Kut كوت
Kut
Coordinates: 32°30′20″N 45°49′29″E / 32.50556°N 45.82472°E / 32.50556; 45.82472Coordinates: 32°30′20″N 45°49′29″E / 32.50556°N 45.82472°E / 32.50556; 45.82472
Country	Iraq
Governorate	Wasit
Population
• Total	374,000

Al-Kūt (Arabic: الكوت‎; BGN: Al Kūt; also spelled Kut-Al-Imara or Kut El Amara, Kurdish: Kût) is a kurdish city in eastern Iraq, on the left bank of the Tigris River, about 160 kilometres (100 mi) south east of Baghdad. As of 2003^[update] the estimated population is about 374,000 people.^[1] It is the capital of the province long known as Al Kut, but since the 1960s renamed Wasit.

The old town of Kut is within a sharp "U" bend of the river, almost making it an island but for a narrow connection to the shore. For centuries Kut was a regional center of the carpet trade. The area around Kut is a fertile cereal grain growing region. The Kut Barrage was constructed in the city in the 1930s to provide irrigation water for the surrounding area. The Baghdad Nuclear Research Facility, looted following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, is located near Kut.

The Kut Barrage is a barrage on the Tigris river, located in the modern town of Kut in Wasit Governorate, Iraq. It is 516 metres (1,693 ft) long, 10.5 metres (34 ft) high and consists of 56 gates, each 6 metres (20 ft) wide. The maximum discharge of the barrage is 6,000 cubic metres (7,800 cu yd), but actual discharge has not exceeded 2,000 cubic metres (2,600 cu yd) in the last 10 years. The barrage supports a road and includes a lock for boats passing up and down the Tigris. Its purpose is to maintain a sufficiently high water level in the Tigris to provide water for the Gharraf irrigation canal, which branches off the Tigris just upstream from the Kut Barrage. Before the construction of the Kut Barrage, the Gharraf canal only received water during periods of flood in the Tigris. The water level in the canal is maintained by the Gharraf Head Regulator, which was constructed at the same time as the Kut Barrage.

The Kut Barrage was constructed between 1934 and 1939 by British firms. Construction of the barrage was carried out by 2,500 Arab and Kurdish workers, and involved the removal of 1,223,288 cubic metres (1,600,000 cu yd) of ground. For the barrage itself 191,139 cubic metres (250,000 cu yd) of concrete was used. A major flood in the Tigris in 1936 caused the building site to be flooded entirely and led to the temporary standstill of the construction works.

In 1952, 26,440 hectares (65,300 acres) were irrigated from water provided by the Gharraf Canal. Of this newly reclaimed land, 14,080 hectares (34,800 acres) was distributed to small farmers as part of a social land reform program. These farmers received 10 hectares (25 acres) per family and were required to live on the land they farmed. In 2005, repairs and maintenance works were carried out at the Kut Barrage and the Gharraf Head Regulator for a total cost of US$3 million.

The siege of Kut[link]

Townshend, Khalil Pasha and other unidentified officers after surrender of the Kut Garrison in 1916

Al-Kut was the scene of fierce battle during World War I. The British Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force, led by General Townshend, marched north from Basra in September 1915 in what became known as the Mesopotamian Campaign. They reached Al-kut on September 26, where after three days of fighting they drove the Ottoman forces from the town.

After a halt of nearly 9 months, Townshend then headed up river to Ctesiphon. Following a battle there, the British forces withdrew back to Kut. On December 7, 1915, the Turks, under their commander, the German Field Marshal Baron von der Goltz, arrived at Kut and began a siege. The British cavalry under Colonel Gerard Leachman succeeded in breaking out, but Townshend and the bulk of the force remained besieged. Many attempts were made to relieve Townshend's forces, but all were defeated. Some 23,000 British and Indian soldiers died in the attempts to retake Kut, probably the worst loss of life for the British away from the European theater. Near the end of the siege, T. E. Lawrence and Aubrey Herbert of British Intelligence unsuccessfully tried to bribe Khalil Pasha to allow the troops to escape.

Townshend, with some 8,000 surviving soldiers, finally surrendered Kut on April 29, 1916. The captured soldiers were divided, where the officers were sent to separate facilities, and many of the enlisted soldiers were impressed into hard labour until the surrender of the Ottoman Empire; more than half of them died. The British went back on the offensive in December 1916 with a larger and better-supplied force under General Sir Frederick Stanley Maude and reconquered Kut on February 23, 1917.

Contingency Operating Base Delta (COB Delta)[link]

Contingency Operating Base (COB) Delta is an American military installation located on the right bank of the Tigris directly across from Kut. The COB is centered on a former Iraqi Air Force base. Recently, it was given back to the Iraqi Air Force. It is currently a base of training Iraqi Security Forces in Wassit Province.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Al Kut

See also[link]

• Anglo-Iraqi War

References[link]

External links[link]

• Iraq Image - Al Kut Satellite Observation

v t e Districts of Iraq and capitals Al Anbar Governorate Al-Qa'im District (Al-Ka'im) •Ar Rutba District (Al-Rutba)• Anah District (Anah) • Falluja District (Falluja) • Haditha District (Haditha) • Hīt District (Hīt) •Ramadi District (Ramadi) Al Muthanna Governorate Al-Khidhir District (Al-Khidhir) • Al-Rumaitha District (Al-Rumaitha) • Al-Salman District (Al-Salman) • Al-Samawa District (Samawa) Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate Afaq District (Afaq) • Al-Shamiya District (Al-Shamiya) • Diwaniya District (Diwaniya) • Hamza District (Hamza) Babil Governorate Al-Mahawil District (Al-Mahawil) • Al-Musayab District (Al-Musayab) • Hashimiya District (Hashimiya) • Hilla District (Hilla) Baghdad Governorate Abu Ghraib District • Al Istiqlal District• Al-Mada'in District • Mahmudiya District (Mahmudiya) • Taji District• Al Tarmia District• Baghdad:Adhamiyah •Karkh • Karadah • Kadhimyah • Mansour • Sadr City • Al Rashid • Rusafa • 9 Nissan Basra Governorate Abu Al-Khaseeb District (Abu Al-Khaseeb) • Al-Midaina District (Al-Midaina) • Al-Qurna District (Al-Qurna) • Al-Zubair District (Al-Zubair) • Basrah District (Basrah) • al-Faw District (al-Faw) • Shatt Al-Arab District (Shatt Al-Arab) Dhi Qar Governorate Al-Chibayish District (Al-Chibayish) • Al-Rifa'i District (Al-Rifa'i) • Al-Shatra District (Al-Shatra) • Nassriya District (Nassriya) • Suq Al-Shoyokh District (Suq Al-Shoyokh) Diyala Governorate Al-Khalis District (Al-Khalis) • Al-Muqdadiya District (Al-Muqdadiya) • Baladrooz District (Baladrooz) • Ba'quba District (Ba'quba) •Khanaqin District (Khanaqin) • Kifri District (Kifri) Dohuk Governorate Amadiya District (Amadiya) • Dohuk District (Dohuk)• Sumel District (Sumel) • Zakho District (Zakho) Arbil Governorate Makhmur District (Makhmur) • Arbil • Koisanjaq District (Koisanja) • Shaqlawa District (Shaqlawa)• Soran District • Mergasur District • Choman District Karbala Governorate Ain Al-Tamur District (Ain Al-Tamur) • Al-Hindiya District (Al-Hindiya) • Kerbala District (Kerbala) Kirkuk Governorate Al-Hawiga District (Al-Hawiga) • Daquq District (Daquq) • Kirkuk District (Kirkuk) Maysan Governorate Ali Al-Gharbi District (Ali Al-Gharbi) • Al-Kahla District (Al-Kahla) • Al-Maimouna District (Al-Maimouna) • Al-Mejar Al-Kabi District (Al-Mejar Al-Kabi) • Amara District (Amarah) • Qal'at Saleh District (Qal'at Saleh) Najaf Governorate Al-Manathera District (Al-Manathera) • Kufa District (Kufa) • Najaf District (Najaf) Ninawa Governorate Aqrah District (Aqrah) • Al-Ba'aj District (Al-Ba'aj) • Al-Hamdaniya District (Bakhdida) • Hatra District (Hatra) •Mosul District (Mosul) • Shekhan District (Ain Sifni) • Sinjar District (Sinjar) • Tel Afar District (Tel Afar) • Tel Keppe District (Tel Keppe) Salah ad Din Governorate Al-Daur District (Al-Daur) • Al-Shirqat District (Al-Shirqat) • Baiji District (Baiji) • Balad District (Balad) • Samarra District (Samarra) • Tikrit District (Tikrit) • Tooz District (Tooz) Sulaymaniyah Governorate Chamchamal District (Chamchamal) • Darbandokeh District (Darbandokeh) • Dokan District (Dokan) • Halabja District (Halabja) • Kalar District (Kalar) • Penjwin District (Penjwin) • Pshdar District (Pshdar) • Ranya District (Ranya) • Sharbazher District (Sharbazher) • Sulaymaniya District (Sulaymaniya) Wasit Governorate Al-Hai District (Al-Hai) • Al-Na'maniya District (Al-Na'maniya) • Al-Suwaira District (Al-Suwaira) • Badra District (Badra) • Kut District (Kut)

Billie Joe Armstrong
Armstrong performing at Madison Square Garden on July 28, 2009.
Background information
Birth name	Billie Joe Armstrong
Also known as	Wilhelm Fink Reverend Strychnine Twitch Fink
Born	(1972-02-17) February 17, 1972 (age 40) Oakland, California, U.S.
Genres	Punk rock, alternative rock, rock, pop punk, garage rock, new wave, heavy metal
Occupations	Singer, musician, songwriter, guitarist
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, drums, percussion, saxophone, harmonica, mandolin, bass, violin
Years active	1987–present
Labels	Reprise, Lookout!, Adeline, Recess
Associated acts	Green Day, Pinhead Gunpowder, The Network, Foxboro Hot Tubs, The Boo
Notable instruments
Gibson USA Billie Joe Armstrong Les Paul Jr. Fernandes Stratocaster (Blue) Gibson Les Paul Junior Gibson Les Paul Custom Gibson ES-335 Gibson SG Standard Gretsch Hollowbody Fender Stratocaster Fender Telecaster Guild D55 Taylor 514C Fender Jaguar

Billie Joe Armstrong (born February 17, 1972) is an American rock musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, main songwriter and lead guitarist for the American punk rock band Green Day. He is also a guitarist and vocalist for the punk rock band Pinhead Gunpowder and provides lead vocals for Green Day's side project Foxboro Hot Tubs.

Raised in Rodeo, California, Armstrong developed an interest in music at a young age, and recorded his first song at the age of five. He met Mike Dirnt while attending elementary school, and the two instantly bonded over their mutual interest in music, forming the band Sweet Children when the two were 15 years old. The band changed its name to Green Day, and would later achieve massive commercial success. Armstrong has also pursued musical projects outside of Green Day's work, including numerous collaborations with other musicians as well as serving as the primary vocalist for the bands Pinhead Gunpowder and Foxboro Hot Tubs.

Early life[link]

Billie Joe Armstrong was born in Piedmont, California, a small town surrounded by the city of Oakland, and was raised in Rodeo, California, as the youngest of six children to Andrew "Andy" Armstrong^[1] and Ollie Jackson.^[1] His father worked as a jazz musician and truck driver for Safeway Inc. to support his family. He died of esophageal cancer on September 10, 1982.^[1] The song "Wake Me Up When September Ends" is a memorial to his father. He has five older siblings: David, Alan, Marci, Hollie, and Anna. His mother worked at Rod's Hickory Pit^[1] restaurant in El Cerrito. Armstrong and Mike Dirnt's first live performance was at Rod's Hickory Pit in 1987; their first performance under the name Green Day was in Davis, a college town approximately an hour's drive northeast of San Francisco Bay.

Armstrong's interest in music started at a young age. He attended Hillchest Elementary School in Rodeo, where a teacher encouraged him to record a song titled "Look for Love" at the age of five on the Bay Area label Fiat Records.^[1][2] After his father died, his mother married a man whom her children disliked, which resulted in Armstrong's further retreat into music. At the age of 10, Armstrong met Mike Dirnt in the school cafeteria and they immediately bonded over their love of music.^[1] He became interested in punk rock after being introduced to punk rock by his brothers.^[3] Armstrong has also cited Minneapolis-based bands The Replacements and Hüsker Dü as major musical influences.

Armstrong attended John Swett High School, also in Crockett, and later Pinole Valley High School in Pinole, California, but then dropped out to pursue his musical career.

Career[link]

Armstrong in 1994

In 1987, aged 15, Armstrong formed a band called Sweet Children with his childhood friend Mike Dirnt. In the beginning, Dirnt and Armstrong both played guitar, with John Kiffmeyer, also known as Al Sobrante, on drums,^[4] and Sean Hughes on bass. After a few performances, Hughes left the band in 1988; Dirnt then began playing bass and they became a three-piece band. They changed their name to Green Day in April 1989, allegedly choosing the name because of their fondness for marijuana.^[5] That same year, they released their debut EP 1,000 Hours through Lookout! Records. They recorded their debut studio album 39/Smooth and the extended play Slappy in 1990, which were later combined with 1,000 Hours into the compilation 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours in 1991. Tré Cool eventually became Green Day's drummer in late 1990 when Sobrante left Green Day in order to go to college. California punk band Rancid's lead singer Tim Armstrong asked Armstrong to join his band, but he refused owing to the progress with Green Day. Cool made his debut on Green Day's second album, Kerplunk. With their next album, Dookie (1994), the band broke through into the mainstream, and have remained one of the most popular rock bands of the 1990s and 2000s with over 60 million records sold worldwide.^[6] In 2009, their hit American Idiot became a musical on Broadway.^[7]

Apart from working with Green Day and side-band Pinhead Gunpowder, Armstrong has collaborated with many artists over the years. He has co-written for The Go-Go's ("Unforgiven") and former Avengers singer Penelope Houston ("The Angel and The Jerk" and "New Day"), co-written a song with Rancid ("Radio"), and sung backing vocals with Melissa Auf der Maur on Ryan Adams' "Do Miss America" (where they acted as the backing band for Iggy Pop on his Skull Ring album ("Private Hell" and "Supermarket"). Armstrong has produced an album for The Riverdales. He has also been confirmed to be part of a side project called The Network, which released an album called Money Money 2020. Money Money 2020 was released on Adeline Records, a record label co-owned by Armstrong.^[8] Armstrong also provided lead guitar and backing vocals on 3 songs for The Lookouts' final extended play IV (1989).

Hoping to clear his head and develop new ideas for songs, Armstrong traveled to New York City alone for a few weeks, renting a small apartment in the East Village of Manhattan.^[9] He spent much of this time taking long walks and participating in jam sessions in the basement of Hi-Fi, a bar in Manhattan.^[10] However, the friends he made during this time drank too much for his liking, which was the catalyst for Armstrong's return to the Bay Area.^[10] After returning home, Armstrong was arrested on DUI charges on January 5, 2003, and released on $1,200 bail.^[10]

In 2010, Armstrong joined the cast of American Idiot, which won two Tonys, for one week in the role of St. Jimmy. He replaced the original Broadway cast member Tony Vincent from September 28 to October 3. American Idiot is an adaption of Green Day's concept album of the same name.^[11][12] Armstrong returned to the role of St. Jimmy for 50 performances beginning January 1, 2011.^[13]

Instruments[link]

Armstrong performing in 2009 with a replica of "Blue".

Armstrong's first guitar was a Cherry Red Hohner acoustic, which his father bought for him. He then received his first electric guitar, a Fernandes Stratocaster that he named "Blue" when he was eleven. His mother got "Blue" from George Cole who taught Armstrong electric guitar for 10 years. Armstrong says in a 1995 MTV interview, "Basically, it wasn't like guitar lessons because I never really learned how to read music. So he just taught me how to put my hands on the thing." Cole bought the guitar new from David Margen of the band Santana. Cole gave Armstrong a Bill Lawrence Humbucking pickup and told him to install the pickup in the bridge position. After the pickup was destroyed at Woodstock '94, Armstrong then used a Duncan JB model. "Armstrong fetishized his teacher's guitar, partly because the blue instrument had a sound quality and Van Halen–worthy fluidity he couldn't get from his little red Hohner. He prized it mostly, however, because of his relationship with Cole, another father figure after the death of Andy."^[14] He toured with this guitar from the band's early days and still uses it to this day.^[15] "Blue" also appears in a number of its music videos such as "Longview", "Basket Case", "Brain Stew/Jaded", "Hitchin' a Ride", and most recently in "Minority".

Today, Armstrong mainly uses Gibson and Fender guitars. Twenty of his Gibson guitars are Les Paul Junior models from the mid- to late-1950s.^[16] His Fender collection includes: Stratocaster, Jazzmaster, Telecaster, a Gretsch hollowbody and his copies of "Blue". He states that his favorite guitar is a 1956 Gibson Les Paul Junior he calls "Floyd". He bought this guitar in 2000 just before recording their album Warning.^[17]

Armstrong also has his own line of Les Paul Junior guitars from Gibson, modeled closely after "Floyd", Armstrong's original 1956 Les Paul Junior.^[18]

He plays several other instruments as well. He recorded harmonica and mandolin parts in the past, piano parts on 21st Century Breakdown, and plays drums live from time to time.

Personal life[link]

In 1990, Armstrong met Adrienne Nesser at one of Green Day's early performances in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They married on July 2, 1994, and the day after their wedding, Adrienne discovered she was pregnant. Their first child, Joseph Marciano Armstrong, who was born on February 28, 1995, plays drums in a Berkeley-based band named Emily's Army. Their second child, Jakob Danger Armstrong, was born on September 12, 1998.^{[citation needed]} Billie Joe is the co-owner of Adeline Records, along with his wife.^[8]

Armstrong has identified himself as bisexual, saying in a 1995 interview with The Advocate, "I think I've always been bisexual. I mean, it's something that I've always been interested in. I think people are born bisexual, and it's just that our parents and society kind of veer us off into this feeling of 'Oh, I can't.' They say it's taboo. It's ingrained in our heads that it's bad, when it's not bad at all. It's a very beautiful thing."^[19] In a later interview for Out magazine's April 2010 issue, Armstrong stated: "There were a lot of people who didn't accept it, who were homophobic." Armstrong continued, saying, "The fact that it's an issue is kind of phobic within itself. At some point, you gotta think, this should be something that's just accepted." Armstrong added: "I don't really classify myself as anything. And when it comes to sex, there are parts of me that are very shy and conservative. I want to respect my wife."^[20]

Armstrong was arrested in January 2003 for drinking and driving after being pulled over for speeding.^[21] He received a breathalyzer reading of 0.17%, more than twice the nation-wide legal limit of 0.08%.^[22]

In April 2007, Armstrong and his wife Adrienne sent photos of their spring break working with Habitat for Humanity and a diary to GreenDay.net.^[23]

Armstrong supported Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential election.^[24]

On September 1, 2011, Armstrong was kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight for "saggy pants". Armstrong tweeted "Just got kicked off a Southwest flight because my pants sagged too low!" According to an eyewitness on the flight, who also happens to be a television news producer, a flight attendant asked Armstrong to pull his pants up. Armstrong said, "Don't you have better things to do than worry about that?" The flight attendant's response was, "Pull your pants up or you're getting off the plane." Southwest Airlines saw his tweet, rebooked Armstrong on another flight and released this statement, "We reached out to apologize. We followed up ... and understand from the customer the situation was resolved to his satisfaction."^{[citation needed]}

Discography[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2010)

Awards[link]

Green Day portal

Green Day[link]

• 39/Smooth (1990) – lead vocals, guitar
• Kerplunk! (1992) – lead vocals, guitar, drums on "Dominated Love Slave"^[25]
• Dookie (1994) – lead vocals, guitar, percussion on "All by Myself" (hidden track)
• Insomniac (1995) – lead vocals, guitar
• Nimrod (1997) – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica^[26]
• Warning (2000) – lead vocals, mandolin, guitar, harmonica^[27]
• American Idiot (2004) – lead vocals, guitar
• 21st Century Breakdown (2009) – lead vocals, guitar, piano
• American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording (2010) – vocals, guitar, piano

Pinhead Gunpowder[link]

Vocals and guitar on all

• Jump Salty (1994)
• Carry the Banner (1995)
• Goodbye Ellston Avenue (1997)
• Shoot the Moon (EP) (1999)
• Compulsive Disclosure (2003)
• West Side Highway (EP) (2008)

The Network[link]

• Money Money 2020 (2003) – guitar, vocals

Foxboro Hot Tubs[link]

• Stop Drop and Roll!!! (2008) – lead vocals^[28]

Other media appearances[link]

• King of the Hill (TV series, 1997) – Face
• Haunted (TV series, 2002) – Irv Kratser (cameo)
• Riding in Vans with Boys (film, 2003) – himself
• Live Freaky! Die Freaky! (film, 2006) – "Charles Hanson"
• Tony Hawk's American Wasteland (video game, 2006) – himself
• The Simpsons Movie (film, 2007) – himself
• Heart Like a Hand Grenade (film, 2008) – himself
• Green Day: Rock Band (video game, 2010) – himself (Singing voice, archive footage, & Virtual likeness/avatar)
• American Idiot (musical) (2010, 2011) – St. Jimmy

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Billie Joe Armstrong

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Billie Joe Armstrong

• Billie Joe Armstrong at the Internet Movie Database
• Billie Joe Armstrong at Allmovie
• Billie Joe Armstrong Signature Les Paul Junior
• Billie Joe Armstrong on Twitter

Herman Brood
Herman Brood in 1979
Background information
Birth name	Hermanus Brood
Also known as	Rock 'n' roll junkie
Born	(1946-11-05)November 5, 1946 Zwolle, Netherlands
Died	July 11, 2001(2001-07-11) (aged 54) Amsterdam, Netherlands
Genres	Rock and roll, Rock, Jazz, Blues
Occupations	Musician, Painter, Actor, Poet
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar, Piano
Years active	1964–2001
Labels	RCA Records
Associated acts	Wild Romance, The Moans, Long Tall Ernie and the Shakers, Cuby and the Blizzards, Stud, Jan Akkerman, Vitesse, Nina Hagen, Lene Lovich
Website	Official site

Hermanus "Herman" Brood (pronounced "Hairmon Broat" /bro:t/; November 5, 1946 – July 11, 2001) was a Dutch musician, painter, actor, poet and media personality. Initially a musician who achieved artistic and commercial success in the 1970s and 1980s, and called "the Netherlands' greatest and only rock 'n' roll star,"^[1] later in life he became a well-known painter.

Known for his hedonistic lifestyle of "sex, drugs and rock 'n roll," Brood was an enfant terrible and a cultural figure whose suicide, apparently caused by a failure to kick his drug and alcohol habit,^[2] only strengthened his controversial status. His suicide, according to a poll organized to celebrate fifty years of Dutch popular music, was the most significant event in its history.^[3]

Musical career[link]

Herman Brood was born in Zwolle, and started playing the piano at age 12. He founded beat band The Moans in 1964, which would later become Long Tall Ernie and the Shakers. Brood was asked to play with Cuby and the Blizzards, but was removed by management when the record company discovered he used drugs. For a number of years Brood was in jail (for dealing LSD), or abroad, and had a number of short-term engagements (with The Studs, the Flash & Dance Band, Vitesse).^[4]

In 1976, Brood started his own group, Herman Brood & his Wild Romance, (and started work with photographer Anton Corbijn)^{[citation needed]} initially with Ferdi Karmelk (guitar), Gerrit Veen (bass), Peter Walrecht (drums), and Ellen Piebes and Ria Ruiters (vocals). They played the club and bar circuit, first in Groningen, In 1977 the band released their first album, Street.

The band now played all over the Netherlands, playing as many gigs as possible. And Herman's drug habit became public domain: In 1977 for instance the Wild Romance played a gig in a highschool in Almelo, the Christelijk Lyceum; during the break Brood was caught on the toilet taking heroine or speed (there are different reports on the type of drug, but it is a wellknown story amongst former students), the rest of the concert was cancelled, and this also was the last time a rockconcert took place at this school for many years.

Herman Brood in 1997

Graffiti in Delft in Brood's honor, done in his own style

Murals by Brood on a parking garage in Leidschendam.

Herman Brood in 2000

Brood's grave at Zorgvlied

They are still best known for their second album, Shpritsz—a play on the German word for syringe—from 1978. This album contained Brood anthems like "Dope Sucks," "Rock & Roll Junkie," and their first Dutch hit single, "Saturday Night." The band went through many personnel changes over the years; the best-known formation was Freddy Cavalli (bass), Danny Lademacher (guitar) (later replaced with David Hollestelle), and Cees 'Ani' Meerman (drums). A frequent contributor was Bertus Borgers (saxophone).^[4]

Brood's outspoken statements in the press about sex and drug use brought him into the Dutch public arena even more than his music. He was romantically involved with the German singer Nina Hagen, with whom he appeared in the 1979 film Cha-Cha. He is reputed to be the subject of her song "Herrmann Hiess Er" (English title "Herrmann Was His Name") from the 1979 Unbehagen album,^[5] a song about a drug addict. Brood relished the media attention and became the most famous hard drug user in the Netherlands. "It is quite common for an artist to use drugs, but not for him to tell everybody. I admit that it scared me that my popularity could make people start using drugs", he once said in an interview.^[6]

In the summer of 1979, Brood tried to enter the American market, where he toured as a support-act for The Kinks, The Cars, and Foreigner. A re-recorded version of Saturday Night peaked at number 35 in the Billboard Hot 100,^[7] but the big break Brood hoped for didn't happen.^[8] When he returned to the Netherlands in October 1979, his band had begun to fall apart, and soon his popularity went downhill.^[4] Go Nutz, the album Brood had recorded while in the States, and the movie Cha-Cha, which finally premiered in December 1979, were considered artistic failures, even though Go Nutz produced three charting singles in the Netherlands and the Cha Cha soundtrack attained platinum status.^[9] The 1980 album Wait a Minute... is a minor success, but the follow-up albums Modern Times Revive (1981) and Frisz & Sympatisz (1982) fail to make the Dutch album charts.

Brood continued to record throughout the 1980s and had a few hits—a top-ten single, "Als Je Wint" with Henny Vrienten, and a minor hit with a reggae song, "Tattoo Song," but he spent more and more time on his art work. At the end of the 80s he made a comeback of sorts; Yada Yada (1988), produced by George Kooymans, was well-received, and he toured Germany with a renewed Wild Romance (which saw the return of Danny Lademacher). In 1990, he won the BV Popprijs, one of the highest Dutch awards for popular music, and recorded Freeze with Clarence Clemons of the E Street Band and Tejano accordion player Flaco Jiménez. A live "best of" album, Saturday Night Live, appeared in 1992. His fiftieth birthday, in 1996, was celebrated with a show in Paradiso, Amsterdam, and the album (of duets) was released the same year.^[4]

Visual arts career[link]

After his career in music, Brood turned to painting and became a well-known character in Amsterdam art circles. His art is best described as pop-art, often very colorful and graffiti-inspired screen prints, and he achieved some commercial success and notoriety by, for instance, creating murals in various public spaces in and around Amsterdam.^[10] He continued to remain in the public eye, by appearing in the media and by his cooperation with biographical films such as 1994's Rock'n Roll Junkie.^[11]

Suicide and legacy[link]

Toward the end of his life, Brood vowed to abstain from most drugs, reducing his drug use to alcohol and a daily shot of speed ("2 grams per day"^[11]). In 2001, depressed by the failure of his drug rehabilitation program and facing serious medical problems because of his prolonged drug use, he committed suicide on 11 July by jumping from the roof of the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel at the age of 54.^[1] Extensively covered by the national media, his cremation took place five days later. Before the cremation, Brood's casket was driven from the Hilton hotel to Paradiso, Amsterdam, the streets lined with thousands of spectators. A commemorative concert was held in Paradiso, with performances by Hans Dulfer, André Hazes, and Jules Deelder,^[12] and leading Dutch music magazine Muziekkrant OOR devoted an entire issue to him.^[13] His ashes were placed at Zorgvlied cemetery.

Soon after his suicide, Brood's version of "My Way" spent three weeks as number one in the Dutch singles charts;^[14][15] the market value of his art work also increased greatly.^[16] A characteristic note is that Brood's paintings were already targeted often by vandals during his life,^[17] while after his death they were stolen for their value.^[18] His popularity (or notoriety) was verified by the fact that his name turned out to be the strongest brand of the year.^[19]

When U2 performed in the Netherlands three weeks after Brood's suicide, they paid tribute to him at each of the three shows. They dedicated an acoustic version of Duke Ellington's "Jump for Joy" to him, a song they never performed at any other time of their career. At the third show in Arnhem they also dedicated their own "Gone" to him and had his version of "My Way" played over the PA as outro music. In the middle of the show Bono delivered an emotional eulogy to Brood before the band performed "In a Little While".

On 5 November 2006 the Groninger Museum opened an exposition devoted to Herman Brood's life and work, comprising paintings, lyrics, and poetry, portraits by photographer Anton Corbijn, a collection of private pictures (from the family album), and concert photos and videos. The exhibition was on show until 28 January. It was centered on Herman's atelier (studio) where he created most of his paintings. The atelier had been entirely re-built in the museum. During the 90s, Herman Brood's studio was located on the second floor of the gallery in the Spuistraat in Amsterdam and has remained untouched since his death.

In 2007 the film Wild Romance premiered in the Netherlands, a movie about Brood's life. Brood was portrayed by Daniël Boissevain. He continues to inspire other artists: the 2007 album Bluefinger by Black Francis is based on the life and works of Brood.^[20] A tribute band called the Brood Roosters ("bread toasters") was active in the Netherlands until they split up in early 2009. Another tribute band called Yada Yada is still active in The Netherlands, often appearing with original members of the Wild Romance (Dany Lademacher, Ramon Rambeaux) .^[21]

In 2010, the Catastrophic Theatre Company collaborated with Frank Black on a rock opera based on the Bluefinger album. The opera's first performance, with Matt Kelly portraying Brood, was 12 November 2010 in Houston, Texas.^[22]

Discography (albums)[link]

• Street (1977)
• Shpritsz (1978)
• Cha Cha (1978)
• Cha Cha (1979, soundtrack for the movie Cha Cha)
• Herman Brood & His Wild Romance (1979, Shpritsz re-release for US market, contains an edited version of Saturday Night)
• Go Nutz (1980)
• Wait a Minute... (1980)
• Modern Times Revive (1981)
• Frisz & Sympatisz (1982)
• The Brood (1984)
• Bühnensucht (1985, live album)
• Yada Yada (1988)
• Hooks (1989)
• Freeze (1990)
• Saturday Night Live! (1992)
• Fresh Poison (1994)
• 50 - The Soundtrack (1996 duets, a tribute album for his 50th birthday)
• Back on the Corner (1999)
• Ciao Monkey (2000)
• My Way - The Hits (2001)

Movies[link]

• Cha-Cha (1979)
• Stadtrand (1986, German movie)
• Total Love (2000, cult movie from Israel)
• Rock 'N Roll Junkie (1994, documentary)
• Wild Romance (Herman Brood) (2006, scenes from Herman Brood's life)
• Herman Brood Uncut (2006, documentary)

Literature[link]

• Brood, Herman (1996). Liebes Blutbad. Hannover: Revonnah. ISBN 978-3-927715-23-3. http://www.buecher-nach-isbn.info/3-927715/3927715239-liebes-blutbad-Herman-Brood-3-927715-23-9.html. 
• Eilander, Jan (2005). Rock 'n roll junkie: over Herman Brood. Amsterdam: Prometheus. ISBN 978-90-446-0944-8. 
• Uncut. TM. 2006. ISBN 978-90-499-0032-8.  Book and DVD.
• Tast, Brigitte; Hans-Juergen Tast (2007). "be bop" - Die Wilhelmshoehe rockt. Disco und Konzerte in der Hoelle. Hildesheim: Gerstenberg. ISBN 978-3-8067-8589-0. 
• Brigitte Tast, Hans-Juergen Tast (2009) „be bop” - Rock-Tempel & Nachtasyl - Band 2 zur Legende. Hildesheim: Verlag Gebr. Gerstenberg. ISBN 978-3-8067-8733-7.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Herman Brood

• Herman Brood at the Internet Movie Database
• Herman Brood's Gravesite
• Discografie Cuby + Blizzards (with Herman Brood)