Nico 59536 225971911 2008-07-16T07:29:53Z Twsx 1964288 fixing genre capitalization mistakes per [[Wikipedia:MUSTARD#Capitalization|WP:MUSTARD]] -> [[Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style_(capital_letters)#Musical_genres|MOS:CAPS]] + cleanup. {{otheruses}} {{refimprove|date=March 2008}} {{Infobox musical artist |Name = Nico |Background = solo_singer |Img = Nicoheroin.JPG |Img_capt = Nico in 1966, photographed by [[Gerard Malanga]]. |Birth_name = Christa Päffgen |Origin = [[Cologne]], [[Germany]] |Born = {{birth date|1938|10|16|mf=y}} |Died = {{death date and age|1988|7|18|1938|10|16|mf=y}}<br/>[[Ibiza]], [[Spain]] |Genre = [[Art rock]], [[Folk music]] |Occupation = [[Singer-songwriter]]<br/>[[Actress]] |Years_active = 1963–1988 |Instrument = [[Singer|Vocals]]<br/>[[Harmonium]]<br/>[[Harpsichord]]<br/>[[Tamborine]]<br/>[[Piano]] |Associated_acts = [[The Velvet Underground]]<br/>[[John Cale]]<br/>[[Lou Reed]]<br/>[[John Cooper Clarke]] }} '''Christa Päffgen''' ([[October 16]], [[1938]]?<ref>The date and location of her birth are disputed. Most sources{{Fact|date=February 2008}} state [[October 16]], [[1938]], [[Cologne]], [[Germany]]. </ref> &ndash; [[July 18]], [[1988]]) was a [[Germans|German]] [[singer]]-[[songwriter]], [[Model (person)|fashion model]], [[actress]], keyboard player and a [[Warhol Superstar]], best known by her [[pseudonym]] '''Nico'''. As a musician, she is remembered for both her time in [[The Velvet Underground]] and her solo work. ==Career== ===Early days=== Nico made her early fame as a [[Model (person)|model]]. After leaving school at 13, she started selling lingerie and soon was spotted by fashion insiders. A year later, her mother found her work as a model in [[Berlin]]. While on a modeling assignment in [[Ibiza]], she met the photographer [[Herbert Tobias]], who christened her "Nico" after his ex-boyfriend, filmmaker [[Nico Papatakis]].{{Fact|date=November 2007}} She soon moved to [[Paris]] and worked for ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'', ''Tempo'', ''Vie Nuove'', ''Mascotte Spettacolo'', ''Camera'', ''[[Elle]]'', and other fashion [[magazine]]s in the late 1950s. She also claimed to have been briefly hired by [[Coco Chanel]]. Despite having dropped out of school at an early age, Nico eventually became fluent in English, Italian, Spanish, and French, in addition to German. ===Before breakthrough=== After appearing in several [[television commercial]]s, Nico landed a tiny role in [[Alberto Lattuada]]'s film ''La Tempesta'' (1958), and then appeared in [[Rudolph Maté]]'s ''[[For the First Time]]'' with [[Mario Lanza]] later that year. In 1959, she was invited to the set of [[Federico Fellini]]'s ''[[La dolce vita]]'' and attracted the attention of the acclaimed director, who gave her a minor role in the film. By this time, Nico had moved to [[New York]] to take acting classes under the guidance of [[Lee Strasberg]]. After splitting her time between New York and Paris, she landed the lead role in Jacques Poitrenaud's ''Strip-Tease'' (1963). She recorded the title track, which was produced by [[Serge Gainsbourg]] but not released until 2001, when it was included on CD in as part of the French compilation ''Le Cinéma de Serge Gainsbourg''. During this period she gave birth to a son, [[:fr:Ari Boulogne|Ari]] (born 1962), who was fathered by French actor [[Alain Delon]]. Although the child was raised mostly by Delon's parents, Delon denied his fatherhood for a long time. ===Start of musical career=== In 1965, Nico met [[The Rolling Stones]]' founder and guitarist [[Brian Jones]] and recorded her first single, "[[I'm Not Sayin']]" for [[Andrew Loog Oldham]]'s Immediate label. Actor [[Ben Carruthers]] introduced her to [[Bob Dylan]] in Paris that summer. It is said that Dylan wrote the song "I'll Keep It With Mine" for her shortly afterwards. She began working with [[Andy Warhol]] and [[Paul Morrissey]] on their [[experimental film]]s, including ''[[Chelsea Girls]]'', ''The Closet'', ''Sunset'', and ''Imitation of Christ''. ===The Velvet Underground and Nico=== While appearing in [[The Factory]] films of Warhol, Nico was introduced to [[The Velvet Underground]], at that time the backup group for Warhol's [[Exploding Plastic Inevitable]], a [[multimedia]] performance featuring [[film]], [[music]], [[lighting|lights]] and [[dance]]rs in a sort of total experience [[theatre]]. Nico began to work with the Velvet Underground, singing lead vocals on three songs ("[[Femme Fatale (song)|Femme Fatale]]", "[[All Tomorrow's Parties (song)|All Tomorrow's Parties]]" and "[[I'll Be Your Mirror]]") and backing vocals on another ("[[Sunday Morning (The Velvet Underground song)|Sunday Morning]]") on their debut LP ''[[The Velvet Underground and Nico]]''. Released in 1967, the album became influential and lauded within [[rock music]] and art circles. Nico had a short-lived romantic relationship with the main singer and songwriter, [[Lou Reed]]. Around this era, she was also romantically involved with prominent musicians including [[John Cale]] (also from The Velvet Underground), [[Jim Morrison]] of [[The Doors]], [[Jackson Browne]], [[Brian Jones]], [[Tim Buckley]] and [[Iggy Pop]]. Shortly after the ''Exploding Plastic Inevitable'' tour drew to a close in early 1967, Nico and The Velvet Underground parted ways as a team. The exact reasons for her departure have not been made clear, though both Lou Reed and the Velvets multi-instrumentalist John Cale played significant parts in various aspects of Nico's solo career. Over the course of the next twenty years, she recorded a series of critically acclaimed albums, working with the likes of [[Brian Eno]] and [[Phil Manzanera]]. Cale was particularly involved in Nico's music, producing four of her albums as well as arranging and playing various instruments on the recordings. ==Solo career== ===The 1960s=== For her debut album, 1967's ''[[Chelsea Girl (album)|Chelsea Girl]]'',<ref>[http://smironne.free.fr/NICO/chels.php Nico: Chelsea Girl]</ref> Nico recorded songs by, among others, [[Bob Dylan]], [[Tim Hardin]], [[Jackson Browne]] and Velvet Underground members [[Lou Reed]], [[John Cale]] and [[Sterling Morrison]], co-writing one song, "It Was a Pleasure Then", with Reed and Cale, an eight-minute piece with guitar and violin solos. ''Chelsea Girl'' is a traditional chamber-folk album that influenced the style of artists such as [[Leonard Cohen]], with [[string instrument|strings]] and [[flute]] arrangements superimposed by its producer. Nico was not satisfied with the finished album and had little say in production matters. For her LP ''[[The Marble Index (album)|The Marble Index]]'', released in 1969,<ref>[http://smironne.free.fr/NICO/marb.php the marble index]</ref> Nico wrote the lyrics and the bare bones of the music, mainly consisting of see-sawing [[harmonium]] chords. The arrangements were written by John Cale, who fleshed out Nico's songs with an array of folk and classical instruments. [[Frazier Mohawk]] produced the album. Nico's harmonium became her signature instrument for the rest of her career. The album combines classical elements with a [[Europe]]an [[folk music|folk]] sound. ===The 1970s=== Nico released two albums of her own in the 1970s: ''[[Desertshore]]'' (1970)<ref>[http://smironne.free.fr/NICO/desert.php Desertshore]</ref> and ''[[The End (Nico album)|The End]]'' (1974)<ref>[http://smironne.free.fr/NICO/end.php The End ...]</ref>, and featured on two tracks of a third, ''[[June 1, 1974]]''.<ref>[http://smironne.free.fr/NICO/june.php June, 1 1974]</ref> They were produced by John Cale (''[[Desertshore]]'' was co-produced with Joe Boyd), who also played on each of the albums. On ''Desertshore'', Cale plays most of the instruments. Nico wrote the music, sang, and played the [[harmonium]]. On ''The End'', Cale plays a wide range of instruments including [[xylophone]], [[synthesizer]], acoustic [[guitar]], and [[electric piano]]. That album featured [[Brian Eno]], who played on the ''June 1, 1974'' [[live album]] with Nico, Cale and [[Kevin Ayers]] (whose solo albums she contributed to). On [[December 13]], [[1974]], Nico was the support act at [[Tangerine Dream]]'s infamous concert at [[Rheims Cathedral]] in [[Reims, France]]. The promoter had so greatly oversold the capacity of the venue that members of the audience could not move or reach the outside, eventually resulting in some fans urinating inside the cathedral hall.<ref>[http://www.arm.ac.uk/~ath/music/td/interviews/interview.mm.oct94.html Orange Appeal - 25 years of ambient pioneers Tangerine Dream]</ref> The [[Roman Catholic Church]] denounced these actions, ordered the [[dedication|rededication]] of the cathedral and banned future gigs on church property. ===The 1980s=== Nico returned to [[New York]] in late 1979 where her comeback concert at [[CBGB]] in early 1980 was glowingly reviewed in the ''[[New York Times]]''. She began playing regularly at the [[Mudd Club]] and other venues with Jim Tisdall accompanying her on harp and electric guitar, and they went on a sold-out tour of twelve cities in the East and Midwest. The [[Chicago]] appearance was voted best concert of the year by the alternative music press.{{Fact|date=January 2008}} Nico recorded her next studio album, ''[[Drama of Exile]]'', in 1981.<ref>[http://smironne.free.fr/NICO/drama.php Drama of Exile]</ref> It was a departure from her earlier work with John Cale and featured a mixture of rock and [[Middle East]]ern arrangements. She recorded her final solo album, ''[[Camera Obscura (album)|Camera Obscura]]'', in 1985,<ref>[http://smironne.free.fr/NICO/camera.php Camera Obscura]</ref> an [[experimental music|experimental]] collection that implemented [[jazz]] instrumentation and featured Nico's version of the [[Richard Rodgers]]/[[Lorenz Hart]] song, "[[My Funny Valentine]]". Nico lived in [[Salford]], [[Greater Manchester]], sharing a house with two college students (Steve Turley and Neil Henney) from [[Sheffield]], and later formed a 'domestic partnership' with [[John Cooper Clarke]].<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-perl/music/muze/index.pl?site=6music&action=biography&artist_id=6146&page=2 BBC - Music - Help/How to find<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> She was a [[vegetarian]].<ref>http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0630113/bio</ref> A number of Nico's performances towards the end of her life were recorded and released, including 1982's ''Heroine'', 1986's ''[[Behind the Iron Curtain]]'', and her final concert, ''[[Fata Morgana (Nico's Last Concert)|Fata Morgana]]'', recorded on [[June 6]], [[1988]]. ==Philippe Garrel films== Between 1970 and 1979, Nico made about seven films with French director [[Philippe Garrel]]. She met Garrel in 1969 and contributed the song "The Falconer" to his film, ''Le Lit de la Vierge''. Soon after, she was living with Garrel and became a central figure in his cinematic and personal circles. Nico's first acting appearance with Garrel occurred in his 1972 film, ''La Cicatrice Intérieure''. Nico also supplied the music for this film and collaborated closely with the director. She also appeared in the Garrel films ''Anathor'' (1972); the [[silent film|silent]] [[Jean Seberg]] [[biopic]], ''Les Hautes Solitudes'', released in 1974; ''Un ange passe'' (1975); ''Le Berceau de cristal'' (1976), starring [[Pierre Clementi]], Nico and [[Anita Pallenberg]]; and ''Voyage au jardin des morts'' (1978). His 1991 film ''J'entends Plus la Guitare'' is dedicated to Nico. {{Facts|date=February 2007}} ==Death== For over fifteen years, Nico was a [[heroin]] addict. Biographer [[Richard Witts]] speculated that the habit was caused by her traumatic experiences of war and of being an illegitimate child. In his (admittedly sensational) book ''Nico—Songs They Never Play on the Radio'', James Young, a member of her band in the 1980s, recalls many examples of Nico's fiendish behaviour due to the addiction. But just before her death, she had managed to kick the habit and had embarked on a regimen of exercise and healthy eating. On [[July 18]], [[1988]], while on holiday with her son in [[Ibiza]], [[Spain]], Nico had a minor heart attack while riding a bicycle, and hit her head as she fell. A passing taxi driver found her unconscious, and had difficulty getting her admitted to local hospitals. She was incorrectly diagnosed as suffering from exposure, and she died the next day. [[X-ray]]s later revealed a severe [[Stroke|cerebral hemorrhage]] as the cause of her death. Nico was buried in her mother's plot in [[Grunewald Forest Cemetery]] in Berlin. A few friends played a tape of "Mütterlein", a song from ''[[Desertshore]]'', at her funeral. ==Legacy== Nico has been an influence on many acts. [[Siouxsie and the Banshees]], [[Patrick Wolf]], [[Bauhaus (band)|Bauhaus]], [[Stevie Nicks]], [[Patti Smith]], [[Morrissey]], [[Björk]], [[Coil (band)|Coil]], [[Jocelyn Pook]], [[Fabienne Shine]] (who covered "All Tomorrow's Parties"), [[Dead Can Dance]] as well as numerous contemporary [[Gothic rock|goth]] bands have all cited Nico as a major influence. Two of her songs, "The Fairest of the Seasons" and "[[These Days (Jackson Browne song)|These Days]]", both written by Jackson Browne and taken from ''[[Chelsea Girl (album)|Chelsea Girl]]'', are featured in [[Wes Anderson]]'s film ''[[The Royal Tenenbaums]]''. [[Shannon Hoon]] of [[Blind Melon]] named his daughter 'Nico Blue' partly after Nico. Blind Melon's album ''[[Nico (album)|Nico]]'' was released after Hoon's death. [[The Cult]] recorded the song "Nico", which celebrates the life of the singer, on their 2001 album ''[[Beyond Good and Evil (The Cult album)|Beyond Good And Evil]]''. Nico was portrayed by Christina Fulton in ''[[The Doors (film)|The Doors]]'' (1991). She was later portrayed by [[Meredith Ostrom]] in the 2006 film, ''[[Factory Girl]]'', which chronicles the life of fellow [[Warhol]] "superstar", [[Edie Sedgwick]]. Natasha Khan from [[Bat for Lashes]] has quoted Nico as an influence in particular ''Desertshore''. During 2007 she would start concerts with "Le Petit Chevalier" from that record.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://punkcast.com/1183/index.html|title=Bats for Lashes - Live at Maxwells NJ|publisher=[[Punkcast]]|date=2007-07-24|accessdate=2007-12-12}}</ref> The rock band [[Anberlin]] named one of their songs after her: "Dance, Dance Christa Päffgen" . [[Acoustic Ladyland]] have a song called "Nico" on their album ''[[Last Chance Disco]]''. ==Discography== {| class="wikitable" |- !Year !Title |- |1963 |''Strip-Tease (French Recording)'' (released in 2001) |- |1965 |''I'm Not Sayin'/The Last Mile (45 RPM Single)'' |- |1967 |''[[The Velvet Underground and Nico]]'' |- |1967 |''[[Chelsea Girl (album)|Chelsea Girl]]'' |- |1969 |''[[The Marble Index (album)|The Marble Index]]'' |- |1970 |''[[Desertshore]]'' |- |1973 |''[[The End (Nico album)|The End]]'' |- |1974 |''[[June 1, 1974]]'' |- |1981 |''[[Drama of Exile]] (released in two versions)'' |- | 1982 |''[[Do or Die: Nico in Europe]]'' (tour diary) |- |1985 |''Nico Live in Pécs'' |- |1985 |''[[Camera Obscura (album)|Camera Obscura]]'' |- |1986 |''[[Live Heroes]]'' |- |1986 |''[[Behind the Iron Curtain]]'' |- |- |1987 |''Nico in Tokyo'' |- |1988 |''[[Fata Morgana (Nico's Last Concert)]]'' |- |1989 |''Hanging Gardens'' |- |1994 |''Heroine'' |- |1998 |''Nico: The Classic Years'' |- |2002 |''Innocent & Vain - An Introduction to Nico'' |- |2003 |''Femme Fatale: The Aura Anthology'' (Drama of Exile expanded, plus live disc) |- |2007 |''All Tomorrow's Parties'' (live double album) |- |2007 |''[[Nico: The Frozen Borderline - 1968-1970]]'' |} ==Books== *''Nico: The Life and Lies of an Icon'' by [[Richard Witts]], ([[Virgin Books]]: [[London]], 1992). *''Up-tight: the Velvet Underground Story'' by [[Victor Bockris]] and [[Gerard Malanga]] ([[Omnibus Press]]: [[London]], 1995 reprint). *''Songs They Never Play On the Radio'' by [[James Young]], (Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd: [[London]], 1992). *''Nico: Photographies'' by Antoine Giacomoni, ([[Dragoon]]: [[Paris]], 2002). *''Nico: Cible mouvante. Chansons, Poèmes, Journal'' by Nico, Jacques Pauvert and Ari Boulogne, (Pauvert: [[Paris]], 2001). *''L'amour n'oublie jamais'' by Ari Boulogne, (Pauvert: [[Paris]], 2001). *''[[Please Kill Me]]: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk'' by [[Legs Mcneil]] and Gilliamn Mccain, (Grove Press: [[New York]], 1996). ==Film and play== {{wikiquote}} *''Nico Icon'' (1995), documentary directed by Susanne Ofteringer ''(A more complete [http://smironne.free.fr/NICO/moov.html filmography].)'' * ''Nico Icon Play'' by Stella Grundy premièred at Studio Salford on [[5 September]] 2007 ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://smironne.free.fr/NICO/ Nico Web Site] *[http://www.habitsofwaste.wwu.edu/issues/2/iss2art5a.shtml Habits of Waste, Pt. 1] Evaluation of Nico's early work *[http://www.habitsofwaste.wwu.edu/issues/3/iss3art4a.shtml Habits of Waste, Pt. 2] Evaluation of Nico's later work *[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5044641 Nico, the Voice of Disaffected Youth] - Audio story from [[National Public Radio]] * [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/01/2007_35_thu.shtml Nico] (BBC Radio 4 ''Woman's Hour'' audio item) * {{Discogs artist|artist=Nico+(3)|name=Nico}} * {{MusicBrainz artist|id=37c61bf2-5fb1-47ae-9605-80025d956958|name=Nico}} * {{imdb name|id=0630113|title=Nico}} * {{Find A Grave|id=4411}} {{Footer_Albums_Nico}} {{Persondata |NAME = Päffgen, Christa |ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Nico |SHORT DESCRIPTION = German model, singer |DATE OF BIRTH = [[October 16]], [[1938]] |PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Cologne]], [[Germany]] |DATE OF DEATH = [[July 18]], [[1988]] |PLACE OF DEATH = [[Ibiza]], [[Spain]] }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Nico}} [[Category:Female rock singers]] [[Category:German fashion models]] [[Category:German female singers]] [[Category:German rock singers]] [[Category:German film actors]] [[Category:German female models]] [[Category:German vegetarians]] [[Category:Mononymous persons]] [[Category:The Velvet Underground]] [[Category:Warhol Superstars]] [[Category:Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute alumni]] [[Category:Dark cabaret musicians]] [[Category:1938 births]] [[Category:1988 deaths]] [[Category:Cycling road accident victims]] [[Category:Mononymous persons]] [[br:Nico]] [[ca:Nico]] [[de:Christa Päffgen]] [[es:Nico]] [[fr:Nico (chanteuse)]] [[it:Nico]] [[he:ניקו]] [[lt:Nico]] [[nl:Nico (Christa Päffgen)]] [[ja:ニコ]] [[pl:Nico]] [[pt:Nico]] [[ru:Нико]] [[fi:Nico (muusikko)]] [[sv:Nico]] [[uk:Ніко]] [[zh:Nico]]