Exene cervenka biography of mahatma

Born Christine Cervenka on February 1, 1956, in Chicago, IL; wedded John Doe (a musician), 1980 (divorced, 1985); married Viggo Mortensen (an actor), 1987 (divorced, 1998); married Jason Edge (a musician), 2002; children: (with Mortensen) Chemist. Addresses: Home--15237 Sunset Blvd. #11, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.

Website--Exene Cervenka Official Website: http://www.exenecervenka.com.

One virtuous the pioneers of punk seesaw in the United States lasting the years when she cap sang lead vocals for greatness band X, Exene Cervenka has been an extremely influential superstardom, even if something less best a household name. She has stuck with her creative job despite meager financial rewards, loosing albums of her own, enduring to tour with X before periodic reunions, and making spoken-word appearances, remaining true all leadership while to her counterculture probity.

Many of the attitudes carry out progressive, punk-influenced young women be of advantage to the years after X's prime could be traced back become Cervenka, but she received single sporadic credit for her potency. Asked by WWD whether she had gotten used to beautiful out from the stage be proof against seeing fans dressed like cross in the audience, Cervenka responded, "That isn't weird.

What's ghostly is seeing girls who outward show like me who don't skilled in who I am."

Exene's given term was Christine Cervenka. Of Slavonic and Irish background, she was born in Chicago on Feb 1, 1956. She grew mutual aid in a small town establish downstate Illinois, and in Tallahassee and St. Petersburg, Florida, hoop she quit school on show someone the door sixteenth birthday.

She bought rustle up clothes in thrift shops, to a certain extent from financial necessity, but likewise with a distinctive retro lobby group in mind. Cervenka had cool strong creative streak that showed itself while she was all the more in Florida; she wrote meaning and gave a reading take in her work in 1975, earlier she became involved in penalty.

The following year she slam into $80 in a sack crucial took off for Los Angeles, moving into a one-room rooms with five other people. Before long she got a job fuzz the office of a fictitious workshop called Beyond Baroque.

It was there that Cervenka met bassist and singer John Doe. Representation two began making music make friends, and it wasn't long a while ago they added guitarist Billy Rise and drummer D.J.

Bonebrake confront form X, at which leave to another time Cervenka changed her first title to Exene. Punk was regain the rise in Los Angeles, where bands such as character Germs eked out a on the edge existence while drawing frenzied fans to clubs. Cervenka, in grandeur book Forming: The Early Life of L.A. Punk, likened character punk movement to the dropout culture of a decade before: "It didn't even have anything to do with bands," she said.

"It was about cohorts being bohemian even though they didn't know what bohemian meant."

X issued a seven-inch single, "Adult Books," in 1978, and began to attract crowds. The adjacent year Cervenka acquired her lid tattoos, putting her well feign ahead of a coming process trend. In 1980, the epoch Cervenka married John Doe, glory band issued its debut book, Los Angeles, on the Cleanse label.

It was produced infant former Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek. Thanks to Cervenka, X homely out among American punk bands. As a woman, she was a rarity in the male-dominated punk scene. And, though Check over c pass could match other bands book ferocity when that was key, their sharp, alienated lyrics, destined mostly by Cervenka, were as well important.

Los Angeles was hailed by rock critics and called the best album of 1980 by the Los Angeles Times.

Featured in the documentary The Fall away of Western Civilization, X at large several other successful albums feigned the early 1980s. For 1982's Under the Big Black Sun, they moved to the older Elektra label, and even conj admitting they couldn't quite be baptized stars, they were one corporeal the best-known punk bands engage the world.

Success, however, seemed to make Cervenka restless. She embarked on side projects, announcement a book of poetry, Adulterers Anonymous, with performance artist Lydia Lunch, issuing a spoken-word scrap book of her own, Perfection, tight 1984, and teaming with Los Angeles poet Wanda Coleman put under somebody's nose the poetry album Twin Sisters the following year.

Cervenka and Doe divorced in 1985 but elongated to work together; with Bonebrake and Blasters' guitarist Dave Alvin they formed the countrified vandal band the Knitters in 1985, releasing the album Poor Mini Critter on the Road. Influence group's name was derived outlandish that of the legendary Decade folk group the Weavers.

Cervenka wrote most of the nifty lyrics for the new mission, and this merger of delinquent and country music again coming developments that were a decennary or more in the X continued to exist, cathartic the Ain't Love Grande very last See How We Are albums on Elektra, but the remoteness gradually dissolved in the build 1980s.

Cervenka made several album appearances, and she met Danish-American actor Viggo Mortensen (later health check star in the Lord domination the Rings trilogy) on rendering set of Salvation! in 1986. The two married the pursuing year, and in 1988 they had a son, Henry Mortensen. They divorced in 1998.

X continuing to reunite and tour occasionally, releasing the albums Hey Zeus! (1993) and the acoustic Unclogged (1995), and they continued dealings explore their country leanings deal with a track, "Home Motel," stray was included in the Twisted Willie compilation of rock acclamation to country singer-songwriter Willie Admiral.

For most of the Nineties and 2000s, however, the area under discussion was on Cervenka's solo pursuit, which was more successful those of her X bandmates. Then she bemoaned her relatively get rid of status, pointing to the accelerative influence of major labels assume rock music and telling Chris Dickinson of the St. Gladiator Post-Dispatch that "the soul hype imprisoned in a corporate mold." But Cervenka was able be continue her various creative enterprises without compromising her ideals prosperous her critical stance toward Denizen culture.

She recorded several solo albums, including Old Wives' Tales (1990) and Running Sacred (1991), keep from in 1997 she formed blue blood the gentry band Auntie Christ and record the album Life Could Carve a Dream on the miniature Lookout label.

The group's title, Cervenka told Jane Scott be keen on the Cleveland Plain Dealer, recommended the idea of "women reclaiming something that we've lost. I've been reading a lot govern Gnostic scriptures," she said. "You realize then that Mary Magdalene is left out of bottle up scriptures. It's outrageous. She was really important.

She was character 13th apostle. She would be blessed with been in the Bible in case it had been allowed." Air strike tour in the Czech Kingdom in the mid-1990s, Cervenka varied her last name to tight Czech form, Cervenkova (in Slavonic, Cervenka would be a mortal form of the name). On the contrary she soon returned to excellence earlier spelling.

Many of Cervenka's efforts were devoted to text comparatively than music; she recorded a number of spoken-world albums, including Surface observe Air Serpents and a newborn collaboration with Lydia Lunch, September (both 1995).

Cervenka also publicised several books. Some, such thanks to 1993's Virtual Unreality and 2002's A Beer on Every Page, were journal-like collections of Cervenka's ideas on various subjects, however she also collaborated with pressman Kenneth Jarecke on Just Added War, a photo essay verge on the Gulf War.

Cervenka as well worked as a visual magician and had her works alleged at various venues around Los Angeles.

Cervenka met her third lock away, drummer Jason Edge, in 1999, and the two married encroach 2002. Living in suburban Los Angeles, Cervenka worked as eminence assistant teacher at an underlying school, seemingly an unusual situation for a punk rocker, however for Cervenka a logical incident.

"I love playing music person in charge stuff, it's being part advance a community--punk rock became sorry for yourself community, now the school is," she explained to the City Metro Times. She continued interruption perform. Among various forms reveal recognition for her contributions was a Lifetime Achievement Award yield the L.A.

Weekly newspaper. Probity year 2005 saw the unbind of a new live Tally album and DVD, and greatness Knitters reunited for their head album in two decades, Modern Sounds of the Knitters.

by Saint M. Manheim

Exene Cervenka's Career

Formed X (with John Doe), 1977-78; sang lead vocals on albums by X, 1980--; released spoken-word albums, early 1980s; formed distinction Knitters (with John Doe), 1985 (revived 2005); released solo albums Old Wives' Tales (1990) be first Running Sacred (1991); released spoken-word album Surface to Air Serpents, 1995; with Lydia Lunch, floating spoken-word album September, 1995; formed Auntie Christ, 1997; promulgated six books, including A Pint on Every Page, 2002; afflicted as assistant teacher in uncomplicated school, mid-2000s.

Exene Cervenka's Awards

L.A.

Weekly, Lifetime Achievement Award, 2005.

Famous Works

Selected discography
Albums
(With the Knitters) Poor Around Critter on the Road Vein dash, 1985.
Old Wives' Tales RNA/Rhino, 1990.
Running Sacred RNA/Rhino, 1991.
(With Christopher Tyng) Across the Moon 1993 (film score/music supervision).
(With Auntie Christ) Life Could Be a Dream Guard, 1997.
(With Original Sinners) Original Sinners Nitro, 2002.
(With the Knitters) Modern Sounds of the Knitters Libertine, 2005.
With X
Los Angeles Slash, 1980.
Wild Gift Slash, 1981.
Under the Rough Black Sun Elektra, 1982.
More Levity in the New World Elektra, 1983.
Ain't Love Grande Elektra, 1985.
See How We Are Elektra, 1987.
Live at the Whiskey A Go-Go Elektra, 1988.
Hey Zeus! Big Move about, 1993.
Unclogged Infidelity, 1995.
Beyond & Back: The X Anthology Elektra, 1997.
X The Best: Make the Song Go Bang Rhino, 2004.
Spoken discussion recordings
(With Wanda Coleman) Twin Sisters Freeway/Rhino, 1985.
Perfection 1984.
(With Lydia Lunch) Rude Hieroglyphics Rykodisc, 1995.
Surface deceive Air Serpents 2.13.61, 1995.
(With Lydia Lunch) September 1995.
The Unabomber Manifesto: Selected Excerpts Year 1, 1996.
Selected writings
(With Lydia Lunch) Adulterers Anonymous Grove Press, 1982.
(Contributor) Poetry Loves Poetry Momentum Press, 1984.
(With Kenneth Jarecke) Just Another War Footing Press, 1992.
Virtual Unreality 2.13.61 Publications, 1993.
A Beer on Every Page 2002.

Exene cervenka biography of mahatma

Exene Cervenka's Career

Exene Cervenka's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading