School of Rock, also called The School of Rock, is a 2003 American musical comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, written by Mike White, and starring Jack Black. The main plot follows rock singer and guitarist, Dewey Finn (portrayed by Black), who is unanimously kicked out of his band and subsequently disguises himself as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school and forms a band of fifth-grade students to win the upcoming Battle of the Bands so he can pay his rent for his apartment.

Plot[link]

Dewey Finn (Jack Black) is a rock singer and guitarist who is unanimously kicked out of his fictional band No Vacancy by his bandmates because of his arrogance and frequent hyperactive stage antics and is replaced by another guitarist named Spider (Lucas Babin). His submissive roommate and lifelong friend Ned Schneebly (writer Mike White), a substitute teacher, is pressured by his girlfriend Patty Di Marco (Sarah Silverman) to evict Dewey unless he "gets a real job" and pay off his growing rent debt, which he only promises to do out of sympathy for Ned because of his fear of never getting another girlfriend. Dewey feels forced to give up his passion until he receives a phone call intended for Ned from Rosalie Mullins (Joan Cusack), principal of Horace Green, a prestigious prep school in Woodbury, New York ^{[disambiguation needed ]}, asking Ned to fill in for a teacher who broke her leg. Desperate for income to avoid getting evicted, Dewey pretends to be Ned and takes the job as a substitute teacher for the fifth-grade class.

Dewey has no real idea how to carry out his role as a teacher, and instead simply gives his students constant free time. He requests that they simply call him "Mr. S." after attempting to write Ned's name on the board but being unable to spell "Schneebly". However, when Dewey overhears his pupils playing in music class, he realizes that the children of his class are musically talented. He decides to turn his temporary job into what he tells them is a "special class project", but is actually a personal one: to turn a classroom full of kids into a rock band and crew, which will serve as a vehicle to stardom, ultimately to win the upcoming Battle of the Bands, where he is out to avenge his eviction from his old band and win the $20,000 prize. He says that the project will test "your head and your mind and your brain." After realizing that the kids are mostly interested in pop and hip hop music, Dewey turns the school days into lessons of rock history and music playing, exposing his students to those artists he regards as rock legends. Many rock legends are featured in classic photos and footage during a montage scene, including Led Zeppelin, The Ramones, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Iggy Pop, The Who, Rush, The Clash, Nirvana, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, and Yes.

Dewey narrowly escapes detection when Ms. Mullins decides to attend one of his class's lessons to check on their progress, forcing him to actually teach the official course material. Dewey attempts to revive any old love for rock he finds in her, having found out that she likes Stevie Nicks and playing her song "Edge of Seventeen" on a jukebox while visiting a bar. The two develop a close friendship after this. Meanwhile, the class audition for the Battle of the Bands, which Dewey told them was their "school project". They are turned back because they show up too late. With the help of class factotum ^{[disambiguation needed ]} and band manager Summer Hathaway (Miranda Cosgrove), Dewey persuades the Battle's managers by lying that the students are all terminally ill with "stick-it-to-da-man-ni-osis", a fictional rare blood disease, and out of compassion, they allow the students to perform in the Battle of the Bands. However, later that day, Dewey is exposed when Ned receives a paycheck from Horace Green in the mail, even though he has never actually worked there. During the parent-teacher night later on, Dewey meets the students' parents, who initially seem very suspicious of his ability to teach their children. Dewey succeeds in convincing them that he is a competent teacher, but Ned appears with the police and confronts Dewey (due almost entirely to his girlfriend's persuasion). His real identity is revealed, and he is sacked. Considering himself a failure, he falls into depression, and Ned sadly informs him that it may be time he moved out. The next day, at Horace Green, the class decide that, even if Dewey and the project was fake, they have still put too much work in to not do the final show at Battle of the Bands, and so leave for the concert, stopping on the way to persuade Dewey to join them. Realizing what has happened, Ned finally stands up to his girlfriend and leaves her to watch the concert.

At the competition, the band plays "School of Rock", a song written by their lead guitarist Zack Mooneyham (Joey Gaydos), instead of Dewey's "The Legend of The Rent". Despite the strong reception from the audience (including Ms. Mullins and the students' parents, who thought Dewey abducted the kids), the class loses to Dewey's ex-band No Vacancy, but accept their defeat due to Dewey saying that they were not here to win and that they were going to play "one great show". The audience, however, becomes angered by No Vacancy's victory and call for School of Rock to come back on stage. The band goes for an encore, playing a cover of "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" by AC/DC with an altered ending. During the closing credits, Summer is seen arguing a deal over her cell phone as she enters the "School of Rock", a newly opened after-school program where Dewey continues to coach the class and Ned teaches beginning music students, and the credits roll as the class, breaking the fourth wall, sings "The movie is over, but we're still on screen".

Cast[link]

• Dewey Finn (Jack Black) - Dewey is a down-on-his-luck, energetic, 30-year-old, wannabe rock superstar and the protagonist.
• Rosalie "Roz" Mullins (Joan Cusack) - The very uptight principal of Horace Green Elementary. She is always conservatively dressed.
• Ned Schneebly (Mike White) - Ned is Dewey's roommate and best friend. He is described as a pushover by his girlfriend, Patty.
• Patty Di Marco (Sarah Silverman) - Ned's mean girlfriend and the main antagonist. Patty works for the mayor. She hates rock music and basically controls what Ned does, ensuring that he does not go back to being a rock fanatic. She makes no secret of her hatred for Dewey, constantly berating him for his lack of a proper job and inability to pay rent.
• Zack Mooneyham (Joey Gaydos Jr.) - The talented but shy lead guitarist of the School of Rock. His overbearing father has a large and domineering influence on him. Dewey's nickname for him is "Zack-Attack".
• Summer Hathaway (Miranda Cosgrove) - The class factotum ^{[disambiguation needed ]} and band manager, Summer is determined to please and succeed, even if it means using somewhat unethical means. Dewey's nickname for her is "Tinker Bell".
• Freddy Jones (Kevin Clark) - The punk rock, delinquent drummer of the School of Rock. He evidently has made a hobby out of pyromania. Dewey's nickname for him is "Spazzy McGee".
• Katie (Rebecca Brown) - Originally a cellist, Katie takes up the bass guitar. She is portrayed as a quiet girl, but eagerly takes interest in rock music. In the commentary, it is revealed during the credits she was supposed to have a solo, but it was cut out. Dewey's nickname for her is "Posh Spice".
• Lawrence (Robert Tsai) - A quiet, awkward "boffin" who becomes the keyboardist for the band. Dewey's nickname for him is "Mr. Cool".
• Tomika (Maryam Hassan) – An insecure girl who is originally a roadie nicknamed "Turkey Sub" but after discovering her amazing voice, is nicknamed "Songbird" and sings back up.
• Marta (Caitlin Hale) - Marta is another back-up singer, seemingly more lively than other classmates, showing off her voice with "Tomorrow" from the musical Annie. Dewey's nickname for her is "Blondie".
• Alicia (Aleisha Allen) - Alicia volunteers her singing voice to become a back-up singer, "auditioning" with Amazing Grace. Dewey's nickname for her is "Brace Face".
• Billy (Brian Falduto)- Originally assigned security, the effeminate Billy requests he be band stylist instead. Dewey's nickname for him is "Fancy Pants".
• Gordon (Zachary Infante) - Gordon is a roadie and is noted for his exceptional computer skills. He tends to get stressed easily when his plans do not work out, but Dewey inspires confidence in him. Nicknamed "Roadrunner".
• Marco (James Hosey) - A red-head who is also a roadie with Gordon. Nicknamed "Carrot Top".
• Frankie (Angelo Massagli) - At the beginning of the film, he is good friends with Freddy, and the one who interacts/jokes with him the most. He works on security. Nicknamed "Tough Guy".
• Leonard (Cole Hawkins) - He works on security along with Frankie. Nicknamed "Short Stop".
• Eleni and Michelle (Veronica Afflerbach and Jordan-Claire Green respectively) - Designated the groupies by Dewey.
• Theo (Adam Pascal) - Theo is the leader of Dewey's old band No Vacancy.
• Spider (Lucas Babin) - Spider is the guitarist who replaces Dewey in No Vacancy.
• Neil (Lucas Papaelias) - Neil is the bass guitarist of No Vacancy.

Production[link]

A stage dive gone wrong incident involving Ian Astbury of rock band The Cult was witnessed by Jack Black, and was used as inspiration for a scene in School of Rock, in which the character Dewey Finn, stage dives and hits the floor; "I went to see a reunion, in Los Angeles, of The Cult; they were playing and Ian Astbury, the lead singer, took a dive. It was at The Viper Room, and it was just a bunch of jaded Los Angelinos out there, and they didn't catch him and he plummeted straight to the ground. Later I thought it was so hilarious. So that was put into the script".^[2]

Many scenes from the movie were shot around the New York City area. The school portrayed in School of Rock is actually Main Hall at Wagner College in Staten Island, New York.^[3] In the commentary, the kids say that every hallway scene in the movie was shot in the exact same hallway. The tag lines are references to famous rock songs: "We Don't Need No Education" is a famous line from "Another Brick in the Wall, Part II" by Pink Floyd and "Come On Feel the Noize" is taken from "Cum On Feel the Noize" by Slade.

Music[link]

Soundtrack[link]

A soundtrack album of the same name was released on September 30, 2003. The film's director, Richard Linklater, scouted the country for talented 13-year-old musicians to play the rock-and-roll music that features on the soundtrack and in the film.

The soundtrack includes "Immigrant Song" by Led Zeppelin, a band that historically has not allowed their songs to be used for commercial purposes, and rarely give permission for anyone to use their songs, the only exception being filmmaker Cameron Crowe, who was the only person to write about them favorably while he was a writer for Rolling Stone magazine. To get permission, Richard Linklater came up with the idea to shoot a video on the stage used at the end of the film, with Jack Black begging the band for permission and the crowd cheering and chanting behind him. The video was sent directly to Led Zeppelin, and permission was granted for the song. The video can be seen on the DVD extras.^{[citation needed]}

Music featured within the film[link]

* Featured on the Soundtrack album

Reception[link]

School of Rock was met with high critical acclaim and Black's performance was praised by most of the critics. It received a "Certified Fresh" rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 186 reviews with an average rating of 7.7/10, and it fared even better with their selected top critics; out of 36 reviews, all but one were positive, which left the film with a rating of 97% with an average rating of 8.2/10. On Metacritic, the film has a rating of 82 out of 100 which indicates "universal acclaim".

Box office performance[link]

The movie was a financial success. It grossed $131,282,949 worldwide, almost four times its budget of $35 million.

Awards and nominations[link]

The film was nominated for several awards, including Black receiving Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor - Comedy or Musical (which he lost to Bill Murray for Lost in Translation), and winning an MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance.

Sequel[link]

On May 23, 2008, Jack Black revealed a sequel was in the works: "I'd really like to do it, the last one was great. We are seriously thinking about it; there's already a script. In a few weeks we have to decide if we go through with the project or not."^[4]

Variety reported on July 13, 2008 that Richard Linklater is attached to direct again, and Scott Rudin is returning as producer.^[5] Mike White, who penned the first, is writing the screenplay, titled "School of Rock 2: America Rocks," which picks up with Finn leading a group of summer school students on a cross-country field trip that delves into the history of rock 'n' roll and explores the roots of blues, rap, country and other genres.^[6]

School of Rock 2: America Rocks was confirmed by Paramount on July 14, 2008.^[7] However, on September 5, 2008, director Richard Linklater said the film "might not" happen at all and that Paramount just jumped the gun on the news.^[8]

On June 16, 2009, while promoting his new film Year One, Black commented on the development of the film, saying, "Yeah, there's development. We'll see. I don't know. I'm a little hesitant about doing a sequel. I had fun doing the first one, just don't want to do something because it's there. I want to do it because it's going to be really funny or better than the first one."^[9]

Bands mentioned[link]

• Mötorhead
• Rush
• Led Zeppelin
• Black Sabbath
• AC/DC

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• School of Rock at AllRovi
• School of Rock at the Internet Movie Database
• School of Rock at Rotten Tomatoes
• School of Rock at Box Office Mojo

Jack Black
Jack Black, Los Angeles, California on October 4, 2011
Background information
Also known as	Jables, JB
Born	(1969-08-28) August 28, 1969 (age 42)[1] Santa Monica, California, United States
Genres	Rock, comedy rock, heavy metal, hard rock, acoustic rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, actor, comedian
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, percussion, keyboard
Years active	1982–present
Labels	Epic, Sony BMG
Associated acts	Tenacious D, Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, Probot, Foo Fighters, Meat Loaf, Ronnie James Dio
Website	www.tenaciousd.com

Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black (born August 28, 1969)^[1] is an American comedian, actor and musician. He makes up one half of the comedy and satirical rock duo Tenacious D. The group has three albums as well as a television series and a film. His acting career is extensive, starring primarily as bumbling, cocky, but internally self-conscious outsiders in comedy films. He was a member of the Frat Pack, a group of comedians who have appeared together in several Hollywood films, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe award. He has also won an MTV Movie Award, and a Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award as well as hosting the 2006, 2008, and 2011 Kids Choice Awards.

Early life[link]

Black was born in Santa Monica, California, the son of two satellite engineers, Judith (née Cohen), who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope, and Thomas William Black.^[2][3] His mother is Jewish and his father converted to Judaism (Black attended Hebrew school).^[4][5] On The Tonight Show, he said his surname may have come from the occupational name Blacksmith.^[6] Black's parents divorced when he was 10; Black moved to Culver City with his father and frequently visited his mother’s home. As a child, Black appeared in a commercial for the Activision game Pitfall! in 1982,^[7] which was later shown during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live and again on The Tonight Show with Conan O' Brien. When Black entered high school, his parents enrolled him at the Poseidon School, a private secondary school engineered specifically for students struggling in the traditional school system.^[8] Black also attended the Crossroads School, where he excelled in drama. He later attended UCLA but dropped out during his sophomore year to pursue a career in entertainment, at which point his father discontinued his financial support.^{[citation needed]} Fellow UCLA alumnus Tim Robbins later cast Black in Bob Roberts. He also had recurring roles on the HBO sketch comedy series Mr. Show.

Career[link]

Acting career[link]

Black's acting career began with prime time television. He played roles on shows including Life Goes On, Northern Exposure, Mr. Show, Picket Fences, and The X-Files. Black appeared in the unaired TV pilot Heat Vision and Jack, directed by Ben Stiller, in which he played an ex-astronaut pursued by actor Ron Silver. He was accompanied by his friend who had merged with a motorcycle, voiced by Owen Wilson.

Black later took on small roles in Airborne, Demolition Man, Waterworld, The Fan, Mars Attacks!, Tim Robbins' Dead Man Walking, and others. He had a small role in True Romance as a security guard, but the scene was deleted. In 2000, he appeared in High Fidelity as a wild employee in John Cusack's record store, a role Black considers his breakout.^{[citation needed]}

His career soon led to leading roles in films such as Shallow Hal, Nacho Libre, Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, Year One and Gulliver's Travels. He received particular praise for his starring role in the well-received School of Rock, earning critical acclaim and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor – Musical Or Comedy.^[9] In a rare move, he starred in a dramatic role as the obsessed filmmaker Carl Denham in Peter Jackson's 2005 remake of King Kong, a performance he based on Orson Welles. He voiced the title role in Kung Fu Panda, which grossed $20.3 million on its opening day, June 6, 2008, and Kung Fu Panda 2; it is a role he considers his favorite, with a performance enhanced with the tutoring of co-star and two time Academy Award winner, Dustin Hoffman. On September 13, 2009 before nominees for best rock video at MTV Video Music Awards Black led the audience in a Satanic prayer in which he told the audience to throw up their horns.^[10] His next film, The Big Year, a competitive birdwatching comedy co-starring Owen Wilson, Steve Martin, and JoBeth Williams, was released in October 2011. He is referred to in the media as a member of the Frat Pack,^{[citation needed]} a group of comedy actors who frequently work together, which also includes Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, and Steve Carell.

He guest-starred on The Office along with Cloris Leachman, Jessica Alba, and Steve Carell in a movie within the show. He also guest-starred in iCarly, in the episode iStart a Fan War.

Black has appeared numerous times on the "untelevised TV network" short film festival Channel101, created by Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab, starring in the shows Computerman, Timebelt, and Laserfart. He also provided an introduction for the unaired sketch comedy Awesometown, donning a Colonial-era military uniform. In the introduction, he claims to be George Washington (and takes credit for the accomplishments of other American Presidents such as Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln). Black also guest starred in the Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" show Tom Goes to the Mayor, as a bear-trap store owner. Black also guest-starred on Dan Harmon's show Community.

Black hosted the 2006 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards on April 1, 2006 and hosted it again March 29, 2008, and April 2, 2011. He also appeared on the MTV video music awards on August 31, 2006. Black has made five appearances on Saturday Night Live: three times as a host, once as a musical guest (with Kyle Gass as Tenacious D), and another appearance with Tenacious D, not as a host or musical guest. He produced and appeared on VH1's Internet video show Acceptable.TV.^[11]

Black voice acted for The Simpsons episode "Husbands and Knives", which aired November 18, 2007, voicing the friendly owner of the rival comic book store, Milo. Black took part in the Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? celebrity edition along with Denis Leary, Jimmy Kimmel and others and was handed the prize of US$125,000 in October 2001.^[12] On December 14, Jack Black hosted the 2008 Spike Video Game Awards. He provided the voice of the main character, roadie Eddie Riggs, in the heavy metal-themed action-adventure video game, Brütal Legend. In 2009, at the Spike Video Game Awards, he earned the Best Voice award for the voice of Eddie Riggs in Brütal Legend. In April 2009, Black also starred in an episode of the children's show "Yo Gabba Gabba!" on Nick Jr. vocalized funny kid songs such as "It's Not Fun to Get Lost", "Friends" and "The Goodbye Song". He was also voiced as Po on Kung Fu Panda.

Music career[link]

Jack Black with Kyle Gass of Tenacious D.

Black, also known as JB or Jables, is the lead singer for the rock comedy band Tenacious D. Along with Kyle Gass, they have released three albums, a self-titled debut, the follow-up, The Pick of Destiny, and Rize of the Fenix. One of their songs "The Metal", from their album "The Pick of Destiny" was used in the music video games "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" and "Brütal Legend". "Rock Your Socks" from the album "Tenacious D" was played in the music videogame "Rock Band Unplugged", and "Master Exploder" from "The Pick Of Destiny" went on to be used in music video games "Guitar Hero Van Halen" and "Rock Band 2", along with their song "Tribute" from "Tenacious D". "Master Exploder" and "The Metal" featured in the film Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny. The film, directed by Tenacious D veteran Liam Lynch, features recurring characters such as Lee the superfan and Sasquatch. Tim Robbins cameos as does Dave Grohl and Satan. Ben Stiller also makes an appearance as a worker at Guitar Center, and also another appearance in the music video for "Tribute".

Tenacious D helped the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation^[13] to raise awareness and funds in San Diego on June 16, 2007. Tenacious D can be seen performing in the Pauly Shore film Bio-Dome where the duo is performing its song "The Five Needs" at a "Save the Environment" party. Black was also a guest star on an episode of The Ellen Degeneres Show entitled "Ellen the Musical", alongside Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth and teenage singer-actress Olivia Olson. On the show, besides singing, he discussed his then-upcoming film Nacho Libre with the host.

Black has also appeared on Dave Grohl's Probot album, providing vocals for the hidden song "I Am The Warlock", and Lynch's Fake Songs album, providing vocals for the song "Rock and Roll Whore". Black performed a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" in the last sequence of High Fidelity. He lent his musical abilities to the Queens of the Stone Age song "Burn the Witch" with rhythmic stomps and claps, some performed with his eyes closed. He also provided vocals for The Lonely Island's track "Sax Man" from the album Incredibad.

Black has also recorded a duet on Meat Loaf's new CD Hang Cool Teddy Bear. The song is called Like a Rose. Meat Loaf has also played Black's father in the Pick of Destiny movie. Hang Cool Teddy Bear also features Hugh Laurie, Kara Dioguardi, Brian May, Steve Vai & Patti Russo, produced by Rob Cavallo.

Black performing in 2006

Black has appeared in music videos of Beck "Sexx Laws"; Foo Fighters "Learn To Fly", "Low", and "The One"; The Eagles of Death Metal's "I Want You So Hard (Boy's Bad News)"; Sum 41's "Things I Want"; Dio's "Push"; and Weezer's "Photograph." In October 2010, Tenacious D appeared at BlizzCon 2010, a convention hosted by the game designers, Blizzard Entertainment.

Personal life[link]

In January 2006, Black became engaged to Tanya Haden. She is the daughter of the jazz double bassist Charlie Haden, and sister of violinist and singer Petra Haden. Haden herself is an accomplished cellist. Both attended Crossroads school and met again 15 years after graduating, at a friend's birthday party. Black proposed marriage around Christmas 2005. They married on March 14, 2006, in Big Sur, California.^[14] Their son, Samuel Jason "Sammy" Black, was born on June 10, 2006, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.^[15] On May 23, 2008, Black and his wife had their second son, Thomas David Black.^[16] Black is an atheist, but is still considering sending his children to a Jewish school.^[17][18]

Filmography[link]

Television work[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jack Black

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Jack Black

• Jack Black at the Internet Movie Database
• Jack Black at AllRovi
• Jack Black collected news and commentary at The Guardian
• Margot at the Wedding
• Suicide Girls interview
• Jack Black in King Kong
• The Tao of Jack Black, Steve Ramos, Cincinnati CityBeat, October 8, 2003

This article is an orphan, as few or no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; suggestions may be available. (February 2009)

C.J. Tywoniak (born February 20, 1990 in San Mateo, California) is an electric guitarist and Paul Green's most accomplished student.^[1] He stood out in the rock music documentary film Rock School as a guitarist who can play better than most of the guitarists seen on "Saturday Night Live."^[2] As a 12-year old in the movie that was filmed in 2002-3 and produced in 2005, he played riffs from Carlos Santana, Frank Zappa and The Kinks.^[3] He has studied with Joe Stump and has played with Jon Anderson, Adrian Belew, Ike Willis, John Wetton, Max Johnson, Brad Roberts, Peter Frampton, Alice Cooper and Eddie Vedder.^[4] He has received a scholarship offer from the Berklee College of Music and was accepted at the University of Miami.^[4] As as result of the movie he was invited to perform on MTV's Total Request Live.^[4] Roger Ebert suggests he could have been destined for the Juilliard School.^[2] He is currently^[when?] attending the University of Miami and teaching at the Paul Green's School of Rock in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, in his free time.^{[citation needed]}

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Official Website

This article on a United States rock guitarist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Fiona Apple
Apple performing in Seattle in 2006
Background information
Birth name	Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart
Born	(1977-09-13) September 13, 1977 (age 34) Manhattan, New York, United States
Origin	New York City, New York
Genres	Piano rock, baroque pop, alternative rock, experimental rock, jazz
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments	Vocals, piano, optigan
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Epic
Website	Fiona-Apple.com

Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Apple met international acclaim for her 1996 debut album, Tidal, which was a critical and commercial success. At the age of nineteen she received a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for the single "Criminal" from that album in 1998.

After Tidal, Apple released the critically acclaimed, though less commercially successful albums, When the Pawn... (1999) and Extraordinary Machine (2005). A perceived shelving of Extraordinary Machine was met with vocal protests from her fans, who campaigned against her record label in 2005. Apple's musical style contains elements of jazz and alternative rock.

Early life and family[link]

Born in New York City, Apple is the daughter of singer Diane McAfee and actor Brandon Maggart. Her older sister, Amber, sings cabaret under the stage name Maude Maggart. Her half brother Spencer is a director and directed the video for her single "Parting Gift." Her half brother Garett Maggart starred in the TV series The Sentinel. In addition, her maternal grandparents were Millicent Green, a dancer with the George White's Scandals, a series of 1920s musical revues similar to the Ziegfeld Follies, and Johnny McAfee, a multireedist and vocalist of the big band era; her grandparents met while touring with Johnny Hamp and his orchestra. Apple was raped at the age of twelve, a trauma she would later allude to in songs such as "Sullen Girl."^[1][2]

Career[link]

[edit] 1994–1998: Career beginnings and Tidal

Apple was introduced to the music industry in 1994, when she gave a demo tape containing the songs "Never Is a Promise," "Not One of Those Times," and "He Takes a Taxi" to her friend who was the babysitter of music publicist Kathryn Schenker.^[1] Schenker then passed the tape along to Sony Music executive Andy Slater.^[3] Apple's contralto voice, piano skills and lyrics captured his attention, and Slater signed her to a record deal.^[4][5]

In 1996, Apple's debut album, Tidal, was released by Work. The album sold 2.7 million copies and was certified three times platinum in the U.S.^[6][7] "Criminal," the third single, became a hit and the song reached the top forty on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song's controversial Mark Romanek-directed music video — in which a scantily clad Apple appeared in a 1970s-era tract house — played on MTV. Apple later said: "I decided if I was going to be exploited, then I would do the exploiting myself."^[8] Other singles from Tidal included "Shadowboxer," "Sleep to Dream," and "Never Is a Promise." In 1997, while accepting MTV Video Music Award for "Best New Artist" for her song Sleep to Dream, Apple said: "This world is bullshit, and you shouldn't model your life on what we think is cool, and what we're wearing and what we're saying."^[9] The New Yorker and NYRock characterized her MTV award show speech as ungrateful and "ridiculous."^[1][4] Apple was unapologetic. "I just had something on my mind and I just said it. And that's really the foreshadowing of my entire career and my entire life. When I have something to say, I'll say it," she said, responding to these criticisms in an article in Rolling Stone in January, 1998.^[10]

During this period, Apple also made recordings of The Beatles' "Across the Universe" and Percy Mayfield's "Please Send Me Someone to Love" for the soundtrack of the film Pleasantville. She later canceled the last twenty-one dates on a tour in support of her album due to "personal family problems."^[11]

[edit] 1999–2002: When the Pawn... and hiatus

Apple's second album, When the Pawn..., was released in 1999. Its full title is a poem Apple wrote after reading letters that appeared in Spin regarding an article that had cast her in a negative light in an earlier issue.^[12] The title's length earned it a spot in the Guinness Book of Records for 2001. However, as of October, 2007, it is no longer the longest album title, as Soulwax released Most of the Remixes, a remix album whose title surpasses When the Pawn’s length by 100 characters.^[13] When the Pawn was cultivated during Apple's relationship with film director Paul Thomas Anderson. When the Pawn, which was produced by Jon Brion, used more expressive lyrics, experimented more with drum loops, and incorporated both the Chamberlin and drummer Matt Chamberlain.^[14] The album received a positive reception from publications such as The New York Times and Rolling Stone. It did not fare as well commercially as her debut, though it was an RIAA-certified platinum album^[6] and sold one million copies in the U.S.^[7] The album's lead single, "Fast as You Can," reached the top twenty on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart and became Apple's first Top 40 hit in the UK. The videos for two follow-up singles, "Paper Bag" and "Limp" (directed by then-boyfriend Anderson), received very little play.

After performing for forty minutes in a set hampered by equipment issues to 3,000 fans at the New York City Roseland Ballroom, a frustrated Apple left the stage without returning. Her performance saw Apple appearing distraught at the sound quality, apologizing numerous times for the sound and crying.^[15] The incident was described by AOL as "music's most infamous on-stage meltdown."^[16] After completing a concert tour in support of her second album in 2000, Apple relocated to Los Angeles. During her hiatus, Apple contemplated retiring from her recording career. Apple sang with Johnny Cash on a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water" that ended up on his album American IV: The Man Comes Around and was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Country Collaboration with Vocals." She also collaborated with Cash on Cat Stevens's "Father and Son," which was included in his 2003 collection Unearthed.

[edit] 2002–2010: Extraordinary Machine and second hiatus

Fans in support of Fiona Apple demonstrating outside the NYC headquarters of Sony BMG Music Entertainment in January 2005.

Apple's third album, Extraordinary Machine, was originally produced by Jon Brion. In spring 2002, Apple and Jon Brion, her longtime friend and producer on When the Pawn, met for their weekly lunch meeting. Brion reportedly "begged" Apple to make another album. Apple agreed, and Brion went to Apple's label, Epic Records, with strict stipulations (including no deadline), which the label eventually agreed to. Recording sessions began in 2002, at Ocean Way studios in Nashville, Tennessee, but later moved to the Paramour Mansion in Los Angeles. Work on the album continued until 2003, and in May of that year it was submitted to Sony executives. In 2004 and 2005, tracks were leaked on the Internet in MP3 format and played on U.S. and international radio. Subsequently, MP3s of the entire album went online. Although a Web site distributing the album was quickly taken offline, it soon reached P2P networks and was downloaded by fans.^[17][18] A fan-led campaign supported the album's official release.

Mike Elizondo, who had previously played bass on Pawn, was brought back as co-producer to complete the tracks he had begun with Brion and Apple. Spin later reported the following: "Fans erroneously thought that Apple's record label, Epic, had rejected the first version of Extraordinary Machine... in reality, according to Elizondo, Apple was unhappy with the results, and it was her decision to redo the record, not her label's."^[19] In August, 2005, the album was given an October release date.^[18] Production had been largely redone "from scratch" by Elizondo and was co-produced by Brian Kehew. Two of the eleven previous leaked tracks were relatively unchanged, and one new song was also included.^[20] Despite suggestions that the album had caused a rift between Brion and Apple, they regularly perform together at Largo, a club in Los Angeles, including a joint appearance with Elizondo on bass just before the news broke of an official release.^[21] Extraordinary Machine debuted at number seven and was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Pop Vocal Album". It was eventually certified gold^[6] and sold 462,000 copies in the U.S., though its singles ("Parting Gift," "O' Sailor," "Not About Love" and "Get Him Back") failed to enter any Billboard charts.^[22] Apple went on a live tour to promote the album in late 2005.

Apple on tour with Nickel Creek in 2007

In June, 2006, Apple appeared on the joke track "Come Over and Get It (Up in 'Dem Guts)" by comedian Zach Galifianakis. Galifianakis previously appeared in the music video for Apple's "Not About Love."^[23] Apple recorded a cover of "Sally's Song" for the 2006 special edition release of the soundtrack for the Tim Burton film The Nightmare Before Christmas. In May, 2006, Apple paid tribute to Elvis Costello on VH1's concert series Decades Rock Live, by performing Costello's hit "I Want You." Her version was subsequently released as a digital single.^{[24][dead link]} Apple toured the East Coast during August, 2007, with Nickel Creek.^[25][26] In 2008, Apple recorded a duet titled "Still I" with Christophe Deluy. In 2009, Apple covered "Why Try to Change Me Now" and "I Walk A Little Faster" for The Best Is Yet to Come - The Songs of Cy Coleman. In January, 2010, Fiona Apple and Jon Brion performed together at "Love and Haiti, Too: A Music Benefit," a charity concert for the people hurt by the Haiti earthquake. Fiona sang a cover of "(S)he's Funny That Way," composed by Neil Moret, lyrics by Richard Whiting, which is often associated with the singer Billie Holiday. In June, 2010, Fiona released a song titled "So Sleepy," produced by Jon Brion and written by children involved with the non-profit organization 826LA. The song will be included on a compilation album released by the organization titled Chickens in Love. Apple collaborated with Margaret Cho on her album Cho Dependent, which was released on August 24, 2010.^[27]

[edit] 2011-present: The Idler Wheel...

The Idler Wheel is wiser than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords will serve you more than Ropes will ever do,^[28][29] Apple's fourth studio album will be released on June 19, 2012 in the US. The international release date has yet to be finalized.^[30] In late 2010, Billboard published an article stating that Apple was planning on releasing a new album in spring 2011, with musician Michelle Branch claiming to have heard some of the new tracks.^[31] Drummer Charley Drayton also told Modern Drummer magazine that he was co-producing the record.^[32] However, the album was not released in the spring and Billboard reported later that year that there was no record.^[33] On November 23, 2011, a music blog quoted an exchange between Apple and a member of the audience at the Largo Coronet in Los Angeles who requested she perform new material. She reportedly replied "I can't remember [how to play] any of my new songs because they've been done for a fucking year."^[34] In January 2012, after its new record label head, LA Reid hinted at new music from Apple, Epic Records announced that the album would be released later in the year.^[35] Apple announced performances at the South by Southwest Festival and a spring 2012 tour soon after.^[36]

Personal life[link]

Fiona has been dating writer and actor Jonathan Ames since 2007.^[37] As of March 2012, they remained together.^[38] In the mid-1990s, Apple dated magician David Blaine.^[39] Afterward, Apple was romantically linked to director Paul Thomas Anderson.^[40] Anderson directed several music videos for Apple's second album.^[41]

Public speculation about Apple having an eating disorder arose in 1997, upon the release of the music video for "Criminal," in which Apple appeared to be extremely thin. The New Yorker wrote that she "looked like an underfed Calvin Klein model."^[42] During the 1998 Rolling Stone interview, Apple admitted that she "had an eating disorder," and speculated that it stemmed from her rape as an adolescent. "I definitely did have an eating disorder . . . What was really frustrating for me was that everyone thought I was anorexic, and I wasn't. I was just really depressed and self-loathing . . . . For me it wasn't about getting thin, it was about getting rid of the bait attached to my body."

Apple is a vegan. "I'm not really up in the activist world right now [though] . . . I'm not really thinking about it. I'm a vegan, but I don't care if you're eating turkey in front of me. I'm not a preaching vegan."^[43]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Extended plays[link]

Singles[link]

Other contributions[link]

• "Across the Universe" (Lennon–McCartney) - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture Pleasantville (1998, Sony), lead vocalist
• "Please Send Me Someone to Love" (Percy Mayfield) - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture Pleasantville (1998, Sony), lead vocalist
• Magnolia (1999, New Line Cinema) - "additional instruments and odd pieces of musical business by jon brion and fiona apple" as stated in the film's credits
• "Bridge over Troubled Water" (Paul Simon) - duet with Johnny Cash from American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002)
• "Father and Son" (Cat Stevens) - duet with Johnny Cash from Unearthed (2003)
• "Frosty the Snowman" - from Christmas Calling (2003)
• "It's Only A Paper Moon" with Maude Maggart - available as a bonus track on some editions of Maggart's 2005 album With Sweet Despair
• "I Want You" (Elvis Costello) - live version from VH1's Live for Decades Rock Live!, released as an iTunes single (2006)
• "Sally's Song" (Catherine O'Hara) - from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Special Edition Soundtrack (2006)
• "Why Try to Change Me Now" (Cy Coleman) - recorded for the Then Was Then and Now Is Now: A Tribute to Cy Coleman CD/LP / "The Best Is Yet To Come: The Songs Of Cy Coleman" CD/LP
• "Angel Eyes" - a snippet of the song is available at Largo Film
• "Still I" - a duet with Christophe Deluy, hear a snippet of the song available on Christophe Deluy's blog
• "I Walk a Little Faster" (Cy Coleman) - recorded for The Best Is Yet to Come CD/LP
• "Loveless" (David Garza) - track available from Garza's Dream Delay
• "So Sleepy" included on a compilation album released by the organization 826LA, titled Chickens in Love
• "Hey Big Dog" (Margaret Cho) from Cho Dependent (2010)
• "Everyday" (Buddy Holly) with Jon Brion from Rave On Buddy Holly (June 2011)
• "Paper Bag" featured in 2011 film "Bridesmaids"

Music videos[link]