Brian Molko | |
|---|---|
 Molko in 2017 | |
| Born | 10 December 1972 Brussels, Belgium |
| Nationality | American, British |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1992–present |
| Children | 1 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, piano |
| Labels | |
| Website | www |
Brian Molko (born 10 December 1972) is a musician who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and lyricist of the band Placebo. He is known in particular for his nasal vocals, feminine/androgynous appearance and aggressive guitar style and tunings.
Molko was born in Brussels, Belgium, to an American Jewish father of French and Italian heritage and a Scottish mother. He had an older brother named Stuart who died in August 2022 after a short illness. [1] Molko's family moved frequently during his childhood due to his father's career as a banker; the family lived in Dundee in Scotland, Liberia, Lebanon, the village of Longeau in Belgium, before eventually settling in the town of Sandweiler, in Luxembourg. [2]
Although Molko was brought up in a strict household that disapproved of artistic expression (his father wanted him to become a banker), he rebelled by assuming an androgynous image, wearing nail polish, lipstick, and eyeliner, and listening to punk music. He initially attended the European School of Luxembourg (ESL), but left because he was bullied. [3] He completed his secondary education at the American International School of Luxembourg (AISL), [4] [5] before studying drama at Goldsmiths College in London. [6]
Although Molko and Placebo co-founder Stefan Olsdal had both attended the American International School of Luxembourg (AISL), they had not been friends. [7] When Molko was living in London, he ran into Olsdal at South Kensington tube station and invited him to one of his gigs he played with Steve Hewitt in a group called Ashtray Heart. [7]
Along with Hewitt and Olsdal, Molko had a role in the 1998 film Velvet Goldmine , [8] 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.
During Placebo's live performances Molko has played a number of instruments, including guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, harmonica and saxophone.
Molko is openly bisexual, a theme that is reflected in some of his earlier lyrics with Placebo. [9] [10] Molko was previously in a relationship with Helena Berg, with whom he has a son, Cody Molko, who was born in 2005. [11] [12] Cody is now an actor, and appeared in the television series The Drowning . [13]
Molko has been open about his use of recreational drugs: in a 1997 interview with Kerrang! magazine he admitted that heroin was "probably the only drug on this planet I haven't tried". [14] However, he later admitted to using heroin as well. [15] Pharmaceutical drugs are also referenced, as evidenced by the band's name as well as the album Meds and its title track. Molko admitted in 2003 that many of his initial excesses were due to his mental health issues; he was officially diagnosed with major depressive disorder in his late twenties. [16] He claimed in 2016 that he gave up drugs completely after the recording and release of Meds. [17]
Molko is bilingual, and speaks fluent French and English.
In December 2012 Molko received an Honorary Fellowship from Goldsmiths College, University of London. [18]
In March 2021, Molko was featured in the Marc Jacobs "Heaven" collection with a campaign shot taken by Harley Weir. [19]
In August 2023, Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni sued Molko for defamation after he called her a "fascist racist" while performing at the Sonic Park Festival in Stupinigi in July. [20] [21]
He has performed, as a guest vocalist and with other artists on Placebo's records, on tracks by:
Molko wrote the English lyrics to "Pink Water 3", a song by Indochine from the album Alice & June , released in 2005. [22]
Molko was friends with David Bowie; Bowie sang on Placebo's "Without You I'm Nothing" [23] and on the "20th Century Boy" cover live.
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/Sleeping With Ghosts", "Special Needs", "This Picture"), Fender Jaguars ("Allergic", "Nancy Boy", "Bionic", "Centrefolds"), a Fender Thinline Telecaster ("Taste in Men"), a Fender Jazzmaster ("Pure Morning"), and a Fender Bass VI ("Slave to the Wage"). For amplification he used a Marshall 6100LM. [24]
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", "Without You I'm Nothing"), a Fender Jaguar ("Drag", "Nancy Boy", "I Know"), a Fender Thinline Telecaster ("Twenty Years", "Taste in Men"), and a Gibson Chet Atkins SST ("Meds"). His amplifier was a Fender Twin Reverb.
In the Battle for the Sun tour, he still used Gretsch Duo Jets ("Devil in the Details", "Come Undone", "Follow The Cops Back Home"), a Gibson SG ("Bright Lights"), Fender Cyclone ("Ashtray Heart", "The Never-Ending Why", "Breathe Underwater", "Teenage Angst"), a Gibson Les Paul ("For What It's Worth", "Speak in Tongues", "Julien", "Meds"), a Fender Telecaster Thinline ("Kitty Litter"), and a Fender Toronado ("Battle for the Sun").[ citation needed ] His pedalboard consisted of a Boss TU-2 chromatic tuner, Electro Harmonix Holy Grail reverb, MXR Phase 90 phaser, two Electro Harmonix Hot Tubes distortion units, Boss DD-3 delay, MXR Distortion + booster, MG Monovibe chorus/vibrato, Electro Harmonix No. 1 Echo delay and a Radial Loopbone effect chain switcher.
In 2010, he signed an endorsement contract to use Orange amps. [25]
Placebo is a British alternative rock band, formed in London in 1994 by vocalist–guitarist Brian Molko and bassist–guitarist Stefan Olsdal. Drummer Robert Schultzberg joined in late 1994, but left in 1996 shortly after the release of the band's eponymous debut album due to conflicts with Molko, and was replaced the same year by Steve Hewitt. Molko was born in Belgium and Olsdal and Schultzberg in Sweden; remaining members Molko and Olsdal both grew up in Luxembourg before separately relocating to London and are both British citizens.
Sleeping with Ghosts is the fourth studio album by British alternative rock band Placebo. It was recorded from late 2002 to early 2003 and released on 1 April 2003 by record labels Virgin and Hut.
Velvet Goldmine is a 1998 musical drama film written and directed by Todd Haynes from a story by Haynes and James Lyons. It is set in Britain during the glam rock days of the early 1970s, and tells the story of fictional bisexual pop star Brian Slade, who faked his own death. The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival and won the award for the Best Artistic Contribution. Sandy Powell received a BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design. The film uses non-linear storytelling to achieve exposition while interweaving the vignettes of its various characters.
Placebo is the debut studio album by British alternative rock band Placebo. It was released on 17 June 1996 by record label Virgin. It is the only album recorded with drummer Robert Schultzberg before his departure from the group.
Bo Stefan Alexander Olsdal is a Swedish-Luxembourgish musician, best known as the bassist/guitarist of the alternative rock band Placebo, he is also part of the electronic band Digital 21 + Stefan Olsdal and launched the electronic/dance remix at Hotel Persona.
The Fender Bass VI, originally known as the Fender VI, is a six-string electric bass guitar made by Fender.
Klas Robert Schultzberg is a Swedish musician. He is best known as the original drummer for the English alternative rock band Placebo. Schultzberg had known Stefan Olsdal from a school band in Sweden in 1993 and joined Placebo when the band formed in September 1994. He played on their first studio demo in April 1995, which garnered much industry attention culminating in a deal with Virgin Records.
Black Market Music is the third studio album by British alternative rock band Placebo. The album took nine months to record, from late-1999 to mid-2000; the longest that the band had ever spent recording an album until 2022's Never Let Me Go. It was released on 9 October 2000 by record label Hut.
Christopher Aubrey Shiflett is an American musician. He is the lead guitarist for the rock band Foo Fighters, which he joined in 1999 following the release of the band's third album There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999). Shiflett was also previously a member of the punk rock bands No Use for a Name (1995–1999) and Me First and the Gimme Gimmes (1995–2019).
"Pure Morning" is a song by British alternative rock band Placebo, released as the lead single from their second album, Without You I'm Nothing (1998), in August 1998. Along with "Nancy Boy", it is Placebo's highest-charting single on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number four. It was also successful in the United States, reaching number 19 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. Elsewhere, the song reached the top 50 in Australia, Canada, Iceland, Ireland and New Zealand. In October 2017, the song was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
"Song to Say Goodbye" is a song by English alternative rock band Placebo from their fifth studio album, Meds (2006). It was released on 6 March 2006 as the lead single from Meds in all territories outside of the United Kingdom, where "Because I Want You" was released as the lead single instead. The song was written by Steve Hewitt, Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal, and produced by Dimitri Tikovoi. It develops around piano notes that repeat throughout it, and deals with heroin addiction and its influence on the relationships of the parties involved. The cover art features a blurred picture of vocalist Brian Molko.
Without You I'm Nothing is the second studio album by British alternative rock band Placebo. Recorded in mid-to-late 1998, it was released on 12 October 1998 by record labels Hut and Virgin Records.
"Nancy Boy" is a song by British alternative rock band Placebo, released on 20 January 1997, as the fourth single from their debut self-titled album, released on Hut Records. As with their first single "Come Home", the single edit is a re-recorded version, noticeably different from the album version. "Nancy Boy" contains themes of drugs, sex, gender confusion and bisexuality. "Nancy Boy" became their breakthrough single, peaking at number four in the UK Singles Chart a month after the single's release. While Placebo originally charted at number forty upon its release, after the release of "Nancy Boy" the album re-entered the UK Albums Chart at number five in February, staying on chart for thirteen weeks.
"Come Home" is a song by English alternative rock band Placebo. It appears on the group's 1996 eponymous debut album and was released as the lead single from the album on 5 February 1996.
Battle for the Sun is the sixth studio album by British alternative rock band Placebo. It was recorded in Canada in 2008 and released on 8 June 2009 by record label PIAS. It is their first album with new drummer Steve Forrest, following the departure of Steve Hewitt in 2007.
We Come in Pieces is the second live DVD by the alternative rock band Placebo. It was announced on 24 August 2011 and released on 31 October 2011. It was recorded during a Placebo concert in Brixton Academy, London, on 28 September 2010, the final show of the Battle for the Sun Tour. The live performance includes 20 songs, 15 of which were exclusive to that DVD.
Loud Like Love is the seventh studio album by British alternative rock band Placebo, recorded between 2012 and 2013 and released on 16 September 2013.
MTV Unplugged is a live album by the English alternative rock band Placebo. It was released on 27 November 2015, in the formats of CD, DVD, Blu-ray, double vinyl, limited edition double vinyl picture disc, digital download and limited edition super deluxe box set. Recorded on 19 August 2015 at The London Studios, it is part of the MTV Unplugged series.
Life's What You Make It is an EP by the English alternative rock band Placebo, released on 7 October 2016. It includes three cover songs, as well as the 2016 single "Jesus' Son" and two live recordings of "Twenty Years".
"Jesus' Son" is a song by the English alternative rock band Placebo. It was released as a single on 19 August 2016, and was featured in their 2016 EP Life's What You Make It as well as the band's compilation album A Place for Us to Dream later that year.
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