Brian Molko

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Brian Molko
Brian Molko, lead vocalist and guitarist of Placebo
Brian Molko, lead vocalist and guitarist of Placebo
Background information
Birth name Brian Molko
Born Brussels, December 10, 1972 (1972-12-10) (age 35)
Genre(s) Indie rock
Alternative rock
Instrument(s) Vocals, Guitar
Years active 1994–present
Label(s) EMI, Virgin Records (current), Hut Records, Caroline Records
Associated acts Placebo
Website www.placeboworld.co.uk/

Brian Molko (born December 10, 1972, in Belgium) is a songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist of the band Placebo.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Born to an American international banker father of French-Italian heritage[1] and a Scottish mother, Molko's family moved frequently during his childhood including spells in Scotland, Liberia, Lebanon and Luxembourg. Molko has referred to a period spent in his mother's home town of Dundee, Scotland as "where I grew up".[2] He describes his childhood as a period when he felt very lonely and alienated; his first performing experiences were through acting in a school drama theater. While Molko was brought up in a strict household that disapproved of artistic expression (his father wanted him to become a banker) he rebelled by affecting an androgynous image, wearing nail polish, lipstick and eyeliner, and listening to punk. In his late teens, he came out as bisexual. Molko initially attended the European School of Luxembourg but had to leave due to excessive bullying;[3]he later attended the American International School of Luxembourg[4] and went on to study drama at Goldsmiths College in London[5].

[edit] Career

Molko and Stefan Olsdal had both attended AISL (though they were never friends); when Molko moved to London, he ran into Olsdal at South Kensington tube station. Molko invited Olsdal to one of his gigs in a club, which he played with Steve Hewitt. Olsdal was impressed with Molko's voice, and together they formed Ashtray Heart; eventually they changed the name to Placebo. Together with drummer Robert Schultzberg (a friend of Olsdal's from Sweden) performed together in 1996. Schultzberg did not fit in the band, however, and was soon replaced with Steve Hewitt, who played on Placebo's demo tracks.

Molko's musical influences include Depeche Mode, David Bowie, The Smiths, Iggy Pop, Dead Kennedys, Serge Gainsbourg, Syd Barrett, Bad Religion, Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey, Jane's Addiction, Nick Drake, Joy Division, The Cure and The Pixies. More recent musical tastes include electro-clash artist Peaches, Mogwai, The Cribs and many others.

Molko taught himself to play guitar; at the age of 16 he got a Telecaster replica as a present from his parents. Soon after, he bought a real Telecaster . He plays other instruments such as bass, harmonica, keyboard, saxophone, drums and turntables. Fluent in French due to his upbringing in Luxembourg, Molko has written and sung a few of Placebo's songs in French as well as English. He has also occasionally worked as a disc jockey at clubs.

Along with Hewitt and Olsdal, he had a small role in the 1998 film Velvet Goldmine, for which Placebo performed the T. Rex song "20th Century Boy." He played Malcolm, a singer of the fictional glam rock band, "The Flaming Creatures," who resembled the early Alice Cooper band.

In 2005, Molko's long-term partner, Helena Berg, gave birth to his first child, Cody. He said he named the child after his long-time friend who died in a car accident. He currently lives in London, but frequently travels to Paris.

In the same year he was voted as 39th of the 50 sexiest rock stars by Kerrang! magazine readers.

[edit] Collaborations

He has performed as a guest vocalist on tracks by:

He also wrote the English lyrics to "Pink Water 3", a song by Indochine from the album Alice Et June, released in 2005. Molko is friends with David Bowie, with whom he sang Placebo's Without You I'm Nothing[6] and the cover 20th Century Boy live.

[edit] Equipment

Molko uses a variety of guitars. In the Sleeping With Ghosts era, he used Gibson SGs (The Bitter End, Every You Every Me, "Plasticine", Black-Eyed, Without You I'm Nothing, Special K, "Bulletproof Cupid", "Soulmates", Special Needs, This Picture), Fender Jaguars ("Allergic", Pure Morning, Nancy Boy, "Bionic", "Centrefolds", Where is My Mind?), a Fender Thinline Telecaster (Taste in Men) and a Fender Bass VI (Slave To The Wage). For amplification he used a Fender Twin Reverb.

Through the Meds Tour, he used Gretsch Duo Jets (Infra-Red, Because I Want You, Song to Say Goodbye, "One of a Kind", The Bitter End, Running Up That Hill, Special K), Gibson SGs (Special Needs, Every You Every Me, Black-Eyed), a Fender Jaguar ("Drag", Nancy Boy), a Fender Thinline Telecaster (Twenty Years) and a Gibson Chet Atkins SST (Meds). Once again his amplifier was a Fender Twin Reverb.

During a 2003 interview with Graham Norton, Molko revealed he collects guitars, and gives them all names - amongst them are his favourite, 'Bitch', and a pink guitar (which he claims is gay) called 'Bertie'.

[edit] Filmography

  • (1998) Velvet Goldmine as Malcolm of the Flaming Creatures
  • (2001) Sue's Last Ride (Executive Producer)

A poster of him also appears in the 2006 film "Un Jour d'été" (A Summer Day), in which the main character is possibly bisexual.

[edit] Appearances

[edit] References

  1. ^ Brian Molko. CNET Networks Entertainment. Retrieved on 2008-02-16.
  2. ^ NME interview with Placebo. NME/PlaceboWorld. Retrieved on 2006-07-17.
  3. ^ FHM interview with Brian Molko. FHM/PlaceboWorld. Retrieved on 2008-01-30.
  4. ^ Role Reversal. Sessions/PlaceboWorld. Retrieved on 2008-01-30.
  5. ^ The Boy Can't Help It. Guitarist/PlaceboWorld. Retrieved on 2008-01-30.
  6. ^ Placebo with David Bowie Chat Transcript - 29/3/99. BowieWonderworld.com/SonicNet/Yahoo!. Retrieved on 2006-10-14.

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
v • d • e
Placebo
Brian Molko · Stefan Olsdal
Alex Lee · Bill Lloyd
Steve Hewitt · Robert Schultzberg
Studio albums
D.V.D.s and
compilations
Singles
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