David Vanian

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dave Vanian
Birth name	David Lett
Born	(1956-10-12) 12 October 1956
Origin	Hemel Hempstead, England
Genres	Punk rock, gothic rock
Occupations	Gravedigger, Singer-songwriter, Musician
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1976–present
Labels	Nitro Records
Associated acts	The Damned David Vanian & the Phantom Chords Captain Sensible
Website	officialdamned.com

Dave Vanian (born David Lett, 12 October 1956) is a rock musician and lead singer of the punk rock band the Damned. Formed in 1976 in London, the Damned were the first British punk band to release a single, an album, have a record hit the UK charts, and tour the United States. Despite a fluid line-up since their founding, Vanian has been ever-present, the only member to have been so.

Born in Hemel Hempstead, Vanian changed his name from Lett to Vanian in early life after a previous stint as a gravedigger - Vanian being a play on "Transylvanian". He remains one of the early influencers of gothic fashion, wearing dark and otherworldly clothing both on stage and off. He is known to be a fan of renaissance art, film noir and horror movies, all of which manifest in his stage appearance.^{[citation needed]} In November 1976, the British music magazine NME stated that Vanian "resembles a runaway from The Addams Family".^[1] Outside of the Damned he has led the rockabilly band David Vanian & the Phantom Chords, hosted Dave Vanian's Dark Screen on the UK-based television channel Rockworld TV and composed the soundtrack for the 2009 film, The Perfect Sleep.^[2]

Career

David Vanian of the Damned after the band's concert at the Fillmore in San Francisco, March 1986

In 2004, he and Captain Sensible turned on the Christmas lights in Cambridge, causing some controversy.^[3]

Personal life

Vanian in 2006

He has kept his personal life out of the limelight, even opting out of any input towards the Damned biography The Light At The End Of The Tunnel by Carol Clerk. He married his first wife Laurie in 1977, the year after he joined the Damned, but they separated in the mid-1990s. Not long after their split, he married former Sisters of Mercy bassist Patricia Morrison and now lives in north-west London. In 2004 Morrison gave birth to daughter Emily Vanian.

References

↑ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 294. CN 5585.
↑ The Perfect Sleep Official Movie Website
↑ BBC News Online - Church fury at Damned's switch-on

External links

v t e The Damned

Dave Vanian Captain Sensible Monty Oxymoron Pinch Stu West Brian James Rat Scabies Lu Edmonds Dave Berk Henry Badowski Jon Moss Algy Ward Paul Gray Roman Jugg Bryn Merrick Paul Shepley Kris Dollimore Alan Lee Shaw Jason "Moose" Harris Garrie Dreadful Patricia Morrison Spike Smith

Studio albums	Damned Damned Damned Music for Pleasure Machine Gun Etiquette The Black Album Strawberries Phantasmagoria Anything Not of This Earth Grave Disorder So, Who's Paranoid?

Live albums	Live Shepperton 1980 Live at Newcastle The Captain's Birthday Party Not the Captain's Birthday Party? Final Damnation Ballroom Blitz – Live at the Lyceum Molten Lager Live at the 100 Club

Compilation albums	Light at the End of the Tunnel The Radio One Sessions Smash It Up: The Anthology 1976–1987

EPs	Friday 13th EP Testify

Singles	"New Rose" "Neat Neat Neat" "Stretcher Case Baby" "Problem Child" "Don't Cry Wolf" "Love Song" "Smash It Up" "I Just Can't Be Happy Today" "White Rabbit" "The History of the World (Part 1)" "There Ain't No Sanity Clause" "Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde" "Wait for the Blackout" "Lovely Money" "Dozen Girls" "Lively Arts" "Generals" "Thanks for the Night" "Grimly Fiendish" "The Shadow of Love" "Is It a Dream?" "Eloise" "Gigolo" "Anything" "Alone Again Or" "In Dulce Decorum" "Fun Factory" "Prokofiev" "Shut It" "Little Miss Disaster"

Associated acts	Masters of the Backside London SS The Lords of the New Church Dave Vanian and the Phantom Chords Naz Nomad and the Nightmares

Related articles	Discography Stiff Records Chiswick Records Bronze Records Nitro Records Nasty (The Young Ones)

Persondata
Name	Vanian, David
Alternative names
Short description	English singer
Date of birth	12 October 1956
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.