show name	Bored to Death
genre	Detective dramedy
creator	Jonathan Ames
starring	Jason SchwartzmanZach GalifianakisTed DansonHeather Burns
opentheme	"Bored to Death" by Coconut Records
country	United States
num seasons	2
num episodes	16
list episodes	List of Bored to Death episodes
Executive producer
runtime	approx. 26 minutes
network	HBO
first aired	September 20, 2009
last aired	present
website	http://www.hbo.com/bored-to-death/ }}

''Bored to Death'' is an American comedy television series on HBO that started broadcast in 2009. , two seasons have aired, each consisting of eight episodes. The show was created by author Jonathan Ames, and stars Jason Schwartzman as a fictional Jonathan Ames – a writer based in Brooklyn, New York City, who moonlights as an unlicensed private detective. The show also stars Ted Danson as George, and Zach Galifianakis as Ray, both friends of Jonathan. On the 27th of October, 2010, HBO announced that Bored to Death would return for a third season in 2011.

Cast

; Regular:

Jason Schwartzman as Jonathan Ames, struggling novelist and bungling private investigator.

Zach Galifianakis as Ray Hueston, Brooklyn comic book artist and Jonathan's best friend. He has deeply rooted psychological issues that his girlfriend, Leah, believes need to be confronted.

Ted Danson as George Christopher, editor of fictitious New York magazine ''Edition,'' womanizer and party-goer; Jonathan's boss and friend.

; Recurring:

Heather Burns as Leah, Ray's on and off girlfriend.

Olivia Thirlby as Suzanne, Jonathan’s ex-girlfriend.

Oliver Platt as Richard Antrem, fictional editor of ''GQ'' and rival of George Christopher.

Laila Robins as Priscilla, George's ex-wife and Richard's current wife.

John Hodgman as Louis Green, a pompous author and rival of Johnathan.

Jenny Slate as Stella, an organic food co-op member and pot smoker who becomes Jonathan's lover.

Zoe Kazan as Nina, Jonathan's student who later becomes his girlfriend.

Bebe Neuwirth as Caroline, Jonathan's literary editor.

Patton Oswalt as Howard Baker, the owner of a sketchy spy shop that Jonathan, Ray, and George occasionally visit for gear.

Kristen Wiig as Jennifer "Trouble" Gladwell, a barfly whose alcoholism tends to get her in trouble. She is one of Jonathan's first clients.

Mary Kay Place as Kathryn Joiner, a frank employee of a company that is helping ''Edition'' tighten its financial belt.

Jonathan Ames as Irwin, a boyfriend of Leah who starts to stalk and stabs Ray, after he causes their break-up.

Synopsis

Season One

When Jonathan's girlfriend Suzanne breaks up with him, and his career as a writer is floundering, he finds himself with a lot of spare time on his hands. Inspired by a Raymond Chandler detective novel, Jonathan posts an ad on Craigslist, advertising himself as an unlicensed private eye. He easily solves his first and second cases, which involve a missing person and a cheating boyfriend respectively.

Jonathan attempts to reignite his relationship with Suzanne, but he is unsuccessful. George introduces Jonathan to film director Jim Jarmusch and is given an opportunity to write for him, but fails to produce any material before Jarmusch changes his mind. Ray agrees to donate sperm to a lesbian couple, although against Leah's will. In another attempt to win back Suzanne, Jonathan arranges to take her to Brighton Beach with Ray and Leah. However, Jonathan also tries to solve a case while with her, and it ruins the night. Seeking adventure, George joins Jonathan and Ray as Jonathan tries to steal from a notorious blackmailer. Ray and George establish a friendship for the first time while waiting for Jonathan, sharing their love of marijuana. Ray learns that the lesbian couple he supplied with sperm were actually reselling it to other couples, and the couple has since fled town. Jonathan meets and beds a new woman, Stella.

George, Jonathan and Ray get into an argument with ''GQ'', a rival magazine. Both groups agree to a boxing match to settle their conflicts. The GQ team is led by Richard Antrem, the new husband of George's ex-wife Priscilla. Before the match, George sleeps with Priscilla and she begs him to lose due to Richard's ailing heart. Ray loses his fight, but Leah is proud of him. Jonathan beats his critic, and George intentionally loses to Richard.

Season Two

Three months later, Jonathan is continuing his work as a private eye, after his second book has been rejected. He is also teaching writing classes. Leah breaks up with Ray after several failed attempts at finding common ground in the relationship. Richard Antrem asks Jonathan to spy on Priscilla to see if she is having an affair. Unaware that George is the other man, Jonathan agrees. Richard later catches George with Priscilla and realizes that Jonathan had been covering for him. Ray attempts to win back Leah, however, he goes about it in the wrong way, and accidentally catches Leah in bed with a man named Irwin. George goes to a urologist and is diagnosed with prostate cancer, however, after learning a woman had taken over for his usual doctor, he begins dating her.

Stella wants to pursue an open relationship with Jonathan, but then decides to go back to her old boyfriend, and shortly after Jonathan is kidnapped. George and Ray attempt and fail to rescue him while high on cannabis, are captured by the kidnappers but released with help from Jonathan's parents. Ray then briefly dates Jennifer Gladwell. After one of Jonathan's clients suggests he writes about his cases, Jonathan begins writing to submit to ''The New Yorker''. Ray's latest comic book character, ''Super Ray'' becomes a success, earning Ray critical and financial gain, leading Kevin Bacon to approach Ray about portraying ''Super Ray'' in a film series, but Ray ultimately turns him down.

After selling ''Edition NY'' to a publishing group to help the magazine make it through the tough economy, George's column is canceled, and he begins questioning his worth at the company. When George is admitted to hospital for his prostate surgery, Jonathan discovers that his doctor has diagnosed the wrong patient with prostate cancer, leaving George cancer-free, but it leads to his doctor girlfriend leaving him.

A week later, George quits his job at ''Edition NY'' because his bosses in Dallas want the magazine to be more on the right wing, and spends time in drug rehab after a mandatory test shows he is a user of marijuana. Ray receives numerous emails from a stalker and eventually discovers a Super Ray doll with the nib of a knife in its shoulder, left for him on his doorstep. Jonathan discovers the home of Ray's stalker but fails to catch him before Comic-Con, where Ray would likely be attacked. Ray's stalker is revealed to be Irwin, the man he found sleeping with Leah, and Ray is stabbed in the shoulder with an X-Acto knife. While in the hospital, Leah comes to visit Ray and the two reconcile. As the two kiss on the hospital bed, George and Jonathan walk out and discuss making the most of their hopeful yet uncertain futures.

Episodes

The pilot episode premiered on Sunday, September 20, 2009 in the US on HBO.

After following ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'''s 2009 ''Seinfeld'' reunion episode, the show reached a ratings high of 1.1 million viewers, prompting HBO to renew it for a second season. The season two premiere aired September 26, 2010 at 10PM ET. On the 27th of October, HBO announced that Bored to Death would return for a third season in 2011. The season three premiere is scheduled to air October 10, 2011.

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Production

Although loosely based in the Park Slope neighborhood of New York City, the series is shot primarily on location in nearby Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

Reception

The first season received mixed reviews. In a ''Time'' blog, James Poniewozik praised the "interplay between the low- and high-life of New York" and the casting choices, calling Danson's portrayal of George a "scene stealing role". Nancy Franklin of ''The New Yorker'' determined that "excellent casting and good writing" supported the series. However in a blog for ''Chicago Tribune'', Maureen Ryan called the story "tedious," although she praised Danson and Galifianakis' performances. ''Variety's'' Brian Lowry called the series "too precious and quirky for its own good", instead wishing the series revolved around Danson's character. He also noted it paled in comparison to its partner, ''Curb Your Enthusiasm''.

Reviews of the second season have generally shown an improvement. Jennifer Armstrong of ''Entertainment Weekly'' said "the charm is in the details" and added that the "genius of Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis" strengthened the program. ''TIME's'' Poniewozik wrote positively of the second season.

Following ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', ''Bored to Death'' had an audience retention rating of 92 percent of the total 1.1 million person audience according to Nielsen ratings.

''Bored To Death'' won the 2010 Primetime Emmy Award for Main Title Design, against other nominees including ''The Pacific'' and ''Nurse Jackie''.

Distribution

HBO Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video released the complete first season on September 21, 2010.

References

External links

Official UK Website

Official US Website

Category:HBO network shows Category:American television sitcoms Category:2009 American television series debuts Category:2000s American television series Category:Fictional versions of real people Category:Television shows set in New York City Category:American comedy-drama television series Category:Neo-noir

de:Bored to Death es:Bored to Death fr:Bored to Death it:Bored to Death - Investigatore per noia pl:Znudzony na śmierć pt:Bored to Death

birth date	December 29, 1947
birth place	San Diego, California,United States
birth name	Edward Bridge Danson III
occupation	Actor
years active	1975–present
spouse	Mary Steenburgen (1995-present) Casey Coates (1977-1993) Randy Danson (1970-1975) }}

Edward Bridge “Ted” Danson III (born December 29, 1947) is an American actor best known for his role as central character Sam Malone in the sitcom ''Cheers'', and his role as Dr. John Becker on the series ''Becker''. He also plays a recurring role on Larry David's HBO sitcom ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' and starred alongside Glenn Close in legal drama ''Damages''. He is now a regular on the HBO comedy series ''Bored to Death'' and will join the cast of the CBS drama ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' in September 2011.

In his thirty-year career, Danson has been nominated for fifteen Primetime Emmy Awards, winning two; ten Golden Globe Awards nominations, winning three; one Screen Actors Guild Awards nomination; one American Comedy Award and a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. He was ranked second in TV Guide's list of the top 25 television stars.

Danson has also been a longtime activist in ocean conservation. In March 2011, he published his first book, ''Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans And What We Can Do To Save Them'', written with journalist Michael D'Orso.

Early life

Danson was born in San Diego, California, the son of Jess Danson (née MacMaster) and Edward Bridge Danson, Jr., an archaeologist and museum director. He was raised in Flagstaff, Arizona.

In 1961, he enrolled in the Kent School where he was a basketball star. He became interested in drama while attending Stanford University. He transferred to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama, in 1972.

Career

Television

Early career

Danson began his television career as a contract player on daytime soap opera, ''Somerset''. He played the role of "Tom Conway" from 1975 to 1976. He was also in a number of commercials, most recognizably as the "Aramis man".

He made a number of guest appearances in episodic television in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including spots on ''Laverne and Shirley''; ''B.J. and the Bear''; ''Family''; ''Benson''; ''Taxi''; ''Magnum, P.I.''; and ''Tucker's Witch''.

Career breakthrough: ''Cheers''

In 1982, Danson was cast in his most recognizable role, as ex-baseball player and bartender Sam Malone on the hit sitcom ''Cheers''. The show had a run of 11 seasons and its finale (May 20, 1993) was watched by 80 million people, becoming the second most watched finale in television history. It won four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series and a Golden Globe for Best Series - Musical or Comedy. The show ran from 1982 to 1993, with Danson receiving 11 consecutive Emmy nominations and nine Golden Globes, ultimately winning two Emmys and two Golden Globe Awards from those nominations. In 2002, ''TV Guide'' named ''Cheers'' the 18th Greatest Show of All Time. It was also included in ''Time'' Magazine's 100 Greatest Shows of All Time.

Danson also appeared as Sam Malone in guest-starring roles on other sitcoms, such as ''Frasier'' (a ''Cheers'' spin-off), ''The Jim Henson Hour'', and ''The Simpsons''.

Later career

Although he was best known for his work in comedy, he also appeared in an acclaimed drama, ''Something About Amelia'', about a family devastated by the repercussions of incest, which co-starred his current co-star on ''Damages'', Glenn Close. He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie and was nominated for an Emmy Award. In 1996, three years after ''Cheers'' concluded, Danson starred in the short-lived CBS sitcom ''Ink'' with his real-life wife Mary Steenburgen. In the same year, they starred as Lemuel Gulliver and his wife in an acclaimed television miniseries of ''Gulliver's Travels''.

Danson went on to star in the successful CBS sitcom ''Becker'' (produced by Paramount Television, which also produced ''Cheers''), which ran from 1998–2004. Danson also plays himself on ''Curb Your Enthusiasm''. He reprised his role of "Sam Malone" in a second season episode of ''Frasier'' and voiced him in ''The Simpsons'' episode "Fear of Flying".

Danson returned to series television in the fall of 2006, playing a psychiatrist in the ABC sitcom ''Help Me Help You'', which was canceled at midseason due to low ratings.

In 2006, Danson received a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries for his role in ''Knights of the South Bronx''.

In 2007, Danson starred in the FX Network drama ''Damages'' as a corrupt billionaire, Arthur Frobisher. The role earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, but lost to co-star Željko Ivanek. In the second season, Danson became a recurring character instead of one of the principal cast. Nevertheless, Danson received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, but lost to Michael J. Fox for his guest appearance in ''Rescue Me''.

In 1999, Danson was presented a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

In 2011 Danson appeared in the music video for "Make Some Noise" by The Beastie Boys. He is also mentioned in the song's lyrics.

Danson is currently starring in the new HBO comedy series, ''Bored to Death'', playing George. Critics have often praised Danson as being the highlight of the program, calling his character a "scene-stealer".

In July 2011, it was announced that Danson would become a series regular on CBS's ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''. He will play a new graveyard shift supervisor who previously headed a crime lab in Portland, Oregon. Tony Shaloub, Robin Williams and John Lithgow were also considered for the role.

Film

Danson has also been featured in numerous films. His most notable film appearances were in ''Three Men and a Baby'' with Tom Selleck and Steve Guttenberg, its sequel ''Three Men and a Little Lady'', and ''Cousins'' with Isabella Rossellini. He also appeared in ''The Onion Field'' (his first film, as the bagpiper), ''Creepshow'', ''Body Heat'', ''Little Treasure'', ''Just Between Friends'', ''A Fine Mess'', ''Dad'', ''Made in America'', ''Getting Even with Dad'', and ''Saving Private Ryan''.

Image

Danson's image, along with that of Scott Bakula, was used as a selectable character in ''Alien Breed II: The Horror Continues'', a science fiction shoot 'em up released for the Amiga home computer system in 1993. Whether or not this use was authorized is unknown. Ted Danson's earnings also haunted George Costanza in ''Seinfeld'' when he was negotiating a fee with NBC for a pilot for a planned TV series.

Personal life

Danson and his first wife, Randy Gosch (now professionally known as Randy Danson), were married from 1970 to 1975. Danson's second wife was Casey Coates; the couple were married in 1977. In 1979, while giving birth to their first child, Coates suffered a stroke, and Danson spent several years caring for her and helping her recuperate. The couple later adopted a daughter. An affair with Whoopi Goldberg led to their divorce in 1993. It was one of Hollywood's costliest divorces, reportedly costing Danson $30 million.

He later married actress Mary Steenburgen, on October 7, 1995. He is stepfather to her daughter, Lilly, and son, Charles, who are the children of actor Malcolm McDowell.

On the September 27, 2007 episode of ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', Danson revealed that he follows a mostly vegan diet, although he does occasionally eat fish.

Controversy

Danson experienced substantial negative press attention in the fall of 1993 after his appearance in blackface at a Friar's Club comedy roast in honor of then-girlfriend Whoopi Goldberg. Guests were said to be angered by the monologue he delivered, which included many "nigger" references. Goldberg later admitted to writing the skit with him.

Environmentalism

Danson's interest in environmental concerns was ignited when he was twelve years old and Bill Breed, then a curator at the Museum of Northern Arizona, introduced Danson and friend Marc Gaede to a game he referred to as "billboarding". Armed with an axe and saw, Breed, Gaede, and Danson ended up destroying over 500 outdoor advertising signs and illegal birdhouses.

Danson's interest in environmentalism continued over the years, and he began to be concerned with the state of the world's oceans. In the 1980s, he was a contributing founder of the ''American Oceans Campaigns'', which merged with Oceana in 2001, where Danson is a board member.

In March 2011, Danson published his first book, ''Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans And What We Can Do To Save Them'', written with journalist Michael D'Orso.

Political activism

Danson is a friend of former United States President Bill Clinton, who attended Danson's wedding to Mary Steenburgen. Danson has donated more than $85,000 to Democratic candidates, including Al Gore, John Edwards, Barbara Boxer, Bill Clinton, Al Franken, and John Kerry. He has also donated to the Democratic Party of Arkansas and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Danson and Steenburgen campaigned for Sen. Hillary Clinton during her 2008 Presidential campaign. Such is his closeness to the Clintons, he attended the wedding of their daughter Chelsea on 31 July 2010.

Filmography

Television

''Somerset'' (cast member from 1975–1976)

''Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge'' (1979)

''The French Atlantic Affair'' (1979) (miniseries)

''The Women's Room'' (1980)

''Once Upon a Spy'' (1980)

''Benson'' (1981)

''Dear Teacher'' (1981)

''Our Family Business'' (1981)

''Magnum, P.I.'' (1981)

''Cheers'' (1982–1993)

''Cowboy'' (1983)

''Something About Amelia'' (1984)

''When the Bough Breaks'' (1986)

''We Are the Children'' (1987)

''The Jim Henson Hour'' (1989)

''The Simpsons'' (1994)

''Frasier'' (1994) (Episode - "The Show When Sam Shows Up")

''Ink'' (1996–1997) (also executive producer)

''Gulliver's Travels'' (1996) (miniseries)

''Veronica's Closet'' (1997)

''Thanks of a Grateful Nation'' (1998)

''Search for Atlantis'' (2000)

''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' (2000–present)

''Becker'' (1998–2004)

''Living with the Dead'' (2002) (miniseries)

''It Must Be Love'' (2004)

''Our Fathers'' (2005)

''Help Me Help You'' (2006)

''Damages'' (2007–2010) Regular season 1 - recurring season 2-3

''Bored to Death'' (2009–present)

''Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!'' (2010)

''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' (2011-present)

Film

''The Onion Field'' (1979)

''Body Heat'' (1981)

''Raised by Wolves: The Sue Taylor Story'' (1981)

''Creepshow'' (1982)

''Little Treasure'' (1985)

''Just Between Friends'' (1986)

''A Fine Mess'' (1986)

''Three Men and a Baby'' (1987)

''She's Having a Baby'' (1988) (cameo)

''Cousins'' (1989)

''Dad'' (1989)

''Three Men and a Little Lady'' (1990)

''The Comfort of Strangers'' (1990)

''Made in America'' (1993)

''Getting Even with Dad'' (1994)

''Pontiac Moon'' (1994) (also executive producer)

''Loch Ness'' (1996)

''Jerry and Tom'' (1998)

''Homegrown'' (1998)

''Saving Private Ryan'' (1998)

''Mumford'' (1999)

''Scene Smoking: Cigarettes, Cinema & the Myth of Cool'' (2001)

''Talking to Heaven'' (2002)

''Surviving Love'' (2003)

''Fronterz'' (2004)

''The Moguls'' (2005)

''Knights of the South Bronx'' (2005)

''Nobel Son'' (2007)

''Mad Money'' (2008)

''The Human Contract'' (2008)

''The Amateurs'' (2007)

''The Open Road'' (2009)

''Everybody Loves Whales'' (2012)

''Three Men and a Bride'' (2012)

Awards and nominations

Awards

;Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

1990 – ''Cheers''

1993 – ''Cheers''

;Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

1985 – ''Something About Amelia''

;Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical

1990 – ''Cheers''

1991 – ''Cheers''

Nominations

;Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

1983 – ''Cheers''

1984 - ''Cheers''

1985 – ''Cheers''

1986 – ''Cheers''

1987 – ''Cheers''

1988 – ''Cheers''

1989 – ''Cheers''

1990 - ''Cheers''

1991 – ''Cheers''

1992 – ''Cheers''

1993 – ''Cheers''

;Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special

1984 – ''Something About Amelia''

;Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

2008 - "Damages"

;Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series

2009 - "Damages"

2010 - "Damages"

;Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical

1984 – ''Cheers''

1985 – ''Cheers''

1987 – ''Cheers''

1989 – ''Cheers''

1990 – ''Cheers''

1991 – ''Cheers''

1992 – ''Cheers''

1993 – ''Cheers''

2001 – ''Becker''

;Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

2008 - ''Damages''

;Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries

2006 - ''Knights of the South Bronx''

References

External links

Danson receives the Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award from his alma mater, Carnegie Mellon University, in 2003

Video of Danson at Oceana event

NYTimes March 2010 feature article

Category:1947 births Category:Actors from California Category:Actors_from_San_Diego,_California Category:American film actors Category:American people of English descent Category:American television actors Category:Best Miniseries or Television Movie Actor Golden Globe winners Category:Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (television) winners Category:California Democrats Category:Carnegie Mellon University alumni Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Kent School alumni Category:Living people Category:Pescetarians Category:People from Flagstaff, Arizona Category:People from San Diego, California

da:Ted Danson de:Ted Danson es:Ted Danson fr:Ted Danson ga:Ted Danson gd:Ted Danson gl:Ted Danson id:Ted Danson it:Ted Danson he:טד דנסון nl:Ted Danson ja:テッド・ダンソン no:Ted Danson pl:Ted Danson pt:Ted Danson ro:Ted Danson ru:Денсон, Тед simple:Ted Danson sh:Ted Danson fi:Ted Danson sv:Ted Danson tl:Ted Danson

name	Jim Jarmusch
birth date	January 22, 1953
birth name	James R. Jarmusch
birth place	Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, United States
occupation	Film director, screenwriter, actor, producer, editor and composer
alma mater	Columbia University (1975)
years active	1979–present
partner	Sara Driver }}

James R. "Jim" Jarmusch (born January 22, 1953) is an American independent film director, screenwriter, actor, producer, editor and composer. Jarmusch has been a major proponent of independent cinema, particularly during the 1980s and 1990s.

Early life

Jarmusch was born to a family of middle-class suburbanites in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio in 1953. His mother, of Irish and German descent, had been a reviewer of film and theatre for the ''Akron Beacon Journal'' before marrying his father, a businessman of Czech and German descent who worked for the B.F. Goodrich Company. She introduced the future director, the middle of three children, to the world of cinema by leaving him at a local cinema to watch matinee double features such as ''Attack of the Crab Monsters'' and ''Creature From the Black Lagoon'' while she ran errands. The first adult film he recalls having seen was the 1958 cult classic ''Thunder Road'' (starring Robert Mitchum) the violence and darkness of which left an impression on the seven-year-old Jarmusch. Another B-movie influence from his childhood was ''Ghoulardi'', an eccentric Cleveland television show which featured horror films.

Despite his enthusiasm for film, Jarmusch, an avid reader in his youth, had a greater interest in literature, a pursuit in which he was encouraged by his grandmother. Though he refused to attend church with his Episcopalian parents (not being enthused by "the idea of sitting in a stuffy room wearing a little tie"), Jarmusch credits literature with shaping his metaphysical beliefs and leading him to reconsider theology in his mid-teens. From his peers he developed a taste for counterculture: he and his friends would steal the records and books of their older siblings – William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Mothers of Invention. They made fake identity documents which allowed them to visit bars at the weekend but also the local art house cinema – which though it typically showed pornographic films would on occasion feature underground films such as Robert Downey, Sr.'s ''Putney Swope'' and Andy Warhol's ''Chelsea Girls''. At one point, he took an apprenticeship with a commercial photographer. "Growing up in Ohio", he would later remark, "was just planning to get out".

New York

After graduating from high school in 1971, Jarmusch moved to Chicago and enrolled in the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. After being asked to leave due to neglecting to take any journalism courses–Jarmusch favored literature and art history–he transferred to Columbia University the following year, with the intention of becoming a poet. At Columbia, he studied English and American literature under professors including New York School avant garde poets Kenneth Koch and David Shapiro. At Columbia he began to write short "semi-narrative abstract pieces", and edited the undergraduate literary journal ''The Columbia Review''.

During his final year at Columbia, Jarmusch moved to Paris, for what was initially a summer semester on an exchange program but turned into ten months. There, he worked as a delivery driver for an art gallery, and spent most of his time at the Cinémathèque Française.

Jarmusch graduated from Columbia University in 1975.

Broke and working as a musician in New York City after returning from Paris in 1976, Jarmusch applied on a whim to the prestigious Graduate Film School of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts (then under the direction of Hollywood director László Benedek). Despite his complete lack of experience in filmmaking, his submission of a collection of still photographs and an essay about film secured his acceptance into the program. He studied there for four years, meeting fellow students and future collaborators Sara Driver, Tom DiCillo and Spike Lee in the process. During the late 1970s in New York City, Jarmusch and his contemporaries were part of an alternative culture scene centered on the CBGB music club.

In his final year at New York University, Jarmusch worked as an assistant to the renowned ''film noir'' director Nicholas Ray, who was at that time teaching in the department. In an anecdote Jarmusch has recounted of the formative experience of showing his mentor his first script, Ray disapproved of its lack of action, to which Jarmusch responded after meditating on the critique by reworking the script to be even less eventful. On Jarmusch's return with the revised script, Ray reacted favourably to his student's dissent, citing approvingly the young student's obstinate independence. Jarmusch was the only person Ray brought to work – as his personal assistant – on ''Lightning Over Water'', a documentary about his dying years on which he was collaborating with Wim Wenders. Nicholas Ray died in the summer of 1979 after a long fight with cancer. A few days afterwards, having been encouraged by Ray and New York underground filmmaker Amos Poe and using scholarship funds given by the Louis B. Mayer Foundation to pay for his school tuition, Jarmusch started work on a film for his final project. The university, unimpressed with Jarmusch's use of his funding as well as the project itself, promptly refused to award him a degree.

Feature films

First features and rise to fame: ''Vacation'' and ''Paradise''

Jarmusch's final year university project was completed in 1980 as ''Permanent Vacation'', his first feature film. It was made on a shoestring budget of around $12,000 in misdirected scholarship funds and shot by cinematographer Tom DiCillo on 16 mm film. The 75 minute quasi-autobiographical feature follows an adolescent drifter (Chris Parker) as he wanders around downtown Manhattan. The film was not released theatrically, and did not attract the sort of adulation from critics that greeted his later work. ''The Washington Post'' staff writer Hal Hinson would disparagingly comment in an aside during a review of Jarmusch's ''Mystery Train'' (1989) that in the director's debut, "the only talent he demonstrated was for collecting egregiously untalented actors". The bleak and unrefined ''Permanent Vacation'' is nevertheless one of the director's most personal films, and established many of the hallmarks he would exhibit in his later work, including derelict urban settings, chance encounters, and a wry sensibility.

Jarmusch's first major film, ''Stranger Than Paradise'', was produced on a budget of approximately $125,000 and released in 1984 to much critical acclaim. A deadpan comedy recounting a strange journey of three disillusioned youths from New York through Cleveland to Florida, the film broke many conventions of traditional Hollywood filmmaking. It was awarded the Camera d'Or at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival as well as the 1985 National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film, and became a landmark work in modern independent film.

''Down by Law'', ''Mystery Train'', and ''Night on Earth''

In 1986, Jarmusch wrote and directed ''Down by Law'', starring musicians John Lurie and Tom Waits, and Italian comic actor Roberto Benigni (his introduction to American audiences) as three convicts who escape from a New Orleans jailhouse. Shot like the director's previous efforts in black and white, this constructivist neo-noir was Jarmusch's first collaboration with renowned Dutch cinematographer Robby Müller, who had been known for his work with Wenders.

His next two films each experimented with parallel narratives: ''Mystery Train'' (1989) told three successive stories set on the same night in and around a small Memphis hotel, and ''Night on Earth'' (1991) involved five cab drivers and their passengers on rides in five different world cities, beginning at sundown in Los Angeles and ending at sunrise in Helsinki. Less bleak and somber than Jarmusch's earlier work, ''Mystery Train'' nevertheless retained the director's askance conception of America. He wrote ''Night on Earth'' in about a week, out of frustration at the collapse of the production of another film he had written and the desire to visit and collaborate with friends such as Benigni, Gena Rowlands, and Isaach de Bankolé.

As a result of his early work, Jarmusch became an influential representative of the trend of the American road movie. Not intended to appeal to mainstream filmgoers, these early Jarmusch films were embraced by art house audiences, gaining a small but dedicated American following and cult status in Europe and Japan. Each of the four films had their premiere at the eminent and discerning New York Film Festival, while ''Mystery Train'' was in competition at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. Jarmusch's distinctive aesthetic and ''auteur'' status fomented a critical backlash at the close of this early period, however; though reviewers praised the charm and adroitness of ''Mystery Train'' and ''Night On Earth'', the director was increasingly charged with repetitiveness and risk-aversion.

In 1991 Jim Jarmusch appeared as himself in Episode One of John Lurie's cult television series ''Fishing With John''.

Late nineties, experiments in genre: ''Dead Man'' and ''Ghost Dog''

In 1995, Jarmusch released ''Dead Man'', a period film set in the 19th century American West starring Johnny Depp and Gary Farmer. Produced at a cost of almost $9 million with a high-profile cast including John Hurt, Gabriel Byrne and, in his final role, Robert Mitchum, the film marked a significant departure for the director from his previous features. Earnest in tone in comparison to its self-consciously hip and ironic predecessors, ''Dead Man'' was thematically expansive and of an often violent and progressively more surreal character. The film was shot in black and white by Robby Müller, and features a score composed and performed by Neil Young, for whom Jarmusch subsequently filmed the tour documentary ''Year of the Horse'', released to tepid reviews in 1997. Though ill-received by mainstream American reviewers, ''Dead Man'' found much favor internationally and among critics, many of whom lauded it as a visionary masterpiece. It has been hailed as one of the few films made by a Caucasian that presents an authentic Native American culture and character, and Jarmusch stands by it as such, though it has attracted both praise and castigation for its portrayal of the American West, violence, and especially Native Americans.

Following artistic success and critical acclaim in the American independent film community, he achieved mainstream renown with his far-East philosophical crime film ''Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai'', shot in Jersey City and starring Forest Whitaker as a young inner-city man who has found purpose for his life by unyieldingly conforming it to the ''Hagakure'', an 18th-century philosophy text and training manual for samurai, becoming, as directed, a terrifyingly deadly hit-man for a local mob boss to whom he may owe a debt, and who then betrays him. The soundtrack was supplied by RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan. The film was unique among other things for the number of books important to and discussed by its characters, most of them listed bibliographically as part of the end credits. The film is also considered to be an homage to ''Le Samourai'', a 1967 French New Wave film by auteur Jean-Pierre Melville, which starred renowned French actor Alain Delon in a strikingly similar role and narrative.

Late period: ''Cigarettes'', ''Flowers'', and ''Control''

A five-year gap followed the release of ''Ghost Dog'', which the director has attributed to a creative crisis he experienced in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in New York City. 2004 saw the eventual release of ''Coffee and Cigarettes'', a collection of eleven short films of characters sitting around drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes that had been filmed by Jarmusch over the course of the previous two decades. The first vignette, "Strange to Meet You", had been shot for and aired on ''Saturday Night Live'' in 1986, and paired Roberto Benigni with comedian Steven Wright. This had been followed three years later by "Twins", a segment featuring actors Steve Buscemi and Joie and Cinqué Lee, and then in 1993 with the Short Film Palme d'Or-winning "Somewhere in California", starring musicians Tom Waits and Iggy Pop.

He followed ''Coffee and Cigarettes'' in 2005 with ''Broken Flowers'', which starred Bill Murray as an early retiree who goes in search of the mother of his unknown son in attempt to overcome a midlife crisis. Following the release of ''Broken Flowers'', Jarmusch signed a deal with Fortissimo Films, whereby the distributor would fund and have "first-look" rights to the director's future films, and cover some of the overhead costs of his production company, Exoskeleton.

Jarmusch's latest film, ''The Limits of Control'', opened in the United States on May 22, 2009. A sparse, meditative crime film set in Spain, it starred Isaach de Bankolé as a lone assassin with a secretive mission. A behind-the-scenes documentary, ''Behind Jim Jarmusch'', was filmed over three days on the set of the film in Seville by director Léa Rinaldi.

In October 2009, Jarmusch appeared as himself in an episode of the HBO series ''Bored to Death''.

In September 2010, Jarmusch helped to curate the All Tomorrow's Parties music festival in Monticello, New York. He is also working on a documentary about the rock band The Stooges and co-writing a non-traditional opera about the inventor Nikola Tesla. He is planning a new film with Tilda Swinton, Michael Fassbender, Mia Wasikowska, and John Hurt, which is scheduled to begin production in early 2012.

As a filmmaker

Style and characters

Jarmusch has been characterized as a minimalist filmmaker, and his idiosyncratic films unhurried. His films often eschew traditional narrative structure, lacking clear plot progression and focusing more on mood and character development. In an interview early in his career, he stated that his goal was "to approximate real time for the audience." Jarmusch's early work is marked by a brooding, contemplative tone, featuring extended silent scenes and prolonged still shots. He has experimented with a vignette format in three films either released or begun around the early nineties: ''Mystery Train,'' ''Night on Earth,'' and ''Coffee and Cigarettes''. Jarmusch's approach to filmmaking—in the words of ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' critic Sean P. Means—involves "blending film styles and genres with sharp wit and dark humor", and is pervaded by a signature deadpan comedic tone.

The protagonists of Jarmusch's films are usually lone adventurers. The director's male characters have been described by critic Jennie Yabroff as "three time losers, petty thiefs and inept con men, all [...] eminently likeable, if not down right charming", and by novelist Paul Auster as "laconic, withdrawn, sorrowful mumblers".

Themes

Though his films are predominantly set in the United States, Jarmusch has advanced the notion that he looks at America "through a foreigner's eyes", with the intention of creating a form of world cinema that synthesizes European and Japanese film with that of Hollywood. His films have often included foreign actors and characters, and (at times substantial) non-English dialogue. In his two later-nineties films, he dwelt on different cultures' experiences of violence, and on textual appropriations between cultures: a wandering Native American's love of William Blake, a black hit-man's passionate devotion to the ''Hagakure''. The interaction and syntheses between different cultures, the arbitrariness of national identity, and irreverence towards ethnocentric, patriotic or nationalistic sentiment are recurring themes in Jarmusch's work.

Jarmusch's fascination for music is another characteristic that is readily apparent in his work. Musicians appear frequently in key roles – John Lurie, Tom Waits, Gary Farmer, Youki Kudoh, RZA and Iggy Pop have featured in multiple Jarmusch films, while Joe Strummer and Screamin' Jay Hawkins appear in ''Mystery Train'' and GZA, Jack and Meg White feature in ''Coffee and Cigarettes''. Hawkins' song "I Put a Spell on You" was central to the plot of ''Stranger than Paradise'', while ''Mystery Train'' is inspired by and named after a song popularized by Elvis Presley, who is also the subject of a vignette in ''Coffee and Cigarettes''. In the words of critic Vincent Canby, "Jarmusch's movies have the tempo and rhythm of blues and jazz, even in their use – or omission – of language. His films work on the senses much the way that some music does, unheard until it's too late to get it out of one's head."

On his narrative focus, Jarmusch remarked in a 1989 interview, "I'd rather make a movie about a guy walking his dog than about the emperor of China."

Impact and legacy

Jarmusch is ascribed as having instigated the American independent film movement with ''Stranger Than Paradise''. Critic Lynn Hirschberg declared ''Stranger than Paradise'' in a 2005 profile of the director for ''The New York Times'' to have "permanently upended the idea of independent film as an intrinsically inaccessible avant-garde form". The success of the film accorded the director a certain iconic status within arthouse cinema, as an idiosyncratic and uncompromising ''auteur'' exuding the aura of urban cool embodied by downtown Manhattan. Such perceptions were compounded with the release of his subsequent features in the late 1980s, establishing him as one of the generation's most prominent and influential independent filmmakers. In a 1989 review of his work, Vincent Canby of ''The New York Times'' called Jarmusch "the most adventurous and arresting film maker to surface in the American cinema in this decade".

Jarmusch was recognized with the Filmmaker on the Edge award at the 2004 Provincetown International Film Festival. A retrospective of the director's films was hosted at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during February 1994, and another, "The Sad and Beautiful World of Jim Jarmusch", by the American Film Institute in August 2005.

Personal life

Jarmusch rarely discusses his personal life in public. His longtime girlfriend, filmmaker Sara Driver, worked closely with him on his early films, but the stress this put on their relationship caused them to break up and resolve thereafter not to work together and have since lived together for many years. He divides his time between New York City and the Catskill Mountains of Upstate New York. Jarmusch stopped drinking coffee in 1986, the year of the first installment of ''Coffee and Cigarettes'', though he remained a smoker.

In the early 1980s, Jarmusch was part of a revolving lineup of musicians in Robin Crutchfield's Dark Day project, and later became the keyboardist and one of two vocalists for The Del-Byzanteens, a No Wave band whose sole LP ''Lies to Live By'' was a minor underground hit in the United States and Britain in 1982. Jarmusch is also featured on the album ''Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture'' (2005) in two interludes described by Sean Fennessy in a Pitchfork Media review of the album as both "bizarrely pretentious" and "reason alone to give it a listen". Jarmusch and Michel Gondry each contributed a remix to a limited edition release of the track "Blue Orchid" by The White Stripes in 2005.

The author of a series of essays on influential bands, Jarmusch has also had at least two poems published. He is a founding member of The Sons of Lee Marvin, a humorous "semi-secret society" of artists resembling the iconic actor, which issues communiqués and meets on occasion for the ostensible purpose of watching Marvin's films.

Selected filmography

''Permanent Vacation'' (1980)

''Stranger Than Paradise'' (1984)

''Down by Law'' (1986)

''Mystery Train'' (1989)

''Night on Earth'' (1991)

''Dead Man'' (1995)

''Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai'' (1999)

''Coffee and Cigarettes'' (2003)

''Broken Flowers'' (2005)

''The Limits of Control'' (2009)

See also

No Wave Cinema

Footnotes

References

Ródenas, Gabri (2009), ''Guía para ver y analizar'' Noche en la Tierra ''de Jim Jarmusch'', Barcelona / Valencia: Octaedro / Nau Llibres. ISBN 978-84-8063-931-6 / 978-84-7642-776-7

Ródenas, Gabri (2009), “Jarmusch y Carver: Se ha roto el frigorífico” in Fernández, P. (Ed.), ''Rompiendo moldes: Discursos, género e hibridación en el siglo XXI''. Zamora/Sevilla: Editorial Comunicación Social. ISBN 978-84-96082-88-5. Available at Google Books.

Ródenas, Gabri (2009), “Jarmusch Vs Reagan” in ''Revista Odisea''. Almería: University of Almería. December 2009. ISSN 1578-3820.

Ródenas, Gabri (2010), “Jim Jarmusch: Del insomnio americano al insomnio universal”, in ''Comunicación y sociedad'', Navarra: University of Navarra, June 2010. ISSN 0214-0039.

Ródenas, Gabri (2011), ''Jim Jarmusch: Lecturas sobre el insomnio americano (1980-1991)'', Spain/Germany: - Editorial Académica Española - LAP Lambert Academic Publishing GmbH & Co. KG. ISBN: 978-3-8443-3503-3.

Further reading

External links

Jim Jarmusch at the ''Senses of Cinema'' Great Directors critical database

The Jim Jarmusch Resource Page, curated by Jarmusch scholar Ludvig Hertzberg

* Limited Control, Hertzberg's companion blog

It's a sad and beautiful world

Category:1953 births Category:American film directors Category:American screenwriters Category:Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Category:Columbia University alumni

Category:Living people Category:New York University alumni Category:Medill School of Journalism alumni Category:People from Akron, Ohio Category:People from Manhattan Category:American experimental filmmakers

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name	Jonathan Ames
birth date	March 23, 1964
birth place	New York, New York, U.S.
occupation	Novelist
genre	Memoir, Literary fiction
period	1989–present
nationality	American
children	one
website	http://www.jonathanames.com/ }}

Jonathan Ames (born March 23, 1964) is an American author who has written a number of novels and comic memoirs. He was a columnist for the ''New York Press'' for several years, and became known for self-deprecating tales of his sexual misadventures. He also has a long-time interest in boxing, appearing occasionally in the ring as "The Herring Wonder". In 2009, he created the HBO television series ''Bored to Death''.

Print

Ames's novels include ''I Pass Like Night'' (1989), ''The Extra Man'' (1998), and 2004's ''Wake Up Sir!'', described by The New York Times as "laugh-out-loud funny". In September 2008 Ames released ''The Alcoholic'', his first foray into graphic novels and an excerpt was included in ''The Best American Comics 2010''. In 2009, he published a new collection of essays and fiction with Scribner, entitled ''The Double Life Is Twice as Good.''

While at the ''New York Press'' his columns were often recollections of his childhood neuroses and his unusual experiences, written in the gritty tradition of Charles Bukowski. These columns were collected in four nonfiction books, ''What's Not to Love?: The Adventures of a Mildly Perverted Young Writer'' (2000), ''My Less Than Secret Life'' (2002), ''I Love You More than You Know'' (2006), and ''The Double Life Is Twice As Good: Essays and Fiction (2009)''. Ames was also responsible for the Most Phallic Building contest which followed an article he wrote for ''Slate'' magazine where he claimed that the Williamsburg Bank Building in Brooklyn, New York, was the most phallic building in the world.

Other media

Ames became known as a raconteur in New York City following his 1999 one-man stage show, "Oedipussy," and continues to perform frequently with the New York based storytelling organization The Moth. He has also been a guest on ''The Late Show with David Letterman'' several times and played the lead role in the 2001 IFC film ''The Girl Under the Waves'', an on-screen experiment in improvisational acting.

In 2004, Showtime commissioned Ames to develop a pilot based on his writings, titled ''What's Not to Love?'' Ames starred as himself, but it was not developed into a series, instead airing as a one time special in the winter of 2007-2008. Ames also appears in ''The Great Buck Howard'', directed by Sean McGinly and starring John Malkovich, which debuted at Sundance in 2008.

Ames created the HBO series ''Bored to Death'', which stars Jason Schwartzman as a struggling Brooklyn novelist named Jonathan Ames who moonlights as an unlicensed private detective. The show debuted on September 20, 2009. He also started to guest-star as Irwin during the second season, appearing fully nude in one scene.

The film adaptation of Ames's novel ''The Extra Man'', starring Kevin Kline, John C. Reilly, Katie Holmes, and Paul Dano, was released in 2010.

Ames has also appeared in HBO's ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' in the Season 8 episode "Car Periscope", playing a brief role as Larry David's business manager.

Education

Ames is a 1987 graduate of Princeton University and he holds a Master of Fine Arts in Fiction from Columbia University. He has been a visiting faculty member at Columbia University, The New School, and the Iowa Writers' Workshop.

Bibliography

Novels

''I Pass Like Night'' (1989)

''The Extra Man'' (1998)

''Wake Up Sir!'' (2004)

Essays

''What's Not to Love?: The Adventures of a Mildly Perverted Young Writer'' (2000)

''My Less Than Secret Life'' (2002)

''I Love You More Than You Know'' (2006)

''The Double Life Is Twice As Good: Essays and Fiction'' (2009)

Anthologies

''Sexual Metamorphosis: An Anthology of Transsexual Memoirs'' (2005)

Comics

''The Alcoholic'', with Dean Haspiel (2008)

Television

''Bored to Death'' (Creator/Writer/Producer, 2009–Present)

References

External links

JonathanAmes.com Official Site

Profile in the Village Voice (September 23, 2008)

"For a Grown-Up, a Few Growing Pains"

*The Interrogation of Jonathan Ames, by Mistress Yin

Category:1964 births Category:Living people Category:American comics writers Category:American essayists Category:American memoirists Category:American novelists Category:Columbia University alumni Category:Columbia University faculty Category:The New School faculty Category:New York Press people Category:Writers from New York Category:People from New Jersey Category:Princeton University alumni Category:Iowa Writers' Workshop faculty Category:Place of birth missing (living people)

name	GG Allin
background	solo_singer
birth name	Jesus Christ Allin
alias	GG
born	August 29, 1956Lancaster, New Hampshire, U.S.
died	June 28, 1993New York City, New York, U.S.
origin	Lancaster, New Hampshire
instrument	Vocals, drums, guitar
genre	Punk rock, hardcore punk, shock rock, country and western, spoken word
occupation	Musician, singer-songwriter
years active	1976–93
label	Mountain Records, Ax/tion Records, Blood Records, Onge Records, ROIR, Black and Blue Records, Homestead Records, Awareness Records, Alive/BOMP! Records
associated acts	The Murder Junkies, The Jabbers, The Scumfucs, Little Sister's Date, Malpractice, Antiseen, The Cedar Street Sluts, Dee Dee Ramone, MC2 (AKA The Motor City Badboys), J Mascis, Mark Kramer, Carolina Shitkickers, Bulge, The Toilet Rockers, Criminal Quartet, The Texas Nazis, David Peel, Bloody Mess & The Skabs, The Southern Baptist
website	Official website
notable instruments	}}

Kevin Michael "GG" Allin (born Jesus Christ Allin, August 29, 1956 – June 28, 1993) was an American punk rock singer-songwriter, who performed and recorded with many groups during his career. GG Allin is perhaps best remembered for his notorious live performances, which often featured transgressive acts, including coprophagia, self-mutilation, and attacking audience members. AllMusic has called him "the most spectacular degenerate in rock & roll history."

Although more notorious for his stage antics than for his music, he recorded prolifically, not only in the punk rock genre, but also in spoken word, country, and more traditional-style rock. His extremely politically incorrect lyrics, which often covered subjects such as misogyny, pedophilia and racism, polarized listeners and created varied opinions of him within the highly politicized punk community. When questioned about his music and concerts, Allin often replied that he was trying to make rock music "dangerous" again.

Allin's music was often poorly recorded/produced, given limited distribution, and was met with mostly negative reviews from critics. Despite these factors, Allin maintained a cult following throughout his career, and a fanbase that has greatly expanded since his death. Though Allin promised for several years before his death that he would commit suicide onstage during one of his concerts, he died June 28, 1993 of an accidental heroin overdose.

Early life

Allin was born Jesus Christ Allin at Weeks Memorial Hospital in Lancaster, New Hampshire, the younger of two sons to Merle Colby Allin, Sr. and Arleta Gunther. He was given this name because his father told his wife that Jesus Christ himself had visited him, and told him that his newborn son would be a great man in the vein of the Messiah.

His older brother, Merle Colby Allin, Jr., was unable to pronounce "Jesus" properly and kept calling him "Jeje", which became "GG". The family lived in a log cabin with no water or electricity in northern New Hampshire. Allin's father, who forbade all conversation in the home after dark, was an unstable and antisocial man, though GG himself denied that this caused any of his later personal troubles. At age 12, Allin contracted Lyme disease and is thought to have never fully recovered from the effects of having the disease at such a young age.

In 1961, Arleta filed for divorce from Merle Sr., as his mental instability was worsening. GG Allin and his brother were from that time raised by their mother and stepfather, and settled in East St. Johnsbury, Vermont in 1966. Arleta changed her younger son's legal name to Kevin Michael Allin on March 2, 1962 during his first year of schooling. Arleta had allowed his birth name to stand until this point, and finally changed it in order to give her son a chance of a mockery-free childhood.

Allin was a poor student at school, being placed in special education classes and having to repeat the third grade. According to his older brother, Allin experienced bullying by fellow students due to not fitting in. In his sophomore year of high school, he began attending school cross-dressed, which he said was inspired by the New York Dolls. When asked about his childhood, GG has been quoted as saying "Very chaotic. Full of chances and dangers. We sold drugs, stole, broke into houses, cars. Did whatever we wanted to for the most part - including all the bands we played in. People even hated us back then."

In 1976 GG was accepted to Ringling Brothers Clown College in Sarasota, Florida. He attended the school for one year but didn't graduate.

Recording career

Early music career

GG Allin's earliest musical influences were 1960s British Invasion bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Dave Clark 5, and The Monkees. In the early 70s, Alice Cooper became a large influence on Allin. Allin's earliest recorded musical endeavors were as a drummer. In his mid-teens, he and his older brother Merle formed their first band, Little Sister's Date, which lasted a little over a year. The group covered songs by Aerosmith, KISS, and other popular hard rock bands of the time period.

Allin graduated from Concord High School in Concord, Vermont in 1975, and shortly after formed the band Malpractice with several high school friends and Merle Allin. He was the drummer for Malpractice until the band separated in 1977. He became the drummer for the band Stripsearch, writing and performing the songs "Galileo" and "Jesus in New York".

From September 1977 to April 1984, Allin performed as frontman for The Jabbers, in which he played drums and performed vocals. Allin's 1980 debut album was ''Always Was, Is and Always Shall Be''. Allin was a punk rock frontman akin to Iggy Pop and Stiv Bators who played music that was catchy, a danceable mix of power pop and hardcore punk. The lyrical content was often brash yet humorous, and was not yet outrageously offensive. At one point, industry veteran and The Dead Boys producer Genya Ravan managed him. Tension within The Jabbers mounted as Allin grew uncontrollable, uncompromising and vicious. The Jabbers disbanded and parted ways. Allin's drug use started during this period.

Allin fronted many acts during the early to mid 1980s. This includes albums from The Cedar Street Sluts, The Scumfucs in 1982 and The Texas Nazis in 1985. Allin remained in the underground hardcore scene yet was not part of the east coast hardcore scene. His performances in Manchester, New Hampshire with the Cedar Street Sluts earned him the nickname of "the madman of Manchester."

Allin gained wider attention with the Reachout International Records (ROIR) cassette-only release of ''Hated in the Nation'' (1987) containing tracks from Allin's out-of-print catalogue with The Jabbers, The Scumfucs and Cedar Street Sluts. The tape also featured several in-studio and in-concert recordings with an all-star band assembled by producer Maximum RocknRoll and early Allin patron Mykel Board. This band featured J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. on lead guitar and Bongwater record producer/musician Mark Kramer on bass.

Mid era and more extreme live performances

By the mid to late 1980s, Allin was addicted to heroin and alcohol and generally abused any intoxicants provided to him. At this point, Allin also began eating laxatives before performances - as defecation was becoming a regular stage act. Allin described himself as "the last true rock and roller". By this, he meant that rock and roll music itself had started as an embodiment of danger, anti-authoritarianism and rebelliousness but had become largely taken over by corporations and business concerns. Allin's music and performances were thus meant to return rock and roll to what he saw as its roots, reclaiming it from the corporate system.

Allin idolized country music legend Hank Williams, Sr, and saw himself as a kindred spirit. Both were relative loners and outsiders, both were habitual users of intoxicants, both lived with few, if any, possessions and both traveled the country relentlessly. GG Allin's acoustic output, documented particularly on the EP ''The Troubled Troubador'', was heavily influenced by Williams. He recorded his own rewrites of Hank Williams, Jr.'s "Family Tradition" and David Allan Coe's "Longhaired Redneck", calling his own versions "Scumfuc Tradition" and "Outlaw Scumfuc" respectively. Later, Allin also released another country album ''Carnival of Excess''; this is probably his most professionally recorded and mixed album.

During this period, Allin collaborated with Bulge (also known as Psycho under a different name, on the album ''Freaks, Faggots, Drunks and Junkies''), The Aids Brigade (the 7" EP ''Expose Yourself To Kids'') and The Holymen (''You Give Love a Bad Name''). Allin also began performing many spoken word pieces. Video footage of these are available but rare. Unwilling to seek steady employment, Allin supported himself by selling his own records. Allin was also fascinated with serial killers. He wrote to and visited John Wayne Gacy in prison a number of times and Gacy painted a portrait of Allin, which became the album cover to the soundtrack of the film ''Hated: GG Allin And The Murder Junkies'' (see murderabilia).

By this point, Allin's performances, which often resulted in considerable damage to venues and sound equipment, were regularly stopped after only a few songs by police or venue owners. Allin was charged with assault and battery or indecent exposure a number of times. His constant touring was only stopped by jail time or by long hospital stays for broken bones, blood poisoning, and other physical trauma.

Another attraction to Allin performances was his continual threats of suicide. In 1989, Allin wrote to ''Maximum RocknRoll'' stating that he would commit suicide on stage on Halloween 1990. However, he was in jail when that day came. He continued his threat each following year but ended up imprisoned each following Halloween. When asked why he does not follow through with his threats, Allin stated, "With GG, you don't get what you expect—you get what you deserve." He also stated that suicide should only be done when one had reached his peak, meeting the afterlife at his strongest point and not at his weakest (see jump the shark).

1989 trial and imprisonment

In late 1989, Allin was arrested and charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder of a female acquaintance in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

In a psychological evaluation made as part of the trial, Allin was judged as having at least average intelligence, and was described as "courteous, cooperative and candid". The unnamed evaluator noted Allin did not appear psychotic, and seemed comfortable with his unorthodox lifestyle. However, the evaluator asserted Allin did have behaviors consistent with masochism and narcissism, and displayed symptoms of borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder.

Allin initially denied the charges, claiming that the woman was a willing participant in their sexual activities. Allin admitted to cutting her, burning her, and drinking her blood, but insisted she did the same thing to him. Allin also claimed that inconsistencies in the woman's statements to authorities supported his assertions. The judge in the case agreed there were substantial inconsistencies in the woman's account. Ultimately, however, Allin plea bargained to the reduced charge of felonious assault , and he was imprisoned from December 20, 1989 to March 26, 1991.

It was during this time in prison that Allin began feeling re-energized about his life and "mission", as he put it. He wrote and published ''The GG Allin Manifesto'' (1990) during this period.

''Hated'' documentary and final days

After his release from prison, Allin skipped parole to go on another tour, footage of which was shot for Todd Phillips' documentary ''Hated: GG Allin and the Murder Junkies''. The film contained graphic scenes from a performance Allin gave at an East Village, New York rock club, Space at Chase. Allin stripped naked, defecated on the floor, wiped his feces on himself and threw feces into the audience. Allin broke a woman's nose and assaulted several other people in the crowd. Clips were included from other Allin appearances, as well as interviews with Allin, his band, and their fans. The film came out in 1994 and was released on DVD in 1997.

During the 1990s GG Allin recorded his ''Murder Junkies'' album released by New Rose Records and featuring the band ANTiSEEN. This album contained ten musical tracks and ten spoken-word pieces. Other than ''Freaks, Faggots, Drunks and Junkies'', Allin considered this album to be his most polished professionally recorded album that explored his persona and stated his philosophy on life. It was also during this period that Allin recorded the ''War In My Head - I'm Your Enemy'' album released on Awareness Records and featuring the band Shrinkwrap. This particular album consists of one 45-minute track that is a collage of spoken-word pieces which Shrinkwrap put to music.

Meanwhile, Allin's growing notoriety led to appearances on various television shows: ''Geraldo'', ''The Jerry Springer Show'' and ''The Jane Whitney Show''. At the time of his death, Allin was making plans for a spoken-word album. He also mentioned a somewhat unlikely European tour, enthusiastically talking about it in the hours before his death.

Death

GG Allin's last show was on June 27, 1993 at a small club called The Gas Station, a punk venue located inside of a former gas station at 194 E 2nd Street in Manhattan. During the second song, the power went out, after which he trashed the venue, walked across the street entirely naked, and then continued on (now wearing shorts, but still covered in blood and feces) through the neighborhood, followed by a large group of fans.

After walking the streets for several hours, Allin eventually went to the apartment of John Handley Hurt and Dwanna Yount at 29 Avenue B in Manhattan. There, he and others continued to party and use drugs. Sometime during the evening, Allin ingested large amounts of heroin, on which he accidentally overdosed and slipped into an unconscious state. Those in the apartment posed for photos with Allin around 2 A.M., not realizing that the musician was already in the early stages of respiratory failure. One fan at the scene later told police that he was snoring at the time the pictures were taken, leading the others in the apartment to believe he had fallen asleep.

Sometime in the early morning of June 28, Allin died from the effects of his accidental heroin overdose. He was 36 years old. The next morning, some noticed that Allin still lay motionless in the same place where they had left him and called for an ambulance. Allin was pronounced dead at the scene.

Funeral

At his funeral, Allin's bloated, discolored corpse was dressed in his black leather jacket and trademark jock strap. He had a bottle of Jim Beam beside him in his casket, per his wishes (openly stated in his self-penned acoustic country ballad, "When I Die"). As part of his brother's request, the mortician was instructed not to wash the corpse (which smelled strongly of feces), or apply any makeup.

Allin's funeral became a wild party. Friends posed with the corpse, placing drugs and whiskey into its mouth. As the funeral ended, his brother put a pair of headphones on Allin. The headphones were plugged into a portable cassette player, in which was loaded a copy of ''The Suicide Sessions''. The video of his funeral is widely available for purchase, and is an extra feature on the ''Hated'' DVD and some bootleg VHS tapes. Allin was buried in mother Arleta's plot beside his grandparents.

Legacy

Video footage of the soundcheck, concert, and aftermath from Allin's final concert on the day of his death was appended to the 1997 DVD release of ''Hated''.

GG Allin's grave is frequently vandalized with urine, cigarette butts, feces and alcohol by fans, an act that is greatly discouraged by GG's mother Arleta. His tombstone has since been removed because of this.

In music

Allin's songs have been covered by a number of notable acts, including Faith No More, CKY, the 69 Eyes, Maryslim, Beck, Bus Station Loonies, The Lemonheads, No Age, The Spits, Dum Dum Girls, Times New Viking, and Ty Segall.

Personal life

Family and relationships

GG Allin married Sandra Farrow on October 6, 1980. They divorced in 1985.

In the mid-1980s, Allin became involved with a teenage girl from Garland, Texas named Tracy Deneault. She became pregnant, and their daughter, Nico Ann Deneault, was born March 13, 1986. Nico chose to distance herself from her family. Allin and Tracey Deneault never married.

Beliefs

Allin was an extreme individualist, anarchist, and anti-authoritarian, promoting lawlessness and violence against police officers in many of his lyrics, and his essay, ''The GG Allin Manifesto'', was intended to summarize his personal philosophy. He stated on ''Geraldo'' that he believed that his body was a temple of rock and roll, and his flesh, blood and bodily fluids are a communion to the people. Another reason he gave for his onstage antics was that he wanted to draw a parable between his actions and "a society that's going crazy with violence." He has also said that if he didn't do his performances he would probably be a serial killer or a mass murderer.

Media

Court document - GG Allin's clinical transcript in Michigan case

Discography

GG Allin discography

References

External links

You're Wrong, An Irregular Column by Mykel Board

GG Allin Online

Allin's Obituary

Heritage of GG Allin

Maximumrocknroll Interview - GG Allin interview from 1987

2004 Rolling Stone.com article

GG Allin article and interview by Joe Coughlin

Category:1956 births Category:1993 deaths Category:People from Lancaster, New Hampshire * Category:American people convicted of assault Category:American country singers Category:American male singers Category:American punk rock singers Category:American punk rock drummers Category:Deaths by heroin overdose in New York Category:Homeless people Category:Homestead Records artists Category:People self-identifying as substance abusers Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:The Murder Junkies members Category:Reachout International Records recording artists Category:Self-declared messiahs Category:People from Littleton, New Hampshire

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