Utopia () is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia'', describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt to create an ideal society, and fictional societies portrayed in literature. It has spawned other concepts, most prominently dystopia.

The word comes from the '''' ("not") and ''τόπος'' ("place"). The English homophone ''eutopia'', derived from the Greek ''εὖ'' ("good" or "well") and ''τόπος'' ("place"), signifies a double meaning: "good place" and "no place".

Varieties

Chronologically, the first recorded utopian proposal is Plato's ''Republic''. Part conversation, part fictional depiction, and part policy proposal, it proposes a categorization of citizens into a rigid class structure of "golden," "silver," "bronze" and "iron" socioeconomic classes. The golden citizens are trained in a rigorous 50-year long educational program to be benign oligarchs, the "philosopher-kings." The wisdom of these rulers will supposedly eliminate poverty and deprivation through fairly distributed resources, though the details on how to do this are unclear. The educational program for the rulers is the central notion of the proposal. There is a general pacifism or pacifist attitude. However, the people of the Republic are all ready to defend themselves or to compete militarily for resources (such as land) if necessary. It has few laws, no lawyers and rarely sends its citizens to war, but hires mercenaries from among its war-prone neighbors (these mercenaries were deliberately sent into dangerous situations in the hope that the more warlike populations of all surrounding countries will be weeded out, leaving peaceful peoples).

In the sixteenth century, Thomas More's book ''Utopia'' proposed an ideal society of the same name. Some readers, including utopian socialists, have chosen to accept this imaginary society as the realistic blueprint for a working nation, while others have postulated that More intended nothing of the sort. Some maintain the position that More's ''Utopia'' functions only on the level of a satire, a work intended to reveal more about the England of his time than about an idealistic society. This interpretation is bolstered by the title of the book and nation, and its apparent confusion between the Greek for "no place" and "good place": "utopia" is a compound of the syllable ou-, meaning "no", and topos, meaning place. But the homophonic prefix eu-, meaning "good," also resonates in the word, with the implication that the perfectly "good place" is really "no place."'''''

Another version of this concept is found in the Panchaea island, of the "Sacred History" book of Euhemerus, a writer from the 3rd century BC. This idea was long before never tried in India in terms of the Caste system, as a result their system slowly got corrupt and made things worse. Hence the use of the word "Satanic" toward Desi (South Asian) culture by many theologists of fame.

Ecology

Ecological utopian society describes new ways in which society should relate to nature. They react to a perceived widening gap between the modern Western way of living that destroys nature and the traditional way of living that is thought to be more in harmony with nature. According to the Dutch philosopher Marius de Geus, ecological utopias could be sources of inspiration for green political movements.

In the novelette ''Rumfuddle'' (1973), Jack Vance presents a novel twist on the ecological utopia. His hero invents paratime travel and becomes effectively the ruler of earth by giving everyone their own alternate-earth wilderness worlds as vacation retreats/suburbs without neighbors. However, he requires them to work during the week cleaning up the original Earth and restoring its pristineness. A typical job is driving a bulldozer that shoves the detritus of industrial civilization through a portal into the oceans of a paratime garbage world.

Economics

Economic utopias are based on economics. Most intentional communities attempting to create an economic utopia were formed in response to the harsh economic conditions of the 19th century.

Particularly in the early 19th century, several utopian ideas arose, often in response to their belief that social disruption was created and caused by the development of commercialism and capitalism. These are often grouped in a greater "utopian socialist" movement, due to their shared characteristics: an egalitarian distribution of goods, frequently with the total abolition of money, and citizens only doing work which they enjoy and which is for the common good, leaving them with ample time for the cultivation of the arts and sciences. One classic example of such a utopia was Edward Bellamy's ''Looking Backward''. Another socialist utopia is William Morris' ''News from Nowhere'', written partially in response to the top-down (bureaucratic) nature of Bellamy's utopia, which Morris criticized. However, as the socialist movement developed it moved away from utopianism; Marx in particular became a harsh critic of earlier socialism he described as utopian. (For more information see the History of Socialism article.) Also consider Eric Frank Russell's book ''The Great Explosion'' (1963) whose last section details an economic and social utopia. This forms the first mention of the idea of Local Exchange Trading Systems (LETS).

Utopias have also been imagined by the opposite side of the political spectrum. For example, Robert A. Heinlein's ''The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress'' portrays an individualistic and libertarian utopia. Capitalist utopias of this sort are generally based on free market economies, in which the presupposition is that private enterprise and personal initiative without an institution of coercion, government, provides the greatest opportunity for achievement and progress of both the individual and society as a whole.

Another view that capitalist utopias do not address is the issue of market failure, any more than socialist utopias address the issue of planning failure. Thus a blend of socialism and capitalism is seen by some as the type of economy in a utopia. For example, one such idea is to have small, community-owned enterprises working under a market-based model of economy. Such a model of market-based Communism itself was in theory supposed to create a "classless utopia", but no nation has ever reached that point.

During the late-20th century, many economic utopias sprang up around the United States in response to various political conservative movements. They were largely dubbed communes.

Politics & history

A global utopia of world peace is often seen as one of the possible endings of history. Within the localized political structures or spheres it presents, "polyculturalism" is the model-based adaptation of possible interactions between different cultures and identities in accordance with the principles of participatory society.

The Soviet writer Ivan Efremov produced during the "Thaw" period the science-fiction utopia ''Andromeda'' (1957) in which a united humanity communicates with a galaxy-wide Great Circle and develops its technology and culture within a social framework characterized by vigorous competition between alternative philosophies.

Religious utopia

Religious utopias can be intra-religious or inter-religious. The inter-religious utopia borders on a concept like Polyculturalism and is not deemed possible in the near future or the near-far future. Fledgling theories are generally canceled as impossible, but the ideology of God and Religion used in inter-religious utopia is commonly stated by many people as their view of God. Inter-religious utopia is a condition where the leaders of different religions accept science as a part of human-living and agree to abolish all baseless superstitious beliefs. In more extended theories it goes up to the level of different religious leaders setting-aside their differences and accepting harmony, peace and understanding to unite all religions within one another, thereby forming an utopian religion or a religion of Humans with God being defined as Science or the (supposed) supernatural force that reigned before the birth of the universe. Religion and God being used as a self-motivating factor for people to believe in and raise themselves out of difficult situations.

Intra-Religious utopias are based on religious ideals, and are to date those most commonly found in human society. Their members are usually required to follow and believe in the particular religious tradition that established the utopia. Some permit non-believers or non-adherents to take up residence within them; others (such as the Community at Qumran) do not.

The Islamic, Jewish, and Christian ideas of the Garden of Eden and Heaven may be interpreted as forms of utopianism, especially in their folk-religious forms. Such religious utopias are often described as "gardens of delight", implying an existence free from worry in a state of bliss or enlightenment. They postulate freedom from sin, pain, poverty, and death, and often assume communion with beings such as angels or the houri. In a similar sense the Hindu concept of Moksha and the Buddhist concept of Nirvana may be thought of as a kind of utopia. In Hinduism or Buddhism, however, utopia is not a place but a state of mind. A belief that if we are able to practice meditation without continuous stream of thoughts, we are able to reach enlightenment. This enlightenment promises exit from the cycle of life and death, relating back to the concept of utopia.

In Thomas More's Utopia, there is a rule in Utopia of religious tolerance, the penalty for breaking it is slavery or exile. The only despised people are atheists, as they do not believe in a reward for good behaviour.

However, the usual idea of utopia, which is normally created by human effort, is more clearly evident in the use of these ideas as the bases ''for'' religious utopias, as members attempt to establish/reestablish on Earth a society which reflects the virtues and values they believe have been lost or which await them in the Afterlife.

In the United States and Europe during the Second Great Awakening of the 19th century and thereafter, many radical religious groups formed utopian societies in which all aspects of people's lives could be governed by their faith. Among the best-known of these utopian societies were the Shakers, which originated in England in the 18th century but moved to America shortly afterward. A number of religious utopian societies from Europe came to the United States from the 18th century throughout the 19th century, including the Society of the Woman in the Wilderness (led by Johannes Kelpius), the Ephrata Cloister, and the Harmony Society, among others. The Harmony Society was a Christian theosophy and pietist group founded in Iptingen, Germany, in 1785. Due to religious persecution by the Lutheran Church and the government in Württemberg, the society moved to the United States on October 7, 1803, settled in Pennsylvania, and on February 15, 1805, they, together with about 400 followers, formally organized the Harmony Society, placing all their goods in common. The group lasted until 1905, making it one of the longest-running financially successful communes in American history. The Oneida Community, founded by John Humphrey Noyes in Oneida, New York, was a utopian religious commune that lasted from 1848 to 1881. Although this utopian experiment is better known today for its manufacture of Oneida silverware, it was one of the longest-running communes in American history. The Amana Colonies were communal settlements in Iowa, started by radical German pietists, which lasted from 1855 to 1932. The Amana Corporation, manufacturer of refrigerators and household appliances, was originally started by the group. Other examples are Fountain Grove, Riker's Holy City and other Californian utopian colonies between 1855 and 1955 (Hine), as well as Sointula in British Columbia, Canada.

Science and technology

Scientific and technological utopias are set in the future, when it is believed that advanced science and technology will allow utopian living standards; for example, the absence of death and suffering; changes in human nature and the human condition. Technology has affected the way humans have lived to such an extent that normal functions, like sleep, eating or even reproduction, have been replaced by artificial means. Other examples include a society where humans have struck a balance with technology and it is merely used to enhance the human living condition (e.g. ''Star Trek''). In place of the static perfection of a utopia, libertarian transhumanists envision an "extropia", an open, evolving society allowing individuals and voluntary groupings to form the institutions and social forms they prefer.

Buckminster Fuller presented a theoretical basis for technological utopianism and set out to develop a variety of technologies ranging from maps to designs for cars and houses which might lead to the development of such a utopia.

One notable example of a technological and libertarian socialist utopia is Scottish author Iain Banks' ''Culture''.

Opposing this optimism is the prediction that advanced science and technology will, through deliberate misuse or accident, cause environmental damage or even humanity's extinction. Critics, such as Jacques Ellul and Timothy Mitchell advocate precautions against the premature embrace of new technologies, raising questions on responsibility and freedom brought by division of labour. Authors such as John Zerzan and Derrick Jensen consider that modern technology is progressively depriving humans of their autonomy, and advocate the collapse of the industrial civilization, in favor of small-scale organization, as a necessary path to avoid the threat of technology on human freedom and sustainability.

There are many examples of techno-dystopias portrayed in mainstream culture, such as the classics ''Brave New World'' and ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'', which have explored some of these topics.

Feminism

Utopias have been used to explore the ramification of gender being either a societal construct, or a hard-wired imperative. The fictional aliens in Mary Gentle's ''Golden Witchbreed'' start out as gender-neutral children and do not develop into men and women until puberty, and gender has no bearing on social roles. In contrast, Doris Lessing's ''The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five'' (1980) suggests that men's and women's values are inherent to the sexes and cannot be changed, making a compromise between them essential. In ''My Own Utopia'' (1961) by Elizabeth Mann Borghese, gender exists but is dependant upon age rather than sex — genderless children mature into women, some of whom eventually become men.

Utopic single-gender worlds or single-sex societies have long been one of the primary ways to explore implications of gender and gender-differences. In speculative fiction, female-only worlds have been imagined to come about by the action of disease that wipes out men, along with the development of technological or mystical method that allow female parthenogenic reproduction. The resulting society is often shown to be utopian by feminist writers. Many influential feminist utopias of this sort were written in the 1970s; the most often studied examples include Joanna Russ's ''The Female Man'' and Suzy McKee Charnas's ''Walk to the End of the World'' and ''Motherlines''. Utopias imagined by male authors have generally included equality between sexes, rather than separation. Such worlds have been portrayed most often by lesbian or feminist authors; their use of female-only worlds allows the exploration of female independence and freedom from patriarchy. The societies may not necessarily be lesbian, or sexual at all — a famous early sexless example being ''Herland'' (1915) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Charlene Ball writes in ''Women's studies encyclopedia'' that use of speculative fiction to explore gender roles in future societies has been more common in the United States compared to Europe and elsewhere.

Utopianism

In many cultures, societies, religions, and cosmogonies, there is some myth or memory of a distant past when humankind lived in a primitive and simple state, but at the same time one of perfect happiness and fulfillment. In those days, the various myths tell us, there was an instinctive harmony between man and nature. Men's needs were few and their desires limited. Both were easily satisfied by the abundance provided by nature. Accordingly, there were no motives whatsoever for war or oppression. Nor was there any need for hard and painful work. Humans were simple and pious, and felt themselves close to the gods. According to one anthropological theory, hunter-gathers were the original affluent society.

These mythical or religious archetypes are inscribed in all the cultures and resurge with special vitality when people are in difficult and critical times. However, the projection of the myth does not take place towards the remote past, but either towards the future or towards distant and fictional places, imagining that at some time of the future, at some point of the space or beyond the death must exist the possibility of living happily.

These myths of the earliest stage of humankind have been referred to by various religions:

Golden Age The Greek poet Hesiod, around the 8th century BC, in his compilation of the mythological tradition (the poem ''Works and Days''), explained that, prior to the present era, there were other four progressively more perfect ones, the oldest of which was the Golden age.

Plutarch, the Greek historian and biographer of the 1st century, dealt with the blissful and mythic past of the humanity.

Arcadia, e.g. in Sir Philip Sidney's prose romance ''The Old Arcadia'' (1580). Originally a region in the Peloponnesus, Arcadia became a synonym for any rural area that serves as a pastoral setting, as a ''locus amoenus'' ("delightful place"):

The Biblical Garden of Eden The Biblical Garden of Eden as depicted in Genesis 2 (Authorized Version of 1611):

"And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. [...] And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. [...] And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; [...] And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man."

The Land of Cokaygne The Land of Cokaygne [also spelled ''Cockaygne'' or ''Cockaigne''] (in the German tradition referred to as ''"Schlaraffenland":de:Schlaraffenland'') has been aptly called the "poor man's heaven", being a popular fantasy of pure hedonism and thus a foil for the innocent and instinctively virtuous life that is depicted in all the other accounts mentioned above. Cockaygne is a land of extravagance and excess rather than simplicity and piety. There is freedom from work, and every material thing is free and available. Cooked larks fly straight into one's mouth; the rivers run with wine; sexual promiscuity is the norm; and there is a fountain of youth which keeps everyone young and active.

There is a medieval poem (c. 1315) written in rhyming couplets which is entitled "The Land of Cokaygne":

"Far in the sea, to the west of Spain, Is a country called Cokaygne. There's no land not anywhere, In goods or riches to compare. Though Paradise be merry and bright Cokaygne is of far fairer sight...."

These myths also express some hope that the idyllic state of affairs they describe is not irretrievably and irrevocably lost to mankind, that it can be regained in some way or other.

One way would be to look for the "earthly paradise"—a place like Shangri-La, hidden in the Tibetan mountains and described by James Hilton in his utopian novel ''Lost Horizon'' (1933). Such paradise on earth must be somewhere if only man were able to find it. Christopher Columbus followed directly in this tradition in his belief that he had found the Garden of Eden when, towards the end of the 15th century, he first encountered the New World and its indigenous inhabitants.

Another way of regaining the lost paradise (or ''Paradise Lost'', as 17th century English poet John Milton calls it) would be to wait for the future, for the return of the Golden Age. According to Christian theology, the Fall from Paradise, caused by Man alone when he disobeyed God ("but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it"), has resulted in the wickedness of character that all human beings have been born with since (original sin).

In a scientific approach to finding utopia, the Global Scenario Group, an international group of scientists founded by Paul Raskin, used scenario analysis and backcasting to map out a path to an environmentally sustainable and socially equitable future. Its findings suggest that a global citizens' movement is necessary to steer political, economic, and corporate entities toward this new sustainability paradigm.

List of utopian literature

Pre-20th century

''The Republic'' (written around 380 BCE) by Plato is one of the earliest conceptions of a utopia.

''The City of God'' (written 413–426 AD) by Augustine of Hippo, describes an ideal city, the "eternal" Jerusalem, the archetype of all Christian utopias.

''Tao Hua Yuan'', (421) is a utopia for Chinese intellects.

''Al-Madina al-Fadila'', written by Al-Farabi (874-950), where he theorized an ideal state as in Plato's The Republic. Al-Farabi represented religion as a symbolic rendering of truth, and, like Plato, saw it as the duty of the philosopher to provide guidance to the state.

''Utopia'' (1516) by Thomas More.

''Christianopolis'' (1619) by Johann Valentin Andreæ, describes a Christian utopia inhabited by a community of scholar-artisans and run as a democracy.

''The City of the Sun'' (1623) by Tommaso Campanella depicts a theocratic and egalitarian society.

''New Atlantis'' (1627) by Francis Bacon.

''Erewhon'' (1872) by Samuel Butler, constitute a satiric romp through a hidden utopia (with dystopian elements) in the mountains of New Zealand.

''News from Nowhere'' by William Morris (1892), Shows "Nowhere", a place without politics, a future society based on common ownership and democratic control of the means of production.

''Looking Backward'' (1888) by Edward Bellamy.

''Gloriana, or the Revolution of 1900'' (1890) by Lady Florence Dixie. The female protagonist poses as a man, Hector l'Estrange, is elected to the House of Commons, and wins women the vote. The book ends in the year 1999, with a description of a prosperous and peaceful Britain governed by women.

20th century

''Childhood's End''(1954) by Arthur C. Clarke, alien beings guide humanity towards a more economically productive and technologically advanced society, allowing humans to broaden their mental capacities.

''A Modern Utopia'' (1905) by H. G. Wells

''Islandia'' (1942), by Austin Tappan Wright, an imaginary island in the Southern Hemisphere, a utopia containing many Arcadian elements, including a policy of isolation from the outside world and a rejection of industrialism. (In three sequels by Mark Saxton, including ''The Islar'' (1969), below.)

In the film ''Road to Utopia'' (1943), it was suggested (comically) that a personal Utopia could be obtained from the wealth of gold mines in Alaska, USA.

''Walden Two'' (1948) by B. F. Skinner, a community in which every aspect of living is put to rigorous scientific testing. A professor and his colleagues question the effectiveness of the community started by an eccentric man named T.E. Frazier.

''Big Planet'' (1957), by Jack Vance, depicts a world in which attempts by utopian misfits to set up new societies have gone haywire after many revert to savagery and violence. But one city, Kirstendale, sets up a successful order in which citizens constantly shift their status, titles and duties (from servant to aristocrat and back again) according to an elaborate schedule.

''Island'' (1962) by Aldous Huxley follows the story of Will Farnaby, a cynical journalist, who shipwrecks on the fictional island of Pala and experiences their unique culture and traditions which create a utopian society.

''The Islar'' (1969), the Islandians develop a modern air force to fend off hostile communist-allied neighbors, and debate whether to join the UN.

''The Lathe of Heaven'' (1971), by Ursula K. Le Guin, a man is able to "effectively" dream, changing waking reality. A psychologist to whom he goes for treatment tries to use the man's talent to improve society but finds that each of his "solutions" has disastrous unintended consequences.

''The Dispossessed'' (1974), by Ursula K. Le Guin, the story of two planets, one very much like the capitalist, materialistic, profligate United States and the other a "nonpropertarian" society in which private ownership is unknown and people merely uses as much of natural resources or finished goods as they need. The two worlds are walled off (as were the capitalist and Communist world at the time of its writing). A physicist named Shevek travels between the two worlds and compares in a literary structure much like that of Tolstoy's War and Peace.

''Ecotopia: The Notebooks and Reports of William Weston'' (1975) by Ernest Callenbach, ecological utopia in which the Pacific Northwest has seceded from the union to set up a new society.

''Woman on the Edge of Time'' (1976) by Marge Piercy, the story of a middle-aged Hispanic woman who has visions of two alternative futures, one utopian and the other dystopian.

''The Probability Broach'' (1980), by L. Neil Smith, presents both utopian and dystopian views of present day North America, through alternative outcomes of the American War for Independence.

''Always Coming Home'' (1985), by Ursula K. Le Guin, a combination of fiction and fictional anthropology about a society in California in the distant future.

''The Fifth Sacred Thing'' (1993), by Starhawk, a post-apocalyptic novel depicting two societies, one a sustainable economy based on social justice, and its neighbor, a militaristic and intolerant theocracy.

''The Giver'' (1993), a Young Adult novel by Lois Lowry

''Utopia'', is the eleventh episode of the third revived series of cult science-fiction show Doctor Who. The episode focused around an attempted voyage to the planet 'Utopia'.

See also

Perpetuum mobile

Artificial intelligence

Notes

References

Kumar, Krishan (1991) ''Utopianism'' (Milton Keynes: Open University Press) ISBN 0-335-15361-5

Manuel, Frank & Manuel, Fritzie (1979) ''Utopian Thought in the Western World'' (Oxford: Blackwell) ISBN 0-674-93185-8

Hine, Robert V. (1983) ''California's Utopian Colonies'' (University of California Press) ISBN 0-520-04885-7

Kumar, K (1987) ''Utopia and Anti-utopia in Modern Times'' (Oxford: Blackwell) ISBN 0-631-16714-5

Shadurski, Maxim I. (2007) ''Literary Utopias from More to Huxley: The Issues of Genre Poetics and Semiosphere. Finding an Island'' (Moscow: URSS) ISBN 978-5-382-00362-7

External links

The Utopian - Magazine about contemporary politics, art and culture that takes from utopian thought a spirit of free inquiry and open-mindedness

Utopia - The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2001

Society for Utopian Studies - an international, interdisciplinary association devoted to the study of utopianism, with a particular emphasis on literary and experimental utopias.

History of 15 Finnish utopian settlements in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe.

Towards Another Utopia of The City Institute of Urban Design, Bremen, Germany

Utopias - a learning resource from the British Library

Utopia and Utopianism - an academic journal

Utopia of the GOOD An essay on Utopias and their nature.

Review of Ehud Ben ZVI, Ed. (2006). Utopia and Dystopia in Prophetic Literature. Helsinki: The Finish Exegetical Society. A collection of articles on the issue of utopia and dystopia.

Category:Idealism Category:Words originating in fiction

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name	Alanis Morissette
background	solo_singer
birth name	Alanis Nadine Morissette
birth date	June 01, 1974
origin	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
children	Ever Imre Morissette-Treadway
instrument	Piano, guitar, flute, harmonica, bass, vocals
genre	Alternative rockPop rockElectronica
occupation	Singer, songwriter, actress, record producer
years active	1987–present
label	MCA Records Canada, Maverick, Warner Bros., Epiphany Music
website
spouse	Mario "MC Souleye" Treadway
children	Ever Imre Morissette-Treadway (born December 25, 2010) }}

Alanis Nadine Morissette (born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination. Morissette began her career in Canada, and as a teenager recorded two dance-pop albums, ''Alanis'' and ''Now Is the Time,'' under MCA Records Canada.

Her first international album was the rock-influenced ''Jagged Little Pill'', released in 1995. ''Jagged'' has sold more than 33 million units globally and became the best-selling debut album in music history. Her following album, ''Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie'', was released in 1998 and was a success as well. Morissette took up producing duties for her subsequent albums, which include ''Under Rug Swept'', ''So-Called Chaos'' and ''Flavors of Entanglement''. Morissette has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide.

Early life

Morissette was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, the daughter of Georgia Mary Ann (née Feuerstein), a Hungarian-born teacher, and Alan Richard Morissette, a French-Canadian high school principal. She has a twin brother Wade Morissette (also a musician) who was born 12 minutes after her. Morissette's parents were devout Catholics. She attended Glebe Collegiate Institute (Ottawa, Canada) for high school.

Music career

1990–92: ''Alanis'' and ''Now Is the Time''

In 1991 MCA Records Canada released Morissette's debut album, ''Alanis'', in Canada only. Morissette co-wrote every track on the album with its producer, Leslie Howe. By the time it was released, she had dropped her stage name and was credited simply as Alanis. The dance-pop album went platinum, and its first single, "Too Hot", reached the top twenty on the ''RPM'' singles chart. Subsequent singles "Walk Away" and "Feel Your Love" reached the top forty. Morissette's popularity, style of music and appearance, particularly that of her hair, led her to become known as the Debbie Gibson of Canada; comparisons to Tiffany were also common. During the same period, she was a concert opening act for rapper Vanilla Ice. Morissette was nominated for three 1992 Juno Awards: Most Promising Female Vocalist of the Year (which she won), Single of the Year and Best Dance Recording (both for "Too Hot").

In 1992, she released her second album, ''Now Is the Time'', a ballad-driven record that featured less glitzy production than ''Alanis'' and contained more thoughtful lyrics. Morissette wrote the songs with the album's producer, Leslie Howe, and Serge Côté. She said of the album, "people could go, 'Boo, hiss, hiss, this girl's like another Tiffany or whatever.' But the way I look at it ... people will like your next album if it's a suck-ass one." As with ''Alanis'', ''Now Is the Time'' was released only in Canada and produced three top forty singles—"An Emotion Away", the minor adult contemporary hit "No Apologies" and "(Change Is) Never a Waste of Time". It was a commercial failure, however, selling only a little more than half the copies of her first album. With her two-album deal with MCA Records Canada complete, Morissette was left without a major label contract.

1993–97: Move to Los Angeles and ''Jagged Little Pill''

In 1993 Morissette's publisher MCA Music Publishing introduced her to manager Scott Welch. Welch told HitQuarters he was impressed by her "spectacular voice", her character and her lyrics. At the time she was still living at home with her parents. Together they decided it would be best for her career to move to Toronto and start writing with other people. After graduating from high school, Morissette moved from Ottawa to Toronto. Her publisher funded part of her development and when she met producer and songwriter Glen Ballard, he believed in her talent enough to let her use his studio. The two wrote and recorded Morissette's first internationally released album, ''Jagged Little Pill'', and by the spring of 1995, she had signed a deal with Maverick Records. According to manager Welch every label they had approached had passed on Morissette apart from Maverick.

Maverick Records released ''Jagged Little Pill'' internationally in 1995. The album was expected only to sell enough for Morissette to make a follow-up, but the situation changed quickly when KROQ-FM, an influential Los Angeles modern rock radio station, began playing "You Oughta Know", the album's first single. The song instantly garnered attention for its scathing, explicit lyrics, and a subsequent music video went into heavy rotation on MTV and MuchMusic.

After the success of "You Oughta Know", the album's other hit singles helped send ''Jagged Little Pill'' to the top of the charts. "All I Really Want" and "Hand In My Pocket" followed, but the fourth U.S. single, "Ironic", became Morissette's biggest hit. "You Learn" and "Head over Feet", the fifth and sixth singles, respectively, kept ''Jagged Little Pill'' in the top twenty on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart for more than a year. According to the RIAA, ''Jagged Little Pill'' sold more than 16 million copies in the U.S.; it sold 33 million worldwide, making it the third biggest selling album by a female artist. Morissette's popularity grew significantly in Canada, where the album was certified twelve times platinum and produced four ''RPM'' chart-toppers: "Hand In My Pocket", "Ironic", "You Learn", and "Head over Feet". The album was also a bestseller in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Morissette's success with ''Jagged Little Pill'' was credited with leading to the introduction of female singers such as Shakira, Tracy Bonham, Meredith Brooks, Patti Rothberg and, in the early 2000s, Pink and fellow Canadian Avril Lavigne. She was criticized for collaborating with producer and supposed image-maker Ballard, and her previous albums also proved a hindrance for her respectability. Morissette and the album won six Juno Awards in 1996: Album of the Year, Single of the Year ("You Oughta Know"), Female Vocalist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Best Rock Album. At the 1996 Grammy Awards, she won Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, Best Rock Song (both for "You Oughta Know"), Best Rock Album and Album of the Year.

Later in 1996, Morissette embarked on an eighteen-month world tour in support of ''Jagged Little Pill,'' beginning in small clubs and ending in large venues. Taylor Hawkins, who later joined the Foo Fighters, was the tour's drummer. "Ironic" was nominated for two 1997 Grammy Awards—Record of the Year and Best Music Video, Short Form—and won Single of the Year at the 1997 Juno Awards, where Morissette also won Songwriter of the Year and the International Achievement Award. The video ''Jagged Little Pill, Live,'' which was co-directed by Morissette and chronicled the bulk of her tour, won a 1998 Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Long Form.

Following the stressful tour, Morissette started practicing Iyengar Yoga for balancing, and after the last December 1996 show, she headed to India for six weeks, accompanied by her mother, two aunts and two female friends.

1998–2000: ''Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie'' and ''Alanis Unplugged''

Morissette was featured as a guest vocalist on Ringo Starr's cover of "Drift Away" on his 1998 album, ''Vertical Man'', and on the songs "Don't Drink the Water" and "Spoon" on the Dave Matthews Band album ''Before These Crowded Streets''. She recorded the song "Uninvited" for the soundtrack to the 1998 film ''City of Angels''. Although the track was never commercially released as a single, it received widespread radio airplay in the U.S. At the 1999 Grammy Awards, it won in the categories of Best Rock Song and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, and was nominated for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media. Later in 1998, Morissette released her fourth album, ''Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie'', which she wrote and produced with Glen Ballard.

Privately, the label hoped to sell a million copies of the album on initial release; instead, it debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart with first-week sales of 469,000 copies—a record, at the time, for the highest first-week sales of an album by a female artist. The wordy, personal lyrics on ''Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie'' alienated many fans, and after the album sold considerably less than ''Jagged Little Pill'', many labelled it an example of the sophomore jinx. However, it received positive reviews, including a four-star review from ''Rolling Stone''. In Canada, it won the Juno Award for Best Album and was certified four times platinum. "Thank U", the album's only major international hit single, was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance; the music video, which featured Morissette nude, generated mild controversy. Morissette herself directed the videos for "Unsent" and "So Pure", which won, respectively, the MuchMusic Video Award for Best Director and the Juno Award for Video of the Year. The "So Pure" video features actor Dash Mihok, with whom Morissette was in a relationship at the time.

Morissette contributed vocals to "Mercy", "Hope", "Innocence", and "Faith", four tracks on Jonathan Elias's project ''The Prayer Cycle'', which was released in 1999. The same year, she released the live acoustic album ''Alanis Unplugged'', which was recorded during her appearance on the television show ''MTV Unplugged''. It featured tracks from her previous two albums alongside four new songs, including "King of Pain" (a cover of The Police song) and "No Pressure over Cappuccino", which Morissette wrote with her main guitar player, Nick Lashley. The recording of the ''Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie'' track "That I Would Be Good", released as a single, became a minor hit on hot adult contemporary radio in America. Also in 1999, Morissette released a live version of her song "Are You Still Mad" on the charity album ''Live in the X Lounge II''. For her live rendition of "So Pure" at Woodstock '99, she was nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 2001 Grammy Awards. During summer 1999, Alanis toured with singer/songwriter Tori Amos on the 5 And A Half Weeks Tour in support of Amos' album ''To Venus And Back''.

2001–03: ''Under Rug Swept'' and ''Feast on Scraps''

In 2001, Morissette was featured with Stephanie McKay on the Tricky song "Excess", which is on his album ''Blowback.'' Morissette released her fifth studio album, ''Under Rug Swept,'' in February 2002. For the first time in her career, she took on the role of sole writer and producer of an album. Her band, comprising Joel Shearer, Nick Lashley, Chris Chaney, and Gary Novak, played the majority of the instruments; additional contributions came from Eric Avery, Dean DeLeo, Flea, and Meshell Ndegeocello.

''Under Rug Swept'' debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, eventually going platinum in Canada and selling one million copies in the U.S. It produced the hit single "Hands Clean", which topped the Canadian Singles Chart and received substantial radio play; for her work on "Hands Clean" and "So Unsexy", Morissette won a Juno Award for Producer of the Year. A second single, "Precious Illusions", was released, but it did not garner significant success outside Canada or U.S. hot AC radio.

Later in 2002, Morissette released the combination package ''Feast on Scraps,'' which includes a DVD of live concert and backstage documentary footage directed by her and a CD containing eight previously unreleased songs from the ''Under Rug Swept'' recording sessions. Preceded by the single "Simple Together", it sold roughly 70,000 copies in the U.S. and was nominated for a Juno Award for Music DVD of the Year.

2004–05: ''So-Called Chaos'', ''Jagged Little Pill Acoustic'' and ''The Collection''

Morissette hosted the Juno Awards of 2004 dressed in a bathrobe, which she took off to reveal a flesh-colored bodysuit, a response to the era of censorship in the U.S. caused by Janet Jackson's breast-reveal incident during the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show. Morissette released her sixth studio album, ''So-Called Chaos'', in May 2004. She wrote the songs on her own again, and co-produced the album with Tim Thorney and pop music producer John Shanks. The album debuted at number five on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart to generally mixed critical reviews, and it became Morissette's lowest seller in the U.S. The lead single, "Everything", achieved major success on adult top 40 radio in America and was moderately popular elsewhere, particularly in Canada, although it failed to reach the top forty on the U.S. Hot 100. Because the first line of the song includes the word ''asshole'', American radio stations refused to play it, and the single version was changed to include the word ''nightmare'' instead. Two other singles, "Out Is Through" and "Eight Easy Steps", fared considerably worse commercially than "Everything", although a dance mix of "Eight Easy Steps" was a U.S. club hit.

Morissette embarked on a U.S. summer tour with long-time friends and fellow Canadians Barenaked Ladies, working with the non-profit environmental organization Reverb.

To commemorate the tenth anniversary of ''Jagged Little Pill'', Morissette released a studio acoustic version, ''Jagged Little Pill Acoustic,'' in June 2005. The album was released exclusively through Starbucks' Hear Music retail concept through their coffee shops for a six-week run. The limited availability led to a dispute between Maverick Records and HMV North America, who retaliated by removing Morissette's other albums from sale for the duration of Starbucks's exclusive six-week sale. As of November 2010, ''Jagged Little Pill Acoustic'' had sold 372,000 copies in the U.S., and a video for "Hand in My Pocket" received rotation on VH1 in America. The accompanying tour ran for two months in mid 2005, with Morissette playing small theatre venues. During the same period, Morissette was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.

Morissette opened for The Rolling Stones for a few dates of their A Bigger Bang Tour in the autumn of 2005.

Morissette released the greatest hits album ''Alanis Morissette: The Collection'' in late 2005. The lead single and only new track, a cover of Seal's "Crazy", was a U.S. adult top 40 and dance hit, but it achieved only minimal chart success elsewhere. A limited edition of ''The Collection'' features a DVD including a documentary with videos of two unreleased songs from Morissette's 1996 Can't Not Tour: "King of Intimidation" and "Can't Not". (A reworked version of "Can't Not" had also appeared on ''Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie''.) The DVD also includes a ninety-second clip of the unreleased video for the single "Joining You". As of November 2010, ''The Collection'' had sold 373,000 copies in the U.S., according to Soundscan.

Alanis performed two songs with Avril Lavigne: Morissette's "Ironic" and Lavigne's "Losing Grip".

2006–09: ''Flavors of Entanglement''/Leaving Maverick Records

2006 marked the first year in Morissette's musical career without a single concert appearance showcasing her own songs, with the exception of an appearance on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' in January when she performed "Wunderkind".

On April 1, 2007, Morissette released a tongue-in-cheek cover of The Black Eyed Peas's selection "My Humps", which she recorded in a slow, mournful voice, accompanied only by a piano. The accompanying YouTube-hosted video, in which she dances provocatively with a group of men and hits the ones who attempt to touch her "lady lumps", had received 16,465,653 views on February 15, 2009. Morissette did not take any interviews for a time to explain the song, and it was theorized that she did it as an April Fools' Day joke. Black Eyed Peas vocalist Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson responded by sending Morissette a buttocks-shaped cake with an approving note. On the verge of the release of her latest album, she finally elaborated on how the video came to be, citing that she became very much emotionally loaded while recording her new songs one after the other and one day she wished she could do a simple song like "My Humps" in a conversation with Guy Sigsworth and the joke just took a life of its own when they started working on it.

Morissette performed at a gig for The Nightwatchman, a.k.a. Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave fame, at the Hotel Café in Los Angeles in April 2007. The following June, she performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "O Canada", the American and Canadian national anthems, in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Ottawa Senators and the Anaheim Ducks in Ottawa, Ontario. (The NHL requires arenas to perform both the American and Canadian national anthems at games involving teams from both countries.) In early 2008, Morissette participated in a tour with Matchbox Twenty and Mutemath as a special guest.

Morissette's seventh studio album, ''Flavors of Entanglement'', which was produced by Guy Sigsworth, was released in mid 2008. She has stated that in late 2008, she would embark on a North American headlining tour, but in the meantime she would be promoting the album internationally by performing at shows and festivals and making television and radio appearances. The album's first single was "Underneath", a video for which was submitted to the 2007 Elevate Film Festival, the purpose of which festival was to create documentaries, music videos, narratives and shorts regarding subjects to raise the level of human consciousness on the earth. On October 3, 2008, Morissette released the video for her latest single, "Not as We".

Morissette left Maverick Records after all promotion for ''Flavors'' was completed.

2010–present

Recently, Morissette has contributed to ''1 Giant Leap'', performing "Arrival" with Zap Mama and she has released an acoustic version of her song "Still" as part of a compilation from Music for Relief in support of the 2010 Haiti earthquake crisis. Morissette has also recorded a cover of the 1984 Willie Nelson and Julio Iglesias hit, "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", re-written as "To All the Boys I've Loved Before". Nelson played rhythm guitar on the recording.

In April 2010, Morissette released the song "I Remain", which she wrote for the ''Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time'' soundtrack.

On May 26, 2010, the season finale of ''American Idol'', Morissette performed a duet of her song "You Oughta Know" with Runner Up Crystal Bowersox.

Acting career

In 1986, Morissette had her first stint as an actor: five episodes of the children's television show ''You Can't Do That on Television''. She appeared on stage with the Orpheus Musical Theatre Society in 1985 and 1988.

In 1993, she appeared in the film ''Just One of the Girls'' starring Corey Haim, which she described as "horrible".

In 1999, Morissette delved into acting again, for the first time since 1993, appearing as God in the Kevin Smith comedy ''Dogma'' and contributing the song "Still" to its soundtrack. She also appeared in the hit HBO comedies ''Sex and the City'' and ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'', appeared in the play ''The Vagina Monologues'', and had a brief role in the Brazilian hit soap opera "Celebridade" (''Celebrity'').

In late 2003, Morissette appeared in the Off-Broadway play ''The Exonerated'' as Charlie Jacobs, a death row inmate freed after proof surfaced that she was innocent. In April 2006, MTV News reported that Morissette would reprise her role in ''The Exonerated'' in London from May 23 until May 28.

She expanded her acting credentials with the July 2004 release of the Cole Porter biographical film ''De-Lovely'', in which she performed the song "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)" and had a brief role as an anonymous stage performer. In February 2005, she made a guest appearance on the Canadian television show ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'' with ''Dogma'' co-star Jason Mewes and director Kevin Smith.

In 2006, she guest starred in an episode of Lifetime's ''Lovespring International'' as a homeless woman named Lucinda, three episodes of FX's ''Nip/Tuck'', playing a lesbian named Poppy, and the mockumentary/documentary ''Pittsburgh'' as herself.

Morissette has appeared in eight episodes of ''Weeds'', playing Dr. Audra Kitson, a "no-nonsense obstetrician" who treats pregnant main character Nancy Botwin. Her first episode aired in July 2009.

In early 2010 Morissette returned to the stage, performing a one night engagement in ''An Oak Tree'', an experimental play in Los Angeles. The performance was a sell out. In April 2010 Morissette was confirmed in the cast of ''Weeds'' season six, performing again her role as Dr. Audra Kitson.

It was announced on Morissette's website that she will be starring in a film adaptation of Philip K. Dick's novel ''Radio Free Albemuth''. Morissette will play Sylvia, an ordinary woman in unexpected remission from lymphoma. Morissette stated that she is "...a big fan of Philip K. Dick's poetic and expansively imaginative books" and that she "feel[s] blessed to portray Sylvia, and to be part of this story being told in film".

Personal life

Morissette dated actor and comedian Dave Coulier, 15 years her senior, for a short time in the early 1990s. In a 2008 interview with the ''Calgary Herald'', Coulier claimed to be the ex-boyfriend who inspired Morissette's song "You Oughta Know". Morissette, however, has maintained her silence on the subject of the song.

Morissette met Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds at Drew Barrymore's birthday party in 2002, and the couple began dating soon after. They announced their engagement in June 2004. In February 2007, representatives for Morissette and Reynolds announced they had mutually decided to end their engagement. Morissette has stated that her album ''Flavors of Entanglement'' was created out of her grief after the break-up, saying that "it was cathartic".

On May 22, 2010, Morissette married rapper Mario “MC Souleye” Treadway in a private ceremony at their Los Angeles home. Their first child, Ever Imre Morissette-Treadway, was born on December 25, 2010.

Morissette is a vegan.

Discography

''Alanis'' (1991)

''Now Is the Time'' (1992)

''Jagged Little Pill'' (1995)

''Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie'' (1998)

''Under Rug Swept'' (2002)

''So-Called Chaos'' (2004)

''Flavors of Entanglement'' (2008)

Filmography

Film
! Year	! Film	! Role	! Notes
1999		God
2001	''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back''	God	cameo
2004	''De-Lovely''	unnamed singer	sang "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love"
2005		herself	documentary
2010		Sylvie
2012		Herself
Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
1986	''You Can't Do That on Television''	herself
2000	''Sex and the City''	Dawn
2002	''Curb Your Enthusiasm''	herself	episode "The Terrorist Attack"
2003	''Celebridade''	herself	Brazilian soap opera
2004	''American Dreams''	singer in the Lair	episode "What Dreams May Come"
2005	''Degrassi: The Next Generation''	principal	episode "Goin' down the Road: Part 1"
2006	''Lovespring International''	Lucinda
2006	''Nip/Tuck''	Poppy	three episodes
2009–2010		Dr. Audra Kitson
Stage
! Year	! Title	! Notes
1999	''The Vagina Monologues''
2004	''The Exonerated''	played Sunny Jacobs
2010	''An Oak Tree''

Tours

1991: Vanilla Ice tour (opening act)

1995: Jagged Little Pill/Intellectual Intercourse Tour

1996: Can't Not Tour

1998: Club Tour

1999: Junkie Tour

1999: Junkie Tour Australian Leg (with Garbage)

1999: 5 ½ Weeks Tour (with Tori Amos)

2000: One Tour

2001: Under Rug Swept Tour

2002: Toward Our Union Mended Tour

2003: All I Really Want/Feast on Scraps Tour

2004: So-Called Chaos/Au Naturale Tour (with Barenaked Ladies)

2005: Diamond Wink Tour

2008: Exile in America (with Matchbox Twenty and Mutemath)

2008: Flavors of Entanglement Tour

2009: Flavors of Entanglement South American Tour

Awards and nominations

See also

Canadian rock

Music of Canada

Best selling music artists

List of diamond-certified albums in Canada

List of best-selling albums worldwide

List of best-selling music artists

Further reading

Rock on the Net

Canadian chart positions courtesy of the ''RPM'' 100 Singles chart listings.

"Alanis Morissette – Artist Chart History". ''Billboard''. Retrieved August 23, 2006.

[ "Alanis Morissette – Billboard Singles"]. Allmusic. Retrieved August 23, 2006.

"Alanis Morissette". Mariah-charts.com. Retrieved August 23, 2006.

''Rock Chicks:The Hottest Female Rockers from the 1960s to Now'' by Stieven-Taylor, Alison (2007). Sydney. Rockpool Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921295-06-5

References

External links

Official website

Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill Review at Spectrum Fm

Category:1974 births Category:American child actors Category:American dance musicians Category:American female guitarists Category:American female singers Category:American feminists Category:American film actors Category:American harmonica players Category:American contraltos Category:American music video directors Category:American pop singers Category:American record producers Category:American rock singers Category:American singer-songwriters Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:American vegans Category:Canadian child actors Category:Canadian dance musicians Category:Canadian female guitarists Category:Canadian female singers Category:Canadian feminists Category:Canadian film actors Category:Canadian harmonica players Category:Canadian emigrants to the United States Category:Canadian contraltos Category:Canadian music video directors Category:Canadian pop singers Category:Canadian record producers Category:Canadian rock singers Category:Canadian singer-songwriters Category:Canadian stage actors Category:Canadian television actors Category:Canadian vegans Category:English-language singers Category:Female rock singers Category:Female post-grunge singers Category:Feminist musicians Category:Franco-Ontarian people Category:Grammy Award winners Category:BRIT Award winners Category:Canadian people of Hungarian descent Category:Juno Award winners Category:Living people Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:Writers from Ontario Category:Musicians from Ottawa Category:Twin people from Canada Category:Warner Music Group artists Category:MCA Records artists Category:Maverick Records artists

ar:ألانيس موريسيت az:Alanis Morissette bs:Alanis Morissette bg:Аланис Морисет ca:Alanis Morissette cs:Alanis Morissette cy:Alanis Morissette da:Alanis Morissette de:Alanis Morissette et:Alanis Morissette es:Alanis Morissette eo:Alanis Morissette fa:آلانیس موریست fr:Alanis Morissette ga:Alanis Morissette gl:Alanis Morissette ko:앨러니스 모리세트 hr:Alanis Morissette io:Alanis Morissette id:Alanis Morissette is:Alanis Morissette it:Alanis Morissette he:אלאניס מוריסט ka:ალანის მორისეტი la:Alanis Morissette lv:Alanisa Morisete lt:Alanis Morissette hu:Alanis Morissette mk:Аланис Морисет ms:Alanis Morrissette nl:Alanis Morissette ja:アラニス・モリセット no:Alanis Morissette oc:Alanis Morissette pl:Alanis Morissette pt:Alanis Morissette ro:Alanis Morissette ru:Мориссетт, Аланис sq:Alanis Morissette simple:Alanis Morissette sk:Alanis Morissette sr:Аланис Морисет sh:Alanis Morissette fi:Alanis Morissette sv:Alanis Morissette th:อลานิส มอริสเซตต์ tr:Alanis Morissette uk:Аланіс Моріссетт yi:אלאניס מאריסעט zh:艾拉妮絲·莫莉塞特

name	Tom Dice
background	solo_singer
birth name	Tom Eeckhout
birth date	November 25, 1989
origin	Eeklo, Belgium
instrument	Guitar
genre	Pop, Acoustic
occupation	Singer-songwriter
years active	2008–present
label	SonicAngel
associated acts	The Dice
website	Tom Dice }}

Tom Dice (born Tom Eeckhout in Eeklo on 25 November 1989) is a Belgian singer-songwriter, who finished second in the Flemish version of ''The X Factor'' in 2008. Dice represented Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 final on 29 May in Oslo. Tom Dice ended up in sixth, one of Flanders best placements ever in the contest. Dice was also the first Belgian act to qualify for the final since the introduction of the semifinals in Eurovision.

Youth and ''X Factor''

Dice learned to play the guitar as a child, began songwriting in his early teens and at the age of 15 joined band The Dice, using Tom Eeckhout Dice as his stage name. In 2008 he entered the Flemish ''X Factor'' and, with Maurice Engelen as his vocal coach, finished runner-up to Dirk De Smet.

Following ''X Factor'', Dice became the first signing to new label SonicAngel, and in June 2009, now under the name of Tom Dice, released his first single, an acoustic cover of Leona Lewis' ''Bleeding Love''. The single went on to reach number 7 on the Flemish singles chart during a 14-week chart run. Dice received a nomination in the 2009 TMF Awards in the category "Best New Artist", losing out to Jasper Erkens.

In May 2009, Dice began working, again with Engelen, on his debut album, which was originally scheduled for an October 2009 release, but has yet to be issued.

Eurovision Song Contest 2010

On 25 November 2009, Dice was chosen by the Flemish broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep (VRT) to represent Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo, Norway. His distinctive voice and TV experience were cited among the factors behind his selection. Reaction in Belgium to the announcement that Dice had been chosen by internal means was mixed, with some feeling that an open and public selection involving different artists would have been preferable.

The chosen song "Me and My Guitar" was unveiled on 7 March 2010, and was co-written by Ashley Hicklin, Jeroen Swinnen and Dice himself. The song went to number 1 in Belgium, both on the iTunes chart and on the official Flemish and Walloon charts; it also reached number 7 in Luxembourg. Dice performed the song in the first semi-final in Oslo on 25 May 2010 and qualified for the final, in first place, making him the first Belgian act to do so in 6 years. Tom Dice finished in sixth place, one of Belgium's best placements in the contest.

Discography

Albums

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" border="1" |+ List of albums, with selected chart positions and certifications ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:8em;"| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"| Album details ! scope="col" colspan="9"| Peak chart positions |- ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| BEL(FLA) ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"| BEL(WAL) |- ! scope="row" | ''Teardrops'' |

Released: 30 April 2010

Genre: Pop music

Label: Sonic Angel

Format: CD, Digital download

| 1 || 57 |}

Singles

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1" |+ List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year ! scope="col" colspan="10"| Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;"| Certifications ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album |- ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|BEL(VL)

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|BEL(WA)

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|DEN

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|FRA

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|GER

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|NL

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|IRE

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|SWE

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|UK

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|SWI |- |2009 ! scope="row"| "Bleeding Love" | 7 || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |align=left| |rowspan="4"| ''Teardrops'' |- |rowspan="2"|2010 ! scope="row"| "Me and My Guitar" | 1 || 1 || 39 || 68 || 20 || 30 || 20 || 24 || 85 || 32 |align=left| BEL: Gold |- ! scope="row"| "Lucy" | 21 || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |align=left| |- |2011 ! scope="row"| "A Thousand Years" | 44 || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — |align=left| |}

As featured artist

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1" |+ ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Year ! scope="col" colspan="4"| Peak Chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album |- ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|FRA ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|BEL (FLA) ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|BEL (WAL) ! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:85%;"|SWI |- |rowspan="2"| 2011 ! scope="row"| "Il nous faut" (duet with Elisa Tovati) | 6 || 1 || 1 || 37 |''Le syndrome de Peter Pan'' (Elisa Tovati album) |- ! scope="row"| "Sunlight" (DJ Antoine feat. Tom Dice) | — || — || — || 10 |''2011'' (DJ Antoine album) |}

References

External links

Official website (Dutch)

Recordlabel SonicAngel

The Dice Myspace page

Category:1989 births Category:Belgian Eurovision Song Contest entrants Category:Belgian male singers Category:Belgian pop singers Category:Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2010 Category:Living people Category:People from East Flanders Category:The X Factor contestants

az:Tom Days bg:Том Дайс ca:Tom Dice cy:Tom Dice da:Tom Dice de:Tom Dice es:Tom Dice fr:Tom Dice hr:Tom Dice it:Tom Dice lv:Toms Dīss nl:Tom Dice no:Tom Dice nn:Tom Dice pl:Tom Dice pt:Tom Dice ro:Tom Dice ru:Том Дайс sq:Tom Dice fi:Tom Dice sv:Tom Dice tr:Tom Dice uk:Том Дайс

Name	Giorgio Moroder
Background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
Birth name	Hansjörg Moroder
Alias	Einzelgänger
Born	April 26, 1940Gröden, Italy
Instrument	Synthesizers
Genre	Dance, disco, electronic, electronic dance, Hi-NRG, Italo disco, pop, rock
Occupation	Singer, songwriter, producer
Years active	1965–present
Label	Oasis Records
Website	http://www.moroder.net/
Past members	}}

Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder (on record sleeves often only Giorgio) (born 26 April 1940, Ortisei, Italy) is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records. His work with synthesizers during the 1970s and 1980s had a significant influence on New Wave, house, techno and electronic music in general. Particularly well known for his work with Donna Summer during the era of disco (including "Love to Love You Baby" and "I Feel Love"), Moroder is the founder of the former Musicland Studios in Munich, which was used as a recording studio for artists including Electric Light Orchestra, Led Zeppelin, Queen and Elton John.

In addition to producing several hits with Donna Summer, Moroder also produced a number of electronic disco hits for The Three Degrees, two albums for Sparks, and a score of songs for a variety of others including David Bowie, Irene Cara, Madleen Kane, Melissa Manchester, Blondie, Japan, and France Joli.

Music career

Moroder made his first steps in music in Berlin, Germany by releasing a few singles under the name "Giorgio" beginning in 1966, singing in Italian (as ''George'', to explain his German accent), Spanish, English, and German. He came to prominence in 1969, when his recording "Looky Looky", released on Ariola Records, was awarded a gold disc in October 1970. Often collaborating with lyricist Pete Bellotte, Moroder had a number of hits in his own name including "Son of My Father" in 1972 before releasing the synthesizer-driven ''From Here to Eternity'', a notable chartbuster in 1977, and in the following year releasing "Chase", the theme from the film ''Midnight Express''. These songs achieved some chart success in the United Kingdom, the United States, and across Europe, and everywhere disco-mania was spreading. The full film score for ''Midnight Express'' won him his first Academy Award for best film score in 1978. In 1979, Moroder released his album ''E=MC²''. Text on the album's cover stated that it was the "first electronic live-to-digital album." He also released three albums between 1977-1979 under the name Munich Machine.

In 1984, Moroder worked with Philip Oakey of The Human League to make the album ''Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder''; which was a UK singles chart hit with "Together in Electric Dreams", title track to the 1984 film ''Electric Dreams''. In 1986, Moroder collaborated with his protégé Harold Faltermeyer (of "Axel F." fame) and lyricist Tom Whitlock to create the score for the film ''Top Gun'' (1986), with the most noteworthy hit being Berlin's "Take My Breath Away". "Chase" was also used as an entrance theme for wrestling's group The Midnight Express. In 1987, Moroder produced Falco's song "Body Next to Body".

In 1997, Moroder and Donna Summer won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for the song "Carry On".

On 20 September 2004 Moroder was honored at the Dance Music Hall of Fame ceremony, held in New York, when he was inducted for his many outstanding achievements and contributions as producer. In 2005, he was given the title of Commendatore by the then President of the Italian Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. On September 5, 2010 Moroder received the Great Order of Merit of the South Tyrol.

Film work

Moroder won three Academy Awards: Best Original Score for ''Midnight Express'' (1978); Best Song for "Flashdance...What a Feeling", from the film ''Flashdance'' (1983); and Best Song for "Take My Breath Away", from ''Top Gun'' (1986).

Moroder also won two of his three Grammy Awards for "Flashdance": Best Album Of Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or A Television Special and Best Instrumental Composition, for the track "Love Theme from Flashdance".

In 1984, Moroder compiled a new restoration and edit of the famous silent film ''Metropolis'' and provided a contemporary soundtrack to the film. This soundtrack includes seven pop music tracks from Pat Benatar, Jon Anderson, Adam Ant, Billy Squier, Loverboy, Bonnie Tyler and Freddie Mercury. He also integrated the old-fashioned intertitles into the film as subtitles as a means of improving continuity, and he also played the film at a rate of 24 frames per second. Since the original speed was unknown this choice was controversial. Known as the "Moroder version", it sparked debate among film buffs, with outspoken critics and supporters of the film falling into equal camps.

He also scored other popular films in the 1970s and 1980s including ''Midnight Express'', ''American Gigolo'', ''Flashdance'', ''The Never Ending Story'', ''Thief of Hearts'', ''Electric Dreams'', ''Cat People'', ''Over the Top'' and ''Scarface''.

In 2002, he wrote the score for Leni Riefenstahl's final film, ''Impressionen unter Wasser'', a marine documentary.

Video games

His score for "Scarface" has recently regained popularity due to its use in the popular video game ''Grand Theft Auto III'' (and ''Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories''). Moroder's "From Here to Eternity" and "Chase" were also used in the Sony PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2 game ''Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories''. "Together In Electric Dreams", a collaborative effort of Giorgio Moroder and Philip Oakey (of ''The Human League'') features in ''Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories''.

Sporting events and other media

Moroder wrote the official theme songs, "Reach Out", for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and "Hand in Hand", for the 1988 Seoul Olympics and "Un'estate italiana" for the 1990 Football World Cup. "The Chase" is now also used as the theme bumper-music for the US AM talk radio program ''Coast to Coast AM''. Ivory Tower was used for the starting grid line up on Grand Prix in the late 1980s to the early 1990s (a BBC television Formula one program ).

Other

In the late 1980s Moroder collaborated with Claudio Zampolli to create the Cizeta supercar. Moroder currently resides in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, with his wife Francesca and his son Alessandro, who was born in 1989.

Notable collaborations

Partial discography

! Year	! Title
1969	''That's Bubblegum - That's Giorgio''
1972	''Son of My Father''
1974	''Giorgio's Music''
1975	''Einzelgänger''
1976	''Knights in White Satin''
1977
	''Love's in You, Love's in Me''(Giorgio and Chris)
''Music From "Battlestar Galactica"And Other Original Compositions''
1980	''E=MC² (Giorgio Moroder album)''
1980
1982
1985	''Innovisions''
	''To Be Number One''
''The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter''(Joe Milner and Giorgio Moroder)
1992	''Forever Dancing''
1998	''Moroder and Moroder Art Show''(limited to 100 copies)

Sampling and other uses

"On Fire", the second single from rapper Lil Wayne's seventh studio album ''Rebirth''; contains allusions from Amy Holland's song "She's on Fire" and was inspired in its entirety by ''Scarface''.

"Push It", the second single from rapper Rick Ross' debut album ''Port of Miami''; samples "Scarface (Push It to the Limit)" and the story of the video has a very similar theme to the film ''Scarface''. It was produced by J. R. Rotem.

His song "Tears" was sampled and used as the basis of the DJ Shadow song "Organ Donor" on his 1996 album ''Endtroducing.....''. Canadian Hip Hop group Swollen Members sampled the song in "Fuel Injected" and "Meltdown". It also appears on the song "Tragedy" by RZA. The main melody and chord progression form the basis of "Marz" by folk musician John Grant and "Only Light" by Australian ska band The Cat Empire.

The Hip Hop-duo Mobb Deep used a sample from the song "Tony's Theme" in their song G.O.D. Pt. III.

His Song "E=MC2" was sampled and used for J. Dilla's song of the same title.

One of his early compositions, "Doo-Bee-Doo-Bee-Doo" from 1969, would be featured for many years in silent sketches on ''The Benny Hill Show'', as part of a medley that also included "Mah Nà Mah Nà", a 4/4 adaptation of Ludwig van Beethoven's "Für Elise", and "Gimme Dat Ding".

The theme from ''Midnight Express'' was sampled by hip-hop duo OutKast for their song "Return of the Gangsta", and by hip-hop producer J Dilla for "Phantom of the Synths", a beat later used by MF DOOM for "Gazzillion Ear" and by Jay Electronica for "Dimethyltryptamine".

Moroder's opening theme from the film Scarface is sampled by Nas and Mobb Deep for the track "It's Mine".

"Leopard Tree Dream" from "Cat People" is sampled by Cannibal Ox in the song "Iron Galaxy."

"The Legend Of Babel" theme From the "metropolis" soundtrack was covered By DJ Dado.

British electronica musician Little Boots covered "Love Kills", which was written in collaboration with Freddie Mercury.

"Future Lovers", a song from American recording artist Madonna's 2005 album ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'', has a bass line inspired by Donna Summer's Moroder-produced hit "I Feel Love". Furthermore, Madonna opened her 2006 Confessions Tour with a medley of "Future Lovers" and "I Feel Love".

For the "Chase" instrumental, see that article

Suns of Arqa's album "Technomor" includes the track "Moroder Vibe" which contains elements of "I Feel Love".

See also

List of number-one dance hits (United States)

List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

Cizeta Moroder V16 supercar project

References

External links

discog.info: Giorgio Moroder discography

Category:1940 births Category:Living people Category:People from Urtijëi Category:Best Song Academy Award winning songwriters Category:Best Original Music Score Academy Award winners Category:Disco musicians Category:Hi-NRG musicians Category:Italian film score composers Category:Italian record producers Category:Italian songwriters Category:Italian dance musicians Category:Grammy Award winners

ca:Giorgio Moroder de:Giorgio Moroder et:Giorgio Moroder es:Giorgio Moroder fr:Giorgio Moroder ko:조르조 모르더 is:Giorgio Moroder it:Giorgio Moroder lmo:Giorgio Moroder hu:Giorgio Moroder nl:Giorgio Moroder ja:ジョルジオ・モロダー no:Giorgio Moroder pl:Giorgio Moroder pt:Giorgio Moroder ru:Мородер, Джорджо sk:Giorgio Moroder fi:Giorgio Moroder sv:Giorgio Moroder uk:Джорджо Мородер zh:乔吉奥·莫罗德尔

name	Jacque Fresco
birth date	March 13, 1916
birth place	Brooklyn, New York
residence	Florida
occupation	Futurist, Social Engineer, Structural Engineer, Industrial Designer, Author, Lecturer
nationality	American
known for	The Venus Project, Resource-Based Economy, Sociocyberneering
notable works	''Looking Forward'' (1969), ''The Best That Money Can't Buy'' (2002)
influences	B. F. Skinner, Jacques Loeb, Alfred Korzybski, Buckminster Fuller, Thorstein Veblen, Stuart Chase, Edward Bellamy, H. G. Welles, Howard Scott, Norbert Wiener, Arthur Radebaugh }}

Jacque Fresco (born March 13, 1916), is a self-educated structural designer, philosopher of science, concept artist, educator, and futurist. His interests span a wide range of disciplines including several in philosophy, science, and engineering. Fresco writes and lectures extensively on his view of subjects ranging from the holistic design of sustainable cities, energy efficiency, natural resource management, cybernated technology, advanced automation, and the role of science in society, focusing on the benefits he claims this will bring. With his colleague, Roxanne Meadows, he is the founder and director of an organization known as The Venus Project, located in Venus, Florida.

In contemporary culture he has been popularized by three documentaries, ''Future By Design'', ''Zeitgeist Addendum'', and ''Zeitgeist: Moving Forward'', His Venus Project has been inspirational worldwide, especially to activists.

Early life

Youth

Born on March 13, 1916, Jacque Fresco grew up in the minority neighborhood of Bensonhurst in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Precocious as a child, Fresco's interests did not pertain to the topics presented to him at school. Unwilling, or unable, to conform with the setting of formal education, he sought a self-directed education throughout his later teen years. Fresco spent many days of his youth at the local library. For a short time, Fresco took an interest in attending the Young Communist League wherein he caused commotion. After brief discussion and disagreements with the League president, Fresco was physically removed. Thereafter, Fresco turned his attention to Technocracy. Fresco had long taken an interest in designing flying saucers and tried to interest the aircraft industry at a time when experimental construction was underway. Eventually, Fresco demonstrated such designs in the 1930s. After departing from Douglas due to safety design disagreements, he traveled to Hawaii in late 1939 where he then traveled to the South Sea Islands where he interacted with native islanders. Fresco claims that his visit to these islands effectively helped shape his understanding of cultural relativism and the flexibility of human values in alternate environments. In California, Fresco took various residence in Hermosa Beach and Los Angeles. where he would produce up to forty designs a day. Among Fresco's many designs, a design of a radical variable camber wing attempted to optimize wing thickness for lift and flight. It received a patent and was thereafter given to the Army Air Force. He was eventually discharged.

In the mid-1940s, Fresco began working with Earl Muntz and Michael Shore who employed Fresco to design a new low cost form of modernistic housing. Its design of light weight, high strength, and long lasting materials allowed for reduced production costs and streamlined production which increased its economic viability. The structure was first exhibited in 1947 at Stage 8 of the Warner Brothers Sunset boulevard. It would go on to attract over 20,000 visitors. The proceeds were donated to The Cancer Prevention Society to build part of a new hospital. For the next few years the Trend Home was to undergo mass production and was considered by the U.S. government as a possible solution for soldiers returning from World War II. near Hollywood, where he also lived, lectured, and taught technical design, meanwhile researching and working on inventions as a freelance inventor and scientific consultant. Fresco claims that many of his inventions were patented by his employers. During these years, Fresco had difficulty managing finances and would face auctioneers as they entered his lab to compensate for his lack of payments.

Also during Fresco's years in Los Angeles, he worked as model designer for science-fiction movies Fresco was noted for his high quality models and special effects despite the low budgets of the B-movie productions. His talents were recommended to Roger Corman for the film ''The Beast with a Million Eyes'', but Corman could not accommodate Fresco into the budget (of $23,000). Fresco also worked as technical adviser in the film industry, most notably for the 1956 Oscar nominated documentary ''The Naked Eye''. Eventually, in the mid-1950s, Fresco left California after his lab was commandeered to build the Golden State Freeway.

Midlife

Pursuing his affinity for the tropics, in 1955 Fresco moved to Miami, Florida, where he lived on a boat for a short time. He began practicing private therapy sessions, and at a time when the American Psychological Association was pressuring therapists lacking approved credentials to relinquish their practice, Fresco received criticism for his therapy service. In Miami, Fresco held public lectures throughout the late 1950s and 1960s. On the lecture circuit, Fresco sometimes utilized the title of "Dr." based on a doctorate of philosophy that he obtained from Sierra State University in California. It was not recognized as an accredited university by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. As a result, Fresco's degree came under scrutiny when he was practicing his therapy service. Fresco would eventually hold the doctorates degree only as an honorary title. Eventually, he disregarded the title entirely. Later, he acknowledged his lack of formal credentials as being a detriment in academic circles and has made it difficult for him to gain influence.

From the mid-1950s and throughout the 1960s, Fresco developed what he called "Project Americana." It was a ten year plan for American social change. His vision included a circular city and the application of full cyber-automation of city operations wherein machines direct other machines to operate. Such was Fresco's conception of a "thinking city" in "The Machine-Machine Age." The national plan also included methods for aiding struggling nations by erecting prefabricated factories that produce prefabricated products for building, and a new curriculum for schooling. In 1962, CBS approached Fresco about developing a series on his ideas after appearing on two successive episodes of ''On the Town'' with Fred Fischer.

Fresco spent much of his time in Miami trying to showcase his designs of a circular city and raise funds to get it built. He also designed a three-wheeled car that was to have only 32 moving parts, which he strove to fund as well. Fresco made much of his living working as an industrial designer for various companies such as Alcoa and the Major Realty Corporation and from draftsman inventions through Jacque Fresco Enterprises Inc.

In 1969, with Ken Keyes, a book was written about Fresco's ideas, entitled ''Looking Forward''. The first half of the book was dedicated to detailing some of the causes of many problems in humanity's thinking and behavior, the changes that humanity will have to make as it enters the future, and a description of three components which can be used to best correctly analyze the future: humanity's values, methods of thinking, and tools i.e. technological developments. All three are described as being interdependent much like a set of gears. The second half of the book was dedicated to a speculative look at the future revolving around the experiences of the fictional characters, Scott, and, Hella. It was one of the earliest publications to theorize the possible social implications of a central network knowledge bank (Corcen) used to bring about a "humanized man-machine symbiosis". Fresco and Keyes gave consideration for a wide range of technological and social possibilities resulting from the technologically governed societal design.

Sociocyberneering

Fresco's ideas for Project Americana continued to evolve and became what was known as Sociocyberneering Inc, a non-profit organization founded in 1971 for which Fresco was president. It was a non-political and non-sectarian membership organization having, at its peak, 250 members, many of whom became Fresco's pupils. Fresco frequently hosted educational lectures in Miami Beach and at his home in Coral Gables. His lecture topics pertained to society, social change, science, technology, engineering, architecture, religion, prudence, semantics, anthropology, psychology, systems theory, and education, among other topics. Aside from educating, Fresco worked with members of the organization to produce designs, films, and literature pertaining to the aims and goals of the organization.

The term "sociocyberneering" was defined as "the application of the most sophisticated forms of computer technology in the management of human affairs." The stated goal of Sociocyberneering was to apply "the most sophisticated forms of science and technology toward problem solving ... an approach at the restructuring of society in humanistic terms," and dedicated to finding practical solutions that could be rapidly applied to the many problems that faced society. The primary focus was to "investigate alternative solutions based in conservation of energy, international cooperation in all areas of social endeavor, and the assimilation of a systems approach for the design of cities." There was also heavy emphasis on the prospects of cybernated technology in the societies of human beings, arguing that, "the future of man and his cities does not depend on whether or not this or that design is preferred. It is determined by the forces of social and environmental evolution in which computerized approaches to human and environmental systems will ultimately emerge as the ultimate technique in all areas of the social sequences."

By this time Fresco had designed his circular city to be one mile in diameter with radially connected concentric rings "resembling the spokes of a wheel." Each ring was dedicated to a general function such as agriculture, recreation, housing, among others. At the nucleus center, in the dome, was a supercomputer that was intended to function as the centralized data management system for the automated processes throughout the city.

Throughout the 1970s Fresco worked to expand the organization and elevate its exposure to the general public by lecturing at universities and appearing on radio and television. Fresco became acquainted with Larry King when King's career was emerging out of Miami. King featured Fresco on his television show and radio show several times to discuss, with academics and local callers, the proposals of Sociocyberneering.

At the apex of the organization's membership, they began investing in 40 acres of land in Naples. The organization set out to construct an experimental community in which they would live and expand. They encountered a setback in 1978 when members feared that the Collier County zoning board would complicate implementation. The result was a partial dissolution of Sociocyberneering membership. The investment was abandoned and the land was resold. Fresco sold his home and new land was located in rural Venus. Upon an old tomato patch he established a research center for Sociocyberneering in 1980. With the help of remaining members, Fresco constructed buildings based on the designs of his futuristic renderings. After the move, Sociocyberneering became less popular as many members remained in Miami. Eventually, Sociocyberneering became much less active and through the 1980s Fresco dedicated his time to designing and studying alongside Roxanne Meadows who remained with Fresco as his colleague.

Later life

In 1994, Fresco rebooted Sociocyberneering Inc. under the new title The Venus Project. By this time, Fresco had accumulated a large quantity of designs and models that could represent a general outline of how his vision may look and operate, and were used to gain exposure for the organization through educational films and literature distributed to teachers and universities. Aside from their educational materials, Fresco and Meadows continued to support the project throughout the '90s through freelance structural designing, such as for Pratt and Whitney, industrial engineering, and conventional architectural modeling. In the process, some of Fresco's futuristic designs succeeded in inspiring some development companies. At one point, Fresco claimed that The Venus Project was under consideration for developing plans to build a theme park/experimental city in Turkey. A similar consideration occurred with Dubai. In 2002, Fresco published his main work ''The Best That Money Can't Buy''. In 2006, William Gazecki directed the semi-biographical film about Fresco, "Future by Design" in which Fresco was compared to the Renaissance polymath Leonardo Da Vinci. In 2008, Peter Joseph featured Fresco in the film ''Zeitgeist Addendum'' wherein his vision of the future was presented as a possible solution for the societal and environmental crisis expounded in the film. The reaction that followed was manifested by the development of The Zeitgeist Movement which actively professes Fresco's ideas and considers itself the "activist arm" of The Venus Project.

In 2010, Fresco attempted to trademark the phrase "Resource-Based Economy" in the midst of its popularization to preserve his definition of it. The phrase was reviewed and found to be too generic to qualify. The action to trademark Fresco's specific meaning was therefore blocked. Other small Internet organizations now profess a version of a resource-based economy based on Fresco's original conception.

Throughout 2010, Fresco traveled with Meadows on a world wide tour in response to the growing popularity of The Venus Project. On January 15, 2011, ''Zeitgeist: Moving Forward'' was released in theaters, again featuring Fresco and a more elaborate articulation of his vision as a possible solution for planetary dilemmas. and has initiated the funding of a major motion picture that may be made which will depict The Venus Project future.

The Venus Project

The Venus Project is an organization depicting, as well as professing, the culmination of Fresco's life work and serves as a foundation that represents his vision of a future without poverty, crime, war, corruption, or waste. It was founded in 1980 and took its name in 1994. It is located in central Florida near west Lake Okeechobee about fifty miles northeast of Fort Myers. On its 21.5-acre lot, there are ten buildings designed by Fresco, which showcase limited versions of Fresco's architectural designs. It is partly a research center for Fresco and Roxanne Meadows, and partly an educational center for supporters of the project. They produce videos and literature depicting and explaining the future vision and the goals to actualize it. Among these goals, the salient are to produce a major motion picture portraying the future world the project promotes; constructing a theme park with the intention of exhibiting technologies and the ideas of the Venus Project; and constructing an experimental city in an attempt to test Fresco's hypotheses. Its ultimate aim is to improve society by moving towards a global, sustainable, technological social design that is termed a "resource-based economy".

Personal life and family

Fresco was born to immigrants from Turkey, Isaac and Lena Fresco. His father was born in 1880 and around 1905 immigrated from Istanbul to New York where he worked as a horticulturalist. He died in 1963. Fresco's mother was born in 1887 in Jerusalem and also migrated to New York around 1904. She died in 1988. Fresco was brother to two siblings, a sister, Freda, and a brother, David. His brother was born in 1909. He was a draftsman, a private during World War II, and became a theater actor and a character actor in Hollywood. he resurrected his career in the 1960s eventually appearing in many films and television shows. He died in 1997.

Fresco had one marriage when he lived in Los Angeles, California and through his first couple years in Miami. He divorced in 1957. His wife, Patricia, gave birth to a son, Richard, in 1953 and a daughter, Bambi, in 1956. Richard was an army private and died in 1976. Bambi died of cancer in 2010.

Vision

Fresco's vision has formed as the culmination of many disciplines and schools of thought. The dominant features of it have been compared to earlier thinkers from as early as the nineteenth century. Titles such as ''The Paradise within the Reach of all Men without Labor by Powers of Nature and Machinery'', ''Emigration to the Tropical World for the Melioration of All Classes of People of All Nations'', and ''The New World or Mechanical System'' were written in the 1800s by John Adolphus Etzler who has been described as an early forerunner to Fresco's vision. Likewise, Ebenezer Howard and his book ''Garden Cities of Tomorrow'', as well as the Garden City Movement during the early 1900s has been described as another predecessor. Fresco's vision removes the mechanics of modern economics and his view toward modern economics has been compared to Thorstein Veblen's concept of "the predatory phase in human development." Other facets of Fresco's vision have been labeled a "tabula rasa approach."

Fresco himself cites several theorists and authors for contributing to his vision, such as Jacques Loeb, who established the ''Mechanistic Conception of Life''; Edward Bellamy, who wrote the extremely influential book, ''Looking Backward''; Thorstein Veblen, who influenced the Technocracy movement and Howard Scott, who popularized it; Alfred Korzybski, who originated General Semantics; H. G. Wells, and many others. Fresco has often been heard stating, "I have been able to achieve what I have achieved because I stood on the shoulders of giants," paraphrasing Einstein, (though the metaphore was first made famous by Isaac Newton, and stated by others before him).

Resource-based economy

Primary in Fresco's vision is the concept of a "resource-based economy." It incorporates sustainable cities and values, along with the goals of energy efficiency, natural resource management, and advanced automation, focusing on the benefits that it might bring to humanity as a whole.

According to Fresco, poverty, crime, corruption and war are the result of scarcity created by the present world's profit-based economic system. He theorizes that the profit motive also stifles the progress of socially beneficial technology, and instead he favors a system that fosters the purpose motive. Fresco claims that the progression of technology, if it were carried on independently of its profitability, would make more resources available to more people by producing an abundance of products and materials. This new-found abundance of resources would, according to Fresco, reduce the human tendency toward individualism, corruption, and greed, and instead rely on people helping each other.

A resource-based economy replaces the need for the current monetary economy, which is "scarcity-oriented" or "scarcity-based". Fresco argues that the world is rich in natural resources and energy and that — with modern technology and judicious efficiency — the needs of the global population can be met with abundance, while at the same time removing the current limitations of what is deemed possible due to notions of economic viability.

Reception

Critics and advocates of Fresco's vision are sharply divided. Throughout his life Fresco has been labeled a "dreamer," an "eccentric," an "utopian," an "idealist," a "crackpot," a "charlatan," etc., halfheartedly by some magazine and newspaper writers among others. Some feel that his vision is impractical, idealistic, and/or borderline science fiction. The books ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' or ''Brave New World'' are sometimes referenced in relation to The Venus Project. These attitudes continue today across some Web sites. Even further, some claims have labeled him a cult leader due to his figurehead status in The Zeitgeist Movement. Others accuse him of affiliations with conspirators of a New World Order. Fresco dismisses these accusations.

His hypothesis of a resource-based economy is sometimes equated with Marxism, socialism, communism or technocracy. Fresco responds to these comparisons by stating, "The aims of The Venus Project have no parallel in history, not with communism, socialism, fascism or any other political ideology. This is true because cybernation is of recent origin. With this system, the system of financial influence and control will no longer exist."

One writer notes, "it's also true that his system of governance, in which authority is given to the expert in each field — in this case, specially programmed computers — is one that many writers, including Nobel-prize-winner Friedrich Hayek, have shown to be disastrous."

Another writer reviewing one of Fresco's films writes,

''the more I listened to Fresco's specifics and fuzzy non-specifics it seemed to me I was encountering a God-like hubris coupled with the standard sci-fi dreamer's naivete vis á vis human nature. But just as I was jotting this last down in my notes, Fresco cautioned viewers — and it gave me the shivers, since he seemed to be responding directly to my written reservations — to remember that human nature is not synonymous with human behavior; the latter can be changed. Although Fresco's futurist scenario is — in my humble opinion — rife with problems, it's not every day that somebody comes along ambitious enough to offer a blueprint for re-designing the world.''

Other criticisms have implied a scientistic approach due to Fresco's heavy emphasis on science alone to overcome humanity's obstacles,

''His vision is eminently practical, and although this constitutes an innovative and welcome element with reference to previous utopian projections, his focus on science alone makes him fail as a generalist – the criticism Fresco himself passed on academics and scientists. Today's pressing problems require a holistic approach – various disciplines, arts science, philosophy working on a "convergence mode", unfortunately Fresco's vision seems to consolidate the long established view that the "two cultures" (Science and Art) are antagonistic.''

Focusing on accusations of utopianism, a writer from the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies remarks, "For most people, the promise of the project sounds like an unattainable utopia, but if you examine it more closely, there are surprisingly many scientifically founded arguments that open up an entire new world of possibilities." Another writer for CIFS points out,

''Perhaps the modern interpretation of the word "utopia" is to blame when the Renaissance man and futurist Jacque Fresco says ... he doesn't want to call his life work, The Venus Project, a utopia. However, this visionary idea of a future society has many characteristics in common with the utopia. ... the word utopia carries a double meaning, since in Greek it can mean both the good place (eutopia) and the nonexisting place (outopia). A good place is precisely what Fresco has devoted his life to describing and fighting for."''

In response to association with utopianism, Fresco has stated, "We do not believe in the erroneous notion of a utopian society. There is no such thing. Societies are always in a state of transition. We propose an alternative direction, which addresses the causes of many of our problems. There are no final frontiers for human and technological achievement." One writer suggests instead that "The Venus project is no static utopia, rather a dynamic one: it requires an incremental process driven by an ever-changing extropic ideal."

Art historian Hans-Ulrich Obrist notes, "Fresco's future may, of course, seem outmoded and his writings have been subject to critique for their fascistic undertones of order and similitude, but his contributions are etched in the popular psyche and his eco-friendly concepts continue to influence our present generation of progressive architects, city planners and designers."

When asked by a reporter why he has such difficulty actualizing his many ideas, Fresco responded, "Because I can't get to anybody. I have no credentials." Nevertheless, positive attitudes toward Fresco regard him as "a genius, a prophet, and a visionary." General praise appears among futurists, especially the World Future Society who have considered him a visionary engineer in review of his work in the ''Futurist'', commenting, "Whether the future Fresco envisions is probable or even possible is open to debate, but he succeeds in conveying the power of thinking of the future on a grander scale than we're used to." Fresco's work has been compared to the work of Paolo Soleri and especially Buckminster Fuller for all attempting to actualize their vision against great odds, as well as Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, and Da Vinci for sharing affluence in prolific innovation. The elaborate scope of Fresco's designs intrigued Forest Ackerman and Arthur C. Clarke who, late in his life, briefly tried to help Fresco get exposure for The Venus Project. Synergetics theorist Norman Arthur Coulter appreciated Fresco's vision for his attempt to accomplish it "not for profit, but to meet the needs of human beings." Author, Harold Cober, comments, "Once you've seen the man's ideas and buildings, you can't let go of it." Bruce Eisner mentions that the Venus Project shares similar aims as his Island Sanctuary Project. Commenting on what he sees as Fresco's inspirational and charismatic teaching methods, physicist, Paul G. Hewitt, cites Fresco as being one of the three major sources of inspiration, turning him away from work as a sign painter and toward a career in science.

Psychologist and scientist, Jack Catran, notes,

''Contemplate the staggering realistic views of the future published by Jacque Fresco ... There are many futurists, "geniuses", and self-styled seers in our midst who, upon careful examination, turn out to be disappointingly commercial and exploitive. Most extrapolations into the future are made from fixed and narrow points of view. We are all products of today's mediocrity-breeding culture, but if anyone can be called a genius in our money system society, Jacque Fresco should be singled out as the broadest, most aware, individual of our time.''

At Drexel University, sociologist and futurist, Arthur B. Shostak, often incorporated Fresco's ideas into his writing and teaching, stating,

''His contribution to futuristics is singular, as few, if any around the globe, dare the sweep, the depth, and the drama of his vision. When he writes or speaks, futurists grow quiet, pensive, and finally, appreciative — as his work is sound in its call for a thorough examination of the assumptions under which we labor. While little of his vision may materialize in the lifetime of us all, our grandchildren may yet salute much of what Jacque first helped them set in motion.''

In 2008 the Raelian Movement gave Fresco their Honorary Guide award for dedicating "his life to the betterment of humanity as a whole." In 2010, it was announced that Fresco has been selected to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Exemplar-Zero Initiative in the summer of 2011.

Works

Books

Articles

''Modern Food Production''

''Designing the Future: A Cybernetic City For the Next Century'' in ''The Futurist''. Vol. 28, No. 3. pp. 29–33. (May/June 1994).

''The Future and Beyond'' The Venus Project, Inc. (2000)

with Meadows, Roxanne. ''Beyond Utopia'' in ''Utopian Thinking in Sociology: Creating the Good Society.'' pp. 86–92 edited by Arthur B. Shostak. American Sociological Association. (2001). OCLC 49561995.

with Meadows, Roxanne. ''The Future by Design: Beyond Money and Politics'' in ''Viable Utopian Ideas: Shaping a Better World.'' pp. 197–205 edited by Arthur B. Shostak. London/Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe. (2003). ISBN 0765611058. OCLC 473852611.

with Meadows, Roxanne. ''Reinventing Iraq'' in ''In the Shadow of War.'' pp. 147–154 edited by Arthur B. Shostak. Philadelphia, PA: Chelsea House. (2004). ISBN 9781438124681. OCLC 646806392.

Films

''The Venus Project: The Redesign of a Culture'' (1994)

''Welcome to the Future'' (1998)

''Cities in the Sea'' (2002)

''Self-erecting Structures'' (2002)

''Designing the Future'' (2006)

References

Durrani, Noni. (2007). ''The Future: Jacque Fresco On The Future'', ''Forbes''

Gia Films. (2010). ''Frequency of Genius'', Gia Film Productions

Gazecki, William. (2006) ''Future By Design'', Docflix

Hoving, K. (2002). ''Engineering the Impossible'', Discovery Channel

Joseph, Peter. (2008). ''Zeitgeist Addendum'', Gentle Machine Productions

Joseph, Peter. (2011). ''Zeitgeist: Moving Forward'', Gentle Machine Productions

Maja Borg, M. (2011). ''Future For Sale'', Sonja Henrici, SDI Productions Ltd.

Wachtmeister, J. (2007). ''Great Expectations: A Journey through the History of Visionary Architecture'', Solaris Filmproduktion

External links

www.thevenusproject.com — The Venus Project

www.youtube.com/user/thevenusprojectmedia — The Venus Project YouTube channel

Category:1916 births Category:American social sciences writers Category:Futurologists Category:Living people Category:People from Florida Category:Critics of work and the work ethic

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