ALAN VEGA - BIOGRAPHY
One half of the seminal electronic duo Suicide, Alan Vega was born in
Brooklyn, New York. He began his career as a visual artist, gaining notoriety
in the early 70s for his radical light sculptures and through the mid-80s
had numerous one-man art exhibitions at OK Harris and the Barbara Gladstone
galleries in Manhattan. Also in the early 70s, Vega co-founded a lower
Manhattan art & music forum, ‘the Project of Living Artists’
in a large warehouse space in SoHo. It was there he met Martin Rev and
together they formed Suicide, whose minimalist music, a fusion of Rev's
ominous, repetitive keyboards and Vega's rockabilly snarl, helped paved
the way for the electronic artists of the future.
Suicide released 2 groundbreaking albums in the late 70s/early 80s but
were met with resistance and hostility throughout these early years, often
causing riots during tours with The Clash & Elvis Costello. In 1980,
both Vega and Rev began exploring their sound as solo artists (a process
they each continue to this day). Vega's 1980 debut “Juke Box Babe”
and his 1981 effort “Collision Drive” expanded the fractured
rockabilly identity he had established in his earlier work. Vega scored
a major hit on the continent with ‘Juke Box Babe’ from his
first solo outing, and this garnered the attention of the major labels.
1983's ‘Saturn Strip’, produced by longtime fan & friend
Ric Ocasek, marked Vega's debut for Elektra Records; corporate relations
soured during production for 1985's ‘Just a Million Dreams’,
however, and at one point the label even attempted to remove Vega from
his own studio sessions. His song “On the Run” from that album
best sums it up: “What’s going wrong, this ain’t my
song”.
In 1988, Suicide went back into the studio to record “A Way of Life’,
followed by a European tour and their 4th studio album “Why Be Blue’
in 1990. During this same post - major label period, Vega was rediscovering
his roots and deconstructing his solo sound. For 3 years he worked on
what would evolve into his next solo release, “Deuce Avenue”
a minimal tour de force constructed using effects machines without programming,
directed solely by the human hand. This was followed up by the release
in 1991 of Vega's “Power On to Zero Hour” the lyrics of which
are remarkably prescient of our current war torn times. Vega continued
to tour with both Suicide and his solo Vega band. In 1995, Vega released
“New Raceion”, with the addition of several guest guitarists
and a diverse sound reflecting the increasing cultural diversity of his
world; a year later, he returned to a more personal sound with “Dujang
Prang”. Also, starting in the late 80s Vega found with less corporate
pressure to tour & produce artwork capable of mass consumption, he
had more time to devote to his visual art; much of his time was spent
building sculptures and experimenting in photography – more for
the act of creation than with a view toward exhibition. Soon however,
he was asked to compile photographs for publication, and in 1991 his book
of photography & poetry “Alan Vega: Deuce Avenue War/The Warriors
v3 97”, was published. Later in 1991, his book, “Cripple Nation”,
a collection of prose, poetry and lyrics, was published at the behest,
and with the penetrating guidance, of Henry Rollins on his 2.13.61 imprint.
Vega’s sculptures were captured by French photographer, Marie –
Paul Ricard, in “100,000 Watts of Fat City”, which was published
in 1993.
By the mid 90s a new generation of bands were discovering Suicide, and
the duo were approached by Paul Smith (head of the Blast First division
of Mute/EMI) to perform in London at the launch of a ‘lo-fi’
space within the South Bank Centre. The ensuing relationship that developed
with Paul led to the re-issue of the first 2 Suicide albums by Mute Records
in 1998, followed by select touring. On the home front Vega welcomed his
son, Dante, in late 98, while working on his next solo album “2007”
a deeply personal & visionary opus which was released in 1999. During
the late 90s Vega also released several albums in collaboration with other
artists; “Cubist Blues” in 1996 with Alex Chilton & Ben
Vaughn, “Endless” in 1998 as “VVV” with Mika Vainio
and Ilpo Vaisanen of PanSonic, and “Righteous Light” as “Revolutionary
Corp of Teenage Jesus” with Stephen Lironi in 1998. Also in 1998
Vega had the great honor of creating a soundtrack for the film, “Sombre”
directed by Phillipe Grandrieux.
In early 2001 Vega was approached by Jeffrey Deitch, (renowned international
art dealer and owner of Deitch Projects, SoHo). Jeffrey had long been
interested in the cross-fertilization of art, music & fashion and
heard that Suicide had just performed at the Knitting Factory on New Year’s
eve. He was thrilled, after all these years, to hear the buzz about Suicide
amongst his 20-something gallery assistants. Deitch had never forgotten
the impact of Vega’s (then Alan Suicide) early 70s art exhibitions
at OK Harris. He set out to find the man and see if he was still creating
sculptures. The end result was the “Collision Drive” exhibition
at Deitch Projects in January 2002 (which included recreations of Vega’s
70s style floor sculptures, as well as wall pieces - created in the period
leading up to September 11th, yet eerily similar to the memorials constructed
by the masses in response to that fateful day). This same time period
also saw Suicide working on their next release, “American Supreme”
which was indelibly impacted by 9/11 and released shortly thereafter.
In 2003 Vega again collaborated with Vainio and Vaisanen resulting in
“Resurrection River” released in 2004, and contributed his
trademark vocal to 2 tracks on DJ Hell’s “NY Muscle”
CD released in 2003.
In 2002, Vega & Rev were approached by a writer from England, David
Nobahkt, to tell their story in the first, and only, docu-biography of
Suicide. After 2 years of extensive interviews with the author, the resulting
book, “No Compromise” was published by SAF Publishing UK at
the end of 2004. The book also features interviews with Chris Stein from
Blondie, Michael Stipe, Moby, Henry Rollins, Marc Almond, Bobby Gillespie,
Jim Reid, Sylvain Mizrahi from the NewYork Dolls, Jayne County and many
more. Coinciding with the publication of the book, Mute Records reissued
Suicide’s third & fourth studio albums, “A Way of Life”
and “Why be Blue” to critical acclaim.
From 2000 to date Vega has been working on his latest solo record. Similar
to the period preceding Deuce Avenue, Vega has spent years searching for
new sound; but this time he also has been performing the evolving material
to live audiences and incorporating the feel of their response into the
creative process. Performances at the Pompidou in Paris, & Nante,
France in March 2004; Bilbao, Spain in December 2004; Limoge & Paris,
France in March 2005 and in Lyon, France in May 2006 have further focused
the energy of the sound, and Vega has begun the final countdown to the
release the CD.
In 2006, on the Mekon release ‘Something Came Up’, Alan collaborated
with John Gosling on the “Blood on the Moon” track, adding
effects tracks as well as his vocal. The song also features a guest appearance
by Bobby Gillespie.
ALAN VEGA DISCOGRAPHY
1. Juke Box Babe (Ze Records/Celluloid 1980; reissued
Celluloid – Europe; Infinite Zero/Warner Bros – Worldwide
1994); recorded at Skyline Studios, NYC 1980; produced by Alan Vega; tracks:
Juke Box Babe, Fireball, Kung Foo Cowboy, Love Cry, Speedway, Ice Drummer,
Bye Bye Bayou, Lonely
2. Collision Drive (Island Records 1981; reissued Celluloid – Europe,
Infinite Zero/Warner Bros - worldwide 1994); recorded at Skyline Studios,
NYC 1981; produced by Alan Vega; tracks: Magdelana 82, Be Bop a Lula,
Outlaw, Raver, Ghost Rider, I Believe, Magdelena, Rebel Rocker, Viet Vet
3. Saturn Strip (Elektra Records 1983; reissued Wounded Bird Records 2004);
recorded at Synchro Sound, Boston, Ma. 1982-83; produced by Ric Ocasek;
tracks: Saturn Drive, Video Babe, American Dreamer, Kid Congo, Goodbye
Darlin, Wipeout Beat, Je T’Adore, Angel, Everyone’s a Winner
4. Just a Million Dreams (Elektra Records 1985; reissued Wounded Bird
Records 2004); produced by Chris Lord Alge; tracks: On the Run, Shooting
for you, Hot Fox, Too Late, Wild Heart, Creation, Cry Fire, Ra Ra Baby
5. Deuce Avenue (Musidisc, SA - Europe 1990; reissued Infinite Zero/Warner
Bros worldwide 1994); recorded at 6/8 Studios, NYC 1990; produced by Alan
Vega; tracks: Body Bop Jive, Sneaker Gun Fire, Jab Gee, Bad Scene, La
La Bola, Deuce Avenue, Faster Blaster, Sugee, Sweet Sweet Money, Love
On, No Tomorrow, Future Sex
6. Power on to Zero Hour (Musidisc, SA - Europe 1991; reissued Infinite
Zero/Warner Bros worldwide 1994); recorded at 6/8 Studios, NYC 1991; produced
by Alan Vega; tracks: Bring in the Year 2000, Sucker, Fear, Doomo Dance,
Automatic Terror, Jungle Justice, Full Force of them Nuclear Shoes, Believe
it, Cry a Sea of Tears, Quasi
7. New Raceion (Musidisc, SA – Europe 1993; reissued Infinite Zero/Warner
Bros worldwide 1994); recorded at 6/8 Studios and One Take Studios NYC
1993; produced by Alan Vega, except ‘Keep it Alive’ produced
by Ric Ocasek; tracks: The Pleaser, Christ Dice, Gamma Pop, Viva the Legs,
Do the Job, Junior’s Little Sister’s Dropped ta Cheap, How
Many Lifetimes, Holy Skips, Keep it Alive, Go Trane Go, Just Say
8. Dujang Prang (2.13.61/Thirsty Ear/Musidisc, SA); recorded at Dessau
Studios, NYC 1994; produced by Alan Vega and Drew Vogelman; tracks: Dujang
Prang, Hammered, Cheenaroka, Saturn Drive II (Sub Talk), Jaxson Gnome,
Life Ain’t Life, Flowers Candles Crucifixes, Big Daddy Stat’s
(Livin on Tron), Sacrifice, The Kiss
9. 2007 (Sony/Double T Music 1999); recorded at 6/8 Studios NYC 1999;
produced by Alan Vega and Perkin Barnes; tracks: This is Citi, Cheap Soul
Crash, Meth 13 Psychodreem, Hunger Wonders, Jajeemba, Sewer Deep, Blessing
fa tha Broke, Puss on the Time Warp, King, Trinity, Doctor Deth, End
ALAN VEGA COLLABORATIONS
Albums:
1. Cubist Blues (Last Call/2.13.61 1996); recorded at Dessau Studios NYC;
produced by Ben Vaughn; featuring Alex Chilton, Ben Vaughn & Alan
Vega. The album was recorded in one extended jam session with no
preconception - the music & lyrics were created spontaneously, capturing
the unique chemistry amongst these 3 artists at that moment in time.
2. Endless by VVV (Mute Records/Blast First 1998); recorded at 6/8 Studios
NYC 1998; produced by Mika Vainio; featuring Mika Vainio, Ilpo Vaisanen
(of PanSonic) and Alan Vega.
3. Righteous Light by Revolutionary Corp of Teenage Jesus (Creeping Bent
1998); produced by Stephen Lironi; featuring Stephen Lironi and Alan Vega
4. Resurrection River by VVV (Mego 2004); produced by Mika Vainio; featuring
Mika Vainio, Ilpo Vaisanen (of PanSonic) and Alan Vega
Vocal tracks & Remix projects:
Alan has contributed vocals to and/or remixed numerous tracks for recording
by artists including: Etant Donne; Mekon (aka John Gosling); Death in
Vegas; DGeneration; Surfers of Romantica (Japanese techno); Die Haut;
and Earl Brutus. He recently contributed two tracks , 'Listen to
the Hiss" & "Meet the Heat" to NY Muscle
(Gigolo Records/Universal 2003) produced by DJ Hell.
In 2006, on the Mekon release ‘Something Came Up’, Alan collaborated
with John Gosling on the “Blood on the Moon” track, adding
effects tracks as well as his vocal. The song also features a guest appearance
by Bobby Gillespie.
Film Soundtrack:
1. Sombre (Virgin Records 1999); directed by Phillipe Grandrieux); The
director had been listening to Vega's music on the set, and approached
Vega to license one of his songs, or have him compose a song for the film.
After meeting Alan in NYC and showing him scenes from the film a
more extensive involvement became compelling. This was a creative
awakening for Vega, who has long had an interest in working with sound
for visual images. Being at his core a visual artist, Vega's
music has a strong visual component so working with film was a natural
extension of his work. This project also had a profound influence
on the development of his subsequent solo CD, "2007".
Art Books /Anthology/ Biography:1. Art-Rite #13 Special Project, by Alan
Suicide; published by Art-Rite Publishing Co., 1977
2. Alan Vega: Deuce Avenue War /Warrior v3 97, by Alan Vega ; published
in 1991 by Kyoichi Tsuzuki, Digital Manga Inc, Japan; a collection of
Vega's photographs with accompanying poetry.
3. 100,000 Watts of Fat City; published in 1998 by ANNA POLLERICA, Perpignan,
France. This art book, with an introduction by Julian Schnabel,
contains photographs by Marie-Paule Ricard of numerous Vega sculptures
created from the early 70s though the mid 90s, captions by Henry Rollins,
and an extensive interview of the artist by Jean-Marc Quefellec.
4. Cripple Nation by Alan Vega ; published by 2.13.61
Publications 1994; a collection of Vega's prose, poetry, hand written
lyrics , portrait drawings and photos taken from his videos, with an introduction
by Henry Rollins.
5. No Compromise, by David Nobahkt; published by SAF Publishing UK, 2004;
a docu-biography of Suicide featuring extensive interviews with Martin
Rev & Alan Vega, as well as Chris Setin from Blondie, Michael Stipe,
Moby, Henry Rollins, Marc Almond, Bobby Gillespie, Jim Reid, Sylvain Mizrahi
form the New York Dolls, Jayne County and many more.
Film/Documentary:
Autour de Vega, by Hughes Peyret; produced by Movimento
Productions. The documentary, filmed for TV, is a one hour essay
delving into the world of the music business focusing on the music &
career of Alan Vega and has been broadcast on French TV & cable: FR3,
3SAT et PLANETE.
SUICIDE DISCOGRAPHY
1. Suicide (Red Star Records 1978; reissued Mute Records 1998);
recorded at Ultima Studios, NYC 1977; produced by Craig Leon & Marty
Thau; tracks: Ghost Rider, Rocket USA, Cheree, Johnny, Girl, Frankie Teardrop,
Che
2. Alan Vega-Martin Rev: Suicide (Ze Records/Island Records 1980;
reissued Mute Records 1998); recorded at The Power Station, NYC 1980;
produced by Ric Ocasek; tracks: Diamonds fur coats champagne, Mr. Ray,
Sweetheart, Fast Money Music, Touch me, Harlem, BeBop Kid, Radiation,
Dance, Shadazz
3. A Way of Life ( Chapter 22/Musidisc/WaxTrax 1988; reissued Mute
Records/EMI 2004); recorded at Electric Lady Studios, NYC 1987; produced
by Ric Ocasek; tracks: Wild in Blue, Surrender, Jukebox Baby 96, Rain
of Ruin, Sufferin in Vain, Dominic Christ, Love so Lovely, Devastation,
Heat beat
4. Why be Blue? (Enemy Records 1991; reissued Mute Records/EMI 2004);
recorded at Take One Studios, NYC 1991; produced by Ric Ocasek; tracks:
Why be Blue, Cheat Cheat, Hot Ticket, Universe, Last Time, Play the Dream,
Pump it, Flashy Love, Chewy Chewy, Mujo
5. Ghost Riders (ROIR) ; live at the Walker Art Center, Chicago, Il 1981;
tracks: Rocket USA, Dream Baby Dream, Rock & Roll (is killing my life),
Ghost Rider, Harlem, Sweet White Lady
6. Half Alive (ROIR); assorted live tracks & demos: Harlem II, Going
to Las Vegas, Love you, Cool as Ice, All Night Long, Sister Ray says,
Johnny Dance, Space Blue, Long Talk, Speed Queen, Chezazze, Dream
7. American Supreme (Mute Records/EMI 2001); recorded at 6/8 Studio, NYC
2001; produced by Martin Rev & Alan Vega; tracks: Televised Executions,
Misery Train, Swearin to the flag, Beggin for Miracles, American Mean,
Wrong Decisions, Death Machine, Power Au Go-Go, Dachau Disney Disco, Child
it's a New World, I Don't know
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