Chris Knox | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Friend |
| Born | Christopher Alexander Knox 2 September 1952 Invercargill, New Zealand |
| Origin | Dunedin, New Zealand |
| Genres | Indie rock, punk rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, writer, reviewer, filmmaker, cartoonist, visual artist |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Labels | Flying Nun |
Christopher Alexander Knox (born 2 September 1952) is a New Zealand rock and roll musician, cartoonist and movie reviewer who emerged during the 1970s punk rock era with his bands the Enemy and Toy Love. After Toy Love disbanded in the early 1980s, Knox formed the duo Tall Dwarfs with guitarist, Alec Bathgate. The Tall Dwarfs delivered unpolished sound and intense live shows. His 4-track machine was used to record most of the Flying Nun label's early singles.
He has also released a number of solo, self-produced albums which feature his Casiotone, and an album under the pseudonym Friend.
Knox began his musical career in 1977 as a "local version (not copy) of Iggy Pop", as lead vocalist, fronting New Zealand's punk rockers the Enemy, which formed in Dunedin. [1] [2] He has played live in front of audiences all around New Zealand, winning a reputation for his sometimes confrontational style, and performed annually at Wellington's Bar Bodega. He has also extensively toured internationally. His swing through the US in 1995 included, among others, stops in Seattle to play the Crocodile Cafe. His minimalist, DIY sound played well to ears then-focused on grunge, with its retro-punk stylings.
A long-time resident of Auckland, Knox spent time as a newspaper columnist and film reviewer for Real Groove. In 1986-1987, he edited and published three issues of a New Zealand comics anthology Jesus on a Stick. [3] Starting in 1987, his satirical comic strip Max Media appeared in The New Zealand Herald every week until 2009. He has also been an occasional television film reviewer, hosted a Television New Zealand season of classic movies 'The Vault', and presented two seasons of arts series New Artland.
At the 2001 New Zealand Music Awards Knox's ballad "Not Given Lightly" (1990) was announced as New Zealand's thirteenth best song of all time, as voted by APRA members. [4] [5] Knox wrote it for "John and Liesha's mother"—his then-partner Barbara—this track never scaled commercial heights though it has belatedly generated some income for the songwriter through its use in TV advertising (including for Vogel's bread).
Knox launched his own label 'A Major Records' in 2006 to release the album Chris Knox and the Nothing. This was the first album Knox recorded in a professional studio, rather than in his trademark DIY style, since his time with Toy Love.
Knox's "It's Love", from the 2000 album Beat, has been used in "Share the Good", a Heineken Premium Light commercial directed by Todd Haynes and cinematographed by Edward Lachman.
In 2009 Knox was awarded a New Zealand Arts Foundation Arts Laureate Award. [6]
On 11 June 2009 Knox was admitted to Auckland Hospital suffering from a stroke. [7] The album Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox was released in New Zealand on 16 November 2009. It features 33 artists performing Knox's songs. The album is a way for Knox's fans to contribute to the costs of his rehabilitation. All artists contributed their time and talent without charge. Artists include Jay Reatard, David Kilgour, The Mint Chicks, Shayne Carter, Yo La Tengo, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Bill Callahan, The Mountain Goats, The Bats, The Chills, The Verlaines, Jeff Mangum, The Nothing (including Chris), Tall Dwarfs and Lou Barlow.
The Greenwich Village arts venue Le Poisson Rouge hosted a benefit concert for Knox on 6 May 2010. [8] Artists included Jeff Mangum and Yo La Tengo, who both participated in the 2009 benefit album for Knox.
Since his stroke, Knox has done a very small number of live appearances, for instance at the presentation of Stroke – Songs For Chris Knox in November 2009, [9] on 22 April 2012, [10] on 29 September 2012 in Auckland, with Rackets, as Knoxious [11] and in support of Neutral Milk Hotel on 23 and 24 of November, 2013. [12]
| Year | Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | |||
| 1981 | Songs for Cleaning Guppies |
| — |
| 1988 | Seizure |
| — |
| 1991 | Croaker |
| — |
| 1993 | Polyfoto, Duck-Shaped Pain and Gum |
| — |
| 1995 | Songs of You And Me |
| — |
| 1997 | Yes!! |
| — |
| 2000 | Beat |
| — |
| 2002 | Inaccuracies & Omissions |
| — |
| 2005 | Chris Knox & The Nothing |
| — |
| 2008 | A Warm Gun |
| — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||
| Year | Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | |||
| 1993 | Meat |
| — |
| 1999 | Almost |
| — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||
| Year | Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | |||
| 2009 | Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox |
| — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||
| Year | Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|---|
| NZ | |||
| 1989 | "Not Given Lightly" / Guppiplus |
| — |
| 1990 | "Not Given Lightly" |
| — |
| 1990 | Song For 1990 |
| — |
| 1993 | "Under The Influence" |
| — |
| 1993 | Chris Knox/Tall Dwarfs split |
| — |
| 1993 | "Not Given Lightly" |
| — |
| 1995 | One Fell Swoop |
| — |
| 1996 | Songs From 1990 |
| — |
| 1996 | 15th Anniversary Etching |
| — |
| 1998 | "Not Given Lightly" |
| — |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||
The Aotearoa Music Awards (previously known as New Zealand Music Awards (NZMA)) are an annual awards night celebrating excellence in New Zealand music and have been presented annually since 1965.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Chris Knox for Duck Shaped Pain and Gum | Album Cover of the Year | Nominated | [13] |
| 1994 | Chris Knox for 3 EPs by Tall Dwarfs | Album Cover of the Year | Nominated | |
| 1995 | Chris Knox for Songs of You and Me | Album Cover of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2006 | Chris Knox for As Sweet As Sin (Bleeders) | Album Cover of the Year | Won | |
| 2012 | Chris Knox (as part of Toy Love) | New Zealand Music Hall of Fame | inductee | [14] |
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