films and coauthored the Production Code, the set of moral guidelines that all film studios agreed to follow. Thalberg helped synthesize and merge the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. MGM thereby became the only movie studio to consistently show a profit during the Great Depression. Flamini explains that the equation for MGM's success depended on combining stars, a Broadway hit or popular classic, and high standards of production. This combination at the time was considered a "revolutionary approach" in the film industry, which until then assumed a star was all that was needed for success, regardless of the story or production quality. The other studios began following MGM's lead with that same formula. Production techniques Thalberg generally followed a system in managing his productions. According to one of his assistants, Lawrence Weingarten, who later became a producer, "Thalberg directed the film on paper, and then the director directed the film on film." Thalberg was generally opposed to location shooting overseas where he could not oversee production and control costs, as happened with Ben Hur. Thus, he kept hundreds of back-lot carpenters at work creating realistic sets, as he did for fifteenth-century Romeo and Juliet (1936), or with China Seas (1935), to replicate the harbors of Hong Kong. Vieira points out that Thalberg's "fascination with Broadway plays" often had him create and present stories visually. For China Seas, for instance, he described for the screenwriters, director and others, exactly how he wanted the film to appear on screen: To be certain of achieving the desired effects, Thalberg made sure his cinematographers were careful in their use of light and shadow. Vieira observes that "more than any other producer or any other studio, Thalberg and MGM manipulated lenses, filters, and lighting instruments to affect the viewer." As a result, he notes, "most of Thalberg's films contain moments such as these, in which cinematic technique transcends mere exposition and gives the viewer something to treasure." Thalberg was supported by most of the studio in these kinds of creative decisions. "It was a big family," notes Weingarten. "If we had a success, everybody—and I mean every cutter, every painter, every plasterer—was excited about it, was abuzz, was in a tizzy about the whole idea of picture making." Taking risks with new subjects and stars In 1929, MGM released fifty films, and all but five showed a profit. Of those that failed, Hallelujah was also a gamble by Thalberg. When King Vidor, the film's producer and director, proposed the idea to Thalberg of a major film cast, for the first time, exclusively with African Americans, he told Thalberg directly, "I doubt that it will make a dollar at the box office." Thalberg replied, "Don't worry about that. I've told you that MGM can afford an occasional experiment." By the early 1930s, a number of stars began failing at the box office, partly due to the Great Depression that was now undermining the economy, along with the public's ability to spend on entertainment. Thalberg began using two stars in a film, rather than one, as had been the tradition at all the studios, such as pairing Greta Garbo with John Gilbert, Clark Gable with Jean Harlow, and William Powell with Myrna Loy. After experimenting with a few such films, including Mata Hari (1931), which were profitable, he decided on a multi-star production of another Broadway play, Grand Hotel (1932). It had five major stars, including Garbo, Joan Crawford, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, and Wallace Beery. "Before Thalberg," writes Vieira, "there was no Grand Hotel in the American consciousness." The film won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1932. Thalberg went against consensus and took another risk with The Great Ziegfeld (1936), costarring Luise Rainer. Although Louis B. Mayer did not want her in the role, which he felt was too minor for a new star, Thalberg felt that "only she could play the part", wrote biographer Charles Higham. Shortly after shooting began in late 1935, doubts of Rainer's acting ability emerged in the press. However, despite her limited appearances in the film, Rainer "so impressed audiences with one highly emotional scene" that she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. After her winning role in The Great Ziegfeld, Thalberg wanted her to play a role that was the opposite of her previous character, for The Good Earth (1937). For the part as a Chinese peasant, she was required to act totally subservient to her husband, being perpetually huddled in submission, and barely spoke a word of dialogue during the entire film. Rainer recalls that Mayer did not approve of the film being produced or her part in it: "He was horrified at Irving Thalberg's insistence for me to play O-lan, the poor uncomely little Chinese peasant." However, she again won the Oscar for Best Actress, becoming the first actress to win two consecutive Oscars, a feat not matched until Katharine Hepburn's two Oscar wins thirty years later. Grooming new stars Besides bringing a distinctive high quality "look" to MGM films and often recreating well-known stories or plays, Thalberg's actors themselves took on a characteristic quality. Thalberg wanted his female actors to appear "cool, classy and beautiful," notes Flamini. And he strove to make the male actors appear "worldly and in control." In general, Thalberg movies and actors came to be "luxurious," "glossy," and "technically flawless." By doing so, he made stars or boosted the careers of actors such as Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, John Gilbert, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Helen Hayes, Jean Harlow, Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore and Luise Rainer. Greta Garbo In 1925, a young Greta Garbo, then twenty, and unable to speak any English, was brought over from Sweden at Mayer's request, as he saw how she looked in still photos. A Swedish friend thought he would help her by contacting Thalberg, who then agreed to give her a screen test. According to author Frederick Sands, "the result of the test was electrifying." Thalberg was impressed and began grooming the new starlet the following day: "the studio arranged to fix her teeth, made sure she lost weight, and gave her an English tutor." Joan Crawford Joan Crawford's first role was a Thalberg production at MGM and she became one of their leading stars for the next thirty years. Crawford was somewhat jealous of Norma Shearer as she thought she was given the better material by her husband Thalberg out of nepotism. Nevertheless, she felt that his contribution to MGM was vital to the film industry. Not long after his early death, she recalls her concerns: "Thalberg was dead and the concept of the quality 'big' picture pretty much went out the window." Marie Dressler Thalberg also realized that old stars few had heard of could be made into new ones. Marie Dressler, a fifty-nine-year-old early vaudeville and movie star, who had played the top-billed lead, above Charles Chaplin and Mabel Normand), in the first feature-length comedy, Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914), was unable to get any roles in films after leaving show business for some years, finally working as a maid. MGM screenwriter Frances Marion suggested to Thalberg that she might fit well in a starring role for a new film, and was surprised that he knew of her prior successes. Thalberg approved of using her without a screen test and offered his rationale: By 1932, shortly before she died, Dressler was the country's number one box office star. Wallace Beery Marie Dressler was paired twice, in Min and Bill (1930) and Tugboat Annie (1933), with Wallace Beery, another major silent star who had been struggling to get work in sound pictures until Thalberg cast him. Beery had enjoyed a hugely successful silent film career dating back to 1913, but had been fired by Paramount shortly after sound pictures appeared. Thalberg cast him in the role of "Machine Gun Butch," which had been meant for recently deceased Lon Chaney, in The Big House (1930), an energetic prison picture that became a huge hit. Beery was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, and his burgeoning career at MGM had transformed him into the studio's highest paid actor within two more years, during which time he won the Oscar for The Champ and had become a phenomenal box office draw as a result of Thalberg's foresight. Getting audience feedback and reshooting According to Vieira, MGM had few failures during this period, and numerous blockbusters. Among the reasons was Thalberg's unique system of developing a script during story conferences with writers before filming began, and later giving "sneak previews" followed by audience feedback through written questionnaires. Often, where he felt improvement was needed, he arranged for scenes to be reshot. As Thalberg once stated, "The difference between something good and something superior is often very small." Bad decisions and missed opportunities Thalberg felt he had his "finger on the pulse of America. I know what people will do and what they won't do," he said. His judgment was not always accurate, however. Thalberg's bringing Broadway productions to the screen to develop higher picture standards sometimes resulted in "studied" acting or "stagey" sets, notes Flamini. In 1927, after the successful release of the first full-length talking picture, The Jazz Singer (1927), he nevertheless felt that talking pictures were a fad. Thalberg likewise did not think that color would replace black-and-white in movies. When an assistant protested against a script that envisioned a love scene in Paris with an ocean background, Thalberg refused to make changes, saying "We can't cater to a handful of people who know Paris." A more serious distraction to Thalberg's efforts was his obsession with making his wife Norma Shearer a prominent star, efforts which sometimes led to "overblown and overglamous" productions. Thalberg himself admitted to his obsession years later when he told a fellow producer: "You're behaving like I did with Norma. I knew positively that she could play anything. It's a kind of romantic astigmatism that attacks producers when they fall for an actress." Important films at MGM Ben Hur (1925) One of the first pictures he took charge of, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, was inherited and already in production by another studio when MGM was formed. The film was turning into a disastrous expense with cost overruns already in the millions due to its lavish sets and location shooting in Rome. Most studio executives chose to terminate the film to cut their losses. Thalberg, however, felt differently, and thought the film would affect movie audiences, due to its classic literary source, and would highlight MGM as a major new studio. He, therefore, discarded much of the original footage shot in Italy and recreated the set on MGM's back lots in Culver City, which added more millions to the production, yet gave him more control over production. The new set also included a replica of Circus Maximus for the dramatic chariot race scenes. Flamini notes that Thalberg's "gamble paid off," drawing international attention to MGM, and to Thalberg within the movie industry for his bold action. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty was the studio's next most expensive film after Ben Hur, with some now calling it "Thalberg's masterpiece." He initially had difficulty convincing Mayer that he could make the film without making heroes of the mutineers. He achieved that by instead making a hero of the British Royal Navy, whereby the officers and shipmates would from then on display their mutual respect. Thalberg also had to convince Clark Gable to accept the role against his will. He pleaded with Gable, eventually promising him that "If it isn't one of your greatest successes, I'll never ask you again to play a part you don't want." The film's other main stars were Charles Laughton and Franchot Tone. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Actor, and winning it for Best Picture. Thalberg accepted the award as producer from Frank Capra. Thalberg and Mayer partnership At first, Thalberg and studio chief Louis B. Mayer got along splendidly; however, they had different production philosophies. Thalberg preferred literary works, while Mayer preferred glitzy crowd-pleasing films. A clash was inevitable, and their relationship grew decidedly frosty. When Thalberg fell ill in the final weeks of 1932, Mayer took advantage of the situation and replaced him with David O. Selznick and Walter Wanger. Thalberg's reputation by that time for working long hours was widely known, and rumors about the related strain on his fragile health had become front-page news in entertainment trade publications. The Hollywood Reporter in January 1933 updated its readership about his condition and addressed growing concerns that he might be forced, despite his young age, to quit the business: Once Thalberg recovered sufficiently from his bout with the "flu" and was able to return to work later in 1933, it was as one of MGM's unit producers, albeit one who had first choice on projects as well as preferential access to all the studio's resources, including over casting its stars. Thalberg's good relationship with Nicholas Schenck, then president of Loew's Incorporated, proved to be an ongoing advantage for him. Loew's was the corporate parent of MGM, so Schenck was the true power and ultimate arbiter at the studio; and he usually supported Thalberg's decisions and continued to do so whenever disagreements about projects or production needs arose. As a result, Thalberg also continued to produce or coproduce some of MGM's most prestigious and critically acclaimed ventures in this period, such as The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) starring his wife Norma Shearer, China Seas (1935), A Night at the Opera (1935), San Francisco (1936), and Romeo and Juliet (1936). Personal life During his few years with Universal while living in New York, Thalberg had become romantically involved with Carl Laemmle's daughter, Rosabelle. Still in his early twenties and later spending most of his time in Los Angeles, his feelings toward her were no longer as strong. Flamini suspects that this may have affected his position at Universal and partly caused his decision to leave the company. "The Laemmles prayed that Irving would marry Rosabelle", notes Flamini. "They wanted their sons to be educated and their daughters to marry nice Jewish boys." Less than a year after he and Mayer took charge of the newly created MGM studios, and still only twenty-five years old, Thalberg suffered a serious heart attack due to overwork. Mayer also became aware of Thalberg's congenital heart problems and now worried about the prospect of running MGM without him. Mayer also became concerned that one of his daughters might become romantically involved, and told them so: Thalberg, aware of Mayer's feelings, made it a point of never giving too much attention to his daughters at social events. One of Thalberg's traits was his ability to work long hours into the night with little sign of fatigue. According to Vieira, Thalberg believed that as long as his mind was active in his work and he was not bored, he would not feel tired. Thalberg, who often got by with only five hours of sleep, felt that most people could get by with less than they realized. To keep his mental faculties at peak, he would read philosophical books by Bacon, Epictetus, or Kant. "They stimulate me. I'd drop out of sight in no time if I didn't read and keep up with current thought—and the philosophers are brain sharpeners." During the early 1930s, Thalberg was ambivalent about political events in Europe. While he feared Nazism and the rise of Hitler, he also feared Communism. At the time, notes Vieira, "given a choice between communism and fascism, many Americans—including Thalberg—would prefer the latter." Thalberg stated his opinion: When others suggested that many Jews could die in Germany as a result of Nazi anti-Semitism, he replied that in his opinion "Hitler and Hitlerism will pass." On one occasion, Catholic Prince Löwenstein of Germany, who himself had almost been captured before fleeing Germany, told him: "Mr. Thalberg, your own people are being systematically hunted down and rooted out of Germany." Thalberg suggested that world Jewry should nevertheless not interfere, that the Jewish race would survive Hitler. Within a few years, American film distribution was "choked off" in Germany. Led by Warner Brothers, all American studios eventually closed their German offices. Thalberg began dating actress Norma Shearer a few years after he joined MGM. Following her conversion to Judaism, they married on Thursday, September 29, 1927, in a private ceremony in the garden of his rented house in Beverly Hills. Rabbi Edgar F. Magnin officiated at the event, with Shearer's brother Douglas Shearer giving the bride away, and Louis B. Mayer serving as best man. The couple drove to Monterey for their honeymoon and then moved into their newly constructed home in Beverly Hills. After their second child was born, Shearer considered retiring from films, but Thalberg convinced her to continue acting, saying he could find her good roles. She went on to be one of MGM's biggest stars of the 1930s. Their two children were Irving Jr. (1930–1987) and Katharine (1935–2006). Death Thalberg and Shearer took a much-needed Labor Day weekend vacation in Monterey, California, in 1936, staying at the same beachfront hotel where they spent their honeymoon. A few weeks earlier, Thalberg's leading screenwriter, Al Lewin, had proposed doing a film based on a soon-to-be published book, Gone with the Wind. Although Thalberg said it would be a "sensational" role for Gable, and a "terrific picture," he decided not to do it: Besides, Thalberg told Mayer, "[n]o Civil War picture ever made a nickel". Shortly after returning from Monterey, Thalberg was diagnosed with pneumonia. His condition worsened steadily and he eventually required an oxygen tent at home. He died on September 14, at the age of 37. Sam Wood, while directing A Day at the Races, was given the news by phone. He returned to the set with tears in his eyes and told the others. As the news spread "the studio was paralyzed with shock", notes Thomas. "Work stopped and hundreds of people wept", with stars, writers, directors, and studio employees "all sharing a sense of loss at the death of a man who had been a part of their working lives", states Flamini. His funeral took place two days later, and when the services began the other studios throughout Hollywood observed five minutes of silence. Producer Sam Goldwyn "wept uncontrollably for two days" and was unable to regain his composure enough to attend. The MGM studio closed for that day. Services were held at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple that Thalberg had occasionally attended. The funeral attracted thousands of spectators who came to view the arrival of countless stars from MGM and other studios, including Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, the Marx Brothers, Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Howard Hughes, Al Jolson, Gary Cooper, Carole Lombard, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, among the screen luminaries. The ushers who led them to their seats included Clark Gable, Fredric March, and playwright Moss Hart. Erich von Stroheim, who had been fired by Thalberg, came to pay his respects. Producers Louis B. Mayer, the Warner brothers, Adolph Zukor, and Nicholas Schenck sat together solemnly as Rabbi Magnin gave the eulogy. Thalberg is buried in a private marble tomb in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, lying at rest beside his wife Norma Shearer Arrouge (Thalberg's crypt was engraved "My Sweetheart Forever" by Shearer). Over the following days, tributes were published by the national press. Louis B. Mayer, his co-founding partner at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, said he had lost "the finest friend a man could ever have", while MGM president Nicholas Schenck stated that "Thalberg was the most important man in the production end of the motion-picture industry. Leading producers from the other studios also expressed their feelings in published tributes to Thalberg: David O. Selznick described him as "beyond any question the greatest individual force for fine pictures." Samuel Goldwyn called him "the foremost figure in the motion-picture industry ... and an inspiration." M. H. Aylesworth, Chairman of RKO, wrote that "his integrity, vision and ability made him the spearhead of all motion-picture production throughout the world." Harry Warner, president of Warner Bros., described him as "gifted with one of the finest minds ever placed at the service of motion-picture production." Sidney R. Kent, president of Twentieth Century Fox, said that "he made the whole world richer by giving it the highest type of entertainment. He was a true genius." Columbia president Harry Cohn said the "motion picture industry has suffered a loss from which it will not soon recover...". Darryl F. Zanuck noted, "More than any other man he raised the industry to its present world prestige." Adolph Zukor, chairman of Paramount, stated, "Irving Thalberg was the most brilliant young man in the motion picture business." Jesse Lasky said, "It will be utterly impossible to replace him." Among the condolences that came from world political leaders, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." Among the pictures that were unfinished or not yet released at the time of his death were A Day at the Races, The Good Earth, Camille, Maytime, and Romeo and Juliet. Groucho Marx, star of A Day at the Races, wrote, "After Thalberg's death, my interest in the movies waned. I continued to appear in them, but ... The fun had gone out of picture making." Thalberg's widow, Norma Shearer, recalled, "Grief does very strange things to you. I didn't seem to feel the shock for two weeks afterwards. ... then, at the end of those two weeks, I collapsed." Legacy in the movie industry Thalberg's legacy to the movie industry is "incalculable", states biographer Bob Thomas. He notes that with his numerous production innovations and grand stories, often turning classic literature and Broadway stage productions into big-screen pictures, he managed to keep "American movies supreme throughout the world for a generation". Darryl F. Zanuck, founder of 20th Century-Fox said that during Thalberg's brief career, he had become the "most creative producer in the history of films". Thomas describes some of his contributions: Most of MGM's major films in the 1930s were, according to Flamini, "in a very real sense", made by Thalberg. He closely supervised the making of "more pictures than any other producer in Hollywood's history", and was considered the "archetype of the creative producer", adds Flamini. Upon his early death, aged 37, an editorial in The New York Times called him "the most important force" in the motion picture industry. The paper added that for the film industry, he "set the pace and others followed ... because his way combined style, glamour, and profit." He is described by Flamini as having been "a revolutionary in a gray flannel suit". Thalberg refused to take credit as producer, and as a result, his name never appeared on the screen while he was alive. Thalberg claimed that "credit you give yourself is not worth having". He also said "If a picture is good, they'll know who produced it. If it's bad, nobody cares." His final film, released after he died, was The Good Earth (1937), which won numerous Academy Awards. Its opening screen credit was dedicated to Thalberg: In 1938, the new multimillion-dollar MGM administration building in Culver City was named for Thalberg. The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, also named for him, awards producers for consistently high production achievements. Cultural legacy The Last Tycoon In October 1939, American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald began writing The Last Tycoon, a fictionalized biography of Thalberg, naming the protagonist Monroe Stahr to represent Thalberg. "Thalberg has always fascinated me", he wrote to an editor. "His peculiar charm, his extraordinary good looks, his bountiful success, the tragic end of his great adventure. The events I have built around him are fiction, but all of them are things which might very well have happened. ... I've long chosen him for a hero (this has been in my mind for three years) because he is one of the half-dozen men I have known who were built on a grand scale." Thomas notes that among the reasons Fitzgerald chose to write a book about a Thalberg-like character, was that "throughout his literary career, Fitzgerald borrowed his heroes from friends he admired, and inevitably a bit of Fitzgerald entered the characterizations." Fitzgerald himself writes that "When I like men, I want to be like them ..." Fitzgerald and Thalberg had real-life similarities: both were prodigies, both had heart ailments, and they both died at early ages. According to biographer Matthew J. Bruccoli, Fitzgerald believed that Thalberg, with his "taste and courage, represented the best of Hollywood. ... [and] saw Thalberg as a model for what could be done in the movies." Fitzgerald died before the novel was completed, however. Bruccoli writes of Fitzgerald's book: Although parallels between Monroe Stahr in the novel and Thalberg were evident, many who knew Thalberg intimately stated that they did not see similarities in their personalities. Norma Shearer said that the Stahr character was not at all like her former husband. In the 1976 film version, directed by Elia Kazan, Monroe Stahr was played by Robert De Niro. Kazan, in his pre-production notes, described the Stahr character as he saw him: In the 2016 television series based on the novel, Monroe Stahr is played by Matt Bomer. Others Fitzgerald also based his short story "Crazy Sunday", originally published in the October 1932 issue of American Mercury, on an incident at a party thrown by Thalberg and Shearer. The story is included in Fitzgerald's collection Taps at Reveille (1935). Thalberg was portrayed in the movie Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) by Robert Evans, who went on to become a studio head himself. Thalberg was portrayed by Bill Cusack in Young Indiana Jones and the Hollywood Follies (1994), a TV film based on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, in which Indiana Jones is depicted as taking part in Thalberg's conflict with Erich von Stroheim over Foolish Wives. In 2020, Thalberg was played by Ferdinand Kingsley in the David Fincher film Mank Thalberg, played by Tobey Maguire, is rumored to appear in the upcoming movie Babylon. Filmography Producer Reputation (1921) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) Merry-Go-Round (1923) His Hour (1924) He Who Gets Slapped (1924) The Unholy Three (1925) The Merry Widow (1925) The Tower of Lies (1925) The Big Parade (1925) Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) Torrent (1926) La Bohème (1926) Brown of Harvard (1926) The Road to Mandalay (1926) The Temptress (1926) Valencia (1926) Flesh and the Devil (1926) Twelve Miles Out (1927) The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) London After Midnight (1927) The Crowd (1928) Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) White Shadows in the South Seas (1928) Show People (1928) West of Zanzibar (1928) The Broadway Melody (1929) The Trial of Mary Dugan (1929) Voice of the City (1929) Where East Is East (1929) The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929) The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929) Hallelujah (1929) His Glorious Night (1929) The Kiss (1929) Anna Christie (1930) Redemption (1930) The Divorcee (1930) The Rogue Song (1930) The Big House (1930) The Unholy Three (1930) Let Us Be Gay (1930) Billy the Kid (1930) Way for a Sailor (1930) A Lady's Morals (1930) Inspiration (1931) Trader Horn (1931) The Secret Six (1931) A Free Soul (1931) Just a Gigolo (1931) Menschen hinter Gittern (1931), German-language version of The Big House (1930) The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931) The Guardsman (1931) The Champ (1931) Possessed (1931) Private Lives (1931) Mata Hari (1931) Freaks (1932) Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) Grand Hotel (1932) Letty Lynton (1932) As You Desire Me (1932) Red-Headed Woman (1932) Smilin' Through (1932) Red Dust (1932) Rasputin and the Empress (1932) Strange Interlude (1932) Tugboat Annie (1933) Bombshell (1933) Eskimo (1933) La Veuve Joyeuse (1934) French-language version of The Merry Widow Riptide (1934) The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) The Merry Widow (1934) What Every Woman Knows (1934) Biography of a Bachelor Girl (1935) No More Ladies (1935) China Seas (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) A Night at the Opera (1935) Riffraff (1936) Romeo and Juliet (1936) Camille (1936) Maytime (1937) A Day at the Races (1937) Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) The Good Earth (1937) Marie Antoinette (1938) Writer The Trap (1922) The Dangerous Little Demon (1922) Awards Academy Awards Notes Further reading Books Flamini, Roland. Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of M-G-M (1994) Marx, Samuel. Mayer and Thalberg: The Make-believe Saints (1975) Thomas, Bob. Thalberg: Life and Legend (1969) Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg's M-G-M. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2008. Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg: Boy Wonder to Producer Prince. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009. Articles Starman, Ray. "Irving Thalberg", Films In Review, June/July 1987, p. 347–353 External links Irving Thalberg at TCM Cinemagraphe Review of the Roland Flamini biography of Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of MGM Irving Thalberg at Virtual History Irving Thalberg profiled in Collier's Magazine (1924) Videos 1899 births 1936 deaths American film producers Film producers from California Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award American film studio executives American male screenwriters Cinema pioneers Silent film directors Silent film producers Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer executives Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences founders Businesspeople from Los Angeles Hollywood history and culture California Republicans New York (state) Republicans USC School of Cinematic Arts faculty 20th-century American businesspeople Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from New York (state) People from Brooklyn American anti-communists American people of German-Jewish descent Deaths from pneumonia in California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American writers Jewish American writers 20th-century American screenwriters
true
[ "This is a list of people associated with the New York University Graduate School of Arts and Science.\n\nNotable faculty\n\nAlumni\n(*did not graduate)\n\nNobel laureates\n\nPulitzer Prize winners\n\nOther\n\n(*did not graduate)\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\nNew York University\n\nLists of people by university or college in New York City\n\nNew York University-related lists", "This is a list of notable alumni and students, from the University of Coimbra.\n\nAlumni\n\nNoted professors and lecturers\n\nNobel laureates\nEgas Moniz (1874–1955), physician and neurologist; 1949 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology\n\nOthers\nJosé Bonifácio de Andrade e Silva (1763–1838), Brazilian statesman and naturalist\nFélix Avelar Brotero (1744–1828), botanist and professor\nGeorge Buchanan (1506–1582), a Scottish historian and humanist scholar, professor at the Colegio de la Artes\nLuís Wittnich Carrisso (1886-1937), botanist, professor\nAntónio Castanheira Neves (1929), legal philosopher and professor emeritus at the law faculty\nFernão Lopes de Castanheda (1500–1559), historian, bedel and archivist\nAndré de Gouveia (1497–1548), head teacher, humanist and pedagogue\nAlexandre Rodrigues Ferreira (1756–1815), naturalist\nEduardo Lourenço (born 1923), professor, essayist, critic, philosopher, and writer\nPedro Nunes (1502–1578), mathematician\nSidónio Pais (1872–1918), politician; President in 1918; military; professor of mathematics\nCarlos Mota Pinto (1936–1985), Prime Minister\nAntónio de Oliveira Salazar (1889–1970), politician; Prime Minister; Dictator of Portugal, 1932-1968\nFernando Távora (1923–2004), architect and professor\nDomenico Vandelli (1735–1816), Italian naturalist\n\nNoted attendees\nNoted persons who graduated from or otherwise attended the university include:\n\nZeca Afonso (1929–1987), singer, songwriter and poet; left-winger whose music is considered a symbol of the Carnation Revolution\nManuel Alegre (1936), poet; politician; member of the Socialist Party (did not graduate)\nAntónio José de Almeida (1866–1929), politician, President, founder of Lisbon and Porto universities\nNicolau Tolentino de Almeida (1740–1811), foremost Portuguese satirical poet of the 18th century\nJosé de Anchieta (1534–1597), jesuit missionary, apostle of Brazil, writer and poet\nJosé Alberto de Oliveira Anchieta (1832–1897), 19th century explorer and naturalist (did not graduate)\nLeão Ramos Ascensão (1903–1980), integralist politician and writer\nManuela Azevedo (1970), singer\nJoão Botelho (1949), film director (did not graduate)\nLuís de Almeida Braga, (1890–1970), integralist politician and writer\nTeófilo Braga (1843–1924), politician, President, writer and playwright\nLuís Vaz de Camões, (c. 1524–1580), considered Portugal's greatest poet (did not graduate)\nJorge Chaminé (b, 1956), baritone; Human Rights Medal from the UN; Goodwill Ambassador of Music in ME (Music in the Middle East)\nJosé Cid (1942), singer and composer (did not graduate)\nChristopher Clavius (1538–1612), German mathematician and astronomer; main architect of the modern Gregorian calendar\nNarana Coissoró (1933), lawyer and politician\nFausto Correia (1951–2007), politician; member of the Portuguese Parliament and the Government of Portugal; member of the Parliament of the European Union\nJoão de Deus (1830–1896), poet (did not graduate)\nBishop James Warren Doyle (1786–1834), Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin in Ireland, studied for his doctorate in combria\nVergílio Ferreira (1916–1996), writer and teacher\nArmindo Freitas-Magalhães (1966), psychologist and researcher, working on the psychology of the human smile\nAlmeida Garrett (1799–1854), romanticist and writer\nManuel Teixeira Gomes (1860–1941), political figure (did not graduate)\nRuy Luís Gomes (1905–1984), mathematician\nJoão Mário Grilo (1958), film director (did not graduate)\nMiguel Guedes (1972), musician, songwriter and singer\nGregório de Matos e Guerra (1636-1696), poet and lawyer\nBartolomeu de Gusmão (1685–1724), naturalist, recalled for his early work on lighter-than-air ship design\nArtur Jorge (1946), football coach and former football player (did not graduate at this university but at the University of Lisbon)\nGuerra Junqueiro (1850–1923), lawyer, politician, member of the Portuguese House of Representatives, journalist, author and poet\nValentim Loureiro (1938), military major, politician, mayor, former football club chairman (did not graduate)\nFábio Lucindo (1985-), Brazilian voice actor, best-known for his work in anime.\nBernardino Machado (1851–1944), politician, President\nMarquês de Pombal (1699–1782), Prime Minister to King Joseph I of Portugal throughout his reign\nAristides Sousa Mendes (1885–1954), diplomat, known for protecting European Jews as a consul in France during World War II against government orders\nLuís Marques Mendes, (1957), politician; former leader of the Social Democratic Party\nManoel da Nóbrega, (1517–1570), jesuit priest; first Provincial of the Society of Jesus in colonial Brazil; influential in the early history of Brazil; participated in the founding of several cities\nAntónio Nobre (1867–1900), poet (did not graduate)\nAdriano Correia de Oliveira (1942–1982), musician, famous singer and composer of politically engaged folk music in the 1960s-70s (did not graduate)\nCarlos de Oliveira (1921–1981), poet and novelist\nÁlvaro Santos Pereira (1972), economist and professor\nEça de Queiroz (1845–1900), novelist, one of the leading intellectuals of the Generation of 1870\nAntero de Quental (1842–1891), poet, philosopher, political activist\nJosé Hipólito Raposo (1885–1953), integralist politician and writer\nJosé Adriano Pequito Rebelo (1892–1983), integralist politician and writer\nMaria de Belém Roseira (1949), politician (member of the Socialist Party, former minister)\nAntónio de Almeida Santos (1926), politician and minister\nFernando Machado Soares (1930), fado singer, author, judge\nMiguel Torga, pseudonym of Adolfo Correia da Rocha (1907–1995), writer, poet and physician\nJoão Maria Tudela (1929), singer, musician and entertainer (did not graduate)\nSalgado Zenha (1923–1993), left-wing politician and lawyer\n\nReferences\n\nUniversity of Coimbra\n \nCoimbra, University of" ]
[ "Irving Thalberg", "Early years", "What year was he born?", "Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents,", "Who were his parents?", "Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann).", "Did he have any siblings?", "Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with \"blue baby syndrome,\" caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart.", "Did this impact him at all in life?", "The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to age twenty, or at most, age thirty.", "Where did he go to school?", "During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study,", "What caused his illness in high school?", "When he was 17, he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, Henrietta, to prevent him falling too far behind other students,", "Did he graduate?", "brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him" ]
C_7b8dcb999ce54951992e991787a236a9_1
What did he do after school?
8
What did Irving Thalberg do after school?
Irving Thalberg
Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome," caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to age twenty, or at most, age thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17, he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, Henrietta, to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an ad with the local newspaper hoping to find better work: "Situation Wanted: Secretary, stenographer, Spanish, English, high school education, no experience; $15." CANNOTANSWER
When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams.
Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 – September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and ability to select scripts, choose actors, gather production staff, and make profitable films, including Grand Hotel, China Seas, A Night at the Opera, Mutiny on the Bounty, Camille and The Good Earth. His films carved out an international market, "projecting a seductive image of American life brimming with vitality and rooted in democracy and personal freedom", states biographer Roland Flamini. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and as a child was afflicted with a congenital heart disease that doctors said would kill him before he reached the age of thirty. After graduating from high school he worked as a store clerk during the day and to gain some job skills took a night class in typing. He then found work as a secretary with Universal Studios' New York office, and was later made studio manager for their Los Angeles facility. There, he oversaw production of a hundred films during his three years with the company. Among the films he produced was The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923). In Los Angeles, he partnered with Louis B. Mayer's new studio and, after it merged with two other studios, helped create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). He was made head of production of MGM in 1925, at the age of twenty-six, helping MGM become the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years with MGM, until his premature death at the age of 37, he produced four hundred films, most of which bore his imprint and innovations, including story conferences with writers, sneak previews to gain early feedback, and extensive re-shooting of scenes to improve the film. In addition, he introduced horror films to audiences and coauthored the "Production Code", guidelines for morality followed by all studios. During the 1920s and 1930s, he synthesized and merged the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. Thalberg created numerous new stars and groomed their screen images. Among them were Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery, Spencer Tracy, Luise Rainer, and Norma Shearer, who became his wife. He had the ability to combine quality with commercial success, and was credited with bringing his artistic aspirations in line with the demands of audiences. After his death, Hollywood's producers said he had been the world's "foremost figure in motion-picture history". President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, given out periodically by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1937, has been awarded to producers whose body of work reflected consistently high quality films. Early years Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome", caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to the age of twenty, or at most, to thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17 he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, in order to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an advertisement in the local newspaper hoping to find better work: Career as producer Universal Studios He found work as an office secretary at Universal Pictures' New York office, and later became personal secretary to the studio's founder and president, Carl Laemmle. Among Thalberg's duties were transcribing and editing notes that Laemmle had written during screenings of his films. He earned $25 weekly, becoming adept at making insightful observations, which impressed Laemmle. Laemmle took Thalberg to see his Los Angeles production facility, where he spent a month watching how movie production worked. Before returning to New York, Laemmle told Thalberg to remain and "keep an eye on things for me." Two months later, Laemmle returned to California, partly to see how well Thalberg was able to handle the responsibilities he was given. Thalberg gave him suggestions, and thus impressed Laemmle by his ability to understand and explain problems. Thalberg suggested, "The first thing you should do is establish a new job of studio manager and give him the responsibility of watching day-to-day operations." Laemmle immediately agreed: "All right. You're it." In shock, Thalberg replied, "I'm what?" Laemmle told him to take charge of the Los Angeles studio, which he did in early 1919. When aged 20, Thalberg became responsible for immediately overseeing the nine ongoing film productions and nearly thirty scenarios then under development. In describing the rationale for this early appointment as studio manager, film historian David Thomson writes that his new job "owed nothing to nepotism, private wealth, or experience in the film industry." He reasons that despite "Thalberg's youth, modest education, and frail appearance ... it is clear that he had the charm, insight, and ability, or the appearance of it, to captivate the film world." Thalberg was one among the majority of Hollywood film industry workers who migrated from the East Coast, primarily from New York. Some film actors, such as Conrad Nagel, did not like the five-day train trip or the sudden warmth of the California climate. Neither did Marion Davies, who was not used to such "big wide spaces". Samuel Marx, a close friend of Thalberg's from New York, recalled how easily Thalberg adapted to Southern California, often standing outside his doorway during moments of contemplation to enjoy the scenery. "We were all young", said comedian Buster Keaton. "The air in California was like wine. Our business was also young—and growing like nothing ever seen before." Confrontation with Erich von Stroheim He quickly established his tenacity as he battled with well-known director Erich von Stroheim over the length of Foolish Wives (1922). Biographer Roland Flamini notes that the film was Universal's most expensive "jewel" ever in production, and its director and star, von Stroheim, was taking the film way over budget. Thalberg, now Universal's general manager, was forced to have the director quickly finalize production before the studio's working capital was used up. Flamini describes the situation: Thalberg had von Stroheim come to his office, which he did still wearing his film costume as a Russian Imperial Guard and escorted by members of his production team. Thalberg calmly told him, "I have seen all the film and you have all you need for the picture. I want you to stop shooting", to which von Stroheim replied, "But I have not finished as yet." "Yes, you have", said Thalberg. "You have spent all the money this company can afford. I cannot allow you to spend any more." Thalberg quietly explained that the director worked under the producer, and it was his responsibility to control costs. Von Stroheim, surrounded by his assistants, then confronted Thalberg: "If you were not my superior, I would smash you in the face." Thalberg, unflinching, said "Don't let that stop you." The result was that Thalberg soon afterward removed the cameras from von Stroheim's studio and took over editing. The uncut footage was pared down from five-and-a-half hours to three hours, to von Stroheim's deep dissatisfaction. A similar problem developed with von Stroheim's next film, Merry-Go-Round (1923). Although he had promised Thalberg to remain within budget this time, he continued production until it went to twice the agreed length and was not yet near completion. Flamini speculates why this happened: Thalberg again called von Stroheim to his office, handed him a long letter written and signed by himself, describing the problems, and summarily fired von Stroheim as of that moment. Thalberg's letter stated among the reasons, totally inexcusable and repeated acts of insubordination ... extravagant ideas which you have been unwilling to sacrifice ... unnecessary delays ... and your apparent idea that you are greater and more powerful than the organization that employs you. His dismissal of von Stroheim was considered an "earthquake in movie circles", notes Flamini. Producer David O. Selznick said that "it was the first time a director had been fired. It took great guts and courage ... Von Stroheim was utterly indifferent over money and could have gone on and spent millions, with nobody to stop him.". The opinion was shared by director Rouben Mamoulian, who said that the "little fellow at Universal", in one bold stroke, had "asserted the primacy of the studio over the director" and forever altered the balance of power in the movie industry. Effects of his young age According to Flamini, his youth was a subject of conversation within the movie community. Executives from other studios, actors, and film crew, often mistook him to be a junior employee. Movie columnist Louella Parsons, upon first being introduced to him, asked, "What's the joke? Where's the new general manager?" After five minutes of talking to Thalberg, however, she later wrote about "Universal's Boy Wonder": "He might be a boy in looks and age, but it was no child's mind that was being asked to cope with the intricate politics of Universal City." Novelist Edna Ferber responded the same way, writing that "I had fancied motion-picture producers as large gentlemen smoking oversized cigars. But this young man whose word seemed so final at Universal City ... impressed me deeply." The male actors in the studio had a similar reaction. Lionel Barrymore, who was nearly twice his age, recalled their meetings: Thalberg likewise gained the respect of leading playwrights, some of whom also looked down on him due to his youth. George S. Kaufman, co-author of Dinner at Eight, several Marx Brothers films, and two George Gershwin plays, came from New York to meet with Thalberg. Afterward he confided to his friend, Groucho Marx: "That man has never written a word, yet he can tell me exactly what to do with a story. I didn't know you had people like that out here." Actress Norma Shearer, whom he later married, was surprised after he greeted her at the door, then walked her to his office for her first job interview: "Then you're not the office boy?" she asked. He smiled, as he sat himself behind his desk: "No, Miss Shearer, I'm Irving Thalberg, vice-president of the Mayer Company. I'm the man who sent for you." His younger-than-normal age for a studio executive was usually mentioned even after he left Universal to help start up MGM. Screenwriter Agnes Christine Johnson, who worked with Thalberg for years, described his contribution during meetings: The same quality was observed by director and screenwriter Hobart Henley: "If something that read well in conference turns out not so good on the screen, I go to him and, like that—Henley snaps his fingers—he has a remedy. He's brilliant." Another assistant producer to Thalberg explains: His youth also contributed to his open-mindedness to the ideas of others. Conrad Nagel, who starred in numerous Thalberg films, reported that Thalberg was generally empathetic to those he worked alongside: "Thalberg never raised his voice. He just looked into your eyes, spoke softly, and after a few minutes he cast a spell on you." Studio attorney Edwin Loeb, who also worked to create AMPAS, explained that "the real foundation of Irving's success was his ability to look at life through the eyes of any given person. He had a gift of empathy, and almost complete perspective." Those opinions were also shared by producer Walter Wanger: "You thought that you were talking to an Indian savant. He could cast a spell on anybody." His talent as a producer was enhanced by his "near-miraculous" powers of concentration, notes film critic J. Hoberman. As a result, he was never bored or tired, and supplemented his spare time with reading for his own amusement, recalls screenwriter Bayard Veiller, with some of his favorite authors being Francis Bacon, Epictetus, and Immanuel Kant. Film projects at Universal Biographer Bob Thomas writes that after three years at the studio, Thalberg continually proved his value. Universal's pictures improved noticeably, primarily due to Thalberg's "uncanny sense of story." He took tight control over many key aspects of production, including his requirement that from then on scripts were tightly constructed before filming began, rather than during production. Thomas adds that he also "showed a remarkable capacity for working with actors, casting them aptly and advising them on their careers." After producing two films that were in production when he began work at Universal, he presented Laemmle with his idea for a film based on one of his favorite classic stories, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Rather than just a horror picture, Thalberg suggested turning it into a spectacle which would include a replica of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He had Lon Chaney play the hunchback. The film became Universal's most profitable silent film and established Chaney's career as a top-flight star. After nearly three years with Universal, Thalberg had supervised over a hundred movies, reorganized the studio to give more control to the managers, and had "stopped the defection" of many of their leading stars by offering them better, higher-paying contracts. He also produced a number of Universal's prestige films, which made the company profitable. However, he decided it was time to find a studio in Los Angeles more suitable to his skills, and spread word that he was available. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Cecil B. DeMille was the first who wanted to hire him, telling his partner Jesse Lasky, "The boy is a genius. I can see it. I know it." Lasky opposed the hire, stating, "Geniuses we have all we need." Thalberg then received an offer from Hal Roach, but the offer was withdrawn because Thalberg lacked experience with slapstick comedy films. In late 1922, Thalberg was introduced to Louis B. Mayer, president of a small but dynamic and fast-growing studio. At that first meeting, Thalberg "made a deep, immediate impression on Mayer", writes Flamini. After Thalberg had left, Mayer said to studio attorney Edwin Loeb: "Tell him if he comes to work for me, I'll look after him as though he were my son." Although their personalities were in many ways opposite, Mayer being more outspoken and nearly twice the younger man's age, Thalberg was hired as vice president in charge of production at Louis B. Mayer Productions. Years later, Mayer's daughter Irene Mayer Selznick recalled that "it was hard to believe anyone that boyish could be so important." According to Flamini, Thalberg was hired because, although Mayer was an astute businessman, "what he lacked was Thalberg's almost unerring ability to combine quality with commercial success, to bring artistic aspiration in line with the demands of the box office." Mayer's company subsequently merged with two others to become Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), with the 24-year-old Thalberg made part-owner and accorded the same position as vice president in charge of production. Three years after the merger, MGM became the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years at MGM, Thalberg supervised the production of over four hundred films. Although Thalberg and his colleagues at MGM knew he was "doomed" to not live much past the age of 30 due to heart disease, he loved producing films. He continued developing innovative ideas and overseeing most of MGM's pictures. Under Thalberg's management, MGM released over 40% more films yearly than Warner Brothers, and more than double Paramount's releases. From 1924 until 1936, when Thalberg died at the age of 37, "almost every film bore Thalberg's imprint", wrote Mark Vieira. Production innovations Thalberg's production techniques "broke new ground in filmmaking", adds Vieira. Among his contributions at MGM was his innovation of story conferences, sneak previews and scene retakes. He introduced the first horror films and coauthored the Production Code, the set of moral guidelines that all film studios agreed to follow. Thalberg helped synthesize and merge the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. MGM thereby became the only movie studio to consistently show a profit during the Great Depression. Flamini explains that the equation for MGM's success depended on combining stars, a Broadway hit or popular classic, and high standards of production. This combination at the time was considered a "revolutionary approach" in the film industry, which until then assumed a star was all that was needed for success, regardless of the story or production quality. The other studios began following MGM's lead with that same formula. Production techniques Thalberg generally followed a system in managing his productions. According to one of his assistants, Lawrence Weingarten, who later became a producer, "Thalberg directed the film on paper, and then the director directed the film on film." Thalberg was generally opposed to location shooting overseas where he could not oversee production and control costs, as happened with Ben Hur. Thus, he kept hundreds of back-lot carpenters at work creating realistic sets, as he did for fifteenth-century Romeo and Juliet (1936), or with China Seas (1935), to replicate the harbors of Hong Kong. Vieira points out that Thalberg's "fascination with Broadway plays" often had him create and present stories visually. For China Seas, for instance, he described for the screenwriters, director and others, exactly how he wanted the film to appear on screen: To be certain of achieving the desired effects, Thalberg made sure his cinematographers were careful in their use of light and shadow. Vieira observes that "more than any other producer or any other studio, Thalberg and MGM manipulated lenses, filters, and lighting instruments to affect the viewer." As a result, he notes, "most of Thalberg's films contain moments such as these, in which cinematic technique transcends mere exposition and gives the viewer something to treasure." Thalberg was supported by most of the studio in these kinds of creative decisions. "It was a big family," notes Weingarten. "If we had a success, everybody—and I mean every cutter, every painter, every plasterer—was excited about it, was abuzz, was in a tizzy about the whole idea of picture making." Taking risks with new subjects and stars In 1929, MGM released fifty films, and all but five showed a profit. Of those that failed, Hallelujah was also a gamble by Thalberg. When King Vidor, the film's producer and director, proposed the idea to Thalberg of a major film cast, for the first time, exclusively with African Americans, he told Thalberg directly, "I doubt that it will make a dollar at the box office." Thalberg replied, "Don't worry about that. I've told you that MGM can afford an occasional experiment." By the early 1930s, a number of stars began failing at the box office, partly due to the Great Depression that was now undermining the economy, along with the public's ability to spend on entertainment. Thalberg began using two stars in a film, rather than one, as had been the tradition at all the studios, such as pairing Greta Garbo with John Gilbert, Clark Gable with Jean Harlow, and William Powell with Myrna Loy. After experimenting with a few such films, including Mata Hari (1931), which were profitable, he decided on a multi-star production of another Broadway play, Grand Hotel (1932). It had five major stars, including Garbo, Joan Crawford, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, and Wallace Beery. "Before Thalberg," writes Vieira, "there was no Grand Hotel in the American consciousness." The film won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1932. Thalberg went against consensus and took another risk with The Great Ziegfeld (1936), costarring Luise Rainer. Although Louis B. Mayer did not want her in the role, which he felt was too minor for a new star, Thalberg felt that "only she could play the part", wrote biographer Charles Higham. Shortly after shooting began in late 1935, doubts of Rainer's acting ability emerged in the press. However, despite her limited appearances in the film, Rainer "so impressed audiences with one highly emotional scene" that she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. After her winning role in The Great Ziegfeld, Thalberg wanted her to play a role that was the opposite of her previous character, for The Good Earth (1937). For the part as a Chinese peasant, she was required to act totally subservient to her husband, being perpetually huddled in submission, and barely spoke a word of dialogue during the entire film. Rainer recalls that Mayer did not approve of the film being produced or her part in it: "He was horrified at Irving Thalberg's insistence for me to play O-lan, the poor uncomely little Chinese peasant." However, she again won the Oscar for Best Actress, becoming the first actress to win two consecutive Oscars, a feat not matched until Katharine Hepburn's two Oscar wins thirty years later. Grooming new stars Besides bringing a distinctive high quality "look" to MGM films and often recreating well-known stories or plays, Thalberg's actors themselves took on a characteristic quality. Thalberg wanted his female actors to appear "cool, classy and beautiful," notes Flamini. And he strove to make the male actors appear "worldly and in control." In general, Thalberg movies and actors came to be "luxurious," "glossy," and "technically flawless." By doing so, he made stars or boosted the careers of actors such as Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, John Gilbert, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Helen Hayes, Jean Harlow, Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore and Luise Rainer. Greta Garbo In 1925, a young Greta Garbo, then twenty, and unable to speak any English, was brought over from Sweden at Mayer's request, as he saw how she looked in still photos. A Swedish friend thought he would help her by contacting Thalberg, who then agreed to give her a screen test. According to author Frederick Sands, "the result of the test was electrifying." Thalberg was impressed and began grooming the new starlet the following day: "the studio arranged to fix her teeth, made sure she lost weight, and gave her an English tutor." Joan Crawford Joan Crawford's first role was a Thalberg production at MGM and she became one of their leading stars for the next thirty years. Crawford was somewhat jealous of Norma Shearer as she thought she was given the better material by her husband Thalberg out of nepotism. Nevertheless, she felt that his contribution to MGM was vital to the film industry. Not long after his early death, she recalls her concerns: "Thalberg was dead and the concept of the quality 'big' picture pretty much went out the window." Marie Dressler Thalberg also realized that old stars few had heard of could be made into new ones. Marie Dressler, a fifty-nine-year-old early vaudeville and movie star, who had played the top-billed lead, above Charles Chaplin and Mabel Normand), in the first feature-length comedy, Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914), was unable to get any roles in films after leaving show business for some years, finally working as a maid. MGM screenwriter Frances Marion suggested to Thalberg that she might fit well in a starring role for a new film, and was surprised that he knew of her prior successes. Thalberg approved of using her without a screen test and offered his rationale: By 1932, shortly before she died, Dressler was the country's number one box office star. Wallace Beery Marie Dressler was paired twice, in Min and Bill (1930) and Tugboat Annie (1933), with Wallace Beery, another major silent star who had been struggling to get work in sound pictures until Thalberg cast him. Beery had enjoyed a hugely successful silent film career dating back to 1913, but had been fired by Paramount shortly after sound pictures appeared. Thalberg cast him in the role of "Machine Gun Butch," which had been meant for recently deceased Lon Chaney, in The Big House (1930), an energetic prison picture that became a huge hit. Beery was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, and his burgeoning career at MGM had transformed him into the studio's highest paid actor within two more years, during which time he won the Oscar for The Champ and had become a phenomenal box office draw as a result of Thalberg's foresight. Getting audience feedback and reshooting According to Vieira, MGM had few failures during this period, and numerous blockbusters. Among the reasons was Thalberg's unique system of developing a script during story conferences with writers before filming began, and later giving "sneak previews" followed by audience feedback through written questionnaires. Often, where he felt improvement was needed, he arranged for scenes to be reshot. As Thalberg once stated, "The difference between something good and something superior is often very small." Bad decisions and missed opportunities Thalberg felt he had his "finger on the pulse of America. I know what people will do and what they won't do," he said. His judgment was not always accurate, however. Thalberg's bringing Broadway productions to the screen to develop higher picture standards sometimes resulted in "studied" acting or "stagey" sets, notes Flamini. In 1927, after the successful release of the first full-length talking picture, The Jazz Singer (1927), he nevertheless felt that talking pictures were a fad. Thalberg likewise did not think that color would replace black-and-white in movies. When an assistant protested against a script that envisioned a love scene in Paris with an ocean background, Thalberg refused to make changes, saying "We can't cater to a handful of people who know Paris." A more serious distraction to Thalberg's efforts was his obsession with making his wife Norma Shearer a prominent star, efforts which sometimes led to "overblown and overglamous" productions. Thalberg himself admitted to his obsession years later when he told a fellow producer: "You're behaving like I did with Norma. I knew positively that she could play anything. It's a kind of romantic astigmatism that attacks producers when they fall for an actress." Important films at MGM Ben Hur (1925) One of the first pictures he took charge of, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, was inherited and already in production by another studio when MGM was formed. The film was turning into a disastrous expense with cost overruns already in the millions due to its lavish sets and location shooting in Rome. Most studio executives chose to terminate the film to cut their losses. Thalberg, however, felt differently, and thought the film would affect movie audiences, due to its classic literary source, and would highlight MGM as a major new studio. He, therefore, discarded much of the original footage shot in Italy and recreated the set on MGM's back lots in Culver City, which added more millions to the production, yet gave him more control over production. The new set also included a replica of Circus Maximus for the dramatic chariot race scenes. Flamini notes that Thalberg's "gamble paid off," drawing international attention to MGM, and to Thalberg within the movie industry for his bold action. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty was the studio's next most expensive film after Ben Hur, with some now calling it "Thalberg's masterpiece." He initially had difficulty convincing Mayer that he could make the film without making heroes of the mutineers. He achieved that by instead making a hero of the British Royal Navy, whereby the officers and shipmates would from then on display their mutual respect. Thalberg also had to convince Clark Gable to accept the role against his will. He pleaded with Gable, eventually promising him that "If it isn't one of your greatest successes, I'll never ask you again to play a part you don't want." The film's other main stars were Charles Laughton and Franchot Tone. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Actor, and winning it for Best Picture. Thalberg accepted the award as producer from Frank Capra. Thalberg and Mayer partnership At first, Thalberg and studio chief Louis B. Mayer got along splendidly; however, they had different production philosophies. Thalberg preferred literary works, while Mayer preferred glitzy crowd-pleasing films. A clash was inevitable, and their relationship grew decidedly frosty. When Thalberg fell ill in the final weeks of 1932, Mayer took advantage of the situation and replaced him with David O. Selznick and Walter Wanger. Thalberg's reputation by that time for working long hours was widely known, and rumors about the related strain on his fragile health had become front-page news in entertainment trade publications. The Hollywood Reporter in January 1933 updated its readership about his condition and addressed growing concerns that he might be forced, despite his young age, to quit the business: Once Thalberg recovered sufficiently from his bout with the "flu" and was able to return to work later in 1933, it was as one of MGM's unit producers, albeit one who had first choice on projects as well as preferential access to all the studio's resources, including over casting its stars. Thalberg's good relationship with Nicholas Schenck, then president of Loew's Incorporated, proved to be an ongoing advantage for him. Loew's was the corporate parent of MGM, so Schenck was the true power and ultimate arbiter at the studio; and he usually supported Thalberg's decisions and continued to do so whenever disagreements about projects or production needs arose. As a result, Thalberg also continued to produce or coproduce some of MGM's most prestigious and critically acclaimed ventures in this period, such as The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) starring his wife Norma Shearer, China Seas (1935), A Night at the Opera (1935), San Francisco (1936), and Romeo and Juliet (1936). Personal life During his few years with Universal while living in New York, Thalberg had become romantically involved with Carl Laemmle's daughter, Rosabelle. Still in his early twenties and later spending most of his time in Los Angeles, his feelings toward her were no longer as strong. Flamini suspects that this may have affected his position at Universal and partly caused his decision to leave the company. "The Laemmles prayed that Irving would marry Rosabelle", notes Flamini. "They wanted their sons to be educated and their daughters to marry nice Jewish boys." Less than a year after he and Mayer took charge of the newly created MGM studios, and still only twenty-five years old, Thalberg suffered a serious heart attack due to overwork. Mayer also became aware of Thalberg's congenital heart problems and now worried about the prospect of running MGM without him. Mayer also became concerned that one of his daughters might become romantically involved, and told them so: Thalberg, aware of Mayer's feelings, made it a point of never giving too much attention to his daughters at social events. One of Thalberg's traits was his ability to work long hours into the night with little sign of fatigue. According to Vieira, Thalberg believed that as long as his mind was active in his work and he was not bored, he would not feel tired. Thalberg, who often got by with only five hours of sleep, felt that most people could get by with less than they realized. To keep his mental faculties at peak, he would read philosophical books by Bacon, Epictetus, or Kant. "They stimulate me. I'd drop out of sight in no time if I didn't read and keep up with current thought—and the philosophers are brain sharpeners." During the early 1930s, Thalberg was ambivalent about political events in Europe. While he feared Nazism and the rise of Hitler, he also feared Communism. At the time, notes Vieira, "given a choice between communism and fascism, many Americans—including Thalberg—would prefer the latter." Thalberg stated his opinion: When others suggested that many Jews could die in Germany as a result of Nazi anti-Semitism, he replied that in his opinion "Hitler and Hitlerism will pass." On one occasion, Catholic Prince Löwenstein of Germany, who himself had almost been captured before fleeing Germany, told him: "Mr. Thalberg, your own people are being systematically hunted down and rooted out of Germany." Thalberg suggested that world Jewry should nevertheless not interfere, that the Jewish race would survive Hitler. Within a few years, American film distribution was "choked off" in Germany. Led by Warner Brothers, all American studios eventually closed their German offices. Thalberg began dating actress Norma Shearer a few years after he joined MGM. Following her conversion to Judaism, they married on Thursday, September 29, 1927, in a private ceremony in the garden of his rented house in Beverly Hills. Rabbi Edgar F. Magnin officiated at the event, with Shearer's brother Douglas Shearer giving the bride away, and Louis B. Mayer serving as best man. The couple drove to Monterey for their honeymoon and then moved into their newly constructed home in Beverly Hills. After their second child was born, Shearer considered retiring from films, but Thalberg convinced her to continue acting, saying he could find her good roles. She went on to be one of MGM's biggest stars of the 1930s. Their two children were Irving Jr. (1930–1987) and Katharine (1935–2006). Death Thalberg and Shearer took a much-needed Labor Day weekend vacation in Monterey, California, in 1936, staying at the same beachfront hotel where they spent their honeymoon. A few weeks earlier, Thalberg's leading screenwriter, Al Lewin, had proposed doing a film based on a soon-to-be published book, Gone with the Wind. Although Thalberg said it would be a "sensational" role for Gable, and a "terrific picture," he decided not to do it: Besides, Thalberg told Mayer, "[n]o Civil War picture ever made a nickel". Shortly after returning from Monterey, Thalberg was diagnosed with pneumonia. His condition worsened steadily and he eventually required an oxygen tent at home. He died on September 14, at the age of 37. Sam Wood, while directing A Day at the Races, was given the news by phone. He returned to the set with tears in his eyes and told the others. As the news spread "the studio was paralyzed with shock", notes Thomas. "Work stopped and hundreds of people wept", with stars, writers, directors, and studio employees "all sharing a sense of loss at the death of a man who had been a part of their working lives", states Flamini. His funeral took place two days later, and when the services began the other studios throughout Hollywood observed five minutes of silence. Producer Sam Goldwyn "wept uncontrollably for two days" and was unable to regain his composure enough to attend. The MGM studio closed for that day. Services were held at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple that Thalberg had occasionally attended. The funeral attracted thousands of spectators who came to view the arrival of countless stars from MGM and other studios, including Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, the Marx Brothers, Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Howard Hughes, Al Jolson, Gary Cooper, Carole Lombard, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, among the screen luminaries. The ushers who led them to their seats included Clark Gable, Fredric March, and playwright Moss Hart. Erich von Stroheim, who had been fired by Thalberg, came to pay his respects. Producers Louis B. Mayer, the Warner brothers, Adolph Zukor, and Nicholas Schenck sat together solemnly as Rabbi Magnin gave the eulogy. Thalberg is buried in a private marble tomb in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, lying at rest beside his wife Norma Shearer Arrouge (Thalberg's crypt was engraved "My Sweetheart Forever" by Shearer). Over the following days, tributes were published by the national press. Louis B. Mayer, his co-founding partner at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, said he had lost "the finest friend a man could ever have", while MGM president Nicholas Schenck stated that "Thalberg was the most important man in the production end of the motion-picture industry. Leading producers from the other studios also expressed their feelings in published tributes to Thalberg: David O. Selznick described him as "beyond any question the greatest individual force for fine pictures." Samuel Goldwyn called him "the foremost figure in the motion-picture industry ... and an inspiration." M. H. Aylesworth, Chairman of RKO, wrote that "his integrity, vision and ability made him the spearhead of all motion-picture production throughout the world." Harry Warner, president of Warner Bros., described him as "gifted with one of the finest minds ever placed at the service of motion-picture production." Sidney R. Kent, president of Twentieth Century Fox, said that "he made the whole world richer by giving it the highest type of entertainment. He was a true genius." Columbia president Harry Cohn said the "motion picture industry has suffered a loss from which it will not soon recover...". Darryl F. Zanuck noted, "More than any other man he raised the industry to its present world prestige." Adolph Zukor, chairman of Paramount, stated, "Irving Thalberg was the most brilliant young man in the motion picture business." Jesse Lasky said, "It will be utterly impossible to replace him." Among the condolences that came from world political leaders, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." Among the pictures that were unfinished or not yet released at the time of his death were A Day at the Races, The Good Earth, Camille, Maytime, and Romeo and Juliet. Groucho Marx, star of A Day at the Races, wrote, "After Thalberg's death, my interest in the movies waned. I continued to appear in them, but ... The fun had gone out of picture making." Thalberg's widow, Norma Shearer, recalled, "Grief does very strange things to you. I didn't seem to feel the shock for two weeks afterwards. ... then, at the end of those two weeks, I collapsed." Legacy in the movie industry Thalberg's legacy to the movie industry is "incalculable", states biographer Bob Thomas. He notes that with his numerous production innovations and grand stories, often turning classic literature and Broadway stage productions into big-screen pictures, he managed to keep "American movies supreme throughout the world for a generation". Darryl F. Zanuck, founder of 20th Century-Fox said that during Thalberg's brief career, he had become the "most creative producer in the history of films". Thomas describes some of his contributions: Most of MGM's major films in the 1930s were, according to Flamini, "in a very real sense", made by Thalberg. He closely supervised the making of "more pictures than any other producer in Hollywood's history", and was considered the "archetype of the creative producer", adds Flamini. Upon his early death, aged 37, an editorial in The New York Times called him "the most important force" in the motion picture industry. The paper added that for the film industry, he "set the pace and others followed ... because his way combined style, glamour, and profit." He is described by Flamini as having been "a revolutionary in a gray flannel suit". Thalberg refused to take credit as producer, and as a result, his name never appeared on the screen while he was alive. Thalberg claimed that "credit you give yourself is not worth having". He also said "If a picture is good, they'll know who produced it. If it's bad, nobody cares." His final film, released after he died, was The Good Earth (1937), which won numerous Academy Awards. Its opening screen credit was dedicated to Thalberg: In 1938, the new multimillion-dollar MGM administration building in Culver City was named for Thalberg. The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, also named for him, awards producers for consistently high production achievements. Cultural legacy The Last Tycoon In October 1939, American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald began writing The Last Tycoon, a fictionalized biography of Thalberg, naming the protagonist Monroe Stahr to represent Thalberg. "Thalberg has always fascinated me", he wrote to an editor. "His peculiar charm, his extraordinary good looks, his bountiful success, the tragic end of his great adventure. The events I have built around him are fiction, but all of them are things which might very well have happened. ... I've long chosen him for a hero (this has been in my mind for three years) because he is one of the half-dozen men I have known who were built on a grand scale." Thomas notes that among the reasons Fitzgerald chose to write a book about a Thalberg-like character, was that "throughout his literary career, Fitzgerald borrowed his heroes from friends he admired, and inevitably a bit of Fitzgerald entered the characterizations." Fitzgerald himself writes that "When I like men, I want to be like them ..." Fitzgerald and Thalberg had real-life similarities: both were prodigies, both had heart ailments, and they both died at early ages. According to biographer Matthew J. Bruccoli, Fitzgerald believed that Thalberg, with his "taste and courage, represented the best of Hollywood. ... [and] saw Thalberg as a model for what could be done in the movies." Fitzgerald died before the novel was completed, however. Bruccoli writes of Fitzgerald's book: Although parallels between Monroe Stahr in the novel and Thalberg were evident, many who knew Thalberg intimately stated that they did not see similarities in their personalities. Norma Shearer said that the Stahr character was not at all like her former husband. In the 1976 film version, directed by Elia Kazan, Monroe Stahr was played by Robert De Niro. Kazan, in his pre-production notes, described the Stahr character as he saw him: In the 2016 television series based on the novel, Monroe Stahr is played by Matt Bomer. Others Fitzgerald also based his short story "Crazy Sunday", originally published in the October 1932 issue of American Mercury, on an incident at a party thrown by Thalberg and Shearer. The story is included in Fitzgerald's collection Taps at Reveille (1935). Thalberg was portrayed in the movie Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) by Robert Evans, who went on to become a studio head himself. Thalberg was portrayed by Bill Cusack in Young Indiana Jones and the Hollywood Follies (1994), a TV film based on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, in which Indiana Jones is depicted as taking part in Thalberg's conflict with Erich von Stroheim over Foolish Wives. In 2020, Thalberg was played by Ferdinand Kingsley in the David Fincher film Mank Thalberg, played by Tobey Maguire, is rumored to appear in the upcoming movie Babylon. Filmography Producer Reputation (1921) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) Merry-Go-Round (1923) His Hour (1924) He Who Gets Slapped (1924) The Unholy Three (1925) The Merry Widow (1925) The Tower of Lies (1925) The Big Parade (1925) Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) Torrent (1926) La Bohème (1926) Brown of Harvard (1926) The Road to Mandalay (1926) The Temptress (1926) Valencia (1926) Flesh and the Devil (1926) Twelve Miles Out (1927) The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) London After Midnight (1927) The Crowd (1928) Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) White Shadows in the South Seas (1928) Show People (1928) West of Zanzibar (1928) The Broadway Melody (1929) The Trial of Mary Dugan (1929) Voice of the City (1929) Where East Is East (1929) The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929) The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929) Hallelujah (1929) His Glorious Night (1929) The Kiss (1929) Anna Christie (1930) Redemption (1930) The Divorcee (1930) The Rogue Song (1930) The Big House (1930) The Unholy Three (1930) Let Us Be Gay (1930) Billy the Kid (1930) Way for a Sailor (1930) A Lady's Morals (1930) Inspiration (1931) Trader Horn (1931) The Secret Six (1931) A Free Soul (1931) Just a Gigolo (1931) Menschen hinter Gittern (1931), German-language version of The Big House (1930) The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931) The Guardsman (1931) The Champ (1931) Possessed (1931) Private Lives (1931) Mata Hari (1931) Freaks (1932) Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) Grand Hotel (1932) Letty Lynton (1932) As You Desire Me (1932) Red-Headed Woman (1932) Smilin' Through (1932) Red Dust (1932) Rasputin and the Empress (1932) Strange Interlude (1932) Tugboat Annie (1933) Bombshell (1933) Eskimo (1933) La Veuve Joyeuse (1934) French-language version of The Merry Widow Riptide (1934) The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) The Merry Widow (1934) What Every Woman Knows (1934) Biography of a Bachelor Girl (1935) No More Ladies (1935) China Seas (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) A Night at the Opera (1935) Riffraff (1936) Romeo and Juliet (1936) Camille (1936) Maytime (1937) A Day at the Races (1937) Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) The Good Earth (1937) Marie Antoinette (1938) Writer The Trap (1922) The Dangerous Little Demon (1922) Awards Academy Awards Notes Further reading Books Flamini, Roland. Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of M-G-M (1994) Marx, Samuel. Mayer and Thalberg: The Make-believe Saints (1975) Thomas, Bob. Thalberg: Life and Legend (1969) Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg's M-G-M. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2008. Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg: Boy Wonder to Producer Prince. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009. Articles Starman, Ray. "Irving Thalberg", Films In Review, June/July 1987, p. 347–353 External links Irving Thalberg at TCM Cinemagraphe Review of the Roland Flamini biography of Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of MGM Irving Thalberg at Virtual History Irving Thalberg profiled in Collier's Magazine (1924) Videos 1899 births 1936 deaths American film producers Film producers from California Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award American film studio executives American male screenwriters Cinema pioneers Silent film directors Silent film producers Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer executives Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences founders Businesspeople from Los Angeles Hollywood history and culture California Republicans New York (state) Republicans USC School of Cinematic Arts faculty 20th-century American businesspeople Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from New York (state) People from Brooklyn American anti-communists American people of German-Jewish descent Deaths from pneumonia in California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American writers Jewish American writers 20th-century American screenwriters
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[ "\"What Did I Do to You?\" is a song recorded by British singer Lisa Stansfield for her 1989 album, Affection. It was written by Stansfield, Ian Devaney and Andy Morris, and produced by Devaney and Morris. The song was released as the fourth European single on 30 April 1990. It included three previously unreleased songs written by Stansfield, Devaney and Morris: \"My Apple Heart,\" \"Lay Me Down\" and \"Something's Happenin'.\" \"What Did I Do to You?\" was remixed by Mark Saunders and by the Grammy Award-winning American house music DJ and producer, David Morales. The single became a top forty hit in the European countries reaching number eighteen in Finland, number twenty in Ireland and number twenty-five in the United Kingdom. \"What Did I Do to You?\" was also released in Japan.\n\nIn 2014, the remixes of \"What Did I Do to You?\" were included on the deluxe 2CD + DVD re-release of Affection and on People Hold On ... The Remix Anthology. They were also featured on The Collection 1989–2003 box set (2014), including previously unreleased Red Zone Mix by David Morales.\n\nCritical reception\nThe song received positive reviews from music critics. Matthew Hocter from Albumism viewed it as a \"upbeat offering\". David Giles from Music Week said it is \"beautifully performed\" by Stansfield. A reviewer from Reading Eagle wrote that \"What Did I Do to You?\" \"would be right at home on the \"Saturday Night Fever\" soundtrack.\"\n\nMusic video\nA music video was produced to promote the single, directed by Philip Richardson, who had previously directed the videos for \"All Around the World\" and \"Live Together\". It features Stansfield with her kiss curls, dressed in a white outfit and performing with her band on a stage in front of a jumping audience. The video was later published on Stansfield's official YouTube channel in November 2009. It has amassed more than 1,6 million views as of October 2021.\n\nTrack listings\n\n European/UK 7\" single\n\"What Did I Do to You?\" (Mark Saunders Remix Edit) – 4:20\n\"Something's Happenin'\" – 3:59\n\n European/UK/Japanese CD single\n\"What Did I Do to You?\" (Mark Saunders Remix Edit) – 4:20\n\"My Apple Heart\" – 5:19\n\"Lay Me Down\" – 4:17\n\"Something's Happenin'\" – 3:59\n\n UK 10\" single\n\"What Did I Do to You?\" (Mark Saunders Remix) – 5:52\n\"My Apple Heart\" – 5:19\n\"Lay Me Down\" – 4:17\n\"Something's Happenin'\" – 3:59\n\n European/UK 12\" single\n\"What Did I Do to You?\" (Morales Mix) – 7:59\n\"My Apple Heart\" – 4:22\n\"Lay Me Down\" – 3:19\n\"Something's Happenin'\" – 3:15\n\n UK 12\" promotional single\n\"What Did I Do to You?\" (Morales Mix) – 7:59\n\"What Did I Do to You?\" (Anti Poll Tax Dub) – 6:31\n\n Other remixes\n\"What Did I Do to You?\" (Red Zone Mix) – 7:45\n\nCharts\n\nReferences\n\nLisa Stansfield songs\n1990 singles\nSongs written by Lisa Stansfield\n1989 songs\nArista Records singles\nSongs written by Ian Devaney\nSongs written by Andy Morris (musician)", "David Quilter (born 11 June 1942) is an English actor who has made numerous appearances in British television plays and series since the mid-1960s.\n\nEarly life\nHe was born in Northwood, London, and attended Bryanston School, Dorset. \"My first inkling that it was possible to be a professional actor was when a boy at school got a scholarship to RADA,\" remembered Quilter. \"I never did any acting at school, which I slightly regret, but seeing him actually go off and train to be an actor, it made me realise that it was what I wanted to do.\"\n\nQuilter trained at Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in South Kensington and then joined weekly rep at Chesterfield in 1963. \"We did seven plays in eight weeks,\" he recalled. \"I then joined the RSC in 1964 to play very small parts in the complete history cycle.\"\n\nCareer\nHis television appearances include; Softly, Softly: Taskforce (1967), Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em (1973), Get Some In! (1975–78),The Bill (1990–97), Grange Hill (2000) as Mr Arnold, Silent Witness (2001–03) and Doctor Who (2008). He also appeared in the film The Battle of Britain (1969) as a pilot, All Creatures Great and Small (1988), Goldeneye (1989), Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After (1992) as the Duke of Edinburgh, and Jinnah (1998).\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n\n1942 births\nLiving people\nEnglish male film actors\nEnglish male television actors\nPeople from Northwood, London\nPeople educated at Bryanston School\nAlumni of the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art" ]
[ "Irving Thalberg", "Early years", "What year was he born?", "Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents,", "Who were his parents?", "Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann).", "Did he have any siblings?", "Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with \"blue baby syndrome,\" caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart.", "Did this impact him at all in life?", "The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to age twenty, or at most, age thirty.", "Where did he go to school?", "During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study,", "What caused his illness in high school?", "When he was 17, he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, Henrietta, to prevent him falling too far behind other students,", "Did he graduate?", "brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him", "What did he do after school?", "When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams." ]
C_7b8dcb999ce54951992e991787a236a9_1
anything else in this article?
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Other than Irving Thalberg's early life, is there anything else in this article on his adulthood?
Irving Thalberg
Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome," caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to age twenty, or at most, age thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17, he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, Henrietta, to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an ad with the local newspaper hoping to find better work: "Situation Wanted: Secretary, stenographer, Spanish, English, high school education, no experience; $15." CANNOTANSWER
Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school.
Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 – September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and ability to select scripts, choose actors, gather production staff, and make profitable films, including Grand Hotel, China Seas, A Night at the Opera, Mutiny on the Bounty, Camille and The Good Earth. His films carved out an international market, "projecting a seductive image of American life brimming with vitality and rooted in democracy and personal freedom", states biographer Roland Flamini. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and as a child was afflicted with a congenital heart disease that doctors said would kill him before he reached the age of thirty. After graduating from high school he worked as a store clerk during the day and to gain some job skills took a night class in typing. He then found work as a secretary with Universal Studios' New York office, and was later made studio manager for their Los Angeles facility. There, he oversaw production of a hundred films during his three years with the company. Among the films he produced was The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923). In Los Angeles, he partnered with Louis B. Mayer's new studio and, after it merged with two other studios, helped create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). He was made head of production of MGM in 1925, at the age of twenty-six, helping MGM become the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years with MGM, until his premature death at the age of 37, he produced four hundred films, most of which bore his imprint and innovations, including story conferences with writers, sneak previews to gain early feedback, and extensive re-shooting of scenes to improve the film. In addition, he introduced horror films to audiences and coauthored the "Production Code", guidelines for morality followed by all studios. During the 1920s and 1930s, he synthesized and merged the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. Thalberg created numerous new stars and groomed their screen images. Among them were Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery, Spencer Tracy, Luise Rainer, and Norma Shearer, who became his wife. He had the ability to combine quality with commercial success, and was credited with bringing his artistic aspirations in line with the demands of audiences. After his death, Hollywood's producers said he had been the world's "foremost figure in motion-picture history". President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, given out periodically by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1937, has been awarded to producers whose body of work reflected consistently high quality films. Early years Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome", caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to the age of twenty, or at most, to thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17 he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, in order to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an advertisement in the local newspaper hoping to find better work: Career as producer Universal Studios He found work as an office secretary at Universal Pictures' New York office, and later became personal secretary to the studio's founder and president, Carl Laemmle. Among Thalberg's duties were transcribing and editing notes that Laemmle had written during screenings of his films. He earned $25 weekly, becoming adept at making insightful observations, which impressed Laemmle. Laemmle took Thalberg to see his Los Angeles production facility, where he spent a month watching how movie production worked. Before returning to New York, Laemmle told Thalberg to remain and "keep an eye on things for me." Two months later, Laemmle returned to California, partly to see how well Thalberg was able to handle the responsibilities he was given. Thalberg gave him suggestions, and thus impressed Laemmle by his ability to understand and explain problems. Thalberg suggested, "The first thing you should do is establish a new job of studio manager and give him the responsibility of watching day-to-day operations." Laemmle immediately agreed: "All right. You're it." In shock, Thalberg replied, "I'm what?" Laemmle told him to take charge of the Los Angeles studio, which he did in early 1919. When aged 20, Thalberg became responsible for immediately overseeing the nine ongoing film productions and nearly thirty scenarios then under development. In describing the rationale for this early appointment as studio manager, film historian David Thomson writes that his new job "owed nothing to nepotism, private wealth, or experience in the film industry." He reasons that despite "Thalberg's youth, modest education, and frail appearance ... it is clear that he had the charm, insight, and ability, or the appearance of it, to captivate the film world." Thalberg was one among the majority of Hollywood film industry workers who migrated from the East Coast, primarily from New York. Some film actors, such as Conrad Nagel, did not like the five-day train trip or the sudden warmth of the California climate. Neither did Marion Davies, who was not used to such "big wide spaces". Samuel Marx, a close friend of Thalberg's from New York, recalled how easily Thalberg adapted to Southern California, often standing outside his doorway during moments of contemplation to enjoy the scenery. "We were all young", said comedian Buster Keaton. "The air in California was like wine. Our business was also young—and growing like nothing ever seen before." Confrontation with Erich von Stroheim He quickly established his tenacity as he battled with well-known director Erich von Stroheim over the length of Foolish Wives (1922). Biographer Roland Flamini notes that the film was Universal's most expensive "jewel" ever in production, and its director and star, von Stroheim, was taking the film way over budget. Thalberg, now Universal's general manager, was forced to have the director quickly finalize production before the studio's working capital was used up. Flamini describes the situation: Thalberg had von Stroheim come to his office, which he did still wearing his film costume as a Russian Imperial Guard and escorted by members of his production team. Thalberg calmly told him, "I have seen all the film and you have all you need for the picture. I want you to stop shooting", to which von Stroheim replied, "But I have not finished as yet." "Yes, you have", said Thalberg. "You have spent all the money this company can afford. I cannot allow you to spend any more." Thalberg quietly explained that the director worked under the producer, and it was his responsibility to control costs. Von Stroheim, surrounded by his assistants, then confronted Thalberg: "If you were not my superior, I would smash you in the face." Thalberg, unflinching, said "Don't let that stop you." The result was that Thalberg soon afterward removed the cameras from von Stroheim's studio and took over editing. The uncut footage was pared down from five-and-a-half hours to three hours, to von Stroheim's deep dissatisfaction. A similar problem developed with von Stroheim's next film, Merry-Go-Round (1923). Although he had promised Thalberg to remain within budget this time, he continued production until it went to twice the agreed length and was not yet near completion. Flamini speculates why this happened: Thalberg again called von Stroheim to his office, handed him a long letter written and signed by himself, describing the problems, and summarily fired von Stroheim as of that moment. Thalberg's letter stated among the reasons, totally inexcusable and repeated acts of insubordination ... extravagant ideas which you have been unwilling to sacrifice ... unnecessary delays ... and your apparent idea that you are greater and more powerful than the organization that employs you. His dismissal of von Stroheim was considered an "earthquake in movie circles", notes Flamini. Producer David O. Selznick said that "it was the first time a director had been fired. It took great guts and courage ... Von Stroheim was utterly indifferent over money and could have gone on and spent millions, with nobody to stop him.". The opinion was shared by director Rouben Mamoulian, who said that the "little fellow at Universal", in one bold stroke, had "asserted the primacy of the studio over the director" and forever altered the balance of power in the movie industry. Effects of his young age According to Flamini, his youth was a subject of conversation within the movie community. Executives from other studios, actors, and film crew, often mistook him to be a junior employee. Movie columnist Louella Parsons, upon first being introduced to him, asked, "What's the joke? Where's the new general manager?" After five minutes of talking to Thalberg, however, she later wrote about "Universal's Boy Wonder": "He might be a boy in looks and age, but it was no child's mind that was being asked to cope with the intricate politics of Universal City." Novelist Edna Ferber responded the same way, writing that "I had fancied motion-picture producers as large gentlemen smoking oversized cigars. But this young man whose word seemed so final at Universal City ... impressed me deeply." The male actors in the studio had a similar reaction. Lionel Barrymore, who was nearly twice his age, recalled their meetings: Thalberg likewise gained the respect of leading playwrights, some of whom also looked down on him due to his youth. George S. Kaufman, co-author of Dinner at Eight, several Marx Brothers films, and two George Gershwin plays, came from New York to meet with Thalberg. Afterward he confided to his friend, Groucho Marx: "That man has never written a word, yet he can tell me exactly what to do with a story. I didn't know you had people like that out here." Actress Norma Shearer, whom he later married, was surprised after he greeted her at the door, then walked her to his office for her first job interview: "Then you're not the office boy?" she asked. He smiled, as he sat himself behind his desk: "No, Miss Shearer, I'm Irving Thalberg, vice-president of the Mayer Company. I'm the man who sent for you." His younger-than-normal age for a studio executive was usually mentioned even after he left Universal to help start up MGM. Screenwriter Agnes Christine Johnson, who worked with Thalberg for years, described his contribution during meetings: The same quality was observed by director and screenwriter Hobart Henley: "If something that read well in conference turns out not so good on the screen, I go to him and, like that—Henley snaps his fingers—he has a remedy. He's brilliant." Another assistant producer to Thalberg explains: His youth also contributed to his open-mindedness to the ideas of others. Conrad Nagel, who starred in numerous Thalberg films, reported that Thalberg was generally empathetic to those he worked alongside: "Thalberg never raised his voice. He just looked into your eyes, spoke softly, and after a few minutes he cast a spell on you." Studio attorney Edwin Loeb, who also worked to create AMPAS, explained that "the real foundation of Irving's success was his ability to look at life through the eyes of any given person. He had a gift of empathy, and almost complete perspective." Those opinions were also shared by producer Walter Wanger: "You thought that you were talking to an Indian savant. He could cast a spell on anybody." His talent as a producer was enhanced by his "near-miraculous" powers of concentration, notes film critic J. Hoberman. As a result, he was never bored or tired, and supplemented his spare time with reading for his own amusement, recalls screenwriter Bayard Veiller, with some of his favorite authors being Francis Bacon, Epictetus, and Immanuel Kant. Film projects at Universal Biographer Bob Thomas writes that after three years at the studio, Thalberg continually proved his value. Universal's pictures improved noticeably, primarily due to Thalberg's "uncanny sense of story." He took tight control over many key aspects of production, including his requirement that from then on scripts were tightly constructed before filming began, rather than during production. Thomas adds that he also "showed a remarkable capacity for working with actors, casting them aptly and advising them on their careers." After producing two films that were in production when he began work at Universal, he presented Laemmle with his idea for a film based on one of his favorite classic stories, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Rather than just a horror picture, Thalberg suggested turning it into a spectacle which would include a replica of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He had Lon Chaney play the hunchback. The film became Universal's most profitable silent film and established Chaney's career as a top-flight star. After nearly three years with Universal, Thalberg had supervised over a hundred movies, reorganized the studio to give more control to the managers, and had "stopped the defection" of many of their leading stars by offering them better, higher-paying contracts. He also produced a number of Universal's prestige films, which made the company profitable. However, he decided it was time to find a studio in Los Angeles more suitable to his skills, and spread word that he was available. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Cecil B. DeMille was the first who wanted to hire him, telling his partner Jesse Lasky, "The boy is a genius. I can see it. I know it." Lasky opposed the hire, stating, "Geniuses we have all we need." Thalberg then received an offer from Hal Roach, but the offer was withdrawn because Thalberg lacked experience with slapstick comedy films. In late 1922, Thalberg was introduced to Louis B. Mayer, president of a small but dynamic and fast-growing studio. At that first meeting, Thalberg "made a deep, immediate impression on Mayer", writes Flamini. After Thalberg had left, Mayer said to studio attorney Edwin Loeb: "Tell him if he comes to work for me, I'll look after him as though he were my son." Although their personalities were in many ways opposite, Mayer being more outspoken and nearly twice the younger man's age, Thalberg was hired as vice president in charge of production at Louis B. Mayer Productions. Years later, Mayer's daughter Irene Mayer Selznick recalled that "it was hard to believe anyone that boyish could be so important." According to Flamini, Thalberg was hired because, although Mayer was an astute businessman, "what he lacked was Thalberg's almost unerring ability to combine quality with commercial success, to bring artistic aspiration in line with the demands of the box office." Mayer's company subsequently merged with two others to become Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), with the 24-year-old Thalberg made part-owner and accorded the same position as vice president in charge of production. Three years after the merger, MGM became the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years at MGM, Thalberg supervised the production of over four hundred films. Although Thalberg and his colleagues at MGM knew he was "doomed" to not live much past the age of 30 due to heart disease, he loved producing films. He continued developing innovative ideas and overseeing most of MGM's pictures. Under Thalberg's management, MGM released over 40% more films yearly than Warner Brothers, and more than double Paramount's releases. From 1924 until 1936, when Thalberg died at the age of 37, "almost every film bore Thalberg's imprint", wrote Mark Vieira. Production innovations Thalberg's production techniques "broke new ground in filmmaking", adds Vieira. Among his contributions at MGM was his innovation of story conferences, sneak previews and scene retakes. He introduced the first horror films and coauthored the Production Code, the set of moral guidelines that all film studios agreed to follow. Thalberg helped synthesize and merge the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. MGM thereby became the only movie studio to consistently show a profit during the Great Depression. Flamini explains that the equation for MGM's success depended on combining stars, a Broadway hit or popular classic, and high standards of production. This combination at the time was considered a "revolutionary approach" in the film industry, which until then assumed a star was all that was needed for success, regardless of the story or production quality. The other studios began following MGM's lead with that same formula. Production techniques Thalberg generally followed a system in managing his productions. According to one of his assistants, Lawrence Weingarten, who later became a producer, "Thalberg directed the film on paper, and then the director directed the film on film." Thalberg was generally opposed to location shooting overseas where he could not oversee production and control costs, as happened with Ben Hur. Thus, he kept hundreds of back-lot carpenters at work creating realistic sets, as he did for fifteenth-century Romeo and Juliet (1936), or with China Seas (1935), to replicate the harbors of Hong Kong. Vieira points out that Thalberg's "fascination with Broadway plays" often had him create and present stories visually. For China Seas, for instance, he described for the screenwriters, director and others, exactly how he wanted the film to appear on screen: To be certain of achieving the desired effects, Thalberg made sure his cinematographers were careful in their use of light and shadow. Vieira observes that "more than any other producer or any other studio, Thalberg and MGM manipulated lenses, filters, and lighting instruments to affect the viewer." As a result, he notes, "most of Thalberg's films contain moments such as these, in which cinematic technique transcends mere exposition and gives the viewer something to treasure." Thalberg was supported by most of the studio in these kinds of creative decisions. "It was a big family," notes Weingarten. "If we had a success, everybody—and I mean every cutter, every painter, every plasterer—was excited about it, was abuzz, was in a tizzy about the whole idea of picture making." Taking risks with new subjects and stars In 1929, MGM released fifty films, and all but five showed a profit. Of those that failed, Hallelujah was also a gamble by Thalberg. When King Vidor, the film's producer and director, proposed the idea to Thalberg of a major film cast, for the first time, exclusively with African Americans, he told Thalberg directly, "I doubt that it will make a dollar at the box office." Thalberg replied, "Don't worry about that. I've told you that MGM can afford an occasional experiment." By the early 1930s, a number of stars began failing at the box office, partly due to the Great Depression that was now undermining the economy, along with the public's ability to spend on entertainment. Thalberg began using two stars in a film, rather than one, as had been the tradition at all the studios, such as pairing Greta Garbo with John Gilbert, Clark Gable with Jean Harlow, and William Powell with Myrna Loy. After experimenting with a few such films, including Mata Hari (1931), which were profitable, he decided on a multi-star production of another Broadway play, Grand Hotel (1932). It had five major stars, including Garbo, Joan Crawford, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, and Wallace Beery. "Before Thalberg," writes Vieira, "there was no Grand Hotel in the American consciousness." The film won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1932. Thalberg went against consensus and took another risk with The Great Ziegfeld (1936), costarring Luise Rainer. Although Louis B. Mayer did not want her in the role, which he felt was too minor for a new star, Thalberg felt that "only she could play the part", wrote biographer Charles Higham. Shortly after shooting began in late 1935, doubts of Rainer's acting ability emerged in the press. However, despite her limited appearances in the film, Rainer "so impressed audiences with one highly emotional scene" that she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. After her winning role in The Great Ziegfeld, Thalberg wanted her to play a role that was the opposite of her previous character, for The Good Earth (1937). For the part as a Chinese peasant, she was required to act totally subservient to her husband, being perpetually huddled in submission, and barely spoke a word of dialogue during the entire film. Rainer recalls that Mayer did not approve of the film being produced or her part in it: "He was horrified at Irving Thalberg's insistence for me to play O-lan, the poor uncomely little Chinese peasant." However, she again won the Oscar for Best Actress, becoming the first actress to win two consecutive Oscars, a feat not matched until Katharine Hepburn's two Oscar wins thirty years later. Grooming new stars Besides bringing a distinctive high quality "look" to MGM films and often recreating well-known stories or plays, Thalberg's actors themselves took on a characteristic quality. Thalberg wanted his female actors to appear "cool, classy and beautiful," notes Flamini. And he strove to make the male actors appear "worldly and in control." In general, Thalberg movies and actors came to be "luxurious," "glossy," and "technically flawless." By doing so, he made stars or boosted the careers of actors such as Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, John Gilbert, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Helen Hayes, Jean Harlow, Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore and Luise Rainer. Greta Garbo In 1925, a young Greta Garbo, then twenty, and unable to speak any English, was brought over from Sweden at Mayer's request, as he saw how she looked in still photos. A Swedish friend thought he would help her by contacting Thalberg, who then agreed to give her a screen test. According to author Frederick Sands, "the result of the test was electrifying." Thalberg was impressed and began grooming the new starlet the following day: "the studio arranged to fix her teeth, made sure she lost weight, and gave her an English tutor." Joan Crawford Joan Crawford's first role was a Thalberg production at MGM and she became one of their leading stars for the next thirty years. Crawford was somewhat jealous of Norma Shearer as she thought she was given the better material by her husband Thalberg out of nepotism. Nevertheless, she felt that his contribution to MGM was vital to the film industry. Not long after his early death, she recalls her concerns: "Thalberg was dead and the concept of the quality 'big' picture pretty much went out the window." Marie Dressler Thalberg also realized that old stars few had heard of could be made into new ones. Marie Dressler, a fifty-nine-year-old early vaudeville and movie star, who had played the top-billed lead, above Charles Chaplin and Mabel Normand), in the first feature-length comedy, Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914), was unable to get any roles in films after leaving show business for some years, finally working as a maid. MGM screenwriter Frances Marion suggested to Thalberg that she might fit well in a starring role for a new film, and was surprised that he knew of her prior successes. Thalberg approved of using her without a screen test and offered his rationale: By 1932, shortly before she died, Dressler was the country's number one box office star. Wallace Beery Marie Dressler was paired twice, in Min and Bill (1930) and Tugboat Annie (1933), with Wallace Beery, another major silent star who had been struggling to get work in sound pictures until Thalberg cast him. Beery had enjoyed a hugely successful silent film career dating back to 1913, but had been fired by Paramount shortly after sound pictures appeared. Thalberg cast him in the role of "Machine Gun Butch," which had been meant for recently deceased Lon Chaney, in The Big House (1930), an energetic prison picture that became a huge hit. Beery was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, and his burgeoning career at MGM had transformed him into the studio's highest paid actor within two more years, during which time he won the Oscar for The Champ and had become a phenomenal box office draw as a result of Thalberg's foresight. Getting audience feedback and reshooting According to Vieira, MGM had few failures during this period, and numerous blockbusters. Among the reasons was Thalberg's unique system of developing a script during story conferences with writers before filming began, and later giving "sneak previews" followed by audience feedback through written questionnaires. Often, where he felt improvement was needed, he arranged for scenes to be reshot. As Thalberg once stated, "The difference between something good and something superior is often very small." Bad decisions and missed opportunities Thalberg felt he had his "finger on the pulse of America. I know what people will do and what they won't do," he said. His judgment was not always accurate, however. Thalberg's bringing Broadway productions to the screen to develop higher picture standards sometimes resulted in "studied" acting or "stagey" sets, notes Flamini. In 1927, after the successful release of the first full-length talking picture, The Jazz Singer (1927), he nevertheless felt that talking pictures were a fad. Thalberg likewise did not think that color would replace black-and-white in movies. When an assistant protested against a script that envisioned a love scene in Paris with an ocean background, Thalberg refused to make changes, saying "We can't cater to a handful of people who know Paris." A more serious distraction to Thalberg's efforts was his obsession with making his wife Norma Shearer a prominent star, efforts which sometimes led to "overblown and overglamous" productions. Thalberg himself admitted to his obsession years later when he told a fellow producer: "You're behaving like I did with Norma. I knew positively that she could play anything. It's a kind of romantic astigmatism that attacks producers when they fall for an actress." Important films at MGM Ben Hur (1925) One of the first pictures he took charge of, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, was inherited and already in production by another studio when MGM was formed. The film was turning into a disastrous expense with cost overruns already in the millions due to its lavish sets and location shooting in Rome. Most studio executives chose to terminate the film to cut their losses. Thalberg, however, felt differently, and thought the film would affect movie audiences, due to its classic literary source, and would highlight MGM as a major new studio. He, therefore, discarded much of the original footage shot in Italy and recreated the set on MGM's back lots in Culver City, which added more millions to the production, yet gave him more control over production. The new set also included a replica of Circus Maximus for the dramatic chariot race scenes. Flamini notes that Thalberg's "gamble paid off," drawing international attention to MGM, and to Thalberg within the movie industry for his bold action. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty was the studio's next most expensive film after Ben Hur, with some now calling it "Thalberg's masterpiece." He initially had difficulty convincing Mayer that he could make the film without making heroes of the mutineers. He achieved that by instead making a hero of the British Royal Navy, whereby the officers and shipmates would from then on display their mutual respect. Thalberg also had to convince Clark Gable to accept the role against his will. He pleaded with Gable, eventually promising him that "If it isn't one of your greatest successes, I'll never ask you again to play a part you don't want." The film's other main stars were Charles Laughton and Franchot Tone. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Actor, and winning it for Best Picture. Thalberg accepted the award as producer from Frank Capra. Thalberg and Mayer partnership At first, Thalberg and studio chief Louis B. Mayer got along splendidly; however, they had different production philosophies. Thalberg preferred literary works, while Mayer preferred glitzy crowd-pleasing films. A clash was inevitable, and their relationship grew decidedly frosty. When Thalberg fell ill in the final weeks of 1932, Mayer took advantage of the situation and replaced him with David O. Selznick and Walter Wanger. Thalberg's reputation by that time for working long hours was widely known, and rumors about the related strain on his fragile health had become front-page news in entertainment trade publications. The Hollywood Reporter in January 1933 updated its readership about his condition and addressed growing concerns that he might be forced, despite his young age, to quit the business: Once Thalberg recovered sufficiently from his bout with the "flu" and was able to return to work later in 1933, it was as one of MGM's unit producers, albeit one who had first choice on projects as well as preferential access to all the studio's resources, including over casting its stars. Thalberg's good relationship with Nicholas Schenck, then president of Loew's Incorporated, proved to be an ongoing advantage for him. Loew's was the corporate parent of MGM, so Schenck was the true power and ultimate arbiter at the studio; and he usually supported Thalberg's decisions and continued to do so whenever disagreements about projects or production needs arose. As a result, Thalberg also continued to produce or coproduce some of MGM's most prestigious and critically acclaimed ventures in this period, such as The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) starring his wife Norma Shearer, China Seas (1935), A Night at the Opera (1935), San Francisco (1936), and Romeo and Juliet (1936). Personal life During his few years with Universal while living in New York, Thalberg had become romantically involved with Carl Laemmle's daughter, Rosabelle. Still in his early twenties and later spending most of his time in Los Angeles, his feelings toward her were no longer as strong. Flamini suspects that this may have affected his position at Universal and partly caused his decision to leave the company. "The Laemmles prayed that Irving would marry Rosabelle", notes Flamini. "They wanted their sons to be educated and their daughters to marry nice Jewish boys." Less than a year after he and Mayer took charge of the newly created MGM studios, and still only twenty-five years old, Thalberg suffered a serious heart attack due to overwork. Mayer also became aware of Thalberg's congenital heart problems and now worried about the prospect of running MGM without him. Mayer also became concerned that one of his daughters might become romantically involved, and told them so: Thalberg, aware of Mayer's feelings, made it a point of never giving too much attention to his daughters at social events. One of Thalberg's traits was his ability to work long hours into the night with little sign of fatigue. According to Vieira, Thalberg believed that as long as his mind was active in his work and he was not bored, he would not feel tired. Thalberg, who often got by with only five hours of sleep, felt that most people could get by with less than they realized. To keep his mental faculties at peak, he would read philosophical books by Bacon, Epictetus, or Kant. "They stimulate me. I'd drop out of sight in no time if I didn't read and keep up with current thought—and the philosophers are brain sharpeners." During the early 1930s, Thalberg was ambivalent about political events in Europe. While he feared Nazism and the rise of Hitler, he also feared Communism. At the time, notes Vieira, "given a choice between communism and fascism, many Americans—including Thalberg—would prefer the latter." Thalberg stated his opinion: When others suggested that many Jews could die in Germany as a result of Nazi anti-Semitism, he replied that in his opinion "Hitler and Hitlerism will pass." On one occasion, Catholic Prince Löwenstein of Germany, who himself had almost been captured before fleeing Germany, told him: "Mr. Thalberg, your own people are being systematically hunted down and rooted out of Germany." Thalberg suggested that world Jewry should nevertheless not interfere, that the Jewish race would survive Hitler. Within a few years, American film distribution was "choked off" in Germany. Led by Warner Brothers, all American studios eventually closed their German offices. Thalberg began dating actress Norma Shearer a few years after he joined MGM. Following her conversion to Judaism, they married on Thursday, September 29, 1927, in a private ceremony in the garden of his rented house in Beverly Hills. Rabbi Edgar F. Magnin officiated at the event, with Shearer's brother Douglas Shearer giving the bride away, and Louis B. Mayer serving as best man. The couple drove to Monterey for their honeymoon and then moved into their newly constructed home in Beverly Hills. After their second child was born, Shearer considered retiring from films, but Thalberg convinced her to continue acting, saying he could find her good roles. She went on to be one of MGM's biggest stars of the 1930s. Their two children were Irving Jr. (1930–1987) and Katharine (1935–2006). Death Thalberg and Shearer took a much-needed Labor Day weekend vacation in Monterey, California, in 1936, staying at the same beachfront hotel where they spent their honeymoon. A few weeks earlier, Thalberg's leading screenwriter, Al Lewin, had proposed doing a film based on a soon-to-be published book, Gone with the Wind. Although Thalberg said it would be a "sensational" role for Gable, and a "terrific picture," he decided not to do it: Besides, Thalberg told Mayer, "[n]o Civil War picture ever made a nickel". Shortly after returning from Monterey, Thalberg was diagnosed with pneumonia. His condition worsened steadily and he eventually required an oxygen tent at home. He died on September 14, at the age of 37. Sam Wood, while directing A Day at the Races, was given the news by phone. He returned to the set with tears in his eyes and told the others. As the news spread "the studio was paralyzed with shock", notes Thomas. "Work stopped and hundreds of people wept", with stars, writers, directors, and studio employees "all sharing a sense of loss at the death of a man who had been a part of their working lives", states Flamini. His funeral took place two days later, and when the services began the other studios throughout Hollywood observed five minutes of silence. Producer Sam Goldwyn "wept uncontrollably for two days" and was unable to regain his composure enough to attend. The MGM studio closed for that day. Services were held at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple that Thalberg had occasionally attended. The funeral attracted thousands of spectators who came to view the arrival of countless stars from MGM and other studios, including Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, the Marx Brothers, Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Howard Hughes, Al Jolson, Gary Cooper, Carole Lombard, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, among the screen luminaries. The ushers who led them to their seats included Clark Gable, Fredric March, and playwright Moss Hart. Erich von Stroheim, who had been fired by Thalberg, came to pay his respects. Producers Louis B. Mayer, the Warner brothers, Adolph Zukor, and Nicholas Schenck sat together solemnly as Rabbi Magnin gave the eulogy. Thalberg is buried in a private marble tomb in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, lying at rest beside his wife Norma Shearer Arrouge (Thalberg's crypt was engraved "My Sweetheart Forever" by Shearer). Over the following days, tributes were published by the national press. Louis B. Mayer, his co-founding partner at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, said he had lost "the finest friend a man could ever have", while MGM president Nicholas Schenck stated that "Thalberg was the most important man in the production end of the motion-picture industry. Leading producers from the other studios also expressed their feelings in published tributes to Thalberg: David O. Selznick described him as "beyond any question the greatest individual force for fine pictures." Samuel Goldwyn called him "the foremost figure in the motion-picture industry ... and an inspiration." M. H. Aylesworth, Chairman of RKO, wrote that "his integrity, vision and ability made him the spearhead of all motion-picture production throughout the world." Harry Warner, president of Warner Bros., described him as "gifted with one of the finest minds ever placed at the service of motion-picture production." Sidney R. Kent, president of Twentieth Century Fox, said that "he made the whole world richer by giving it the highest type of entertainment. He was a true genius." Columbia president Harry Cohn said the "motion picture industry has suffered a loss from which it will not soon recover...". Darryl F. Zanuck noted, "More than any other man he raised the industry to its present world prestige." Adolph Zukor, chairman of Paramount, stated, "Irving Thalberg was the most brilliant young man in the motion picture business." Jesse Lasky said, "It will be utterly impossible to replace him." Among the condolences that came from world political leaders, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." Among the pictures that were unfinished or not yet released at the time of his death were A Day at the Races, The Good Earth, Camille, Maytime, and Romeo and Juliet. Groucho Marx, star of A Day at the Races, wrote, "After Thalberg's death, my interest in the movies waned. I continued to appear in them, but ... The fun had gone out of picture making." Thalberg's widow, Norma Shearer, recalled, "Grief does very strange things to you. I didn't seem to feel the shock for two weeks afterwards. ... then, at the end of those two weeks, I collapsed." Legacy in the movie industry Thalberg's legacy to the movie industry is "incalculable", states biographer Bob Thomas. He notes that with his numerous production innovations and grand stories, often turning classic literature and Broadway stage productions into big-screen pictures, he managed to keep "American movies supreme throughout the world for a generation". Darryl F. Zanuck, founder of 20th Century-Fox said that during Thalberg's brief career, he had become the "most creative producer in the history of films". Thomas describes some of his contributions: Most of MGM's major films in the 1930s were, according to Flamini, "in a very real sense", made by Thalberg. He closely supervised the making of "more pictures than any other producer in Hollywood's history", and was considered the "archetype of the creative producer", adds Flamini. Upon his early death, aged 37, an editorial in The New York Times called him "the most important force" in the motion picture industry. The paper added that for the film industry, he "set the pace and others followed ... because his way combined style, glamour, and profit." He is described by Flamini as having been "a revolutionary in a gray flannel suit". Thalberg refused to take credit as producer, and as a result, his name never appeared on the screen while he was alive. Thalberg claimed that "credit you give yourself is not worth having". He also said "If a picture is good, they'll know who produced it. If it's bad, nobody cares." His final film, released after he died, was The Good Earth (1937), which won numerous Academy Awards. Its opening screen credit was dedicated to Thalberg: In 1938, the new multimillion-dollar MGM administration building in Culver City was named for Thalberg. The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, also named for him, awards producers for consistently high production achievements. Cultural legacy The Last Tycoon In October 1939, American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald began writing The Last Tycoon, a fictionalized biography of Thalberg, naming the protagonist Monroe Stahr to represent Thalberg. "Thalberg has always fascinated me", he wrote to an editor. "His peculiar charm, his extraordinary good looks, his bountiful success, the tragic end of his great adventure. The events I have built around him are fiction, but all of them are things which might very well have happened. ... I've long chosen him for a hero (this has been in my mind for three years) because he is one of the half-dozen men I have known who were built on a grand scale." Thomas notes that among the reasons Fitzgerald chose to write a book about a Thalberg-like character, was that "throughout his literary career, Fitzgerald borrowed his heroes from friends he admired, and inevitably a bit of Fitzgerald entered the characterizations." Fitzgerald himself writes that "When I like men, I want to be like them ..." Fitzgerald and Thalberg had real-life similarities: both were prodigies, both had heart ailments, and they both died at early ages. According to biographer Matthew J. Bruccoli, Fitzgerald believed that Thalberg, with his "taste and courage, represented the best of Hollywood. ... [and] saw Thalberg as a model for what could be done in the movies." Fitzgerald died before the novel was completed, however. Bruccoli writes of Fitzgerald's book: Although parallels between Monroe Stahr in the novel and Thalberg were evident, many who knew Thalberg intimately stated that they did not see similarities in their personalities. Norma Shearer said that the Stahr character was not at all like her former husband. In the 1976 film version, directed by Elia Kazan, Monroe Stahr was played by Robert De Niro. Kazan, in his pre-production notes, described the Stahr character as he saw him: In the 2016 television series based on the novel, Monroe Stahr is played by Matt Bomer. Others Fitzgerald also based his short story "Crazy Sunday", originally published in the October 1932 issue of American Mercury, on an incident at a party thrown by Thalberg and Shearer. The story is included in Fitzgerald's collection Taps at Reveille (1935). Thalberg was portrayed in the movie Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) by Robert Evans, who went on to become a studio head himself. Thalberg was portrayed by Bill Cusack in Young Indiana Jones and the Hollywood Follies (1994), a TV film based on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, in which Indiana Jones is depicted as taking part in Thalberg's conflict with Erich von Stroheim over Foolish Wives. In 2020, Thalberg was played by Ferdinand Kingsley in the David Fincher film Mank Thalberg, played by Tobey Maguire, is rumored to appear in the upcoming movie Babylon. Filmography Producer Reputation (1921) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) Merry-Go-Round (1923) His Hour (1924) He Who Gets Slapped (1924) The Unholy Three (1925) The Merry Widow (1925) The Tower of Lies (1925) The Big Parade (1925) Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) Torrent (1926) La Bohème (1926) Brown of Harvard (1926) The Road to Mandalay (1926) The Temptress (1926) Valencia (1926) Flesh and the Devil (1926) Twelve Miles Out (1927) The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) London After Midnight (1927) The Crowd (1928) Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) White Shadows in the South Seas (1928) Show People (1928) West of Zanzibar (1928) The Broadway Melody (1929) The Trial of Mary Dugan (1929) Voice of the City (1929) Where East Is East (1929) The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929) The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929) Hallelujah (1929) His Glorious Night (1929) The Kiss (1929) Anna Christie (1930) Redemption (1930) The Divorcee (1930) The Rogue Song (1930) The Big House (1930) The Unholy Three (1930) Let Us Be Gay (1930) Billy the Kid (1930) Way for a Sailor (1930) A Lady's Morals (1930) Inspiration (1931) Trader Horn (1931) The Secret Six (1931) A Free Soul (1931) Just a Gigolo (1931) Menschen hinter Gittern (1931), German-language version of The Big House (1930) The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931) The Guardsman (1931) The Champ (1931) Possessed (1931) Private Lives (1931) Mata Hari (1931) Freaks (1932) Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) Grand Hotel (1932) Letty Lynton (1932) As You Desire Me (1932) Red-Headed Woman (1932) Smilin' Through (1932) Red Dust (1932) Rasputin and the Empress (1932) Strange Interlude (1932) Tugboat Annie (1933) Bombshell (1933) Eskimo (1933) La Veuve Joyeuse (1934) French-language version of The Merry Widow Riptide (1934) The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) The Merry Widow (1934) What Every Woman Knows (1934) Biography of a Bachelor Girl (1935) No More Ladies (1935) China Seas (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) A Night at the Opera (1935) Riffraff (1936) Romeo and Juliet (1936) Camille (1936) Maytime (1937) A Day at the Races (1937) Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) The Good Earth (1937) Marie Antoinette (1938) Writer The Trap (1922) The Dangerous Little Demon (1922) Awards Academy Awards Notes Further reading Books Flamini, Roland. Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of M-G-M (1994) Marx, Samuel. Mayer and Thalberg: The Make-believe Saints (1975) Thomas, Bob. Thalberg: Life and Legend (1969) Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg's M-G-M. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2008. Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg: Boy Wonder to Producer Prince. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009. Articles Starman, Ray. "Irving Thalberg", Films In Review, June/July 1987, p. 347–353 External links Irving Thalberg at TCM Cinemagraphe Review of the Roland Flamini biography of Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of MGM Irving Thalberg at Virtual History Irving Thalberg profiled in Collier's Magazine (1924) Videos 1899 births 1936 deaths American film producers Film producers from California Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award American film studio executives American male screenwriters Cinema pioneers Silent film directors Silent film producers Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer executives Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences founders Businesspeople from Los Angeles Hollywood history and culture California Republicans New York (state) Republicans USC School of Cinematic Arts faculty 20th-century American businesspeople Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from New York (state) People from Brooklyn American anti-communists American people of German-Jewish descent Deaths from pneumonia in California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American writers Jewish American writers 20th-century American screenwriters
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[ "In ecology, a feeding frenzy occurs when predators are overwhelmed by the amount of prey available. The term is also used as an idiom in the English language.\n\nExamples in nature\nFor example, a large school of fish can cause nearby sharks, such as the lemon shark, to enter into a feeding frenzy. This can cause the sharks to go wild, biting anything that moves, including each other or anything else within biting range. Another functional explanation for feeding frenzy is competition amongst predators. This term is most often used when referring to sharks or piranhas.\n\nEnglish language uses\nIt has also been used as a term within journalism.\n\nThe term is occasionally used to describe a plethora of something. For instance, a 2016 Bloomburg News article is entitled: \"March Madness Is a Fantasy Sports Feeding Frenzy.\"\nIn economics the term can be used to describe the economics of the music industry, as large music companies acquired smaller music companies.\n\nSee also\n Bait ball\n Adage\n Comprehension of Idioms\n Idiom in English language\n Media feeding frenzy\n Phrasal verb\n Metaphor\n\nReferences\n\nEating behaviors\nIdioms\nAdages\n\nfr:Attaque de requin#La frénésie alimentaire", "In New England, a warrant is a document issued by the Board of Selectmen to call a town meeting.\n\nWarrants essentially list an agenda of items to be voted on by those present. In towns with an open town meeting, those present would consist of any and all registered voters in the town. In towns with a representative town meeting, anyone may attend, but only town meeting members (elected representatives) are allowed to vote.\n\nItems on the agenda generally vary significantly, from the annual operating budget of the town to adjustment of by-laws, and anything else that may legally come before the meeting.\n\nIn Massachusetts, residents may place articles on the warrant without approval by the Selectmen by petitioning to insert the same. Petitions to insert an article on the warrant for an Annual Town Meeting require ten signatures. Petitions to insert an article on the warrant for a Special Town Meeting require 100 signatures or the signatures of ten per cent of the registered voters in the town, whichever is less.\n\nNew England\nLocal government in Massachusetts" ]
[ "Irving Thalberg", "Early years", "What year was he born?", "Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents,", "Who were his parents?", "Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann).", "Did he have any siblings?", "Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with \"blue baby syndrome,\" caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart.", "Did this impact him at all in life?", "The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to age twenty, or at most, age thirty.", "Where did he go to school?", "During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study,", "What caused his illness in high school?", "When he was 17, he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, Henrietta, to prevent him falling too far behind other students,", "Did he graduate?", "brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him", "What did he do after school?", "When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams.", "anything else in this article?", "Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school." ]
C_7b8dcb999ce54951992e991787a236a9_1
Where did he work as being a store clerk?
10
Where did Irving Thalberg work as being a store clerk?
Irving Thalberg
Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome," caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to age twenty, or at most, age thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17, he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, Henrietta, to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an ad with the local newspaper hoping to find better work: "Situation Wanted: Secretary, stenographer, Spanish, English, high school education, no experience; $15." CANNOTANSWER
and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school.
Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 – September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and ability to select scripts, choose actors, gather production staff, and make profitable films, including Grand Hotel, China Seas, A Night at the Opera, Mutiny on the Bounty, Camille and The Good Earth. His films carved out an international market, "projecting a seductive image of American life brimming with vitality and rooted in democracy and personal freedom", states biographer Roland Flamini. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and as a child was afflicted with a congenital heart disease that doctors said would kill him before he reached the age of thirty. After graduating from high school he worked as a store clerk during the day and to gain some job skills took a night class in typing. He then found work as a secretary with Universal Studios' New York office, and was later made studio manager for their Los Angeles facility. There, he oversaw production of a hundred films during his three years with the company. Among the films he produced was The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923). In Los Angeles, he partnered with Louis B. Mayer's new studio and, after it merged with two other studios, helped create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). He was made head of production of MGM in 1925, at the age of twenty-six, helping MGM become the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years with MGM, until his premature death at the age of 37, he produced four hundred films, most of which bore his imprint and innovations, including story conferences with writers, sneak previews to gain early feedback, and extensive re-shooting of scenes to improve the film. In addition, he introduced horror films to audiences and coauthored the "Production Code", guidelines for morality followed by all studios. During the 1920s and 1930s, he synthesized and merged the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. Thalberg created numerous new stars and groomed their screen images. Among them were Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery, Spencer Tracy, Luise Rainer, and Norma Shearer, who became his wife. He had the ability to combine quality with commercial success, and was credited with bringing his artistic aspirations in line with the demands of audiences. After his death, Hollywood's producers said he had been the world's "foremost figure in motion-picture history". President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, given out periodically by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1937, has been awarded to producers whose body of work reflected consistently high quality films. Early years Thalberg was born in Brooklyn, to German Jewish immigrant parents, William and Henrietta (Haymann). Shortly after birth, he was diagnosed with "blue baby syndrome", caused by a congenital disease that limited the oxygen supply to his heart. The prognosis from the family's doctor and specialists was that he might live to the age of twenty, or at most, to thirty. During his high school years in Brooklyn, he began having attacks of chest pains, dizziness and fatigue. This affected his ability to study, though until that time he was a good student. When he was 17 he contracted rheumatic fever, and was confined to bed for a year. His mother, in order to prevent him falling too far behind other students, brought him homework from school, books, and tutors to teach him at home. She also hoped that the schoolwork and reading would distract him from the "tantalizing sounds" of children playing outside his window. With little to entertain him, he read books as a main activity. He devoured popular novels, classics, plays, and biographies. His books, of necessity, replaced the streets of New York, and led to his interest in classical philosophy and philosophers, such as William James. When Thalberg returned to school, he finished high school but lacked the stamina for college, which he felt would have required constant late-night studying and cramming for exams. Instead, he took part-time jobs as a store clerk, and in the evenings, to gain some job skills, taught himself typing, shorthand and Spanish at a night vocational school. When he turned 18, he placed an advertisement in the local newspaper hoping to find better work: Career as producer Universal Studios He found work as an office secretary at Universal Pictures' New York office, and later became personal secretary to the studio's founder and president, Carl Laemmle. Among Thalberg's duties were transcribing and editing notes that Laemmle had written during screenings of his films. He earned $25 weekly, becoming adept at making insightful observations, which impressed Laemmle. Laemmle took Thalberg to see his Los Angeles production facility, where he spent a month watching how movie production worked. Before returning to New York, Laemmle told Thalberg to remain and "keep an eye on things for me." Two months later, Laemmle returned to California, partly to see how well Thalberg was able to handle the responsibilities he was given. Thalberg gave him suggestions, and thus impressed Laemmle by his ability to understand and explain problems. Thalberg suggested, "The first thing you should do is establish a new job of studio manager and give him the responsibility of watching day-to-day operations." Laemmle immediately agreed: "All right. You're it." In shock, Thalberg replied, "I'm what?" Laemmle told him to take charge of the Los Angeles studio, which he did in early 1919. When aged 20, Thalberg became responsible for immediately overseeing the nine ongoing film productions and nearly thirty scenarios then under development. In describing the rationale for this early appointment as studio manager, film historian David Thomson writes that his new job "owed nothing to nepotism, private wealth, or experience in the film industry." He reasons that despite "Thalberg's youth, modest education, and frail appearance ... it is clear that he had the charm, insight, and ability, or the appearance of it, to captivate the film world." Thalberg was one among the majority of Hollywood film industry workers who migrated from the East Coast, primarily from New York. Some film actors, such as Conrad Nagel, did not like the five-day train trip or the sudden warmth of the California climate. Neither did Marion Davies, who was not used to such "big wide spaces". Samuel Marx, a close friend of Thalberg's from New York, recalled how easily Thalberg adapted to Southern California, often standing outside his doorway during moments of contemplation to enjoy the scenery. "We were all young", said comedian Buster Keaton. "The air in California was like wine. Our business was also young—and growing like nothing ever seen before." Confrontation with Erich von Stroheim He quickly established his tenacity as he battled with well-known director Erich von Stroheim over the length of Foolish Wives (1922). Biographer Roland Flamini notes that the film was Universal's most expensive "jewel" ever in production, and its director and star, von Stroheim, was taking the film way over budget. Thalberg, now Universal's general manager, was forced to have the director quickly finalize production before the studio's working capital was used up. Flamini describes the situation: Thalberg had von Stroheim come to his office, which he did still wearing his film costume as a Russian Imperial Guard and escorted by members of his production team. Thalberg calmly told him, "I have seen all the film and you have all you need for the picture. I want you to stop shooting", to which von Stroheim replied, "But I have not finished as yet." "Yes, you have", said Thalberg. "You have spent all the money this company can afford. I cannot allow you to spend any more." Thalberg quietly explained that the director worked under the producer, and it was his responsibility to control costs. Von Stroheim, surrounded by his assistants, then confronted Thalberg: "If you were not my superior, I would smash you in the face." Thalberg, unflinching, said "Don't let that stop you." The result was that Thalberg soon afterward removed the cameras from von Stroheim's studio and took over editing. The uncut footage was pared down from five-and-a-half hours to three hours, to von Stroheim's deep dissatisfaction. A similar problem developed with von Stroheim's next film, Merry-Go-Round (1923). Although he had promised Thalberg to remain within budget this time, he continued production until it went to twice the agreed length and was not yet near completion. Flamini speculates why this happened: Thalberg again called von Stroheim to his office, handed him a long letter written and signed by himself, describing the problems, and summarily fired von Stroheim as of that moment. Thalberg's letter stated among the reasons, totally inexcusable and repeated acts of insubordination ... extravagant ideas which you have been unwilling to sacrifice ... unnecessary delays ... and your apparent idea that you are greater and more powerful than the organization that employs you. His dismissal of von Stroheim was considered an "earthquake in movie circles", notes Flamini. Producer David O. Selznick said that "it was the first time a director had been fired. It took great guts and courage ... Von Stroheim was utterly indifferent over money and could have gone on and spent millions, with nobody to stop him.". The opinion was shared by director Rouben Mamoulian, who said that the "little fellow at Universal", in one bold stroke, had "asserted the primacy of the studio over the director" and forever altered the balance of power in the movie industry. Effects of his young age According to Flamini, his youth was a subject of conversation within the movie community. Executives from other studios, actors, and film crew, often mistook him to be a junior employee. Movie columnist Louella Parsons, upon first being introduced to him, asked, "What's the joke? Where's the new general manager?" After five minutes of talking to Thalberg, however, she later wrote about "Universal's Boy Wonder": "He might be a boy in looks and age, but it was no child's mind that was being asked to cope with the intricate politics of Universal City." Novelist Edna Ferber responded the same way, writing that "I had fancied motion-picture producers as large gentlemen smoking oversized cigars. But this young man whose word seemed so final at Universal City ... impressed me deeply." The male actors in the studio had a similar reaction. Lionel Barrymore, who was nearly twice his age, recalled their meetings: Thalberg likewise gained the respect of leading playwrights, some of whom also looked down on him due to his youth. George S. Kaufman, co-author of Dinner at Eight, several Marx Brothers films, and two George Gershwin plays, came from New York to meet with Thalberg. Afterward he confided to his friend, Groucho Marx: "That man has never written a word, yet he can tell me exactly what to do with a story. I didn't know you had people like that out here." Actress Norma Shearer, whom he later married, was surprised after he greeted her at the door, then walked her to his office for her first job interview: "Then you're not the office boy?" she asked. He smiled, as he sat himself behind his desk: "No, Miss Shearer, I'm Irving Thalberg, vice-president of the Mayer Company. I'm the man who sent for you." His younger-than-normal age for a studio executive was usually mentioned even after he left Universal to help start up MGM. Screenwriter Agnes Christine Johnson, who worked with Thalberg for years, described his contribution during meetings: The same quality was observed by director and screenwriter Hobart Henley: "If something that read well in conference turns out not so good on the screen, I go to him and, like that—Henley snaps his fingers—he has a remedy. He's brilliant." Another assistant producer to Thalberg explains: His youth also contributed to his open-mindedness to the ideas of others. Conrad Nagel, who starred in numerous Thalberg films, reported that Thalberg was generally empathetic to those he worked alongside: "Thalberg never raised his voice. He just looked into your eyes, spoke softly, and after a few minutes he cast a spell on you." Studio attorney Edwin Loeb, who also worked to create AMPAS, explained that "the real foundation of Irving's success was his ability to look at life through the eyes of any given person. He had a gift of empathy, and almost complete perspective." Those opinions were also shared by producer Walter Wanger: "You thought that you were talking to an Indian savant. He could cast a spell on anybody." His talent as a producer was enhanced by his "near-miraculous" powers of concentration, notes film critic J. Hoberman. As a result, he was never bored or tired, and supplemented his spare time with reading for his own amusement, recalls screenwriter Bayard Veiller, with some of his favorite authors being Francis Bacon, Epictetus, and Immanuel Kant. Film projects at Universal Biographer Bob Thomas writes that after three years at the studio, Thalberg continually proved his value. Universal's pictures improved noticeably, primarily due to Thalberg's "uncanny sense of story." He took tight control over many key aspects of production, including his requirement that from then on scripts were tightly constructed before filming began, rather than during production. Thomas adds that he also "showed a remarkable capacity for working with actors, casting them aptly and advising them on their careers." After producing two films that were in production when he began work at Universal, he presented Laemmle with his idea for a film based on one of his favorite classic stories, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Rather than just a horror picture, Thalberg suggested turning it into a spectacle which would include a replica of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He had Lon Chaney play the hunchback. The film became Universal's most profitable silent film and established Chaney's career as a top-flight star. After nearly three years with Universal, Thalberg had supervised over a hundred movies, reorganized the studio to give more control to the managers, and had "stopped the defection" of many of their leading stars by offering them better, higher-paying contracts. He also produced a number of Universal's prestige films, which made the company profitable. However, he decided it was time to find a studio in Los Angeles more suitable to his skills, and spread word that he was available. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Cecil B. DeMille was the first who wanted to hire him, telling his partner Jesse Lasky, "The boy is a genius. I can see it. I know it." Lasky opposed the hire, stating, "Geniuses we have all we need." Thalberg then received an offer from Hal Roach, but the offer was withdrawn because Thalberg lacked experience with slapstick comedy films. In late 1922, Thalberg was introduced to Louis B. Mayer, president of a small but dynamic and fast-growing studio. At that first meeting, Thalberg "made a deep, immediate impression on Mayer", writes Flamini. After Thalberg had left, Mayer said to studio attorney Edwin Loeb: "Tell him if he comes to work for me, I'll look after him as though he were my son." Although their personalities were in many ways opposite, Mayer being more outspoken and nearly twice the younger man's age, Thalberg was hired as vice president in charge of production at Louis B. Mayer Productions. Years later, Mayer's daughter Irene Mayer Selznick recalled that "it was hard to believe anyone that boyish could be so important." According to Flamini, Thalberg was hired because, although Mayer was an astute businessman, "what he lacked was Thalberg's almost unerring ability to combine quality with commercial success, to bring artistic aspiration in line with the demands of the box office." Mayer's company subsequently merged with two others to become Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), with the 24-year-old Thalberg made part-owner and accorded the same position as vice president in charge of production. Three years after the merger, MGM became the most successful studio in Hollywood. During his twelve years at MGM, Thalberg supervised the production of over four hundred films. Although Thalberg and his colleagues at MGM knew he was "doomed" to not live much past the age of 30 due to heart disease, he loved producing films. He continued developing innovative ideas and overseeing most of MGM's pictures. Under Thalberg's management, MGM released over 40% more films yearly than Warner Brothers, and more than double Paramount's releases. From 1924 until 1936, when Thalberg died at the age of 37, "almost every film bore Thalberg's imprint", wrote Mark Vieira. Production innovations Thalberg's production techniques "broke new ground in filmmaking", adds Vieira. Among his contributions at MGM was his innovation of story conferences, sneak previews and scene retakes. He introduced the first horror films and coauthored the Production Code, the set of moral guidelines that all film studios agreed to follow. Thalberg helped synthesize and merge the world of stage drama and literary classics with Hollywood films. MGM thereby became the only movie studio to consistently show a profit during the Great Depression. Flamini explains that the equation for MGM's success depended on combining stars, a Broadway hit or popular classic, and high standards of production. This combination at the time was considered a "revolutionary approach" in the film industry, which until then assumed a star was all that was needed for success, regardless of the story or production quality. The other studios began following MGM's lead with that same formula. Production techniques Thalberg generally followed a system in managing his productions. According to one of his assistants, Lawrence Weingarten, who later became a producer, "Thalberg directed the film on paper, and then the director directed the film on film." Thalberg was generally opposed to location shooting overseas where he could not oversee production and control costs, as happened with Ben Hur. Thus, he kept hundreds of back-lot carpenters at work creating realistic sets, as he did for fifteenth-century Romeo and Juliet (1936), or with China Seas (1935), to replicate the harbors of Hong Kong. Vieira points out that Thalberg's "fascination with Broadway plays" often had him create and present stories visually. For China Seas, for instance, he described for the screenwriters, director and others, exactly how he wanted the film to appear on screen: To be certain of achieving the desired effects, Thalberg made sure his cinematographers were careful in their use of light and shadow. Vieira observes that "more than any other producer or any other studio, Thalberg and MGM manipulated lenses, filters, and lighting instruments to affect the viewer." As a result, he notes, "most of Thalberg's films contain moments such as these, in which cinematic technique transcends mere exposition and gives the viewer something to treasure." Thalberg was supported by most of the studio in these kinds of creative decisions. "It was a big family," notes Weingarten. "If we had a success, everybody—and I mean every cutter, every painter, every plasterer—was excited about it, was abuzz, was in a tizzy about the whole idea of picture making." Taking risks with new subjects and stars In 1929, MGM released fifty films, and all but five showed a profit. Of those that failed, Hallelujah was also a gamble by Thalberg. When King Vidor, the film's producer and director, proposed the idea to Thalberg of a major film cast, for the first time, exclusively with African Americans, he told Thalberg directly, "I doubt that it will make a dollar at the box office." Thalberg replied, "Don't worry about that. I've told you that MGM can afford an occasional experiment." By the early 1930s, a number of stars began failing at the box office, partly due to the Great Depression that was now undermining the economy, along with the public's ability to spend on entertainment. Thalberg began using two stars in a film, rather than one, as had been the tradition at all the studios, such as pairing Greta Garbo with John Gilbert, Clark Gable with Jean Harlow, and William Powell with Myrna Loy. After experimenting with a few such films, including Mata Hari (1931), which were profitable, he decided on a multi-star production of another Broadway play, Grand Hotel (1932). It had five major stars, including Garbo, Joan Crawford, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, and Wallace Beery. "Before Thalberg," writes Vieira, "there was no Grand Hotel in the American consciousness." The film won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1932. Thalberg went against consensus and took another risk with The Great Ziegfeld (1936), costarring Luise Rainer. Although Louis B. Mayer did not want her in the role, which he felt was too minor for a new star, Thalberg felt that "only she could play the part", wrote biographer Charles Higham. Shortly after shooting began in late 1935, doubts of Rainer's acting ability emerged in the press. However, despite her limited appearances in the film, Rainer "so impressed audiences with one highly emotional scene" that she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. After her winning role in The Great Ziegfeld, Thalberg wanted her to play a role that was the opposite of her previous character, for The Good Earth (1937). For the part as a Chinese peasant, she was required to act totally subservient to her husband, being perpetually huddled in submission, and barely spoke a word of dialogue during the entire film. Rainer recalls that Mayer did not approve of the film being produced or her part in it: "He was horrified at Irving Thalberg's insistence for me to play O-lan, the poor uncomely little Chinese peasant." However, she again won the Oscar for Best Actress, becoming the first actress to win two consecutive Oscars, a feat not matched until Katharine Hepburn's two Oscar wins thirty years later. Grooming new stars Besides bringing a distinctive high quality "look" to MGM films and often recreating well-known stories or plays, Thalberg's actors themselves took on a characteristic quality. Thalberg wanted his female actors to appear "cool, classy and beautiful," notes Flamini. And he strove to make the male actors appear "worldly and in control." In general, Thalberg movies and actors came to be "luxurious," "glossy," and "technically flawless." By doing so, he made stars or boosted the careers of actors such as Lon Chaney, Ramon Novarro, John Gilbert, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Helen Hayes, Jean Harlow, Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore and Luise Rainer. Greta Garbo In 1925, a young Greta Garbo, then twenty, and unable to speak any English, was brought over from Sweden at Mayer's request, as he saw how she looked in still photos. A Swedish friend thought he would help her by contacting Thalberg, who then agreed to give her a screen test. According to author Frederick Sands, "the result of the test was electrifying." Thalberg was impressed and began grooming the new starlet the following day: "the studio arranged to fix her teeth, made sure she lost weight, and gave her an English tutor." Joan Crawford Joan Crawford's first role was a Thalberg production at MGM and she became one of their leading stars for the next thirty years. Crawford was somewhat jealous of Norma Shearer as she thought she was given the better material by her husband Thalberg out of nepotism. Nevertheless, she felt that his contribution to MGM was vital to the film industry. Not long after his early death, she recalls her concerns: "Thalberg was dead and the concept of the quality 'big' picture pretty much went out the window." Marie Dressler Thalberg also realized that old stars few had heard of could be made into new ones. Marie Dressler, a fifty-nine-year-old early vaudeville and movie star, who had played the top-billed lead, above Charles Chaplin and Mabel Normand), in the first feature-length comedy, Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914), was unable to get any roles in films after leaving show business for some years, finally working as a maid. MGM screenwriter Frances Marion suggested to Thalberg that she might fit well in a starring role for a new film, and was surprised that he knew of her prior successes. Thalberg approved of using her without a screen test and offered his rationale: By 1932, shortly before she died, Dressler was the country's number one box office star. Wallace Beery Marie Dressler was paired twice, in Min and Bill (1930) and Tugboat Annie (1933), with Wallace Beery, another major silent star who had been struggling to get work in sound pictures until Thalberg cast him. Beery had enjoyed a hugely successful silent film career dating back to 1913, but had been fired by Paramount shortly after sound pictures appeared. Thalberg cast him in the role of "Machine Gun Butch," which had been meant for recently deceased Lon Chaney, in The Big House (1930), an energetic prison picture that became a huge hit. Beery was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, and his burgeoning career at MGM had transformed him into the studio's highest paid actor within two more years, during which time he won the Oscar for The Champ and had become a phenomenal box office draw as a result of Thalberg's foresight. Getting audience feedback and reshooting According to Vieira, MGM had few failures during this period, and numerous blockbusters. Among the reasons was Thalberg's unique system of developing a script during story conferences with writers before filming began, and later giving "sneak previews" followed by audience feedback through written questionnaires. Often, where he felt improvement was needed, he arranged for scenes to be reshot. As Thalberg once stated, "The difference between something good and something superior is often very small." Bad decisions and missed opportunities Thalberg felt he had his "finger on the pulse of America. I know what people will do and what they won't do," he said. His judgment was not always accurate, however. Thalberg's bringing Broadway productions to the screen to develop higher picture standards sometimes resulted in "studied" acting or "stagey" sets, notes Flamini. In 1927, after the successful release of the first full-length talking picture, The Jazz Singer (1927), he nevertheless felt that talking pictures were a fad. Thalberg likewise did not think that color would replace black-and-white in movies. When an assistant protested against a script that envisioned a love scene in Paris with an ocean background, Thalberg refused to make changes, saying "We can't cater to a handful of people who know Paris." A more serious distraction to Thalberg's efforts was his obsession with making his wife Norma Shearer a prominent star, efforts which sometimes led to "overblown and overglamous" productions. Thalberg himself admitted to his obsession years later when he told a fellow producer: "You're behaving like I did with Norma. I knew positively that she could play anything. It's a kind of romantic astigmatism that attacks producers when they fall for an actress." Important films at MGM Ben Hur (1925) One of the first pictures he took charge of, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, was inherited and already in production by another studio when MGM was formed. The film was turning into a disastrous expense with cost overruns already in the millions due to its lavish sets and location shooting in Rome. Most studio executives chose to terminate the film to cut their losses. Thalberg, however, felt differently, and thought the film would affect movie audiences, due to its classic literary source, and would highlight MGM as a major new studio. He, therefore, discarded much of the original footage shot in Italy and recreated the set on MGM's back lots in Culver City, which added more millions to the production, yet gave him more control over production. The new set also included a replica of Circus Maximus for the dramatic chariot race scenes. Flamini notes that Thalberg's "gamble paid off," drawing international attention to MGM, and to Thalberg within the movie industry for his bold action. Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty was the studio's next most expensive film after Ben Hur, with some now calling it "Thalberg's masterpiece." He initially had difficulty convincing Mayer that he could make the film without making heroes of the mutineers. He achieved that by instead making a hero of the British Royal Navy, whereby the officers and shipmates would from then on display their mutual respect. Thalberg also had to convince Clark Gable to accept the role against his will. He pleaded with Gable, eventually promising him that "If it isn't one of your greatest successes, I'll never ask you again to play a part you don't want." The film's other main stars were Charles Laughton and Franchot Tone. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Actor, and winning it for Best Picture. Thalberg accepted the award as producer from Frank Capra. Thalberg and Mayer partnership At first, Thalberg and studio chief Louis B. Mayer got along splendidly; however, they had different production philosophies. Thalberg preferred literary works, while Mayer preferred glitzy crowd-pleasing films. A clash was inevitable, and their relationship grew decidedly frosty. When Thalberg fell ill in the final weeks of 1932, Mayer took advantage of the situation and replaced him with David O. Selznick and Walter Wanger. Thalberg's reputation by that time for working long hours was widely known, and rumors about the related strain on his fragile health had become front-page news in entertainment trade publications. The Hollywood Reporter in January 1933 updated its readership about his condition and addressed growing concerns that he might be forced, despite his young age, to quit the business: Once Thalberg recovered sufficiently from his bout with the "flu" and was able to return to work later in 1933, it was as one of MGM's unit producers, albeit one who had first choice on projects as well as preferential access to all the studio's resources, including over casting its stars. Thalberg's good relationship with Nicholas Schenck, then president of Loew's Incorporated, proved to be an ongoing advantage for him. Loew's was the corporate parent of MGM, so Schenck was the true power and ultimate arbiter at the studio; and he usually supported Thalberg's decisions and continued to do so whenever disagreements about projects or production needs arose. As a result, Thalberg also continued to produce or coproduce some of MGM's most prestigious and critically acclaimed ventures in this period, such as The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) starring his wife Norma Shearer, China Seas (1935), A Night at the Opera (1935), San Francisco (1936), and Romeo and Juliet (1936). Personal life During his few years with Universal while living in New York, Thalberg had become romantically involved with Carl Laemmle's daughter, Rosabelle. Still in his early twenties and later spending most of his time in Los Angeles, his feelings toward her were no longer as strong. Flamini suspects that this may have affected his position at Universal and partly caused his decision to leave the company. "The Laemmles prayed that Irving would marry Rosabelle", notes Flamini. "They wanted their sons to be educated and their daughters to marry nice Jewish boys." Less than a year after he and Mayer took charge of the newly created MGM studios, and still only twenty-five years old, Thalberg suffered a serious heart attack due to overwork. Mayer also became aware of Thalberg's congenital heart problems and now worried about the prospect of running MGM without him. Mayer also became concerned that one of his daughters might become romantically involved, and told them so: Thalberg, aware of Mayer's feelings, made it a point of never giving too much attention to his daughters at social events. One of Thalberg's traits was his ability to work long hours into the night with little sign of fatigue. According to Vieira, Thalberg believed that as long as his mind was active in his work and he was not bored, he would not feel tired. Thalberg, who often got by with only five hours of sleep, felt that most people could get by with less than they realized. To keep his mental faculties at peak, he would read philosophical books by Bacon, Epictetus, or Kant. "They stimulate me. I'd drop out of sight in no time if I didn't read and keep up with current thought—and the philosophers are brain sharpeners." During the early 1930s, Thalberg was ambivalent about political events in Europe. While he feared Nazism and the rise of Hitler, he also feared Communism. At the time, notes Vieira, "given a choice between communism and fascism, many Americans—including Thalberg—would prefer the latter." Thalberg stated his opinion: When others suggested that many Jews could die in Germany as a result of Nazi anti-Semitism, he replied that in his opinion "Hitler and Hitlerism will pass." On one occasion, Catholic Prince Löwenstein of Germany, who himself had almost been captured before fleeing Germany, told him: "Mr. Thalberg, your own people are being systematically hunted down and rooted out of Germany." Thalberg suggested that world Jewry should nevertheless not interfere, that the Jewish race would survive Hitler. Within a few years, American film distribution was "choked off" in Germany. Led by Warner Brothers, all American studios eventually closed their German offices. Thalberg began dating actress Norma Shearer a few years after he joined MGM. Following her conversion to Judaism, they married on Thursday, September 29, 1927, in a private ceremony in the garden of his rented house in Beverly Hills. Rabbi Edgar F. Magnin officiated at the event, with Shearer's brother Douglas Shearer giving the bride away, and Louis B. Mayer serving as best man. The couple drove to Monterey for their honeymoon and then moved into their newly constructed home in Beverly Hills. After their second child was born, Shearer considered retiring from films, but Thalberg convinced her to continue acting, saying he could find her good roles. She went on to be one of MGM's biggest stars of the 1930s. Their two children were Irving Jr. (1930–1987) and Katharine (1935–2006). Death Thalberg and Shearer took a much-needed Labor Day weekend vacation in Monterey, California, in 1936, staying at the same beachfront hotel where they spent their honeymoon. A few weeks earlier, Thalberg's leading screenwriter, Al Lewin, had proposed doing a film based on a soon-to-be published book, Gone with the Wind. Although Thalberg said it would be a "sensational" role for Gable, and a "terrific picture," he decided not to do it: Besides, Thalberg told Mayer, "[n]o Civil War picture ever made a nickel". Shortly after returning from Monterey, Thalberg was diagnosed with pneumonia. His condition worsened steadily and he eventually required an oxygen tent at home. He died on September 14, at the age of 37. Sam Wood, while directing A Day at the Races, was given the news by phone. He returned to the set with tears in his eyes and told the others. As the news spread "the studio was paralyzed with shock", notes Thomas. "Work stopped and hundreds of people wept", with stars, writers, directors, and studio employees "all sharing a sense of loss at the death of a man who had been a part of their working lives", states Flamini. His funeral took place two days later, and when the services began the other studios throughout Hollywood observed five minutes of silence. Producer Sam Goldwyn "wept uncontrollably for two days" and was unable to regain his composure enough to attend. The MGM studio closed for that day. Services were held at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple that Thalberg had occasionally attended. The funeral attracted thousands of spectators who came to view the arrival of countless stars from MGM and other studios, including Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, the Marx Brothers, Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Howard Hughes, Al Jolson, Gary Cooper, Carole Lombard, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, among the screen luminaries. The ushers who led them to their seats included Clark Gable, Fredric March, and playwright Moss Hart. Erich von Stroheim, who had been fired by Thalberg, came to pay his respects. Producers Louis B. Mayer, the Warner brothers, Adolph Zukor, and Nicholas Schenck sat together solemnly as Rabbi Magnin gave the eulogy. Thalberg is buried in a private marble tomb in the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, lying at rest beside his wife Norma Shearer Arrouge (Thalberg's crypt was engraved "My Sweetheart Forever" by Shearer). Over the following days, tributes were published by the national press. Louis B. Mayer, his co-founding partner at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, said he had lost "the finest friend a man could ever have", while MGM president Nicholas Schenck stated that "Thalberg was the most important man in the production end of the motion-picture industry. Leading producers from the other studios also expressed their feelings in published tributes to Thalberg: David O. Selznick described him as "beyond any question the greatest individual force for fine pictures." Samuel Goldwyn called him "the foremost figure in the motion-picture industry ... and an inspiration." M. H. Aylesworth, Chairman of RKO, wrote that "his integrity, vision and ability made him the spearhead of all motion-picture production throughout the world." Harry Warner, president of Warner Bros., described him as "gifted with one of the finest minds ever placed at the service of motion-picture production." Sidney R. Kent, president of Twentieth Century Fox, said that "he made the whole world richer by giving it the highest type of entertainment. He was a true genius." Columbia president Harry Cohn said the "motion picture industry has suffered a loss from which it will not soon recover...". Darryl F. Zanuck noted, "More than any other man he raised the industry to its present world prestige." Adolph Zukor, chairman of Paramount, stated, "Irving Thalberg was the most brilliant young man in the motion picture business." Jesse Lasky said, "It will be utterly impossible to replace him." Among the condolences that came from world political leaders, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote, "The world of art is poorer with the passing of Irving Thalberg. His high ideals, insight and imagination went into the production of his masterpieces." Among the pictures that were unfinished or not yet released at the time of his death were A Day at the Races, The Good Earth, Camille, Maytime, and Romeo and Juliet. Groucho Marx, star of A Day at the Races, wrote, "After Thalberg's death, my interest in the movies waned. I continued to appear in them, but ... The fun had gone out of picture making." Thalberg's widow, Norma Shearer, recalled, "Grief does very strange things to you. I didn't seem to feel the shock for two weeks afterwards. ... then, at the end of those two weeks, I collapsed." Legacy in the movie industry Thalberg's legacy to the movie industry is "incalculable", states biographer Bob Thomas. He notes that with his numerous production innovations and grand stories, often turning classic literature and Broadway stage productions into big-screen pictures, he managed to keep "American movies supreme throughout the world for a generation". Darryl F. Zanuck, founder of 20th Century-Fox said that during Thalberg's brief career, he had become the "most creative producer in the history of films". Thomas describes some of his contributions: Most of MGM's major films in the 1930s were, according to Flamini, "in a very real sense", made by Thalberg. He closely supervised the making of "more pictures than any other producer in Hollywood's history", and was considered the "archetype of the creative producer", adds Flamini. Upon his early death, aged 37, an editorial in The New York Times called him "the most important force" in the motion picture industry. The paper added that for the film industry, he "set the pace and others followed ... because his way combined style, glamour, and profit." He is described by Flamini as having been "a revolutionary in a gray flannel suit". Thalberg refused to take credit as producer, and as a result, his name never appeared on the screen while he was alive. Thalberg claimed that "credit you give yourself is not worth having". He also said "If a picture is good, they'll know who produced it. If it's bad, nobody cares." His final film, released after he died, was The Good Earth (1937), which won numerous Academy Awards. Its opening screen credit was dedicated to Thalberg: In 1938, the new multimillion-dollar MGM administration building in Culver City was named for Thalberg. The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, also named for him, awards producers for consistently high production achievements. Cultural legacy The Last Tycoon In October 1939, American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald began writing The Last Tycoon, a fictionalized biography of Thalberg, naming the protagonist Monroe Stahr to represent Thalberg. "Thalberg has always fascinated me", he wrote to an editor. "His peculiar charm, his extraordinary good looks, his bountiful success, the tragic end of his great adventure. The events I have built around him are fiction, but all of them are things which might very well have happened. ... I've long chosen him for a hero (this has been in my mind for three years) because he is one of the half-dozen men I have known who were built on a grand scale." Thomas notes that among the reasons Fitzgerald chose to write a book about a Thalberg-like character, was that "throughout his literary career, Fitzgerald borrowed his heroes from friends he admired, and inevitably a bit of Fitzgerald entered the characterizations." Fitzgerald himself writes that "When I like men, I want to be like them ..." Fitzgerald and Thalberg had real-life similarities: both were prodigies, both had heart ailments, and they both died at early ages. According to biographer Matthew J. Bruccoli, Fitzgerald believed that Thalberg, with his "taste and courage, represented the best of Hollywood. ... [and] saw Thalberg as a model for what could be done in the movies." Fitzgerald died before the novel was completed, however. Bruccoli writes of Fitzgerald's book: Although parallels between Monroe Stahr in the novel and Thalberg were evident, many who knew Thalberg intimately stated that they did not see similarities in their personalities. Norma Shearer said that the Stahr character was not at all like her former husband. In the 1976 film version, directed by Elia Kazan, Monroe Stahr was played by Robert De Niro. Kazan, in his pre-production notes, described the Stahr character as he saw him: In the 2016 television series based on the novel, Monroe Stahr is played by Matt Bomer. Others Fitzgerald also based his short story "Crazy Sunday", originally published in the October 1932 issue of American Mercury, on an incident at a party thrown by Thalberg and Shearer. The story is included in Fitzgerald's collection Taps at Reveille (1935). Thalberg was portrayed in the movie Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) by Robert Evans, who went on to become a studio head himself. Thalberg was portrayed by Bill Cusack in Young Indiana Jones and the Hollywood Follies (1994), a TV film based on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, in which Indiana Jones is depicted as taking part in Thalberg's conflict with Erich von Stroheim over Foolish Wives. In 2020, Thalberg was played by Ferdinand Kingsley in the David Fincher film Mank Thalberg, played by Tobey Maguire, is rumored to appear in the upcoming movie Babylon. Filmography Producer Reputation (1921) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) Merry-Go-Round (1923) His Hour (1924) He Who Gets Slapped (1924) The Unholy Three (1925) The Merry Widow (1925) The Tower of Lies (1925) The Big Parade (1925) Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) Torrent (1926) La Bohème (1926) Brown of Harvard (1926) The Road to Mandalay (1926) The Temptress (1926) Valencia (1926) Flesh and the Devil (1926) Twelve Miles Out (1927) The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927) London After Midnight (1927) The Crowd (1928) Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) White Shadows in the South Seas (1928) Show People (1928) West of Zanzibar (1928) The Broadway Melody (1929) The Trial of Mary Dugan (1929) Voice of the City (1929) Where East Is East (1929) The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929) The Hollywood Revue of 1929 (1929) Hallelujah (1929) His Glorious Night (1929) The Kiss (1929) Anna Christie (1930) Redemption (1930) The Divorcee (1930) The Rogue Song (1930) The Big House (1930) The Unholy Three (1930) Let Us Be Gay (1930) Billy the Kid (1930) Way for a Sailor (1930) A Lady's Morals (1930) Inspiration (1931) Trader Horn (1931) The Secret Six (1931) A Free Soul (1931) Just a Gigolo (1931) Menschen hinter Gittern (1931), German-language version of The Big House (1930) The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931) The Guardsman (1931) The Champ (1931) Possessed (1931) Private Lives (1931) Mata Hari (1931) Freaks (1932) Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) Grand Hotel (1932) Letty Lynton (1932) As You Desire Me (1932) Red-Headed Woman (1932) Smilin' Through (1932) Red Dust (1932) Rasputin and the Empress (1932) Strange Interlude (1932) Tugboat Annie (1933) Bombshell (1933) Eskimo (1933) La Veuve Joyeuse (1934) French-language version of The Merry Widow Riptide (1934) The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) The Merry Widow (1934) What Every Woman Knows (1934) Biography of a Bachelor Girl (1935) No More Ladies (1935) China Seas (1935) Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) A Night at the Opera (1935) Riffraff (1936) Romeo and Juliet (1936) Camille (1936) Maytime (1937) A Day at the Races (1937) Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937) The Good Earth (1937) Marie Antoinette (1938) Writer The Trap (1922) The Dangerous Little Demon (1922) Awards Academy Awards Notes Further reading Books Flamini, Roland. Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of M-G-M (1994) Marx, Samuel. Mayer and Thalberg: The Make-believe Saints (1975) Thomas, Bob. Thalberg: Life and Legend (1969) Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg's M-G-M. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2008. Vieira, Mark A. Irving Thalberg: Boy Wonder to Producer Prince. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009. Articles Starman, Ray. "Irving Thalberg", Films In Review, June/July 1987, p. 347–353 External links Irving Thalberg at TCM Cinemagraphe Review of the Roland Flamini biography of Thalberg: The Last Tycoon and the World of MGM Irving Thalberg at Virtual History Irving Thalberg profiled in Collier's Magazine (1924) Videos 1899 births 1936 deaths American film producers Film producers from California Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award American film studio executives American male screenwriters Cinema pioneers Silent film directors Silent film producers Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer executives Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences founders Businesspeople from Los Angeles Hollywood history and culture California Republicans New York (state) Republicans USC School of Cinematic Arts faculty 20th-century American businesspeople Screenwriters from California Screenwriters from New York (state) People from Brooklyn American anti-communists American people of German-Jewish descent Deaths from pneumonia in California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American writers Jewish American writers 20th-century American screenwriters
true
[ "Archibald Livingstone (August 10, 1827 – October 10, 1890) was a merchant and politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as mayor of Kingston in 1871. His surname also appears as Livingston in some sources.\n\nThe son of Duncan Livingstone and Christina McPherson, both natives of Scotland, he was born in Montreal. At the age of 14, he began work as a store clerk in Montreal. In 1846, he moved to Kingston, where he worked as a clerk for John Mowat. Livingstone later bought the store, going into business on his own. He served on Kingston council for about twelve years. He also served as president of the local Board of Trade. In 1854, Livingstone married Selina Scobell.\n\nHe died in Kingston at the age of 63.\n\nReferences \n\n1827 births\n1890 deaths\nMayors of Kingston, Ontario", "The Blonde Around the Corner () is a 1984 Soviet romantic comedy directed by Vladimir Bortko. It tells the story of an astrophysicist who begins to work at a grocery store where he falls in love with a saleswoman. The film became Bortko's breakthrough.\n\nPlot\nFormer astrophysicist Nikolai Gavrilovich (Andrey Mironov) who spent fifteen years in a fruitless search for extraterrestrial life, neither aspiring or succeeding to acquire material wealth in life, by fate gets the post of a porter at a local self-service supermarket, where he falls in love with Nadezhda (Tatyana Dogileva), a cute blonde salesgirl of the gastronomic department, whom as it turned out, he saw every morning at the bus stop. She is also fond of him. It is immediately obvious that the businesslike and living below her means Nadezhda is the antithesis of Nikolai — she is practical, penetrating, knows all the \"right people\" (and she herself is such — due to her access to coveted food products). But at the same time she is a hopeless romantic and listens to Nikolai's stories about his scientific quests.\n\nCharming Nadezhda as a salesperson is a genuine authority on the \"real\" life, to which she seeks to involve Nikolai, and sincerely does not understand his stubborn opposition towards her efforts. But she has decided everything and has all planned out. However, unable to cope with his new status and in such an atmosphere, Nikolai runs away from his own wedding.\n\nAfter receiving a positive confirmation concerning his line of research, he returns to his old job and is leaving for a research trip to the Far North ... Nadezhda promises to get a radio telescope which is required for her beau's work, but is very difficult to obtain, and goes along with him.\n\nCast\n Tatyana Dogileva as Nadezhda, shopgirl\n Andrey Mironov as Nikolay Gavrilovich Poryvaev, scientist-astronomer\n Mark Prudkin as Gavrila Maksimovich, Nikolay's father\n Yevgeniya Khanayeva as Tatyana Vasilyevna, Nikolay's mother\n Yelena Solovey as Regina, Nikolay's former bride\n Anatoly Slivnikov as Gena 'Crocodile', Nadezhda's brother\n Baadur Tsuladze as Rashid Rashidovich, head of meat department store\n Anatoly Ravikovich as store clerk\n Aleksei Zharkov as store clerk (voice by Yevgeny Kindinov)\n Pavel Kadochnikov as Ogurtsov, scientist-astronomer, Nikolay's chief (voice by Igor Efimov)\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n\n1984 romantic comedy films\n1984 films\nFilms directed by Vladimir Bortko\nRussian-language films\nSoviet romantic comedy films\nSoviet films\nRussian romantic comedy films\nRussian films" ]
[ "Sakis Rouvas", "Kati Apo Mena, return to prominence and 21os Akatallilos (1998-2000)" ]
C_ab76ebceba934705bad406cf87785ffc_0
What was his last greatest performance
1
What was Sakis Rouvas' last greatest performance?
Sakis Rouvas
In December 1998 Rouvas released his sixth album (the first with his new label): Kati Apo Mena (Something From Me), written by Giorgos Theofanous. "Den Ehi Sidera I Kardia Sou" ("Your Heart Doesn't Have Steel Rails") was a hit, and remains one of his most-popular songs. To promote the album Rouvas performed at the Virgin Megastore in Athens, where thousands of fans created a traffic jam. The next year, Rouvas records "Oso Exo Esena" ("As Long As I Have You"), a duet with singer Stelios Rokkos. The two artists work and perform together at Bio Bio in Athens during the summer. In March 2000 Rouvas released his seventh album, 21os Akatallilos (21+ X-Rated), and performed with Katy Garbi at Pili Axiou in Thessaloniki. The album and its first single, "Andexa" ("I Held Out"), reached number one on the charts. During May rehearsals for summer performances Rouvas was hospitalized with abdominal pain, which was diagnosed as peritonitis and required an appendectomy. On 25 October 2000, he began appearing with Antonis Remos and Peggy Zina at Apollonas for the winter season. That year Rouvas became the Pepsi spokesperson for the company's Greek summer campaign making a first television ad, a first for a Greek entertainer. His collaboration with Pepsi continued into 2001, with a May television ad. The advertisement, featuring a semi-nude Rouvas holding a Pepsi bottle in front of his genitals, was controversial among women's rights and parental associations. Calling it "unsightly, vulgar and unacceptable", they tried to have the ad blocked as "disgrac[ing] childhood innocence and dignity." The Pepsi Tour 2001, of seven Greek cities, followed. During summer 2000 Rouvas, Psinakis and a number of other celebrities visited Mykonos on a yacht borrowed from a local physician. They were accused of drug possession, since the yacht contained narcotics. The incident was publicized amid speculation that Rouvas might have a drug addiction. Although the doctor admitted that the narcotics were his, his guests were questioned. Wishing to avoid court, Rouvas paid a fine and minimized the incident. However, thousands of T-shirts were printed which read: "Imoun ki ego sto kotero!" ("I was on the yacht, too!"). CANNOTANSWER
On 25 October 2000, he began appearing with Antonis Remos and Peggy Zina at Apollonas for the winter season.
Anastasios "Sakis" Rouvas (, ; born 5 January 1972), also known mononymously as Sakis, is a Greek recording artist; model; film and television actor; businessman and former pole vaulter. Born in Corfu, he won medals on the national athletics team during the 1980s. Rouvas began a musical career in 1991 as one of Greece's first dance-pop performers. His tenor vocals, complex choreography, costumes, and technological advancements have been credited with transforming music videos and live performances. Rouvas is noted for avoiding domestic music, attaining success for a non-laïko or -éntekhno artist, and for breaking cultural, social, artistic, and generational barriers in Greece and Cyprus. During the early 1990s, Rouvas signed with PolyGram Records and won the Thessaloniki Song Festival. Despite five commercially successful albums, his personal life (including his military service and 1997 Greek-Turkish peace concert, which damaged his public image) has been publicized. Rouvas signed with Minos EMI in 1997, returning to the charts with Kati Apo Mena (1998) and 21os Akatallilos (2000) and ending his 14-year collaboration with manager Ilias Psinakis. One of the few Greek entertainers to gain recognition abroad, he has been popular in the Balkans since the 1990s. By the 2010s, Rouvas had expanded his career to film, television, theatre and fashion. His single "Shake It" is one of the best-selling CD singles of all time in Greece, his songs and videos, such as "1992", "Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas", "Ela Mou", "Min Antistekesai", "Xana", "Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola", "Den Ehei Sidera I Kardia Sou", "Ypirhes Panta", "Antexa", "Se Thelo San Trelos", "+ Se Thelo" and "Sta Kalytera Mou" have topped the popular Greek charts. Since 2003 Rouvas has been in a relationship with model Katia Zygouli, with whom he has four children. He is involved in social issues, and has been praised for his dedication to philanthropic organizations. Rouvas has won six Arion Music Awards, 15 Pop Corn Music Awards, 22 MAD Video Music Awards, four Status Man of the Year Awards, an MTV Europe Music Award and a World Music Award. Several number-one albums and singles which have been certified gold or higher have made him one of Greece's most popular musical artists. Known for his independence, Rouvas' musical, fashion and performance styles have influenced other artists for over two decades. In 2009 Down Town named him its "Entertainer of the Decade"; in 2010, Forbes listed him as the third-most-influential celebrity in Greece and the country's top-ranked singer. Early life Rouvas was born on 5 January 1972 in Mantouki, a suburb of Corfu City on the island of Corfu, the eldest of four sons of Konstantinos "Kostas" Rouvas (an ambulance driver) and the teenaged Anna-Maria Panaretou (a duty-free shop clerk at the local airport). He has three brothers: Billy (b. Vasilios, 1975), Tolis (b. Apostolos, 1977) and Nikos (b. Nikolaos, 1991). The family was poor, and Rouvas began taking care of his brothers at age five. At age four, he exhibited athletic ability and took ballet classes as a child. His parents had a theatrical background, and at age ten Rouvas starred in his first theatrical production (An I Karharies Itan Anthropi; If Sharks Were People). His older co-stars were impressed with his talent. Soon afterwards Rouvas discovered music, which he enjoyed nearly as much as athletics. He taught himself guitar, inspired by international artists such as Elvis Presley. In 1984 his parents divorced; Rouvas and his brother Tolis moved to their paternal grandparents' home in the village of Potamos when their father remarried. The young Rouvas held a variety of jobs to support his family, including work in an automobile repair shop, as a construction worker and a bartender. Since his early childhood he had difficulty in school, particularly in reading and writing. Working during the day, Rouvas went to school at night with his mother (who had not finished secondary school). At age 15, Rouvas joined the Greek national track and field team as an admirer of Ukrainian pole-vaulter Sergey Bubka. His vaults were consistently high—averaging —and he won a number of national awards. Rouvas continued in athletics until age 18, believing he had a future in music and joining the Corfu Band. At his graduation, he sang hits by Elvis and The Beatles. Rouvas began performing at local clubs and hotels; at To Ekati, he was seen by future manager Ilias Psinakis. He left Corfu at age 18, moving to Patras in search of a better future. Career Early commercial success (1991–93) After moving to Patras, Rouvas continued to look for performance opportunities until he met Dakis (a popular Greek artist who was the first person to help him professionally). Rouvas moved to Athens, and made his first professional appearance in 1991 at the Show Centre. His showmanship attracted the attention of music executives such as Nikos Mouratidis, who encouraged songwriter Giorgos Pavrianos to produce him. Rouvas, singing Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" was discovered by PolyGram executives who signed him to his first recording contract. Several months later he debuted at the Thessaloniki Song Festival, losing Best Vocal Performance to Giorgos Alkaios but singing the Best Composition ("Par'ta"; "Take Them", with music by Nikos Terzis and lyrics by Giorgos Pavrianos). There was a brief earthquake during the festival. Rouvas released his eponymous debut album, which topped the Greek Albums Chart, the day after the festival. "Par'ta" became a radio hit, and other songs of the album such as "1992", "Ego S'agapo" ("I Love You") and "Gia Fantasou" ("Imagine") also became popular. In September 1992 Rouvas released his second album, Min Andistekese (Don't Resist), also composed by Nikos Terzis. It produced the singles "Gyrna" ("Return"), "Min Andistekese", "Na Ziseis Moro Mou" ("Live, My Baby") and "Me Kommeni Tin Anasa" ("Breathless"), with a music video of the title track. The album's success helped establish Rouvas at the top of the Greek music scene. In October 1993 Rouvas released his third album, Gia Sena (For You), with music by Alexis Papadimitriou and lyrics by Eleni Giannatsoulia and Evi Droutsa. The single "Kane Me" ("Make Me") became a radio hit, with "To Xero Eisai Moni" ("I Know You Are Alone") and "Xehase To" ("Forget It") also receiving airplay. Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas, Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola, and move to Minos EMI (1994–97) In the winter of 1994 Rouvas collaborated with singer-songwriter and record producer Nikos Karvelas on his fourth album, Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas (Blood, tears & sweat), and its singles "Ela Mou" ("Come To Me") and "Xana" ("Again") became radio hits. Rouvas' collaboration with Karvelas was received skeptically by the media; when asked why he had chosen to collaborate with Rouvas, Karvelas said: "Sakis is the only star out of a generation which produces dull artists." In 1996 Rouvas released his fifth studio album, Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola (Now the Hard Times Start), again collaborating with Nikos Karvelas and lyricist Natalia Germanou. During the winter he sang with Anna Vissi at the Chaos Club in Athens, appearing in the duet "Se Thelo, Me Theleis" ("I Want You, You Want Me", also written by Karvelas) on her 1997 album Travma (Trauma). In 2017 Rouvas and Burak Kut had recorded a duet in Greek and Turkish the previous year entitled "Birgün/Otan" ("When"), a cover of "Someday" for the Greek soundtrack of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (I Panagia Ton Parision, in which Rouvas voiced the role of Quasimodo) under the label of Minos EMI. Kati Apo Mena, return to prominence and 21os Akatallilos (1998–2000) In December 1998 Rouvas released his sixth album (the first with his new label): Kati Apo Mena (Something From Me), written by Giorgos Theofanous. "Den Ehi Sidera I Kardia Sou" ("Your Heart Doesn't Have Steel Rails") was a hit, and remains one of his most-popular songs. To promote the album Rouvas performed at the Virgin Megastore in Athens, where thousands of fans created a traffic jam. The next year, Rouvas records "Oso Exo Esena" ("As Long As I Have You"), a duet with singer Stelios Rokkos. The two artists work and perform together at Bio Bio in Athens during the summer. In March 2000 Rouvas released his seventh album, 21os Akatallilos (21+ X-Rated), and performed with Katy Garbi at Pili Axiou in Thessaloniki. The album and its first single, "Andexa" ("I Held Out"), reached number one on the charts. During May rehearsals for summer performances Rouvas was hospitalized with abdominal pain, which was diagnosed as peritonitis and required an appendectomy. On 25 October 2000, he began appearing with Antonis Remos and Peggy Zina at Apollonas for the winter season. That year Rouvas became the Pepsi spokesperson for the company's Greek summer campaign making a first television ad, a first for a Greek entertainer. The Pepsi Tour 2001, of seven Greek cities, followed. Ola Kala, international exposure and To Hrono Stamatao (2001–04) In 2001, Rouvas signed with Universal Licensing Music (ULM) of Universal Music France after he was recommended by singer Nana Mouskouri. He collaborated with American songwriter-producer Desmond Child and Phoebus on "Disco Girl"; it was a hit in Greece and certified platinum, winning Rouvas the Pop Singer of the Year award at the inaugural Arion Music Awards. The single was later released in France, with an English version written by Andreas Carlsson. Rouvas played 20 shows across France in support of "Disco Girl", which received ample airplay, and was compared to Latin pop star Ricky Martin. Rouvas' eighth album, Ola Kala (a collaboration with Desmond Child, Phoebus and Greek songwriters Natalia Germanou and Vangelis Konstantinidis), was released in June 2002. The album went gold in Greece within 11 days and platinum within 4 months. In April 2003, Rouvas appeared with Antonis Remos and Nana Mouskouri at the Arion Awards. He released his ninth album, To Hrono Stamatao (I Stop Time), in December; it was certified gold after its release. Songs from the album received radio airplay, and that month Rouvas began appearing at Fever with Giorgos Tsalikis and ONE for the winter season. A Greek version of "Feelings" from the album, "Pes Tis" ("Tell Her"), was released as a single with the same video as its French- and English-language counterparts. Eurovision and S'eho Erotefthi (2004–05) In March 2004, Hellenic Radio and Television (ERT) announced that Rouvas would represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 after the selection process on the reality show EuroStar proved unsatisfactory. The show's winner was expected to represent Greece, with Nikos Terzis writing the song entry; however, ERT changed its plans when the winner's ability to perform under so much pressure was questionable and Rouvas expressed an interest in representing his country. In mid-March "Shake It", with music by Terzis and lyrics by Nektarios Tyrakis, premiered on Greek radio. Originally, the song had Latin spirit and sound but Terzis changed it, combining the Greek traditional bouzouki sound with the Latin one to make it sound different from other Latin entries of the competition. At the third Arion Music Awards, he won Best Pop Singer for To Hrono Stamatao. In mid-April "Shake It" was released as a CD single, and Rouvas began a promotional tour of Europe for the contest; To Hrono Stamatao was reissued with a bonus "Shake It" single. The song remained number one on the Greek airplay charts for several weeks, and was number one on the IFPI Greece Top 50 singles chart for nine consecutive weeks. Rouvas was favored to win the Eurovision final. On 12 May 2004 he performed in the semi-final (appearing 10th out of 22), and performed 16th out of 24 in the 15 May 2004 final. Rouvas had two female dancers and three backing vocalists: the EuroStar winner and runners-up. Fokas Evangelinos, Rouvas' longtime choreographer, choreographed his stage show. "Shake It" finished third in the final, with Rouvas attracting great interest in the contest by Greek viewers (with a rating of 86.7 percent, the highest rating in Greek TV history at the time). Rouvas' appearance in Eurovision was a turning point in his career; his public perception changed from media-produced celebrity to notable pop artist, and he became more accessible to the media. In June 2004, Rouvas performed "Shake It" at the first MAD Video Music Awards, where he won Sexiest Appearance for the "Pes Tis" ("Tell Her") music video. On 7 July, Rouvas performed in Istanbul with Turkish artist (and 2003 Eurovision Song Contest winner) Sertab Erener in another attempt to maintain peace between the two countries. In August he carried the Olympic torch through Panathinaiko Stadium and performed at the closing ceremony for the 2004 Summer Olympics, in which he was lowered to the stage from the air and sang a traditional Greek song, "Karapiperim". In fall 2004, Rouvas recorded a duet version of "Se Thelo San Trelos" ("I Want You Like Crazy", from 21os Akatallilos) with Russian pop singer Philip Kirkorov. In December he began performing with Giorgos Mazonakis at Fever for the winter season, with Elena Paparizou as their opening act. His show was praised; Georgia Laimou of E-go, known for scathing reviews, wrote: "I have only good things to say about Sakis and I don't want to hear 'boo' from anyone. I don't think that a more neat, well-supported, professional, and generally flawless performance than Sakis' exists on the Athenian clubs." On 6 April 2005 Rouvas released his tenth album, S'eho Erotefthi (I'm in Love With You), which went platinum in five months and was eventually certified 3× platinum. With Vodafone Greece as their main sponsor, release parties for the CD were held in Heraklion, Corfu, Thessaloniki, and Athens on the same day and "S'eho Erotefti", "Hilia Milia" ("A Thousand Miles"), "Mila Tis" ("Talk to Her"), "Na M' Agapas" ("You Should Love Me") and "Cairo" became radio hits. That year, Rouvas won the World Music Award as Best-Selling Greek Artist of 2004. In September he gave a charity concert at the Olympic Indoor Hall for an audience of 20,000 (the largest production by any Greek entertainer until Rouvas surpassed the record in 2009), followed by a concert in Patras. Live Ballads, Eurovision and Iparhi Agapi Edo (2006) On 14 February 2006, Rouvas gave a Valentine's Day concert where he sang his popular ballads and cover versions of ballads by other Greek and foreign artists. The concert was recorded, videotaped and released as Live Ballads (Rouvas' first live album and video) later in April as a CD and CD/DVD package. The CD featured three new studio tracks—"Horis Kardia" ("Without a Heart"; Greek version of Damien Rice's "The Blower's Daughter"), "Eisai Oli Mou H Zoi" and an English-language version of "S'eho Erotefthi" entitled "I'm in Love With You"—and topped the Greek album chart. On 3 April, Rouvas sang "Horis Kardia" at the Arion Music Awards, where he won Best Pop Album and Best Pop Singer for S'eho Erotefthi. In May the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was held in Athens, since Greece won the contest the previous year and Rouvas was asked by ERT to host the semi-final and final with Maria Menounos. At the semi-finals, Rouvas opened the show by singing the Katrina and the Waves song "Love Shine a Light" with Menounos. During the voting intermission, he performed "I'm in Love With You". On 14 June, Rouvas performed "Agapa Me" ("Love Me"; Greek version of Julio Iglesias "Abrázame") and "Na M' Agapas" at the third MAD Video Music Awards, where he won Best Video by a Male Artist (for "Na M' Agapas") and Best-Dressed Artist in a Video (for "Mila Tis"). At the end of the summer (6 September), he collaborated with Vodafone on a beach-party concert at Yabanaki known as "Sakis on the Waves". On 13 November he began filming his feature-film debut, in Alter Ego and on 6 December 2006 Rouvas released his eleventh studio album, Iparhi Agapi Edo (There Is Love Here). "Ego Travo Zori" (I'm Having a Hard Time") and "18 (Iprarhi Agapi Edo)" received radio airplay. The lyrics for "Mikros Titanikos (Se Latrevo)" ("Little Titanic [I Adore You]") were written by Yiannis Parios, and his son Harry Varthakouris composed the music. The album was certified platinum (selling over 40,000 copies as of April 2007). Film and television career, This Is My Live and Irthes (2007–08) Rouvas' Academy Awards prime-time special, Sakis Oscar Songs, aired on 20 February 2007 on Nova. The special was filmed at a private concert at Athens Arena, and featured Oscar-winning songs. In March, he began performing at Boom in Thessaloniki with Despina Vandi. On 10 May 2007 Village Roadshow Productions' Alter Ego premiered in theatres across Greece with the avant premiere being on 7 May. With a budget of €2 million, it was one of the most expensive productions in Greece. The film received mixed reviews and sold only one-fifth of the expected number of tickets. Its 200,000 tickets made Alter Ego an average success for Greek cinema, although Rouvas was disappointed in its media coverage. The film dealt with young musicians living the rock-and-roll lifestyle (including drug abuse) facing their inner fears in the loss of a loved one. Its soundtrack was recorded by the cast of the movie and Rouvas and the theme song, "Zise Ti Zoi" ("Live Life"), reached the top 10. On 29 June 2008, Alter Ego was screened at a Los Angeles Greek festival. On 20 July 2007, Rouvas performed in Ptolemaida, Kozani as part of the Expedition for Environment Act Now! On 10 September 2007, his concert at the Lycabettus theater as part of an OPAP campaign encouraging blood donation was recorded and was released as a CD/DVD on 12 December 2007 entitled This Is My Live. The album also featured his last single "Stous 31 Dromous" ("On 31 Roads"). On 29 October, Rouvas received his sixth Arion (Best Pop Song for "Ola Gyro Sou Gyrizoun") from five nominations, although he was absent from the ceremony. In spring 2008, Rouvas and Antonis Remos toured North America, Australia and South Africa. Rouvas' song "+ Se Thelo" ("And I Want You") by Dimitris Kontopoulos, became a radio hit and a video with footage from the July 2008 MAD Video Music Awards, was released at the end of the year. "+ Se Thelo" became a staple of Rouvas' career. It was a critical landmark, a rare case of a Greek artist breaking generational barriers and producing a hit of that magnitude nearly two decades into their career. In July 2008 Rouvas was announced as host for the first season of the Greek version of The X Factor, which premiered on 24 October. Rouvas was Greece's representative—singing "Stous 31 Dromous"—in the OGAE Song Contest, placing third behind Croatia and the United Kingdom. On 3 December, Rouvas released his 12th studio album, Irthes (You Arrived), produced by Dimitris Kontopoulos. The same titled song "Irthes" was released few days earlier, on 20 November, and it was dedicated to his newborn daughter. The following day, on 4 December, he premiered his winter concert series with the Maggira Sisters at STARZ. Eurovision, Duress, Parafora and business career (2009–2012) ERT made an early announcement confirming that Rouvas would again be Greece's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. He performed his three songs ("Out of Control", "Right on Time" and "This Is Our Night", all composed by Dimitris Kontopoulos) at the Greek finals in February; the latter was the runaway winner with the jury and the viewers, winning 61 percent of the vote (the largest margin ever, and the most votes received by ERT in a national final). The song debuted at number one on the Greek Digital Singles chart, while Rouvas embarked on a promotional tour of Europe. He said publicly that he hoped to return the contest to Greece the following year. A win was widely anticipated by the Greek public, with the country being one of the three favorites among the Eurovision fans. However, Rouvas finished seventh in the final. The singer and the Greek public were disappointed with the result, and he issued a public apology for his loss. Rouvas received universal support from the public and the media, a first for a Greek Eurovision entrant regardless of result. On 27 March Rouvas was appointed by ELPIDA Charity Foundation president and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Marianna Vardinoyannis as a "messenger" for the foundation, a charity for children with cancer, publicly recognizing his longtime behind-the-scenes support. He joined fast food chain Goody's in its ArGOODaki campaign, and donated €300,000 to the foundation in April. That month Rouvas and Zygouli introduced beauty company Mariella Nails Body and Mind Care, of which they own 25 percent. On 1 July 2009, Rouvas performed a sold-out concert in support of environmental issues at Panathenaic Stadium before an audience of 40,000. He was one of the few musicians permitted to perform at the venue; it was the largest attendance ever at the stadium for a non-sporting event, and the largest attendance for a single musical artist in Greek history. The concert, organized by the National Youth Council, coincided with the start of the national public smoking ban. The sold-out Sakis Live Tour visited an additional 10 cities from July to September, and he performed a sold-out concert series at Politia Live Clubbing in Thessaloniki. In October, the singer returned to host the second season of the Greek version of The X Factor and dubbed the voice of Captain Charles T. Baker in the Greek version of Planet 51. He made his American film debut in the psychological thriller Duress, with Martin Donovan. The film was screened at festivals in Poland and Russia, and was given a wide theatrical release in December by Greek distributor Hollywood Entertainment. It was expected to be released on home video in the United States. Rouvas performed at his new S Club for the winter 2009–10 season (with Tamta, Eleftheria Eleftheriou and the American rapper Gifted) and opened sushi restaurant EDO. On 2 March 2010 the successful S Club caught fire, sustaining up to €4 million in damage. The cause of the fire was unknown, but Athens police suspected arson by rival club owners since witnesses reported seeing containers of gasoline. After repairs, Rouvas' show resumed from 19 March to 9 April and moved to Thessaloniki on 7 May for a six-week engagement at Politia Live Clubbing. He appeared on Tamta's single "Tharros I Alitheia" for her album of the same name. The song became a major club hit, and won a MAD Video Music Award for Best Duet–Collaboration Video. Rouvas' 13th studio album, Parafora, was released on 14 December 2010 and topped the IFPI Top 75 Albums chart. It shipped 24,000 copies its first week, for a double-platinum certification. The album's first single ("Spase Ton Hrono") was Rouvas' fourth consecutive single to reach number one on all Greek charts. It won Best Balkan Song from Greece at the first Balkan Music Awards; its video gave Rouvas five MAD Video Music Awards nominations (more than any other video) and Best Pop Video, Artist of the Year and Fashion Icon of the Year awards. The song also contributed to Rouvas' MTV Europe Music Award for Best Greek Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2010, and he was shortlisted for the MTV Europe Music Award for Best European Act. "Emena Thes", the second single, was released in May and peaked at number five on the mixed-airplay and digital sales charts. The title track was released in October; it was number one on the domestic-airplay chart for three weeks and peaked at number two on the mixed-airplay chart. The album's fourth single, "Oi dyo mas" was released in late February 2011. Its video clip was released at the end of March, when the song topped the national-airplay chart. For the second consecutive year, Rouvas was Singer of the Year at the Status Men of the Year Awards. In June Rouvas and his brother, Vasilis, launched TV and film production company Sakis Rouvas Kinematografos EPE, and on 14 July Rouvas ended the Greek French Embassy's Bastille Day celebration with renditions of the French and Greek national anthems. His eight-city summer tour lasted from 24 July to 19 September. At a 27 July stop in Corinth he introduced the Sakis Rouvas Collection of clothing (to which he had creative input) to Greek retailer Sprider Stores. The collection, for men and women, was launched on 16 September and available in October. Rouvas performed at the Mykonos Xlsior Festival in support of the LGBT movement on 27 August; although he was scheduled to perform at the first Εurovoice on 23 September with Enrique Iglesias, Anastacia and host Pamela Anderson, his appearance was canceled a day before the event for undisclosed reasons. For the winter season of 2010–11 Rouvas joined Anna Vissi for Face2Face, a concert series at Athens Arena beginning on 15 October. ANT1 was in negotiations with Rouvas to star in a TV series after The X Factor, and he hosted the third season of the talent show from 29 October – 11 February. For his performance, Rouvas was Presenter of the Year at the 2011 Cypriot Men of the Year Awards. On 2 February 2011 Rouvas was one of eight acts in the first MADWalk (equivalent to the international Fashion Rocks), where he represented Celia Kritharioti Haute Couture. In the spring he made ten appearances at Thalassa. After a short break Rouvas continued his live appearances at Puli Axiou in Thessaloniki, announcing his upcoming winter performances at Athens Arena with Onirama and Eleni Foureira as his opening act and releasing his new single, "Kane na mi s' agapiso". At the 2012 Johnnie Walker Men of the Year Awards in Cyprus Rouvas was presented with the Greek of the Year award for his philanthropic contributions, particularly to the Elpida Foundation. In February 2012 he performed his new single ("Bad Thing") with American singer Nomi Ruiz of Jessica 6 at the second MADWalk, where he represented designer Apostolos Mitropoulos. The single was expected to be released worldwide after the show. In May 2012 Rouvas released a new single, "Tora" ("Νow") which he performed at the 2012 MAD Video Music Awards. In November, he released a rock-Zeibekiko mash-up ballad entitled "Niose Ti Thelo" ("Feel What I Want"). Rouvas was nominated for four Mad Video Music Awards (including Best Pop Video and Video of the Year), winning Male Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year for "I Dyo Mas". Theatre, Chevalier and Mia Hara Na Pernas (2013–2020) Rouvas returned to television as a presenter for ANT1's Iroes Anamesa Mas (Heroes Among Us), a ten-part documentary series focusing on stories of people who have been commended for heroic deeds which premiered on 24 May 2013. For the series, Rouvas traveled throughout Greece interviewing the featured nominees. During the summer, he made his theatrical debut in Euripides' tragedy The Bacchae in the lead role of Dionysus, for which he was awarded with the best performance award by the 2014 Greek Theatre Critics Awards in the category of ancient drama. Working again with songwriter Theofanous, in May 2013 Rouvas released a ballad single ("Mia Hara Na Pernas"; "Have A Good Time"). At the 2013 MAD Video Music Awards, he was nominated for four awards: Best Pop Video, Video of the Year, Male Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year. "Tora" was nominated for most-played radio song of the year, and as part of the awards' tenth anniversary Rouvas' 2008 live performance of "+ Se Thelo" was nominated for best live performance in the show's history. On 24 November 2013 Rouvas was among a group from the Ionian Islands who were commended by the Hellenic Union of Eptanisians (Ionians) for their work and philanthropy. To honor the winners, the organization released a collectors'-edition philatelic envelope with a stamp bearing a picture of the group. In January 2014, continuing his support for the Elpida Foundation in practice, Rouvas became the first volunteer bone-marrow donor at the Orama Elpidas (Vision of Hope) marrow bank, and he is appearing in a foundation campaign encouraging marrow donation. His "Ace of Hearts Tour" that started on 26 April 2014, was dedicated to the Elpida Foundation and the Orama Elpidas marrow bank. The final concert of the tour took place in Athens on 11 October 2014. On 13 January 2014, it was announced that Rouvas would be part of Athina Tsaggari's new feature film named "Chevalier", where he would be one of the protagonists of the movie. The shootings of the movie started on January and are set to be done in March 2014. On 11 March 2014, Rouvas himself uploaded a promo video of his new single "Se Pethimisa" (I Missed You) on his YouTube channel that will be released later during the year. For this song, Rouvas continues his cooperation with the songwriter Theofanous, while the lyrics belong to Thanos Papanikolaou. After his success as Dionysus in The Bacchae, Rouvas' next theatrical step includes a musical. In September 2014, it was announced that Rouvas would be part of the musical "Hraklis; Oi dodeka athloi" (Hercules; The twelve labours) at the role of Hercules. The premiere took place on 12 December 2014. In 2015 he performed Mikis Theodorakis's Axion Asti. In 2016 Chevalier, was selected as the Greek entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards. Since 2016, Rouvas has been a coach on The Voice Greece. Rouvas performed in Estate Club for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons (with Stelios Rokkos and Helena Paparizou (2019-2020)). He and Rokkos collaborated in the single "Ta Zorikia Vradia" in 2018. Rouvas single "Ela Sto Horo" was released in 2019. In September 2019 he gave a concert along with Helena Paparizou and Eleni Foureira. He and Paparizou later in 2020 released a single called "Etsi einai i Fasi". In August 2020 he performed in Odeon of Herodes Atticus along with soprano Sonia Theodoridou. Sta Kalytera Mou, Idols and current projects (2021–current) In spring 2021 Sakis Rouvas released his new 14th album, titled "Sta Kalytera Mou" and produced by Phoebus. Lead single was titled Yperanthropos. The album reached number one on the IFPI Greece top 75 abums sales chart for several consecutive weeks, and was the Greek best-selling album of 2021 in Greece. He also took part in the collaborative album "O Prigkipas tis Dytikis Ochthis", which was released in the memory of the singer-songwriter Manos Xydous, a member of the Greek rock band Pyx Lax. The album ended the third best selling greek language album of 2021. In late 2021 he presented the television documentary series "Idols", dedicated to personalities who stigmatized Greece's popular culture with their professional course and life. Aliki Vougiouklaki, Malvina Karali, Nikos Kourkoulos, Dimitris Mitropanos, Vlassis Bonatsos lives were featured. Artistry Influences Elvis Presley was Rouvas' musical idol; he also enjoyed The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Kiss and Queen. Although he was influenced most by 1960s music, he also likes George Michael and Michael Bolton. The singer considers Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" "one of the ten best songs that have ever been written." Similarities between Presley and Rouvas have been noted; during his STARZ performances, the Maggira Sisters' opening sketch was based on Presley's concern about a popular Greek singer who imitated him. Rouvas covered Presley's "Suspicious Minds" for the Alter Ego soundtrack, and has said that what impressed him most as a child about Presley was "the way that he sang, that he danced, that he felt what he interpreted and what I believed that his audience felt when they heard him". He has also been influenced by Greek artists such as Giannis Parios, Marinella and Nana Mouskouri (his mentor), and considers Haris Alexiou and Anna Vissi as the two greatest Greek female artists. Michael Jackson's "Earth Song" is a favourite of Rouvas' for its environmental message; after Jackson's death, he dedicated a song to the American singer at his Concert for the Environment and spoke about Jackson's legacy: "[Michael Jackson was] one of the most significant singers ever on this planet and the biggest showman that has ever passed by on this planet [...] a person whose life was a 'thriller', but however complicated his life was, he dedicated it for the good of the children and of the planet. Many people want to remember him for the complex persona that he had, I want to remember him for everything that he gave to us all of these years, and for all the reasons that he inspired us." Musicianship Rouvas is fluent in Greek, English and French, presenting the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in all three languages. He has also recorded songs in all three languages, singing phonetically in Turkish and Russian for his 1997 collaboration with Burak Kut in Cyprus and the Russian duet version of "Se Thelo San Trelos" ("Kak Sumashedshij Ya") with Philipp Kirkorov; one of three versions, it was a Russian hit. Rouvas plays guitar, bass, piano, cello and some percussion. On some tours he plays his black Gibson Les Paul electric guitar, switching to acoustic guitar for unplugged performances such as Live Ballads. Rouvas has expressed disappointment with the ignorance of youthful audiences of older music. He considers himself a pop-rock artist, although he has described his musical style as "always more rock" than he has been credited. Rouvas has been praised for not tapping into traditional Greek music for commercial success, since pop music is a niche genre in Greece. Asked if he thought it difficult being a pop-rock artist in a folk market, he replied that there was a need for a variety of genres; while he has experimented with traditional Greek music, it is not what he feels he does best. Vocal style Rouvas had no vocal lessons as a boy and taught himself primarily by ear, so during the recording of his first album he had to learn music theory in a short time. His voice developed significantly since his early teenaged performances. Rouvas' detractors have criticized his voice as average, or limited, contending that his appeal is based on image. Whatever the assessment of his voice, it has often been overshadowed by showmanship and appearance in the media; many preferred to watch him perform than to listen to him. These criticisms diminished by the second decade of Rouvas' career; his technical skills (range, power and versatility in particular) and expression are better appreciated. Rouvas has a tenor vocal range; although he can also sing low, in the F-clef range, he prefers to sing higher and can reach notes beyond the typical tenor high without falsetto, varying his dynamics from whispers to belts. His vocal power was evident in early recordings, notably on "Mia Fora" from Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas (the first album to showcase his vocal ability). During his 1997–98 hiatus, Rouvas received voice lessons from American coach Raz Kennedy focusing on rock and blues techniques. His subsequent sixth album, Kati Apo Mena, was a milestone in Rouvas' vocal development; he exhibited a consistent depth and dimension which previously appeared only sporadically on his first five albums. He won the Pop Corn Music Award for Best Male Vocal Performance twice in a row: for 1999's "Den Ehei Sidera I Kardia Sou" and 2000's "Se Thelo San Trelos" (the latter from 21os Akatallilos). By Live Ballads in 2006, Pavlos Zervas of Music Corner considered that Rouvas' voice had reached its most-mature form. Critic Tasos P. Karantis of Orfeas conceded that Rouvas sang with competence and technical precision, and his voice was easily recognizable. Ilias Malasidis of Athens 24 noted that Rouvas' voice was initially more intriguing than his material. His voice is best-suited to power ballads, his signature style due to his sensual tone. Reviewers have praised Rouvas' live performances, particularly his ability to execute "especially difficult and demanding songs", hold long, high notes and dance while singing. Down Town commended him for never using a playback track, common among Greek artists, but Billboard noted that an ability to sing well in English would increase his international appeal. During his career, Rouvas has perform in a number of genres, contemporary and traditional; in some songs (such as "O Iroas" from Iparhi Agapi Edo), he delivers spoken verses which have been described as a "light rap." He has also performed as a crooner styles and a classical tenor. Rouvas' defining characteristic as a vocalist has been his emotional expression. He maintains his voice with a strict organic food diet and avoiding alcohol and smoking, banning smoking in his dressing room. Singer-songwriter Stelios Rokkos, who collaborated with him for three seasons, described him as "probably the most disciplined singer I have ever met—in fact, to the point of insanity." Live shows and music videos Film and television After his 2005 move to Los Angeles Rouvas studied acting and received some training from his friend, Tom Hanks. He was interested in film since childhood, and a year and a half later he received an offer from Village Roadshow. In Rouvas' first feature film, Alter Ego (of which he was also associate producer), he played a role similar to himself. Before that, he dubbed English-language animated films in Greek. When comparisons between Rouvas and the character Stefanos in Alter Ego arose (with speculation that the character was autobiographical), he replied that despite similarities Stefanos was a "much more aggressive person." Rouvas adopted a new look for the film, credited by Nitro as reflecting the emo movement emerging among Greek youth. While Rouvas was attracted some critical praise for his foray into acting, others felt that it was too early to evaluate his acting talent. Rouvas' second film (the indie Duress) was a Hollywood psychological thriller in which he played a serial killer, against type for Greek audiences, and said the film was the most difficult thing he had done in his career until that point. Giannis Zoumboulakis of To Vima found Rouvas convincing in the film's cat-and-mouse plot: "You accept the proposal from the first moments, forgetting completely that the 'bad' guy in the story is the host of X-Factor", concluding that "Going against his own image, Rouvas creates a very exceptional psycho killer. With his gray-beige, old wool coat and grimy, parted hair and without his bright smile he creates from scratch a hero that is all his." Panagiotis Timogiannakis contended that Rouvas began showing a different side of himself in Alter Ego, noting that the lighting in both films did not flatter him. Timogiannakis wondered if Rouvas had deglamourized himself to receive serious roles: "He needs to clear up whether he wants to have a career of a star or of a role player. A born role player he does not seem to be. A born star he is." The 2006 Eurovision Song Contest was a springboard for glib host roles, such as for The X Factor. Producer Giannis Latsios said that Rouvas' presence contributed significantly to the show's success, calling his first-season performance "great" and adding: "We had a program that had to do with music and Sakis, on a collective level, is an icon that the generation which participates in this show has as an idol. He is a glowing character with much higher capabilities of expression and, if he decides to continue this path, will improve. He has immediacy, critique and most of all he gave to a program a luster, which was not standard from the beginning." Personal life After moving to Athens he lived with an older English woman named Sally, with whom he had begun a relationship on Corfu. Their relationship ended when Psinakis became Rouvas' manager, and the singer became more career-oriented. The media has speculated about Rouvas' personal life and relationships with model Zeta Logotheti, Sofi Kantarou (a Corfu bar manager) and singer Elli Kokkinou. At this time, Rouvas became more reclusive and guarded about his personal life. In 2003 he was in a relationship with the London based Taiwanese producer Rebecca Wang. Rouvas met model Katia Zygouli back in 2003 during the shootings of a commercial ad for Vodafone and the two of them became a couple. They kept their relationship away from the media despite the rumors and Rouvas first confirmed their relationship during a radio interview to Natalia Germanou. In June 2008, Rouvas announced Zygouli's pregnancy and on 2 November 2008, Zygouli gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter named Anastasia after her father on 18 October 2009. Her godmother was Emmanouela Pavlatou, a friend of Melina Mercouri, and the baptismal date was chosen to coincide with Mercouri's birthday. Anastasia's birth was extensively covered by the media. On 15 October 2011, Rouvas and Zygouli became parents for the second time to a son, named Alexandros. The couple's third child and second daughter, named Ariadni, arrived on 3 January 2013. The couple welcomed their fourth child, on 21 April 2016. On Monday 3 July 2017, Sakis Rouvas married Katia Zygouli. Political Causes Rouvas has spoken out against LGBT discrimination, and in favor of the adoption of children by gay couples. In July 2015 Rouvas uploaded a video message titled "Yes we are Europe" on his personal YouTube channel, in which he supported the pro-Europe vote for the 2015 Greek bailout referendum. Controversies When he was called for military service in 1994 he asked for a delay, since his service would coincide with the release of Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas; the request was denied, although other artists had been able to delay their service for career reasons. Although it was initially thought that Rouvas did not want to leave the spotlight when his career was growing, he claimed his reluctance to serve was due to agoraphobia. His claims were met with astonishment; media outlets remarked that agoraphobia was an odd condition for an entertainer, and critics accused him of draft dodging. The singer was taken to the Penteli psychiatric hospital for an evaluation, and it was widely reported that he had attempted suicide. After his release Rouvas fulfilled his military service. During his service, he was pestered by paparazzi. Psinakis accused Rouvas' psychiatrist of pouring psychotropic drugs into Rouvas' alcoholic beverages because of a previous quarrel. When asked if he was suicidal Rouvas said he did not think so, but he was so drugged at the time of the emergency call that he did not recall the exact events; he confirmed that he tried to desert by climbing under a Jeep and attaching himself to its undercarriage. On 19 May 1997, Rouvas performed with Turkish singer Burak Kut at a bi-national reconciliation concert on the Green Line in Cyprus before an audience of over 4,000. The concert received international coverage and support, earning Rouvas an International Abdi Ipekçi Prize for global understanding and co-operation; however, the concert was controversial to Greek and Turkish protesters, and stones, eggs and tomatoes were thrown at the singer in all his next concerts. Opposition to the concert turned the Greek and Greek-Cypriot media against Rouvas, and was fodder for tabloid talk shows in Greece. Rouvas left Greece and moved to the United States for six months for the incident to be forgotten. During summer 2000 Rouvas, Psinakis and a number of other celebrities visited Mykonos on a yacht borrowed from a local physician. They were accused of drug possession, since the yacht contained narcotics. Although the doctor admitted that the narcotics were his, his guests were questioned. However, thousands of T-shirts were printed which read: "Imoun ki ego sto kotero!" ("I was on the yacht, too!"). He collaborated with Pepsi in 2001, the advertisement, featuring a semi-nude Rouvas holding a Pepsi bottle in front of his genitals, was controversial among women's rights and parental associations. Calling it "unsightly, vulgar and unacceptable", they tried to have the ad blocked as "disgrac[ing] childhood innocence and dignity." In October 2020, a Syriza MP Pavlos Polakis referenced Rouvas during a speech in the Greek Parliament, suggesting that he had supported the Golden Dawn Criminal organization because he followed one of their MPs on twitter years ago when they got elected in the Hellenic Parliament. Rouvas sent a Cease and desist letter to Polakis asking to retract his statement or the matter would be dealt with in court. Adding that he followed the accounts of many politicians such as Mr. Alexis Tsipras, Mr. Antonis Samaras, e.t.c to have a full picture of what they are saying and how political leaders are confronting each other. Discography Studio albums Sakis Rouvas (1991) Min Andistekese (1992) Gia Sena (1993) Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas (1994) Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola (1996) Kati Apo Mena (1998) 21os Akatallilos (2000) Ola Kala (2002) To Hrono Stamatao (2003) S'eho Erotefthi (2005) Iparhi Agapi Edo (2006) Irthes (2008) Parafora (2010) Sta Kalytera Mou (2021) Live albums Live Ballads (2006) This Is My Live (2007) Filmography Tours and residencies Concert tours Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola Summer Tour (1997) Pepsi Tour (2001) Ola Kala World Tour (2002) Sakis Live in Town Tour (2003) Sakis on Stage Tour (2005) Fire Victims Tour (2007) Antonis Remos – Sakis Rouvas World Tour (2008) Kalokairino Randevou me ton Saki Tour (2008) Sakis Live Tour (2009) Sakis Summer Tour 2010 Concert residencies To Ekati (1990) Athens Show Center (1991) Posidonio (1992) Posidonio (1994) Chaos (1996) Pyli Axiou (1997) Chaos (1998) Vio Vio (1999–2000) Pyli Axiou (2000) Apollonas (2000–01) Rex (2001–2002) Fever (2003–04) Fever (2004–05) Boom (2007) Politia (2008) STARZ (2008–09) Politia Live Clubbing (2009) The S Club (2009–2010) Politia Live Clubbing (2010) Face2Face (2010–11) The S Club at Thalassa: People's Stage (2011) Pyli Axiou (2011) Underworld S Club (2011–2012) Underworld S Club at Politia Live Clubbing (2012) The S Club at Thalassa: People's Stage (2012) Awards Bibliography "Afti Einai I Zoi Mou" (2009); An article co-written with Petros Kostopoulos featured in the April 2009 issue of Nitro. "Info-diet 370" (2011); An article featured in the November 2011 issue of Athens Voice. See also Honorific nicknames in popular music List of Eurovision Song Contest presenters List of Greeks List of Pepsi spokespersons Mononymous person Notes Further reading External links SakisRouvas.com - Official website Sakis Rouvas on Spotify ! colspan="3" style="border-top: #DAA520 5px solid;" | Eurovision Song Contest ! colspan="3" style="border-top: #DAA520 5px solid;" | World Music Awards ! colspan="3" style="border-top: #DAA520 5px solid;" | Other 1972 births 20th-century Greek male actors 21st-century Greek male actors Actors from Corfu Arion Music Awards winners Eastern Orthodox Christians from Greece English-language singers from Greece Greek environmentalists Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2004 Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2009 Greek businesspeople Greek dance musicians Greek male dancers Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Greece Greek expatriates in the United States Greek fashion designers Greek male film actors Greek film producers Greek male models 20th-century Greek male singers Greek philanthropists Greek pianists Greek pop singers Greek rhythm and blues singers Greek rock guitarists Greek rock singers Greek singer-songwriters Greek television presenters Greek male voice actors Greek health activists Humanitarians Living people MAD Video Music Awards winners Minos EMI artists 21st-century Greek male singers Musicians from Corfu Nightclub owners PolyGram Records (Greece) artists Restaurateurs Rock pianists Sportspeople from Corfu Thessaloniki Song Festival winners World Music Awards winners Greek laïko singers Male pianists MTV Europe Music Award winners
true
[ "The 1964 Lady Wigram Trophy was a motor race held at the Wigram Airfield Circuit on 18 January 1964. It was the thirteenth Lady Wigram Trophy to be held and was won by Bruce McLaren for the second year in succession in the Cooper T70. After having started eighth after a dismal performance in the preliminary heat, McLaren came through the pack to take the win in what he described as his greatest performance. Jack Brabham took second place after a strong performance throughout the weekend whilst Denny Hulme came home third after losing second on the final lap due to engine bearing issues.\n\nClassification\n\nReferences\n\nLady Wigram Trophy\nLady\nJanuary 1964 sports events in New Zealand", "Greatest Hits 1990–1992 is a compilation album by American country music artist Tanya Tucker. It was released by Liberty Records in April 1993, containing most of the singles from Tennessee Woman, What Do I Do with Me and Can't Run from Yourself (the Top 10 hit single \"Tell Me About It\" was omitted). No new material was recorded for the project. The album peaked at number 15 on the Top Country Albums chart and number 65 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Platinum by the RIAA.\n\nTrack listing\n\nChart performance\n\nReferences\n\n1993 greatest hits albums\nTanya Tucker albums\nLiberty Records compilation albums\nAlbums produced by Jerry Crutchfield" ]
[ "Sakis Rouvas", "Kati Apo Mena, return to prominence and 21os Akatallilos (1998-2000)", "What was his last greatest performance", "On 25 October 2000, he began appearing with Antonis Remos and Peggy Zina at Apollonas for the winter season." ]
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Did health ever play a factor in his performances
2
Did health ever play a factor in Sakis Rouvas' performances?
Sakis Rouvas
In December 1998 Rouvas released his sixth album (the first with his new label): Kati Apo Mena (Something From Me), written by Giorgos Theofanous. "Den Ehi Sidera I Kardia Sou" ("Your Heart Doesn't Have Steel Rails") was a hit, and remains one of his most-popular songs. To promote the album Rouvas performed at the Virgin Megastore in Athens, where thousands of fans created a traffic jam. The next year, Rouvas records "Oso Exo Esena" ("As Long As I Have You"), a duet with singer Stelios Rokkos. The two artists work and perform together at Bio Bio in Athens during the summer. In March 2000 Rouvas released his seventh album, 21os Akatallilos (21+ X-Rated), and performed with Katy Garbi at Pili Axiou in Thessaloniki. The album and its first single, "Andexa" ("I Held Out"), reached number one on the charts. During May rehearsals for summer performances Rouvas was hospitalized with abdominal pain, which was diagnosed as peritonitis and required an appendectomy. On 25 October 2000, he began appearing with Antonis Remos and Peggy Zina at Apollonas for the winter season. That year Rouvas became the Pepsi spokesperson for the company's Greek summer campaign making a first television ad, a first for a Greek entertainer. His collaboration with Pepsi continued into 2001, with a May television ad. The advertisement, featuring a semi-nude Rouvas holding a Pepsi bottle in front of his genitals, was controversial among women's rights and parental associations. Calling it "unsightly, vulgar and unacceptable", they tried to have the ad blocked as "disgrac[ing] childhood innocence and dignity." The Pepsi Tour 2001, of seven Greek cities, followed. During summer 2000 Rouvas, Psinakis and a number of other celebrities visited Mykonos on a yacht borrowed from a local physician. They were accused of drug possession, since the yacht contained narcotics. The incident was publicized amid speculation that Rouvas might have a drug addiction. Although the doctor admitted that the narcotics were his, his guests were questioned. Wishing to avoid court, Rouvas paid a fine and minimized the incident. However, thousands of T-shirts were printed which read: "Imoun ki ego sto kotero!" ("I was on the yacht, too!"). CANNOTANSWER
During May rehearsals for summer performances Rouvas was hospitalized with abdominal pain, which was diagnosed as peritonitis and required an appendectomy.
Anastasios "Sakis" Rouvas (, ; born 5 January 1972), also known mononymously as Sakis, is a Greek recording artist; model; film and television actor; businessman and former pole vaulter. Born in Corfu, he won medals on the national athletics team during the 1980s. Rouvas began a musical career in 1991 as one of Greece's first dance-pop performers. His tenor vocals, complex choreography, costumes, and technological advancements have been credited with transforming music videos and live performances. Rouvas is noted for avoiding domestic music, attaining success for a non-laïko or -éntekhno artist, and for breaking cultural, social, artistic, and generational barriers in Greece and Cyprus. During the early 1990s, Rouvas signed with PolyGram Records and won the Thessaloniki Song Festival. Despite five commercially successful albums, his personal life (including his military service and 1997 Greek-Turkish peace concert, which damaged his public image) has been publicized. Rouvas signed with Minos EMI in 1997, returning to the charts with Kati Apo Mena (1998) and 21os Akatallilos (2000) and ending his 14-year collaboration with manager Ilias Psinakis. One of the few Greek entertainers to gain recognition abroad, he has been popular in the Balkans since the 1990s. By the 2010s, Rouvas had expanded his career to film, television, theatre and fashion. His single "Shake It" is one of the best-selling CD singles of all time in Greece, his songs and videos, such as "1992", "Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas", "Ela Mou", "Min Antistekesai", "Xana", "Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola", "Den Ehei Sidera I Kardia Sou", "Ypirhes Panta", "Antexa", "Se Thelo San Trelos", "+ Se Thelo" and "Sta Kalytera Mou" have topped the popular Greek charts. Since 2003 Rouvas has been in a relationship with model Katia Zygouli, with whom he has four children. He is involved in social issues, and has been praised for his dedication to philanthropic organizations. Rouvas has won six Arion Music Awards, 15 Pop Corn Music Awards, 22 MAD Video Music Awards, four Status Man of the Year Awards, an MTV Europe Music Award and a World Music Award. Several number-one albums and singles which have been certified gold or higher have made him one of Greece's most popular musical artists. Known for his independence, Rouvas' musical, fashion and performance styles have influenced other artists for over two decades. In 2009 Down Town named him its "Entertainer of the Decade"; in 2010, Forbes listed him as the third-most-influential celebrity in Greece and the country's top-ranked singer. Early life Rouvas was born on 5 January 1972 in Mantouki, a suburb of Corfu City on the island of Corfu, the eldest of four sons of Konstantinos "Kostas" Rouvas (an ambulance driver) and the teenaged Anna-Maria Panaretou (a duty-free shop clerk at the local airport). He has three brothers: Billy (b. Vasilios, 1975), Tolis (b. Apostolos, 1977) and Nikos (b. Nikolaos, 1991). The family was poor, and Rouvas began taking care of his brothers at age five. At age four, he exhibited athletic ability and took ballet classes as a child. His parents had a theatrical background, and at age ten Rouvas starred in his first theatrical production (An I Karharies Itan Anthropi; If Sharks Were People). His older co-stars were impressed with his talent. Soon afterwards Rouvas discovered music, which he enjoyed nearly as much as athletics. He taught himself guitar, inspired by international artists such as Elvis Presley. In 1984 his parents divorced; Rouvas and his brother Tolis moved to their paternal grandparents' home in the village of Potamos when their father remarried. The young Rouvas held a variety of jobs to support his family, including work in an automobile repair shop, as a construction worker and a bartender. Since his early childhood he had difficulty in school, particularly in reading and writing. Working during the day, Rouvas went to school at night with his mother (who had not finished secondary school). At age 15, Rouvas joined the Greek national track and field team as an admirer of Ukrainian pole-vaulter Sergey Bubka. His vaults were consistently high—averaging —and he won a number of national awards. Rouvas continued in athletics until age 18, believing he had a future in music and joining the Corfu Band. At his graduation, he sang hits by Elvis and The Beatles. Rouvas began performing at local clubs and hotels; at To Ekati, he was seen by future manager Ilias Psinakis. He left Corfu at age 18, moving to Patras in search of a better future. Career Early commercial success (1991–93) After moving to Patras, Rouvas continued to look for performance opportunities until he met Dakis (a popular Greek artist who was the first person to help him professionally). Rouvas moved to Athens, and made his first professional appearance in 1991 at the Show Centre. His showmanship attracted the attention of music executives such as Nikos Mouratidis, who encouraged songwriter Giorgos Pavrianos to produce him. Rouvas, singing Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" was discovered by PolyGram executives who signed him to his first recording contract. Several months later he debuted at the Thessaloniki Song Festival, losing Best Vocal Performance to Giorgos Alkaios but singing the Best Composition ("Par'ta"; "Take Them", with music by Nikos Terzis and lyrics by Giorgos Pavrianos). There was a brief earthquake during the festival. Rouvas released his eponymous debut album, which topped the Greek Albums Chart, the day after the festival. "Par'ta" became a radio hit, and other songs of the album such as "1992", "Ego S'agapo" ("I Love You") and "Gia Fantasou" ("Imagine") also became popular. In September 1992 Rouvas released his second album, Min Andistekese (Don't Resist), also composed by Nikos Terzis. It produced the singles "Gyrna" ("Return"), "Min Andistekese", "Na Ziseis Moro Mou" ("Live, My Baby") and "Me Kommeni Tin Anasa" ("Breathless"), with a music video of the title track. The album's success helped establish Rouvas at the top of the Greek music scene. In October 1993 Rouvas released his third album, Gia Sena (For You), with music by Alexis Papadimitriou and lyrics by Eleni Giannatsoulia and Evi Droutsa. The single "Kane Me" ("Make Me") became a radio hit, with "To Xero Eisai Moni" ("I Know You Are Alone") and "Xehase To" ("Forget It") also receiving airplay. Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas, Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola, and move to Minos EMI (1994–97) In the winter of 1994 Rouvas collaborated with singer-songwriter and record producer Nikos Karvelas on his fourth album, Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas (Blood, tears & sweat), and its singles "Ela Mou" ("Come To Me") and "Xana" ("Again") became radio hits. Rouvas' collaboration with Karvelas was received skeptically by the media; when asked why he had chosen to collaborate with Rouvas, Karvelas said: "Sakis is the only star out of a generation which produces dull artists." In 1996 Rouvas released his fifth studio album, Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola (Now the Hard Times Start), again collaborating with Nikos Karvelas and lyricist Natalia Germanou. During the winter he sang with Anna Vissi at the Chaos Club in Athens, appearing in the duet "Se Thelo, Me Theleis" ("I Want You, You Want Me", also written by Karvelas) on her 1997 album Travma (Trauma). In 2017 Rouvas and Burak Kut had recorded a duet in Greek and Turkish the previous year entitled "Birgün/Otan" ("When"), a cover of "Someday" for the Greek soundtrack of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (I Panagia Ton Parision, in which Rouvas voiced the role of Quasimodo) under the label of Minos EMI. Kati Apo Mena, return to prominence and 21os Akatallilos (1998–2000) In December 1998 Rouvas released his sixth album (the first with his new label): Kati Apo Mena (Something From Me), written by Giorgos Theofanous. "Den Ehi Sidera I Kardia Sou" ("Your Heart Doesn't Have Steel Rails") was a hit, and remains one of his most-popular songs. To promote the album Rouvas performed at the Virgin Megastore in Athens, where thousands of fans created a traffic jam. The next year, Rouvas records "Oso Exo Esena" ("As Long As I Have You"), a duet with singer Stelios Rokkos. The two artists work and perform together at Bio Bio in Athens during the summer. In March 2000 Rouvas released his seventh album, 21os Akatallilos (21+ X-Rated), and performed with Katy Garbi at Pili Axiou in Thessaloniki. The album and its first single, "Andexa" ("I Held Out"), reached number one on the charts. During May rehearsals for summer performances Rouvas was hospitalized with abdominal pain, which was diagnosed as peritonitis and required an appendectomy. On 25 October 2000, he began appearing with Antonis Remos and Peggy Zina at Apollonas for the winter season. That year Rouvas became the Pepsi spokesperson for the company's Greek summer campaign making a first television ad, a first for a Greek entertainer. The Pepsi Tour 2001, of seven Greek cities, followed. Ola Kala, international exposure and To Hrono Stamatao (2001–04) In 2001, Rouvas signed with Universal Licensing Music (ULM) of Universal Music France after he was recommended by singer Nana Mouskouri. He collaborated with American songwriter-producer Desmond Child and Phoebus on "Disco Girl"; it was a hit in Greece and certified platinum, winning Rouvas the Pop Singer of the Year award at the inaugural Arion Music Awards. The single was later released in France, with an English version written by Andreas Carlsson. Rouvas played 20 shows across France in support of "Disco Girl", which received ample airplay, and was compared to Latin pop star Ricky Martin. Rouvas' eighth album, Ola Kala (a collaboration with Desmond Child, Phoebus and Greek songwriters Natalia Germanou and Vangelis Konstantinidis), was released in June 2002. The album went gold in Greece within 11 days and platinum within 4 months. In April 2003, Rouvas appeared with Antonis Remos and Nana Mouskouri at the Arion Awards. He released his ninth album, To Hrono Stamatao (I Stop Time), in December; it was certified gold after its release. Songs from the album received radio airplay, and that month Rouvas began appearing at Fever with Giorgos Tsalikis and ONE for the winter season. A Greek version of "Feelings" from the album, "Pes Tis" ("Tell Her"), was released as a single with the same video as its French- and English-language counterparts. Eurovision and S'eho Erotefthi (2004–05) In March 2004, Hellenic Radio and Television (ERT) announced that Rouvas would represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 after the selection process on the reality show EuroStar proved unsatisfactory. The show's winner was expected to represent Greece, with Nikos Terzis writing the song entry; however, ERT changed its plans when the winner's ability to perform under so much pressure was questionable and Rouvas expressed an interest in representing his country. In mid-March "Shake It", with music by Terzis and lyrics by Nektarios Tyrakis, premiered on Greek radio. Originally, the song had Latin spirit and sound but Terzis changed it, combining the Greek traditional bouzouki sound with the Latin one to make it sound different from other Latin entries of the competition. At the third Arion Music Awards, he won Best Pop Singer for To Hrono Stamatao. In mid-April "Shake It" was released as a CD single, and Rouvas began a promotional tour of Europe for the contest; To Hrono Stamatao was reissued with a bonus "Shake It" single. The song remained number one on the Greek airplay charts for several weeks, and was number one on the IFPI Greece Top 50 singles chart for nine consecutive weeks. Rouvas was favored to win the Eurovision final. On 12 May 2004 he performed in the semi-final (appearing 10th out of 22), and performed 16th out of 24 in the 15 May 2004 final. Rouvas had two female dancers and three backing vocalists: the EuroStar winner and runners-up. Fokas Evangelinos, Rouvas' longtime choreographer, choreographed his stage show. "Shake It" finished third in the final, with Rouvas attracting great interest in the contest by Greek viewers (with a rating of 86.7 percent, the highest rating in Greek TV history at the time). Rouvas' appearance in Eurovision was a turning point in his career; his public perception changed from media-produced celebrity to notable pop artist, and he became more accessible to the media. In June 2004, Rouvas performed "Shake It" at the first MAD Video Music Awards, where he won Sexiest Appearance for the "Pes Tis" ("Tell Her") music video. On 7 July, Rouvas performed in Istanbul with Turkish artist (and 2003 Eurovision Song Contest winner) Sertab Erener in another attempt to maintain peace between the two countries. In August he carried the Olympic torch through Panathinaiko Stadium and performed at the closing ceremony for the 2004 Summer Olympics, in which he was lowered to the stage from the air and sang a traditional Greek song, "Karapiperim". In fall 2004, Rouvas recorded a duet version of "Se Thelo San Trelos" ("I Want You Like Crazy", from 21os Akatallilos) with Russian pop singer Philip Kirkorov. In December he began performing with Giorgos Mazonakis at Fever for the winter season, with Elena Paparizou as their opening act. His show was praised; Georgia Laimou of E-go, known for scathing reviews, wrote: "I have only good things to say about Sakis and I don't want to hear 'boo' from anyone. I don't think that a more neat, well-supported, professional, and generally flawless performance than Sakis' exists on the Athenian clubs." On 6 April 2005 Rouvas released his tenth album, S'eho Erotefthi (I'm in Love With You), which went platinum in five months and was eventually certified 3× platinum. With Vodafone Greece as their main sponsor, release parties for the CD were held in Heraklion, Corfu, Thessaloniki, and Athens on the same day and "S'eho Erotefti", "Hilia Milia" ("A Thousand Miles"), "Mila Tis" ("Talk to Her"), "Na M' Agapas" ("You Should Love Me") and "Cairo" became radio hits. That year, Rouvas won the World Music Award as Best-Selling Greek Artist of 2004. In September he gave a charity concert at the Olympic Indoor Hall for an audience of 20,000 (the largest production by any Greek entertainer until Rouvas surpassed the record in 2009), followed by a concert in Patras. Live Ballads, Eurovision and Iparhi Agapi Edo (2006) On 14 February 2006, Rouvas gave a Valentine's Day concert where he sang his popular ballads and cover versions of ballads by other Greek and foreign artists. The concert was recorded, videotaped and released as Live Ballads (Rouvas' first live album and video) later in April as a CD and CD/DVD package. The CD featured three new studio tracks—"Horis Kardia" ("Without a Heart"; Greek version of Damien Rice's "The Blower's Daughter"), "Eisai Oli Mou H Zoi" and an English-language version of "S'eho Erotefthi" entitled "I'm in Love With You"—and topped the Greek album chart. On 3 April, Rouvas sang "Horis Kardia" at the Arion Music Awards, where he won Best Pop Album and Best Pop Singer for S'eho Erotefthi. In May the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was held in Athens, since Greece won the contest the previous year and Rouvas was asked by ERT to host the semi-final and final with Maria Menounos. At the semi-finals, Rouvas opened the show by singing the Katrina and the Waves song "Love Shine a Light" with Menounos. During the voting intermission, he performed "I'm in Love With You". On 14 June, Rouvas performed "Agapa Me" ("Love Me"; Greek version of Julio Iglesias "Abrázame") and "Na M' Agapas" at the third MAD Video Music Awards, where he won Best Video by a Male Artist (for "Na M' Agapas") and Best-Dressed Artist in a Video (for "Mila Tis"). At the end of the summer (6 September), he collaborated with Vodafone on a beach-party concert at Yabanaki known as "Sakis on the Waves". On 13 November he began filming his feature-film debut, in Alter Ego and on 6 December 2006 Rouvas released his eleventh studio album, Iparhi Agapi Edo (There Is Love Here). "Ego Travo Zori" (I'm Having a Hard Time") and "18 (Iprarhi Agapi Edo)" received radio airplay. The lyrics for "Mikros Titanikos (Se Latrevo)" ("Little Titanic [I Adore You]") were written by Yiannis Parios, and his son Harry Varthakouris composed the music. The album was certified platinum (selling over 40,000 copies as of April 2007). Film and television career, This Is My Live and Irthes (2007–08) Rouvas' Academy Awards prime-time special, Sakis Oscar Songs, aired on 20 February 2007 on Nova. The special was filmed at a private concert at Athens Arena, and featured Oscar-winning songs. In March, he began performing at Boom in Thessaloniki with Despina Vandi. On 10 May 2007 Village Roadshow Productions' Alter Ego premiered in theatres across Greece with the avant premiere being on 7 May. With a budget of €2 million, it was one of the most expensive productions in Greece. The film received mixed reviews and sold only one-fifth of the expected number of tickets. Its 200,000 tickets made Alter Ego an average success for Greek cinema, although Rouvas was disappointed in its media coverage. The film dealt with young musicians living the rock-and-roll lifestyle (including drug abuse) facing their inner fears in the loss of a loved one. Its soundtrack was recorded by the cast of the movie and Rouvas and the theme song, "Zise Ti Zoi" ("Live Life"), reached the top 10. On 29 June 2008, Alter Ego was screened at a Los Angeles Greek festival. On 20 July 2007, Rouvas performed in Ptolemaida, Kozani as part of the Expedition for Environment Act Now! On 10 September 2007, his concert at the Lycabettus theater as part of an OPAP campaign encouraging blood donation was recorded and was released as a CD/DVD on 12 December 2007 entitled This Is My Live. The album also featured his last single "Stous 31 Dromous" ("On 31 Roads"). On 29 October, Rouvas received his sixth Arion (Best Pop Song for "Ola Gyro Sou Gyrizoun") from five nominations, although he was absent from the ceremony. In spring 2008, Rouvas and Antonis Remos toured North America, Australia and South Africa. Rouvas' song "+ Se Thelo" ("And I Want You") by Dimitris Kontopoulos, became a radio hit and a video with footage from the July 2008 MAD Video Music Awards, was released at the end of the year. "+ Se Thelo" became a staple of Rouvas' career. It was a critical landmark, a rare case of a Greek artist breaking generational barriers and producing a hit of that magnitude nearly two decades into their career. In July 2008 Rouvas was announced as host for the first season of the Greek version of The X Factor, which premiered on 24 October. Rouvas was Greece's representative—singing "Stous 31 Dromous"—in the OGAE Song Contest, placing third behind Croatia and the United Kingdom. On 3 December, Rouvas released his 12th studio album, Irthes (You Arrived), produced by Dimitris Kontopoulos. The same titled song "Irthes" was released few days earlier, on 20 November, and it was dedicated to his newborn daughter. The following day, on 4 December, he premiered his winter concert series with the Maggira Sisters at STARZ. Eurovision, Duress, Parafora and business career (2009–2012) ERT made an early announcement confirming that Rouvas would again be Greece's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. He performed his three songs ("Out of Control", "Right on Time" and "This Is Our Night", all composed by Dimitris Kontopoulos) at the Greek finals in February; the latter was the runaway winner with the jury and the viewers, winning 61 percent of the vote (the largest margin ever, and the most votes received by ERT in a national final). The song debuted at number one on the Greek Digital Singles chart, while Rouvas embarked on a promotional tour of Europe. He said publicly that he hoped to return the contest to Greece the following year. A win was widely anticipated by the Greek public, with the country being one of the three favorites among the Eurovision fans. However, Rouvas finished seventh in the final. The singer and the Greek public were disappointed with the result, and he issued a public apology for his loss. Rouvas received universal support from the public and the media, a first for a Greek Eurovision entrant regardless of result. On 27 March Rouvas was appointed by ELPIDA Charity Foundation president and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Marianna Vardinoyannis as a "messenger" for the foundation, a charity for children with cancer, publicly recognizing his longtime behind-the-scenes support. He joined fast food chain Goody's in its ArGOODaki campaign, and donated €300,000 to the foundation in April. That month Rouvas and Zygouli introduced beauty company Mariella Nails Body and Mind Care, of which they own 25 percent. On 1 July 2009, Rouvas performed a sold-out concert in support of environmental issues at Panathenaic Stadium before an audience of 40,000. He was one of the few musicians permitted to perform at the venue; it was the largest attendance ever at the stadium for a non-sporting event, and the largest attendance for a single musical artist in Greek history. The concert, organized by the National Youth Council, coincided with the start of the national public smoking ban. The sold-out Sakis Live Tour visited an additional 10 cities from July to September, and he performed a sold-out concert series at Politia Live Clubbing in Thessaloniki. In October, the singer returned to host the second season of the Greek version of The X Factor and dubbed the voice of Captain Charles T. Baker in the Greek version of Planet 51. He made his American film debut in the psychological thriller Duress, with Martin Donovan. The film was screened at festivals in Poland and Russia, and was given a wide theatrical release in December by Greek distributor Hollywood Entertainment. It was expected to be released on home video in the United States. Rouvas performed at his new S Club for the winter 2009–10 season (with Tamta, Eleftheria Eleftheriou and the American rapper Gifted) and opened sushi restaurant EDO. On 2 March 2010 the successful S Club caught fire, sustaining up to €4 million in damage. The cause of the fire was unknown, but Athens police suspected arson by rival club owners since witnesses reported seeing containers of gasoline. After repairs, Rouvas' show resumed from 19 March to 9 April and moved to Thessaloniki on 7 May for a six-week engagement at Politia Live Clubbing. He appeared on Tamta's single "Tharros I Alitheia" for her album of the same name. The song became a major club hit, and won a MAD Video Music Award for Best Duet–Collaboration Video. Rouvas' 13th studio album, Parafora, was released on 14 December 2010 and topped the IFPI Top 75 Albums chart. It shipped 24,000 copies its first week, for a double-platinum certification. The album's first single ("Spase Ton Hrono") was Rouvas' fourth consecutive single to reach number one on all Greek charts. It won Best Balkan Song from Greece at the first Balkan Music Awards; its video gave Rouvas five MAD Video Music Awards nominations (more than any other video) and Best Pop Video, Artist of the Year and Fashion Icon of the Year awards. The song also contributed to Rouvas' MTV Europe Music Award for Best Greek Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2010, and he was shortlisted for the MTV Europe Music Award for Best European Act. "Emena Thes", the second single, was released in May and peaked at number five on the mixed-airplay and digital sales charts. The title track was released in October; it was number one on the domestic-airplay chart for three weeks and peaked at number two on the mixed-airplay chart. The album's fourth single, "Oi dyo mas" was released in late February 2011. Its video clip was released at the end of March, when the song topped the national-airplay chart. For the second consecutive year, Rouvas was Singer of the Year at the Status Men of the Year Awards. In June Rouvas and his brother, Vasilis, launched TV and film production company Sakis Rouvas Kinematografos EPE, and on 14 July Rouvas ended the Greek French Embassy's Bastille Day celebration with renditions of the French and Greek national anthems. His eight-city summer tour lasted from 24 July to 19 September. At a 27 July stop in Corinth he introduced the Sakis Rouvas Collection of clothing (to which he had creative input) to Greek retailer Sprider Stores. The collection, for men and women, was launched on 16 September and available in October. Rouvas performed at the Mykonos Xlsior Festival in support of the LGBT movement on 27 August; although he was scheduled to perform at the first Εurovoice on 23 September with Enrique Iglesias, Anastacia and host Pamela Anderson, his appearance was canceled a day before the event for undisclosed reasons. For the winter season of 2010–11 Rouvas joined Anna Vissi for Face2Face, a concert series at Athens Arena beginning on 15 October. ANT1 was in negotiations with Rouvas to star in a TV series after The X Factor, and he hosted the third season of the talent show from 29 October – 11 February. For his performance, Rouvas was Presenter of the Year at the 2011 Cypriot Men of the Year Awards. On 2 February 2011 Rouvas was one of eight acts in the first MADWalk (equivalent to the international Fashion Rocks), where he represented Celia Kritharioti Haute Couture. In the spring he made ten appearances at Thalassa. After a short break Rouvas continued his live appearances at Puli Axiou in Thessaloniki, announcing his upcoming winter performances at Athens Arena with Onirama and Eleni Foureira as his opening act and releasing his new single, "Kane na mi s' agapiso". At the 2012 Johnnie Walker Men of the Year Awards in Cyprus Rouvas was presented with the Greek of the Year award for his philanthropic contributions, particularly to the Elpida Foundation. In February 2012 he performed his new single ("Bad Thing") with American singer Nomi Ruiz of Jessica 6 at the second MADWalk, where he represented designer Apostolos Mitropoulos. The single was expected to be released worldwide after the show. In May 2012 Rouvas released a new single, "Tora" ("Νow") which he performed at the 2012 MAD Video Music Awards. In November, he released a rock-Zeibekiko mash-up ballad entitled "Niose Ti Thelo" ("Feel What I Want"). Rouvas was nominated for four Mad Video Music Awards (including Best Pop Video and Video of the Year), winning Male Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year for "I Dyo Mas". Theatre, Chevalier and Mia Hara Na Pernas (2013–2020) Rouvas returned to television as a presenter for ANT1's Iroes Anamesa Mas (Heroes Among Us), a ten-part documentary series focusing on stories of people who have been commended for heroic deeds which premiered on 24 May 2013. For the series, Rouvas traveled throughout Greece interviewing the featured nominees. During the summer, he made his theatrical debut in Euripides' tragedy The Bacchae in the lead role of Dionysus, for which he was awarded with the best performance award by the 2014 Greek Theatre Critics Awards in the category of ancient drama. Working again with songwriter Theofanous, in May 2013 Rouvas released a ballad single ("Mia Hara Na Pernas"; "Have A Good Time"). At the 2013 MAD Video Music Awards, he was nominated for four awards: Best Pop Video, Video of the Year, Male Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year. "Tora" was nominated for most-played radio song of the year, and as part of the awards' tenth anniversary Rouvas' 2008 live performance of "+ Se Thelo" was nominated for best live performance in the show's history. On 24 November 2013 Rouvas was among a group from the Ionian Islands who were commended by the Hellenic Union of Eptanisians (Ionians) for their work and philanthropy. To honor the winners, the organization released a collectors'-edition philatelic envelope with a stamp bearing a picture of the group. In January 2014, continuing his support for the Elpida Foundation in practice, Rouvas became the first volunteer bone-marrow donor at the Orama Elpidas (Vision of Hope) marrow bank, and he is appearing in a foundation campaign encouraging marrow donation. His "Ace of Hearts Tour" that started on 26 April 2014, was dedicated to the Elpida Foundation and the Orama Elpidas marrow bank. The final concert of the tour took place in Athens on 11 October 2014. On 13 January 2014, it was announced that Rouvas would be part of Athina Tsaggari's new feature film named "Chevalier", where he would be one of the protagonists of the movie. The shootings of the movie started on January and are set to be done in March 2014. On 11 March 2014, Rouvas himself uploaded a promo video of his new single "Se Pethimisa" (I Missed You) on his YouTube channel that will be released later during the year. For this song, Rouvas continues his cooperation with the songwriter Theofanous, while the lyrics belong to Thanos Papanikolaou. After his success as Dionysus in The Bacchae, Rouvas' next theatrical step includes a musical. In September 2014, it was announced that Rouvas would be part of the musical "Hraklis; Oi dodeka athloi" (Hercules; The twelve labours) at the role of Hercules. The premiere took place on 12 December 2014. In 2015 he performed Mikis Theodorakis's Axion Asti. In 2016 Chevalier, was selected as the Greek entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards. Since 2016, Rouvas has been a coach on The Voice Greece. Rouvas performed in Estate Club for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons (with Stelios Rokkos and Helena Paparizou (2019-2020)). He and Rokkos collaborated in the single "Ta Zorikia Vradia" in 2018. Rouvas single "Ela Sto Horo" was released in 2019. In September 2019 he gave a concert along with Helena Paparizou and Eleni Foureira. He and Paparizou later in 2020 released a single called "Etsi einai i Fasi". In August 2020 he performed in Odeon of Herodes Atticus along with soprano Sonia Theodoridou. Sta Kalytera Mou, Idols and current projects (2021–current) In spring 2021 Sakis Rouvas released his new 14th album, titled "Sta Kalytera Mou" and produced by Phoebus. Lead single was titled Yperanthropos. The album reached number one on the IFPI Greece top 75 abums sales chart for several consecutive weeks, and was the Greek best-selling album of 2021 in Greece. He also took part in the collaborative album "O Prigkipas tis Dytikis Ochthis", which was released in the memory of the singer-songwriter Manos Xydous, a member of the Greek rock band Pyx Lax. The album ended the third best selling greek language album of 2021. In late 2021 he presented the television documentary series "Idols", dedicated to personalities who stigmatized Greece's popular culture with their professional course and life. Aliki Vougiouklaki, Malvina Karali, Nikos Kourkoulos, Dimitris Mitropanos, Vlassis Bonatsos lives were featured. Artistry Influences Elvis Presley was Rouvas' musical idol; he also enjoyed The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Kiss and Queen. Although he was influenced most by 1960s music, he also likes George Michael and Michael Bolton. The singer considers Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" "one of the ten best songs that have ever been written." Similarities between Presley and Rouvas have been noted; during his STARZ performances, the Maggira Sisters' opening sketch was based on Presley's concern about a popular Greek singer who imitated him. Rouvas covered Presley's "Suspicious Minds" for the Alter Ego soundtrack, and has said that what impressed him most as a child about Presley was "the way that he sang, that he danced, that he felt what he interpreted and what I believed that his audience felt when they heard him". He has also been influenced by Greek artists such as Giannis Parios, Marinella and Nana Mouskouri (his mentor), and considers Haris Alexiou and Anna Vissi as the two greatest Greek female artists. Michael Jackson's "Earth Song" is a favourite of Rouvas' for its environmental message; after Jackson's death, he dedicated a song to the American singer at his Concert for the Environment and spoke about Jackson's legacy: "[Michael Jackson was] one of the most significant singers ever on this planet and the biggest showman that has ever passed by on this planet [...] a person whose life was a 'thriller', but however complicated his life was, he dedicated it for the good of the children and of the planet. Many people want to remember him for the complex persona that he had, I want to remember him for everything that he gave to us all of these years, and for all the reasons that he inspired us." Musicianship Rouvas is fluent in Greek, English and French, presenting the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in all three languages. He has also recorded songs in all three languages, singing phonetically in Turkish and Russian for his 1997 collaboration with Burak Kut in Cyprus and the Russian duet version of "Se Thelo San Trelos" ("Kak Sumashedshij Ya") with Philipp Kirkorov; one of three versions, it was a Russian hit. Rouvas plays guitar, bass, piano, cello and some percussion. On some tours he plays his black Gibson Les Paul electric guitar, switching to acoustic guitar for unplugged performances such as Live Ballads. Rouvas has expressed disappointment with the ignorance of youthful audiences of older music. He considers himself a pop-rock artist, although he has described his musical style as "always more rock" than he has been credited. Rouvas has been praised for not tapping into traditional Greek music for commercial success, since pop music is a niche genre in Greece. Asked if he thought it difficult being a pop-rock artist in a folk market, he replied that there was a need for a variety of genres; while he has experimented with traditional Greek music, it is not what he feels he does best. Vocal style Rouvas had no vocal lessons as a boy and taught himself primarily by ear, so during the recording of his first album he had to learn music theory in a short time. His voice developed significantly since his early teenaged performances. Rouvas' detractors have criticized his voice as average, or limited, contending that his appeal is based on image. Whatever the assessment of his voice, it has often been overshadowed by showmanship and appearance in the media; many preferred to watch him perform than to listen to him. These criticisms diminished by the second decade of Rouvas' career; his technical skills (range, power and versatility in particular) and expression are better appreciated. Rouvas has a tenor vocal range; although he can also sing low, in the F-clef range, he prefers to sing higher and can reach notes beyond the typical tenor high without falsetto, varying his dynamics from whispers to belts. His vocal power was evident in early recordings, notably on "Mia Fora" from Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas (the first album to showcase his vocal ability). During his 1997–98 hiatus, Rouvas received voice lessons from American coach Raz Kennedy focusing on rock and blues techniques. His subsequent sixth album, Kati Apo Mena, was a milestone in Rouvas' vocal development; he exhibited a consistent depth and dimension which previously appeared only sporadically on his first five albums. He won the Pop Corn Music Award for Best Male Vocal Performance twice in a row: for 1999's "Den Ehei Sidera I Kardia Sou" and 2000's "Se Thelo San Trelos" (the latter from 21os Akatallilos). By Live Ballads in 2006, Pavlos Zervas of Music Corner considered that Rouvas' voice had reached its most-mature form. Critic Tasos P. Karantis of Orfeas conceded that Rouvas sang with competence and technical precision, and his voice was easily recognizable. Ilias Malasidis of Athens 24 noted that Rouvas' voice was initially more intriguing than his material. His voice is best-suited to power ballads, his signature style due to his sensual tone. Reviewers have praised Rouvas' live performances, particularly his ability to execute "especially difficult and demanding songs", hold long, high notes and dance while singing. Down Town commended him for never using a playback track, common among Greek artists, but Billboard noted that an ability to sing well in English would increase his international appeal. During his career, Rouvas has perform in a number of genres, contemporary and traditional; in some songs (such as "O Iroas" from Iparhi Agapi Edo), he delivers spoken verses which have been described as a "light rap." He has also performed as a crooner styles and a classical tenor. Rouvas' defining characteristic as a vocalist has been his emotional expression. He maintains his voice with a strict organic food diet and avoiding alcohol and smoking, banning smoking in his dressing room. Singer-songwriter Stelios Rokkos, who collaborated with him for three seasons, described him as "probably the most disciplined singer I have ever met—in fact, to the point of insanity." Live shows and music videos Film and television After his 2005 move to Los Angeles Rouvas studied acting and received some training from his friend, Tom Hanks. He was interested in film since childhood, and a year and a half later he received an offer from Village Roadshow. In Rouvas' first feature film, Alter Ego (of which he was also associate producer), he played a role similar to himself. Before that, he dubbed English-language animated films in Greek. When comparisons between Rouvas and the character Stefanos in Alter Ego arose (with speculation that the character was autobiographical), he replied that despite similarities Stefanos was a "much more aggressive person." Rouvas adopted a new look for the film, credited by Nitro as reflecting the emo movement emerging among Greek youth. While Rouvas was attracted some critical praise for his foray into acting, others felt that it was too early to evaluate his acting talent. Rouvas' second film (the indie Duress) was a Hollywood psychological thriller in which he played a serial killer, against type for Greek audiences, and said the film was the most difficult thing he had done in his career until that point. Giannis Zoumboulakis of To Vima found Rouvas convincing in the film's cat-and-mouse plot: "You accept the proposal from the first moments, forgetting completely that the 'bad' guy in the story is the host of X-Factor", concluding that "Going against his own image, Rouvas creates a very exceptional psycho killer. With his gray-beige, old wool coat and grimy, parted hair and without his bright smile he creates from scratch a hero that is all his." Panagiotis Timogiannakis contended that Rouvas began showing a different side of himself in Alter Ego, noting that the lighting in both films did not flatter him. Timogiannakis wondered if Rouvas had deglamourized himself to receive serious roles: "He needs to clear up whether he wants to have a career of a star or of a role player. A born role player he does not seem to be. A born star he is." The 2006 Eurovision Song Contest was a springboard for glib host roles, such as for The X Factor. Producer Giannis Latsios said that Rouvas' presence contributed significantly to the show's success, calling his first-season performance "great" and adding: "We had a program that had to do with music and Sakis, on a collective level, is an icon that the generation which participates in this show has as an idol. He is a glowing character with much higher capabilities of expression and, if he decides to continue this path, will improve. He has immediacy, critique and most of all he gave to a program a luster, which was not standard from the beginning." Personal life After moving to Athens he lived with an older English woman named Sally, with whom he had begun a relationship on Corfu. Their relationship ended when Psinakis became Rouvas' manager, and the singer became more career-oriented. The media has speculated about Rouvas' personal life and relationships with model Zeta Logotheti, Sofi Kantarou (a Corfu bar manager) and singer Elli Kokkinou. At this time, Rouvas became more reclusive and guarded about his personal life. In 2003 he was in a relationship with the London based Taiwanese producer Rebecca Wang. Rouvas met model Katia Zygouli back in 2003 during the shootings of a commercial ad for Vodafone and the two of them became a couple. They kept their relationship away from the media despite the rumors and Rouvas first confirmed their relationship during a radio interview to Natalia Germanou. In June 2008, Rouvas announced Zygouli's pregnancy and on 2 November 2008, Zygouli gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter named Anastasia after her father on 18 October 2009. Her godmother was Emmanouela Pavlatou, a friend of Melina Mercouri, and the baptismal date was chosen to coincide with Mercouri's birthday. Anastasia's birth was extensively covered by the media. On 15 October 2011, Rouvas and Zygouli became parents for the second time to a son, named Alexandros. The couple's third child and second daughter, named Ariadni, arrived on 3 January 2013. The couple welcomed their fourth child, on 21 April 2016. On Monday 3 July 2017, Sakis Rouvas married Katia Zygouli. Political Causes Rouvas has spoken out against LGBT discrimination, and in favor of the adoption of children by gay couples. In July 2015 Rouvas uploaded a video message titled "Yes we are Europe" on his personal YouTube channel, in which he supported the pro-Europe vote for the 2015 Greek bailout referendum. Controversies When he was called for military service in 1994 he asked for a delay, since his service would coincide with the release of Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas; the request was denied, although other artists had been able to delay their service for career reasons. Although it was initially thought that Rouvas did not want to leave the spotlight when his career was growing, he claimed his reluctance to serve was due to agoraphobia. His claims were met with astonishment; media outlets remarked that agoraphobia was an odd condition for an entertainer, and critics accused him of draft dodging. The singer was taken to the Penteli psychiatric hospital for an evaluation, and it was widely reported that he had attempted suicide. After his release Rouvas fulfilled his military service. During his service, he was pestered by paparazzi. Psinakis accused Rouvas' psychiatrist of pouring psychotropic drugs into Rouvas' alcoholic beverages because of a previous quarrel. When asked if he was suicidal Rouvas said he did not think so, but he was so drugged at the time of the emergency call that he did not recall the exact events; he confirmed that he tried to desert by climbing under a Jeep and attaching himself to its undercarriage. On 19 May 1997, Rouvas performed with Turkish singer Burak Kut at a bi-national reconciliation concert on the Green Line in Cyprus before an audience of over 4,000. The concert received international coverage and support, earning Rouvas an International Abdi Ipekçi Prize for global understanding and co-operation; however, the concert was controversial to Greek and Turkish protesters, and stones, eggs and tomatoes were thrown at the singer in all his next concerts. Opposition to the concert turned the Greek and Greek-Cypriot media against Rouvas, and was fodder for tabloid talk shows in Greece. Rouvas left Greece and moved to the United States for six months for the incident to be forgotten. During summer 2000 Rouvas, Psinakis and a number of other celebrities visited Mykonos on a yacht borrowed from a local physician. They were accused of drug possession, since the yacht contained narcotics. Although the doctor admitted that the narcotics were his, his guests were questioned. However, thousands of T-shirts were printed which read: "Imoun ki ego sto kotero!" ("I was on the yacht, too!"). He collaborated with Pepsi in 2001, the advertisement, featuring a semi-nude Rouvas holding a Pepsi bottle in front of his genitals, was controversial among women's rights and parental associations. Calling it "unsightly, vulgar and unacceptable", they tried to have the ad blocked as "disgrac[ing] childhood innocence and dignity." In October 2020, a Syriza MP Pavlos Polakis referenced Rouvas during a speech in the Greek Parliament, suggesting that he had supported the Golden Dawn Criminal organization because he followed one of their MPs on twitter years ago when they got elected in the Hellenic Parliament. Rouvas sent a Cease and desist letter to Polakis asking to retract his statement or the matter would be dealt with in court. Adding that he followed the accounts of many politicians such as Mr. Alexis Tsipras, Mr. Antonis Samaras, e.t.c to have a full picture of what they are saying and how political leaders are confronting each other. Discography Studio albums Sakis Rouvas (1991) Min Andistekese (1992) Gia Sena (1993) Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas (1994) Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola (1996) Kati Apo Mena (1998) 21os Akatallilos (2000) Ola Kala (2002) To Hrono Stamatao (2003) S'eho Erotefthi (2005) Iparhi Agapi Edo (2006) Irthes (2008) Parafora (2010) Sta Kalytera Mou (2021) Live albums Live Ballads (2006) This Is My Live (2007) Filmography Tours and residencies Concert tours Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola Summer Tour (1997) Pepsi Tour (2001) Ola Kala World Tour (2002) Sakis Live in Town Tour (2003) Sakis on Stage Tour (2005) Fire Victims Tour (2007) Antonis Remos – Sakis Rouvas World Tour (2008) Kalokairino Randevou me ton Saki Tour (2008) Sakis Live Tour (2009) Sakis Summer Tour 2010 Concert residencies To Ekati (1990) Athens Show Center (1991) Posidonio (1992) Posidonio (1994) Chaos (1996) Pyli Axiou (1997) Chaos (1998) Vio Vio (1999–2000) Pyli Axiou (2000) Apollonas (2000–01) Rex (2001–2002) Fever (2003–04) Fever (2004–05) Boom (2007) Politia (2008) STARZ (2008–09) Politia Live Clubbing (2009) The S Club (2009–2010) Politia Live Clubbing (2010) Face2Face (2010–11) The S Club at Thalassa: People's Stage (2011) Pyli Axiou (2011) Underworld S Club (2011–2012) Underworld S Club at Politia Live Clubbing (2012) The S Club at Thalassa: People's Stage (2012) Awards Bibliography "Afti Einai I Zoi Mou" (2009); An article co-written with Petros Kostopoulos featured in the April 2009 issue of Nitro. "Info-diet 370" (2011); An article featured in the November 2011 issue of Athens Voice. See also Honorific nicknames in popular music List of Eurovision Song Contest presenters List of Greeks List of Pepsi spokespersons Mononymous person Notes Further reading External links SakisRouvas.com - Official website Sakis Rouvas on Spotify ! colspan="3" style="border-top: #DAA520 5px solid;" | Eurovision Song Contest ! colspan="3" style="border-top: #DAA520 5px solid;" | World Music Awards ! colspan="3" style="border-top: #DAA520 5px solid;" | Other 1972 births 20th-century Greek male actors 21st-century Greek male actors Actors from Corfu Arion Music Awards winners Eastern Orthodox Christians from Greece English-language singers from Greece Greek environmentalists Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2004 Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2009 Greek businesspeople Greek dance musicians Greek male dancers Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Greece Greek expatriates in the United States Greek fashion designers Greek male film actors Greek film producers Greek male models 20th-century Greek male singers Greek philanthropists Greek pianists Greek pop singers Greek rhythm and blues singers Greek rock guitarists Greek rock singers Greek singer-songwriters Greek television presenters Greek male voice actors Greek health activists Humanitarians Living people MAD Video Music Awards winners Minos EMI artists 21st-century Greek male singers Musicians from Corfu Nightclub owners PolyGram Records (Greece) artists Restaurateurs Rock pianists Sportspeople from Corfu Thessaloniki Song Festival winners World Music Awards winners Greek laïko singers Male pianists MTV Europe Music Award winners
true
[ "Florin Ristei (born Traian Florin Ristei; 29 August 1987) is a Romanian singer and television presenter. He was born in the city of Galați, Romania, but he currently lives in Bucharest. He is best known for his debut single, \"Dana\" (together with his former band, Amici) and for winning the third season of the X Factor Romania in 2013.\n\nIn 2012, Universal Pictures chose Ristei to sing the main songs the animated movie The Lorax, alongside Narcisa Suciu, and Nadia Comăneci who provide the Romanian version of the film.\n\nLife and career\n\n1987–2012: Early life, Amici and Marfar\nRistei attended the General School No. 10 from Galați. His teachers say that he excelled as a student; as a child he was very ambitious, but he also worked hard.\nHe was discovered in 1999 by Lucian Pintilie at a karaoke contest in Constanţa, held by Prima TV. Pintilie wanted to make a film together with Ristei, but after a year of trying, the project did not materialize. Ristei later became the lead singer of the band Amici. It was, at that time, the youngest pop-rock band in Romania. In 2000, they released the smash hit \"Dana\", with which they entered the national music charts. Together, they released 2 EPs, an album and appeared on a compilation.\nIn 2005, he joined the band Marfar. The band's biggest hit was \"Baby Marinaru'\" ()\n\n2012–present: FreeStay, X Factor and great national success\nIn 2012, Ristei formed the musical project FreeStay, which meant Ristei's return to the national music market. The project's debut song, \"Ea a fost Dana\" (), reached Romania's radio and TV stations. They participated on Romania's national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song \"Criminal Mind\", placing 9th in the final.\n\nIn 2013, Ristei auditioned for the third season of the X Factor Romania talent show. His performances were highly appreciated by both the jury and the viewers, subsequently winning the competition.\n\nHe later released the songs \"Altfel de magie\" (), \"Cerșetori de iubire\" () and \"Trebuia să fii tu\" ().\n\nIn 2016, Ristei released the hit \"Las-o...\" () together with the rapper Vescan. The song reached number one on Romanian charts. This was followed by many collaborations with top-charting Romanian artists such as: What's Up for the song \"Facem ce vrem\" (), Andra for the song \"Între noi nu mai e nimic\" () and Smiley, who wrote the music and lyrics for the song \"Îmi place prietena ei\" ().\n\nIn 2017, he won the award for the Best Romanian Male Voice at the Radio Romania Awards gala.\n\nIn 2020, Ristei became a judge on the ninth season of the X Factor Romania, this way becoming the first ever X Factor Romania winner to ever become a judge later in the show.\n\nPersonal life\nFlorin is currently in a relationship with X Factor season 9 contestant Naomi Hedman, raising suspicions about backstage business. He is the first and only X Factor Romania judge to have ever become involved in a relationship with a contestant.\n\nAccolades\n\nDiscography\n\nAs featured artist\n\nWith Amici\n 2000: Dana (EP)\n 2000: Iernatik (Compilation)\n 2001: Fata blondă () (Album)\n 2003: ASL PLS (EP)\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n Official website\n\nLiving people\n1987 births\n21st-century Romanian male singers\nPeople from Galați", "Anthony Jasmin sometimes Anthony & Jasmin is a Danish pop duo who on 28 March 2014 won season 7 of the Danish version of X Factor in 2014. After Anthony Lopez and Jasmin Dahl were eliminated as solo artists at bootcamp, the duo was formed and mentored by Thomas Blachman. They reached the final and won against Lucy, mentored by Remee, becoming the first ever duo or group formation to win the Danish title.\n\nTheir debut single \"Do Ya\" topped Tracklisten, the official Danish Singles Chart immediately following their win. They were the first duo or group formation that won the Danish title. In June 2014, the duo released their EP Stick Together through Sony with tracks including the winning song \"Do Ya\" and the new title track single \"Stick Together\".\n\nOne of the duo, Anthony, competed in the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2017 with the song \"Smoke In My Eyes,\" but did not advance to the superfinal.\n\nMembers\nAnthony Jasmin is a duo named after the first names of its members. They are:\nAnthony Lopez, from Valby, 19 at time of application, student at CPH West school. Before X Factor, he had appeared with several smaller groups and released materials online through his YouTube channel. \nJasmin Dahl, from Høje Gladsaxe, 15 at time of application, student, mixed Faroe Islands / Sudanese origin\n\nPerformances during X Factor\n\nDiscography\n\nEPs\n2014: Stick Together\n\nSingles\n\nReferences\n\nDanish musical duos\nThe X Factor winners\nX Factor (Danish TV series) contestants\nYear of birth missing (living people)\nLiving people" ]
[ "Sakis Rouvas", "Kati Apo Mena, return to prominence and 21os Akatallilos (1998-2000)", "What was his last greatest performance", "On 25 October 2000, he began appearing with Antonis Remos and Peggy Zina at Apollonas for the winter season.", "Did health ever play a factor in his performances", "During May rehearsals for summer performances Rouvas was hospitalized with abdominal pain, which was diagnosed as peritonitis and required an appendectomy." ]
C_ab76ebceba934705bad406cf87785ffc_0
Did his recovery or illness delay any prior engagements
3
Did Sakis Rouvas' peritonitis delay any prior engagements?
Sakis Rouvas
In December 1998 Rouvas released his sixth album (the first with his new label): Kati Apo Mena (Something From Me), written by Giorgos Theofanous. "Den Ehi Sidera I Kardia Sou" ("Your Heart Doesn't Have Steel Rails") was a hit, and remains one of his most-popular songs. To promote the album Rouvas performed at the Virgin Megastore in Athens, where thousands of fans created a traffic jam. The next year, Rouvas records "Oso Exo Esena" ("As Long As I Have You"), a duet with singer Stelios Rokkos. The two artists work and perform together at Bio Bio in Athens during the summer. In March 2000 Rouvas released his seventh album, 21os Akatallilos (21+ X-Rated), and performed with Katy Garbi at Pili Axiou in Thessaloniki. The album and its first single, "Andexa" ("I Held Out"), reached number one on the charts. During May rehearsals for summer performances Rouvas was hospitalized with abdominal pain, which was diagnosed as peritonitis and required an appendectomy. On 25 October 2000, he began appearing with Antonis Remos and Peggy Zina at Apollonas for the winter season. That year Rouvas became the Pepsi spokesperson for the company's Greek summer campaign making a first television ad, a first for a Greek entertainer. His collaboration with Pepsi continued into 2001, with a May television ad. The advertisement, featuring a semi-nude Rouvas holding a Pepsi bottle in front of his genitals, was controversial among women's rights and parental associations. Calling it "unsightly, vulgar and unacceptable", they tried to have the ad blocked as "disgrac[ing] childhood innocence and dignity." The Pepsi Tour 2001, of seven Greek cities, followed. During summer 2000 Rouvas, Psinakis and a number of other celebrities visited Mykonos on a yacht borrowed from a local physician. They were accused of drug possession, since the yacht contained narcotics. The incident was publicized amid speculation that Rouvas might have a drug addiction. Although the doctor admitted that the narcotics were his, his guests were questioned. Wishing to avoid court, Rouvas paid a fine and minimized the incident. However, thousands of T-shirts were printed which read: "Imoun ki ego sto kotero!" ("I was on the yacht, too!"). CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
Anastasios "Sakis" Rouvas (, ; born 5 January 1972), also known mononymously as Sakis, is a Greek recording artist; model; film and television actor; businessman and former pole vaulter. Born in Corfu, he won medals on the national athletics team during the 1980s. Rouvas began a musical career in 1991 as one of Greece's first dance-pop performers. His tenor vocals, complex choreography, costumes, and technological advancements have been credited with transforming music videos and live performances. Rouvas is noted for avoiding domestic music, attaining success for a non-laïko or -éntekhno artist, and for breaking cultural, social, artistic, and generational barriers in Greece and Cyprus. During the early 1990s, Rouvas signed with PolyGram Records and won the Thessaloniki Song Festival. Despite five commercially successful albums, his personal life (including his military service and 1997 Greek-Turkish peace concert, which damaged his public image) has been publicized. Rouvas signed with Minos EMI in 1997, returning to the charts with Kati Apo Mena (1998) and 21os Akatallilos (2000) and ending his 14-year collaboration with manager Ilias Psinakis. One of the few Greek entertainers to gain recognition abroad, he has been popular in the Balkans since the 1990s. By the 2010s, Rouvas had expanded his career to film, television, theatre and fashion. His single "Shake It" is one of the best-selling CD singles of all time in Greece, his songs and videos, such as "1992", "Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas", "Ela Mou", "Min Antistekesai", "Xana", "Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola", "Den Ehei Sidera I Kardia Sou", "Ypirhes Panta", "Antexa", "Se Thelo San Trelos", "+ Se Thelo" and "Sta Kalytera Mou" have topped the popular Greek charts. Since 2003 Rouvas has been in a relationship with model Katia Zygouli, with whom he has four children. He is involved in social issues, and has been praised for his dedication to philanthropic organizations. Rouvas has won six Arion Music Awards, 15 Pop Corn Music Awards, 22 MAD Video Music Awards, four Status Man of the Year Awards, an MTV Europe Music Award and a World Music Award. Several number-one albums and singles which have been certified gold or higher have made him one of Greece's most popular musical artists. Known for his independence, Rouvas' musical, fashion and performance styles have influenced other artists for over two decades. In 2009 Down Town named him its "Entertainer of the Decade"; in 2010, Forbes listed him as the third-most-influential celebrity in Greece and the country's top-ranked singer. Early life Rouvas was born on 5 January 1972 in Mantouki, a suburb of Corfu City on the island of Corfu, the eldest of four sons of Konstantinos "Kostas" Rouvas (an ambulance driver) and the teenaged Anna-Maria Panaretou (a duty-free shop clerk at the local airport). He has three brothers: Billy (b. Vasilios, 1975), Tolis (b. Apostolos, 1977) and Nikos (b. Nikolaos, 1991). The family was poor, and Rouvas began taking care of his brothers at age five. At age four, he exhibited athletic ability and took ballet classes as a child. His parents had a theatrical background, and at age ten Rouvas starred in his first theatrical production (An I Karharies Itan Anthropi; If Sharks Were People). His older co-stars were impressed with his talent. Soon afterwards Rouvas discovered music, which he enjoyed nearly as much as athletics. He taught himself guitar, inspired by international artists such as Elvis Presley. In 1984 his parents divorced; Rouvas and his brother Tolis moved to their paternal grandparents' home in the village of Potamos when their father remarried. The young Rouvas held a variety of jobs to support his family, including work in an automobile repair shop, as a construction worker and a bartender. Since his early childhood he had difficulty in school, particularly in reading and writing. Working during the day, Rouvas went to school at night with his mother (who had not finished secondary school). At age 15, Rouvas joined the Greek national track and field team as an admirer of Ukrainian pole-vaulter Sergey Bubka. His vaults were consistently high—averaging —and he won a number of national awards. Rouvas continued in athletics until age 18, believing he had a future in music and joining the Corfu Band. At his graduation, he sang hits by Elvis and The Beatles. Rouvas began performing at local clubs and hotels; at To Ekati, he was seen by future manager Ilias Psinakis. He left Corfu at age 18, moving to Patras in search of a better future. Career Early commercial success (1991–93) After moving to Patras, Rouvas continued to look for performance opportunities until he met Dakis (a popular Greek artist who was the first person to help him professionally). Rouvas moved to Athens, and made his first professional appearance in 1991 at the Show Centre. His showmanship attracted the attention of music executives such as Nikos Mouratidis, who encouraged songwriter Giorgos Pavrianos to produce him. Rouvas, singing Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" was discovered by PolyGram executives who signed him to his first recording contract. Several months later he debuted at the Thessaloniki Song Festival, losing Best Vocal Performance to Giorgos Alkaios but singing the Best Composition ("Par'ta"; "Take Them", with music by Nikos Terzis and lyrics by Giorgos Pavrianos). There was a brief earthquake during the festival. Rouvas released his eponymous debut album, which topped the Greek Albums Chart, the day after the festival. "Par'ta" became a radio hit, and other songs of the album such as "1992", "Ego S'agapo" ("I Love You") and "Gia Fantasou" ("Imagine") also became popular. In September 1992 Rouvas released his second album, Min Andistekese (Don't Resist), also composed by Nikos Terzis. It produced the singles "Gyrna" ("Return"), "Min Andistekese", "Na Ziseis Moro Mou" ("Live, My Baby") and "Me Kommeni Tin Anasa" ("Breathless"), with a music video of the title track. The album's success helped establish Rouvas at the top of the Greek music scene. In October 1993 Rouvas released his third album, Gia Sena (For You), with music by Alexis Papadimitriou and lyrics by Eleni Giannatsoulia and Evi Droutsa. The single "Kane Me" ("Make Me") became a radio hit, with "To Xero Eisai Moni" ("I Know You Are Alone") and "Xehase To" ("Forget It") also receiving airplay. Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas, Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola, and move to Minos EMI (1994–97) In the winter of 1994 Rouvas collaborated with singer-songwriter and record producer Nikos Karvelas on his fourth album, Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas (Blood, tears & sweat), and its singles "Ela Mou" ("Come To Me") and "Xana" ("Again") became radio hits. Rouvas' collaboration with Karvelas was received skeptically by the media; when asked why he had chosen to collaborate with Rouvas, Karvelas said: "Sakis is the only star out of a generation which produces dull artists." In 1996 Rouvas released his fifth studio album, Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola (Now the Hard Times Start), again collaborating with Nikos Karvelas and lyricist Natalia Germanou. During the winter he sang with Anna Vissi at the Chaos Club in Athens, appearing in the duet "Se Thelo, Me Theleis" ("I Want You, You Want Me", also written by Karvelas) on her 1997 album Travma (Trauma). In 2017 Rouvas and Burak Kut had recorded a duet in Greek and Turkish the previous year entitled "Birgün/Otan" ("When"), a cover of "Someday" for the Greek soundtrack of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (I Panagia Ton Parision, in which Rouvas voiced the role of Quasimodo) under the label of Minos EMI. Kati Apo Mena, return to prominence and 21os Akatallilos (1998–2000) In December 1998 Rouvas released his sixth album (the first with his new label): Kati Apo Mena (Something From Me), written by Giorgos Theofanous. "Den Ehi Sidera I Kardia Sou" ("Your Heart Doesn't Have Steel Rails") was a hit, and remains one of his most-popular songs. To promote the album Rouvas performed at the Virgin Megastore in Athens, where thousands of fans created a traffic jam. The next year, Rouvas records "Oso Exo Esena" ("As Long As I Have You"), a duet with singer Stelios Rokkos. The two artists work and perform together at Bio Bio in Athens during the summer. In March 2000 Rouvas released his seventh album, 21os Akatallilos (21+ X-Rated), and performed with Katy Garbi at Pili Axiou in Thessaloniki. The album and its first single, "Andexa" ("I Held Out"), reached number one on the charts. During May rehearsals for summer performances Rouvas was hospitalized with abdominal pain, which was diagnosed as peritonitis and required an appendectomy. On 25 October 2000, he began appearing with Antonis Remos and Peggy Zina at Apollonas for the winter season. That year Rouvas became the Pepsi spokesperson for the company's Greek summer campaign making a first television ad, a first for a Greek entertainer. The Pepsi Tour 2001, of seven Greek cities, followed. Ola Kala, international exposure and To Hrono Stamatao (2001–04) In 2001, Rouvas signed with Universal Licensing Music (ULM) of Universal Music France after he was recommended by singer Nana Mouskouri. He collaborated with American songwriter-producer Desmond Child and Phoebus on "Disco Girl"; it was a hit in Greece and certified platinum, winning Rouvas the Pop Singer of the Year award at the inaugural Arion Music Awards. The single was later released in France, with an English version written by Andreas Carlsson. Rouvas played 20 shows across France in support of "Disco Girl", which received ample airplay, and was compared to Latin pop star Ricky Martin. Rouvas' eighth album, Ola Kala (a collaboration with Desmond Child, Phoebus and Greek songwriters Natalia Germanou and Vangelis Konstantinidis), was released in June 2002. The album went gold in Greece within 11 days and platinum within 4 months. In April 2003, Rouvas appeared with Antonis Remos and Nana Mouskouri at the Arion Awards. He released his ninth album, To Hrono Stamatao (I Stop Time), in December; it was certified gold after its release. Songs from the album received radio airplay, and that month Rouvas began appearing at Fever with Giorgos Tsalikis and ONE for the winter season. A Greek version of "Feelings" from the album, "Pes Tis" ("Tell Her"), was released as a single with the same video as its French- and English-language counterparts. Eurovision and S'eho Erotefthi (2004–05) In March 2004, Hellenic Radio and Television (ERT) announced that Rouvas would represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 after the selection process on the reality show EuroStar proved unsatisfactory. The show's winner was expected to represent Greece, with Nikos Terzis writing the song entry; however, ERT changed its plans when the winner's ability to perform under so much pressure was questionable and Rouvas expressed an interest in representing his country. In mid-March "Shake It", with music by Terzis and lyrics by Nektarios Tyrakis, premiered on Greek radio. Originally, the song had Latin spirit and sound but Terzis changed it, combining the Greek traditional bouzouki sound with the Latin one to make it sound different from other Latin entries of the competition. At the third Arion Music Awards, he won Best Pop Singer for To Hrono Stamatao. In mid-April "Shake It" was released as a CD single, and Rouvas began a promotional tour of Europe for the contest; To Hrono Stamatao was reissued with a bonus "Shake It" single. The song remained number one on the Greek airplay charts for several weeks, and was number one on the IFPI Greece Top 50 singles chart for nine consecutive weeks. Rouvas was favored to win the Eurovision final. On 12 May 2004 he performed in the semi-final (appearing 10th out of 22), and performed 16th out of 24 in the 15 May 2004 final. Rouvas had two female dancers and three backing vocalists: the EuroStar winner and runners-up. Fokas Evangelinos, Rouvas' longtime choreographer, choreographed his stage show. "Shake It" finished third in the final, with Rouvas attracting great interest in the contest by Greek viewers (with a rating of 86.7 percent, the highest rating in Greek TV history at the time). Rouvas' appearance in Eurovision was a turning point in his career; his public perception changed from media-produced celebrity to notable pop artist, and he became more accessible to the media. In June 2004, Rouvas performed "Shake It" at the first MAD Video Music Awards, where he won Sexiest Appearance for the "Pes Tis" ("Tell Her") music video. On 7 July, Rouvas performed in Istanbul with Turkish artist (and 2003 Eurovision Song Contest winner) Sertab Erener in another attempt to maintain peace between the two countries. In August he carried the Olympic torch through Panathinaiko Stadium and performed at the closing ceremony for the 2004 Summer Olympics, in which he was lowered to the stage from the air and sang a traditional Greek song, "Karapiperim". In fall 2004, Rouvas recorded a duet version of "Se Thelo San Trelos" ("I Want You Like Crazy", from 21os Akatallilos) with Russian pop singer Philip Kirkorov. In December he began performing with Giorgos Mazonakis at Fever for the winter season, with Elena Paparizou as their opening act. His show was praised; Georgia Laimou of E-go, known for scathing reviews, wrote: "I have only good things to say about Sakis and I don't want to hear 'boo' from anyone. I don't think that a more neat, well-supported, professional, and generally flawless performance than Sakis' exists on the Athenian clubs." On 6 April 2005 Rouvas released his tenth album, S'eho Erotefthi (I'm in Love With You), which went platinum in five months and was eventually certified 3× platinum. With Vodafone Greece as their main sponsor, release parties for the CD were held in Heraklion, Corfu, Thessaloniki, and Athens on the same day and "S'eho Erotefti", "Hilia Milia" ("A Thousand Miles"), "Mila Tis" ("Talk to Her"), "Na M' Agapas" ("You Should Love Me") and "Cairo" became radio hits. That year, Rouvas won the World Music Award as Best-Selling Greek Artist of 2004. In September he gave a charity concert at the Olympic Indoor Hall for an audience of 20,000 (the largest production by any Greek entertainer until Rouvas surpassed the record in 2009), followed by a concert in Patras. Live Ballads, Eurovision and Iparhi Agapi Edo (2006) On 14 February 2006, Rouvas gave a Valentine's Day concert where he sang his popular ballads and cover versions of ballads by other Greek and foreign artists. The concert was recorded, videotaped and released as Live Ballads (Rouvas' first live album and video) later in April as a CD and CD/DVD package. The CD featured three new studio tracks—"Horis Kardia" ("Without a Heart"; Greek version of Damien Rice's "The Blower's Daughter"), "Eisai Oli Mou H Zoi" and an English-language version of "S'eho Erotefthi" entitled "I'm in Love With You"—and topped the Greek album chart. On 3 April, Rouvas sang "Horis Kardia" at the Arion Music Awards, where he won Best Pop Album and Best Pop Singer for S'eho Erotefthi. In May the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was held in Athens, since Greece won the contest the previous year and Rouvas was asked by ERT to host the semi-final and final with Maria Menounos. At the semi-finals, Rouvas opened the show by singing the Katrina and the Waves song "Love Shine a Light" with Menounos. During the voting intermission, he performed "I'm in Love With You". On 14 June, Rouvas performed "Agapa Me" ("Love Me"; Greek version of Julio Iglesias "Abrázame") and "Na M' Agapas" at the third MAD Video Music Awards, where he won Best Video by a Male Artist (for "Na M' Agapas") and Best-Dressed Artist in a Video (for "Mila Tis"). At the end of the summer (6 September), he collaborated with Vodafone on a beach-party concert at Yabanaki known as "Sakis on the Waves". On 13 November he began filming his feature-film debut, in Alter Ego and on 6 December 2006 Rouvas released his eleventh studio album, Iparhi Agapi Edo (There Is Love Here). "Ego Travo Zori" (I'm Having a Hard Time") and "18 (Iprarhi Agapi Edo)" received radio airplay. The lyrics for "Mikros Titanikos (Se Latrevo)" ("Little Titanic [I Adore You]") were written by Yiannis Parios, and his son Harry Varthakouris composed the music. The album was certified platinum (selling over 40,000 copies as of April 2007). Film and television career, This Is My Live and Irthes (2007–08) Rouvas' Academy Awards prime-time special, Sakis Oscar Songs, aired on 20 February 2007 on Nova. The special was filmed at a private concert at Athens Arena, and featured Oscar-winning songs. In March, he began performing at Boom in Thessaloniki with Despina Vandi. On 10 May 2007 Village Roadshow Productions' Alter Ego premiered in theatres across Greece with the avant premiere being on 7 May. With a budget of €2 million, it was one of the most expensive productions in Greece. The film received mixed reviews and sold only one-fifth of the expected number of tickets. Its 200,000 tickets made Alter Ego an average success for Greek cinema, although Rouvas was disappointed in its media coverage. The film dealt with young musicians living the rock-and-roll lifestyle (including drug abuse) facing their inner fears in the loss of a loved one. Its soundtrack was recorded by the cast of the movie and Rouvas and the theme song, "Zise Ti Zoi" ("Live Life"), reached the top 10. On 29 June 2008, Alter Ego was screened at a Los Angeles Greek festival. On 20 July 2007, Rouvas performed in Ptolemaida, Kozani as part of the Expedition for Environment Act Now! On 10 September 2007, his concert at the Lycabettus theater as part of an OPAP campaign encouraging blood donation was recorded and was released as a CD/DVD on 12 December 2007 entitled This Is My Live. The album also featured his last single "Stous 31 Dromous" ("On 31 Roads"). On 29 October, Rouvas received his sixth Arion (Best Pop Song for "Ola Gyro Sou Gyrizoun") from five nominations, although he was absent from the ceremony. In spring 2008, Rouvas and Antonis Remos toured North America, Australia and South Africa. Rouvas' song "+ Se Thelo" ("And I Want You") by Dimitris Kontopoulos, became a radio hit and a video with footage from the July 2008 MAD Video Music Awards, was released at the end of the year. "+ Se Thelo" became a staple of Rouvas' career. It was a critical landmark, a rare case of a Greek artist breaking generational barriers and producing a hit of that magnitude nearly two decades into their career. In July 2008 Rouvas was announced as host for the first season of the Greek version of The X Factor, which premiered on 24 October. Rouvas was Greece's representative—singing "Stous 31 Dromous"—in the OGAE Song Contest, placing third behind Croatia and the United Kingdom. On 3 December, Rouvas released his 12th studio album, Irthes (You Arrived), produced by Dimitris Kontopoulos. The same titled song "Irthes" was released few days earlier, on 20 November, and it was dedicated to his newborn daughter. The following day, on 4 December, he premiered his winter concert series with the Maggira Sisters at STARZ. Eurovision, Duress, Parafora and business career (2009–2012) ERT made an early announcement confirming that Rouvas would again be Greece's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. He performed his three songs ("Out of Control", "Right on Time" and "This Is Our Night", all composed by Dimitris Kontopoulos) at the Greek finals in February; the latter was the runaway winner with the jury and the viewers, winning 61 percent of the vote (the largest margin ever, and the most votes received by ERT in a national final). The song debuted at number one on the Greek Digital Singles chart, while Rouvas embarked on a promotional tour of Europe. He said publicly that he hoped to return the contest to Greece the following year. A win was widely anticipated by the Greek public, with the country being one of the three favorites among the Eurovision fans. However, Rouvas finished seventh in the final. The singer and the Greek public were disappointed with the result, and he issued a public apology for his loss. Rouvas received universal support from the public and the media, a first for a Greek Eurovision entrant regardless of result. On 27 March Rouvas was appointed by ELPIDA Charity Foundation president and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Marianna Vardinoyannis as a "messenger" for the foundation, a charity for children with cancer, publicly recognizing his longtime behind-the-scenes support. He joined fast food chain Goody's in its ArGOODaki campaign, and donated €300,000 to the foundation in April. That month Rouvas and Zygouli introduced beauty company Mariella Nails Body and Mind Care, of which they own 25 percent. On 1 July 2009, Rouvas performed a sold-out concert in support of environmental issues at Panathenaic Stadium before an audience of 40,000. He was one of the few musicians permitted to perform at the venue; it was the largest attendance ever at the stadium for a non-sporting event, and the largest attendance for a single musical artist in Greek history. The concert, organized by the National Youth Council, coincided with the start of the national public smoking ban. The sold-out Sakis Live Tour visited an additional 10 cities from July to September, and he performed a sold-out concert series at Politia Live Clubbing in Thessaloniki. In October, the singer returned to host the second season of the Greek version of The X Factor and dubbed the voice of Captain Charles T. Baker in the Greek version of Planet 51. He made his American film debut in the psychological thriller Duress, with Martin Donovan. The film was screened at festivals in Poland and Russia, and was given a wide theatrical release in December by Greek distributor Hollywood Entertainment. It was expected to be released on home video in the United States. Rouvas performed at his new S Club for the winter 2009–10 season (with Tamta, Eleftheria Eleftheriou and the American rapper Gifted) and opened sushi restaurant EDO. On 2 March 2010 the successful S Club caught fire, sustaining up to €4 million in damage. The cause of the fire was unknown, but Athens police suspected arson by rival club owners since witnesses reported seeing containers of gasoline. After repairs, Rouvas' show resumed from 19 March to 9 April and moved to Thessaloniki on 7 May for a six-week engagement at Politia Live Clubbing. He appeared on Tamta's single "Tharros I Alitheia" for her album of the same name. The song became a major club hit, and won a MAD Video Music Award for Best Duet–Collaboration Video. Rouvas' 13th studio album, Parafora, was released on 14 December 2010 and topped the IFPI Top 75 Albums chart. It shipped 24,000 copies its first week, for a double-platinum certification. The album's first single ("Spase Ton Hrono") was Rouvas' fourth consecutive single to reach number one on all Greek charts. It won Best Balkan Song from Greece at the first Balkan Music Awards; its video gave Rouvas five MAD Video Music Awards nominations (more than any other video) and Best Pop Video, Artist of the Year and Fashion Icon of the Year awards. The song also contributed to Rouvas' MTV Europe Music Award for Best Greek Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2010, and he was shortlisted for the MTV Europe Music Award for Best European Act. "Emena Thes", the second single, was released in May and peaked at number five on the mixed-airplay and digital sales charts. The title track was released in October; it was number one on the domestic-airplay chart for three weeks and peaked at number two on the mixed-airplay chart. The album's fourth single, "Oi dyo mas" was released in late February 2011. Its video clip was released at the end of March, when the song topped the national-airplay chart. For the second consecutive year, Rouvas was Singer of the Year at the Status Men of the Year Awards. In June Rouvas and his brother, Vasilis, launched TV and film production company Sakis Rouvas Kinematografos EPE, and on 14 July Rouvas ended the Greek French Embassy's Bastille Day celebration with renditions of the French and Greek national anthems. His eight-city summer tour lasted from 24 July to 19 September. At a 27 July stop in Corinth he introduced the Sakis Rouvas Collection of clothing (to which he had creative input) to Greek retailer Sprider Stores. The collection, for men and women, was launched on 16 September and available in October. Rouvas performed at the Mykonos Xlsior Festival in support of the LGBT movement on 27 August; although he was scheduled to perform at the first Εurovoice on 23 September with Enrique Iglesias, Anastacia and host Pamela Anderson, his appearance was canceled a day before the event for undisclosed reasons. For the winter season of 2010–11 Rouvas joined Anna Vissi for Face2Face, a concert series at Athens Arena beginning on 15 October. ANT1 was in negotiations with Rouvas to star in a TV series after The X Factor, and he hosted the third season of the talent show from 29 October – 11 February. For his performance, Rouvas was Presenter of the Year at the 2011 Cypriot Men of the Year Awards. On 2 February 2011 Rouvas was one of eight acts in the first MADWalk (equivalent to the international Fashion Rocks), where he represented Celia Kritharioti Haute Couture. In the spring he made ten appearances at Thalassa. After a short break Rouvas continued his live appearances at Puli Axiou in Thessaloniki, announcing his upcoming winter performances at Athens Arena with Onirama and Eleni Foureira as his opening act and releasing his new single, "Kane na mi s' agapiso". At the 2012 Johnnie Walker Men of the Year Awards in Cyprus Rouvas was presented with the Greek of the Year award for his philanthropic contributions, particularly to the Elpida Foundation. In February 2012 he performed his new single ("Bad Thing") with American singer Nomi Ruiz of Jessica 6 at the second MADWalk, where he represented designer Apostolos Mitropoulos. The single was expected to be released worldwide after the show. In May 2012 Rouvas released a new single, "Tora" ("Νow") which he performed at the 2012 MAD Video Music Awards. In November, he released a rock-Zeibekiko mash-up ballad entitled "Niose Ti Thelo" ("Feel What I Want"). Rouvas was nominated for four Mad Video Music Awards (including Best Pop Video and Video of the Year), winning Male Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year for "I Dyo Mas". Theatre, Chevalier and Mia Hara Na Pernas (2013–2020) Rouvas returned to television as a presenter for ANT1's Iroes Anamesa Mas (Heroes Among Us), a ten-part documentary series focusing on stories of people who have been commended for heroic deeds which premiered on 24 May 2013. For the series, Rouvas traveled throughout Greece interviewing the featured nominees. During the summer, he made his theatrical debut in Euripides' tragedy The Bacchae in the lead role of Dionysus, for which he was awarded with the best performance award by the 2014 Greek Theatre Critics Awards in the category of ancient drama. Working again with songwriter Theofanous, in May 2013 Rouvas released a ballad single ("Mia Hara Na Pernas"; "Have A Good Time"). At the 2013 MAD Video Music Awards, he was nominated for four awards: Best Pop Video, Video of the Year, Male Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year. "Tora" was nominated for most-played radio song of the year, and as part of the awards' tenth anniversary Rouvas' 2008 live performance of "+ Se Thelo" was nominated for best live performance in the show's history. On 24 November 2013 Rouvas was among a group from the Ionian Islands who were commended by the Hellenic Union of Eptanisians (Ionians) for their work and philanthropy. To honor the winners, the organization released a collectors'-edition philatelic envelope with a stamp bearing a picture of the group. In January 2014, continuing his support for the Elpida Foundation in practice, Rouvas became the first volunteer bone-marrow donor at the Orama Elpidas (Vision of Hope) marrow bank, and he is appearing in a foundation campaign encouraging marrow donation. His "Ace of Hearts Tour" that started on 26 April 2014, was dedicated to the Elpida Foundation and the Orama Elpidas marrow bank. The final concert of the tour took place in Athens on 11 October 2014. On 13 January 2014, it was announced that Rouvas would be part of Athina Tsaggari's new feature film named "Chevalier", where he would be one of the protagonists of the movie. The shootings of the movie started on January and are set to be done in March 2014. On 11 March 2014, Rouvas himself uploaded a promo video of his new single "Se Pethimisa" (I Missed You) on his YouTube channel that will be released later during the year. For this song, Rouvas continues his cooperation with the songwriter Theofanous, while the lyrics belong to Thanos Papanikolaou. After his success as Dionysus in The Bacchae, Rouvas' next theatrical step includes a musical. In September 2014, it was announced that Rouvas would be part of the musical "Hraklis; Oi dodeka athloi" (Hercules; The twelve labours) at the role of Hercules. The premiere took place on 12 December 2014. In 2015 he performed Mikis Theodorakis's Axion Asti. In 2016 Chevalier, was selected as the Greek entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards. Since 2016, Rouvas has been a coach on The Voice Greece. Rouvas performed in Estate Club for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons (with Stelios Rokkos and Helena Paparizou (2019-2020)). He and Rokkos collaborated in the single "Ta Zorikia Vradia" in 2018. Rouvas single "Ela Sto Horo" was released in 2019. In September 2019 he gave a concert along with Helena Paparizou and Eleni Foureira. He and Paparizou later in 2020 released a single called "Etsi einai i Fasi". In August 2020 he performed in Odeon of Herodes Atticus along with soprano Sonia Theodoridou. Sta Kalytera Mou, Idols and current projects (2021–current) In spring 2021 Sakis Rouvas released his new 14th album, titled "Sta Kalytera Mou" and produced by Phoebus. Lead single was titled Yperanthropos. The album reached number one on the IFPI Greece top 75 abums sales chart for several consecutive weeks, and was the Greek best-selling album of 2021 in Greece. He also took part in the collaborative album "O Prigkipas tis Dytikis Ochthis", which was released in the memory of the singer-songwriter Manos Xydous, a member of the Greek rock band Pyx Lax. The album ended the third best selling greek language album of 2021. In late 2021 he presented the television documentary series "Idols", dedicated to personalities who stigmatized Greece's popular culture with their professional course and life. Aliki Vougiouklaki, Malvina Karali, Nikos Kourkoulos, Dimitris Mitropanos, Vlassis Bonatsos lives were featured. Artistry Influences Elvis Presley was Rouvas' musical idol; he also enjoyed The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Kiss and Queen. Although he was influenced most by 1960s music, he also likes George Michael and Michael Bolton. The singer considers Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" "one of the ten best songs that have ever been written." Similarities between Presley and Rouvas have been noted; during his STARZ performances, the Maggira Sisters' opening sketch was based on Presley's concern about a popular Greek singer who imitated him. Rouvas covered Presley's "Suspicious Minds" for the Alter Ego soundtrack, and has said that what impressed him most as a child about Presley was "the way that he sang, that he danced, that he felt what he interpreted and what I believed that his audience felt when they heard him". He has also been influenced by Greek artists such as Giannis Parios, Marinella and Nana Mouskouri (his mentor), and considers Haris Alexiou and Anna Vissi as the two greatest Greek female artists. Michael Jackson's "Earth Song" is a favourite of Rouvas' for its environmental message; after Jackson's death, he dedicated a song to the American singer at his Concert for the Environment and spoke about Jackson's legacy: "[Michael Jackson was] one of the most significant singers ever on this planet and the biggest showman that has ever passed by on this planet [...] a person whose life was a 'thriller', but however complicated his life was, he dedicated it for the good of the children and of the planet. Many people want to remember him for the complex persona that he had, I want to remember him for everything that he gave to us all of these years, and for all the reasons that he inspired us." Musicianship Rouvas is fluent in Greek, English and French, presenting the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in all three languages. He has also recorded songs in all three languages, singing phonetically in Turkish and Russian for his 1997 collaboration with Burak Kut in Cyprus and the Russian duet version of "Se Thelo San Trelos" ("Kak Sumashedshij Ya") with Philipp Kirkorov; one of three versions, it was a Russian hit. Rouvas plays guitar, bass, piano, cello and some percussion. On some tours he plays his black Gibson Les Paul electric guitar, switching to acoustic guitar for unplugged performances such as Live Ballads. Rouvas has expressed disappointment with the ignorance of youthful audiences of older music. He considers himself a pop-rock artist, although he has described his musical style as "always more rock" than he has been credited. Rouvas has been praised for not tapping into traditional Greek music for commercial success, since pop music is a niche genre in Greece. Asked if he thought it difficult being a pop-rock artist in a folk market, he replied that there was a need for a variety of genres; while he has experimented with traditional Greek music, it is not what he feels he does best. Vocal style Rouvas had no vocal lessons as a boy and taught himself primarily by ear, so during the recording of his first album he had to learn music theory in a short time. His voice developed significantly since his early teenaged performances. Rouvas' detractors have criticized his voice as average, or limited, contending that his appeal is based on image. Whatever the assessment of his voice, it has often been overshadowed by showmanship and appearance in the media; many preferred to watch him perform than to listen to him. These criticisms diminished by the second decade of Rouvas' career; his technical skills (range, power and versatility in particular) and expression are better appreciated. Rouvas has a tenor vocal range; although he can also sing low, in the F-clef range, he prefers to sing higher and can reach notes beyond the typical tenor high without falsetto, varying his dynamics from whispers to belts. His vocal power was evident in early recordings, notably on "Mia Fora" from Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas (the first album to showcase his vocal ability). During his 1997–98 hiatus, Rouvas received voice lessons from American coach Raz Kennedy focusing on rock and blues techniques. His subsequent sixth album, Kati Apo Mena, was a milestone in Rouvas' vocal development; he exhibited a consistent depth and dimension which previously appeared only sporadically on his first five albums. He won the Pop Corn Music Award for Best Male Vocal Performance twice in a row: for 1999's "Den Ehei Sidera I Kardia Sou" and 2000's "Se Thelo San Trelos" (the latter from 21os Akatallilos). By Live Ballads in 2006, Pavlos Zervas of Music Corner considered that Rouvas' voice had reached its most-mature form. Critic Tasos P. Karantis of Orfeas conceded that Rouvas sang with competence and technical precision, and his voice was easily recognizable. Ilias Malasidis of Athens 24 noted that Rouvas' voice was initially more intriguing than his material. His voice is best-suited to power ballads, his signature style due to his sensual tone. Reviewers have praised Rouvas' live performances, particularly his ability to execute "especially difficult and demanding songs", hold long, high notes and dance while singing. Down Town commended him for never using a playback track, common among Greek artists, but Billboard noted that an ability to sing well in English would increase his international appeal. During his career, Rouvas has perform in a number of genres, contemporary and traditional; in some songs (such as "O Iroas" from Iparhi Agapi Edo), he delivers spoken verses which have been described as a "light rap." He has also performed as a crooner styles and a classical tenor. Rouvas' defining characteristic as a vocalist has been his emotional expression. He maintains his voice with a strict organic food diet and avoiding alcohol and smoking, banning smoking in his dressing room. Singer-songwriter Stelios Rokkos, who collaborated with him for three seasons, described him as "probably the most disciplined singer I have ever met—in fact, to the point of insanity." Live shows and music videos Film and television After his 2005 move to Los Angeles Rouvas studied acting and received some training from his friend, Tom Hanks. He was interested in film since childhood, and a year and a half later he received an offer from Village Roadshow. In Rouvas' first feature film, Alter Ego (of which he was also associate producer), he played a role similar to himself. Before that, he dubbed English-language animated films in Greek. When comparisons between Rouvas and the character Stefanos in Alter Ego arose (with speculation that the character was autobiographical), he replied that despite similarities Stefanos was a "much more aggressive person." Rouvas adopted a new look for the film, credited by Nitro as reflecting the emo movement emerging among Greek youth. While Rouvas was attracted some critical praise for his foray into acting, others felt that it was too early to evaluate his acting talent. Rouvas' second film (the indie Duress) was a Hollywood psychological thriller in which he played a serial killer, against type for Greek audiences, and said the film was the most difficult thing he had done in his career until that point. Giannis Zoumboulakis of To Vima found Rouvas convincing in the film's cat-and-mouse plot: "You accept the proposal from the first moments, forgetting completely that the 'bad' guy in the story is the host of X-Factor", concluding that "Going against his own image, Rouvas creates a very exceptional psycho killer. With his gray-beige, old wool coat and grimy, parted hair and without his bright smile he creates from scratch a hero that is all his." Panagiotis Timogiannakis contended that Rouvas began showing a different side of himself in Alter Ego, noting that the lighting in both films did not flatter him. Timogiannakis wondered if Rouvas had deglamourized himself to receive serious roles: "He needs to clear up whether he wants to have a career of a star or of a role player. A born role player he does not seem to be. A born star he is." The 2006 Eurovision Song Contest was a springboard for glib host roles, such as for The X Factor. Producer Giannis Latsios said that Rouvas' presence contributed significantly to the show's success, calling his first-season performance "great" and adding: "We had a program that had to do with music and Sakis, on a collective level, is an icon that the generation which participates in this show has as an idol. He is a glowing character with much higher capabilities of expression and, if he decides to continue this path, will improve. He has immediacy, critique and most of all he gave to a program a luster, which was not standard from the beginning." Personal life After moving to Athens he lived with an older English woman named Sally, with whom he had begun a relationship on Corfu. Their relationship ended when Psinakis became Rouvas' manager, and the singer became more career-oriented. The media has speculated about Rouvas' personal life and relationships with model Zeta Logotheti, Sofi Kantarou (a Corfu bar manager) and singer Elli Kokkinou. At this time, Rouvas became more reclusive and guarded about his personal life. In 2003 he was in a relationship with the London based Taiwanese producer Rebecca Wang. Rouvas met model Katia Zygouli back in 2003 during the shootings of a commercial ad for Vodafone and the two of them became a couple. They kept their relationship away from the media despite the rumors and Rouvas first confirmed their relationship during a radio interview to Natalia Germanou. In June 2008, Rouvas announced Zygouli's pregnancy and on 2 November 2008, Zygouli gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter named Anastasia after her father on 18 October 2009. Her godmother was Emmanouela Pavlatou, a friend of Melina Mercouri, and the baptismal date was chosen to coincide with Mercouri's birthday. Anastasia's birth was extensively covered by the media. On 15 October 2011, Rouvas and Zygouli became parents for the second time to a son, named Alexandros. The couple's third child and second daughter, named Ariadni, arrived on 3 January 2013. The couple welcomed their fourth child, on 21 April 2016. On Monday 3 July 2017, Sakis Rouvas married Katia Zygouli. Political Causes Rouvas has spoken out against LGBT discrimination, and in favor of the adoption of children by gay couples. In July 2015 Rouvas uploaded a video message titled "Yes we are Europe" on his personal YouTube channel, in which he supported the pro-Europe vote for the 2015 Greek bailout referendum. Controversies When he was called for military service in 1994 he asked for a delay, since his service would coincide with the release of Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas; the request was denied, although other artists had been able to delay their service for career reasons. Although it was initially thought that Rouvas did not want to leave the spotlight when his career was growing, he claimed his reluctance to serve was due to agoraphobia. His claims were met with astonishment; media outlets remarked that agoraphobia was an odd condition for an entertainer, and critics accused him of draft dodging. The singer was taken to the Penteli psychiatric hospital for an evaluation, and it was widely reported that he had attempted suicide. After his release Rouvas fulfilled his military service. During his service, he was pestered by paparazzi. Psinakis accused Rouvas' psychiatrist of pouring psychotropic drugs into Rouvas' alcoholic beverages because of a previous quarrel. When asked if he was suicidal Rouvas said he did not think so, but he was so drugged at the time of the emergency call that he did not recall the exact events; he confirmed that he tried to desert by climbing under a Jeep and attaching himself to its undercarriage. On 19 May 1997, Rouvas performed with Turkish singer Burak Kut at a bi-national reconciliation concert on the Green Line in Cyprus before an audience of over 4,000. The concert received international coverage and support, earning Rouvas an International Abdi Ipekçi Prize for global understanding and co-operation; however, the concert was controversial to Greek and Turkish protesters, and stones, eggs and tomatoes were thrown at the singer in all his next concerts. Opposition to the concert turned the Greek and Greek-Cypriot media against Rouvas, and was fodder for tabloid talk shows in Greece. Rouvas left Greece and moved to the United States for six months for the incident to be forgotten. During summer 2000 Rouvas, Psinakis and a number of other celebrities visited Mykonos on a yacht borrowed from a local physician. They were accused of drug possession, since the yacht contained narcotics. Although the doctor admitted that the narcotics were his, his guests were questioned. However, thousands of T-shirts were printed which read: "Imoun ki ego sto kotero!" ("I was on the yacht, too!"). He collaborated with Pepsi in 2001, the advertisement, featuring a semi-nude Rouvas holding a Pepsi bottle in front of his genitals, was controversial among women's rights and parental associations. Calling it "unsightly, vulgar and unacceptable", they tried to have the ad blocked as "disgrac[ing] childhood innocence and dignity." In October 2020, a Syriza MP Pavlos Polakis referenced Rouvas during a speech in the Greek Parliament, suggesting that he had supported the Golden Dawn Criminal organization because he followed one of their MPs on twitter years ago when they got elected in the Hellenic Parliament. Rouvas sent a Cease and desist letter to Polakis asking to retract his statement or the matter would be dealt with in court. Adding that he followed the accounts of many politicians such as Mr. Alexis Tsipras, Mr. Antonis Samaras, e.t.c to have a full picture of what they are saying and how political leaders are confronting each other. Discography Studio albums Sakis Rouvas (1991) Min Andistekese (1992) Gia Sena (1993) Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas (1994) Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola (1996) Kati Apo Mena (1998) 21os Akatallilos (2000) Ola Kala (2002) To Hrono Stamatao (2003) S'eho Erotefthi (2005) Iparhi Agapi Edo (2006) Irthes (2008) Parafora (2010) Sta Kalytera Mou (2021) Live albums Live Ballads (2006) This Is My Live (2007) Filmography Tours and residencies Concert tours Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola Summer Tour (1997) Pepsi Tour (2001) Ola Kala World Tour (2002) Sakis Live in Town Tour (2003) Sakis on Stage Tour (2005) Fire Victims Tour (2007) Antonis Remos – Sakis Rouvas World Tour (2008) Kalokairino Randevou me ton Saki Tour (2008) Sakis Live Tour (2009) Sakis Summer Tour 2010 Concert residencies To Ekati (1990) Athens Show Center (1991) Posidonio (1992) Posidonio (1994) Chaos (1996) Pyli Axiou (1997) Chaos (1998) Vio Vio (1999–2000) Pyli Axiou (2000) Apollonas (2000–01) Rex (2001–2002) Fever (2003–04) Fever (2004–05) Boom (2007) Politia (2008) STARZ (2008–09) Politia Live Clubbing (2009) The S Club (2009–2010) Politia Live Clubbing (2010) Face2Face (2010–11) The S Club at Thalassa: People's Stage (2011) Pyli Axiou (2011) Underworld S Club (2011–2012) Underworld S Club at Politia Live Clubbing (2012) The S Club at Thalassa: People's Stage (2012) Awards Bibliography "Afti Einai I Zoi Mou" (2009); An article co-written with Petros Kostopoulos featured in the April 2009 issue of Nitro. "Info-diet 370" (2011); An article featured in the November 2011 issue of Athens Voice. See also Honorific nicknames in popular music List of Eurovision Song Contest presenters List of Greeks List of Pepsi spokespersons Mononymous person Notes Further reading External links SakisRouvas.com - Official website Sakis Rouvas on Spotify ! colspan="3" style="border-top: #DAA520 5px solid;" | Eurovision Song Contest ! colspan="3" style="border-top: #DAA520 5px solid;" | World Music Awards ! colspan="3" style="border-top: #DAA520 5px solid;" | Other 1972 births 20th-century Greek male actors 21st-century Greek male actors Actors from Corfu Arion Music Awards winners Eastern Orthodox Christians from Greece English-language singers from Greece Greek environmentalists Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2004 Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2009 Greek businesspeople Greek dance musicians Greek male dancers Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Greece Greek expatriates in the United States Greek fashion designers Greek male film actors Greek film producers Greek male models 20th-century Greek male singers Greek philanthropists Greek pianists Greek pop singers Greek rhythm and blues singers Greek rock guitarists Greek rock singers Greek singer-songwriters Greek television presenters Greek male voice actors Greek health activists Humanitarians Living people MAD Video Music Awards winners Minos EMI artists 21st-century Greek male singers Musicians from Corfu Nightclub owners PolyGram Records (Greece) artists Restaurateurs Rock pianists Sportspeople from Corfu Thessaloniki Song Festival winners World Music Awards winners Greek laïko singers Male pianists MTV Europe Music Award winners
false
[ "Cold pasteurization may refer to:\n\nPascalization, a method of preserving and sterilizing food, in which a product is processed under very high pressure\nFood irradiation, exposing foodstuffs to ionizing radiation to preserve food, reduce the risk of food borne illness, prevent the spread of pests, delay or eliminate sprouting or ripening, increase juice yield, or improve re-hydration\nAny of various other non-thermal methods, see Pasteurization Novel pasteurization methods", "Convalescence is the gradual recovery of health and strength after illness or injury. It refers to the later stage of an infectious disease or illness when the patient recovers and returns to previous health, but may continue to be a source of infection to others even if feeling better. In this sense, \"recovery\" can be considered a synonymous term. This also sometimes includes patient care after a major surgery, under which they are required to visit the doctor for regular check-ups.\n\nConvalescent care facilities are sometimes recognized by the acronym TCF (Transitional Convalescent Facilities).\n\nSee also \n Rehabilitation, therapy to control a medical condition such as an addiction\n Recuperation (recovery), a period of physical or mental recovery\n Recuperation (sociology), a sociological concept\n Relapse, reappearance of symptoms\n Remission, absence of symptoms in chronic diseases\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links \n \n\nHealth care\nMedical phenomena" ]
[ "Sakis Rouvas", "Kati Apo Mena, return to prominence and 21os Akatallilos (1998-2000)", "What was his last greatest performance", "On 25 October 2000, he began appearing with Antonis Remos and Peggy Zina at Apollonas for the winter season.", "Did health ever play a factor in his performances", "During May rehearsals for summer performances Rouvas was hospitalized with abdominal pain, which was diagnosed as peritonitis and required an appendectomy.", "Did his recovery or illness delay any prior engagements", "I don't know." ]
C_ab76ebceba934705bad406cf87785ffc_0
Did he ever find romance
4
Did Sakis Rouvas ever find romance?
Sakis Rouvas
In December 1998 Rouvas released his sixth album (the first with his new label): Kati Apo Mena (Something From Me), written by Giorgos Theofanous. "Den Ehi Sidera I Kardia Sou" ("Your Heart Doesn't Have Steel Rails") was a hit, and remains one of his most-popular songs. To promote the album Rouvas performed at the Virgin Megastore in Athens, where thousands of fans created a traffic jam. The next year, Rouvas records "Oso Exo Esena" ("As Long As I Have You"), a duet with singer Stelios Rokkos. The two artists work and perform together at Bio Bio in Athens during the summer. In March 2000 Rouvas released his seventh album, 21os Akatallilos (21+ X-Rated), and performed with Katy Garbi at Pili Axiou in Thessaloniki. The album and its first single, "Andexa" ("I Held Out"), reached number one on the charts. During May rehearsals for summer performances Rouvas was hospitalized with abdominal pain, which was diagnosed as peritonitis and required an appendectomy. On 25 October 2000, he began appearing with Antonis Remos and Peggy Zina at Apollonas for the winter season. That year Rouvas became the Pepsi spokesperson for the company's Greek summer campaign making a first television ad, a first for a Greek entertainer. His collaboration with Pepsi continued into 2001, with a May television ad. The advertisement, featuring a semi-nude Rouvas holding a Pepsi bottle in front of his genitals, was controversial among women's rights and parental associations. Calling it "unsightly, vulgar and unacceptable", they tried to have the ad blocked as "disgrac[ing] childhood innocence and dignity." The Pepsi Tour 2001, of seven Greek cities, followed. During summer 2000 Rouvas, Psinakis and a number of other celebrities visited Mykonos on a yacht borrowed from a local physician. They were accused of drug possession, since the yacht contained narcotics. The incident was publicized amid speculation that Rouvas might have a drug addiction. Although the doctor admitted that the narcotics were his, his guests were questioned. Wishing to avoid court, Rouvas paid a fine and minimized the incident. However, thousands of T-shirts were printed which read: "Imoun ki ego sto kotero!" ("I was on the yacht, too!"). CANNOTANSWER
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Anastasios "Sakis" Rouvas (, ; born 5 January 1972), also known mononymously as Sakis, is a Greek recording artist; model; film and television actor; businessman and former pole vaulter. Born in Corfu, he won medals on the national athletics team during the 1980s. Rouvas began a musical career in 1991 as one of Greece's first dance-pop performers. His tenor vocals, complex choreography, costumes, and technological advancements have been credited with transforming music videos and live performances. Rouvas is noted for avoiding domestic music, attaining success for a non-laïko or -éntekhno artist, and for breaking cultural, social, artistic, and generational barriers in Greece and Cyprus. During the early 1990s, Rouvas signed with PolyGram Records and won the Thessaloniki Song Festival. Despite five commercially successful albums, his personal life (including his military service and 1997 Greek-Turkish peace concert, which damaged his public image) has been publicized. Rouvas signed with Minos EMI in 1997, returning to the charts with Kati Apo Mena (1998) and 21os Akatallilos (2000) and ending his 14-year collaboration with manager Ilias Psinakis. One of the few Greek entertainers to gain recognition abroad, he has been popular in the Balkans since the 1990s. By the 2010s, Rouvas had expanded his career to film, television, theatre and fashion. His single "Shake It" is one of the best-selling CD singles of all time in Greece, his songs and videos, such as "1992", "Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas", "Ela Mou", "Min Antistekesai", "Xana", "Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola", "Den Ehei Sidera I Kardia Sou", "Ypirhes Panta", "Antexa", "Se Thelo San Trelos", "+ Se Thelo" and "Sta Kalytera Mou" have topped the popular Greek charts. Since 2003 Rouvas has been in a relationship with model Katia Zygouli, with whom he has four children. He is involved in social issues, and has been praised for his dedication to philanthropic organizations. Rouvas has won six Arion Music Awards, 15 Pop Corn Music Awards, 22 MAD Video Music Awards, four Status Man of the Year Awards, an MTV Europe Music Award and a World Music Award. Several number-one albums and singles which have been certified gold or higher have made him one of Greece's most popular musical artists. Known for his independence, Rouvas' musical, fashion and performance styles have influenced other artists for over two decades. In 2009 Down Town named him its "Entertainer of the Decade"; in 2010, Forbes listed him as the third-most-influential celebrity in Greece and the country's top-ranked singer. Early life Rouvas was born on 5 January 1972 in Mantouki, a suburb of Corfu City on the island of Corfu, the eldest of four sons of Konstantinos "Kostas" Rouvas (an ambulance driver) and the teenaged Anna-Maria Panaretou (a duty-free shop clerk at the local airport). He has three brothers: Billy (b. Vasilios, 1975), Tolis (b. Apostolos, 1977) and Nikos (b. Nikolaos, 1991). The family was poor, and Rouvas began taking care of his brothers at age five. At age four, he exhibited athletic ability and took ballet classes as a child. His parents had a theatrical background, and at age ten Rouvas starred in his first theatrical production (An I Karharies Itan Anthropi; If Sharks Were People). His older co-stars were impressed with his talent. Soon afterwards Rouvas discovered music, which he enjoyed nearly as much as athletics. He taught himself guitar, inspired by international artists such as Elvis Presley. In 1984 his parents divorced; Rouvas and his brother Tolis moved to their paternal grandparents' home in the village of Potamos when their father remarried. The young Rouvas held a variety of jobs to support his family, including work in an automobile repair shop, as a construction worker and a bartender. Since his early childhood he had difficulty in school, particularly in reading and writing. Working during the day, Rouvas went to school at night with his mother (who had not finished secondary school). At age 15, Rouvas joined the Greek national track and field team as an admirer of Ukrainian pole-vaulter Sergey Bubka. His vaults were consistently high—averaging —and he won a number of national awards. Rouvas continued in athletics until age 18, believing he had a future in music and joining the Corfu Band. At his graduation, he sang hits by Elvis and The Beatles. Rouvas began performing at local clubs and hotels; at To Ekati, he was seen by future manager Ilias Psinakis. He left Corfu at age 18, moving to Patras in search of a better future. Career Early commercial success (1991–93) After moving to Patras, Rouvas continued to look for performance opportunities until he met Dakis (a popular Greek artist who was the first person to help him professionally). Rouvas moved to Athens, and made his first professional appearance in 1991 at the Show Centre. His showmanship attracted the attention of music executives such as Nikos Mouratidis, who encouraged songwriter Giorgos Pavrianos to produce him. Rouvas, singing Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" was discovered by PolyGram executives who signed him to his first recording contract. Several months later he debuted at the Thessaloniki Song Festival, losing Best Vocal Performance to Giorgos Alkaios but singing the Best Composition ("Par'ta"; "Take Them", with music by Nikos Terzis and lyrics by Giorgos Pavrianos). There was a brief earthquake during the festival. Rouvas released his eponymous debut album, which topped the Greek Albums Chart, the day after the festival. "Par'ta" became a radio hit, and other songs of the album such as "1992", "Ego S'agapo" ("I Love You") and "Gia Fantasou" ("Imagine") also became popular. In September 1992 Rouvas released his second album, Min Andistekese (Don't Resist), also composed by Nikos Terzis. It produced the singles "Gyrna" ("Return"), "Min Andistekese", "Na Ziseis Moro Mou" ("Live, My Baby") and "Me Kommeni Tin Anasa" ("Breathless"), with a music video of the title track. The album's success helped establish Rouvas at the top of the Greek music scene. In October 1993 Rouvas released his third album, Gia Sena (For You), with music by Alexis Papadimitriou and lyrics by Eleni Giannatsoulia and Evi Droutsa. The single "Kane Me" ("Make Me") became a radio hit, with "To Xero Eisai Moni" ("I Know You Are Alone") and "Xehase To" ("Forget It") also receiving airplay. Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas, Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola, and move to Minos EMI (1994–97) In the winter of 1994 Rouvas collaborated with singer-songwriter and record producer Nikos Karvelas on his fourth album, Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas (Blood, tears & sweat), and its singles "Ela Mou" ("Come To Me") and "Xana" ("Again") became radio hits. Rouvas' collaboration with Karvelas was received skeptically by the media; when asked why he had chosen to collaborate with Rouvas, Karvelas said: "Sakis is the only star out of a generation which produces dull artists." In 1996 Rouvas released his fifth studio album, Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola (Now the Hard Times Start), again collaborating with Nikos Karvelas and lyricist Natalia Germanou. During the winter he sang with Anna Vissi at the Chaos Club in Athens, appearing in the duet "Se Thelo, Me Theleis" ("I Want You, You Want Me", also written by Karvelas) on her 1997 album Travma (Trauma). In 2017 Rouvas and Burak Kut had recorded a duet in Greek and Turkish the previous year entitled "Birgün/Otan" ("When"), a cover of "Someday" for the Greek soundtrack of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (I Panagia Ton Parision, in which Rouvas voiced the role of Quasimodo) under the label of Minos EMI. Kati Apo Mena, return to prominence and 21os Akatallilos (1998–2000) In December 1998 Rouvas released his sixth album (the first with his new label): Kati Apo Mena (Something From Me), written by Giorgos Theofanous. "Den Ehi Sidera I Kardia Sou" ("Your Heart Doesn't Have Steel Rails") was a hit, and remains one of his most-popular songs. To promote the album Rouvas performed at the Virgin Megastore in Athens, where thousands of fans created a traffic jam. The next year, Rouvas records "Oso Exo Esena" ("As Long As I Have You"), a duet with singer Stelios Rokkos. The two artists work and perform together at Bio Bio in Athens during the summer. In March 2000 Rouvas released his seventh album, 21os Akatallilos (21+ X-Rated), and performed with Katy Garbi at Pili Axiou in Thessaloniki. The album and its first single, "Andexa" ("I Held Out"), reached number one on the charts. During May rehearsals for summer performances Rouvas was hospitalized with abdominal pain, which was diagnosed as peritonitis and required an appendectomy. On 25 October 2000, he began appearing with Antonis Remos and Peggy Zina at Apollonas for the winter season. That year Rouvas became the Pepsi spokesperson for the company's Greek summer campaign making a first television ad, a first for a Greek entertainer. The Pepsi Tour 2001, of seven Greek cities, followed. Ola Kala, international exposure and To Hrono Stamatao (2001–04) In 2001, Rouvas signed with Universal Licensing Music (ULM) of Universal Music France after he was recommended by singer Nana Mouskouri. He collaborated with American songwriter-producer Desmond Child and Phoebus on "Disco Girl"; it was a hit in Greece and certified platinum, winning Rouvas the Pop Singer of the Year award at the inaugural Arion Music Awards. The single was later released in France, with an English version written by Andreas Carlsson. Rouvas played 20 shows across France in support of "Disco Girl", which received ample airplay, and was compared to Latin pop star Ricky Martin. Rouvas' eighth album, Ola Kala (a collaboration with Desmond Child, Phoebus and Greek songwriters Natalia Germanou and Vangelis Konstantinidis), was released in June 2002. The album went gold in Greece within 11 days and platinum within 4 months. In April 2003, Rouvas appeared with Antonis Remos and Nana Mouskouri at the Arion Awards. He released his ninth album, To Hrono Stamatao (I Stop Time), in December; it was certified gold after its release. Songs from the album received radio airplay, and that month Rouvas began appearing at Fever with Giorgos Tsalikis and ONE for the winter season. A Greek version of "Feelings" from the album, "Pes Tis" ("Tell Her"), was released as a single with the same video as its French- and English-language counterparts. Eurovision and S'eho Erotefthi (2004–05) In March 2004, Hellenic Radio and Television (ERT) announced that Rouvas would represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 after the selection process on the reality show EuroStar proved unsatisfactory. The show's winner was expected to represent Greece, with Nikos Terzis writing the song entry; however, ERT changed its plans when the winner's ability to perform under so much pressure was questionable and Rouvas expressed an interest in representing his country. In mid-March "Shake It", with music by Terzis and lyrics by Nektarios Tyrakis, premiered on Greek radio. Originally, the song had Latin spirit and sound but Terzis changed it, combining the Greek traditional bouzouki sound with the Latin one to make it sound different from other Latin entries of the competition. At the third Arion Music Awards, he won Best Pop Singer for To Hrono Stamatao. In mid-April "Shake It" was released as a CD single, and Rouvas began a promotional tour of Europe for the contest; To Hrono Stamatao was reissued with a bonus "Shake It" single. The song remained number one on the Greek airplay charts for several weeks, and was number one on the IFPI Greece Top 50 singles chart for nine consecutive weeks. Rouvas was favored to win the Eurovision final. On 12 May 2004 he performed in the semi-final (appearing 10th out of 22), and performed 16th out of 24 in the 15 May 2004 final. Rouvas had two female dancers and three backing vocalists: the EuroStar winner and runners-up. Fokas Evangelinos, Rouvas' longtime choreographer, choreographed his stage show. "Shake It" finished third in the final, with Rouvas attracting great interest in the contest by Greek viewers (with a rating of 86.7 percent, the highest rating in Greek TV history at the time). Rouvas' appearance in Eurovision was a turning point in his career; his public perception changed from media-produced celebrity to notable pop artist, and he became more accessible to the media. In June 2004, Rouvas performed "Shake It" at the first MAD Video Music Awards, where he won Sexiest Appearance for the "Pes Tis" ("Tell Her") music video. On 7 July, Rouvas performed in Istanbul with Turkish artist (and 2003 Eurovision Song Contest winner) Sertab Erener in another attempt to maintain peace between the two countries. In August he carried the Olympic torch through Panathinaiko Stadium and performed at the closing ceremony for the 2004 Summer Olympics, in which he was lowered to the stage from the air and sang a traditional Greek song, "Karapiperim". In fall 2004, Rouvas recorded a duet version of "Se Thelo San Trelos" ("I Want You Like Crazy", from 21os Akatallilos) with Russian pop singer Philip Kirkorov. In December he began performing with Giorgos Mazonakis at Fever for the winter season, with Elena Paparizou as their opening act. His show was praised; Georgia Laimou of E-go, known for scathing reviews, wrote: "I have only good things to say about Sakis and I don't want to hear 'boo' from anyone. I don't think that a more neat, well-supported, professional, and generally flawless performance than Sakis' exists on the Athenian clubs." On 6 April 2005 Rouvas released his tenth album, S'eho Erotefthi (I'm in Love With You), which went platinum in five months and was eventually certified 3× platinum. With Vodafone Greece as their main sponsor, release parties for the CD were held in Heraklion, Corfu, Thessaloniki, and Athens on the same day and "S'eho Erotefti", "Hilia Milia" ("A Thousand Miles"), "Mila Tis" ("Talk to Her"), "Na M' Agapas" ("You Should Love Me") and "Cairo" became radio hits. That year, Rouvas won the World Music Award as Best-Selling Greek Artist of 2004. In September he gave a charity concert at the Olympic Indoor Hall for an audience of 20,000 (the largest production by any Greek entertainer until Rouvas surpassed the record in 2009), followed by a concert in Patras. Live Ballads, Eurovision and Iparhi Agapi Edo (2006) On 14 February 2006, Rouvas gave a Valentine's Day concert where he sang his popular ballads and cover versions of ballads by other Greek and foreign artists. The concert was recorded, videotaped and released as Live Ballads (Rouvas' first live album and video) later in April as a CD and CD/DVD package. The CD featured three new studio tracks—"Horis Kardia" ("Without a Heart"; Greek version of Damien Rice's "The Blower's Daughter"), "Eisai Oli Mou H Zoi" and an English-language version of "S'eho Erotefthi" entitled "I'm in Love With You"—and topped the Greek album chart. On 3 April, Rouvas sang "Horis Kardia" at the Arion Music Awards, where he won Best Pop Album and Best Pop Singer for S'eho Erotefthi. In May the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was held in Athens, since Greece won the contest the previous year and Rouvas was asked by ERT to host the semi-final and final with Maria Menounos. At the semi-finals, Rouvas opened the show by singing the Katrina and the Waves song "Love Shine a Light" with Menounos. During the voting intermission, he performed "I'm in Love With You". On 14 June, Rouvas performed "Agapa Me" ("Love Me"; Greek version of Julio Iglesias "Abrázame") and "Na M' Agapas" at the third MAD Video Music Awards, where he won Best Video by a Male Artist (for "Na M' Agapas") and Best-Dressed Artist in a Video (for "Mila Tis"). At the end of the summer (6 September), he collaborated with Vodafone on a beach-party concert at Yabanaki known as "Sakis on the Waves". On 13 November he began filming his feature-film debut, in Alter Ego and on 6 December 2006 Rouvas released his eleventh studio album, Iparhi Agapi Edo (There Is Love Here). "Ego Travo Zori" (I'm Having a Hard Time") and "18 (Iprarhi Agapi Edo)" received radio airplay. The lyrics for "Mikros Titanikos (Se Latrevo)" ("Little Titanic [I Adore You]") were written by Yiannis Parios, and his son Harry Varthakouris composed the music. The album was certified platinum (selling over 40,000 copies as of April 2007). Film and television career, This Is My Live and Irthes (2007–08) Rouvas' Academy Awards prime-time special, Sakis Oscar Songs, aired on 20 February 2007 on Nova. The special was filmed at a private concert at Athens Arena, and featured Oscar-winning songs. In March, he began performing at Boom in Thessaloniki with Despina Vandi. On 10 May 2007 Village Roadshow Productions' Alter Ego premiered in theatres across Greece with the avant premiere being on 7 May. With a budget of €2 million, it was one of the most expensive productions in Greece. The film received mixed reviews and sold only one-fifth of the expected number of tickets. Its 200,000 tickets made Alter Ego an average success for Greek cinema, although Rouvas was disappointed in its media coverage. The film dealt with young musicians living the rock-and-roll lifestyle (including drug abuse) facing their inner fears in the loss of a loved one. Its soundtrack was recorded by the cast of the movie and Rouvas and the theme song, "Zise Ti Zoi" ("Live Life"), reached the top 10. On 29 June 2008, Alter Ego was screened at a Los Angeles Greek festival. On 20 July 2007, Rouvas performed in Ptolemaida, Kozani as part of the Expedition for Environment Act Now! On 10 September 2007, his concert at the Lycabettus theater as part of an OPAP campaign encouraging blood donation was recorded and was released as a CD/DVD on 12 December 2007 entitled This Is My Live. The album also featured his last single "Stous 31 Dromous" ("On 31 Roads"). On 29 October, Rouvas received his sixth Arion (Best Pop Song for "Ola Gyro Sou Gyrizoun") from five nominations, although he was absent from the ceremony. In spring 2008, Rouvas and Antonis Remos toured North America, Australia and South Africa. Rouvas' song "+ Se Thelo" ("And I Want You") by Dimitris Kontopoulos, became a radio hit and a video with footage from the July 2008 MAD Video Music Awards, was released at the end of the year. "+ Se Thelo" became a staple of Rouvas' career. It was a critical landmark, a rare case of a Greek artist breaking generational barriers and producing a hit of that magnitude nearly two decades into their career. In July 2008 Rouvas was announced as host for the first season of the Greek version of The X Factor, which premiered on 24 October. Rouvas was Greece's representative—singing "Stous 31 Dromous"—in the OGAE Song Contest, placing third behind Croatia and the United Kingdom. On 3 December, Rouvas released his 12th studio album, Irthes (You Arrived), produced by Dimitris Kontopoulos. The same titled song "Irthes" was released few days earlier, on 20 November, and it was dedicated to his newborn daughter. The following day, on 4 December, he premiered his winter concert series with the Maggira Sisters at STARZ. Eurovision, Duress, Parafora and business career (2009–2012) ERT made an early announcement confirming that Rouvas would again be Greece's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. He performed his three songs ("Out of Control", "Right on Time" and "This Is Our Night", all composed by Dimitris Kontopoulos) at the Greek finals in February; the latter was the runaway winner with the jury and the viewers, winning 61 percent of the vote (the largest margin ever, and the most votes received by ERT in a national final). The song debuted at number one on the Greek Digital Singles chart, while Rouvas embarked on a promotional tour of Europe. He said publicly that he hoped to return the contest to Greece the following year. A win was widely anticipated by the Greek public, with the country being one of the three favorites among the Eurovision fans. However, Rouvas finished seventh in the final. The singer and the Greek public were disappointed with the result, and he issued a public apology for his loss. Rouvas received universal support from the public and the media, a first for a Greek Eurovision entrant regardless of result. On 27 March Rouvas was appointed by ELPIDA Charity Foundation president and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Marianna Vardinoyannis as a "messenger" for the foundation, a charity for children with cancer, publicly recognizing his longtime behind-the-scenes support. He joined fast food chain Goody's in its ArGOODaki campaign, and donated €300,000 to the foundation in April. That month Rouvas and Zygouli introduced beauty company Mariella Nails Body and Mind Care, of which they own 25 percent. On 1 July 2009, Rouvas performed a sold-out concert in support of environmental issues at Panathenaic Stadium before an audience of 40,000. He was one of the few musicians permitted to perform at the venue; it was the largest attendance ever at the stadium for a non-sporting event, and the largest attendance for a single musical artist in Greek history. The concert, organized by the National Youth Council, coincided with the start of the national public smoking ban. The sold-out Sakis Live Tour visited an additional 10 cities from July to September, and he performed a sold-out concert series at Politia Live Clubbing in Thessaloniki. In October, the singer returned to host the second season of the Greek version of The X Factor and dubbed the voice of Captain Charles T. Baker in the Greek version of Planet 51. He made his American film debut in the psychological thriller Duress, with Martin Donovan. The film was screened at festivals in Poland and Russia, and was given a wide theatrical release in December by Greek distributor Hollywood Entertainment. It was expected to be released on home video in the United States. Rouvas performed at his new S Club for the winter 2009–10 season (with Tamta, Eleftheria Eleftheriou and the American rapper Gifted) and opened sushi restaurant EDO. On 2 March 2010 the successful S Club caught fire, sustaining up to €4 million in damage. The cause of the fire was unknown, but Athens police suspected arson by rival club owners since witnesses reported seeing containers of gasoline. After repairs, Rouvas' show resumed from 19 March to 9 April and moved to Thessaloniki on 7 May for a six-week engagement at Politia Live Clubbing. He appeared on Tamta's single "Tharros I Alitheia" for her album of the same name. The song became a major club hit, and won a MAD Video Music Award for Best Duet–Collaboration Video. Rouvas' 13th studio album, Parafora, was released on 14 December 2010 and topped the IFPI Top 75 Albums chart. It shipped 24,000 copies its first week, for a double-platinum certification. The album's first single ("Spase Ton Hrono") was Rouvas' fourth consecutive single to reach number one on all Greek charts. It won Best Balkan Song from Greece at the first Balkan Music Awards; its video gave Rouvas five MAD Video Music Awards nominations (more than any other video) and Best Pop Video, Artist of the Year and Fashion Icon of the Year awards. The song also contributed to Rouvas' MTV Europe Music Award for Best Greek Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2010, and he was shortlisted for the MTV Europe Music Award for Best European Act. "Emena Thes", the second single, was released in May and peaked at number five on the mixed-airplay and digital sales charts. The title track was released in October; it was number one on the domestic-airplay chart for three weeks and peaked at number two on the mixed-airplay chart. The album's fourth single, "Oi dyo mas" was released in late February 2011. Its video clip was released at the end of March, when the song topped the national-airplay chart. For the second consecutive year, Rouvas was Singer of the Year at the Status Men of the Year Awards. In June Rouvas and his brother, Vasilis, launched TV and film production company Sakis Rouvas Kinematografos EPE, and on 14 July Rouvas ended the Greek French Embassy's Bastille Day celebration with renditions of the French and Greek national anthems. His eight-city summer tour lasted from 24 July to 19 September. At a 27 July stop in Corinth he introduced the Sakis Rouvas Collection of clothing (to which he had creative input) to Greek retailer Sprider Stores. The collection, for men and women, was launched on 16 September and available in October. Rouvas performed at the Mykonos Xlsior Festival in support of the LGBT movement on 27 August; although he was scheduled to perform at the first Εurovoice on 23 September with Enrique Iglesias, Anastacia and host Pamela Anderson, his appearance was canceled a day before the event for undisclosed reasons. For the winter season of 2010–11 Rouvas joined Anna Vissi for Face2Face, a concert series at Athens Arena beginning on 15 October. ANT1 was in negotiations with Rouvas to star in a TV series after The X Factor, and he hosted the third season of the talent show from 29 October – 11 February. For his performance, Rouvas was Presenter of the Year at the 2011 Cypriot Men of the Year Awards. On 2 February 2011 Rouvas was one of eight acts in the first MADWalk (equivalent to the international Fashion Rocks), where he represented Celia Kritharioti Haute Couture. In the spring he made ten appearances at Thalassa. After a short break Rouvas continued his live appearances at Puli Axiou in Thessaloniki, announcing his upcoming winter performances at Athens Arena with Onirama and Eleni Foureira as his opening act and releasing his new single, "Kane na mi s' agapiso". At the 2012 Johnnie Walker Men of the Year Awards in Cyprus Rouvas was presented with the Greek of the Year award for his philanthropic contributions, particularly to the Elpida Foundation. In February 2012 he performed his new single ("Bad Thing") with American singer Nomi Ruiz of Jessica 6 at the second MADWalk, where he represented designer Apostolos Mitropoulos. The single was expected to be released worldwide after the show. In May 2012 Rouvas released a new single, "Tora" ("Νow") which he performed at the 2012 MAD Video Music Awards. In November, he released a rock-Zeibekiko mash-up ballad entitled "Niose Ti Thelo" ("Feel What I Want"). Rouvas was nominated for four Mad Video Music Awards (including Best Pop Video and Video of the Year), winning Male Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year for "I Dyo Mas". Theatre, Chevalier and Mia Hara Na Pernas (2013–2020) Rouvas returned to television as a presenter for ANT1's Iroes Anamesa Mas (Heroes Among Us), a ten-part documentary series focusing on stories of people who have been commended for heroic deeds which premiered on 24 May 2013. For the series, Rouvas traveled throughout Greece interviewing the featured nominees. During the summer, he made his theatrical debut in Euripides' tragedy The Bacchae in the lead role of Dionysus, for which he was awarded with the best performance award by the 2014 Greek Theatre Critics Awards in the category of ancient drama. Working again with songwriter Theofanous, in May 2013 Rouvas released a ballad single ("Mia Hara Na Pernas"; "Have A Good Time"). At the 2013 MAD Video Music Awards, he was nominated for four awards: Best Pop Video, Video of the Year, Male Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year. "Tora" was nominated for most-played radio song of the year, and as part of the awards' tenth anniversary Rouvas' 2008 live performance of "+ Se Thelo" was nominated for best live performance in the show's history. On 24 November 2013 Rouvas was among a group from the Ionian Islands who were commended by the Hellenic Union of Eptanisians (Ionians) for their work and philanthropy. To honor the winners, the organization released a collectors'-edition philatelic envelope with a stamp bearing a picture of the group. In January 2014, continuing his support for the Elpida Foundation in practice, Rouvas became the first volunteer bone-marrow donor at the Orama Elpidas (Vision of Hope) marrow bank, and he is appearing in a foundation campaign encouraging marrow donation. His "Ace of Hearts Tour" that started on 26 April 2014, was dedicated to the Elpida Foundation and the Orama Elpidas marrow bank. The final concert of the tour took place in Athens on 11 October 2014. On 13 January 2014, it was announced that Rouvas would be part of Athina Tsaggari's new feature film named "Chevalier", where he would be one of the protagonists of the movie. The shootings of the movie started on January and are set to be done in March 2014. On 11 March 2014, Rouvas himself uploaded a promo video of his new single "Se Pethimisa" (I Missed You) on his YouTube channel that will be released later during the year. For this song, Rouvas continues his cooperation with the songwriter Theofanous, while the lyrics belong to Thanos Papanikolaou. After his success as Dionysus in The Bacchae, Rouvas' next theatrical step includes a musical. In September 2014, it was announced that Rouvas would be part of the musical "Hraklis; Oi dodeka athloi" (Hercules; The twelve labours) at the role of Hercules. The premiere took place on 12 December 2014. In 2015 he performed Mikis Theodorakis's Axion Asti. In 2016 Chevalier, was selected as the Greek entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards. Since 2016, Rouvas has been a coach on The Voice Greece. Rouvas performed in Estate Club for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons (with Stelios Rokkos and Helena Paparizou (2019-2020)). He and Rokkos collaborated in the single "Ta Zorikia Vradia" in 2018. Rouvas single "Ela Sto Horo" was released in 2019. In September 2019 he gave a concert along with Helena Paparizou and Eleni Foureira. He and Paparizou later in 2020 released a single called "Etsi einai i Fasi". In August 2020 he performed in Odeon of Herodes Atticus along with soprano Sonia Theodoridou. Sta Kalytera Mou, Idols and current projects (2021–current) In spring 2021 Sakis Rouvas released his new 14th album, titled "Sta Kalytera Mou" and produced by Phoebus. Lead single was titled Yperanthropos. The album reached number one on the IFPI Greece top 75 abums sales chart for several consecutive weeks, and was the Greek best-selling album of 2021 in Greece. He also took part in the collaborative album "O Prigkipas tis Dytikis Ochthis", which was released in the memory of the singer-songwriter Manos Xydous, a member of the Greek rock band Pyx Lax. The album ended the third best selling greek language album of 2021. In late 2021 he presented the television documentary series "Idols", dedicated to personalities who stigmatized Greece's popular culture with their professional course and life. Aliki Vougiouklaki, Malvina Karali, Nikos Kourkoulos, Dimitris Mitropanos, Vlassis Bonatsos lives were featured. Artistry Influences Elvis Presley was Rouvas' musical idol; he also enjoyed The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Kiss and Queen. Although he was influenced most by 1960s music, he also likes George Michael and Michael Bolton. The singer considers Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" "one of the ten best songs that have ever been written." Similarities between Presley and Rouvas have been noted; during his STARZ performances, the Maggira Sisters' opening sketch was based on Presley's concern about a popular Greek singer who imitated him. Rouvas covered Presley's "Suspicious Minds" for the Alter Ego soundtrack, and has said that what impressed him most as a child about Presley was "the way that he sang, that he danced, that he felt what he interpreted and what I believed that his audience felt when they heard him". He has also been influenced by Greek artists such as Giannis Parios, Marinella and Nana Mouskouri (his mentor), and considers Haris Alexiou and Anna Vissi as the two greatest Greek female artists. Michael Jackson's "Earth Song" is a favourite of Rouvas' for its environmental message; after Jackson's death, he dedicated a song to the American singer at his Concert for the Environment and spoke about Jackson's legacy: "[Michael Jackson was] one of the most significant singers ever on this planet and the biggest showman that has ever passed by on this planet [...] a person whose life was a 'thriller', but however complicated his life was, he dedicated it for the good of the children and of the planet. Many people want to remember him for the complex persona that he had, I want to remember him for everything that he gave to us all of these years, and for all the reasons that he inspired us." Musicianship Rouvas is fluent in Greek, English and French, presenting the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in all three languages. He has also recorded songs in all three languages, singing phonetically in Turkish and Russian for his 1997 collaboration with Burak Kut in Cyprus and the Russian duet version of "Se Thelo San Trelos" ("Kak Sumashedshij Ya") with Philipp Kirkorov; one of three versions, it was a Russian hit. Rouvas plays guitar, bass, piano, cello and some percussion. On some tours he plays his black Gibson Les Paul electric guitar, switching to acoustic guitar for unplugged performances such as Live Ballads. Rouvas has expressed disappointment with the ignorance of youthful audiences of older music. He considers himself a pop-rock artist, although he has described his musical style as "always more rock" than he has been credited. Rouvas has been praised for not tapping into traditional Greek music for commercial success, since pop music is a niche genre in Greece. Asked if he thought it difficult being a pop-rock artist in a folk market, he replied that there was a need for a variety of genres; while he has experimented with traditional Greek music, it is not what he feels he does best. Vocal style Rouvas had no vocal lessons as a boy and taught himself primarily by ear, so during the recording of his first album he had to learn music theory in a short time. His voice developed significantly since his early teenaged performances. Rouvas' detractors have criticized his voice as average, or limited, contending that his appeal is based on image. Whatever the assessment of his voice, it has often been overshadowed by showmanship and appearance in the media; many preferred to watch him perform than to listen to him. These criticisms diminished by the second decade of Rouvas' career; his technical skills (range, power and versatility in particular) and expression are better appreciated. Rouvas has a tenor vocal range; although he can also sing low, in the F-clef range, he prefers to sing higher and can reach notes beyond the typical tenor high without falsetto, varying his dynamics from whispers to belts. His vocal power was evident in early recordings, notably on "Mia Fora" from Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas (the first album to showcase his vocal ability). During his 1997–98 hiatus, Rouvas received voice lessons from American coach Raz Kennedy focusing on rock and blues techniques. His subsequent sixth album, Kati Apo Mena, was a milestone in Rouvas' vocal development; he exhibited a consistent depth and dimension which previously appeared only sporadically on his first five albums. He won the Pop Corn Music Award for Best Male Vocal Performance twice in a row: for 1999's "Den Ehei Sidera I Kardia Sou" and 2000's "Se Thelo San Trelos" (the latter from 21os Akatallilos). By Live Ballads in 2006, Pavlos Zervas of Music Corner considered that Rouvas' voice had reached its most-mature form. Critic Tasos P. Karantis of Orfeas conceded that Rouvas sang with competence and technical precision, and his voice was easily recognizable. Ilias Malasidis of Athens 24 noted that Rouvas' voice was initially more intriguing than his material. His voice is best-suited to power ballads, his signature style due to his sensual tone. Reviewers have praised Rouvas' live performances, particularly his ability to execute "especially difficult and demanding songs", hold long, high notes and dance while singing. Down Town commended him for never using a playback track, common among Greek artists, but Billboard noted that an ability to sing well in English would increase his international appeal. During his career, Rouvas has perform in a number of genres, contemporary and traditional; in some songs (such as "O Iroas" from Iparhi Agapi Edo), he delivers spoken verses which have been described as a "light rap." He has also performed as a crooner styles and a classical tenor. Rouvas' defining characteristic as a vocalist has been his emotional expression. He maintains his voice with a strict organic food diet and avoiding alcohol and smoking, banning smoking in his dressing room. Singer-songwriter Stelios Rokkos, who collaborated with him for three seasons, described him as "probably the most disciplined singer I have ever met—in fact, to the point of insanity." Live shows and music videos Film and television After his 2005 move to Los Angeles Rouvas studied acting and received some training from his friend, Tom Hanks. He was interested in film since childhood, and a year and a half later he received an offer from Village Roadshow. In Rouvas' first feature film, Alter Ego (of which he was also associate producer), he played a role similar to himself. Before that, he dubbed English-language animated films in Greek. When comparisons between Rouvas and the character Stefanos in Alter Ego arose (with speculation that the character was autobiographical), he replied that despite similarities Stefanos was a "much more aggressive person." Rouvas adopted a new look for the film, credited by Nitro as reflecting the emo movement emerging among Greek youth. While Rouvas was attracted some critical praise for his foray into acting, others felt that it was too early to evaluate his acting talent. Rouvas' second film (the indie Duress) was a Hollywood psychological thriller in which he played a serial killer, against type for Greek audiences, and said the film was the most difficult thing he had done in his career until that point. Giannis Zoumboulakis of To Vima found Rouvas convincing in the film's cat-and-mouse plot: "You accept the proposal from the first moments, forgetting completely that the 'bad' guy in the story is the host of X-Factor", concluding that "Going against his own image, Rouvas creates a very exceptional psycho killer. With his gray-beige, old wool coat and grimy, parted hair and without his bright smile he creates from scratch a hero that is all his." Panagiotis Timogiannakis contended that Rouvas began showing a different side of himself in Alter Ego, noting that the lighting in both films did not flatter him. Timogiannakis wondered if Rouvas had deglamourized himself to receive serious roles: "He needs to clear up whether he wants to have a career of a star or of a role player. A born role player he does not seem to be. A born star he is." The 2006 Eurovision Song Contest was a springboard for glib host roles, such as for The X Factor. Producer Giannis Latsios said that Rouvas' presence contributed significantly to the show's success, calling his first-season performance "great" and adding: "We had a program that had to do with music and Sakis, on a collective level, is an icon that the generation which participates in this show has as an idol. He is a glowing character with much higher capabilities of expression and, if he decides to continue this path, will improve. He has immediacy, critique and most of all he gave to a program a luster, which was not standard from the beginning." Personal life After moving to Athens he lived with an older English woman named Sally, with whom he had begun a relationship on Corfu. Their relationship ended when Psinakis became Rouvas' manager, and the singer became more career-oriented. The media has speculated about Rouvas' personal life and relationships with model Zeta Logotheti, Sofi Kantarou (a Corfu bar manager) and singer Elli Kokkinou. At this time, Rouvas became more reclusive and guarded about his personal life. In 2003 he was in a relationship with the London based Taiwanese producer Rebecca Wang. Rouvas met model Katia Zygouli back in 2003 during the shootings of a commercial ad for Vodafone and the two of them became a couple. They kept their relationship away from the media despite the rumors and Rouvas first confirmed their relationship during a radio interview to Natalia Germanou. In June 2008, Rouvas announced Zygouli's pregnancy and on 2 November 2008, Zygouli gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter named Anastasia after her father on 18 October 2009. Her godmother was Emmanouela Pavlatou, a friend of Melina Mercouri, and the baptismal date was chosen to coincide with Mercouri's birthday. Anastasia's birth was extensively covered by the media. On 15 October 2011, Rouvas and Zygouli became parents for the second time to a son, named Alexandros. The couple's third child and second daughter, named Ariadni, arrived on 3 January 2013. The couple welcomed their fourth child, on 21 April 2016. On Monday 3 July 2017, Sakis Rouvas married Katia Zygouli. Political Causes Rouvas has spoken out against LGBT discrimination, and in favor of the adoption of children by gay couples. In July 2015 Rouvas uploaded a video message titled "Yes we are Europe" on his personal YouTube channel, in which he supported the pro-Europe vote for the 2015 Greek bailout referendum. Controversies When he was called for military service in 1994 he asked for a delay, since his service would coincide with the release of Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas; the request was denied, although other artists had been able to delay their service for career reasons. Although it was initially thought that Rouvas did not want to leave the spotlight when his career was growing, he claimed his reluctance to serve was due to agoraphobia. His claims were met with astonishment; media outlets remarked that agoraphobia was an odd condition for an entertainer, and critics accused him of draft dodging. The singer was taken to the Penteli psychiatric hospital for an evaluation, and it was widely reported that he had attempted suicide. After his release Rouvas fulfilled his military service. During his service, he was pestered by paparazzi. Psinakis accused Rouvas' psychiatrist of pouring psychotropic drugs into Rouvas' alcoholic beverages because of a previous quarrel. When asked if he was suicidal Rouvas said he did not think so, but he was so drugged at the time of the emergency call that he did not recall the exact events; he confirmed that he tried to desert by climbing under a Jeep and attaching himself to its undercarriage. On 19 May 1997, Rouvas performed with Turkish singer Burak Kut at a bi-national reconciliation concert on the Green Line in Cyprus before an audience of over 4,000. The concert received international coverage and support, earning Rouvas an International Abdi Ipekçi Prize for global understanding and co-operation; however, the concert was controversial to Greek and Turkish protesters, and stones, eggs and tomatoes were thrown at the singer in all his next concerts. Opposition to the concert turned the Greek and Greek-Cypriot media against Rouvas, and was fodder for tabloid talk shows in Greece. Rouvas left Greece and moved to the United States for six months for the incident to be forgotten. During summer 2000 Rouvas, Psinakis and a number of other celebrities visited Mykonos on a yacht borrowed from a local physician. They were accused of drug possession, since the yacht contained narcotics. Although the doctor admitted that the narcotics were his, his guests were questioned. However, thousands of T-shirts were printed which read: "Imoun ki ego sto kotero!" ("I was on the yacht, too!"). He collaborated with Pepsi in 2001, the advertisement, featuring a semi-nude Rouvas holding a Pepsi bottle in front of his genitals, was controversial among women's rights and parental associations. Calling it "unsightly, vulgar and unacceptable", they tried to have the ad blocked as "disgrac[ing] childhood innocence and dignity." In October 2020, a Syriza MP Pavlos Polakis referenced Rouvas during a speech in the Greek Parliament, suggesting that he had supported the Golden Dawn Criminal organization because he followed one of their MPs on twitter years ago when they got elected in the Hellenic Parliament. Rouvas sent a Cease and desist letter to Polakis asking to retract his statement or the matter would be dealt with in court. Adding that he followed the accounts of many politicians such as Mr. Alexis Tsipras, Mr. Antonis Samaras, e.t.c to have a full picture of what they are saying and how political leaders are confronting each other. Discography Studio albums Sakis Rouvas (1991) Min Andistekese (1992) Gia Sena (1993) Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas (1994) Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola (1996) Kati Apo Mena (1998) 21os Akatallilos (2000) Ola Kala (2002) To Hrono Stamatao (2003) S'eho Erotefthi (2005) Iparhi Agapi Edo (2006) Irthes (2008) Parafora (2010) Sta Kalytera Mou (2021) Live albums Live Ballads (2006) This Is My Live (2007) Filmography Tours and residencies Concert tours Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola Summer Tour (1997) Pepsi Tour (2001) Ola Kala World Tour (2002) Sakis Live in Town Tour (2003) Sakis on Stage Tour (2005) Fire Victims Tour (2007) Antonis Remos – Sakis Rouvas World Tour (2008) Kalokairino Randevou me ton Saki Tour (2008) Sakis Live Tour (2009) Sakis Summer Tour 2010 Concert residencies To Ekati (1990) Athens Show Center (1991) Posidonio (1992) Posidonio (1994) Chaos (1996) Pyli Axiou (1997) Chaos (1998) Vio Vio (1999–2000) Pyli Axiou (2000) Apollonas (2000–01) Rex (2001–2002) Fever (2003–04) Fever (2004–05) Boom (2007) Politia (2008) STARZ (2008–09) Politia Live Clubbing (2009) The S Club (2009–2010) Politia Live Clubbing (2010) Face2Face (2010–11) The S Club at Thalassa: People's Stage (2011) Pyli Axiou (2011) Underworld S Club (2011–2012) Underworld S Club at Politia Live Clubbing (2012) The S Club at Thalassa: People's Stage (2012) Awards Bibliography "Afti Einai I Zoi Mou" (2009); An article co-written with Petros Kostopoulos featured in the April 2009 issue of Nitro. "Info-diet 370" (2011); An article featured in the November 2011 issue of Athens Voice. See also Honorific nicknames in popular music List of Eurovision Song Contest presenters List of Greeks List of Pepsi spokespersons Mononymous person Notes Further reading External links SakisRouvas.com - Official website Sakis Rouvas on Spotify ! colspan="3" style="border-top: #DAA520 5px solid;" | Eurovision Song Contest ! colspan="3" style="border-top: #DAA520 5px solid;" | World Music Awards ! colspan="3" style="border-top: #DAA520 5px solid;" | Other 1972 births 20th-century Greek male actors 21st-century Greek male actors Actors from Corfu Arion Music Awards winners Eastern Orthodox Christians from Greece English-language singers from Greece Greek environmentalists Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2004 Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2009 Greek businesspeople Greek dance musicians Greek male dancers Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Greece Greek expatriates in the United States Greek fashion designers Greek male film actors Greek film producers Greek male models 20th-century Greek male singers Greek philanthropists Greek pianists Greek pop singers Greek rhythm and blues singers Greek rock guitarists Greek rock singers Greek singer-songwriters Greek television presenters Greek male voice actors Greek health activists Humanitarians Living people MAD Video Music Awards winners Minos EMI artists 21st-century Greek male singers Musicians from Corfu Nightclub owners PolyGram Records (Greece) artists Restaurateurs Rock pianists Sportspeople from Corfu Thessaloniki Song Festival winners World Music Awards winners Greek laïko singers Male pianists MTV Europe Music Award winners
false
[ "\"Flowers of Romance\" is a song by Public Image Ltd. It reached number twenty four on the UK Singles Chart. The 12\" extended version of the song is actually two songs counted as one track: the single version of the song followed by an instrumental version of it.\n\n\"Listening to that again reminded me of coming out of jail [after being arrested for alleged assault in 1980],\" John Lydon told Select in 1990. \"That's when I recorded it. I left Dublin and went straight into the studio for two weeks solid: slept there, did everything myself, practically. No band; couldn't find Keith; more of less had to engineer the bloody thing myself cos the engineer there ran out going, 'That's impossible – you can't do that!' I did it. That particular song, I timed how long it would take me to turn the tape on, run into the studio and turn it all off. I had to rehearse that about 20 bloody times before I got it right!\"\n\nWriting in 2002, writer Garry Mulholland described the song as \"the strangest chart record of the last 25 years, maybe ever.\"\n\nNME ranked it the 41st best single of the year.\n\nTrack listing\n7\" vinyl \n\"Flowers of Romance\" – 2:50\n\"Home Is Where the Heart Is\" – 7:33\n\n12\" vinyl \n\"Flowers of Romance (Extended Version)\" - 5:40\n\"Home Is Where the Heart Is\" – 7:33\n\nChart performance\n\nReferences\n\n1981 singles\nPublic Image Ltd songs\nSongs written by John Lydon\nSong recordings produced by Nick Launay\n1980 songs\nVirgin Records singles\nSongs written by Keith Levene", "\"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" is a song recorded by American musician Prince, under his unpronounceable stage name called the \"Love Symbol\". It was released as the only single from his twenty-third studio album Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic (1999). It was issued on October 5, 1999, in several different formats, including a 12-inch single, CD single, and a maxi single. Prince solely wrote and produced it, while Mike Scott provided guitar strings for the track. Several music critics found the single reminiscent to the works on his previous studio album, Diamonds and Pearls (1991).\n\nThe track is a smooth hip hop and soul ballad, featuring Prince's multi-layered vocals in the chorus. A B-side remix of the single entitled \"Adam and Eve\", featured a guest rap from Eve, while the Neptunes remix featured a guest rap from Q-Tip. The former version was included on Prince's first remix album, Rave In2 the Joy Fantastic (2001). The single became a minor hit, peaking at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100. An accompanying music video was created shortly after Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic became available for purchase.\n\nComposition and release \nMusically, \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" is a smooth hip hop and soul ballad, unlike his previous pop music efforts. It was solely written and produced by Prince himself. The singer uses multi-layered vocals, a deep falsetto, and a downtempo melody throughout its chorus. The album version of the single has a duration of five minutes and twenty-nine seconds, while the radio edit lasts for four minutes and thirty seconds.\n\nSeveral different physical releases of the single occurred shortly after its release on October 5, 1999, as it was marketed as Prince's \"comeback\" song. A 12\" included eight different versions of the song, including the radio edit, the album version, the \"Adam & Eve\" remix, plus five additional remixes. The US CD single included the radio edit and Jason Nevins Remix of the track, plus a ten-second \"Call Out Research Hook\". Also, the Spanish CD single only contained the radio edit of the song.\n\nReception\n\nCritical reception \nThe track was generally well received by music critics. Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club said \"[it] is more Diamonds and Pearls good than Sign O' the Times great.\" Chuck Taylor, a columnist for Billboard, called the single \"entirely satisfying\" and appreciated it for being unlike other songs on the radio. Entertainment Weeklys Chris Willman enjoyed the recording's seductiveness and its overall production. Alexis Petridis from The Guardian wrote in his retrospective review, \"By the end of the 90s, Prince obviously wanted commercial success again. The album Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic came packed with guest appearances; the smooth hip-hop-soul balladry of The Greatest Romance Ever Sold was a good indication of its musical style. It wasn't a bad song, but the sense Prince was following trends rather than going his own way was hard to avoid.\" Toure from Rolling Stone was mixed in his review, stating that it \"sound[ed] like [a] refugee from Diamonds and Pearls, the least-great of Prince's great records\".\n\nCommercial reception \nAfter its release, \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" was moderately successful. The single peaked at number sixty-three on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Prince's highest peaking song on the chart since \"I Hate U\" (1995). The song also fared well on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs component chart, where it peaked at number twenty-three and lasting a total of twenty weeks on the chart. Elsewhere, the track peaked in the lower regions of several charts. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at position sixty-five, during February 2000. It also charted in Germany and the Netherlands, peaking at numbers seventy-nine and seventy-one, respectively.\n\nPromotion \nAn accompanying music video for the song was produced and created in late 1999. The visual features the singer performing in a dark room with several other female dancers; for the final segment of the video, Prince stands in front of a bullseye backdrop and a waterfall. In terms of live performances, the singer sang \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" for his direct to video VHS film Rave Un2 the Year 2000. The aforementioned rendition was recorded live on December 31, 1999 from Paisley Park Studios.\n\nTrack listings and formats \n\nUS CD single\n \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" (Jason Nevins Remix Edit) – 3:36\n \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" (Original Radio Edit) – 4:19\n \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" (Call Out Research Hook) – 0:10\n\nUS vinyl single\nA1 \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" (Album Version) – 5:30\nA2 \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" (Radio Edit) – 4:30\nB1 \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" (Adam & Eve Remix, featuring Eve) – 4:28\nB2 \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" (Radio Edit, featuring Eve) – 4:32\n\nSpanish CD single\n \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" – 4:26\n\nEuropean CD single\n \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" (Radio Edit) – 4:30\n \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" (The Adam & Eve Remix, featuring Eve) – 4:28\n\nUS and European 12\" single\nA1 \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" (Radio Edit) – 4:32\nA2 \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" (Jason Nevins Romance Beats) – 6:03\nB1 \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" (Neptunes Extended Edit, featuring Q-Tip) – 5:08\nB2 \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" (Jason Nevins Remix Edit) – 3:36\nC1 \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" (Adam & Eve Mix, featuring Eve) – 4:30\nC2 \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" (Album Version) – 5:29\nD1 \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" (Jason Nevins Extended Mix) – 6:41\nD2 \"The Greatest Romance Ever Sold\" (Neptunes Remix Edit, featuring Q-Tip) – 3:42\n\nCredits and personnel \nCredits adapted from Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic liner notes\n Prince – vocals, instruments, lyrics, production\n Eve – guest vocals\n Q-Tip – guest vocals\n Mike Scott – guitar\n\nCharts\n\nReferences \n\nPrince (musician) songs\n1999 singles\n1990s ballads\nSongs written by Prince (musician)\nSoul ballads\nNPG Records singles\nArista Records singles\nSong recordings produced by Prince (musician)\n1999 songs" ]
[ "Sakis Rouvas", "Kati Apo Mena, return to prominence and 21os Akatallilos (1998-2000)", "What was his last greatest performance", "On 25 October 2000, he began appearing with Antonis Remos and Peggy Zina at Apollonas for the winter season.", "Did health ever play a factor in his performances", "During May rehearsals for summer performances Rouvas was hospitalized with abdominal pain, which was diagnosed as peritonitis and required an appendectomy.", "Did his recovery or illness delay any prior engagements", "I don't know.", "Did he ever find romance", "I don't know." ]
C_ab76ebceba934705bad406cf87785ffc_0
Was his family ever at any shows
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Was Sakis Rouvas' family ever at any shows?
Sakis Rouvas
In December 1998 Rouvas released his sixth album (the first with his new label): Kati Apo Mena (Something From Me), written by Giorgos Theofanous. "Den Ehi Sidera I Kardia Sou" ("Your Heart Doesn't Have Steel Rails") was a hit, and remains one of his most-popular songs. To promote the album Rouvas performed at the Virgin Megastore in Athens, where thousands of fans created a traffic jam. The next year, Rouvas records "Oso Exo Esena" ("As Long As I Have You"), a duet with singer Stelios Rokkos. The two artists work and perform together at Bio Bio in Athens during the summer. In March 2000 Rouvas released his seventh album, 21os Akatallilos (21+ X-Rated), and performed with Katy Garbi at Pili Axiou in Thessaloniki. The album and its first single, "Andexa" ("I Held Out"), reached number one on the charts. During May rehearsals for summer performances Rouvas was hospitalized with abdominal pain, which was diagnosed as peritonitis and required an appendectomy. On 25 October 2000, he began appearing with Antonis Remos and Peggy Zina at Apollonas for the winter season. That year Rouvas became the Pepsi spokesperson for the company's Greek summer campaign making a first television ad, a first for a Greek entertainer. His collaboration with Pepsi continued into 2001, with a May television ad. The advertisement, featuring a semi-nude Rouvas holding a Pepsi bottle in front of his genitals, was controversial among women's rights and parental associations. Calling it "unsightly, vulgar and unacceptable", they tried to have the ad blocked as "disgrac[ing] childhood innocence and dignity." The Pepsi Tour 2001, of seven Greek cities, followed. During summer 2000 Rouvas, Psinakis and a number of other celebrities visited Mykonos on a yacht borrowed from a local physician. They were accused of drug possession, since the yacht contained narcotics. The incident was publicized amid speculation that Rouvas might have a drug addiction. Although the doctor admitted that the narcotics were his, his guests were questioned. Wishing to avoid court, Rouvas paid a fine and minimized the incident. However, thousands of T-shirts were printed which read: "Imoun ki ego sto kotero!" ("I was on the yacht, too!"). CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
Anastasios "Sakis" Rouvas (, ; born 5 January 1972), also known mononymously as Sakis, is a Greek recording artist; model; film and television actor; businessman and former pole vaulter. Born in Corfu, he won medals on the national athletics team during the 1980s. Rouvas began a musical career in 1991 as one of Greece's first dance-pop performers. His tenor vocals, complex choreography, costumes, and technological advancements have been credited with transforming music videos and live performances. Rouvas is noted for avoiding domestic music, attaining success for a non-laïko or -éntekhno artist, and for breaking cultural, social, artistic, and generational barriers in Greece and Cyprus. During the early 1990s, Rouvas signed with PolyGram Records and won the Thessaloniki Song Festival. Despite five commercially successful albums, his personal life (including his military service and 1997 Greek-Turkish peace concert, which damaged his public image) has been publicized. Rouvas signed with Minos EMI in 1997, returning to the charts with Kati Apo Mena (1998) and 21os Akatallilos (2000) and ending his 14-year collaboration with manager Ilias Psinakis. One of the few Greek entertainers to gain recognition abroad, he has been popular in the Balkans since the 1990s. By the 2010s, Rouvas had expanded his career to film, television, theatre and fashion. His single "Shake It" is one of the best-selling CD singles of all time in Greece, his songs and videos, such as "1992", "Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas", "Ela Mou", "Min Antistekesai", "Xana", "Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola", "Den Ehei Sidera I Kardia Sou", "Ypirhes Panta", "Antexa", "Se Thelo San Trelos", "+ Se Thelo" and "Sta Kalytera Mou" have topped the popular Greek charts. Since 2003 Rouvas has been in a relationship with model Katia Zygouli, with whom he has four children. He is involved in social issues, and has been praised for his dedication to philanthropic organizations. Rouvas has won six Arion Music Awards, 15 Pop Corn Music Awards, 22 MAD Video Music Awards, four Status Man of the Year Awards, an MTV Europe Music Award and a World Music Award. Several number-one albums and singles which have been certified gold or higher have made him one of Greece's most popular musical artists. Known for his independence, Rouvas' musical, fashion and performance styles have influenced other artists for over two decades. In 2009 Down Town named him its "Entertainer of the Decade"; in 2010, Forbes listed him as the third-most-influential celebrity in Greece and the country's top-ranked singer. Early life Rouvas was born on 5 January 1972 in Mantouki, a suburb of Corfu City on the island of Corfu, the eldest of four sons of Konstantinos "Kostas" Rouvas (an ambulance driver) and the teenaged Anna-Maria Panaretou (a duty-free shop clerk at the local airport). He has three brothers: Billy (b. Vasilios, 1975), Tolis (b. Apostolos, 1977) and Nikos (b. Nikolaos, 1991). The family was poor, and Rouvas began taking care of his brothers at age five. At age four, he exhibited athletic ability and took ballet classes as a child. His parents had a theatrical background, and at age ten Rouvas starred in his first theatrical production (An I Karharies Itan Anthropi; If Sharks Were People). His older co-stars were impressed with his talent. Soon afterwards Rouvas discovered music, which he enjoyed nearly as much as athletics. He taught himself guitar, inspired by international artists such as Elvis Presley. In 1984 his parents divorced; Rouvas and his brother Tolis moved to their paternal grandparents' home in the village of Potamos when their father remarried. The young Rouvas held a variety of jobs to support his family, including work in an automobile repair shop, as a construction worker and a bartender. Since his early childhood he had difficulty in school, particularly in reading and writing. Working during the day, Rouvas went to school at night with his mother (who had not finished secondary school). At age 15, Rouvas joined the Greek national track and field team as an admirer of Ukrainian pole-vaulter Sergey Bubka. His vaults were consistently high—averaging —and he won a number of national awards. Rouvas continued in athletics until age 18, believing he had a future in music and joining the Corfu Band. At his graduation, he sang hits by Elvis and The Beatles. Rouvas began performing at local clubs and hotels; at To Ekati, he was seen by future manager Ilias Psinakis. He left Corfu at age 18, moving to Patras in search of a better future. Career Early commercial success (1991–93) After moving to Patras, Rouvas continued to look for performance opportunities until he met Dakis (a popular Greek artist who was the first person to help him professionally). Rouvas moved to Athens, and made his first professional appearance in 1991 at the Show Centre. His showmanship attracted the attention of music executives such as Nikos Mouratidis, who encouraged songwriter Giorgos Pavrianos to produce him. Rouvas, singing Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" was discovered by PolyGram executives who signed him to his first recording contract. Several months later he debuted at the Thessaloniki Song Festival, losing Best Vocal Performance to Giorgos Alkaios but singing the Best Composition ("Par'ta"; "Take Them", with music by Nikos Terzis and lyrics by Giorgos Pavrianos). There was a brief earthquake during the festival. Rouvas released his eponymous debut album, which topped the Greek Albums Chart, the day after the festival. "Par'ta" became a radio hit, and other songs of the album such as "1992", "Ego S'agapo" ("I Love You") and "Gia Fantasou" ("Imagine") also became popular. In September 1992 Rouvas released his second album, Min Andistekese (Don't Resist), also composed by Nikos Terzis. It produced the singles "Gyrna" ("Return"), "Min Andistekese", "Na Ziseis Moro Mou" ("Live, My Baby") and "Me Kommeni Tin Anasa" ("Breathless"), with a music video of the title track. The album's success helped establish Rouvas at the top of the Greek music scene. In October 1993 Rouvas released his third album, Gia Sena (For You), with music by Alexis Papadimitriou and lyrics by Eleni Giannatsoulia and Evi Droutsa. The single "Kane Me" ("Make Me") became a radio hit, with "To Xero Eisai Moni" ("I Know You Are Alone") and "Xehase To" ("Forget It") also receiving airplay. Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas, Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola, and move to Minos EMI (1994–97) In the winter of 1994 Rouvas collaborated with singer-songwriter and record producer Nikos Karvelas on his fourth album, Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas (Blood, tears & sweat), and its singles "Ela Mou" ("Come To Me") and "Xana" ("Again") became radio hits. Rouvas' collaboration with Karvelas was received skeptically by the media; when asked why he had chosen to collaborate with Rouvas, Karvelas said: "Sakis is the only star out of a generation which produces dull artists." In 1996 Rouvas released his fifth studio album, Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola (Now the Hard Times Start), again collaborating with Nikos Karvelas and lyricist Natalia Germanou. During the winter he sang with Anna Vissi at the Chaos Club in Athens, appearing in the duet "Se Thelo, Me Theleis" ("I Want You, You Want Me", also written by Karvelas) on her 1997 album Travma (Trauma). In 2017 Rouvas and Burak Kut had recorded a duet in Greek and Turkish the previous year entitled "Birgün/Otan" ("When"), a cover of "Someday" for the Greek soundtrack of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (I Panagia Ton Parision, in which Rouvas voiced the role of Quasimodo) under the label of Minos EMI. Kati Apo Mena, return to prominence and 21os Akatallilos (1998–2000) In December 1998 Rouvas released his sixth album (the first with his new label): Kati Apo Mena (Something From Me), written by Giorgos Theofanous. "Den Ehi Sidera I Kardia Sou" ("Your Heart Doesn't Have Steel Rails") was a hit, and remains one of his most-popular songs. To promote the album Rouvas performed at the Virgin Megastore in Athens, where thousands of fans created a traffic jam. The next year, Rouvas records "Oso Exo Esena" ("As Long As I Have You"), a duet with singer Stelios Rokkos. The two artists work and perform together at Bio Bio in Athens during the summer. In March 2000 Rouvas released his seventh album, 21os Akatallilos (21+ X-Rated), and performed with Katy Garbi at Pili Axiou in Thessaloniki. The album and its first single, "Andexa" ("I Held Out"), reached number one on the charts. During May rehearsals for summer performances Rouvas was hospitalized with abdominal pain, which was diagnosed as peritonitis and required an appendectomy. On 25 October 2000, he began appearing with Antonis Remos and Peggy Zina at Apollonas for the winter season. That year Rouvas became the Pepsi spokesperson for the company's Greek summer campaign making a first television ad, a first for a Greek entertainer. The Pepsi Tour 2001, of seven Greek cities, followed. Ola Kala, international exposure and To Hrono Stamatao (2001–04) In 2001, Rouvas signed with Universal Licensing Music (ULM) of Universal Music France after he was recommended by singer Nana Mouskouri. He collaborated with American songwriter-producer Desmond Child and Phoebus on "Disco Girl"; it was a hit in Greece and certified platinum, winning Rouvas the Pop Singer of the Year award at the inaugural Arion Music Awards. The single was later released in France, with an English version written by Andreas Carlsson. Rouvas played 20 shows across France in support of "Disco Girl", which received ample airplay, and was compared to Latin pop star Ricky Martin. Rouvas' eighth album, Ola Kala (a collaboration with Desmond Child, Phoebus and Greek songwriters Natalia Germanou and Vangelis Konstantinidis), was released in June 2002. The album went gold in Greece within 11 days and platinum within 4 months. In April 2003, Rouvas appeared with Antonis Remos and Nana Mouskouri at the Arion Awards. He released his ninth album, To Hrono Stamatao (I Stop Time), in December; it was certified gold after its release. Songs from the album received radio airplay, and that month Rouvas began appearing at Fever with Giorgos Tsalikis and ONE for the winter season. A Greek version of "Feelings" from the album, "Pes Tis" ("Tell Her"), was released as a single with the same video as its French- and English-language counterparts. Eurovision and S'eho Erotefthi (2004–05) In March 2004, Hellenic Radio and Television (ERT) announced that Rouvas would represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 after the selection process on the reality show EuroStar proved unsatisfactory. The show's winner was expected to represent Greece, with Nikos Terzis writing the song entry; however, ERT changed its plans when the winner's ability to perform under so much pressure was questionable and Rouvas expressed an interest in representing his country. In mid-March "Shake It", with music by Terzis and lyrics by Nektarios Tyrakis, premiered on Greek radio. Originally, the song had Latin spirit and sound but Terzis changed it, combining the Greek traditional bouzouki sound with the Latin one to make it sound different from other Latin entries of the competition. At the third Arion Music Awards, he won Best Pop Singer for To Hrono Stamatao. In mid-April "Shake It" was released as a CD single, and Rouvas began a promotional tour of Europe for the contest; To Hrono Stamatao was reissued with a bonus "Shake It" single. The song remained number one on the Greek airplay charts for several weeks, and was number one on the IFPI Greece Top 50 singles chart for nine consecutive weeks. Rouvas was favored to win the Eurovision final. On 12 May 2004 he performed in the semi-final (appearing 10th out of 22), and performed 16th out of 24 in the 15 May 2004 final. Rouvas had two female dancers and three backing vocalists: the EuroStar winner and runners-up. Fokas Evangelinos, Rouvas' longtime choreographer, choreographed his stage show. "Shake It" finished third in the final, with Rouvas attracting great interest in the contest by Greek viewers (with a rating of 86.7 percent, the highest rating in Greek TV history at the time). Rouvas' appearance in Eurovision was a turning point in his career; his public perception changed from media-produced celebrity to notable pop artist, and he became more accessible to the media. In June 2004, Rouvas performed "Shake It" at the first MAD Video Music Awards, where he won Sexiest Appearance for the "Pes Tis" ("Tell Her") music video. On 7 July, Rouvas performed in Istanbul with Turkish artist (and 2003 Eurovision Song Contest winner) Sertab Erener in another attempt to maintain peace between the two countries. In August he carried the Olympic torch through Panathinaiko Stadium and performed at the closing ceremony for the 2004 Summer Olympics, in which he was lowered to the stage from the air and sang a traditional Greek song, "Karapiperim". In fall 2004, Rouvas recorded a duet version of "Se Thelo San Trelos" ("I Want You Like Crazy", from 21os Akatallilos) with Russian pop singer Philip Kirkorov. In December he began performing with Giorgos Mazonakis at Fever for the winter season, with Elena Paparizou as their opening act. His show was praised; Georgia Laimou of E-go, known for scathing reviews, wrote: "I have only good things to say about Sakis and I don't want to hear 'boo' from anyone. I don't think that a more neat, well-supported, professional, and generally flawless performance than Sakis' exists on the Athenian clubs." On 6 April 2005 Rouvas released his tenth album, S'eho Erotefthi (I'm in Love With You), which went platinum in five months and was eventually certified 3× platinum. With Vodafone Greece as their main sponsor, release parties for the CD were held in Heraklion, Corfu, Thessaloniki, and Athens on the same day and "S'eho Erotefti", "Hilia Milia" ("A Thousand Miles"), "Mila Tis" ("Talk to Her"), "Na M' Agapas" ("You Should Love Me") and "Cairo" became radio hits. That year, Rouvas won the World Music Award as Best-Selling Greek Artist of 2004. In September he gave a charity concert at the Olympic Indoor Hall for an audience of 20,000 (the largest production by any Greek entertainer until Rouvas surpassed the record in 2009), followed by a concert in Patras. Live Ballads, Eurovision and Iparhi Agapi Edo (2006) On 14 February 2006, Rouvas gave a Valentine's Day concert where he sang his popular ballads and cover versions of ballads by other Greek and foreign artists. The concert was recorded, videotaped and released as Live Ballads (Rouvas' first live album and video) later in April as a CD and CD/DVD package. The CD featured three new studio tracks—"Horis Kardia" ("Without a Heart"; Greek version of Damien Rice's "The Blower's Daughter"), "Eisai Oli Mou H Zoi" and an English-language version of "S'eho Erotefthi" entitled "I'm in Love With You"—and topped the Greek album chart. On 3 April, Rouvas sang "Horis Kardia" at the Arion Music Awards, where he won Best Pop Album and Best Pop Singer for S'eho Erotefthi. In May the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was held in Athens, since Greece won the contest the previous year and Rouvas was asked by ERT to host the semi-final and final with Maria Menounos. At the semi-finals, Rouvas opened the show by singing the Katrina and the Waves song "Love Shine a Light" with Menounos. During the voting intermission, he performed "I'm in Love With You". On 14 June, Rouvas performed "Agapa Me" ("Love Me"; Greek version of Julio Iglesias "Abrázame") and "Na M' Agapas" at the third MAD Video Music Awards, where he won Best Video by a Male Artist (for "Na M' Agapas") and Best-Dressed Artist in a Video (for "Mila Tis"). At the end of the summer (6 September), he collaborated with Vodafone on a beach-party concert at Yabanaki known as "Sakis on the Waves". On 13 November he began filming his feature-film debut, in Alter Ego and on 6 December 2006 Rouvas released his eleventh studio album, Iparhi Agapi Edo (There Is Love Here). "Ego Travo Zori" (I'm Having a Hard Time") and "18 (Iprarhi Agapi Edo)" received radio airplay. The lyrics for "Mikros Titanikos (Se Latrevo)" ("Little Titanic [I Adore You]") were written by Yiannis Parios, and his son Harry Varthakouris composed the music. The album was certified platinum (selling over 40,000 copies as of April 2007). Film and television career, This Is My Live and Irthes (2007–08) Rouvas' Academy Awards prime-time special, Sakis Oscar Songs, aired on 20 February 2007 on Nova. The special was filmed at a private concert at Athens Arena, and featured Oscar-winning songs. In March, he began performing at Boom in Thessaloniki with Despina Vandi. On 10 May 2007 Village Roadshow Productions' Alter Ego premiered in theatres across Greece with the avant premiere being on 7 May. With a budget of €2 million, it was one of the most expensive productions in Greece. The film received mixed reviews and sold only one-fifth of the expected number of tickets. Its 200,000 tickets made Alter Ego an average success for Greek cinema, although Rouvas was disappointed in its media coverage. The film dealt with young musicians living the rock-and-roll lifestyle (including drug abuse) facing their inner fears in the loss of a loved one. Its soundtrack was recorded by the cast of the movie and Rouvas and the theme song, "Zise Ti Zoi" ("Live Life"), reached the top 10. On 29 June 2008, Alter Ego was screened at a Los Angeles Greek festival. On 20 July 2007, Rouvas performed in Ptolemaida, Kozani as part of the Expedition for Environment Act Now! On 10 September 2007, his concert at the Lycabettus theater as part of an OPAP campaign encouraging blood donation was recorded and was released as a CD/DVD on 12 December 2007 entitled This Is My Live. The album also featured his last single "Stous 31 Dromous" ("On 31 Roads"). On 29 October, Rouvas received his sixth Arion (Best Pop Song for "Ola Gyro Sou Gyrizoun") from five nominations, although he was absent from the ceremony. In spring 2008, Rouvas and Antonis Remos toured North America, Australia and South Africa. Rouvas' song "+ Se Thelo" ("And I Want You") by Dimitris Kontopoulos, became a radio hit and a video with footage from the July 2008 MAD Video Music Awards, was released at the end of the year. "+ Se Thelo" became a staple of Rouvas' career. It was a critical landmark, a rare case of a Greek artist breaking generational barriers and producing a hit of that magnitude nearly two decades into their career. In July 2008 Rouvas was announced as host for the first season of the Greek version of The X Factor, which premiered on 24 October. Rouvas was Greece's representative—singing "Stous 31 Dromous"—in the OGAE Song Contest, placing third behind Croatia and the United Kingdom. On 3 December, Rouvas released his 12th studio album, Irthes (You Arrived), produced by Dimitris Kontopoulos. The same titled song "Irthes" was released few days earlier, on 20 November, and it was dedicated to his newborn daughter. The following day, on 4 December, he premiered his winter concert series with the Maggira Sisters at STARZ. Eurovision, Duress, Parafora and business career (2009–2012) ERT made an early announcement confirming that Rouvas would again be Greece's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. He performed his three songs ("Out of Control", "Right on Time" and "This Is Our Night", all composed by Dimitris Kontopoulos) at the Greek finals in February; the latter was the runaway winner with the jury and the viewers, winning 61 percent of the vote (the largest margin ever, and the most votes received by ERT in a national final). The song debuted at number one on the Greek Digital Singles chart, while Rouvas embarked on a promotional tour of Europe. He said publicly that he hoped to return the contest to Greece the following year. A win was widely anticipated by the Greek public, with the country being one of the three favorites among the Eurovision fans. However, Rouvas finished seventh in the final. The singer and the Greek public were disappointed with the result, and he issued a public apology for his loss. Rouvas received universal support from the public and the media, a first for a Greek Eurovision entrant regardless of result. On 27 March Rouvas was appointed by ELPIDA Charity Foundation president and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Marianna Vardinoyannis as a "messenger" for the foundation, a charity for children with cancer, publicly recognizing his longtime behind-the-scenes support. He joined fast food chain Goody's in its ArGOODaki campaign, and donated €300,000 to the foundation in April. That month Rouvas and Zygouli introduced beauty company Mariella Nails Body and Mind Care, of which they own 25 percent. On 1 July 2009, Rouvas performed a sold-out concert in support of environmental issues at Panathenaic Stadium before an audience of 40,000. He was one of the few musicians permitted to perform at the venue; it was the largest attendance ever at the stadium for a non-sporting event, and the largest attendance for a single musical artist in Greek history. The concert, organized by the National Youth Council, coincided with the start of the national public smoking ban. The sold-out Sakis Live Tour visited an additional 10 cities from July to September, and he performed a sold-out concert series at Politia Live Clubbing in Thessaloniki. In October, the singer returned to host the second season of the Greek version of The X Factor and dubbed the voice of Captain Charles T. Baker in the Greek version of Planet 51. He made his American film debut in the psychological thriller Duress, with Martin Donovan. The film was screened at festivals in Poland and Russia, and was given a wide theatrical release in December by Greek distributor Hollywood Entertainment. It was expected to be released on home video in the United States. Rouvas performed at his new S Club for the winter 2009–10 season (with Tamta, Eleftheria Eleftheriou and the American rapper Gifted) and opened sushi restaurant EDO. On 2 March 2010 the successful S Club caught fire, sustaining up to €4 million in damage. The cause of the fire was unknown, but Athens police suspected arson by rival club owners since witnesses reported seeing containers of gasoline. After repairs, Rouvas' show resumed from 19 March to 9 April and moved to Thessaloniki on 7 May for a six-week engagement at Politia Live Clubbing. He appeared on Tamta's single "Tharros I Alitheia" for her album of the same name. The song became a major club hit, and won a MAD Video Music Award for Best Duet–Collaboration Video. Rouvas' 13th studio album, Parafora, was released on 14 December 2010 and topped the IFPI Top 75 Albums chart. It shipped 24,000 copies its first week, for a double-platinum certification. The album's first single ("Spase Ton Hrono") was Rouvas' fourth consecutive single to reach number one on all Greek charts. It won Best Balkan Song from Greece at the first Balkan Music Awards; its video gave Rouvas five MAD Video Music Awards nominations (more than any other video) and Best Pop Video, Artist of the Year and Fashion Icon of the Year awards. The song also contributed to Rouvas' MTV Europe Music Award for Best Greek Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2010, and he was shortlisted for the MTV Europe Music Award for Best European Act. "Emena Thes", the second single, was released in May and peaked at number five on the mixed-airplay and digital sales charts. The title track was released in October; it was number one on the domestic-airplay chart for three weeks and peaked at number two on the mixed-airplay chart. The album's fourth single, "Oi dyo mas" was released in late February 2011. Its video clip was released at the end of March, when the song topped the national-airplay chart. For the second consecutive year, Rouvas was Singer of the Year at the Status Men of the Year Awards. In June Rouvas and his brother, Vasilis, launched TV and film production company Sakis Rouvas Kinematografos EPE, and on 14 July Rouvas ended the Greek French Embassy's Bastille Day celebration with renditions of the French and Greek national anthems. His eight-city summer tour lasted from 24 July to 19 September. At a 27 July stop in Corinth he introduced the Sakis Rouvas Collection of clothing (to which he had creative input) to Greek retailer Sprider Stores. The collection, for men and women, was launched on 16 September and available in October. Rouvas performed at the Mykonos Xlsior Festival in support of the LGBT movement on 27 August; although he was scheduled to perform at the first Εurovoice on 23 September with Enrique Iglesias, Anastacia and host Pamela Anderson, his appearance was canceled a day before the event for undisclosed reasons. For the winter season of 2010–11 Rouvas joined Anna Vissi for Face2Face, a concert series at Athens Arena beginning on 15 October. ANT1 was in negotiations with Rouvas to star in a TV series after The X Factor, and he hosted the third season of the talent show from 29 October – 11 February. For his performance, Rouvas was Presenter of the Year at the 2011 Cypriot Men of the Year Awards. On 2 February 2011 Rouvas was one of eight acts in the first MADWalk (equivalent to the international Fashion Rocks), where he represented Celia Kritharioti Haute Couture. In the spring he made ten appearances at Thalassa. After a short break Rouvas continued his live appearances at Puli Axiou in Thessaloniki, announcing his upcoming winter performances at Athens Arena with Onirama and Eleni Foureira as his opening act and releasing his new single, "Kane na mi s' agapiso". At the 2012 Johnnie Walker Men of the Year Awards in Cyprus Rouvas was presented with the Greek of the Year award for his philanthropic contributions, particularly to the Elpida Foundation. In February 2012 he performed his new single ("Bad Thing") with American singer Nomi Ruiz of Jessica 6 at the second MADWalk, where he represented designer Apostolos Mitropoulos. The single was expected to be released worldwide after the show. In May 2012 Rouvas released a new single, "Tora" ("Νow") which he performed at the 2012 MAD Video Music Awards. In November, he released a rock-Zeibekiko mash-up ballad entitled "Niose Ti Thelo" ("Feel What I Want"). Rouvas was nominated for four Mad Video Music Awards (including Best Pop Video and Video of the Year), winning Male Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year for "I Dyo Mas". Theatre, Chevalier and Mia Hara Na Pernas (2013–2020) Rouvas returned to television as a presenter for ANT1's Iroes Anamesa Mas (Heroes Among Us), a ten-part documentary series focusing on stories of people who have been commended for heroic deeds which premiered on 24 May 2013. For the series, Rouvas traveled throughout Greece interviewing the featured nominees. During the summer, he made his theatrical debut in Euripides' tragedy The Bacchae in the lead role of Dionysus, for which he was awarded with the best performance award by the 2014 Greek Theatre Critics Awards in the category of ancient drama. Working again with songwriter Theofanous, in May 2013 Rouvas released a ballad single ("Mia Hara Na Pernas"; "Have A Good Time"). At the 2013 MAD Video Music Awards, he was nominated for four awards: Best Pop Video, Video of the Year, Male Artist of the Year and Artist of the Year. "Tora" was nominated for most-played radio song of the year, and as part of the awards' tenth anniversary Rouvas' 2008 live performance of "+ Se Thelo" was nominated for best live performance in the show's history. On 24 November 2013 Rouvas was among a group from the Ionian Islands who were commended by the Hellenic Union of Eptanisians (Ionians) for their work and philanthropy. To honor the winners, the organization released a collectors'-edition philatelic envelope with a stamp bearing a picture of the group. In January 2014, continuing his support for the Elpida Foundation in practice, Rouvas became the first volunteer bone-marrow donor at the Orama Elpidas (Vision of Hope) marrow bank, and he is appearing in a foundation campaign encouraging marrow donation. His "Ace of Hearts Tour" that started on 26 April 2014, was dedicated to the Elpida Foundation and the Orama Elpidas marrow bank. The final concert of the tour took place in Athens on 11 October 2014. On 13 January 2014, it was announced that Rouvas would be part of Athina Tsaggari's new feature film named "Chevalier", where he would be one of the protagonists of the movie. The shootings of the movie started on January and are set to be done in March 2014. On 11 March 2014, Rouvas himself uploaded a promo video of his new single "Se Pethimisa" (I Missed You) on his YouTube channel that will be released later during the year. For this song, Rouvas continues his cooperation with the songwriter Theofanous, while the lyrics belong to Thanos Papanikolaou. After his success as Dionysus in The Bacchae, Rouvas' next theatrical step includes a musical. In September 2014, it was announced that Rouvas would be part of the musical "Hraklis; Oi dodeka athloi" (Hercules; The twelve labours) at the role of Hercules. The premiere took place on 12 December 2014. In 2015 he performed Mikis Theodorakis's Axion Asti. In 2016 Chevalier, was selected as the Greek entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards. Since 2016, Rouvas has been a coach on The Voice Greece. Rouvas performed in Estate Club for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons (with Stelios Rokkos and Helena Paparizou (2019-2020)). He and Rokkos collaborated in the single "Ta Zorikia Vradia" in 2018. Rouvas single "Ela Sto Horo" was released in 2019. In September 2019 he gave a concert along with Helena Paparizou and Eleni Foureira. He and Paparizou later in 2020 released a single called "Etsi einai i Fasi". In August 2020 he performed in Odeon of Herodes Atticus along with soprano Sonia Theodoridou. Sta Kalytera Mou, Idols and current projects (2021–current) In spring 2021 Sakis Rouvas released his new 14th album, titled "Sta Kalytera Mou" and produced by Phoebus. Lead single was titled Yperanthropos. The album reached number one on the IFPI Greece top 75 abums sales chart for several consecutive weeks, and was the Greek best-selling album of 2021 in Greece. He also took part in the collaborative album "O Prigkipas tis Dytikis Ochthis", which was released in the memory of the singer-songwriter Manos Xydous, a member of the Greek rock band Pyx Lax. The album ended the third best selling greek language album of 2021. In late 2021 he presented the television documentary series "Idols", dedicated to personalities who stigmatized Greece's popular culture with their professional course and life. Aliki Vougiouklaki, Malvina Karali, Nikos Kourkoulos, Dimitris Mitropanos, Vlassis Bonatsos lives were featured. Artistry Influences Elvis Presley was Rouvas' musical idol; he also enjoyed The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Kiss and Queen. Although he was influenced most by 1960s music, he also likes George Michael and Michael Bolton. The singer considers Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" "one of the ten best songs that have ever been written." Similarities between Presley and Rouvas have been noted; during his STARZ performances, the Maggira Sisters' opening sketch was based on Presley's concern about a popular Greek singer who imitated him. Rouvas covered Presley's "Suspicious Minds" for the Alter Ego soundtrack, and has said that what impressed him most as a child about Presley was "the way that he sang, that he danced, that he felt what he interpreted and what I believed that his audience felt when they heard him". He has also been influenced by Greek artists such as Giannis Parios, Marinella and Nana Mouskouri (his mentor), and considers Haris Alexiou and Anna Vissi as the two greatest Greek female artists. Michael Jackson's "Earth Song" is a favourite of Rouvas' for its environmental message; after Jackson's death, he dedicated a song to the American singer at his Concert for the Environment and spoke about Jackson's legacy: "[Michael Jackson was] one of the most significant singers ever on this planet and the biggest showman that has ever passed by on this planet [...] a person whose life was a 'thriller', but however complicated his life was, he dedicated it for the good of the children and of the planet. Many people want to remember him for the complex persona that he had, I want to remember him for everything that he gave to us all of these years, and for all the reasons that he inspired us." Musicianship Rouvas is fluent in Greek, English and French, presenting the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 in all three languages. He has also recorded songs in all three languages, singing phonetically in Turkish and Russian for his 1997 collaboration with Burak Kut in Cyprus and the Russian duet version of "Se Thelo San Trelos" ("Kak Sumashedshij Ya") with Philipp Kirkorov; one of three versions, it was a Russian hit. Rouvas plays guitar, bass, piano, cello and some percussion. On some tours he plays his black Gibson Les Paul electric guitar, switching to acoustic guitar for unplugged performances such as Live Ballads. Rouvas has expressed disappointment with the ignorance of youthful audiences of older music. He considers himself a pop-rock artist, although he has described his musical style as "always more rock" than he has been credited. Rouvas has been praised for not tapping into traditional Greek music for commercial success, since pop music is a niche genre in Greece. Asked if he thought it difficult being a pop-rock artist in a folk market, he replied that there was a need for a variety of genres; while he has experimented with traditional Greek music, it is not what he feels he does best. Vocal style Rouvas had no vocal lessons as a boy and taught himself primarily by ear, so during the recording of his first album he had to learn music theory in a short time. His voice developed significantly since his early teenaged performances. Rouvas' detractors have criticized his voice as average, or limited, contending that his appeal is based on image. Whatever the assessment of his voice, it has often been overshadowed by showmanship and appearance in the media; many preferred to watch him perform than to listen to him. These criticisms diminished by the second decade of Rouvas' career; his technical skills (range, power and versatility in particular) and expression are better appreciated. Rouvas has a tenor vocal range; although he can also sing low, in the F-clef range, he prefers to sing higher and can reach notes beyond the typical tenor high without falsetto, varying his dynamics from whispers to belts. His vocal power was evident in early recordings, notably on "Mia Fora" from Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas (the first album to showcase his vocal ability). During his 1997–98 hiatus, Rouvas received voice lessons from American coach Raz Kennedy focusing on rock and blues techniques. His subsequent sixth album, Kati Apo Mena, was a milestone in Rouvas' vocal development; he exhibited a consistent depth and dimension which previously appeared only sporadically on his first five albums. He won the Pop Corn Music Award for Best Male Vocal Performance twice in a row: for 1999's "Den Ehei Sidera I Kardia Sou" and 2000's "Se Thelo San Trelos" (the latter from 21os Akatallilos). By Live Ballads in 2006, Pavlos Zervas of Music Corner considered that Rouvas' voice had reached its most-mature form. Critic Tasos P. Karantis of Orfeas conceded that Rouvas sang with competence and technical precision, and his voice was easily recognizable. Ilias Malasidis of Athens 24 noted that Rouvas' voice was initially more intriguing than his material. His voice is best-suited to power ballads, his signature style due to his sensual tone. Reviewers have praised Rouvas' live performances, particularly his ability to execute "especially difficult and demanding songs", hold long, high notes and dance while singing. Down Town commended him for never using a playback track, common among Greek artists, but Billboard noted that an ability to sing well in English would increase his international appeal. During his career, Rouvas has perform in a number of genres, contemporary and traditional; in some songs (such as "O Iroas" from Iparhi Agapi Edo), he delivers spoken verses which have been described as a "light rap." He has also performed as a crooner styles and a classical tenor. Rouvas' defining characteristic as a vocalist has been his emotional expression. He maintains his voice with a strict organic food diet and avoiding alcohol and smoking, banning smoking in his dressing room. Singer-songwriter Stelios Rokkos, who collaborated with him for three seasons, described him as "probably the most disciplined singer I have ever met—in fact, to the point of insanity." Live shows and music videos Film and television After his 2005 move to Los Angeles Rouvas studied acting and received some training from his friend, Tom Hanks. He was interested in film since childhood, and a year and a half later he received an offer from Village Roadshow. In Rouvas' first feature film, Alter Ego (of which he was also associate producer), he played a role similar to himself. Before that, he dubbed English-language animated films in Greek. When comparisons between Rouvas and the character Stefanos in Alter Ego arose (with speculation that the character was autobiographical), he replied that despite similarities Stefanos was a "much more aggressive person." Rouvas adopted a new look for the film, credited by Nitro as reflecting the emo movement emerging among Greek youth. While Rouvas was attracted some critical praise for his foray into acting, others felt that it was too early to evaluate his acting talent. Rouvas' second film (the indie Duress) was a Hollywood psychological thriller in which he played a serial killer, against type for Greek audiences, and said the film was the most difficult thing he had done in his career until that point. Giannis Zoumboulakis of To Vima found Rouvas convincing in the film's cat-and-mouse plot: "You accept the proposal from the first moments, forgetting completely that the 'bad' guy in the story is the host of X-Factor", concluding that "Going against his own image, Rouvas creates a very exceptional psycho killer. With his gray-beige, old wool coat and grimy, parted hair and without his bright smile he creates from scratch a hero that is all his." Panagiotis Timogiannakis contended that Rouvas began showing a different side of himself in Alter Ego, noting that the lighting in both films did not flatter him. Timogiannakis wondered if Rouvas had deglamourized himself to receive serious roles: "He needs to clear up whether he wants to have a career of a star or of a role player. A born role player he does not seem to be. A born star he is." The 2006 Eurovision Song Contest was a springboard for glib host roles, such as for The X Factor. Producer Giannis Latsios said that Rouvas' presence contributed significantly to the show's success, calling his first-season performance "great" and adding: "We had a program that had to do with music and Sakis, on a collective level, is an icon that the generation which participates in this show has as an idol. He is a glowing character with much higher capabilities of expression and, if he decides to continue this path, will improve. He has immediacy, critique and most of all he gave to a program a luster, which was not standard from the beginning." Personal life After moving to Athens he lived with an older English woman named Sally, with whom he had begun a relationship on Corfu. Their relationship ended when Psinakis became Rouvas' manager, and the singer became more career-oriented. The media has speculated about Rouvas' personal life and relationships with model Zeta Logotheti, Sofi Kantarou (a Corfu bar manager) and singer Elli Kokkinou. At this time, Rouvas became more reclusive and guarded about his personal life. In 2003 he was in a relationship with the London based Taiwanese producer Rebecca Wang. Rouvas met model Katia Zygouli back in 2003 during the shootings of a commercial ad for Vodafone and the two of them became a couple. They kept their relationship away from the media despite the rumors and Rouvas first confirmed their relationship during a radio interview to Natalia Germanou. In June 2008, Rouvas announced Zygouli's pregnancy and on 2 November 2008, Zygouli gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter named Anastasia after her father on 18 October 2009. Her godmother was Emmanouela Pavlatou, a friend of Melina Mercouri, and the baptismal date was chosen to coincide with Mercouri's birthday. Anastasia's birth was extensively covered by the media. On 15 October 2011, Rouvas and Zygouli became parents for the second time to a son, named Alexandros. The couple's third child and second daughter, named Ariadni, arrived on 3 January 2013. The couple welcomed their fourth child, on 21 April 2016. On Monday 3 July 2017, Sakis Rouvas married Katia Zygouli. Political Causes Rouvas has spoken out against LGBT discrimination, and in favor of the adoption of children by gay couples. In July 2015 Rouvas uploaded a video message titled "Yes we are Europe" on his personal YouTube channel, in which he supported the pro-Europe vote for the 2015 Greek bailout referendum. Controversies When he was called for military service in 1994 he asked for a delay, since his service would coincide with the release of Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas; the request was denied, although other artists had been able to delay their service for career reasons. Although it was initially thought that Rouvas did not want to leave the spotlight when his career was growing, he claimed his reluctance to serve was due to agoraphobia. His claims were met with astonishment; media outlets remarked that agoraphobia was an odd condition for an entertainer, and critics accused him of draft dodging. The singer was taken to the Penteli psychiatric hospital for an evaluation, and it was widely reported that he had attempted suicide. After his release Rouvas fulfilled his military service. During his service, he was pestered by paparazzi. Psinakis accused Rouvas' psychiatrist of pouring psychotropic drugs into Rouvas' alcoholic beverages because of a previous quarrel. When asked if he was suicidal Rouvas said he did not think so, but he was so drugged at the time of the emergency call that he did not recall the exact events; he confirmed that he tried to desert by climbing under a Jeep and attaching himself to its undercarriage. On 19 May 1997, Rouvas performed with Turkish singer Burak Kut at a bi-national reconciliation concert on the Green Line in Cyprus before an audience of over 4,000. The concert received international coverage and support, earning Rouvas an International Abdi Ipekçi Prize for global understanding and co-operation; however, the concert was controversial to Greek and Turkish protesters, and stones, eggs and tomatoes were thrown at the singer in all his next concerts. Opposition to the concert turned the Greek and Greek-Cypriot media against Rouvas, and was fodder for tabloid talk shows in Greece. Rouvas left Greece and moved to the United States for six months for the incident to be forgotten. During summer 2000 Rouvas, Psinakis and a number of other celebrities visited Mykonos on a yacht borrowed from a local physician. They were accused of drug possession, since the yacht contained narcotics. Although the doctor admitted that the narcotics were his, his guests were questioned. However, thousands of T-shirts were printed which read: "Imoun ki ego sto kotero!" ("I was on the yacht, too!"). He collaborated with Pepsi in 2001, the advertisement, featuring a semi-nude Rouvas holding a Pepsi bottle in front of his genitals, was controversial among women's rights and parental associations. Calling it "unsightly, vulgar and unacceptable", they tried to have the ad blocked as "disgrac[ing] childhood innocence and dignity." In October 2020, a Syriza MP Pavlos Polakis referenced Rouvas during a speech in the Greek Parliament, suggesting that he had supported the Golden Dawn Criminal organization because he followed one of their MPs on twitter years ago when they got elected in the Hellenic Parliament. Rouvas sent a Cease and desist letter to Polakis asking to retract his statement or the matter would be dealt with in court. Adding that he followed the accounts of many politicians such as Mr. Alexis Tsipras, Mr. Antonis Samaras, e.t.c to have a full picture of what they are saying and how political leaders are confronting each other. Discography Studio albums Sakis Rouvas (1991) Min Andistekese (1992) Gia Sena (1993) Aima, Dakrya & Idrotas (1994) Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola (1996) Kati Apo Mena (1998) 21os Akatallilos (2000) Ola Kala (2002) To Hrono Stamatao (2003) S'eho Erotefthi (2005) Iparhi Agapi Edo (2006) Irthes (2008) Parafora (2010) Sta Kalytera Mou (2021) Live albums Live Ballads (2006) This Is My Live (2007) Filmography Tours and residencies Concert tours Tora Arhizoun Ta Dyskola Summer Tour (1997) Pepsi Tour (2001) Ola Kala World Tour (2002) Sakis Live in Town Tour (2003) Sakis on Stage Tour (2005) Fire Victims Tour (2007) Antonis Remos – Sakis Rouvas World Tour (2008) Kalokairino Randevou me ton Saki Tour (2008) Sakis Live Tour (2009) Sakis Summer Tour 2010 Concert residencies To Ekati (1990) Athens Show Center (1991) Posidonio (1992) Posidonio (1994) Chaos (1996) Pyli Axiou (1997) Chaos (1998) Vio Vio (1999–2000) Pyli Axiou (2000) Apollonas (2000–01) Rex (2001–2002) Fever (2003–04) Fever (2004–05) Boom (2007) Politia (2008) STARZ (2008–09) Politia Live Clubbing (2009) The S Club (2009–2010) Politia Live Clubbing (2010) Face2Face (2010–11) The S Club at Thalassa: People's Stage (2011) Pyli Axiou (2011) Underworld S Club (2011–2012) Underworld S Club at Politia Live Clubbing (2012) The S Club at Thalassa: People's Stage (2012) Awards Bibliography "Afti Einai I Zoi Mou" (2009); An article co-written with Petros Kostopoulos featured in the April 2009 issue of Nitro. "Info-diet 370" (2011); An article featured in the November 2011 issue of Athens Voice. See also Honorific nicknames in popular music List of Eurovision Song Contest presenters List of Greeks List of Pepsi spokespersons Mononymous person Notes Further reading External links SakisRouvas.com - Official website Sakis Rouvas on Spotify ! colspan="3" style="border-top: #DAA520 5px solid;" | Eurovision Song Contest ! colspan="3" style="border-top: #DAA520 5px solid;" | World Music Awards ! colspan="3" style="border-top: #DAA520 5px solid;" | Other 1972 births 20th-century Greek male actors 21st-century Greek male actors Actors from Corfu Arion Music Awards winners Eastern Orthodox Christians from Greece English-language singers from Greece Greek environmentalists Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2004 Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2009 Greek businesspeople Greek dance musicians Greek male dancers Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Greece Greek expatriates in the United States Greek fashion designers Greek male film actors Greek film producers Greek male models 20th-century Greek male singers Greek philanthropists Greek pianists Greek pop singers Greek rhythm and blues singers Greek rock guitarists Greek rock singers Greek singer-songwriters Greek television presenters Greek male voice actors Greek health activists Humanitarians Living people MAD Video Music Awards winners Minos EMI artists 21st-century Greek male singers Musicians from Corfu Nightclub owners PolyGram Records (Greece) artists Restaurateurs Rock pianists Sportspeople from Corfu Thessaloniki Song Festival winners World Music Awards winners Greek laïko singers Male pianists MTV Europe Music Award winners
false
[ "The Tour That Didn't Tour Tour...Now On Tour was a comedy tour by British stand-up comedian Peter Kay. Announced in November 2009, Kay said he would be playing four dates at Manchester Arena, which was later extended to 20 nights in April and May 2010, with a tour entitled The Tour That Doesn't Tour Tour. The reason Kay was restricting the tour to Manchester was so he could be close to his family. During an interview with Jonathan Ross, Kay announced that due to high demand for tickets, he would extend and rename it to The Tour That Doesn't Tour Tour...Now On Tour, taking place in November 2010 and April 2011. The tour was staged at the Manchester Arena, The O2 Arena, London, The O2 Arena, Dublin, The Odyssey Arena, Belfast, Cardiff International Arena, SSE Hydro, Glasgow, the Sheffield Arena, the Resorts World Arena, Birmingham, the Utilita Arena Newcastle, and the Liverpool Arena before returning to Manchester.\n\nSinger Rick Astley appeared as a warm-up act in all April and May 2010 dates of the tour, performing various hits including his own.\n\nAll shows completely sold out with over 750,000 tickets sold.\n\nOn 4 November 2010, extra shows were announced for London, Manchester and Birmingham.\n\nIt was announced on 12 November that a sixth show was to be added to the O2 in Dublin, with all proceeds going to the Irish Autism Action.\n\nExtra shows were added for Belfast, Sheffield, Nottingham, Newcastle and London on 24 November.\n\nRecords\nLongest individual run at the Manchester Arena performing 20 nights.\nFirst ever stand-up comedian to play 15 sold out nights at The O2, London.\nThe only British artist to ever play 20 consecutive nights at an arena.\nOver one million tickets sold in arenas across the UK and Ireland, making it the biggest stand-up comedy tour in the world.\n\nNumber of shows\n Manchester – Manchester Arena – 40 Shows – Most consecutive nights at venue with 20. \n London – O2 Arena – 15 Shows – Most show by a comedian at venue. \n Dublin – O2 – 6 Shows – Most show by a comedian, most consecutive show by a single artist at venue.\n Belfast – Odyssey Arena – 8 shows \n Cardiff – International Arena – 5 Shows \n Liverpool – Echo Arena – 5 Shows \n Glasgow – SECC – 5 Shows \n Newcastle – Metro Radio Arena – 8 Shows \n Nottingham – Trent FM Arena – 3 Shows \n Birmingham – LG Arena/NIA – 10 Shows, 5 in LG Arena & 5 in NIA \n Sheffield – Motorpoint Arena – 8 Shows\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n Official Website\n Ticketmaster UK\n Ticketmaster Ireland\n\nComedy tours", "With This Ring (originally known as Happily Ever After) was a prime time panel show aired by the DuMont Television Network on Sundays from January 21, 1951, to March 11, 1951.\n\nThe show featured engaged white, opposite-sex couples discussing marriage and marital problems. The show was initially hosted by Bill Slater, but the show quickly changed hosts to Martin Gabel, then left the air. Beatrice Straight appeared on at least one episode.\n\nThis show is not related in any way to a 15-minute syndicated program of the same name that aired weekly (usually on Sundays) on local stations throughout the U.S. for about 25 years beginning in the early 1970s. The latter program was a Roman Catholic-produced show concerning the church's doctrinal and moral positions on marriage and family life, and was produced at WJBK-TV in Detroit.\n\nSee also\nList of programs broadcast by the DuMont Television Network\nList of surviving DuMont Television Network broadcasts\n\nReferences\n\nBibliography\nDavid Weinstein, The Forgotten Network: DuMont and the Birth of American Television (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2004) \nAlex McNeil, Total Television, Fourth edition (New York: Penguin Books, 1980) \nTim Brooks and Earle Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows, Third edition (New York: Ballantine Books, 1964)\n\nExternal links\nWith This Ring at IMDB\nDuMont historical website\n\nDuMont Television Network original programming\n1950s American game shows\n1951 American television series debuts\n1951 American television series endings\nBlack-and-white American television shows\nLost television shows" ]
[ "Jack London", "Socialism" ]
C_f68d2d0f5ff24d109a3a830e107f69b9_0
what part did jack have in socialism?
1
What part did Jack London have in socialism?
Jack London
London wrote from a socialist viewpoint, which is evident in his novel The Iron Heel. Neither a theorist nor an intellectual socialist, London's socialism grew out of his life experience. As London explained in his essay, "How I Became a Socialist", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit. His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary. He wrote that his individualism was hammered out of him, and he was politically reborn. He often closed his letters "Yours for the Revolution." London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896. In the same year, the San Francisco Chronicle published a story about the twenty-year-old London giving nightly speeches in Oakland's City Hall Park, an activity he was arrested for a year later. In 1901, he left the Socialist Labor Party and joined the new Socialist Party of America. He ran unsuccessfully as the high-profile Socialist candidate for mayor of Oakland in 1901 (receiving 245 votes) and 1905 (improving to 981 votes), toured the country lecturing on socialism in 1906, and published two collections of essays about socialism: The War of the Classes (1905) and Revolution, and other Essays (1906). Stasz notes that "London regarded the Wobblies as a welcome addition to the Socialist cause, although he never joined them in going so far as to recommend sabotage." Stasz mentions a personal meeting between London and Big Bill Haywood in 1912. In his late (1913) book The Cruise of the Snark, London writes about appeals to him for membership of the Snark's crew from office workers and other "toilers" who longed for escape from the cities, and of being cheated by workmen. In his Glen Ellen ranch years, London felt some ambivalence toward socialism and complained about the "inefficient Italian labourers" in his employ. In 1916, he resigned from the Glen Ellen chapter of the Socialist Party, but stated emphatically he did so "because of its lack of fire and fight, and its loss of emphasis on the class struggle." In an unflattering portrait of London's ranch days, California cultural historian Kevin Starr refers to this period as "post-socialist" and says "... by 1911 ... London was more bored by the class struggle than he cared to admit." CANNOTANSWER
London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896.
John Griffith London (born John Griffith Chaney; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916) was an American novelist, journalist and social activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction. London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of unionization, workers' rights, socialism, and eugenics. He wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam. His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay", and "The Heathen". Family Jack London was born January 12, 1876. His mother, Flora Wellman, was the fifth and youngest child of Pennsylvania Canal builder Marshall Wellman and his first wife, Eleanor Garrett Jones. Marshall Wellman was descended from Thomas Wellman, an early Puritan settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Flora left Ohio and moved to the Pacific coast when her father remarried after her mother died. In San Francisco, Flora worked as a music teacher and spiritualist, claiming to channel the spirit of a Sauk chief, Black Hawk. Biographer Clarice Stasz and others believe London's father was astrologer William Chaney. Flora Wellman was living with Chaney in San Francisco when she became pregnant. Whether Wellman and Chaney were legally married is unknown. Stasz notes that in his memoirs, Chaney refers to London's mother Flora Wellman as having been "his wife"; he also cites an advertisement in which Flora called herself "Florence Wellman Chaney". According to Flora Wellman's account, as recorded in the San Francisco Chronicle of June 4, 1875, Chaney demanded that she have an abortion. When she refused, he disclaimed responsibility for the child. In desperation, she shot herself. She was not seriously wounded, but she was temporarily deranged. After giving birth, Flora sent the baby for wet-nursing to Virginia (Jennie) Prentiss, a formerly enslaved African-American woman and a neighbor. Prentiss was an important maternal figure throughout London's life, and he would later refer to her as his primary source of love and affection as a child. Late in 1876, Flora Wellman married John London, a partially disabled Civil War veteran, and brought her baby John, later known as Jack, to live with the newly married couple. The family moved around the San Francisco Bay Area before settling in Oakland, where London completed public grade school. The Prentiss family moved with the Londons, and remained a stable source of care for the young Jack. In 1897, when he was 21 and a student at the University of California, Berkeley, London searched for and read the newspaper accounts of his mother's suicide attempt and the name of his biological father. He wrote to William Chaney, then living in Chicago. Chaney responded that he could not be London's father because he was impotent; he casually asserted that London's mother had relations with other men and averred that she had slandered him when she said he insisted on an abortion. Chaney concluded by saying that he was more to be pitied than London. London was devastated by his father's letter; in the months following, he quit school at Berkeley and went to the Klondike during the gold rush boom. Early life London was born near Third and Brannan Streets in San Francisco. The house burned down in the fire after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake; the California Historical Society placed a plaque at the site in 1953. Although the family was working class, it was not as impoverished as London's later accounts claimed. London was largely self-educated. In 1885, London found and read Ouida's long Victorian novel Signa. He credited this as the seed of his literary success. In 1886, he went to the Oakland Public Library and found a sympathetic librarian, Ina Coolbrith, who encouraged his learning. (She later became California's first poet laureate and an important figure in the San Francisco literary community). In 1889, London began working 12 to 18 hours a day at Hickmott's Cannery. Seeking a way out, he borrowed money from his foster mother Virginia Prentiss, bought the sloop Razzle-Dazzle from an oyster pirate named French Frank, and became an oyster pirate himself. In his memoir, John Barleycorn, he claims also to have stolen French Frank's mistress Mamie. After a few months, his sloop became damaged beyond repair. London hired on as a member of the California Fish Patrol. In 1893, he signed on to the sealing schooner Sophie Sutherland, bound for the coast of Japan. When he returned, the country was in the grip of the panic of '93 and Oakland was swept by labor unrest. After grueling jobs in a jute mill and a street-railway power plant, London joined Coxey's Army and began his career as a tramp. In 1894, he spent 30 days for vagrancy in the Erie County Penitentiary at Buffalo, New York. In The Road, he wrote: After many experiences as a hobo and a sailor, he returned to Oakland and attended Oakland High School. He contributed a number of articles to the high school's magazine, The Aegis. His first published work was "Typhoon off the Coast of Japan", an account of his sailing experiences. As a schoolboy, London often studied at Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon, a port-side bar in Oakland. At 17, he confessed to the bar's owner, John Heinold, his desire to attend university and pursue a career as a writer. Heinold lent London tuition money to attend college. London desperately wanted to attend the University of California, located in Berkeley. In 1896, after a summer of intense studying to pass certification exams, he was admitted. Financial circumstances forced him to leave in 1897, and he never graduated. No evidence has surfaced that he ever wrote for student publications while studying at Berkeley. While at Berkeley, London continued to study and spend time at Heinold's saloon, where he was introduced to the sailors and adventurers who would influence his writing. In his autobiographical novel, John Barleycorn, London mentioned the pub's likeness seventeen times. Heinold's was the place where London met Alexander McLean, a captain known for his cruelty at sea. London based his protagonist Wolf Larsen, in the novel The Sea-Wolf, on McLean. Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon is now unofficially named Jack London's Rendezvous in his honor. Gold rush and first success On July 12, 1897, London (age 21) and his sister's husband Captain Shepard sailed to join the Klondike Gold Rush. This was the setting for some of his first successful stories. London's time in the harsh Klondike, however, was detrimental to his health. Like so many other men who were malnourished in the goldfields, London developed scurvy. His gums became swollen, leading to the loss of his four front teeth. A constant gnawing pain affected his hip and leg muscles, and his face was stricken with marks that always reminded him of the struggles he faced in the Klondike. Father William Judge, "The Saint of Dawson", had a facility in Dawson that provided shelter, food and any available medicine to London and others. His struggles there inspired London's short story, "To Build a Fire" (1902, revised in 1908), which many critics assess as his best. His landlords in Dawson were mining engineers Marshall Latham Bond and Louis Whitford Bond, educated at the Bachelor's level at the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale and at the Master's level at Stanford, respectively. The brothers' father, Judge Hiram Bond, was a wealthy mining investor. While the Bond brothers were at Stanford Hiram at the suggestion of his brother bought the New Park Estate at Santa Clara as well as a local bank. The Bonds, especially Hiram, were active Republicans. Marshall Bond's diary mentions friendly sparring with London on political issues as a camp pastime. London left Oakland with a social conscience and socialist leanings; he returned to become an activist for socialism. He concluded that his only hope of escaping the work "trap" was to get an education and "sell his brains". He saw his writing as a business, his ticket out of poverty, and, he hoped, a means of beating the wealthy at their own game. On returning to California in 1898, London began working to get published, a struggle described in his novel, Martin Eden (serialized in 1908, published in 1909). His first published story since high school was "To the Man On Trail", which has frequently been collected in anthologies. When The Overland Monthly offered him only five dollars for it—and was slow paying—London came close to abandoning his writing career. In his words, "literally and literarily I was saved" when The Black Cat accepted his story "A Thousand Deaths", and paid him $40—the "first money I ever received for a story". London began his writing career just as new printing technologies enabled lower-cost production of magazines. This resulted in a boom in popular magazines aimed at a wide public audience and a strong market for short fiction. In 1900, he made $2,500 in writing, about $ in today's currency. Among the works he sold to magazines was a short story known as either "Diable" (1902) or "Bâtard" (1904), two editions of the same basic story; London received $141.25 for this story on May 27, 1902. In the text, a cruel French Canadian brutalizes his dog, and the dog retaliates and kills the man. London told some of his critics that man's actions are the main cause of the behavior of their animals, and he would show this in another story, The Call of the Wild. In early 1903, London sold The Call of the Wild to The Saturday Evening Post for $750, and the book rights to Macmillan. Macmillan's promotional campaign propelled it to swift success. While living at his rented villa on Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, London met poet George Sterling; in time they became best friends. In 1902, Sterling helped London find a home closer to his own in nearby Piedmont. In his letters London addressed Sterling as "Greek", owing to Sterling's aquiline nose and classical profile, and he signed them as "Wolf". London was later to depict Sterling as Russ Brissenden in his autobiographical novel Martin Eden (1910) and as Mark Hall in The Valley of the Moon (1913). In later life London indulged his wide-ranging interests by accumulating a personal library of 15,000 volumes. He referred to his books as "the tools of my trade". First marriage (1900–1904) London married Elizabeth Mae (or May) "Bessie" Maddern on April 7, 1900, the same day The Son of the Wolf was published. Bess had been part of his circle of friends for a number of years. She was related to stage actresses Minnie Maddern Fiske and Emily Stevens. Stasz says, "Both acknowledged publicly that they were not marrying out of love, but from friendship and a belief that they would produce sturdy children." Kingman says, "they were comfortable together... Jack had made it clear to Bessie that he did not love her, but that he liked her enough to make a successful marriage." London met Bessie through his friend at Oakland High School, Fred Jacobs; she was Fred's fiancée. Bessie, who tutored at Anderson's University Academy in Alameda California, tutored Jack in preparation for his entrance exams for the University of California at Berkeley in 1896. Jacobs was killed aboard the Scandia in 1897, but Jack and Bessie continued their friendship, which included taking photos and developing the film together. This was the beginning of Jack's passion for photography. During the marriage, London continued his friendship with Anna Strunsky, co-authoring The Kempton-Wace Letters, an epistolary novel contrasting two philosophies of love. Anna, writing "Dane Kempton's" letters, arguing for a romantic view of marriage, while London, writing "Herbert Wace's" letters, argued for a scientific view, based on Darwinism and eugenics. In the novel, his fictional character contrasted two women he had known. London's pet name for Bess was "Mother-Girl" and Bess's for London was "Daddy-Boy". Their first child, Joan, was born on January 15, 1901, and their second, Bessie "Becky" (also reported as Bess), on October 20, 1902. Both children were born in Piedmont, California. Here London wrote one of his most celebrated works, The Call of the Wild. While London had pride in his children, the marriage was strained. Kingman says that by 1903 the couple were close to separation as they were "extremely incompatible". "Jack was still so kind and gentle with Bessie that when Cloudsley Johns was a house guest in February 1903 he didn't suspect a breakup of their marriage." London reportedly complained to friends Joseph Noel and George Sterling: Stasz writes that these were "code words for [Bess's] fear that [Jack] was consorting with prostitutes and might bring home venereal disease." On July 24, 1903, London told Bessie he was leaving and moved out. During 1904, London and Bess negotiated the terms of a divorce, and the decree was granted on November 11, 1904. War correspondent (1904) London accepted an assignment of the San Francisco Examiner to cover the Russo-Japanese War in early 1904, arriving in Yokohama on January 25, 1904. He was arrested by Japanese authorities in Shimonoseki, but released through the intervention of American ambassador Lloyd Griscom. After travelling to Korea, he was again arrested by Japanese authorities for straying too close to the border with Manchuria without official permission, and was sent back to Seoul. Released again, London was permitted to travel with the Imperial Japanese Army to the border, and to observe the Battle of the Yalu. London asked William Randolph Hearst, the owner of the San Francisco Examiner, to be allowed to transfer to the Imperial Russian Army, where he felt that restrictions on his reporting and his movements would be less severe. However, before this could be arranged, he was arrested for a third time in four months, this time for assaulting his Japanese assistants, whom he accused of stealing the fodder for his horse. Released through the personal intervention of President Theodore Roosevelt, London departed the front in June 1904. Bohemian Club On August 18, 1904, London went with his close friend, the poet George Sterling, to "Summer High Jinks" at the Bohemian Grove. London was elected to honorary membership in the Bohemian Club and took part in many activities. Other noted members of the Bohemian Club during this time included Ambrose Bierce, Gelett Burgess, Allan Dunn, John Muir, Frank Norris, and Herman George Scheffauer. Beginning in December 1914, London worked on The Acorn Planter, A California Forest Play, to be performed as one of the annual Grove Plays, but it was never selected. It was described as too difficult to set to music. London published The Acorn Planter in 1916. Second marriage After divorcing Maddern, London married Charmian Kittredge in 1905. London had been introduced to Kittredge in 1900 by her aunt Netta Eames, who was an editor at Overland Monthly magazine in San Francisco. The two met prior to his first marriage but became lovers years later after Jack and Bessie London visited Wake Robin, Netta Eames' Sonoma County resort, in 1903. London was injured when he fell from a buggy, and Netta arranged for Charmian to care for him. The two developed a friendship, as Charmian, Netta, her husband Roscoe, and London were politically aligned with socialist causes. At some point the relationship became romantic, and Jack divorced his wife to marry Charmian, who was five years his senior. Biographer Russ Kingman called Charmian "Jack's soul-mate, always at his side, and a perfect match." Their time together included numerous trips, including a 1907 cruise on the yacht Snark to Hawaii and Australia. Many of London's stories are based on his visits to Hawaii, the last one for 10 months beginning in December 1915. The couple also visited Goldfield, Nevada, in 1907, where they were guests of the Bond brothers, London's Dawson City landlords. The Bond brothers were working in Nevada as mining engineers. London had contrasted the concepts of the "Mother Girl" and the "Mate Woman" in The Kempton-Wace Letters. His pet name for Bess had been "Mother-Girl;" his pet name for Charmian was "Mate-Woman." Charmian's aunt and foster mother, a disciple of Victoria Woodhull, had raised her without prudishness. Every biographer alludes to Charmian's uninhibited sexuality. Joseph Noel calls the events from 1903 to 1905 "a domestic drama that would have intrigued the pen of an Ibsen.... London's had comedy relief in it and a sort of easy-going romance." In broad outline, London was restless in his first marriage, sought extramarital sexual affairs, and found, in Charmian Kittredge, not only a sexually active and adventurous partner, but his future life-companion. They attempted to have children; one child died at birth, and another pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. In 1906, London published in Collier's magazine his eye-witness report of the San Francisco earthquake. Beauty Ranch (1905–1916) In 1905, London purchased a ranch in Glen Ellen, Sonoma County, California, on the eastern slope of Sonoma Mountain. He wrote: "Next to my wife, the ranch is the dearest thing in the world to me." He desperately wanted the ranch to become a successful business enterprise. Writing, always a commercial enterprise with London, now became even more a means to an end: "I write for no other purpose than to add to the beauty that now belongs to me. I write a book for no other reason than to add three or four hundred acres to my magnificent estate." Stasz writes that London "had taken fully to heart the vision, expressed in his agrarian fiction, of the land as the closest earthly version of Eden ... he educated himself through the study of agricultural manuals and scientific tomes. He conceived of a system of ranching that today would be praised for its ecological wisdom." He was proud to own the first concrete silo in California. He hoped to adapt the wisdom of Asian sustainable agriculture to the United States. He hired both Italian and Chinese stonemasons, whose distinctly different styles are obvious. The ranch was an economic failure. Sympathetic observers such as Stasz treat his projects as potentially feasible, and ascribe their failure to bad luck or to being ahead of their time. Unsympathetic historians such as Kevin Starr suggest that he was a bad manager, distracted by other concerns and impaired by his alcoholism. Starr notes that London was absent from his ranch about six months a year between 1910 and 1916 and says, "He liked the show of managerial power, but not grinding attention to detail .... London's workers laughed at his efforts to play big-time rancher [and considered] the operation a rich man's hobby." London spent $80,000 ($ in current value) to build a stone mansion called Wolf House on the property. Just as the mansion was nearing completion, two weeks before the Londons planned to move in, it was destroyed by fire. London's last visit to Hawaii, beginning in December 1915, lasted eight months. He met with Duke Kahanamoku, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole, Queen Lili'uokalani and many others, before returning to his ranch in July 1916. He was suffering from kidney failure, but he continued to work. The ranch (abutting stone remnants of Wolf House) is now a National Historic Landmark and is protected in Jack London State Historic Park. Animal activism London witnessed animal cruelty in the training of circus animals, and his subsequent novels Jerry of the Islands and Michael, Brother of Jerry included a foreword entreating the public to become more informed about this practice. In 1918, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the American Humane Education Society teamed up to create the Jack London Club, which sought to inform the public about cruelty to circus animals and encourage them to protest this establishment. Support from Club members led to a temporary cessation of trained animal acts at Ringling-Barnum and Bailey in 1925. Death London died November 22, 1916, in a sleeping porch in a cottage on his ranch. London had been a robust man but had suffered several serious illnesses, including scurvy in the Klondike. Additionally, during travels on the Snark, he and Charmian picked up unspecified tropical infections and diseases, including yaws. At the time of his death, he suffered from dysentery, late-stage alcoholism, and uremia; he was in extreme pain and taking morphine. London's ashes were buried on his property not far from the Wolf House. London's funeral took place on November 26, 1916, attended only by close friends, relatives, and workers of the property. In accordance with his wishes, he was cremated and buried next to some pioneer children, under a rock that belonged to the Wolf House. After Charmian's death in 1955, she was also cremated and then buried with her husband in the same spot that her husband chose. The grave is marked by a mossy boulder. The buildings and property were later preserved as Jack London State Historic Park, in Glen Ellen, California. Suicide debate Because he was using morphine, many older sources describe London's death as a suicide, and some still do. This conjecture appears to be a rumor, or speculation based on incidents in his fiction writings. His death certificate gives the cause as uremia, following acute renal colic. The biographer Stasz writes, "Following London's death, for a number of reasons, a biographical myth developed in which he has been portrayed as an alcoholic womanizer who committed suicide. Recent scholarship based upon firsthand documents challenges this caricature." Most biographers, including Russ Kingman, now agree he died of uremia aggravated by an accidental morphine overdose. London's fiction featured several suicides. In his autobiographical memoir John Barleycorn, he claims, as a youth, to have drunkenly stumbled overboard into the San Francisco Bay, "some maundering fancy of going out with the tide suddenly obsessed me". He said he drifted and nearly succeeded in drowning before sobering up and being rescued by fishermen. In the dénouement of The Little Lady of the Big House, the heroine, confronted by the pain of a mortal gunshot wound, undergoes a physician-assisted suicide by morphine. Also, in Martin Eden, the principal protagonist, who shares certain characteristics with London, drowns himself. Plagiarism accusations London was vulnerable to accusations of plagiarism, both because he was such a conspicuous, prolific, and successful writer and because of his methods of working. He wrote in a letter to Elwyn Hoffman, "expression, you see—with me—is far easier than invention." He purchased plots and novels from the young Sinclair Lewis and used incidents from newspaper clippings as writing material. In July 1901, two pieces of fiction appeared within the same month: London's "Moon-Face", in the San Francisco Argonaut, and Frank Norris' "The Passing of Cock-eye Blacklock", in Century Magazine. Newspapers showed the similarities between the stories, which London said were "quite different in manner of treatment, [but] patently the same in foundation and motive." London explained both writers based their stories on the same newspaper account. A year later, it was discovered that Charles Forrest McLean had published a fictional story also based on the same incident. Egerton Ryerson Young claimed The Call of the Wild (1903) was taken from Young's book My Dogs in the Northland (1902). London acknowledged using it as a source and claimed to have written a letter to Young thanking him. In 1906, the New York World published "deadly parallel" columns showing eighteen passages from London's short story "Love of Life" side by side with similar passages from a nonfiction article by Augustus Biddle and J. K. Macdonald, titled "Lost in the Land of the Midnight Sun". London noted the World did not accuse him of "plagiarism", but only of "identity of time and situation", to which he defiantly "pled guilty". The most serious charge of plagiarism was based on London's "The Bishop's Vision", Chapter 7 of his novel The Iron Heel (1908). The chapter is nearly identical to an ironic essay that Frank Harris published in 1901, titled "The Bishop of London and Public Morality". Harris was incensed and suggested he should receive 1/60th of the royalties from The Iron Heel, the disputed material constituting about that fraction of the whole novel. London insisted he had clipped a reprint of the article, which had appeared in an American newspaper, and believed it to be a genuine speech delivered by the Bishop of London. Views Atheism London was an atheist. He is quoted as saying, "I believe that when I am dead, I am dead. I believe that with my death I am just as much obliterated as the last mosquito you and I squashed." Socialism London wrote from a socialist viewpoint, which is evident in his novel The Iron Heel. Neither a theorist nor an intellectual socialist, London's socialism grew out of his life experience. As London explained in his essay, "How I Became a Socialist", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit. His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary. He wrote that his individualism was hammered out of him, and he was politically reborn. He often closed his letters "Yours for the Revolution." London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896. In the same year, the San Francisco Chronicle published a story about the twenty-year-old London's giving nightly speeches in Oakland's City Hall Park, an activity he was arrested for a year later. In 1901, he left the Socialist Labor Party and joined the new Socialist Party of America. He ran unsuccessfully as the high-profile Socialist candidate for mayor of Oakland in 1901 (receiving 245 votes) and 1905 (improving to 981 votes), toured the country lecturing on socialism in 1906, and published two collections of essays about socialism: War of the Classes (1905) and Revolution, and other Essays (1906). Stasz notes that "London regarded the Wobblies as a welcome addition to the Socialist cause, although he never joined them in going so far as to recommend sabotage." Stasz mentions a personal meeting between London and Big Bill Haywood in 1912. In his late (1913) book The Cruise of the Snark, London writes about appeals to him for membership of the Snarks crew from office workers and other "toilers" who longed for escape from the cities, and of being cheated by workmen. In his Glen Ellen ranch years, London felt some ambivalence toward socialism and complained about the "inefficient Italian labourers" in his employ. In 1916, he resigned from the Glen Ellen chapter of the Socialist Party, but stated emphatically he did so "because of its lack of fire and fight, and its loss of emphasis on the class struggle." In an unflattering portrait of London's ranch days, California cultural historian Kevin Starr refers to this period as "post-socialist" and says "... by 1911 ... London was more bored by the class struggle than he cared to admit." Race London shared common concerns among many European Americans in California about Asian immigration, described as "the yellow peril"; he used the latter term as the title of a 1904 essay. This theme was also the subject of a story he wrote in 1910 called "The Unparalleled Invasion". Presented as an historical essay set in the future, the story narrates events between 1976 and 1987, in which China, with an ever-increasing population, is taking over and colonizing its neighbors with the intention of taking over the entire Earth. The western nations respond with biological warfare and bombard China with dozens of the most infectious diseases. On his fears about China, he admits, "it must be taken into consideration that the above postulate is itself a product of Western race-egotism, urged by our belief in our own righteousness and fostered by a faith in ourselves which may be as erroneous as are most fond race fancies." By contrast, many of London's short stories are notable for their empathetic portrayal of Mexican ("The Mexican"), Asian ("The Chinago"), and Hawaiian ("Koolau the Leper") characters. London's war correspondence from the Russo-Japanese War, as well as his unfinished novel Cherry, show he admired much about Japanese customs and capabilities. London's writings have been popular among the Japanese, who believe he portrayed them positively. In "Koolau the Leper", London describes Koolau, who is a Hawaiian leper—and thus a very different sort of "superman" than Martin Eden—and who fights off an entire cavalry troop to elude capture, as "indomitable spiritually—a ... magnificent rebel". This character is based on Hawaiian leper Kaluaikoolau, who in 1893 revolted and resisted capture from forces of the Provisional Government of Hawaii in the Kalalau Valley. Those who defend London against charges of racism cite the letter he wrote to the Japanese-American Commercial Weekly in 1913: In 1996, after the City of Whitehorse, Yukon, renamed a street in honor of London, protests over London's alleged racism forced the city to change the name of "Jack London Boulevard" back to "Two-mile Hill". Shortly after boxer Jack Johnson was crowned the first black world heavyweight champ in 1908, London pleaded for a "great white hope" to come forward to defeat Johnson, writing: "Jim Jeffries must now emerge from his Alfalfa farm and remove that golden smile from Jack Johnson's face. Jeff, it's up to you. The White Man must be rescued." Eugenics With other modernist writers of the day, London supported eugenics. The notion of "good breeding" complimented the Progressive era scientism, the belief that humans assort along a hierarchy by race, religion, and ethnicity. The Progressive Era catalog of inferiority offered basis for threats to American Anglo-Saxon racial integrity. London wrote to Frederick H. Robinson of the periodical Medical Review of Reviews, stating, "I believe the future belongs to eugenics, and will be determined by the practice of eugenics." Although this led some to argue for forced sterilization of criminals or those deemed feeble-minded., London did not express this extreme. His short story "Told in the Drooling Ward" is from the viewpoint of a surprisingly astute "feebled-minded" person. Hensley argues that London's novel Before Adam (1906–07) reveals pro-eugenic themes. London advised his collaborator Anna Strunsky during preparation of The Kempton-Wace Letters that he would take the role of eugenics in mating, while she would argue on behalf of romantic love. (Love won the argument.) The Valley of the Moon emphasizes the theme of "real Americans," the Anglo Saxon, yet in Little Lady of the Big House, London is more nuanced. The protagonist's argument is not that all white men are superior, but that there are more superior ones among whites than in other races. By encouraging the best in any race to mate will improve its population qualities. Living in Hawaii challenged his orthodoxy. In "My Hawaiian Aloha," London noted the liberal intermarrying of races, concluding how "little Hawaii, with its hotch potch races, is making a better demonstration than the United States." Works Short stories Western writer and historian Dale L. Walker writes: London's "strength of utterance" is at its height in his stories, and they are painstakingly well-constructed. "To Build a Fire" is the best known of all his stories. Set in the harsh Klondike, it recounts the haphazard trek of a new arrival who has ignored an old-timer's warning about the risks of traveling alone. Falling through the ice into a creek in seventy-five-below weather, the unnamed man is keenly aware that survival depends on his untested skills at quickly building a fire to dry his clothes and warm his extremities. After publishing a tame version of this story—with a sunny outcome—in The Youth's Companion in 1902, London offered a second, more severe take on the man's predicament in The Century Magazine in 1908. Reading both provides an illustration of London's growth and maturation as a writer. As Labor (1994) observes: "To compare the two versions is itself an instructive lesson in what distinguished a great work of literary art from a good children's story." Other stories from the Klondike period include: "All Gold Canyon", about a battle between a gold prospector and a claim jumper; "The Law of Life", about an aging American Indian man abandoned by his tribe and left to die; "Love of Life", about a trek by a prospector across the Canadian tundra; "To the Man on Trail," which tells the story of a prospector fleeing the Mounted Police in a sled race, and raises the question of the contrast between written law and morality; and "An Odyssey of the North," which raises questions of conditional morality, and paints a sympathetic portrait of a man of mixed White and Aleut ancestry. London was a boxing fan and an avid amateur boxer. "A Piece of Steak" is a tale about a match between older and younger boxers. It contrasts the differing experiences of youth and age but also raises the social question of the treatment of aging workers. "The Mexican" combines boxing with a social theme, as a young Mexican endures an unfair fight and ethnic prejudice to earn money with which to aid the revolution. Several of London's stories would today be classified as science fiction. "The Unparalleled Invasion" describes germ warfare against China; "Goliath" is about an irresistible energy weapon; "The Shadow and the Flash" is a tale about two brothers who take different routes to achieving invisibility; "A Relic of the Pliocene" is a tall tale about an encounter of a modern-day man with a mammoth. "The Red One" is a late story from a period when London was intrigued by the theories of the psychiatrist and writer Jung. It tells of an island tribe held in thrall by an extraterrestrial object. Some nineteen original collections of short stories were published during London's brief life or shortly after his death. There have been several posthumous anthologies drawn from this pool of stories. Many of these stories were located in the Klondike and the Pacific. A collection of Jack London's San Francisco Stories was published in October 2010 by Sydney Samizdat Press. Novels London's most famous novels are The Call of the Wild, White Fang, The Sea-Wolf, The Iron Heel, and Martin Eden. In a letter dated December 27, 1901, London's Macmillan publisher George Platt Brett, Sr., said "he believed Jack's fiction represented 'the very best kind of work' done in America." Critic Maxwell Geismar called The Call of the Wild "a beautiful prose poem"; editor Franklin Walker said that it "belongs on a shelf with Walden and Huckleberry Finn"; and novelist E.L. Doctorow called it "a mordant parable ... his masterpiece." The historian Dale L. Walker commented: Some critics have said that his novels are episodic and resemble linked short stories. Dale L. Walker writes: Ambrose Bierce said of The Sea-Wolf that "the great thing—and it is among the greatest of things—is that tremendous creation, Wolf Larsen ... the hewing out and setting up of such a figure is enough for a man to do in one lifetime." However, he noted, "The love element, with its absurd suppressions, and impossible proprieties, is awful." The Iron Heel is an example of a dystopian novel that anticipates and influenced George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. London's socialist politics are explicitly on display here. The Iron Heel meets the contemporary definition of soft science fiction. The Star Rover (1915) is also science fiction. Apocrypha Jack London Credo London's literary executor, Irving Shepard, quoted a Jack London Credo in an introduction to a 1956 collection of London stories: I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time. The biographer Stasz notes that the passage "has many marks of London's style" but the only line that could be safely attributed to London was the first. The words Shepard quoted were from a story in the San Francisco Bulletin, December 2, 1916, by journalist Ernest J. Hopkins, who visited the ranch just weeks before London's death. Stasz notes, "Even more so than today journalists' quotes were unreliable or even sheer inventions," and says no direct source in London's writings has been found. However, at least one line, according to Stasz, is authentic, being referenced by London and written in his own hand in the autograph book of Australian suffragette Vida Goldstein: Dear Miss Goldstein:– Seven years ago I wrote you that I'd rather be ashes than dust. I still subscribe to that sentiment. Sincerely yours, Jack London Jan. 13, 1909 In his short story "By The Turtles of Tasman", a character, defending her "ne'er-do-well grasshopperish father" to her "antlike uncle", says: "... my father has been a king. He has lived .... Have you lived merely to live? Are you afraid to die? I'd rather sing one wild song and burst my heart with it, than live a thousand years watching my digestion and being afraid of the wet. When you are dust, my father will be ashes." "The Scab" A short diatribe on "The Scab" is often quoted within the U.S. labor movement and frequently attributed to London. It opens: In 1913 and 1914, a number of newspapers printed the first three sentences with varying terms used instead of "scab", such as "knocker","The Food for Your Think Tank", The Macon Daily Telegraph, August 23, 1914, p. 3 "stool pigeon" or "scandal monger". This passage as given above was the subject of a 1974 Supreme Court case, Letter Carriers v. Austin, in which Justice Thurgood Marshall referred to it as "a well-known piece of trade union literature, generally attributed to author Jack London". A union newsletter had published a "list of scabs," which was granted to be factual and therefore not libelous, but then went on to quote the passage as the "definition of a scab". The case turned on the question of whether the "definition" was defamatory. The court ruled that "Jack London's... 'definition of a scab' is merely rhetorical hyperbole, a lusty and imaginative expression of the contempt felt by union members towards those who refuse to join", and as such was not libelous and was protected under the First Amendment. Despite being frequently attributed to London, the passage does not appear at all in the extensive collection of his writings at Sonoma State University's website. However, in his book War of the Classes he published a 1903 speech titled "The Scab", which gave a much more balanced view of the topic: Publications Source unless otherwise specified: Novels The Cruise of the Dazzler (1902) A Daughter of the Snows (1902) The Call of the Wild (1903) The Kempton-Wace Letters (1903) (published anonymously, co-authored with Anna Strunsky) The Sea-Wolf (1904) The Game (1905) White Fang (1906) Before Adam (1907) The Iron Heel (1908) Martin Eden (1909) Burning Daylight (1910) Adventure (1911) The Scarlet Plague (1912) A Son of the Sun (1912) The Abysmal Brute (1913) The Valley of the Moon (1913) The Mutiny of the Elsinore (1914) The Star Rover (1915) (published in England as The Jacket) The Little Lady of the Big House (1916) Jerry of the Islands (1917) Michael, Brother of Jerry (1917) Hearts of Three (1920) (novelization of a script by Charles Goddard) The Assassination Bureau, Ltd (1963) (left half-finished, completed by Robert L. Fish) Short story collections Son of the Wolf (1900) Chris Farrington, Able Seaman (1901) The God of His Fathers & Other Stories (1901) Children of the Frost (1902) The Faith of Men and Other Stories (1904) Tales of the Fish Patrol (1906) Moon-Face and Other Stories (1906) Love of Life and Other Stories (1907) Lost Face (1910) South Sea Tales (1911) When God Laughs and Other Stories (1911) The House of Pride & Other Tales of Hawaii (1912) Smoke Bellew (1912) A Son of the Sun (1912) The Night Born (1913) The Strength of the Strong (1914) The Turtles of Tasman (1916) The Human Drift (1917) The Red One (1918) On the Makaloa Mat (1919) Dutch Courage and Other Stories (1922) Autobiographical memoirs The Road (1907) The Cruise of the Snark (1911) John Barleycorn (1913) Non-fiction and essays Through the Rapids on the Way to the Klondike (1899) From Dawson to the Sea (1899) What Communities Lose by the Competitive System (1900) The Impossibility of War (1900) Phenomena of Literary Evolution (1900) A Letter to Houghton Mifflin Co. (1900) Husky, Wolf Dog of the North (1900) Editorial Crimes – A Protest (1901) Again the Literary Aspirant (1902) The People of the Abyss (1903) How I Became a Socialist (1903) War of the Classes (1905) The Story of an Eyewitness (1906) A Letter to Woman's Home Companion (1906) "The Lepers of Molokai" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) "The Nature Man" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) "The High Seat of Abundance" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) Revolution, and other Essays (1910) Mexico's Army and Ours (1914) Lawgivers (1914) Our Adventures in Tampico (1914) Stalking the Pestilence (1914) The Red Game of War (1914) The Trouble Makers of Mexico (1914) With Funston's Men (1914) Plays Theft (1910) Daughters of the Rich: A One Act Play (1915) The Acorn Planter: A California Forest Play (1916) Poetry A Heart (1899) Abalone Song (1913) And Some Night (1914) Ballade of the False Lover (1914) Cupid's Deal (1913) Daybreak (1901) Effusion (1901) George Sterling (1913) Gold (1915) He Chortled with Glee (1899) He Never Tried Again (1912) His Trip to Hades (1913) Homeland (1914) Hors de Saison (1913) If I Were God (1899) In a Year (1901) In and Out (1911) Je Vis en Espoir (1897) Memory (1913) Moods (1913) My Confession (1912) My Little Palmist (1914) Of Man of the Future (1915) Oh You Everybody's Girl (19) On the Face of the Earth You are the One (1915) Rainbows End (1914) Republican Rallying Song (1916) Sonnet (1901) The Gift of God (1905) The Klondyker's Dream (1914) The Lover's Liturgy (1913) The Mammon Worshippers (1911) The Republican Battle-Hymn (1905) The Return of Ulysses (1915) The Sea Sprite and the Shooting Star (1916) The Socialist's Dream (1912) The Song of the Flames (1903) The Way of War (1906) The Worker and the Tramp (1911) Tick! Tick! Tick! (1915) Too Late (1912) Weasel Thieves (1913) When All the World Shouted my Name (1905) Where the Rainbow Fell (1902) Your Kiss (1914) Short stories "Typhoon off the Coast of Japan" (November 12, 1893) " 'Frisco Kid's' Story" (February 15, 1895) "Sakaicho, Hona Asi and Hakadaki" (April 19, 1895) "Night's Swim In Yeddo Bay" (May 27, 1895) "Who Believes in Ghosts!" (October 21, 1895) "And 'Frisco Kid Came Back" (November 4, 1895) "One More Unfortunate" (December 18, 1895) "O Haru" (1993; written in April 1897) "The Mahatma's Little Joke" (1993; written in May 1897) "The Strange Experience of a Misogynist" (1993; written between May and September 1897), originally titled "The Misogynist" "Two Gold Bricks" (September 1897) "The Plague Ship" (1993; written between September and December 1897) "The Devil’s Dice Box" (December 1976; written in September 1898) "The Test: A Clondyke Wooing" (1983; written in September 1898) "A Klondike Christmas" (1983; written in November 1898) "A Dream Image" (1898) "To the Man on Trail: A Klondike Christmas" (January 1899) "The White Silence" (February 1899) "The Son of the Wolf" (April 1899) "The Men of Forty-Mile" (May 1899) "A Thousand Deaths" (May 1899) "An Old Soldier's Story" (May 20, 1899) "In a Far Country" (June 1899) "The Priestly Prerogative" (July 1899) "The Handsome Cabin Boy" (July 1899) "The Wife of a King" (August 1899) "In the Time of Prince Charley" (September 1899) "Old Baldy" (September 16, 1899) "The Grilling of Loren Ellery" (September 24, 1899) "The Rejuvenation of Major Rathbone" (November 1899) "The King of Mazy May" (November 30, 1899) "The Wisdom of the Trail" (December 1899) "A Daughter of the Aurora" (December 24, 1899) "Pluck and Pertinacity" (1899) "An Odyssey of the North" (January 1900) "A Lesson in Heraldry" (March 1900) "The End of the Chapter" (June 9, 1900) "Uri Bram's God" (June 24, 1900) "Even unto Death" (July 28, 1900) "Grit of Women" (August 1900) "Jan the Unrepentant" (August 1900) "The Man with the Gash" (September 1900) "Their Alcove" (September 1900) "Housekeeping in the Klondike" (September 16, 1900) "The Proper 'Girlie' " (October 1900) "Thanksgiving on Slav Creek" (November 24, 1900) "Where the Trail Forks" (December 1900) "The Great Interrogation" (December 1900) "Semper Idem" (December 1900) "A Northland Miracle" (November 4, 1926; written in 1900) "Dutch Courage" (November 29, 1900) "A Relic of the Pliocene" (January 12, 1901) "The Law of Life" (March 1901) "Siwash" (March 1901) "The Lost Poacher" (March 14, 1901) "At the Rainbow's End" (March 24, 1901) "The God of His Fathers" (May 1901) "The Scorn of Woman" (May 1901) "The Minions of Midas" (May 1901) "Chris Farrington: Able Seaman" (May 23, 1901) "A Hyperborean Brew" (July 1901) "Bald Face" (September 6, 1901) "Keesh, Son of Keesh" (January 1902) "An Adventure in the Upper Sea" (May 1902) "To Build a Fire" (May 29, 1902, revised August 1908) "Diable --- A Dog" (June 1902), renamed Bâtard in 1904 "To Repel Boarders" (June 1902) "The ‘Fuzziness' of Hoockla-Heen" (July 3, 1902) "Moon-Face" (July 21, 1902) "Nam-Bok, the Liar" (August 1902) "Li Wan the Fair" (August 1902) "The Master of Mystery" (September 1902) "In the Forests of the North" (September 1902) "The Sunlanders" (September 1902) "The Death of Ligoun" (September 1902) "The Story of Jees Uck" (September 1902) "The Sickness of Lone Chief" (October 1902) "The League of the Old Men" (October 4, 1902) "Lost Face" (1902) "Master of Mystery" (1902) "In Yeddo Bay" (February 1903) "The One Thousand Dozen" (March 1903) "The Shadow and the Flash" (June 1903) “The Faith of Men" (June 1903) "The Leopard Man's Story" (August 1903) "The Marriage of Lit-Lit" (September 1903) "Local Color" (October 1903) "Too Much Gold" (December 1903) "Amateur Night" (December 1903) "The Dominant Primordial Beast" (1903) "Keesh, The Bear Hunter" (January 1904); often reprinted as "The Story of Keesh" "The Banks of the Sacramento" (March 17, 1904) "White and Yellow" (February 16, 1905) "The King of the Greeks" (March 2, 1905) "A Raid on the Oyster Pirates" (March 16, 1905) "The Siege of the 'Lancashire Queen' ” (March 30, 1905) "Charley's Coup” (April 13, 1905) "Demetrios Contos” (April 27, 1905) "Yellow Handkerchief” (May 11, 1905) "All Gold Cañon" (November 1905) "Love of Life" (December 1905) "The Sun-Dog Trail" (December 1905) "A Nose for the King" (March 1906) "Planchette" (June 1906) "The Unexpected" (August 1906) "Brown Wolf" (August 1906) "The Apostate" (September 1906) "Up the Slide" (October 25, 1906) "A Wicked Woman" (November 1906) "The White Man's Way" (November 4, 1906) "The Wit of Porportuk" (December 1906) "When God Laughs" (January 1907) "Just Meat" (March 1907) "Created He Them" (April 1907) "Morganson's Finish" (May 1907) "A Day's Lodging" (May 25, 1907) "Negore the Coward" (September 1907) "Chased by the Trail" (September 26, 1907) "The Passing of Marcus O'Brien" (January 1908) "Trust" (January 1908) "That Spot" (February 1908) "Flush of Gold" (April 1908) "Make Westing" (April 1908) "The Enemy of All the World" (October 1908) "Aloha Oe" (December 1908) "A Curious Fragment" (December 10, 1908) "The Dream of Debs" (January 1909) "The House of Mapuhi" (January 1909) "The Seed of McCoy" (April 1909) "The Madness of John Harned" (May 1909) "South of the Slot" (May 22, 1909) "Good-by, Jack" (June 1909) "The Chinago" (June 26, 1909) "The Sheriff of Kona" (August 1909) "The Heathen" (September 1909) "A Piece of Steak" (November 20, 1909) "Koolau the Leper" (December 1909) "Mauki" (December 1909) “The Mission of John Starhurst” (December 29, 1909); reprinted as "The Whale Tooth" "Samuel" (1909) "Chun An Chun" (Spring 1910) "The Terrible Solomons" (March 1910) "The Inevitable White Man" (May 14, 1910) "The Unparalleled Invasion" (July 1910) "Winged Blackmail" (September 1910) "When the World was Young" (September 10, 1910) "The Benefit of the Doubt" (November 12, 1910) "Under the Deck Awnings" (November 19, 1910) "Yah! Yah! Yah!" (December 1910) "The House of Pride" (December 1910) "To Kill a Man" (December 10, 1910) "Bunches of Knuckles" (December 18, 1910) "Goliath" (1910) "The 'Francis Spaight' " (January 1911) "The Hobo and the Fairy" (February 11, 1911) "The Strength of the Strong" (March 1911) "The Eternity of Forms" (March 1911) "A Son of the Sun" (May 27. 1911) "The Taste of the Meat" (June 1911) “The Proud Goat of Aloysius Pankburn" (June 24, 1911) "The Meat" (July 1911) “The Night Born" (July 1911) "War" (July 29, 1911) "The Goat Man of Fuatino" (July 20, 1911) “The Stampede to Squaw Creek" (August 1911) "The Mexican" (August 19, 1911) "Shorty Dreams" (September 1911) "A Little Account with Swithin Hall" (September 2, 1911) "A Goboto Night" (September 30, 1911) "The Man on the Other Bank" (October 1911) "The Pears of Parlay" (October 14, 1911) "The Race for Number Three" (November 1911) "The End of the Story" (November 1911) " The Jokers of New Gibbon" (November 11, 1911) "By the Turtles of Tasman" (November 19, 1911) "The Little Man" (December 1911) "The Unmasking of the Cad" (December 23, 1911) "The Hanging of Cultus George" (January 1912) "The Mistake of Creation" (February 1912) "A Flutter in Eggs" (March 1912) "The Sea-Farmer" (March 1912) "The Feathers of the Sun" (March 9, 1912) "The Town-Site of Tra-Lee" (April 1912) "Wonder of Woman" (May 1912) "The Prodigal Father" (May 1912) "The Scarlet Plague" (June 1912) "The Captain of the Susan Drew" (December 1, 1912) "Samuel" (May 1913) "The Sea-Gangsters" (November 1913) "Told in the Drooling Ward" (June 1914) "The Hussy" (December 1916) "Man of Mine" (February 1917) "Like Argus of the Ancient Times" (March 1917) "Jerry of the Islands" (1917) "When Alice Told Her Soul" (March 1918) "The Princess" (June 1918) "The Tears of Ah Kim" (July 1918) "The Water Baby" (September 1918) "The Red One" (October 1918) "In the Cave of the Dead" (November 1918) "Shin-Bones" (1918) "On the Makaloa Mat" (March 1919) "The Bones of Kahekili" (July 1919) " Whose Business Is to Live" (September 1922) "Eyes of Asia" (September 1924) Legacy and honors Mount London, also known as Boundary Peak 100, on the Alaska-British Columbia boundary, in the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, is named for him. Jack London Square on the waterfront of Oakland, California was named for him. He was honored by the United States Postal Service with a 25¢ Great Americans series postage stamp released on January 11, 1986. Jack London Lake (), a mountain lake located in the upper reaches of the Kolyma River in Yagodninsky district of Magadan Oblast. Fictional portrayals of London include Michael O'Shea in the 1943 film Jack London, Jeff East in the 1980 film Klondike Fever, Michael Aron in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Time's Arrow from 1992, Aaron Ashmore in the Murdoch Mysteries episode "Murdoch of the Klondike" from 2012, and Johnny Simmons in the 2014 miniseries Klondike. See also List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards Notes References Bibliography The Jack London Online Collection' Further reading External links Western American Literature Journal: Jack London The Jack London Online Collection Site featuring information about Jack London's life and work, and a collection of his writings. The World of Jack London Biographical information and writings Jack London State Historic Park The Huntingon Library's Jack London Archive Guide to the Jack London Papers at The Bancroft Library Jack London Collection at Sonoma State University Library Jack London Stories, scanned from original magazines, including the original artwork 5 short radio episodes from Jack London's writing at California Legacy Project Jack London Personal Manuscripts 1876 births 1916 deaths 1906 San Francisco earthquake survivors 19th-century American short story writers 19th-century sailors 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century sailors American atheists American democratic socialists American eugenicists American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American male short story writers American psychological fiction writers American sailors American travel writers American war correspondents Deaths from dysentery Male sailors Members of the Socialist Labor Party of America Military personnel from California People from Glen Ellen, California People from Piedmont, California People involved in plagiarism controversies People of the Klondike Gold Rush People of the Russo-Japanese War Socialist Party of America politicians from California United States Merchant Mariners University of California, Berkeley alumni War correspondents of the Russo-Japanese War Writers from Oakland, California Writers from San Francisco
true
[ "Revolution and Other Essays is a collection of 13 Jack London essays and stories published in 1910 by The Macmillan Company. The collection includes fictional stories and essays. Most, but not all, of its contents concern socialism and injustice.\n\nContents\n\"Revolution\", the first essay in the book, extols Jack London's renunciation of Capitalism in favor of Socialism. Contents include: \"Revolution\", \"The Somnambulists\", \"The Dignity of Dollars\", \"Goliah\", \"The Golden Poppy\", \"The Shrinkage of the Planet\", \"The House Beautiful\", \"The Gold Hunters of the North\", \"Fomá Gordyéeff\", \"These Bones Shall Rise Again\", \"The Other Animals\", \"The Yellow Peril\", and \"What Life Means to Me\". It was reprinted in 1912 as part of the Macmillan Standard Library series.\n\n\"Goliah\" was originally published in 1908 in Red Magazine and was also published by Thorp Springs Press in 1974. It depicts a society transformed.\n\nReviews\nThe book was reviewed overall favorably by the Tampa Times in 1910, though the reviewer was less pleased with the namesake essay.\n\nReferences\n\nEssay anthologies\nShort story collections\nBooks by Jack London", "Third World socialism is a political philosophy and variant of socialism that has been proposed by Michel Aflaq, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Buddhadasa, Fidel Castro, Muammar Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein, Modibo Keïta, Walter Lini, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Jawaharlal Nehru, Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Sukarno, Ahmed Sékou Touré and other socialist leaders of the Third World who saw socialism as the answer to a strong and developed nation.\n\nThird World socialism is made up of African socialism, Arab socialism, Buddhist socialism, Islamic socialism, Melanesian socialism, Nasserism and Nehruism. Gaddafi's version was more inspired in the ideas of Arab nationalism, direct democracy, strongman politics and national liberation struggle while Bhutto's was more Western-aligned and resembled, allied and inspired itself in the ideas of Western democratic socialism/social democracy and had membership in the Socialist International.\n\nIn the 21st century, the pink tide, with its anti-Americanism, connection with the less developed Eastern Europe, a unity and sense of underdevelopment among developing countries and pro-Arabism, is a new kind of Third World socialism, of which Latin American socialism of the 21st century take part as an ideologically specific form of Third Worldism.\n\nAfrican socialism \nThe leaders of African socialism were Julius Nyerere, first president of Tanzania after the independence, who coined the concept of Ujamaa and collectivized the land; Kwame Nkrumah, first president of Ghana, who was one of the fathers of the Non-Aligned Movement, praised state planning policies like the five-year plans and an agency for the regulation of cocoa exports and in several political speeches and writings developed his theory of \nAfrican socialism; Modibo Keïta, father of Mali; and Ahmed Sékou Touré, father of Guinea.\n\nArab socialism \nThe main figures of Arab socialism are Gamal Abdel Nasser, first president of Egypt, who nationalized the Suez Canal, and the Ba'ath Party, founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq, which gained popularity in the whole Arab world and reached the government in Syria (until present) and Iraq (until 2003).\n\nMiddle Eastern socialism \nIran experienced a short Third World socialism period at the zenith of the Tudeh Party after the abdication of Reza Shah and his replacement by his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (though the party never rose to power). After failing to reach power, this form of third world socialism was replaced by Mosaddegh's populist, non-aligned Iranian nationalism of the National Front party as the main anti-monarchy force in Iran, reaching power (1949–1953), and it remained with that strength even in opposition (after the overthrow of Mossadegh) until the rise of Islamism and the Iranian Revolution. The Tudehs have moved towards basic socialist communism since then.\n\nKemalism can very arguably be added to the list, as it appeared before the notion of Third World was created in post-World War II, it added populism to the equation (something not all Third World socialists did; Nasser and Nkrumah, for example, did) and Turkey is more developed than the typical notion of a Third World country, but as it was used as a model of government after the Turkish War of Independence to rebuild Turkey and recover it from the underdevelopment of the Ottoman Empire, creating a strong nation in face of the prospect of European colonialism, it can be considered as reaching the templates of a Third World socialism movement. From the 1960s onwards, Third World socialist and Third Worldist thought influenced left-Kemalism.\n\nThe Kemalist experiment, Fabian socialism and social democracy in general and the main Third World communist country, the People's Republic of China, were big influences on the movement. Despite being inspired by social democracy, most of these states were affected in one time or the other by strongmen or big man leaders or one-party systems. In any case, most Third World socialist states are followers of social democratic reformism (normally state-guided), preferring it to revolution, although some adopted a kind of permanent revolution stance on the social progress to a socialist society.\n\nLatin American socialism \nMany Latin American thinkers argued that the United States used Latin American countries as \"peripheral economies\" at the expense of Latin American social and economic development, which many saw as an extension of neo-colonialism and neo-imperialism. This shift in thinking led to a surge of dialogue related to how Latin America could assert its social and economic independence from the United States. Many scholars argued that a shift to socialism could help liberate Latin America from this conflict.\n\nThe New Left emerged in Latin America, a group which sought to go beyond existing Marxist–Leninist efforts at achieving economic equality and democracy to include social reform and address issues unique to Latin America such as racial and ethnic equality, indigenous rights and environmental issues. Notable New Left movements in Latin America include the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the victory of the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua of 1979, the Workers' Party government in Porto Alegre of 1990, among others.\n\nBecause of its close proximity and strong historical connection to the United States, Cuba served an integral role in spreading socialism to the rest of Latin America. Che Guevara described Cuba as \"a guiding light\" to Latin American countries caught in conflict between imperialism and socialism. In Guevara's speech \"On Revolutionary Medicine\", he recounts his travels through Latin America and the misery, hunger and disease he witnessed and explained how a shift to socialism could help alleviate these struggles. As part of the New Left, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara implemented leftist politics in Cuba while incorporating policies aimed at addressing social issues. Cuban officials intended for Cuba to spur similar leftist revolutions in the rest of Latin America, what he saw as a common \"liberation struggle\", in countries like Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua.\n\nIn the case of Juan Perón, elected president of Argentina on three times, the Third World socialist stance was a more radical variation of populism which aligned itself with the Third World and the Non-Aligned Movement (what Perón called \"the third position\"), with a significant state intervention for development such as five-year plans, the nationalization of railways, ports and banks, the creation of an agency to regulate grain exports (the IAPI) and the establishment of a modern welfare state. Despite his progressive policies, Perón did not define himself or his doctrine as \"socialist\" during his first presidencies (1946–1952 and 1952–1955), but he did later during his exile and during his third presidency (1973–1974) when he coined the term \"national socialism\", sort of an Argentine way to socialism, which he described as a social democracy mainly modeled after the \"Swedish model\" and also inspired by other non-aligned, Third World socialist models such as Christian socialism, Nasserism and the corporatist policies of European 1920s, 1930s and 1940s fascism.\n\nSee also \n Maoism (Third Worldism)\n Non-Aligned Movement\n Third Positionism\n Third-Worldism\n Three Worlds Theory\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links \n Economic Reform and Third-World Socialism: A Political Economy of Food Policy in Post-Revolutionary Societies.\n\nNon-Aligned Movement\nPolitical ideologies\nThird-Worldism\nTypes of socialism\nImperialism studies" ]
[ "Jack London", "Socialism", "what part did jack have in socialism?", "London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896." ]
C_f68d2d0f5ff24d109a3a830e107f69b9_0
what was his part in the party?
2
What was Jack London part's in the Socialist Labor Party?
Jack London
London wrote from a socialist viewpoint, which is evident in his novel The Iron Heel. Neither a theorist nor an intellectual socialist, London's socialism grew out of his life experience. As London explained in his essay, "How I Became a Socialist", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit. His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary. He wrote that his individualism was hammered out of him, and he was politically reborn. He often closed his letters "Yours for the Revolution." London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896. In the same year, the San Francisco Chronicle published a story about the twenty-year-old London giving nightly speeches in Oakland's City Hall Park, an activity he was arrested for a year later. In 1901, he left the Socialist Labor Party and joined the new Socialist Party of America. He ran unsuccessfully as the high-profile Socialist candidate for mayor of Oakland in 1901 (receiving 245 votes) and 1905 (improving to 981 votes), toured the country lecturing on socialism in 1906, and published two collections of essays about socialism: The War of the Classes (1905) and Revolution, and other Essays (1906). Stasz notes that "London regarded the Wobblies as a welcome addition to the Socialist cause, although he never joined them in going so far as to recommend sabotage." Stasz mentions a personal meeting between London and Big Bill Haywood in 1912. In his late (1913) book The Cruise of the Snark, London writes about appeals to him for membership of the Snark's crew from office workers and other "toilers" who longed for escape from the cities, and of being cheated by workmen. In his Glen Ellen ranch years, London felt some ambivalence toward socialism and complained about the "inefficient Italian labourers" in his employ. In 1916, he resigned from the Glen Ellen chapter of the Socialist Party, but stated emphatically he did so "because of its lack of fire and fight, and its loss of emphasis on the class struggle." In an unflattering portrait of London's ranch days, California cultural historian Kevin Starr refers to this period as "post-socialist" and says "... by 1911 ... London was more bored by the class struggle than he cared to admit." CANNOTANSWER
London wrote from a socialist viewpoint,
John Griffith London (born John Griffith Chaney; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916) was an American novelist, journalist and social activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction. London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of unionization, workers' rights, socialism, and eugenics. He wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam. His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay", and "The Heathen". Family Jack London was born January 12, 1876. His mother, Flora Wellman, was the fifth and youngest child of Pennsylvania Canal builder Marshall Wellman and his first wife, Eleanor Garrett Jones. Marshall Wellman was descended from Thomas Wellman, an early Puritan settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Flora left Ohio and moved to the Pacific coast when her father remarried after her mother died. In San Francisco, Flora worked as a music teacher and spiritualist, claiming to channel the spirit of a Sauk chief, Black Hawk. Biographer Clarice Stasz and others believe London's father was astrologer William Chaney. Flora Wellman was living with Chaney in San Francisco when she became pregnant. Whether Wellman and Chaney were legally married is unknown. Stasz notes that in his memoirs, Chaney refers to London's mother Flora Wellman as having been "his wife"; he also cites an advertisement in which Flora called herself "Florence Wellman Chaney". According to Flora Wellman's account, as recorded in the San Francisco Chronicle of June 4, 1875, Chaney demanded that she have an abortion. When she refused, he disclaimed responsibility for the child. In desperation, she shot herself. She was not seriously wounded, but she was temporarily deranged. After giving birth, Flora sent the baby for wet-nursing to Virginia (Jennie) Prentiss, a formerly enslaved African-American woman and a neighbor. Prentiss was an important maternal figure throughout London's life, and he would later refer to her as his primary source of love and affection as a child. Late in 1876, Flora Wellman married John London, a partially disabled Civil War veteran, and brought her baby John, later known as Jack, to live with the newly married couple. The family moved around the San Francisco Bay Area before settling in Oakland, where London completed public grade school. The Prentiss family moved with the Londons, and remained a stable source of care for the young Jack. In 1897, when he was 21 and a student at the University of California, Berkeley, London searched for and read the newspaper accounts of his mother's suicide attempt and the name of his biological father. He wrote to William Chaney, then living in Chicago. Chaney responded that he could not be London's father because he was impotent; he casually asserted that London's mother had relations with other men and averred that she had slandered him when she said he insisted on an abortion. Chaney concluded by saying that he was more to be pitied than London. London was devastated by his father's letter; in the months following, he quit school at Berkeley and went to the Klondike during the gold rush boom. Early life London was born near Third and Brannan Streets in San Francisco. The house burned down in the fire after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake; the California Historical Society placed a plaque at the site in 1953. Although the family was working class, it was not as impoverished as London's later accounts claimed. London was largely self-educated. In 1885, London found and read Ouida's long Victorian novel Signa. He credited this as the seed of his literary success. In 1886, he went to the Oakland Public Library and found a sympathetic librarian, Ina Coolbrith, who encouraged his learning. (She later became California's first poet laureate and an important figure in the San Francisco literary community). In 1889, London began working 12 to 18 hours a day at Hickmott's Cannery. Seeking a way out, he borrowed money from his foster mother Virginia Prentiss, bought the sloop Razzle-Dazzle from an oyster pirate named French Frank, and became an oyster pirate himself. In his memoir, John Barleycorn, he claims also to have stolen French Frank's mistress Mamie. After a few months, his sloop became damaged beyond repair. London hired on as a member of the California Fish Patrol. In 1893, he signed on to the sealing schooner Sophie Sutherland, bound for the coast of Japan. When he returned, the country was in the grip of the panic of '93 and Oakland was swept by labor unrest. After grueling jobs in a jute mill and a street-railway power plant, London joined Coxey's Army and began his career as a tramp. In 1894, he spent 30 days for vagrancy in the Erie County Penitentiary at Buffalo, New York. In The Road, he wrote: After many experiences as a hobo and a sailor, he returned to Oakland and attended Oakland High School. He contributed a number of articles to the high school's magazine, The Aegis. His first published work was "Typhoon off the Coast of Japan", an account of his sailing experiences. As a schoolboy, London often studied at Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon, a port-side bar in Oakland. At 17, he confessed to the bar's owner, John Heinold, his desire to attend university and pursue a career as a writer. Heinold lent London tuition money to attend college. London desperately wanted to attend the University of California, located in Berkeley. In 1896, after a summer of intense studying to pass certification exams, he was admitted. Financial circumstances forced him to leave in 1897, and he never graduated. No evidence has surfaced that he ever wrote for student publications while studying at Berkeley. While at Berkeley, London continued to study and spend time at Heinold's saloon, where he was introduced to the sailors and adventurers who would influence his writing. In his autobiographical novel, John Barleycorn, London mentioned the pub's likeness seventeen times. Heinold's was the place where London met Alexander McLean, a captain known for his cruelty at sea. London based his protagonist Wolf Larsen, in the novel The Sea-Wolf, on McLean. Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon is now unofficially named Jack London's Rendezvous in his honor. Gold rush and first success On July 12, 1897, London (age 21) and his sister's husband Captain Shepard sailed to join the Klondike Gold Rush. This was the setting for some of his first successful stories. London's time in the harsh Klondike, however, was detrimental to his health. Like so many other men who were malnourished in the goldfields, London developed scurvy. His gums became swollen, leading to the loss of his four front teeth. A constant gnawing pain affected his hip and leg muscles, and his face was stricken with marks that always reminded him of the struggles he faced in the Klondike. Father William Judge, "The Saint of Dawson", had a facility in Dawson that provided shelter, food and any available medicine to London and others. His struggles there inspired London's short story, "To Build a Fire" (1902, revised in 1908), which many critics assess as his best. His landlords in Dawson were mining engineers Marshall Latham Bond and Louis Whitford Bond, educated at the Bachelor's level at the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale and at the Master's level at Stanford, respectively. The brothers' father, Judge Hiram Bond, was a wealthy mining investor. While the Bond brothers were at Stanford Hiram at the suggestion of his brother bought the New Park Estate at Santa Clara as well as a local bank. The Bonds, especially Hiram, were active Republicans. Marshall Bond's diary mentions friendly sparring with London on political issues as a camp pastime. London left Oakland with a social conscience and socialist leanings; he returned to become an activist for socialism. He concluded that his only hope of escaping the work "trap" was to get an education and "sell his brains". He saw his writing as a business, his ticket out of poverty, and, he hoped, a means of beating the wealthy at their own game. On returning to California in 1898, London began working to get published, a struggle described in his novel, Martin Eden (serialized in 1908, published in 1909). His first published story since high school was "To the Man On Trail", which has frequently been collected in anthologies. When The Overland Monthly offered him only five dollars for it—and was slow paying—London came close to abandoning his writing career. In his words, "literally and literarily I was saved" when The Black Cat accepted his story "A Thousand Deaths", and paid him $40—the "first money I ever received for a story". London began his writing career just as new printing technologies enabled lower-cost production of magazines. This resulted in a boom in popular magazines aimed at a wide public audience and a strong market for short fiction. In 1900, he made $2,500 in writing, about $ in today's currency. Among the works he sold to magazines was a short story known as either "Diable" (1902) or "Bâtard" (1904), two editions of the same basic story; London received $141.25 for this story on May 27, 1902. In the text, a cruel French Canadian brutalizes his dog, and the dog retaliates and kills the man. London told some of his critics that man's actions are the main cause of the behavior of their animals, and he would show this in another story, The Call of the Wild. In early 1903, London sold The Call of the Wild to The Saturday Evening Post for $750, and the book rights to Macmillan. Macmillan's promotional campaign propelled it to swift success. While living at his rented villa on Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, London met poet George Sterling; in time they became best friends. In 1902, Sterling helped London find a home closer to his own in nearby Piedmont. In his letters London addressed Sterling as "Greek", owing to Sterling's aquiline nose and classical profile, and he signed them as "Wolf". London was later to depict Sterling as Russ Brissenden in his autobiographical novel Martin Eden (1910) and as Mark Hall in The Valley of the Moon (1913). In later life London indulged his wide-ranging interests by accumulating a personal library of 15,000 volumes. He referred to his books as "the tools of my trade". First marriage (1900–1904) London married Elizabeth Mae (or May) "Bessie" Maddern on April 7, 1900, the same day The Son of the Wolf was published. Bess had been part of his circle of friends for a number of years. She was related to stage actresses Minnie Maddern Fiske and Emily Stevens. Stasz says, "Both acknowledged publicly that they were not marrying out of love, but from friendship and a belief that they would produce sturdy children." Kingman says, "they were comfortable together... Jack had made it clear to Bessie that he did not love her, but that he liked her enough to make a successful marriage." London met Bessie through his friend at Oakland High School, Fred Jacobs; she was Fred's fiancée. Bessie, who tutored at Anderson's University Academy in Alameda California, tutored Jack in preparation for his entrance exams for the University of California at Berkeley in 1896. Jacobs was killed aboard the Scandia in 1897, but Jack and Bessie continued their friendship, which included taking photos and developing the film together. This was the beginning of Jack's passion for photography. During the marriage, London continued his friendship with Anna Strunsky, co-authoring The Kempton-Wace Letters, an epistolary novel contrasting two philosophies of love. Anna, writing "Dane Kempton's" letters, arguing for a romantic view of marriage, while London, writing "Herbert Wace's" letters, argued for a scientific view, based on Darwinism and eugenics. In the novel, his fictional character contrasted two women he had known. London's pet name for Bess was "Mother-Girl" and Bess's for London was "Daddy-Boy". Their first child, Joan, was born on January 15, 1901, and their second, Bessie "Becky" (also reported as Bess), on October 20, 1902. Both children were born in Piedmont, California. Here London wrote one of his most celebrated works, The Call of the Wild. While London had pride in his children, the marriage was strained. Kingman says that by 1903 the couple were close to separation as they were "extremely incompatible". "Jack was still so kind and gentle with Bessie that when Cloudsley Johns was a house guest in February 1903 he didn't suspect a breakup of their marriage." London reportedly complained to friends Joseph Noel and George Sterling: Stasz writes that these were "code words for [Bess's] fear that [Jack] was consorting with prostitutes and might bring home venereal disease." On July 24, 1903, London told Bessie he was leaving and moved out. During 1904, London and Bess negotiated the terms of a divorce, and the decree was granted on November 11, 1904. War correspondent (1904) London accepted an assignment of the San Francisco Examiner to cover the Russo-Japanese War in early 1904, arriving in Yokohama on January 25, 1904. He was arrested by Japanese authorities in Shimonoseki, but released through the intervention of American ambassador Lloyd Griscom. After travelling to Korea, he was again arrested by Japanese authorities for straying too close to the border with Manchuria without official permission, and was sent back to Seoul. Released again, London was permitted to travel with the Imperial Japanese Army to the border, and to observe the Battle of the Yalu. London asked William Randolph Hearst, the owner of the San Francisco Examiner, to be allowed to transfer to the Imperial Russian Army, where he felt that restrictions on his reporting and his movements would be less severe. However, before this could be arranged, he was arrested for a third time in four months, this time for assaulting his Japanese assistants, whom he accused of stealing the fodder for his horse. Released through the personal intervention of President Theodore Roosevelt, London departed the front in June 1904. Bohemian Club On August 18, 1904, London went with his close friend, the poet George Sterling, to "Summer High Jinks" at the Bohemian Grove. London was elected to honorary membership in the Bohemian Club and took part in many activities. Other noted members of the Bohemian Club during this time included Ambrose Bierce, Gelett Burgess, Allan Dunn, John Muir, Frank Norris, and Herman George Scheffauer. Beginning in December 1914, London worked on The Acorn Planter, A California Forest Play, to be performed as one of the annual Grove Plays, but it was never selected. It was described as too difficult to set to music. London published The Acorn Planter in 1916. Second marriage After divorcing Maddern, London married Charmian Kittredge in 1905. London had been introduced to Kittredge in 1900 by her aunt Netta Eames, who was an editor at Overland Monthly magazine in San Francisco. The two met prior to his first marriage but became lovers years later after Jack and Bessie London visited Wake Robin, Netta Eames' Sonoma County resort, in 1903. London was injured when he fell from a buggy, and Netta arranged for Charmian to care for him. The two developed a friendship, as Charmian, Netta, her husband Roscoe, and London were politically aligned with socialist causes. At some point the relationship became romantic, and Jack divorced his wife to marry Charmian, who was five years his senior. Biographer Russ Kingman called Charmian "Jack's soul-mate, always at his side, and a perfect match." Their time together included numerous trips, including a 1907 cruise on the yacht Snark to Hawaii and Australia. Many of London's stories are based on his visits to Hawaii, the last one for 10 months beginning in December 1915. The couple also visited Goldfield, Nevada, in 1907, where they were guests of the Bond brothers, London's Dawson City landlords. The Bond brothers were working in Nevada as mining engineers. London had contrasted the concepts of the "Mother Girl" and the "Mate Woman" in The Kempton-Wace Letters. His pet name for Bess had been "Mother-Girl;" his pet name for Charmian was "Mate-Woman." Charmian's aunt and foster mother, a disciple of Victoria Woodhull, had raised her without prudishness. Every biographer alludes to Charmian's uninhibited sexuality. Joseph Noel calls the events from 1903 to 1905 "a domestic drama that would have intrigued the pen of an Ibsen.... London's had comedy relief in it and a sort of easy-going romance." In broad outline, London was restless in his first marriage, sought extramarital sexual affairs, and found, in Charmian Kittredge, not only a sexually active and adventurous partner, but his future life-companion. They attempted to have children; one child died at birth, and another pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. In 1906, London published in Collier's magazine his eye-witness report of the San Francisco earthquake. Beauty Ranch (1905–1916) In 1905, London purchased a ranch in Glen Ellen, Sonoma County, California, on the eastern slope of Sonoma Mountain. He wrote: "Next to my wife, the ranch is the dearest thing in the world to me." He desperately wanted the ranch to become a successful business enterprise. Writing, always a commercial enterprise with London, now became even more a means to an end: "I write for no other purpose than to add to the beauty that now belongs to me. I write a book for no other reason than to add three or four hundred acres to my magnificent estate." Stasz writes that London "had taken fully to heart the vision, expressed in his agrarian fiction, of the land as the closest earthly version of Eden ... he educated himself through the study of agricultural manuals and scientific tomes. He conceived of a system of ranching that today would be praised for its ecological wisdom." He was proud to own the first concrete silo in California. He hoped to adapt the wisdom of Asian sustainable agriculture to the United States. He hired both Italian and Chinese stonemasons, whose distinctly different styles are obvious. The ranch was an economic failure. Sympathetic observers such as Stasz treat his projects as potentially feasible, and ascribe their failure to bad luck or to being ahead of their time. Unsympathetic historians such as Kevin Starr suggest that he was a bad manager, distracted by other concerns and impaired by his alcoholism. Starr notes that London was absent from his ranch about six months a year between 1910 and 1916 and says, "He liked the show of managerial power, but not grinding attention to detail .... London's workers laughed at his efforts to play big-time rancher [and considered] the operation a rich man's hobby." London spent $80,000 ($ in current value) to build a stone mansion called Wolf House on the property. Just as the mansion was nearing completion, two weeks before the Londons planned to move in, it was destroyed by fire. London's last visit to Hawaii, beginning in December 1915, lasted eight months. He met with Duke Kahanamoku, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole, Queen Lili'uokalani and many others, before returning to his ranch in July 1916. He was suffering from kidney failure, but he continued to work. The ranch (abutting stone remnants of Wolf House) is now a National Historic Landmark and is protected in Jack London State Historic Park. Animal activism London witnessed animal cruelty in the training of circus animals, and his subsequent novels Jerry of the Islands and Michael, Brother of Jerry included a foreword entreating the public to become more informed about this practice. In 1918, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the American Humane Education Society teamed up to create the Jack London Club, which sought to inform the public about cruelty to circus animals and encourage them to protest this establishment. Support from Club members led to a temporary cessation of trained animal acts at Ringling-Barnum and Bailey in 1925. Death London died November 22, 1916, in a sleeping porch in a cottage on his ranch. London had been a robust man but had suffered several serious illnesses, including scurvy in the Klondike. Additionally, during travels on the Snark, he and Charmian picked up unspecified tropical infections and diseases, including yaws. At the time of his death, he suffered from dysentery, late-stage alcoholism, and uremia; he was in extreme pain and taking morphine. London's ashes were buried on his property not far from the Wolf House. London's funeral took place on November 26, 1916, attended only by close friends, relatives, and workers of the property. In accordance with his wishes, he was cremated and buried next to some pioneer children, under a rock that belonged to the Wolf House. After Charmian's death in 1955, she was also cremated and then buried with her husband in the same spot that her husband chose. The grave is marked by a mossy boulder. The buildings and property were later preserved as Jack London State Historic Park, in Glen Ellen, California. Suicide debate Because he was using morphine, many older sources describe London's death as a suicide, and some still do. This conjecture appears to be a rumor, or speculation based on incidents in his fiction writings. His death certificate gives the cause as uremia, following acute renal colic. The biographer Stasz writes, "Following London's death, for a number of reasons, a biographical myth developed in which he has been portrayed as an alcoholic womanizer who committed suicide. Recent scholarship based upon firsthand documents challenges this caricature." Most biographers, including Russ Kingman, now agree he died of uremia aggravated by an accidental morphine overdose. London's fiction featured several suicides. In his autobiographical memoir John Barleycorn, he claims, as a youth, to have drunkenly stumbled overboard into the San Francisco Bay, "some maundering fancy of going out with the tide suddenly obsessed me". He said he drifted and nearly succeeded in drowning before sobering up and being rescued by fishermen. In the dénouement of The Little Lady of the Big House, the heroine, confronted by the pain of a mortal gunshot wound, undergoes a physician-assisted suicide by morphine. Also, in Martin Eden, the principal protagonist, who shares certain characteristics with London, drowns himself. Plagiarism accusations London was vulnerable to accusations of plagiarism, both because he was such a conspicuous, prolific, and successful writer and because of his methods of working. He wrote in a letter to Elwyn Hoffman, "expression, you see—with me—is far easier than invention." He purchased plots and novels from the young Sinclair Lewis and used incidents from newspaper clippings as writing material. In July 1901, two pieces of fiction appeared within the same month: London's "Moon-Face", in the San Francisco Argonaut, and Frank Norris' "The Passing of Cock-eye Blacklock", in Century Magazine. Newspapers showed the similarities between the stories, which London said were "quite different in manner of treatment, [but] patently the same in foundation and motive." London explained both writers based their stories on the same newspaper account. A year later, it was discovered that Charles Forrest McLean had published a fictional story also based on the same incident. Egerton Ryerson Young claimed The Call of the Wild (1903) was taken from Young's book My Dogs in the Northland (1902). London acknowledged using it as a source and claimed to have written a letter to Young thanking him. In 1906, the New York World published "deadly parallel" columns showing eighteen passages from London's short story "Love of Life" side by side with similar passages from a nonfiction article by Augustus Biddle and J. K. Macdonald, titled "Lost in the Land of the Midnight Sun". London noted the World did not accuse him of "plagiarism", but only of "identity of time and situation", to which he defiantly "pled guilty". The most serious charge of plagiarism was based on London's "The Bishop's Vision", Chapter 7 of his novel The Iron Heel (1908). The chapter is nearly identical to an ironic essay that Frank Harris published in 1901, titled "The Bishop of London and Public Morality". Harris was incensed and suggested he should receive 1/60th of the royalties from The Iron Heel, the disputed material constituting about that fraction of the whole novel. London insisted he had clipped a reprint of the article, which had appeared in an American newspaper, and believed it to be a genuine speech delivered by the Bishop of London. Views Atheism London was an atheist. He is quoted as saying, "I believe that when I am dead, I am dead. I believe that with my death I am just as much obliterated as the last mosquito you and I squashed." Socialism London wrote from a socialist viewpoint, which is evident in his novel The Iron Heel. Neither a theorist nor an intellectual socialist, London's socialism grew out of his life experience. As London explained in his essay, "How I Became a Socialist", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit. His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary. He wrote that his individualism was hammered out of him, and he was politically reborn. He often closed his letters "Yours for the Revolution." London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896. In the same year, the San Francisco Chronicle published a story about the twenty-year-old London's giving nightly speeches in Oakland's City Hall Park, an activity he was arrested for a year later. In 1901, he left the Socialist Labor Party and joined the new Socialist Party of America. He ran unsuccessfully as the high-profile Socialist candidate for mayor of Oakland in 1901 (receiving 245 votes) and 1905 (improving to 981 votes), toured the country lecturing on socialism in 1906, and published two collections of essays about socialism: War of the Classes (1905) and Revolution, and other Essays (1906). Stasz notes that "London regarded the Wobblies as a welcome addition to the Socialist cause, although he never joined them in going so far as to recommend sabotage." Stasz mentions a personal meeting between London and Big Bill Haywood in 1912. In his late (1913) book The Cruise of the Snark, London writes about appeals to him for membership of the Snarks crew from office workers and other "toilers" who longed for escape from the cities, and of being cheated by workmen. In his Glen Ellen ranch years, London felt some ambivalence toward socialism and complained about the "inefficient Italian labourers" in his employ. In 1916, he resigned from the Glen Ellen chapter of the Socialist Party, but stated emphatically he did so "because of its lack of fire and fight, and its loss of emphasis on the class struggle." In an unflattering portrait of London's ranch days, California cultural historian Kevin Starr refers to this period as "post-socialist" and says "... by 1911 ... London was more bored by the class struggle than he cared to admit." Race London shared common concerns among many European Americans in California about Asian immigration, described as "the yellow peril"; he used the latter term as the title of a 1904 essay. This theme was also the subject of a story he wrote in 1910 called "The Unparalleled Invasion". Presented as an historical essay set in the future, the story narrates events between 1976 and 1987, in which China, with an ever-increasing population, is taking over and colonizing its neighbors with the intention of taking over the entire Earth. The western nations respond with biological warfare and bombard China with dozens of the most infectious diseases. On his fears about China, he admits, "it must be taken into consideration that the above postulate is itself a product of Western race-egotism, urged by our belief in our own righteousness and fostered by a faith in ourselves which may be as erroneous as are most fond race fancies." By contrast, many of London's short stories are notable for their empathetic portrayal of Mexican ("The Mexican"), Asian ("The Chinago"), and Hawaiian ("Koolau the Leper") characters. London's war correspondence from the Russo-Japanese War, as well as his unfinished novel Cherry, show he admired much about Japanese customs and capabilities. London's writings have been popular among the Japanese, who believe he portrayed them positively. In "Koolau the Leper", London describes Koolau, who is a Hawaiian leper—and thus a very different sort of "superman" than Martin Eden—and who fights off an entire cavalry troop to elude capture, as "indomitable spiritually—a ... magnificent rebel". This character is based on Hawaiian leper Kaluaikoolau, who in 1893 revolted and resisted capture from forces of the Provisional Government of Hawaii in the Kalalau Valley. Those who defend London against charges of racism cite the letter he wrote to the Japanese-American Commercial Weekly in 1913: In 1996, after the City of Whitehorse, Yukon, renamed a street in honor of London, protests over London's alleged racism forced the city to change the name of "Jack London Boulevard" back to "Two-mile Hill". Shortly after boxer Jack Johnson was crowned the first black world heavyweight champ in 1908, London pleaded for a "great white hope" to come forward to defeat Johnson, writing: "Jim Jeffries must now emerge from his Alfalfa farm and remove that golden smile from Jack Johnson's face. Jeff, it's up to you. The White Man must be rescued." Eugenics With other modernist writers of the day, London supported eugenics. The notion of "good breeding" complimented the Progressive era scientism, the belief that humans assort along a hierarchy by race, religion, and ethnicity. The Progressive Era catalog of inferiority offered basis for threats to American Anglo-Saxon racial integrity. London wrote to Frederick H. Robinson of the periodical Medical Review of Reviews, stating, "I believe the future belongs to eugenics, and will be determined by the practice of eugenics." Although this led some to argue for forced sterilization of criminals or those deemed feeble-minded., London did not express this extreme. His short story "Told in the Drooling Ward" is from the viewpoint of a surprisingly astute "feebled-minded" person. Hensley argues that London's novel Before Adam (1906–07) reveals pro-eugenic themes. London advised his collaborator Anna Strunsky during preparation of The Kempton-Wace Letters that he would take the role of eugenics in mating, while she would argue on behalf of romantic love. (Love won the argument.) The Valley of the Moon emphasizes the theme of "real Americans," the Anglo Saxon, yet in Little Lady of the Big House, London is more nuanced. The protagonist's argument is not that all white men are superior, but that there are more superior ones among whites than in other races. By encouraging the best in any race to mate will improve its population qualities. Living in Hawaii challenged his orthodoxy. In "My Hawaiian Aloha," London noted the liberal intermarrying of races, concluding how "little Hawaii, with its hotch potch races, is making a better demonstration than the United States." Works Short stories Western writer and historian Dale L. Walker writes: London's "strength of utterance" is at its height in his stories, and they are painstakingly well-constructed. "To Build a Fire" is the best known of all his stories. Set in the harsh Klondike, it recounts the haphazard trek of a new arrival who has ignored an old-timer's warning about the risks of traveling alone. Falling through the ice into a creek in seventy-five-below weather, the unnamed man is keenly aware that survival depends on his untested skills at quickly building a fire to dry his clothes and warm his extremities. After publishing a tame version of this story—with a sunny outcome—in The Youth's Companion in 1902, London offered a second, more severe take on the man's predicament in The Century Magazine in 1908. Reading both provides an illustration of London's growth and maturation as a writer. As Labor (1994) observes: "To compare the two versions is itself an instructive lesson in what distinguished a great work of literary art from a good children's story." Other stories from the Klondike period include: "All Gold Canyon", about a battle between a gold prospector and a claim jumper; "The Law of Life", about an aging American Indian man abandoned by his tribe and left to die; "Love of Life", about a trek by a prospector across the Canadian tundra; "To the Man on Trail," which tells the story of a prospector fleeing the Mounted Police in a sled race, and raises the question of the contrast between written law and morality; and "An Odyssey of the North," which raises questions of conditional morality, and paints a sympathetic portrait of a man of mixed White and Aleut ancestry. London was a boxing fan and an avid amateur boxer. "A Piece of Steak" is a tale about a match between older and younger boxers. It contrasts the differing experiences of youth and age but also raises the social question of the treatment of aging workers. "The Mexican" combines boxing with a social theme, as a young Mexican endures an unfair fight and ethnic prejudice to earn money with which to aid the revolution. Several of London's stories would today be classified as science fiction. "The Unparalleled Invasion" describes germ warfare against China; "Goliath" is about an irresistible energy weapon; "The Shadow and the Flash" is a tale about two brothers who take different routes to achieving invisibility; "A Relic of the Pliocene" is a tall tale about an encounter of a modern-day man with a mammoth. "The Red One" is a late story from a period when London was intrigued by the theories of the psychiatrist and writer Jung. It tells of an island tribe held in thrall by an extraterrestrial object. Some nineteen original collections of short stories were published during London's brief life or shortly after his death. There have been several posthumous anthologies drawn from this pool of stories. Many of these stories were located in the Klondike and the Pacific. A collection of Jack London's San Francisco Stories was published in October 2010 by Sydney Samizdat Press. Novels London's most famous novels are The Call of the Wild, White Fang, The Sea-Wolf, The Iron Heel, and Martin Eden. In a letter dated December 27, 1901, London's Macmillan publisher George Platt Brett, Sr., said "he believed Jack's fiction represented 'the very best kind of work' done in America." Critic Maxwell Geismar called The Call of the Wild "a beautiful prose poem"; editor Franklin Walker said that it "belongs on a shelf with Walden and Huckleberry Finn"; and novelist E.L. Doctorow called it "a mordant parable ... his masterpiece." The historian Dale L. Walker commented: Some critics have said that his novels are episodic and resemble linked short stories. Dale L. Walker writes: Ambrose Bierce said of The Sea-Wolf that "the great thing—and it is among the greatest of things—is that tremendous creation, Wolf Larsen ... the hewing out and setting up of such a figure is enough for a man to do in one lifetime." However, he noted, "The love element, with its absurd suppressions, and impossible proprieties, is awful." The Iron Heel is an example of a dystopian novel that anticipates and influenced George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. London's socialist politics are explicitly on display here. The Iron Heel meets the contemporary definition of soft science fiction. The Star Rover (1915) is also science fiction. Apocrypha Jack London Credo London's literary executor, Irving Shepard, quoted a Jack London Credo in an introduction to a 1956 collection of London stories: I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time. The biographer Stasz notes that the passage "has many marks of London's style" but the only line that could be safely attributed to London was the first. The words Shepard quoted were from a story in the San Francisco Bulletin, December 2, 1916, by journalist Ernest J. Hopkins, who visited the ranch just weeks before London's death. Stasz notes, "Even more so than today journalists' quotes were unreliable or even sheer inventions," and says no direct source in London's writings has been found. However, at least one line, according to Stasz, is authentic, being referenced by London and written in his own hand in the autograph book of Australian suffragette Vida Goldstein: Dear Miss Goldstein:– Seven years ago I wrote you that I'd rather be ashes than dust. I still subscribe to that sentiment. Sincerely yours, Jack London Jan. 13, 1909 In his short story "By The Turtles of Tasman", a character, defending her "ne'er-do-well grasshopperish father" to her "antlike uncle", says: "... my father has been a king. He has lived .... Have you lived merely to live? Are you afraid to die? I'd rather sing one wild song and burst my heart with it, than live a thousand years watching my digestion and being afraid of the wet. When you are dust, my father will be ashes." "The Scab" A short diatribe on "The Scab" is often quoted within the U.S. labor movement and frequently attributed to London. It opens: In 1913 and 1914, a number of newspapers printed the first three sentences with varying terms used instead of "scab", such as "knocker","The Food for Your Think Tank", The Macon Daily Telegraph, August 23, 1914, p. 3 "stool pigeon" or "scandal monger". This passage as given above was the subject of a 1974 Supreme Court case, Letter Carriers v. Austin, in which Justice Thurgood Marshall referred to it as "a well-known piece of trade union literature, generally attributed to author Jack London". A union newsletter had published a "list of scabs," which was granted to be factual and therefore not libelous, but then went on to quote the passage as the "definition of a scab". The case turned on the question of whether the "definition" was defamatory. The court ruled that "Jack London's... 'definition of a scab' is merely rhetorical hyperbole, a lusty and imaginative expression of the contempt felt by union members towards those who refuse to join", and as such was not libelous and was protected under the First Amendment. Despite being frequently attributed to London, the passage does not appear at all in the extensive collection of his writings at Sonoma State University's website. However, in his book War of the Classes he published a 1903 speech titled "The Scab", which gave a much more balanced view of the topic: Publications Source unless otherwise specified: Novels The Cruise of the Dazzler (1902) A Daughter of the Snows (1902) The Call of the Wild (1903) The Kempton-Wace Letters (1903) (published anonymously, co-authored with Anna Strunsky) The Sea-Wolf (1904) The Game (1905) White Fang (1906) Before Adam (1907) The Iron Heel (1908) Martin Eden (1909) Burning Daylight (1910) Adventure (1911) The Scarlet Plague (1912) A Son of the Sun (1912) The Abysmal Brute (1913) The Valley of the Moon (1913) The Mutiny of the Elsinore (1914) The Star Rover (1915) (published in England as The Jacket) The Little Lady of the Big House (1916) Jerry of the Islands (1917) Michael, Brother of Jerry (1917) Hearts of Three (1920) (novelization of a script by Charles Goddard) The Assassination Bureau, Ltd (1963) (left half-finished, completed by Robert L. Fish) Short story collections Son of the Wolf (1900) Chris Farrington, Able Seaman (1901) The God of His Fathers & Other Stories (1901) Children of the Frost (1902) The Faith of Men and Other Stories (1904) Tales of the Fish Patrol (1906) Moon-Face and Other Stories (1906) Love of Life and Other Stories (1907) Lost Face (1910) South Sea Tales (1911) When God Laughs and Other Stories (1911) The House of Pride & Other Tales of Hawaii (1912) Smoke Bellew (1912) A Son of the Sun (1912) The Night Born (1913) The Strength of the Strong (1914) The Turtles of Tasman (1916) The Human Drift (1917) The Red One (1918) On the Makaloa Mat (1919) Dutch Courage and Other Stories (1922) Autobiographical memoirs The Road (1907) The Cruise of the Snark (1911) John Barleycorn (1913) Non-fiction and essays Through the Rapids on the Way to the Klondike (1899) From Dawson to the Sea (1899) What Communities Lose by the Competitive System (1900) The Impossibility of War (1900) Phenomena of Literary Evolution (1900) A Letter to Houghton Mifflin Co. (1900) Husky, Wolf Dog of the North (1900) Editorial Crimes – A Protest (1901) Again the Literary Aspirant (1902) The People of the Abyss (1903) How I Became a Socialist (1903) War of the Classes (1905) The Story of an Eyewitness (1906) A Letter to Woman's Home Companion (1906) "The Lepers of Molokai" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) "The Nature Man" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) "The High Seat of Abundance" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) Revolution, and other Essays (1910) Mexico's Army and Ours (1914) Lawgivers (1914) Our Adventures in Tampico (1914) Stalking the Pestilence (1914) The Red Game of War (1914) The Trouble Makers of Mexico (1914) With Funston's Men (1914) Plays Theft (1910) Daughters of the Rich: A One Act Play (1915) The Acorn Planter: A California Forest Play (1916) Poetry A Heart (1899) Abalone Song (1913) And Some Night (1914) Ballade of the False Lover (1914) Cupid's Deal (1913) Daybreak (1901) Effusion (1901) George Sterling (1913) Gold (1915) He Chortled with Glee (1899) He Never Tried Again (1912) His Trip to Hades (1913) Homeland (1914) Hors de Saison (1913) If I Were God (1899) In a Year (1901) In and Out (1911) Je Vis en Espoir (1897) Memory (1913) Moods (1913) My Confession (1912) My Little Palmist (1914) Of Man of the Future (1915) Oh You Everybody's Girl (19) On the Face of the Earth You are the One (1915) Rainbows End (1914) Republican Rallying Song (1916) Sonnet (1901) The Gift of God (1905) The Klondyker's Dream (1914) The Lover's Liturgy (1913) The Mammon Worshippers (1911) The Republican Battle-Hymn (1905) The Return of Ulysses (1915) The Sea Sprite and the Shooting Star (1916) The Socialist's Dream (1912) The Song of the Flames (1903) The Way of War (1906) The Worker and the Tramp (1911) Tick! Tick! Tick! (1915) Too Late (1912) Weasel Thieves (1913) When All the World Shouted my Name (1905) Where the Rainbow Fell (1902) Your Kiss (1914) Short stories "Typhoon off the Coast of Japan" (November 12, 1893) " 'Frisco Kid's' Story" (February 15, 1895) "Sakaicho, Hona Asi and Hakadaki" (April 19, 1895) "Night's Swim In Yeddo Bay" (May 27, 1895) "Who Believes in Ghosts!" (October 21, 1895) "And 'Frisco Kid Came Back" (November 4, 1895) "One More Unfortunate" (December 18, 1895) "O Haru" (1993; written in April 1897) "The Mahatma's Little Joke" (1993; written in May 1897) "The Strange Experience of a Misogynist" (1993; written between May and September 1897), originally titled "The Misogynist" "Two Gold Bricks" (September 1897) "The Plague Ship" (1993; written between September and December 1897) "The Devil’s Dice Box" (December 1976; written in September 1898) "The Test: A Clondyke Wooing" (1983; written in September 1898) "A Klondike Christmas" (1983; written in November 1898) "A Dream Image" (1898) "To the Man on Trail: A Klondike Christmas" (January 1899) "The White Silence" (February 1899) "The Son of the Wolf" (April 1899) "The Men of Forty-Mile" (May 1899) "A Thousand Deaths" (May 1899) "An Old Soldier's Story" (May 20, 1899) "In a Far Country" (June 1899) "The Priestly Prerogative" (July 1899) "The Handsome Cabin Boy" (July 1899) "The Wife of a King" (August 1899) "In the Time of Prince Charley" (September 1899) "Old Baldy" (September 16, 1899) "The Grilling of Loren Ellery" (September 24, 1899) "The Rejuvenation of Major Rathbone" (November 1899) "The King of Mazy May" (November 30, 1899) "The Wisdom of the Trail" (December 1899) "A Daughter of the Aurora" (December 24, 1899) "Pluck and Pertinacity" (1899) "An Odyssey of the North" (January 1900) "A Lesson in Heraldry" (March 1900) "The End of the Chapter" (June 9, 1900) "Uri Bram's God" (June 24, 1900) "Even unto Death" (July 28, 1900) "Grit of Women" (August 1900) "Jan the Unrepentant" (August 1900) "The Man with the Gash" (September 1900) "Their Alcove" (September 1900) "Housekeeping in the Klondike" (September 16, 1900) "The Proper 'Girlie' " (October 1900) "Thanksgiving on Slav Creek" (November 24, 1900) "Where the Trail Forks" (December 1900) "The Great Interrogation" (December 1900) "Semper Idem" (December 1900) "A Northland Miracle" (November 4, 1926; written in 1900) "Dutch Courage" (November 29, 1900) "A Relic of the Pliocene" (January 12, 1901) "The Law of Life" (March 1901) "Siwash" (March 1901) "The Lost Poacher" (March 14, 1901) "At the Rainbow's End" (March 24, 1901) "The God of His Fathers" (May 1901) "The Scorn of Woman" (May 1901) "The Minions of Midas" (May 1901) "Chris Farrington: Able Seaman" (May 23, 1901) "A Hyperborean Brew" (July 1901) "Bald Face" (September 6, 1901) "Keesh, Son of Keesh" (January 1902) "An Adventure in the Upper Sea" (May 1902) "To Build a Fire" (May 29, 1902, revised August 1908) "Diable --- A Dog" (June 1902), renamed Bâtard in 1904 "To Repel Boarders" (June 1902) "The ‘Fuzziness' of Hoockla-Heen" (July 3, 1902) "Moon-Face" (July 21, 1902) "Nam-Bok, the Liar" (August 1902) "Li Wan the Fair" (August 1902) "The Master of Mystery" (September 1902) "In the Forests of the North" (September 1902) "The Sunlanders" (September 1902) "The Death of Ligoun" (September 1902) "The Story of Jees Uck" (September 1902) "The Sickness of Lone Chief" (October 1902) "The League of the Old Men" (October 4, 1902) "Lost Face" (1902) "Master of Mystery" (1902) "In Yeddo Bay" (February 1903) "The One Thousand Dozen" (March 1903) "The Shadow and the Flash" (June 1903) “The Faith of Men" (June 1903) "The Leopard Man's Story" (August 1903) "The Marriage of Lit-Lit" (September 1903) "Local Color" (October 1903) "Too Much Gold" (December 1903) "Amateur Night" (December 1903) "The Dominant Primordial Beast" (1903) "Keesh, The Bear Hunter" (January 1904); often reprinted as "The Story of Keesh" "The Banks of the Sacramento" (March 17, 1904) "White and Yellow" (February 16, 1905) "The King of the Greeks" (March 2, 1905) "A Raid on the Oyster Pirates" (March 16, 1905) "The Siege of the 'Lancashire Queen' ” (March 30, 1905) "Charley's Coup” (April 13, 1905) "Demetrios Contos” (April 27, 1905) "Yellow Handkerchief” (May 11, 1905) "All Gold Cañon" (November 1905) "Love of Life" (December 1905) "The Sun-Dog Trail" (December 1905) "A Nose for the King" (March 1906) "Planchette" (June 1906) "The Unexpected" (August 1906) "Brown Wolf" (August 1906) "The Apostate" (September 1906) "Up the Slide" (October 25, 1906) "A Wicked Woman" (November 1906) "The White Man's Way" (November 4, 1906) "The Wit of Porportuk" (December 1906) "When God Laughs" (January 1907) "Just Meat" (March 1907) "Created He Them" (April 1907) "Morganson's Finish" (May 1907) "A Day's Lodging" (May 25, 1907) "Negore the Coward" (September 1907) "Chased by the Trail" (September 26, 1907) "The Passing of Marcus O'Brien" (January 1908) "Trust" (January 1908) "That Spot" (February 1908) "Flush of Gold" (April 1908) "Make Westing" (April 1908) "The Enemy of All the World" (October 1908) "Aloha Oe" (December 1908) "A Curious Fragment" (December 10, 1908) "The Dream of Debs" (January 1909) "The House of Mapuhi" (January 1909) "The Seed of McCoy" (April 1909) "The Madness of John Harned" (May 1909) "South of the Slot" (May 22, 1909) "Good-by, Jack" (June 1909) "The Chinago" (June 26, 1909) "The Sheriff of Kona" (August 1909) "The Heathen" (September 1909) "A Piece of Steak" (November 20, 1909) "Koolau the Leper" (December 1909) "Mauki" (December 1909) “The Mission of John Starhurst” (December 29, 1909); reprinted as "The Whale Tooth" "Samuel" (1909) "Chun An Chun" (Spring 1910) "The Terrible Solomons" (March 1910) "The Inevitable White Man" (May 14, 1910) "The Unparalleled Invasion" (July 1910) "Winged Blackmail" (September 1910) "When the World was Young" (September 10, 1910) "The Benefit of the Doubt" (November 12, 1910) "Under the Deck Awnings" (November 19, 1910) "Yah! Yah! Yah!" (December 1910) "The House of Pride" (December 1910) "To Kill a Man" (December 10, 1910) "Bunches of Knuckles" (December 18, 1910) "Goliath" (1910) "The 'Francis Spaight' " (January 1911) "The Hobo and the Fairy" (February 11, 1911) "The Strength of the Strong" (March 1911) "The Eternity of Forms" (March 1911) "A Son of the Sun" (May 27. 1911) "The Taste of the Meat" (June 1911) “The Proud Goat of Aloysius Pankburn" (June 24, 1911) "The Meat" (July 1911) “The Night Born" (July 1911) "War" (July 29, 1911) "The Goat Man of Fuatino" (July 20, 1911) “The Stampede to Squaw Creek" (August 1911) "The Mexican" (August 19, 1911) "Shorty Dreams" (September 1911) "A Little Account with Swithin Hall" (September 2, 1911) "A Goboto Night" (September 30, 1911) "The Man on the Other Bank" (October 1911) "The Pears of Parlay" (October 14, 1911) "The Race for Number Three" (November 1911) "The End of the Story" (November 1911) " The Jokers of New Gibbon" (November 11, 1911) "By the Turtles of Tasman" (November 19, 1911) "The Little Man" (December 1911) "The Unmasking of the Cad" (December 23, 1911) "The Hanging of Cultus George" (January 1912) "The Mistake of Creation" (February 1912) "A Flutter in Eggs" (March 1912) "The Sea-Farmer" (March 1912) "The Feathers of the Sun" (March 9, 1912) "The Town-Site of Tra-Lee" (April 1912) "Wonder of Woman" (May 1912) "The Prodigal Father" (May 1912) "The Scarlet Plague" (June 1912) "The Captain of the Susan Drew" (December 1, 1912) "Samuel" (May 1913) "The Sea-Gangsters" (November 1913) "Told in the Drooling Ward" (June 1914) "The Hussy" (December 1916) "Man of Mine" (February 1917) "Like Argus of the Ancient Times" (March 1917) "Jerry of the Islands" (1917) "When Alice Told Her Soul" (March 1918) "The Princess" (June 1918) "The Tears of Ah Kim" (July 1918) "The Water Baby" (September 1918) "The Red One" (October 1918) "In the Cave of the Dead" (November 1918) "Shin-Bones" (1918) "On the Makaloa Mat" (March 1919) "The Bones of Kahekili" (July 1919) " Whose Business Is to Live" (September 1922) "Eyes of Asia" (September 1924) Legacy and honors Mount London, also known as Boundary Peak 100, on the Alaska-British Columbia boundary, in the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, is named for him. Jack London Square on the waterfront of Oakland, California was named for him. He was honored by the United States Postal Service with a 25¢ Great Americans series postage stamp released on January 11, 1986. Jack London Lake (), a mountain lake located in the upper reaches of the Kolyma River in Yagodninsky district of Magadan Oblast. Fictional portrayals of London include Michael O'Shea in the 1943 film Jack London, Jeff East in the 1980 film Klondike Fever, Michael Aron in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Time's Arrow from 1992, Aaron Ashmore in the Murdoch Mysteries episode "Murdoch of the Klondike" from 2012, and Johnny Simmons in the 2014 miniseries Klondike. See also List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards Notes References Bibliography The Jack London Online Collection' Further reading External links Western American Literature Journal: Jack London The Jack London Online Collection Site featuring information about Jack London's life and work, and a collection of his writings. The World of Jack London Biographical information and writings Jack London State Historic Park The Huntingon Library's Jack London Archive Guide to the Jack London Papers at The Bancroft Library Jack London Collection at Sonoma State University Library Jack London Stories, scanned from original magazines, including the original artwork 5 short radio episodes from Jack London's writing at California Legacy Project Jack London Personal Manuscripts 1876 births 1916 deaths 1906 San Francisco earthquake survivors 19th-century American short story writers 19th-century sailors 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century sailors American atheists American democratic socialists American eugenicists American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American male short story writers American psychological fiction writers American sailors American travel writers American war correspondents Deaths from dysentery Male sailors Members of the Socialist Labor Party of America Military personnel from California People from Glen Ellen, California People from Piedmont, California People involved in plagiarism controversies People of the Klondike Gold Rush People of the Russo-Japanese War Socialist Party of America politicians from California United States Merchant Mariners University of California, Berkeley alumni War correspondents of the Russo-Japanese War Writers from Oakland, California Writers from San Francisco
true
[ "Hermann Nuding (3 July 1902 in Oberurbach – 30 May 1966 in Stuttgart) was a German politician, political party official (KPD) and, after 1945, an opponent of German re-armament.\n\nLife\n\nEarly years\nNuding was born in a small town some 35 km (18 miles) to the east of Stuttgart early on in the twentieth century. His father was a factory worker. An early ambition to become a teacher was thwarted by the outbreak of war when he was twelve. After leaving school in 1916 he started an apprenticeship for work in the leather and tannery industry. In 1918 he joined the German Leather workers' Trades Union and the Spartacus League which shortly thereafter became the German Communist Party (KPD) In 1919 he joined the Young Communists and became a founding member of the regional Communist Party group in Württemberg and chairman of the KPD in his home town, Oberurbach. He joined the Regional leadership of the Württemberg Young Communists in 1920. He toi pursue an active political career in the German communist party, which included an extended period in Moscow during 1927/28 attending the International Lenin School.\n\nExile\nIn January 1933 the NSDAP (Nazi party) took power and lost no time in embarking on the creation of a one party state in Germany. Hermann Nuding was arrested in February 1933 and remained in \"protective custody\" till the start of July 1934 when he emigrated initially to Switzerland, subsequently also spending more time in Moscow. In 1935 he participated, using the pseudonym \"Claus Degeb\" in the party's Brussels conference and then in 1935/36 worked from his base in Zurich with the illegal Communist Party across the German border in Württemberg. During the second part of the 1930s he continued to work for the German Communist Party, based for some of the period in Belgium.\n\nIn 1937 Hermann Nuding and Herbert Wehner were jointly commissioned by the Comintern leadership to compose a diatribe entitled \"Trotskyism and Fascism\". Leon Trotsky had at one time been seen by many as a likely successor of Lenin and was, by the 1930s, exiled from the Soviet Union and being systematically excoriated by the Soviet leadership and its supporters internationally.\n\nLike many exiled German communists, by the time war broke out in 1939 he was based in France, and during 1939/1940 he was interned at Gurs. On his release he settled down to a life as a small farmer in the south of France using, appropriately, the pseudonym \"Jean Bauer\". During the early 1940s he worked illegally with both the French Resistance and the Soviet sponsored National Committee for a Free Germany.\n\nPeace breaks out\nAfter the war ended Nuding returned, in October 1945, to his home region in what remained of Germany. The northern part of Württemberg, including Stuttgart was now in the US occupation zone and formed a part of Württemberg-Baden, a state formed by the occupation forces to accommodate the division of south western German between the US military and the French military. Nuding set about rebuilding the Communist Party in Stuttgart and the surrounding region.\n\nIn 1946 he became a member of the provisional regional parliament for Württemberg-Baden and then for its successor assembly, established by the US Military administration. At this point he represented the newly formed SED (party) which had been set up in the Soviet occupation zone, although he would soon revert to the Communist Party when it became apparent that there was no future role for the SED outside that part of Germany controlled by the Soviet military.\n\nBy 1949 it was becoming apparent that West Germany and East Germany were developing as separate states, and in August 1949 Nuding was one of the fifteen Communist members of the national Bundestag, located provisionally in Bonn. He remained a member till resigning ostensibly on health grounds on 20 April 1951. Until July 1950 he spoke in the chamber on behalf of the Communist party, but by that time his expulsion from the Communist Party had already been proposed back in September 1949 by Walter Ulbricht, the leader of the newly emerging Soviet backed German Democratic Republic.\n\nDisgrace and Expulsion from The Party\nAt the end of April 1945 thirty German communists, grouped in three teams of ten, arrived in what was becoming the Soviet occupation zone in Germany. The men, led by Walter Ulbricht, had spent the war years in Moscow: as matters turned, out they had used their years in exile to formulate a clear nation-building program for what would become the German Democratic Republic. German communists who had spent the war somewhere other in the Soviet Union did not necessarily share the objectives or strategy of the Ulbricht Group and during the later 1940s tensions between the Communist Party's leaders in the Bundestag, based in West Germany, and the men now governing East Germany, became increasingly apparent. In June 1950, at the Communist Party's sixteenth party conference, Nuding was condemned as the party's leading opportunist and the next month, in July 1950 he was stripped of party functions. It was reported in October 1950 that despite being seriously ill he had rejected an \"urgent recommendation\" to relocate to the German Democratic Republic. His resignation from the German Bundestag on health grounds in April 1951 came as the result of an instruction received from the Berlin-based SED (party).\n\nThe underlying differences that led to his resignation were numerous. Issues that triggered his disgrace by the Communist Party included his rejection of the Communist Party's official opposition to the German Trades Union Confederation (founded in Munich in 1949) and his further rejection of the party line that in the event of a war between the Soviet Union and her (former) western allies, the German Communists should actively support the Soviet Union. More generally, while there was unanimity between Nuding and the German Communist Party in opposing German rearmament in respect of West Germany, Nuding also held that rearmament of East Germany was similarly unacceptable: this was at variance with the strategy of the Ulbricht government and their Soviet backers.\n\nDespite his exclusion from his party posts, Hermann Nuding continued to be listed as a party official till May 1955. He was excluded from party membership only on 17 August 1956, although even after this he continued to be consulted by party officials on political and trades union matters.\n\nPersonal\nHermann Nuding was married twice. His first marriage to Paula Kopp lasted from 1923 till 1947. Paula then, in 1947, married Hans Rueß, and so is frequently identified in sources as Paula Rueß. Hermann Nuding's second marriage to Helene took place in 1957. Neither marriage gave rise to surviving children.\n\nHermann Nuding himself spent his final years in poor health as a pensioner in Luginsland (Stuttgart) where he died in December 1966.\n\nReferences\n\nGerman resistance to Nazism\nPeople condemned by Nazi courts\nExiles from Nazi Germany\nMembers of the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg\nCommunist Party of Germany politicians\n1902 births\n1966 deaths", "Karl Grönsfelder (18 January 1882 – 20 February 1964) was a Bavarian political activist and politician (KPD).\n\nWhen the Communist party was briefly banned in 1923/24, his activism earned him a period in \"protective custody\" in June 1924. A longer period of detention followed the Nazi take-over in 1933. After 1945 Grönsfelder returned to political activism, despite being marginalised and expelled (not for the first time) from the Communist Party in 1949.\n\nLife\n\nProvenance and early years\nKarl Grönsfelder was born in Frankfurt am Main. His parents were in service, his father as a coachman and his mother as a cook. He was brought up by his grandparents in Bartenstein, a small town remotely located in the hills between Heidelberg and Nuremberg. He acquired what was in most respects a basic education at the village school, also receiving training as a mechanic. Between 1900 and 1903 he worked as an itinerant mechanic, taking in Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Siegburg, Krefeld and Cologne. In 1903 Grönsfelder settled in Nuremberg, which is where he would live for the rest of his life.\n\nNuremberg and socialist politics\nNuremberg was a booming industrial city and a bastion of Germany's increasingly assertive labour movement. In 1908 Grönsfelder joined the Social Democratic Party (\"Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands\" / SPD). It was also in 1908 that he joined the Metal Workers' Union. Between 1910 and 1913 he was a member of a political circle of \"young comrades\" who studied socialist literature and backed the charismatic socialist philosopher-activist Rosa Luxemburg. During a period when the political left was buzzing with shifting thought patterns and alliances, he tended as a young man to find himself at the more extreme end of the party spectrum, and critical of what he would have identified as Bernstein revisionism. During the war years, between 1914 and 1918, his mechanical skills were much in demand.\n\nParty splits\nThe decision in 1914 of the SPD leadership to accept what amounted to a political truce for the duration of the war became progressively more contentious within the party because of the industrial scale of the slaughter on the front and the destitution inflicted on the civilian population at home. In 1917 the party split apart, primarily over whether or not to continue to back parliamentary votes to fund the war. Grönsfelder was a member of the breakaway group that became the Independent Social Democratic Party (Unabhängige Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands / USPD). Two years later, as the USPD itself broke up, he was a founder member in Nuremberg of the German Communist Party. Within the party he was an outspoken advocate, notably in respect of trades union matters. In 1920 the membership at Nuremberg's huge MAN truck plant elected him to the works council. Within the party he was a member of the regional leadership (Berzirksleitung), serving as chairman of it between 1921 and 1924. He represented the Nuremberg Communists at party conferences nationally, and, in the case of the Comintern Third World Congress held in Moscow in June 1921, internationally. In 1923, Grönsfelder was appointed to the party's Trades Union Commission and, at the same time, elected a member of the national party executive committee.\n\nParty activism and Landtag membership\nOn 19 December 1923 he succeeded as a communist member in the Bavarian Parliament (Landtag) after Eisenberger took a job in Moscow with the Comintern. Grönsfelder would continue to sit as a member till 1928. However, as economic destitution in the country spilled into violence the Communist Party was banned for several months at the end of 1923, and Grönsfelder, who continued with his party work, was arrested in June 1924 and, despite the parliamentary immunity which membership of the legislature should have conferred, briefly held in \"protective custody\". He was nevertheless released in time to participate in the regional elections of 1924 in which he was re-elected.\n\nIn 1925 he was combining his parliamentary work with work as ab party instructor for the Augsburg sub-district. In 1926 he became regional secretary and, after 1928, secretary for trades union matters in the North Bavaria regional leadership.\n\nParty split\nThe death of Lenin early in 1924 opened the way for a lengthy and wide-ranging power struggle in the Soviet Communist Party. Savage factionalism in Moscow found its direct counterpart in the German Communist Party. By 1929 most party members in Moscow who might have constituted a threat to Stalin's agenda had been removed from positions of power and influence, while the German party was under the increasingly tight control of the hardline Stalinist faction around Ernst Thälmann. Within the party there was growing apprehension at the rise of the National Socialist Workers' (Nazi) Party, and there were those who advocated collaboration with the SPD in order more effectively to resist the Nazi tide. Stalin, his strategic vision honed by the Russian Civil War, was uncompromising in opposing any collaboration with the SPD, and the German party leadership under Thälmann took the same position, rejecting the idea of any compromise with the \"Social Fascists\". In the North Bavaria region Karl Grönsfelder, representing trades union opinion within the party on the issue, was forthright in his criticism of the party line, and in 1930 he was one of a number of leading communists in the Nuremberg leadership to find himself excluded from The Party.\n\nIn 1928 Heinrich Brandler and August Thalheimer, expelled from the Communist Party two years before Grönsfelder, had founded an alternative Communist Party, known as the Communist Party of Germany (Opposition) ( Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (Opposition) / KPD (Opposition)) Karl Grönsfelder, together with a number of his party comrades in the Franconia / North Bavaria region, now joined the KPD (Opposition). The new alternative Communist Party failed to become the mainstream Communist Party and there was therefore never any chance of a united front against Nazism from the political left, but it nevertheless remained politically vigorous, and in the Nuremberg region Karl Grönsfelder was its leader.\n\nA communist survivor in Nazi Germany\nThe political backdrop changed dramatically in January 1933 when the Nazis took power and converted Germany into a one-party dictatorship. Political activity (except in support of the Nazi party) became illegal. Grönsfelder was arrested by the Gestapo on 12 April 1933 and detained. After his arrest he was briefly held in a temporary prison in Fürth. In May 1933 he was placed for a short time in Stadelheim Prison (Munich) before being transferred to Dachau concentration camp. Grönsfelder later recalled that in the concentration camp internees from the Communist Party and those from the SPD agreed that they should never again \"march alone\", and these discussions were reflected elsewhere in Germany. However, with the party leaderships in exile in Paris and Moscow, and any communist leaders who had failed to escape now locked away, the practical impact of this belated reduction in communist hostility towards the moderate left SPD was not immediately apparent.\n\nHis wife, Emma Grönsfelder (1883–1967), had followed a political trajectory similar to his since 1918, and was arrested at the same time as her husband, and held in \"protective custody\" at the prison in Aichach between April and September 1933.\n\nMany communist leaders arrested by the Gestapo spent the twelve Nazi years locked away. Others died in concentration camps. Karl Grönsfelder was released in 1935, however, after only two years in state custody. There is a suggestion that because of his growing deafness the authorities did not see him as such a major threat as some of his comrades. However, he was unable to register with the labour exchange. He was unemployed between 1935 and 1937, and kept under close state surveillance. After 1937, still closely monitored by the authorities, he was helped by a former Communist comrade identified as \"Ludwig Sch.\" who had subsequently gone over to the Nazis (for what Grönsfelder, writing much later, described as \"legitimate reasons\" - \" aus ehelichen Gründen\") to obtain work as a mechanic in the type-writer department at the Triumph factory (better remembered for manufacturing motor cycles) in Nuremberg.\n\nWar returned in September 1939 and Karl Grönsfelder was arrested again. However, his wife invoked the intervention of the influential former communist who had arranged his job at Triumph, and five days later he was released and sent back to work. Grönsfelder later asserted that if he had stayed in detention just one more day, he would have been transported to Buchenwald concentration camp. Instead, he appears to have spent most of the war years quietly working as a mechanic with Triumph. By 1944, however, aged 62, he was on long-term sick leave: in order to escape the by now constant scourge of the air raids on the cities, he was living in the countryside location to which his daughter and grand daughter had been evacuated.\n\nPost war Bavaria\nThe war ended in May 1945 with Bavaria in the US occupation zone of what had been Germany. Communist Party membership was no longer illegal and Grönsfelder resumed his in 1946. In 1947 he joined the party's regional leadership team (Bezirksleitung) for Bavaria. However, as matters turned out the old tensions within the party had endured. Bavaria filled up with refugees displaced by the red army. Grönsfelder's continued readiness to criticise Stalin grated with members the German party leadership, for many of whom adherence to the Kremlin line was an integral part of being a good antifascist communist. Grönsfelder was denounced as a Titoist and supporter of the hated Brandler. He was expelled from the Communist Party, again, in 1949, although within Bavaria he remained an active and loquacious member of the regional leadership team (Bezirksleitung) till 1953, when he was required to retire on account of his age. By this time, the US occupation zone had been subsumed, in May 1949, into a new US sponsored West German state, and it was here, at Nuremberg, that Karl Grönsfelder died on 20 February 1964.\n\nReferences\n\nPoliticians from Nuremberg\nSocial Democratic Party of Germany politicians\nCommunist Party of Germany politicians\nMembers of the Landtag of Bavaria\nCommunist Party of Germany (Opposition) politicians\nCommunists in the German Resistance\nDachau concentration camp survivors\n1882 births\n1964 deaths" ]
[ "Jack London", "Socialism", "what part did jack have in socialism?", "London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896.", "what was his part in the party?", "London wrote from a socialist viewpoint," ]
C_f68d2d0f5ff24d109a3a830e107f69b9_0
what was his viewpoint?
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What was Jack London's viewpoint in the Socialist Labor Party?
Jack London
London wrote from a socialist viewpoint, which is evident in his novel The Iron Heel. Neither a theorist nor an intellectual socialist, London's socialism grew out of his life experience. As London explained in his essay, "How I Became a Socialist", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit. His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary. He wrote that his individualism was hammered out of him, and he was politically reborn. He often closed his letters "Yours for the Revolution." London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896. In the same year, the San Francisco Chronicle published a story about the twenty-year-old London giving nightly speeches in Oakland's City Hall Park, an activity he was arrested for a year later. In 1901, he left the Socialist Labor Party and joined the new Socialist Party of America. He ran unsuccessfully as the high-profile Socialist candidate for mayor of Oakland in 1901 (receiving 245 votes) and 1905 (improving to 981 votes), toured the country lecturing on socialism in 1906, and published two collections of essays about socialism: The War of the Classes (1905) and Revolution, and other Essays (1906). Stasz notes that "London regarded the Wobblies as a welcome addition to the Socialist cause, although he never joined them in going so far as to recommend sabotage." Stasz mentions a personal meeting between London and Big Bill Haywood in 1912. In his late (1913) book The Cruise of the Snark, London writes about appeals to him for membership of the Snark's crew from office workers and other "toilers" who longed for escape from the cities, and of being cheated by workmen. In his Glen Ellen ranch years, London felt some ambivalence toward socialism and complained about the "inefficient Italian labourers" in his employ. In 1916, he resigned from the Glen Ellen chapter of the Socialist Party, but stated emphatically he did so "because of its lack of fire and fight, and its loss of emphasis on the class struggle." In an unflattering portrait of London's ranch days, California cultural historian Kevin Starr refers to this period as "post-socialist" and says "... by 1911 ... London was more bored by the class struggle than he cared to admit." CANNOTANSWER
", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit.
John Griffith London (born John Griffith Chaney; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916) was an American novelist, journalist and social activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction. London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of unionization, workers' rights, socialism, and eugenics. He wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam. His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay", and "The Heathen". Family Jack London was born January 12, 1876. His mother, Flora Wellman, was the fifth and youngest child of Pennsylvania Canal builder Marshall Wellman and his first wife, Eleanor Garrett Jones. Marshall Wellman was descended from Thomas Wellman, an early Puritan settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Flora left Ohio and moved to the Pacific coast when her father remarried after her mother died. In San Francisco, Flora worked as a music teacher and spiritualist, claiming to channel the spirit of a Sauk chief, Black Hawk. Biographer Clarice Stasz and others believe London's father was astrologer William Chaney. Flora Wellman was living with Chaney in San Francisco when she became pregnant. Whether Wellman and Chaney were legally married is unknown. Stasz notes that in his memoirs, Chaney refers to London's mother Flora Wellman as having been "his wife"; he also cites an advertisement in which Flora called herself "Florence Wellman Chaney". According to Flora Wellman's account, as recorded in the San Francisco Chronicle of June 4, 1875, Chaney demanded that she have an abortion. When she refused, he disclaimed responsibility for the child. In desperation, she shot herself. She was not seriously wounded, but she was temporarily deranged. After giving birth, Flora sent the baby for wet-nursing to Virginia (Jennie) Prentiss, a formerly enslaved African-American woman and a neighbor. Prentiss was an important maternal figure throughout London's life, and he would later refer to her as his primary source of love and affection as a child. Late in 1876, Flora Wellman married John London, a partially disabled Civil War veteran, and brought her baby John, later known as Jack, to live with the newly married couple. The family moved around the San Francisco Bay Area before settling in Oakland, where London completed public grade school. The Prentiss family moved with the Londons, and remained a stable source of care for the young Jack. In 1897, when he was 21 and a student at the University of California, Berkeley, London searched for and read the newspaper accounts of his mother's suicide attempt and the name of his biological father. He wrote to William Chaney, then living in Chicago. Chaney responded that he could not be London's father because he was impotent; he casually asserted that London's mother had relations with other men and averred that she had slandered him when she said he insisted on an abortion. Chaney concluded by saying that he was more to be pitied than London. London was devastated by his father's letter; in the months following, he quit school at Berkeley and went to the Klondike during the gold rush boom. Early life London was born near Third and Brannan Streets in San Francisco. The house burned down in the fire after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake; the California Historical Society placed a plaque at the site in 1953. Although the family was working class, it was not as impoverished as London's later accounts claimed. London was largely self-educated. In 1885, London found and read Ouida's long Victorian novel Signa. He credited this as the seed of his literary success. In 1886, he went to the Oakland Public Library and found a sympathetic librarian, Ina Coolbrith, who encouraged his learning. (She later became California's first poet laureate and an important figure in the San Francisco literary community). In 1889, London began working 12 to 18 hours a day at Hickmott's Cannery. Seeking a way out, he borrowed money from his foster mother Virginia Prentiss, bought the sloop Razzle-Dazzle from an oyster pirate named French Frank, and became an oyster pirate himself. In his memoir, John Barleycorn, he claims also to have stolen French Frank's mistress Mamie. After a few months, his sloop became damaged beyond repair. London hired on as a member of the California Fish Patrol. In 1893, he signed on to the sealing schooner Sophie Sutherland, bound for the coast of Japan. When he returned, the country was in the grip of the panic of '93 and Oakland was swept by labor unrest. After grueling jobs in a jute mill and a street-railway power plant, London joined Coxey's Army and began his career as a tramp. In 1894, he spent 30 days for vagrancy in the Erie County Penitentiary at Buffalo, New York. In The Road, he wrote: After many experiences as a hobo and a sailor, he returned to Oakland and attended Oakland High School. He contributed a number of articles to the high school's magazine, The Aegis. His first published work was "Typhoon off the Coast of Japan", an account of his sailing experiences. As a schoolboy, London often studied at Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon, a port-side bar in Oakland. At 17, he confessed to the bar's owner, John Heinold, his desire to attend university and pursue a career as a writer. Heinold lent London tuition money to attend college. London desperately wanted to attend the University of California, located in Berkeley. In 1896, after a summer of intense studying to pass certification exams, he was admitted. Financial circumstances forced him to leave in 1897, and he never graduated. No evidence has surfaced that he ever wrote for student publications while studying at Berkeley. While at Berkeley, London continued to study and spend time at Heinold's saloon, where he was introduced to the sailors and adventurers who would influence his writing. In his autobiographical novel, John Barleycorn, London mentioned the pub's likeness seventeen times. Heinold's was the place where London met Alexander McLean, a captain known for his cruelty at sea. London based his protagonist Wolf Larsen, in the novel The Sea-Wolf, on McLean. Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon is now unofficially named Jack London's Rendezvous in his honor. Gold rush and first success On July 12, 1897, London (age 21) and his sister's husband Captain Shepard sailed to join the Klondike Gold Rush. This was the setting for some of his first successful stories. London's time in the harsh Klondike, however, was detrimental to his health. Like so many other men who were malnourished in the goldfields, London developed scurvy. His gums became swollen, leading to the loss of his four front teeth. A constant gnawing pain affected his hip and leg muscles, and his face was stricken with marks that always reminded him of the struggles he faced in the Klondike. Father William Judge, "The Saint of Dawson", had a facility in Dawson that provided shelter, food and any available medicine to London and others. His struggles there inspired London's short story, "To Build a Fire" (1902, revised in 1908), which many critics assess as his best. His landlords in Dawson were mining engineers Marshall Latham Bond and Louis Whitford Bond, educated at the Bachelor's level at the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale and at the Master's level at Stanford, respectively. The brothers' father, Judge Hiram Bond, was a wealthy mining investor. While the Bond brothers were at Stanford Hiram at the suggestion of his brother bought the New Park Estate at Santa Clara as well as a local bank. The Bonds, especially Hiram, were active Republicans. Marshall Bond's diary mentions friendly sparring with London on political issues as a camp pastime. London left Oakland with a social conscience and socialist leanings; he returned to become an activist for socialism. He concluded that his only hope of escaping the work "trap" was to get an education and "sell his brains". He saw his writing as a business, his ticket out of poverty, and, he hoped, a means of beating the wealthy at their own game. On returning to California in 1898, London began working to get published, a struggle described in his novel, Martin Eden (serialized in 1908, published in 1909). His first published story since high school was "To the Man On Trail", which has frequently been collected in anthologies. When The Overland Monthly offered him only five dollars for it—and was slow paying—London came close to abandoning his writing career. In his words, "literally and literarily I was saved" when The Black Cat accepted his story "A Thousand Deaths", and paid him $40—the "first money I ever received for a story". London began his writing career just as new printing technologies enabled lower-cost production of magazines. This resulted in a boom in popular magazines aimed at a wide public audience and a strong market for short fiction. In 1900, he made $2,500 in writing, about $ in today's currency. Among the works he sold to magazines was a short story known as either "Diable" (1902) or "Bâtard" (1904), two editions of the same basic story; London received $141.25 for this story on May 27, 1902. In the text, a cruel French Canadian brutalizes his dog, and the dog retaliates and kills the man. London told some of his critics that man's actions are the main cause of the behavior of their animals, and he would show this in another story, The Call of the Wild. In early 1903, London sold The Call of the Wild to The Saturday Evening Post for $750, and the book rights to Macmillan. Macmillan's promotional campaign propelled it to swift success. While living at his rented villa on Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, London met poet George Sterling; in time they became best friends. In 1902, Sterling helped London find a home closer to his own in nearby Piedmont. In his letters London addressed Sterling as "Greek", owing to Sterling's aquiline nose and classical profile, and he signed them as "Wolf". London was later to depict Sterling as Russ Brissenden in his autobiographical novel Martin Eden (1910) and as Mark Hall in The Valley of the Moon (1913). In later life London indulged his wide-ranging interests by accumulating a personal library of 15,000 volumes. He referred to his books as "the tools of my trade". First marriage (1900–1904) London married Elizabeth Mae (or May) "Bessie" Maddern on April 7, 1900, the same day The Son of the Wolf was published. Bess had been part of his circle of friends for a number of years. She was related to stage actresses Minnie Maddern Fiske and Emily Stevens. Stasz says, "Both acknowledged publicly that they were not marrying out of love, but from friendship and a belief that they would produce sturdy children." Kingman says, "they were comfortable together... Jack had made it clear to Bessie that he did not love her, but that he liked her enough to make a successful marriage." London met Bessie through his friend at Oakland High School, Fred Jacobs; she was Fred's fiancée. Bessie, who tutored at Anderson's University Academy in Alameda California, tutored Jack in preparation for his entrance exams for the University of California at Berkeley in 1896. Jacobs was killed aboard the Scandia in 1897, but Jack and Bessie continued their friendship, which included taking photos and developing the film together. This was the beginning of Jack's passion for photography. During the marriage, London continued his friendship with Anna Strunsky, co-authoring The Kempton-Wace Letters, an epistolary novel contrasting two philosophies of love. Anna, writing "Dane Kempton's" letters, arguing for a romantic view of marriage, while London, writing "Herbert Wace's" letters, argued for a scientific view, based on Darwinism and eugenics. In the novel, his fictional character contrasted two women he had known. London's pet name for Bess was "Mother-Girl" and Bess's for London was "Daddy-Boy". Their first child, Joan, was born on January 15, 1901, and their second, Bessie "Becky" (also reported as Bess), on October 20, 1902. Both children were born in Piedmont, California. Here London wrote one of his most celebrated works, The Call of the Wild. While London had pride in his children, the marriage was strained. Kingman says that by 1903 the couple were close to separation as they were "extremely incompatible". "Jack was still so kind and gentle with Bessie that when Cloudsley Johns was a house guest in February 1903 he didn't suspect a breakup of their marriage." London reportedly complained to friends Joseph Noel and George Sterling: Stasz writes that these were "code words for [Bess's] fear that [Jack] was consorting with prostitutes and might bring home venereal disease." On July 24, 1903, London told Bessie he was leaving and moved out. During 1904, London and Bess negotiated the terms of a divorce, and the decree was granted on November 11, 1904. War correspondent (1904) London accepted an assignment of the San Francisco Examiner to cover the Russo-Japanese War in early 1904, arriving in Yokohama on January 25, 1904. He was arrested by Japanese authorities in Shimonoseki, but released through the intervention of American ambassador Lloyd Griscom. After travelling to Korea, he was again arrested by Japanese authorities for straying too close to the border with Manchuria without official permission, and was sent back to Seoul. Released again, London was permitted to travel with the Imperial Japanese Army to the border, and to observe the Battle of the Yalu. London asked William Randolph Hearst, the owner of the San Francisco Examiner, to be allowed to transfer to the Imperial Russian Army, where he felt that restrictions on his reporting and his movements would be less severe. However, before this could be arranged, he was arrested for a third time in four months, this time for assaulting his Japanese assistants, whom he accused of stealing the fodder for his horse. Released through the personal intervention of President Theodore Roosevelt, London departed the front in June 1904. Bohemian Club On August 18, 1904, London went with his close friend, the poet George Sterling, to "Summer High Jinks" at the Bohemian Grove. London was elected to honorary membership in the Bohemian Club and took part in many activities. Other noted members of the Bohemian Club during this time included Ambrose Bierce, Gelett Burgess, Allan Dunn, John Muir, Frank Norris, and Herman George Scheffauer. Beginning in December 1914, London worked on The Acorn Planter, A California Forest Play, to be performed as one of the annual Grove Plays, but it was never selected. It was described as too difficult to set to music. London published The Acorn Planter in 1916. Second marriage After divorcing Maddern, London married Charmian Kittredge in 1905. London had been introduced to Kittredge in 1900 by her aunt Netta Eames, who was an editor at Overland Monthly magazine in San Francisco. The two met prior to his first marriage but became lovers years later after Jack and Bessie London visited Wake Robin, Netta Eames' Sonoma County resort, in 1903. London was injured when he fell from a buggy, and Netta arranged for Charmian to care for him. The two developed a friendship, as Charmian, Netta, her husband Roscoe, and London were politically aligned with socialist causes. At some point the relationship became romantic, and Jack divorced his wife to marry Charmian, who was five years his senior. Biographer Russ Kingman called Charmian "Jack's soul-mate, always at his side, and a perfect match." Their time together included numerous trips, including a 1907 cruise on the yacht Snark to Hawaii and Australia. Many of London's stories are based on his visits to Hawaii, the last one for 10 months beginning in December 1915. The couple also visited Goldfield, Nevada, in 1907, where they were guests of the Bond brothers, London's Dawson City landlords. The Bond brothers were working in Nevada as mining engineers. London had contrasted the concepts of the "Mother Girl" and the "Mate Woman" in The Kempton-Wace Letters. His pet name for Bess had been "Mother-Girl;" his pet name for Charmian was "Mate-Woman." Charmian's aunt and foster mother, a disciple of Victoria Woodhull, had raised her without prudishness. Every biographer alludes to Charmian's uninhibited sexuality. Joseph Noel calls the events from 1903 to 1905 "a domestic drama that would have intrigued the pen of an Ibsen.... London's had comedy relief in it and a sort of easy-going romance." In broad outline, London was restless in his first marriage, sought extramarital sexual affairs, and found, in Charmian Kittredge, not only a sexually active and adventurous partner, but his future life-companion. They attempted to have children; one child died at birth, and another pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. In 1906, London published in Collier's magazine his eye-witness report of the San Francisco earthquake. Beauty Ranch (1905–1916) In 1905, London purchased a ranch in Glen Ellen, Sonoma County, California, on the eastern slope of Sonoma Mountain. He wrote: "Next to my wife, the ranch is the dearest thing in the world to me." He desperately wanted the ranch to become a successful business enterprise. Writing, always a commercial enterprise with London, now became even more a means to an end: "I write for no other purpose than to add to the beauty that now belongs to me. I write a book for no other reason than to add three or four hundred acres to my magnificent estate." Stasz writes that London "had taken fully to heart the vision, expressed in his agrarian fiction, of the land as the closest earthly version of Eden ... he educated himself through the study of agricultural manuals and scientific tomes. He conceived of a system of ranching that today would be praised for its ecological wisdom." He was proud to own the first concrete silo in California. He hoped to adapt the wisdom of Asian sustainable agriculture to the United States. He hired both Italian and Chinese stonemasons, whose distinctly different styles are obvious. The ranch was an economic failure. Sympathetic observers such as Stasz treat his projects as potentially feasible, and ascribe their failure to bad luck or to being ahead of their time. Unsympathetic historians such as Kevin Starr suggest that he was a bad manager, distracted by other concerns and impaired by his alcoholism. Starr notes that London was absent from his ranch about six months a year between 1910 and 1916 and says, "He liked the show of managerial power, but not grinding attention to detail .... London's workers laughed at his efforts to play big-time rancher [and considered] the operation a rich man's hobby." London spent $80,000 ($ in current value) to build a stone mansion called Wolf House on the property. Just as the mansion was nearing completion, two weeks before the Londons planned to move in, it was destroyed by fire. London's last visit to Hawaii, beginning in December 1915, lasted eight months. He met with Duke Kahanamoku, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole, Queen Lili'uokalani and many others, before returning to his ranch in July 1916. He was suffering from kidney failure, but he continued to work. The ranch (abutting stone remnants of Wolf House) is now a National Historic Landmark and is protected in Jack London State Historic Park. Animal activism London witnessed animal cruelty in the training of circus animals, and his subsequent novels Jerry of the Islands and Michael, Brother of Jerry included a foreword entreating the public to become more informed about this practice. In 1918, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the American Humane Education Society teamed up to create the Jack London Club, which sought to inform the public about cruelty to circus animals and encourage them to protest this establishment. Support from Club members led to a temporary cessation of trained animal acts at Ringling-Barnum and Bailey in 1925. Death London died November 22, 1916, in a sleeping porch in a cottage on his ranch. London had been a robust man but had suffered several serious illnesses, including scurvy in the Klondike. Additionally, during travels on the Snark, he and Charmian picked up unspecified tropical infections and diseases, including yaws. At the time of his death, he suffered from dysentery, late-stage alcoholism, and uremia; he was in extreme pain and taking morphine. London's ashes were buried on his property not far from the Wolf House. London's funeral took place on November 26, 1916, attended only by close friends, relatives, and workers of the property. In accordance with his wishes, he was cremated and buried next to some pioneer children, under a rock that belonged to the Wolf House. After Charmian's death in 1955, she was also cremated and then buried with her husband in the same spot that her husband chose. The grave is marked by a mossy boulder. The buildings and property were later preserved as Jack London State Historic Park, in Glen Ellen, California. Suicide debate Because he was using morphine, many older sources describe London's death as a suicide, and some still do. This conjecture appears to be a rumor, or speculation based on incidents in his fiction writings. His death certificate gives the cause as uremia, following acute renal colic. The biographer Stasz writes, "Following London's death, for a number of reasons, a biographical myth developed in which he has been portrayed as an alcoholic womanizer who committed suicide. Recent scholarship based upon firsthand documents challenges this caricature." Most biographers, including Russ Kingman, now agree he died of uremia aggravated by an accidental morphine overdose. London's fiction featured several suicides. In his autobiographical memoir John Barleycorn, he claims, as a youth, to have drunkenly stumbled overboard into the San Francisco Bay, "some maundering fancy of going out with the tide suddenly obsessed me". He said he drifted and nearly succeeded in drowning before sobering up and being rescued by fishermen. In the dénouement of The Little Lady of the Big House, the heroine, confronted by the pain of a mortal gunshot wound, undergoes a physician-assisted suicide by morphine. Also, in Martin Eden, the principal protagonist, who shares certain characteristics with London, drowns himself. Plagiarism accusations London was vulnerable to accusations of plagiarism, both because he was such a conspicuous, prolific, and successful writer and because of his methods of working. He wrote in a letter to Elwyn Hoffman, "expression, you see—with me—is far easier than invention." He purchased plots and novels from the young Sinclair Lewis and used incidents from newspaper clippings as writing material. In July 1901, two pieces of fiction appeared within the same month: London's "Moon-Face", in the San Francisco Argonaut, and Frank Norris' "The Passing of Cock-eye Blacklock", in Century Magazine. Newspapers showed the similarities between the stories, which London said were "quite different in manner of treatment, [but] patently the same in foundation and motive." London explained both writers based their stories on the same newspaper account. A year later, it was discovered that Charles Forrest McLean had published a fictional story also based on the same incident. Egerton Ryerson Young claimed The Call of the Wild (1903) was taken from Young's book My Dogs in the Northland (1902). London acknowledged using it as a source and claimed to have written a letter to Young thanking him. In 1906, the New York World published "deadly parallel" columns showing eighteen passages from London's short story "Love of Life" side by side with similar passages from a nonfiction article by Augustus Biddle and J. K. Macdonald, titled "Lost in the Land of the Midnight Sun". London noted the World did not accuse him of "plagiarism", but only of "identity of time and situation", to which he defiantly "pled guilty". The most serious charge of plagiarism was based on London's "The Bishop's Vision", Chapter 7 of his novel The Iron Heel (1908). The chapter is nearly identical to an ironic essay that Frank Harris published in 1901, titled "The Bishop of London and Public Morality". Harris was incensed and suggested he should receive 1/60th of the royalties from The Iron Heel, the disputed material constituting about that fraction of the whole novel. London insisted he had clipped a reprint of the article, which had appeared in an American newspaper, and believed it to be a genuine speech delivered by the Bishop of London. Views Atheism London was an atheist. He is quoted as saying, "I believe that when I am dead, I am dead. I believe that with my death I am just as much obliterated as the last mosquito you and I squashed." Socialism London wrote from a socialist viewpoint, which is evident in his novel The Iron Heel. Neither a theorist nor an intellectual socialist, London's socialism grew out of his life experience. As London explained in his essay, "How I Became a Socialist", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit. His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary. He wrote that his individualism was hammered out of him, and he was politically reborn. He often closed his letters "Yours for the Revolution." London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896. In the same year, the San Francisco Chronicle published a story about the twenty-year-old London's giving nightly speeches in Oakland's City Hall Park, an activity he was arrested for a year later. In 1901, he left the Socialist Labor Party and joined the new Socialist Party of America. He ran unsuccessfully as the high-profile Socialist candidate for mayor of Oakland in 1901 (receiving 245 votes) and 1905 (improving to 981 votes), toured the country lecturing on socialism in 1906, and published two collections of essays about socialism: War of the Classes (1905) and Revolution, and other Essays (1906). Stasz notes that "London regarded the Wobblies as a welcome addition to the Socialist cause, although he never joined them in going so far as to recommend sabotage." Stasz mentions a personal meeting between London and Big Bill Haywood in 1912. In his late (1913) book The Cruise of the Snark, London writes about appeals to him for membership of the Snarks crew from office workers and other "toilers" who longed for escape from the cities, and of being cheated by workmen. In his Glen Ellen ranch years, London felt some ambivalence toward socialism and complained about the "inefficient Italian labourers" in his employ. In 1916, he resigned from the Glen Ellen chapter of the Socialist Party, but stated emphatically he did so "because of its lack of fire and fight, and its loss of emphasis on the class struggle." In an unflattering portrait of London's ranch days, California cultural historian Kevin Starr refers to this period as "post-socialist" and says "... by 1911 ... London was more bored by the class struggle than he cared to admit." Race London shared common concerns among many European Americans in California about Asian immigration, described as "the yellow peril"; he used the latter term as the title of a 1904 essay. This theme was also the subject of a story he wrote in 1910 called "The Unparalleled Invasion". Presented as an historical essay set in the future, the story narrates events between 1976 and 1987, in which China, with an ever-increasing population, is taking over and colonizing its neighbors with the intention of taking over the entire Earth. The western nations respond with biological warfare and bombard China with dozens of the most infectious diseases. On his fears about China, he admits, "it must be taken into consideration that the above postulate is itself a product of Western race-egotism, urged by our belief in our own righteousness and fostered by a faith in ourselves which may be as erroneous as are most fond race fancies." By contrast, many of London's short stories are notable for their empathetic portrayal of Mexican ("The Mexican"), Asian ("The Chinago"), and Hawaiian ("Koolau the Leper") characters. London's war correspondence from the Russo-Japanese War, as well as his unfinished novel Cherry, show he admired much about Japanese customs and capabilities. London's writings have been popular among the Japanese, who believe he portrayed them positively. In "Koolau the Leper", London describes Koolau, who is a Hawaiian leper—and thus a very different sort of "superman" than Martin Eden—and who fights off an entire cavalry troop to elude capture, as "indomitable spiritually—a ... magnificent rebel". This character is based on Hawaiian leper Kaluaikoolau, who in 1893 revolted and resisted capture from forces of the Provisional Government of Hawaii in the Kalalau Valley. Those who defend London against charges of racism cite the letter he wrote to the Japanese-American Commercial Weekly in 1913: In 1996, after the City of Whitehorse, Yukon, renamed a street in honor of London, protests over London's alleged racism forced the city to change the name of "Jack London Boulevard" back to "Two-mile Hill". Shortly after boxer Jack Johnson was crowned the first black world heavyweight champ in 1908, London pleaded for a "great white hope" to come forward to defeat Johnson, writing: "Jim Jeffries must now emerge from his Alfalfa farm and remove that golden smile from Jack Johnson's face. Jeff, it's up to you. The White Man must be rescued." Eugenics With other modernist writers of the day, London supported eugenics. The notion of "good breeding" complimented the Progressive era scientism, the belief that humans assort along a hierarchy by race, religion, and ethnicity. The Progressive Era catalog of inferiority offered basis for threats to American Anglo-Saxon racial integrity. London wrote to Frederick H. Robinson of the periodical Medical Review of Reviews, stating, "I believe the future belongs to eugenics, and will be determined by the practice of eugenics." Although this led some to argue for forced sterilization of criminals or those deemed feeble-minded., London did not express this extreme. His short story "Told in the Drooling Ward" is from the viewpoint of a surprisingly astute "feebled-minded" person. Hensley argues that London's novel Before Adam (1906–07) reveals pro-eugenic themes. London advised his collaborator Anna Strunsky during preparation of The Kempton-Wace Letters that he would take the role of eugenics in mating, while she would argue on behalf of romantic love. (Love won the argument.) The Valley of the Moon emphasizes the theme of "real Americans," the Anglo Saxon, yet in Little Lady of the Big House, London is more nuanced. The protagonist's argument is not that all white men are superior, but that there are more superior ones among whites than in other races. By encouraging the best in any race to mate will improve its population qualities. Living in Hawaii challenged his orthodoxy. In "My Hawaiian Aloha," London noted the liberal intermarrying of races, concluding how "little Hawaii, with its hotch potch races, is making a better demonstration than the United States." Works Short stories Western writer and historian Dale L. Walker writes: London's "strength of utterance" is at its height in his stories, and they are painstakingly well-constructed. "To Build a Fire" is the best known of all his stories. Set in the harsh Klondike, it recounts the haphazard trek of a new arrival who has ignored an old-timer's warning about the risks of traveling alone. Falling through the ice into a creek in seventy-five-below weather, the unnamed man is keenly aware that survival depends on his untested skills at quickly building a fire to dry his clothes and warm his extremities. After publishing a tame version of this story—with a sunny outcome—in The Youth's Companion in 1902, London offered a second, more severe take on the man's predicament in The Century Magazine in 1908. Reading both provides an illustration of London's growth and maturation as a writer. As Labor (1994) observes: "To compare the two versions is itself an instructive lesson in what distinguished a great work of literary art from a good children's story." Other stories from the Klondike period include: "All Gold Canyon", about a battle between a gold prospector and a claim jumper; "The Law of Life", about an aging American Indian man abandoned by his tribe and left to die; "Love of Life", about a trek by a prospector across the Canadian tundra; "To the Man on Trail," which tells the story of a prospector fleeing the Mounted Police in a sled race, and raises the question of the contrast between written law and morality; and "An Odyssey of the North," which raises questions of conditional morality, and paints a sympathetic portrait of a man of mixed White and Aleut ancestry. London was a boxing fan and an avid amateur boxer. "A Piece of Steak" is a tale about a match between older and younger boxers. It contrasts the differing experiences of youth and age but also raises the social question of the treatment of aging workers. "The Mexican" combines boxing with a social theme, as a young Mexican endures an unfair fight and ethnic prejudice to earn money with which to aid the revolution. Several of London's stories would today be classified as science fiction. "The Unparalleled Invasion" describes germ warfare against China; "Goliath" is about an irresistible energy weapon; "The Shadow and the Flash" is a tale about two brothers who take different routes to achieving invisibility; "A Relic of the Pliocene" is a tall tale about an encounter of a modern-day man with a mammoth. "The Red One" is a late story from a period when London was intrigued by the theories of the psychiatrist and writer Jung. It tells of an island tribe held in thrall by an extraterrestrial object. Some nineteen original collections of short stories were published during London's brief life or shortly after his death. There have been several posthumous anthologies drawn from this pool of stories. Many of these stories were located in the Klondike and the Pacific. A collection of Jack London's San Francisco Stories was published in October 2010 by Sydney Samizdat Press. Novels London's most famous novels are The Call of the Wild, White Fang, The Sea-Wolf, The Iron Heel, and Martin Eden. In a letter dated December 27, 1901, London's Macmillan publisher George Platt Brett, Sr., said "he believed Jack's fiction represented 'the very best kind of work' done in America." Critic Maxwell Geismar called The Call of the Wild "a beautiful prose poem"; editor Franklin Walker said that it "belongs on a shelf with Walden and Huckleberry Finn"; and novelist E.L. Doctorow called it "a mordant parable ... his masterpiece." The historian Dale L. Walker commented: Some critics have said that his novels are episodic and resemble linked short stories. Dale L. Walker writes: Ambrose Bierce said of The Sea-Wolf that "the great thing—and it is among the greatest of things—is that tremendous creation, Wolf Larsen ... the hewing out and setting up of such a figure is enough for a man to do in one lifetime." However, he noted, "The love element, with its absurd suppressions, and impossible proprieties, is awful." The Iron Heel is an example of a dystopian novel that anticipates and influenced George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. London's socialist politics are explicitly on display here. The Iron Heel meets the contemporary definition of soft science fiction. The Star Rover (1915) is also science fiction. Apocrypha Jack London Credo London's literary executor, Irving Shepard, quoted a Jack London Credo in an introduction to a 1956 collection of London stories: I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time. The biographer Stasz notes that the passage "has many marks of London's style" but the only line that could be safely attributed to London was the first. The words Shepard quoted were from a story in the San Francisco Bulletin, December 2, 1916, by journalist Ernest J. Hopkins, who visited the ranch just weeks before London's death. Stasz notes, "Even more so than today journalists' quotes were unreliable or even sheer inventions," and says no direct source in London's writings has been found. However, at least one line, according to Stasz, is authentic, being referenced by London and written in his own hand in the autograph book of Australian suffragette Vida Goldstein: Dear Miss Goldstein:– Seven years ago I wrote you that I'd rather be ashes than dust. I still subscribe to that sentiment. Sincerely yours, Jack London Jan. 13, 1909 In his short story "By The Turtles of Tasman", a character, defending her "ne'er-do-well grasshopperish father" to her "antlike uncle", says: "... my father has been a king. He has lived .... Have you lived merely to live? Are you afraid to die? I'd rather sing one wild song and burst my heart with it, than live a thousand years watching my digestion and being afraid of the wet. When you are dust, my father will be ashes." "The Scab" A short diatribe on "The Scab" is often quoted within the U.S. labor movement and frequently attributed to London. It opens: In 1913 and 1914, a number of newspapers printed the first three sentences with varying terms used instead of "scab", such as "knocker","The Food for Your Think Tank", The Macon Daily Telegraph, August 23, 1914, p. 3 "stool pigeon" or "scandal monger". This passage as given above was the subject of a 1974 Supreme Court case, Letter Carriers v. Austin, in which Justice Thurgood Marshall referred to it as "a well-known piece of trade union literature, generally attributed to author Jack London". A union newsletter had published a "list of scabs," which was granted to be factual and therefore not libelous, but then went on to quote the passage as the "definition of a scab". The case turned on the question of whether the "definition" was defamatory. The court ruled that "Jack London's... 'definition of a scab' is merely rhetorical hyperbole, a lusty and imaginative expression of the contempt felt by union members towards those who refuse to join", and as such was not libelous and was protected under the First Amendment. Despite being frequently attributed to London, the passage does not appear at all in the extensive collection of his writings at Sonoma State University's website. However, in his book War of the Classes he published a 1903 speech titled "The Scab", which gave a much more balanced view of the topic: Publications Source unless otherwise specified: Novels The Cruise of the Dazzler (1902) A Daughter of the Snows (1902) The Call of the Wild (1903) The Kempton-Wace Letters (1903) (published anonymously, co-authored with Anna Strunsky) The Sea-Wolf (1904) The Game (1905) White Fang (1906) Before Adam (1907) The Iron Heel (1908) Martin Eden (1909) Burning Daylight (1910) Adventure (1911) The Scarlet Plague (1912) A Son of the Sun (1912) The Abysmal Brute (1913) The Valley of the Moon (1913) The Mutiny of the Elsinore (1914) The Star Rover (1915) (published in England as The Jacket) The Little Lady of the Big House (1916) Jerry of the Islands (1917) Michael, Brother of Jerry (1917) Hearts of Three (1920) (novelization of a script by Charles Goddard) The Assassination Bureau, Ltd (1963) (left half-finished, completed by Robert L. Fish) Short story collections Son of the Wolf (1900) Chris Farrington, Able Seaman (1901) The God of His Fathers & Other Stories (1901) Children of the Frost (1902) The Faith of Men and Other Stories (1904) Tales of the Fish Patrol (1906) Moon-Face and Other Stories (1906) Love of Life and Other Stories (1907) Lost Face (1910) South Sea Tales (1911) When God Laughs and Other Stories (1911) The House of Pride & Other Tales of Hawaii (1912) Smoke Bellew (1912) A Son of the Sun (1912) The Night Born (1913) The Strength of the Strong (1914) The Turtles of Tasman (1916) The Human Drift (1917) The Red One (1918) On the Makaloa Mat (1919) Dutch Courage and Other Stories (1922) Autobiographical memoirs The Road (1907) The Cruise of the Snark (1911) John Barleycorn (1913) Non-fiction and essays Through the Rapids on the Way to the Klondike (1899) From Dawson to the Sea (1899) What Communities Lose by the Competitive System (1900) The Impossibility of War (1900) Phenomena of Literary Evolution (1900) A Letter to Houghton Mifflin Co. (1900) Husky, Wolf Dog of the North (1900) Editorial Crimes – A Protest (1901) Again the Literary Aspirant (1902) The People of the Abyss (1903) How I Became a Socialist (1903) War of the Classes (1905) The Story of an Eyewitness (1906) A Letter to Woman's Home Companion (1906) "The Lepers of Molokai" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) "The Nature Man" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) "The High Seat of Abundance" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) Revolution, and other Essays (1910) Mexico's Army and Ours (1914) Lawgivers (1914) Our Adventures in Tampico (1914) Stalking the Pestilence (1914) The Red Game of War (1914) The Trouble Makers of Mexico (1914) With Funston's Men (1914) Plays Theft (1910) Daughters of the Rich: A One Act Play (1915) The Acorn Planter: A California Forest Play (1916) Poetry A Heart (1899) Abalone Song (1913) And Some Night (1914) Ballade of the False Lover (1914) Cupid's Deal (1913) Daybreak (1901) Effusion (1901) George Sterling (1913) Gold (1915) He Chortled with Glee (1899) He Never Tried Again (1912) His Trip to Hades (1913) Homeland (1914) Hors de Saison (1913) If I Were God (1899) In a Year (1901) In and Out (1911) Je Vis en Espoir (1897) Memory (1913) Moods (1913) My Confession (1912) My Little Palmist (1914) Of Man of the Future (1915) Oh You Everybody's Girl (19) On the Face of the Earth You are the One (1915) Rainbows End (1914) Republican Rallying Song (1916) Sonnet (1901) The Gift of God (1905) The Klondyker's Dream (1914) The Lover's Liturgy (1913) The Mammon Worshippers (1911) The Republican Battle-Hymn (1905) The Return of Ulysses (1915) The Sea Sprite and the Shooting Star (1916) The Socialist's Dream (1912) The Song of the Flames (1903) The Way of War (1906) The Worker and the Tramp (1911) Tick! Tick! Tick! (1915) Too Late (1912) Weasel Thieves (1913) When All the World Shouted my Name (1905) Where the Rainbow Fell (1902) Your Kiss (1914) Short stories "Typhoon off the Coast of Japan" (November 12, 1893) " 'Frisco Kid's' Story" (February 15, 1895) "Sakaicho, Hona Asi and Hakadaki" (April 19, 1895) "Night's Swim In Yeddo Bay" (May 27, 1895) "Who Believes in Ghosts!" (October 21, 1895) "And 'Frisco Kid Came Back" (November 4, 1895) "One More Unfortunate" (December 18, 1895) "O Haru" (1993; written in April 1897) "The Mahatma's Little Joke" (1993; written in May 1897) "The Strange Experience of a Misogynist" (1993; written between May and September 1897), originally titled "The Misogynist" "Two Gold Bricks" (September 1897) "The Plague Ship" (1993; written between September and December 1897) "The Devil’s Dice Box" (December 1976; written in September 1898) "The Test: A Clondyke Wooing" (1983; written in September 1898) "A Klondike Christmas" (1983; written in November 1898) "A Dream Image" (1898) "To the Man on Trail: A Klondike Christmas" (January 1899) "The White Silence" (February 1899) "The Son of the Wolf" (April 1899) "The Men of Forty-Mile" (May 1899) "A Thousand Deaths" (May 1899) "An Old Soldier's Story" (May 20, 1899) "In a Far Country" (June 1899) "The Priestly Prerogative" (July 1899) "The Handsome Cabin Boy" (July 1899) "The Wife of a King" (August 1899) "In the Time of Prince Charley" (September 1899) "Old Baldy" (September 16, 1899) "The Grilling of Loren Ellery" (September 24, 1899) "The Rejuvenation of Major Rathbone" (November 1899) "The King of Mazy May" (November 30, 1899) "The Wisdom of the Trail" (December 1899) "A Daughter of the Aurora" (December 24, 1899) "Pluck and Pertinacity" (1899) "An Odyssey of the North" (January 1900) "A Lesson in Heraldry" (March 1900) "The End of the Chapter" (June 9, 1900) "Uri Bram's God" (June 24, 1900) "Even unto Death" (July 28, 1900) "Grit of Women" (August 1900) "Jan the Unrepentant" (August 1900) "The Man with the Gash" (September 1900) "Their Alcove" (September 1900) "Housekeeping in the Klondike" (September 16, 1900) "The Proper 'Girlie' " (October 1900) "Thanksgiving on Slav Creek" (November 24, 1900) "Where the Trail Forks" (December 1900) "The Great Interrogation" (December 1900) "Semper Idem" (December 1900) "A Northland Miracle" (November 4, 1926; written in 1900) "Dutch Courage" (November 29, 1900) "A Relic of the Pliocene" (January 12, 1901) "The Law of Life" (March 1901) "Siwash" (March 1901) "The Lost Poacher" (March 14, 1901) "At the Rainbow's End" (March 24, 1901) "The God of His Fathers" (May 1901) "The Scorn of Woman" (May 1901) "The Minions of Midas" (May 1901) "Chris Farrington: Able Seaman" (May 23, 1901) "A Hyperborean Brew" (July 1901) "Bald Face" (September 6, 1901) "Keesh, Son of Keesh" (January 1902) "An Adventure in the Upper Sea" (May 1902) "To Build a Fire" (May 29, 1902, revised August 1908) "Diable --- A Dog" (June 1902), renamed Bâtard in 1904 "To Repel Boarders" (June 1902) "The ‘Fuzziness' of Hoockla-Heen" (July 3, 1902) "Moon-Face" (July 21, 1902) "Nam-Bok, the Liar" (August 1902) "Li Wan the Fair" (August 1902) "The Master of Mystery" (September 1902) "In the Forests of the North" (September 1902) "The Sunlanders" (September 1902) "The Death of Ligoun" (September 1902) "The Story of Jees Uck" (September 1902) "The Sickness of Lone Chief" (October 1902) "The League of the Old Men" (October 4, 1902) "Lost Face" (1902) "Master of Mystery" (1902) "In Yeddo Bay" (February 1903) "The One Thousand Dozen" (March 1903) "The Shadow and the Flash" (June 1903) “The Faith of Men" (June 1903) "The Leopard Man's Story" (August 1903) "The Marriage of Lit-Lit" (September 1903) "Local Color" (October 1903) "Too Much Gold" (December 1903) "Amateur Night" (December 1903) "The Dominant Primordial Beast" (1903) "Keesh, The Bear Hunter" (January 1904); often reprinted as "The Story of Keesh" "The Banks of the Sacramento" (March 17, 1904) "White and Yellow" (February 16, 1905) "The King of the Greeks" (March 2, 1905) "A Raid on the Oyster Pirates" (March 16, 1905) "The Siege of the 'Lancashire Queen' ” (March 30, 1905) "Charley's Coup” (April 13, 1905) "Demetrios Contos” (April 27, 1905) "Yellow Handkerchief” (May 11, 1905) "All Gold Cañon" (November 1905) "Love of Life" (December 1905) "The Sun-Dog Trail" (December 1905) "A Nose for the King" (March 1906) "Planchette" (June 1906) "The Unexpected" (August 1906) "Brown Wolf" (August 1906) "The Apostate" (September 1906) "Up the Slide" (October 25, 1906) "A Wicked Woman" (November 1906) "The White Man's Way" (November 4, 1906) "The Wit of Porportuk" (December 1906) "When God Laughs" (January 1907) "Just Meat" (March 1907) "Created He Them" (April 1907) "Morganson's Finish" (May 1907) "A Day's Lodging" (May 25, 1907) "Negore the Coward" (September 1907) "Chased by the Trail" (September 26, 1907) "The Passing of Marcus O'Brien" (January 1908) "Trust" (January 1908) "That Spot" (February 1908) "Flush of Gold" (April 1908) "Make Westing" (April 1908) "The Enemy of All the World" (October 1908) "Aloha Oe" (December 1908) "A Curious Fragment" (December 10, 1908) "The Dream of Debs" (January 1909) "The House of Mapuhi" (January 1909) "The Seed of McCoy" (April 1909) "The Madness of John Harned" (May 1909) "South of the Slot" (May 22, 1909) "Good-by, Jack" (June 1909) "The Chinago" (June 26, 1909) "The Sheriff of Kona" (August 1909) "The Heathen" (September 1909) "A Piece of Steak" (November 20, 1909) "Koolau the Leper" (December 1909) "Mauki" (December 1909) “The Mission of John Starhurst” (December 29, 1909); reprinted as "The Whale Tooth" "Samuel" (1909) "Chun An Chun" (Spring 1910) "The Terrible Solomons" (March 1910) "The Inevitable White Man" (May 14, 1910) "The Unparalleled Invasion" (July 1910) "Winged Blackmail" (September 1910) "When the World was Young" (September 10, 1910) "The Benefit of the Doubt" (November 12, 1910) "Under the Deck Awnings" (November 19, 1910) "Yah! Yah! Yah!" (December 1910) "The House of Pride" (December 1910) "To Kill a Man" (December 10, 1910) "Bunches of Knuckles" (December 18, 1910) "Goliath" (1910) "The 'Francis Spaight' " (January 1911) "The Hobo and the Fairy" (February 11, 1911) "The Strength of the Strong" (March 1911) "The Eternity of Forms" (March 1911) "A Son of the Sun" (May 27. 1911) "The Taste of the Meat" (June 1911) “The Proud Goat of Aloysius Pankburn" (June 24, 1911) "The Meat" (July 1911) “The Night Born" (July 1911) "War" (July 29, 1911) "The Goat Man of Fuatino" (July 20, 1911) “The Stampede to Squaw Creek" (August 1911) "The Mexican" (August 19, 1911) "Shorty Dreams" (September 1911) "A Little Account with Swithin Hall" (September 2, 1911) "A Goboto Night" (September 30, 1911) "The Man on the Other Bank" (October 1911) "The Pears of Parlay" (October 14, 1911) "The Race for Number Three" (November 1911) "The End of the Story" (November 1911) " The Jokers of New Gibbon" (November 11, 1911) "By the Turtles of Tasman" (November 19, 1911) "The Little Man" (December 1911) "The Unmasking of the Cad" (December 23, 1911) "The Hanging of Cultus George" (January 1912) "The Mistake of Creation" (February 1912) "A Flutter in Eggs" (March 1912) "The Sea-Farmer" (March 1912) "The Feathers of the Sun" (March 9, 1912) "The Town-Site of Tra-Lee" (April 1912) "Wonder of Woman" (May 1912) "The Prodigal Father" (May 1912) "The Scarlet Plague" (June 1912) "The Captain of the Susan Drew" (December 1, 1912) "Samuel" (May 1913) "The Sea-Gangsters" (November 1913) "Told in the Drooling Ward" (June 1914) "The Hussy" (December 1916) "Man of Mine" (February 1917) "Like Argus of the Ancient Times" (March 1917) "Jerry of the Islands" (1917) "When Alice Told Her Soul" (March 1918) "The Princess" (June 1918) "The Tears of Ah Kim" (July 1918) "The Water Baby" (September 1918) "The Red One" (October 1918) "In the Cave of the Dead" (November 1918) "Shin-Bones" (1918) "On the Makaloa Mat" (March 1919) "The Bones of Kahekili" (July 1919) " Whose Business Is to Live" (September 1922) "Eyes of Asia" (September 1924) Legacy and honors Mount London, also known as Boundary Peak 100, on the Alaska-British Columbia boundary, in the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, is named for him. Jack London Square on the waterfront of Oakland, California was named for him. He was honored by the United States Postal Service with a 25¢ Great Americans series postage stamp released on January 11, 1986. Jack London Lake (), a mountain lake located in the upper reaches of the Kolyma River in Yagodninsky district of Magadan Oblast. Fictional portrayals of London include Michael O'Shea in the 1943 film Jack London, Jeff East in the 1980 film Klondike Fever, Michael Aron in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Time's Arrow from 1992, Aaron Ashmore in the Murdoch Mysteries episode "Murdoch of the Klondike" from 2012, and Johnny Simmons in the 2014 miniseries Klondike. See also List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards Notes References Bibliography The Jack London Online Collection' Further reading External links Western American Literature Journal: Jack London The Jack London Online Collection Site featuring information about Jack London's life and work, and a collection of his writings. The World of Jack London Biographical information and writings Jack London State Historic Park The Huntingon Library's Jack London Archive Guide to the Jack London Papers at The Bancroft Library Jack London Collection at Sonoma State University Library Jack London Stories, scanned from original magazines, including the original artwork 5 short radio episodes from Jack London's writing at California Legacy Project Jack London Personal Manuscripts 1876 births 1916 deaths 1906 San Francisco earthquake survivors 19th-century American short story writers 19th-century sailors 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century sailors American atheists American democratic socialists American eugenicists American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American male short story writers American psychological fiction writers American sailors American travel writers American war correspondents Deaths from dysentery Male sailors Members of the Socialist Labor Party of America Military personnel from California People from Glen Ellen, California People from Piedmont, California People involved in plagiarism controversies People of the Klondike Gold Rush People of the Russo-Japanese War Socialist Party of America politicians from California United States Merchant Mariners University of California, Berkeley alumni War correspondents of the Russo-Japanese War Writers from Oakland, California Writers from San Francisco
true
[ "Viewpoint is an American political talk show broadcast on Current TV in 2012 and 2013. Formerly known as Viewpoint with Eliot Spitzer, it was hosted by former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer until January 6, 2013. After that, it was hosted by John Fugelsang. Viewpoint began airing on March 30, 2012 as a replacement to Keith Olbermann, who was dismissed from his show in the same time slot. It was the second television talk show to be hosted by Spitzer, with his previous effort (Parker Spitzer, renamed In the Arena) having aired on CNN.\n\nEliot Spitzer announced on January 6, 2013 that he left the show and the network, saying that \"journalism has been more a matter of projecting a particular approach to covering policies, to covering issues. It was a continuation of what I tried to do in government. And that doesn’t fit with their vision of what [Al Jazeera is] going to do.\" However, he did say that \"I view Al Jazeera as a very serious journalistic outfit\". For the remainder of its run, the show was hosted by comedian John Fugelsang. The show aired its final episode on August 15, 2013. Most of the staff moved to the talk show, Consider This, on Al Jazeera America.\n\nBibliography\nPaterson, David \"Black, Blind, & In Charge: A Story of Visionary Leadership and Overcoming Adversity.\"Skyhorse Publishing. New York, New York, 2020\n\nReferences\n\n2012 American television series debuts\n2010s American television news shows\nEliot Spitzer\nCurrent TV original programming\n2013 American television series endings", "Jonsrud Viewpoint is a viewpoint located in the city of Sandy in the U.S. state of Oregon. The viewpoint offers telescopes and expansive views of Mount Hood and the Sandy River Valley, as well as the \"Devil's Backbone,\" a ridge named by pioneers who were traveling on the Barlow Trail. The site has been considered one of the \"best views in Oregon.\"\n\nHistory\nThe viewpoint was named after Phil Jonsrud, a local historian in the city of Sandy. Jonsrud, born in Kelso, was a war veteran who also spent time in New York City, though lived the majority of his life in Sandy. The offramp at the viewpoint was paved by the Jonsrud family.\n\nReferences\n\nClackamas County, Oregon\nObservatories in Oregon\nMountain view points\nMount Hood\nOregon Trail\nScenic viewpoints in the United States" ]
[ "Jack London", "Socialism", "what part did jack have in socialism?", "London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896.", "what was his part in the party?", "London wrote from a socialist viewpoint,", "what was his viewpoint?", "\", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit." ]
C_f68d2d0f5ff24d109a3a830e107f69b9_0
what was his experience with them like?
4
What was Jack London's experience with the Socialist Labor Party like?
Jack London
London wrote from a socialist viewpoint, which is evident in his novel The Iron Heel. Neither a theorist nor an intellectual socialist, London's socialism grew out of his life experience. As London explained in his essay, "How I Became a Socialist", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit. His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary. He wrote that his individualism was hammered out of him, and he was politically reborn. He often closed his letters "Yours for the Revolution." London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896. In the same year, the San Francisco Chronicle published a story about the twenty-year-old London giving nightly speeches in Oakland's City Hall Park, an activity he was arrested for a year later. In 1901, he left the Socialist Labor Party and joined the new Socialist Party of America. He ran unsuccessfully as the high-profile Socialist candidate for mayor of Oakland in 1901 (receiving 245 votes) and 1905 (improving to 981 votes), toured the country lecturing on socialism in 1906, and published two collections of essays about socialism: The War of the Classes (1905) and Revolution, and other Essays (1906). Stasz notes that "London regarded the Wobblies as a welcome addition to the Socialist cause, although he never joined them in going so far as to recommend sabotage." Stasz mentions a personal meeting between London and Big Bill Haywood in 1912. In his late (1913) book The Cruise of the Snark, London writes about appeals to him for membership of the Snark's crew from office workers and other "toilers" who longed for escape from the cities, and of being cheated by workmen. In his Glen Ellen ranch years, London felt some ambivalence toward socialism and complained about the "inefficient Italian labourers" in his employ. In 1916, he resigned from the Glen Ellen chapter of the Socialist Party, but stated emphatically he did so "because of its lack of fire and fight, and its loss of emphasis on the class struggle." In an unflattering portrait of London's ranch days, California cultural historian Kevin Starr refers to this period as "post-socialist" and says "... by 1911 ... London was more bored by the class struggle than he cared to admit." CANNOTANSWER
His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary.
John Griffith London (born John Griffith Chaney; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916) was an American novelist, journalist and social activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction. London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of unionization, workers' rights, socialism, and eugenics. He wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam. His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay", and "The Heathen". Family Jack London was born January 12, 1876. His mother, Flora Wellman, was the fifth and youngest child of Pennsylvania Canal builder Marshall Wellman and his first wife, Eleanor Garrett Jones. Marshall Wellman was descended from Thomas Wellman, an early Puritan settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Flora left Ohio and moved to the Pacific coast when her father remarried after her mother died. In San Francisco, Flora worked as a music teacher and spiritualist, claiming to channel the spirit of a Sauk chief, Black Hawk. Biographer Clarice Stasz and others believe London's father was astrologer William Chaney. Flora Wellman was living with Chaney in San Francisco when she became pregnant. Whether Wellman and Chaney were legally married is unknown. Stasz notes that in his memoirs, Chaney refers to London's mother Flora Wellman as having been "his wife"; he also cites an advertisement in which Flora called herself "Florence Wellman Chaney". According to Flora Wellman's account, as recorded in the San Francisco Chronicle of June 4, 1875, Chaney demanded that she have an abortion. When she refused, he disclaimed responsibility for the child. In desperation, she shot herself. She was not seriously wounded, but she was temporarily deranged. After giving birth, Flora sent the baby for wet-nursing to Virginia (Jennie) Prentiss, a formerly enslaved African-American woman and a neighbor. Prentiss was an important maternal figure throughout London's life, and he would later refer to her as his primary source of love and affection as a child. Late in 1876, Flora Wellman married John London, a partially disabled Civil War veteran, and brought her baby John, later known as Jack, to live with the newly married couple. The family moved around the San Francisco Bay Area before settling in Oakland, where London completed public grade school. The Prentiss family moved with the Londons, and remained a stable source of care for the young Jack. In 1897, when he was 21 and a student at the University of California, Berkeley, London searched for and read the newspaper accounts of his mother's suicide attempt and the name of his biological father. He wrote to William Chaney, then living in Chicago. Chaney responded that he could not be London's father because he was impotent; he casually asserted that London's mother had relations with other men and averred that she had slandered him when she said he insisted on an abortion. Chaney concluded by saying that he was more to be pitied than London. London was devastated by his father's letter; in the months following, he quit school at Berkeley and went to the Klondike during the gold rush boom. Early life London was born near Third and Brannan Streets in San Francisco. The house burned down in the fire after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake; the California Historical Society placed a plaque at the site in 1953. Although the family was working class, it was not as impoverished as London's later accounts claimed. London was largely self-educated. In 1885, London found and read Ouida's long Victorian novel Signa. He credited this as the seed of his literary success. In 1886, he went to the Oakland Public Library and found a sympathetic librarian, Ina Coolbrith, who encouraged his learning. (She later became California's first poet laureate and an important figure in the San Francisco literary community). In 1889, London began working 12 to 18 hours a day at Hickmott's Cannery. Seeking a way out, he borrowed money from his foster mother Virginia Prentiss, bought the sloop Razzle-Dazzle from an oyster pirate named French Frank, and became an oyster pirate himself. In his memoir, John Barleycorn, he claims also to have stolen French Frank's mistress Mamie. After a few months, his sloop became damaged beyond repair. London hired on as a member of the California Fish Patrol. In 1893, he signed on to the sealing schooner Sophie Sutherland, bound for the coast of Japan. When he returned, the country was in the grip of the panic of '93 and Oakland was swept by labor unrest. After grueling jobs in a jute mill and a street-railway power plant, London joined Coxey's Army and began his career as a tramp. In 1894, he spent 30 days for vagrancy in the Erie County Penitentiary at Buffalo, New York. In The Road, he wrote: After many experiences as a hobo and a sailor, he returned to Oakland and attended Oakland High School. He contributed a number of articles to the high school's magazine, The Aegis. His first published work was "Typhoon off the Coast of Japan", an account of his sailing experiences. As a schoolboy, London often studied at Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon, a port-side bar in Oakland. At 17, he confessed to the bar's owner, John Heinold, his desire to attend university and pursue a career as a writer. Heinold lent London tuition money to attend college. London desperately wanted to attend the University of California, located in Berkeley. In 1896, after a summer of intense studying to pass certification exams, he was admitted. Financial circumstances forced him to leave in 1897, and he never graduated. No evidence has surfaced that he ever wrote for student publications while studying at Berkeley. While at Berkeley, London continued to study and spend time at Heinold's saloon, where he was introduced to the sailors and adventurers who would influence his writing. In his autobiographical novel, John Barleycorn, London mentioned the pub's likeness seventeen times. Heinold's was the place where London met Alexander McLean, a captain known for his cruelty at sea. London based his protagonist Wolf Larsen, in the novel The Sea-Wolf, on McLean. Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon is now unofficially named Jack London's Rendezvous in his honor. Gold rush and first success On July 12, 1897, London (age 21) and his sister's husband Captain Shepard sailed to join the Klondike Gold Rush. This was the setting for some of his first successful stories. London's time in the harsh Klondike, however, was detrimental to his health. Like so many other men who were malnourished in the goldfields, London developed scurvy. His gums became swollen, leading to the loss of his four front teeth. A constant gnawing pain affected his hip and leg muscles, and his face was stricken with marks that always reminded him of the struggles he faced in the Klondike. Father William Judge, "The Saint of Dawson", had a facility in Dawson that provided shelter, food and any available medicine to London and others. His struggles there inspired London's short story, "To Build a Fire" (1902, revised in 1908), which many critics assess as his best. His landlords in Dawson were mining engineers Marshall Latham Bond and Louis Whitford Bond, educated at the Bachelor's level at the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale and at the Master's level at Stanford, respectively. The brothers' father, Judge Hiram Bond, was a wealthy mining investor. While the Bond brothers were at Stanford Hiram at the suggestion of his brother bought the New Park Estate at Santa Clara as well as a local bank. The Bonds, especially Hiram, were active Republicans. Marshall Bond's diary mentions friendly sparring with London on political issues as a camp pastime. London left Oakland with a social conscience and socialist leanings; he returned to become an activist for socialism. He concluded that his only hope of escaping the work "trap" was to get an education and "sell his brains". He saw his writing as a business, his ticket out of poverty, and, he hoped, a means of beating the wealthy at their own game. On returning to California in 1898, London began working to get published, a struggle described in his novel, Martin Eden (serialized in 1908, published in 1909). His first published story since high school was "To the Man On Trail", which has frequently been collected in anthologies. When The Overland Monthly offered him only five dollars for it—and was slow paying—London came close to abandoning his writing career. In his words, "literally and literarily I was saved" when The Black Cat accepted his story "A Thousand Deaths", and paid him $40—the "first money I ever received for a story". London began his writing career just as new printing technologies enabled lower-cost production of magazines. This resulted in a boom in popular magazines aimed at a wide public audience and a strong market for short fiction. In 1900, he made $2,500 in writing, about $ in today's currency. Among the works he sold to magazines was a short story known as either "Diable" (1902) or "Bâtard" (1904), two editions of the same basic story; London received $141.25 for this story on May 27, 1902. In the text, a cruel French Canadian brutalizes his dog, and the dog retaliates and kills the man. London told some of his critics that man's actions are the main cause of the behavior of their animals, and he would show this in another story, The Call of the Wild. In early 1903, London sold The Call of the Wild to The Saturday Evening Post for $750, and the book rights to Macmillan. Macmillan's promotional campaign propelled it to swift success. While living at his rented villa on Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, London met poet George Sterling; in time they became best friends. In 1902, Sterling helped London find a home closer to his own in nearby Piedmont. In his letters London addressed Sterling as "Greek", owing to Sterling's aquiline nose and classical profile, and he signed them as "Wolf". London was later to depict Sterling as Russ Brissenden in his autobiographical novel Martin Eden (1910) and as Mark Hall in The Valley of the Moon (1913). In later life London indulged his wide-ranging interests by accumulating a personal library of 15,000 volumes. He referred to his books as "the tools of my trade". First marriage (1900–1904) London married Elizabeth Mae (or May) "Bessie" Maddern on April 7, 1900, the same day The Son of the Wolf was published. Bess had been part of his circle of friends for a number of years. She was related to stage actresses Minnie Maddern Fiske and Emily Stevens. Stasz says, "Both acknowledged publicly that they were not marrying out of love, but from friendship and a belief that they would produce sturdy children." Kingman says, "they were comfortable together... Jack had made it clear to Bessie that he did not love her, but that he liked her enough to make a successful marriage." London met Bessie through his friend at Oakland High School, Fred Jacobs; she was Fred's fiancée. Bessie, who tutored at Anderson's University Academy in Alameda California, tutored Jack in preparation for his entrance exams for the University of California at Berkeley in 1896. Jacobs was killed aboard the Scandia in 1897, but Jack and Bessie continued their friendship, which included taking photos and developing the film together. This was the beginning of Jack's passion for photography. During the marriage, London continued his friendship with Anna Strunsky, co-authoring The Kempton-Wace Letters, an epistolary novel contrasting two philosophies of love. Anna, writing "Dane Kempton's" letters, arguing for a romantic view of marriage, while London, writing "Herbert Wace's" letters, argued for a scientific view, based on Darwinism and eugenics. In the novel, his fictional character contrasted two women he had known. London's pet name for Bess was "Mother-Girl" and Bess's for London was "Daddy-Boy". Their first child, Joan, was born on January 15, 1901, and their second, Bessie "Becky" (also reported as Bess), on October 20, 1902. Both children were born in Piedmont, California. Here London wrote one of his most celebrated works, The Call of the Wild. While London had pride in his children, the marriage was strained. Kingman says that by 1903 the couple were close to separation as they were "extremely incompatible". "Jack was still so kind and gentle with Bessie that when Cloudsley Johns was a house guest in February 1903 he didn't suspect a breakup of their marriage." London reportedly complained to friends Joseph Noel and George Sterling: Stasz writes that these were "code words for [Bess's] fear that [Jack] was consorting with prostitutes and might bring home venereal disease." On July 24, 1903, London told Bessie he was leaving and moved out. During 1904, London and Bess negotiated the terms of a divorce, and the decree was granted on November 11, 1904. War correspondent (1904) London accepted an assignment of the San Francisco Examiner to cover the Russo-Japanese War in early 1904, arriving in Yokohama on January 25, 1904. He was arrested by Japanese authorities in Shimonoseki, but released through the intervention of American ambassador Lloyd Griscom. After travelling to Korea, he was again arrested by Japanese authorities for straying too close to the border with Manchuria without official permission, and was sent back to Seoul. Released again, London was permitted to travel with the Imperial Japanese Army to the border, and to observe the Battle of the Yalu. London asked William Randolph Hearst, the owner of the San Francisco Examiner, to be allowed to transfer to the Imperial Russian Army, where he felt that restrictions on his reporting and his movements would be less severe. However, before this could be arranged, he was arrested for a third time in four months, this time for assaulting his Japanese assistants, whom he accused of stealing the fodder for his horse. Released through the personal intervention of President Theodore Roosevelt, London departed the front in June 1904. Bohemian Club On August 18, 1904, London went with his close friend, the poet George Sterling, to "Summer High Jinks" at the Bohemian Grove. London was elected to honorary membership in the Bohemian Club and took part in many activities. Other noted members of the Bohemian Club during this time included Ambrose Bierce, Gelett Burgess, Allan Dunn, John Muir, Frank Norris, and Herman George Scheffauer. Beginning in December 1914, London worked on The Acorn Planter, A California Forest Play, to be performed as one of the annual Grove Plays, but it was never selected. It was described as too difficult to set to music. London published The Acorn Planter in 1916. Second marriage After divorcing Maddern, London married Charmian Kittredge in 1905. London had been introduced to Kittredge in 1900 by her aunt Netta Eames, who was an editor at Overland Monthly magazine in San Francisco. The two met prior to his first marriage but became lovers years later after Jack and Bessie London visited Wake Robin, Netta Eames' Sonoma County resort, in 1903. London was injured when he fell from a buggy, and Netta arranged for Charmian to care for him. The two developed a friendship, as Charmian, Netta, her husband Roscoe, and London were politically aligned with socialist causes. At some point the relationship became romantic, and Jack divorced his wife to marry Charmian, who was five years his senior. Biographer Russ Kingman called Charmian "Jack's soul-mate, always at his side, and a perfect match." Their time together included numerous trips, including a 1907 cruise on the yacht Snark to Hawaii and Australia. Many of London's stories are based on his visits to Hawaii, the last one for 10 months beginning in December 1915. The couple also visited Goldfield, Nevada, in 1907, where they were guests of the Bond brothers, London's Dawson City landlords. The Bond brothers were working in Nevada as mining engineers. London had contrasted the concepts of the "Mother Girl" and the "Mate Woman" in The Kempton-Wace Letters. His pet name for Bess had been "Mother-Girl;" his pet name for Charmian was "Mate-Woman." Charmian's aunt and foster mother, a disciple of Victoria Woodhull, had raised her without prudishness. Every biographer alludes to Charmian's uninhibited sexuality. Joseph Noel calls the events from 1903 to 1905 "a domestic drama that would have intrigued the pen of an Ibsen.... London's had comedy relief in it and a sort of easy-going romance." In broad outline, London was restless in his first marriage, sought extramarital sexual affairs, and found, in Charmian Kittredge, not only a sexually active and adventurous partner, but his future life-companion. They attempted to have children; one child died at birth, and another pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. In 1906, London published in Collier's magazine his eye-witness report of the San Francisco earthquake. Beauty Ranch (1905–1916) In 1905, London purchased a ranch in Glen Ellen, Sonoma County, California, on the eastern slope of Sonoma Mountain. He wrote: "Next to my wife, the ranch is the dearest thing in the world to me." He desperately wanted the ranch to become a successful business enterprise. Writing, always a commercial enterprise with London, now became even more a means to an end: "I write for no other purpose than to add to the beauty that now belongs to me. I write a book for no other reason than to add three or four hundred acres to my magnificent estate." Stasz writes that London "had taken fully to heart the vision, expressed in his agrarian fiction, of the land as the closest earthly version of Eden ... he educated himself through the study of agricultural manuals and scientific tomes. He conceived of a system of ranching that today would be praised for its ecological wisdom." He was proud to own the first concrete silo in California. He hoped to adapt the wisdom of Asian sustainable agriculture to the United States. He hired both Italian and Chinese stonemasons, whose distinctly different styles are obvious. The ranch was an economic failure. Sympathetic observers such as Stasz treat his projects as potentially feasible, and ascribe their failure to bad luck or to being ahead of their time. Unsympathetic historians such as Kevin Starr suggest that he was a bad manager, distracted by other concerns and impaired by his alcoholism. Starr notes that London was absent from his ranch about six months a year between 1910 and 1916 and says, "He liked the show of managerial power, but not grinding attention to detail .... London's workers laughed at his efforts to play big-time rancher [and considered] the operation a rich man's hobby." London spent $80,000 ($ in current value) to build a stone mansion called Wolf House on the property. Just as the mansion was nearing completion, two weeks before the Londons planned to move in, it was destroyed by fire. London's last visit to Hawaii, beginning in December 1915, lasted eight months. He met with Duke Kahanamoku, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole, Queen Lili'uokalani and many others, before returning to his ranch in July 1916. He was suffering from kidney failure, but he continued to work. The ranch (abutting stone remnants of Wolf House) is now a National Historic Landmark and is protected in Jack London State Historic Park. Animal activism London witnessed animal cruelty in the training of circus animals, and his subsequent novels Jerry of the Islands and Michael, Brother of Jerry included a foreword entreating the public to become more informed about this practice. In 1918, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the American Humane Education Society teamed up to create the Jack London Club, which sought to inform the public about cruelty to circus animals and encourage them to protest this establishment. Support from Club members led to a temporary cessation of trained animal acts at Ringling-Barnum and Bailey in 1925. Death London died November 22, 1916, in a sleeping porch in a cottage on his ranch. London had been a robust man but had suffered several serious illnesses, including scurvy in the Klondike. Additionally, during travels on the Snark, he and Charmian picked up unspecified tropical infections and diseases, including yaws. At the time of his death, he suffered from dysentery, late-stage alcoholism, and uremia; he was in extreme pain and taking morphine. London's ashes were buried on his property not far from the Wolf House. London's funeral took place on November 26, 1916, attended only by close friends, relatives, and workers of the property. In accordance with his wishes, he was cremated and buried next to some pioneer children, under a rock that belonged to the Wolf House. After Charmian's death in 1955, she was also cremated and then buried with her husband in the same spot that her husband chose. The grave is marked by a mossy boulder. The buildings and property were later preserved as Jack London State Historic Park, in Glen Ellen, California. Suicide debate Because he was using morphine, many older sources describe London's death as a suicide, and some still do. This conjecture appears to be a rumor, or speculation based on incidents in his fiction writings. His death certificate gives the cause as uremia, following acute renal colic. The biographer Stasz writes, "Following London's death, for a number of reasons, a biographical myth developed in which he has been portrayed as an alcoholic womanizer who committed suicide. Recent scholarship based upon firsthand documents challenges this caricature." Most biographers, including Russ Kingman, now agree he died of uremia aggravated by an accidental morphine overdose. London's fiction featured several suicides. In his autobiographical memoir John Barleycorn, he claims, as a youth, to have drunkenly stumbled overboard into the San Francisco Bay, "some maundering fancy of going out with the tide suddenly obsessed me". He said he drifted and nearly succeeded in drowning before sobering up and being rescued by fishermen. In the dénouement of The Little Lady of the Big House, the heroine, confronted by the pain of a mortal gunshot wound, undergoes a physician-assisted suicide by morphine. Also, in Martin Eden, the principal protagonist, who shares certain characteristics with London, drowns himself. Plagiarism accusations London was vulnerable to accusations of plagiarism, both because he was such a conspicuous, prolific, and successful writer and because of his methods of working. He wrote in a letter to Elwyn Hoffman, "expression, you see—with me—is far easier than invention." He purchased plots and novels from the young Sinclair Lewis and used incidents from newspaper clippings as writing material. In July 1901, two pieces of fiction appeared within the same month: London's "Moon-Face", in the San Francisco Argonaut, and Frank Norris' "The Passing of Cock-eye Blacklock", in Century Magazine. Newspapers showed the similarities between the stories, which London said were "quite different in manner of treatment, [but] patently the same in foundation and motive." London explained both writers based their stories on the same newspaper account. A year later, it was discovered that Charles Forrest McLean had published a fictional story also based on the same incident. Egerton Ryerson Young claimed The Call of the Wild (1903) was taken from Young's book My Dogs in the Northland (1902). London acknowledged using it as a source and claimed to have written a letter to Young thanking him. In 1906, the New York World published "deadly parallel" columns showing eighteen passages from London's short story "Love of Life" side by side with similar passages from a nonfiction article by Augustus Biddle and J. K. Macdonald, titled "Lost in the Land of the Midnight Sun". London noted the World did not accuse him of "plagiarism", but only of "identity of time and situation", to which he defiantly "pled guilty". The most serious charge of plagiarism was based on London's "The Bishop's Vision", Chapter 7 of his novel The Iron Heel (1908). The chapter is nearly identical to an ironic essay that Frank Harris published in 1901, titled "The Bishop of London and Public Morality". Harris was incensed and suggested he should receive 1/60th of the royalties from The Iron Heel, the disputed material constituting about that fraction of the whole novel. London insisted he had clipped a reprint of the article, which had appeared in an American newspaper, and believed it to be a genuine speech delivered by the Bishop of London. Views Atheism London was an atheist. He is quoted as saying, "I believe that when I am dead, I am dead. I believe that with my death I am just as much obliterated as the last mosquito you and I squashed." Socialism London wrote from a socialist viewpoint, which is evident in his novel The Iron Heel. Neither a theorist nor an intellectual socialist, London's socialism grew out of his life experience. As London explained in his essay, "How I Became a Socialist", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit. His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary. He wrote that his individualism was hammered out of him, and he was politically reborn. He often closed his letters "Yours for the Revolution." London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896. In the same year, the San Francisco Chronicle published a story about the twenty-year-old London's giving nightly speeches in Oakland's City Hall Park, an activity he was arrested for a year later. In 1901, he left the Socialist Labor Party and joined the new Socialist Party of America. He ran unsuccessfully as the high-profile Socialist candidate for mayor of Oakland in 1901 (receiving 245 votes) and 1905 (improving to 981 votes), toured the country lecturing on socialism in 1906, and published two collections of essays about socialism: War of the Classes (1905) and Revolution, and other Essays (1906). Stasz notes that "London regarded the Wobblies as a welcome addition to the Socialist cause, although he never joined them in going so far as to recommend sabotage." Stasz mentions a personal meeting between London and Big Bill Haywood in 1912. In his late (1913) book The Cruise of the Snark, London writes about appeals to him for membership of the Snarks crew from office workers and other "toilers" who longed for escape from the cities, and of being cheated by workmen. In his Glen Ellen ranch years, London felt some ambivalence toward socialism and complained about the "inefficient Italian labourers" in his employ. In 1916, he resigned from the Glen Ellen chapter of the Socialist Party, but stated emphatically he did so "because of its lack of fire and fight, and its loss of emphasis on the class struggle." In an unflattering portrait of London's ranch days, California cultural historian Kevin Starr refers to this period as "post-socialist" and says "... by 1911 ... London was more bored by the class struggle than he cared to admit." Race London shared common concerns among many European Americans in California about Asian immigration, described as "the yellow peril"; he used the latter term as the title of a 1904 essay. This theme was also the subject of a story he wrote in 1910 called "The Unparalleled Invasion". Presented as an historical essay set in the future, the story narrates events between 1976 and 1987, in which China, with an ever-increasing population, is taking over and colonizing its neighbors with the intention of taking over the entire Earth. The western nations respond with biological warfare and bombard China with dozens of the most infectious diseases. On his fears about China, he admits, "it must be taken into consideration that the above postulate is itself a product of Western race-egotism, urged by our belief in our own righteousness and fostered by a faith in ourselves which may be as erroneous as are most fond race fancies." By contrast, many of London's short stories are notable for their empathetic portrayal of Mexican ("The Mexican"), Asian ("The Chinago"), and Hawaiian ("Koolau the Leper") characters. London's war correspondence from the Russo-Japanese War, as well as his unfinished novel Cherry, show he admired much about Japanese customs and capabilities. London's writings have been popular among the Japanese, who believe he portrayed them positively. In "Koolau the Leper", London describes Koolau, who is a Hawaiian leper—and thus a very different sort of "superman" than Martin Eden—and who fights off an entire cavalry troop to elude capture, as "indomitable spiritually—a ... magnificent rebel". This character is based on Hawaiian leper Kaluaikoolau, who in 1893 revolted and resisted capture from forces of the Provisional Government of Hawaii in the Kalalau Valley. Those who defend London against charges of racism cite the letter he wrote to the Japanese-American Commercial Weekly in 1913: In 1996, after the City of Whitehorse, Yukon, renamed a street in honor of London, protests over London's alleged racism forced the city to change the name of "Jack London Boulevard" back to "Two-mile Hill". Shortly after boxer Jack Johnson was crowned the first black world heavyweight champ in 1908, London pleaded for a "great white hope" to come forward to defeat Johnson, writing: "Jim Jeffries must now emerge from his Alfalfa farm and remove that golden smile from Jack Johnson's face. Jeff, it's up to you. The White Man must be rescued." Eugenics With other modernist writers of the day, London supported eugenics. The notion of "good breeding" complimented the Progressive era scientism, the belief that humans assort along a hierarchy by race, religion, and ethnicity. The Progressive Era catalog of inferiority offered basis for threats to American Anglo-Saxon racial integrity. London wrote to Frederick H. Robinson of the periodical Medical Review of Reviews, stating, "I believe the future belongs to eugenics, and will be determined by the practice of eugenics." Although this led some to argue for forced sterilization of criminals or those deemed feeble-minded., London did not express this extreme. His short story "Told in the Drooling Ward" is from the viewpoint of a surprisingly astute "feebled-minded" person. Hensley argues that London's novel Before Adam (1906–07) reveals pro-eugenic themes. London advised his collaborator Anna Strunsky during preparation of The Kempton-Wace Letters that he would take the role of eugenics in mating, while she would argue on behalf of romantic love. (Love won the argument.) The Valley of the Moon emphasizes the theme of "real Americans," the Anglo Saxon, yet in Little Lady of the Big House, London is more nuanced. The protagonist's argument is not that all white men are superior, but that there are more superior ones among whites than in other races. By encouraging the best in any race to mate will improve its population qualities. Living in Hawaii challenged his orthodoxy. In "My Hawaiian Aloha," London noted the liberal intermarrying of races, concluding how "little Hawaii, with its hotch potch races, is making a better demonstration than the United States." Works Short stories Western writer and historian Dale L. Walker writes: London's "strength of utterance" is at its height in his stories, and they are painstakingly well-constructed. "To Build a Fire" is the best known of all his stories. Set in the harsh Klondike, it recounts the haphazard trek of a new arrival who has ignored an old-timer's warning about the risks of traveling alone. Falling through the ice into a creek in seventy-five-below weather, the unnamed man is keenly aware that survival depends on his untested skills at quickly building a fire to dry his clothes and warm his extremities. After publishing a tame version of this story—with a sunny outcome—in The Youth's Companion in 1902, London offered a second, more severe take on the man's predicament in The Century Magazine in 1908. Reading both provides an illustration of London's growth and maturation as a writer. As Labor (1994) observes: "To compare the two versions is itself an instructive lesson in what distinguished a great work of literary art from a good children's story." Other stories from the Klondike period include: "All Gold Canyon", about a battle between a gold prospector and a claim jumper; "The Law of Life", about an aging American Indian man abandoned by his tribe and left to die; "Love of Life", about a trek by a prospector across the Canadian tundra; "To the Man on Trail," which tells the story of a prospector fleeing the Mounted Police in a sled race, and raises the question of the contrast between written law and morality; and "An Odyssey of the North," which raises questions of conditional morality, and paints a sympathetic portrait of a man of mixed White and Aleut ancestry. London was a boxing fan and an avid amateur boxer. "A Piece of Steak" is a tale about a match between older and younger boxers. It contrasts the differing experiences of youth and age but also raises the social question of the treatment of aging workers. "The Mexican" combines boxing with a social theme, as a young Mexican endures an unfair fight and ethnic prejudice to earn money with which to aid the revolution. Several of London's stories would today be classified as science fiction. "The Unparalleled Invasion" describes germ warfare against China; "Goliath" is about an irresistible energy weapon; "The Shadow and the Flash" is a tale about two brothers who take different routes to achieving invisibility; "A Relic of the Pliocene" is a tall tale about an encounter of a modern-day man with a mammoth. "The Red One" is a late story from a period when London was intrigued by the theories of the psychiatrist and writer Jung. It tells of an island tribe held in thrall by an extraterrestrial object. Some nineteen original collections of short stories were published during London's brief life or shortly after his death. There have been several posthumous anthologies drawn from this pool of stories. Many of these stories were located in the Klondike and the Pacific. A collection of Jack London's San Francisco Stories was published in October 2010 by Sydney Samizdat Press. Novels London's most famous novels are The Call of the Wild, White Fang, The Sea-Wolf, The Iron Heel, and Martin Eden. In a letter dated December 27, 1901, London's Macmillan publisher George Platt Brett, Sr., said "he believed Jack's fiction represented 'the very best kind of work' done in America." Critic Maxwell Geismar called The Call of the Wild "a beautiful prose poem"; editor Franklin Walker said that it "belongs on a shelf with Walden and Huckleberry Finn"; and novelist E.L. Doctorow called it "a mordant parable ... his masterpiece." The historian Dale L. Walker commented: Some critics have said that his novels are episodic and resemble linked short stories. Dale L. Walker writes: Ambrose Bierce said of The Sea-Wolf that "the great thing—and it is among the greatest of things—is that tremendous creation, Wolf Larsen ... the hewing out and setting up of such a figure is enough for a man to do in one lifetime." However, he noted, "The love element, with its absurd suppressions, and impossible proprieties, is awful." The Iron Heel is an example of a dystopian novel that anticipates and influenced George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. London's socialist politics are explicitly on display here. The Iron Heel meets the contemporary definition of soft science fiction. The Star Rover (1915) is also science fiction. Apocrypha Jack London Credo London's literary executor, Irving Shepard, quoted a Jack London Credo in an introduction to a 1956 collection of London stories: I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time. The biographer Stasz notes that the passage "has many marks of London's style" but the only line that could be safely attributed to London was the first. The words Shepard quoted were from a story in the San Francisco Bulletin, December 2, 1916, by journalist Ernest J. Hopkins, who visited the ranch just weeks before London's death. Stasz notes, "Even more so than today journalists' quotes were unreliable or even sheer inventions," and says no direct source in London's writings has been found. However, at least one line, according to Stasz, is authentic, being referenced by London and written in his own hand in the autograph book of Australian suffragette Vida Goldstein: Dear Miss Goldstein:– Seven years ago I wrote you that I'd rather be ashes than dust. I still subscribe to that sentiment. Sincerely yours, Jack London Jan. 13, 1909 In his short story "By The Turtles of Tasman", a character, defending her "ne'er-do-well grasshopperish father" to her "antlike uncle", says: "... my father has been a king. He has lived .... Have you lived merely to live? Are you afraid to die? I'd rather sing one wild song and burst my heart with it, than live a thousand years watching my digestion and being afraid of the wet. When you are dust, my father will be ashes." "The Scab" A short diatribe on "The Scab" is often quoted within the U.S. labor movement and frequently attributed to London. It opens: In 1913 and 1914, a number of newspapers printed the first three sentences with varying terms used instead of "scab", such as "knocker","The Food for Your Think Tank", The Macon Daily Telegraph, August 23, 1914, p. 3 "stool pigeon" or "scandal monger". This passage as given above was the subject of a 1974 Supreme Court case, Letter Carriers v. Austin, in which Justice Thurgood Marshall referred to it as "a well-known piece of trade union literature, generally attributed to author Jack London". A union newsletter had published a "list of scabs," which was granted to be factual and therefore not libelous, but then went on to quote the passage as the "definition of a scab". The case turned on the question of whether the "definition" was defamatory. The court ruled that "Jack London's... 'definition of a scab' is merely rhetorical hyperbole, a lusty and imaginative expression of the contempt felt by union members towards those who refuse to join", and as such was not libelous and was protected under the First Amendment. Despite being frequently attributed to London, the passage does not appear at all in the extensive collection of his writings at Sonoma State University's website. However, in his book War of the Classes he published a 1903 speech titled "The Scab", which gave a much more balanced view of the topic: Publications Source unless otherwise specified: Novels The Cruise of the Dazzler (1902) A Daughter of the Snows (1902) The Call of the Wild (1903) The Kempton-Wace Letters (1903) (published anonymously, co-authored with Anna Strunsky) The Sea-Wolf (1904) The Game (1905) White Fang (1906) Before Adam (1907) The Iron Heel (1908) Martin Eden (1909) Burning Daylight (1910) Adventure (1911) The Scarlet Plague (1912) A Son of the Sun (1912) The Abysmal Brute (1913) The Valley of the Moon (1913) The Mutiny of the Elsinore (1914) The Star Rover (1915) (published in England as The Jacket) The Little Lady of the Big House (1916) Jerry of the Islands (1917) Michael, Brother of Jerry (1917) Hearts of Three (1920) (novelization of a script by Charles Goddard) The Assassination Bureau, Ltd (1963) (left half-finished, completed by Robert L. Fish) Short story collections Son of the Wolf (1900) Chris Farrington, Able Seaman (1901) The God of His Fathers & Other Stories (1901) Children of the Frost (1902) The Faith of Men and Other Stories (1904) Tales of the Fish Patrol (1906) Moon-Face and Other Stories (1906) Love of Life and Other Stories (1907) Lost Face (1910) South Sea Tales (1911) When God Laughs and Other Stories (1911) The House of Pride & Other Tales of Hawaii (1912) Smoke Bellew (1912) A Son of the Sun (1912) The Night Born (1913) The Strength of the Strong (1914) The Turtles of Tasman (1916) The Human Drift (1917) The Red One (1918) On the Makaloa Mat (1919) Dutch Courage and Other Stories (1922) Autobiographical memoirs The Road (1907) The Cruise of the Snark (1911) John Barleycorn (1913) Non-fiction and essays Through the Rapids on the Way to the Klondike (1899) From Dawson to the Sea (1899) What Communities Lose by the Competitive System (1900) The Impossibility of War (1900) Phenomena of Literary Evolution (1900) A Letter to Houghton Mifflin Co. (1900) Husky, Wolf Dog of the North (1900) Editorial Crimes – A Protest (1901) Again the Literary Aspirant (1902) The People of the Abyss (1903) How I Became a Socialist (1903) War of the Classes (1905) The Story of an Eyewitness (1906) A Letter to Woman's Home Companion (1906) "The Lepers of Molokai" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) "The Nature Man" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) "The High Seat of Abundance" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) Revolution, and other Essays (1910) Mexico's Army and Ours (1914) Lawgivers (1914) Our Adventures in Tampico (1914) Stalking the Pestilence (1914) The Red Game of War (1914) The Trouble Makers of Mexico (1914) With Funston's Men (1914) Plays Theft (1910) Daughters of the Rich: A One Act Play (1915) The Acorn Planter: A California Forest Play (1916) Poetry A Heart (1899) Abalone Song (1913) And Some Night (1914) Ballade of the False Lover (1914) Cupid's Deal (1913) Daybreak (1901) Effusion (1901) George Sterling (1913) Gold (1915) He Chortled with Glee (1899) He Never Tried Again (1912) His Trip to Hades (1913) Homeland (1914) Hors de Saison (1913) If I Were God (1899) In a Year (1901) In and Out (1911) Je Vis en Espoir (1897) Memory (1913) Moods (1913) My Confession (1912) My Little Palmist (1914) Of Man of the Future (1915) Oh You Everybody's Girl (19) On the Face of the Earth You are the One (1915) Rainbows End (1914) Republican Rallying Song (1916) Sonnet (1901) The Gift of God (1905) The Klondyker's Dream (1914) The Lover's Liturgy (1913) The Mammon Worshippers (1911) The Republican Battle-Hymn (1905) The Return of Ulysses (1915) The Sea Sprite and the Shooting Star (1916) The Socialist's Dream (1912) The Song of the Flames (1903) The Way of War (1906) The Worker and the Tramp (1911) Tick! Tick! Tick! (1915) Too Late (1912) Weasel Thieves (1913) When All the World Shouted my Name (1905) Where the Rainbow Fell (1902) Your Kiss (1914) Short stories "Typhoon off the Coast of Japan" (November 12, 1893) " 'Frisco Kid's' Story" (February 15, 1895) "Sakaicho, Hona Asi and Hakadaki" (April 19, 1895) "Night's Swim In Yeddo Bay" (May 27, 1895) "Who Believes in Ghosts!" (October 21, 1895) "And 'Frisco Kid Came Back" (November 4, 1895) "One More Unfortunate" (December 18, 1895) "O Haru" (1993; written in April 1897) "The Mahatma's Little Joke" (1993; written in May 1897) "The Strange Experience of a Misogynist" (1993; written between May and September 1897), originally titled "The Misogynist" "Two Gold Bricks" (September 1897) "The Plague Ship" (1993; written between September and December 1897) "The Devil’s Dice Box" (December 1976; written in September 1898) "The Test: A Clondyke Wooing" (1983; written in September 1898) "A Klondike Christmas" (1983; written in November 1898) "A Dream Image" (1898) "To the Man on Trail: A Klondike Christmas" (January 1899) "The White Silence" (February 1899) "The Son of the Wolf" (April 1899) "The Men of Forty-Mile" (May 1899) "A Thousand Deaths" (May 1899) "An Old Soldier's Story" (May 20, 1899) "In a Far Country" (June 1899) "The Priestly Prerogative" (July 1899) "The Handsome Cabin Boy" (July 1899) "The Wife of a King" (August 1899) "In the Time of Prince Charley" (September 1899) "Old Baldy" (September 16, 1899) "The Grilling of Loren Ellery" (September 24, 1899) "The Rejuvenation of Major Rathbone" (November 1899) "The King of Mazy May" (November 30, 1899) "The Wisdom of the Trail" (December 1899) "A Daughter of the Aurora" (December 24, 1899) "Pluck and Pertinacity" (1899) "An Odyssey of the North" (January 1900) "A Lesson in Heraldry" (March 1900) "The End of the Chapter" (June 9, 1900) "Uri Bram's God" (June 24, 1900) "Even unto Death" (July 28, 1900) "Grit of Women" (August 1900) "Jan the Unrepentant" (August 1900) "The Man with the Gash" (September 1900) "Their Alcove" (September 1900) "Housekeeping in the Klondike" (September 16, 1900) "The Proper 'Girlie' " (October 1900) "Thanksgiving on Slav Creek" (November 24, 1900) "Where the Trail Forks" (December 1900) "The Great Interrogation" (December 1900) "Semper Idem" (December 1900) "A Northland Miracle" (November 4, 1926; written in 1900) "Dutch Courage" (November 29, 1900) "A Relic of the Pliocene" (January 12, 1901) "The Law of Life" (March 1901) "Siwash" (March 1901) "The Lost Poacher" (March 14, 1901) "At the Rainbow's End" (March 24, 1901) "The God of His Fathers" (May 1901) "The Scorn of Woman" (May 1901) "The Minions of Midas" (May 1901) "Chris Farrington: Able Seaman" (May 23, 1901) "A Hyperborean Brew" (July 1901) "Bald Face" (September 6, 1901) "Keesh, Son of Keesh" (January 1902) "An Adventure in the Upper Sea" (May 1902) "To Build a Fire" (May 29, 1902, revised August 1908) "Diable --- A Dog" (June 1902), renamed Bâtard in 1904 "To Repel Boarders" (June 1902) "The ‘Fuzziness' of Hoockla-Heen" (July 3, 1902) "Moon-Face" (July 21, 1902) "Nam-Bok, the Liar" (August 1902) "Li Wan the Fair" (August 1902) "The Master of Mystery" (September 1902) "In the Forests of the North" (September 1902) "The Sunlanders" (September 1902) "The Death of Ligoun" (September 1902) "The Story of Jees Uck" (September 1902) "The Sickness of Lone Chief" (October 1902) "The League of the Old Men" (October 4, 1902) "Lost Face" (1902) "Master of Mystery" (1902) "In Yeddo Bay" (February 1903) "The One Thousand Dozen" (March 1903) "The Shadow and the Flash" (June 1903) “The Faith of Men" (June 1903) "The Leopard Man's Story" (August 1903) "The Marriage of Lit-Lit" (September 1903) "Local Color" (October 1903) "Too Much Gold" (December 1903) "Amateur Night" (December 1903) "The Dominant Primordial Beast" (1903) "Keesh, The Bear Hunter" (January 1904); often reprinted as "The Story of Keesh" "The Banks of the Sacramento" (March 17, 1904) "White and Yellow" (February 16, 1905) "The King of the Greeks" (March 2, 1905) "A Raid on the Oyster Pirates" (March 16, 1905) "The Siege of the 'Lancashire Queen' ” (March 30, 1905) "Charley's Coup” (April 13, 1905) "Demetrios Contos” (April 27, 1905) "Yellow Handkerchief” (May 11, 1905) "All Gold Cañon" (November 1905) "Love of Life" (December 1905) "The Sun-Dog Trail" (December 1905) "A Nose for the King" (March 1906) "Planchette" (June 1906) "The Unexpected" (August 1906) "Brown Wolf" (August 1906) "The Apostate" (September 1906) "Up the Slide" (October 25, 1906) "A Wicked Woman" (November 1906) "The White Man's Way" (November 4, 1906) "The Wit of Porportuk" (December 1906) "When God Laughs" (January 1907) "Just Meat" (March 1907) "Created He Them" (April 1907) "Morganson's Finish" (May 1907) "A Day's Lodging" (May 25, 1907) "Negore the Coward" (September 1907) "Chased by the Trail" (September 26, 1907) "The Passing of Marcus O'Brien" (January 1908) "Trust" (January 1908) "That Spot" (February 1908) "Flush of Gold" (April 1908) "Make Westing" (April 1908) "The Enemy of All the World" (October 1908) "Aloha Oe" (December 1908) "A Curious Fragment" (December 10, 1908) "The Dream of Debs" (January 1909) "The House of Mapuhi" (January 1909) "The Seed of McCoy" (April 1909) "The Madness of John Harned" (May 1909) "South of the Slot" (May 22, 1909) "Good-by, Jack" (June 1909) "The Chinago" (June 26, 1909) "The Sheriff of Kona" (August 1909) "The Heathen" (September 1909) "A Piece of Steak" (November 20, 1909) "Koolau the Leper" (December 1909) "Mauki" (December 1909) “The Mission of John Starhurst” (December 29, 1909); reprinted as "The Whale Tooth" "Samuel" (1909) "Chun An Chun" (Spring 1910) "The Terrible Solomons" (March 1910) "The Inevitable White Man" (May 14, 1910) "The Unparalleled Invasion" (July 1910) "Winged Blackmail" (September 1910) "When the World was Young" (September 10, 1910) "The Benefit of the Doubt" (November 12, 1910) "Under the Deck Awnings" (November 19, 1910) "Yah! Yah! Yah!" (December 1910) "The House of Pride" (December 1910) "To Kill a Man" (December 10, 1910) "Bunches of Knuckles" (December 18, 1910) "Goliath" (1910) "The 'Francis Spaight' " (January 1911) "The Hobo and the Fairy" (February 11, 1911) "The Strength of the Strong" (March 1911) "The Eternity of Forms" (March 1911) "A Son of the Sun" (May 27. 1911) "The Taste of the Meat" (June 1911) “The Proud Goat of Aloysius Pankburn" (June 24, 1911) "The Meat" (July 1911) “The Night Born" (July 1911) "War" (July 29, 1911) "The Goat Man of Fuatino" (July 20, 1911) “The Stampede to Squaw Creek" (August 1911) "The Mexican" (August 19, 1911) "Shorty Dreams" (September 1911) "A Little Account with Swithin Hall" (September 2, 1911) "A Goboto Night" (September 30, 1911) "The Man on the Other Bank" (October 1911) "The Pears of Parlay" (October 14, 1911) "The Race for Number Three" (November 1911) "The End of the Story" (November 1911) " The Jokers of New Gibbon" (November 11, 1911) "By the Turtles of Tasman" (November 19, 1911) "The Little Man" (December 1911) "The Unmasking of the Cad" (December 23, 1911) "The Hanging of Cultus George" (January 1912) "The Mistake of Creation" (February 1912) "A Flutter in Eggs" (March 1912) "The Sea-Farmer" (March 1912) "The Feathers of the Sun" (March 9, 1912) "The Town-Site of Tra-Lee" (April 1912) "Wonder of Woman" (May 1912) "The Prodigal Father" (May 1912) "The Scarlet Plague" (June 1912) "The Captain of the Susan Drew" (December 1, 1912) "Samuel" (May 1913) "The Sea-Gangsters" (November 1913) "Told in the Drooling Ward" (June 1914) "The Hussy" (December 1916) "Man of Mine" (February 1917) "Like Argus of the Ancient Times" (March 1917) "Jerry of the Islands" (1917) "When Alice Told Her Soul" (March 1918) "The Princess" (June 1918) "The Tears of Ah Kim" (July 1918) "The Water Baby" (September 1918) "The Red One" (October 1918) "In the Cave of the Dead" (November 1918) "Shin-Bones" (1918) "On the Makaloa Mat" (March 1919) "The Bones of Kahekili" (July 1919) " Whose Business Is to Live" (September 1922) "Eyes of Asia" (September 1924) Legacy and honors Mount London, also known as Boundary Peak 100, on the Alaska-British Columbia boundary, in the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, is named for him. Jack London Square on the waterfront of Oakland, California was named for him. He was honored by the United States Postal Service with a 25¢ Great Americans series postage stamp released on January 11, 1986. Jack London Lake (), a mountain lake located in the upper reaches of the Kolyma River in Yagodninsky district of Magadan Oblast. Fictional portrayals of London include Michael O'Shea in the 1943 film Jack London, Jeff East in the 1980 film Klondike Fever, Michael Aron in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Time's Arrow from 1992, Aaron Ashmore in the Murdoch Mysteries episode "Murdoch of the Klondike" from 2012, and Johnny Simmons in the 2014 miniseries Klondike. See also List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards Notes References Bibliography The Jack London Online Collection' Further reading External links Western American Literature Journal: Jack London The Jack London Online Collection Site featuring information about Jack London's life and work, and a collection of his writings. The World of Jack London Biographical information and writings Jack London State Historic Park The Huntingon Library's Jack London Archive Guide to the Jack London Papers at The Bancroft Library Jack London Collection at Sonoma State University Library Jack London Stories, scanned from original magazines, including the original artwork 5 short radio episodes from Jack London's writing at California Legacy Project Jack London Personal Manuscripts 1876 births 1916 deaths 1906 San Francisco earthquake survivors 19th-century American short story writers 19th-century sailors 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century sailors American atheists American democratic socialists American eugenicists American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American male short story writers American psychological fiction writers American sailors American travel writers American war correspondents Deaths from dysentery Male sailors Members of the Socialist Labor Party of America Military personnel from California People from Glen Ellen, California People from Piedmont, California People involved in plagiarism controversies People of the Klondike Gold Rush People of the Russo-Japanese War Socialist Party of America politicians from California United States Merchant Mariners University of California, Berkeley alumni War correspondents of the Russo-Japanese War Writers from Oakland, California Writers from San Francisco
true
[ "Experience is a book of memoirs by the British author Martin Amis.\n\nPublication history\nThe book was written primarily in response to the 1995 death of Amis's father, the famed author Kingsley Amis, and was first published in 2000.\n\nSerialization\nUpon publication, Experience was serialized in the UK's The Guardian in four parts.\n\nReception\nCritical response to Amis's memoir was very warm. The critic James Wood wrote in the Guardian, \"Experience is a beautiful, and beautifully strange book, and it is unlike anything one expected. One feared a trough of plaint: either a sad, Gosse-like reckoning with the father; or an angry, journalistic reckoning with those journalists who have hunted Amis from tooth to tooth. But Experience is not quite a memoir, nor is it quite a portrait of his father, nor is it really an autobiography. It is an escape from memoir; indeed, an escape into privacy. In the very book which might, at first glance, seem most exhibitionist, most shamelessly metropolitan, Amis has softly retreated to the provinces of himself. His book often reads like a letter to his family and closest friends. It is sometimes embarrassing to read; the ordinary reader feels voyeuristic, at times almost uninvited, but very moved. What seems at first just gossip and guestlists - sprays of names offered without explanation, diaristic footnotes, a refusal to universalise - soon becomes a kind of tender defiance, as if Amis wanted the book to vibrate with an atmosphere of wounded privacy.\" Terence Baker, in The Sunday Times, called it a \"careful, heartfelt tribute.\" Jackie Wullschlager, wrote in the Financial Times, \"The core here is family, and it is movingly, beautifully, evoked... The raw materials – neurotic, outrageous genius of a father; gorgeous earth-mother Hilly; sophisticated step-mother Elizabeth Jane Howard; stunning girlfriends dropped along the way like a shattering string of pearls; an unknown daughter emerging at 18 – are unbeatable, and Amis makes of them a loving, perceptive, comic portrait.\"\n\nAwards\nExperience was awarded the 2000 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for biography.\n\nSee also\nSally Amis\n\nReferences\n\n2000 non-fiction books\nBooks by Martin Amis\nBritish memoirs", "Susan Skoog (1965- ), American filmmaker, is best known for her low-budget but highly acclaimed debut film Whatever (1998). Asked why she felt the desire to make the film, Skoog explained to IndieWIRE: \"I felt like I hadn’t seen in film what I saw when I was a teenager. And especially from a female perspective. I felt like there hadn’t been a film that really nailed what it was like to be a suburban girl growing up in this country.\" Skoog has expressed repeatedly that the female experience/perspective, particularly that of girls, has historically been underrepresented in the film industry (e.g., \"Boys tend to blame their circumstances and the world outside them, whereas girls tend to blame themselves and quit. Girls quit much quicker and easier, and I think that hadn’t been dealt with in film yet.\"), but she believes that is changing by way of a \"natural progression\" toward sex equality.\n\nSkoog was raised in the town of Red Bank, New Jersey, and graduated from NYU in 1987 with a degree in theatre and film. She has cited Mike Leigh and Eric Rohmer as influences on her work.\n\nReferences\n\n1965 births\nAmerican filmmakers\nTisch School of the Arts alumni\nLiving people" ]
[ "Jack London", "Socialism", "what part did jack have in socialism?", "London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896.", "what was his part in the party?", "London wrote from a socialist viewpoint,", "what was his viewpoint?", "\", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit.", "what was his experience with them like?", "His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary." ]
C_f68d2d0f5ff24d109a3a830e107f69b9_0
what changes did he make with the party?
5
What changes did Jack London make with the Socialist Labor Party?
Jack London
London wrote from a socialist viewpoint, which is evident in his novel The Iron Heel. Neither a theorist nor an intellectual socialist, London's socialism grew out of his life experience. As London explained in his essay, "How I Became a Socialist", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit. His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary. He wrote that his individualism was hammered out of him, and he was politically reborn. He often closed his letters "Yours for the Revolution." London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896. In the same year, the San Francisco Chronicle published a story about the twenty-year-old London giving nightly speeches in Oakland's City Hall Park, an activity he was arrested for a year later. In 1901, he left the Socialist Labor Party and joined the new Socialist Party of America. He ran unsuccessfully as the high-profile Socialist candidate for mayor of Oakland in 1901 (receiving 245 votes) and 1905 (improving to 981 votes), toured the country lecturing on socialism in 1906, and published two collections of essays about socialism: The War of the Classes (1905) and Revolution, and other Essays (1906). Stasz notes that "London regarded the Wobblies as a welcome addition to the Socialist cause, although he never joined them in going so far as to recommend sabotage." Stasz mentions a personal meeting between London and Big Bill Haywood in 1912. In his late (1913) book The Cruise of the Snark, London writes about appeals to him for membership of the Snark's crew from office workers and other "toilers" who longed for escape from the cities, and of being cheated by workmen. In his Glen Ellen ranch years, London felt some ambivalence toward socialism and complained about the "inefficient Italian labourers" in his employ. In 1916, he resigned from the Glen Ellen chapter of the Socialist Party, but stated emphatically he did so "because of its lack of fire and fight, and its loss of emphasis on the class struggle." In an unflattering portrait of London's ranch days, California cultural historian Kevin Starr refers to this period as "post-socialist" and says "... by 1911 ... London was more bored by the class struggle than he cared to admit." CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
John Griffith London (born John Griffith Chaney; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916) was an American novelist, journalist and social activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction. London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of unionization, workers' rights, socialism, and eugenics. He wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam. His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay", and "The Heathen". Family Jack London was born January 12, 1876. His mother, Flora Wellman, was the fifth and youngest child of Pennsylvania Canal builder Marshall Wellman and his first wife, Eleanor Garrett Jones. Marshall Wellman was descended from Thomas Wellman, an early Puritan settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Flora left Ohio and moved to the Pacific coast when her father remarried after her mother died. In San Francisco, Flora worked as a music teacher and spiritualist, claiming to channel the spirit of a Sauk chief, Black Hawk. Biographer Clarice Stasz and others believe London's father was astrologer William Chaney. Flora Wellman was living with Chaney in San Francisco when she became pregnant. Whether Wellman and Chaney were legally married is unknown. Stasz notes that in his memoirs, Chaney refers to London's mother Flora Wellman as having been "his wife"; he also cites an advertisement in which Flora called herself "Florence Wellman Chaney". According to Flora Wellman's account, as recorded in the San Francisco Chronicle of June 4, 1875, Chaney demanded that she have an abortion. When she refused, he disclaimed responsibility for the child. In desperation, she shot herself. She was not seriously wounded, but she was temporarily deranged. After giving birth, Flora sent the baby for wet-nursing to Virginia (Jennie) Prentiss, a formerly enslaved African-American woman and a neighbor. Prentiss was an important maternal figure throughout London's life, and he would later refer to her as his primary source of love and affection as a child. Late in 1876, Flora Wellman married John London, a partially disabled Civil War veteran, and brought her baby John, later known as Jack, to live with the newly married couple. The family moved around the San Francisco Bay Area before settling in Oakland, where London completed public grade school. The Prentiss family moved with the Londons, and remained a stable source of care for the young Jack. In 1897, when he was 21 and a student at the University of California, Berkeley, London searched for and read the newspaper accounts of his mother's suicide attempt and the name of his biological father. He wrote to William Chaney, then living in Chicago. Chaney responded that he could not be London's father because he was impotent; he casually asserted that London's mother had relations with other men and averred that she had slandered him when she said he insisted on an abortion. Chaney concluded by saying that he was more to be pitied than London. London was devastated by his father's letter; in the months following, he quit school at Berkeley and went to the Klondike during the gold rush boom. Early life London was born near Third and Brannan Streets in San Francisco. The house burned down in the fire after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake; the California Historical Society placed a plaque at the site in 1953. Although the family was working class, it was not as impoverished as London's later accounts claimed. London was largely self-educated. In 1885, London found and read Ouida's long Victorian novel Signa. He credited this as the seed of his literary success. In 1886, he went to the Oakland Public Library and found a sympathetic librarian, Ina Coolbrith, who encouraged his learning. (She later became California's first poet laureate and an important figure in the San Francisco literary community). In 1889, London began working 12 to 18 hours a day at Hickmott's Cannery. Seeking a way out, he borrowed money from his foster mother Virginia Prentiss, bought the sloop Razzle-Dazzle from an oyster pirate named French Frank, and became an oyster pirate himself. In his memoir, John Barleycorn, he claims also to have stolen French Frank's mistress Mamie. After a few months, his sloop became damaged beyond repair. London hired on as a member of the California Fish Patrol. In 1893, he signed on to the sealing schooner Sophie Sutherland, bound for the coast of Japan. When he returned, the country was in the grip of the panic of '93 and Oakland was swept by labor unrest. After grueling jobs in a jute mill and a street-railway power plant, London joined Coxey's Army and began his career as a tramp. In 1894, he spent 30 days for vagrancy in the Erie County Penitentiary at Buffalo, New York. In The Road, he wrote: After many experiences as a hobo and a sailor, he returned to Oakland and attended Oakland High School. He contributed a number of articles to the high school's magazine, The Aegis. His first published work was "Typhoon off the Coast of Japan", an account of his sailing experiences. As a schoolboy, London often studied at Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon, a port-side bar in Oakland. At 17, he confessed to the bar's owner, John Heinold, his desire to attend university and pursue a career as a writer. Heinold lent London tuition money to attend college. London desperately wanted to attend the University of California, located in Berkeley. In 1896, after a summer of intense studying to pass certification exams, he was admitted. Financial circumstances forced him to leave in 1897, and he never graduated. No evidence has surfaced that he ever wrote for student publications while studying at Berkeley. While at Berkeley, London continued to study and spend time at Heinold's saloon, where he was introduced to the sailors and adventurers who would influence his writing. In his autobiographical novel, John Barleycorn, London mentioned the pub's likeness seventeen times. Heinold's was the place where London met Alexander McLean, a captain known for his cruelty at sea. London based his protagonist Wolf Larsen, in the novel The Sea-Wolf, on McLean. Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon is now unofficially named Jack London's Rendezvous in his honor. Gold rush and first success On July 12, 1897, London (age 21) and his sister's husband Captain Shepard sailed to join the Klondike Gold Rush. This was the setting for some of his first successful stories. London's time in the harsh Klondike, however, was detrimental to his health. Like so many other men who were malnourished in the goldfields, London developed scurvy. His gums became swollen, leading to the loss of his four front teeth. A constant gnawing pain affected his hip and leg muscles, and his face was stricken with marks that always reminded him of the struggles he faced in the Klondike. Father William Judge, "The Saint of Dawson", had a facility in Dawson that provided shelter, food and any available medicine to London and others. His struggles there inspired London's short story, "To Build a Fire" (1902, revised in 1908), which many critics assess as his best. His landlords in Dawson were mining engineers Marshall Latham Bond and Louis Whitford Bond, educated at the Bachelor's level at the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale and at the Master's level at Stanford, respectively. The brothers' father, Judge Hiram Bond, was a wealthy mining investor. While the Bond brothers were at Stanford Hiram at the suggestion of his brother bought the New Park Estate at Santa Clara as well as a local bank. The Bonds, especially Hiram, were active Republicans. Marshall Bond's diary mentions friendly sparring with London on political issues as a camp pastime. London left Oakland with a social conscience and socialist leanings; he returned to become an activist for socialism. He concluded that his only hope of escaping the work "trap" was to get an education and "sell his brains". He saw his writing as a business, his ticket out of poverty, and, he hoped, a means of beating the wealthy at their own game. On returning to California in 1898, London began working to get published, a struggle described in his novel, Martin Eden (serialized in 1908, published in 1909). His first published story since high school was "To the Man On Trail", which has frequently been collected in anthologies. When The Overland Monthly offered him only five dollars for it—and was slow paying—London came close to abandoning his writing career. In his words, "literally and literarily I was saved" when The Black Cat accepted his story "A Thousand Deaths", and paid him $40—the "first money I ever received for a story". London began his writing career just as new printing technologies enabled lower-cost production of magazines. This resulted in a boom in popular magazines aimed at a wide public audience and a strong market for short fiction. In 1900, he made $2,500 in writing, about $ in today's currency. Among the works he sold to magazines was a short story known as either "Diable" (1902) or "Bâtard" (1904), two editions of the same basic story; London received $141.25 for this story on May 27, 1902. In the text, a cruel French Canadian brutalizes his dog, and the dog retaliates and kills the man. London told some of his critics that man's actions are the main cause of the behavior of their animals, and he would show this in another story, The Call of the Wild. In early 1903, London sold The Call of the Wild to The Saturday Evening Post for $750, and the book rights to Macmillan. Macmillan's promotional campaign propelled it to swift success. While living at his rented villa on Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, London met poet George Sterling; in time they became best friends. In 1902, Sterling helped London find a home closer to his own in nearby Piedmont. In his letters London addressed Sterling as "Greek", owing to Sterling's aquiline nose and classical profile, and he signed them as "Wolf". London was later to depict Sterling as Russ Brissenden in his autobiographical novel Martin Eden (1910) and as Mark Hall in The Valley of the Moon (1913). In later life London indulged his wide-ranging interests by accumulating a personal library of 15,000 volumes. He referred to his books as "the tools of my trade". First marriage (1900–1904) London married Elizabeth Mae (or May) "Bessie" Maddern on April 7, 1900, the same day The Son of the Wolf was published. Bess had been part of his circle of friends for a number of years. She was related to stage actresses Minnie Maddern Fiske and Emily Stevens. Stasz says, "Both acknowledged publicly that they were not marrying out of love, but from friendship and a belief that they would produce sturdy children." Kingman says, "they were comfortable together... Jack had made it clear to Bessie that he did not love her, but that he liked her enough to make a successful marriage." London met Bessie through his friend at Oakland High School, Fred Jacobs; she was Fred's fiancée. Bessie, who tutored at Anderson's University Academy in Alameda California, tutored Jack in preparation for his entrance exams for the University of California at Berkeley in 1896. Jacobs was killed aboard the Scandia in 1897, but Jack and Bessie continued their friendship, which included taking photos and developing the film together. This was the beginning of Jack's passion for photography. During the marriage, London continued his friendship with Anna Strunsky, co-authoring The Kempton-Wace Letters, an epistolary novel contrasting two philosophies of love. Anna, writing "Dane Kempton's" letters, arguing for a romantic view of marriage, while London, writing "Herbert Wace's" letters, argued for a scientific view, based on Darwinism and eugenics. In the novel, his fictional character contrasted two women he had known. London's pet name for Bess was "Mother-Girl" and Bess's for London was "Daddy-Boy". Their first child, Joan, was born on January 15, 1901, and their second, Bessie "Becky" (also reported as Bess), on October 20, 1902. Both children were born in Piedmont, California. Here London wrote one of his most celebrated works, The Call of the Wild. While London had pride in his children, the marriage was strained. Kingman says that by 1903 the couple were close to separation as they were "extremely incompatible". "Jack was still so kind and gentle with Bessie that when Cloudsley Johns was a house guest in February 1903 he didn't suspect a breakup of their marriage." London reportedly complained to friends Joseph Noel and George Sterling: Stasz writes that these were "code words for [Bess's] fear that [Jack] was consorting with prostitutes and might bring home venereal disease." On July 24, 1903, London told Bessie he was leaving and moved out. During 1904, London and Bess negotiated the terms of a divorce, and the decree was granted on November 11, 1904. War correspondent (1904) London accepted an assignment of the San Francisco Examiner to cover the Russo-Japanese War in early 1904, arriving in Yokohama on January 25, 1904. He was arrested by Japanese authorities in Shimonoseki, but released through the intervention of American ambassador Lloyd Griscom. After travelling to Korea, he was again arrested by Japanese authorities for straying too close to the border with Manchuria without official permission, and was sent back to Seoul. Released again, London was permitted to travel with the Imperial Japanese Army to the border, and to observe the Battle of the Yalu. London asked William Randolph Hearst, the owner of the San Francisco Examiner, to be allowed to transfer to the Imperial Russian Army, where he felt that restrictions on his reporting and his movements would be less severe. However, before this could be arranged, he was arrested for a third time in four months, this time for assaulting his Japanese assistants, whom he accused of stealing the fodder for his horse. Released through the personal intervention of President Theodore Roosevelt, London departed the front in June 1904. Bohemian Club On August 18, 1904, London went with his close friend, the poet George Sterling, to "Summer High Jinks" at the Bohemian Grove. London was elected to honorary membership in the Bohemian Club and took part in many activities. Other noted members of the Bohemian Club during this time included Ambrose Bierce, Gelett Burgess, Allan Dunn, John Muir, Frank Norris, and Herman George Scheffauer. Beginning in December 1914, London worked on The Acorn Planter, A California Forest Play, to be performed as one of the annual Grove Plays, but it was never selected. It was described as too difficult to set to music. London published The Acorn Planter in 1916. Second marriage After divorcing Maddern, London married Charmian Kittredge in 1905. London had been introduced to Kittredge in 1900 by her aunt Netta Eames, who was an editor at Overland Monthly magazine in San Francisco. The two met prior to his first marriage but became lovers years later after Jack and Bessie London visited Wake Robin, Netta Eames' Sonoma County resort, in 1903. London was injured when he fell from a buggy, and Netta arranged for Charmian to care for him. The two developed a friendship, as Charmian, Netta, her husband Roscoe, and London were politically aligned with socialist causes. At some point the relationship became romantic, and Jack divorced his wife to marry Charmian, who was five years his senior. Biographer Russ Kingman called Charmian "Jack's soul-mate, always at his side, and a perfect match." Their time together included numerous trips, including a 1907 cruise on the yacht Snark to Hawaii and Australia. Many of London's stories are based on his visits to Hawaii, the last one for 10 months beginning in December 1915. The couple also visited Goldfield, Nevada, in 1907, where they were guests of the Bond brothers, London's Dawson City landlords. The Bond brothers were working in Nevada as mining engineers. London had contrasted the concepts of the "Mother Girl" and the "Mate Woman" in The Kempton-Wace Letters. His pet name for Bess had been "Mother-Girl;" his pet name for Charmian was "Mate-Woman." Charmian's aunt and foster mother, a disciple of Victoria Woodhull, had raised her without prudishness. Every biographer alludes to Charmian's uninhibited sexuality. Joseph Noel calls the events from 1903 to 1905 "a domestic drama that would have intrigued the pen of an Ibsen.... London's had comedy relief in it and a sort of easy-going romance." In broad outline, London was restless in his first marriage, sought extramarital sexual affairs, and found, in Charmian Kittredge, not only a sexually active and adventurous partner, but his future life-companion. They attempted to have children; one child died at birth, and another pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. In 1906, London published in Collier's magazine his eye-witness report of the San Francisco earthquake. Beauty Ranch (1905–1916) In 1905, London purchased a ranch in Glen Ellen, Sonoma County, California, on the eastern slope of Sonoma Mountain. He wrote: "Next to my wife, the ranch is the dearest thing in the world to me." He desperately wanted the ranch to become a successful business enterprise. Writing, always a commercial enterprise with London, now became even more a means to an end: "I write for no other purpose than to add to the beauty that now belongs to me. I write a book for no other reason than to add three or four hundred acres to my magnificent estate." Stasz writes that London "had taken fully to heart the vision, expressed in his agrarian fiction, of the land as the closest earthly version of Eden ... he educated himself through the study of agricultural manuals and scientific tomes. He conceived of a system of ranching that today would be praised for its ecological wisdom." He was proud to own the first concrete silo in California. He hoped to adapt the wisdom of Asian sustainable agriculture to the United States. He hired both Italian and Chinese stonemasons, whose distinctly different styles are obvious. The ranch was an economic failure. Sympathetic observers such as Stasz treat his projects as potentially feasible, and ascribe their failure to bad luck or to being ahead of their time. Unsympathetic historians such as Kevin Starr suggest that he was a bad manager, distracted by other concerns and impaired by his alcoholism. Starr notes that London was absent from his ranch about six months a year between 1910 and 1916 and says, "He liked the show of managerial power, but not grinding attention to detail .... London's workers laughed at his efforts to play big-time rancher [and considered] the operation a rich man's hobby." London spent $80,000 ($ in current value) to build a stone mansion called Wolf House on the property. Just as the mansion was nearing completion, two weeks before the Londons planned to move in, it was destroyed by fire. London's last visit to Hawaii, beginning in December 1915, lasted eight months. He met with Duke Kahanamoku, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole, Queen Lili'uokalani and many others, before returning to his ranch in July 1916. He was suffering from kidney failure, but he continued to work. The ranch (abutting stone remnants of Wolf House) is now a National Historic Landmark and is protected in Jack London State Historic Park. Animal activism London witnessed animal cruelty in the training of circus animals, and his subsequent novels Jerry of the Islands and Michael, Brother of Jerry included a foreword entreating the public to become more informed about this practice. In 1918, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the American Humane Education Society teamed up to create the Jack London Club, which sought to inform the public about cruelty to circus animals and encourage them to protest this establishment. Support from Club members led to a temporary cessation of trained animal acts at Ringling-Barnum and Bailey in 1925. Death London died November 22, 1916, in a sleeping porch in a cottage on his ranch. London had been a robust man but had suffered several serious illnesses, including scurvy in the Klondike. Additionally, during travels on the Snark, he and Charmian picked up unspecified tropical infections and diseases, including yaws. At the time of his death, he suffered from dysentery, late-stage alcoholism, and uremia; he was in extreme pain and taking morphine. London's ashes were buried on his property not far from the Wolf House. London's funeral took place on November 26, 1916, attended only by close friends, relatives, and workers of the property. In accordance with his wishes, he was cremated and buried next to some pioneer children, under a rock that belonged to the Wolf House. After Charmian's death in 1955, she was also cremated and then buried with her husband in the same spot that her husband chose. The grave is marked by a mossy boulder. The buildings and property were later preserved as Jack London State Historic Park, in Glen Ellen, California. Suicide debate Because he was using morphine, many older sources describe London's death as a suicide, and some still do. This conjecture appears to be a rumor, or speculation based on incidents in his fiction writings. His death certificate gives the cause as uremia, following acute renal colic. The biographer Stasz writes, "Following London's death, for a number of reasons, a biographical myth developed in which he has been portrayed as an alcoholic womanizer who committed suicide. Recent scholarship based upon firsthand documents challenges this caricature." Most biographers, including Russ Kingman, now agree he died of uremia aggravated by an accidental morphine overdose. London's fiction featured several suicides. In his autobiographical memoir John Barleycorn, he claims, as a youth, to have drunkenly stumbled overboard into the San Francisco Bay, "some maundering fancy of going out with the tide suddenly obsessed me". He said he drifted and nearly succeeded in drowning before sobering up and being rescued by fishermen. In the dénouement of The Little Lady of the Big House, the heroine, confronted by the pain of a mortal gunshot wound, undergoes a physician-assisted suicide by morphine. Also, in Martin Eden, the principal protagonist, who shares certain characteristics with London, drowns himself. Plagiarism accusations London was vulnerable to accusations of plagiarism, both because he was such a conspicuous, prolific, and successful writer and because of his methods of working. He wrote in a letter to Elwyn Hoffman, "expression, you see—with me—is far easier than invention." He purchased plots and novels from the young Sinclair Lewis and used incidents from newspaper clippings as writing material. In July 1901, two pieces of fiction appeared within the same month: London's "Moon-Face", in the San Francisco Argonaut, and Frank Norris' "The Passing of Cock-eye Blacklock", in Century Magazine. Newspapers showed the similarities between the stories, which London said were "quite different in manner of treatment, [but] patently the same in foundation and motive." London explained both writers based their stories on the same newspaper account. A year later, it was discovered that Charles Forrest McLean had published a fictional story also based on the same incident. Egerton Ryerson Young claimed The Call of the Wild (1903) was taken from Young's book My Dogs in the Northland (1902). London acknowledged using it as a source and claimed to have written a letter to Young thanking him. In 1906, the New York World published "deadly parallel" columns showing eighteen passages from London's short story "Love of Life" side by side with similar passages from a nonfiction article by Augustus Biddle and J. K. Macdonald, titled "Lost in the Land of the Midnight Sun". London noted the World did not accuse him of "plagiarism", but only of "identity of time and situation", to which he defiantly "pled guilty". The most serious charge of plagiarism was based on London's "The Bishop's Vision", Chapter 7 of his novel The Iron Heel (1908). The chapter is nearly identical to an ironic essay that Frank Harris published in 1901, titled "The Bishop of London and Public Morality". Harris was incensed and suggested he should receive 1/60th of the royalties from The Iron Heel, the disputed material constituting about that fraction of the whole novel. London insisted he had clipped a reprint of the article, which had appeared in an American newspaper, and believed it to be a genuine speech delivered by the Bishop of London. Views Atheism London was an atheist. He is quoted as saying, "I believe that when I am dead, I am dead. I believe that with my death I am just as much obliterated as the last mosquito you and I squashed." Socialism London wrote from a socialist viewpoint, which is evident in his novel The Iron Heel. Neither a theorist nor an intellectual socialist, London's socialism grew out of his life experience. As London explained in his essay, "How I Became a Socialist", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit. His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary. He wrote that his individualism was hammered out of him, and he was politically reborn. He often closed his letters "Yours for the Revolution." London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896. In the same year, the San Francisco Chronicle published a story about the twenty-year-old London's giving nightly speeches in Oakland's City Hall Park, an activity he was arrested for a year later. In 1901, he left the Socialist Labor Party and joined the new Socialist Party of America. He ran unsuccessfully as the high-profile Socialist candidate for mayor of Oakland in 1901 (receiving 245 votes) and 1905 (improving to 981 votes), toured the country lecturing on socialism in 1906, and published two collections of essays about socialism: War of the Classes (1905) and Revolution, and other Essays (1906). Stasz notes that "London regarded the Wobblies as a welcome addition to the Socialist cause, although he never joined them in going so far as to recommend sabotage." Stasz mentions a personal meeting between London and Big Bill Haywood in 1912. In his late (1913) book The Cruise of the Snark, London writes about appeals to him for membership of the Snarks crew from office workers and other "toilers" who longed for escape from the cities, and of being cheated by workmen. In his Glen Ellen ranch years, London felt some ambivalence toward socialism and complained about the "inefficient Italian labourers" in his employ. In 1916, he resigned from the Glen Ellen chapter of the Socialist Party, but stated emphatically he did so "because of its lack of fire and fight, and its loss of emphasis on the class struggle." In an unflattering portrait of London's ranch days, California cultural historian Kevin Starr refers to this period as "post-socialist" and says "... by 1911 ... London was more bored by the class struggle than he cared to admit." Race London shared common concerns among many European Americans in California about Asian immigration, described as "the yellow peril"; he used the latter term as the title of a 1904 essay. This theme was also the subject of a story he wrote in 1910 called "The Unparalleled Invasion". Presented as an historical essay set in the future, the story narrates events between 1976 and 1987, in which China, with an ever-increasing population, is taking over and colonizing its neighbors with the intention of taking over the entire Earth. The western nations respond with biological warfare and bombard China with dozens of the most infectious diseases. On his fears about China, he admits, "it must be taken into consideration that the above postulate is itself a product of Western race-egotism, urged by our belief in our own righteousness and fostered by a faith in ourselves which may be as erroneous as are most fond race fancies." By contrast, many of London's short stories are notable for their empathetic portrayal of Mexican ("The Mexican"), Asian ("The Chinago"), and Hawaiian ("Koolau the Leper") characters. London's war correspondence from the Russo-Japanese War, as well as his unfinished novel Cherry, show he admired much about Japanese customs and capabilities. London's writings have been popular among the Japanese, who believe he portrayed them positively. In "Koolau the Leper", London describes Koolau, who is a Hawaiian leper—and thus a very different sort of "superman" than Martin Eden—and who fights off an entire cavalry troop to elude capture, as "indomitable spiritually—a ... magnificent rebel". This character is based on Hawaiian leper Kaluaikoolau, who in 1893 revolted and resisted capture from forces of the Provisional Government of Hawaii in the Kalalau Valley. Those who defend London against charges of racism cite the letter he wrote to the Japanese-American Commercial Weekly in 1913: In 1996, after the City of Whitehorse, Yukon, renamed a street in honor of London, protests over London's alleged racism forced the city to change the name of "Jack London Boulevard" back to "Two-mile Hill". Shortly after boxer Jack Johnson was crowned the first black world heavyweight champ in 1908, London pleaded for a "great white hope" to come forward to defeat Johnson, writing: "Jim Jeffries must now emerge from his Alfalfa farm and remove that golden smile from Jack Johnson's face. Jeff, it's up to you. The White Man must be rescued." Eugenics With other modernist writers of the day, London supported eugenics. The notion of "good breeding" complimented the Progressive era scientism, the belief that humans assort along a hierarchy by race, religion, and ethnicity. The Progressive Era catalog of inferiority offered basis for threats to American Anglo-Saxon racial integrity. London wrote to Frederick H. Robinson of the periodical Medical Review of Reviews, stating, "I believe the future belongs to eugenics, and will be determined by the practice of eugenics." Although this led some to argue for forced sterilization of criminals or those deemed feeble-minded., London did not express this extreme. His short story "Told in the Drooling Ward" is from the viewpoint of a surprisingly astute "feebled-minded" person. Hensley argues that London's novel Before Adam (1906–07) reveals pro-eugenic themes. London advised his collaborator Anna Strunsky during preparation of The Kempton-Wace Letters that he would take the role of eugenics in mating, while she would argue on behalf of romantic love. (Love won the argument.) The Valley of the Moon emphasizes the theme of "real Americans," the Anglo Saxon, yet in Little Lady of the Big House, London is more nuanced. The protagonist's argument is not that all white men are superior, but that there are more superior ones among whites than in other races. By encouraging the best in any race to mate will improve its population qualities. Living in Hawaii challenged his orthodoxy. In "My Hawaiian Aloha," London noted the liberal intermarrying of races, concluding how "little Hawaii, with its hotch potch races, is making a better demonstration than the United States." Works Short stories Western writer and historian Dale L. Walker writes: London's "strength of utterance" is at its height in his stories, and they are painstakingly well-constructed. "To Build a Fire" is the best known of all his stories. Set in the harsh Klondike, it recounts the haphazard trek of a new arrival who has ignored an old-timer's warning about the risks of traveling alone. Falling through the ice into a creek in seventy-five-below weather, the unnamed man is keenly aware that survival depends on his untested skills at quickly building a fire to dry his clothes and warm his extremities. After publishing a tame version of this story—with a sunny outcome—in The Youth's Companion in 1902, London offered a second, more severe take on the man's predicament in The Century Magazine in 1908. Reading both provides an illustration of London's growth and maturation as a writer. As Labor (1994) observes: "To compare the two versions is itself an instructive lesson in what distinguished a great work of literary art from a good children's story." Other stories from the Klondike period include: "All Gold Canyon", about a battle between a gold prospector and a claim jumper; "The Law of Life", about an aging American Indian man abandoned by his tribe and left to die; "Love of Life", about a trek by a prospector across the Canadian tundra; "To the Man on Trail," which tells the story of a prospector fleeing the Mounted Police in a sled race, and raises the question of the contrast between written law and morality; and "An Odyssey of the North," which raises questions of conditional morality, and paints a sympathetic portrait of a man of mixed White and Aleut ancestry. London was a boxing fan and an avid amateur boxer. "A Piece of Steak" is a tale about a match between older and younger boxers. It contrasts the differing experiences of youth and age but also raises the social question of the treatment of aging workers. "The Mexican" combines boxing with a social theme, as a young Mexican endures an unfair fight and ethnic prejudice to earn money with which to aid the revolution. Several of London's stories would today be classified as science fiction. "The Unparalleled Invasion" describes germ warfare against China; "Goliath" is about an irresistible energy weapon; "The Shadow and the Flash" is a tale about two brothers who take different routes to achieving invisibility; "A Relic of the Pliocene" is a tall tale about an encounter of a modern-day man with a mammoth. "The Red One" is a late story from a period when London was intrigued by the theories of the psychiatrist and writer Jung. It tells of an island tribe held in thrall by an extraterrestrial object. Some nineteen original collections of short stories were published during London's brief life or shortly after his death. There have been several posthumous anthologies drawn from this pool of stories. Many of these stories were located in the Klondike and the Pacific. A collection of Jack London's San Francisco Stories was published in October 2010 by Sydney Samizdat Press. Novels London's most famous novels are The Call of the Wild, White Fang, The Sea-Wolf, The Iron Heel, and Martin Eden. In a letter dated December 27, 1901, London's Macmillan publisher George Platt Brett, Sr., said "he believed Jack's fiction represented 'the very best kind of work' done in America." Critic Maxwell Geismar called The Call of the Wild "a beautiful prose poem"; editor Franklin Walker said that it "belongs on a shelf with Walden and Huckleberry Finn"; and novelist E.L. Doctorow called it "a mordant parable ... his masterpiece." The historian Dale L. Walker commented: Some critics have said that his novels are episodic and resemble linked short stories. Dale L. Walker writes: Ambrose Bierce said of The Sea-Wolf that "the great thing—and it is among the greatest of things—is that tremendous creation, Wolf Larsen ... the hewing out and setting up of such a figure is enough for a man to do in one lifetime." However, he noted, "The love element, with its absurd suppressions, and impossible proprieties, is awful." The Iron Heel is an example of a dystopian novel that anticipates and influenced George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. London's socialist politics are explicitly on display here. The Iron Heel meets the contemporary definition of soft science fiction. The Star Rover (1915) is also science fiction. Apocrypha Jack London Credo London's literary executor, Irving Shepard, quoted a Jack London Credo in an introduction to a 1956 collection of London stories: I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time. The biographer Stasz notes that the passage "has many marks of London's style" but the only line that could be safely attributed to London was the first. The words Shepard quoted were from a story in the San Francisco Bulletin, December 2, 1916, by journalist Ernest J. Hopkins, who visited the ranch just weeks before London's death. Stasz notes, "Even more so than today journalists' quotes were unreliable or even sheer inventions," and says no direct source in London's writings has been found. However, at least one line, according to Stasz, is authentic, being referenced by London and written in his own hand in the autograph book of Australian suffragette Vida Goldstein: Dear Miss Goldstein:– Seven years ago I wrote you that I'd rather be ashes than dust. I still subscribe to that sentiment. Sincerely yours, Jack London Jan. 13, 1909 In his short story "By The Turtles of Tasman", a character, defending her "ne'er-do-well grasshopperish father" to her "antlike uncle", says: "... my father has been a king. He has lived .... Have you lived merely to live? Are you afraid to die? I'd rather sing one wild song and burst my heart with it, than live a thousand years watching my digestion and being afraid of the wet. When you are dust, my father will be ashes." "The Scab" A short diatribe on "The Scab" is often quoted within the U.S. labor movement and frequently attributed to London. It opens: In 1913 and 1914, a number of newspapers printed the first three sentences with varying terms used instead of "scab", such as "knocker","The Food for Your Think Tank", The Macon Daily Telegraph, August 23, 1914, p. 3 "stool pigeon" or "scandal monger". This passage as given above was the subject of a 1974 Supreme Court case, Letter Carriers v. Austin, in which Justice Thurgood Marshall referred to it as "a well-known piece of trade union literature, generally attributed to author Jack London". A union newsletter had published a "list of scabs," which was granted to be factual and therefore not libelous, but then went on to quote the passage as the "definition of a scab". The case turned on the question of whether the "definition" was defamatory. The court ruled that "Jack London's... 'definition of a scab' is merely rhetorical hyperbole, a lusty and imaginative expression of the contempt felt by union members towards those who refuse to join", and as such was not libelous and was protected under the First Amendment. Despite being frequently attributed to London, the passage does not appear at all in the extensive collection of his writings at Sonoma State University's website. However, in his book War of the Classes he published a 1903 speech titled "The Scab", which gave a much more balanced view of the topic: Publications Source unless otherwise specified: Novels The Cruise of the Dazzler (1902) A Daughter of the Snows (1902) The Call of the Wild (1903) The Kempton-Wace Letters (1903) (published anonymously, co-authored with Anna Strunsky) The Sea-Wolf (1904) The Game (1905) White Fang (1906) Before Adam (1907) The Iron Heel (1908) Martin Eden (1909) Burning Daylight (1910) Adventure (1911) The Scarlet Plague (1912) A Son of the Sun (1912) The Abysmal Brute (1913) The Valley of the Moon (1913) The Mutiny of the Elsinore (1914) The Star Rover (1915) (published in England as The Jacket) The Little Lady of the Big House (1916) Jerry of the Islands (1917) Michael, Brother of Jerry (1917) Hearts of Three (1920) (novelization of a script by Charles Goddard) The Assassination Bureau, Ltd (1963) (left half-finished, completed by Robert L. Fish) Short story collections Son of the Wolf (1900) Chris Farrington, Able Seaman (1901) The God of His Fathers & Other Stories (1901) Children of the Frost (1902) The Faith of Men and Other Stories (1904) Tales of the Fish Patrol (1906) Moon-Face and Other Stories (1906) Love of Life and Other Stories (1907) Lost Face (1910) South Sea Tales (1911) When God Laughs and Other Stories (1911) The House of Pride & Other Tales of Hawaii (1912) Smoke Bellew (1912) A Son of the Sun (1912) The Night Born (1913) The Strength of the Strong (1914) The Turtles of Tasman (1916) The Human Drift (1917) The Red One (1918) On the Makaloa Mat (1919) Dutch Courage and Other Stories (1922) Autobiographical memoirs The Road (1907) The Cruise of the Snark (1911) John Barleycorn (1913) Non-fiction and essays Through the Rapids on the Way to the Klondike (1899) From Dawson to the Sea (1899) What Communities Lose by the Competitive System (1900) The Impossibility of War (1900) Phenomena of Literary Evolution (1900) A Letter to Houghton Mifflin Co. (1900) Husky, Wolf Dog of the North (1900) Editorial Crimes – A Protest (1901) Again the Literary Aspirant (1902) The People of the Abyss (1903) How I Became a Socialist (1903) War of the Classes (1905) The Story of an Eyewitness (1906) A Letter to Woman's Home Companion (1906) "The Lepers of Molokai" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) "The Nature Man" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) "The High Seat of Abundance" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) Revolution, and other Essays (1910) Mexico's Army and Ours (1914) Lawgivers (1914) Our Adventures in Tampico (1914) Stalking the Pestilence (1914) The Red Game of War (1914) The Trouble Makers of Mexico (1914) With Funston's Men (1914) Plays Theft (1910) Daughters of the Rich: A One Act Play (1915) The Acorn Planter: A California Forest Play (1916) Poetry A Heart (1899) Abalone Song (1913) And Some Night (1914) Ballade of the False Lover (1914) Cupid's Deal (1913) Daybreak (1901) Effusion (1901) George Sterling (1913) Gold (1915) He Chortled with Glee (1899) He Never Tried Again (1912) His Trip to Hades (1913) Homeland (1914) Hors de Saison (1913) If I Were God (1899) In a Year (1901) In and Out (1911) Je Vis en Espoir (1897) Memory (1913) Moods (1913) My Confession (1912) My Little Palmist (1914) Of Man of the Future (1915) Oh You Everybody's Girl (19) On the Face of the Earth You are the One (1915) Rainbows End (1914) Republican Rallying Song (1916) Sonnet (1901) The Gift of God (1905) The Klondyker's Dream (1914) The Lover's Liturgy (1913) The Mammon Worshippers (1911) The Republican Battle-Hymn (1905) The Return of Ulysses (1915) The Sea Sprite and the Shooting Star (1916) The Socialist's Dream (1912) The Song of the Flames (1903) The Way of War (1906) The Worker and the Tramp (1911) Tick! Tick! Tick! (1915) Too Late (1912) Weasel Thieves (1913) When All the World Shouted my Name (1905) Where the Rainbow Fell (1902) Your Kiss (1914) Short stories "Typhoon off the Coast of Japan" (November 12, 1893) " 'Frisco Kid's' Story" (February 15, 1895) "Sakaicho, Hona Asi and Hakadaki" (April 19, 1895) "Night's Swim In Yeddo Bay" (May 27, 1895) "Who Believes in Ghosts!" (October 21, 1895) "And 'Frisco Kid Came Back" (November 4, 1895) "One More Unfortunate" (December 18, 1895) "O Haru" (1993; written in April 1897) "The Mahatma's Little Joke" (1993; written in May 1897) "The Strange Experience of a Misogynist" (1993; written between May and September 1897), originally titled "The Misogynist" "Two Gold Bricks" (September 1897) "The Plague Ship" (1993; written between September and December 1897) "The Devil’s Dice Box" (December 1976; written in September 1898) "The Test: A Clondyke Wooing" (1983; written in September 1898) "A Klondike Christmas" (1983; written in November 1898) "A Dream Image" (1898) "To the Man on Trail: A Klondike Christmas" (January 1899) "The White Silence" (February 1899) "The Son of the Wolf" (April 1899) "The Men of Forty-Mile" (May 1899) "A Thousand Deaths" (May 1899) "An Old Soldier's Story" (May 20, 1899) "In a Far Country" (June 1899) "The Priestly Prerogative" (July 1899) "The Handsome Cabin Boy" (July 1899) "The Wife of a King" (August 1899) "In the Time of Prince Charley" (September 1899) "Old Baldy" (September 16, 1899) "The Grilling of Loren Ellery" (September 24, 1899) "The Rejuvenation of Major Rathbone" (November 1899) "The King of Mazy May" (November 30, 1899) "The Wisdom of the Trail" (December 1899) "A Daughter of the Aurora" (December 24, 1899) "Pluck and Pertinacity" (1899) "An Odyssey of the North" (January 1900) "A Lesson in Heraldry" (March 1900) "The End of the Chapter" (June 9, 1900) "Uri Bram's God" (June 24, 1900) "Even unto Death" (July 28, 1900) "Grit of Women" (August 1900) "Jan the Unrepentant" (August 1900) "The Man with the Gash" (September 1900) "Their Alcove" (September 1900) "Housekeeping in the Klondike" (September 16, 1900) "The Proper 'Girlie' " (October 1900) "Thanksgiving on Slav Creek" (November 24, 1900) "Where the Trail Forks" (December 1900) "The Great Interrogation" (December 1900) "Semper Idem" (December 1900) "A Northland Miracle" (November 4, 1926; written in 1900) "Dutch Courage" (November 29, 1900) "A Relic of the Pliocene" (January 12, 1901) "The Law of Life" (March 1901) "Siwash" (March 1901) "The Lost Poacher" (March 14, 1901) "At the Rainbow's End" (March 24, 1901) "The God of His Fathers" (May 1901) "The Scorn of Woman" (May 1901) "The Minions of Midas" (May 1901) "Chris Farrington: Able Seaman" (May 23, 1901) "A Hyperborean Brew" (July 1901) "Bald Face" (September 6, 1901) "Keesh, Son of Keesh" (January 1902) "An Adventure in the Upper Sea" (May 1902) "To Build a Fire" (May 29, 1902, revised August 1908) "Diable --- A Dog" (June 1902), renamed Bâtard in 1904 "To Repel Boarders" (June 1902) "The ‘Fuzziness' of Hoockla-Heen" (July 3, 1902) "Moon-Face" (July 21, 1902) "Nam-Bok, the Liar" (August 1902) "Li Wan the Fair" (August 1902) "The Master of Mystery" (September 1902) "In the Forests of the North" (September 1902) "The Sunlanders" (September 1902) "The Death of Ligoun" (September 1902) "The Story of Jees Uck" (September 1902) "The Sickness of Lone Chief" (October 1902) "The League of the Old Men" (October 4, 1902) "Lost Face" (1902) "Master of Mystery" (1902) "In Yeddo Bay" (February 1903) "The One Thousand Dozen" (March 1903) "The Shadow and the Flash" (June 1903) “The Faith of Men" (June 1903) "The Leopard Man's Story" (August 1903) "The Marriage of Lit-Lit" (September 1903) "Local Color" (October 1903) "Too Much Gold" (December 1903) "Amateur Night" (December 1903) "The Dominant Primordial Beast" (1903) "Keesh, The Bear Hunter" (January 1904); often reprinted as "The Story of Keesh" "The Banks of the Sacramento" (March 17, 1904) "White and Yellow" (February 16, 1905) "The King of the Greeks" (March 2, 1905) "A Raid on the Oyster Pirates" (March 16, 1905) "The Siege of the 'Lancashire Queen' ” (March 30, 1905) "Charley's Coup” (April 13, 1905) "Demetrios Contos” (April 27, 1905) "Yellow Handkerchief” (May 11, 1905) "All Gold Cañon" (November 1905) "Love of Life" (December 1905) "The Sun-Dog Trail" (December 1905) "A Nose for the King" (March 1906) "Planchette" (June 1906) "The Unexpected" (August 1906) "Brown Wolf" (August 1906) "The Apostate" (September 1906) "Up the Slide" (October 25, 1906) "A Wicked Woman" (November 1906) "The White Man's Way" (November 4, 1906) "The Wit of Porportuk" (December 1906) "When God Laughs" (January 1907) "Just Meat" (March 1907) "Created He Them" (April 1907) "Morganson's Finish" (May 1907) "A Day's Lodging" (May 25, 1907) "Negore the Coward" (September 1907) "Chased by the Trail" (September 26, 1907) "The Passing of Marcus O'Brien" (January 1908) "Trust" (January 1908) "That Spot" (February 1908) "Flush of Gold" (April 1908) "Make Westing" (April 1908) "The Enemy of All the World" (October 1908) "Aloha Oe" (December 1908) "A Curious Fragment" (December 10, 1908) "The Dream of Debs" (January 1909) "The House of Mapuhi" (January 1909) "The Seed of McCoy" (April 1909) "The Madness of John Harned" (May 1909) "South of the Slot" (May 22, 1909) "Good-by, Jack" (June 1909) "The Chinago" (June 26, 1909) "The Sheriff of Kona" (August 1909) "The Heathen" (September 1909) "A Piece of Steak" (November 20, 1909) "Koolau the Leper" (December 1909) "Mauki" (December 1909) “The Mission of John Starhurst” (December 29, 1909); reprinted as "The Whale Tooth" "Samuel" (1909) "Chun An Chun" (Spring 1910) "The Terrible Solomons" (March 1910) "The Inevitable White Man" (May 14, 1910) "The Unparalleled Invasion" (July 1910) "Winged Blackmail" (September 1910) "When the World was Young" (September 10, 1910) "The Benefit of the Doubt" (November 12, 1910) "Under the Deck Awnings" (November 19, 1910) "Yah! Yah! Yah!" (December 1910) "The House of Pride" (December 1910) "To Kill a Man" (December 10, 1910) "Bunches of Knuckles" (December 18, 1910) "Goliath" (1910) "The 'Francis Spaight' " (January 1911) "The Hobo and the Fairy" (February 11, 1911) "The Strength of the Strong" (March 1911) "The Eternity of Forms" (March 1911) "A Son of the Sun" (May 27. 1911) "The Taste of the Meat" (June 1911) “The Proud Goat of Aloysius Pankburn" (June 24, 1911) "The Meat" (July 1911) “The Night Born" (July 1911) "War" (July 29, 1911) "The Goat Man of Fuatino" (July 20, 1911) “The Stampede to Squaw Creek" (August 1911) "The Mexican" (August 19, 1911) "Shorty Dreams" (September 1911) "A Little Account with Swithin Hall" (September 2, 1911) "A Goboto Night" (September 30, 1911) "The Man on the Other Bank" (October 1911) "The Pears of Parlay" (October 14, 1911) "The Race for Number Three" (November 1911) "The End of the Story" (November 1911) " The Jokers of New Gibbon" (November 11, 1911) "By the Turtles of Tasman" (November 19, 1911) "The Little Man" (December 1911) "The Unmasking of the Cad" (December 23, 1911) "The Hanging of Cultus George" (January 1912) "The Mistake of Creation" (February 1912) "A Flutter in Eggs" (March 1912) "The Sea-Farmer" (March 1912) "The Feathers of the Sun" (March 9, 1912) "The Town-Site of Tra-Lee" (April 1912) "Wonder of Woman" (May 1912) "The Prodigal Father" (May 1912) "The Scarlet Plague" (June 1912) "The Captain of the Susan Drew" (December 1, 1912) "Samuel" (May 1913) "The Sea-Gangsters" (November 1913) "Told in the Drooling Ward" (June 1914) "The Hussy" (December 1916) "Man of Mine" (February 1917) "Like Argus of the Ancient Times" (March 1917) "Jerry of the Islands" (1917) "When Alice Told Her Soul" (March 1918) "The Princess" (June 1918) "The Tears of Ah Kim" (July 1918) "The Water Baby" (September 1918) "The Red One" (October 1918) "In the Cave of the Dead" (November 1918) "Shin-Bones" (1918) "On the Makaloa Mat" (March 1919) "The Bones of Kahekili" (July 1919) " Whose Business Is to Live" (September 1922) "Eyes of Asia" (September 1924) Legacy and honors Mount London, also known as Boundary Peak 100, on the Alaska-British Columbia boundary, in the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, is named for him. Jack London Square on the waterfront of Oakland, California was named for him. He was honored by the United States Postal Service with a 25¢ Great Americans series postage stamp released on January 11, 1986. Jack London Lake (), a mountain lake located in the upper reaches of the Kolyma River in Yagodninsky district of Magadan Oblast. Fictional portrayals of London include Michael O'Shea in the 1943 film Jack London, Jeff East in the 1980 film Klondike Fever, Michael Aron in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Time's Arrow from 1992, Aaron Ashmore in the Murdoch Mysteries episode "Murdoch of the Klondike" from 2012, and Johnny Simmons in the 2014 miniseries Klondike. See also List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards Notes References Bibliography The Jack London Online Collection' Further reading External links Western American Literature Journal: Jack London The Jack London Online Collection Site featuring information about Jack London's life and work, and a collection of his writings. The World of Jack London Biographical information and writings Jack London State Historic Park The Huntingon Library's Jack London Archive Guide to the Jack London Papers at The Bancroft Library Jack London Collection at Sonoma State University Library Jack London Stories, scanned from original magazines, including the original artwork 5 short radio episodes from Jack London's writing at California Legacy Project Jack London Personal Manuscripts 1876 births 1916 deaths 1906 San Francisco earthquake survivors 19th-century American short story writers 19th-century sailors 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century sailors American atheists American democratic socialists American eugenicists American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American male short story writers American psychological fiction writers American sailors American travel writers American war correspondents Deaths from dysentery Male sailors Members of the Socialist Labor Party of America Military personnel from California People from Glen Ellen, California People from Piedmont, California People involved in plagiarism controversies People of the Klondike Gold Rush People of the Russo-Japanese War Socialist Party of America politicians from California United States Merchant Mariners University of California, Berkeley alumni War correspondents of the Russo-Japanese War Writers from Oakland, California Writers from San Francisco
false
[ "For Ukraine! () is a political party in Ukraine, headed by Vyacheslav Kyrylenko. Legally it is the successor of Party of Social Protection.\n\nHistory\n\nParty of Social Security\nThe Party of Social Security was established on October 9, 1999 as the People's Party of Depositors and Social Security and registered with the Ministry of Justice in May of the next year. It only took part in the 2006 Ukrainian parliamentary election where it won 0,05% of the votes and no seats.\n\nFor Ukraine!\nOn December 23, 2008 Vyacheslav Kyrylenko, a former chairman of Our Ukraine and he was the frontrunner of Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc during the 2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election, formed the parliamentarian deputy group For Ukraine in the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian parliament). At the constituent congress of the movement Vyacheslav Kyrylenko was elected its leader on February 21, 2009. In November 2009 Kyrylenko started to cooperate with the Party of Social Protection (registered in May 2000), in order to participate in the 2010 Ukrainian local elections. In November 2009 the Party of Social Protection changed its name to For Ukraine!.\n\nIn the 2010 local elections For Ukraine! won representatives in municipalities and 1 seat in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Council and Volyn Oblast Council and 2 seats in the Sumy Oblast Council (regional parliaments of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Volyn Oblast and Sumy Oblast).\n\nIn February 2011 Kyrylenko stated his \"For Ukraine\" would unify with Front of Changes and Ukraine United to create one single party before the 2012 parliamentary election. In December 2011 Kyrylenko signed an agreement with the head of the party Front of Changes, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, on joint opposition activity and merger of their parties after the election. They competed as a single party under the \"umbrella\" of \"Fatherland\", together with Front of Changes and several other parties, during the October 2012 parliamentary elections. During the election this list won 62 seats (25.55% of the votes) under the proportional party-list system and another 39 by winning 39 simple-majority constituencies; a total of 101 seats in Parliament.\n\nWhen Front of Changes merged into \"Fatherland\" in June 2013 the party did not merge with them as planned but instead kept its independence.\n\nThe party did not participate in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election as Kyrylenko and many members have been active in the newly founded People's Front since 2014.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\nFor Ukraine: Informational website\n\nLiberal parties in Ukraine", "The National Democratic Party (NDP) was a Fijian political party formed in the early 1960s through a merger of Apisai Tora's Western Democratic Party with Isikeli Nadalo's Fijian National Party. It drew its support mainly from indigenous Fijians in the Province of Ba and other Western regions, who were uneasy about potential domination by powerful chiefs from Eastern Fiji. It subsequently merged with the Federation Party, which was supported almost entirely by Indo-Fijians, to form the National Federation Party (NFP).\n\nThe NFP was dominated by personnel from the former Federation Party, which was much larger than the NDP. The merger did, however, make it possible for the NFP to appeal to a section of the indigenous Fijian electorate. Although it never received more than 10 percent of the indigenous vote, it did elect some indigenous members to what became the House of Representatives following independence in 1970, owing to cross-voting in the renamed national constituencies (seats allocated by ethnicity but elected by universal suffrage).\n\nThe party is not to be confused with a second National Democratic Party formed to contest the general election of 2006.\n\nDefunct political parties in Fiji" ]
[ "Jack London", "Socialism", "what part did jack have in socialism?", "London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896.", "what was his part in the party?", "London wrote from a socialist viewpoint,", "what was his viewpoint?", "\", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit.", "what was his experience with them like?", "His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary.", "what changes did he make with the party?", "I don't know." ]
C_f68d2d0f5ff24d109a3a830e107f69b9_0
Who did he work with?
6
Who did Jack London work with in the Socialist Labor Party?
Jack London
London wrote from a socialist viewpoint, which is evident in his novel The Iron Heel. Neither a theorist nor an intellectual socialist, London's socialism grew out of his life experience. As London explained in his essay, "How I Became a Socialist", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit. His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary. He wrote that his individualism was hammered out of him, and he was politically reborn. He often closed his letters "Yours for the Revolution." London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896. In the same year, the San Francisco Chronicle published a story about the twenty-year-old London giving nightly speeches in Oakland's City Hall Park, an activity he was arrested for a year later. In 1901, he left the Socialist Labor Party and joined the new Socialist Party of America. He ran unsuccessfully as the high-profile Socialist candidate for mayor of Oakland in 1901 (receiving 245 votes) and 1905 (improving to 981 votes), toured the country lecturing on socialism in 1906, and published two collections of essays about socialism: The War of the Classes (1905) and Revolution, and other Essays (1906). Stasz notes that "London regarded the Wobblies as a welcome addition to the Socialist cause, although he never joined them in going so far as to recommend sabotage." Stasz mentions a personal meeting between London and Big Bill Haywood in 1912. In his late (1913) book The Cruise of the Snark, London writes about appeals to him for membership of the Snark's crew from office workers and other "toilers" who longed for escape from the cities, and of being cheated by workmen. In his Glen Ellen ranch years, London felt some ambivalence toward socialism and complained about the "inefficient Italian labourers" in his employ. In 1916, he resigned from the Glen Ellen chapter of the Socialist Party, but stated emphatically he did so "because of its lack of fire and fight, and its loss of emphasis on the class struggle." In an unflattering portrait of London's ranch days, California cultural historian Kevin Starr refers to this period as "post-socialist" and says "... by 1911 ... London was more bored by the class struggle than he cared to admit." CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
John Griffith London (born John Griffith Chaney; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916) was an American novelist, journalist and social activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction. London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of unionization, workers' rights, socialism, and eugenics. He wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam. His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay", and "The Heathen". Family Jack London was born January 12, 1876. His mother, Flora Wellman, was the fifth and youngest child of Pennsylvania Canal builder Marshall Wellman and his first wife, Eleanor Garrett Jones. Marshall Wellman was descended from Thomas Wellman, an early Puritan settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Flora left Ohio and moved to the Pacific coast when her father remarried after her mother died. In San Francisco, Flora worked as a music teacher and spiritualist, claiming to channel the spirit of a Sauk chief, Black Hawk. Biographer Clarice Stasz and others believe London's father was astrologer William Chaney. Flora Wellman was living with Chaney in San Francisco when she became pregnant. Whether Wellman and Chaney were legally married is unknown. Stasz notes that in his memoirs, Chaney refers to London's mother Flora Wellman as having been "his wife"; he also cites an advertisement in which Flora called herself "Florence Wellman Chaney". According to Flora Wellman's account, as recorded in the San Francisco Chronicle of June 4, 1875, Chaney demanded that she have an abortion. When she refused, he disclaimed responsibility for the child. In desperation, she shot herself. She was not seriously wounded, but she was temporarily deranged. After giving birth, Flora sent the baby for wet-nursing to Virginia (Jennie) Prentiss, a formerly enslaved African-American woman and a neighbor. Prentiss was an important maternal figure throughout London's life, and he would later refer to her as his primary source of love and affection as a child. Late in 1876, Flora Wellman married John London, a partially disabled Civil War veteran, and brought her baby John, later known as Jack, to live with the newly married couple. The family moved around the San Francisco Bay Area before settling in Oakland, where London completed public grade school. The Prentiss family moved with the Londons, and remained a stable source of care for the young Jack. In 1897, when he was 21 and a student at the University of California, Berkeley, London searched for and read the newspaper accounts of his mother's suicide attempt and the name of his biological father. He wrote to William Chaney, then living in Chicago. Chaney responded that he could not be London's father because he was impotent; he casually asserted that London's mother had relations with other men and averred that she had slandered him when she said he insisted on an abortion. Chaney concluded by saying that he was more to be pitied than London. London was devastated by his father's letter; in the months following, he quit school at Berkeley and went to the Klondike during the gold rush boom. Early life London was born near Third and Brannan Streets in San Francisco. The house burned down in the fire after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake; the California Historical Society placed a plaque at the site in 1953. Although the family was working class, it was not as impoverished as London's later accounts claimed. London was largely self-educated. In 1885, London found and read Ouida's long Victorian novel Signa. He credited this as the seed of his literary success. In 1886, he went to the Oakland Public Library and found a sympathetic librarian, Ina Coolbrith, who encouraged his learning. (She later became California's first poet laureate and an important figure in the San Francisco literary community). In 1889, London began working 12 to 18 hours a day at Hickmott's Cannery. Seeking a way out, he borrowed money from his foster mother Virginia Prentiss, bought the sloop Razzle-Dazzle from an oyster pirate named French Frank, and became an oyster pirate himself. In his memoir, John Barleycorn, he claims also to have stolen French Frank's mistress Mamie. After a few months, his sloop became damaged beyond repair. London hired on as a member of the California Fish Patrol. In 1893, he signed on to the sealing schooner Sophie Sutherland, bound for the coast of Japan. When he returned, the country was in the grip of the panic of '93 and Oakland was swept by labor unrest. After grueling jobs in a jute mill and a street-railway power plant, London joined Coxey's Army and began his career as a tramp. In 1894, he spent 30 days for vagrancy in the Erie County Penitentiary at Buffalo, New York. In The Road, he wrote: After many experiences as a hobo and a sailor, he returned to Oakland and attended Oakland High School. He contributed a number of articles to the high school's magazine, The Aegis. His first published work was "Typhoon off the Coast of Japan", an account of his sailing experiences. As a schoolboy, London often studied at Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon, a port-side bar in Oakland. At 17, he confessed to the bar's owner, John Heinold, his desire to attend university and pursue a career as a writer. Heinold lent London tuition money to attend college. London desperately wanted to attend the University of California, located in Berkeley. In 1896, after a summer of intense studying to pass certification exams, he was admitted. Financial circumstances forced him to leave in 1897, and he never graduated. No evidence has surfaced that he ever wrote for student publications while studying at Berkeley. While at Berkeley, London continued to study and spend time at Heinold's saloon, where he was introduced to the sailors and adventurers who would influence his writing. In his autobiographical novel, John Barleycorn, London mentioned the pub's likeness seventeen times. Heinold's was the place where London met Alexander McLean, a captain known for his cruelty at sea. London based his protagonist Wolf Larsen, in the novel The Sea-Wolf, on McLean. Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon is now unofficially named Jack London's Rendezvous in his honor. Gold rush and first success On July 12, 1897, London (age 21) and his sister's husband Captain Shepard sailed to join the Klondike Gold Rush. This was the setting for some of his first successful stories. London's time in the harsh Klondike, however, was detrimental to his health. Like so many other men who were malnourished in the goldfields, London developed scurvy. His gums became swollen, leading to the loss of his four front teeth. A constant gnawing pain affected his hip and leg muscles, and his face was stricken with marks that always reminded him of the struggles he faced in the Klondike. Father William Judge, "The Saint of Dawson", had a facility in Dawson that provided shelter, food and any available medicine to London and others. His struggles there inspired London's short story, "To Build a Fire" (1902, revised in 1908), which many critics assess as his best. His landlords in Dawson were mining engineers Marshall Latham Bond and Louis Whitford Bond, educated at the Bachelor's level at the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale and at the Master's level at Stanford, respectively. The brothers' father, Judge Hiram Bond, was a wealthy mining investor. While the Bond brothers were at Stanford Hiram at the suggestion of his brother bought the New Park Estate at Santa Clara as well as a local bank. The Bonds, especially Hiram, were active Republicans. Marshall Bond's diary mentions friendly sparring with London on political issues as a camp pastime. London left Oakland with a social conscience and socialist leanings; he returned to become an activist for socialism. He concluded that his only hope of escaping the work "trap" was to get an education and "sell his brains". He saw his writing as a business, his ticket out of poverty, and, he hoped, a means of beating the wealthy at their own game. On returning to California in 1898, London began working to get published, a struggle described in his novel, Martin Eden (serialized in 1908, published in 1909). His first published story since high school was "To the Man On Trail", which has frequently been collected in anthologies. When The Overland Monthly offered him only five dollars for it—and was slow paying—London came close to abandoning his writing career. In his words, "literally and literarily I was saved" when The Black Cat accepted his story "A Thousand Deaths", and paid him $40—the "first money I ever received for a story". London began his writing career just as new printing technologies enabled lower-cost production of magazines. This resulted in a boom in popular magazines aimed at a wide public audience and a strong market for short fiction. In 1900, he made $2,500 in writing, about $ in today's currency. Among the works he sold to magazines was a short story known as either "Diable" (1902) or "Bâtard" (1904), two editions of the same basic story; London received $141.25 for this story on May 27, 1902. In the text, a cruel French Canadian brutalizes his dog, and the dog retaliates and kills the man. London told some of his critics that man's actions are the main cause of the behavior of their animals, and he would show this in another story, The Call of the Wild. In early 1903, London sold The Call of the Wild to The Saturday Evening Post for $750, and the book rights to Macmillan. Macmillan's promotional campaign propelled it to swift success. While living at his rented villa on Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, London met poet George Sterling; in time they became best friends. In 1902, Sterling helped London find a home closer to his own in nearby Piedmont. In his letters London addressed Sterling as "Greek", owing to Sterling's aquiline nose and classical profile, and he signed them as "Wolf". London was later to depict Sterling as Russ Brissenden in his autobiographical novel Martin Eden (1910) and as Mark Hall in The Valley of the Moon (1913). In later life London indulged his wide-ranging interests by accumulating a personal library of 15,000 volumes. He referred to his books as "the tools of my trade". First marriage (1900–1904) London married Elizabeth Mae (or May) "Bessie" Maddern on April 7, 1900, the same day The Son of the Wolf was published. Bess had been part of his circle of friends for a number of years. She was related to stage actresses Minnie Maddern Fiske and Emily Stevens. Stasz says, "Both acknowledged publicly that they were not marrying out of love, but from friendship and a belief that they would produce sturdy children." Kingman says, "they were comfortable together... Jack had made it clear to Bessie that he did not love her, but that he liked her enough to make a successful marriage." London met Bessie through his friend at Oakland High School, Fred Jacobs; she was Fred's fiancée. Bessie, who tutored at Anderson's University Academy in Alameda California, tutored Jack in preparation for his entrance exams for the University of California at Berkeley in 1896. Jacobs was killed aboard the Scandia in 1897, but Jack and Bessie continued their friendship, which included taking photos and developing the film together. This was the beginning of Jack's passion for photography. During the marriage, London continued his friendship with Anna Strunsky, co-authoring The Kempton-Wace Letters, an epistolary novel contrasting two philosophies of love. Anna, writing "Dane Kempton's" letters, arguing for a romantic view of marriage, while London, writing "Herbert Wace's" letters, argued for a scientific view, based on Darwinism and eugenics. In the novel, his fictional character contrasted two women he had known. London's pet name for Bess was "Mother-Girl" and Bess's for London was "Daddy-Boy". Their first child, Joan, was born on January 15, 1901, and their second, Bessie "Becky" (also reported as Bess), on October 20, 1902. Both children were born in Piedmont, California. Here London wrote one of his most celebrated works, The Call of the Wild. While London had pride in his children, the marriage was strained. Kingman says that by 1903 the couple were close to separation as they were "extremely incompatible". "Jack was still so kind and gentle with Bessie that when Cloudsley Johns was a house guest in February 1903 he didn't suspect a breakup of their marriage." London reportedly complained to friends Joseph Noel and George Sterling: Stasz writes that these were "code words for [Bess's] fear that [Jack] was consorting with prostitutes and might bring home venereal disease." On July 24, 1903, London told Bessie he was leaving and moved out. During 1904, London and Bess negotiated the terms of a divorce, and the decree was granted on November 11, 1904. War correspondent (1904) London accepted an assignment of the San Francisco Examiner to cover the Russo-Japanese War in early 1904, arriving in Yokohama on January 25, 1904. He was arrested by Japanese authorities in Shimonoseki, but released through the intervention of American ambassador Lloyd Griscom. After travelling to Korea, he was again arrested by Japanese authorities for straying too close to the border with Manchuria without official permission, and was sent back to Seoul. Released again, London was permitted to travel with the Imperial Japanese Army to the border, and to observe the Battle of the Yalu. London asked William Randolph Hearst, the owner of the San Francisco Examiner, to be allowed to transfer to the Imperial Russian Army, where he felt that restrictions on his reporting and his movements would be less severe. However, before this could be arranged, he was arrested for a third time in four months, this time for assaulting his Japanese assistants, whom he accused of stealing the fodder for his horse. Released through the personal intervention of President Theodore Roosevelt, London departed the front in June 1904. Bohemian Club On August 18, 1904, London went with his close friend, the poet George Sterling, to "Summer High Jinks" at the Bohemian Grove. London was elected to honorary membership in the Bohemian Club and took part in many activities. Other noted members of the Bohemian Club during this time included Ambrose Bierce, Gelett Burgess, Allan Dunn, John Muir, Frank Norris, and Herman George Scheffauer. Beginning in December 1914, London worked on The Acorn Planter, A California Forest Play, to be performed as one of the annual Grove Plays, but it was never selected. It was described as too difficult to set to music. London published The Acorn Planter in 1916. Second marriage After divorcing Maddern, London married Charmian Kittredge in 1905. London had been introduced to Kittredge in 1900 by her aunt Netta Eames, who was an editor at Overland Monthly magazine in San Francisco. The two met prior to his first marriage but became lovers years later after Jack and Bessie London visited Wake Robin, Netta Eames' Sonoma County resort, in 1903. London was injured when he fell from a buggy, and Netta arranged for Charmian to care for him. The two developed a friendship, as Charmian, Netta, her husband Roscoe, and London were politically aligned with socialist causes. At some point the relationship became romantic, and Jack divorced his wife to marry Charmian, who was five years his senior. Biographer Russ Kingman called Charmian "Jack's soul-mate, always at his side, and a perfect match." Their time together included numerous trips, including a 1907 cruise on the yacht Snark to Hawaii and Australia. Many of London's stories are based on his visits to Hawaii, the last one for 10 months beginning in December 1915. The couple also visited Goldfield, Nevada, in 1907, where they were guests of the Bond brothers, London's Dawson City landlords. The Bond brothers were working in Nevada as mining engineers. London had contrasted the concepts of the "Mother Girl" and the "Mate Woman" in The Kempton-Wace Letters. His pet name for Bess had been "Mother-Girl;" his pet name for Charmian was "Mate-Woman." Charmian's aunt and foster mother, a disciple of Victoria Woodhull, had raised her without prudishness. Every biographer alludes to Charmian's uninhibited sexuality. Joseph Noel calls the events from 1903 to 1905 "a domestic drama that would have intrigued the pen of an Ibsen.... London's had comedy relief in it and a sort of easy-going romance." In broad outline, London was restless in his first marriage, sought extramarital sexual affairs, and found, in Charmian Kittredge, not only a sexually active and adventurous partner, but his future life-companion. They attempted to have children; one child died at birth, and another pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. In 1906, London published in Collier's magazine his eye-witness report of the San Francisco earthquake. Beauty Ranch (1905–1916) In 1905, London purchased a ranch in Glen Ellen, Sonoma County, California, on the eastern slope of Sonoma Mountain. He wrote: "Next to my wife, the ranch is the dearest thing in the world to me." He desperately wanted the ranch to become a successful business enterprise. Writing, always a commercial enterprise with London, now became even more a means to an end: "I write for no other purpose than to add to the beauty that now belongs to me. I write a book for no other reason than to add three or four hundred acres to my magnificent estate." Stasz writes that London "had taken fully to heart the vision, expressed in his agrarian fiction, of the land as the closest earthly version of Eden ... he educated himself through the study of agricultural manuals and scientific tomes. He conceived of a system of ranching that today would be praised for its ecological wisdom." He was proud to own the first concrete silo in California. He hoped to adapt the wisdom of Asian sustainable agriculture to the United States. He hired both Italian and Chinese stonemasons, whose distinctly different styles are obvious. The ranch was an economic failure. Sympathetic observers such as Stasz treat his projects as potentially feasible, and ascribe their failure to bad luck or to being ahead of their time. Unsympathetic historians such as Kevin Starr suggest that he was a bad manager, distracted by other concerns and impaired by his alcoholism. Starr notes that London was absent from his ranch about six months a year between 1910 and 1916 and says, "He liked the show of managerial power, but not grinding attention to detail .... London's workers laughed at his efforts to play big-time rancher [and considered] the operation a rich man's hobby." London spent $80,000 ($ in current value) to build a stone mansion called Wolf House on the property. Just as the mansion was nearing completion, two weeks before the Londons planned to move in, it was destroyed by fire. London's last visit to Hawaii, beginning in December 1915, lasted eight months. He met with Duke Kahanamoku, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole, Queen Lili'uokalani and many others, before returning to his ranch in July 1916. He was suffering from kidney failure, but he continued to work. The ranch (abutting stone remnants of Wolf House) is now a National Historic Landmark and is protected in Jack London State Historic Park. Animal activism London witnessed animal cruelty in the training of circus animals, and his subsequent novels Jerry of the Islands and Michael, Brother of Jerry included a foreword entreating the public to become more informed about this practice. In 1918, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the American Humane Education Society teamed up to create the Jack London Club, which sought to inform the public about cruelty to circus animals and encourage them to protest this establishment. Support from Club members led to a temporary cessation of trained animal acts at Ringling-Barnum and Bailey in 1925. Death London died November 22, 1916, in a sleeping porch in a cottage on his ranch. London had been a robust man but had suffered several serious illnesses, including scurvy in the Klondike. Additionally, during travels on the Snark, he and Charmian picked up unspecified tropical infections and diseases, including yaws. At the time of his death, he suffered from dysentery, late-stage alcoholism, and uremia; he was in extreme pain and taking morphine. London's ashes were buried on his property not far from the Wolf House. London's funeral took place on November 26, 1916, attended only by close friends, relatives, and workers of the property. In accordance with his wishes, he was cremated and buried next to some pioneer children, under a rock that belonged to the Wolf House. After Charmian's death in 1955, she was also cremated and then buried with her husband in the same spot that her husband chose. The grave is marked by a mossy boulder. The buildings and property were later preserved as Jack London State Historic Park, in Glen Ellen, California. Suicide debate Because he was using morphine, many older sources describe London's death as a suicide, and some still do. This conjecture appears to be a rumor, or speculation based on incidents in his fiction writings. His death certificate gives the cause as uremia, following acute renal colic. The biographer Stasz writes, "Following London's death, for a number of reasons, a biographical myth developed in which he has been portrayed as an alcoholic womanizer who committed suicide. Recent scholarship based upon firsthand documents challenges this caricature." Most biographers, including Russ Kingman, now agree he died of uremia aggravated by an accidental morphine overdose. London's fiction featured several suicides. In his autobiographical memoir John Barleycorn, he claims, as a youth, to have drunkenly stumbled overboard into the San Francisco Bay, "some maundering fancy of going out with the tide suddenly obsessed me". He said he drifted and nearly succeeded in drowning before sobering up and being rescued by fishermen. In the dénouement of The Little Lady of the Big House, the heroine, confronted by the pain of a mortal gunshot wound, undergoes a physician-assisted suicide by morphine. Also, in Martin Eden, the principal protagonist, who shares certain characteristics with London, drowns himself. Plagiarism accusations London was vulnerable to accusations of plagiarism, both because he was such a conspicuous, prolific, and successful writer and because of his methods of working. He wrote in a letter to Elwyn Hoffman, "expression, you see—with me—is far easier than invention." He purchased plots and novels from the young Sinclair Lewis and used incidents from newspaper clippings as writing material. In July 1901, two pieces of fiction appeared within the same month: London's "Moon-Face", in the San Francisco Argonaut, and Frank Norris' "The Passing of Cock-eye Blacklock", in Century Magazine. Newspapers showed the similarities between the stories, which London said were "quite different in manner of treatment, [but] patently the same in foundation and motive." London explained both writers based their stories on the same newspaper account. A year later, it was discovered that Charles Forrest McLean had published a fictional story also based on the same incident. Egerton Ryerson Young claimed The Call of the Wild (1903) was taken from Young's book My Dogs in the Northland (1902). London acknowledged using it as a source and claimed to have written a letter to Young thanking him. In 1906, the New York World published "deadly parallel" columns showing eighteen passages from London's short story "Love of Life" side by side with similar passages from a nonfiction article by Augustus Biddle and J. K. Macdonald, titled "Lost in the Land of the Midnight Sun". London noted the World did not accuse him of "plagiarism", but only of "identity of time and situation", to which he defiantly "pled guilty". The most serious charge of plagiarism was based on London's "The Bishop's Vision", Chapter 7 of his novel The Iron Heel (1908). The chapter is nearly identical to an ironic essay that Frank Harris published in 1901, titled "The Bishop of London and Public Morality". Harris was incensed and suggested he should receive 1/60th of the royalties from The Iron Heel, the disputed material constituting about that fraction of the whole novel. London insisted he had clipped a reprint of the article, which had appeared in an American newspaper, and believed it to be a genuine speech delivered by the Bishop of London. Views Atheism London was an atheist. He is quoted as saying, "I believe that when I am dead, I am dead. I believe that with my death I am just as much obliterated as the last mosquito you and I squashed." Socialism London wrote from a socialist viewpoint, which is evident in his novel The Iron Heel. Neither a theorist nor an intellectual socialist, London's socialism grew out of his life experience. As London explained in his essay, "How I Became a Socialist", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit. His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary. He wrote that his individualism was hammered out of him, and he was politically reborn. He often closed his letters "Yours for the Revolution." London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896. In the same year, the San Francisco Chronicle published a story about the twenty-year-old London's giving nightly speeches in Oakland's City Hall Park, an activity he was arrested for a year later. In 1901, he left the Socialist Labor Party and joined the new Socialist Party of America. He ran unsuccessfully as the high-profile Socialist candidate for mayor of Oakland in 1901 (receiving 245 votes) and 1905 (improving to 981 votes), toured the country lecturing on socialism in 1906, and published two collections of essays about socialism: War of the Classes (1905) and Revolution, and other Essays (1906). Stasz notes that "London regarded the Wobblies as a welcome addition to the Socialist cause, although he never joined them in going so far as to recommend sabotage." Stasz mentions a personal meeting between London and Big Bill Haywood in 1912. In his late (1913) book The Cruise of the Snark, London writes about appeals to him for membership of the Snarks crew from office workers and other "toilers" who longed for escape from the cities, and of being cheated by workmen. In his Glen Ellen ranch years, London felt some ambivalence toward socialism and complained about the "inefficient Italian labourers" in his employ. In 1916, he resigned from the Glen Ellen chapter of the Socialist Party, but stated emphatically he did so "because of its lack of fire and fight, and its loss of emphasis on the class struggle." In an unflattering portrait of London's ranch days, California cultural historian Kevin Starr refers to this period as "post-socialist" and says "... by 1911 ... London was more bored by the class struggle than he cared to admit." Race London shared common concerns among many European Americans in California about Asian immigration, described as "the yellow peril"; he used the latter term as the title of a 1904 essay. This theme was also the subject of a story he wrote in 1910 called "The Unparalleled Invasion". Presented as an historical essay set in the future, the story narrates events between 1976 and 1987, in which China, with an ever-increasing population, is taking over and colonizing its neighbors with the intention of taking over the entire Earth. The western nations respond with biological warfare and bombard China with dozens of the most infectious diseases. On his fears about China, he admits, "it must be taken into consideration that the above postulate is itself a product of Western race-egotism, urged by our belief in our own righteousness and fostered by a faith in ourselves which may be as erroneous as are most fond race fancies." By contrast, many of London's short stories are notable for their empathetic portrayal of Mexican ("The Mexican"), Asian ("The Chinago"), and Hawaiian ("Koolau the Leper") characters. London's war correspondence from the Russo-Japanese War, as well as his unfinished novel Cherry, show he admired much about Japanese customs and capabilities. London's writings have been popular among the Japanese, who believe he portrayed them positively. In "Koolau the Leper", London describes Koolau, who is a Hawaiian leper—and thus a very different sort of "superman" than Martin Eden—and who fights off an entire cavalry troop to elude capture, as "indomitable spiritually—a ... magnificent rebel". This character is based on Hawaiian leper Kaluaikoolau, who in 1893 revolted and resisted capture from forces of the Provisional Government of Hawaii in the Kalalau Valley. Those who defend London against charges of racism cite the letter he wrote to the Japanese-American Commercial Weekly in 1913: In 1996, after the City of Whitehorse, Yukon, renamed a street in honor of London, protests over London's alleged racism forced the city to change the name of "Jack London Boulevard" back to "Two-mile Hill". Shortly after boxer Jack Johnson was crowned the first black world heavyweight champ in 1908, London pleaded for a "great white hope" to come forward to defeat Johnson, writing: "Jim Jeffries must now emerge from his Alfalfa farm and remove that golden smile from Jack Johnson's face. Jeff, it's up to you. The White Man must be rescued." Eugenics With other modernist writers of the day, London supported eugenics. The notion of "good breeding" complimented the Progressive era scientism, the belief that humans assort along a hierarchy by race, religion, and ethnicity. The Progressive Era catalog of inferiority offered basis for threats to American Anglo-Saxon racial integrity. London wrote to Frederick H. Robinson of the periodical Medical Review of Reviews, stating, "I believe the future belongs to eugenics, and will be determined by the practice of eugenics." Although this led some to argue for forced sterilization of criminals or those deemed feeble-minded., London did not express this extreme. His short story "Told in the Drooling Ward" is from the viewpoint of a surprisingly astute "feebled-minded" person. Hensley argues that London's novel Before Adam (1906–07) reveals pro-eugenic themes. London advised his collaborator Anna Strunsky during preparation of The Kempton-Wace Letters that he would take the role of eugenics in mating, while she would argue on behalf of romantic love. (Love won the argument.) The Valley of the Moon emphasizes the theme of "real Americans," the Anglo Saxon, yet in Little Lady of the Big House, London is more nuanced. The protagonist's argument is not that all white men are superior, but that there are more superior ones among whites than in other races. By encouraging the best in any race to mate will improve its population qualities. Living in Hawaii challenged his orthodoxy. In "My Hawaiian Aloha," London noted the liberal intermarrying of races, concluding how "little Hawaii, with its hotch potch races, is making a better demonstration than the United States." Works Short stories Western writer and historian Dale L. Walker writes: London's "strength of utterance" is at its height in his stories, and they are painstakingly well-constructed. "To Build a Fire" is the best known of all his stories. Set in the harsh Klondike, it recounts the haphazard trek of a new arrival who has ignored an old-timer's warning about the risks of traveling alone. Falling through the ice into a creek in seventy-five-below weather, the unnamed man is keenly aware that survival depends on his untested skills at quickly building a fire to dry his clothes and warm his extremities. After publishing a tame version of this story—with a sunny outcome—in The Youth's Companion in 1902, London offered a second, more severe take on the man's predicament in The Century Magazine in 1908. Reading both provides an illustration of London's growth and maturation as a writer. As Labor (1994) observes: "To compare the two versions is itself an instructive lesson in what distinguished a great work of literary art from a good children's story." Other stories from the Klondike period include: "All Gold Canyon", about a battle between a gold prospector and a claim jumper; "The Law of Life", about an aging American Indian man abandoned by his tribe and left to die; "Love of Life", about a trek by a prospector across the Canadian tundra; "To the Man on Trail," which tells the story of a prospector fleeing the Mounted Police in a sled race, and raises the question of the contrast between written law and morality; and "An Odyssey of the North," which raises questions of conditional morality, and paints a sympathetic portrait of a man of mixed White and Aleut ancestry. London was a boxing fan and an avid amateur boxer. "A Piece of Steak" is a tale about a match between older and younger boxers. It contrasts the differing experiences of youth and age but also raises the social question of the treatment of aging workers. "The Mexican" combines boxing with a social theme, as a young Mexican endures an unfair fight and ethnic prejudice to earn money with which to aid the revolution. Several of London's stories would today be classified as science fiction. "The Unparalleled Invasion" describes germ warfare against China; "Goliath" is about an irresistible energy weapon; "The Shadow and the Flash" is a tale about two brothers who take different routes to achieving invisibility; "A Relic of the Pliocene" is a tall tale about an encounter of a modern-day man with a mammoth. "The Red One" is a late story from a period when London was intrigued by the theories of the psychiatrist and writer Jung. It tells of an island tribe held in thrall by an extraterrestrial object. Some nineteen original collections of short stories were published during London's brief life or shortly after his death. There have been several posthumous anthologies drawn from this pool of stories. Many of these stories were located in the Klondike and the Pacific. A collection of Jack London's San Francisco Stories was published in October 2010 by Sydney Samizdat Press. Novels London's most famous novels are The Call of the Wild, White Fang, The Sea-Wolf, The Iron Heel, and Martin Eden. In a letter dated December 27, 1901, London's Macmillan publisher George Platt Brett, Sr., said "he believed Jack's fiction represented 'the very best kind of work' done in America." Critic Maxwell Geismar called The Call of the Wild "a beautiful prose poem"; editor Franklin Walker said that it "belongs on a shelf with Walden and Huckleberry Finn"; and novelist E.L. Doctorow called it "a mordant parable ... his masterpiece." The historian Dale L. Walker commented: Some critics have said that his novels are episodic and resemble linked short stories. Dale L. Walker writes: Ambrose Bierce said of The Sea-Wolf that "the great thing—and it is among the greatest of things—is that tremendous creation, Wolf Larsen ... the hewing out and setting up of such a figure is enough for a man to do in one lifetime." However, he noted, "The love element, with its absurd suppressions, and impossible proprieties, is awful." The Iron Heel is an example of a dystopian novel that anticipates and influenced George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. London's socialist politics are explicitly on display here. The Iron Heel meets the contemporary definition of soft science fiction. The Star Rover (1915) is also science fiction. Apocrypha Jack London Credo London's literary executor, Irving Shepard, quoted a Jack London Credo in an introduction to a 1956 collection of London stories: I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time. The biographer Stasz notes that the passage "has many marks of London's style" but the only line that could be safely attributed to London was the first. The words Shepard quoted were from a story in the San Francisco Bulletin, December 2, 1916, by journalist Ernest J. Hopkins, who visited the ranch just weeks before London's death. Stasz notes, "Even more so than today journalists' quotes were unreliable or even sheer inventions," and says no direct source in London's writings has been found. However, at least one line, according to Stasz, is authentic, being referenced by London and written in his own hand in the autograph book of Australian suffragette Vida Goldstein: Dear Miss Goldstein:– Seven years ago I wrote you that I'd rather be ashes than dust. I still subscribe to that sentiment. Sincerely yours, Jack London Jan. 13, 1909 In his short story "By The Turtles of Tasman", a character, defending her "ne'er-do-well grasshopperish father" to her "antlike uncle", says: "... my father has been a king. He has lived .... Have you lived merely to live? Are you afraid to die? I'd rather sing one wild song and burst my heart with it, than live a thousand years watching my digestion and being afraid of the wet. When you are dust, my father will be ashes." "The Scab" A short diatribe on "The Scab" is often quoted within the U.S. labor movement and frequently attributed to London. It opens: In 1913 and 1914, a number of newspapers printed the first three sentences with varying terms used instead of "scab", such as "knocker","The Food for Your Think Tank", The Macon Daily Telegraph, August 23, 1914, p. 3 "stool pigeon" or "scandal monger". This passage as given above was the subject of a 1974 Supreme Court case, Letter Carriers v. Austin, in which Justice Thurgood Marshall referred to it as "a well-known piece of trade union literature, generally attributed to author Jack London". A union newsletter had published a "list of scabs," which was granted to be factual and therefore not libelous, but then went on to quote the passage as the "definition of a scab". The case turned on the question of whether the "definition" was defamatory. The court ruled that "Jack London's... 'definition of a scab' is merely rhetorical hyperbole, a lusty and imaginative expression of the contempt felt by union members towards those who refuse to join", and as such was not libelous and was protected under the First Amendment. Despite being frequently attributed to London, the passage does not appear at all in the extensive collection of his writings at Sonoma State University's website. However, in his book War of the Classes he published a 1903 speech titled "The Scab", which gave a much more balanced view of the topic: Publications Source unless otherwise specified: Novels The Cruise of the Dazzler (1902) A Daughter of the Snows (1902) The Call of the Wild (1903) The Kempton-Wace Letters (1903) (published anonymously, co-authored with Anna Strunsky) The Sea-Wolf (1904) The Game (1905) White Fang (1906) Before Adam (1907) The Iron Heel (1908) Martin Eden (1909) Burning Daylight (1910) Adventure (1911) The Scarlet Plague (1912) A Son of the Sun (1912) The Abysmal Brute (1913) The Valley of the Moon (1913) The Mutiny of the Elsinore (1914) The Star Rover (1915) (published in England as The Jacket) The Little Lady of the Big House (1916) Jerry of the Islands (1917) Michael, Brother of Jerry (1917) Hearts of Three (1920) (novelization of a script by Charles Goddard) The Assassination Bureau, Ltd (1963) (left half-finished, completed by Robert L. Fish) Short story collections Son of the Wolf (1900) Chris Farrington, Able Seaman (1901) The God of His Fathers & Other Stories (1901) Children of the Frost (1902) The Faith of Men and Other Stories (1904) Tales of the Fish Patrol (1906) Moon-Face and Other Stories (1906) Love of Life and Other Stories (1907) Lost Face (1910) South Sea Tales (1911) When God Laughs and Other Stories (1911) The House of Pride & Other Tales of Hawaii (1912) Smoke Bellew (1912) A Son of the Sun (1912) The Night Born (1913) The Strength of the Strong (1914) The Turtles of Tasman (1916) The Human Drift (1917) The Red One (1918) On the Makaloa Mat (1919) Dutch Courage and Other Stories (1922) Autobiographical memoirs The Road (1907) The Cruise of the Snark (1911) John Barleycorn (1913) Non-fiction and essays Through the Rapids on the Way to the Klondike (1899) From Dawson to the Sea (1899) What Communities Lose by the Competitive System (1900) The Impossibility of War (1900) Phenomena of Literary Evolution (1900) A Letter to Houghton Mifflin Co. (1900) Husky, Wolf Dog of the North (1900) Editorial Crimes – A Protest (1901) Again the Literary Aspirant (1902) The People of the Abyss (1903) How I Became a Socialist (1903) War of the Classes (1905) The Story of an Eyewitness (1906) A Letter to Woman's Home Companion (1906) "The Lepers of Molokai" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) "The Nature Man" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) "The High Seat of Abundance" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) Revolution, and other Essays (1910) Mexico's Army and Ours (1914) Lawgivers (1914) Our Adventures in Tampico (1914) Stalking the Pestilence (1914) The Red Game of War (1914) The Trouble Makers of Mexico (1914) With Funston's Men (1914) Plays Theft (1910) Daughters of the Rich: A One Act Play (1915) The Acorn Planter: A California Forest Play (1916) Poetry A Heart (1899) Abalone Song (1913) And Some Night (1914) Ballade of the False Lover (1914) Cupid's Deal (1913) Daybreak (1901) Effusion (1901) George Sterling (1913) Gold (1915) He Chortled with Glee (1899) He Never Tried Again (1912) His Trip to Hades (1913) Homeland (1914) Hors de Saison (1913) If I Were God (1899) In a Year (1901) In and Out (1911) Je Vis en Espoir (1897) Memory (1913) Moods (1913) My Confession (1912) My Little Palmist (1914) Of Man of the Future (1915) Oh You Everybody's Girl (19) On the Face of the Earth You are the One (1915) Rainbows End (1914) Republican Rallying Song (1916) Sonnet (1901) The Gift of God (1905) The Klondyker's Dream (1914) The Lover's Liturgy (1913) The Mammon Worshippers (1911) The Republican Battle-Hymn (1905) The Return of Ulysses (1915) The Sea Sprite and the Shooting Star (1916) The Socialist's Dream (1912) The Song of the Flames (1903) The Way of War (1906) The Worker and the Tramp (1911) Tick! Tick! Tick! (1915) Too Late (1912) Weasel Thieves (1913) When All the World Shouted my Name (1905) Where the Rainbow Fell (1902) Your Kiss (1914) Short stories "Typhoon off the Coast of Japan" (November 12, 1893) " 'Frisco Kid's' Story" (February 15, 1895) "Sakaicho, Hona Asi and Hakadaki" (April 19, 1895) "Night's Swim In Yeddo Bay" (May 27, 1895) "Who Believes in Ghosts!" (October 21, 1895) "And 'Frisco Kid Came Back" (November 4, 1895) "One More Unfortunate" (December 18, 1895) "O Haru" (1993; written in April 1897) "The Mahatma's Little Joke" (1993; written in May 1897) "The Strange Experience of a Misogynist" (1993; written between May and September 1897), originally titled "The Misogynist" "Two Gold Bricks" (September 1897) "The Plague Ship" (1993; written between September and December 1897) "The Devil’s Dice Box" (December 1976; written in September 1898) "The Test: A Clondyke Wooing" (1983; written in September 1898) "A Klondike Christmas" (1983; written in November 1898) "A Dream Image" (1898) "To the Man on Trail: A Klondike Christmas" (January 1899) "The White Silence" (February 1899) "The Son of the Wolf" (April 1899) "The Men of Forty-Mile" (May 1899) "A Thousand Deaths" (May 1899) "An Old Soldier's Story" (May 20, 1899) "In a Far Country" (June 1899) "The Priestly Prerogative" (July 1899) "The Handsome Cabin Boy" (July 1899) "The Wife of a King" (August 1899) "In the Time of Prince Charley" (September 1899) "Old Baldy" (September 16, 1899) "The Grilling of Loren Ellery" (September 24, 1899) "The Rejuvenation of Major Rathbone" (November 1899) "The King of Mazy May" (November 30, 1899) "The Wisdom of the Trail" (December 1899) "A Daughter of the Aurora" (December 24, 1899) "Pluck and Pertinacity" (1899) "An Odyssey of the North" (January 1900) "A Lesson in Heraldry" (March 1900) "The End of the Chapter" (June 9, 1900) "Uri Bram's God" (June 24, 1900) "Even unto Death" (July 28, 1900) "Grit of Women" (August 1900) "Jan the Unrepentant" (August 1900) "The Man with the Gash" (September 1900) "Their Alcove" (September 1900) "Housekeeping in the Klondike" (September 16, 1900) "The Proper 'Girlie' " (October 1900) "Thanksgiving on Slav Creek" (November 24, 1900) "Where the Trail Forks" (December 1900) "The Great Interrogation" (December 1900) "Semper Idem" (December 1900) "A Northland Miracle" (November 4, 1926; written in 1900) "Dutch Courage" (November 29, 1900) "A Relic of the Pliocene" (January 12, 1901) "The Law of Life" (March 1901) "Siwash" (March 1901) "The Lost Poacher" (March 14, 1901) "At the Rainbow's End" (March 24, 1901) "The God of His Fathers" (May 1901) "The Scorn of Woman" (May 1901) "The Minions of Midas" (May 1901) "Chris Farrington: Able Seaman" (May 23, 1901) "A Hyperborean Brew" (July 1901) "Bald Face" (September 6, 1901) "Keesh, Son of Keesh" (January 1902) "An Adventure in the Upper Sea" (May 1902) "To Build a Fire" (May 29, 1902, revised August 1908) "Diable --- A Dog" (June 1902), renamed Bâtard in 1904 "To Repel Boarders" (June 1902) "The ‘Fuzziness' of Hoockla-Heen" (July 3, 1902) "Moon-Face" (July 21, 1902) "Nam-Bok, the Liar" (August 1902) "Li Wan the Fair" (August 1902) "The Master of Mystery" (September 1902) "In the Forests of the North" (September 1902) "The Sunlanders" (September 1902) "The Death of Ligoun" (September 1902) "The Story of Jees Uck" (September 1902) "The Sickness of Lone Chief" (October 1902) "The League of the Old Men" (October 4, 1902) "Lost Face" (1902) "Master of Mystery" (1902) "In Yeddo Bay" (February 1903) "The One Thousand Dozen" (March 1903) "The Shadow and the Flash" (June 1903) “The Faith of Men" (June 1903) "The Leopard Man's Story" (August 1903) "The Marriage of Lit-Lit" (September 1903) "Local Color" (October 1903) "Too Much Gold" (December 1903) "Amateur Night" (December 1903) "The Dominant Primordial Beast" (1903) "Keesh, The Bear Hunter" (January 1904); often reprinted as "The Story of Keesh" "The Banks of the Sacramento" (March 17, 1904) "White and Yellow" (February 16, 1905) "The King of the Greeks" (March 2, 1905) "A Raid on the Oyster Pirates" (March 16, 1905) "The Siege of the 'Lancashire Queen' ” (March 30, 1905) "Charley's Coup” (April 13, 1905) "Demetrios Contos” (April 27, 1905) "Yellow Handkerchief” (May 11, 1905) "All Gold Cañon" (November 1905) "Love of Life" (December 1905) "The Sun-Dog Trail" (December 1905) "A Nose for the King" (March 1906) "Planchette" (June 1906) "The Unexpected" (August 1906) "Brown Wolf" (August 1906) "The Apostate" (September 1906) "Up the Slide" (October 25, 1906) "A Wicked Woman" (November 1906) "The White Man's Way" (November 4, 1906) "The Wit of Porportuk" (December 1906) "When God Laughs" (January 1907) "Just Meat" (March 1907) "Created He Them" (April 1907) "Morganson's Finish" (May 1907) "A Day's Lodging" (May 25, 1907) "Negore the Coward" (September 1907) "Chased by the Trail" (September 26, 1907) "The Passing of Marcus O'Brien" (January 1908) "Trust" (January 1908) "That Spot" (February 1908) "Flush of Gold" (April 1908) "Make Westing" (April 1908) "The Enemy of All the World" (October 1908) "Aloha Oe" (December 1908) "A Curious Fragment" (December 10, 1908) "The Dream of Debs" (January 1909) "The House of Mapuhi" (January 1909) "The Seed of McCoy" (April 1909) "The Madness of John Harned" (May 1909) "South of the Slot" (May 22, 1909) "Good-by, Jack" (June 1909) "The Chinago" (June 26, 1909) "The Sheriff of Kona" (August 1909) "The Heathen" (September 1909) "A Piece of Steak" (November 20, 1909) "Koolau the Leper" (December 1909) "Mauki" (December 1909) “The Mission of John Starhurst” (December 29, 1909); reprinted as "The Whale Tooth" "Samuel" (1909) "Chun An Chun" (Spring 1910) "The Terrible Solomons" (March 1910) "The Inevitable White Man" (May 14, 1910) "The Unparalleled Invasion" (July 1910) "Winged Blackmail" (September 1910) "When the World was Young" (September 10, 1910) "The Benefit of the Doubt" (November 12, 1910) "Under the Deck Awnings" (November 19, 1910) "Yah! Yah! Yah!" (December 1910) "The House of Pride" (December 1910) "To Kill a Man" (December 10, 1910) "Bunches of Knuckles" (December 18, 1910) "Goliath" (1910) "The 'Francis Spaight' " (January 1911) "The Hobo and the Fairy" (February 11, 1911) "The Strength of the Strong" (March 1911) "The Eternity of Forms" (March 1911) "A Son of the Sun" (May 27. 1911) "The Taste of the Meat" (June 1911) “The Proud Goat of Aloysius Pankburn" (June 24, 1911) "The Meat" (July 1911) “The Night Born" (July 1911) "War" (July 29, 1911) "The Goat Man of Fuatino" (July 20, 1911) “The Stampede to Squaw Creek" (August 1911) "The Mexican" (August 19, 1911) "Shorty Dreams" (September 1911) "A Little Account with Swithin Hall" (September 2, 1911) "A Goboto Night" (September 30, 1911) "The Man on the Other Bank" (October 1911) "The Pears of Parlay" (October 14, 1911) "The Race for Number Three" (November 1911) "The End of the Story" (November 1911) " The Jokers of New Gibbon" (November 11, 1911) "By the Turtles of Tasman" (November 19, 1911) "The Little Man" (December 1911) "The Unmasking of the Cad" (December 23, 1911) "The Hanging of Cultus George" (January 1912) "The Mistake of Creation" (February 1912) "A Flutter in Eggs" (March 1912) "The Sea-Farmer" (March 1912) "The Feathers of the Sun" (March 9, 1912) "The Town-Site of Tra-Lee" (April 1912) "Wonder of Woman" (May 1912) "The Prodigal Father" (May 1912) "The Scarlet Plague" (June 1912) "The Captain of the Susan Drew" (December 1, 1912) "Samuel" (May 1913) "The Sea-Gangsters" (November 1913) "Told in the Drooling Ward" (June 1914) "The Hussy" (December 1916) "Man of Mine" (February 1917) "Like Argus of the Ancient Times" (March 1917) "Jerry of the Islands" (1917) "When Alice Told Her Soul" (March 1918) "The Princess" (June 1918) "The Tears of Ah Kim" (July 1918) "The Water Baby" (September 1918) "The Red One" (October 1918) "In the Cave of the Dead" (November 1918) "Shin-Bones" (1918) "On the Makaloa Mat" (March 1919) "The Bones of Kahekili" (July 1919) " Whose Business Is to Live" (September 1922) "Eyes of Asia" (September 1924) Legacy and honors Mount London, also known as Boundary Peak 100, on the Alaska-British Columbia boundary, in the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, is named for him. Jack London Square on the waterfront of Oakland, California was named for him. He was honored by the United States Postal Service with a 25¢ Great Americans series postage stamp released on January 11, 1986. Jack London Lake (), a mountain lake located in the upper reaches of the Kolyma River in Yagodninsky district of Magadan Oblast. Fictional portrayals of London include Michael O'Shea in the 1943 film Jack London, Jeff East in the 1980 film Klondike Fever, Michael Aron in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Time's Arrow from 1992, Aaron Ashmore in the Murdoch Mysteries episode "Murdoch of the Klondike" from 2012, and Johnny Simmons in the 2014 miniseries Klondike. See also List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards Notes References Bibliography The Jack London Online Collection' Further reading External links Western American Literature Journal: Jack London The Jack London Online Collection Site featuring information about Jack London's life and work, and a collection of his writings. The World of Jack London Biographical information and writings Jack London State Historic Park The Huntingon Library's Jack London Archive Guide to the Jack London Papers at The Bancroft Library Jack London Collection at Sonoma State University Library Jack London Stories, scanned from original magazines, including the original artwork 5 short radio episodes from Jack London's writing at California Legacy Project Jack London Personal Manuscripts 1876 births 1916 deaths 1906 San Francisco earthquake survivors 19th-century American short story writers 19th-century sailors 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century sailors American atheists American democratic socialists American eugenicists American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American male short story writers American psychological fiction writers American sailors American travel writers American war correspondents Deaths from dysentery Male sailors Members of the Socialist Labor Party of America Military personnel from California People from Glen Ellen, California People from Piedmont, California People involved in plagiarism controversies People of the Klondike Gold Rush People of the Russo-Japanese War Socialist Party of America politicians from California United States Merchant Mariners University of California, Berkeley alumni War correspondents of the Russo-Japanese War Writers from Oakland, California Writers from San Francisco
false
[ "Thomas McPherson Brown (1906–1989) was a rheumatologist who held unorthodox views about the basis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and believed it could be cured with antibiotics.\n\nBrown graduated from Swarthmore College then attended Johns Hopkins Medical School. He did his medical residency at the hospital associated with the Rockefeller Institute.At Rockefeller he did research on synovial fluid from people with RA and in 1937 found Mycoplasma in the fluid from some patients, leading him to believe that RA might be an infectious disease. His work was interrupted by service in World War II; after the war he obtained a position at George Washington University and began to experimentally treat some people with RA with antibiotics, which at the time were a new class of drugs. Some of the people he treated were members of Congress or ambassadors, and some of them responded positively. He presented his work at a conference in 1949; at the same conference, the new drug cortisone was presented, and it overshadowed his work and became the leading treatment for RA.\n\nThroughout his career, Brown fought to have his antibiotic treatments recognized by the medical establishment; they were not.\n\nFootnotes\n\n1906 births\n1989 deaths\nAmerican rheumatologists\n20th-century American physicians", "Ben Thigpen (November 16, 1908 – October 5, 1971) was an American jazz drummer. He is the father of drummer Ed Thigpen.\n\nHe was born Benjamin F. Thigpen in Laurel, Mississippi. Ben Thigpen played piano as a child, having been trained by his sister Eva. He played in South Bend, Indiana with Bobby Boswell in the 1920s, and then moved to Chicago to study under Jimmy Bertrand. While there he played with many noted Chicago bandleaders and performers, including Doc Cheatham. He played with Charlie Elgar's Creole Band during 1927-1929 but did not record with them. Following this he spent time in Cleveland with J. Frank Terry, and then became the drummer for Andy Kirk's Clouds of Joy, where he stayed from 1930 to 1947. Much of his work is available on collections highlighting the piano work of Mary Lou Williams, who also played in this ensemble.\n\nAfter his time with Kirk, Thigpen's career is poorly documented. He led his own quintet in St. Louis and recorded with Singleton Palmer in the 1960s.\n\nReferences\n[ Ben Thigpen] at Allmusic\n\nExternal links\n Ben Thigpen recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.\n\nAmerican jazz drummers\n1908 births\n1971 deaths" ]
[ "Jack London", "Socialism", "what part did jack have in socialism?", "London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896.", "what was his part in the party?", "London wrote from a socialist viewpoint,", "what was his viewpoint?", "\", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit.", "what was his experience with them like?", "His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary.", "what changes did he make with the party?", "I don't know.", "Who did he work with?", "I don't know." ]
C_f68d2d0f5ff24d109a3a830e107f69b9_0
Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?
7
Besides joining the socialist labor party, are there any other interesting aspects about Jack London?
Jack London
London wrote from a socialist viewpoint, which is evident in his novel The Iron Heel. Neither a theorist nor an intellectual socialist, London's socialism grew out of his life experience. As London explained in his essay, "How I Became a Socialist", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit. His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary. He wrote that his individualism was hammered out of him, and he was politically reborn. He often closed his letters "Yours for the Revolution." London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896. In the same year, the San Francisco Chronicle published a story about the twenty-year-old London giving nightly speeches in Oakland's City Hall Park, an activity he was arrested for a year later. In 1901, he left the Socialist Labor Party and joined the new Socialist Party of America. He ran unsuccessfully as the high-profile Socialist candidate for mayor of Oakland in 1901 (receiving 245 votes) and 1905 (improving to 981 votes), toured the country lecturing on socialism in 1906, and published two collections of essays about socialism: The War of the Classes (1905) and Revolution, and other Essays (1906). Stasz notes that "London regarded the Wobblies as a welcome addition to the Socialist cause, although he never joined them in going so far as to recommend sabotage." Stasz mentions a personal meeting between London and Big Bill Haywood in 1912. In his late (1913) book The Cruise of the Snark, London writes about appeals to him for membership of the Snark's crew from office workers and other "toilers" who longed for escape from the cities, and of being cheated by workmen. In his Glen Ellen ranch years, London felt some ambivalence toward socialism and complained about the "inefficient Italian labourers" in his employ. In 1916, he resigned from the Glen Ellen chapter of the Socialist Party, but stated emphatically he did so "because of its lack of fire and fight, and its loss of emphasis on the class struggle." In an unflattering portrait of London's ranch days, California cultural historian Kevin Starr refers to this period as "post-socialist" and says "... by 1911 ... London was more bored by the class struggle than he cared to admit." CANNOTANSWER
In 1916, he resigned from the Glen Ellen chapter of the Socialist Party,
John Griffith London (born John Griffith Chaney; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916) was an American novelist, journalist and social activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction. London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of unionization, workers' rights, socialism, and eugenics. He wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam. His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay", and "The Heathen". Family Jack London was born January 12, 1876. His mother, Flora Wellman, was the fifth and youngest child of Pennsylvania Canal builder Marshall Wellman and his first wife, Eleanor Garrett Jones. Marshall Wellman was descended from Thomas Wellman, an early Puritan settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Flora left Ohio and moved to the Pacific coast when her father remarried after her mother died. In San Francisco, Flora worked as a music teacher and spiritualist, claiming to channel the spirit of a Sauk chief, Black Hawk. Biographer Clarice Stasz and others believe London's father was astrologer William Chaney. Flora Wellman was living with Chaney in San Francisco when she became pregnant. Whether Wellman and Chaney were legally married is unknown. Stasz notes that in his memoirs, Chaney refers to London's mother Flora Wellman as having been "his wife"; he also cites an advertisement in which Flora called herself "Florence Wellman Chaney". According to Flora Wellman's account, as recorded in the San Francisco Chronicle of June 4, 1875, Chaney demanded that she have an abortion. When she refused, he disclaimed responsibility for the child. In desperation, she shot herself. She was not seriously wounded, but she was temporarily deranged. After giving birth, Flora sent the baby for wet-nursing to Virginia (Jennie) Prentiss, a formerly enslaved African-American woman and a neighbor. Prentiss was an important maternal figure throughout London's life, and he would later refer to her as his primary source of love and affection as a child. Late in 1876, Flora Wellman married John London, a partially disabled Civil War veteran, and brought her baby John, later known as Jack, to live with the newly married couple. The family moved around the San Francisco Bay Area before settling in Oakland, where London completed public grade school. The Prentiss family moved with the Londons, and remained a stable source of care for the young Jack. In 1897, when he was 21 and a student at the University of California, Berkeley, London searched for and read the newspaper accounts of his mother's suicide attempt and the name of his biological father. He wrote to William Chaney, then living in Chicago. Chaney responded that he could not be London's father because he was impotent; he casually asserted that London's mother had relations with other men and averred that she had slandered him when she said he insisted on an abortion. Chaney concluded by saying that he was more to be pitied than London. London was devastated by his father's letter; in the months following, he quit school at Berkeley and went to the Klondike during the gold rush boom. Early life London was born near Third and Brannan Streets in San Francisco. The house burned down in the fire after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake; the California Historical Society placed a plaque at the site in 1953. Although the family was working class, it was not as impoverished as London's later accounts claimed. London was largely self-educated. In 1885, London found and read Ouida's long Victorian novel Signa. He credited this as the seed of his literary success. In 1886, he went to the Oakland Public Library and found a sympathetic librarian, Ina Coolbrith, who encouraged his learning. (She later became California's first poet laureate and an important figure in the San Francisco literary community). In 1889, London began working 12 to 18 hours a day at Hickmott's Cannery. Seeking a way out, he borrowed money from his foster mother Virginia Prentiss, bought the sloop Razzle-Dazzle from an oyster pirate named French Frank, and became an oyster pirate himself. In his memoir, John Barleycorn, he claims also to have stolen French Frank's mistress Mamie. After a few months, his sloop became damaged beyond repair. London hired on as a member of the California Fish Patrol. In 1893, he signed on to the sealing schooner Sophie Sutherland, bound for the coast of Japan. When he returned, the country was in the grip of the panic of '93 and Oakland was swept by labor unrest. After grueling jobs in a jute mill and a street-railway power plant, London joined Coxey's Army and began his career as a tramp. In 1894, he spent 30 days for vagrancy in the Erie County Penitentiary at Buffalo, New York. In The Road, he wrote: After many experiences as a hobo and a sailor, he returned to Oakland and attended Oakland High School. He contributed a number of articles to the high school's magazine, The Aegis. His first published work was "Typhoon off the Coast of Japan", an account of his sailing experiences. As a schoolboy, London often studied at Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon, a port-side bar in Oakland. At 17, he confessed to the bar's owner, John Heinold, his desire to attend university and pursue a career as a writer. Heinold lent London tuition money to attend college. London desperately wanted to attend the University of California, located in Berkeley. In 1896, after a summer of intense studying to pass certification exams, he was admitted. Financial circumstances forced him to leave in 1897, and he never graduated. No evidence has surfaced that he ever wrote for student publications while studying at Berkeley. While at Berkeley, London continued to study and spend time at Heinold's saloon, where he was introduced to the sailors and adventurers who would influence his writing. In his autobiographical novel, John Barleycorn, London mentioned the pub's likeness seventeen times. Heinold's was the place where London met Alexander McLean, a captain known for his cruelty at sea. London based his protagonist Wolf Larsen, in the novel The Sea-Wolf, on McLean. Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon is now unofficially named Jack London's Rendezvous in his honor. Gold rush and first success On July 12, 1897, London (age 21) and his sister's husband Captain Shepard sailed to join the Klondike Gold Rush. This was the setting for some of his first successful stories. London's time in the harsh Klondike, however, was detrimental to his health. Like so many other men who were malnourished in the goldfields, London developed scurvy. His gums became swollen, leading to the loss of his four front teeth. A constant gnawing pain affected his hip and leg muscles, and his face was stricken with marks that always reminded him of the struggles he faced in the Klondike. Father William Judge, "The Saint of Dawson", had a facility in Dawson that provided shelter, food and any available medicine to London and others. His struggles there inspired London's short story, "To Build a Fire" (1902, revised in 1908), which many critics assess as his best. His landlords in Dawson were mining engineers Marshall Latham Bond and Louis Whitford Bond, educated at the Bachelor's level at the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale and at the Master's level at Stanford, respectively. The brothers' father, Judge Hiram Bond, was a wealthy mining investor. While the Bond brothers were at Stanford Hiram at the suggestion of his brother bought the New Park Estate at Santa Clara as well as a local bank. The Bonds, especially Hiram, were active Republicans. Marshall Bond's diary mentions friendly sparring with London on political issues as a camp pastime. London left Oakland with a social conscience and socialist leanings; he returned to become an activist for socialism. He concluded that his only hope of escaping the work "trap" was to get an education and "sell his brains". He saw his writing as a business, his ticket out of poverty, and, he hoped, a means of beating the wealthy at their own game. On returning to California in 1898, London began working to get published, a struggle described in his novel, Martin Eden (serialized in 1908, published in 1909). His first published story since high school was "To the Man On Trail", which has frequently been collected in anthologies. When The Overland Monthly offered him only five dollars for it—and was slow paying—London came close to abandoning his writing career. In his words, "literally and literarily I was saved" when The Black Cat accepted his story "A Thousand Deaths", and paid him $40—the "first money I ever received for a story". London began his writing career just as new printing technologies enabled lower-cost production of magazines. This resulted in a boom in popular magazines aimed at a wide public audience and a strong market for short fiction. In 1900, he made $2,500 in writing, about $ in today's currency. Among the works he sold to magazines was a short story known as either "Diable" (1902) or "Bâtard" (1904), two editions of the same basic story; London received $141.25 for this story on May 27, 1902. In the text, a cruel French Canadian brutalizes his dog, and the dog retaliates and kills the man. London told some of his critics that man's actions are the main cause of the behavior of their animals, and he would show this in another story, The Call of the Wild. In early 1903, London sold The Call of the Wild to The Saturday Evening Post for $750, and the book rights to Macmillan. Macmillan's promotional campaign propelled it to swift success. While living at his rented villa on Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, London met poet George Sterling; in time they became best friends. In 1902, Sterling helped London find a home closer to his own in nearby Piedmont. In his letters London addressed Sterling as "Greek", owing to Sterling's aquiline nose and classical profile, and he signed them as "Wolf". London was later to depict Sterling as Russ Brissenden in his autobiographical novel Martin Eden (1910) and as Mark Hall in The Valley of the Moon (1913). In later life London indulged his wide-ranging interests by accumulating a personal library of 15,000 volumes. He referred to his books as "the tools of my trade". First marriage (1900–1904) London married Elizabeth Mae (or May) "Bessie" Maddern on April 7, 1900, the same day The Son of the Wolf was published. Bess had been part of his circle of friends for a number of years. She was related to stage actresses Minnie Maddern Fiske and Emily Stevens. Stasz says, "Both acknowledged publicly that they were not marrying out of love, but from friendship and a belief that they would produce sturdy children." Kingman says, "they were comfortable together... Jack had made it clear to Bessie that he did not love her, but that he liked her enough to make a successful marriage." London met Bessie through his friend at Oakland High School, Fred Jacobs; she was Fred's fiancée. Bessie, who tutored at Anderson's University Academy in Alameda California, tutored Jack in preparation for his entrance exams for the University of California at Berkeley in 1896. Jacobs was killed aboard the Scandia in 1897, but Jack and Bessie continued their friendship, which included taking photos and developing the film together. This was the beginning of Jack's passion for photography. During the marriage, London continued his friendship with Anna Strunsky, co-authoring The Kempton-Wace Letters, an epistolary novel contrasting two philosophies of love. Anna, writing "Dane Kempton's" letters, arguing for a romantic view of marriage, while London, writing "Herbert Wace's" letters, argued for a scientific view, based on Darwinism and eugenics. In the novel, his fictional character contrasted two women he had known. London's pet name for Bess was "Mother-Girl" and Bess's for London was "Daddy-Boy". Their first child, Joan, was born on January 15, 1901, and their second, Bessie "Becky" (also reported as Bess), on October 20, 1902. Both children were born in Piedmont, California. Here London wrote one of his most celebrated works, The Call of the Wild. While London had pride in his children, the marriage was strained. Kingman says that by 1903 the couple were close to separation as they were "extremely incompatible". "Jack was still so kind and gentle with Bessie that when Cloudsley Johns was a house guest in February 1903 he didn't suspect a breakup of their marriage." London reportedly complained to friends Joseph Noel and George Sterling: Stasz writes that these were "code words for [Bess's] fear that [Jack] was consorting with prostitutes and might bring home venereal disease." On July 24, 1903, London told Bessie he was leaving and moved out. During 1904, London and Bess negotiated the terms of a divorce, and the decree was granted on November 11, 1904. War correspondent (1904) London accepted an assignment of the San Francisco Examiner to cover the Russo-Japanese War in early 1904, arriving in Yokohama on January 25, 1904. He was arrested by Japanese authorities in Shimonoseki, but released through the intervention of American ambassador Lloyd Griscom. After travelling to Korea, he was again arrested by Japanese authorities for straying too close to the border with Manchuria without official permission, and was sent back to Seoul. Released again, London was permitted to travel with the Imperial Japanese Army to the border, and to observe the Battle of the Yalu. London asked William Randolph Hearst, the owner of the San Francisco Examiner, to be allowed to transfer to the Imperial Russian Army, where he felt that restrictions on his reporting and his movements would be less severe. However, before this could be arranged, he was arrested for a third time in four months, this time for assaulting his Japanese assistants, whom he accused of stealing the fodder for his horse. Released through the personal intervention of President Theodore Roosevelt, London departed the front in June 1904. Bohemian Club On August 18, 1904, London went with his close friend, the poet George Sterling, to "Summer High Jinks" at the Bohemian Grove. London was elected to honorary membership in the Bohemian Club and took part in many activities. Other noted members of the Bohemian Club during this time included Ambrose Bierce, Gelett Burgess, Allan Dunn, John Muir, Frank Norris, and Herman George Scheffauer. Beginning in December 1914, London worked on The Acorn Planter, A California Forest Play, to be performed as one of the annual Grove Plays, but it was never selected. It was described as too difficult to set to music. London published The Acorn Planter in 1916. Second marriage After divorcing Maddern, London married Charmian Kittredge in 1905. London had been introduced to Kittredge in 1900 by her aunt Netta Eames, who was an editor at Overland Monthly magazine in San Francisco. The two met prior to his first marriage but became lovers years later after Jack and Bessie London visited Wake Robin, Netta Eames' Sonoma County resort, in 1903. London was injured when he fell from a buggy, and Netta arranged for Charmian to care for him. The two developed a friendship, as Charmian, Netta, her husband Roscoe, and London were politically aligned with socialist causes. At some point the relationship became romantic, and Jack divorced his wife to marry Charmian, who was five years his senior. Biographer Russ Kingman called Charmian "Jack's soul-mate, always at his side, and a perfect match." Their time together included numerous trips, including a 1907 cruise on the yacht Snark to Hawaii and Australia. Many of London's stories are based on his visits to Hawaii, the last one for 10 months beginning in December 1915. The couple also visited Goldfield, Nevada, in 1907, where they were guests of the Bond brothers, London's Dawson City landlords. The Bond brothers were working in Nevada as mining engineers. London had contrasted the concepts of the "Mother Girl" and the "Mate Woman" in The Kempton-Wace Letters. His pet name for Bess had been "Mother-Girl;" his pet name for Charmian was "Mate-Woman." Charmian's aunt and foster mother, a disciple of Victoria Woodhull, had raised her without prudishness. Every biographer alludes to Charmian's uninhibited sexuality. Joseph Noel calls the events from 1903 to 1905 "a domestic drama that would have intrigued the pen of an Ibsen.... London's had comedy relief in it and a sort of easy-going romance." In broad outline, London was restless in his first marriage, sought extramarital sexual affairs, and found, in Charmian Kittredge, not only a sexually active and adventurous partner, but his future life-companion. They attempted to have children; one child died at birth, and another pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. In 1906, London published in Collier's magazine his eye-witness report of the San Francisco earthquake. Beauty Ranch (1905–1916) In 1905, London purchased a ranch in Glen Ellen, Sonoma County, California, on the eastern slope of Sonoma Mountain. He wrote: "Next to my wife, the ranch is the dearest thing in the world to me." He desperately wanted the ranch to become a successful business enterprise. Writing, always a commercial enterprise with London, now became even more a means to an end: "I write for no other purpose than to add to the beauty that now belongs to me. I write a book for no other reason than to add three or four hundred acres to my magnificent estate." Stasz writes that London "had taken fully to heart the vision, expressed in his agrarian fiction, of the land as the closest earthly version of Eden ... he educated himself through the study of agricultural manuals and scientific tomes. He conceived of a system of ranching that today would be praised for its ecological wisdom." He was proud to own the first concrete silo in California. He hoped to adapt the wisdom of Asian sustainable agriculture to the United States. He hired both Italian and Chinese stonemasons, whose distinctly different styles are obvious. The ranch was an economic failure. Sympathetic observers such as Stasz treat his projects as potentially feasible, and ascribe their failure to bad luck or to being ahead of their time. Unsympathetic historians such as Kevin Starr suggest that he was a bad manager, distracted by other concerns and impaired by his alcoholism. Starr notes that London was absent from his ranch about six months a year between 1910 and 1916 and says, "He liked the show of managerial power, but not grinding attention to detail .... London's workers laughed at his efforts to play big-time rancher [and considered] the operation a rich man's hobby." London spent $80,000 ($ in current value) to build a stone mansion called Wolf House on the property. Just as the mansion was nearing completion, two weeks before the Londons planned to move in, it was destroyed by fire. London's last visit to Hawaii, beginning in December 1915, lasted eight months. He met with Duke Kahanamoku, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole, Queen Lili'uokalani and many others, before returning to his ranch in July 1916. He was suffering from kidney failure, but he continued to work. The ranch (abutting stone remnants of Wolf House) is now a National Historic Landmark and is protected in Jack London State Historic Park. Animal activism London witnessed animal cruelty in the training of circus animals, and his subsequent novels Jerry of the Islands and Michael, Brother of Jerry included a foreword entreating the public to become more informed about this practice. In 1918, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the American Humane Education Society teamed up to create the Jack London Club, which sought to inform the public about cruelty to circus animals and encourage them to protest this establishment. Support from Club members led to a temporary cessation of trained animal acts at Ringling-Barnum and Bailey in 1925. Death London died November 22, 1916, in a sleeping porch in a cottage on his ranch. London had been a robust man but had suffered several serious illnesses, including scurvy in the Klondike. Additionally, during travels on the Snark, he and Charmian picked up unspecified tropical infections and diseases, including yaws. At the time of his death, he suffered from dysentery, late-stage alcoholism, and uremia; he was in extreme pain and taking morphine. London's ashes were buried on his property not far from the Wolf House. London's funeral took place on November 26, 1916, attended only by close friends, relatives, and workers of the property. In accordance with his wishes, he was cremated and buried next to some pioneer children, under a rock that belonged to the Wolf House. After Charmian's death in 1955, she was also cremated and then buried with her husband in the same spot that her husband chose. The grave is marked by a mossy boulder. The buildings and property were later preserved as Jack London State Historic Park, in Glen Ellen, California. Suicide debate Because he was using morphine, many older sources describe London's death as a suicide, and some still do. This conjecture appears to be a rumor, or speculation based on incidents in his fiction writings. His death certificate gives the cause as uremia, following acute renal colic. The biographer Stasz writes, "Following London's death, for a number of reasons, a biographical myth developed in which he has been portrayed as an alcoholic womanizer who committed suicide. Recent scholarship based upon firsthand documents challenges this caricature." Most biographers, including Russ Kingman, now agree he died of uremia aggravated by an accidental morphine overdose. London's fiction featured several suicides. In his autobiographical memoir John Barleycorn, he claims, as a youth, to have drunkenly stumbled overboard into the San Francisco Bay, "some maundering fancy of going out with the tide suddenly obsessed me". He said he drifted and nearly succeeded in drowning before sobering up and being rescued by fishermen. In the dénouement of The Little Lady of the Big House, the heroine, confronted by the pain of a mortal gunshot wound, undergoes a physician-assisted suicide by morphine. Also, in Martin Eden, the principal protagonist, who shares certain characteristics with London, drowns himself. Plagiarism accusations London was vulnerable to accusations of plagiarism, both because he was such a conspicuous, prolific, and successful writer and because of his methods of working. He wrote in a letter to Elwyn Hoffman, "expression, you see—with me—is far easier than invention." He purchased plots and novels from the young Sinclair Lewis and used incidents from newspaper clippings as writing material. In July 1901, two pieces of fiction appeared within the same month: London's "Moon-Face", in the San Francisco Argonaut, and Frank Norris' "The Passing of Cock-eye Blacklock", in Century Magazine. Newspapers showed the similarities between the stories, which London said were "quite different in manner of treatment, [but] patently the same in foundation and motive." London explained both writers based their stories on the same newspaper account. A year later, it was discovered that Charles Forrest McLean had published a fictional story also based on the same incident. Egerton Ryerson Young claimed The Call of the Wild (1903) was taken from Young's book My Dogs in the Northland (1902). London acknowledged using it as a source and claimed to have written a letter to Young thanking him. In 1906, the New York World published "deadly parallel" columns showing eighteen passages from London's short story "Love of Life" side by side with similar passages from a nonfiction article by Augustus Biddle and J. K. Macdonald, titled "Lost in the Land of the Midnight Sun". London noted the World did not accuse him of "plagiarism", but only of "identity of time and situation", to which he defiantly "pled guilty". The most serious charge of plagiarism was based on London's "The Bishop's Vision", Chapter 7 of his novel The Iron Heel (1908). The chapter is nearly identical to an ironic essay that Frank Harris published in 1901, titled "The Bishop of London and Public Morality". Harris was incensed and suggested he should receive 1/60th of the royalties from The Iron Heel, the disputed material constituting about that fraction of the whole novel. London insisted he had clipped a reprint of the article, which had appeared in an American newspaper, and believed it to be a genuine speech delivered by the Bishop of London. Views Atheism London was an atheist. He is quoted as saying, "I believe that when I am dead, I am dead. I believe that with my death I am just as much obliterated as the last mosquito you and I squashed." Socialism London wrote from a socialist viewpoint, which is evident in his novel The Iron Heel. Neither a theorist nor an intellectual socialist, London's socialism grew out of his life experience. As London explained in his essay, "How I Became a Socialist", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit. His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary. He wrote that his individualism was hammered out of him, and he was politically reborn. He often closed his letters "Yours for the Revolution." London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896. In the same year, the San Francisco Chronicle published a story about the twenty-year-old London's giving nightly speeches in Oakland's City Hall Park, an activity he was arrested for a year later. In 1901, he left the Socialist Labor Party and joined the new Socialist Party of America. He ran unsuccessfully as the high-profile Socialist candidate for mayor of Oakland in 1901 (receiving 245 votes) and 1905 (improving to 981 votes), toured the country lecturing on socialism in 1906, and published two collections of essays about socialism: War of the Classes (1905) and Revolution, and other Essays (1906). Stasz notes that "London regarded the Wobblies as a welcome addition to the Socialist cause, although he never joined them in going so far as to recommend sabotage." Stasz mentions a personal meeting between London and Big Bill Haywood in 1912. In his late (1913) book The Cruise of the Snark, London writes about appeals to him for membership of the Snarks crew from office workers and other "toilers" who longed for escape from the cities, and of being cheated by workmen. In his Glen Ellen ranch years, London felt some ambivalence toward socialism and complained about the "inefficient Italian labourers" in his employ. In 1916, he resigned from the Glen Ellen chapter of the Socialist Party, but stated emphatically he did so "because of its lack of fire and fight, and its loss of emphasis on the class struggle." In an unflattering portrait of London's ranch days, California cultural historian Kevin Starr refers to this period as "post-socialist" and says "... by 1911 ... London was more bored by the class struggle than he cared to admit." Race London shared common concerns among many European Americans in California about Asian immigration, described as "the yellow peril"; he used the latter term as the title of a 1904 essay. This theme was also the subject of a story he wrote in 1910 called "The Unparalleled Invasion". Presented as an historical essay set in the future, the story narrates events between 1976 and 1987, in which China, with an ever-increasing population, is taking over and colonizing its neighbors with the intention of taking over the entire Earth. The western nations respond with biological warfare and bombard China with dozens of the most infectious diseases. On his fears about China, he admits, "it must be taken into consideration that the above postulate is itself a product of Western race-egotism, urged by our belief in our own righteousness and fostered by a faith in ourselves which may be as erroneous as are most fond race fancies." By contrast, many of London's short stories are notable for their empathetic portrayal of Mexican ("The Mexican"), Asian ("The Chinago"), and Hawaiian ("Koolau the Leper") characters. London's war correspondence from the Russo-Japanese War, as well as his unfinished novel Cherry, show he admired much about Japanese customs and capabilities. London's writings have been popular among the Japanese, who believe he portrayed them positively. In "Koolau the Leper", London describes Koolau, who is a Hawaiian leper—and thus a very different sort of "superman" than Martin Eden—and who fights off an entire cavalry troop to elude capture, as "indomitable spiritually—a ... magnificent rebel". This character is based on Hawaiian leper Kaluaikoolau, who in 1893 revolted and resisted capture from forces of the Provisional Government of Hawaii in the Kalalau Valley. Those who defend London against charges of racism cite the letter he wrote to the Japanese-American Commercial Weekly in 1913: In 1996, after the City of Whitehorse, Yukon, renamed a street in honor of London, protests over London's alleged racism forced the city to change the name of "Jack London Boulevard" back to "Two-mile Hill". Shortly after boxer Jack Johnson was crowned the first black world heavyweight champ in 1908, London pleaded for a "great white hope" to come forward to defeat Johnson, writing: "Jim Jeffries must now emerge from his Alfalfa farm and remove that golden smile from Jack Johnson's face. Jeff, it's up to you. The White Man must be rescued." Eugenics With other modernist writers of the day, London supported eugenics. The notion of "good breeding" complimented the Progressive era scientism, the belief that humans assort along a hierarchy by race, religion, and ethnicity. The Progressive Era catalog of inferiority offered basis for threats to American Anglo-Saxon racial integrity. London wrote to Frederick H. Robinson of the periodical Medical Review of Reviews, stating, "I believe the future belongs to eugenics, and will be determined by the practice of eugenics." Although this led some to argue for forced sterilization of criminals or those deemed feeble-minded., London did not express this extreme. His short story "Told in the Drooling Ward" is from the viewpoint of a surprisingly astute "feebled-minded" person. Hensley argues that London's novel Before Adam (1906–07) reveals pro-eugenic themes. London advised his collaborator Anna Strunsky during preparation of The Kempton-Wace Letters that he would take the role of eugenics in mating, while she would argue on behalf of romantic love. (Love won the argument.) The Valley of the Moon emphasizes the theme of "real Americans," the Anglo Saxon, yet in Little Lady of the Big House, London is more nuanced. The protagonist's argument is not that all white men are superior, but that there are more superior ones among whites than in other races. By encouraging the best in any race to mate will improve its population qualities. Living in Hawaii challenged his orthodoxy. In "My Hawaiian Aloha," London noted the liberal intermarrying of races, concluding how "little Hawaii, with its hotch potch races, is making a better demonstration than the United States." Works Short stories Western writer and historian Dale L. Walker writes: London's "strength of utterance" is at its height in his stories, and they are painstakingly well-constructed. "To Build a Fire" is the best known of all his stories. Set in the harsh Klondike, it recounts the haphazard trek of a new arrival who has ignored an old-timer's warning about the risks of traveling alone. Falling through the ice into a creek in seventy-five-below weather, the unnamed man is keenly aware that survival depends on his untested skills at quickly building a fire to dry his clothes and warm his extremities. After publishing a tame version of this story—with a sunny outcome—in The Youth's Companion in 1902, London offered a second, more severe take on the man's predicament in The Century Magazine in 1908. Reading both provides an illustration of London's growth and maturation as a writer. As Labor (1994) observes: "To compare the two versions is itself an instructive lesson in what distinguished a great work of literary art from a good children's story." Other stories from the Klondike period include: "All Gold Canyon", about a battle between a gold prospector and a claim jumper; "The Law of Life", about an aging American Indian man abandoned by his tribe and left to die; "Love of Life", about a trek by a prospector across the Canadian tundra; "To the Man on Trail," which tells the story of a prospector fleeing the Mounted Police in a sled race, and raises the question of the contrast between written law and morality; and "An Odyssey of the North," which raises questions of conditional morality, and paints a sympathetic portrait of a man of mixed White and Aleut ancestry. London was a boxing fan and an avid amateur boxer. "A Piece of Steak" is a tale about a match between older and younger boxers. It contrasts the differing experiences of youth and age but also raises the social question of the treatment of aging workers. "The Mexican" combines boxing with a social theme, as a young Mexican endures an unfair fight and ethnic prejudice to earn money with which to aid the revolution. Several of London's stories would today be classified as science fiction. "The Unparalleled Invasion" describes germ warfare against China; "Goliath" is about an irresistible energy weapon; "The Shadow and the Flash" is a tale about two brothers who take different routes to achieving invisibility; "A Relic of the Pliocene" is a tall tale about an encounter of a modern-day man with a mammoth. "The Red One" is a late story from a period when London was intrigued by the theories of the psychiatrist and writer Jung. It tells of an island tribe held in thrall by an extraterrestrial object. Some nineteen original collections of short stories were published during London's brief life or shortly after his death. There have been several posthumous anthologies drawn from this pool of stories. Many of these stories were located in the Klondike and the Pacific. A collection of Jack London's San Francisco Stories was published in October 2010 by Sydney Samizdat Press. Novels London's most famous novels are The Call of the Wild, White Fang, The Sea-Wolf, The Iron Heel, and Martin Eden. In a letter dated December 27, 1901, London's Macmillan publisher George Platt Brett, Sr., said "he believed Jack's fiction represented 'the very best kind of work' done in America." Critic Maxwell Geismar called The Call of the Wild "a beautiful prose poem"; editor Franklin Walker said that it "belongs on a shelf with Walden and Huckleberry Finn"; and novelist E.L. Doctorow called it "a mordant parable ... his masterpiece." The historian Dale L. Walker commented: Some critics have said that his novels are episodic and resemble linked short stories. Dale L. Walker writes: Ambrose Bierce said of The Sea-Wolf that "the great thing—and it is among the greatest of things—is that tremendous creation, Wolf Larsen ... the hewing out and setting up of such a figure is enough for a man to do in one lifetime." However, he noted, "The love element, with its absurd suppressions, and impossible proprieties, is awful." The Iron Heel is an example of a dystopian novel that anticipates and influenced George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. London's socialist politics are explicitly on display here. The Iron Heel meets the contemporary definition of soft science fiction. The Star Rover (1915) is also science fiction. Apocrypha Jack London Credo London's literary executor, Irving Shepard, quoted a Jack London Credo in an introduction to a 1956 collection of London stories: I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time. The biographer Stasz notes that the passage "has many marks of London's style" but the only line that could be safely attributed to London was the first. The words Shepard quoted were from a story in the San Francisco Bulletin, December 2, 1916, by journalist Ernest J. Hopkins, who visited the ranch just weeks before London's death. Stasz notes, "Even more so than today journalists' quotes were unreliable or even sheer inventions," and says no direct source in London's writings has been found. However, at least one line, according to Stasz, is authentic, being referenced by London and written in his own hand in the autograph book of Australian suffragette Vida Goldstein: Dear Miss Goldstein:– Seven years ago I wrote you that I'd rather be ashes than dust. I still subscribe to that sentiment. Sincerely yours, Jack London Jan. 13, 1909 In his short story "By The Turtles of Tasman", a character, defending her "ne'er-do-well grasshopperish father" to her "antlike uncle", says: "... my father has been a king. He has lived .... Have you lived merely to live? Are you afraid to die? I'd rather sing one wild song and burst my heart with it, than live a thousand years watching my digestion and being afraid of the wet. When you are dust, my father will be ashes." "The Scab" A short diatribe on "The Scab" is often quoted within the U.S. labor movement and frequently attributed to London. It opens: In 1913 and 1914, a number of newspapers printed the first three sentences with varying terms used instead of "scab", such as "knocker","The Food for Your Think Tank", The Macon Daily Telegraph, August 23, 1914, p. 3 "stool pigeon" or "scandal monger". This passage as given above was the subject of a 1974 Supreme Court case, Letter Carriers v. Austin, in which Justice Thurgood Marshall referred to it as "a well-known piece of trade union literature, generally attributed to author Jack London". A union newsletter had published a "list of scabs," which was granted to be factual and therefore not libelous, but then went on to quote the passage as the "definition of a scab". The case turned on the question of whether the "definition" was defamatory. The court ruled that "Jack London's... 'definition of a scab' is merely rhetorical hyperbole, a lusty and imaginative expression of the contempt felt by union members towards those who refuse to join", and as such was not libelous and was protected under the First Amendment. Despite being frequently attributed to London, the passage does not appear at all in the extensive collection of his writings at Sonoma State University's website. However, in his book War of the Classes he published a 1903 speech titled "The Scab", which gave a much more balanced view of the topic: Publications Source unless otherwise specified: Novels The Cruise of the Dazzler (1902) A Daughter of the Snows (1902) The Call of the Wild (1903) The Kempton-Wace Letters (1903) (published anonymously, co-authored with Anna Strunsky) The Sea-Wolf (1904) The Game (1905) White Fang (1906) Before Adam (1907) The Iron Heel (1908) Martin Eden (1909) Burning Daylight (1910) Adventure (1911) The Scarlet Plague (1912) A Son of the Sun (1912) The Abysmal Brute (1913) The Valley of the Moon (1913) The Mutiny of the Elsinore (1914) The Star Rover (1915) (published in England as The Jacket) The Little Lady of the Big House (1916) Jerry of the Islands (1917) Michael, Brother of Jerry (1917) Hearts of Three (1920) (novelization of a script by Charles Goddard) The Assassination Bureau, Ltd (1963) (left half-finished, completed by Robert L. Fish) Short story collections Son of the Wolf (1900) Chris Farrington, Able Seaman (1901) The God of His Fathers & Other Stories (1901) Children of the Frost (1902) The Faith of Men and Other Stories (1904) Tales of the Fish Patrol (1906) Moon-Face and Other Stories (1906) Love of Life and Other Stories (1907) Lost Face (1910) South Sea Tales (1911) When God Laughs and Other Stories (1911) The House of Pride & Other Tales of Hawaii (1912) Smoke Bellew (1912) A Son of the Sun (1912) The Night Born (1913) The Strength of the Strong (1914) The Turtles of Tasman (1916) The Human Drift (1917) The Red One (1918) On the Makaloa Mat (1919) Dutch Courage and Other Stories (1922) Autobiographical memoirs The Road (1907) The Cruise of the Snark (1911) John Barleycorn (1913) Non-fiction and essays Through the Rapids on the Way to the Klondike (1899) From Dawson to the Sea (1899) What Communities Lose by the Competitive System (1900) The Impossibility of War (1900) Phenomena of Literary Evolution (1900) A Letter to Houghton Mifflin Co. (1900) Husky, Wolf Dog of the North (1900) Editorial Crimes – A Protest (1901) Again the Literary Aspirant (1902) The People of the Abyss (1903) How I Became a Socialist (1903) War of the Classes (1905) The Story of an Eyewitness (1906) A Letter to Woman's Home Companion (1906) "The Lepers of Molokai" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) "The Nature Man" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) "The High Seat of Abundance" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) Revolution, and other Essays (1910) Mexico's Army and Ours (1914) Lawgivers (1914) Our Adventures in Tampico (1914) Stalking the Pestilence (1914) The Red Game of War (1914) The Trouble Makers of Mexico (1914) With Funston's Men (1914) Plays Theft (1910) Daughters of the Rich: A One Act Play (1915) The Acorn Planter: A California Forest Play (1916) Poetry A Heart (1899) Abalone Song (1913) And Some Night (1914) Ballade of the False Lover (1914) Cupid's Deal (1913) Daybreak (1901) Effusion (1901) George Sterling (1913) Gold (1915) He Chortled with Glee (1899) He Never Tried Again (1912) His Trip to Hades (1913) Homeland (1914) Hors de Saison (1913) If I Were God (1899) In a Year (1901) In and Out (1911) Je Vis en Espoir (1897) Memory (1913) Moods (1913) My Confession (1912) My Little Palmist (1914) Of Man of the Future (1915) Oh You Everybody's Girl (19) On the Face of the Earth You are the One (1915) Rainbows End (1914) Republican Rallying Song (1916) Sonnet (1901) The Gift of God (1905) The Klondyker's Dream (1914) The Lover's Liturgy (1913) The Mammon Worshippers (1911) The Republican Battle-Hymn (1905) The Return of Ulysses (1915) The Sea Sprite and the Shooting Star (1916) The Socialist's Dream (1912) The Song of the Flames (1903) The Way of War (1906) The Worker and the Tramp (1911) Tick! Tick! Tick! (1915) Too Late (1912) Weasel Thieves (1913) When All the World Shouted my Name (1905) Where the Rainbow Fell (1902) Your Kiss (1914) Short stories "Typhoon off the Coast of Japan" (November 12, 1893) " 'Frisco Kid's' Story" (February 15, 1895) "Sakaicho, Hona Asi and Hakadaki" (April 19, 1895) "Night's Swim In Yeddo Bay" (May 27, 1895) "Who Believes in Ghosts!" (October 21, 1895) "And 'Frisco Kid Came Back" (November 4, 1895) "One More Unfortunate" (December 18, 1895) "O Haru" (1993; written in April 1897) "The Mahatma's Little Joke" (1993; written in May 1897) "The Strange Experience of a Misogynist" (1993; written between May and September 1897), originally titled "The Misogynist" "Two Gold Bricks" (September 1897) "The Plague Ship" (1993; written between September and December 1897) "The Devil’s Dice Box" (December 1976; written in September 1898) "The Test: A Clondyke Wooing" (1983; written in September 1898) "A Klondike Christmas" (1983; written in November 1898) "A Dream Image" (1898) "To the Man on Trail: A Klondike Christmas" (January 1899) "The White Silence" (February 1899) "The Son of the Wolf" (April 1899) "The Men of Forty-Mile" (May 1899) "A Thousand Deaths" (May 1899) "An Old Soldier's Story" (May 20, 1899) "In a Far Country" (June 1899) "The Priestly Prerogative" (July 1899) "The Handsome Cabin Boy" (July 1899) "The Wife of a King" (August 1899) "In the Time of Prince Charley" (September 1899) "Old Baldy" (September 16, 1899) "The Grilling of Loren Ellery" (September 24, 1899) "The Rejuvenation of Major Rathbone" (November 1899) "The King of Mazy May" (November 30, 1899) "The Wisdom of the Trail" (December 1899) "A Daughter of the Aurora" (December 24, 1899) "Pluck and Pertinacity" (1899) "An Odyssey of the North" (January 1900) "A Lesson in Heraldry" (March 1900) "The End of the Chapter" (June 9, 1900) "Uri Bram's God" (June 24, 1900) "Even unto Death" (July 28, 1900) "Grit of Women" (August 1900) "Jan the Unrepentant" (August 1900) "The Man with the Gash" (September 1900) "Their Alcove" (September 1900) "Housekeeping in the Klondike" (September 16, 1900) "The Proper 'Girlie' " (October 1900) "Thanksgiving on Slav Creek" (November 24, 1900) "Where the Trail Forks" (December 1900) "The Great Interrogation" (December 1900) "Semper Idem" (December 1900) "A Northland Miracle" (November 4, 1926; written in 1900) "Dutch Courage" (November 29, 1900) "A Relic of the Pliocene" (January 12, 1901) "The Law of Life" (March 1901) "Siwash" (March 1901) "The Lost Poacher" (March 14, 1901) "At the Rainbow's End" (March 24, 1901) "The God of His Fathers" (May 1901) "The Scorn of Woman" (May 1901) "The Minions of Midas" (May 1901) "Chris Farrington: Able Seaman" (May 23, 1901) "A Hyperborean Brew" (July 1901) "Bald Face" (September 6, 1901) "Keesh, Son of Keesh" (January 1902) "An Adventure in the Upper Sea" (May 1902) "To Build a Fire" (May 29, 1902, revised August 1908) "Diable --- A Dog" (June 1902), renamed Bâtard in 1904 "To Repel Boarders" (June 1902) "The ‘Fuzziness' of Hoockla-Heen" (July 3, 1902) "Moon-Face" (July 21, 1902) "Nam-Bok, the Liar" (August 1902) "Li Wan the Fair" (August 1902) "The Master of Mystery" (September 1902) "In the Forests of the North" (September 1902) "The Sunlanders" (September 1902) "The Death of Ligoun" (September 1902) "The Story of Jees Uck" (September 1902) "The Sickness of Lone Chief" (October 1902) "The League of the Old Men" (October 4, 1902) "Lost Face" (1902) "Master of Mystery" (1902) "In Yeddo Bay" (February 1903) "The One Thousand Dozen" (March 1903) "The Shadow and the Flash" (June 1903) “The Faith of Men" (June 1903) "The Leopard Man's Story" (August 1903) "The Marriage of Lit-Lit" (September 1903) "Local Color" (October 1903) "Too Much Gold" (December 1903) "Amateur Night" (December 1903) "The Dominant Primordial Beast" (1903) "Keesh, The Bear Hunter" (January 1904); often reprinted as "The Story of Keesh" "The Banks of the Sacramento" (March 17, 1904) "White and Yellow" (February 16, 1905) "The King of the Greeks" (March 2, 1905) "A Raid on the Oyster Pirates" (March 16, 1905) "The Siege of the 'Lancashire Queen' ” (March 30, 1905) "Charley's Coup” (April 13, 1905) "Demetrios Contos” (April 27, 1905) "Yellow Handkerchief” (May 11, 1905) "All Gold Cañon" (November 1905) "Love of Life" (December 1905) "The Sun-Dog Trail" (December 1905) "A Nose for the King" (March 1906) "Planchette" (June 1906) "The Unexpected" (August 1906) "Brown Wolf" (August 1906) "The Apostate" (September 1906) "Up the Slide" (October 25, 1906) "A Wicked Woman" (November 1906) "The White Man's Way" (November 4, 1906) "The Wit of Porportuk" (December 1906) "When God Laughs" (January 1907) "Just Meat" (March 1907) "Created He Them" (April 1907) "Morganson's Finish" (May 1907) "A Day's Lodging" (May 25, 1907) "Negore the Coward" (September 1907) "Chased by the Trail" (September 26, 1907) "The Passing of Marcus O'Brien" (January 1908) "Trust" (January 1908) "That Spot" (February 1908) "Flush of Gold" (April 1908) "Make Westing" (April 1908) "The Enemy of All the World" (October 1908) "Aloha Oe" (December 1908) "A Curious Fragment" (December 10, 1908) "The Dream of Debs" (January 1909) "The House of Mapuhi" (January 1909) "The Seed of McCoy" (April 1909) "The Madness of John Harned" (May 1909) "South of the Slot" (May 22, 1909) "Good-by, Jack" (June 1909) "The Chinago" (June 26, 1909) "The Sheriff of Kona" (August 1909) "The Heathen" (September 1909) "A Piece of Steak" (November 20, 1909) "Koolau the Leper" (December 1909) "Mauki" (December 1909) “The Mission of John Starhurst” (December 29, 1909); reprinted as "The Whale Tooth" "Samuel" (1909) "Chun An Chun" (Spring 1910) "The Terrible Solomons" (March 1910) "The Inevitable White Man" (May 14, 1910) "The Unparalleled Invasion" (July 1910) "Winged Blackmail" (September 1910) "When the World was Young" (September 10, 1910) "The Benefit of the Doubt" (November 12, 1910) "Under the Deck Awnings" (November 19, 1910) "Yah! Yah! Yah!" (December 1910) "The House of Pride" (December 1910) "To Kill a Man" (December 10, 1910) "Bunches of Knuckles" (December 18, 1910) "Goliath" (1910) "The 'Francis Spaight' " (January 1911) "The Hobo and the Fairy" (February 11, 1911) "The Strength of the Strong" (March 1911) "The Eternity of Forms" (March 1911) "A Son of the Sun" (May 27. 1911) "The Taste of the Meat" (June 1911) “The Proud Goat of Aloysius Pankburn" (June 24, 1911) "The Meat" (July 1911) “The Night Born" (July 1911) "War" (July 29, 1911) "The Goat Man of Fuatino" (July 20, 1911) “The Stampede to Squaw Creek" (August 1911) "The Mexican" (August 19, 1911) "Shorty Dreams" (September 1911) "A Little Account with Swithin Hall" (September 2, 1911) "A Goboto Night" (September 30, 1911) "The Man on the Other Bank" (October 1911) "The Pears of Parlay" (October 14, 1911) "The Race for Number Three" (November 1911) "The End of the Story" (November 1911) " The Jokers of New Gibbon" (November 11, 1911) "By the Turtles of Tasman" (November 19, 1911) "The Little Man" (December 1911) "The Unmasking of the Cad" (December 23, 1911) "The Hanging of Cultus George" (January 1912) "The Mistake of Creation" (February 1912) "A Flutter in Eggs" (March 1912) "The Sea-Farmer" (March 1912) "The Feathers of the Sun" (March 9, 1912) "The Town-Site of Tra-Lee" (April 1912) "Wonder of Woman" (May 1912) "The Prodigal Father" (May 1912) "The Scarlet Plague" (June 1912) "The Captain of the Susan Drew" (December 1, 1912) "Samuel" (May 1913) "The Sea-Gangsters" (November 1913) "Told in the Drooling Ward" (June 1914) "The Hussy" (December 1916) "Man of Mine" (February 1917) "Like Argus of the Ancient Times" (March 1917) "Jerry of the Islands" (1917) "When Alice Told Her Soul" (March 1918) "The Princess" (June 1918) "The Tears of Ah Kim" (July 1918) "The Water Baby" (September 1918) "The Red One" (October 1918) "In the Cave of the Dead" (November 1918) "Shin-Bones" (1918) "On the Makaloa Mat" (March 1919) "The Bones of Kahekili" (July 1919) " Whose Business Is to Live" (September 1922) "Eyes of Asia" (September 1924) Legacy and honors Mount London, also known as Boundary Peak 100, on the Alaska-British Columbia boundary, in the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, is named for him. Jack London Square on the waterfront of Oakland, California was named for him. He was honored by the United States Postal Service with a 25¢ Great Americans series postage stamp released on January 11, 1986. Jack London Lake (), a mountain lake located in the upper reaches of the Kolyma River in Yagodninsky district of Magadan Oblast. Fictional portrayals of London include Michael O'Shea in the 1943 film Jack London, Jeff East in the 1980 film Klondike Fever, Michael Aron in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Time's Arrow from 1992, Aaron Ashmore in the Murdoch Mysteries episode "Murdoch of the Klondike" from 2012, and Johnny Simmons in the 2014 miniseries Klondike. See also List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards Notes References Bibliography The Jack London Online Collection' Further reading External links Western American Literature Journal: Jack London The Jack London Online Collection Site featuring information about Jack London's life and work, and a collection of his writings. The World of Jack London Biographical information and writings Jack London State Historic Park The Huntingon Library's Jack London Archive Guide to the Jack London Papers at The Bancroft Library Jack London Collection at Sonoma State University Library Jack London Stories, scanned from original magazines, including the original artwork 5 short radio episodes from Jack London's writing at California Legacy Project Jack London Personal Manuscripts 1876 births 1916 deaths 1906 San Francisco earthquake survivors 19th-century American short story writers 19th-century sailors 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century sailors American atheists American democratic socialists American eugenicists American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American male short story writers American psychological fiction writers American sailors American travel writers American war correspondents Deaths from dysentery Male sailors Members of the Socialist Labor Party of America Military personnel from California People from Glen Ellen, California People from Piedmont, California People involved in plagiarism controversies People of the Klondike Gold Rush People of the Russo-Japanese War Socialist Party of America politicians from California United States Merchant Mariners University of California, Berkeley alumni War correspondents of the Russo-Japanese War Writers from Oakland, California Writers from San Francisco
true
[ "Přírodní park Třebíčsko (before Oblast klidu Třebíčsko) is a natural park near Třebíč in the Czech Republic. There are many interesting plants. The park was founded in 1983.\n\nKobylinec and Ptáčovský kopeček\n\nKobylinec is a natural monument situated ca 0,5 km from the village of Trnava.\nThe area of this monument is 0,44 ha. Pulsatilla grandis can be found here and in the Ptáčovský kopeček park near Ptáčov near Třebíč. Both monuments are very popular for tourists.\n\nPonds\n\nIn the natural park there are some interesting ponds such as Velký Bor, Malý Bor, Buršík near Přeckov and a brook Březinka. Dams on the brook are examples of European beaver activity.\n\nSyenitové skály near Pocoucov\n\nSyenitové skály (rocks of syenit) near Pocoucov is one of famed locations. There are interesting granite boulders. The area of the reservation is 0,77 ha.\n\nExternal links\nParts of this article or all article was translated from Czech. The original article is :cs:Přírodní park Třebíčsko.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\nNature near the village Trnava which is there\n\nTřebíč\nParks in the Czech Republic\nTourist attractions in the Vysočina Region", "Damn Interesting is an independent website founded by Alan Bellows in 2005. The website presents true stories from science, history, and psychology, primarily as long-form articles, often illustrated with original artwork. Works are written by various authors, and published at irregular intervals. The website openly rejects advertising, relying on reader and listener donations to cover operating costs.\n\nAs of October 2012, each article is also published as a podcast under the same name. In November 2019, a second podcast was launched under the title Damn Interesting Week, featuring unscripted commentary on an assortment of news articles featured on the website's \"Curated Links\" section that week. In mid-2020, a third podcast called Damn Interesting Curio Cabinet began highlighting the website's periodic short-form articles in the same radioplay format as the original podcast.\n\nIn July 2009, Damn Interesting published the print book Alien Hand Syndrome through Workman Publishing. It contains some favorites from the site and some exclusive content.\n\nAwards and recognition \nIn August 2007, PC Magazine named Damn Interesting one of the \"Top 100 Undiscovered Web Sites\".\nThe article \"The Zero-Armed Bandit\" by Alan Bellows won a 2015 Sidney Award from David Brooks in The New York Times.\nThe article \"Ghoulish Acts and Dastardly Deeds\" by Alan Bellows was cited as \"nonfiction journalism from 2017 that will stand the test of time\" by Conor Friedersdorf in The Atlantic.\nThe article \"Dupes and Duplicity\" by Jennifer Lee Noonan won a 2020 Sidney Award from David Brooks in the New York Times.\n\nAccusing The Dollop of plagiarism \n\nOn July 9, 2015, Bellows posted an open letter accusing The Dollop, a comedy podcast about history, of plagiarism due to their repeated use of verbatim text from Damn Interesting articles without permission or attribution. Dave Anthony, the writer of The Dollop, responded on reddit, admitting to using Damn Interesting content, but claiming that the use was protected by fair use, and that \"historical facts are not copyrightable.\" In an article about the controversy on Plagiarism Today, Jonathan Bailey concluded, \"Any way one looks at it, The Dollop failed its ethical obligations to all of the people, not just those writing for Damn Interesting, who put in the time, energy and expertise into writing the original content upon which their show is based.\"\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links \n Official website\n\n2005 podcast debuts" ]
[ "Jack London", "Socialism", "what part did jack have in socialism?", "London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896.", "what was his part in the party?", "London wrote from a socialist viewpoint,", "what was his viewpoint?", "\", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit.", "what was his experience with them like?", "His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary.", "what changes did he make with the party?", "I don't know.", "Who did he work with?", "I don't know.", "Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?", "In 1916, he resigned from the Glen Ellen chapter of the Socialist Party," ]
C_f68d2d0f5ff24d109a3a830e107f69b9_0
what did he do after he left?
8
What did Jack London do after he left the Socialist Labor Party?
Jack London
London wrote from a socialist viewpoint, which is evident in his novel The Iron Heel. Neither a theorist nor an intellectual socialist, London's socialism grew out of his life experience. As London explained in his essay, "How I Became a Socialist", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit. His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary. He wrote that his individualism was hammered out of him, and he was politically reborn. He often closed his letters "Yours for the Revolution." London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896. In the same year, the San Francisco Chronicle published a story about the twenty-year-old London giving nightly speeches in Oakland's City Hall Park, an activity he was arrested for a year later. In 1901, he left the Socialist Labor Party and joined the new Socialist Party of America. He ran unsuccessfully as the high-profile Socialist candidate for mayor of Oakland in 1901 (receiving 245 votes) and 1905 (improving to 981 votes), toured the country lecturing on socialism in 1906, and published two collections of essays about socialism: The War of the Classes (1905) and Revolution, and other Essays (1906). Stasz notes that "London regarded the Wobblies as a welcome addition to the Socialist cause, although he never joined them in going so far as to recommend sabotage." Stasz mentions a personal meeting between London and Big Bill Haywood in 1912. In his late (1913) book The Cruise of the Snark, London writes about appeals to him for membership of the Snark's crew from office workers and other "toilers" who longed for escape from the cities, and of being cheated by workmen. In his Glen Ellen ranch years, London felt some ambivalence toward socialism and complained about the "inefficient Italian labourers" in his employ. In 1916, he resigned from the Glen Ellen chapter of the Socialist Party, but stated emphatically he did so "because of its lack of fire and fight, and its loss of emphasis on the class struggle." In an unflattering portrait of London's ranch days, California cultural historian Kevin Starr refers to this period as "post-socialist" and says "... by 1911 ... London was more bored by the class struggle than he cared to admit." CANNOTANSWER
In an unflattering portrait of London's ranch days, California cultural historian Kevin Starr refers to this period as "post-socialist"
John Griffith London (born John Griffith Chaney; January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916) was an American novelist, journalist and social activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction. London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of unionization, workers' rights, socialism, and eugenics. He wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam. His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay", and "The Heathen". Family Jack London was born January 12, 1876. His mother, Flora Wellman, was the fifth and youngest child of Pennsylvania Canal builder Marshall Wellman and his first wife, Eleanor Garrett Jones. Marshall Wellman was descended from Thomas Wellman, an early Puritan settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Flora left Ohio and moved to the Pacific coast when her father remarried after her mother died. In San Francisco, Flora worked as a music teacher and spiritualist, claiming to channel the spirit of a Sauk chief, Black Hawk. Biographer Clarice Stasz and others believe London's father was astrologer William Chaney. Flora Wellman was living with Chaney in San Francisco when she became pregnant. Whether Wellman and Chaney were legally married is unknown. Stasz notes that in his memoirs, Chaney refers to London's mother Flora Wellman as having been "his wife"; he also cites an advertisement in which Flora called herself "Florence Wellman Chaney". According to Flora Wellman's account, as recorded in the San Francisco Chronicle of June 4, 1875, Chaney demanded that she have an abortion. When she refused, he disclaimed responsibility for the child. In desperation, she shot herself. She was not seriously wounded, but she was temporarily deranged. After giving birth, Flora sent the baby for wet-nursing to Virginia (Jennie) Prentiss, a formerly enslaved African-American woman and a neighbor. Prentiss was an important maternal figure throughout London's life, and he would later refer to her as his primary source of love and affection as a child. Late in 1876, Flora Wellman married John London, a partially disabled Civil War veteran, and brought her baby John, later known as Jack, to live with the newly married couple. The family moved around the San Francisco Bay Area before settling in Oakland, where London completed public grade school. The Prentiss family moved with the Londons, and remained a stable source of care for the young Jack. In 1897, when he was 21 and a student at the University of California, Berkeley, London searched for and read the newspaper accounts of his mother's suicide attempt and the name of his biological father. He wrote to William Chaney, then living in Chicago. Chaney responded that he could not be London's father because he was impotent; he casually asserted that London's mother had relations with other men and averred that she had slandered him when she said he insisted on an abortion. Chaney concluded by saying that he was more to be pitied than London. London was devastated by his father's letter; in the months following, he quit school at Berkeley and went to the Klondike during the gold rush boom. Early life London was born near Third and Brannan Streets in San Francisco. The house burned down in the fire after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake; the California Historical Society placed a plaque at the site in 1953. Although the family was working class, it was not as impoverished as London's later accounts claimed. London was largely self-educated. In 1885, London found and read Ouida's long Victorian novel Signa. He credited this as the seed of his literary success. In 1886, he went to the Oakland Public Library and found a sympathetic librarian, Ina Coolbrith, who encouraged his learning. (She later became California's first poet laureate and an important figure in the San Francisco literary community). In 1889, London began working 12 to 18 hours a day at Hickmott's Cannery. Seeking a way out, he borrowed money from his foster mother Virginia Prentiss, bought the sloop Razzle-Dazzle from an oyster pirate named French Frank, and became an oyster pirate himself. In his memoir, John Barleycorn, he claims also to have stolen French Frank's mistress Mamie. After a few months, his sloop became damaged beyond repair. London hired on as a member of the California Fish Patrol. In 1893, he signed on to the sealing schooner Sophie Sutherland, bound for the coast of Japan. When he returned, the country was in the grip of the panic of '93 and Oakland was swept by labor unrest. After grueling jobs in a jute mill and a street-railway power plant, London joined Coxey's Army and began his career as a tramp. In 1894, he spent 30 days for vagrancy in the Erie County Penitentiary at Buffalo, New York. In The Road, he wrote: After many experiences as a hobo and a sailor, he returned to Oakland and attended Oakland High School. He contributed a number of articles to the high school's magazine, The Aegis. His first published work was "Typhoon off the Coast of Japan", an account of his sailing experiences. As a schoolboy, London often studied at Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon, a port-side bar in Oakland. At 17, he confessed to the bar's owner, John Heinold, his desire to attend university and pursue a career as a writer. Heinold lent London tuition money to attend college. London desperately wanted to attend the University of California, located in Berkeley. In 1896, after a summer of intense studying to pass certification exams, he was admitted. Financial circumstances forced him to leave in 1897, and he never graduated. No evidence has surfaced that he ever wrote for student publications while studying at Berkeley. While at Berkeley, London continued to study and spend time at Heinold's saloon, where he was introduced to the sailors and adventurers who would influence his writing. In his autobiographical novel, John Barleycorn, London mentioned the pub's likeness seventeen times. Heinold's was the place where London met Alexander McLean, a captain known for his cruelty at sea. London based his protagonist Wolf Larsen, in the novel The Sea-Wolf, on McLean. Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon is now unofficially named Jack London's Rendezvous in his honor. Gold rush and first success On July 12, 1897, London (age 21) and his sister's husband Captain Shepard sailed to join the Klondike Gold Rush. This was the setting for some of his first successful stories. London's time in the harsh Klondike, however, was detrimental to his health. Like so many other men who were malnourished in the goldfields, London developed scurvy. His gums became swollen, leading to the loss of his four front teeth. A constant gnawing pain affected his hip and leg muscles, and his face was stricken with marks that always reminded him of the struggles he faced in the Klondike. Father William Judge, "The Saint of Dawson", had a facility in Dawson that provided shelter, food and any available medicine to London and others. His struggles there inspired London's short story, "To Build a Fire" (1902, revised in 1908), which many critics assess as his best. His landlords in Dawson were mining engineers Marshall Latham Bond and Louis Whitford Bond, educated at the Bachelor's level at the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale and at the Master's level at Stanford, respectively. The brothers' father, Judge Hiram Bond, was a wealthy mining investor. While the Bond brothers were at Stanford Hiram at the suggestion of his brother bought the New Park Estate at Santa Clara as well as a local bank. The Bonds, especially Hiram, were active Republicans. Marshall Bond's diary mentions friendly sparring with London on political issues as a camp pastime. London left Oakland with a social conscience and socialist leanings; he returned to become an activist for socialism. He concluded that his only hope of escaping the work "trap" was to get an education and "sell his brains". He saw his writing as a business, his ticket out of poverty, and, he hoped, a means of beating the wealthy at their own game. On returning to California in 1898, London began working to get published, a struggle described in his novel, Martin Eden (serialized in 1908, published in 1909). His first published story since high school was "To the Man On Trail", which has frequently been collected in anthologies. When The Overland Monthly offered him only five dollars for it—and was slow paying—London came close to abandoning his writing career. In his words, "literally and literarily I was saved" when The Black Cat accepted his story "A Thousand Deaths", and paid him $40—the "first money I ever received for a story". London began his writing career just as new printing technologies enabled lower-cost production of magazines. This resulted in a boom in popular magazines aimed at a wide public audience and a strong market for short fiction. In 1900, he made $2,500 in writing, about $ in today's currency. Among the works he sold to magazines was a short story known as either "Diable" (1902) or "Bâtard" (1904), two editions of the same basic story; London received $141.25 for this story on May 27, 1902. In the text, a cruel French Canadian brutalizes his dog, and the dog retaliates and kills the man. London told some of his critics that man's actions are the main cause of the behavior of their animals, and he would show this in another story, The Call of the Wild. In early 1903, London sold The Call of the Wild to The Saturday Evening Post for $750, and the book rights to Macmillan. Macmillan's promotional campaign propelled it to swift success. While living at his rented villa on Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, London met poet George Sterling; in time they became best friends. In 1902, Sterling helped London find a home closer to his own in nearby Piedmont. In his letters London addressed Sterling as "Greek", owing to Sterling's aquiline nose and classical profile, and he signed them as "Wolf". London was later to depict Sterling as Russ Brissenden in his autobiographical novel Martin Eden (1910) and as Mark Hall in The Valley of the Moon (1913). In later life London indulged his wide-ranging interests by accumulating a personal library of 15,000 volumes. He referred to his books as "the tools of my trade". First marriage (1900–1904) London married Elizabeth Mae (or May) "Bessie" Maddern on April 7, 1900, the same day The Son of the Wolf was published. Bess had been part of his circle of friends for a number of years. She was related to stage actresses Minnie Maddern Fiske and Emily Stevens. Stasz says, "Both acknowledged publicly that they were not marrying out of love, but from friendship and a belief that they would produce sturdy children." Kingman says, "they were comfortable together... Jack had made it clear to Bessie that he did not love her, but that he liked her enough to make a successful marriage." London met Bessie through his friend at Oakland High School, Fred Jacobs; she was Fred's fiancée. Bessie, who tutored at Anderson's University Academy in Alameda California, tutored Jack in preparation for his entrance exams for the University of California at Berkeley in 1896. Jacobs was killed aboard the Scandia in 1897, but Jack and Bessie continued their friendship, which included taking photos and developing the film together. This was the beginning of Jack's passion for photography. During the marriage, London continued his friendship with Anna Strunsky, co-authoring The Kempton-Wace Letters, an epistolary novel contrasting two philosophies of love. Anna, writing "Dane Kempton's" letters, arguing for a romantic view of marriage, while London, writing "Herbert Wace's" letters, argued for a scientific view, based on Darwinism and eugenics. In the novel, his fictional character contrasted two women he had known. London's pet name for Bess was "Mother-Girl" and Bess's for London was "Daddy-Boy". Their first child, Joan, was born on January 15, 1901, and their second, Bessie "Becky" (also reported as Bess), on October 20, 1902. Both children were born in Piedmont, California. Here London wrote one of his most celebrated works, The Call of the Wild. While London had pride in his children, the marriage was strained. Kingman says that by 1903 the couple were close to separation as they were "extremely incompatible". "Jack was still so kind and gentle with Bessie that when Cloudsley Johns was a house guest in February 1903 he didn't suspect a breakup of their marriage." London reportedly complained to friends Joseph Noel and George Sterling: Stasz writes that these were "code words for [Bess's] fear that [Jack] was consorting with prostitutes and might bring home venereal disease." On July 24, 1903, London told Bessie he was leaving and moved out. During 1904, London and Bess negotiated the terms of a divorce, and the decree was granted on November 11, 1904. War correspondent (1904) London accepted an assignment of the San Francisco Examiner to cover the Russo-Japanese War in early 1904, arriving in Yokohama on January 25, 1904. He was arrested by Japanese authorities in Shimonoseki, but released through the intervention of American ambassador Lloyd Griscom. After travelling to Korea, he was again arrested by Japanese authorities for straying too close to the border with Manchuria without official permission, and was sent back to Seoul. Released again, London was permitted to travel with the Imperial Japanese Army to the border, and to observe the Battle of the Yalu. London asked William Randolph Hearst, the owner of the San Francisco Examiner, to be allowed to transfer to the Imperial Russian Army, where he felt that restrictions on his reporting and his movements would be less severe. However, before this could be arranged, he was arrested for a third time in four months, this time for assaulting his Japanese assistants, whom he accused of stealing the fodder for his horse. Released through the personal intervention of President Theodore Roosevelt, London departed the front in June 1904. Bohemian Club On August 18, 1904, London went with his close friend, the poet George Sterling, to "Summer High Jinks" at the Bohemian Grove. London was elected to honorary membership in the Bohemian Club and took part in many activities. Other noted members of the Bohemian Club during this time included Ambrose Bierce, Gelett Burgess, Allan Dunn, John Muir, Frank Norris, and Herman George Scheffauer. Beginning in December 1914, London worked on The Acorn Planter, A California Forest Play, to be performed as one of the annual Grove Plays, but it was never selected. It was described as too difficult to set to music. London published The Acorn Planter in 1916. Second marriage After divorcing Maddern, London married Charmian Kittredge in 1905. London had been introduced to Kittredge in 1900 by her aunt Netta Eames, who was an editor at Overland Monthly magazine in San Francisco. The two met prior to his first marriage but became lovers years later after Jack and Bessie London visited Wake Robin, Netta Eames' Sonoma County resort, in 1903. London was injured when he fell from a buggy, and Netta arranged for Charmian to care for him. The two developed a friendship, as Charmian, Netta, her husband Roscoe, and London were politically aligned with socialist causes. At some point the relationship became romantic, and Jack divorced his wife to marry Charmian, who was five years his senior. Biographer Russ Kingman called Charmian "Jack's soul-mate, always at his side, and a perfect match." Their time together included numerous trips, including a 1907 cruise on the yacht Snark to Hawaii and Australia. Many of London's stories are based on his visits to Hawaii, the last one for 10 months beginning in December 1915. The couple also visited Goldfield, Nevada, in 1907, where they were guests of the Bond brothers, London's Dawson City landlords. The Bond brothers were working in Nevada as mining engineers. London had contrasted the concepts of the "Mother Girl" and the "Mate Woman" in The Kempton-Wace Letters. His pet name for Bess had been "Mother-Girl;" his pet name for Charmian was "Mate-Woman." Charmian's aunt and foster mother, a disciple of Victoria Woodhull, had raised her without prudishness. Every biographer alludes to Charmian's uninhibited sexuality. Joseph Noel calls the events from 1903 to 1905 "a domestic drama that would have intrigued the pen of an Ibsen.... London's had comedy relief in it and a sort of easy-going romance." In broad outline, London was restless in his first marriage, sought extramarital sexual affairs, and found, in Charmian Kittredge, not only a sexually active and adventurous partner, but his future life-companion. They attempted to have children; one child died at birth, and another pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. In 1906, London published in Collier's magazine his eye-witness report of the San Francisco earthquake. Beauty Ranch (1905–1916) In 1905, London purchased a ranch in Glen Ellen, Sonoma County, California, on the eastern slope of Sonoma Mountain. He wrote: "Next to my wife, the ranch is the dearest thing in the world to me." He desperately wanted the ranch to become a successful business enterprise. Writing, always a commercial enterprise with London, now became even more a means to an end: "I write for no other purpose than to add to the beauty that now belongs to me. I write a book for no other reason than to add three or four hundred acres to my magnificent estate." Stasz writes that London "had taken fully to heart the vision, expressed in his agrarian fiction, of the land as the closest earthly version of Eden ... he educated himself through the study of agricultural manuals and scientific tomes. He conceived of a system of ranching that today would be praised for its ecological wisdom." He was proud to own the first concrete silo in California. He hoped to adapt the wisdom of Asian sustainable agriculture to the United States. He hired both Italian and Chinese stonemasons, whose distinctly different styles are obvious. The ranch was an economic failure. Sympathetic observers such as Stasz treat his projects as potentially feasible, and ascribe their failure to bad luck or to being ahead of their time. Unsympathetic historians such as Kevin Starr suggest that he was a bad manager, distracted by other concerns and impaired by his alcoholism. Starr notes that London was absent from his ranch about six months a year between 1910 and 1916 and says, "He liked the show of managerial power, but not grinding attention to detail .... London's workers laughed at his efforts to play big-time rancher [and considered] the operation a rich man's hobby." London spent $80,000 ($ in current value) to build a stone mansion called Wolf House on the property. Just as the mansion was nearing completion, two weeks before the Londons planned to move in, it was destroyed by fire. London's last visit to Hawaii, beginning in December 1915, lasted eight months. He met with Duke Kahanamoku, Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana'ole, Queen Lili'uokalani and many others, before returning to his ranch in July 1916. He was suffering from kidney failure, but he continued to work. The ranch (abutting stone remnants of Wolf House) is now a National Historic Landmark and is protected in Jack London State Historic Park. Animal activism London witnessed animal cruelty in the training of circus animals, and his subsequent novels Jerry of the Islands and Michael, Brother of Jerry included a foreword entreating the public to become more informed about this practice. In 1918, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the American Humane Education Society teamed up to create the Jack London Club, which sought to inform the public about cruelty to circus animals and encourage them to protest this establishment. Support from Club members led to a temporary cessation of trained animal acts at Ringling-Barnum and Bailey in 1925. Death London died November 22, 1916, in a sleeping porch in a cottage on his ranch. London had been a robust man but had suffered several serious illnesses, including scurvy in the Klondike. Additionally, during travels on the Snark, he and Charmian picked up unspecified tropical infections and diseases, including yaws. At the time of his death, he suffered from dysentery, late-stage alcoholism, and uremia; he was in extreme pain and taking morphine. London's ashes were buried on his property not far from the Wolf House. London's funeral took place on November 26, 1916, attended only by close friends, relatives, and workers of the property. In accordance with his wishes, he was cremated and buried next to some pioneer children, under a rock that belonged to the Wolf House. After Charmian's death in 1955, she was also cremated and then buried with her husband in the same spot that her husband chose. The grave is marked by a mossy boulder. The buildings and property were later preserved as Jack London State Historic Park, in Glen Ellen, California. Suicide debate Because he was using morphine, many older sources describe London's death as a suicide, and some still do. This conjecture appears to be a rumor, or speculation based on incidents in his fiction writings. His death certificate gives the cause as uremia, following acute renal colic. The biographer Stasz writes, "Following London's death, for a number of reasons, a biographical myth developed in which he has been portrayed as an alcoholic womanizer who committed suicide. Recent scholarship based upon firsthand documents challenges this caricature." Most biographers, including Russ Kingman, now agree he died of uremia aggravated by an accidental morphine overdose. London's fiction featured several suicides. In his autobiographical memoir John Barleycorn, he claims, as a youth, to have drunkenly stumbled overboard into the San Francisco Bay, "some maundering fancy of going out with the tide suddenly obsessed me". He said he drifted and nearly succeeded in drowning before sobering up and being rescued by fishermen. In the dénouement of The Little Lady of the Big House, the heroine, confronted by the pain of a mortal gunshot wound, undergoes a physician-assisted suicide by morphine. Also, in Martin Eden, the principal protagonist, who shares certain characteristics with London, drowns himself. Plagiarism accusations London was vulnerable to accusations of plagiarism, both because he was such a conspicuous, prolific, and successful writer and because of his methods of working. He wrote in a letter to Elwyn Hoffman, "expression, you see—with me—is far easier than invention." He purchased plots and novels from the young Sinclair Lewis and used incidents from newspaper clippings as writing material. In July 1901, two pieces of fiction appeared within the same month: London's "Moon-Face", in the San Francisco Argonaut, and Frank Norris' "The Passing of Cock-eye Blacklock", in Century Magazine. Newspapers showed the similarities between the stories, which London said were "quite different in manner of treatment, [but] patently the same in foundation and motive." London explained both writers based their stories on the same newspaper account. A year later, it was discovered that Charles Forrest McLean had published a fictional story also based on the same incident. Egerton Ryerson Young claimed The Call of the Wild (1903) was taken from Young's book My Dogs in the Northland (1902). London acknowledged using it as a source and claimed to have written a letter to Young thanking him. In 1906, the New York World published "deadly parallel" columns showing eighteen passages from London's short story "Love of Life" side by side with similar passages from a nonfiction article by Augustus Biddle and J. K. Macdonald, titled "Lost in the Land of the Midnight Sun". London noted the World did not accuse him of "plagiarism", but only of "identity of time and situation", to which he defiantly "pled guilty". The most serious charge of plagiarism was based on London's "The Bishop's Vision", Chapter 7 of his novel The Iron Heel (1908). The chapter is nearly identical to an ironic essay that Frank Harris published in 1901, titled "The Bishop of London and Public Morality". Harris was incensed and suggested he should receive 1/60th of the royalties from The Iron Heel, the disputed material constituting about that fraction of the whole novel. London insisted he had clipped a reprint of the article, which had appeared in an American newspaper, and believed it to be a genuine speech delivered by the Bishop of London. Views Atheism London was an atheist. He is quoted as saying, "I believe that when I am dead, I am dead. I believe that with my death I am just as much obliterated as the last mosquito you and I squashed." Socialism London wrote from a socialist viewpoint, which is evident in his novel The Iron Heel. Neither a theorist nor an intellectual socialist, London's socialism grew out of his life experience. As London explained in his essay, "How I Became a Socialist", his views were influenced by his experience with people at the bottom of the social pit. His optimism and individualism faded, and he vowed never to do more hard physical work than necessary. He wrote that his individualism was hammered out of him, and he was politically reborn. He often closed his letters "Yours for the Revolution." London joined the Socialist Labor Party in April 1896. In the same year, the San Francisco Chronicle published a story about the twenty-year-old London's giving nightly speeches in Oakland's City Hall Park, an activity he was arrested for a year later. In 1901, he left the Socialist Labor Party and joined the new Socialist Party of America. He ran unsuccessfully as the high-profile Socialist candidate for mayor of Oakland in 1901 (receiving 245 votes) and 1905 (improving to 981 votes), toured the country lecturing on socialism in 1906, and published two collections of essays about socialism: War of the Classes (1905) and Revolution, and other Essays (1906). Stasz notes that "London regarded the Wobblies as a welcome addition to the Socialist cause, although he never joined them in going so far as to recommend sabotage." Stasz mentions a personal meeting between London and Big Bill Haywood in 1912. In his late (1913) book The Cruise of the Snark, London writes about appeals to him for membership of the Snarks crew from office workers and other "toilers" who longed for escape from the cities, and of being cheated by workmen. In his Glen Ellen ranch years, London felt some ambivalence toward socialism and complained about the "inefficient Italian labourers" in his employ. In 1916, he resigned from the Glen Ellen chapter of the Socialist Party, but stated emphatically he did so "because of its lack of fire and fight, and its loss of emphasis on the class struggle." In an unflattering portrait of London's ranch days, California cultural historian Kevin Starr refers to this period as "post-socialist" and says "... by 1911 ... London was more bored by the class struggle than he cared to admit." Race London shared common concerns among many European Americans in California about Asian immigration, described as "the yellow peril"; he used the latter term as the title of a 1904 essay. This theme was also the subject of a story he wrote in 1910 called "The Unparalleled Invasion". Presented as an historical essay set in the future, the story narrates events between 1976 and 1987, in which China, with an ever-increasing population, is taking over and colonizing its neighbors with the intention of taking over the entire Earth. The western nations respond with biological warfare and bombard China with dozens of the most infectious diseases. On his fears about China, he admits, "it must be taken into consideration that the above postulate is itself a product of Western race-egotism, urged by our belief in our own righteousness and fostered by a faith in ourselves which may be as erroneous as are most fond race fancies." By contrast, many of London's short stories are notable for their empathetic portrayal of Mexican ("The Mexican"), Asian ("The Chinago"), and Hawaiian ("Koolau the Leper") characters. London's war correspondence from the Russo-Japanese War, as well as his unfinished novel Cherry, show he admired much about Japanese customs and capabilities. London's writings have been popular among the Japanese, who believe he portrayed them positively. In "Koolau the Leper", London describes Koolau, who is a Hawaiian leper—and thus a very different sort of "superman" than Martin Eden—and who fights off an entire cavalry troop to elude capture, as "indomitable spiritually—a ... magnificent rebel". This character is based on Hawaiian leper Kaluaikoolau, who in 1893 revolted and resisted capture from forces of the Provisional Government of Hawaii in the Kalalau Valley. Those who defend London against charges of racism cite the letter he wrote to the Japanese-American Commercial Weekly in 1913: In 1996, after the City of Whitehorse, Yukon, renamed a street in honor of London, protests over London's alleged racism forced the city to change the name of "Jack London Boulevard" back to "Two-mile Hill". Shortly after boxer Jack Johnson was crowned the first black world heavyweight champ in 1908, London pleaded for a "great white hope" to come forward to defeat Johnson, writing: "Jim Jeffries must now emerge from his Alfalfa farm and remove that golden smile from Jack Johnson's face. Jeff, it's up to you. The White Man must be rescued." Eugenics With other modernist writers of the day, London supported eugenics. The notion of "good breeding" complimented the Progressive era scientism, the belief that humans assort along a hierarchy by race, religion, and ethnicity. The Progressive Era catalog of inferiority offered basis for threats to American Anglo-Saxon racial integrity. London wrote to Frederick H. Robinson of the periodical Medical Review of Reviews, stating, "I believe the future belongs to eugenics, and will be determined by the practice of eugenics." Although this led some to argue for forced sterilization of criminals or those deemed feeble-minded., London did not express this extreme. His short story "Told in the Drooling Ward" is from the viewpoint of a surprisingly astute "feebled-minded" person. Hensley argues that London's novel Before Adam (1906–07) reveals pro-eugenic themes. London advised his collaborator Anna Strunsky during preparation of The Kempton-Wace Letters that he would take the role of eugenics in mating, while she would argue on behalf of romantic love. (Love won the argument.) The Valley of the Moon emphasizes the theme of "real Americans," the Anglo Saxon, yet in Little Lady of the Big House, London is more nuanced. The protagonist's argument is not that all white men are superior, but that there are more superior ones among whites than in other races. By encouraging the best in any race to mate will improve its population qualities. Living in Hawaii challenged his orthodoxy. In "My Hawaiian Aloha," London noted the liberal intermarrying of races, concluding how "little Hawaii, with its hotch potch races, is making a better demonstration than the United States." Works Short stories Western writer and historian Dale L. Walker writes: London's "strength of utterance" is at its height in his stories, and they are painstakingly well-constructed. "To Build a Fire" is the best known of all his stories. Set in the harsh Klondike, it recounts the haphazard trek of a new arrival who has ignored an old-timer's warning about the risks of traveling alone. Falling through the ice into a creek in seventy-five-below weather, the unnamed man is keenly aware that survival depends on his untested skills at quickly building a fire to dry his clothes and warm his extremities. After publishing a tame version of this story—with a sunny outcome—in The Youth's Companion in 1902, London offered a second, more severe take on the man's predicament in The Century Magazine in 1908. Reading both provides an illustration of London's growth and maturation as a writer. As Labor (1994) observes: "To compare the two versions is itself an instructive lesson in what distinguished a great work of literary art from a good children's story." Other stories from the Klondike period include: "All Gold Canyon", about a battle between a gold prospector and a claim jumper; "The Law of Life", about an aging American Indian man abandoned by his tribe and left to die; "Love of Life", about a trek by a prospector across the Canadian tundra; "To the Man on Trail," which tells the story of a prospector fleeing the Mounted Police in a sled race, and raises the question of the contrast between written law and morality; and "An Odyssey of the North," which raises questions of conditional morality, and paints a sympathetic portrait of a man of mixed White and Aleut ancestry. London was a boxing fan and an avid amateur boxer. "A Piece of Steak" is a tale about a match between older and younger boxers. It contrasts the differing experiences of youth and age but also raises the social question of the treatment of aging workers. "The Mexican" combines boxing with a social theme, as a young Mexican endures an unfair fight and ethnic prejudice to earn money with which to aid the revolution. Several of London's stories would today be classified as science fiction. "The Unparalleled Invasion" describes germ warfare against China; "Goliath" is about an irresistible energy weapon; "The Shadow and the Flash" is a tale about two brothers who take different routes to achieving invisibility; "A Relic of the Pliocene" is a tall tale about an encounter of a modern-day man with a mammoth. "The Red One" is a late story from a period when London was intrigued by the theories of the psychiatrist and writer Jung. It tells of an island tribe held in thrall by an extraterrestrial object. Some nineteen original collections of short stories were published during London's brief life or shortly after his death. There have been several posthumous anthologies drawn from this pool of stories. Many of these stories were located in the Klondike and the Pacific. A collection of Jack London's San Francisco Stories was published in October 2010 by Sydney Samizdat Press. Novels London's most famous novels are The Call of the Wild, White Fang, The Sea-Wolf, The Iron Heel, and Martin Eden. In a letter dated December 27, 1901, London's Macmillan publisher George Platt Brett, Sr., said "he believed Jack's fiction represented 'the very best kind of work' done in America." Critic Maxwell Geismar called The Call of the Wild "a beautiful prose poem"; editor Franklin Walker said that it "belongs on a shelf with Walden and Huckleberry Finn"; and novelist E.L. Doctorow called it "a mordant parable ... his masterpiece." The historian Dale L. Walker commented: Some critics have said that his novels are episodic and resemble linked short stories. Dale L. Walker writes: Ambrose Bierce said of The Sea-Wolf that "the great thing—and it is among the greatest of things—is that tremendous creation, Wolf Larsen ... the hewing out and setting up of such a figure is enough for a man to do in one lifetime." However, he noted, "The love element, with its absurd suppressions, and impossible proprieties, is awful." The Iron Heel is an example of a dystopian novel that anticipates and influenced George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. London's socialist politics are explicitly on display here. The Iron Heel meets the contemporary definition of soft science fiction. The Star Rover (1915) is also science fiction. Apocrypha Jack London Credo London's literary executor, Irving Shepard, quoted a Jack London Credo in an introduction to a 1956 collection of London stories: I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time. The biographer Stasz notes that the passage "has many marks of London's style" but the only line that could be safely attributed to London was the first. The words Shepard quoted were from a story in the San Francisco Bulletin, December 2, 1916, by journalist Ernest J. Hopkins, who visited the ranch just weeks before London's death. Stasz notes, "Even more so than today journalists' quotes were unreliable or even sheer inventions," and says no direct source in London's writings has been found. However, at least one line, according to Stasz, is authentic, being referenced by London and written in his own hand in the autograph book of Australian suffragette Vida Goldstein: Dear Miss Goldstein:– Seven years ago I wrote you that I'd rather be ashes than dust. I still subscribe to that sentiment. Sincerely yours, Jack London Jan. 13, 1909 In his short story "By The Turtles of Tasman", a character, defending her "ne'er-do-well grasshopperish father" to her "antlike uncle", says: "... my father has been a king. He has lived .... Have you lived merely to live? Are you afraid to die? I'd rather sing one wild song and burst my heart with it, than live a thousand years watching my digestion and being afraid of the wet. When you are dust, my father will be ashes." "The Scab" A short diatribe on "The Scab" is often quoted within the U.S. labor movement and frequently attributed to London. It opens: In 1913 and 1914, a number of newspapers printed the first three sentences with varying terms used instead of "scab", such as "knocker","The Food for Your Think Tank", The Macon Daily Telegraph, August 23, 1914, p. 3 "stool pigeon" or "scandal monger". This passage as given above was the subject of a 1974 Supreme Court case, Letter Carriers v. Austin, in which Justice Thurgood Marshall referred to it as "a well-known piece of trade union literature, generally attributed to author Jack London". A union newsletter had published a "list of scabs," which was granted to be factual and therefore not libelous, but then went on to quote the passage as the "definition of a scab". The case turned on the question of whether the "definition" was defamatory. The court ruled that "Jack London's... 'definition of a scab' is merely rhetorical hyperbole, a lusty and imaginative expression of the contempt felt by union members towards those who refuse to join", and as such was not libelous and was protected under the First Amendment. Despite being frequently attributed to London, the passage does not appear at all in the extensive collection of his writings at Sonoma State University's website. However, in his book War of the Classes he published a 1903 speech titled "The Scab", which gave a much more balanced view of the topic: Publications Source unless otherwise specified: Novels The Cruise of the Dazzler (1902) A Daughter of the Snows (1902) The Call of the Wild (1903) The Kempton-Wace Letters (1903) (published anonymously, co-authored with Anna Strunsky) The Sea-Wolf (1904) The Game (1905) White Fang (1906) Before Adam (1907) The Iron Heel (1908) Martin Eden (1909) Burning Daylight (1910) Adventure (1911) The Scarlet Plague (1912) A Son of the Sun (1912) The Abysmal Brute (1913) The Valley of the Moon (1913) The Mutiny of the Elsinore (1914) The Star Rover (1915) (published in England as The Jacket) The Little Lady of the Big House (1916) Jerry of the Islands (1917) Michael, Brother of Jerry (1917) Hearts of Three (1920) (novelization of a script by Charles Goddard) The Assassination Bureau, Ltd (1963) (left half-finished, completed by Robert L. Fish) Short story collections Son of the Wolf (1900) Chris Farrington, Able Seaman (1901) The God of His Fathers & Other Stories (1901) Children of the Frost (1902) The Faith of Men and Other Stories (1904) Tales of the Fish Patrol (1906) Moon-Face and Other Stories (1906) Love of Life and Other Stories (1907) Lost Face (1910) South Sea Tales (1911) When God Laughs and Other Stories (1911) The House of Pride & Other Tales of Hawaii (1912) Smoke Bellew (1912) A Son of the Sun (1912) The Night Born (1913) The Strength of the Strong (1914) The Turtles of Tasman (1916) The Human Drift (1917) The Red One (1918) On the Makaloa Mat (1919) Dutch Courage and Other Stories (1922) Autobiographical memoirs The Road (1907) The Cruise of the Snark (1911) John Barleycorn (1913) Non-fiction and essays Through the Rapids on the Way to the Klondike (1899) From Dawson to the Sea (1899) What Communities Lose by the Competitive System (1900) The Impossibility of War (1900) Phenomena of Literary Evolution (1900) A Letter to Houghton Mifflin Co. (1900) Husky, Wolf Dog of the North (1900) Editorial Crimes – A Protest (1901) Again the Literary Aspirant (1902) The People of the Abyss (1903) How I Became a Socialist (1903) War of the Classes (1905) The Story of an Eyewitness (1906) A Letter to Woman's Home Companion (1906) "The Lepers of Molokai" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) "The Nature Man" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) "The High Seat of Abundance" in Woman's Home Companion (1908) Revolution, and other Essays (1910) Mexico's Army and Ours (1914) Lawgivers (1914) Our Adventures in Tampico (1914) Stalking the Pestilence (1914) The Red Game of War (1914) The Trouble Makers of Mexico (1914) With Funston's Men (1914) Plays Theft (1910) Daughters of the Rich: A One Act Play (1915) The Acorn Planter: A California Forest Play (1916) Poetry A Heart (1899) Abalone Song (1913) And Some Night (1914) Ballade of the False Lover (1914) Cupid's Deal (1913) Daybreak (1901) Effusion (1901) George Sterling (1913) Gold (1915) He Chortled with Glee (1899) He Never Tried Again (1912) His Trip to Hades (1913) Homeland (1914) Hors de Saison (1913) If I Were God (1899) In a Year (1901) In and Out (1911) Je Vis en Espoir (1897) Memory (1913) Moods (1913) My Confession (1912) My Little Palmist (1914) Of Man of the Future (1915) Oh You Everybody's Girl (19) On the Face of the Earth You are the One (1915) Rainbows End (1914) Republican Rallying Song (1916) Sonnet (1901) The Gift of God (1905) The Klondyker's Dream (1914) The Lover's Liturgy (1913) The Mammon Worshippers (1911) The Republican Battle-Hymn (1905) The Return of Ulysses (1915) The Sea Sprite and the Shooting Star (1916) The Socialist's Dream (1912) The Song of the Flames (1903) The Way of War (1906) The Worker and the Tramp (1911) Tick! Tick! Tick! (1915) Too Late (1912) Weasel Thieves (1913) When All the World Shouted my Name (1905) Where the Rainbow Fell (1902) Your Kiss (1914) Short stories "Typhoon off the Coast of Japan" (November 12, 1893) " 'Frisco Kid's' Story" (February 15, 1895) "Sakaicho, Hona Asi and Hakadaki" (April 19, 1895) "Night's Swim In Yeddo Bay" (May 27, 1895) "Who Believes in Ghosts!" (October 21, 1895) "And 'Frisco Kid Came Back" (November 4, 1895) "One More Unfortunate" (December 18, 1895) "O Haru" (1993; written in April 1897) "The Mahatma's Little Joke" (1993; written in May 1897) "The Strange Experience of a Misogynist" (1993; written between May and September 1897), originally titled "The Misogynist" "Two Gold Bricks" (September 1897) "The Plague Ship" (1993; written between September and December 1897) "The Devil’s Dice Box" (December 1976; written in September 1898) "The Test: A Clondyke Wooing" (1983; written in September 1898) "A Klondike Christmas" (1983; written in November 1898) "A Dream Image" (1898) "To the Man on Trail: A Klondike Christmas" (January 1899) "The White Silence" (February 1899) "The Son of the Wolf" (April 1899) "The Men of Forty-Mile" (May 1899) "A Thousand Deaths" (May 1899) "An Old Soldier's Story" (May 20, 1899) "In a Far Country" (June 1899) "The Priestly Prerogative" (July 1899) "The Handsome Cabin Boy" (July 1899) "The Wife of a King" (August 1899) "In the Time of Prince Charley" (September 1899) "Old Baldy" (September 16, 1899) "The Grilling of Loren Ellery" (September 24, 1899) "The Rejuvenation of Major Rathbone" (November 1899) "The King of Mazy May" (November 30, 1899) "The Wisdom of the Trail" (December 1899) "A Daughter of the Aurora" (December 24, 1899) "Pluck and Pertinacity" (1899) "An Odyssey of the North" (January 1900) "A Lesson in Heraldry" (March 1900) "The End of the Chapter" (June 9, 1900) "Uri Bram's God" (June 24, 1900) "Even unto Death" (July 28, 1900) "Grit of Women" (August 1900) "Jan the Unrepentant" (August 1900) "The Man with the Gash" (September 1900) "Their Alcove" (September 1900) "Housekeeping in the Klondike" (September 16, 1900) "The Proper 'Girlie' " (October 1900) "Thanksgiving on Slav Creek" (November 24, 1900) "Where the Trail Forks" (December 1900) "The Great Interrogation" (December 1900) "Semper Idem" (December 1900) "A Northland Miracle" (November 4, 1926; written in 1900) "Dutch Courage" (November 29, 1900) "A Relic of the Pliocene" (January 12, 1901) "The Law of Life" (March 1901) "Siwash" (March 1901) "The Lost Poacher" (March 14, 1901) "At the Rainbow's End" (March 24, 1901) "The God of His Fathers" (May 1901) "The Scorn of Woman" (May 1901) "The Minions of Midas" (May 1901) "Chris Farrington: Able Seaman" (May 23, 1901) "A Hyperborean Brew" (July 1901) "Bald Face" (September 6, 1901) "Keesh, Son of Keesh" (January 1902) "An Adventure in the Upper Sea" (May 1902) "To Build a Fire" (May 29, 1902, revised August 1908) "Diable --- A Dog" (June 1902), renamed Bâtard in 1904 "To Repel Boarders" (June 1902) "The ‘Fuzziness' of Hoockla-Heen" (July 3, 1902) "Moon-Face" (July 21, 1902) "Nam-Bok, the Liar" (August 1902) "Li Wan the Fair" (August 1902) "The Master of Mystery" (September 1902) "In the Forests of the North" (September 1902) "The Sunlanders" (September 1902) "The Death of Ligoun" (September 1902) "The Story of Jees Uck" (September 1902) "The Sickness of Lone Chief" (October 1902) "The League of the Old Men" (October 4, 1902) "Lost Face" (1902) "Master of Mystery" (1902) "In Yeddo Bay" (February 1903) "The One Thousand Dozen" (March 1903) "The Shadow and the Flash" (June 1903) “The Faith of Men" (June 1903) "The Leopard Man's Story" (August 1903) "The Marriage of Lit-Lit" (September 1903) "Local Color" (October 1903) "Too Much Gold" (December 1903) "Amateur Night" (December 1903) "The Dominant Primordial Beast" (1903) "Keesh, The Bear Hunter" (January 1904); often reprinted as "The Story of Keesh" "The Banks of the Sacramento" (March 17, 1904) "White and Yellow" (February 16, 1905) "The King of the Greeks" (March 2, 1905) "A Raid on the Oyster Pirates" (March 16, 1905) "The Siege of the 'Lancashire Queen' ” (March 30, 1905) "Charley's Coup” (April 13, 1905) "Demetrios Contos” (April 27, 1905) "Yellow Handkerchief” (May 11, 1905) "All Gold Cañon" (November 1905) "Love of Life" (December 1905) "The Sun-Dog Trail" (December 1905) "A Nose for the King" (March 1906) "Planchette" (June 1906) "The Unexpected" (August 1906) "Brown Wolf" (August 1906) "The Apostate" (September 1906) "Up the Slide" (October 25, 1906) "A Wicked Woman" (November 1906) "The White Man's Way" (November 4, 1906) "The Wit of Porportuk" (December 1906) "When God Laughs" (January 1907) "Just Meat" (March 1907) "Created He Them" (April 1907) "Morganson's Finish" (May 1907) "A Day's Lodging" (May 25, 1907) "Negore the Coward" (September 1907) "Chased by the Trail" (September 26, 1907) "The Passing of Marcus O'Brien" (January 1908) "Trust" (January 1908) "That Spot" (February 1908) "Flush of Gold" (April 1908) "Make Westing" (April 1908) "The Enemy of All the World" (October 1908) "Aloha Oe" (December 1908) "A Curious Fragment" (December 10, 1908) "The Dream of Debs" (January 1909) "The House of Mapuhi" (January 1909) "The Seed of McCoy" (April 1909) "The Madness of John Harned" (May 1909) "South of the Slot" (May 22, 1909) "Good-by, Jack" (June 1909) "The Chinago" (June 26, 1909) "The Sheriff of Kona" (August 1909) "The Heathen" (September 1909) "A Piece of Steak" (November 20, 1909) "Koolau the Leper" (December 1909) "Mauki" (December 1909) “The Mission of John Starhurst” (December 29, 1909); reprinted as "The Whale Tooth" "Samuel" (1909) "Chun An Chun" (Spring 1910) "The Terrible Solomons" (March 1910) "The Inevitable White Man" (May 14, 1910) "The Unparalleled Invasion" (July 1910) "Winged Blackmail" (September 1910) "When the World was Young" (September 10, 1910) "The Benefit of the Doubt" (November 12, 1910) "Under the Deck Awnings" (November 19, 1910) "Yah! Yah! Yah!" (December 1910) "The House of Pride" (December 1910) "To Kill a Man" (December 10, 1910) "Bunches of Knuckles" (December 18, 1910) "Goliath" (1910) "The 'Francis Spaight' " (January 1911) "The Hobo and the Fairy" (February 11, 1911) "The Strength of the Strong" (March 1911) "The Eternity of Forms" (March 1911) "A Son of the Sun" (May 27. 1911) "The Taste of the Meat" (June 1911) “The Proud Goat of Aloysius Pankburn" (June 24, 1911) "The Meat" (July 1911) “The Night Born" (July 1911) "War" (July 29, 1911) "The Goat Man of Fuatino" (July 20, 1911) “The Stampede to Squaw Creek" (August 1911) "The Mexican" (August 19, 1911) "Shorty Dreams" (September 1911) "A Little Account with Swithin Hall" (September 2, 1911) "A Goboto Night" (September 30, 1911) "The Man on the Other Bank" (October 1911) "The Pears of Parlay" (October 14, 1911) "The Race for Number Three" (November 1911) "The End of the Story" (November 1911) " The Jokers of New Gibbon" (November 11, 1911) "By the Turtles of Tasman" (November 19, 1911) "The Little Man" (December 1911) "The Unmasking of the Cad" (December 23, 1911) "The Hanging of Cultus George" (January 1912) "The Mistake of Creation" (February 1912) "A Flutter in Eggs" (March 1912) "The Sea-Farmer" (March 1912) "The Feathers of the Sun" (March 9, 1912) "The Town-Site of Tra-Lee" (April 1912) "Wonder of Woman" (May 1912) "The Prodigal Father" (May 1912) "The Scarlet Plague" (June 1912) "The Captain of the Susan Drew" (December 1, 1912) "Samuel" (May 1913) "The Sea-Gangsters" (November 1913) "Told in the Drooling Ward" (June 1914) "The Hussy" (December 1916) "Man of Mine" (February 1917) "Like Argus of the Ancient Times" (March 1917) "Jerry of the Islands" (1917) "When Alice Told Her Soul" (March 1918) "The Princess" (June 1918) "The Tears of Ah Kim" (July 1918) "The Water Baby" (September 1918) "The Red One" (October 1918) "In the Cave of the Dead" (November 1918) "Shin-Bones" (1918) "On the Makaloa Mat" (March 1919) "The Bones of Kahekili" (July 1919) " Whose Business Is to Live" (September 1922) "Eyes of Asia" (September 1924) Legacy and honors Mount London, also known as Boundary Peak 100, on the Alaska-British Columbia boundary, in the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, is named for him. Jack London Square on the waterfront of Oakland, California was named for him. He was honored by the United States Postal Service with a 25¢ Great Americans series postage stamp released on January 11, 1986. Jack London Lake (), a mountain lake located in the upper reaches of the Kolyma River in Yagodninsky district of Magadan Oblast. Fictional portrayals of London include Michael O'Shea in the 1943 film Jack London, Jeff East in the 1980 film Klondike Fever, Michael Aron in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Time's Arrow from 1992, Aaron Ashmore in the Murdoch Mysteries episode "Murdoch of the Klondike" from 2012, and Johnny Simmons in the 2014 miniseries Klondike. See also List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards Notes References Bibliography The Jack London Online Collection' Further reading External links Western American Literature Journal: Jack London The Jack London Online Collection Site featuring information about Jack London's life and work, and a collection of his writings. The World of Jack London Biographical information and writings Jack London State Historic Park The Huntingon Library's Jack London Archive Guide to the Jack London Papers at The Bancroft Library Jack London Collection at Sonoma State University Library Jack London Stories, scanned from original magazines, including the original artwork 5 short radio episodes from Jack London's writing at California Legacy Project Jack London Personal Manuscripts 1876 births 1916 deaths 1906 San Francisco earthquake survivors 19th-century American short story writers 19th-century sailors 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century sailors American atheists American democratic socialists American eugenicists American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American male short story writers American psychological fiction writers American sailors American travel writers American war correspondents Deaths from dysentery Male sailors Members of the Socialist Labor Party of America Military personnel from California People from Glen Ellen, California People from Piedmont, California People involved in plagiarism controversies People of the Klondike Gold Rush People of the Russo-Japanese War Socialist Party of America politicians from California United States Merchant Mariners University of California, Berkeley alumni War correspondents of the Russo-Japanese War Writers from Oakland, California Writers from San Francisco
true
[ "Follow Me! is a series of television programmes produced by Bayerischer Rundfunk and the BBC in the late 1970s to provide a crash course in the English language. It became popular in many overseas countries as a first introduction to English; in 1983, one hundred million people watched the show in China alone, featuring Kathy Flower.\n\nThe British actor Francis Matthews hosted and narrated the series.\n\nThe course consists of sixty lessons. Each lesson lasts from 12 to 15 minutes and covers a specific lexis. The lessons follow a consistent group of actors, with the relationships between their characters developing during the course.\n\nFollow Me! actors\n Francis Matthews\n Raymond Mason\n David Savile\n Ian Bamforth\n Keith Alexander\n Diane Mercer\n Jane Argyle\n Diana King\n Veronica Leigh\n Elaine Wells\n Danielle Cohn\n Lashawnda Bell\n\nEpisodes \n \"What's your name\"\n \"How are you\"\n \"Can you help me\"\n \"Left, right, straight ahead\"\n \"Where are they\"\n \"What's the time\"\n \"What's this What's that\"\n \"I like it very much\"\n \"Have you got any wine\"\n \"What are they doing\"\n \"Can I have your name, please\"\n \"What does she look like\"\n \"No smoking\"\n \"It's on the first floor\"\n \"Where's he gone\"\n \"Going away\"\n \"Buying things\"\n \"Why do you like it\"\n \"What do you need\"\n \"I sometimes work late\"\n \"Welcome to Britain\"\n \"Who's that\"\n \"What would you like to do\"\n \"How can I get there?\"\n \"Where is it\"\n \"What's the date\"\n \"Whose is it\"\n \"I enjoy it\"\n \"How many and how much\"\n \"What have you done\"\n \"Haven't we met before\"\n \"What did you say\"\n \"Please stop\"\n \"How can I get to Brightly\"\n \"Where can I get it\"\n \"There's a concert on Wednesday\"\n \"What's it like\"\n \"What do you think of him\"\n \"I need someone\"\n \"What were you doing\"\n \"What do you do\"\n \"What do you know about him\"\n \"You shouldn't do that\"\n \"I hope you enjoy your holiday\"\n \"Where can I see a football match\"\n \"When will it be ready\"\n \"Where did you go\"\n \"I think it's awful\"\n \"A room with a view\"\n \"You'll be ill\"\n \"I don't believe in strikes\"\n \"They look tired\"\n \"Would you like to\"\n \"Holiday plans\"\n \"The second shelf on the left\"\n \"When you are ready\"\n \"Tell them about Britain\"\n \"I liked everything\"\n \"Classical or modern\"\n \"Finale\"\n\nReferences \n\n BBC article about the series in China\n\nExternal links \n Follow Me – Beginner level \n Follow Me – Elementary level\n Follow Me – Intermediate level\n Follow Me – Advanced level\n\nAdult education television series\nEnglish-language education television programming", "\"What Did I Do to You?\" is a song recorded by British singer Lisa Stansfield for her 1989 album, Affection. It was written by Stansfield, Ian Devaney and Andy Morris, and produced by Devaney and Morris. The song was released as the fourth European single on 30 April 1990. It included three previously unreleased songs written by Stansfield, Devaney and Morris: \"My Apple Heart,\" \"Lay Me Down\" and \"Something's Happenin'.\" \"What Did I Do to You?\" was remixed by Mark Saunders and by the Grammy Award-winning American house music DJ and producer, David Morales. The single became a top forty hit in the European countries reaching number eighteen in Finland, number twenty in Ireland and number twenty-five in the United Kingdom. \"What Did I Do to You?\" was also released in Japan.\n\nIn 2014, the remixes of \"What Did I Do to You?\" were included on the deluxe 2CD + DVD re-release of Affection and on People Hold On ... The Remix Anthology. They were also featured on The Collection 1989–2003 box set (2014), including previously unreleased Red Zone Mix by David Morales.\n\nCritical reception\nThe song received positive reviews from music critics. Matthew Hocter from Albumism viewed it as a \"upbeat offering\". David Giles from Music Week said it is \"beautifully performed\" by Stansfield. A reviewer from Reading Eagle wrote that \"What Did I Do to You?\" \"would be right at home on the \"Saturday Night Fever\" soundtrack.\"\n\nMusic video\nA music video was produced to promote the single, directed by Philip Richardson, who had previously directed the videos for \"All Around the World\" and \"Live Together\". It features Stansfield with her kiss curls, dressed in a white outfit and performing with her band on a stage in front of a jumping audience. The video was later published on Stansfield's official YouTube channel in November 2009. It has amassed more than 1,6 million views as of October 2021.\n\nTrack listings\n\n European/UK 7\" single\n\"What Did I Do to You?\" (Mark Saunders Remix Edit) – 4:20\n\"Something's Happenin'\" – 3:59\n\n European/UK/Japanese CD single\n\"What Did I Do to You?\" (Mark Saunders Remix Edit) – 4:20\n\"My Apple Heart\" – 5:19\n\"Lay Me Down\" – 4:17\n\"Something's Happenin'\" – 3:59\n\n UK 10\" single\n\"What Did I Do to You?\" (Mark Saunders Remix) – 5:52\n\"My Apple Heart\" – 5:19\n\"Lay Me Down\" – 4:17\n\"Something's Happenin'\" – 3:59\n\n European/UK 12\" single\n\"What Did I Do to You?\" (Morales Mix) – 7:59\n\"My Apple Heart\" – 4:22\n\"Lay Me Down\" – 3:19\n\"Something's Happenin'\" – 3:15\n\n UK 12\" promotional single\n\"What Did I Do to You?\" (Morales Mix) – 7:59\n\"What Did I Do to You?\" (Anti Poll Tax Dub) – 6:31\n\n Other remixes\n\"What Did I Do to You?\" (Red Zone Mix) – 7:45\n\nCharts\n\nReferences\n\nLisa Stansfield songs\n1990 singles\nSongs written by Lisa Stansfield\n1989 songs\nArista Records singles\nSongs written by Ian Devaney\nSongs written by Andy Morris (musician)" ]
[ "Stan Kenton", "Career" ]
C_23328bf927d74e61a66e83709819e114_1
Tell me about Kenton's career?
1
Tell me about Stan Kenton's career?
Stan Kenton
In April 1936 Gus Arnheim was reorganizing his band into the style of Benny Goodman's groups and Kenton was to take the piano chair. This is where Kenton would make his first recordings when Arnheim made 14 sides for the Brunswick label in summer of 1937. Once he departed from Gus Arnheim's group, Kenton went back to study with private teachers on both the piano and in composition. In 1938 Kenton would join Vido Musso in a short-lived band but a very educational experience for him. From the core of this group come the line up of the first Stan Kenton groups of the 1940s. Kenton would also go on to working with the NBC House Band and in various Hollywood studios and clubs. Producer George Avakian took notice of Kenton during this time while he worked as the pianist and Assistant Musical Director at the Earl Carroll Theatre Restaurant in Hollywood. Kenton started to get the idea of running his own band from this experience; he created a rehearsal band of his own which eventually become his group in the 1940s. In June 1941, Kenton formed his first orchestra. Kenton worked in the early days with his own groups as much more of an arranger than a featured pianist. Although there were no "name" musicians in his first band (with the possible exception of bassist Howard Rumsey and trumpeter Chico Alvarez), Kenton spent the summer of 1941 playing regularly before an audience at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach, CA. Influenced by Benny Carter and Jimmie Lunceford, the Stan Kenton Orchestra struggled for a time after its initial success. Its Decca recordings were not big sellers and a stint as Bob Hope's backup radio band during the 1943-44 season was an unhappy experience; Les Brown permanently took Kenton's place. Kenton's first appearance in New York was in February 1942 at the Roseland Ballroom, with the marquee featuring an endorsement by Fred Astaire. By late 1943, with a contract with the newly formed Capitol Records, a popular record in "Eager Beaver", and growing recognition, the Stan Kenton Orchestra was gradually catching on; it developed into one of the best-known West Coast ensembles of the 1940s. Its soloists during the war years included Art Pepper, briefly Stan Getz, altoist Boots Mussulli, and singer Anita O'Day. By 1945, the band had evolved. The songwriter Joe Greene provided the lyrics for hit songs like "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'". Pete Rugolo became the chief arranger (extending Kenton's ideas), Bob Cooper and Vido Musso offered very different tenor styles, and June Christy was Kenton's new singer; her hits (including "Tampico" and Greene's "Across the Alley from the Alamo") made it possible for Kenton to finance his more ambitious projects. CANNOTANSWER
Kenton would make his first recordings when Arnheim made 14 sides for the Brunswick label in summer of 1937.
Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though Kenton had several pop hits from the early 1940s into the 1960s, his music was always forward-looking. Kenton was also a pioneer in the field of jazz education, creating the Stan Kenton Jazz Camp in 1959 at Indiana University. Early life Stan Kenton was born on December 15, 1911, in Wichita, Kansas; he had two sisters (Beulah and Erma Mae) born three and eight years after him. His parents, Floyd and Stella Kenton, moved the family to Colorado, and in 1924, to the Greater Los Angeles Area, settling in suburban Bell, California. Kenton attended Bell High School; his high-school yearbook picture has the prophetic notation "Old Man Jazz". Kenton started learning piano as a teen from a local pianist and organist. When he was around 15 and in high school, pianist and arranger Ralph Yaw introduced him to the music of Louis Armstong and Earl Hines. He graduated from high school in 1930. By the age of 16, Kenton was already playing a regular solo piano gig at a local hamburger eatery for 50 cents a night plus tips; during that time he had his own performing group named "The Bell-Tones". His first arrangement was written during this time for a local eight-piece band that played in nearby Long Beach. Career 1930s With very little money, Kenton traveled to speakeasys in San Diego and Las Vegas playing piano. By 1932 he was playing with the Francis Gilbert Territory band and would tour through Arizona; he would go on to working with the Everett Hoagland Orchestra in 1933, which would be his first time playing at the Rendezvous Ballroom. He would then play with Russ Plummer, Hal Grayson and eventually got a big break with Gus Arnheim. In April 1936 Arnheim was reorganizing his band into the style of Benny Goodman's groups and Kenton was to take the piano chair. This is where Kenton would make his first recordings when Arnheim made 14 sides for the Brunswick label in summer of 1937. Once he departed from Gus Arnheim's group, Kenton went back to study with private teachers on both the piano and in composition. In 1938 Kenton would join Vido Musso in a short-lived band but a very educational experience for him. From the core of this group came the line up of the first Stan Kenton groups of the 1940s. Kenton would also go on to working with the NBC House Band and in various Hollywood studios and clubs. Producer George Avakian took notice of Kenton during this time while he worked as the pianist and Assistant Musical Director at the Earl Carroll Theatre Restaurant in Hollywood. Kenton started to get the idea of running his own band from this experience; he created a rehearsal band of his own which eventually become his group in the 1940s. 1940s In 1940, Kenton formed his first orchestra. Kenton worked in the early days with his own groups as much more of an arranger than a featured pianist. Although there were no "name" musicians in his first band (with the possible exception of bassist Howard Rumsey and trumpeter Chico Alvarez), Kenton spent the summer of 1941 playing regularly before an audience at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach, CA. Influenced by Benny Carter and Jimmie Lunceford, the Stan Kenton Orchestra struggled for a time after its initial success. Its Decca recordings were not big sellers and a stint as Bob Hope's backup radio band during the 1943–44 season was an unhappy experience; Les Brown permanently took Kenton's place. Kenton's first appearance in New York was in February 1942 at the Roseland Ballroom, with the marquee featuring an endorsement by Fred Astaire. By late 1943, with a contract with the newly formed Capitol Records, a popular record in "Eager Beaver", and growing recognition, the Stan Kenton Orchestra was gradually catching on; it developed into one of the best-known West Coast ensembles of the 1940s. Its soloists during the war years included Art Pepper, briefly Stan Getz, altoist Boots Mussulli, and singer Anita O'Day. By 1945, the band had evolved. The songwriter Joe Greene provided the lyrics for hit songs like "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'". Pete Rugolo became the chief arranger (extending Kenton's ideas), Bob Cooper and Vido Musso offered very different tenor styles, and June Christy was Kenton's new singer; her hits (including "Tampico" and Greene's "Across the Alley from the Alamo") made it possible for Kenton to finance his more ambitious projects. Artistry in Rhythm When composer/arranger Pete Rugolo joined the Stan Kenton Orchestra as staff arranger in late 1945 he brought with him his love of jazz, Stravinsky and Bartók. Given free rein by Kenton, Rugolo experimented. Although Kenton himself was already trying experimental scores prior to Rugolo's tenure, it was Rugolo who brought extra jazz and classical influences much needed to move the band forward artistically. During his first six months on the staff, Rugolo tried to copy Kenton's sound; on encouragement from the leader he explored his own voice. By incorporating compositional techniques borrowed from the modern classical music he studied, Rugolo was a key part of one of Kenton's most fertile and creative periods. After a string of mostly arrangements, Rugolo turned out three originals that Kenton featured on the band's first album in 1946: (Artistry in Rhythm): "Artistry in Percussion", "Safranski" and "Artistry in Bolero". Added to this mix came "Machito", "Rhythm Incorporated", "Monotony" and "Interlude" in early 1947 (though some were not recorded until later in the year). These compositions, along with June Christy's voice, came to define the Artistry in Rhythm band. Afro-Cuban writing was added to the Kenton book with compositions like Rugolo's "Machito." The resulting instrumentation, utilizing significant amounts of brass, was described as a "wall of sound" (a term later re-coined independently by Andrew Loog Oldham for Phil Spector's production methods). The Artistry in Rhythm ensemble was a formative band, with outstanding soloists. By early 1947, the Stan Kenton Orchestra had reached a high point of financial and popular success. They played in the best theaters and ballrooms in America and numerous hit records. Dances at the many ballrooms were typically four hours a night and theater dates generally involved playing mini-concerts between each showing of the movie. This was sometimes five or six a day, stretching from morning to late night. Most days not actually playing were spent in buses or cars. Days off from performing were rare. For Stan Kenton they just allowed for more record signing, radio station interviews, and advertising for Capitol Records. Due to the financial and personal demands, following an April performance in Tuscaloosa, he broke up the Artistry in Rhythm incarnation of Kenton ensembles. Progressive Jazz After a hiatus of five months, Kenton formed a new, larger ensemble to present Concerts in Progressive Jazz. Sustaining the ensemble on its own proved mostly attainable but the band still had to fill in its schedule by booking dances and movie theater jobs, especially over the summer. Pete Rugolo composed and arranged the great bulk of the new music; Kenton declared these works to be Progressive Jazz. A student of famed composer and educator Russ Garcia, Bob Graettinger wrote numerous works for the band, starting with his composition Thermopylae. His ground-breaking composition City of Glass was premiered by the band in Chicago in April 1948, but not recorded for another two and a half years, in a reworked version for the Innovations Orchestra. Ken Hanna, who began the tour as a trumpet player, contributed a few compositions to the new band, including Somnambulism. Kenton contributed no new scores to the Progressive Jazz band, although several of his older works were performed on concerts, including Concerto to End All Concertos, Eager Beaver, Opus in Pastels, and Artistry in Rhythm. Cuban inflected titles from the Progressive Jazz period include Rugolo's Introduction to a Latin Rhythm, Cuban Carnival, The Peanut Vendor, and Journey to Brazil, and Bob Graettinger's Cuban Pastorale. The addition of a full-time bongo player and a Brazilian guitarist in the band enabled Kenton's cadre of composers to explore Afro-Latin rhythms to far greater possibilities. The Progressive Jazz period lasted 14 months, beginning on September 24, 1947, when the Stan Kenton Orchestra played a concert at the Rendezvous Ballroom. And it ended after the last show at the Paramount Theatre in New York City on December 14, 1948. The band produced only one album and a handful of singles, due to a recording ban by the American Federation of Musicians that lasted the entirety of 1948. The lone record, "A Presentation of Progressive Jazz," received a 3 out of 4 rating from Tom Herrick in DownBeat. Metronome rated it "C" calling it a "jerry-built jumble of effects and counter-effects" and "this album presents very little that can justifiably be called either jazz or progressive." Billboard scored it 80 out of 100, but declared it "as mumbo-jumbo a collection of cacophony as has ever been loosed on an unsuspecting public. Many sidemen from the Artistry band returned, but there were significant changes. Laurindo Almeida on classical guitar, and Jack Costanzo on bongos dramatically changed the band's timbre. Both were firsts for the Kenton band, or any jazz band for that matter. The rhythm section included returnees Eddie Safranski (bass) and Shelly Manne (drums), both destined to win first place Down Beat awards. Four of the five trumpet players returned: Buddy Childers, Ray Wetzel, Chico Alvarez, and Ken Hanna. Al Porcino was added to the already powerhouse section. Conte Candoli joined the band, replacing Porcino, in February 1948. Kai Winding, star trombonist of the Artistry in Rhythm band, would not be a part of the Progressive Jazz era, except for a few dates on which he subbed. Milt Bernhart came in on lead trombone. And Bart Varsalona returned on bass trombone. Bernhart's first big solo with the Kenton band proved to be a major hit, The Peanut Vendor. The saxophone section was much improved and modernized. Returning saxophonists included baritone Bob Gioga, holding down his chair since the very start, and Bob Cooper on tenor. With Vido Musso's departure, Cooper and his modernist sound became the featured tenor soloist. Art Pepper came on as second alto, the "jazz" chair. And the new lead alto was George Weidler. This was genuinely a band of all-stars. They received five first place awards in the Down Beat poll at the end of 1947, and similar awards from the other magazines. The arrangers continued to push the limits of these superb instrumentalists in their compositions. Works from this period are more sophisticated than those written for the Artistry band, and are some of the first and most successful "third stream" compositions. The band criss-crossed the country, appearing in the nation's top concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, Chicago Civic Opera House, Academy of Music (Philadelphia), and the Hollywood Bowl. They had extended stays at New York's Paramount Theatre and Hotel Commodore, Philadelphia's Click, Detroit's Eastwood Gardens, Radio City Theater in Minneapolis, and the Rendezvous Ballroom, a special place in Kenton's musical life. Kenton's band was the first to present a concert in the famous outdoor arena, the Hollywood Bowl. His concert there on June 12, 1948, drew more than 15,000 people, and was both an artistic and commercial success. Kenton pocketed half of the box office, walking away with $13,000 for the evening's concert. The band broke attendance records all across the country. Thanks to Kenton's public relations acumen, he was able to convince concert goers and record buyers of the importance of his music. Comedy numbers and June Christy vocals helped break up the seriousness of the new music. Kenton's successes did not sit well with everyone. In an essay entitled Economics and Race in Jazz, Leslie B. Rout Jr. wrote that "the real scourge of the 1946–1949 period was the all-white Stan Kenton band. Dubbing his musical repertoire 'progressive jazz,' Kenton saw his orchestra become the first in jazz history to reach an annual gross of $1,000,000 in 1948." He contrasted this with a situation in which critical and public recognition of "Dizzy Gillespie as the premiere bopper could not be transformed into coin of the realm." At the end of 1948, as the band was fulfilling an extended engagement at the Paramount Theater in New York City, the leader notified his sidemen, his bookers, and the press, that he would be disbanding once more. Kenton's most artistically and commercially successful band ceased to be at the top of their game. On December 14, the Stan Kenton Orchestra played their last notes for more than a year. When they returned, there would be new faces, new music and a string section. 1950s After a year's hiatus, in 1950 Kenton assembled the large 39-piece Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra that included 16 strings, a woodwind section, and two French horns. The music was an extension of the works composed and recorded since 1947 by Bob Graettinger, Manny Albam, Franklyn Marks and others. Name jazz musicians such as Maynard Ferguson, Shorty Rogers, Milt Bernhart, John Graas, Art Pepper, Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, Laurindo Almeida, Shelly Manne, and June Christy were part of these musical ensembles. The groups managed two tours during 1950–51, from a commercial standpoint it would be Stan Kenton's first major failure. Kenton soon reverted to a more standard 19-piece lineup. In order to be more commercially viable, Kenton reformed the band in 1951 to a much more standard instrumentation: five saxes, five trombones, five trumpets, piano, guitar, bass, drums. The charts of such arrangers as Gerry Mulligan, Johnny Richards, and particularly Bill Holman and Bill Russo began to dominate the repertoire. The music was written to better reflect the style of cutting edge, be-bop oriented big bands, such as those of Dizzy Gillespie or Woody Herman. Young, talented players and outstanding jazz soloists such as Maynard Ferguson, Lee Konitz, Conte Candoli, Sal Salvador, and Frank Rosolino made strong contributions to the level of the 1952–53 band. The music composed and arranged during this time was far more tailor-made to contemporary jazz tastes; the 1953 album New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm is noted as one of the high points in Kenton's career as band leader. Though the band was to have a very strong "concert book", Kenton also made sure the dance book was made new, fresh and contemporary. The album Sketches on Standards from 1953 is an excellent example of Kenton appealing to a wider audience while using the band and Bill Russo's arranging skills to their fullest potential. Even though the personnel changed rather rapidly, Kenton's focus was very clear on where he would lead things musically. By this time producer Lee Gillette worked well in concert with Kenton to create a balanced set of recordings that were both commercially viable and cutting edge musically. Arguably the most "swinging" band Kenton was to field came when legendary drummer Mel Lewis joined the orchestra in 1954. Kenton's Contemporary Concepts (1955) and Kenton in Hi-Fi (1956) albums during this time are very impressive as a be-bop recording and then a standard dance recording (respectively). Kenton in Hi-Fis wide popularity and sales benefited from the fact it was his greatest hits of ten years earlier re-recorded in stereo with a contemporary, much higher level band. The album climbed all the way up to #22 on the Billboard album charts and provided much needed revenue at a time when Rock n Roll had started to become the dominant pop music in the United States. It would become more and more difficult for Kenton to alternate between 'dance' and serious 'jazz' albums while staying financially solvent. During the summer of the summer of 1955 (July–September), Kenton was to become the host of the CBS television series Music 55. While it offered 10 weeks of great exposure to a rapidly expanding television audience, the show failed. It was plagued by poor production techniques and a strange combination of guests that did not work well with what Kenton had envisioned. He ended up being stiff and out of place with what the producers tried to achieve. Kenton had to burn the candle at both ends flying in to do the show then flying back out to meet his band out on the road. The New York production team was limited by using an American Federation of Musicians roster of local players; Kenton wanted his own band to do the show. There would be another attempt for the Kenton organization to place the band on regularly scheduled television programming in 1958. After six Kenton financed episodes on KTTV in Los Angeles, there would be no sponsors to step up and back the show. One of the standout projects and recordings for the mid-1950s band is the Cuban Fire! album released in 1956. Though Stan Kenton had recorded earlier hits such as The Peanut Vendor in 1947 with Latin percussionist Machito, as well as many other Latin flavored singles, the Cuban Fire! suite and LP stands as a watershed set of compositions for Johnny Richards' career and an outstanding commercial/artistic achievement for the Kenton orchestra, and a singular landmark in large ensemble Latin jazz recordings. "CUBAN FIRE is completely authentic, the way it combines big-band jazz with genuine Latin-American rhythms." The success of the Cuban Fire! album can be gauged in part by the immediate ascent of Johnny Richards' star after its release; he was suddenly offered a contract by Bethlehem Records to record what would be the first of several recordings with his own groups. At one point, Kenton faced a controversy in 1956 with comments he made when the band returned from a European tour. The current Critics Poll in Down Beat was now dominated by African-American musicians in virtually every category. The Kenton band was playing in Ontario, Canada, at the time, and Kenton dispatched a telegram which lamented "a new minority, white jazz musicians," and stated his "disgust [with the so-called] literary geniuses of jazz." Jazz critic Leonard Feather responded in the October 3, 1956, issue of Down Beat with an open letter that questioned Kenton's racial views. Feather implied that Kenton's failure to win the Critics Poll was probably the real reason for the complaint, and wondered if racial prejudice was involved. In hindsight the record shows Kenton's biggest sin is to have hastily fired off the comments. However, less than 2% of the more than 600 sidemen with the Kenton band were African American. By the end of the decade Kenton was with the last incarnation of a 19-piece, 1950s-style Kenton orchestra. Many bands have been called a leader's "best"; this last Kenton 1959 incarnation of the 1950s bands may very well be the best. The group would pull off one of Kenton's most artistic, subtle and introspective recordings, Standards in Silhouette. As trombonist Archie LeCoque recalled of this album of very slow ballads, "...it was hard, but at the time we were all young and straight-ahead, we got through it and (two) albums came out well." By 1959 Stereophonic sound recording was now being fully utilized with all major labels. One of the great triumphs of the Standards in Silhouette album is the mature writing, the combination of the room used, a live group with very few overdubs, and the recording being in full stereo fidelity (and later remastered to digital). Bill Mathieu was highly skeptical of the decision to record his music like Cuban Fire! in a cavernous ballroom. Mathieu adds: "Stan and producer Lee Gillette were absolutely right: the band sounds alive and awake (which is not easy when recording many hours of slow-tempo music in a studio), and most importantly, the players could hear themselves well in the live room. The end result is the band sounds strong and cohesive, and the album is well recorded." This is the last set of studio dates before Kenton would retool the entire orchestra in 1960. 1960s The Kenton orchestra had been on a slow decline in sales and popularity in the late 1950s with having to compete with newer, popular music artists such as Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, and The Platters. The nadir of this decline was around 1958 and coincided with a recession that was affecting the entire country. There were far fewer big bands on the road and live music venues were hard to book for the Kenton orchestra. The band would end 1959 beaten up by poor attendance at concerts and having to rely far more on dance halls than real jazz concerts. The band would reform in 1960 with a new look, a new sound, a larger group with a 'mellophonium' section added and an upsurge in Kenton's popularity.Sparke, Michael; Peter Venudor (1998). Stan Kenton, The Studio Sessions. Balboa Books. . The new instrument was used by Kenton to "bridge the gap" in range, color, and tonality between his trumpet and trombone sections. Essentially it creates a conical, midrange sound that is common in a symphonic setting with a horn (French horn) but the bell of the instrument faces forward. Kenton's 1961 recording The Romantic Approach for Capitol is the first of 11 LPs that would feature the "mellophonium band". Kenton arranged the whole first mellophonium album himself and it was very well received in a September 1961 review in Down Beat. The Kenton Orchestra from 1960 to 1963 had numerous successes; the band had a relentless recording schedule. The albums Kenton's West Side Story (arrangements by Johnny Richards) and Adventures In Jazz, each won Grammy awards in 1962 and 1963 respectively. Ralph Carmichael wrote a superb set of Christmas charts for Kenton which translated into one of the most popular recordings from the band leader to date: A Merry Christmas!. Also, Johnny Richards' Adventures in Time suite (recorded in 1962) was the culmination of all things the mellophonium band was capable of.NPR: Stan Kenton At 100: Artistry In Rhythm , Reference to Adventures in Time in article as important milestone of Kenton's music. February 17, 2012. After the Fall 1963 U.S./U.K. tour ended in November, the mellophonium incarnation of Kenton bands was done. The conditions of Stan's divorce from jazz singer Ann Richards was that a judge ordered Stan to take a year off the road to help raise their two children or lose custody altogether. Kenton would not reform another road band for tour until 1965. Kenton had ties from earlier writing of country/western songs that were a success with Capitol and again he tried his hand in that genre during the early 1960s. In a music market that was becoming increasingly tight, in 1962 he cut the hit single "Mama Sang a Song"; his last Top-40 ( 32 Billboard, No. 22 Music Vendor). The song was a narration written by country singer Bill Anderson and spoken by Kenton. The single also received a Grammy nomination the following year in the Best Documentary or Spoken Word Recording category. The other attempt he made into that market was the far less successful Stan Kenton! Tex Ritter!, released in 1962 as a full LP. After the breakup of the mellophonium band, Kenton / Wagner (1964) was an important recording project that Kenton himself arranged, again moving towards "progressive jazz" or third stream music. This album was not a financial success but kept Kenton at the forefront of 'art music' interpretation in the commercial music world. Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra (1965) was an artistic success that garnered another Grammy nomination for the band leader. During this time Kenton also co-wrote the theme music for the short lived NBC television series Mister Roberts (1965–66). The 1966–1969 Capitol releases for Stan Kenton were a severe low point for his recording career. Capitol producer Lee Gillette was trying to exploit the money making possibilities of numerous popular hits to include the 1968 musical Hair featuring contemporary rock music. Due to lack of promotion by Capitol, four LPs were financial failures; this would be the last releases for Kenton under the aegis of long time Kenton producer Lee Gillette and Capitol. In fact, by the time it was recorded Kenton had no involvement in the Hair LP except for Kenton's name placed on the jacket cover; Ralph Carmichael and Lennie Niehaus were placed in charge of the project. Two exceptions to this late 1960s period are the Billboard charted single the band cut of the Dragnet theme (1967) and another Kenton presents release featuring the music of composer and ex-bandsman Dee Barton: The Jazz Compositions of Dee Barton (1967). The album featuring Barton's music was another unsung artistic success for the Kenton band though widely unseen commercially by the a music listening public. 1970s The transition from Capitol to Creative World Records in 1970 was fraught with difficulties during a time when the music business was changing rapidly. As a viable jazz artist who was trying to keep a loyal but dwindling following, Kenton turned to arrangers such as Hank Levy and Bob Curnow to write material that appealed to a younger audience. The first releases for the Creative World label were live concerts and Kenton had the control he wanted over content but lacked substantial resources to engineer, mix, and promote what Capitol underwrote in the past. Kenton would take a big gamble to bypass the current record industry and rely far more on the direct mail lists of jazz fans which the newly formed Creative World label would need to sell records. Kenton also made his print music available to college and high-school stage bands with several publishers. Kenton continued leading and touring with his big band up to his final performance on August 20, 1978; he disbanded the group due to his failing health. In June 1973 Bob Curnow had started as the new artists and repertoire manager overseeing the whole operation of the Creative World Records. It was just the year before (in 1972) the Kenton orchestra recorded the National Anthems of the World double LP with 40 arrangements all done by Curnow. As per Curnow himself, "That was a remarkable and very difficult time for me. I was managing (Stan's) record company with NO experience in business, writing music like mad, living in a new place and culture (Los Angeles was another world), traveling a LOT (out with the band at least 1 week a month) and trying to keep it together at home." When Kenton took to the road during the early 1970s and up to his last tour, he took with him seasoned veteran musicians (John Worster, Willie Maiden, Warren Gale, Graham Ellis and others) teaming them with relatively unknown young artists, and new arrangements (including those by Hank Levy, Bill Holman, Bob Curnow, Willie Maiden and Ken Hanna) were used. Many alumni associated with Kenton from this era became educators (Mike Vax, John Von Ohlen, Chuck Carter, Lisa Hittle and Richard Torres), and a few went on to take their musical careers to the next level, such as Peter Erskine, Douglas Purviance and Tim Hagans. Timeline of Stan Kenton Orchestras Legacy Kenton was a salient figure on the American musical scene and made an indelible mark on the arranged type of big band jazz. Kenton's music evolved with the times from 1940 through the 1970s. He was at the vanguard of promoting jazz and jazz improvisation through his service as an educator through his Stan Kenton Band Clinics. The "Kenton Style" continues to permeate big bands at the high school and collegiate level, and the framework he designed for the "jazz clinic" is still widely in use today. Starting in the waning days of the big band era, Kenton found a multitude of ways in which to progress his art form. In his hands the size of the jazz orchestra expanded greatly, at times exceeding forty musicians. The frequency range (high and low notes) was also increased with the use of bass trombones and tuba, and baritone and bass saxophones. The dynamic range was pushed on both ends; the band could play softer and louder than any other big band. Kenton was the primary band leader responsible for moving the big band from the dance hall to the concert hall; one of the most important and successful players in the Third Stream movement. Interest in his music has experienced somewhat of a resurgence, with critical "rediscovery" of his music and many reissues of his recordings. An alumni band named for him tours, led by lead trumpeter Mike Vax, which performs not only classic Kenton arrangements, but also new music written and performed by the band members (much like Kenton's own groups). Kenton donated his entire library to the music library of North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas), and the Stan Kenton Jazz Recital Hall was named in his honor, although has recently been changed due to concerns over his history of sexual misconduct. His arrangements are now published by Sierra Music Publications. When comparing the four longest running touring jazz orchestras (Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington), Kenton's band had a higher turnover of personnel. Bob Gioga, Buddy Childers, and Dick Shearer are among only a very few who played for Kenton for over a decade. Other important soloists such as Lennie Niehaus, Bill Perkins and Chico Alvarez had lengthy stays on the band as well. The list of noted jazz players, studio musicians is impressive and the consistency of the group from 1941 to Kenton's passing in 1979 is notable. Stan Kenton's leadership and music vision was clear to marshal the forces of such a diverse set of players and arrangers over this long period of time; Kenton stands alone in the respect. Personal life Kenton was born on December 15, 1911, according to his birth certificate, according to British biographer Michael Sparke. Kenton was conceived out of wedlock, and his parents told him that he was born two months later than the actual date, February 19, 1912, to obscure this fact. Kenton believed well into adulthood that the February date was his birthday, and recorded the Birthday In Britain concert album on February 19, 1973. The true date remained a closely held secret, and his grave marker shows the incorrect February birthdate. Kenton was married three times. Three children were produced from the first two marriages. His first marriage was to Violet Rhoda Peters in 1935 and lasted for 15 years. The couple had a daughter in 1941, Leslie. In her 2010 memoir Love Affair, Leslie Kenton wrote that, from 1952 to 1954, when she was between the ages of 11 and 13, her father sexually molested and raped her. She nonetheless maintained a close relationship with him during his lifetime, though she states that she was emotionally scarred by the experience. She stated that the rapes always occurred under the influence of alcohol, that he was not fully aware of his actions, and that 20 years later he apologized profusely. Leslie was an author of several books about health, spirituality and beauty. In 1955, Stan Kenton married San Diego-born singer Ann Richards, who was 23 years his junior. The relationship produced two children: daughter Dana Lynn and son Lance. In 1961, Richards posed for a nude layout in Playboy magazine's June 1961 issue. She signed a contract to record with Atco Records, without her husband's knowledge. The Playboy shoot was done without Kenton's knowledge; he found out about it while playing at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago when handed the magazine by Charles Suter, who was the editor of Down Beat magazine at the time. Richards was not typically on the road with the band, though she had recorded the album Two Much! with Kenton in 1960. Kenton filed for divorce in August 1961; it was finalized in 1962. He would retain custody of their two children. Kenton's third marriage was to KABC production assistant Jo Ann Hill, in 1967. This also ended in a separation in 1969 with the divorce following in 1970. In his later years he lived with his public relations secretary and last business manager, Audree Coke Kenton, though they never formally married. Kenton's heavy consumption of alcohol contributed to ongoing accidents and the physical difficulties he encountered during the last 10 years of his life. Kenton's son Lance became a member of the controversial Synanon new-age community in California, and served as one of its "Imperial Marines," a group entrusted with committing violence against former members and others considered enemies of the community. In 1978 he was arrested for helping to put a rattlesnake in the mailbox of an anti-Synanon lawyer, and was sentenced to a year in prison.Zacchino, Narda. "Band Leader's Son Suspect in Assault" Los Angeles Times. October 12, 1978. pp. 7 Kenton had two serious accidental falls, one in the early 1970s and one in May of 1977 while on tour in Reading, Pennsylvania. The second fall was very serious as he fractured his skull. The last two years of his life became far more physically challenging for Kenton from the effects of the two accidents. On August 17, 1979, he was admitted to Midway Hospital near his home in Los Angeles after a stroke; he died eight days later, on August 25. At the time of his death he had three grandchildren. Kenton was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, Los Angeles.Jones, Jack. "Stan Kenton, Innovative Band Leader, Dies At 67". Los Angeles Times. August 26, 1979. pp. 1 Gold records and charts (singles and albums)Gold Records1944 Artistry in Rhythm (Capitol Records) instrumental 1945 Tampico (Capitol Records) vocal by June Christy and band 1945 Shoo-Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy (Capitol Records) vocal by June Christy and band Hits as charted singles (Songs that reached the top of the US or UK charts) Between 1944 and 1967, Stan Kenton had numerous hits on Billboard's charts. Hits as charted albums (Albums charting history with Billboard Magazine) Awards and honors Wins and honors from major publications Grammy Awards |- |rowspan="2"| |rowspan="2"|West Side Story (album) |Best Performance by an orchestra - for other than dancing | |- |rowspan="2"|Best Jazz Performance - Large Group (Instrumental) | |- |rowspan="2"| |rowspan="2"|Adventures In Jazz (album) | |- |Best Engineered recording (other than classical and novelty) | |- |style="text-align:center;"| |Mama Sang a Song (single) |Best Documentary or Spoken Word Recording (other than comedy) | |- |style="text-align:center;"| |Artistry in Voices and Brass (album) |Best Performance by a Chorus | |- |style="text-align:center;"| |Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra (album) |Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Individual or Group | |-Grammy Hall of Fame|- |rowspan="1"| 1943 ||rowspan="1"| Artistry in Rhythm (with the Stan Kenton Orchestra) || Grammy Hall of Fame (1985) || International Music Awards Other awards and honors 1978 – Honorary Doctorate of Music: University of Redlands 1974 – Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters: Drury College 1968 – Honorary Doctorate of Music: Villanova University 1967 – Intercollegiate Music Festival Hall of Fame Award Named to the International Association for Jazz Education Hall of Fame (1980) Honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Recording – 6340 Hollywood Blvd.) "City of Glass" is honored in The Wire's "100 Records That Set The World on Fire" (While No One Was Listening)." Posthumously honored 2011 – "Stan Kenton: Artistry In Rhythm- Portrait Of A Jazz Legend" (DVD) EMPixx Awards – Platinum Award in the Documentary Category/Platinum Award in the Use of Music Category.United States Library of Congress National Recording Registry'''Artistry in Rhythm (single) – Stan Kenton – Released:1943 – Inducted: 2011 - Category: Jazz Noted band personnel Instrumentalists Pepper Adams Bob Ahern Sam Aleccia Ashley Alexander Laurindo Almeida Alfred "Chico" Alvarez Jim Amlotte John Anderson Buddy Arnold Don Bagley Gabe Baltazar Michael Bard Dave Barduhn Gary Barone Dee Barton Tim Bell Max Bennett Milt Bernhart Bill Briggs Bud Brisbois Ray Brown Bob Burgess Bart Caldarell Tony Campise Frank Capp Conte Candoli Pete Candoli Fred Carter Billy Catalano Bill Chase Buddy Childers Rich Condit Bob Cooper Jack Costanzo Curtis Counce Bob Curnow Quinn Davis Vinnie Dean Jay Daversa Don Dennis Sam Donahue Red Dorris Peter Erskine Don Fagerquist Maynard Ferguson Mary Fettig Bob Fitzpatrick Dr. William "Bill" Fritz Carl Fontana Chris Galuman Stan Getz Bob Gioga John Graas Benny Green Tim Hagans Ken Hanna Bill Hanna John Harner Dennis Hayslett Gary Henson Phil Herring Skeets Herfurt Lisa Hittle Gary Hobbs Bill Holman Marvin "Doc" Holladay Clay Jenkins Richie Kamuca Joel Kaye Red Kelly Jimmy Knepper Bobby Knight Lee Konitz Tom Lacy Scott LaFaro Jack Lake Keith LaMotte Kent Larsen Terry Layne Skip Layton Gary LeFebvre Archie LeCoque Stan Levey Mel Lewis Ramon Lopez Bob Lymperis John Madrid Willie Maiden Shelly Manne Charlie Mariano Al Mattaliano Dave Matthews Jerry McKenzie Dick Meldonian Don Menza Greg Metcalf Eddie Meyers Frank Minear Vido Musso Boots Mussulli Lennie Niehaus Dennis Noday Sam Noto Lloyd Otto Don Paladino John Park Kim Park Art Pepper Bill Perkins Oscar Pettiford Al Porcino Mike Price Douglas Purviance Ray Reed Clyde Reasinger Roy Reynolds Kim Richmond George Roberts Gene Roland Billy Root Frank Rosolino Shorty Rogers Ernie Royal Howard Rumsey Bill Russo Eddie Safranski Sal Salvador Carl Saunders Jay Saunders Dave Schildkraut Bud Shank Dick Shearer Jack Sheldon Kenny Shroyer Gene Siegel Zoot Sims Tom Slaney Dalton Smith Greg Smith Mike Snustead Ed Soph Lloyd Spoon Mike Suter Marvin Stamm Ray Starling Vinnie Tano Lucky Thompson Richard Torres Bill Trujillo Jeff Uusitalo Mike Vaccaro David van Kriedt Bart Varsalona Mike Vax John Von Ohlen George Weidler Ray Wetzel Rick Weathersby Jiggs Whigham Stu Williamson Kai Winding John Worster Alan Yankee Composers and Arrangers Manny Albam Buddy Baker Dave Barduhn Dee Barton Ralph Carmichael Joe Coccia Frank Comstock Bob Curnow Dale Devoe Sam Donahue Wayne Dunston Dennis Farnon Bob Florence Bill Fritz Bob Graettinger Ken Hanna Neal Hefti Bill Holman Gene Howard Hank Levy Willie Maiden Franklyn Marks Bill Mathieu Gerry Mulligan Lennie Niehaus Boots Mussulli Chico O'Farrill Marty Paich Johnny Richards Shorty Rogers Gene Roland Pete Rugolo Bill Russo Charlie Shirley Steve Spiegl Ray Starling Mark Taylor Al Yankee Ralph Yaw Vocalists Ernie Bernhardt Cindy Bradley Kay Brown Helen Carr June Christy Chris Connor Red Dorris Kay Gregory Gene Howard Jay Johnson Eve Knight Kent Larsen Dolly Mitchell The Modern Men Anita O'Day The Pastels Ann Richards Frank Rosolino Gail Sherwood Jan Tober Jean Turner Jerri Winters Ray Wetzel Discography and on film and television Studio albumsStan Kenton and His Orchestra – McGregor No. LP201 (1941)The Formative Years – Decca No. 589 489-2 (1941–1942)Artistry in Rhythm – Capitol No. BD39 (1946)Encores – Capitol No. 155 (1947)A Presentation of Progressive Jazz – Capitol No. T172 (1947)Metronome Riff (single) – Capitol special pressing (1947)Innovations in Modern Music – Capitol No. 189 (1950)Stan Kenton's Milestones – Capitol No. T190 (through 1950)Stan Kenton Presents – Capitol No. 248 (1950)City of Glass – Capitol No. H353 (1951)New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm – Capitol 383 (1952)Popular Favorites by Stan Kenton – Capitol No. 421 (1953)Sketches on Standards – Capitol No. 426 (1953)This Modern World – Capitol No. 460 (1953)Portraits on Standards – Capitol No. 462 (1953)Kenton Showcase: The Music of Bill Russo – Capitol No. H525 (1954)Kenton Showcase : The Music of Bill Holman – Capitol No. H526 (1954)Duet (with June Christy) – Capitol No. 656 (1955)Contemporary Concepts – Capitol No. 666 (1955)Kenton in Hi-Fi – Capitol No. 724 (1956)Cuban Fire! – Capitol No. 731 (1956)Kenton with Voices – Capitol No. 810 (1957)Rendezvous with Kenton – Capitol No. 932 (1957)Back to Balboa – Capitol No. 995 (1958)The Ballad Style of Stan Kenton – Capitol No. 1068 (1958)Lush Interlude – Capitol No. 1130 (1958)The Stage Door Swings – Capitol No. 1166 (1958)The Kenton Touch – Capitol No. 1276 (1958)Viva Kenton! – Capitol No. 1305 (1959)Standards in Silhouette – Capitol No. 1394 (1959)Two Much! (with Ann Richards) – Capitol No. 1495 (1960)The Romantic Approach – Capitol No. 1533 (1961)Kenton's West Side Story – Capitol No. 1609 (1961)A Merry Christmas! – Capitol No. 1621 (1961)Sophisticated Approach – Capitol No. 1674 (1961)Adventures in Standards – Creative World No. 1025 (1961 – released 1975)Adventures In Jazz – Capitol No. 1796 (1961)Adventures in Blues – Capitol No. 1985 (1961)Stan Kenton! Tex Ritter! (with Tex Ritter) – Capitol No. 1757 (1962)Adventures in Time – Capitol No. 1844 (1962)Artistry in Bossa Nova – Capitol No. 1931 (1963)Artistry in Voices and Brass – Capitol No. 2132 (1963)Stan Kenton / Jean Turner (with Jean Turner) – Capitol No. 2051 (1963)Kenton / Wagner – Capitol No. 2217 (1964)Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra – Capitol No. 2424 (1965–1966)Stan Kenton Plays for Today – Capitol No. 2655 (1966–1967)The World We Know – Capitol No. 2810The Jazz Compositions of Dee Barton – Capitol No. 2932 (1967)Finian's Rainbow – Capitol No. 2971 (1968)Hair – Capitol No. ST305 (1969)National Anthems of the World – Creative World No. 1060 (1972)7.5 on the Richter Scale – Creative World No. 1070 (1973)Stan Kenton Without His Orchestra (solo) – Creative World No. 1071 (1973)Stan Kenton Plays Chicago – Creative World No. 1072 (1974)Fire, Fury and Fun – Creative World No. 1073 (1974)Kenton '76 – Creative World No. 1076 (1976)Journey Into Capricorn – Creative World No. 1077 (1976) Live albumsStan Kenton Live at Cornell University (1951)Stan Kenton Stompin' at Newport – Pablo #PACD-5312-2 (1957)On the Road with Stan Kenton – Artistry Records #AR-101 (Recorded Nov. 6, 1958 at the Municipal Auditorium, Sarasota, Florida)Kenton Live from the Las Vegas Tropicana – Capitol No. 1460 (1959)Road Show (with June Christy and The Four Freshmen) – Capitol #TBO1327 (1959)Stan Kenton at Ukiah – Status #STCD109 (1959)Stan Kenton in New Jersey – Status #USCD104 (1959)Mellophonium Magic – Status No. CD103 (1962)Mellophonium Moods – Status No. STCD106 (1962)Stan Kenton and His Orchestra at Fountain Street Church Part 1 – Status #DSTS1014 (1968)Stan Kenton and His Orchestra at Fountain Street Church Part 2– Status #DSTS1016 (1968) Private Party – Creative World No. 1014 (1970)Live At Redlands University – Creative World No. 1015 (1970)Live at Brigham Young University – Creative World No. 1039 (1971)Live at Butler University – Creative World No. 1058 (1972)The Stuttgart Experience – Live In Stuttgart – Jazzhaus #JAH-457 (1972)Stan Kenton Today – Live In London – London/Creative World #BP 44179-80 (1972)Birthday in Britain – Creative World #ST 1065 (1973)Flying High in Florida (1972)Live at the London Hilton – Part I & II (1973)Live in Europe (1976)The Lost Concert Vol. 1–2 Recorded at The Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles, CA on March 18, 1978, posthumous release in 2002 – Jazz Heritage CompilationsStan Kenton's Milestones (Capitol, 1943–47 [1950])Stan Kenton Classics (Capitol, 1944–47 [1952])The Kenton Era (Capitol, 1940–53 [1955])City of Glass and This Modern World – Capitol No. 736 (1951–1953 [1957])Stan Kenton's Greatest Hits (Capitol, 1943–47 [1965])Stan Kenton On AFRS – Status DSTS1019 (1944–1945)One Night Stand – Magic #DAWE66 (1961–1962)Some Women I've Known – Creative World No. 1029The Fabulous Alumni of Stan Kenton – Capitol No. T 20244 (1970) The Complete Capitol Recordings Of The Holman And Russo Charts – Mosaic MD4-136The Complete Capitol Recordings – Mosaic MD7-163The Peanut VendorThe Jazz Compositions Of Stan Kenton – Creative World No. ST1078 (1945–1973)Street of Dreams – Creative World No. 1079 (1979 vinyl; 1992 CD)The Innovations Orchestra (Capitol, 1950–51 [1997]) On film or television 1941 Zig Me, Baby, With a Gentle Zag (short) 1942 Jammin' in the Panoram (short) 1942 Jealous (short) 1942 Reed Rapture (short) 1944 This Love of Mine (short) 1945 Eager Beaver (short) 1945 I'm Homesick, That's All (short) 1945 It's Been a Long Long Time (short) 1945 Southern Scandal (short) 1945 Tampico (short) 1946 Talk About A Lady (feature film) 1946 Southern Scandal (short) 1947 Let's Make Rhythm (short) 1947 Stan Kenton and His Orchestra (biographical short) 1950 The Ed Sullivan Show (television) 1953 Schlagerparade (movie) Stan Kenton at the Sporthalle in Berlin 1954 Spotlight No. 5 (CBC television, documentary) 1955 Music '55 (television, musical variety) 1956 Happy New Year: A Sunday Spectacular (television) 1956 Juke Box Jury (television, gameshow) 1957 Alan Melville Takes You from A-Z (BBC television) 1957 The Big Record (television) 1958 The Gisele MacKenzie Show (television) 1960 General Electric Theater (television) 1960 Startime (television) 1960 Dixieland Small-Fry (television) 1962 Jazz Scene USA (television) 1962 Music of the 60s (television) 1962 The Lively Ones (television) 1963 The Ed Sullivan Show (television) 1964 The Les Crane Show (television) 1965 Big Bands (WGN-TV television) 1965 Jamboree (television) 1966 The Linkletter Show (television) 1967 The Woody Woodbury Show (television) 1967 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (television) 1968 Something Special with Mel Torme (television) 1968 The Crusade for Jazz aka Bound To Be Heard (television documentary) 1969 The Substance of Jazz (educational/documentary) 1969 and 1970 The David Frost Show (television) 1968 and 1970 The Mike Douglas Show (television) 1971 The Merv Griffin Show (television) 1972 Sounds of Saturday (BBC television) 1976 Soundstage (television) 1977 Omnibus (BBC television) 2011 Stan Kenton: Artistry In Rhythm- Portrait Of A Jazz Legend'' (documentary) Compositions Stan Kenton's compositions include "Artistry in Rhythm", released as V-Disc No. 285B, "Opus in Pastels", "Artistry Jumps", "Reed Rapture", "Eager Beaver", released on V-Disc 285B, "Fantasy", "Southern Scandal", which was released as V-Disc No. 573B, "Monotony", released as V-Disc No. 854B, in 1948, with a spoken introduction by Kenton, "Harlem Folk Dance", "Painted Rhythm", "Concerto to End All Concertos", "Easy Go", "Concerto for Doghouse", "Shelly Manne", "Balboa Bash", "Flamenco", and "Sunset Tower". Many compositions are collaborations between Stan Kenton and Pete Rugolo, such as "Artistry in Boogie," "Collaboration," and "Theme to the West." Kenton was credited as a co-writer of the 1944 jazz classic "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine". Notes References External links Bell High School Alumni Page for Stan Kenton Stan Kenton Research Center*Article on Stan Kenton's Mellophonium Band An Interview with Jo Lea Starling, wife of Ray Starling An Interview with Tony Scodwell, Stan Kenton Mellophoniumist The Stan Kenton Collection at the University of North Texas Stan Kenton's music published by Sierra Music Publications Terry Vosbein's All Things Kenton site - discography, radio shows, rare images and audio. GNP Crescendo Records 1911 births 1979 deaths Age controversies Cool jazz musicians Swing bandleaders Big band bandleaders Jazz arrangers Progressive big band bandleaders American jazz bandleaders Musicians from California American music arrangers Grammy Award winners Capitol Records artists American jazz educators Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery 20th-century American musicians Summit Records artists
true
[ "Rendezvous with Kenton is an album by bandleader and pianist Stan Kenton featuring performances recorded at the Rendezvous Ballroom in 1957 and released on the Capitol label.\n\nReception\n\nThe Allmusic review by Scott Yanow noted \"The music is pleasant but not up to the fiery level one would expect of the Stan Kenton Orchestra\".\n\nTrack listing\n \"With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair\"(Jack Lawrence, Clara Edwards) - 2:02 \n \"Memories of You\" (Eubie Blake, Andy Razaf) - 2:34 \n \"These Things You Left Me\" (Harold Dickinson, Sidney Lippman) - 2:05 \n \"Two Shades of Autumn\" (Joe Coccia) - 3:53\n \"They Didn't Believe Me\" (Jerome Kern, Herbert Reynolds) - 1:53 \n \"Walkin' by the River\" (Robert Sour, Una Mae Carlisle) - 2:53\n \"High on a Windy Hill\" (Alex Kramer, Joan Whitney) - 2:07 \n \"Love Letters\" (Victor Young, Edward Heyman) - 2:24 \n \"I Get Along Without You Very Well\" (Hoagy Carmichael) - 1:55 \n \"Desiderata\" (Coccia) - 3:09 \n \"This is No Laughing Matter\" (Al Frisch, Buddy Kaye) - 3:29 \n \"I See Your Face Before Me\" (Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz) - 2:02 \nRecorded at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa, CA on October 7, 1957 (tracks 2, 3 & 12), October 8, 1957 (tracks 1, 4, 6 & 8-10), October 9, 1957 (tracks 7 & 11) and October 10, 1957 (track 5).\n\nPersonnel\nStan Kenton - piano, conductor\nBilly Catalano, Phil Gilbert, Lee Katzman, Ed Leddy, Sam Noto - trumpet\nJim Amlotte, Kent Larsen, Archie Le Coque, Don Reed, - trombone\nKen Shroyer - bass trombone \nLennie Niehaus, Bill Robinson - alto saxophone \nWayne Dunstan, Bill Perkins - tenor saxophone \nSteve Perlow - baritone saxophone, alto saxophone\nRed Kelly - bass \nJerry McKenzie - drums \nJoe Coccia - arranger\n\nReferences\n\nStan Kenton albums\n1957 albums\nCapitol Records albums\nAlbums conducted by Stan Kenton", "Jerri Winters is an American jazz singer. She worked with Stan Kenton's orchestra from 15 February until 15 June 1952, recording several titles for Capitol Records, including \"Adios,\" \"All Because of You,\" and \"She's a Comely Wench.\" Winters released several solo records, including 1955's Winter's Here on Fraternity Records (the first recording to be released by that label), 1957's Somebody Loves Me on Bethlehem Records, and 1962's Winters Again released on Charlie Parker Records.\n\nDiscography\nWinter's Here (1955, Fraternity)\nSomebody Loves Me (1957, Bethlehem)\nWinters Again (1962, Charlie Parker)\n\nWith Stan Kenton \n\nAdios (arr. Bill Russo) 24 February 1952\nAll About Ronnie (arr. Johnny Richards) 20 March 1952\nAll Because of You (arr. Johnny Richards) 24 February 1952\nCinderella (arr. Johnny Richards) 24 February 1952\nDon't Worry 'Bout Me (arr. Pete Rugolo) 24 February 1952\nShe's A Comely Wench (arr. Johnny Richards) 18 March 1952\nSoftly (arr. Johnny Richards) 19 March 1952\nYes (arr. Johnny Richards) 24 February 1952\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n \n Blog Post Discussing Jerri Winters\n\nAmerican jazz singers\nPossibly living people\nYear of birth missing\nBethlehem Records artists" ]
[ "Stan Kenton", "Career", "Tell me about Kenton's career?", "Kenton would make his first recordings when Arnheim made 14 sides for the Brunswick label in summer of 1937." ]
C_23328bf927d74e61a66e83709819e114_1
What was Arnheim?
2
What is Arnheim?
Stan Kenton
In April 1936 Gus Arnheim was reorganizing his band into the style of Benny Goodman's groups and Kenton was to take the piano chair. This is where Kenton would make his first recordings when Arnheim made 14 sides for the Brunswick label in summer of 1937. Once he departed from Gus Arnheim's group, Kenton went back to study with private teachers on both the piano and in composition. In 1938 Kenton would join Vido Musso in a short-lived band but a very educational experience for him. From the core of this group come the line up of the first Stan Kenton groups of the 1940s. Kenton would also go on to working with the NBC House Band and in various Hollywood studios and clubs. Producer George Avakian took notice of Kenton during this time while he worked as the pianist and Assistant Musical Director at the Earl Carroll Theatre Restaurant in Hollywood. Kenton started to get the idea of running his own band from this experience; he created a rehearsal band of his own which eventually become his group in the 1940s. In June 1941, Kenton formed his first orchestra. Kenton worked in the early days with his own groups as much more of an arranger than a featured pianist. Although there were no "name" musicians in his first band (with the possible exception of bassist Howard Rumsey and trumpeter Chico Alvarez), Kenton spent the summer of 1941 playing regularly before an audience at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach, CA. Influenced by Benny Carter and Jimmie Lunceford, the Stan Kenton Orchestra struggled for a time after its initial success. Its Decca recordings were not big sellers and a stint as Bob Hope's backup radio band during the 1943-44 season was an unhappy experience; Les Brown permanently took Kenton's place. Kenton's first appearance in New York was in February 1942 at the Roseland Ballroom, with the marquee featuring an endorsement by Fred Astaire. By late 1943, with a contract with the newly formed Capitol Records, a popular record in "Eager Beaver", and growing recognition, the Stan Kenton Orchestra was gradually catching on; it developed into one of the best-known West Coast ensembles of the 1940s. Its soloists during the war years included Art Pepper, briefly Stan Getz, altoist Boots Mussulli, and singer Anita O'Day. By 1945, the band had evolved. The songwriter Joe Greene provided the lyrics for hit songs like "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'". Pete Rugolo became the chief arranger (extending Kenton's ideas), Bob Cooper and Vido Musso offered very different tenor styles, and June Christy was Kenton's new singer; her hits (including "Tampico" and Greene's "Across the Alley from the Alamo") made it possible for Kenton to finance his more ambitious projects. CANNOTANSWER
Gus Arnheim's group,
Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though Kenton had several pop hits from the early 1940s into the 1960s, his music was always forward-looking. Kenton was also a pioneer in the field of jazz education, creating the Stan Kenton Jazz Camp in 1959 at Indiana University. Early life Stan Kenton was born on December 15, 1911, in Wichita, Kansas; he had two sisters (Beulah and Erma Mae) born three and eight years after him. His parents, Floyd and Stella Kenton, moved the family to Colorado, and in 1924, to the Greater Los Angeles Area, settling in suburban Bell, California. Kenton attended Bell High School; his high-school yearbook picture has the prophetic notation "Old Man Jazz". Kenton started learning piano as a teen from a local pianist and organist. When he was around 15 and in high school, pianist and arranger Ralph Yaw introduced him to the music of Louis Armstong and Earl Hines. He graduated from high school in 1930. By the age of 16, Kenton was already playing a regular solo piano gig at a local hamburger eatery for 50 cents a night plus tips; during that time he had his own performing group named "The Bell-Tones". His first arrangement was written during this time for a local eight-piece band that played in nearby Long Beach. Career 1930s With very little money, Kenton traveled to speakeasys in San Diego and Las Vegas playing piano. By 1932 he was playing with the Francis Gilbert Territory band and would tour through Arizona; he would go on to working with the Everett Hoagland Orchestra in 1933, which would be his first time playing at the Rendezvous Ballroom. He would then play with Russ Plummer, Hal Grayson and eventually got a big break with Gus Arnheim. In April 1936 Arnheim was reorganizing his band into the style of Benny Goodman's groups and Kenton was to take the piano chair. This is where Kenton would make his first recordings when Arnheim made 14 sides for the Brunswick label in summer of 1937. Once he departed from Gus Arnheim's group, Kenton went back to study with private teachers on both the piano and in composition. In 1938 Kenton would join Vido Musso in a short-lived band but a very educational experience for him. From the core of this group came the line up of the first Stan Kenton groups of the 1940s. Kenton would also go on to working with the NBC House Band and in various Hollywood studios and clubs. Producer George Avakian took notice of Kenton during this time while he worked as the pianist and Assistant Musical Director at the Earl Carroll Theatre Restaurant in Hollywood. Kenton started to get the idea of running his own band from this experience; he created a rehearsal band of his own which eventually become his group in the 1940s. 1940s In 1940, Kenton formed his first orchestra. Kenton worked in the early days with his own groups as much more of an arranger than a featured pianist. Although there were no "name" musicians in his first band (with the possible exception of bassist Howard Rumsey and trumpeter Chico Alvarez), Kenton spent the summer of 1941 playing regularly before an audience at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach, CA. Influenced by Benny Carter and Jimmie Lunceford, the Stan Kenton Orchestra struggled for a time after its initial success. Its Decca recordings were not big sellers and a stint as Bob Hope's backup radio band during the 1943–44 season was an unhappy experience; Les Brown permanently took Kenton's place. Kenton's first appearance in New York was in February 1942 at the Roseland Ballroom, with the marquee featuring an endorsement by Fred Astaire. By late 1943, with a contract with the newly formed Capitol Records, a popular record in "Eager Beaver", and growing recognition, the Stan Kenton Orchestra was gradually catching on; it developed into one of the best-known West Coast ensembles of the 1940s. Its soloists during the war years included Art Pepper, briefly Stan Getz, altoist Boots Mussulli, and singer Anita O'Day. By 1945, the band had evolved. The songwriter Joe Greene provided the lyrics for hit songs like "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'". Pete Rugolo became the chief arranger (extending Kenton's ideas), Bob Cooper and Vido Musso offered very different tenor styles, and June Christy was Kenton's new singer; her hits (including "Tampico" and Greene's "Across the Alley from the Alamo") made it possible for Kenton to finance his more ambitious projects. Artistry in Rhythm When composer/arranger Pete Rugolo joined the Stan Kenton Orchestra as staff arranger in late 1945 he brought with him his love of jazz, Stravinsky and Bartók. Given free rein by Kenton, Rugolo experimented. Although Kenton himself was already trying experimental scores prior to Rugolo's tenure, it was Rugolo who brought extra jazz and classical influences much needed to move the band forward artistically. During his first six months on the staff, Rugolo tried to copy Kenton's sound; on encouragement from the leader he explored his own voice. By incorporating compositional techniques borrowed from the modern classical music he studied, Rugolo was a key part of one of Kenton's most fertile and creative periods. After a string of mostly arrangements, Rugolo turned out three originals that Kenton featured on the band's first album in 1946: (Artistry in Rhythm): "Artistry in Percussion", "Safranski" and "Artistry in Bolero". Added to this mix came "Machito", "Rhythm Incorporated", "Monotony" and "Interlude" in early 1947 (though some were not recorded until later in the year). These compositions, along with June Christy's voice, came to define the Artistry in Rhythm band. Afro-Cuban writing was added to the Kenton book with compositions like Rugolo's "Machito." The resulting instrumentation, utilizing significant amounts of brass, was described as a "wall of sound" (a term later re-coined independently by Andrew Loog Oldham for Phil Spector's production methods). The Artistry in Rhythm ensemble was a formative band, with outstanding soloists. By early 1947, the Stan Kenton Orchestra had reached a high point of financial and popular success. They played in the best theaters and ballrooms in America and numerous hit records. Dances at the many ballrooms were typically four hours a night and theater dates generally involved playing mini-concerts between each showing of the movie. This was sometimes five or six a day, stretching from morning to late night. Most days not actually playing were spent in buses or cars. Days off from performing were rare. For Stan Kenton they just allowed for more record signing, radio station interviews, and advertising for Capitol Records. Due to the financial and personal demands, following an April performance in Tuscaloosa, he broke up the Artistry in Rhythm incarnation of Kenton ensembles. Progressive Jazz After a hiatus of five months, Kenton formed a new, larger ensemble to present Concerts in Progressive Jazz. Sustaining the ensemble on its own proved mostly attainable but the band still had to fill in its schedule by booking dances and movie theater jobs, especially over the summer. Pete Rugolo composed and arranged the great bulk of the new music; Kenton declared these works to be Progressive Jazz. A student of famed composer and educator Russ Garcia, Bob Graettinger wrote numerous works for the band, starting with his composition Thermopylae. His ground-breaking composition City of Glass was premiered by the band in Chicago in April 1948, but not recorded for another two and a half years, in a reworked version for the Innovations Orchestra. Ken Hanna, who began the tour as a trumpet player, contributed a few compositions to the new band, including Somnambulism. Kenton contributed no new scores to the Progressive Jazz band, although several of his older works were performed on concerts, including Concerto to End All Concertos, Eager Beaver, Opus in Pastels, and Artistry in Rhythm. Cuban inflected titles from the Progressive Jazz period include Rugolo's Introduction to a Latin Rhythm, Cuban Carnival, The Peanut Vendor, and Journey to Brazil, and Bob Graettinger's Cuban Pastorale. The addition of a full-time bongo player and a Brazilian guitarist in the band enabled Kenton's cadre of composers to explore Afro-Latin rhythms to far greater possibilities. The Progressive Jazz period lasted 14 months, beginning on September 24, 1947, when the Stan Kenton Orchestra played a concert at the Rendezvous Ballroom. And it ended after the last show at the Paramount Theatre in New York City on December 14, 1948. The band produced only one album and a handful of singles, due to a recording ban by the American Federation of Musicians that lasted the entirety of 1948. The lone record, "A Presentation of Progressive Jazz," received a 3 out of 4 rating from Tom Herrick in DownBeat. Metronome rated it "C" calling it a "jerry-built jumble of effects and counter-effects" and "this album presents very little that can justifiably be called either jazz or progressive." Billboard scored it 80 out of 100, but declared it "as mumbo-jumbo a collection of cacophony as has ever been loosed on an unsuspecting public. Many sidemen from the Artistry band returned, but there were significant changes. Laurindo Almeida on classical guitar, and Jack Costanzo on bongos dramatically changed the band's timbre. Both were firsts for the Kenton band, or any jazz band for that matter. The rhythm section included returnees Eddie Safranski (bass) and Shelly Manne (drums), both destined to win first place Down Beat awards. Four of the five trumpet players returned: Buddy Childers, Ray Wetzel, Chico Alvarez, and Ken Hanna. Al Porcino was added to the already powerhouse section. Conte Candoli joined the band, replacing Porcino, in February 1948. Kai Winding, star trombonist of the Artistry in Rhythm band, would not be a part of the Progressive Jazz era, except for a few dates on which he subbed. Milt Bernhart came in on lead trombone. And Bart Varsalona returned on bass trombone. Bernhart's first big solo with the Kenton band proved to be a major hit, The Peanut Vendor. The saxophone section was much improved and modernized. Returning saxophonists included baritone Bob Gioga, holding down his chair since the very start, and Bob Cooper on tenor. With Vido Musso's departure, Cooper and his modernist sound became the featured tenor soloist. Art Pepper came on as second alto, the "jazz" chair. And the new lead alto was George Weidler. This was genuinely a band of all-stars. They received five first place awards in the Down Beat poll at the end of 1947, and similar awards from the other magazines. The arrangers continued to push the limits of these superb instrumentalists in their compositions. Works from this period are more sophisticated than those written for the Artistry band, and are some of the first and most successful "third stream" compositions. The band criss-crossed the country, appearing in the nation's top concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, Chicago Civic Opera House, Academy of Music (Philadelphia), and the Hollywood Bowl. They had extended stays at New York's Paramount Theatre and Hotel Commodore, Philadelphia's Click, Detroit's Eastwood Gardens, Radio City Theater in Minneapolis, and the Rendezvous Ballroom, a special place in Kenton's musical life. Kenton's band was the first to present a concert in the famous outdoor arena, the Hollywood Bowl. His concert there on June 12, 1948, drew more than 15,000 people, and was both an artistic and commercial success. Kenton pocketed half of the box office, walking away with $13,000 for the evening's concert. The band broke attendance records all across the country. Thanks to Kenton's public relations acumen, he was able to convince concert goers and record buyers of the importance of his music. Comedy numbers and June Christy vocals helped break up the seriousness of the new music. Kenton's successes did not sit well with everyone. In an essay entitled Economics and Race in Jazz, Leslie B. Rout Jr. wrote that "the real scourge of the 1946–1949 period was the all-white Stan Kenton band. Dubbing his musical repertoire 'progressive jazz,' Kenton saw his orchestra become the first in jazz history to reach an annual gross of $1,000,000 in 1948." He contrasted this with a situation in which critical and public recognition of "Dizzy Gillespie as the premiere bopper could not be transformed into coin of the realm." At the end of 1948, as the band was fulfilling an extended engagement at the Paramount Theater in New York City, the leader notified his sidemen, his bookers, and the press, that he would be disbanding once more. Kenton's most artistically and commercially successful band ceased to be at the top of their game. On December 14, the Stan Kenton Orchestra played their last notes for more than a year. When they returned, there would be new faces, new music and a string section. 1950s After a year's hiatus, in 1950 Kenton assembled the large 39-piece Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra that included 16 strings, a woodwind section, and two French horns. The music was an extension of the works composed and recorded since 1947 by Bob Graettinger, Manny Albam, Franklyn Marks and others. Name jazz musicians such as Maynard Ferguson, Shorty Rogers, Milt Bernhart, John Graas, Art Pepper, Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, Laurindo Almeida, Shelly Manne, and June Christy were part of these musical ensembles. The groups managed two tours during 1950–51, from a commercial standpoint it would be Stan Kenton's first major failure. Kenton soon reverted to a more standard 19-piece lineup. In order to be more commercially viable, Kenton reformed the band in 1951 to a much more standard instrumentation: five saxes, five trombones, five trumpets, piano, guitar, bass, drums. The charts of such arrangers as Gerry Mulligan, Johnny Richards, and particularly Bill Holman and Bill Russo began to dominate the repertoire. The music was written to better reflect the style of cutting edge, be-bop oriented big bands, such as those of Dizzy Gillespie or Woody Herman. Young, talented players and outstanding jazz soloists such as Maynard Ferguson, Lee Konitz, Conte Candoli, Sal Salvador, and Frank Rosolino made strong contributions to the level of the 1952–53 band. The music composed and arranged during this time was far more tailor-made to contemporary jazz tastes; the 1953 album New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm is noted as one of the high points in Kenton's career as band leader. Though the band was to have a very strong "concert book", Kenton also made sure the dance book was made new, fresh and contemporary. The album Sketches on Standards from 1953 is an excellent example of Kenton appealing to a wider audience while using the band and Bill Russo's arranging skills to their fullest potential. Even though the personnel changed rather rapidly, Kenton's focus was very clear on where he would lead things musically. By this time producer Lee Gillette worked well in concert with Kenton to create a balanced set of recordings that were both commercially viable and cutting edge musically. Arguably the most "swinging" band Kenton was to field came when legendary drummer Mel Lewis joined the orchestra in 1954. Kenton's Contemporary Concepts (1955) and Kenton in Hi-Fi (1956) albums during this time are very impressive as a be-bop recording and then a standard dance recording (respectively). Kenton in Hi-Fis wide popularity and sales benefited from the fact it was his greatest hits of ten years earlier re-recorded in stereo with a contemporary, much higher level band. The album climbed all the way up to #22 on the Billboard album charts and provided much needed revenue at a time when Rock n Roll had started to become the dominant pop music in the United States. It would become more and more difficult for Kenton to alternate between 'dance' and serious 'jazz' albums while staying financially solvent. During the summer of the summer of 1955 (July–September), Kenton was to become the host of the CBS television series Music 55. While it offered 10 weeks of great exposure to a rapidly expanding television audience, the show failed. It was plagued by poor production techniques and a strange combination of guests that did not work well with what Kenton had envisioned. He ended up being stiff and out of place with what the producers tried to achieve. Kenton had to burn the candle at both ends flying in to do the show then flying back out to meet his band out on the road. The New York production team was limited by using an American Federation of Musicians roster of local players; Kenton wanted his own band to do the show. There would be another attempt for the Kenton organization to place the band on regularly scheduled television programming in 1958. After six Kenton financed episodes on KTTV in Los Angeles, there would be no sponsors to step up and back the show. One of the standout projects and recordings for the mid-1950s band is the Cuban Fire! album released in 1956. Though Stan Kenton had recorded earlier hits such as The Peanut Vendor in 1947 with Latin percussionist Machito, as well as many other Latin flavored singles, the Cuban Fire! suite and LP stands as a watershed set of compositions for Johnny Richards' career and an outstanding commercial/artistic achievement for the Kenton orchestra, and a singular landmark in large ensemble Latin jazz recordings. "CUBAN FIRE is completely authentic, the way it combines big-band jazz with genuine Latin-American rhythms." The success of the Cuban Fire! album can be gauged in part by the immediate ascent of Johnny Richards' star after its release; he was suddenly offered a contract by Bethlehem Records to record what would be the first of several recordings with his own groups. At one point, Kenton faced a controversy in 1956 with comments he made when the band returned from a European tour. The current Critics Poll in Down Beat was now dominated by African-American musicians in virtually every category. The Kenton band was playing in Ontario, Canada, at the time, and Kenton dispatched a telegram which lamented "a new minority, white jazz musicians," and stated his "disgust [with the so-called] literary geniuses of jazz." Jazz critic Leonard Feather responded in the October 3, 1956, issue of Down Beat with an open letter that questioned Kenton's racial views. Feather implied that Kenton's failure to win the Critics Poll was probably the real reason for the complaint, and wondered if racial prejudice was involved. In hindsight the record shows Kenton's biggest sin is to have hastily fired off the comments. However, less than 2% of the more than 600 sidemen with the Kenton band were African American. By the end of the decade Kenton was with the last incarnation of a 19-piece, 1950s-style Kenton orchestra. Many bands have been called a leader's "best"; this last Kenton 1959 incarnation of the 1950s bands may very well be the best. The group would pull off one of Kenton's most artistic, subtle and introspective recordings, Standards in Silhouette. As trombonist Archie LeCoque recalled of this album of very slow ballads, "...it was hard, but at the time we were all young and straight-ahead, we got through it and (two) albums came out well." By 1959 Stereophonic sound recording was now being fully utilized with all major labels. One of the great triumphs of the Standards in Silhouette album is the mature writing, the combination of the room used, a live group with very few overdubs, and the recording being in full stereo fidelity (and later remastered to digital). Bill Mathieu was highly skeptical of the decision to record his music like Cuban Fire! in a cavernous ballroom. Mathieu adds: "Stan and producer Lee Gillette were absolutely right: the band sounds alive and awake (which is not easy when recording many hours of slow-tempo music in a studio), and most importantly, the players could hear themselves well in the live room. The end result is the band sounds strong and cohesive, and the album is well recorded." This is the last set of studio dates before Kenton would retool the entire orchestra in 1960. 1960s The Kenton orchestra had been on a slow decline in sales and popularity in the late 1950s with having to compete with newer, popular music artists such as Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, and The Platters. The nadir of this decline was around 1958 and coincided with a recession that was affecting the entire country. There were far fewer big bands on the road and live music venues were hard to book for the Kenton orchestra. The band would end 1959 beaten up by poor attendance at concerts and having to rely far more on dance halls than real jazz concerts. The band would reform in 1960 with a new look, a new sound, a larger group with a 'mellophonium' section added and an upsurge in Kenton's popularity.Sparke, Michael; Peter Venudor (1998). Stan Kenton, The Studio Sessions. Balboa Books. . The new instrument was used by Kenton to "bridge the gap" in range, color, and tonality between his trumpet and trombone sections. Essentially it creates a conical, midrange sound that is common in a symphonic setting with a horn (French horn) but the bell of the instrument faces forward. Kenton's 1961 recording The Romantic Approach for Capitol is the first of 11 LPs that would feature the "mellophonium band". Kenton arranged the whole first mellophonium album himself and it was very well received in a September 1961 review in Down Beat. The Kenton Orchestra from 1960 to 1963 had numerous successes; the band had a relentless recording schedule. The albums Kenton's West Side Story (arrangements by Johnny Richards) and Adventures In Jazz, each won Grammy awards in 1962 and 1963 respectively. Ralph Carmichael wrote a superb set of Christmas charts for Kenton which translated into one of the most popular recordings from the band leader to date: A Merry Christmas!. Also, Johnny Richards' Adventures in Time suite (recorded in 1962) was the culmination of all things the mellophonium band was capable of.NPR: Stan Kenton At 100: Artistry In Rhythm , Reference to Adventures in Time in article as important milestone of Kenton's music. February 17, 2012. After the Fall 1963 U.S./U.K. tour ended in November, the mellophonium incarnation of Kenton bands was done. The conditions of Stan's divorce from jazz singer Ann Richards was that a judge ordered Stan to take a year off the road to help raise their two children or lose custody altogether. Kenton would not reform another road band for tour until 1965. Kenton had ties from earlier writing of country/western songs that were a success with Capitol and again he tried his hand in that genre during the early 1960s. In a music market that was becoming increasingly tight, in 1962 he cut the hit single "Mama Sang a Song"; his last Top-40 ( 32 Billboard, No. 22 Music Vendor). The song was a narration written by country singer Bill Anderson and spoken by Kenton. The single also received a Grammy nomination the following year in the Best Documentary or Spoken Word Recording category. The other attempt he made into that market was the far less successful Stan Kenton! Tex Ritter!, released in 1962 as a full LP. After the breakup of the mellophonium band, Kenton / Wagner (1964) was an important recording project that Kenton himself arranged, again moving towards "progressive jazz" or third stream music. This album was not a financial success but kept Kenton at the forefront of 'art music' interpretation in the commercial music world. Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra (1965) was an artistic success that garnered another Grammy nomination for the band leader. During this time Kenton also co-wrote the theme music for the short lived NBC television series Mister Roberts (1965–66). The 1966–1969 Capitol releases for Stan Kenton were a severe low point for his recording career. Capitol producer Lee Gillette was trying to exploit the money making possibilities of numerous popular hits to include the 1968 musical Hair featuring contemporary rock music. Due to lack of promotion by Capitol, four LPs were financial failures; this would be the last releases for Kenton under the aegis of long time Kenton producer Lee Gillette and Capitol. In fact, by the time it was recorded Kenton had no involvement in the Hair LP except for Kenton's name placed on the jacket cover; Ralph Carmichael and Lennie Niehaus were placed in charge of the project. Two exceptions to this late 1960s period are the Billboard charted single the band cut of the Dragnet theme (1967) and another Kenton presents release featuring the music of composer and ex-bandsman Dee Barton: The Jazz Compositions of Dee Barton (1967). The album featuring Barton's music was another unsung artistic success for the Kenton band though widely unseen commercially by the a music listening public. 1970s The transition from Capitol to Creative World Records in 1970 was fraught with difficulties during a time when the music business was changing rapidly. As a viable jazz artist who was trying to keep a loyal but dwindling following, Kenton turned to arrangers such as Hank Levy and Bob Curnow to write material that appealed to a younger audience. The first releases for the Creative World label were live concerts and Kenton had the control he wanted over content but lacked substantial resources to engineer, mix, and promote what Capitol underwrote in the past. Kenton would take a big gamble to bypass the current record industry and rely far more on the direct mail lists of jazz fans which the newly formed Creative World label would need to sell records. Kenton also made his print music available to college and high-school stage bands with several publishers. Kenton continued leading and touring with his big band up to his final performance on August 20, 1978; he disbanded the group due to his failing health. In June 1973 Bob Curnow had started as the new artists and repertoire manager overseeing the whole operation of the Creative World Records. It was just the year before (in 1972) the Kenton orchestra recorded the National Anthems of the World double LP with 40 arrangements all done by Curnow. As per Curnow himself, "That was a remarkable and very difficult time for me. I was managing (Stan's) record company with NO experience in business, writing music like mad, living in a new place and culture (Los Angeles was another world), traveling a LOT (out with the band at least 1 week a month) and trying to keep it together at home." When Kenton took to the road during the early 1970s and up to his last tour, he took with him seasoned veteran musicians (John Worster, Willie Maiden, Warren Gale, Graham Ellis and others) teaming them with relatively unknown young artists, and new arrangements (including those by Hank Levy, Bill Holman, Bob Curnow, Willie Maiden and Ken Hanna) were used. Many alumni associated with Kenton from this era became educators (Mike Vax, John Von Ohlen, Chuck Carter, Lisa Hittle and Richard Torres), and a few went on to take their musical careers to the next level, such as Peter Erskine, Douglas Purviance and Tim Hagans. Timeline of Stan Kenton Orchestras Legacy Kenton was a salient figure on the American musical scene and made an indelible mark on the arranged type of big band jazz. Kenton's music evolved with the times from 1940 through the 1970s. He was at the vanguard of promoting jazz and jazz improvisation through his service as an educator through his Stan Kenton Band Clinics. The "Kenton Style" continues to permeate big bands at the high school and collegiate level, and the framework he designed for the "jazz clinic" is still widely in use today. Starting in the waning days of the big band era, Kenton found a multitude of ways in which to progress his art form. In his hands the size of the jazz orchestra expanded greatly, at times exceeding forty musicians. The frequency range (high and low notes) was also increased with the use of bass trombones and tuba, and baritone and bass saxophones. The dynamic range was pushed on both ends; the band could play softer and louder than any other big band. Kenton was the primary band leader responsible for moving the big band from the dance hall to the concert hall; one of the most important and successful players in the Third Stream movement. Interest in his music has experienced somewhat of a resurgence, with critical "rediscovery" of his music and many reissues of his recordings. An alumni band named for him tours, led by lead trumpeter Mike Vax, which performs not only classic Kenton arrangements, but also new music written and performed by the band members (much like Kenton's own groups). Kenton donated his entire library to the music library of North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas), and the Stan Kenton Jazz Recital Hall was named in his honor, although has recently been changed due to concerns over his history of sexual misconduct. His arrangements are now published by Sierra Music Publications. When comparing the four longest running touring jazz orchestras (Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington), Kenton's band had a higher turnover of personnel. Bob Gioga, Buddy Childers, and Dick Shearer are among only a very few who played for Kenton for over a decade. Other important soloists such as Lennie Niehaus, Bill Perkins and Chico Alvarez had lengthy stays on the band as well. The list of noted jazz players, studio musicians is impressive and the consistency of the group from 1941 to Kenton's passing in 1979 is notable. Stan Kenton's leadership and music vision was clear to marshal the forces of such a diverse set of players and arrangers over this long period of time; Kenton stands alone in the respect. Personal life Kenton was born on December 15, 1911, according to his birth certificate, according to British biographer Michael Sparke. Kenton was conceived out of wedlock, and his parents told him that he was born two months later than the actual date, February 19, 1912, to obscure this fact. Kenton believed well into adulthood that the February date was his birthday, and recorded the Birthday In Britain concert album on February 19, 1973. The true date remained a closely held secret, and his grave marker shows the incorrect February birthdate. Kenton was married three times. Three children were produced from the first two marriages. His first marriage was to Violet Rhoda Peters in 1935 and lasted for 15 years. The couple had a daughter in 1941, Leslie. In her 2010 memoir Love Affair, Leslie Kenton wrote that, from 1952 to 1954, when she was between the ages of 11 and 13, her father sexually molested and raped her. She nonetheless maintained a close relationship with him during his lifetime, though she states that she was emotionally scarred by the experience. She stated that the rapes always occurred under the influence of alcohol, that he was not fully aware of his actions, and that 20 years later he apologized profusely. Leslie was an author of several books about health, spirituality and beauty. In 1955, Stan Kenton married San Diego-born singer Ann Richards, who was 23 years his junior. The relationship produced two children: daughter Dana Lynn and son Lance. In 1961, Richards posed for a nude layout in Playboy magazine's June 1961 issue. She signed a contract to record with Atco Records, without her husband's knowledge. The Playboy shoot was done without Kenton's knowledge; he found out about it while playing at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago when handed the magazine by Charles Suter, who was the editor of Down Beat magazine at the time. Richards was not typically on the road with the band, though she had recorded the album Two Much! with Kenton in 1960. Kenton filed for divorce in August 1961; it was finalized in 1962. He would retain custody of their two children. Kenton's third marriage was to KABC production assistant Jo Ann Hill, in 1967. This also ended in a separation in 1969 with the divorce following in 1970. In his later years he lived with his public relations secretary and last business manager, Audree Coke Kenton, though they never formally married. Kenton's heavy consumption of alcohol contributed to ongoing accidents and the physical difficulties he encountered during the last 10 years of his life. Kenton's son Lance became a member of the controversial Synanon new-age community in California, and served as one of its "Imperial Marines," a group entrusted with committing violence against former members and others considered enemies of the community. In 1978 he was arrested for helping to put a rattlesnake in the mailbox of an anti-Synanon lawyer, and was sentenced to a year in prison.Zacchino, Narda. "Band Leader's Son Suspect in Assault" Los Angeles Times. October 12, 1978. pp. 7 Kenton had two serious accidental falls, one in the early 1970s and one in May of 1977 while on tour in Reading, Pennsylvania. The second fall was very serious as he fractured his skull. The last two years of his life became far more physically challenging for Kenton from the effects of the two accidents. On August 17, 1979, he was admitted to Midway Hospital near his home in Los Angeles after a stroke; he died eight days later, on August 25. At the time of his death he had three grandchildren. Kenton was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, Los Angeles.Jones, Jack. "Stan Kenton, Innovative Band Leader, Dies At 67". Los Angeles Times. August 26, 1979. pp. 1 Gold records and charts (singles and albums)Gold Records1944 Artistry in Rhythm (Capitol Records) instrumental 1945 Tampico (Capitol Records) vocal by June Christy and band 1945 Shoo-Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy (Capitol Records) vocal by June Christy and band Hits as charted singles (Songs that reached the top of the US or UK charts) Between 1944 and 1967, Stan Kenton had numerous hits on Billboard's charts. Hits as charted albums (Albums charting history with Billboard Magazine) Awards and honors Wins and honors from major publications Grammy Awards |- |rowspan="2"| |rowspan="2"|West Side Story (album) |Best Performance by an orchestra - for other than dancing | |- |rowspan="2"|Best Jazz Performance - Large Group (Instrumental) | |- |rowspan="2"| |rowspan="2"|Adventures In Jazz (album) | |- |Best Engineered recording (other than classical and novelty) | |- |style="text-align:center;"| |Mama Sang a Song (single) |Best Documentary or Spoken Word Recording (other than comedy) | |- |style="text-align:center;"| |Artistry in Voices and Brass (album) |Best Performance by a Chorus | |- |style="text-align:center;"| |Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra (album) |Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Individual or Group | |-Grammy Hall of Fame|- |rowspan="1"| 1943 ||rowspan="1"| Artistry in Rhythm (with the Stan Kenton Orchestra) || Grammy Hall of Fame (1985) || International Music Awards Other awards and honors 1978 – Honorary Doctorate of Music: University of Redlands 1974 – Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters: Drury College 1968 – Honorary Doctorate of Music: Villanova University 1967 – Intercollegiate Music Festival Hall of Fame Award Named to the International Association for Jazz Education Hall of Fame (1980) Honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Recording – 6340 Hollywood Blvd.) "City of Glass" is honored in The Wire's "100 Records That Set The World on Fire" (While No One Was Listening)." Posthumously honored 2011 – "Stan Kenton: Artistry In Rhythm- Portrait Of A Jazz Legend" (DVD) EMPixx Awards – Platinum Award in the Documentary Category/Platinum Award in the Use of Music Category.United States Library of Congress National Recording Registry'''Artistry in Rhythm (single) – Stan Kenton – Released:1943 – Inducted: 2011 - Category: Jazz Noted band personnel Instrumentalists Pepper Adams Bob Ahern Sam Aleccia Ashley Alexander Laurindo Almeida Alfred "Chico" Alvarez Jim Amlotte John Anderson Buddy Arnold Don Bagley Gabe Baltazar Michael Bard Dave Barduhn Gary Barone Dee Barton Tim Bell Max Bennett Milt Bernhart Bill Briggs Bud Brisbois Ray Brown Bob Burgess Bart Caldarell Tony Campise Frank Capp Conte Candoli Pete Candoli Fred Carter Billy Catalano Bill Chase Buddy Childers Rich Condit Bob Cooper Jack Costanzo Curtis Counce Bob Curnow Quinn Davis Vinnie Dean Jay Daversa Don Dennis Sam Donahue Red Dorris Peter Erskine Don Fagerquist Maynard Ferguson Mary Fettig Bob Fitzpatrick Dr. William "Bill" Fritz Carl Fontana Chris Galuman Stan Getz Bob Gioga John Graas Benny Green Tim Hagans Ken Hanna Bill Hanna John Harner Dennis Hayslett Gary Henson Phil Herring Skeets Herfurt Lisa Hittle Gary Hobbs Bill Holman Marvin "Doc" Holladay Clay Jenkins Richie Kamuca Joel Kaye Red Kelly Jimmy Knepper Bobby Knight Lee Konitz Tom Lacy Scott LaFaro Jack Lake Keith LaMotte Kent Larsen Terry Layne Skip Layton Gary LeFebvre Archie LeCoque Stan Levey Mel Lewis Ramon Lopez Bob Lymperis John Madrid Willie Maiden Shelly Manne Charlie Mariano Al Mattaliano Dave Matthews Jerry McKenzie Dick Meldonian Don Menza Greg Metcalf Eddie Meyers Frank Minear Vido Musso Boots Mussulli Lennie Niehaus Dennis Noday Sam Noto Lloyd Otto Don Paladino John Park Kim Park Art Pepper Bill Perkins Oscar Pettiford Al Porcino Mike Price Douglas Purviance Ray Reed Clyde Reasinger Roy Reynolds Kim Richmond George Roberts Gene Roland Billy Root Frank Rosolino Shorty Rogers Ernie Royal Howard Rumsey Bill Russo Eddie Safranski Sal Salvador Carl Saunders Jay Saunders Dave Schildkraut Bud Shank Dick Shearer Jack Sheldon Kenny Shroyer Gene Siegel Zoot Sims Tom Slaney Dalton Smith Greg Smith Mike Snustead Ed Soph Lloyd Spoon Mike Suter Marvin Stamm Ray Starling Vinnie Tano Lucky Thompson Richard Torres Bill Trujillo Jeff Uusitalo Mike Vaccaro David van Kriedt Bart Varsalona Mike Vax John Von Ohlen George Weidler Ray Wetzel Rick Weathersby Jiggs Whigham Stu Williamson Kai Winding John Worster Alan Yankee Composers and Arrangers Manny Albam Buddy Baker Dave Barduhn Dee Barton Ralph Carmichael Joe Coccia Frank Comstock Bob Curnow Dale Devoe Sam Donahue Wayne Dunston Dennis Farnon Bob Florence Bill Fritz Bob Graettinger Ken Hanna Neal Hefti Bill Holman Gene Howard Hank Levy Willie Maiden Franklyn Marks Bill Mathieu Gerry Mulligan Lennie Niehaus Boots Mussulli Chico O'Farrill Marty Paich Johnny Richards Shorty Rogers Gene Roland Pete Rugolo Bill Russo Charlie Shirley Steve Spiegl Ray Starling Mark Taylor Al Yankee Ralph Yaw Vocalists Ernie Bernhardt Cindy Bradley Kay Brown Helen Carr June Christy Chris Connor Red Dorris Kay Gregory Gene Howard Jay Johnson Eve Knight Kent Larsen Dolly Mitchell The Modern Men Anita O'Day The Pastels Ann Richards Frank Rosolino Gail Sherwood Jan Tober Jean Turner Jerri Winters Ray Wetzel Discography and on film and television Studio albumsStan Kenton and His Orchestra – McGregor No. LP201 (1941)The Formative Years – Decca No. 589 489-2 (1941–1942)Artistry in Rhythm – Capitol No. BD39 (1946)Encores – Capitol No. 155 (1947)A Presentation of Progressive Jazz – Capitol No. T172 (1947)Metronome Riff (single) – Capitol special pressing (1947)Innovations in Modern Music – Capitol No. 189 (1950)Stan Kenton's Milestones – Capitol No. T190 (through 1950)Stan Kenton Presents – Capitol No. 248 (1950)City of Glass – Capitol No. H353 (1951)New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm – Capitol 383 (1952)Popular Favorites by Stan Kenton – Capitol No. 421 (1953)Sketches on Standards – Capitol No. 426 (1953)This Modern World – Capitol No. 460 (1953)Portraits on Standards – Capitol No. 462 (1953)Kenton Showcase: The Music of Bill Russo – Capitol No. H525 (1954)Kenton Showcase : The Music of Bill Holman – Capitol No. H526 (1954)Duet (with June Christy) – Capitol No. 656 (1955)Contemporary Concepts – Capitol No. 666 (1955)Kenton in Hi-Fi – Capitol No. 724 (1956)Cuban Fire! – Capitol No. 731 (1956)Kenton with Voices – Capitol No. 810 (1957)Rendezvous with Kenton – Capitol No. 932 (1957)Back to Balboa – Capitol No. 995 (1958)The Ballad Style of Stan Kenton – Capitol No. 1068 (1958)Lush Interlude – Capitol No. 1130 (1958)The Stage Door Swings – Capitol No. 1166 (1958)The Kenton Touch – Capitol No. 1276 (1958)Viva Kenton! – Capitol No. 1305 (1959)Standards in Silhouette – Capitol No. 1394 (1959)Two Much! (with Ann Richards) – Capitol No. 1495 (1960)The Romantic Approach – Capitol No. 1533 (1961)Kenton's West Side Story – Capitol No. 1609 (1961)A Merry Christmas! – Capitol No. 1621 (1961)Sophisticated Approach – Capitol No. 1674 (1961)Adventures in Standards – Creative World No. 1025 (1961 – released 1975)Adventures In Jazz – Capitol No. 1796 (1961)Adventures in Blues – Capitol No. 1985 (1961)Stan Kenton! Tex Ritter! (with Tex Ritter) – Capitol No. 1757 (1962)Adventures in Time – Capitol No. 1844 (1962)Artistry in Bossa Nova – Capitol No. 1931 (1963)Artistry in Voices and Brass – Capitol No. 2132 (1963)Stan Kenton / Jean Turner (with Jean Turner) – Capitol No. 2051 (1963)Kenton / Wagner – Capitol No. 2217 (1964)Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra – Capitol No. 2424 (1965–1966)Stan Kenton Plays for Today – Capitol No. 2655 (1966–1967)The World We Know – Capitol No. 2810The Jazz Compositions of Dee Barton – Capitol No. 2932 (1967)Finian's Rainbow – Capitol No. 2971 (1968)Hair – Capitol No. ST305 (1969)National Anthems of the World – Creative World No. 1060 (1972)7.5 on the Richter Scale – Creative World No. 1070 (1973)Stan Kenton Without His Orchestra (solo) – Creative World No. 1071 (1973)Stan Kenton Plays Chicago – Creative World No. 1072 (1974)Fire, Fury and Fun – Creative World No. 1073 (1974)Kenton '76 – Creative World No. 1076 (1976)Journey Into Capricorn – Creative World No. 1077 (1976) Live albumsStan Kenton Live at Cornell University (1951)Stan Kenton Stompin' at Newport – Pablo #PACD-5312-2 (1957)On the Road with Stan Kenton – Artistry Records #AR-101 (Recorded Nov. 6, 1958 at the Municipal Auditorium, Sarasota, Florida)Kenton Live from the Las Vegas Tropicana – Capitol No. 1460 (1959)Road Show (with June Christy and The Four Freshmen) – Capitol #TBO1327 (1959)Stan Kenton at Ukiah – Status #STCD109 (1959)Stan Kenton in New Jersey – Status #USCD104 (1959)Mellophonium Magic – Status No. CD103 (1962)Mellophonium Moods – Status No. STCD106 (1962)Stan Kenton and His Orchestra at Fountain Street Church Part 1 – Status #DSTS1014 (1968)Stan Kenton and His Orchestra at Fountain Street Church Part 2– Status #DSTS1016 (1968) Private Party – Creative World No. 1014 (1970)Live At Redlands University – Creative World No. 1015 (1970)Live at Brigham Young University – Creative World No. 1039 (1971)Live at Butler University – Creative World No. 1058 (1972)The Stuttgart Experience – Live In Stuttgart – Jazzhaus #JAH-457 (1972)Stan Kenton Today – Live In London – London/Creative World #BP 44179-80 (1972)Birthday in Britain – Creative World #ST 1065 (1973)Flying High in Florida (1972)Live at the London Hilton – Part I & II (1973)Live in Europe (1976)The Lost Concert Vol. 1–2 Recorded at The Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles, CA on March 18, 1978, posthumous release in 2002 – Jazz Heritage CompilationsStan Kenton's Milestones (Capitol, 1943–47 [1950])Stan Kenton Classics (Capitol, 1944–47 [1952])The Kenton Era (Capitol, 1940–53 [1955])City of Glass and This Modern World – Capitol No. 736 (1951–1953 [1957])Stan Kenton's Greatest Hits (Capitol, 1943–47 [1965])Stan Kenton On AFRS – Status DSTS1019 (1944–1945)One Night Stand – Magic #DAWE66 (1961–1962)Some Women I've Known – Creative World No. 1029The Fabulous Alumni of Stan Kenton – Capitol No. T 20244 (1970) The Complete Capitol Recordings Of The Holman And Russo Charts – Mosaic MD4-136The Complete Capitol Recordings – Mosaic MD7-163The Peanut VendorThe Jazz Compositions Of Stan Kenton – Creative World No. ST1078 (1945–1973)Street of Dreams – Creative World No. 1079 (1979 vinyl; 1992 CD)The Innovations Orchestra (Capitol, 1950–51 [1997]) On film or television 1941 Zig Me, Baby, With a Gentle Zag (short) 1942 Jammin' in the Panoram (short) 1942 Jealous (short) 1942 Reed Rapture (short) 1944 This Love of Mine (short) 1945 Eager Beaver (short) 1945 I'm Homesick, That's All (short) 1945 It's Been a Long Long Time (short) 1945 Southern Scandal (short) 1945 Tampico (short) 1946 Talk About A Lady (feature film) 1946 Southern Scandal (short) 1947 Let's Make Rhythm (short) 1947 Stan Kenton and His Orchestra (biographical short) 1950 The Ed Sullivan Show (television) 1953 Schlagerparade (movie) Stan Kenton at the Sporthalle in Berlin 1954 Spotlight No. 5 (CBC television, documentary) 1955 Music '55 (television, musical variety) 1956 Happy New Year: A Sunday Spectacular (television) 1956 Juke Box Jury (television, gameshow) 1957 Alan Melville Takes You from A-Z (BBC television) 1957 The Big Record (television) 1958 The Gisele MacKenzie Show (television) 1960 General Electric Theater (television) 1960 Startime (television) 1960 Dixieland Small-Fry (television) 1962 Jazz Scene USA (television) 1962 Music of the 60s (television) 1962 The Lively Ones (television) 1963 The Ed Sullivan Show (television) 1964 The Les Crane Show (television) 1965 Big Bands (WGN-TV television) 1965 Jamboree (television) 1966 The Linkletter Show (television) 1967 The Woody Woodbury Show (television) 1967 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (television) 1968 Something Special with Mel Torme (television) 1968 The Crusade for Jazz aka Bound To Be Heard (television documentary) 1969 The Substance of Jazz (educational/documentary) 1969 and 1970 The David Frost Show (television) 1968 and 1970 The Mike Douglas Show (television) 1971 The Merv Griffin Show (television) 1972 Sounds of Saturday (BBC television) 1976 Soundstage (television) 1977 Omnibus (BBC television) 2011 Stan Kenton: Artistry In Rhythm- Portrait Of A Jazz Legend'' (documentary) Compositions Stan Kenton's compositions include "Artistry in Rhythm", released as V-Disc No. 285B, "Opus in Pastels", "Artistry Jumps", "Reed Rapture", "Eager Beaver", released on V-Disc 285B, "Fantasy", "Southern Scandal", which was released as V-Disc No. 573B, "Monotony", released as V-Disc No. 854B, in 1948, with a spoken introduction by Kenton, "Harlem Folk Dance", "Painted Rhythm", "Concerto to End All Concertos", "Easy Go", "Concerto for Doghouse", "Shelly Manne", "Balboa Bash", "Flamenco", and "Sunset Tower". Many compositions are collaborations between Stan Kenton and Pete Rugolo, such as "Artistry in Boogie," "Collaboration," and "Theme to the West." Kenton was credited as a co-writer of the 1944 jazz classic "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine". Notes References External links Bell High School Alumni Page for Stan Kenton Stan Kenton Research Center*Article on Stan Kenton's Mellophonium Band An Interview with Jo Lea Starling, wife of Ray Starling An Interview with Tony Scodwell, Stan Kenton Mellophoniumist The Stan Kenton Collection at the University of North Texas Stan Kenton's music published by Sierra Music Publications Terry Vosbein's All Things Kenton site - discography, radio shows, rare images and audio. GNP Crescendo Records 1911 births 1979 deaths Age controversies Cool jazz musicians Swing bandleaders Big band bandleaders Jazz arrangers Progressive big band bandleaders American jazz bandleaders Musicians from California American music arrangers Grammy Award winners Capitol Records artists American jazz educators Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery 20th-century American musicians Summit Records artists
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[ "Gus Arnheim (September 4, 1897 – January 19, 1955) was an American pianist and an early popular band leader. He is noted for writing several songs with his first hit being \"I Cried for You\" from 1923. He was most popular in the 1920s and 1930s. He also had a few small acting roles.\n\nCareer\nArnheim was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.\n\nIn 1919, three men who all would become famous band leaders played together at the Sunset Inn in Santa Monica, California. Arnheim played piano, Abe Lyman played the drums, and Henry Halstead played violin. Arnheim grew up in Chicago and at one point was accompanist to vaudevillian Sophie Tucker. When Lyman organized a full dance orchestra, Arnheim came along as pianist, leaving to start his own group in 1927. Arnheim's orchestra made at least three film short subjects for Warner Brothers' Vitaphone Corporation in 1928–29.\n\nArnheim first recorded for OKeh in 1928–1929, when he signed with Victor in 1929 and stayed through 1933. He signed with Brunswick and recorded through 1937. In 1928–31, Arnheim had an extended engagement at the Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles. In 1930, when Paul Whiteman finished filming The King of Jazz for Universal, The Rhythm Boys vocal trio, consisting of Bing Crosby, Harry Barris and Al Rinker decided to stay in California and they signed up with Arnheim's band. While the Rhythm Boys only recorded one song with Arnheim, \"Them There Eyes\" (which also happened to be The Rhythm Boys final recording), Arnheim's Orchestra backed Crosby on a number of songs released by Victor Records in 1931. These popular records, coupled with Arnheim's radio broadcasts featuring Crosby's solo vocals, were a key element to the beginning of Crosby's popularity as a crooner.\n\nBetween 1930 and 1933, some notable people worked in or with Arnheim's band: \n Fred MacMurray played clarinet and tenor sax in 1930-31 and sang on one recording (\"All I Want Is Just One\".\n Russ Columbo played violin in 1930 and sang on \"A Peach of a Pair\".\n Future popular bandleader Jimmie Grier was staff arranger during this time. Grier had played lead alto saxophone and clarinet in Arnheim's band from its founding in 1928.\n Eddie Cantor and Joan Crawford each recorded a song for Arnheim on July 23, 1931, although the Crawford side (\"How Long Will It Last?\") was not issued. Cantor's side, \"There's Nothing Too Good for My Baby,\" was issued but without vocalist credit.\n Future popular singer Buddy Clark sang with Arnheim in 1932.\n Shirley Ross sang with Arnheim in 1933\n Stan Kenton played piano with Arnheim starting in 1937.\n\nBetween 1939 and 1941, Mexican American crooner Andy Russell played the drums and sang with Arnheim. Arnheim was the one who suggested that Russell sing bilingually in English and Spanish and change his last name from Rábago to Russell leading to his first million-selling record \"Bésame Mucho\".\n\nGus Arnheim died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on January 19, 1955.\n\nRadio\nIn the early 1930s, Arnheim \"was heard on the Lucky Strike Dance Hour, which was broadcast weekly on NBC.\"\n\nCompositions\nArnheim's musical compositions included \"Sweet and Lovely\".\n\nBibliography\nRust, Brian The American Dance Band Discography 1975, Arlington House Publishers.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n Gus Arnheim recordings at the Discography of American Historical Recordings.\n\nAmerican bandleaders\nBig band bandleaders\n1897 births\n1955 deaths\nBurials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery\n20th-century American conductors (music)\nOkeh Records artists\nVictor Records artists\nBrunswick Records artists", "Arnheim is an unincorporated community in Brown County, in the U.S. state of Ohio.\n\nHistory\nArnheim was laid out in 1837, and named for Jacob Arn, the original owner of the town site (Arnheim meaning \"Arn's home\" in German). A post office was established at Arnheim in 1839, and remained in operation until 1910.\n\nReferences\n\nUnincorporated communities in Brown County, Ohio\n1837 establishments in Ohio\nPopulated places established in 1837\nUnincorporated communities in Ohio" ]
[ "Stan Kenton", "Career", "Tell me about Kenton's career?", "Kenton would make his first recordings when Arnheim made 14 sides for the Brunswick label in summer of 1937.", "What was Arnheim?", "Gus Arnheim's group," ]
C_23328bf927d74e61a66e83709819e114_1
What did Kenton do after that?
3
What did Stan Kenton do after being in Arnheim's group?
Stan Kenton
In April 1936 Gus Arnheim was reorganizing his band into the style of Benny Goodman's groups and Kenton was to take the piano chair. This is where Kenton would make his first recordings when Arnheim made 14 sides for the Brunswick label in summer of 1937. Once he departed from Gus Arnheim's group, Kenton went back to study with private teachers on both the piano and in composition. In 1938 Kenton would join Vido Musso in a short-lived band but a very educational experience for him. From the core of this group come the line up of the first Stan Kenton groups of the 1940s. Kenton would also go on to working with the NBC House Band and in various Hollywood studios and clubs. Producer George Avakian took notice of Kenton during this time while he worked as the pianist and Assistant Musical Director at the Earl Carroll Theatre Restaurant in Hollywood. Kenton started to get the idea of running his own band from this experience; he created a rehearsal band of his own which eventually become his group in the 1940s. In June 1941, Kenton formed his first orchestra. Kenton worked in the early days with his own groups as much more of an arranger than a featured pianist. Although there were no "name" musicians in his first band (with the possible exception of bassist Howard Rumsey and trumpeter Chico Alvarez), Kenton spent the summer of 1941 playing regularly before an audience at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach, CA. Influenced by Benny Carter and Jimmie Lunceford, the Stan Kenton Orchestra struggled for a time after its initial success. Its Decca recordings were not big sellers and a stint as Bob Hope's backup radio band during the 1943-44 season was an unhappy experience; Les Brown permanently took Kenton's place. Kenton's first appearance in New York was in February 1942 at the Roseland Ballroom, with the marquee featuring an endorsement by Fred Astaire. By late 1943, with a contract with the newly formed Capitol Records, a popular record in "Eager Beaver", and growing recognition, the Stan Kenton Orchestra was gradually catching on; it developed into one of the best-known West Coast ensembles of the 1940s. Its soloists during the war years included Art Pepper, briefly Stan Getz, altoist Boots Mussulli, and singer Anita O'Day. By 1945, the band had evolved. The songwriter Joe Greene provided the lyrics for hit songs like "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'". Pete Rugolo became the chief arranger (extending Kenton's ideas), Bob Cooper and Vido Musso offered very different tenor styles, and June Christy was Kenton's new singer; her hits (including "Tampico" and Greene's "Across the Alley from the Alamo") made it possible for Kenton to finance his more ambitious projects. CANNOTANSWER
Kenton went back to study with private teachers on both the piano and in composition.
Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though Kenton had several pop hits from the early 1940s into the 1960s, his music was always forward-looking. Kenton was also a pioneer in the field of jazz education, creating the Stan Kenton Jazz Camp in 1959 at Indiana University. Early life Stan Kenton was born on December 15, 1911, in Wichita, Kansas; he had two sisters (Beulah and Erma Mae) born three and eight years after him. His parents, Floyd and Stella Kenton, moved the family to Colorado, and in 1924, to the Greater Los Angeles Area, settling in suburban Bell, California. Kenton attended Bell High School; his high-school yearbook picture has the prophetic notation "Old Man Jazz". Kenton started learning piano as a teen from a local pianist and organist. When he was around 15 and in high school, pianist and arranger Ralph Yaw introduced him to the music of Louis Armstong and Earl Hines. He graduated from high school in 1930. By the age of 16, Kenton was already playing a regular solo piano gig at a local hamburger eatery for 50 cents a night plus tips; during that time he had his own performing group named "The Bell-Tones". His first arrangement was written during this time for a local eight-piece band that played in nearby Long Beach. Career 1930s With very little money, Kenton traveled to speakeasys in San Diego and Las Vegas playing piano. By 1932 he was playing with the Francis Gilbert Territory band and would tour through Arizona; he would go on to working with the Everett Hoagland Orchestra in 1933, which would be his first time playing at the Rendezvous Ballroom. He would then play with Russ Plummer, Hal Grayson and eventually got a big break with Gus Arnheim. In April 1936 Arnheim was reorganizing his band into the style of Benny Goodman's groups and Kenton was to take the piano chair. This is where Kenton would make his first recordings when Arnheim made 14 sides for the Brunswick label in summer of 1937. Once he departed from Gus Arnheim's group, Kenton went back to study with private teachers on both the piano and in composition. In 1938 Kenton would join Vido Musso in a short-lived band but a very educational experience for him. From the core of this group came the line up of the first Stan Kenton groups of the 1940s. Kenton would also go on to working with the NBC House Band and in various Hollywood studios and clubs. Producer George Avakian took notice of Kenton during this time while he worked as the pianist and Assistant Musical Director at the Earl Carroll Theatre Restaurant in Hollywood. Kenton started to get the idea of running his own band from this experience; he created a rehearsal band of his own which eventually become his group in the 1940s. 1940s In 1940, Kenton formed his first orchestra. Kenton worked in the early days with his own groups as much more of an arranger than a featured pianist. Although there were no "name" musicians in his first band (with the possible exception of bassist Howard Rumsey and trumpeter Chico Alvarez), Kenton spent the summer of 1941 playing regularly before an audience at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach, CA. Influenced by Benny Carter and Jimmie Lunceford, the Stan Kenton Orchestra struggled for a time after its initial success. Its Decca recordings were not big sellers and a stint as Bob Hope's backup radio band during the 1943–44 season was an unhappy experience; Les Brown permanently took Kenton's place. Kenton's first appearance in New York was in February 1942 at the Roseland Ballroom, with the marquee featuring an endorsement by Fred Astaire. By late 1943, with a contract with the newly formed Capitol Records, a popular record in "Eager Beaver", and growing recognition, the Stan Kenton Orchestra was gradually catching on; it developed into one of the best-known West Coast ensembles of the 1940s. Its soloists during the war years included Art Pepper, briefly Stan Getz, altoist Boots Mussulli, and singer Anita O'Day. By 1945, the band had evolved. The songwriter Joe Greene provided the lyrics for hit songs like "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'". Pete Rugolo became the chief arranger (extending Kenton's ideas), Bob Cooper and Vido Musso offered very different tenor styles, and June Christy was Kenton's new singer; her hits (including "Tampico" and Greene's "Across the Alley from the Alamo") made it possible for Kenton to finance his more ambitious projects. Artistry in Rhythm When composer/arranger Pete Rugolo joined the Stan Kenton Orchestra as staff arranger in late 1945 he brought with him his love of jazz, Stravinsky and Bartók. Given free rein by Kenton, Rugolo experimented. Although Kenton himself was already trying experimental scores prior to Rugolo's tenure, it was Rugolo who brought extra jazz and classical influences much needed to move the band forward artistically. During his first six months on the staff, Rugolo tried to copy Kenton's sound; on encouragement from the leader he explored his own voice. By incorporating compositional techniques borrowed from the modern classical music he studied, Rugolo was a key part of one of Kenton's most fertile and creative periods. After a string of mostly arrangements, Rugolo turned out three originals that Kenton featured on the band's first album in 1946: (Artistry in Rhythm): "Artistry in Percussion", "Safranski" and "Artistry in Bolero". Added to this mix came "Machito", "Rhythm Incorporated", "Monotony" and "Interlude" in early 1947 (though some were not recorded until later in the year). These compositions, along with June Christy's voice, came to define the Artistry in Rhythm band. Afro-Cuban writing was added to the Kenton book with compositions like Rugolo's "Machito." The resulting instrumentation, utilizing significant amounts of brass, was described as a "wall of sound" (a term later re-coined independently by Andrew Loog Oldham for Phil Spector's production methods). The Artistry in Rhythm ensemble was a formative band, with outstanding soloists. By early 1947, the Stan Kenton Orchestra had reached a high point of financial and popular success. They played in the best theaters and ballrooms in America and numerous hit records. Dances at the many ballrooms were typically four hours a night and theater dates generally involved playing mini-concerts between each showing of the movie. This was sometimes five or six a day, stretching from morning to late night. Most days not actually playing were spent in buses or cars. Days off from performing were rare. For Stan Kenton they just allowed for more record signing, radio station interviews, and advertising for Capitol Records. Due to the financial and personal demands, following an April performance in Tuscaloosa, he broke up the Artistry in Rhythm incarnation of Kenton ensembles. Progressive Jazz After a hiatus of five months, Kenton formed a new, larger ensemble to present Concerts in Progressive Jazz. Sustaining the ensemble on its own proved mostly attainable but the band still had to fill in its schedule by booking dances and movie theater jobs, especially over the summer. Pete Rugolo composed and arranged the great bulk of the new music; Kenton declared these works to be Progressive Jazz. A student of famed composer and educator Russ Garcia, Bob Graettinger wrote numerous works for the band, starting with his composition Thermopylae. His ground-breaking composition City of Glass was premiered by the band in Chicago in April 1948, but not recorded for another two and a half years, in a reworked version for the Innovations Orchestra. Ken Hanna, who began the tour as a trumpet player, contributed a few compositions to the new band, including Somnambulism. Kenton contributed no new scores to the Progressive Jazz band, although several of his older works were performed on concerts, including Concerto to End All Concertos, Eager Beaver, Opus in Pastels, and Artistry in Rhythm. Cuban inflected titles from the Progressive Jazz period include Rugolo's Introduction to a Latin Rhythm, Cuban Carnival, The Peanut Vendor, and Journey to Brazil, and Bob Graettinger's Cuban Pastorale. The addition of a full-time bongo player and a Brazilian guitarist in the band enabled Kenton's cadre of composers to explore Afro-Latin rhythms to far greater possibilities. The Progressive Jazz period lasted 14 months, beginning on September 24, 1947, when the Stan Kenton Orchestra played a concert at the Rendezvous Ballroom. And it ended after the last show at the Paramount Theatre in New York City on December 14, 1948. The band produced only one album and a handful of singles, due to a recording ban by the American Federation of Musicians that lasted the entirety of 1948. The lone record, "A Presentation of Progressive Jazz," received a 3 out of 4 rating from Tom Herrick in DownBeat. Metronome rated it "C" calling it a "jerry-built jumble of effects and counter-effects" and "this album presents very little that can justifiably be called either jazz or progressive." Billboard scored it 80 out of 100, but declared it "as mumbo-jumbo a collection of cacophony as has ever been loosed on an unsuspecting public. Many sidemen from the Artistry band returned, but there were significant changes. Laurindo Almeida on classical guitar, and Jack Costanzo on bongos dramatically changed the band's timbre. Both were firsts for the Kenton band, or any jazz band for that matter. The rhythm section included returnees Eddie Safranski (bass) and Shelly Manne (drums), both destined to win first place Down Beat awards. Four of the five trumpet players returned: Buddy Childers, Ray Wetzel, Chico Alvarez, and Ken Hanna. Al Porcino was added to the already powerhouse section. Conte Candoli joined the band, replacing Porcino, in February 1948. Kai Winding, star trombonist of the Artistry in Rhythm band, would not be a part of the Progressive Jazz era, except for a few dates on which he subbed. Milt Bernhart came in on lead trombone. And Bart Varsalona returned on bass trombone. Bernhart's first big solo with the Kenton band proved to be a major hit, The Peanut Vendor. The saxophone section was much improved and modernized. Returning saxophonists included baritone Bob Gioga, holding down his chair since the very start, and Bob Cooper on tenor. With Vido Musso's departure, Cooper and his modernist sound became the featured tenor soloist. Art Pepper came on as second alto, the "jazz" chair. And the new lead alto was George Weidler. This was genuinely a band of all-stars. They received five first place awards in the Down Beat poll at the end of 1947, and similar awards from the other magazines. The arrangers continued to push the limits of these superb instrumentalists in their compositions. Works from this period are more sophisticated than those written for the Artistry band, and are some of the first and most successful "third stream" compositions. The band criss-crossed the country, appearing in the nation's top concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, Chicago Civic Opera House, Academy of Music (Philadelphia), and the Hollywood Bowl. They had extended stays at New York's Paramount Theatre and Hotel Commodore, Philadelphia's Click, Detroit's Eastwood Gardens, Radio City Theater in Minneapolis, and the Rendezvous Ballroom, a special place in Kenton's musical life. Kenton's band was the first to present a concert in the famous outdoor arena, the Hollywood Bowl. His concert there on June 12, 1948, drew more than 15,000 people, and was both an artistic and commercial success. Kenton pocketed half of the box office, walking away with $13,000 for the evening's concert. The band broke attendance records all across the country. Thanks to Kenton's public relations acumen, he was able to convince concert goers and record buyers of the importance of his music. Comedy numbers and June Christy vocals helped break up the seriousness of the new music. Kenton's successes did not sit well with everyone. In an essay entitled Economics and Race in Jazz, Leslie B. Rout Jr. wrote that "the real scourge of the 1946–1949 period was the all-white Stan Kenton band. Dubbing his musical repertoire 'progressive jazz,' Kenton saw his orchestra become the first in jazz history to reach an annual gross of $1,000,000 in 1948." He contrasted this with a situation in which critical and public recognition of "Dizzy Gillespie as the premiere bopper could not be transformed into coin of the realm." At the end of 1948, as the band was fulfilling an extended engagement at the Paramount Theater in New York City, the leader notified his sidemen, his bookers, and the press, that he would be disbanding once more. Kenton's most artistically and commercially successful band ceased to be at the top of their game. On December 14, the Stan Kenton Orchestra played their last notes for more than a year. When they returned, there would be new faces, new music and a string section. 1950s After a year's hiatus, in 1950 Kenton assembled the large 39-piece Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra that included 16 strings, a woodwind section, and two French horns. The music was an extension of the works composed and recorded since 1947 by Bob Graettinger, Manny Albam, Franklyn Marks and others. Name jazz musicians such as Maynard Ferguson, Shorty Rogers, Milt Bernhart, John Graas, Art Pepper, Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, Laurindo Almeida, Shelly Manne, and June Christy were part of these musical ensembles. The groups managed two tours during 1950–51, from a commercial standpoint it would be Stan Kenton's first major failure. Kenton soon reverted to a more standard 19-piece lineup. In order to be more commercially viable, Kenton reformed the band in 1951 to a much more standard instrumentation: five saxes, five trombones, five trumpets, piano, guitar, bass, drums. The charts of such arrangers as Gerry Mulligan, Johnny Richards, and particularly Bill Holman and Bill Russo began to dominate the repertoire. The music was written to better reflect the style of cutting edge, be-bop oriented big bands, such as those of Dizzy Gillespie or Woody Herman. Young, talented players and outstanding jazz soloists such as Maynard Ferguson, Lee Konitz, Conte Candoli, Sal Salvador, and Frank Rosolino made strong contributions to the level of the 1952–53 band. The music composed and arranged during this time was far more tailor-made to contemporary jazz tastes; the 1953 album New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm is noted as one of the high points in Kenton's career as band leader. Though the band was to have a very strong "concert book", Kenton also made sure the dance book was made new, fresh and contemporary. The album Sketches on Standards from 1953 is an excellent example of Kenton appealing to a wider audience while using the band and Bill Russo's arranging skills to their fullest potential. Even though the personnel changed rather rapidly, Kenton's focus was very clear on where he would lead things musically. By this time producer Lee Gillette worked well in concert with Kenton to create a balanced set of recordings that were both commercially viable and cutting edge musically. Arguably the most "swinging" band Kenton was to field came when legendary drummer Mel Lewis joined the orchestra in 1954. Kenton's Contemporary Concepts (1955) and Kenton in Hi-Fi (1956) albums during this time are very impressive as a be-bop recording and then a standard dance recording (respectively). Kenton in Hi-Fis wide popularity and sales benefited from the fact it was his greatest hits of ten years earlier re-recorded in stereo with a contemporary, much higher level band. The album climbed all the way up to #22 on the Billboard album charts and provided much needed revenue at a time when Rock n Roll had started to become the dominant pop music in the United States. It would become more and more difficult for Kenton to alternate between 'dance' and serious 'jazz' albums while staying financially solvent. During the summer of the summer of 1955 (July–September), Kenton was to become the host of the CBS television series Music 55. While it offered 10 weeks of great exposure to a rapidly expanding television audience, the show failed. It was plagued by poor production techniques and a strange combination of guests that did not work well with what Kenton had envisioned. He ended up being stiff and out of place with what the producers tried to achieve. Kenton had to burn the candle at both ends flying in to do the show then flying back out to meet his band out on the road. The New York production team was limited by using an American Federation of Musicians roster of local players; Kenton wanted his own band to do the show. There would be another attempt for the Kenton organization to place the band on regularly scheduled television programming in 1958. After six Kenton financed episodes on KTTV in Los Angeles, there would be no sponsors to step up and back the show. One of the standout projects and recordings for the mid-1950s band is the Cuban Fire! album released in 1956. Though Stan Kenton had recorded earlier hits such as The Peanut Vendor in 1947 with Latin percussionist Machito, as well as many other Latin flavored singles, the Cuban Fire! suite and LP stands as a watershed set of compositions for Johnny Richards' career and an outstanding commercial/artistic achievement for the Kenton orchestra, and a singular landmark in large ensemble Latin jazz recordings. "CUBAN FIRE is completely authentic, the way it combines big-band jazz with genuine Latin-American rhythms." The success of the Cuban Fire! album can be gauged in part by the immediate ascent of Johnny Richards' star after its release; he was suddenly offered a contract by Bethlehem Records to record what would be the first of several recordings with his own groups. At one point, Kenton faced a controversy in 1956 with comments he made when the band returned from a European tour. The current Critics Poll in Down Beat was now dominated by African-American musicians in virtually every category. The Kenton band was playing in Ontario, Canada, at the time, and Kenton dispatched a telegram which lamented "a new minority, white jazz musicians," and stated his "disgust [with the so-called] literary geniuses of jazz." Jazz critic Leonard Feather responded in the October 3, 1956, issue of Down Beat with an open letter that questioned Kenton's racial views. Feather implied that Kenton's failure to win the Critics Poll was probably the real reason for the complaint, and wondered if racial prejudice was involved. In hindsight the record shows Kenton's biggest sin is to have hastily fired off the comments. However, less than 2% of the more than 600 sidemen with the Kenton band were African American. By the end of the decade Kenton was with the last incarnation of a 19-piece, 1950s-style Kenton orchestra. Many bands have been called a leader's "best"; this last Kenton 1959 incarnation of the 1950s bands may very well be the best. The group would pull off one of Kenton's most artistic, subtle and introspective recordings, Standards in Silhouette. As trombonist Archie LeCoque recalled of this album of very slow ballads, "...it was hard, but at the time we were all young and straight-ahead, we got through it and (two) albums came out well." By 1959 Stereophonic sound recording was now being fully utilized with all major labels. One of the great triumphs of the Standards in Silhouette album is the mature writing, the combination of the room used, a live group with very few overdubs, and the recording being in full stereo fidelity (and later remastered to digital). Bill Mathieu was highly skeptical of the decision to record his music like Cuban Fire! in a cavernous ballroom. Mathieu adds: "Stan and producer Lee Gillette were absolutely right: the band sounds alive and awake (which is not easy when recording many hours of slow-tempo music in a studio), and most importantly, the players could hear themselves well in the live room. The end result is the band sounds strong and cohesive, and the album is well recorded." This is the last set of studio dates before Kenton would retool the entire orchestra in 1960. 1960s The Kenton orchestra had been on a slow decline in sales and popularity in the late 1950s with having to compete with newer, popular music artists such as Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, and The Platters. The nadir of this decline was around 1958 and coincided with a recession that was affecting the entire country. There were far fewer big bands on the road and live music venues were hard to book for the Kenton orchestra. The band would end 1959 beaten up by poor attendance at concerts and having to rely far more on dance halls than real jazz concerts. The band would reform in 1960 with a new look, a new sound, a larger group with a 'mellophonium' section added and an upsurge in Kenton's popularity.Sparke, Michael; Peter Venudor (1998). Stan Kenton, The Studio Sessions. Balboa Books. . The new instrument was used by Kenton to "bridge the gap" in range, color, and tonality between his trumpet and trombone sections. Essentially it creates a conical, midrange sound that is common in a symphonic setting with a horn (French horn) but the bell of the instrument faces forward. Kenton's 1961 recording The Romantic Approach for Capitol is the first of 11 LPs that would feature the "mellophonium band". Kenton arranged the whole first mellophonium album himself and it was very well received in a September 1961 review in Down Beat. The Kenton Orchestra from 1960 to 1963 had numerous successes; the band had a relentless recording schedule. The albums Kenton's West Side Story (arrangements by Johnny Richards) and Adventures In Jazz, each won Grammy awards in 1962 and 1963 respectively. Ralph Carmichael wrote a superb set of Christmas charts for Kenton which translated into one of the most popular recordings from the band leader to date: A Merry Christmas!. Also, Johnny Richards' Adventures in Time suite (recorded in 1962) was the culmination of all things the mellophonium band was capable of.NPR: Stan Kenton At 100: Artistry In Rhythm , Reference to Adventures in Time in article as important milestone of Kenton's music. February 17, 2012. After the Fall 1963 U.S./U.K. tour ended in November, the mellophonium incarnation of Kenton bands was done. The conditions of Stan's divorce from jazz singer Ann Richards was that a judge ordered Stan to take a year off the road to help raise their two children or lose custody altogether. Kenton would not reform another road band for tour until 1965. Kenton had ties from earlier writing of country/western songs that were a success with Capitol and again he tried his hand in that genre during the early 1960s. In a music market that was becoming increasingly tight, in 1962 he cut the hit single "Mama Sang a Song"; his last Top-40 ( 32 Billboard, No. 22 Music Vendor). The song was a narration written by country singer Bill Anderson and spoken by Kenton. The single also received a Grammy nomination the following year in the Best Documentary or Spoken Word Recording category. The other attempt he made into that market was the far less successful Stan Kenton! Tex Ritter!, released in 1962 as a full LP. After the breakup of the mellophonium band, Kenton / Wagner (1964) was an important recording project that Kenton himself arranged, again moving towards "progressive jazz" or third stream music. This album was not a financial success but kept Kenton at the forefront of 'art music' interpretation in the commercial music world. Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra (1965) was an artistic success that garnered another Grammy nomination for the band leader. During this time Kenton also co-wrote the theme music for the short lived NBC television series Mister Roberts (1965–66). The 1966–1969 Capitol releases for Stan Kenton were a severe low point for his recording career. Capitol producer Lee Gillette was trying to exploit the money making possibilities of numerous popular hits to include the 1968 musical Hair featuring contemporary rock music. Due to lack of promotion by Capitol, four LPs were financial failures; this would be the last releases for Kenton under the aegis of long time Kenton producer Lee Gillette and Capitol. In fact, by the time it was recorded Kenton had no involvement in the Hair LP except for Kenton's name placed on the jacket cover; Ralph Carmichael and Lennie Niehaus were placed in charge of the project. Two exceptions to this late 1960s period are the Billboard charted single the band cut of the Dragnet theme (1967) and another Kenton presents release featuring the music of composer and ex-bandsman Dee Barton: The Jazz Compositions of Dee Barton (1967). The album featuring Barton's music was another unsung artistic success for the Kenton band though widely unseen commercially by the a music listening public. 1970s The transition from Capitol to Creative World Records in 1970 was fraught with difficulties during a time when the music business was changing rapidly. As a viable jazz artist who was trying to keep a loyal but dwindling following, Kenton turned to arrangers such as Hank Levy and Bob Curnow to write material that appealed to a younger audience. The first releases for the Creative World label were live concerts and Kenton had the control he wanted over content but lacked substantial resources to engineer, mix, and promote what Capitol underwrote in the past. Kenton would take a big gamble to bypass the current record industry and rely far more on the direct mail lists of jazz fans which the newly formed Creative World label would need to sell records. Kenton also made his print music available to college and high-school stage bands with several publishers. Kenton continued leading and touring with his big band up to his final performance on August 20, 1978; he disbanded the group due to his failing health. In June 1973 Bob Curnow had started as the new artists and repertoire manager overseeing the whole operation of the Creative World Records. It was just the year before (in 1972) the Kenton orchestra recorded the National Anthems of the World double LP with 40 arrangements all done by Curnow. As per Curnow himself, "That was a remarkable and very difficult time for me. I was managing (Stan's) record company with NO experience in business, writing music like mad, living in a new place and culture (Los Angeles was another world), traveling a LOT (out with the band at least 1 week a month) and trying to keep it together at home." When Kenton took to the road during the early 1970s and up to his last tour, he took with him seasoned veteran musicians (John Worster, Willie Maiden, Warren Gale, Graham Ellis and others) teaming them with relatively unknown young artists, and new arrangements (including those by Hank Levy, Bill Holman, Bob Curnow, Willie Maiden and Ken Hanna) were used. Many alumni associated with Kenton from this era became educators (Mike Vax, John Von Ohlen, Chuck Carter, Lisa Hittle and Richard Torres), and a few went on to take their musical careers to the next level, such as Peter Erskine, Douglas Purviance and Tim Hagans. Timeline of Stan Kenton Orchestras Legacy Kenton was a salient figure on the American musical scene and made an indelible mark on the arranged type of big band jazz. Kenton's music evolved with the times from 1940 through the 1970s. He was at the vanguard of promoting jazz and jazz improvisation through his service as an educator through his Stan Kenton Band Clinics. The "Kenton Style" continues to permeate big bands at the high school and collegiate level, and the framework he designed for the "jazz clinic" is still widely in use today. Starting in the waning days of the big band era, Kenton found a multitude of ways in which to progress his art form. In his hands the size of the jazz orchestra expanded greatly, at times exceeding forty musicians. The frequency range (high and low notes) was also increased with the use of bass trombones and tuba, and baritone and bass saxophones. The dynamic range was pushed on both ends; the band could play softer and louder than any other big band. Kenton was the primary band leader responsible for moving the big band from the dance hall to the concert hall; one of the most important and successful players in the Third Stream movement. Interest in his music has experienced somewhat of a resurgence, with critical "rediscovery" of his music and many reissues of his recordings. An alumni band named for him tours, led by lead trumpeter Mike Vax, which performs not only classic Kenton arrangements, but also new music written and performed by the band members (much like Kenton's own groups). Kenton donated his entire library to the music library of North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas), and the Stan Kenton Jazz Recital Hall was named in his honor, although has recently been changed due to concerns over his history of sexual misconduct. His arrangements are now published by Sierra Music Publications. When comparing the four longest running touring jazz orchestras (Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington), Kenton's band had a higher turnover of personnel. Bob Gioga, Buddy Childers, and Dick Shearer are among only a very few who played for Kenton for over a decade. Other important soloists such as Lennie Niehaus, Bill Perkins and Chico Alvarez had lengthy stays on the band as well. The list of noted jazz players, studio musicians is impressive and the consistency of the group from 1941 to Kenton's passing in 1979 is notable. Stan Kenton's leadership and music vision was clear to marshal the forces of such a diverse set of players and arrangers over this long period of time; Kenton stands alone in the respect. Personal life Kenton was born on December 15, 1911, according to his birth certificate, according to British biographer Michael Sparke. Kenton was conceived out of wedlock, and his parents told him that he was born two months later than the actual date, February 19, 1912, to obscure this fact. Kenton believed well into adulthood that the February date was his birthday, and recorded the Birthday In Britain concert album on February 19, 1973. The true date remained a closely held secret, and his grave marker shows the incorrect February birthdate. Kenton was married three times. Three children were produced from the first two marriages. His first marriage was to Violet Rhoda Peters in 1935 and lasted for 15 years. The couple had a daughter in 1941, Leslie. In her 2010 memoir Love Affair, Leslie Kenton wrote that, from 1952 to 1954, when she was between the ages of 11 and 13, her father sexually molested and raped her. She nonetheless maintained a close relationship with him during his lifetime, though she states that she was emotionally scarred by the experience. She stated that the rapes always occurred under the influence of alcohol, that he was not fully aware of his actions, and that 20 years later he apologized profusely. Leslie was an author of several books about health, spirituality and beauty. In 1955, Stan Kenton married San Diego-born singer Ann Richards, who was 23 years his junior. The relationship produced two children: daughter Dana Lynn and son Lance. In 1961, Richards posed for a nude layout in Playboy magazine's June 1961 issue. She signed a contract to record with Atco Records, without her husband's knowledge. The Playboy shoot was done without Kenton's knowledge; he found out about it while playing at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago when handed the magazine by Charles Suter, who was the editor of Down Beat magazine at the time. Richards was not typically on the road with the band, though she had recorded the album Two Much! with Kenton in 1960. Kenton filed for divorce in August 1961; it was finalized in 1962. He would retain custody of their two children. Kenton's third marriage was to KABC production assistant Jo Ann Hill, in 1967. This also ended in a separation in 1969 with the divorce following in 1970. In his later years he lived with his public relations secretary and last business manager, Audree Coke Kenton, though they never formally married. Kenton's heavy consumption of alcohol contributed to ongoing accidents and the physical difficulties he encountered during the last 10 years of his life. Kenton's son Lance became a member of the controversial Synanon new-age community in California, and served as one of its "Imperial Marines," a group entrusted with committing violence against former members and others considered enemies of the community. In 1978 he was arrested for helping to put a rattlesnake in the mailbox of an anti-Synanon lawyer, and was sentenced to a year in prison.Zacchino, Narda. "Band Leader's Son Suspect in Assault" Los Angeles Times. October 12, 1978. pp. 7 Kenton had two serious accidental falls, one in the early 1970s and one in May of 1977 while on tour in Reading, Pennsylvania. The second fall was very serious as he fractured his skull. The last two years of his life became far more physically challenging for Kenton from the effects of the two accidents. On August 17, 1979, he was admitted to Midway Hospital near his home in Los Angeles after a stroke; he died eight days later, on August 25. At the time of his death he had three grandchildren. Kenton was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, Los Angeles.Jones, Jack. "Stan Kenton, Innovative Band Leader, Dies At 67". Los Angeles Times. August 26, 1979. pp. 1 Gold records and charts (singles and albums)Gold Records1944 Artistry in Rhythm (Capitol Records) instrumental 1945 Tampico (Capitol Records) vocal by June Christy and band 1945 Shoo-Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy (Capitol Records) vocal by June Christy and band Hits as charted singles (Songs that reached the top of the US or UK charts) Between 1944 and 1967, Stan Kenton had numerous hits on Billboard's charts. Hits as charted albums (Albums charting history with Billboard Magazine) Awards and honors Wins and honors from major publications Grammy Awards |- |rowspan="2"| |rowspan="2"|West Side Story (album) |Best Performance by an orchestra - for other than dancing | |- |rowspan="2"|Best Jazz Performance - Large Group (Instrumental) | |- |rowspan="2"| |rowspan="2"|Adventures In Jazz (album) | |- |Best Engineered recording (other than classical and novelty) | |- |style="text-align:center;"| |Mama Sang a Song (single) |Best Documentary or Spoken Word Recording (other than comedy) | |- |style="text-align:center;"| |Artistry in Voices and Brass (album) |Best Performance by a Chorus | |- |style="text-align:center;"| |Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra (album) |Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Individual or Group | |-Grammy Hall of Fame|- |rowspan="1"| 1943 ||rowspan="1"| Artistry in Rhythm (with the Stan Kenton Orchestra) || Grammy Hall of Fame (1985) || International Music Awards Other awards and honors 1978 – Honorary Doctorate of Music: University of Redlands 1974 – Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters: Drury College 1968 – Honorary Doctorate of Music: Villanova University 1967 – Intercollegiate Music Festival Hall of Fame Award Named to the International Association for Jazz Education Hall of Fame (1980) Honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Recording – 6340 Hollywood Blvd.) "City of Glass" is honored in The Wire's "100 Records That Set The World on Fire" (While No One Was Listening)." Posthumously honored 2011 – "Stan Kenton: Artistry In Rhythm- Portrait Of A Jazz Legend" (DVD) EMPixx Awards – Platinum Award in the Documentary Category/Platinum Award in the Use of Music Category.United States Library of Congress National Recording Registry'''Artistry in Rhythm (single) – Stan Kenton – Released:1943 – Inducted: 2011 - Category: Jazz Noted band personnel Instrumentalists Pepper Adams Bob Ahern Sam Aleccia Ashley Alexander Laurindo Almeida Alfred "Chico" Alvarez Jim Amlotte John Anderson Buddy Arnold Don Bagley Gabe Baltazar Michael Bard Dave Barduhn Gary Barone Dee Barton Tim Bell Max Bennett Milt Bernhart Bill Briggs Bud Brisbois Ray Brown Bob Burgess Bart Caldarell Tony Campise Frank Capp Conte Candoli Pete Candoli Fred Carter Billy Catalano Bill Chase Buddy Childers Rich Condit Bob Cooper Jack Costanzo Curtis Counce Bob Curnow Quinn Davis Vinnie Dean Jay Daversa Don Dennis Sam Donahue Red Dorris Peter Erskine Don Fagerquist Maynard Ferguson Mary Fettig Bob Fitzpatrick Dr. William "Bill" Fritz Carl Fontana Chris Galuman Stan Getz Bob Gioga John Graas Benny Green Tim Hagans Ken Hanna Bill Hanna John Harner Dennis Hayslett Gary Henson Phil Herring Skeets Herfurt Lisa Hittle Gary Hobbs Bill Holman Marvin "Doc" Holladay Clay Jenkins Richie Kamuca Joel Kaye Red Kelly Jimmy Knepper Bobby Knight Lee Konitz Tom Lacy Scott LaFaro Jack Lake Keith LaMotte Kent Larsen Terry Layne Skip Layton Gary LeFebvre Archie LeCoque Stan Levey Mel Lewis Ramon Lopez Bob Lymperis John Madrid Willie Maiden Shelly Manne Charlie Mariano Al Mattaliano Dave Matthews Jerry McKenzie Dick Meldonian Don Menza Greg Metcalf Eddie Meyers Frank Minear Vido Musso Boots Mussulli Lennie Niehaus Dennis Noday Sam Noto Lloyd Otto Don Paladino John Park Kim Park Art Pepper Bill Perkins Oscar Pettiford Al Porcino Mike Price Douglas Purviance Ray Reed Clyde Reasinger Roy Reynolds Kim Richmond George Roberts Gene Roland Billy Root Frank Rosolino Shorty Rogers Ernie Royal Howard Rumsey Bill Russo Eddie Safranski Sal Salvador Carl Saunders Jay Saunders Dave Schildkraut Bud Shank Dick Shearer Jack Sheldon Kenny Shroyer Gene Siegel Zoot Sims Tom Slaney Dalton Smith Greg Smith Mike Snustead Ed Soph Lloyd Spoon Mike Suter Marvin Stamm Ray Starling Vinnie Tano Lucky Thompson Richard Torres Bill Trujillo Jeff Uusitalo Mike Vaccaro David van Kriedt Bart Varsalona Mike Vax John Von Ohlen George Weidler Ray Wetzel Rick Weathersby Jiggs Whigham Stu Williamson Kai Winding John Worster Alan Yankee Composers and Arrangers Manny Albam Buddy Baker Dave Barduhn Dee Barton Ralph Carmichael Joe Coccia Frank Comstock Bob Curnow Dale Devoe Sam Donahue Wayne Dunston Dennis Farnon Bob Florence Bill Fritz Bob Graettinger Ken Hanna Neal Hefti Bill Holman Gene Howard Hank Levy Willie Maiden Franklyn Marks Bill Mathieu Gerry Mulligan Lennie Niehaus Boots Mussulli Chico O'Farrill Marty Paich Johnny Richards Shorty Rogers Gene Roland Pete Rugolo Bill Russo Charlie Shirley Steve Spiegl Ray Starling Mark Taylor Al Yankee Ralph Yaw Vocalists Ernie Bernhardt Cindy Bradley Kay Brown Helen Carr June Christy Chris Connor Red Dorris Kay Gregory Gene Howard Jay Johnson Eve Knight Kent Larsen Dolly Mitchell The Modern Men Anita O'Day The Pastels Ann Richards Frank Rosolino Gail Sherwood Jan Tober Jean Turner Jerri Winters Ray Wetzel Discography and on film and television Studio albumsStan Kenton and His Orchestra – McGregor No. LP201 (1941)The Formative Years – Decca No. 589 489-2 (1941–1942)Artistry in Rhythm – Capitol No. BD39 (1946)Encores – Capitol No. 155 (1947)A Presentation of Progressive Jazz – Capitol No. T172 (1947)Metronome Riff (single) – Capitol special pressing (1947)Innovations in Modern Music – Capitol No. 189 (1950)Stan Kenton's Milestones – Capitol No. T190 (through 1950)Stan Kenton Presents – Capitol No. 248 (1950)City of Glass – Capitol No. H353 (1951)New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm – Capitol 383 (1952)Popular Favorites by Stan Kenton – Capitol No. 421 (1953)Sketches on Standards – Capitol No. 426 (1953)This Modern World – Capitol No. 460 (1953)Portraits on Standards – Capitol No. 462 (1953)Kenton Showcase: The Music of Bill Russo – Capitol No. H525 (1954)Kenton Showcase : The Music of Bill Holman – Capitol No. H526 (1954)Duet (with June Christy) – Capitol No. 656 (1955)Contemporary Concepts – Capitol No. 666 (1955)Kenton in Hi-Fi – Capitol No. 724 (1956)Cuban Fire! – Capitol No. 731 (1956)Kenton with Voices – Capitol No. 810 (1957)Rendezvous with Kenton – Capitol No. 932 (1957)Back to Balboa – Capitol No. 995 (1958)The Ballad Style of Stan Kenton – Capitol No. 1068 (1958)Lush Interlude – Capitol No. 1130 (1958)The Stage Door Swings – Capitol No. 1166 (1958)The Kenton Touch – Capitol No. 1276 (1958)Viva Kenton! – Capitol No. 1305 (1959)Standards in Silhouette – Capitol No. 1394 (1959)Two Much! (with Ann Richards) – Capitol No. 1495 (1960)The Romantic Approach – Capitol No. 1533 (1961)Kenton's West Side Story – Capitol No. 1609 (1961)A Merry Christmas! – Capitol No. 1621 (1961)Sophisticated Approach – Capitol No. 1674 (1961)Adventures in Standards – Creative World No. 1025 (1961 – released 1975)Adventures In Jazz – Capitol No. 1796 (1961)Adventures in Blues – Capitol No. 1985 (1961)Stan Kenton! Tex Ritter! (with Tex Ritter) – Capitol No. 1757 (1962)Adventures in Time – Capitol No. 1844 (1962)Artistry in Bossa Nova – Capitol No. 1931 (1963)Artistry in Voices and Brass – Capitol No. 2132 (1963)Stan Kenton / Jean Turner (with Jean Turner) – Capitol No. 2051 (1963)Kenton / Wagner – Capitol No. 2217 (1964)Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra – Capitol No. 2424 (1965–1966)Stan Kenton Plays for Today – Capitol No. 2655 (1966–1967)The World We Know – Capitol No. 2810The Jazz Compositions of Dee Barton – Capitol No. 2932 (1967)Finian's Rainbow – Capitol No. 2971 (1968)Hair – Capitol No. ST305 (1969)National Anthems of the World – Creative World No. 1060 (1972)7.5 on the Richter Scale – Creative World No. 1070 (1973)Stan Kenton Without His Orchestra (solo) – Creative World No. 1071 (1973)Stan Kenton Plays Chicago – Creative World No. 1072 (1974)Fire, Fury and Fun – Creative World No. 1073 (1974)Kenton '76 – Creative World No. 1076 (1976)Journey Into Capricorn – Creative World No. 1077 (1976) Live albumsStan Kenton Live at Cornell University (1951)Stan Kenton Stompin' at Newport – Pablo #PACD-5312-2 (1957)On the Road with Stan Kenton – Artistry Records #AR-101 (Recorded Nov. 6, 1958 at the Municipal Auditorium, Sarasota, Florida)Kenton Live from the Las Vegas Tropicana – Capitol No. 1460 (1959)Road Show (with June Christy and The Four Freshmen) – Capitol #TBO1327 (1959)Stan Kenton at Ukiah – Status #STCD109 (1959)Stan Kenton in New Jersey – Status #USCD104 (1959)Mellophonium Magic – Status No. CD103 (1962)Mellophonium Moods – Status No. STCD106 (1962)Stan Kenton and His Orchestra at Fountain Street Church Part 1 – Status #DSTS1014 (1968)Stan Kenton and His Orchestra at Fountain Street Church Part 2– Status #DSTS1016 (1968) Private Party – Creative World No. 1014 (1970)Live At Redlands University – Creative World No. 1015 (1970)Live at Brigham Young University – Creative World No. 1039 (1971)Live at Butler University – Creative World No. 1058 (1972)The Stuttgart Experience – Live In Stuttgart – Jazzhaus #JAH-457 (1972)Stan Kenton Today – Live In London – London/Creative World #BP 44179-80 (1972)Birthday in Britain – Creative World #ST 1065 (1973)Flying High in Florida (1972)Live at the London Hilton – Part I & II (1973)Live in Europe (1976)The Lost Concert Vol. 1–2 Recorded at The Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles, CA on March 18, 1978, posthumous release in 2002 – Jazz Heritage CompilationsStan Kenton's Milestones (Capitol, 1943–47 [1950])Stan Kenton Classics (Capitol, 1944–47 [1952])The Kenton Era (Capitol, 1940–53 [1955])City of Glass and This Modern World – Capitol No. 736 (1951–1953 [1957])Stan Kenton's Greatest Hits (Capitol, 1943–47 [1965])Stan Kenton On AFRS – Status DSTS1019 (1944–1945)One Night Stand – Magic #DAWE66 (1961–1962)Some Women I've Known – Creative World No. 1029The Fabulous Alumni of Stan Kenton – Capitol No. T 20244 (1970) The Complete Capitol Recordings Of The Holman And Russo Charts – Mosaic MD4-136The Complete Capitol Recordings – Mosaic MD7-163The Peanut VendorThe Jazz Compositions Of Stan Kenton – Creative World No. ST1078 (1945–1973)Street of Dreams – Creative World No. 1079 (1979 vinyl; 1992 CD)The Innovations Orchestra (Capitol, 1950–51 [1997]) On film or television 1941 Zig Me, Baby, With a Gentle Zag (short) 1942 Jammin' in the Panoram (short) 1942 Jealous (short) 1942 Reed Rapture (short) 1944 This Love of Mine (short) 1945 Eager Beaver (short) 1945 I'm Homesick, That's All (short) 1945 It's Been a Long Long Time (short) 1945 Southern Scandal (short) 1945 Tampico (short) 1946 Talk About A Lady (feature film) 1946 Southern Scandal (short) 1947 Let's Make Rhythm (short) 1947 Stan Kenton and His Orchestra (biographical short) 1950 The Ed Sullivan Show (television) 1953 Schlagerparade (movie) Stan Kenton at the Sporthalle in Berlin 1954 Spotlight No. 5 (CBC television, documentary) 1955 Music '55 (television, musical variety) 1956 Happy New Year: A Sunday Spectacular (television) 1956 Juke Box Jury (television, gameshow) 1957 Alan Melville Takes You from A-Z (BBC television) 1957 The Big Record (television) 1958 The Gisele MacKenzie Show (television) 1960 General Electric Theater (television) 1960 Startime (television) 1960 Dixieland Small-Fry (television) 1962 Jazz Scene USA (television) 1962 Music of the 60s (television) 1962 The Lively Ones (television) 1963 The Ed Sullivan Show (television) 1964 The Les Crane Show (television) 1965 Big Bands (WGN-TV television) 1965 Jamboree (television) 1966 The Linkletter Show (television) 1967 The Woody Woodbury Show (television) 1967 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (television) 1968 Something Special with Mel Torme (television) 1968 The Crusade for Jazz aka Bound To Be Heard (television documentary) 1969 The Substance of Jazz (educational/documentary) 1969 and 1970 The David Frost Show (television) 1968 and 1970 The Mike Douglas Show (television) 1971 The Merv Griffin Show (television) 1972 Sounds of Saturday (BBC television) 1976 Soundstage (television) 1977 Omnibus (BBC television) 2011 Stan Kenton: Artistry In Rhythm- Portrait Of A Jazz Legend'' (documentary) Compositions Stan Kenton's compositions include "Artistry in Rhythm", released as V-Disc No. 285B, "Opus in Pastels", "Artistry Jumps", "Reed Rapture", "Eager Beaver", released on V-Disc 285B, "Fantasy", "Southern Scandal", which was released as V-Disc No. 573B, "Monotony", released as V-Disc No. 854B, in 1948, with a spoken introduction by Kenton, "Harlem Folk Dance", "Painted Rhythm", "Concerto to End All Concertos", "Easy Go", "Concerto for Doghouse", "Shelly Manne", "Balboa Bash", "Flamenco", and "Sunset Tower". Many compositions are collaborations between Stan Kenton and Pete Rugolo, such as "Artistry in Boogie," "Collaboration," and "Theme to the West." Kenton was credited as a co-writer of the 1944 jazz classic "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine". Notes References External links Bell High School Alumni Page for Stan Kenton Stan Kenton Research Center*Article on Stan Kenton's Mellophonium Band An Interview with Jo Lea Starling, wife of Ray Starling An Interview with Tony Scodwell, Stan Kenton Mellophoniumist The Stan Kenton Collection at the University of North Texas Stan Kenton's music published by Sierra Music Publications Terry Vosbein's All Things Kenton site - discography, radio shows, rare images and audio. GNP Crescendo Records 1911 births 1979 deaths Age controversies Cool jazz musicians Swing bandleaders Big band bandleaders Jazz arrangers Progressive big band bandleaders American jazz bandleaders Musicians from California American music arrangers Grammy Award winners Capitol Records artists American jazz educators Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery 20th-century American musicians Summit Records artists
true
[ "Kenton '76 is one of the last two studio albums by American jazz musician Stan Kenton and his orchestra, released in 1976, by Creative World Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in Chicago on December 3–5, 1975. The album was recorded after the longest hiatus the band would have from the studio due to financial difficulties and Kenton's growing health problems.\n\nBackground\n\nThe take of Decoupage on the album is third try taken Dec 4; 10 takes of this Levy masterpiece are done over 2 days. Though the piece is one of the highlights for the band during that era, the solo by Terry Lane is weak and pointed out in later notes by Bob Curnow, \"Stan did not hire most of the guys, Dick (Shearer) did. With some obvious exceptions, I don't believe the soloists in the 70's bands were the equal of the earlier bands.\" Samba De Haps is the first of several works written by Mark Taylor the Kenton band record for the last two studio albums, he would create a distinctive signature and a name that is well known in the publishing world.\n\nBob Curnow gives great credit to Hank Levy, \"Time For A Change was a fantastic chart, the way it's put together, and the way the band swings within the meter. I don't mean swings necessarily in the traditional sense, but the way they play rhythmically, I think it's a hell of a chart. And if listen to the end of a Pat Metheny pieces called \"Every Summer Night\", it closes literally with the first four measures of 'Decoupage'.\" Curnow also comments on Kenton's health issues during that time, \"Stan conducted the band through Holman's 'Tiburon'...Stan was wasn't so quick to come to grips musically with what was happening. I was in the booth, and he was conducting, and it was a real struggle.\"\n\nReception\n\nTrack listing\n\nSend In The Clowns and My Funny Valentine arranged by Dave Barduhn.\n\nPersonnel\n\nMusicians\npiano and leader: Stan Kenton\nsaxophones and flutes: Alan Yankee, Dan Salmasian, Greg Smith, Roy Reynolds, Terry Layne\ntrumpets: John Harner, Jay Sollenberger, Jim Oatts, Steve Campos, Tim Hagans\ntrombones: Dick Shearer, Dave Keim, Mike Egan, Alan Morrisey (bass trombone), Douglas Purviance (bass trombone, tuba)\nacoustic and electric bass: Dave Stone\ndrum set: Gary Hobbs\npercussion: Ramon Lopez\n\nProduction\nBob Curnow – production\nMurray Allen – recording engineering\nJordana Von Spiro – art direction\nSerge Seymour, Audree Coke, Jurgen Wiechmann – cover art/photography\n\nReferences\n\nBibliography\n\nExternal links\n \n Kenton '76 at Allmusic\n Kenton '76 at All Things Kenton\n\nInstrumental albums\n1976 albums\nStan Kenton albums\nGNP Crescendo Records albums", "Simon Kenton(aka \"Simon Butler\") (April 3, 1755 – April 29, 1836) was a United States frontiersman and soldier in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. He was a friend of Daniel Boone,Simon GirtySpencer Records, Thomas S. Hinde, Thomas Hinde, and Isaac Shelby. He served the United States in the Revolution, the Northwest Indian War and the War of 1812. Surviving the gauntlet and ritual torture, in 1778 he was adopted into the Shawnee people. He married twice and had a total of ten children.\n\nFamily and early life\nSimon Kenton was born at the headwaters of Mill Run in the Bull Run Mountains on April 3, 1755, in Prince William County, Virginia to Mark Kenton, Sr. (an immigrant from Ireland) and Mary Miller Kenton (whose family was Scots-Welsh in ancestry). In 1771, at the age of 16, thinking he had killed William Leachman in a jealous rage (the fight began over the love of a girl named Ellen Cummins), Kenton fled into the wilderness of West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio, where for years he went by the name \"Simon Butler.\" After learning that his victim had lived, Kenton took back his original surname.\n\nNoted activities\n\nIn 1774, in a conflict later labeled Dunmore's War, Kenton served as a scout for the European settlers against the Shawnee Indians in what is now West Virginia and Kentucky. In 1777, he saved the life of his friend and fellow frontiersman, Daniel Boone, at Boonesborough, Kentucky.\n\nThe following year, Kenton was rescued from the Shawnee in Ohio by Simon Girty. He had survived many days of running the gauntlet and various other ritual tortures that usually caused death. He was later taken about 50 miles for more torture at Upper Sandusky. There he was saved by Pierre Drouillard, an interpreter for the British Indian department and father of explorer George Drouillard. The Shawnee respected Kenton for his endurance; they named him Cut-ta-ho-tha (the condemned man). He was \"adopted into the tribe by a motherly squaw whose own son had been slain.\"\n\nKenton served as scout on the 1778 George Rogers Clark expedition to capture Fort Sackville during the American Revolution. Independence did not mean an end to warfare; in 1793-94 Kenton fought in the Northwest Indian War with \"Mad\" Anthony Wayne.\n\nKenton started exploring the area of the Mad River Valley of Ohio and making claims as early as 1788. Kenton first saw the area a decade before while he was held as a prisoner with the Shawnee and vowed that if he survived he would return. In April 1799, Kenton and his associate, Colonel William Ward, led a group of families from Mason County, Kentucky to an area between present-day Springfield and Urbana, Ohio.\n\nIn 1810 Kenton moved to Urbana, Ohio, where he achieved the rank of brigadier general of the state militia. He served in the War of 1812 as both a scout and as leader of a militia group in the Battle of the Thames in 1813. This was the battle in which the Indian chief Tecumseh was killed. Kenton was chosen to identify Tecumseh's body but, recognizing both Tecumseh and another fallen warrior named Roundhead, and seeing soldiers gleefully eager to carve up Tecumseh's body into souvenirs, he identified Roundhead as the chief.\n\nA large boulder located on the west side of the Ritter Public Library in Vermilion, Ohio, discovered in 1937 on a farm a few miles to the south, is inscribed \"1784 S. KENTON,\" and tradition has it that it was carved by Kenton himself while in Indian custody. Documentary evidence, however, shows that Kenton was not in Indian custody in 1784, was not near Vermilion in 1784 and did not learn to write until 1785.\n\nMarriage and family\nKenton married Martha Dowden and they had four children together. After she died in a house fire, the widower married Elizabeth Jarboe as his second wife. He had six children with her.\n\nPrevious to his first marriage, Simon's first son (Simon Ruth Kenton) was born to Christina Ruth in 1773.\n\nKenton died in (and was initially buried at) New Jerusalem in Logan County, Ohio. His body was later moved to Urbana.\n\nLater his widow Elizabeth Jarboe Kenton and a number of their children moved to northwestern Indiana, to an area straddling Jasper, White, and Pulaski counties. It was heavily settled by families who migrated from Champaign County, Ohio, where Kenton is buried.\n\nNamesakes\n\nSimon Kenton is the namesake of Kenton, the county seat of northwestern Ohio's Hardin County.\n\nKenton County, Kentucky is named for him, as is Simon Kenton High School in Independence, the county seat. A statue honoring him was erected in Covington, Kentucky's Riverside Drive Historic District, overlooking the Ohio River.\n\nSimon Kenton Elementary Schools were named in Xenia and Springfield, Ohio.\n\nSinger/songwriter Tyler Childers wrote the song Middle Ground in reference to Kenton and his expeditions. \n\nSimon Kenton Post #20 in Elsmere, Kentucky of the Kentucky Department of the American Legion is named in his honor.\n\nSimon Kenton Road is a residential street at the base of Bull Run Mountain in Prince William County, Virginia.\n\nThe Boy Scouts of America have the Simon Kenton Council, a division covering Central Ohio to northern Kentucky.\n\nIn the Frontiersman Camping Fellowship of the Royal Rangers, Indiana is designated the Simon Kenton Chapter.\n\nThe Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge is a suspension bridge built in 1931 that crosses the Ohio River and connects Maysville, Kentucky and Aberdeen, Ohio.\n\nOhio's Simon Kenton Trail is a 32-mile multi-use path that stretches from Springfield to Bellefontaine.\n\nThe Simon Kenton Pub is a small bar located in the Water Wheel Restaurant at The Inn at Gristmill Square in Warm Springs, Virginia. \n\nThe Simon Kenton Inn is an 1828 Historic House with five guest rooms and The Pub restaurant, located near Springfield, Ohio, on land deeded to Simon Kenton by the U.S. Government circa 1800.\n\nReferences\n\nClark, Thomas D. Simon Kenton: Kentucky Scout; Originally published 1943; 1971 paperback reprint edition, Jesse Stuart Foundation; .\n \nCrain, Ray. Simon Kenton: The Great Frontiersman. Available in either hardback or paper back; Published June 1, 1992; \nEckert, Allan W. The Frontiersmen: A Narrative; Originally published 1967; 2001 paperback reprint edition, Jesse Stuart Foundation; . Popular history in narrative form.\nKenton, Edna. Simon Kenton: His Life and Period, 1755-1836. Originally published 1930; reprinted Salem, NH: Ayer, 1993.\n\nExternal links\n\nThe Official Simon Kenton page\nSimon Kenton at Ohio History Central.\n\nReferences\n\n1755 births\n1836 deaths\nAmerican explorers\nAmerican folklore\nAmerican militiamen in the War of 1812\nKentucky pioneers\nIndiana in the American Revolution\nKentucky militiamen in the American Revolution\nAmerican people of the Northwest Indian War\nPeople from Urbana, Ohio" ]
[ "Stan Kenton", "Career", "Tell me about Kenton's career?", "Kenton would make his first recordings when Arnheim made 14 sides for the Brunswick label in summer of 1937.", "What was Arnheim?", "Gus Arnheim's group,", "What did Kenton do after that?", "Kenton went back to study with private teachers on both the piano and in composition." ]
C_23328bf927d74e61a66e83709819e114_1
Where did he study?
4
Where did Stan Kenton study after being in Arnheim's group?
Stan Kenton
In April 1936 Gus Arnheim was reorganizing his band into the style of Benny Goodman's groups and Kenton was to take the piano chair. This is where Kenton would make his first recordings when Arnheim made 14 sides for the Brunswick label in summer of 1937. Once he departed from Gus Arnheim's group, Kenton went back to study with private teachers on both the piano and in composition. In 1938 Kenton would join Vido Musso in a short-lived band but a very educational experience for him. From the core of this group come the line up of the first Stan Kenton groups of the 1940s. Kenton would also go on to working with the NBC House Band and in various Hollywood studios and clubs. Producer George Avakian took notice of Kenton during this time while he worked as the pianist and Assistant Musical Director at the Earl Carroll Theatre Restaurant in Hollywood. Kenton started to get the idea of running his own band from this experience; he created a rehearsal band of his own which eventually become his group in the 1940s. In June 1941, Kenton formed his first orchestra. Kenton worked in the early days with his own groups as much more of an arranger than a featured pianist. Although there were no "name" musicians in his first band (with the possible exception of bassist Howard Rumsey and trumpeter Chico Alvarez), Kenton spent the summer of 1941 playing regularly before an audience at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach, CA. Influenced by Benny Carter and Jimmie Lunceford, the Stan Kenton Orchestra struggled for a time after its initial success. Its Decca recordings were not big sellers and a stint as Bob Hope's backup radio band during the 1943-44 season was an unhappy experience; Les Brown permanently took Kenton's place. Kenton's first appearance in New York was in February 1942 at the Roseland Ballroom, with the marquee featuring an endorsement by Fred Astaire. By late 1943, with a contract with the newly formed Capitol Records, a popular record in "Eager Beaver", and growing recognition, the Stan Kenton Orchestra was gradually catching on; it developed into one of the best-known West Coast ensembles of the 1940s. Its soloists during the war years included Art Pepper, briefly Stan Getz, altoist Boots Mussulli, and singer Anita O'Day. By 1945, the band had evolved. The songwriter Joe Greene provided the lyrics for hit songs like "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'". Pete Rugolo became the chief arranger (extending Kenton's ideas), Bob Cooper and Vido Musso offered very different tenor styles, and June Christy was Kenton's new singer; her hits (including "Tampico" and Greene's "Across the Alley from the Alamo") made it possible for Kenton to finance his more ambitious projects. CANNOTANSWER
with private teachers
Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though Kenton had several pop hits from the early 1940s into the 1960s, his music was always forward-looking. Kenton was also a pioneer in the field of jazz education, creating the Stan Kenton Jazz Camp in 1959 at Indiana University. Early life Stan Kenton was born on December 15, 1911, in Wichita, Kansas; he had two sisters (Beulah and Erma Mae) born three and eight years after him. His parents, Floyd and Stella Kenton, moved the family to Colorado, and in 1924, to the Greater Los Angeles Area, settling in suburban Bell, California. Kenton attended Bell High School; his high-school yearbook picture has the prophetic notation "Old Man Jazz". Kenton started learning piano as a teen from a local pianist and organist. When he was around 15 and in high school, pianist and arranger Ralph Yaw introduced him to the music of Louis Armstong and Earl Hines. He graduated from high school in 1930. By the age of 16, Kenton was already playing a regular solo piano gig at a local hamburger eatery for 50 cents a night plus tips; during that time he had his own performing group named "The Bell-Tones". His first arrangement was written during this time for a local eight-piece band that played in nearby Long Beach. Career 1930s With very little money, Kenton traveled to speakeasys in San Diego and Las Vegas playing piano. By 1932 he was playing with the Francis Gilbert Territory band and would tour through Arizona; he would go on to working with the Everett Hoagland Orchestra in 1933, which would be his first time playing at the Rendezvous Ballroom. He would then play with Russ Plummer, Hal Grayson and eventually got a big break with Gus Arnheim. In April 1936 Arnheim was reorganizing his band into the style of Benny Goodman's groups and Kenton was to take the piano chair. This is where Kenton would make his first recordings when Arnheim made 14 sides for the Brunswick label in summer of 1937. Once he departed from Gus Arnheim's group, Kenton went back to study with private teachers on both the piano and in composition. In 1938 Kenton would join Vido Musso in a short-lived band but a very educational experience for him. From the core of this group came the line up of the first Stan Kenton groups of the 1940s. Kenton would also go on to working with the NBC House Band and in various Hollywood studios and clubs. Producer George Avakian took notice of Kenton during this time while he worked as the pianist and Assistant Musical Director at the Earl Carroll Theatre Restaurant in Hollywood. Kenton started to get the idea of running his own band from this experience; he created a rehearsal band of his own which eventually become his group in the 1940s. 1940s In 1940, Kenton formed his first orchestra. Kenton worked in the early days with his own groups as much more of an arranger than a featured pianist. Although there were no "name" musicians in his first band (with the possible exception of bassist Howard Rumsey and trumpeter Chico Alvarez), Kenton spent the summer of 1941 playing regularly before an audience at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach, CA. Influenced by Benny Carter and Jimmie Lunceford, the Stan Kenton Orchestra struggled for a time after its initial success. Its Decca recordings were not big sellers and a stint as Bob Hope's backup radio band during the 1943–44 season was an unhappy experience; Les Brown permanently took Kenton's place. Kenton's first appearance in New York was in February 1942 at the Roseland Ballroom, with the marquee featuring an endorsement by Fred Astaire. By late 1943, with a contract with the newly formed Capitol Records, a popular record in "Eager Beaver", and growing recognition, the Stan Kenton Orchestra was gradually catching on; it developed into one of the best-known West Coast ensembles of the 1940s. Its soloists during the war years included Art Pepper, briefly Stan Getz, altoist Boots Mussulli, and singer Anita O'Day. By 1945, the band had evolved. The songwriter Joe Greene provided the lyrics for hit songs like "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'". Pete Rugolo became the chief arranger (extending Kenton's ideas), Bob Cooper and Vido Musso offered very different tenor styles, and June Christy was Kenton's new singer; her hits (including "Tampico" and Greene's "Across the Alley from the Alamo") made it possible for Kenton to finance his more ambitious projects. Artistry in Rhythm When composer/arranger Pete Rugolo joined the Stan Kenton Orchestra as staff arranger in late 1945 he brought with him his love of jazz, Stravinsky and Bartók. Given free rein by Kenton, Rugolo experimented. Although Kenton himself was already trying experimental scores prior to Rugolo's tenure, it was Rugolo who brought extra jazz and classical influences much needed to move the band forward artistically. During his first six months on the staff, Rugolo tried to copy Kenton's sound; on encouragement from the leader he explored his own voice. By incorporating compositional techniques borrowed from the modern classical music he studied, Rugolo was a key part of one of Kenton's most fertile and creative periods. After a string of mostly arrangements, Rugolo turned out three originals that Kenton featured on the band's first album in 1946: (Artistry in Rhythm): "Artistry in Percussion", "Safranski" and "Artistry in Bolero". Added to this mix came "Machito", "Rhythm Incorporated", "Monotony" and "Interlude" in early 1947 (though some were not recorded until later in the year). These compositions, along with June Christy's voice, came to define the Artistry in Rhythm band. Afro-Cuban writing was added to the Kenton book with compositions like Rugolo's "Machito." The resulting instrumentation, utilizing significant amounts of brass, was described as a "wall of sound" (a term later re-coined independently by Andrew Loog Oldham for Phil Spector's production methods). The Artistry in Rhythm ensemble was a formative band, with outstanding soloists. By early 1947, the Stan Kenton Orchestra had reached a high point of financial and popular success. They played in the best theaters and ballrooms in America and numerous hit records. Dances at the many ballrooms were typically four hours a night and theater dates generally involved playing mini-concerts between each showing of the movie. This was sometimes five or six a day, stretching from morning to late night. Most days not actually playing were spent in buses or cars. Days off from performing were rare. For Stan Kenton they just allowed for more record signing, radio station interviews, and advertising for Capitol Records. Due to the financial and personal demands, following an April performance in Tuscaloosa, he broke up the Artistry in Rhythm incarnation of Kenton ensembles. Progressive Jazz After a hiatus of five months, Kenton formed a new, larger ensemble to present Concerts in Progressive Jazz. Sustaining the ensemble on its own proved mostly attainable but the band still had to fill in its schedule by booking dances and movie theater jobs, especially over the summer. Pete Rugolo composed and arranged the great bulk of the new music; Kenton declared these works to be Progressive Jazz. A student of famed composer and educator Russ Garcia, Bob Graettinger wrote numerous works for the band, starting with his composition Thermopylae. His ground-breaking composition City of Glass was premiered by the band in Chicago in April 1948, but not recorded for another two and a half years, in a reworked version for the Innovations Orchestra. Ken Hanna, who began the tour as a trumpet player, contributed a few compositions to the new band, including Somnambulism. Kenton contributed no new scores to the Progressive Jazz band, although several of his older works were performed on concerts, including Concerto to End All Concertos, Eager Beaver, Opus in Pastels, and Artistry in Rhythm. Cuban inflected titles from the Progressive Jazz period include Rugolo's Introduction to a Latin Rhythm, Cuban Carnival, The Peanut Vendor, and Journey to Brazil, and Bob Graettinger's Cuban Pastorale. The addition of a full-time bongo player and a Brazilian guitarist in the band enabled Kenton's cadre of composers to explore Afro-Latin rhythms to far greater possibilities. The Progressive Jazz period lasted 14 months, beginning on September 24, 1947, when the Stan Kenton Orchestra played a concert at the Rendezvous Ballroom. And it ended after the last show at the Paramount Theatre in New York City on December 14, 1948. The band produced only one album and a handful of singles, due to a recording ban by the American Federation of Musicians that lasted the entirety of 1948. The lone record, "A Presentation of Progressive Jazz," received a 3 out of 4 rating from Tom Herrick in DownBeat. Metronome rated it "C" calling it a "jerry-built jumble of effects and counter-effects" and "this album presents very little that can justifiably be called either jazz or progressive." Billboard scored it 80 out of 100, but declared it "as mumbo-jumbo a collection of cacophony as has ever been loosed on an unsuspecting public. Many sidemen from the Artistry band returned, but there were significant changes. Laurindo Almeida on classical guitar, and Jack Costanzo on bongos dramatically changed the band's timbre. Both were firsts for the Kenton band, or any jazz band for that matter. The rhythm section included returnees Eddie Safranski (bass) and Shelly Manne (drums), both destined to win first place Down Beat awards. Four of the five trumpet players returned: Buddy Childers, Ray Wetzel, Chico Alvarez, and Ken Hanna. Al Porcino was added to the already powerhouse section. Conte Candoli joined the band, replacing Porcino, in February 1948. Kai Winding, star trombonist of the Artistry in Rhythm band, would not be a part of the Progressive Jazz era, except for a few dates on which he subbed. Milt Bernhart came in on lead trombone. And Bart Varsalona returned on bass trombone. Bernhart's first big solo with the Kenton band proved to be a major hit, The Peanut Vendor. The saxophone section was much improved and modernized. Returning saxophonists included baritone Bob Gioga, holding down his chair since the very start, and Bob Cooper on tenor. With Vido Musso's departure, Cooper and his modernist sound became the featured tenor soloist. Art Pepper came on as second alto, the "jazz" chair. And the new lead alto was George Weidler. This was genuinely a band of all-stars. They received five first place awards in the Down Beat poll at the end of 1947, and similar awards from the other magazines. The arrangers continued to push the limits of these superb instrumentalists in their compositions. Works from this period are more sophisticated than those written for the Artistry band, and are some of the first and most successful "third stream" compositions. The band criss-crossed the country, appearing in the nation's top concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, Chicago Civic Opera House, Academy of Music (Philadelphia), and the Hollywood Bowl. They had extended stays at New York's Paramount Theatre and Hotel Commodore, Philadelphia's Click, Detroit's Eastwood Gardens, Radio City Theater in Minneapolis, and the Rendezvous Ballroom, a special place in Kenton's musical life. Kenton's band was the first to present a concert in the famous outdoor arena, the Hollywood Bowl. His concert there on June 12, 1948, drew more than 15,000 people, and was both an artistic and commercial success. Kenton pocketed half of the box office, walking away with $13,000 for the evening's concert. The band broke attendance records all across the country. Thanks to Kenton's public relations acumen, he was able to convince concert goers and record buyers of the importance of his music. Comedy numbers and June Christy vocals helped break up the seriousness of the new music. Kenton's successes did not sit well with everyone. In an essay entitled Economics and Race in Jazz, Leslie B. Rout Jr. wrote that "the real scourge of the 1946–1949 period was the all-white Stan Kenton band. Dubbing his musical repertoire 'progressive jazz,' Kenton saw his orchestra become the first in jazz history to reach an annual gross of $1,000,000 in 1948." He contrasted this with a situation in which critical and public recognition of "Dizzy Gillespie as the premiere bopper could not be transformed into coin of the realm." At the end of 1948, as the band was fulfilling an extended engagement at the Paramount Theater in New York City, the leader notified his sidemen, his bookers, and the press, that he would be disbanding once more. Kenton's most artistically and commercially successful band ceased to be at the top of their game. On December 14, the Stan Kenton Orchestra played their last notes for more than a year. When they returned, there would be new faces, new music and a string section. 1950s After a year's hiatus, in 1950 Kenton assembled the large 39-piece Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra that included 16 strings, a woodwind section, and two French horns. The music was an extension of the works composed and recorded since 1947 by Bob Graettinger, Manny Albam, Franklyn Marks and others. Name jazz musicians such as Maynard Ferguson, Shorty Rogers, Milt Bernhart, John Graas, Art Pepper, Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, Laurindo Almeida, Shelly Manne, and June Christy were part of these musical ensembles. The groups managed two tours during 1950–51, from a commercial standpoint it would be Stan Kenton's first major failure. Kenton soon reverted to a more standard 19-piece lineup. In order to be more commercially viable, Kenton reformed the band in 1951 to a much more standard instrumentation: five saxes, five trombones, five trumpets, piano, guitar, bass, drums. The charts of such arrangers as Gerry Mulligan, Johnny Richards, and particularly Bill Holman and Bill Russo began to dominate the repertoire. The music was written to better reflect the style of cutting edge, be-bop oriented big bands, such as those of Dizzy Gillespie or Woody Herman. Young, talented players and outstanding jazz soloists such as Maynard Ferguson, Lee Konitz, Conte Candoli, Sal Salvador, and Frank Rosolino made strong contributions to the level of the 1952–53 band. The music composed and arranged during this time was far more tailor-made to contemporary jazz tastes; the 1953 album New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm is noted as one of the high points in Kenton's career as band leader. Though the band was to have a very strong "concert book", Kenton also made sure the dance book was made new, fresh and contemporary. The album Sketches on Standards from 1953 is an excellent example of Kenton appealing to a wider audience while using the band and Bill Russo's arranging skills to their fullest potential. Even though the personnel changed rather rapidly, Kenton's focus was very clear on where he would lead things musically. By this time producer Lee Gillette worked well in concert with Kenton to create a balanced set of recordings that were both commercially viable and cutting edge musically. Arguably the most "swinging" band Kenton was to field came when legendary drummer Mel Lewis joined the orchestra in 1954. Kenton's Contemporary Concepts (1955) and Kenton in Hi-Fi (1956) albums during this time are very impressive as a be-bop recording and then a standard dance recording (respectively). Kenton in Hi-Fis wide popularity and sales benefited from the fact it was his greatest hits of ten years earlier re-recorded in stereo with a contemporary, much higher level band. The album climbed all the way up to #22 on the Billboard album charts and provided much needed revenue at a time when Rock n Roll had started to become the dominant pop music in the United States. It would become more and more difficult for Kenton to alternate between 'dance' and serious 'jazz' albums while staying financially solvent. During the summer of the summer of 1955 (July–September), Kenton was to become the host of the CBS television series Music 55. While it offered 10 weeks of great exposure to a rapidly expanding television audience, the show failed. It was plagued by poor production techniques and a strange combination of guests that did not work well with what Kenton had envisioned. He ended up being stiff and out of place with what the producers tried to achieve. Kenton had to burn the candle at both ends flying in to do the show then flying back out to meet his band out on the road. The New York production team was limited by using an American Federation of Musicians roster of local players; Kenton wanted his own band to do the show. There would be another attempt for the Kenton organization to place the band on regularly scheduled television programming in 1958. After six Kenton financed episodes on KTTV in Los Angeles, there would be no sponsors to step up and back the show. One of the standout projects and recordings for the mid-1950s band is the Cuban Fire! album released in 1956. Though Stan Kenton had recorded earlier hits such as The Peanut Vendor in 1947 with Latin percussionist Machito, as well as many other Latin flavored singles, the Cuban Fire! suite and LP stands as a watershed set of compositions for Johnny Richards' career and an outstanding commercial/artistic achievement for the Kenton orchestra, and a singular landmark in large ensemble Latin jazz recordings. "CUBAN FIRE is completely authentic, the way it combines big-band jazz with genuine Latin-American rhythms." The success of the Cuban Fire! album can be gauged in part by the immediate ascent of Johnny Richards' star after its release; he was suddenly offered a contract by Bethlehem Records to record what would be the first of several recordings with his own groups. At one point, Kenton faced a controversy in 1956 with comments he made when the band returned from a European tour. The current Critics Poll in Down Beat was now dominated by African-American musicians in virtually every category. The Kenton band was playing in Ontario, Canada, at the time, and Kenton dispatched a telegram which lamented "a new minority, white jazz musicians," and stated his "disgust [with the so-called] literary geniuses of jazz." Jazz critic Leonard Feather responded in the October 3, 1956, issue of Down Beat with an open letter that questioned Kenton's racial views. Feather implied that Kenton's failure to win the Critics Poll was probably the real reason for the complaint, and wondered if racial prejudice was involved. In hindsight the record shows Kenton's biggest sin is to have hastily fired off the comments. However, less than 2% of the more than 600 sidemen with the Kenton band were African American. By the end of the decade Kenton was with the last incarnation of a 19-piece, 1950s-style Kenton orchestra. Many bands have been called a leader's "best"; this last Kenton 1959 incarnation of the 1950s bands may very well be the best. The group would pull off one of Kenton's most artistic, subtle and introspective recordings, Standards in Silhouette. As trombonist Archie LeCoque recalled of this album of very slow ballads, "...it was hard, but at the time we were all young and straight-ahead, we got through it and (two) albums came out well." By 1959 Stereophonic sound recording was now being fully utilized with all major labels. One of the great triumphs of the Standards in Silhouette album is the mature writing, the combination of the room used, a live group with very few overdubs, and the recording being in full stereo fidelity (and later remastered to digital). Bill Mathieu was highly skeptical of the decision to record his music like Cuban Fire! in a cavernous ballroom. Mathieu adds: "Stan and producer Lee Gillette were absolutely right: the band sounds alive and awake (which is not easy when recording many hours of slow-tempo music in a studio), and most importantly, the players could hear themselves well in the live room. The end result is the band sounds strong and cohesive, and the album is well recorded." This is the last set of studio dates before Kenton would retool the entire orchestra in 1960. 1960s The Kenton orchestra had been on a slow decline in sales and popularity in the late 1950s with having to compete with newer, popular music artists such as Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, and The Platters. The nadir of this decline was around 1958 and coincided with a recession that was affecting the entire country. There were far fewer big bands on the road and live music venues were hard to book for the Kenton orchestra. The band would end 1959 beaten up by poor attendance at concerts and having to rely far more on dance halls than real jazz concerts. The band would reform in 1960 with a new look, a new sound, a larger group with a 'mellophonium' section added and an upsurge in Kenton's popularity.Sparke, Michael; Peter Venudor (1998). Stan Kenton, The Studio Sessions. Balboa Books. . The new instrument was used by Kenton to "bridge the gap" in range, color, and tonality between his trumpet and trombone sections. Essentially it creates a conical, midrange sound that is common in a symphonic setting with a horn (French horn) but the bell of the instrument faces forward. Kenton's 1961 recording The Romantic Approach for Capitol is the first of 11 LPs that would feature the "mellophonium band". Kenton arranged the whole first mellophonium album himself and it was very well received in a September 1961 review in Down Beat. The Kenton Orchestra from 1960 to 1963 had numerous successes; the band had a relentless recording schedule. The albums Kenton's West Side Story (arrangements by Johnny Richards) and Adventures In Jazz, each won Grammy awards in 1962 and 1963 respectively. Ralph Carmichael wrote a superb set of Christmas charts for Kenton which translated into one of the most popular recordings from the band leader to date: A Merry Christmas!. Also, Johnny Richards' Adventures in Time suite (recorded in 1962) was the culmination of all things the mellophonium band was capable of.NPR: Stan Kenton At 100: Artistry In Rhythm , Reference to Adventures in Time in article as important milestone of Kenton's music. February 17, 2012. After the Fall 1963 U.S./U.K. tour ended in November, the mellophonium incarnation of Kenton bands was done. The conditions of Stan's divorce from jazz singer Ann Richards was that a judge ordered Stan to take a year off the road to help raise their two children or lose custody altogether. Kenton would not reform another road band for tour until 1965. Kenton had ties from earlier writing of country/western songs that were a success with Capitol and again he tried his hand in that genre during the early 1960s. In a music market that was becoming increasingly tight, in 1962 he cut the hit single "Mama Sang a Song"; his last Top-40 ( 32 Billboard, No. 22 Music Vendor). The song was a narration written by country singer Bill Anderson and spoken by Kenton. The single also received a Grammy nomination the following year in the Best Documentary or Spoken Word Recording category. The other attempt he made into that market was the far less successful Stan Kenton! Tex Ritter!, released in 1962 as a full LP. After the breakup of the mellophonium band, Kenton / Wagner (1964) was an important recording project that Kenton himself arranged, again moving towards "progressive jazz" or third stream music. This album was not a financial success but kept Kenton at the forefront of 'art music' interpretation in the commercial music world. Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra (1965) was an artistic success that garnered another Grammy nomination for the band leader. During this time Kenton also co-wrote the theme music for the short lived NBC television series Mister Roberts (1965–66). The 1966–1969 Capitol releases for Stan Kenton were a severe low point for his recording career. Capitol producer Lee Gillette was trying to exploit the money making possibilities of numerous popular hits to include the 1968 musical Hair featuring contemporary rock music. Due to lack of promotion by Capitol, four LPs were financial failures; this would be the last releases for Kenton under the aegis of long time Kenton producer Lee Gillette and Capitol. In fact, by the time it was recorded Kenton had no involvement in the Hair LP except for Kenton's name placed on the jacket cover; Ralph Carmichael and Lennie Niehaus were placed in charge of the project. Two exceptions to this late 1960s period are the Billboard charted single the band cut of the Dragnet theme (1967) and another Kenton presents release featuring the music of composer and ex-bandsman Dee Barton: The Jazz Compositions of Dee Barton (1967). The album featuring Barton's music was another unsung artistic success for the Kenton band though widely unseen commercially by the a music listening public. 1970s The transition from Capitol to Creative World Records in 1970 was fraught with difficulties during a time when the music business was changing rapidly. As a viable jazz artist who was trying to keep a loyal but dwindling following, Kenton turned to arrangers such as Hank Levy and Bob Curnow to write material that appealed to a younger audience. The first releases for the Creative World label were live concerts and Kenton had the control he wanted over content but lacked substantial resources to engineer, mix, and promote what Capitol underwrote in the past. Kenton would take a big gamble to bypass the current record industry and rely far more on the direct mail lists of jazz fans which the newly formed Creative World label would need to sell records. Kenton also made his print music available to college and high-school stage bands with several publishers. Kenton continued leading and touring with his big band up to his final performance on August 20, 1978; he disbanded the group due to his failing health. In June 1973 Bob Curnow had started as the new artists and repertoire manager overseeing the whole operation of the Creative World Records. It was just the year before (in 1972) the Kenton orchestra recorded the National Anthems of the World double LP with 40 arrangements all done by Curnow. As per Curnow himself, "That was a remarkable and very difficult time for me. I was managing (Stan's) record company with NO experience in business, writing music like mad, living in a new place and culture (Los Angeles was another world), traveling a LOT (out with the band at least 1 week a month) and trying to keep it together at home." When Kenton took to the road during the early 1970s and up to his last tour, he took with him seasoned veteran musicians (John Worster, Willie Maiden, Warren Gale, Graham Ellis and others) teaming them with relatively unknown young artists, and new arrangements (including those by Hank Levy, Bill Holman, Bob Curnow, Willie Maiden and Ken Hanna) were used. Many alumni associated with Kenton from this era became educators (Mike Vax, John Von Ohlen, Chuck Carter, Lisa Hittle and Richard Torres), and a few went on to take their musical careers to the next level, such as Peter Erskine, Douglas Purviance and Tim Hagans. Timeline of Stan Kenton Orchestras Legacy Kenton was a salient figure on the American musical scene and made an indelible mark on the arranged type of big band jazz. Kenton's music evolved with the times from 1940 through the 1970s. He was at the vanguard of promoting jazz and jazz improvisation through his service as an educator through his Stan Kenton Band Clinics. The "Kenton Style" continues to permeate big bands at the high school and collegiate level, and the framework he designed for the "jazz clinic" is still widely in use today. Starting in the waning days of the big band era, Kenton found a multitude of ways in which to progress his art form. In his hands the size of the jazz orchestra expanded greatly, at times exceeding forty musicians. The frequency range (high and low notes) was also increased with the use of bass trombones and tuba, and baritone and bass saxophones. The dynamic range was pushed on both ends; the band could play softer and louder than any other big band. Kenton was the primary band leader responsible for moving the big band from the dance hall to the concert hall; one of the most important and successful players in the Third Stream movement. Interest in his music has experienced somewhat of a resurgence, with critical "rediscovery" of his music and many reissues of his recordings. An alumni band named for him tours, led by lead trumpeter Mike Vax, which performs not only classic Kenton arrangements, but also new music written and performed by the band members (much like Kenton's own groups). Kenton donated his entire library to the music library of North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas), and the Stan Kenton Jazz Recital Hall was named in his honor, although has recently been changed due to concerns over his history of sexual misconduct. His arrangements are now published by Sierra Music Publications. When comparing the four longest running touring jazz orchestras (Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington), Kenton's band had a higher turnover of personnel. Bob Gioga, Buddy Childers, and Dick Shearer are among only a very few who played for Kenton for over a decade. Other important soloists such as Lennie Niehaus, Bill Perkins and Chico Alvarez had lengthy stays on the band as well. The list of noted jazz players, studio musicians is impressive and the consistency of the group from 1941 to Kenton's passing in 1979 is notable. Stan Kenton's leadership and music vision was clear to marshal the forces of such a diverse set of players and arrangers over this long period of time; Kenton stands alone in the respect. Personal life Kenton was born on December 15, 1911, according to his birth certificate, according to British biographer Michael Sparke. Kenton was conceived out of wedlock, and his parents told him that he was born two months later than the actual date, February 19, 1912, to obscure this fact. Kenton believed well into adulthood that the February date was his birthday, and recorded the Birthday In Britain concert album on February 19, 1973. The true date remained a closely held secret, and his grave marker shows the incorrect February birthdate. Kenton was married three times. Three children were produced from the first two marriages. His first marriage was to Violet Rhoda Peters in 1935 and lasted for 15 years. The couple had a daughter in 1941, Leslie. In her 2010 memoir Love Affair, Leslie Kenton wrote that, from 1952 to 1954, when she was between the ages of 11 and 13, her father sexually molested and raped her. She nonetheless maintained a close relationship with him during his lifetime, though she states that she was emotionally scarred by the experience. She stated that the rapes always occurred under the influence of alcohol, that he was not fully aware of his actions, and that 20 years later he apologized profusely. Leslie was an author of several books about health, spirituality and beauty. In 1955, Stan Kenton married San Diego-born singer Ann Richards, who was 23 years his junior. The relationship produced two children: daughter Dana Lynn and son Lance. In 1961, Richards posed for a nude layout in Playboy magazine's June 1961 issue. She signed a contract to record with Atco Records, without her husband's knowledge. The Playboy shoot was done without Kenton's knowledge; he found out about it while playing at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago when handed the magazine by Charles Suter, who was the editor of Down Beat magazine at the time. Richards was not typically on the road with the band, though she had recorded the album Two Much! with Kenton in 1960. Kenton filed for divorce in August 1961; it was finalized in 1962. He would retain custody of their two children. Kenton's third marriage was to KABC production assistant Jo Ann Hill, in 1967. This also ended in a separation in 1969 with the divorce following in 1970. In his later years he lived with his public relations secretary and last business manager, Audree Coke Kenton, though they never formally married. Kenton's heavy consumption of alcohol contributed to ongoing accidents and the physical difficulties he encountered during the last 10 years of his life. Kenton's son Lance became a member of the controversial Synanon new-age community in California, and served as one of its "Imperial Marines," a group entrusted with committing violence against former members and others considered enemies of the community. In 1978 he was arrested for helping to put a rattlesnake in the mailbox of an anti-Synanon lawyer, and was sentenced to a year in prison.Zacchino, Narda. "Band Leader's Son Suspect in Assault" Los Angeles Times. October 12, 1978. pp. 7 Kenton had two serious accidental falls, one in the early 1970s and one in May of 1977 while on tour in Reading, Pennsylvania. The second fall was very serious as he fractured his skull. The last two years of his life became far more physically challenging for Kenton from the effects of the two accidents. On August 17, 1979, he was admitted to Midway Hospital near his home in Los Angeles after a stroke; he died eight days later, on August 25. At the time of his death he had three grandchildren. Kenton was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, Los Angeles.Jones, Jack. "Stan Kenton, Innovative Band Leader, Dies At 67". Los Angeles Times. August 26, 1979. pp. 1 Gold records and charts (singles and albums)Gold Records1944 Artistry in Rhythm (Capitol Records) instrumental 1945 Tampico (Capitol Records) vocal by June Christy and band 1945 Shoo-Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy (Capitol Records) vocal by June Christy and band Hits as charted singles (Songs that reached the top of the US or UK charts) Between 1944 and 1967, Stan Kenton had numerous hits on Billboard's charts. Hits as charted albums (Albums charting history with Billboard Magazine) Awards and honors Wins and honors from major publications Grammy Awards |- |rowspan="2"| |rowspan="2"|West Side Story (album) |Best Performance by an orchestra - for other than dancing | |- |rowspan="2"|Best Jazz Performance - Large Group (Instrumental) | |- |rowspan="2"| |rowspan="2"|Adventures In Jazz (album) | |- |Best Engineered recording (other than classical and novelty) | |- |style="text-align:center;"| |Mama Sang a Song (single) |Best Documentary or Spoken Word Recording (other than comedy) | |- |style="text-align:center;"| |Artistry in Voices and Brass (album) |Best Performance by a Chorus | |- |style="text-align:center;"| |Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra (album) |Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Individual or Group | |-Grammy Hall of Fame|- |rowspan="1"| 1943 ||rowspan="1"| Artistry in Rhythm (with the Stan Kenton Orchestra) || Grammy Hall of Fame (1985) || International Music Awards Other awards and honors 1978 – Honorary Doctorate of Music: University of Redlands 1974 – Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters: Drury College 1968 – Honorary Doctorate of Music: Villanova University 1967 – Intercollegiate Music Festival Hall of Fame Award Named to the International Association for Jazz Education Hall of Fame (1980) Honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Recording – 6340 Hollywood Blvd.) "City of Glass" is honored in The Wire's "100 Records That Set The World on Fire" (While No One Was Listening)." Posthumously honored 2011 – "Stan Kenton: Artistry In Rhythm- Portrait Of A Jazz Legend" (DVD) EMPixx Awards – Platinum Award in the Documentary Category/Platinum Award in the Use of Music Category.United States Library of Congress National Recording Registry'''Artistry in Rhythm (single) – Stan Kenton – Released:1943 – Inducted: 2011 - Category: Jazz Noted band personnel Instrumentalists Pepper Adams Bob Ahern Sam Aleccia Ashley Alexander Laurindo Almeida Alfred "Chico" Alvarez Jim Amlotte John Anderson Buddy Arnold Don Bagley Gabe Baltazar Michael Bard Dave Barduhn Gary Barone Dee Barton Tim Bell Max Bennett Milt Bernhart Bill Briggs Bud Brisbois Ray Brown Bob Burgess Bart Caldarell Tony Campise Frank Capp Conte Candoli Pete Candoli Fred Carter Billy Catalano Bill Chase Buddy Childers Rich Condit Bob Cooper Jack Costanzo Curtis Counce Bob Curnow Quinn Davis Vinnie Dean Jay Daversa Don Dennis Sam Donahue Red Dorris Peter Erskine Don Fagerquist Maynard Ferguson Mary Fettig Bob Fitzpatrick Dr. William "Bill" Fritz Carl Fontana Chris Galuman Stan Getz Bob Gioga John Graas Benny Green Tim Hagans Ken Hanna Bill Hanna John Harner Dennis Hayslett Gary Henson Phil Herring Skeets Herfurt Lisa Hittle Gary Hobbs Bill Holman Marvin "Doc" Holladay Clay Jenkins Richie Kamuca Joel Kaye Red Kelly Jimmy Knepper Bobby Knight Lee Konitz Tom Lacy Scott LaFaro Jack Lake Keith LaMotte Kent Larsen Terry Layne Skip Layton Gary LeFebvre Archie LeCoque Stan Levey Mel Lewis Ramon Lopez Bob Lymperis John Madrid Willie Maiden Shelly Manne Charlie Mariano Al Mattaliano Dave Matthews Jerry McKenzie Dick Meldonian Don Menza Greg Metcalf Eddie Meyers Frank Minear Vido Musso Boots Mussulli Lennie Niehaus Dennis Noday Sam Noto Lloyd Otto Don Paladino John Park Kim Park Art Pepper Bill Perkins Oscar Pettiford Al Porcino Mike Price Douglas Purviance Ray Reed Clyde Reasinger Roy Reynolds Kim Richmond George Roberts Gene Roland Billy Root Frank Rosolino Shorty Rogers Ernie Royal Howard Rumsey Bill Russo Eddie Safranski Sal Salvador Carl Saunders Jay Saunders Dave Schildkraut Bud Shank Dick Shearer Jack Sheldon Kenny Shroyer Gene Siegel Zoot Sims Tom Slaney Dalton Smith Greg Smith Mike Snustead Ed Soph Lloyd Spoon Mike Suter Marvin Stamm Ray Starling Vinnie Tano Lucky Thompson Richard Torres Bill Trujillo Jeff Uusitalo Mike Vaccaro David van Kriedt Bart Varsalona Mike Vax John Von Ohlen George Weidler Ray Wetzel Rick Weathersby Jiggs Whigham Stu Williamson Kai Winding John Worster Alan Yankee Composers and Arrangers Manny Albam Buddy Baker Dave Barduhn Dee Barton Ralph Carmichael Joe Coccia Frank Comstock Bob Curnow Dale Devoe Sam Donahue Wayne Dunston Dennis Farnon Bob Florence Bill Fritz Bob Graettinger Ken Hanna Neal Hefti Bill Holman Gene Howard Hank Levy Willie Maiden Franklyn Marks Bill Mathieu Gerry Mulligan Lennie Niehaus Boots Mussulli Chico O'Farrill Marty Paich Johnny Richards Shorty Rogers Gene Roland Pete Rugolo Bill Russo Charlie Shirley Steve Spiegl Ray Starling Mark Taylor Al Yankee Ralph Yaw Vocalists Ernie Bernhardt Cindy Bradley Kay Brown Helen Carr June Christy Chris Connor Red Dorris Kay Gregory Gene Howard Jay Johnson Eve Knight Kent Larsen Dolly Mitchell The Modern Men Anita O'Day The Pastels Ann Richards Frank Rosolino Gail Sherwood Jan Tober Jean Turner Jerri Winters Ray Wetzel Discography and on film and television Studio albumsStan Kenton and His Orchestra – McGregor No. LP201 (1941)The Formative Years – Decca No. 589 489-2 (1941–1942)Artistry in Rhythm – Capitol No. BD39 (1946)Encores – Capitol No. 155 (1947)A Presentation of Progressive Jazz – Capitol No. T172 (1947)Metronome Riff (single) – Capitol special pressing (1947)Innovations in Modern Music – Capitol No. 189 (1950)Stan Kenton's Milestones – Capitol No. T190 (through 1950)Stan Kenton Presents – Capitol No. 248 (1950)City of Glass – Capitol No. H353 (1951)New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm – Capitol 383 (1952)Popular Favorites by Stan Kenton – Capitol No. 421 (1953)Sketches on Standards – Capitol No. 426 (1953)This Modern World – Capitol No. 460 (1953)Portraits on Standards – Capitol No. 462 (1953)Kenton Showcase: The Music of Bill Russo – Capitol No. H525 (1954)Kenton Showcase : The Music of Bill Holman – Capitol No. H526 (1954)Duet (with June Christy) – Capitol No. 656 (1955)Contemporary Concepts – Capitol No. 666 (1955)Kenton in Hi-Fi – Capitol No. 724 (1956)Cuban Fire! – Capitol No. 731 (1956)Kenton with Voices – Capitol No. 810 (1957)Rendezvous with Kenton – Capitol No. 932 (1957)Back to Balboa – Capitol No. 995 (1958)The Ballad Style of Stan Kenton – Capitol No. 1068 (1958)Lush Interlude – Capitol No. 1130 (1958)The Stage Door Swings – Capitol No. 1166 (1958)The Kenton Touch – Capitol No. 1276 (1958)Viva Kenton! – Capitol No. 1305 (1959)Standards in Silhouette – Capitol No. 1394 (1959)Two Much! (with Ann Richards) – Capitol No. 1495 (1960)The Romantic Approach – Capitol No. 1533 (1961)Kenton's West Side Story – Capitol No. 1609 (1961)A Merry Christmas! – Capitol No. 1621 (1961)Sophisticated Approach – Capitol No. 1674 (1961)Adventures in Standards – Creative World No. 1025 (1961 – released 1975)Adventures In Jazz – Capitol No. 1796 (1961)Adventures in Blues – Capitol No. 1985 (1961)Stan Kenton! Tex Ritter! (with Tex Ritter) – Capitol No. 1757 (1962)Adventures in Time – Capitol No. 1844 (1962)Artistry in Bossa Nova – Capitol No. 1931 (1963)Artistry in Voices and Brass – Capitol No. 2132 (1963)Stan Kenton / Jean Turner (with Jean Turner) – Capitol No. 2051 (1963)Kenton / Wagner – Capitol No. 2217 (1964)Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra – Capitol No. 2424 (1965–1966)Stan Kenton Plays for Today – Capitol No. 2655 (1966–1967)The World We Know – Capitol No. 2810The Jazz Compositions of Dee Barton – Capitol No. 2932 (1967)Finian's Rainbow – Capitol No. 2971 (1968)Hair – Capitol No. ST305 (1969)National Anthems of the World – Creative World No. 1060 (1972)7.5 on the Richter Scale – Creative World No. 1070 (1973)Stan Kenton Without His Orchestra (solo) – Creative World No. 1071 (1973)Stan Kenton Plays Chicago – Creative World No. 1072 (1974)Fire, Fury and Fun – Creative World No. 1073 (1974)Kenton '76 – Creative World No. 1076 (1976)Journey Into Capricorn – Creative World No. 1077 (1976) Live albumsStan Kenton Live at Cornell University (1951)Stan Kenton Stompin' at Newport – Pablo #PACD-5312-2 (1957)On the Road with Stan Kenton – Artistry Records #AR-101 (Recorded Nov. 6, 1958 at the Municipal Auditorium, Sarasota, Florida)Kenton Live from the Las Vegas Tropicana – Capitol No. 1460 (1959)Road Show (with June Christy and The Four Freshmen) – Capitol #TBO1327 (1959)Stan Kenton at Ukiah – Status #STCD109 (1959)Stan Kenton in New Jersey – Status #USCD104 (1959)Mellophonium Magic – Status No. CD103 (1962)Mellophonium Moods – Status No. STCD106 (1962)Stan Kenton and His Orchestra at Fountain Street Church Part 1 – Status #DSTS1014 (1968)Stan Kenton and His Orchestra at Fountain Street Church Part 2– Status #DSTS1016 (1968) Private Party – Creative World No. 1014 (1970)Live At Redlands University – Creative World No. 1015 (1970)Live at Brigham Young University – Creative World No. 1039 (1971)Live at Butler University – Creative World No. 1058 (1972)The Stuttgart Experience – Live In Stuttgart – Jazzhaus #JAH-457 (1972)Stan Kenton Today – Live In London – London/Creative World #BP 44179-80 (1972)Birthday in Britain – Creative World #ST 1065 (1973)Flying High in Florida (1972)Live at the London Hilton – Part I & II (1973)Live in Europe (1976)The Lost Concert Vol. 1–2 Recorded at The Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles, CA on March 18, 1978, posthumous release in 2002 – Jazz Heritage CompilationsStan Kenton's Milestones (Capitol, 1943–47 [1950])Stan Kenton Classics (Capitol, 1944–47 [1952])The Kenton Era (Capitol, 1940–53 [1955])City of Glass and This Modern World – Capitol No. 736 (1951–1953 [1957])Stan Kenton's Greatest Hits (Capitol, 1943–47 [1965])Stan Kenton On AFRS – Status DSTS1019 (1944–1945)One Night Stand – Magic #DAWE66 (1961–1962)Some Women I've Known – Creative World No. 1029The Fabulous Alumni of Stan Kenton – Capitol No. T 20244 (1970) The Complete Capitol Recordings Of The Holman And Russo Charts – Mosaic MD4-136The Complete Capitol Recordings – Mosaic MD7-163The Peanut VendorThe Jazz Compositions Of Stan Kenton – Creative World No. ST1078 (1945–1973)Street of Dreams – Creative World No. 1079 (1979 vinyl; 1992 CD)The Innovations Orchestra (Capitol, 1950–51 [1997]) On film or television 1941 Zig Me, Baby, With a Gentle Zag (short) 1942 Jammin' in the Panoram (short) 1942 Jealous (short) 1942 Reed Rapture (short) 1944 This Love of Mine (short) 1945 Eager Beaver (short) 1945 I'm Homesick, That's All (short) 1945 It's Been a Long Long Time (short) 1945 Southern Scandal (short) 1945 Tampico (short) 1946 Talk About A Lady (feature film) 1946 Southern Scandal (short) 1947 Let's Make Rhythm (short) 1947 Stan Kenton and His Orchestra (biographical short) 1950 The Ed Sullivan Show (television) 1953 Schlagerparade (movie) Stan Kenton at the Sporthalle in Berlin 1954 Spotlight No. 5 (CBC television, documentary) 1955 Music '55 (television, musical variety) 1956 Happy New Year: A Sunday Spectacular (television) 1956 Juke Box Jury (television, gameshow) 1957 Alan Melville Takes You from A-Z (BBC television) 1957 The Big Record (television) 1958 The Gisele MacKenzie Show (television) 1960 General Electric Theater (television) 1960 Startime (television) 1960 Dixieland Small-Fry (television) 1962 Jazz Scene USA (television) 1962 Music of the 60s (television) 1962 The Lively Ones (television) 1963 The Ed Sullivan Show (television) 1964 The Les Crane Show (television) 1965 Big Bands (WGN-TV television) 1965 Jamboree (television) 1966 The Linkletter Show (television) 1967 The Woody Woodbury Show (television) 1967 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (television) 1968 Something Special with Mel Torme (television) 1968 The Crusade for Jazz aka Bound To Be Heard (television documentary) 1969 The Substance of Jazz (educational/documentary) 1969 and 1970 The David Frost Show (television) 1968 and 1970 The Mike Douglas Show (television) 1971 The Merv Griffin Show (television) 1972 Sounds of Saturday (BBC television) 1976 Soundstage (television) 1977 Omnibus (BBC television) 2011 Stan Kenton: Artistry In Rhythm- Portrait Of A Jazz Legend'' (documentary) Compositions Stan Kenton's compositions include "Artistry in Rhythm", released as V-Disc No. 285B, "Opus in Pastels", "Artistry Jumps", "Reed Rapture", "Eager Beaver", released on V-Disc 285B, "Fantasy", "Southern Scandal", which was released as V-Disc No. 573B, "Monotony", released as V-Disc No. 854B, in 1948, with a spoken introduction by Kenton, "Harlem Folk Dance", "Painted Rhythm", "Concerto to End All Concertos", "Easy Go", "Concerto for Doghouse", "Shelly Manne", "Balboa Bash", "Flamenco", and "Sunset Tower". Many compositions are collaborations between Stan Kenton and Pete Rugolo, such as "Artistry in Boogie," "Collaboration," and "Theme to the West." Kenton was credited as a co-writer of the 1944 jazz classic "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine". Notes References External links Bell High School Alumni Page for Stan Kenton Stan Kenton Research Center*Article on Stan Kenton's Mellophonium Band An Interview with Jo Lea Starling, wife of Ray Starling An Interview with Tony Scodwell, Stan Kenton Mellophoniumist The Stan Kenton Collection at the University of North Texas Stan Kenton's music published by Sierra Music Publications Terry Vosbein's All Things Kenton site - discography, radio shows, rare images and audio. GNP Crescendo Records 1911 births 1979 deaths Age controversies Cool jazz musicians Swing bandleaders Big band bandleaders Jazz arrangers Progressive big band bandleaders American jazz bandleaders Musicians from California American music arrangers Grammy Award winners Capitol Records artists American jazz educators Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery 20th-century American musicians Summit Records artists
true
[ "Albert Salomon (1883–1976) was a Jewish-German surgeon at the Royal Surgical University Clinic in Berlin. He is best known for his study of early mastectomies that is considered the beginning of mammography. He was the father of the artist Charlotte Salomon, who was murdered in Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust.\n\nBreast pathology\nIn 1913, Salomon performed a study on 3,000 mastectomies. In the study, Salomon compared X-rays of the breasts to the actual removed tissue, observing specifically microcalcifications. By doing so, he was able to establish the difference as seen on an X-ray image between cancerous and non-cancerous tumors in the breast. Salomon's mammographs provided substantial information about the spread of tumors and their borders. In the midst of the study, Salomon also discovered that there are multiple types of breast cancer. Salomon was unable to use this technique in practice because he did not work with breast cancer patients, and although he published his findings in 1913, mammography did not become a common practice until years later.\n\nLater life\nSalomon was dismissed from the University of Berlin in 1933 after Adolf Hitler came to power. He was later imprisoned in Sachsenhausen concentration camp. He was released in 1939 and left for the Netherlands. From there he was deported to the Westerbork transit camp in (Drente) Holland, from where he escaped in 1943 and went into hiding in the Netherlands until 1945. After World War II ended, he moved to Amsterdam, where he worked as a professor.\n\nReferences\n\nGerman surgeons\nJewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the Netherlands\n1883 births\n1976 deaths\n20th-century surgeons", "Emil Karl Alexander Flaminius (1807, Küstrin - 7 October 1893, Berlin) was a Prussian architect and master builder.\n\nHistory\n\nFlaminius grew up in Küstrin during the Napoleonic Wars and the period of reconstruction after the departure of the Napoleonic occupying forces in 1814. For twenty years he worked on the Oder and Warthe dykes in his home town. In 1828 he moved to Berlin to study architecture at the Bauakademie, where he came into contact with Karl Friedrich Schinkel. He frequently collaborated with Schinkel in the following years and even began to implement some of Schinkel's projects whilst still studying. For example, aged only 21, he worked with Schinkel on repairing the Frankfurter Marienkirche after the collapse of its south tower - the project did not replace the south tower, but did produce one of the largest works of Brick Gothic.\n\nFlaminius graduated from the Bauakademie in 1830, after only two years' study. Between 1832 and 1836 he worked to erect a new home for the Bauakademie, using designs by Schinkel.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n \n\n1807 births\n1893 deaths\n19th-century German architects\n19th-century Prussian people\nPeople from Kostrzyn nad Odrą" ]
[ "Stan Kenton", "Career", "Tell me about Kenton's career?", "Kenton would make his first recordings when Arnheim made 14 sides for the Brunswick label in summer of 1937.", "What was Arnheim?", "Gus Arnheim's group,", "What did Kenton do after that?", "Kenton went back to study with private teachers on both the piano and in composition.", "Where did he study?", "with private teachers" ]
C_23328bf927d74e61a66e83709819e114_1
Are there any other interesting aspects about this article?
5
Are there any other interesting aspects about this article besides Stan Kenton's career?
Stan Kenton
In April 1936 Gus Arnheim was reorganizing his band into the style of Benny Goodman's groups and Kenton was to take the piano chair. This is where Kenton would make his first recordings when Arnheim made 14 sides for the Brunswick label in summer of 1937. Once he departed from Gus Arnheim's group, Kenton went back to study with private teachers on both the piano and in composition. In 1938 Kenton would join Vido Musso in a short-lived band but a very educational experience for him. From the core of this group come the line up of the first Stan Kenton groups of the 1940s. Kenton would also go on to working with the NBC House Band and in various Hollywood studios and clubs. Producer George Avakian took notice of Kenton during this time while he worked as the pianist and Assistant Musical Director at the Earl Carroll Theatre Restaurant in Hollywood. Kenton started to get the idea of running his own band from this experience; he created a rehearsal band of his own which eventually become his group in the 1940s. In June 1941, Kenton formed his first orchestra. Kenton worked in the early days with his own groups as much more of an arranger than a featured pianist. Although there were no "name" musicians in his first band (with the possible exception of bassist Howard Rumsey and trumpeter Chico Alvarez), Kenton spent the summer of 1941 playing regularly before an audience at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach, CA. Influenced by Benny Carter and Jimmie Lunceford, the Stan Kenton Orchestra struggled for a time after its initial success. Its Decca recordings were not big sellers and a stint as Bob Hope's backup radio band during the 1943-44 season was an unhappy experience; Les Brown permanently took Kenton's place. Kenton's first appearance in New York was in February 1942 at the Roseland Ballroom, with the marquee featuring an endorsement by Fred Astaire. By late 1943, with a contract with the newly formed Capitol Records, a popular record in "Eager Beaver", and growing recognition, the Stan Kenton Orchestra was gradually catching on; it developed into one of the best-known West Coast ensembles of the 1940s. Its soloists during the war years included Art Pepper, briefly Stan Getz, altoist Boots Mussulli, and singer Anita O'Day. By 1945, the band had evolved. The songwriter Joe Greene provided the lyrics for hit songs like "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'". Pete Rugolo became the chief arranger (extending Kenton's ideas), Bob Cooper and Vido Musso offered very different tenor styles, and June Christy was Kenton's new singer; her hits (including "Tampico" and Greene's "Across the Alley from the Alamo") made it possible for Kenton to finance his more ambitious projects. CANNOTANSWER
In June 1941, Kenton formed his first orchestra.
Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though Kenton had several pop hits from the early 1940s into the 1960s, his music was always forward-looking. Kenton was also a pioneer in the field of jazz education, creating the Stan Kenton Jazz Camp in 1959 at Indiana University. Early life Stan Kenton was born on December 15, 1911, in Wichita, Kansas; he had two sisters (Beulah and Erma Mae) born three and eight years after him. His parents, Floyd and Stella Kenton, moved the family to Colorado, and in 1924, to the Greater Los Angeles Area, settling in suburban Bell, California. Kenton attended Bell High School; his high-school yearbook picture has the prophetic notation "Old Man Jazz". Kenton started learning piano as a teen from a local pianist and organist. When he was around 15 and in high school, pianist and arranger Ralph Yaw introduced him to the music of Louis Armstong and Earl Hines. He graduated from high school in 1930. By the age of 16, Kenton was already playing a regular solo piano gig at a local hamburger eatery for 50 cents a night plus tips; during that time he had his own performing group named "The Bell-Tones". His first arrangement was written during this time for a local eight-piece band that played in nearby Long Beach. Career 1930s With very little money, Kenton traveled to speakeasys in San Diego and Las Vegas playing piano. By 1932 he was playing with the Francis Gilbert Territory band and would tour through Arizona; he would go on to working with the Everett Hoagland Orchestra in 1933, which would be his first time playing at the Rendezvous Ballroom. He would then play with Russ Plummer, Hal Grayson and eventually got a big break with Gus Arnheim. In April 1936 Arnheim was reorganizing his band into the style of Benny Goodman's groups and Kenton was to take the piano chair. This is where Kenton would make his first recordings when Arnheim made 14 sides for the Brunswick label in summer of 1937. Once he departed from Gus Arnheim's group, Kenton went back to study with private teachers on both the piano and in composition. In 1938 Kenton would join Vido Musso in a short-lived band but a very educational experience for him. From the core of this group came the line up of the first Stan Kenton groups of the 1940s. Kenton would also go on to working with the NBC House Band and in various Hollywood studios and clubs. Producer George Avakian took notice of Kenton during this time while he worked as the pianist and Assistant Musical Director at the Earl Carroll Theatre Restaurant in Hollywood. Kenton started to get the idea of running his own band from this experience; he created a rehearsal band of his own which eventually become his group in the 1940s. 1940s In 1940, Kenton formed his first orchestra. Kenton worked in the early days with his own groups as much more of an arranger than a featured pianist. Although there were no "name" musicians in his first band (with the possible exception of bassist Howard Rumsey and trumpeter Chico Alvarez), Kenton spent the summer of 1941 playing regularly before an audience at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa Beach, CA. Influenced by Benny Carter and Jimmie Lunceford, the Stan Kenton Orchestra struggled for a time after its initial success. Its Decca recordings were not big sellers and a stint as Bob Hope's backup radio band during the 1943–44 season was an unhappy experience; Les Brown permanently took Kenton's place. Kenton's first appearance in New York was in February 1942 at the Roseland Ballroom, with the marquee featuring an endorsement by Fred Astaire. By late 1943, with a contract with the newly formed Capitol Records, a popular record in "Eager Beaver", and growing recognition, the Stan Kenton Orchestra was gradually catching on; it developed into one of the best-known West Coast ensembles of the 1940s. Its soloists during the war years included Art Pepper, briefly Stan Getz, altoist Boots Mussulli, and singer Anita O'Day. By 1945, the band had evolved. The songwriter Joe Greene provided the lyrics for hit songs like "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'". Pete Rugolo became the chief arranger (extending Kenton's ideas), Bob Cooper and Vido Musso offered very different tenor styles, and June Christy was Kenton's new singer; her hits (including "Tampico" and Greene's "Across the Alley from the Alamo") made it possible for Kenton to finance his more ambitious projects. Artistry in Rhythm When composer/arranger Pete Rugolo joined the Stan Kenton Orchestra as staff arranger in late 1945 he brought with him his love of jazz, Stravinsky and Bartók. Given free rein by Kenton, Rugolo experimented. Although Kenton himself was already trying experimental scores prior to Rugolo's tenure, it was Rugolo who brought extra jazz and classical influences much needed to move the band forward artistically. During his first six months on the staff, Rugolo tried to copy Kenton's sound; on encouragement from the leader he explored his own voice. By incorporating compositional techniques borrowed from the modern classical music he studied, Rugolo was a key part of one of Kenton's most fertile and creative periods. After a string of mostly arrangements, Rugolo turned out three originals that Kenton featured on the band's first album in 1946: (Artistry in Rhythm): "Artistry in Percussion", "Safranski" and "Artistry in Bolero". Added to this mix came "Machito", "Rhythm Incorporated", "Monotony" and "Interlude" in early 1947 (though some were not recorded until later in the year). These compositions, along with June Christy's voice, came to define the Artistry in Rhythm band. Afro-Cuban writing was added to the Kenton book with compositions like Rugolo's "Machito." The resulting instrumentation, utilizing significant amounts of brass, was described as a "wall of sound" (a term later re-coined independently by Andrew Loog Oldham for Phil Spector's production methods). The Artistry in Rhythm ensemble was a formative band, with outstanding soloists. By early 1947, the Stan Kenton Orchestra had reached a high point of financial and popular success. They played in the best theaters and ballrooms in America and numerous hit records. Dances at the many ballrooms were typically four hours a night and theater dates generally involved playing mini-concerts between each showing of the movie. This was sometimes five or six a day, stretching from morning to late night. Most days not actually playing were spent in buses or cars. Days off from performing were rare. For Stan Kenton they just allowed for more record signing, radio station interviews, and advertising for Capitol Records. Due to the financial and personal demands, following an April performance in Tuscaloosa, he broke up the Artistry in Rhythm incarnation of Kenton ensembles. Progressive Jazz After a hiatus of five months, Kenton formed a new, larger ensemble to present Concerts in Progressive Jazz. Sustaining the ensemble on its own proved mostly attainable but the band still had to fill in its schedule by booking dances and movie theater jobs, especially over the summer. Pete Rugolo composed and arranged the great bulk of the new music; Kenton declared these works to be Progressive Jazz. A student of famed composer and educator Russ Garcia, Bob Graettinger wrote numerous works for the band, starting with his composition Thermopylae. His ground-breaking composition City of Glass was premiered by the band in Chicago in April 1948, but not recorded for another two and a half years, in a reworked version for the Innovations Orchestra. Ken Hanna, who began the tour as a trumpet player, contributed a few compositions to the new band, including Somnambulism. Kenton contributed no new scores to the Progressive Jazz band, although several of his older works were performed on concerts, including Concerto to End All Concertos, Eager Beaver, Opus in Pastels, and Artistry in Rhythm. Cuban inflected titles from the Progressive Jazz period include Rugolo's Introduction to a Latin Rhythm, Cuban Carnival, The Peanut Vendor, and Journey to Brazil, and Bob Graettinger's Cuban Pastorale. The addition of a full-time bongo player and a Brazilian guitarist in the band enabled Kenton's cadre of composers to explore Afro-Latin rhythms to far greater possibilities. The Progressive Jazz period lasted 14 months, beginning on September 24, 1947, when the Stan Kenton Orchestra played a concert at the Rendezvous Ballroom. And it ended after the last show at the Paramount Theatre in New York City on December 14, 1948. The band produced only one album and a handful of singles, due to a recording ban by the American Federation of Musicians that lasted the entirety of 1948. The lone record, "A Presentation of Progressive Jazz," received a 3 out of 4 rating from Tom Herrick in DownBeat. Metronome rated it "C" calling it a "jerry-built jumble of effects and counter-effects" and "this album presents very little that can justifiably be called either jazz or progressive." Billboard scored it 80 out of 100, but declared it "as mumbo-jumbo a collection of cacophony as has ever been loosed on an unsuspecting public. Many sidemen from the Artistry band returned, but there were significant changes. Laurindo Almeida on classical guitar, and Jack Costanzo on bongos dramatically changed the band's timbre. Both were firsts for the Kenton band, or any jazz band for that matter. The rhythm section included returnees Eddie Safranski (bass) and Shelly Manne (drums), both destined to win first place Down Beat awards. Four of the five trumpet players returned: Buddy Childers, Ray Wetzel, Chico Alvarez, and Ken Hanna. Al Porcino was added to the already powerhouse section. Conte Candoli joined the band, replacing Porcino, in February 1948. Kai Winding, star trombonist of the Artistry in Rhythm band, would not be a part of the Progressive Jazz era, except for a few dates on which he subbed. Milt Bernhart came in on lead trombone. And Bart Varsalona returned on bass trombone. Bernhart's first big solo with the Kenton band proved to be a major hit, The Peanut Vendor. The saxophone section was much improved and modernized. Returning saxophonists included baritone Bob Gioga, holding down his chair since the very start, and Bob Cooper on tenor. With Vido Musso's departure, Cooper and his modernist sound became the featured tenor soloist. Art Pepper came on as second alto, the "jazz" chair. And the new lead alto was George Weidler. This was genuinely a band of all-stars. They received five first place awards in the Down Beat poll at the end of 1947, and similar awards from the other magazines. The arrangers continued to push the limits of these superb instrumentalists in their compositions. Works from this period are more sophisticated than those written for the Artistry band, and are some of the first and most successful "third stream" compositions. The band criss-crossed the country, appearing in the nation's top concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, Chicago Civic Opera House, Academy of Music (Philadelphia), and the Hollywood Bowl. They had extended stays at New York's Paramount Theatre and Hotel Commodore, Philadelphia's Click, Detroit's Eastwood Gardens, Radio City Theater in Minneapolis, and the Rendezvous Ballroom, a special place in Kenton's musical life. Kenton's band was the first to present a concert in the famous outdoor arena, the Hollywood Bowl. His concert there on June 12, 1948, drew more than 15,000 people, and was both an artistic and commercial success. Kenton pocketed half of the box office, walking away with $13,000 for the evening's concert. The band broke attendance records all across the country. Thanks to Kenton's public relations acumen, he was able to convince concert goers and record buyers of the importance of his music. Comedy numbers and June Christy vocals helped break up the seriousness of the new music. Kenton's successes did not sit well with everyone. In an essay entitled Economics and Race in Jazz, Leslie B. Rout Jr. wrote that "the real scourge of the 1946–1949 period was the all-white Stan Kenton band. Dubbing his musical repertoire 'progressive jazz,' Kenton saw his orchestra become the first in jazz history to reach an annual gross of $1,000,000 in 1948." He contrasted this with a situation in which critical and public recognition of "Dizzy Gillespie as the premiere bopper could not be transformed into coin of the realm." At the end of 1948, as the band was fulfilling an extended engagement at the Paramount Theater in New York City, the leader notified his sidemen, his bookers, and the press, that he would be disbanding once more. Kenton's most artistically and commercially successful band ceased to be at the top of their game. On December 14, the Stan Kenton Orchestra played their last notes for more than a year. When they returned, there would be new faces, new music and a string section. 1950s After a year's hiatus, in 1950 Kenton assembled the large 39-piece Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra that included 16 strings, a woodwind section, and two French horns. The music was an extension of the works composed and recorded since 1947 by Bob Graettinger, Manny Albam, Franklyn Marks and others. Name jazz musicians such as Maynard Ferguson, Shorty Rogers, Milt Bernhart, John Graas, Art Pepper, Bud Shank, Bob Cooper, Laurindo Almeida, Shelly Manne, and June Christy were part of these musical ensembles. The groups managed two tours during 1950–51, from a commercial standpoint it would be Stan Kenton's first major failure. Kenton soon reverted to a more standard 19-piece lineup. In order to be more commercially viable, Kenton reformed the band in 1951 to a much more standard instrumentation: five saxes, five trombones, five trumpets, piano, guitar, bass, drums. The charts of such arrangers as Gerry Mulligan, Johnny Richards, and particularly Bill Holman and Bill Russo began to dominate the repertoire. The music was written to better reflect the style of cutting edge, be-bop oriented big bands, such as those of Dizzy Gillespie or Woody Herman. Young, talented players and outstanding jazz soloists such as Maynard Ferguson, Lee Konitz, Conte Candoli, Sal Salvador, and Frank Rosolino made strong contributions to the level of the 1952–53 band. The music composed and arranged during this time was far more tailor-made to contemporary jazz tastes; the 1953 album New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm is noted as one of the high points in Kenton's career as band leader. Though the band was to have a very strong "concert book", Kenton also made sure the dance book was made new, fresh and contemporary. The album Sketches on Standards from 1953 is an excellent example of Kenton appealing to a wider audience while using the band and Bill Russo's arranging skills to their fullest potential. Even though the personnel changed rather rapidly, Kenton's focus was very clear on where he would lead things musically. By this time producer Lee Gillette worked well in concert with Kenton to create a balanced set of recordings that were both commercially viable and cutting edge musically. Arguably the most "swinging" band Kenton was to field came when legendary drummer Mel Lewis joined the orchestra in 1954. Kenton's Contemporary Concepts (1955) and Kenton in Hi-Fi (1956) albums during this time are very impressive as a be-bop recording and then a standard dance recording (respectively). Kenton in Hi-Fis wide popularity and sales benefited from the fact it was his greatest hits of ten years earlier re-recorded in stereo with a contemporary, much higher level band. The album climbed all the way up to #22 on the Billboard album charts and provided much needed revenue at a time when Rock n Roll had started to become the dominant pop music in the United States. It would become more and more difficult for Kenton to alternate between 'dance' and serious 'jazz' albums while staying financially solvent. During the summer of the summer of 1955 (July–September), Kenton was to become the host of the CBS television series Music 55. While it offered 10 weeks of great exposure to a rapidly expanding television audience, the show failed. It was plagued by poor production techniques and a strange combination of guests that did not work well with what Kenton had envisioned. He ended up being stiff and out of place with what the producers tried to achieve. Kenton had to burn the candle at both ends flying in to do the show then flying back out to meet his band out on the road. The New York production team was limited by using an American Federation of Musicians roster of local players; Kenton wanted his own band to do the show. There would be another attempt for the Kenton organization to place the band on regularly scheduled television programming in 1958. After six Kenton financed episodes on KTTV in Los Angeles, there would be no sponsors to step up and back the show. One of the standout projects and recordings for the mid-1950s band is the Cuban Fire! album released in 1956. Though Stan Kenton had recorded earlier hits such as The Peanut Vendor in 1947 with Latin percussionist Machito, as well as many other Latin flavored singles, the Cuban Fire! suite and LP stands as a watershed set of compositions for Johnny Richards' career and an outstanding commercial/artistic achievement for the Kenton orchestra, and a singular landmark in large ensemble Latin jazz recordings. "CUBAN FIRE is completely authentic, the way it combines big-band jazz with genuine Latin-American rhythms." The success of the Cuban Fire! album can be gauged in part by the immediate ascent of Johnny Richards' star after its release; he was suddenly offered a contract by Bethlehem Records to record what would be the first of several recordings with his own groups. At one point, Kenton faced a controversy in 1956 with comments he made when the band returned from a European tour. The current Critics Poll in Down Beat was now dominated by African-American musicians in virtually every category. The Kenton band was playing in Ontario, Canada, at the time, and Kenton dispatched a telegram which lamented "a new minority, white jazz musicians," and stated his "disgust [with the so-called] literary geniuses of jazz." Jazz critic Leonard Feather responded in the October 3, 1956, issue of Down Beat with an open letter that questioned Kenton's racial views. Feather implied that Kenton's failure to win the Critics Poll was probably the real reason for the complaint, and wondered if racial prejudice was involved. In hindsight the record shows Kenton's biggest sin is to have hastily fired off the comments. However, less than 2% of the more than 600 sidemen with the Kenton band were African American. By the end of the decade Kenton was with the last incarnation of a 19-piece, 1950s-style Kenton orchestra. Many bands have been called a leader's "best"; this last Kenton 1959 incarnation of the 1950s bands may very well be the best. The group would pull off one of Kenton's most artistic, subtle and introspective recordings, Standards in Silhouette. As trombonist Archie LeCoque recalled of this album of very slow ballads, "...it was hard, but at the time we were all young and straight-ahead, we got through it and (two) albums came out well." By 1959 Stereophonic sound recording was now being fully utilized with all major labels. One of the great triumphs of the Standards in Silhouette album is the mature writing, the combination of the room used, a live group with very few overdubs, and the recording being in full stereo fidelity (and later remastered to digital). Bill Mathieu was highly skeptical of the decision to record his music like Cuban Fire! in a cavernous ballroom. Mathieu adds: "Stan and producer Lee Gillette were absolutely right: the band sounds alive and awake (which is not easy when recording many hours of slow-tempo music in a studio), and most importantly, the players could hear themselves well in the live room. The end result is the band sounds strong and cohesive, and the album is well recorded." This is the last set of studio dates before Kenton would retool the entire orchestra in 1960. 1960s The Kenton orchestra had been on a slow decline in sales and popularity in the late 1950s with having to compete with newer, popular music artists such as Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, and The Platters. The nadir of this decline was around 1958 and coincided with a recession that was affecting the entire country. There were far fewer big bands on the road and live music venues were hard to book for the Kenton orchestra. The band would end 1959 beaten up by poor attendance at concerts and having to rely far more on dance halls than real jazz concerts. The band would reform in 1960 with a new look, a new sound, a larger group with a 'mellophonium' section added and an upsurge in Kenton's popularity.Sparke, Michael; Peter Venudor (1998). Stan Kenton, The Studio Sessions. Balboa Books. . The new instrument was used by Kenton to "bridge the gap" in range, color, and tonality between his trumpet and trombone sections. Essentially it creates a conical, midrange sound that is common in a symphonic setting with a horn (French horn) but the bell of the instrument faces forward. Kenton's 1961 recording The Romantic Approach for Capitol is the first of 11 LPs that would feature the "mellophonium band". Kenton arranged the whole first mellophonium album himself and it was very well received in a September 1961 review in Down Beat. The Kenton Orchestra from 1960 to 1963 had numerous successes; the band had a relentless recording schedule. The albums Kenton's West Side Story (arrangements by Johnny Richards) and Adventures In Jazz, each won Grammy awards in 1962 and 1963 respectively. Ralph Carmichael wrote a superb set of Christmas charts for Kenton which translated into one of the most popular recordings from the band leader to date: A Merry Christmas!. Also, Johnny Richards' Adventures in Time suite (recorded in 1962) was the culmination of all things the mellophonium band was capable of.NPR: Stan Kenton At 100: Artistry In Rhythm , Reference to Adventures in Time in article as important milestone of Kenton's music. February 17, 2012. After the Fall 1963 U.S./U.K. tour ended in November, the mellophonium incarnation of Kenton bands was done. The conditions of Stan's divorce from jazz singer Ann Richards was that a judge ordered Stan to take a year off the road to help raise their two children or lose custody altogether. Kenton would not reform another road band for tour until 1965. Kenton had ties from earlier writing of country/western songs that were a success with Capitol and again he tried his hand in that genre during the early 1960s. In a music market that was becoming increasingly tight, in 1962 he cut the hit single "Mama Sang a Song"; his last Top-40 ( 32 Billboard, No. 22 Music Vendor). The song was a narration written by country singer Bill Anderson and spoken by Kenton. The single also received a Grammy nomination the following year in the Best Documentary or Spoken Word Recording category. The other attempt he made into that market was the far less successful Stan Kenton! Tex Ritter!, released in 1962 as a full LP. After the breakup of the mellophonium band, Kenton / Wagner (1964) was an important recording project that Kenton himself arranged, again moving towards "progressive jazz" or third stream music. This album was not a financial success but kept Kenton at the forefront of 'art music' interpretation in the commercial music world. Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra (1965) was an artistic success that garnered another Grammy nomination for the band leader. During this time Kenton also co-wrote the theme music for the short lived NBC television series Mister Roberts (1965–66). The 1966–1969 Capitol releases for Stan Kenton were a severe low point for his recording career. Capitol producer Lee Gillette was trying to exploit the money making possibilities of numerous popular hits to include the 1968 musical Hair featuring contemporary rock music. Due to lack of promotion by Capitol, four LPs were financial failures; this would be the last releases for Kenton under the aegis of long time Kenton producer Lee Gillette and Capitol. In fact, by the time it was recorded Kenton had no involvement in the Hair LP except for Kenton's name placed on the jacket cover; Ralph Carmichael and Lennie Niehaus were placed in charge of the project. Two exceptions to this late 1960s period are the Billboard charted single the band cut of the Dragnet theme (1967) and another Kenton presents release featuring the music of composer and ex-bandsman Dee Barton: The Jazz Compositions of Dee Barton (1967). The album featuring Barton's music was another unsung artistic success for the Kenton band though widely unseen commercially by the a music listening public. 1970s The transition from Capitol to Creative World Records in 1970 was fraught with difficulties during a time when the music business was changing rapidly. As a viable jazz artist who was trying to keep a loyal but dwindling following, Kenton turned to arrangers such as Hank Levy and Bob Curnow to write material that appealed to a younger audience. The first releases for the Creative World label were live concerts and Kenton had the control he wanted over content but lacked substantial resources to engineer, mix, and promote what Capitol underwrote in the past. Kenton would take a big gamble to bypass the current record industry and rely far more on the direct mail lists of jazz fans which the newly formed Creative World label would need to sell records. Kenton also made his print music available to college and high-school stage bands with several publishers. Kenton continued leading and touring with his big band up to his final performance on August 20, 1978; he disbanded the group due to his failing health. In June 1973 Bob Curnow had started as the new artists and repertoire manager overseeing the whole operation of the Creative World Records. It was just the year before (in 1972) the Kenton orchestra recorded the National Anthems of the World double LP with 40 arrangements all done by Curnow. As per Curnow himself, "That was a remarkable and very difficult time for me. I was managing (Stan's) record company with NO experience in business, writing music like mad, living in a new place and culture (Los Angeles was another world), traveling a LOT (out with the band at least 1 week a month) and trying to keep it together at home." When Kenton took to the road during the early 1970s and up to his last tour, he took with him seasoned veteran musicians (John Worster, Willie Maiden, Warren Gale, Graham Ellis and others) teaming them with relatively unknown young artists, and new arrangements (including those by Hank Levy, Bill Holman, Bob Curnow, Willie Maiden and Ken Hanna) were used. Many alumni associated with Kenton from this era became educators (Mike Vax, John Von Ohlen, Chuck Carter, Lisa Hittle and Richard Torres), and a few went on to take their musical careers to the next level, such as Peter Erskine, Douglas Purviance and Tim Hagans. Timeline of Stan Kenton Orchestras Legacy Kenton was a salient figure on the American musical scene and made an indelible mark on the arranged type of big band jazz. Kenton's music evolved with the times from 1940 through the 1970s. He was at the vanguard of promoting jazz and jazz improvisation through his service as an educator through his Stan Kenton Band Clinics. The "Kenton Style" continues to permeate big bands at the high school and collegiate level, and the framework he designed for the "jazz clinic" is still widely in use today. Starting in the waning days of the big band era, Kenton found a multitude of ways in which to progress his art form. In his hands the size of the jazz orchestra expanded greatly, at times exceeding forty musicians. The frequency range (high and low notes) was also increased with the use of bass trombones and tuba, and baritone and bass saxophones. The dynamic range was pushed on both ends; the band could play softer and louder than any other big band. Kenton was the primary band leader responsible for moving the big band from the dance hall to the concert hall; one of the most important and successful players in the Third Stream movement. Interest in his music has experienced somewhat of a resurgence, with critical "rediscovery" of his music and many reissues of his recordings. An alumni band named for him tours, led by lead trumpeter Mike Vax, which performs not only classic Kenton arrangements, but also new music written and performed by the band members (much like Kenton's own groups). Kenton donated his entire library to the music library of North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas), and the Stan Kenton Jazz Recital Hall was named in his honor, although has recently been changed due to concerns over his history of sexual misconduct. His arrangements are now published by Sierra Music Publications. When comparing the four longest running touring jazz orchestras (Stan Kenton, Woody Herman, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington), Kenton's band had a higher turnover of personnel. Bob Gioga, Buddy Childers, and Dick Shearer are among only a very few who played for Kenton for over a decade. Other important soloists such as Lennie Niehaus, Bill Perkins and Chico Alvarez had lengthy stays on the band as well. The list of noted jazz players, studio musicians is impressive and the consistency of the group from 1941 to Kenton's passing in 1979 is notable. Stan Kenton's leadership and music vision was clear to marshal the forces of such a diverse set of players and arrangers over this long period of time; Kenton stands alone in the respect. Personal life Kenton was born on December 15, 1911, according to his birth certificate, according to British biographer Michael Sparke. Kenton was conceived out of wedlock, and his parents told him that he was born two months later than the actual date, February 19, 1912, to obscure this fact. Kenton believed well into adulthood that the February date was his birthday, and recorded the Birthday In Britain concert album on February 19, 1973. The true date remained a closely held secret, and his grave marker shows the incorrect February birthdate. Kenton was married three times. Three children were produced from the first two marriages. His first marriage was to Violet Rhoda Peters in 1935 and lasted for 15 years. The couple had a daughter in 1941, Leslie. In her 2010 memoir Love Affair, Leslie Kenton wrote that, from 1952 to 1954, when she was between the ages of 11 and 13, her father sexually molested and raped her. She nonetheless maintained a close relationship with him during his lifetime, though she states that she was emotionally scarred by the experience. She stated that the rapes always occurred under the influence of alcohol, that he was not fully aware of his actions, and that 20 years later he apologized profusely. Leslie was an author of several books about health, spirituality and beauty. In 1955, Stan Kenton married San Diego-born singer Ann Richards, who was 23 years his junior. The relationship produced two children: daughter Dana Lynn and son Lance. In 1961, Richards posed for a nude layout in Playboy magazine's June 1961 issue. She signed a contract to record with Atco Records, without her husband's knowledge. The Playboy shoot was done without Kenton's knowledge; he found out about it while playing at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago when handed the magazine by Charles Suter, who was the editor of Down Beat magazine at the time. Richards was not typically on the road with the band, though she had recorded the album Two Much! with Kenton in 1960. Kenton filed for divorce in August 1961; it was finalized in 1962. He would retain custody of their two children. Kenton's third marriage was to KABC production assistant Jo Ann Hill, in 1967. This also ended in a separation in 1969 with the divorce following in 1970. In his later years he lived with his public relations secretary and last business manager, Audree Coke Kenton, though they never formally married. Kenton's heavy consumption of alcohol contributed to ongoing accidents and the physical difficulties he encountered during the last 10 years of his life. Kenton's son Lance became a member of the controversial Synanon new-age community in California, and served as one of its "Imperial Marines," a group entrusted with committing violence against former members and others considered enemies of the community. In 1978 he was arrested for helping to put a rattlesnake in the mailbox of an anti-Synanon lawyer, and was sentenced to a year in prison.Zacchino, Narda. "Band Leader's Son Suspect in Assault" Los Angeles Times. October 12, 1978. pp. 7 Kenton had two serious accidental falls, one in the early 1970s and one in May of 1977 while on tour in Reading, Pennsylvania. The second fall was very serious as he fractured his skull. The last two years of his life became far more physically challenging for Kenton from the effects of the two accidents. On August 17, 1979, he was admitted to Midway Hospital near his home in Los Angeles after a stroke; he died eight days later, on August 25. At the time of his death he had three grandchildren. Kenton was interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery, Los Angeles.Jones, Jack. "Stan Kenton, Innovative Band Leader, Dies At 67". Los Angeles Times. August 26, 1979. pp. 1 Gold records and charts (singles and albums)Gold Records1944 Artistry in Rhythm (Capitol Records) instrumental 1945 Tampico (Capitol Records) vocal by June Christy and band 1945 Shoo-Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy (Capitol Records) vocal by June Christy and band Hits as charted singles (Songs that reached the top of the US or UK charts) Between 1944 and 1967, Stan Kenton had numerous hits on Billboard's charts. Hits as charted albums (Albums charting history with Billboard Magazine) Awards and honors Wins and honors from major publications Grammy Awards |- |rowspan="2"| |rowspan="2"|West Side Story (album) |Best Performance by an orchestra - for other than dancing | |- |rowspan="2"|Best Jazz Performance - Large Group (Instrumental) | |- |rowspan="2"| |rowspan="2"|Adventures In Jazz (album) | |- |Best Engineered recording (other than classical and novelty) | |- |style="text-align:center;"| |Mama Sang a Song (single) |Best Documentary or Spoken Word Recording (other than comedy) | |- |style="text-align:center;"| |Artistry in Voices and Brass (album) |Best Performance by a Chorus | |- |style="text-align:center;"| |Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra (album) |Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Individual or Group | |-Grammy Hall of Fame|- |rowspan="1"| 1943 ||rowspan="1"| Artistry in Rhythm (with the Stan Kenton Orchestra) || Grammy Hall of Fame (1985) || International Music Awards Other awards and honors 1978 – Honorary Doctorate of Music: University of Redlands 1974 – Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters: Drury College 1968 – Honorary Doctorate of Music: Villanova University 1967 – Intercollegiate Music Festival Hall of Fame Award Named to the International Association for Jazz Education Hall of Fame (1980) Honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Recording – 6340 Hollywood Blvd.) "City of Glass" is honored in The Wire's "100 Records That Set The World on Fire" (While No One Was Listening)." Posthumously honored 2011 – "Stan Kenton: Artistry In Rhythm- Portrait Of A Jazz Legend" (DVD) EMPixx Awards – Platinum Award in the Documentary Category/Platinum Award in the Use of Music Category.United States Library of Congress National Recording Registry'''Artistry in Rhythm (single) – Stan Kenton – Released:1943 – Inducted: 2011 - Category: Jazz Noted band personnel Instrumentalists Pepper Adams Bob Ahern Sam Aleccia Ashley Alexander Laurindo Almeida Alfred "Chico" Alvarez Jim Amlotte John Anderson Buddy Arnold Don Bagley Gabe Baltazar Michael Bard Dave Barduhn Gary Barone Dee Barton Tim Bell Max Bennett Milt Bernhart Bill Briggs Bud Brisbois Ray Brown Bob Burgess Bart Caldarell Tony Campise Frank Capp Conte Candoli Pete Candoli Fred Carter Billy Catalano Bill Chase Buddy Childers Rich Condit Bob Cooper Jack Costanzo Curtis Counce Bob Curnow Quinn Davis Vinnie Dean Jay Daversa Don Dennis Sam Donahue Red Dorris Peter Erskine Don Fagerquist Maynard Ferguson Mary Fettig Bob Fitzpatrick Dr. William "Bill" Fritz Carl Fontana Chris Galuman Stan Getz Bob Gioga John Graas Benny Green Tim Hagans Ken Hanna Bill Hanna John Harner Dennis Hayslett Gary Henson Phil Herring Skeets Herfurt Lisa Hittle Gary Hobbs Bill Holman Marvin "Doc" Holladay Clay Jenkins Richie Kamuca Joel Kaye Red Kelly Jimmy Knepper Bobby Knight Lee Konitz Tom Lacy Scott LaFaro Jack Lake Keith LaMotte Kent Larsen Terry Layne Skip Layton Gary LeFebvre Archie LeCoque Stan Levey Mel Lewis Ramon Lopez Bob Lymperis John Madrid Willie Maiden Shelly Manne Charlie Mariano Al Mattaliano Dave Matthews Jerry McKenzie Dick Meldonian Don Menza Greg Metcalf Eddie Meyers Frank Minear Vido Musso Boots Mussulli Lennie Niehaus Dennis Noday Sam Noto Lloyd Otto Don Paladino John Park Kim Park Art Pepper Bill Perkins Oscar Pettiford Al Porcino Mike Price Douglas Purviance Ray Reed Clyde Reasinger Roy Reynolds Kim Richmond George Roberts Gene Roland Billy Root Frank Rosolino Shorty Rogers Ernie Royal Howard Rumsey Bill Russo Eddie Safranski Sal Salvador Carl Saunders Jay Saunders Dave Schildkraut Bud Shank Dick Shearer Jack Sheldon Kenny Shroyer Gene Siegel Zoot Sims Tom Slaney Dalton Smith Greg Smith Mike Snustead Ed Soph Lloyd Spoon Mike Suter Marvin Stamm Ray Starling Vinnie Tano Lucky Thompson Richard Torres Bill Trujillo Jeff Uusitalo Mike Vaccaro David van Kriedt Bart Varsalona Mike Vax John Von Ohlen George Weidler Ray Wetzel Rick Weathersby Jiggs Whigham Stu Williamson Kai Winding John Worster Alan Yankee Composers and Arrangers Manny Albam Buddy Baker Dave Barduhn Dee Barton Ralph Carmichael Joe Coccia Frank Comstock Bob Curnow Dale Devoe Sam Donahue Wayne Dunston Dennis Farnon Bob Florence Bill Fritz Bob Graettinger Ken Hanna Neal Hefti Bill Holman Gene Howard Hank Levy Willie Maiden Franklyn Marks Bill Mathieu Gerry Mulligan Lennie Niehaus Boots Mussulli Chico O'Farrill Marty Paich Johnny Richards Shorty Rogers Gene Roland Pete Rugolo Bill Russo Charlie Shirley Steve Spiegl Ray Starling Mark Taylor Al Yankee Ralph Yaw Vocalists Ernie Bernhardt Cindy Bradley Kay Brown Helen Carr June Christy Chris Connor Red Dorris Kay Gregory Gene Howard Jay Johnson Eve Knight Kent Larsen Dolly Mitchell The Modern Men Anita O'Day The Pastels Ann Richards Frank Rosolino Gail Sherwood Jan Tober Jean Turner Jerri Winters Ray Wetzel Discography and on film and television Studio albumsStan Kenton and His Orchestra – McGregor No. LP201 (1941)The Formative Years – Decca No. 589 489-2 (1941–1942)Artistry in Rhythm – Capitol No. BD39 (1946)Encores – Capitol No. 155 (1947)A Presentation of Progressive Jazz – Capitol No. T172 (1947)Metronome Riff (single) – Capitol special pressing (1947)Innovations in Modern Music – Capitol No. 189 (1950)Stan Kenton's Milestones – Capitol No. T190 (through 1950)Stan Kenton Presents – Capitol No. 248 (1950)City of Glass – Capitol No. H353 (1951)New Concepts of Artistry in Rhythm – Capitol 383 (1952)Popular Favorites by Stan Kenton – Capitol No. 421 (1953)Sketches on Standards – Capitol No. 426 (1953)This Modern World – Capitol No. 460 (1953)Portraits on Standards – Capitol No. 462 (1953)Kenton Showcase: The Music of Bill Russo – Capitol No. H525 (1954)Kenton Showcase : The Music of Bill Holman – Capitol No. H526 (1954)Duet (with June Christy) – Capitol No. 656 (1955)Contemporary Concepts – Capitol No. 666 (1955)Kenton in Hi-Fi – Capitol No. 724 (1956)Cuban Fire! – Capitol No. 731 (1956)Kenton with Voices – Capitol No. 810 (1957)Rendezvous with Kenton – Capitol No. 932 (1957)Back to Balboa – Capitol No. 995 (1958)The Ballad Style of Stan Kenton – Capitol No. 1068 (1958)Lush Interlude – Capitol No. 1130 (1958)The Stage Door Swings – Capitol No. 1166 (1958)The Kenton Touch – Capitol No. 1276 (1958)Viva Kenton! – Capitol No. 1305 (1959)Standards in Silhouette – Capitol No. 1394 (1959)Two Much! (with Ann Richards) – Capitol No. 1495 (1960)The Romantic Approach – Capitol No. 1533 (1961)Kenton's West Side Story – Capitol No. 1609 (1961)A Merry Christmas! – Capitol No. 1621 (1961)Sophisticated Approach – Capitol No. 1674 (1961)Adventures in Standards – Creative World No. 1025 (1961 – released 1975)Adventures In Jazz – Capitol No. 1796 (1961)Adventures in Blues – Capitol No. 1985 (1961)Stan Kenton! Tex Ritter! (with Tex Ritter) – Capitol No. 1757 (1962)Adventures in Time – Capitol No. 1844 (1962)Artistry in Bossa Nova – Capitol No. 1931 (1963)Artistry in Voices and Brass – Capitol No. 2132 (1963)Stan Kenton / Jean Turner (with Jean Turner) – Capitol No. 2051 (1963)Kenton / Wagner – Capitol No. 2217 (1964)Stan Kenton Conducts the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra – Capitol No. 2424 (1965–1966)Stan Kenton Plays for Today – Capitol No. 2655 (1966–1967)The World We Know – Capitol No. 2810The Jazz Compositions of Dee Barton – Capitol No. 2932 (1967)Finian's Rainbow – Capitol No. 2971 (1968)Hair – Capitol No. ST305 (1969)National Anthems of the World – Creative World No. 1060 (1972)7.5 on the Richter Scale – Creative World No. 1070 (1973)Stan Kenton Without His Orchestra (solo) – Creative World No. 1071 (1973)Stan Kenton Plays Chicago – Creative World No. 1072 (1974)Fire, Fury and Fun – Creative World No. 1073 (1974)Kenton '76 – Creative World No. 1076 (1976)Journey Into Capricorn – Creative World No. 1077 (1976) Live albumsStan Kenton Live at Cornell University (1951)Stan Kenton Stompin' at Newport – Pablo #PACD-5312-2 (1957)On the Road with Stan Kenton – Artistry Records #AR-101 (Recorded Nov. 6, 1958 at the Municipal Auditorium, Sarasota, Florida)Kenton Live from the Las Vegas Tropicana – Capitol No. 1460 (1959)Road Show (with June Christy and The Four Freshmen) – Capitol #TBO1327 (1959)Stan Kenton at Ukiah – Status #STCD109 (1959)Stan Kenton in New Jersey – Status #USCD104 (1959)Mellophonium Magic – Status No. CD103 (1962)Mellophonium Moods – Status No. STCD106 (1962)Stan Kenton and His Orchestra at Fountain Street Church Part 1 – Status #DSTS1014 (1968)Stan Kenton and His Orchestra at Fountain Street Church Part 2– Status #DSTS1016 (1968) Private Party – Creative World No. 1014 (1970)Live At Redlands University – Creative World No. 1015 (1970)Live at Brigham Young University – Creative World No. 1039 (1971)Live at Butler University – Creative World No. 1058 (1972)The Stuttgart Experience – Live In Stuttgart – Jazzhaus #JAH-457 (1972)Stan Kenton Today – Live In London – London/Creative World #BP 44179-80 (1972)Birthday in Britain – Creative World #ST 1065 (1973)Flying High in Florida (1972)Live at the London Hilton – Part I & II (1973)Live in Europe (1976)The Lost Concert Vol. 1–2 Recorded at The Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles, CA on March 18, 1978, posthumous release in 2002 – Jazz Heritage CompilationsStan Kenton's Milestones (Capitol, 1943–47 [1950])Stan Kenton Classics (Capitol, 1944–47 [1952])The Kenton Era (Capitol, 1940–53 [1955])City of Glass and This Modern World – Capitol No. 736 (1951–1953 [1957])Stan Kenton's Greatest Hits (Capitol, 1943–47 [1965])Stan Kenton On AFRS – Status DSTS1019 (1944–1945)One Night Stand – Magic #DAWE66 (1961–1962)Some Women I've Known – Creative World No. 1029The Fabulous Alumni of Stan Kenton – Capitol No. T 20244 (1970) The Complete Capitol Recordings Of The Holman And Russo Charts – Mosaic MD4-136The Complete Capitol Recordings – Mosaic MD7-163The Peanut VendorThe Jazz Compositions Of Stan Kenton – Creative World No. ST1078 (1945–1973)Street of Dreams – Creative World No. 1079 (1979 vinyl; 1992 CD)The Innovations Orchestra (Capitol, 1950–51 [1997]) On film or television 1941 Zig Me, Baby, With a Gentle Zag (short) 1942 Jammin' in the Panoram (short) 1942 Jealous (short) 1942 Reed Rapture (short) 1944 This Love of Mine (short) 1945 Eager Beaver (short) 1945 I'm Homesick, That's All (short) 1945 It's Been a Long Long Time (short) 1945 Southern Scandal (short) 1945 Tampico (short) 1946 Talk About A Lady (feature film) 1946 Southern Scandal (short) 1947 Let's Make Rhythm (short) 1947 Stan Kenton and His Orchestra (biographical short) 1950 The Ed Sullivan Show (television) 1953 Schlagerparade (movie) Stan Kenton at the Sporthalle in Berlin 1954 Spotlight No. 5 (CBC television, documentary) 1955 Music '55 (television, musical variety) 1956 Happy New Year: A Sunday Spectacular (television) 1956 Juke Box Jury (television, gameshow) 1957 Alan Melville Takes You from A-Z (BBC television) 1957 The Big Record (television) 1958 The Gisele MacKenzie Show (television) 1960 General Electric Theater (television) 1960 Startime (television) 1960 Dixieland Small-Fry (television) 1962 Jazz Scene USA (television) 1962 Music of the 60s (television) 1962 The Lively Ones (television) 1963 The Ed Sullivan Show (television) 1964 The Les Crane Show (television) 1965 Big Bands (WGN-TV television) 1965 Jamboree (television) 1966 The Linkletter Show (television) 1967 The Woody Woodbury Show (television) 1967 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (television) 1968 Something Special with Mel Torme (television) 1968 The Crusade for Jazz aka Bound To Be Heard (television documentary) 1969 The Substance of Jazz (educational/documentary) 1969 and 1970 The David Frost Show (television) 1968 and 1970 The Mike Douglas Show (television) 1971 The Merv Griffin Show (television) 1972 Sounds of Saturday (BBC television) 1976 Soundstage (television) 1977 Omnibus (BBC television) 2011 Stan Kenton: Artistry In Rhythm- Portrait Of A Jazz Legend'' (documentary) Compositions Stan Kenton's compositions include "Artistry in Rhythm", released as V-Disc No. 285B, "Opus in Pastels", "Artistry Jumps", "Reed Rapture", "Eager Beaver", released on V-Disc 285B, "Fantasy", "Southern Scandal", which was released as V-Disc No. 573B, "Monotony", released as V-Disc No. 854B, in 1948, with a spoken introduction by Kenton, "Harlem Folk Dance", "Painted Rhythm", "Concerto to End All Concertos", "Easy Go", "Concerto for Doghouse", "Shelly Manne", "Balboa Bash", "Flamenco", and "Sunset Tower". Many compositions are collaborations between Stan Kenton and Pete Rugolo, such as "Artistry in Boogie," "Collaboration," and "Theme to the West." Kenton was credited as a co-writer of the 1944 jazz classic "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine". Notes References External links Bell High School Alumni Page for Stan Kenton Stan Kenton Research Center*Article on Stan Kenton's Mellophonium Band An Interview with Jo Lea Starling, wife of Ray Starling An Interview with Tony Scodwell, Stan Kenton Mellophoniumist The Stan Kenton Collection at the University of North Texas Stan Kenton's music published by Sierra Music Publications Terry Vosbein's All Things Kenton site - discography, radio shows, rare images and audio. GNP Crescendo Records 1911 births 1979 deaths Age controversies Cool jazz musicians Swing bandleaders Big band bandleaders Jazz arrangers Progressive big band bandleaders American jazz bandleaders Musicians from California American music arrangers Grammy Award winners Capitol Records artists American jazz educators Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery 20th-century American musicians Summit Records artists
false
[ "Přírodní park Třebíčsko (before Oblast klidu Třebíčsko) is a natural park near Třebíč in the Czech Republic. There are many interesting plants. The park was founded in 1983.\n\nKobylinec and Ptáčovský kopeček\n\nKobylinec is a natural monument situated ca 0,5 km from the village of Trnava.\nThe area of this monument is 0,44 ha. Pulsatilla grandis can be found here and in the Ptáčovský kopeček park near Ptáčov near Třebíč. Both monuments are very popular for tourists.\n\nPonds\n\nIn the natural park there are some interesting ponds such as Velký Bor, Malý Bor, Buršík near Přeckov and a brook Březinka. Dams on the brook are examples of European beaver activity.\n\nSyenitové skály near Pocoucov\n\nSyenitové skály (rocks of syenit) near Pocoucov is one of famed locations. There are interesting granite boulders. The area of the reservation is 0,77 ha.\n\nExternal links\nParts of this article or all article was translated from Czech. The original article is :cs:Přírodní park Třebíčsko.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\nNature near the village Trnava which is there\n\nTřebíč\nParks in the Czech Republic\nTourist attractions in the Vysočina Region", "Damn Interesting is an independent website founded by Alan Bellows in 2005. The website presents true stories from science, history, and psychology, primarily as long-form articles, often illustrated with original artwork. Works are written by various authors, and published at irregular intervals. The website openly rejects advertising, relying on reader and listener donations to cover operating costs.\n\nAs of October 2012, each article is also published as a podcast under the same name. In November 2019, a second podcast was launched under the title Damn Interesting Week, featuring unscripted commentary on an assortment of news articles featured on the website's \"Curated Links\" section that week. In mid-2020, a third podcast called Damn Interesting Curio Cabinet began highlighting the website's periodic short-form articles in the same radioplay format as the original podcast.\n\nIn July 2009, Damn Interesting published the print book Alien Hand Syndrome through Workman Publishing. It contains some favorites from the site and some exclusive content.\n\nAwards and recognition \nIn August 2007, PC Magazine named Damn Interesting one of the \"Top 100 Undiscovered Web Sites\".\nThe article \"The Zero-Armed Bandit\" by Alan Bellows won a 2015 Sidney Award from David Brooks in The New York Times.\nThe article \"Ghoulish Acts and Dastardly Deeds\" by Alan Bellows was cited as \"nonfiction journalism from 2017 that will stand the test of time\" by Conor Friedersdorf in The Atlantic.\nThe article \"Dupes and Duplicity\" by Jennifer Lee Noonan won a 2020 Sidney Award from David Brooks in the New York Times.\n\nAccusing The Dollop of plagiarism \n\nOn July 9, 2015, Bellows posted an open letter accusing The Dollop, a comedy podcast about history, of plagiarism due to their repeated use of verbatim text from Damn Interesting articles without permission or attribution. Dave Anthony, the writer of The Dollop, responded on reddit, admitting to using Damn Interesting content, but claiming that the use was protected by fair use, and that \"historical facts are not copyrightable.\" In an article about the controversy on Plagiarism Today, Jonathan Bailey concluded, \"Any way one looks at it, The Dollop failed its ethical obligations to all of the people, not just those writing for Damn Interesting, who put in the time, energy and expertise into writing the original content upon which their show is based.\"\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links \n Official website\n\n2005 podcast debuts" ]
[ "Robert Owen", "Models for socialism (1817)" ]
C_9d348a70821b4af3934b4ea07a06d926_1
What were his models for socialism?
1
What were Robert Owen's models for socialism?
Robert Owen
Owen embraced socialism in 1817, a turning point in his life, and began making specific efforts to implement what he described as his "New View of Society." Owen outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons regarding the country's Poor Laws. In addition, when misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars were capturing the attention of the country, the British government invited Owen to offer his advice on what could be done to alleviate the industrial concerns. Although Owen attributed the immediate causes of misery to the wars, he also argued that the underlying cause of distress was the competition of human labour with machinery and recommended the establishment of self-sufficient communities. Owen proposed that communities of about 1,200 people should be settled on land from 1,000 to 1,500 acres (4 to 6 km2), with all of them living in one large building that had a public kitchen and dining halls. (The size of his proposed community is likely to have been influenced by the size of the village of New Lanark.) Owen also recommended that each family should have its own private apartments and the responsibility for the care of their children until they reached the age of three. Thereafter, children would be raised by the community-at-large, but their parents would have access to them at mealtimes and on other occasions. Owen further suggested that these socialistic communities might be established by individuals, parishes, counties, or other governmental units. In every case there would be effective supervision by qualified persons. The work and the enjoyment of its results should be experienced communally. Owen believed that his idea would be the best form for the re-organisation of society in general. He called his vision for a socialistic utopia the "New Moral World." Owen's utopian model changed little during his lifetime. His fully developed model considered an association of 500 to 3,000 people as the optimum number for a good working community. While mainly agricultural, it would possess the best machinery, offer a variety of employment, and, as far as possible, be self-contained. Owen further explained that as the number of these communities increased, "unions of them federatively united shall be formed in circle of tens, hundreds and thousands" linked in a common interest. CANNOTANSWER
Owen proposed that communities of about 1,200 people should be settled on land from 1,000 to 1,500 acres (4 to 6 km2
Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement. He strove to improve factory working conditions, promoted experimental socialistic communities, and sought a more collective approach to child rearing, including government control of education. He gained wealth in the early 1800s from a textile mill at New Lanark, Scotland. Having trained as a draper in Stamford, Lincolnshire he worked in London before relocating aged 18 to Manchester and textile manufacturing. In 1824, he moved to America and put most of his fortune in an experimental socialistic community at New Harmony, Indiana, as a preliminary for his Utopian society. It lasted about two years. Other Owenite communities also failed, and in 1828 Owen returned to London, where he continued to champion the working class, lead in developing cooperatives and the trade union movement, and support child labour legislation and free co-educational schools. Early life and education Robert Owen was born in Newtown, a small market town in Montgomeryshire, Wales, on 14 May 1771, to Anne (Williams) and Robert Owen. His father was a saddler, ironmonger and local postmaster; his mother was the daughter of a Newtown farming family. Young Robert was the sixth of the family's seven children, two of whom died at a young age. His surviving siblings were William, Anne, John and Richard. Owen received little formal education, but he was an avid reader. He left school at the age of ten to be apprenticed to a Stamford, Lincolnshire, draper for four years. He also worked in London drapery shops in his teens. At about the age of 18, Owen moved to Manchester, where he spent the next twelve years of his life, employed initially at Satterfield's Drapery in Saint Ann's Square. While in Manchester, Owen borrowed £100 from his brother William, so as to enter into a partnership to make spinning mules, a new invention for spinning cotton thread, but exchanged his business share within a few months for six spinning mules that he worked in rented factory space. In 1792, when Owen was about 21 years old, mill-owner Peter Drinkwater made him manager of the Piccadilly Mill at Manchester. However, after two years with Drinkwater, Owen voluntarily gave up a contracted promise of partnership, left the company, and went into partnership with other entrepreneurs to establish and later manage the Chorlton Twist Mills in Chorlton-on-Medlock. By the early 1790s, Owen's entrepreneurial spirit, management skills and progressive moral views were emerging. In 1793, he was elected a member of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, where the ideas of the Enlightenment were discussed. He also became a committee member of the Manchester Board of Health, instigated principally by Thomas Percival to press for improvements in the health and working conditions of factory workers. Marriage and family On a visit to Scotland, Owen met and fell in love with Ann (or Anne) Caroline Dale, daughter of David Dale, a Glasgow philanthropist and the proprietor of the large New Lanark Mills. After their marriage on 30 September 1799, the Owens set up home in New Lanark, but later moved to Braxfield, Scotland. Robert and Caroline Owen had eight children, the first of whom died in infancy. Their seven survivors were four sons and three daughters: Robert Dale (1801–1877), William (1802–1842), Ann (or Anne) Caroline (1805–1831), Jane Dale (1805–1861), David Dale (1807–1860), Richard Dale (1809–1890) and Mary (1810–1832). Owen's four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale and Richard, and his daughter Jane Dale, followed their father to the United States, becoming US citizens and permanent residents in New Harmony, Indiana. Owen's wife Caroline and two of their daughters, Anne Caroline and Mary, remained in Britain, where they died in the 1830s. New Lanark mill In July 1799 Owen and his partners bought the New Lanark mill from David Dale, and Owen became its manager in January 1800. Encouraged by his management success in Manchester, Owen hoped to conduct the New Lanark mill on higher principles than purely commercial ones. It had been established in 1785 by David Dale and Richard Arkwright. Its water power provided by the falls of the River Clyde turned its cotton-spinning operation into one of Britain's largest. About 2,000 individuals were involved, 500 of them children brought to the mill at the age of five or six from the poorhouses and charities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Dale, known for his benevolence, treated the children well, but the general condition of New Lanark residents was unsatisfactory, despite efforts by Dale and his son-in-law Owen to improve their workers' lives. Many of the workers were from the lowest social levels: theft, drunkenness and other vices were common and education and sanitation neglected. Most families lived in one room. More respected people rejected the long hours and demoralising drudgery of the mills. Until a series of Truck Acts (1831–1887) required employers to pay their employees in common currency, many operated a truck system, paying workers wholly or in part with tokens that had no monetary value outside the mill owner's "truck shop", which charged high prices for shoddy goods. Unlike others, Owen's truck store offered goods at prices only slightly above their wholesale cost, passing on the savings from bulk purchases to his customers and placing alcohol sales under strict supervision. These principles became the basis for Britain's Co-operative shops, some of which continue trading in altered forms to this day. Philosophy and influence Owen tested his social and economic ideas at New Lanark, where he won his workers' confidence and continued to have success through the improved efficiency at the mill. The community also earned an international reputation. Social reformers, statesmen and royalty, including the future Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, visited New Lanark to study its methods. The opinions of many such visitors were favourable. Owen's biggest success was in support of youth education and early child care. As a pioneer in Britain, notably Scotland, Owen provided an alternative to the "normal authoritarian approach to child education". The manners of children brought up under his system were more graceful, genial and unconstrained; health, plenty and contentment prevailed; drunkenness was almost unknown and illegitimacy extremely rare. Owen's relations with his workers remained excellent and operations at the mill proceeded in a smooth, regular and commercially successful way. However, some of Owen's schemes displeased his partners, forcing him to arrange for other investors to buy his share of the business in 1813, for the equivalent of US$800,000. The new investors, who included Jeremy Bentham and the well-known Quaker William Allen, were content to accept a £5,000 return on their capital. The ownership change also provided Owen with a chance to broaden his philanthropy, advocating improvements in workers' rights and child labour laws, and free education for children. In 1813 Owen authored and published A New View of Society, or Essays on the Principle of the Formation of the Human Character, the first of four essays he wrote to explain the principles behind his philosophy of socialistic reform. In this he writes: Owen had originally been a follower of the classical liberal, utilitarian Jeremy Bentham, who believed that free markets, in particular the right of workers to move and choose their employers, would release workers from the excessive power of capitalists. However, Owen developed his own, pro-socialist outlook. In addition, Owen as a deist, criticised organised religion, including the Church of England, and developed a belief system of his own. Owen felt that human character is formed by conditions over which individuals have no control. Thus individuals could not be praised or blamed for their behaviour or situation in life. This principle led Owen to conclude that the correct formation of people's characters called for placing them under proper environmental influences – physical, moral and social – from their earliest years. These notions of inherent irresponsibility in humans and the effect of early influences on an individual's character formed the basis of Owen's system of education and social reform. Relying on his own observations, experiences and thoughts, Owen saw his view of human nature as original and "the most basic and necessary constituent in an evolving science of society". His philosophy was influenced by Sir Isaac Newton's views on natural law, and his views resembled those of Plato, Denis Diderot, Claude Adrien Helvétius, William Godwin, John Locke, James Mill, and Jeremy Bentham, among others. Owen did not have the direct influence of Enlightenment philosophers. Owen's work at New Lanark continued to have significance in Britain and continental Europe. He was a "pioneer in factory reform, the father of distributive cooperation, and the founder of nursery schools." His schemes for educating his workers included opening an Institute for the Formation of Character at New Lanark in 1818. This and other programmes at New Lanark provided free education from infancy to adulthood. In addition, he zealously supported factory legislation that culminated in the Cotton Mills and Factories Act of 1819. Owen also had interviews and communications with leading members of the British government, including its premier, Robert Banks Jenkinson, Lord Liverpool. He also met many of the rulers and leading statesmen of Europe. Owen adopted new principles to raise the standard of goods his workers produced. A cube with faces painted in different colours was installed above each machinist's workplace. The colour of the face showed to all who saw it the quality and quantity of goods the worker completed. The intention was to encourage workers to do their best. Although it was no great incentive in itself, conditions at New Lanark for workers and their families were idyllic for the time. Eight-hour day Owen raised the demand for an eight-hour day in 1810 and set about instituting the policy at New Lanark. By 1817 he had formulated the goal of an eight-hour working day with the slogan "eight hours labour, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest". Models for socialism (1817) Owen embraced socialism in 1817, a turning point in his life, in which he pursued a "New View of Society". He outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons on the country's Poor Laws. As misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars drew national attention, the government called on Owen for advice on how to alleviate the industrial concerns. Although he ascribed the immediate misery to the wars, he saw as the underlying cause competition of human labour with machinery, and recommended setting up self-sufficient communities. Owen proposed that communities of some 1,200 people should settle on land from , all living in one building with a public kitchen and dining halls. (The proposed size may have been influenced by the size of the village of New Lanark.) Owen also proposed that each family have its own private apartments and the responsibility for the care of its children up to the age of three. Thereafter children would be raised by the community, but their parents would have access to them at mealtimes and on other occasions. Owen further suggested that such communities be established by individuals, parishes, counties, or other governmental units. In each case there would be effective supervision by qualified persons. Work and enjoyment of its results should be experienced communally. Owen believed his idea would be the best way to reorganise society in general, and called his vision the "New Moral World". Owen's utopian model changed little in his lifetime. His developed model envisaged an association of 500–3,000 people as the optimum for a working community. While mainly agricultural, it would possess the best machinery, offer varied employment, and as far as possible be self-contained. Owen went on to explain that as such communities proliferated, "unions of them federatively united shall be formed in circle of tens, hundreds and thousands", linked by common interest. Arguments against Owen and his answers Owen always tried to spread his ideas to wider communities. First, he started publishing his ideas in newspapers. Owen then sent such newspapers widely to parliamentarians, politicians and other important people. These articles spurred the first negative reactions to his ideas. Opponents thought that Owen's plans would result in an uncontrollable increase in population and poverty. The other main criticism was that Owen's plan and the common use of everything would essentially make the country one large workshop. William Hone claimed that Owen saw people as unravelled plants from their roots, and that he wanted to plant them in rectangles. Another commentator accused Owen of wanting to imprison people in workshops like barracks and eradicate their personal independence. Owen's opponents had begun to regard him as an enemy of religion. His influence in ruling circles, which he had hoped would help him to accomplish his "plan", started diminishing and rumours of his lack of religious conviction spread. Owen believed that without a change in the character of individuals and the environment in which they live, they would remain hostile to those around them. As long as such a social order continued, the positive aspects of Christianity could never be put into practice. Owen also considered it necessary to give people more freedom in order to improve the situation of the poor and working classes. Unless people were better educated, unless they gained more useful information and had permanent employment, they were a danger to the security of the state when given more freedom than the British Constitution did at the time. Without making any changes in the national institutions, he believed that even reorganizing the working classes would bring great benefits. So he opposed the views of radicals seeking to change in the public mentality by expanding voting rights. Other notable critics of Owen include Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who viewed his work as a precursor to their own. They recognized in Owen the important understanding, developed by Marx in Capital, that it is the working class that are responsible for creating the unparalleled wealth in capitalist societies. Similarly, Owen also recognized that under the existing economic system, the working class did not automatically receive the benefits of that newly created wealth. Marx and Engels, differentiated, however, their own scientific conception of socialism from Owen's societies. They argued that Owen's plan, to create a model socialist utopia to coexist with contemporary society and prove its superiority over time, was insufficient to create a new society. In their view, Owen's "socialism" was utopian, since to Owen and the other utopian socialists "[s]ocialism is the expression of absolute truth, reason and justice, and has only to be discovered to conquer all the world by virtue of its own power." Marx and Engels believed that the overthrow of the capitalist system could only occur once the working class was organized into a revolutionary socialist political party of the working class that was completely independent of all capitalist class influence whereas the utopians sought the assistance and the co-operation of the capitalists in order to achieve the transition to socialism. Community experiments To test the viability of his ideas for self-sufficient working communities, Owen began experimenting in communal living in America in 1825. Among the most famous efforts was the one set up at New Harmony, Indiana. Of the 130 identifiable communitarian experiments in America before the American Civil War, at least 16 were Owenite or Owenite-influenced. New Harmony was Owen's earliest and most ambitious of these. Owen and his son William sailed to America in October 1824 to establish an experimental community in Indiana. In January 1825 Owen used a portion of his own funds to purchase an existing town of 180 buildings and several thousand acres of land along the Wabash River in Indiana. George Rapp's Harmony Society, the religious group that owned the property and had founded the communal village of Harmony (or Harmonie) on the site in 1814, decided in 1824 to relocate to Pennsylvania. Owen renamed it New Harmony and made the village his preliminary model for a Utopian community. Owen sought support for his socialist vision among American thinkers, reformers, intellectuals and public statesmen. On 25 February and 7 March 1825, Owen gave addresses in the U.S. House of Representatives to the U.S. Congress and others in the US government, outlining his vision for the Utopian community at New Harmony, and his socialist beliefs. The audience for his ideas included three former U.S. presidents – John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison) – the outgoing US President James Monroe, and the President-elect, John Quincy Adams. His meetings were perhaps the first discussions of socialism in the Americas; they were certainly a big step towards discussion of it in the United States. Owenism, among the first socialist ideologies active in the United States, can be seen as an instigator of the later socialist movement. Owen convinced William Maclure, a wealthy Scottish scientist and philanthropist living in Philadelphia to join him at New Harmony and become his financial partner. Maclure's involvement went on to attract scientists, educators and artists such as Thomas Say, Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, and Madame Marie Duclos Fretageot. These helped to turn the New Harmony community into a centre for educational reform, scientific research and artistic expression. Although Owen sought to build a "Village of Unity and Mutual Cooperation" south of the town, his grand plan was never fully realised and he returned to Britain to continue his work. During his long absences from New Harmony, Owen left the experiment under the day-to-day management of his sons, Robert Dale Owen and William Owen, and his business partner, Maclure. However, New Harmony proved to be an economic failure, lasting about two years, although it had attracted over a thousand residents by the end of its first year. The socialistic society was dissolved in 1827, but many of its scientists, educators, artists and other inhabitants, including Owen's four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale, and Richard Dale Owen, and his daughter Jane Dale Owen Fauntleroy, remained at New Harmony after the experiment ended. Other experiments in the United States included communal settlements at Blue Spring, near Bloomington, Indiana, at Yellow Springs, Ohio, and at Forestville Commonwealth at Earlton, New York, as well as other projects in New York, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Nearly all of these had ended before New Harmony was dissolved in April 1827. Owen's Utopian communities attracted a mix of people, many with the highest aims. They included vagrants, adventurers and other reform-minded enthusiasts. In the words of Owen's son David Dale Owen, they attracted "a heterogeneous collection of Radicals", "enthusiastic devotees to principle," and "honest latitudinarians, and lazy theorists," with "a sprinkling of unprincipled sharpers thrown in." Josiah Warren, a participant at New Harmony, asserted that it was doomed to failure for lack of individual sovereignty and personal property. In describing the community, Warren explained: "We had a world in miniature – we had enacted the French revolution over again with despairing hearts instead of corpses as a result.... It appeared that it was nature's own inherent law of diversity that had conquered us... our 'united interests' were directly at war with the individualities of persons and circumstances and the instinct of self-preservation...." Warren's observations on the reasons for the community's failure led to the development of American individualist anarchism, of which he was its original theorist. Some historians have traced the demise of New Harmony to serial disagreements among its members. Social experiments also began in Scotland in 1825, when Abram Combe, an Owenite, attempted a utopian experiment at Orbiston, near Glasgow, but this failed after about two years. In the 1830s, additional experiments in socialistic cooperatives were made in Ireland and Britain, the most important being at Ralahine, established in 1831 in County Clare, Ireland, and at Tytherley, begun in 1839 in Hampshire, England. The former proved a remarkable success for three-and-a-half years until the proprietor, having ruined himself by gambling, had to sell his interest. Tytherley, known as Harmony Hall or Queenwood College, was designed by the architect Joseph Hansom. This also failed. Another social experiment, Manea Colony in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, launched in the late 1830s by William Hodson, likewise an Owenite, but it failed in a couple of years and Hodson emigrated to the United States. The Manea Colony site has been excavated by Cambridge Archaeology Unit (CAU) based at the University of Cambridge. Return to Britain Although Owen made further brief visits to the United States, London became his permanent home and the centre of his work in 1828. After extended friction with William Allen and some other business partners, Owen relinquished all connections with New Lanark. He is often quoted in a comment by Allen at the time, "All the world is queer save thee and me, and even thou art a little queer". Having invested most of his fortune in the failed New Harmony communal experiment, Owen was no longer a wealthy capitalist. However, he remained the head of a vigorous propaganda effort to promote industrial equality, free education for children and adequate living conditions in factory towns, while delivering lectures in Europe and publishing a weekly newspaper to gain support for his ideas. In 1832 Owen opened the National Equitable Labour Exchange system, a time-based currency in which the exchange of goods was effected by means of labour notes; this system superseded the usual means of exchange and middlemen. The London exchange continued until 1833, a Birmingham branch operating for just a few months until July 1833. Owen also became involved in trade unionism, briefly leading the Grand National Consolidated Trade Union (GNCTU) before its collapse in 1834. Socialism first became current in British terminology in discussions of the Association of all Classes of all Nations, which Owen formed in 1835 and served as its initial leader. Owen's secular views also gained enough influence among the working classes to cause the Westminster Review to comment in 1839 that his principles were the creed of many of them. However, by 1846, the only lasting result of Owen's agitation for social change, carried on through public meetings, pamphlets, periodicals, and occasional treatises, remained the Co-operative movement, and for a time even that seemed to have collapsed. Role in spiritualism In 1817, Owen publicly claimed that all religions were false. In 1854, aged 83, Owen converted to spiritualism after a series of sittings with Maria B. Hayden, an American medium credited with introducing spiritualism to England. He made a public profession of his new faith in his publication The Rational Quarterly Review and in a pamphlet titled The future of the Human race; or great glorious and future revolution to be effected through the agency of departed spirits of good and superior men and women. Owen claimed to have had medium contact with spirits of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and others. He explained that the purpose of these was to change "the present, false, disunited and miserable state of human existence, for a true, united and happy state... to prepare the world for universal peace, and to infuse into all the spirit of charity, forbearance and love." Spiritualists claimed after Owen's death that his spirit had dictated to the medium Emma Hardinge Britten in 1871 the "Seven Principles of Spiritualism", used by their National Union as "the basis of its religious philosophy". Death and legacy As Owen grew older and more radical in his views, his influence began to decline. Owen published his memoirs, The Life of Robert Owen, in 1857, a year before his death. Although he had spent most of his life in England and Scotland, Owen returned to his native town of Newtown at the end of his life. He died there on 17 November 1858 and was buried there on 21 November. He died penniless apart from an annual income drawn from a trust established by his sons in 1844. Owen was a reformer, philanthropist, community builder, and spiritualist who spent his life seeking to improve the lives of others. An advocate of the working class, he improved working conditions for factory workers, which he demonstrated at New Lanark, Scotland, became a leader in trade unionism, promoted social equality through his experimental Utopian communities, and supported the passage of child labour laws and free education for children. In these reforms he was ahead of his time. He envisioned a communal society that others could consider and apply as they wished. In Revolution in the Mind and Practice of the Human Race (1849), he went on to say that character is formed by a combination of Nature or God and the circumstances of the individual's experience. Citing beneficial results at New Lanark, Scotland, during 30 years of work there, Owen concluded that a person's "character is not made by, but for the individual," and that nature and society are responsible for each person's character and conduct. Owen's agitation for social change, along with the work of the Owenites and of his own children, helped to bring lasting social reforms in women's and workers' rights, establish free public libraries and museums, child care and public, co-educational schools, and pre-Marxian communism, and develop the Co-operative and trade union movements. New Harmony, Indiana, and New Lanark, Scotland, two towns with which he is closely associated, remain as reminders of his efforts. Owen's legacy of public service continued with his four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale, and Richard Dale, and his daughter, Jane, who followed him to America to live at New Harmony, Indiana: Robert Dale Owen (1801–1877), an able exponent of his father's doctrines, managed the New Harmony community after his father returned to Britain in 1825. He wrote articles and co-edited with Frances Wright the New-Harmony Gazette in the late 1820s in Indiana and the Free Enquirer in the 1830s in New York City. Owen returned to New Harmony in 1833 and became active in Indiana politics. He was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives (1836–1839 and 1851–1853) and U.S. House of Representatives (1843–1847), and was appointed chargé d'affaires in Naples in 1853–1858. While serving as a member of Congress, he drafted and helped to secure passage of a bill founding the Smithsonian Institution in 1846. He was elected a delegate to the Indiana Constitutional Convention in 1850, and argued in support of widows and married women's property and divorce rights. He also favoured legislation for Indiana's tax-supported public school system. Like his father, he believed in spiritualism, authoring two books on the subject: Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World (1859) and The Debatable Land Between this World and the Next (1872). William Owen (1802–1842) moved to the United States with his father in 1824. His business skill, notably his knowledge of cotton-goods manufacturing, allowed him to remain at New Harmony after his father returned to Scotland, and serve as adviser to the community. He organised New Harmony's Thespian Society in 1827, but died of unknown causes at the age of 40. Jane Dale Owen Fauntleroy (1805–1861) arrived in the United States in 1833 and settled in New Harmony. She was a musician and educator who set up a school in her home. In 1835 she married Robert Henry Fauntleroy, a civil engineer from Virginia living at New Harmony. David Dale Owen (1807–1860) moved to the United States in 1827 and resided at New Harmony for several years. He trained as a geologist and natural scientist and earned a medical degree. He was appointed a United States geologist in 1839. His work included geological surveys in the Midwest, more specifically the states of Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas, as well as Minnesota Territory. His brother Richard succeeded him as state geologist of Indiana. Richard Dale Owen (1810–1890) emigrated to the United States in 1827 and joined his siblings at New Harmony. He fought in the Mexican–American War in 1847, taught natural science at Western Military Institute in Tennessee in 1849–1859, and earned a medical degree in 1858. During the American Civil War he was a colonel in the Union army and served as a commandant of Camp Morton, a prisoner-of-war camp for Confederate soldiers at Indianapolis, Indiana. After the war, Owen served as Indiana's second state geologist. In addition, he was a professor at Indiana University and chaired its natural science department in 1864–1879. He helped plan Purdue University and was appointed its first president in 1872–1874, but resigned before its classes began and resumed teaching at Indiana University. He spent his retirement years on research and writing. Honours and tributes The Co-operative Movement erected a monument to Robert Owen in 1902 at his burial site in Newtown, Montgomeryshire. The Welsh people donated a bust of Owen by Welsh sculptor Sir William Goscombe John to the International Labour Office library in Geneva, Switzerland. Selected published works A New View of Society: Or, Essays on the Formation of Human Character, and the Application of the Principle to Practice (London, 1813). Retitled, A New View of Society: Or, Essays on the Formation of Human Character Preparatory to the Development of a Plan for Gradually Ameliorating the Condition of Mankind, for second edition, 1816 Observations on the Effect of the Manufacturing System. London, 1815 Report to the Committee of the Association for the Relief of the Manufacturing and Labouring Poor (1817) Two Memorials on Behalf of the Working Classes (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 181 An Address to the Master Manufacturers of Great Britain: On the Present Existing Evils in the Manufacturing System (Bolton, 1819) Report to the County of Lanark of a Plan for relieving Public Distress (Glasgow: Glasgow University Press, 1821) An Explanation of the Cause of Distress which pervades the civilised parts of the world (London and Paris, 1823) An Address to All Classes in the State. London, 1832 The Revolution in the Mind and Practice of the Human Race. London, 1849 Collected works: A New View of Society and Other Writings, introduction by G. D. H. Cole. London and New York: J. M. Dent & Sons, E. P. Dutton and Co., 1927 A New View of Society and Other Writings, G. Claeys, ed. London and New York: Penguin Books, 1991 The Selected Works of Robert Owen, G. Claeys, ed., 4 vols. London: Pickering and Chatto, 1993 Archival collections: Robert Owen Collection, National Co-operative Archive, United Kingdom. New Harmony, Indiana, Collection, 1814–1884, 1920, 1964, Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States New Harmony Series III Collection, Workingmen's Institute, New Harmony, Indiana, United States Owen family collection, 1826–1967, bulk 1830–1890, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington, Indiana, United States See also Cincinnati Time Store José María Arizmendiarrieta Labour voucher List of Owenite communities in the United States Owenstown Owenism William King References Bibliography (online version) Further reading Biographies of Owen A. J. Booth, Robert Owen, the Founder of Socialism in England (London, 1869) G. D. H. Cole, Life of Robert Owen. London, Ernest Benn Ltd., 1925; second edition Macmillan, 1930 Lloyd Jones. The Life, Times, and Labours of Robert Owen. London, 1889 A. L. Morton, The Life and Ideas of Robert Owen. New York, International Publishers, 1969 W. H. Oliver, "Robert Owen and the English Working-Class Movements", History Today (November 1958) 8–11, pp. 787–796 F. A. Packard, Life of Robert Owen. Philadelphia: Ashmead & Evans, 1866 Frank Podmore, Robert Owen: A Biography. London: Hutchinson and Company, 1906 David Santilli, Life of the Mill Man. London, B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1987 William Lucas Sargant, Robert Owen and his social philosophy . London, 1860 Richard Tames, Radicals, Railways & Reform. London, B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1986 Other works about Owen Arthur Bestor, Backwoods Utopias. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1950, 2nd edition, 1970 John Butt (ed). Robert Owen: Aspects of his Life and Work. Humanities Press, 1971 Gregory Claeys, Citizens and Saints. Politics and Anti-Politics in Early British Socialism. Cambridge University Press, 1989 Gregory Claeys, Machinery, Money and the Millennium: From Moral Economy to Socialism 1815–1860. Princeton University Press, 1987 R. E. Davies, The Life of Robert Owen, Philanthropist and Social Reformer, An Appreciation. Robert Sutton, 1907 R. E. Davis and F. J. O'Hagan, Robert Owen. London: Continuum Press, 2010 E. Dolleans, Robert Owen. Paris, 1905 I. Donnachie, Robert Owen. Owen of New Lanark and New Harmony. 2000 Auguste Marie Fabre, Un Socialiste Pratique, Robert Owen. Nìmes, Bureaux de l'Émancipation, 1896 John F. C. Harrison, Robert Owen and the Owenites in Britain and America: Quest for the New Moral World. New York, 1969 Alexander Herzen, My Past and Thoughts (University of California Press, 1982). (One chapter is devoted to Owen.) G. J. Holyoake, The History of Co-operation in England: Its Literature and Its Advocates V. 1. London, 1906 G. J. Holyoake, The History of Co-operation in England: Its Literature and Its Advocates V. 2. London, 1906 The National Library of Wales, A Bibliography of Robert Owen, The Socialist. 1914 H. Simon, Robert Owen: Sein Leben und Seine Bedeutung für die Gegenwart. Jena, 1905 O. Siméon, Robert Owen's Experiment at New Lanark. From Paternalism to Socialism. Palgrave Macmillan, 2017 External links Essays by Owen at the Marxists Internet Archive Brief biography at the New Lanark World Heritage Site The Robert Owen Museum, Newtown, Wales Video of Owen's wool mill Brief biography at Cotton Times "Robert Owen (1771-1858) social reformer, founder of New Harmony", University of Evansville, Indiana "Robert Owen and the Co-operative movement" Brief biography at The History Guide Brief biography at age-of-the-sage.org Heaven On Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism at PBS {dead link 2021-02-22} 1771 births 1858 deaths Cooperative organizers Founders of utopian communities People from Newtown, Powys Owenites Utopian socialists Welsh agnostics Welsh humanists 19th-century Welsh businesspeople 18th-century Welsh businesspeople Welsh business theorists Welsh philanthropists Welsh socialists British reformers British social reformers Socialist economists
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[ "Movement for Socialism may refer to:\n\nMovement for Socialism (Argentina)\nMovement for Socialism (Bolivia)\nMovement for Socialism (Britain)\nMovement for Socialism (Honduras)\nMovement for Socialism (Paraguay)\nMovement for Socialism (Venezuela)\n\nSee also\n Movement for a Socialist Future", "Movimiento al Socialismo may refer to:\n\n Movement for Socialism (Argentina)\n Movement for Socialism (Bolivia)\n Movement for Socialism (Venezuela)\n Movement for Socialism (Paraguay)\n Movement for Socialism (Puerto Rico)" ]
[ "Robert Owen", "Models for socialism (1817)", "What were his models for socialism?", "Owen proposed that communities of about 1,200 people should be settled on land from 1,000 to 1,500 acres (4 to 6 km2" ]
C_9d348a70821b4af3934b4ea07a06d926_1
Were there philosophers he based his thinking on?
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Were there philosophers Robert Owen based his thinking on?
Robert Owen
Owen embraced socialism in 1817, a turning point in his life, and began making specific efforts to implement what he described as his "New View of Society." Owen outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons regarding the country's Poor Laws. In addition, when misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars were capturing the attention of the country, the British government invited Owen to offer his advice on what could be done to alleviate the industrial concerns. Although Owen attributed the immediate causes of misery to the wars, he also argued that the underlying cause of distress was the competition of human labour with machinery and recommended the establishment of self-sufficient communities. Owen proposed that communities of about 1,200 people should be settled on land from 1,000 to 1,500 acres (4 to 6 km2), with all of them living in one large building that had a public kitchen and dining halls. (The size of his proposed community is likely to have been influenced by the size of the village of New Lanark.) Owen also recommended that each family should have its own private apartments and the responsibility for the care of their children until they reached the age of three. Thereafter, children would be raised by the community-at-large, but their parents would have access to them at mealtimes and on other occasions. Owen further suggested that these socialistic communities might be established by individuals, parishes, counties, or other governmental units. In every case there would be effective supervision by qualified persons. The work and the enjoyment of its results should be experienced communally. Owen believed that his idea would be the best form for the re-organisation of society in general. He called his vision for a socialistic utopia the "New Moral World." Owen's utopian model changed little during his lifetime. His fully developed model considered an association of 500 to 3,000 people as the optimum number for a good working community. While mainly agricultural, it would possess the best machinery, offer a variety of employment, and, as far as possible, be self-contained. Owen further explained that as the number of these communities increased, "unions of them federatively united shall be formed in circle of tens, hundreds and thousands" linked in a common interest. CANNOTANSWER
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Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement. He strove to improve factory working conditions, promoted experimental socialistic communities, and sought a more collective approach to child rearing, including government control of education. He gained wealth in the early 1800s from a textile mill at New Lanark, Scotland. Having trained as a draper in Stamford, Lincolnshire he worked in London before relocating aged 18 to Manchester and textile manufacturing. In 1824, he moved to America and put most of his fortune in an experimental socialistic community at New Harmony, Indiana, as a preliminary for his Utopian society. It lasted about two years. Other Owenite communities also failed, and in 1828 Owen returned to London, where he continued to champion the working class, lead in developing cooperatives and the trade union movement, and support child labour legislation and free co-educational schools. Early life and education Robert Owen was born in Newtown, a small market town in Montgomeryshire, Wales, on 14 May 1771, to Anne (Williams) and Robert Owen. His father was a saddler, ironmonger and local postmaster; his mother was the daughter of a Newtown farming family. Young Robert was the sixth of the family's seven children, two of whom died at a young age. His surviving siblings were William, Anne, John and Richard. Owen received little formal education, but he was an avid reader. He left school at the age of ten to be apprenticed to a Stamford, Lincolnshire, draper for four years. He also worked in London drapery shops in his teens. At about the age of 18, Owen moved to Manchester, where he spent the next twelve years of his life, employed initially at Satterfield's Drapery in Saint Ann's Square. While in Manchester, Owen borrowed £100 from his brother William, so as to enter into a partnership to make spinning mules, a new invention for spinning cotton thread, but exchanged his business share within a few months for six spinning mules that he worked in rented factory space. In 1792, when Owen was about 21 years old, mill-owner Peter Drinkwater made him manager of the Piccadilly Mill at Manchester. However, after two years with Drinkwater, Owen voluntarily gave up a contracted promise of partnership, left the company, and went into partnership with other entrepreneurs to establish and later manage the Chorlton Twist Mills in Chorlton-on-Medlock. By the early 1790s, Owen's entrepreneurial spirit, management skills and progressive moral views were emerging. In 1793, he was elected a member of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, where the ideas of the Enlightenment were discussed. He also became a committee member of the Manchester Board of Health, instigated principally by Thomas Percival to press for improvements in the health and working conditions of factory workers. Marriage and family On a visit to Scotland, Owen met and fell in love with Ann (or Anne) Caroline Dale, daughter of David Dale, a Glasgow philanthropist and the proprietor of the large New Lanark Mills. After their marriage on 30 September 1799, the Owens set up home in New Lanark, but later moved to Braxfield, Scotland. Robert and Caroline Owen had eight children, the first of whom died in infancy. Their seven survivors were four sons and three daughters: Robert Dale (1801–1877), William (1802–1842), Ann (or Anne) Caroline (1805–1831), Jane Dale (1805–1861), David Dale (1807–1860), Richard Dale (1809–1890) and Mary (1810–1832). Owen's four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale and Richard, and his daughter Jane Dale, followed their father to the United States, becoming US citizens and permanent residents in New Harmony, Indiana. Owen's wife Caroline and two of their daughters, Anne Caroline and Mary, remained in Britain, where they died in the 1830s. New Lanark mill In July 1799 Owen and his partners bought the New Lanark mill from David Dale, and Owen became its manager in January 1800. Encouraged by his management success in Manchester, Owen hoped to conduct the New Lanark mill on higher principles than purely commercial ones. It had been established in 1785 by David Dale and Richard Arkwright. Its water power provided by the falls of the River Clyde turned its cotton-spinning operation into one of Britain's largest. About 2,000 individuals were involved, 500 of them children brought to the mill at the age of five or six from the poorhouses and charities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Dale, known for his benevolence, treated the children well, but the general condition of New Lanark residents was unsatisfactory, despite efforts by Dale and his son-in-law Owen to improve their workers' lives. Many of the workers were from the lowest social levels: theft, drunkenness and other vices were common and education and sanitation neglected. Most families lived in one room. More respected people rejected the long hours and demoralising drudgery of the mills. Until a series of Truck Acts (1831–1887) required employers to pay their employees in common currency, many operated a truck system, paying workers wholly or in part with tokens that had no monetary value outside the mill owner's "truck shop", which charged high prices for shoddy goods. Unlike others, Owen's truck store offered goods at prices only slightly above their wholesale cost, passing on the savings from bulk purchases to his customers and placing alcohol sales under strict supervision. These principles became the basis for Britain's Co-operative shops, some of which continue trading in altered forms to this day. Philosophy and influence Owen tested his social and economic ideas at New Lanark, where he won his workers' confidence and continued to have success through the improved efficiency at the mill. The community also earned an international reputation. Social reformers, statesmen and royalty, including the future Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, visited New Lanark to study its methods. The opinions of many such visitors were favourable. Owen's biggest success was in support of youth education and early child care. As a pioneer in Britain, notably Scotland, Owen provided an alternative to the "normal authoritarian approach to child education". The manners of children brought up under his system were more graceful, genial and unconstrained; health, plenty and contentment prevailed; drunkenness was almost unknown and illegitimacy extremely rare. Owen's relations with his workers remained excellent and operations at the mill proceeded in a smooth, regular and commercially successful way. However, some of Owen's schemes displeased his partners, forcing him to arrange for other investors to buy his share of the business in 1813, for the equivalent of US$800,000. The new investors, who included Jeremy Bentham and the well-known Quaker William Allen, were content to accept a £5,000 return on their capital. The ownership change also provided Owen with a chance to broaden his philanthropy, advocating improvements in workers' rights and child labour laws, and free education for children. In 1813 Owen authored and published A New View of Society, or Essays on the Principle of the Formation of the Human Character, the first of four essays he wrote to explain the principles behind his philosophy of socialistic reform. In this he writes: Owen had originally been a follower of the classical liberal, utilitarian Jeremy Bentham, who believed that free markets, in particular the right of workers to move and choose their employers, would release workers from the excessive power of capitalists. However, Owen developed his own, pro-socialist outlook. In addition, Owen as a deist, criticised organised religion, including the Church of England, and developed a belief system of his own. Owen felt that human character is formed by conditions over which individuals have no control. Thus individuals could not be praised or blamed for their behaviour or situation in life. This principle led Owen to conclude that the correct formation of people's characters called for placing them under proper environmental influences – physical, moral and social – from their earliest years. These notions of inherent irresponsibility in humans and the effect of early influences on an individual's character formed the basis of Owen's system of education and social reform. Relying on his own observations, experiences and thoughts, Owen saw his view of human nature as original and "the most basic and necessary constituent in an evolving science of society". His philosophy was influenced by Sir Isaac Newton's views on natural law, and his views resembled those of Plato, Denis Diderot, Claude Adrien Helvétius, William Godwin, John Locke, James Mill, and Jeremy Bentham, among others. Owen did not have the direct influence of Enlightenment philosophers. Owen's work at New Lanark continued to have significance in Britain and continental Europe. He was a "pioneer in factory reform, the father of distributive cooperation, and the founder of nursery schools." His schemes for educating his workers included opening an Institute for the Formation of Character at New Lanark in 1818. This and other programmes at New Lanark provided free education from infancy to adulthood. In addition, he zealously supported factory legislation that culminated in the Cotton Mills and Factories Act of 1819. Owen also had interviews and communications with leading members of the British government, including its premier, Robert Banks Jenkinson, Lord Liverpool. He also met many of the rulers and leading statesmen of Europe. Owen adopted new principles to raise the standard of goods his workers produced. A cube with faces painted in different colours was installed above each machinist's workplace. The colour of the face showed to all who saw it the quality and quantity of goods the worker completed. The intention was to encourage workers to do their best. Although it was no great incentive in itself, conditions at New Lanark for workers and their families were idyllic for the time. Eight-hour day Owen raised the demand for an eight-hour day in 1810 and set about instituting the policy at New Lanark. By 1817 he had formulated the goal of an eight-hour working day with the slogan "eight hours labour, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest". Models for socialism (1817) Owen embraced socialism in 1817, a turning point in his life, in which he pursued a "New View of Society". He outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons on the country's Poor Laws. As misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars drew national attention, the government called on Owen for advice on how to alleviate the industrial concerns. Although he ascribed the immediate misery to the wars, he saw as the underlying cause competition of human labour with machinery, and recommended setting up self-sufficient communities. Owen proposed that communities of some 1,200 people should settle on land from , all living in one building with a public kitchen and dining halls. (The proposed size may have been influenced by the size of the village of New Lanark.) Owen also proposed that each family have its own private apartments and the responsibility for the care of its children up to the age of three. Thereafter children would be raised by the community, but their parents would have access to them at mealtimes and on other occasions. Owen further suggested that such communities be established by individuals, parishes, counties, or other governmental units. In each case there would be effective supervision by qualified persons. Work and enjoyment of its results should be experienced communally. Owen believed his idea would be the best way to reorganise society in general, and called his vision the "New Moral World". Owen's utopian model changed little in his lifetime. His developed model envisaged an association of 500–3,000 people as the optimum for a working community. While mainly agricultural, it would possess the best machinery, offer varied employment, and as far as possible be self-contained. Owen went on to explain that as such communities proliferated, "unions of them federatively united shall be formed in circle of tens, hundreds and thousands", linked by common interest. Arguments against Owen and his answers Owen always tried to spread his ideas to wider communities. First, he started publishing his ideas in newspapers. Owen then sent such newspapers widely to parliamentarians, politicians and other important people. These articles spurred the first negative reactions to his ideas. Opponents thought that Owen's plans would result in an uncontrollable increase in population and poverty. The other main criticism was that Owen's plan and the common use of everything would essentially make the country one large workshop. William Hone claimed that Owen saw people as unravelled plants from their roots, and that he wanted to plant them in rectangles. Another commentator accused Owen of wanting to imprison people in workshops like barracks and eradicate their personal independence. Owen's opponents had begun to regard him as an enemy of religion. His influence in ruling circles, which he had hoped would help him to accomplish his "plan", started diminishing and rumours of his lack of religious conviction spread. Owen believed that without a change in the character of individuals and the environment in which they live, they would remain hostile to those around them. As long as such a social order continued, the positive aspects of Christianity could never be put into practice. Owen also considered it necessary to give people more freedom in order to improve the situation of the poor and working classes. Unless people were better educated, unless they gained more useful information and had permanent employment, they were a danger to the security of the state when given more freedom than the British Constitution did at the time. Without making any changes in the national institutions, he believed that even reorganizing the working classes would bring great benefits. So he opposed the views of radicals seeking to change in the public mentality by expanding voting rights. Other notable critics of Owen include Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who viewed his work as a precursor to their own. They recognized in Owen the important understanding, developed by Marx in Capital, that it is the working class that are responsible for creating the unparalleled wealth in capitalist societies. Similarly, Owen also recognized that under the existing economic system, the working class did not automatically receive the benefits of that newly created wealth. Marx and Engels, differentiated, however, their own scientific conception of socialism from Owen's societies. They argued that Owen's plan, to create a model socialist utopia to coexist with contemporary society and prove its superiority over time, was insufficient to create a new society. In their view, Owen's "socialism" was utopian, since to Owen and the other utopian socialists "[s]ocialism is the expression of absolute truth, reason and justice, and has only to be discovered to conquer all the world by virtue of its own power." Marx and Engels believed that the overthrow of the capitalist system could only occur once the working class was organized into a revolutionary socialist political party of the working class that was completely independent of all capitalist class influence whereas the utopians sought the assistance and the co-operation of the capitalists in order to achieve the transition to socialism. Community experiments To test the viability of his ideas for self-sufficient working communities, Owen began experimenting in communal living in America in 1825. Among the most famous efforts was the one set up at New Harmony, Indiana. Of the 130 identifiable communitarian experiments in America before the American Civil War, at least 16 were Owenite or Owenite-influenced. New Harmony was Owen's earliest and most ambitious of these. Owen and his son William sailed to America in October 1824 to establish an experimental community in Indiana. In January 1825 Owen used a portion of his own funds to purchase an existing town of 180 buildings and several thousand acres of land along the Wabash River in Indiana. George Rapp's Harmony Society, the religious group that owned the property and had founded the communal village of Harmony (or Harmonie) on the site in 1814, decided in 1824 to relocate to Pennsylvania. Owen renamed it New Harmony and made the village his preliminary model for a Utopian community. Owen sought support for his socialist vision among American thinkers, reformers, intellectuals and public statesmen. On 25 February and 7 March 1825, Owen gave addresses in the U.S. House of Representatives to the U.S. Congress and others in the US government, outlining his vision for the Utopian community at New Harmony, and his socialist beliefs. The audience for his ideas included three former U.S. presidents – John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison) – the outgoing US President James Monroe, and the President-elect, John Quincy Adams. His meetings were perhaps the first discussions of socialism in the Americas; they were certainly a big step towards discussion of it in the United States. Owenism, among the first socialist ideologies active in the United States, can be seen as an instigator of the later socialist movement. Owen convinced William Maclure, a wealthy Scottish scientist and philanthropist living in Philadelphia to join him at New Harmony and become his financial partner. Maclure's involvement went on to attract scientists, educators and artists such as Thomas Say, Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, and Madame Marie Duclos Fretageot. These helped to turn the New Harmony community into a centre for educational reform, scientific research and artistic expression. Although Owen sought to build a "Village of Unity and Mutual Cooperation" south of the town, his grand plan was never fully realised and he returned to Britain to continue his work. During his long absences from New Harmony, Owen left the experiment under the day-to-day management of his sons, Robert Dale Owen and William Owen, and his business partner, Maclure. However, New Harmony proved to be an economic failure, lasting about two years, although it had attracted over a thousand residents by the end of its first year. The socialistic society was dissolved in 1827, but many of its scientists, educators, artists and other inhabitants, including Owen's four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale, and Richard Dale Owen, and his daughter Jane Dale Owen Fauntleroy, remained at New Harmony after the experiment ended. Other experiments in the United States included communal settlements at Blue Spring, near Bloomington, Indiana, at Yellow Springs, Ohio, and at Forestville Commonwealth at Earlton, New York, as well as other projects in New York, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Nearly all of these had ended before New Harmony was dissolved in April 1827. Owen's Utopian communities attracted a mix of people, many with the highest aims. They included vagrants, adventurers and other reform-minded enthusiasts. In the words of Owen's son David Dale Owen, they attracted "a heterogeneous collection of Radicals", "enthusiastic devotees to principle," and "honest latitudinarians, and lazy theorists," with "a sprinkling of unprincipled sharpers thrown in." Josiah Warren, a participant at New Harmony, asserted that it was doomed to failure for lack of individual sovereignty and personal property. In describing the community, Warren explained: "We had a world in miniature – we had enacted the French revolution over again with despairing hearts instead of corpses as a result.... It appeared that it was nature's own inherent law of diversity that had conquered us... our 'united interests' were directly at war with the individualities of persons and circumstances and the instinct of self-preservation...." Warren's observations on the reasons for the community's failure led to the development of American individualist anarchism, of which he was its original theorist. Some historians have traced the demise of New Harmony to serial disagreements among its members. Social experiments also began in Scotland in 1825, when Abram Combe, an Owenite, attempted a utopian experiment at Orbiston, near Glasgow, but this failed after about two years. In the 1830s, additional experiments in socialistic cooperatives were made in Ireland and Britain, the most important being at Ralahine, established in 1831 in County Clare, Ireland, and at Tytherley, begun in 1839 in Hampshire, England. The former proved a remarkable success for three-and-a-half years until the proprietor, having ruined himself by gambling, had to sell his interest. Tytherley, known as Harmony Hall or Queenwood College, was designed by the architect Joseph Hansom. This also failed. Another social experiment, Manea Colony in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, launched in the late 1830s by William Hodson, likewise an Owenite, but it failed in a couple of years and Hodson emigrated to the United States. The Manea Colony site has been excavated by Cambridge Archaeology Unit (CAU) based at the University of Cambridge. Return to Britain Although Owen made further brief visits to the United States, London became his permanent home and the centre of his work in 1828. After extended friction with William Allen and some other business partners, Owen relinquished all connections with New Lanark. He is often quoted in a comment by Allen at the time, "All the world is queer save thee and me, and even thou art a little queer". Having invested most of his fortune in the failed New Harmony communal experiment, Owen was no longer a wealthy capitalist. However, he remained the head of a vigorous propaganda effort to promote industrial equality, free education for children and adequate living conditions in factory towns, while delivering lectures in Europe and publishing a weekly newspaper to gain support for his ideas. In 1832 Owen opened the National Equitable Labour Exchange system, a time-based currency in which the exchange of goods was effected by means of labour notes; this system superseded the usual means of exchange and middlemen. The London exchange continued until 1833, a Birmingham branch operating for just a few months until July 1833. Owen also became involved in trade unionism, briefly leading the Grand National Consolidated Trade Union (GNCTU) before its collapse in 1834. Socialism first became current in British terminology in discussions of the Association of all Classes of all Nations, which Owen formed in 1835 and served as its initial leader. Owen's secular views also gained enough influence among the working classes to cause the Westminster Review to comment in 1839 that his principles were the creed of many of them. However, by 1846, the only lasting result of Owen's agitation for social change, carried on through public meetings, pamphlets, periodicals, and occasional treatises, remained the Co-operative movement, and for a time even that seemed to have collapsed. Role in spiritualism In 1817, Owen publicly claimed that all religions were false. In 1854, aged 83, Owen converted to spiritualism after a series of sittings with Maria B. Hayden, an American medium credited with introducing spiritualism to England. He made a public profession of his new faith in his publication The Rational Quarterly Review and in a pamphlet titled The future of the Human race; or great glorious and future revolution to be effected through the agency of departed spirits of good and superior men and women. Owen claimed to have had medium contact with spirits of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and others. He explained that the purpose of these was to change "the present, false, disunited and miserable state of human existence, for a true, united and happy state... to prepare the world for universal peace, and to infuse into all the spirit of charity, forbearance and love." Spiritualists claimed after Owen's death that his spirit had dictated to the medium Emma Hardinge Britten in 1871 the "Seven Principles of Spiritualism", used by their National Union as "the basis of its religious philosophy". Death and legacy As Owen grew older and more radical in his views, his influence began to decline. Owen published his memoirs, The Life of Robert Owen, in 1857, a year before his death. Although he had spent most of his life in England and Scotland, Owen returned to his native town of Newtown at the end of his life. He died there on 17 November 1858 and was buried there on 21 November. He died penniless apart from an annual income drawn from a trust established by his sons in 1844. Owen was a reformer, philanthropist, community builder, and spiritualist who spent his life seeking to improve the lives of others. An advocate of the working class, he improved working conditions for factory workers, which he demonstrated at New Lanark, Scotland, became a leader in trade unionism, promoted social equality through his experimental Utopian communities, and supported the passage of child labour laws and free education for children. In these reforms he was ahead of his time. He envisioned a communal society that others could consider and apply as they wished. In Revolution in the Mind and Practice of the Human Race (1849), he went on to say that character is formed by a combination of Nature or God and the circumstances of the individual's experience. Citing beneficial results at New Lanark, Scotland, during 30 years of work there, Owen concluded that a person's "character is not made by, but for the individual," and that nature and society are responsible for each person's character and conduct. Owen's agitation for social change, along with the work of the Owenites and of his own children, helped to bring lasting social reforms in women's and workers' rights, establish free public libraries and museums, child care and public, co-educational schools, and pre-Marxian communism, and develop the Co-operative and trade union movements. New Harmony, Indiana, and New Lanark, Scotland, two towns with which he is closely associated, remain as reminders of his efforts. Owen's legacy of public service continued with his four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale, and Richard Dale, and his daughter, Jane, who followed him to America to live at New Harmony, Indiana: Robert Dale Owen (1801–1877), an able exponent of his father's doctrines, managed the New Harmony community after his father returned to Britain in 1825. He wrote articles and co-edited with Frances Wright the New-Harmony Gazette in the late 1820s in Indiana and the Free Enquirer in the 1830s in New York City. Owen returned to New Harmony in 1833 and became active in Indiana politics. He was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives (1836–1839 and 1851–1853) and U.S. House of Representatives (1843–1847), and was appointed chargé d'affaires in Naples in 1853–1858. While serving as a member of Congress, he drafted and helped to secure passage of a bill founding the Smithsonian Institution in 1846. He was elected a delegate to the Indiana Constitutional Convention in 1850, and argued in support of widows and married women's property and divorce rights. He also favoured legislation for Indiana's tax-supported public school system. Like his father, he believed in spiritualism, authoring two books on the subject: Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World (1859) and The Debatable Land Between this World and the Next (1872). William Owen (1802–1842) moved to the United States with his father in 1824. His business skill, notably his knowledge of cotton-goods manufacturing, allowed him to remain at New Harmony after his father returned to Scotland, and serve as adviser to the community. He organised New Harmony's Thespian Society in 1827, but died of unknown causes at the age of 40. Jane Dale Owen Fauntleroy (1805–1861) arrived in the United States in 1833 and settled in New Harmony. She was a musician and educator who set up a school in her home. In 1835 she married Robert Henry Fauntleroy, a civil engineer from Virginia living at New Harmony. David Dale Owen (1807–1860) moved to the United States in 1827 and resided at New Harmony for several years. He trained as a geologist and natural scientist and earned a medical degree. He was appointed a United States geologist in 1839. His work included geological surveys in the Midwest, more specifically the states of Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas, as well as Minnesota Territory. His brother Richard succeeded him as state geologist of Indiana. Richard Dale Owen (1810–1890) emigrated to the United States in 1827 and joined his siblings at New Harmony. He fought in the Mexican–American War in 1847, taught natural science at Western Military Institute in Tennessee in 1849–1859, and earned a medical degree in 1858. During the American Civil War he was a colonel in the Union army and served as a commandant of Camp Morton, a prisoner-of-war camp for Confederate soldiers at Indianapolis, Indiana. After the war, Owen served as Indiana's second state geologist. In addition, he was a professor at Indiana University and chaired its natural science department in 1864–1879. He helped plan Purdue University and was appointed its first president in 1872–1874, but resigned before its classes began and resumed teaching at Indiana University. He spent his retirement years on research and writing. Honours and tributes The Co-operative Movement erected a monument to Robert Owen in 1902 at his burial site in Newtown, Montgomeryshire. The Welsh people donated a bust of Owen by Welsh sculptor Sir William Goscombe John to the International Labour Office library in Geneva, Switzerland. Selected published works A New View of Society: Or, Essays on the Formation of Human Character, and the Application of the Principle to Practice (London, 1813). Retitled, A New View of Society: Or, Essays on the Formation of Human Character Preparatory to the Development of a Plan for Gradually Ameliorating the Condition of Mankind, for second edition, 1816 Observations on the Effect of the Manufacturing System. London, 1815 Report to the Committee of the Association for the Relief of the Manufacturing and Labouring Poor (1817) Two Memorials on Behalf of the Working Classes (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 181 An Address to the Master Manufacturers of Great Britain: On the Present Existing Evils in the Manufacturing System (Bolton, 1819) Report to the County of Lanark of a Plan for relieving Public Distress (Glasgow: Glasgow University Press, 1821) An Explanation of the Cause of Distress which pervades the civilised parts of the world (London and Paris, 1823) An Address to All Classes in the State. London, 1832 The Revolution in the Mind and Practice of the Human Race. London, 1849 Collected works: A New View of Society and Other Writings, introduction by G. D. H. Cole. London and New York: J. M. Dent & Sons, E. P. Dutton and Co., 1927 A New View of Society and Other Writings, G. Claeys, ed. London and New York: Penguin Books, 1991 The Selected Works of Robert Owen, G. Claeys, ed., 4 vols. London: Pickering and Chatto, 1993 Archival collections: Robert Owen Collection, National Co-operative Archive, United Kingdom. New Harmony, Indiana, Collection, 1814–1884, 1920, 1964, Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States New Harmony Series III Collection, Workingmen's Institute, New Harmony, Indiana, United States Owen family collection, 1826–1967, bulk 1830–1890, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington, Indiana, United States See also Cincinnati Time Store José María Arizmendiarrieta Labour voucher List of Owenite communities in the United States Owenstown Owenism William King References Bibliography (online version) Further reading Biographies of Owen A. J. Booth, Robert Owen, the Founder of Socialism in England (London, 1869) G. D. H. Cole, Life of Robert Owen. London, Ernest Benn Ltd., 1925; second edition Macmillan, 1930 Lloyd Jones. The Life, Times, and Labours of Robert Owen. London, 1889 A. L. Morton, The Life and Ideas of Robert Owen. New York, International Publishers, 1969 W. H. Oliver, "Robert Owen and the English Working-Class Movements", History Today (November 1958) 8–11, pp. 787–796 F. A. Packard, Life of Robert Owen. Philadelphia: Ashmead & Evans, 1866 Frank Podmore, Robert Owen: A Biography. London: Hutchinson and Company, 1906 David Santilli, Life of the Mill Man. London, B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1987 William Lucas Sargant, Robert Owen and his social philosophy . London, 1860 Richard Tames, Radicals, Railways & Reform. London, B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1986 Other works about Owen Arthur Bestor, Backwoods Utopias. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1950, 2nd edition, 1970 John Butt (ed). Robert Owen: Aspects of his Life and Work. Humanities Press, 1971 Gregory Claeys, Citizens and Saints. Politics and Anti-Politics in Early British Socialism. Cambridge University Press, 1989 Gregory Claeys, Machinery, Money and the Millennium: From Moral Economy to Socialism 1815–1860. Princeton University Press, 1987 R. E. Davies, The Life of Robert Owen, Philanthropist and Social Reformer, An Appreciation. Robert Sutton, 1907 R. E. Davis and F. J. O'Hagan, Robert Owen. London: Continuum Press, 2010 E. Dolleans, Robert Owen. Paris, 1905 I. Donnachie, Robert Owen. Owen of New Lanark and New Harmony. 2000 Auguste Marie Fabre, Un Socialiste Pratique, Robert Owen. Nìmes, Bureaux de l'Émancipation, 1896 John F. C. Harrison, Robert Owen and the Owenites in Britain and America: Quest for the New Moral World. New York, 1969 Alexander Herzen, My Past and Thoughts (University of California Press, 1982). (One chapter is devoted to Owen.) G. J. Holyoake, The History of Co-operation in England: Its Literature and Its Advocates V. 1. London, 1906 G. J. Holyoake, The History of Co-operation in England: Its Literature and Its Advocates V. 2. London, 1906 The National Library of Wales, A Bibliography of Robert Owen, The Socialist. 1914 H. Simon, Robert Owen: Sein Leben und Seine Bedeutung für die Gegenwart. Jena, 1905 O. Siméon, Robert Owen's Experiment at New Lanark. From Paternalism to Socialism. Palgrave Macmillan, 2017 External links Essays by Owen at the Marxists Internet Archive Brief biography at the New Lanark World Heritage Site The Robert Owen Museum, Newtown, Wales Video of Owen's wool mill Brief biography at Cotton Times "Robert Owen (1771-1858) social reformer, founder of New Harmony", University of Evansville, Indiana "Robert Owen and the Co-operative movement" Brief biography at The History Guide Brief biography at age-of-the-sage.org Heaven On Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism at PBS {dead link 2021-02-22} 1771 births 1858 deaths Cooperative organizers Founders of utopian communities People from Newtown, Powys Owenites Utopian socialists Welsh agnostics Welsh humanists 19th-century Welsh businesspeople 18th-century Welsh businesspeople Welsh business theorists Welsh philanthropists Welsh socialists British reformers British social reformers Socialist economists
false
[ "Adam Morton (1945 – 2020) was a Canadian philosopher. Morton's work focused on how we understand one another's behaviour in everyday life, with an emphasis on the role mutual intelligibility plays in cooperative activity. He also wrote on ethics, decision-making, philosophy of language and epistemology. His later work concerned our vocabulary for evaluating and monitoring our thinking. Morton was Professor of Philosophy from 1980 to 2000 at the University of Bristol in the UK and finished his academic career at the University of British Columbia. He was president of the Aristotelian Society during 1998–1999 and in 2006 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.\n\nWorks\nMorton authored Frames of Mind: Constraints on the Common Sense Conception of the Mental (1980), Disasters and Dilemmas: Strategies for Real-life Decision Making (1990), The Importance of Being Understood: Folk Psychology as Ethics (2002), On Evil (2005), Bounded Thinking: Intellectual Virtues for Limited Agents (2012), Emotion and Imagination (2013), and two textbooks, A Guide Through the Theory of Knowledge (2002) and Philosophy in Practice (2003). Along with Stephen P. Stich, he co-edited Benacerraf and His Critics (1997).\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n \n Key Philosophers in Conversation: Adam Morton (1999)\n\n1945 births\n20th-century Canadian philosophers\n21st-century Canadian philosophers\nAcademics of the University of Bristol\nCanadian expatriate academics in the United Kingdom\nCanadian philosophers\nCanadian people of Armenian descent\nEpistemologists\nFellows of the Royal Society of Canada\n2020 deaths\nMcGill University alumni\nPhilosophers of language\nPhilosophers of mathematics\nPhilosophers of mind\nPresidents of the Aristotelian Society\nPrinceton University alumni\nPrinceton University faculty\nUniversity of Alberta faculty\nUniversity of Oklahoma faculty\nUniversity of Ottawa faculty\nPresidents of the Canadian Philosophical Association", "Theodor Lipps (; 28 July 1851 – 17 October 1914) was a German philosopher, famed for his theory regarding aesthetics, creating the framework for the concept of Einfühlung (empathy), defined as, \"projecting oneself onto the object of perception.\" This has then led onto opening up a new branch of interdisciplinary research in the overlap between psychology and philosophy.\n\nBiography\nLipps was one of the most influential German university professors of his time, attracting many students from other countries. Lipps was very concerned with conceptions of art and the aesthetic, focusing much of his philosophy around such issues. Among his fervent admirers was Sigmund Freud. There were at least two theories that made an impact on Freud's works. The first was Lipps' theory of the unconscious mental events. Lipps was then a main supporter of the idea of the Unconscious. The second was Lipps' works on humor.\n\nEinfühlung \nHe adopted Robert Vischer's notions of empathy or esthetic sympathy (Einfühlung, literally translated to \"feeling-into\"). He was responsible for popularizing the term by modifying Vischer's conceptualization. Particularly, Lipps concealed some of the thinker's mysticism, hiding it within the sphere of scientific psychology in his work, Aesthetics of Space and Geometrical Illusions. The term was used to describe the process of contemplating art objects as representation of our feelings. Lipps developed it into an aesthetic theory, which was refined further by other thinkers such as Roger Fry and Vernon Lee. This concept of aesthetic resonance finds parallels throughout aesthetic philosophy. In this concept, empathy is said to begin with both the object and the pleasure drawn together in a single act instead of a separate object with which we have aesthetic enjoyment or with pleasure taken in an object. According to Lipps, empathy incorporates movement or activity, which is bound up with observed object by: 1) being derived from it; and, 2) by being inseparable from it.\n\nPsychologism \nLipps was an important adherent of psychologism early in his career. This philosophy was based on the Neo-Kantianism that became influential in German philosophy during the second half of the nineteenth century. He became a spokesman of this school as evidenced in his early publications. In his work, Logik (1893), he declared his \"unlimited foundational logical psychologism\", which is based on a partial identity of psychology of thinking and the logic of thinking. Here, logic is considered the \"physics of thinking\" rather than an \"ethics of thinking\". According to Lipps, \"logic is a psychological discipline, as certain as the cognition occurs only in the psyche, and the thinking, which completes itself in the cognition, is a psychical event.\"\n\nLate in life, Lipps adopted some ideas from Edmund Husserl as he developed in another direction. Disliking his psychologism, some of his students joined with some of Husserl's to form a new branch of philosophy called phenomenology of essences. Among them there was Moritz Geiger who wrote one of the first phenomenological essays on the essence and meaning of empathy in which the influence of Lipps is relevant. There was also Paul Ferdinand Linke who studied under Lipps at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat and dealt with Husserlian phenomenology in his first publication, Die phaenomenale Sphaere.\n\nIn the so-called aesthetics of \"oughtness\", Lipps attempted to reconcile \"ought\" with \"is\".\n\nSee also \n Otto Selz\n\nReferences\n\nSources \n\n Hatfield, G. Psychology Old and New, Institute for Research in Cognitive Science Technical Report No.IRCS-01-07 (University of Pennsylvania, 2001)\n Lyubimova, T. \"On the Comic\", in: Aesthetics, Art, Life: A Collection of Articles, compiled by T. Lyubimova, M. Ovsyannikov; general editorship by A. Zis; translated from the Russian by Sergei Syrovatkin (Moscow: Raduga Publishers, 1988), pp. 200–211.\n\nExternal links \n\n \n \n Some digitized texts by Lipps in the Virtual Laboratory of the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science\n\n1851 births\n1914 deaths\n19th-century essayists\n19th-century German non-fiction writers\n19th-century German male writers\n19th-century German philosophers\n20th-century essayists\n20th-century German non-fiction writers\n20th-century German philosophers\nContinental philosophers\nGerman male essayists\nGerman male non-fiction writers\nPhenomenologists\nPhilosophers of art\nPhilosophers of culture\nPhilosophers of mind\nPhilosophy academics\nPhilosophy writers" ]
[ "Robert Owen", "Models for socialism (1817)", "What were his models for socialism?", "Owen proposed that communities of about 1,200 people should be settled on land from 1,000 to 1,500 acres (4 to 6 km2", "Were there philosophers he based his thinking on?", "I don't know." ]
C_9d348a70821b4af3934b4ea07a06d926_1
What is models for socialism?
3
What is models for socialism?
Robert Owen
Owen embraced socialism in 1817, a turning point in his life, and began making specific efforts to implement what he described as his "New View of Society." Owen outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons regarding the country's Poor Laws. In addition, when misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars were capturing the attention of the country, the British government invited Owen to offer his advice on what could be done to alleviate the industrial concerns. Although Owen attributed the immediate causes of misery to the wars, he also argued that the underlying cause of distress was the competition of human labour with machinery and recommended the establishment of self-sufficient communities. Owen proposed that communities of about 1,200 people should be settled on land from 1,000 to 1,500 acres (4 to 6 km2), with all of them living in one large building that had a public kitchen and dining halls. (The size of his proposed community is likely to have been influenced by the size of the village of New Lanark.) Owen also recommended that each family should have its own private apartments and the responsibility for the care of their children until they reached the age of three. Thereafter, children would be raised by the community-at-large, but their parents would have access to them at mealtimes and on other occasions. Owen further suggested that these socialistic communities might be established by individuals, parishes, counties, or other governmental units. In every case there would be effective supervision by qualified persons. The work and the enjoyment of its results should be experienced communally. Owen believed that his idea would be the best form for the re-organisation of society in general. He called his vision for a socialistic utopia the "New Moral World." Owen's utopian model changed little during his lifetime. His fully developed model considered an association of 500 to 3,000 people as the optimum number for a good working community. While mainly agricultural, it would possess the best machinery, offer a variety of employment, and, as far as possible, be self-contained. Owen further explained that as the number of these communities increased, "unions of them federatively united shall be formed in circle of tens, hundreds and thousands" linked in a common interest. CANNOTANSWER
began making specific efforts to implement what he described as his "New View of Society."
Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement. He strove to improve factory working conditions, promoted experimental socialistic communities, and sought a more collective approach to child rearing, including government control of education. He gained wealth in the early 1800s from a textile mill at New Lanark, Scotland. Having trained as a draper in Stamford, Lincolnshire he worked in London before relocating aged 18 to Manchester and textile manufacturing. In 1824, he moved to America and put most of his fortune in an experimental socialistic community at New Harmony, Indiana, as a preliminary for his Utopian society. It lasted about two years. Other Owenite communities also failed, and in 1828 Owen returned to London, where he continued to champion the working class, lead in developing cooperatives and the trade union movement, and support child labour legislation and free co-educational schools. Early life and education Robert Owen was born in Newtown, a small market town in Montgomeryshire, Wales, on 14 May 1771, to Anne (Williams) and Robert Owen. His father was a saddler, ironmonger and local postmaster; his mother was the daughter of a Newtown farming family. Young Robert was the sixth of the family's seven children, two of whom died at a young age. His surviving siblings were William, Anne, John and Richard. Owen received little formal education, but he was an avid reader. He left school at the age of ten to be apprenticed to a Stamford, Lincolnshire, draper for four years. He also worked in London drapery shops in his teens. At about the age of 18, Owen moved to Manchester, where he spent the next twelve years of his life, employed initially at Satterfield's Drapery in Saint Ann's Square. While in Manchester, Owen borrowed £100 from his brother William, so as to enter into a partnership to make spinning mules, a new invention for spinning cotton thread, but exchanged his business share within a few months for six spinning mules that he worked in rented factory space. In 1792, when Owen was about 21 years old, mill-owner Peter Drinkwater made him manager of the Piccadilly Mill at Manchester. However, after two years with Drinkwater, Owen voluntarily gave up a contracted promise of partnership, left the company, and went into partnership with other entrepreneurs to establish and later manage the Chorlton Twist Mills in Chorlton-on-Medlock. By the early 1790s, Owen's entrepreneurial spirit, management skills and progressive moral views were emerging. In 1793, he was elected a member of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, where the ideas of the Enlightenment were discussed. He also became a committee member of the Manchester Board of Health, instigated principally by Thomas Percival to press for improvements in the health and working conditions of factory workers. Marriage and family On a visit to Scotland, Owen met and fell in love with Ann (or Anne) Caroline Dale, daughter of David Dale, a Glasgow philanthropist and the proprietor of the large New Lanark Mills. After their marriage on 30 September 1799, the Owens set up home in New Lanark, but later moved to Braxfield, Scotland. Robert and Caroline Owen had eight children, the first of whom died in infancy. Their seven survivors were four sons and three daughters: Robert Dale (1801–1877), William (1802–1842), Ann (or Anne) Caroline (1805–1831), Jane Dale (1805–1861), David Dale (1807–1860), Richard Dale (1809–1890) and Mary (1810–1832). Owen's four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale and Richard, and his daughter Jane Dale, followed their father to the United States, becoming US citizens and permanent residents in New Harmony, Indiana. Owen's wife Caroline and two of their daughters, Anne Caroline and Mary, remained in Britain, where they died in the 1830s. New Lanark mill In July 1799 Owen and his partners bought the New Lanark mill from David Dale, and Owen became its manager in January 1800. Encouraged by his management success in Manchester, Owen hoped to conduct the New Lanark mill on higher principles than purely commercial ones. It had been established in 1785 by David Dale and Richard Arkwright. Its water power provided by the falls of the River Clyde turned its cotton-spinning operation into one of Britain's largest. About 2,000 individuals were involved, 500 of them children brought to the mill at the age of five or six from the poorhouses and charities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Dale, known for his benevolence, treated the children well, but the general condition of New Lanark residents was unsatisfactory, despite efforts by Dale and his son-in-law Owen to improve their workers' lives. Many of the workers were from the lowest social levels: theft, drunkenness and other vices were common and education and sanitation neglected. Most families lived in one room. More respected people rejected the long hours and demoralising drudgery of the mills. Until a series of Truck Acts (1831–1887) required employers to pay their employees in common currency, many operated a truck system, paying workers wholly or in part with tokens that had no monetary value outside the mill owner's "truck shop", which charged high prices for shoddy goods. Unlike others, Owen's truck store offered goods at prices only slightly above their wholesale cost, passing on the savings from bulk purchases to his customers and placing alcohol sales under strict supervision. These principles became the basis for Britain's Co-operative shops, some of which continue trading in altered forms to this day. Philosophy and influence Owen tested his social and economic ideas at New Lanark, where he won his workers' confidence and continued to have success through the improved efficiency at the mill. The community also earned an international reputation. Social reformers, statesmen and royalty, including the future Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, visited New Lanark to study its methods. The opinions of many such visitors were favourable. Owen's biggest success was in support of youth education and early child care. As a pioneer in Britain, notably Scotland, Owen provided an alternative to the "normal authoritarian approach to child education". The manners of children brought up under his system were more graceful, genial and unconstrained; health, plenty and contentment prevailed; drunkenness was almost unknown and illegitimacy extremely rare. Owen's relations with his workers remained excellent and operations at the mill proceeded in a smooth, regular and commercially successful way. However, some of Owen's schemes displeased his partners, forcing him to arrange for other investors to buy his share of the business in 1813, for the equivalent of US$800,000. The new investors, who included Jeremy Bentham and the well-known Quaker William Allen, were content to accept a £5,000 return on their capital. The ownership change also provided Owen with a chance to broaden his philanthropy, advocating improvements in workers' rights and child labour laws, and free education for children. In 1813 Owen authored and published A New View of Society, or Essays on the Principle of the Formation of the Human Character, the first of four essays he wrote to explain the principles behind his philosophy of socialistic reform. In this he writes: Owen had originally been a follower of the classical liberal, utilitarian Jeremy Bentham, who believed that free markets, in particular the right of workers to move and choose their employers, would release workers from the excessive power of capitalists. However, Owen developed his own, pro-socialist outlook. In addition, Owen as a deist, criticised organised religion, including the Church of England, and developed a belief system of his own. Owen felt that human character is formed by conditions over which individuals have no control. Thus individuals could not be praised or blamed for their behaviour or situation in life. This principle led Owen to conclude that the correct formation of people's characters called for placing them under proper environmental influences – physical, moral and social – from their earliest years. These notions of inherent irresponsibility in humans and the effect of early influences on an individual's character formed the basis of Owen's system of education and social reform. Relying on his own observations, experiences and thoughts, Owen saw his view of human nature as original and "the most basic and necessary constituent in an evolving science of society". His philosophy was influenced by Sir Isaac Newton's views on natural law, and his views resembled those of Plato, Denis Diderot, Claude Adrien Helvétius, William Godwin, John Locke, James Mill, and Jeremy Bentham, among others. Owen did not have the direct influence of Enlightenment philosophers. Owen's work at New Lanark continued to have significance in Britain and continental Europe. He was a "pioneer in factory reform, the father of distributive cooperation, and the founder of nursery schools." His schemes for educating his workers included opening an Institute for the Formation of Character at New Lanark in 1818. This and other programmes at New Lanark provided free education from infancy to adulthood. In addition, he zealously supported factory legislation that culminated in the Cotton Mills and Factories Act of 1819. Owen also had interviews and communications with leading members of the British government, including its premier, Robert Banks Jenkinson, Lord Liverpool. He also met many of the rulers and leading statesmen of Europe. Owen adopted new principles to raise the standard of goods his workers produced. A cube with faces painted in different colours was installed above each machinist's workplace. The colour of the face showed to all who saw it the quality and quantity of goods the worker completed. The intention was to encourage workers to do their best. Although it was no great incentive in itself, conditions at New Lanark for workers and their families were idyllic for the time. Eight-hour day Owen raised the demand for an eight-hour day in 1810 and set about instituting the policy at New Lanark. By 1817 he had formulated the goal of an eight-hour working day with the slogan "eight hours labour, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest". Models for socialism (1817) Owen embraced socialism in 1817, a turning point in his life, in which he pursued a "New View of Society". He outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons on the country's Poor Laws. As misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars drew national attention, the government called on Owen for advice on how to alleviate the industrial concerns. Although he ascribed the immediate misery to the wars, he saw as the underlying cause competition of human labour with machinery, and recommended setting up self-sufficient communities. Owen proposed that communities of some 1,200 people should settle on land from , all living in one building with a public kitchen and dining halls. (The proposed size may have been influenced by the size of the village of New Lanark.) Owen also proposed that each family have its own private apartments and the responsibility for the care of its children up to the age of three. Thereafter children would be raised by the community, but their parents would have access to them at mealtimes and on other occasions. Owen further suggested that such communities be established by individuals, parishes, counties, or other governmental units. In each case there would be effective supervision by qualified persons. Work and enjoyment of its results should be experienced communally. Owen believed his idea would be the best way to reorganise society in general, and called his vision the "New Moral World". Owen's utopian model changed little in his lifetime. His developed model envisaged an association of 500–3,000 people as the optimum for a working community. While mainly agricultural, it would possess the best machinery, offer varied employment, and as far as possible be self-contained. Owen went on to explain that as such communities proliferated, "unions of them federatively united shall be formed in circle of tens, hundreds and thousands", linked by common interest. Arguments against Owen and his answers Owen always tried to spread his ideas to wider communities. First, he started publishing his ideas in newspapers. Owen then sent such newspapers widely to parliamentarians, politicians and other important people. These articles spurred the first negative reactions to his ideas. Opponents thought that Owen's plans would result in an uncontrollable increase in population and poverty. The other main criticism was that Owen's plan and the common use of everything would essentially make the country one large workshop. William Hone claimed that Owen saw people as unravelled plants from their roots, and that he wanted to plant them in rectangles. Another commentator accused Owen of wanting to imprison people in workshops like barracks and eradicate their personal independence. Owen's opponents had begun to regard him as an enemy of religion. His influence in ruling circles, which he had hoped would help him to accomplish his "plan", started diminishing and rumours of his lack of religious conviction spread. Owen believed that without a change in the character of individuals and the environment in which they live, they would remain hostile to those around them. As long as such a social order continued, the positive aspects of Christianity could never be put into practice. Owen also considered it necessary to give people more freedom in order to improve the situation of the poor and working classes. Unless people were better educated, unless they gained more useful information and had permanent employment, they were a danger to the security of the state when given more freedom than the British Constitution did at the time. Without making any changes in the national institutions, he believed that even reorganizing the working classes would bring great benefits. So he opposed the views of radicals seeking to change in the public mentality by expanding voting rights. Other notable critics of Owen include Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who viewed his work as a precursor to their own. They recognized in Owen the important understanding, developed by Marx in Capital, that it is the working class that are responsible for creating the unparalleled wealth in capitalist societies. Similarly, Owen also recognized that under the existing economic system, the working class did not automatically receive the benefits of that newly created wealth. Marx and Engels, differentiated, however, their own scientific conception of socialism from Owen's societies. They argued that Owen's plan, to create a model socialist utopia to coexist with contemporary society and prove its superiority over time, was insufficient to create a new society. In their view, Owen's "socialism" was utopian, since to Owen and the other utopian socialists "[s]ocialism is the expression of absolute truth, reason and justice, and has only to be discovered to conquer all the world by virtue of its own power." Marx and Engels believed that the overthrow of the capitalist system could only occur once the working class was organized into a revolutionary socialist political party of the working class that was completely independent of all capitalist class influence whereas the utopians sought the assistance and the co-operation of the capitalists in order to achieve the transition to socialism. Community experiments To test the viability of his ideas for self-sufficient working communities, Owen began experimenting in communal living in America in 1825. Among the most famous efforts was the one set up at New Harmony, Indiana. Of the 130 identifiable communitarian experiments in America before the American Civil War, at least 16 were Owenite or Owenite-influenced. New Harmony was Owen's earliest and most ambitious of these. Owen and his son William sailed to America in October 1824 to establish an experimental community in Indiana. In January 1825 Owen used a portion of his own funds to purchase an existing town of 180 buildings and several thousand acres of land along the Wabash River in Indiana. George Rapp's Harmony Society, the religious group that owned the property and had founded the communal village of Harmony (or Harmonie) on the site in 1814, decided in 1824 to relocate to Pennsylvania. Owen renamed it New Harmony and made the village his preliminary model for a Utopian community. Owen sought support for his socialist vision among American thinkers, reformers, intellectuals and public statesmen. On 25 February and 7 March 1825, Owen gave addresses in the U.S. House of Representatives to the U.S. Congress and others in the US government, outlining his vision for the Utopian community at New Harmony, and his socialist beliefs. The audience for his ideas included three former U.S. presidents – John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison) – the outgoing US President James Monroe, and the President-elect, John Quincy Adams. His meetings were perhaps the first discussions of socialism in the Americas; they were certainly a big step towards discussion of it in the United States. Owenism, among the first socialist ideologies active in the United States, can be seen as an instigator of the later socialist movement. Owen convinced William Maclure, a wealthy Scottish scientist and philanthropist living in Philadelphia to join him at New Harmony and become his financial partner. Maclure's involvement went on to attract scientists, educators and artists such as Thomas Say, Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, and Madame Marie Duclos Fretageot. These helped to turn the New Harmony community into a centre for educational reform, scientific research and artistic expression. Although Owen sought to build a "Village of Unity and Mutual Cooperation" south of the town, his grand plan was never fully realised and he returned to Britain to continue his work. During his long absences from New Harmony, Owen left the experiment under the day-to-day management of his sons, Robert Dale Owen and William Owen, and his business partner, Maclure. However, New Harmony proved to be an economic failure, lasting about two years, although it had attracted over a thousand residents by the end of its first year. The socialistic society was dissolved in 1827, but many of its scientists, educators, artists and other inhabitants, including Owen's four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale, and Richard Dale Owen, and his daughter Jane Dale Owen Fauntleroy, remained at New Harmony after the experiment ended. Other experiments in the United States included communal settlements at Blue Spring, near Bloomington, Indiana, at Yellow Springs, Ohio, and at Forestville Commonwealth at Earlton, New York, as well as other projects in New York, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Nearly all of these had ended before New Harmony was dissolved in April 1827. Owen's Utopian communities attracted a mix of people, many with the highest aims. They included vagrants, adventurers and other reform-minded enthusiasts. In the words of Owen's son David Dale Owen, they attracted "a heterogeneous collection of Radicals", "enthusiastic devotees to principle," and "honest latitudinarians, and lazy theorists," with "a sprinkling of unprincipled sharpers thrown in." Josiah Warren, a participant at New Harmony, asserted that it was doomed to failure for lack of individual sovereignty and personal property. In describing the community, Warren explained: "We had a world in miniature – we had enacted the French revolution over again with despairing hearts instead of corpses as a result.... It appeared that it was nature's own inherent law of diversity that had conquered us... our 'united interests' were directly at war with the individualities of persons and circumstances and the instinct of self-preservation...." Warren's observations on the reasons for the community's failure led to the development of American individualist anarchism, of which he was its original theorist. Some historians have traced the demise of New Harmony to serial disagreements among its members. Social experiments also began in Scotland in 1825, when Abram Combe, an Owenite, attempted a utopian experiment at Orbiston, near Glasgow, but this failed after about two years. In the 1830s, additional experiments in socialistic cooperatives were made in Ireland and Britain, the most important being at Ralahine, established in 1831 in County Clare, Ireland, and at Tytherley, begun in 1839 in Hampshire, England. The former proved a remarkable success for three-and-a-half years until the proprietor, having ruined himself by gambling, had to sell his interest. Tytherley, known as Harmony Hall or Queenwood College, was designed by the architect Joseph Hansom. This also failed. Another social experiment, Manea Colony in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, launched in the late 1830s by William Hodson, likewise an Owenite, but it failed in a couple of years and Hodson emigrated to the United States. The Manea Colony site has been excavated by Cambridge Archaeology Unit (CAU) based at the University of Cambridge. Return to Britain Although Owen made further brief visits to the United States, London became his permanent home and the centre of his work in 1828. After extended friction with William Allen and some other business partners, Owen relinquished all connections with New Lanark. He is often quoted in a comment by Allen at the time, "All the world is queer save thee and me, and even thou art a little queer". Having invested most of his fortune in the failed New Harmony communal experiment, Owen was no longer a wealthy capitalist. However, he remained the head of a vigorous propaganda effort to promote industrial equality, free education for children and adequate living conditions in factory towns, while delivering lectures in Europe and publishing a weekly newspaper to gain support for his ideas. In 1832 Owen opened the National Equitable Labour Exchange system, a time-based currency in which the exchange of goods was effected by means of labour notes; this system superseded the usual means of exchange and middlemen. The London exchange continued until 1833, a Birmingham branch operating for just a few months until July 1833. Owen also became involved in trade unionism, briefly leading the Grand National Consolidated Trade Union (GNCTU) before its collapse in 1834. Socialism first became current in British terminology in discussions of the Association of all Classes of all Nations, which Owen formed in 1835 and served as its initial leader. Owen's secular views also gained enough influence among the working classes to cause the Westminster Review to comment in 1839 that his principles were the creed of many of them. However, by 1846, the only lasting result of Owen's agitation for social change, carried on through public meetings, pamphlets, periodicals, and occasional treatises, remained the Co-operative movement, and for a time even that seemed to have collapsed. Role in spiritualism In 1817, Owen publicly claimed that all religions were false. In 1854, aged 83, Owen converted to spiritualism after a series of sittings with Maria B. Hayden, an American medium credited with introducing spiritualism to England. He made a public profession of his new faith in his publication The Rational Quarterly Review and in a pamphlet titled The future of the Human race; or great glorious and future revolution to be effected through the agency of departed spirits of good and superior men and women. Owen claimed to have had medium contact with spirits of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and others. He explained that the purpose of these was to change "the present, false, disunited and miserable state of human existence, for a true, united and happy state... to prepare the world for universal peace, and to infuse into all the spirit of charity, forbearance and love." Spiritualists claimed after Owen's death that his spirit had dictated to the medium Emma Hardinge Britten in 1871 the "Seven Principles of Spiritualism", used by their National Union as "the basis of its religious philosophy". Death and legacy As Owen grew older and more radical in his views, his influence began to decline. Owen published his memoirs, The Life of Robert Owen, in 1857, a year before his death. Although he had spent most of his life in England and Scotland, Owen returned to his native town of Newtown at the end of his life. He died there on 17 November 1858 and was buried there on 21 November. He died penniless apart from an annual income drawn from a trust established by his sons in 1844. Owen was a reformer, philanthropist, community builder, and spiritualist who spent his life seeking to improve the lives of others. An advocate of the working class, he improved working conditions for factory workers, which he demonstrated at New Lanark, Scotland, became a leader in trade unionism, promoted social equality through his experimental Utopian communities, and supported the passage of child labour laws and free education for children. In these reforms he was ahead of his time. He envisioned a communal society that others could consider and apply as they wished. In Revolution in the Mind and Practice of the Human Race (1849), he went on to say that character is formed by a combination of Nature or God and the circumstances of the individual's experience. Citing beneficial results at New Lanark, Scotland, during 30 years of work there, Owen concluded that a person's "character is not made by, but for the individual," and that nature and society are responsible for each person's character and conduct. Owen's agitation for social change, along with the work of the Owenites and of his own children, helped to bring lasting social reforms in women's and workers' rights, establish free public libraries and museums, child care and public, co-educational schools, and pre-Marxian communism, and develop the Co-operative and trade union movements. New Harmony, Indiana, and New Lanark, Scotland, two towns with which he is closely associated, remain as reminders of his efforts. Owen's legacy of public service continued with his four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale, and Richard Dale, and his daughter, Jane, who followed him to America to live at New Harmony, Indiana: Robert Dale Owen (1801–1877), an able exponent of his father's doctrines, managed the New Harmony community after his father returned to Britain in 1825. He wrote articles and co-edited with Frances Wright the New-Harmony Gazette in the late 1820s in Indiana and the Free Enquirer in the 1830s in New York City. Owen returned to New Harmony in 1833 and became active in Indiana politics. He was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives (1836–1839 and 1851–1853) and U.S. House of Representatives (1843–1847), and was appointed chargé d'affaires in Naples in 1853–1858. While serving as a member of Congress, he drafted and helped to secure passage of a bill founding the Smithsonian Institution in 1846. He was elected a delegate to the Indiana Constitutional Convention in 1850, and argued in support of widows and married women's property and divorce rights. He also favoured legislation for Indiana's tax-supported public school system. Like his father, he believed in spiritualism, authoring two books on the subject: Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World (1859) and The Debatable Land Between this World and the Next (1872). William Owen (1802–1842) moved to the United States with his father in 1824. His business skill, notably his knowledge of cotton-goods manufacturing, allowed him to remain at New Harmony after his father returned to Scotland, and serve as adviser to the community. He organised New Harmony's Thespian Society in 1827, but died of unknown causes at the age of 40. Jane Dale Owen Fauntleroy (1805–1861) arrived in the United States in 1833 and settled in New Harmony. She was a musician and educator who set up a school in her home. In 1835 she married Robert Henry Fauntleroy, a civil engineer from Virginia living at New Harmony. David Dale Owen (1807–1860) moved to the United States in 1827 and resided at New Harmony for several years. He trained as a geologist and natural scientist and earned a medical degree. He was appointed a United States geologist in 1839. His work included geological surveys in the Midwest, more specifically the states of Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas, as well as Minnesota Territory. His brother Richard succeeded him as state geologist of Indiana. Richard Dale Owen (1810–1890) emigrated to the United States in 1827 and joined his siblings at New Harmony. He fought in the Mexican–American War in 1847, taught natural science at Western Military Institute in Tennessee in 1849–1859, and earned a medical degree in 1858. During the American Civil War he was a colonel in the Union army and served as a commandant of Camp Morton, a prisoner-of-war camp for Confederate soldiers at Indianapolis, Indiana. After the war, Owen served as Indiana's second state geologist. In addition, he was a professor at Indiana University and chaired its natural science department in 1864–1879. He helped plan Purdue University and was appointed its first president in 1872–1874, but resigned before its classes began and resumed teaching at Indiana University. He spent his retirement years on research and writing. Honours and tributes The Co-operative Movement erected a monument to Robert Owen in 1902 at his burial site in Newtown, Montgomeryshire. The Welsh people donated a bust of Owen by Welsh sculptor Sir William Goscombe John to the International Labour Office library in Geneva, Switzerland. Selected published works A New View of Society: Or, Essays on the Formation of Human Character, and the Application of the Principle to Practice (London, 1813). Retitled, A New View of Society: Or, Essays on the Formation of Human Character Preparatory to the Development of a Plan for Gradually Ameliorating the Condition of Mankind, for second edition, 1816 Observations on the Effect of the Manufacturing System. London, 1815 Report to the Committee of the Association for the Relief of the Manufacturing and Labouring Poor (1817) Two Memorials on Behalf of the Working Classes (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 181 An Address to the Master Manufacturers of Great Britain: On the Present Existing Evils in the Manufacturing System (Bolton, 1819) Report to the County of Lanark of a Plan for relieving Public Distress (Glasgow: Glasgow University Press, 1821) An Explanation of the Cause of Distress which pervades the civilised parts of the world (London and Paris, 1823) An Address to All Classes in the State. London, 1832 The Revolution in the Mind and Practice of the Human Race. London, 1849 Collected works: A New View of Society and Other Writings, introduction by G. D. H. Cole. London and New York: J. M. Dent & Sons, E. P. Dutton and Co., 1927 A New View of Society and Other Writings, G. Claeys, ed. London and New York: Penguin Books, 1991 The Selected Works of Robert Owen, G. Claeys, ed., 4 vols. London: Pickering and Chatto, 1993 Archival collections: Robert Owen Collection, National Co-operative Archive, United Kingdom. New Harmony, Indiana, Collection, 1814–1884, 1920, 1964, Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States New Harmony Series III Collection, Workingmen's Institute, New Harmony, Indiana, United States Owen family collection, 1826–1967, bulk 1830–1890, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington, Indiana, United States See also Cincinnati Time Store José María Arizmendiarrieta Labour voucher List of Owenite communities in the United States Owenstown Owenism William King References Bibliography (online version) Further reading Biographies of Owen A. J. Booth, Robert Owen, the Founder of Socialism in England (London, 1869) G. D. H. Cole, Life of Robert Owen. London, Ernest Benn Ltd., 1925; second edition Macmillan, 1930 Lloyd Jones. The Life, Times, and Labours of Robert Owen. London, 1889 A. L. Morton, The Life and Ideas of Robert Owen. New York, International Publishers, 1969 W. H. Oliver, "Robert Owen and the English Working-Class Movements", History Today (November 1958) 8–11, pp. 787–796 F. A. Packard, Life of Robert Owen. Philadelphia: Ashmead & Evans, 1866 Frank Podmore, Robert Owen: A Biography. London: Hutchinson and Company, 1906 David Santilli, Life of the Mill Man. London, B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1987 William Lucas Sargant, Robert Owen and his social philosophy . London, 1860 Richard Tames, Radicals, Railways & Reform. London, B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1986 Other works about Owen Arthur Bestor, Backwoods Utopias. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1950, 2nd edition, 1970 John Butt (ed). Robert Owen: Aspects of his Life and Work. Humanities Press, 1971 Gregory Claeys, Citizens and Saints. Politics and Anti-Politics in Early British Socialism. Cambridge University Press, 1989 Gregory Claeys, Machinery, Money and the Millennium: From Moral Economy to Socialism 1815–1860. Princeton University Press, 1987 R. E. Davies, The Life of Robert Owen, Philanthropist and Social Reformer, An Appreciation. Robert Sutton, 1907 R. E. Davis and F. J. O'Hagan, Robert Owen. London: Continuum Press, 2010 E. Dolleans, Robert Owen. Paris, 1905 I. Donnachie, Robert Owen. Owen of New Lanark and New Harmony. 2000 Auguste Marie Fabre, Un Socialiste Pratique, Robert Owen. Nìmes, Bureaux de l'Émancipation, 1896 John F. C. Harrison, Robert Owen and the Owenites in Britain and America: Quest for the New Moral World. New York, 1969 Alexander Herzen, My Past and Thoughts (University of California Press, 1982). (One chapter is devoted to Owen.) G. J. Holyoake, The History of Co-operation in England: Its Literature and Its Advocates V. 1. London, 1906 G. J. Holyoake, The History of Co-operation in England: Its Literature and Its Advocates V. 2. London, 1906 The National Library of Wales, A Bibliography of Robert Owen, The Socialist. 1914 H. Simon, Robert Owen: Sein Leben und Seine Bedeutung für die Gegenwart. Jena, 1905 O. Siméon, Robert Owen's Experiment at New Lanark. From Paternalism to Socialism. Palgrave Macmillan, 2017 External links Essays by Owen at the Marxists Internet Archive Brief biography at the New Lanark World Heritage Site The Robert Owen Museum, Newtown, Wales Video of Owen's wool mill Brief biography at Cotton Times "Robert Owen (1771-1858) social reformer, founder of New Harmony", University of Evansville, Indiana "Robert Owen and the Co-operative movement" Brief biography at The History Guide Brief biography at age-of-the-sage.org Heaven On Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism at PBS {dead link 2021-02-22} 1771 births 1858 deaths Cooperative organizers Founders of utopian communities People from Newtown, Powys Owenites Utopian socialists Welsh agnostics Welsh humanists 19th-century Welsh businesspeople 18th-century Welsh businesspeople Welsh business theorists Welsh philanthropists Welsh socialists British reformers British social reformers Socialist economists
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[ "The socialist-oriented market economy (Vietnamese: Kinh tế thị trường theo định hướng xã hội chủ nghĩa) is the official title given to the current economic system in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It is described as a multi-sectoral market economy where the state sector plays the decisive role in directing economic development, with the eventual long-term goal of developing socialism.\n\nThe socialist-oriented market economy is a product of the Đổi Mới economic reforms which led to the replacement of the centrally planned economy with a market-based mixed economy based on the predominance of state-owned industry. These reforms were undertaken to allow Vietnam to integrate with the global market economy. The term \"socialist-oriented\" is used to highlight the fact that Vietnam has not yet achieved socialism and is in the process of building the basis for a future socialist system. The economic model is similar to the socialist market economy employed in the People's Republic of China.\n\nReforms leading to establishment \n\nThe Đổi Mới economic reforms were initiated by the Communist Party of Vietnam in 1986 during the party's 6th National Congress. These reforms introduced a greater role for market forces for the coordination of economic activity between enterprises and government agencies, and allowed for private ownership of small enterprises and the creation of a stock exchange for both state and non-state enterprises.\n\nThe economic reforms aimed to restructure the Vietnamese economy away from Soviet-type central planning and towards a market-based mixed economy intended to be a transitional phase in the development of a socialist economy. The goal of this economic system is to improve the productive forces of the economy, developing a firm technical-material base for the foundation of socialism, and to enable Vietnam to better integrate with the world economy.\n\nIn the early 1990s, Vietnam accepted some World Bank reform advice for market liberalization, but rejected structural adjustment programs and conditional aid funding requiring privatization of state-owned enterprises.\n\nDescription \nThe socialist-oriented market economy is a multi-sectoral commodity economy regulated by the market, consisting of a mixture of private, collective and state ownership of the means of production. However, the state sector and collectively owned enterprises form the backbone of the economy. It is similar to the Chinese socialist market economy in that many forms of ownership, including cooperative/collective enterprises, communal, private and state ownership models co-exist in the economy, but the state sector plays a decisive role.\n\nVietnam is the most pro-capitalist country in a 2014 survey by the Pew Research Center, with 95% of its citizens support free market system.\n\nCompared with the Chinese model \nIn contrast to the Chinese model (dubbed the socialist market economy), the Vietnamese system is more explicitly characterized as an economy in transition to socialism and not as a form of socialism or even market socialism, with the process of building socialism seen as a long-term process. Claiming to be consistent with Marxist theory, socialism is understood to only emerge once Vietnam's productive forces are developed to a point where socialism becomes a technical possibility. As such, it is similar to the Chinese position on the primary stage of socialism.\n\nVietnam's socialist-oriented market economy shares many common characteristics with the Chinese socialist market economy in its institutions and policies, combining fundamentally market-based economies with the predominance of state-owned enterprises, the coexistence of a vibrant private sector, a single-party political system, and the existence of five-year economic plans. This has led development economists to consider both these countries sharing the same basic economic model. \n\nThe differences between these two models includes a higher degree of decentralization and autonomy of local governments in Vietnam (being higher than in other East Asian developmental states), with greater income redistribution between provinces resulting in a lower Gini coefficient. Some authors associate this model with the East Asian model of state capitalism, while others associate it with market socialism. Common to other East Asian developmental states, Vietnam shares mutually supporting institutions and active public authorities with strong capacities to implement long-term economic plans.\n\nTheoretical basis \nThe Communist Party of Vietnam maintains that the socialist-oriented market economy is consistent with the classical Marxist view of economic development and historical materialism, where socialism can only emerge once material conditions have been sufficiently developed to enable socialist relations. The socialist-oriented market model is seen as a key step for achieving the necessary economic growth and modernization while being able to co-exist in the contemporary global market economy and benefit from global trade. The Communist Party of Vietnam has re-affirmed its commitment to the development of a socialist economy with its Đổi Mới reforms.\n\nThis economic model is defended from a Marxist-Leninist perspective, which states that a planned socialist economy can only emerge after first developing the basis for socialism through the establishment of a market economy and commodity-exchange economy and that socialism will only emerge after this stage has exhausted its historical necessity and gradually transforms itself into socialism. Proponents of this model argue that the economic system of the Soviet Union and its satellite states attempted to go from a natural economy to a planned economy by decree without passing through the necessary market economy phase of development.\n\nProponents of socialist market economies distinguish themselves from market socialists with the view of market socialism that markets are a central feature of socialism and that markets are the most feasible mechanism for a socialist economy.\n\nSee also \n\n Developmental state\n Dirigism\n East Asian model of capitalism\n Economy of Vietnam\n List of communist ideologies\n Market economy\n Market socialism\n Primary stage of socialism\n State capitalism\n Socialist market economy\n Socialism with Chinese characteristics\n Transition economy\n\nReferences \n\nSocialism\nMarket socialism\nMixed economies\nEconomic systems\nEconomic ideologies\nEconomy of Vietnam", "Criticism of socialism (also known as anti-socialism) is any critique of socialist models of economic organization and their feasibility as well as the political and social implications of adopting such a system. Some critiques are not directed toward socialism as a system, but rather toward the socialist movement, parties or existing states. Some critics consider socialism to be a purely theoretical concept that should be criticized on theoretical grounds (such as in the economic calculation problem and the socialist calculation debate) while others hold that certain historical examples exist and that they can be criticized on practical grounds. Because there are many models of socialism, most critiques are focused on a specific type of socialism and the experience of Soviet-type economies that may not apply to all forms of socialism as different models of socialism conflict with each other over questions of property ownership, economic coordination and how socialism is to be achieved. Critics of specific models of socialism might be advocates of a different type of socialism.\n\nAccording to the Austrian School economist Ludwig von Mises, an economic system that does not utilize money, financial calculation and market pricing will be unable to effectively value capital goods and coordinate production and therefore socialism is impossible because it lacks the necessary information to perform economic calculation in the first place. Another central argument leveled against socialist systems based on economic planning is based on the use of dispersed knowledge. Socialism is unfeasible in this view because information cannot be aggregated by a central body and effectively used to formulate a plan for an entire economy, because doing so would result in distorted or absent price signals. Other economists criticize models of socialism based on neoclassical economics for their reliance on the faulty and unrealistic assumptions of economic equilibrium and pareto efficiency. Some philosophers have also criticized the aims of socialism, arguing that equality erodes away at individual diversities and that the establishment of an equal society would have to entail strong coercion. \n\nEconomic liberals and right-libertarians view private ownership of the means of production and the market exchange as natural entities or moral rights which are central to their conceptions of freedom and liberty and view the economic dynamics of capitalism as immutable and absolute. As a result, they perceive public ownership of the means of production and economic planning as infringements upon liberty.\n\nCritique of centralized planning\n\nDistorted or absent price signals \nThe economic calculation problem is a criticism of central economic planning which exists in some forms of socialism. It was first proposed in 1854 by the Prussian economist Hermann Heinrich Gossen. It was subsequently expounded in 1902 by the Dutch economist Nicolaas Pierson, in 1920 by Ludwig von Mises and later by Friedrich Hayek. The problem referred to is that of how to distribute resources rationally in an economy. The free market relies on the price mechanism, wherein people individually have the ability to decide how resources should be distributed based on their willingness to give money for specific goods or services. The price conveys embedded information about the abundance of resources as well as their desirability (supply and demand) which in turn allows—on the basis of individual consensual decisions—corrections that prevent shortages and surpluses. Mises and Hayek argued that this is the only possible solution and without the information provided by market prices socialism lacks a method to rationally allocate resources. Those who agree with this criticism argue it is a refutation of socialism and that it shows that a socialist planned economy could never work. The debate raged in the 1920s and 1930s and that specific period of the debate has come to be known by economic historians as \"the Socialist Calculation Debate\".\n\nMises argued in a famous 1920 article \"Economic Calculation in the Socialist Commonwealth\" that the pricing systems in socialist economies were necessarily deficient because if government owned the means of production, then no prices could be obtained for capital goods as they were merely internal transfers of goods in a socialist system and not \"objects of exchange\", unlike final goods, therefore they were unpriced and hence the system would be necessarily inefficient since the central planners would not know how to allocate the available resources efficiently. This led him to declare \"that rational economic activity is impossible in a socialist commonwealth\". Mises developed his critique of socialism more completely in his 1922 book Socialism, An Economic and Sociological Analysis.\n\nMises argued that a socialist system based upon a planned economy would not be able to allocate resources effectively due to the lack of price signals. Because the means of production would be controlled by a single entity, approximating prices for capital goods in a planned economy would be impossible. His argument was that socialism must fail economically because of the economic calculation problem—the impossibility of a socialist government being able to make the economic calculations required to organize a complex economy. Mises projected that without a market economy there would be no functional price system which he held essential for achieving rational and efficient allocation of capital goods to their most productive uses. According to Mises, socialism would fail as demand cannot be known without prices. These arguments were elaborated by subsequent Austrian economists such as Hayek and students such as Hans Sennholz. In 1977, Hayek argued that \"prices are an instrument of communication and guidance which embody more information than we directly have\" and \"the whole idea that you can bring about the same order based on the division of labor by simple direction falls to the ground. [...] [I]f you need prices, including the prices of labor, to direct people to go where they are needed, you cannot have another distribution except the one from the market principle\".\n\nHungarian economist János Kornai has written that \"the attempt to realize market socialism [...] produces an incoherent system, in which there are elements that repel each other: the dominance of public ownership and the operation of the market are not compatible\".\n\nProponents of laissez-faire capitalism argue that although private monopolies do not have any actual competition, there are many potential competitors watching them and if they were delivering inadequate service, or charging an excessive amount for a good or service, investors would start a competing enterprise. The anarcho-capitalist economist Hans-Hermann Hoppe argues that in the absence of prices for the means of production, there is no cost-accounting which would direct labor and resources to the most valuable uses. According to Tibor Machan, \"[w]ithout a market in which allocations can be made in obedience to the law of supply and demand, it is difficult or impossible to funnel resources with respect to actual human preferences and goals\".\n\nAccording to economist Milton Friedman: \"The loss part is just as important as the profit part. What distinguishes the private system from a government socialist system is the loss part. If an entrepreneur's project doesn't work, he closes it down. If it had been a government project, it would have been expanded, because there is not the discipline of the profit and loss element\".\n\nProponents of chaos theory argue that it is impossible to make accurate long-term predictions for highly complex systems such as an economy.\n\nPierre-Joseph Proudhon raises similar calculational issues in his General Idea of the Revolution in the 19th Century, but he also proposes certain voluntary arrangements which would also require economic calculation. Leon Trotsky, a fierce proponent of decentralized economic planning, argued that centralized economic planning would be \"insoluble without the daily experience of millions, without their critical review of their own collective experience, without their expression of their needs and demands and could not be carried out within the confines of the official sanctums\" and \"[e]ven if the Politburo consisted of seven universal geniuses, of seven Marxes, or seven Lenins, it will still be unable, all on its own, with all its creative imagination, to assert command over the economy of 170 million people\". In contrast to the lack of a marketplace, market socialism can be viewed as an alternative to the traditional socialist model. Theoretically, the fundamental difference between a traditional socialist economy and a market socialist economy is the existence of a market for the means of production and capital goods. Socialist market abolitionists reply that whilst advocates of capitalism and the Austrian School in particular recognize equilibrium prices do not exist, they nonetheless claim that these prices can be used as a rational basis when this is not the case, hence markets are not efficient. According to market abolitionists socialists, decentralized planning allows for a spontaneously self-regulating system of stock control (relying solely on calculation in kind) to come about and that in turn decisively overcomes the objections raised by the economic calculation argument that any large scale economy must necessarily resort to a system of market prices.\n\nSuppression of economic democracy and self-management \nCentral planning is also criticized by elements of the radical left. Libertarian socialist economist Robin Hahnel notes that even if central planning overcame its inherent inhibitions of incentives and innovation, it would nevertheless be unable to maximize economic democracy and self-management, which he believes are concepts that are more intellectually coherent, consistent and just than mainstream notions of economic freedom.\n\nAs Hahnel explains: \"Combined with a more democratic political system, and redone to closer approximate a best case version, centrally planned economies no doubt would have performed better. But they could never have delivered economic self-management, they would always have been slow to innovate as apathy and frustration took their inevitable toll, and they would always have been susceptible to growing inequities and inefficiencies as the effects of differential economic power grew. Under central planning neither planners, managers, nor workers had incentives to promote the social economic interest. Nor did impending markets for final goods to the planning system enfranchise consumers in meaningful ways. But central planning would have been incompatible with economic democracy even if it had overcome its information and incentive liabilities. And the truth is that it survived as long as it did only because it was propped up by unprecedented totalitarian political power\".\n\nCritique of public enterprise\n\nSlow or stagnant technological advance \n\nEconomist Milton Friedman argued that socialism, by which he meant state ownership over the means of production (a position traditionally known as state capitalism) impedes technological progress due to competition being stifled. He noted that \"we need only look to the United States to see where socialism fails\" by observing that the \"most technologically backward areas are those where government owns the means of production\".\n\nFriedman claimed that socialism advocated the abolition of a free markets and money- and risk-based reward systems, a claim disputed by some socialists. Friedman argues that without such a money- and risk-based reward system, many capitalist inventors, whom Friedman holds would nonetheless exist within socialism, would not risk time or capital for research. Friedman believed that this was one of the reasons for the United States patent system and copyright law, arguing:\nSocialism has proved no more efficient at home than abroad. What are our most technologically backward areas? The delivery of first class mail, the schools, the judiciary, the legislative system – all mired in outdated technology. No doubt we need socialism for the judicial and legislative systems. We do not for mail or schools, as has been shown by Federal Express and others, and by the ability of many private schools to provide superior education to underprivileged youngsters at half the cost of government schooling. [...]\n\nWe all justly complain about the waste, fraud and inefficiency of the military. Why? Because it is a socialist activity – one that there seems no feasible way to privatize. But why should we be any better at running socialist enterprises than the Russians or Chinese?\n\nBy extending socialism far beyond the area where it is unavoidable, we have ended up performing essential government functions far less well than is not only possible but than was attained earlier. In a poorer and less socialist era, we produced a nationwide network of roads and bridges and subway systems that were the envy of the world. Today we are unable even to maintain them.\n\nReduced incentives \nCritics of socialism have argued that in any society where everyone holds equal wealth (which is what they believe is the result of socialism), there can be no material incentive to work because one does not receive rewards for a work well done. They further argue that incentives increase productivity for all people and that the loss of those effects would lead to stagnation. Some critics of socialism argue that income sharing reduces individual incentives to work and therefore incomes should be individualized as much as possible.\n\nIn The Principles of Political Economy (1848), John Stuart Mill wrote:\n\nMill later altered his views and adopted a socialist perspective, adding chapters to his Principles of Political Economy in defense of a socialist outlook and defending some socialist causes. Within this revised work, he also made the radical proposal that the whole wage system be abolished in favour of a co-operative wage system. Nonetheless, some of his views on the idea of flat taxation remained, albeit in a slightly toned down form.\n\nReduced prosperity \nAustrian school economist Hans-Hermann Hoppe argued that countries where the means of production are nationalized are not as prosperous as those where the means of production are under private control (\"prosperous\" is defined in terms of GDP). However, not all socialists subscribe to the idea of nationalisation, some preferring socialisation instead. \n\nAnother Austrian school economist, Ludwig von Mises, argued that aiming for more equal incomes through state intervention necessarily leads to a reduction in national income and therefore average income. Consequently, he says that the socialist chooses the objective of a more equal distribution of income on the assumption that the marginal utility of income to a poor person is greater than that to a rich person. According to Mises, this mandates a preference for a lower average income over inequality of income at a higher average income. He sees no rational justification for this preference and he also states that there is little evidence that the objective of greater income equality is achieved.\n\nMises also says: \"The only certain fact about Russian affairs under the Soviet regime with regard to which all people agree is: that the standard of living of the Russian masses is much lower than that of the masses in the country which is universally considered as the paragon of capitalism, the United States of America. If we were to regard the Soviet regime as an experiment, we would have to say that the experiment has clearly demonstrated the superiority of capitalism and the inferiority of socialism\".\n\nSocial and political effects \nIn The Road to Serfdom, Friedrich Hayek argued that the more even distribution of wealth through the nationalization of the means of production cannot be achieved without a loss of political, economic and human rights. He argued that to achieve control over means of production and distribution of wealth it is necessary for such socialists to acquire significant powers of coercion. Hayek argued that the road to socialism leads society to totalitarianism and argued that fascism and Nazism were the inevitable outcome of socialist trends in Italy and Germany during the preceding period. Thus, held Hayek, moving leftward from capitalism to socialism is actually moving rightward, from capitalism to fascism. These ideas are encapsulated in the “horseshoe theory”. A similar argument has been made by critics such as Dinesh D'Souza, who hold that because the full German name of the German Nazi Party was Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, and because \"Nationalsozialistische\" translates to \"National Socialism,\" fascism is actually a type of socialism, and so many socialists are Nazis.\n\nPeter Self criticizes the traditional socialist planned economy and argues against pursuing \"extreme equality\" because he believes it requires \"strong coercion\" and does not allow for \"reasonable recognition [for] different individual needs, tastes (for work or leisure) and talents\". Self holds that while a socialist planned economy provides substantially greater freedom than is present in capitalism—under which the vast majority of people are coerced by the threat of starvation to work for the profit of a small capitalist class—adding markets to socialism improves freedom and efficiency. Accordingly, Self recommends market socialism instead of either capitalism or non-market socialism. Philosopher David Schweickart has described similar views.\n\nClaims of leadership corruption \nSome critics of socialism see socialism as a type of political state organization instead of as a type of socioeconomic structure (as is traditional). These thinkers generally criticize what they term \"socialist states\" rather than \"socialism.\" \n\nMilton Friedman argued that the absence of private economic activity would enable political leaders to grant themselves coercive powers, powers that, under a capitalist system, would instead be granted by a capitalist class, which Friedman found preferable. In his campaign against Labour candidate Clement Attlee in the 1945 general election, Winston Churchill claimed that socialism requires totalitarian methods, including a political police, in order to achieve its goals.\n\nMass killings \nMany commenters on the political right point to the mass killings under communist regimes, claiming them as an indictment of socialism. Defenders of socialism state that these killings were aberrations caused by specific authoritarian regimes, and not caused by socialism itself, and point to mass deaths in wars that they claim were caused by capitalism and anti-communism as a counterpoint to those killings.\n\nSee also \n Anti-capitalism\n Anti-communism\n Criticism of capitalism\n Criticism of communist party rule\n Criticism of Marxism\n Criticism of social democracy\n Economic calculation problem\n Economic efficiency\n Economic equilibrium\n The Fatal Conceit\n McCarthyism\n Mixed economy\n Socialist calculation debate\n Soviet-type economic planning\n Tragedy of the commons\n\nReferences\n\nFurther reading \n \n \n\nAnti-communism\nMacroeconomic problems\nSocialism" ]
[ "Robert Owen", "Models for socialism (1817)", "What were his models for socialism?", "Owen proposed that communities of about 1,200 people should be settled on land from 1,000 to 1,500 acres (4 to 6 km2", "Were there philosophers he based his thinking on?", "I don't know.", "What is models for socialism?", "began making specific efforts to implement what he described as his \"New View of Society.\"" ]
C_9d348a70821b4af3934b4ea07a06d926_1
Is Models for socialism a book?
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Is Models for socialism a book?
Robert Owen
Owen embraced socialism in 1817, a turning point in his life, and began making specific efforts to implement what he described as his "New View of Society." Owen outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons regarding the country's Poor Laws. In addition, when misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars were capturing the attention of the country, the British government invited Owen to offer his advice on what could be done to alleviate the industrial concerns. Although Owen attributed the immediate causes of misery to the wars, he also argued that the underlying cause of distress was the competition of human labour with machinery and recommended the establishment of self-sufficient communities. Owen proposed that communities of about 1,200 people should be settled on land from 1,000 to 1,500 acres (4 to 6 km2), with all of them living in one large building that had a public kitchen and dining halls. (The size of his proposed community is likely to have been influenced by the size of the village of New Lanark.) Owen also recommended that each family should have its own private apartments and the responsibility for the care of their children until they reached the age of three. Thereafter, children would be raised by the community-at-large, but their parents would have access to them at mealtimes and on other occasions. Owen further suggested that these socialistic communities might be established by individuals, parishes, counties, or other governmental units. In every case there would be effective supervision by qualified persons. The work and the enjoyment of its results should be experienced communally. Owen believed that his idea would be the best form for the re-organisation of society in general. He called his vision for a socialistic utopia the "New Moral World." Owen's utopian model changed little during his lifetime. His fully developed model considered an association of 500 to 3,000 people as the optimum number for a good working community. While mainly agricultural, it would possess the best machinery, offer a variety of employment, and, as far as possible, be self-contained. Owen further explained that as the number of these communities increased, "unions of them federatively united shall be formed in circle of tens, hundreds and thousands" linked in a common interest. CANNOTANSWER
Owen outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons regarding the country's Poor Laws.
Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement. He strove to improve factory working conditions, promoted experimental socialistic communities, and sought a more collective approach to child rearing, including government control of education. He gained wealth in the early 1800s from a textile mill at New Lanark, Scotland. Having trained as a draper in Stamford, Lincolnshire he worked in London before relocating aged 18 to Manchester and textile manufacturing. In 1824, he moved to America and put most of his fortune in an experimental socialistic community at New Harmony, Indiana, as a preliminary for his Utopian society. It lasted about two years. Other Owenite communities also failed, and in 1828 Owen returned to London, where he continued to champion the working class, lead in developing cooperatives and the trade union movement, and support child labour legislation and free co-educational schools. Early life and education Robert Owen was born in Newtown, a small market town in Montgomeryshire, Wales, on 14 May 1771, to Anne (Williams) and Robert Owen. His father was a saddler, ironmonger and local postmaster; his mother was the daughter of a Newtown farming family. Young Robert was the sixth of the family's seven children, two of whom died at a young age. His surviving siblings were William, Anne, John and Richard. Owen received little formal education, but he was an avid reader. He left school at the age of ten to be apprenticed to a Stamford, Lincolnshire, draper for four years. He also worked in London drapery shops in his teens. At about the age of 18, Owen moved to Manchester, where he spent the next twelve years of his life, employed initially at Satterfield's Drapery in Saint Ann's Square. While in Manchester, Owen borrowed £100 from his brother William, so as to enter into a partnership to make spinning mules, a new invention for spinning cotton thread, but exchanged his business share within a few months for six spinning mules that he worked in rented factory space. In 1792, when Owen was about 21 years old, mill-owner Peter Drinkwater made him manager of the Piccadilly Mill at Manchester. However, after two years with Drinkwater, Owen voluntarily gave up a contracted promise of partnership, left the company, and went into partnership with other entrepreneurs to establish and later manage the Chorlton Twist Mills in Chorlton-on-Medlock. By the early 1790s, Owen's entrepreneurial spirit, management skills and progressive moral views were emerging. In 1793, he was elected a member of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, where the ideas of the Enlightenment were discussed. He also became a committee member of the Manchester Board of Health, instigated principally by Thomas Percival to press for improvements in the health and working conditions of factory workers. Marriage and family On a visit to Scotland, Owen met and fell in love with Ann (or Anne) Caroline Dale, daughter of David Dale, a Glasgow philanthropist and the proprietor of the large New Lanark Mills. After their marriage on 30 September 1799, the Owens set up home in New Lanark, but later moved to Braxfield, Scotland. Robert and Caroline Owen had eight children, the first of whom died in infancy. Their seven survivors were four sons and three daughters: Robert Dale (1801–1877), William (1802–1842), Ann (or Anne) Caroline (1805–1831), Jane Dale (1805–1861), David Dale (1807–1860), Richard Dale (1809–1890) and Mary (1810–1832). Owen's four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale and Richard, and his daughter Jane Dale, followed their father to the United States, becoming US citizens and permanent residents in New Harmony, Indiana. Owen's wife Caroline and two of their daughters, Anne Caroline and Mary, remained in Britain, where they died in the 1830s. New Lanark mill In July 1799 Owen and his partners bought the New Lanark mill from David Dale, and Owen became its manager in January 1800. Encouraged by his management success in Manchester, Owen hoped to conduct the New Lanark mill on higher principles than purely commercial ones. It had been established in 1785 by David Dale and Richard Arkwright. Its water power provided by the falls of the River Clyde turned its cotton-spinning operation into one of Britain's largest. About 2,000 individuals were involved, 500 of them children brought to the mill at the age of five or six from the poorhouses and charities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Dale, known for his benevolence, treated the children well, but the general condition of New Lanark residents was unsatisfactory, despite efforts by Dale and his son-in-law Owen to improve their workers' lives. Many of the workers were from the lowest social levels: theft, drunkenness and other vices were common and education and sanitation neglected. Most families lived in one room. More respected people rejected the long hours and demoralising drudgery of the mills. Until a series of Truck Acts (1831–1887) required employers to pay their employees in common currency, many operated a truck system, paying workers wholly or in part with tokens that had no monetary value outside the mill owner's "truck shop", which charged high prices for shoddy goods. Unlike others, Owen's truck store offered goods at prices only slightly above their wholesale cost, passing on the savings from bulk purchases to his customers and placing alcohol sales under strict supervision. These principles became the basis for Britain's Co-operative shops, some of which continue trading in altered forms to this day. Philosophy and influence Owen tested his social and economic ideas at New Lanark, where he won his workers' confidence and continued to have success through the improved efficiency at the mill. The community also earned an international reputation. Social reformers, statesmen and royalty, including the future Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, visited New Lanark to study its methods. The opinions of many such visitors were favourable. Owen's biggest success was in support of youth education and early child care. As a pioneer in Britain, notably Scotland, Owen provided an alternative to the "normal authoritarian approach to child education". The manners of children brought up under his system were more graceful, genial and unconstrained; health, plenty and contentment prevailed; drunkenness was almost unknown and illegitimacy extremely rare. Owen's relations with his workers remained excellent and operations at the mill proceeded in a smooth, regular and commercially successful way. However, some of Owen's schemes displeased his partners, forcing him to arrange for other investors to buy his share of the business in 1813, for the equivalent of US$800,000. The new investors, who included Jeremy Bentham and the well-known Quaker William Allen, were content to accept a £5,000 return on their capital. The ownership change also provided Owen with a chance to broaden his philanthropy, advocating improvements in workers' rights and child labour laws, and free education for children. In 1813 Owen authored and published A New View of Society, or Essays on the Principle of the Formation of the Human Character, the first of four essays he wrote to explain the principles behind his philosophy of socialistic reform. In this he writes: Owen had originally been a follower of the classical liberal, utilitarian Jeremy Bentham, who believed that free markets, in particular the right of workers to move and choose their employers, would release workers from the excessive power of capitalists. However, Owen developed his own, pro-socialist outlook. In addition, Owen as a deist, criticised organised religion, including the Church of England, and developed a belief system of his own. Owen felt that human character is formed by conditions over which individuals have no control. Thus individuals could not be praised or blamed for their behaviour or situation in life. This principle led Owen to conclude that the correct formation of people's characters called for placing them under proper environmental influences – physical, moral and social – from their earliest years. These notions of inherent irresponsibility in humans and the effect of early influences on an individual's character formed the basis of Owen's system of education and social reform. Relying on his own observations, experiences and thoughts, Owen saw his view of human nature as original and "the most basic and necessary constituent in an evolving science of society". His philosophy was influenced by Sir Isaac Newton's views on natural law, and his views resembled those of Plato, Denis Diderot, Claude Adrien Helvétius, William Godwin, John Locke, James Mill, and Jeremy Bentham, among others. Owen did not have the direct influence of Enlightenment philosophers. Owen's work at New Lanark continued to have significance in Britain and continental Europe. He was a "pioneer in factory reform, the father of distributive cooperation, and the founder of nursery schools." His schemes for educating his workers included opening an Institute for the Formation of Character at New Lanark in 1818. This and other programmes at New Lanark provided free education from infancy to adulthood. In addition, he zealously supported factory legislation that culminated in the Cotton Mills and Factories Act of 1819. Owen also had interviews and communications with leading members of the British government, including its premier, Robert Banks Jenkinson, Lord Liverpool. He also met many of the rulers and leading statesmen of Europe. Owen adopted new principles to raise the standard of goods his workers produced. A cube with faces painted in different colours was installed above each machinist's workplace. The colour of the face showed to all who saw it the quality and quantity of goods the worker completed. The intention was to encourage workers to do their best. Although it was no great incentive in itself, conditions at New Lanark for workers and their families were idyllic for the time. Eight-hour day Owen raised the demand for an eight-hour day in 1810 and set about instituting the policy at New Lanark. By 1817 he had formulated the goal of an eight-hour working day with the slogan "eight hours labour, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest". Models for socialism (1817) Owen embraced socialism in 1817, a turning point in his life, in which he pursued a "New View of Society". He outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons on the country's Poor Laws. As misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars drew national attention, the government called on Owen for advice on how to alleviate the industrial concerns. Although he ascribed the immediate misery to the wars, he saw as the underlying cause competition of human labour with machinery, and recommended setting up self-sufficient communities. Owen proposed that communities of some 1,200 people should settle on land from , all living in one building with a public kitchen and dining halls. (The proposed size may have been influenced by the size of the village of New Lanark.) Owen also proposed that each family have its own private apartments and the responsibility for the care of its children up to the age of three. Thereafter children would be raised by the community, but their parents would have access to them at mealtimes and on other occasions. Owen further suggested that such communities be established by individuals, parishes, counties, or other governmental units. In each case there would be effective supervision by qualified persons. Work and enjoyment of its results should be experienced communally. Owen believed his idea would be the best way to reorganise society in general, and called his vision the "New Moral World". Owen's utopian model changed little in his lifetime. His developed model envisaged an association of 500–3,000 people as the optimum for a working community. While mainly agricultural, it would possess the best machinery, offer varied employment, and as far as possible be self-contained. Owen went on to explain that as such communities proliferated, "unions of them federatively united shall be formed in circle of tens, hundreds and thousands", linked by common interest. Arguments against Owen and his answers Owen always tried to spread his ideas to wider communities. First, he started publishing his ideas in newspapers. Owen then sent such newspapers widely to parliamentarians, politicians and other important people. These articles spurred the first negative reactions to his ideas. Opponents thought that Owen's plans would result in an uncontrollable increase in population and poverty. The other main criticism was that Owen's plan and the common use of everything would essentially make the country one large workshop. William Hone claimed that Owen saw people as unravelled plants from their roots, and that he wanted to plant them in rectangles. Another commentator accused Owen of wanting to imprison people in workshops like barracks and eradicate their personal independence. Owen's opponents had begun to regard him as an enemy of religion. His influence in ruling circles, which he had hoped would help him to accomplish his "plan", started diminishing and rumours of his lack of religious conviction spread. Owen believed that without a change in the character of individuals and the environment in which they live, they would remain hostile to those around them. As long as such a social order continued, the positive aspects of Christianity could never be put into practice. Owen also considered it necessary to give people more freedom in order to improve the situation of the poor and working classes. Unless people were better educated, unless they gained more useful information and had permanent employment, they were a danger to the security of the state when given more freedom than the British Constitution did at the time. Without making any changes in the national institutions, he believed that even reorganizing the working classes would bring great benefits. So he opposed the views of radicals seeking to change in the public mentality by expanding voting rights. Other notable critics of Owen include Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who viewed his work as a precursor to their own. They recognized in Owen the important understanding, developed by Marx in Capital, that it is the working class that are responsible for creating the unparalleled wealth in capitalist societies. Similarly, Owen also recognized that under the existing economic system, the working class did not automatically receive the benefits of that newly created wealth. Marx and Engels, differentiated, however, their own scientific conception of socialism from Owen's societies. They argued that Owen's plan, to create a model socialist utopia to coexist with contemporary society and prove its superiority over time, was insufficient to create a new society. In their view, Owen's "socialism" was utopian, since to Owen and the other utopian socialists "[s]ocialism is the expression of absolute truth, reason and justice, and has only to be discovered to conquer all the world by virtue of its own power." Marx and Engels believed that the overthrow of the capitalist system could only occur once the working class was organized into a revolutionary socialist political party of the working class that was completely independent of all capitalist class influence whereas the utopians sought the assistance and the co-operation of the capitalists in order to achieve the transition to socialism. Community experiments To test the viability of his ideas for self-sufficient working communities, Owen began experimenting in communal living in America in 1825. Among the most famous efforts was the one set up at New Harmony, Indiana. Of the 130 identifiable communitarian experiments in America before the American Civil War, at least 16 were Owenite or Owenite-influenced. New Harmony was Owen's earliest and most ambitious of these. Owen and his son William sailed to America in October 1824 to establish an experimental community in Indiana. In January 1825 Owen used a portion of his own funds to purchase an existing town of 180 buildings and several thousand acres of land along the Wabash River in Indiana. George Rapp's Harmony Society, the religious group that owned the property and had founded the communal village of Harmony (or Harmonie) on the site in 1814, decided in 1824 to relocate to Pennsylvania. Owen renamed it New Harmony and made the village his preliminary model for a Utopian community. Owen sought support for his socialist vision among American thinkers, reformers, intellectuals and public statesmen. On 25 February and 7 March 1825, Owen gave addresses in the U.S. House of Representatives to the U.S. Congress and others in the US government, outlining his vision for the Utopian community at New Harmony, and his socialist beliefs. The audience for his ideas included three former U.S. presidents – John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison) – the outgoing US President James Monroe, and the President-elect, John Quincy Adams. His meetings were perhaps the first discussions of socialism in the Americas; they were certainly a big step towards discussion of it in the United States. Owenism, among the first socialist ideologies active in the United States, can be seen as an instigator of the later socialist movement. Owen convinced William Maclure, a wealthy Scottish scientist and philanthropist living in Philadelphia to join him at New Harmony and become his financial partner. Maclure's involvement went on to attract scientists, educators and artists such as Thomas Say, Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, and Madame Marie Duclos Fretageot. These helped to turn the New Harmony community into a centre for educational reform, scientific research and artistic expression. Although Owen sought to build a "Village of Unity and Mutual Cooperation" south of the town, his grand plan was never fully realised and he returned to Britain to continue his work. During his long absences from New Harmony, Owen left the experiment under the day-to-day management of his sons, Robert Dale Owen and William Owen, and his business partner, Maclure. However, New Harmony proved to be an economic failure, lasting about two years, although it had attracted over a thousand residents by the end of its first year. The socialistic society was dissolved in 1827, but many of its scientists, educators, artists and other inhabitants, including Owen's four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale, and Richard Dale Owen, and his daughter Jane Dale Owen Fauntleroy, remained at New Harmony after the experiment ended. Other experiments in the United States included communal settlements at Blue Spring, near Bloomington, Indiana, at Yellow Springs, Ohio, and at Forestville Commonwealth at Earlton, New York, as well as other projects in New York, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Nearly all of these had ended before New Harmony was dissolved in April 1827. Owen's Utopian communities attracted a mix of people, many with the highest aims. They included vagrants, adventurers and other reform-minded enthusiasts. In the words of Owen's son David Dale Owen, they attracted "a heterogeneous collection of Radicals", "enthusiastic devotees to principle," and "honest latitudinarians, and lazy theorists," with "a sprinkling of unprincipled sharpers thrown in." Josiah Warren, a participant at New Harmony, asserted that it was doomed to failure for lack of individual sovereignty and personal property. In describing the community, Warren explained: "We had a world in miniature – we had enacted the French revolution over again with despairing hearts instead of corpses as a result.... It appeared that it was nature's own inherent law of diversity that had conquered us... our 'united interests' were directly at war with the individualities of persons and circumstances and the instinct of self-preservation...." Warren's observations on the reasons for the community's failure led to the development of American individualist anarchism, of which he was its original theorist. Some historians have traced the demise of New Harmony to serial disagreements among its members. Social experiments also began in Scotland in 1825, when Abram Combe, an Owenite, attempted a utopian experiment at Orbiston, near Glasgow, but this failed after about two years. In the 1830s, additional experiments in socialistic cooperatives were made in Ireland and Britain, the most important being at Ralahine, established in 1831 in County Clare, Ireland, and at Tytherley, begun in 1839 in Hampshire, England. The former proved a remarkable success for three-and-a-half years until the proprietor, having ruined himself by gambling, had to sell his interest. Tytherley, known as Harmony Hall or Queenwood College, was designed by the architect Joseph Hansom. This also failed. Another social experiment, Manea Colony in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, launched in the late 1830s by William Hodson, likewise an Owenite, but it failed in a couple of years and Hodson emigrated to the United States. The Manea Colony site has been excavated by Cambridge Archaeology Unit (CAU) based at the University of Cambridge. Return to Britain Although Owen made further brief visits to the United States, London became his permanent home and the centre of his work in 1828. After extended friction with William Allen and some other business partners, Owen relinquished all connections with New Lanark. He is often quoted in a comment by Allen at the time, "All the world is queer save thee and me, and even thou art a little queer". Having invested most of his fortune in the failed New Harmony communal experiment, Owen was no longer a wealthy capitalist. However, he remained the head of a vigorous propaganda effort to promote industrial equality, free education for children and adequate living conditions in factory towns, while delivering lectures in Europe and publishing a weekly newspaper to gain support for his ideas. In 1832 Owen opened the National Equitable Labour Exchange system, a time-based currency in which the exchange of goods was effected by means of labour notes; this system superseded the usual means of exchange and middlemen. The London exchange continued until 1833, a Birmingham branch operating for just a few months until July 1833. Owen also became involved in trade unionism, briefly leading the Grand National Consolidated Trade Union (GNCTU) before its collapse in 1834. Socialism first became current in British terminology in discussions of the Association of all Classes of all Nations, which Owen formed in 1835 and served as its initial leader. Owen's secular views also gained enough influence among the working classes to cause the Westminster Review to comment in 1839 that his principles were the creed of many of them. However, by 1846, the only lasting result of Owen's agitation for social change, carried on through public meetings, pamphlets, periodicals, and occasional treatises, remained the Co-operative movement, and for a time even that seemed to have collapsed. Role in spiritualism In 1817, Owen publicly claimed that all religions were false. In 1854, aged 83, Owen converted to spiritualism after a series of sittings with Maria B. Hayden, an American medium credited with introducing spiritualism to England. He made a public profession of his new faith in his publication The Rational Quarterly Review and in a pamphlet titled The future of the Human race; or great glorious and future revolution to be effected through the agency of departed spirits of good and superior men and women. Owen claimed to have had medium contact with spirits of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and others. He explained that the purpose of these was to change "the present, false, disunited and miserable state of human existence, for a true, united and happy state... to prepare the world for universal peace, and to infuse into all the spirit of charity, forbearance and love." Spiritualists claimed after Owen's death that his spirit had dictated to the medium Emma Hardinge Britten in 1871 the "Seven Principles of Spiritualism", used by their National Union as "the basis of its religious philosophy". Death and legacy As Owen grew older and more radical in his views, his influence began to decline. Owen published his memoirs, The Life of Robert Owen, in 1857, a year before his death. Although he had spent most of his life in England and Scotland, Owen returned to his native town of Newtown at the end of his life. He died there on 17 November 1858 and was buried there on 21 November. He died penniless apart from an annual income drawn from a trust established by his sons in 1844. Owen was a reformer, philanthropist, community builder, and spiritualist who spent his life seeking to improve the lives of others. An advocate of the working class, he improved working conditions for factory workers, which he demonstrated at New Lanark, Scotland, became a leader in trade unionism, promoted social equality through his experimental Utopian communities, and supported the passage of child labour laws and free education for children. In these reforms he was ahead of his time. He envisioned a communal society that others could consider and apply as they wished. In Revolution in the Mind and Practice of the Human Race (1849), he went on to say that character is formed by a combination of Nature or God and the circumstances of the individual's experience. Citing beneficial results at New Lanark, Scotland, during 30 years of work there, Owen concluded that a person's "character is not made by, but for the individual," and that nature and society are responsible for each person's character and conduct. Owen's agitation for social change, along with the work of the Owenites and of his own children, helped to bring lasting social reforms in women's and workers' rights, establish free public libraries and museums, child care and public, co-educational schools, and pre-Marxian communism, and develop the Co-operative and trade union movements. New Harmony, Indiana, and New Lanark, Scotland, two towns with which he is closely associated, remain as reminders of his efforts. Owen's legacy of public service continued with his four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale, and Richard Dale, and his daughter, Jane, who followed him to America to live at New Harmony, Indiana: Robert Dale Owen (1801–1877), an able exponent of his father's doctrines, managed the New Harmony community after his father returned to Britain in 1825. He wrote articles and co-edited with Frances Wright the New-Harmony Gazette in the late 1820s in Indiana and the Free Enquirer in the 1830s in New York City. Owen returned to New Harmony in 1833 and became active in Indiana politics. He was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives (1836–1839 and 1851–1853) and U.S. House of Representatives (1843–1847), and was appointed chargé d'affaires in Naples in 1853–1858. While serving as a member of Congress, he drafted and helped to secure passage of a bill founding the Smithsonian Institution in 1846. He was elected a delegate to the Indiana Constitutional Convention in 1850, and argued in support of widows and married women's property and divorce rights. He also favoured legislation for Indiana's tax-supported public school system. Like his father, he believed in spiritualism, authoring two books on the subject: Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World (1859) and The Debatable Land Between this World and the Next (1872). William Owen (1802–1842) moved to the United States with his father in 1824. His business skill, notably his knowledge of cotton-goods manufacturing, allowed him to remain at New Harmony after his father returned to Scotland, and serve as adviser to the community. He organised New Harmony's Thespian Society in 1827, but died of unknown causes at the age of 40. Jane Dale Owen Fauntleroy (1805–1861) arrived in the United States in 1833 and settled in New Harmony. She was a musician and educator who set up a school in her home. In 1835 she married Robert Henry Fauntleroy, a civil engineer from Virginia living at New Harmony. David Dale Owen (1807–1860) moved to the United States in 1827 and resided at New Harmony for several years. He trained as a geologist and natural scientist and earned a medical degree. He was appointed a United States geologist in 1839. His work included geological surveys in the Midwest, more specifically the states of Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas, as well as Minnesota Territory. His brother Richard succeeded him as state geologist of Indiana. Richard Dale Owen (1810–1890) emigrated to the United States in 1827 and joined his siblings at New Harmony. He fought in the Mexican–American War in 1847, taught natural science at Western Military Institute in Tennessee in 1849–1859, and earned a medical degree in 1858. During the American Civil War he was a colonel in the Union army and served as a commandant of Camp Morton, a prisoner-of-war camp for Confederate soldiers at Indianapolis, Indiana. After the war, Owen served as Indiana's second state geologist. In addition, he was a professor at Indiana University and chaired its natural science department in 1864–1879. He helped plan Purdue University and was appointed its first president in 1872–1874, but resigned before its classes began and resumed teaching at Indiana University. He spent his retirement years on research and writing. Honours and tributes The Co-operative Movement erected a monument to Robert Owen in 1902 at his burial site in Newtown, Montgomeryshire. The Welsh people donated a bust of Owen by Welsh sculptor Sir William Goscombe John to the International Labour Office library in Geneva, Switzerland. Selected published works A New View of Society: Or, Essays on the Formation of Human Character, and the Application of the Principle to Practice (London, 1813). Retitled, A New View of Society: Or, Essays on the Formation of Human Character Preparatory to the Development of a Plan for Gradually Ameliorating the Condition of Mankind, for second edition, 1816 Observations on the Effect of the Manufacturing System. London, 1815 Report to the Committee of the Association for the Relief of the Manufacturing and Labouring Poor (1817) Two Memorials on Behalf of the Working Classes (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 181 An Address to the Master Manufacturers of Great Britain: On the Present Existing Evils in the Manufacturing System (Bolton, 1819) Report to the County of Lanark of a Plan for relieving Public Distress (Glasgow: Glasgow University Press, 1821) An Explanation of the Cause of Distress which pervades the civilised parts of the world (London and Paris, 1823) An Address to All Classes in the State. London, 1832 The Revolution in the Mind and Practice of the Human Race. London, 1849 Collected works: A New View of Society and Other Writings, introduction by G. D. H. Cole. London and New York: J. M. Dent & Sons, E. P. Dutton and Co., 1927 A New View of Society and Other Writings, G. Claeys, ed. London and New York: Penguin Books, 1991 The Selected Works of Robert Owen, G. Claeys, ed., 4 vols. London: Pickering and Chatto, 1993 Archival collections: Robert Owen Collection, National Co-operative Archive, United Kingdom. New Harmony, Indiana, Collection, 1814–1884, 1920, 1964, Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States New Harmony Series III Collection, Workingmen's Institute, New Harmony, Indiana, United States Owen family collection, 1826–1967, bulk 1830–1890, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington, Indiana, United States See also Cincinnati Time Store José María Arizmendiarrieta Labour voucher List of Owenite communities in the United States Owenstown Owenism William King References Bibliography (online version) Further reading Biographies of Owen A. J. Booth, Robert Owen, the Founder of Socialism in England (London, 1869) G. D. H. Cole, Life of Robert Owen. London, Ernest Benn Ltd., 1925; second edition Macmillan, 1930 Lloyd Jones. The Life, Times, and Labours of Robert Owen. London, 1889 A. L. Morton, The Life and Ideas of Robert Owen. New York, International Publishers, 1969 W. H. Oliver, "Robert Owen and the English Working-Class Movements", History Today (November 1958) 8–11, pp. 787–796 F. A. Packard, Life of Robert Owen. Philadelphia: Ashmead & Evans, 1866 Frank Podmore, Robert Owen: A Biography. London: Hutchinson and Company, 1906 David Santilli, Life of the Mill Man. London, B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1987 William Lucas Sargant, Robert Owen and his social philosophy . London, 1860 Richard Tames, Radicals, Railways & Reform. London, B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1986 Other works about Owen Arthur Bestor, Backwoods Utopias. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1950, 2nd edition, 1970 John Butt (ed). Robert Owen: Aspects of his Life and Work. Humanities Press, 1971 Gregory Claeys, Citizens and Saints. Politics and Anti-Politics in Early British Socialism. Cambridge University Press, 1989 Gregory Claeys, Machinery, Money and the Millennium: From Moral Economy to Socialism 1815–1860. Princeton University Press, 1987 R. E. Davies, The Life of Robert Owen, Philanthropist and Social Reformer, An Appreciation. Robert Sutton, 1907 R. E. Davis and F. J. O'Hagan, Robert Owen. London: Continuum Press, 2010 E. Dolleans, Robert Owen. Paris, 1905 I. Donnachie, Robert Owen. Owen of New Lanark and New Harmony. 2000 Auguste Marie Fabre, Un Socialiste Pratique, Robert Owen. Nìmes, Bureaux de l'Émancipation, 1896 John F. C. Harrison, Robert Owen and the Owenites in Britain and America: Quest for the New Moral World. New York, 1969 Alexander Herzen, My Past and Thoughts (University of California Press, 1982). (One chapter is devoted to Owen.) G. J. Holyoake, The History of Co-operation in England: Its Literature and Its Advocates V. 1. London, 1906 G. J. Holyoake, The History of Co-operation in England: Its Literature and Its Advocates V. 2. London, 1906 The National Library of Wales, A Bibliography of Robert Owen, The Socialist. 1914 H. Simon, Robert Owen: Sein Leben und Seine Bedeutung für die Gegenwart. Jena, 1905 O. Siméon, Robert Owen's Experiment at New Lanark. From Paternalism to Socialism. Palgrave Macmillan, 2017 External links Essays by Owen at the Marxists Internet Archive Brief biography at the New Lanark World Heritage Site The Robert Owen Museum, Newtown, Wales Video of Owen's wool mill Brief biography at Cotton Times "Robert Owen (1771-1858) social reformer, founder of New Harmony", University of Evansville, Indiana "Robert Owen and the Co-operative movement" Brief biography at The History Guide Brief biography at age-of-the-sage.org Heaven On Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism at PBS {dead link 2021-02-22} 1771 births 1858 deaths Cooperative organizers Founders of utopian communities People from Newtown, Powys Owenites Utopian socialists Welsh agnostics Welsh humanists 19th-century Welsh businesspeople 18th-century Welsh businesspeople Welsh business theorists Welsh philanthropists Welsh socialists British reformers British social reformers Socialist economists
false
[ "Real utopian sociology is an emancipatory social science created and practiced by Erik Olin Wright, a utopian studies scholar. The apparent contradiction in its name is intentional: this sociology seeks to find existing utopian projects and evaluate their potential to replace systems of domination, particularly as an anti-capitalism strategy. Simply put, real utopian sociology is the study of feasible utopian models for society and pathways to achieve them.\n\nOverview \nStarting in 1991 Wright, organized a series of workshop conferences known as The Real Utopian Project that model the practice of real utopian sociology. The conferences are sponsored by the A.E. Havens Center for Social Justice at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and structured around \"a provocative manuscript that lays out the basic outlines of a radical institutional proposal.\" This manuscript is then sent to 15–20 scholars, who write essays on the topic. Prior to the conference these essays are circulated to all the conference participants and then each is discussed at the conference. Following the conference, participants have the opportunity to revise their work before it’s collectively published in Verso’s Real Utopias Project series; with the exception of papers from the first 1991 conference, which were not published as a series.\n\nPast conference topics include: Basic Income Grants; Secondary Associations and Democratic Governance; A Model for Market Socialism, which was organized around the book, A Future for Socialism, rather than a manuscript; Efficient Redistribution in Advanced Capitalism; Deepening Democracy; Rethinking Redistribution; Pensions and the Control of Capital Accumulation; Institutions for Gender Egalitarianism: Creating the Conditions for Egalitarian Dual Earner/Dual Caregiver Families; Legislature by Lot; Pathways to a Cooperative Economy; and Democratizing Finance.\n\nSee also\n\nDigital socialism\n\nReferences\n\nMarxist sociology\nUtopian studies\nMarxist theory", "Socialism with a Northern Accent: Radical Traditions for Modern Times is a book by Paul Salveson, at that time a Labour Party and trade union activist, which re-asserts the strength and distinctiveness of the socialism which emerged in the mills, mines and railway yards of the North of England. It also makes the case for the renewal of popular socialism through devolution to the North of England.\n\nThe book was originally published with a foreword by John Prescott, who described it as \"an important account of Labour’s traditional, community-based values with many lessons for today\".\n\nReferences \n\n2011 non-fiction books\nBooks about socialism" ]
[ "Robert Owen", "Models for socialism (1817)", "What were his models for socialism?", "Owen proposed that communities of about 1,200 people should be settled on land from 1,000 to 1,500 acres (4 to 6 km2", "Were there philosophers he based his thinking on?", "I don't know.", "What is models for socialism?", "began making specific efforts to implement what he described as his \"New View of Society.\"", "Is Models for socialism a book?", "Owen outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons regarding the country's Poor Laws." ]
C_9d348a70821b4af3934b4ea07a06d926_1
What was his position on the Poor Laws?
5
What was Robert Owen's position on the Poor Laws?
Robert Owen
Owen embraced socialism in 1817, a turning point in his life, and began making specific efforts to implement what he described as his "New View of Society." Owen outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons regarding the country's Poor Laws. In addition, when misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars were capturing the attention of the country, the British government invited Owen to offer his advice on what could be done to alleviate the industrial concerns. Although Owen attributed the immediate causes of misery to the wars, he also argued that the underlying cause of distress was the competition of human labour with machinery and recommended the establishment of self-sufficient communities. Owen proposed that communities of about 1,200 people should be settled on land from 1,000 to 1,500 acres (4 to 6 km2), with all of them living in one large building that had a public kitchen and dining halls. (The size of his proposed community is likely to have been influenced by the size of the village of New Lanark.) Owen also recommended that each family should have its own private apartments and the responsibility for the care of their children until they reached the age of three. Thereafter, children would be raised by the community-at-large, but their parents would have access to them at mealtimes and on other occasions. Owen further suggested that these socialistic communities might be established by individuals, parishes, counties, or other governmental units. In every case there would be effective supervision by qualified persons. The work and the enjoyment of its results should be experienced communally. Owen believed that his idea would be the best form for the re-organisation of society in general. He called his vision for a socialistic utopia the "New Moral World." Owen's utopian model changed little during his lifetime. His fully developed model considered an association of 500 to 3,000 people as the optimum number for a good working community. While mainly agricultural, it would possess the best machinery, offer a variety of employment, and, as far as possible, be self-contained. Owen further explained that as the number of these communities increased, "unions of them federatively united shall be formed in circle of tens, hundreds and thousands" linked in a common interest. CANNOTANSWER
In addition, when misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars were capturing the attention of the country,
Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement. He strove to improve factory working conditions, promoted experimental socialistic communities, and sought a more collective approach to child rearing, including government control of education. He gained wealth in the early 1800s from a textile mill at New Lanark, Scotland. Having trained as a draper in Stamford, Lincolnshire he worked in London before relocating aged 18 to Manchester and textile manufacturing. In 1824, he moved to America and put most of his fortune in an experimental socialistic community at New Harmony, Indiana, as a preliminary for his Utopian society. It lasted about two years. Other Owenite communities also failed, and in 1828 Owen returned to London, where he continued to champion the working class, lead in developing cooperatives and the trade union movement, and support child labour legislation and free co-educational schools. Early life and education Robert Owen was born in Newtown, a small market town in Montgomeryshire, Wales, on 14 May 1771, to Anne (Williams) and Robert Owen. His father was a saddler, ironmonger and local postmaster; his mother was the daughter of a Newtown farming family. Young Robert was the sixth of the family's seven children, two of whom died at a young age. His surviving siblings were William, Anne, John and Richard. Owen received little formal education, but he was an avid reader. He left school at the age of ten to be apprenticed to a Stamford, Lincolnshire, draper for four years. He also worked in London drapery shops in his teens. At about the age of 18, Owen moved to Manchester, where he spent the next twelve years of his life, employed initially at Satterfield's Drapery in Saint Ann's Square. While in Manchester, Owen borrowed £100 from his brother William, so as to enter into a partnership to make spinning mules, a new invention for spinning cotton thread, but exchanged his business share within a few months for six spinning mules that he worked in rented factory space. In 1792, when Owen was about 21 years old, mill-owner Peter Drinkwater made him manager of the Piccadilly Mill at Manchester. However, after two years with Drinkwater, Owen voluntarily gave up a contracted promise of partnership, left the company, and went into partnership with other entrepreneurs to establish and later manage the Chorlton Twist Mills in Chorlton-on-Medlock. By the early 1790s, Owen's entrepreneurial spirit, management skills and progressive moral views were emerging. In 1793, he was elected a member of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, where the ideas of the Enlightenment were discussed. He also became a committee member of the Manchester Board of Health, instigated principally by Thomas Percival to press for improvements in the health and working conditions of factory workers. Marriage and family On a visit to Scotland, Owen met and fell in love with Ann (or Anne) Caroline Dale, daughter of David Dale, a Glasgow philanthropist and the proprietor of the large New Lanark Mills. After their marriage on 30 September 1799, the Owens set up home in New Lanark, but later moved to Braxfield, Scotland. Robert and Caroline Owen had eight children, the first of whom died in infancy. Their seven survivors were four sons and three daughters: Robert Dale (1801–1877), William (1802–1842), Ann (or Anne) Caroline (1805–1831), Jane Dale (1805–1861), David Dale (1807–1860), Richard Dale (1809–1890) and Mary (1810–1832). Owen's four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale and Richard, and his daughter Jane Dale, followed their father to the United States, becoming US citizens and permanent residents in New Harmony, Indiana. Owen's wife Caroline and two of their daughters, Anne Caroline and Mary, remained in Britain, where they died in the 1830s. New Lanark mill In July 1799 Owen and his partners bought the New Lanark mill from David Dale, and Owen became its manager in January 1800. Encouraged by his management success in Manchester, Owen hoped to conduct the New Lanark mill on higher principles than purely commercial ones. It had been established in 1785 by David Dale and Richard Arkwright. Its water power provided by the falls of the River Clyde turned its cotton-spinning operation into one of Britain's largest. About 2,000 individuals were involved, 500 of them children brought to the mill at the age of five or six from the poorhouses and charities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Dale, known for his benevolence, treated the children well, but the general condition of New Lanark residents was unsatisfactory, despite efforts by Dale and his son-in-law Owen to improve their workers' lives. Many of the workers were from the lowest social levels: theft, drunkenness and other vices were common and education and sanitation neglected. Most families lived in one room. More respected people rejected the long hours and demoralising drudgery of the mills. Until a series of Truck Acts (1831–1887) required employers to pay their employees in common currency, many operated a truck system, paying workers wholly or in part with tokens that had no monetary value outside the mill owner's "truck shop", which charged high prices for shoddy goods. Unlike others, Owen's truck store offered goods at prices only slightly above their wholesale cost, passing on the savings from bulk purchases to his customers and placing alcohol sales under strict supervision. These principles became the basis for Britain's Co-operative shops, some of which continue trading in altered forms to this day. Philosophy and influence Owen tested his social and economic ideas at New Lanark, where he won his workers' confidence and continued to have success through the improved efficiency at the mill. The community also earned an international reputation. Social reformers, statesmen and royalty, including the future Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, visited New Lanark to study its methods. The opinions of many such visitors were favourable. Owen's biggest success was in support of youth education and early child care. As a pioneer in Britain, notably Scotland, Owen provided an alternative to the "normal authoritarian approach to child education". The manners of children brought up under his system were more graceful, genial and unconstrained; health, plenty and contentment prevailed; drunkenness was almost unknown and illegitimacy extremely rare. Owen's relations with his workers remained excellent and operations at the mill proceeded in a smooth, regular and commercially successful way. However, some of Owen's schemes displeased his partners, forcing him to arrange for other investors to buy his share of the business in 1813, for the equivalent of US$800,000. The new investors, who included Jeremy Bentham and the well-known Quaker William Allen, were content to accept a £5,000 return on their capital. The ownership change also provided Owen with a chance to broaden his philanthropy, advocating improvements in workers' rights and child labour laws, and free education for children. In 1813 Owen authored and published A New View of Society, or Essays on the Principle of the Formation of the Human Character, the first of four essays he wrote to explain the principles behind his philosophy of socialistic reform. In this he writes: Owen had originally been a follower of the classical liberal, utilitarian Jeremy Bentham, who believed that free markets, in particular the right of workers to move and choose their employers, would release workers from the excessive power of capitalists. However, Owen developed his own, pro-socialist outlook. In addition, Owen as a deist, criticised organised religion, including the Church of England, and developed a belief system of his own. Owen felt that human character is formed by conditions over which individuals have no control. Thus individuals could not be praised or blamed for their behaviour or situation in life. This principle led Owen to conclude that the correct formation of people's characters called for placing them under proper environmental influences – physical, moral and social – from their earliest years. These notions of inherent irresponsibility in humans and the effect of early influences on an individual's character formed the basis of Owen's system of education and social reform. Relying on his own observations, experiences and thoughts, Owen saw his view of human nature as original and "the most basic and necessary constituent in an evolving science of society". His philosophy was influenced by Sir Isaac Newton's views on natural law, and his views resembled those of Plato, Denis Diderot, Claude Adrien Helvétius, William Godwin, John Locke, James Mill, and Jeremy Bentham, among others. Owen did not have the direct influence of Enlightenment philosophers. Owen's work at New Lanark continued to have significance in Britain and continental Europe. He was a "pioneer in factory reform, the father of distributive cooperation, and the founder of nursery schools." His schemes for educating his workers included opening an Institute for the Formation of Character at New Lanark in 1818. This and other programmes at New Lanark provided free education from infancy to adulthood. In addition, he zealously supported factory legislation that culminated in the Cotton Mills and Factories Act of 1819. Owen also had interviews and communications with leading members of the British government, including its premier, Robert Banks Jenkinson, Lord Liverpool. He also met many of the rulers and leading statesmen of Europe. Owen adopted new principles to raise the standard of goods his workers produced. A cube with faces painted in different colours was installed above each machinist's workplace. The colour of the face showed to all who saw it the quality and quantity of goods the worker completed. The intention was to encourage workers to do their best. Although it was no great incentive in itself, conditions at New Lanark for workers and their families were idyllic for the time. Eight-hour day Owen raised the demand for an eight-hour day in 1810 and set about instituting the policy at New Lanark. By 1817 he had formulated the goal of an eight-hour working day with the slogan "eight hours labour, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest". Models for socialism (1817) Owen embraced socialism in 1817, a turning point in his life, in which he pursued a "New View of Society". He outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons on the country's Poor Laws. As misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars drew national attention, the government called on Owen for advice on how to alleviate the industrial concerns. Although he ascribed the immediate misery to the wars, he saw as the underlying cause competition of human labour with machinery, and recommended setting up self-sufficient communities. Owen proposed that communities of some 1,200 people should settle on land from , all living in one building with a public kitchen and dining halls. (The proposed size may have been influenced by the size of the village of New Lanark.) Owen also proposed that each family have its own private apartments and the responsibility for the care of its children up to the age of three. Thereafter children would be raised by the community, but their parents would have access to them at mealtimes and on other occasions. Owen further suggested that such communities be established by individuals, parishes, counties, or other governmental units. In each case there would be effective supervision by qualified persons. Work and enjoyment of its results should be experienced communally. Owen believed his idea would be the best way to reorganise society in general, and called his vision the "New Moral World". Owen's utopian model changed little in his lifetime. His developed model envisaged an association of 500–3,000 people as the optimum for a working community. While mainly agricultural, it would possess the best machinery, offer varied employment, and as far as possible be self-contained. Owen went on to explain that as such communities proliferated, "unions of them federatively united shall be formed in circle of tens, hundreds and thousands", linked by common interest. Arguments against Owen and his answers Owen always tried to spread his ideas to wider communities. First, he started publishing his ideas in newspapers. Owen then sent such newspapers widely to parliamentarians, politicians and other important people. These articles spurred the first negative reactions to his ideas. Opponents thought that Owen's plans would result in an uncontrollable increase in population and poverty. The other main criticism was that Owen's plan and the common use of everything would essentially make the country one large workshop. William Hone claimed that Owen saw people as unravelled plants from their roots, and that he wanted to plant them in rectangles. Another commentator accused Owen of wanting to imprison people in workshops like barracks and eradicate their personal independence. Owen's opponents had begun to regard him as an enemy of religion. His influence in ruling circles, which he had hoped would help him to accomplish his "plan", started diminishing and rumours of his lack of religious conviction spread. Owen believed that without a change in the character of individuals and the environment in which they live, they would remain hostile to those around them. As long as such a social order continued, the positive aspects of Christianity could never be put into practice. Owen also considered it necessary to give people more freedom in order to improve the situation of the poor and working classes. Unless people were better educated, unless they gained more useful information and had permanent employment, they were a danger to the security of the state when given more freedom than the British Constitution did at the time. Without making any changes in the national institutions, he believed that even reorganizing the working classes would bring great benefits. So he opposed the views of radicals seeking to change in the public mentality by expanding voting rights. Other notable critics of Owen include Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who viewed his work as a precursor to their own. They recognized in Owen the important understanding, developed by Marx in Capital, that it is the working class that are responsible for creating the unparalleled wealth in capitalist societies. Similarly, Owen also recognized that under the existing economic system, the working class did not automatically receive the benefits of that newly created wealth. Marx and Engels, differentiated, however, their own scientific conception of socialism from Owen's societies. They argued that Owen's plan, to create a model socialist utopia to coexist with contemporary society and prove its superiority over time, was insufficient to create a new society. In their view, Owen's "socialism" was utopian, since to Owen and the other utopian socialists "[s]ocialism is the expression of absolute truth, reason and justice, and has only to be discovered to conquer all the world by virtue of its own power." Marx and Engels believed that the overthrow of the capitalist system could only occur once the working class was organized into a revolutionary socialist political party of the working class that was completely independent of all capitalist class influence whereas the utopians sought the assistance and the co-operation of the capitalists in order to achieve the transition to socialism. Community experiments To test the viability of his ideas for self-sufficient working communities, Owen began experimenting in communal living in America in 1825. Among the most famous efforts was the one set up at New Harmony, Indiana. Of the 130 identifiable communitarian experiments in America before the American Civil War, at least 16 were Owenite or Owenite-influenced. New Harmony was Owen's earliest and most ambitious of these. Owen and his son William sailed to America in October 1824 to establish an experimental community in Indiana. In January 1825 Owen used a portion of his own funds to purchase an existing town of 180 buildings and several thousand acres of land along the Wabash River in Indiana. George Rapp's Harmony Society, the religious group that owned the property and had founded the communal village of Harmony (or Harmonie) on the site in 1814, decided in 1824 to relocate to Pennsylvania. Owen renamed it New Harmony and made the village his preliminary model for a Utopian community. Owen sought support for his socialist vision among American thinkers, reformers, intellectuals and public statesmen. On 25 February and 7 March 1825, Owen gave addresses in the U.S. House of Representatives to the U.S. Congress and others in the US government, outlining his vision for the Utopian community at New Harmony, and his socialist beliefs. The audience for his ideas included three former U.S. presidents – John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison) – the outgoing US President James Monroe, and the President-elect, John Quincy Adams. His meetings were perhaps the first discussions of socialism in the Americas; they were certainly a big step towards discussion of it in the United States. Owenism, among the first socialist ideologies active in the United States, can be seen as an instigator of the later socialist movement. Owen convinced William Maclure, a wealthy Scottish scientist and philanthropist living in Philadelphia to join him at New Harmony and become his financial partner. Maclure's involvement went on to attract scientists, educators and artists such as Thomas Say, Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, and Madame Marie Duclos Fretageot. These helped to turn the New Harmony community into a centre for educational reform, scientific research and artistic expression. Although Owen sought to build a "Village of Unity and Mutual Cooperation" south of the town, his grand plan was never fully realised and he returned to Britain to continue his work. During his long absences from New Harmony, Owen left the experiment under the day-to-day management of his sons, Robert Dale Owen and William Owen, and his business partner, Maclure. However, New Harmony proved to be an economic failure, lasting about two years, although it had attracted over a thousand residents by the end of its first year. The socialistic society was dissolved in 1827, but many of its scientists, educators, artists and other inhabitants, including Owen's four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale, and Richard Dale Owen, and his daughter Jane Dale Owen Fauntleroy, remained at New Harmony after the experiment ended. Other experiments in the United States included communal settlements at Blue Spring, near Bloomington, Indiana, at Yellow Springs, Ohio, and at Forestville Commonwealth at Earlton, New York, as well as other projects in New York, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Nearly all of these had ended before New Harmony was dissolved in April 1827. Owen's Utopian communities attracted a mix of people, many with the highest aims. They included vagrants, adventurers and other reform-minded enthusiasts. In the words of Owen's son David Dale Owen, they attracted "a heterogeneous collection of Radicals", "enthusiastic devotees to principle," and "honest latitudinarians, and lazy theorists," with "a sprinkling of unprincipled sharpers thrown in." Josiah Warren, a participant at New Harmony, asserted that it was doomed to failure for lack of individual sovereignty and personal property. In describing the community, Warren explained: "We had a world in miniature – we had enacted the French revolution over again with despairing hearts instead of corpses as a result.... It appeared that it was nature's own inherent law of diversity that had conquered us... our 'united interests' were directly at war with the individualities of persons and circumstances and the instinct of self-preservation...." Warren's observations on the reasons for the community's failure led to the development of American individualist anarchism, of which he was its original theorist. Some historians have traced the demise of New Harmony to serial disagreements among its members. Social experiments also began in Scotland in 1825, when Abram Combe, an Owenite, attempted a utopian experiment at Orbiston, near Glasgow, but this failed after about two years. In the 1830s, additional experiments in socialistic cooperatives were made in Ireland and Britain, the most important being at Ralahine, established in 1831 in County Clare, Ireland, and at Tytherley, begun in 1839 in Hampshire, England. The former proved a remarkable success for three-and-a-half years until the proprietor, having ruined himself by gambling, had to sell his interest. Tytherley, known as Harmony Hall or Queenwood College, was designed by the architect Joseph Hansom. This also failed. Another social experiment, Manea Colony in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, launched in the late 1830s by William Hodson, likewise an Owenite, but it failed in a couple of years and Hodson emigrated to the United States. The Manea Colony site has been excavated by Cambridge Archaeology Unit (CAU) based at the University of Cambridge. Return to Britain Although Owen made further brief visits to the United States, London became his permanent home and the centre of his work in 1828. After extended friction with William Allen and some other business partners, Owen relinquished all connections with New Lanark. He is often quoted in a comment by Allen at the time, "All the world is queer save thee and me, and even thou art a little queer". Having invested most of his fortune in the failed New Harmony communal experiment, Owen was no longer a wealthy capitalist. However, he remained the head of a vigorous propaganda effort to promote industrial equality, free education for children and adequate living conditions in factory towns, while delivering lectures in Europe and publishing a weekly newspaper to gain support for his ideas. In 1832 Owen opened the National Equitable Labour Exchange system, a time-based currency in which the exchange of goods was effected by means of labour notes; this system superseded the usual means of exchange and middlemen. The London exchange continued until 1833, a Birmingham branch operating for just a few months until July 1833. Owen also became involved in trade unionism, briefly leading the Grand National Consolidated Trade Union (GNCTU) before its collapse in 1834. Socialism first became current in British terminology in discussions of the Association of all Classes of all Nations, which Owen formed in 1835 and served as its initial leader. Owen's secular views also gained enough influence among the working classes to cause the Westminster Review to comment in 1839 that his principles were the creed of many of them. However, by 1846, the only lasting result of Owen's agitation for social change, carried on through public meetings, pamphlets, periodicals, and occasional treatises, remained the Co-operative movement, and for a time even that seemed to have collapsed. Role in spiritualism In 1817, Owen publicly claimed that all religions were false. In 1854, aged 83, Owen converted to spiritualism after a series of sittings with Maria B. Hayden, an American medium credited with introducing spiritualism to England. He made a public profession of his new faith in his publication The Rational Quarterly Review and in a pamphlet titled The future of the Human race; or great glorious and future revolution to be effected through the agency of departed spirits of good and superior men and women. Owen claimed to have had medium contact with spirits of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and others. He explained that the purpose of these was to change "the present, false, disunited and miserable state of human existence, for a true, united and happy state... to prepare the world for universal peace, and to infuse into all the spirit of charity, forbearance and love." Spiritualists claimed after Owen's death that his spirit had dictated to the medium Emma Hardinge Britten in 1871 the "Seven Principles of Spiritualism", used by their National Union as "the basis of its religious philosophy". Death and legacy As Owen grew older and more radical in his views, his influence began to decline. Owen published his memoirs, The Life of Robert Owen, in 1857, a year before his death. Although he had spent most of his life in England and Scotland, Owen returned to his native town of Newtown at the end of his life. He died there on 17 November 1858 and was buried there on 21 November. He died penniless apart from an annual income drawn from a trust established by his sons in 1844. Owen was a reformer, philanthropist, community builder, and spiritualist who spent his life seeking to improve the lives of others. An advocate of the working class, he improved working conditions for factory workers, which he demonstrated at New Lanark, Scotland, became a leader in trade unionism, promoted social equality through his experimental Utopian communities, and supported the passage of child labour laws and free education for children. In these reforms he was ahead of his time. He envisioned a communal society that others could consider and apply as they wished. In Revolution in the Mind and Practice of the Human Race (1849), he went on to say that character is formed by a combination of Nature or God and the circumstances of the individual's experience. Citing beneficial results at New Lanark, Scotland, during 30 years of work there, Owen concluded that a person's "character is not made by, but for the individual," and that nature and society are responsible for each person's character and conduct. Owen's agitation for social change, along with the work of the Owenites and of his own children, helped to bring lasting social reforms in women's and workers' rights, establish free public libraries and museums, child care and public, co-educational schools, and pre-Marxian communism, and develop the Co-operative and trade union movements. New Harmony, Indiana, and New Lanark, Scotland, two towns with which he is closely associated, remain as reminders of his efforts. Owen's legacy of public service continued with his four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale, and Richard Dale, and his daughter, Jane, who followed him to America to live at New Harmony, Indiana: Robert Dale Owen (1801–1877), an able exponent of his father's doctrines, managed the New Harmony community after his father returned to Britain in 1825. He wrote articles and co-edited with Frances Wright the New-Harmony Gazette in the late 1820s in Indiana and the Free Enquirer in the 1830s in New York City. Owen returned to New Harmony in 1833 and became active in Indiana politics. He was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives (1836–1839 and 1851–1853) and U.S. House of Representatives (1843–1847), and was appointed chargé d'affaires in Naples in 1853–1858. While serving as a member of Congress, he drafted and helped to secure passage of a bill founding the Smithsonian Institution in 1846. He was elected a delegate to the Indiana Constitutional Convention in 1850, and argued in support of widows and married women's property and divorce rights. He also favoured legislation for Indiana's tax-supported public school system. Like his father, he believed in spiritualism, authoring two books on the subject: Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World (1859) and The Debatable Land Between this World and the Next (1872). William Owen (1802–1842) moved to the United States with his father in 1824. His business skill, notably his knowledge of cotton-goods manufacturing, allowed him to remain at New Harmony after his father returned to Scotland, and serve as adviser to the community. He organised New Harmony's Thespian Society in 1827, but died of unknown causes at the age of 40. Jane Dale Owen Fauntleroy (1805–1861) arrived in the United States in 1833 and settled in New Harmony. She was a musician and educator who set up a school in her home. In 1835 she married Robert Henry Fauntleroy, a civil engineer from Virginia living at New Harmony. David Dale Owen (1807–1860) moved to the United States in 1827 and resided at New Harmony for several years. He trained as a geologist and natural scientist and earned a medical degree. He was appointed a United States geologist in 1839. His work included geological surveys in the Midwest, more specifically the states of Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas, as well as Minnesota Territory. His brother Richard succeeded him as state geologist of Indiana. Richard Dale Owen (1810–1890) emigrated to the United States in 1827 and joined his siblings at New Harmony. He fought in the Mexican–American War in 1847, taught natural science at Western Military Institute in Tennessee in 1849–1859, and earned a medical degree in 1858. During the American Civil War he was a colonel in the Union army and served as a commandant of Camp Morton, a prisoner-of-war camp for Confederate soldiers at Indianapolis, Indiana. After the war, Owen served as Indiana's second state geologist. In addition, he was a professor at Indiana University and chaired its natural science department in 1864–1879. He helped plan Purdue University and was appointed its first president in 1872–1874, but resigned before its classes began and resumed teaching at Indiana University. He spent his retirement years on research and writing. Honours and tributes The Co-operative Movement erected a monument to Robert Owen in 1902 at his burial site in Newtown, Montgomeryshire. The Welsh people donated a bust of Owen by Welsh sculptor Sir William Goscombe John to the International Labour Office library in Geneva, Switzerland. Selected published works A New View of Society: Or, Essays on the Formation of Human Character, and the Application of the Principle to Practice (London, 1813). Retitled, A New View of Society: Or, Essays on the Formation of Human Character Preparatory to the Development of a Plan for Gradually Ameliorating the Condition of Mankind, for second edition, 1816 Observations on the Effect of the Manufacturing System. London, 1815 Report to the Committee of the Association for the Relief of the Manufacturing and Labouring Poor (1817) Two Memorials on Behalf of the Working Classes (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 181 An Address to the Master Manufacturers of Great Britain: On the Present Existing Evils in the Manufacturing System (Bolton, 1819) Report to the County of Lanark of a Plan for relieving Public Distress (Glasgow: Glasgow University Press, 1821) An Explanation of the Cause of Distress which pervades the civilised parts of the world (London and Paris, 1823) An Address to All Classes in the State. London, 1832 The Revolution in the Mind and Practice of the Human Race. London, 1849 Collected works: A New View of Society and Other Writings, introduction by G. D. H. Cole. London and New York: J. M. Dent & Sons, E. P. Dutton and Co., 1927 A New View of Society and Other Writings, G. Claeys, ed. London and New York: Penguin Books, 1991 The Selected Works of Robert Owen, G. Claeys, ed., 4 vols. London: Pickering and Chatto, 1993 Archival collections: Robert Owen Collection, National Co-operative Archive, United Kingdom. New Harmony, Indiana, Collection, 1814–1884, 1920, 1964, Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States New Harmony Series III Collection, Workingmen's Institute, New Harmony, Indiana, United States Owen family collection, 1826–1967, bulk 1830–1890, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington, Indiana, United States See also Cincinnati Time Store José María Arizmendiarrieta Labour voucher List of Owenite communities in the United States Owenstown Owenism William King References Bibliography (online version) Further reading Biographies of Owen A. J. Booth, Robert Owen, the Founder of Socialism in England (London, 1869) G. D. H. Cole, Life of Robert Owen. London, Ernest Benn Ltd., 1925; second edition Macmillan, 1930 Lloyd Jones. The Life, Times, and Labours of Robert Owen. London, 1889 A. L. Morton, The Life and Ideas of Robert Owen. New York, International Publishers, 1969 W. H. Oliver, "Robert Owen and the English Working-Class Movements", History Today (November 1958) 8–11, pp. 787–796 F. A. Packard, Life of Robert Owen. Philadelphia: Ashmead & Evans, 1866 Frank Podmore, Robert Owen: A Biography. London: Hutchinson and Company, 1906 David Santilli, Life of the Mill Man. London, B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1987 William Lucas Sargant, Robert Owen and his social philosophy . London, 1860 Richard Tames, Radicals, Railways & Reform. London, B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1986 Other works about Owen Arthur Bestor, Backwoods Utopias. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1950, 2nd edition, 1970 John Butt (ed). Robert Owen: Aspects of his Life and Work. Humanities Press, 1971 Gregory Claeys, Citizens and Saints. Politics and Anti-Politics in Early British Socialism. Cambridge University Press, 1989 Gregory Claeys, Machinery, Money and the Millennium: From Moral Economy to Socialism 1815–1860. Princeton University Press, 1987 R. E. Davies, The Life of Robert Owen, Philanthropist and Social Reformer, An Appreciation. Robert Sutton, 1907 R. E. Davis and F. J. O'Hagan, Robert Owen. London: Continuum Press, 2010 E. Dolleans, Robert Owen. Paris, 1905 I. Donnachie, Robert Owen. Owen of New Lanark and New Harmony. 2000 Auguste Marie Fabre, Un Socialiste Pratique, Robert Owen. Nìmes, Bureaux de l'Émancipation, 1896 John F. C. Harrison, Robert Owen and the Owenites in Britain and America: Quest for the New Moral World. New York, 1969 Alexander Herzen, My Past and Thoughts (University of California Press, 1982). (One chapter is devoted to Owen.) G. J. Holyoake, The History of Co-operation in England: Its Literature and Its Advocates V. 1. London, 1906 G. J. Holyoake, The History of Co-operation in England: Its Literature and Its Advocates V. 2. London, 1906 The National Library of Wales, A Bibliography of Robert Owen, The Socialist. 1914 H. Simon, Robert Owen: Sein Leben und Seine Bedeutung für die Gegenwart. Jena, 1905 O. Siméon, Robert Owen's Experiment at New Lanark. From Paternalism to Socialism. Palgrave Macmillan, 2017 External links Essays by Owen at the Marxists Internet Archive Brief biography at the New Lanark World Heritage Site The Robert Owen Museum, Newtown, Wales Video of Owen's wool mill Brief biography at Cotton Times "Robert Owen (1771-1858) social reformer, founder of New Harmony", University of Evansville, Indiana "Robert Owen and the Co-operative movement" Brief biography at The History Guide Brief biography at age-of-the-sage.org Heaven On Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism at PBS {dead link 2021-02-22} 1771 births 1858 deaths Cooperative organizers Founders of utopian communities People from Newtown, Powys Owenites Utopian socialists Welsh agnostics Welsh humanists 19th-century Welsh businesspeople 18th-century Welsh businesspeople Welsh business theorists Welsh philanthropists Welsh socialists British reformers British social reformers Socialist economists
false
[ "William Forster Lloyd FRS (1794 – 2 June 1852) was a British writer on economics. He is best known today for one of his 1833 lectures on population control which have influenced writers in modern economic theory.\n\nLife\nBorn in 1794 at Bradenham, Buckinghamshire, he was the fourth son of Thomas Lloyd, rector of Aston-sub-Edge, and his wife, Elizabeth Ryder; Charles Lloyd was his elder brother. He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, graduating BA in 1815 and MA in 1818. He was Greek Reader in 1823, Mathematical lecturer and Drummond Professor of Political Economy (1832–1837) at Christ Church, Oxford (successor to Nassau Senior). He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1834, and died at Prestwood, Missenden, Buckinghamshire in 1852.\n\nInfluential lectures\nLloyd published several of his lectures. In his Two Lectures on the Checks to Population (1833) he introduced the concept of the overuse of a common by its commoners (i.e. those with rights of use and access to it), which was later to be developed by the economist H. Scott Gordon and later still by the ecologist Garrett Hardin and termed by Hardin \"The Tragedy of the Commons\". However, Hardin's use of Lloyd's example has frequently been misunderstood, leading him to later remark that he should have titled his work \"The Tragedy of the Unmanaged Commons\".\n\nThe key passage in Lloyd's work is:\n\n\"If a person puts more cattle into his own field, the amount of the subsistence which they consume is all deducted from that which was at the command, of his original stock; and if, before, there was no more than a sufficiency of pasture, he reaps no benefit from the additional cattle, what is gained in one way being lost in another.\nBut if he puts more cattle on a common, the food which they consume forms a deduction which is shared between all the cattle, as well that of others as his own, in proportion to their number, and only a small part of it is taken from his own cattle. In an inclosed pasture, there is a point of saturation, if I may so call it, (by which, I mean a barrier depending on considerations of interest,) beyond which no prudent man will add to his stock. In a common, also, there is in like manner a point of saturation. But the position of the point in the two cases is obviously different. Were a number of adjoining pastures, already fully stocked, to be at once thrown open, and converted into one vast common, the position of the point of saturation would immediately be changed\".\n\nIn his Lectures on Population, Value, Poor Laws and Rent (1837) he introduced a concise and complete statement of the concept of diminishing marginal utility, and connected demand to value, but he presents neither derivation nor elaboration. Still this contribution places him clearly in the ranks of the Oxford-Dublin school of proto-Marginalists.\n\nMajor works of William F. Lloyd\nLecture on the Notion of Value, as distinguished not only from utility, but also from value in exchange, 1833.\nTwo Lectures on the Checks to Population, 1833.\nFour Lectures on Poor-Laws, 1835\nTwo Lectures on the Justice of the Poor-Laws and One Lecture on Rent, 1837.\nLectures on Population, Value, Poor Laws and Rent, 1837.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n\n Profile of William Forster Lloyd at the History of Economic Thought website\n Two Lectures on the Checks to Population\n\n1794 births\n1852 deaths\nPeople from Buckinghamshire\nBritish economists\nFellows of the Royal Society\nPeople educated at Westminster School, London\nAlumni of Christ Church, Oxford\nDrummond Professors of Political Economy", "John Revans was secretary to the English Poor Law Commission and the Royal Commission on the Poorer Classes in Ireland 1833. In 1836, he was appointed assistant commissioner of the Poor Laws. In the 1840s he conducted an examination of the Chartist land settlements for the Poor Law Commissioners.\n\nHe was described as a \"Benthamite radical\".\n\nSelected publications\nObservations on the timber trade. Richardson, 1831.\nRemarks on the navigation laws. Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, 1831.\nEvils of the state of Ireland, their causes, and their remedy; a poor law. 1836.\n\nReferences\n\nBritish civil servants\nYear of birth missing\nYear of death missing" ]
[ "Robert Owen", "Models for socialism (1817)", "What were his models for socialism?", "Owen proposed that communities of about 1,200 people should be settled on land from 1,000 to 1,500 acres (4 to 6 km2", "Were there philosophers he based his thinking on?", "I don't know.", "What is models for socialism?", "began making specific efforts to implement what he described as his \"New View of Society.\"", "Is Models for socialism a book?", "Owen outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons regarding the country's Poor Laws.", "What was his position on the Poor Laws?", "In addition, when misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars were capturing the attention of the country," ]
C_9d348a70821b4af3934b4ea07a06d926_1
What reforms did he propose?
6
What reforms did Robert Owen propose?
Robert Owen
Owen embraced socialism in 1817, a turning point in his life, and began making specific efforts to implement what he described as his "New View of Society." Owen outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons regarding the country's Poor Laws. In addition, when misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars were capturing the attention of the country, the British government invited Owen to offer his advice on what could be done to alleviate the industrial concerns. Although Owen attributed the immediate causes of misery to the wars, he also argued that the underlying cause of distress was the competition of human labour with machinery and recommended the establishment of self-sufficient communities. Owen proposed that communities of about 1,200 people should be settled on land from 1,000 to 1,500 acres (4 to 6 km2), with all of them living in one large building that had a public kitchen and dining halls. (The size of his proposed community is likely to have been influenced by the size of the village of New Lanark.) Owen also recommended that each family should have its own private apartments and the responsibility for the care of their children until they reached the age of three. Thereafter, children would be raised by the community-at-large, but their parents would have access to them at mealtimes and on other occasions. Owen further suggested that these socialistic communities might be established by individuals, parishes, counties, or other governmental units. In every case there would be effective supervision by qualified persons. The work and the enjoyment of its results should be experienced communally. Owen believed that his idea would be the best form for the re-organisation of society in general. He called his vision for a socialistic utopia the "New Moral World." Owen's utopian model changed little during his lifetime. His fully developed model considered an association of 500 to 3,000 people as the optimum number for a good working community. While mainly agricultural, it would possess the best machinery, offer a variety of employment, and, as far as possible, be self-contained. Owen further explained that as the number of these communities increased, "unions of them federatively united shall be formed in circle of tens, hundreds and thousands" linked in a common interest. CANNOTANSWER
recommended the establishment of self-sufficient communities.
Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement. He strove to improve factory working conditions, promoted experimental socialistic communities, and sought a more collective approach to child rearing, including government control of education. He gained wealth in the early 1800s from a textile mill at New Lanark, Scotland. Having trained as a draper in Stamford, Lincolnshire he worked in London before relocating aged 18 to Manchester and textile manufacturing. In 1824, he moved to America and put most of his fortune in an experimental socialistic community at New Harmony, Indiana, as a preliminary for his Utopian society. It lasted about two years. Other Owenite communities also failed, and in 1828 Owen returned to London, where he continued to champion the working class, lead in developing cooperatives and the trade union movement, and support child labour legislation and free co-educational schools. Early life and education Robert Owen was born in Newtown, a small market town in Montgomeryshire, Wales, on 14 May 1771, to Anne (Williams) and Robert Owen. His father was a saddler, ironmonger and local postmaster; his mother was the daughter of a Newtown farming family. Young Robert was the sixth of the family's seven children, two of whom died at a young age. His surviving siblings were William, Anne, John and Richard. Owen received little formal education, but he was an avid reader. He left school at the age of ten to be apprenticed to a Stamford, Lincolnshire, draper for four years. He also worked in London drapery shops in his teens. At about the age of 18, Owen moved to Manchester, where he spent the next twelve years of his life, employed initially at Satterfield's Drapery in Saint Ann's Square. While in Manchester, Owen borrowed £100 from his brother William, so as to enter into a partnership to make spinning mules, a new invention for spinning cotton thread, but exchanged his business share within a few months for six spinning mules that he worked in rented factory space. In 1792, when Owen was about 21 years old, mill-owner Peter Drinkwater made him manager of the Piccadilly Mill at Manchester. However, after two years with Drinkwater, Owen voluntarily gave up a contracted promise of partnership, left the company, and went into partnership with other entrepreneurs to establish and later manage the Chorlton Twist Mills in Chorlton-on-Medlock. By the early 1790s, Owen's entrepreneurial spirit, management skills and progressive moral views were emerging. In 1793, he was elected a member of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, where the ideas of the Enlightenment were discussed. He also became a committee member of the Manchester Board of Health, instigated principally by Thomas Percival to press for improvements in the health and working conditions of factory workers. Marriage and family On a visit to Scotland, Owen met and fell in love with Ann (or Anne) Caroline Dale, daughter of David Dale, a Glasgow philanthropist and the proprietor of the large New Lanark Mills. After their marriage on 30 September 1799, the Owens set up home in New Lanark, but later moved to Braxfield, Scotland. Robert and Caroline Owen had eight children, the first of whom died in infancy. Their seven survivors were four sons and three daughters: Robert Dale (1801–1877), William (1802–1842), Ann (or Anne) Caroline (1805–1831), Jane Dale (1805–1861), David Dale (1807–1860), Richard Dale (1809–1890) and Mary (1810–1832). Owen's four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale and Richard, and his daughter Jane Dale, followed their father to the United States, becoming US citizens and permanent residents in New Harmony, Indiana. Owen's wife Caroline and two of their daughters, Anne Caroline and Mary, remained in Britain, where they died in the 1830s. New Lanark mill In July 1799 Owen and his partners bought the New Lanark mill from David Dale, and Owen became its manager in January 1800. Encouraged by his management success in Manchester, Owen hoped to conduct the New Lanark mill on higher principles than purely commercial ones. It had been established in 1785 by David Dale and Richard Arkwright. Its water power provided by the falls of the River Clyde turned its cotton-spinning operation into one of Britain's largest. About 2,000 individuals were involved, 500 of them children brought to the mill at the age of five or six from the poorhouses and charities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Dale, known for his benevolence, treated the children well, but the general condition of New Lanark residents was unsatisfactory, despite efforts by Dale and his son-in-law Owen to improve their workers' lives. Many of the workers were from the lowest social levels: theft, drunkenness and other vices were common and education and sanitation neglected. Most families lived in one room. More respected people rejected the long hours and demoralising drudgery of the mills. Until a series of Truck Acts (1831–1887) required employers to pay their employees in common currency, many operated a truck system, paying workers wholly or in part with tokens that had no monetary value outside the mill owner's "truck shop", which charged high prices for shoddy goods. Unlike others, Owen's truck store offered goods at prices only slightly above their wholesale cost, passing on the savings from bulk purchases to his customers and placing alcohol sales under strict supervision. These principles became the basis for Britain's Co-operative shops, some of which continue trading in altered forms to this day. Philosophy and influence Owen tested his social and economic ideas at New Lanark, where he won his workers' confidence and continued to have success through the improved efficiency at the mill. The community also earned an international reputation. Social reformers, statesmen and royalty, including the future Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, visited New Lanark to study its methods. The opinions of many such visitors were favourable. Owen's biggest success was in support of youth education and early child care. As a pioneer in Britain, notably Scotland, Owen provided an alternative to the "normal authoritarian approach to child education". The manners of children brought up under his system were more graceful, genial and unconstrained; health, plenty and contentment prevailed; drunkenness was almost unknown and illegitimacy extremely rare. Owen's relations with his workers remained excellent and operations at the mill proceeded in a smooth, regular and commercially successful way. However, some of Owen's schemes displeased his partners, forcing him to arrange for other investors to buy his share of the business in 1813, for the equivalent of US$800,000. The new investors, who included Jeremy Bentham and the well-known Quaker William Allen, were content to accept a £5,000 return on their capital. The ownership change also provided Owen with a chance to broaden his philanthropy, advocating improvements in workers' rights and child labour laws, and free education for children. In 1813 Owen authored and published A New View of Society, or Essays on the Principle of the Formation of the Human Character, the first of four essays he wrote to explain the principles behind his philosophy of socialistic reform. In this he writes: Owen had originally been a follower of the classical liberal, utilitarian Jeremy Bentham, who believed that free markets, in particular the right of workers to move and choose their employers, would release workers from the excessive power of capitalists. However, Owen developed his own, pro-socialist outlook. In addition, Owen as a deist, criticised organised religion, including the Church of England, and developed a belief system of his own. Owen felt that human character is formed by conditions over which individuals have no control. Thus individuals could not be praised or blamed for their behaviour or situation in life. This principle led Owen to conclude that the correct formation of people's characters called for placing them under proper environmental influences – physical, moral and social – from their earliest years. These notions of inherent irresponsibility in humans and the effect of early influences on an individual's character formed the basis of Owen's system of education and social reform. Relying on his own observations, experiences and thoughts, Owen saw his view of human nature as original and "the most basic and necessary constituent in an evolving science of society". His philosophy was influenced by Sir Isaac Newton's views on natural law, and his views resembled those of Plato, Denis Diderot, Claude Adrien Helvétius, William Godwin, John Locke, James Mill, and Jeremy Bentham, among others. Owen did not have the direct influence of Enlightenment philosophers. Owen's work at New Lanark continued to have significance in Britain and continental Europe. He was a "pioneer in factory reform, the father of distributive cooperation, and the founder of nursery schools." His schemes for educating his workers included opening an Institute for the Formation of Character at New Lanark in 1818. This and other programmes at New Lanark provided free education from infancy to adulthood. In addition, he zealously supported factory legislation that culminated in the Cotton Mills and Factories Act of 1819. Owen also had interviews and communications with leading members of the British government, including its premier, Robert Banks Jenkinson, Lord Liverpool. He also met many of the rulers and leading statesmen of Europe. Owen adopted new principles to raise the standard of goods his workers produced. A cube with faces painted in different colours was installed above each machinist's workplace. The colour of the face showed to all who saw it the quality and quantity of goods the worker completed. The intention was to encourage workers to do their best. Although it was no great incentive in itself, conditions at New Lanark for workers and their families were idyllic for the time. Eight-hour day Owen raised the demand for an eight-hour day in 1810 and set about instituting the policy at New Lanark. By 1817 he had formulated the goal of an eight-hour working day with the slogan "eight hours labour, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest". Models for socialism (1817) Owen embraced socialism in 1817, a turning point in his life, in which he pursued a "New View of Society". He outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons on the country's Poor Laws. As misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars drew national attention, the government called on Owen for advice on how to alleviate the industrial concerns. Although he ascribed the immediate misery to the wars, he saw as the underlying cause competition of human labour with machinery, and recommended setting up self-sufficient communities. Owen proposed that communities of some 1,200 people should settle on land from , all living in one building with a public kitchen and dining halls. (The proposed size may have been influenced by the size of the village of New Lanark.) Owen also proposed that each family have its own private apartments and the responsibility for the care of its children up to the age of three. Thereafter children would be raised by the community, but their parents would have access to them at mealtimes and on other occasions. Owen further suggested that such communities be established by individuals, parishes, counties, or other governmental units. In each case there would be effective supervision by qualified persons. Work and enjoyment of its results should be experienced communally. Owen believed his idea would be the best way to reorganise society in general, and called his vision the "New Moral World". Owen's utopian model changed little in his lifetime. His developed model envisaged an association of 500–3,000 people as the optimum for a working community. While mainly agricultural, it would possess the best machinery, offer varied employment, and as far as possible be self-contained. Owen went on to explain that as such communities proliferated, "unions of them federatively united shall be formed in circle of tens, hundreds and thousands", linked by common interest. Arguments against Owen and his answers Owen always tried to spread his ideas to wider communities. First, he started publishing his ideas in newspapers. Owen then sent such newspapers widely to parliamentarians, politicians and other important people. These articles spurred the first negative reactions to his ideas. Opponents thought that Owen's plans would result in an uncontrollable increase in population and poverty. The other main criticism was that Owen's plan and the common use of everything would essentially make the country one large workshop. William Hone claimed that Owen saw people as unravelled plants from their roots, and that he wanted to plant them in rectangles. Another commentator accused Owen of wanting to imprison people in workshops like barracks and eradicate their personal independence. Owen's opponents had begun to regard him as an enemy of religion. His influence in ruling circles, which he had hoped would help him to accomplish his "plan", started diminishing and rumours of his lack of religious conviction spread. Owen believed that without a change in the character of individuals and the environment in which they live, they would remain hostile to those around them. As long as such a social order continued, the positive aspects of Christianity could never be put into practice. Owen also considered it necessary to give people more freedom in order to improve the situation of the poor and working classes. Unless people were better educated, unless they gained more useful information and had permanent employment, they were a danger to the security of the state when given more freedom than the British Constitution did at the time. Without making any changes in the national institutions, he believed that even reorganizing the working classes would bring great benefits. So he opposed the views of radicals seeking to change in the public mentality by expanding voting rights. Other notable critics of Owen include Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who viewed his work as a precursor to their own. They recognized in Owen the important understanding, developed by Marx in Capital, that it is the working class that are responsible for creating the unparalleled wealth in capitalist societies. Similarly, Owen also recognized that under the existing economic system, the working class did not automatically receive the benefits of that newly created wealth. Marx and Engels, differentiated, however, their own scientific conception of socialism from Owen's societies. They argued that Owen's plan, to create a model socialist utopia to coexist with contemporary society and prove its superiority over time, was insufficient to create a new society. In their view, Owen's "socialism" was utopian, since to Owen and the other utopian socialists "[s]ocialism is the expression of absolute truth, reason and justice, and has only to be discovered to conquer all the world by virtue of its own power." Marx and Engels believed that the overthrow of the capitalist system could only occur once the working class was organized into a revolutionary socialist political party of the working class that was completely independent of all capitalist class influence whereas the utopians sought the assistance and the co-operation of the capitalists in order to achieve the transition to socialism. Community experiments To test the viability of his ideas for self-sufficient working communities, Owen began experimenting in communal living in America in 1825. Among the most famous efforts was the one set up at New Harmony, Indiana. Of the 130 identifiable communitarian experiments in America before the American Civil War, at least 16 were Owenite or Owenite-influenced. New Harmony was Owen's earliest and most ambitious of these. Owen and his son William sailed to America in October 1824 to establish an experimental community in Indiana. In January 1825 Owen used a portion of his own funds to purchase an existing town of 180 buildings and several thousand acres of land along the Wabash River in Indiana. George Rapp's Harmony Society, the religious group that owned the property and had founded the communal village of Harmony (or Harmonie) on the site in 1814, decided in 1824 to relocate to Pennsylvania. Owen renamed it New Harmony and made the village his preliminary model for a Utopian community. Owen sought support for his socialist vision among American thinkers, reformers, intellectuals and public statesmen. On 25 February and 7 March 1825, Owen gave addresses in the U.S. House of Representatives to the U.S. Congress and others in the US government, outlining his vision for the Utopian community at New Harmony, and his socialist beliefs. The audience for his ideas included three former U.S. presidents – John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison) – the outgoing US President James Monroe, and the President-elect, John Quincy Adams. His meetings were perhaps the first discussions of socialism in the Americas; they were certainly a big step towards discussion of it in the United States. Owenism, among the first socialist ideologies active in the United States, can be seen as an instigator of the later socialist movement. Owen convinced William Maclure, a wealthy Scottish scientist and philanthropist living in Philadelphia to join him at New Harmony and become his financial partner. Maclure's involvement went on to attract scientists, educators and artists such as Thomas Say, Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, and Madame Marie Duclos Fretageot. These helped to turn the New Harmony community into a centre for educational reform, scientific research and artistic expression. Although Owen sought to build a "Village of Unity and Mutual Cooperation" south of the town, his grand plan was never fully realised and he returned to Britain to continue his work. During his long absences from New Harmony, Owen left the experiment under the day-to-day management of his sons, Robert Dale Owen and William Owen, and his business partner, Maclure. However, New Harmony proved to be an economic failure, lasting about two years, although it had attracted over a thousand residents by the end of its first year. The socialistic society was dissolved in 1827, but many of its scientists, educators, artists and other inhabitants, including Owen's four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale, and Richard Dale Owen, and his daughter Jane Dale Owen Fauntleroy, remained at New Harmony after the experiment ended. Other experiments in the United States included communal settlements at Blue Spring, near Bloomington, Indiana, at Yellow Springs, Ohio, and at Forestville Commonwealth at Earlton, New York, as well as other projects in New York, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Nearly all of these had ended before New Harmony was dissolved in April 1827. Owen's Utopian communities attracted a mix of people, many with the highest aims. They included vagrants, adventurers and other reform-minded enthusiasts. In the words of Owen's son David Dale Owen, they attracted "a heterogeneous collection of Radicals", "enthusiastic devotees to principle," and "honest latitudinarians, and lazy theorists," with "a sprinkling of unprincipled sharpers thrown in." Josiah Warren, a participant at New Harmony, asserted that it was doomed to failure for lack of individual sovereignty and personal property. In describing the community, Warren explained: "We had a world in miniature – we had enacted the French revolution over again with despairing hearts instead of corpses as a result.... It appeared that it was nature's own inherent law of diversity that had conquered us... our 'united interests' were directly at war with the individualities of persons and circumstances and the instinct of self-preservation...." Warren's observations on the reasons for the community's failure led to the development of American individualist anarchism, of which he was its original theorist. Some historians have traced the demise of New Harmony to serial disagreements among its members. Social experiments also began in Scotland in 1825, when Abram Combe, an Owenite, attempted a utopian experiment at Orbiston, near Glasgow, but this failed after about two years. In the 1830s, additional experiments in socialistic cooperatives were made in Ireland and Britain, the most important being at Ralahine, established in 1831 in County Clare, Ireland, and at Tytherley, begun in 1839 in Hampshire, England. The former proved a remarkable success for three-and-a-half years until the proprietor, having ruined himself by gambling, had to sell his interest. Tytherley, known as Harmony Hall or Queenwood College, was designed by the architect Joseph Hansom. This also failed. Another social experiment, Manea Colony in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, launched in the late 1830s by William Hodson, likewise an Owenite, but it failed in a couple of years and Hodson emigrated to the United States. The Manea Colony site has been excavated by Cambridge Archaeology Unit (CAU) based at the University of Cambridge. Return to Britain Although Owen made further brief visits to the United States, London became his permanent home and the centre of his work in 1828. After extended friction with William Allen and some other business partners, Owen relinquished all connections with New Lanark. He is often quoted in a comment by Allen at the time, "All the world is queer save thee and me, and even thou art a little queer". Having invested most of his fortune in the failed New Harmony communal experiment, Owen was no longer a wealthy capitalist. However, he remained the head of a vigorous propaganda effort to promote industrial equality, free education for children and adequate living conditions in factory towns, while delivering lectures in Europe and publishing a weekly newspaper to gain support for his ideas. In 1832 Owen opened the National Equitable Labour Exchange system, a time-based currency in which the exchange of goods was effected by means of labour notes; this system superseded the usual means of exchange and middlemen. The London exchange continued until 1833, a Birmingham branch operating for just a few months until July 1833. Owen also became involved in trade unionism, briefly leading the Grand National Consolidated Trade Union (GNCTU) before its collapse in 1834. Socialism first became current in British terminology in discussions of the Association of all Classes of all Nations, which Owen formed in 1835 and served as its initial leader. Owen's secular views also gained enough influence among the working classes to cause the Westminster Review to comment in 1839 that his principles were the creed of many of them. However, by 1846, the only lasting result of Owen's agitation for social change, carried on through public meetings, pamphlets, periodicals, and occasional treatises, remained the Co-operative movement, and for a time even that seemed to have collapsed. Role in spiritualism In 1817, Owen publicly claimed that all religions were false. In 1854, aged 83, Owen converted to spiritualism after a series of sittings with Maria B. Hayden, an American medium credited with introducing spiritualism to England. He made a public profession of his new faith in his publication The Rational Quarterly Review and in a pamphlet titled The future of the Human race; or great glorious and future revolution to be effected through the agency of departed spirits of good and superior men and women. Owen claimed to have had medium contact with spirits of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and others. He explained that the purpose of these was to change "the present, false, disunited and miserable state of human existence, for a true, united and happy state... to prepare the world for universal peace, and to infuse into all the spirit of charity, forbearance and love." Spiritualists claimed after Owen's death that his spirit had dictated to the medium Emma Hardinge Britten in 1871 the "Seven Principles of Spiritualism", used by their National Union as "the basis of its religious philosophy". Death and legacy As Owen grew older and more radical in his views, his influence began to decline. Owen published his memoirs, The Life of Robert Owen, in 1857, a year before his death. Although he had spent most of his life in England and Scotland, Owen returned to his native town of Newtown at the end of his life. He died there on 17 November 1858 and was buried there on 21 November. He died penniless apart from an annual income drawn from a trust established by his sons in 1844. Owen was a reformer, philanthropist, community builder, and spiritualist who spent his life seeking to improve the lives of others. An advocate of the working class, he improved working conditions for factory workers, which he demonstrated at New Lanark, Scotland, became a leader in trade unionism, promoted social equality through his experimental Utopian communities, and supported the passage of child labour laws and free education for children. In these reforms he was ahead of his time. He envisioned a communal society that others could consider and apply as they wished. In Revolution in the Mind and Practice of the Human Race (1849), he went on to say that character is formed by a combination of Nature or God and the circumstances of the individual's experience. Citing beneficial results at New Lanark, Scotland, during 30 years of work there, Owen concluded that a person's "character is not made by, but for the individual," and that nature and society are responsible for each person's character and conduct. Owen's agitation for social change, along with the work of the Owenites and of his own children, helped to bring lasting social reforms in women's and workers' rights, establish free public libraries and museums, child care and public, co-educational schools, and pre-Marxian communism, and develop the Co-operative and trade union movements. New Harmony, Indiana, and New Lanark, Scotland, two towns with which he is closely associated, remain as reminders of his efforts. Owen's legacy of public service continued with his four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale, and Richard Dale, and his daughter, Jane, who followed him to America to live at New Harmony, Indiana: Robert Dale Owen (1801–1877), an able exponent of his father's doctrines, managed the New Harmony community after his father returned to Britain in 1825. He wrote articles and co-edited with Frances Wright the New-Harmony Gazette in the late 1820s in Indiana and the Free Enquirer in the 1830s in New York City. Owen returned to New Harmony in 1833 and became active in Indiana politics. He was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives (1836–1839 and 1851–1853) and U.S. House of Representatives (1843–1847), and was appointed chargé d'affaires in Naples in 1853–1858. While serving as a member of Congress, he drafted and helped to secure passage of a bill founding the Smithsonian Institution in 1846. He was elected a delegate to the Indiana Constitutional Convention in 1850, and argued in support of widows and married women's property and divorce rights. He also favoured legislation for Indiana's tax-supported public school system. Like his father, he believed in spiritualism, authoring two books on the subject: Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World (1859) and The Debatable Land Between this World and the Next (1872). William Owen (1802–1842) moved to the United States with his father in 1824. His business skill, notably his knowledge of cotton-goods manufacturing, allowed him to remain at New Harmony after his father returned to Scotland, and serve as adviser to the community. He organised New Harmony's Thespian Society in 1827, but died of unknown causes at the age of 40. Jane Dale Owen Fauntleroy (1805–1861) arrived in the United States in 1833 and settled in New Harmony. She was a musician and educator who set up a school in her home. In 1835 she married Robert Henry Fauntleroy, a civil engineer from Virginia living at New Harmony. David Dale Owen (1807–1860) moved to the United States in 1827 and resided at New Harmony for several years. He trained as a geologist and natural scientist and earned a medical degree. He was appointed a United States geologist in 1839. His work included geological surveys in the Midwest, more specifically the states of Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas, as well as Minnesota Territory. His brother Richard succeeded him as state geologist of Indiana. Richard Dale Owen (1810–1890) emigrated to the United States in 1827 and joined his siblings at New Harmony. He fought in the Mexican–American War in 1847, taught natural science at Western Military Institute in Tennessee in 1849–1859, and earned a medical degree in 1858. During the American Civil War he was a colonel in the Union army and served as a commandant of Camp Morton, a prisoner-of-war camp for Confederate soldiers at Indianapolis, Indiana. After the war, Owen served as Indiana's second state geologist. In addition, he was a professor at Indiana University and chaired its natural science department in 1864–1879. He helped plan Purdue University and was appointed its first president in 1872–1874, but resigned before its classes began and resumed teaching at Indiana University. He spent his retirement years on research and writing. Honours and tributes The Co-operative Movement erected a monument to Robert Owen in 1902 at his burial site in Newtown, Montgomeryshire. The Welsh people donated a bust of Owen by Welsh sculptor Sir William Goscombe John to the International Labour Office library in Geneva, Switzerland. Selected published works A New View of Society: Or, Essays on the Formation of Human Character, and the Application of the Principle to Practice (London, 1813). Retitled, A New View of Society: Or, Essays on the Formation of Human Character Preparatory to the Development of a Plan for Gradually Ameliorating the Condition of Mankind, for second edition, 1816 Observations on the Effect of the Manufacturing System. London, 1815 Report to the Committee of the Association for the Relief of the Manufacturing and Labouring Poor (1817) Two Memorials on Behalf of the Working Classes (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 181 An Address to the Master Manufacturers of Great Britain: On the Present Existing Evils in the Manufacturing System (Bolton, 1819) Report to the County of Lanark of a Plan for relieving Public Distress (Glasgow: Glasgow University Press, 1821) An Explanation of the Cause of Distress which pervades the civilised parts of the world (London and Paris, 1823) An Address to All Classes in the State. London, 1832 The Revolution in the Mind and Practice of the Human Race. London, 1849 Collected works: A New View of Society and Other Writings, introduction by G. D. H. Cole. London and New York: J. M. Dent & Sons, E. P. Dutton and Co., 1927 A New View of Society and Other Writings, G. Claeys, ed. London and New York: Penguin Books, 1991 The Selected Works of Robert Owen, G. Claeys, ed., 4 vols. London: Pickering and Chatto, 1993 Archival collections: Robert Owen Collection, National Co-operative Archive, United Kingdom. New Harmony, Indiana, Collection, 1814–1884, 1920, 1964, Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States New Harmony Series III Collection, Workingmen's Institute, New Harmony, Indiana, United States Owen family collection, 1826–1967, bulk 1830–1890, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington, Indiana, United States See also Cincinnati Time Store José María Arizmendiarrieta Labour voucher List of Owenite communities in the United States Owenstown Owenism William King References Bibliography (online version) Further reading Biographies of Owen A. J. Booth, Robert Owen, the Founder of Socialism in England (London, 1869) G. D. H. Cole, Life of Robert Owen. London, Ernest Benn Ltd., 1925; second edition Macmillan, 1930 Lloyd Jones. The Life, Times, and Labours of Robert Owen. London, 1889 A. L. Morton, The Life and Ideas of Robert Owen. New York, International Publishers, 1969 W. H. Oliver, "Robert Owen and the English Working-Class Movements", History Today (November 1958) 8–11, pp. 787–796 F. A. Packard, Life of Robert Owen. Philadelphia: Ashmead & Evans, 1866 Frank Podmore, Robert Owen: A Biography. London: Hutchinson and Company, 1906 David Santilli, Life of the Mill Man. London, B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1987 William Lucas Sargant, Robert Owen and his social philosophy . London, 1860 Richard Tames, Radicals, Railways & Reform. London, B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1986 Other works about Owen Arthur Bestor, Backwoods Utopias. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1950, 2nd edition, 1970 John Butt (ed). Robert Owen: Aspects of his Life and Work. Humanities Press, 1971 Gregory Claeys, Citizens and Saints. Politics and Anti-Politics in Early British Socialism. Cambridge University Press, 1989 Gregory Claeys, Machinery, Money and the Millennium: From Moral Economy to Socialism 1815–1860. Princeton University Press, 1987 R. E. Davies, The Life of Robert Owen, Philanthropist and Social Reformer, An Appreciation. Robert Sutton, 1907 R. E. Davis and F. J. O'Hagan, Robert Owen. London: Continuum Press, 2010 E. Dolleans, Robert Owen. Paris, 1905 I. Donnachie, Robert Owen. Owen of New Lanark and New Harmony. 2000 Auguste Marie Fabre, Un Socialiste Pratique, Robert Owen. Nìmes, Bureaux de l'Émancipation, 1896 John F. C. Harrison, Robert Owen and the Owenites in Britain and America: Quest for the New Moral World. New York, 1969 Alexander Herzen, My Past and Thoughts (University of California Press, 1982). (One chapter is devoted to Owen.) G. J. Holyoake, The History of Co-operation in England: Its Literature and Its Advocates V. 1. London, 1906 G. J. Holyoake, The History of Co-operation in England: Its Literature and Its Advocates V. 2. London, 1906 The National Library of Wales, A Bibliography of Robert Owen, The Socialist. 1914 H. Simon, Robert Owen: Sein Leben und Seine Bedeutung für die Gegenwart. Jena, 1905 O. Siméon, Robert Owen's Experiment at New Lanark. From Paternalism to Socialism. Palgrave Macmillan, 2017 External links Essays by Owen at the Marxists Internet Archive Brief biography at the New Lanark World Heritage Site The Robert Owen Museum, Newtown, Wales Video of Owen's wool mill Brief biography at Cotton Times "Robert Owen (1771-1858) social reformer, founder of New Harmony", University of Evansville, Indiana "Robert Owen and the Co-operative movement" Brief biography at The History Guide Brief biography at age-of-the-sage.org Heaven On Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism at PBS {dead link 2021-02-22} 1771 births 1858 deaths Cooperative organizers Founders of utopian communities People from Newtown, Powys Owenites Utopian socialists Welsh agnostics Welsh humanists 19th-century Welsh businesspeople 18th-century Welsh businesspeople Welsh business theorists Welsh philanthropists Welsh socialists British reformers British social reformers Socialist economists
false
[ "A package of constitutional reforms proposed by the Constitutional Council was held in the Marshall Islands in April 1995. In 1994 the Nitijela voted to create a Constitutional Council which would propose a raft of constitutional changes and reforms. The Council submitted thirty-five proposals, each of which had to attain a two-thirds majority of valid votes in order to pass. Turnout was low at 33%, and only a measure establishing the Marshallese language version of the constitution passed. All other proposals failed to reach the two-thirds bar, and thus failed.\n\nReferences\n\n1995 referendums\n1995 in the Marshall Islands\nReferendums in the Marshall Islands", "The American Bankruptcy Institute is an organization of over 13,000 bankruptcy and insolvency professionals, including attorneys, judges, law professors, accountants, investment bankers and turn-around specialists. It bills itself as the \"largest multi-disciplinary, non-partisan organization dedicated to research and education on matters related to insolvency.\"\n\nThe ABI disseminates information by organizing conferences and publishing scholarly journals, including the American Bankruptcy Institute Law Review. It also holds panels bringing together multiple viewpoints on particular issues relating to insolvency. In addition, the ABI has established a commission to study and propose reforms to Chapter 11 law governing bankruptcies.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links \n\n ABI website\n\nBankruptcy in the United States" ]
[ "Robert Owen", "Models for socialism (1817)", "What were his models for socialism?", "Owen proposed that communities of about 1,200 people should be settled on land from 1,000 to 1,500 acres (4 to 6 km2", "Were there philosophers he based his thinking on?", "I don't know.", "What is models for socialism?", "began making specific efforts to implement what he described as his \"New View of Society.\"", "Is Models for socialism a book?", "Owen outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons regarding the country's Poor Laws.", "What was his position on the Poor Laws?", "In addition, when misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars were capturing the attention of the country,", "What reforms did he propose?", "recommended the establishment of self-sufficient communities." ]
C_9d348a70821b4af3934b4ea07a06d926_1
When did he establish a community?
7
When did Robert Owen establish a community?
Robert Owen
Owen embraced socialism in 1817, a turning point in his life, and began making specific efforts to implement what he described as his "New View of Society." Owen outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons regarding the country's Poor Laws. In addition, when misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars were capturing the attention of the country, the British government invited Owen to offer his advice on what could be done to alleviate the industrial concerns. Although Owen attributed the immediate causes of misery to the wars, he also argued that the underlying cause of distress was the competition of human labour with machinery and recommended the establishment of self-sufficient communities. Owen proposed that communities of about 1,200 people should be settled on land from 1,000 to 1,500 acres (4 to 6 km2), with all of them living in one large building that had a public kitchen and dining halls. (The size of his proposed community is likely to have been influenced by the size of the village of New Lanark.) Owen also recommended that each family should have its own private apartments and the responsibility for the care of their children until they reached the age of three. Thereafter, children would be raised by the community-at-large, but their parents would have access to them at mealtimes and on other occasions. Owen further suggested that these socialistic communities might be established by individuals, parishes, counties, or other governmental units. In every case there would be effective supervision by qualified persons. The work and the enjoyment of its results should be experienced communally. Owen believed that his idea would be the best form for the re-organisation of society in general. He called his vision for a socialistic utopia the "New Moral World." Owen's utopian model changed little during his lifetime. His fully developed model considered an association of 500 to 3,000 people as the optimum number for a good working community. While mainly agricultural, it would possess the best machinery, offer a variety of employment, and, as far as possible, be self-contained. Owen further explained that as the number of these communities increased, "unions of them federatively united shall be formed in circle of tens, hundreds and thousands" linked in a common interest. CANNOTANSWER
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Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement. He strove to improve factory working conditions, promoted experimental socialistic communities, and sought a more collective approach to child rearing, including government control of education. He gained wealth in the early 1800s from a textile mill at New Lanark, Scotland. Having trained as a draper in Stamford, Lincolnshire he worked in London before relocating aged 18 to Manchester and textile manufacturing. In 1824, he moved to America and put most of his fortune in an experimental socialistic community at New Harmony, Indiana, as a preliminary for his Utopian society. It lasted about two years. Other Owenite communities also failed, and in 1828 Owen returned to London, where he continued to champion the working class, lead in developing cooperatives and the trade union movement, and support child labour legislation and free co-educational schools. Early life and education Robert Owen was born in Newtown, a small market town in Montgomeryshire, Wales, on 14 May 1771, to Anne (Williams) and Robert Owen. His father was a saddler, ironmonger and local postmaster; his mother was the daughter of a Newtown farming family. Young Robert was the sixth of the family's seven children, two of whom died at a young age. His surviving siblings were William, Anne, John and Richard. Owen received little formal education, but he was an avid reader. He left school at the age of ten to be apprenticed to a Stamford, Lincolnshire, draper for four years. He also worked in London drapery shops in his teens. At about the age of 18, Owen moved to Manchester, where he spent the next twelve years of his life, employed initially at Satterfield's Drapery in Saint Ann's Square. While in Manchester, Owen borrowed £100 from his brother William, so as to enter into a partnership to make spinning mules, a new invention for spinning cotton thread, but exchanged his business share within a few months for six spinning mules that he worked in rented factory space. In 1792, when Owen was about 21 years old, mill-owner Peter Drinkwater made him manager of the Piccadilly Mill at Manchester. However, after two years with Drinkwater, Owen voluntarily gave up a contracted promise of partnership, left the company, and went into partnership with other entrepreneurs to establish and later manage the Chorlton Twist Mills in Chorlton-on-Medlock. By the early 1790s, Owen's entrepreneurial spirit, management skills and progressive moral views were emerging. In 1793, he was elected a member of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, where the ideas of the Enlightenment were discussed. He also became a committee member of the Manchester Board of Health, instigated principally by Thomas Percival to press for improvements in the health and working conditions of factory workers. Marriage and family On a visit to Scotland, Owen met and fell in love with Ann (or Anne) Caroline Dale, daughter of David Dale, a Glasgow philanthropist and the proprietor of the large New Lanark Mills. After their marriage on 30 September 1799, the Owens set up home in New Lanark, but later moved to Braxfield, Scotland. Robert and Caroline Owen had eight children, the first of whom died in infancy. Their seven survivors were four sons and three daughters: Robert Dale (1801–1877), William (1802–1842), Ann (or Anne) Caroline (1805–1831), Jane Dale (1805–1861), David Dale (1807–1860), Richard Dale (1809–1890) and Mary (1810–1832). Owen's four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale and Richard, and his daughter Jane Dale, followed their father to the United States, becoming US citizens and permanent residents in New Harmony, Indiana. Owen's wife Caroline and two of their daughters, Anne Caroline and Mary, remained in Britain, where they died in the 1830s. New Lanark mill In July 1799 Owen and his partners bought the New Lanark mill from David Dale, and Owen became its manager in January 1800. Encouraged by his management success in Manchester, Owen hoped to conduct the New Lanark mill on higher principles than purely commercial ones. It had been established in 1785 by David Dale and Richard Arkwright. Its water power provided by the falls of the River Clyde turned its cotton-spinning operation into one of Britain's largest. About 2,000 individuals were involved, 500 of them children brought to the mill at the age of five or six from the poorhouses and charities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Dale, known for his benevolence, treated the children well, but the general condition of New Lanark residents was unsatisfactory, despite efforts by Dale and his son-in-law Owen to improve their workers' lives. Many of the workers were from the lowest social levels: theft, drunkenness and other vices were common and education and sanitation neglected. Most families lived in one room. More respected people rejected the long hours and demoralising drudgery of the mills. Until a series of Truck Acts (1831–1887) required employers to pay their employees in common currency, many operated a truck system, paying workers wholly or in part with tokens that had no monetary value outside the mill owner's "truck shop", which charged high prices for shoddy goods. Unlike others, Owen's truck store offered goods at prices only slightly above their wholesale cost, passing on the savings from bulk purchases to his customers and placing alcohol sales under strict supervision. These principles became the basis for Britain's Co-operative shops, some of which continue trading in altered forms to this day. Philosophy and influence Owen tested his social and economic ideas at New Lanark, where he won his workers' confidence and continued to have success through the improved efficiency at the mill. The community also earned an international reputation. Social reformers, statesmen and royalty, including the future Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, visited New Lanark to study its methods. The opinions of many such visitors were favourable. Owen's biggest success was in support of youth education and early child care. As a pioneer in Britain, notably Scotland, Owen provided an alternative to the "normal authoritarian approach to child education". The manners of children brought up under his system were more graceful, genial and unconstrained; health, plenty and contentment prevailed; drunkenness was almost unknown and illegitimacy extremely rare. Owen's relations with his workers remained excellent and operations at the mill proceeded in a smooth, regular and commercially successful way. However, some of Owen's schemes displeased his partners, forcing him to arrange for other investors to buy his share of the business in 1813, for the equivalent of US$800,000. The new investors, who included Jeremy Bentham and the well-known Quaker William Allen, were content to accept a £5,000 return on their capital. The ownership change also provided Owen with a chance to broaden his philanthropy, advocating improvements in workers' rights and child labour laws, and free education for children. In 1813 Owen authored and published A New View of Society, or Essays on the Principle of the Formation of the Human Character, the first of four essays he wrote to explain the principles behind his philosophy of socialistic reform. In this he writes: Owen had originally been a follower of the classical liberal, utilitarian Jeremy Bentham, who believed that free markets, in particular the right of workers to move and choose their employers, would release workers from the excessive power of capitalists. However, Owen developed his own, pro-socialist outlook. In addition, Owen as a deist, criticised organised religion, including the Church of England, and developed a belief system of his own. Owen felt that human character is formed by conditions over which individuals have no control. Thus individuals could not be praised or blamed for their behaviour or situation in life. This principle led Owen to conclude that the correct formation of people's characters called for placing them under proper environmental influences – physical, moral and social – from their earliest years. These notions of inherent irresponsibility in humans and the effect of early influences on an individual's character formed the basis of Owen's system of education and social reform. Relying on his own observations, experiences and thoughts, Owen saw his view of human nature as original and "the most basic and necessary constituent in an evolving science of society". His philosophy was influenced by Sir Isaac Newton's views on natural law, and his views resembled those of Plato, Denis Diderot, Claude Adrien Helvétius, William Godwin, John Locke, James Mill, and Jeremy Bentham, among others. Owen did not have the direct influence of Enlightenment philosophers. Owen's work at New Lanark continued to have significance in Britain and continental Europe. He was a "pioneer in factory reform, the father of distributive cooperation, and the founder of nursery schools." His schemes for educating his workers included opening an Institute for the Formation of Character at New Lanark in 1818. This and other programmes at New Lanark provided free education from infancy to adulthood. In addition, he zealously supported factory legislation that culminated in the Cotton Mills and Factories Act of 1819. Owen also had interviews and communications with leading members of the British government, including its premier, Robert Banks Jenkinson, Lord Liverpool. He also met many of the rulers and leading statesmen of Europe. Owen adopted new principles to raise the standard of goods his workers produced. A cube with faces painted in different colours was installed above each machinist's workplace. The colour of the face showed to all who saw it the quality and quantity of goods the worker completed. The intention was to encourage workers to do their best. Although it was no great incentive in itself, conditions at New Lanark for workers and their families were idyllic for the time. Eight-hour day Owen raised the demand for an eight-hour day in 1810 and set about instituting the policy at New Lanark. By 1817 he had formulated the goal of an eight-hour working day with the slogan "eight hours labour, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest". Models for socialism (1817) Owen embraced socialism in 1817, a turning point in his life, in which he pursued a "New View of Society". He outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons on the country's Poor Laws. As misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars drew national attention, the government called on Owen for advice on how to alleviate the industrial concerns. Although he ascribed the immediate misery to the wars, he saw as the underlying cause competition of human labour with machinery, and recommended setting up self-sufficient communities. Owen proposed that communities of some 1,200 people should settle on land from , all living in one building with a public kitchen and dining halls. (The proposed size may have been influenced by the size of the village of New Lanark.) Owen also proposed that each family have its own private apartments and the responsibility for the care of its children up to the age of three. Thereafter children would be raised by the community, but their parents would have access to them at mealtimes and on other occasions. Owen further suggested that such communities be established by individuals, parishes, counties, or other governmental units. In each case there would be effective supervision by qualified persons. Work and enjoyment of its results should be experienced communally. Owen believed his idea would be the best way to reorganise society in general, and called his vision the "New Moral World". Owen's utopian model changed little in his lifetime. His developed model envisaged an association of 500–3,000 people as the optimum for a working community. While mainly agricultural, it would possess the best machinery, offer varied employment, and as far as possible be self-contained. Owen went on to explain that as such communities proliferated, "unions of them federatively united shall be formed in circle of tens, hundreds and thousands", linked by common interest. Arguments against Owen and his answers Owen always tried to spread his ideas to wider communities. First, he started publishing his ideas in newspapers. Owen then sent such newspapers widely to parliamentarians, politicians and other important people. These articles spurred the first negative reactions to his ideas. Opponents thought that Owen's plans would result in an uncontrollable increase in population and poverty. The other main criticism was that Owen's plan and the common use of everything would essentially make the country one large workshop. William Hone claimed that Owen saw people as unravelled plants from their roots, and that he wanted to plant them in rectangles. Another commentator accused Owen of wanting to imprison people in workshops like barracks and eradicate their personal independence. Owen's opponents had begun to regard him as an enemy of religion. His influence in ruling circles, which he had hoped would help him to accomplish his "plan", started diminishing and rumours of his lack of religious conviction spread. Owen believed that without a change in the character of individuals and the environment in which they live, they would remain hostile to those around them. As long as such a social order continued, the positive aspects of Christianity could never be put into practice. Owen also considered it necessary to give people more freedom in order to improve the situation of the poor and working classes. Unless people were better educated, unless they gained more useful information and had permanent employment, they were a danger to the security of the state when given more freedom than the British Constitution did at the time. Without making any changes in the national institutions, he believed that even reorganizing the working classes would bring great benefits. So he opposed the views of radicals seeking to change in the public mentality by expanding voting rights. Other notable critics of Owen include Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who viewed his work as a precursor to their own. They recognized in Owen the important understanding, developed by Marx in Capital, that it is the working class that are responsible for creating the unparalleled wealth in capitalist societies. Similarly, Owen also recognized that under the existing economic system, the working class did not automatically receive the benefits of that newly created wealth. Marx and Engels, differentiated, however, their own scientific conception of socialism from Owen's societies. They argued that Owen's plan, to create a model socialist utopia to coexist with contemporary society and prove its superiority over time, was insufficient to create a new society. In their view, Owen's "socialism" was utopian, since to Owen and the other utopian socialists "[s]ocialism is the expression of absolute truth, reason and justice, and has only to be discovered to conquer all the world by virtue of its own power." Marx and Engels believed that the overthrow of the capitalist system could only occur once the working class was organized into a revolutionary socialist political party of the working class that was completely independent of all capitalist class influence whereas the utopians sought the assistance and the co-operation of the capitalists in order to achieve the transition to socialism. Community experiments To test the viability of his ideas for self-sufficient working communities, Owen began experimenting in communal living in America in 1825. Among the most famous efforts was the one set up at New Harmony, Indiana. Of the 130 identifiable communitarian experiments in America before the American Civil War, at least 16 were Owenite or Owenite-influenced. New Harmony was Owen's earliest and most ambitious of these. Owen and his son William sailed to America in October 1824 to establish an experimental community in Indiana. In January 1825 Owen used a portion of his own funds to purchase an existing town of 180 buildings and several thousand acres of land along the Wabash River in Indiana. George Rapp's Harmony Society, the religious group that owned the property and had founded the communal village of Harmony (or Harmonie) on the site in 1814, decided in 1824 to relocate to Pennsylvania. Owen renamed it New Harmony and made the village his preliminary model for a Utopian community. Owen sought support for his socialist vision among American thinkers, reformers, intellectuals and public statesmen. On 25 February and 7 March 1825, Owen gave addresses in the U.S. House of Representatives to the U.S. Congress and others in the US government, outlining his vision for the Utopian community at New Harmony, and his socialist beliefs. The audience for his ideas included three former U.S. presidents – John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison) – the outgoing US President James Monroe, and the President-elect, John Quincy Adams. His meetings were perhaps the first discussions of socialism in the Americas; they were certainly a big step towards discussion of it in the United States. Owenism, among the first socialist ideologies active in the United States, can be seen as an instigator of the later socialist movement. Owen convinced William Maclure, a wealthy Scottish scientist and philanthropist living in Philadelphia to join him at New Harmony and become his financial partner. Maclure's involvement went on to attract scientists, educators and artists such as Thomas Say, Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, and Madame Marie Duclos Fretageot. These helped to turn the New Harmony community into a centre for educational reform, scientific research and artistic expression. Although Owen sought to build a "Village of Unity and Mutual Cooperation" south of the town, his grand plan was never fully realised and he returned to Britain to continue his work. During his long absences from New Harmony, Owen left the experiment under the day-to-day management of his sons, Robert Dale Owen and William Owen, and his business partner, Maclure. However, New Harmony proved to be an economic failure, lasting about two years, although it had attracted over a thousand residents by the end of its first year. The socialistic society was dissolved in 1827, but many of its scientists, educators, artists and other inhabitants, including Owen's four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale, and Richard Dale Owen, and his daughter Jane Dale Owen Fauntleroy, remained at New Harmony after the experiment ended. Other experiments in the United States included communal settlements at Blue Spring, near Bloomington, Indiana, at Yellow Springs, Ohio, and at Forestville Commonwealth at Earlton, New York, as well as other projects in New York, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Nearly all of these had ended before New Harmony was dissolved in April 1827. Owen's Utopian communities attracted a mix of people, many with the highest aims. They included vagrants, adventurers and other reform-minded enthusiasts. In the words of Owen's son David Dale Owen, they attracted "a heterogeneous collection of Radicals", "enthusiastic devotees to principle," and "honest latitudinarians, and lazy theorists," with "a sprinkling of unprincipled sharpers thrown in." Josiah Warren, a participant at New Harmony, asserted that it was doomed to failure for lack of individual sovereignty and personal property. In describing the community, Warren explained: "We had a world in miniature – we had enacted the French revolution over again with despairing hearts instead of corpses as a result.... It appeared that it was nature's own inherent law of diversity that had conquered us... our 'united interests' were directly at war with the individualities of persons and circumstances and the instinct of self-preservation...." Warren's observations on the reasons for the community's failure led to the development of American individualist anarchism, of which he was its original theorist. Some historians have traced the demise of New Harmony to serial disagreements among its members. Social experiments also began in Scotland in 1825, when Abram Combe, an Owenite, attempted a utopian experiment at Orbiston, near Glasgow, but this failed after about two years. In the 1830s, additional experiments in socialistic cooperatives were made in Ireland and Britain, the most important being at Ralahine, established in 1831 in County Clare, Ireland, and at Tytherley, begun in 1839 in Hampshire, England. The former proved a remarkable success for three-and-a-half years until the proprietor, having ruined himself by gambling, had to sell his interest. Tytherley, known as Harmony Hall or Queenwood College, was designed by the architect Joseph Hansom. This also failed. Another social experiment, Manea Colony in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, launched in the late 1830s by William Hodson, likewise an Owenite, but it failed in a couple of years and Hodson emigrated to the United States. The Manea Colony site has been excavated by Cambridge Archaeology Unit (CAU) based at the University of Cambridge. Return to Britain Although Owen made further brief visits to the United States, London became his permanent home and the centre of his work in 1828. After extended friction with William Allen and some other business partners, Owen relinquished all connections with New Lanark. He is often quoted in a comment by Allen at the time, "All the world is queer save thee and me, and even thou art a little queer". Having invested most of his fortune in the failed New Harmony communal experiment, Owen was no longer a wealthy capitalist. However, he remained the head of a vigorous propaganda effort to promote industrial equality, free education for children and adequate living conditions in factory towns, while delivering lectures in Europe and publishing a weekly newspaper to gain support for his ideas. In 1832 Owen opened the National Equitable Labour Exchange system, a time-based currency in which the exchange of goods was effected by means of labour notes; this system superseded the usual means of exchange and middlemen. The London exchange continued until 1833, a Birmingham branch operating for just a few months until July 1833. Owen also became involved in trade unionism, briefly leading the Grand National Consolidated Trade Union (GNCTU) before its collapse in 1834. Socialism first became current in British terminology in discussions of the Association of all Classes of all Nations, which Owen formed in 1835 and served as its initial leader. Owen's secular views also gained enough influence among the working classes to cause the Westminster Review to comment in 1839 that his principles were the creed of many of them. However, by 1846, the only lasting result of Owen's agitation for social change, carried on through public meetings, pamphlets, periodicals, and occasional treatises, remained the Co-operative movement, and for a time even that seemed to have collapsed. Role in spiritualism In 1817, Owen publicly claimed that all religions were false. In 1854, aged 83, Owen converted to spiritualism after a series of sittings with Maria B. Hayden, an American medium credited with introducing spiritualism to England. He made a public profession of his new faith in his publication The Rational Quarterly Review and in a pamphlet titled The future of the Human race; or great glorious and future revolution to be effected through the agency of departed spirits of good and superior men and women. Owen claimed to have had medium contact with spirits of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and others. He explained that the purpose of these was to change "the present, false, disunited and miserable state of human existence, for a true, united and happy state... to prepare the world for universal peace, and to infuse into all the spirit of charity, forbearance and love." Spiritualists claimed after Owen's death that his spirit had dictated to the medium Emma Hardinge Britten in 1871 the "Seven Principles of Spiritualism", used by their National Union as "the basis of its religious philosophy". Death and legacy As Owen grew older and more radical in his views, his influence began to decline. Owen published his memoirs, The Life of Robert Owen, in 1857, a year before his death. Although he had spent most of his life in England and Scotland, Owen returned to his native town of Newtown at the end of his life. He died there on 17 November 1858 and was buried there on 21 November. He died penniless apart from an annual income drawn from a trust established by his sons in 1844. Owen was a reformer, philanthropist, community builder, and spiritualist who spent his life seeking to improve the lives of others. An advocate of the working class, he improved working conditions for factory workers, which he demonstrated at New Lanark, Scotland, became a leader in trade unionism, promoted social equality through his experimental Utopian communities, and supported the passage of child labour laws and free education for children. In these reforms he was ahead of his time. He envisioned a communal society that others could consider and apply as they wished. In Revolution in the Mind and Practice of the Human Race (1849), he went on to say that character is formed by a combination of Nature or God and the circumstances of the individual's experience. Citing beneficial results at New Lanark, Scotland, during 30 years of work there, Owen concluded that a person's "character is not made by, but for the individual," and that nature and society are responsible for each person's character and conduct. Owen's agitation for social change, along with the work of the Owenites and of his own children, helped to bring lasting social reforms in women's and workers' rights, establish free public libraries and museums, child care and public, co-educational schools, and pre-Marxian communism, and develop the Co-operative and trade union movements. New Harmony, Indiana, and New Lanark, Scotland, two towns with which he is closely associated, remain as reminders of his efforts. Owen's legacy of public service continued with his four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale, and Richard Dale, and his daughter, Jane, who followed him to America to live at New Harmony, Indiana: Robert Dale Owen (1801–1877), an able exponent of his father's doctrines, managed the New Harmony community after his father returned to Britain in 1825. He wrote articles and co-edited with Frances Wright the New-Harmony Gazette in the late 1820s in Indiana and the Free Enquirer in the 1830s in New York City. Owen returned to New Harmony in 1833 and became active in Indiana politics. He was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives (1836–1839 and 1851–1853) and U.S. House of Representatives (1843–1847), and was appointed chargé d'affaires in Naples in 1853–1858. While serving as a member of Congress, he drafted and helped to secure passage of a bill founding the Smithsonian Institution in 1846. He was elected a delegate to the Indiana Constitutional Convention in 1850, and argued in support of widows and married women's property and divorce rights. He also favoured legislation for Indiana's tax-supported public school system. Like his father, he believed in spiritualism, authoring two books on the subject: Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World (1859) and The Debatable Land Between this World and the Next (1872). William Owen (1802–1842) moved to the United States with his father in 1824. His business skill, notably his knowledge of cotton-goods manufacturing, allowed him to remain at New Harmony after his father returned to Scotland, and serve as adviser to the community. He organised New Harmony's Thespian Society in 1827, but died of unknown causes at the age of 40. Jane Dale Owen Fauntleroy (1805–1861) arrived in the United States in 1833 and settled in New Harmony. She was a musician and educator who set up a school in her home. In 1835 she married Robert Henry Fauntleroy, a civil engineer from Virginia living at New Harmony. David Dale Owen (1807–1860) moved to the United States in 1827 and resided at New Harmony for several years. He trained as a geologist and natural scientist and earned a medical degree. He was appointed a United States geologist in 1839. His work included geological surveys in the Midwest, more specifically the states of Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas, as well as Minnesota Territory. His brother Richard succeeded him as state geologist of Indiana. Richard Dale Owen (1810–1890) emigrated to the United States in 1827 and joined his siblings at New Harmony. He fought in the Mexican–American War in 1847, taught natural science at Western Military Institute in Tennessee in 1849–1859, and earned a medical degree in 1858. During the American Civil War he was a colonel in the Union army and served as a commandant of Camp Morton, a prisoner-of-war camp for Confederate soldiers at Indianapolis, Indiana. After the war, Owen served as Indiana's second state geologist. In addition, he was a professor at Indiana University and chaired its natural science department in 1864–1879. He helped plan Purdue University and was appointed its first president in 1872–1874, but resigned before its classes began and resumed teaching at Indiana University. He spent his retirement years on research and writing. Honours and tributes The Co-operative Movement erected a monument to Robert Owen in 1902 at his burial site in Newtown, Montgomeryshire. The Welsh people donated a bust of Owen by Welsh sculptor Sir William Goscombe John to the International Labour Office library in Geneva, Switzerland. Selected published works A New View of Society: Or, Essays on the Formation of Human Character, and the Application of the Principle to Practice (London, 1813). Retitled, A New View of Society: Or, Essays on the Formation of Human Character Preparatory to the Development of a Plan for Gradually Ameliorating the Condition of Mankind, for second edition, 1816 Observations on the Effect of the Manufacturing System. London, 1815 Report to the Committee of the Association for the Relief of the Manufacturing and Labouring Poor (1817) Two Memorials on Behalf of the Working Classes (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 181 An Address to the Master Manufacturers of Great Britain: On the Present Existing Evils in the Manufacturing System (Bolton, 1819) Report to the County of Lanark of a Plan for relieving Public Distress (Glasgow: Glasgow University Press, 1821) An Explanation of the Cause of Distress which pervades the civilised parts of the world (London and Paris, 1823) An Address to All Classes in the State. London, 1832 The Revolution in the Mind and Practice of the Human Race. London, 1849 Collected works: A New View of Society and Other Writings, introduction by G. D. H. Cole. London and New York: J. M. Dent & Sons, E. P. Dutton and Co., 1927 A New View of Society and Other Writings, G. Claeys, ed. London and New York: Penguin Books, 1991 The Selected Works of Robert Owen, G. Claeys, ed., 4 vols. London: Pickering and Chatto, 1993 Archival collections: Robert Owen Collection, National Co-operative Archive, United Kingdom. New Harmony, Indiana, Collection, 1814–1884, 1920, 1964, Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States New Harmony Series III Collection, Workingmen's Institute, New Harmony, Indiana, United States Owen family collection, 1826–1967, bulk 1830–1890, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington, Indiana, United States See also Cincinnati Time Store José María Arizmendiarrieta Labour voucher List of Owenite communities in the United States Owenstown Owenism William King References Bibliography (online version) Further reading Biographies of Owen A. J. Booth, Robert Owen, the Founder of Socialism in England (London, 1869) G. D. H. Cole, Life of Robert Owen. London, Ernest Benn Ltd., 1925; second edition Macmillan, 1930 Lloyd Jones. The Life, Times, and Labours of Robert Owen. London, 1889 A. L. Morton, The Life and Ideas of Robert Owen. New York, International Publishers, 1969 W. H. Oliver, "Robert Owen and the English Working-Class Movements", History Today (November 1958) 8–11, pp. 787–796 F. A. Packard, Life of Robert Owen. Philadelphia: Ashmead & Evans, 1866 Frank Podmore, Robert Owen: A Biography. London: Hutchinson and Company, 1906 David Santilli, Life of the Mill Man. London, B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1987 William Lucas Sargant, Robert Owen and his social philosophy . London, 1860 Richard Tames, Radicals, Railways & Reform. London, B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1986 Other works about Owen Arthur Bestor, Backwoods Utopias. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1950, 2nd edition, 1970 John Butt (ed). Robert Owen: Aspects of his Life and Work. Humanities Press, 1971 Gregory Claeys, Citizens and Saints. Politics and Anti-Politics in Early British Socialism. Cambridge University Press, 1989 Gregory Claeys, Machinery, Money and the Millennium: From Moral Economy to Socialism 1815–1860. Princeton University Press, 1987 R. E. Davies, The Life of Robert Owen, Philanthropist and Social Reformer, An Appreciation. Robert Sutton, 1907 R. E. Davis and F. J. O'Hagan, Robert Owen. London: Continuum Press, 2010 E. Dolleans, Robert Owen. Paris, 1905 I. Donnachie, Robert Owen. Owen of New Lanark and New Harmony. 2000 Auguste Marie Fabre, Un Socialiste Pratique, Robert Owen. Nìmes, Bureaux de l'Émancipation, 1896 John F. C. Harrison, Robert Owen and the Owenites in Britain and America: Quest for the New Moral World. New York, 1969 Alexander Herzen, My Past and Thoughts (University of California Press, 1982). (One chapter is devoted to Owen.) G. J. Holyoake, The History of Co-operation in England: Its Literature and Its Advocates V. 1. London, 1906 G. J. Holyoake, The History of Co-operation in England: Its Literature and Its Advocates V. 2. London, 1906 The National Library of Wales, A Bibliography of Robert Owen, The Socialist. 1914 H. Simon, Robert Owen: Sein Leben und Seine Bedeutung für die Gegenwart. Jena, 1905 O. Siméon, Robert Owen's Experiment at New Lanark. From Paternalism to Socialism. Palgrave Macmillan, 2017 External links Essays by Owen at the Marxists Internet Archive Brief biography at the New Lanark World Heritage Site The Robert Owen Museum, Newtown, Wales Video of Owen's wool mill Brief biography at Cotton Times "Robert Owen (1771-1858) social reformer, founder of New Harmony", University of Evansville, Indiana "Robert Owen and the Co-operative movement" Brief biography at The History Guide Brief biography at age-of-the-sage.org Heaven On Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism at PBS {dead link 2021-02-22} 1771 births 1858 deaths Cooperative organizers Founders of utopian communities People from Newtown, Powys Owenites Utopian socialists Welsh agnostics Welsh humanists 19th-century Welsh businesspeople 18th-century Welsh businesspeople Welsh business theorists Welsh philanthropists Welsh socialists British reformers British social reformers Socialist economists
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[ "Bernard of Valdeiglesias (or \"of Candeleda\") was a Benedictine Cistercian monk at Valdeiglesias, province of Avila, Spain.\n\nLife\nBernard joined the Cistercians in 1177. He was sent with a group of other monks to establish a monastery at Grandassilva in Estremadura, which effort failed when the community was devastated by the plague.\n\nHe is Patron saint of Candeleda, Spain, and is invoked against rabies.\n\nNotes\n\nSpanish Roman Catholic saints\n12th-century Christian saints\n1155 deaths\nSpanish Benedictines\nSpanish Cistercians\nYear of birth unknown", "Pushthrough is a resettled fishing community located on Newfoundland and Labrador's south coast, about 20 km northwest of Hermitage. Permanent settlement at Pushthrough happened in 1814, when George Chambers moved there from Gaultois to establish a fishing room and later a store. The community lost population to Gaultois in the 1950s and to Head of Bay d'Espoir in the 1960s. In 1968, virtually all the families with school aged children moved, effectively leading to the downfall of the community.\n\nSee also\nList of lighthouses in Canada\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n Picture of the lighthouse\n Aids to Navigation Canadian Coast Guard\n\nGhost towns in Newfoundland and Labrador\nLighthouses in Newfoundland and Labrador" ]
[ "Robert Owen", "Models for socialism (1817)", "What were his models for socialism?", "Owen proposed that communities of about 1,200 people should be settled on land from 1,000 to 1,500 acres (4 to 6 km2", "Were there philosophers he based his thinking on?", "I don't know.", "What is models for socialism?", "began making specific efforts to implement what he described as his \"New View of Society.\"", "Is Models for socialism a book?", "Owen outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons regarding the country's Poor Laws.", "What was his position on the Poor Laws?", "In addition, when misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars were capturing the attention of the country,", "What reforms did he propose?", "recommended the establishment of self-sufficient communities.", "When did he establish a community?", "I don't know." ]
C_9d348a70821b4af3934b4ea07a06d926_1
How did the members of the House of Commons respond to his ideas?
8
How did the members of the House of Commons respond to Robert Owen's ideas?
Robert Owen
Owen embraced socialism in 1817, a turning point in his life, and began making specific efforts to implement what he described as his "New View of Society." Owen outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons regarding the country's Poor Laws. In addition, when misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars were capturing the attention of the country, the British government invited Owen to offer his advice on what could be done to alleviate the industrial concerns. Although Owen attributed the immediate causes of misery to the wars, he also argued that the underlying cause of distress was the competition of human labour with machinery and recommended the establishment of self-sufficient communities. Owen proposed that communities of about 1,200 people should be settled on land from 1,000 to 1,500 acres (4 to 6 km2), with all of them living in one large building that had a public kitchen and dining halls. (The size of his proposed community is likely to have been influenced by the size of the village of New Lanark.) Owen also recommended that each family should have its own private apartments and the responsibility for the care of their children until they reached the age of three. Thereafter, children would be raised by the community-at-large, but their parents would have access to them at mealtimes and on other occasions. Owen further suggested that these socialistic communities might be established by individuals, parishes, counties, or other governmental units. In every case there would be effective supervision by qualified persons. The work and the enjoyment of its results should be experienced communally. Owen believed that his idea would be the best form for the re-organisation of society in general. He called his vision for a socialistic utopia the "New Moral World." Owen's utopian model changed little during his lifetime. His fully developed model considered an association of 500 to 3,000 people as the optimum number for a good working community. While mainly agricultural, it would possess the best machinery, offer a variety of employment, and, as far as possible, be self-contained. Owen further explained that as the number of these communities increased, "unions of them federatively united shall be formed in circle of tens, hundreds and thousands" linked in a common interest. CANNOTANSWER
the British government invited Owen to offer his advice on what could be done to alleviate the industrial concerns.
Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement. He strove to improve factory working conditions, promoted experimental socialistic communities, and sought a more collective approach to child rearing, including government control of education. He gained wealth in the early 1800s from a textile mill at New Lanark, Scotland. Having trained as a draper in Stamford, Lincolnshire he worked in London before relocating aged 18 to Manchester and textile manufacturing. In 1824, he moved to America and put most of his fortune in an experimental socialistic community at New Harmony, Indiana, as a preliminary for his Utopian society. It lasted about two years. Other Owenite communities also failed, and in 1828 Owen returned to London, where he continued to champion the working class, lead in developing cooperatives and the trade union movement, and support child labour legislation and free co-educational schools. Early life and education Robert Owen was born in Newtown, a small market town in Montgomeryshire, Wales, on 14 May 1771, to Anne (Williams) and Robert Owen. His father was a saddler, ironmonger and local postmaster; his mother was the daughter of a Newtown farming family. Young Robert was the sixth of the family's seven children, two of whom died at a young age. His surviving siblings were William, Anne, John and Richard. Owen received little formal education, but he was an avid reader. He left school at the age of ten to be apprenticed to a Stamford, Lincolnshire, draper for four years. He also worked in London drapery shops in his teens. At about the age of 18, Owen moved to Manchester, where he spent the next twelve years of his life, employed initially at Satterfield's Drapery in Saint Ann's Square. While in Manchester, Owen borrowed £100 from his brother William, so as to enter into a partnership to make spinning mules, a new invention for spinning cotton thread, but exchanged his business share within a few months for six spinning mules that he worked in rented factory space. In 1792, when Owen was about 21 years old, mill-owner Peter Drinkwater made him manager of the Piccadilly Mill at Manchester. However, after two years with Drinkwater, Owen voluntarily gave up a contracted promise of partnership, left the company, and went into partnership with other entrepreneurs to establish and later manage the Chorlton Twist Mills in Chorlton-on-Medlock. By the early 1790s, Owen's entrepreneurial spirit, management skills and progressive moral views were emerging. In 1793, he was elected a member of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, where the ideas of the Enlightenment were discussed. He also became a committee member of the Manchester Board of Health, instigated principally by Thomas Percival to press for improvements in the health and working conditions of factory workers. Marriage and family On a visit to Scotland, Owen met and fell in love with Ann (or Anne) Caroline Dale, daughter of David Dale, a Glasgow philanthropist and the proprietor of the large New Lanark Mills. After their marriage on 30 September 1799, the Owens set up home in New Lanark, but later moved to Braxfield, Scotland. Robert and Caroline Owen had eight children, the first of whom died in infancy. Their seven survivors were four sons and three daughters: Robert Dale (1801–1877), William (1802–1842), Ann (or Anne) Caroline (1805–1831), Jane Dale (1805–1861), David Dale (1807–1860), Richard Dale (1809–1890) and Mary (1810–1832). Owen's four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale and Richard, and his daughter Jane Dale, followed their father to the United States, becoming US citizens and permanent residents in New Harmony, Indiana. Owen's wife Caroline and two of their daughters, Anne Caroline and Mary, remained in Britain, where they died in the 1830s. New Lanark mill In July 1799 Owen and his partners bought the New Lanark mill from David Dale, and Owen became its manager in January 1800. Encouraged by his management success in Manchester, Owen hoped to conduct the New Lanark mill on higher principles than purely commercial ones. It had been established in 1785 by David Dale and Richard Arkwright. Its water power provided by the falls of the River Clyde turned its cotton-spinning operation into one of Britain's largest. About 2,000 individuals were involved, 500 of them children brought to the mill at the age of five or six from the poorhouses and charities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Dale, known for his benevolence, treated the children well, but the general condition of New Lanark residents was unsatisfactory, despite efforts by Dale and his son-in-law Owen to improve their workers' lives. Many of the workers were from the lowest social levels: theft, drunkenness and other vices were common and education and sanitation neglected. Most families lived in one room. More respected people rejected the long hours and demoralising drudgery of the mills. Until a series of Truck Acts (1831–1887) required employers to pay their employees in common currency, many operated a truck system, paying workers wholly or in part with tokens that had no monetary value outside the mill owner's "truck shop", which charged high prices for shoddy goods. Unlike others, Owen's truck store offered goods at prices only slightly above their wholesale cost, passing on the savings from bulk purchases to his customers and placing alcohol sales under strict supervision. These principles became the basis for Britain's Co-operative shops, some of which continue trading in altered forms to this day. Philosophy and influence Owen tested his social and economic ideas at New Lanark, where he won his workers' confidence and continued to have success through the improved efficiency at the mill. The community also earned an international reputation. Social reformers, statesmen and royalty, including the future Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, visited New Lanark to study its methods. The opinions of many such visitors were favourable. Owen's biggest success was in support of youth education and early child care. As a pioneer in Britain, notably Scotland, Owen provided an alternative to the "normal authoritarian approach to child education". The manners of children brought up under his system were more graceful, genial and unconstrained; health, plenty and contentment prevailed; drunkenness was almost unknown and illegitimacy extremely rare. Owen's relations with his workers remained excellent and operations at the mill proceeded in a smooth, regular and commercially successful way. However, some of Owen's schemes displeased his partners, forcing him to arrange for other investors to buy his share of the business in 1813, for the equivalent of US$800,000. The new investors, who included Jeremy Bentham and the well-known Quaker William Allen, were content to accept a £5,000 return on their capital. The ownership change also provided Owen with a chance to broaden his philanthropy, advocating improvements in workers' rights and child labour laws, and free education for children. In 1813 Owen authored and published A New View of Society, or Essays on the Principle of the Formation of the Human Character, the first of four essays he wrote to explain the principles behind his philosophy of socialistic reform. In this he writes: Owen had originally been a follower of the classical liberal, utilitarian Jeremy Bentham, who believed that free markets, in particular the right of workers to move and choose their employers, would release workers from the excessive power of capitalists. However, Owen developed his own, pro-socialist outlook. In addition, Owen as a deist, criticised organised religion, including the Church of England, and developed a belief system of his own. Owen felt that human character is formed by conditions over which individuals have no control. Thus individuals could not be praised or blamed for their behaviour or situation in life. This principle led Owen to conclude that the correct formation of people's characters called for placing them under proper environmental influences – physical, moral and social – from their earliest years. These notions of inherent irresponsibility in humans and the effect of early influences on an individual's character formed the basis of Owen's system of education and social reform. Relying on his own observations, experiences and thoughts, Owen saw his view of human nature as original and "the most basic and necessary constituent in an evolving science of society". His philosophy was influenced by Sir Isaac Newton's views on natural law, and his views resembled those of Plato, Denis Diderot, Claude Adrien Helvétius, William Godwin, John Locke, James Mill, and Jeremy Bentham, among others. Owen did not have the direct influence of Enlightenment philosophers. Owen's work at New Lanark continued to have significance in Britain and continental Europe. He was a "pioneer in factory reform, the father of distributive cooperation, and the founder of nursery schools." His schemes for educating his workers included opening an Institute for the Formation of Character at New Lanark in 1818. This and other programmes at New Lanark provided free education from infancy to adulthood. In addition, he zealously supported factory legislation that culminated in the Cotton Mills and Factories Act of 1819. Owen also had interviews and communications with leading members of the British government, including its premier, Robert Banks Jenkinson, Lord Liverpool. He also met many of the rulers and leading statesmen of Europe. Owen adopted new principles to raise the standard of goods his workers produced. A cube with faces painted in different colours was installed above each machinist's workplace. The colour of the face showed to all who saw it the quality and quantity of goods the worker completed. The intention was to encourage workers to do their best. Although it was no great incentive in itself, conditions at New Lanark for workers and their families were idyllic for the time. Eight-hour day Owen raised the demand for an eight-hour day in 1810 and set about instituting the policy at New Lanark. By 1817 he had formulated the goal of an eight-hour working day with the slogan "eight hours labour, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest". Models for socialism (1817) Owen embraced socialism in 1817, a turning point in his life, in which he pursued a "New View of Society". He outlined his position in a report to the committee of the House of Commons on the country's Poor Laws. As misery and trade stagnation after the Napoleonic Wars drew national attention, the government called on Owen for advice on how to alleviate the industrial concerns. Although he ascribed the immediate misery to the wars, he saw as the underlying cause competition of human labour with machinery, and recommended setting up self-sufficient communities. Owen proposed that communities of some 1,200 people should settle on land from , all living in one building with a public kitchen and dining halls. (The proposed size may have been influenced by the size of the village of New Lanark.) Owen also proposed that each family have its own private apartments and the responsibility for the care of its children up to the age of three. Thereafter children would be raised by the community, but their parents would have access to them at mealtimes and on other occasions. Owen further suggested that such communities be established by individuals, parishes, counties, or other governmental units. In each case there would be effective supervision by qualified persons. Work and enjoyment of its results should be experienced communally. Owen believed his idea would be the best way to reorganise society in general, and called his vision the "New Moral World". Owen's utopian model changed little in his lifetime. His developed model envisaged an association of 500–3,000 people as the optimum for a working community. While mainly agricultural, it would possess the best machinery, offer varied employment, and as far as possible be self-contained. Owen went on to explain that as such communities proliferated, "unions of them federatively united shall be formed in circle of tens, hundreds and thousands", linked by common interest. Arguments against Owen and his answers Owen always tried to spread his ideas to wider communities. First, he started publishing his ideas in newspapers. Owen then sent such newspapers widely to parliamentarians, politicians and other important people. These articles spurred the first negative reactions to his ideas. Opponents thought that Owen's plans would result in an uncontrollable increase in population and poverty. The other main criticism was that Owen's plan and the common use of everything would essentially make the country one large workshop. William Hone claimed that Owen saw people as unravelled plants from their roots, and that he wanted to plant them in rectangles. Another commentator accused Owen of wanting to imprison people in workshops like barracks and eradicate their personal independence. Owen's opponents had begun to regard him as an enemy of religion. His influence in ruling circles, which he had hoped would help him to accomplish his "plan", started diminishing and rumours of his lack of religious conviction spread. Owen believed that without a change in the character of individuals and the environment in which they live, they would remain hostile to those around them. As long as such a social order continued, the positive aspects of Christianity could never be put into practice. Owen also considered it necessary to give people more freedom in order to improve the situation of the poor and working classes. Unless people were better educated, unless they gained more useful information and had permanent employment, they were a danger to the security of the state when given more freedom than the British Constitution did at the time. Without making any changes in the national institutions, he believed that even reorganizing the working classes would bring great benefits. So he opposed the views of radicals seeking to change in the public mentality by expanding voting rights. Other notable critics of Owen include Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, who viewed his work as a precursor to their own. They recognized in Owen the important understanding, developed by Marx in Capital, that it is the working class that are responsible for creating the unparalleled wealth in capitalist societies. Similarly, Owen also recognized that under the existing economic system, the working class did not automatically receive the benefits of that newly created wealth. Marx and Engels, differentiated, however, their own scientific conception of socialism from Owen's societies. They argued that Owen's plan, to create a model socialist utopia to coexist with contemporary society and prove its superiority over time, was insufficient to create a new society. In their view, Owen's "socialism" was utopian, since to Owen and the other utopian socialists "[s]ocialism is the expression of absolute truth, reason and justice, and has only to be discovered to conquer all the world by virtue of its own power." Marx and Engels believed that the overthrow of the capitalist system could only occur once the working class was organized into a revolutionary socialist political party of the working class that was completely independent of all capitalist class influence whereas the utopians sought the assistance and the co-operation of the capitalists in order to achieve the transition to socialism. Community experiments To test the viability of his ideas for self-sufficient working communities, Owen began experimenting in communal living in America in 1825. Among the most famous efforts was the one set up at New Harmony, Indiana. Of the 130 identifiable communitarian experiments in America before the American Civil War, at least 16 were Owenite or Owenite-influenced. New Harmony was Owen's earliest and most ambitious of these. Owen and his son William sailed to America in October 1824 to establish an experimental community in Indiana. In January 1825 Owen used a portion of his own funds to purchase an existing town of 180 buildings and several thousand acres of land along the Wabash River in Indiana. George Rapp's Harmony Society, the religious group that owned the property and had founded the communal village of Harmony (or Harmonie) on the site in 1814, decided in 1824 to relocate to Pennsylvania. Owen renamed it New Harmony and made the village his preliminary model for a Utopian community. Owen sought support for his socialist vision among American thinkers, reformers, intellectuals and public statesmen. On 25 February and 7 March 1825, Owen gave addresses in the U.S. House of Representatives to the U.S. Congress and others in the US government, outlining his vision for the Utopian community at New Harmony, and his socialist beliefs. The audience for his ideas included three former U.S. presidents – John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison) – the outgoing US President James Monroe, and the President-elect, John Quincy Adams. His meetings were perhaps the first discussions of socialism in the Americas; they were certainly a big step towards discussion of it in the United States. Owenism, among the first socialist ideologies active in the United States, can be seen as an instigator of the later socialist movement. Owen convinced William Maclure, a wealthy Scottish scientist and philanthropist living in Philadelphia to join him at New Harmony and become his financial partner. Maclure's involvement went on to attract scientists, educators and artists such as Thomas Say, Charles-Alexandre Lesueur, and Madame Marie Duclos Fretageot. These helped to turn the New Harmony community into a centre for educational reform, scientific research and artistic expression. Although Owen sought to build a "Village of Unity and Mutual Cooperation" south of the town, his grand plan was never fully realised and he returned to Britain to continue his work. During his long absences from New Harmony, Owen left the experiment under the day-to-day management of his sons, Robert Dale Owen and William Owen, and his business partner, Maclure. However, New Harmony proved to be an economic failure, lasting about two years, although it had attracted over a thousand residents by the end of its first year. The socialistic society was dissolved in 1827, but many of its scientists, educators, artists and other inhabitants, including Owen's four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale, and Richard Dale Owen, and his daughter Jane Dale Owen Fauntleroy, remained at New Harmony after the experiment ended. Other experiments in the United States included communal settlements at Blue Spring, near Bloomington, Indiana, at Yellow Springs, Ohio, and at Forestville Commonwealth at Earlton, New York, as well as other projects in New York, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Nearly all of these had ended before New Harmony was dissolved in April 1827. Owen's Utopian communities attracted a mix of people, many with the highest aims. They included vagrants, adventurers and other reform-minded enthusiasts. In the words of Owen's son David Dale Owen, they attracted "a heterogeneous collection of Radicals", "enthusiastic devotees to principle," and "honest latitudinarians, and lazy theorists," with "a sprinkling of unprincipled sharpers thrown in." Josiah Warren, a participant at New Harmony, asserted that it was doomed to failure for lack of individual sovereignty and personal property. In describing the community, Warren explained: "We had a world in miniature – we had enacted the French revolution over again with despairing hearts instead of corpses as a result.... It appeared that it was nature's own inherent law of diversity that had conquered us... our 'united interests' were directly at war with the individualities of persons and circumstances and the instinct of self-preservation...." Warren's observations on the reasons for the community's failure led to the development of American individualist anarchism, of which he was its original theorist. Some historians have traced the demise of New Harmony to serial disagreements among its members. Social experiments also began in Scotland in 1825, when Abram Combe, an Owenite, attempted a utopian experiment at Orbiston, near Glasgow, but this failed after about two years. In the 1830s, additional experiments in socialistic cooperatives were made in Ireland and Britain, the most important being at Ralahine, established in 1831 in County Clare, Ireland, and at Tytherley, begun in 1839 in Hampshire, England. The former proved a remarkable success for three-and-a-half years until the proprietor, having ruined himself by gambling, had to sell his interest. Tytherley, known as Harmony Hall or Queenwood College, was designed by the architect Joseph Hansom. This also failed. Another social experiment, Manea Colony in the Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire, launched in the late 1830s by William Hodson, likewise an Owenite, but it failed in a couple of years and Hodson emigrated to the United States. The Manea Colony site has been excavated by Cambridge Archaeology Unit (CAU) based at the University of Cambridge. Return to Britain Although Owen made further brief visits to the United States, London became his permanent home and the centre of his work in 1828. After extended friction with William Allen and some other business partners, Owen relinquished all connections with New Lanark. He is often quoted in a comment by Allen at the time, "All the world is queer save thee and me, and even thou art a little queer". Having invested most of his fortune in the failed New Harmony communal experiment, Owen was no longer a wealthy capitalist. However, he remained the head of a vigorous propaganda effort to promote industrial equality, free education for children and adequate living conditions in factory towns, while delivering lectures in Europe and publishing a weekly newspaper to gain support for his ideas. In 1832 Owen opened the National Equitable Labour Exchange system, a time-based currency in which the exchange of goods was effected by means of labour notes; this system superseded the usual means of exchange and middlemen. The London exchange continued until 1833, a Birmingham branch operating for just a few months until July 1833. Owen also became involved in trade unionism, briefly leading the Grand National Consolidated Trade Union (GNCTU) before its collapse in 1834. Socialism first became current in British terminology in discussions of the Association of all Classes of all Nations, which Owen formed in 1835 and served as its initial leader. Owen's secular views also gained enough influence among the working classes to cause the Westminster Review to comment in 1839 that his principles were the creed of many of them. However, by 1846, the only lasting result of Owen's agitation for social change, carried on through public meetings, pamphlets, periodicals, and occasional treatises, remained the Co-operative movement, and for a time even that seemed to have collapsed. Role in spiritualism In 1817, Owen publicly claimed that all religions were false. In 1854, aged 83, Owen converted to spiritualism after a series of sittings with Maria B. Hayden, an American medium credited with introducing spiritualism to England. He made a public profession of his new faith in his publication The Rational Quarterly Review and in a pamphlet titled The future of the Human race; or great glorious and future revolution to be effected through the agency of departed spirits of good and superior men and women. Owen claimed to have had medium contact with spirits of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and others. He explained that the purpose of these was to change "the present, false, disunited and miserable state of human existence, for a true, united and happy state... to prepare the world for universal peace, and to infuse into all the spirit of charity, forbearance and love." Spiritualists claimed after Owen's death that his spirit had dictated to the medium Emma Hardinge Britten in 1871 the "Seven Principles of Spiritualism", used by their National Union as "the basis of its religious philosophy". Death and legacy As Owen grew older and more radical in his views, his influence began to decline. Owen published his memoirs, The Life of Robert Owen, in 1857, a year before his death. Although he had spent most of his life in England and Scotland, Owen returned to his native town of Newtown at the end of his life. He died there on 17 November 1858 and was buried there on 21 November. He died penniless apart from an annual income drawn from a trust established by his sons in 1844. Owen was a reformer, philanthropist, community builder, and spiritualist who spent his life seeking to improve the lives of others. An advocate of the working class, he improved working conditions for factory workers, which he demonstrated at New Lanark, Scotland, became a leader in trade unionism, promoted social equality through his experimental Utopian communities, and supported the passage of child labour laws and free education for children. In these reforms he was ahead of his time. He envisioned a communal society that others could consider and apply as they wished. In Revolution in the Mind and Practice of the Human Race (1849), he went on to say that character is formed by a combination of Nature or God and the circumstances of the individual's experience. Citing beneficial results at New Lanark, Scotland, during 30 years of work there, Owen concluded that a person's "character is not made by, but for the individual," and that nature and society are responsible for each person's character and conduct. Owen's agitation for social change, along with the work of the Owenites and of his own children, helped to bring lasting social reforms in women's and workers' rights, establish free public libraries and museums, child care and public, co-educational schools, and pre-Marxian communism, and develop the Co-operative and trade union movements. New Harmony, Indiana, and New Lanark, Scotland, two towns with which he is closely associated, remain as reminders of his efforts. Owen's legacy of public service continued with his four sons, Robert Dale, William, David Dale, and Richard Dale, and his daughter, Jane, who followed him to America to live at New Harmony, Indiana: Robert Dale Owen (1801–1877), an able exponent of his father's doctrines, managed the New Harmony community after his father returned to Britain in 1825. He wrote articles and co-edited with Frances Wright the New-Harmony Gazette in the late 1820s in Indiana and the Free Enquirer in the 1830s in New York City. Owen returned to New Harmony in 1833 and became active in Indiana politics. He was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives (1836–1839 and 1851–1853) and U.S. House of Representatives (1843–1847), and was appointed chargé d'affaires in Naples in 1853–1858. While serving as a member of Congress, he drafted and helped to secure passage of a bill founding the Smithsonian Institution in 1846. He was elected a delegate to the Indiana Constitutional Convention in 1850, and argued in support of widows and married women's property and divorce rights. He also favoured legislation for Indiana's tax-supported public school system. Like his father, he believed in spiritualism, authoring two books on the subject: Footfalls on the Boundary of Another World (1859) and The Debatable Land Between this World and the Next (1872). William Owen (1802–1842) moved to the United States with his father in 1824. His business skill, notably his knowledge of cotton-goods manufacturing, allowed him to remain at New Harmony after his father returned to Scotland, and serve as adviser to the community. He organised New Harmony's Thespian Society in 1827, but died of unknown causes at the age of 40. Jane Dale Owen Fauntleroy (1805–1861) arrived in the United States in 1833 and settled in New Harmony. She was a musician and educator who set up a school in her home. In 1835 she married Robert Henry Fauntleroy, a civil engineer from Virginia living at New Harmony. David Dale Owen (1807–1860) moved to the United States in 1827 and resided at New Harmony for several years. He trained as a geologist and natural scientist and earned a medical degree. He was appointed a United States geologist in 1839. His work included geological surveys in the Midwest, more specifically the states of Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas, as well as Minnesota Territory. His brother Richard succeeded him as state geologist of Indiana. Richard Dale Owen (1810–1890) emigrated to the United States in 1827 and joined his siblings at New Harmony. He fought in the Mexican–American War in 1847, taught natural science at Western Military Institute in Tennessee in 1849–1859, and earned a medical degree in 1858. During the American Civil War he was a colonel in the Union army and served as a commandant of Camp Morton, a prisoner-of-war camp for Confederate soldiers at Indianapolis, Indiana. After the war, Owen served as Indiana's second state geologist. In addition, he was a professor at Indiana University and chaired its natural science department in 1864–1879. He helped plan Purdue University and was appointed its first president in 1872–1874, but resigned before its classes began and resumed teaching at Indiana University. He spent his retirement years on research and writing. Honours and tributes The Co-operative Movement erected a monument to Robert Owen in 1902 at his burial site in Newtown, Montgomeryshire. The Welsh people donated a bust of Owen by Welsh sculptor Sir William Goscombe John to the International Labour Office library in Geneva, Switzerland. Selected published works A New View of Society: Or, Essays on the Formation of Human Character, and the Application of the Principle to Practice (London, 1813). Retitled, A New View of Society: Or, Essays on the Formation of Human Character Preparatory to the Development of a Plan for Gradually Ameliorating the Condition of Mankind, for second edition, 1816 Observations on the Effect of the Manufacturing System. London, 1815 Report to the Committee of the Association for the Relief of the Manufacturing and Labouring Poor (1817) Two Memorials on Behalf of the Working Classes (London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 181 An Address to the Master Manufacturers of Great Britain: On the Present Existing Evils in the Manufacturing System (Bolton, 1819) Report to the County of Lanark of a Plan for relieving Public Distress (Glasgow: Glasgow University Press, 1821) An Explanation of the Cause of Distress which pervades the civilised parts of the world (London and Paris, 1823) An Address to All Classes in the State. London, 1832 The Revolution in the Mind and Practice of the Human Race. London, 1849 Collected works: A New View of Society and Other Writings, introduction by G. D. H. Cole. London and New York: J. M. Dent & Sons, E. P. Dutton and Co., 1927 A New View of Society and Other Writings, G. Claeys, ed. London and New York: Penguin Books, 1991 The Selected Works of Robert Owen, G. Claeys, ed., 4 vols. London: Pickering and Chatto, 1993 Archival collections: Robert Owen Collection, National Co-operative Archive, United Kingdom. New Harmony, Indiana, Collection, 1814–1884, 1920, 1964, Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States New Harmony Series III Collection, Workingmen's Institute, New Harmony, Indiana, United States Owen family collection, 1826–1967, bulk 1830–1890, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington, Indiana, United States See also Cincinnati Time Store José María Arizmendiarrieta Labour voucher List of Owenite communities in the United States Owenstown Owenism William King References Bibliography (online version) Further reading Biographies of Owen A. J. Booth, Robert Owen, the Founder of Socialism in England (London, 1869) G. D. H. Cole, Life of Robert Owen. London, Ernest Benn Ltd., 1925; second edition Macmillan, 1930 Lloyd Jones. The Life, Times, and Labours of Robert Owen. London, 1889 A. L. Morton, The Life and Ideas of Robert Owen. New York, International Publishers, 1969 W. H. Oliver, "Robert Owen and the English Working-Class Movements", History Today (November 1958) 8–11, pp. 787–796 F. A. Packard, Life of Robert Owen. Philadelphia: Ashmead & Evans, 1866 Frank Podmore, Robert Owen: A Biography. London: Hutchinson and Company, 1906 David Santilli, Life of the Mill Man. London, B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1987 William Lucas Sargant, Robert Owen and his social philosophy . London, 1860 Richard Tames, Radicals, Railways & Reform. London, B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1986 Other works about Owen Arthur Bestor, Backwoods Utopias. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1950, 2nd edition, 1970 John Butt (ed). Robert Owen: Aspects of his Life and Work. Humanities Press, 1971 Gregory Claeys, Citizens and Saints. Politics and Anti-Politics in Early British Socialism. Cambridge University Press, 1989 Gregory Claeys, Machinery, Money and the Millennium: From Moral Economy to Socialism 1815–1860. Princeton University Press, 1987 R. E. Davies, The Life of Robert Owen, Philanthropist and Social Reformer, An Appreciation. Robert Sutton, 1907 R. E. Davis and F. J. O'Hagan, Robert Owen. London: Continuum Press, 2010 E. Dolleans, Robert Owen. Paris, 1905 I. Donnachie, Robert Owen. Owen of New Lanark and New Harmony. 2000 Auguste Marie Fabre, Un Socialiste Pratique, Robert Owen. Nìmes, Bureaux de l'Émancipation, 1896 John F. C. Harrison, Robert Owen and the Owenites in Britain and America: Quest for the New Moral World. New York, 1969 Alexander Herzen, My Past and Thoughts (University of California Press, 1982). (One chapter is devoted to Owen.) G. J. Holyoake, The History of Co-operation in England: Its Literature and Its Advocates V. 1. London, 1906 G. J. Holyoake, The History of Co-operation in England: Its Literature and Its Advocates V. 2. London, 1906 The National Library of Wales, A Bibliography of Robert Owen, The Socialist. 1914 H. Simon, Robert Owen: Sein Leben und Seine Bedeutung für die Gegenwart. Jena, 1905 O. Siméon, Robert Owen's Experiment at New Lanark. From Paternalism to Socialism. Palgrave Macmillan, 2017 External links Essays by Owen at the Marxists Internet Archive Brief biography at the New Lanark World Heritage Site The Robert Owen Museum, Newtown, Wales Video of Owen's wool mill Brief biography at Cotton Times "Robert Owen (1771-1858) social reformer, founder of New Harmony", University of Evansville, Indiana "Robert Owen and the Co-operative movement" Brief biography at The History Guide Brief biography at age-of-the-sage.org Heaven On Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism at PBS {dead link 2021-02-22} 1771 births 1858 deaths Cooperative organizers Founders of utopian communities People from Newtown, Powys Owenites Utopian socialists Welsh agnostics Welsh humanists 19th-century Welsh businesspeople 18th-century Welsh businesspeople Welsh business theorists Welsh philanthropists Welsh socialists British reformers British social reformers Socialist economists
false
[ "William Frederick McCoy (1886 – 4 December 1976) was an Ulster Unionist member of the Parliament of Northern Ireland for South Tyrone who went on to become an early supporter of Ulster nationalism.\n\nBorn in Fivemiletown, County Tyrone, McCoy was educated at Clones High School and Trinity College Dublin, where he studied law. After serving in the British Army during World War I McCoy became a barrister in 1920 and held a number of leading legal positions in Northern Ireland including Crown Prosecutor for County Fermanagh (from 1926), Resident Magistrate for Belfast (1937–1943) and Senior Crown Prosecutor for Belfast (1949–1967).\n\nInitially elected to the Parliament in a by-election on 12 April 1945 (following the death of Rowley Elliott the previous year), McCoy held the seat for the Ulster Unionists until his retirement in 1965. Whilst at first his political viewpoints were fairly typical of Unionism at the time, McCoy began to doubt how far the Union was safeguarded by the existing status of Northern Ireland as it was entirely determined by the United Kingdom, whom, he felt, could as easily vote it out of existence as retain it. As a result, McCoy called for Northern Ireland to be governed as a Dominion within the Commonwealth, along the lines of Australia and Canada, with the British monarch retained as Head of State, but with the Northern Irish Parliament otherwise free to govern.\n\nMcCoy's ideas were generally rejected by the Unionist establishment, who were generally happy with the way things were, and he was sidelined, although he did serve as Speaker of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland in 1956 during a brief period when the long-term Speaker Sir Norman Stronge was forced to step aside. An office Stronge held was found to disqualify him, but he resigned it and a Bill was rushed through Parliament to indemnify him. McCoy stepped down from the Northern Ireland House of Commons in 1965, when his seat was won by John Taylor. McCoy continued to write in support of his Dominion plans until his death in 1976.\n\nReferences\n David Kerr, The Real McCoy: W.F. McCoy: Prophet of Ulster Nationalism \n\n1886 births\n1976 deaths\nPeople from Fivemiletown\nBritish Army officers\nBritish Army personnel of World War I\nBarristers from Northern Ireland\nMembers of the Bar of Northern Ireland\nMembers of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1938–1945\nMembers of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1945–1949\nMembers of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1949–1953\nMembers of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1953–1958\nMembers of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1958–1962\nMembers of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1962–1965\nUlster nationalists\nUlster Unionist Party members of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland\nSpeakers of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland\nMembers of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland for County Tyrone constituencies\nPoliticians from County Tyrone", "John Henry Collins (3 March 1880 – 12 January 1952) was a nationalist politician and solicitor in Northern Ireland.\n\nBorn in Newry, he was educated at the Christian Brothers School, Newry, and Queen's University Belfast.\n\nAt the 1925 general election, he was elected to the Parliament of Northern Ireland for County Armagh, and then from 1929 to 1933 for South Down. He did not take his seat until 2 November 1927. He did not contest the 1933 election.\n\nReferences\n\n1880 births\n1952 deaths\nMembers of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1925–1929\nMembers of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland 1929–1933\nMembers of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland for County Armagh constituencies\nMembers of the House of Commons of Northern Ireland for County Down constituencies\nAlumni of Queen's University Belfast" ]
[ "Kara (South Korean band)", "2009: Rise in popularity in South Korea, Honey and Revolution" ]
C_06ab9e00914742d6a82b0583b27d0d79_0
What happened in 2009?
1
What happened in 2009 with the band Kara?
Kara (South Korean band)
At the end of January 2009, DSP announced that it would commence voting on January 28 at the group's official website for the follow-up single to "Pretty Girl", which ended on February 2. By the deadline of February 2, "Honey" was the clear winner, with 60% of the votes. The song was remixed from the original version, and also underwent a slight name change from "hani" (Ha-ni) to "Honey". The group released the music video for "Honey" on February 16 and had their first live broadcasting comeback on KBS's Music Bank program on February 13, 2009; a repackaged mini-album entitled Honey followed on February 19 which featured remixed versions of songs from the group's previous EP. "Honey" became the group's first number one single when it topped Gaon's weekly singles chart. The song earned the group their first music show award on M! Countdown on March 5. It held onto the position for three nonconsecutive weeks. The song also won the Mutizen award on SBS's program Inkigayo and the "Best Dance Award" at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards. At the end of March, the group was chosen for the fourth season of MBC's Idol Show, which marked the group's first hosting duties for a show. The group then had a reality show called MTV Meta Friends, which chronicled a group of fans getting a chance to become friends with the group members. For the show, the group had their first concert since their debut in 2007. In June 2009, the group stated they would make their comeback in late July, with their concept upgraded. The first teaser pictures of the group were then released in mid-July, showing radical changes in the group's style and also saw a slight return of their "strong and mature" image previously seen from their debut. Their single "Wanna" was released on July 28, 2009 and immediately charted on various digital music charts. The music video was released on July 29, with the full album, Revolution, available online on July 30. Comeback activities commenced on July 31, beginning with KBS's Music Bank; the group performed both "Wanna" and "Mister". "Mister" proved to be popular with netizens due to the "butt dance" that is featured prominently in the choreography. Due to the popularity of "Mister", Kara's overall popularity increased, evidenced by an influx of advertisement requests by various companies; in total, they had more advertisements in October 2009 than they had had the previous two years. "Wanna" also became a number one single for the group and won the Mutizen award on August 30, 2009 from Inkigayo. During promotions for Revolution, the group also performed internationally, including at Bangkok's Parc Paragon. On November 25, 2009, M.Net premiered the reality show called Kara Bakery, which followed the group as they attempted to plan, open, and advertise their own bakery. The show had 8 episodes and ran until early 2010. All proceeds from the bakery was donated to charity. On December 14, 2009, it was reported that the group held a fan-meeting for their Japanese fans earlier that year on February marking the group's first promotional tour in Japan. Over 3,000 fans were reportedly registered, exceeding the capacity of the venue which resulted in a second showcase. CANNOTANSWER
At the end of January 2009, DSP announced that it would commence voting on January 28 at the group's official website for the follow-up single to "Pretty Girl",
false
[ "Don Juan Manuel's Tales of Count Lucanor, in Spanish Libro de los ejemplos del conde Lucanor y de Patronio (Book of the Examples of Count Lucanor and of Patronio), also commonly known as El Conde Lucanor, Libro de Patronio, or Libro de los ejemplos (original Old Castilian: Libro de los enxiemplos del Conde Lucanor et de Patronio), is one of the earliest works of prose in Castilian Spanish. It was first written in 1335.\n\nThe book is divided into four parts. The first and most well-known part is a series of 51 short stories (some no more than a page or two) drawn from various sources, such as Aesop and other classical writers, and Arabic folktales.\n\nTales of Count Lucanor was first printed in 1575 when it was published at Seville under the auspices of Argote de Molina. It was again printed at Madrid in 1642, after which it lay forgotten for nearly two centuries.\n\nPurpose and structure\n\nA didactic, moralistic purpose, which would color so much of the Spanish literature to follow (see Novela picaresca), is the mark of this book. Count Lucanor engages in conversation with his advisor Patronio, putting to him a problem (\"Some man has made me a proposition...\" or \"I fear that such and such person intends to...\") and asking for advice. Patronio responds always with the greatest humility, claiming not to wish to offer advice to so illustrious a person as the Count, but offering to tell him a story of which the Count's problem reminds him. (Thus, the stories are \"examples\" [ejemplos] of wise action.) At the end he advises the Count to do as the protagonist of his story did.\n\nEach chapter ends in more or less the same way, with slight variations on: \"And this pleased the Count greatly and he did just so, and found it well. And Don Johán (Juan) saw that this example was very good, and had it written in this book, and composed the following verses.\" A rhymed couplet closes, giving the moral of the story.\n\nOrigin of stories and influence on later literature\nMany of the stories written in the book are the first examples written in a modern European language of various stories, which many other writers would use in the proceeding centuries. Many of the stories he included were themselves derived from other stories, coming from western and Arab sources.\n\nShakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew has the basic elements of Tale 35, \"What Happened to a Young Man Who Married a Strong and Ill-tempered Woman\".\n\nTale 32, \"What Happened to the King and the Tricksters Who Made Cloth\" tells the story that Hans Christian Andersen made popular as The Emperor's New Clothes.\n\nStory 7, \"What Happened to a Woman Named Truhana\", a version of Aesop's The Milkmaid and Her Pail, was claimed by Max Müller to originate in the Hindu cycle Panchatantra.\n\nTale 2, \"What happened to a good Man and his Son, leading a beast to market,\" is the familiar fable The miller, his son and the donkey.\n\nIn 2016, Baroque Decay released a game under the name \"The Count Lucanor\". As well as some protagonists' names, certain events from the books inspired past events in the game.\n\nThe stories\n\nThe book opens with a prologue which introduces the characters of the Count and Patronio. The titles in the following list are those given in Keller and Keating's 1977 translation into English. James York's 1868 translation into English gives a significantly different ordering of the stories and omits the fifty-first.\n\n What Happened to a King and His Favorite \n What Happened to a Good Man and His Son \n How King Richard of England Leapt into the Sea against the Moors\n What a Genoese Said to His Soul When He Was about to Die \n What Happened to a Fox and a Crow Who Had a Piece of Cheese in His Beak\n How the Swallow Warned the Other Birds When She Saw Flax Being Sown \n What Happened to a Woman Named Truhana \n What Happened to a Man Whose Liver Had to Be Washed \n What Happened to Two Horses Which Were Thrown to the Lion \n What Happened to a Man Who on Account of Poverty and Lack of Other Food Was Eating Bitter Lentils \n What Happened to a Dean of Santiago de Compostela and Don Yllán, the Grand Master of Toledo\n What Happened to the Fox and the Rooster \n What Happened to a Man Who Was Hunting Partridges \n The Miracle of Saint Dominick When He Preached against the Usurer \n What Happened to Lorenzo Suárez at the Siege of Seville \n The Reply that count Fernán González Gave to His Relative Núño Laynes \n What Happened to a Very Hungry Man Who Was Half-heartedly Invited to Dinner \n What Happened to Pero Meléndez de Valdés When He Broke His Leg \n What Happened to the Crows and the Owls \n What Happened to a King for Whom a Man Promised to Perform Alchemy \n What Happened to a Young King and a Philosopher to Whom his Father Commended Him \n What Happened to the Lion and the Bull \n How the Ants Provide for Themselves \n What Happened to the King Who Wanted to Test His Three Sons \n What Happened to the Count of Provence and How He Was Freed from Prison by the Advice of Saladin\n What Happened to the Tree of Lies \n What Happened to an Emperor and to Don Alvarfáñez Minaya and Their Wives \n What Happened in Granada to Don Lorenzo Suárez Gallinato When He Beheaded the Renegade Chaplain \n What Happened to a Fox Who Lay down in the Street to Play Dead \n What Happened to King Abenabet of Seville and Ramayquía His Wife \n How a Cardinal Judged between the Canons of Paris and the Friars Minor \n What Happened to the King and the Tricksters Who Made Cloth \n What Happened to Don Juan Manuel's Saker Falcon and an Eagle and a Heron \n What Happened to a Blind Man Who Was Leading Another \n What Happened to a Young Man Who Married a Strong and Ill-tempered Woman\n What Happened to a Merchant When He Found His Son and His Wife Sleeping Together \n What Happened to Count Fernán González with His Men after He Had Won the Battle of Hacinas \n What Happened to a Man Who Was Loaded down with Precious Stones and Drowned in the River \n What Happened to a Man and a Swallow and a Sparrow \n Why the Seneschal of Carcassonne Lost His Soul \n What Happened to a King of Córdova Named Al-Haquem \n What Happened to a Woman of Sham Piety \n What Happened to Good and Evil and the Wise Man and the Madman \n What Happened to Don Pero Núñez the Loyal, to Don Ruy González de Zavallos, and to Don Gutier Roiz de Blaguiello with Don Rodrigo the Generous \n What Happened to a Man Who Became the Devil's Friend and Vassal \n What Happened to a Philosopher who by Accident Went down a Street Where Prostitutes Lived \n What Befell a Moor and His Sister Who Pretended That She Was Timid \n What Happened to a Man Who Tested His Friends \n What Happened to the Man Whom They Cast out Naked on an Island When They Took away from Him the Kingdom He Ruled \n What Happened to Saladin and a Lady, the Wife of a Knight Who Was His Vassal \n What Happened to a Christian King Who Was Very Powerful and Haughty\n\nReferences\n\nNotes\n\nBibliography\n\n Sturm, Harlan\n\n Wacks, David\n\nExternal links\n\nThe Internet Archive provides free access to the 1868 translation by James York.\nJSTOR has the to the 1977 translation by Keller and Keating.\nSelections in English and Spanish (pedagogical edition) with introduction, notes, and bibliography in Open Iberia/América (open access teaching anthology)\n\n14th-century books\nSpanish literature\n1335 books", "\"What Happened to Us\" is a song by Australian recording artist Jessica Mauboy, featuring English recording artist Jay Sean. It was written by Sean, Josh Alexander, Billy Steinberg, Jeremy Skaller, Rob Larow, Khaled Rohaim and Israel Cruz. \"What Happened to Us\" was leaked online in October 2010, and was released on 10 March 2011, as the third single from Mauboy's second studio album, Get 'Em Girls (2010). The song received positive reviews from critics.\n\nA remix of \"What Happened to Us\" made by production team OFM, was released on 11 April 2011. A different version of the song which features Stan Walker, was released on 29 May 2011. \"What Happened to Us\" charted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number 14 and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). An accompanying music video was directed by Mark Alston, and reminisces on a former relationship between Mauboy and Sean.\n\nProduction and release\n\n\"What Happened to Us\" was written by Josh Alexander, Billy Steinberg, Jeremy Skaller, Rob Larow, Khaled Rohaim, Israel Cruz and Jay Sean. It was produced by Skaller, Cruz, Rohaim and Bobby Bass. The song uses C, D, and B minor chords in the chorus. \"What Happened to Us\" was sent to contemporary hit radio in Australia on 14 February 2011. The cover art for the song was revealed on 22 February on Mauboy's official Facebook page. A CD release was available for purchase via her official website on 10 March, for one week only. It was released digitally the following day.\n\nReception\nMajhid Heath from ABC Online Indigenous called the song a \"Jordin Sparks-esque duet\", and wrote that it \"has a nice innocence to it that rings true to the experience of losing a first love.\" Chris Urankar from Nine to Five wrote that it as a \"mid-tempo duet ballad\" which signifies Mauboy's strength as a global player. On 21 March 2011, \"What Happened to Us\" debuted at number 30 on the ARIA Singles Chart, and peaked at number 14 the following week. The song was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), for selling 70,000 copies. \"What Happened to Us\" spent a total of ten weeks in the ARIA top fifty.\n\nMusic video\n\nBackground\nThe music video for the song was shot in the Elizabeth Bay House in Sydney on 26 November 2010. The video was shot during Sean's visit to Australia for the Summerbeatz tour. During an interview with The Daily Telegraph while on the set of the video, Sean said \"the song is sick! ... Jessica's voice is amazing and we're shooting [the video] in this ridiculously beautiful mansion overlooking the harbour.\" The video was directed by Mark Alston, who had previously directed the video for Mauboy's single \"Let Me Be Me\" (2009). It premiered on YouTube on 10 February 2011.\n\nSynopsis and reception\nThe video begins showing Mauboy who appears to be sitting on a yellow antique couch in a mansion, wearing a purple dress. As the video progresses, scenes of memories are displayed of Mauboy and her love interest, played by Sean, spending time there previously. It then cuts to the scenes where Sean appears in the main entrance room of the mansion. The final scene shows Mauboy outdoors in a gold dress, surrounded by green grass and trees. She is later joined by Sean who appears in a black suit and a white shirt, and together they sing the chorus of the song to each other. David Lim of Feed Limmy wrote that the video is \"easily the best thing our R&B princess has committed to film – ever\" and praised the \"mansion and wondrous interior décor\". He also commended Mauboy for choosing Australian talent to direct the video instead of American directors, which she had used for her previous two music videos. Since its release, the video has received over two million views on Vevo.\n\nLive performances\nMauboy performed \"What Happened to Us\" live for the first time during her YouTube Live Sessions program on 4 December 2010. She also appeared on Adam Hills in Gordon Street Tonight on 23 February 2011 for an interview and later performed the song. On 15 March 2011, Mauboy performed \"What Happened to Us\" on Sunrise. She also performed the song with Stan Walker during the Australian leg of Chris Brown's F.A.M.E. Tour in April 2011. Mauboy and Walker later performed \"What Happened to Us\" on Dancing with the Stars Australia on 29 May 2011. From November 2013 to February 2014, \"What Happened to Us\" was part of the set list of the To the End of the Earth Tour, Mauboy's second headlining tour of Australia, with Nathaniel Willemse singing Sean's part.\n\nTrack listing\n\nDigital download\n \"What Happened to Us\" featuring Jay Sean – 3:19\n \"What Happened to Us\" featuring Jay Sean (Sgt Slick Remix) – 6:33\n \"What Happened to Us\" featuring Jay Sean (Just Witness Remix) – 3:45\n\nCD single\n \"What Happened to Us\" featuring Jay Sean (Album Version) – 3:19\n \"What Happened to Us\" featuring Jay Sean (Sgt Slick Remix) – 6:33\n \"What Happened to Us\" featuring Jay Sean (OFM Remix) – 3:39\n\nDigital download – Remix\n \"What Happened to Us\" featuring Jay Sean (OFM Remix) – 3:38\n\nDigital download\n \"What Happened to Us\" featuring Stan Walker – 3:20\n\nPersonnel\nSongwriting – Josh Alexander, Billy Steinberg, Jeremy Skaller, Rob Larow, Khaled Rohaim, Israel Cruz, Jay Sean\nProduction – Jeremy Skaller, Bobby Bass\nAdditional production – Israel Cruz, Khaled Rohaim\nLead vocals – Jessica Mauboy, Jay Sean\nMixing – Phil Tan\nAdditional mixing – Damien Lewis\nMastering – Tom Coyne \nSource:\n\nCharts\n\nWeekly chart\n\nYear-end chart\n\nCertification\n\nRadio dates and release history\n\nReferences\n\n2010 songs\n2011 singles\nJessica Mauboy songs\nJay Sean songs\nSongs written by Billy Steinberg\nSongs written by Jay Sean\nSongs written by Josh Alexander\nSongs written by Israel Cruz\nVocal duets\nSony Music Australia singles\nSongs written by Khaled Rohaim", "The term \"allohistory\" may refer to:\n\nAlternate history, a form of historical fiction that speculates what would have happened had history gone differently\nCounterfactual history, this speculation used in a real-world setting\nUchronia, a form of historical fantasy that posits a fictional \"what may have happened\" (as in The Lord of the Rings)" ]
[ "Kara (South Korean band)", "2009: Rise in popularity in South Korea, Honey and Revolution", "What happened in 2009?", "At the end of January 2009, DSP announced that it would commence voting on January 28 at the group's official website for the follow-up single to \"Pretty Girl\"," ]
C_06ab9e00914742d6a82b0583b27d0d79_0
What was the ending vote?
2
What was the ending vote for the follow up single Pretty Girl by DSP?
Kara (South Korean band)
At the end of January 2009, DSP announced that it would commence voting on January 28 at the group's official website for the follow-up single to "Pretty Girl", which ended on February 2. By the deadline of February 2, "Honey" was the clear winner, with 60% of the votes. The song was remixed from the original version, and also underwent a slight name change from "hani" (Ha-ni) to "Honey". The group released the music video for "Honey" on February 16 and had their first live broadcasting comeback on KBS's Music Bank program on February 13, 2009; a repackaged mini-album entitled Honey followed on February 19 which featured remixed versions of songs from the group's previous EP. "Honey" became the group's first number one single when it topped Gaon's weekly singles chart. The song earned the group their first music show award on M! Countdown on March 5. It held onto the position for three nonconsecutive weeks. The song also won the Mutizen award on SBS's program Inkigayo and the "Best Dance Award" at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards. At the end of March, the group was chosen for the fourth season of MBC's Idol Show, which marked the group's first hosting duties for a show. The group then had a reality show called MTV Meta Friends, which chronicled a group of fans getting a chance to become friends with the group members. For the show, the group had their first concert since their debut in 2007. In June 2009, the group stated they would make their comeback in late July, with their concept upgraded. The first teaser pictures of the group were then released in mid-July, showing radical changes in the group's style and also saw a slight return of their "strong and mature" image previously seen from their debut. Their single "Wanna" was released on July 28, 2009 and immediately charted on various digital music charts. The music video was released on July 29, with the full album, Revolution, available online on July 30. Comeback activities commenced on July 31, beginning with KBS's Music Bank; the group performed both "Wanna" and "Mister". "Mister" proved to be popular with netizens due to the "butt dance" that is featured prominently in the choreography. Due to the popularity of "Mister", Kara's overall popularity increased, evidenced by an influx of advertisement requests by various companies; in total, they had more advertisements in October 2009 than they had had the previous two years. "Wanna" also became a number one single for the group and won the Mutizen award on August 30, 2009 from Inkigayo. During promotions for Revolution, the group also performed internationally, including at Bangkok's Parc Paragon. On November 25, 2009, M.Net premiered the reality show called Kara Bakery, which followed the group as they attempted to plan, open, and advertise their own bakery. The show had 8 episodes and ran until early 2010. All proceeds from the bakery was donated to charity. On December 14, 2009, it was reported that the group held a fan-meeting for their Japanese fans earlier that year on February marking the group's first promotional tour in Japan. Over 3,000 fans were reportedly registered, exceeding the capacity of the venue which resulted in a second showcase. CANNOTANSWER
Honey" was the clear winner, with 60% of the votes.
false
[ "The 1848 Connecticut gubernatorial election was held on April 5, 1848. Incumbent Governor and Whig nominee Clark Bissell was re-elected, defeating former congressman and Democratic nominee George S. Catlin with 50.38% of the vote. \n\nThis was the last such election in which the Whig Party won a majority of the popular vote. Their vote share would steadily decline over each of the next eight elections, ending with their last appearance in the 1856 Connecticut gubernatorial election. The Whigs would only win two more of these eight elections, by the votes of the state legislature. It was also the last appearance of the Liberty Party.\n\nGeneral election\n\nCandidates\nMajor party candidates\n\nClark Bissell, Whig\nGeorge S. Catlin, Democratic\n\nMinor party candidates\n\nFrancis Gillette, Liberty\n\nResults\n\nReferences\n\n1848\nConnecticut\nGubernatorial", "The 1873 United States Senate special election in Massachusetts was held in March 1873 to fill the vacancy left by Senator Henry Wilson, who resigned to become Vice President of the United States. George S. Boutwell won the election.\n\nAt the time, Massachusetts elected United States senators by a majority vote of each separate house of the Massachusetts General Court, the House and the Senate. However, the Senate deadlocked in this race; it was moved that both houses would vote as one, and Boutwell won the combined vote.\n\nBackground\nAt the time, the Massachusetts legislature was dominated the Republican Party. Republicans held all but one of the State Senate seats and 211 of 240 state House seats.\n\nIncumbent Senator Henry Wilson resigned from office upon his election as Vice President of the United States, creating a vacancy for the term ending in 1877.\n\nElection\n\nMarch 11 \nBoth houses of the General Court began balloting on March 11. Boutwell achieved a majority of the House on the second ballot, but the Senate deadlocked.\n\nSenate President George Loring, who was a candidate for the seat, did not vote. One member was absent.\n\nThe third and fourth ballots were identical.\n\nMarch 12 \nFollowing Boutwell's victory in the House, it was widely expected the Senate would ratify their choice the next day. Dawes supporters convened a caucus and decided to continue their support. On the next day, it was moved that both Houses would vote as one to ratify the choice.\n\nReferences\n\n1873\nMassachusetts\nUnited States Senate\nMassachusetts 1873\nMassachusetts\nUnited States Senate 1873", "General elections were held in the Marshall Islands on 18 November 2019. Opponents of President Hilda Heine won a majority of seats.\n\nBackground\nThe 2015 elections saw a significant defeat for the government of incumbent President Christopher Loeak, with five cabinet ministers losing their seats. Following the elections, Casten Nemra was elected as President on 4 January 2016 by a margin of one vote. However, he was removed from office two weeks later by a vote of no confidence ending 21–12 in favour of dismissing him. On 27 January 2016 Hilda Heine was elected the country's first female president. She narrowly survived a vote of no confidence on 12 November 2018; the vote was tied at 16–16 as one member of the Legislature was abroad for medical treatment.\n\nElectoral system\nThe 33 members of the Legislature were elected in 19 single-member constituencies and five multi-member constituencies of between two and five seats in which voters had as many votes as there are seats.\n\nResults\n\nHilda Heine and Kitlang Kabua were the only two women elected, with Kabua becoming the youngest member ever of the legislature at age 28.\n\nReferences\n\n \nMarshall\nGeneral election\nElections in the Marshall Islands\nMarshallese general election\nElection and referendum articles with incomplete results" ]
[ "Kara (South Korean band)", "2009: Rise in popularity in South Korea, Honey and Revolution", "What happened in 2009?", "At the end of January 2009, DSP announced that it would commence voting on January 28 at the group's official website for the follow-up single to \"Pretty Girl\",", "What was the ending vote?", "Honey\" was the clear winner, with 60% of the votes." ]
C_06ab9e00914742d6a82b0583b27d0d79_0
Did Honey do well?
3
Did the song Honey do well?
Kara (South Korean band)
At the end of January 2009, DSP announced that it would commence voting on January 28 at the group's official website for the follow-up single to "Pretty Girl", which ended on February 2. By the deadline of February 2, "Honey" was the clear winner, with 60% of the votes. The song was remixed from the original version, and also underwent a slight name change from "hani" (Ha-ni) to "Honey". The group released the music video for "Honey" on February 16 and had their first live broadcasting comeback on KBS's Music Bank program on February 13, 2009; a repackaged mini-album entitled Honey followed on February 19 which featured remixed versions of songs from the group's previous EP. "Honey" became the group's first number one single when it topped Gaon's weekly singles chart. The song earned the group their first music show award on M! Countdown on March 5. It held onto the position for three nonconsecutive weeks. The song also won the Mutizen award on SBS's program Inkigayo and the "Best Dance Award" at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards. At the end of March, the group was chosen for the fourth season of MBC's Idol Show, which marked the group's first hosting duties for a show. The group then had a reality show called MTV Meta Friends, which chronicled a group of fans getting a chance to become friends with the group members. For the show, the group had their first concert since their debut in 2007. In June 2009, the group stated they would make their comeback in late July, with their concept upgraded. The first teaser pictures of the group were then released in mid-July, showing radical changes in the group's style and also saw a slight return of their "strong and mature" image previously seen from their debut. Their single "Wanna" was released on July 28, 2009 and immediately charted on various digital music charts. The music video was released on July 29, with the full album, Revolution, available online on July 30. Comeback activities commenced on July 31, beginning with KBS's Music Bank; the group performed both "Wanna" and "Mister". "Mister" proved to be popular with netizens due to the "butt dance" that is featured prominently in the choreography. Due to the popularity of "Mister", Kara's overall popularity increased, evidenced by an influx of advertisement requests by various companies; in total, they had more advertisements in October 2009 than they had had the previous two years. "Wanna" also became a number one single for the group and won the Mutizen award on August 30, 2009 from Inkigayo. During promotions for Revolution, the group also performed internationally, including at Bangkok's Parc Paragon. On November 25, 2009, M.Net premiered the reality show called Kara Bakery, which followed the group as they attempted to plan, open, and advertise their own bakery. The show had 8 episodes and ran until early 2010. All proceeds from the bakery was donated to charity. On December 14, 2009, it was reported that the group held a fan-meeting for their Japanese fans earlier that year on February marking the group's first promotional tour in Japan. Over 3,000 fans were reportedly registered, exceeding the capacity of the venue which resulted in a second showcase. CANNOTANSWER
"Honey" became the group's first number one single when it topped Gaon's weekly singles chart.
false
[ "Honey comes in various types based on the region it is grown and the types of flower that provide the nectar.\n\nEuropean honeys\nThere are several European honey types with PDO/PGI that are protected under EU law with PDO status. Some of the criteria for the production of this honey include that it:\nmust be of high quality\nmay not contain any imported honey\nmay not contain any additives\nmust have a water content of less than 20%\nBulgaria\n Strandzhanski manov med\n\nGreece\n Menalou vanilia fir honey – \"Vanilla\" honey of Mount Mainalo, Arcadia that is made from fir blossom nectar.\n\nSpain\n Miel de Galicia or Mel de Galicia\n Miel de Granada\n Miel de La Alcarria\n\nFrance\n Miel d'Alsace\n Miel de Corse\n Miel de Provence\n Miel de Sapin des Vosges\n\nItaly\n Miele della Lunigiana\n Miele delle Dolomiti bellunesi\n\nLuxembourg\n Miel luxembourgeois de marque nationale\n\nMalta\n Ghasel\n\nPoland\n Miód wrzosowy z Borów Dolnośląskich (heather honey from the Lower Silesian Forest)\n Bartnik Sądecki\n APIS Apiculture Cooperative\n\nPortugal\n Mel da Serra da Lousã\n Mel da Serra de Monchique\n Mel da Terra Quente\n Mel das Terras Altas do Minho\n Mel de Barroso\n Mel do Alentejo\n Mel do Parque de Montezinho\n Mel do Ribatejo Norte\n Mel dos Açores\n\nUkraine\n Sunflower\n Buckwheat\n Acacia\n\nAustralia and Pacific Islands\n\n Eucalyptus honey made in Australia\n Leatherwood Honey, a noted monofloral honey from Tasmania that has been recognised by the international Slow Food movement in its Ark of Taste. \n Manuka honey made in New Zealand\n\nAfrican honeys\nSouth Africa\n Fynbos honey\n\nAmerican honeys\nAmerican honeys include:\nChile\n Miel de Ulmo (\"ulmo honey\") with nectar from Eucryphia cordifolia.\n\nReferences\n\nEuropean Union laws\nHoney\nProducts with protected designation of origin", "Sweet Dreams were an English studio group who scored a hit single in 1974 with a cover of the ABBA song \"Honey Honey\".\n\nCareer\nIn 1974, former Pickettywitch member and session backing vocalist Polly Brown recorded a cover of an ABBA album track, \"Honey Honey\". This was produced by Ron Roker and Gerry Shury, with the former also supplying the male vocal on the track.\n\nTony Jackson was recruited to act as a partner for Brown in their performances for the single. Jackson, born in Barbados 17 March 1944, had moved to London in 1965 and spent five years as a member of reggae outfit the Skatalites who had the No. 36 hit \"Guns of Navarone\" in 1967. Before being recruited by Roker to partner Brown live and on Sweet Dreams' post-\"Honey Honey\" recordings, Jackson had spent some time fronting Gulliver's People, the house band at the Purley nightclub Tiffany's. Jackson and Brown appeared on TOTP performing \"Honey, Honey\" and subsequently recorded tracks to complete a Sweet Dreams album entitled We'll Be Your Music.\n\n\"Honey Honey\" entered the UK Top 50 at No. 46 on the chart dated 20 July 1974. It eventually rose to a No. 10 peak at the end of August. It also reached No. 14 in the Republic of Ireland. Outside the UK, the Sweet Dreams version of \"Honey Honey\" was bested by the single release of the ABBA original, although the Sweet Dreams version did enter the charts in Germany and the US despite ABBA's version being a greater success in both markets. Sweet Dreams' \"Honey Honey\" reached No. 42 in Germany and No. 68 in the US where ABBA's version reached respectively No. 2 and #27.\n\nTo join Brown and Jackson in Sweet Dreams' live performances, Roker and Shury recruited the line-up of Love Lane, the house band at the La Dolce Vita club Birmingham & various \"Tiffanys\" venues, specifically Robert Young (born Robert Parkes (drums/vocals ) Stuart Armstrong,(keyboards/vocals) and Stephen Parkes,(bass/vocals) plus the duo Kim and Kerry (guitar/vocals) who were John Brindley and Marie. Unusually for the time, the band travelled and used a \"Mellotron\" and \"Moog\" synths and could create a full and almost \"as per record\" sound in their live performances. Sweet Dreams made their live debut opening for the Three Degrees at the Southport Theatre. Brown sometimes performed as Sweet Dreams' vocalist in black face and was billed as Sara Leone, a reference to the African country Sierra Leone.\n\nBrown and Jackson had six single releases as Sweet Dreams, the rest of which were overlooked. Sweet Dreams had their highest post-\"Honey Honey\" profile when Brown and Jackson competed in the 1976 A Song for Europe bidding to represent the UK at that year's Eurovision with the song \"Love Kiss and Run\" a Barry Blue/ Stephen Worth composition which placed fourth. Roker and Shury were not associated with this Sweet Dreams project, but did contribute another Song for Europe entrant \"Do You Believe in Love at First Sight\" which was performed by Brown solo (Roker and Shury having produced solo records for Brown concurrently with recording her in Sweet Dreams) – to finish tenth. (That year's Eurovision UK entrant and eventual Eurovision winner was Brotherhood of Man's \"Save Your Kisses for Me\".) Brown' solo recordings were released on the GTO label where Jackson also had a 1975 single: \"As if by Magic\", produced by Roker and Shury.\n\nJackson sang the theme song for the 1976 film The Cassandra Crossing and pursued a session singing career notably on the hits \"Knock on Wood\" by Amii Stewart, \"Every Time You Go Away\" by Paul Young and \"Wishing Well\" by Terence Trent D'Arby. Jackson continued to cut occasional solo tracks including a 1994 disco version of \"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You\" credited to Q(11) featuring Tony Jackson.\n\nSweet Dreams would later be the name of another group, who represented the UK at Eurovision 1983, with \"I'm Never Giving Up\". By an apparent coincidence, the song by this male/female group – a totally different outfit – a trio with two females and one male – was co-written by Ron Roker.\n\nDiscography \nSingles\nJuly 1974 – \"Honey Honey\" (Bradley's) (UK No. 10, IRL No. 14, GER No. 42, CAN #59, US #68, AUS #38)\nJanuary 1975 – \"The Best of Everything\" (Bradley's)\nAugust 1975 – \"Let's Get into Something\" (Bradley's)\nOctober 1975 – \"I'll Be Your Music\" (Bradley's)\nMarch 1976 \"Love Kiss and Run\" (Bradley's)\nFebruary 1977 \"Hollywood (Disco Star)\" (Pye)\nAlbum\n1975 – We'll Be Your Music (Bradley's)\n\nNotes \n Not to be confused with the lead singer of the Searchers.\n Brown's solo hit \"Up in a Puff of Smoke\" was in fact recorded in the same session as Sweet Dreams' \"Honey Honey\".\n\nReferences\n\nEnglish vocal groups\nEnglish pop music groups\nMusical groups established in 1974\nMusical groups disestablished in 1977\n1974 establishments in England\n1977 disestablishments in England", "\"Strobelite Honey\" is a 1991 single by hip-hop duo, Black Sheep. The single was written by William McLean and Dres (rapper), and was the duo's third release from their A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing album. \"Stobelight Honey\" was the duo's second entry on the US R&B chart, where it went peaked at #36 on the R&B sales chart and #80 on the Hot 100. The single did better on the US dance chart, where it spent one week at number one. The single sampled a pair of songs, both released in 1980: \"I Like What You Do To Me\" by Young & Company and \"Take Your Time (Do it Right)\" by the SOS Band.\n\nSee also\n List of number-one dance singles of 1992 (U.S.)\nThis single also sampled \"The Glow of Love\" by Change\n\nReferences\n\n1991 singles\nAmerican hip hop songs\n1991 songs" ]
[ "Kara (South Korean band)", "2009: Rise in popularity in South Korea, Honey and Revolution", "What happened in 2009?", "At the end of January 2009, DSP announced that it would commence voting on January 28 at the group's official website for the follow-up single to \"Pretty Girl\",", "What was the ending vote?", "Honey\" was the clear winner, with 60% of the votes.", "Did Honey do well?", "\"Honey\" became the group's first number one single when it topped Gaon's weekly singles chart." ]
C_06ab9e00914742d6a82b0583b27d0d79_0
Did it receive any awards?
4
Did the song Honey receive any awards?
Kara (South Korean band)
At the end of January 2009, DSP announced that it would commence voting on January 28 at the group's official website for the follow-up single to "Pretty Girl", which ended on February 2. By the deadline of February 2, "Honey" was the clear winner, with 60% of the votes. The song was remixed from the original version, and also underwent a slight name change from "hani" (Ha-ni) to "Honey". The group released the music video for "Honey" on February 16 and had their first live broadcasting comeback on KBS's Music Bank program on February 13, 2009; a repackaged mini-album entitled Honey followed on February 19 which featured remixed versions of songs from the group's previous EP. "Honey" became the group's first number one single when it topped Gaon's weekly singles chart. The song earned the group their first music show award on M! Countdown on March 5. It held onto the position for three nonconsecutive weeks. The song also won the Mutizen award on SBS's program Inkigayo and the "Best Dance Award" at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards. At the end of March, the group was chosen for the fourth season of MBC's Idol Show, which marked the group's first hosting duties for a show. The group then had a reality show called MTV Meta Friends, which chronicled a group of fans getting a chance to become friends with the group members. For the show, the group had their first concert since their debut in 2007. In June 2009, the group stated they would make their comeback in late July, with their concept upgraded. The first teaser pictures of the group were then released in mid-July, showing radical changes in the group's style and also saw a slight return of their "strong and mature" image previously seen from their debut. Their single "Wanna" was released on July 28, 2009 and immediately charted on various digital music charts. The music video was released on July 29, with the full album, Revolution, available online on July 30. Comeback activities commenced on July 31, beginning with KBS's Music Bank; the group performed both "Wanna" and "Mister". "Mister" proved to be popular with netizens due to the "butt dance" that is featured prominently in the choreography. Due to the popularity of "Mister", Kara's overall popularity increased, evidenced by an influx of advertisement requests by various companies; in total, they had more advertisements in October 2009 than they had had the previous two years. "Wanna" also became a number one single for the group and won the Mutizen award on August 30, 2009 from Inkigayo. During promotions for Revolution, the group also performed internationally, including at Bangkok's Parc Paragon. On November 25, 2009, M.Net premiered the reality show called Kara Bakery, which followed the group as they attempted to plan, open, and advertise their own bakery. The show had 8 episodes and ran until early 2010. All proceeds from the bakery was donated to charity. On December 14, 2009, it was reported that the group held a fan-meeting for their Japanese fans earlier that year on February marking the group's first promotional tour in Japan. Over 3,000 fans were reportedly registered, exceeding the capacity of the venue which resulted in a second showcase. CANNOTANSWER
The song also won the Mutizen award on SBS's program Inkigayo and the "Best Dance Award" at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards.
false
[ "Below is a list of awards received by Twins since they were formed in 2001 as a cantopop girl group. They average to receive about 2-3 awards in each Hong Kong music awards. Their major accomplishment is in 2007 when they received the Asia Pacific Most Popular Female Artist Award from Jade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards.\n\nBecause of the Edison Chen photo scandal in 2008, Gillian took a short leave from the group. And thus the group did not record any songs or receive any awards between March 2008 to 2009.\n\nCommercial Radio Hong Kong Ultimate Song Chart Awards\nThe Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation (叱咤樂壇流行榜頒獎典禮) is a cantopop award ceremony from one of the famous channel in Commercial Radio Hong Kong known as Ultimate 903 (FM 90.3). Unlike other cantopop award ceremonies, this one is judged based on the popularity of the song/artist on the actual radio show.\n\nGlobal Chinese Music Awards\n\nIFPI Hong Kong Sales Awards\nIFPI Awards is given to artists base on the sales in Hong Kong at the end of the year.\n\nJade Solid Gold Top 10 Awards\nThe Jade Solid Gold Songs Awards Ceremony(十大勁歌金曲頒獎典禮) is held annually in Hong Kong since 1984. The awards are based on Jade Solid Gold show on TVB.\n\nMetro Radio Mandarin Music Awards\n\nMetro Showbiz Hit Awards\nThe Metro Showbiz Hit Awards (新城勁爆頒獎禮) is held in Hong Kong annually by Metro Showbiz radio station. It focus mostly in cantopop music.\n\nRTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards\nThe RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards Ceremony(十大中文金曲頒獎音樂會) is held annually in Hong Kong since 1978. The awards are determined by Radio and Television Hong Kong based on the work of all Asian artists (mostly cantopop) for the previous year.\n\nSprite Music Awards\nThe Sprite Music Awards Ceremony is an annual event given by Sprite China for work artists performed in previous years; awards received on 2008 are actually for the work and accomplishment for 2007.\n\nReferences\n\nTwins\nCantopop", "The Drama-Logue Award was an American theater award established in 1977, given by the publishers of Drama-Logue newspaper, a weekly west-coast theater trade publication. Winners were selected by the publication's theater critics, and would receive a certificate at an annual awards ceremony hosted by Drama-Logue founder Bill Bordy. The awards did not require any voting or agreement among critics; each critic could select as many award winners as they wished. As a result, many awards were issued each year. In some years, the number of winners was larger than the seating capacity of the venue where the ceremony was conducted.\n\nThe award categories included Production, Direction, Musical Direction, Choreography, Writing, Performance, Ensemble Performance, Scenic Design, Sound Design, Lighting Design, Costume Design and Hair & Makeup Design.\n\nAcquisition \nIn May 1998, Backstage West bought the Drama-Logue publication, and the two publications merged. The Drama-Logue Awards were subsequently retired and replaced by the Back Stage West Garland Awards.\n\nReferences\n\nAmerican theater awards\nAwards established in 1977\nAwards disestablished in 1998", "The 9th Academy Awards were held on March 4, 1937, at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California. They were hosted by George Jessel; music was provided by the Victor Young Orchestra, which at the time featured Spike Jones on drums. This ceremony marked the introduction of the Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress categories, and was the first year that the awards for directing and acting were fixed at five nominees per category.\n\nMy Man Godfrey became the first film to receive nominations in all four acting categories, but did not win in any category. It is the only such film to not receive a nomination for Best Picture, and was the only one to lose all of its nominations until Sunset Boulevard at the 23rd Academy Awards. It was also the first of four films to receive four acting nominations without one for Best Picture, followed by I Remember Mama (1948), Othello (1965), and Doubt (2008).\n\nAwards \n\nWinners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.\n\nAcademy Honorary Awards \n\n W. Howard Greene and Harold Rosson \"for the color cinematography of the Selznick International Production, The Garden of Allah\".\n The March of Time \"for its significance to motion pictures and for having revolutionized one of the most important branches of the industry – the newsreel\".\n\nMultiple nominations and awards \n\nThe following twenty films received multiple nominations:\n\n 7 nominations: Anthony Adverse, Dodsworth and The Great Ziegfeld\n 6 nominations: My Man Godfrey and San Francisco \n 5 nominations: Mr. Deeds Goes to Town\n 4 nominations: Romeo and Juliet and The Story of Louis Pasteur\n 3 nominations: The Charge of the Light Brigade, The General Died at Dawn and Three Smart Girls\n 2 nominations: Born to Dance, Come and Get It, The Garden of Allah, The Gorgeous Hussy, Lloyd's of London, Swing Time, A Tale of Two Cities, Theodora Goes Wild and Winterset\n\nThe following three films received multiple awards:\n\n 4 awards: Anthony Adverse\n 3 awards: The Great Ziegfeld and The Story of Louis Pasteur\n\nSee also \n\n 1936 in film\n List of films with all four Academy Award acting nominations\n\nReferences\n\nAcademy Awards ceremonies\n1936 film awards\n1937 in Los Angeles\n1937 in American cinema\nMarch 1937 events" ]
[ "Kara (South Korean band)", "2009: Rise in popularity in South Korea, Honey and Revolution", "What happened in 2009?", "At the end of January 2009, DSP announced that it would commence voting on January 28 at the group's official website for the follow-up single to \"Pretty Girl\",", "What was the ending vote?", "Honey\" was the clear winner, with 60% of the votes.", "Did Honey do well?", "\"Honey\" became the group's first number one single when it topped Gaon's weekly singles chart.", "Did it receive any awards?", "The song also won the Mutizen award on SBS's program Inkigayo and the \"Best Dance Award\" at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards." ]
C_06ab9e00914742d6a82b0583b27d0d79_0
Did they get any other titles?
5
Besides the songs Honey and Pretty Girl, did Kara have any other titles?
Kara (South Korean band)
At the end of January 2009, DSP announced that it would commence voting on January 28 at the group's official website for the follow-up single to "Pretty Girl", which ended on February 2. By the deadline of February 2, "Honey" was the clear winner, with 60% of the votes. The song was remixed from the original version, and also underwent a slight name change from "hani" (Ha-ni) to "Honey". The group released the music video for "Honey" on February 16 and had their first live broadcasting comeback on KBS's Music Bank program on February 13, 2009; a repackaged mini-album entitled Honey followed on February 19 which featured remixed versions of songs from the group's previous EP. "Honey" became the group's first number one single when it topped Gaon's weekly singles chart. The song earned the group their first music show award on M! Countdown on March 5. It held onto the position for three nonconsecutive weeks. The song also won the Mutizen award on SBS's program Inkigayo and the "Best Dance Award" at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards. At the end of March, the group was chosen for the fourth season of MBC's Idol Show, which marked the group's first hosting duties for a show. The group then had a reality show called MTV Meta Friends, which chronicled a group of fans getting a chance to become friends with the group members. For the show, the group had their first concert since their debut in 2007. In June 2009, the group stated they would make their comeback in late July, with their concept upgraded. The first teaser pictures of the group were then released in mid-July, showing radical changes in the group's style and also saw a slight return of their "strong and mature" image previously seen from their debut. Their single "Wanna" was released on July 28, 2009 and immediately charted on various digital music charts. The music video was released on July 29, with the full album, Revolution, available online on July 30. Comeback activities commenced on July 31, beginning with KBS's Music Bank; the group performed both "Wanna" and "Mister". "Mister" proved to be popular with netizens due to the "butt dance" that is featured prominently in the choreography. Due to the popularity of "Mister", Kara's overall popularity increased, evidenced by an influx of advertisement requests by various companies; in total, they had more advertisements in October 2009 than they had had the previous two years. "Wanna" also became a number one single for the group and won the Mutizen award on August 30, 2009 from Inkigayo. During promotions for Revolution, the group also performed internationally, including at Bangkok's Parc Paragon. On November 25, 2009, M.Net premiered the reality show called Kara Bakery, which followed the group as they attempted to plan, open, and advertise their own bakery. The show had 8 episodes and ran until early 2010. All proceeds from the bakery was donated to charity. On December 14, 2009, it was reported that the group held a fan-meeting for their Japanese fans earlier that year on February marking the group's first promotional tour in Japan. Over 3,000 fans were reportedly registered, exceeding the capacity of the venue which resulted in a second showcase. CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
false
[ "Active Pensionists (Danish: Aktive Pensionister) was a political party in Denmark.\n\nHistory\nActive Pensionists was established in 1997. The party ran in 2001 in Copenhagen (507 votes), Frederikshavn (212 votes) and Skagen Municipality (19 votes). They did not get any municipal seats.\n\nIn 2005, Active Pensionists ran in Greve Municipality (43 votes), Vejle Municipality (158 votes), Fredericia Municipality (679) and Copenhagen Municipality (232 votes). They did not manage to get any municipal seats.\n\nThe party has not run for municipal elections since 2005, and is assumedly dissolved.\n\nElection results\n\nMunicipal elections\n\nReferences\n\nPolitical parties in Denmark\nPensioners' parties\n1997 establishments in Denmark\nPolitical parties established in 1997\nDefunct political parties in Denmark", "Joel Nicanor Cubillas (born 1958 in Paraguay) is a former football defender. Cubillas played for most of his career in Club Rubio Ñú where he made his debut at the age of 15, in 1973, and had nearly 400 caps before moving to Nacional. He was part of the 1972 Rubio Ñú team that won the 2nd division tournament as a substitute, but did not get any playing time during that campaign due to his young age.\n\nCubillas finished his career in Sportivo Trinidense at the age of 39, accumulating more than 500 caps in Paraguayan football.\n\nTitles\n\nReferences\n\nParaguayan footballers\nClub Nacional footballers\nLiving people\n1958 births\nAssociation football defenders", "Any Gun Can Play () is a 1967 spaghetti Western starring Gilbert Roland, Edd Byrnes and George Hilton. The film is directed by Enzo G. Castellari. The film is about a group of cowboys searching for gold, double-leading to double crosses as they continually change allegiances and get the upper hand only to be thwarted by fellow outlaws, mysterious insurance investigators and each other.\n\nCast\n\nRelease\nAny Gun Can Play was released in Italy in 1967. The film has also been released under the English titles Go Kill and Come Back and Blood River.\n\nReferences\n\nSources\n\nExternal links\n\n1967 films\n1967 Western (genre) films\nSpaghetti Western films\nItalian films\n1960s Italian-language films\nEnglish-language Italian films\n1960s English-language films\nFilms directed by Enzo G. Castellari\nFilms scored by Francesco De Masi\nFilms shot in Almería\nFilms scored by Alessandro Alessandroni\n1960s multilingual films\nItalian multilingual films" ]
[ "Kara (South Korean band)", "2009: Rise in popularity in South Korea, Honey and Revolution", "What happened in 2009?", "At the end of January 2009, DSP announced that it would commence voting on January 28 at the group's official website for the follow-up single to \"Pretty Girl\",", "What was the ending vote?", "Honey\" was the clear winner, with 60% of the votes.", "Did Honey do well?", "\"Honey\" became the group's first number one single when it topped Gaon's weekly singles chart.", "Did it receive any awards?", "The song also won the Mutizen award on SBS's program Inkigayo and the \"Best Dance Award\" at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards.", "Did they get any other titles?", "I don't know." ]
C_06ab9e00914742d6a82b0583b27d0d79_0
What was Revolution?
6
What was Revolution by Kara?
Kara (South Korean band)
At the end of January 2009, DSP announced that it would commence voting on January 28 at the group's official website for the follow-up single to "Pretty Girl", which ended on February 2. By the deadline of February 2, "Honey" was the clear winner, with 60% of the votes. The song was remixed from the original version, and also underwent a slight name change from "hani" (Ha-ni) to "Honey". The group released the music video for "Honey" on February 16 and had their first live broadcasting comeback on KBS's Music Bank program on February 13, 2009; a repackaged mini-album entitled Honey followed on February 19 which featured remixed versions of songs from the group's previous EP. "Honey" became the group's first number one single when it topped Gaon's weekly singles chart. The song earned the group their first music show award on M! Countdown on March 5. It held onto the position for three nonconsecutive weeks. The song also won the Mutizen award on SBS's program Inkigayo and the "Best Dance Award" at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards. At the end of March, the group was chosen for the fourth season of MBC's Idol Show, which marked the group's first hosting duties for a show. The group then had a reality show called MTV Meta Friends, which chronicled a group of fans getting a chance to become friends with the group members. For the show, the group had their first concert since their debut in 2007. In June 2009, the group stated they would make their comeback in late July, with their concept upgraded. The first teaser pictures of the group were then released in mid-July, showing radical changes in the group's style and also saw a slight return of their "strong and mature" image previously seen from their debut. Their single "Wanna" was released on July 28, 2009 and immediately charted on various digital music charts. The music video was released on July 29, with the full album, Revolution, available online on July 30. Comeback activities commenced on July 31, beginning with KBS's Music Bank; the group performed both "Wanna" and "Mister". "Mister" proved to be popular with netizens due to the "butt dance" that is featured prominently in the choreography. Due to the popularity of "Mister", Kara's overall popularity increased, evidenced by an influx of advertisement requests by various companies; in total, they had more advertisements in October 2009 than they had had the previous two years. "Wanna" also became a number one single for the group and won the Mutizen award on August 30, 2009 from Inkigayo. During promotions for Revolution, the group also performed internationally, including at Bangkok's Parc Paragon. On November 25, 2009, M.Net premiered the reality show called Kara Bakery, which followed the group as they attempted to plan, open, and advertise their own bakery. The show had 8 episodes and ran until early 2010. All proceeds from the bakery was donated to charity. On December 14, 2009, it was reported that the group held a fan-meeting for their Japanese fans earlier that year on February marking the group's first promotional tour in Japan. Over 3,000 fans were reportedly registered, exceeding the capacity of the venue which resulted in a second showcase. CANNOTANSWER
During promotions for Revolution, the group also performed internationally, including at Bangkok's Parc Paragon.
false
[ "The Rights of Colonies Examined was an influential essay published in 1764 by Founding Father Stephen Hopkins. It received widespread circulation and brought hearty approval throughout the colonies. Historian Thomas Bicknell called it \"the most remarkable document that was issued during the period preceding the War of the Revolution.\" Massachusetts Governor Thomas Hutchinson wrote that \"it was conceived in a higher strain than any that were sent out by other colonies.\" With this paper, Hopkins became to Rhode Island what Samuel Adams was to Massachusetts and what Thomas Jefferson was to Virginia. It was printed widely, and Hopkins became recognized as one of the leaders of public opinion in the colonies.\n\nReferences\n\nDocuments of the American Revolution", "The Nueva Guipúzcoa revolt was a rebellion, part of the Philippine Revolution. It was fought in what is now the Davao Region in the Philippines, mostly centered in the then town of Santa Cruz in 1898, during the waning days of the war. It was led by Ángel Brioso, a local teacher who initially served as provisional Governor of Santa Cruz. The conflict is a largely-forgotten and less-known front of the revolution.\n\nReferences \n\nPhilippine Revolution\nHistory of Davao del Sur", "Histoire complète de la Révolution, depuis 1789 jusqu'en 1814 (Complete History of the Revolution, from 1789 until 1814) is a history book about the French Revolution written in 1838 by French journalist and historian Albert Laponneraye.\n\nOverview\nThe Complete History of the Revolution was the culmination of years of research conducted by Laponneraye, a socialist of the Neo-Babouvist tendency who considered the French Revolution to be a triumph of the people that should serve as a foundation for what he considered a necessary proletarian revolution, as he deemed the original revolution incomplete. Laponneraye's research into the French Revolution produced several important and popular works, of which the Complete History of the Revolution was no exception. It sold very well and was reissued several times during the period of 1838 to 1840.\n\nSee also\nThe French Revolution: A History\nThe Old Regime and the Revolution\n\nReferences\n\n1838 non-fiction books\n19th-century history books\nHistory books about the French Revolution" ]
[ "Elliott Smith", "1991-96: Heatmiser" ]
C_67e39bd5d0ec4d73a28d88c3acd4695e_1
Was the group popular ?
1
Was the music group Heatmiser popular?
Elliott Smith
Smith graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1991 with a degree in philosophy and political science. "Went straight through in four years", he explained to Under the Radar in 2003. "I guess it proved to myself that I could do something I really didn't want to for four years. Except I did like what I was studying. At the time it seemed like, 'This is your one and only chance to go to college and you had just better do it because some day you might wish that you did.' Plus, the whole reason I applied in the first place was because of my girlfriend, and I had gotten accepted already even though we had broken up before the first day." After he graduated, he "worked in a bakery back in Portland with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and legal theory". While at Hampshire, Smith formed the band Heatmiser with classmate Neil Gust. After Smith graduated from Hampshire, the band added drummer Tony Lash and bassist Brandt Peterson and began performing around Portland in 1992. The group released the albums Dead Air (1993) and Cop and Speeder (1994) as well as the Yellow No. 5 EP (1994) on Frontier Records. They were then signed to Virgin Records to release what became their final album, Mic City Sons (1996). Around this time, Smith and Gust worked a number of odd jobs around Portland, including installing drywall, spreading gravel, transplanting bamboo trees, and painting the roof of a warehouse with heat reflective paint. The pair were also on unemployment benefits for some time, which they considered an "artist grant". Smith had begun his solo career while still in Heatmiser, and the success of his first two releases created distance and tension with his band. Heatmiser disbanded prior to the release of Mic City Sons, prompting Virgin to put the album out inauspiciously through its independent arm, Caroline Records. A clause in Heatmiser's record contract with Virgin meant that Smith was still bound to it as an individual. The contract was later bought out by DreamWorks prior to the recording of his fourth album, XO. CANNOTANSWER
The pair were also on unemployment benefits for some time,
Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity. Smith's primary instrument was the guitar, though he also played piano, clarinet, bass guitar, drums, and harmonica. Smith had a distinctive vocal style, characterized by his "whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery", and often used multi-tracking to create vocal layers, textures, and harmonies. After playing in the rock band Heatmiser for several years, Smith began his solo career in 1994, with releases on the independent record labels Cavity Search and Kill Rock Stars (KRS). In 1997, he signed a contract with DreamWorks Records, for which he recorded two albums. Smith rose to mainstream prominence when his song "Miss Misery"—included in the soundtrack for the film Good Will Hunting (1997)—was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Original Song category in 1998. Smith was a heavy drinker and drug user at times throughout his life, and was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression. His struggles with drugs and mental illness affected his life and work, and often appeared in his lyrics. In 2003, aged 34, he died in Los Angeles, California, from two stab wounds to the chest. The autopsy evidence was inconclusive as to whether the wounds were self-inflicted or the result of homicide. At the time of his death, Smith was working on his sixth studio album, From a Basement on the Hill, which was posthumously produced and released in 2004. Early life Steven Paul Smith was born at the Methodist Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, the only child of Gary Smith, a student at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Bunny Kay Berryman, an elementary school music teacher. His parents divorced when he was six months old, and Smith moved with his mother to Duncanville, Texas. Smith later had a tattoo of a map of Texas drawn on his upper arm and said: "I didn't get it because I like Texas, kind of the opposite. But I won't forget about it, although I'm tempted to because I don't like it there." Smith endured a difficult childhood and a troubled relationship with his stepfather Charlie Welch. Smith stated he may have been sexually abused by Welch at a young age, an allegation that Welch has denied. He wrote about this part of his life in "Some Song". The name "Charlie" also appears in songs "Flowers for Charlie" and "No Confidence Man." In a 2004 interview, Jennifer Chiba, Smith's partner at the time of his death, said that Smith's difficult childhood was partly why he needed to sedate himself with drugs as an adult: "He was remembering traumatic things from his childhood – parts of things. It's not my place to say what." For much of his childhood, Smith's family was a part of the Community of Christ but began attending services at a local Methodist church. Smith felt that going to church did little for him, except make him "really scared of Hell". In 2001, he said: "I don't necessarily buy into any officially structured version of spirituality. But I have my own version of it." Smith began playing piano at age nine, and at ten began learning guitar on a small acoustic guitar bought for him by his father. At this age he composed an original piano piece, "Fantasy", which won him a prize at an arts festival. Many of the people on his mother's side of the family were non-professional musicians; his grandfather was a Dixieland drummer, and his grandmother sang in a glee club. At fourteen, Smith left his mother's home in Texas and moved to Portland, Oregon, to live with his father, who was then working as a psychiatrist. It was around this time that Smith began using drugs, including alcohol, with friends. He also began experimenting with recording for the first time after borrowing a four-track recorder. At high school, Smith played clarinet in the school band and played guitar and piano; he also sang in the bands Stranger Than Fiction and A Murder of Crows, billed as either Steven Smith or "Johnny Panic". He graduated from Lincoln High School as a National Merit Scholar. After graduation, Smith began calling himself "Elliott", saying that he thought "Steve" sounded too much like a "jock" name, and that "Steven" sounded "too bookish". According to friends, he had also used the pseudonym "Elliott Stillwater-Rotter" during his time in the band A Murder of Crows. Biographer S. R. Shutt speculates that the name was either inspired by Elliott Avenue, a street that Smith had lived on in Portland, or that it was suggested by his then-girlfriend. A junior high acquaintance of Smith speculates Smith changed his name so as not to be confused with Steve Smith, the drummer of Journey. Career 1991–1996: Heatmiser In 1991 Smith graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts with a degree in philosophy and political science. "Went straight through in four years", he explained to Under the Radar in 2003. "I guess it proved to myself that I could do something I really didn't want to for four years. Except I did like what I was studying. At the time it seemed like, 'This is your one and only chance to go to college and you had just better do it because some day you might wish that you did.' Plus, the whole reason I applied in the first place was because of my girlfriend, and I had gotten accepted already even though we had broken up before the first day." After he graduated, he "worked in a bakery back in Portland with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and legal theory". While at Hampshire, Smith formed the band Heatmiser with classmate Neil Gust. After Smith graduated from Hampshire, the band added drummer Tony Lash and bassist Brandt Peterson and began performing around Portland in 1992. The group released the albums Dead Air (1993) and Cop and Speeder (1994) as well as the Yellow No. 5 EP (1994) on Frontier Records. They were then signed to Virgin Records to release what became their final album, Mic City Sons (1996). Around this time, Smith and Gust worked a number of odd jobs around Portland, including installing drywall, spreading gravel, transplanting bamboo trees, and painting the roof of a warehouse with heat reflective paint. The pair were also on unemployment benefits for some time, which they considered an "artist grant". Smith had begun his solo career while still in Heatmiser, and the success of his first two releases created distance and tension with his band. Heatmiser disbanded prior to the release of Mic City Sons, prompting Virgin to put the album out inauspiciously through its independent arm, Caroline Records. A clause in Heatmiser's record contract with Virgin meant that Smith was still bound to it as an individual. The contract was later bought out by DreamWorks prior to the recording of his fourth album, XO. 1994: Roman Candle In the early 1990s, Smith's girlfriend at the time convinced him to send a tape of songs he had recently recorded on a borrowed four-track to Cavity Search Records. Cavity owner Christopher Cooper asked to release the entire album of songs, which surprised Smith, as he was expecting only a deal for a seven-inch record. The album became Smith's release, Roman Candle (1994). Smith said: "I thought my head would be chopped off immediately when it came out because at the time it was so opposite to the grunge thing that was popular ... The thing is that album was really well received, which was a total shock, and it immediately eclipsed [Heatmiser], unfortunately." Smith felt his solo songs were not representative of the music Heatmiser was making: "The idea of playing [my music] for people didn't occur to me... because at the time it was the Northwest—Mudhoney and Nirvana—and going out to play an acoustic show was like crawling out on a limb and begging for it to be sawed off." One of Smith's first solo performances was at the now-defunct Umbra Penumbra on September 17, 1994. Only three songs from Roman Candle were performed, with the majority of the ten-song set being B-sides, Heatmiser tunes and unreleased tracks. The same year, Smith released a split 7-inch record with Pete Krebs via Slo-Mo Records, contributing the track "No Confidence Man". 1995–1997: Elliott Smith and Either/Or In 1995, Smith's self-titled album was released on Kill Rock Stars; the record featured a style of recording similar to Roman Candle, but with hints of growth and experimentation. Though the majority of the album was recorded by Smith alone, friend and The Spinanes vocalist Rebecca Gates sang harmony vocals on "St. Ides Heaven", and Heatmiser guitarist Neil Gust played guitar on "Single File". Several songs made reference to drugs, but Smith explained that he used the theme of drugs as a vehicle for conveying dependence rather than the songs being about drugs specifically. Looking back, Smith felt that the album's pervasive mood gave him "a reputation for being a really dark, depressed person" and said that he later made a conscious move toward more diverse moods in his music. In 1996, filmmaker Jem Cohen recorded Smith playing acoustic songs for the short film Lucky Three: An Elliott Smith Portrait. Two of these songs would appear on his next album, Either/Or, which was another Kill Rock Stars release. Either/Or came out in 1997 to favorable reviews. The album found Smith venturing further into full instrumentation, with several songs containing bass guitar, drums, keyboards, and electric guitars, all played by Smith. The album title was derived from the two-volume book of the same name by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, whose works generally deal with themes such as existential despair, angst, death, and God. By this time, Smith's already-heavy drinking was being compounded with use of antidepressants. At the end of the Either/Or tour, some of his close friends staged an intervention in Chicago, but it proved ineffective. Shortly after, Smith relocated from Portland to Jersey City, New Jersey, and later Brooklyn, New York. 1997–98: "Miss Misery" and the Oscars In 1997, Smith was selected by director and fellow Portland resident Gus Van Sant to be a part of the soundtrack to his film, Good Will Hunting. Smith recorded an orchestral version of "Between the Bars" with composer Danny Elfman for the movie. Smith also contributed a new song, "Miss Misery", and three previously released tracks ("No Name #3", from Roman Candle, and "Angeles" and "Say Yes", from Either/Or). The film was a commercial and critical success, and Smith was nominated for an Academy Award for "Miss Misery". Not eager to step into the limelight, he agreed to perform the song at the ceremony only after the producers informed him that if he was unwilling to perform, they would choose someone else to play it. On March 5, 1998, Smith made his network television debut on Late Night with Conan O'Brien performing "Miss Misery" solo on acoustic guitar. A few days later, wearing a white suit, he played an abridged version of the song at the Oscars, accompanied by the house orchestra. James Horner and Will Jennings won the award that night for best song with "My Heart Will Go On" (sung by Celine Dion) from the film Titanic. Smith did not voice disappointment about not winning the award. Smith commented on the surrealism of the Oscars experience: "That's exactly what it was, surreal... I enjoy performing almost as much as I enjoy making up songs in the first place. But the Oscars was a very strange show, where the set was only one song cut down to less than two minutes, and the audience was a lot of people who didn't come to hear me play. I wouldn't want to live in that world, but it was fun to walk around on the moon for a day." 1998–2000: XO and Figure 8 In 1998, after the success of Either/Or and "Miss Misery", Smith signed to a bigger record label, DreamWorks Records. Around the same time, Smith fell into depression, speaking openly of considering suicide, and on at least one occasion made a serious attempt at ending his own life. While in North Carolina, he became severely intoxicated and ran off a cliff. He landed on a tree, which badly impaled him but broke his fall. When questioned about his suicide attempt, he told an interviewer, "Yeah, I jumped off a cliff, but let's talk about something else." Christopher Cooper, head of Cavity Search Records (which released Roman Candle), said about this time in Smith's life, "I talked him out of thinking that he wanted to kill himself numerous times when he was in Portland. I kept telling him that he was a brilliant man, and that life was worth living, and that people loved him." Pete Krebs also agreed: "In Portland we got the brunt of Elliott's initial depression... Lots of people have stories of their own experiences of staying up with Elliott 'til five in the morning, holding his hand, telling him not to kill himself." Smith's first release for DreamWorks was later that year. Titled XO, it was conceived and developed while Smith wrote it out over the winter of 1997/1998, night after night seated at the bar in Luna Lounge. It was produced by the team of Rob Schnapf and Tom Rothrock. XO also contained some instrumentation from Los Angeles musicians Joey Waronker and Jon Brion. It contained a more full-sounding, baroque pop sound than any of his previous efforts, with songs featuring a horn section, Chamberlins, elaborate string arrangements, and even a drum loop on the song "Independence Day". His familiar double-tracked vocal and acoustic guitar style were still apparent while his somewhat personal lyrical style survived. The album went on to peak at number 104 on the Billboard 200 and number 123 on the UK Album Charts, while selling 400,000 copies (more than double that of each of his two Kill Rock Stars releases), becoming the best-selling release of his career. Smith's backing band during most of this period was the Portland-based group Quasi, consisting of former bandmate Sam Coomes on bass guitar and Coomes's ex-wife Janet Weiss on drums. Quasi also performed as the opening act at many shows on the tour, with Smith sometimes contributing bass guitar, guitar, or backing vocals. On October 17, 1998, Smith appeared on Saturday Night Live and performed "Waltz No. 2 (XO)". His backing band for this appearance was John Moen, Jon Brion, Rob Schnapf, and Sam Coomes. In response to whether the change to a bigger record label would influence his creative control, Smith said, "I think despite the fact that sometimes people look at major labels as simply money-making machines, they're actually composed of individuals who are real people, and there's a part of them that needs to feel that part of their job is to put out good music." Smith also claimed in another interview that he never read his reviews for fear that they would interfere with his songwriting. It was during this period that Smith appeared on Dutch television in 1998 and provided a candid interview in which he spoke of his assessment of his music career until that point: Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I mostly only know things are different because people ask me different questions, but I don't feel like things are very changed. I mean, I still, I do the same things that I did before … I think about the same things, so … I'm the wrong kind of person to be really big and famous. As part of the Dutch television special, Smith played live versions of "Waltz No. 2 (XO)", "Miss Misery", and "I Didn't Understand"—the latter two songs were performed solely on piano, while the first song was cut short by Smith, as he explained: "I had to stop it because it's… you know, what's the point of playing a song badly? It'd be better to play it and mean it, than to just walk through it." Smith relocated from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1999, taking up residence at a cabin in the Silver Lake section of town, where he would regularly play intimate, acoustic shows at local venues like Silverlake Lounge. He also performed in Toronto in April that year. In the fall, his cover of the Beatles' "Because" was featured in the end credits of DreamWorks' Oscar-winning drama American Beauty, and appeared on the film's soundtrack album. The final album Smith completed, Figure 8, was released on April 18, 2000. It featured the return of Rothrock, Schnapf, Brion, and Waronker and was partially recorded at Abbey Road Studios in England, with an obvious Beatles influence in the songwriting and production. The album garnered favorable reviews, and peaked at number 99 on the Billboard 200 and 37 on the UK Album Charts. The album received praise for its power pop style and complex arrangements, described as creating a "sweeping kaleidoscope of layered instruments and sonic textures". However, some reviewers felt that Smith's trademark dark and melancholy songwriting had lost some of its subtlety, with one reviewer likening some of the lyrics to "the self-pitying complaints of an adolescent venting in his diary". Album art and promotional pictures from the period showed Smith looking cleaned-up and put-together. An extensive tour in promotion of the record ensued, book-ended by television appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and the Late Show with David Letterman. However, Smith's condition began to deteriorate as he had become addicted to heroin either towards the end of or just after the Figure 8 tour. 2001–2002: Addiction and scrapped recordings Around the time he began recording his final album, Smith began to display signs of paranoia, often believing that a white van followed him wherever he went. He would have friends drop him off for recording sessions almost a mile away from the studio, and to reach the location, he would trudge through hundreds of yards of brush and cliffs. He started telling people that DreamWorks was out to get him: "Not long ago my house was broken into, and songs were stolen off my computer which have wound up in the hands of certain people who work at a certain label. I've also been followed around for months at a time. I wouldn't even want to necessarily say it's the people from that label who are following me around, but it was probably them who broke into my house." During this period, Smith hardly ate, subsisting primarily on ice cream. He would go without sleeping for several days and then sleep for an entire day. A follow-up to Smith's 2000 album was originally planned to happen with Rob Schnapf, but their sessions were abandoned. Smith also began distancing himself from manager Margaret Mittleman, who had handled him since the Roman Candle days. He finally began recording a new album with only himself and Jon Brion as producers sometime during 2001. The pair had recorded a substantial amount of music for the album when Brion stopped the sessions because of Smith's struggle with substance use disorder. Their friendship promptly ended, and Smith scrapped all of their work until that point. He later said "There was even a little more than half of a record done before this new one that I just scrapped because of a blown friendship with someone that made me so depressed I didn't want to hear any of those songs. He was just helping me record the songs and stuff, and then the friendship kind of fell apart all of a sudden one day. It just made it kind of awkward being alone in the car listening to the songs." When Brion sent a bill for the abandoned sessions to DreamWorks, executives Lenny Waronker and Luke Wood scheduled a meeting with Smith to determine what went wrong with the sessions. Smith complained of intrusion upon his personal life from the label, as well as poor promotion for the Figure 8 album. The talks proved fruitless, and soon after, Smith sent a message to the executives, stating that if they did not release him from his contract, he would take his own life. In May 2001, Smith set out to re-record the album, mostly on his own, but with some help from David McConnell of Goldenboy. McConnell told Spin that, during this time, Smith would smoke over $1,500 worth of heroin and crack per day, would often talk about suicide, and on numerous occasions tried to give himself an overdose. Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips and Scott McPherson of Sense Field played a few drum tracks, Sam Coomes contributed some bass guitar and backing vocals, but almost every other instrument was recorded by Smith. Smith's song "Needle in the Hay" was included in Wes Anderson's 2001 dark comedy film The Royal Tenenbaums during a suicide attempt scene. Smith was originally supposed to contribute a cover of The Beatles' "Hey Jude" for the film, but when he failed to do so in time, Anderson had to use The Mutato Muzika Orchestra's version of the track instead. Anderson would later say that Smith "was in a bad state" at the time. Smith's live performances during 2001 and 2002 were infrequent, typically in the Pacific Northwest or Los Angeles. A review of his December 20, 2001, show at Portland's Crystal Ballroom expressed concern over his appearance and performance: his hair was uncharacteristically greasy and long, his face was bearded and gaunt, and during his songs he exhibited alarming signs of "memory-loss and butterfingers". At another performance in San Francisco that month, the audience began shouting out lyrics when Smith could not remember them. In the first of only three concerts performed in 2002, Smith co-headlined Northwestern University's A&O Ball with Wilco on May 2 in Chicago. He was onstage for nearly an hour but failed to complete half of the songs. He claimed that his poor performance was due to his left hand having fallen asleep and told the audience it felt "like having stuff on your hand and you can't get it off". Smith's performance was reviewed as "undoubtedly one of the worst performances ever by a musician" and an "excruciating […] nightmare". A reporter for the online magazine Glorious Noise wrote, "It would not surprise me at all if Elliott Smith ends up dead within a year." On November 25, 2002, Smith was involved in a brawl with the Los Angeles Police Department at a concert where The Flaming Lips and Beck were performing. Smith later said he was defending a man he thought the police were harassing. The officers allegedly beat and arrested him and girlfriend Jennifer Chiba. The two spent the night in jail. Smith's back was injured in the incident, causing him to cancel a number of shows. Wayne Coyne, lead singer of The Flaming Lips and a friend of Smith's, stated concern over Smith's appearance and actions, saying that he "saw a guy who had lost control of himself. He was needy, he was grumpy, he was everything you wouldn't want in a person. It's not like when you think of Keith Richards being pleasantly blissed out in the corner." 2003: Reemergence and From a Basement on the Hill Smith had attempted to go to rehab several times, but found that he was unable to relate to the popular treatments for people with substance use disorder that used a twelve-step program basis for treatment. "I couldn't do the first step […] I couldn't say what you were supposed to say and mean it." In 2002, Smith went to the Neurotransmitter Restoration Center in Beverly Hills to start a course of treatment for substance use disorder. In one of his final interviews, he spoke about the center, "What they do is an IV treatment where they put a needle in your arm, and you're on a drip bag, but the only thing that's in the drip bag is amino acids and saline solution. I was coming off of a lot of psych meds and other things. I was even on an antipsychotic, although I'm not psychotic." Two sold-out solo acoustic concerts at Hollywood's Henry Fonda Theater, on January 31 and February 1, 2003, saw Smith attempting to reestablish his credibility as a live performer. Before the show, Smith scrawled "Kali – The Destroyer" (the Hindu goddess associated with time and change) in large block letters with permanent ink on his left arm, which was visible to the crowd during the performance. On several songs, he was backed by a stripped-down drum kit played by Robin Peringer (of the band 764-HERO), and members of opening band Rilo Kiley contributed backing vocals to one song. Near the end of the first show, the musician responded for several minutes after a heckler (later identified as Smith's ex-girlfriend Valerie Deerin) yelled "Get a backbone." Smith played two more Los Angeles concerts during 2003, including The Derby in May and the L.A. Weekly Music Awards in June. After his 34th birthday on August 6, 2003, he gave up alcohol. Director Mike Mills had been working with Smith during his final years and described Smith's troubles and apparent recovery: "I gave the script to him, then he dropped off the face of the earth […] he went through his whole crazy time, but by the time I was done with the film, he was making From a Basement on the Hill and I was shocked that he was actually making music." With things improving for Smith after several troubled years, he began experimenting with noise music and worked on his girlfriend Jennifer Chiba's iMac with the intent of learning how to record with computers, noting that it was the only method with which he was still unfamiliar. Smith jokingly labeled his experimental way of recording "The California Frown" (a play on the Beach Boys' "California Sound"). He said of the songs, "They're kind of more noisy with the pitch all distorted. Some are more acoustic, but there aren't too many like that. Lately I've just been making up a lot of noise." He was also in the process of recording songs for the Thumbsucker soundtrack, including Big Star's "Thirteen" and Cat Stevens's "Trouble". In August 2003, Suicide Squeeze Records put out a limited-edition vinyl single for "Pretty (Ugly Before)", a song that Smith had been playing since the Figure 8 tour. Smith's final show was at Redfest at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on September 19, 2003. The final song he played live was "Long, Long, Long" by The Beatles. 2004–present: Posthumous releases From a Basement on the Hill, almost four years in production, was released on October 19, 2004, by ANTI- Records (a part of Epitaph Records). With Smith's family in control of his estate, they chose to bring in Rob Schnapf and Smith's ex-girlfriend Joanna Bolme to sort through the recordings and mix the album. Although Smith had voiced his desire for it to be a double album or a regular album with a bonus disc, it was not clear whether it would have been possible for him to release it that way had he completed it. As completed by Schnapf and Bolme, it was released as a 15-track single album. Many songs from the sessions (later leaked onto the Internet) were not included, such as "True Love", "Everything's OK", "Stickman", and "Suicide Machine" (a reworking of the Figure 8-era unreleased instrumental "Tiny Time Machine"). There has been unconfirmed speculation that Smith's family made the decision not to include some songs on the record due to their lyrical content, although songs such as "King's Crossing" that deal with darker subjects did make the album. Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing, a biography by Benjamin Nugent, was rushed to publication shortly after From a Basement on the Hill, shortly after the first anniversary of his death. Smith's family, as well as Joanna Bolme, Jennifer Chiba, Neil Gust, Sam Coomes, and Janet Weiss, all declined to be interviewed. It contained interviews with Rob Schnapf, David McConnell, and Pete Krebs. The book received mixed reviews, with Publishers Weekly remarking that while "Nugent manages to patch together the major beats of Smith's life, he can offer little meaningful insight". In 2005, a tribute album, A Tribute to Elliott Smith, was released. It featured various bands performing tributes to Smith. On May 8, 2007, a posthumous two-disc compilation album entitled New Moon was released by Kill Rock Stars. The album contained 24 songs recorded by Smith between 1994 and 1997 during his tenure with the label, songs that were not included on albums, as well as a few early versions and previously released B-sides. In the United States, the album debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200, selling about 24,000 copies in its first week. The record received favorable reviews and was Metacritic's 15th best-reviewed album of 2007. A portion of the proceeds from album sales were to go to Outside In, a social service agency for low-income adults and homeless youth in Portland, Oregon. On October 25, 2007, a book titled Elliott Smith was released by Autumn de Wilde, which consists of photographs, handwritten lyrics, and "revealing talks with Smith's inner circle". De Wilde was responsible for the Figure 8 sleeve art, making a landmark and de facto Smith memorial of the Solutions Audio mural. A five-song CD featuring previously unreleased live recordings of Smith performing acoustically at Largo in Los Angeles was included in the release. Following Smith's death, his estate licensed his songs for use in film and television projects such as One Tree Hill, The Girl Next Door, Georgia Rule, and Paranoid Park. In a March 2009 interview, Larry Crane said that Smith's estate was defunct and all rights previously held by Smith are now in the control of his parents. Crane went on to say that his parents own the rights to Smith's high school recordings, some of the Heatmiser material, all solo songs recorded until his 1998 record deal with DreamWorks Records, and From a Basement on the Hill. DreamWorks Records was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2003, and Interscope Records currently "owns all studio and live recording from Jan 1998 to his passing, except for the songs on From a Basement on the Hill." In December 2009, Kill Rock Stars announced that it had obtained the rights to re-release Roman Candle and From a Basement on the Hill, originally released by Cavity Search and ANTI-, respectively. Roman Candle would be remastered by Larry Crane. Along with the press release, Kill Rock Stars posted a previously unreleased track of Smith's, titled "Cecilia/Amanda", as a free download. Roman Candle and From a Basement on the Hill were re-released on April 6, 2010, in the US. A greatest hits compilation titled An Introduction to... Elliott Smith was released in November 2010 by Domino Records (UK) and Kill Rock Stars (US). In August 2013, there was a memorial concert in Portland, Oregon and three other cities. Attending the Portland show were several musicians Smith had performed with, friends, and an appearance by film director Gus Van Sant. In 2014, director Paul Thomas Anderson posted a video of the pilot episode for a show called The Jon Brion Show, featuring an acoustic set by Smith including accompaniment by Brion and pianist Brad Mehldau. On July 17, 2015, a documentary about Smith's life titled Heaven Adores You saw a limited theatrical release. The documentary enlisted a number of close friends and family members, as well as hours of audio interviews throughout Smith's short career. The film was directed by Nickolas Rossi and released through Eagle Rock Entertainment. Heaven Adores You received positive reviews from Consequence of Sound, The Guardian, and The Hollywood Reporter. On August 6, 2019 (what would have been Smith's 50th birthday), UMe released digital deluxe editions of the two albums XO and Figure 8. The new edition of XO has nine added tracks, including Smith's Oscar-nominated Good Will Hunting song "Miss Misery." Seven tracks have been added to Figure 8. The digital deluxe edition includes "Figure 8"—Smith's cover of the "Schoolhouse Rock!" song—which was originally released only on the Japanese edition of the album. The final track on the new Figure 8 edition is Smith's cover of the Beatles’ "Because", originally featured on the 1999 American Beauty soundtrack. In May 2021, Smith's life and work were the subject of BBC Radio 4's Great Lives. Death Smith died on October 21, 2003, at the age of 34 from two stab wounds to the chest. At the time of the stabbing, he was at his Lemoyne Street home in Echo Park, California, where he lived with his girlfriend, Jennifer Chiba. According to Chiba, the two were arguing, and she locked herself in the bathroom to take a shower. Chiba heard him scream and upon opening the door saw Smith standing with a knife in his chest. She pulled the knife out, after which he collapsed and she called 9-1-1 at 12:18 pm. Smith died in the hospital, with the time of death listed as 1:36 p.m. A possible suicide note, written on a sticky note, read: "I'm so sorry—love, Elliott. God forgive me." In the coroner's report of the note, the name "Elliott" is misspelled as "Elliot". While Smith's death was reported as a suicide, the official autopsy report released in December 2003 left open the question of homicide. Smith's remains were cremated, and his ashes were divided between his mother, father, and half-sister Ashley. A small memorial service for family and friends was held at his father's home in Portland, although Smith's "ashes weren't on hand because the coroner wouldn't release them." The status or location of Smith's ashes has not been made public. According to Pitchfork, record producer Larry Crane reported on his Tape Op message board that he had planned to help Smith mix his album in mid-November. Crane wrote, "I hadn't talked to Elliott in over a year. His girlfriend, Jennifer, called me [last week] and asked if I'd like to come to L.A. and help mix and finish [Smith's album]. I said 'yes, of course', and chatted with Elliott for the first time in ages. It seems surreal that he would call me to finish an album and then a week later kill himself. I talked to Jennifer this morning, who was obviously shattered and in tears, and she said, 'I don't understand, he was so healthy. The coroner reported that no traces of illegal substances or alcohol were found in Smith's system at the time of his death but did find prescribed levels of antidepressant, anxiolytic, and ADHD medications, including clonazepam, mirtazapine, atomoxetine, and amphetamine. There were no hesitation wounds, which are typically found on a victim of suicide by self-infliction. Due to the inconclusive autopsy ruling, the Los Angeles Police Department's investigation remains open. Reaction Shortly after Smith's death, a fan memorial was initiated outside Solutions Audio (4334 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California), the site at which the cover of the Figure 8 album was shot. Farewell messages to Smith were written on the wall, and flowers, photos, candles, and empty bottles of alcohol mentioned in Smith's songs were left. Since then, the wall has been a regular target for graffiti but is regularly restored by fans. Memorial concerts were held in several cities in the United States and the United Kingdom. A petition was soon put forth with intent to make part of the Silver Lake area a memorial park in Smith's honor. It received over 10,000 signatures, but no plans to establish the park have been announced. A memorial plaque located inside Smith's former high school, Lincoln High, was hung in July 2006. The plaque reads: "I'm never going to know you now, but I'm going to love you anyhow" referencing Smith's song "Waltz No. 2 (XO)". Since Smith's death, many musical acts have paid him tribute. Songs in tribute to, or about, Smith have been released by Pearl Jam ("Can't Keep" on the Live at Benaroya Hall concert album); Sparta ("Bombs and Us"); Third Eye Blind ("There's No Hurry to Eternity", originally titled "Elliott Smith", on the Live from Nowhere Near You, Volume Two: Pacific Northwest compilation); 9 Horses (“listening to the Elliott Smith discography in reverse order”, on the album Perfectest Herald); Ben Folds ("Late" on Songs for Silverman); Brad Mehldau ("Sky Turning Grey (for Elliott Smith)" on Highway Rider); Rilo Kiley ("It Just Is", and "Ripchord" from the album More Adventurous); Lil B's 'The Worlds Ending'; Rhett Miller ("The Believer" on The Believer); Earlimart ("Heaven Adores You" on Treble and Tremble); Joan As Police Woman ("We Don't Own It" on Real Life); and Pete Yorn ("Bandstand in the Sky" on Nightcrawler, a song jointly dedicated to Jeff Buckley). Several tribute albums have also been released since his death, including Christopher O'Riley's 2006 Home to Oblivion: An Elliott Smith Tribute, with 18 instrumental covers, The Portland Cello Project's 2014 to e.s., covering six of his songs and To Elliott, from Portland containing covers by a number of Portland bands. On July 30, 2004, Chiba filed a lawsuit against the Smith family for 15% of his earnings (over $1 million), claiming that she and Smith lived as "husband and wife", that Smith had pledged to take care of her financially for the rest of her life, and that she worked as his manager and agent from around 2000 until his death. A state labor commissioner ruled her claim as manager to be invalid, as she had worked as an "unlicensed talent agent" under California's Talent Agencies Act. The case made it to the California appellate court in October 2007, but the decision was affirmed 2–1. In an October 2013 Spin magazine article—a reflection at the ten-year anniversary of Smith's death—drummer McPherson stated that Smith was "a sick man without his medicine" during the last 31 days of his life, when he was not only sober, but had also given up red meat and sugar. In the same article, Chiba recalls thinking, "Okay, you're asking a lot of yourself. You're giving up a lot at once." Chiba further explained that "anyone who understands drug abuse knows that you use drugs to hide from your past or sedate yourself from strong, overwhelming feelings. So when you're newly clean and coming off the medications that have been masking all those feelings, that's when you're the most vulnerable." Writing for Spin, Liam Gowing also encountered a local musician who claimed Smith had said to him: "The people who try to intervene, they're good people who genuinely care about you. But they don't know what you're going through. Do what you need to do." According to the musician, Smith had adamantly dissuaded him from suicide. Musical style and influences Smith respected and was inspired by many artists and styles, including the Beatles, Neil Young, Simon & Garfunkel, Big Star, the Clash, the Who, Led Zeppelin, the Kinks, Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, Rush, Bauhaus, Elvis Costello, Oasis, Television, Motown and flamenco records, AC/DC, Hank Williams, and Scorpions, Smith claimed to listen exclusively to selected albums (such as The Marble Index by Nico) for months. Sean Croghan, a former roommate of Smith's, said that Smith "listened almost exclusively to slow jams" in his senior year at college. Smith also took inspiration from novels, religion, and philosophy. He liked classic literature, especially Samuel Beckett, T. S. Eliot, and Russian novelists such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Smith mentioned his admiration for Bob Dylan in several interviews, citing him as an early influence. He once commented: "My father taught me how to play 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right'. I love Dylan's words, but even more than that, I love the fact that he loves words." Smith covered Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece" several times in concert. Smith has also been compared to folk singer Nick Drake, due to his fingerpicking style and vocals. Darryl Cater of AllMusic called references to "the definitive folk loner" Drake "inevitable", and Smith's lyrics have been compared to those in Drake's minimalist and haunting final album. Smith was a dedicated fan of the Beatles (as well as their solo projects), once noting that he had been listening to them frequently since he was about "four years old" and also claimed that hearing The White Album was his original inspiration to become a musician. In 1998, Smith contributed a cover of the Beatles song "Because" to the closing credits and soundtrack of the film American Beauty. Although this was the only Beatles song that Smith ever officially released, he is known to have recorded many others, ("Revolution", "I'll Be Back" and "I'm So Tired") and played many songs by both the band and the members' solo projects at live concerts. Smith said that transitions were his favorite part of songs and that he preferred to write broader, more impressionistic music closer to pop rather than folk music. Smith compared his songs to stories or dreams, not purely confessional pieces that people could relate to. When asked about the dark nature of his songwriting and the cult following he was gaining, Smith said he felt it was merely a product of his writing songs that were strongly meaningful to him rather than anything contrived. Larry Crane, Smith's posthumous archivist, has said that he was surprised at the amount of "recycling of musical ideas" he encountered while cataloging Smith's private tapes: "I found songs recorded in high school reworked 15 years on. Lyrics became more important to him as he became older, and more time was spent working on them." Legacy Since his death, Smith has been regarded as one of the most influential artists in indie music. Many artists have mentioned Smith as their influence, such as Frank Ocean, Beck, Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Haim's lead vocalist Danielle Haim. See also List of unsolved deaths Discography Studio albums Roman Candle (1994) Elliott Smith (1995) Either/Or (1997) XO (1998) Figure 8 (2000) Posthumous studio albums From a Basement on the Hill (2004) Compilation albums New Moon (2007) References Bibliography External links Official website Official Cavity Search Records website Official Kill Rock Stars website Elliott Smith collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive Keep the Things You Forgot: An Elliott Smith Oral History 1969 births 2003 deaths Unsolved deaths 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American writers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American writers Alternative rock guitarists Alternative rock singers American feminists American indie rock musicians American male guitarists American male singer-songwriters American rock guitarists American tenors Anti- (record label) artists Caroline Records artists Cavity Search Records artists Deaths by stabbing in California Domino Recording Company artists DreamWorks Records artists Feminist musicians Fingerstyle guitarists Guitarists from Los Angeles Guitarists from Nebraska Guitarists from New York City Guitarists from Oklahoma Guitarists from Oregon Guitarists from Texas Hampshire College alumni Indie folk musicians Kill Rock Stars artists Lincoln High School (Portland, Oregon) alumni Male feminists Musicians from Brooklyn Musicians from Omaha, Nebraska Musicians from Portland, Oregon People from Duncanville, Texas People from Echo Park, Los Angeles People with mood disorders Singers from Los Angeles Singers from New York City Singer-songwriters from Texas Suicide Squeeze Records artists Virgin Records artists 20th-century American male singers Singer-songwriters from California Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma Singer-songwriters from Nebraska
true
[ "The Republicans of the Centre and the Independents of Popular Action were the names given to a parliamentary group in the French Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic, composed mainly of Catholic regionalists from Alsatian and Lorraine. \n\nIt was mainly a religious conservative but democratic formation, descended from two political parties of the German Empire: the Catholic democratic Zentrum party, and the Alsace-Lorraine Regional Party. \n\nIn ideological terms, it was considered to be more conservative than the social-Catholic Popular Democratic Party, but more moderate than the main French Catholic party, the Republican Federation. During the 1920s its members had largely sat in parliament among the Republican Federation deputies, but found it to have become too right-wing, French-nationalist and centralist for their tastes.\n\n1932 to 1936: the Republicans of the Centre group \nThe Republicans of the Centre (, RDC) existed during the 15th legislature (1932 to 1936). It was set up by the UPR deputy for Colmar, Joseph Rossé. \n\nIt contained between six and ten deputies, and was essentially the parliamentary expression of the Christian democratic deputies from the former German provinces: the Alsatian Popular Republican Union and its Lorrain counterpart, the Lorraine Republican Union. There were also a handful of Alsatian Catholic independents who occasionally sat with the group. \n\nThis Alsatian heritage was reflected in the group's label of 'Centre': although situated firmly on the right rather than the centre, it carried over the label of the German Zentrum party, to which some UPR deputies had previously belonged.\n\n1936 to 1940: the Independents of Popular Action group \nThe Independents of Popular Action (, IAP) was the successor to the Republicans of the Centre in the 16th legislature of the Third Republic (1936 to 1940).\n\nThe group was again predominantly made up of the deputies of the Alsatian Popular Republican Union and Lorrain Republican Union, but they were now joined by other Alsatian regionalists from other ideological traditions, such as the federalist Radical, Camille Dahlet . formed a new group named . a French parliamentary group in the 16th during the French Third Republic between 1936 and 1940. The IAP was a centrist and Christian democratic group composed of the Christian democratic.\n\nAfter the Second World War, the successors of the group merged with the more centrist Popular Democratic Party to form the Fourth Republic's major centre-right party, the Christian-democratic Popular Republican Movement.\n\nSee also \n:Category:Republicans of the Centre politicians\nPopular Democratic Party (France)\nSinistrisme\n\nDefunct political parties in France\nPolitical parties of the French Third Republic\nParliamentary groups in France\nCatholic political parties\nRegionalist parties in France", "Diário Popular was a Portuguese language daily newspaper published in Lisbon, Portugal, between 1942 and 1990.\n\nHistory and profile\nDiário Popular was first published on 22 September 1942. Its headquarters was in Lisbon. The paper was one of two Portuguese newspapers published in Angola during the colonial rule. The other was Jornal de Notícias. In the 1960s Diário Popular was acquired by the Balsemão family.\n\nDiário Popular was the organizer of the first journalism program in Portugal which was held in 1966. In the late 1960s the paper was acquired by the Quina group, a family company. In 1971 it was one of two Portuguese best-selling newspapers.\n\nDiário Popular belonged to the Banco Borges and Irmão, a bank, before the Carnation revolution. The paper was nationalized following the revolution in 1974 along with other private dailies and publications. It was controlled by the communists and adopted a communist stance in October 1975. In May 1978 the paper had a left-wing political stance.\n\nDiário Popular sold 73,000 copies in October 1975 and 66,000 copies in May 1978.\n\nDiário Popular was privatized in 1989 and was acquired by a company, Projectos e Estudos de Imprensa (PEI), which also became the owner of the sports paper Record. The company was headed by Pedro Santana Lopes, a member of the Social Democratic Party. The paper ceased publication in 1990.\n\nSee also\n List of newspapers in Portugal\n\nReferences\n\n1942 establishments in Portugal\n1990 disestablishments in Portugal\nPopular\nNewspapers published in Lisbon\nNewspapers established in 1942\nPopular\nPublications disestablished in 1990" ]
[ "Elliott Smith", "1991-96: Heatmiser", "Was the group popular ?", "The pair were also on unemployment benefits for some time," ]
C_67e39bd5d0ec4d73a28d88c3acd4695e_1
What type of music did they play?
2
What type of music did Heatmiser play?
Elliott Smith
Smith graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1991 with a degree in philosophy and political science. "Went straight through in four years", he explained to Under the Radar in 2003. "I guess it proved to myself that I could do something I really didn't want to for four years. Except I did like what I was studying. At the time it seemed like, 'This is your one and only chance to go to college and you had just better do it because some day you might wish that you did.' Plus, the whole reason I applied in the first place was because of my girlfriend, and I had gotten accepted already even though we had broken up before the first day." After he graduated, he "worked in a bakery back in Portland with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and legal theory". While at Hampshire, Smith formed the band Heatmiser with classmate Neil Gust. After Smith graduated from Hampshire, the band added drummer Tony Lash and bassist Brandt Peterson and began performing around Portland in 1992. The group released the albums Dead Air (1993) and Cop and Speeder (1994) as well as the Yellow No. 5 EP (1994) on Frontier Records. They were then signed to Virgin Records to release what became their final album, Mic City Sons (1996). Around this time, Smith and Gust worked a number of odd jobs around Portland, including installing drywall, spreading gravel, transplanting bamboo trees, and painting the roof of a warehouse with heat reflective paint. The pair were also on unemployment benefits for some time, which they considered an "artist grant". Smith had begun his solo career while still in Heatmiser, and the success of his first two releases created distance and tension with his band. Heatmiser disbanded prior to the release of Mic City Sons, prompting Virgin to put the album out inauspiciously through its independent arm, Caroline Records. A clause in Heatmiser's record contract with Virgin meant that Smith was still bound to it as an individual. The contract was later bought out by DreamWorks prior to the recording of his fourth album, XO. CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity. Smith's primary instrument was the guitar, though he also played piano, clarinet, bass guitar, drums, and harmonica. Smith had a distinctive vocal style, characterized by his "whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery", and often used multi-tracking to create vocal layers, textures, and harmonies. After playing in the rock band Heatmiser for several years, Smith began his solo career in 1994, with releases on the independent record labels Cavity Search and Kill Rock Stars (KRS). In 1997, he signed a contract with DreamWorks Records, for which he recorded two albums. Smith rose to mainstream prominence when his song "Miss Misery"—included in the soundtrack for the film Good Will Hunting (1997)—was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Original Song category in 1998. Smith was a heavy drinker and drug user at times throughout his life, and was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression. His struggles with drugs and mental illness affected his life and work, and often appeared in his lyrics. In 2003, aged 34, he died in Los Angeles, California, from two stab wounds to the chest. The autopsy evidence was inconclusive as to whether the wounds were self-inflicted or the result of homicide. At the time of his death, Smith was working on his sixth studio album, From a Basement on the Hill, which was posthumously produced and released in 2004. Early life Steven Paul Smith was born at the Methodist Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, the only child of Gary Smith, a student at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Bunny Kay Berryman, an elementary school music teacher. His parents divorced when he was six months old, and Smith moved with his mother to Duncanville, Texas. Smith later had a tattoo of a map of Texas drawn on his upper arm and said: "I didn't get it because I like Texas, kind of the opposite. But I won't forget about it, although I'm tempted to because I don't like it there." Smith endured a difficult childhood and a troubled relationship with his stepfather Charlie Welch. Smith stated he may have been sexually abused by Welch at a young age, an allegation that Welch has denied. He wrote about this part of his life in "Some Song". The name "Charlie" also appears in songs "Flowers for Charlie" and "No Confidence Man." In a 2004 interview, Jennifer Chiba, Smith's partner at the time of his death, said that Smith's difficult childhood was partly why he needed to sedate himself with drugs as an adult: "He was remembering traumatic things from his childhood – parts of things. It's not my place to say what." For much of his childhood, Smith's family was a part of the Community of Christ but began attending services at a local Methodist church. Smith felt that going to church did little for him, except make him "really scared of Hell". In 2001, he said: "I don't necessarily buy into any officially structured version of spirituality. But I have my own version of it." Smith began playing piano at age nine, and at ten began learning guitar on a small acoustic guitar bought for him by his father. At this age he composed an original piano piece, "Fantasy", which won him a prize at an arts festival. Many of the people on his mother's side of the family were non-professional musicians; his grandfather was a Dixieland drummer, and his grandmother sang in a glee club. At fourteen, Smith left his mother's home in Texas and moved to Portland, Oregon, to live with his father, who was then working as a psychiatrist. It was around this time that Smith began using drugs, including alcohol, with friends. He also began experimenting with recording for the first time after borrowing a four-track recorder. At high school, Smith played clarinet in the school band and played guitar and piano; he also sang in the bands Stranger Than Fiction and A Murder of Crows, billed as either Steven Smith or "Johnny Panic". He graduated from Lincoln High School as a National Merit Scholar. After graduation, Smith began calling himself "Elliott", saying that he thought "Steve" sounded too much like a "jock" name, and that "Steven" sounded "too bookish". According to friends, he had also used the pseudonym "Elliott Stillwater-Rotter" during his time in the band A Murder of Crows. Biographer S. R. Shutt speculates that the name was either inspired by Elliott Avenue, a street that Smith had lived on in Portland, or that it was suggested by his then-girlfriend. A junior high acquaintance of Smith speculates Smith changed his name so as not to be confused with Steve Smith, the drummer of Journey. Career 1991–1996: Heatmiser In 1991 Smith graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts with a degree in philosophy and political science. "Went straight through in four years", he explained to Under the Radar in 2003. "I guess it proved to myself that I could do something I really didn't want to for four years. Except I did like what I was studying. At the time it seemed like, 'This is your one and only chance to go to college and you had just better do it because some day you might wish that you did.' Plus, the whole reason I applied in the first place was because of my girlfriend, and I had gotten accepted already even though we had broken up before the first day." After he graduated, he "worked in a bakery back in Portland with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and legal theory". While at Hampshire, Smith formed the band Heatmiser with classmate Neil Gust. After Smith graduated from Hampshire, the band added drummer Tony Lash and bassist Brandt Peterson and began performing around Portland in 1992. The group released the albums Dead Air (1993) and Cop and Speeder (1994) as well as the Yellow No. 5 EP (1994) on Frontier Records. They were then signed to Virgin Records to release what became their final album, Mic City Sons (1996). Around this time, Smith and Gust worked a number of odd jobs around Portland, including installing drywall, spreading gravel, transplanting bamboo trees, and painting the roof of a warehouse with heat reflective paint. The pair were also on unemployment benefits for some time, which they considered an "artist grant". Smith had begun his solo career while still in Heatmiser, and the success of his first two releases created distance and tension with his band. Heatmiser disbanded prior to the release of Mic City Sons, prompting Virgin to put the album out inauspiciously through its independent arm, Caroline Records. A clause in Heatmiser's record contract with Virgin meant that Smith was still bound to it as an individual. The contract was later bought out by DreamWorks prior to the recording of his fourth album, XO. 1994: Roman Candle In the early 1990s, Smith's girlfriend at the time convinced him to send a tape of songs he had recently recorded on a borrowed four-track to Cavity Search Records. Cavity owner Christopher Cooper asked to release the entire album of songs, which surprised Smith, as he was expecting only a deal for a seven-inch record. The album became Smith's release, Roman Candle (1994). Smith said: "I thought my head would be chopped off immediately when it came out because at the time it was so opposite to the grunge thing that was popular ... The thing is that album was really well received, which was a total shock, and it immediately eclipsed [Heatmiser], unfortunately." Smith felt his solo songs were not representative of the music Heatmiser was making: "The idea of playing [my music] for people didn't occur to me... because at the time it was the Northwest—Mudhoney and Nirvana—and going out to play an acoustic show was like crawling out on a limb and begging for it to be sawed off." One of Smith's first solo performances was at the now-defunct Umbra Penumbra on September 17, 1994. Only three songs from Roman Candle were performed, with the majority of the ten-song set being B-sides, Heatmiser tunes and unreleased tracks. The same year, Smith released a split 7-inch record with Pete Krebs via Slo-Mo Records, contributing the track "No Confidence Man". 1995–1997: Elliott Smith and Either/Or In 1995, Smith's self-titled album was released on Kill Rock Stars; the record featured a style of recording similar to Roman Candle, but with hints of growth and experimentation. Though the majority of the album was recorded by Smith alone, friend and The Spinanes vocalist Rebecca Gates sang harmony vocals on "St. Ides Heaven", and Heatmiser guitarist Neil Gust played guitar on "Single File". Several songs made reference to drugs, but Smith explained that he used the theme of drugs as a vehicle for conveying dependence rather than the songs being about drugs specifically. Looking back, Smith felt that the album's pervasive mood gave him "a reputation for being a really dark, depressed person" and said that he later made a conscious move toward more diverse moods in his music. In 1996, filmmaker Jem Cohen recorded Smith playing acoustic songs for the short film Lucky Three: An Elliott Smith Portrait. Two of these songs would appear on his next album, Either/Or, which was another Kill Rock Stars release. Either/Or came out in 1997 to favorable reviews. The album found Smith venturing further into full instrumentation, with several songs containing bass guitar, drums, keyboards, and electric guitars, all played by Smith. The album title was derived from the two-volume book of the same name by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, whose works generally deal with themes such as existential despair, angst, death, and God. By this time, Smith's already-heavy drinking was being compounded with use of antidepressants. At the end of the Either/Or tour, some of his close friends staged an intervention in Chicago, but it proved ineffective. Shortly after, Smith relocated from Portland to Jersey City, New Jersey, and later Brooklyn, New York. 1997–98: "Miss Misery" and the Oscars In 1997, Smith was selected by director and fellow Portland resident Gus Van Sant to be a part of the soundtrack to his film, Good Will Hunting. Smith recorded an orchestral version of "Between the Bars" with composer Danny Elfman for the movie. Smith also contributed a new song, "Miss Misery", and three previously released tracks ("No Name #3", from Roman Candle, and "Angeles" and "Say Yes", from Either/Or). The film was a commercial and critical success, and Smith was nominated for an Academy Award for "Miss Misery". Not eager to step into the limelight, he agreed to perform the song at the ceremony only after the producers informed him that if he was unwilling to perform, they would choose someone else to play it. On March 5, 1998, Smith made his network television debut on Late Night with Conan O'Brien performing "Miss Misery" solo on acoustic guitar. A few days later, wearing a white suit, he played an abridged version of the song at the Oscars, accompanied by the house orchestra. James Horner and Will Jennings won the award that night for best song with "My Heart Will Go On" (sung by Celine Dion) from the film Titanic. Smith did not voice disappointment about not winning the award. Smith commented on the surrealism of the Oscars experience: "That's exactly what it was, surreal... I enjoy performing almost as much as I enjoy making up songs in the first place. But the Oscars was a very strange show, where the set was only one song cut down to less than two minutes, and the audience was a lot of people who didn't come to hear me play. I wouldn't want to live in that world, but it was fun to walk around on the moon for a day." 1998–2000: XO and Figure 8 In 1998, after the success of Either/Or and "Miss Misery", Smith signed to a bigger record label, DreamWorks Records. Around the same time, Smith fell into depression, speaking openly of considering suicide, and on at least one occasion made a serious attempt at ending his own life. While in North Carolina, he became severely intoxicated and ran off a cliff. He landed on a tree, which badly impaled him but broke his fall. When questioned about his suicide attempt, he told an interviewer, "Yeah, I jumped off a cliff, but let's talk about something else." Christopher Cooper, head of Cavity Search Records (which released Roman Candle), said about this time in Smith's life, "I talked him out of thinking that he wanted to kill himself numerous times when he was in Portland. I kept telling him that he was a brilliant man, and that life was worth living, and that people loved him." Pete Krebs also agreed: "In Portland we got the brunt of Elliott's initial depression... Lots of people have stories of their own experiences of staying up with Elliott 'til five in the morning, holding his hand, telling him not to kill himself." Smith's first release for DreamWorks was later that year. Titled XO, it was conceived and developed while Smith wrote it out over the winter of 1997/1998, night after night seated at the bar in Luna Lounge. It was produced by the team of Rob Schnapf and Tom Rothrock. XO also contained some instrumentation from Los Angeles musicians Joey Waronker and Jon Brion. It contained a more full-sounding, baroque pop sound than any of his previous efforts, with songs featuring a horn section, Chamberlins, elaborate string arrangements, and even a drum loop on the song "Independence Day". His familiar double-tracked vocal and acoustic guitar style were still apparent while his somewhat personal lyrical style survived. The album went on to peak at number 104 on the Billboard 200 and number 123 on the UK Album Charts, while selling 400,000 copies (more than double that of each of his two Kill Rock Stars releases), becoming the best-selling release of his career. Smith's backing band during most of this period was the Portland-based group Quasi, consisting of former bandmate Sam Coomes on bass guitar and Coomes's ex-wife Janet Weiss on drums. Quasi also performed as the opening act at many shows on the tour, with Smith sometimes contributing bass guitar, guitar, or backing vocals. On October 17, 1998, Smith appeared on Saturday Night Live and performed "Waltz No. 2 (XO)". His backing band for this appearance was John Moen, Jon Brion, Rob Schnapf, and Sam Coomes. In response to whether the change to a bigger record label would influence his creative control, Smith said, "I think despite the fact that sometimes people look at major labels as simply money-making machines, they're actually composed of individuals who are real people, and there's a part of them that needs to feel that part of their job is to put out good music." Smith also claimed in another interview that he never read his reviews for fear that they would interfere with his songwriting. It was during this period that Smith appeared on Dutch television in 1998 and provided a candid interview in which he spoke of his assessment of his music career until that point: Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I mostly only know things are different because people ask me different questions, but I don't feel like things are very changed. I mean, I still, I do the same things that I did before … I think about the same things, so … I'm the wrong kind of person to be really big and famous. As part of the Dutch television special, Smith played live versions of "Waltz No. 2 (XO)", "Miss Misery", and "I Didn't Understand"—the latter two songs were performed solely on piano, while the first song was cut short by Smith, as he explained: "I had to stop it because it's… you know, what's the point of playing a song badly? It'd be better to play it and mean it, than to just walk through it." Smith relocated from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1999, taking up residence at a cabin in the Silver Lake section of town, where he would regularly play intimate, acoustic shows at local venues like Silverlake Lounge. He also performed in Toronto in April that year. In the fall, his cover of the Beatles' "Because" was featured in the end credits of DreamWorks' Oscar-winning drama American Beauty, and appeared on the film's soundtrack album. The final album Smith completed, Figure 8, was released on April 18, 2000. It featured the return of Rothrock, Schnapf, Brion, and Waronker and was partially recorded at Abbey Road Studios in England, with an obvious Beatles influence in the songwriting and production. The album garnered favorable reviews, and peaked at number 99 on the Billboard 200 and 37 on the UK Album Charts. The album received praise for its power pop style and complex arrangements, described as creating a "sweeping kaleidoscope of layered instruments and sonic textures". However, some reviewers felt that Smith's trademark dark and melancholy songwriting had lost some of its subtlety, with one reviewer likening some of the lyrics to "the self-pitying complaints of an adolescent venting in his diary". Album art and promotional pictures from the period showed Smith looking cleaned-up and put-together. An extensive tour in promotion of the record ensued, book-ended by television appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and the Late Show with David Letterman. However, Smith's condition began to deteriorate as he had become addicted to heroin either towards the end of or just after the Figure 8 tour. 2001–2002: Addiction and scrapped recordings Around the time he began recording his final album, Smith began to display signs of paranoia, often believing that a white van followed him wherever he went. He would have friends drop him off for recording sessions almost a mile away from the studio, and to reach the location, he would trudge through hundreds of yards of brush and cliffs. He started telling people that DreamWorks was out to get him: "Not long ago my house was broken into, and songs were stolen off my computer which have wound up in the hands of certain people who work at a certain label. I've also been followed around for months at a time. I wouldn't even want to necessarily say it's the people from that label who are following me around, but it was probably them who broke into my house." During this period, Smith hardly ate, subsisting primarily on ice cream. He would go without sleeping for several days and then sleep for an entire day. A follow-up to Smith's 2000 album was originally planned to happen with Rob Schnapf, but their sessions were abandoned. Smith also began distancing himself from manager Margaret Mittleman, who had handled him since the Roman Candle days. He finally began recording a new album with only himself and Jon Brion as producers sometime during 2001. The pair had recorded a substantial amount of music for the album when Brion stopped the sessions because of Smith's struggle with substance use disorder. Their friendship promptly ended, and Smith scrapped all of their work until that point. He later said "There was even a little more than half of a record done before this new one that I just scrapped because of a blown friendship with someone that made me so depressed I didn't want to hear any of those songs. He was just helping me record the songs and stuff, and then the friendship kind of fell apart all of a sudden one day. It just made it kind of awkward being alone in the car listening to the songs." When Brion sent a bill for the abandoned sessions to DreamWorks, executives Lenny Waronker and Luke Wood scheduled a meeting with Smith to determine what went wrong with the sessions. Smith complained of intrusion upon his personal life from the label, as well as poor promotion for the Figure 8 album. The talks proved fruitless, and soon after, Smith sent a message to the executives, stating that if they did not release him from his contract, he would take his own life. In May 2001, Smith set out to re-record the album, mostly on his own, but with some help from David McConnell of Goldenboy. McConnell told Spin that, during this time, Smith would smoke over $1,500 worth of heroin and crack per day, would often talk about suicide, and on numerous occasions tried to give himself an overdose. Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips and Scott McPherson of Sense Field played a few drum tracks, Sam Coomes contributed some bass guitar and backing vocals, but almost every other instrument was recorded by Smith. Smith's song "Needle in the Hay" was included in Wes Anderson's 2001 dark comedy film The Royal Tenenbaums during a suicide attempt scene. Smith was originally supposed to contribute a cover of The Beatles' "Hey Jude" for the film, but when he failed to do so in time, Anderson had to use The Mutato Muzika Orchestra's version of the track instead. Anderson would later say that Smith "was in a bad state" at the time. Smith's live performances during 2001 and 2002 were infrequent, typically in the Pacific Northwest or Los Angeles. A review of his December 20, 2001, show at Portland's Crystal Ballroom expressed concern over his appearance and performance: his hair was uncharacteristically greasy and long, his face was bearded and gaunt, and during his songs he exhibited alarming signs of "memory-loss and butterfingers". At another performance in San Francisco that month, the audience began shouting out lyrics when Smith could not remember them. In the first of only three concerts performed in 2002, Smith co-headlined Northwestern University's A&O Ball with Wilco on May 2 in Chicago. He was onstage for nearly an hour but failed to complete half of the songs. He claimed that his poor performance was due to his left hand having fallen asleep and told the audience it felt "like having stuff on your hand and you can't get it off". Smith's performance was reviewed as "undoubtedly one of the worst performances ever by a musician" and an "excruciating […] nightmare". A reporter for the online magazine Glorious Noise wrote, "It would not surprise me at all if Elliott Smith ends up dead within a year." On November 25, 2002, Smith was involved in a brawl with the Los Angeles Police Department at a concert where The Flaming Lips and Beck were performing. Smith later said he was defending a man he thought the police were harassing. The officers allegedly beat and arrested him and girlfriend Jennifer Chiba. The two spent the night in jail. Smith's back was injured in the incident, causing him to cancel a number of shows. Wayne Coyne, lead singer of The Flaming Lips and a friend of Smith's, stated concern over Smith's appearance and actions, saying that he "saw a guy who had lost control of himself. He was needy, he was grumpy, he was everything you wouldn't want in a person. It's not like when you think of Keith Richards being pleasantly blissed out in the corner." 2003: Reemergence and From a Basement on the Hill Smith had attempted to go to rehab several times, but found that he was unable to relate to the popular treatments for people with substance use disorder that used a twelve-step program basis for treatment. "I couldn't do the first step […] I couldn't say what you were supposed to say and mean it." In 2002, Smith went to the Neurotransmitter Restoration Center in Beverly Hills to start a course of treatment for substance use disorder. In one of his final interviews, he spoke about the center, "What they do is an IV treatment where they put a needle in your arm, and you're on a drip bag, but the only thing that's in the drip bag is amino acids and saline solution. I was coming off of a lot of psych meds and other things. I was even on an antipsychotic, although I'm not psychotic." Two sold-out solo acoustic concerts at Hollywood's Henry Fonda Theater, on January 31 and February 1, 2003, saw Smith attempting to reestablish his credibility as a live performer. Before the show, Smith scrawled "Kali – The Destroyer" (the Hindu goddess associated with time and change) in large block letters with permanent ink on his left arm, which was visible to the crowd during the performance. On several songs, he was backed by a stripped-down drum kit played by Robin Peringer (of the band 764-HERO), and members of opening band Rilo Kiley contributed backing vocals to one song. Near the end of the first show, the musician responded for several minutes after a heckler (later identified as Smith's ex-girlfriend Valerie Deerin) yelled "Get a backbone." Smith played two more Los Angeles concerts during 2003, including The Derby in May and the L.A. Weekly Music Awards in June. After his 34th birthday on August 6, 2003, he gave up alcohol. Director Mike Mills had been working with Smith during his final years and described Smith's troubles and apparent recovery: "I gave the script to him, then he dropped off the face of the earth […] he went through his whole crazy time, but by the time I was done with the film, he was making From a Basement on the Hill and I was shocked that he was actually making music." With things improving for Smith after several troubled years, he began experimenting with noise music and worked on his girlfriend Jennifer Chiba's iMac with the intent of learning how to record with computers, noting that it was the only method with which he was still unfamiliar. Smith jokingly labeled his experimental way of recording "The California Frown" (a play on the Beach Boys' "California Sound"). He said of the songs, "They're kind of more noisy with the pitch all distorted. Some are more acoustic, but there aren't too many like that. Lately I've just been making up a lot of noise." He was also in the process of recording songs for the Thumbsucker soundtrack, including Big Star's "Thirteen" and Cat Stevens's "Trouble". In August 2003, Suicide Squeeze Records put out a limited-edition vinyl single for "Pretty (Ugly Before)", a song that Smith had been playing since the Figure 8 tour. Smith's final show was at Redfest at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on September 19, 2003. The final song he played live was "Long, Long, Long" by The Beatles. 2004–present: Posthumous releases From a Basement on the Hill, almost four years in production, was released on October 19, 2004, by ANTI- Records (a part of Epitaph Records). With Smith's family in control of his estate, they chose to bring in Rob Schnapf and Smith's ex-girlfriend Joanna Bolme to sort through the recordings and mix the album. Although Smith had voiced his desire for it to be a double album or a regular album with a bonus disc, it was not clear whether it would have been possible for him to release it that way had he completed it. As completed by Schnapf and Bolme, it was released as a 15-track single album. Many songs from the sessions (later leaked onto the Internet) were not included, such as "True Love", "Everything's OK", "Stickman", and "Suicide Machine" (a reworking of the Figure 8-era unreleased instrumental "Tiny Time Machine"). There has been unconfirmed speculation that Smith's family made the decision not to include some songs on the record due to their lyrical content, although songs such as "King's Crossing" that deal with darker subjects did make the album. Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing, a biography by Benjamin Nugent, was rushed to publication shortly after From a Basement on the Hill, shortly after the first anniversary of his death. Smith's family, as well as Joanna Bolme, Jennifer Chiba, Neil Gust, Sam Coomes, and Janet Weiss, all declined to be interviewed. It contained interviews with Rob Schnapf, David McConnell, and Pete Krebs. The book received mixed reviews, with Publishers Weekly remarking that while "Nugent manages to patch together the major beats of Smith's life, he can offer little meaningful insight". In 2005, a tribute album, A Tribute to Elliott Smith, was released. It featured various bands performing tributes to Smith. On May 8, 2007, a posthumous two-disc compilation album entitled New Moon was released by Kill Rock Stars. The album contained 24 songs recorded by Smith between 1994 and 1997 during his tenure with the label, songs that were not included on albums, as well as a few early versions and previously released B-sides. In the United States, the album debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200, selling about 24,000 copies in its first week. The record received favorable reviews and was Metacritic's 15th best-reviewed album of 2007. A portion of the proceeds from album sales were to go to Outside In, a social service agency for low-income adults and homeless youth in Portland, Oregon. On October 25, 2007, a book titled Elliott Smith was released by Autumn de Wilde, which consists of photographs, handwritten lyrics, and "revealing talks with Smith's inner circle". De Wilde was responsible for the Figure 8 sleeve art, making a landmark and de facto Smith memorial of the Solutions Audio mural. A five-song CD featuring previously unreleased live recordings of Smith performing acoustically at Largo in Los Angeles was included in the release. Following Smith's death, his estate licensed his songs for use in film and television projects such as One Tree Hill, The Girl Next Door, Georgia Rule, and Paranoid Park. In a March 2009 interview, Larry Crane said that Smith's estate was defunct and all rights previously held by Smith are now in the control of his parents. Crane went on to say that his parents own the rights to Smith's high school recordings, some of the Heatmiser material, all solo songs recorded until his 1998 record deal with DreamWorks Records, and From a Basement on the Hill. DreamWorks Records was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2003, and Interscope Records currently "owns all studio and live recording from Jan 1998 to his passing, except for the songs on From a Basement on the Hill." In December 2009, Kill Rock Stars announced that it had obtained the rights to re-release Roman Candle and From a Basement on the Hill, originally released by Cavity Search and ANTI-, respectively. Roman Candle would be remastered by Larry Crane. Along with the press release, Kill Rock Stars posted a previously unreleased track of Smith's, titled "Cecilia/Amanda", as a free download. Roman Candle and From a Basement on the Hill were re-released on April 6, 2010, in the US. A greatest hits compilation titled An Introduction to... Elliott Smith was released in November 2010 by Domino Records (UK) and Kill Rock Stars (US). In August 2013, there was a memorial concert in Portland, Oregon and three other cities. Attending the Portland show were several musicians Smith had performed with, friends, and an appearance by film director Gus Van Sant. In 2014, director Paul Thomas Anderson posted a video of the pilot episode for a show called The Jon Brion Show, featuring an acoustic set by Smith including accompaniment by Brion and pianist Brad Mehldau. On July 17, 2015, a documentary about Smith's life titled Heaven Adores You saw a limited theatrical release. The documentary enlisted a number of close friends and family members, as well as hours of audio interviews throughout Smith's short career. The film was directed by Nickolas Rossi and released through Eagle Rock Entertainment. Heaven Adores You received positive reviews from Consequence of Sound, The Guardian, and The Hollywood Reporter. On August 6, 2019 (what would have been Smith's 50th birthday), UMe released digital deluxe editions of the two albums XO and Figure 8. The new edition of XO has nine added tracks, including Smith's Oscar-nominated Good Will Hunting song "Miss Misery." Seven tracks have been added to Figure 8. The digital deluxe edition includes "Figure 8"—Smith's cover of the "Schoolhouse Rock!" song—which was originally released only on the Japanese edition of the album. The final track on the new Figure 8 edition is Smith's cover of the Beatles’ "Because", originally featured on the 1999 American Beauty soundtrack. In May 2021, Smith's life and work were the subject of BBC Radio 4's Great Lives. Death Smith died on October 21, 2003, at the age of 34 from two stab wounds to the chest. At the time of the stabbing, he was at his Lemoyne Street home in Echo Park, California, where he lived with his girlfriend, Jennifer Chiba. According to Chiba, the two were arguing, and she locked herself in the bathroom to take a shower. Chiba heard him scream and upon opening the door saw Smith standing with a knife in his chest. She pulled the knife out, after which he collapsed and she called 9-1-1 at 12:18 pm. Smith died in the hospital, with the time of death listed as 1:36 p.m. A possible suicide note, written on a sticky note, read: "I'm so sorry—love, Elliott. God forgive me." In the coroner's report of the note, the name "Elliott" is misspelled as "Elliot". While Smith's death was reported as a suicide, the official autopsy report released in December 2003 left open the question of homicide. Smith's remains were cremated, and his ashes were divided between his mother, father, and half-sister Ashley. A small memorial service for family and friends was held at his father's home in Portland, although Smith's "ashes weren't on hand because the coroner wouldn't release them." The status or location of Smith's ashes has not been made public. According to Pitchfork, record producer Larry Crane reported on his Tape Op message board that he had planned to help Smith mix his album in mid-November. Crane wrote, "I hadn't talked to Elliott in over a year. His girlfriend, Jennifer, called me [last week] and asked if I'd like to come to L.A. and help mix and finish [Smith's album]. I said 'yes, of course', and chatted with Elliott for the first time in ages. It seems surreal that he would call me to finish an album and then a week later kill himself. I talked to Jennifer this morning, who was obviously shattered and in tears, and she said, 'I don't understand, he was so healthy. The coroner reported that no traces of illegal substances or alcohol were found in Smith's system at the time of his death but did find prescribed levels of antidepressant, anxiolytic, and ADHD medications, including clonazepam, mirtazapine, atomoxetine, and amphetamine. There were no hesitation wounds, which are typically found on a victim of suicide by self-infliction. Due to the inconclusive autopsy ruling, the Los Angeles Police Department's investigation remains open. Reaction Shortly after Smith's death, a fan memorial was initiated outside Solutions Audio (4334 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California), the site at which the cover of the Figure 8 album was shot. Farewell messages to Smith were written on the wall, and flowers, photos, candles, and empty bottles of alcohol mentioned in Smith's songs were left. Since then, the wall has been a regular target for graffiti but is regularly restored by fans. Memorial concerts were held in several cities in the United States and the United Kingdom. A petition was soon put forth with intent to make part of the Silver Lake area a memorial park in Smith's honor. It received over 10,000 signatures, but no plans to establish the park have been announced. A memorial plaque located inside Smith's former high school, Lincoln High, was hung in July 2006. The plaque reads: "I'm never going to know you now, but I'm going to love you anyhow" referencing Smith's song "Waltz No. 2 (XO)". Since Smith's death, many musical acts have paid him tribute. Songs in tribute to, or about, Smith have been released by Pearl Jam ("Can't Keep" on the Live at Benaroya Hall concert album); Sparta ("Bombs and Us"); Third Eye Blind ("There's No Hurry to Eternity", originally titled "Elliott Smith", on the Live from Nowhere Near You, Volume Two: Pacific Northwest compilation); 9 Horses (“listening to the Elliott Smith discography in reverse order”, on the album Perfectest Herald); Ben Folds ("Late" on Songs for Silverman); Brad Mehldau ("Sky Turning Grey (for Elliott Smith)" on Highway Rider); Rilo Kiley ("It Just Is", and "Ripchord" from the album More Adventurous); Lil B's 'The Worlds Ending'; Rhett Miller ("The Believer" on The Believer); Earlimart ("Heaven Adores You" on Treble and Tremble); Joan As Police Woman ("We Don't Own It" on Real Life); and Pete Yorn ("Bandstand in the Sky" on Nightcrawler, a song jointly dedicated to Jeff Buckley). Several tribute albums have also been released since his death, including Christopher O'Riley's 2006 Home to Oblivion: An Elliott Smith Tribute, with 18 instrumental covers, The Portland Cello Project's 2014 to e.s., covering six of his songs and To Elliott, from Portland containing covers by a number of Portland bands. On July 30, 2004, Chiba filed a lawsuit against the Smith family for 15% of his earnings (over $1 million), claiming that she and Smith lived as "husband and wife", that Smith had pledged to take care of her financially for the rest of her life, and that she worked as his manager and agent from around 2000 until his death. A state labor commissioner ruled her claim as manager to be invalid, as she had worked as an "unlicensed talent agent" under California's Talent Agencies Act. The case made it to the California appellate court in October 2007, but the decision was affirmed 2–1. In an October 2013 Spin magazine article—a reflection at the ten-year anniversary of Smith's death—drummer McPherson stated that Smith was "a sick man without his medicine" during the last 31 days of his life, when he was not only sober, but had also given up red meat and sugar. In the same article, Chiba recalls thinking, "Okay, you're asking a lot of yourself. You're giving up a lot at once." Chiba further explained that "anyone who understands drug abuse knows that you use drugs to hide from your past or sedate yourself from strong, overwhelming feelings. So when you're newly clean and coming off the medications that have been masking all those feelings, that's when you're the most vulnerable." Writing for Spin, Liam Gowing also encountered a local musician who claimed Smith had said to him: "The people who try to intervene, they're good people who genuinely care about you. But they don't know what you're going through. Do what you need to do." According to the musician, Smith had adamantly dissuaded him from suicide. Musical style and influences Smith respected and was inspired by many artists and styles, including the Beatles, Neil Young, Simon & Garfunkel, Big Star, the Clash, the Who, Led Zeppelin, the Kinks, Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, Rush, Bauhaus, Elvis Costello, Oasis, Television, Motown and flamenco records, AC/DC, Hank Williams, and Scorpions, Smith claimed to listen exclusively to selected albums (such as The Marble Index by Nico) for months. Sean Croghan, a former roommate of Smith's, said that Smith "listened almost exclusively to slow jams" in his senior year at college. Smith also took inspiration from novels, religion, and philosophy. He liked classic literature, especially Samuel Beckett, T. S. Eliot, and Russian novelists such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Smith mentioned his admiration for Bob Dylan in several interviews, citing him as an early influence. He once commented: "My father taught me how to play 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right'. I love Dylan's words, but even more than that, I love the fact that he loves words." Smith covered Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece" several times in concert. Smith has also been compared to folk singer Nick Drake, due to his fingerpicking style and vocals. Darryl Cater of AllMusic called references to "the definitive folk loner" Drake "inevitable", and Smith's lyrics have been compared to those in Drake's minimalist and haunting final album. Smith was a dedicated fan of the Beatles (as well as their solo projects), once noting that he had been listening to them frequently since he was about "four years old" and also claimed that hearing The White Album was his original inspiration to become a musician. In 1998, Smith contributed a cover of the Beatles song "Because" to the closing credits and soundtrack of the film American Beauty. Although this was the only Beatles song that Smith ever officially released, he is known to have recorded many others, ("Revolution", "I'll Be Back" and "I'm So Tired") and played many songs by both the band and the members' solo projects at live concerts. Smith said that transitions were his favorite part of songs and that he preferred to write broader, more impressionistic music closer to pop rather than folk music. Smith compared his songs to stories or dreams, not purely confessional pieces that people could relate to. When asked about the dark nature of his songwriting and the cult following he was gaining, Smith said he felt it was merely a product of his writing songs that were strongly meaningful to him rather than anything contrived. Larry Crane, Smith's posthumous archivist, has said that he was surprised at the amount of "recycling of musical ideas" he encountered while cataloging Smith's private tapes: "I found songs recorded in high school reworked 15 years on. Lyrics became more important to him as he became older, and more time was spent working on them." Legacy Since his death, Smith has been regarded as one of the most influential artists in indie music. Many artists have mentioned Smith as their influence, such as Frank Ocean, Beck, Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Haim's lead vocalist Danielle Haim. See also List of unsolved deaths Discography Studio albums Roman Candle (1994) Elliott Smith (1995) Either/Or (1997) XO (1998) Figure 8 (2000) Posthumous studio albums From a Basement on the Hill (2004) Compilation albums New Moon (2007) References Bibliography External links Official website Official Cavity Search Records website Official Kill Rock Stars website Elliott Smith collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive Keep the Things You Forgot: An Elliott Smith Oral History 1969 births 2003 deaths Unsolved deaths 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American writers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American writers Alternative rock guitarists Alternative rock singers American feminists American indie rock musicians American male guitarists American male singer-songwriters American rock guitarists American tenors Anti- (record label) artists Caroline Records artists Cavity Search Records artists Deaths by stabbing in California Domino Recording Company artists DreamWorks Records artists Feminist musicians Fingerstyle guitarists Guitarists from Los Angeles Guitarists from Nebraska Guitarists from New York City Guitarists from Oklahoma Guitarists from Oregon Guitarists from Texas Hampshire College alumni Indie folk musicians Kill Rock Stars artists Lincoln High School (Portland, Oregon) alumni Male feminists Musicians from Brooklyn Musicians from Omaha, Nebraska Musicians from Portland, Oregon People from Duncanville, Texas People from Echo Park, Los Angeles People with mood disorders Singers from Los Angeles Singers from New York City Singer-songwriters from Texas Suicide Squeeze Records artists Virgin Records artists 20th-century American male singers Singer-songwriters from California Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma Singer-songwriters from Nebraska
false
[ "Drolls is a Russian early music ensemble formed in 1999 and playing its own interpretation of Medieval and Renaissance music, using authentic instruments. The name of the ensemble refers to a droll - a short comical sketch of a type that originated during the Puritan Interregnum in England. Although their main repertoire consists of music and songs from across the Europe, they also sing and play music of skomorokchs. \n\nThe first album simply named \"Drolls\" was released in 2000, and shortly after that, in the beginning of 2001, was released the second album named \"Kalenda Maya\".\n\nIn 2006 Drolls together with the Belarusian ethno-band Guda recorded the album called \"Zara\", in which kupala and harvest songs are mixed with French estampie, Macedonian dances and much more. The result can be described as a world music in a way.\n\nThe same year Drolls were engaged in another project, and tried themselves both as both musicians and actors in the medieval play, which is based on poems of the famous manuscript Carmina Burana. The play is set in a medieval tavern, where its main characters discuss quite serious matters over a pint.\n\nIn 2007 the ensemble members appeared as actors yet again, but this time as medieval Slavic performers - skomorokhs in the historical movie \"Alexander. Nevskaya Bitva\" dedicated to Alexander Nevsky (1221-1263). The short performance musicians made for the film laid the foundation of their new program which was quite different to what they did before. And in the end of 2007 Drolls presented their new concert program called \"Люди Веселы\" (Skomorokhs) in Moscow, which was followed by release of the new album in 2008.\n\nFor musicians playing European music this was a move back to their roots, as main characters here are Slavic street performers, playing music very characteristic for those kind of performers and using more than 20 authentic music instruments of XIV—XVII centuries Russia.\n\nIn 2009 Drolls released their last studio album to the date, called \"Decimus\" (The Tenth).\n\nIn the following years Drolls devoted themselves more to an artistic collaboration. In 2014 together with the Petrozavodsk State University Choir they presented a new program called \"Cantigas\". This was quite a success, so in 2018 Drolls and the University Choir presented their second joint music project called \"Codex Buranus\".\n\nIn the beginning of 2019 appeared another joint project, but this time together with \"Onego\" folk instruments orchestra, in which two ensembles presented new remastered versions of pieces from the Skomorokhs program.\n\nIn the end of 2019, for the ensemble's 20th birthday, Drolls and Petrozavodsk State Glazunov Conservatoire orchestra presented a project called Danza della Morte Nera.\n\nMembers \n Dmitry Cherevko (cornamuse, flutes, jew's harp, vocal)\n Alexey Nikitin (djembe, goblet drum, glockenspiel, vocal)\n Pavel Popov (oboe, English horn, rauschpfeife, vocal)\n Igor Solovyev (mandolin, kantele, vocal)\n Sergei Popov (viola, rebec, jouhikko, vocal)\n\nDiscography \n Drolls, 2000\nKalenda Maya, 2001\n Carminis Vagantibus, 2003\n Via Sacra, 2004\n Quintus, 1999—2004\n Zara (recorded in collaboration with Guda, ethnic band from Belarus), 2006\n DVD Carmina Burana (medieval play based on poems and texts of Carmina Burana), 2007\n Люди Веселы (Skomorokhs), 2008\n Decimus, 2009\nCantigas, 2014 (concert DVD)\nCodex Buranus, 2019 (concert DVD)\n\nExternal links\n Official website\nOfficial YouTube channel\n\nEarly music\nEarly music groups\nMixed early music groups\nMusical groups established in 1999\n1999 establishments in Russia", "Play Music is the second studio album by electronic group Thieves Like Us.\n\nCritical reception \n\nIndieLondon criticized Play Music for the song tempos being too slow for the dance style it aimed for and also panned the lead singer's performance. An extremely negative NME review from Alex Hoban dismissed the album as a set of \"boring songs about drugs\" with \"vaguely voguish words\" and \"empty lyrics,\" wondering if he was \"caught up in some kind of late April Fool\" instead of an actual record. The Line of Best Fit bashed the record for its lack of stylistic and instrumental variety between tracks, describing the experience as \"faceless, soulless, heartless synthetics in its prime as this Parisian trio pursue only what they know, and care nothing for what they don't.\"\n\nExclaim! was one of the few publications to run a favorable review, where Cam Lindsay praised its mixture of styles from different countries with pop music elements and a dark mood: \"Play Music is the complete package, with a resounding desire to keep you locked in with misshapen melodies and distorted emotion. Even two years after its debut, it still sounds freshly squeezed, without any indication of going sour any time soon.\"\n\nReferences \n\n2008 albums" ]
[ "Elliott Smith", "1991-96: Heatmiser", "Was the group popular ?", "The pair were also on unemployment benefits for some time,", "What type of music did they play?", "I don't know." ]
C_67e39bd5d0ec4d73a28d88c3acd4695e_1
Most famous songs ?
3
What were Heatmiser's most famous songs?
Elliott Smith
Smith graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1991 with a degree in philosophy and political science. "Went straight through in four years", he explained to Under the Radar in 2003. "I guess it proved to myself that I could do something I really didn't want to for four years. Except I did like what I was studying. At the time it seemed like, 'This is your one and only chance to go to college and you had just better do it because some day you might wish that you did.' Plus, the whole reason I applied in the first place was because of my girlfriend, and I had gotten accepted already even though we had broken up before the first day." After he graduated, he "worked in a bakery back in Portland with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and legal theory". While at Hampshire, Smith formed the band Heatmiser with classmate Neil Gust. After Smith graduated from Hampshire, the band added drummer Tony Lash and bassist Brandt Peterson and began performing around Portland in 1992. The group released the albums Dead Air (1993) and Cop and Speeder (1994) as well as the Yellow No. 5 EP (1994) on Frontier Records. They were then signed to Virgin Records to release what became their final album, Mic City Sons (1996). Around this time, Smith and Gust worked a number of odd jobs around Portland, including installing drywall, spreading gravel, transplanting bamboo trees, and painting the roof of a warehouse with heat reflective paint. The pair were also on unemployment benefits for some time, which they considered an "artist grant". Smith had begun his solo career while still in Heatmiser, and the success of his first two releases created distance and tension with his band. Heatmiser disbanded prior to the release of Mic City Sons, prompting Virgin to put the album out inauspiciously through its independent arm, Caroline Records. A clause in Heatmiser's record contract with Virgin meant that Smith was still bound to it as an individual. The contract was later bought out by DreamWorks prior to the recording of his fourth album, XO. CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity. Smith's primary instrument was the guitar, though he also played piano, clarinet, bass guitar, drums, and harmonica. Smith had a distinctive vocal style, characterized by his "whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery", and often used multi-tracking to create vocal layers, textures, and harmonies. After playing in the rock band Heatmiser for several years, Smith began his solo career in 1994, with releases on the independent record labels Cavity Search and Kill Rock Stars (KRS). In 1997, he signed a contract with DreamWorks Records, for which he recorded two albums. Smith rose to mainstream prominence when his song "Miss Misery"—included in the soundtrack for the film Good Will Hunting (1997)—was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Original Song category in 1998. Smith was a heavy drinker and drug user at times throughout his life, and was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression. His struggles with drugs and mental illness affected his life and work, and often appeared in his lyrics. In 2003, aged 34, he died in Los Angeles, California, from two stab wounds to the chest. The autopsy evidence was inconclusive as to whether the wounds were self-inflicted or the result of homicide. At the time of his death, Smith was working on his sixth studio album, From a Basement on the Hill, which was posthumously produced and released in 2004. Early life Steven Paul Smith was born at the Methodist Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, the only child of Gary Smith, a student at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Bunny Kay Berryman, an elementary school music teacher. His parents divorced when he was six months old, and Smith moved with his mother to Duncanville, Texas. Smith later had a tattoo of a map of Texas drawn on his upper arm and said: "I didn't get it because I like Texas, kind of the opposite. But I won't forget about it, although I'm tempted to because I don't like it there." Smith endured a difficult childhood and a troubled relationship with his stepfather Charlie Welch. Smith stated he may have been sexually abused by Welch at a young age, an allegation that Welch has denied. He wrote about this part of his life in "Some Song". The name "Charlie" also appears in songs "Flowers for Charlie" and "No Confidence Man." In a 2004 interview, Jennifer Chiba, Smith's partner at the time of his death, said that Smith's difficult childhood was partly why he needed to sedate himself with drugs as an adult: "He was remembering traumatic things from his childhood – parts of things. It's not my place to say what." For much of his childhood, Smith's family was a part of the Community of Christ but began attending services at a local Methodist church. Smith felt that going to church did little for him, except make him "really scared of Hell". In 2001, he said: "I don't necessarily buy into any officially structured version of spirituality. But I have my own version of it." Smith began playing piano at age nine, and at ten began learning guitar on a small acoustic guitar bought for him by his father. At this age he composed an original piano piece, "Fantasy", which won him a prize at an arts festival. Many of the people on his mother's side of the family were non-professional musicians; his grandfather was a Dixieland drummer, and his grandmother sang in a glee club. At fourteen, Smith left his mother's home in Texas and moved to Portland, Oregon, to live with his father, who was then working as a psychiatrist. It was around this time that Smith began using drugs, including alcohol, with friends. He also began experimenting with recording for the first time after borrowing a four-track recorder. At high school, Smith played clarinet in the school band and played guitar and piano; he also sang in the bands Stranger Than Fiction and A Murder of Crows, billed as either Steven Smith or "Johnny Panic". He graduated from Lincoln High School as a National Merit Scholar. After graduation, Smith began calling himself "Elliott", saying that he thought "Steve" sounded too much like a "jock" name, and that "Steven" sounded "too bookish". According to friends, he had also used the pseudonym "Elliott Stillwater-Rotter" during his time in the band A Murder of Crows. Biographer S. R. Shutt speculates that the name was either inspired by Elliott Avenue, a street that Smith had lived on in Portland, or that it was suggested by his then-girlfriend. A junior high acquaintance of Smith speculates Smith changed his name so as not to be confused with Steve Smith, the drummer of Journey. Career 1991–1996: Heatmiser In 1991 Smith graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts with a degree in philosophy and political science. "Went straight through in four years", he explained to Under the Radar in 2003. "I guess it proved to myself that I could do something I really didn't want to for four years. Except I did like what I was studying. At the time it seemed like, 'This is your one and only chance to go to college and you had just better do it because some day you might wish that you did.' Plus, the whole reason I applied in the first place was because of my girlfriend, and I had gotten accepted already even though we had broken up before the first day." After he graduated, he "worked in a bakery back in Portland with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and legal theory". While at Hampshire, Smith formed the band Heatmiser with classmate Neil Gust. After Smith graduated from Hampshire, the band added drummer Tony Lash and bassist Brandt Peterson and began performing around Portland in 1992. The group released the albums Dead Air (1993) and Cop and Speeder (1994) as well as the Yellow No. 5 EP (1994) on Frontier Records. They were then signed to Virgin Records to release what became their final album, Mic City Sons (1996). Around this time, Smith and Gust worked a number of odd jobs around Portland, including installing drywall, spreading gravel, transplanting bamboo trees, and painting the roof of a warehouse with heat reflective paint. The pair were also on unemployment benefits for some time, which they considered an "artist grant". Smith had begun his solo career while still in Heatmiser, and the success of his first two releases created distance and tension with his band. Heatmiser disbanded prior to the release of Mic City Sons, prompting Virgin to put the album out inauspiciously through its independent arm, Caroline Records. A clause in Heatmiser's record contract with Virgin meant that Smith was still bound to it as an individual. The contract was later bought out by DreamWorks prior to the recording of his fourth album, XO. 1994: Roman Candle In the early 1990s, Smith's girlfriend at the time convinced him to send a tape of songs he had recently recorded on a borrowed four-track to Cavity Search Records. Cavity owner Christopher Cooper asked to release the entire album of songs, which surprised Smith, as he was expecting only a deal for a seven-inch record. The album became Smith's release, Roman Candle (1994). Smith said: "I thought my head would be chopped off immediately when it came out because at the time it was so opposite to the grunge thing that was popular ... The thing is that album was really well received, which was a total shock, and it immediately eclipsed [Heatmiser], unfortunately." Smith felt his solo songs were not representative of the music Heatmiser was making: "The idea of playing [my music] for people didn't occur to me... because at the time it was the Northwest—Mudhoney and Nirvana—and going out to play an acoustic show was like crawling out on a limb and begging for it to be sawed off." One of Smith's first solo performances was at the now-defunct Umbra Penumbra on September 17, 1994. Only three songs from Roman Candle were performed, with the majority of the ten-song set being B-sides, Heatmiser tunes and unreleased tracks. The same year, Smith released a split 7-inch record with Pete Krebs via Slo-Mo Records, contributing the track "No Confidence Man". 1995–1997: Elliott Smith and Either/Or In 1995, Smith's self-titled album was released on Kill Rock Stars; the record featured a style of recording similar to Roman Candle, but with hints of growth and experimentation. Though the majority of the album was recorded by Smith alone, friend and The Spinanes vocalist Rebecca Gates sang harmony vocals on "St. Ides Heaven", and Heatmiser guitarist Neil Gust played guitar on "Single File". Several songs made reference to drugs, but Smith explained that he used the theme of drugs as a vehicle for conveying dependence rather than the songs being about drugs specifically. Looking back, Smith felt that the album's pervasive mood gave him "a reputation for being a really dark, depressed person" and said that he later made a conscious move toward more diverse moods in his music. In 1996, filmmaker Jem Cohen recorded Smith playing acoustic songs for the short film Lucky Three: An Elliott Smith Portrait. Two of these songs would appear on his next album, Either/Or, which was another Kill Rock Stars release. Either/Or came out in 1997 to favorable reviews. The album found Smith venturing further into full instrumentation, with several songs containing bass guitar, drums, keyboards, and electric guitars, all played by Smith. The album title was derived from the two-volume book of the same name by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, whose works generally deal with themes such as existential despair, angst, death, and God. By this time, Smith's already-heavy drinking was being compounded with use of antidepressants. At the end of the Either/Or tour, some of his close friends staged an intervention in Chicago, but it proved ineffective. Shortly after, Smith relocated from Portland to Jersey City, New Jersey, and later Brooklyn, New York. 1997–98: "Miss Misery" and the Oscars In 1997, Smith was selected by director and fellow Portland resident Gus Van Sant to be a part of the soundtrack to his film, Good Will Hunting. Smith recorded an orchestral version of "Between the Bars" with composer Danny Elfman for the movie. Smith also contributed a new song, "Miss Misery", and three previously released tracks ("No Name #3", from Roman Candle, and "Angeles" and "Say Yes", from Either/Or). The film was a commercial and critical success, and Smith was nominated for an Academy Award for "Miss Misery". Not eager to step into the limelight, he agreed to perform the song at the ceremony only after the producers informed him that if he was unwilling to perform, they would choose someone else to play it. On March 5, 1998, Smith made his network television debut on Late Night with Conan O'Brien performing "Miss Misery" solo on acoustic guitar. A few days later, wearing a white suit, he played an abridged version of the song at the Oscars, accompanied by the house orchestra. James Horner and Will Jennings won the award that night for best song with "My Heart Will Go On" (sung by Celine Dion) from the film Titanic. Smith did not voice disappointment about not winning the award. Smith commented on the surrealism of the Oscars experience: "That's exactly what it was, surreal... I enjoy performing almost as much as I enjoy making up songs in the first place. But the Oscars was a very strange show, where the set was only one song cut down to less than two minutes, and the audience was a lot of people who didn't come to hear me play. I wouldn't want to live in that world, but it was fun to walk around on the moon for a day." 1998–2000: XO and Figure 8 In 1998, after the success of Either/Or and "Miss Misery", Smith signed to a bigger record label, DreamWorks Records. Around the same time, Smith fell into depression, speaking openly of considering suicide, and on at least one occasion made a serious attempt at ending his own life. While in North Carolina, he became severely intoxicated and ran off a cliff. He landed on a tree, which badly impaled him but broke his fall. When questioned about his suicide attempt, he told an interviewer, "Yeah, I jumped off a cliff, but let's talk about something else." Christopher Cooper, head of Cavity Search Records (which released Roman Candle), said about this time in Smith's life, "I talked him out of thinking that he wanted to kill himself numerous times when he was in Portland. I kept telling him that he was a brilliant man, and that life was worth living, and that people loved him." Pete Krebs also agreed: "In Portland we got the brunt of Elliott's initial depression... Lots of people have stories of their own experiences of staying up with Elliott 'til five in the morning, holding his hand, telling him not to kill himself." Smith's first release for DreamWorks was later that year. Titled XO, it was conceived and developed while Smith wrote it out over the winter of 1997/1998, night after night seated at the bar in Luna Lounge. It was produced by the team of Rob Schnapf and Tom Rothrock. XO also contained some instrumentation from Los Angeles musicians Joey Waronker and Jon Brion. It contained a more full-sounding, baroque pop sound than any of his previous efforts, with songs featuring a horn section, Chamberlins, elaborate string arrangements, and even a drum loop on the song "Independence Day". His familiar double-tracked vocal and acoustic guitar style were still apparent while his somewhat personal lyrical style survived. The album went on to peak at number 104 on the Billboard 200 and number 123 on the UK Album Charts, while selling 400,000 copies (more than double that of each of his two Kill Rock Stars releases), becoming the best-selling release of his career. Smith's backing band during most of this period was the Portland-based group Quasi, consisting of former bandmate Sam Coomes on bass guitar and Coomes's ex-wife Janet Weiss on drums. Quasi also performed as the opening act at many shows on the tour, with Smith sometimes contributing bass guitar, guitar, or backing vocals. On October 17, 1998, Smith appeared on Saturday Night Live and performed "Waltz No. 2 (XO)". His backing band for this appearance was John Moen, Jon Brion, Rob Schnapf, and Sam Coomes. In response to whether the change to a bigger record label would influence his creative control, Smith said, "I think despite the fact that sometimes people look at major labels as simply money-making machines, they're actually composed of individuals who are real people, and there's a part of them that needs to feel that part of their job is to put out good music." Smith also claimed in another interview that he never read his reviews for fear that they would interfere with his songwriting. It was during this period that Smith appeared on Dutch television in 1998 and provided a candid interview in which he spoke of his assessment of his music career until that point: Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I mostly only know things are different because people ask me different questions, but I don't feel like things are very changed. I mean, I still, I do the same things that I did before … I think about the same things, so … I'm the wrong kind of person to be really big and famous. As part of the Dutch television special, Smith played live versions of "Waltz No. 2 (XO)", "Miss Misery", and "I Didn't Understand"—the latter two songs were performed solely on piano, while the first song was cut short by Smith, as he explained: "I had to stop it because it's… you know, what's the point of playing a song badly? It'd be better to play it and mean it, than to just walk through it." Smith relocated from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1999, taking up residence at a cabin in the Silver Lake section of town, where he would regularly play intimate, acoustic shows at local venues like Silverlake Lounge. He also performed in Toronto in April that year. In the fall, his cover of the Beatles' "Because" was featured in the end credits of DreamWorks' Oscar-winning drama American Beauty, and appeared on the film's soundtrack album. The final album Smith completed, Figure 8, was released on April 18, 2000. It featured the return of Rothrock, Schnapf, Brion, and Waronker and was partially recorded at Abbey Road Studios in England, with an obvious Beatles influence in the songwriting and production. The album garnered favorable reviews, and peaked at number 99 on the Billboard 200 and 37 on the UK Album Charts. The album received praise for its power pop style and complex arrangements, described as creating a "sweeping kaleidoscope of layered instruments and sonic textures". However, some reviewers felt that Smith's trademark dark and melancholy songwriting had lost some of its subtlety, with one reviewer likening some of the lyrics to "the self-pitying complaints of an adolescent venting in his diary". Album art and promotional pictures from the period showed Smith looking cleaned-up and put-together. An extensive tour in promotion of the record ensued, book-ended by television appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and the Late Show with David Letterman. However, Smith's condition began to deteriorate as he had become addicted to heroin either towards the end of or just after the Figure 8 tour. 2001–2002: Addiction and scrapped recordings Around the time he began recording his final album, Smith began to display signs of paranoia, often believing that a white van followed him wherever he went. He would have friends drop him off for recording sessions almost a mile away from the studio, and to reach the location, he would trudge through hundreds of yards of brush and cliffs. He started telling people that DreamWorks was out to get him: "Not long ago my house was broken into, and songs were stolen off my computer which have wound up in the hands of certain people who work at a certain label. I've also been followed around for months at a time. I wouldn't even want to necessarily say it's the people from that label who are following me around, but it was probably them who broke into my house." During this period, Smith hardly ate, subsisting primarily on ice cream. He would go without sleeping for several days and then sleep for an entire day. A follow-up to Smith's 2000 album was originally planned to happen with Rob Schnapf, but their sessions were abandoned. Smith also began distancing himself from manager Margaret Mittleman, who had handled him since the Roman Candle days. He finally began recording a new album with only himself and Jon Brion as producers sometime during 2001. The pair had recorded a substantial amount of music for the album when Brion stopped the sessions because of Smith's struggle with substance use disorder. Their friendship promptly ended, and Smith scrapped all of their work until that point. He later said "There was even a little more than half of a record done before this new one that I just scrapped because of a blown friendship with someone that made me so depressed I didn't want to hear any of those songs. He was just helping me record the songs and stuff, and then the friendship kind of fell apart all of a sudden one day. It just made it kind of awkward being alone in the car listening to the songs." When Brion sent a bill for the abandoned sessions to DreamWorks, executives Lenny Waronker and Luke Wood scheduled a meeting with Smith to determine what went wrong with the sessions. Smith complained of intrusion upon his personal life from the label, as well as poor promotion for the Figure 8 album. The talks proved fruitless, and soon after, Smith sent a message to the executives, stating that if they did not release him from his contract, he would take his own life. In May 2001, Smith set out to re-record the album, mostly on his own, but with some help from David McConnell of Goldenboy. McConnell told Spin that, during this time, Smith would smoke over $1,500 worth of heroin and crack per day, would often talk about suicide, and on numerous occasions tried to give himself an overdose. Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips and Scott McPherson of Sense Field played a few drum tracks, Sam Coomes contributed some bass guitar and backing vocals, but almost every other instrument was recorded by Smith. Smith's song "Needle in the Hay" was included in Wes Anderson's 2001 dark comedy film The Royal Tenenbaums during a suicide attempt scene. Smith was originally supposed to contribute a cover of The Beatles' "Hey Jude" for the film, but when he failed to do so in time, Anderson had to use The Mutato Muzika Orchestra's version of the track instead. Anderson would later say that Smith "was in a bad state" at the time. Smith's live performances during 2001 and 2002 were infrequent, typically in the Pacific Northwest or Los Angeles. A review of his December 20, 2001, show at Portland's Crystal Ballroom expressed concern over his appearance and performance: his hair was uncharacteristically greasy and long, his face was bearded and gaunt, and during his songs he exhibited alarming signs of "memory-loss and butterfingers". At another performance in San Francisco that month, the audience began shouting out lyrics when Smith could not remember them. In the first of only three concerts performed in 2002, Smith co-headlined Northwestern University's A&O Ball with Wilco on May 2 in Chicago. He was onstage for nearly an hour but failed to complete half of the songs. He claimed that his poor performance was due to his left hand having fallen asleep and told the audience it felt "like having stuff on your hand and you can't get it off". Smith's performance was reviewed as "undoubtedly one of the worst performances ever by a musician" and an "excruciating […] nightmare". A reporter for the online magazine Glorious Noise wrote, "It would not surprise me at all if Elliott Smith ends up dead within a year." On November 25, 2002, Smith was involved in a brawl with the Los Angeles Police Department at a concert where The Flaming Lips and Beck were performing. Smith later said he was defending a man he thought the police were harassing. The officers allegedly beat and arrested him and girlfriend Jennifer Chiba. The two spent the night in jail. Smith's back was injured in the incident, causing him to cancel a number of shows. Wayne Coyne, lead singer of The Flaming Lips and a friend of Smith's, stated concern over Smith's appearance and actions, saying that he "saw a guy who had lost control of himself. He was needy, he was grumpy, he was everything you wouldn't want in a person. It's not like when you think of Keith Richards being pleasantly blissed out in the corner." 2003: Reemergence and From a Basement on the Hill Smith had attempted to go to rehab several times, but found that he was unable to relate to the popular treatments for people with substance use disorder that used a twelve-step program basis for treatment. "I couldn't do the first step […] I couldn't say what you were supposed to say and mean it." In 2002, Smith went to the Neurotransmitter Restoration Center in Beverly Hills to start a course of treatment for substance use disorder. In one of his final interviews, he spoke about the center, "What they do is an IV treatment where they put a needle in your arm, and you're on a drip bag, but the only thing that's in the drip bag is amino acids and saline solution. I was coming off of a lot of psych meds and other things. I was even on an antipsychotic, although I'm not psychotic." Two sold-out solo acoustic concerts at Hollywood's Henry Fonda Theater, on January 31 and February 1, 2003, saw Smith attempting to reestablish his credibility as a live performer. Before the show, Smith scrawled "Kali – The Destroyer" (the Hindu goddess associated with time and change) in large block letters with permanent ink on his left arm, which was visible to the crowd during the performance. On several songs, he was backed by a stripped-down drum kit played by Robin Peringer (of the band 764-HERO), and members of opening band Rilo Kiley contributed backing vocals to one song. Near the end of the first show, the musician responded for several minutes after a heckler (later identified as Smith's ex-girlfriend Valerie Deerin) yelled "Get a backbone." Smith played two more Los Angeles concerts during 2003, including The Derby in May and the L.A. Weekly Music Awards in June. After his 34th birthday on August 6, 2003, he gave up alcohol. Director Mike Mills had been working with Smith during his final years and described Smith's troubles and apparent recovery: "I gave the script to him, then he dropped off the face of the earth […] he went through his whole crazy time, but by the time I was done with the film, he was making From a Basement on the Hill and I was shocked that he was actually making music." With things improving for Smith after several troubled years, he began experimenting with noise music and worked on his girlfriend Jennifer Chiba's iMac with the intent of learning how to record with computers, noting that it was the only method with which he was still unfamiliar. Smith jokingly labeled his experimental way of recording "The California Frown" (a play on the Beach Boys' "California Sound"). He said of the songs, "They're kind of more noisy with the pitch all distorted. Some are more acoustic, but there aren't too many like that. Lately I've just been making up a lot of noise." He was also in the process of recording songs for the Thumbsucker soundtrack, including Big Star's "Thirteen" and Cat Stevens's "Trouble". In August 2003, Suicide Squeeze Records put out a limited-edition vinyl single for "Pretty (Ugly Before)", a song that Smith had been playing since the Figure 8 tour. Smith's final show was at Redfest at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on September 19, 2003. The final song he played live was "Long, Long, Long" by The Beatles. 2004–present: Posthumous releases From a Basement on the Hill, almost four years in production, was released on October 19, 2004, by ANTI- Records (a part of Epitaph Records). With Smith's family in control of his estate, they chose to bring in Rob Schnapf and Smith's ex-girlfriend Joanna Bolme to sort through the recordings and mix the album. Although Smith had voiced his desire for it to be a double album or a regular album with a bonus disc, it was not clear whether it would have been possible for him to release it that way had he completed it. As completed by Schnapf and Bolme, it was released as a 15-track single album. Many songs from the sessions (later leaked onto the Internet) were not included, such as "True Love", "Everything's OK", "Stickman", and "Suicide Machine" (a reworking of the Figure 8-era unreleased instrumental "Tiny Time Machine"). There has been unconfirmed speculation that Smith's family made the decision not to include some songs on the record due to their lyrical content, although songs such as "King's Crossing" that deal with darker subjects did make the album. Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing, a biography by Benjamin Nugent, was rushed to publication shortly after From a Basement on the Hill, shortly after the first anniversary of his death. Smith's family, as well as Joanna Bolme, Jennifer Chiba, Neil Gust, Sam Coomes, and Janet Weiss, all declined to be interviewed. It contained interviews with Rob Schnapf, David McConnell, and Pete Krebs. The book received mixed reviews, with Publishers Weekly remarking that while "Nugent manages to patch together the major beats of Smith's life, he can offer little meaningful insight". In 2005, a tribute album, A Tribute to Elliott Smith, was released. It featured various bands performing tributes to Smith. On May 8, 2007, a posthumous two-disc compilation album entitled New Moon was released by Kill Rock Stars. The album contained 24 songs recorded by Smith between 1994 and 1997 during his tenure with the label, songs that were not included on albums, as well as a few early versions and previously released B-sides. In the United States, the album debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200, selling about 24,000 copies in its first week. The record received favorable reviews and was Metacritic's 15th best-reviewed album of 2007. A portion of the proceeds from album sales were to go to Outside In, a social service agency for low-income adults and homeless youth in Portland, Oregon. On October 25, 2007, a book titled Elliott Smith was released by Autumn de Wilde, which consists of photographs, handwritten lyrics, and "revealing talks with Smith's inner circle". De Wilde was responsible for the Figure 8 sleeve art, making a landmark and de facto Smith memorial of the Solutions Audio mural. A five-song CD featuring previously unreleased live recordings of Smith performing acoustically at Largo in Los Angeles was included in the release. Following Smith's death, his estate licensed his songs for use in film and television projects such as One Tree Hill, The Girl Next Door, Georgia Rule, and Paranoid Park. In a March 2009 interview, Larry Crane said that Smith's estate was defunct and all rights previously held by Smith are now in the control of his parents. Crane went on to say that his parents own the rights to Smith's high school recordings, some of the Heatmiser material, all solo songs recorded until his 1998 record deal with DreamWorks Records, and From a Basement on the Hill. DreamWorks Records was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2003, and Interscope Records currently "owns all studio and live recording from Jan 1998 to his passing, except for the songs on From a Basement on the Hill." In December 2009, Kill Rock Stars announced that it had obtained the rights to re-release Roman Candle and From a Basement on the Hill, originally released by Cavity Search and ANTI-, respectively. Roman Candle would be remastered by Larry Crane. Along with the press release, Kill Rock Stars posted a previously unreleased track of Smith's, titled "Cecilia/Amanda", as a free download. Roman Candle and From a Basement on the Hill were re-released on April 6, 2010, in the US. A greatest hits compilation titled An Introduction to... Elliott Smith was released in November 2010 by Domino Records (UK) and Kill Rock Stars (US). In August 2013, there was a memorial concert in Portland, Oregon and three other cities. Attending the Portland show were several musicians Smith had performed with, friends, and an appearance by film director Gus Van Sant. In 2014, director Paul Thomas Anderson posted a video of the pilot episode for a show called The Jon Brion Show, featuring an acoustic set by Smith including accompaniment by Brion and pianist Brad Mehldau. On July 17, 2015, a documentary about Smith's life titled Heaven Adores You saw a limited theatrical release. The documentary enlisted a number of close friends and family members, as well as hours of audio interviews throughout Smith's short career. The film was directed by Nickolas Rossi and released through Eagle Rock Entertainment. Heaven Adores You received positive reviews from Consequence of Sound, The Guardian, and The Hollywood Reporter. On August 6, 2019 (what would have been Smith's 50th birthday), UMe released digital deluxe editions of the two albums XO and Figure 8. The new edition of XO has nine added tracks, including Smith's Oscar-nominated Good Will Hunting song "Miss Misery." Seven tracks have been added to Figure 8. The digital deluxe edition includes "Figure 8"—Smith's cover of the "Schoolhouse Rock!" song—which was originally released only on the Japanese edition of the album. The final track on the new Figure 8 edition is Smith's cover of the Beatles’ "Because", originally featured on the 1999 American Beauty soundtrack. In May 2021, Smith's life and work were the subject of BBC Radio 4's Great Lives. Death Smith died on October 21, 2003, at the age of 34 from two stab wounds to the chest. At the time of the stabbing, he was at his Lemoyne Street home in Echo Park, California, where he lived with his girlfriend, Jennifer Chiba. According to Chiba, the two were arguing, and she locked herself in the bathroom to take a shower. Chiba heard him scream and upon opening the door saw Smith standing with a knife in his chest. She pulled the knife out, after which he collapsed and she called 9-1-1 at 12:18 pm. Smith died in the hospital, with the time of death listed as 1:36 p.m. A possible suicide note, written on a sticky note, read: "I'm so sorry—love, Elliott. God forgive me." In the coroner's report of the note, the name "Elliott" is misspelled as "Elliot". While Smith's death was reported as a suicide, the official autopsy report released in December 2003 left open the question of homicide. Smith's remains were cremated, and his ashes were divided between his mother, father, and half-sister Ashley. A small memorial service for family and friends was held at his father's home in Portland, although Smith's "ashes weren't on hand because the coroner wouldn't release them." The status or location of Smith's ashes has not been made public. According to Pitchfork, record producer Larry Crane reported on his Tape Op message board that he had planned to help Smith mix his album in mid-November. Crane wrote, "I hadn't talked to Elliott in over a year. His girlfriend, Jennifer, called me [last week] and asked if I'd like to come to L.A. and help mix and finish [Smith's album]. I said 'yes, of course', and chatted with Elliott for the first time in ages. It seems surreal that he would call me to finish an album and then a week later kill himself. I talked to Jennifer this morning, who was obviously shattered and in tears, and she said, 'I don't understand, he was so healthy. The coroner reported that no traces of illegal substances or alcohol were found in Smith's system at the time of his death but did find prescribed levels of antidepressant, anxiolytic, and ADHD medications, including clonazepam, mirtazapine, atomoxetine, and amphetamine. There were no hesitation wounds, which are typically found on a victim of suicide by self-infliction. Due to the inconclusive autopsy ruling, the Los Angeles Police Department's investigation remains open. Reaction Shortly after Smith's death, a fan memorial was initiated outside Solutions Audio (4334 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California), the site at which the cover of the Figure 8 album was shot. Farewell messages to Smith were written on the wall, and flowers, photos, candles, and empty bottles of alcohol mentioned in Smith's songs were left. Since then, the wall has been a regular target for graffiti but is regularly restored by fans. Memorial concerts were held in several cities in the United States and the United Kingdom. A petition was soon put forth with intent to make part of the Silver Lake area a memorial park in Smith's honor. It received over 10,000 signatures, but no plans to establish the park have been announced. A memorial plaque located inside Smith's former high school, Lincoln High, was hung in July 2006. The plaque reads: "I'm never going to know you now, but I'm going to love you anyhow" referencing Smith's song "Waltz No. 2 (XO)". Since Smith's death, many musical acts have paid him tribute. Songs in tribute to, or about, Smith have been released by Pearl Jam ("Can't Keep" on the Live at Benaroya Hall concert album); Sparta ("Bombs and Us"); Third Eye Blind ("There's No Hurry to Eternity", originally titled "Elliott Smith", on the Live from Nowhere Near You, Volume Two: Pacific Northwest compilation); 9 Horses (“listening to the Elliott Smith discography in reverse order”, on the album Perfectest Herald); Ben Folds ("Late" on Songs for Silverman); Brad Mehldau ("Sky Turning Grey (for Elliott Smith)" on Highway Rider); Rilo Kiley ("It Just Is", and "Ripchord" from the album More Adventurous); Lil B's 'The Worlds Ending'; Rhett Miller ("The Believer" on The Believer); Earlimart ("Heaven Adores You" on Treble and Tremble); Joan As Police Woman ("We Don't Own It" on Real Life); and Pete Yorn ("Bandstand in the Sky" on Nightcrawler, a song jointly dedicated to Jeff Buckley). Several tribute albums have also been released since his death, including Christopher O'Riley's 2006 Home to Oblivion: An Elliott Smith Tribute, with 18 instrumental covers, The Portland Cello Project's 2014 to e.s., covering six of his songs and To Elliott, from Portland containing covers by a number of Portland bands. On July 30, 2004, Chiba filed a lawsuit against the Smith family for 15% of his earnings (over $1 million), claiming that she and Smith lived as "husband and wife", that Smith had pledged to take care of her financially for the rest of her life, and that she worked as his manager and agent from around 2000 until his death. A state labor commissioner ruled her claim as manager to be invalid, as she had worked as an "unlicensed talent agent" under California's Talent Agencies Act. The case made it to the California appellate court in October 2007, but the decision was affirmed 2–1. In an October 2013 Spin magazine article—a reflection at the ten-year anniversary of Smith's death—drummer McPherson stated that Smith was "a sick man without his medicine" during the last 31 days of his life, when he was not only sober, but had also given up red meat and sugar. In the same article, Chiba recalls thinking, "Okay, you're asking a lot of yourself. You're giving up a lot at once." Chiba further explained that "anyone who understands drug abuse knows that you use drugs to hide from your past or sedate yourself from strong, overwhelming feelings. So when you're newly clean and coming off the medications that have been masking all those feelings, that's when you're the most vulnerable." Writing for Spin, Liam Gowing also encountered a local musician who claimed Smith had said to him: "The people who try to intervene, they're good people who genuinely care about you. But they don't know what you're going through. Do what you need to do." According to the musician, Smith had adamantly dissuaded him from suicide. Musical style and influences Smith respected and was inspired by many artists and styles, including the Beatles, Neil Young, Simon & Garfunkel, Big Star, the Clash, the Who, Led Zeppelin, the Kinks, Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, Rush, Bauhaus, Elvis Costello, Oasis, Television, Motown and flamenco records, AC/DC, Hank Williams, and Scorpions, Smith claimed to listen exclusively to selected albums (such as The Marble Index by Nico) for months. Sean Croghan, a former roommate of Smith's, said that Smith "listened almost exclusively to slow jams" in his senior year at college. Smith also took inspiration from novels, religion, and philosophy. He liked classic literature, especially Samuel Beckett, T. S. Eliot, and Russian novelists such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Smith mentioned his admiration for Bob Dylan in several interviews, citing him as an early influence. He once commented: "My father taught me how to play 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right'. I love Dylan's words, but even more than that, I love the fact that he loves words." Smith covered Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece" several times in concert. Smith has also been compared to folk singer Nick Drake, due to his fingerpicking style and vocals. Darryl Cater of AllMusic called references to "the definitive folk loner" Drake "inevitable", and Smith's lyrics have been compared to those in Drake's minimalist and haunting final album. Smith was a dedicated fan of the Beatles (as well as their solo projects), once noting that he had been listening to them frequently since he was about "four years old" and also claimed that hearing The White Album was his original inspiration to become a musician. In 1998, Smith contributed a cover of the Beatles song "Because" to the closing credits and soundtrack of the film American Beauty. Although this was the only Beatles song that Smith ever officially released, he is known to have recorded many others, ("Revolution", "I'll Be Back" and "I'm So Tired") and played many songs by both the band and the members' solo projects at live concerts. Smith said that transitions were his favorite part of songs and that he preferred to write broader, more impressionistic music closer to pop rather than folk music. Smith compared his songs to stories or dreams, not purely confessional pieces that people could relate to. When asked about the dark nature of his songwriting and the cult following he was gaining, Smith said he felt it was merely a product of his writing songs that were strongly meaningful to him rather than anything contrived. Larry Crane, Smith's posthumous archivist, has said that he was surprised at the amount of "recycling of musical ideas" he encountered while cataloging Smith's private tapes: "I found songs recorded in high school reworked 15 years on. Lyrics became more important to him as he became older, and more time was spent working on them." Legacy Since his death, Smith has been regarded as one of the most influential artists in indie music. Many artists have mentioned Smith as their influence, such as Frank Ocean, Beck, Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Haim's lead vocalist Danielle Haim. See also List of unsolved deaths Discography Studio albums Roman Candle (1994) Elliott Smith (1995) Either/Or (1997) XO (1998) Figure 8 (2000) Posthumous studio albums From a Basement on the Hill (2004) Compilation albums New Moon (2007) References Bibliography External links Official website Official Cavity Search Records website Official Kill Rock Stars website Elliott Smith collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive Keep the Things You Forgot: An Elliott Smith Oral History 1969 births 2003 deaths Unsolved deaths 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American writers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American writers Alternative rock guitarists Alternative rock singers American feminists American indie rock musicians American male guitarists American male singer-songwriters American rock guitarists American tenors Anti- (record label) artists Caroline Records artists Cavity Search Records artists Deaths by stabbing in California Domino Recording Company artists DreamWorks Records artists Feminist musicians Fingerstyle guitarists Guitarists from Los Angeles Guitarists from Nebraska Guitarists from New York City Guitarists from Oklahoma Guitarists from Oregon Guitarists from Texas Hampshire College alumni Indie folk musicians Kill Rock Stars artists Lincoln High School (Portland, Oregon) alumni Male feminists Musicians from Brooklyn Musicians from Omaha, Nebraska Musicians from Portland, Oregon People from Duncanville, Texas People from Echo Park, Los Angeles People with mood disorders Singers from Los Angeles Singers from New York City Singer-songwriters from Texas Suicide Squeeze Records artists Virgin Records artists 20th-century American male singers Singer-songwriters from California Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma Singer-songwriters from Nebraska
false
[ "Romy Papadea is a Greek songwriter. Her most famous song is \"Hano esena (Χάνω εσένα)\" by Despina Vandi. Her sister is the famous Greek singer Demy who represented Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Romy has also written many of Demy's songs and two of them are the two of the three candidate songs for the Eurovision Song Contest. One of them is a pop-rock and the other is a dance song in cooperation with the famous songwriter John Ballard. The music of the three candidate songs has written by the famous Greek songwriter/music producer Dimitris Kontopoulos.\n\nReferences\n\nGreek songwriters\nLiving people\nYear of birth missing (living people)", "\"Tiempe belle\" is a Neapolitan song written by Vincenzo Valente in 1916; the words are by Aniello Califano. It is Valente's most famous composition.\n\nReferences \n\n1916 songs\nNeapolitan songs" ]
[ "Elliott Smith", "1991-96: Heatmiser", "Was the group popular ?", "The pair were also on unemployment benefits for some time,", "What type of music did they play?", "I don't know.", "Most famous songs ?", "I don't know." ]
C_67e39bd5d0ec4d73a28d88c3acd4695e_1
What is interesting or notable about the group?
4
What is interesting or notable about the group Heatmiser?
Elliott Smith
Smith graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1991 with a degree in philosophy and political science. "Went straight through in four years", he explained to Under the Radar in 2003. "I guess it proved to myself that I could do something I really didn't want to for four years. Except I did like what I was studying. At the time it seemed like, 'This is your one and only chance to go to college and you had just better do it because some day you might wish that you did.' Plus, the whole reason I applied in the first place was because of my girlfriend, and I had gotten accepted already even though we had broken up before the first day." After he graduated, he "worked in a bakery back in Portland with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and legal theory". While at Hampshire, Smith formed the band Heatmiser with classmate Neil Gust. After Smith graduated from Hampshire, the band added drummer Tony Lash and bassist Brandt Peterson and began performing around Portland in 1992. The group released the albums Dead Air (1993) and Cop and Speeder (1994) as well as the Yellow No. 5 EP (1994) on Frontier Records. They were then signed to Virgin Records to release what became their final album, Mic City Sons (1996). Around this time, Smith and Gust worked a number of odd jobs around Portland, including installing drywall, spreading gravel, transplanting bamboo trees, and painting the roof of a warehouse with heat reflective paint. The pair were also on unemployment benefits for some time, which they considered an "artist grant". Smith had begun his solo career while still in Heatmiser, and the success of his first two releases created distance and tension with his band. Heatmiser disbanded prior to the release of Mic City Sons, prompting Virgin to put the album out inauspiciously through its independent arm, Caroline Records. A clause in Heatmiser's record contract with Virgin meant that Smith was still bound to it as an individual. The contract was later bought out by DreamWorks prior to the recording of his fourth album, XO. CANNOTANSWER
Smith had begun his solo career while still in Heatmiser,
Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity. Smith's primary instrument was the guitar, though he also played piano, clarinet, bass guitar, drums, and harmonica. Smith had a distinctive vocal style, characterized by his "whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery", and often used multi-tracking to create vocal layers, textures, and harmonies. After playing in the rock band Heatmiser for several years, Smith began his solo career in 1994, with releases on the independent record labels Cavity Search and Kill Rock Stars (KRS). In 1997, he signed a contract with DreamWorks Records, for which he recorded two albums. Smith rose to mainstream prominence when his song "Miss Misery"—included in the soundtrack for the film Good Will Hunting (1997)—was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Original Song category in 1998. Smith was a heavy drinker and drug user at times throughout his life, and was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression. His struggles with drugs and mental illness affected his life and work, and often appeared in his lyrics. In 2003, aged 34, he died in Los Angeles, California, from two stab wounds to the chest. The autopsy evidence was inconclusive as to whether the wounds were self-inflicted or the result of homicide. At the time of his death, Smith was working on his sixth studio album, From a Basement on the Hill, which was posthumously produced and released in 2004. Early life Steven Paul Smith was born at the Methodist Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, the only child of Gary Smith, a student at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Bunny Kay Berryman, an elementary school music teacher. His parents divorced when he was six months old, and Smith moved with his mother to Duncanville, Texas. Smith later had a tattoo of a map of Texas drawn on his upper arm and said: "I didn't get it because I like Texas, kind of the opposite. But I won't forget about it, although I'm tempted to because I don't like it there." Smith endured a difficult childhood and a troubled relationship with his stepfather Charlie Welch. Smith stated he may have been sexually abused by Welch at a young age, an allegation that Welch has denied. He wrote about this part of his life in "Some Song". The name "Charlie" also appears in songs "Flowers for Charlie" and "No Confidence Man." In a 2004 interview, Jennifer Chiba, Smith's partner at the time of his death, said that Smith's difficult childhood was partly why he needed to sedate himself with drugs as an adult: "He was remembering traumatic things from his childhood – parts of things. It's not my place to say what." For much of his childhood, Smith's family was a part of the Community of Christ but began attending services at a local Methodist church. Smith felt that going to church did little for him, except make him "really scared of Hell". In 2001, he said: "I don't necessarily buy into any officially structured version of spirituality. But I have my own version of it." Smith began playing piano at age nine, and at ten began learning guitar on a small acoustic guitar bought for him by his father. At this age he composed an original piano piece, "Fantasy", which won him a prize at an arts festival. Many of the people on his mother's side of the family were non-professional musicians; his grandfather was a Dixieland drummer, and his grandmother sang in a glee club. At fourteen, Smith left his mother's home in Texas and moved to Portland, Oregon, to live with his father, who was then working as a psychiatrist. It was around this time that Smith began using drugs, including alcohol, with friends. He also began experimenting with recording for the first time after borrowing a four-track recorder. At high school, Smith played clarinet in the school band and played guitar and piano; he also sang in the bands Stranger Than Fiction and A Murder of Crows, billed as either Steven Smith or "Johnny Panic". He graduated from Lincoln High School as a National Merit Scholar. After graduation, Smith began calling himself "Elliott", saying that he thought "Steve" sounded too much like a "jock" name, and that "Steven" sounded "too bookish". According to friends, he had also used the pseudonym "Elliott Stillwater-Rotter" during his time in the band A Murder of Crows. Biographer S. R. Shutt speculates that the name was either inspired by Elliott Avenue, a street that Smith had lived on in Portland, or that it was suggested by his then-girlfriend. A junior high acquaintance of Smith speculates Smith changed his name so as not to be confused with Steve Smith, the drummer of Journey. Career 1991–1996: Heatmiser In 1991 Smith graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts with a degree in philosophy and political science. "Went straight through in four years", he explained to Under the Radar in 2003. "I guess it proved to myself that I could do something I really didn't want to for four years. Except I did like what I was studying. At the time it seemed like, 'This is your one and only chance to go to college and you had just better do it because some day you might wish that you did.' Plus, the whole reason I applied in the first place was because of my girlfriend, and I had gotten accepted already even though we had broken up before the first day." After he graduated, he "worked in a bakery back in Portland with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and legal theory". While at Hampshire, Smith formed the band Heatmiser with classmate Neil Gust. After Smith graduated from Hampshire, the band added drummer Tony Lash and bassist Brandt Peterson and began performing around Portland in 1992. The group released the albums Dead Air (1993) and Cop and Speeder (1994) as well as the Yellow No. 5 EP (1994) on Frontier Records. They were then signed to Virgin Records to release what became their final album, Mic City Sons (1996). Around this time, Smith and Gust worked a number of odd jobs around Portland, including installing drywall, spreading gravel, transplanting bamboo trees, and painting the roof of a warehouse with heat reflective paint. The pair were also on unemployment benefits for some time, which they considered an "artist grant". Smith had begun his solo career while still in Heatmiser, and the success of his first two releases created distance and tension with his band. Heatmiser disbanded prior to the release of Mic City Sons, prompting Virgin to put the album out inauspiciously through its independent arm, Caroline Records. A clause in Heatmiser's record contract with Virgin meant that Smith was still bound to it as an individual. The contract was later bought out by DreamWorks prior to the recording of his fourth album, XO. 1994: Roman Candle In the early 1990s, Smith's girlfriend at the time convinced him to send a tape of songs he had recently recorded on a borrowed four-track to Cavity Search Records. Cavity owner Christopher Cooper asked to release the entire album of songs, which surprised Smith, as he was expecting only a deal for a seven-inch record. The album became Smith's release, Roman Candle (1994). Smith said: "I thought my head would be chopped off immediately when it came out because at the time it was so opposite to the grunge thing that was popular ... The thing is that album was really well received, which was a total shock, and it immediately eclipsed [Heatmiser], unfortunately." Smith felt his solo songs were not representative of the music Heatmiser was making: "The idea of playing [my music] for people didn't occur to me... because at the time it was the Northwest—Mudhoney and Nirvana—and going out to play an acoustic show was like crawling out on a limb and begging for it to be sawed off." One of Smith's first solo performances was at the now-defunct Umbra Penumbra on September 17, 1994. Only three songs from Roman Candle were performed, with the majority of the ten-song set being B-sides, Heatmiser tunes and unreleased tracks. The same year, Smith released a split 7-inch record with Pete Krebs via Slo-Mo Records, contributing the track "No Confidence Man". 1995–1997: Elliott Smith and Either/Or In 1995, Smith's self-titled album was released on Kill Rock Stars; the record featured a style of recording similar to Roman Candle, but with hints of growth and experimentation. Though the majority of the album was recorded by Smith alone, friend and The Spinanes vocalist Rebecca Gates sang harmony vocals on "St. Ides Heaven", and Heatmiser guitarist Neil Gust played guitar on "Single File". Several songs made reference to drugs, but Smith explained that he used the theme of drugs as a vehicle for conveying dependence rather than the songs being about drugs specifically. Looking back, Smith felt that the album's pervasive mood gave him "a reputation for being a really dark, depressed person" and said that he later made a conscious move toward more diverse moods in his music. In 1996, filmmaker Jem Cohen recorded Smith playing acoustic songs for the short film Lucky Three: An Elliott Smith Portrait. Two of these songs would appear on his next album, Either/Or, which was another Kill Rock Stars release. Either/Or came out in 1997 to favorable reviews. The album found Smith venturing further into full instrumentation, with several songs containing bass guitar, drums, keyboards, and electric guitars, all played by Smith. The album title was derived from the two-volume book of the same name by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, whose works generally deal with themes such as existential despair, angst, death, and God. By this time, Smith's already-heavy drinking was being compounded with use of antidepressants. At the end of the Either/Or tour, some of his close friends staged an intervention in Chicago, but it proved ineffective. Shortly after, Smith relocated from Portland to Jersey City, New Jersey, and later Brooklyn, New York. 1997–98: "Miss Misery" and the Oscars In 1997, Smith was selected by director and fellow Portland resident Gus Van Sant to be a part of the soundtrack to his film, Good Will Hunting. Smith recorded an orchestral version of "Between the Bars" with composer Danny Elfman for the movie. Smith also contributed a new song, "Miss Misery", and three previously released tracks ("No Name #3", from Roman Candle, and "Angeles" and "Say Yes", from Either/Or). The film was a commercial and critical success, and Smith was nominated for an Academy Award for "Miss Misery". Not eager to step into the limelight, he agreed to perform the song at the ceremony only after the producers informed him that if he was unwilling to perform, they would choose someone else to play it. On March 5, 1998, Smith made his network television debut on Late Night with Conan O'Brien performing "Miss Misery" solo on acoustic guitar. A few days later, wearing a white suit, he played an abridged version of the song at the Oscars, accompanied by the house orchestra. James Horner and Will Jennings won the award that night for best song with "My Heart Will Go On" (sung by Celine Dion) from the film Titanic. Smith did not voice disappointment about not winning the award. Smith commented on the surrealism of the Oscars experience: "That's exactly what it was, surreal... I enjoy performing almost as much as I enjoy making up songs in the first place. But the Oscars was a very strange show, where the set was only one song cut down to less than two minutes, and the audience was a lot of people who didn't come to hear me play. I wouldn't want to live in that world, but it was fun to walk around on the moon for a day." 1998–2000: XO and Figure 8 In 1998, after the success of Either/Or and "Miss Misery", Smith signed to a bigger record label, DreamWorks Records. Around the same time, Smith fell into depression, speaking openly of considering suicide, and on at least one occasion made a serious attempt at ending his own life. While in North Carolina, he became severely intoxicated and ran off a cliff. He landed on a tree, which badly impaled him but broke his fall. When questioned about his suicide attempt, he told an interviewer, "Yeah, I jumped off a cliff, but let's talk about something else." Christopher Cooper, head of Cavity Search Records (which released Roman Candle), said about this time in Smith's life, "I talked him out of thinking that he wanted to kill himself numerous times when he was in Portland. I kept telling him that he was a brilliant man, and that life was worth living, and that people loved him." Pete Krebs also agreed: "In Portland we got the brunt of Elliott's initial depression... Lots of people have stories of their own experiences of staying up with Elliott 'til five in the morning, holding his hand, telling him not to kill himself." Smith's first release for DreamWorks was later that year. Titled XO, it was conceived and developed while Smith wrote it out over the winter of 1997/1998, night after night seated at the bar in Luna Lounge. It was produced by the team of Rob Schnapf and Tom Rothrock. XO also contained some instrumentation from Los Angeles musicians Joey Waronker and Jon Brion. It contained a more full-sounding, baroque pop sound than any of his previous efforts, with songs featuring a horn section, Chamberlins, elaborate string arrangements, and even a drum loop on the song "Independence Day". His familiar double-tracked vocal and acoustic guitar style were still apparent while his somewhat personal lyrical style survived. The album went on to peak at number 104 on the Billboard 200 and number 123 on the UK Album Charts, while selling 400,000 copies (more than double that of each of his two Kill Rock Stars releases), becoming the best-selling release of his career. Smith's backing band during most of this period was the Portland-based group Quasi, consisting of former bandmate Sam Coomes on bass guitar and Coomes's ex-wife Janet Weiss on drums. Quasi also performed as the opening act at many shows on the tour, with Smith sometimes contributing bass guitar, guitar, or backing vocals. On October 17, 1998, Smith appeared on Saturday Night Live and performed "Waltz No. 2 (XO)". His backing band for this appearance was John Moen, Jon Brion, Rob Schnapf, and Sam Coomes. In response to whether the change to a bigger record label would influence his creative control, Smith said, "I think despite the fact that sometimes people look at major labels as simply money-making machines, they're actually composed of individuals who are real people, and there's a part of them that needs to feel that part of their job is to put out good music." Smith also claimed in another interview that he never read his reviews for fear that they would interfere with his songwriting. It was during this period that Smith appeared on Dutch television in 1998 and provided a candid interview in which he spoke of his assessment of his music career until that point: Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I mostly only know things are different because people ask me different questions, but I don't feel like things are very changed. I mean, I still, I do the same things that I did before … I think about the same things, so … I'm the wrong kind of person to be really big and famous. As part of the Dutch television special, Smith played live versions of "Waltz No. 2 (XO)", "Miss Misery", and "I Didn't Understand"—the latter two songs were performed solely on piano, while the first song was cut short by Smith, as he explained: "I had to stop it because it's… you know, what's the point of playing a song badly? It'd be better to play it and mean it, than to just walk through it." Smith relocated from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1999, taking up residence at a cabin in the Silver Lake section of town, where he would regularly play intimate, acoustic shows at local venues like Silverlake Lounge. He also performed in Toronto in April that year. In the fall, his cover of the Beatles' "Because" was featured in the end credits of DreamWorks' Oscar-winning drama American Beauty, and appeared on the film's soundtrack album. The final album Smith completed, Figure 8, was released on April 18, 2000. It featured the return of Rothrock, Schnapf, Brion, and Waronker and was partially recorded at Abbey Road Studios in England, with an obvious Beatles influence in the songwriting and production. The album garnered favorable reviews, and peaked at number 99 on the Billboard 200 and 37 on the UK Album Charts. The album received praise for its power pop style and complex arrangements, described as creating a "sweeping kaleidoscope of layered instruments and sonic textures". However, some reviewers felt that Smith's trademark dark and melancholy songwriting had lost some of its subtlety, with one reviewer likening some of the lyrics to "the self-pitying complaints of an adolescent venting in his diary". Album art and promotional pictures from the period showed Smith looking cleaned-up and put-together. An extensive tour in promotion of the record ensued, book-ended by television appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and the Late Show with David Letterman. However, Smith's condition began to deteriorate as he had become addicted to heroin either towards the end of or just after the Figure 8 tour. 2001–2002: Addiction and scrapped recordings Around the time he began recording his final album, Smith began to display signs of paranoia, often believing that a white van followed him wherever he went. He would have friends drop him off for recording sessions almost a mile away from the studio, and to reach the location, he would trudge through hundreds of yards of brush and cliffs. He started telling people that DreamWorks was out to get him: "Not long ago my house was broken into, and songs were stolen off my computer which have wound up in the hands of certain people who work at a certain label. I've also been followed around for months at a time. I wouldn't even want to necessarily say it's the people from that label who are following me around, but it was probably them who broke into my house." During this period, Smith hardly ate, subsisting primarily on ice cream. He would go without sleeping for several days and then sleep for an entire day. A follow-up to Smith's 2000 album was originally planned to happen with Rob Schnapf, but their sessions were abandoned. Smith also began distancing himself from manager Margaret Mittleman, who had handled him since the Roman Candle days. He finally began recording a new album with only himself and Jon Brion as producers sometime during 2001. The pair had recorded a substantial amount of music for the album when Brion stopped the sessions because of Smith's struggle with substance use disorder. Their friendship promptly ended, and Smith scrapped all of their work until that point. He later said "There was even a little more than half of a record done before this new one that I just scrapped because of a blown friendship with someone that made me so depressed I didn't want to hear any of those songs. He was just helping me record the songs and stuff, and then the friendship kind of fell apart all of a sudden one day. It just made it kind of awkward being alone in the car listening to the songs." When Brion sent a bill for the abandoned sessions to DreamWorks, executives Lenny Waronker and Luke Wood scheduled a meeting with Smith to determine what went wrong with the sessions. Smith complained of intrusion upon his personal life from the label, as well as poor promotion for the Figure 8 album. The talks proved fruitless, and soon after, Smith sent a message to the executives, stating that if they did not release him from his contract, he would take his own life. In May 2001, Smith set out to re-record the album, mostly on his own, but with some help from David McConnell of Goldenboy. McConnell told Spin that, during this time, Smith would smoke over $1,500 worth of heroin and crack per day, would often talk about suicide, and on numerous occasions tried to give himself an overdose. Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips and Scott McPherson of Sense Field played a few drum tracks, Sam Coomes contributed some bass guitar and backing vocals, but almost every other instrument was recorded by Smith. Smith's song "Needle in the Hay" was included in Wes Anderson's 2001 dark comedy film The Royal Tenenbaums during a suicide attempt scene. Smith was originally supposed to contribute a cover of The Beatles' "Hey Jude" for the film, but when he failed to do so in time, Anderson had to use The Mutato Muzika Orchestra's version of the track instead. Anderson would later say that Smith "was in a bad state" at the time. Smith's live performances during 2001 and 2002 were infrequent, typically in the Pacific Northwest or Los Angeles. A review of his December 20, 2001, show at Portland's Crystal Ballroom expressed concern over his appearance and performance: his hair was uncharacteristically greasy and long, his face was bearded and gaunt, and during his songs he exhibited alarming signs of "memory-loss and butterfingers". At another performance in San Francisco that month, the audience began shouting out lyrics when Smith could not remember them. In the first of only three concerts performed in 2002, Smith co-headlined Northwestern University's A&O Ball with Wilco on May 2 in Chicago. He was onstage for nearly an hour but failed to complete half of the songs. He claimed that his poor performance was due to his left hand having fallen asleep and told the audience it felt "like having stuff on your hand and you can't get it off". Smith's performance was reviewed as "undoubtedly one of the worst performances ever by a musician" and an "excruciating […] nightmare". A reporter for the online magazine Glorious Noise wrote, "It would not surprise me at all if Elliott Smith ends up dead within a year." On November 25, 2002, Smith was involved in a brawl with the Los Angeles Police Department at a concert where The Flaming Lips and Beck were performing. Smith later said he was defending a man he thought the police were harassing. The officers allegedly beat and arrested him and girlfriend Jennifer Chiba. The two spent the night in jail. Smith's back was injured in the incident, causing him to cancel a number of shows. Wayne Coyne, lead singer of The Flaming Lips and a friend of Smith's, stated concern over Smith's appearance and actions, saying that he "saw a guy who had lost control of himself. He was needy, he was grumpy, he was everything you wouldn't want in a person. It's not like when you think of Keith Richards being pleasantly blissed out in the corner." 2003: Reemergence and From a Basement on the Hill Smith had attempted to go to rehab several times, but found that he was unable to relate to the popular treatments for people with substance use disorder that used a twelve-step program basis for treatment. "I couldn't do the first step […] I couldn't say what you were supposed to say and mean it." In 2002, Smith went to the Neurotransmitter Restoration Center in Beverly Hills to start a course of treatment for substance use disorder. In one of his final interviews, he spoke about the center, "What they do is an IV treatment where they put a needle in your arm, and you're on a drip bag, but the only thing that's in the drip bag is amino acids and saline solution. I was coming off of a lot of psych meds and other things. I was even on an antipsychotic, although I'm not psychotic." Two sold-out solo acoustic concerts at Hollywood's Henry Fonda Theater, on January 31 and February 1, 2003, saw Smith attempting to reestablish his credibility as a live performer. Before the show, Smith scrawled "Kali – The Destroyer" (the Hindu goddess associated with time and change) in large block letters with permanent ink on his left arm, which was visible to the crowd during the performance. On several songs, he was backed by a stripped-down drum kit played by Robin Peringer (of the band 764-HERO), and members of opening band Rilo Kiley contributed backing vocals to one song. Near the end of the first show, the musician responded for several minutes after a heckler (later identified as Smith's ex-girlfriend Valerie Deerin) yelled "Get a backbone." Smith played two more Los Angeles concerts during 2003, including The Derby in May and the L.A. Weekly Music Awards in June. After his 34th birthday on August 6, 2003, he gave up alcohol. Director Mike Mills had been working with Smith during his final years and described Smith's troubles and apparent recovery: "I gave the script to him, then he dropped off the face of the earth […] he went through his whole crazy time, but by the time I was done with the film, he was making From a Basement on the Hill and I was shocked that he was actually making music." With things improving for Smith after several troubled years, he began experimenting with noise music and worked on his girlfriend Jennifer Chiba's iMac with the intent of learning how to record with computers, noting that it was the only method with which he was still unfamiliar. Smith jokingly labeled his experimental way of recording "The California Frown" (a play on the Beach Boys' "California Sound"). He said of the songs, "They're kind of more noisy with the pitch all distorted. Some are more acoustic, but there aren't too many like that. Lately I've just been making up a lot of noise." He was also in the process of recording songs for the Thumbsucker soundtrack, including Big Star's "Thirteen" and Cat Stevens's "Trouble". In August 2003, Suicide Squeeze Records put out a limited-edition vinyl single for "Pretty (Ugly Before)", a song that Smith had been playing since the Figure 8 tour. Smith's final show was at Redfest at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on September 19, 2003. The final song he played live was "Long, Long, Long" by The Beatles. 2004–present: Posthumous releases From a Basement on the Hill, almost four years in production, was released on October 19, 2004, by ANTI- Records (a part of Epitaph Records). With Smith's family in control of his estate, they chose to bring in Rob Schnapf and Smith's ex-girlfriend Joanna Bolme to sort through the recordings and mix the album. Although Smith had voiced his desire for it to be a double album or a regular album with a bonus disc, it was not clear whether it would have been possible for him to release it that way had he completed it. As completed by Schnapf and Bolme, it was released as a 15-track single album. Many songs from the sessions (later leaked onto the Internet) were not included, such as "True Love", "Everything's OK", "Stickman", and "Suicide Machine" (a reworking of the Figure 8-era unreleased instrumental "Tiny Time Machine"). There has been unconfirmed speculation that Smith's family made the decision not to include some songs on the record due to their lyrical content, although songs such as "King's Crossing" that deal with darker subjects did make the album. Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing, a biography by Benjamin Nugent, was rushed to publication shortly after From a Basement on the Hill, shortly after the first anniversary of his death. Smith's family, as well as Joanna Bolme, Jennifer Chiba, Neil Gust, Sam Coomes, and Janet Weiss, all declined to be interviewed. It contained interviews with Rob Schnapf, David McConnell, and Pete Krebs. The book received mixed reviews, with Publishers Weekly remarking that while "Nugent manages to patch together the major beats of Smith's life, he can offer little meaningful insight". In 2005, a tribute album, A Tribute to Elliott Smith, was released. It featured various bands performing tributes to Smith. On May 8, 2007, a posthumous two-disc compilation album entitled New Moon was released by Kill Rock Stars. The album contained 24 songs recorded by Smith between 1994 and 1997 during his tenure with the label, songs that were not included on albums, as well as a few early versions and previously released B-sides. In the United States, the album debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200, selling about 24,000 copies in its first week. The record received favorable reviews and was Metacritic's 15th best-reviewed album of 2007. A portion of the proceeds from album sales were to go to Outside In, a social service agency for low-income adults and homeless youth in Portland, Oregon. On October 25, 2007, a book titled Elliott Smith was released by Autumn de Wilde, which consists of photographs, handwritten lyrics, and "revealing talks with Smith's inner circle". De Wilde was responsible for the Figure 8 sleeve art, making a landmark and de facto Smith memorial of the Solutions Audio mural. A five-song CD featuring previously unreleased live recordings of Smith performing acoustically at Largo in Los Angeles was included in the release. Following Smith's death, his estate licensed his songs for use in film and television projects such as One Tree Hill, The Girl Next Door, Georgia Rule, and Paranoid Park. In a March 2009 interview, Larry Crane said that Smith's estate was defunct and all rights previously held by Smith are now in the control of his parents. Crane went on to say that his parents own the rights to Smith's high school recordings, some of the Heatmiser material, all solo songs recorded until his 1998 record deal with DreamWorks Records, and From a Basement on the Hill. DreamWorks Records was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2003, and Interscope Records currently "owns all studio and live recording from Jan 1998 to his passing, except for the songs on From a Basement on the Hill." In December 2009, Kill Rock Stars announced that it had obtained the rights to re-release Roman Candle and From a Basement on the Hill, originally released by Cavity Search and ANTI-, respectively. Roman Candle would be remastered by Larry Crane. Along with the press release, Kill Rock Stars posted a previously unreleased track of Smith's, titled "Cecilia/Amanda", as a free download. Roman Candle and From a Basement on the Hill were re-released on April 6, 2010, in the US. A greatest hits compilation titled An Introduction to... Elliott Smith was released in November 2010 by Domino Records (UK) and Kill Rock Stars (US). In August 2013, there was a memorial concert in Portland, Oregon and three other cities. Attending the Portland show were several musicians Smith had performed with, friends, and an appearance by film director Gus Van Sant. In 2014, director Paul Thomas Anderson posted a video of the pilot episode for a show called The Jon Brion Show, featuring an acoustic set by Smith including accompaniment by Brion and pianist Brad Mehldau. On July 17, 2015, a documentary about Smith's life titled Heaven Adores You saw a limited theatrical release. The documentary enlisted a number of close friends and family members, as well as hours of audio interviews throughout Smith's short career. The film was directed by Nickolas Rossi and released through Eagle Rock Entertainment. Heaven Adores You received positive reviews from Consequence of Sound, The Guardian, and The Hollywood Reporter. On August 6, 2019 (what would have been Smith's 50th birthday), UMe released digital deluxe editions of the two albums XO and Figure 8. The new edition of XO has nine added tracks, including Smith's Oscar-nominated Good Will Hunting song "Miss Misery." Seven tracks have been added to Figure 8. The digital deluxe edition includes "Figure 8"—Smith's cover of the "Schoolhouse Rock!" song—which was originally released only on the Japanese edition of the album. The final track on the new Figure 8 edition is Smith's cover of the Beatles’ "Because", originally featured on the 1999 American Beauty soundtrack. In May 2021, Smith's life and work were the subject of BBC Radio 4's Great Lives. Death Smith died on October 21, 2003, at the age of 34 from two stab wounds to the chest. At the time of the stabbing, he was at his Lemoyne Street home in Echo Park, California, where he lived with his girlfriend, Jennifer Chiba. According to Chiba, the two were arguing, and she locked herself in the bathroom to take a shower. Chiba heard him scream and upon opening the door saw Smith standing with a knife in his chest. She pulled the knife out, after which he collapsed and she called 9-1-1 at 12:18 pm. Smith died in the hospital, with the time of death listed as 1:36 p.m. A possible suicide note, written on a sticky note, read: "I'm so sorry—love, Elliott. God forgive me." In the coroner's report of the note, the name "Elliott" is misspelled as "Elliot". While Smith's death was reported as a suicide, the official autopsy report released in December 2003 left open the question of homicide. Smith's remains were cremated, and his ashes were divided between his mother, father, and half-sister Ashley. A small memorial service for family and friends was held at his father's home in Portland, although Smith's "ashes weren't on hand because the coroner wouldn't release them." The status or location of Smith's ashes has not been made public. According to Pitchfork, record producer Larry Crane reported on his Tape Op message board that he had planned to help Smith mix his album in mid-November. Crane wrote, "I hadn't talked to Elliott in over a year. His girlfriend, Jennifer, called me [last week] and asked if I'd like to come to L.A. and help mix and finish [Smith's album]. I said 'yes, of course', and chatted with Elliott for the first time in ages. It seems surreal that he would call me to finish an album and then a week later kill himself. I talked to Jennifer this morning, who was obviously shattered and in tears, and she said, 'I don't understand, he was so healthy. The coroner reported that no traces of illegal substances or alcohol were found in Smith's system at the time of his death but did find prescribed levels of antidepressant, anxiolytic, and ADHD medications, including clonazepam, mirtazapine, atomoxetine, and amphetamine. There were no hesitation wounds, which are typically found on a victim of suicide by self-infliction. Due to the inconclusive autopsy ruling, the Los Angeles Police Department's investigation remains open. Reaction Shortly after Smith's death, a fan memorial was initiated outside Solutions Audio (4334 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California), the site at which the cover of the Figure 8 album was shot. Farewell messages to Smith were written on the wall, and flowers, photos, candles, and empty bottles of alcohol mentioned in Smith's songs were left. Since then, the wall has been a regular target for graffiti but is regularly restored by fans. Memorial concerts were held in several cities in the United States and the United Kingdom. A petition was soon put forth with intent to make part of the Silver Lake area a memorial park in Smith's honor. It received over 10,000 signatures, but no plans to establish the park have been announced. A memorial plaque located inside Smith's former high school, Lincoln High, was hung in July 2006. The plaque reads: "I'm never going to know you now, but I'm going to love you anyhow" referencing Smith's song "Waltz No. 2 (XO)". Since Smith's death, many musical acts have paid him tribute. Songs in tribute to, or about, Smith have been released by Pearl Jam ("Can't Keep" on the Live at Benaroya Hall concert album); Sparta ("Bombs and Us"); Third Eye Blind ("There's No Hurry to Eternity", originally titled "Elliott Smith", on the Live from Nowhere Near You, Volume Two: Pacific Northwest compilation); 9 Horses (“listening to the Elliott Smith discography in reverse order”, on the album Perfectest Herald); Ben Folds ("Late" on Songs for Silverman); Brad Mehldau ("Sky Turning Grey (for Elliott Smith)" on Highway Rider); Rilo Kiley ("It Just Is", and "Ripchord" from the album More Adventurous); Lil B's 'The Worlds Ending'; Rhett Miller ("The Believer" on The Believer); Earlimart ("Heaven Adores You" on Treble and Tremble); Joan As Police Woman ("We Don't Own It" on Real Life); and Pete Yorn ("Bandstand in the Sky" on Nightcrawler, a song jointly dedicated to Jeff Buckley). Several tribute albums have also been released since his death, including Christopher O'Riley's 2006 Home to Oblivion: An Elliott Smith Tribute, with 18 instrumental covers, The Portland Cello Project's 2014 to e.s., covering six of his songs and To Elliott, from Portland containing covers by a number of Portland bands. On July 30, 2004, Chiba filed a lawsuit against the Smith family for 15% of his earnings (over $1 million), claiming that she and Smith lived as "husband and wife", that Smith had pledged to take care of her financially for the rest of her life, and that she worked as his manager and agent from around 2000 until his death. A state labor commissioner ruled her claim as manager to be invalid, as she had worked as an "unlicensed talent agent" under California's Talent Agencies Act. The case made it to the California appellate court in October 2007, but the decision was affirmed 2–1. In an October 2013 Spin magazine article—a reflection at the ten-year anniversary of Smith's death—drummer McPherson stated that Smith was "a sick man without his medicine" during the last 31 days of his life, when he was not only sober, but had also given up red meat and sugar. In the same article, Chiba recalls thinking, "Okay, you're asking a lot of yourself. You're giving up a lot at once." Chiba further explained that "anyone who understands drug abuse knows that you use drugs to hide from your past or sedate yourself from strong, overwhelming feelings. So when you're newly clean and coming off the medications that have been masking all those feelings, that's when you're the most vulnerable." Writing for Spin, Liam Gowing also encountered a local musician who claimed Smith had said to him: "The people who try to intervene, they're good people who genuinely care about you. But they don't know what you're going through. Do what you need to do." According to the musician, Smith had adamantly dissuaded him from suicide. Musical style and influences Smith respected and was inspired by many artists and styles, including the Beatles, Neil Young, Simon & Garfunkel, Big Star, the Clash, the Who, Led Zeppelin, the Kinks, Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, Rush, Bauhaus, Elvis Costello, Oasis, Television, Motown and flamenco records, AC/DC, Hank Williams, and Scorpions, Smith claimed to listen exclusively to selected albums (such as The Marble Index by Nico) for months. Sean Croghan, a former roommate of Smith's, said that Smith "listened almost exclusively to slow jams" in his senior year at college. Smith also took inspiration from novels, religion, and philosophy. He liked classic literature, especially Samuel Beckett, T. S. Eliot, and Russian novelists such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Smith mentioned his admiration for Bob Dylan in several interviews, citing him as an early influence. He once commented: "My father taught me how to play 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right'. I love Dylan's words, but even more than that, I love the fact that he loves words." Smith covered Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece" several times in concert. Smith has also been compared to folk singer Nick Drake, due to his fingerpicking style and vocals. Darryl Cater of AllMusic called references to "the definitive folk loner" Drake "inevitable", and Smith's lyrics have been compared to those in Drake's minimalist and haunting final album. Smith was a dedicated fan of the Beatles (as well as their solo projects), once noting that he had been listening to them frequently since he was about "four years old" and also claimed that hearing The White Album was his original inspiration to become a musician. In 1998, Smith contributed a cover of the Beatles song "Because" to the closing credits and soundtrack of the film American Beauty. Although this was the only Beatles song that Smith ever officially released, he is known to have recorded many others, ("Revolution", "I'll Be Back" and "I'm So Tired") and played many songs by both the band and the members' solo projects at live concerts. Smith said that transitions were his favorite part of songs and that he preferred to write broader, more impressionistic music closer to pop rather than folk music. Smith compared his songs to stories or dreams, not purely confessional pieces that people could relate to. When asked about the dark nature of his songwriting and the cult following he was gaining, Smith said he felt it was merely a product of his writing songs that were strongly meaningful to him rather than anything contrived. Larry Crane, Smith's posthumous archivist, has said that he was surprised at the amount of "recycling of musical ideas" he encountered while cataloging Smith's private tapes: "I found songs recorded in high school reworked 15 years on. Lyrics became more important to him as he became older, and more time was spent working on them." Legacy Since his death, Smith has been regarded as one of the most influential artists in indie music. Many artists have mentioned Smith as their influence, such as Frank Ocean, Beck, Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Haim's lead vocalist Danielle Haim. See also List of unsolved deaths Discography Studio albums Roman Candle (1994) Elliott Smith (1995) Either/Or (1997) XO (1998) Figure 8 (2000) Posthumous studio albums From a Basement on the Hill (2004) Compilation albums New Moon (2007) References Bibliography External links Official website Official Cavity Search Records website Official Kill Rock Stars website Elliott Smith collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive Keep the Things You Forgot: An Elliott Smith Oral History 1969 births 2003 deaths Unsolved deaths 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American writers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American writers Alternative rock guitarists Alternative rock singers American feminists American indie rock musicians American male guitarists American male singer-songwriters American rock guitarists American tenors Anti- (record label) artists Caroline Records artists Cavity Search Records artists Deaths by stabbing in California Domino Recording Company artists DreamWorks Records artists Feminist musicians Fingerstyle guitarists Guitarists from Los Angeles Guitarists from Nebraska Guitarists from New York City Guitarists from Oklahoma Guitarists from Oregon Guitarists from Texas Hampshire College alumni Indie folk musicians Kill Rock Stars artists Lincoln High School (Portland, Oregon) alumni Male feminists Musicians from Brooklyn Musicians from Omaha, Nebraska Musicians from Portland, Oregon People from Duncanville, Texas People from Echo Park, Los Angeles People with mood disorders Singers from Los Angeles Singers from New York City Singer-songwriters from Texas Suicide Squeeze Records artists Virgin Records artists 20th-century American male singers Singer-songwriters from California Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma Singer-songwriters from Nebraska
true
[ "Quite Interesting Limited is a British research company, most notable for providing the research for the British television panel game QI (itself an abbreviation of Quite Interesting) and the Swedish version Intresseklubben, as well as other QI–related programmes and products. The company founder and chairman is John Lloyd, the creator and producer of QI, and host of the radio panel game The Museum of Curiosity, which also uses Quite Interesting Limited for its research. John Mitchinson is the company's director and also works as head of research for QI.\n\nAbout\nLloyd founded Quite Interesting Limited in 1999. It is claimed that the idea of founding the company came on Christmas Eve 1993. According to his profile on QI.com, \"he came to the sudden and alarming realisation that he didn't really know anything. Changing gear again, he started reading books for the first time since he was 17. To his horror, he discovered that he hadn't been paying attention and, with painful slowness, unearthed the closely guarded secret that the universe is astoundingly quite interesting.\"\n\nThe philosophy of the company is that it claims that there are four primal drives: food, sex, shelter and curiosity. Out of these, curiosity is supposedly the most important because, \"unlike the other three drives, it is what makes us uniquely human.\" The company claims that, \"Whatever is interesting we are interested in. Whatever is not interesting, we are even more interested in. Everything is interesting if looked at in the right way.\"\n\nThose who carry out research are known as the \"QI Elves\". Notable elves include Justin Pollard and Vitali Vitaliev. They are also responsible for helping to write the questions used on QI. People wishing to become elves are recommended to start by commenting on the forums of the QI website.\n\nProducts\n\nDVDs\n\nBooks\n\nReferences\n\nQI\nCompanies based in Oxford\nBritish companies established in 1999\nPrivately held companies of the United Kingdom", "DiscoveryBox is a children's magazine by Bayard Presse. It is targeted at children from 9 to 12 years old. Inside there are topics about science, animals, current events, nature, history and the world. It also includes games and quizzes. It is designed for the completely independent reader and is the 3rd and final instalment of the Box series (after StoryBox and AdventureBox).\n\nDiscoveryBox is mostly non fictional and is designed to answer questions and expand the knowledge of its readers in the subjects that it covers each month.\n\nThere is a current shortage in this type of information rich magazine for this age group at the moment and children find the magazine very interesting. It is designed to build on what they have learned in School and it takes many of its subjects from the British Curriculum so reinforces what they have learned as well as adding additional interesting facts that they may not have previously known about.\n\nBecause there is a shortage of information magazines for children this age, both ESL and English speaking students like to read this book as the information is specially presented for them. As it is specifically designed for the ages 9 to 12 the magazine takes subjects that they would find interesting such as The Olympic Games, Space Exploration and Avalanches being just a few of the previous topics covered.\n\nIn July 2009 DiscoveryBox collaborated with the movie Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs with a behind-the-scenes look at 3D animation.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n DiscoveryBox Website\n DiscoveryBox Information Page\n Bayard English magazine Website\n\nChildren's magazines published in France\nFrench-language magazines\nMonthly magazines published in France\nMagazines established in 1995" ]
[ "Elliott Smith", "1991-96: Heatmiser", "Was the group popular ?", "The pair were also on unemployment benefits for some time,", "What type of music did they play?", "I don't know.", "Most famous songs ?", "I don't know.", "What is interesting or notable about the group?", "Smith had begun his solo career while still in Heatmiser," ]
C_67e39bd5d0ec4d73a28d88c3acd4695e_1
What did he do next?
5
What did Elliott Smith do after leaving Heatmiser?
Elliott Smith
Smith graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1991 with a degree in philosophy and political science. "Went straight through in four years", he explained to Under the Radar in 2003. "I guess it proved to myself that I could do something I really didn't want to for four years. Except I did like what I was studying. At the time it seemed like, 'This is your one and only chance to go to college and you had just better do it because some day you might wish that you did.' Plus, the whole reason I applied in the first place was because of my girlfriend, and I had gotten accepted already even though we had broken up before the first day." After he graduated, he "worked in a bakery back in Portland with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and legal theory". While at Hampshire, Smith formed the band Heatmiser with classmate Neil Gust. After Smith graduated from Hampshire, the band added drummer Tony Lash and bassist Brandt Peterson and began performing around Portland in 1992. The group released the albums Dead Air (1993) and Cop and Speeder (1994) as well as the Yellow No. 5 EP (1994) on Frontier Records. They were then signed to Virgin Records to release what became their final album, Mic City Sons (1996). Around this time, Smith and Gust worked a number of odd jobs around Portland, including installing drywall, spreading gravel, transplanting bamboo trees, and painting the roof of a warehouse with heat reflective paint. The pair were also on unemployment benefits for some time, which they considered an "artist grant". Smith had begun his solo career while still in Heatmiser, and the success of his first two releases created distance and tension with his band. Heatmiser disbanded prior to the release of Mic City Sons, prompting Virgin to put the album out inauspiciously through its independent arm, Caroline Records. A clause in Heatmiser's record contract with Virgin meant that Smith was still bound to it as an individual. The contract was later bought out by DreamWorks prior to the recording of his fourth album, XO. CANNOTANSWER
Heatmiser disbanded prior to the release of Mic City Sons,
Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity. Smith's primary instrument was the guitar, though he also played piano, clarinet, bass guitar, drums, and harmonica. Smith had a distinctive vocal style, characterized by his "whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery", and often used multi-tracking to create vocal layers, textures, and harmonies. After playing in the rock band Heatmiser for several years, Smith began his solo career in 1994, with releases on the independent record labels Cavity Search and Kill Rock Stars (KRS). In 1997, he signed a contract with DreamWorks Records, for which he recorded two albums. Smith rose to mainstream prominence when his song "Miss Misery"—included in the soundtrack for the film Good Will Hunting (1997)—was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Original Song category in 1998. Smith was a heavy drinker and drug user at times throughout his life, and was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression. His struggles with drugs and mental illness affected his life and work, and often appeared in his lyrics. In 2003, aged 34, he died in Los Angeles, California, from two stab wounds to the chest. The autopsy evidence was inconclusive as to whether the wounds were self-inflicted or the result of homicide. At the time of his death, Smith was working on his sixth studio album, From a Basement on the Hill, which was posthumously produced and released in 2004. Early life Steven Paul Smith was born at the Methodist Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, the only child of Gary Smith, a student at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Bunny Kay Berryman, an elementary school music teacher. His parents divorced when he was six months old, and Smith moved with his mother to Duncanville, Texas. Smith later had a tattoo of a map of Texas drawn on his upper arm and said: "I didn't get it because I like Texas, kind of the opposite. But I won't forget about it, although I'm tempted to because I don't like it there." Smith endured a difficult childhood and a troubled relationship with his stepfather Charlie Welch. Smith stated he may have been sexually abused by Welch at a young age, an allegation that Welch has denied. He wrote about this part of his life in "Some Song". The name "Charlie" also appears in songs "Flowers for Charlie" and "No Confidence Man." In a 2004 interview, Jennifer Chiba, Smith's partner at the time of his death, said that Smith's difficult childhood was partly why he needed to sedate himself with drugs as an adult: "He was remembering traumatic things from his childhood – parts of things. It's not my place to say what." For much of his childhood, Smith's family was a part of the Community of Christ but began attending services at a local Methodist church. Smith felt that going to church did little for him, except make him "really scared of Hell". In 2001, he said: "I don't necessarily buy into any officially structured version of spirituality. But I have my own version of it." Smith began playing piano at age nine, and at ten began learning guitar on a small acoustic guitar bought for him by his father. At this age he composed an original piano piece, "Fantasy", which won him a prize at an arts festival. Many of the people on his mother's side of the family were non-professional musicians; his grandfather was a Dixieland drummer, and his grandmother sang in a glee club. At fourteen, Smith left his mother's home in Texas and moved to Portland, Oregon, to live with his father, who was then working as a psychiatrist. It was around this time that Smith began using drugs, including alcohol, with friends. He also began experimenting with recording for the first time after borrowing a four-track recorder. At high school, Smith played clarinet in the school band and played guitar and piano; he also sang in the bands Stranger Than Fiction and A Murder of Crows, billed as either Steven Smith or "Johnny Panic". He graduated from Lincoln High School as a National Merit Scholar. After graduation, Smith began calling himself "Elliott", saying that he thought "Steve" sounded too much like a "jock" name, and that "Steven" sounded "too bookish". According to friends, he had also used the pseudonym "Elliott Stillwater-Rotter" during his time in the band A Murder of Crows. Biographer S. R. Shutt speculates that the name was either inspired by Elliott Avenue, a street that Smith had lived on in Portland, or that it was suggested by his then-girlfriend. A junior high acquaintance of Smith speculates Smith changed his name so as not to be confused with Steve Smith, the drummer of Journey. Career 1991–1996: Heatmiser In 1991 Smith graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts with a degree in philosophy and political science. "Went straight through in four years", he explained to Under the Radar in 2003. "I guess it proved to myself that I could do something I really didn't want to for four years. Except I did like what I was studying. At the time it seemed like, 'This is your one and only chance to go to college and you had just better do it because some day you might wish that you did.' Plus, the whole reason I applied in the first place was because of my girlfriend, and I had gotten accepted already even though we had broken up before the first day." After he graduated, he "worked in a bakery back in Portland with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and legal theory". While at Hampshire, Smith formed the band Heatmiser with classmate Neil Gust. After Smith graduated from Hampshire, the band added drummer Tony Lash and bassist Brandt Peterson and began performing around Portland in 1992. The group released the albums Dead Air (1993) and Cop and Speeder (1994) as well as the Yellow No. 5 EP (1994) on Frontier Records. They were then signed to Virgin Records to release what became their final album, Mic City Sons (1996). Around this time, Smith and Gust worked a number of odd jobs around Portland, including installing drywall, spreading gravel, transplanting bamboo trees, and painting the roof of a warehouse with heat reflective paint. The pair were also on unemployment benefits for some time, which they considered an "artist grant". Smith had begun his solo career while still in Heatmiser, and the success of his first two releases created distance and tension with his band. Heatmiser disbanded prior to the release of Mic City Sons, prompting Virgin to put the album out inauspiciously through its independent arm, Caroline Records. A clause in Heatmiser's record contract with Virgin meant that Smith was still bound to it as an individual. The contract was later bought out by DreamWorks prior to the recording of his fourth album, XO. 1994: Roman Candle In the early 1990s, Smith's girlfriend at the time convinced him to send a tape of songs he had recently recorded on a borrowed four-track to Cavity Search Records. Cavity owner Christopher Cooper asked to release the entire album of songs, which surprised Smith, as he was expecting only a deal for a seven-inch record. The album became Smith's release, Roman Candle (1994). Smith said: "I thought my head would be chopped off immediately when it came out because at the time it was so opposite to the grunge thing that was popular ... The thing is that album was really well received, which was a total shock, and it immediately eclipsed [Heatmiser], unfortunately." Smith felt his solo songs were not representative of the music Heatmiser was making: "The idea of playing [my music] for people didn't occur to me... because at the time it was the Northwest—Mudhoney and Nirvana—and going out to play an acoustic show was like crawling out on a limb and begging for it to be sawed off." One of Smith's first solo performances was at the now-defunct Umbra Penumbra on September 17, 1994. Only three songs from Roman Candle were performed, with the majority of the ten-song set being B-sides, Heatmiser tunes and unreleased tracks. The same year, Smith released a split 7-inch record with Pete Krebs via Slo-Mo Records, contributing the track "No Confidence Man". 1995–1997: Elliott Smith and Either/Or In 1995, Smith's self-titled album was released on Kill Rock Stars; the record featured a style of recording similar to Roman Candle, but with hints of growth and experimentation. Though the majority of the album was recorded by Smith alone, friend and The Spinanes vocalist Rebecca Gates sang harmony vocals on "St. Ides Heaven", and Heatmiser guitarist Neil Gust played guitar on "Single File". Several songs made reference to drugs, but Smith explained that he used the theme of drugs as a vehicle for conveying dependence rather than the songs being about drugs specifically. Looking back, Smith felt that the album's pervasive mood gave him "a reputation for being a really dark, depressed person" and said that he later made a conscious move toward more diverse moods in his music. In 1996, filmmaker Jem Cohen recorded Smith playing acoustic songs for the short film Lucky Three: An Elliott Smith Portrait. Two of these songs would appear on his next album, Either/Or, which was another Kill Rock Stars release. Either/Or came out in 1997 to favorable reviews. The album found Smith venturing further into full instrumentation, with several songs containing bass guitar, drums, keyboards, and electric guitars, all played by Smith. The album title was derived from the two-volume book of the same name by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, whose works generally deal with themes such as existential despair, angst, death, and God. By this time, Smith's already-heavy drinking was being compounded with use of antidepressants. At the end of the Either/Or tour, some of his close friends staged an intervention in Chicago, but it proved ineffective. Shortly after, Smith relocated from Portland to Jersey City, New Jersey, and later Brooklyn, New York. 1997–98: "Miss Misery" and the Oscars In 1997, Smith was selected by director and fellow Portland resident Gus Van Sant to be a part of the soundtrack to his film, Good Will Hunting. Smith recorded an orchestral version of "Between the Bars" with composer Danny Elfman for the movie. Smith also contributed a new song, "Miss Misery", and three previously released tracks ("No Name #3", from Roman Candle, and "Angeles" and "Say Yes", from Either/Or). The film was a commercial and critical success, and Smith was nominated for an Academy Award for "Miss Misery". Not eager to step into the limelight, he agreed to perform the song at the ceremony only after the producers informed him that if he was unwilling to perform, they would choose someone else to play it. On March 5, 1998, Smith made his network television debut on Late Night with Conan O'Brien performing "Miss Misery" solo on acoustic guitar. A few days later, wearing a white suit, he played an abridged version of the song at the Oscars, accompanied by the house orchestra. James Horner and Will Jennings won the award that night for best song with "My Heart Will Go On" (sung by Celine Dion) from the film Titanic. Smith did not voice disappointment about not winning the award. Smith commented on the surrealism of the Oscars experience: "That's exactly what it was, surreal... I enjoy performing almost as much as I enjoy making up songs in the first place. But the Oscars was a very strange show, where the set was only one song cut down to less than two minutes, and the audience was a lot of people who didn't come to hear me play. I wouldn't want to live in that world, but it was fun to walk around on the moon for a day." 1998–2000: XO and Figure 8 In 1998, after the success of Either/Or and "Miss Misery", Smith signed to a bigger record label, DreamWorks Records. Around the same time, Smith fell into depression, speaking openly of considering suicide, and on at least one occasion made a serious attempt at ending his own life. While in North Carolina, he became severely intoxicated and ran off a cliff. He landed on a tree, which badly impaled him but broke his fall. When questioned about his suicide attempt, he told an interviewer, "Yeah, I jumped off a cliff, but let's talk about something else." Christopher Cooper, head of Cavity Search Records (which released Roman Candle), said about this time in Smith's life, "I talked him out of thinking that he wanted to kill himself numerous times when he was in Portland. I kept telling him that he was a brilliant man, and that life was worth living, and that people loved him." Pete Krebs also agreed: "In Portland we got the brunt of Elliott's initial depression... Lots of people have stories of their own experiences of staying up with Elliott 'til five in the morning, holding his hand, telling him not to kill himself." Smith's first release for DreamWorks was later that year. Titled XO, it was conceived and developed while Smith wrote it out over the winter of 1997/1998, night after night seated at the bar in Luna Lounge. It was produced by the team of Rob Schnapf and Tom Rothrock. XO also contained some instrumentation from Los Angeles musicians Joey Waronker and Jon Brion. It contained a more full-sounding, baroque pop sound than any of his previous efforts, with songs featuring a horn section, Chamberlins, elaborate string arrangements, and even a drum loop on the song "Independence Day". His familiar double-tracked vocal and acoustic guitar style were still apparent while his somewhat personal lyrical style survived. The album went on to peak at number 104 on the Billboard 200 and number 123 on the UK Album Charts, while selling 400,000 copies (more than double that of each of his two Kill Rock Stars releases), becoming the best-selling release of his career. Smith's backing band during most of this period was the Portland-based group Quasi, consisting of former bandmate Sam Coomes on bass guitar and Coomes's ex-wife Janet Weiss on drums. Quasi also performed as the opening act at many shows on the tour, with Smith sometimes contributing bass guitar, guitar, or backing vocals. On October 17, 1998, Smith appeared on Saturday Night Live and performed "Waltz No. 2 (XO)". His backing band for this appearance was John Moen, Jon Brion, Rob Schnapf, and Sam Coomes. In response to whether the change to a bigger record label would influence his creative control, Smith said, "I think despite the fact that sometimes people look at major labels as simply money-making machines, they're actually composed of individuals who are real people, and there's a part of them that needs to feel that part of their job is to put out good music." Smith also claimed in another interview that he never read his reviews for fear that they would interfere with his songwriting. It was during this period that Smith appeared on Dutch television in 1998 and provided a candid interview in which he spoke of his assessment of his music career until that point: Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I mostly only know things are different because people ask me different questions, but I don't feel like things are very changed. I mean, I still, I do the same things that I did before … I think about the same things, so … I'm the wrong kind of person to be really big and famous. As part of the Dutch television special, Smith played live versions of "Waltz No. 2 (XO)", "Miss Misery", and "I Didn't Understand"—the latter two songs were performed solely on piano, while the first song was cut short by Smith, as he explained: "I had to stop it because it's… you know, what's the point of playing a song badly? It'd be better to play it and mean it, than to just walk through it." Smith relocated from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1999, taking up residence at a cabin in the Silver Lake section of town, where he would regularly play intimate, acoustic shows at local venues like Silverlake Lounge. He also performed in Toronto in April that year. In the fall, his cover of the Beatles' "Because" was featured in the end credits of DreamWorks' Oscar-winning drama American Beauty, and appeared on the film's soundtrack album. The final album Smith completed, Figure 8, was released on April 18, 2000. It featured the return of Rothrock, Schnapf, Brion, and Waronker and was partially recorded at Abbey Road Studios in England, with an obvious Beatles influence in the songwriting and production. The album garnered favorable reviews, and peaked at number 99 on the Billboard 200 and 37 on the UK Album Charts. The album received praise for its power pop style and complex arrangements, described as creating a "sweeping kaleidoscope of layered instruments and sonic textures". However, some reviewers felt that Smith's trademark dark and melancholy songwriting had lost some of its subtlety, with one reviewer likening some of the lyrics to "the self-pitying complaints of an adolescent venting in his diary". Album art and promotional pictures from the period showed Smith looking cleaned-up and put-together. An extensive tour in promotion of the record ensued, book-ended by television appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and the Late Show with David Letterman. However, Smith's condition began to deteriorate as he had become addicted to heroin either towards the end of or just after the Figure 8 tour. 2001–2002: Addiction and scrapped recordings Around the time he began recording his final album, Smith began to display signs of paranoia, often believing that a white van followed him wherever he went. He would have friends drop him off for recording sessions almost a mile away from the studio, and to reach the location, he would trudge through hundreds of yards of brush and cliffs. He started telling people that DreamWorks was out to get him: "Not long ago my house was broken into, and songs were stolen off my computer which have wound up in the hands of certain people who work at a certain label. I've also been followed around for months at a time. I wouldn't even want to necessarily say it's the people from that label who are following me around, but it was probably them who broke into my house." During this period, Smith hardly ate, subsisting primarily on ice cream. He would go without sleeping for several days and then sleep for an entire day. A follow-up to Smith's 2000 album was originally planned to happen with Rob Schnapf, but their sessions were abandoned. Smith also began distancing himself from manager Margaret Mittleman, who had handled him since the Roman Candle days. He finally began recording a new album with only himself and Jon Brion as producers sometime during 2001. The pair had recorded a substantial amount of music for the album when Brion stopped the sessions because of Smith's struggle with substance use disorder. Their friendship promptly ended, and Smith scrapped all of their work until that point. He later said "There was even a little more than half of a record done before this new one that I just scrapped because of a blown friendship with someone that made me so depressed I didn't want to hear any of those songs. He was just helping me record the songs and stuff, and then the friendship kind of fell apart all of a sudden one day. It just made it kind of awkward being alone in the car listening to the songs." When Brion sent a bill for the abandoned sessions to DreamWorks, executives Lenny Waronker and Luke Wood scheduled a meeting with Smith to determine what went wrong with the sessions. Smith complained of intrusion upon his personal life from the label, as well as poor promotion for the Figure 8 album. The talks proved fruitless, and soon after, Smith sent a message to the executives, stating that if they did not release him from his contract, he would take his own life. In May 2001, Smith set out to re-record the album, mostly on his own, but with some help from David McConnell of Goldenboy. McConnell told Spin that, during this time, Smith would smoke over $1,500 worth of heroin and crack per day, would often talk about suicide, and on numerous occasions tried to give himself an overdose. Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips and Scott McPherson of Sense Field played a few drum tracks, Sam Coomes contributed some bass guitar and backing vocals, but almost every other instrument was recorded by Smith. Smith's song "Needle in the Hay" was included in Wes Anderson's 2001 dark comedy film The Royal Tenenbaums during a suicide attempt scene. Smith was originally supposed to contribute a cover of The Beatles' "Hey Jude" for the film, but when he failed to do so in time, Anderson had to use The Mutato Muzika Orchestra's version of the track instead. Anderson would later say that Smith "was in a bad state" at the time. Smith's live performances during 2001 and 2002 were infrequent, typically in the Pacific Northwest or Los Angeles. A review of his December 20, 2001, show at Portland's Crystal Ballroom expressed concern over his appearance and performance: his hair was uncharacteristically greasy and long, his face was bearded and gaunt, and during his songs he exhibited alarming signs of "memory-loss and butterfingers". At another performance in San Francisco that month, the audience began shouting out lyrics when Smith could not remember them. In the first of only three concerts performed in 2002, Smith co-headlined Northwestern University's A&O Ball with Wilco on May 2 in Chicago. He was onstage for nearly an hour but failed to complete half of the songs. He claimed that his poor performance was due to his left hand having fallen asleep and told the audience it felt "like having stuff on your hand and you can't get it off". Smith's performance was reviewed as "undoubtedly one of the worst performances ever by a musician" and an "excruciating […] nightmare". A reporter for the online magazine Glorious Noise wrote, "It would not surprise me at all if Elliott Smith ends up dead within a year." On November 25, 2002, Smith was involved in a brawl with the Los Angeles Police Department at a concert where The Flaming Lips and Beck were performing. Smith later said he was defending a man he thought the police were harassing. The officers allegedly beat and arrested him and girlfriend Jennifer Chiba. The two spent the night in jail. Smith's back was injured in the incident, causing him to cancel a number of shows. Wayne Coyne, lead singer of The Flaming Lips and a friend of Smith's, stated concern over Smith's appearance and actions, saying that he "saw a guy who had lost control of himself. He was needy, he was grumpy, he was everything you wouldn't want in a person. It's not like when you think of Keith Richards being pleasantly blissed out in the corner." 2003: Reemergence and From a Basement on the Hill Smith had attempted to go to rehab several times, but found that he was unable to relate to the popular treatments for people with substance use disorder that used a twelve-step program basis for treatment. "I couldn't do the first step […] I couldn't say what you were supposed to say and mean it." In 2002, Smith went to the Neurotransmitter Restoration Center in Beverly Hills to start a course of treatment for substance use disorder. In one of his final interviews, he spoke about the center, "What they do is an IV treatment where they put a needle in your arm, and you're on a drip bag, but the only thing that's in the drip bag is amino acids and saline solution. I was coming off of a lot of psych meds and other things. I was even on an antipsychotic, although I'm not psychotic." Two sold-out solo acoustic concerts at Hollywood's Henry Fonda Theater, on January 31 and February 1, 2003, saw Smith attempting to reestablish his credibility as a live performer. Before the show, Smith scrawled "Kali – The Destroyer" (the Hindu goddess associated with time and change) in large block letters with permanent ink on his left arm, which was visible to the crowd during the performance. On several songs, he was backed by a stripped-down drum kit played by Robin Peringer (of the band 764-HERO), and members of opening band Rilo Kiley contributed backing vocals to one song. Near the end of the first show, the musician responded for several minutes after a heckler (later identified as Smith's ex-girlfriend Valerie Deerin) yelled "Get a backbone." Smith played two more Los Angeles concerts during 2003, including The Derby in May and the L.A. Weekly Music Awards in June. After his 34th birthday on August 6, 2003, he gave up alcohol. Director Mike Mills had been working with Smith during his final years and described Smith's troubles and apparent recovery: "I gave the script to him, then he dropped off the face of the earth […] he went through his whole crazy time, but by the time I was done with the film, he was making From a Basement on the Hill and I was shocked that he was actually making music." With things improving for Smith after several troubled years, he began experimenting with noise music and worked on his girlfriend Jennifer Chiba's iMac with the intent of learning how to record with computers, noting that it was the only method with which he was still unfamiliar. Smith jokingly labeled his experimental way of recording "The California Frown" (a play on the Beach Boys' "California Sound"). He said of the songs, "They're kind of more noisy with the pitch all distorted. Some are more acoustic, but there aren't too many like that. Lately I've just been making up a lot of noise." He was also in the process of recording songs for the Thumbsucker soundtrack, including Big Star's "Thirteen" and Cat Stevens's "Trouble". In August 2003, Suicide Squeeze Records put out a limited-edition vinyl single for "Pretty (Ugly Before)", a song that Smith had been playing since the Figure 8 tour. Smith's final show was at Redfest at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on September 19, 2003. The final song he played live was "Long, Long, Long" by The Beatles. 2004–present: Posthumous releases From a Basement on the Hill, almost four years in production, was released on October 19, 2004, by ANTI- Records (a part of Epitaph Records). With Smith's family in control of his estate, they chose to bring in Rob Schnapf and Smith's ex-girlfriend Joanna Bolme to sort through the recordings and mix the album. Although Smith had voiced his desire for it to be a double album or a regular album with a bonus disc, it was not clear whether it would have been possible for him to release it that way had he completed it. As completed by Schnapf and Bolme, it was released as a 15-track single album. Many songs from the sessions (later leaked onto the Internet) were not included, such as "True Love", "Everything's OK", "Stickman", and "Suicide Machine" (a reworking of the Figure 8-era unreleased instrumental "Tiny Time Machine"). There has been unconfirmed speculation that Smith's family made the decision not to include some songs on the record due to their lyrical content, although songs such as "King's Crossing" that deal with darker subjects did make the album. Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing, a biography by Benjamin Nugent, was rushed to publication shortly after From a Basement on the Hill, shortly after the first anniversary of his death. Smith's family, as well as Joanna Bolme, Jennifer Chiba, Neil Gust, Sam Coomes, and Janet Weiss, all declined to be interviewed. It contained interviews with Rob Schnapf, David McConnell, and Pete Krebs. The book received mixed reviews, with Publishers Weekly remarking that while "Nugent manages to patch together the major beats of Smith's life, he can offer little meaningful insight". In 2005, a tribute album, A Tribute to Elliott Smith, was released. It featured various bands performing tributes to Smith. On May 8, 2007, a posthumous two-disc compilation album entitled New Moon was released by Kill Rock Stars. The album contained 24 songs recorded by Smith between 1994 and 1997 during his tenure with the label, songs that were not included on albums, as well as a few early versions and previously released B-sides. In the United States, the album debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200, selling about 24,000 copies in its first week. The record received favorable reviews and was Metacritic's 15th best-reviewed album of 2007. A portion of the proceeds from album sales were to go to Outside In, a social service agency for low-income adults and homeless youth in Portland, Oregon. On October 25, 2007, a book titled Elliott Smith was released by Autumn de Wilde, which consists of photographs, handwritten lyrics, and "revealing talks with Smith's inner circle". De Wilde was responsible for the Figure 8 sleeve art, making a landmark and de facto Smith memorial of the Solutions Audio mural. A five-song CD featuring previously unreleased live recordings of Smith performing acoustically at Largo in Los Angeles was included in the release. Following Smith's death, his estate licensed his songs for use in film and television projects such as One Tree Hill, The Girl Next Door, Georgia Rule, and Paranoid Park. In a March 2009 interview, Larry Crane said that Smith's estate was defunct and all rights previously held by Smith are now in the control of his parents. Crane went on to say that his parents own the rights to Smith's high school recordings, some of the Heatmiser material, all solo songs recorded until his 1998 record deal with DreamWorks Records, and From a Basement on the Hill. DreamWorks Records was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2003, and Interscope Records currently "owns all studio and live recording from Jan 1998 to his passing, except for the songs on From a Basement on the Hill." In December 2009, Kill Rock Stars announced that it had obtained the rights to re-release Roman Candle and From a Basement on the Hill, originally released by Cavity Search and ANTI-, respectively. Roman Candle would be remastered by Larry Crane. Along with the press release, Kill Rock Stars posted a previously unreleased track of Smith's, titled "Cecilia/Amanda", as a free download. Roman Candle and From a Basement on the Hill were re-released on April 6, 2010, in the US. A greatest hits compilation titled An Introduction to... Elliott Smith was released in November 2010 by Domino Records (UK) and Kill Rock Stars (US). In August 2013, there was a memorial concert in Portland, Oregon and three other cities. Attending the Portland show were several musicians Smith had performed with, friends, and an appearance by film director Gus Van Sant. In 2014, director Paul Thomas Anderson posted a video of the pilot episode for a show called The Jon Brion Show, featuring an acoustic set by Smith including accompaniment by Brion and pianist Brad Mehldau. On July 17, 2015, a documentary about Smith's life titled Heaven Adores You saw a limited theatrical release. The documentary enlisted a number of close friends and family members, as well as hours of audio interviews throughout Smith's short career. The film was directed by Nickolas Rossi and released through Eagle Rock Entertainment. Heaven Adores You received positive reviews from Consequence of Sound, The Guardian, and The Hollywood Reporter. On August 6, 2019 (what would have been Smith's 50th birthday), UMe released digital deluxe editions of the two albums XO and Figure 8. The new edition of XO has nine added tracks, including Smith's Oscar-nominated Good Will Hunting song "Miss Misery." Seven tracks have been added to Figure 8. The digital deluxe edition includes "Figure 8"—Smith's cover of the "Schoolhouse Rock!" song—which was originally released only on the Japanese edition of the album. The final track on the new Figure 8 edition is Smith's cover of the Beatles’ "Because", originally featured on the 1999 American Beauty soundtrack. In May 2021, Smith's life and work were the subject of BBC Radio 4's Great Lives. Death Smith died on October 21, 2003, at the age of 34 from two stab wounds to the chest. At the time of the stabbing, he was at his Lemoyne Street home in Echo Park, California, where he lived with his girlfriend, Jennifer Chiba. According to Chiba, the two were arguing, and she locked herself in the bathroom to take a shower. Chiba heard him scream and upon opening the door saw Smith standing with a knife in his chest. She pulled the knife out, after which he collapsed and she called 9-1-1 at 12:18 pm. Smith died in the hospital, with the time of death listed as 1:36 p.m. A possible suicide note, written on a sticky note, read: "I'm so sorry—love, Elliott. God forgive me." In the coroner's report of the note, the name "Elliott" is misspelled as "Elliot". While Smith's death was reported as a suicide, the official autopsy report released in December 2003 left open the question of homicide. Smith's remains were cremated, and his ashes were divided between his mother, father, and half-sister Ashley. A small memorial service for family and friends was held at his father's home in Portland, although Smith's "ashes weren't on hand because the coroner wouldn't release them." The status or location of Smith's ashes has not been made public. According to Pitchfork, record producer Larry Crane reported on his Tape Op message board that he had planned to help Smith mix his album in mid-November. Crane wrote, "I hadn't talked to Elliott in over a year. His girlfriend, Jennifer, called me [last week] and asked if I'd like to come to L.A. and help mix and finish [Smith's album]. I said 'yes, of course', and chatted with Elliott for the first time in ages. It seems surreal that he would call me to finish an album and then a week later kill himself. I talked to Jennifer this morning, who was obviously shattered and in tears, and she said, 'I don't understand, he was so healthy. The coroner reported that no traces of illegal substances or alcohol were found in Smith's system at the time of his death but did find prescribed levels of antidepressant, anxiolytic, and ADHD medications, including clonazepam, mirtazapine, atomoxetine, and amphetamine. There were no hesitation wounds, which are typically found on a victim of suicide by self-infliction. Due to the inconclusive autopsy ruling, the Los Angeles Police Department's investigation remains open. Reaction Shortly after Smith's death, a fan memorial was initiated outside Solutions Audio (4334 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California), the site at which the cover of the Figure 8 album was shot. Farewell messages to Smith were written on the wall, and flowers, photos, candles, and empty bottles of alcohol mentioned in Smith's songs were left. Since then, the wall has been a regular target for graffiti but is regularly restored by fans. Memorial concerts were held in several cities in the United States and the United Kingdom. A petition was soon put forth with intent to make part of the Silver Lake area a memorial park in Smith's honor. It received over 10,000 signatures, but no plans to establish the park have been announced. A memorial plaque located inside Smith's former high school, Lincoln High, was hung in July 2006. The plaque reads: "I'm never going to know you now, but I'm going to love you anyhow" referencing Smith's song "Waltz No. 2 (XO)". Since Smith's death, many musical acts have paid him tribute. Songs in tribute to, or about, Smith have been released by Pearl Jam ("Can't Keep" on the Live at Benaroya Hall concert album); Sparta ("Bombs and Us"); Third Eye Blind ("There's No Hurry to Eternity", originally titled "Elliott Smith", on the Live from Nowhere Near You, Volume Two: Pacific Northwest compilation); 9 Horses (“listening to the Elliott Smith discography in reverse order”, on the album Perfectest Herald); Ben Folds ("Late" on Songs for Silverman); Brad Mehldau ("Sky Turning Grey (for Elliott Smith)" on Highway Rider); Rilo Kiley ("It Just Is", and "Ripchord" from the album More Adventurous); Lil B's 'The Worlds Ending'; Rhett Miller ("The Believer" on The Believer); Earlimart ("Heaven Adores You" on Treble and Tremble); Joan As Police Woman ("We Don't Own It" on Real Life); and Pete Yorn ("Bandstand in the Sky" on Nightcrawler, a song jointly dedicated to Jeff Buckley). Several tribute albums have also been released since his death, including Christopher O'Riley's 2006 Home to Oblivion: An Elliott Smith Tribute, with 18 instrumental covers, The Portland Cello Project's 2014 to e.s., covering six of his songs and To Elliott, from Portland containing covers by a number of Portland bands. On July 30, 2004, Chiba filed a lawsuit against the Smith family for 15% of his earnings (over $1 million), claiming that she and Smith lived as "husband and wife", that Smith had pledged to take care of her financially for the rest of her life, and that she worked as his manager and agent from around 2000 until his death. A state labor commissioner ruled her claim as manager to be invalid, as she had worked as an "unlicensed talent agent" under California's Talent Agencies Act. The case made it to the California appellate court in October 2007, but the decision was affirmed 2–1. In an October 2013 Spin magazine article—a reflection at the ten-year anniversary of Smith's death—drummer McPherson stated that Smith was "a sick man without his medicine" during the last 31 days of his life, when he was not only sober, but had also given up red meat and sugar. In the same article, Chiba recalls thinking, "Okay, you're asking a lot of yourself. You're giving up a lot at once." Chiba further explained that "anyone who understands drug abuse knows that you use drugs to hide from your past or sedate yourself from strong, overwhelming feelings. So when you're newly clean and coming off the medications that have been masking all those feelings, that's when you're the most vulnerable." Writing for Spin, Liam Gowing also encountered a local musician who claimed Smith had said to him: "The people who try to intervene, they're good people who genuinely care about you. But they don't know what you're going through. Do what you need to do." According to the musician, Smith had adamantly dissuaded him from suicide. Musical style and influences Smith respected and was inspired by many artists and styles, including the Beatles, Neil Young, Simon & Garfunkel, Big Star, the Clash, the Who, Led Zeppelin, the Kinks, Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, Rush, Bauhaus, Elvis Costello, Oasis, Television, Motown and flamenco records, AC/DC, Hank Williams, and Scorpions, Smith claimed to listen exclusively to selected albums (such as The Marble Index by Nico) for months. Sean Croghan, a former roommate of Smith's, said that Smith "listened almost exclusively to slow jams" in his senior year at college. Smith also took inspiration from novels, religion, and philosophy. He liked classic literature, especially Samuel Beckett, T. S. Eliot, and Russian novelists such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Smith mentioned his admiration for Bob Dylan in several interviews, citing him as an early influence. He once commented: "My father taught me how to play 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right'. I love Dylan's words, but even more than that, I love the fact that he loves words." Smith covered Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece" several times in concert. Smith has also been compared to folk singer Nick Drake, due to his fingerpicking style and vocals. Darryl Cater of AllMusic called references to "the definitive folk loner" Drake "inevitable", and Smith's lyrics have been compared to those in Drake's minimalist and haunting final album. Smith was a dedicated fan of the Beatles (as well as their solo projects), once noting that he had been listening to them frequently since he was about "four years old" and also claimed that hearing The White Album was his original inspiration to become a musician. In 1998, Smith contributed a cover of the Beatles song "Because" to the closing credits and soundtrack of the film American Beauty. Although this was the only Beatles song that Smith ever officially released, he is known to have recorded many others, ("Revolution", "I'll Be Back" and "I'm So Tired") and played many songs by both the band and the members' solo projects at live concerts. Smith said that transitions were his favorite part of songs and that he preferred to write broader, more impressionistic music closer to pop rather than folk music. Smith compared his songs to stories or dreams, not purely confessional pieces that people could relate to. When asked about the dark nature of his songwriting and the cult following he was gaining, Smith said he felt it was merely a product of his writing songs that were strongly meaningful to him rather than anything contrived. Larry Crane, Smith's posthumous archivist, has said that he was surprised at the amount of "recycling of musical ideas" he encountered while cataloging Smith's private tapes: "I found songs recorded in high school reworked 15 years on. Lyrics became more important to him as he became older, and more time was spent working on them." Legacy Since his death, Smith has been regarded as one of the most influential artists in indie music. Many artists have mentioned Smith as their influence, such as Frank Ocean, Beck, Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Haim's lead vocalist Danielle Haim. See also List of unsolved deaths Discography Studio albums Roman Candle (1994) Elliott Smith (1995) Either/Or (1997) XO (1998) Figure 8 (2000) Posthumous studio albums From a Basement on the Hill (2004) Compilation albums New Moon (2007) References Bibliography External links Official website Official Cavity Search Records website Official Kill Rock Stars website Elliott Smith collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive Keep the Things You Forgot: An Elliott Smith Oral History 1969 births 2003 deaths Unsolved deaths 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American writers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American writers Alternative rock guitarists Alternative rock singers American feminists American indie rock musicians American male guitarists American male singer-songwriters American rock guitarists American tenors Anti- (record label) artists Caroline Records artists Cavity Search Records artists Deaths by stabbing in California Domino Recording Company artists DreamWorks Records artists Feminist musicians Fingerstyle guitarists Guitarists from Los Angeles Guitarists from Nebraska Guitarists from New York City Guitarists from Oklahoma Guitarists from Oregon Guitarists from Texas Hampshire College alumni Indie folk musicians Kill Rock Stars artists Lincoln High School (Portland, Oregon) alumni Male feminists Musicians from Brooklyn Musicians from Omaha, Nebraska Musicians from Portland, Oregon People from Duncanville, Texas People from Echo Park, Los Angeles People with mood disorders Singers from Los Angeles Singers from New York City Singer-songwriters from Texas Suicide Squeeze Records artists Virgin Records artists 20th-century American male singers Singer-songwriters from California Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma Singer-songwriters from Nebraska
true
[ "Do You Know What I'm Going To Do Next Saturday? is a 1963 children's book published by Beginner Books and written by Helen Palmer Geisel, the first wife of Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss). Unlike most of the Beginner Books, Do You Know What I'm Going To Do Next Saturday? did not follow the format of text with inline drawings, being illustrated with black-and-white photographs by Lynn Fayman, featuring a boy named Rawli Davis. It is sometimes misattributed to Dr. Seuss himself. The book's cover features a photograph of a young boy sitting at a breakfast table with a huge pile of pancakes.\n\nActivities mentioned in the book include bowling, water skiing, marching, boxing, and shooting guns with the United States Marines, and eating more spaghetti \"than anyone else has eaten before.\n\nHelen Palmer's photograph-based children's books did not prove to be as popular as the more traditional text-and-illustrations format; however, Do You Know What I'm Going To Do Next Saturday received positive reviews and was listed by The New York Times as one of the best children's books of 1963. The book is currently out of print.\n\nReferences\n\n1963 children's books\nAmerican picture books", "Daniel S. Burt is an American author and literary critic.\n\nCareer\n\nDaniel S. Burt, Ph.D. received his doctorate in English and American Literature with a specialization in Victorian fiction from New York University. He taught undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in writing and literature at New York University, Wesleyan University, Trinity College, Northeastern University, Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Cape Cod Community College. At Wentworth Institute of Technology, he served as a dean for almost a decade. During his time at New York University, he was director of the NYU in London program, wherein he traveled with students to Russia, Spain, Britain and Ireland. \n\nSince 2003, Burt has served as the Academic Director for the Irish Academic Enrichment Workshops, which are held in Ireland every summer.\n\nBibliography\n\nThe Literary 100: A Ranking Of The Most Influential Novelists, Playwrights, And Poets Of All Time. Checkmark Books. October 1, 1999.\nThe Biography Book: A Reader's Guide To Nonfiction, Fictional, And Film Biographies Of More Than 500 Of The Most Fascinating Individuals Of All Time. Oryx Press. February 1, 2001.\nThe Novel 100: A Ranking Of The Greatest Novels Of All Time. Checkmark Books. November 1, 2003.\nThe Chronology of American Literature: America's Literary Achievements from the Colonial Era to Modern Times. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. February 10, 2004.\nThe Drama 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Plays of All Time. Checkmark Books. December 1, 2007.\nThe Handy Literature Answer Book: An Engaging Guide to Unraveling Symbols, Signs and Meanings in Great Works with Deborah G. Felder. Visible Ink Press. July 1, 2018.\n\nWhat Do I Read Next? Series \n\n What Historical Novel Do I Read Next? Gale Cengage.1997.\nWhat Do I Read Next? 2000, Volume 1 with Neil Barron. Gale Cengage. June 1, 2000.\nWhat Fantastic Fiction Do I Read Next? 2001, Volume 1 with Neil Barron and Tom Barton. Gale Cengage. June 1, 2001. \nWhat Do I Read Next? 2003, Volume 2 with Neil Barron and Tom Barton. Gale Cengage. October 17, 20013.\nWhat Do I Read Next? 2005, Volume 1 with Neil Barron and Tom Barton. Thomson Gale. May 27, 2005.\nWhat Do I Read Next? 2005, Volume 2 with Neil Barron. Gale. October 21, 2005. \nWhat Do I Read Next? 2006, Volume 1 with Neil Barron and Tom Barton. Thomson Gale. May 25, 2006.\n What Do I Read Next? 2007, Volume 1 with Natalie Danford and Don D'Ammassa. Gale Cengage. June 8, 2007.\nWhat Do I Read Next? 2007, Volume 2: A Reader's Guide to Current Genre Fiction with Don D'Ammassa, Natalie Danford, Stefan R. Dziemianowicz, Jim Huang, and Melissa Hudak. Gale Cengage. October 19, 2007. \nWhat Do I Read Next? 2008, Volume 1 with Natalie Danford and Don D'Ammassa. Gale. May 23, 2008. \n What Do I Read Next? 2009. Volume 1 with Michelle Kazensky, Marie Toft, and Hazel Rumney. Gale Cengage. June 12, 2009.\nWhat Do I Read Next? 2010, Volume 1 with Neil Barron. Gale. 2010.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links \nBibliography on GoodReads\n\nYear of birth missing (living people)\nLiving people\nAmerican male non-fiction writers\nAmerican literary critics\nNew York University alumni\nWesleyan University faculty" ]
[ "Elliott Smith", "1991-96: Heatmiser", "Was the group popular ?", "The pair were also on unemployment benefits for some time,", "What type of music did they play?", "I don't know.", "Most famous songs ?", "I don't know.", "What is interesting or notable about the group?", "Smith had begun his solo career while still in Heatmiser,", "What did he do next?", "Heatmiser disbanded prior to the release of Mic City Sons," ]
C_67e39bd5d0ec4d73a28d88c3acd4695e_1
What happened to them then?
6
What happened to Heatmiser after Elliott Smith left?
Elliott Smith
Smith graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts in 1991 with a degree in philosophy and political science. "Went straight through in four years", he explained to Under the Radar in 2003. "I guess it proved to myself that I could do something I really didn't want to for four years. Except I did like what I was studying. At the time it seemed like, 'This is your one and only chance to go to college and you had just better do it because some day you might wish that you did.' Plus, the whole reason I applied in the first place was because of my girlfriend, and I had gotten accepted already even though we had broken up before the first day." After he graduated, he "worked in a bakery back in Portland with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and legal theory". While at Hampshire, Smith formed the band Heatmiser with classmate Neil Gust. After Smith graduated from Hampshire, the band added drummer Tony Lash and bassist Brandt Peterson and began performing around Portland in 1992. The group released the albums Dead Air (1993) and Cop and Speeder (1994) as well as the Yellow No. 5 EP (1994) on Frontier Records. They were then signed to Virgin Records to release what became their final album, Mic City Sons (1996). Around this time, Smith and Gust worked a number of odd jobs around Portland, including installing drywall, spreading gravel, transplanting bamboo trees, and painting the roof of a warehouse with heat reflective paint. The pair were also on unemployment benefits for some time, which they considered an "artist grant". Smith had begun his solo career while still in Heatmiser, and the success of his first two releases created distance and tension with his band. Heatmiser disbanded prior to the release of Mic City Sons, prompting Virgin to put the album out inauspiciously through its independent arm, Caroline Records. A clause in Heatmiser's record contract with Virgin meant that Smith was still bound to it as an individual. The contract was later bought out by DreamWorks prior to the recording of his fourth album, XO. CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known professionally as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity. Smith's primary instrument was the guitar, though he also played piano, clarinet, bass guitar, drums, and harmonica. Smith had a distinctive vocal style, characterized by his "whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery", and often used multi-tracking to create vocal layers, textures, and harmonies. After playing in the rock band Heatmiser for several years, Smith began his solo career in 1994, with releases on the independent record labels Cavity Search and Kill Rock Stars (KRS). In 1997, he signed a contract with DreamWorks Records, for which he recorded two albums. Smith rose to mainstream prominence when his song "Miss Misery"—included in the soundtrack for the film Good Will Hunting (1997)—was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Original Song category in 1998. Smith was a heavy drinker and drug user at times throughout his life, and was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression. His struggles with drugs and mental illness affected his life and work, and often appeared in his lyrics. In 2003, aged 34, he died in Los Angeles, California, from two stab wounds to the chest. The autopsy evidence was inconclusive as to whether the wounds were self-inflicted or the result of homicide. At the time of his death, Smith was working on his sixth studio album, From a Basement on the Hill, which was posthumously produced and released in 2004. Early life Steven Paul Smith was born at the Methodist Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, the only child of Gary Smith, a student at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Bunny Kay Berryman, an elementary school music teacher. His parents divorced when he was six months old, and Smith moved with his mother to Duncanville, Texas. Smith later had a tattoo of a map of Texas drawn on his upper arm and said: "I didn't get it because I like Texas, kind of the opposite. But I won't forget about it, although I'm tempted to because I don't like it there." Smith endured a difficult childhood and a troubled relationship with his stepfather Charlie Welch. Smith stated he may have been sexually abused by Welch at a young age, an allegation that Welch has denied. He wrote about this part of his life in "Some Song". The name "Charlie" also appears in songs "Flowers for Charlie" and "No Confidence Man." In a 2004 interview, Jennifer Chiba, Smith's partner at the time of his death, said that Smith's difficult childhood was partly why he needed to sedate himself with drugs as an adult: "He was remembering traumatic things from his childhood – parts of things. It's not my place to say what." For much of his childhood, Smith's family was a part of the Community of Christ but began attending services at a local Methodist church. Smith felt that going to church did little for him, except make him "really scared of Hell". In 2001, he said: "I don't necessarily buy into any officially structured version of spirituality. But I have my own version of it." Smith began playing piano at age nine, and at ten began learning guitar on a small acoustic guitar bought for him by his father. At this age he composed an original piano piece, "Fantasy", which won him a prize at an arts festival. Many of the people on his mother's side of the family were non-professional musicians; his grandfather was a Dixieland drummer, and his grandmother sang in a glee club. At fourteen, Smith left his mother's home in Texas and moved to Portland, Oregon, to live with his father, who was then working as a psychiatrist. It was around this time that Smith began using drugs, including alcohol, with friends. He also began experimenting with recording for the first time after borrowing a four-track recorder. At high school, Smith played clarinet in the school band and played guitar and piano; he also sang in the bands Stranger Than Fiction and A Murder of Crows, billed as either Steven Smith or "Johnny Panic". He graduated from Lincoln High School as a National Merit Scholar. After graduation, Smith began calling himself "Elliott", saying that he thought "Steve" sounded too much like a "jock" name, and that "Steven" sounded "too bookish". According to friends, he had also used the pseudonym "Elliott Stillwater-Rotter" during his time in the band A Murder of Crows. Biographer S. R. Shutt speculates that the name was either inspired by Elliott Avenue, a street that Smith had lived on in Portland, or that it was suggested by his then-girlfriend. A junior high acquaintance of Smith speculates Smith changed his name so as not to be confused with Steve Smith, the drummer of Journey. Career 1991–1996: Heatmiser In 1991 Smith graduated from Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts with a degree in philosophy and political science. "Went straight through in four years", he explained to Under the Radar in 2003. "I guess it proved to myself that I could do something I really didn't want to for four years. Except I did like what I was studying. At the time it seemed like, 'This is your one and only chance to go to college and you had just better do it because some day you might wish that you did.' Plus, the whole reason I applied in the first place was because of my girlfriend, and I had gotten accepted already even though we had broken up before the first day." After he graduated, he "worked in a bakery back in Portland with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and legal theory". While at Hampshire, Smith formed the band Heatmiser with classmate Neil Gust. After Smith graduated from Hampshire, the band added drummer Tony Lash and bassist Brandt Peterson and began performing around Portland in 1992. The group released the albums Dead Air (1993) and Cop and Speeder (1994) as well as the Yellow No. 5 EP (1994) on Frontier Records. They were then signed to Virgin Records to release what became their final album, Mic City Sons (1996). Around this time, Smith and Gust worked a number of odd jobs around Portland, including installing drywall, spreading gravel, transplanting bamboo trees, and painting the roof of a warehouse with heat reflective paint. The pair were also on unemployment benefits for some time, which they considered an "artist grant". Smith had begun his solo career while still in Heatmiser, and the success of his first two releases created distance and tension with his band. Heatmiser disbanded prior to the release of Mic City Sons, prompting Virgin to put the album out inauspiciously through its independent arm, Caroline Records. A clause in Heatmiser's record contract with Virgin meant that Smith was still bound to it as an individual. The contract was later bought out by DreamWorks prior to the recording of his fourth album, XO. 1994: Roman Candle In the early 1990s, Smith's girlfriend at the time convinced him to send a tape of songs he had recently recorded on a borrowed four-track to Cavity Search Records. Cavity owner Christopher Cooper asked to release the entire album of songs, which surprised Smith, as he was expecting only a deal for a seven-inch record. The album became Smith's release, Roman Candle (1994). Smith said: "I thought my head would be chopped off immediately when it came out because at the time it was so opposite to the grunge thing that was popular ... The thing is that album was really well received, which was a total shock, and it immediately eclipsed [Heatmiser], unfortunately." Smith felt his solo songs were not representative of the music Heatmiser was making: "The idea of playing [my music] for people didn't occur to me... because at the time it was the Northwest—Mudhoney and Nirvana—and going out to play an acoustic show was like crawling out on a limb and begging for it to be sawed off." One of Smith's first solo performances was at the now-defunct Umbra Penumbra on September 17, 1994. Only three songs from Roman Candle were performed, with the majority of the ten-song set being B-sides, Heatmiser tunes and unreleased tracks. The same year, Smith released a split 7-inch record with Pete Krebs via Slo-Mo Records, contributing the track "No Confidence Man". 1995–1997: Elliott Smith and Either/Or In 1995, Smith's self-titled album was released on Kill Rock Stars; the record featured a style of recording similar to Roman Candle, but with hints of growth and experimentation. Though the majority of the album was recorded by Smith alone, friend and The Spinanes vocalist Rebecca Gates sang harmony vocals on "St. Ides Heaven", and Heatmiser guitarist Neil Gust played guitar on "Single File". Several songs made reference to drugs, but Smith explained that he used the theme of drugs as a vehicle for conveying dependence rather than the songs being about drugs specifically. Looking back, Smith felt that the album's pervasive mood gave him "a reputation for being a really dark, depressed person" and said that he later made a conscious move toward more diverse moods in his music. In 1996, filmmaker Jem Cohen recorded Smith playing acoustic songs for the short film Lucky Three: An Elliott Smith Portrait. Two of these songs would appear on his next album, Either/Or, which was another Kill Rock Stars release. Either/Or came out in 1997 to favorable reviews. The album found Smith venturing further into full instrumentation, with several songs containing bass guitar, drums, keyboards, and electric guitars, all played by Smith. The album title was derived from the two-volume book of the same name by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, whose works generally deal with themes such as existential despair, angst, death, and God. By this time, Smith's already-heavy drinking was being compounded with use of antidepressants. At the end of the Either/Or tour, some of his close friends staged an intervention in Chicago, but it proved ineffective. Shortly after, Smith relocated from Portland to Jersey City, New Jersey, and later Brooklyn, New York. 1997–98: "Miss Misery" and the Oscars In 1997, Smith was selected by director and fellow Portland resident Gus Van Sant to be a part of the soundtrack to his film, Good Will Hunting. Smith recorded an orchestral version of "Between the Bars" with composer Danny Elfman for the movie. Smith also contributed a new song, "Miss Misery", and three previously released tracks ("No Name #3", from Roman Candle, and "Angeles" and "Say Yes", from Either/Or). The film was a commercial and critical success, and Smith was nominated for an Academy Award for "Miss Misery". Not eager to step into the limelight, he agreed to perform the song at the ceremony only after the producers informed him that if he was unwilling to perform, they would choose someone else to play it. On March 5, 1998, Smith made his network television debut on Late Night with Conan O'Brien performing "Miss Misery" solo on acoustic guitar. A few days later, wearing a white suit, he played an abridged version of the song at the Oscars, accompanied by the house orchestra. James Horner and Will Jennings won the award that night for best song with "My Heart Will Go On" (sung by Celine Dion) from the film Titanic. Smith did not voice disappointment about not winning the award. Smith commented on the surrealism of the Oscars experience: "That's exactly what it was, surreal... I enjoy performing almost as much as I enjoy making up songs in the first place. But the Oscars was a very strange show, where the set was only one song cut down to less than two minutes, and the audience was a lot of people who didn't come to hear me play. I wouldn't want to live in that world, but it was fun to walk around on the moon for a day." 1998–2000: XO and Figure 8 In 1998, after the success of Either/Or and "Miss Misery", Smith signed to a bigger record label, DreamWorks Records. Around the same time, Smith fell into depression, speaking openly of considering suicide, and on at least one occasion made a serious attempt at ending his own life. While in North Carolina, he became severely intoxicated and ran off a cliff. He landed on a tree, which badly impaled him but broke his fall. When questioned about his suicide attempt, he told an interviewer, "Yeah, I jumped off a cliff, but let's talk about something else." Christopher Cooper, head of Cavity Search Records (which released Roman Candle), said about this time in Smith's life, "I talked him out of thinking that he wanted to kill himself numerous times when he was in Portland. I kept telling him that he was a brilliant man, and that life was worth living, and that people loved him." Pete Krebs also agreed: "In Portland we got the brunt of Elliott's initial depression... Lots of people have stories of their own experiences of staying up with Elliott 'til five in the morning, holding his hand, telling him not to kill himself." Smith's first release for DreamWorks was later that year. Titled XO, it was conceived and developed while Smith wrote it out over the winter of 1997/1998, night after night seated at the bar in Luna Lounge. It was produced by the team of Rob Schnapf and Tom Rothrock. XO also contained some instrumentation from Los Angeles musicians Joey Waronker and Jon Brion. It contained a more full-sounding, baroque pop sound than any of his previous efforts, with songs featuring a horn section, Chamberlins, elaborate string arrangements, and even a drum loop on the song "Independence Day". His familiar double-tracked vocal and acoustic guitar style were still apparent while his somewhat personal lyrical style survived. The album went on to peak at number 104 on the Billboard 200 and number 123 on the UK Album Charts, while selling 400,000 copies (more than double that of each of his two Kill Rock Stars releases), becoming the best-selling release of his career. Smith's backing band during most of this period was the Portland-based group Quasi, consisting of former bandmate Sam Coomes on bass guitar and Coomes's ex-wife Janet Weiss on drums. Quasi also performed as the opening act at many shows on the tour, with Smith sometimes contributing bass guitar, guitar, or backing vocals. On October 17, 1998, Smith appeared on Saturday Night Live and performed "Waltz No. 2 (XO)". His backing band for this appearance was John Moen, Jon Brion, Rob Schnapf, and Sam Coomes. In response to whether the change to a bigger record label would influence his creative control, Smith said, "I think despite the fact that sometimes people look at major labels as simply money-making machines, they're actually composed of individuals who are real people, and there's a part of them that needs to feel that part of their job is to put out good music." Smith also claimed in another interview that he never read his reviews for fear that they would interfere with his songwriting. It was during this period that Smith appeared on Dutch television in 1998 and provided a candid interview in which he spoke of his assessment of his music career until that point: Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I mostly only know things are different because people ask me different questions, but I don't feel like things are very changed. I mean, I still, I do the same things that I did before … I think about the same things, so … I'm the wrong kind of person to be really big and famous. As part of the Dutch television special, Smith played live versions of "Waltz No. 2 (XO)", "Miss Misery", and "I Didn't Understand"—the latter two songs were performed solely on piano, while the first song was cut short by Smith, as he explained: "I had to stop it because it's… you know, what's the point of playing a song badly? It'd be better to play it and mean it, than to just walk through it." Smith relocated from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1999, taking up residence at a cabin in the Silver Lake section of town, where he would regularly play intimate, acoustic shows at local venues like Silverlake Lounge. He also performed in Toronto in April that year. In the fall, his cover of the Beatles' "Because" was featured in the end credits of DreamWorks' Oscar-winning drama American Beauty, and appeared on the film's soundtrack album. The final album Smith completed, Figure 8, was released on April 18, 2000. It featured the return of Rothrock, Schnapf, Brion, and Waronker and was partially recorded at Abbey Road Studios in England, with an obvious Beatles influence in the songwriting and production. The album garnered favorable reviews, and peaked at number 99 on the Billboard 200 and 37 on the UK Album Charts. The album received praise for its power pop style and complex arrangements, described as creating a "sweeping kaleidoscope of layered instruments and sonic textures". However, some reviewers felt that Smith's trademark dark and melancholy songwriting had lost some of its subtlety, with one reviewer likening some of the lyrics to "the self-pitying complaints of an adolescent venting in his diary". Album art and promotional pictures from the period showed Smith looking cleaned-up and put-together. An extensive tour in promotion of the record ensued, book-ended by television appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and the Late Show with David Letterman. However, Smith's condition began to deteriorate as he had become addicted to heroin either towards the end of or just after the Figure 8 tour. 2001–2002: Addiction and scrapped recordings Around the time he began recording his final album, Smith began to display signs of paranoia, often believing that a white van followed him wherever he went. He would have friends drop him off for recording sessions almost a mile away from the studio, and to reach the location, he would trudge through hundreds of yards of brush and cliffs. He started telling people that DreamWorks was out to get him: "Not long ago my house was broken into, and songs were stolen off my computer which have wound up in the hands of certain people who work at a certain label. I've also been followed around for months at a time. I wouldn't even want to necessarily say it's the people from that label who are following me around, but it was probably them who broke into my house." During this period, Smith hardly ate, subsisting primarily on ice cream. He would go without sleeping for several days and then sleep for an entire day. A follow-up to Smith's 2000 album was originally planned to happen with Rob Schnapf, but their sessions were abandoned. Smith also began distancing himself from manager Margaret Mittleman, who had handled him since the Roman Candle days. He finally began recording a new album with only himself and Jon Brion as producers sometime during 2001. The pair had recorded a substantial amount of music for the album when Brion stopped the sessions because of Smith's struggle with substance use disorder. Their friendship promptly ended, and Smith scrapped all of their work until that point. He later said "There was even a little more than half of a record done before this new one that I just scrapped because of a blown friendship with someone that made me so depressed I didn't want to hear any of those songs. He was just helping me record the songs and stuff, and then the friendship kind of fell apart all of a sudden one day. It just made it kind of awkward being alone in the car listening to the songs." When Brion sent a bill for the abandoned sessions to DreamWorks, executives Lenny Waronker and Luke Wood scheduled a meeting with Smith to determine what went wrong with the sessions. Smith complained of intrusion upon his personal life from the label, as well as poor promotion for the Figure 8 album. The talks proved fruitless, and soon after, Smith sent a message to the executives, stating that if they did not release him from his contract, he would take his own life. In May 2001, Smith set out to re-record the album, mostly on his own, but with some help from David McConnell of Goldenboy. McConnell told Spin that, during this time, Smith would smoke over $1,500 worth of heroin and crack per day, would often talk about suicide, and on numerous occasions tried to give himself an overdose. Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips and Scott McPherson of Sense Field played a few drum tracks, Sam Coomes contributed some bass guitar and backing vocals, but almost every other instrument was recorded by Smith. Smith's song "Needle in the Hay" was included in Wes Anderson's 2001 dark comedy film The Royal Tenenbaums during a suicide attempt scene. Smith was originally supposed to contribute a cover of The Beatles' "Hey Jude" for the film, but when he failed to do so in time, Anderson had to use The Mutato Muzika Orchestra's version of the track instead. Anderson would later say that Smith "was in a bad state" at the time. Smith's live performances during 2001 and 2002 were infrequent, typically in the Pacific Northwest or Los Angeles. A review of his December 20, 2001, show at Portland's Crystal Ballroom expressed concern over his appearance and performance: his hair was uncharacteristically greasy and long, his face was bearded and gaunt, and during his songs he exhibited alarming signs of "memory-loss and butterfingers". At another performance in San Francisco that month, the audience began shouting out lyrics when Smith could not remember them. In the first of only three concerts performed in 2002, Smith co-headlined Northwestern University's A&O Ball with Wilco on May 2 in Chicago. He was onstage for nearly an hour but failed to complete half of the songs. He claimed that his poor performance was due to his left hand having fallen asleep and told the audience it felt "like having stuff on your hand and you can't get it off". Smith's performance was reviewed as "undoubtedly one of the worst performances ever by a musician" and an "excruciating […] nightmare". A reporter for the online magazine Glorious Noise wrote, "It would not surprise me at all if Elliott Smith ends up dead within a year." On November 25, 2002, Smith was involved in a brawl with the Los Angeles Police Department at a concert where The Flaming Lips and Beck were performing. Smith later said he was defending a man he thought the police were harassing. The officers allegedly beat and arrested him and girlfriend Jennifer Chiba. The two spent the night in jail. Smith's back was injured in the incident, causing him to cancel a number of shows. Wayne Coyne, lead singer of The Flaming Lips and a friend of Smith's, stated concern over Smith's appearance and actions, saying that he "saw a guy who had lost control of himself. He was needy, he was grumpy, he was everything you wouldn't want in a person. It's not like when you think of Keith Richards being pleasantly blissed out in the corner." 2003: Reemergence and From a Basement on the Hill Smith had attempted to go to rehab several times, but found that he was unable to relate to the popular treatments for people with substance use disorder that used a twelve-step program basis for treatment. "I couldn't do the first step […] I couldn't say what you were supposed to say and mean it." In 2002, Smith went to the Neurotransmitter Restoration Center in Beverly Hills to start a course of treatment for substance use disorder. In one of his final interviews, he spoke about the center, "What they do is an IV treatment where they put a needle in your arm, and you're on a drip bag, but the only thing that's in the drip bag is amino acids and saline solution. I was coming off of a lot of psych meds and other things. I was even on an antipsychotic, although I'm not psychotic." Two sold-out solo acoustic concerts at Hollywood's Henry Fonda Theater, on January 31 and February 1, 2003, saw Smith attempting to reestablish his credibility as a live performer. Before the show, Smith scrawled "Kali – The Destroyer" (the Hindu goddess associated with time and change) in large block letters with permanent ink on his left arm, which was visible to the crowd during the performance. On several songs, he was backed by a stripped-down drum kit played by Robin Peringer (of the band 764-HERO), and members of opening band Rilo Kiley contributed backing vocals to one song. Near the end of the first show, the musician responded for several minutes after a heckler (later identified as Smith's ex-girlfriend Valerie Deerin) yelled "Get a backbone." Smith played two more Los Angeles concerts during 2003, including The Derby in May and the L.A. Weekly Music Awards in June. After his 34th birthday on August 6, 2003, he gave up alcohol. Director Mike Mills had been working with Smith during his final years and described Smith's troubles and apparent recovery: "I gave the script to him, then he dropped off the face of the earth […] he went through his whole crazy time, but by the time I was done with the film, he was making From a Basement on the Hill and I was shocked that he was actually making music." With things improving for Smith after several troubled years, he began experimenting with noise music and worked on his girlfriend Jennifer Chiba's iMac with the intent of learning how to record with computers, noting that it was the only method with which he was still unfamiliar. Smith jokingly labeled his experimental way of recording "The California Frown" (a play on the Beach Boys' "California Sound"). He said of the songs, "They're kind of more noisy with the pitch all distorted. Some are more acoustic, but there aren't too many like that. Lately I've just been making up a lot of noise." He was also in the process of recording songs for the Thumbsucker soundtrack, including Big Star's "Thirteen" and Cat Stevens's "Trouble". In August 2003, Suicide Squeeze Records put out a limited-edition vinyl single for "Pretty (Ugly Before)", a song that Smith had been playing since the Figure 8 tour. Smith's final show was at Redfest at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on September 19, 2003. The final song he played live was "Long, Long, Long" by The Beatles. 2004–present: Posthumous releases From a Basement on the Hill, almost four years in production, was released on October 19, 2004, by ANTI- Records (a part of Epitaph Records). With Smith's family in control of his estate, they chose to bring in Rob Schnapf and Smith's ex-girlfriend Joanna Bolme to sort through the recordings and mix the album. Although Smith had voiced his desire for it to be a double album or a regular album with a bonus disc, it was not clear whether it would have been possible for him to release it that way had he completed it. As completed by Schnapf and Bolme, it was released as a 15-track single album. Many songs from the sessions (later leaked onto the Internet) were not included, such as "True Love", "Everything's OK", "Stickman", and "Suicide Machine" (a reworking of the Figure 8-era unreleased instrumental "Tiny Time Machine"). There has been unconfirmed speculation that Smith's family made the decision not to include some songs on the record due to their lyrical content, although songs such as "King's Crossing" that deal with darker subjects did make the album. Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing, a biography by Benjamin Nugent, was rushed to publication shortly after From a Basement on the Hill, shortly after the first anniversary of his death. Smith's family, as well as Joanna Bolme, Jennifer Chiba, Neil Gust, Sam Coomes, and Janet Weiss, all declined to be interviewed. It contained interviews with Rob Schnapf, David McConnell, and Pete Krebs. The book received mixed reviews, with Publishers Weekly remarking that while "Nugent manages to patch together the major beats of Smith's life, he can offer little meaningful insight". In 2005, a tribute album, A Tribute to Elliott Smith, was released. It featured various bands performing tributes to Smith. On May 8, 2007, a posthumous two-disc compilation album entitled New Moon was released by Kill Rock Stars. The album contained 24 songs recorded by Smith between 1994 and 1997 during his tenure with the label, songs that were not included on albums, as well as a few early versions and previously released B-sides. In the United States, the album debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200, selling about 24,000 copies in its first week. The record received favorable reviews and was Metacritic's 15th best-reviewed album of 2007. A portion of the proceeds from album sales were to go to Outside In, a social service agency for low-income adults and homeless youth in Portland, Oregon. On October 25, 2007, a book titled Elliott Smith was released by Autumn de Wilde, which consists of photographs, handwritten lyrics, and "revealing talks with Smith's inner circle". De Wilde was responsible for the Figure 8 sleeve art, making a landmark and de facto Smith memorial of the Solutions Audio mural. A five-song CD featuring previously unreleased live recordings of Smith performing acoustically at Largo in Los Angeles was included in the release. Following Smith's death, his estate licensed his songs for use in film and television projects such as One Tree Hill, The Girl Next Door, Georgia Rule, and Paranoid Park. In a March 2009 interview, Larry Crane said that Smith's estate was defunct and all rights previously held by Smith are now in the control of his parents. Crane went on to say that his parents own the rights to Smith's high school recordings, some of the Heatmiser material, all solo songs recorded until his 1998 record deal with DreamWorks Records, and From a Basement on the Hill. DreamWorks Records was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2003, and Interscope Records currently "owns all studio and live recording from Jan 1998 to his passing, except for the songs on From a Basement on the Hill." In December 2009, Kill Rock Stars announced that it had obtained the rights to re-release Roman Candle and From a Basement on the Hill, originally released by Cavity Search and ANTI-, respectively. Roman Candle would be remastered by Larry Crane. Along with the press release, Kill Rock Stars posted a previously unreleased track of Smith's, titled "Cecilia/Amanda", as a free download. Roman Candle and From a Basement on the Hill were re-released on April 6, 2010, in the US. A greatest hits compilation titled An Introduction to... Elliott Smith was released in November 2010 by Domino Records (UK) and Kill Rock Stars (US). In August 2013, there was a memorial concert in Portland, Oregon and three other cities. Attending the Portland show were several musicians Smith had performed with, friends, and an appearance by film director Gus Van Sant. In 2014, director Paul Thomas Anderson posted a video of the pilot episode for a show called The Jon Brion Show, featuring an acoustic set by Smith including accompaniment by Brion and pianist Brad Mehldau. On July 17, 2015, a documentary about Smith's life titled Heaven Adores You saw a limited theatrical release. The documentary enlisted a number of close friends and family members, as well as hours of audio interviews throughout Smith's short career. The film was directed by Nickolas Rossi and released through Eagle Rock Entertainment. Heaven Adores You received positive reviews from Consequence of Sound, The Guardian, and The Hollywood Reporter. On August 6, 2019 (what would have been Smith's 50th birthday), UMe released digital deluxe editions of the two albums XO and Figure 8. The new edition of XO has nine added tracks, including Smith's Oscar-nominated Good Will Hunting song "Miss Misery." Seven tracks have been added to Figure 8. The digital deluxe edition includes "Figure 8"—Smith's cover of the "Schoolhouse Rock!" song—which was originally released only on the Japanese edition of the album. The final track on the new Figure 8 edition is Smith's cover of the Beatles’ "Because", originally featured on the 1999 American Beauty soundtrack. In May 2021, Smith's life and work were the subject of BBC Radio 4's Great Lives. Death Smith died on October 21, 2003, at the age of 34 from two stab wounds to the chest. At the time of the stabbing, he was at his Lemoyne Street home in Echo Park, California, where he lived with his girlfriend, Jennifer Chiba. According to Chiba, the two were arguing, and she locked herself in the bathroom to take a shower. Chiba heard him scream and upon opening the door saw Smith standing with a knife in his chest. She pulled the knife out, after which he collapsed and she called 9-1-1 at 12:18 pm. Smith died in the hospital, with the time of death listed as 1:36 p.m. A possible suicide note, written on a sticky note, read: "I'm so sorry—love, Elliott. God forgive me." In the coroner's report of the note, the name "Elliott" is misspelled as "Elliot". While Smith's death was reported as a suicide, the official autopsy report released in December 2003 left open the question of homicide. Smith's remains were cremated, and his ashes were divided between his mother, father, and half-sister Ashley. A small memorial service for family and friends was held at his father's home in Portland, although Smith's "ashes weren't on hand because the coroner wouldn't release them." The status or location of Smith's ashes has not been made public. According to Pitchfork, record producer Larry Crane reported on his Tape Op message board that he had planned to help Smith mix his album in mid-November. Crane wrote, "I hadn't talked to Elliott in over a year. His girlfriend, Jennifer, called me [last week] and asked if I'd like to come to L.A. and help mix and finish [Smith's album]. I said 'yes, of course', and chatted with Elliott for the first time in ages. It seems surreal that he would call me to finish an album and then a week later kill himself. I talked to Jennifer this morning, who was obviously shattered and in tears, and she said, 'I don't understand, he was so healthy. The coroner reported that no traces of illegal substances or alcohol were found in Smith's system at the time of his death but did find prescribed levels of antidepressant, anxiolytic, and ADHD medications, including clonazepam, mirtazapine, atomoxetine, and amphetamine. There were no hesitation wounds, which are typically found on a victim of suicide by self-infliction. Due to the inconclusive autopsy ruling, the Los Angeles Police Department's investigation remains open. Reaction Shortly after Smith's death, a fan memorial was initiated outside Solutions Audio (4334 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California), the site at which the cover of the Figure 8 album was shot. Farewell messages to Smith were written on the wall, and flowers, photos, candles, and empty bottles of alcohol mentioned in Smith's songs were left. Since then, the wall has been a regular target for graffiti but is regularly restored by fans. Memorial concerts were held in several cities in the United States and the United Kingdom. A petition was soon put forth with intent to make part of the Silver Lake area a memorial park in Smith's honor. It received over 10,000 signatures, but no plans to establish the park have been announced. A memorial plaque located inside Smith's former high school, Lincoln High, was hung in July 2006. The plaque reads: "I'm never going to know you now, but I'm going to love you anyhow" referencing Smith's song "Waltz No. 2 (XO)". Since Smith's death, many musical acts have paid him tribute. Songs in tribute to, or about, Smith have been released by Pearl Jam ("Can't Keep" on the Live at Benaroya Hall concert album); Sparta ("Bombs and Us"); Third Eye Blind ("There's No Hurry to Eternity", originally titled "Elliott Smith", on the Live from Nowhere Near You, Volume Two: Pacific Northwest compilation); 9 Horses (“listening to the Elliott Smith discography in reverse order”, on the album Perfectest Herald); Ben Folds ("Late" on Songs for Silverman); Brad Mehldau ("Sky Turning Grey (for Elliott Smith)" on Highway Rider); Rilo Kiley ("It Just Is", and "Ripchord" from the album More Adventurous); Lil B's 'The Worlds Ending'; Rhett Miller ("The Believer" on The Believer); Earlimart ("Heaven Adores You" on Treble and Tremble); Joan As Police Woman ("We Don't Own It" on Real Life); and Pete Yorn ("Bandstand in the Sky" on Nightcrawler, a song jointly dedicated to Jeff Buckley). Several tribute albums have also been released since his death, including Christopher O'Riley's 2006 Home to Oblivion: An Elliott Smith Tribute, with 18 instrumental covers, The Portland Cello Project's 2014 to e.s., covering six of his songs and To Elliott, from Portland containing covers by a number of Portland bands. On July 30, 2004, Chiba filed a lawsuit against the Smith family for 15% of his earnings (over $1 million), claiming that she and Smith lived as "husband and wife", that Smith had pledged to take care of her financially for the rest of her life, and that she worked as his manager and agent from around 2000 until his death. A state labor commissioner ruled her claim as manager to be invalid, as she had worked as an "unlicensed talent agent" under California's Talent Agencies Act. The case made it to the California appellate court in October 2007, but the decision was affirmed 2–1. In an October 2013 Spin magazine article—a reflection at the ten-year anniversary of Smith's death—drummer McPherson stated that Smith was "a sick man without his medicine" during the last 31 days of his life, when he was not only sober, but had also given up red meat and sugar. In the same article, Chiba recalls thinking, "Okay, you're asking a lot of yourself. You're giving up a lot at once." Chiba further explained that "anyone who understands drug abuse knows that you use drugs to hide from your past or sedate yourself from strong, overwhelming feelings. So when you're newly clean and coming off the medications that have been masking all those feelings, that's when you're the most vulnerable." Writing for Spin, Liam Gowing also encountered a local musician who claimed Smith had said to him: "The people who try to intervene, they're good people who genuinely care about you. But they don't know what you're going through. Do what you need to do." According to the musician, Smith had adamantly dissuaded him from suicide. Musical style and influences Smith respected and was inspired by many artists and styles, including the Beatles, Neil Young, Simon & Garfunkel, Big Star, the Clash, the Who, Led Zeppelin, the Kinks, Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, Rush, Bauhaus, Elvis Costello, Oasis, Television, Motown and flamenco records, AC/DC, Hank Williams, and Scorpions, Smith claimed to listen exclusively to selected albums (such as The Marble Index by Nico) for months. Sean Croghan, a former roommate of Smith's, said that Smith "listened almost exclusively to slow jams" in his senior year at college. Smith also took inspiration from novels, religion, and philosophy. He liked classic literature, especially Samuel Beckett, T. S. Eliot, and Russian novelists such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Smith mentioned his admiration for Bob Dylan in several interviews, citing him as an early influence. He once commented: "My father taught me how to play 'Don't Think Twice, It's All Right'. I love Dylan's words, but even more than that, I love the fact that he loves words." Smith covered Dylan's "When I Paint My Masterpiece" several times in concert. Smith has also been compared to folk singer Nick Drake, due to his fingerpicking style and vocals. Darryl Cater of AllMusic called references to "the definitive folk loner" Drake "inevitable", and Smith's lyrics have been compared to those in Drake's minimalist and haunting final album. Smith was a dedicated fan of the Beatles (as well as their solo projects), once noting that he had been listening to them frequently since he was about "four years old" and also claimed that hearing The White Album was his original inspiration to become a musician. In 1998, Smith contributed a cover of the Beatles song "Because" to the closing credits and soundtrack of the film American Beauty. Although this was the only Beatles song that Smith ever officially released, he is known to have recorded many others, ("Revolution", "I'll Be Back" and "I'm So Tired") and played many songs by both the band and the members' solo projects at live concerts. Smith said that transitions were his favorite part of songs and that he preferred to write broader, more impressionistic music closer to pop rather than folk music. Smith compared his songs to stories or dreams, not purely confessional pieces that people could relate to. When asked about the dark nature of his songwriting and the cult following he was gaining, Smith said he felt it was merely a product of his writing songs that were strongly meaningful to him rather than anything contrived. Larry Crane, Smith's posthumous archivist, has said that he was surprised at the amount of "recycling of musical ideas" he encountered while cataloging Smith's private tapes: "I found songs recorded in high school reworked 15 years on. Lyrics became more important to him as he became older, and more time was spent working on them." Legacy Since his death, Smith has been regarded as one of the most influential artists in indie music. Many artists have mentioned Smith as their influence, such as Frank Ocean, Beck, Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Haim's lead vocalist Danielle Haim. See also List of unsolved deaths Discography Studio albums Roman Candle (1994) Elliott Smith (1995) Either/Or (1997) XO (1998) Figure 8 (2000) Posthumous studio albums From a Basement on the Hill (2004) Compilation albums New Moon (2007) References Bibliography External links Official website Official Cavity Search Records website Official Kill Rock Stars website Elliott Smith collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive Keep the Things You Forgot: An Elliott Smith Oral History 1969 births 2003 deaths Unsolved deaths 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American writers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American writers Alternative rock guitarists Alternative rock singers American feminists American indie rock musicians American male guitarists American male singer-songwriters American rock guitarists American tenors Anti- (record label) artists Caroline Records artists Cavity Search Records artists Deaths by stabbing in California Domino Recording Company artists DreamWorks Records artists Feminist musicians Fingerstyle guitarists Guitarists from Los Angeles Guitarists from Nebraska Guitarists from New York City Guitarists from Oklahoma Guitarists from Oregon Guitarists from Texas Hampshire College alumni Indie folk musicians Kill Rock Stars artists Lincoln High School (Portland, Oregon) alumni Male feminists Musicians from Brooklyn Musicians from Omaha, Nebraska Musicians from Portland, Oregon People from Duncanville, Texas People from Echo Park, Los Angeles People with mood disorders Singers from Los Angeles Singers from New York City Singer-songwriters from Texas Suicide Squeeze Records artists Virgin Records artists 20th-century American male singers Singer-songwriters from California Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma Singer-songwriters from Nebraska
false
[ "What Happened to Jones may refer to:\n What Happened to Jones (1897 play), a play by George Broadhurst\n What Happened to Jones (1915 film), a lost silent film\n What Happened to Jones (1920 film), a lost silent film\n What Happened to Jones (1926 film), a silent film comedy", "Don Juan Manuel's Tales of Count Lucanor, in Spanish Libro de los ejemplos del conde Lucanor y de Patronio (Book of the Examples of Count Lucanor and of Patronio), also commonly known as El Conde Lucanor, Libro de Patronio, or Libro de los ejemplos (original Old Castilian: Libro de los enxiemplos del Conde Lucanor et de Patronio), is one of the earliest works of prose in Castilian Spanish. It was first written in 1335.\n\nThe book is divided into four parts. The first and most well-known part is a series of 51 short stories (some no more than a page or two) drawn from various sources, such as Aesop and other classical writers, and Arabic folktales.\n\nTales of Count Lucanor was first printed in 1575 when it was published at Seville under the auspices of Argote de Molina. It was again printed at Madrid in 1642, after which it lay forgotten for nearly two centuries.\n\nPurpose and structure\n\nA didactic, moralistic purpose, which would color so much of the Spanish literature to follow (see Novela picaresca), is the mark of this book. Count Lucanor engages in conversation with his advisor Patronio, putting to him a problem (\"Some man has made me a proposition...\" or \"I fear that such and such person intends to...\") and asking for advice. Patronio responds always with the greatest humility, claiming not to wish to offer advice to so illustrious a person as the Count, but offering to tell him a story of which the Count's problem reminds him. (Thus, the stories are \"examples\" [ejemplos] of wise action.) At the end he advises the Count to do as the protagonist of his story did.\n\nEach chapter ends in more or less the same way, with slight variations on: \"And this pleased the Count greatly and he did just so, and found it well. And Don Johán (Juan) saw that this example was very good, and had it written in this book, and composed the following verses.\" A rhymed couplet closes, giving the moral of the story.\n\nOrigin of stories and influence on later literature\nMany of the stories written in the book are the first examples written in a modern European language of various stories, which many other writers would use in the proceeding centuries. Many of the stories he included were themselves derived from other stories, coming from western and Arab sources.\n\nShakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew has the basic elements of Tale 35, \"What Happened to a Young Man Who Married a Strong and Ill-tempered Woman\".\n\nTale 32, \"What Happened to the King and the Tricksters Who Made Cloth\" tells the story that Hans Christian Andersen made popular as The Emperor's New Clothes.\n\nStory 7, \"What Happened to a Woman Named Truhana\", a version of Aesop's The Milkmaid and Her Pail, was claimed by Max Müller to originate in the Hindu cycle Panchatantra.\n\nTale 2, \"What happened to a good Man and his Son, leading a beast to market,\" is the familiar fable The miller, his son and the donkey.\n\nIn 2016, Baroque Decay released a game under the name \"The Count Lucanor\". As well as some protagonists' names, certain events from the books inspired past events in the game.\n\nThe stories\n\nThe book opens with a prologue which introduces the characters of the Count and Patronio. The titles in the following list are those given in Keller and Keating's 1977 translation into English. James York's 1868 translation into English gives a significantly different ordering of the stories and omits the fifty-first.\n\n What Happened to a King and His Favorite \n What Happened to a Good Man and His Son \n How King Richard of England Leapt into the Sea against the Moors\n What a Genoese Said to His Soul When He Was about to Die \n What Happened to a Fox and a Crow Who Had a Piece of Cheese in His Beak\n How the Swallow Warned the Other Birds When She Saw Flax Being Sown \n What Happened to a Woman Named Truhana \n What Happened to a Man Whose Liver Had to Be Washed \n What Happened to Two Horses Which Were Thrown to the Lion \n What Happened to a Man Who on Account of Poverty and Lack of Other Food Was Eating Bitter Lentils \n What Happened to a Dean of Santiago de Compostela and Don Yllán, the Grand Master of Toledo\n What Happened to the Fox and the Rooster \n What Happened to a Man Who Was Hunting Partridges \n The Miracle of Saint Dominick When He Preached against the Usurer \n What Happened to Lorenzo Suárez at the Siege of Seville \n The Reply that count Fernán González Gave to His Relative Núño Laynes \n What Happened to a Very Hungry Man Who Was Half-heartedly Invited to Dinner \n What Happened to Pero Meléndez de Valdés When He Broke His Leg \n What Happened to the Crows and the Owls \n What Happened to a King for Whom a Man Promised to Perform Alchemy \n What Happened to a Young King and a Philosopher to Whom his Father Commended Him \n What Happened to the Lion and the Bull \n How the Ants Provide for Themselves \n What Happened to the King Who Wanted to Test His Three Sons \n What Happened to the Count of Provence and How He Was Freed from Prison by the Advice of Saladin\n What Happened to the Tree of Lies \n What Happened to an Emperor and to Don Alvarfáñez Minaya and Their Wives \n What Happened in Granada to Don Lorenzo Suárez Gallinato When He Beheaded the Renegade Chaplain \n What Happened to a Fox Who Lay down in the Street to Play Dead \n What Happened to King Abenabet of Seville and Ramayquía His Wife \n How a Cardinal Judged between the Canons of Paris and the Friars Minor \n What Happened to the King and the Tricksters Who Made Cloth \n What Happened to Don Juan Manuel's Saker Falcon and an Eagle and a Heron \n What Happened to a Blind Man Who Was Leading Another \n What Happened to a Young Man Who Married a Strong and Ill-tempered Woman\n What Happened to a Merchant When He Found His Son and His Wife Sleeping Together \n What Happened to Count Fernán González with His Men after He Had Won the Battle of Hacinas \n What Happened to a Man Who Was Loaded down with Precious Stones and Drowned in the River \n What Happened to a Man and a Swallow and a Sparrow \n Why the Seneschal of Carcassonne Lost His Soul \n What Happened to a King of Córdova Named Al-Haquem \n What Happened to a Woman of Sham Piety \n What Happened to Good and Evil and the Wise Man and the Madman \n What Happened to Don Pero Núñez the Loyal, to Don Ruy González de Zavallos, and to Don Gutier Roiz de Blaguiello with Don Rodrigo the Generous \n What Happened to a Man Who Became the Devil's Friend and Vassal \n What Happened to a Philosopher who by Accident Went down a Street Where Prostitutes Lived \n What Befell a Moor and His Sister Who Pretended That She Was Timid \n What Happened to a Man Who Tested His Friends \n What Happened to the Man Whom They Cast out Naked on an Island When They Took away from Him the Kingdom He Ruled \n What Happened to Saladin and a Lady, the Wife of a Knight Who Was His Vassal \n What Happened to a Christian King Who Was Very Powerful and Haughty\n\nReferences\n\nNotes\n\nBibliography\n\n Sturm, Harlan\n\n Wacks, David\n\nExternal links\n\nThe Internet Archive provides free access to the 1868 translation by James York.\nJSTOR has the to the 1977 translation by Keller and Keating.\nSelections in English and Spanish (pedagogical edition) with introduction, notes, and bibliography in Open Iberia/América (open access teaching anthology)\n\n14th-century books\nSpanish literature\n1335 books" ]
[ "Merzbow", "Current era (2009-present)" ]
C_ffb21108fa964974a7ae682b5fb48369_1
Can you name an album that Merzbow released in that period from 2009 to present ?
1
Can you name an album that Merzbow released in that period from 2009 to present ?
Merzbow
During the European tour in September-October 1989, Merzbow could only bring simple and portable gear; this led to the harsh noise style Merzbow became known for in the 1990s. Cloud Cock OO Grand (1990) was the first example of this new style, Merzbow's first digital recording (on DAT), and the first recording made for the CD format. It also includes live material recorded during the tour. But when I started live in late 1980s I didn't like to use tape on stage. I like only live electronics. So, my studio works changed to more live composition style. I'm still using many tapes in studio works, but difference is I treat tapes and instruments. Before, I used tapes as overdubbing concept. But now tapes are crashing together, no static overdub. I found that style on Cloud Cock OO Grand. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Merzbow began to be influenced by death metal and grindcore. Recordings from this time are mostly recorded at extreme volume, some mastered at levels far beyond standard (Noisembryo, Pulse Demon). In 1994, Akita acquired a vintage EMS synthesizer. From 1996, plans were made to release a "10 (or maybe 12)" CD box set on Extreme Records. In 2000, Extreme Records released the Merzbox, a fifty CD set of Merzbow records, twenty of them not previously released. Throughout most of the 1990s, Merzbow live was a trio with Reiko A. on electronics and Bara on voice and dance. Masami Akita occasionally played drums for Hijokaidan during the early-mid 1990s. In the early 1990s, Masami Akita composed the soundtracks to numerous kinbaku videos by Fuji Planning (Bu Er Qi Hua , Fuji Kikaku) and seppuku-themed videos by their sub-label Right Brain. Akita also directed Lost Paradise (Shi Le Yuan Cheng Ma Fu Nu Fu Qie ri, Shitsurakuen: Jobafuku onna harakiri) for Right Brain. Some of this music was included on Music for Bondage Performance and Music for Bondage Performance 2, co-credited to Right Brain Audile. Director Ian Kerkhof would use a Merzbow track for his 1992 film La sequence des barres paralleles, and Akita composed original music for Kerhof's 1994 film The Dead Man 2: Return of the Dead Man. Kerkhof made the documentary Beyond Ultra Violence: Uneasy Listening by Merzbow in 1998. Akita also created music for Ilppo Pohjola's Asphalto (1998) and Routemaster (2000). Since 1999, Akita has used computers in his recordings, having first acquired a Macintosh to work on art for the Merzbox. Also at this time he began referring to his home studio as "Bedroom, Tokyo". At live performances, Akita has produced noise music from either two laptop computers or combination of a laptop and analog synthesizers/guitar pedals. Reiko A. and Bara left Merzbow during this time, Reiko Azuma now has a solo career. Since 2001, Jenny Akita (nee Kawabata) started being credited for artwork on various releases. Since 2001, Akita started utilising samples of animal sounds in various releases starting with Frog. Around 2002, Akita became a vegan, he stated how it began: I started raising four bantams, the little ornamental chickens. With this experience as a start, I gradually started to be concerned and care about chickens and all the barn animals I used to eat without giving it a second thought before. So I started reading books and researching on the internet about Animal Rights and that triggered an awareness of "evil" that human society has done. During this period, Akita also became a supporter of PETA which is reflected in his animal-themed releases. An example of this is Minazo Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, dedicated to an elephant seal he visited often at the zoo and Bloody Sea, a protest against Japanese whaling. He has also produced several works centered around recordings of his pet chickens (notably Animal Magnetism and Turmeric). Also in 2002, Akita released Merzbeat, which was seen as a significant departure from his trademark abstract style in that it contains beat-oriented pieces. This has sparked some controversy among fans, though some reviewers pointed out that it sounded very similar to Aqua Necromancer (1998) which features samples of progressive rock drumming. Merzbird (2004) and Merzbuddha (2005) followed in a similar vein with sampled beats combined with Merzbow's signature harsh noise. Starting in the mid-2000s, Masami Akita began to reintroduce junk metal and effects pedals back into his setup. By the early-2010s, he was using a large number of pedals, oscillators and tone generators, and reduced to a single laptop running granular synthesis software. In 2014, he toured without a laptop. In 2008, Akita reintroduced the drum kit, his first instrument. This can be heard on the 13 Japanese Birds series. At this time he changed the name of his home studio to Munemihouse. Beginning in November 2009, Merzbow started releasing archival material from the 1980s and 1990s, both reissues and previously unreleased material, several of which were released on cassette. The Blossoming Noise label reissued the 1980s cassettes E-Study, Collection 004, Collection 005, Normal Music, and Flesh Metal Orgasm. The Kibbutz cassette was reissued on vinyl by Urashima. Other cassettes of unreleased material include Untitled Nov 1989, 9888A, April 1992, and Variations for Electric Fan. 2010-2013 saw the release several archival box sets; Merzbient, Merzphysics, Merzmorphosis, Lowest Music & Arts 1980-1983, and Duo. Akita began collaborating with the Hungarian drummer Balazs Pandi in 2009, initially Pandi served as a live drummer for Merzbow. This resulted in the live albums Live at Fluc Wanne, Vienna 2010/05/18, Ducks: Live in NYC, and Katowice. Akita and Pandi then began to record studio albums collaborating with additional musicians, Cuts (2013) with the Swedish saxophone player Mats Gustafsson, Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper (2015) with Gustafsson and Thurston Moore, and An Untroublesome Defencelessness with Keiji Haino (2016), all released by RareNoiseRecords. Akita, Pandi, and Gustafsson also toured together and released the live LP Live in Tabacka 13/04/12. Merzbow also released several collaborations with industrial/noise musicians he had know since the 1980s: Spiral Right / Spiral Left with Z'EV, The Black Album with John Duncan, and a trio of releases with Maurizio Bianchi, Amniocentesi / Envoise 30 05 82 (a split with two tracks from 1982), Merzbow Meets M.B., and Amalgamelody. Gensho, the seventh collaborative releases with Boris, was released in 2016. It is a double album, one disc is by Boris and one by Merzbow, that are meant to be played at the same time. CANNOTANSWER
Gensho, the seventh collaborative releases with Boris, was released in 2016.
is a Japanese noise project started in 1979 by , best known for a style of harsh, confrontational noise. Since 1980, Akita has released over 400 recordings and has collaborated with various artists. The name Merzbow comes from the German dada artist Kurt Schwitters' artwork Merzbau, in which Schwitters transformed the interior of his house using found objects. The name was chosen to reflect Akita's dada influence and junk art aesthetic. In addition to this, Akita has cited a wide range of musical influences from progressive rock, heavy metal, free jazz, and early electronic music to non-musical influences like dadaism, surrealism and fetish culture. Since the early 2000s, he has been inspired by animal rights and environmentalism, and began to follow a vegan, straight edge lifestyle. In addition to being a prolific musician, he has been a writer and editor for several books and magazines in Japan, and has written several books of his own. He has written about a variety of subjects, mostly about music, modern art, and underground culture. His more renowned works were on the topics of BDSM and Japanese bondage. Other art forms Akita has been interested in include painting, photography, filmmaking, and Butoh dance. In 2000, Extreme Records released the 50 CD box set Merzbox. Akita's work has been the subject of several remix albums and at least one tribute album. This, among other achievements, has helped Merzbow to be regarded by some as the "most important artist in noise". Life and career Early life Masami Akita was born in Tokyo, Japan on December 19, 1956. He listened to psychedelic music, progressive rock and later free jazz in his youth, all of which have influenced his noise. In high school, he became the drummer of various high school bands, which he left due to the other members being "grass-smoking Zappa freaks". By this time, he and high school friend Kiyoshi Mizutani had started playing improvised studio sessions that he described as "long jam sessions along the lines of Ash Ra Tempel or Can but we didn't have any psychedelic taste". He later attended Tamagawa University to study fine art, at which he majored in painting and art theory. While at university, he became interested in the ideas of dada and surrealism and also studied Butoh dance. At Tamagawa, he learned of Kurt Schwitters' Merz, or art made from rubbish, including Schwitters' Merzbau (meaning Merz building, ), which is the source of the name Merzbow. Beginning (1979–1989) Merzbow began as the duo of Masami Akita and Kiyoshi Mizutani, who met Akita in high school. Akita started releasing noise recordings on cassettes through his own record label, Lowest Music & Arts, which was founded in order to trade cassette tapes with other underground artists. The earliest recording he made was Metal Acoustic Music. Various other early releases included Remblandt Assemblage and Solonoise 1. The Collection series consisted of ten cassettes, the first five were recorded in a studio for an independent label called Ylem, which went defunct before they could be released. So, Akita released them himself, and recorded five more at home. Akita's earliest music was made with tape loops and creatively recorded percussion and metal. Early methods included what he referred to as "material action", in which he would closely amplify small sounds so as to distort them through the microphone. This method was used on Material Action for 2 Microphones and Material Action 2 N.A.M.. Among early releases like the box set Pornoise/1kg, Merzbow created artwork using photocopies of collages made out of manga and porn magazines he found in trash cans in the Tokyo subway. Akita explained this as trying to "create the same feeling as the secret porn customer for the people buying my cassettes in the early 80s". ZSF Produkt (pronounced Zusufu, from an ancient Japanese word meaning "magnetic") was founded in 1984 to release music by similar artists within the industrial movement but eventually became the successor to Lowest Music & Arts. Numerous Merzbow releases were recorded at ZSF Produkt Studio, Masami Akita's home studio. During this era, Merzbow found much wider recognition and began making recordings for various international labels. Batztoutai with Memorial Gadgets was his first LP released outside of Japan. He also started touring abroad with the help of various collaborators. First, Merzbow performed in the USSR in 1988, then, toured the US in 1990, Korea in 1991, and Europe in 1989 and 1992. Kiyoshi Mizutani left Merzbow after the 1989 European tour and continues to pursue a solo career. Noise electronics era (1989–1999) During a European tour in September–October 1989, Merzbow could only bring simple and portable gear; this led to the harsh noise style Merzbow became known for in the 1990s. Cloud Cock OO Grand (1990) was the first example of this new style, Merzbow's first digital recording (on DAT), and the first recording made for the CD format. It also includes live material recorded during the tour. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Merzbow began to be influenced by death metal and grindcore. Recordings from this time are mostly recorded at extreme volume, some mastered at levels far beyond standard (Noisembryo, Pulse Demon). In 1994, Akita acquired a vintage EMS synthesizer. From 1996, plans were made to release a "10 (or maybe 12)" CD box set on Extreme Records. In 2000, Extreme Records released the Merzbox, a fifty CD set of Merzbow records, twenty of them not previously released. Throughout most of the 1990s, Merzbow live was a trio with Reiko A. on electronics and Tetsuo Sakaibara (aka Bara) on voice and dance. Masami Akita occasionally played drums for Hijokaidan during the early–mid 1990s. In the early 1990s, Masami Akita composed the soundtracks to numerous kinbaku videos by and seppuku-themed videos by their sub-label Right Brain. Akita also directed for Right Brain. Some of this music was included on Music for Bondage Performance and Music for Bondage Performance 2, co-credited to Right Brain Audile. Director Ian Kerkhof would use a Merzbow track for his 1992 film La séquence des barres parallèles, and Akita composed original music for Kerhof's 1994 film The Dead Man 2: Return of the Dead Man. Kerkhof made the documentary Beyond Ultra Violence: Uneasy Listening by Merzbow in 1998. Akita also created music for Ilppo Pohjola's Asphalto (1998) and Routemaster (2000). Laptop era (1999–2009) Since 1999, Akita has used computers in his recordings, having first acquired a Macintosh to work on art for the Merzbox. Also at this time he began referring to his home studio as "Bedroom, Tokyo". At live performances, Akita has produced noise music from either two laptop computers or combination of a laptop and analog synthesizers/guitar pedals. Reiko A. and Bara left Merzbow during this time; Reiko Azuma now has a solo career. Since 2001, Jenny Akita (née Kawabata) started being credited for artwork on various releases. Since 2001, Akita started utilising samples of animal sounds in various releases starting with Frog. Around 2002, Akita became a vegan. He later stated: During this period, Akita also became a supporter of PETA, which is reflected in his animal-themed releases. An example of this is Minazo Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, dedicated to an elephant seal he visited often at the zoo and Bloody Sea, a protest against Japanese whaling. He has also produced several works centered around recordings of his pet chickens (notably Animal Magnetism and Turmeric). Also in 2002, Akita released Merzbeat, which was seen as a significant departure from his trademark abstract style in that it contains beat-oriented pieces. This has sparked some controversy among fans, though some reviewers pointed out that it sounded very similar to Aqua Necromancer (1998), which features samples of progressive rock drumming. Merzbird (2004) and Merzbuddha (2005) followed in a similar vein with sampled beats combined with Merzbow's signature harsh noise. Current era (2009–present) Starting in the mid-2000s, Masami Akita began to reintroduce junk metal and effects pedals back into his setup. In 2008, Akita reintroduced the drum kit, his first instrument. This can be heard on the 13 Japanese Birds series. At this time he changed the name of his home studio to Munemihouse. By the early 2010s, he was using a large number of pedals, oscillators and tone generators, and reduced to a single laptop running granular synthesis software. In 2014, he toured without a laptop. Beginning in November 2009, Merzbow started releasing archival material from the 1980s and 1990s, both reissues and previously unreleased material, several of which were released on cassette. The Blossoming Noise label reissued the 1980s cassettes E-Study, Collection 004, Collection 005, Normal Music, and Flesh Metal Orgasm. The Kibbutz cassette was reissued on vinyl by Urashima. Other cassettes of unreleased material include Untitled Nov 1989, 9888A, April 1992, and Variations for Electric Fan. 2010–2013 saw the release several archival box sets; Merzbient, Merzphysics, Merzmorphosis, Lowest Music & Arts 1980–1983, and Duo. Akita began collaborating with the Hungarian drummer Balázs Pándi in 2009, initially Pándi served as a live drummer for Merzbow. This resulted in the live albums Live at Fluc Wanne, Vienna 2010/05/18, Ducks: Live in NYC, and Katowice. Akita and Pándi then began to record studio albums collaborating with additional musicians, Cuts (2013) with the Swedish saxophone player Mats Gustafsson, Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper (2015) with Gustafsson and Thurston Moore, and An Untroublesome Defencelessness with Keiji Haino (2016), all released by RareNoiseRecords. Akita, Pándi, and Gustafsson also toured together and released the live LP Live in Tabačka 13/04/12. Merzbow also released several collaborations with industrial/noise musicians he had known since the 1980s: Spiral Right / Spiral Left with Z'EV, The Black Album with John Duncan, and a trio of releases with Maurizio Bianchi, Amniocentesi / Envoise 30 05 82 (a split with two tracks from 1982), Merzbow Meets M.B., and Amalgamelody. Gensho, the seventh collaborative releases with Boris, was released in 2016. It is a double album, one disc is by Boris and one by Merzbow, that are meant to be played at the same time. In April 2018, the Japanese label Slowdown Records began releasing a series of sixty archival recordings spanning Merzbow's career on a semimonthly basis, starting with Hyper Music 1 Vol. 1 and 23 November 1979 (B). These recordings were collected in a box set named 10×6=60 in 2021. Slowdown has also released several new recordings in addition to the archival releases, and has continued releasing other archival recordings on a monthly basis alongside those featured in 10×6=60. Musical style Merzbow's sounds employ the use of distortion, feedback, and noises from synthesizers, machinery, and home-made noisemakers. While much of Merzbow's output is intensely harsh in character, Akita does occasionally make forays into ambient music. Vocals are employed sometimes, but never in a lyrical sense. Contrary to most harsh noise music, Akita also occasionally uses elements of melody and rhythm. Akita's early work consisted of industrial noise music made from tape loops and conventional instruments. Similar to his present albums, he produced lengthy, disorienting pieces. He also became famous for the sheer volume of his releases. The avant-garde nature of Akita's work made acceptance by mainstream and unprepared audiences difficult. When he performed with Kiyoshi Mizutani in 1988 at the Jazz-on-Amur festival in Khabarovsk in the Far East of the USSR, his improvised, experimental electroacoustic set was praised by fellow musicians as well as the festival's producer. The number of the - jazz-oriented (and - even just curious) - crowd, however, had been expecting a more traditional (and much-much more quiet) performance, and started walking out. Prior to his second performance at the festival — which was to be made to an even more conservative audience— Akita was asked to play "more musically." On that first stage, Merzbow used the finest example of "classical analogue live noisemaking technologies" to display: untuned guitar, a drumset, various micro-objects, small springs centered in its shell baffles, large aluminium boxes with strings inside to be attacked with a fiddlestick, etc. along with multi- piezo-pickuping and close-miking techniques, live processing through vintage US fuzz, ring modulator etc. boxes, and quite vivid and spontaneous approach, backed by domestically supplied slide and light shows. These live recordings were post-processed/re-mixed and released as Live in Khabarovsk, CCCP (I'm Proud by Rank of the Workers) LP – and as the (once more re-mixed comparing to the LP) CD 26 of the Merzbox later on. During the 1990s Akita's work became much harsher and was generally mastered at a louder volume than usual. These were heavily influenced by death metal and grindcore bands of the time (a prime example is the Venereology album). The mid-1990s saw Akita being heavily influenced by psychedelic bands and this was reflected in various albums. Side projects In addition to Merzbow, Masami Akita has been involved in a number of side projects and groups. Aliases Abtechtonics (or variations of this) was used by Akita for his artwork on Merzbow releases and his books. House Hunt Hussies is credited for a track on the Sexorama 1 compilation. ZSF Produkt is listed as the contact address. Lotus Club was used for the tape Le Sang et la Rose in 1983 because of the difference in musical style. Pornoise was a mail art project Akita had in the 1980s where he made collages using discarded magazines – in particular pornographic magazines – taken from the trash. These were then sent along with his cassettes, the idea being that his art was like cheap mail order pornography. Pornoise/1kg was released as part of these activities. Pornoise was credit as the artist for a track on the Sexorama 2 compilation and co-credited for artwork on Scissors for Cutting Merzbow. Right Brain Audile is co-credited on the two Music for Bondage Performance albums, as they're soundtracks he did for several S&M and faux-Seppuku films produced by Kinbiken/Right Brain. The abbreviation RBA appears in track titles on Merzbient, which features recordings from this era. SCUM was a project where Akita made new releases out of previous Merzbow sessions using cut-ups, effects, and mixing. SCUM is an acronym, standing for something different on each release, including "Society for Cutting Up Merzbow" (a reference to the SCUM Manifesto), "Scissors for CUtting Merzbow", "Steel CUM", etc. Zecken was used for two solo synthesizer performances in 1996. Groups Bustmonster was a "conceptual death metal" group (because they couldn't play death metal) with Tetsuo Sakaibara, Fumio Kosakai, Masahiko Ohno, Shohei Iwasaki, Maso Yamazaki and Zev Asher. Flying Testicle was a trio with Yamazaki and Asher. Merzbow Null was a collaboration between the groups of Merzbow and Null. In addition to Masami Akita and Kazuyuki Kishino, it featured several other members of both groups such as Reiko Azuma, Asami Hayashi, Kiyoshi Mizutani, Yushi Okano, Ikuo Taketani, etc. They did many improv performances during 1983–84 and released over a dozen cassettes. Tibeta Ubik was a duo of Akita and Kishino active at the same time as Merzbow Null. True Romance was a performance art project in the early 1990s with Tetsuo Sakaibara (who became a live member of Merzbow) and Toshiyuki Seido. The performances included fetish equipment, simulated gore (including autopsy), mechanical devices, nude models, etc. It was inspired by Viennese Actionism. Masami Akita was a performer in addition to composing the backing music. Other groups include: 3RENSA with Duenn and Koji Nakamura, Abe Sada with S.M.U.T., Commando Bruno Sanmartino with Fumio Kosakai and Masaya Nakahara, Kikuri with Keiji Haino, Maldoror with Mike Patton, MAZK with Zbigniew Karkowski, Melting Lips with Hanayo, Muscats with Hanayo and Masaya Nakahara, Metalik Zeit with Aube, Merz-Banana with Melt-Banana, Satanstornade with Russell Haswell (they later released an album entitled Satanstornade under their real names), Secrets with Tetsuya Mugishima (aka Seven), and Shalon Kelly King with Fumio Kosakai. Discography Bibliography After completing his degree, Akita became a freelance writer and editor for various magazines in Japan. He frequently wrote on a variety of topics such as sexuality (including pornography, S&M, and Japanese bondage), underground and extreme culture (including music and art), architecture, and animal rights. None have been published in English. Note: English title refers to English writing on the cover, sometimes it's a translation of the Japanese title, or a completely different phrase. References Further reading External links Japanese electronic music groups Japanese experimental musical groups Japanese noise rock groups Japanese industrial music groups Musical groups established in 1979 Musical groups from Tokyo Noise musical groups Alien8 Recordings artists Drag City (record label) artists Important Records artists Relapse Records artists Tzadik Records artists Third Mind Records artists Cuneiform Records artists RareNoiseRecords artists Smalltown Supersound artists Soleilmoon artists
true
[ "2R0I2P0 is the eighth collaborative release by the Japanese experimental band Boris and noise musician Merzbow. It features several rerecorded tracks that first appeared on Boris' album Love & Evol, and a cover of the Melvins song \"Boris\", which the band is named after. It was released in December 2020.\n\nA video was released for the track \"Away from You\" on October 19, 2020.\n\nBackground\nThe title stands for \"2020 rest in peace\", with Boris noting that \"This year was a period of trial for everyone in the world\". At the time of 2R0I2P0'''s release, the last time Boris performed before an audience was with Merzbow in Melbourne, Australia on February 29, 2020. The recording was finished in mid-March and submitted to the label in May. The album was completed before No''.\n\nTrack listing\n\nPersonnel\nAll personnel credits adapted from the album notes.\n\nBoris\nTakeshi – vocals, guitar, bass\nWata – vocals, guitar, echo\nAtsuo – vocals, percussion, electronics\n\nMerzbow\nMasami Akita – computer, percussion, noise electronics\n\nTechnical personnel\nAmak Golden – Boris tracks recording\nFangsanalsatan – Boris tracks recording, total mix, design\nSoichiro Nakamura – basic mix, mastering\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n2R0I2P0 at Bandcamp\n\"Away From You\" (Official Music Video) at YouTube\n\"Boris\" (Official Music Video) at YouTube\n\n2020 albums\nCollaborative albums\nBoris (band) albums\nMerzbow albums", "Full of Hell is an American grindcore band from Ocean City, Maryland and Central Pennsylvania, formed in 2009. They are currently signed to Relapse Records. They have released five studio albums – Roots of Earth Are Consuming My Home (2011), Rudiments of Mutilation (2013), Trumpeting Ecstasy (2017), Weeping Choir (2019), and Garden of Burning Apparitions (2021) – as well as three collaborations – Full of Hell & Merzbow (2014) with Japanese noise artist Merzbow and One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache (2016) and Ascending a Mountain of Heavy Light (2017) with sludge metal band The Body – aside from numerous EPs and splits.\n\nHistory\nThe band formed in 2009. Since then, they have signed to A389 Recordings and Profound Lore Records, releasing three full-length albums. Their first album, titled Roots of Earth Are Consuming My Home, was released in 2011. Their second album, titled Rudiments of Mutilation was released in 2013. Their third album, a collaboration with Japanese noise artist Merzbow, was released in 2014.\n\nIn 2015, original bassist Brandon Brown left the band. He was replaced by Sam DiGristine of Jarhead Fertilizer—an associated act that also features Brown, as well as drummer Dave Bland. Dylan Walker and Spencer Hazard follow a straight edge lifestyle, while Bland is the only vegan.\n\nOn January 8, 2016, Full of Hell released a four-song EP titled Amber Mote in the Black Vault through Bad Teeth Recordings. The release featured three original tracks and a cover of Melvins' track \"Oven,\" originally released on their 1989 album Ozma. Describing their reasoning for selecting this track, the band explained: \"We had been wanting to cover a Melvins song for years, and 'Oven' had always been one of our top choices. We've always been very inspired by the Melvins on every level—a totally unique and uncompromising band that has always worked their asses off. They are a band that's undefinable but always recognizable. Totally brilliant. With past covers that we've done, we've always deviated from the source material, but this time we chose to stick close to the original sound and tempo.\"\n\nFull of Hell began plotting to follow up Full of Hell & Merzbow with another collaborative album with avant-garde metal band The Body after a successful 2015 tour together. The two acts expected to head into the studio together to record an album without previously writing any material. Titled One Day You Will Ache Like I Ache, the collaboration album was released on March 25, 2016 through Neurot Recordings—a label founded by members of Neurosis and Tribes of Neurot.\n\nFull of Hell's fifth studio album, Trumpeting Ecstasy was released on May 5, 2017. The album was ranked number 4 on Exclaim!'s Top 10 Metal and Hardcore Albums of 2017.\n\nOn February 13, 2018, the band announced that they had signed to Relapse Records.\n\nMembers\n\nCurrent\n Dylan Walker – lead vocals, electronics, noise (2009–present)\n Spencer Hazard – guitars, noise (2009–present)\n Dave Bland – drums (2009–present)\n Sam DiGristine – bass, backing vocals (2015–present)\n\nFormer\n Brandon Brown – bass, backing vocals (2009–2015)\n\nDiscography\n\nStudio albums\n Roots of Earth Are Consuming My Home (2011)\n Rudiments of Mutilation (2013)\n Trumpeting Ecstasy (2017)\n Weeping Choir (2019)\n Garden of Burning Apparitions (2021)\n\nCollaborative albums \n\nFull of Hell & Merzbow (collaboration with Merzbow) (2014)\nOne Day You Will Ache Like I Ache (collaboration with The Body) (2016)\nAscending a Mountain of Heavy Light (collaboration with The Body) (2017)\n\nEPs\n Savage (2009)\n The Inevitable Fear of Existence (2010)\n F.O.H. Noise (2011)\n F.O.H. Noise: Vol. 2 (2011)\n F.O.H. Noise: Vol. 3 (2012)\n F.O.H. Noise: Vol. 4 (2013)\n Amber Mote in the Black Vault (2015)\n Live at Roadburn (2016)\n\nSplits\n Full of Hell / Goldust (2011)\n Full of Hell / Code Orange Kids (2012)\n Full of Hell / Calm the Fire (2012)\n Full of Hell / The Guilt Of... (2012)\n Full of Hell / Psywarfare (2014)\n Nails / Full of Hell (2016)\n Full of Hell / Intensive Care (2018)\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n \n\nMusical groups established in 2009\n2009 establishments in Maryland\n2009 establishments in Pennsylvania\nAmerican grindcore musical groups\nPowerviolence groups\nAmerican sludge metal musical groups\nAmerican doom metal musical groups\nNoise musical groups\nAmerican experimental musical groups\nAmerican experimental rock groups\nHardcore punk groups from Maryland\nHardcore punk groups from Pennsylvania\nHeavy metal musical groups from Maryland\nHeavy metal musical groups from Pennsylvania\nMusical quintets\nProfound Lore Records artists\nRelapse Records artists" ]
[ "Merzbow", "Current era (2009-present)", "Can you name an album that Merzbow released in that period from 2009 to present ?", "Gensho, the seventh collaborative releases with Boris, was released in 2016." ]
C_ffb21108fa964974a7ae682b5fb48369_1
How was the album Gensho received by critics ?
2
How was the album Gensho from Merbow received by critics ?
Merzbow
During the European tour in September-October 1989, Merzbow could only bring simple and portable gear; this led to the harsh noise style Merzbow became known for in the 1990s. Cloud Cock OO Grand (1990) was the first example of this new style, Merzbow's first digital recording (on DAT), and the first recording made for the CD format. It also includes live material recorded during the tour. But when I started live in late 1980s I didn't like to use tape on stage. I like only live electronics. So, my studio works changed to more live composition style. I'm still using many tapes in studio works, but difference is I treat tapes and instruments. Before, I used tapes as overdubbing concept. But now tapes are crashing together, no static overdub. I found that style on Cloud Cock OO Grand. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Merzbow began to be influenced by death metal and grindcore. Recordings from this time are mostly recorded at extreme volume, some mastered at levels far beyond standard (Noisembryo, Pulse Demon). In 1994, Akita acquired a vintage EMS synthesizer. From 1996, plans were made to release a "10 (or maybe 12)" CD box set on Extreme Records. In 2000, Extreme Records released the Merzbox, a fifty CD set of Merzbow records, twenty of them not previously released. Throughout most of the 1990s, Merzbow live was a trio with Reiko A. on electronics and Bara on voice and dance. Masami Akita occasionally played drums for Hijokaidan during the early-mid 1990s. In the early 1990s, Masami Akita composed the soundtracks to numerous kinbaku videos by Fuji Planning (Bu Er Qi Hua , Fuji Kikaku) and seppuku-themed videos by their sub-label Right Brain. Akita also directed Lost Paradise (Shi Le Yuan Cheng Ma Fu Nu Fu Qie ri, Shitsurakuen: Jobafuku onna harakiri) for Right Brain. Some of this music was included on Music for Bondage Performance and Music for Bondage Performance 2, co-credited to Right Brain Audile. Director Ian Kerkhof would use a Merzbow track for his 1992 film La sequence des barres paralleles, and Akita composed original music for Kerhof's 1994 film The Dead Man 2: Return of the Dead Man. Kerkhof made the documentary Beyond Ultra Violence: Uneasy Listening by Merzbow in 1998. Akita also created music for Ilppo Pohjola's Asphalto (1998) and Routemaster (2000). Since 1999, Akita has used computers in his recordings, having first acquired a Macintosh to work on art for the Merzbox. Also at this time he began referring to his home studio as "Bedroom, Tokyo". At live performances, Akita has produced noise music from either two laptop computers or combination of a laptop and analog synthesizers/guitar pedals. Reiko A. and Bara left Merzbow during this time, Reiko Azuma now has a solo career. Since 2001, Jenny Akita (nee Kawabata) started being credited for artwork on various releases. Since 2001, Akita started utilising samples of animal sounds in various releases starting with Frog. Around 2002, Akita became a vegan, he stated how it began: I started raising four bantams, the little ornamental chickens. With this experience as a start, I gradually started to be concerned and care about chickens and all the barn animals I used to eat without giving it a second thought before. So I started reading books and researching on the internet about Animal Rights and that triggered an awareness of "evil" that human society has done. During this period, Akita also became a supporter of PETA which is reflected in his animal-themed releases. An example of this is Minazo Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, dedicated to an elephant seal he visited often at the zoo and Bloody Sea, a protest against Japanese whaling. He has also produced several works centered around recordings of his pet chickens (notably Animal Magnetism and Turmeric). Also in 2002, Akita released Merzbeat, which was seen as a significant departure from his trademark abstract style in that it contains beat-oriented pieces. This has sparked some controversy among fans, though some reviewers pointed out that it sounded very similar to Aqua Necromancer (1998) which features samples of progressive rock drumming. Merzbird (2004) and Merzbuddha (2005) followed in a similar vein with sampled beats combined with Merzbow's signature harsh noise. Starting in the mid-2000s, Masami Akita began to reintroduce junk metal and effects pedals back into his setup. By the early-2010s, he was using a large number of pedals, oscillators and tone generators, and reduced to a single laptop running granular synthesis software. In 2014, he toured without a laptop. In 2008, Akita reintroduced the drum kit, his first instrument. This can be heard on the 13 Japanese Birds series. At this time he changed the name of his home studio to Munemihouse. Beginning in November 2009, Merzbow started releasing archival material from the 1980s and 1990s, both reissues and previously unreleased material, several of which were released on cassette. The Blossoming Noise label reissued the 1980s cassettes E-Study, Collection 004, Collection 005, Normal Music, and Flesh Metal Orgasm. The Kibbutz cassette was reissued on vinyl by Urashima. Other cassettes of unreleased material include Untitled Nov 1989, 9888A, April 1992, and Variations for Electric Fan. 2010-2013 saw the release several archival box sets; Merzbient, Merzphysics, Merzmorphosis, Lowest Music & Arts 1980-1983, and Duo. Akita began collaborating with the Hungarian drummer Balazs Pandi in 2009, initially Pandi served as a live drummer for Merzbow. This resulted in the live albums Live at Fluc Wanne, Vienna 2010/05/18, Ducks: Live in NYC, and Katowice. Akita and Pandi then began to record studio albums collaborating with additional musicians, Cuts (2013) with the Swedish saxophone player Mats Gustafsson, Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper (2015) with Gustafsson and Thurston Moore, and An Untroublesome Defencelessness with Keiji Haino (2016), all released by RareNoiseRecords. Akita, Pandi, and Gustafsson also toured together and released the live LP Live in Tabacka 13/04/12. Merzbow also released several collaborations with industrial/noise musicians he had know since the 1980s: Spiral Right / Spiral Left with Z'EV, The Black Album with John Duncan, and a trio of releases with Maurizio Bianchi, Amniocentesi / Envoise 30 05 82 (a split with two tracks from 1982), Merzbow Meets M.B., and Amalgamelody. Gensho, the seventh collaborative releases with Boris, was released in 2016. It is a double album, one disc is by Boris and one by Merzbow, that are meant to be played at the same time. CANNOTANSWER
It is a double album, one disc is by Boris and one by Merzbow, that are meant to be played at the same time.
is a Japanese noise project started in 1979 by , best known for a style of harsh, confrontational noise. Since 1980, Akita has released over 400 recordings and has collaborated with various artists. The name Merzbow comes from the German dada artist Kurt Schwitters' artwork Merzbau, in which Schwitters transformed the interior of his house using found objects. The name was chosen to reflect Akita's dada influence and junk art aesthetic. In addition to this, Akita has cited a wide range of musical influences from progressive rock, heavy metal, free jazz, and early electronic music to non-musical influences like dadaism, surrealism and fetish culture. Since the early 2000s, he has been inspired by animal rights and environmentalism, and began to follow a vegan, straight edge lifestyle. In addition to being a prolific musician, he has been a writer and editor for several books and magazines in Japan, and has written several books of his own. He has written about a variety of subjects, mostly about music, modern art, and underground culture. His more renowned works were on the topics of BDSM and Japanese bondage. Other art forms Akita has been interested in include painting, photography, filmmaking, and Butoh dance. In 2000, Extreme Records released the 50 CD box set Merzbox. Akita's work has been the subject of several remix albums and at least one tribute album. This, among other achievements, has helped Merzbow to be regarded by some as the "most important artist in noise". Life and career Early life Masami Akita was born in Tokyo, Japan on December 19, 1956. He listened to psychedelic music, progressive rock and later free jazz in his youth, all of which have influenced his noise. In high school, he became the drummer of various high school bands, which he left due to the other members being "grass-smoking Zappa freaks". By this time, he and high school friend Kiyoshi Mizutani had started playing improvised studio sessions that he described as "long jam sessions along the lines of Ash Ra Tempel or Can but we didn't have any psychedelic taste". He later attended Tamagawa University to study fine art, at which he majored in painting and art theory. While at university, he became interested in the ideas of dada and surrealism and also studied Butoh dance. At Tamagawa, he learned of Kurt Schwitters' Merz, or art made from rubbish, including Schwitters' Merzbau (meaning Merz building, ), which is the source of the name Merzbow. Beginning (1979–1989) Merzbow began as the duo of Masami Akita and Kiyoshi Mizutani, who met Akita in high school. Akita started releasing noise recordings on cassettes through his own record label, Lowest Music & Arts, which was founded in order to trade cassette tapes with other underground artists. The earliest recording he made was Metal Acoustic Music. Various other early releases included Remblandt Assemblage and Solonoise 1. The Collection series consisted of ten cassettes, the first five were recorded in a studio for an independent label called Ylem, which went defunct before they could be released. So, Akita released them himself, and recorded five more at home. Akita's earliest music was made with tape loops and creatively recorded percussion and metal. Early methods included what he referred to as "material action", in which he would closely amplify small sounds so as to distort them through the microphone. This method was used on Material Action for 2 Microphones and Material Action 2 N.A.M.. Among early releases like the box set Pornoise/1kg, Merzbow created artwork using photocopies of collages made out of manga and porn magazines he found in trash cans in the Tokyo subway. Akita explained this as trying to "create the same feeling as the secret porn customer for the people buying my cassettes in the early 80s". ZSF Produkt (pronounced Zusufu, from an ancient Japanese word meaning "magnetic") was founded in 1984 to release music by similar artists within the industrial movement but eventually became the successor to Lowest Music & Arts. Numerous Merzbow releases were recorded at ZSF Produkt Studio, Masami Akita's home studio. During this era, Merzbow found much wider recognition and began making recordings for various international labels. Batztoutai with Memorial Gadgets was his first LP released outside of Japan. He also started touring abroad with the help of various collaborators. First, Merzbow performed in the USSR in 1988, then, toured the US in 1990, Korea in 1991, and Europe in 1989 and 1992. Kiyoshi Mizutani left Merzbow after the 1989 European tour and continues to pursue a solo career. Noise electronics era (1989–1999) During a European tour in September–October 1989, Merzbow could only bring simple and portable gear; this led to the harsh noise style Merzbow became known for in the 1990s. Cloud Cock OO Grand (1990) was the first example of this new style, Merzbow's first digital recording (on DAT), and the first recording made for the CD format. It also includes live material recorded during the tour. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Merzbow began to be influenced by death metal and grindcore. Recordings from this time are mostly recorded at extreme volume, some mastered at levels far beyond standard (Noisembryo, Pulse Demon). In 1994, Akita acquired a vintage EMS synthesizer. From 1996, plans were made to release a "10 (or maybe 12)" CD box set on Extreme Records. In 2000, Extreme Records released the Merzbox, a fifty CD set of Merzbow records, twenty of them not previously released. Throughout most of the 1990s, Merzbow live was a trio with Reiko A. on electronics and Tetsuo Sakaibara (aka Bara) on voice and dance. Masami Akita occasionally played drums for Hijokaidan during the early–mid 1990s. In the early 1990s, Masami Akita composed the soundtracks to numerous kinbaku videos by and seppuku-themed videos by their sub-label Right Brain. Akita also directed for Right Brain. Some of this music was included on Music for Bondage Performance and Music for Bondage Performance 2, co-credited to Right Brain Audile. Director Ian Kerkhof would use a Merzbow track for his 1992 film La séquence des barres parallèles, and Akita composed original music for Kerhof's 1994 film The Dead Man 2: Return of the Dead Man. Kerkhof made the documentary Beyond Ultra Violence: Uneasy Listening by Merzbow in 1998. Akita also created music for Ilppo Pohjola's Asphalto (1998) and Routemaster (2000). Laptop era (1999–2009) Since 1999, Akita has used computers in his recordings, having first acquired a Macintosh to work on art for the Merzbox. Also at this time he began referring to his home studio as "Bedroom, Tokyo". At live performances, Akita has produced noise music from either two laptop computers or combination of a laptop and analog synthesizers/guitar pedals. Reiko A. and Bara left Merzbow during this time; Reiko Azuma now has a solo career. Since 2001, Jenny Akita (née Kawabata) started being credited for artwork on various releases. Since 2001, Akita started utilising samples of animal sounds in various releases starting with Frog. Around 2002, Akita became a vegan. He later stated: During this period, Akita also became a supporter of PETA, which is reflected in his animal-themed releases. An example of this is Minazo Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, dedicated to an elephant seal he visited often at the zoo and Bloody Sea, a protest against Japanese whaling. He has also produced several works centered around recordings of his pet chickens (notably Animal Magnetism and Turmeric). Also in 2002, Akita released Merzbeat, which was seen as a significant departure from his trademark abstract style in that it contains beat-oriented pieces. This has sparked some controversy among fans, though some reviewers pointed out that it sounded very similar to Aqua Necromancer (1998), which features samples of progressive rock drumming. Merzbird (2004) and Merzbuddha (2005) followed in a similar vein with sampled beats combined with Merzbow's signature harsh noise. Current era (2009–present) Starting in the mid-2000s, Masami Akita began to reintroduce junk metal and effects pedals back into his setup. In 2008, Akita reintroduced the drum kit, his first instrument. This can be heard on the 13 Japanese Birds series. At this time he changed the name of his home studio to Munemihouse. By the early 2010s, he was using a large number of pedals, oscillators and tone generators, and reduced to a single laptop running granular synthesis software. In 2014, he toured without a laptop. Beginning in November 2009, Merzbow started releasing archival material from the 1980s and 1990s, both reissues and previously unreleased material, several of which were released on cassette. The Blossoming Noise label reissued the 1980s cassettes E-Study, Collection 004, Collection 005, Normal Music, and Flesh Metal Orgasm. The Kibbutz cassette was reissued on vinyl by Urashima. Other cassettes of unreleased material include Untitled Nov 1989, 9888A, April 1992, and Variations for Electric Fan. 2010–2013 saw the release several archival box sets; Merzbient, Merzphysics, Merzmorphosis, Lowest Music & Arts 1980–1983, and Duo. Akita began collaborating with the Hungarian drummer Balázs Pándi in 2009, initially Pándi served as a live drummer for Merzbow. This resulted in the live albums Live at Fluc Wanne, Vienna 2010/05/18, Ducks: Live in NYC, and Katowice. Akita and Pándi then began to record studio albums collaborating with additional musicians, Cuts (2013) with the Swedish saxophone player Mats Gustafsson, Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper (2015) with Gustafsson and Thurston Moore, and An Untroublesome Defencelessness with Keiji Haino (2016), all released by RareNoiseRecords. Akita, Pándi, and Gustafsson also toured together and released the live LP Live in Tabačka 13/04/12. Merzbow also released several collaborations with industrial/noise musicians he had known since the 1980s: Spiral Right / Spiral Left with Z'EV, The Black Album with John Duncan, and a trio of releases with Maurizio Bianchi, Amniocentesi / Envoise 30 05 82 (a split with two tracks from 1982), Merzbow Meets M.B., and Amalgamelody. Gensho, the seventh collaborative releases with Boris, was released in 2016. It is a double album, one disc is by Boris and one by Merzbow, that are meant to be played at the same time. In April 2018, the Japanese label Slowdown Records began releasing a series of sixty archival recordings spanning Merzbow's career on a semimonthly basis, starting with Hyper Music 1 Vol. 1 and 23 November 1979 (B). These recordings were collected in a box set named 10×6=60 in 2021. Slowdown has also released several new recordings in addition to the archival releases, and has continued releasing other archival recordings on a monthly basis alongside those featured in 10×6=60. Musical style Merzbow's sounds employ the use of distortion, feedback, and noises from synthesizers, machinery, and home-made noisemakers. While much of Merzbow's output is intensely harsh in character, Akita does occasionally make forays into ambient music. Vocals are employed sometimes, but never in a lyrical sense. Contrary to most harsh noise music, Akita also occasionally uses elements of melody and rhythm. Akita's early work consisted of industrial noise music made from tape loops and conventional instruments. Similar to his present albums, he produced lengthy, disorienting pieces. He also became famous for the sheer volume of his releases. The avant-garde nature of Akita's work made acceptance by mainstream and unprepared audiences difficult. When he performed with Kiyoshi Mizutani in 1988 at the Jazz-on-Amur festival in Khabarovsk in the Far East of the USSR, his improvised, experimental electroacoustic set was praised by fellow musicians as well as the festival's producer. The number of the - jazz-oriented (and - even just curious) - crowd, however, had been expecting a more traditional (and much-much more quiet) performance, and started walking out. Prior to his second performance at the festival — which was to be made to an even more conservative audience— Akita was asked to play "more musically." On that first stage, Merzbow used the finest example of "classical analogue live noisemaking technologies" to display: untuned guitar, a drumset, various micro-objects, small springs centered in its shell baffles, large aluminium boxes with strings inside to be attacked with a fiddlestick, etc. along with multi- piezo-pickuping and close-miking techniques, live processing through vintage US fuzz, ring modulator etc. boxes, and quite vivid and spontaneous approach, backed by domestically supplied slide and light shows. These live recordings were post-processed/re-mixed and released as Live in Khabarovsk, CCCP (I'm Proud by Rank of the Workers) LP – and as the (once more re-mixed comparing to the LP) CD 26 of the Merzbox later on. During the 1990s Akita's work became much harsher and was generally mastered at a louder volume than usual. These were heavily influenced by death metal and grindcore bands of the time (a prime example is the Venereology album). The mid-1990s saw Akita being heavily influenced by psychedelic bands and this was reflected in various albums. Side projects In addition to Merzbow, Masami Akita has been involved in a number of side projects and groups. Aliases Abtechtonics (or variations of this) was used by Akita for his artwork on Merzbow releases and his books. House Hunt Hussies is credited for a track on the Sexorama 1 compilation. ZSF Produkt is listed as the contact address. Lotus Club was used for the tape Le Sang et la Rose in 1983 because of the difference in musical style. Pornoise was a mail art project Akita had in the 1980s where he made collages using discarded magazines – in particular pornographic magazines – taken from the trash. These were then sent along with his cassettes, the idea being that his art was like cheap mail order pornography. Pornoise/1kg was released as part of these activities. Pornoise was credit as the artist for a track on the Sexorama 2 compilation and co-credited for artwork on Scissors for Cutting Merzbow. Right Brain Audile is co-credited on the two Music for Bondage Performance albums, as they're soundtracks he did for several S&M and faux-Seppuku films produced by Kinbiken/Right Brain. The abbreviation RBA appears in track titles on Merzbient, which features recordings from this era. SCUM was a project where Akita made new releases out of previous Merzbow sessions using cut-ups, effects, and mixing. SCUM is an acronym, standing for something different on each release, including "Society for Cutting Up Merzbow" (a reference to the SCUM Manifesto), "Scissors for CUtting Merzbow", "Steel CUM", etc. Zecken was used for two solo synthesizer performances in 1996. Groups Bustmonster was a "conceptual death metal" group (because they couldn't play death metal) with Tetsuo Sakaibara, Fumio Kosakai, Masahiko Ohno, Shohei Iwasaki, Maso Yamazaki and Zev Asher. Flying Testicle was a trio with Yamazaki and Asher. Merzbow Null was a collaboration between the groups of Merzbow and Null. In addition to Masami Akita and Kazuyuki Kishino, it featured several other members of both groups such as Reiko Azuma, Asami Hayashi, Kiyoshi Mizutani, Yushi Okano, Ikuo Taketani, etc. They did many improv performances during 1983–84 and released over a dozen cassettes. Tibeta Ubik was a duo of Akita and Kishino active at the same time as Merzbow Null. True Romance was a performance art project in the early 1990s with Tetsuo Sakaibara (who became a live member of Merzbow) and Toshiyuki Seido. The performances included fetish equipment, simulated gore (including autopsy), mechanical devices, nude models, etc. It was inspired by Viennese Actionism. Masami Akita was a performer in addition to composing the backing music. Other groups include: 3RENSA with Duenn and Koji Nakamura, Abe Sada with S.M.U.T., Commando Bruno Sanmartino with Fumio Kosakai and Masaya Nakahara, Kikuri with Keiji Haino, Maldoror with Mike Patton, MAZK with Zbigniew Karkowski, Melting Lips with Hanayo, Muscats with Hanayo and Masaya Nakahara, Metalik Zeit with Aube, Merz-Banana with Melt-Banana, Satanstornade with Russell Haswell (they later released an album entitled Satanstornade under their real names), Secrets with Tetsuya Mugishima (aka Seven), and Shalon Kelly King with Fumio Kosakai. Discography Bibliography After completing his degree, Akita became a freelance writer and editor for various magazines in Japan. He frequently wrote on a variety of topics such as sexuality (including pornography, S&M, and Japanese bondage), underground and extreme culture (including music and art), architecture, and animal rights. None have been published in English. Note: English title refers to English writing on the cover, sometimes it's a translation of the Japanese title, or a completely different phrase. References Further reading External links Japanese electronic music groups Japanese experimental musical groups Japanese noise rock groups Japanese industrial music groups Musical groups established in 1979 Musical groups from Tokyo Noise musical groups Alien8 Recordings artists Drag City (record label) artists Important Records artists Relapse Records artists Tzadik Records artists Third Mind Records artists Cuneiform Records artists RareNoiseRecords artists Smalltown Supersound artists Soleilmoon artists
true
[ "is the fourth collaborative studio album and seventh release by the Japanese experimental band Boris and noise musician Merzbow. It is presented in two parts; the first disc features re-recordings of several Boris songs and a cover of the My Bloody Valentine song \"Sometimes\" in drone-based, drumless style, while the second disc consists of new compositions by Merzbow. They are intended to be played at the same time, much like the previous Boris double album Dronevil, or as separate works.\n\nInitial teasers were posted at the start of the year, most prominently a live clip of \"Huge\" from the Fever performance on January 21. Rolling Stone announced YouTube streams of \"Heavy Rain\" and its accompanying section of \"Goloka pt. 1\" on February 5, 2016. Later in February, The Wire debuted a live video of Boris alone playing the song \"More\" from Leave Them All Behind 2015.\n\nBackground\n\nThe album was inspired by their June 2014 Boiler Room set, during which Boris played a drumless set, followed by Merzbow, and then a joint set by Boris with Merzbow. In support of Gensho, they played a one-off show at Fever in Tokyo on November 27, 2015; a recording of the concert called Gensho at Fever 11272015 is included as a bonus with the Japanese release of Gensho by Daymare Recordings. It includes the recorded debut of a new Boris song \"More\", as well as a performance of rare song \"Kilmister,\" created for the web anime series Ninja Slayer, and a cover of the Man song \"Many Are Called, but Few Get Up\". Because the Boris tracks are primarily drone-based, both presented versions of the song \"Akuma no Uta\" are actually more similar to \"Introduction\" from the same album; regardless, the song is credited as \"Akuma no Uta\" on all versions.\n\nThe vinyl version of the album is released as two separate double LPs; one LP with half of the Boris material and one LP with half of the Merzbow material. Thus, no matter which form is purchased, it is possible to play both contributors simultaneously. These are also available bundled together as a single deluxe edition. The deluxe LP was featured as Record of the Week by Pirates Press.\n\nCritical reception\n\nAllMusic critic Thom Jurek wrote: \"When taken together, these records offer ever-varying degrees of light, dark, power, and emotion that wash over the listener. Creatively, Gensho is so rich and expansive, fans of both acts should find it indispensable.\"\n\nTrack listing\n\nGensho\n\nGensho at Fever 11272015\n\nPersonnel\nAll personnel credits adapted from the album notes.\n\nBoris\n\nTakeshi – vocals, guitar, bass\nWata – vocals, guitar, echo\nAtsuo – vocals, percussion, electronics\n\nMerzbow\n\nMasami Akita – electronics\n\nTechnical personnel\n\nShinobu Narita – sound production (Boris)\nFangsanalsatan – recording (Boris), artwork\nSoichiro Nakamura – mixing (Boris), mastering\nTadashi Hamada – A&R\n\nRelease history\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\nGensho at Relapse Records\nGensho at Bandcamp\n\"Huge\" (Official Live Music Video) at YouTube\n\"Vomitself\" (Official Live Music Video) at YouTube\n現象 -Gensho- Expanded Edition at Disk Union\n\n2016 albums\nCollaborative albums\nBoris (band) albums\nMerzbow albums", "Rainbow is a collaborative album between Japanese rock band Boris and guitarist Michio Kurihara. Wata contributed vocals to the title song, which has a music video made for it by Foodunited.\n\nThe album's initial release was done by Pedal Records, with liner notes in Portuguese. Drag City released this album in the United States on May 15, 2007 with a different 9th track, on CD format only.\n\nIn 2007, the album was also released on vinyl in two forms by Inoxia Records: an unlimited LP which contains the album (same as Pedal CD version), and a double LP box set with a 50-page photo book in a special cover, the album on clear vinyl, a second LP containing two bonus ambient tracks (also on clear vinyl), and a DVD featuring the music video for \"Rainbow\".\n\nThe title track on the 2xLP version features an alternate mix with a different guitar solo, and re-recorded studio takes were used on Boris / Variations + Live in Japan and Gensho. Additionally, live versions of the song are found on Rock Dream, Smile -Live at Wolf Creek-, the Live in Japan DVD included with Variations, and the bonus live album on the deluxe CD pressing of Gensho.\n\nTrack listing\n\nPedal release\n\nDrag City release\n\nInoxia 2-LP release\n\nPersonnel\n Michio Kurihara - guitars\n Takeshi - bass, vocals (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 8)\n Wata - keyboards, glockenspiel, vocals (track 2)\n Atsuo - drums, percussion\n\nReleases history\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n \n\n2006 albums\nBoris (band) albums\nDrag City (record label) albums\nCollaborative albums" ]
[ "Merzbow", "Current era (2009-present)", "Can you name an album that Merzbow released in that period from 2009 to present ?", "Gensho, the seventh collaborative releases with Boris, was released in 2016.", "How was the album Gensho received by critics ?", "It is a double album, one disc is by Boris and one by Merzbow, that are meant to be played at the same time." ]
C_ffb21108fa964974a7ae682b5fb48369_1
How did the double albums do in the charts ?
3
How did the double albums from Merzbow do in the charts ?
Merzbow
During the European tour in September-October 1989, Merzbow could only bring simple and portable gear; this led to the harsh noise style Merzbow became known for in the 1990s. Cloud Cock OO Grand (1990) was the first example of this new style, Merzbow's first digital recording (on DAT), and the first recording made for the CD format. It also includes live material recorded during the tour. But when I started live in late 1980s I didn't like to use tape on stage. I like only live electronics. So, my studio works changed to more live composition style. I'm still using many tapes in studio works, but difference is I treat tapes and instruments. Before, I used tapes as overdubbing concept. But now tapes are crashing together, no static overdub. I found that style on Cloud Cock OO Grand. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Merzbow began to be influenced by death metal and grindcore. Recordings from this time are mostly recorded at extreme volume, some mastered at levels far beyond standard (Noisembryo, Pulse Demon). In 1994, Akita acquired a vintage EMS synthesizer. From 1996, plans were made to release a "10 (or maybe 12)" CD box set on Extreme Records. In 2000, Extreme Records released the Merzbox, a fifty CD set of Merzbow records, twenty of them not previously released. Throughout most of the 1990s, Merzbow live was a trio with Reiko A. on electronics and Bara on voice and dance. Masami Akita occasionally played drums for Hijokaidan during the early-mid 1990s. In the early 1990s, Masami Akita composed the soundtracks to numerous kinbaku videos by Fuji Planning (Bu Er Qi Hua , Fuji Kikaku) and seppuku-themed videos by their sub-label Right Brain. Akita also directed Lost Paradise (Shi Le Yuan Cheng Ma Fu Nu Fu Qie ri, Shitsurakuen: Jobafuku onna harakiri) for Right Brain. Some of this music was included on Music for Bondage Performance and Music for Bondage Performance 2, co-credited to Right Brain Audile. Director Ian Kerkhof would use a Merzbow track for his 1992 film La sequence des barres paralleles, and Akita composed original music for Kerhof's 1994 film The Dead Man 2: Return of the Dead Man. Kerkhof made the documentary Beyond Ultra Violence: Uneasy Listening by Merzbow in 1998. Akita also created music for Ilppo Pohjola's Asphalto (1998) and Routemaster (2000). Since 1999, Akita has used computers in his recordings, having first acquired a Macintosh to work on art for the Merzbox. Also at this time he began referring to his home studio as "Bedroom, Tokyo". At live performances, Akita has produced noise music from either two laptop computers or combination of a laptop and analog synthesizers/guitar pedals. Reiko A. and Bara left Merzbow during this time, Reiko Azuma now has a solo career. Since 2001, Jenny Akita (nee Kawabata) started being credited for artwork on various releases. Since 2001, Akita started utilising samples of animal sounds in various releases starting with Frog. Around 2002, Akita became a vegan, he stated how it began: I started raising four bantams, the little ornamental chickens. With this experience as a start, I gradually started to be concerned and care about chickens and all the barn animals I used to eat without giving it a second thought before. So I started reading books and researching on the internet about Animal Rights and that triggered an awareness of "evil" that human society has done. During this period, Akita also became a supporter of PETA which is reflected in his animal-themed releases. An example of this is Minazo Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, dedicated to an elephant seal he visited often at the zoo and Bloody Sea, a protest against Japanese whaling. He has also produced several works centered around recordings of his pet chickens (notably Animal Magnetism and Turmeric). Also in 2002, Akita released Merzbeat, which was seen as a significant departure from his trademark abstract style in that it contains beat-oriented pieces. This has sparked some controversy among fans, though some reviewers pointed out that it sounded very similar to Aqua Necromancer (1998) which features samples of progressive rock drumming. Merzbird (2004) and Merzbuddha (2005) followed in a similar vein with sampled beats combined with Merzbow's signature harsh noise. Starting in the mid-2000s, Masami Akita began to reintroduce junk metal and effects pedals back into his setup. By the early-2010s, he was using a large number of pedals, oscillators and tone generators, and reduced to a single laptop running granular synthesis software. In 2014, he toured without a laptop. In 2008, Akita reintroduced the drum kit, his first instrument. This can be heard on the 13 Japanese Birds series. At this time he changed the name of his home studio to Munemihouse. Beginning in November 2009, Merzbow started releasing archival material from the 1980s and 1990s, both reissues and previously unreleased material, several of which were released on cassette. The Blossoming Noise label reissued the 1980s cassettes E-Study, Collection 004, Collection 005, Normal Music, and Flesh Metal Orgasm. The Kibbutz cassette was reissued on vinyl by Urashima. Other cassettes of unreleased material include Untitled Nov 1989, 9888A, April 1992, and Variations for Electric Fan. 2010-2013 saw the release several archival box sets; Merzbient, Merzphysics, Merzmorphosis, Lowest Music & Arts 1980-1983, and Duo. Akita began collaborating with the Hungarian drummer Balazs Pandi in 2009, initially Pandi served as a live drummer for Merzbow. This resulted in the live albums Live at Fluc Wanne, Vienna 2010/05/18, Ducks: Live in NYC, and Katowice. Akita and Pandi then began to record studio albums collaborating with additional musicians, Cuts (2013) with the Swedish saxophone player Mats Gustafsson, Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper (2015) with Gustafsson and Thurston Moore, and An Untroublesome Defencelessness with Keiji Haino (2016), all released by RareNoiseRecords. Akita, Pandi, and Gustafsson also toured together and released the live LP Live in Tabacka 13/04/12. Merzbow also released several collaborations with industrial/noise musicians he had know since the 1980s: Spiral Right / Spiral Left with Z'EV, The Black Album with John Duncan, and a trio of releases with Maurizio Bianchi, Amniocentesi / Envoise 30 05 82 (a split with two tracks from 1982), Merzbow Meets M.B., and Amalgamelody. Gensho, the seventh collaborative releases with Boris, was released in 2016. It is a double album, one disc is by Boris and one by Merzbow, that are meant to be played at the same time. CANNOTANSWER
CANNOTANSWER
is a Japanese noise project started in 1979 by , best known for a style of harsh, confrontational noise. Since 1980, Akita has released over 400 recordings and has collaborated with various artists. The name Merzbow comes from the German dada artist Kurt Schwitters' artwork Merzbau, in which Schwitters transformed the interior of his house using found objects. The name was chosen to reflect Akita's dada influence and junk art aesthetic. In addition to this, Akita has cited a wide range of musical influences from progressive rock, heavy metal, free jazz, and early electronic music to non-musical influences like dadaism, surrealism and fetish culture. Since the early 2000s, he has been inspired by animal rights and environmentalism, and began to follow a vegan, straight edge lifestyle. In addition to being a prolific musician, he has been a writer and editor for several books and magazines in Japan, and has written several books of his own. He has written about a variety of subjects, mostly about music, modern art, and underground culture. His more renowned works were on the topics of BDSM and Japanese bondage. Other art forms Akita has been interested in include painting, photography, filmmaking, and Butoh dance. In 2000, Extreme Records released the 50 CD box set Merzbox. Akita's work has been the subject of several remix albums and at least one tribute album. This, among other achievements, has helped Merzbow to be regarded by some as the "most important artist in noise". Life and career Early life Masami Akita was born in Tokyo, Japan on December 19, 1956. He listened to psychedelic music, progressive rock and later free jazz in his youth, all of which have influenced his noise. In high school, he became the drummer of various high school bands, which he left due to the other members being "grass-smoking Zappa freaks". By this time, he and high school friend Kiyoshi Mizutani had started playing improvised studio sessions that he described as "long jam sessions along the lines of Ash Ra Tempel or Can but we didn't have any psychedelic taste". He later attended Tamagawa University to study fine art, at which he majored in painting and art theory. While at university, he became interested in the ideas of dada and surrealism and also studied Butoh dance. At Tamagawa, he learned of Kurt Schwitters' Merz, or art made from rubbish, including Schwitters' Merzbau (meaning Merz building, ), which is the source of the name Merzbow. Beginning (1979–1989) Merzbow began as the duo of Masami Akita and Kiyoshi Mizutani, who met Akita in high school. Akita started releasing noise recordings on cassettes through his own record label, Lowest Music & Arts, which was founded in order to trade cassette tapes with other underground artists. The earliest recording he made was Metal Acoustic Music. Various other early releases included Remblandt Assemblage and Solonoise 1. The Collection series consisted of ten cassettes, the first five were recorded in a studio for an independent label called Ylem, which went defunct before they could be released. So, Akita released them himself, and recorded five more at home. Akita's earliest music was made with tape loops and creatively recorded percussion and metal. Early methods included what he referred to as "material action", in which he would closely amplify small sounds so as to distort them through the microphone. This method was used on Material Action for 2 Microphones and Material Action 2 N.A.M.. Among early releases like the box set Pornoise/1kg, Merzbow created artwork using photocopies of collages made out of manga and porn magazines he found in trash cans in the Tokyo subway. Akita explained this as trying to "create the same feeling as the secret porn customer for the people buying my cassettes in the early 80s". ZSF Produkt (pronounced Zusufu, from an ancient Japanese word meaning "magnetic") was founded in 1984 to release music by similar artists within the industrial movement but eventually became the successor to Lowest Music & Arts. Numerous Merzbow releases were recorded at ZSF Produkt Studio, Masami Akita's home studio. During this era, Merzbow found much wider recognition and began making recordings for various international labels. Batztoutai with Memorial Gadgets was his first LP released outside of Japan. He also started touring abroad with the help of various collaborators. First, Merzbow performed in the USSR in 1988, then, toured the US in 1990, Korea in 1991, and Europe in 1989 and 1992. Kiyoshi Mizutani left Merzbow after the 1989 European tour and continues to pursue a solo career. Noise electronics era (1989–1999) During a European tour in September–October 1989, Merzbow could only bring simple and portable gear; this led to the harsh noise style Merzbow became known for in the 1990s. Cloud Cock OO Grand (1990) was the first example of this new style, Merzbow's first digital recording (on DAT), and the first recording made for the CD format. It also includes live material recorded during the tour. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Merzbow began to be influenced by death metal and grindcore. Recordings from this time are mostly recorded at extreme volume, some mastered at levels far beyond standard (Noisembryo, Pulse Demon). In 1994, Akita acquired a vintage EMS synthesizer. From 1996, plans were made to release a "10 (or maybe 12)" CD box set on Extreme Records. In 2000, Extreme Records released the Merzbox, a fifty CD set of Merzbow records, twenty of them not previously released. Throughout most of the 1990s, Merzbow live was a trio with Reiko A. on electronics and Tetsuo Sakaibara (aka Bara) on voice and dance. Masami Akita occasionally played drums for Hijokaidan during the early–mid 1990s. In the early 1990s, Masami Akita composed the soundtracks to numerous kinbaku videos by and seppuku-themed videos by their sub-label Right Brain. Akita also directed for Right Brain. Some of this music was included on Music for Bondage Performance and Music for Bondage Performance 2, co-credited to Right Brain Audile. Director Ian Kerkhof would use a Merzbow track for his 1992 film La séquence des barres parallèles, and Akita composed original music for Kerhof's 1994 film The Dead Man 2: Return of the Dead Man. Kerkhof made the documentary Beyond Ultra Violence: Uneasy Listening by Merzbow in 1998. Akita also created music for Ilppo Pohjola's Asphalto (1998) and Routemaster (2000). Laptop era (1999–2009) Since 1999, Akita has used computers in his recordings, having first acquired a Macintosh to work on art for the Merzbox. Also at this time he began referring to his home studio as "Bedroom, Tokyo". At live performances, Akita has produced noise music from either two laptop computers or combination of a laptop and analog synthesizers/guitar pedals. Reiko A. and Bara left Merzbow during this time; Reiko Azuma now has a solo career. Since 2001, Jenny Akita (née Kawabata) started being credited for artwork on various releases. Since 2001, Akita started utilising samples of animal sounds in various releases starting with Frog. Around 2002, Akita became a vegan. He later stated: During this period, Akita also became a supporter of PETA, which is reflected in his animal-themed releases. An example of this is Minazo Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, dedicated to an elephant seal he visited often at the zoo and Bloody Sea, a protest against Japanese whaling. He has also produced several works centered around recordings of his pet chickens (notably Animal Magnetism and Turmeric). Also in 2002, Akita released Merzbeat, which was seen as a significant departure from his trademark abstract style in that it contains beat-oriented pieces. This has sparked some controversy among fans, though some reviewers pointed out that it sounded very similar to Aqua Necromancer (1998), which features samples of progressive rock drumming. Merzbird (2004) and Merzbuddha (2005) followed in a similar vein with sampled beats combined with Merzbow's signature harsh noise. Current era (2009–present) Starting in the mid-2000s, Masami Akita began to reintroduce junk metal and effects pedals back into his setup. In 2008, Akita reintroduced the drum kit, his first instrument. This can be heard on the 13 Japanese Birds series. At this time he changed the name of his home studio to Munemihouse. By the early 2010s, he was using a large number of pedals, oscillators and tone generators, and reduced to a single laptop running granular synthesis software. In 2014, he toured without a laptop. Beginning in November 2009, Merzbow started releasing archival material from the 1980s and 1990s, both reissues and previously unreleased material, several of which were released on cassette. The Blossoming Noise label reissued the 1980s cassettes E-Study, Collection 004, Collection 005, Normal Music, and Flesh Metal Orgasm. The Kibbutz cassette was reissued on vinyl by Urashima. Other cassettes of unreleased material include Untitled Nov 1989, 9888A, April 1992, and Variations for Electric Fan. 2010–2013 saw the release several archival box sets; Merzbient, Merzphysics, Merzmorphosis, Lowest Music & Arts 1980–1983, and Duo. Akita began collaborating with the Hungarian drummer Balázs Pándi in 2009, initially Pándi served as a live drummer for Merzbow. This resulted in the live albums Live at Fluc Wanne, Vienna 2010/05/18, Ducks: Live in NYC, and Katowice. Akita and Pándi then began to record studio albums collaborating with additional musicians, Cuts (2013) with the Swedish saxophone player Mats Gustafsson, Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper (2015) with Gustafsson and Thurston Moore, and An Untroublesome Defencelessness with Keiji Haino (2016), all released by RareNoiseRecords. Akita, Pándi, and Gustafsson also toured together and released the live LP Live in Tabačka 13/04/12. Merzbow also released several collaborations with industrial/noise musicians he had known since the 1980s: Spiral Right / Spiral Left with Z'EV, The Black Album with John Duncan, and a trio of releases with Maurizio Bianchi, Amniocentesi / Envoise 30 05 82 (a split with two tracks from 1982), Merzbow Meets M.B., and Amalgamelody. Gensho, the seventh collaborative releases with Boris, was released in 2016. It is a double album, one disc is by Boris and one by Merzbow, that are meant to be played at the same time. In April 2018, the Japanese label Slowdown Records began releasing a series of sixty archival recordings spanning Merzbow's career on a semimonthly basis, starting with Hyper Music 1 Vol. 1 and 23 November 1979 (B). These recordings were collected in a box set named 10×6=60 in 2021. Slowdown has also released several new recordings in addition to the archival releases, and has continued releasing other archival recordings on a monthly basis alongside those featured in 10×6=60. Musical style Merzbow's sounds employ the use of distortion, feedback, and noises from synthesizers, machinery, and home-made noisemakers. While much of Merzbow's output is intensely harsh in character, Akita does occasionally make forays into ambient music. Vocals are employed sometimes, but never in a lyrical sense. Contrary to most harsh noise music, Akita also occasionally uses elements of melody and rhythm. Akita's early work consisted of industrial noise music made from tape loops and conventional instruments. Similar to his present albums, he produced lengthy, disorienting pieces. He also became famous for the sheer volume of his releases. The avant-garde nature of Akita's work made acceptance by mainstream and unprepared audiences difficult. When he performed with Kiyoshi Mizutani in 1988 at the Jazz-on-Amur festival in Khabarovsk in the Far East of the USSR, his improvised, experimental electroacoustic set was praised by fellow musicians as well as the festival's producer. The number of the - jazz-oriented (and - even just curious) - crowd, however, had been expecting a more traditional (and much-much more quiet) performance, and started walking out. Prior to his second performance at the festival — which was to be made to an even more conservative audience— Akita was asked to play "more musically." On that first stage, Merzbow used the finest example of "classical analogue live noisemaking technologies" to display: untuned guitar, a drumset, various micro-objects, small springs centered in its shell baffles, large aluminium boxes with strings inside to be attacked with a fiddlestick, etc. along with multi- piezo-pickuping and close-miking techniques, live processing through vintage US fuzz, ring modulator etc. boxes, and quite vivid and spontaneous approach, backed by domestically supplied slide and light shows. These live recordings were post-processed/re-mixed and released as Live in Khabarovsk, CCCP (I'm Proud by Rank of the Workers) LP – and as the (once more re-mixed comparing to the LP) CD 26 of the Merzbox later on. During the 1990s Akita's work became much harsher and was generally mastered at a louder volume than usual. These were heavily influenced by death metal and grindcore bands of the time (a prime example is the Venereology album). The mid-1990s saw Akita being heavily influenced by psychedelic bands and this was reflected in various albums. Side projects In addition to Merzbow, Masami Akita has been involved in a number of side projects and groups. Aliases Abtechtonics (or variations of this) was used by Akita for his artwork on Merzbow releases and his books. House Hunt Hussies is credited for a track on the Sexorama 1 compilation. ZSF Produkt is listed as the contact address. Lotus Club was used for the tape Le Sang et la Rose in 1983 because of the difference in musical style. Pornoise was a mail art project Akita had in the 1980s where he made collages using discarded magazines – in particular pornographic magazines – taken from the trash. These were then sent along with his cassettes, the idea being that his art was like cheap mail order pornography. Pornoise/1kg was released as part of these activities. Pornoise was credit as the artist for a track on the Sexorama 2 compilation and co-credited for artwork on Scissors for Cutting Merzbow. Right Brain Audile is co-credited on the two Music for Bondage Performance albums, as they're soundtracks he did for several S&M and faux-Seppuku films produced by Kinbiken/Right Brain. The abbreviation RBA appears in track titles on Merzbient, which features recordings from this era. SCUM was a project where Akita made new releases out of previous Merzbow sessions using cut-ups, effects, and mixing. SCUM is an acronym, standing for something different on each release, including "Society for Cutting Up Merzbow" (a reference to the SCUM Manifesto), "Scissors for CUtting Merzbow", "Steel CUM", etc. Zecken was used for two solo synthesizer performances in 1996. Groups Bustmonster was a "conceptual death metal" group (because they couldn't play death metal) with Tetsuo Sakaibara, Fumio Kosakai, Masahiko Ohno, Shohei Iwasaki, Maso Yamazaki and Zev Asher. Flying Testicle was a trio with Yamazaki and Asher. Merzbow Null was a collaboration between the groups of Merzbow and Null. In addition to Masami Akita and Kazuyuki Kishino, it featured several other members of both groups such as Reiko Azuma, Asami Hayashi, Kiyoshi Mizutani, Yushi Okano, Ikuo Taketani, etc. They did many improv performances during 1983–84 and released over a dozen cassettes. Tibeta Ubik was a duo of Akita and Kishino active at the same time as Merzbow Null. True Romance was a performance art project in the early 1990s with Tetsuo Sakaibara (who became a live member of Merzbow) and Toshiyuki Seido. The performances included fetish equipment, simulated gore (including autopsy), mechanical devices, nude models, etc. It was inspired by Viennese Actionism. Masami Akita was a performer in addition to composing the backing music. Other groups include: 3RENSA with Duenn and Koji Nakamura, Abe Sada with S.M.U.T., Commando Bruno Sanmartino with Fumio Kosakai and Masaya Nakahara, Kikuri with Keiji Haino, Maldoror with Mike Patton, MAZK with Zbigniew Karkowski, Melting Lips with Hanayo, Muscats with Hanayo and Masaya Nakahara, Metalik Zeit with Aube, Merz-Banana with Melt-Banana, Satanstornade with Russell Haswell (they later released an album entitled Satanstornade under their real names), Secrets with Tetsuya Mugishima (aka Seven), and Shalon Kelly King with Fumio Kosakai. Discography Bibliography After completing his degree, Akita became a freelance writer and editor for various magazines in Japan. He frequently wrote on a variety of topics such as sexuality (including pornography, S&M, and Japanese bondage), underground and extreme culture (including music and art), architecture, and animal rights. None have been published in English. Note: English title refers to English writing on the cover, sometimes it's a translation of the Japanese title, or a completely different phrase. References Further reading External links Japanese electronic music groups Japanese experimental musical groups Japanese noise rock groups Japanese industrial music groups Musical groups established in 1979 Musical groups from Tokyo Noise musical groups Alien8 Recordings artists Drag City (record label) artists Important Records artists Relapse Records artists Tzadik Records artists Third Mind Records artists Cuneiform Records artists RareNoiseRecords artists Smalltown Supersound artists Soleilmoon artists
false
[ "English musical duo Wham! released two studio albums, four compilation albums, four video albums, 13 music videos, 12 singles, two remix albums and one documentary video.\n\nAlbums\n\nStudio albums\n\nCompilation albums\n\nRemix albums\n\nVideo albums\n\nSingles\n\n\"Last Christmas\" re-issue and re-entry positions\n\nVideography\n\nMusic videos\n\nFilms\n\nNotes\n \t\nNotes\n A ^ \"Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)\" was originally released in June 1982 in the UK but failed to chart.\n B ^ In the United States and Canada, \"Careless Whisper\" was credited to Wham! featuring George Michael, whereas the single was credited in most other markets to George Michael as a solo artist.\n C ^ \"Everything She Wants\" and \"Last Christmas\" were released as a double A-side in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands. This record reached number 2 in the UK charts, with the re-issue of \"Last Christmas\" classed as a separate hit by the Official Charts Company, reaching number 1 in 2021.\n D ^ \"The Edge of Heaven\" and \"Where Did Your Heart Go?\" were released as a double A-side in the UK and Ireland.\n\nReferences\n\nDiscographies of British artists\nPop music group discographies", "Truthdare Doubledare is the second album (released in 1986 on MCA Records) by the British dance band Bronski Beat. It is their first album to feature John Foster as lead vocalist, following the departure of Jimmy Somerville who went on to form The Communards. The album was released on CD in 1998.\n\nTrack listing\n \"Hit That Perfect Beat\" - 3:38\n \"Truthdare Doubledare\" - 4:43\n \"C'mon! C'mon!\" - 3:50\n \"Punishment for Love\" - 4:14\n \"We Know How It Feels\" - 4:13\n \"This Heart\" - 4:19\n \"Do It\" - 3:50\n \"Dr. John\" - 4:41\n \"In My Dreams\" - 4: 17\n \"What Are You Going to Do About It\" - 6:15\n \"C'mon C'mon\" (12\" version) - 6:15\n \"Hit That Perfect Beat\" (12\" version) - 6:21\n \"I Gave You Everything\" - 4:00\n\nPersonnel\nBronski Beat\nSteve Bronski - 6- and 12-string guitars, double-speed guitar, accordion, synthesizers, keyboards, programming\nLarry Steinbachek - drums, percussion, drum programming, keyboards, marimba\nJohn Foster - vocals\n\nSingles\n\"Hit That Perfect Beat\"\n\"C'mon! C'mon!\"\n\nCharts\n\nWeekly charts\n\nReferences\n\n1986 albums\nBronski Beat albums\nLondon Records albums" ]
[ "Merzbow", "Current era (2009-present)", "Can you name an album that Merzbow released in that period from 2009 to present ?", "Gensho, the seventh collaborative releases with Boris, was released in 2016.", "How was the album Gensho received by critics ?", "It is a double album, one disc is by Boris and one by Merzbow, that are meant to be played at the same time.", "How did the double albums do in the charts ?", "I don't know." ]
C_ffb21108fa964974a7ae682b5fb48369_1
did he collaborate with anyone else during that period ?
4
Did Merzbow collaborate with anyone else during 2009 aside from Boris?
Merzbow
During the European tour in September-October 1989, Merzbow could only bring simple and portable gear; this led to the harsh noise style Merzbow became known for in the 1990s. Cloud Cock OO Grand (1990) was the first example of this new style, Merzbow's first digital recording (on DAT), and the first recording made for the CD format. It also includes live material recorded during the tour. But when I started live in late 1980s I didn't like to use tape on stage. I like only live electronics. So, my studio works changed to more live composition style. I'm still using many tapes in studio works, but difference is I treat tapes and instruments. Before, I used tapes as overdubbing concept. But now tapes are crashing together, no static overdub. I found that style on Cloud Cock OO Grand. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Merzbow began to be influenced by death metal and grindcore. Recordings from this time are mostly recorded at extreme volume, some mastered at levels far beyond standard (Noisembryo, Pulse Demon). In 1994, Akita acquired a vintage EMS synthesizer. From 1996, plans were made to release a "10 (or maybe 12)" CD box set on Extreme Records. In 2000, Extreme Records released the Merzbox, a fifty CD set of Merzbow records, twenty of them not previously released. Throughout most of the 1990s, Merzbow live was a trio with Reiko A. on electronics and Bara on voice and dance. Masami Akita occasionally played drums for Hijokaidan during the early-mid 1990s. In the early 1990s, Masami Akita composed the soundtracks to numerous kinbaku videos by Fuji Planning (Bu Er Qi Hua , Fuji Kikaku) and seppuku-themed videos by their sub-label Right Brain. Akita also directed Lost Paradise (Shi Le Yuan Cheng Ma Fu Nu Fu Qie ri, Shitsurakuen: Jobafuku onna harakiri) for Right Brain. Some of this music was included on Music for Bondage Performance and Music for Bondage Performance 2, co-credited to Right Brain Audile. Director Ian Kerkhof would use a Merzbow track for his 1992 film La sequence des barres paralleles, and Akita composed original music for Kerhof's 1994 film The Dead Man 2: Return of the Dead Man. Kerkhof made the documentary Beyond Ultra Violence: Uneasy Listening by Merzbow in 1998. Akita also created music for Ilppo Pohjola's Asphalto (1998) and Routemaster (2000). Since 1999, Akita has used computers in his recordings, having first acquired a Macintosh to work on art for the Merzbox. Also at this time he began referring to his home studio as "Bedroom, Tokyo". At live performances, Akita has produced noise music from either two laptop computers or combination of a laptop and analog synthesizers/guitar pedals. Reiko A. and Bara left Merzbow during this time, Reiko Azuma now has a solo career. Since 2001, Jenny Akita (nee Kawabata) started being credited for artwork on various releases. Since 2001, Akita started utilising samples of animal sounds in various releases starting with Frog. Around 2002, Akita became a vegan, he stated how it began: I started raising four bantams, the little ornamental chickens. With this experience as a start, I gradually started to be concerned and care about chickens and all the barn animals I used to eat without giving it a second thought before. So I started reading books and researching on the internet about Animal Rights and that triggered an awareness of "evil" that human society has done. During this period, Akita also became a supporter of PETA which is reflected in his animal-themed releases. An example of this is Minazo Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, dedicated to an elephant seal he visited often at the zoo and Bloody Sea, a protest against Japanese whaling. He has also produced several works centered around recordings of his pet chickens (notably Animal Magnetism and Turmeric). Also in 2002, Akita released Merzbeat, which was seen as a significant departure from his trademark abstract style in that it contains beat-oriented pieces. This has sparked some controversy among fans, though some reviewers pointed out that it sounded very similar to Aqua Necromancer (1998) which features samples of progressive rock drumming. Merzbird (2004) and Merzbuddha (2005) followed in a similar vein with sampled beats combined with Merzbow's signature harsh noise. Starting in the mid-2000s, Masami Akita began to reintroduce junk metal and effects pedals back into his setup. By the early-2010s, he was using a large number of pedals, oscillators and tone generators, and reduced to a single laptop running granular synthesis software. In 2014, he toured without a laptop. In 2008, Akita reintroduced the drum kit, his first instrument. This can be heard on the 13 Japanese Birds series. At this time he changed the name of his home studio to Munemihouse. Beginning in November 2009, Merzbow started releasing archival material from the 1980s and 1990s, both reissues and previously unreleased material, several of which were released on cassette. The Blossoming Noise label reissued the 1980s cassettes E-Study, Collection 004, Collection 005, Normal Music, and Flesh Metal Orgasm. The Kibbutz cassette was reissued on vinyl by Urashima. Other cassettes of unreleased material include Untitled Nov 1989, 9888A, April 1992, and Variations for Electric Fan. 2010-2013 saw the release several archival box sets; Merzbient, Merzphysics, Merzmorphosis, Lowest Music & Arts 1980-1983, and Duo. Akita began collaborating with the Hungarian drummer Balazs Pandi in 2009, initially Pandi served as a live drummer for Merzbow. This resulted in the live albums Live at Fluc Wanne, Vienna 2010/05/18, Ducks: Live in NYC, and Katowice. Akita and Pandi then began to record studio albums collaborating with additional musicians, Cuts (2013) with the Swedish saxophone player Mats Gustafsson, Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper (2015) with Gustafsson and Thurston Moore, and An Untroublesome Defencelessness with Keiji Haino (2016), all released by RareNoiseRecords. Akita, Pandi, and Gustafsson also toured together and released the live LP Live in Tabacka 13/04/12. Merzbow also released several collaborations with industrial/noise musicians he had know since the 1980s: Spiral Right / Spiral Left with Z'EV, The Black Album with John Duncan, and a trio of releases with Maurizio Bianchi, Amniocentesi / Envoise 30 05 82 (a split with two tracks from 1982), Merzbow Meets M.B., and Amalgamelody. Gensho, the seventh collaborative releases with Boris, was released in 2016. It is a double album, one disc is by Boris and one by Merzbow, that are meant to be played at the same time. CANNOTANSWER
Merzbow also released several collaborations with industrial/noise musicians he had know since the 1980s: Spiral Right / Spiral Left with Z'EV,
is a Japanese noise project started in 1979 by , best known for a style of harsh, confrontational noise. Since 1980, Akita has released over 400 recordings and has collaborated with various artists. The name Merzbow comes from the German dada artist Kurt Schwitters' artwork Merzbau, in which Schwitters transformed the interior of his house using found objects. The name was chosen to reflect Akita's dada influence and junk art aesthetic. In addition to this, Akita has cited a wide range of musical influences from progressive rock, heavy metal, free jazz, and early electronic music to non-musical influences like dadaism, surrealism and fetish culture. Since the early 2000s, he has been inspired by animal rights and environmentalism, and began to follow a vegan, straight edge lifestyle. In addition to being a prolific musician, he has been a writer and editor for several books and magazines in Japan, and has written several books of his own. He has written about a variety of subjects, mostly about music, modern art, and underground culture. His more renowned works were on the topics of BDSM and Japanese bondage. Other art forms Akita has been interested in include painting, photography, filmmaking, and Butoh dance. In 2000, Extreme Records released the 50 CD box set Merzbox. Akita's work has been the subject of several remix albums and at least one tribute album. This, among other achievements, has helped Merzbow to be regarded by some as the "most important artist in noise". Life and career Early life Masami Akita was born in Tokyo, Japan on December 19, 1956. He listened to psychedelic music, progressive rock and later free jazz in his youth, all of which have influenced his noise. In high school, he became the drummer of various high school bands, which he left due to the other members being "grass-smoking Zappa freaks". By this time, he and high school friend Kiyoshi Mizutani had started playing improvised studio sessions that he described as "long jam sessions along the lines of Ash Ra Tempel or Can but we didn't have any psychedelic taste". He later attended Tamagawa University to study fine art, at which he majored in painting and art theory. While at university, he became interested in the ideas of dada and surrealism and also studied Butoh dance. At Tamagawa, he learned of Kurt Schwitters' Merz, or art made from rubbish, including Schwitters' Merzbau (meaning Merz building, ), which is the source of the name Merzbow. Beginning (1979–1989) Merzbow began as the duo of Masami Akita and Kiyoshi Mizutani, who met Akita in high school. Akita started releasing noise recordings on cassettes through his own record label, Lowest Music & Arts, which was founded in order to trade cassette tapes with other underground artists. The earliest recording he made was Metal Acoustic Music. Various other early releases included Remblandt Assemblage and Solonoise 1. The Collection series consisted of ten cassettes, the first five were recorded in a studio for an independent label called Ylem, which went defunct before they could be released. So, Akita released them himself, and recorded five more at home. Akita's earliest music was made with tape loops and creatively recorded percussion and metal. Early methods included what he referred to as "material action", in which he would closely amplify small sounds so as to distort them through the microphone. This method was used on Material Action for 2 Microphones and Material Action 2 N.A.M.. Among early releases like the box set Pornoise/1kg, Merzbow created artwork using photocopies of collages made out of manga and porn magazines he found in trash cans in the Tokyo subway. Akita explained this as trying to "create the same feeling as the secret porn customer for the people buying my cassettes in the early 80s". ZSF Produkt (pronounced Zusufu, from an ancient Japanese word meaning "magnetic") was founded in 1984 to release music by similar artists within the industrial movement but eventually became the successor to Lowest Music & Arts. Numerous Merzbow releases were recorded at ZSF Produkt Studio, Masami Akita's home studio. During this era, Merzbow found much wider recognition and began making recordings for various international labels. Batztoutai with Memorial Gadgets was his first LP released outside of Japan. He also started touring abroad with the help of various collaborators. First, Merzbow performed in the USSR in 1988, then, toured the US in 1990, Korea in 1991, and Europe in 1989 and 1992. Kiyoshi Mizutani left Merzbow after the 1989 European tour and continues to pursue a solo career. Noise electronics era (1989–1999) During a European tour in September–October 1989, Merzbow could only bring simple and portable gear; this led to the harsh noise style Merzbow became known for in the 1990s. Cloud Cock OO Grand (1990) was the first example of this new style, Merzbow's first digital recording (on DAT), and the first recording made for the CD format. It also includes live material recorded during the tour. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Merzbow began to be influenced by death metal and grindcore. Recordings from this time are mostly recorded at extreme volume, some mastered at levels far beyond standard (Noisembryo, Pulse Demon). In 1994, Akita acquired a vintage EMS synthesizer. From 1996, plans were made to release a "10 (or maybe 12)" CD box set on Extreme Records. In 2000, Extreme Records released the Merzbox, a fifty CD set of Merzbow records, twenty of them not previously released. Throughout most of the 1990s, Merzbow live was a trio with Reiko A. on electronics and Tetsuo Sakaibara (aka Bara) on voice and dance. Masami Akita occasionally played drums for Hijokaidan during the early–mid 1990s. In the early 1990s, Masami Akita composed the soundtracks to numerous kinbaku videos by and seppuku-themed videos by their sub-label Right Brain. Akita also directed for Right Brain. Some of this music was included on Music for Bondage Performance and Music for Bondage Performance 2, co-credited to Right Brain Audile. Director Ian Kerkhof would use a Merzbow track for his 1992 film La séquence des barres parallèles, and Akita composed original music for Kerhof's 1994 film The Dead Man 2: Return of the Dead Man. Kerkhof made the documentary Beyond Ultra Violence: Uneasy Listening by Merzbow in 1998. Akita also created music for Ilppo Pohjola's Asphalto (1998) and Routemaster (2000). Laptop era (1999–2009) Since 1999, Akita has used computers in his recordings, having first acquired a Macintosh to work on art for the Merzbox. Also at this time he began referring to his home studio as "Bedroom, Tokyo". At live performances, Akita has produced noise music from either two laptop computers or combination of a laptop and analog synthesizers/guitar pedals. Reiko A. and Bara left Merzbow during this time; Reiko Azuma now has a solo career. Since 2001, Jenny Akita (née Kawabata) started being credited for artwork on various releases. Since 2001, Akita started utilising samples of animal sounds in various releases starting with Frog. Around 2002, Akita became a vegan. He later stated: During this period, Akita also became a supporter of PETA, which is reflected in his animal-themed releases. An example of this is Minazo Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, dedicated to an elephant seal he visited often at the zoo and Bloody Sea, a protest against Japanese whaling. He has also produced several works centered around recordings of his pet chickens (notably Animal Magnetism and Turmeric). Also in 2002, Akita released Merzbeat, which was seen as a significant departure from his trademark abstract style in that it contains beat-oriented pieces. This has sparked some controversy among fans, though some reviewers pointed out that it sounded very similar to Aqua Necromancer (1998), which features samples of progressive rock drumming. Merzbird (2004) and Merzbuddha (2005) followed in a similar vein with sampled beats combined with Merzbow's signature harsh noise. Current era (2009–present) Starting in the mid-2000s, Masami Akita began to reintroduce junk metal and effects pedals back into his setup. In 2008, Akita reintroduced the drum kit, his first instrument. This can be heard on the 13 Japanese Birds series. At this time he changed the name of his home studio to Munemihouse. By the early 2010s, he was using a large number of pedals, oscillators and tone generators, and reduced to a single laptop running granular synthesis software. In 2014, he toured without a laptop. Beginning in November 2009, Merzbow started releasing archival material from the 1980s and 1990s, both reissues and previously unreleased material, several of which were released on cassette. The Blossoming Noise label reissued the 1980s cassettes E-Study, Collection 004, Collection 005, Normal Music, and Flesh Metal Orgasm. The Kibbutz cassette was reissued on vinyl by Urashima. Other cassettes of unreleased material include Untitled Nov 1989, 9888A, April 1992, and Variations for Electric Fan. 2010–2013 saw the release several archival box sets; Merzbient, Merzphysics, Merzmorphosis, Lowest Music & Arts 1980–1983, and Duo. Akita began collaborating with the Hungarian drummer Balázs Pándi in 2009, initially Pándi served as a live drummer for Merzbow. This resulted in the live albums Live at Fluc Wanne, Vienna 2010/05/18, Ducks: Live in NYC, and Katowice. Akita and Pándi then began to record studio albums collaborating with additional musicians, Cuts (2013) with the Swedish saxophone player Mats Gustafsson, Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper (2015) with Gustafsson and Thurston Moore, and An Untroublesome Defencelessness with Keiji Haino (2016), all released by RareNoiseRecords. Akita, Pándi, and Gustafsson also toured together and released the live LP Live in Tabačka 13/04/12. Merzbow also released several collaborations with industrial/noise musicians he had known since the 1980s: Spiral Right / Spiral Left with Z'EV, The Black Album with John Duncan, and a trio of releases with Maurizio Bianchi, Amniocentesi / Envoise 30 05 82 (a split with two tracks from 1982), Merzbow Meets M.B., and Amalgamelody. Gensho, the seventh collaborative releases with Boris, was released in 2016. It is a double album, one disc is by Boris and one by Merzbow, that are meant to be played at the same time. In April 2018, the Japanese label Slowdown Records began releasing a series of sixty archival recordings spanning Merzbow's career on a semimonthly basis, starting with Hyper Music 1 Vol. 1 and 23 November 1979 (B). These recordings were collected in a box set named 10×6=60 in 2021. Slowdown has also released several new recordings in addition to the archival releases, and has continued releasing other archival recordings on a monthly basis alongside those featured in 10×6=60. Musical style Merzbow's sounds employ the use of distortion, feedback, and noises from synthesizers, machinery, and home-made noisemakers. While much of Merzbow's output is intensely harsh in character, Akita does occasionally make forays into ambient music. Vocals are employed sometimes, but never in a lyrical sense. Contrary to most harsh noise music, Akita also occasionally uses elements of melody and rhythm. Akita's early work consisted of industrial noise music made from tape loops and conventional instruments. Similar to his present albums, he produced lengthy, disorienting pieces. He also became famous for the sheer volume of his releases. The avant-garde nature of Akita's work made acceptance by mainstream and unprepared audiences difficult. When he performed with Kiyoshi Mizutani in 1988 at the Jazz-on-Amur festival in Khabarovsk in the Far East of the USSR, his improvised, experimental electroacoustic set was praised by fellow musicians as well as the festival's producer. The number of the - jazz-oriented (and - even just curious) - crowd, however, had been expecting a more traditional (and much-much more quiet) performance, and started walking out. Prior to his second performance at the festival — which was to be made to an even more conservative audience— Akita was asked to play "more musically." On that first stage, Merzbow used the finest example of "classical analogue live noisemaking technologies" to display: untuned guitar, a drumset, various micro-objects, small springs centered in its shell baffles, large aluminium boxes with strings inside to be attacked with a fiddlestick, etc. along with multi- piezo-pickuping and close-miking techniques, live processing through vintage US fuzz, ring modulator etc. boxes, and quite vivid and spontaneous approach, backed by domestically supplied slide and light shows. These live recordings were post-processed/re-mixed and released as Live in Khabarovsk, CCCP (I'm Proud by Rank of the Workers) LP – and as the (once more re-mixed comparing to the LP) CD 26 of the Merzbox later on. During the 1990s Akita's work became much harsher and was generally mastered at a louder volume than usual. These were heavily influenced by death metal and grindcore bands of the time (a prime example is the Venereology album). The mid-1990s saw Akita being heavily influenced by psychedelic bands and this was reflected in various albums. Side projects In addition to Merzbow, Masami Akita has been involved in a number of side projects and groups. Aliases Abtechtonics (or variations of this) was used by Akita for his artwork on Merzbow releases and his books. House Hunt Hussies is credited for a track on the Sexorama 1 compilation. ZSF Produkt is listed as the contact address. Lotus Club was used for the tape Le Sang et la Rose in 1983 because of the difference in musical style. Pornoise was a mail art project Akita had in the 1980s where he made collages using discarded magazines – in particular pornographic magazines – taken from the trash. These were then sent along with his cassettes, the idea being that his art was like cheap mail order pornography. Pornoise/1kg was released as part of these activities. Pornoise was credit as the artist for a track on the Sexorama 2 compilation and co-credited for artwork on Scissors for Cutting Merzbow. Right Brain Audile is co-credited on the two Music for Bondage Performance albums, as they're soundtracks he did for several S&M and faux-Seppuku films produced by Kinbiken/Right Brain. The abbreviation RBA appears in track titles on Merzbient, which features recordings from this era. SCUM was a project where Akita made new releases out of previous Merzbow sessions using cut-ups, effects, and mixing. SCUM is an acronym, standing for something different on each release, including "Society for Cutting Up Merzbow" (a reference to the SCUM Manifesto), "Scissors for CUtting Merzbow", "Steel CUM", etc. Zecken was used for two solo synthesizer performances in 1996. Groups Bustmonster was a "conceptual death metal" group (because they couldn't play death metal) with Tetsuo Sakaibara, Fumio Kosakai, Masahiko Ohno, Shohei Iwasaki, Maso Yamazaki and Zev Asher. Flying Testicle was a trio with Yamazaki and Asher. Merzbow Null was a collaboration between the groups of Merzbow and Null. In addition to Masami Akita and Kazuyuki Kishino, it featured several other members of both groups such as Reiko Azuma, Asami Hayashi, Kiyoshi Mizutani, Yushi Okano, Ikuo Taketani, etc. They did many improv performances during 1983–84 and released over a dozen cassettes. Tibeta Ubik was a duo of Akita and Kishino active at the same time as Merzbow Null. True Romance was a performance art project in the early 1990s with Tetsuo Sakaibara (who became a live member of Merzbow) and Toshiyuki Seido. The performances included fetish equipment, simulated gore (including autopsy), mechanical devices, nude models, etc. It was inspired by Viennese Actionism. Masami Akita was a performer in addition to composing the backing music. Other groups include: 3RENSA with Duenn and Koji Nakamura, Abe Sada with S.M.U.T., Commando Bruno Sanmartino with Fumio Kosakai and Masaya Nakahara, Kikuri with Keiji Haino, Maldoror with Mike Patton, MAZK with Zbigniew Karkowski, Melting Lips with Hanayo, Muscats with Hanayo and Masaya Nakahara, Metalik Zeit with Aube, Merz-Banana with Melt-Banana, Satanstornade with Russell Haswell (they later released an album entitled Satanstornade under their real names), Secrets with Tetsuya Mugishima (aka Seven), and Shalon Kelly King with Fumio Kosakai. Discography Bibliography After completing his degree, Akita became a freelance writer and editor for various magazines in Japan. He frequently wrote on a variety of topics such as sexuality (including pornography, S&M, and Japanese bondage), underground and extreme culture (including music and art), architecture, and animal rights. None have been published in English. Note: English title refers to English writing on the cover, sometimes it's a translation of the Japanese title, or a completely different phrase. References Further reading External links Japanese electronic music groups Japanese experimental musical groups Japanese noise rock groups Japanese industrial music groups Musical groups established in 1979 Musical groups from Tokyo Noise musical groups Alien8 Recordings artists Drag City (record label) artists Important Records artists Relapse Records artists Tzadik Records artists Third Mind Records artists Cuneiform Records artists RareNoiseRecords artists Smalltown Supersound artists Soleilmoon artists
false
[ "Ruwida El-Hubti (born 16 April 1989) is an Olympic athlete from Libya. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, she competed in the Women's 400 metres. She finished last in her heat with a time of 1:03.57, almost 11 seconds slower than anyone else in the heat, and the slowest of anyone in the competition. However, she did set a national record.\n\nReferences\n\n1989 births\nLiving people\nOlympic athletes of Libya\nAthletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics", "ARIA Number 1 Hits in Symphony is the sixth studio album by Australian pop singer Anthony Callea. It features instrumentation by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. The album features a selection of tracks that have peaked at number 1 on the ARIA Charts. The album was announced in June 2017 and was released on 1 September 2017.\n\nUpon announcement, Callea said \"[These are] Songs that have not only been part of my musical landscape for the past 30 years but have resonated with so many of us – the ARIA charts don't lie.\"\n\nTour\nCallea will also perform a one-off show alongside the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at Hamer Hall in Melbourne on 8 September 2017.\nCallea said: \"As a singer who craves the art of live performance, I could not think of anyone else I would want to collaborate with than the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, not only for their grandiose live concert experience, but also a stunning recorded body of work. With one of the finest orchestras in the world conducted by my dear friend and album producer John Foreman and collaborating also with my own incredible band members, these iconic ARIA Number #1 hits will be presented in a way you have never experienced before.\"\n\nTrack listing\n\nCharts\n\nRelease history\n\nSee also\n List of number-one albums of 2017 (Australia)\n\nReferences\n\n2017 albums\nAnthony Callea albums\nCovers albums\nSony Music Australia albums\nMelbourne Symphony Orchestra albums" ]
[ "Merzbow", "Current era (2009-present)", "Can you name an album that Merzbow released in that period from 2009 to present ?", "Gensho, the seventh collaborative releases with Boris, was released in 2016.", "How was the album Gensho received by critics ?", "It is a double album, one disc is by Boris and one by Merzbow, that are meant to be played at the same time.", "How did the double albums do in the charts ?", "I don't know.", "did he collaborate with anyone else during that period ?", "Merzbow also released several collaborations with industrial/noise musicians he had know since the 1980s: Spiral Right / Spiral Left with Z'EV," ]
C_ffb21108fa964974a7ae682b5fb48369_1
What happened for Merzbow in the year 2009 ?
5
What happened for Merzbow in the year 2009 ?
Merzbow
During the European tour in September-October 1989, Merzbow could only bring simple and portable gear; this led to the harsh noise style Merzbow became known for in the 1990s. Cloud Cock OO Grand (1990) was the first example of this new style, Merzbow's first digital recording (on DAT), and the first recording made for the CD format. It also includes live material recorded during the tour. But when I started live in late 1980s I didn't like to use tape on stage. I like only live electronics. So, my studio works changed to more live composition style. I'm still using many tapes in studio works, but difference is I treat tapes and instruments. Before, I used tapes as overdubbing concept. But now tapes are crashing together, no static overdub. I found that style on Cloud Cock OO Grand. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Merzbow began to be influenced by death metal and grindcore. Recordings from this time are mostly recorded at extreme volume, some mastered at levels far beyond standard (Noisembryo, Pulse Demon). In 1994, Akita acquired a vintage EMS synthesizer. From 1996, plans were made to release a "10 (or maybe 12)" CD box set on Extreme Records. In 2000, Extreme Records released the Merzbox, a fifty CD set of Merzbow records, twenty of them not previously released. Throughout most of the 1990s, Merzbow live was a trio with Reiko A. on electronics and Bara on voice and dance. Masami Akita occasionally played drums for Hijokaidan during the early-mid 1990s. In the early 1990s, Masami Akita composed the soundtracks to numerous kinbaku videos by Fuji Planning (Bu Er Qi Hua , Fuji Kikaku) and seppuku-themed videos by their sub-label Right Brain. Akita also directed Lost Paradise (Shi Le Yuan Cheng Ma Fu Nu Fu Qie ri, Shitsurakuen: Jobafuku onna harakiri) for Right Brain. Some of this music was included on Music for Bondage Performance and Music for Bondage Performance 2, co-credited to Right Brain Audile. Director Ian Kerkhof would use a Merzbow track for his 1992 film La sequence des barres paralleles, and Akita composed original music for Kerhof's 1994 film The Dead Man 2: Return of the Dead Man. Kerkhof made the documentary Beyond Ultra Violence: Uneasy Listening by Merzbow in 1998. Akita also created music for Ilppo Pohjola's Asphalto (1998) and Routemaster (2000). Since 1999, Akita has used computers in his recordings, having first acquired a Macintosh to work on art for the Merzbox. Also at this time he began referring to his home studio as "Bedroom, Tokyo". At live performances, Akita has produced noise music from either two laptop computers or combination of a laptop and analog synthesizers/guitar pedals. Reiko A. and Bara left Merzbow during this time, Reiko Azuma now has a solo career. Since 2001, Jenny Akita (nee Kawabata) started being credited for artwork on various releases. Since 2001, Akita started utilising samples of animal sounds in various releases starting with Frog. Around 2002, Akita became a vegan, he stated how it began: I started raising four bantams, the little ornamental chickens. With this experience as a start, I gradually started to be concerned and care about chickens and all the barn animals I used to eat without giving it a second thought before. So I started reading books and researching on the internet about Animal Rights and that triggered an awareness of "evil" that human society has done. During this period, Akita also became a supporter of PETA which is reflected in his animal-themed releases. An example of this is Minazo Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, dedicated to an elephant seal he visited often at the zoo and Bloody Sea, a protest against Japanese whaling. He has also produced several works centered around recordings of his pet chickens (notably Animal Magnetism and Turmeric). Also in 2002, Akita released Merzbeat, which was seen as a significant departure from his trademark abstract style in that it contains beat-oriented pieces. This has sparked some controversy among fans, though some reviewers pointed out that it sounded very similar to Aqua Necromancer (1998) which features samples of progressive rock drumming. Merzbird (2004) and Merzbuddha (2005) followed in a similar vein with sampled beats combined with Merzbow's signature harsh noise. Starting in the mid-2000s, Masami Akita began to reintroduce junk metal and effects pedals back into his setup. By the early-2010s, he was using a large number of pedals, oscillators and tone generators, and reduced to a single laptop running granular synthesis software. In 2014, he toured without a laptop. In 2008, Akita reintroduced the drum kit, his first instrument. This can be heard on the 13 Japanese Birds series. At this time he changed the name of his home studio to Munemihouse. Beginning in November 2009, Merzbow started releasing archival material from the 1980s and 1990s, both reissues and previously unreleased material, several of which were released on cassette. The Blossoming Noise label reissued the 1980s cassettes E-Study, Collection 004, Collection 005, Normal Music, and Flesh Metal Orgasm. The Kibbutz cassette was reissued on vinyl by Urashima. Other cassettes of unreleased material include Untitled Nov 1989, 9888A, April 1992, and Variations for Electric Fan. 2010-2013 saw the release several archival box sets; Merzbient, Merzphysics, Merzmorphosis, Lowest Music & Arts 1980-1983, and Duo. Akita began collaborating with the Hungarian drummer Balazs Pandi in 2009, initially Pandi served as a live drummer for Merzbow. This resulted in the live albums Live at Fluc Wanne, Vienna 2010/05/18, Ducks: Live in NYC, and Katowice. Akita and Pandi then began to record studio albums collaborating with additional musicians, Cuts (2013) with the Swedish saxophone player Mats Gustafsson, Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper (2015) with Gustafsson and Thurston Moore, and An Untroublesome Defencelessness with Keiji Haino (2016), all released by RareNoiseRecords. Akita, Pandi, and Gustafsson also toured together and released the live LP Live in Tabacka 13/04/12. Merzbow also released several collaborations with industrial/noise musicians he had know since the 1980s: Spiral Right / Spiral Left with Z'EV, The Black Album with John Duncan, and a trio of releases with Maurizio Bianchi, Amniocentesi / Envoise 30 05 82 (a split with two tracks from 1982), Merzbow Meets M.B., and Amalgamelody. Gensho, the seventh collaborative releases with Boris, was released in 2016. It is a double album, one disc is by Boris and one by Merzbow, that are meant to be played at the same time. CANNOTANSWER
Akita began collaborating with the Hungarian drummer Balazs Pandi in 2009,
is a Japanese noise project started in 1979 by , best known for a style of harsh, confrontational noise. Since 1980, Akita has released over 400 recordings and has collaborated with various artists. The name Merzbow comes from the German dada artist Kurt Schwitters' artwork Merzbau, in which Schwitters transformed the interior of his house using found objects. The name was chosen to reflect Akita's dada influence and junk art aesthetic. In addition to this, Akita has cited a wide range of musical influences from progressive rock, heavy metal, free jazz, and early electronic music to non-musical influences like dadaism, surrealism and fetish culture. Since the early 2000s, he has been inspired by animal rights and environmentalism, and began to follow a vegan, straight edge lifestyle. In addition to being a prolific musician, he has been a writer and editor for several books and magazines in Japan, and has written several books of his own. He has written about a variety of subjects, mostly about music, modern art, and underground culture. His more renowned works were on the topics of BDSM and Japanese bondage. Other art forms Akita has been interested in include painting, photography, filmmaking, and Butoh dance. In 2000, Extreme Records released the 50 CD box set Merzbox. Akita's work has been the subject of several remix albums and at least one tribute album. This, among other achievements, has helped Merzbow to be regarded by some as the "most important artist in noise". Life and career Early life Masami Akita was born in Tokyo, Japan on December 19, 1956. He listened to psychedelic music, progressive rock and later free jazz in his youth, all of which have influenced his noise. In high school, he became the drummer of various high school bands, which he left due to the other members being "grass-smoking Zappa freaks". By this time, he and high school friend Kiyoshi Mizutani had started playing improvised studio sessions that he described as "long jam sessions along the lines of Ash Ra Tempel or Can but we didn't have any psychedelic taste". He later attended Tamagawa University to study fine art, at which he majored in painting and art theory. While at university, he became interested in the ideas of dada and surrealism and also studied Butoh dance. At Tamagawa, he learned of Kurt Schwitters' Merz, or art made from rubbish, including Schwitters' Merzbau (meaning Merz building, ), which is the source of the name Merzbow. Beginning (1979–1989) Merzbow began as the duo of Masami Akita and Kiyoshi Mizutani, who met Akita in high school. Akita started releasing noise recordings on cassettes through his own record label, Lowest Music & Arts, which was founded in order to trade cassette tapes with other underground artists. The earliest recording he made was Metal Acoustic Music. Various other early releases included Remblandt Assemblage and Solonoise 1. The Collection series consisted of ten cassettes, the first five were recorded in a studio for an independent label called Ylem, which went defunct before they could be released. So, Akita released them himself, and recorded five more at home. Akita's earliest music was made with tape loops and creatively recorded percussion and metal. Early methods included what he referred to as "material action", in which he would closely amplify small sounds so as to distort them through the microphone. This method was used on Material Action for 2 Microphones and Material Action 2 N.A.M.. Among early releases like the box set Pornoise/1kg, Merzbow created artwork using photocopies of collages made out of manga and porn magazines he found in trash cans in the Tokyo subway. Akita explained this as trying to "create the same feeling as the secret porn customer for the people buying my cassettes in the early 80s". ZSF Produkt (pronounced Zusufu, from an ancient Japanese word meaning "magnetic") was founded in 1984 to release music by similar artists within the industrial movement but eventually became the successor to Lowest Music & Arts. Numerous Merzbow releases were recorded at ZSF Produkt Studio, Masami Akita's home studio. During this era, Merzbow found much wider recognition and began making recordings for various international labels. Batztoutai with Memorial Gadgets was his first LP released outside of Japan. He also started touring abroad with the help of various collaborators. First, Merzbow performed in the USSR in 1988, then, toured the US in 1990, Korea in 1991, and Europe in 1989 and 1992. Kiyoshi Mizutani left Merzbow after the 1989 European tour and continues to pursue a solo career. Noise electronics era (1989–1999) During a European tour in September–October 1989, Merzbow could only bring simple and portable gear; this led to the harsh noise style Merzbow became known for in the 1990s. Cloud Cock OO Grand (1990) was the first example of this new style, Merzbow's first digital recording (on DAT), and the first recording made for the CD format. It also includes live material recorded during the tour. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Merzbow began to be influenced by death metal and grindcore. Recordings from this time are mostly recorded at extreme volume, some mastered at levels far beyond standard (Noisembryo, Pulse Demon). In 1994, Akita acquired a vintage EMS synthesizer. From 1996, plans were made to release a "10 (or maybe 12)" CD box set on Extreme Records. In 2000, Extreme Records released the Merzbox, a fifty CD set of Merzbow records, twenty of them not previously released. Throughout most of the 1990s, Merzbow live was a trio with Reiko A. on electronics and Tetsuo Sakaibara (aka Bara) on voice and dance. Masami Akita occasionally played drums for Hijokaidan during the early–mid 1990s. In the early 1990s, Masami Akita composed the soundtracks to numerous kinbaku videos by and seppuku-themed videos by their sub-label Right Brain. Akita also directed for Right Brain. Some of this music was included on Music for Bondage Performance and Music for Bondage Performance 2, co-credited to Right Brain Audile. Director Ian Kerkhof would use a Merzbow track for his 1992 film La séquence des barres parallèles, and Akita composed original music for Kerhof's 1994 film The Dead Man 2: Return of the Dead Man. Kerkhof made the documentary Beyond Ultra Violence: Uneasy Listening by Merzbow in 1998. Akita also created music for Ilppo Pohjola's Asphalto (1998) and Routemaster (2000). Laptop era (1999–2009) Since 1999, Akita has used computers in his recordings, having first acquired a Macintosh to work on art for the Merzbox. Also at this time he began referring to his home studio as "Bedroom, Tokyo". At live performances, Akita has produced noise music from either two laptop computers or combination of a laptop and analog synthesizers/guitar pedals. Reiko A. and Bara left Merzbow during this time; Reiko Azuma now has a solo career. Since 2001, Jenny Akita (née Kawabata) started being credited for artwork on various releases. Since 2001, Akita started utilising samples of animal sounds in various releases starting with Frog. Around 2002, Akita became a vegan. He later stated: During this period, Akita also became a supporter of PETA, which is reflected in his animal-themed releases. An example of this is Minazo Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, dedicated to an elephant seal he visited often at the zoo and Bloody Sea, a protest against Japanese whaling. He has also produced several works centered around recordings of his pet chickens (notably Animal Magnetism and Turmeric). Also in 2002, Akita released Merzbeat, which was seen as a significant departure from his trademark abstract style in that it contains beat-oriented pieces. This has sparked some controversy among fans, though some reviewers pointed out that it sounded very similar to Aqua Necromancer (1998), which features samples of progressive rock drumming. Merzbird (2004) and Merzbuddha (2005) followed in a similar vein with sampled beats combined with Merzbow's signature harsh noise. Current era (2009–present) Starting in the mid-2000s, Masami Akita began to reintroduce junk metal and effects pedals back into his setup. In 2008, Akita reintroduced the drum kit, his first instrument. This can be heard on the 13 Japanese Birds series. At this time he changed the name of his home studio to Munemihouse. By the early 2010s, he was using a large number of pedals, oscillators and tone generators, and reduced to a single laptop running granular synthesis software. In 2014, he toured without a laptop. Beginning in November 2009, Merzbow started releasing archival material from the 1980s and 1990s, both reissues and previously unreleased material, several of which were released on cassette. The Blossoming Noise label reissued the 1980s cassettes E-Study, Collection 004, Collection 005, Normal Music, and Flesh Metal Orgasm. The Kibbutz cassette was reissued on vinyl by Urashima. Other cassettes of unreleased material include Untitled Nov 1989, 9888A, April 1992, and Variations for Electric Fan. 2010–2013 saw the release several archival box sets; Merzbient, Merzphysics, Merzmorphosis, Lowest Music & Arts 1980–1983, and Duo. Akita began collaborating with the Hungarian drummer Balázs Pándi in 2009, initially Pándi served as a live drummer for Merzbow. This resulted in the live albums Live at Fluc Wanne, Vienna 2010/05/18, Ducks: Live in NYC, and Katowice. Akita and Pándi then began to record studio albums collaborating with additional musicians, Cuts (2013) with the Swedish saxophone player Mats Gustafsson, Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper (2015) with Gustafsson and Thurston Moore, and An Untroublesome Defencelessness with Keiji Haino (2016), all released by RareNoiseRecords. Akita, Pándi, and Gustafsson also toured together and released the live LP Live in Tabačka 13/04/12. Merzbow also released several collaborations with industrial/noise musicians he had known since the 1980s: Spiral Right / Spiral Left with Z'EV, The Black Album with John Duncan, and a trio of releases with Maurizio Bianchi, Amniocentesi / Envoise 30 05 82 (a split with two tracks from 1982), Merzbow Meets M.B., and Amalgamelody. Gensho, the seventh collaborative releases with Boris, was released in 2016. It is a double album, one disc is by Boris and one by Merzbow, that are meant to be played at the same time. In April 2018, the Japanese label Slowdown Records began releasing a series of sixty archival recordings spanning Merzbow's career on a semimonthly basis, starting with Hyper Music 1 Vol. 1 and 23 November 1979 (B). These recordings were collected in a box set named 10×6=60 in 2021. Slowdown has also released several new recordings in addition to the archival releases, and has continued releasing other archival recordings on a monthly basis alongside those featured in 10×6=60. Musical style Merzbow's sounds employ the use of distortion, feedback, and noises from synthesizers, machinery, and home-made noisemakers. While much of Merzbow's output is intensely harsh in character, Akita does occasionally make forays into ambient music. Vocals are employed sometimes, but never in a lyrical sense. Contrary to most harsh noise music, Akita also occasionally uses elements of melody and rhythm. Akita's early work consisted of industrial noise music made from tape loops and conventional instruments. Similar to his present albums, he produced lengthy, disorienting pieces. He also became famous for the sheer volume of his releases. The avant-garde nature of Akita's work made acceptance by mainstream and unprepared audiences difficult. When he performed with Kiyoshi Mizutani in 1988 at the Jazz-on-Amur festival in Khabarovsk in the Far East of the USSR, his improvised, experimental electroacoustic set was praised by fellow musicians as well as the festival's producer. The number of the - jazz-oriented (and - even just curious) - crowd, however, had been expecting a more traditional (and much-much more quiet) performance, and started walking out. Prior to his second performance at the festival — which was to be made to an even more conservative audience— Akita was asked to play "more musically." On that first stage, Merzbow used the finest example of "classical analogue live noisemaking technologies" to display: untuned guitar, a drumset, various micro-objects, small springs centered in its shell baffles, large aluminium boxes with strings inside to be attacked with a fiddlestick, etc. along with multi- piezo-pickuping and close-miking techniques, live processing through vintage US fuzz, ring modulator etc. boxes, and quite vivid and spontaneous approach, backed by domestically supplied slide and light shows. These live recordings were post-processed/re-mixed and released as Live in Khabarovsk, CCCP (I'm Proud by Rank of the Workers) LP – and as the (once more re-mixed comparing to the LP) CD 26 of the Merzbox later on. During the 1990s Akita's work became much harsher and was generally mastered at a louder volume than usual. These were heavily influenced by death metal and grindcore bands of the time (a prime example is the Venereology album). The mid-1990s saw Akita being heavily influenced by psychedelic bands and this was reflected in various albums. Side projects In addition to Merzbow, Masami Akita has been involved in a number of side projects and groups. Aliases Abtechtonics (or variations of this) was used by Akita for his artwork on Merzbow releases and his books. House Hunt Hussies is credited for a track on the Sexorama 1 compilation. ZSF Produkt is listed as the contact address. Lotus Club was used for the tape Le Sang et la Rose in 1983 because of the difference in musical style. Pornoise was a mail art project Akita had in the 1980s where he made collages using discarded magazines – in particular pornographic magazines – taken from the trash. These were then sent along with his cassettes, the idea being that his art was like cheap mail order pornography. Pornoise/1kg was released as part of these activities. Pornoise was credit as the artist for a track on the Sexorama 2 compilation and co-credited for artwork on Scissors for Cutting Merzbow. Right Brain Audile is co-credited on the two Music for Bondage Performance albums, as they're soundtracks he did for several S&M and faux-Seppuku films produced by Kinbiken/Right Brain. The abbreviation RBA appears in track titles on Merzbient, which features recordings from this era. SCUM was a project where Akita made new releases out of previous Merzbow sessions using cut-ups, effects, and mixing. SCUM is an acronym, standing for something different on each release, including "Society for Cutting Up Merzbow" (a reference to the SCUM Manifesto), "Scissors for CUtting Merzbow", "Steel CUM", etc. Zecken was used for two solo synthesizer performances in 1996. Groups Bustmonster was a "conceptual death metal" group (because they couldn't play death metal) with Tetsuo Sakaibara, Fumio Kosakai, Masahiko Ohno, Shohei Iwasaki, Maso Yamazaki and Zev Asher. Flying Testicle was a trio with Yamazaki and Asher. Merzbow Null was a collaboration between the groups of Merzbow and Null. In addition to Masami Akita and Kazuyuki Kishino, it featured several other members of both groups such as Reiko Azuma, Asami Hayashi, Kiyoshi Mizutani, Yushi Okano, Ikuo Taketani, etc. They did many improv performances during 1983–84 and released over a dozen cassettes. Tibeta Ubik was a duo of Akita and Kishino active at the same time as Merzbow Null. True Romance was a performance art project in the early 1990s with Tetsuo Sakaibara (who became a live member of Merzbow) and Toshiyuki Seido. The performances included fetish equipment, simulated gore (including autopsy), mechanical devices, nude models, etc. It was inspired by Viennese Actionism. Masami Akita was a performer in addition to composing the backing music. Other groups include: 3RENSA with Duenn and Koji Nakamura, Abe Sada with S.M.U.T., Commando Bruno Sanmartino with Fumio Kosakai and Masaya Nakahara, Kikuri with Keiji Haino, Maldoror with Mike Patton, MAZK with Zbigniew Karkowski, Melting Lips with Hanayo, Muscats with Hanayo and Masaya Nakahara, Metalik Zeit with Aube, Merz-Banana with Melt-Banana, Satanstornade with Russell Haswell (they later released an album entitled Satanstornade under their real names), Secrets with Tetsuya Mugishima (aka Seven), and Shalon Kelly King with Fumio Kosakai. Discography Bibliography After completing his degree, Akita became a freelance writer and editor for various magazines in Japan. He frequently wrote on a variety of topics such as sexuality (including pornography, S&M, and Japanese bondage), underground and extreme culture (including music and art), architecture, and animal rights. None have been published in English. Note: English title refers to English writing on the cover, sometimes it's a translation of the Japanese title, or a completely different phrase. References Further reading External links Japanese electronic music groups Japanese experimental musical groups Japanese noise rock groups Japanese industrial music groups Musical groups established in 1979 Musical groups from Tokyo Noise musical groups Alien8 Recordings artists Drag City (record label) artists Important Records artists Relapse Records artists Tzadik Records artists Third Mind Records artists Cuneiform Records artists RareNoiseRecords artists Smalltown Supersound artists Soleilmoon artists
false
[ "Full of Hell & Merzbow is a collaborative studio album between the American grindcore band Full of Hell and the Japanese noise artist Merzbow. The album was released on November 24, 2014 through Profound Lore Records. The CD version of the album was also packaged with a five-song, 35-minute bonus disc titled Sister Fawn that was described as an \"extension\" of Full of Hell & Merzbow; it was later released in a digital format as well.\n\nThe album received mixed reviews from music critics, with many praising the collaboration between the two artists, however some noted that Merzbow's part in the album was minimal, and only apparent and successful on the album's two longer tracks toward the end: \"High Fells\" and \"Ljudet Av Gud\".\n\nBackground and recording\n\nAt a live performance in New York headlined by Phobia, the members of Full of Hell, who were opening at the show, ran into Merzbow's live drummer Balázs Pándi, who was there to see Phobia. After the show, the band kept in contact with Pándi, who would send them albums he thought they should listen to; the relationship evolved into Pándi becoming their indirect contact with Merzbow frontman Akita Masami, which continued throughout the creation of Full of Hell & Merzbow. Full of Hell vocalist Dylan Walker said, \"The communication was definitely minimal with Masami. I don't think he speaks a lot of English, so I think Balázs [Pándi] has been really helpful for him.\" Full of Hell asked Pándi if they could have permission from Masami to release a shirt paying tribute to the cover art of Merzbow's 1996 album Pulse Demon. In Masami's response, he proposed the idea of doing a split album, but later changed his mind and decided he wanted to do a collaboration album instead.\n\nMerzbow sent the members of Full of Hell approximately 45 minutes of material for them to do with what they saw fit, and had very little contact with Masami during the writing and recording process. Knowing that some fans and critics wouldn't like the finished product, Full of Hell focused their attention on making an album Masami and Balázs would be proud of, and ultimately spent over a year working with the material. Walker said he specifically was inspired how Jamie Saft used Merzbow's source material on his 2006 album Merzdub. On Saft's album, Walker said: \"it was so soothing, and it was so cool that he'd be able to warp Merzbow into this new sonic territory; it was a dub album, but like a dub album in space. We hoped that we could achieve something similar by warping Merzbow into our kind of sound. And Masami was really happy with how it turned out so, y'know, naysayers be damned!\"\n\nBecause of the varying frequencies present in the source material that Masami sent Full of Hell, the band decided to \"map out\" how they wanted to use it all. Ultimately, they decided to make two separate releases that put different levels of focus on either of the two contributors to the project. For the first disc, Full of Hell & Merzbow, weighted the focus as: \"70% Full of Hell, and 30% Merzbow record, so much like a regular Full of Hell record with noise.\" Originally only available with the CD release of the album, the band included a \"second CD hidden within the layout\" of the album's packaging titled Sister Fawn, which flipped the approximate weighted ratios, and as a result saw: \"70% Merzbow and 30% Full of Hell. We did a lot writing in the studio for the second CD, it has kind of a Tribes of Neurot feel for the second CD.\"\n\nIn addition to collaborating with Merzbow, Full of Hell & Merzbow also features Kevin Morris on horns, and contains excerpts from William Rounseville Alger's novel The Solitudes of Nature and of Man: Or, The Loneliness of Human Life on the tracks \"Raise Thee, Great Wall, Bloodied and Terrible\" and \"Ljudet Av Gud.\"\n\nReception\n\nFull of Hell & Merzbow was met with mixed reviews from music critics. Writing for Exclaim!, critic Michael Rancic praised the album and scored it with an eight-out-of-ten rating. On the collaboration between the two artists, Rancic said: \"The end result finds Full of Hell's explosive, breakneck powerviolence stitched together by Masami's squalls of squelches. Though Masami's contributions sound more like black holes than any kind of connective tissue, they're the dark matter that connects each song.\" However, critics Joseph Rowan of Drowned in Sound and Andy O'Connor of Pitchfork were less impressed with the album and gave it a five and five-and-a-half (both out of ten) respectively, citing too little of Merzbow's sound an influence as a major factor. Rowan said Merzbow, \"seems barely present on the heavy tracks and only on two-and-a-half songs could I definitely point to what I presumed was his involvement,\" and O'Connor described the collaboration as \"frustrating because it falls short of its goals, in part due to Merzbow's too-reduced role and that Full of Hell don't make up for the missing space.\"\n\nWhile most reviewers were dissatisfied with the lack of Masami's influence on Full of Hell & Merzbow, most critics did praise the album's longer tracks toward the end of the album (\"High Fells\" and \"Ljudet Av Gud\") that more noticeably featured Masami's signature noise. Rancic described these tracks as being \"more abstract territory\" and that ultimately \"it's a good look for the band, one that hopefully becomes an approach they deploy again on future records.\" Rowan compared \"High Fells\" to Sunn O)))'s song \"Alice\" from their 2009 album Monoliths & Dimensions, describing it as \"the best thing on the album,\" and also praised the following track \"Ljudet Av Gud\" as being: \"much more like what I was expecting from the album.\" O'Connor noted praised the doomy \"High Fells\" for \"giving Merzbow more room to cast a wide shadow\" and Full of Hell's restraint on \"Ljudet Av Gud\" for its \"booming floor toms and drifting noise undercurrents.\" O'Connor also praised Full of Hell & Merzbow's bonus CD Sister Fawn, describing it as a \"much more satisfying listen than the actual record.\"\n\nTrack listings\n\nFull of Hell & Merzbow\n\nSister Fawn\n\nPersonnel\nPersonnel adapted from CD liner notes.\n\nFull of Hell\n David Bland – drums\n Brandon Brown – bass, vocals\n Spencer Hazard – guitar, vocals, percussion, electronics\n Dylan Walker – vocals, electronics, percussion\n\nAdditional musicians\n Masami Akita (Merzbow) – electronics\n Kevin Morris – horns\n\nRecording and artwork\n Kevin Bernsten – recording at Developing Nations\n Brad Boatright – mastering at Audio Siege\n Mark McCoy – artwork, layout\n\nSister Fawn personnel\n Masami Akita (Merzbow) – electronics, vocals, percussion, recording\n Spencer Hazard – electronics, vocals, percussion, recording\n Dylan Walker – electronics, vocals, percussion, recording\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n Full of Hell & Merzbow on Bandcamp\n Sister Fawn on Bandcamp\n Mark McCoy — official website of the album's cover artist\n\n2014 albums\nMerzbow albums\nProfound Lore Records albums\nFull of Hell (band) albums\nCollaborative albums", "2R0I2P0 is the eighth collaborative release by the Japanese experimental band Boris and noise musician Merzbow. It features several rerecorded tracks that first appeared on Boris' album Love & Evol, and a cover of the Melvins song \"Boris\", which the band is named after. It was released in December 2020.\n\nA video was released for the track \"Away from You\" on October 19, 2020.\n\nBackground\nThe title stands for \"2020 rest in peace\", with Boris noting that \"This year was a period of trial for everyone in the world\". At the time of 2R0I2P0'''s release, the last time Boris performed before an audience was with Merzbow in Melbourne, Australia on February 29, 2020. The recording was finished in mid-March and submitted to the label in May. The album was completed before No''.\n\nTrack listing\n\nPersonnel\nAll personnel credits adapted from the album notes.\n\nBoris\nTakeshi – vocals, guitar, bass\nWata – vocals, guitar, echo\nAtsuo – vocals, percussion, electronics\n\nMerzbow\nMasami Akita – computer, percussion, noise electronics\n\nTechnical personnel\nAmak Golden – Boris tracks recording\nFangsanalsatan – Boris tracks recording, total mix, design\nSoichiro Nakamura – basic mix, mastering\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n2R0I2P0 at Bandcamp\n\"Away From You\" (Official Music Video) at YouTube\n\"Boris\" (Official Music Video) at YouTube\n\n2020 albums\nCollaborative albums\nBoris (band) albums\nMerzbow albums" ]
[ "Merzbow", "Current era (2009-present)", "Can you name an album that Merzbow released in that period from 2009 to present ?", "Gensho, the seventh collaborative releases with Boris, was released in 2016.", "How was the album Gensho received by critics ?", "It is a double album, one disc is by Boris and one by Merzbow, that are meant to be played at the same time.", "How did the double albums do in the charts ?", "I don't know.", "did he collaborate with anyone else during that period ?", "Merzbow also released several collaborations with industrial/noise musicians he had know since the 1980s: Spiral Right / Spiral Left with Z'EV,", "What happened for Merzbow in the year 2009 ?", "Akita began collaborating with the Hungarian drummer Balazs Pandi in 2009," ]
C_ffb21108fa964974a7ae682b5fb48369_1
Did they release any albums together ?
6
Did Merzbow release any albums together ?
Merzbow
During the European tour in September-October 1989, Merzbow could only bring simple and portable gear; this led to the harsh noise style Merzbow became known for in the 1990s. Cloud Cock OO Grand (1990) was the first example of this new style, Merzbow's first digital recording (on DAT), and the first recording made for the CD format. It also includes live material recorded during the tour. But when I started live in late 1980s I didn't like to use tape on stage. I like only live electronics. So, my studio works changed to more live composition style. I'm still using many tapes in studio works, but difference is I treat tapes and instruments. Before, I used tapes as overdubbing concept. But now tapes are crashing together, no static overdub. I found that style on Cloud Cock OO Grand. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Merzbow began to be influenced by death metal and grindcore. Recordings from this time are mostly recorded at extreme volume, some mastered at levels far beyond standard (Noisembryo, Pulse Demon). In 1994, Akita acquired a vintage EMS synthesizer. From 1996, plans were made to release a "10 (or maybe 12)" CD box set on Extreme Records. In 2000, Extreme Records released the Merzbox, a fifty CD set of Merzbow records, twenty of them not previously released. Throughout most of the 1990s, Merzbow live was a trio with Reiko A. on electronics and Bara on voice and dance. Masami Akita occasionally played drums for Hijokaidan during the early-mid 1990s. In the early 1990s, Masami Akita composed the soundtracks to numerous kinbaku videos by Fuji Planning (Bu Er Qi Hua , Fuji Kikaku) and seppuku-themed videos by their sub-label Right Brain. Akita also directed Lost Paradise (Shi Le Yuan Cheng Ma Fu Nu Fu Qie ri, Shitsurakuen: Jobafuku onna harakiri) for Right Brain. Some of this music was included on Music for Bondage Performance and Music for Bondage Performance 2, co-credited to Right Brain Audile. Director Ian Kerkhof would use a Merzbow track for his 1992 film La sequence des barres paralleles, and Akita composed original music for Kerhof's 1994 film The Dead Man 2: Return of the Dead Man. Kerkhof made the documentary Beyond Ultra Violence: Uneasy Listening by Merzbow in 1998. Akita also created music for Ilppo Pohjola's Asphalto (1998) and Routemaster (2000). Since 1999, Akita has used computers in his recordings, having first acquired a Macintosh to work on art for the Merzbox. Also at this time he began referring to his home studio as "Bedroom, Tokyo". At live performances, Akita has produced noise music from either two laptop computers or combination of a laptop and analog synthesizers/guitar pedals. Reiko A. and Bara left Merzbow during this time, Reiko Azuma now has a solo career. Since 2001, Jenny Akita (nee Kawabata) started being credited for artwork on various releases. Since 2001, Akita started utilising samples of animal sounds in various releases starting with Frog. Around 2002, Akita became a vegan, he stated how it began: I started raising four bantams, the little ornamental chickens. With this experience as a start, I gradually started to be concerned and care about chickens and all the barn animals I used to eat without giving it a second thought before. So I started reading books and researching on the internet about Animal Rights and that triggered an awareness of "evil" that human society has done. During this period, Akita also became a supporter of PETA which is reflected in his animal-themed releases. An example of this is Minazo Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, dedicated to an elephant seal he visited often at the zoo and Bloody Sea, a protest against Japanese whaling. He has also produced several works centered around recordings of his pet chickens (notably Animal Magnetism and Turmeric). Also in 2002, Akita released Merzbeat, which was seen as a significant departure from his trademark abstract style in that it contains beat-oriented pieces. This has sparked some controversy among fans, though some reviewers pointed out that it sounded very similar to Aqua Necromancer (1998) which features samples of progressive rock drumming. Merzbird (2004) and Merzbuddha (2005) followed in a similar vein with sampled beats combined with Merzbow's signature harsh noise. Starting in the mid-2000s, Masami Akita began to reintroduce junk metal and effects pedals back into his setup. By the early-2010s, he was using a large number of pedals, oscillators and tone generators, and reduced to a single laptop running granular synthesis software. In 2014, he toured without a laptop. In 2008, Akita reintroduced the drum kit, his first instrument. This can be heard on the 13 Japanese Birds series. At this time he changed the name of his home studio to Munemihouse. Beginning in November 2009, Merzbow started releasing archival material from the 1980s and 1990s, both reissues and previously unreleased material, several of which were released on cassette. The Blossoming Noise label reissued the 1980s cassettes E-Study, Collection 004, Collection 005, Normal Music, and Flesh Metal Orgasm. The Kibbutz cassette was reissued on vinyl by Urashima. Other cassettes of unreleased material include Untitled Nov 1989, 9888A, April 1992, and Variations for Electric Fan. 2010-2013 saw the release several archival box sets; Merzbient, Merzphysics, Merzmorphosis, Lowest Music & Arts 1980-1983, and Duo. Akita began collaborating with the Hungarian drummer Balazs Pandi in 2009, initially Pandi served as a live drummer for Merzbow. This resulted in the live albums Live at Fluc Wanne, Vienna 2010/05/18, Ducks: Live in NYC, and Katowice. Akita and Pandi then began to record studio albums collaborating with additional musicians, Cuts (2013) with the Swedish saxophone player Mats Gustafsson, Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper (2015) with Gustafsson and Thurston Moore, and An Untroublesome Defencelessness with Keiji Haino (2016), all released by RareNoiseRecords. Akita, Pandi, and Gustafsson also toured together and released the live LP Live in Tabacka 13/04/12. Merzbow also released several collaborations with industrial/noise musicians he had know since the 1980s: Spiral Right / Spiral Left with Z'EV, The Black Album with John Duncan, and a trio of releases with Maurizio Bianchi, Amniocentesi / Envoise 30 05 82 (a split with two tracks from 1982), Merzbow Meets M.B., and Amalgamelody. Gensho, the seventh collaborative releases with Boris, was released in 2016. It is a double album, one disc is by Boris and one by Merzbow, that are meant to be played at the same time. CANNOTANSWER
The Black Album with John Duncan, and a trio of releases with Maurizio Bianchi, Amniocentesi / Envoise 30 05 82 (
is a Japanese noise project started in 1979 by , best known for a style of harsh, confrontational noise. Since 1980, Akita has released over 400 recordings and has collaborated with various artists. The name Merzbow comes from the German dada artist Kurt Schwitters' artwork Merzbau, in which Schwitters transformed the interior of his house using found objects. The name was chosen to reflect Akita's dada influence and junk art aesthetic. In addition to this, Akita has cited a wide range of musical influences from progressive rock, heavy metal, free jazz, and early electronic music to non-musical influences like dadaism, surrealism and fetish culture. Since the early 2000s, he has been inspired by animal rights and environmentalism, and began to follow a vegan, straight edge lifestyle. In addition to being a prolific musician, he has been a writer and editor for several books and magazines in Japan, and has written several books of his own. He has written about a variety of subjects, mostly about music, modern art, and underground culture. His more renowned works were on the topics of BDSM and Japanese bondage. Other art forms Akita has been interested in include painting, photography, filmmaking, and Butoh dance. In 2000, Extreme Records released the 50 CD box set Merzbox. Akita's work has been the subject of several remix albums and at least one tribute album. This, among other achievements, has helped Merzbow to be regarded by some as the "most important artist in noise". Life and career Early life Masami Akita was born in Tokyo, Japan on December 19, 1956. He listened to psychedelic music, progressive rock and later free jazz in his youth, all of which have influenced his noise. In high school, he became the drummer of various high school bands, which he left due to the other members being "grass-smoking Zappa freaks". By this time, he and high school friend Kiyoshi Mizutani had started playing improvised studio sessions that he described as "long jam sessions along the lines of Ash Ra Tempel or Can but we didn't have any psychedelic taste". He later attended Tamagawa University to study fine art, at which he majored in painting and art theory. While at university, he became interested in the ideas of dada and surrealism and also studied Butoh dance. At Tamagawa, he learned of Kurt Schwitters' Merz, or art made from rubbish, including Schwitters' Merzbau (meaning Merz building, ), which is the source of the name Merzbow. Beginning (1979–1989) Merzbow began as the duo of Masami Akita and Kiyoshi Mizutani, who met Akita in high school. Akita started releasing noise recordings on cassettes through his own record label, Lowest Music & Arts, which was founded in order to trade cassette tapes with other underground artists. The earliest recording he made was Metal Acoustic Music. Various other early releases included Remblandt Assemblage and Solonoise 1. The Collection series consisted of ten cassettes, the first five were recorded in a studio for an independent label called Ylem, which went defunct before they could be released. So, Akita released them himself, and recorded five more at home. Akita's earliest music was made with tape loops and creatively recorded percussion and metal. Early methods included what he referred to as "material action", in which he would closely amplify small sounds so as to distort them through the microphone. This method was used on Material Action for 2 Microphones and Material Action 2 N.A.M.. Among early releases like the box set Pornoise/1kg, Merzbow created artwork using photocopies of collages made out of manga and porn magazines he found in trash cans in the Tokyo subway. Akita explained this as trying to "create the same feeling as the secret porn customer for the people buying my cassettes in the early 80s". ZSF Produkt (pronounced Zusufu, from an ancient Japanese word meaning "magnetic") was founded in 1984 to release music by similar artists within the industrial movement but eventually became the successor to Lowest Music & Arts. Numerous Merzbow releases were recorded at ZSF Produkt Studio, Masami Akita's home studio. During this era, Merzbow found much wider recognition and began making recordings for various international labels. Batztoutai with Memorial Gadgets was his first LP released outside of Japan. He also started touring abroad with the help of various collaborators. First, Merzbow performed in the USSR in 1988, then, toured the US in 1990, Korea in 1991, and Europe in 1989 and 1992. Kiyoshi Mizutani left Merzbow after the 1989 European tour and continues to pursue a solo career. Noise electronics era (1989–1999) During a European tour in September–October 1989, Merzbow could only bring simple and portable gear; this led to the harsh noise style Merzbow became known for in the 1990s. Cloud Cock OO Grand (1990) was the first example of this new style, Merzbow's first digital recording (on DAT), and the first recording made for the CD format. It also includes live material recorded during the tour. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Merzbow began to be influenced by death metal and grindcore. Recordings from this time are mostly recorded at extreme volume, some mastered at levels far beyond standard (Noisembryo, Pulse Demon). In 1994, Akita acquired a vintage EMS synthesizer. From 1996, plans were made to release a "10 (or maybe 12)" CD box set on Extreme Records. In 2000, Extreme Records released the Merzbox, a fifty CD set of Merzbow records, twenty of them not previously released. Throughout most of the 1990s, Merzbow live was a trio with Reiko A. on electronics and Tetsuo Sakaibara (aka Bara) on voice and dance. Masami Akita occasionally played drums for Hijokaidan during the early–mid 1990s. In the early 1990s, Masami Akita composed the soundtracks to numerous kinbaku videos by and seppuku-themed videos by their sub-label Right Brain. Akita also directed for Right Brain. Some of this music was included on Music for Bondage Performance and Music for Bondage Performance 2, co-credited to Right Brain Audile. Director Ian Kerkhof would use a Merzbow track for his 1992 film La séquence des barres parallèles, and Akita composed original music for Kerhof's 1994 film The Dead Man 2: Return of the Dead Man. Kerkhof made the documentary Beyond Ultra Violence: Uneasy Listening by Merzbow in 1998. Akita also created music for Ilppo Pohjola's Asphalto (1998) and Routemaster (2000). Laptop era (1999–2009) Since 1999, Akita has used computers in his recordings, having first acquired a Macintosh to work on art for the Merzbox. Also at this time he began referring to his home studio as "Bedroom, Tokyo". At live performances, Akita has produced noise music from either two laptop computers or combination of a laptop and analog synthesizers/guitar pedals. Reiko A. and Bara left Merzbow during this time; Reiko Azuma now has a solo career. Since 2001, Jenny Akita (née Kawabata) started being credited for artwork on various releases. Since 2001, Akita started utilising samples of animal sounds in various releases starting with Frog. Around 2002, Akita became a vegan. He later stated: During this period, Akita also became a supporter of PETA, which is reflected in his animal-themed releases. An example of this is Minazo Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, dedicated to an elephant seal he visited often at the zoo and Bloody Sea, a protest against Japanese whaling. He has also produced several works centered around recordings of his pet chickens (notably Animal Magnetism and Turmeric). Also in 2002, Akita released Merzbeat, which was seen as a significant departure from his trademark abstract style in that it contains beat-oriented pieces. This has sparked some controversy among fans, though some reviewers pointed out that it sounded very similar to Aqua Necromancer (1998), which features samples of progressive rock drumming. Merzbird (2004) and Merzbuddha (2005) followed in a similar vein with sampled beats combined with Merzbow's signature harsh noise. Current era (2009–present) Starting in the mid-2000s, Masami Akita began to reintroduce junk metal and effects pedals back into his setup. In 2008, Akita reintroduced the drum kit, his first instrument. This can be heard on the 13 Japanese Birds series. At this time he changed the name of his home studio to Munemihouse. By the early 2010s, he was using a large number of pedals, oscillators and tone generators, and reduced to a single laptop running granular synthesis software. In 2014, he toured without a laptop. Beginning in November 2009, Merzbow started releasing archival material from the 1980s and 1990s, both reissues and previously unreleased material, several of which were released on cassette. The Blossoming Noise label reissued the 1980s cassettes E-Study, Collection 004, Collection 005, Normal Music, and Flesh Metal Orgasm. The Kibbutz cassette was reissued on vinyl by Urashima. Other cassettes of unreleased material include Untitled Nov 1989, 9888A, April 1992, and Variations for Electric Fan. 2010–2013 saw the release several archival box sets; Merzbient, Merzphysics, Merzmorphosis, Lowest Music & Arts 1980–1983, and Duo. Akita began collaborating with the Hungarian drummer Balázs Pándi in 2009, initially Pándi served as a live drummer for Merzbow. This resulted in the live albums Live at Fluc Wanne, Vienna 2010/05/18, Ducks: Live in NYC, and Katowice. Akita and Pándi then began to record studio albums collaborating with additional musicians, Cuts (2013) with the Swedish saxophone player Mats Gustafsson, Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper (2015) with Gustafsson and Thurston Moore, and An Untroublesome Defencelessness with Keiji Haino (2016), all released by RareNoiseRecords. Akita, Pándi, and Gustafsson also toured together and released the live LP Live in Tabačka 13/04/12. Merzbow also released several collaborations with industrial/noise musicians he had known since the 1980s: Spiral Right / Spiral Left with Z'EV, The Black Album with John Duncan, and a trio of releases with Maurizio Bianchi, Amniocentesi / Envoise 30 05 82 (a split with two tracks from 1982), Merzbow Meets M.B., and Amalgamelody. Gensho, the seventh collaborative releases with Boris, was released in 2016. It is a double album, one disc is by Boris and one by Merzbow, that are meant to be played at the same time. In April 2018, the Japanese label Slowdown Records began releasing a series of sixty archival recordings spanning Merzbow's career on a semimonthly basis, starting with Hyper Music 1 Vol. 1 and 23 November 1979 (B). These recordings were collected in a box set named 10×6=60 in 2021. Slowdown has also released several new recordings in addition to the archival releases, and has continued releasing other archival recordings on a monthly basis alongside those featured in 10×6=60. Musical style Merzbow's sounds employ the use of distortion, feedback, and noises from synthesizers, machinery, and home-made noisemakers. While much of Merzbow's output is intensely harsh in character, Akita does occasionally make forays into ambient music. Vocals are employed sometimes, but never in a lyrical sense. Contrary to most harsh noise music, Akita also occasionally uses elements of melody and rhythm. Akita's early work consisted of industrial noise music made from tape loops and conventional instruments. Similar to his present albums, he produced lengthy, disorienting pieces. He also became famous for the sheer volume of his releases. The avant-garde nature of Akita's work made acceptance by mainstream and unprepared audiences difficult. When he performed with Kiyoshi Mizutani in 1988 at the Jazz-on-Amur festival in Khabarovsk in the Far East of the USSR, his improvised, experimental electroacoustic set was praised by fellow musicians as well as the festival's producer. The number of the - jazz-oriented (and - even just curious) - crowd, however, had been expecting a more traditional (and much-much more quiet) performance, and started walking out. Prior to his second performance at the festival — which was to be made to an even more conservative audience— Akita was asked to play "more musically." On that first stage, Merzbow used the finest example of "classical analogue live noisemaking technologies" to display: untuned guitar, a drumset, various micro-objects, small springs centered in its shell baffles, large aluminium boxes with strings inside to be attacked with a fiddlestick, etc. along with multi- piezo-pickuping and close-miking techniques, live processing through vintage US fuzz, ring modulator etc. boxes, and quite vivid and spontaneous approach, backed by domestically supplied slide and light shows. These live recordings were post-processed/re-mixed and released as Live in Khabarovsk, CCCP (I'm Proud by Rank of the Workers) LP – and as the (once more re-mixed comparing to the LP) CD 26 of the Merzbox later on. During the 1990s Akita's work became much harsher and was generally mastered at a louder volume than usual. These were heavily influenced by death metal and grindcore bands of the time (a prime example is the Venereology album). The mid-1990s saw Akita being heavily influenced by psychedelic bands and this was reflected in various albums. Side projects In addition to Merzbow, Masami Akita has been involved in a number of side projects and groups. Aliases Abtechtonics (or variations of this) was used by Akita for his artwork on Merzbow releases and his books. House Hunt Hussies is credited for a track on the Sexorama 1 compilation. ZSF Produkt is listed as the contact address. Lotus Club was used for the tape Le Sang et la Rose in 1983 because of the difference in musical style. Pornoise was a mail art project Akita had in the 1980s where he made collages using discarded magazines – in particular pornographic magazines – taken from the trash. These were then sent along with his cassettes, the idea being that his art was like cheap mail order pornography. Pornoise/1kg was released as part of these activities. Pornoise was credit as the artist for a track on the Sexorama 2 compilation and co-credited for artwork on Scissors for Cutting Merzbow. Right Brain Audile is co-credited on the two Music for Bondage Performance albums, as they're soundtracks he did for several S&M and faux-Seppuku films produced by Kinbiken/Right Brain. The abbreviation RBA appears in track titles on Merzbient, which features recordings from this era. SCUM was a project where Akita made new releases out of previous Merzbow sessions using cut-ups, effects, and mixing. SCUM is an acronym, standing for something different on each release, including "Society for Cutting Up Merzbow" (a reference to the SCUM Manifesto), "Scissors for CUtting Merzbow", "Steel CUM", etc. Zecken was used for two solo synthesizer performances in 1996. Groups Bustmonster was a "conceptual death metal" group (because they couldn't play death metal) with Tetsuo Sakaibara, Fumio Kosakai, Masahiko Ohno, Shohei Iwasaki, Maso Yamazaki and Zev Asher. Flying Testicle was a trio with Yamazaki and Asher. Merzbow Null was a collaboration between the groups of Merzbow and Null. In addition to Masami Akita and Kazuyuki Kishino, it featured several other members of both groups such as Reiko Azuma, Asami Hayashi, Kiyoshi Mizutani, Yushi Okano, Ikuo Taketani, etc. They did many improv performances during 1983–84 and released over a dozen cassettes. Tibeta Ubik was a duo of Akita and Kishino active at the same time as Merzbow Null. True Romance was a performance art project in the early 1990s with Tetsuo Sakaibara (who became a live member of Merzbow) and Toshiyuki Seido. The performances included fetish equipment, simulated gore (including autopsy), mechanical devices, nude models, etc. It was inspired by Viennese Actionism. Masami Akita was a performer in addition to composing the backing music. Other groups include: 3RENSA with Duenn and Koji Nakamura, Abe Sada with S.M.U.T., Commando Bruno Sanmartino with Fumio Kosakai and Masaya Nakahara, Kikuri with Keiji Haino, Maldoror with Mike Patton, MAZK with Zbigniew Karkowski, Melting Lips with Hanayo, Muscats with Hanayo and Masaya Nakahara, Metalik Zeit with Aube, Merz-Banana with Melt-Banana, Satanstornade with Russell Haswell (they later released an album entitled Satanstornade under their real names), Secrets with Tetsuya Mugishima (aka Seven), and Shalon Kelly King with Fumio Kosakai. Discography Bibliography After completing his degree, Akita became a freelance writer and editor for various magazines in Japan. He frequently wrote on a variety of topics such as sexuality (including pornography, S&M, and Japanese bondage), underground and extreme culture (including music and art), architecture, and animal rights. None have been published in English. Note: English title refers to English writing on the cover, sometimes it's a translation of the Japanese title, or a completely different phrase. References Further reading External links Japanese electronic music groups Japanese experimental musical groups Japanese noise rock groups Japanese industrial music groups Musical groups established in 1979 Musical groups from Tokyo Noise musical groups Alien8 Recordings artists Drag City (record label) artists Important Records artists Relapse Records artists Tzadik Records artists Third Mind Records artists Cuneiform Records artists RareNoiseRecords artists Smalltown Supersound artists Soleilmoon artists
true
[ "LaShell Renee Griffin (born January 14, 1968 as LaShell Renee Thomas) is an American gospel musician. Her first album, Free, was released by Epic Records in 2004. This was a Billboard magazine breakthrough release upon four charts, The Billboard 200, Gospel Albums, R&B Albums, and Heatseekers Albums. She released two more subsequent albums, but they have not placed on any charts.\n\nEarly life\nGriffin was born on January 14, 1968, as LaShell Renee Thomas, to mother Geraldine, whose maiden name was Mundy, and she won Oprah Winfrey's singing competition, Pop Star Challenge. This got her a record deal with Epic Records.\n\nMusic career\nHer music recording career commenced in 2004, with the album, Free, and it was released by Epic Records on May 25, 2004. The album was her breakthrough release upon four Billboard magazine charts, and it placed on The Billboard 200 at No. 166, Gospel Albums at No. 2, R&B Albums at No. 43, and Heatseekers Albums at No. 5. While she has released two more albums, they have failed to gain any commercial traction or achieve any national exposure.\n\nPersonal life\nGriffin and her now deceased former husband, LeVoties Griffin, has five children together, and she still resides with them in Detroit, Michigan.\n\nDiscography\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n Cross Rhythms artist profile\n\n1968 births\nLiving people\nAfrican-American songwriters\nAfrican-American Christians\nMusicians from Detroit\nSongwriters from Michigan\nEpic Records artists\n21st-century African-American people\n20th-century African-American people", "Cake and Pie is an album by Lisa Loeb. It was released in 2002 through A&M Records.\n\nPromotion\nThe first single \"The Way It Really Is\" was a moderate hit among college radio. \"We Could Still Belong Together\" was also included on the soundtrack to Legally Blonde. The album's single \"Someone You Should Know\" was released in November 2001, and the song became a hit in Japan. In the US, it received moderate airplay on Triple A, Adult Top 40 and Pop radio formats, though never officially charted.\n\nThe music video for \"Someone You Should Know\" was played heavily on VH1 upon its release in early 2002. \"Underdog\" peaked at #39 on Billboards Adult Top 40 chart in the fall of 2002.\n\nRelease and reception\nThe album was released on A&M, at that time the sister label of Geffen Records, which had released Loeb's previous two records (Tails and Firecracker). Loeb was moved to A&M after Geffen became part of Universal Music Group in 1999. The singer began working on Cake and Pie in 1999. It was originally scheduled to debut in 2000, but the album wasn't released until 2002.\n\nCake and Pie did not receive any major backing or promotion from Loeb's record label which led to the album's commercial failure. A&M and Loeb clashed over the music video concept for \"Underdog\", so the record label did not fund the shooting of the video. Loeb subsequently negotiated a release from A&M and joined Artemis Records.\n\nLoeb bought the rights to the masters of the songs, and the album was reissued and renamed Hello Lisa. The songs \"We Could Still Belong Together\", \"She's Falling Apart\", and \"Too Fast Driving\" were cut from Hello Lisa and replaced with \"Did That\", \"What Am I Supposed to Say\" and \"Take Me Back\".\n\nTrack listing\n\nCharts\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n \n \n\n2002 albums\nLisa Loeb albums\nAlbums produced by Peter Collins (record producer)\nA&M Records albums" ]
[ "Gwen Stefani", "Achievements and legacy" ]
C_8054ccee4d8043119d4c64bdb73aa073_0
Did she win any awardS?
1
Did Gwen Stefani win any awards?
Gwen Stefani
Throughout her career as a solo artist, Stefani has won several music awards, including one Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. With No Doubt, she has won two Grammy Awards. In 2005, Rolling Stone called her "the only true female rock star left on radio or MTV" and featured her on the magazine's cover. Stefani received the Style Icon Award at the first People Magazine Awards in 2014. Additionally in 2016, the singer was honored at the Radio Disney Music Awards with a Hero Award, which is given to artists based on their personal contributions to various charitable works. Stefani has been referred to as a "Pop Princess" by several contemporary music critics. In 2012, VH1 listed the singer at the number thirteen on their list of "100 Greatest Women in Music". Stefani's work has influenced a number of artists and musicians including Hayley Williams of Paramore, Best Coast, Katy Perry, Kesha, Marina and the Diamonds, Stefy, Rita Ora, Sky Ferreira, and Cover Drive. The latter group, a quartet of Barbados musicians, claimed that both Stefani and No Doubt had helped influence their music, to which the lead singer of the group, Amanda Reifer, admitted that she would "pass out" if she were to ever meet Stefani. The lead single from Love. Angel. Music. Baby., "What You Waiting For?", was considered by Pitchfork to be one of the best singles by Stefani, and would later place it at number sixteen on their "Top 50 Singles of 2004" list. Additionally, "Hollaback Girl" from the aforementioned album would go on to be the first song to digitally sell an excess of one million copies in the United States; it was certified platinum in both the United States and Australia, and peak at number forty-one on Billboard's decade-end charts for 2000-09. Since its release in 2005, "Hollaback Girl" has been called Stefani's "signature song" by Rolling Stone. CANNOTANSWER
one Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards.
Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer and songwriter. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs", and "Don't Speak", from their 1995 breakthrough studio album Tragic Kingdom, as well as "Hey Baby" and "It's My Life" from later albums. During the band's hiatus, Stefani embarked on a solo pop career in 2004 by releasing her debut studio album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Inspired by pop music from the 1980s, the album was a critical and commercial success. It spawned six singles, including "What You Waiting For?", "Rich Girl", "Hollaback Girl", and "Cool". "Hollaback Girl" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart while also becoming the first US download to sell one million copies. In 2006, Stefani released her second studio album, The Sweet Escape. Among the singles were "Wind It Up" and "The Sweet Escape", the latter of which was number three on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart of 2007. Her third solo album, This Is What the Truth Feels Like (2016), was her first solo album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Her fourth solo album and first full-length Christmas album, You Make It Feel Like Christmas, was released in 2017 and charted 19 tracks on Billboards Holiday Digital Song Sales component chart in the United States. Stefani has released several singles with Blake Shelton, including "Nobody but You" (2020), which reached number 18 in the US. Stefani has won three Grammy Awards. As a solo artist, she has received an American Music Award, Brit Award, World Music Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. In 2003, she debuted her clothing line L.A.M.B. and expanded her collection with the 2005 Harajuku Lovers line, inspired by Japanese culture and fashion. Billboard magazine ranked Stefani the 54th most successful artist and 37th most successful Hot 100 artist of the 2000–2009 decade. VH1 ranked her 13th on their "100 Greatest Women in Music" list in 2012. Including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. Early life Gwen Renée Stefani was born on October 3, 1969, in Fullerton, California, and raised Catholic in nearby Anaheim, California. She was named after a stewardess in the 1968 novel Airport, and her middle name, Renée, comes from the Four Tops' 1968 version of the Left Banke's 1966 song "Walk Away Renée". Her father Dennis Stefani is Italian-American and worked as a Yamaha marketing executive. Her mother Patti (née Flynn) is Irish-American and worked as an accountant before becoming a housewife. Stefani's parents were fans of folk music and exposed her to music by artists like Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris. Stefani has two younger siblings, Jill and Todd, and an older brother, Eric. Eric was the keyboardist for No Doubt before leaving the band to pursue a career in animation on The Simpsons. Career 1986–2004: Career beginnings and No Doubt Her brother Eric introduced Gwen to 2 Tone music by Madness and the Selecter and, in 1986, he invited her to provide vocals for No Doubt, a ska band he was forming. In 1991 the band was signed to Interscope Records. The band released its self-titled debut album in 1992, but its ska-pop sound was unsuccessful due to the popularity of grunge. Before the mainstream success of both No Doubt and Sublime, Stefani contributed guest vocals to "Saw Red" on Sublime's 1994 album Robbin' the Hood. Stefani rejected the aggressiveness of female grunge artists and cited Blondie singer Debbie Harry's combination of power and sex appeal as a major influence. No Doubt's third album, Tragic Kingdom (1995), which followed the self-released The Beacon Street Collection (1995), took more than three years to make. Five singles were released from Tragic Kingdom, including "Don't Speak", which led the Hot 100 Airplay year-end chart of 1997. Stefani left college for one semester to tour for Tragic Kingdom but did not return when touring lasted two and a half years. The album was nominated for a Grammy and sold more than 16 million copies worldwide by 2004. In late 2000, Rolling Stone magazine named her "the Queen of Confessional Pop". During the time when No Doubt was receiving mainstream success, Stefani collaborated on the singles "You're the Boss" with the Brian Setzer Orchestra, "South Side" with Moby, and "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" with Eve. No Doubt released the less popular Return of Saturn in 2000, which expanded upon the new wave influences of Tragic Kingdom. Most of the lyrical content focused on Stefani's often rocky relationship with then-Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale and her insecurities, including indecision on settling down and having a child. The band's 2001 album, Rock Steady, explored more reggae and dancehall sounds, while maintaining the band's new wave influences. The album generated career-highest singles chart positions in the United States, and "Hey Baby" and "Underneath It All" received Grammy Awards. A greatest hits collection, The Singles 1992–2003, which includes a cover of Talk Talk's "It's My Life", was released in 2003. In 2002, Eve and Stefani won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Let Me Blow Ya Mind". 2004–2006: Solo debut and other ventures Stefani's debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. was released on November 12, 2004. The album features several collaborations with producers and other artists, including Tony Kanal, Tom Rothrock, Linda Perry, André 3000, Nellee Hooper, the Neptunes and New Order. Stefani created the album to modernize the music to which she listened when in high school, and L.A.M.B. takes influence from a variety of music styles of the 1980s and early 1990s such as new wave, synthpop, and electro. Stefani's decision to use her solo career as an opportunity to delve further into pop music instead of trying "to convince the world of [her] talent, depth and artistic worth" was considered unusual. The album was described as "fun as hell but... not exactly rife with subversive social commentary". The album debuted on the US Billboard 200 albums chart at number seven, selling 309,000 copies in its first week. L.A.M.B. reached multi-platinum status in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. The first single from the album was "What You Waiting For?", which debuted atop the ARIA Singles Chart, charted at number 47 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top ten on most other charts. The song served to explain why Stefani produced a solo album and discusses her fears in leaving No Doubt for a solo career as well as her desire to have a baby. "Rich Girl" was released as the album's second single. A duet with rapper Eve, and produced by Dr. Dre, it is an adaptation of a 1990s pop song by British musicians Louchie Lou & Michie One, which itself is a very loose cover lyrically but closer melodically of "If I Were a Rich Man", from the musical Fiddler on the Roof. "Rich Girl" reached the US and UK top ten. The album's third single "Hollaback Girl" became Stefani's first US and second Australian number-one single; it reached top ten elsewhere. The song was the first US music download to sell more than one million copies, and its brass-driven composition remained popular throughout 2005. The fourth single "Cool" was released shortly following the popularity of its predecessor, reaching the top 20 in US and UK. The song's lyrics and its accompanying music video, filmed on Lake Como, depict Stefani's former relationship with Kanal. "Luxurious" was released as the album's fifth single, but did not perform as well as its predecessors. "Crash" was released in January 2006 as the album's sixth single in lieu of Love. Angel. Music. Baby.s sequel, which Stefani postponed because of her pregnancy. In 2004, Stefani showed interest in making film appearances and began auditioning for films such as Mr. & Mrs. Smith. She made her film debut playing Jean Harlow in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator in 2004. Scorsese, whose daughter was a No Doubt fan, showed reciprocal interest in casting Stefani after seeing her picture from a Marilyn Monroe-inspired photo shoot for Teen Vogue in 2003. To prepare for the role, Stefani read two biographies and watched 18 of Harlow's films. Shooting her part took four to five days, and Stefani had few lines. Stefani lent her voice to the title character of the 2004 video game Malice, but the company opted not to use No Doubt band members' voices. 2006–2013: The Sweet Escape and return to No Doubt Stefani's second studio album, The Sweet Escape, was released on December 1, 2006. Stefani continued working with Kanal, Perry, and the Neptunes, along with Akon and Tim Rice-Oxley from English rock band Keane. The album focuses more heavily on electronic and dance music for clubs than its predecessor. Its release coincided with the DVD release of Stefani's first tour, entitled Harajuku Lovers Live. Sia Michel wrote that it "has a surprisingly moody, lightly autobiographical feel ... but Stefani isn't convincing as a dissatisfied diva" and Rob Sheffield called the album a "hasty return" that repeats Love. Angel. Music. Baby. with less energy. "Wind It Up", the album's lead single, used yodeling and an interpolation of The Sound of Music, and peaked in the top 10 in the US and the UK. The title track reached the top 10 in over 15 nations, including number two peaks in the US, Australia and the UK. To promote The Sweet Escape, Stefani was a mentor on the sixth season of American Idol and performed the song with Akon. The song earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Three more singles were released from the album; "4 in the Morning", "Now That You Got It" which featured Damian Marley and "Early Winter". To promote the album, Stefani embarked on a worldwide tour, The Sweet Escape Tour, which covered North America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific and part of Latin America. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly on June 6, 2011, Stefani stated that she had no plans to continue work as a solo artist. With Stefani promoting The Sweet Escape, No Doubt began work on a new album without her and planned to complete it after Stefani's Sweet Escape Tour was finished. In March 2008, the band started making posts concerning the progression of the album on their official fan forum. Stefani made a post on March 28, 2008, stating that songwriting had commenced but was slow on her end because she was pregnant with her second child. The Singles 1992–2003 became available on December 9, 2008, for the video game Rock Band 2. Adrian Young played drums on Scott Weiland's album "Happy" in Galoshes. No Doubt headlined the Bamboozle 2009 festival in May 2009, along with Fall Out Boy. The band completed a national tour in mid-2009. The new album Push and Shove was released on September 25, preceded by the first single, "Settle Down", on July 16. The music video for "Settle Down" was directed by Sophie Muller (who has previously directed numerous music videos for No Doubt). Also around this time No Doubt were guest mentors for the UK version of The X-Factor. "Settle Down" peaked at 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the album peaking at number three on the US Billboard 200. On November 3, 2012, the band pulled its music video "Looking Hot" from the Internet after receiving complaints that it was insensitive towards Native Americans. In January 2013, No Doubt make a cameo appearance in a hot air ballon for the third season of Portlandia. 2014–2017: The Voice, This Is What the Truth Feels Like and You Make It Feel Like Christmas On April 12, 2014, Stefani made a surprise appearance at the Coachella festival, where she joined Pharrell Williams onstage during his set to perform "Hollaback Girl". On April 29, it was officially confirmed that Stefani would join the seventh season of The Voice as a coach, replacing Christina Aguilera. Nine years after the previous time, she attended the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Stefani appears as a featured artist on Maroon 5's song "My Heart Is Open", co-written by Sia Furler, from the band's album V, which was performed for the first time with Adam Levine and an orchestra at the 2015 Grammy Awards. Stefani also collaborated with Calvin Harris on the track "Together" from his album Motion. On September 8, 2014, Stefani told MTV News during New York Fashion Week that she was working on both a No Doubt album and a solo album, and that she was working with Williams. Stefani released her comeback single "Baby Don't Lie" on October 20, 2014, co-written with producers Ryan Tedder, Benny Blanco, and Noel Zancanella. Billboard announced that her third studio album was set to be released in December with Benny Blanco serving as executive producer. In late October, "Spark the Fire", a new track from Stefani's third album, was released. The song was produced by Pharrell Williams. On November 23, the full song premiered online. Both "Baby Don't Lie" and "Spark the Fire" were later scrapped from Stefani's third album. On January 13, 2015, Stefani and Williams also recorded a song titled "Shine", for the Paddington soundtrack. Stefani and Sia Furler worked together on a ballad, called "Start a War" which was expected to be released on Stefani's third studio album as well, but it was not included on the final cut. On July 10, 2015, American rapper Eminem featured Stefani on his single "Kings Never Die", from the Southpaw film soundtrack. The track debuted and peaked at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and matched first-week digital download sales of 35,000 copies. On October 17, 2015, Stefani performed a concert as part of her MasterCard Priceless Surprises tour series at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, where she performed a new song about her breakup with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale, titled "Used to Love You". It was released as a download on October 20, 2015. The video was released the same day. The song was released to contemporary hit radio in the United States on October 27, 2015. The track is the first official single off her third solo album This Is What the Truth Feels Like, which she began working on in mid-2015. Stefani said much of the previous material she worked on in 2014 felt forced and inauthentic, the opposite of what she had originally wanted. The album's second single, "Make Me Like You", was released on February 12, 2016. This Is What the Truth Feels Like was released on March 18, 2016, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 84,000 album-equivalent units sold in its first week, earning Stefani her first number-one album on the U.S. chart as a solo artist. To further promote the album, Stefani embarked on her This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour with rapper Eve in the United States. Stefani voiced DJ Suki in the animated film Trolls, which was released on November 4, 2016. She is also included on five songs from the film's official soundtrack. Stefani twice performed as part of the "Final Shows" at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre on October 29–30, before the venue's closure due to The Irvine Company not renewing the venue's land lease. Stefani was interviewed for the documentary series The Defiant Ones, which was released in July 2017. The same month, she announced plans to release new music by the end of the year. In August, several song titles from the singer's sessions were published on GEMA's official website, suggesting that she may be recording a holiday album. The songwriting credits from the leaked tracks had Stefani collaborating with busbee, Blake Shelton, and Justin Tranter. The album, titled You Make It Feel Like Christmas, was released on October 6, 2017. Its title track, featuring guest vocals from Shelton, was digitally distributed on September 22, 2017, as the lead single. To promote the record, Stefani hosted Gwen Stefani's You Make It Feel Like Christmas, an NBC Christmas television special that aired on December 12, 2017. 2018–present: Upcoming fifth studio album Stefani's first concert residency, titled Just a Girl: Las Vegas, began on June 27, 2018, at the Zappos Theater in Las Vegas. It concluded on May 16, 2020. It was named after No Doubt's song "Just a Girl". Proceeds from the show ($1 per ticket) were donated to the organization Cure4Kids. A deluxe edition of You Make It Feel Like Christmas was released in October 2018, and was promoted through the single "Secret Santa". On June 22, 2019, Stefani performed at the Machaca Fest in Fundidora Park. In the same month, The New York Times Magazine listed Stefani among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire. In June 2019, Stefani replaced Adam Levine as a coach for The Voices 17th season after Levine left the show after 16 seasons as a coach. Stefani was replaced by first-time coach Nick Jonas for the 18th season. She returned for her fifth season of The Voice'''s 19th season as a replacement for Jonas. her finalist Carter Rubin was named the winner, giving her the first victory as a coach after her fifth attempt, and the ninth coach (and fourth female after Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, and Kelly Clarkson) to do so. In November 2020, while the 19th season was still airing, it was announced Jonas would once again replace Stefani as a judge for season 20. On December 13, 2019, Stefani featured on Shelton's single "Nobody but You" from his compilation album Fully Loaded: God's Country. The song peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 49 on the Canadian Hot 100. On July 24, 2020, Stefani and Shelton released another single titled "Happy Anywhere" inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic. Stefani was initially scheduled to perform at Lollapalooza's 2020 festival, but it was postponed due to the pandemic. Lollapalooza was held as a four-day livestream in July and August 2020, but Stefani did not participate in it. Stefani was featured on a Mark Ronson remix of Dua Lipa's "Physical", which is included on Lipa's remix album Club Future Nostalgia (2020). Stefani was initially approached to clear a "Hollaback Girl" sample for the Mr Fingers' remix of Lipa's "Hallucinate", and then asked to be a part of the "Physical" remix. To promote 2020 reissued edition of You Make It Feel Like Christmas, Stefani released a cover of "Sleigh Ride" as a single. On December 7, 2020, Stefani released "Let Me Reintroduce Myself" as the lead single from upcoming fifth studio album. She followed this with a second single "Slow Clap" on March 11, 2021, which received a remix featuring Saweetie the following month. Stefani also teased other new music through her Instagram account, announcing she recorded two new tracks titled "When Loving Gets Old" and "Cry Happy". Other ventures Stefani made most of the clothing that she wore on stage with No Doubt, resulting in increasingly eclectic combinations. Stylist Andrea Lieberman introduced her to haute couture clothing, which led to Stefani launching a fashion line named L.A.M.B. in 2004. The line takes influence from a variety of fashions, including Guatemalan, Japanese, and Jamaican styles. The line achieved popularity among celebrities and is worn by stars such as Teri Hatcher, Nicole Kidman, and Stefani herself. In June 2005, she expanded her collection with the less expensive Harajuku Lovers line, which she referred to as "a glorified merchandise line", with varied products including a camera, mobile phone charms, and undergarments. Alt URL In late 2006, Stefani released a limited edition line of dolls called "Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Fashion dolls". The dolls are inspired by the clothes Stefani and the Harajuku Girls wore while touring for the album. In late 2007, Stefani launched a perfume, L, as a part of her L.A.M.B. collection of clothing and accessories. The perfume has high notes of sweet pea and rose. In September 2008, Stefani released a fragrance line as a part of her Harajuku Lovers product line. There are five different fragrances based on the four Harajuku Girls and Stefani herself called Love, Lil' Angel, Music, Baby and G (Gwen). , Stefani has become the spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris. In 2016, Urban Decay released a limited edition cosmetic collection in collaboration with Stefani. After needing to wear glasses, she began designing eyewear. In 2016, Gwen began releasing eyewear under her fashion label L.A.M.B. She also began releasing affordable eyewear under the label GX, with Tura Inc. In 2014, Stefani announced the production of an animated series about her and the Harajuku Girls. Along with Vision Animation and Moody Street Kids, Stefani has helped create the show which features herself, Love, Angel, Music, and Baby as the band, HJ5, who fight evil whilst trying to pursue their music career. Mattel was the global toy licensee and the series itself, Kuu Kuu Harajuku was distributed worldwide by DHX Media. Personal life Stefani began dating her bandmate Tony Kanal, soon after he joined the band. She stated that she was heavily invested in that relationship, and commented that "...all I ever did was look at Tony and pray that God would let me have a baby with him." The band almost split up when Kanal ended the relationship.Born to Be. MuchMusic programming. Original airdate: March 2006. Retrieved November 13, 2006. Their break-up inspired Stefani lyrically, and many of Tragic Kingdoms songs, such as "Don't Speak", "Sunday Morning", and "Hey You!", chronicle the ups and downs of their relationship. Many years later, Stefani co-wrote her song "Cool" about their relationship as friends for her 2004 debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.Stefani met Bush lead singer and guitarist Gavin Rossdale in 1995, when No Doubt and headlining band Bush performed at a holiday concert for radio station KROQ. They married on September 14, 2002, with a wedding in St Paul's, Covent Garden, London. A second wedding was held in Los Angeles two weeks later. Stefani has three sons with Rossdale, born in May 2006, August 2008, and February 2014. On August 3, 2015, Stefani filed for divorce from Rossdale, citing "irreconcilable differences". Their divorce was finalized on April 8, 2016, in which Rossdale agreed to the "unequal split" of their assets. Stefani announced her relationship with Blake Shelton, country music artist and The Voice co-star, in November 2015. The couple announced their engagement on October 27, 2020, and married on July 3, 2021, at Shelton's Oklahoma ranch. Artistry AXS called Stefani a "powerhouse" vocalist with an "incredible" range. The New York Times considered Stefani's vocals "mannered" and commended her for "kick[ing] her vibrato addiction". IGN described Stefani as having a "unique vocal prowess". The Chicago Tribune stated that Stefani had a "brash alto". Stefani's debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. took influence from a variety of 1980s genres, which included electropop, new wave, dance-rock, hip hop, R&B, soul, and disco music. Stefani cited early Madonna, Lisa Lisa, Club Nouveau, Prince, New Order and the Cure as major influences for the album. Several of the album's tracks were designed for clubs, and contained electro beats meant for dancing. Referencing fashion and wealth in the album, the singer name-drops several designers who she considered inspirations in her personal career, such as John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood. Her second studio album The Sweet Escape resembles musically its predecessor while exploring more modern pop sounds, dabbling heavily into genres such as dance-pop and rap. It carried on the same themes developed in Love. Angel. Music. Baby., and was criticized for doing so.This Is What the Truth Feels Like, the singer's third album, continued Stefani's endeavors with the pop genre, while incorporating music from a variety of other genres including reggae, disco, and dancehall, as well as the use of guitars. Stefani's lyrics shifted towards events that had recently occurred in her personal life, such as her divorce from Rossdale, and new relationship with Shelton. The singer stated her album was more about forgiveness than revenge. Public image Stefani began wearing a bindi in the mid-1990s after attending several family gatherings with Tony Kanal, who is of Indian heritage. During No Doubt's breakthrough, Stefani wore the forehead decoration in several of the band's music videos and briefly popularized the accessory in 1997. Since the 1995 music video for "Just a Girl", Stefani has been known for her midriff and frequently wears tops that expose it. Stefani's makeup design generally includes light face powder, bright red lipstick, and arched eyebrows; she wrote about the subject in a song titled "Magic's in the Makeup" for No Doubt's Return of Saturn, asking "If the magic's in the makeup/Then who am I?". Stefani is a natural brunette, but her hair has not been its natural color since she was in ninth grade. Since late 1994, she has usually had platinum blonde hair. Stefani discussed this in the song "Platinum Blonde Life" on Rock Steady and played original blonde bombshell Jean Harlow in the 2004 biopic The Aviator. She dyed her hair blue in 1998 and pink in 1999, when she appeared on the cover of Return of Saturn with pink hair. In 2006, Stefani modified her image, inspired by that of Michelle Pfeiffer's character Elvira Hancock in the 1983 film Scarface. The reinvented image included a symbol consisting of two back-to-back 'G's, which appears on a diamond-encrusted key she wears on a necklace and which became a motif in the promotion of The Sweet Escape. Stefani raised concerns in January 2007 about her rapid weight loss following her pregnancy. She later stated that she had been on a diet since the sixth grade to fit in size 4 clothing. A wax figure of Stefani was unveiled at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas at The Venetian on September 22, 2010. The release of Stefani's first solo album brought attention to her entourage of four Harajuku Girls, who appear in outfits influenced by Gothic Lolita fashion, and are named for the area around the Harajuku Station of Tokyo. Stefani's clothing also took influence from Japanese fashion, in a style described as a combination between Christian Dior and Japan. The dancers are featured in her music videos, press coverage, and on the album cover for Love. Angel. Music. Baby., with a song named for and dedicated to them on the album. They were also featured in, and the namesake for, Stefani's Harajuku Lovers Tour. Forbes magazine reported that Stefani earned $27 million between June 2007 to June 2008 for her tour, fashion line and commercials, making her the world's 10th highest paid music personality at the time. Achievements and legacy Throughout her career as a solo artist, Stefani has won several music awards, including one Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. With No Doubt, she has won two Grammy Awards. In 2005, Rolling Stone called her "the only true female rock star left on radio or MTV" and featured her on the magazine's cover. Stefani received the Style Icon Award at the first People Magazine Awards in 2014. In 2016, the singer was honored at the Radio Disney Music Awards with a Hero Award, which is given to artists based on their personal contributions to various charitable works. Stefani has been referred to as a "Pop Princess" by several contemporary music critics. In 2012, VH1 listed the singer at the number thirteen on their list of "100 Greatest Women in Music". Stefani's work has influenced artists and musicians including Hayley Williams of Paramore, Best Coast, Kim Petras, Teddy Sinclair, Katy Perry, Charli XCX, Kesha, Ava Max, Marina Diamandis, Rita Ora, Keke Palmer, Bebe Rexha, Dua Lipa, the Stunners, Kelly Clarkson, Sky Ferreira, Kirstin Maldonado of Pentatonix, Olivia Rodrigo, and Cover Drive. The latter group, a quartet of Barbados musicians, claimed that both Stefani and No Doubt had helped influence their music, to which the lead singer of the group, Amanda Reifer, said that she would "pass out" if she ever met Stefani. The lead single from Love. Angel. Music. Baby., "What You Waiting For?", was considered by Pitchfork to be one of Stefani's best singles, and would later place it at number sixteen on their "Top 50 Singles of 2004" list. "Hollaback Girl" from Love. Angel. Music. Baby. would go on to be the first song to digitally sell an excess of one million copies in the United States; it was certified platinum in both the United States and Australia, and peaked at number forty-one on Billboards decade-end charts for 2000–09. Since its release in 2005, "Hollaback Girl" has been called Stefani's "signature song" by Rolling Stone. Philanthropy Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Stefani donated $1 million to Save the Children's Japan Earthquake–Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund. Stefani also ran an auction on eBay from April 11 to 25, 2011, allowing participants to bid on vintage clothing items from her personal wardrobe and custom T-shirts designed and signed by her, as well as an admission to a private Harajuku-themed tea party hosted by her on June 7, 2011, at Los Angeles' first-ever Japanese-style maid café and pop art space, Royal/T, with proceeds from the auction going to Save the Children's relief effort. At the amfAR gala during the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, Stefani auctioned off the lacy black dress she wore at the event for charity, raising over $125,000. A representative for designer Michael Angel, who helped Stefani with the design and worked as a stylist, said that Angel created the gown, not Stefani. In response, Angel released a statement confirming that the dress was designed by Stefani for L.A.M.B. to wear and be auctioned off at the amfAR gala. Stefani hosted a fundraiser with First Lady Michelle Obama in August 2012 at the singer's Beverly Hills home. The singer-songwriter supports the LGBT community, stating in a 2019 Pride Source interview, "I would like to be blessed with a gay son; [...] I just want my boys to be healthy and happy. And I just ask God to guide me to be a good mother, which is not an easy thing at all." Discography Solo discography Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004) The Sweet Escape (2006) This Is What the Truth Feels Like (2016) You Make It Feel Like Christmas (2017) No Doubt discography No Doubt (1992) The Beacon Street Collection (1995) Tragic Kingdom (1995) Return of Saturn (2000) Rock Steady (2001) Push and Shove'' (2012) Tours Headlining Harajuku Lovers Tour (2005) The Sweet Escape Tour (2007) This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour (2016) Residency Gwen Stefani – Just a Girl (2018–2021) Promotional MasterCard Priceless Surprises Presents Gwen Stefani (2015–2016) Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre Final Shows (2016) Festivals Machaca Fest (2019) Filmography References External links 1969 births Living people 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Actresses from Fullerton, California American contemporary R&B singers American dance musicians American expatriates in the United Kingdom American fashion designers American women pop singers American women rock singers American film actresses American new wave musicians American people of Italian descent American people of Irish descent American pop rock singers American rock songwriters American ska singers American television actresses American video game actresses American voice actresses American women in electronic music Brit Award winners Electronica musicians Women new wave singers Grammy Award winners Interscope Records artists Musicians from Anaheim, California Musicians from Fullerton, California No Doubt members Participants in American reality television series Singers from California Songwriters from California World Music Awards winners Las Vegas shows California State University, Fullerton people Women hip hop record producers American female hip hop singers American female hip hop musicians American women fashion designers
true
[ "Nena Danevic is a film editor who was nominated at the 57th Academy Awards for Best Film Editing. She was nominated for Amadeus. She shared her nomination with Michael Chandler.\n\nShe did win at the 39th British Academy Film Awards for Best Editing. Also for Amadeus with Michael Chandler.\n\nShe also won at the American Cinema Editors awards.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n \n\nBest Editing BAFTA Award winners\nFilm editors\nPossibly living people\nYear of birth missing (living people)", "Sheena Napier is a British costume designer who was nominated at the 65th Academy Awards for her work on the film Enchanted April, for which she was nominated for Best Costumes.\n\nIn addition she did win at the BAFTA Television Awards for the TV film Parade's End, which she was also nominated for an Emmy for.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n\nBritish costume designers\nLiving people\nBAFTA winners (people)\nWomen costume designers\nYear of birth missing (living people)" ]
[ "Gwen Stefani", "Achievements and legacy", "Did she win any awardS?", "one Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards." ]
C_8054ccee4d8043119d4c64bdb73aa073_0
What other achievements did she have?
2
Other thanone Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards What other achievements did Gwen Stefani have?
Gwen Stefani
Throughout her career as a solo artist, Stefani has won several music awards, including one Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. With No Doubt, she has won two Grammy Awards. In 2005, Rolling Stone called her "the only true female rock star left on radio or MTV" and featured her on the magazine's cover. Stefani received the Style Icon Award at the first People Magazine Awards in 2014. Additionally in 2016, the singer was honored at the Radio Disney Music Awards with a Hero Award, which is given to artists based on their personal contributions to various charitable works. Stefani has been referred to as a "Pop Princess" by several contemporary music critics. In 2012, VH1 listed the singer at the number thirteen on their list of "100 Greatest Women in Music". Stefani's work has influenced a number of artists and musicians including Hayley Williams of Paramore, Best Coast, Katy Perry, Kesha, Marina and the Diamonds, Stefy, Rita Ora, Sky Ferreira, and Cover Drive. The latter group, a quartet of Barbados musicians, claimed that both Stefani and No Doubt had helped influence their music, to which the lead singer of the group, Amanda Reifer, admitted that she would "pass out" if she were to ever meet Stefani. The lead single from Love. Angel. Music. Baby., "What You Waiting For?", was considered by Pitchfork to be one of the best singles by Stefani, and would later place it at number sixteen on their "Top 50 Singles of 2004" list. Additionally, "Hollaback Girl" from the aforementioned album would go on to be the first song to digitally sell an excess of one million copies in the United States; it was certified platinum in both the United States and Australia, and peak at number forty-one on Billboard's decade-end charts for 2000-09. Since its release in 2005, "Hollaback Girl" has been called Stefani's "signature song" by Rolling Stone. CANNOTANSWER
Stefani's work has influenced a number of artists and musicians
Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer and songwriter. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs", and "Don't Speak", from their 1995 breakthrough studio album Tragic Kingdom, as well as "Hey Baby" and "It's My Life" from later albums. During the band's hiatus, Stefani embarked on a solo pop career in 2004 by releasing her debut studio album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Inspired by pop music from the 1980s, the album was a critical and commercial success. It spawned six singles, including "What You Waiting For?", "Rich Girl", "Hollaback Girl", and "Cool". "Hollaback Girl" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart while also becoming the first US download to sell one million copies. In 2006, Stefani released her second studio album, The Sweet Escape. Among the singles were "Wind It Up" and "The Sweet Escape", the latter of which was number three on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart of 2007. Her third solo album, This Is What the Truth Feels Like (2016), was her first solo album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Her fourth solo album and first full-length Christmas album, You Make It Feel Like Christmas, was released in 2017 and charted 19 tracks on Billboards Holiday Digital Song Sales component chart in the United States. Stefani has released several singles with Blake Shelton, including "Nobody but You" (2020), which reached number 18 in the US. Stefani has won three Grammy Awards. As a solo artist, she has received an American Music Award, Brit Award, World Music Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. In 2003, she debuted her clothing line L.A.M.B. and expanded her collection with the 2005 Harajuku Lovers line, inspired by Japanese culture and fashion. Billboard magazine ranked Stefani the 54th most successful artist and 37th most successful Hot 100 artist of the 2000–2009 decade. VH1 ranked her 13th on their "100 Greatest Women in Music" list in 2012. Including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. Early life Gwen Renée Stefani was born on October 3, 1969, in Fullerton, California, and raised Catholic in nearby Anaheim, California. She was named after a stewardess in the 1968 novel Airport, and her middle name, Renée, comes from the Four Tops' 1968 version of the Left Banke's 1966 song "Walk Away Renée". Her father Dennis Stefani is Italian-American and worked as a Yamaha marketing executive. Her mother Patti (née Flynn) is Irish-American and worked as an accountant before becoming a housewife. Stefani's parents were fans of folk music and exposed her to music by artists like Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris. Stefani has two younger siblings, Jill and Todd, and an older brother, Eric. Eric was the keyboardist for No Doubt before leaving the band to pursue a career in animation on The Simpsons. Career 1986–2004: Career beginnings and No Doubt Her brother Eric introduced Gwen to 2 Tone music by Madness and the Selecter and, in 1986, he invited her to provide vocals for No Doubt, a ska band he was forming. In 1991 the band was signed to Interscope Records. The band released its self-titled debut album in 1992, but its ska-pop sound was unsuccessful due to the popularity of grunge. Before the mainstream success of both No Doubt and Sublime, Stefani contributed guest vocals to "Saw Red" on Sublime's 1994 album Robbin' the Hood. Stefani rejected the aggressiveness of female grunge artists and cited Blondie singer Debbie Harry's combination of power and sex appeal as a major influence. No Doubt's third album, Tragic Kingdom (1995), which followed the self-released The Beacon Street Collection (1995), took more than three years to make. Five singles were released from Tragic Kingdom, including "Don't Speak", which led the Hot 100 Airplay year-end chart of 1997. Stefani left college for one semester to tour for Tragic Kingdom but did not return when touring lasted two and a half years. The album was nominated for a Grammy and sold more than 16 million copies worldwide by 2004. In late 2000, Rolling Stone magazine named her "the Queen of Confessional Pop". During the time when No Doubt was receiving mainstream success, Stefani collaborated on the singles "You're the Boss" with the Brian Setzer Orchestra, "South Side" with Moby, and "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" with Eve. No Doubt released the less popular Return of Saturn in 2000, which expanded upon the new wave influences of Tragic Kingdom. Most of the lyrical content focused on Stefani's often rocky relationship with then-Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale and her insecurities, including indecision on settling down and having a child. The band's 2001 album, Rock Steady, explored more reggae and dancehall sounds, while maintaining the band's new wave influences. The album generated career-highest singles chart positions in the United States, and "Hey Baby" and "Underneath It All" received Grammy Awards. A greatest hits collection, The Singles 1992–2003, which includes a cover of Talk Talk's "It's My Life", was released in 2003. In 2002, Eve and Stefani won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Let Me Blow Ya Mind". 2004–2006: Solo debut and other ventures Stefani's debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. was released on November 12, 2004. The album features several collaborations with producers and other artists, including Tony Kanal, Tom Rothrock, Linda Perry, André 3000, Nellee Hooper, the Neptunes and New Order. Stefani created the album to modernize the music to which she listened when in high school, and L.A.M.B. takes influence from a variety of music styles of the 1980s and early 1990s such as new wave, synthpop, and electro. Stefani's decision to use her solo career as an opportunity to delve further into pop music instead of trying "to convince the world of [her] talent, depth and artistic worth" was considered unusual. The album was described as "fun as hell but... not exactly rife with subversive social commentary". The album debuted on the US Billboard 200 albums chart at number seven, selling 309,000 copies in its first week. L.A.M.B. reached multi-platinum status in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. The first single from the album was "What You Waiting For?", which debuted atop the ARIA Singles Chart, charted at number 47 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top ten on most other charts. The song served to explain why Stefani produced a solo album and discusses her fears in leaving No Doubt for a solo career as well as her desire to have a baby. "Rich Girl" was released as the album's second single. A duet with rapper Eve, and produced by Dr. Dre, it is an adaptation of a 1990s pop song by British musicians Louchie Lou & Michie One, which itself is a very loose cover lyrically but closer melodically of "If I Were a Rich Man", from the musical Fiddler on the Roof. "Rich Girl" reached the US and UK top ten. The album's third single "Hollaback Girl" became Stefani's first US and second Australian number-one single; it reached top ten elsewhere. The song was the first US music download to sell more than one million copies, and its brass-driven composition remained popular throughout 2005. The fourth single "Cool" was released shortly following the popularity of its predecessor, reaching the top 20 in US and UK. The song's lyrics and its accompanying music video, filmed on Lake Como, depict Stefani's former relationship with Kanal. "Luxurious" was released as the album's fifth single, but did not perform as well as its predecessors. "Crash" was released in January 2006 as the album's sixth single in lieu of Love. Angel. Music. Baby.s sequel, which Stefani postponed because of her pregnancy. In 2004, Stefani showed interest in making film appearances and began auditioning for films such as Mr. & Mrs. Smith. She made her film debut playing Jean Harlow in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator in 2004. Scorsese, whose daughter was a No Doubt fan, showed reciprocal interest in casting Stefani after seeing her picture from a Marilyn Monroe-inspired photo shoot for Teen Vogue in 2003. To prepare for the role, Stefani read two biographies and watched 18 of Harlow's films. Shooting her part took four to five days, and Stefani had few lines. Stefani lent her voice to the title character of the 2004 video game Malice, but the company opted not to use No Doubt band members' voices. 2006–2013: The Sweet Escape and return to No Doubt Stefani's second studio album, The Sweet Escape, was released on December 1, 2006. Stefani continued working with Kanal, Perry, and the Neptunes, along with Akon and Tim Rice-Oxley from English rock band Keane. The album focuses more heavily on electronic and dance music for clubs than its predecessor. Its release coincided with the DVD release of Stefani's first tour, entitled Harajuku Lovers Live. Sia Michel wrote that it "has a surprisingly moody, lightly autobiographical feel ... but Stefani isn't convincing as a dissatisfied diva" and Rob Sheffield called the album a "hasty return" that repeats Love. Angel. Music. Baby. with less energy. "Wind It Up", the album's lead single, used yodeling and an interpolation of The Sound of Music, and peaked in the top 10 in the US and the UK. The title track reached the top 10 in over 15 nations, including number two peaks in the US, Australia and the UK. To promote The Sweet Escape, Stefani was a mentor on the sixth season of American Idol and performed the song with Akon. The song earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Three more singles were released from the album; "4 in the Morning", "Now That You Got It" which featured Damian Marley and "Early Winter". To promote the album, Stefani embarked on a worldwide tour, The Sweet Escape Tour, which covered North America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific and part of Latin America. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly on June 6, 2011, Stefani stated that she had no plans to continue work as a solo artist. With Stefani promoting The Sweet Escape, No Doubt began work on a new album without her and planned to complete it after Stefani's Sweet Escape Tour was finished. In March 2008, the band started making posts concerning the progression of the album on their official fan forum. Stefani made a post on March 28, 2008, stating that songwriting had commenced but was slow on her end because she was pregnant with her second child. The Singles 1992–2003 became available on December 9, 2008, for the video game Rock Band 2. Adrian Young played drums on Scott Weiland's album "Happy" in Galoshes. No Doubt headlined the Bamboozle 2009 festival in May 2009, along with Fall Out Boy. The band completed a national tour in mid-2009. The new album Push and Shove was released on September 25, preceded by the first single, "Settle Down", on July 16. The music video for "Settle Down" was directed by Sophie Muller (who has previously directed numerous music videos for No Doubt). Also around this time No Doubt were guest mentors for the UK version of The X-Factor. "Settle Down" peaked at 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the album peaking at number three on the US Billboard 200. On November 3, 2012, the band pulled its music video "Looking Hot" from the Internet after receiving complaints that it was insensitive towards Native Americans. In January 2013, No Doubt make a cameo appearance in a hot air ballon for the third season of Portlandia. 2014–2017: The Voice, This Is What the Truth Feels Like and You Make It Feel Like Christmas On April 12, 2014, Stefani made a surprise appearance at the Coachella festival, where she joined Pharrell Williams onstage during his set to perform "Hollaback Girl". On April 29, it was officially confirmed that Stefani would join the seventh season of The Voice as a coach, replacing Christina Aguilera. Nine years after the previous time, she attended the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Stefani appears as a featured artist on Maroon 5's song "My Heart Is Open", co-written by Sia Furler, from the band's album V, which was performed for the first time with Adam Levine and an orchestra at the 2015 Grammy Awards. Stefani also collaborated with Calvin Harris on the track "Together" from his album Motion. On September 8, 2014, Stefani told MTV News during New York Fashion Week that she was working on both a No Doubt album and a solo album, and that she was working with Williams. Stefani released her comeback single "Baby Don't Lie" on October 20, 2014, co-written with producers Ryan Tedder, Benny Blanco, and Noel Zancanella. Billboard announced that her third studio album was set to be released in December with Benny Blanco serving as executive producer. In late October, "Spark the Fire", a new track from Stefani's third album, was released. The song was produced by Pharrell Williams. On November 23, the full song premiered online. Both "Baby Don't Lie" and "Spark the Fire" were later scrapped from Stefani's third album. On January 13, 2015, Stefani and Williams also recorded a song titled "Shine", for the Paddington soundtrack. Stefani and Sia Furler worked together on a ballad, called "Start a War" which was expected to be released on Stefani's third studio album as well, but it was not included on the final cut. On July 10, 2015, American rapper Eminem featured Stefani on his single "Kings Never Die", from the Southpaw film soundtrack. The track debuted and peaked at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and matched first-week digital download sales of 35,000 copies. On October 17, 2015, Stefani performed a concert as part of her MasterCard Priceless Surprises tour series at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, where she performed a new song about her breakup with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale, titled "Used to Love You". It was released as a download on October 20, 2015. The video was released the same day. The song was released to contemporary hit radio in the United States on October 27, 2015. The track is the first official single off her third solo album This Is What the Truth Feels Like, which she began working on in mid-2015. Stefani said much of the previous material she worked on in 2014 felt forced and inauthentic, the opposite of what she had originally wanted. The album's second single, "Make Me Like You", was released on February 12, 2016. This Is What the Truth Feels Like was released on March 18, 2016, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 84,000 album-equivalent units sold in its first week, earning Stefani her first number-one album on the U.S. chart as a solo artist. To further promote the album, Stefani embarked on her This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour with rapper Eve in the United States. Stefani voiced DJ Suki in the animated film Trolls, which was released on November 4, 2016. She is also included on five songs from the film's official soundtrack. Stefani twice performed as part of the "Final Shows" at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre on October 29–30, before the venue's closure due to The Irvine Company not renewing the venue's land lease. Stefani was interviewed for the documentary series The Defiant Ones, which was released in July 2017. The same month, she announced plans to release new music by the end of the year. In August, several song titles from the singer's sessions were published on GEMA's official website, suggesting that she may be recording a holiday album. The songwriting credits from the leaked tracks had Stefani collaborating with busbee, Blake Shelton, and Justin Tranter. The album, titled You Make It Feel Like Christmas, was released on October 6, 2017. Its title track, featuring guest vocals from Shelton, was digitally distributed on September 22, 2017, as the lead single. To promote the record, Stefani hosted Gwen Stefani's You Make It Feel Like Christmas, an NBC Christmas television special that aired on December 12, 2017. 2018–present: Upcoming fifth studio album Stefani's first concert residency, titled Just a Girl: Las Vegas, began on June 27, 2018, at the Zappos Theater in Las Vegas. It concluded on May 16, 2020. It was named after No Doubt's song "Just a Girl". Proceeds from the show ($1 per ticket) were donated to the organization Cure4Kids. A deluxe edition of You Make It Feel Like Christmas was released in October 2018, and was promoted through the single "Secret Santa". On June 22, 2019, Stefani performed at the Machaca Fest in Fundidora Park. In the same month, The New York Times Magazine listed Stefani among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire. In June 2019, Stefani replaced Adam Levine as a coach for The Voices 17th season after Levine left the show after 16 seasons as a coach. Stefani was replaced by first-time coach Nick Jonas for the 18th season. She returned for her fifth season of The Voice'''s 19th season as a replacement for Jonas. her finalist Carter Rubin was named the winner, giving her the first victory as a coach after her fifth attempt, and the ninth coach (and fourth female after Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, and Kelly Clarkson) to do so. In November 2020, while the 19th season was still airing, it was announced Jonas would once again replace Stefani as a judge for season 20. On December 13, 2019, Stefani featured on Shelton's single "Nobody but You" from his compilation album Fully Loaded: God's Country. The song peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 49 on the Canadian Hot 100. On July 24, 2020, Stefani and Shelton released another single titled "Happy Anywhere" inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic. Stefani was initially scheduled to perform at Lollapalooza's 2020 festival, but it was postponed due to the pandemic. Lollapalooza was held as a four-day livestream in July and August 2020, but Stefani did not participate in it. Stefani was featured on a Mark Ronson remix of Dua Lipa's "Physical", which is included on Lipa's remix album Club Future Nostalgia (2020). Stefani was initially approached to clear a "Hollaback Girl" sample for the Mr Fingers' remix of Lipa's "Hallucinate", and then asked to be a part of the "Physical" remix. To promote 2020 reissued edition of You Make It Feel Like Christmas, Stefani released a cover of "Sleigh Ride" as a single. On December 7, 2020, Stefani released "Let Me Reintroduce Myself" as the lead single from upcoming fifth studio album. She followed this with a second single "Slow Clap" on March 11, 2021, which received a remix featuring Saweetie the following month. Stefani also teased other new music through her Instagram account, announcing she recorded two new tracks titled "When Loving Gets Old" and "Cry Happy". Other ventures Stefani made most of the clothing that she wore on stage with No Doubt, resulting in increasingly eclectic combinations. Stylist Andrea Lieberman introduced her to haute couture clothing, which led to Stefani launching a fashion line named L.A.M.B. in 2004. The line takes influence from a variety of fashions, including Guatemalan, Japanese, and Jamaican styles. The line achieved popularity among celebrities and is worn by stars such as Teri Hatcher, Nicole Kidman, and Stefani herself. In June 2005, she expanded her collection with the less expensive Harajuku Lovers line, which she referred to as "a glorified merchandise line", with varied products including a camera, mobile phone charms, and undergarments. Alt URL In late 2006, Stefani released a limited edition line of dolls called "Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Fashion dolls". The dolls are inspired by the clothes Stefani and the Harajuku Girls wore while touring for the album. In late 2007, Stefani launched a perfume, L, as a part of her L.A.M.B. collection of clothing and accessories. The perfume has high notes of sweet pea and rose. In September 2008, Stefani released a fragrance line as a part of her Harajuku Lovers product line. There are five different fragrances based on the four Harajuku Girls and Stefani herself called Love, Lil' Angel, Music, Baby and G (Gwen). , Stefani has become the spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris. In 2016, Urban Decay released a limited edition cosmetic collection in collaboration with Stefani. After needing to wear glasses, she began designing eyewear. In 2016, Gwen began releasing eyewear under her fashion label L.A.M.B. She also began releasing affordable eyewear under the label GX, with Tura Inc. In 2014, Stefani announced the production of an animated series about her and the Harajuku Girls. Along with Vision Animation and Moody Street Kids, Stefani has helped create the show which features herself, Love, Angel, Music, and Baby as the band, HJ5, who fight evil whilst trying to pursue their music career. Mattel was the global toy licensee and the series itself, Kuu Kuu Harajuku was distributed worldwide by DHX Media. Personal life Stefani began dating her bandmate Tony Kanal, soon after he joined the band. She stated that she was heavily invested in that relationship, and commented that "...all I ever did was look at Tony and pray that God would let me have a baby with him." The band almost split up when Kanal ended the relationship.Born to Be. MuchMusic programming. Original airdate: March 2006. Retrieved November 13, 2006. Their break-up inspired Stefani lyrically, and many of Tragic Kingdoms songs, such as "Don't Speak", "Sunday Morning", and "Hey You!", chronicle the ups and downs of their relationship. Many years later, Stefani co-wrote her song "Cool" about their relationship as friends for her 2004 debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.Stefani met Bush lead singer and guitarist Gavin Rossdale in 1995, when No Doubt and headlining band Bush performed at a holiday concert for radio station KROQ. They married on September 14, 2002, with a wedding in St Paul's, Covent Garden, London. A second wedding was held in Los Angeles two weeks later. Stefani has three sons with Rossdale, born in May 2006, August 2008, and February 2014. On August 3, 2015, Stefani filed for divorce from Rossdale, citing "irreconcilable differences". Their divorce was finalized on April 8, 2016, in which Rossdale agreed to the "unequal split" of their assets. Stefani announced her relationship with Blake Shelton, country music artist and The Voice co-star, in November 2015. The couple announced their engagement on October 27, 2020, and married on July 3, 2021, at Shelton's Oklahoma ranch. Artistry AXS called Stefani a "powerhouse" vocalist with an "incredible" range. The New York Times considered Stefani's vocals "mannered" and commended her for "kick[ing] her vibrato addiction". IGN described Stefani as having a "unique vocal prowess". The Chicago Tribune stated that Stefani had a "brash alto". Stefani's debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. took influence from a variety of 1980s genres, which included electropop, new wave, dance-rock, hip hop, R&B, soul, and disco music. Stefani cited early Madonna, Lisa Lisa, Club Nouveau, Prince, New Order and the Cure as major influences for the album. Several of the album's tracks were designed for clubs, and contained electro beats meant for dancing. Referencing fashion and wealth in the album, the singer name-drops several designers who she considered inspirations in her personal career, such as John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood. Her second studio album The Sweet Escape resembles musically its predecessor while exploring more modern pop sounds, dabbling heavily into genres such as dance-pop and rap. It carried on the same themes developed in Love. Angel. Music. Baby., and was criticized for doing so.This Is What the Truth Feels Like, the singer's third album, continued Stefani's endeavors with the pop genre, while incorporating music from a variety of other genres including reggae, disco, and dancehall, as well as the use of guitars. Stefani's lyrics shifted towards events that had recently occurred in her personal life, such as her divorce from Rossdale, and new relationship with Shelton. The singer stated her album was more about forgiveness than revenge. Public image Stefani began wearing a bindi in the mid-1990s after attending several family gatherings with Tony Kanal, who is of Indian heritage. During No Doubt's breakthrough, Stefani wore the forehead decoration in several of the band's music videos and briefly popularized the accessory in 1997. Since the 1995 music video for "Just a Girl", Stefani has been known for her midriff and frequently wears tops that expose it. Stefani's makeup design generally includes light face powder, bright red lipstick, and arched eyebrows; she wrote about the subject in a song titled "Magic's in the Makeup" for No Doubt's Return of Saturn, asking "If the magic's in the makeup/Then who am I?". Stefani is a natural brunette, but her hair has not been its natural color since she was in ninth grade. Since late 1994, she has usually had platinum blonde hair. Stefani discussed this in the song "Platinum Blonde Life" on Rock Steady and played original blonde bombshell Jean Harlow in the 2004 biopic The Aviator. She dyed her hair blue in 1998 and pink in 1999, when she appeared on the cover of Return of Saturn with pink hair. In 2006, Stefani modified her image, inspired by that of Michelle Pfeiffer's character Elvira Hancock in the 1983 film Scarface. The reinvented image included a symbol consisting of two back-to-back 'G's, which appears on a diamond-encrusted key she wears on a necklace and which became a motif in the promotion of The Sweet Escape. Stefani raised concerns in January 2007 about her rapid weight loss following her pregnancy. She later stated that she had been on a diet since the sixth grade to fit in size 4 clothing. A wax figure of Stefani was unveiled at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas at The Venetian on September 22, 2010. The release of Stefani's first solo album brought attention to her entourage of four Harajuku Girls, who appear in outfits influenced by Gothic Lolita fashion, and are named for the area around the Harajuku Station of Tokyo. Stefani's clothing also took influence from Japanese fashion, in a style described as a combination between Christian Dior and Japan. The dancers are featured in her music videos, press coverage, and on the album cover for Love. Angel. Music. Baby., with a song named for and dedicated to them on the album. They were also featured in, and the namesake for, Stefani's Harajuku Lovers Tour. Forbes magazine reported that Stefani earned $27 million between June 2007 to June 2008 for her tour, fashion line and commercials, making her the world's 10th highest paid music personality at the time. Achievements and legacy Throughout her career as a solo artist, Stefani has won several music awards, including one Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. With No Doubt, she has won two Grammy Awards. In 2005, Rolling Stone called her "the only true female rock star left on radio or MTV" and featured her on the magazine's cover. Stefani received the Style Icon Award at the first People Magazine Awards in 2014. In 2016, the singer was honored at the Radio Disney Music Awards with a Hero Award, which is given to artists based on their personal contributions to various charitable works. Stefani has been referred to as a "Pop Princess" by several contemporary music critics. In 2012, VH1 listed the singer at the number thirteen on their list of "100 Greatest Women in Music". Stefani's work has influenced artists and musicians including Hayley Williams of Paramore, Best Coast, Kim Petras, Teddy Sinclair, Katy Perry, Charli XCX, Kesha, Ava Max, Marina Diamandis, Rita Ora, Keke Palmer, Bebe Rexha, Dua Lipa, the Stunners, Kelly Clarkson, Sky Ferreira, Kirstin Maldonado of Pentatonix, Olivia Rodrigo, and Cover Drive. The latter group, a quartet of Barbados musicians, claimed that both Stefani and No Doubt had helped influence their music, to which the lead singer of the group, Amanda Reifer, said that she would "pass out" if she ever met Stefani. The lead single from Love. Angel. Music. Baby., "What You Waiting For?", was considered by Pitchfork to be one of Stefani's best singles, and would later place it at number sixteen on their "Top 50 Singles of 2004" list. "Hollaback Girl" from Love. Angel. Music. Baby. would go on to be the first song to digitally sell an excess of one million copies in the United States; it was certified platinum in both the United States and Australia, and peaked at number forty-one on Billboards decade-end charts for 2000–09. Since its release in 2005, "Hollaback Girl" has been called Stefani's "signature song" by Rolling Stone. Philanthropy Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Stefani donated $1 million to Save the Children's Japan Earthquake–Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund. Stefani also ran an auction on eBay from April 11 to 25, 2011, allowing participants to bid on vintage clothing items from her personal wardrobe and custom T-shirts designed and signed by her, as well as an admission to a private Harajuku-themed tea party hosted by her on June 7, 2011, at Los Angeles' first-ever Japanese-style maid café and pop art space, Royal/T, with proceeds from the auction going to Save the Children's relief effort. At the amfAR gala during the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, Stefani auctioned off the lacy black dress she wore at the event for charity, raising over $125,000. A representative for designer Michael Angel, who helped Stefani with the design and worked as a stylist, said that Angel created the gown, not Stefani. In response, Angel released a statement confirming that the dress was designed by Stefani for L.A.M.B. to wear and be auctioned off at the amfAR gala. Stefani hosted a fundraiser with First Lady Michelle Obama in August 2012 at the singer's Beverly Hills home. The singer-songwriter supports the LGBT community, stating in a 2019 Pride Source interview, "I would like to be blessed with a gay son; [...] I just want my boys to be healthy and happy. And I just ask God to guide me to be a good mother, which is not an easy thing at all." Discography Solo discography Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004) The Sweet Escape (2006) This Is What the Truth Feels Like (2016) You Make It Feel Like Christmas (2017) No Doubt discography No Doubt (1992) The Beacon Street Collection (1995) Tragic Kingdom (1995) Return of Saturn (2000) Rock Steady (2001) Push and Shove'' (2012) Tours Headlining Harajuku Lovers Tour (2005) The Sweet Escape Tour (2007) This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour (2016) Residency Gwen Stefani – Just a Girl (2018–2021) Promotional MasterCard Priceless Surprises Presents Gwen Stefani (2015–2016) Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre Final Shows (2016) Festivals Machaca Fest (2019) Filmography References External links 1969 births Living people 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Actresses from Fullerton, California American contemporary R&B singers American dance musicians American expatriates in the United Kingdom American fashion designers American women pop singers American women rock singers American film actresses American new wave musicians American people of Italian descent American people of Irish descent American pop rock singers American rock songwriters American ska singers American television actresses American video game actresses American voice actresses American women in electronic music Brit Award winners Electronica musicians Women new wave singers Grammy Award winners Interscope Records artists Musicians from Anaheim, California Musicians from Fullerton, California No Doubt members Participants in American reality television series Singers from California Songwriters from California World Music Awards winners Las Vegas shows California State University, Fullerton people Women hip hop record producers American female hip hop singers American female hip hop musicians American women fashion designers
false
[ "Cho Min (Korean: 조민, born 1991) is the daughter of Cho Kuk. She is currently a medical student at the Busan National University. She is a researcher in genetics and pathology. She became the focal point of a major scandal where it was found that she and her parents falsified academic achievements, including participation in peer-reviewed journals and extra-curricular activities.\n\nEarly years \nCho Min was born in February 1991 in Seoul, South Korea. Her father is Cho Kuk, a prominent politician; her mother is Chung Kyung-sim, a university professor. Her birth date registration was changed to September 1991 on the suggestion of her paternal grandfather in order to send her earlier to the school system. She was born to a wealthy family based in Busan, then the owners of Ungdong Foundation and Korea Construction Company.\n\nResearch in genetics and other academic achievements \nDuring her years in high school, she published Nos Gene Polymorphisms in Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy in The Korean Journal of Pathology as the first author, meaning she did much of the research. She was also a co-author of Identification of Sex-specific genes in Aglaothamnion callophyllidicola (Rhodophyta) using differentially expressed gene analysis and she presented it at the 9th International Phycological Congress. These merits, along with numerous internships at prestigious institutions, helped her advance her career from a foreign language high school to Korea University's Life Sciences department, then to a Masters program at Seoul National University, and finally to the medical school of Busan National University.\n\nCho Kuk scandal and the falsification of academic achievements of Cho Min \nBeginning in late 2019, Cho Min's extraordinary academic achievements have come under scrutiny as her father, Cho Kuk, got involved in a serious scandal involving illegitimate business activities and falsifying Cho Min's academic achievements. On 27 August 2019, it was reported that 20 different locations, including Seoul National University, Busan University, Korea University, Dankook University, Kongju National University, Cho's brother-in-law's home, and other offices of his family businesses were raided by the prosecutor's office. Led by Yoon Suk-yeol, they were in search of evidence related to Cho's daughter's suspicious academic achievements, including a pathology paper, \"eNos Gene Polymorphisms in Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy\". The paper was published in an international medical research journal, listing her as the primary author even though she was only a high school student.\nThe medical paper was later retracted due to violations of ethical guidelines. A senior association of medical experts in South Korea condemned the paper as one of the most serious cases of academic misconduct in South Korean history and compared it to the Hwang Woo-suk scandal.\n\nShe later used this now retracted medical paper and other controversial extra-curricular experiences to enter Korea University and the Busan University medical school via a highly criticized admission path that does not require candidates to submit written college examination results. She is also under suspicion of receiving multiple scholarships normally reserved for financially challenged students. At the medical school, she flunked two semesters for substandard performance.\n\nIn addition, Cho's family members are currently under a travel ban. He and his family are under suspicion of inappropriate business practices, investments, and asset gains.\n\nThe aforementioned all preceded Cho's Minister of Justice nominee hearings, which took place on the 2nd and 3rd of September 2019. These controversies led to candlelight protests against Cho at both Seoul National University and Korea University on 23 August, where demands for his immediate resignation from the institution and his nomination were made. \"Cho Kuk, you are an embarrassment,\" was one of this protest's campaign messages. \"A survey of some 1,800 SNU students conducted by the online student community SNULife and released on 15 August, found that 95% of students said Cho was 'not fit for the justice minister position at all'\". (University World News) On 28 August, a second candlelight protest was held at SNU, in which a total of 700 students participated.\n\nOn 4 September, Cho's wife, Chung Kyung-sim was officially announced as a defendant in allegations of acts of impropriety regarding an academic award claimed to have been awarded to her daughter, Cho Min, from Dongyang University. His wife's offices were put under search and seizure to obtain evidence. In addition, the President of Dongyang University, Choi Sung-hae has come out and denied ever awarding her such. Choi further added that, after leaving the prosecutor's office, as an educator, he cannot out of good conscience lie and, furthermore, the certificate number on the award in question (which appears to come with an official stamp from his office) is not in line with what his office officially utilises. The official award numbers start with \"000\"; the number on the fake certificate started with a \"1\". This indicates that there was fraud involved because the stamp itself seems similar to the official one. Most noteworthy is that this fake certificate, among other questionable awards in Cho's daughter's name, were used by Cho's family to apply for various top universities.\n\nIt was further reported that Cho's wife and other personal and political associates of Cho Kuk, including Rhyu Si-min, former Minister of Health and Welfare under Roh Moo-hyun Cabinet, placed a call to Choi and suggested that he say the certificate was authentic. Rhyu has admitted to the call but claims to have made the call as a YouTube reporter for information clarification.\n\nOn 10 September 2019, shortly after Cho Kuk's nomination hearing, Cho Kuk's wife, Chung Kyung-sim, was officially indicted for forgery of a document by the prosecutor's office. Prior to the charges and during the hearing, when asked what should happen if his wife should face charges, Cho Kuk replied that his wife should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. Cho Kuk did not add that he would withdraw or resign from the nomination (Korea Times, 11 Sept. 2019, Chosunilbo, 10 Sept. 2019)\n\nOn 24 October Chung Kyung-sim arrested for embezzlement using forged official documents and other charges.\n\nIn an interview with Kim Eo-jun, Cho Min denied all allegations against her, and showed support and worry for her indicted mother. On the possibility of retraction of all her academic credentials in tertiary education, she expressed that it would be unfair, but she also expressed her determination to become a medical doctor even if it takes her another ten years.\n\nIn an inquiry by the South Korean parliament, it was found that Cho Min's name is engraved in a memorial in KIST for her contribution to the institute. Her contribution, which is known to be her brief internship in the institute, came into question as to whether she properly participated in the internship program. A research director in KIST was sacked for his role in falsifying documents related to Cho Min's internship. KIST announced it will launch a full investigation of all individuals honored in the memorial, and remove any names who did not meet a preset standard. On December 31st, 2019, KIST announced it will remove the names of all workers who quit within a month without pay. Cho Min was contracted to work at KIST as a student researcher for a month and received a work certificate. However, in a subsequent investigation, it was found that she only worked for two days. Based on this criterion, 23 names will be removed from the KIST memorial, including Cho Min.\n\nSee also \nChung Yoo-ra\n\nReferences \n\nPolitical scandals in South Korea\nAcademic scandals\n2019 scandals\n2019 in South Korea", "Pei Fang (born 1 February 1972) is a former Chinese track and field athlete, who specialized in sprinting events.\n\nAffiliated to the Shanghai's track and field team, she took part in the National Games of China, competing in the 100 metres event. She won her heat in 11.16 seconds. In the semi-finals, she finished second and clocked 11.09 seconds, 0.06 s behind Sichuan runner Liu Xiaomei.\n\nIn the final, she finished fourth in 11.10 s in a race won Li Xuemei in 10.79 s. Liu Xiaomei won the silver medal in 10.89 s and twice Olympian Tian Yumei took the bronze, crossing the line in 11.06 s.\n\nPei's career seems to have ended with those National Games, as she did not compete in any competitions after 1997.\n\nAchievements\n\nRecords\n\nReferences\n \n All-Athletics profile\n\n1972 births\nLiving people\nChinese female sprinters\nRunners from Shanghai" ]
[ "Gwen Stefani", "Achievements and legacy", "Did she win any awardS?", "one Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards.", "What other achievements did she have?", "Stefani's work has influenced a number of artists and musicians" ]
C_8054ccee4d8043119d4c64bdb73aa073_0
What are some examples?
3
What are some examples of Gwen Stefani's work influencing a number of artists and musicians?
Gwen Stefani
Throughout her career as a solo artist, Stefani has won several music awards, including one Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. With No Doubt, she has won two Grammy Awards. In 2005, Rolling Stone called her "the only true female rock star left on radio or MTV" and featured her on the magazine's cover. Stefani received the Style Icon Award at the first People Magazine Awards in 2014. Additionally in 2016, the singer was honored at the Radio Disney Music Awards with a Hero Award, which is given to artists based on their personal contributions to various charitable works. Stefani has been referred to as a "Pop Princess" by several contemporary music critics. In 2012, VH1 listed the singer at the number thirteen on their list of "100 Greatest Women in Music". Stefani's work has influenced a number of artists and musicians including Hayley Williams of Paramore, Best Coast, Katy Perry, Kesha, Marina and the Diamonds, Stefy, Rita Ora, Sky Ferreira, and Cover Drive. The latter group, a quartet of Barbados musicians, claimed that both Stefani and No Doubt had helped influence their music, to which the lead singer of the group, Amanda Reifer, admitted that she would "pass out" if she were to ever meet Stefani. The lead single from Love. Angel. Music. Baby., "What You Waiting For?", was considered by Pitchfork to be one of the best singles by Stefani, and would later place it at number sixteen on their "Top 50 Singles of 2004" list. Additionally, "Hollaback Girl" from the aforementioned album would go on to be the first song to digitally sell an excess of one million copies in the United States; it was certified platinum in both the United States and Australia, and peak at number forty-one on Billboard's decade-end charts for 2000-09. Since its release in 2005, "Hollaback Girl" has been called Stefani's "signature song" by Rolling Stone. CANNOTANSWER
Hayley Williams of Paramore, Best Coast, Katy Perry, Kesha, Marina and the Diamonds, Stefy, Rita Ora, Sky Ferreira, and Cover Drive.
Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer and songwriter. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs", and "Don't Speak", from their 1995 breakthrough studio album Tragic Kingdom, as well as "Hey Baby" and "It's My Life" from later albums. During the band's hiatus, Stefani embarked on a solo pop career in 2004 by releasing her debut studio album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Inspired by pop music from the 1980s, the album was a critical and commercial success. It spawned six singles, including "What You Waiting For?", "Rich Girl", "Hollaback Girl", and "Cool". "Hollaback Girl" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart while also becoming the first US download to sell one million copies. In 2006, Stefani released her second studio album, The Sweet Escape. Among the singles were "Wind It Up" and "The Sweet Escape", the latter of which was number three on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart of 2007. Her third solo album, This Is What the Truth Feels Like (2016), was her first solo album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Her fourth solo album and first full-length Christmas album, You Make It Feel Like Christmas, was released in 2017 and charted 19 tracks on Billboards Holiday Digital Song Sales component chart in the United States. Stefani has released several singles with Blake Shelton, including "Nobody but You" (2020), which reached number 18 in the US. Stefani has won three Grammy Awards. As a solo artist, she has received an American Music Award, Brit Award, World Music Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. In 2003, she debuted her clothing line L.A.M.B. and expanded her collection with the 2005 Harajuku Lovers line, inspired by Japanese culture and fashion. Billboard magazine ranked Stefani the 54th most successful artist and 37th most successful Hot 100 artist of the 2000–2009 decade. VH1 ranked her 13th on their "100 Greatest Women in Music" list in 2012. Including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. Early life Gwen Renée Stefani was born on October 3, 1969, in Fullerton, California, and raised Catholic in nearby Anaheim, California. She was named after a stewardess in the 1968 novel Airport, and her middle name, Renée, comes from the Four Tops' 1968 version of the Left Banke's 1966 song "Walk Away Renée". Her father Dennis Stefani is Italian-American and worked as a Yamaha marketing executive. Her mother Patti (née Flynn) is Irish-American and worked as an accountant before becoming a housewife. Stefani's parents were fans of folk music and exposed her to music by artists like Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris. Stefani has two younger siblings, Jill and Todd, and an older brother, Eric. Eric was the keyboardist for No Doubt before leaving the band to pursue a career in animation on The Simpsons. Career 1986–2004: Career beginnings and No Doubt Her brother Eric introduced Gwen to 2 Tone music by Madness and the Selecter and, in 1986, he invited her to provide vocals for No Doubt, a ska band he was forming. In 1991 the band was signed to Interscope Records. The band released its self-titled debut album in 1992, but its ska-pop sound was unsuccessful due to the popularity of grunge. Before the mainstream success of both No Doubt and Sublime, Stefani contributed guest vocals to "Saw Red" on Sublime's 1994 album Robbin' the Hood. Stefani rejected the aggressiveness of female grunge artists and cited Blondie singer Debbie Harry's combination of power and sex appeal as a major influence. No Doubt's third album, Tragic Kingdom (1995), which followed the self-released The Beacon Street Collection (1995), took more than three years to make. Five singles were released from Tragic Kingdom, including "Don't Speak", which led the Hot 100 Airplay year-end chart of 1997. Stefani left college for one semester to tour for Tragic Kingdom but did not return when touring lasted two and a half years. The album was nominated for a Grammy and sold more than 16 million copies worldwide by 2004. In late 2000, Rolling Stone magazine named her "the Queen of Confessional Pop". During the time when No Doubt was receiving mainstream success, Stefani collaborated on the singles "You're the Boss" with the Brian Setzer Orchestra, "South Side" with Moby, and "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" with Eve. No Doubt released the less popular Return of Saturn in 2000, which expanded upon the new wave influences of Tragic Kingdom. Most of the lyrical content focused on Stefani's often rocky relationship with then-Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale and her insecurities, including indecision on settling down and having a child. The band's 2001 album, Rock Steady, explored more reggae and dancehall sounds, while maintaining the band's new wave influences. The album generated career-highest singles chart positions in the United States, and "Hey Baby" and "Underneath It All" received Grammy Awards. A greatest hits collection, The Singles 1992–2003, which includes a cover of Talk Talk's "It's My Life", was released in 2003. In 2002, Eve and Stefani won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Let Me Blow Ya Mind". 2004–2006: Solo debut and other ventures Stefani's debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. was released on November 12, 2004. The album features several collaborations with producers and other artists, including Tony Kanal, Tom Rothrock, Linda Perry, André 3000, Nellee Hooper, the Neptunes and New Order. Stefani created the album to modernize the music to which she listened when in high school, and L.A.M.B. takes influence from a variety of music styles of the 1980s and early 1990s such as new wave, synthpop, and electro. Stefani's decision to use her solo career as an opportunity to delve further into pop music instead of trying "to convince the world of [her] talent, depth and artistic worth" was considered unusual. The album was described as "fun as hell but... not exactly rife with subversive social commentary". The album debuted on the US Billboard 200 albums chart at number seven, selling 309,000 copies in its first week. L.A.M.B. reached multi-platinum status in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. The first single from the album was "What You Waiting For?", which debuted atop the ARIA Singles Chart, charted at number 47 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top ten on most other charts. The song served to explain why Stefani produced a solo album and discusses her fears in leaving No Doubt for a solo career as well as her desire to have a baby. "Rich Girl" was released as the album's second single. A duet with rapper Eve, and produced by Dr. Dre, it is an adaptation of a 1990s pop song by British musicians Louchie Lou & Michie One, which itself is a very loose cover lyrically but closer melodically of "If I Were a Rich Man", from the musical Fiddler on the Roof. "Rich Girl" reached the US and UK top ten. The album's third single "Hollaback Girl" became Stefani's first US and second Australian number-one single; it reached top ten elsewhere. The song was the first US music download to sell more than one million copies, and its brass-driven composition remained popular throughout 2005. The fourth single "Cool" was released shortly following the popularity of its predecessor, reaching the top 20 in US and UK. The song's lyrics and its accompanying music video, filmed on Lake Como, depict Stefani's former relationship with Kanal. "Luxurious" was released as the album's fifth single, but did not perform as well as its predecessors. "Crash" was released in January 2006 as the album's sixth single in lieu of Love. Angel. Music. Baby.s sequel, which Stefani postponed because of her pregnancy. In 2004, Stefani showed interest in making film appearances and began auditioning for films such as Mr. & Mrs. Smith. She made her film debut playing Jean Harlow in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator in 2004. Scorsese, whose daughter was a No Doubt fan, showed reciprocal interest in casting Stefani after seeing her picture from a Marilyn Monroe-inspired photo shoot for Teen Vogue in 2003. To prepare for the role, Stefani read two biographies and watched 18 of Harlow's films. Shooting her part took four to five days, and Stefani had few lines. Stefani lent her voice to the title character of the 2004 video game Malice, but the company opted not to use No Doubt band members' voices. 2006–2013: The Sweet Escape and return to No Doubt Stefani's second studio album, The Sweet Escape, was released on December 1, 2006. Stefani continued working with Kanal, Perry, and the Neptunes, along with Akon and Tim Rice-Oxley from English rock band Keane. The album focuses more heavily on electronic and dance music for clubs than its predecessor. Its release coincided with the DVD release of Stefani's first tour, entitled Harajuku Lovers Live. Sia Michel wrote that it "has a surprisingly moody, lightly autobiographical feel ... but Stefani isn't convincing as a dissatisfied diva" and Rob Sheffield called the album a "hasty return" that repeats Love. Angel. Music. Baby. with less energy. "Wind It Up", the album's lead single, used yodeling and an interpolation of The Sound of Music, and peaked in the top 10 in the US and the UK. The title track reached the top 10 in over 15 nations, including number two peaks in the US, Australia and the UK. To promote The Sweet Escape, Stefani was a mentor on the sixth season of American Idol and performed the song with Akon. The song earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Three more singles were released from the album; "4 in the Morning", "Now That You Got It" which featured Damian Marley and "Early Winter". To promote the album, Stefani embarked on a worldwide tour, The Sweet Escape Tour, which covered North America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific and part of Latin America. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly on June 6, 2011, Stefani stated that she had no plans to continue work as a solo artist. With Stefani promoting The Sweet Escape, No Doubt began work on a new album without her and planned to complete it after Stefani's Sweet Escape Tour was finished. In March 2008, the band started making posts concerning the progression of the album on their official fan forum. Stefani made a post on March 28, 2008, stating that songwriting had commenced but was slow on her end because she was pregnant with her second child. The Singles 1992–2003 became available on December 9, 2008, for the video game Rock Band 2. Adrian Young played drums on Scott Weiland's album "Happy" in Galoshes. No Doubt headlined the Bamboozle 2009 festival in May 2009, along with Fall Out Boy. The band completed a national tour in mid-2009. The new album Push and Shove was released on September 25, preceded by the first single, "Settle Down", on July 16. The music video for "Settle Down" was directed by Sophie Muller (who has previously directed numerous music videos for No Doubt). Also around this time No Doubt were guest mentors for the UK version of The X-Factor. "Settle Down" peaked at 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the album peaking at number three on the US Billboard 200. On November 3, 2012, the band pulled its music video "Looking Hot" from the Internet after receiving complaints that it was insensitive towards Native Americans. In January 2013, No Doubt make a cameo appearance in a hot air ballon for the third season of Portlandia. 2014–2017: The Voice, This Is What the Truth Feels Like and You Make It Feel Like Christmas On April 12, 2014, Stefani made a surprise appearance at the Coachella festival, where she joined Pharrell Williams onstage during his set to perform "Hollaback Girl". On April 29, it was officially confirmed that Stefani would join the seventh season of The Voice as a coach, replacing Christina Aguilera. Nine years after the previous time, she attended the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Stefani appears as a featured artist on Maroon 5's song "My Heart Is Open", co-written by Sia Furler, from the band's album V, which was performed for the first time with Adam Levine and an orchestra at the 2015 Grammy Awards. Stefani also collaborated with Calvin Harris on the track "Together" from his album Motion. On September 8, 2014, Stefani told MTV News during New York Fashion Week that she was working on both a No Doubt album and a solo album, and that she was working with Williams. Stefani released her comeback single "Baby Don't Lie" on October 20, 2014, co-written with producers Ryan Tedder, Benny Blanco, and Noel Zancanella. Billboard announced that her third studio album was set to be released in December with Benny Blanco serving as executive producer. In late October, "Spark the Fire", a new track from Stefani's third album, was released. The song was produced by Pharrell Williams. On November 23, the full song premiered online. Both "Baby Don't Lie" and "Spark the Fire" were later scrapped from Stefani's third album. On January 13, 2015, Stefani and Williams also recorded a song titled "Shine", for the Paddington soundtrack. Stefani and Sia Furler worked together on a ballad, called "Start a War" which was expected to be released on Stefani's third studio album as well, but it was not included on the final cut. On July 10, 2015, American rapper Eminem featured Stefani on his single "Kings Never Die", from the Southpaw film soundtrack. The track debuted and peaked at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and matched first-week digital download sales of 35,000 copies. On October 17, 2015, Stefani performed a concert as part of her MasterCard Priceless Surprises tour series at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, where she performed a new song about her breakup with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale, titled "Used to Love You". It was released as a download on October 20, 2015. The video was released the same day. The song was released to contemporary hit radio in the United States on October 27, 2015. The track is the first official single off her third solo album This Is What the Truth Feels Like, which she began working on in mid-2015. Stefani said much of the previous material she worked on in 2014 felt forced and inauthentic, the opposite of what she had originally wanted. The album's second single, "Make Me Like You", was released on February 12, 2016. This Is What the Truth Feels Like was released on March 18, 2016, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 84,000 album-equivalent units sold in its first week, earning Stefani her first number-one album on the U.S. chart as a solo artist. To further promote the album, Stefani embarked on her This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour with rapper Eve in the United States. Stefani voiced DJ Suki in the animated film Trolls, which was released on November 4, 2016. She is also included on five songs from the film's official soundtrack. Stefani twice performed as part of the "Final Shows" at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre on October 29–30, before the venue's closure due to The Irvine Company not renewing the venue's land lease. Stefani was interviewed for the documentary series The Defiant Ones, which was released in July 2017. The same month, she announced plans to release new music by the end of the year. In August, several song titles from the singer's sessions were published on GEMA's official website, suggesting that she may be recording a holiday album. The songwriting credits from the leaked tracks had Stefani collaborating with busbee, Blake Shelton, and Justin Tranter. The album, titled You Make It Feel Like Christmas, was released on October 6, 2017. Its title track, featuring guest vocals from Shelton, was digitally distributed on September 22, 2017, as the lead single. To promote the record, Stefani hosted Gwen Stefani's You Make It Feel Like Christmas, an NBC Christmas television special that aired on December 12, 2017. 2018–present: Upcoming fifth studio album Stefani's first concert residency, titled Just a Girl: Las Vegas, began on June 27, 2018, at the Zappos Theater in Las Vegas. It concluded on May 16, 2020. It was named after No Doubt's song "Just a Girl". Proceeds from the show ($1 per ticket) were donated to the organization Cure4Kids. A deluxe edition of You Make It Feel Like Christmas was released in October 2018, and was promoted through the single "Secret Santa". On June 22, 2019, Stefani performed at the Machaca Fest in Fundidora Park. In the same month, The New York Times Magazine listed Stefani among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire. In June 2019, Stefani replaced Adam Levine as a coach for The Voices 17th season after Levine left the show after 16 seasons as a coach. Stefani was replaced by first-time coach Nick Jonas for the 18th season. She returned for her fifth season of The Voice'''s 19th season as a replacement for Jonas. her finalist Carter Rubin was named the winner, giving her the first victory as a coach after her fifth attempt, and the ninth coach (and fourth female after Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, and Kelly Clarkson) to do so. In November 2020, while the 19th season was still airing, it was announced Jonas would once again replace Stefani as a judge for season 20. On December 13, 2019, Stefani featured on Shelton's single "Nobody but You" from his compilation album Fully Loaded: God's Country. The song peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 49 on the Canadian Hot 100. On July 24, 2020, Stefani and Shelton released another single titled "Happy Anywhere" inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic. Stefani was initially scheduled to perform at Lollapalooza's 2020 festival, but it was postponed due to the pandemic. Lollapalooza was held as a four-day livestream in July and August 2020, but Stefani did not participate in it. Stefani was featured on a Mark Ronson remix of Dua Lipa's "Physical", which is included on Lipa's remix album Club Future Nostalgia (2020). Stefani was initially approached to clear a "Hollaback Girl" sample for the Mr Fingers' remix of Lipa's "Hallucinate", and then asked to be a part of the "Physical" remix. To promote 2020 reissued edition of You Make It Feel Like Christmas, Stefani released a cover of "Sleigh Ride" as a single. On December 7, 2020, Stefani released "Let Me Reintroduce Myself" as the lead single from upcoming fifth studio album. She followed this with a second single "Slow Clap" on March 11, 2021, which received a remix featuring Saweetie the following month. Stefani also teased other new music through her Instagram account, announcing she recorded two new tracks titled "When Loving Gets Old" and "Cry Happy". Other ventures Stefani made most of the clothing that she wore on stage with No Doubt, resulting in increasingly eclectic combinations. Stylist Andrea Lieberman introduced her to haute couture clothing, which led to Stefani launching a fashion line named L.A.M.B. in 2004. The line takes influence from a variety of fashions, including Guatemalan, Japanese, and Jamaican styles. The line achieved popularity among celebrities and is worn by stars such as Teri Hatcher, Nicole Kidman, and Stefani herself. In June 2005, she expanded her collection with the less expensive Harajuku Lovers line, which she referred to as "a glorified merchandise line", with varied products including a camera, mobile phone charms, and undergarments. Alt URL In late 2006, Stefani released a limited edition line of dolls called "Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Fashion dolls". The dolls are inspired by the clothes Stefani and the Harajuku Girls wore while touring for the album. In late 2007, Stefani launched a perfume, L, as a part of her L.A.M.B. collection of clothing and accessories. The perfume has high notes of sweet pea and rose. In September 2008, Stefani released a fragrance line as a part of her Harajuku Lovers product line. There are five different fragrances based on the four Harajuku Girls and Stefani herself called Love, Lil' Angel, Music, Baby and G (Gwen). , Stefani has become the spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris. In 2016, Urban Decay released a limited edition cosmetic collection in collaboration with Stefani. After needing to wear glasses, she began designing eyewear. In 2016, Gwen began releasing eyewear under her fashion label L.A.M.B. She also began releasing affordable eyewear under the label GX, with Tura Inc. In 2014, Stefani announced the production of an animated series about her and the Harajuku Girls. Along with Vision Animation and Moody Street Kids, Stefani has helped create the show which features herself, Love, Angel, Music, and Baby as the band, HJ5, who fight evil whilst trying to pursue their music career. Mattel was the global toy licensee and the series itself, Kuu Kuu Harajuku was distributed worldwide by DHX Media. Personal life Stefani began dating her bandmate Tony Kanal, soon after he joined the band. She stated that she was heavily invested in that relationship, and commented that "...all I ever did was look at Tony and pray that God would let me have a baby with him." The band almost split up when Kanal ended the relationship.Born to Be. MuchMusic programming. Original airdate: March 2006. Retrieved November 13, 2006. Their break-up inspired Stefani lyrically, and many of Tragic Kingdoms songs, such as "Don't Speak", "Sunday Morning", and "Hey You!", chronicle the ups and downs of their relationship. Many years later, Stefani co-wrote her song "Cool" about their relationship as friends for her 2004 debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.Stefani met Bush lead singer and guitarist Gavin Rossdale in 1995, when No Doubt and headlining band Bush performed at a holiday concert for radio station KROQ. They married on September 14, 2002, with a wedding in St Paul's, Covent Garden, London. A second wedding was held in Los Angeles two weeks later. Stefani has three sons with Rossdale, born in May 2006, August 2008, and February 2014. On August 3, 2015, Stefani filed for divorce from Rossdale, citing "irreconcilable differences". Their divorce was finalized on April 8, 2016, in which Rossdale agreed to the "unequal split" of their assets. Stefani announced her relationship with Blake Shelton, country music artist and The Voice co-star, in November 2015. The couple announced their engagement on October 27, 2020, and married on July 3, 2021, at Shelton's Oklahoma ranch. Artistry AXS called Stefani a "powerhouse" vocalist with an "incredible" range. The New York Times considered Stefani's vocals "mannered" and commended her for "kick[ing] her vibrato addiction". IGN described Stefani as having a "unique vocal prowess". The Chicago Tribune stated that Stefani had a "brash alto". Stefani's debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. took influence from a variety of 1980s genres, which included electropop, new wave, dance-rock, hip hop, R&B, soul, and disco music. Stefani cited early Madonna, Lisa Lisa, Club Nouveau, Prince, New Order and the Cure as major influences for the album. Several of the album's tracks were designed for clubs, and contained electro beats meant for dancing. Referencing fashion and wealth in the album, the singer name-drops several designers who she considered inspirations in her personal career, such as John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood. Her second studio album The Sweet Escape resembles musically its predecessor while exploring more modern pop sounds, dabbling heavily into genres such as dance-pop and rap. It carried on the same themes developed in Love. Angel. Music. Baby., and was criticized for doing so.This Is What the Truth Feels Like, the singer's third album, continued Stefani's endeavors with the pop genre, while incorporating music from a variety of other genres including reggae, disco, and dancehall, as well as the use of guitars. Stefani's lyrics shifted towards events that had recently occurred in her personal life, such as her divorce from Rossdale, and new relationship with Shelton. The singer stated her album was more about forgiveness than revenge. Public image Stefani began wearing a bindi in the mid-1990s after attending several family gatherings with Tony Kanal, who is of Indian heritage. During No Doubt's breakthrough, Stefani wore the forehead decoration in several of the band's music videos and briefly popularized the accessory in 1997. Since the 1995 music video for "Just a Girl", Stefani has been known for her midriff and frequently wears tops that expose it. Stefani's makeup design generally includes light face powder, bright red lipstick, and arched eyebrows; she wrote about the subject in a song titled "Magic's in the Makeup" for No Doubt's Return of Saturn, asking "If the magic's in the makeup/Then who am I?". Stefani is a natural brunette, but her hair has not been its natural color since she was in ninth grade. Since late 1994, she has usually had platinum blonde hair. Stefani discussed this in the song "Platinum Blonde Life" on Rock Steady and played original blonde bombshell Jean Harlow in the 2004 biopic The Aviator. She dyed her hair blue in 1998 and pink in 1999, when she appeared on the cover of Return of Saturn with pink hair. In 2006, Stefani modified her image, inspired by that of Michelle Pfeiffer's character Elvira Hancock in the 1983 film Scarface. The reinvented image included a symbol consisting of two back-to-back 'G's, which appears on a diamond-encrusted key she wears on a necklace and which became a motif in the promotion of The Sweet Escape. Stefani raised concerns in January 2007 about her rapid weight loss following her pregnancy. She later stated that she had been on a diet since the sixth grade to fit in size 4 clothing. A wax figure of Stefani was unveiled at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas at The Venetian on September 22, 2010. The release of Stefani's first solo album brought attention to her entourage of four Harajuku Girls, who appear in outfits influenced by Gothic Lolita fashion, and are named for the area around the Harajuku Station of Tokyo. Stefani's clothing also took influence from Japanese fashion, in a style described as a combination between Christian Dior and Japan. The dancers are featured in her music videos, press coverage, and on the album cover for Love. Angel. Music. Baby., with a song named for and dedicated to them on the album. They were also featured in, and the namesake for, Stefani's Harajuku Lovers Tour. Forbes magazine reported that Stefani earned $27 million between June 2007 to June 2008 for her tour, fashion line and commercials, making her the world's 10th highest paid music personality at the time. Achievements and legacy Throughout her career as a solo artist, Stefani has won several music awards, including one Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. With No Doubt, she has won two Grammy Awards. In 2005, Rolling Stone called her "the only true female rock star left on radio or MTV" and featured her on the magazine's cover. Stefani received the Style Icon Award at the first People Magazine Awards in 2014. In 2016, the singer was honored at the Radio Disney Music Awards with a Hero Award, which is given to artists based on their personal contributions to various charitable works. Stefani has been referred to as a "Pop Princess" by several contemporary music critics. In 2012, VH1 listed the singer at the number thirteen on their list of "100 Greatest Women in Music". Stefani's work has influenced artists and musicians including Hayley Williams of Paramore, Best Coast, Kim Petras, Teddy Sinclair, Katy Perry, Charli XCX, Kesha, Ava Max, Marina Diamandis, Rita Ora, Keke Palmer, Bebe Rexha, Dua Lipa, the Stunners, Kelly Clarkson, Sky Ferreira, Kirstin Maldonado of Pentatonix, Olivia Rodrigo, and Cover Drive. The latter group, a quartet of Barbados musicians, claimed that both Stefani and No Doubt had helped influence their music, to which the lead singer of the group, Amanda Reifer, said that she would "pass out" if she ever met Stefani. The lead single from Love. Angel. Music. Baby., "What You Waiting For?", was considered by Pitchfork to be one of Stefani's best singles, and would later place it at number sixteen on their "Top 50 Singles of 2004" list. "Hollaback Girl" from Love. Angel. Music. Baby. would go on to be the first song to digitally sell an excess of one million copies in the United States; it was certified platinum in both the United States and Australia, and peaked at number forty-one on Billboards decade-end charts for 2000–09. Since its release in 2005, "Hollaback Girl" has been called Stefani's "signature song" by Rolling Stone. Philanthropy Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Stefani donated $1 million to Save the Children's Japan Earthquake–Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund. Stefani also ran an auction on eBay from April 11 to 25, 2011, allowing participants to bid on vintage clothing items from her personal wardrobe and custom T-shirts designed and signed by her, as well as an admission to a private Harajuku-themed tea party hosted by her on June 7, 2011, at Los Angeles' first-ever Japanese-style maid café and pop art space, Royal/T, with proceeds from the auction going to Save the Children's relief effort. At the amfAR gala during the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, Stefani auctioned off the lacy black dress she wore at the event for charity, raising over $125,000. A representative for designer Michael Angel, who helped Stefani with the design and worked as a stylist, said that Angel created the gown, not Stefani. In response, Angel released a statement confirming that the dress was designed by Stefani for L.A.M.B. to wear and be auctioned off at the amfAR gala. Stefani hosted a fundraiser with First Lady Michelle Obama in August 2012 at the singer's Beverly Hills home. The singer-songwriter supports the LGBT community, stating in a 2019 Pride Source interview, "I would like to be blessed with a gay son; [...] I just want my boys to be healthy and happy. And I just ask God to guide me to be a good mother, which is not an easy thing at all." Discography Solo discography Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004) The Sweet Escape (2006) This Is What the Truth Feels Like (2016) You Make It Feel Like Christmas (2017) No Doubt discography No Doubt (1992) The Beacon Street Collection (1995) Tragic Kingdom (1995) Return of Saturn (2000) Rock Steady (2001) Push and Shove'' (2012) Tours Headlining Harajuku Lovers Tour (2005) The Sweet Escape Tour (2007) This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour (2016) Residency Gwen Stefani – Just a Girl (2018–2021) Promotional MasterCard Priceless Surprises Presents Gwen Stefani (2015–2016) Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre Final Shows (2016) Festivals Machaca Fest (2019) Filmography References External links 1969 births Living people 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Actresses from Fullerton, California American contemporary R&B singers American dance musicians American expatriates in the United Kingdom American fashion designers American women pop singers American women rock singers American film actresses American new wave musicians American people of Italian descent American people of Irish descent American pop rock singers American rock songwriters American ska singers American television actresses American video game actresses American voice actresses American women in electronic music Brit Award winners Electronica musicians Women new wave singers Grammy Award winners Interscope Records artists Musicians from Anaheim, California Musicians from Fullerton, California No Doubt members Participants in American reality television series Singers from California Songwriters from California World Music Awards winners Las Vegas shows California State University, Fullerton people Women hip hop record producers American female hip hop singers American female hip hop musicians American women fashion designers
false
[ "This is a list of societies that have been described as examples of stateless societies. \n\nThere is no universally accepted definition of what constitutes a state, or to what extent a stateless group must be independent of the de jure or de facto control of states so as to be considered a society by itself.\n\nHistorical societies \nThe following groups have been cited as examples of stateless societies by some commentators.\n\nIndigenous societies\nHuman society predates the existence of states, meaning that the history of almost any ethnic group would include pre-state organisation. The groups listed below have been identified as examples of stateless societies by various commentators, including discussions relating to anarchism.\n\nSee also\n\nList of anarchist communities\nStateless society\nStateless nation\nStatelessness\n\nReferences \n\nStateless societies\nAnthropology\nArchaeological theory\nStatelessness\nSociety", "The Heinz dilemma is a frequently used example in many ethics and morality classes. One well-known version of the dilemma, used in Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral development, is stated as follows:\n\nFrom a theoretical point of view, it is not important what the participant thinks that Heinz should do. Kohlberg's theory holds that the justification the participant offers is what is significant, the form of their response. Below are some of many examples of possible arguments that belong to the six stages:\n\nReferences\n\nThought experiments in ethics\nMorality\nMoral psychology\nDilemmas\n1981 introductions" ]
[ "Gwen Stefani", "Achievements and legacy", "Did she win any awardS?", "one Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards.", "What other achievements did she have?", "Stefani's work has influenced a number of artists and musicians", "What are some examples?", "Hayley Williams of Paramore, Best Coast, Katy Perry, Kesha, Marina and the Diamonds, Stefy, Rita Ora, Sky Ferreira, and Cover Drive." ]
C_8054ccee4d8043119d4c64bdb73aa073_0
What is her legacy?
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What is Gwen Stafani's legacy?
Gwen Stefani
Throughout her career as a solo artist, Stefani has won several music awards, including one Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. With No Doubt, she has won two Grammy Awards. In 2005, Rolling Stone called her "the only true female rock star left on radio or MTV" and featured her on the magazine's cover. Stefani received the Style Icon Award at the first People Magazine Awards in 2014. Additionally in 2016, the singer was honored at the Radio Disney Music Awards with a Hero Award, which is given to artists based on their personal contributions to various charitable works. Stefani has been referred to as a "Pop Princess" by several contemporary music critics. In 2012, VH1 listed the singer at the number thirteen on their list of "100 Greatest Women in Music". Stefani's work has influenced a number of artists and musicians including Hayley Williams of Paramore, Best Coast, Katy Perry, Kesha, Marina and the Diamonds, Stefy, Rita Ora, Sky Ferreira, and Cover Drive. The latter group, a quartet of Barbados musicians, claimed that both Stefani and No Doubt had helped influence their music, to which the lead singer of the group, Amanda Reifer, admitted that she would "pass out" if she were to ever meet Stefani. The lead single from Love. Angel. Music. Baby., "What You Waiting For?", was considered by Pitchfork to be one of the best singles by Stefani, and would later place it at number sixteen on their "Top 50 Singles of 2004" list. Additionally, "Hollaback Girl" from the aforementioned album would go on to be the first song to digitally sell an excess of one million copies in the United States; it was certified platinum in both the United States and Australia, and peak at number forty-one on Billboard's decade-end charts for 2000-09. Since its release in 2005, "Hollaback Girl" has been called Stefani's "signature song" by Rolling Stone. CANNOTANSWER
Stefani has been referred to as a "Pop Princess" by several contemporary music critics.
Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer and songwriter. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs", and "Don't Speak", from their 1995 breakthrough studio album Tragic Kingdom, as well as "Hey Baby" and "It's My Life" from later albums. During the band's hiatus, Stefani embarked on a solo pop career in 2004 by releasing her debut studio album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Inspired by pop music from the 1980s, the album was a critical and commercial success. It spawned six singles, including "What You Waiting For?", "Rich Girl", "Hollaback Girl", and "Cool". "Hollaback Girl" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart while also becoming the first US download to sell one million copies. In 2006, Stefani released her second studio album, The Sweet Escape. Among the singles were "Wind It Up" and "The Sweet Escape", the latter of which was number three on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart of 2007. Her third solo album, This Is What the Truth Feels Like (2016), was her first solo album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Her fourth solo album and first full-length Christmas album, You Make It Feel Like Christmas, was released in 2017 and charted 19 tracks on Billboards Holiday Digital Song Sales component chart in the United States. Stefani has released several singles with Blake Shelton, including "Nobody but You" (2020), which reached number 18 in the US. Stefani has won three Grammy Awards. As a solo artist, she has received an American Music Award, Brit Award, World Music Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. In 2003, she debuted her clothing line L.A.M.B. and expanded her collection with the 2005 Harajuku Lovers line, inspired by Japanese culture and fashion. Billboard magazine ranked Stefani the 54th most successful artist and 37th most successful Hot 100 artist of the 2000–2009 decade. VH1 ranked her 13th on their "100 Greatest Women in Music" list in 2012. Including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. Early life Gwen Renée Stefani was born on October 3, 1969, in Fullerton, California, and raised Catholic in nearby Anaheim, California. She was named after a stewardess in the 1968 novel Airport, and her middle name, Renée, comes from the Four Tops' 1968 version of the Left Banke's 1966 song "Walk Away Renée". Her father Dennis Stefani is Italian-American and worked as a Yamaha marketing executive. Her mother Patti (née Flynn) is Irish-American and worked as an accountant before becoming a housewife. Stefani's parents were fans of folk music and exposed her to music by artists like Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris. Stefani has two younger siblings, Jill and Todd, and an older brother, Eric. Eric was the keyboardist for No Doubt before leaving the band to pursue a career in animation on The Simpsons. Career 1986–2004: Career beginnings and No Doubt Her brother Eric introduced Gwen to 2 Tone music by Madness and the Selecter and, in 1986, he invited her to provide vocals for No Doubt, a ska band he was forming. In 1991 the band was signed to Interscope Records. The band released its self-titled debut album in 1992, but its ska-pop sound was unsuccessful due to the popularity of grunge. Before the mainstream success of both No Doubt and Sublime, Stefani contributed guest vocals to "Saw Red" on Sublime's 1994 album Robbin' the Hood. Stefani rejected the aggressiveness of female grunge artists and cited Blondie singer Debbie Harry's combination of power and sex appeal as a major influence. No Doubt's third album, Tragic Kingdom (1995), which followed the self-released The Beacon Street Collection (1995), took more than three years to make. Five singles were released from Tragic Kingdom, including "Don't Speak", which led the Hot 100 Airplay year-end chart of 1997. Stefani left college for one semester to tour for Tragic Kingdom but did not return when touring lasted two and a half years. The album was nominated for a Grammy and sold more than 16 million copies worldwide by 2004. In late 2000, Rolling Stone magazine named her "the Queen of Confessional Pop". During the time when No Doubt was receiving mainstream success, Stefani collaborated on the singles "You're the Boss" with the Brian Setzer Orchestra, "South Side" with Moby, and "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" with Eve. No Doubt released the less popular Return of Saturn in 2000, which expanded upon the new wave influences of Tragic Kingdom. Most of the lyrical content focused on Stefani's often rocky relationship with then-Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale and her insecurities, including indecision on settling down and having a child. The band's 2001 album, Rock Steady, explored more reggae and dancehall sounds, while maintaining the band's new wave influences. The album generated career-highest singles chart positions in the United States, and "Hey Baby" and "Underneath It All" received Grammy Awards. A greatest hits collection, The Singles 1992–2003, which includes a cover of Talk Talk's "It's My Life", was released in 2003. In 2002, Eve and Stefani won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Let Me Blow Ya Mind". 2004–2006: Solo debut and other ventures Stefani's debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. was released on November 12, 2004. The album features several collaborations with producers and other artists, including Tony Kanal, Tom Rothrock, Linda Perry, André 3000, Nellee Hooper, the Neptunes and New Order. Stefani created the album to modernize the music to which she listened when in high school, and L.A.M.B. takes influence from a variety of music styles of the 1980s and early 1990s such as new wave, synthpop, and electro. Stefani's decision to use her solo career as an opportunity to delve further into pop music instead of trying "to convince the world of [her] talent, depth and artistic worth" was considered unusual. The album was described as "fun as hell but... not exactly rife with subversive social commentary". The album debuted on the US Billboard 200 albums chart at number seven, selling 309,000 copies in its first week. L.A.M.B. reached multi-platinum status in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. The first single from the album was "What You Waiting For?", which debuted atop the ARIA Singles Chart, charted at number 47 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top ten on most other charts. The song served to explain why Stefani produced a solo album and discusses her fears in leaving No Doubt for a solo career as well as her desire to have a baby. "Rich Girl" was released as the album's second single. A duet with rapper Eve, and produced by Dr. Dre, it is an adaptation of a 1990s pop song by British musicians Louchie Lou & Michie One, which itself is a very loose cover lyrically but closer melodically of "If I Were a Rich Man", from the musical Fiddler on the Roof. "Rich Girl" reached the US and UK top ten. The album's third single "Hollaback Girl" became Stefani's first US and second Australian number-one single; it reached top ten elsewhere. The song was the first US music download to sell more than one million copies, and its brass-driven composition remained popular throughout 2005. The fourth single "Cool" was released shortly following the popularity of its predecessor, reaching the top 20 in US and UK. The song's lyrics and its accompanying music video, filmed on Lake Como, depict Stefani's former relationship with Kanal. "Luxurious" was released as the album's fifth single, but did not perform as well as its predecessors. "Crash" was released in January 2006 as the album's sixth single in lieu of Love. Angel. Music. Baby.s sequel, which Stefani postponed because of her pregnancy. In 2004, Stefani showed interest in making film appearances and began auditioning for films such as Mr. & Mrs. Smith. She made her film debut playing Jean Harlow in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator in 2004. Scorsese, whose daughter was a No Doubt fan, showed reciprocal interest in casting Stefani after seeing her picture from a Marilyn Monroe-inspired photo shoot for Teen Vogue in 2003. To prepare for the role, Stefani read two biographies and watched 18 of Harlow's films. Shooting her part took four to five days, and Stefani had few lines. Stefani lent her voice to the title character of the 2004 video game Malice, but the company opted not to use No Doubt band members' voices. 2006–2013: The Sweet Escape and return to No Doubt Stefani's second studio album, The Sweet Escape, was released on December 1, 2006. Stefani continued working with Kanal, Perry, and the Neptunes, along with Akon and Tim Rice-Oxley from English rock band Keane. The album focuses more heavily on electronic and dance music for clubs than its predecessor. Its release coincided with the DVD release of Stefani's first tour, entitled Harajuku Lovers Live. Sia Michel wrote that it "has a surprisingly moody, lightly autobiographical feel ... but Stefani isn't convincing as a dissatisfied diva" and Rob Sheffield called the album a "hasty return" that repeats Love. Angel. Music. Baby. with less energy. "Wind It Up", the album's lead single, used yodeling and an interpolation of The Sound of Music, and peaked in the top 10 in the US and the UK. The title track reached the top 10 in over 15 nations, including number two peaks in the US, Australia and the UK. To promote The Sweet Escape, Stefani was a mentor on the sixth season of American Idol and performed the song with Akon. The song earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Three more singles were released from the album; "4 in the Morning", "Now That You Got It" which featured Damian Marley and "Early Winter". To promote the album, Stefani embarked on a worldwide tour, The Sweet Escape Tour, which covered North America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific and part of Latin America. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly on June 6, 2011, Stefani stated that she had no plans to continue work as a solo artist. With Stefani promoting The Sweet Escape, No Doubt began work on a new album without her and planned to complete it after Stefani's Sweet Escape Tour was finished. In March 2008, the band started making posts concerning the progression of the album on their official fan forum. Stefani made a post on March 28, 2008, stating that songwriting had commenced but was slow on her end because she was pregnant with her second child. The Singles 1992–2003 became available on December 9, 2008, for the video game Rock Band 2. Adrian Young played drums on Scott Weiland's album "Happy" in Galoshes. No Doubt headlined the Bamboozle 2009 festival in May 2009, along with Fall Out Boy. The band completed a national tour in mid-2009. The new album Push and Shove was released on September 25, preceded by the first single, "Settle Down", on July 16. The music video for "Settle Down" was directed by Sophie Muller (who has previously directed numerous music videos for No Doubt). Also around this time No Doubt were guest mentors for the UK version of The X-Factor. "Settle Down" peaked at 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the album peaking at number three on the US Billboard 200. On November 3, 2012, the band pulled its music video "Looking Hot" from the Internet after receiving complaints that it was insensitive towards Native Americans. In January 2013, No Doubt make a cameo appearance in a hot air ballon for the third season of Portlandia. 2014–2017: The Voice, This Is What the Truth Feels Like and You Make It Feel Like Christmas On April 12, 2014, Stefani made a surprise appearance at the Coachella festival, where she joined Pharrell Williams onstage during his set to perform "Hollaback Girl". On April 29, it was officially confirmed that Stefani would join the seventh season of The Voice as a coach, replacing Christina Aguilera. Nine years after the previous time, she attended the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Stefani appears as a featured artist on Maroon 5's song "My Heart Is Open", co-written by Sia Furler, from the band's album V, which was performed for the first time with Adam Levine and an orchestra at the 2015 Grammy Awards. Stefani also collaborated with Calvin Harris on the track "Together" from his album Motion. On September 8, 2014, Stefani told MTV News during New York Fashion Week that she was working on both a No Doubt album and a solo album, and that she was working with Williams. Stefani released her comeback single "Baby Don't Lie" on October 20, 2014, co-written with producers Ryan Tedder, Benny Blanco, and Noel Zancanella. Billboard announced that her third studio album was set to be released in December with Benny Blanco serving as executive producer. In late October, "Spark the Fire", a new track from Stefani's third album, was released. The song was produced by Pharrell Williams. On November 23, the full song premiered online. Both "Baby Don't Lie" and "Spark the Fire" were later scrapped from Stefani's third album. On January 13, 2015, Stefani and Williams also recorded a song titled "Shine", for the Paddington soundtrack. Stefani and Sia Furler worked together on a ballad, called "Start a War" which was expected to be released on Stefani's third studio album as well, but it was not included on the final cut. On July 10, 2015, American rapper Eminem featured Stefani on his single "Kings Never Die", from the Southpaw film soundtrack. The track debuted and peaked at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and matched first-week digital download sales of 35,000 copies. On October 17, 2015, Stefani performed a concert as part of her MasterCard Priceless Surprises tour series at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, where she performed a new song about her breakup with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale, titled "Used to Love You". It was released as a download on October 20, 2015. The video was released the same day. The song was released to contemporary hit radio in the United States on October 27, 2015. The track is the first official single off her third solo album This Is What the Truth Feels Like, which she began working on in mid-2015. Stefani said much of the previous material she worked on in 2014 felt forced and inauthentic, the opposite of what she had originally wanted. The album's second single, "Make Me Like You", was released on February 12, 2016. This Is What the Truth Feels Like was released on March 18, 2016, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 84,000 album-equivalent units sold in its first week, earning Stefani her first number-one album on the U.S. chart as a solo artist. To further promote the album, Stefani embarked on her This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour with rapper Eve in the United States. Stefani voiced DJ Suki in the animated film Trolls, which was released on November 4, 2016. She is also included on five songs from the film's official soundtrack. Stefani twice performed as part of the "Final Shows" at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre on October 29–30, before the venue's closure due to The Irvine Company not renewing the venue's land lease. Stefani was interviewed for the documentary series The Defiant Ones, which was released in July 2017. The same month, she announced plans to release new music by the end of the year. In August, several song titles from the singer's sessions were published on GEMA's official website, suggesting that she may be recording a holiday album. The songwriting credits from the leaked tracks had Stefani collaborating with busbee, Blake Shelton, and Justin Tranter. The album, titled You Make It Feel Like Christmas, was released on October 6, 2017. Its title track, featuring guest vocals from Shelton, was digitally distributed on September 22, 2017, as the lead single. To promote the record, Stefani hosted Gwen Stefani's You Make It Feel Like Christmas, an NBC Christmas television special that aired on December 12, 2017. 2018–present: Upcoming fifth studio album Stefani's first concert residency, titled Just a Girl: Las Vegas, began on June 27, 2018, at the Zappos Theater in Las Vegas. It concluded on May 16, 2020. It was named after No Doubt's song "Just a Girl". Proceeds from the show ($1 per ticket) were donated to the organization Cure4Kids. A deluxe edition of You Make It Feel Like Christmas was released in October 2018, and was promoted through the single "Secret Santa". On June 22, 2019, Stefani performed at the Machaca Fest in Fundidora Park. In the same month, The New York Times Magazine listed Stefani among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire. In June 2019, Stefani replaced Adam Levine as a coach for The Voices 17th season after Levine left the show after 16 seasons as a coach. Stefani was replaced by first-time coach Nick Jonas for the 18th season. She returned for her fifth season of The Voice'''s 19th season as a replacement for Jonas. her finalist Carter Rubin was named the winner, giving her the first victory as a coach after her fifth attempt, and the ninth coach (and fourth female after Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, and Kelly Clarkson) to do so. In November 2020, while the 19th season was still airing, it was announced Jonas would once again replace Stefani as a judge for season 20. On December 13, 2019, Stefani featured on Shelton's single "Nobody but You" from his compilation album Fully Loaded: God's Country. The song peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 49 on the Canadian Hot 100. On July 24, 2020, Stefani and Shelton released another single titled "Happy Anywhere" inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic. Stefani was initially scheduled to perform at Lollapalooza's 2020 festival, but it was postponed due to the pandemic. Lollapalooza was held as a four-day livestream in July and August 2020, but Stefani did not participate in it. Stefani was featured on a Mark Ronson remix of Dua Lipa's "Physical", which is included on Lipa's remix album Club Future Nostalgia (2020). Stefani was initially approached to clear a "Hollaback Girl" sample for the Mr Fingers' remix of Lipa's "Hallucinate", and then asked to be a part of the "Physical" remix. To promote 2020 reissued edition of You Make It Feel Like Christmas, Stefani released a cover of "Sleigh Ride" as a single. On December 7, 2020, Stefani released "Let Me Reintroduce Myself" as the lead single from upcoming fifth studio album. She followed this with a second single "Slow Clap" on March 11, 2021, which received a remix featuring Saweetie the following month. Stefani also teased other new music through her Instagram account, announcing she recorded two new tracks titled "When Loving Gets Old" and "Cry Happy". Other ventures Stefani made most of the clothing that she wore on stage with No Doubt, resulting in increasingly eclectic combinations. Stylist Andrea Lieberman introduced her to haute couture clothing, which led to Stefani launching a fashion line named L.A.M.B. in 2004. The line takes influence from a variety of fashions, including Guatemalan, Japanese, and Jamaican styles. The line achieved popularity among celebrities and is worn by stars such as Teri Hatcher, Nicole Kidman, and Stefani herself. In June 2005, she expanded her collection with the less expensive Harajuku Lovers line, which she referred to as "a glorified merchandise line", with varied products including a camera, mobile phone charms, and undergarments. Alt URL In late 2006, Stefani released a limited edition line of dolls called "Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Fashion dolls". The dolls are inspired by the clothes Stefani and the Harajuku Girls wore while touring for the album. In late 2007, Stefani launched a perfume, L, as a part of her L.A.M.B. collection of clothing and accessories. The perfume has high notes of sweet pea and rose. In September 2008, Stefani released a fragrance line as a part of her Harajuku Lovers product line. There are five different fragrances based on the four Harajuku Girls and Stefani herself called Love, Lil' Angel, Music, Baby and G (Gwen). , Stefani has become the spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris. In 2016, Urban Decay released a limited edition cosmetic collection in collaboration with Stefani. After needing to wear glasses, she began designing eyewear. In 2016, Gwen began releasing eyewear under her fashion label L.A.M.B. She also began releasing affordable eyewear under the label GX, with Tura Inc. In 2014, Stefani announced the production of an animated series about her and the Harajuku Girls. Along with Vision Animation and Moody Street Kids, Stefani has helped create the show which features herself, Love, Angel, Music, and Baby as the band, HJ5, who fight evil whilst trying to pursue their music career. Mattel was the global toy licensee and the series itself, Kuu Kuu Harajuku was distributed worldwide by DHX Media. Personal life Stefani began dating her bandmate Tony Kanal, soon after he joined the band. She stated that she was heavily invested in that relationship, and commented that "...all I ever did was look at Tony and pray that God would let me have a baby with him." The band almost split up when Kanal ended the relationship.Born to Be. MuchMusic programming. Original airdate: March 2006. Retrieved November 13, 2006. Their break-up inspired Stefani lyrically, and many of Tragic Kingdoms songs, such as "Don't Speak", "Sunday Morning", and "Hey You!", chronicle the ups and downs of their relationship. Many years later, Stefani co-wrote her song "Cool" about their relationship as friends for her 2004 debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.Stefani met Bush lead singer and guitarist Gavin Rossdale in 1995, when No Doubt and headlining band Bush performed at a holiday concert for radio station KROQ. They married on September 14, 2002, with a wedding in St Paul's, Covent Garden, London. A second wedding was held in Los Angeles two weeks later. Stefani has three sons with Rossdale, born in May 2006, August 2008, and February 2014. On August 3, 2015, Stefani filed for divorce from Rossdale, citing "irreconcilable differences". Their divorce was finalized on April 8, 2016, in which Rossdale agreed to the "unequal split" of their assets. Stefani announced her relationship with Blake Shelton, country music artist and The Voice co-star, in November 2015. The couple announced their engagement on October 27, 2020, and married on July 3, 2021, at Shelton's Oklahoma ranch. Artistry AXS called Stefani a "powerhouse" vocalist with an "incredible" range. The New York Times considered Stefani's vocals "mannered" and commended her for "kick[ing] her vibrato addiction". IGN described Stefani as having a "unique vocal prowess". The Chicago Tribune stated that Stefani had a "brash alto". Stefani's debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. took influence from a variety of 1980s genres, which included electropop, new wave, dance-rock, hip hop, R&B, soul, and disco music. Stefani cited early Madonna, Lisa Lisa, Club Nouveau, Prince, New Order and the Cure as major influences for the album. Several of the album's tracks were designed for clubs, and contained electro beats meant for dancing. Referencing fashion and wealth in the album, the singer name-drops several designers who she considered inspirations in her personal career, such as John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood. Her second studio album The Sweet Escape resembles musically its predecessor while exploring more modern pop sounds, dabbling heavily into genres such as dance-pop and rap. It carried on the same themes developed in Love. Angel. Music. Baby., and was criticized for doing so.This Is What the Truth Feels Like, the singer's third album, continued Stefani's endeavors with the pop genre, while incorporating music from a variety of other genres including reggae, disco, and dancehall, as well as the use of guitars. Stefani's lyrics shifted towards events that had recently occurred in her personal life, such as her divorce from Rossdale, and new relationship with Shelton. The singer stated her album was more about forgiveness than revenge. Public image Stefani began wearing a bindi in the mid-1990s after attending several family gatherings with Tony Kanal, who is of Indian heritage. During No Doubt's breakthrough, Stefani wore the forehead decoration in several of the band's music videos and briefly popularized the accessory in 1997. Since the 1995 music video for "Just a Girl", Stefani has been known for her midriff and frequently wears tops that expose it. Stefani's makeup design generally includes light face powder, bright red lipstick, and arched eyebrows; she wrote about the subject in a song titled "Magic's in the Makeup" for No Doubt's Return of Saturn, asking "If the magic's in the makeup/Then who am I?". Stefani is a natural brunette, but her hair has not been its natural color since she was in ninth grade. Since late 1994, she has usually had platinum blonde hair. Stefani discussed this in the song "Platinum Blonde Life" on Rock Steady and played original blonde bombshell Jean Harlow in the 2004 biopic The Aviator. She dyed her hair blue in 1998 and pink in 1999, when she appeared on the cover of Return of Saturn with pink hair. In 2006, Stefani modified her image, inspired by that of Michelle Pfeiffer's character Elvira Hancock in the 1983 film Scarface. The reinvented image included a symbol consisting of two back-to-back 'G's, which appears on a diamond-encrusted key she wears on a necklace and which became a motif in the promotion of The Sweet Escape. Stefani raised concerns in January 2007 about her rapid weight loss following her pregnancy. She later stated that she had been on a diet since the sixth grade to fit in size 4 clothing. A wax figure of Stefani was unveiled at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas at The Venetian on September 22, 2010. The release of Stefani's first solo album brought attention to her entourage of four Harajuku Girls, who appear in outfits influenced by Gothic Lolita fashion, and are named for the area around the Harajuku Station of Tokyo. Stefani's clothing also took influence from Japanese fashion, in a style described as a combination between Christian Dior and Japan. The dancers are featured in her music videos, press coverage, and on the album cover for Love. Angel. Music. Baby., with a song named for and dedicated to them on the album. They were also featured in, and the namesake for, Stefani's Harajuku Lovers Tour. Forbes magazine reported that Stefani earned $27 million between June 2007 to June 2008 for her tour, fashion line and commercials, making her the world's 10th highest paid music personality at the time. Achievements and legacy Throughout her career as a solo artist, Stefani has won several music awards, including one Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. With No Doubt, she has won two Grammy Awards. In 2005, Rolling Stone called her "the only true female rock star left on radio or MTV" and featured her on the magazine's cover. Stefani received the Style Icon Award at the first People Magazine Awards in 2014. In 2016, the singer was honored at the Radio Disney Music Awards with a Hero Award, which is given to artists based on their personal contributions to various charitable works. Stefani has been referred to as a "Pop Princess" by several contemporary music critics. In 2012, VH1 listed the singer at the number thirteen on their list of "100 Greatest Women in Music". Stefani's work has influenced artists and musicians including Hayley Williams of Paramore, Best Coast, Kim Petras, Teddy Sinclair, Katy Perry, Charli XCX, Kesha, Ava Max, Marina Diamandis, Rita Ora, Keke Palmer, Bebe Rexha, Dua Lipa, the Stunners, Kelly Clarkson, Sky Ferreira, Kirstin Maldonado of Pentatonix, Olivia Rodrigo, and Cover Drive. The latter group, a quartet of Barbados musicians, claimed that both Stefani and No Doubt had helped influence their music, to which the lead singer of the group, Amanda Reifer, said that she would "pass out" if she ever met Stefani. The lead single from Love. Angel. Music. Baby., "What You Waiting For?", was considered by Pitchfork to be one of Stefani's best singles, and would later place it at number sixteen on their "Top 50 Singles of 2004" list. "Hollaback Girl" from Love. Angel. Music. Baby. would go on to be the first song to digitally sell an excess of one million copies in the United States; it was certified platinum in both the United States and Australia, and peaked at number forty-one on Billboards decade-end charts for 2000–09. Since its release in 2005, "Hollaback Girl" has been called Stefani's "signature song" by Rolling Stone. Philanthropy Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Stefani donated $1 million to Save the Children's Japan Earthquake–Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund. Stefani also ran an auction on eBay from April 11 to 25, 2011, allowing participants to bid on vintage clothing items from her personal wardrobe and custom T-shirts designed and signed by her, as well as an admission to a private Harajuku-themed tea party hosted by her on June 7, 2011, at Los Angeles' first-ever Japanese-style maid café and pop art space, Royal/T, with proceeds from the auction going to Save the Children's relief effort. At the amfAR gala during the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, Stefani auctioned off the lacy black dress she wore at the event for charity, raising over $125,000. A representative for designer Michael Angel, who helped Stefani with the design and worked as a stylist, said that Angel created the gown, not Stefani. In response, Angel released a statement confirming that the dress was designed by Stefani for L.A.M.B. to wear and be auctioned off at the amfAR gala. Stefani hosted a fundraiser with First Lady Michelle Obama in August 2012 at the singer's Beverly Hills home. The singer-songwriter supports the LGBT community, stating in a 2019 Pride Source interview, "I would like to be blessed with a gay son; [...] I just want my boys to be healthy and happy. And I just ask God to guide me to be a good mother, which is not an easy thing at all." Discography Solo discography Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004) The Sweet Escape (2006) This Is What the Truth Feels Like (2016) You Make It Feel Like Christmas (2017) No Doubt discography No Doubt (1992) The Beacon Street Collection (1995) Tragic Kingdom (1995) Return of Saturn (2000) Rock Steady (2001) Push and Shove'' (2012) Tours Headlining Harajuku Lovers Tour (2005) The Sweet Escape Tour (2007) This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour (2016) Residency Gwen Stefani – Just a Girl (2018–2021) Promotional MasterCard Priceless Surprises Presents Gwen Stefani (2015–2016) Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre Final Shows (2016) Festivals Machaca Fest (2019) Filmography References External links 1969 births Living people 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Actresses from Fullerton, California American contemporary R&B singers American dance musicians American expatriates in the United Kingdom American fashion designers American women pop singers American women rock singers American film actresses American new wave musicians American people of Italian descent American people of Irish descent American pop rock singers American rock songwriters American ska singers American television actresses American video game actresses American voice actresses American women in electronic music Brit Award winners Electronica musicians Women new wave singers Grammy Award winners Interscope Records artists Musicians from Anaheim, California Musicians from Fullerton, California No Doubt members Participants in American reality television series Singers from California Songwriters from California World Music Awards winners Las Vegas shows California State University, Fullerton people Women hip hop record producers American female hip hop singers American female hip hop musicians American women fashion designers
true
[ "What the World Needs Now is...Jackie DeShannon is a compilation CD by Jackie DeShannon, released by Capitol Records as catalog number 829786 in 1994. It serves as a great introduction to the legacy of recordings by one of the most remarkable forces in the female singer/songwriter genre. These tracks are culled from the vaults of her tenure at Liberty Records.\n\nTrack listing\n\nJackie DeShannon albums\n1994 compilation albums\nCapitol Records compilation albums", "Legacy is a South African television drama telenovela series created by executive producers Phatutshedzo Makwarela and Gwidyon Benyon. It is an M-Net original production for premium subscription television channel M-Net produced by Tshedza Pictures. The series focuses on the Price family and the struggle for power over the Price empire after the death of the family's patriarch Sebastian Price. This is the channel's very first telenovela.\n\nOn 22 May 2021/15th Annual SAFTA, it won its first award for Best Telenovela category.\n\nPlot \nSebastian Price, the patriarch of the family is expected to retire from his position as CEO of Legacy Investments, an investment company he has built and operated for thirty years. He is also expected to announce his successor to the position he held. However, tragedy strikes which leads to his death. This leads to a power struggle within the family, as Sebastian bitter ex wife Angelique and his ruthless daughter Felicity do whatever it takes to make sure that Sebastian's second wife Dineo doesn't push her playboy son SJ into the ceo position at legacy investment.\n\nCast and Characters \n Dineo Price (Kgomotso Christopher) Sebastian's current wife. She is a kind-hearted woman caught up in the ensuing drama. She is initially disinterested in her husband's wealth and CEO succession, but has a change of heart later in the series.\nFelicity Price (Mary-Ann Barlow) Sebastian and Angèlique's first born daughter. She is the main antagonist in the series who plots with her mother to get the CEO position at Legacy Investments.\nSebastian Price (Deon Lotz)\n\nThe patriarch of the family and well established businessman. He is the founder and CEO of Legacy Investments.\n\n Angélique Price (Michelle Botes)\n\nSebastian's ex-wife and lawyer. She is determined to get Sebastian's wealth. She plots and schemes with her daughter Felicity.\n\n SJ Price (Anton David Jefta)\n\nSebastian and Dineo's handsome and charming son. Petra Potgieter’s love interest.\n\n Petra Potgieter (Trix Vivier) \n\nFirst jobless when we meet her, Petra Potgieter finds a job and love interest at Legacy Investments due to her brother Stefan's personal ties to one of the Price sisters\n\n Msizi Zulu (Siyabonga Thwala) \n\nA power-hungry, cunning man who would do anything to become the CEO of legacy investments and be seen as the man on top.\n\n Stefan Potgieter (Sean-Marco Vorster)\n\nPetra’s older brother who works as a driver for the Price family . Dangerous and ambitious, he is Felicity's lover and right-hand man.\n\n Williem Potgieter (Dawid Minnaar)\n\nStefan and Petra’s dad who is a recovering alcoholic. He tries to protect his children from the powerful Price family.\n\nReferences \n\nSouth African television series" ]
[ "Gwen Stefani", "Achievements and legacy", "Did she win any awardS?", "one Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards.", "What other achievements did she have?", "Stefani's work has influenced a number of artists and musicians", "What are some examples?", "Hayley Williams of Paramore, Best Coast, Katy Perry, Kesha, Marina and the Diamonds, Stefy, Rita Ora, Sky Ferreira, and Cover Drive.", "What is her legacy?", "Stefani has been referred to as a \"Pop Princess\" by several contemporary music critics." ]
C_8054ccee4d8043119d4c64bdb73aa073_0
Has she been successful?
5
Has Gwen Stefani been successful as a "Pop Princess"?
Gwen Stefani
Throughout her career as a solo artist, Stefani has won several music awards, including one Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. With No Doubt, she has won two Grammy Awards. In 2005, Rolling Stone called her "the only true female rock star left on radio or MTV" and featured her on the magazine's cover. Stefani received the Style Icon Award at the first People Magazine Awards in 2014. Additionally in 2016, the singer was honored at the Radio Disney Music Awards with a Hero Award, which is given to artists based on their personal contributions to various charitable works. Stefani has been referred to as a "Pop Princess" by several contemporary music critics. In 2012, VH1 listed the singer at the number thirteen on their list of "100 Greatest Women in Music". Stefani's work has influenced a number of artists and musicians including Hayley Williams of Paramore, Best Coast, Katy Perry, Kesha, Marina and the Diamonds, Stefy, Rita Ora, Sky Ferreira, and Cover Drive. The latter group, a quartet of Barbados musicians, claimed that both Stefani and No Doubt had helped influence their music, to which the lead singer of the group, Amanda Reifer, admitted that she would "pass out" if she were to ever meet Stefani. The lead single from Love. Angel. Music. Baby., "What You Waiting For?", was considered by Pitchfork to be one of the best singles by Stefani, and would later place it at number sixteen on their "Top 50 Singles of 2004" list. Additionally, "Hollaback Girl" from the aforementioned album would go on to be the first song to digitally sell an excess of one million copies in the United States; it was certified platinum in both the United States and Australia, and peak at number forty-one on Billboard's decade-end charts for 2000-09. Since its release in 2005, "Hollaback Girl" has been called Stefani's "signature song" by Rolling Stone. CANNOTANSWER
The lead single from Love. Angel. Music. Baby., "What You Waiting For?", was considered by Pitchfork to be one of the best singles by Stefani,
Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer and songwriter. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs", and "Don't Speak", from their 1995 breakthrough studio album Tragic Kingdom, as well as "Hey Baby" and "It's My Life" from later albums. During the band's hiatus, Stefani embarked on a solo pop career in 2004 by releasing her debut studio album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Inspired by pop music from the 1980s, the album was a critical and commercial success. It spawned six singles, including "What You Waiting For?", "Rich Girl", "Hollaback Girl", and "Cool". "Hollaback Girl" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart while also becoming the first US download to sell one million copies. In 2006, Stefani released her second studio album, The Sweet Escape. Among the singles were "Wind It Up" and "The Sweet Escape", the latter of which was number three on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart of 2007. Her third solo album, This Is What the Truth Feels Like (2016), was her first solo album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Her fourth solo album and first full-length Christmas album, You Make It Feel Like Christmas, was released in 2017 and charted 19 tracks on Billboards Holiday Digital Song Sales component chart in the United States. Stefani has released several singles with Blake Shelton, including "Nobody but You" (2020), which reached number 18 in the US. Stefani has won three Grammy Awards. As a solo artist, she has received an American Music Award, Brit Award, World Music Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. In 2003, she debuted her clothing line L.A.M.B. and expanded her collection with the 2005 Harajuku Lovers line, inspired by Japanese culture and fashion. Billboard magazine ranked Stefani the 54th most successful artist and 37th most successful Hot 100 artist of the 2000–2009 decade. VH1 ranked her 13th on their "100 Greatest Women in Music" list in 2012. Including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. Early life Gwen Renée Stefani was born on October 3, 1969, in Fullerton, California, and raised Catholic in nearby Anaheim, California. She was named after a stewardess in the 1968 novel Airport, and her middle name, Renée, comes from the Four Tops' 1968 version of the Left Banke's 1966 song "Walk Away Renée". Her father Dennis Stefani is Italian-American and worked as a Yamaha marketing executive. Her mother Patti (née Flynn) is Irish-American and worked as an accountant before becoming a housewife. Stefani's parents were fans of folk music and exposed her to music by artists like Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris. Stefani has two younger siblings, Jill and Todd, and an older brother, Eric. Eric was the keyboardist for No Doubt before leaving the band to pursue a career in animation on The Simpsons. Career 1986–2004: Career beginnings and No Doubt Her brother Eric introduced Gwen to 2 Tone music by Madness and the Selecter and, in 1986, he invited her to provide vocals for No Doubt, a ska band he was forming. In 1991 the band was signed to Interscope Records. The band released its self-titled debut album in 1992, but its ska-pop sound was unsuccessful due to the popularity of grunge. Before the mainstream success of both No Doubt and Sublime, Stefani contributed guest vocals to "Saw Red" on Sublime's 1994 album Robbin' the Hood. Stefani rejected the aggressiveness of female grunge artists and cited Blondie singer Debbie Harry's combination of power and sex appeal as a major influence. No Doubt's third album, Tragic Kingdom (1995), which followed the self-released The Beacon Street Collection (1995), took more than three years to make. Five singles were released from Tragic Kingdom, including "Don't Speak", which led the Hot 100 Airplay year-end chart of 1997. Stefani left college for one semester to tour for Tragic Kingdom but did not return when touring lasted two and a half years. The album was nominated for a Grammy and sold more than 16 million copies worldwide by 2004. In late 2000, Rolling Stone magazine named her "the Queen of Confessional Pop". During the time when No Doubt was receiving mainstream success, Stefani collaborated on the singles "You're the Boss" with the Brian Setzer Orchestra, "South Side" with Moby, and "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" with Eve. No Doubt released the less popular Return of Saturn in 2000, which expanded upon the new wave influences of Tragic Kingdom. Most of the lyrical content focused on Stefani's often rocky relationship with then-Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale and her insecurities, including indecision on settling down and having a child. The band's 2001 album, Rock Steady, explored more reggae and dancehall sounds, while maintaining the band's new wave influences. The album generated career-highest singles chart positions in the United States, and "Hey Baby" and "Underneath It All" received Grammy Awards. A greatest hits collection, The Singles 1992–2003, which includes a cover of Talk Talk's "It's My Life", was released in 2003. In 2002, Eve and Stefani won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Let Me Blow Ya Mind". 2004–2006: Solo debut and other ventures Stefani's debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. was released on November 12, 2004. The album features several collaborations with producers and other artists, including Tony Kanal, Tom Rothrock, Linda Perry, André 3000, Nellee Hooper, the Neptunes and New Order. Stefani created the album to modernize the music to which she listened when in high school, and L.A.M.B. takes influence from a variety of music styles of the 1980s and early 1990s such as new wave, synthpop, and electro. Stefani's decision to use her solo career as an opportunity to delve further into pop music instead of trying "to convince the world of [her] talent, depth and artistic worth" was considered unusual. The album was described as "fun as hell but... not exactly rife with subversive social commentary". The album debuted on the US Billboard 200 albums chart at number seven, selling 309,000 copies in its first week. L.A.M.B. reached multi-platinum status in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. The first single from the album was "What You Waiting For?", which debuted atop the ARIA Singles Chart, charted at number 47 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top ten on most other charts. The song served to explain why Stefani produced a solo album and discusses her fears in leaving No Doubt for a solo career as well as her desire to have a baby. "Rich Girl" was released as the album's second single. A duet with rapper Eve, and produced by Dr. Dre, it is an adaptation of a 1990s pop song by British musicians Louchie Lou & Michie One, which itself is a very loose cover lyrically but closer melodically of "If I Were a Rich Man", from the musical Fiddler on the Roof. "Rich Girl" reached the US and UK top ten. The album's third single "Hollaback Girl" became Stefani's first US and second Australian number-one single; it reached top ten elsewhere. The song was the first US music download to sell more than one million copies, and its brass-driven composition remained popular throughout 2005. The fourth single "Cool" was released shortly following the popularity of its predecessor, reaching the top 20 in US and UK. The song's lyrics and its accompanying music video, filmed on Lake Como, depict Stefani's former relationship with Kanal. "Luxurious" was released as the album's fifth single, but did not perform as well as its predecessors. "Crash" was released in January 2006 as the album's sixth single in lieu of Love. Angel. Music. Baby.s sequel, which Stefani postponed because of her pregnancy. In 2004, Stefani showed interest in making film appearances and began auditioning for films such as Mr. & Mrs. Smith. She made her film debut playing Jean Harlow in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator in 2004. Scorsese, whose daughter was a No Doubt fan, showed reciprocal interest in casting Stefani after seeing her picture from a Marilyn Monroe-inspired photo shoot for Teen Vogue in 2003. To prepare for the role, Stefani read two biographies and watched 18 of Harlow's films. Shooting her part took four to five days, and Stefani had few lines. Stefani lent her voice to the title character of the 2004 video game Malice, but the company opted not to use No Doubt band members' voices. 2006–2013: The Sweet Escape and return to No Doubt Stefani's second studio album, The Sweet Escape, was released on December 1, 2006. Stefani continued working with Kanal, Perry, and the Neptunes, along with Akon and Tim Rice-Oxley from English rock band Keane. The album focuses more heavily on electronic and dance music for clubs than its predecessor. Its release coincided with the DVD release of Stefani's first tour, entitled Harajuku Lovers Live. Sia Michel wrote that it "has a surprisingly moody, lightly autobiographical feel ... but Stefani isn't convincing as a dissatisfied diva" and Rob Sheffield called the album a "hasty return" that repeats Love. Angel. Music. Baby. with less energy. "Wind It Up", the album's lead single, used yodeling and an interpolation of The Sound of Music, and peaked in the top 10 in the US and the UK. The title track reached the top 10 in over 15 nations, including number two peaks in the US, Australia and the UK. To promote The Sweet Escape, Stefani was a mentor on the sixth season of American Idol and performed the song with Akon. The song earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Three more singles were released from the album; "4 in the Morning", "Now That You Got It" which featured Damian Marley and "Early Winter". To promote the album, Stefani embarked on a worldwide tour, The Sweet Escape Tour, which covered North America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific and part of Latin America. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly on June 6, 2011, Stefani stated that she had no plans to continue work as a solo artist. With Stefani promoting The Sweet Escape, No Doubt began work on a new album without her and planned to complete it after Stefani's Sweet Escape Tour was finished. In March 2008, the band started making posts concerning the progression of the album on their official fan forum. Stefani made a post on March 28, 2008, stating that songwriting had commenced but was slow on her end because she was pregnant with her second child. The Singles 1992–2003 became available on December 9, 2008, for the video game Rock Band 2. Adrian Young played drums on Scott Weiland's album "Happy" in Galoshes. No Doubt headlined the Bamboozle 2009 festival in May 2009, along with Fall Out Boy. The band completed a national tour in mid-2009. The new album Push and Shove was released on September 25, preceded by the first single, "Settle Down", on July 16. The music video for "Settle Down" was directed by Sophie Muller (who has previously directed numerous music videos for No Doubt). Also around this time No Doubt were guest mentors for the UK version of The X-Factor. "Settle Down" peaked at 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the album peaking at number three on the US Billboard 200. On November 3, 2012, the band pulled its music video "Looking Hot" from the Internet after receiving complaints that it was insensitive towards Native Americans. In January 2013, No Doubt make a cameo appearance in a hot air ballon for the third season of Portlandia. 2014–2017: The Voice, This Is What the Truth Feels Like and You Make It Feel Like Christmas On April 12, 2014, Stefani made a surprise appearance at the Coachella festival, where she joined Pharrell Williams onstage during his set to perform "Hollaback Girl". On April 29, it was officially confirmed that Stefani would join the seventh season of The Voice as a coach, replacing Christina Aguilera. Nine years after the previous time, she attended the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Stefani appears as a featured artist on Maroon 5's song "My Heart Is Open", co-written by Sia Furler, from the band's album V, which was performed for the first time with Adam Levine and an orchestra at the 2015 Grammy Awards. Stefani also collaborated with Calvin Harris on the track "Together" from his album Motion. On September 8, 2014, Stefani told MTV News during New York Fashion Week that she was working on both a No Doubt album and a solo album, and that she was working with Williams. Stefani released her comeback single "Baby Don't Lie" on October 20, 2014, co-written with producers Ryan Tedder, Benny Blanco, and Noel Zancanella. Billboard announced that her third studio album was set to be released in December with Benny Blanco serving as executive producer. In late October, "Spark the Fire", a new track from Stefani's third album, was released. The song was produced by Pharrell Williams. On November 23, the full song premiered online. Both "Baby Don't Lie" and "Spark the Fire" were later scrapped from Stefani's third album. On January 13, 2015, Stefani and Williams also recorded a song titled "Shine", for the Paddington soundtrack. Stefani and Sia Furler worked together on a ballad, called "Start a War" which was expected to be released on Stefani's third studio album as well, but it was not included on the final cut. On July 10, 2015, American rapper Eminem featured Stefani on his single "Kings Never Die", from the Southpaw film soundtrack. The track debuted and peaked at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and matched first-week digital download sales of 35,000 copies. On October 17, 2015, Stefani performed a concert as part of her MasterCard Priceless Surprises tour series at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, where she performed a new song about her breakup with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale, titled "Used to Love You". It was released as a download on October 20, 2015. The video was released the same day. The song was released to contemporary hit radio in the United States on October 27, 2015. The track is the first official single off her third solo album This Is What the Truth Feels Like, which she began working on in mid-2015. Stefani said much of the previous material she worked on in 2014 felt forced and inauthentic, the opposite of what she had originally wanted. The album's second single, "Make Me Like You", was released on February 12, 2016. This Is What the Truth Feels Like was released on March 18, 2016, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 84,000 album-equivalent units sold in its first week, earning Stefani her first number-one album on the U.S. chart as a solo artist. To further promote the album, Stefani embarked on her This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour with rapper Eve in the United States. Stefani voiced DJ Suki in the animated film Trolls, which was released on November 4, 2016. She is also included on five songs from the film's official soundtrack. Stefani twice performed as part of the "Final Shows" at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre on October 29–30, before the venue's closure due to The Irvine Company not renewing the venue's land lease. Stefani was interviewed for the documentary series The Defiant Ones, which was released in July 2017. The same month, she announced plans to release new music by the end of the year. In August, several song titles from the singer's sessions were published on GEMA's official website, suggesting that she may be recording a holiday album. The songwriting credits from the leaked tracks had Stefani collaborating with busbee, Blake Shelton, and Justin Tranter. The album, titled You Make It Feel Like Christmas, was released on October 6, 2017. Its title track, featuring guest vocals from Shelton, was digitally distributed on September 22, 2017, as the lead single. To promote the record, Stefani hosted Gwen Stefani's You Make It Feel Like Christmas, an NBC Christmas television special that aired on December 12, 2017. 2018–present: Upcoming fifth studio album Stefani's first concert residency, titled Just a Girl: Las Vegas, began on June 27, 2018, at the Zappos Theater in Las Vegas. It concluded on May 16, 2020. It was named after No Doubt's song "Just a Girl". Proceeds from the show ($1 per ticket) were donated to the organization Cure4Kids. A deluxe edition of You Make It Feel Like Christmas was released in October 2018, and was promoted through the single "Secret Santa". On June 22, 2019, Stefani performed at the Machaca Fest in Fundidora Park. In the same month, The New York Times Magazine listed Stefani among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire. In June 2019, Stefani replaced Adam Levine as a coach for The Voices 17th season after Levine left the show after 16 seasons as a coach. Stefani was replaced by first-time coach Nick Jonas for the 18th season. She returned for her fifth season of The Voice'''s 19th season as a replacement for Jonas. her finalist Carter Rubin was named the winner, giving her the first victory as a coach after her fifth attempt, and the ninth coach (and fourth female after Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, and Kelly Clarkson) to do so. In November 2020, while the 19th season was still airing, it was announced Jonas would once again replace Stefani as a judge for season 20. On December 13, 2019, Stefani featured on Shelton's single "Nobody but You" from his compilation album Fully Loaded: God's Country. The song peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 49 on the Canadian Hot 100. On July 24, 2020, Stefani and Shelton released another single titled "Happy Anywhere" inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic. Stefani was initially scheduled to perform at Lollapalooza's 2020 festival, but it was postponed due to the pandemic. Lollapalooza was held as a four-day livestream in July and August 2020, but Stefani did not participate in it. Stefani was featured on a Mark Ronson remix of Dua Lipa's "Physical", which is included on Lipa's remix album Club Future Nostalgia (2020). Stefani was initially approached to clear a "Hollaback Girl" sample for the Mr Fingers' remix of Lipa's "Hallucinate", and then asked to be a part of the "Physical" remix. To promote 2020 reissued edition of You Make It Feel Like Christmas, Stefani released a cover of "Sleigh Ride" as a single. On December 7, 2020, Stefani released "Let Me Reintroduce Myself" as the lead single from upcoming fifth studio album. She followed this with a second single "Slow Clap" on March 11, 2021, which received a remix featuring Saweetie the following month. Stefani also teased other new music through her Instagram account, announcing she recorded two new tracks titled "When Loving Gets Old" and "Cry Happy". Other ventures Stefani made most of the clothing that she wore on stage with No Doubt, resulting in increasingly eclectic combinations. Stylist Andrea Lieberman introduced her to haute couture clothing, which led to Stefani launching a fashion line named L.A.M.B. in 2004. The line takes influence from a variety of fashions, including Guatemalan, Japanese, and Jamaican styles. The line achieved popularity among celebrities and is worn by stars such as Teri Hatcher, Nicole Kidman, and Stefani herself. In June 2005, she expanded her collection with the less expensive Harajuku Lovers line, which she referred to as "a glorified merchandise line", with varied products including a camera, mobile phone charms, and undergarments. Alt URL In late 2006, Stefani released a limited edition line of dolls called "Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Fashion dolls". The dolls are inspired by the clothes Stefani and the Harajuku Girls wore while touring for the album. In late 2007, Stefani launched a perfume, L, as a part of her L.A.M.B. collection of clothing and accessories. The perfume has high notes of sweet pea and rose. In September 2008, Stefani released a fragrance line as a part of her Harajuku Lovers product line. There are five different fragrances based on the four Harajuku Girls and Stefani herself called Love, Lil' Angel, Music, Baby and G (Gwen). , Stefani has become the spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris. In 2016, Urban Decay released a limited edition cosmetic collection in collaboration with Stefani. After needing to wear glasses, she began designing eyewear. In 2016, Gwen began releasing eyewear under her fashion label L.A.M.B. She also began releasing affordable eyewear under the label GX, with Tura Inc. In 2014, Stefani announced the production of an animated series about her and the Harajuku Girls. Along with Vision Animation and Moody Street Kids, Stefani has helped create the show which features herself, Love, Angel, Music, and Baby as the band, HJ5, who fight evil whilst trying to pursue their music career. Mattel was the global toy licensee and the series itself, Kuu Kuu Harajuku was distributed worldwide by DHX Media. Personal life Stefani began dating her bandmate Tony Kanal, soon after he joined the band. She stated that she was heavily invested in that relationship, and commented that "...all I ever did was look at Tony and pray that God would let me have a baby with him." The band almost split up when Kanal ended the relationship.Born to Be. MuchMusic programming. Original airdate: March 2006. Retrieved November 13, 2006. Their break-up inspired Stefani lyrically, and many of Tragic Kingdoms songs, such as "Don't Speak", "Sunday Morning", and "Hey You!", chronicle the ups and downs of their relationship. Many years later, Stefani co-wrote her song "Cool" about their relationship as friends for her 2004 debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.Stefani met Bush lead singer and guitarist Gavin Rossdale in 1995, when No Doubt and headlining band Bush performed at a holiday concert for radio station KROQ. They married on September 14, 2002, with a wedding in St Paul's, Covent Garden, London. A second wedding was held in Los Angeles two weeks later. Stefani has three sons with Rossdale, born in May 2006, August 2008, and February 2014. On August 3, 2015, Stefani filed for divorce from Rossdale, citing "irreconcilable differences". Their divorce was finalized on April 8, 2016, in which Rossdale agreed to the "unequal split" of their assets. Stefani announced her relationship with Blake Shelton, country music artist and The Voice co-star, in November 2015. The couple announced their engagement on October 27, 2020, and married on July 3, 2021, at Shelton's Oklahoma ranch. Artistry AXS called Stefani a "powerhouse" vocalist with an "incredible" range. The New York Times considered Stefani's vocals "mannered" and commended her for "kick[ing] her vibrato addiction". IGN described Stefani as having a "unique vocal prowess". The Chicago Tribune stated that Stefani had a "brash alto". Stefani's debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. took influence from a variety of 1980s genres, which included electropop, new wave, dance-rock, hip hop, R&B, soul, and disco music. Stefani cited early Madonna, Lisa Lisa, Club Nouveau, Prince, New Order and the Cure as major influences for the album. Several of the album's tracks were designed for clubs, and contained electro beats meant for dancing. Referencing fashion and wealth in the album, the singer name-drops several designers who she considered inspirations in her personal career, such as John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood. Her second studio album The Sweet Escape resembles musically its predecessor while exploring more modern pop sounds, dabbling heavily into genres such as dance-pop and rap. It carried on the same themes developed in Love. Angel. Music. Baby., and was criticized for doing so.This Is What the Truth Feels Like, the singer's third album, continued Stefani's endeavors with the pop genre, while incorporating music from a variety of other genres including reggae, disco, and dancehall, as well as the use of guitars. Stefani's lyrics shifted towards events that had recently occurred in her personal life, such as her divorce from Rossdale, and new relationship with Shelton. The singer stated her album was more about forgiveness than revenge. Public image Stefani began wearing a bindi in the mid-1990s after attending several family gatherings with Tony Kanal, who is of Indian heritage. During No Doubt's breakthrough, Stefani wore the forehead decoration in several of the band's music videos and briefly popularized the accessory in 1997. Since the 1995 music video for "Just a Girl", Stefani has been known for her midriff and frequently wears tops that expose it. Stefani's makeup design generally includes light face powder, bright red lipstick, and arched eyebrows; she wrote about the subject in a song titled "Magic's in the Makeup" for No Doubt's Return of Saturn, asking "If the magic's in the makeup/Then who am I?". Stefani is a natural brunette, but her hair has not been its natural color since she was in ninth grade. Since late 1994, she has usually had platinum blonde hair. Stefani discussed this in the song "Platinum Blonde Life" on Rock Steady and played original blonde bombshell Jean Harlow in the 2004 biopic The Aviator. She dyed her hair blue in 1998 and pink in 1999, when she appeared on the cover of Return of Saturn with pink hair. In 2006, Stefani modified her image, inspired by that of Michelle Pfeiffer's character Elvira Hancock in the 1983 film Scarface. The reinvented image included a symbol consisting of two back-to-back 'G's, which appears on a diamond-encrusted key she wears on a necklace and which became a motif in the promotion of The Sweet Escape. Stefani raised concerns in January 2007 about her rapid weight loss following her pregnancy. She later stated that she had been on a diet since the sixth grade to fit in size 4 clothing. A wax figure of Stefani was unveiled at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas at The Venetian on September 22, 2010. The release of Stefani's first solo album brought attention to her entourage of four Harajuku Girls, who appear in outfits influenced by Gothic Lolita fashion, and are named for the area around the Harajuku Station of Tokyo. Stefani's clothing also took influence from Japanese fashion, in a style described as a combination between Christian Dior and Japan. The dancers are featured in her music videos, press coverage, and on the album cover for Love. Angel. Music. Baby., with a song named for and dedicated to them on the album. They were also featured in, and the namesake for, Stefani's Harajuku Lovers Tour. Forbes magazine reported that Stefani earned $27 million between June 2007 to June 2008 for her tour, fashion line and commercials, making her the world's 10th highest paid music personality at the time. Achievements and legacy Throughout her career as a solo artist, Stefani has won several music awards, including one Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. With No Doubt, she has won two Grammy Awards. In 2005, Rolling Stone called her "the only true female rock star left on radio or MTV" and featured her on the magazine's cover. Stefani received the Style Icon Award at the first People Magazine Awards in 2014. In 2016, the singer was honored at the Radio Disney Music Awards with a Hero Award, which is given to artists based on their personal contributions to various charitable works. Stefani has been referred to as a "Pop Princess" by several contemporary music critics. In 2012, VH1 listed the singer at the number thirteen on their list of "100 Greatest Women in Music". Stefani's work has influenced artists and musicians including Hayley Williams of Paramore, Best Coast, Kim Petras, Teddy Sinclair, Katy Perry, Charli XCX, Kesha, Ava Max, Marina Diamandis, Rita Ora, Keke Palmer, Bebe Rexha, Dua Lipa, the Stunners, Kelly Clarkson, Sky Ferreira, Kirstin Maldonado of Pentatonix, Olivia Rodrigo, and Cover Drive. The latter group, a quartet of Barbados musicians, claimed that both Stefani and No Doubt had helped influence their music, to which the lead singer of the group, Amanda Reifer, said that she would "pass out" if she ever met Stefani. The lead single from Love. Angel. Music. Baby., "What You Waiting For?", was considered by Pitchfork to be one of Stefani's best singles, and would later place it at number sixteen on their "Top 50 Singles of 2004" list. "Hollaback Girl" from Love. Angel. Music. Baby. would go on to be the first song to digitally sell an excess of one million copies in the United States; it was certified platinum in both the United States and Australia, and peaked at number forty-one on Billboards decade-end charts for 2000–09. Since its release in 2005, "Hollaback Girl" has been called Stefani's "signature song" by Rolling Stone. Philanthropy Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Stefani donated $1 million to Save the Children's Japan Earthquake–Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund. Stefani also ran an auction on eBay from April 11 to 25, 2011, allowing participants to bid on vintage clothing items from her personal wardrobe and custom T-shirts designed and signed by her, as well as an admission to a private Harajuku-themed tea party hosted by her on June 7, 2011, at Los Angeles' first-ever Japanese-style maid café and pop art space, Royal/T, with proceeds from the auction going to Save the Children's relief effort. At the amfAR gala during the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, Stefani auctioned off the lacy black dress she wore at the event for charity, raising over $125,000. A representative for designer Michael Angel, who helped Stefani with the design and worked as a stylist, said that Angel created the gown, not Stefani. In response, Angel released a statement confirming that the dress was designed by Stefani for L.A.M.B. to wear and be auctioned off at the amfAR gala. Stefani hosted a fundraiser with First Lady Michelle Obama in August 2012 at the singer's Beverly Hills home. The singer-songwriter supports the LGBT community, stating in a 2019 Pride Source interview, "I would like to be blessed with a gay son; [...] I just want my boys to be healthy and happy. And I just ask God to guide me to be a good mother, which is not an easy thing at all." Discography Solo discography Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004) The Sweet Escape (2006) This Is What the Truth Feels Like (2016) You Make It Feel Like Christmas (2017) No Doubt discography No Doubt (1992) The Beacon Street Collection (1995) Tragic Kingdom (1995) Return of Saturn (2000) Rock Steady (2001) Push and Shove'' (2012) Tours Headlining Harajuku Lovers Tour (2005) The Sweet Escape Tour (2007) This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour (2016) Residency Gwen Stefani – Just a Girl (2018–2021) Promotional MasterCard Priceless Surprises Presents Gwen Stefani (2015–2016) Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre Final Shows (2016) Festivals Machaca Fest (2019) Filmography References External links 1969 births Living people 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Actresses from Fullerton, California American contemporary R&B singers American dance musicians American expatriates in the United Kingdom American fashion designers American women pop singers American women rock singers American film actresses American new wave musicians American people of Italian descent American people of Irish descent American pop rock singers American rock songwriters American ska singers American television actresses American video game actresses American voice actresses American women in electronic music Brit Award winners Electronica musicians Women new wave singers Grammy Award winners Interscope Records artists Musicians from Anaheim, California Musicians from Fullerton, California No Doubt members Participants in American reality television series Singers from California Songwriters from California World Music Awards winners Las Vegas shows California State University, Fullerton people Women hip hop record producers American female hip hop singers American female hip hop musicians American women fashion designers
false
[ "Margarita Esther Henríquez Rodríguez (born April 17, 1991) is the winner of the third season of Latin American Idol, which she won on October 9, 2008.\n\nBiography\nHenríquez became the youngest contestant to win and the third one since Carlos Peña. Henríquez beat the runner up María José Castillo for the title. She released her first album under the Sony BMG label on December 1, 2008. It has been very successful in Panama. It contains six songs that she performed during the TV Show. Her song \"Vuela\" has been successful on the Panamenian radio stations.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n\n1991 births\nLiving people\nIdols (TV series) winners\nLatin American Idol participants\n21st-century Panamanian women singers\n21st-century Panamanian singers\nPlace of birth missing (living people)", "Sandra Hansson (born 2 April 1980) is a Swedish cross-country skier. In 2008 and 2009, she won the women's main Vasaloppet event. She has also been successful in roller skiing.\n\nReferences \n\n1980 births\nSwedish female cross-country skiers\nVasaloppet winners\nLiving people" ]
[ "Gwen Stefani", "Achievements and legacy", "Did she win any awardS?", "one Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards.", "What other achievements did she have?", "Stefani's work has influenced a number of artists and musicians", "What are some examples?", "Hayley Williams of Paramore, Best Coast, Katy Perry, Kesha, Marina and the Diamonds, Stefy, Rita Ora, Sky Ferreira, and Cover Drive.", "What is her legacy?", "Stefani has been referred to as a \"Pop Princess\" by several contemporary music critics.", "Has she been successful?", "The lead single from Love. Angel. Music. Baby., \"What You Waiting For?\", was considered by Pitchfork to be one of the best singles by Stefani," ]
C_8054ccee4d8043119d4c64bdb73aa073_0
What other hits?
6
Besides What You Waiting For?"What other hits did Gwen Stefani have?
Gwen Stefani
Throughout her career as a solo artist, Stefani has won several music awards, including one Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. With No Doubt, she has won two Grammy Awards. In 2005, Rolling Stone called her "the only true female rock star left on radio or MTV" and featured her on the magazine's cover. Stefani received the Style Icon Award at the first People Magazine Awards in 2014. Additionally in 2016, the singer was honored at the Radio Disney Music Awards with a Hero Award, which is given to artists based on their personal contributions to various charitable works. Stefani has been referred to as a "Pop Princess" by several contemporary music critics. In 2012, VH1 listed the singer at the number thirteen on their list of "100 Greatest Women in Music". Stefani's work has influenced a number of artists and musicians including Hayley Williams of Paramore, Best Coast, Katy Perry, Kesha, Marina and the Diamonds, Stefy, Rita Ora, Sky Ferreira, and Cover Drive. The latter group, a quartet of Barbados musicians, claimed that both Stefani and No Doubt had helped influence their music, to which the lead singer of the group, Amanda Reifer, admitted that she would "pass out" if she were to ever meet Stefani. The lead single from Love. Angel. Music. Baby., "What You Waiting For?", was considered by Pitchfork to be one of the best singles by Stefani, and would later place it at number sixteen on their "Top 50 Singles of 2004" list. Additionally, "Hollaback Girl" from the aforementioned album would go on to be the first song to digitally sell an excess of one million copies in the United States; it was certified platinum in both the United States and Australia, and peak at number forty-one on Billboard's decade-end charts for 2000-09. Since its release in 2005, "Hollaback Girl" has been called Stefani's "signature song" by Rolling Stone. CANNOTANSWER
"Hollaback Girl" from the aforementioned album would go on to be the first song to digitally sell an excess of one million copies
Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer and songwriter. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs", and "Don't Speak", from their 1995 breakthrough studio album Tragic Kingdom, as well as "Hey Baby" and "It's My Life" from later albums. During the band's hiatus, Stefani embarked on a solo pop career in 2004 by releasing her debut studio album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Inspired by pop music from the 1980s, the album was a critical and commercial success. It spawned six singles, including "What You Waiting For?", "Rich Girl", "Hollaback Girl", and "Cool". "Hollaback Girl" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart while also becoming the first US download to sell one million copies. In 2006, Stefani released her second studio album, The Sweet Escape. Among the singles were "Wind It Up" and "The Sweet Escape", the latter of which was number three on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart of 2007. Her third solo album, This Is What the Truth Feels Like (2016), was her first solo album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Her fourth solo album and first full-length Christmas album, You Make It Feel Like Christmas, was released in 2017 and charted 19 tracks on Billboards Holiday Digital Song Sales component chart in the United States. Stefani has released several singles with Blake Shelton, including "Nobody but You" (2020), which reached number 18 in the US. Stefani has won three Grammy Awards. As a solo artist, she has received an American Music Award, Brit Award, World Music Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. In 2003, she debuted her clothing line L.A.M.B. and expanded her collection with the 2005 Harajuku Lovers line, inspired by Japanese culture and fashion. Billboard magazine ranked Stefani the 54th most successful artist and 37th most successful Hot 100 artist of the 2000–2009 decade. VH1 ranked her 13th on their "100 Greatest Women in Music" list in 2012. Including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. Early life Gwen Renée Stefani was born on October 3, 1969, in Fullerton, California, and raised Catholic in nearby Anaheim, California. She was named after a stewardess in the 1968 novel Airport, and her middle name, Renée, comes from the Four Tops' 1968 version of the Left Banke's 1966 song "Walk Away Renée". Her father Dennis Stefani is Italian-American and worked as a Yamaha marketing executive. Her mother Patti (née Flynn) is Irish-American and worked as an accountant before becoming a housewife. Stefani's parents were fans of folk music and exposed her to music by artists like Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris. Stefani has two younger siblings, Jill and Todd, and an older brother, Eric. Eric was the keyboardist for No Doubt before leaving the band to pursue a career in animation on The Simpsons. Career 1986–2004: Career beginnings and No Doubt Her brother Eric introduced Gwen to 2 Tone music by Madness and the Selecter and, in 1986, he invited her to provide vocals for No Doubt, a ska band he was forming. In 1991 the band was signed to Interscope Records. The band released its self-titled debut album in 1992, but its ska-pop sound was unsuccessful due to the popularity of grunge. Before the mainstream success of both No Doubt and Sublime, Stefani contributed guest vocals to "Saw Red" on Sublime's 1994 album Robbin' the Hood. Stefani rejected the aggressiveness of female grunge artists and cited Blondie singer Debbie Harry's combination of power and sex appeal as a major influence. No Doubt's third album, Tragic Kingdom (1995), which followed the self-released The Beacon Street Collection (1995), took more than three years to make. Five singles were released from Tragic Kingdom, including "Don't Speak", which led the Hot 100 Airplay year-end chart of 1997. Stefani left college for one semester to tour for Tragic Kingdom but did not return when touring lasted two and a half years. The album was nominated for a Grammy and sold more than 16 million copies worldwide by 2004. In late 2000, Rolling Stone magazine named her "the Queen of Confessional Pop". During the time when No Doubt was receiving mainstream success, Stefani collaborated on the singles "You're the Boss" with the Brian Setzer Orchestra, "South Side" with Moby, and "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" with Eve. No Doubt released the less popular Return of Saturn in 2000, which expanded upon the new wave influences of Tragic Kingdom. Most of the lyrical content focused on Stefani's often rocky relationship with then-Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale and her insecurities, including indecision on settling down and having a child. The band's 2001 album, Rock Steady, explored more reggae and dancehall sounds, while maintaining the band's new wave influences. The album generated career-highest singles chart positions in the United States, and "Hey Baby" and "Underneath It All" received Grammy Awards. A greatest hits collection, The Singles 1992–2003, which includes a cover of Talk Talk's "It's My Life", was released in 2003. In 2002, Eve and Stefani won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Let Me Blow Ya Mind". 2004–2006: Solo debut and other ventures Stefani's debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. was released on November 12, 2004. The album features several collaborations with producers and other artists, including Tony Kanal, Tom Rothrock, Linda Perry, André 3000, Nellee Hooper, the Neptunes and New Order. Stefani created the album to modernize the music to which she listened when in high school, and L.A.M.B. takes influence from a variety of music styles of the 1980s and early 1990s such as new wave, synthpop, and electro. Stefani's decision to use her solo career as an opportunity to delve further into pop music instead of trying "to convince the world of [her] talent, depth and artistic worth" was considered unusual. The album was described as "fun as hell but... not exactly rife with subversive social commentary". The album debuted on the US Billboard 200 albums chart at number seven, selling 309,000 copies in its first week. L.A.M.B. reached multi-platinum status in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. The first single from the album was "What You Waiting For?", which debuted atop the ARIA Singles Chart, charted at number 47 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top ten on most other charts. The song served to explain why Stefani produced a solo album and discusses her fears in leaving No Doubt for a solo career as well as her desire to have a baby. "Rich Girl" was released as the album's second single. A duet with rapper Eve, and produced by Dr. Dre, it is an adaptation of a 1990s pop song by British musicians Louchie Lou & Michie One, which itself is a very loose cover lyrically but closer melodically of "If I Were a Rich Man", from the musical Fiddler on the Roof. "Rich Girl" reached the US and UK top ten. The album's third single "Hollaback Girl" became Stefani's first US and second Australian number-one single; it reached top ten elsewhere. The song was the first US music download to sell more than one million copies, and its brass-driven composition remained popular throughout 2005. The fourth single "Cool" was released shortly following the popularity of its predecessor, reaching the top 20 in US and UK. The song's lyrics and its accompanying music video, filmed on Lake Como, depict Stefani's former relationship with Kanal. "Luxurious" was released as the album's fifth single, but did not perform as well as its predecessors. "Crash" was released in January 2006 as the album's sixth single in lieu of Love. Angel. Music. Baby.s sequel, which Stefani postponed because of her pregnancy. In 2004, Stefani showed interest in making film appearances and began auditioning for films such as Mr. & Mrs. Smith. She made her film debut playing Jean Harlow in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator in 2004. Scorsese, whose daughter was a No Doubt fan, showed reciprocal interest in casting Stefani after seeing her picture from a Marilyn Monroe-inspired photo shoot for Teen Vogue in 2003. To prepare for the role, Stefani read two biographies and watched 18 of Harlow's films. Shooting her part took four to five days, and Stefani had few lines. Stefani lent her voice to the title character of the 2004 video game Malice, but the company opted not to use No Doubt band members' voices. 2006–2013: The Sweet Escape and return to No Doubt Stefani's second studio album, The Sweet Escape, was released on December 1, 2006. Stefani continued working with Kanal, Perry, and the Neptunes, along with Akon and Tim Rice-Oxley from English rock band Keane. The album focuses more heavily on electronic and dance music for clubs than its predecessor. Its release coincided with the DVD release of Stefani's first tour, entitled Harajuku Lovers Live. Sia Michel wrote that it "has a surprisingly moody, lightly autobiographical feel ... but Stefani isn't convincing as a dissatisfied diva" and Rob Sheffield called the album a "hasty return" that repeats Love. Angel. Music. Baby. with less energy. "Wind It Up", the album's lead single, used yodeling and an interpolation of The Sound of Music, and peaked in the top 10 in the US and the UK. The title track reached the top 10 in over 15 nations, including number two peaks in the US, Australia and the UK. To promote The Sweet Escape, Stefani was a mentor on the sixth season of American Idol and performed the song with Akon. The song earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Three more singles were released from the album; "4 in the Morning", "Now That You Got It" which featured Damian Marley and "Early Winter". To promote the album, Stefani embarked on a worldwide tour, The Sweet Escape Tour, which covered North America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific and part of Latin America. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly on June 6, 2011, Stefani stated that she had no plans to continue work as a solo artist. With Stefani promoting The Sweet Escape, No Doubt began work on a new album without her and planned to complete it after Stefani's Sweet Escape Tour was finished. In March 2008, the band started making posts concerning the progression of the album on their official fan forum. Stefani made a post on March 28, 2008, stating that songwriting had commenced but was slow on her end because she was pregnant with her second child. The Singles 1992–2003 became available on December 9, 2008, for the video game Rock Band 2. Adrian Young played drums on Scott Weiland's album "Happy" in Galoshes. No Doubt headlined the Bamboozle 2009 festival in May 2009, along with Fall Out Boy. The band completed a national tour in mid-2009. The new album Push and Shove was released on September 25, preceded by the first single, "Settle Down", on July 16. The music video for "Settle Down" was directed by Sophie Muller (who has previously directed numerous music videos for No Doubt). Also around this time No Doubt were guest mentors for the UK version of The X-Factor. "Settle Down" peaked at 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the album peaking at number three on the US Billboard 200. On November 3, 2012, the band pulled its music video "Looking Hot" from the Internet after receiving complaints that it was insensitive towards Native Americans. In January 2013, No Doubt make a cameo appearance in a hot air ballon for the third season of Portlandia. 2014–2017: The Voice, This Is What the Truth Feels Like and You Make It Feel Like Christmas On April 12, 2014, Stefani made a surprise appearance at the Coachella festival, where she joined Pharrell Williams onstage during his set to perform "Hollaback Girl". On April 29, it was officially confirmed that Stefani would join the seventh season of The Voice as a coach, replacing Christina Aguilera. Nine years after the previous time, she attended the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Stefani appears as a featured artist on Maroon 5's song "My Heart Is Open", co-written by Sia Furler, from the band's album V, which was performed for the first time with Adam Levine and an orchestra at the 2015 Grammy Awards. Stefani also collaborated with Calvin Harris on the track "Together" from his album Motion. On September 8, 2014, Stefani told MTV News during New York Fashion Week that she was working on both a No Doubt album and a solo album, and that she was working with Williams. Stefani released her comeback single "Baby Don't Lie" on October 20, 2014, co-written with producers Ryan Tedder, Benny Blanco, and Noel Zancanella. Billboard announced that her third studio album was set to be released in December with Benny Blanco serving as executive producer. In late October, "Spark the Fire", a new track from Stefani's third album, was released. The song was produced by Pharrell Williams. On November 23, the full song premiered online. Both "Baby Don't Lie" and "Spark the Fire" were later scrapped from Stefani's third album. On January 13, 2015, Stefani and Williams also recorded a song titled "Shine", for the Paddington soundtrack. Stefani and Sia Furler worked together on a ballad, called "Start a War" which was expected to be released on Stefani's third studio album as well, but it was not included on the final cut. On July 10, 2015, American rapper Eminem featured Stefani on his single "Kings Never Die", from the Southpaw film soundtrack. The track debuted and peaked at number 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and matched first-week digital download sales of 35,000 copies. On October 17, 2015, Stefani performed a concert as part of her MasterCard Priceless Surprises tour series at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, where she performed a new song about her breakup with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale, titled "Used to Love You". It was released as a download on October 20, 2015. The video was released the same day. The song was released to contemporary hit radio in the United States on October 27, 2015. The track is the first official single off her third solo album This Is What the Truth Feels Like, which she began working on in mid-2015. Stefani said much of the previous material she worked on in 2014 felt forced and inauthentic, the opposite of what she had originally wanted. The album's second single, "Make Me Like You", was released on February 12, 2016. This Is What the Truth Feels Like was released on March 18, 2016, and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 84,000 album-equivalent units sold in its first week, earning Stefani her first number-one album on the U.S. chart as a solo artist. To further promote the album, Stefani embarked on her This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour with rapper Eve in the United States. Stefani voiced DJ Suki in the animated film Trolls, which was released on November 4, 2016. She is also included on five songs from the film's official soundtrack. Stefani twice performed as part of the "Final Shows" at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre on October 29–30, before the venue's closure due to The Irvine Company not renewing the venue's land lease. Stefani was interviewed for the documentary series The Defiant Ones, which was released in July 2017. The same month, she announced plans to release new music by the end of the year. In August, several song titles from the singer's sessions were published on GEMA's official website, suggesting that she may be recording a holiday album. The songwriting credits from the leaked tracks had Stefani collaborating with busbee, Blake Shelton, and Justin Tranter. The album, titled You Make It Feel Like Christmas, was released on October 6, 2017. Its title track, featuring guest vocals from Shelton, was digitally distributed on September 22, 2017, as the lead single. To promote the record, Stefani hosted Gwen Stefani's You Make It Feel Like Christmas, an NBC Christmas television special that aired on December 12, 2017. 2018–present: Upcoming fifth studio album Stefani's first concert residency, titled Just a Girl: Las Vegas, began on June 27, 2018, at the Zappos Theater in Las Vegas. It concluded on May 16, 2020. It was named after No Doubt's song "Just a Girl". Proceeds from the show ($1 per ticket) were donated to the organization Cure4Kids. A deluxe edition of You Make It Feel Like Christmas was released in October 2018, and was promoted through the single "Secret Santa". On June 22, 2019, Stefani performed at the Machaca Fest in Fundidora Park. In the same month, The New York Times Magazine listed Stefani among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire. In June 2019, Stefani replaced Adam Levine as a coach for The Voices 17th season after Levine left the show after 16 seasons as a coach. Stefani was replaced by first-time coach Nick Jonas for the 18th season. She returned for her fifth season of The Voice'''s 19th season as a replacement for Jonas. her finalist Carter Rubin was named the winner, giving her the first victory as a coach after her fifth attempt, and the ninth coach (and fourth female after Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, and Kelly Clarkson) to do so. In November 2020, while the 19th season was still airing, it was announced Jonas would once again replace Stefani as a judge for season 20. On December 13, 2019, Stefani featured on Shelton's single "Nobody but You" from his compilation album Fully Loaded: God's Country. The song peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 49 on the Canadian Hot 100. On July 24, 2020, Stefani and Shelton released another single titled "Happy Anywhere" inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic. Stefani was initially scheduled to perform at Lollapalooza's 2020 festival, but it was postponed due to the pandemic. Lollapalooza was held as a four-day livestream in July and August 2020, but Stefani did not participate in it. Stefani was featured on a Mark Ronson remix of Dua Lipa's "Physical", which is included on Lipa's remix album Club Future Nostalgia (2020). Stefani was initially approached to clear a "Hollaback Girl" sample for the Mr Fingers' remix of Lipa's "Hallucinate", and then asked to be a part of the "Physical" remix. To promote 2020 reissued edition of You Make It Feel Like Christmas, Stefani released a cover of "Sleigh Ride" as a single. On December 7, 2020, Stefani released "Let Me Reintroduce Myself" as the lead single from upcoming fifth studio album. She followed this with a second single "Slow Clap" on March 11, 2021, which received a remix featuring Saweetie the following month. Stefani also teased other new music through her Instagram account, announcing she recorded two new tracks titled "When Loving Gets Old" and "Cry Happy". Other ventures Stefani made most of the clothing that she wore on stage with No Doubt, resulting in increasingly eclectic combinations. Stylist Andrea Lieberman introduced her to haute couture clothing, which led to Stefani launching a fashion line named L.A.M.B. in 2004. The line takes influence from a variety of fashions, including Guatemalan, Japanese, and Jamaican styles. The line achieved popularity among celebrities and is worn by stars such as Teri Hatcher, Nicole Kidman, and Stefani herself. In June 2005, she expanded her collection with the less expensive Harajuku Lovers line, which she referred to as "a glorified merchandise line", with varied products including a camera, mobile phone charms, and undergarments. Alt URL In late 2006, Stefani released a limited edition line of dolls called "Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Fashion dolls". The dolls are inspired by the clothes Stefani and the Harajuku Girls wore while touring for the album. In late 2007, Stefani launched a perfume, L, as a part of her L.A.M.B. collection of clothing and accessories. The perfume has high notes of sweet pea and rose. In September 2008, Stefani released a fragrance line as a part of her Harajuku Lovers product line. There are five different fragrances based on the four Harajuku Girls and Stefani herself called Love, Lil' Angel, Music, Baby and G (Gwen). , Stefani has become the spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris. In 2016, Urban Decay released a limited edition cosmetic collection in collaboration with Stefani. After needing to wear glasses, she began designing eyewear. In 2016, Gwen began releasing eyewear under her fashion label L.A.M.B. She also began releasing affordable eyewear under the label GX, with Tura Inc. In 2014, Stefani announced the production of an animated series about her and the Harajuku Girls. Along with Vision Animation and Moody Street Kids, Stefani has helped create the show which features herself, Love, Angel, Music, and Baby as the band, HJ5, who fight evil whilst trying to pursue their music career. Mattel was the global toy licensee and the series itself, Kuu Kuu Harajuku was distributed worldwide by DHX Media. Personal life Stefani began dating her bandmate Tony Kanal, soon after he joined the band. She stated that she was heavily invested in that relationship, and commented that "...all I ever did was look at Tony and pray that God would let me have a baby with him." The band almost split up when Kanal ended the relationship.Born to Be. MuchMusic programming. Original airdate: March 2006. Retrieved November 13, 2006. Their break-up inspired Stefani lyrically, and many of Tragic Kingdoms songs, such as "Don't Speak", "Sunday Morning", and "Hey You!", chronicle the ups and downs of their relationship. Many years later, Stefani co-wrote her song "Cool" about their relationship as friends for her 2004 debut solo album Love. Angel. Music. Baby.Stefani met Bush lead singer and guitarist Gavin Rossdale in 1995, when No Doubt and headlining band Bush performed at a holiday concert for radio station KROQ. They married on September 14, 2002, with a wedding in St Paul's, Covent Garden, London. A second wedding was held in Los Angeles two weeks later. Stefani has three sons with Rossdale, born in May 2006, August 2008, and February 2014. On August 3, 2015, Stefani filed for divorce from Rossdale, citing "irreconcilable differences". Their divorce was finalized on April 8, 2016, in which Rossdale agreed to the "unequal split" of their assets. Stefani announced her relationship with Blake Shelton, country music artist and The Voice co-star, in November 2015. The couple announced their engagement on October 27, 2020, and married on July 3, 2021, at Shelton's Oklahoma ranch. Artistry AXS called Stefani a "powerhouse" vocalist with an "incredible" range. The New York Times considered Stefani's vocals "mannered" and commended her for "kick[ing] her vibrato addiction". IGN described Stefani as having a "unique vocal prowess". The Chicago Tribune stated that Stefani had a "brash alto". Stefani's debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. took influence from a variety of 1980s genres, which included electropop, new wave, dance-rock, hip hop, R&B, soul, and disco music. Stefani cited early Madonna, Lisa Lisa, Club Nouveau, Prince, New Order and the Cure as major influences for the album. Several of the album's tracks were designed for clubs, and contained electro beats meant for dancing. Referencing fashion and wealth in the album, the singer name-drops several designers who she considered inspirations in her personal career, such as John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood. Her second studio album The Sweet Escape resembles musically its predecessor while exploring more modern pop sounds, dabbling heavily into genres such as dance-pop and rap. It carried on the same themes developed in Love. Angel. Music. Baby., and was criticized for doing so.This Is What the Truth Feels Like, the singer's third album, continued Stefani's endeavors with the pop genre, while incorporating music from a variety of other genres including reggae, disco, and dancehall, as well as the use of guitars. Stefani's lyrics shifted towards events that had recently occurred in her personal life, such as her divorce from Rossdale, and new relationship with Shelton. The singer stated her album was more about forgiveness than revenge. Public image Stefani began wearing a bindi in the mid-1990s after attending several family gatherings with Tony Kanal, who is of Indian heritage. During No Doubt's breakthrough, Stefani wore the forehead decoration in several of the band's music videos and briefly popularized the accessory in 1997. Since the 1995 music video for "Just a Girl", Stefani has been known for her midriff and frequently wears tops that expose it. Stefani's makeup design generally includes light face powder, bright red lipstick, and arched eyebrows; she wrote about the subject in a song titled "Magic's in the Makeup" for No Doubt's Return of Saturn, asking "If the magic's in the makeup/Then who am I?". Stefani is a natural brunette, but her hair has not been its natural color since she was in ninth grade. Since late 1994, she has usually had platinum blonde hair. Stefani discussed this in the song "Platinum Blonde Life" on Rock Steady and played original blonde bombshell Jean Harlow in the 2004 biopic The Aviator. She dyed her hair blue in 1998 and pink in 1999, when she appeared on the cover of Return of Saturn with pink hair. In 2006, Stefani modified her image, inspired by that of Michelle Pfeiffer's character Elvira Hancock in the 1983 film Scarface. The reinvented image included a symbol consisting of two back-to-back 'G's, which appears on a diamond-encrusted key she wears on a necklace and which became a motif in the promotion of The Sweet Escape. Stefani raised concerns in January 2007 about her rapid weight loss following her pregnancy. She later stated that she had been on a diet since the sixth grade to fit in size 4 clothing. A wax figure of Stefani was unveiled at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas at The Venetian on September 22, 2010. The release of Stefani's first solo album brought attention to her entourage of four Harajuku Girls, who appear in outfits influenced by Gothic Lolita fashion, and are named for the area around the Harajuku Station of Tokyo. Stefani's clothing also took influence from Japanese fashion, in a style described as a combination between Christian Dior and Japan. The dancers are featured in her music videos, press coverage, and on the album cover for Love. Angel. Music. Baby., with a song named for and dedicated to them on the album. They were also featured in, and the namesake for, Stefani's Harajuku Lovers Tour. Forbes magazine reported that Stefani earned $27 million between June 2007 to June 2008 for her tour, fashion line and commercials, making her the world's 10th highest paid music personality at the time. Achievements and legacy Throughout her career as a solo artist, Stefani has won several music awards, including one Grammy Award, four MTV Video Music Awards, one American Music Award, one Brit Award, and two Billboard Music Awards. With No Doubt, she has won two Grammy Awards. In 2005, Rolling Stone called her "the only true female rock star left on radio or MTV" and featured her on the magazine's cover. Stefani received the Style Icon Award at the first People Magazine Awards in 2014. In 2016, the singer was honored at the Radio Disney Music Awards with a Hero Award, which is given to artists based on their personal contributions to various charitable works. Stefani has been referred to as a "Pop Princess" by several contemporary music critics. In 2012, VH1 listed the singer at the number thirteen on their list of "100 Greatest Women in Music". Stefani's work has influenced artists and musicians including Hayley Williams of Paramore, Best Coast, Kim Petras, Teddy Sinclair, Katy Perry, Charli XCX, Kesha, Ava Max, Marina Diamandis, Rita Ora, Keke Palmer, Bebe Rexha, Dua Lipa, the Stunners, Kelly Clarkson, Sky Ferreira, Kirstin Maldonado of Pentatonix, Olivia Rodrigo, and Cover Drive. The latter group, a quartet of Barbados musicians, claimed that both Stefani and No Doubt had helped influence their music, to which the lead singer of the group, Amanda Reifer, said that she would "pass out" if she ever met Stefani. The lead single from Love. Angel. Music. Baby., "What You Waiting For?", was considered by Pitchfork to be one of Stefani's best singles, and would later place it at number sixteen on their "Top 50 Singles of 2004" list. "Hollaback Girl" from Love. Angel. Music. Baby. would go on to be the first song to digitally sell an excess of one million copies in the United States; it was certified platinum in both the United States and Australia, and peaked at number forty-one on Billboards decade-end charts for 2000–09. Since its release in 2005, "Hollaback Girl" has been called Stefani's "signature song" by Rolling Stone. Philanthropy Following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, Stefani donated $1 million to Save the Children's Japan Earthquake–Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund. Stefani also ran an auction on eBay from April 11 to 25, 2011, allowing participants to bid on vintage clothing items from her personal wardrobe and custom T-shirts designed and signed by her, as well as an admission to a private Harajuku-themed tea party hosted by her on June 7, 2011, at Los Angeles' first-ever Japanese-style maid café and pop art space, Royal/T, with proceeds from the auction going to Save the Children's relief effort. At the amfAR gala during the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, Stefani auctioned off the lacy black dress she wore at the event for charity, raising over $125,000. A representative for designer Michael Angel, who helped Stefani with the design and worked as a stylist, said that Angel created the gown, not Stefani. In response, Angel released a statement confirming that the dress was designed by Stefani for L.A.M.B. to wear and be auctioned off at the amfAR gala. Stefani hosted a fundraiser with First Lady Michelle Obama in August 2012 at the singer's Beverly Hills home. The singer-songwriter supports the LGBT community, stating in a 2019 Pride Source interview, "I would like to be blessed with a gay son; [...] I just want my boys to be healthy and happy. And I just ask God to guide me to be a good mother, which is not an easy thing at all." Discography Solo discography Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004) The Sweet Escape (2006) This Is What the Truth Feels Like (2016) You Make It Feel Like Christmas (2017) No Doubt discography No Doubt (1992) The Beacon Street Collection (1995) Tragic Kingdom (1995) Return of Saturn (2000) Rock Steady (2001) Push and Shove'' (2012) Tours Headlining Harajuku Lovers Tour (2005) The Sweet Escape Tour (2007) This Is What the Truth Feels Like Tour (2016) Residency Gwen Stefani – Just a Girl (2018–2021) Promotional MasterCard Priceless Surprises Presents Gwen Stefani (2015–2016) Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre Final Shows (2016) Festivals Machaca Fest (2019) Filmography References External links 1969 births Living people 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Actresses from Fullerton, California American contemporary R&B singers American dance musicians American expatriates in the United Kingdom American fashion designers American women pop singers American women rock singers American film actresses American new wave musicians American people of Italian descent American people of Irish descent American pop rock singers American rock songwriters American ska singers American television actresses American video game actresses American voice actresses American women in electronic music Brit Award winners Electronica musicians Women new wave singers Grammy Award winners Interscope Records artists Musicians from Anaheim, California Musicians from Fullerton, California No Doubt members Participants in American reality television series Singers from California Songwriters from California World Music Awards winners Las Vegas shows California State University, Fullerton people Women hip hop record producers American female hip hop singers American female hip hop musicians American women fashion designers
false
[ "Now That's What I Call Party Hits! is a compilation album released on November 13, 2007. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in March 2008.\n\nTrack listing\n\nSee also\n Now That's What I Call Club Hits\n\nReferences\n Allmusic - Now That's What I Call Party Hits\n Robert Christgau - Consumer Guide Album\n\n2007 compilation albums\nParty Hits", "This is a list of available actual & physical albums (vinyl, CDs) and DVDs belonging to the Now That's What I Call Music! series. They are categorised by series (country), then ordered by date.\n\nUnited Kingdom and Ireland \nThe first Now That's What I Call Music! UK edition to be released on compact disc was Now That's What I Call Music! 4 in abridged single-CD format, with full double-disc CD releases starting with Now That's What I Call Music! 10. Phonograph record production ended on the numbered series with Now That's What I Call Music! 35, with special vinyl editions of spin-offs like Now That’s What I Call Punk & New Wave (on a double neon pink vinyl set) issued as limited editions in the 21st century. Audio cassettes ended with Now That's What I Call Music! 64. Part of the series was also released on the MiniDisc format, beginning with Now That's What I Call Music! 43 and ending with Now That's What I Call Music! 48.\nVolumes 1 to 18 and Now That's What I Call Music! 20 were released on individual VHS tapes, with the first two albums also issued on LaserDiscs. Every video tape had a typical running time of roughly one hour. From 2001 to 2007, the videos were published on DVD with a frequency of one per year. The DVDs are numbered by year and not linked to album numbers. Now 2006 was released on UMD as well as DVD.\n\nThe series release dates below represent the date of release in the United Kingdom. Through the release of Now That's What I Call Music! 90 on 30 March 2015, the release date in Ireland was three days before the UK release. Beginning with the release of Now That's What I Call Music! 91 on 24 July 2015, the release dates in the UK and Ireland have been the same following the announcement of the Global Release Day campaign by IFPI, which became effective on 10 July 2015.\n\nNow re-issues of the original numbered series (2018 – present) \nMost of these releases have been re-issued on 2CD sets but many are not straight re-issues of the original 80s series, with alternative mixes and missing tracks.\n Now That’s What I Call Music (20 July 2018) re-issued on 2CD, audio cassette, and a 2LP vinyl release\n Now That’s What I Call Music 2 (12 April 2019) re-issued on 2CD and a 2LP vinyl release\n Now That’s What I Call Music 3 (19 July 2019) re-issued on 2CD 28 tracks with Bob Marley & The Wailers and Gary Glitter missing.\n Now That’s What I Call Music 4 (8 November 2019) originally a 15 track CD in 1984, now with all 32 tracks.\n Now That’s What I Call Music 5 (8 May 2020) David Bowie & the Pat Metheney Group is the only track that is missing\n Now That’s What I Call Music 6 (24 July 2020) re-issued on 2CD Bryan Adams & Tina Turner is the only track that is missing.\n Now That’s What I Call Music 7 (27 November 2020) David Bowie, Patti Labelle & Michael McDonald and the Real Roxanne are the tracks that are missing.\n Now That’s What I Call Music 8 (26 March 2021) originally a 17 track CD in 1986, now with all 32 tracks.\n Now That’s What I Call Music 9 (23 July 2021) originally a 15 track CD in 1987, now with all 30 tracks.\n Now That’s What I Call Music 10 (19 November 2021) 28 tracks with Heart and Whitesnake missing.\n\nNow Dance series (1985 – 2016) \n\nThe original Now Dance series began in 1985 and has been released in a variety of titles, formats, and release frequency. Originally, the series captured extended 12\" mixes of dance hits of the time, but from 1991 onwards, all Now Dance compilations featured 7\" edits with only occasional extended versions or mixes included. The first two volumes were not released on compact disc, and all subsequent releases were either single, double, or triple disc sets. Unlike the main series, Now Dance were originally titled and numbered by their year of release (i.e. Now Dance '89). The frequency in which they were released also varied from year to year; initially, and most frequently across the series, there would be one Now Dance volume per year, but in 1994 for example, there were five volumes released, and in 1996, there weren't any Now Dance compilations released. Towards the end of the series, 3-CD sets were issued and often under The Very Best of Now Dance title, but by the 2010's, the long-running title had been retired, and all future dance-themed Now collections have been issued under the Special editions series.\n\n Now Dance – Extended Dance Versions of 20 Smash Hits (The 12\" Mixes) (20 May 1985)\n Now Dance 86 – 20 Smash Dance Hits of the Year (The 12\" Mixes) (27 October 1986)\n Now Dance 89 – 20 Smash Dance Hits (The 12\" Mixes) (3 July 1989)\n Now Dance 901 – 20 Smash Dance Hits (The 12\" Mixes) (6 February 1990)\n Now Dance 902 (The 12\" Mixes) (16 July 1990)\n Now Dance 903 (The 12\" Mixes) (29 October 1990)\n Now Dance 91 – 20 Blissful Grooves (23 September 1991)\n Now Dance 92 (2 November 1992)\n Now Dance 93 – 20 Buzzin' Beats (14 June 1993)\n Now Dance – The Best of 93 (18 October 1993)\n Now Dance 94 (17 January 1994)\n Now Dance 94 – Volume 2 (7 March 1994)\n Now Dance Summer 94 (16 June 1994)\n Now Dance 95 – 40 Ultimate Dance Hits (27 October 1994)\n Now Dance – The Best of 94 (3 November 1994)\n Now Dance Summer 95 (27 July 1995)\n Now Dance 97 (20 October 1997)\n Now Dance 98 (2 November 1998)\n Now Dance 2000 (18 October 1999)\n Now Dance 2001 (23 October 2000)\n Now Dance 2001 – Part Two (19 March 2001)\n Now Dance 2002 (22 October 2001)\n Now Dance 2002 – Part Two (4 March 2002)\n Now Dance 2003 (14 October 2002)\n Now Dance 2003 – Part Two (31 March 2003)\n Now Dance 2004 (27 October 2003)\n Now Dance – 41 Brand New Dance Hits (22 March 2004)\n Now Dance – 42 Brand New Dance Hits (18 October 2004)\n The Very Best of Now Dance (26 September 2005)\n Now Dance 2007 (16 October 2006)\n Now Dance 2008 (15 October 2007)\n Now Dance Anthems (21 September 2009)\n The Very Best of Now Dance 2010 (18 October 2010)\n The Very Best of Now Dance (8 December 2014)\n\nChristmas series (1985 – present) \n Now – The Christmas Album/Tape/Compact Disc (11 November 1985)\n Now! – The Christmas Album (27 November 2000)\n Now Xmas – Massive Christmas Hits (14 November 2005)\n Now That's What I Call Xmas (16 November 2009)\n Now That's What I Call Xmas (2011) (7 November 2011)\n Now That's What I Call Christmas (5 November 2012)\n Now That's What I Call Christmas (2013) (4 November 2013)\n Now That's What I Call Christmas (2015) (6 November 2015)\n Now – The Christmas Album (2016) (25 November 2016, vinyl only)\n Now That's What I Call Christmas (2021) (29 October 2021)\n\nSpecial Editions (1986 – present) \n\nThe Special Editions series includes a wide range of Now anniversary collections, different music genres, eras, and decades, as well as commercial tie-ins with Smash Hits, Disney and HMV. They all vary from one to five disc compilations, starting in 1986 and continuing to the present day. The series peaked in 2017, with fifteen different compilations being issued. Some of the Special Editions have identical names, although a few of these titles are followed by their year of release. In November 2018, the Now team took over the \"100 Hits\" brand from Demon Music Group, and in 2019 and 2020, the Special Editions series was effectively rested while 24 different Now 100 Hits compilations were issued in very quick succession, until the end of November 2020. From January 2021, the Special Editions series resumed, albeit with reduced output due to the introduction of two new series, Now Yearbook and the 4-CD series, which were both launched in 2021, and these three release variations continue to the present day (February 2022).\n\n Now That's What I Call Music – The Summer Album (6 July 1986) Double-LP/MC only\n Now That's What I Call Music '86 (27 October 1986) Single-CD only\n Now That's What I Call Music, Smash Hits (August 1987) 2-CD/MC/LP\n Now That's What I Call Love (5 February 1994) 2-CD/MC\n Now That's What I Call Music! Decades – The Deluxe Edition (29 September 2003) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Music! Years (27 September 2004) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call No. 1's (30 October 2006) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call the 80s (29 October 2007) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Music! 25 Years (27 October 2008) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call the 90s (26 October 2009) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call the 00s (15 February 2010) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call a Wedding! (18 April 2011) 2-CD\n Now That's What I Call R&B (26 September 2011) 2-CD\n Now That's What I Call Disney (21 November 2011) 2-CD\n Now That's What I Call Classical (28 November 2011) 2-CD\n Now That's What I Call Love (30 January 2012) 2-CD\n Now That's What I Call Running (5 March 2012) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Britain (21 May 2012) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Reggae (25 June 2012) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call a No.1 (9 July 2012) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Chill (20 August 2012) 2-CD\n Now That's What I Call 90s Dance (29 October 2012) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Disney (2012 with bonus CD) (November 2012)\n Now That's What I Call Musicals (26 November 2012) 2-CD\n Now That's What I Call 30 Years (27 May 2013) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Disco (26 August 2013) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call 80s Dance (14 October 2013) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Music! USA (21 October 2013) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Disney Princess (28 October 2013) 2-CD\n Now That's What I Call Movies (11 November 2013) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Relaxing Classical (25 November 2013) 2-CD\n Now That's What I Call Club Hits (9 December 2013) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Running 2014 (10 March 2014) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Feel Good (17 March 2014) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call 21st Century (21 April 2014) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Rock (2 June 2014)\n Now That's What I Call Summer (23 June 2014) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Chilled (18 August 2014) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Club Hits 2014 (8 September 2014) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Drive (15 September 2014) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call a Million 2014 (27 October 2014) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Disney 2014 (10 November 2014) 2-CD\n Now That's What I Call the 90s 2014 (17 November 2014) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Legends (24 November 2014) 2-CD\n Now That's What I Call Musicals (24 November 2014) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call a Party 2015 (1 December 2014) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Power Ballads (26 January 2015) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call a Song (13 April 2015) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Running 2015 (20 April 2015) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Classic Rock (1 June 2015) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call a Summer Party (22 June 2015) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call House (21 August 2015) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Pop (25 September 2015) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call a Singer (23 October 2015) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call the 80s (6 November 2015) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Party Anthems (27 November 2015) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Classical (27 November 2015) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Brit Hits (25 March 2016) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Fitness (22 April 2016) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Rock Ballads (3 June 2016) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Reggae Party (24 June 2016) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Summer Hits (1 July 2016) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Dance Hits (19 August 2016) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Drivetime (16 September 2016) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call 20th Century (21 October 2016) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call No.1 Hits (11 November 2016) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Love 2016 (18 November 2016) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Disney Princess (25 November 2016) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call 70s (25 November 2016) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Party Hits (2 December 2016) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call R&B (10 February 2017) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Mum (3 March 2017)\n Now That's What I Call Running 2017 (24 March 2017) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Classic Soul (26 May 2017) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Driving Rock (2 June 2017) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call a Summer Party 2017 (23 June 2017) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Old Skool (4 August 2017) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Sing (22 September 2017) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call a Million 2017 (13 October 2017)\n Now That's What I Call Disney 2017 (3 November 2017) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call the 00s (10 November 2017) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call the 60s (17 November 2017) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call an 80s Party (24 November 2017) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Country 2017 (24 November 2017) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call a Party 2018 (1 December 2017) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Remix (23 February 2018) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Running 2018 (16 March 2018) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Footie Anthems (25 May 2018) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Dad Rock (1 June 2018) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Jazz (1 June 2018) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call a Summer Party 2018 (22 June 2018) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Ibiza (3 August 2018) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Disney Bedtime (9 November 2018) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Rock 'n' Roll (9 November 2018) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Easy (16 November 2018) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Love Songs (23 November 2018) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call a Party 2019 (30 November 2018) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call a Summer Party 2019 (28 June 2019) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Eurovision Song Contest (30 April 2021) 3-CD\n Now That's What I Call Footie!: Back of the Net (7 May 2021) 2-CD\n Now That's What I Call HMV (24 September 2021) 3-CD\n\nNow 100 Hits series (2018 – 2020)\n\n4-CD series (2021 – present) \n Now Decades of Love (22 January 2021)\n Now 70s Glam Pop (29 January 2021)\n Now That's What I Call Country 2021 (20 February 2021)\n Now The 60s Girls: Then He Kissed Me (5 March 2021)\n Now That's What I Call 12\" 80s (16 April 2021)\n Now Live Forever: The Anthems (28 May 2021)\n Now That's What I Call Summer (25 June 2021)\n Now That's What I Call Gold (16 July 2021)\n Now Decades of Soul (13 August 2021)\n Now That's What I Call 12\" 80s: Extended (27 August 2021)\n Now Boogie Nights: Disco Classics (17 September 2021)\n Now That's What I Call Disney 2021 (1 October 2021)\n Now That's What I Call Rock 2021 (5 November 2021)\n Now That's What I Call a Massive Party (19 November 2021)\n Now That's What I Call Electronic (7 January 2022)\n Now That's What I Call Punk and New Wave (21 January 2022)\n Now That's What I Call 12\"/80s: Remixed (26 February 2022)\n\nNow Yearbook series (2021 – present) \n Now Yearbook '83 (25 June 2021) 4-CD and 3-LP vinyl selection\n Now Yearbook '84 (29 October 2021) 4-CD and 3-LP vinyl selection\n Now Yearbook '83 Extra (10 December 2021) 3-CD selection\n Now Yearbook '84 Extra (14 January 2022) 3-CD selection\n Now Yearbook '82 (4 February 2022) 4-CD and 3-LP vinyl selection\n\n10th Anniversary Series (1993 – 1995) \nTo commemorate ten years since the release of the first Now That's What I Call Music! album, from June to August in 1993, a series of eleven, 40-track yearly collections were released on CD/Cassette, with an additional volume added in both 1994 and 1995 also released on CD/cassette, 1993 and 1994 were also released on Vinyl.\n\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1983 – 10th Anniversary Series (20 June 1993)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1984 – 10th Anniversary Series (27 June 1993)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1985 – 10th Anniversary Series (4 July 1993)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1986 – 10th Anniversary Series (11 July 1993)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1987 – 10th Anniversary Series (18 July 1993)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1988 – 10th Anniversary Series (25 July 1993)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1989 – 10th Anniversary Series (1 August 1993)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1990 – 10th Anniversary Series (8 August 1993)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1991 – 10th Anniversary Series (15 August 1993)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1992 – 10th Anniversary Series (22 August 1993)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1993 – 10th Anniversary Series (29 August 1993)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1994 – 10th Anniversary Series (13 September 1994)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1995 – 10th Anniversary Series (4 September 1995)\n\nThe Millennium Series (1999) \nTo commemorate the turn of the millennium, another series of Now That's What I Call Music collections were released in 1999 which all contained 36 tracks, and covered hits from the years 1980 through to 1999.\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1980 – The Millennium Series (21 June 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1981 – The Millennium Series (21 June 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1982 – The Millennium Series (21 June 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1983 – The Millennium Series (21 June 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1984 – The Millennium Series (21 June 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1985 – The Millennium Series (21 June 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1986 – The Millennium Series (21 June 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1987 – The Millennium Series (21 June 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1988 – The Millennium Series (21 June 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1989 – The Millennium Series (21 June 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1990 – The Millennium Series (21 June 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1991 – The Millennium Series (21 June 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1992 – The Millennium Series (21 June 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1993 – The Millennium Series (21 June 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1994 – The Millennium Series (21 June 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1995 – The Millennium Series (21 June 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1996 – The Millennium Series (4 October 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1997 – The Millennium Series (4 October 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1998 – The Millennium Series (4 October 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1999 – The Millennium Series (4 October 1999)\n\nDVD series (2001 – 2011) \n Now That's What I Call Music! 2001 The DVD (10 December 2001)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 2003 The DVD (2 December 2002)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 2004 The DVD (1 December 2003)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 2005 The DVD (22 November 2004)\n Now That's What I Call Karaoke (21 November 2005)\n Now Quiz – Now That's What I Call A Music Quiz [Interactive DVD] (5 December 2005)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 2006 The DVD (3 April 2006)\n Now That's What I Call A Music Quiz 2 – Interactive DVD Game [Interactive DVD] (4 December 2006)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 2008 The DVD (3 December 2007)\n Now That's What I Call A Music Quiz – The 80s [Interactive DVD] (3 December 2007)\n Now That's What I Call a Family Quiz [DVD] (1 December 2008)\n Now That's What I Call Comedy (2 March 2009)\n Now That's What I Call Fitness (26 December 2011)\n\nUnited States\n\nSpecial editions \nNow Presents: Off the Hook (21 May 2002)\nNow That's What I Call Music! #1's (24 January 2006)\nNow That's What I Call Party Hits! (13 November 2007)\nNow That's What I Call the 80s (11 March 2008)\nNow That's What I Call Classic Rock (3 June 2008)\nThe Best of Now That's What I Call Music! 10th Anniversary (11 November 2008)\nNow That's What I Call Motown (13 January 2009)\nNow That's What I Call Power Ballads (24 March 2009)\nNow That's What I Call the 80s 2 (30 June 2009)\nNow That's What I Call Club Hits (22 September 2009)\nNow That's What I Call Dance Classics (3 November 2009)\nNow That's What I Call Love (26 January 2010)\nNow That's What I Call Faith (23 March 2010)\nNow That's What I Call Club Hits 2 (12 October 2010)\nNow That's What I Call the 1990s (9 November 2010)\nNow That's What I Call R&B (1 February 2011)\nNow That's What I Call the Modern Songbook (8 February 2011)\nNow That's What I Call the 80s Hits (3 May 2011)\nNow That's What I Call I Wanna Rock (17 June 2011)\nNow That's What I Call Classic Rock Hits (1 May 2012)\nNow That's What I Call British (17 July 2012)\nNow That's What I Call Party Anthems (7 August 2012)\nNow That's What I Call Disney (6 November 2012)\nNow That's What I Call Love Songs (22 January 2013)\nNow That's What I Call Soundcheck (2 July 2013)\nNow That's What I Call Disney 2 (11 November 2013)\nNow That's What I Call Slow Jams (4 February 2014)\nNow That's What I Call Party Anthems 2 (5 August 2014)\nNow That's What I Call Disney 3 (27 October 2014)\nNow That's What I Call Movies (3 February 2015)\nNow That's What I Call #1's (4 May 2015)\nNow That's What I Call Funk (4 May 2015)\nNow That's What I Call New Wave 80s (7 August 2015)\nNow That's What I Call Halloween (11 September 2015)\nNow That's What I Call Disney Princess (30 October 2015)\nNow That's What I Call Rock (22 January 2016)\nNow That's What I Call Power Ballads Hits (5 February 2016)\nNow That's What I Call Broadway (29 April 2016)\nNow That's What I Call Party Anthems 3 (5 August 2016)\nNow That's What I Call 90's Pop (27 January 2017)\nNow That's What I Call a Workout 2017: Hits & Remixes (5 May 2017)\nNow That's What I Call Tailgate Anthems (4 August 2017)\nNow That's What I Call the 00's (3 November 2017)\nNow That's What I Call Disney Junior Music (16 March 2018)\nNow That's What I Call Hits & Remixes 2018 (4 May 2018)\nNow That's What I Call Party Anthems 4 (3 August 2018)\nNow That's What I Call Music! 20th Anniversary: Volume 1 (26 October 2018)\nNow That's What I Call Music! 20th Anniversary: Volume 2 (1 February 2019)\nNow That's What I Call Hits and Remixes 2019 (3 May 2019)\nNow That's What I Call Yacht Rock (2 August 2019)\nNow That's What I Call 80s Hits & Remixes (25 October 2019)\nNow That's What I Call Yacht Rock Volume 2 (1 May 2020)\nNow That’s What I Call a Decade 2010s (7 August 2020)\nNow That's What I Call a Decade 1990s (30 April 2021)\nNow That's What I Call a Decade 1980s (18 June 2021)\nNow That's What I Call 2000's Hip Hop (28 January 2022)\n\nChristmas series \nNow That's What I Call Christmas! (23 October 2001)\nNow That's What I Call Christmas! 2: The Signature Collection (30 September 2003)\nNow That's What I Call Christmas! 3 (10 October 2006)\nThe Essential Now That's What I Call Christmas (23 September 2008)\nNow That's What I Call Christmas! 4 (12 October 2010)\nNow That's What I Call Today's Christmas (25 September 2012)\nNow Christmas (8 October 2013)\nNow That's What I Call Merry Christmas (7 October 2016)\nNow That's What I Call Merry Christmas (6 October 2017)\nNow That's What I Call Merry Christmas (5 October 2018)\nNow That's What I Call Music! R&B Christmas (2 October 2020)\nNow That's What I Call Christmas Classics (10 September 2021)\n\nCountry series \nNow That's What I Call Country (26 August 2008)\nNow That's What I Call Country Volume 2 (25 August 2009)\nNow That's What I Call a Country Christmas (6 October 2009)\nNow That's What I Call the USA: The Patriotic Country Collection (15 June 2010)\nNow That's What I Call Country Volume 3 (14 September 2010)\nNow That's What I Call Country Volume 4 (14 June 2011)\nNow That's What I Call Country Ballads (24 January 2012)\nNow That's What I Call Country Volume 5 (12 June 2012)\nNow That's What I Call a Country Party (7 May 2013)\nNow That's What I Call Country Volume 6 (11 June 2013)\nNow That's What I Call Country Ballads 2 (21 January 2014)\n Now That's What I Call Country Volume 7 (3 June 2014)\n Now That's What I Call ACM Awards 50 Years (31 March 2015)\n Now That's What I Call Country Volume 8 (9 June 2015)\n Now That's What I Call Country Christmas (23 October 2015)\n Now That's What I Call Southern Rock (29 April 2016)\n Now That's What I Call Country Volume 9 (10 June 2016)\n Now That's What I Call Country #1's (4 November 2016)\n Now That's What I Call Country Volume 10 (9 June 2017)\n Now That's What I Call Country: Songs Of Inspiration (16 March 2018)\n Now That's What I Call Country Volume 11 (8 June 2018)\n Now That's What I Call Country Volume 12 (29 March 2019)\n Now That's What I Call a Country Christmas (4 October 2019)\n Now That's What I Call Country: Songs of Inspiration: Volume 2 (27 March 2020)\n Now That's What I Call Country Classics '90s (5 June 2020)\n Now That's What I Call Country Volume 13 (5 June 2020)\n Now That's What I Call Music! Outlaw Country (19 March 2021)\n Now That's What I Call Country Volume 14 (18 June 2021)\n Now That's What I Call Country Classics 00s (18 June 2021)\n\nDVD series \nNow That's What I Call Music! DVD: The Best Videos of 2003 (4 November 2003)\nNow That's What I Call Music! DVD 2 (2 November 2004)\n\nLatino series \nNow Esto Es Musica! Latino (21 March 2006)\nNow Esto Es Musica! Latino 2 (21 November 2006)\nNow Esto Es Musica! Latino 3 (9 October 2007)\nNow Esto Es Musica! Latino 4 (24 March 2009)\n\nAsian region \n Now That's What I Call Music! (1995)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 2 (1996)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 3 (1997)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 4 (1998)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 5 (1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 6 (2000)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 7 (2001)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 8 (2002)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 9 (2006)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 10 (2008)\n\nChinese Best series \n Now Chinese Best (1999)\n Now Chinese Best 2 (2000)\n\nLove series \n Now That's What I Call Love (1998)\n Now That's What I Call Love 2 (1999)\n Now That's What I Call Love 3 (2000)\n Now That's What I Call Love 4 (2001)\n Now That's What I Call Love (2010)\n Now That's What I Call Love Vol. 2 (2011)\n Now That's What I Call Love (2014)\n\nPlus Series \n Now+ (2004)\n Now+ Vol.2 (2005)\n\nSpecial editions \n Now That's What I Call Jazz (2002)\n Now The Essential Collection (2003)\n Now That's What I Call Jazz (2007)\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 2011 (2011)\n\nAustralia\n\nFirst series\n Now That's What I Call Music 1 (1987) (Vinyl)\n\nSecond series\n Now 01 (2002)\n Now 02 (2002)\n Now 03 (2003)\n Now 04 (2003)\n Now 05 (2004)\n Now 06 (2004)\n Now 07 (2004)\n Now 08 (2005)\n\nThird series\n Now Winter 2005 (2005)\n Now Spring 2005 (2005)\n Now Summer 2006 (2005)\n Now Autumn 2006 (2006)\n Now Winter 2006 (2006)\n Now Spring 2006 (2006)\n Now Summer 2007 (2006) (double CD)\n Now Autumn 2007 (2007)\n Now Winter 2007 (2007)\n Now Spring 2007 (2007)\n Now Summer 2008 (2007) (double CD)\n Now Autumn 2008 (2008)\n Now: The Hits of Winter 2008 (2008)\n Now: The Hits of Spring 2008 (2008)\n Now: The Hits of Summer 2009 (2008)\n Now: The Hits of Autumn 2009 (2009)\n Now: The Hits of Winter 2009 (2009)\n Now: The Hits of Spring 2009 (2009)\n Now: The Hits of Summer 2010 (2009)\n Now: The Hits of Autumn 2010 (2010)\n Now: The Hits of Winter 2010 (2010)\n Now: The Hits of Spring 2010 (2010)\n Now: The Hits of Summer 2011 (2010)\n Now: The Hits of Autumn 2011 (2011)\n Now: The Hits of Winter 2011 (2011)\n Now: The Hits of Spring 2011 (2011)\n Now: The Hits of Summer 2012 (2011)\n Now: The Hits of Autumn 2012 (2012)\n Now: The Hits of Winter 2012 (2012)\n Now: The Hits of Spring 2012 (2012)\n Now: The Hits of Summer 2013 (2012)\n Now: The Hits of Autumn 2013 (2013)\n Now: The Hits of Spring 2013 (2013)\n Now: The Hits of Summer 2014 (2013)\n\nFourth series\n NOW: Volume 1, 2014 (2014)\n NOW: Volume 2, 2014 (2014)\n NOW: Volume 3, 2014 (2014)\n NOW: Volume 1, 2015 (2015)\n NOW: Volume 2, 2015 (2015)\n NOW: Volume 1, 2016 (2016)\n NOW: Volume 2, 2016 (2016)\n NOW: Volume 1, 2017 (2017)\n NOW: Volume 1, 2018 (2018)\n NOW: Volume 1, 2019 (2019)\n\n100% series \n Now… That's What I Call Music! 100% Dance (1994)\n Now… That's What I Call Music! 100% Ballads (1994)\n Now… That's What I Call Music! 100% Rap (1994)\n Now… That's What I Call Music! 100% Alternate (1994)\n Now… That's What I Call Music! 100% Pop (1994)\n\nVision series \n Now Vision 2004 (DVD) (2004)\n Now Vision 2005 (DVD) (2005)\n Now Vision 2006 (DVD) (2006)\n Now Summer 2007 (DVD) (2006)\n\nSpecial editions \n Now Xmas (2008)\n Now Xmas (2009)\n Now Xmas (2011)\n Now Dance – Mixed By Denzal Park (2011)\n Now Dance – Mixed By Emily Scott (2011)\n Now: 10 Years Of Hits (2012)\n Now R&B Volume 1 (2014)\n NOW Fitness 2014 (2014)\n NOW Xmas 2015 (2015)\n NOW Fitness 2016 (2016)\n NOW Xmas 2016 (2016)\n NOW Fitness 2017 (2017)\n NOW Xmas 2017 (2017)\n NOW Xmas 2018 (2018)\n\nBenelux \n Now, This Is CD Music (1985)\n A co-release by EMI Bovema, Ariola Benelux and Virgin Records.\n\nCanada\n\nOriginal series \n Now That's What I Call Music (1988)\n\nCurrent series \n Now! (1996)\n Now! 2 (1997)\n Now! 3 (1998)\n Now! 4 (1999)\n Now! 5 (2000)\n Now! 6 (2001)\n Now! 7 (2002)\n Now! 8 (2003)\n Now! 9 (2004)\n Now! 10 (2005)\n Now! 11 (2006)\n Now! 12 (2007)\n Now! 13 (2008)\n Now! 14 (2009)\n Now! 15 (2010)\n Now! 16 (2010)\n Now! 17 (2011)\n Now! 18 (2011)\n Now! 19 (2012)\n Now! 20 (2012)\n Now! 21 (7 February 2013)\n Now! 22 (3 September 2013)\n Now! 23 (3 June 2014)\n Now! 24 (3 March 2015)\n Now! 25 (28 August 2015)\n Now! 26 (15 April 2016)\n Now! 27 (23 September 2016)\n Now! 28 (28 July 2017)\n\nThen series \n Then (1999)\n Then 2 (2000)\n\nCountry series \n Now Country (2006)\n Now Country 2 (2007)\n Now Country Classics (2007)\n Now Country 3 (2009)\n Now Country 4 (2010)\n Now Country 5 (2011)\n Now Country 6 (2012)\n Now Country 7 (2013)\n Now Country 8 (2013)\n Now Country 9 (2014)\n Now Country 10 (2015)\n\nSpecial editions \n Now That's What I Call Rock & Roll (1988)\n Now Blues (2005)\n Now Real Country (2005)\n Now Classic Rock (2005)\n Now Love (2005)\n Now Soul (2005)\n Now New Wave (2005)\n Now Rock N Roll (2005)\n Now Women Who Rock (2005)\n Now Bell Bottom Rock (2005)\n Best of Now (2005)\n Now 1970s (2010)\n Now 1980s (2010)\n Now 1990s (2010)\n Now 2000s (2010)\n Now Classical (2011)\n\nDance editions \n Now Dance (2010)\n Now Dance 2 (2011)\n Now Dance 3 (2012)\n Now Dance 4 (2013)\n Now Dance 5 (2014)\n\nDenmark \n Now That's What I Call Music! 1 (2002)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 2 (2002)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 3 (2003)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 4 (2003)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 5 (2003)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 6 (2003)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 7 (2004)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 8 (2004)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 9 (2004)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 10 (2004)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 11 (2005)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 12 (2005)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 13 (2005)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 14 (2005)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 15 (2006)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 16 (2006)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 17 (2006)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 18 (2006)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 19 (2007)\n\nBig Hits series \n Now Big Hits 1999 (1999)\n Now Big Hits 2000 (2000)\n Now Big Hits 2001 (2001)\n Now Big Hits 2002 (2002)\n Now Big Hits 2003 (2003)\n Now Big Hits 2004 (2004)\n Now Big Hits 2005 (2005)\n Now Big Hits 2006 (2006)\n Now Big Hits 2007 (2007)\n Now Big Hits 2008 (2008)\n Now Big Hits 2009 (2009)\n Now Big Hits 2010 (2010)\n Now Big Hits 2011 (2011)\n Now Big Hits 2012 (2012)\n Now Big Hits 2013 (2013)\n Now Big Hits 2014 (2014)\n Now Big Hits 2015 (2015)\n Now Big Hits 2016 (2016)\n Now Big Hits 2017 (2017)\n Now Big Hits 2018 (2018)\n Now Big Hits 2019 (2019)\n Now Big Hits 2020 (2020)\n Now Big Hits 2021 (2021)\n Now Big Hits 2022 (2022)\n\nSpecial editions \n Now Hip Hop Vol. 1 (2003)\n Now Hip Hop Vol. 2 (2019)\n\nFinland \nNow That's What I Call Music 1 (2003)\nNow That's What I Call Music 2 (2003)\nNow That's What I Call Music 3 (2004)\nNow That's What I Call Music 4 (2004)\nNow That's What I Call Music 5 (2005)\nNow That's What I Call Music 6 (2005)\nNow That's What I Call Music 7 (2006)\nNow That's What I Call Music 8 (2007)\n\nSpecial editions \n Now That's What I Call Dance (2003)\n Now That's What I Call Music Pop Hits (2003)\n Now Christmas 2012 (2012)\nNow Hits 2013 (2013)\n\nFrance \nNow! Hits Référence (25 February 2002)\nNow! Hits Référence Vol. 2 (17 May 2002)\nNow! Hits Référence Vol. 3 (20 August 2002)\nNow! Hits Référence Vol. 4 (4 November 2002)\nNow! Hits Référence Vol. 5 (25 March 2003)\nNow! Hits Référence Vol. 6 (24 June 2003)\nNow! Hits Référence Vol. 7 (26 August 2003)\nNow! Hits Référence 2005 (29 August 2005)\nNow! Hits Référence 2006 (3 July 2006)\nNow! Hits Référence 2007 (1 December 2006)\n\nGreece \n Now No. 1:Αυτά Είναι Τα Hits Σήμερα! (2002)\n Now No. 2:Αυτά Είναι Τα Hits Σήμερα! (2003)\n Now No. 3:Αυτά Είναι Τα Hits Σήμερα! (2003)\n Now No. 4:Αυτά Είναι Τα Hits Σήμερα! (2003)\n Now No. 5:Αυτά Είναι Τα Hits Σήμερα! (2004)\n Now No. 6:Αυτά Είναι Τα Hits Σήμερα!\n Now No. 7:Αυτά Είναι Τα Hits Σήμερα! (2005)\n Now No. 8:Αυτά Είναι Τα Hits Σήμερα!\n Now No. 9:Αυτά Είναι Τα Hits Σήμερα! (2006)\n Now 2010 Αυτά Είναι Τα Hits Σήμερα (2010)\n Now That's What I Call Music 2016 (2015)\n\nHungary\n\nOriginal series \n Now That's What I Call Music (2003)\n Now That's What I Call Music II (2003)\n Now That's What I Call Music 3 (2003)\n Now That's What I Call Music 4 (2003)\n Now That's What I Call Music 5 (2004)\n Now That's What I Call Music 6 (2004)\n Now That's What I Call Music 7 (2005)\n Now That's What I Call Music 8 (2005)\n\nCurrent series \n Now.hu 1\n Now.hu 2 (16 February 2004)\n Now.hu 3\n Now.hu 4 (17 February 2005)\n Now.hu 5 (20 July 2005)\n Now.hu 6 (15 February 2006)\n Now.hu 7 (15 September 2006)\n Now.hu 8\n Now.hu 9 (10 July 2007)\n Now.hu 10\n Now.hu 11 (25 June 2008)\n Now.hu 12 (22 April 2009)\n Now.hu 13 (25 November 2009)\n\nIsrael \n Now That's What I Call Music! (1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 2 (2000)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 3 (2000)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 4 (2001)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 5 (2001)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 6 (2002)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 7 (2002)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 8 (2002)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 9 (2003)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 10 (2004)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 11 (2006)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 12 (2007)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 13 (2007)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 14 (2008)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 15 (2009)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 16 (2010)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 17 (2011)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 18 (2012)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 19 (2013)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 20 (2014)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 21 (2016)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 22 (2016)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 23 (2018)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 24 (2019)\n\nDance series \n Now Dance 2003 (2003)\n Now That's What I Call Music! Dance 2004 (2004)\n Now That's What I Call Music! Dance 2006 (2006)\n Now That's What I Call Music! Dance 2007 (2007)\n Now Dance 2011 (2011)\n Now Dance 2012 (2012)\n\nHip hop series \n Now That's What I Call Music! Hip Hop (2004)\n Now That's What I Call Music! Hip Hop 2 (2005)\n Now That's What I Call Music! Hip Hop 3 (2007)\n\nSpecial editions \n Now That's What I Call Music!: Best of 2000–2009 (2010)\n Now That's What I Call Running 2015 (2015)\n\nItaly\n\nOriginal series \nNow – All the Hits Primavera 2000 (2000)\nNow – All the Hits Estate 2000 (2000)\nNow – All the Hits 2001 (2001)\nNow – All the Hits Primavera 2001 (2001)\nNow – All the Hits Inverno 2001 (2001)\nNow – All the Hits Estate 2001 (2001)\nNow – All the Hits Primavera 2002 (2002)\nNow – All the Hits Autunno 2002 (2002)\nNow – All the Hits Estate 2002 (2002)\nNow – All the Hits Inverno 2003 (2003)\nNow – All the Hits Estate 2003 (2003)\nNow – All the Hits 1 (2004)\nNow – All the Hits 2 (2004)\nNow – All the Hits 3 (2004)\nNow – All the Hits 2006 (2006)\nNow – All the Hits 2007 (2007)\nNow – All the Hits 2008 (2008)\nNow – All the Hits 2009 (2009)\nNow – All the Hits 2010 (2010)\nNow – All the Hits 2011 (2011)\nNow – All the Hits 2012 (2012)\n\nCurrent series \nNow! Spring 2007 (2007)\nNow! Summer 2007 (2007)\nNow! Winter 2007 (2007)\nNow! Spring 2008 (2008)\nNow! Winter 2009 (2009)\nNow! Spring 2010 (2010)\nNow! Summer 2010 (2010)\nNow Summer Hits 2011 (2011)\nNow Superhits – Autumn 2011 (2011)\nNow! Spring 2012 (2012)\nNow! Summer 2012 (2012)\nNow! Autumn 2012 (2012)\nNow! Winter 2012 (2012)\nNow! Spring 2013 (2013)\n\nAll the Hits Italia series \nNow – All The Hits Italia 2001 (2001)\nNow – All The Hits Italia 2002 (2002)\nNow – All The Hits Italia 2005 (2005)\nNow – All The Hits Italia (2005)\nNow – All The Hits Italia 2006 (2005)\nNow Hits Of The Year (2008)\nNow Hits 2010! (2010)\nNow Hits 2011! (2011)\nNow Hits 2012! (2012)\nNow Hits 2013! (2013)\n\nStory series \nNow! Story '80/'81 (2007)\nNow! Story '82/'83 (2007)\nNow! Story '84/'85 (2007)\nNow! Story '86/'87 (2007)\nNow! Story '88/'89 (2007)\nNow! Story '90/'91 (2007)\nNow! Story '92/'93 (2008)\nNow! Story '94/'95 (2008)\nNow! Story '96/'97 (2008)\nNow! Story '98/'99 (2008)\n\nJapan\n\nOriginal series \nNow!! 1 (1988)\nNow!! 2 (1988)\nNow!! 3 (1989)\n\nSecond series \n Now That's What I Call Music! 1 (8 December 1993)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 2 (9 November 1994)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 3 (8 November 1995)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 4 (19 June 1996)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 5 (7 November 1996)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 6 (11 June 1997)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 7 (7 November 1997)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 8 (24 June 1998)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 9 (2 December 1998)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 10 (1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 11 (6 December 2000)\n\nThird series \n Now That's What I Call Music! 2001 (27 September 2001)\n\nBest series \n Now That's What I Call Music! Best (9 April 1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! Best Returns (28 August 2002)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 90's Best (24 June 2009)\n Now That's What I Call Music! Love Best (30 June 2010)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 00's Best (25 May 2011)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 80's Best (26 May 2011)\n\nJazz series \n Now Jazz X'mas\n Now Jazz X'mas millennium\n Now Jazz\n Now Jazz 2\n Now Jazz 3\n Now Jazz 4\n Now Jazz Best millennium\n Now Jazz Vocal\n Now Jazz Ballad\n Now That's What I Call Music! Jazz Hits\n\nClassics series \n Now Classics\n Now Classics 2\n Now Classics 3\n Now Classics: Cinema & TV\n Now That's What I Call Music! Classic Hits (24 June 2009)\n\nReggae series \n Now Reggae\n Now Reggae 1997\n Now That's What I Call Music! Reggae Classics (2011)\n\nJapan series \n Now Japan\n Now Japan Best\n Now Japan Best 1\n\nChristmas series \n Now That's What I Call Christmas (2011)\n\nSpecial editions \n Now EX\n Now The Party!\n Now Dance\n Now Pianissimo\n Now J-Pop 2001\n Now That's What I Call Music Yo-Gaku Hits (18 November 2009)\n Now That's What I Call Music! Summer 80's & 90's Memories (2011)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 80's Deluxe (2 October 2013)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 90's Deluxe (2 October 2013)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 70's Deluxe (4 February 2014)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 00's Deluxe (4 February 2014)\n\nSouth Korea \n Now That's What I Call K-Pop, Best of 2008 – 2016 (2017)\n\nMexico \n Now That's What I Call Music! (1995)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 2 (1996)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 3 (1996)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 4 (1997)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 5 (1997)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 6 (1998)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 7 (2000)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 8 (2001)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 9 (2002)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 10 (2004)\n\nArgentina \n Now That's What I Call Music! (1995)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 2 (1996)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 3 (1996)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 4 (1997)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 5 (1997)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 6 (1998)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 7 (2000)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 8 (2001)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 9 (2002)\n\nNetherlands\n\nOriginal series \n Now This Is Music (1984)\nNow This Is Music 2 (1985)\nNow This Is Music 3 (1985)\nNow This Is Music 4 (1986)\nNow This Is Music 5 (1986)\nNow This Is Music 6 (1987)\nNow This Is Music 7 (1987)\nNow This Is Music 8 (1988)\nNow This Is Music 9 (1988)\nNow This Is Music 10 (1989)\nNow This Is Music 11 (1989)\n\nSecond series \nNow This Is Music 1 (1997)\nNow This Is Music 2 (1997)\n\nSpecial editions \nNow This Is Music: The Sound of the 80's, Vol. 1 (1992)\nNow Dance Hits 95 – Jaaroverzicht\nNow Dance Hits 96 – Jaaroverzicht\nNow Dance Hits 97 – Jaaroverzicht\nNow This Is X-Mas (1997)\n\nNew Zealand\n\nOriginal series \nNow That's What I Call Music (1984) (Vinyl)\n\nSecond series \nNow That's What I Call Music Volume 1 (1992)\nNow That's What I Call Music Volume 2 (1993)\nNow That's What I Call Music Volume 3 (1993)\n\nCurrent series \nNow That's What I Call Music (1997)\nNow That's What I Call Music 2 (1998)\nNow That's What I Call Music 3 (1998)\nNow That's What I Call Music 4 (1999)\nNow That's What I Call Music 5 (1999)\nNow That's What I Call Music 6 (2000)\nNow That's What I Call Music 7 (2000)\nNow That's What I Call Music 8 (2001)\nNow That's What I Call Music 9 (2001)\nNow That's What I Call Music 10 (2002)\nNow That's What I Call Music 11 (2002)\nNow That's What I Call Music 12 (2003)\nNow That's What I Call Music 13 (2003)\nNow That's What I Call Music 14 (2004)\nNow That's What I Call Music 15 (2004)\nNow That's What I Call Music 16 (2004)\nNow That's What I Call Music 17 (2005)\nNow That's What I Call Music 18 (2005)\nNow That's What I Call Music 19 (2005)\nNow That's What I Call Music 20 (2006)\nNow That's What I Call Music 21 (2006)\nNow That's What I Call Music 22 (2006)\nNow That's What I Call Music 23 (2007)\nNow That's What I Call Music 24 (2007)\nNow That's What I Call Music 25 (2007)\nNow That's What I Call Music 26 (2008)\nNow That's What I Call Music 27 (2008)\nNow That's What I Call Music 28 (2008)\nNow That's What I Call Music 29 (2009)\nNow That's What I Call Music 30 (2009)\nNow That's What I Call Music 31 (2009)\nNow That's What I Call Music 32 (2010)\nNow That's What I Call Music 33 (2010)\nNow That's What I Call Music 34 (2010)\nNow That's What I Call Music 35 (2011)\nNow That's What I Call Music 36 (2011)\nNow That's What I Call Music 37 (2011)\nNow That's What I Call Music 38 (2012)\nNow That's What I Call Music 39 (2012)\nNow That's What I Call Music 40 (2012)\nNow That's What I Call Music 41 (2013)\nNow That's What I Call Music 42 (2013)\nNow That's What I Call Music 43 (2013)\nNow That's What I Call Music 44 (2014)\nNow That's What I Call Music 45 (2014)\nNow That's What I Call Music 46 (2014)\nNow That's What I Call Music 47 (2015)\nNow That's What I Call Music 48 (2015)\nNow That's What I Call Music 49 (2015)\nNow That's What I Call Music 50 (2016)\nNow That's What I Call Music 51 (2016)\nNow That's What I Call Music 52 (2016)\nNow That's What I Call Music 53 (2017)\nNow That's What I Call Music 54 (2017)\nNow That's What I Call Music! 55 (2017)\nNow That's What I Call Music! 56 (2018)\nNow That's What I Call Music! 57 (2018)\nNow That's What I Call Music! 58 (2018)\nNow That's What I Call Music! 59 (2019)\nNow That's What I Call Music! 60 (2019)\nNow That's What I Call Music! 61 (2020)\n\nSpecial editions \nNow That's What I Call Xmas (2010)\n\"Now That's What I Call Christmas\" (2014)\n\nNorway\n\nOriginal series \n Now That's What I Call Music! 1 (2009)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 2 (2010)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 3 (2010)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 4 (2010)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 5 (2011)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 6 (2011)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 7 (2011)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 8 (2012)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 9 Dance Edition (2012)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 10 (2012)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 11 Dance Edition (2013)\n\nSpecial editions \n Now That's What I Call Music! Hits 2009 (2009)\n Now That's What I Call Music! Dance 1 (2009)\n Now That's What I Call Music! Dance 2 (2010)\n NOW – That's What I Call Music! White Christmas (2010)\n Now That's What I Call Music! Hits 2010 (2010)\n Now That's What I Call Music! Hits 2011 (2011)\n God Jul – Now That's What I Call Music (2011)\n Now That's What I Call Music! Woman (2011)\n Now That's What I Call Music! Hits 2012 (2012)\n\nPoland\n\nOriginal series \nNow To Jest Twoja Muzyka! 01\nNow To Jest Twoja Muzyka! 02\nNow To Jest Twoja Muzyka! 03\nNow To Jest Twoja Muzyka! 04\nNow To Jest Twoja Muzyka! 05 (1998)\nNow To Jest Twoja Muzyka! 06 (1999)\nNow To Jest Twoja Muzyka! 07\nNow To Jest Twoja Muzyka! 08 (2000)\n\nSeason series \nNow Spring & Summer 2008! (2008)\n\nCurrent series \nNow That's What I Call Music! 01 (2010)\nNow That's What I Call Music! 02 (2011)\n\nPortugal\n\nOriginal series \nNow 99 (6 December 1999)\nNow 2 (17 July 2000)\nNow 3 (4 December 2000)\nNow 4 (6 June 2001)\nNow 5 (28 November 2001)\nNow 6 (6 June 2002)\nNow 7 (28 November 2002)\nNow 8 (6 June 2003)\nNow 9 (24 November 2003)\nNow 10 (6 June 2004)\nNow 11 (26 November 2004)\nNow 12 (6 June 2005)\nNow 13 (21 November 2005)\nNow 14 (6 June 2006)\nNow 15 (20 November 2006)\nNow 16 (2 July 2007)\nNow 17 (2 December 2007)\nNow 18 (23 June 2008)\nNow 19 (24 November 2008)\nNow 20 (29 June 2009)\nNow 21 (16 November 2009)\nNow 22 (21 June 2010)\nNow 23 (22 November 2010)\nNow 24 (20 June 2011)\nNow 25 (14 November 2011)\nNow 26 (10 June 2012)\nNow 27 (19 November 2012)\nNow 28 (5 December 2013)\nNow 29 (2014)\nNow 30 (2015)\nNow 31 (2016)\nNow 32 (2017)\nNow 33 (2018)\nNow 34 (2019)\nNow 35 (2020)\nNow 36 (2021)\n\nDance series \n Now Dance (18 September 2001)\n Now Dance 2 (7 October 2002)\n Now Dance 2004 (3 May 2004)\n Now Dance 2005 (2 May 2005)\n Now Dance 2007 (19 February 2007)\n Now Dance 2008 (5 May 2008)\n\nMix series \n Now Mix 2010 (26 April 2010)\n Now Mix 2 (3 October 2010)\n Now Mix 3 – Mixed by Wise Guys (18 April 2011)\n\nSpecial editions \n Now DVD (24 February 2003)\n Now 10 Anos – Os Maiores Êxitos Da Última Década (30 November 2009)\n\nSaudi Arabia\n Now That's What I Call Arabia (2000)\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 2 (2001)\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 3 (2001)\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 4 (2002)\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 5 (2003)\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 6 (2004)\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 7 (2004)\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 8 (2005)\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 9 (2006)\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 10 (2007)\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 11 (2008)\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 12 (2010)\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 13 (2011)\n\nSouth Africa \n Now That's What I Call Music! (1984)\n Now That's What I Call Music! II (1984)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 3 (1985)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 4 (1986)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 5 (1986)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 6 (1987)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 7 (1987)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 8 (1988)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 9 (1988)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 10 (1989)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 11 (1989)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 12 (1990)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 13 (1990)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 14 (1991)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 15 (1991)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 16 (1992)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 17 (1992)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 18 (1993)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 19 (1993)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 20 (1995)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 21 (1995)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 22 (1996)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 23 The Superhit Collection (1997)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 24 (1998)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 25 (1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 26 (1999)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 27 (2000)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 28 (2000)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 29 (2001)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 30 (2001)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 31 (2001)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 32 (2002)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 33 (2002)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 34 (2003)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 35 (2003)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 36 (2004)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 37 (2004)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 38 (2004)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 39 (2005)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 40 (2005)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 41 (2005)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 42 (2006)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 43 (2006)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 44 (2006)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 45 (2007)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 46 (2007)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 47 (2007)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 48 (2008)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 49 (2008)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 50 (2008)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 51 (2009)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 52 (2009)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 53 (2009)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 54 (2010)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 55 (2010)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 56 (2010)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 57 (2011)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 58 (2011)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 59 (2011)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 60 (2012)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 61 (2012)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 62 (2012)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 63 (2013)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 64 (2013)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 65 (2013)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 66 (2014)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 67 (2014)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 68 (2014)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 69 (2015)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 70 (2015)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 71 (2015)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 72 (2016)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 73 (2016)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 74 (2016)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 75 (2017)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 76 (2017)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 77 (2017)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 78 (2018)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 79 (2018)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 80 (2018)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 81 (2019)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 82 (2019)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 83 (2020)\n\nBest Of series (1995-2019) \n Now That's What I Call Music! The Best of '95 (1995)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The Best of '96 (1996)\n Now That's What I Call Music! 1997 (1997)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The Best of 10 Years (1995)\n Now That's What I Call Music! Years: The Best of 1995–2005 (2005)\n Now That's What I Call Noughties: The Best of Now 2000–2007 (2008)\n Now That's What I Call a No 1 (the greatest no. 1 hits from 1984–2014) (2014)\n Now That's What I Call 21st Century (2015)\n Now That's What I Call 20th Century (2018)\n Now That's What I Call a Decade 2010 - 2019 (2019)\n Now That's What I Call a Decade 2000 - 2009 (2020)\n\nNow and Then series \n Now That's What I Call Music! And Then (2004)\n Now That's What I Call Music! And Then Volume 2 (2004)\n\nSpecial editions \n Now That's What I Call Classical (2011)\n Now That's What I Call Country (2012)\n Now That's What I Call Dance (2012)\n Now That's What I Call Xmas (2012)\n Now That's What I Call Dance 2 (2013)\n Now That's What I Call R&B (2013)\n Now That's What I Call Dance 3 (2013)\n Now That's What I Call a Power Ballad (2013)\n Now That's What I Call Movies (2014)\n Now That's What I Call Country 2 (2014)\n Now That's What I Call Dance 4 (2014)\n Now That's What I Call The 80's (2014)\n Now That's What I Call Dance 5 (2014)\n Now That's What I Call Dance 6 (2015)\n Now That's What I Call The 90's (2015)\n Now That's What I Call Dance 7 (2015)\n Now That's What I Call Legends (2015)\n Now That's What I Call a Song (2016)\n Now That's What I Call Dance 8 (2016)\n Now That's What I Call a Summer Party (2016)\n Now That's What I Call Dance 9 (2016)\n Now That's What I Call a Rock Ballad (2017)\n Now That's What I Call Dance 10 (2017)\n Now That's What I Call a RoadTrip (2017)\n Now That's What I Call Dance 11 (2017)\n Now That's What I Call a Singer (2018)\n Now That's What I Call a Summer Holiday (2018)\n Now That's What I Call Dance 12 (2018)\n Now That's What I Call 80s Pop (2019)\n Now That's What I Call Dance 13 (2019)\n Now That's What I Call a Decade: 2010-2019 (2019)\nNow That's What I Call a Decade: 2000-2009 (2020)\n\nDVD series \n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD (2005)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.2 (2005)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.3 (2006)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.4 (2006)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.5 (2006)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.6 (2007)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.7 (2007)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.8 (2007)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.9 (2008)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.10 (2008)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.11 (2008)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.12 (2009)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.13 (2009)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.14 (2009)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.15 (2010)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.16 (2010)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.17 (2010)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.18 (2011)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.19 (2011)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.20 (2011)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.21 (2012)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.22 (2012)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.23 (2012)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.24 (2013)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.25 (2013)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.26 (2013)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.27 (2014)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.28 (2014)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.29 (2014)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD Vol.30 (2015)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD 2015 (2015)\n Now That's What I Call Music! The DVD 2016 (2016)\n\nSpain\n\nOriginal series \n Now Esto si es música I\n Now Esto si es música 2\n Now Esto si es música 3\n Now Esto si es música 4\n Now Esto si es música 5\n Now Esto si es música 6\n Now Esto si es musica 7\n Now Esto si es musica 8\n Now Esto si es musica 9\n Now Esto si es musica 10\n\nSecond series \n Now Esto es música 1\n Now Esto es música 2003\n Now Esto es musica 2004\n Now Esto es musica 2005\n Now Esto es musica 2006\n Now Los Éxitos Del Año 2014\n\nTurkey\n\nOriginal series \n Now That's What I Call Music! 1\n Now That's What I Call Music! 2\n Now That's What I Call Music! 3\n Now That's What I Call Music! 4\n Now That's What I Call Music! 5\n Now That's What I Call Music! 6\n\nSecond series \n Now That's What I Call Music! 2000\n\nThe DVD series \n Now That's What I Call Arabia The DVD\n Now That's What I Call Arabia The DVD 2\n Now That's What I Call Arabia The DVD 3\n Now That's What I Call Arabia The DVD 4\n Now That's What I Call Arabia The DVD 5\n\nDance series \n Now Dance Arabia\n Now Dance Arabia 2004\n Now Dance Arabia 2005\n Now Dance Arabia 2006\n Now Dance Arabia 2007\n Now Dance Arabia 2008\n Now Dance Arabia 2009\n Now Dance Arabia 2010\n Now Dance Arabia 2011\n Now Dance Arabia 2012\n\nLove series \n Now Love Arabia\n Now Love Arabia 2\n Now That's What I Call Love Arabia 2006\n Now That's What I Call Love Arabia 2007\n Now That's What I Call Love Arabia 2008\n Now That's What I Call Love Arabia 2009\n Now That's What I Call Love Arabia 2010\n Now That's What I Call Love Arabia 2011\n The Best Of Now That's What I Call Love Arabia\n\nLove DVD series\n Now That's What I Call Love Arabia The DVD (2008)\n\nSpecial editions \n Now That's What I Call Arabia 2000\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 2001\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 2002\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 2003\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 2004\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 2005\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 2005 Vol. 2\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 2006\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 2007\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 2008\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 2009\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 2010\n Now That's What I Call Arabia 2011\n Now That's What I Call Arabia Decades 1990–2000\n Now That's What I Call Arabia Decades 2000–2010\n Now That's What I Call Arabia Decades 2000–2010 Volume Two\n\nReferences \n\n Discography\nPop music discographies" ]
[ "Billy Gunn", "The New Age Outlaws and D-Generation X (1997-1998)" ]
C_2e21de52a27844ff90c7b071600d3ed6_1
What were The New Age Outlaws?
1
What were The New Age Outlaws?
Billy Gunn
After The Smoking Gunns disbanded, Gunn took some time off to nurse an injury. At WrestleMania 13, he defeated Flash Funk catching the attention of The Honky Tonk Man, who made Gunn his protege. During this time, he adopted a new gimmick, Rockabilly, and had a short-lived feud with "The Real Double J" Jesse James. On Shotgun Saturday Night, James realized both of their careers were going nowhere and suggested that they became a tag team. Gunn agreed and smashed a guitar over the Honky Tonk Man's head to solidify their new alliance. James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team formed was soon dubbed the New Age Outlaws. This new team was in the spirit of the new Attitude Era: brash, vulgar, egotistical, and loud-mouthed. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks and won the Tag Team Championship from the Legion of Doom on November 24. They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X. The Outlaws slowly began to align themselves with D-Generation X, who were impressed with their new attitude. At the Royal Rumble, the New Age Outlaws interfered in a Casket match to help Shawn Michaels defeat The Undertaker. At No Way Out Of Texas, the Outlaws teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated. On February 2, The Outlaws locked Cactus and Chainsaw in a dumpster and pushed it off the stage. This led to a Dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV where Cactus and Chainsaw defeated the Outlaws for the Tag Titles. The next night on Raw, the New Age Outlaws won the Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Chainsaw and Cactus in a Steel cage match, but only after interference from Triple H, Chyna, and X-Pac. After the match, the Outlaws officially became members of D-Generation X (DX). Upon becoming an official member of DX, Gunn gained a tendency of mooning opponents (a trait used by the original incarnation of DX, as well as its 2006 revival), a precursor to the later "Mr. Ass" gimmick. After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven. DX began to feud with Owen Hart, and his new stablemates, The Nation. At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match. The Outlaws would also successfully defend their title against The New Midnight Express (Bombastic Bob and Bodacious Bart) at King of the Ring. During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. Although Kane and Mankind won the Tag Team Championship, they could not get along. At SummerSlam, Mankind faced the Outlaws in a Handicap match after Kane no-showed the title defense. The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time. The Outlaws then helped X-Pac in his feud with Jeff Jarrett and Southern Justice. In December, the Outlaws lost the title to The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock from The Corporation. CANNOTANSWER
James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team formed was soon dubbed the New Age Outlaws.
Monty "Kip" Sopp (born November 1, 1963), better known by his ring name Billy Gunn, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and coach. Gunn is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) from 1993 to 2004 and from 2012 to 2015. He also served as a coach on WWE's Tough Enough and was a trainer in NXT. He is also known for his appearances with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2005 to 2009. Primarily a tag team wrestler, Gunn is an overall 13-time tag team champion in WWE with three different partners (with Bart Gunn as The Smoking Gunns, with Road Dogg as The New Age Outlaws, and with Chuck Palumbo as Billy and Chuck). He is also a one time WWF Intercontinental Champion and a two time WWF Hardcore Champion, giving him 14 total championships in WWE. He is the 1999 King of the Ring tournament winner, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 as a member of D-Generation X. Professional wrestling career Early career (1985–1993) After a stint as a professional bull rider in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Sopp left the profession in his early-20s in order to pursue a career as a professional wrestler. Trained by Jerry Grey, Sopp wrestled on the independent circuit for eight years (including a brief stint as enhancement talent for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) before signing a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1993. World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1993–2004) The Smoking Gunns (1993–1996) After weeks of vignettes, Sopp, under the name Billy Gunn, made his WWF debut on the May 17, 1993 episode of Raw, teaming with his on-screen brother, Bart Gunn to defeat Tony Vadja and Glenn Ruth. The duo, now known as The Smoking Gunns, made their pay-per-view debut at King of the Ring, teaming with The Steiner Brothers to defeat Money Inc. and The Headshrinkers in an eight-man tag team match. At SummerSlam, the duo teamed with Tatanka to pick up a win against Bam Bam Bigelow and the Headshrinkers. On January 22, 1994, Gunn entered his first Royal Rumble match at the namesake event, but was eliminated by Diesel. In early 1995, the Gunns won their first Tag Team Championship by defeating the makeshift team of Bob Holly and 1-2-3 Kid. They held the title until WrestleMania XI, where they were defeated by the team of Owen Hart and Yokozuna. They won the titles again in September 1995. On February 15, 1996, the Gunns vacated the title because Billy was in need of neck surgery. After Billy returned from hiatus, The Smoking Gunns won the Tag Team Title for the third time by defeating The Godwinns in May. After the match, The Godwinns' manager Sunny turned on her team in favor of the Gunns. On September 22 at In Your House: Mind Games, the Gunns lost the Tag Team Title to Owen Hart and The British Bulldog. After the match, Sunny abandoned The Gunns, saying that she would only manage title holders. Billy, frustrated with losing both the championship and Sunny, walked out on Bart, breaking up The Smoking Gunns. Rockabilly, The New Age Outlaws and D-Generation X (1997–1998) After The Smoking Gunns disbanded, Gunn took some time off to nurse an injury. At WrestleMania 13, he defeated Flash Funk catching the attention of The Honky Tonk Man, who made Gunn his protégé. During this time, he adopted a new gimmick, Rockabilly, He would use this gimmick throughout much of 1997 and eventually had a short-lived feud with "The Real Double J" Jesse James. On the October 4, 1997 episode of Shotgun Saturday Night, James realized both of their careers were going nowhere and suggested that they become a tag team. Gunn agreed and smashed a guitar over the Honky Tonk Man's head to solidify their new alliance. James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team was dubbed the New Age Outlaws. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks and won the Tag Team Championship from the Legion of Doom on November 24. They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X. The Outlaws slowly began to align themselves with D-Generation X. At the Royal Rumble, the New Age Outlaws interfered in a Casket match to help Shawn Michaels defeat The Undertaker. At No Way Out Of Texas, the Outlaws teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated. On February 2, The Outlaws locked Cactus and Chainsaw in a dumpster and pushed it off the stage. This led to a Dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV where Cactus and Chainsaw defeated the Outlaws for the Tag Titles. The next night on Raw, the New Age Outlaws won the Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Chainsaw and Cactus in a Steel cage match, but only after interference from Triple H, Chyna, and X-Pac. After the match, the Outlaws officially became members of D-Generation X (DX). After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven. DX began to feud with Owen Hart and his new stablemates, The Nation. At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match. During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. At SummerSlam, Mankind faced the Outlaws in a Handicap match after Kane no-showed the title defense. The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time. In December, the Outlaws lost the title to The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock from The Corporation. Mr. Ass and reformation of the Outlaws and DX (1999–2000) The Outlaws then began to focus more on singles competition. The Road Dogg won the Hardcore Championship in December 1998, and Gunn set his sights on the Intercontinental Championship. At the 1999 Royal Rumble, Gunn unsuccessfully challenged Ken Shamrock for the Intercontinental Title. The next month at St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Gunn was the special guest referee for the Intercontinental Championship match between Val Venis and champion Ken Shamrock, where Gunn made a fast count and declared Venis the new champion before attacking both men. In March, Gunn won the Hardcore Championship from Hardcore Holly. At WrestleMania XV, Gunn lost the title to Holly in a Triple Threat match which also included Al Snow. The New Age Outlaws then reunited to defeat Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart at Backlash. After Backlash, Gunn left D-Generation X and aligned himself with Triple H and Chyna. Gunn defeated his former partner, Road Dogg, in a match at Over the Edge. Gunn then won the King of the Ring tournament by defeating Ken Shamrock, Kane, and his former ally, X-Pac. After King of the Ring, Gunn, Triple H, and Chyna went on to feud with X-Pac and Road Dogg over the rights to the D-Generation X name. This feud culminated at Fully Loaded when X-Pac and Road Dogg defeated Gunn and Chyna. Gunn then began a brief feud with The Rock. At SummerSlam, The Rock defeated Gunn in a Kiss My Ass Match. Following this, Gunn then briefly feuded with Jeff Jarrett for the Intercontinental Title before reuniting with Road Dogg to reform The New Age Outlaws. The Outlaws won their fourth tag team championship by defeating The Rock 'n' Sock Connection in September 1999. The Outlaws later reunited with X-Pac and Triple H to reform D-Generation X. During this time, The Outlaws won their fifth Tag Team Championship after defeating Mankind and Al Snow. At the 2000 Royal Rumble, The New Age Outlaws retained their title against The Acolytes after interference from X-Pac. The Outlaws then had a feud with The Dudley Boyz, who won the Tag Team Championship from The Outlaws at No Way Out. After suffering a torn rotator cuff in the match with The Dudley Boyz, Gunn was kicked out of D-Generation X for "losing his cool" to explain his impending absence to recover from his injury. The One (2000–2001) Gunn made his return in October and immediately teamed with Chyna to feud with Right to Censor, who wanted to "censor" his Mr. Ass gimmick. At No Mercy, Right to Censor members Steven Richards and Val Venis defeated Chyna and Gunn. Due to a stipulation, Gunn could no longer use the Mr. Ass gimmick, so he renamed himself Billy G. for a few weeks before settling on "The One" Billy Gunn. Gunn then feuded with Eddie Guerrero and the rest of The Radicalz. At Survivor Series, Gunn teamed with Road Dogg, Chyna, and K-Kwik in a losing effort against The Radicalz. A few weeks later on SmackDown!, Gunn won the Intercontinental Championship from Guerrero. However, the title reign was short-lived, as Chris Benoit defeated him for the title two weeks later at Armageddon. After feuding with Benoit, Gunn participated in the 2001 Royal Rumble where he made it to the final four, Gunn interfered in the Hardcore Championship Match at No Way Out, and taking advantage of the 24/7 Rule, pinning Raven for the title. The reign was short-lived, as Raven won it back a few minutes later. Billy and Chuck (2001–2002) In a 2001 match on Sunday Night Heat, Gunn was defeated by Chuck Palumbo, who recently left The Alliance to join the WWF. After the match, Gunn suggested that they form a tag team. Palumbo agreed, and Billy and Chuck quickly rose to the top of the tag team division. Initially they were a generic tandem, but they were given a gimmick where they grew increasingly affectionate toward each other, showing evidence of a storyline homosexual relationship. In February 2002, Billy and Chuck defeated Spike Dudley and Tazz to win the WWF Tag Team Championship for the first time as a team. After winning the titles, Billy and Chuck found a "Personal Stylist" in the ambiguously flamboyant Rico. After retaining the title against the Acolytes Protection Agency, the Dudley Boyz, and the Hardy Boyz in a Four Corners Elimination Match at WrestleMania X8 and against Al Snow and Maven at Backlash, Billy and Chuck began a feud with Rikishi. At Judgment Day, Rikishi and Rico (Rikishi's mystery partner of Mr. McMahon's choosing) defeated Billy and Chuck for the WWE Tag Team Championship after Rico accidentally hit Chuck with a roundhouse kick. Billy and Chuck quickly won the title back two weeks later on SmackDown! with Rico's help. They held the championship for almost a month before losing it to the team of Edge and Hollywood Hulk Hogan on the July 4 episode of SmackDown!. On the September 5 edition of SmackDown!, after Billy lost a match to Rey Mysterio, Chuck proposed to Billy, asking him to be his "partner for life" and gave him a wedding ring. Billy agreed, and one week later, on the September 12 episode of SmackDown!, Billy and Chuck had their wedding ceremony. However, just before they tied the knot, they revealed that the entire ordeal was a publicity stunt and disavowed their on-screen homosexuality, admitting that they were just friends. The "preacher" revealed himself to be Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff (who was wearing a skin mask), who then summoned 3-Minute Warning to beat up Billy and Chuck. Rico, furious that Billy and Chuck gave up their gimmick, became the manager of Three Minute Warning and defected to Raw. At Unforgiven, Three Minute Warning defeated Billy and Chuck. Their final match together occurred on the October 3 episode of SmackDown! in the first round of a tournament for the newly created WWE Tag Team Championship. They lost the match to the team of Ron Simmons and Reverend D-Von. Afterwards, Gunn took a few months off because of a shoulder injury and the team of Billy and Chuck quietly disbanded. SmackDown! and return to singles competition (2003–2004) After returning in the summer of 2003, Gunn reverted to the "Mr. Ass" gimmick, defeating A-Train, and Torrie Wilson became his new manager. He started a feud with Jamie Noble, which led to an "Indecent Proposal" Match at Vengeance, which Noble won and due to the match's stipulation, won a night with Torrie. After taking time off again due to a shoulder injury, Gunn returned to action at the 2004 Royal Rumble, but was eliminated by Goldberg. Afterward, he wrestled mainly on Velocity, forming an occasional tag team with Hardcore Holly. At Judgment Day, Gunn and Holly challenged Charlie Haas and Rico for the WWE Tag Team Championship, but were unsuccessful. At The Great American Bash, Gunn lost to Kenzo Suzuki. On November 1, 2004, Sopp was released from his WWE contract. In June 2005, Sopp gave an interview in which he was heavily critical of WWE and the events that led to his release. Many of the negative comments were directed towards Triple H, who Sopp claimed "runs the show up there". Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2005–2009) Planet Jarrett (2005) On February 13, 2005, Sopp debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) without a name (as Billy Gunn is a WWE trademark, although announcers recognized him as such) at Against All Odds with the same gimmick, helping Jeff Jarrett retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a match with Kevin Nash. Sopp, using the name The New Age Outlaw, then formed a stable with Jarrett and Monty Brown known as Planet Jarrett. However, WWE threatened TNA with legal action if Sopp continued the use of the name "The New Age Outlaw", so he shortened his name to The Outlaw. Due to the legal issues with WWE, all TNA -DVD releases featuring footage with Sopp as "The Outlaw" (and presumably also as "The New Age Outlaw") have had the name on on-screen graphics blurred, the name silenced out of the audio, and match commentary completely replaced to reflect a retroactive name change to "Kip James". One such DVD is the pay-per-view Lockdown, included in the "TNA Anthology: The Epic Set" box set, in which the silencing of the name during a segment where Dusty Rhodes picks his name from a lottery leaves DVD viewers in the dark as to who just got picked. The Outlaw began a campaign to make former ally B.G. James leave the 3Live Kru and defect to Planet Jarrett, reforming the old tag team with Outlaw. At No Surrender, he renamed himself Kip James and was announced as "wrestling out of Marietta, Georgia" (the family seat of the Armstrong family) as a psychological ploy. As a result of his campaign, Kip attracted the ire of 3Live Kru members Ron Killings and Konnan, leading to a series of tag team matches pitting Kip and Monty Brown against Killings and Konnan, with a conflicted James unwilling to take sides. Kip's efforts ultimately proved futile; James, the guest referee in a final match between Brown and Kip versus Konnan and Killings at Sacrifice, attacked Kip enabling a 3Live Kru victory. In September at Unbreakable, Kip teamed with Brown to defeat the team of Apolo and Lance Hoyt. There was clear tension between the partners because Brown was unhappy at the series of losses at the hands of the 3Live Kru, and Kip was irked by Brown's decision to leave Planet Jarrett. Despite the victory, the partners argued after the match. On the October 8, 2005 episode of Impact!, Kip rekindled his feud with the 3Live Kru, running to the ring after a bout between the 3LK and Team Canada in order to prevent Team Canada captain Petey Williams from beating down B.G. James. He saved James, and then engaged in a staredown with Konnan and Killings. Kip saved James from Team Canada once again at Bound for Glory. Though Killings showed signs of gratitude, Konnan remained skeptical as to his true intentions. Later that night, Kip took part in an over-the-top-rope gauntlet match for the number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. After he was eliminated, he tried in vain to prevent Killings from being eliminated as well, before being sent away from ringside by the referees. The James Gang/Voodoo Kin Mafia (2005–2008) On the November 26 episode of Impact!, B.G. brought Kip and the 3Live Kru to ringside and asked Killings and Konnan whether Kip could join the stable. Following a heated argument between Konnan and B.G., both Killings and Konnan gave their approval, and the 4Live Kru was born. However, at Turning Point, Konnan attacked both B.G. and Kip, costing them their match against Team Canada and initiating a feud between himself and the remainder of the Kru. Shortly thereafter, B.G. James's father, Bob Armstrong, attempted to reconcile the group, but was instead attacked by Konnan and his new stablemates, Apolo and Homicide. Killings later stated that he had severed his ties with the Kru. With Konnan and Killings no longer members of the Kru, Kip and B.G. began referring to themselves as The James Gang and continued to feud with the Konnan-managed Latin American Exchange, whose third man position as Homicide's partner would switch from Apolo to Machete, and then from him to Hernandez, who finally stuck, during the course of this feud. At Final Resolution, The James Gang defeated The Diamonds in the Rough (David Young and Elix Skipper). At Against All Odds, The James Gang defeated LAX (Homicide and Machete). At Destination X, The James Gang and Bob Armstrong defeated Latin American Exchange in a six-man tag team match. At Sacrifice, The James Gang defeated Team 3D which led to a rematch at Slammiversary where Team 3D defeated The James Gang in a Bingo Hall Brawl. At Victory Road, The James Gang and Abyss defeated Team 3D and their newest member Brother Runt. At No Surrender, The James Gang competed in a Triple Chance tag team battle royal but failed to win the match. At Bound for Glory, The James Gang competed in a Four-way tag team match which was won by Team 3D. By November 2006, Kip and B.G. began to show displeasure in TNA and threatened to go find work elsewhere if they did not receive gold soon. They began performing the crotch chop, a reference to the WWE's DX. On the November 2 edition of Impact!, Kip and B.G. threatened to quit. Kip grabbed the mic and tried to say something to the TNA administration and Spike TV, but each time his mic was cut off. Kip then tried to use the announcer's headset, but it was cut off as well. Frustrated, he started yelling loudly to the crowd, but he was cut off again as the show went to a commercial break. When the show returned, the announcers speculated that they may have been frustrated due to the influx of new talent entering TNA. It was reported that the segment was a worked shoot that Vince Russo had written in order to renew interest upon their eventual return. Kip and BG appeared in an internet video on TNA's website where they addressed the owner of WWE Vince McMahon. A few weeks later on Impact!, The James Gang re-emerged under a new name Voodoo Kin Mafia (VKM for short, a play on Vincent Kennedy McMahon's initials). They mentioned their new right of 'creative control', meaning they could do whatever they wanted. They also declared 'war' on Paul Levesque, Michael Hickenbottom, and Vincent K. McMahon (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Vince McMahon, respectively). Kip then declared that 'Triple Hollywood' and 'Shawn Kiss-my-bottom' were failing as the group they (Kip and BG) used to be a part of: D-Generation X. After the initial shock value of this incident wore off, at Genesis, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated Kazarian, Maverick Matt and Johnny Devine in a handicap match. VKM began a feud with the villainous Christy Hemme. Hemme then searched for a tag team to square-off against VKM. At Destination X, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated Hemme's handpicked team of The Heartbreakers (Antonio Thomas & Romeo Roselli). On the Lockdown preshow The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated another one of Hemme's handpicked team Serotonin (Kaz & Havok) in a Six Sides of Steel match. The final tag team was Damaja and Basham, who appeared on an episode of Impact! and beat down VKM. They also held up Kip James so Hemme could slap him. B.G James was taken out by Basham and Damaja which led to Kip James competed against Basham and Damaja in a handicap match at Sacrifice where he lost. However, they beat Hemme's team at Slammiversary. After the match, VKM were betrayed by their associate Lance Hoyt. At Victory Road, they introduced their new manager, the Voodoo Queen, Roxxi Laveaux, to embarrass Christy Hemme. At Hard Justice, The Voodoo Kin Mafia lost to The Latin American Exchange. At No Surrender, The Voodoo Kin Mafia competed in a Ten-team tag team gauntlet match which was won by A.J. Styles and Tomko. At Bound for Glory, Kip James competed in the Fight for the Right Reverse Battle Royal which was won by Eric Young. On the October 25 edition of Impact!, VKM teamed with A.J. Styles and Tomko in a losing effort to the Latin American Xchange and the Steiner Brothers. At Genesis, B.G. was present along with Kip in the corner of Roxxi Laveaux at ringside for the Fatal Four Way knockout match for the TNA Women's Championship in which Gail Kim retained the title. At Turning Point, James competed in the Feast or Fired where he grabbed a case but threw it to BG James. It was revealed that the case was for a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship and BG James picked his dad to be his partner at Against All Odds, James and Bob Armstrong failed to win the titles and on February 21, 2008 episode of Impact! he turned on B.G. and B.G's father "Bullet" Bob Armstrong by hitting them both with a crutch. The Beautiful People (2008–2009) On April 13, 2008, he faced former partner B.G. James at Lockdown and lost. After the match, he appeared to want to make amends as he raised B.G.'s hand after the match, only to clothesline him down to the mat and taunt him with a DX crotch chop. Kip went on to declare himself "The Megastar", an arrogant gimmick similar to "The One" gimmick from his WWF tenure. Kip later stopped making appearances on Impact! until April 24 when he was attacked backstage by Matt Morgan for no reason. The next week on Impact!, Kip got back at Morgan by attacking him backstage in Jim Cornette's office. On May 8, 2008, Cornette forced Morgan into being Kip's tag team partner for the Deuces Wild tournament at Sacrifice, though both were unable to win. Kip went on another brief disappearance from television until the June 5 edition of Impact!, where he partnered with Lance Hoyt and James Storm in a losing effort against Morgan and The Latin American Xchange. On the August 14 episode of Impact!, Kip was revealed to be the new image consultant and member of The Beautiful People, dubbed Cute Kip and was using his Mr.Ass Attire, after they brought him out during their interview on Karen Angle's show Karen's Angle. at Bound for Glory IV, Kip, Love and Sky lost to Rhino, ODB and Rhaka Khan in a Bimbo Brawl. at Final Resolution (December 2008), Kip competed in the Feast or Fired match but failed to get a case. At Genesis 2009, Kip became the one-night-only replacement for the injured Kevin Nash in the Main Event Mafia. As of March 19, 2009, Sopp was taken off of TNA Impact! along with Jacqueline Moore to become road agents. Sopp returned as Cute Kip and lost to Awesome Kong in an intergender stretcher match on May 14, 2009. On the May 28 edition of Impact!, Kip was fired by The Beautiful People. On the June 18 edition of Impact!, Mick Foley hired him as his handyman, turning Kip into a face. he made another appearance on the August 6 edition of Impact where Kip had to clean up the IMPACT Zone after a chaotic fifteen minute "riot". On October 9 edition of Xplosion, Kip was defeated by Rhino. On October 30 edition of Xplosion, Kip defeated Sheik Abdul Bashir. on the November 13 edition of Xplosion, Kip lost to Rob Terry and on December 3, 2009 edition of Xplosion, Kip competed in his final TNA match where he lost to Kiyoshi. Sopp's profile was removed from the TNA website on December 29, 2009, confirming his departure from the promotion. Independent circuit (2009–2012) After leaving TNA, Sopp reunited with B.G. James to reform The New Age Outlaws, with both men resuming their Billy Gunn and Road Dogg ring names. After joining TWA Powerhouse in 2010, the Outlaws defeated Canadian Extreme to win the promotion's Tag Team Championship on July 25. They re-lost the title to Canadian Extreme on June 5, 2011. On July 30, 2011, Sopp, working under the ring name Kip Gunn, made his debut for Lucha Libre USA as a member of the heel stable The Right. Later that night, Gunn lost in his debut match against Marco Corleone. On June 26, 2012, Sopp won the American Pro Wrestling Alliance American Championship. However, he lost the title due to travel issues. On September 8 and 9, 2012, he wrestled in a Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation tournament. He defeated Rhino in the semi-finals and Scott Steiner in the final, winning the BBWF Aruba Championship. Return to WWE (2012–2015) On July 23, Sopp, under his Billy Gunn name, made his first WWE appearance in nearly eight years as he reunited with Road Dogg, X-Pac, Shawn Michaels and Triple H to reform D-Generation X for one night only on the 1000th episode of Raw. In December 2012, he was hired by WWE as a trainer for the NXT Wrestling territory in Tampa, Florida. On March 4, 2013, Gunn and Road Dogg made a return at Old School Raw, defeating Primo and Epico. On March 11, 2013, they accepted a challenge from Team Rhodes Scholars and faced them in a match, which was interrupted by Brock Lesnar, who hit both Outlaws with an F-5 as part of his ongoing feud with Triple H. He then appeared alongside Road Dogg to help CM Punk clear out The Shield in aid of Roddy Piper on Old School Raw on January 6, 2014. On the January 10 episode of SmackDown, the Outlaws teamed with CM Punk in a six-man tag match against The Shield in a losing effort. On the January 13 episode of Raw, the Outlaws again teamed with Punk in a rematch against The Shield, only to abandon Punk and lose the match. On January 26 during the Royal Rumble Kickoff Show, Gunn and Road Dogg beat Cody Rhodes and Goldust to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. The next night on Raw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust via disqualification when Brock Lesnar attacked the brothers. The next week on Raw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust in a steel cage match. On March 3, the Outlaws lost the Tag Team Championship to The Usos. Gunn sustained hemoptysis after he and his New Age Outlaws partner, Road Dogg, suffered a double-Triple Powerbomb by The Shield at WrestleMania XXX. Gunn returned to Raw with Road Dogg in January 2015, attacking The Ascension along with the nWo and the APA. At the Royal Rumble, the Outlaws faced The Ascension in a losing effort. At WrestleMania 31, Gunn, with Road Dogg, X-Pac and Shawn Michaels, reunited as D-Generation X to help Triple H in his match against Sting. In May, Gunn was announced as a coach along with WWE Hall of Famers Booker T and Lita for the sixth season of Tough Enough. On November 13, 2015, WWE officially announced that Sopp was released from his WWE contract after failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs. He had tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone at a powerlifting event on July 25, 2015, and was suspended from powerlifting for four years. Independent circuit (2015–2020) On December 26, 2015, Gunn teamed up with Kevin Thorn to defeat Brian Klass and Rob Street. One month later, Gunn defeated Ken Dixon for the MCW Pro Wrestling MCW Rage Television Championship. On February 5, 2016, Gunn defeated Joey Hayes in the Preston City Wrestling PCW Road to Glory tournament, on February 6 he lost to T-Bone in the quarter-finals that same night Gunn teamed up with Mr. Anderson and Tajiri to defeat Dave Raynes, Joey Hayes, and Martin Kirby. On February 7, 2016 Gunn challenged for the Pro Wrestling Pride Heavyweight championship losing to Steve Griffiths. On March 19, 2016, Gunn lost the title to Ken Dixon. On June 12, 2016, Gunn won the Smashmouth Pro Wrestling championship from KC Huber but lost it on the same night, Gunn teamed again with Anderson in a losing effort against the UK Hooligans at PCW Tribute to the Troops on June 25, 2016. He defeated Hardcore Holly in a singles match at PCW Top Gunn on July 2, 2016. On September 4, 2016, Gunn made his debut for Chikara, representing DX alongside X-Pac in a tag team gauntlet match. The two entered the match as the final team and scored the win over Prakash Sabar and The Proletariat Boar of Moldova. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2016–2017) On November 5, 2016, at the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) event Power Struggle, Yoshitatsu announced Gunn as the newest member of his Hunter Club stable and his partner for the upcoming 2016 World Tag League. Gunn and Yoshitatsu finished the tournament on December 8 with a record of three wins and four losses, failing to advance from their block. Gunn returned to NJPW on January 4, 2017, taking part in the pre-show New Japan Rumble at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome, from which he was eliminated by the eventual winner Michael Elgin. While Gunn did not appear for NJPW for the next six months, he was brought up in May by Yoshitatsu, who told Hiroshi Tanahashi that Gunn had requested a match against him. When Tanahashi captured the IWGP Intercontinental Championship the following month, he immediately nominated Gunn as his first challenger. Gunn was defeated in the title match on July 2 at G1 Special in USA, and it was his final match in NJPW. WWE appearances (2018–2019) Gunn and numerous other WWE legends appeared on the January 22, 2018 episode of Raw 25 Years as part of the D-Generation X reunion. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019 as a member of D-Generation X. All Elite Wrestling (2019–present) In January 2019, Gunn was hired by All Elite Wrestling as a coach. At May 25 at the AEW Double or Nothing event he competed in the pre-show battle royal. Gunn made his first televised appearance for AEW on the November 20, 2019 episode of AEW Dynamite, competing in a battle royal. He also appeared during the January 1, 2020 episode of Dynamite, wrestling in a dark match with his son Austin that aired on January 7, 2020. They wrestled again together on another dark match during the January 8, 2020 episode of Dynamite, airing on January 17, 2020, with the tag team name "The Gunn Club", defeating the team of Peter Avalon and Shawn Spears. Gunn has also appeared in the crowd (made up of AEW wrestlers and other employees) on numerous episodes of Dynamite during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the May 27, 2020 episode of Dynamite, Gunn now under the shortened ring name of Billy participated in a battle royal match to determine the number one contender for the TNT Championship. He also would wrestle MJF in a singles match on the June 17, 2020 episode of Dynamite as well. The Gunn Club would wrestle in more tag team matches on more episodes of AEW Dark. On the November 4, 2020 episode of Dynamite, The Gunn Club teamed with Cody Rhodes to successfully defeat The Dark Order (John Silver, 10 and Colt Cabana). On the November 17, 2020 episode of Dark, The Gunn Club, which now added Austin's brother and Gunn's other son Colten to the stable, defeated Bshp King, Joey O'Riley and Sean Maluta by pinfall in a six-man tag team match. On the same day the AEW website's roster page got updated and his name was once again changed to its long form, Billy Gunn. The three man Gunn Club would then defeat Cezar Bononi, KTB, and Seth Gargis in another six man tag team match on the November 24, 2020 episode of Dark. On the December 8, 2020 episode of Dark The three man Gunn Club-which entered the ring on a golf cart with the words "Taz Taxi" on the side, defeated Shawn Dean, Sean Maluta & RYZIN. On the December 1, 2021 episode of Dynamite, The Gunn Club stable's undefeated streak in AEW ended when Billy and Colten Gunn lost to the team of Sting and Darby Allin. Professional wrestling style, persona and reception Gunn has had several gimmicks throughout his career, ranging from his cowboy-themed gimmick with the Smoking Gunns to his The Ambiguously Gay Duo-esque tag team with Chuck Palumbo. Gunn has stated on multiple shoot interviews that he has no regrets with his gimmicks as he was performing a job and doing what was asked of him to do. By far, Gunn's most infamous gimmick was his "Mr. Ass" persona based around his ass. The gimmick started during his New Age Outlaws days when Road Dogg would refer to themselves as "Mr. Dogg" and "Mr. Ass" in promos, though the "Bad Ass" name wasn't referring to his backside at that time. What was originally a throwaway joke turned into Gunn mooning his opponents and the live crowd, though as the original incarnation of DX also did this, it could originally be argued that it was an extension of the Outlaws joining DX. Upon leaving DX, Gunn fully embraced the "Mr. Ass" gimmick by placing emphasis on his "moneymaker". While Road Dogg kept the New Age Outlaws entrance music for his own, Gunn adopted the song "Ass Man" as part of the gimmick, and for a time even changed his ring tights to be see-through, wearing only a thong underneath his tights, although he would eventually revert back to the DX-era tights. The "Mr. Ass" gimmick has mixed reviews. One web site ranked it near the middle of Gunn's various gimmicks, while a writer for Bleacher Report thought it was the worst gimmick ever even though Gunn was at his peak popularity with the persona. Gunn himself told Chris Van Vliet in 2021 that he never paid attention to the "Ass Man" lyrics until a college professor broke down each expression. Due to the enduring legacy of the "Mr. Ass" gimmick, in November 2021 Ring of Honor wrestler Danhausen began a Twitter feud with the Gunn Club, referring to Billy as "Billy Ass," and Colten and Austin as The "Ass Boys," in reference to Gunn's infamous "Mr. Ass" gimmick in the Attitude Era. While Gunn himself initially had no comment, the rest of Gunn Club despised the nickname after fans began chanting "Ass Boys" during their matches, notably during an AEW event at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. Gunn finally commented when he surprised his sons by wearing an "Ass Boys" shirt, encouraging them to "embrace the assness" and even started teasing mooning the crowd again. Gunn also thanked Danhausen publicly for getting his sons over in a way that he couldn't. Other media Filmography Video Games WWF Attitude WWF WrestleMania 2000 WWF SmackDown! WWF No Mercy WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role WWF Road To WrestleMania WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It WWF Raw WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth WWE Raw 2 WWE '13 WWE 2K16 WWE 2K17 Personal life Sopp was born on November 1, 1963 in Orlando, Florida and claims Austin, Texas as his hometown. In November 1990, Sopp was arrested in Florida for disorderly conduct. Sopp married his first wife Tina Tinnell on March 3, 1990. Together, they have two sons: Colten (born May 18, 1991) and Austin (born August 26, 1994) who are also professional wrestlers. The couple separated in January 2000 and their divorce was finalized on December 11, 2002. Sopp has since married his long-time girlfriend Paula on January 24, 2009. Sopp's sons Austin and Colten, better known by the ring names Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn, are currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where alongside their father they form a stable known as "Gunn Club". Sopp attended Sam Houston State University. Championships and accomplishments American Pro Wrestling Alliance APWA American Championship (1 time) Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation BBFW Aruba Championship (1 time) BBFW Aruba Championship Tournament (2012) International Wrestling Federation IWF Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Brett Colt Freedom Pro Wrestling FPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Road Dogg Maryland Championship Wrestling MCW Rage Television Championship (1 time) MCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with B.G. James Pro Wrestling Illustrated Tag Team of the Year (1998) with Road Dogg Tag Team of the Year (2002) with Chuck Ranked #39 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1999 Ranked #231 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003 Ranked #43 of the top 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Road Dogg in 2003 SmashMouth Pro Wrestling SPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) TWA Powerhouse TWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with B.G. James Vanguard Championship Wrestling VCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) World Pro Wrestling WPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) Wrestling Observer Newsletter Worst Worked Match of the Year (2006) TNA Reverse Battle Royal on TNA Impact! WWE/World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment WWF Hardcore Championship (2 times) WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time) WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Road Dogg WWF World Tag Team Championship (10 times) – with Bart Gunn (3), Road Dogg (5) and Chuck (2) King of the Ring (1999) Raw Bowl – with Bart Gunn WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2019) - as a member of D-Generation X References External links 1963 births All Elite Wrestling personnel American male professional wrestlers American powerlifters Bull riders D-Generation X members Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan LGBT characters in professional wrestling Living people Professional wrestlers from Florida Professional wrestling trainers Sam Houston State University alumni Sportspeople from Orlando, Florida The Authority (professional wrestling) members WWE Hall of Fame inductees WWF/WWE Hardcore Champions WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions WWF/WWE King Crown's Champions/King of the Ring winners American expatriate sportspeople in Japan
false
[ "An outlaw is a person living outside the law.\n\nOutlaws or The Outlaws may also refer to:\n\nArts, entertainment, and media\n\nLiterature\n The Outlaws, characters in the Just William series of children's books by Richmal Crompton\n The Outlaws, a novel in The Bikers series by Richard Gordon\n The Outlaws, a novel in The Presidential Agent series by W. E. B. Griffin\n The Outlaws (comics), a team of super-villains in Marvel Comics\n The Outlaws (novel), a 1930 novel by Ernst von Salomon\n\nMusic \n Wanted! The Outlaws, a 1976 compilation album of recordings by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser\n \"Outlaws\", a song by Green Day from the 2016 album Revolution Radio\n Outlaws (band), an American southern rock band\n Outlaws (Outlaws album), the band's 1975 debut album\n The Outlaws (band), a 1960s English instrumental band\n Outlaws (Luke Doucet album), 2004\n Outlaws (Jeremy Steig and Eddie Gómez album), 1977\n Outlawz, an American rap group\n\nTelevision and film\n The Outlaws (1950 film), a 1950 Italian crime film\n Outlaws (1960 TV series), an American Western television series\n Outlaws (1985 film), a 1985 French film\n Outlaws (1986 TV series), an American action-adventure series\n Outlaws (film), a 1986 science fiction film involving time travel\n Outlaws (2004 TV series), a UK drama\n \"Outlaws\" (Lost), a 2005 episode\n The Out-Laws, the UK title of the 2012 Flemish Clan TV series\n The Outlaws (2017 film), a 2017 South Korean film\n The Outlaws (2021 TV series), a UK comedy crime series\n Outlaws (2021 film), a Spanish film\n\nVideo games\n Outlaws (1985 video game), a shooter game for the Commodore 64\n Outlaws (1997 video game), a first-person shooter for the PC\n Houston Outlaws, an American professional eSports team in the Overwatch League\n\nSports\n\nBosnia and Herzegovina \n\n Outlaws, a subgroup of the organized Ultras group Horde Zla\n\nIreland\n Tallaght Outlaws, an Irish American Football League team\n\nUnited Kingdom\n Nottingham Outlaws (rugby league team), a National Division team\n Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club, known as Nottinghamshire Outlaws in limited overs competition\n\nUnited States\n Arizona Outlaws, a United States Football League team, also known as the Oklahoma Outlaws\n Austin Outlaws, a National Women's Football Association team\n Billings Outlaws, a National Indoor Football League team\n Chico Outlaws, a Golden Baseball League team\n Denver Outlaws, a Major League Lacrosse team\n Houston Outlaws (RFL team), a professional football team in 1999\n Kansas City Outlaws, a United Hockey League team\n Las Vegas Outlaws (XFL), a former professional football team from the XFL\n Las Vegas Outlaws (arena football), an Arena Football League team\n Nashville Outlaws, a wooden bat summer collegiate baseball team\n Osceola Ghostriders, previously the Osceola Outlaws, a National Indoor Football League team\n Ventura Outlaws, a rugby team in the Southern California Rugby Football Union Blue Division\n\nTag-team wrestling\n The New Age Outlaws, a professional wrestling tag-team\n The Texas Outlaws (original version), a former professional tag-team consisting of Dusty Rhodes and Dick Murdoch\n The Texas Outlaws, former tag-team champions in the United States Wrestling Association\n\nOther uses\n Outlaws Motorcycle Club\n\nSee also\n Outlaw (disambiguation)\n The Outlaws of Sherwood", "The Williamsport Outlaws were a professional ice hockey team in the Federal Hockey League. The team played the 2011-2012 season in Wayne, New Jersey as the New Jersey Outlaws. Following winning the FHL championship in 2012, the Outlaws announced they would move to Williamsport, Pennsylvania and play all of their games outdoors at Bowman Field while awaiting the completion of an arena in Williamsport.\n\nThe Outlaws were the FHL affiliate of the ECHL's Elmira Jackals.\n\nThe Outlaws ceased operations on January 21, 2013 after the team owner refused to play the remaining road games. The team was later rebranded as the Pennsylvania Blues on February 8, 2013 after the FHL took over control of the team and used the Blues as a traveling team to fill the schedule for the remainder of the season.\n\nSeason-by-season record\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\nWilliamsport Outlaws website\nFederal Hockey League website\n\nFederal Prospects Hockey League teams\nIce hockey teams in Pennsylvania\nIce hockey clubs established in 2011\nSports in Williamsport, Pennsylvania\n2011 establishments in Pennsylvania\n2013 disestablishments in Pennsylvania\nIce hockey clubs disestablished in 2013" ]
[ "Billy Gunn", "The New Age Outlaws and D-Generation X (1997-1998)", "What were The New Age Outlaws?", "James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as \"Road Dogg\" Jesse James and \"Badd Ass\" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team formed was soon dubbed the New Age Outlaws." ]
C_2e21de52a27844ff90c7b071600d3ed6_1
What was the D generation X?
2
What was the D generation X?
Billy Gunn
After The Smoking Gunns disbanded, Gunn took some time off to nurse an injury. At WrestleMania 13, he defeated Flash Funk catching the attention of The Honky Tonk Man, who made Gunn his protege. During this time, he adopted a new gimmick, Rockabilly, and had a short-lived feud with "The Real Double J" Jesse James. On Shotgun Saturday Night, James realized both of their careers were going nowhere and suggested that they became a tag team. Gunn agreed and smashed a guitar over the Honky Tonk Man's head to solidify their new alliance. James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team formed was soon dubbed the New Age Outlaws. This new team was in the spirit of the new Attitude Era: brash, vulgar, egotistical, and loud-mouthed. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks and won the Tag Team Championship from the Legion of Doom on November 24. They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X. The Outlaws slowly began to align themselves with D-Generation X, who were impressed with their new attitude. At the Royal Rumble, the New Age Outlaws interfered in a Casket match to help Shawn Michaels defeat The Undertaker. At No Way Out Of Texas, the Outlaws teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated. On February 2, The Outlaws locked Cactus and Chainsaw in a dumpster and pushed it off the stage. This led to a Dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV where Cactus and Chainsaw defeated the Outlaws for the Tag Titles. The next night on Raw, the New Age Outlaws won the Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Chainsaw and Cactus in a Steel cage match, but only after interference from Triple H, Chyna, and X-Pac. After the match, the Outlaws officially became members of D-Generation X (DX). Upon becoming an official member of DX, Gunn gained a tendency of mooning opponents (a trait used by the original incarnation of DX, as well as its 2006 revival), a precursor to the later "Mr. Ass" gimmick. After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven. DX began to feud with Owen Hart, and his new stablemates, The Nation. At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match. The Outlaws would also successfully defend their title against The New Midnight Express (Bombastic Bob and Bodacious Bart) at King of the Ring. During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. Although Kane and Mankind won the Tag Team Championship, they could not get along. At SummerSlam, Mankind faced the Outlaws in a Handicap match after Kane no-showed the title defense. The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time. The Outlaws then helped X-Pac in his feud with Jeff Jarrett and Southern Justice. In December, the Outlaws lost the title to The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock from The Corporation. CANNOTANSWER
They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X.
Monty "Kip" Sopp (born November 1, 1963), better known by his ring name Billy Gunn, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and coach. Gunn is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) from 1993 to 2004 and from 2012 to 2015. He also served as a coach on WWE's Tough Enough and was a trainer in NXT. He is also known for his appearances with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2005 to 2009. Primarily a tag team wrestler, Gunn is an overall 13-time tag team champion in WWE with three different partners (with Bart Gunn as The Smoking Gunns, with Road Dogg as The New Age Outlaws, and with Chuck Palumbo as Billy and Chuck). He is also a one time WWF Intercontinental Champion and a two time WWF Hardcore Champion, giving him 14 total championships in WWE. He is the 1999 King of the Ring tournament winner, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 as a member of D-Generation X. Professional wrestling career Early career (1985–1993) After a stint as a professional bull rider in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Sopp left the profession in his early-20s in order to pursue a career as a professional wrestler. Trained by Jerry Grey, Sopp wrestled on the independent circuit for eight years (including a brief stint as enhancement talent for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) before signing a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1993. World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1993–2004) The Smoking Gunns (1993–1996) After weeks of vignettes, Sopp, under the name Billy Gunn, made his WWF debut on the May 17, 1993 episode of Raw, teaming with his on-screen brother, Bart Gunn to defeat Tony Vadja and Glenn Ruth. The duo, now known as The Smoking Gunns, made their pay-per-view debut at King of the Ring, teaming with The Steiner Brothers to defeat Money Inc. and The Headshrinkers in an eight-man tag team match. At SummerSlam, the duo teamed with Tatanka to pick up a win against Bam Bam Bigelow and the Headshrinkers. On January 22, 1994, Gunn entered his first Royal Rumble match at the namesake event, but was eliminated by Diesel. In early 1995, the Gunns won their first Tag Team Championship by defeating the makeshift team of Bob Holly and 1-2-3 Kid. They held the title until WrestleMania XI, where they were defeated by the team of Owen Hart and Yokozuna. They won the titles again in September 1995. On February 15, 1996, the Gunns vacated the title because Billy was in need of neck surgery. After Billy returned from hiatus, The Smoking Gunns won the Tag Team Title for the third time by defeating The Godwinns in May. After the match, The Godwinns' manager Sunny turned on her team in favor of the Gunns. On September 22 at In Your House: Mind Games, the Gunns lost the Tag Team Title to Owen Hart and The British Bulldog. After the match, Sunny abandoned The Gunns, saying that she would only manage title holders. Billy, frustrated with losing both the championship and Sunny, walked out on Bart, breaking up The Smoking Gunns. Rockabilly, The New Age Outlaws and D-Generation X (1997–1998) After The Smoking Gunns disbanded, Gunn took some time off to nurse an injury. At WrestleMania 13, he defeated Flash Funk catching the attention of The Honky Tonk Man, who made Gunn his protégé. During this time, he adopted a new gimmick, Rockabilly, He would use this gimmick throughout much of 1997 and eventually had a short-lived feud with "The Real Double J" Jesse James. On the October 4, 1997 episode of Shotgun Saturday Night, James realized both of their careers were going nowhere and suggested that they become a tag team. Gunn agreed and smashed a guitar over the Honky Tonk Man's head to solidify their new alliance. James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team was dubbed the New Age Outlaws. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks and won the Tag Team Championship from the Legion of Doom on November 24. They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X. The Outlaws slowly began to align themselves with D-Generation X. At the Royal Rumble, the New Age Outlaws interfered in a Casket match to help Shawn Michaels defeat The Undertaker. At No Way Out Of Texas, the Outlaws teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated. On February 2, The Outlaws locked Cactus and Chainsaw in a dumpster and pushed it off the stage. This led to a Dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV where Cactus and Chainsaw defeated the Outlaws for the Tag Titles. The next night on Raw, the New Age Outlaws won the Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Chainsaw and Cactus in a Steel cage match, but only after interference from Triple H, Chyna, and X-Pac. After the match, the Outlaws officially became members of D-Generation X (DX). After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven. DX began to feud with Owen Hart and his new stablemates, The Nation. At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match. During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. At SummerSlam, Mankind faced the Outlaws in a Handicap match after Kane no-showed the title defense. The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time. In December, the Outlaws lost the title to The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock from The Corporation. Mr. Ass and reformation of the Outlaws and DX (1999–2000) The Outlaws then began to focus more on singles competition. The Road Dogg won the Hardcore Championship in December 1998, and Gunn set his sights on the Intercontinental Championship. At the 1999 Royal Rumble, Gunn unsuccessfully challenged Ken Shamrock for the Intercontinental Title. The next month at St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Gunn was the special guest referee for the Intercontinental Championship match between Val Venis and champion Ken Shamrock, where Gunn made a fast count and declared Venis the new champion before attacking both men. In March, Gunn won the Hardcore Championship from Hardcore Holly. At WrestleMania XV, Gunn lost the title to Holly in a Triple Threat match which also included Al Snow. The New Age Outlaws then reunited to defeat Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart at Backlash. After Backlash, Gunn left D-Generation X and aligned himself with Triple H and Chyna. Gunn defeated his former partner, Road Dogg, in a match at Over the Edge. Gunn then won the King of the Ring tournament by defeating Ken Shamrock, Kane, and his former ally, X-Pac. After King of the Ring, Gunn, Triple H, and Chyna went on to feud with X-Pac and Road Dogg over the rights to the D-Generation X name. This feud culminated at Fully Loaded when X-Pac and Road Dogg defeated Gunn and Chyna. Gunn then began a brief feud with The Rock. At SummerSlam, The Rock defeated Gunn in a Kiss My Ass Match. Following this, Gunn then briefly feuded with Jeff Jarrett for the Intercontinental Title before reuniting with Road Dogg to reform The New Age Outlaws. The Outlaws won their fourth tag team championship by defeating The Rock 'n' Sock Connection in September 1999. The Outlaws later reunited with X-Pac and Triple H to reform D-Generation X. During this time, The Outlaws won their fifth Tag Team Championship after defeating Mankind and Al Snow. At the 2000 Royal Rumble, The New Age Outlaws retained their title against The Acolytes after interference from X-Pac. The Outlaws then had a feud with The Dudley Boyz, who won the Tag Team Championship from The Outlaws at No Way Out. After suffering a torn rotator cuff in the match with The Dudley Boyz, Gunn was kicked out of D-Generation X for "losing his cool" to explain his impending absence to recover from his injury. The One (2000–2001) Gunn made his return in October and immediately teamed with Chyna to feud with Right to Censor, who wanted to "censor" his Mr. Ass gimmick. At No Mercy, Right to Censor members Steven Richards and Val Venis defeated Chyna and Gunn. Due to a stipulation, Gunn could no longer use the Mr. Ass gimmick, so he renamed himself Billy G. for a few weeks before settling on "The One" Billy Gunn. Gunn then feuded with Eddie Guerrero and the rest of The Radicalz. At Survivor Series, Gunn teamed with Road Dogg, Chyna, and K-Kwik in a losing effort against The Radicalz. A few weeks later on SmackDown!, Gunn won the Intercontinental Championship from Guerrero. However, the title reign was short-lived, as Chris Benoit defeated him for the title two weeks later at Armageddon. After feuding with Benoit, Gunn participated in the 2001 Royal Rumble where he made it to the final four, Gunn interfered in the Hardcore Championship Match at No Way Out, and taking advantage of the 24/7 Rule, pinning Raven for the title. The reign was short-lived, as Raven won it back a few minutes later. Billy and Chuck (2001–2002) In a 2001 match on Sunday Night Heat, Gunn was defeated by Chuck Palumbo, who recently left The Alliance to join the WWF. After the match, Gunn suggested that they form a tag team. Palumbo agreed, and Billy and Chuck quickly rose to the top of the tag team division. Initially they were a generic tandem, but they were given a gimmick where they grew increasingly affectionate toward each other, showing evidence of a storyline homosexual relationship. In February 2002, Billy and Chuck defeated Spike Dudley and Tazz to win the WWF Tag Team Championship for the first time as a team. After winning the titles, Billy and Chuck found a "Personal Stylist" in the ambiguously flamboyant Rico. After retaining the title against the Acolytes Protection Agency, the Dudley Boyz, and the Hardy Boyz in a Four Corners Elimination Match at WrestleMania X8 and against Al Snow and Maven at Backlash, Billy and Chuck began a feud with Rikishi. At Judgment Day, Rikishi and Rico (Rikishi's mystery partner of Mr. McMahon's choosing) defeated Billy and Chuck for the WWE Tag Team Championship after Rico accidentally hit Chuck with a roundhouse kick. Billy and Chuck quickly won the title back two weeks later on SmackDown! with Rico's help. They held the championship for almost a month before losing it to the team of Edge and Hollywood Hulk Hogan on the July 4 episode of SmackDown!. On the September 5 edition of SmackDown!, after Billy lost a match to Rey Mysterio, Chuck proposed to Billy, asking him to be his "partner for life" and gave him a wedding ring. Billy agreed, and one week later, on the September 12 episode of SmackDown!, Billy and Chuck had their wedding ceremony. However, just before they tied the knot, they revealed that the entire ordeal was a publicity stunt and disavowed their on-screen homosexuality, admitting that they were just friends. The "preacher" revealed himself to be Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff (who was wearing a skin mask), who then summoned 3-Minute Warning to beat up Billy and Chuck. Rico, furious that Billy and Chuck gave up their gimmick, became the manager of Three Minute Warning and defected to Raw. At Unforgiven, Three Minute Warning defeated Billy and Chuck. Their final match together occurred on the October 3 episode of SmackDown! in the first round of a tournament for the newly created WWE Tag Team Championship. They lost the match to the team of Ron Simmons and Reverend D-Von. Afterwards, Gunn took a few months off because of a shoulder injury and the team of Billy and Chuck quietly disbanded. SmackDown! and return to singles competition (2003–2004) After returning in the summer of 2003, Gunn reverted to the "Mr. Ass" gimmick, defeating A-Train, and Torrie Wilson became his new manager. He started a feud with Jamie Noble, which led to an "Indecent Proposal" Match at Vengeance, which Noble won and due to the match's stipulation, won a night with Torrie. After taking time off again due to a shoulder injury, Gunn returned to action at the 2004 Royal Rumble, but was eliminated by Goldberg. Afterward, he wrestled mainly on Velocity, forming an occasional tag team with Hardcore Holly. At Judgment Day, Gunn and Holly challenged Charlie Haas and Rico for the WWE Tag Team Championship, but were unsuccessful. At The Great American Bash, Gunn lost to Kenzo Suzuki. On November 1, 2004, Sopp was released from his WWE contract. In June 2005, Sopp gave an interview in which he was heavily critical of WWE and the events that led to his release. Many of the negative comments were directed towards Triple H, who Sopp claimed "runs the show up there". Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2005–2009) Planet Jarrett (2005) On February 13, 2005, Sopp debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) without a name (as Billy Gunn is a WWE trademark, although announcers recognized him as such) at Against All Odds with the same gimmick, helping Jeff Jarrett retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a match with Kevin Nash. Sopp, using the name The New Age Outlaw, then formed a stable with Jarrett and Monty Brown known as Planet Jarrett. However, WWE threatened TNA with legal action if Sopp continued the use of the name "The New Age Outlaw", so he shortened his name to The Outlaw. Due to the legal issues with WWE, all TNA -DVD releases featuring footage with Sopp as "The Outlaw" (and presumably also as "The New Age Outlaw") have had the name on on-screen graphics blurred, the name silenced out of the audio, and match commentary completely replaced to reflect a retroactive name change to "Kip James". One such DVD is the pay-per-view Lockdown, included in the "TNA Anthology: The Epic Set" box set, in which the silencing of the name during a segment where Dusty Rhodes picks his name from a lottery leaves DVD viewers in the dark as to who just got picked. The Outlaw began a campaign to make former ally B.G. James leave the 3Live Kru and defect to Planet Jarrett, reforming the old tag team with Outlaw. At No Surrender, he renamed himself Kip James and was announced as "wrestling out of Marietta, Georgia" (the family seat of the Armstrong family) as a psychological ploy. As a result of his campaign, Kip attracted the ire of 3Live Kru members Ron Killings and Konnan, leading to a series of tag team matches pitting Kip and Monty Brown against Killings and Konnan, with a conflicted James unwilling to take sides. Kip's efforts ultimately proved futile; James, the guest referee in a final match between Brown and Kip versus Konnan and Killings at Sacrifice, attacked Kip enabling a 3Live Kru victory. In September at Unbreakable, Kip teamed with Brown to defeat the team of Apolo and Lance Hoyt. There was clear tension between the partners because Brown was unhappy at the series of losses at the hands of the 3Live Kru, and Kip was irked by Brown's decision to leave Planet Jarrett. Despite the victory, the partners argued after the match. On the October 8, 2005 episode of Impact!, Kip rekindled his feud with the 3Live Kru, running to the ring after a bout between the 3LK and Team Canada in order to prevent Team Canada captain Petey Williams from beating down B.G. James. He saved James, and then engaged in a staredown with Konnan and Killings. Kip saved James from Team Canada once again at Bound for Glory. Though Killings showed signs of gratitude, Konnan remained skeptical as to his true intentions. Later that night, Kip took part in an over-the-top-rope gauntlet match for the number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. After he was eliminated, he tried in vain to prevent Killings from being eliminated as well, before being sent away from ringside by the referees. The James Gang/Voodoo Kin Mafia (2005–2008) On the November 26 episode of Impact!, B.G. brought Kip and the 3Live Kru to ringside and asked Killings and Konnan whether Kip could join the stable. Following a heated argument between Konnan and B.G., both Killings and Konnan gave their approval, and the 4Live Kru was born. However, at Turning Point, Konnan attacked both B.G. and Kip, costing them their match against Team Canada and initiating a feud between himself and the remainder of the Kru. Shortly thereafter, B.G. James's father, Bob Armstrong, attempted to reconcile the group, but was instead attacked by Konnan and his new stablemates, Apolo and Homicide. Killings later stated that he had severed his ties with the Kru. With Konnan and Killings no longer members of the Kru, Kip and B.G. began referring to themselves as The James Gang and continued to feud with the Konnan-managed Latin American Exchange, whose third man position as Homicide's partner would switch from Apolo to Machete, and then from him to Hernandez, who finally stuck, during the course of this feud. At Final Resolution, The James Gang defeated The Diamonds in the Rough (David Young and Elix Skipper). At Against All Odds, The James Gang defeated LAX (Homicide and Machete). At Destination X, The James Gang and Bob Armstrong defeated Latin American Exchange in a six-man tag team match. At Sacrifice, The James Gang defeated Team 3D which led to a rematch at Slammiversary where Team 3D defeated The James Gang in a Bingo Hall Brawl. At Victory Road, The James Gang and Abyss defeated Team 3D and their newest member Brother Runt. At No Surrender, The James Gang competed in a Triple Chance tag team battle royal but failed to win the match. At Bound for Glory, The James Gang competed in a Four-way tag team match which was won by Team 3D. By November 2006, Kip and B.G. began to show displeasure in TNA and threatened to go find work elsewhere if they did not receive gold soon. They began performing the crotch chop, a reference to the WWE's DX. On the November 2 edition of Impact!, Kip and B.G. threatened to quit. Kip grabbed the mic and tried to say something to the TNA administration and Spike TV, but each time his mic was cut off. Kip then tried to use the announcer's headset, but it was cut off as well. Frustrated, he started yelling loudly to the crowd, but he was cut off again as the show went to a commercial break. When the show returned, the announcers speculated that they may have been frustrated due to the influx of new talent entering TNA. It was reported that the segment was a worked shoot that Vince Russo had written in order to renew interest upon their eventual return. Kip and BG appeared in an internet video on TNA's website where they addressed the owner of WWE Vince McMahon. A few weeks later on Impact!, The James Gang re-emerged under a new name Voodoo Kin Mafia (VKM for short, a play on Vincent Kennedy McMahon's initials). They mentioned their new right of 'creative control', meaning they could do whatever they wanted. They also declared 'war' on Paul Levesque, Michael Hickenbottom, and Vincent K. McMahon (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Vince McMahon, respectively). Kip then declared that 'Triple Hollywood' and 'Shawn Kiss-my-bottom' were failing as the group they (Kip and BG) used to be a part of: D-Generation X. After the initial shock value of this incident wore off, at Genesis, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated Kazarian, Maverick Matt and Johnny Devine in a handicap match. VKM began a feud with the villainous Christy Hemme. Hemme then searched for a tag team to square-off against VKM. At Destination X, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated Hemme's handpicked team of The Heartbreakers (Antonio Thomas & Romeo Roselli). On the Lockdown preshow The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated another one of Hemme's handpicked team Serotonin (Kaz & Havok) in a Six Sides of Steel match. The final tag team was Damaja and Basham, who appeared on an episode of Impact! and beat down VKM. They also held up Kip James so Hemme could slap him. B.G James was taken out by Basham and Damaja which led to Kip James competed against Basham and Damaja in a handicap match at Sacrifice where he lost. However, they beat Hemme's team at Slammiversary. After the match, VKM were betrayed by their associate Lance Hoyt. At Victory Road, they introduced their new manager, the Voodoo Queen, Roxxi Laveaux, to embarrass Christy Hemme. At Hard Justice, The Voodoo Kin Mafia lost to The Latin American Exchange. At No Surrender, The Voodoo Kin Mafia competed in a Ten-team tag team gauntlet match which was won by A.J. Styles and Tomko. At Bound for Glory, Kip James competed in the Fight for the Right Reverse Battle Royal which was won by Eric Young. On the October 25 edition of Impact!, VKM teamed with A.J. Styles and Tomko in a losing effort to the Latin American Xchange and the Steiner Brothers. At Genesis, B.G. was present along with Kip in the corner of Roxxi Laveaux at ringside for the Fatal Four Way knockout match for the TNA Women's Championship in which Gail Kim retained the title. At Turning Point, James competed in the Feast or Fired where he grabbed a case but threw it to BG James. It was revealed that the case was for a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship and BG James picked his dad to be his partner at Against All Odds, James and Bob Armstrong failed to win the titles and on February 21, 2008 episode of Impact! he turned on B.G. and B.G's father "Bullet" Bob Armstrong by hitting them both with a crutch. The Beautiful People (2008–2009) On April 13, 2008, he faced former partner B.G. James at Lockdown and lost. After the match, he appeared to want to make amends as he raised B.G.'s hand after the match, only to clothesline him down to the mat and taunt him with a DX crotch chop. Kip went on to declare himself "The Megastar", an arrogant gimmick similar to "The One" gimmick from his WWF tenure. Kip later stopped making appearances on Impact! until April 24 when he was attacked backstage by Matt Morgan for no reason. The next week on Impact!, Kip got back at Morgan by attacking him backstage in Jim Cornette's office. On May 8, 2008, Cornette forced Morgan into being Kip's tag team partner for the Deuces Wild tournament at Sacrifice, though both were unable to win. Kip went on another brief disappearance from television until the June 5 edition of Impact!, where he partnered with Lance Hoyt and James Storm in a losing effort against Morgan and The Latin American Xchange. On the August 14 episode of Impact!, Kip was revealed to be the new image consultant and member of The Beautiful People, dubbed Cute Kip and was using his Mr.Ass Attire, after they brought him out during their interview on Karen Angle's show Karen's Angle. at Bound for Glory IV, Kip, Love and Sky lost to Rhino, ODB and Rhaka Khan in a Bimbo Brawl. at Final Resolution (December 2008), Kip competed in the Feast or Fired match but failed to get a case. At Genesis 2009, Kip became the one-night-only replacement for the injured Kevin Nash in the Main Event Mafia. As of March 19, 2009, Sopp was taken off of TNA Impact! along with Jacqueline Moore to become road agents. Sopp returned as Cute Kip and lost to Awesome Kong in an intergender stretcher match on May 14, 2009. On the May 28 edition of Impact!, Kip was fired by The Beautiful People. On the June 18 edition of Impact!, Mick Foley hired him as his handyman, turning Kip into a face. he made another appearance on the August 6 edition of Impact where Kip had to clean up the IMPACT Zone after a chaotic fifteen minute "riot". On October 9 edition of Xplosion, Kip was defeated by Rhino. On October 30 edition of Xplosion, Kip defeated Sheik Abdul Bashir. on the November 13 edition of Xplosion, Kip lost to Rob Terry and on December 3, 2009 edition of Xplosion, Kip competed in his final TNA match where he lost to Kiyoshi. Sopp's profile was removed from the TNA website on December 29, 2009, confirming his departure from the promotion. Independent circuit (2009–2012) After leaving TNA, Sopp reunited with B.G. James to reform The New Age Outlaws, with both men resuming their Billy Gunn and Road Dogg ring names. After joining TWA Powerhouse in 2010, the Outlaws defeated Canadian Extreme to win the promotion's Tag Team Championship on July 25. They re-lost the title to Canadian Extreme on June 5, 2011. On July 30, 2011, Sopp, working under the ring name Kip Gunn, made his debut for Lucha Libre USA as a member of the heel stable The Right. Later that night, Gunn lost in his debut match against Marco Corleone. On June 26, 2012, Sopp won the American Pro Wrestling Alliance American Championship. However, he lost the title due to travel issues. On September 8 and 9, 2012, he wrestled in a Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation tournament. He defeated Rhino in the semi-finals and Scott Steiner in the final, winning the BBWF Aruba Championship. Return to WWE (2012–2015) On July 23, Sopp, under his Billy Gunn name, made his first WWE appearance in nearly eight years as he reunited with Road Dogg, X-Pac, Shawn Michaels and Triple H to reform D-Generation X for one night only on the 1000th episode of Raw. In December 2012, he was hired by WWE as a trainer for the NXT Wrestling territory in Tampa, Florida. On March 4, 2013, Gunn and Road Dogg made a return at Old School Raw, defeating Primo and Epico. On March 11, 2013, they accepted a challenge from Team Rhodes Scholars and faced them in a match, which was interrupted by Brock Lesnar, who hit both Outlaws with an F-5 as part of his ongoing feud with Triple H. He then appeared alongside Road Dogg to help CM Punk clear out The Shield in aid of Roddy Piper on Old School Raw on January 6, 2014. On the January 10 episode of SmackDown, the Outlaws teamed with CM Punk in a six-man tag match against The Shield in a losing effort. On the January 13 episode of Raw, the Outlaws again teamed with Punk in a rematch against The Shield, only to abandon Punk and lose the match. On January 26 during the Royal Rumble Kickoff Show, Gunn and Road Dogg beat Cody Rhodes and Goldust to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. The next night on Raw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust via disqualification when Brock Lesnar attacked the brothers. The next week on Raw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust in a steel cage match. On March 3, the Outlaws lost the Tag Team Championship to The Usos. Gunn sustained hemoptysis after he and his New Age Outlaws partner, Road Dogg, suffered a double-Triple Powerbomb by The Shield at WrestleMania XXX. Gunn returned to Raw with Road Dogg in January 2015, attacking The Ascension along with the nWo and the APA. At the Royal Rumble, the Outlaws faced The Ascension in a losing effort. At WrestleMania 31, Gunn, with Road Dogg, X-Pac and Shawn Michaels, reunited as D-Generation X to help Triple H in his match against Sting. In May, Gunn was announced as a coach along with WWE Hall of Famers Booker T and Lita for the sixth season of Tough Enough. On November 13, 2015, WWE officially announced that Sopp was released from his WWE contract after failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs. He had tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone at a powerlifting event on July 25, 2015, and was suspended from powerlifting for four years. Independent circuit (2015–2020) On December 26, 2015, Gunn teamed up with Kevin Thorn to defeat Brian Klass and Rob Street. One month later, Gunn defeated Ken Dixon for the MCW Pro Wrestling MCW Rage Television Championship. On February 5, 2016, Gunn defeated Joey Hayes in the Preston City Wrestling PCW Road to Glory tournament, on February 6 he lost to T-Bone in the quarter-finals that same night Gunn teamed up with Mr. Anderson and Tajiri to defeat Dave Raynes, Joey Hayes, and Martin Kirby. On February 7, 2016 Gunn challenged for the Pro Wrestling Pride Heavyweight championship losing to Steve Griffiths. On March 19, 2016, Gunn lost the title to Ken Dixon. On June 12, 2016, Gunn won the Smashmouth Pro Wrestling championship from KC Huber but lost it on the same night, Gunn teamed again with Anderson in a losing effort against the UK Hooligans at PCW Tribute to the Troops on June 25, 2016. He defeated Hardcore Holly in a singles match at PCW Top Gunn on July 2, 2016. On September 4, 2016, Gunn made his debut for Chikara, representing DX alongside X-Pac in a tag team gauntlet match. The two entered the match as the final team and scored the win over Prakash Sabar and The Proletariat Boar of Moldova. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2016–2017) On November 5, 2016, at the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) event Power Struggle, Yoshitatsu announced Gunn as the newest member of his Hunter Club stable and his partner for the upcoming 2016 World Tag League. Gunn and Yoshitatsu finished the tournament on December 8 with a record of three wins and four losses, failing to advance from their block. Gunn returned to NJPW on January 4, 2017, taking part in the pre-show New Japan Rumble at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome, from which he was eliminated by the eventual winner Michael Elgin. While Gunn did not appear for NJPW for the next six months, he was brought up in May by Yoshitatsu, who told Hiroshi Tanahashi that Gunn had requested a match against him. When Tanahashi captured the IWGP Intercontinental Championship the following month, he immediately nominated Gunn as his first challenger. Gunn was defeated in the title match on July 2 at G1 Special in USA, and it was his final match in NJPW. WWE appearances (2018–2019) Gunn and numerous other WWE legends appeared on the January 22, 2018 episode of Raw 25 Years as part of the D-Generation X reunion. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019 as a member of D-Generation X. All Elite Wrestling (2019–present) In January 2019, Gunn was hired by All Elite Wrestling as a coach. At May 25 at the AEW Double or Nothing event he competed in the pre-show battle royal. Gunn made his first televised appearance for AEW on the November 20, 2019 episode of AEW Dynamite, competing in a battle royal. He also appeared during the January 1, 2020 episode of Dynamite, wrestling in a dark match with his son Austin that aired on January 7, 2020. They wrestled again together on another dark match during the January 8, 2020 episode of Dynamite, airing on January 17, 2020, with the tag team name "The Gunn Club", defeating the team of Peter Avalon and Shawn Spears. Gunn has also appeared in the crowd (made up of AEW wrestlers and other employees) on numerous episodes of Dynamite during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the May 27, 2020 episode of Dynamite, Gunn now under the shortened ring name of Billy participated in a battle royal match to determine the number one contender for the TNT Championship. He also would wrestle MJF in a singles match on the June 17, 2020 episode of Dynamite as well. The Gunn Club would wrestle in more tag team matches on more episodes of AEW Dark. On the November 4, 2020 episode of Dynamite, The Gunn Club teamed with Cody Rhodes to successfully defeat The Dark Order (John Silver, 10 and Colt Cabana). On the November 17, 2020 episode of Dark, The Gunn Club, which now added Austin's brother and Gunn's other son Colten to the stable, defeated Bshp King, Joey O'Riley and Sean Maluta by pinfall in a six-man tag team match. On the same day the AEW website's roster page got updated and his name was once again changed to its long form, Billy Gunn. The three man Gunn Club would then defeat Cezar Bononi, KTB, and Seth Gargis in another six man tag team match on the November 24, 2020 episode of Dark. On the December 8, 2020 episode of Dark The three man Gunn Club-which entered the ring on a golf cart with the words "Taz Taxi" on the side, defeated Shawn Dean, Sean Maluta & RYZIN. On the December 1, 2021 episode of Dynamite, The Gunn Club stable's undefeated streak in AEW ended when Billy and Colten Gunn lost to the team of Sting and Darby Allin. Professional wrestling style, persona and reception Gunn has had several gimmicks throughout his career, ranging from his cowboy-themed gimmick with the Smoking Gunns to his The Ambiguously Gay Duo-esque tag team with Chuck Palumbo. Gunn has stated on multiple shoot interviews that he has no regrets with his gimmicks as he was performing a job and doing what was asked of him to do. By far, Gunn's most infamous gimmick was his "Mr. Ass" persona based around his ass. The gimmick started during his New Age Outlaws days when Road Dogg would refer to themselves as "Mr. Dogg" and "Mr. Ass" in promos, though the "Bad Ass" name wasn't referring to his backside at that time. What was originally a throwaway joke turned into Gunn mooning his opponents and the live crowd, though as the original incarnation of DX also did this, it could originally be argued that it was an extension of the Outlaws joining DX. Upon leaving DX, Gunn fully embraced the "Mr. Ass" gimmick by placing emphasis on his "moneymaker". While Road Dogg kept the New Age Outlaws entrance music for his own, Gunn adopted the song "Ass Man" as part of the gimmick, and for a time even changed his ring tights to be see-through, wearing only a thong underneath his tights, although he would eventually revert back to the DX-era tights. The "Mr. Ass" gimmick has mixed reviews. One web site ranked it near the middle of Gunn's various gimmicks, while a writer for Bleacher Report thought it was the worst gimmick ever even though Gunn was at his peak popularity with the persona. Gunn himself told Chris Van Vliet in 2021 that he never paid attention to the "Ass Man" lyrics until a college professor broke down each expression. Due to the enduring legacy of the "Mr. Ass" gimmick, in November 2021 Ring of Honor wrestler Danhausen began a Twitter feud with the Gunn Club, referring to Billy as "Billy Ass," and Colten and Austin as The "Ass Boys," in reference to Gunn's infamous "Mr. Ass" gimmick in the Attitude Era. While Gunn himself initially had no comment, the rest of Gunn Club despised the nickname after fans began chanting "Ass Boys" during their matches, notably during an AEW event at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. Gunn finally commented when he surprised his sons by wearing an "Ass Boys" shirt, encouraging them to "embrace the assness" and even started teasing mooning the crowd again. Gunn also thanked Danhausen publicly for getting his sons over in a way that he couldn't. Other media Filmography Video Games WWF Attitude WWF WrestleMania 2000 WWF SmackDown! WWF No Mercy WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role WWF Road To WrestleMania WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It WWF Raw WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth WWE Raw 2 WWE '13 WWE 2K16 WWE 2K17 Personal life Sopp was born on November 1, 1963 in Orlando, Florida and claims Austin, Texas as his hometown. In November 1990, Sopp was arrested in Florida for disorderly conduct. Sopp married his first wife Tina Tinnell on March 3, 1990. Together, they have two sons: Colten (born May 18, 1991) and Austin (born August 26, 1994) who are also professional wrestlers. The couple separated in January 2000 and their divorce was finalized on December 11, 2002. Sopp has since married his long-time girlfriend Paula on January 24, 2009. Sopp's sons Austin and Colten, better known by the ring names Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn, are currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where alongside their father they form a stable known as "Gunn Club". Sopp attended Sam Houston State University. Championships and accomplishments American Pro Wrestling Alliance APWA American Championship (1 time) Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation BBFW Aruba Championship (1 time) BBFW Aruba Championship Tournament (2012) International Wrestling Federation IWF Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Brett Colt Freedom Pro Wrestling FPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Road Dogg Maryland Championship Wrestling MCW Rage Television Championship (1 time) MCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with B.G. James Pro Wrestling Illustrated Tag Team of the Year (1998) with Road Dogg Tag Team of the Year (2002) with Chuck Ranked #39 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1999 Ranked #231 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003 Ranked #43 of the top 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Road Dogg in 2003 SmashMouth Pro Wrestling SPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) TWA Powerhouse TWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with B.G. James Vanguard Championship Wrestling VCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) World Pro Wrestling WPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) Wrestling Observer Newsletter Worst Worked Match of the Year (2006) TNA Reverse Battle Royal on TNA Impact! WWE/World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment WWF Hardcore Championship (2 times) WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time) WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Road Dogg WWF World Tag Team Championship (10 times) – with Bart Gunn (3), Road Dogg (5) and Chuck (2) King of the Ring (1999) Raw Bowl – with Bart Gunn WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2019) - as a member of D-Generation X References External links 1963 births All Elite Wrestling personnel American male professional wrestlers American powerlifters Bull riders D-Generation X members Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan LGBT characters in professional wrestling Living people Professional wrestlers from Florida Professional wrestling trainers Sam Houston State University alumni Sportspeople from Orlando, Florida The Authority (professional wrestling) members WWE Hall of Fame inductees WWF/WWE Hardcore Champions WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions WWF/WWE King Crown's Champions/King of the Ring winners American expatriate sportspeople in Japan
true
[ "The Chevrolet Step-Van, and its badge-engineered counterpart the GMC Value-Van, is a multi-stop truck made by General Motors from 1941 to 1999.\n\nHistory\nThe Chevrolet Step-Van was a parcel van that was based on the chassis of a Chevrolet truck until 1973. From 1973, they were built on a unibody chassis instead of a truck-based one.\n\nFirst Generation\nThe first generation was a parcel van version of the AK Series truck built from 1941 to 1949, it was a tougher version than the normal pickup truck it was based on and could haul more things than its pickup counterpart. \n\nDespite the Chevrolet Advance Design being released in 1947/1948, the AK Series parcel van continued production until 1949. The parcel vans can be confused with the Cab-Over Chevrolet trucks and vans. The reason the parcel vans continued production until 1949 is because of their popularity as it could haul more things than the normal pickup truck counterpart it was based on.\n\nSecond Generation\nFrom 1950 to 1953 Chevrolet started continuing the parcel vans versions of their pickup trucks billed as stronger and more capable versions of their pickup trucks, the parcel van was usually made in the chassis of a 3800 version of the Advance-Design.\n\nChevrolet didn't make many versions of the Advance-Design parcel van. as the parcel van body was very tall and caused aerodynamic failures. The parcel van used the same engine as its pickup truck counterpart, unlike the AK Series parcel van.\n\nThird Generation\nThe third generation was made in the chassis of the Volkswagen Type 1 van with the grille and body that was reminiscent of the Chevrolet Task Force series, the back doors were almost the same as the previous but the aerodynamic issues were fixed. \nThe third generation improved the sales of the Chevrolet Step-Van. It was somewhat shorter than the previous generations but had more cargo space in its back than the AK Series and Advance Design parcel vans. This generation introduced a cab-over style to the parcel van style.\n\nFourth Generation\nThe fourth-generation was almost just a facelifted version of the third generation with some upgraded components and this time it was made in a unibody chassis than a previous used one, that generation was not as long as the previous ones but was taller. \n\nIt also featured a somewhat redesigned style and grille, the back doors remained the same for the most part, the headlights remained the same. It was not a cab-over truck and featured a somewhat longer bonnet than the previous generation.\n\nFifth Generation\nThat was the last generation Chevrolet Step-Van made in a unibody chassis like the previous generation, that generation was also made in some European countries, unlike the previous generations.\n\nExternal links\n Chevrolet » Step-Van King '68\n I just bought this former USPS Chevy P30 step van, planning to convert it to a short term camper. What do you think?\n Chevy Forward Control Chassis\n Chevrolet Walk-In Vans And Trucks\n GMC P10 Van\n\nCommercial vehicles\nChevrolet trucks", "The Generation 3 refers to the generation of stock cars used in NASCAR from 1981 to 1991, and it was used in the Busch Series until 1993. In this generation, NASCAR downsized the cars to better resemble cars on the showroom floor (with wheelbase at 110 inches), and body panels were still purchased through the manufacturers.\n\nHistory \nThe Generation 3 era began in 1981 and featured bigger spoilers, and streamlined designs that barely resembled their showroom counterparts. The wheelbase was reduced to 110 inches in response to the demand of the production car market that the time, making the cars smaller than the previous 2 generations.\n\nThese were the cars that necessitated restrictor plates at Daytona and Talladega. In 1987 at Talladega, Bill Elliott set what remains the NASCAR qualifying record of . But soon into the race, Bobby Allison's car went airborne and nearly went into the main grandstands, and that was the last unrestricted race on either of the two giant tracks. NASCAR mandated smaller carburetors for the rest of that season, and in 1988 required the restrictor plates.\n\nThe Generation 3 cars were used until 1991. It was the last generation without roof flaps (mandated in 1994). It was succeeded by the Generation 4 cars in 1992. In that same year, the Gen 3 car was still used in the Busch Series, until the series adopted their Generation 4 car in 1994.\n\nModels\n\nGeneral Motors \n\n Buick Regal: 1981–1985, 1988–1991\n Buick LeSabre: 1986–1987\n Chevrolet Lumina: 1989–1991\n Chevrolet Monte Carlo: 1981–1989\n Oldsmobile Cutlass: 1981–1991\n Oldsmobile Delta 88: 1986–1987\n Pontiac Grand Prix: 1981-1991\n Pontiac LeMans: 1982-1983\n\nFord Motor Company \n Ford Thunderbird: 1981–1991\n\nChrysler Corporation \n Imperial coupe (sixth generation): 1981-1986\n Chrysler Cordoba: 1980-?\n Dodge Mirada: 1981-1986\n\nSee also \n Cup Series cars\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links \n\nNASCAR Cup Series\n1980s in NASCAR" ]
[ "Billy Gunn", "The New Age Outlaws and D-Generation X (1997-1998)", "What were The New Age Outlaws?", "James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as \"Road Dogg\" Jesse James and \"Badd Ass\" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team formed was soon dubbed the New Age Outlaws.", "What was the D generation X?", "They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X." ]
C_2e21de52a27844ff90c7b071600d3ed6_1
How strong were Jesse and Billy?
3
How strong were Jesse James and Billy Gunn?
Billy Gunn
After The Smoking Gunns disbanded, Gunn took some time off to nurse an injury. At WrestleMania 13, he defeated Flash Funk catching the attention of The Honky Tonk Man, who made Gunn his protege. During this time, he adopted a new gimmick, Rockabilly, and had a short-lived feud with "The Real Double J" Jesse James. On Shotgun Saturday Night, James realized both of their careers were going nowhere and suggested that they became a tag team. Gunn agreed and smashed a guitar over the Honky Tonk Man's head to solidify their new alliance. James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team formed was soon dubbed the New Age Outlaws. This new team was in the spirit of the new Attitude Era: brash, vulgar, egotistical, and loud-mouthed. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks and won the Tag Team Championship from the Legion of Doom on November 24. They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X. The Outlaws slowly began to align themselves with D-Generation X, who were impressed with their new attitude. At the Royal Rumble, the New Age Outlaws interfered in a Casket match to help Shawn Michaels defeat The Undertaker. At No Way Out Of Texas, the Outlaws teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated. On February 2, The Outlaws locked Cactus and Chainsaw in a dumpster and pushed it off the stage. This led to a Dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV where Cactus and Chainsaw defeated the Outlaws for the Tag Titles. The next night on Raw, the New Age Outlaws won the Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Chainsaw and Cactus in a Steel cage match, but only after interference from Triple H, Chyna, and X-Pac. After the match, the Outlaws officially became members of D-Generation X (DX). Upon becoming an official member of DX, Gunn gained a tendency of mooning opponents (a trait used by the original incarnation of DX, as well as its 2006 revival), a precursor to the later "Mr. Ass" gimmick. After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven. DX began to feud with Owen Hart, and his new stablemates, The Nation. At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match. The Outlaws would also successfully defend their title against The New Midnight Express (Bombastic Bob and Bodacious Bart) at King of the Ring. During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. Although Kane and Mankind won the Tag Team Championship, they could not get along. At SummerSlam, Mankind faced the Outlaws in a Handicap match after Kane no-showed the title defense. The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time. The Outlaws then helped X-Pac in his feud with Jeff Jarrett and Southern Justice. In December, the Outlaws lost the title to The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock from The Corporation. CANNOTANSWER
This new team was in the spirit of the new Attitude Era: brash, vulgar, egotistical, and loud-mouthed. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks
Monty "Kip" Sopp (born November 1, 1963), better known by his ring name Billy Gunn, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and coach. Gunn is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) from 1993 to 2004 and from 2012 to 2015. He also served as a coach on WWE's Tough Enough and was a trainer in NXT. He is also known for his appearances with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2005 to 2009. Primarily a tag team wrestler, Gunn is an overall 13-time tag team champion in WWE with three different partners (with Bart Gunn as The Smoking Gunns, with Road Dogg as The New Age Outlaws, and with Chuck Palumbo as Billy and Chuck). He is also a one time WWF Intercontinental Champion and a two time WWF Hardcore Champion, giving him 14 total championships in WWE. He is the 1999 King of the Ring tournament winner, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 as a member of D-Generation X. Professional wrestling career Early career (1985–1993) After a stint as a professional bull rider in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Sopp left the profession in his early-20s in order to pursue a career as a professional wrestler. Trained by Jerry Grey, Sopp wrestled on the independent circuit for eight years (including a brief stint as enhancement talent for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) before signing a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1993. World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1993–2004) The Smoking Gunns (1993–1996) After weeks of vignettes, Sopp, under the name Billy Gunn, made his WWF debut on the May 17, 1993 episode of Raw, teaming with his on-screen brother, Bart Gunn to defeat Tony Vadja and Glenn Ruth. The duo, now known as The Smoking Gunns, made their pay-per-view debut at King of the Ring, teaming with The Steiner Brothers to defeat Money Inc. and The Headshrinkers in an eight-man tag team match. At SummerSlam, the duo teamed with Tatanka to pick up a win against Bam Bam Bigelow and the Headshrinkers. On January 22, 1994, Gunn entered his first Royal Rumble match at the namesake event, but was eliminated by Diesel. In early 1995, the Gunns won their first Tag Team Championship by defeating the makeshift team of Bob Holly and 1-2-3 Kid. They held the title until WrestleMania XI, where they were defeated by the team of Owen Hart and Yokozuna. They won the titles again in September 1995. On February 15, 1996, the Gunns vacated the title because Billy was in need of neck surgery. After Billy returned from hiatus, The Smoking Gunns won the Tag Team Title for the third time by defeating The Godwinns in May. After the match, The Godwinns' manager Sunny turned on her team in favor of the Gunns. On September 22 at In Your House: Mind Games, the Gunns lost the Tag Team Title to Owen Hart and The British Bulldog. After the match, Sunny abandoned The Gunns, saying that she would only manage title holders. Billy, frustrated with losing both the championship and Sunny, walked out on Bart, breaking up The Smoking Gunns. Rockabilly, The New Age Outlaws and D-Generation X (1997–1998) After The Smoking Gunns disbanded, Gunn took some time off to nurse an injury. At WrestleMania 13, he defeated Flash Funk catching the attention of The Honky Tonk Man, who made Gunn his protégé. During this time, he adopted a new gimmick, Rockabilly, He would use this gimmick throughout much of 1997 and eventually had a short-lived feud with "The Real Double J" Jesse James. On the October 4, 1997 episode of Shotgun Saturday Night, James realized both of their careers were going nowhere and suggested that they become a tag team. Gunn agreed and smashed a guitar over the Honky Tonk Man's head to solidify their new alliance. James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team was dubbed the New Age Outlaws. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks and won the Tag Team Championship from the Legion of Doom on November 24. They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X. The Outlaws slowly began to align themselves with D-Generation X. At the Royal Rumble, the New Age Outlaws interfered in a Casket match to help Shawn Michaels defeat The Undertaker. At No Way Out Of Texas, the Outlaws teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated. On February 2, The Outlaws locked Cactus and Chainsaw in a dumpster and pushed it off the stage. This led to a Dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV where Cactus and Chainsaw defeated the Outlaws for the Tag Titles. The next night on Raw, the New Age Outlaws won the Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Chainsaw and Cactus in a Steel cage match, but only after interference from Triple H, Chyna, and X-Pac. After the match, the Outlaws officially became members of D-Generation X (DX). After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven. DX began to feud with Owen Hart and his new stablemates, The Nation. At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match. During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. At SummerSlam, Mankind faced the Outlaws in a Handicap match after Kane no-showed the title defense. The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time. In December, the Outlaws lost the title to The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock from The Corporation. Mr. Ass and reformation of the Outlaws and DX (1999–2000) The Outlaws then began to focus more on singles competition. The Road Dogg won the Hardcore Championship in December 1998, and Gunn set his sights on the Intercontinental Championship. At the 1999 Royal Rumble, Gunn unsuccessfully challenged Ken Shamrock for the Intercontinental Title. The next month at St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Gunn was the special guest referee for the Intercontinental Championship match between Val Venis and champion Ken Shamrock, where Gunn made a fast count and declared Venis the new champion before attacking both men. In March, Gunn won the Hardcore Championship from Hardcore Holly. At WrestleMania XV, Gunn lost the title to Holly in a Triple Threat match which also included Al Snow. The New Age Outlaws then reunited to defeat Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart at Backlash. After Backlash, Gunn left D-Generation X and aligned himself with Triple H and Chyna. Gunn defeated his former partner, Road Dogg, in a match at Over the Edge. Gunn then won the King of the Ring tournament by defeating Ken Shamrock, Kane, and his former ally, X-Pac. After King of the Ring, Gunn, Triple H, and Chyna went on to feud with X-Pac and Road Dogg over the rights to the D-Generation X name. This feud culminated at Fully Loaded when X-Pac and Road Dogg defeated Gunn and Chyna. Gunn then began a brief feud with The Rock. At SummerSlam, The Rock defeated Gunn in a Kiss My Ass Match. Following this, Gunn then briefly feuded with Jeff Jarrett for the Intercontinental Title before reuniting with Road Dogg to reform The New Age Outlaws. The Outlaws won their fourth tag team championship by defeating The Rock 'n' Sock Connection in September 1999. The Outlaws later reunited with X-Pac and Triple H to reform D-Generation X. During this time, The Outlaws won their fifth Tag Team Championship after defeating Mankind and Al Snow. At the 2000 Royal Rumble, The New Age Outlaws retained their title against The Acolytes after interference from X-Pac. The Outlaws then had a feud with The Dudley Boyz, who won the Tag Team Championship from The Outlaws at No Way Out. After suffering a torn rotator cuff in the match with The Dudley Boyz, Gunn was kicked out of D-Generation X for "losing his cool" to explain his impending absence to recover from his injury. The One (2000–2001) Gunn made his return in October and immediately teamed with Chyna to feud with Right to Censor, who wanted to "censor" his Mr. Ass gimmick. At No Mercy, Right to Censor members Steven Richards and Val Venis defeated Chyna and Gunn. Due to a stipulation, Gunn could no longer use the Mr. Ass gimmick, so he renamed himself Billy G. for a few weeks before settling on "The One" Billy Gunn. Gunn then feuded with Eddie Guerrero and the rest of The Radicalz. At Survivor Series, Gunn teamed with Road Dogg, Chyna, and K-Kwik in a losing effort against The Radicalz. A few weeks later on SmackDown!, Gunn won the Intercontinental Championship from Guerrero. However, the title reign was short-lived, as Chris Benoit defeated him for the title two weeks later at Armageddon. After feuding with Benoit, Gunn participated in the 2001 Royal Rumble where he made it to the final four, Gunn interfered in the Hardcore Championship Match at No Way Out, and taking advantage of the 24/7 Rule, pinning Raven for the title. The reign was short-lived, as Raven won it back a few minutes later. Billy and Chuck (2001–2002) In a 2001 match on Sunday Night Heat, Gunn was defeated by Chuck Palumbo, who recently left The Alliance to join the WWF. After the match, Gunn suggested that they form a tag team. Palumbo agreed, and Billy and Chuck quickly rose to the top of the tag team division. Initially they were a generic tandem, but they were given a gimmick where they grew increasingly affectionate toward each other, showing evidence of a storyline homosexual relationship. In February 2002, Billy and Chuck defeated Spike Dudley and Tazz to win the WWF Tag Team Championship for the first time as a team. After winning the titles, Billy and Chuck found a "Personal Stylist" in the ambiguously flamboyant Rico. After retaining the title against the Acolytes Protection Agency, the Dudley Boyz, and the Hardy Boyz in a Four Corners Elimination Match at WrestleMania X8 and against Al Snow and Maven at Backlash, Billy and Chuck began a feud with Rikishi. At Judgment Day, Rikishi and Rico (Rikishi's mystery partner of Mr. McMahon's choosing) defeated Billy and Chuck for the WWE Tag Team Championship after Rico accidentally hit Chuck with a roundhouse kick. Billy and Chuck quickly won the title back two weeks later on SmackDown! with Rico's help. They held the championship for almost a month before losing it to the team of Edge and Hollywood Hulk Hogan on the July 4 episode of SmackDown!. On the September 5 edition of SmackDown!, after Billy lost a match to Rey Mysterio, Chuck proposed to Billy, asking him to be his "partner for life" and gave him a wedding ring. Billy agreed, and one week later, on the September 12 episode of SmackDown!, Billy and Chuck had their wedding ceremony. However, just before they tied the knot, they revealed that the entire ordeal was a publicity stunt and disavowed their on-screen homosexuality, admitting that they were just friends. The "preacher" revealed himself to be Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff (who was wearing a skin mask), who then summoned 3-Minute Warning to beat up Billy and Chuck. Rico, furious that Billy and Chuck gave up their gimmick, became the manager of Three Minute Warning and defected to Raw. At Unforgiven, Three Minute Warning defeated Billy and Chuck. Their final match together occurred on the October 3 episode of SmackDown! in the first round of a tournament for the newly created WWE Tag Team Championship. They lost the match to the team of Ron Simmons and Reverend D-Von. Afterwards, Gunn took a few months off because of a shoulder injury and the team of Billy and Chuck quietly disbanded. SmackDown! and return to singles competition (2003–2004) After returning in the summer of 2003, Gunn reverted to the "Mr. Ass" gimmick, defeating A-Train, and Torrie Wilson became his new manager. He started a feud with Jamie Noble, which led to an "Indecent Proposal" Match at Vengeance, which Noble won and due to the match's stipulation, won a night with Torrie. After taking time off again due to a shoulder injury, Gunn returned to action at the 2004 Royal Rumble, but was eliminated by Goldberg. Afterward, he wrestled mainly on Velocity, forming an occasional tag team with Hardcore Holly. At Judgment Day, Gunn and Holly challenged Charlie Haas and Rico for the WWE Tag Team Championship, but were unsuccessful. At The Great American Bash, Gunn lost to Kenzo Suzuki. On November 1, 2004, Sopp was released from his WWE contract. In June 2005, Sopp gave an interview in which he was heavily critical of WWE and the events that led to his release. Many of the negative comments were directed towards Triple H, who Sopp claimed "runs the show up there". Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2005–2009) Planet Jarrett (2005) On February 13, 2005, Sopp debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) without a name (as Billy Gunn is a WWE trademark, although announcers recognized him as such) at Against All Odds with the same gimmick, helping Jeff Jarrett retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a match with Kevin Nash. Sopp, using the name The New Age Outlaw, then formed a stable with Jarrett and Monty Brown known as Planet Jarrett. However, WWE threatened TNA with legal action if Sopp continued the use of the name "The New Age Outlaw", so he shortened his name to The Outlaw. Due to the legal issues with WWE, all TNA -DVD releases featuring footage with Sopp as "The Outlaw" (and presumably also as "The New Age Outlaw") have had the name on on-screen graphics blurred, the name silenced out of the audio, and match commentary completely replaced to reflect a retroactive name change to "Kip James". One such DVD is the pay-per-view Lockdown, included in the "TNA Anthology: The Epic Set" box set, in which the silencing of the name during a segment where Dusty Rhodes picks his name from a lottery leaves DVD viewers in the dark as to who just got picked. The Outlaw began a campaign to make former ally B.G. James leave the 3Live Kru and defect to Planet Jarrett, reforming the old tag team with Outlaw. At No Surrender, he renamed himself Kip James and was announced as "wrestling out of Marietta, Georgia" (the family seat of the Armstrong family) as a psychological ploy. As a result of his campaign, Kip attracted the ire of 3Live Kru members Ron Killings and Konnan, leading to a series of tag team matches pitting Kip and Monty Brown against Killings and Konnan, with a conflicted James unwilling to take sides. Kip's efforts ultimately proved futile; James, the guest referee in a final match between Brown and Kip versus Konnan and Killings at Sacrifice, attacked Kip enabling a 3Live Kru victory. In September at Unbreakable, Kip teamed with Brown to defeat the team of Apolo and Lance Hoyt. There was clear tension between the partners because Brown was unhappy at the series of losses at the hands of the 3Live Kru, and Kip was irked by Brown's decision to leave Planet Jarrett. Despite the victory, the partners argued after the match. On the October 8, 2005 episode of Impact!, Kip rekindled his feud with the 3Live Kru, running to the ring after a bout between the 3LK and Team Canada in order to prevent Team Canada captain Petey Williams from beating down B.G. James. He saved James, and then engaged in a staredown with Konnan and Killings. Kip saved James from Team Canada once again at Bound for Glory. Though Killings showed signs of gratitude, Konnan remained skeptical as to his true intentions. Later that night, Kip took part in an over-the-top-rope gauntlet match for the number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. After he was eliminated, he tried in vain to prevent Killings from being eliminated as well, before being sent away from ringside by the referees. The James Gang/Voodoo Kin Mafia (2005–2008) On the November 26 episode of Impact!, B.G. brought Kip and the 3Live Kru to ringside and asked Killings and Konnan whether Kip could join the stable. Following a heated argument between Konnan and B.G., both Killings and Konnan gave their approval, and the 4Live Kru was born. However, at Turning Point, Konnan attacked both B.G. and Kip, costing them their match against Team Canada and initiating a feud between himself and the remainder of the Kru. Shortly thereafter, B.G. James's father, Bob Armstrong, attempted to reconcile the group, but was instead attacked by Konnan and his new stablemates, Apolo and Homicide. Killings later stated that he had severed his ties with the Kru. With Konnan and Killings no longer members of the Kru, Kip and B.G. began referring to themselves as The James Gang and continued to feud with the Konnan-managed Latin American Exchange, whose third man position as Homicide's partner would switch from Apolo to Machete, and then from him to Hernandez, who finally stuck, during the course of this feud. At Final Resolution, The James Gang defeated The Diamonds in the Rough (David Young and Elix Skipper). At Against All Odds, The James Gang defeated LAX (Homicide and Machete). At Destination X, The James Gang and Bob Armstrong defeated Latin American Exchange in a six-man tag team match. At Sacrifice, The James Gang defeated Team 3D which led to a rematch at Slammiversary where Team 3D defeated The James Gang in a Bingo Hall Brawl. At Victory Road, The James Gang and Abyss defeated Team 3D and their newest member Brother Runt. At No Surrender, The James Gang competed in a Triple Chance tag team battle royal but failed to win the match. At Bound for Glory, The James Gang competed in a Four-way tag team match which was won by Team 3D. By November 2006, Kip and B.G. began to show displeasure in TNA and threatened to go find work elsewhere if they did not receive gold soon. They began performing the crotch chop, a reference to the WWE's DX. On the November 2 edition of Impact!, Kip and B.G. threatened to quit. Kip grabbed the mic and tried to say something to the TNA administration and Spike TV, but each time his mic was cut off. Kip then tried to use the announcer's headset, but it was cut off as well. Frustrated, he started yelling loudly to the crowd, but he was cut off again as the show went to a commercial break. When the show returned, the announcers speculated that they may have been frustrated due to the influx of new talent entering TNA. It was reported that the segment was a worked shoot that Vince Russo had written in order to renew interest upon their eventual return. Kip and BG appeared in an internet video on TNA's website where they addressed the owner of WWE Vince McMahon. A few weeks later on Impact!, The James Gang re-emerged under a new name Voodoo Kin Mafia (VKM for short, a play on Vincent Kennedy McMahon's initials). They mentioned their new right of 'creative control', meaning they could do whatever they wanted. They also declared 'war' on Paul Levesque, Michael Hickenbottom, and Vincent K. McMahon (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Vince McMahon, respectively). Kip then declared that 'Triple Hollywood' and 'Shawn Kiss-my-bottom' were failing as the group they (Kip and BG) used to be a part of: D-Generation X. After the initial shock value of this incident wore off, at Genesis, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated Kazarian, Maverick Matt and Johnny Devine in a handicap match. VKM began a feud with the villainous Christy Hemme. Hemme then searched for a tag team to square-off against VKM. At Destination X, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated Hemme's handpicked team of The Heartbreakers (Antonio Thomas & Romeo Roselli). On the Lockdown preshow The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated another one of Hemme's handpicked team Serotonin (Kaz & Havok) in a Six Sides of Steel match. The final tag team was Damaja and Basham, who appeared on an episode of Impact! and beat down VKM. They also held up Kip James so Hemme could slap him. B.G James was taken out by Basham and Damaja which led to Kip James competed against Basham and Damaja in a handicap match at Sacrifice where he lost. However, they beat Hemme's team at Slammiversary. After the match, VKM were betrayed by their associate Lance Hoyt. At Victory Road, they introduced their new manager, the Voodoo Queen, Roxxi Laveaux, to embarrass Christy Hemme. At Hard Justice, The Voodoo Kin Mafia lost to The Latin American Exchange. At No Surrender, The Voodoo Kin Mafia competed in a Ten-team tag team gauntlet match which was won by A.J. Styles and Tomko. At Bound for Glory, Kip James competed in the Fight for the Right Reverse Battle Royal which was won by Eric Young. On the October 25 edition of Impact!, VKM teamed with A.J. Styles and Tomko in a losing effort to the Latin American Xchange and the Steiner Brothers. At Genesis, B.G. was present along with Kip in the corner of Roxxi Laveaux at ringside for the Fatal Four Way knockout match for the TNA Women's Championship in which Gail Kim retained the title. At Turning Point, James competed in the Feast or Fired where he grabbed a case but threw it to BG James. It was revealed that the case was for a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship and BG James picked his dad to be his partner at Against All Odds, James and Bob Armstrong failed to win the titles and on February 21, 2008 episode of Impact! he turned on B.G. and B.G's father "Bullet" Bob Armstrong by hitting them both with a crutch. The Beautiful People (2008–2009) On April 13, 2008, he faced former partner B.G. James at Lockdown and lost. After the match, he appeared to want to make amends as he raised B.G.'s hand after the match, only to clothesline him down to the mat and taunt him with a DX crotch chop. Kip went on to declare himself "The Megastar", an arrogant gimmick similar to "The One" gimmick from his WWF tenure. Kip later stopped making appearances on Impact! until April 24 when he was attacked backstage by Matt Morgan for no reason. The next week on Impact!, Kip got back at Morgan by attacking him backstage in Jim Cornette's office. On May 8, 2008, Cornette forced Morgan into being Kip's tag team partner for the Deuces Wild tournament at Sacrifice, though both were unable to win. Kip went on another brief disappearance from television until the June 5 edition of Impact!, where he partnered with Lance Hoyt and James Storm in a losing effort against Morgan and The Latin American Xchange. On the August 14 episode of Impact!, Kip was revealed to be the new image consultant and member of The Beautiful People, dubbed Cute Kip and was using his Mr.Ass Attire, after they brought him out during their interview on Karen Angle's show Karen's Angle. at Bound for Glory IV, Kip, Love and Sky lost to Rhino, ODB and Rhaka Khan in a Bimbo Brawl. at Final Resolution (December 2008), Kip competed in the Feast or Fired match but failed to get a case. At Genesis 2009, Kip became the one-night-only replacement for the injured Kevin Nash in the Main Event Mafia. As of March 19, 2009, Sopp was taken off of TNA Impact! along with Jacqueline Moore to become road agents. Sopp returned as Cute Kip and lost to Awesome Kong in an intergender stretcher match on May 14, 2009. On the May 28 edition of Impact!, Kip was fired by The Beautiful People. On the June 18 edition of Impact!, Mick Foley hired him as his handyman, turning Kip into a face. he made another appearance on the August 6 edition of Impact where Kip had to clean up the IMPACT Zone after a chaotic fifteen minute "riot". On October 9 edition of Xplosion, Kip was defeated by Rhino. On October 30 edition of Xplosion, Kip defeated Sheik Abdul Bashir. on the November 13 edition of Xplosion, Kip lost to Rob Terry and on December 3, 2009 edition of Xplosion, Kip competed in his final TNA match where he lost to Kiyoshi. Sopp's profile was removed from the TNA website on December 29, 2009, confirming his departure from the promotion. Independent circuit (2009–2012) After leaving TNA, Sopp reunited with B.G. James to reform The New Age Outlaws, with both men resuming their Billy Gunn and Road Dogg ring names. After joining TWA Powerhouse in 2010, the Outlaws defeated Canadian Extreme to win the promotion's Tag Team Championship on July 25. They re-lost the title to Canadian Extreme on June 5, 2011. On July 30, 2011, Sopp, working under the ring name Kip Gunn, made his debut for Lucha Libre USA as a member of the heel stable The Right. Later that night, Gunn lost in his debut match against Marco Corleone. On June 26, 2012, Sopp won the American Pro Wrestling Alliance American Championship. However, he lost the title due to travel issues. On September 8 and 9, 2012, he wrestled in a Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation tournament. He defeated Rhino in the semi-finals and Scott Steiner in the final, winning the BBWF Aruba Championship. Return to WWE (2012–2015) On July 23, Sopp, under his Billy Gunn name, made his first WWE appearance in nearly eight years as he reunited with Road Dogg, X-Pac, Shawn Michaels and Triple H to reform D-Generation X for one night only on the 1000th episode of Raw. In December 2012, he was hired by WWE as a trainer for the NXT Wrestling territory in Tampa, Florida. On March 4, 2013, Gunn and Road Dogg made a return at Old School Raw, defeating Primo and Epico. On March 11, 2013, they accepted a challenge from Team Rhodes Scholars and faced them in a match, which was interrupted by Brock Lesnar, who hit both Outlaws with an F-5 as part of his ongoing feud with Triple H. He then appeared alongside Road Dogg to help CM Punk clear out The Shield in aid of Roddy Piper on Old School Raw on January 6, 2014. On the January 10 episode of SmackDown, the Outlaws teamed with CM Punk in a six-man tag match against The Shield in a losing effort. On the January 13 episode of Raw, the Outlaws again teamed with Punk in a rematch against The Shield, only to abandon Punk and lose the match. On January 26 during the Royal Rumble Kickoff Show, Gunn and Road Dogg beat Cody Rhodes and Goldust to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. The next night on Raw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust via disqualification when Brock Lesnar attacked the brothers. The next week on Raw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust in a steel cage match. On March 3, the Outlaws lost the Tag Team Championship to The Usos. Gunn sustained hemoptysis after he and his New Age Outlaws partner, Road Dogg, suffered a double-Triple Powerbomb by The Shield at WrestleMania XXX. Gunn returned to Raw with Road Dogg in January 2015, attacking The Ascension along with the nWo and the APA. At the Royal Rumble, the Outlaws faced The Ascension in a losing effort. At WrestleMania 31, Gunn, with Road Dogg, X-Pac and Shawn Michaels, reunited as D-Generation X to help Triple H in his match against Sting. In May, Gunn was announced as a coach along with WWE Hall of Famers Booker T and Lita for the sixth season of Tough Enough. On November 13, 2015, WWE officially announced that Sopp was released from his WWE contract after failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs. He had tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone at a powerlifting event on July 25, 2015, and was suspended from powerlifting for four years. Independent circuit (2015–2020) On December 26, 2015, Gunn teamed up with Kevin Thorn to defeat Brian Klass and Rob Street. One month later, Gunn defeated Ken Dixon for the MCW Pro Wrestling MCW Rage Television Championship. On February 5, 2016, Gunn defeated Joey Hayes in the Preston City Wrestling PCW Road to Glory tournament, on February 6 he lost to T-Bone in the quarter-finals that same night Gunn teamed up with Mr. Anderson and Tajiri to defeat Dave Raynes, Joey Hayes, and Martin Kirby. On February 7, 2016 Gunn challenged for the Pro Wrestling Pride Heavyweight championship losing to Steve Griffiths. On March 19, 2016, Gunn lost the title to Ken Dixon. On June 12, 2016, Gunn won the Smashmouth Pro Wrestling championship from KC Huber but lost it on the same night, Gunn teamed again with Anderson in a losing effort against the UK Hooligans at PCW Tribute to the Troops on June 25, 2016. He defeated Hardcore Holly in a singles match at PCW Top Gunn on July 2, 2016. On September 4, 2016, Gunn made his debut for Chikara, representing DX alongside X-Pac in a tag team gauntlet match. The two entered the match as the final team and scored the win over Prakash Sabar and The Proletariat Boar of Moldova. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2016–2017) On November 5, 2016, at the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) event Power Struggle, Yoshitatsu announced Gunn as the newest member of his Hunter Club stable and his partner for the upcoming 2016 World Tag League. Gunn and Yoshitatsu finished the tournament on December 8 with a record of three wins and four losses, failing to advance from their block. Gunn returned to NJPW on January 4, 2017, taking part in the pre-show New Japan Rumble at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome, from which he was eliminated by the eventual winner Michael Elgin. While Gunn did not appear for NJPW for the next six months, he was brought up in May by Yoshitatsu, who told Hiroshi Tanahashi that Gunn had requested a match against him. When Tanahashi captured the IWGP Intercontinental Championship the following month, he immediately nominated Gunn as his first challenger. Gunn was defeated in the title match on July 2 at G1 Special in USA, and it was his final match in NJPW. WWE appearances (2018–2019) Gunn and numerous other WWE legends appeared on the January 22, 2018 episode of Raw 25 Years as part of the D-Generation X reunion. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019 as a member of D-Generation X. All Elite Wrestling (2019–present) In January 2019, Gunn was hired by All Elite Wrestling as a coach. At May 25 at the AEW Double or Nothing event he competed in the pre-show battle royal. Gunn made his first televised appearance for AEW on the November 20, 2019 episode of AEW Dynamite, competing in a battle royal. He also appeared during the January 1, 2020 episode of Dynamite, wrestling in a dark match with his son Austin that aired on January 7, 2020. They wrestled again together on another dark match during the January 8, 2020 episode of Dynamite, airing on January 17, 2020, with the tag team name "The Gunn Club", defeating the team of Peter Avalon and Shawn Spears. Gunn has also appeared in the crowd (made up of AEW wrestlers and other employees) on numerous episodes of Dynamite during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the May 27, 2020 episode of Dynamite, Gunn now under the shortened ring name of Billy participated in a battle royal match to determine the number one contender for the TNT Championship. He also would wrestle MJF in a singles match on the June 17, 2020 episode of Dynamite as well. The Gunn Club would wrestle in more tag team matches on more episodes of AEW Dark. On the November 4, 2020 episode of Dynamite, The Gunn Club teamed with Cody Rhodes to successfully defeat The Dark Order (John Silver, 10 and Colt Cabana). On the November 17, 2020 episode of Dark, The Gunn Club, which now added Austin's brother and Gunn's other son Colten to the stable, defeated Bshp King, Joey O'Riley and Sean Maluta by pinfall in a six-man tag team match. On the same day the AEW website's roster page got updated and his name was once again changed to its long form, Billy Gunn. The three man Gunn Club would then defeat Cezar Bononi, KTB, and Seth Gargis in another six man tag team match on the November 24, 2020 episode of Dark. On the December 8, 2020 episode of Dark The three man Gunn Club-which entered the ring on a golf cart with the words "Taz Taxi" on the side, defeated Shawn Dean, Sean Maluta & RYZIN. On the December 1, 2021 episode of Dynamite, The Gunn Club stable's undefeated streak in AEW ended when Billy and Colten Gunn lost to the team of Sting and Darby Allin. Professional wrestling style, persona and reception Gunn has had several gimmicks throughout his career, ranging from his cowboy-themed gimmick with the Smoking Gunns to his The Ambiguously Gay Duo-esque tag team with Chuck Palumbo. Gunn has stated on multiple shoot interviews that he has no regrets with his gimmicks as he was performing a job and doing what was asked of him to do. By far, Gunn's most infamous gimmick was his "Mr. Ass" persona based around his ass. The gimmick started during his New Age Outlaws days when Road Dogg would refer to themselves as "Mr. Dogg" and "Mr. Ass" in promos, though the "Bad Ass" name wasn't referring to his backside at that time. What was originally a throwaway joke turned into Gunn mooning his opponents and the live crowd, though as the original incarnation of DX also did this, it could originally be argued that it was an extension of the Outlaws joining DX. Upon leaving DX, Gunn fully embraced the "Mr. Ass" gimmick by placing emphasis on his "moneymaker". While Road Dogg kept the New Age Outlaws entrance music for his own, Gunn adopted the song "Ass Man" as part of the gimmick, and for a time even changed his ring tights to be see-through, wearing only a thong underneath his tights, although he would eventually revert back to the DX-era tights. The "Mr. Ass" gimmick has mixed reviews. One web site ranked it near the middle of Gunn's various gimmicks, while a writer for Bleacher Report thought it was the worst gimmick ever even though Gunn was at his peak popularity with the persona. Gunn himself told Chris Van Vliet in 2021 that he never paid attention to the "Ass Man" lyrics until a college professor broke down each expression. Due to the enduring legacy of the "Mr. Ass" gimmick, in November 2021 Ring of Honor wrestler Danhausen began a Twitter feud with the Gunn Club, referring to Billy as "Billy Ass," and Colten and Austin as The "Ass Boys," in reference to Gunn's infamous "Mr. Ass" gimmick in the Attitude Era. While Gunn himself initially had no comment, the rest of Gunn Club despised the nickname after fans began chanting "Ass Boys" during their matches, notably during an AEW event at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. Gunn finally commented when he surprised his sons by wearing an "Ass Boys" shirt, encouraging them to "embrace the assness" and even started teasing mooning the crowd again. Gunn also thanked Danhausen publicly for getting his sons over in a way that he couldn't. Other media Filmography Video Games WWF Attitude WWF WrestleMania 2000 WWF SmackDown! WWF No Mercy WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role WWF Road To WrestleMania WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It WWF Raw WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth WWE Raw 2 WWE '13 WWE 2K16 WWE 2K17 Personal life Sopp was born on November 1, 1963 in Orlando, Florida and claims Austin, Texas as his hometown. In November 1990, Sopp was arrested in Florida for disorderly conduct. Sopp married his first wife Tina Tinnell on March 3, 1990. Together, they have two sons: Colten (born May 18, 1991) and Austin (born August 26, 1994) who are also professional wrestlers. The couple separated in January 2000 and their divorce was finalized on December 11, 2002. Sopp has since married his long-time girlfriend Paula on January 24, 2009. Sopp's sons Austin and Colten, better known by the ring names Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn, are currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where alongside their father they form a stable known as "Gunn Club". Sopp attended Sam Houston State University. Championships and accomplishments American Pro Wrestling Alliance APWA American Championship (1 time) Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation BBFW Aruba Championship (1 time) BBFW Aruba Championship Tournament (2012) International Wrestling Federation IWF Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Brett Colt Freedom Pro Wrestling FPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Road Dogg Maryland Championship Wrestling MCW Rage Television Championship (1 time) MCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with B.G. James Pro Wrestling Illustrated Tag Team of the Year (1998) with Road Dogg Tag Team of the Year (2002) with Chuck Ranked #39 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1999 Ranked #231 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003 Ranked #43 of the top 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Road Dogg in 2003 SmashMouth Pro Wrestling SPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) TWA Powerhouse TWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with B.G. James Vanguard Championship Wrestling VCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) World Pro Wrestling WPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) Wrestling Observer Newsletter Worst Worked Match of the Year (2006) TNA Reverse Battle Royal on TNA Impact! WWE/World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment WWF Hardcore Championship (2 times) WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time) WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Road Dogg WWF World Tag Team Championship (10 times) – with Bart Gunn (3), Road Dogg (5) and Chuck (2) King of the Ring (1999) Raw Bowl – with Bart Gunn WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2019) - as a member of D-Generation X References External links 1963 births All Elite Wrestling personnel American male professional wrestlers American powerlifters Bull riders D-Generation X members Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan LGBT characters in professional wrestling Living people Professional wrestlers from Florida Professional wrestling trainers Sam Houston State University alumni Sportspeople from Orlando, Florida The Authority (professional wrestling) members WWE Hall of Fame inductees WWF/WWE Hardcore Champions WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions WWF/WWE King Crown's Champions/King of the Ring winners American expatriate sportspeople in Japan
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[ "Sweet Temptation is a 1996 made-for-television drama film written by Joyce Eliason, directed by Ron Lagomarsino, and starring Beverly D'Angelo, Jenny Lewis, and Rob Estes.\n\nPlot\nDivorcée Jesse Larson lives in Los Angeles, California with her sixteen-year-old daughter Jade. She owns and operates an Italian catering company entitled Boccone Dolce (Sweet Mouthful). Jade makes the daily runs to local cafés in the area, one of which belongs to her mother's live-in boyfriend Billy Stone. Later that evening, Jade and Billy roughhouse with each other in Jesse's bed. Jesse enters the room and dismisses Jade back to her own room, disapproving of Jade's sleepwear. Jesse is further peeved when she finds out Billy was naked the entire time Jade sat next to him in bed. Billy proposes marriage to Jesse though she declines favoring her sense of freedom and waiting for the situation to be right for Jade.\n\nThe following night, when Jesse is preparing for a dinner date with Billy, Jade asks if she can tag along. Jesse allows her to do so and the trio dine at an upscale restaurant where their Italian waiter Mario recognizes Jesse from formally working at Boccone Dolce. Jesse promptly flirts with him, causing Billy to become jealous and argue with her. When they return home, Jade, obviously displeased from the night's turn of events, heads straight to bed. But not before an intoxicated Jesse stumbles into her bedroom informing her that it's fun to be in love and advises Jade that she should meet more people in order to experience having a boyfriend of her own.\n\nThe next evening, when Jesse is assisting Jade in straightening her bedroom, she uncovers a pack of cigarettes. When Jade lies about the cigarettes, Jesse threatens her if she doesn't adjust her apparent attitude problem. Jade suddenly experiences a flashback from when she was in the midst of her parents' divorce. Instead of wanting custody, she forced Jade to choose who she wanted to live with. Jade realizes her mother never cared about her. Jade uses this as an excuse to run off to her best friend Horizon's home where Billy tackles her onto Horizon's front lawn. Jade insults Billy who slaps her prompting Horizon to run inside. Billy kisses a stunned Jade who seems to reciprocate. Horizon informs Billy her mother phoned the police for hitting Jade. Billy claims that won't be necessary and leads a compliant Jade back to his car.\n\nJesse is initially upset with Billy for disciplining her daughter but later forgives him (she isn't aware Billy kissed Jade). After a long day spent at the beach, an exhausted Jesse falls asleep when she returns home. Jesse later wakes up to find Billy and Jade watching a film and orders Jade to remove her sheepdog Otis from her bed and continue the movie downstairs. Billy attempts to have sexual intercourse with Jesse but when she rejects him, he goes downstairs to have sex with Jade, unbeknownst to Jesse.\n\nThe next morning, Billy reminds a regretful Jade not to tell Jesse in fear she may never forgive them. After Jade quits her job, Billy allows her to work in the stockroom of his café where he apologizes for taking advantage of her and offers a cash bribe if it means not telling her mother. Jesse arrives, surprises Billy and questions Jade about why she isn't at work. Jade tells her she quit before leaving the café. When Jesse confronts her, Jade is about to tell her the truth when Billy intimidates her into silence. Jade evades her mother and a panicked Billy issues Jesse an ultimatum. Either she weds him or he will walk out of her life. Jesse accepts which provokes jealousy in Jade.\n\nThe following morning, Jade visits her father Les and informs him of the sexual encounter with Billy though she doesn't disclose his identity or what his relation is to her. Jade emphasizes that she refuses to press charges due to the fact he has two children (from his previous marriage) whom he cares for. When Jessie is notified, she manages to extract the truth from the hysterical and emotionally confused Jade; it was Billy. Jesse slaps her and says Jade is lying because she's jealous of Jesse. The pressure of the situation prompts Jade to suffer from an asthma attack and she is taken to the emergency room. Jade is later sent to live with Les and his wife Denise. When Jade decides to permanently reside with her father, Jesse breaks down crying and comes to the belief she is a horrible mother. Jesse informs Billy of what had transpired and threatens him to stay out of their lives. The engagement is over, and if he ever goes near her or Jade; she will kill him.\n\nSeveral months later, Jade continues to live with Les and Denise in the San Fernando Valley. She took her mother's advice and opened up her 'friendship circle' and has made more friends at her new school than the previous one she attended. Jesse regularly visits her daughter and they walk the beach together. One afternoon, Jade suggests for Jesse to resume her relationship with Billy now that she is no longer around. But Jesse promises Jade there will be no chance of reconciling. The two discuss Denise's belief in reincarnation before Les arrives to pick up Jade. As Jade races to the vehicle she turns around and tells her mother that if there is such an idea of reincarnation she would still like to be her daughter. This brings tears to Jesse's eyes and she announces her love and sacrifice for her daughter. Jesse continues to walk along the shore of the beach with Otis before she turns to stare at the blue expanse hoping for a brighter future and a new beginning.\n\nCast\n Beverly D'Angelo as Jesse Larson\n Jenny Lewis as Jade Larson\n Meadow Sisto as Horizon\n Rob Estes as Billy Stone\n Ted Shackelford as Les Larson\n Judyann Elder as Teak\n Brian Donovan as Shand\n Pamela Kosh as Dowager\n John LaMotta as Gino\n Francia Dimase as Caroline\n Wendy Lawless as Denise\n Natasha Dorfhuber as Molly Stone\n David Quittman as Robbie Stone\n\nReception\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n \n\n1996 films\n1996 television films\n1995 drama films\n1995 films\nAmerican films\nCBS network films\nFilms scored by Mark Snow\nFilms about families\nFilms about infidelity\nFilms set in Los Angeles\n1996 drama films\nFilms directed by Ron Lagomarsino", "Return of the Living Dead Part II is a 1988 American zombie comedy horror film written and directed by Ken Wiederhorn, and starring Michael Kenworthy, Marsha Dietlein, Dana Ashbrook, Thom Mathews, James Karen, and Phil Bruns. It is the first of four sequels to The Return of the Living Dead.\n\nThe film was released by Lorimar Motion Pictures on January 8, 1988, and was a minor box office success, making over $9 million at the box office in the United States against its $6.2 million budget.\n\nPlot\nDuring the zombie outbreak in Louisville, a military truck is transporting barrels of Trioxin, when one breaks loose and falls into a river without the driver noticing. The next morning, pre-teens Johnny and Billy take a reluctant Jesse Wilson to a cemetery mausoleum for a group initiation with a group of pre-teen bullies. Frightened, Jesse flees into a nearby storm drain, where he and the others stumble across the rogue barrel. Upon opening it, they find a corpse inside and running away screaming as the toxic gas contained within begins to leak out. When Jesse says he's going to call the Army from a number on the barrel, the bullies trap him in the derelict mausoleum and leave him.\n\nBilly and Johnny return to the barrel and open it, releasing the Trioxin gas that begins to permeate the whole cemetery. A trio of grave robbers; Ed, Joey, and Brenda, arrive via van. Brenda is creeped out by cemeteries and stays behind in the van. Ed and Joey go into the cemetery where they start to loot the tombs in the mausoleum where Jesse is. When they enter it, Jesse is able to break free and run home. Meanwhile, acid rainfall causes the Trioxin to begin seeping into the ground and resuscitating the corpses.\n\nReturning home, Jesse is ordered to do his homework by his older sister, Lucy, but sneaks out of the house when a cable repairman, Tom, distracts her. He goes to Billy's house to see him, but he has suddenly fallen ill, so he makes up an excuse and Billy's mother allows him in for a brief visit. Suffering from the effects of Trioxin, Billy warns Jesse not to tell anyone what they've found. Against his friend's wishes, Jesse returns to the sewer to further examine the barrel. Upon seeing a tar-covered zombie, he flees to the cemetery, where the newly resurrected bodies begin to dig their way out of the ground. Meanwhile, Brenda goes to check on her companions and encounters a zombie, but is able to get away. Ed and Joey are still inside the mausoleum when a corpse comes to life. Joey smashes its head with a crowbar, and they flee the building. They are running through a mob of zombies when they run into a hysterical Brenda.\n\nJesse gets home and tries to tell Lucy about the zombie uprising, but she dismisses him and locks him in his room. Elsewhere, Ed, Joey, and Brenda show up at Billy's house to get help but they run away when Billy's dad pulls a shotgun on them. Meanwhile, Jesse starts a fire outside his door to set off the smoke alarms, to distract Lucy so he can escape. Jesse calls the Army and gets through to Colonel Glover, who had helped put down the Louisville outbreak days earlier, but the call gets disconnected. Ed, Joey, and Brenda steal Tom's van but are unable to get through the zombie horde, so they barge into Jesse's house. Joey begins to fall ill from Trioxin exposure. As the zombies close in on the house, the graverobbers attempt to find a getaway car. They manage to break into a doctor's house, where they convince him to let them use his car, and they drive to a hospital emergency room that appears to be deserted.\n\nAt Billy's house, his condition worsens and his father leaves to get a doctor, but Billy's mother sees him being attacked and eaten by a group of zombies. Fully turned, Billy proceeds to attacks his mother. Elsewhere, Tom, Lucy, and Jesse escape a group of zombies and take the car to look around town. They make it to Lucy and Jesse's grandfather's house and break into his gun safe to get weapons and ammo. They go back to the hospital where Ed and Joey are experiencing symptoms of rigor mortis. Jesse is attacked by a zombie that both he and Tom shot multiple times. Brenda is upset about the diagnosis for Joey, and they try to leave in the car, but Ed follows them and gets in the car. They are stopped at gunpoint by National Guardsman under Glover's command. A fully zombified Ed attacks and kills one of the soldiers, causing his squadmates to flee. Brenda drives away with Joey, leaving Ed behind. Brenda is attacked by a zombified Joey, and unable to kill her former lover she willfully lets him cannibalize her.\n\nFleeing in a stolen ambulance, the survivors come to a roadblock, and the National Guard mistakenly opens fire on them, thinking they are zombies. Realizing that the whole town had been evacuated, Tom thinks of a new strategy to give the zombies what they want, drives them to a meat packing plant. They take a truck and distribute brains out of the back as they drive to a power plant intending to electrocute them all. Billy opens the gate and zombies corner them into the truck. Jesse is attacked by Billy and stabs him with a screwdriver, and then activates the power, killing all of the zombies. Billy walks in, holding the screwdriver, and Jesse pushes his tormenter into a large transformer that falls through the roof. Glover and his men arrive to contain the scene and lead the others away.\n\nCast\n Michael Kenworthy as Jesse Wilson\n Marsha Dietlein as Lucy Wilson\n Dana Ashbrook as Tom Essex\n James Karen as Ed Mathews\n Thom Mathews as Joey Hazel\n Suzanne Snyder as Brenda Herzog \n Phil Bruns as \"Doc\" Mandel\n Thor Van Lingen as Billy Crowley\n Jason Hogan as Johnny\n Mitch Pileggi as Sarge\n Jonathan Terry as Colonel Glover\n Sally Smythe as Mildred Crowley\n Don Maxwell as George Crowley\n Forrest J Ackerman as Harvey Kramer\n Allan Trautman as Tarman Zombie \n Douglas Benson as High-Pitched Voice Zombie\n\nSoundtrack\nReleased on Island Records in 1988.\n\n\"Space Hopper\" by Julian Cope\n\"High Priest of Love\" by Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction\n\"I'm the Man (Def Uncensored version)\" by Anthrax\n\"Big Band B-Boy\" by Mantronix\n\"Monster Mash\" by The Big O\n\"Alone in the Night\" by Leatherwolf\n\"A.D.I./Horror of It All\" by Anthrax\n\"Flesh to Flesh\" by Joe Lamont\n\"The Dead Return\" by J. Peter Robinson\n\nAlthough not included on the soundtrack, \"Bad Case of Loving You\" by Robert Palmer is also featured in the movie.\n\nReception\nOn Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 0% rating from 20 reviews. On Metacritic it has a rating of 45 based on 6 critic reviews indicating \"mixed or average reviews\".\n\nHome video\nThe film was released on DVD in 2004, containing a heavily altered soundtrack.\n\nActress Marsha Dietlein was asked in an August 2012 interview if the film would receive a newer and perhaps \"special\" DVD release, as was recently done for the first installment in the franchise. \"I wish they would do a retrospective, but I haven't heard anything about it,\" she said.\n\nThe film was given a Blu-ray release in 2018 by Shout! Factory. It contains a new 2K scan of the interpositive, plus a bunch of new special features that were not on the DVD. Along with that, it also restores the original theatrical soundtrack that was omitted on the DVD release.\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n\n1988 films\n1988 horror films\n1980s comedy horror films\n1980s science fiction horror films\nAmerican films\nAmerican comedy horror films\nAmerican satirical films\nAmerican science fiction horror films\nAmerican sequel films\nAmerican zombie comedy films\nFilms directed by Ken Wiederhorn\nReturn of the Living Dead (film series)\nFilms scored by J. Peter Robinson\n1988 comedy films" ]
[ "Billy Gunn", "The New Age Outlaws and D-Generation X (1997-1998)", "What were The New Age Outlaws?", "James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as \"Road Dogg\" Jesse James and \"Badd Ass\" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team formed was soon dubbed the New Age Outlaws.", "What was the D generation X?", "They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X.", "How strong were Jesse and Billy?", "This new team was in the spirit of the new Attitude Era: brash, vulgar, egotistical, and loud-mouthed. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks" ]
C_2e21de52a27844ff90c7b071600d3ed6_1
Did they ever lose?
4
Did Jesse James and Billy Gunn ever lose?
Billy Gunn
After The Smoking Gunns disbanded, Gunn took some time off to nurse an injury. At WrestleMania 13, he defeated Flash Funk catching the attention of The Honky Tonk Man, who made Gunn his protege. During this time, he adopted a new gimmick, Rockabilly, and had a short-lived feud with "The Real Double J" Jesse James. On Shotgun Saturday Night, James realized both of their careers were going nowhere and suggested that they became a tag team. Gunn agreed and smashed a guitar over the Honky Tonk Man's head to solidify their new alliance. James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team formed was soon dubbed the New Age Outlaws. This new team was in the spirit of the new Attitude Era: brash, vulgar, egotistical, and loud-mouthed. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks and won the Tag Team Championship from the Legion of Doom on November 24. They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X. The Outlaws slowly began to align themselves with D-Generation X, who were impressed with their new attitude. At the Royal Rumble, the New Age Outlaws interfered in a Casket match to help Shawn Michaels defeat The Undertaker. At No Way Out Of Texas, the Outlaws teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated. On February 2, The Outlaws locked Cactus and Chainsaw in a dumpster and pushed it off the stage. This led to a Dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV where Cactus and Chainsaw defeated the Outlaws for the Tag Titles. The next night on Raw, the New Age Outlaws won the Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Chainsaw and Cactus in a Steel cage match, but only after interference from Triple H, Chyna, and X-Pac. After the match, the Outlaws officially became members of D-Generation X (DX). Upon becoming an official member of DX, Gunn gained a tendency of mooning opponents (a trait used by the original incarnation of DX, as well as its 2006 revival), a precursor to the later "Mr. Ass" gimmick. After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven. DX began to feud with Owen Hart, and his new stablemates, The Nation. At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match. The Outlaws would also successfully defend their title against The New Midnight Express (Bombastic Bob and Bodacious Bart) at King of the Ring. During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. Although Kane and Mankind won the Tag Team Championship, they could not get along. At SummerSlam, Mankind faced the Outlaws in a Handicap match after Kane no-showed the title defense. The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time. The Outlaws then helped X-Pac in his feud with Jeff Jarrett and Southern Justice. In December, the Outlaws lost the title to The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock from The Corporation. CANNOTANSWER
teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated.
Monty "Kip" Sopp (born November 1, 1963), better known by his ring name Billy Gunn, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and coach. Gunn is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) from 1993 to 2004 and from 2012 to 2015. He also served as a coach on WWE's Tough Enough and was a trainer in NXT. He is also known for his appearances with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2005 to 2009. Primarily a tag team wrestler, Gunn is an overall 13-time tag team champion in WWE with three different partners (with Bart Gunn as The Smoking Gunns, with Road Dogg as The New Age Outlaws, and with Chuck Palumbo as Billy and Chuck). He is also a one time WWF Intercontinental Champion and a two time WWF Hardcore Champion, giving him 14 total championships in WWE. He is the 1999 King of the Ring tournament winner, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 as a member of D-Generation X. Professional wrestling career Early career (1985–1993) After a stint as a professional bull rider in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Sopp left the profession in his early-20s in order to pursue a career as a professional wrestler. Trained by Jerry Grey, Sopp wrestled on the independent circuit for eight years (including a brief stint as enhancement talent for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) before signing a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1993. World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1993–2004) The Smoking Gunns (1993–1996) After weeks of vignettes, Sopp, under the name Billy Gunn, made his WWF debut on the May 17, 1993 episode of Raw, teaming with his on-screen brother, Bart Gunn to defeat Tony Vadja and Glenn Ruth. The duo, now known as The Smoking Gunns, made their pay-per-view debut at King of the Ring, teaming with The Steiner Brothers to defeat Money Inc. and The Headshrinkers in an eight-man tag team match. At SummerSlam, the duo teamed with Tatanka to pick up a win against Bam Bam Bigelow and the Headshrinkers. On January 22, 1994, Gunn entered his first Royal Rumble match at the namesake event, but was eliminated by Diesel. In early 1995, the Gunns won their first Tag Team Championship by defeating the makeshift team of Bob Holly and 1-2-3 Kid. They held the title until WrestleMania XI, where they were defeated by the team of Owen Hart and Yokozuna. They won the titles again in September 1995. On February 15, 1996, the Gunns vacated the title because Billy was in need of neck surgery. After Billy returned from hiatus, The Smoking Gunns won the Tag Team Title for the third time by defeating The Godwinns in May. After the match, The Godwinns' manager Sunny turned on her team in favor of the Gunns. On September 22 at In Your House: Mind Games, the Gunns lost the Tag Team Title to Owen Hart and The British Bulldog. After the match, Sunny abandoned The Gunns, saying that she would only manage title holders. Billy, frustrated with losing both the championship and Sunny, walked out on Bart, breaking up The Smoking Gunns. Rockabilly, The New Age Outlaws and D-Generation X (1997–1998) After The Smoking Gunns disbanded, Gunn took some time off to nurse an injury. At WrestleMania 13, he defeated Flash Funk catching the attention of The Honky Tonk Man, who made Gunn his protégé. During this time, he adopted a new gimmick, Rockabilly, He would use this gimmick throughout much of 1997 and eventually had a short-lived feud with "The Real Double J" Jesse James. On the October 4, 1997 episode of Shotgun Saturday Night, James realized both of their careers were going nowhere and suggested that they become a tag team. Gunn agreed and smashed a guitar over the Honky Tonk Man's head to solidify their new alliance. James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team was dubbed the New Age Outlaws. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks and won the Tag Team Championship from the Legion of Doom on November 24. They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X. The Outlaws slowly began to align themselves with D-Generation X. At the Royal Rumble, the New Age Outlaws interfered in a Casket match to help Shawn Michaels defeat The Undertaker. At No Way Out Of Texas, the Outlaws teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated. On February 2, The Outlaws locked Cactus and Chainsaw in a dumpster and pushed it off the stage. This led to a Dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV where Cactus and Chainsaw defeated the Outlaws for the Tag Titles. The next night on Raw, the New Age Outlaws won the Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Chainsaw and Cactus in a Steel cage match, but only after interference from Triple H, Chyna, and X-Pac. After the match, the Outlaws officially became members of D-Generation X (DX). After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven. DX began to feud with Owen Hart and his new stablemates, The Nation. At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match. During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. At SummerSlam, Mankind faced the Outlaws in a Handicap match after Kane no-showed the title defense. The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time. In December, the Outlaws lost the title to The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock from The Corporation. Mr. Ass and reformation of the Outlaws and DX (1999–2000) The Outlaws then began to focus more on singles competition. The Road Dogg won the Hardcore Championship in December 1998, and Gunn set his sights on the Intercontinental Championship. At the 1999 Royal Rumble, Gunn unsuccessfully challenged Ken Shamrock for the Intercontinental Title. The next month at St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Gunn was the special guest referee for the Intercontinental Championship match between Val Venis and champion Ken Shamrock, where Gunn made a fast count and declared Venis the new champion before attacking both men. In March, Gunn won the Hardcore Championship from Hardcore Holly. At WrestleMania XV, Gunn lost the title to Holly in a Triple Threat match which also included Al Snow. The New Age Outlaws then reunited to defeat Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart at Backlash. After Backlash, Gunn left D-Generation X and aligned himself with Triple H and Chyna. Gunn defeated his former partner, Road Dogg, in a match at Over the Edge. Gunn then won the King of the Ring tournament by defeating Ken Shamrock, Kane, and his former ally, X-Pac. After King of the Ring, Gunn, Triple H, and Chyna went on to feud with X-Pac and Road Dogg over the rights to the D-Generation X name. This feud culminated at Fully Loaded when X-Pac and Road Dogg defeated Gunn and Chyna. Gunn then began a brief feud with The Rock. At SummerSlam, The Rock defeated Gunn in a Kiss My Ass Match. Following this, Gunn then briefly feuded with Jeff Jarrett for the Intercontinental Title before reuniting with Road Dogg to reform The New Age Outlaws. The Outlaws won their fourth tag team championship by defeating The Rock 'n' Sock Connection in September 1999. The Outlaws later reunited with X-Pac and Triple H to reform D-Generation X. During this time, The Outlaws won their fifth Tag Team Championship after defeating Mankind and Al Snow. At the 2000 Royal Rumble, The New Age Outlaws retained their title against The Acolytes after interference from X-Pac. The Outlaws then had a feud with The Dudley Boyz, who won the Tag Team Championship from The Outlaws at No Way Out. After suffering a torn rotator cuff in the match with The Dudley Boyz, Gunn was kicked out of D-Generation X for "losing his cool" to explain his impending absence to recover from his injury. The One (2000–2001) Gunn made his return in October and immediately teamed with Chyna to feud with Right to Censor, who wanted to "censor" his Mr. Ass gimmick. At No Mercy, Right to Censor members Steven Richards and Val Venis defeated Chyna and Gunn. Due to a stipulation, Gunn could no longer use the Mr. Ass gimmick, so he renamed himself Billy G. for a few weeks before settling on "The One" Billy Gunn. Gunn then feuded with Eddie Guerrero and the rest of The Radicalz. At Survivor Series, Gunn teamed with Road Dogg, Chyna, and K-Kwik in a losing effort against The Radicalz. A few weeks later on SmackDown!, Gunn won the Intercontinental Championship from Guerrero. However, the title reign was short-lived, as Chris Benoit defeated him for the title two weeks later at Armageddon. After feuding with Benoit, Gunn participated in the 2001 Royal Rumble where he made it to the final four, Gunn interfered in the Hardcore Championship Match at No Way Out, and taking advantage of the 24/7 Rule, pinning Raven for the title. The reign was short-lived, as Raven won it back a few minutes later. Billy and Chuck (2001–2002) In a 2001 match on Sunday Night Heat, Gunn was defeated by Chuck Palumbo, who recently left The Alliance to join the WWF. After the match, Gunn suggested that they form a tag team. Palumbo agreed, and Billy and Chuck quickly rose to the top of the tag team division. Initially they were a generic tandem, but they were given a gimmick where they grew increasingly affectionate toward each other, showing evidence of a storyline homosexual relationship. In February 2002, Billy and Chuck defeated Spike Dudley and Tazz to win the WWF Tag Team Championship for the first time as a team. After winning the titles, Billy and Chuck found a "Personal Stylist" in the ambiguously flamboyant Rico. After retaining the title against the Acolytes Protection Agency, the Dudley Boyz, and the Hardy Boyz in a Four Corners Elimination Match at WrestleMania X8 and against Al Snow and Maven at Backlash, Billy and Chuck began a feud with Rikishi. At Judgment Day, Rikishi and Rico (Rikishi's mystery partner of Mr. McMahon's choosing) defeated Billy and Chuck for the WWE Tag Team Championship after Rico accidentally hit Chuck with a roundhouse kick. Billy and Chuck quickly won the title back two weeks later on SmackDown! with Rico's help. They held the championship for almost a month before losing it to the team of Edge and Hollywood Hulk Hogan on the July 4 episode of SmackDown!. On the September 5 edition of SmackDown!, after Billy lost a match to Rey Mysterio, Chuck proposed to Billy, asking him to be his "partner for life" and gave him a wedding ring. Billy agreed, and one week later, on the September 12 episode of SmackDown!, Billy and Chuck had their wedding ceremony. However, just before they tied the knot, they revealed that the entire ordeal was a publicity stunt and disavowed their on-screen homosexuality, admitting that they were just friends. The "preacher" revealed himself to be Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff (who was wearing a skin mask), who then summoned 3-Minute Warning to beat up Billy and Chuck. Rico, furious that Billy and Chuck gave up their gimmick, became the manager of Three Minute Warning and defected to Raw. At Unforgiven, Three Minute Warning defeated Billy and Chuck. Their final match together occurred on the October 3 episode of SmackDown! in the first round of a tournament for the newly created WWE Tag Team Championship. They lost the match to the team of Ron Simmons and Reverend D-Von. Afterwards, Gunn took a few months off because of a shoulder injury and the team of Billy and Chuck quietly disbanded. SmackDown! and return to singles competition (2003–2004) After returning in the summer of 2003, Gunn reverted to the "Mr. Ass" gimmick, defeating A-Train, and Torrie Wilson became his new manager. He started a feud with Jamie Noble, which led to an "Indecent Proposal" Match at Vengeance, which Noble won and due to the match's stipulation, won a night with Torrie. After taking time off again due to a shoulder injury, Gunn returned to action at the 2004 Royal Rumble, but was eliminated by Goldberg. Afterward, he wrestled mainly on Velocity, forming an occasional tag team with Hardcore Holly. At Judgment Day, Gunn and Holly challenged Charlie Haas and Rico for the WWE Tag Team Championship, but were unsuccessful. At The Great American Bash, Gunn lost to Kenzo Suzuki. On November 1, 2004, Sopp was released from his WWE contract. In June 2005, Sopp gave an interview in which he was heavily critical of WWE and the events that led to his release. Many of the negative comments were directed towards Triple H, who Sopp claimed "runs the show up there". Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2005–2009) Planet Jarrett (2005) On February 13, 2005, Sopp debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) without a name (as Billy Gunn is a WWE trademark, although announcers recognized him as such) at Against All Odds with the same gimmick, helping Jeff Jarrett retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a match with Kevin Nash. Sopp, using the name The New Age Outlaw, then formed a stable with Jarrett and Monty Brown known as Planet Jarrett. However, WWE threatened TNA with legal action if Sopp continued the use of the name "The New Age Outlaw", so he shortened his name to The Outlaw. Due to the legal issues with WWE, all TNA -DVD releases featuring footage with Sopp as "The Outlaw" (and presumably also as "The New Age Outlaw") have had the name on on-screen graphics blurred, the name silenced out of the audio, and match commentary completely replaced to reflect a retroactive name change to "Kip James". One such DVD is the pay-per-view Lockdown, included in the "TNA Anthology: The Epic Set" box set, in which the silencing of the name during a segment where Dusty Rhodes picks his name from a lottery leaves DVD viewers in the dark as to who just got picked. The Outlaw began a campaign to make former ally B.G. James leave the 3Live Kru and defect to Planet Jarrett, reforming the old tag team with Outlaw. At No Surrender, he renamed himself Kip James and was announced as "wrestling out of Marietta, Georgia" (the family seat of the Armstrong family) as a psychological ploy. As a result of his campaign, Kip attracted the ire of 3Live Kru members Ron Killings and Konnan, leading to a series of tag team matches pitting Kip and Monty Brown against Killings and Konnan, with a conflicted James unwilling to take sides. Kip's efforts ultimately proved futile; James, the guest referee in a final match between Brown and Kip versus Konnan and Killings at Sacrifice, attacked Kip enabling a 3Live Kru victory. In September at Unbreakable, Kip teamed with Brown to defeat the team of Apolo and Lance Hoyt. There was clear tension between the partners because Brown was unhappy at the series of losses at the hands of the 3Live Kru, and Kip was irked by Brown's decision to leave Planet Jarrett. Despite the victory, the partners argued after the match. On the October 8, 2005 episode of Impact!, Kip rekindled his feud with the 3Live Kru, running to the ring after a bout between the 3LK and Team Canada in order to prevent Team Canada captain Petey Williams from beating down B.G. James. He saved James, and then engaged in a staredown with Konnan and Killings. Kip saved James from Team Canada once again at Bound for Glory. Though Killings showed signs of gratitude, Konnan remained skeptical as to his true intentions. Later that night, Kip took part in an over-the-top-rope gauntlet match for the number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. After he was eliminated, he tried in vain to prevent Killings from being eliminated as well, before being sent away from ringside by the referees. The James Gang/Voodoo Kin Mafia (2005–2008) On the November 26 episode of Impact!, B.G. brought Kip and the 3Live Kru to ringside and asked Killings and Konnan whether Kip could join the stable. Following a heated argument between Konnan and B.G., both Killings and Konnan gave their approval, and the 4Live Kru was born. However, at Turning Point, Konnan attacked both B.G. and Kip, costing them their match against Team Canada and initiating a feud between himself and the remainder of the Kru. Shortly thereafter, B.G. James's father, Bob Armstrong, attempted to reconcile the group, but was instead attacked by Konnan and his new stablemates, Apolo and Homicide. Killings later stated that he had severed his ties with the Kru. With Konnan and Killings no longer members of the Kru, Kip and B.G. began referring to themselves as The James Gang and continued to feud with the Konnan-managed Latin American Exchange, whose third man position as Homicide's partner would switch from Apolo to Machete, and then from him to Hernandez, who finally stuck, during the course of this feud. At Final Resolution, The James Gang defeated The Diamonds in the Rough (David Young and Elix Skipper). At Against All Odds, The James Gang defeated LAX (Homicide and Machete). At Destination X, The James Gang and Bob Armstrong defeated Latin American Exchange in a six-man tag team match. At Sacrifice, The James Gang defeated Team 3D which led to a rematch at Slammiversary where Team 3D defeated The James Gang in a Bingo Hall Brawl. At Victory Road, The James Gang and Abyss defeated Team 3D and their newest member Brother Runt. At No Surrender, The James Gang competed in a Triple Chance tag team battle royal but failed to win the match. At Bound for Glory, The James Gang competed in a Four-way tag team match which was won by Team 3D. By November 2006, Kip and B.G. began to show displeasure in TNA and threatened to go find work elsewhere if they did not receive gold soon. They began performing the crotch chop, a reference to the WWE's DX. On the November 2 edition of Impact!, Kip and B.G. threatened to quit. Kip grabbed the mic and tried to say something to the TNA administration and Spike TV, but each time his mic was cut off. Kip then tried to use the announcer's headset, but it was cut off as well. Frustrated, he started yelling loudly to the crowd, but he was cut off again as the show went to a commercial break. When the show returned, the announcers speculated that they may have been frustrated due to the influx of new talent entering TNA. It was reported that the segment was a worked shoot that Vince Russo had written in order to renew interest upon their eventual return. Kip and BG appeared in an internet video on TNA's website where they addressed the owner of WWE Vince McMahon. A few weeks later on Impact!, The James Gang re-emerged under a new name Voodoo Kin Mafia (VKM for short, a play on Vincent Kennedy McMahon's initials). They mentioned their new right of 'creative control', meaning they could do whatever they wanted. They also declared 'war' on Paul Levesque, Michael Hickenbottom, and Vincent K. McMahon (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Vince McMahon, respectively). Kip then declared that 'Triple Hollywood' and 'Shawn Kiss-my-bottom' were failing as the group they (Kip and BG) used to be a part of: D-Generation X. After the initial shock value of this incident wore off, at Genesis, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated Kazarian, Maverick Matt and Johnny Devine in a handicap match. VKM began a feud with the villainous Christy Hemme. Hemme then searched for a tag team to square-off against VKM. At Destination X, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated Hemme's handpicked team of The Heartbreakers (Antonio Thomas & Romeo Roselli). On the Lockdown preshow The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated another one of Hemme's handpicked team Serotonin (Kaz & Havok) in a Six Sides of Steel match. The final tag team was Damaja and Basham, who appeared on an episode of Impact! and beat down VKM. They also held up Kip James so Hemme could slap him. B.G James was taken out by Basham and Damaja which led to Kip James competed against Basham and Damaja in a handicap match at Sacrifice where he lost. However, they beat Hemme's team at Slammiversary. After the match, VKM were betrayed by their associate Lance Hoyt. At Victory Road, they introduced their new manager, the Voodoo Queen, Roxxi Laveaux, to embarrass Christy Hemme. At Hard Justice, The Voodoo Kin Mafia lost to The Latin American Exchange. At No Surrender, The Voodoo Kin Mafia competed in a Ten-team tag team gauntlet match which was won by A.J. Styles and Tomko. At Bound for Glory, Kip James competed in the Fight for the Right Reverse Battle Royal which was won by Eric Young. On the October 25 edition of Impact!, VKM teamed with A.J. Styles and Tomko in a losing effort to the Latin American Xchange and the Steiner Brothers. At Genesis, B.G. was present along with Kip in the corner of Roxxi Laveaux at ringside for the Fatal Four Way knockout match for the TNA Women's Championship in which Gail Kim retained the title. At Turning Point, James competed in the Feast or Fired where he grabbed a case but threw it to BG James. It was revealed that the case was for a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship and BG James picked his dad to be his partner at Against All Odds, James and Bob Armstrong failed to win the titles and on February 21, 2008 episode of Impact! he turned on B.G. and B.G's father "Bullet" Bob Armstrong by hitting them both with a crutch. The Beautiful People (2008–2009) On April 13, 2008, he faced former partner B.G. James at Lockdown and lost. After the match, he appeared to want to make amends as he raised B.G.'s hand after the match, only to clothesline him down to the mat and taunt him with a DX crotch chop. Kip went on to declare himself "The Megastar", an arrogant gimmick similar to "The One" gimmick from his WWF tenure. Kip later stopped making appearances on Impact! until April 24 when he was attacked backstage by Matt Morgan for no reason. The next week on Impact!, Kip got back at Morgan by attacking him backstage in Jim Cornette's office. On May 8, 2008, Cornette forced Morgan into being Kip's tag team partner for the Deuces Wild tournament at Sacrifice, though both were unable to win. Kip went on another brief disappearance from television until the June 5 edition of Impact!, where he partnered with Lance Hoyt and James Storm in a losing effort against Morgan and The Latin American Xchange. On the August 14 episode of Impact!, Kip was revealed to be the new image consultant and member of The Beautiful People, dubbed Cute Kip and was using his Mr.Ass Attire, after they brought him out during their interview on Karen Angle's show Karen's Angle. at Bound for Glory IV, Kip, Love and Sky lost to Rhino, ODB and Rhaka Khan in a Bimbo Brawl. at Final Resolution (December 2008), Kip competed in the Feast or Fired match but failed to get a case. At Genesis 2009, Kip became the one-night-only replacement for the injured Kevin Nash in the Main Event Mafia. As of March 19, 2009, Sopp was taken off of TNA Impact! along with Jacqueline Moore to become road agents. Sopp returned as Cute Kip and lost to Awesome Kong in an intergender stretcher match on May 14, 2009. On the May 28 edition of Impact!, Kip was fired by The Beautiful People. On the June 18 edition of Impact!, Mick Foley hired him as his handyman, turning Kip into a face. he made another appearance on the August 6 edition of Impact where Kip had to clean up the IMPACT Zone after a chaotic fifteen minute "riot". On October 9 edition of Xplosion, Kip was defeated by Rhino. On October 30 edition of Xplosion, Kip defeated Sheik Abdul Bashir. on the November 13 edition of Xplosion, Kip lost to Rob Terry and on December 3, 2009 edition of Xplosion, Kip competed in his final TNA match where he lost to Kiyoshi. Sopp's profile was removed from the TNA website on December 29, 2009, confirming his departure from the promotion. Independent circuit (2009–2012) After leaving TNA, Sopp reunited with B.G. James to reform The New Age Outlaws, with both men resuming their Billy Gunn and Road Dogg ring names. After joining TWA Powerhouse in 2010, the Outlaws defeated Canadian Extreme to win the promotion's Tag Team Championship on July 25. They re-lost the title to Canadian Extreme on June 5, 2011. On July 30, 2011, Sopp, working under the ring name Kip Gunn, made his debut for Lucha Libre USA as a member of the heel stable The Right. Later that night, Gunn lost in his debut match against Marco Corleone. On June 26, 2012, Sopp won the American Pro Wrestling Alliance American Championship. However, he lost the title due to travel issues. On September 8 and 9, 2012, he wrestled in a Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation tournament. He defeated Rhino in the semi-finals and Scott Steiner in the final, winning the BBWF Aruba Championship. Return to WWE (2012–2015) On July 23, Sopp, under his Billy Gunn name, made his first WWE appearance in nearly eight years as he reunited with Road Dogg, X-Pac, Shawn Michaels and Triple H to reform D-Generation X for one night only on the 1000th episode of Raw. In December 2012, he was hired by WWE as a trainer for the NXT Wrestling territory in Tampa, Florida. On March 4, 2013, Gunn and Road Dogg made a return at Old School Raw, defeating Primo and Epico. On March 11, 2013, they accepted a challenge from Team Rhodes Scholars and faced them in a match, which was interrupted by Brock Lesnar, who hit both Outlaws with an F-5 as part of his ongoing feud with Triple H. He then appeared alongside Road Dogg to help CM Punk clear out The Shield in aid of Roddy Piper on Old School Raw on January 6, 2014. On the January 10 episode of SmackDown, the Outlaws teamed with CM Punk in a six-man tag match against The Shield in a losing effort. On the January 13 episode of Raw, the Outlaws again teamed with Punk in a rematch against The Shield, only to abandon Punk and lose the match. On January 26 during the Royal Rumble Kickoff Show, Gunn and Road Dogg beat Cody Rhodes and Goldust to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. The next night on Raw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust via disqualification when Brock Lesnar attacked the brothers. The next week on Raw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust in a steel cage match. On March 3, the Outlaws lost the Tag Team Championship to The Usos. Gunn sustained hemoptysis after he and his New Age Outlaws partner, Road Dogg, suffered a double-Triple Powerbomb by The Shield at WrestleMania XXX. Gunn returned to Raw with Road Dogg in January 2015, attacking The Ascension along with the nWo and the APA. At the Royal Rumble, the Outlaws faced The Ascension in a losing effort. At WrestleMania 31, Gunn, with Road Dogg, X-Pac and Shawn Michaels, reunited as D-Generation X to help Triple H in his match against Sting. In May, Gunn was announced as a coach along with WWE Hall of Famers Booker T and Lita for the sixth season of Tough Enough. On November 13, 2015, WWE officially announced that Sopp was released from his WWE contract after failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs. He had tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone at a powerlifting event on July 25, 2015, and was suspended from powerlifting for four years. Independent circuit (2015–2020) On December 26, 2015, Gunn teamed up with Kevin Thorn to defeat Brian Klass and Rob Street. One month later, Gunn defeated Ken Dixon for the MCW Pro Wrestling MCW Rage Television Championship. On February 5, 2016, Gunn defeated Joey Hayes in the Preston City Wrestling PCW Road to Glory tournament, on February 6 he lost to T-Bone in the quarter-finals that same night Gunn teamed up with Mr. Anderson and Tajiri to defeat Dave Raynes, Joey Hayes, and Martin Kirby. On February 7, 2016 Gunn challenged for the Pro Wrestling Pride Heavyweight championship losing to Steve Griffiths. On March 19, 2016, Gunn lost the title to Ken Dixon. On June 12, 2016, Gunn won the Smashmouth Pro Wrestling championship from KC Huber but lost it on the same night, Gunn teamed again with Anderson in a losing effort against the UK Hooligans at PCW Tribute to the Troops on June 25, 2016. He defeated Hardcore Holly in a singles match at PCW Top Gunn on July 2, 2016. On September 4, 2016, Gunn made his debut for Chikara, representing DX alongside X-Pac in a tag team gauntlet match. The two entered the match as the final team and scored the win over Prakash Sabar and The Proletariat Boar of Moldova. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2016–2017) On November 5, 2016, at the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) event Power Struggle, Yoshitatsu announced Gunn as the newest member of his Hunter Club stable and his partner for the upcoming 2016 World Tag League. Gunn and Yoshitatsu finished the tournament on December 8 with a record of three wins and four losses, failing to advance from their block. Gunn returned to NJPW on January 4, 2017, taking part in the pre-show New Japan Rumble at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome, from which he was eliminated by the eventual winner Michael Elgin. While Gunn did not appear for NJPW for the next six months, he was brought up in May by Yoshitatsu, who told Hiroshi Tanahashi that Gunn had requested a match against him. When Tanahashi captured the IWGP Intercontinental Championship the following month, he immediately nominated Gunn as his first challenger. Gunn was defeated in the title match on July 2 at G1 Special in USA, and it was his final match in NJPW. WWE appearances (2018–2019) Gunn and numerous other WWE legends appeared on the January 22, 2018 episode of Raw 25 Years as part of the D-Generation X reunion. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019 as a member of D-Generation X. All Elite Wrestling (2019–present) In January 2019, Gunn was hired by All Elite Wrestling as a coach. At May 25 at the AEW Double or Nothing event he competed in the pre-show battle royal. Gunn made his first televised appearance for AEW on the November 20, 2019 episode of AEW Dynamite, competing in a battle royal. He also appeared during the January 1, 2020 episode of Dynamite, wrestling in a dark match with his son Austin that aired on January 7, 2020. They wrestled again together on another dark match during the January 8, 2020 episode of Dynamite, airing on January 17, 2020, with the tag team name "The Gunn Club", defeating the team of Peter Avalon and Shawn Spears. Gunn has also appeared in the crowd (made up of AEW wrestlers and other employees) on numerous episodes of Dynamite during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the May 27, 2020 episode of Dynamite, Gunn now under the shortened ring name of Billy participated in a battle royal match to determine the number one contender for the TNT Championship. He also would wrestle MJF in a singles match on the June 17, 2020 episode of Dynamite as well. The Gunn Club would wrestle in more tag team matches on more episodes of AEW Dark. On the November 4, 2020 episode of Dynamite, The Gunn Club teamed with Cody Rhodes to successfully defeat The Dark Order (John Silver, 10 and Colt Cabana). On the November 17, 2020 episode of Dark, The Gunn Club, which now added Austin's brother and Gunn's other son Colten to the stable, defeated Bshp King, Joey O'Riley and Sean Maluta by pinfall in a six-man tag team match. On the same day the AEW website's roster page got updated and his name was once again changed to its long form, Billy Gunn. The three man Gunn Club would then defeat Cezar Bononi, KTB, and Seth Gargis in another six man tag team match on the November 24, 2020 episode of Dark. On the December 8, 2020 episode of Dark The three man Gunn Club-which entered the ring on a golf cart with the words "Taz Taxi" on the side, defeated Shawn Dean, Sean Maluta & RYZIN. On the December 1, 2021 episode of Dynamite, The Gunn Club stable's undefeated streak in AEW ended when Billy and Colten Gunn lost to the team of Sting and Darby Allin. Professional wrestling style, persona and reception Gunn has had several gimmicks throughout his career, ranging from his cowboy-themed gimmick with the Smoking Gunns to his The Ambiguously Gay Duo-esque tag team with Chuck Palumbo. Gunn has stated on multiple shoot interviews that he has no regrets with his gimmicks as he was performing a job and doing what was asked of him to do. By far, Gunn's most infamous gimmick was his "Mr. Ass" persona based around his ass. The gimmick started during his New Age Outlaws days when Road Dogg would refer to themselves as "Mr. Dogg" and "Mr. Ass" in promos, though the "Bad Ass" name wasn't referring to his backside at that time. What was originally a throwaway joke turned into Gunn mooning his opponents and the live crowd, though as the original incarnation of DX also did this, it could originally be argued that it was an extension of the Outlaws joining DX. Upon leaving DX, Gunn fully embraced the "Mr. Ass" gimmick by placing emphasis on his "moneymaker". While Road Dogg kept the New Age Outlaws entrance music for his own, Gunn adopted the song "Ass Man" as part of the gimmick, and for a time even changed his ring tights to be see-through, wearing only a thong underneath his tights, although he would eventually revert back to the DX-era tights. The "Mr. Ass" gimmick has mixed reviews. One web site ranked it near the middle of Gunn's various gimmicks, while a writer for Bleacher Report thought it was the worst gimmick ever even though Gunn was at his peak popularity with the persona. Gunn himself told Chris Van Vliet in 2021 that he never paid attention to the "Ass Man" lyrics until a college professor broke down each expression. Due to the enduring legacy of the "Mr. Ass" gimmick, in November 2021 Ring of Honor wrestler Danhausen began a Twitter feud with the Gunn Club, referring to Billy as "Billy Ass," and Colten and Austin as The "Ass Boys," in reference to Gunn's infamous "Mr. Ass" gimmick in the Attitude Era. While Gunn himself initially had no comment, the rest of Gunn Club despised the nickname after fans began chanting "Ass Boys" during their matches, notably during an AEW event at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. Gunn finally commented when he surprised his sons by wearing an "Ass Boys" shirt, encouraging them to "embrace the assness" and even started teasing mooning the crowd again. Gunn also thanked Danhausen publicly for getting his sons over in a way that he couldn't. Other media Filmography Video Games WWF Attitude WWF WrestleMania 2000 WWF SmackDown! WWF No Mercy WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role WWF Road To WrestleMania WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It WWF Raw WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth WWE Raw 2 WWE '13 WWE 2K16 WWE 2K17 Personal life Sopp was born on November 1, 1963 in Orlando, Florida and claims Austin, Texas as his hometown. In November 1990, Sopp was arrested in Florida for disorderly conduct. Sopp married his first wife Tina Tinnell on March 3, 1990. Together, they have two sons: Colten (born May 18, 1991) and Austin (born August 26, 1994) who are also professional wrestlers. The couple separated in January 2000 and their divorce was finalized on December 11, 2002. Sopp has since married his long-time girlfriend Paula on January 24, 2009. Sopp's sons Austin and Colten, better known by the ring names Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn, are currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where alongside their father they form a stable known as "Gunn Club". Sopp attended Sam Houston State University. Championships and accomplishments American Pro Wrestling Alliance APWA American Championship (1 time) Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation BBFW Aruba Championship (1 time) BBFW Aruba Championship Tournament (2012) International Wrestling Federation IWF Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Brett Colt Freedom Pro Wrestling FPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Road Dogg Maryland Championship Wrestling MCW Rage Television Championship (1 time) MCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with B.G. James Pro Wrestling Illustrated Tag Team of the Year (1998) with Road Dogg Tag Team of the Year (2002) with Chuck Ranked #39 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1999 Ranked #231 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003 Ranked #43 of the top 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Road Dogg in 2003 SmashMouth Pro Wrestling SPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) TWA Powerhouse TWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with B.G. James Vanguard Championship Wrestling VCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) World Pro Wrestling WPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) Wrestling Observer Newsletter Worst Worked Match of the Year (2006) TNA Reverse Battle Royal on TNA Impact! WWE/World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment WWF Hardcore Championship (2 times) WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time) WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Road Dogg WWF World Tag Team Championship (10 times) – with Bart Gunn (3), Road Dogg (5) and Chuck (2) King of the Ring (1999) Raw Bowl – with Bart Gunn WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2019) - as a member of D-Generation X References External links 1963 births All Elite Wrestling personnel American male professional wrestlers American powerlifters Bull riders D-Generation X members Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan LGBT characters in professional wrestling Living people Professional wrestlers from Florida Professional wrestling trainers Sam Houston State University alumni Sportspeople from Orlando, Florida The Authority (professional wrestling) members WWE Hall of Fame inductees WWF/WWE Hardcore Champions WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions WWF/WWE King Crown's Champions/King of the Ring winners American expatriate sportspeople in Japan
true
[ "Bury Me Alive is the third studio album by American metalcore band Inhale Exhale.\n\nTrack listing\n \"Rooms\" - 3:23 \n \"Did You Ever Have A Touch To Lose?\" - 3:12\n \"Condemned\" - 3:50\n \"Over And Out\" - 3:52 \n \"A Dark Place For Your Mind To Be\" - 4:12\n \"Intentions\" - 3:52\n \"Explosions\" - 3:56 \n \"Fiction\" - 3:54\n \"Better Her Than Me\" - 3:31\n \"Thin Black Lines\" - 2:02 \n \"An Era\" - 3:08\n\nPersonnel \n Ryland Raus - Lead Vocals\n John LaRussa - Lead Guitar \n Chris Carroll - Drums, Percussion \n Greg Smith - Bass\n\nReferences\n\n2009 albums\nInhale Exhale albums\nSolid State Records albums\nAlbums produced by Travis Wyrick", "FC Zhashtyk-Ak-Altyn Kara-Suu is a Kyrgyz football club based in Kara-Suu, Kyrgyzstan. They are the only club in football history to appear in six straight cup finals and lose all of them. They are also one of two clubs in the world to lose all 7 national cup finals that they attended without winning a cup ever.\nTheir name means white-gold youth of Kara-Suu, Kara-Suu meaning black water.\n\nHistory \n1993: Founded as FC Aka-Atyn Kara-Suu.\n1994: Renamed FC Ak-Altyn Kara-Suu.\n1998: Renamed to FC Zhashtyk-Ak-Altyn Kara-Suu after merger with FC Zhashtyk Osh.\n\nCurrent squad\n\nAchievements\nKyrgyzstan League\nWinners: 2003\nKyrgyzstan Cup\nRunners-up (7): 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008\nFC Zhastyk hold the world record for the most consecutive losing appearances in a national football cup final. The first five of these losses were all by 0–1 (the sixth by 0–4); the first three against SKA-PVO Bishkek and the last three against Dordoi-Dinamo Naryn. Prior to their 'feat', this record was shared by USM Alger, who appeared in five consecutive Algerian cup finals from 1969 to 1973 and lost all of them, and Al-Ramtha, who did the same in Jordan from 1993 to 1997.\n\nPerformance in AFC competitions\nAFC Champions League: 1 appearance\n2002–03: Qualifying West – 2nd Round\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links \nCareer stats by KLISF\n\nFootball clubs in Kyrgyzstan\n1993 establishments in Kyrgyzstan" ]
[ "Billy Gunn", "The New Age Outlaws and D-Generation X (1997-1998)", "What were The New Age Outlaws?", "James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as \"Road Dogg\" Jesse James and \"Badd Ass\" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team formed was soon dubbed the New Age Outlaws.", "What was the D generation X?", "They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X.", "How strong were Jesse and Billy?", "This new team was in the spirit of the new Attitude Era: brash, vulgar, egotistical, and loud-mouthed. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks", "Did they ever lose?", "teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated." ]
C_2e21de52a27844ff90c7b071600d3ed6_1
Any other losses?
5
Other than being defeated, did Jesse James and Billy Gunn have any other losses?
Billy Gunn
After The Smoking Gunns disbanded, Gunn took some time off to nurse an injury. At WrestleMania 13, he defeated Flash Funk catching the attention of The Honky Tonk Man, who made Gunn his protege. During this time, he adopted a new gimmick, Rockabilly, and had a short-lived feud with "The Real Double J" Jesse James. On Shotgun Saturday Night, James realized both of their careers were going nowhere and suggested that they became a tag team. Gunn agreed and smashed a guitar over the Honky Tonk Man's head to solidify their new alliance. James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team formed was soon dubbed the New Age Outlaws. This new team was in the spirit of the new Attitude Era: brash, vulgar, egotistical, and loud-mouthed. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks and won the Tag Team Championship from the Legion of Doom on November 24. They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X. The Outlaws slowly began to align themselves with D-Generation X, who were impressed with their new attitude. At the Royal Rumble, the New Age Outlaws interfered in a Casket match to help Shawn Michaels defeat The Undertaker. At No Way Out Of Texas, the Outlaws teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated. On February 2, The Outlaws locked Cactus and Chainsaw in a dumpster and pushed it off the stage. This led to a Dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV where Cactus and Chainsaw defeated the Outlaws for the Tag Titles. The next night on Raw, the New Age Outlaws won the Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Chainsaw and Cactus in a Steel cage match, but only after interference from Triple H, Chyna, and X-Pac. After the match, the Outlaws officially became members of D-Generation X (DX). Upon becoming an official member of DX, Gunn gained a tendency of mooning opponents (a trait used by the original incarnation of DX, as well as its 2006 revival), a precursor to the later "Mr. Ass" gimmick. After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven. DX began to feud with Owen Hart, and his new stablemates, The Nation. At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match. The Outlaws would also successfully defend their title against The New Midnight Express (Bombastic Bob and Bodacious Bart) at King of the Ring. During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. Although Kane and Mankind won the Tag Team Championship, they could not get along. At SummerSlam, Mankind faced the Outlaws in a Handicap match after Kane no-showed the title defense. The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time. The Outlaws then helped X-Pac in his feud with Jeff Jarrett and Southern Justice. In December, the Outlaws lost the title to The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock from The Corporation. CANNOTANSWER
During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. Although Kane and Mankind won the Tag Team Championship, they could not get along.
Monty "Kip" Sopp (born November 1, 1963), better known by his ring name Billy Gunn, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and coach. Gunn is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) from 1993 to 2004 and from 2012 to 2015. He also served as a coach on WWE's Tough Enough and was a trainer in NXT. He is also known for his appearances with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2005 to 2009. Primarily a tag team wrestler, Gunn is an overall 13-time tag team champion in WWE with three different partners (with Bart Gunn as The Smoking Gunns, with Road Dogg as The New Age Outlaws, and with Chuck Palumbo as Billy and Chuck). He is also a one time WWF Intercontinental Champion and a two time WWF Hardcore Champion, giving him 14 total championships in WWE. He is the 1999 King of the Ring tournament winner, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 as a member of D-Generation X. Professional wrestling career Early career (1985–1993) After a stint as a professional bull rider in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Sopp left the profession in his early-20s in order to pursue a career as a professional wrestler. Trained by Jerry Grey, Sopp wrestled on the independent circuit for eight years (including a brief stint as enhancement talent for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) before signing a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1993. World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1993–2004) The Smoking Gunns (1993–1996) After weeks of vignettes, Sopp, under the name Billy Gunn, made his WWF debut on the May 17, 1993 episode of Raw, teaming with his on-screen brother, Bart Gunn to defeat Tony Vadja and Glenn Ruth. The duo, now known as The Smoking Gunns, made their pay-per-view debut at King of the Ring, teaming with The Steiner Brothers to defeat Money Inc. and The Headshrinkers in an eight-man tag team match. At SummerSlam, the duo teamed with Tatanka to pick up a win against Bam Bam Bigelow and the Headshrinkers. On January 22, 1994, Gunn entered his first Royal Rumble match at the namesake event, but was eliminated by Diesel. In early 1995, the Gunns won their first Tag Team Championship by defeating the makeshift team of Bob Holly and 1-2-3 Kid. They held the title until WrestleMania XI, where they were defeated by the team of Owen Hart and Yokozuna. They won the titles again in September 1995. On February 15, 1996, the Gunns vacated the title because Billy was in need of neck surgery. After Billy returned from hiatus, The Smoking Gunns won the Tag Team Title for the third time by defeating The Godwinns in May. After the match, The Godwinns' manager Sunny turned on her team in favor of the Gunns. On September 22 at In Your House: Mind Games, the Gunns lost the Tag Team Title to Owen Hart and The British Bulldog. After the match, Sunny abandoned The Gunns, saying that she would only manage title holders. Billy, frustrated with losing both the championship and Sunny, walked out on Bart, breaking up The Smoking Gunns. Rockabilly, The New Age Outlaws and D-Generation X (1997–1998) After The Smoking Gunns disbanded, Gunn took some time off to nurse an injury. At WrestleMania 13, he defeated Flash Funk catching the attention of The Honky Tonk Man, who made Gunn his protégé. During this time, he adopted a new gimmick, Rockabilly, He would use this gimmick throughout much of 1997 and eventually had a short-lived feud with "The Real Double J" Jesse James. On the October 4, 1997 episode of Shotgun Saturday Night, James realized both of their careers were going nowhere and suggested that they become a tag team. Gunn agreed and smashed a guitar over the Honky Tonk Man's head to solidify their new alliance. James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team was dubbed the New Age Outlaws. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks and won the Tag Team Championship from the Legion of Doom on November 24. They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X. The Outlaws slowly began to align themselves with D-Generation X. At the Royal Rumble, the New Age Outlaws interfered in a Casket match to help Shawn Michaels defeat The Undertaker. At No Way Out Of Texas, the Outlaws teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated. On February 2, The Outlaws locked Cactus and Chainsaw in a dumpster and pushed it off the stage. This led to a Dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV where Cactus and Chainsaw defeated the Outlaws for the Tag Titles. The next night on Raw, the New Age Outlaws won the Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Chainsaw and Cactus in a Steel cage match, but only after interference from Triple H, Chyna, and X-Pac. After the match, the Outlaws officially became members of D-Generation X (DX). After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven. DX began to feud with Owen Hart and his new stablemates, The Nation. At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match. During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. At SummerSlam, Mankind faced the Outlaws in a Handicap match after Kane no-showed the title defense. The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time. In December, the Outlaws lost the title to The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock from The Corporation. Mr. Ass and reformation of the Outlaws and DX (1999–2000) The Outlaws then began to focus more on singles competition. The Road Dogg won the Hardcore Championship in December 1998, and Gunn set his sights on the Intercontinental Championship. At the 1999 Royal Rumble, Gunn unsuccessfully challenged Ken Shamrock for the Intercontinental Title. The next month at St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Gunn was the special guest referee for the Intercontinental Championship match between Val Venis and champion Ken Shamrock, where Gunn made a fast count and declared Venis the new champion before attacking both men. In March, Gunn won the Hardcore Championship from Hardcore Holly. At WrestleMania XV, Gunn lost the title to Holly in a Triple Threat match which also included Al Snow. The New Age Outlaws then reunited to defeat Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart at Backlash. After Backlash, Gunn left D-Generation X and aligned himself with Triple H and Chyna. Gunn defeated his former partner, Road Dogg, in a match at Over the Edge. Gunn then won the King of the Ring tournament by defeating Ken Shamrock, Kane, and his former ally, X-Pac. After King of the Ring, Gunn, Triple H, and Chyna went on to feud with X-Pac and Road Dogg over the rights to the D-Generation X name. This feud culminated at Fully Loaded when X-Pac and Road Dogg defeated Gunn and Chyna. Gunn then began a brief feud with The Rock. At SummerSlam, The Rock defeated Gunn in a Kiss My Ass Match. Following this, Gunn then briefly feuded with Jeff Jarrett for the Intercontinental Title before reuniting with Road Dogg to reform The New Age Outlaws. The Outlaws won their fourth tag team championship by defeating The Rock 'n' Sock Connection in September 1999. The Outlaws later reunited with X-Pac and Triple H to reform D-Generation X. During this time, The Outlaws won their fifth Tag Team Championship after defeating Mankind and Al Snow. At the 2000 Royal Rumble, The New Age Outlaws retained their title against The Acolytes after interference from X-Pac. The Outlaws then had a feud with The Dudley Boyz, who won the Tag Team Championship from The Outlaws at No Way Out. After suffering a torn rotator cuff in the match with The Dudley Boyz, Gunn was kicked out of D-Generation X for "losing his cool" to explain his impending absence to recover from his injury. The One (2000–2001) Gunn made his return in October and immediately teamed with Chyna to feud with Right to Censor, who wanted to "censor" his Mr. Ass gimmick. At No Mercy, Right to Censor members Steven Richards and Val Venis defeated Chyna and Gunn. Due to a stipulation, Gunn could no longer use the Mr. Ass gimmick, so he renamed himself Billy G. for a few weeks before settling on "The One" Billy Gunn. Gunn then feuded with Eddie Guerrero and the rest of The Radicalz. At Survivor Series, Gunn teamed with Road Dogg, Chyna, and K-Kwik in a losing effort against The Radicalz. A few weeks later on SmackDown!, Gunn won the Intercontinental Championship from Guerrero. However, the title reign was short-lived, as Chris Benoit defeated him for the title two weeks later at Armageddon. After feuding with Benoit, Gunn participated in the 2001 Royal Rumble where he made it to the final four, Gunn interfered in the Hardcore Championship Match at No Way Out, and taking advantage of the 24/7 Rule, pinning Raven for the title. The reign was short-lived, as Raven won it back a few minutes later. Billy and Chuck (2001–2002) In a 2001 match on Sunday Night Heat, Gunn was defeated by Chuck Palumbo, who recently left The Alliance to join the WWF. After the match, Gunn suggested that they form a tag team. Palumbo agreed, and Billy and Chuck quickly rose to the top of the tag team division. Initially they were a generic tandem, but they were given a gimmick where they grew increasingly affectionate toward each other, showing evidence of a storyline homosexual relationship. In February 2002, Billy and Chuck defeated Spike Dudley and Tazz to win the WWF Tag Team Championship for the first time as a team. After winning the titles, Billy and Chuck found a "Personal Stylist" in the ambiguously flamboyant Rico. After retaining the title against the Acolytes Protection Agency, the Dudley Boyz, and the Hardy Boyz in a Four Corners Elimination Match at WrestleMania X8 and against Al Snow and Maven at Backlash, Billy and Chuck began a feud with Rikishi. At Judgment Day, Rikishi and Rico (Rikishi's mystery partner of Mr. McMahon's choosing) defeated Billy and Chuck for the WWE Tag Team Championship after Rico accidentally hit Chuck with a roundhouse kick. Billy and Chuck quickly won the title back two weeks later on SmackDown! with Rico's help. They held the championship for almost a month before losing it to the team of Edge and Hollywood Hulk Hogan on the July 4 episode of SmackDown!. On the September 5 edition of SmackDown!, after Billy lost a match to Rey Mysterio, Chuck proposed to Billy, asking him to be his "partner for life" and gave him a wedding ring. Billy agreed, and one week later, on the September 12 episode of SmackDown!, Billy and Chuck had their wedding ceremony. However, just before they tied the knot, they revealed that the entire ordeal was a publicity stunt and disavowed their on-screen homosexuality, admitting that they were just friends. The "preacher" revealed himself to be Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff (who was wearing a skin mask), who then summoned 3-Minute Warning to beat up Billy and Chuck. Rico, furious that Billy and Chuck gave up their gimmick, became the manager of Three Minute Warning and defected to Raw. At Unforgiven, Three Minute Warning defeated Billy and Chuck. Their final match together occurred on the October 3 episode of SmackDown! in the first round of a tournament for the newly created WWE Tag Team Championship. They lost the match to the team of Ron Simmons and Reverend D-Von. Afterwards, Gunn took a few months off because of a shoulder injury and the team of Billy and Chuck quietly disbanded. SmackDown! and return to singles competition (2003–2004) After returning in the summer of 2003, Gunn reverted to the "Mr. Ass" gimmick, defeating A-Train, and Torrie Wilson became his new manager. He started a feud with Jamie Noble, which led to an "Indecent Proposal" Match at Vengeance, which Noble won and due to the match's stipulation, won a night with Torrie. After taking time off again due to a shoulder injury, Gunn returned to action at the 2004 Royal Rumble, but was eliminated by Goldberg. Afterward, he wrestled mainly on Velocity, forming an occasional tag team with Hardcore Holly. At Judgment Day, Gunn and Holly challenged Charlie Haas and Rico for the WWE Tag Team Championship, but were unsuccessful. At The Great American Bash, Gunn lost to Kenzo Suzuki. On November 1, 2004, Sopp was released from his WWE contract. In June 2005, Sopp gave an interview in which he was heavily critical of WWE and the events that led to his release. Many of the negative comments were directed towards Triple H, who Sopp claimed "runs the show up there". Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2005–2009) Planet Jarrett (2005) On February 13, 2005, Sopp debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) without a name (as Billy Gunn is a WWE trademark, although announcers recognized him as such) at Against All Odds with the same gimmick, helping Jeff Jarrett retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a match with Kevin Nash. Sopp, using the name The New Age Outlaw, then formed a stable with Jarrett and Monty Brown known as Planet Jarrett. However, WWE threatened TNA with legal action if Sopp continued the use of the name "The New Age Outlaw", so he shortened his name to The Outlaw. Due to the legal issues with WWE, all TNA -DVD releases featuring footage with Sopp as "The Outlaw" (and presumably also as "The New Age Outlaw") have had the name on on-screen graphics blurred, the name silenced out of the audio, and match commentary completely replaced to reflect a retroactive name change to "Kip James". One such DVD is the pay-per-view Lockdown, included in the "TNA Anthology: The Epic Set" box set, in which the silencing of the name during a segment where Dusty Rhodes picks his name from a lottery leaves DVD viewers in the dark as to who just got picked. The Outlaw began a campaign to make former ally B.G. James leave the 3Live Kru and defect to Planet Jarrett, reforming the old tag team with Outlaw. At No Surrender, he renamed himself Kip James and was announced as "wrestling out of Marietta, Georgia" (the family seat of the Armstrong family) as a psychological ploy. As a result of his campaign, Kip attracted the ire of 3Live Kru members Ron Killings and Konnan, leading to a series of tag team matches pitting Kip and Monty Brown against Killings and Konnan, with a conflicted James unwilling to take sides. Kip's efforts ultimately proved futile; James, the guest referee in a final match between Brown and Kip versus Konnan and Killings at Sacrifice, attacked Kip enabling a 3Live Kru victory. In September at Unbreakable, Kip teamed with Brown to defeat the team of Apolo and Lance Hoyt. There was clear tension between the partners because Brown was unhappy at the series of losses at the hands of the 3Live Kru, and Kip was irked by Brown's decision to leave Planet Jarrett. Despite the victory, the partners argued after the match. On the October 8, 2005 episode of Impact!, Kip rekindled his feud with the 3Live Kru, running to the ring after a bout between the 3LK and Team Canada in order to prevent Team Canada captain Petey Williams from beating down B.G. James. He saved James, and then engaged in a staredown with Konnan and Killings. Kip saved James from Team Canada once again at Bound for Glory. Though Killings showed signs of gratitude, Konnan remained skeptical as to his true intentions. Later that night, Kip took part in an over-the-top-rope gauntlet match for the number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. After he was eliminated, he tried in vain to prevent Killings from being eliminated as well, before being sent away from ringside by the referees. The James Gang/Voodoo Kin Mafia (2005–2008) On the November 26 episode of Impact!, B.G. brought Kip and the 3Live Kru to ringside and asked Killings and Konnan whether Kip could join the stable. Following a heated argument between Konnan and B.G., both Killings and Konnan gave their approval, and the 4Live Kru was born. However, at Turning Point, Konnan attacked both B.G. and Kip, costing them their match against Team Canada and initiating a feud between himself and the remainder of the Kru. Shortly thereafter, B.G. James's father, Bob Armstrong, attempted to reconcile the group, but was instead attacked by Konnan and his new stablemates, Apolo and Homicide. Killings later stated that he had severed his ties with the Kru. With Konnan and Killings no longer members of the Kru, Kip and B.G. began referring to themselves as The James Gang and continued to feud with the Konnan-managed Latin American Exchange, whose third man position as Homicide's partner would switch from Apolo to Machete, and then from him to Hernandez, who finally stuck, during the course of this feud. At Final Resolution, The James Gang defeated The Diamonds in the Rough (David Young and Elix Skipper). At Against All Odds, The James Gang defeated LAX (Homicide and Machete). At Destination X, The James Gang and Bob Armstrong defeated Latin American Exchange in a six-man tag team match. At Sacrifice, The James Gang defeated Team 3D which led to a rematch at Slammiversary where Team 3D defeated The James Gang in a Bingo Hall Brawl. At Victory Road, The James Gang and Abyss defeated Team 3D and their newest member Brother Runt. At No Surrender, The James Gang competed in a Triple Chance tag team battle royal but failed to win the match. At Bound for Glory, The James Gang competed in a Four-way tag team match which was won by Team 3D. By November 2006, Kip and B.G. began to show displeasure in TNA and threatened to go find work elsewhere if they did not receive gold soon. They began performing the crotch chop, a reference to the WWE's DX. On the November 2 edition of Impact!, Kip and B.G. threatened to quit. Kip grabbed the mic and tried to say something to the TNA administration and Spike TV, but each time his mic was cut off. Kip then tried to use the announcer's headset, but it was cut off as well. Frustrated, he started yelling loudly to the crowd, but he was cut off again as the show went to a commercial break. When the show returned, the announcers speculated that they may have been frustrated due to the influx of new talent entering TNA. It was reported that the segment was a worked shoot that Vince Russo had written in order to renew interest upon their eventual return. Kip and BG appeared in an internet video on TNA's website where they addressed the owner of WWE Vince McMahon. A few weeks later on Impact!, The James Gang re-emerged under a new name Voodoo Kin Mafia (VKM for short, a play on Vincent Kennedy McMahon's initials). They mentioned their new right of 'creative control', meaning they could do whatever they wanted. They also declared 'war' on Paul Levesque, Michael Hickenbottom, and Vincent K. McMahon (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Vince McMahon, respectively). Kip then declared that 'Triple Hollywood' and 'Shawn Kiss-my-bottom' were failing as the group they (Kip and BG) used to be a part of: D-Generation X. After the initial shock value of this incident wore off, at Genesis, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated Kazarian, Maverick Matt and Johnny Devine in a handicap match. VKM began a feud with the villainous Christy Hemme. Hemme then searched for a tag team to square-off against VKM. At Destination X, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated Hemme's handpicked team of The Heartbreakers (Antonio Thomas & Romeo Roselli). On the Lockdown preshow The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated another one of Hemme's handpicked team Serotonin (Kaz & Havok) in a Six Sides of Steel match. The final tag team was Damaja and Basham, who appeared on an episode of Impact! and beat down VKM. They also held up Kip James so Hemme could slap him. B.G James was taken out by Basham and Damaja which led to Kip James competed against Basham and Damaja in a handicap match at Sacrifice where he lost. However, they beat Hemme's team at Slammiversary. After the match, VKM were betrayed by their associate Lance Hoyt. At Victory Road, they introduced their new manager, the Voodoo Queen, Roxxi Laveaux, to embarrass Christy Hemme. At Hard Justice, The Voodoo Kin Mafia lost to The Latin American Exchange. At No Surrender, The Voodoo Kin Mafia competed in a Ten-team tag team gauntlet match which was won by A.J. Styles and Tomko. At Bound for Glory, Kip James competed in the Fight for the Right Reverse Battle Royal which was won by Eric Young. On the October 25 edition of Impact!, VKM teamed with A.J. Styles and Tomko in a losing effort to the Latin American Xchange and the Steiner Brothers. At Genesis, B.G. was present along with Kip in the corner of Roxxi Laveaux at ringside for the Fatal Four Way knockout match for the TNA Women's Championship in which Gail Kim retained the title. At Turning Point, James competed in the Feast or Fired where he grabbed a case but threw it to BG James. It was revealed that the case was for a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship and BG James picked his dad to be his partner at Against All Odds, James and Bob Armstrong failed to win the titles and on February 21, 2008 episode of Impact! he turned on B.G. and B.G's father "Bullet" Bob Armstrong by hitting them both with a crutch. The Beautiful People (2008–2009) On April 13, 2008, he faced former partner B.G. James at Lockdown and lost. After the match, he appeared to want to make amends as he raised B.G.'s hand after the match, only to clothesline him down to the mat and taunt him with a DX crotch chop. Kip went on to declare himself "The Megastar", an arrogant gimmick similar to "The One" gimmick from his WWF tenure. Kip later stopped making appearances on Impact! until April 24 when he was attacked backstage by Matt Morgan for no reason. The next week on Impact!, Kip got back at Morgan by attacking him backstage in Jim Cornette's office. On May 8, 2008, Cornette forced Morgan into being Kip's tag team partner for the Deuces Wild tournament at Sacrifice, though both were unable to win. Kip went on another brief disappearance from television until the June 5 edition of Impact!, where he partnered with Lance Hoyt and James Storm in a losing effort against Morgan and The Latin American Xchange. On the August 14 episode of Impact!, Kip was revealed to be the new image consultant and member of The Beautiful People, dubbed Cute Kip and was using his Mr.Ass Attire, after they brought him out during their interview on Karen Angle's show Karen's Angle. at Bound for Glory IV, Kip, Love and Sky lost to Rhino, ODB and Rhaka Khan in a Bimbo Brawl. at Final Resolution (December 2008), Kip competed in the Feast or Fired match but failed to get a case. At Genesis 2009, Kip became the one-night-only replacement for the injured Kevin Nash in the Main Event Mafia. As of March 19, 2009, Sopp was taken off of TNA Impact! along with Jacqueline Moore to become road agents. Sopp returned as Cute Kip and lost to Awesome Kong in an intergender stretcher match on May 14, 2009. On the May 28 edition of Impact!, Kip was fired by The Beautiful People. On the June 18 edition of Impact!, Mick Foley hired him as his handyman, turning Kip into a face. he made another appearance on the August 6 edition of Impact where Kip had to clean up the IMPACT Zone after a chaotic fifteen minute "riot". On October 9 edition of Xplosion, Kip was defeated by Rhino. On October 30 edition of Xplosion, Kip defeated Sheik Abdul Bashir. on the November 13 edition of Xplosion, Kip lost to Rob Terry and on December 3, 2009 edition of Xplosion, Kip competed in his final TNA match where he lost to Kiyoshi. Sopp's profile was removed from the TNA website on December 29, 2009, confirming his departure from the promotion. Independent circuit (2009–2012) After leaving TNA, Sopp reunited with B.G. James to reform The New Age Outlaws, with both men resuming their Billy Gunn and Road Dogg ring names. After joining TWA Powerhouse in 2010, the Outlaws defeated Canadian Extreme to win the promotion's Tag Team Championship on July 25. They re-lost the title to Canadian Extreme on June 5, 2011. On July 30, 2011, Sopp, working under the ring name Kip Gunn, made his debut for Lucha Libre USA as a member of the heel stable The Right. Later that night, Gunn lost in his debut match against Marco Corleone. On June 26, 2012, Sopp won the American Pro Wrestling Alliance American Championship. However, he lost the title due to travel issues. On September 8 and 9, 2012, he wrestled in a Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation tournament. He defeated Rhino in the semi-finals and Scott Steiner in the final, winning the BBWF Aruba Championship. Return to WWE (2012–2015) On July 23, Sopp, under his Billy Gunn name, made his first WWE appearance in nearly eight years as he reunited with Road Dogg, X-Pac, Shawn Michaels and Triple H to reform D-Generation X for one night only on the 1000th episode of Raw. In December 2012, he was hired by WWE as a trainer for the NXT Wrestling territory in Tampa, Florida. On March 4, 2013, Gunn and Road Dogg made a return at Old School Raw, defeating Primo and Epico. On March 11, 2013, they accepted a challenge from Team Rhodes Scholars and faced them in a match, which was interrupted by Brock Lesnar, who hit both Outlaws with an F-5 as part of his ongoing feud with Triple H. He then appeared alongside Road Dogg to help CM Punk clear out The Shield in aid of Roddy Piper on Old School Raw on January 6, 2014. On the January 10 episode of SmackDown, the Outlaws teamed with CM Punk in a six-man tag match against The Shield in a losing effort. On the January 13 episode of Raw, the Outlaws again teamed with Punk in a rematch against The Shield, only to abandon Punk and lose the match. On January 26 during the Royal Rumble Kickoff Show, Gunn and Road Dogg beat Cody Rhodes and Goldust to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. The next night on Raw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust via disqualification when Brock Lesnar attacked the brothers. The next week on Raw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust in a steel cage match. On March 3, the Outlaws lost the Tag Team Championship to The Usos. Gunn sustained hemoptysis after he and his New Age Outlaws partner, Road Dogg, suffered a double-Triple Powerbomb by The Shield at WrestleMania XXX. Gunn returned to Raw with Road Dogg in January 2015, attacking The Ascension along with the nWo and the APA. At the Royal Rumble, the Outlaws faced The Ascension in a losing effort. At WrestleMania 31, Gunn, with Road Dogg, X-Pac and Shawn Michaels, reunited as D-Generation X to help Triple H in his match against Sting. In May, Gunn was announced as a coach along with WWE Hall of Famers Booker T and Lita for the sixth season of Tough Enough. On November 13, 2015, WWE officially announced that Sopp was released from his WWE contract after failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs. He had tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone at a powerlifting event on July 25, 2015, and was suspended from powerlifting for four years. Independent circuit (2015–2020) On December 26, 2015, Gunn teamed up with Kevin Thorn to defeat Brian Klass and Rob Street. One month later, Gunn defeated Ken Dixon for the MCW Pro Wrestling MCW Rage Television Championship. On February 5, 2016, Gunn defeated Joey Hayes in the Preston City Wrestling PCW Road to Glory tournament, on February 6 he lost to T-Bone in the quarter-finals that same night Gunn teamed up with Mr. Anderson and Tajiri to defeat Dave Raynes, Joey Hayes, and Martin Kirby. On February 7, 2016 Gunn challenged for the Pro Wrestling Pride Heavyweight championship losing to Steve Griffiths. On March 19, 2016, Gunn lost the title to Ken Dixon. On June 12, 2016, Gunn won the Smashmouth Pro Wrestling championship from KC Huber but lost it on the same night, Gunn teamed again with Anderson in a losing effort against the UK Hooligans at PCW Tribute to the Troops on June 25, 2016. He defeated Hardcore Holly in a singles match at PCW Top Gunn on July 2, 2016. On September 4, 2016, Gunn made his debut for Chikara, representing DX alongside X-Pac in a tag team gauntlet match. The two entered the match as the final team and scored the win over Prakash Sabar and The Proletariat Boar of Moldova. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2016–2017) On November 5, 2016, at the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) event Power Struggle, Yoshitatsu announced Gunn as the newest member of his Hunter Club stable and his partner for the upcoming 2016 World Tag League. Gunn and Yoshitatsu finished the tournament on December 8 with a record of three wins and four losses, failing to advance from their block. Gunn returned to NJPW on January 4, 2017, taking part in the pre-show New Japan Rumble at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome, from which he was eliminated by the eventual winner Michael Elgin. While Gunn did not appear for NJPW for the next six months, he was brought up in May by Yoshitatsu, who told Hiroshi Tanahashi that Gunn had requested a match against him. When Tanahashi captured the IWGP Intercontinental Championship the following month, he immediately nominated Gunn as his first challenger. Gunn was defeated in the title match on July 2 at G1 Special in USA, and it was his final match in NJPW. WWE appearances (2018–2019) Gunn and numerous other WWE legends appeared on the January 22, 2018 episode of Raw 25 Years as part of the D-Generation X reunion. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019 as a member of D-Generation X. All Elite Wrestling (2019–present) In January 2019, Gunn was hired by All Elite Wrestling as a coach. At May 25 at the AEW Double or Nothing event he competed in the pre-show battle royal. Gunn made his first televised appearance for AEW on the November 20, 2019 episode of AEW Dynamite, competing in a battle royal. He also appeared during the January 1, 2020 episode of Dynamite, wrestling in a dark match with his son Austin that aired on January 7, 2020. They wrestled again together on another dark match during the January 8, 2020 episode of Dynamite, airing on January 17, 2020, with the tag team name "The Gunn Club", defeating the team of Peter Avalon and Shawn Spears. Gunn has also appeared in the crowd (made up of AEW wrestlers and other employees) on numerous episodes of Dynamite during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the May 27, 2020 episode of Dynamite, Gunn now under the shortened ring name of Billy participated in a battle royal match to determine the number one contender for the TNT Championship. He also would wrestle MJF in a singles match on the June 17, 2020 episode of Dynamite as well. The Gunn Club would wrestle in more tag team matches on more episodes of AEW Dark. On the November 4, 2020 episode of Dynamite, The Gunn Club teamed with Cody Rhodes to successfully defeat The Dark Order (John Silver, 10 and Colt Cabana). On the November 17, 2020 episode of Dark, The Gunn Club, which now added Austin's brother and Gunn's other son Colten to the stable, defeated Bshp King, Joey O'Riley and Sean Maluta by pinfall in a six-man tag team match. On the same day the AEW website's roster page got updated and his name was once again changed to its long form, Billy Gunn. The three man Gunn Club would then defeat Cezar Bononi, KTB, and Seth Gargis in another six man tag team match on the November 24, 2020 episode of Dark. On the December 8, 2020 episode of Dark The three man Gunn Club-which entered the ring on a golf cart with the words "Taz Taxi" on the side, defeated Shawn Dean, Sean Maluta & RYZIN. On the December 1, 2021 episode of Dynamite, The Gunn Club stable's undefeated streak in AEW ended when Billy and Colten Gunn lost to the team of Sting and Darby Allin. Professional wrestling style, persona and reception Gunn has had several gimmicks throughout his career, ranging from his cowboy-themed gimmick with the Smoking Gunns to his The Ambiguously Gay Duo-esque tag team with Chuck Palumbo. Gunn has stated on multiple shoot interviews that he has no regrets with his gimmicks as he was performing a job and doing what was asked of him to do. By far, Gunn's most infamous gimmick was his "Mr. Ass" persona based around his ass. The gimmick started during his New Age Outlaws days when Road Dogg would refer to themselves as "Mr. Dogg" and "Mr. Ass" in promos, though the "Bad Ass" name wasn't referring to his backside at that time. What was originally a throwaway joke turned into Gunn mooning his opponents and the live crowd, though as the original incarnation of DX also did this, it could originally be argued that it was an extension of the Outlaws joining DX. Upon leaving DX, Gunn fully embraced the "Mr. Ass" gimmick by placing emphasis on his "moneymaker". While Road Dogg kept the New Age Outlaws entrance music for his own, Gunn adopted the song "Ass Man" as part of the gimmick, and for a time even changed his ring tights to be see-through, wearing only a thong underneath his tights, although he would eventually revert back to the DX-era tights. The "Mr. Ass" gimmick has mixed reviews. One web site ranked it near the middle of Gunn's various gimmicks, while a writer for Bleacher Report thought it was the worst gimmick ever even though Gunn was at his peak popularity with the persona. Gunn himself told Chris Van Vliet in 2021 that he never paid attention to the "Ass Man" lyrics until a college professor broke down each expression. Due to the enduring legacy of the "Mr. Ass" gimmick, in November 2021 Ring of Honor wrestler Danhausen began a Twitter feud with the Gunn Club, referring to Billy as "Billy Ass," and Colten and Austin as The "Ass Boys," in reference to Gunn's infamous "Mr. Ass" gimmick in the Attitude Era. While Gunn himself initially had no comment, the rest of Gunn Club despised the nickname after fans began chanting "Ass Boys" during their matches, notably during an AEW event at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. Gunn finally commented when he surprised his sons by wearing an "Ass Boys" shirt, encouraging them to "embrace the assness" and even started teasing mooning the crowd again. Gunn also thanked Danhausen publicly for getting his sons over in a way that he couldn't. Other media Filmography Video Games WWF Attitude WWF WrestleMania 2000 WWF SmackDown! WWF No Mercy WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role WWF Road To WrestleMania WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It WWF Raw WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth WWE Raw 2 WWE '13 WWE 2K16 WWE 2K17 Personal life Sopp was born on November 1, 1963 in Orlando, Florida and claims Austin, Texas as his hometown. In November 1990, Sopp was arrested in Florida for disorderly conduct. Sopp married his first wife Tina Tinnell on March 3, 1990. Together, they have two sons: Colten (born May 18, 1991) and Austin (born August 26, 1994) who are also professional wrestlers. The couple separated in January 2000 and their divorce was finalized on December 11, 2002. Sopp has since married his long-time girlfriend Paula on January 24, 2009. Sopp's sons Austin and Colten, better known by the ring names Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn, are currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where alongside their father they form a stable known as "Gunn Club". Sopp attended Sam Houston State University. Championships and accomplishments American Pro Wrestling Alliance APWA American Championship (1 time) Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation BBFW Aruba Championship (1 time) BBFW Aruba Championship Tournament (2012) International Wrestling Federation IWF Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Brett Colt Freedom Pro Wrestling FPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Road Dogg Maryland Championship Wrestling MCW Rage Television Championship (1 time) MCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with B.G. James Pro Wrestling Illustrated Tag Team of the Year (1998) with Road Dogg Tag Team of the Year (2002) with Chuck Ranked #39 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1999 Ranked #231 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003 Ranked #43 of the top 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Road Dogg in 2003 SmashMouth Pro Wrestling SPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) TWA Powerhouse TWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with B.G. James Vanguard Championship Wrestling VCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) World Pro Wrestling WPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) Wrestling Observer Newsletter Worst Worked Match of the Year (2006) TNA Reverse Battle Royal on TNA Impact! WWE/World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment WWF Hardcore Championship (2 times) WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time) WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Road Dogg WWF World Tag Team Championship (10 times) – with Bart Gunn (3), Road Dogg (5) and Chuck (2) King of the Ring (1999) Raw Bowl – with Bart Gunn WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2019) - as a member of D-Generation X References External links 1963 births All Elite Wrestling personnel American male professional wrestlers American powerlifters Bull riders D-Generation X members Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan LGBT characters in professional wrestling Living people Professional wrestlers from Florida Professional wrestling trainers Sam Houston State University alumni Sportspeople from Orlando, Florida The Authority (professional wrestling) members WWE Hall of Fame inductees WWF/WWE Hardcore Champions WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions WWF/WWE King Crown's Champions/King of the Ring winners American expatriate sportspeople in Japan
false
[ "Under U.S. Federal income tax law, a net operating loss (NOL) occurs when certain tax-deductible expenses exceed taxable revenues for a taxable year. If a taxpayer is taxed during profitable periods without receiving any tax relief (e.g. a refund) during periods of NOLs, an unbalanced tax burden results. Consequently, in some situations, Congress allows taxpayers to use the losses in one year to offset the profits of other years.\n\nCalculating the NOL amount\n\nThe NOL amount is the amount of the loss from the current year that can be carried back to prior tax years or carried forward to future years.\n\nIndividuals\nThe NOL amount is the business loss incurred by a taxpayer. The following items are excluded when calculating the NOL amount:\n any deduction for personal exemptions\n net capital loss (capital losses in excess of capital gains); net capital gains are included\n nonbusiness deductions in excess of nonbusiness income; net nonbusiness income is included\n\nIn addition, the NOL amount excludes other adjustments such as:\n section 1202 exclusion of the gain from the sale or exchange of qualified small business stock (QSBS)\n net operating loss deduction from other tax years\n domestic production activities deduction\n\nCorporations\nFor corporations, an NOL is the excess of the deductions allowed over gross income with the following adjustments.\n no NOL deduction\n no section 199 domestic production activities deduction\n the dividends-received deductions for dividends received are computed without regard to section 246(b) limit\n the dividends-paid deduction is computed without regard to the limitation under section 247(a)(1)(B).\n\nLoss carry back and carry forward mechanisms\n\nGenerally the NOL must be carried back to the two tax years before the NOL year. For example, the tax loss from 2015 must be carried back to 2013 or 2014. Any remaining amount can be carried forward for up to 20 years. The taxpayer can elect to waive the carry back and therefore carry all of the loss to future years. Once the 20-year carry forward period expires, the taxpayer cannot deduct any part of the remaining NOL.\n\nFor tax years prior to 2018, the carry back period for certain NOLs is greater than 2 years:\n\n3 year carry back period\nlosses from casualty or theft\nfarm or small business losses related to a federally declared disaster\n qualified small business losses\n\n5 year carry back period\n farm losses\n qualifying disaster losses (corporations only)\n\n10 year carry back period\n losses related to product liability claims\n decommissioning of a nuclear power plant - (corporations only)\n losses related to reclamation of land and dismantling of drilling platforms\n losses related to environmental contamination and workers compensation act payments \n Qualified Gulf Opportunity Zone (GO Zone) losses - (corporations only)\n\nIf the corporation has a corporate equity reduction transaction, a different carry forward period may apply.\n \nSection 1211 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 increased the carry back period for small businesses. For net operating losses incurred in 2008, the carry back period was increased to 5 years.\n\nThe Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated the net operating loss carryback, and restricted carryforwards. The provision was cut in order to finance the tax cuts in the act, and was one of the largest offsets in the law.\n\nFinancial statement reporting\nUnder US GAAP, the amount of net operating losses available for future years is reported in the notes to the financial statements. For example, Kinross Gold reported $US 893 million of NOL carry forwards were available as at December 31, 2014 related to its subsidiaries in Barbados.\n\nSee also\n\nNotes\n\nTaxation in the United States\nInternal Revenue Code", "1231 Property is a category of property defined in section 1231 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. 1231 property includes depreciable property and real property (e.g. buildings and equipment) used in a trade or business and held for more than one year. Some types of livestock, coal, timber and domestic iron ore are also included. It does not include: inventory; property held for sale in the ordinary course of business; artistic creations held by their creator; or, government publications.\n\nHistory\nThe 1954 version of the Internal Revenue Code included section 1231 covering certain property held by a business. The original section covering this matter - namely, section 117(j) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1939 - was enacted in 1942. The law was originally conceived as a way to help the shipping industry during World War II.\n\nThe present version of the Internal Revenue Code has retained section 1231, with the provision now applying to both property lost in an involuntary conversion, and to the sale or exchange of certain kinds of business-use property.\n\nApplication\nA taxpayer can calculate net 1231 gains and losses, often referred to as the hotchpot, as capital gains, with the caveat that if the gain is less than any “non-recaptured losses” from the preceding five years, it is re-characterized as ordinary income and is reported with Form 4797.\n\n“Non-recaptured loss” is covered by 1231(c). This provision refers to a situation when a taxpayer claims a 1231 loss in year one, but seeks a 1231 gain in any of subsequent years two through six. Any gain which is less than or equal to the loss in year one will be characterized as ordinary income rather than long-term capital gain (which has preferred tax rates).\n\nGains and losses under 1231 due to casualty or theft are set aside in what is often referred to as the fire-pot (tax). These gains and losses do not enter the hotchpot unless the gains exceed the losses. If the result is a gain, both the gain and loss enter the hotchpot and are calculated with any other 1231 gains and losses. If there are more casualty loss(es) than gains, the excess is treated as an ordinary loss.\n\nImpact\n\nSection 1231 treatment allows taxpayers to enjoy tax-favored treatment for 1231 property gains that are greater than 1231 property losses. This means that if the asset can be sold for a value greater than its basis, it can be taxed at a capital gains rate, which is lower than an ordinary income rate. However, if the 1231 property results in a loss then the taxpayer can treat it as an ordinary loss and such a loss may reduce the taxpayer's taxable income.\n\nThis provision is said to give a taxpayer the \"best of both worlds\" as it allows the favorable capital gains tax rate on section 1231 property while avoiding the negative implications of capital loss treatment. Ordinary losses are 100% deductible, while capital losses are subject to an annual deduction limitation of $3,000 against ordinary income. Within this framework, if capital losses exceed capital gains by more than $3,000 in any given tax year, the portion of the deduction that may be used to offset ordinary income is limited to $3,000; the excess loss over $3,000 must be carried over to the following year.\n\nC Corporations are not allowed to deduct capital losses against ordinary income, and must instead deduct capital losses only against capital gains. If capital losses exceed capital gains in any given tax year, the excess loss may be carried back three years and carried forward five years where it is offset against capital gains of those years. When carrying a C corporation's capital loss back or forward, the loss does not retain its character as short-term or long-term. In other words, the loss is treated as a short-term capital loss even if it was originally a long-term capital loss.\n\nSection 1231 does not reclassify property as a capital asset. Instead, it allows the taxpayer to treat net gains on 1231 property as capital gains, but to treat net losses on such property as ordinary losses.\n\nCongress has decided not to let this \"best of both worlds\" treatment give taxpayers undesired benefits beyond its purpose. This treatment would compel a taxpayer to sell a Section 1231 loss asset at the end of a year to get an ordinary loss and hold a Section 1231 gain until the next taxable year to receive capital gains treatment. To limit the impact of this undesired result, Congress included 1231(c). This is a controversial topic in U.S. taxation. \n\nUnder 1231(c), the 1231 gain that was deferred until the second year in the example above will be recharacterized as ordinary income. This is done because the taxpayer has already received the benefit of having the loss in year one treated as an ordinary loss. Thus, if the 1231 gain is disposed of after year one, but before what becomes the seventh year under 1231(c)(2)(A), it will receive ordinary income treatment. If held onto and disposed of after the seventh year, it may be treated as a capital gain.\n\nSee also\nTax deduction\nDepreciation recapture\n\nReferences\nhttps://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/1231-\n\nExternal links\nIRS website\n\n0179" ]
[ "Billy Gunn", "The New Age Outlaws and D-Generation X (1997-1998)", "What were The New Age Outlaws?", "James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as \"Road Dogg\" Jesse James and \"Badd Ass\" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team formed was soon dubbed the New Age Outlaws.", "What was the D generation X?", "They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X.", "How strong were Jesse and Billy?", "This new team was in the spirit of the new Attitude Era: brash, vulgar, egotistical, and loud-mouthed. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks", "Did they ever lose?", "teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated.", "Any other losses?", "During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. Although Kane and Mankind won the Tag Team Championship, they could not get along." ]
C_2e21de52a27844ff90c7b071600d3ed6_1
Did they ever win any tag team championships?
6
Did Jesse James and Billy Gunn ever win any tag team championships?
Billy Gunn
After The Smoking Gunns disbanded, Gunn took some time off to nurse an injury. At WrestleMania 13, he defeated Flash Funk catching the attention of The Honky Tonk Man, who made Gunn his protege. During this time, he adopted a new gimmick, Rockabilly, and had a short-lived feud with "The Real Double J" Jesse James. On Shotgun Saturday Night, James realized both of their careers were going nowhere and suggested that they became a tag team. Gunn agreed and smashed a guitar over the Honky Tonk Man's head to solidify their new alliance. James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team formed was soon dubbed the New Age Outlaws. This new team was in the spirit of the new Attitude Era: brash, vulgar, egotistical, and loud-mouthed. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks and won the Tag Team Championship from the Legion of Doom on November 24. They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X. The Outlaws slowly began to align themselves with D-Generation X, who were impressed with their new attitude. At the Royal Rumble, the New Age Outlaws interfered in a Casket match to help Shawn Michaels defeat The Undertaker. At No Way Out Of Texas, the Outlaws teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated. On February 2, The Outlaws locked Cactus and Chainsaw in a dumpster and pushed it off the stage. This led to a Dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV where Cactus and Chainsaw defeated the Outlaws for the Tag Titles. The next night on Raw, the New Age Outlaws won the Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Chainsaw and Cactus in a Steel cage match, but only after interference from Triple H, Chyna, and X-Pac. After the match, the Outlaws officially became members of D-Generation X (DX). Upon becoming an official member of DX, Gunn gained a tendency of mooning opponents (a trait used by the original incarnation of DX, as well as its 2006 revival), a precursor to the later "Mr. Ass" gimmick. After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven. DX began to feud with Owen Hart, and his new stablemates, The Nation. At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match. The Outlaws would also successfully defend their title against The New Midnight Express (Bombastic Bob and Bodacious Bart) at King of the Ring. During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. Although Kane and Mankind won the Tag Team Championship, they could not get along. At SummerSlam, Mankind faced the Outlaws in a Handicap match after Kane no-showed the title defense. The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time. The Outlaws then helped X-Pac in his feud with Jeff Jarrett and Southern Justice. In December, the Outlaws lost the title to The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock from The Corporation. CANNOTANSWER
After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven.
Monty "Kip" Sopp (born November 1, 1963), better known by his ring name Billy Gunn, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and coach. Gunn is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) from 1993 to 2004 and from 2012 to 2015. He also served as a coach on WWE's Tough Enough and was a trainer in NXT. He is also known for his appearances with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2005 to 2009. Primarily a tag team wrestler, Gunn is an overall 13-time tag team champion in WWE with three different partners (with Bart Gunn as The Smoking Gunns, with Road Dogg as The New Age Outlaws, and with Chuck Palumbo as Billy and Chuck). He is also a one time WWF Intercontinental Champion and a two time WWF Hardcore Champion, giving him 14 total championships in WWE. He is the 1999 King of the Ring tournament winner, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 as a member of D-Generation X. Professional wrestling career Early career (1985–1993) After a stint as a professional bull rider in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Sopp left the profession in his early-20s in order to pursue a career as a professional wrestler. Trained by Jerry Grey, Sopp wrestled on the independent circuit for eight years (including a brief stint as enhancement talent for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) before signing a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1993. World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1993–2004) The Smoking Gunns (1993–1996) After weeks of vignettes, Sopp, under the name Billy Gunn, made his WWF debut on the May 17, 1993 episode of Raw, teaming with his on-screen brother, Bart Gunn to defeat Tony Vadja and Glenn Ruth. The duo, now known as The Smoking Gunns, made their pay-per-view debut at King of the Ring, teaming with The Steiner Brothers to defeat Money Inc. and The Headshrinkers in an eight-man tag team match. At SummerSlam, the duo teamed with Tatanka to pick up a win against Bam Bam Bigelow and the Headshrinkers. On January 22, 1994, Gunn entered his first Royal Rumble match at the namesake event, but was eliminated by Diesel. In early 1995, the Gunns won their first Tag Team Championship by defeating the makeshift team of Bob Holly and 1-2-3 Kid. They held the title until WrestleMania XI, where they were defeated by the team of Owen Hart and Yokozuna. They won the titles again in September 1995. On February 15, 1996, the Gunns vacated the title because Billy was in need of neck surgery. After Billy returned from hiatus, The Smoking Gunns won the Tag Team Title for the third time by defeating The Godwinns in May. After the match, The Godwinns' manager Sunny turned on her team in favor of the Gunns. On September 22 at In Your House: Mind Games, the Gunns lost the Tag Team Title to Owen Hart and The British Bulldog. After the match, Sunny abandoned The Gunns, saying that she would only manage title holders. Billy, frustrated with losing both the championship and Sunny, walked out on Bart, breaking up The Smoking Gunns. Rockabilly, The New Age Outlaws and D-Generation X (1997–1998) After The Smoking Gunns disbanded, Gunn took some time off to nurse an injury. At WrestleMania 13, he defeated Flash Funk catching the attention of The Honky Tonk Man, who made Gunn his protégé. During this time, he adopted a new gimmick, Rockabilly, He would use this gimmick throughout much of 1997 and eventually had a short-lived feud with "The Real Double J" Jesse James. On the October 4, 1997 episode of Shotgun Saturday Night, James realized both of their careers were going nowhere and suggested that they become a tag team. Gunn agreed and smashed a guitar over the Honky Tonk Man's head to solidify their new alliance. James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team was dubbed the New Age Outlaws. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks and won the Tag Team Championship from the Legion of Doom on November 24. They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X. The Outlaws slowly began to align themselves with D-Generation X. At the Royal Rumble, the New Age Outlaws interfered in a Casket match to help Shawn Michaels defeat The Undertaker. At No Way Out Of Texas, the Outlaws teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated. On February 2, The Outlaws locked Cactus and Chainsaw in a dumpster and pushed it off the stage. This led to a Dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV where Cactus and Chainsaw defeated the Outlaws for the Tag Titles. The next night on Raw, the New Age Outlaws won the Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Chainsaw and Cactus in a Steel cage match, but only after interference from Triple H, Chyna, and X-Pac. After the match, the Outlaws officially became members of D-Generation X (DX). After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven. DX began to feud with Owen Hart and his new stablemates, The Nation. At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match. During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. At SummerSlam, Mankind faced the Outlaws in a Handicap match after Kane no-showed the title defense. The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time. In December, the Outlaws lost the title to The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock from The Corporation. Mr. Ass and reformation of the Outlaws and DX (1999–2000) The Outlaws then began to focus more on singles competition. The Road Dogg won the Hardcore Championship in December 1998, and Gunn set his sights on the Intercontinental Championship. At the 1999 Royal Rumble, Gunn unsuccessfully challenged Ken Shamrock for the Intercontinental Title. The next month at St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Gunn was the special guest referee for the Intercontinental Championship match between Val Venis and champion Ken Shamrock, where Gunn made a fast count and declared Venis the new champion before attacking both men. In March, Gunn won the Hardcore Championship from Hardcore Holly. At WrestleMania XV, Gunn lost the title to Holly in a Triple Threat match which also included Al Snow. The New Age Outlaws then reunited to defeat Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart at Backlash. After Backlash, Gunn left D-Generation X and aligned himself with Triple H and Chyna. Gunn defeated his former partner, Road Dogg, in a match at Over the Edge. Gunn then won the King of the Ring tournament by defeating Ken Shamrock, Kane, and his former ally, X-Pac. After King of the Ring, Gunn, Triple H, and Chyna went on to feud with X-Pac and Road Dogg over the rights to the D-Generation X name. This feud culminated at Fully Loaded when X-Pac and Road Dogg defeated Gunn and Chyna. Gunn then began a brief feud with The Rock. At SummerSlam, The Rock defeated Gunn in a Kiss My Ass Match. Following this, Gunn then briefly feuded with Jeff Jarrett for the Intercontinental Title before reuniting with Road Dogg to reform The New Age Outlaws. The Outlaws won their fourth tag team championship by defeating The Rock 'n' Sock Connection in September 1999. The Outlaws later reunited with X-Pac and Triple H to reform D-Generation X. During this time, The Outlaws won their fifth Tag Team Championship after defeating Mankind and Al Snow. At the 2000 Royal Rumble, The New Age Outlaws retained their title against The Acolytes after interference from X-Pac. The Outlaws then had a feud with The Dudley Boyz, who won the Tag Team Championship from The Outlaws at No Way Out. After suffering a torn rotator cuff in the match with The Dudley Boyz, Gunn was kicked out of D-Generation X for "losing his cool" to explain his impending absence to recover from his injury. The One (2000–2001) Gunn made his return in October and immediately teamed with Chyna to feud with Right to Censor, who wanted to "censor" his Mr. Ass gimmick. At No Mercy, Right to Censor members Steven Richards and Val Venis defeated Chyna and Gunn. Due to a stipulation, Gunn could no longer use the Mr. Ass gimmick, so he renamed himself Billy G. for a few weeks before settling on "The One" Billy Gunn. Gunn then feuded with Eddie Guerrero and the rest of The Radicalz. At Survivor Series, Gunn teamed with Road Dogg, Chyna, and K-Kwik in a losing effort against The Radicalz. A few weeks later on SmackDown!, Gunn won the Intercontinental Championship from Guerrero. However, the title reign was short-lived, as Chris Benoit defeated him for the title two weeks later at Armageddon. After feuding with Benoit, Gunn participated in the 2001 Royal Rumble where he made it to the final four, Gunn interfered in the Hardcore Championship Match at No Way Out, and taking advantage of the 24/7 Rule, pinning Raven for the title. The reign was short-lived, as Raven won it back a few minutes later. Billy and Chuck (2001–2002) In a 2001 match on Sunday Night Heat, Gunn was defeated by Chuck Palumbo, who recently left The Alliance to join the WWF. After the match, Gunn suggested that they form a tag team. Palumbo agreed, and Billy and Chuck quickly rose to the top of the tag team division. Initially they were a generic tandem, but they were given a gimmick where they grew increasingly affectionate toward each other, showing evidence of a storyline homosexual relationship. In February 2002, Billy and Chuck defeated Spike Dudley and Tazz to win the WWF Tag Team Championship for the first time as a team. After winning the titles, Billy and Chuck found a "Personal Stylist" in the ambiguously flamboyant Rico. After retaining the title against the Acolytes Protection Agency, the Dudley Boyz, and the Hardy Boyz in a Four Corners Elimination Match at WrestleMania X8 and against Al Snow and Maven at Backlash, Billy and Chuck began a feud with Rikishi. At Judgment Day, Rikishi and Rico (Rikishi's mystery partner of Mr. McMahon's choosing) defeated Billy and Chuck for the WWE Tag Team Championship after Rico accidentally hit Chuck with a roundhouse kick. Billy and Chuck quickly won the title back two weeks later on SmackDown! with Rico's help. They held the championship for almost a month before losing it to the team of Edge and Hollywood Hulk Hogan on the July 4 episode of SmackDown!. On the September 5 edition of SmackDown!, after Billy lost a match to Rey Mysterio, Chuck proposed to Billy, asking him to be his "partner for life" and gave him a wedding ring. Billy agreed, and one week later, on the September 12 episode of SmackDown!, Billy and Chuck had their wedding ceremony. However, just before they tied the knot, they revealed that the entire ordeal was a publicity stunt and disavowed their on-screen homosexuality, admitting that they were just friends. The "preacher" revealed himself to be Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff (who was wearing a skin mask), who then summoned 3-Minute Warning to beat up Billy and Chuck. Rico, furious that Billy and Chuck gave up their gimmick, became the manager of Three Minute Warning and defected to Raw. At Unforgiven, Three Minute Warning defeated Billy and Chuck. Their final match together occurred on the October 3 episode of SmackDown! in the first round of a tournament for the newly created WWE Tag Team Championship. They lost the match to the team of Ron Simmons and Reverend D-Von. Afterwards, Gunn took a few months off because of a shoulder injury and the team of Billy and Chuck quietly disbanded. SmackDown! and return to singles competition (2003–2004) After returning in the summer of 2003, Gunn reverted to the "Mr. Ass" gimmick, defeating A-Train, and Torrie Wilson became his new manager. He started a feud with Jamie Noble, which led to an "Indecent Proposal" Match at Vengeance, which Noble won and due to the match's stipulation, won a night with Torrie. After taking time off again due to a shoulder injury, Gunn returned to action at the 2004 Royal Rumble, but was eliminated by Goldberg. Afterward, he wrestled mainly on Velocity, forming an occasional tag team with Hardcore Holly. At Judgment Day, Gunn and Holly challenged Charlie Haas and Rico for the WWE Tag Team Championship, but were unsuccessful. At The Great American Bash, Gunn lost to Kenzo Suzuki. On November 1, 2004, Sopp was released from his WWE contract. In June 2005, Sopp gave an interview in which he was heavily critical of WWE and the events that led to his release. Many of the negative comments were directed towards Triple H, who Sopp claimed "runs the show up there". Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2005–2009) Planet Jarrett (2005) On February 13, 2005, Sopp debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) without a name (as Billy Gunn is a WWE trademark, although announcers recognized him as such) at Against All Odds with the same gimmick, helping Jeff Jarrett retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a match with Kevin Nash. Sopp, using the name The New Age Outlaw, then formed a stable with Jarrett and Monty Brown known as Planet Jarrett. However, WWE threatened TNA with legal action if Sopp continued the use of the name "The New Age Outlaw", so he shortened his name to The Outlaw. Due to the legal issues with WWE, all TNA -DVD releases featuring footage with Sopp as "The Outlaw" (and presumably also as "The New Age Outlaw") have had the name on on-screen graphics blurred, the name silenced out of the audio, and match commentary completely replaced to reflect a retroactive name change to "Kip James". One such DVD is the pay-per-view Lockdown, included in the "TNA Anthology: The Epic Set" box set, in which the silencing of the name during a segment where Dusty Rhodes picks his name from a lottery leaves DVD viewers in the dark as to who just got picked. The Outlaw began a campaign to make former ally B.G. James leave the 3Live Kru and defect to Planet Jarrett, reforming the old tag team with Outlaw. At No Surrender, he renamed himself Kip James and was announced as "wrestling out of Marietta, Georgia" (the family seat of the Armstrong family) as a psychological ploy. As a result of his campaign, Kip attracted the ire of 3Live Kru members Ron Killings and Konnan, leading to a series of tag team matches pitting Kip and Monty Brown against Killings and Konnan, with a conflicted James unwilling to take sides. Kip's efforts ultimately proved futile; James, the guest referee in a final match between Brown and Kip versus Konnan and Killings at Sacrifice, attacked Kip enabling a 3Live Kru victory. In September at Unbreakable, Kip teamed with Brown to defeat the team of Apolo and Lance Hoyt. There was clear tension between the partners because Brown was unhappy at the series of losses at the hands of the 3Live Kru, and Kip was irked by Brown's decision to leave Planet Jarrett. Despite the victory, the partners argued after the match. On the October 8, 2005 episode of Impact!, Kip rekindled his feud with the 3Live Kru, running to the ring after a bout between the 3LK and Team Canada in order to prevent Team Canada captain Petey Williams from beating down B.G. James. He saved James, and then engaged in a staredown with Konnan and Killings. Kip saved James from Team Canada once again at Bound for Glory. Though Killings showed signs of gratitude, Konnan remained skeptical as to his true intentions. Later that night, Kip took part in an over-the-top-rope gauntlet match for the number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. After he was eliminated, he tried in vain to prevent Killings from being eliminated as well, before being sent away from ringside by the referees. The James Gang/Voodoo Kin Mafia (2005–2008) On the November 26 episode of Impact!, B.G. brought Kip and the 3Live Kru to ringside and asked Killings and Konnan whether Kip could join the stable. Following a heated argument between Konnan and B.G., both Killings and Konnan gave their approval, and the 4Live Kru was born. However, at Turning Point, Konnan attacked both B.G. and Kip, costing them their match against Team Canada and initiating a feud between himself and the remainder of the Kru. Shortly thereafter, B.G. James's father, Bob Armstrong, attempted to reconcile the group, but was instead attacked by Konnan and his new stablemates, Apolo and Homicide. Killings later stated that he had severed his ties with the Kru. With Konnan and Killings no longer members of the Kru, Kip and B.G. began referring to themselves as The James Gang and continued to feud with the Konnan-managed Latin American Exchange, whose third man position as Homicide's partner would switch from Apolo to Machete, and then from him to Hernandez, who finally stuck, during the course of this feud. At Final Resolution, The James Gang defeated The Diamonds in the Rough (David Young and Elix Skipper). At Against All Odds, The James Gang defeated LAX (Homicide and Machete). At Destination X, The James Gang and Bob Armstrong defeated Latin American Exchange in a six-man tag team match. At Sacrifice, The James Gang defeated Team 3D which led to a rematch at Slammiversary where Team 3D defeated The James Gang in a Bingo Hall Brawl. At Victory Road, The James Gang and Abyss defeated Team 3D and their newest member Brother Runt. At No Surrender, The James Gang competed in a Triple Chance tag team battle royal but failed to win the match. At Bound for Glory, The James Gang competed in a Four-way tag team match which was won by Team 3D. By November 2006, Kip and B.G. began to show displeasure in TNA and threatened to go find work elsewhere if they did not receive gold soon. They began performing the crotch chop, a reference to the WWE's DX. On the November 2 edition of Impact!, Kip and B.G. threatened to quit. Kip grabbed the mic and tried to say something to the TNA administration and Spike TV, but each time his mic was cut off. Kip then tried to use the announcer's headset, but it was cut off as well. Frustrated, he started yelling loudly to the crowd, but he was cut off again as the show went to a commercial break. When the show returned, the announcers speculated that they may have been frustrated due to the influx of new talent entering TNA. It was reported that the segment was a worked shoot that Vince Russo had written in order to renew interest upon their eventual return. Kip and BG appeared in an internet video on TNA's website where they addressed the owner of WWE Vince McMahon. A few weeks later on Impact!, The James Gang re-emerged under a new name Voodoo Kin Mafia (VKM for short, a play on Vincent Kennedy McMahon's initials). They mentioned their new right of 'creative control', meaning they could do whatever they wanted. They also declared 'war' on Paul Levesque, Michael Hickenbottom, and Vincent K. McMahon (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Vince McMahon, respectively). Kip then declared that 'Triple Hollywood' and 'Shawn Kiss-my-bottom' were failing as the group they (Kip and BG) used to be a part of: D-Generation X. After the initial shock value of this incident wore off, at Genesis, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated Kazarian, Maverick Matt and Johnny Devine in a handicap match. VKM began a feud with the villainous Christy Hemme. Hemme then searched for a tag team to square-off against VKM. At Destination X, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated Hemme's handpicked team of The Heartbreakers (Antonio Thomas & Romeo Roselli). On the Lockdown preshow The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated another one of Hemme's handpicked team Serotonin (Kaz & Havok) in a Six Sides of Steel match. The final tag team was Damaja and Basham, who appeared on an episode of Impact! and beat down VKM. They also held up Kip James so Hemme could slap him. B.G James was taken out by Basham and Damaja which led to Kip James competed against Basham and Damaja in a handicap match at Sacrifice where he lost. However, they beat Hemme's team at Slammiversary. After the match, VKM were betrayed by their associate Lance Hoyt. At Victory Road, they introduced their new manager, the Voodoo Queen, Roxxi Laveaux, to embarrass Christy Hemme. At Hard Justice, The Voodoo Kin Mafia lost to The Latin American Exchange. At No Surrender, The Voodoo Kin Mafia competed in a Ten-team tag team gauntlet match which was won by A.J. Styles and Tomko. At Bound for Glory, Kip James competed in the Fight for the Right Reverse Battle Royal which was won by Eric Young. On the October 25 edition of Impact!, VKM teamed with A.J. Styles and Tomko in a losing effort to the Latin American Xchange and the Steiner Brothers. At Genesis, B.G. was present along with Kip in the corner of Roxxi Laveaux at ringside for the Fatal Four Way knockout match for the TNA Women's Championship in which Gail Kim retained the title. At Turning Point, James competed in the Feast or Fired where he grabbed a case but threw it to BG James. It was revealed that the case was for a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship and BG James picked his dad to be his partner at Against All Odds, James and Bob Armstrong failed to win the titles and on February 21, 2008 episode of Impact! he turned on B.G. and B.G's father "Bullet" Bob Armstrong by hitting them both with a crutch. The Beautiful People (2008–2009) On April 13, 2008, he faced former partner B.G. James at Lockdown and lost. After the match, he appeared to want to make amends as he raised B.G.'s hand after the match, only to clothesline him down to the mat and taunt him with a DX crotch chop. Kip went on to declare himself "The Megastar", an arrogant gimmick similar to "The One" gimmick from his WWF tenure. Kip later stopped making appearances on Impact! until April 24 when he was attacked backstage by Matt Morgan for no reason. The next week on Impact!, Kip got back at Morgan by attacking him backstage in Jim Cornette's office. On May 8, 2008, Cornette forced Morgan into being Kip's tag team partner for the Deuces Wild tournament at Sacrifice, though both were unable to win. Kip went on another brief disappearance from television until the June 5 edition of Impact!, where he partnered with Lance Hoyt and James Storm in a losing effort against Morgan and The Latin American Xchange. On the August 14 episode of Impact!, Kip was revealed to be the new image consultant and member of The Beautiful People, dubbed Cute Kip and was using his Mr.Ass Attire, after they brought him out during their interview on Karen Angle's show Karen's Angle. at Bound for Glory IV, Kip, Love and Sky lost to Rhino, ODB and Rhaka Khan in a Bimbo Brawl. at Final Resolution (December 2008), Kip competed in the Feast or Fired match but failed to get a case. At Genesis 2009, Kip became the one-night-only replacement for the injured Kevin Nash in the Main Event Mafia. As of March 19, 2009, Sopp was taken off of TNA Impact! along with Jacqueline Moore to become road agents. Sopp returned as Cute Kip and lost to Awesome Kong in an intergender stretcher match on May 14, 2009. On the May 28 edition of Impact!, Kip was fired by The Beautiful People. On the June 18 edition of Impact!, Mick Foley hired him as his handyman, turning Kip into a face. he made another appearance on the August 6 edition of Impact where Kip had to clean up the IMPACT Zone after a chaotic fifteen minute "riot". On October 9 edition of Xplosion, Kip was defeated by Rhino. On October 30 edition of Xplosion, Kip defeated Sheik Abdul Bashir. on the November 13 edition of Xplosion, Kip lost to Rob Terry and on December 3, 2009 edition of Xplosion, Kip competed in his final TNA match where he lost to Kiyoshi. Sopp's profile was removed from the TNA website on December 29, 2009, confirming his departure from the promotion. Independent circuit (2009–2012) After leaving TNA, Sopp reunited with B.G. James to reform The New Age Outlaws, with both men resuming their Billy Gunn and Road Dogg ring names. After joining TWA Powerhouse in 2010, the Outlaws defeated Canadian Extreme to win the promotion's Tag Team Championship on July 25. They re-lost the title to Canadian Extreme on June 5, 2011. On July 30, 2011, Sopp, working under the ring name Kip Gunn, made his debut for Lucha Libre USA as a member of the heel stable The Right. Later that night, Gunn lost in his debut match against Marco Corleone. On June 26, 2012, Sopp won the American Pro Wrestling Alliance American Championship. However, he lost the title due to travel issues. On September 8 and 9, 2012, he wrestled in a Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation tournament. He defeated Rhino in the semi-finals and Scott Steiner in the final, winning the BBWF Aruba Championship. Return to WWE (2012–2015) On July 23, Sopp, under his Billy Gunn name, made his first WWE appearance in nearly eight years as he reunited with Road Dogg, X-Pac, Shawn Michaels and Triple H to reform D-Generation X for one night only on the 1000th episode of Raw. In December 2012, he was hired by WWE as a trainer for the NXT Wrestling territory in Tampa, Florida. On March 4, 2013, Gunn and Road Dogg made a return at Old School Raw, defeating Primo and Epico. On March 11, 2013, they accepted a challenge from Team Rhodes Scholars and faced them in a match, which was interrupted by Brock Lesnar, who hit both Outlaws with an F-5 as part of his ongoing feud with Triple H. He then appeared alongside Road Dogg to help CM Punk clear out The Shield in aid of Roddy Piper on Old School Raw on January 6, 2014. On the January 10 episode of SmackDown, the Outlaws teamed with CM Punk in a six-man tag match against The Shield in a losing effort. On the January 13 episode of Raw, the Outlaws again teamed with Punk in a rematch against The Shield, only to abandon Punk and lose the match. On January 26 during the Royal Rumble Kickoff Show, Gunn and Road Dogg beat Cody Rhodes and Goldust to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. The next night on Raw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust via disqualification when Brock Lesnar attacked the brothers. The next week on Raw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust in a steel cage match. On March 3, the Outlaws lost the Tag Team Championship to The Usos. Gunn sustained hemoptysis after he and his New Age Outlaws partner, Road Dogg, suffered a double-Triple Powerbomb by The Shield at WrestleMania XXX. Gunn returned to Raw with Road Dogg in January 2015, attacking The Ascension along with the nWo and the APA. At the Royal Rumble, the Outlaws faced The Ascension in a losing effort. At WrestleMania 31, Gunn, with Road Dogg, X-Pac and Shawn Michaels, reunited as D-Generation X to help Triple H in his match against Sting. In May, Gunn was announced as a coach along with WWE Hall of Famers Booker T and Lita for the sixth season of Tough Enough. On November 13, 2015, WWE officially announced that Sopp was released from his WWE contract after failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs. He had tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone at a powerlifting event on July 25, 2015, and was suspended from powerlifting for four years. Independent circuit (2015–2020) On December 26, 2015, Gunn teamed up with Kevin Thorn to defeat Brian Klass and Rob Street. One month later, Gunn defeated Ken Dixon for the MCW Pro Wrestling MCW Rage Television Championship. On February 5, 2016, Gunn defeated Joey Hayes in the Preston City Wrestling PCW Road to Glory tournament, on February 6 he lost to T-Bone in the quarter-finals that same night Gunn teamed up with Mr. Anderson and Tajiri to defeat Dave Raynes, Joey Hayes, and Martin Kirby. On February 7, 2016 Gunn challenged for the Pro Wrestling Pride Heavyweight championship losing to Steve Griffiths. On March 19, 2016, Gunn lost the title to Ken Dixon. On June 12, 2016, Gunn won the Smashmouth Pro Wrestling championship from KC Huber but lost it on the same night, Gunn teamed again with Anderson in a losing effort against the UK Hooligans at PCW Tribute to the Troops on June 25, 2016. He defeated Hardcore Holly in a singles match at PCW Top Gunn on July 2, 2016. On September 4, 2016, Gunn made his debut for Chikara, representing DX alongside X-Pac in a tag team gauntlet match. The two entered the match as the final team and scored the win over Prakash Sabar and The Proletariat Boar of Moldova. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2016–2017) On November 5, 2016, at the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) event Power Struggle, Yoshitatsu announced Gunn as the newest member of his Hunter Club stable and his partner for the upcoming 2016 World Tag League. Gunn and Yoshitatsu finished the tournament on December 8 with a record of three wins and four losses, failing to advance from their block. Gunn returned to NJPW on January 4, 2017, taking part in the pre-show New Japan Rumble at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome, from which he was eliminated by the eventual winner Michael Elgin. While Gunn did not appear for NJPW for the next six months, he was brought up in May by Yoshitatsu, who told Hiroshi Tanahashi that Gunn had requested a match against him. When Tanahashi captured the IWGP Intercontinental Championship the following month, he immediately nominated Gunn as his first challenger. Gunn was defeated in the title match on July 2 at G1 Special in USA, and it was his final match in NJPW. WWE appearances (2018–2019) Gunn and numerous other WWE legends appeared on the January 22, 2018 episode of Raw 25 Years as part of the D-Generation X reunion. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019 as a member of D-Generation X. All Elite Wrestling (2019–present) In January 2019, Gunn was hired by All Elite Wrestling as a coach. At May 25 at the AEW Double or Nothing event he competed in the pre-show battle royal. Gunn made his first televised appearance for AEW on the November 20, 2019 episode of AEW Dynamite, competing in a battle royal. He also appeared during the January 1, 2020 episode of Dynamite, wrestling in a dark match with his son Austin that aired on January 7, 2020. They wrestled again together on another dark match during the January 8, 2020 episode of Dynamite, airing on January 17, 2020, with the tag team name "The Gunn Club", defeating the team of Peter Avalon and Shawn Spears. Gunn has also appeared in the crowd (made up of AEW wrestlers and other employees) on numerous episodes of Dynamite during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the May 27, 2020 episode of Dynamite, Gunn now under the shortened ring name of Billy participated in a battle royal match to determine the number one contender for the TNT Championship. He also would wrestle MJF in a singles match on the June 17, 2020 episode of Dynamite as well. The Gunn Club would wrestle in more tag team matches on more episodes of AEW Dark. On the November 4, 2020 episode of Dynamite, The Gunn Club teamed with Cody Rhodes to successfully defeat The Dark Order (John Silver, 10 and Colt Cabana). On the November 17, 2020 episode of Dark, The Gunn Club, which now added Austin's brother and Gunn's other son Colten to the stable, defeated Bshp King, Joey O'Riley and Sean Maluta by pinfall in a six-man tag team match. On the same day the AEW website's roster page got updated and his name was once again changed to its long form, Billy Gunn. The three man Gunn Club would then defeat Cezar Bononi, KTB, and Seth Gargis in another six man tag team match on the November 24, 2020 episode of Dark. On the December 8, 2020 episode of Dark The three man Gunn Club-which entered the ring on a golf cart with the words "Taz Taxi" on the side, defeated Shawn Dean, Sean Maluta & RYZIN. On the December 1, 2021 episode of Dynamite, The Gunn Club stable's undefeated streak in AEW ended when Billy and Colten Gunn lost to the team of Sting and Darby Allin. Professional wrestling style, persona and reception Gunn has had several gimmicks throughout his career, ranging from his cowboy-themed gimmick with the Smoking Gunns to his The Ambiguously Gay Duo-esque tag team with Chuck Palumbo. Gunn has stated on multiple shoot interviews that he has no regrets with his gimmicks as he was performing a job and doing what was asked of him to do. By far, Gunn's most infamous gimmick was his "Mr. Ass" persona based around his ass. The gimmick started during his New Age Outlaws days when Road Dogg would refer to themselves as "Mr. Dogg" and "Mr. Ass" in promos, though the "Bad Ass" name wasn't referring to his backside at that time. What was originally a throwaway joke turned into Gunn mooning his opponents and the live crowd, though as the original incarnation of DX also did this, it could originally be argued that it was an extension of the Outlaws joining DX. Upon leaving DX, Gunn fully embraced the "Mr. Ass" gimmick by placing emphasis on his "moneymaker". While Road Dogg kept the New Age Outlaws entrance music for his own, Gunn adopted the song "Ass Man" as part of the gimmick, and for a time even changed his ring tights to be see-through, wearing only a thong underneath his tights, although he would eventually revert back to the DX-era tights. The "Mr. Ass" gimmick has mixed reviews. One web site ranked it near the middle of Gunn's various gimmicks, while a writer for Bleacher Report thought it was the worst gimmick ever even though Gunn was at his peak popularity with the persona. Gunn himself told Chris Van Vliet in 2021 that he never paid attention to the "Ass Man" lyrics until a college professor broke down each expression. Due to the enduring legacy of the "Mr. Ass" gimmick, in November 2021 Ring of Honor wrestler Danhausen began a Twitter feud with the Gunn Club, referring to Billy as "Billy Ass," and Colten and Austin as The "Ass Boys," in reference to Gunn's infamous "Mr. Ass" gimmick in the Attitude Era. While Gunn himself initially had no comment, the rest of Gunn Club despised the nickname after fans began chanting "Ass Boys" during their matches, notably during an AEW event at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. Gunn finally commented when he surprised his sons by wearing an "Ass Boys" shirt, encouraging them to "embrace the assness" and even started teasing mooning the crowd again. Gunn also thanked Danhausen publicly for getting his sons over in a way that he couldn't. Other media Filmography Video Games WWF Attitude WWF WrestleMania 2000 WWF SmackDown! WWF No Mercy WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role WWF Road To WrestleMania WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It WWF Raw WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth WWE Raw 2 WWE '13 WWE 2K16 WWE 2K17 Personal life Sopp was born on November 1, 1963 in Orlando, Florida and claims Austin, Texas as his hometown. In November 1990, Sopp was arrested in Florida for disorderly conduct. Sopp married his first wife Tina Tinnell on March 3, 1990. Together, they have two sons: Colten (born May 18, 1991) and Austin (born August 26, 1994) who are also professional wrestlers. The couple separated in January 2000 and their divorce was finalized on December 11, 2002. Sopp has since married his long-time girlfriend Paula on January 24, 2009. Sopp's sons Austin and Colten, better known by the ring names Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn, are currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where alongside their father they form a stable known as "Gunn Club". Sopp attended Sam Houston State University. Championships and accomplishments American Pro Wrestling Alliance APWA American Championship (1 time) Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation BBFW Aruba Championship (1 time) BBFW Aruba Championship Tournament (2012) International Wrestling Federation IWF Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Brett Colt Freedom Pro Wrestling FPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Road Dogg Maryland Championship Wrestling MCW Rage Television Championship (1 time) MCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with B.G. James Pro Wrestling Illustrated Tag Team of the Year (1998) with Road Dogg Tag Team of the Year (2002) with Chuck Ranked #39 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1999 Ranked #231 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003 Ranked #43 of the top 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Road Dogg in 2003 SmashMouth Pro Wrestling SPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) TWA Powerhouse TWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with B.G. James Vanguard Championship Wrestling VCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) World Pro Wrestling WPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) Wrestling Observer Newsletter Worst Worked Match of the Year (2006) TNA Reverse Battle Royal on TNA Impact! WWE/World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment WWF Hardcore Championship (2 times) WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time) WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Road Dogg WWF World Tag Team Championship (10 times) – with Bart Gunn (3), Road Dogg (5) and Chuck (2) King of the Ring (1999) Raw Bowl – with Bart Gunn WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2019) - as a member of D-Generation X References External links 1963 births All Elite Wrestling personnel American male professional wrestlers American powerlifters Bull riders D-Generation X members Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan LGBT characters in professional wrestling Living people Professional wrestlers from Florida Professional wrestling trainers Sam Houston State University alumni Sportspeople from Orlando, Florida The Authority (professional wrestling) members WWE Hall of Fame inductees WWF/WWE Hardcore Champions WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions WWF/WWE King Crown's Champions/King of the Ring winners American expatriate sportspeople in Japan
true
[ "The NXT Women's Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling women's tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, defended on their NXT brand division. The current champions are Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne), who are in their first reign.\n\nThe championship was established on the March 10, 2021, episode of NXT. The team of Dakota Kai and Raquel González were crowned the inaugural champions due to winning the first-ever Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, after the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship match they had originally received for their win ended in a controversial finish. At the time the title was introduced, NXT was regarded as WWE's \"third brand\"; however, in September that same year, NXT was rebranded and reverted to its original function as WWE's developmental territory.\n\nHistory\nIn December 2018, the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship was established as the sole women's tag team championship for WWE, shared across the Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brands. On the March 3, 2021 episode of NXT, Dakota Kai and Raquel González, who had earned a title opportunity for winning the first-ever Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, faced WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler (whose home brand was Raw). After the referee had been knocked out during the match, WWE official Adam Pearce, who officiates for Raw and SmackDown, sent down a second referee to declare Kai had submitted to Baszler, although Kai was not the legal woman. This led to a backstage argument between Pearce and NXT General Manager William Regal.\n\nThe following week on the March 10 episode, Regal introduced the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship to not have to deal with Raw and SmackDown's politics any longer. Kai and González have named the inaugural champions due to their Women's Dusty Classic win. Their reign would not last long, however, as that same night, they defended the titles against the runner ups of the tournament, Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart, who defeated Kai and González to win the championship.\n\nBelt design\nThe belt design of the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship is nearly identical to the men's NXT Tag Team Championship, with a few exceptions. The straps are smaller for the women and they are white instead of black. Above the vertical NXT logo on the center plate says \"Women's Tag Team\" instead of just \"Tag Team.\" For the customizable side plates, the default side plates have the vertical NXT logo instead of the WWE logo, which makes it only one of two NXT championships to have the NXT logo instead of the WWE logo for the default side plates, the other being the NXT North American Championship. The WWE logo is also missing from the very center of the NXT logo on the center plate.\n\nReigns\n\nAs of , , there have been five reigns between five teams composed of 10 individual champions. The inaugural championship team was Dakota Kai and Raquel González. Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne) have the longest reign at + days, while the team of Kai and González have the shortest reign at 56 minutes (being named as first champions then losing the title later the same night). Candice LeRae is the oldest champion at 35 years old, while Gigi Dolin is the youngest, winning the title at 24.\n\nThe current champions are Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne), who are in their first reign, both as a team and individually. They defeated previous champions Io Shirai and Zoey Stark and the team of Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta in a Three-way Scareway to Hell Ladder match at the special Halloween Havoc episode of NXT 2.0 on October 26, 2021, in Orlando, Florida\n\nSee also\n Tag team championships in WWE\n Women's championships in WWE\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\n Official NXT Women's Tag Team Championship Title History\n\nWWE NXT championships\nWWE women's championships\nWomen's professional wrestling tag team championships", "The NWA World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team championship contested in various National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) affiliates. The NWA did not officially recognize any tag team champions until 1992 while various affiliates had previously had their own Tag Team championships.\n\nTitle history\n\nCombined reigns\nAs of , . \n\nKey\n\nBy team\n\nBy wrestler\n\nSee also\nNWA World Tag Team Championship\nNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA)\nJim Crockett Promotions\nImpact Wrestling\n\nReferences\n\nExternal links\nOfficial NWA World Tag Team Title History\nWrestling-Titles.com - NWA World Tag Team Title History\n\nNational Wrestling Alliance championships\nProfessional wrestling tag team champion lists\nImpact Wrestling champions lists" ]
[ "Billy Gunn", "The New Age Outlaws and D-Generation X (1997-1998)", "What were The New Age Outlaws?", "James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as \"Road Dogg\" Jesse James and \"Badd Ass\" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team formed was soon dubbed the New Age Outlaws.", "What was the D generation X?", "They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X.", "How strong were Jesse and Billy?", "This new team was in the spirit of the new Attitude Era: brash, vulgar, egotistical, and loud-mouthed. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks", "Did they ever lose?", "teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated.", "Any other losses?", "During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. Although Kane and Mankind won the Tag Team Championship, they could not get along.", "Did they ever win any tag team championships?", "After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven." ]
C_2e21de52a27844ff90c7b071600d3ed6_1
Who did they lose the title to?
7
Who did Jesse James and Billy Gunn lose the Tag Team title to?
Billy Gunn
After The Smoking Gunns disbanded, Gunn took some time off to nurse an injury. At WrestleMania 13, he defeated Flash Funk catching the attention of The Honky Tonk Man, who made Gunn his protege. During this time, he adopted a new gimmick, Rockabilly, and had a short-lived feud with "The Real Double J" Jesse James. On Shotgun Saturday Night, James realized both of their careers were going nowhere and suggested that they became a tag team. Gunn agreed and smashed a guitar over the Honky Tonk Man's head to solidify their new alliance. James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team formed was soon dubbed the New Age Outlaws. This new team was in the spirit of the new Attitude Era: brash, vulgar, egotistical, and loud-mouthed. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks and won the Tag Team Championship from the Legion of Doom on November 24. They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X. The Outlaws slowly began to align themselves with D-Generation X, who were impressed with their new attitude. At the Royal Rumble, the New Age Outlaws interfered in a Casket match to help Shawn Michaels defeat The Undertaker. At No Way Out Of Texas, the Outlaws teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated. On February 2, The Outlaws locked Cactus and Chainsaw in a dumpster and pushed it off the stage. This led to a Dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV where Cactus and Chainsaw defeated the Outlaws for the Tag Titles. The next night on Raw, the New Age Outlaws won the Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Chainsaw and Cactus in a Steel cage match, but only after interference from Triple H, Chyna, and X-Pac. After the match, the Outlaws officially became members of D-Generation X (DX). Upon becoming an official member of DX, Gunn gained a tendency of mooning opponents (a trait used by the original incarnation of DX, as well as its 2006 revival), a precursor to the later "Mr. Ass" gimmick. After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven. DX began to feud with Owen Hart, and his new stablemates, The Nation. At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match. The Outlaws would also successfully defend their title against The New Midnight Express (Bombastic Bob and Bodacious Bart) at King of the Ring. During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. Although Kane and Mankind won the Tag Team Championship, they could not get along. At SummerSlam, Mankind faced the Outlaws in a Handicap match after Kane no-showed the title defense. The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time. The Outlaws then helped X-Pac in his feud with Jeff Jarrett and Southern Justice. In December, the Outlaws lost the title to The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock from The Corporation. CANNOTANSWER
At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match.
Monty "Kip" Sopp (born November 1, 1963), better known by his ring name Billy Gunn, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and coach. Gunn is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) from 1993 to 2004 and from 2012 to 2015. He also served as a coach on WWE's Tough Enough and was a trainer in NXT. He is also known for his appearances with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2005 to 2009. Primarily a tag team wrestler, Gunn is an overall 13-time tag team champion in WWE with three different partners (with Bart Gunn as The Smoking Gunns, with Road Dogg as The New Age Outlaws, and with Chuck Palumbo as Billy and Chuck). He is also a one time WWF Intercontinental Champion and a two time WWF Hardcore Champion, giving him 14 total championships in WWE. He is the 1999 King of the Ring tournament winner, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 as a member of D-Generation X. Professional wrestling career Early career (1985–1993) After a stint as a professional bull rider in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Sopp left the profession in his early-20s in order to pursue a career as a professional wrestler. Trained by Jerry Grey, Sopp wrestled on the independent circuit for eight years (including a brief stint as enhancement talent for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) before signing a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1993. World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1993–2004) The Smoking Gunns (1993–1996) After weeks of vignettes, Sopp, under the name Billy Gunn, made his WWF debut on the May 17, 1993 episode of Raw, teaming with his on-screen brother, Bart Gunn to defeat Tony Vadja and Glenn Ruth. The duo, now known as The Smoking Gunns, made their pay-per-view debut at King of the Ring, teaming with The Steiner Brothers to defeat Money Inc. and The Headshrinkers in an eight-man tag team match. At SummerSlam, the duo teamed with Tatanka to pick up a win against Bam Bam Bigelow and the Headshrinkers. On January 22, 1994, Gunn entered his first Royal Rumble match at the namesake event, but was eliminated by Diesel. In early 1995, the Gunns won their first Tag Team Championship by defeating the makeshift team of Bob Holly and 1-2-3 Kid. They held the title until WrestleMania XI, where they were defeated by the team of Owen Hart and Yokozuna. They won the titles again in September 1995. On February 15, 1996, the Gunns vacated the title because Billy was in need of neck surgery. After Billy returned from hiatus, The Smoking Gunns won the Tag Team Title for the third time by defeating The Godwinns in May. After the match, The Godwinns' manager Sunny turned on her team in favor of the Gunns. On September 22 at In Your House: Mind Games, the Gunns lost the Tag Team Title to Owen Hart and The British Bulldog. After the match, Sunny abandoned The Gunns, saying that she would only manage title holders. Billy, frustrated with losing both the championship and Sunny, walked out on Bart, breaking up The Smoking Gunns. Rockabilly, The New Age Outlaws and D-Generation X (1997–1998) After The Smoking Gunns disbanded, Gunn took some time off to nurse an injury. At WrestleMania 13, he defeated Flash Funk catching the attention of The Honky Tonk Man, who made Gunn his protégé. During this time, he adopted a new gimmick, Rockabilly, He would use this gimmick throughout much of 1997 and eventually had a short-lived feud with "The Real Double J" Jesse James. On the October 4, 1997 episode of Shotgun Saturday Night, James realized both of their careers were going nowhere and suggested that they become a tag team. Gunn agreed and smashed a guitar over the Honky Tonk Man's head to solidify their new alliance. James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team was dubbed the New Age Outlaws. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks and won the Tag Team Championship from the Legion of Doom on November 24. They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X. The Outlaws slowly began to align themselves with D-Generation X. At the Royal Rumble, the New Age Outlaws interfered in a Casket match to help Shawn Michaels defeat The Undertaker. At No Way Out Of Texas, the Outlaws teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated. On February 2, The Outlaws locked Cactus and Chainsaw in a dumpster and pushed it off the stage. This led to a Dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV where Cactus and Chainsaw defeated the Outlaws for the Tag Titles. The next night on Raw, the New Age Outlaws won the Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Chainsaw and Cactus in a Steel cage match, but only after interference from Triple H, Chyna, and X-Pac. After the match, the Outlaws officially became members of D-Generation X (DX). After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven. DX began to feud with Owen Hart and his new stablemates, The Nation. At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match. During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. At SummerSlam, Mankind faced the Outlaws in a Handicap match after Kane no-showed the title defense. The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time. In December, the Outlaws lost the title to The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock from The Corporation. Mr. Ass and reformation of the Outlaws and DX (1999–2000) The Outlaws then began to focus more on singles competition. The Road Dogg won the Hardcore Championship in December 1998, and Gunn set his sights on the Intercontinental Championship. At the 1999 Royal Rumble, Gunn unsuccessfully challenged Ken Shamrock for the Intercontinental Title. The next month at St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Gunn was the special guest referee for the Intercontinental Championship match between Val Venis and champion Ken Shamrock, where Gunn made a fast count and declared Venis the new champion before attacking both men. In March, Gunn won the Hardcore Championship from Hardcore Holly. At WrestleMania XV, Gunn lost the title to Holly in a Triple Threat match which also included Al Snow. The New Age Outlaws then reunited to defeat Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart at Backlash. After Backlash, Gunn left D-Generation X and aligned himself with Triple H and Chyna. Gunn defeated his former partner, Road Dogg, in a match at Over the Edge. Gunn then won the King of the Ring tournament by defeating Ken Shamrock, Kane, and his former ally, X-Pac. After King of the Ring, Gunn, Triple H, and Chyna went on to feud with X-Pac and Road Dogg over the rights to the D-Generation X name. This feud culminated at Fully Loaded when X-Pac and Road Dogg defeated Gunn and Chyna. Gunn then began a brief feud with The Rock. At SummerSlam, The Rock defeated Gunn in a Kiss My Ass Match. Following this, Gunn then briefly feuded with Jeff Jarrett for the Intercontinental Title before reuniting with Road Dogg to reform The New Age Outlaws. The Outlaws won their fourth tag team championship by defeating The Rock 'n' Sock Connection in September 1999. The Outlaws later reunited with X-Pac and Triple H to reform D-Generation X. During this time, The Outlaws won their fifth Tag Team Championship after defeating Mankind and Al Snow. At the 2000 Royal Rumble, The New Age Outlaws retained their title against The Acolytes after interference from X-Pac. The Outlaws then had a feud with The Dudley Boyz, who won the Tag Team Championship from The Outlaws at No Way Out. After suffering a torn rotator cuff in the match with The Dudley Boyz, Gunn was kicked out of D-Generation X for "losing his cool" to explain his impending absence to recover from his injury. The One (2000–2001) Gunn made his return in October and immediately teamed with Chyna to feud with Right to Censor, who wanted to "censor" his Mr. Ass gimmick. At No Mercy, Right to Censor members Steven Richards and Val Venis defeated Chyna and Gunn. Due to a stipulation, Gunn could no longer use the Mr. Ass gimmick, so he renamed himself Billy G. for a few weeks before settling on "The One" Billy Gunn. Gunn then feuded with Eddie Guerrero and the rest of The Radicalz. At Survivor Series, Gunn teamed with Road Dogg, Chyna, and K-Kwik in a losing effort against The Radicalz. A few weeks later on SmackDown!, Gunn won the Intercontinental Championship from Guerrero. However, the title reign was short-lived, as Chris Benoit defeated him for the title two weeks later at Armageddon. After feuding with Benoit, Gunn participated in the 2001 Royal Rumble where he made it to the final four, Gunn interfered in the Hardcore Championship Match at No Way Out, and taking advantage of the 24/7 Rule, pinning Raven for the title. The reign was short-lived, as Raven won it back a few minutes later. Billy and Chuck (2001–2002) In a 2001 match on Sunday Night Heat, Gunn was defeated by Chuck Palumbo, who recently left The Alliance to join the WWF. After the match, Gunn suggested that they form a tag team. Palumbo agreed, and Billy and Chuck quickly rose to the top of the tag team division. Initially they were a generic tandem, but they were given a gimmick where they grew increasingly affectionate toward each other, showing evidence of a storyline homosexual relationship. In February 2002, Billy and Chuck defeated Spike Dudley and Tazz to win the WWF Tag Team Championship for the first time as a team. After winning the titles, Billy and Chuck found a "Personal Stylist" in the ambiguously flamboyant Rico. After retaining the title against the Acolytes Protection Agency, the Dudley Boyz, and the Hardy Boyz in a Four Corners Elimination Match at WrestleMania X8 and against Al Snow and Maven at Backlash, Billy and Chuck began a feud with Rikishi. At Judgment Day, Rikishi and Rico (Rikishi's mystery partner of Mr. McMahon's choosing) defeated Billy and Chuck for the WWE Tag Team Championship after Rico accidentally hit Chuck with a roundhouse kick. Billy and Chuck quickly won the title back two weeks later on SmackDown! with Rico's help. They held the championship for almost a month before losing it to the team of Edge and Hollywood Hulk Hogan on the July 4 episode of SmackDown!. On the September 5 edition of SmackDown!, after Billy lost a match to Rey Mysterio, Chuck proposed to Billy, asking him to be his "partner for life" and gave him a wedding ring. Billy agreed, and one week later, on the September 12 episode of SmackDown!, Billy and Chuck had their wedding ceremony. However, just before they tied the knot, they revealed that the entire ordeal was a publicity stunt and disavowed their on-screen homosexuality, admitting that they were just friends. The "preacher" revealed himself to be Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff (who was wearing a skin mask), who then summoned 3-Minute Warning to beat up Billy and Chuck. Rico, furious that Billy and Chuck gave up their gimmick, became the manager of Three Minute Warning and defected to Raw. At Unforgiven, Three Minute Warning defeated Billy and Chuck. Their final match together occurred on the October 3 episode of SmackDown! in the first round of a tournament for the newly created WWE Tag Team Championship. They lost the match to the team of Ron Simmons and Reverend D-Von. Afterwards, Gunn took a few months off because of a shoulder injury and the team of Billy and Chuck quietly disbanded. SmackDown! and return to singles competition (2003–2004) After returning in the summer of 2003, Gunn reverted to the "Mr. Ass" gimmick, defeating A-Train, and Torrie Wilson became his new manager. He started a feud with Jamie Noble, which led to an "Indecent Proposal" Match at Vengeance, which Noble won and due to the match's stipulation, won a night with Torrie. After taking time off again due to a shoulder injury, Gunn returned to action at the 2004 Royal Rumble, but was eliminated by Goldberg. Afterward, he wrestled mainly on Velocity, forming an occasional tag team with Hardcore Holly. At Judgment Day, Gunn and Holly challenged Charlie Haas and Rico for the WWE Tag Team Championship, but were unsuccessful. At The Great American Bash, Gunn lost to Kenzo Suzuki. On November 1, 2004, Sopp was released from his WWE contract. In June 2005, Sopp gave an interview in which he was heavily critical of WWE and the events that led to his release. Many of the negative comments were directed towards Triple H, who Sopp claimed "runs the show up there". Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2005–2009) Planet Jarrett (2005) On February 13, 2005, Sopp debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) without a name (as Billy Gunn is a WWE trademark, although announcers recognized him as such) at Against All Odds with the same gimmick, helping Jeff Jarrett retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a match with Kevin Nash. Sopp, using the name The New Age Outlaw, then formed a stable with Jarrett and Monty Brown known as Planet Jarrett. However, WWE threatened TNA with legal action if Sopp continued the use of the name "The New Age Outlaw", so he shortened his name to The Outlaw. Due to the legal issues with WWE, all TNA -DVD releases featuring footage with Sopp as "The Outlaw" (and presumably also as "The New Age Outlaw") have had the name on on-screen graphics blurred, the name silenced out of the audio, and match commentary completely replaced to reflect a retroactive name change to "Kip James". One such DVD is the pay-per-view Lockdown, included in the "TNA Anthology: The Epic Set" box set, in which the silencing of the name during a segment where Dusty Rhodes picks his name from a lottery leaves DVD viewers in the dark as to who just got picked. The Outlaw began a campaign to make former ally B.G. James leave the 3Live Kru and defect to Planet Jarrett, reforming the old tag team with Outlaw. At No Surrender, he renamed himself Kip James and was announced as "wrestling out of Marietta, Georgia" (the family seat of the Armstrong family) as a psychological ploy. As a result of his campaign, Kip attracted the ire of 3Live Kru members Ron Killings and Konnan, leading to a series of tag team matches pitting Kip and Monty Brown against Killings and Konnan, with a conflicted James unwilling to take sides. Kip's efforts ultimately proved futile; James, the guest referee in a final match between Brown and Kip versus Konnan and Killings at Sacrifice, attacked Kip enabling a 3Live Kru victory. In September at Unbreakable, Kip teamed with Brown to defeat the team of Apolo and Lance Hoyt. There was clear tension between the partners because Brown was unhappy at the series of losses at the hands of the 3Live Kru, and Kip was irked by Brown's decision to leave Planet Jarrett. Despite the victory, the partners argued after the match. On the October 8, 2005 episode of Impact!, Kip rekindled his feud with the 3Live Kru, running to the ring after a bout between the 3LK and Team Canada in order to prevent Team Canada captain Petey Williams from beating down B.G. James. He saved James, and then engaged in a staredown with Konnan and Killings. Kip saved James from Team Canada once again at Bound for Glory. Though Killings showed signs of gratitude, Konnan remained skeptical as to his true intentions. Later that night, Kip took part in an over-the-top-rope gauntlet match for the number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. After he was eliminated, he tried in vain to prevent Killings from being eliminated as well, before being sent away from ringside by the referees. The James Gang/Voodoo Kin Mafia (2005–2008) On the November 26 episode of Impact!, B.G. brought Kip and the 3Live Kru to ringside and asked Killings and Konnan whether Kip could join the stable. Following a heated argument between Konnan and B.G., both Killings and Konnan gave their approval, and the 4Live Kru was born. However, at Turning Point, Konnan attacked both B.G. and Kip, costing them their match against Team Canada and initiating a feud between himself and the remainder of the Kru. Shortly thereafter, B.G. James's father, Bob Armstrong, attempted to reconcile the group, but was instead attacked by Konnan and his new stablemates, Apolo and Homicide. Killings later stated that he had severed his ties with the Kru. With Konnan and Killings no longer members of the Kru, Kip and B.G. began referring to themselves as The James Gang and continued to feud with the Konnan-managed Latin American Exchange, whose third man position as Homicide's partner would switch from Apolo to Machete, and then from him to Hernandez, who finally stuck, during the course of this feud. At Final Resolution, The James Gang defeated The Diamonds in the Rough (David Young and Elix Skipper). At Against All Odds, The James Gang defeated LAX (Homicide and Machete). At Destination X, The James Gang and Bob Armstrong defeated Latin American Exchange in a six-man tag team match. At Sacrifice, The James Gang defeated Team 3D which led to a rematch at Slammiversary where Team 3D defeated The James Gang in a Bingo Hall Brawl. At Victory Road, The James Gang and Abyss defeated Team 3D and their newest member Brother Runt. At No Surrender, The James Gang competed in a Triple Chance tag team battle royal but failed to win the match. At Bound for Glory, The James Gang competed in a Four-way tag team match which was won by Team 3D. By November 2006, Kip and B.G. began to show displeasure in TNA and threatened to go find work elsewhere if they did not receive gold soon. They began performing the crotch chop, a reference to the WWE's DX. On the November 2 edition of Impact!, Kip and B.G. threatened to quit. Kip grabbed the mic and tried to say something to the TNA administration and Spike TV, but each time his mic was cut off. Kip then tried to use the announcer's headset, but it was cut off as well. Frustrated, he started yelling loudly to the crowd, but he was cut off again as the show went to a commercial break. When the show returned, the announcers speculated that they may have been frustrated due to the influx of new talent entering TNA. It was reported that the segment was a worked shoot that Vince Russo had written in order to renew interest upon their eventual return. Kip and BG appeared in an internet video on TNA's website where they addressed the owner of WWE Vince McMahon. A few weeks later on Impact!, The James Gang re-emerged under a new name Voodoo Kin Mafia (VKM for short, a play on Vincent Kennedy McMahon's initials). They mentioned their new right of 'creative control', meaning they could do whatever they wanted. They also declared 'war' on Paul Levesque, Michael Hickenbottom, and Vincent K. McMahon (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Vince McMahon, respectively). Kip then declared that 'Triple Hollywood' and 'Shawn Kiss-my-bottom' were failing as the group they (Kip and BG) used to be a part of: D-Generation X. After the initial shock value of this incident wore off, at Genesis, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated Kazarian, Maverick Matt and Johnny Devine in a handicap match. VKM began a feud with the villainous Christy Hemme. Hemme then searched for a tag team to square-off against VKM. At Destination X, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated Hemme's handpicked team of The Heartbreakers (Antonio Thomas & Romeo Roselli). On the Lockdown preshow The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated another one of Hemme's handpicked team Serotonin (Kaz & Havok) in a Six Sides of Steel match. The final tag team was Damaja and Basham, who appeared on an episode of Impact! and beat down VKM. They also held up Kip James so Hemme could slap him. B.G James was taken out by Basham and Damaja which led to Kip James competed against Basham and Damaja in a handicap match at Sacrifice where he lost. However, they beat Hemme's team at Slammiversary. After the match, VKM were betrayed by their associate Lance Hoyt. At Victory Road, they introduced their new manager, the Voodoo Queen, Roxxi Laveaux, to embarrass Christy Hemme. At Hard Justice, The Voodoo Kin Mafia lost to The Latin American Exchange. At No Surrender, The Voodoo Kin Mafia competed in a Ten-team tag team gauntlet match which was won by A.J. Styles and Tomko. At Bound for Glory, Kip James competed in the Fight for the Right Reverse Battle Royal which was won by Eric Young. On the October 25 edition of Impact!, VKM teamed with A.J. Styles and Tomko in a losing effort to the Latin American Xchange and the Steiner Brothers. At Genesis, B.G. was present along with Kip in the corner of Roxxi Laveaux at ringside for the Fatal Four Way knockout match for the TNA Women's Championship in which Gail Kim retained the title. At Turning Point, James competed in the Feast or Fired where he grabbed a case but threw it to BG James. It was revealed that the case was for a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship and BG James picked his dad to be his partner at Against All Odds, James and Bob Armstrong failed to win the titles and on February 21, 2008 episode of Impact! he turned on B.G. and B.G's father "Bullet" Bob Armstrong by hitting them both with a crutch. The Beautiful People (2008–2009) On April 13, 2008, he faced former partner B.G. James at Lockdown and lost. After the match, he appeared to want to make amends as he raised B.G.'s hand after the match, only to clothesline him down to the mat and taunt him with a DX crotch chop. Kip went on to declare himself "The Megastar", an arrogant gimmick similar to "The One" gimmick from his WWF tenure. Kip later stopped making appearances on Impact! until April 24 when he was attacked backstage by Matt Morgan for no reason. The next week on Impact!, Kip got back at Morgan by attacking him backstage in Jim Cornette's office. On May 8, 2008, Cornette forced Morgan into being Kip's tag team partner for the Deuces Wild tournament at Sacrifice, though both were unable to win. Kip went on another brief disappearance from television until the June 5 edition of Impact!, where he partnered with Lance Hoyt and James Storm in a losing effort against Morgan and The Latin American Xchange. On the August 14 episode of Impact!, Kip was revealed to be the new image consultant and member of The Beautiful People, dubbed Cute Kip and was using his Mr.Ass Attire, after they brought him out during their interview on Karen Angle's show Karen's Angle. at Bound for Glory IV, Kip, Love and Sky lost to Rhino, ODB and Rhaka Khan in a Bimbo Brawl. at Final Resolution (December 2008), Kip competed in the Feast or Fired match but failed to get a case. At Genesis 2009, Kip became the one-night-only replacement for the injured Kevin Nash in the Main Event Mafia. As of March 19, 2009, Sopp was taken off of TNA Impact! along with Jacqueline Moore to become road agents. Sopp returned as Cute Kip and lost to Awesome Kong in an intergender stretcher match on May 14, 2009. On the May 28 edition of Impact!, Kip was fired by The Beautiful People. On the June 18 edition of Impact!, Mick Foley hired him as his handyman, turning Kip into a face. he made another appearance on the August 6 edition of Impact where Kip had to clean up the IMPACT Zone after a chaotic fifteen minute "riot". On October 9 edition of Xplosion, Kip was defeated by Rhino. On October 30 edition of Xplosion, Kip defeated Sheik Abdul Bashir. on the November 13 edition of Xplosion, Kip lost to Rob Terry and on December 3, 2009 edition of Xplosion, Kip competed in his final TNA match where he lost to Kiyoshi. Sopp's profile was removed from the TNA website on December 29, 2009, confirming his departure from the promotion. Independent circuit (2009–2012) After leaving TNA, Sopp reunited with B.G. James to reform The New Age Outlaws, with both men resuming their Billy Gunn and Road Dogg ring names. After joining TWA Powerhouse in 2010, the Outlaws defeated Canadian Extreme to win the promotion's Tag Team Championship on July 25. They re-lost the title to Canadian Extreme on June 5, 2011. On July 30, 2011, Sopp, working under the ring name Kip Gunn, made his debut for Lucha Libre USA as a member of the heel stable The Right. Later that night, Gunn lost in his debut match against Marco Corleone. On June 26, 2012, Sopp won the American Pro Wrestling Alliance American Championship. However, he lost the title due to travel issues. On September 8 and 9, 2012, he wrestled in a Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation tournament. He defeated Rhino in the semi-finals and Scott Steiner in the final, winning the BBWF Aruba Championship. Return to WWE (2012–2015) On July 23, Sopp, under his Billy Gunn name, made his first WWE appearance in nearly eight years as he reunited with Road Dogg, X-Pac, Shawn Michaels and Triple H to reform D-Generation X for one night only on the 1000th episode of Raw. In December 2012, he was hired by WWE as a trainer for the NXT Wrestling territory in Tampa, Florida. On March 4, 2013, Gunn and Road Dogg made a return at Old School Raw, defeating Primo and Epico. On March 11, 2013, they accepted a challenge from Team Rhodes Scholars and faced them in a match, which was interrupted by Brock Lesnar, who hit both Outlaws with an F-5 as part of his ongoing feud with Triple H. He then appeared alongside Road Dogg to help CM Punk clear out The Shield in aid of Roddy Piper on Old School Raw on January 6, 2014. On the January 10 episode of SmackDown, the Outlaws teamed with CM Punk in a six-man tag match against The Shield in a losing effort. On the January 13 episode of Raw, the Outlaws again teamed with Punk in a rematch against The Shield, only to abandon Punk and lose the match. On January 26 during the Royal Rumble Kickoff Show, Gunn and Road Dogg beat Cody Rhodes and Goldust to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. The next night on Raw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust via disqualification when Brock Lesnar attacked the brothers. The next week on Raw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust in a steel cage match. On March 3, the Outlaws lost the Tag Team Championship to The Usos. Gunn sustained hemoptysis after he and his New Age Outlaws partner, Road Dogg, suffered a double-Triple Powerbomb by The Shield at WrestleMania XXX. Gunn returned to Raw with Road Dogg in January 2015, attacking The Ascension along with the nWo and the APA. At the Royal Rumble, the Outlaws faced The Ascension in a losing effort. At WrestleMania 31, Gunn, with Road Dogg, X-Pac and Shawn Michaels, reunited as D-Generation X to help Triple H in his match against Sting. In May, Gunn was announced as a coach along with WWE Hall of Famers Booker T and Lita for the sixth season of Tough Enough. On November 13, 2015, WWE officially announced that Sopp was released from his WWE contract after failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs. He had tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone at a powerlifting event on July 25, 2015, and was suspended from powerlifting for four years. Independent circuit (2015–2020) On December 26, 2015, Gunn teamed up with Kevin Thorn to defeat Brian Klass and Rob Street. One month later, Gunn defeated Ken Dixon for the MCW Pro Wrestling MCW Rage Television Championship. On February 5, 2016, Gunn defeated Joey Hayes in the Preston City Wrestling PCW Road to Glory tournament, on February 6 he lost to T-Bone in the quarter-finals that same night Gunn teamed up with Mr. Anderson and Tajiri to defeat Dave Raynes, Joey Hayes, and Martin Kirby. On February 7, 2016 Gunn challenged for the Pro Wrestling Pride Heavyweight championship losing to Steve Griffiths. On March 19, 2016, Gunn lost the title to Ken Dixon. On June 12, 2016, Gunn won the Smashmouth Pro Wrestling championship from KC Huber but lost it on the same night, Gunn teamed again with Anderson in a losing effort against the UK Hooligans at PCW Tribute to the Troops on June 25, 2016. He defeated Hardcore Holly in a singles match at PCW Top Gunn on July 2, 2016. On September 4, 2016, Gunn made his debut for Chikara, representing DX alongside X-Pac in a tag team gauntlet match. The two entered the match as the final team and scored the win over Prakash Sabar and The Proletariat Boar of Moldova. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2016–2017) On November 5, 2016, at the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) event Power Struggle, Yoshitatsu announced Gunn as the newest member of his Hunter Club stable and his partner for the upcoming 2016 World Tag League. Gunn and Yoshitatsu finished the tournament on December 8 with a record of three wins and four losses, failing to advance from their block. Gunn returned to NJPW on January 4, 2017, taking part in the pre-show New Japan Rumble at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome, from which he was eliminated by the eventual winner Michael Elgin. While Gunn did not appear for NJPW for the next six months, he was brought up in May by Yoshitatsu, who told Hiroshi Tanahashi that Gunn had requested a match against him. When Tanahashi captured the IWGP Intercontinental Championship the following month, he immediately nominated Gunn as his first challenger. Gunn was defeated in the title match on July 2 at G1 Special in USA, and it was his final match in NJPW. WWE appearances (2018–2019) Gunn and numerous other WWE legends appeared on the January 22, 2018 episode of Raw 25 Years as part of the D-Generation X reunion. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019 as a member of D-Generation X. All Elite Wrestling (2019–present) In January 2019, Gunn was hired by All Elite Wrestling as a coach. At May 25 at the AEW Double or Nothing event he competed in the pre-show battle royal. Gunn made his first televised appearance for AEW on the November 20, 2019 episode of AEW Dynamite, competing in a battle royal. He also appeared during the January 1, 2020 episode of Dynamite, wrestling in a dark match with his son Austin that aired on January 7, 2020. They wrestled again together on another dark match during the January 8, 2020 episode of Dynamite, airing on January 17, 2020, with the tag team name "The Gunn Club", defeating the team of Peter Avalon and Shawn Spears. Gunn has also appeared in the crowd (made up of AEW wrestlers and other employees) on numerous episodes of Dynamite during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the May 27, 2020 episode of Dynamite, Gunn now under the shortened ring name of Billy participated in a battle royal match to determine the number one contender for the TNT Championship. He also would wrestle MJF in a singles match on the June 17, 2020 episode of Dynamite as well. The Gunn Club would wrestle in more tag team matches on more episodes of AEW Dark. On the November 4, 2020 episode of Dynamite, The Gunn Club teamed with Cody Rhodes to successfully defeat The Dark Order (John Silver, 10 and Colt Cabana). On the November 17, 2020 episode of Dark, The Gunn Club, which now added Austin's brother and Gunn's other son Colten to the stable, defeated Bshp King, Joey O'Riley and Sean Maluta by pinfall in a six-man tag team match. On the same day the AEW website's roster page got updated and his name was once again changed to its long form, Billy Gunn. The three man Gunn Club would then defeat Cezar Bononi, KTB, and Seth Gargis in another six man tag team match on the November 24, 2020 episode of Dark. On the December 8, 2020 episode of Dark The three man Gunn Club-which entered the ring on a golf cart with the words "Taz Taxi" on the side, defeated Shawn Dean, Sean Maluta & RYZIN. On the December 1, 2021 episode of Dynamite, The Gunn Club stable's undefeated streak in AEW ended when Billy and Colten Gunn lost to the team of Sting and Darby Allin. Professional wrestling style, persona and reception Gunn has had several gimmicks throughout his career, ranging from his cowboy-themed gimmick with the Smoking Gunns to his The Ambiguously Gay Duo-esque tag team with Chuck Palumbo. Gunn has stated on multiple shoot interviews that he has no regrets with his gimmicks as he was performing a job and doing what was asked of him to do. By far, Gunn's most infamous gimmick was his "Mr. Ass" persona based around his ass. The gimmick started during his New Age Outlaws days when Road Dogg would refer to themselves as "Mr. Dogg" and "Mr. Ass" in promos, though the "Bad Ass" name wasn't referring to his backside at that time. What was originally a throwaway joke turned into Gunn mooning his opponents and the live crowd, though as the original incarnation of DX also did this, it could originally be argued that it was an extension of the Outlaws joining DX. Upon leaving DX, Gunn fully embraced the "Mr. Ass" gimmick by placing emphasis on his "moneymaker". While Road Dogg kept the New Age Outlaws entrance music for his own, Gunn adopted the song "Ass Man" as part of the gimmick, and for a time even changed his ring tights to be see-through, wearing only a thong underneath his tights, although he would eventually revert back to the DX-era tights. The "Mr. Ass" gimmick has mixed reviews. One web site ranked it near the middle of Gunn's various gimmicks, while a writer for Bleacher Report thought it was the worst gimmick ever even though Gunn was at his peak popularity with the persona. Gunn himself told Chris Van Vliet in 2021 that he never paid attention to the "Ass Man" lyrics until a college professor broke down each expression. Due to the enduring legacy of the "Mr. Ass" gimmick, in November 2021 Ring of Honor wrestler Danhausen began a Twitter feud with the Gunn Club, referring to Billy as "Billy Ass," and Colten and Austin as The "Ass Boys," in reference to Gunn's infamous "Mr. Ass" gimmick in the Attitude Era. While Gunn himself initially had no comment, the rest of Gunn Club despised the nickname after fans began chanting "Ass Boys" during their matches, notably during an AEW event at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. Gunn finally commented when he surprised his sons by wearing an "Ass Boys" shirt, encouraging them to "embrace the assness" and even started teasing mooning the crowd again. Gunn also thanked Danhausen publicly for getting his sons over in a way that he couldn't. Other media Filmography Video Games WWF Attitude WWF WrestleMania 2000 WWF SmackDown! WWF No Mercy WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role WWF Road To WrestleMania WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It WWF Raw WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth WWE Raw 2 WWE '13 WWE 2K16 WWE 2K17 Personal life Sopp was born on November 1, 1963 in Orlando, Florida and claims Austin, Texas as his hometown. In November 1990, Sopp was arrested in Florida for disorderly conduct. Sopp married his first wife Tina Tinnell on March 3, 1990. Together, they have two sons: Colten (born May 18, 1991) and Austin (born August 26, 1994) who are also professional wrestlers. The couple separated in January 2000 and their divorce was finalized on December 11, 2002. Sopp has since married his long-time girlfriend Paula on January 24, 2009. Sopp's sons Austin and Colten, better known by the ring names Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn, are currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where alongside their father they form a stable known as "Gunn Club". Sopp attended Sam Houston State University. Championships and accomplishments American Pro Wrestling Alliance APWA American Championship (1 time) Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation BBFW Aruba Championship (1 time) BBFW Aruba Championship Tournament (2012) International Wrestling Federation IWF Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Brett Colt Freedom Pro Wrestling FPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Road Dogg Maryland Championship Wrestling MCW Rage Television Championship (1 time) MCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with B.G. James Pro Wrestling Illustrated Tag Team of the Year (1998) with Road Dogg Tag Team of the Year (2002) with Chuck Ranked #39 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1999 Ranked #231 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003 Ranked #43 of the top 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Road Dogg in 2003 SmashMouth Pro Wrestling SPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) TWA Powerhouse TWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with B.G. James Vanguard Championship Wrestling VCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) World Pro Wrestling WPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) Wrestling Observer Newsletter Worst Worked Match of the Year (2006) TNA Reverse Battle Royal on TNA Impact! WWE/World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment WWF Hardcore Championship (2 times) WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time) WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Road Dogg WWF World Tag Team Championship (10 times) – with Bart Gunn (3), Road Dogg (5) and Chuck (2) King of the Ring (1999) Raw Bowl – with Bart Gunn WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2019) - as a member of D-Generation X References External links 1963 births All Elite Wrestling personnel American male professional wrestlers American powerlifters Bull riders D-Generation X members Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan LGBT characters in professional wrestling Living people Professional wrestlers from Florida Professional wrestling trainers Sam Houston State University alumni Sportspeople from Orlando, Florida The Authority (professional wrestling) members WWE Hall of Fame inductees WWF/WWE Hardcore Champions WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions WWF/WWE King Crown's Champions/King of the Ring winners American expatriate sportspeople in Japan
true
[ "Nothing to Lose or Nothin' to Lose may refer to:\n\nFilm and television\nNothing to Lose (1995 film), or Ten Benny, an American film directed by Eric Bross \nNothing to Lose (1997 film), an American comedy directed by Steve Oedekerk\nNothing to Lose (2002 film), a Thai crime film directed by Danny Pang\nNothing to Lose (TV series) or Judge vs. Judge, a 2017–2018 South Korean series\n\"Nothing to Lose\" (CSI: Miami), a television episode\n\nLiterature\nNothing to Lose (novel), a 2008 Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child\nNothing to Lose, a 2004 young-adult novel by Alex Flinn\nNothing to Lose, a 2007 young-adult novel by Norah McClintock\n\nMusic\n\nAlbums \n Nothing to Lose (Daniel Schuhmacher album), 2010\n Nothing to Lose (Eddie Money album), 1988\n Nothing to Lose (Emblem3 album) or the title song, 2013\n Nothing to Lose (Forty Deuce album) or the title song, 2005\n Nothing to Lose (Michael Learns to Rock album) or the title song, 1997\n Nothing to Lose (Sanctus Real album) or the title song, 2001\n Nothing to Lose (soundtrack) or the Naughty by Nature title song, \"Nothin' to Lose\", from the 1997 film\n Nothing to Lose, by Carpathian, 2006\n Nothing to Lose, by Rebecca, 1984\n\nSongs\n\"Nothing to Lose\" (Billy Talent song), 2004\n\"Nothing to Lose\" (Bret Michaels song), 2010\n\"Nothing to Lose\" (Operator song), 2008\n\"Nothing to Lose\" (Vassy song), 2016\n\"Nothin' to Lose\" (Josh Gracin song), 2004\n\"Nothin' to Lose\" (Kiss song), 1974\n\"Nothing to Lose\", by 2Pac from R U Still Down? (Remember Me), 1997\n\"Nothing to Lose\", by Dragon from Dreams of Ordinary Men, 1986\n\"Nothing to Lose\", by Jackson Yee, 2017\n\"Nothing to Lose\", by Kylie Minogue from Enjoy Yourself, 1989\n\"Nothing to Lose\", by S'Express from Intercourse, 1991\n\nSee also\nNothing Left to Lose (disambiguation)", "Nothing Left to Lose may refer to:\n\nLiterature\n Nothing Left to Lose (novel), a 2017 novel by Dan Wells\n Nothing Left to Lose, a 2012 novel by Allan G. Johnson\n Nothing Left to Lose: An Impolite Report On the State of Freedom in Canada, a 2020 book by Philip Slayton\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\", a short story by Diana Pharaoh Francis\n\nMusic\n\nAlbums\n Nothing Left to Lose (Gary U.S. Bonds album) or the title song, 1996\n Nothing Left to Lose (Mat Kearney album) or the title song (see below), 2006\n\nSongs\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\" (song), by Mat Kearney, 2006\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\", by the Alan Parsons Project from The Turn of a Friendly Card, 1980\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\", by American Hi-Fi from The Art of Losing, 2003\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\", by Buck-O-Nine from Sustain, 2007\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\", by Deepfield, 2011\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\", by Emma Paki from Oxygen of Love, 1996\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\", by Faron Young, 1965\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\", by Heaven's Basement from Filthy Empire, 2013\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\", by Needtobreathe from The Heat, 2007\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\", by Nick Carter from I'm Taking Off, 2011\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\", by the Pretty Reckless from Light Me Up, 2010\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\", by Puddle of Mudd from Life on Display, 2003\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\", by Sad Café from Facades, 1979\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\", by Social Code from Rock 'n' Roll, 2009\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\", by Spencer Albee from Relentlessly Yours, 2017\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\", by Taxi Violence\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\", by Transit from Joyride, 2014\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\", by Wipers from Land of the Lost, 1986\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\", by Woe, Is Me from Genesis, 2012\n\nTelevision episodes\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\" (30 Rock)\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\" (Police Woman)\n \"Nothing Left to Lose\" (Side Order of Life)\n\nSee also\n Nothing to Lose (disambiguation)" ]
[ "Billy Gunn", "The New Age Outlaws and D-Generation X (1997-1998)", "What were The New Age Outlaws?", "James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as \"Road Dogg\" Jesse James and \"Badd Ass\" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team formed was soon dubbed the New Age Outlaws.", "What was the D generation X?", "They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X.", "How strong were Jesse and Billy?", "This new team was in the spirit of the new Attitude Era: brash, vulgar, egotistical, and loud-mouthed. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks", "Did they ever lose?", "teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated.", "Any other losses?", "During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. Although Kane and Mankind won the Tag Team Championship, they could not get along.", "Did they ever win any tag team championships?", "After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven.", "Who did they lose the title to?", "At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match." ]
C_2e21de52a27844ff90c7b071600d3ed6_1
Did they ever get the title again?
8
Did Jesse James and Billy Gunn ever get the Tag Team title again?
Billy Gunn
After The Smoking Gunns disbanded, Gunn took some time off to nurse an injury. At WrestleMania 13, he defeated Flash Funk catching the attention of The Honky Tonk Man, who made Gunn his protege. During this time, he adopted a new gimmick, Rockabilly, and had a short-lived feud with "The Real Double J" Jesse James. On Shotgun Saturday Night, James realized both of their careers were going nowhere and suggested that they became a tag team. Gunn agreed and smashed a guitar over the Honky Tonk Man's head to solidify their new alliance. James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team formed was soon dubbed the New Age Outlaws. This new team was in the spirit of the new Attitude Era: brash, vulgar, egotistical, and loud-mouthed. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks and won the Tag Team Championship from the Legion of Doom on November 24. They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X. The Outlaws slowly began to align themselves with D-Generation X, who were impressed with their new attitude. At the Royal Rumble, the New Age Outlaws interfered in a Casket match to help Shawn Michaels defeat The Undertaker. At No Way Out Of Texas, the Outlaws teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated. On February 2, The Outlaws locked Cactus and Chainsaw in a dumpster and pushed it off the stage. This led to a Dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV where Cactus and Chainsaw defeated the Outlaws for the Tag Titles. The next night on Raw, the New Age Outlaws won the Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Chainsaw and Cactus in a Steel cage match, but only after interference from Triple H, Chyna, and X-Pac. After the match, the Outlaws officially became members of D-Generation X (DX). Upon becoming an official member of DX, Gunn gained a tendency of mooning opponents (a trait used by the original incarnation of DX, as well as its 2006 revival), a precursor to the later "Mr. Ass" gimmick. After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven. DX began to feud with Owen Hart, and his new stablemates, The Nation. At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match. The Outlaws would also successfully defend their title against The New Midnight Express (Bombastic Bob and Bodacious Bart) at King of the Ring. During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. Although Kane and Mankind won the Tag Team Championship, they could not get along. At SummerSlam, Mankind faced the Outlaws in a Handicap match after Kane no-showed the title defense. The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time. The Outlaws then helped X-Pac in his feud with Jeff Jarrett and Southern Justice. In December, the Outlaws lost the title to The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock from The Corporation. CANNOTANSWER
The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time.
Monty "Kip" Sopp (born November 1, 1963), better known by his ring name Billy Gunn, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and coach. Gunn is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) from 1993 to 2004 and from 2012 to 2015. He also served as a coach on WWE's Tough Enough and was a trainer in NXT. He is also known for his appearances with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2005 to 2009. Primarily a tag team wrestler, Gunn is an overall 13-time tag team champion in WWE with three different partners (with Bart Gunn as The Smoking Gunns, with Road Dogg as The New Age Outlaws, and with Chuck Palumbo as Billy and Chuck). He is also a one time WWF Intercontinental Champion and a two time WWF Hardcore Champion, giving him 14 total championships in WWE. He is the 1999 King of the Ring tournament winner, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 as a member of D-Generation X. Professional wrestling career Early career (1985–1993) After a stint as a professional bull rider in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Sopp left the profession in his early-20s in order to pursue a career as a professional wrestler. Trained by Jerry Grey, Sopp wrestled on the independent circuit for eight years (including a brief stint as enhancement talent for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) before signing a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1993. World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1993–2004) The Smoking Gunns (1993–1996) After weeks of vignettes, Sopp, under the name Billy Gunn, made his WWF debut on the May 17, 1993 episode of Raw, teaming with his on-screen brother, Bart Gunn to defeat Tony Vadja and Glenn Ruth. The duo, now known as The Smoking Gunns, made their pay-per-view debut at King of the Ring, teaming with The Steiner Brothers to defeat Money Inc. and The Headshrinkers in an eight-man tag team match. At SummerSlam, the duo teamed with Tatanka to pick up a win against Bam Bam Bigelow and the Headshrinkers. On January 22, 1994, Gunn entered his first Royal Rumble match at the namesake event, but was eliminated by Diesel. In early 1995, the Gunns won their first Tag Team Championship by defeating the makeshift team of Bob Holly and 1-2-3 Kid. They held the title until WrestleMania XI, where they were defeated by the team of Owen Hart and Yokozuna. They won the titles again in September 1995. On February 15, 1996, the Gunns vacated the title because Billy was in need of neck surgery. After Billy returned from hiatus, The Smoking Gunns won the Tag Team Title for the third time by defeating The Godwinns in May. After the match, The Godwinns' manager Sunny turned on her team in favor of the Gunns. On September 22 at In Your House: Mind Games, the Gunns lost the Tag Team Title to Owen Hart and The British Bulldog. After the match, Sunny abandoned The Gunns, saying that she would only manage title holders. Billy, frustrated with losing both the championship and Sunny, walked out on Bart, breaking up The Smoking Gunns. Rockabilly, The New Age Outlaws and D-Generation X (1997–1998) After The Smoking Gunns disbanded, Gunn took some time off to nurse an injury. At WrestleMania 13, he defeated Flash Funk catching the attention of The Honky Tonk Man, who made Gunn his protégé. During this time, he adopted a new gimmick, Rockabilly, He would use this gimmick throughout much of 1997 and eventually had a short-lived feud with "The Real Double J" Jesse James. On the October 4, 1997 episode of Shotgun Saturday Night, James realized both of their careers were going nowhere and suggested that they become a tag team. Gunn agreed and smashed a guitar over the Honky Tonk Man's head to solidify their new alliance. James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team was dubbed the New Age Outlaws. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks and won the Tag Team Championship from the Legion of Doom on November 24. They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X. The Outlaws slowly began to align themselves with D-Generation X. At the Royal Rumble, the New Age Outlaws interfered in a Casket match to help Shawn Michaels defeat The Undertaker. At No Way Out Of Texas, the Outlaws teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated. On February 2, The Outlaws locked Cactus and Chainsaw in a dumpster and pushed it off the stage. This led to a Dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV where Cactus and Chainsaw defeated the Outlaws for the Tag Titles. The next night on Raw, the New Age Outlaws won the Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Chainsaw and Cactus in a Steel cage match, but only after interference from Triple H, Chyna, and X-Pac. After the match, the Outlaws officially became members of D-Generation X (DX). After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven. DX began to feud with Owen Hart and his new stablemates, The Nation. At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match. During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. At SummerSlam, Mankind faced the Outlaws in a Handicap match after Kane no-showed the title defense. The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time. In December, the Outlaws lost the title to The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock from The Corporation. Mr. Ass and reformation of the Outlaws and DX (1999–2000) The Outlaws then began to focus more on singles competition. The Road Dogg won the Hardcore Championship in December 1998, and Gunn set his sights on the Intercontinental Championship. At the 1999 Royal Rumble, Gunn unsuccessfully challenged Ken Shamrock for the Intercontinental Title. The next month at St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Gunn was the special guest referee for the Intercontinental Championship match between Val Venis and champion Ken Shamrock, where Gunn made a fast count and declared Venis the new champion before attacking both men. In March, Gunn won the Hardcore Championship from Hardcore Holly. At WrestleMania XV, Gunn lost the title to Holly in a Triple Threat match which also included Al Snow. The New Age Outlaws then reunited to defeat Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart at Backlash. After Backlash, Gunn left D-Generation X and aligned himself with Triple H and Chyna. Gunn defeated his former partner, Road Dogg, in a match at Over the Edge. Gunn then won the King of the Ring tournament by defeating Ken Shamrock, Kane, and his former ally, X-Pac. After King of the Ring, Gunn, Triple H, and Chyna went on to feud with X-Pac and Road Dogg over the rights to the D-Generation X name. This feud culminated at Fully Loaded when X-Pac and Road Dogg defeated Gunn and Chyna. Gunn then began a brief feud with The Rock. At SummerSlam, The Rock defeated Gunn in a Kiss My Ass Match. Following this, Gunn then briefly feuded with Jeff Jarrett for the Intercontinental Title before reuniting with Road Dogg to reform The New Age Outlaws. The Outlaws won their fourth tag team championship by defeating The Rock 'n' Sock Connection in September 1999. The Outlaws later reunited with X-Pac and Triple H to reform D-Generation X. During this time, The Outlaws won their fifth Tag Team Championship after defeating Mankind and Al Snow. At the 2000 Royal Rumble, The New Age Outlaws retained their title against The Acolytes after interference from X-Pac. The Outlaws then had a feud with The Dudley Boyz, who won the Tag Team Championship from The Outlaws at No Way Out. After suffering a torn rotator cuff in the match with The Dudley Boyz, Gunn was kicked out of D-Generation X for "losing his cool" to explain his impending absence to recover from his injury. The One (2000–2001) Gunn made his return in October and immediately teamed with Chyna to feud with Right to Censor, who wanted to "censor" his Mr. Ass gimmick. At No Mercy, Right to Censor members Steven Richards and Val Venis defeated Chyna and Gunn. Due to a stipulation, Gunn could no longer use the Mr. Ass gimmick, so he renamed himself Billy G. for a few weeks before settling on "The One" Billy Gunn. Gunn then feuded with Eddie Guerrero and the rest of The Radicalz. At Survivor Series, Gunn teamed with Road Dogg, Chyna, and K-Kwik in a losing effort against The Radicalz. A few weeks later on SmackDown!, Gunn won the Intercontinental Championship from Guerrero. However, the title reign was short-lived, as Chris Benoit defeated him for the title two weeks later at Armageddon. After feuding with Benoit, Gunn participated in the 2001 Royal Rumble where he made it to the final four, Gunn interfered in the Hardcore Championship Match at No Way Out, and taking advantage of the 24/7 Rule, pinning Raven for the title. The reign was short-lived, as Raven won it back a few minutes later. Billy and Chuck (2001–2002) In a 2001 match on Sunday Night Heat, Gunn was defeated by Chuck Palumbo, who recently left The Alliance to join the WWF. After the match, Gunn suggested that they form a tag team. Palumbo agreed, and Billy and Chuck quickly rose to the top of the tag team division. Initially they were a generic tandem, but they were given a gimmick where they grew increasingly affectionate toward each other, showing evidence of a storyline homosexual relationship. In February 2002, Billy and Chuck defeated Spike Dudley and Tazz to win the WWF Tag Team Championship for the first time as a team. After winning the titles, Billy and Chuck found a "Personal Stylist" in the ambiguously flamboyant Rico. After retaining the title against the Acolytes Protection Agency, the Dudley Boyz, and the Hardy Boyz in a Four Corners Elimination Match at WrestleMania X8 and against Al Snow and Maven at Backlash, Billy and Chuck began a feud with Rikishi. At Judgment Day, Rikishi and Rico (Rikishi's mystery partner of Mr. McMahon's choosing) defeated Billy and Chuck for the WWE Tag Team Championship after Rico accidentally hit Chuck with a roundhouse kick. Billy and Chuck quickly won the title back two weeks later on SmackDown! with Rico's help. They held the championship for almost a month before losing it to the team of Edge and Hollywood Hulk Hogan on the July 4 episode of SmackDown!. On the September 5 edition of SmackDown!, after Billy lost a match to Rey Mysterio, Chuck proposed to Billy, asking him to be his "partner for life" and gave him a wedding ring. Billy agreed, and one week later, on the September 12 episode of SmackDown!, Billy and Chuck had their wedding ceremony. However, just before they tied the knot, they revealed that the entire ordeal was a publicity stunt and disavowed their on-screen homosexuality, admitting that they were just friends. The "preacher" revealed himself to be Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff (who was wearing a skin mask), who then summoned 3-Minute Warning to beat up Billy and Chuck. Rico, furious that Billy and Chuck gave up their gimmick, became the manager of Three Minute Warning and defected to Raw. At Unforgiven, Three Minute Warning defeated Billy and Chuck. Their final match together occurred on the October 3 episode of SmackDown! in the first round of a tournament for the newly created WWE Tag Team Championship. They lost the match to the team of Ron Simmons and Reverend D-Von. Afterwards, Gunn took a few months off because of a shoulder injury and the team of Billy and Chuck quietly disbanded. SmackDown! and return to singles competition (2003–2004) After returning in the summer of 2003, Gunn reverted to the "Mr. Ass" gimmick, defeating A-Train, and Torrie Wilson became his new manager. He started a feud with Jamie Noble, which led to an "Indecent Proposal" Match at Vengeance, which Noble won and due to the match's stipulation, won a night with Torrie. After taking time off again due to a shoulder injury, Gunn returned to action at the 2004 Royal Rumble, but was eliminated by Goldberg. Afterward, he wrestled mainly on Velocity, forming an occasional tag team with Hardcore Holly. At Judgment Day, Gunn and Holly challenged Charlie Haas and Rico for the WWE Tag Team Championship, but were unsuccessful. At The Great American Bash, Gunn lost to Kenzo Suzuki. On November 1, 2004, Sopp was released from his WWE contract. In June 2005, Sopp gave an interview in which he was heavily critical of WWE and the events that led to his release. Many of the negative comments were directed towards Triple H, who Sopp claimed "runs the show up there". Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2005–2009) Planet Jarrett (2005) On February 13, 2005, Sopp debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) without a name (as Billy Gunn is a WWE trademark, although announcers recognized him as such) at Against All Odds with the same gimmick, helping Jeff Jarrett retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a match with Kevin Nash. Sopp, using the name The New Age Outlaw, then formed a stable with Jarrett and Monty Brown known as Planet Jarrett. However, WWE threatened TNA with legal action if Sopp continued the use of the name "The New Age Outlaw", so he shortened his name to The Outlaw. Due to the legal issues with WWE, all TNA -DVD releases featuring footage with Sopp as "The Outlaw" (and presumably also as "The New Age Outlaw") have had the name on on-screen graphics blurred, the name silenced out of the audio, and match commentary completely replaced to reflect a retroactive name change to "Kip James". One such DVD is the pay-per-view Lockdown, included in the "TNA Anthology: The Epic Set" box set, in which the silencing of the name during a segment where Dusty Rhodes picks his name from a lottery leaves DVD viewers in the dark as to who just got picked. The Outlaw began a campaign to make former ally B.G. James leave the 3Live Kru and defect to Planet Jarrett, reforming the old tag team with Outlaw. At No Surrender, he renamed himself Kip James and was announced as "wrestling out of Marietta, Georgia" (the family seat of the Armstrong family) as a psychological ploy. As a result of his campaign, Kip attracted the ire of 3Live Kru members Ron Killings and Konnan, leading to a series of tag team matches pitting Kip and Monty Brown against Killings and Konnan, with a conflicted James unwilling to take sides. Kip's efforts ultimately proved futile; James, the guest referee in a final match between Brown and Kip versus Konnan and Killings at Sacrifice, attacked Kip enabling a 3Live Kru victory. In September at Unbreakable, Kip teamed with Brown to defeat the team of Apolo and Lance Hoyt. There was clear tension between the partners because Brown was unhappy at the series of losses at the hands of the 3Live Kru, and Kip was irked by Brown's decision to leave Planet Jarrett. Despite the victory, the partners argued after the match. On the October 8, 2005 episode of Impact!, Kip rekindled his feud with the 3Live Kru, running to the ring after a bout between the 3LK and Team Canada in order to prevent Team Canada captain Petey Williams from beating down B.G. James. He saved James, and then engaged in a staredown with Konnan and Killings. Kip saved James from Team Canada once again at Bound for Glory. Though Killings showed signs of gratitude, Konnan remained skeptical as to his true intentions. Later that night, Kip took part in an over-the-top-rope gauntlet match for the number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. After he was eliminated, he tried in vain to prevent Killings from being eliminated as well, before being sent away from ringside by the referees. The James Gang/Voodoo Kin Mafia (2005–2008) On the November 26 episode of Impact!, B.G. brought Kip and the 3Live Kru to ringside and asked Killings and Konnan whether Kip could join the stable. Following a heated argument between Konnan and B.G., both Killings and Konnan gave their approval, and the 4Live Kru was born. However, at Turning Point, Konnan attacked both B.G. and Kip, costing them their match against Team Canada and initiating a feud between himself and the remainder of the Kru. Shortly thereafter, B.G. James's father, Bob Armstrong, attempted to reconcile the group, but was instead attacked by Konnan and his new stablemates, Apolo and Homicide. Killings later stated that he had severed his ties with the Kru. With Konnan and Killings no longer members of the Kru, Kip and B.G. began referring to themselves as The James Gang and continued to feud with the Konnan-managed Latin American Exchange, whose third man position as Homicide's partner would switch from Apolo to Machete, and then from him to Hernandez, who finally stuck, during the course of this feud. At Final Resolution, The James Gang defeated The Diamonds in the Rough (David Young and Elix Skipper). At Against All Odds, The James Gang defeated LAX (Homicide and Machete). At Destination X, The James Gang and Bob Armstrong defeated Latin American Exchange in a six-man tag team match. At Sacrifice, The James Gang defeated Team 3D which led to a rematch at Slammiversary where Team 3D defeated The James Gang in a Bingo Hall Brawl. At Victory Road, The James Gang and Abyss defeated Team 3D and their newest member Brother Runt. At No Surrender, The James Gang competed in a Triple Chance tag team battle royal but failed to win the match. At Bound for Glory, The James Gang competed in a Four-way tag team match which was won by Team 3D. By November 2006, Kip and B.G. began to show displeasure in TNA and threatened to go find work elsewhere if they did not receive gold soon. They began performing the crotch chop, a reference to the WWE's DX. On the November 2 edition of Impact!, Kip and B.G. threatened to quit. Kip grabbed the mic and tried to say something to the TNA administration and Spike TV, but each time his mic was cut off. Kip then tried to use the announcer's headset, but it was cut off as well. Frustrated, he started yelling loudly to the crowd, but he was cut off again as the show went to a commercial break. When the show returned, the announcers speculated that they may have been frustrated due to the influx of new talent entering TNA. It was reported that the segment was a worked shoot that Vince Russo had written in order to renew interest upon their eventual return. Kip and BG appeared in an internet video on TNA's website where they addressed the owner of WWE Vince McMahon. A few weeks later on Impact!, The James Gang re-emerged under a new name Voodoo Kin Mafia (VKM for short, a play on Vincent Kennedy McMahon's initials). They mentioned their new right of 'creative control', meaning they could do whatever they wanted. They also declared 'war' on Paul Levesque, Michael Hickenbottom, and Vincent K. McMahon (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Vince McMahon, respectively). Kip then declared that 'Triple Hollywood' and 'Shawn Kiss-my-bottom' were failing as the group they (Kip and BG) used to be a part of: D-Generation X. After the initial shock value of this incident wore off, at Genesis, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated Kazarian, Maverick Matt and Johnny Devine in a handicap match. VKM began a feud with the villainous Christy Hemme. Hemme then searched for a tag team to square-off against VKM. At Destination X, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated Hemme's handpicked team of The Heartbreakers (Antonio Thomas & Romeo Roselli). On the Lockdown preshow The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated another one of Hemme's handpicked team Serotonin (Kaz & Havok) in a Six Sides of Steel match. The final tag team was Damaja and Basham, who appeared on an episode of Impact! and beat down VKM. They also held up Kip James so Hemme could slap him. B.G James was taken out by Basham and Damaja which led to Kip James competed against Basham and Damaja in a handicap match at Sacrifice where he lost. However, they beat Hemme's team at Slammiversary. After the match, VKM were betrayed by their associate Lance Hoyt. At Victory Road, they introduced their new manager, the Voodoo Queen, Roxxi Laveaux, to embarrass Christy Hemme. At Hard Justice, The Voodoo Kin Mafia lost to The Latin American Exchange. At No Surrender, The Voodoo Kin Mafia competed in a Ten-team tag team gauntlet match which was won by A.J. Styles and Tomko. At Bound for Glory, Kip James competed in the Fight for the Right Reverse Battle Royal which was won by Eric Young. On the October 25 edition of Impact!, VKM teamed with A.J. Styles and Tomko in a losing effort to the Latin American Xchange and the Steiner Brothers. At Genesis, B.G. was present along with Kip in the corner of Roxxi Laveaux at ringside for the Fatal Four Way knockout match for the TNA Women's Championship in which Gail Kim retained the title. At Turning Point, James competed in the Feast or Fired where he grabbed a case but threw it to BG James. It was revealed that the case was for a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship and BG James picked his dad to be his partner at Against All Odds, James and Bob Armstrong failed to win the titles and on February 21, 2008 episode of Impact! he turned on B.G. and B.G's father "Bullet" Bob Armstrong by hitting them both with a crutch. The Beautiful People (2008–2009) On April 13, 2008, he faced former partner B.G. James at Lockdown and lost. After the match, he appeared to want to make amends as he raised B.G.'s hand after the match, only to clothesline him down to the mat and taunt him with a DX crotch chop. Kip went on to declare himself "The Megastar", an arrogant gimmick similar to "The One" gimmick from his WWF tenure. Kip later stopped making appearances on Impact! until April 24 when he was attacked backstage by Matt Morgan for no reason. The next week on Impact!, Kip got back at Morgan by attacking him backstage in Jim Cornette's office. On May 8, 2008, Cornette forced Morgan into being Kip's tag team partner for the Deuces Wild tournament at Sacrifice, though both were unable to win. Kip went on another brief disappearance from television until the June 5 edition of Impact!, where he partnered with Lance Hoyt and James Storm in a losing effort against Morgan and The Latin American Xchange. On the August 14 episode of Impact!, Kip was revealed to be the new image consultant and member of The Beautiful People, dubbed Cute Kip and was using his Mr.Ass Attire, after they brought him out during their interview on Karen Angle's show Karen's Angle. at Bound for Glory IV, Kip, Love and Sky lost to Rhino, ODB and Rhaka Khan in a Bimbo Brawl. at Final Resolution (December 2008), Kip competed in the Feast or Fired match but failed to get a case. At Genesis 2009, Kip became the one-night-only replacement for the injured Kevin Nash in the Main Event Mafia. As of March 19, 2009, Sopp was taken off of TNA Impact! along with Jacqueline Moore to become road agents. Sopp returned as Cute Kip and lost to Awesome Kong in an intergender stretcher match on May 14, 2009. On the May 28 edition of Impact!, Kip was fired by The Beautiful People. On the June 18 edition of Impact!, Mick Foley hired him as his handyman, turning Kip into a face. he made another appearance on the August 6 edition of Impact where Kip had to clean up the IMPACT Zone after a chaotic fifteen minute "riot". On October 9 edition of Xplosion, Kip was defeated by Rhino. On October 30 edition of Xplosion, Kip defeated Sheik Abdul Bashir. on the November 13 edition of Xplosion, Kip lost to Rob Terry and on December 3, 2009 edition of Xplosion, Kip competed in his final TNA match where he lost to Kiyoshi. Sopp's profile was removed from the TNA website on December 29, 2009, confirming his departure from the promotion. Independent circuit (2009–2012) After leaving TNA, Sopp reunited with B.G. James to reform The New Age Outlaws, with both men resuming their Billy Gunn and Road Dogg ring names. After joining TWA Powerhouse in 2010, the Outlaws defeated Canadian Extreme to win the promotion's Tag Team Championship on July 25. They re-lost the title to Canadian Extreme on June 5, 2011. On July 30, 2011, Sopp, working under the ring name Kip Gunn, made his debut for Lucha Libre USA as a member of the heel stable The Right. Later that night, Gunn lost in his debut match against Marco Corleone. On June 26, 2012, Sopp won the American Pro Wrestling Alliance American Championship. However, he lost the title due to travel issues. On September 8 and 9, 2012, he wrestled in a Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation tournament. He defeated Rhino in the semi-finals and Scott Steiner in the final, winning the BBWF Aruba Championship. Return to WWE (2012–2015) On July 23, Sopp, under his Billy Gunn name, made his first WWE appearance in nearly eight years as he reunited with Road Dogg, X-Pac, Shawn Michaels and Triple H to reform D-Generation X for one night only on the 1000th episode of Raw. In December 2012, he was hired by WWE as a trainer for the NXT Wrestling territory in Tampa, Florida. On March 4, 2013, Gunn and Road Dogg made a return at Old School Raw, defeating Primo and Epico. On March 11, 2013, they accepted a challenge from Team Rhodes Scholars and faced them in a match, which was interrupted by Brock Lesnar, who hit both Outlaws with an F-5 as part of his ongoing feud with Triple H. He then appeared alongside Road Dogg to help CM Punk clear out The Shield in aid of Roddy Piper on Old School Raw on January 6, 2014. On the January 10 episode of SmackDown, the Outlaws teamed with CM Punk in a six-man tag match against The Shield in a losing effort. On the January 13 episode of Raw, the Outlaws again teamed with Punk in a rematch against The Shield, only to abandon Punk and lose the match. On January 26 during the Royal Rumble Kickoff Show, Gunn and Road Dogg beat Cody Rhodes and Goldust to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. The next night on Raw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust via disqualification when Brock Lesnar attacked the brothers. The next week on Raw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust in a steel cage match. On March 3, the Outlaws lost the Tag Team Championship to The Usos. Gunn sustained hemoptysis after he and his New Age Outlaws partner, Road Dogg, suffered a double-Triple Powerbomb by The Shield at WrestleMania XXX. Gunn returned to Raw with Road Dogg in January 2015, attacking The Ascension along with the nWo and the APA. At the Royal Rumble, the Outlaws faced The Ascension in a losing effort. At WrestleMania 31, Gunn, with Road Dogg, X-Pac and Shawn Michaels, reunited as D-Generation X to help Triple H in his match against Sting. In May, Gunn was announced as a coach along with WWE Hall of Famers Booker T and Lita for the sixth season of Tough Enough. On November 13, 2015, WWE officially announced that Sopp was released from his WWE contract after failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs. He had tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone at a powerlifting event on July 25, 2015, and was suspended from powerlifting for four years. Independent circuit (2015–2020) On December 26, 2015, Gunn teamed up with Kevin Thorn to defeat Brian Klass and Rob Street. One month later, Gunn defeated Ken Dixon for the MCW Pro Wrestling MCW Rage Television Championship. On February 5, 2016, Gunn defeated Joey Hayes in the Preston City Wrestling PCW Road to Glory tournament, on February 6 he lost to T-Bone in the quarter-finals that same night Gunn teamed up with Mr. Anderson and Tajiri to defeat Dave Raynes, Joey Hayes, and Martin Kirby. On February 7, 2016 Gunn challenged for the Pro Wrestling Pride Heavyweight championship losing to Steve Griffiths. On March 19, 2016, Gunn lost the title to Ken Dixon. On June 12, 2016, Gunn won the Smashmouth Pro Wrestling championship from KC Huber but lost it on the same night, Gunn teamed again with Anderson in a losing effort against the UK Hooligans at PCW Tribute to the Troops on June 25, 2016. He defeated Hardcore Holly in a singles match at PCW Top Gunn on July 2, 2016. On September 4, 2016, Gunn made his debut for Chikara, representing DX alongside X-Pac in a tag team gauntlet match. The two entered the match as the final team and scored the win over Prakash Sabar and The Proletariat Boar of Moldova. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2016–2017) On November 5, 2016, at the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) event Power Struggle, Yoshitatsu announced Gunn as the newest member of his Hunter Club stable and his partner for the upcoming 2016 World Tag League. Gunn and Yoshitatsu finished the tournament on December 8 with a record of three wins and four losses, failing to advance from their block. Gunn returned to NJPW on January 4, 2017, taking part in the pre-show New Japan Rumble at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome, from which he was eliminated by the eventual winner Michael Elgin. While Gunn did not appear for NJPW for the next six months, he was brought up in May by Yoshitatsu, who told Hiroshi Tanahashi that Gunn had requested a match against him. When Tanahashi captured the IWGP Intercontinental Championship the following month, he immediately nominated Gunn as his first challenger. Gunn was defeated in the title match on July 2 at G1 Special in USA, and it was his final match in NJPW. WWE appearances (2018–2019) Gunn and numerous other WWE legends appeared on the January 22, 2018 episode of Raw 25 Years as part of the D-Generation X reunion. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019 as a member of D-Generation X. All Elite Wrestling (2019–present) In January 2019, Gunn was hired by All Elite Wrestling as a coach. At May 25 at the AEW Double or Nothing event he competed in the pre-show battle royal. Gunn made his first televised appearance for AEW on the November 20, 2019 episode of AEW Dynamite, competing in a battle royal. He also appeared during the January 1, 2020 episode of Dynamite, wrestling in a dark match with his son Austin that aired on January 7, 2020. They wrestled again together on another dark match during the January 8, 2020 episode of Dynamite, airing on January 17, 2020, with the tag team name "The Gunn Club", defeating the team of Peter Avalon and Shawn Spears. Gunn has also appeared in the crowd (made up of AEW wrestlers and other employees) on numerous episodes of Dynamite during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the May 27, 2020 episode of Dynamite, Gunn now under the shortened ring name of Billy participated in a battle royal match to determine the number one contender for the TNT Championship. He also would wrestle MJF in a singles match on the June 17, 2020 episode of Dynamite as well. The Gunn Club would wrestle in more tag team matches on more episodes of AEW Dark. On the November 4, 2020 episode of Dynamite, The Gunn Club teamed with Cody Rhodes to successfully defeat The Dark Order (John Silver, 10 and Colt Cabana). On the November 17, 2020 episode of Dark, The Gunn Club, which now added Austin's brother and Gunn's other son Colten to the stable, defeated Bshp King, Joey O'Riley and Sean Maluta by pinfall in a six-man tag team match. On the same day the AEW website's roster page got updated and his name was once again changed to its long form, Billy Gunn. The three man Gunn Club would then defeat Cezar Bononi, KTB, and Seth Gargis in another six man tag team match on the November 24, 2020 episode of Dark. On the December 8, 2020 episode of Dark The three man Gunn Club-which entered the ring on a golf cart with the words "Taz Taxi" on the side, defeated Shawn Dean, Sean Maluta & RYZIN. On the December 1, 2021 episode of Dynamite, The Gunn Club stable's undefeated streak in AEW ended when Billy and Colten Gunn lost to the team of Sting and Darby Allin. Professional wrestling style, persona and reception Gunn has had several gimmicks throughout his career, ranging from his cowboy-themed gimmick with the Smoking Gunns to his The Ambiguously Gay Duo-esque tag team with Chuck Palumbo. Gunn has stated on multiple shoot interviews that he has no regrets with his gimmicks as he was performing a job and doing what was asked of him to do. By far, Gunn's most infamous gimmick was his "Mr. Ass" persona based around his ass. The gimmick started during his New Age Outlaws days when Road Dogg would refer to themselves as "Mr. Dogg" and "Mr. Ass" in promos, though the "Bad Ass" name wasn't referring to his backside at that time. What was originally a throwaway joke turned into Gunn mooning his opponents and the live crowd, though as the original incarnation of DX also did this, it could originally be argued that it was an extension of the Outlaws joining DX. Upon leaving DX, Gunn fully embraced the "Mr. Ass" gimmick by placing emphasis on his "moneymaker". While Road Dogg kept the New Age Outlaws entrance music for his own, Gunn adopted the song "Ass Man" as part of the gimmick, and for a time even changed his ring tights to be see-through, wearing only a thong underneath his tights, although he would eventually revert back to the DX-era tights. The "Mr. Ass" gimmick has mixed reviews. One web site ranked it near the middle of Gunn's various gimmicks, while a writer for Bleacher Report thought it was the worst gimmick ever even though Gunn was at his peak popularity with the persona. Gunn himself told Chris Van Vliet in 2021 that he never paid attention to the "Ass Man" lyrics until a college professor broke down each expression. Due to the enduring legacy of the "Mr. Ass" gimmick, in November 2021 Ring of Honor wrestler Danhausen began a Twitter feud with the Gunn Club, referring to Billy as "Billy Ass," and Colten and Austin as The "Ass Boys," in reference to Gunn's infamous "Mr. Ass" gimmick in the Attitude Era. While Gunn himself initially had no comment, the rest of Gunn Club despised the nickname after fans began chanting "Ass Boys" during their matches, notably during an AEW event at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. Gunn finally commented when he surprised his sons by wearing an "Ass Boys" shirt, encouraging them to "embrace the assness" and even started teasing mooning the crowd again. Gunn also thanked Danhausen publicly for getting his sons over in a way that he couldn't. Other media Filmography Video Games WWF Attitude WWF WrestleMania 2000 WWF SmackDown! WWF No Mercy WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role WWF Road To WrestleMania WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It WWF Raw WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth WWE Raw 2 WWE '13 WWE 2K16 WWE 2K17 Personal life Sopp was born on November 1, 1963 in Orlando, Florida and claims Austin, Texas as his hometown. In November 1990, Sopp was arrested in Florida for disorderly conduct. Sopp married his first wife Tina Tinnell on March 3, 1990. Together, they have two sons: Colten (born May 18, 1991) and Austin (born August 26, 1994) who are also professional wrestlers. The couple separated in January 2000 and their divorce was finalized on December 11, 2002. Sopp has since married his long-time girlfriend Paula on January 24, 2009. Sopp's sons Austin and Colten, better known by the ring names Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn, are currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where alongside their father they form a stable known as "Gunn Club". Sopp attended Sam Houston State University. Championships and accomplishments American Pro Wrestling Alliance APWA American Championship (1 time) Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation BBFW Aruba Championship (1 time) BBFW Aruba Championship Tournament (2012) International Wrestling Federation IWF Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Brett Colt Freedom Pro Wrestling FPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Road Dogg Maryland Championship Wrestling MCW Rage Television Championship (1 time) MCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with B.G. James Pro Wrestling Illustrated Tag Team of the Year (1998) with Road Dogg Tag Team of the Year (2002) with Chuck Ranked #39 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1999 Ranked #231 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003 Ranked #43 of the top 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Road Dogg in 2003 SmashMouth Pro Wrestling SPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) TWA Powerhouse TWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with B.G. James Vanguard Championship Wrestling VCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) World Pro Wrestling WPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) Wrestling Observer Newsletter Worst Worked Match of the Year (2006) TNA Reverse Battle Royal on TNA Impact! WWE/World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment WWF Hardcore Championship (2 times) WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time) WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Road Dogg WWF World Tag Team Championship (10 times) – with Bart Gunn (3), Road Dogg (5) and Chuck (2) King of the Ring (1999) Raw Bowl – with Bart Gunn WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2019) - as a member of D-Generation X References External links 1963 births All Elite Wrestling personnel American male professional wrestlers American powerlifters Bull riders D-Generation X members Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan LGBT characters in professional wrestling Living people Professional wrestlers from Florida Professional wrestling trainers Sam Houston State University alumni Sportspeople from Orlando, Florida The Authority (professional wrestling) members WWE Hall of Fame inductees WWF/WWE Hardcore Champions WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions WWF/WWE King Crown's Champions/King of the Ring winners American expatriate sportspeople in Japan
true
[ "\"If Ever I See You Again\" is the title of a 1978 hit single by Roberta Flack. The song was composed by Joseph \"Joe\" Brooks and served as the title song for the 1978 film If Ever I See You Again, which Brooks directed and also starred in with Shelley Hack as his leading lady. Male vocalist Jamie Carr sang the theme song on the film's soundtrack.\n\nBrooks' directorial debut, You Light Up My Life, had become successful largely on the strength of its title song, which as recorded by Debby Boone had spent ten weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1977. With Brooks producing, Debby Boone had subsequently recorded the If Ever I See You Again title song plus four other songs heard in the film: \"California\", \"Come Share My Love\", \"It Was Such a Good Day\" and \"When It's Over\", at the Hollywood recording studio the Record Plant in January 1978, with the track \"California\" being issued as Boone's follow-up single to \"You Light Up My Life\" in February 1978 to reach #50 on the Hot 100. Boone's version of the If Ever I See You Again title song, plus the four other songs from the film that she'd recorded, would be included on her July 1978 album release Midstream.\n\nDespite Boone's success with the theme song from You Light Up My Life, Brooks was hoping to place the If Ever I See You Again theme song plus other songs from the film with an established artist. According to his partner Robert K. Lifton, Brooks offered the If Ever I See You Again numbers to Arista Records president Clive Davis for Barry Manilow to record only to renege after hearing the existing tracks intended for Manilow's upcoming album, which Brooks felt were sub-par and would sink his own compositions (in fact Manilow's 1978 album release Even Now would be a triple platinum seller).\n\nBrooks then approached Atlantic Records president Jerry Greenberg with the intent of having the If Ever I See You Again theme song and other songs from the film recorded by Roberta Flack (Flack has stated that she had been offered \"You Light Up My Life\" prior to the Debby Boone recording: (Roberta Flack quote:)\"Some people whose opinions I respect very much suggested I should do it...but the song reminded me of too many other things that I had heard or sung and I just didn't like it [although] I think [for] Debby Boone ['You Light Up My Life'] was perfect\". Flack would eventually describe \"If Ever I See You Again\" as \"a song I couldn't stand\" that Greenberg insisted she record: (Roberta Flack quote:) \"I had a very clever lawyer who made a huge money deal for [my recording] that song\": Flack recorded \"If Ever I See You Again\" at A&R Recording Studios in New York City in a session produced by Brooks which also yielded Flack's versions of \"Come Share My Love\" and \"When It's Over\". With a track from Flack's 1977 Blue Lights in the Basement album: \"I'd Like To Be Baby To You\", as B-side, \"If Ever I See You Again\" was released as a single on 21 April 1978 - a month before the film's premiere - to debut the Billboard Hot 100 dated 20 May 1978 at #87 (the same chart ranked the Blue Lights in the Basement single: the Donny Hathaway duet \"The Closer I Get to You\" at its #2 peak for a second and final week).\n\nWith the film If Ever I See You Again quickly proving a massive flop, Flack's single was left to fare on its own merit, and did in July 1978 spend three weeks at No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart with an eventual ranking as the #8 Easy Listening hit for the year: however, while reaching the Top 40 on both the Pop-oriented Hot 100 and the R&B chart, \"If Ever I See You Again\" was not on either chart afforded the impact which had previously been customary for Flack's lead singles, the Hot 100 peak for \"If Ever I See You Again\" being #24 with its R&B peak being #37. On the pop-oriented singles charts published in both Cashbox and Record World, \"If Ever I See You Again\" peaked at #38, with the single's peak on the respective magazines' R&B charts being #37 (Cashbox) and #58 (Record World)).\n\n\"If Ever I See You Again\" was included on the August 1978 album release Roberta Flack - the planned album title of If Ever I See You Again being dropped due to the single's underperformance - , that album also including the two other tracks cut with Joe Brooks at A&R Studios: \"Come Share My Love\" and \"When It's Over\", the two latter tracks being issued on a single in October 1978 with the A-side \"When It's Over\" reaching #82 on the R&B chart.\n\nFrom 1979 Flack would tend to rank on the R&B chart as opposed to the Hot 100, her only solo Hot 100 entry subsequent to \"If Ever I See You Again\" being another movie theme song: \"Making Love\", which peaked at #13 in 1982. However Flack did reach the Top 20 of the Hot 100 with two duets: \"Tonight, I Celebrate My Love\" with Peabo Bryson (#16/ 1983) and \"Set the Night to Music\" with Maxi Priest (#6/ 1991).\n\nSee also\nList of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1978 (U.S.)\n\nReferences\n\nSongs about parting\n1978 singles\nRoberta Flack songs\nAtlantic Records singles\nFilm theme songs\nSongs written for films\nRhythm and blues ballads\nSoul ballads\n1978 songs\nSongs written by Joseph Brooks (songwriter)", "Whenever We Wanted is American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp's 11th album, and the first to be credited simply to Mellencamp's given name (i.e., without the \"Cougar\" name).\n\nThe album reached the top 20 and went platinum. It includes the hits \"Get A Leg Up\" (#1 for three weeks on the Album Rock Tracks chart), \"Now More Than Ever\" (#3 on the Album Rock Tracks chart), \"Last Chance\" (#12 on the Album Rock Tracks chart), and \"Again Tonight\" (#1 for two weeks on the Album Rock Tracks chart). \"Get A Leg Up\" (#14) and \"Again Tonight\" (#36) also cracked the Billboard Hot 100.\n\nEntertainment Weekly gave the album a positive review, stating: \"To Mellencamp's credit, even though 'Whenever We Wanted' delivers his signature rock & roll punch, he doesn't try to. That Mellencamp still has the courage to make depressing assessments in a pop context is a victory that outweighs the record's other shortcomings.\"\n\nMellencamp later said the album was an attempt to \"write American Fool with better lyrics\" after a fan mentioned the previous two albums \"had nothing about sex on them.\" This inspired him to write less about problems in the heartland and \"get back to the basics.\"\n\nAlbum notes\nThe woman featured on the cover with Mellencamp is Elaine Irwin. The cover photo was taken during the shoot for the video for the hit single \"Get a Leg Up.\" The video was shot in July 1991; Mellencamp and Irwin did not see each other again until January 1992 when the Whenever We Wanted Tour pulled into New York City. They become a couple a short time later and were married in September 1992. They separated in September 2010 and were divorced in 2011.\n\nAfter his previous two albums, The Lonesome Jubilee and Big Daddy, featured such non-traditional rock instruments as the accordion and violin, Mellencamp said that on Whenever We Wanted he wanted to put those instruments \"back in their cases\" and return to a harder-edged sound. Mellencamp further elaborated on the album, saying: \"It's very rock 'n' roll. I just wanted to get back to the basics.\"\n\nTrack listing\nAll songs written by John Mellencamp, except where noted.\n \"Love and Happiness\" – 3:53\n \"Now More Than Ever\" – 3:43\n \"I Ain't Ever Satisfied\" – 3:36\n \"Get a Leg Up\" – 3:47\n \"Crazy Ones\" (Mellencamp, Randy Handley) – 4:01\n \"Last Chance\" – 3:39\n \"They're So Tough\" – 4:17\n \"Melting Pot\" – 4:47\n \"Whenever We Wanted\" – 3:42\n \"Again Tonight\" – 3:17\n \"Love and Happiness (London Club Mix)\" (2005 re-issue bonus track) – 6:33\n\nPersonnel\n John Mellencamp – vocals, guitar, hand percussion\n Kenny Aronoff – drums, percussion, vibes\n Mike Wanchic – guitar, background vocals\n Toby Myers – bass guitar, background vocals\n David Grissom – guitars\n John Cascella – Hammond B-3, accordion, penny whistle, Farfisa Organ\n Pharez Whitted – trumpet on \"Love And Happiness\" and \"Whenever We Wanted\"\nJay Healy – engineer, mixing\n\nCharts\n\nCertifications\n\nReferences\n\nJohn Mellencamp albums\n1991 albums\nMercury Records albums" ]
[ "Billy Gunn", "The New Age Outlaws and D-Generation X (1997-1998)", "What were The New Age Outlaws?", "James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as \"Road Dogg\" Jesse James and \"Badd Ass\" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team formed was soon dubbed the New Age Outlaws.", "What was the D generation X?", "They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X.", "How strong were Jesse and Billy?", "This new team was in the spirit of the new Attitude Era: brash, vulgar, egotistical, and loud-mouthed. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks", "Did they ever lose?", "teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated.", "Any other losses?", "During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. Although Kane and Mankind won the Tag Team Championship, they could not get along.", "Did they ever win any tag team championships?", "After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven.", "Who did they lose the title to?", "At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match.", "Did they ever get the title again?", "The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time." ]
C_2e21de52a27844ff90c7b071600d3ed6_1
Who did they lose that to then?
9
Who did Jesse James and Billy Gunn lose the Tag Team to on the third time?
Billy Gunn
After The Smoking Gunns disbanded, Gunn took some time off to nurse an injury. At WrestleMania 13, he defeated Flash Funk catching the attention of The Honky Tonk Man, who made Gunn his protege. During this time, he adopted a new gimmick, Rockabilly, and had a short-lived feud with "The Real Double J" Jesse James. On Shotgun Saturday Night, James realized both of their careers were going nowhere and suggested that they became a tag team. Gunn agreed and smashed a guitar over the Honky Tonk Man's head to solidify their new alliance. James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team formed was soon dubbed the New Age Outlaws. This new team was in the spirit of the new Attitude Era: brash, vulgar, egotistical, and loud-mouthed. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks and won the Tag Team Championship from the Legion of Doom on November 24. They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X. The Outlaws slowly began to align themselves with D-Generation X, who were impressed with their new attitude. At the Royal Rumble, the New Age Outlaws interfered in a Casket match to help Shawn Michaels defeat The Undertaker. At No Way Out Of Texas, the Outlaws teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated. On February 2, The Outlaws locked Cactus and Chainsaw in a dumpster and pushed it off the stage. This led to a Dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV where Cactus and Chainsaw defeated the Outlaws for the Tag Titles. The next night on Raw, the New Age Outlaws won the Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Chainsaw and Cactus in a Steel cage match, but only after interference from Triple H, Chyna, and X-Pac. After the match, the Outlaws officially became members of D-Generation X (DX). Upon becoming an official member of DX, Gunn gained a tendency of mooning opponents (a trait used by the original incarnation of DX, as well as its 2006 revival), a precursor to the later "Mr. Ass" gimmick. After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven. DX began to feud with Owen Hart, and his new stablemates, The Nation. At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match. The Outlaws would also successfully defend their title against The New Midnight Express (Bombastic Bob and Bodacious Bart) at King of the Ring. During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. Although Kane and Mankind won the Tag Team Championship, they could not get along. At SummerSlam, Mankind faced the Outlaws in a Handicap match after Kane no-showed the title defense. The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time. The Outlaws then helped X-Pac in his feud with Jeff Jarrett and Southern Justice. In December, the Outlaws lost the title to The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock from The Corporation. CANNOTANSWER
In December, the Outlaws lost the title to The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock from The Corporation.
Monty "Kip" Sopp (born November 1, 1963), better known by his ring name Billy Gunn, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a wrestler and coach. Gunn is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E) from 1993 to 2004 and from 2012 to 2015. He also served as a coach on WWE's Tough Enough and was a trainer in NXT. He is also known for his appearances with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) from 2005 to 2009. Primarily a tag team wrestler, Gunn is an overall 13-time tag team champion in WWE with three different partners (with Bart Gunn as The Smoking Gunns, with Road Dogg as The New Age Outlaws, and with Chuck Palumbo as Billy and Chuck). He is also a one time WWF Intercontinental Champion and a two time WWF Hardcore Champion, giving him 14 total championships in WWE. He is the 1999 King of the Ring tournament winner, and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019 as a member of D-Generation X. Professional wrestling career Early career (1985–1993) After a stint as a professional bull rider in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Sopp left the profession in his early-20s in order to pursue a career as a professional wrestler. Trained by Jerry Grey, Sopp wrestled on the independent circuit for eight years (including a brief stint as enhancement talent for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) before signing a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1993. World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (1993–2004) The Smoking Gunns (1993–1996) After weeks of vignettes, Sopp, under the name Billy Gunn, made his WWF debut on the May 17, 1993 episode of Raw, teaming with his on-screen brother, Bart Gunn to defeat Tony Vadja and Glenn Ruth. The duo, now known as The Smoking Gunns, made their pay-per-view debut at King of the Ring, teaming with The Steiner Brothers to defeat Money Inc. and The Headshrinkers in an eight-man tag team match. At SummerSlam, the duo teamed with Tatanka to pick up a win against Bam Bam Bigelow and the Headshrinkers. On January 22, 1994, Gunn entered his first Royal Rumble match at the namesake event, but was eliminated by Diesel. In early 1995, the Gunns won their first Tag Team Championship by defeating the makeshift team of Bob Holly and 1-2-3 Kid. They held the title until WrestleMania XI, where they were defeated by the team of Owen Hart and Yokozuna. They won the titles again in September 1995. On February 15, 1996, the Gunns vacated the title because Billy was in need of neck surgery. After Billy returned from hiatus, The Smoking Gunns won the Tag Team Title for the third time by defeating The Godwinns in May. After the match, The Godwinns' manager Sunny turned on her team in favor of the Gunns. On September 22 at In Your House: Mind Games, the Gunns lost the Tag Team Title to Owen Hart and The British Bulldog. After the match, Sunny abandoned The Gunns, saying that she would only manage title holders. Billy, frustrated with losing both the championship and Sunny, walked out on Bart, breaking up The Smoking Gunns. Rockabilly, The New Age Outlaws and D-Generation X (1997–1998) After The Smoking Gunns disbanded, Gunn took some time off to nurse an injury. At WrestleMania 13, he defeated Flash Funk catching the attention of The Honky Tonk Man, who made Gunn his protégé. During this time, he adopted a new gimmick, Rockabilly, He would use this gimmick throughout much of 1997 and eventually had a short-lived feud with "The Real Double J" Jesse James. On the October 4, 1997 episode of Shotgun Saturday Night, James realized both of their careers were going nowhere and suggested that they become a tag team. Gunn agreed and smashed a guitar over the Honky Tonk Man's head to solidify their new alliance. James and Rockabilly were quickly rebranded as "Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn, respectively, and their tag team was dubbed the New Age Outlaws. They quickly rose to the top of the tag team ranks and won the Tag Team Championship from the Legion of Doom on November 24. They also defeated the LOD in a rematch at In Your House: D-Generation X. The Outlaws slowly began to align themselves with D-Generation X. At the Royal Rumble, the New Age Outlaws interfered in a Casket match to help Shawn Michaels defeat The Undertaker. At No Way Out Of Texas, the Outlaws teamed up with Triple H and Savio Vega (who replaced the injured Shawn Michaels) to face Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Owen Hart, and Steve Austin. They were, however, defeated. On February 2, The Outlaws locked Cactus and Chainsaw in a dumpster and pushed it off the stage. This led to a Dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV where Cactus and Chainsaw defeated the Outlaws for the Tag Titles. The next night on Raw, the New Age Outlaws won the Tag Team Championship for a second time by defeating Chainsaw and Cactus in a Steel cage match, but only after interference from Triple H, Chyna, and X-Pac. After the match, the Outlaws officially became members of D-Generation X (DX). After joining DX, the Outlaws successfully defended their Tag Team Title against the Legion of Doom 2000 at Unforgiven. DX began to feud with Owen Hart and his new stablemates, The Nation. At Over The Edge, the Outlaws and Triple H were defeated by Nation members Owen, Kama Mustafa, and D'Lo Brown in a Six Man Tag Match. During this time, the Outlaws began a feud with Kane and Mankind. At SummerSlam, Mankind faced the Outlaws in a Handicap match after Kane no-showed the title defense. The Outlaws defeated Mankind to win the titles for the third time. In December, the Outlaws lost the title to The Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock from The Corporation. Mr. Ass and reformation of the Outlaws and DX (1999–2000) The Outlaws then began to focus more on singles competition. The Road Dogg won the Hardcore Championship in December 1998, and Gunn set his sights on the Intercontinental Championship. At the 1999 Royal Rumble, Gunn unsuccessfully challenged Ken Shamrock for the Intercontinental Title. The next month at St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Gunn was the special guest referee for the Intercontinental Championship match between Val Venis and champion Ken Shamrock, where Gunn made a fast count and declared Venis the new champion before attacking both men. In March, Gunn won the Hardcore Championship from Hardcore Holly. At WrestleMania XV, Gunn lost the title to Holly in a Triple Threat match which also included Al Snow. The New Age Outlaws then reunited to defeat Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart at Backlash. After Backlash, Gunn left D-Generation X and aligned himself with Triple H and Chyna. Gunn defeated his former partner, Road Dogg, in a match at Over the Edge. Gunn then won the King of the Ring tournament by defeating Ken Shamrock, Kane, and his former ally, X-Pac. After King of the Ring, Gunn, Triple H, and Chyna went on to feud with X-Pac and Road Dogg over the rights to the D-Generation X name. This feud culminated at Fully Loaded when X-Pac and Road Dogg defeated Gunn and Chyna. Gunn then began a brief feud with The Rock. At SummerSlam, The Rock defeated Gunn in a Kiss My Ass Match. Following this, Gunn then briefly feuded with Jeff Jarrett for the Intercontinental Title before reuniting with Road Dogg to reform The New Age Outlaws. The Outlaws won their fourth tag team championship by defeating The Rock 'n' Sock Connection in September 1999. The Outlaws later reunited with X-Pac and Triple H to reform D-Generation X. During this time, The Outlaws won their fifth Tag Team Championship after defeating Mankind and Al Snow. At the 2000 Royal Rumble, The New Age Outlaws retained their title against The Acolytes after interference from X-Pac. The Outlaws then had a feud with The Dudley Boyz, who won the Tag Team Championship from The Outlaws at No Way Out. After suffering a torn rotator cuff in the match with The Dudley Boyz, Gunn was kicked out of D-Generation X for "losing his cool" to explain his impending absence to recover from his injury. The One (2000–2001) Gunn made his return in October and immediately teamed with Chyna to feud with Right to Censor, who wanted to "censor" his Mr. Ass gimmick. At No Mercy, Right to Censor members Steven Richards and Val Venis defeated Chyna and Gunn. Due to a stipulation, Gunn could no longer use the Mr. Ass gimmick, so he renamed himself Billy G. for a few weeks before settling on "The One" Billy Gunn. Gunn then feuded with Eddie Guerrero and the rest of The Radicalz. At Survivor Series, Gunn teamed with Road Dogg, Chyna, and K-Kwik in a losing effort against The Radicalz. A few weeks later on SmackDown!, Gunn won the Intercontinental Championship from Guerrero. However, the title reign was short-lived, as Chris Benoit defeated him for the title two weeks later at Armageddon. After feuding with Benoit, Gunn participated in the 2001 Royal Rumble where he made it to the final four, Gunn interfered in the Hardcore Championship Match at No Way Out, and taking advantage of the 24/7 Rule, pinning Raven for the title. The reign was short-lived, as Raven won it back a few minutes later. Billy and Chuck (2001–2002) In a 2001 match on Sunday Night Heat, Gunn was defeated by Chuck Palumbo, who recently left The Alliance to join the WWF. After the match, Gunn suggested that they form a tag team. Palumbo agreed, and Billy and Chuck quickly rose to the top of the tag team division. Initially they were a generic tandem, but they were given a gimmick where they grew increasingly affectionate toward each other, showing evidence of a storyline homosexual relationship. In February 2002, Billy and Chuck defeated Spike Dudley and Tazz to win the WWF Tag Team Championship for the first time as a team. After winning the titles, Billy and Chuck found a "Personal Stylist" in the ambiguously flamboyant Rico. After retaining the title against the Acolytes Protection Agency, the Dudley Boyz, and the Hardy Boyz in a Four Corners Elimination Match at WrestleMania X8 and against Al Snow and Maven at Backlash, Billy and Chuck began a feud with Rikishi. At Judgment Day, Rikishi and Rico (Rikishi's mystery partner of Mr. McMahon's choosing) defeated Billy and Chuck for the WWE Tag Team Championship after Rico accidentally hit Chuck with a roundhouse kick. Billy and Chuck quickly won the title back two weeks later on SmackDown! with Rico's help. They held the championship for almost a month before losing it to the team of Edge and Hollywood Hulk Hogan on the July 4 episode of SmackDown!. On the September 5 edition of SmackDown!, after Billy lost a match to Rey Mysterio, Chuck proposed to Billy, asking him to be his "partner for life" and gave him a wedding ring. Billy agreed, and one week later, on the September 12 episode of SmackDown!, Billy and Chuck had their wedding ceremony. However, just before they tied the knot, they revealed that the entire ordeal was a publicity stunt and disavowed their on-screen homosexuality, admitting that they were just friends. The "preacher" revealed himself to be Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff (who was wearing a skin mask), who then summoned 3-Minute Warning to beat up Billy and Chuck. Rico, furious that Billy and Chuck gave up their gimmick, became the manager of Three Minute Warning and defected to Raw. At Unforgiven, Three Minute Warning defeated Billy and Chuck. Their final match together occurred on the October 3 episode of SmackDown! in the first round of a tournament for the newly created WWE Tag Team Championship. They lost the match to the team of Ron Simmons and Reverend D-Von. Afterwards, Gunn took a few months off because of a shoulder injury and the team of Billy and Chuck quietly disbanded. SmackDown! and return to singles competition (2003–2004) After returning in the summer of 2003, Gunn reverted to the "Mr. Ass" gimmick, defeating A-Train, and Torrie Wilson became his new manager. He started a feud with Jamie Noble, which led to an "Indecent Proposal" Match at Vengeance, which Noble won and due to the match's stipulation, won a night with Torrie. After taking time off again due to a shoulder injury, Gunn returned to action at the 2004 Royal Rumble, but was eliminated by Goldberg. Afterward, he wrestled mainly on Velocity, forming an occasional tag team with Hardcore Holly. At Judgment Day, Gunn and Holly challenged Charlie Haas and Rico for the WWE Tag Team Championship, but were unsuccessful. At The Great American Bash, Gunn lost to Kenzo Suzuki. On November 1, 2004, Sopp was released from his WWE contract. In June 2005, Sopp gave an interview in which he was heavily critical of WWE and the events that led to his release. Many of the negative comments were directed towards Triple H, who Sopp claimed "runs the show up there". Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2005–2009) Planet Jarrett (2005) On February 13, 2005, Sopp debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) without a name (as Billy Gunn is a WWE trademark, although announcers recognized him as such) at Against All Odds with the same gimmick, helping Jeff Jarrett retain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a match with Kevin Nash. Sopp, using the name The New Age Outlaw, then formed a stable with Jarrett and Monty Brown known as Planet Jarrett. However, WWE threatened TNA with legal action if Sopp continued the use of the name "The New Age Outlaw", so he shortened his name to The Outlaw. Due to the legal issues with WWE, all TNA -DVD releases featuring footage with Sopp as "The Outlaw" (and presumably also as "The New Age Outlaw") have had the name on on-screen graphics blurred, the name silenced out of the audio, and match commentary completely replaced to reflect a retroactive name change to "Kip James". One such DVD is the pay-per-view Lockdown, included in the "TNA Anthology: The Epic Set" box set, in which the silencing of the name during a segment where Dusty Rhodes picks his name from a lottery leaves DVD viewers in the dark as to who just got picked. The Outlaw began a campaign to make former ally B.G. James leave the 3Live Kru and defect to Planet Jarrett, reforming the old tag team with Outlaw. At No Surrender, he renamed himself Kip James and was announced as "wrestling out of Marietta, Georgia" (the family seat of the Armstrong family) as a psychological ploy. As a result of his campaign, Kip attracted the ire of 3Live Kru members Ron Killings and Konnan, leading to a series of tag team matches pitting Kip and Monty Brown against Killings and Konnan, with a conflicted James unwilling to take sides. Kip's efforts ultimately proved futile; James, the guest referee in a final match between Brown and Kip versus Konnan and Killings at Sacrifice, attacked Kip enabling a 3Live Kru victory. In September at Unbreakable, Kip teamed with Brown to defeat the team of Apolo and Lance Hoyt. There was clear tension between the partners because Brown was unhappy at the series of losses at the hands of the 3Live Kru, and Kip was irked by Brown's decision to leave Planet Jarrett. Despite the victory, the partners argued after the match. On the October 8, 2005 episode of Impact!, Kip rekindled his feud with the 3Live Kru, running to the ring after a bout between the 3LK and Team Canada in order to prevent Team Canada captain Petey Williams from beating down B.G. James. He saved James, and then engaged in a staredown with Konnan and Killings. Kip saved James from Team Canada once again at Bound for Glory. Though Killings showed signs of gratitude, Konnan remained skeptical as to his true intentions. Later that night, Kip took part in an over-the-top-rope gauntlet match for the number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. After he was eliminated, he tried in vain to prevent Killings from being eliminated as well, before being sent away from ringside by the referees. The James Gang/Voodoo Kin Mafia (2005–2008) On the November 26 episode of Impact!, B.G. brought Kip and the 3Live Kru to ringside and asked Killings and Konnan whether Kip could join the stable. Following a heated argument between Konnan and B.G., both Killings and Konnan gave their approval, and the 4Live Kru was born. However, at Turning Point, Konnan attacked both B.G. and Kip, costing them their match against Team Canada and initiating a feud between himself and the remainder of the Kru. Shortly thereafter, B.G. James's father, Bob Armstrong, attempted to reconcile the group, but was instead attacked by Konnan and his new stablemates, Apolo and Homicide. Killings later stated that he had severed his ties with the Kru. With Konnan and Killings no longer members of the Kru, Kip and B.G. began referring to themselves as The James Gang and continued to feud with the Konnan-managed Latin American Exchange, whose third man position as Homicide's partner would switch from Apolo to Machete, and then from him to Hernandez, who finally stuck, during the course of this feud. At Final Resolution, The James Gang defeated The Diamonds in the Rough (David Young and Elix Skipper). At Against All Odds, The James Gang defeated LAX (Homicide and Machete). At Destination X, The James Gang and Bob Armstrong defeated Latin American Exchange in a six-man tag team match. At Sacrifice, The James Gang defeated Team 3D which led to a rematch at Slammiversary where Team 3D defeated The James Gang in a Bingo Hall Brawl. At Victory Road, The James Gang and Abyss defeated Team 3D and their newest member Brother Runt. At No Surrender, The James Gang competed in a Triple Chance tag team battle royal but failed to win the match. At Bound for Glory, The James Gang competed in a Four-way tag team match which was won by Team 3D. By November 2006, Kip and B.G. began to show displeasure in TNA and threatened to go find work elsewhere if they did not receive gold soon. They began performing the crotch chop, a reference to the WWE's DX. On the November 2 edition of Impact!, Kip and B.G. threatened to quit. Kip grabbed the mic and tried to say something to the TNA administration and Spike TV, but each time his mic was cut off. Kip then tried to use the announcer's headset, but it was cut off as well. Frustrated, he started yelling loudly to the crowd, but he was cut off again as the show went to a commercial break. When the show returned, the announcers speculated that they may have been frustrated due to the influx of new talent entering TNA. It was reported that the segment was a worked shoot that Vince Russo had written in order to renew interest upon their eventual return. Kip and BG appeared in an internet video on TNA's website where they addressed the owner of WWE Vince McMahon. A few weeks later on Impact!, The James Gang re-emerged under a new name Voodoo Kin Mafia (VKM for short, a play on Vincent Kennedy McMahon's initials). They mentioned their new right of 'creative control', meaning they could do whatever they wanted. They also declared 'war' on Paul Levesque, Michael Hickenbottom, and Vincent K. McMahon (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Vince McMahon, respectively). Kip then declared that 'Triple Hollywood' and 'Shawn Kiss-my-bottom' were failing as the group they (Kip and BG) used to be a part of: D-Generation X. After the initial shock value of this incident wore off, at Genesis, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated Kazarian, Maverick Matt and Johnny Devine in a handicap match. VKM began a feud with the villainous Christy Hemme. Hemme then searched for a tag team to square-off against VKM. At Destination X, The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated Hemme's handpicked team of The Heartbreakers (Antonio Thomas & Romeo Roselli). On the Lockdown preshow The Voodoo Kin Mafia defeated another one of Hemme's handpicked team Serotonin (Kaz & Havok) in a Six Sides of Steel match. The final tag team was Damaja and Basham, who appeared on an episode of Impact! and beat down VKM. They also held up Kip James so Hemme could slap him. B.G James was taken out by Basham and Damaja which led to Kip James competed against Basham and Damaja in a handicap match at Sacrifice where he lost. However, they beat Hemme's team at Slammiversary. After the match, VKM were betrayed by their associate Lance Hoyt. At Victory Road, they introduced their new manager, the Voodoo Queen, Roxxi Laveaux, to embarrass Christy Hemme. At Hard Justice, The Voodoo Kin Mafia lost to The Latin American Exchange. At No Surrender, The Voodoo Kin Mafia competed in a Ten-team tag team gauntlet match which was won by A.J. Styles and Tomko. At Bound for Glory, Kip James competed in the Fight for the Right Reverse Battle Royal which was won by Eric Young. On the October 25 edition of Impact!, VKM teamed with A.J. Styles and Tomko in a losing effort to the Latin American Xchange and the Steiner Brothers. At Genesis, B.G. was present along with Kip in the corner of Roxxi Laveaux at ringside for the Fatal Four Way knockout match for the TNA Women's Championship in which Gail Kim retained the title. At Turning Point, James competed in the Feast or Fired where he grabbed a case but threw it to BG James. It was revealed that the case was for a shot at the TNA World Tag Team Championship and BG James picked his dad to be his partner at Against All Odds, James and Bob Armstrong failed to win the titles and on February 21, 2008 episode of Impact! he turned on B.G. and B.G's father "Bullet" Bob Armstrong by hitting them both with a crutch. The Beautiful People (2008–2009) On April 13, 2008, he faced former partner B.G. James at Lockdown and lost. After the match, he appeared to want to make amends as he raised B.G.'s hand after the match, only to clothesline him down to the mat and taunt him with a DX crotch chop. Kip went on to declare himself "The Megastar", an arrogant gimmick similar to "The One" gimmick from his WWF tenure. Kip later stopped making appearances on Impact! until April 24 when he was attacked backstage by Matt Morgan for no reason. The next week on Impact!, Kip got back at Morgan by attacking him backstage in Jim Cornette's office. On May 8, 2008, Cornette forced Morgan into being Kip's tag team partner for the Deuces Wild tournament at Sacrifice, though both were unable to win. Kip went on another brief disappearance from television until the June 5 edition of Impact!, where he partnered with Lance Hoyt and James Storm in a losing effort against Morgan and The Latin American Xchange. On the August 14 episode of Impact!, Kip was revealed to be the new image consultant and member of The Beautiful People, dubbed Cute Kip and was using his Mr.Ass Attire, after they brought him out during their interview on Karen Angle's show Karen's Angle. at Bound for Glory IV, Kip, Love and Sky lost to Rhino, ODB and Rhaka Khan in a Bimbo Brawl. at Final Resolution (December 2008), Kip competed in the Feast or Fired match but failed to get a case. At Genesis 2009, Kip became the one-night-only replacement for the injured Kevin Nash in the Main Event Mafia. As of March 19, 2009, Sopp was taken off of TNA Impact! along with Jacqueline Moore to become road agents. Sopp returned as Cute Kip and lost to Awesome Kong in an intergender stretcher match on May 14, 2009. On the May 28 edition of Impact!, Kip was fired by The Beautiful People. On the June 18 edition of Impact!, Mick Foley hired him as his handyman, turning Kip into a face. he made another appearance on the August 6 edition of Impact where Kip had to clean up the IMPACT Zone after a chaotic fifteen minute "riot". On October 9 edition of Xplosion, Kip was defeated by Rhino. On October 30 edition of Xplosion, Kip defeated Sheik Abdul Bashir. on the November 13 edition of Xplosion, Kip lost to Rob Terry and on December 3, 2009 edition of Xplosion, Kip competed in his final TNA match where he lost to Kiyoshi. Sopp's profile was removed from the TNA website on December 29, 2009, confirming his departure from the promotion. Independent circuit (2009–2012) After leaving TNA, Sopp reunited with B.G. James to reform The New Age Outlaws, with both men resuming their Billy Gunn and Road Dogg ring names. After joining TWA Powerhouse in 2010, the Outlaws defeated Canadian Extreme to win the promotion's Tag Team Championship on July 25. They re-lost the title to Canadian Extreme on June 5, 2011. On July 30, 2011, Sopp, working under the ring name Kip Gunn, made his debut for Lucha Libre USA as a member of the heel stable The Right. Later that night, Gunn lost in his debut match against Marco Corleone. On June 26, 2012, Sopp won the American Pro Wrestling Alliance American Championship. However, he lost the title due to travel issues. On September 8 and 9, 2012, he wrestled in a Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation tournament. He defeated Rhino in the semi-finals and Scott Steiner in the final, winning the BBWF Aruba Championship. Return to WWE (2012–2015) On July 23, Sopp, under his Billy Gunn name, made his first WWE appearance in nearly eight years as he reunited with Road Dogg, X-Pac, Shawn Michaels and Triple H to reform D-Generation X for one night only on the 1000th episode of Raw. In December 2012, he was hired by WWE as a trainer for the NXT Wrestling territory in Tampa, Florida. On March 4, 2013, Gunn and Road Dogg made a return at Old School Raw, defeating Primo and Epico. On March 11, 2013, they accepted a challenge from Team Rhodes Scholars and faced them in a match, which was interrupted by Brock Lesnar, who hit both Outlaws with an F-5 as part of his ongoing feud with Triple H. He then appeared alongside Road Dogg to help CM Punk clear out The Shield in aid of Roddy Piper on Old School Raw on January 6, 2014. On the January 10 episode of SmackDown, the Outlaws teamed with CM Punk in a six-man tag match against The Shield in a losing effort. On the January 13 episode of Raw, the Outlaws again teamed with Punk in a rematch against The Shield, only to abandon Punk and lose the match. On January 26 during the Royal Rumble Kickoff Show, Gunn and Road Dogg beat Cody Rhodes and Goldust to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. The next night on Raw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust via disqualification when Brock Lesnar attacked the brothers. The next week on Raw the New Age Outlaws retained the championship against Rhodes and Goldust in a steel cage match. On March 3, the Outlaws lost the Tag Team Championship to The Usos. Gunn sustained hemoptysis after he and his New Age Outlaws partner, Road Dogg, suffered a double-Triple Powerbomb by The Shield at WrestleMania XXX. Gunn returned to Raw with Road Dogg in January 2015, attacking The Ascension along with the nWo and the APA. At the Royal Rumble, the Outlaws faced The Ascension in a losing effort. At WrestleMania 31, Gunn, with Road Dogg, X-Pac and Shawn Michaels, reunited as D-Generation X to help Triple H in his match against Sting. In May, Gunn was announced as a coach along with WWE Hall of Famers Booker T and Lita for the sixth season of Tough Enough. On November 13, 2015, WWE officially announced that Sopp was released from his WWE contract after failing a test for performance-enhancing drugs. He had tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone at a powerlifting event on July 25, 2015, and was suspended from powerlifting for four years. Independent circuit (2015–2020) On December 26, 2015, Gunn teamed up with Kevin Thorn to defeat Brian Klass and Rob Street. One month later, Gunn defeated Ken Dixon for the MCW Pro Wrestling MCW Rage Television Championship. On February 5, 2016, Gunn defeated Joey Hayes in the Preston City Wrestling PCW Road to Glory tournament, on February 6 he lost to T-Bone in the quarter-finals that same night Gunn teamed up with Mr. Anderson and Tajiri to defeat Dave Raynes, Joey Hayes, and Martin Kirby. On February 7, 2016 Gunn challenged for the Pro Wrestling Pride Heavyweight championship losing to Steve Griffiths. On March 19, 2016, Gunn lost the title to Ken Dixon. On June 12, 2016, Gunn won the Smashmouth Pro Wrestling championship from KC Huber but lost it on the same night, Gunn teamed again with Anderson in a losing effort against the UK Hooligans at PCW Tribute to the Troops on June 25, 2016. He defeated Hardcore Holly in a singles match at PCW Top Gunn on July 2, 2016. On September 4, 2016, Gunn made his debut for Chikara, representing DX alongside X-Pac in a tag team gauntlet match. The two entered the match as the final team and scored the win over Prakash Sabar and The Proletariat Boar of Moldova. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2016–2017) On November 5, 2016, at the New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) event Power Struggle, Yoshitatsu announced Gunn as the newest member of his Hunter Club stable and his partner for the upcoming 2016 World Tag League. Gunn and Yoshitatsu finished the tournament on December 8 with a record of three wins and four losses, failing to advance from their block. Gunn returned to NJPW on January 4, 2017, taking part in the pre-show New Japan Rumble at Wrestle Kingdom 11 in Tokyo Dome, from which he was eliminated by the eventual winner Michael Elgin. While Gunn did not appear for NJPW for the next six months, he was brought up in May by Yoshitatsu, who told Hiroshi Tanahashi that Gunn had requested a match against him. When Tanahashi captured the IWGP Intercontinental Championship the following month, he immediately nominated Gunn as his first challenger. Gunn was defeated in the title match on July 2 at G1 Special in USA, and it was his final match in NJPW. WWE appearances (2018–2019) Gunn and numerous other WWE legends appeared on the January 22, 2018 episode of Raw 25 Years as part of the D-Generation X reunion. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019 as a member of D-Generation X. All Elite Wrestling (2019–present) In January 2019, Gunn was hired by All Elite Wrestling as a coach. At May 25 at the AEW Double or Nothing event he competed in the pre-show battle royal. Gunn made his first televised appearance for AEW on the November 20, 2019 episode of AEW Dynamite, competing in a battle royal. He also appeared during the January 1, 2020 episode of Dynamite, wrestling in a dark match with his son Austin that aired on January 7, 2020. They wrestled again together on another dark match during the January 8, 2020 episode of Dynamite, airing on January 17, 2020, with the tag team name "The Gunn Club", defeating the team of Peter Avalon and Shawn Spears. Gunn has also appeared in the crowd (made up of AEW wrestlers and other employees) on numerous episodes of Dynamite during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the May 27, 2020 episode of Dynamite, Gunn now under the shortened ring name of Billy participated in a battle royal match to determine the number one contender for the TNT Championship. He also would wrestle MJF in a singles match on the June 17, 2020 episode of Dynamite as well. The Gunn Club would wrestle in more tag team matches on more episodes of AEW Dark. On the November 4, 2020 episode of Dynamite, The Gunn Club teamed with Cody Rhodes to successfully defeat The Dark Order (John Silver, 10 and Colt Cabana). On the November 17, 2020 episode of Dark, The Gunn Club, which now added Austin's brother and Gunn's other son Colten to the stable, defeated Bshp King, Joey O'Riley and Sean Maluta by pinfall in a six-man tag team match. On the same day the AEW website's roster page got updated and his name was once again changed to its long form, Billy Gunn. The three man Gunn Club would then defeat Cezar Bononi, KTB, and Seth Gargis in another six man tag team match on the November 24, 2020 episode of Dark. On the December 8, 2020 episode of Dark The three man Gunn Club-which entered the ring on a golf cart with the words "Taz Taxi" on the side, defeated Shawn Dean, Sean Maluta & RYZIN. On the December 1, 2021 episode of Dynamite, The Gunn Club stable's undefeated streak in AEW ended when Billy and Colten Gunn lost to the team of Sting and Darby Allin. Professional wrestling style, persona and reception Gunn has had several gimmicks throughout his career, ranging from his cowboy-themed gimmick with the Smoking Gunns to his The Ambiguously Gay Duo-esque tag team with Chuck Palumbo. Gunn has stated on multiple shoot interviews that he has no regrets with his gimmicks as he was performing a job and doing what was asked of him to do. By far, Gunn's most infamous gimmick was his "Mr. Ass" persona based around his ass. The gimmick started during his New Age Outlaws days when Road Dogg would refer to themselves as "Mr. Dogg" and "Mr. Ass" in promos, though the "Bad Ass" name wasn't referring to his backside at that time. What was originally a throwaway joke turned into Gunn mooning his opponents and the live crowd, though as the original incarnation of DX also did this, it could originally be argued that it was an extension of the Outlaws joining DX. Upon leaving DX, Gunn fully embraced the "Mr. Ass" gimmick by placing emphasis on his "moneymaker". While Road Dogg kept the New Age Outlaws entrance music for his own, Gunn adopted the song "Ass Man" as part of the gimmick, and for a time even changed his ring tights to be see-through, wearing only a thong underneath his tights, although he would eventually revert back to the DX-era tights. The "Mr. Ass" gimmick has mixed reviews. One web site ranked it near the middle of Gunn's various gimmicks, while a writer for Bleacher Report thought it was the worst gimmick ever even though Gunn was at his peak popularity with the persona. Gunn himself told Chris Van Vliet in 2021 that he never paid attention to the "Ass Man" lyrics until a college professor broke down each expression. Due to the enduring legacy of the "Mr. Ass" gimmick, in November 2021 Ring of Honor wrestler Danhausen began a Twitter feud with the Gunn Club, referring to Billy as "Billy Ass," and Colten and Austin as The "Ass Boys," in reference to Gunn's infamous "Mr. Ass" gimmick in the Attitude Era. While Gunn himself initially had no comment, the rest of Gunn Club despised the nickname after fans began chanting "Ass Boys" during their matches, notably during an AEW event at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. Gunn finally commented when he surprised his sons by wearing an "Ass Boys" shirt, encouraging them to "embrace the assness" and even started teasing mooning the crowd again. Gunn also thanked Danhausen publicly for getting his sons over in a way that he couldn't. Other media Filmography Video Games WWF Attitude WWF WrestleMania 2000 WWF SmackDown! WWF No Mercy WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role WWF Road To WrestleMania WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It WWF Raw WWE SmackDown! Shut Your Mouth WWE Raw 2 WWE '13 WWE 2K16 WWE 2K17 Personal life Sopp was born on November 1, 1963 in Orlando, Florida and claims Austin, Texas as his hometown. In November 1990, Sopp was arrested in Florida for disorderly conduct. Sopp married his first wife Tina Tinnell on March 3, 1990. Together, they have two sons: Colten (born May 18, 1991) and Austin (born August 26, 1994) who are also professional wrestlers. The couple separated in January 2000 and their divorce was finalized on December 11, 2002. Sopp has since married his long-time girlfriend Paula on January 24, 2009. Sopp's sons Austin and Colten, better known by the ring names Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn, are currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where alongside their father they form a stable known as "Gunn Club". Sopp attended Sam Houston State University. Championships and accomplishments American Pro Wrestling Alliance APWA American Championship (1 time) Bad Boys of Wrestling Federation BBFW Aruba Championship (1 time) BBFW Aruba Championship Tournament (2012) International Wrestling Federation IWF Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Brett Colt Freedom Pro Wrestling FPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Road Dogg Maryland Championship Wrestling MCW Rage Television Championship (1 time) MCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with B.G. James Pro Wrestling Illustrated Tag Team of the Year (1998) with Road Dogg Tag Team of the Year (2002) with Chuck Ranked #39 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 1999 Ranked #231 of the top 500 singles wrestlers of the "PWI Years" in 2003 Ranked #43 of the top 100 tag teams of the "PWI Years" with Road Dogg in 2003 SmashMouth Pro Wrestling SPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) TWA Powerhouse TWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with B.G. James Vanguard Championship Wrestling VCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time) World Pro Wrestling WPW World Heavyweight Championship (1 time) Wrestling Observer Newsletter Worst Worked Match of the Year (2006) TNA Reverse Battle Royal on TNA Impact! WWE/World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment WWF Hardcore Championship (2 times) WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time) WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Road Dogg WWF World Tag Team Championship (10 times) – with Bart Gunn (3), Road Dogg (5) and Chuck (2) King of the Ring (1999) Raw Bowl – with Bart Gunn WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2019) - as a member of D-Generation X References External links 1963 births All Elite Wrestling personnel American male professional wrestlers American powerlifters Bull riders D-Generation X members Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan LGBT characters in professional wrestling Living people Professional wrestlers from Florida Professional wrestling trainers Sam Houston State University alumni Sportspeople from Orlando, Florida The Authority (professional wrestling) members WWE Hall of Fame inductees WWF/WWE Hardcore Champions WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions WWF/WWE King Crown's Champions/King of the Ring winners American expatriate sportspeople in Japan
true
[ "Heidi Noelle Guenther (January 11, 1975 – June 30, 1997) was an American ballerina from 1981 to her death in 1997. Guenther died from cardiac arrest which was believed to be caused by her eating disorder.\n\nBiography \nGuenther was born in San Francisco. She was raised in Los Osos, and trained at School of the American Ballet and Houston Ballet School during the summer. Guenther earned a full scholarship to the San Francisco Ballet School when she was twelve. She performed throughout high school and in 1994, performed in \"Symphony in C\" at the Kennedy Center.\n\nShe was first told to lose weight by the San Francisco Ballet School. In 1994 and in 1995, Artistic director Anna-Marie Holmes encouraged Guenther to lose weight, eventually going to 110 pounds. The weight loss did not stop here. Gunther continued to drop weight at an alarmingly quick rate. Guenther was soon promoted to the Boston Ballet in 1994 as an apprentice dancer. A colleague, Kyra Strasberg, called Guenther, \"a very, very talented dancer with a gorgeous light jump.\"\n\nGuenther broke her foot in the first season, as an apprentice. She did not seek medical attention, because she was afraid she would lose her contract. Instead she rested her foot when she wasn't dancing, causing her to gain five pounds. The Boston Ballet did urge her to not lose any more weight in an evaluation given in January 1997. At the time, the company was worried that she may have an eating disorder. Though the company noticed her weight loss they did not follow up with her about it. Boston Ballet did not address the issue that was an eating disorder. She was considered \"dangerously thin\" by the ballet's records. Holmes, however, told Guenther before she left for summer vacation starting in June 1995, that if she didn't lose the five pounds she gained, she would not gain a contract. Guenther wrote a note to herself for that summer vacation, renewing her commitment to lose weight, \"They always pick people for parts who are skinny.\" While the Boston Ballet did counsel her to gain weight, Guenther's mother noticed that the thinner her daughter was, the more dancing roles she was given. This added to the pressure already placed on Heidi to lose weight.\n\nDuring a family trip to Disneyland, Guenther died on June 30, 1997 of cardiac arrest at the age of 22. There was not an event that led up to her death. Heidi was sitting in the back seat of a vehicle when all of a sudden she was no longer breathing. Her death was speculated to be caused by her immense amount of weight loss.\n\nIn a later search, a stash of laxatives and herbal diet-aid pills were found in her possession. Along with the use of medication to lose weight, many of Heidi's friends stated that she had an unhealthy relationship with purging, as well as skipping meals. An autopsy showed no heart deformities and no abnormal substances in her blood. However, her heart wall was found to be abnormally thin. A week before her death, she told her family that her heart was \"racing\" and \"pounding,\" but she would not seek medical attention.\n\nHer family filed a wrongful death suit in 2000, against the Boston Ballet, for putting excessive pressure on Guenther to lose weight. Holmes was also named as a defendant in the suit, which was filed just before the statute of limitations expired. The suit was later rejected by the courts.\n\nLegacy \nGuenther's death \"was a wake-up call for everyone,\" causing ballet companies to treat eating disorders as a \"top priority.\" Immediately after her death, some American ballet companies said they would change their policies or offer extra information about eating disorders. Her death caused the Boston Ballet to begin nutrition counseling, onsite therapists, wellness seminars and help with weight control. Her family is attempting to start a foundation to help young athletes and dancers in honor of Guenther.\n\nReferences \n\nAmerican ballerinas\n1975 births\n1997 deaths\nDeaths from anorexia nervosa\nNeurological disease deaths in California\nPeople from San Francisco\nBoston Ballet dancers\nPeople from Los Osos, California\n20th-century American ballet dancers", "The 1977 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University in the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. The Commodores were led by head coach Fred Pancoast in his third year. Vanderbilt had its second year with only two win both being non-conference games (2–9 overall, 0–6 in the SEC).\n\nThis was Vanderbilt's football program's 88th season. From 1890 to 1941 Vanderbilt won 304 games and lost 111, with 10 ties. It took the then successful program only 19 years to reach the 100 win mark, another 16 to meet the 200 mark, and 17 more to make it to 300 wins. It took Vanderbilt 50 years to lose 100 games, and 23 more to reach the 200 loss margin. Vanderbilt only needs 15 more years to make it to 300 losses. From 1940 to 1962 Vanderbilt would win and lose 100 more games. However, from 1962 to 1977 it only took 13 years to lose 100 more games. By the 1977 season Vanderbilt, a once respectable program, was now year after year the worst team in the SEC. The program would not get better any time soon. Vanderbilt's lost its 400th game in only 13 more years. In SEC play, from 1960 to 2011 Vanderbilt only had two above .500 win seasons, winning only 52 games, 16 of which they did not win a single game.\n\nSchedule\n\nReferences\n\nVanderbilt\nVanderbilt Commodores football seasons\nVanderbilt Commodores football" ]