Brixton is a district in the London Borough of Lambeth in south London, England. It is south south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.

Brixton is mainly residential with a prominent street market and substantial retail sector. It is a multiethnic community, with around 24 percent of its population being of African and Caribbean descent, giving rise to its status as the unofficial capital of the British African-Caribbean community. It lies within Inner South London and is bordered by Stockwell, Clapham, Streatham, Camberwell, Tulse Hill and Herne Hill. The district houses the main offices of the London Borough of Lambeth.

History

The name Brixton is thought to originate from Brixistance, meaning the stone of Brixi, a Saxon lord. Brixi is thought to have erected a boundary stone to mark the meeting place of the ancient hundred court of Surrey. The location is unknown but is thought to be at the top of Brixton Hill, at a road known at the time as Bristow or Brixton Causeway, long before any settlement in the area. Brixton marks the rise from the marshes of North Lambeth up to the hills of Upper Norwood and Streatham. At the time the River Effra flowed from its source in Upper Norwood through Herne Hill to Brixton. At Brixton the river was crossed by low bridges for Roman roads to the south coast of Britain, now Brixton Road and Clapham Road. The main roads were connected through a network of medieval country lanes, such as Acre Lane, Coldharbour Lane, Brixton Water Lane and Lyham Road, formally Black Lane. It was only at the end of the 18th Century that villages and settlements formed around Brixton, as the original woodland was gradually reduced until the area was covered in farmland and market garden known for game and strawberries.

The area remained undeveloped until the beginning of the 19th century, the main settlements being near Stockwell, Brixton Hill and Coldharbour Lane. With the opening of Vauxhall Bridge in 1816 improved access to Central London led to a process of suburban development. The largest single development, and one of the last in suburban character, was Angell Town, laid out in the 1850s on the east side of Brixton Road, and so named after a family which owned land in Lambeth from the late 17th century until well into the 20th.

One of a few surviving windmills in London, built in 1816, and surrounded by houses built during Brixton's Victorian expansion, is to be found just off Brixton Hill. The nearby 'Windmill' pub is named after it. When the London sewerage system was constructed during the mid-19th century, its designer Sir Joseph Bazalgette incorporated flows from the River Effra, which used to flow through Brixton, into his 'high-level interceptor sewer', also known as the Effra sewer.

Brixton transformed into a middle class suburb between the 1860s and 1890s. Railways linked Brixton with the centre of London when the Chatham Main Line was built through the area by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway in the 1860s. In 1880, Electric Avenue was so named after it became the first street in London to be lit by electricity. In this time large expensive houses were constructed along the main roads in Brixton, which were converted into flats and boarding houses at the turn of the century as the middle classes were replaced by an influx of the working classes. By 1925 Brixton attracted thousands, amongst others housing the largest shopping centre in South London at the time, as well as a thriving market, cinemas, pubs and a theatre. In the 1920s Brixton was the shopping capital of South London with three large department stores and some of the earliest branches of what are now Britain's major national retailers. Today Brixton Road is the main shopping area, fusing into Brixton Market. The dominant building on Brixton High Street (472-488 Brixton Road), "Morleys Of Brixton" is an independent department store that survives from the 1920s.

The Brixton area was bombed during World War II, contributing to a severe housing crisis, which in turn led to urban decay. This was followed by slum clearances and the building of council housing. In the 1940s and 1950s many immigrants, particularly from the West Indies, settled in Brixton. More recent immigrants include a large Portuguese community (see Little Portugal) and other EU citizens. Brixton also has an increasingly ageing population which affects housing strategies in the area.

The Windrush generation

thumb|200px|Windrush Square street signThe first wave of immigrants (492 individuals) that formed the British African-Caribbean community arrived in 1948 on the Empire Windrush from Jamaica and were temporarily housed in the Clapham South deep shelter. The nearest Labour Exchange (Jobcentre) was on Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, and the new arrivals spread out into local accommodation.

This first generation of the British African-Caribbean community is referred to as the "Windrush Generation" and immigrated to Britain when the British Nationality Act 1948 gave all citizens of Commonwealth countries the right of British citizenship. Britain was at the time considered the "Mother Country" of the Commonwealth. The ''Windrush'' was en route from Australia to England via the Atlantic, docking in Kingston, Jamaica. An advertisement had appeared in a Jamaican newspaper offering cheap transport on the ship for anybody who wanted to come and work in Britain. Many only intended to stay in Britain for a few years, and although a number returned to the Caribbean, the majority remained to settle permanently. The arrival of the passengers has become an important landmark in the history of modern Britain, and the image of West Indians filing off its gangplank has come to symbolise the beginning of modern British multicultural society. In 1998 the area in front of the Tate Library in Brixton was renamed "Windrush Square" to mark the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush.

Brixton riots

Brixton was the scene of riots in April 1981 at a time when Brixton underwent deep social and economic problems — high unemployment, high crime, poor housing, no amenities — in a predominantly African-Caribbean community. The Metropolitan Police began ''Operation Swamp 81'' at the beginning of April, aimed at reducing street crime, mainly through the heavy use of the so-called sus law, which allowed police to stop and search individuals on the basis of a mere 'suspicion' of wrong-doing. Plain clothes police officers were dispatched into Brixton, and in five days almost 1,000 people were stopped and searched. The riot resulted in almost 279 injuries to police and 45 injuries to members of the public; over a hundred vehicles were burned, including 56 police vehicles; and almost 150 buildings were damaged, with thirty burned. There were 82 arrests. Reports suggested that up to 5,000 people were involved in the riot.

Following the 1981 Brixton riot the Government commissioned a public inquiry into the riot headed by Lord Scarman. The Scarman report was published in November 1981 and found unquestionable evidence of the disproportionate and indiscriminate use of 'stop and search' powers by the police against black people. The report made a number of recommendations and led to a new code for police behaviour in the ''Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984'' and the creation of an independent Police Complaints Authority in 1985. The 1999 Macpherson Report, an investigation into the murder of Stephen Lawrence found that recommendations of the 1981 Scarman report had been ignored and concluded that the police force was "institutionally racist".

In the 1983 general election, the British National Party (BNP) obtained a Party Election Broadcast on television. The broadcast was transmitted on 31 May and consisted of John Tyndall, flanked by two Union Flags, and images of the 1981 Brixton riot as Tyndall's speech attempted to encourage nationalism over racism. The giving of television time to the BNP was controversial, and was debated on ''Right to Reply'' on Channel 4.

The 1985 Brixton riot followed the police shooting of a black woman, Dorothy 'Cherry' Groce, after the police entered her house looking for her son Michael Groce. Although the Brixton area subsequently saw pioneering community policing initiatives, the continued death of young black men in police custody (and in one case the death of a man pointing a fake gun at people) coupled with general distrust of the police led to smaller scale protests through the 1990s. The Brixton riots in 1995 were initially sparked by the death of a black man in police custody (Wayne Douglas) and occurred in an atmosphere of discontent about the gentrification of Brixton.

Former Prime Minister John Major's Brixton roots were used in a campaign poster during the Conservative Party's 1992 election campaign: "What does the Conservative Party offer a working class kid from Brixton? They made him Prime Minister."

Brixton bombing

On 17 April 1999 neo-nazi bomber David Copeland planted a nail bomb in Electric Avenue, which exploded on a market day by the Iceland supermarket at the junction with Brixton Road (Brixton High Street). Around 50 people were injured. Copeland was sentenced to six life sentences in June 2000.

The Brixton bombing is reported to have targeted the black community in Brixton. Copeland also bombed Brick Lane, the heart of East London's Bangladeshi and Asian community, and the Admiral Duncan pub in Soho, London, frequented predominantly by the gay community. The BBC reports that Copeland intended to ignite a race war across Britain with his bombing campaign.

A 2009 play about the events, ''The First Domino'', was written by one victim in the Soho attack.

JayDay Cannabis Festival

From 2001 to 2004 Brockwell Park hosted the annual Cannabis Festival, or JayDay, organised by the Cannabis Coalition. The police reportedly maintained a low profile, tolerating the smoking of cannabis. In 2005 the London Borough of Lambeth rejected the application for a further Cannabis Festival on the following grounds:

"''While Lambeth Council supports freedom of speech and the right to take part in a legitimate campaign, the council cannot condone illegal activities such as cannabis use and drug pushing - both of which have taken place at a previous festival held by the Cannabis Coalition. Indeed council officers monitoring the event in the past were approached by drug dealers who offered them drugs.''"

Transition Town

Brixton was one of the first inner city based 'Transition Town' projects in the UK. Brockwell Park hosts the now annual Urban Green Fair, first held in summer 2007.

Brixton Pound

The Brixton Pound was launched on 17 September 2009 by Transition Town Brixton. The Brixton Pound is a local currency that is available as an alternative to the pound sterling. The first trading day of the Brixton Pound was on 18 September 2009 with 80 local businesses accepting the currency.

The Brixton Pound aims to boost the local economy and build a mutual support system amongst independent businesses by tying local shoppers to local shops and by encouraging local shops to source goods and services locally. The notes are available in B£1, B£5, B£10 and B£20 denominations and depict local celebrities such as the community activist Olive Morris and the environmentalist James Lovelock. Lambeth council has endorsed the project which the New Economics Foundation helped to develop.

Housing

Housing estates

Brixton is home to six big housing estates:Stockwell Park Estate off Stockwell and Brixton Roads respectively; Myatts Field off Vassall Road; Angell Town off Brixton Road on the boundary with Camberwell; Loughborough in the centre of Brixton; Moorlands Estate, situated off Coldharbour Lane; St Matthew's, located in the fork between Brixton Hill and Effra Road; Tulse Hill a little further south of St. Matthews. The six estates account for a large part of the Brixton residence.

Estates like the Stockwell Park Estate and the Angell Town Estate were originally designed to accommodate high-level walkways which were envisaged to link the whole of Brixton. The ground floor garages of these estates have proved to be a major security problem. The Somerleyton Estate is dominated by Southwyck House (known locally as 'Barrier Block'), a large horseshoe-shaped brick and concrete 1970s structure which backs onto Coldharbour Lane. The 176-apartment block was originally constructed in this shape to provide a noise barrier against Ringway 1, a proposed inner-London motorway which was planned to pass through Brixton and Camberwell, later abandoned.

Some housing estates have been linked with urban decay and crime. New gates and iron bars have been constructed for the Loughborough Estate around Loughborough Road and Minet Road in response to a number of murders around the estate. The Loughborough Estate is home to more than 3,000 families and a mix of 1940s low-rise buildings and 1960s/1970s tower blocks and houses. Problems of urban decay have been reported around Loughborough Junction, the catchment area for Loughborough Estate, the Angell Town Estate and the Moorlands Estate.

Victorian buildings

Brixton still features some grand Victorian housing. As bridges were built across the Thames in the early 19th century those working in the City of London and the London West End moved to south London. The earliest built development was in Washway, now Brixton Road. With the enclosing of the Manor of Lambeth, owned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1806 and the opening of Vauxhall Bridge in 1816 development of terraced houses and detached villas started to line the main roads. St Matthew's Church in the centre of Brixton was consecrated in 1824, indicating a sizable population by this time. The Rush Common enclosure stipulations dictated that the large terraced and detached houses that were built along the main roads were set back from the road, allowing for generous gardens. The windmill was erected in 1816 by John Ashby on Brixton Hill and the Surrey House of Correction, later Brixton prison, was established in 1819.

Brixton Market

With the arrival of the railway in Brixton in the 1870s a building boom set in and Brixton developed into a major shopping centre. The first purpose built department store, Bon Marche, was opened on Brixton Road in 1877 and Electric Avenue was one of the first shopping arcades to have electric lighting. The now famous Brixton Market began in Atlantic Road and was moved to Station Road in the 1920s to ease traffic congestion. Brixton Market is open every day selling a range of Afro-Caribbean products and reflects other communities in the local area with Indian and Vietnamese supermarkets and South American butchers amongst the shops and stalls.. London Farmers' Markets opened a farmers market on Brixton Station Road in September 2009. It is open every Sunday from 10am-2pm.

Culture

Brixton murals

After the riots in 1981 a series of murals was funded by the council, although there is no evidence to show that murals have any direct correlation to the level of violence within a community. The murals portray nature, politics, community and ideas. the surviving murals include the Brixton Academy Mural (Stockwell Park Walk) by Stephen Pusey (1982) showing a mixed group of young people, intended to portray the natural harmony that could be found between children of mixed backgrounds in the local schools.

Entertainment

The Ritzy Cinema, Coldharbour Lane, is a formerly independent cinema now owned by Picturehouse Cinemas. The building was designed as the Electric Pavilion in 1910 by E. C. Homer and Lucas, one of England's first purpose-built cinemas.

Brixton has a significant clubbing and live music scene. Large venues include Brixton Academy, The Fridge and Mass at St Matthew's Church. A range of smaller venues such as The Prince Albert, The Prince / DexClub, The Windmill, The Dogstar, Jamm, The Telegraph, Plan B, South Beach Bar, The 414, The Effra Tavern, Upstairs at the Ritzy, and The Grosvenor are a major part of London's live music scene. The Brixton Splash is an annual one-day street party held since 2006.

Brixton is also home to a 1970s purpose-built skatepark, named Stockwell Skatepark.

Religious sites

Brixton Synagogue

Brixton Synagogue in Effra Road closed in 1986, the congregation amalgamating with the Streatham Synagogue. The front of the building still exists.

Christian churches

Brixton lies within the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. The grade II* listed St Matthew's Church, located on Brixton Green, was built in 1822 by the architect C. F. Porden in the Greek Revival style. It is one of the "Waterloo churches" built to celebrate Britain's victory at the Battle of Waterloo. Today, its basement is used as the venue for the "Mass" nightclub.

The 1868 parish church of St Jude, located on Dulwich Road, was designed by the architect John Kirk of Woolwich. It closed in 1975, and the parish merged with St Matthew's. The church building is today used as business premises by a publishing company.

Christ Church on Brixton Road is an Art Nouveau and Byzantine-style Grade II* listed building built in 1902 by Beresford Pite, and St Paul's church on Ferndale Road was originally built in 1958 as a Seventh-day Adventist church by John Soper.

Brixton is under the remit of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark.

Brixton Mosque

The Masjid ibn Taymeeyah, or Brixton Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre, is located in Gresham Road, close to Brixton Police Station. The mosque has facilities for both men and women and space for 400 worshippers during prayer. Opened in 1990 it is one of the oldest mosques in South London. The mosque provides religious, social and financial support to its members.

The mosque made international headlines when it was reported that Richard Reid, the so called "shoe bomber" had attended the mosque. Abdul Haqq Baker, chairman of Brixton Mosque told the BBC that Reid came to the mosque to learn about Islam but soon fell in with what he called "more extreme elements". Zacarias Moussaoui, who was convicted of conspiring to kill citizens of the USA as part of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, made his initial steps into radical indoctrination in Brixton Mosque, where he met Reid, though he was expelled from the mosque after he turned up wearing combat fatigues and a backpack, and pressured the cleric to give him information on joining the ''jihad''. Abdullah el-Faisal, a radical Muslim cleric who preached in the UK until imprisoned for stirring up hatred and later deported to Jamaica in 2007, was associated with the Brixton Mosque and began preaching to crowds of up to 500 people, but was ousted by its Salafi administration in 1993. Afterward, he gave a lecture he called ''The Devil's Deception of the Saudi Salafis'', scorning the Salafi Muslims (especially the members of the Brixton Mosque), calling them hypocrites and apostates (''takfir'').

Brixton was a site of a conference after the London bombings, at which local Muslims condemned all use of terror and indiscriminate killing. Footage of the conference was included in a 6-part ITV series called ''Mosque''. It included local Muslims talking about the discrimination they face from people not able to differentiate between Muslims and terrorists, and the local Brixton community, on the whole, is described as welcoming towards Muslims.

Policing, drugs and crime

Operation Swamp

Before the 1981 riot was the centre of ''Operation Swamp 81'' aimed at reducing street crime mainly through the heavy use of the so-called sus law, which allowed police to stop and search individuals on the basis of a mere 'suspicion' of wrong-doing. Plainclothes police officers were dispatched into Brixton, and in five days almost 1,000 people were stopped and searched. The local community was not consulted about the operation and tensions between the black community and the police on the streets of Brixton reached breaking point. Local residents complained about young, inexperienced police officers being sent on the streets, provoking confrontation.

Gang culture

In 2003 ''The Independent'' reported that around 200 "hardcore Yardies" are based in Lambeth, some operating as members of "Firehouse Posse" or Brixton's "Cartel Crew". Yardies were historically associated with Jamaican immigrants and had a recognised stronghold in Brixton. Parts of Brixton were referred to as "Little Tivoli" after "Tivoli Gardens", a notorious "garrison community" in Jamaica ruled by gunmen. In 1999 a scandal broke over Metropolitan Police detectives allowing two known Jamaican Yardies to stay in Britain as an intelligence tool. Eaton Green, one of the Yardies, escaped bail in Jamaica in 1991 and settled in Brixton dealing in crack cocaine. Three months later Green was arrested by a Brixton constable, Steve Barker, and became a paid informer. Green provided intelligence about Yardie activity for two years, continuing the use of firearms and the dealing of crack throughout this time.

Several gangs are headquartered in the Brixton area. The "Murderzone" (MZ) gang, which is involved in illegal drug dealing, hail from the Somerleyton Estate. The "Poverty Driven Children"/"Pil dem crew" (PDC/PDC) are located in the Angell Town and Loughborough Junction area. "Organised Crime" (OC), a gang linked with various shootings and an ongoing rivalry with the Peckham Boys, are based in the Myatts Field Estate.

Members of these gangs are mostly in their late teens or early 20s, with gang leaders usually being childhood friends. Brought up in some of London's poorest areas some gang members reportedly move from house to house on an almost nightly basis, making it hard to track them. According to the Metropolitan Police these youth gangs are "far from organised criminal masterminds", however they continue to evade the police and have been responsible for numerous offences of homicide. Operation Trident officers stated that it is a "struggle" to persuade local people to testify, because of fear of reprisals. Trident officers stated that some gang members were "inept at handling powerful guns", and that gangs have machine guns, 9 mm. According to the detective many of the deactivated guns are shipped in from the Balkans and then reactivated.

Drugs

Some media commentators have called Brixton "the drugs capital of London" and Val Shawcross, Labour representative on the London Assembly for Lambeth and Southwark, runs a "Brixton Drug Crime" campaign. She states on her website:

"''I have been raising the disgraceful state of Brixton and the existence of an open drugs market in the centre - with the Council, Mayor and the Metropolitan police....The police, the Drugs and Firearms Unit and Transport Operational Unit officers have been undertaking long-term surveillance of the area(Brixton Town Centre) culminating in a three-day operation at the end of June to arrest those dealing Class A drugs...The police will be carrying out continuing covert operations in Brixton and patrolling with drug detection dogs. This is a long-term crackdown with the aim on cleaning the dealers out of Brixton.''"(retrieved July 2008)

Brixton has a reputation for cannabis use, and the BBC has quoted a local resident as saying "People have always smoked cannabis in Brixton - everyone knows that, people have walked down the street smoking spliffs for years." This reputation was amplified by the "softly softly" police approach to cannabis that was piloted in Brixton in 2001 to 2005. Concerns were raised about "drug tourism" to the area. The "softly-softly" pilot occurred in the context of a wider debate in Britain about the classification of cannabis. Despite the pilot being stopped and replaced by a "no deal" policy, the Metropolitan Police was in favour of a reclassification of cannabis from class B to class C. Cannabis was officially reclassified in Britain from a class B down to a class C drug in early 2004. In January 2009 the UK government reclassified cannabis back to a class B drug.

Brian Paddick

In 2001 Brixton became subject of newspaper headlines due to the implementation of a pilot cannabis programme, also known as the "softly softly" approach, initiated by Brian Paddick, then Police Commander for the London Borough of Lambeth. Police officers were instructed not to arrest or charge people who were found to be in possession of cannabis. They were instead to issue on-the-spot warnings and confiscate the drugs. Although Paddick is credited with the idea, the pilot programme was sanctioned by the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, Sir John Stevens. Paddick asserts that he implemented the policy because he wanted his officers to deal with cannabis quickly and informally so that they could concentrate on heroin and crack cocaine offences, and street robbery and burglary, which were affecting the quality of life in Lambeth to a greater extent. The pilot was ended December 2005 and was replaced by a so called "no deal" policy on cannabis in Brixton following complaints about increasing numbers of dealers openly selling the drug.

Paddick was a sergeant on the front line during the 1981 Brixton riot, an experience which shaped his attitudes about confrontational police action and strengthened his belief in community policing. In December 2000 he was appointed Police Commander for the London Borough of Lambeth where he worked until December 2002, fulfilling his ambition of becoming head of policing in Brixton. Paddick gained much support from the local community for his approach to policing and addressed a rally in his support in March 2002, leading Dominic Casciani from the BBC to comment:

''"If someone had said just five years ago that black, white, young and old, straight and gay, liberal and anarchist would all be standing together giving a standing ovation to a police commander in Brixton, people might have said they had smoked one spliff too many."''

Gun crime

In June 1998 gun crime in Brixton was reported on widely in connection with the linked murder of Avril Johnson and Michelle Carby, in Brixton and Stratford respectively. Both women were shot in their homes in separate, but connected attacks. Both victims were shot in the head. In 2008 Tony Thompson, a former ''Time Out'' news editor, reported that "''Gun crime began to escalate following a series of South London gang executions in the late 1990s.''" Thompson states that "Previous Met operations were seen as putting down the black community. Trident, from the start, was intelligence-led and had strong links with the black community."

In 2001 the Metropolitan Police raised concerns over rapidly increasing gun crime in London. At the time Lambeth had the highest rate of robberies in London. In July 2001 two armed police officers shot dead black 29 year old Derek Bennett in Brixton, Angell Town Estate, after Bennett brandished a gun-shaped cigarette lighter. The verdict of the subsequent inquest ruled that Bennett had been "lawfully killed", the verdict was upheld in a subsequent appeal.

In December 2004 Operation Trident officers and armed officers were assisting Lambeth police in a number of stop and search operations targeting "suspected gunmen or vehicles that have been associated with firearms" and called "Operation Trident Swoop" by the police. The Metropolitan police hoped that "the searches will deter suspects from carrying weapons and prevent shootings taking place, as well as possibly recovering weapons and leading to arrests." Superintendent Jerry Savill, Lambeth Police has responsibility for policing in the Brixton area, stated:

"''This operation is aimed very specifically at people we have information to suggest may be involved in gun crime or other offences. We want to send out a very clear message to those who carry guns in Lambeth, don't. It is time to stop the vast majority of people in this borough feeling afraid to be on the street and make it the gunmen who are fearful of their community helping the police to arrest them.''"

In September 2006 Brixton was the scene of a widely reported shooting, involving two boys being shot in the packed McDonald's on Brixton Road/Acre Lane.

In 2007 firearm offences rose by 4 per cent in London, totalling 3,459 ‘gun-enabled’ crimes, including 30 gun murders of which nine victims were aged 18 or under. A series of gun crimes in the Brixton, Clapham and Streatham, including the Murders of three boys in one week, lead some media commentators to call the area ‘gun capital’.

Cultural references

Mythology

Sir Walter Raleigh is said to have had a house in Brixton and been visited there by Queen Elizabeth I, who travelled by barge up the (now underground) River Effra to meet him. However, the name of Raleigh Hall appears to have no links to Sir Walter, and the Effra is not known to have been navigable south of Kennington. Brixton is also mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes stories ''A Study in Scarlet'', ''The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle'' (1892) and ''The Adventure of the Three Garridebs'' (1924).

Brixton in song

References to Brixton in song started with the release of "Whoppi King" by Laurel Aitken in 1968 and "Brixton Cat" by Dice the Boss in 1969. This was followed in August 1975 by a song written and sung by Geraint Hughes and Jeff Calvert (who billed themselves as "Typically Tropical"): two white men who told the story of a Brixton bus-driver "going' to Barbados" with Coconut Airways to escape the rain in London.

The 1979 song "The Guns of Brixton" by The Clash deals with law enforcement violence in Brixton. Written by Paul Simonon, who grew up in Brixton, it had a reggae influence and showed the reggae roots of both Brixton and Paul Simonon's musical background.

Before a Jam gig, well-known punk band The Misfits were involved in a fight and thrown into Brixton Prison, which led them to write their song "London Dungeon".

Ian Hunter's 1981 album ''Short Back 'n' Sides'' contains a track called "Theatre of the Absurd" which refers to the Brixton law enforcement problem. "Play me some, play me some, play me Brixton power", is the chorus line, and the issue of race is opened with the first lines, "My tea turns seven shades darker as I sit and write these words. And London's gettin' paler, in my Theatre of the Absurd." The production of the record was overseen by Mick Jones of the Clash.

Sneakbo is also a very famous piece of brixton Gang music. He has made various tracks on youtube and other online music and video search engines. Eddy Grant's 1982 album ''Killer on the Rampage'' contains the smash "Electric Avenue", a reference to a shopping street in central Brixton, one of the first in the UK to have electric street lighting installed (when Brixton's character was very different). The song evokes images of poverty, violence and misery while also celebrating the vibe of the area.

The song "Waiting for the Worms" from Pink Floyd's ''The Wall'' has a rally leader speaking into a megaphone to a racist rally mob, which acts as some of the lyrics to separate verses of the song. The very first lyrics heard from the megaphone are, "We have been ordered to convene outside Brixton town hall..." The album was released in 1979, two years before the start of the riots of 1981.

The town featured in the song "Svarta pärlan i London" (The black pearl in London) by Swedish artist Thomas Di Leva.

The song "Reggae Fi Peach," most of the album Dread, Beat and Blood, and many other songs by reggae–dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson are set in Brixton.

The town also featured in the songs "Has It Come To This?" and "Let's Push Things Forward" by UK rapper The Streets.

The album "Quixotes of moons fights the Wind-mills of Brixton" by Project 5am

The song "Journey to the Centre of Brixton" by R.O.C.

The song "Brixton, Bronx ou Baixada" by Brazilian rock-reggae band O Rappa, tells about social differences.

The song "And God Created Brixton" features on the Carter USM album ''A World Without Dave''. It mentions many of the most famous landmarks in the community including The Ritzy cinema and the prison.

Brixton has also been mentioned in the lyrics of songs by many Jamaican Dancehall artists namely Assassin, Bounty Killer, Buju Banton, Mavado (singer), Ninja Man and Vybz Kartel.

The song "Sister Rosetta" of Brixton based "acid-house-country-gospel" band Alabama 3 starts with a conversation between "Larry Love" (Rob Spragg) and "The Very Reverend Dr. D. Wayne Love" (Jake Black) and the district's name is included in the first sentence of the song:

"It's a rainy night in Brixton D. Wayne Why are you taking me downtown? I brought you down here for a reason, Larry you've been a faithful little reverend due in the mountain of dessiminating the dope music to people all over the world but I haven't been wholly straightforward with you Larry but tonight, I think you're about to move a stage further in my twelve step plan which you have fought so diligently..."

UK hip hop collective The Illersapiens feature a track entitled "Brixton" on their debut EP, a tribute to the hometown of the group's lead rapper Mr. Man. Similarly, the Pop-Punk group Zebrahead make reference to a Brixton as a song title on their album ''Phoenix''; whether this refers to the English city is debatable.

The Thin Lizzy song "Half Caste", which was released in 1975 as the B-side of "Rosalie", refers to Brixton. It has a reggae inspired beat and sound.

The song "Me and Mr Jones" by Amy Winehouse briefly refers to Brixton. "Rulers one thing, but come Brixton"

In 2009 local beat combo the Dumbartons released modern day anthem, "Brixton (My Home)". Les 'Fruitbat' Carter of Carter USM is a fan and played the song on a local radio show he hosts.

California punk band Rancid wrote a song called "Brixton" that appeared on the ''Rock Stars Kill'' compilation, and later on ''B Sides and C Sides''.

The song "Summer of '81" by punk band The Violators was about the Brixton riots of 1981.

Brixton in film

Director Richard Parry shot a film here (released in 2001) called ''South West Nine'' (SW9), referring to the postcode covering much of central Brixton. Confusingly, this postcode is officially that of Stockwell - although the northern part of Brixton falls within the boundary - whereas SW2 (the Brixton Hill sorting office) also covers Tulse Hill A204 road, Streatham Hill and Brixton Hill.

"Reg Llama of Brixton" was mentioned in the (farcical) opening credits of the 1975 comedy film ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail''.

Brixton was also mentioned in the film ''V for Vendetta'' as being the location where the first riots against Chancellor Adam Sutler's authoritarian British government broke out, which resulted in Sutler calling out the army to try and stop growing public support for "V".

The film ''Johnny Was'', with the exception of a number of flashback sequences, is set entirely in Brixton.

Ross Kemp filmed in Brixton on two occasions for his programme ''Ross Kemp on Gangs''.

In the 1957 film ''The Prince and the Showgirl'', the character played by Marilyn Monroe is from "Brixton Water Lane, Brixton".

In the 1980 film ''Scum'', a prison warder beats up a black inmate and yells at him that he is a "black Brixton slag".

The 1980 film ''Babylon'' was set in Brixton.

In the 1980 film ''The Long Good Friday'' the section where Harold Shand (Bob Hoskins) finds and questions Errol was filmed in Villa Road, off Brixton Road.

Michael Caine could be seen under the Victor Value supermarket sign in Atlantic Road near the railway station in the film ''Alfie'' and a large fight scene was filmed in a soon-to-close pub in Brixton Road.

Brixton used in a Norwegian teenage comedy film "Amors Baller" directed by Kristoffer Metcalfe, starring Kåre Hedebrant and Eira K. Stuedahl. The film was co-written by Metcalfe and producer Frederick Howard. It is slated for release in March 2011. Brixton City is the football team in the final of the Norway cup against the team "Grimsrud" in which the main characters play.

Locale

Transport

Brixton tube station, opened in 1971, is the southern terminus of the Victoria line of the London Underground. Southeastern operate trains through Brixton railway station between London Victoria and Orpington.

Brixton sits on several main roads. The A23 London to Brighton road runs North-South through the area. There is also the A203 which links to Vauxhall Bridge along with the A204 and A2217. Brixton was due to be a major interchange of the South Cross Route, part of the London Ringways plan, which was cancelled in the 1970s.

Brixton is a main meeting point for many London buses routes: 2, 3, 35, 37, 45, 59, 109, 118, 133, 159, 196, 250, 322, 333, 345, 355, 432, 415, P4 and P5. In 2005, the last traditional Routemaster bus ran through Brixton on Route 159. The bus garage situated at Streatham, Telford Avenue is known as Brixton Garage to distinguish it from another bus garage that existed in Streatham. The "Brixton Bus Garage" was until 1952 a tram depot.

Transport for London proposed building the Cross River Tram from Camden Town to Brixton via central London, but this project was abandoned in 2008 due to lack of funding.

Notable people

Three people who have lived in Brixton have blue plaques marking their former homes: Havelock Ellis pioneer sexologist lived at Dover Mansions on Canterbury Crescent CLR James the writer and black political activist lived in Railton Road.

Dan Leno (1860–1904) an English music hall comedian famous for his drag acts (56 Akerman Road).

Other notable people with Brixton connections include:

David Bowie was born at 40 Stansfield Road, Brixton.

Former London Mayor Ken Livingstone grew up and lived for many years in Brixton

Former British Prime Minister John Major spent part of his childhood in a two-room flat off Coldharbour Lane living with his father, former Music Hall performer Tom Major-Ball, then moved to a house on Burton Road, having been born in Worcester Park, Sutton. He started his political career as a Lambeth Councillor while still living in the area.

Max Wall Comedian and music hall performer was born in Brixton.

Freddie Davies the comedian and actor was born in Brixton in 1937.

Poly Styrene the singer of the band X-Ray Spex, born in Bromley, but grew up in Brixton in 1957.

Danny Williams, heavyweight boxer, was born in Brixton

Paul Simonon the bass player for The Clash is from Brixton.

Mick Jones the guitar player for The Clash is from Brixton.

Drum and bass producer Dillinja is from Brixton.

Screenwriter, director Daniel Mulloy was born in Brixton.

The band Alabama 3 were formed in Brixton.

Linton Kwesi Johnson is a long time Brixton resident

House music duo Basement Jaxx formed in Brixton.

Fruitbat of power-pop punk band Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine is a life-long Brixton resident.

Joe Cornish, presenter of the BBC production Adam and Joe in the 1990s, and current comedy radio presenter on BBC6 Music with Adam Buxton.

Sharon Osbourne, wife of Ozzy Osbourne, was born in Brixton.

Mike Skinner of the band "The Streets" moved to Brixton c.2000 to pursue his recording career. Some of his songs deal with living in Brixton.

Skin, singer of the band Skunk Anansie, grew up in Brixton.

Stereo MC's, acid jazz/club dance group, was formed and is still based in Brixton.

Cult novelist Martin Millar lived here, and most of his novels are set in and around Brixton.

Environmentalist James Lovelock, famous for proposing the Gaia hypothesis, was born and spent his childhood in Brixton.

Frank Reginald Carey, Second World War fighter ace was born in Brixton.

Jo Self, Artist long term resident of Brixton.

Iwan Thomas, Olympic Athlete.

Nyron Nosworthy, professional footballer.

Shivani Kapoor, Indian model.

Hijack, a hip hop group.

In the musical comedy 'Leave it to Jeeves', PG Wodehouse revealed that his iconic manservant Jeeves grew up in Brixton.

Several members of the So Solid Crew.

Luol Deng player for the American basketball team Chicago Bulls lived in Brixton.

Alex Wheatle, novelist.

Lisa Maffia, singer and TV personality, was brought up in Brixton.

Bunmi Mojekwu, actress.

La Roux (Elly Jackson), musician, was born and raised in Brixton.

See also

Lucar

References

External links

Local Subject Guide on Brixton

Urban75: A resource of Brixton information, features, articles, contemporary photography and "Brixton then and now" comparisons

Category:Districts of London Category:Districts of Lambeth Category:UK locations with ethnic minority-majority populations Category:Districts of London listed in the Domesday Book Category:Major centres of London

ca:Brixton cs:Brixton cy:Brixton es:Brixton eo:Brixton fa:بریکستون fr:Brixton it:Brixton he:בריקסטון mr:ब्रिक्स्टन nl:Brixton (Londen) no:Brixton nn:Brixton pl:Brixton pt:Brixton simple:Brixton sk:Brixton sv:Brixton vi:Brixton zh:布里克斯顿

name	Cee Lo Green
background	solo_singer
birth name	Thomas DeCarlo Callaway
alias	Cee Lo Green, Cee Lo
born	May 30, 1974Atlanta, Georgia, US
instrument	Vocals, piano
genre	Soul, hip hop, neo soul, R&B;, funk, alternative hip hop, hip hop soul
occupation	Singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, actor
years active	1992–present (group)2002–present (solo)
label	Arista, Elektra
associated acts	Gnarls Barkley, Goodie Mob, Kid Cudi, OutKast, Jazze Pha, Bruno Mars
website	}}

Thomas DeCarlo Callaway (born May 30, 1974), better known by his stage name Cee Lo Green, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. He originally came to prominence as a member of the southern hip hop group Goodie Mob, later launching a critically acclaimed solo career and forming Gnarls Barkley with DJ/producer Danger Mouse.

Internationally, Cee Lo is best known for his hip hop work and Gnarls Barkley's 2006 worldwide hit "Crazy", which reached number one in various singles charts worldwide, including the UK. In the United States, "Crazy" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Parent album ''St. Elsewhere'' was also a hit, reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart and number four on the US ''Billboard'' 200 album charts. Gnarls Barkley's second album, internationally less successful, ''The Odd Couple'' (2008) missed the top ten in both the UK and US, where it charted at number 12 in the US, and 18 in the UK.

Cee Lo, taking a break from recording with Gnarls Barkley, released the single "Forget You!" on August 19, 2010 as a solo recording artist. The song was an instant hit, reaching the top spot in the UK and the Netherlands and charted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The parent album, ''The Lady Killer'' (2010) saw similar success, peaking within the top five of the UK Album Charts and debuting within the top ten on the ''Billboard'' 200 album charts, and received a Gold certification from the BPI in the UK shortly after its release. His second single "It's OK" was a hit in Europe and the third single, "Bright Lights Bigger City" has also seen similar charting success. Cee Lo is currently a vocal coach on the NBC reality talent show ''The Voice'' with Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera, and Blake Shelton.

Early life

Cee Lo Green was born Thomas DeCarlo Callaway in Atlanta, Georgia and graduated from Benjamin E. Mays High School in Southwest Atlanta. Both of his parents were ordained ministers and he started his music career in his church. His father died when he was two years old. His mother, Sheila J. Tyler-Callaway, was also a volunteer firefighter. She was involved in a car crash, leaving her paralyzed, and died two years after the accident. At the time, Cee Lo was 18 years old and his career with Goodie Mob had just begun taking off. His mother's death led Cee Lo into depression, as is reflected in various songs throughout his career, including "Free" by Goodie Mob, songs on ''St. Elsewhere'', and on ''The Odd Couple'' ("She Knows", "A Little Better"). Cee Lo also expresses his love for his mother in the song "Guess Who" from Goodie Mob's ''Soul Food'' album.

Music career

Goodie Mob

Along with Big Gipp, T-Mo, and Khujo, Cee Lo was an original member of the Atlanta hip-hop group Goodie Mob. He is the youngest of the four. The Goodie Mob were a part of the Atlanta rap collective the Dungeon Family, which also included OutKast. The group released their debut album, ''Soul Food'' in 1995. The album received much critical praise as a pioneering record for the then emerging Southern rap scene. It featured a distinctive soulful southern sound by production team Organized Noize, who had also produced OutKast's debut ''Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik''. Cee Lo got considerable praise for his rapping and singing of hooks, particularly on the hit singles "Cell Therapy" and "Soul Food".

The group's second album, ''Still Standing'' came out in 1998 and also received much critical praise. Its commercial performance was slightly lower than the group's previous effort however. At this time, Cee Lo focused primarily on rapping over singing. While he did frequently sing hooks and did some singing, at this point he was a rapper first and foremost. Cee Lo took more creative control on the group's next album, ''World Party''. Released in 1999, this album was more of a party record than the group's previous output, getting away somewhat from their socially conscious lyricism.

During the making of the album ''World Party'', Cee Lo left the group to pursue a solo career under Arista and the remaining members continued to perform together under the Goodie Mob name with Koch Records. They did however collaborate in combinations in the Dungeon Family album ''Even in Darkness''. Although the next Goodie Mob album seemed to mock Cee Lo with its title, ''One Monkey Don't Stop No Show'', the group expressed that it was more of a jab at Arista and the music industry as a whole.

In 2005, Cee Lo and Big Gipp were both noted in interview. No title or release date have been given for the new project. The song "Hold On" from Big Boi of OutKast's Got Purp? Vol 2 album was the first newly recorded Goodie Mob song with all four members since ''World Party''. (Khujo later revealed to fans at an album signing for his new album "Mercury", that the song "Hold On" was originally recorded in 1995 before ''Soul Food'' was released.)

Santana

In 1999, Cee Lo, credited as "Cee-Lo" was one of ten famous guest musicians who contributed to the highly successful Santana album ''Supernatural''. Lauryn Hill wrote "Do You Like The Way," and the two of them trade off on lead vocals.

Solo career

Cee Lo's Arista career was short-lived, as he was dropped after only two albums due to low record sales. His first album, ''Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections'', was heavily in the vein of various other Dungeon Family releases, with southern soul/funk/jazz backings produced solely by himself and boasting appearances by fellow Dungeon Fam members Big Gipp and Backbone. The album explored his departure from Goodie Mob and his solo growth in the song "El Dorado Sunrise (Super Chicken)", as well as socio-political issues, and showcased his singing. The album did not sell very well, but Cee Lo achieved some airplay with the single "Closet Freak".

His second Arista album, ''Cee-Lo Green... Is the Soul Machine'' brought a more branched-out sound and more deeply explored southern rap music. This is evidenced by collaborations with Ludacris, T.I., and Pharrell and production from Timbaland, The Neptunes, and Jazze Pha among others. The only other Dungeon Family member that appeared on his second release was Big Rube. This album saw Cee Lo delve into other styles besides traditional rap. Timbaland proved to be Cee Lo's single producer as their song "I'll Be Around" received mild airplay. They performed the single on an episode in the second season of ''Chappelle's Show''. "The One" featuring Jazze Pha and T.I. was also released as a single. On the heels of the success of Gnarls Barkley, Arista released a 17-track greatest hits collection of Cee Lo songs, ''Closet Freak: The Best of Cee Lo Green the Soul Machine''. It features predominantly Cee Lo solo tracks and several Goodie Mob songs. His new song "What Part of Forever" has been included in ''The Twilight Saga: Eclipse'' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

After his second solo album, Cee Lo joined the group Gnarls Barkley (see below) with Danger Mouse, temporarily putting his solo career on hold. He would release two albums with that group, before again releasing solo material in 2010.

On August 19, 2010, Cee Lo released a single "Forget You!" to YouTube ahead of his planned solo album release, due to its partial leak on April 13. "Forget You!" was an instant viral smash hit, registering over two million plays in less than a week. Two weeks later on September 1, Cee Lo released to YouTube an official music video of the song. "Forget You!" made a debut at No.1 on the UK charts, notably beating out "Shame" from the recently reunited Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow. On December 1, 2010, Cee Lo received five Grammy nominations for "Forget You!", which has been certified Gold in the United States and Denmark. The single achieved platinum status in Canada, New Zealand, and the UK; and multi-platinum status in Australia.

When discussing his most recent album, ''The Lady Killer'' (released on November 9, 2010, by Elektra Records and Roadrunner Records), Cee Lo said: "I suppose this is a more clear, concise, consistent, conceptual, entire album. It's a complete thought, because it's written to be like a score. The album's meant to be a motion picture, you know? I've never taken that approach to doing an album before." The album was certified Gold in the UK on December 6, 2010.

Green is touring with an all-female backing band named "Scarlet Fever", performing for ''Taratata'', the BBC, ''Late Show with David Letterman'', W's ''Symmetry Live Concert Series'', ''Saturday Night Live'', the ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' special show following the Academy Awards, and many other venues. Green also performed "Forget You", a sanitized version of his hit "Forget You!", with Gwyneth Paltrow and several puppets provided by The Jim Henson Company at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards on February 13, 2011, a shoutout to Elton John, who wore a very similar costume in a Muppet show performance in 1977. At the 2011 BRIT Awards two days later, he was joined by British vocalist Paloma Faith in another duet of "Forget You". Shortly thereafter, it was announced that Green will be joining Rihanna and J. Cole on the North American leg of Rihanna Loud Tour in the summer of 2011. However, he later dropped out of the tour citing that his busy work schedule which includes his commitment to judging “The Voice”, writing a new book and recording a new album as the reason for his withdrawal. On August 14th 2011, Green performed at WWE SummerSlam performing "Forget You" and the event's theme, "Bright Lights, Bigger City".

Twitter Controversy

On Thursday June 16, 2011, journalist Andrea Swensson of City Pages negatively reviewed one of Green's performances, writing that it "failed to measure up to the fun factor of his recorded material. Green spent most of the set stationed in front of a mic at the center of the stage, barely moving an inch while he sang and flanked by two forgettable back-up singers and a DJ that was all but hidden behind a giant LCD display”. In response, the following day Green tweeted "I respect your criticism but be fair! People enjoyed last night! I'm guessing ur gay? And my masculinity offended u? well fuck U!”. Green promptly received angered responses from some of his followers on Twitter, to which he replied "Apologies gay community! what was homophobic about that?" In a subsequent interview with magazine US Weekly Green stated that his comments were in good fun, adding that "I am not harboring any sort of negative feeling toward the gay community" and that "I am one of the most liberal artists that I think you will ever meet, and I pride myself on that". Green has since deleted the tweets pertaining to this review.

Gnarls Barkley

Along with DJ Danger Mouse, Cee Lo was part of a duo called Gnarls Barkley. They first met when Danger Mouse took second in a talent contest and opened for OutKast and Goodie Mob at a University of Georgia concert in 1998. Afterwards, Danger Mouse gave Cee Lo an instrumental demo tape and told him to call him if he was interested. They did not make contact again until Cee Lo was contacted to be featured in a remix of the Danger Mouse and Jemini song "What U Sittin' On?" from the album ''Ghetto Pop Life''. They worked together again on the 2005 Danger Doom (Danger Mouse and MF Doom collaboration) album The Mouse and The Mask on the song "Benzi Box" where Cee Lo sings the chorus.

Gnarls Barkley first collaborative album, ''St. Elsewhere'', was released on April 24, 2006, in the UK and May 2, 2006, in the United States. ''St. Elsewhere'' entered the charts at No.1 in the UK, as did the first single "Crazy". "Crazy" is the first single to go straight to No.1 in the UK based on digital download sales alone and is ranked by Rolling Stone as the No.1 song of the decade. The album is Cee Lo's greatest selling venture yet, having shipped over 3 million copies in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan. A second album by Gnarls Barkley, titled ''The Odd Couple'', was released in March 2008. Its first single was released in January called "Run (I'm a Natural Disaster)".

Future projects

Cee Lo is collaborating with producer Jazze Pha to release an album called ''Happy Hour'' on Jazze’s record label. The songs "Happy Hour" (as well as the remix with Bun B, Snoop Dogg & Tone Tone), "Man of the Hour", and "Disco Bitch" (featuring The Pussycat Dolls) from the album have already been released as singles and B-sides. Jazze Pha has produced numerous hit singles with many artists, but this project is his rapping and singing debut. Cee Lo is co-producing the album with him, so both artist and producer share equal roles in vocals and production. Also, Melody Thornton confirmed that she is currently in the studio with Cee Lo working on her solo album. In 2010, he recorded a song for the ''Sex and the City 2'' soundtrack which reached number 9 in the charts and was written by him and produced by T-Pain which is called "Language of Love". He along with The Red Hot Chili Peppers and OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder were rumored to be appearing on British DJ Paul Oakenfold's upcoming album.

Television and film career

Cee Lo, along with the rest of the Goodie Mob, had a cameo in the 1999 film ''Mystery Men'' as a member of the Not So Goodie Mob. He also has done voice acting work, voicing Prime Cut Miggity-Mo' Macdaddy Gizzabang Doggy Dog Dog on the ''Brak Show'' episode "Brakstreet" in 2002, Frank and Buddy Z ''Class of 3000'''s Christmas special and as Godzilla in the ''Robot Chicken'' episode "Squaw Bury Shortcake" in 2007, and Rev. Rollo Goodlove in the ''Boondocks'' episodes "The S-Word" and "The Hunger Strike" in 2008. In 2010, he appeared in T-Pain's ''Freaknik: The Musical'' as Light Skin.

On January 15, 2011, Cee Lo both acted and performed on NBC's ''Saturday Night Live'' hosted by Gwyneth Paltrow, who, in November 2010, covered his song "Forget You" on an episode of ''Glee''.

Cee Lo is currently one of the coaches for contestants on the singing TV show ''The Voice''.

Personal life

Cee Lo has described himself as being a "goon" in his youth.

Cee Lo was married to Christina Johnson until they divorced in 2005. Together they have a son Kingston; and Cee Lo was a stepfather to Christina's daughters, Sierra and Kalah.

Discography

''Cee-Lo Green and His Perfect Imperfections'' (2002)

''Cee-Lo Green... Is the Soul Machine'' (2004)

''The Lady Killer'' (2010)

Awards and nominations

|- | rowspan="3"| 2011 | rowspan="2"| Brit Awards | ''Best International Album'' | |- | ''Best International Male'' | |- | BET Awards | ''Best Male R&B; Artist'' |

Grammy Awards

|- | style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4"| 2007 ||style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|"Crazy" || Record of the Year || |- | Best Urban/Alternative Performance || |- |style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"|''St. Elsewhere'' || Album of the Year || |- | Best Alternative Music Album || |- |style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2"| 2009 || "Going On" || Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals || |- | ''The Odd Couple'' || Best Alternative Music Album || |- |style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4"| 2011 ||style="text-align:left;" rowspan="4"|"Forget You" || Record of the Year || |- | Song of the Year || |- | Best Urban/Alternative Performance || |- | Best Short Form Music Video ||

References

External links

Cee Lo Green on BBC Music

Official Jazze Pha & Cee Lo website

Cee Lo Green Storytellers on VH1

Category:1974 births Category:Living people Category:African American singers Category:American funk musicians Category:American male singers Category:American pop singers Category:American tenors Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American soul singers Category:Dungeon Family Category:Gnarls Barkley members Category:Hip hop record producers Category:Rappers from Atlanta, Georgia Category:Neo soul singers Category:BRIT Award winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:The Voice judges

cs:Cee Lo Green da:Cee-Lo Green de:Cee-Lo Green es:Cee Lo Green fr:Cee Lo Green hy:Սի Լո Գրին it:Cee Lo Green he:סי-לו גרין hu:Cee Lo Green nl:Cee Lo Green ja:シーロー・グリーン pl:Cee Lo Green pt:Cee Lo Green ru:Cee Lo Green simple:Cee Lo Green sh:Cee-Lo Green sv:Cee Lo Green tr:Cee Lo Green uk:Cee Lo Green vi:Cee Lo Green

name	Tim Armstrong
landscape	yes
background	solo_singer
birth name	Timothy Lockwood Armstrong
alias	Lint
born	November 25, 1965Berkeley, California, United States
origin	Albany, California, U.S.
instrument	Vocals, guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, synthesizer, harmonica
genre	Punk rock, ska punk, street punk, hardcore punk
occupation	Musician, songwriter, producer
years active	1980–present
label	Lookout!, Hellcat, Epitaph
associated acts	Rancid, Box Car Racer, Devils Brigade, Transplants, Operation Ivy, Skye Sweetnam, Dance Hall Crashers, Downfall, Basic Radio, Shaken 69, The Silencers, The LJs, Generator
website	Official Site
notable instruments	Hagström VikingGretsch Country ClubGibson SG }}

Timothy Lockwood Armstrong (born November 25, 1965) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work with punk rock bands Rancid, Operation Ivy, Downfall, and the Transplants. He is also the owner and operator of Hellcat Records.

Personal life

Armstrong was born November 25, 1965 and was raised primarily by his mother. At the age of five, he met Matt Freeman while playing Little League Baseball in Albany, California. Freeman and Armstrong formed a band many years later based on their shared love of bands such as The Clash and the Ramones. Armstrong married musician Brody Dalle in 1997 and the couple divorced in 2003. Much of the lyrics on the album ''Indestructible'' deal with Armstrong's feelings on his divorce.

Music career

Basic Radio

Basic Radio was founded in 1986 and included Matt Freeman and Tim Armstrong. The band never released any albums or EPs and soon after its break-up, Operation Ivy was founded.

Operation Ivy

In 1987, along with singer Jesse Michaels and drummer Dave Mello, Armstrong and Freeman formed the ska punk band Operation Ivy and enjoyed modest success before the group disbanded in 1989, the same night the album was released. The band would go on to achieve worldwide cult success in the years following its break-up.

Downfall

Downfall was an aftershock of Operation Ivy. Armstrong, Freeman, and Mello were joined by Mello's brother Pat, and Jason Hammon. Pat and Jason would both play guitar, while Armstrong took up duties on vocals. They lasted three months (December 1989 to March 1990), playing only at a few parties and twice at Gilman St. They released one song on Maximumrocknroll's ''They Don't Get Paid, They Don't Get Laid, but Boy, Do They Work Hard!'' compilation, one song on David Hayes' ''Very Small World'' compilation, and one song on Lookout! Records' ''Can of Pork'' compilation. It disbanded when Freeman joined MDC on bass while Armstrong was a roadie for the band, while Pat and Dave went on to form Schlong.

Rancid

After the demise of Operation Ivy, Armstrong (being severely depressed) began to suffer from alcoholism, and eventually became homeless. During this time, Freeman suggested the two start a new band together, partially in hopes of curbing Armstrong's alcohol addiction. Armstrong began writing songs that would appear on their first album. Their new band, Rancid would eventually go on to become one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful punk rock bands of all time.

The Transplants

In 1999, Armstrong invited roadie Rob Aston ("Skinhead Rob") to add lyrics to some solo material that Armstrong had been creating in his basement, and the two worked together writing and recording music. They formed the group Transplants with Travis Barker of Blink-182 and released their self-titled debut album on October 22, 2002. A second Transplants album, ''Haunted Cities'', was released on June 21, 2005. The Transplants break-up was confirmed by Rob Aston on January 16, 2006, when he told a reporter that the group had split. However, Barker has recently announced that the trio is currently working on a new album. They played their first show since 2006 on Conan to promote the bands drummer, Travis Barker, new solo album by playing the song "Saturday Night" which is featured on Barker's solo album.

Other projects

Armstrong co-wrote eight songs with Pink for her 2003 album ''Try This''. He has also collaborated with Gwen Stefani on her debut album ''Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' and has contributed guest vocals on songs for such bands as Bad Religion, Time Again, The Matches, Mest, Good Charlotte, The Aggrolites and Box Car Racer. In 2007, he released his first solo album entitled ''A Poet's Life''.

Hellcat Records

Armstrong started Hellcat Records in 1997 as a sub-label of Epitaph, owned by Armstrong's friend and Bad Religion member Brett Gurewitz. Armstrong acts as a talent scout for Hellcat, and has final say concerning what groups are signed to the label. Armstrong also owns the merchandise manufacturer Machete Mfg, which provides merchandise for bands on Hellcat Records.

Signature Model Guitar

In 2010, Gretsch Guitars introduced the G5191BK Tim Armstrong Electromatic guitar. The single cutaway hollowbody electric guitar featured a 17" wide body in a flat-black urethane finish, parallel tone bars and sound post, two “Black Top” Filter'Tron pickups, Grover tuners, big block fretboard inlays, a harp tailpiece and gold-plated hardware. Gretsch advertising for the model prominently features Armstrong with the guitar. It is based on his 1970's-era Gretsch Country Club model which he spray-painted black and flipped to accommodate his left-handed playing. The signature model is available in both right and left-handed models. Fender also put out a signature acoustic model based on Tim's favorite 60's era Fender acoustic guitar. The "Hellcat" has hellcat inlays in the 3 5 and 7th fret positions and two skulls in the 12th fret. It is outfitted with a tortoise shell pick guard and Fishman brand electronics. It is available in right and left handed models.

Discography

Operation Ivy

Guitar and backing vocals. Credited as "Lint".

''Hectic'' (1988)

''Energy'' (1989)

''Plea for Peace'' (1992)

'''69 Newport'' (1993)

Rancid

Guitar and vocals.

''Rancid'' (1993)

''Let's Go'' (1994)

''...And Out Come the Wolves'' (1995)

''Life Won't Wait'' (1998)

''Rancid'' (2000)

''Indestructible'' (2003)

''Let the Dominoes Fall'' (2009)

Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards

''Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards'' (2001) - guitar, backing vocals

''Viking'' (2004) - vocals on "My Life to Live"

Transplants

Guitar and vocals.

''Transplants'' (2002)

''Haunted Cities'' (2005)

''Give The Drummer Some'' (2011) - "Saturday Night"

Solo albums

Guitar and vocals.

''A Poet's Life'' (2007)

Devils Brigade

Guitar and backing vocals.

Stalingrad/Psychos All Around Me (2003)

Vampire Girl (2005)

''Devils Brigade'' (2010) - Lead vocals on "Bridge of Gold" and "Gentlemen of the Road".

Produced albums

''Answer That and Stay Fashionable'' (1995) by AFI

''East los Presents'' (1997) by Union 13

''At Ease'' (1997) by The Gadjits

''F-Minus'' (2000) by F-Minus

''Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards'' (2001) by Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards

''Try This'' (2003) by Pink

''Viking'' (2004) by Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards

''The Stories Are True'' (2006) by Time Again

''Decomposer'' (2006) by The Matches

''Live Freaky! Die Freaky! '' (2006) by John Roecker

''Sound Soldier'' (2007) by Skye Sweetnam

Filmography

''Larry Is Dead'' (1995) Director, Actor, Producer

''Live Freaky! Die Freaky!'' (2003) Producer and Narrator

''The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things (2004)'' Acting

''Give 'Em the Boot'' (2005) Producer

''Punk's Not Dead'' (2007) Producer

References

External links

Rancid Official Website

Journey to the End: The TIM ARMSTRONG Fanlisting

Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:American male singers Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:American punk rock guitarists Category:American punk rock musicians Category:American punk rock singers Category:Musicians from California Category:Rancid (band) members Category:Hellcat Records Category:People from Oakland, California

de:Tim Armstrong (Musiker) es:Tim Armstrong fr:Tim Armstrong ko:팀 암스트롱 it:Tim Armstrong nl:Tim Armstrong ja:ティム・アームストロング no:Tim Armstrong pl:Tim Armstrong pt:Tim Armstrong ru:Армстронг, Тим fi:Tim Armstrong sv:Tim Armstrong

name	Tom Cruise
birth name
birth date	July 03, 1962
birth place	Syracuse, New York, U.S.
occupation	Actor, producer, writer, director
years active	1981–present
spouse	Mimi Rogers (1987–1990)Nicole Kidman (1990–2001)Katie Holmes (2006–present)
children	Isabella, Connor Cruise and Suri Cruise
website	TomCruise.com }}

Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (; born July 3, 1962), better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards.

Cruise first debuted in a major film in Francis Ford Coppola's ''The Outsiders,'' released in March 1983. His first leading role was in the film ''Risky Business'', which was released in August 1983. After playing the role of a heroic naval pilot in the popular and financially successful 1986 film ''Top Gun'', Cruise continued in this vein, playing a secret agent in a series of ''Mission: Impossible'' action films in the 1990s and 2000s. In addition to these heroic roles, he has starred in a variety of other successful films such as ''Rain Man'' (1988), ''Days of Thunder'' (1990), ''A Few Good Men'' (1992), ''Jerry Maguire'' (1996), ''Magnolia'' (1999), ''Vanilla Sky'' (2001), ''Minority Report'' (2002), ''The Last Samurai'' (2003), ''Collateral'' (2004) and ''War of the Worlds'' (2005).

Since 2005, Cruise and Paula Wagner have been in charge of the United Artists film studio, with Cruise as producer and star and Wagner as the chief executive. Cruise is also known for his support of and adherence to the Church of Scientology.

Early life

Cruise was born in Syracuse, New York, the son of Mary Lee (née Pfeiffer), a special education teacher, and Thomas Cruise Mapother III (died 1984), an electrical engineer. Cruise's surname originates from his great-grandfather, Thomas Cruise O'Mara, who was adopted by a Welsh immigrant and renamed "Thomas Cruise Mapother". Cruise is of German, Irish, and English ancestry. Cruise grew up in near poverty in a Catholic family dominated by an abusive father he described as "a merchant of chaos". He was beaten by his father, who Cruise described as a bully and coward.

Cruise attended Robert Hopkins Public School for grades three, four, and five. The Mapother family then moved to the suburb of Beacon Hill, in Ottawa, Ontario, so Cruise's father could take a position as a defence consultant with the Canadian Armed Forces. There, Cruise completed grade six at Henry Munro Middle School, part of the Carleton Board of Education, where he was active in athletics, playing floor hockey almost every night, showing himself to be a ruthless player, and eventually chipping his front tooth. In the game British bulldogs, he then lost his newly capped tooth and hurt his knee. Henry Munro was also where Cruise became involved in drama, under the tutelage of George Steinburg. The first play he participated in was called ''IT'', in which Cruise won the co-lead with Michael de Waal, one playing "Evil", the other playing "Good". The play met much acclaim, and toured with five other classmates to various schools around the Ottawa area, even being filmed at the local Ottawa TV station. Cruise was bullied regularly in the 15 different schools he attended in 12 years. When Cruise was twelve, his mother left his father, taking Cruise and his sister Lee Anne with her.

He briefly attended a Franciscan seminary in Cincinnati (on a church scholarship) and aspired to become a Catholic priest. In his senior year, he played football for the varsity team as a linebacker, but he was cut from the squad after getting caught drinking beer before a game.

Career

Acting

1980s

Cruise first appeared in supporting roles the 1981 films ''Endless Love'' and ''Taps'', the latter in which he played a crazed military school student. His first starring role was in the 1983 comedy ''Losin' It''. That same year he appeared in ''All the Right Moves'' and ''Risky Business'', which has been described as "A Generation-X classic, and a career-maker for Tom Cruise", and which along with 1986's ''Top Gun'', cemented his status as a star.

Cruise followed up ''Top Gun'' with ''The Color of Money'', which came out the same year, and which paired him with Academy Award-winner Paul Newman. 1988 saw him star in ''Cocktail'', which earned him a nomination for the Razzie Award for Worst Actor. Later that year he starred with Academy Award-winner Dustin Hoffman in ''Rain Man'', which won the Academy Award for Best Film and Cruise the Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor. Cruise finished the decade by portraying real-life paralyzed Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic in 1989's ''Born on the Fourth of July'', which earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama, the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor, the People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture Actor, a nomination for BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Cruise's first Best Actor Academy Award nomination.

1990s

In 1994, Cruise starred along with Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas and Christian Slater in Neil Jordan's ''Interview with the Vampire'', a gothic drama/horror film that was based on Anne Rice's best-selling novel. The film was well received, although Rice was initially quite outspoken in her criticism of Cruise having been cast in the film, as Julian Sands was her first choice. Upon seeing the film however, she paid $7,740 for a two-page ad in ''Daily Variety'' praising his performance and apologizing for her previous doubts about him.

In 1995, Cruise appeared as superspy Ethan Hunt in the reboot of ''Mission: Impossible,'' which he produced. In 1996, he took on the title role in ''Jerry Maguire'', for which he earned a Golden Globe and his second nomination for an Academy Award. In 1999, Cruise costarred with wife Nicole Kidman in the erotic Stanley Kubrick film ''Eyes Wide Shut'', and played motivational speaker Frank T.J. Mackey in the ensemble film ''Magnolia'', for which he received another Golden Globe and nomination for an Academy Award.

2000s

In 2000, Cruise returned as Ethan Hunt in the second installment of the ''Mission Impossible'' films, releasing ''Mission: Impossible II''. The film was directed by Hong Kong director John Woo and branded with his gun fu style, and it continued the series' blockbuster success at the box office, taking in almost $547M in worldwide figures, like its predecessor, being the third highest grossing film of the year. Cruise received an MTV Movie Award as Best Male Performance for this film. His next five films were major critical and commercial successes. The following year Cruise starred in the romantic thriller ''Vanilla Sky'' (2001) with Cameron Diaz and Penélope Cruz. In 2002, Cruise starred in the dystopian science fiction thriller, ''Minority Report'' which was directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick.

In 2003, he starred in the Edward Zwick's historical drama ''The Last Samurai'', for which he received a Golden Globe nomination as best actor. In 2005, Cruise worked again with Steven Spielberg in ''War of the Worlds'', which became the fourth highest grossing film of the year with US$591.4 million worldwide. Also in 2005, he won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Movie Star, and the MTV Generation Award. Cruise was nominated for seven Saturn Awards between 2002 and 2009, winning once. Nine of the ten films he starred in during the decade made over $100 million at the box office. In 2006, he reprised his role as Ethan Hunt in the third installment of the ''Mission Impossible'' film series, ''Mission: Impossible III''. The film was more positively received by critics than its predecessor, and grossed nearly $400 million at the box office. Cruise's 2007 film ''Lions for Lambs'' was a rare commercial disappointment. In 2008, Cruise appeared in the hit comedy ''Tropic Thunder'' with Ben Stiller and Jack Black. This performance earned Cruise a Golden Globe nomination. Cruise's role in the historical thriller ''Valkyrie'' released on December 25, 2008 to box office success. As of 2009, Cruise's films have grossed over $6.5 billion worldwide.

2010s

In March 2010, Cruise completed filming the action-comedy ''Knight and Day'', in which he re-teamed with former costar Cameron Diaz; the film was released on June 23, 2010. On February 9, 2010, Cruise confirmed that he will star in ''Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol'' the fourth ''Mission:Impossible'' film, slated for release in December 2011.

On May 6, 2011, Cruise was awarded a humanitarian award from the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and Museum of Tolerance for his work as a dedicated philanthropist.

Producing

Cruise partnered with his former talent agent Paula Wagner to form Cruise/Wagner Productions in 1993, and the company has since co-produced several of Cruise's films, the first being ''Mission: Impossible'' in 1996 which was also Cruise's first project as a producer.

Cruise is noted as having negotiated some of the most lucrative film deals in Hollywood, and was described in 2005 by Hollywood economist Edward Jay Epstein as "one of the most powerful – and richest – forces in Hollywood". Epstein argues that Cruise is one of the few producers (the others being George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer) who are regarded as able to guarantee the success of a billion-dollar film franchise. Epstein also contends that the public obsession with Cruise's tabloid controversies obscures full appreciation of Cruise's exceptional commercial prowess.

Cruise/Wagner Productions, Cruise's film production company, is said to be developing a screenplay based on Erik Larson's ''New York Times'' bestseller, ''The Devil in the White City'' about a real life serial killer, H. H. Holmes, at Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition. Kathryn Bigelow is attached to the project to produce and helm. Meanwhile, Leonardo DiCaprio's production company, Appian Way, is also developing a film about Holmes and the World's Fair, in which DiCaprio will star.

Breakup with Paramount

On August 22, 2006, Paramount Pictures announced it was ending its 14-year relationship with Cruise. In the ''Wall Street Journal'', chairman of Viacom (Paramount's parent company) Sumner Redstone cited the economic damage to Cruise's value as an actor and producer from his controversial public behavior and views. Cruise/Wagner Productions responded that Paramount's announcement was a face-saving move after the production company had successfully sought alternative financing from private equity firms. Industry analysts such as Edward Jay Epstein commented that the real reason for the split was most likely Paramount's discontent over Cruise/Wagner's exceptionally large share of DVD sales from the ''Mission: Impossible'' franchise.

Management of United Artists

In November 2006, Cruise and Paula Wagner announced that they had taken over United Artists film studio. Cruise acts as a producer and star in films for United Artists, while Wagner serves as UA's chief executive. Production began in 2007 of ''Valkyrie'', a thriller based on the July 20, 1944 assassination attempt against Adolf Hitler. The film was acquired in March 2007 by United Artists. On March 21, 2007 Cruise signed on to play Claus von Stauffenberg, the protagonist. This project marks the second production to be greenlighted since Cruise and Wagner took control of United Artists. The first was its inaugural film, ''Lions for Lambs'', directed by Robert Redford and starring Redford, Meryl Streep and Cruise. ''Lambs'' was released on November 9, 2007, opening to unimpressive box office revenue and critical reception. In August 2008, Wagner stepped down from her position at United Artists; she retains her stake in UA, which combined with Cruise's share amounts to 30 percent of the studio.

Relationships and personal life

Cruise had a relationship with his ''Risky Business'' co-star Rebecca De Mornay; they cohabited in New York from 1983–85.

Cruise married actress Mimi Rogers on May 9, 1987; they divorced on February 4, 1990. Rogers is generally believed to have introduced Cruise to Scientology. He met his second wife, Nicole Kidman, on the set of their film ''Days of Thunder''. The couple married on December 24, 1990. He and Kidman adopted two children, Isabella Jane (born December 1992) and Connor Antony (born January 1995). They separated in February 2001 when Kidman was three months pregnant; she later miscarried.

Cruise was next romantically linked with Penélope Cruz, his co-star in ''Vanilla Sky''. That relationship ended in 2004. In April 2005, Cruise began dating actress Katie Holmes. On April 27 that year, Cruise and Holmes, dubbed "TomKat" by the media, made their first public appearance together in Rome. A month later, Cruise declared his love for Holmes on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' famously jumping up and down on Winfrey's couch during the show. On October 6, 2005, Cruise and Holmes announced they were expecting a child, and their daughter, Suri, was born in April 2006. On November 18, 2006, Holmes and Cruise were married at the 15th-century Odescalchi Castle in Bracciano, Italy, in a Scientology ceremony attended by many Hollywood stars. The actors' publicist said the couple had "officialized" their marriage in Los Angeles the day before the Italian ceremony. David Miscavige served as Cruise's best man.

Popularity

In 1990, 1991 and 1997, ''People'' magazine rated him among the 50 most beautiful people in the world. In 1995, ''Empire'' magazine ranked him among the 100 sexiest stars in film history. Two years later, it ranked him among the top 5 film stars of all time. In 2002 and 2003, he was rated by ''Premiere'' among the top 20 in its annual Power 100 list.

In 2006, ''Premiere'' ranked Cruise as Hollywood's most powerful actor, as Cruise came in at number 13 on the magazine's 2006 Power List, being the highest ranked actor. The same year, ''Forbes'' magazine ranked him as the world's most powerful celebrity.

In August 2006, "a USA Today/Gallup poll in which half of those surveyed registered an 'unfavorable' opinion of the actor" was cited as a reason in addition to "unacceptable behavior" for Paramount's non-renewal of their production contract with Cruise. In addition, Marketing Evaluations reports that Cruise's Q score (which is a measure of the popularity of celebrities), had fallen 40 percent. It was also revealed that Cruise is the celebrity people would least like as their best friend. October 10, 2006 was declared "Tom Cruise Day" in Japan; the Japan Memorial Day Association said that he was awarded with a special day because he has made more trips to Japan than any other Hollywood star.

Controversy

Litigation

During Cruise's marriage to Nicole Kidman, the couple endured public speculation about their sex life and rumors that Cruise was gay. In 1998, he successfully sued the ''Daily Express'', a British tabloid which alleged that his marriage to Kidman was a sham designed to cover up his homosexuality. In May 2001 he filed a lawsuit against gay porn actor Chad Slater. Slater had allegedly told the celebrity magazine ''Actustar'' that he had had an affair with Cruise. Both Slater and Cruise denied this, and in August 2001, Slater was ordered to pay $10 million to Cruise in damages after Slater declared he could not afford to defend himself against the suit and would therefore default. Cruise also sued Michael Davis, publisher of ''Bold Magazine'', who alleged but never confirmed that he had video that would prove Cruise was gay. The suit was dropped in exchange for a public statement by Davis that the video was not of Cruise, and that Cruise was heterosexual.

After ''The Beast''s publication of their 50 Most Loathsome People of 2004, which included Cruise, Cruise's lawyer Bertram Fields threatened to sue. Seeing the opportunity for nationwide exposure, ''The Beast'' actively encouraged the lawsuit. No lawsuit was ever filed and Cruise was included more prominently in the 2005 list. In 2006, Cruise sued cybersquatter Jeff Burgar to obtain control of the TomCruise.com domain name. When owned by Burgar, the domain redirected to information about Cruise on Celebrity1000.com. The decision to turn TomCruise.com over to Cruise was handed down by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on July 5, 2006.

''Oprah Winfrey Show'' incident

Cruise has made several expressions of his feelings for Holmes to the media, most notably the "couch incident" which took place on the popular ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' of May 23, 2005. Cruise "jumped around the set, hopped onto a couch, fell to one knee and repeatedly professed his love for his new girlfriend". The phrase "jumping the couch", fashioned after "jumping the shark", is used to describe someone "going off the deep end" in public in a manner extreme enough to tarnish his or her reputation. It enjoyed a short-lived popularity, being chosen by the editors of the ''Historical Dictionary of American Slang'' as the "slang term of the year" in 2005 and by the nonprofit group Global Language Monitor as one of its top phrases for the year.

The "couch incident" was voted No.1 of 2005's "Most Surprising Television Moments" on a countdown on E! and No.5 at BoxOfficeProphets.com. and was the subject of numerous parodies, including the epilogue of ''Scary Movie 4'', an episode of ''South Park'', a short on ''Sesame Street'', and an episode of ''Family Guy''. ''Entertainment Weekly'' put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Lesson learned: Tell, don't show".

In early May 2008, Cruise reappeared on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' to celebrate 25 years in the film business. The feature was a two hour special, the first hour was Oprah spending the day with Cruise at his house in Telluride, Colorado on May 2.

Scientology

Cruise is an outspoken advocate for the Church of Scientology; according to Andrew Morton's ''Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography'' (2008), Cruise is the church's "second in command in all but name". He became involved with Scientology in 1990 through his first wife, Mimi Rogers. He has said that Scientology, specifically the L. Ron Hubbard Study Tech, helped him overcome dyslexia. In addition to promoting various programs that introduce people to Scientology, Cruise has campaigned for Scientology to be recognized as a religion in Europe. He lobbied politicians in France and Germany, where the legal systems regard Scientology as a cult and business, respectively. In 2005, the Paris city council revealed that Cruise had lobbied officials Nicolas Sarkozy and Jean-Claude Gaudin, described him as a spokesman and militant for Scientology, and barred any further dealings with him. Cruise co-founded and raised donations for Downtown Medical to offer New York City 9/11 rescue workers detoxification therapy based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard. This drew criticism from the medical profession, as well as firefighters. For these activities and others, David Miscavige awarded Cruise Scientology's Freedom Medal of Valor in late 2004.

A controversy erupted in 2005 after he openly criticized actress Brooke Shields for using the drug Paxil (paroxetine), an anti-depressant to which Shields attributes her recovery from postpartum depression after the birth of her first daughter in 2003. Cruise asserted that there is no such thing as a chemical imbalance, and that psychiatry is a form of pseudoscience. Shields replied that she would not take advice from anyone who believed in space aliens. This led to a heated argument with Matt Lauer on NBC's ''Today'' on June 24, 2005. Medical authorities view Cruise's comments as furthering the social stigma of mental illness. Shields herself called Cruise's comments "a disservice to mothers everywhere". In late August 2006, Cruise apologized in person to Shields for his comments. Scientology is well known for its opposition to mainstream psychiatry.

On January 15, 2008, a video produced by the Church of Scientology featuring an interview with Cruise was posted on You Tube, showing Cruise discussing what being a Scientologist means to him. The Church of Scientology said the video had been "pirated and edited", and was taken from a three-hour video produced for members of Scientology. YouTube removed the Cruise video from their site under threat of litigation.

Cruise's more open attitude to Scientology has been attributed to the March 2004 departure of his publicist of 14 years, Pat Kingsley. He replaced her with his sister, fellow Scientologist Lee Anne DeVette, who served in that role until November 2005. DeVette was replaced with Paul Bloch from the publicity firm Rogers and Cowan. Such restructuring is seen as a move to curtail publicity of his views on Scientology, as well as the hard-sell of his relationship with Katie Holmes backfiring with the public.

Filmography

See also

Tom Cruise (disambiguation)

Brat Pack (actors)

List of people from Louisville, Kentucky

List of Scientologists

Supercouple

''Tom Cruise: Unauthorized'' (1998)

''Tom Cruise: All the World's a Stage'' (2006)

References

External links

Transcript of the Matt Lauer interview

''Rolling Stone'' Interview: "The Passion of the Cruise"; 08/11/04

Tom Cruise at Rotten Tomatoes

Category:1962 births Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from New York Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of German descent Category:American expatriates in Canada Category:American film actors Category:American film producers Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American Scientologists Category:Best Actor Empire Award winners Category:Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Converts from Roman Catholicism Category:Living people Category:People from Ottawa Category:People from Syracuse, New York Category:Saturn Award winners

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