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nina hagen by Alex Burns (alex@disinfo.com) - December 20, 2000 |
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| Born in Berlin's eastern sector on March 11th, 1955, Nina Hagen's flamboyant career as an actress and composer was shaped by her early experiences in turbulent East Germany. After graduating with honors from the Studio fur Unterhaltungsmusik (Studio for Popular Music) at age nineteen, Hagen established a reputation for extensive touring with the Alfons Wonneberg Orchestra and her early bands Automobil and Fritzens Dampferband. In 1976, Hagen emigrated to West Germany, and shortly afterwards travelled to the United Kingdom, where she encountered and collaborated with punk bands such as The Slits. In tension-filled 1977 West Berlin, Hagen met the musicians who would form the line-up of the Nina Hagen Band: keyboardist Reinhold Heil, bassist Manfred Praeka, drummer Herwig Mitteregger, and guitarist Bernard Potschka. The group signed to CBS Germany. The quartet's eponymously titled debut was released in 1978, showcasing her operatic voice training, which became a distinctive New Wave trademark. But her anti-establishment lyrics generated controversy. Unbehagen (1979) received alternative radio airplay. By the time that the four track Nina Hagen Group EP (1980) had introduced them to US audiences, the band had split, and Hagen pursued a solo career. In 1982 Hagen moved to New York City, and recorded her first English language album, Nunsexmonkrock, which signalled her breakthrough into the US market. Densely textured, surreal, and poetic, Nunsexmonkrock was unlike anything else in musical history, an intelligent New Wave album with deeply religious subtexts. She followed this essential recording with the Giorgio Moroder produced Fearless (1983), whose track New York New York was a top ten disco hit. During 1978 to 1985, Hagen toured constantly and morphed through as many incarnations as chameleon David Bowie: affectionate mother, passionate animal rights activist, chanteuse, confrontational actress, political agitator. In an era defined by one-dimensional disco divas and incomprehensible punk rockers, Hagen stood out as a unique voice which advocated womens liberation before it became fashionable to do so. In Ekstasy (1985) was the last album she recorded for CBS. Her 1986 collaboration with Lene Lovich, Don't Kill The Animals, received promotion by PETA. Love (1987) foreshadowed her celebrated marriage with the Punk Wedding EP (1988), and Jagen returned her focus to Germany with Nina Hagen (1989). Street (1991), Revolution Ballroom (1994), and Freud Euch (1995) received mixed reviews from fans, who faulted producer Zeus B. Held for perceived cartoonish over-production. Bee Happy (1996) and Return Of The Mother (2000) showcased Hagen's unique blend of punk, opera, and eerily avant-garde styles, re-asserting Hagen's worldview (profoundly influenced by Indian spiritual teacher Shri Haidakhan Babaji). The multi-talented composer has also had a successful acting career, appearing in Liebesfallen (1975), the moody underground Amsterdam film Cha-Cha (1979), Portrait Of A Female Drunkard (1979), Dandy (1987), Millionare Dogs (1999), and The Blood Countess (2000). Documentaries such as Rock n Roll Junkie (1994), Jonas In The Desert (1994), Nina Hagen=Punk Glory (1999) and her collaboration with Loka Nunda on My Sweet Lord (2000) confirm that Hagen will be around to enchant us for many years to come. |
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Nina Hagen Fan: Russia Nina Hagan Fan: Leonardo Gabriel Nocetti iMusic Modern Showcase: Nina Hagen Miro Bruna: Portrait Drawing Don't Kill The Animals Nina Hagen Punk-Lady Nina Hagen My Outta Site Dream Date With Nina Hagen All Music Guide: Nina Hagen Orbital Records Nina Hagen Universo Nina Hagen In New York, New York Zarah Nina Hagen Discography Project Nina Hagen Internet Links Planet Bearth: Nina Hagen The Women Of 1970s Punk: Nina Hagen Toeknee's Nina Hagen Page Zarah Photobook B.trifft: Nina Hagen Lene Lovich: Complete Lyrics Yahoo! Clubs: Angstlos Internet Movie Database: Nina Hagen Nina Hagen's 5 Elements: Official Homepage Nina Hagen Electronic Shrine Loka's Home Eva-Maria Hagen The Babaji Homepage Alive & Well: AIDS Alternatives People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals Blue Hotel |
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