name	Bad Company
director	Joel Schumacher
producer	Jerry BruckheimerMichael BrowningMike Stenson
screenplay	Jason RichmanMichael Browning
story	Gary M. GoodmanDavid Himmelstein
starring	Anthony HopkinsChris RockKerry Washington
music	Trevor Rabin
cinematography	Dariusz Wolski
editing	Mark GoldblattRobert Lambert
studio	Jerry Bruckheimer FilmsStillking Productions
distributor	Touchstone Pictures
released
runtime	116 minutes
country	United States
language	English
budget	$70 million
gross	$65,977,295 }}

''Bad Company'' is a 2002 action-comedy film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and starring Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock.

Plot

When a mission to retrieve a stolen suitcase bomb goes bad, CIA agent Kevin Pope (Rock) is killed. Pope was working undercover as an antiquities dealer under the name Michael Turner. The CIA, who is desperate to complete the mission discovers that Agent Pope had a twin brother, Jake Hayes (also Rock), from whom he was separated at birth; their mother died giving birth and Hayes suffered from an ear infection that prompted the doctors to separate them because they felt that Hayes was unlikely to live for very long. Hayes hustles chess games, scalps tickets and works at small clubs in Jersey City to make ends meet. Meanwhile Hayes's girlfriend, Julie (Washington) grows tired of waiting for him to grow up and decides to move to Seattle, Washington.

After the CIA successfully persuades Hayes into participating and begins to train Hayes for a mission that is to take place in Prague (Czech Republic), they are initially dismayed by his lack of refinement. Agent Oakes (Hopkins) confronts Hayes telling him he doesn't trust him. When Hayes begins paying attention, the CIA sets him up in his brother's old apartment in Manhattan to test him and try to bait the men who killed his brother. Hayes is attacked, but escapes unharmed. Looking for a way out, Hayes goes to his foster mother only to be found by Oakes who persuades him to finish the mission.

After arriving in Prague, Hayes meets with the men selling the suitcase bomb posing as his dead brother. The seller, Adrik Vas, is an ex-Russian Army Colonel with ties to the Russian Mafia. When they return to their hotel, Hayes is greeted by his brother's ex-girlfriend Nicole. Believing that Hayes is his brother the two have dinner and return to the hotel only to be ambushed by rival buyers. Nicole figures out Hayes isn't his brother and returns to her assignment covering the Balkans for CNN.

Moving forward with the plans, Hayes and Oakes meet up with Adjanic and are able to steal the arming codes. Just as they close the deal, Vas' men double cross him with the rival buyer. When the rival dealers, who are part of a Greek terrorist organization, learn they can't detonate the bomb because of the missing codes, they kidnap Julie. Hayes gives himself up trying to save his girlfriend and the terrorists get the codes back and arm the bomb.

Now the race begins to find Hayes and the bomb. After interrogating one of the captured terrorists, they track the bomb to Grand Central Station. With the clock ticking, they locate the bomb and Andre who has started the countdown. Oakes rescues Hayes by killing two terrorists. As Hayes starts to enter the codes to disarm the bomb, Andre holds Julie hostage. In order to distract Andre, Hayes pretends to shoot Oakes and they kill Andre by shooting him repeatedly. Hayes is able to disarm the bomb just prior to detonation.

At the ending of the film, Hayes visits the memorial for deceased secret agents to visit his brother's grave. Later on, Oakes comes up to Hayes at Hayes's wedding and warns him that a dangerous criminal has escaped from prison and is seeking revenge upon Kevin Pope, but since Kevin is dead and Hayes was impersonating him, the criminal thinks Hayes is Kevin. Hayes begins to panic and demand that Oakes has to protect him, but Oakes starts laughing as he reveals that it was just a joke and he really just came for the wedding.

Cast

Anthony Hopkins as Officer Oakes

Chris Rock as Jake Hayes/Kevin Pope/Michael Turner

Peter Stormare as Adrik Vas

Gabriel Macht as Officer Seale

Kerry Washington as Julie

Adoni Maropis as Jarma/Dragan Henchman #1

Garcelle Beauvais as Nicole

Matthew Marsh as Dragan Adjanic

Dragan Mićanović as Michelle 'The Hammer' Petrov

John Slattery as Roland Yates

Brooke Smith as Officer Swanson

Daniel Sunjata as Officer Carew

DeVone Lawson Jr. as Officer Parish

Wills Robbins as Officer McCain

Marek Vašut as Andre

Reception

In the theaters, ''Bad Company'' did poorly at the box office earning only $30,160,161 in the United States and $35,817,134 outside the US for a worldwide total of $65,977,295. The film was originally slated to be released in December 2001 but because of the attacks of September 11, 2001, the film's release was postponed given the fact the film was about a terrorist attack on New York City.

The film was also generally poorly received by film critics. On film review compilation site Rotten Tomatoes, the film is given a 10% "rotten" rating, based on 133 reviews; the site's critical consensus stated [that both] "Chris Rock and Anthony Hopkins fail to generate the sparks necessary to save the movie from a generic and utterly predictable script." ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' reviewer William Arnold calls the film "wildly overproduced, inadequately motivated every step of the way and demographically targeted to please every one (and no one)." Roger Ebert remarks in the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' that the film "jams too many prefabricated story elements into the running time." On their review show, Ebert and Richard Roeper gave it two thumbs down, arguing that it "might have been considered original, had it been made [set] before ''48 Hrs.'' and ''Lethal Weapon'' and ''Rush Hour'' and every other action movie about a racially mixed pair of partners who initially despise each other, but learn to, well, you know the whole drill."

However, David Hunter of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' noted the film as having "all the familiar Bruckheimer elements, and Schumacher does probably as good a job as anyone at bringing off the Hopkins/Rock collision of acting styles and onscreen personas."

Soundtrack

A soundtrack containing hip hop, alternative and R&B; music was released on June 4, 2002 by Hollywood Records. It peaked at number 98 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number 11 on the Top R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums.

References

External links

Category:Central Intelligence Agency in fiction Category:2002 films Category:American spy films Category:English-language films Category:Action comedy films Category:Spy comedy films Category:Films directed by Joel Schumacher Category:Touchstone Pictures films Category:Jerry Bruckheimer films Category:American action comedy films Category:Films shot in the Czech Republic Category:Films shot in New Jersey Category:Films set in New Jersey Category:Films shot in New York City

de:Bad Company – Die Welt ist in guten Händen fa:گروه ناجور fr:Bad Company (film, 2002) it:Bad Company - Protocollo Praga nl:Bad Company (2002) ja:9デイズ pt:Bad Company (filme) ru:Плохая компания (фильм, 2002) fi:Bad Company (elokuva) sv:Bad Company (film)

name	Anthony Hopkins
honorific suffix	CBE
birth date	December 31, 1937
birth place	Port Talbot, Glamorgan, Wales
birth name	Philip Anthony Hopkins
occupation	Actor, Musician
years active	Since 1960
spouse	}}

Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, CBE (born 31 December 1937), best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television, and a composer. Considered to be one of the greatest living actors, Hopkins is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in ''The Silence of the Lambs''. Other prominent film credits include ''The Lion in Winter'', ''Magic'', ''The Elephant Man'', ''84 Charing Cross Road'', ''Dracula'', ''Legends of the Fall'', ''The Remains of the Day'', ''Amistad'', ''Nixon'', ''The World's Fastest Indian'', and ''Fracture''. Hopkins was born and brought up in Wales. Retaining his British citizenship, he became a U.S. citizen on 12 April 2000. Hopkins' films have spanned a wide variety of genres, from family films to horror. As well as his Academy Award, Hopkins has also won three BAFTA Awards, two Emmys and the Cecil B. DeMille Golden Globe Award. Hopkins was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1993 for services to the arts. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003, and was made a Fellow of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2008.

Early life

Hopkins was born in Margam, Port Talbot, Wales, the son of Muriel Anne (née Yeats) and Richard Arthur Hopkins, a baker. His schooldays were unproductive; he found that he would rather immerse himself in art, such as painting and drawing, or playing the piano, than attend to his studies. In 1949, to instill discipline, his parents insisted he attend Jones' West Monmouth Boys' School in Pontypool, Wales. He remained there for five terms and was then educated at Cowbridge Grammar School in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales.

Hopkins was influenced and encouraged to become an actor by Welsh compatriot Richard Burton (who was also born at Neath Port Talbot), whom he met briefly at the age of 15. To that end, he enrolled at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff, Wales, from which he graduated in 1957. After two years in the British Army doing his national service, he moved to London where he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Career

Roles

Hopkins made his first professional stage appearance in the Palace Theatre, Swansea in 1960 with Swansea Little Theatre's production of ''Have A Cigarette''.

In 1965, after several years in repertory, he was spotted by Sir Laurence Olivier, who invited him to join the Royal National Theatre. Hopkins became Olivier's understudy, and filled in when Olivier was struck with appendicitis during a production of August Strindberg's ''The Dance of Death''. Olivier later noted in his memoir, ''Confessions of an Actor'', that, "A new young actor in the company of exceptional promise named Anthony Hopkins was understudying me and walked away with the part of Edgar like a cat with a mouse between its teeth." Despite his success at the National, Hopkins tired of repeating the same roles nightly and yearned to be in films. He made his small-screen debut in a 1967 BBC broadcast of ''A Flea in Her Ear''. In 1968, he got his break in ''The Lion in Winter'' playing Richard I, along with Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, and future James Bond star Timothy Dalton, who played Philip II of France.

Although Hopkins continued in theatre (most notably at the National Theatre as Lambert Le Roux in ''Pravda'' by David Hare and Howard Brenton and as Antony in ''Antony and Cleopatra'' opposite Judi Dench as well as in the Broadway production of Peter Shaffer's ''Equus'', directed by John Dexter) he gradually moved away from it to become more established as a television and film actor. His Pierre Bezukhov for the BBC War and Peace (1972) was particularly memorable. He has since gone on to enjoy a long career, winning many plaudits and awards for his performances. In 1980 he starred opposite Shirley MacLaine in ''A Change of Seasons'' and famously said “she was the most obnoxious actress I have ever worked with." Hopkins was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1987, and a Knight Bachelor in 1993. In 1988, Hopkins was made an Honorary D.Litt and in 1992 was awarded Honorary fellowship from the University of Wales, Lampeter. Hopkins was Britain's highest paid performer in 1998, starring in ''The Mask of Zorro'' and ''Meet Joe Black'', and also agreed to reprise his role as Dr Hannibal Lecter for a fee of £15million. Hopkins received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003.

Hopkins has stated that his role as Burt Munro, whom he portrayed in his 2005 film ''The World's Fastest Indian'', was his favourite. He also asserted that Munro was the easiest role that he had played because both men have a similar outlook on life. In 2006, Hopkins was the recipient of the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement. In 2008, he received the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award.

Hopkins portrayed Odin, the Allfather or "king" of Asgard, in the film adaptation of Marvel Comics' ''Thor''. On 24 February 2010, it was announced that Hopkins had been cast in the supernatural thriller ''The Rite'', which was released on 28 January 2011. He played a priest who is "an expert in exorcisms and whose methods are not necessarily traditional". An agnostic, he wrote a line--"Some days I don't know if I believe in God or Santa Claus or Tinkerbell"--into his character in order to identify with it. On 21 September 2011, Peter R. de Vries named Hopkins in the role of the Heineken owner Freddy Heineken in a future movie about his kidnap.

Acting style

Hopkins is renowned for his preparation for roles. He has indicated in interviews that once he has committed to a project, he will go over his lines as many times as is needed (sometimes upwards of 200) until the lines sound natural to him, so that he can "do it without thinking". This leads to an almost casual style of delivery that belies the amount of groundwork done beforehand. While it can allow for some careful improvisation, it has also brought him into conflict with the occasional director who departs from the script, or demands what the actor views as an excessive number of takes. Hopkins has stated that after he is finished with a scene, he simply discards the lines, not remembering them later on. This is unlike others who usually remember their lines from a film even years later. Richard Attenborough, who has directed Hopkins on five occasions, found himself going to great lengths during the filming of ''Shadowlands'' (1993) to accommodate the differing approaches of his two stars (Hopkins and Debra Winger), who shared many scenes. Whereas Hopkins, preferring the spontaneity of a fresh take, liked to keep rehearsals to a minimum, Winger rehearsed continuously. To allow for this, Attenborough stood in for Hopkins during Winger's rehearsals, only bringing him in for the last one before a take. The director praised Hopkins for "this extraordinary ability to make you believe when you hear him that it is the very first time he has ever said that line. It's an incredible gift."

Renowned for his ability to remember lines, Hopkins keeps his memory supple by learning things by heart such as poetry, and Shakespeare. In Steven Spielberg's ''Amistad'', Hopkins astounded the crew with his memorisation of a seven-page courtroom speech, delivering it in one go. An overawed Spielberg couldn't bring himself to call him Tony, and insisted on addressing him as Sir Anthony throughout the shoot.

In addition, Hopkins is a gifted mimic, adept at turning his native Welsh accent into whatever is required by a character. He duplicated the voice of his late mentor, Laurence Olivier, for additional scenes in ''Spartacus'' in its 1991 restoration. (Around that same time, he voiced the Olivier role on Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of Spartacus.) His interview on the 1998 relaunch edition of the British TV talk show ''Parkinson'' featured an impersonation of comedian Tommy Cooper. Hopkins has said acting "like a submarine" has helped him to deliver credible performances in his thriller movies. He said, "It's very difficult for an actor to avoid, you want to show a bit. But I think the less one shows the better."

Hannibal Lecter

Perhaps Hopkins' most famous role is as the cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter in ''The Silence of the Lambs'', for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1991, opposite Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, who also won for Best Actress. The film won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. It is one of the shortest lead performances to win an Oscar, as Hopkins only appears on screen for little over 16 minutes, less than 10% of the film's running-time. Hopkins reprised his role as Lecter twice in ''Hannibal'' (2001) and ''Red Dragon'' (2002). His original portrayal of the character in ''The Silence of the Lambs'' has been labelled by the American Film Institute as the number-one film villain. At the time he was offered the role, Hopkins was making a return to the London stage, performing in ''M. Butterfly''. He had come back to Britain after living for a number of years in Hollywood, having all but given up on a career there, saying, "Well that part of my life's over; it's a chapter closed. I suppose I'll just have to settle for being a respectable actor poncing around the West End and doing respectable BBC work for the rest of my life."

Hopkins played the iconic villain in adaptations of the first three of the Lecter novels by Thomas Harris. The author was reportedly very pleased with Hopkins' portrayal of his antagonist. However, Hopkins stated that ''Red Dragon'' would feature his final performance as the character, and that he would not reprise even a narrative role in the latest addition to the series, ''Hannibal Rising''

Personal life

As of 2007, Hopkins resides in Los Angeles. He had moved to the United States once before during the 1970s to pursue his film career, but returned to London in the late 1980s. However, he decided to return to the US following his 1990s success. Retaining his British citizenship, he became a naturalised US citizen on 12 April 2000, and celebrated with a 3,000-mile road trip across the country.

Hopkins has been married three times. His first two wives were Petronella Barker (1967–1972) and Jennifer Lynton (1973–2002). He is now married to Colombian-born Stella Arroyave. He has a daughter from his first marriage, Abigail Hopkins (b. 20 August 1968), who is an actress and singer.

Hopkins has offered his support to various charities and appeals, notably becoming President of the National Trust's Snowdonia Appeal, raising funds for the preservation of the Snowdonia National Park in North Wales, which in 1998 he donated £1million towards, and to aid the Trust's efforts to purchase parts of Snowdon. Prior to the campaign, Hopkins authored, ''Anthony Hopkins' Snowdonia'', which was published in 1995. Hopkins has been a patron of the YMCA centre in his hometown of Port Talbot, South Wales for more than 20 years, having first joined the YMCA in the 1950s. Hopkins also takes time to support other various philanthropic groups. He was a Guest of Honour at a Gala Fundraiser for Women in Recovery, Inc., a Venice, California-based non-profit organisation offering rehabilitation assistance to women in recovery from substance abuse. Although he resides in Malibu, California he is also a volunteer teacher at the Ruskin School of Acting in Santa Monica, California.

Hopkins has attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, since suddenly stopping drinking in 1975. As stated to TMZ in October 2010, Hopkins is a vegetarian. In 2008, he embarked on a weight loss program, and by 2010, he had lost 80 pounds.

Hopkins is a prominent member of environmental protection group Greenpeace and as of early 2008 featured in a television advertisement campaign, voicing concerns about Japan's continuing annual whale hunt. Hopkins has been a patron of RAPt (Rehabilitation for Addicted Prisoners Trust) since its early days and helped open their first intensive drug and alcohol rehabilitation unit at Downview (HM Prison) in 1992.

He is an admirer of the comedian Tommy Cooper. On 23 February 2008, as patron of the Tommy Cooper Society, the actor unveiled a commemorative statue in the entertainer's home town of Caerphilly, South Wales. For the ceremony, Hopkins donned Cooper's trademark fez and performed a comic routine.

Other work

In 1986, he released a single called "Distant Star", which peaked at No. 75 in the UK Singles Chart. In 2007, he announced he would retire temporarily from the screen to tour around the world. Hopkins has also written music for the concert hall, in collaboration with Stephen Barton as orchestrator. These compositions include ''The Masque of Time'', given its world premiere with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in October 2008, and ''Schizoid Salsa''.

In 1990, Hopkins directed "Dylan Thomas: Return Journey" which was his directing debut for the screen. In 1996, he directed ''August'', an adaptation of Chekhov's ''Uncle Vanya'' set in Wales. His first screenplay, an experimental drama called ''Slipstream'', which he also directed and scored, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007.

Hopkins is a fan of the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', and once remarked in an interview how he would love to appear in the series. Writer John Sullivan saw the interview, and with Hopkins in mind created the character Danny Driscoll, a local villain. However, filming of the new series coincided with the filming of ''The Silence of the Lambs'', making Hopkins unavailable. The role instead went to Roy Marsden.

In January 2012, Hopkins released an album of classical music, entitled ''Composer'', performed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra released by Decca.

Awards

Besides his win for ''The Silence of the Lambs'', Hopkins has been Oscar-nominated for ''The Remains of the Day'' (1993), ''Nixon'' (1995) and ''Amistad'' (1997).

Hopkins won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in 1973 for his performance as Pierre Bezukhov in the BBC's production of ''War and Peace'', and additionally for ''The Silence of the Lambs'' and ''Shadowlands''. He received nominations in the same category for ''Magic'' and ''The Remains of the Day'' and as Best Supporting Actor for ''The Lion in Winter''.

He won Emmy Awards for his roles in ''The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case'' and ''The Bunker'', and was Emmy-nominated for ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' and ''Great Expectations''. He won the directing and the acting award, both for ''Slipstream'', at Switzerland's Locarno International Film Festival.

Hopkins became a Fellow of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) at the Orange British Academy Film Awards in February 2008.

Filmography

References

External links

Anthony Hopkins at BBC Wales

Anthony Hopkins, Giant of the Valley — by Michael Feeney Callan, 2007 Voyager Magazine

Anthony Hopkins interviewed on HTV-Wales program Elinor in the 1980s

An Evening with Anthony Hopkins HTV-Wales

Early voice-over on HTV-Wales programme

Anthony Hopkins, BAFTA Fellow in 2008

Fellow Man – Anthony Hopkins, BAFTA profile by film writer Quentin Falk

Anthony Hopkins at Emmys.com

Category:1937 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Category:Alumni of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama Category:American people of Welsh descent Category:American television actors Category:American vegetarians Category:Welsh film actors Category:Welsh stage actors Category:Welsh television actors Category:Royal National Theatre Company members Category:Welsh emigrants to the United States Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:BAFTA winners (people) Category:Best Actor BAFTA Award winners Category:Best Actor Academy Award winners Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Category:Drama Desk Award winners Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Cecil B. DeMille Award Golden Globe winners Category:Knights Bachelor Category:Welsh vegetarians Category:Actors awarded British knighthoods Category:People self-identifying as alcoholics Category:People from Port Talbot Category:Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music Category:People educated at Cowbridge Grammar School Category:People educated at West Monmouth School Category:Saturn Award winners

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name	Neal Schon
background	solo_singer
birth date	February 27, 1954
Birth place	Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, USA
instrument	Guitar, vocals
occupation	Musician, songwriter
genre	Hard rock, instrumental rock, pop rock, progressive rock, glam metal, jazz fusion, smooth jazz
associated acts	Santana, Betty Davis, Journey, Schon & Hammer, HSAS, Hear 'n Aid, Michael Bolton, Jimmy Barnes, Bad English, Hardline, Paul Rodgers, Abraxas Pool, Planet Us, Soul SirkUS
label	Columbia, Higher Octave
years active	1969–present
website	Official website
notable instruments	Neal Schon Signature Les Paul }}

Neal George Joseph Schon (born February 27, 1954) is an American rock guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist best known for his work with the band Journey. He is the only member to have recorded on all of Journey's albums. He was also a member of the rock band Santana before forming Journey.

Early life and career

Schon was born >at Tinker AFB, Okla. Schon Interview – 1996 the son of Barbara and Matthew Schon. His father was an accomplished musician, arranger, composer and played and taught all reed instruments with emphasis on jazz tenor saxaphone; his mother was a big band singer. Schon first picked up the guitar at the age of 5. A quick learner, he joined Santana as a teenage prodigy at the age of 15. He went to Aragon High School in San Mateo, but dropped out (with his parents' blessing) before graduating. Schon had famously been asked by Eric Clapton to join Derek and the Dominos, but since Santana called him first, he decided to join Santana for the album ''Santana III''. Schon also played in Azteca before moving on in 1973 to form Journey, a group he continues to lead today.

Schon's guitar style has been described as soulful, taking inspiration from 1960s-era soul singers such as Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight, and blending it with blues runs similar to B. B. King. He was influenced by guitarists such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Wes Montgomery.

In addition to his five solo albums and 14 studio albums with Journey, his work also includes: a pair of albums with keyboardist Jan Hammer, short-term collaborations with Sammy Hagar (HSAS and Planet Us) and Paul Rodgers, stints with Bad English (a supergroup that featured Journey’s Jonathan Cain and Deen Castronovo and Jonathan Cain's former Babys bandmates John Waite and Ricky Phillips) and Hardline (which also featured Deen Castronovo). Even as Journey’s latest lineup plays to a still-faithful body of fans, Schon has immersed himself in side projects such as ''Piranha Blues'' (1999) and "Black Soup Cracker" a funk outfit that features former Prince associates Rosie Gaines and Michael Bland, and more recently Soul SirkUS with Jeff Scott Soto.

Schon can be heard on other albums including three tracks on Michael Bolton's ''The Hunger'', with the Schon sound most recognizable on "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay". He also joined Larry Graham to play in an all-star band for cult funk artist and ex-wife of Miles Davis, Betty Davis. In addition, Schon (along with then Journey manager Herbie Herbert) also contributed to Lenny White's 1977 album "Big City", specifically the instrumental jam "And we meet again".

Guitars

Schon's first guitar was an acoustic Stella, followed two years later by a Gibson ES-335 which was subsequently stolen and replaced with a '56 Les Paul Goldtop reissue that he used for many years. Schon currently endorses Gibson guitars, and has a limited edition signature Les Paul model entitled the "Neal Schon Signature Model Custom Les Paul", of which only 35 were made according to the Gibson Custom website, (80 according to Neal Schon's website.) He has previously employed Godin guitars on his 1995 solo album ''Beyond the Thunder'', and more recently uses Paul Reed Smith guitars. In the late 1980s, Schon manufactured (through Jackson Guitars and later Larrivee) and played his own line of guitars. Simply named Schon, about 200 of the Jackson-produced models were made. A white Schon guitar can be clearly seen in the music video for the Journey song "Girl Can't Help It", as well as a gold version in the Journey videos for "I'll Be Alright Without You" and "Be Good to Yourself". A Gibson Les Paul Super Custom can be seen in the video for the Journey song "Anyway You Want It." Recently he has been seen using a Seven String Ibanez Universe, which was a gift from Steve Vai as documented in the liner notes of the Hardline - Double Eclipse album. On the song "Lights", he uses a Fender Stratocaster equipped with a Floyd Rose tremolo.

As of 2008, Schon currently prefers guitar pedals from Xotic, a Vox Satriani model and occasionally uses a Buddy Guy wah pedal.

Personal life

Schon married three times and has five children; first born, Miles 23, Elizabeth 20, Sarah, 15, Aja 10 and Sophia 6 . In a 2007 interview, Neal confirmed that he has had tinnitus for years stemming from excessive loud playing. Schon's father, Matthew Schon, was a jazz musician and composer who provided the arrangements on the Journey song "Mother, Father."

In September 2011, Schon publicly confirmed he was in a relationship with Michaele Salahi . The two said they had also dated years previously. The confirmation followed Michaele's brief disappearance, during which her husband, Tareq, reported to the authorities and press that he feared Michaele had been kidnapped. Michaele was found by Oregon law enforcement and she announced her voluntary presence in Schon's company. Tareq responded by filing for divorce from Michaele September 16.

In November 2011, Ava Fabian, former Playboy bunnie, filed a lawsuit against Schon, claiming he owed her more than $25,000 for their "express oral nonmarital relationship agreement," stating not that they were married, but "in a marriage-like relationship" from February 2010 to September 2011. The lawsuit claimed that Schon agreed to support Fabian during the relationship and, if it ended, provide additional support for "a period of time."

Discography

Solo

''Late Nite'' (1989)

''Beyond the Thunder'' (1995)

''Electric World'' (1997)

''Piranha Blues'' (1998)

''Voice'' (2001)

''I on U'' (2005)

''The Calling'' (2012)

with Santana

''Santana III'' (1971)

''Caravanserai'' (1972)

with Journey

with Jan Hammer

''Untold Passion'' (1981)

''Here to Stay'' (1982)

with HSAS

''Through the Fire'' (1984)

with Bad English

''Bad English'' (1989)

''Blacklash'' (1991)

with Hardline

''Double Eclipse'' (1992)

with Paul Rodgers

''Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters'' (1993)

''The Hendrix Set'' (1993)

''Now'' (1997)

''Paul Rodgers & Friends Live at Montreux 1994'' (2011)

with Abraxas Pool

''Abraxas Pool'' (1997)

with Soul SirkUS

''World Play'' (2005)

Guest appearances

Betty Davis – ''Betty Davis'' (1973)

Sammy Hagar - ''Danger Zone'' (1980)

Silver Condor - ''Trouble at Home'' (1983)

Hear 'n Aid - ''Stars'' (1985)

Triumph - ''The Sport of Kings'' (1986)

Gregg Rolie - ''Gringo'' (1987)

Michael Bolton - ''The Hunger'' (1987)

Jimmy Barnes - ''Freight Train Heart'' (1987)

Various artists - ''Merry Axemas, Vol. 2: More Guitars for Christmas'' (1998)

Trichromes - ''Trichromes'' (2002)

Sammy Hagar - ''Cosmic Universal Fashion'' (2008)

Lee Ritenour - ''Lee Ritenour's 6 String Theory'' (2010)

References

External links

Neal Schon Official Site

Neal Schon Official MySpace Site

List of Authorized links from Neal's Official webpage

Neal Schon Biography

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Name	DJ Shadow
Background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth name	Joshua Paul Davis
Alias	Josh Davis
Birth date	June 29, 1972
Birth place	San Jose, California, U.S.
Origin	Davis, California, U.S.
Instrument	Keyboards, turntables, sampler, synthesizer
Genre	Hip hop, Hyphy, Plunderphonics, instrumental hip hop, trip hop, turntablism, electronic
Occupation	Producer, DJ
Years active	1989–present
Label	Mo'WaxQuannum ProjectsSolesidesMCAUniversalVerve
Associated acts	UNKLEThe Quannum CollectiveCut Chemist
Website	djshadow.com }}

Joshua Paul "Josh" Davis (born June 29, 1972) better known as DJ Shadow is an American music producer, DJ and songwriter. He is considered a prominent figure in the development of instrumental hip hop and first gained notice with the release of his highly acclaimed debut album ''Endtroducing.....'', which was the first album to be recorded using only sampled sounds. He has an exceptionally large personal record collection, with over 60,000 records. He is the cousin of singer and guitarist Richie Kotzen.

History

Early years

DJ Shadow was experimenting with a four-track recorder while in high school in Davis, California, and began his music career as a disc jockey for the University of California, Davis campus radio station KDVS. During this period he was significant in developing the experimental hip hop style associated with the London-based Mo' Wax record label. His early singles, including "In/Flux" and "Lost and Found (S.F.L.)", were genre-bending works of art merging elements of funk, rock, hip hop, ambient, jazz, soul, and used-bin found records. Andy Pemberton, a music journalist writing for ''Mixmag'', coined the term "trip hop" in June 1994 to describe Shadow's "In/Flux" single and similar tracks being spun in London clubs at the time. Though his music is hard to categorize, his early contributions were certainly important for alternative hip hop. He cited groups such as Kurtis Mantronik, Steinski, and Prince Paul as influences on his sample-based sound, further claiming that "lyrics (...) were confining, too specific". His music rarely features more than short clips of voices or vocal work.

During 1991-1992, DJ Shadow remixes were released on Hollywood BASIC, a short-lived rap/hip-hop subsidiary label of Hollywood Records. Notable amongst these is a 1992 compilation release titled "BASIC Beats Sampler", which features a remix of ''The Real Deal'', a song by Lifers' Group, as well as a 12-plus-minute "Mega Mix" of the rest of the album, including tracks by west-coast underground hip-hop act, Raw Fusion and east-coast acts, Organized Konfusion and Zimbabwe Legit. Also in 1992, Shadow contributed scratching and production work to Sleeping with the Enemy, the controversial second release by rapper Paris.

Early in 1993, Shadow was a part of the creation of the Solesides underground hip-hop label, in conjunction with Blackalicious and Lyrics Born (whose stage name at the time was Asia Born). The first 12" release on this new imprint was titled "Entropy", with the A-side containing the Asia Born track "Send Them" and a dub rendition of the DJ Shadow track "Count and Estimate", and the entire B-side consisting of the 17-plus-minute title track. Rapper Gift of Gab is featured in the version of "Count and Estimate" that appears in Entropy. Shadow continued to participate in releases on the Solesides label for years to come, until the label was disbanded in 1996 in favour of Quannum Projects.

Also in 1993, Mo' Wax's James Lavelle contacted Shadow about releasing "In/Flux" on the fledgling imprint. The association with Mo' Wax was a productive one; his tracks "In/Flux" and "Lost and Found" made their way onto a number of releases over the next few years. Shadow also worked with DJ Krush during this period. On a 1995 visit to the Mo' Wax studios in London, England, Shadow was recruited to perform scratches on a James Lavelle and Tim Goldsworthy mix of the Massive Attack song Karmacoma.

''Endtroducing.....''

Shadow's first full-length work, ''Endtroducing.....'', was released in late 1996 to critical acclaim. ''Endtroducing'' would go on to make the Guinness World Records book for "First Completely Sampled Album" in 2001. The only pieces of equipment Shadow used to produce the album were the AKAI MPC60 12-bit sampling drum machine, a pair of turntables and a borrowed-by-visiting Pro Tools setup from an early adopter of the technology, Dan "The Automator" Nakamura. In November 2006 ''Time'' magazine named it one of its "All-Time" 100 best albums.

''Preemptive Strike''

In 1998 Shadow released ''Preemptive Strike'', a compilation of early singles. Later that year, he produced ''Psyence Fiction'', the debut album by Unkle, a long-time Mo' Wax production team that featured guest appearances including Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Richard Ashcroft (The Verve), Mike D (Beastie Boys), Kool G. Rap, Jason Newsted (Metallica) among others.

''Dark Days''

Around 2000 he produced the score for the documentary ''Dark Days'' filmed by British director Marc Singer. This film is about a community of transients who live underground in a subway tunnel. It has six award wins in various competitions.

''The Private Press''

Nearly six years after his debut production album, his second album, ''The Private Press'', was released in June 2002. In the same year, the movie ''Scratch'' (2001, Doug Pray) was released to DVD with DJ Shadow appearing several times throughout the movie. A video for his track "Six Days" was also released in 2002, directed by Wong Kar-wai. The album was mixed by Jim Abbiss.

''In Tune and on Time''

In 2004, Shadow's first feature-length DVD, ''In Tune and on Time'', was released. It features a live performance in London that emphasizes visuals.

''The Outsider''

''The Outsider'' album was released on 18 September 2006. A special edition CD box set was also released containing ''The Outsider'', the album on CD and a DVD entitled Tour Visuals. ''The Outsider'', which prominently featured several artists from the local San Francisco Bay Area hyphy hip hop movement, got a mixed welcome among Shadow's fans. Responding to criticisms, the DJ/producer explained on his blog why he made no apologies: ''"Repeat ''Endtroducing'' over and over again? That was never, ever in the game plan. Fuck that. So I think it's time for certain fans to decide if they are fans of the album, or the artist."'' DJ Shadow has also collaborated with fellow DJ Cut Chemist. Together they have created three popular mixtapes entitled ''Brainfreeze'', ''Product Placement'', and the recent ''The Hard Sell''. These mixes fuse jazz, funk, and soul in the framework of a cohesive concept. He has also collaborated with several other artists, including Blackalicious, Zack de la Rocha, Keak Da Sneak, Mos Def, David Banner, and Dr. Octagon, an alter ego of Kool Keith.

In 2006, he signed a deal with Universal Records. DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist toured in 2008 in support of their mixtape ''The Hard Sell'' with Kid Koala opening for them.

''Diminishing Returns''

Diminishing Returns was a 2-hour DJ Mix originally broadcast on BBC Radio 1 on March 29, 2003. It was released in 2003 on CD in a pressing limited to 1000 copies on the Reconstruction Productions label. Reconstruction Productions reissued the album in 2009 with a sticker stating "official, last chance limited edition, re-release".

''The Less You Know, the Better''

During Shadow's Outsider 2007 tour, he was spotted filming with Dean Fernando (aka "DINO") as reported on Shadow/Quannum fansite Solesides. On April 1, 2009, DJ Shadow announced on his Facebook page that he was working on a ''Diminishing Returns'' re-release.

On March 7, 2009, Shadow announced that he was working on new music. Though no release date was given, he assured, "It will sound different from the last one." DJ Shadow released a track from the new album called "Def Surrounds Us" as a preview. During his gig in Antwerp in August 2010, he played some tracks from the new album, although he stated that it was not yet ready and that he would continue working toward having it ready in time for his 2011 tour.

On May 10, 2011, Shadow confirmed via his Facebook page and official website that his new album, titled ''The Less You Know, the Better'', was finished and that it would be released the following September on Verve/Universal. The same day, he also released a EP called ''I Gotta Rokk'' featuring remixed tracks from the forthcoming album. A second single "I'm Excited" was also released, featuring Afrikan Boy, on July 29, 2011. However the single was pulled because of copyright infringement. The infringement also delayed the album's release. Another song from the album, titled "Warning Call," featuring Tom Vek, was released on 7 September 2011, and was featured as a free download on the official DJ Shadow Facebook page. Shadow announced on September 30, 2011 via Twitter that ''The Less You Know, the Better'' would be released on a 3xUSB format.

The artwork for this album, the associated singles and promotional material was done by Tony Papesh, an artist from San Francisco, California. The album was mixed by Jim Abbiss

Studio and equipment

The book ''Behind the Beat'' documents Shadow's home studio (named "Reconstruction") through photos and a brief description (as of 2005). It is "nestled within a leafy San Francisco suburb" and Shadow apparently moved to the area "to be closer to the local record store". It also states that "Shadow only keeps a small selection of vinyl at home with the rest occupying storage units around town". His equipment as of 2005, according to ''Behind the Beat'', consists of two Akai MPC 3000s and a Korg Triton. His album ''Endtroducing'' was "created on an AKAI MPC60 and an ADAT".

Sampling

DJ Shadow's reputation is largely built on the skill with which he manipulates samples, taking rare and unheard pieces of music and reworking them into parts and phrases for his songs. Many of his tracks feature dozens of samples from a wide array of styles and influences including rock, soul, funk, experimental, electronic and jazz. Shadow famously sampled American composer David Axelrod twice: the piano in "Midnight In A Perfect World" from 1996's ''Endtroducing'' was originally recorded for Axelrod's "The Human Abstract"; and on his collaboration with DJ Krush, "Duality", sampling Axelrod's "The Warnings" (Part 1). Although Shadow currently uses fewer samples than on his earlier albums, several examples feature on 2006 album, ''The Outsider''. His collaboration with David Banner, "Seein' Thangs", features a synthesizer and vocals from Cecilia's "Crimson Red" and "Outsider Intro" includes an excerpt from Ron Geesin's "Concrete Line Up" from the 1973 album, ''As He Stands''.

Discography

''Endtroducing.....'' (1996)

''Preemptive Strike (1998)

''The Private Press'' (2002)

''The Outsider'' (2006)

''The Less You Know, the Better'' (2011)

References

External links

Quannum Projects

Solesides

Category:1972 births Category:Living people Category:American electronic musicians Category:Hip hop DJs Category:Mo' Wax Records artists Category:MCA Records artists Category:Universal Records artists Category:Verve Records artists Category:Hip hop record producers Category:People from Davis, California Category:People from San Jose, California Category:Quannum Projects artists Category:Trip hop musicians Category:Musicians from California

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