Eddie Argos | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Kevin Macklin |
Also known as | Eddie Argos |
Born | Weymouth, Dorset, England | 25 October 1979
Genres | Post-punk, alternative rock, spoken word |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician, artist, writer |
Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Years active | 2003–present |
Eddie Argos (born Kevin Macklin [1] 25 October 1979) is the lead singer of English rock band Art Brut, and writer of comics.
Born in Weymouth, England, Argos later moved to Poole, Dorset as a young child, and has subsequently written about the Kemp-Welch School there (now St Aldhelm's Academy), in the song "Martin Kemp-Welch Five-A-Side Football Rules!" from the album Brilliant! Tragic! .
Argos is the lead singer of the rock band Art Brut, and sometimes plays the bass guitar in Keith TOTP. Argos is also the lead singer of the project Everybody Was in the French Resistance...Now!, in which he and multi-instrumentalist Dyan Valdes of The Blood Arm write musical responses to pop songs. Their album "Fixin' the Charts, Volume 1" was recorded in Joshua Tree in summer 2008. In June 2011, Eddie appeared as guest vocalist on Akira The Don's "Living in the Future" single. [2] In 2018 Argos collaborated with Berlin-based band Gurr on Christmas songs for a "Christmas Business" EP. [3] [4]
In 2012, Argos wrote an article for DIY magazine as to why he should be the UK's 2013 entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. [5]
In 2021, Argos announced a side project called Haus Band. [6] Their first single, a cover of Bob Dylan's "She Belongs to Me" was released to celebrate Dylan's birthday. [6]
As well as his musical output, Argos is also an enthusiastic painter.
Argos explained his love of painting to Skyscraper Magazine: "I really enjoy painting. I love painting great big thick black lines of acrylic paint on canvas. I don't paint very complicated things, just simple images and words really. Nothing ever comes out the way I intend it to, probably because of my Dyspraxia, so I'm always surprised at how they turn out". [7]
Argos writes an occasional column about comic books for PLAYBACK:stl called "Pow! To The People". [8] He has also contributed a cover quote to the collected edition of Jamie McKelvie's 'Phonogram: The Singles Club' graphic novel. [9]
A lifelong comic book enthusiast, [10] Eddie's passion for comic books has already crossed over into Art Brut's music and art work, with Art Brut vs Satan's "DC Comics & Chocolate Milkshake" referencing the legendary publishers of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Justice League and Green Lantern. The same album also had artwork designed by acclaimed graphic novelist Jeff Lemire. In 2010, Argos unveiled his comic book themed side project named "Spoiler Alert", [11] whose three track EP featured songs inspired by DC Comics characters Batman, Booster Gold and Blue Beetle. [12] Art Brut's 2011 album, Brilliant! Tragic! was created by acclaimed comic book artist Jamie McKelvie.
"I can remember the first comic I ever read" Argos said, "it was the Beano, the day I had my tonsils out. I was given it as a treat as I couldn't eat anything. It might have been the only time I've turned down Ice Cream, it blew my tiny 6-year-old mind. I loved comic books growing up but always had a fear they might be something I would have to give up as an adult. Then one day somebody, I still don't know who, put some Batman comics through our letter box. These blew my tiny 11-year-old mind. They were pretty full on, nothing at all like the Adam West goofing around show I had seen Saturday morning television. In these stories people were being murdered, they were political, and morally ambiguous. If my mum had known how different they were from the Saturday morning kids show she would have taken them off of me. I loved them though and realised then that they were something that would stay with me into adult life and have spent all my money on comics ever since". [10] Argos has also gone on record stating "Batman is the greatest fictional character of all time. No argument". [7]
To accompany the album Brilliant! Tragic! , Art Brut commissioned a comic book to be released simultaneously. The Brilliant! Tragic! comic book features artwork by a range of artists, including Akira The Don, Bryan Lee O'Malley, Hope Larson, Jamie McKelvie, Jeffrey Brown, Jeffrey Lewis, Let's Be Friends Again, Marc Ellerby, Mikey Georgeson, Sian Superman and Patrick McQuade. Eddie Argos was "over the moon and incredibly flattered that these artists took time out to work" on the comic. [13]
Argos released a book of his lyrics for Art Brut in 2013; and in 2014 a book, Formed A Band of memoirs of his time in Art Brut and his earlier bands the Art Goblins.
2015 saw the release of Argos's first full-length comic, Double D , drawn by Steven Horry and published by Image Comics. [14]
Eduardo Risso is an Argentine comics artist. In the United States he is best known for his work with writer Brian Azzarello on the Vertigo title 100 Bullets, while in Argentina and Europe he is noted for his collaborations with Ricardo Barreiro and Carlos Trillo. He has received much acclaim for his work.
Charles Kidd is an American graphic designer known for book covers.
Art Brut are an English indie rock band. Their debut album, Bang Bang Rock & Roll, was released on 30 May 2005, with its follow up, It's a Bit Complicated, released on 25 June 2007. Named after French painter Jean Dubuffet's definition of outsider art – art by prisoners, loners, the mentally ill, and other marginalized people, and made without thought to imitation or presentation – South London's Art Brut were tagged by NME as part of the "Art Wave" scene that also included bands such as The Rakes, Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party. The band released further albums, Art Brut vs Satan in 2009 and Brilliant! Tragic! in 2011. A fifth album, Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out!", was released in 2018.
Kieron Michael Gillen is a British comic book writer and former video game and music journalist. In comics, Gillen is known for Once & Future, Die, Phonogram, and The Wicked + The Divine, the latter two co-created with artist Jamie McKelvie and published by Image, as well as numerous projects for Marvel, such as Journey into Mystery, Uncanny X-Men, Young Avengers, Eternals, and the company-wide crossover storyline A.X.E.: Judgment Day. He has also written projects for Star Wars including Darth Vader, Star Wars, and co-created the character Doctor Aphra who starred in her own ongoing spin-off comic series Star Wars: Doctor Aphra of which Gillen wrote the first 19 issues.
Bang Bang Rock & Roll is the debut studio album by British rock band Art Brut. It was re-released in 2006 with bonus CD.
The Art Goblins are an English alternative rock band featuring Art Brut members Eddie Argos and Jasper "Jeff" Future.
It's a Bit Complicated is the second album by British band Art Brut. It is the follow-up to their debut album Bang Bang Rock & Roll and was released on 19 June 2007. It debuted on the UK Albums Chart at #123.
Jamie McKelvie is a British cartoonist and illustrator, known for his both work on books such as Phonogram, Young Avengers and The Wicked + The Divine, and his approach to comic character design.
"Formed a Band" is song by English-based indie rock band Art Brut. It was released as a single on 29 March 2004 by Rough Trade Records and reached number 52 in the UK Singles Chart. A later recording, produced by John Fortis, is present on their 2005 album Bang Bang Rock & Roll.
Art Brut vs. Satan is the third album by Art Brut, released in Europe on 20 April 2009 and in the US on 21 April. The lead-off single from the album was "Alcoholics Unanimous". The album was produced by Frank Black.
Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgment on Gotham is the first of four Batman and Judge Dredd crossover comic books, published by DC Comics and Fleetway Publications in 1991. It was written by John Wagner and Alan Grant, with art by Simon Bisley.
Brilliant! Tragic! is the fourth studio album by Art Brut, released on 23 May 2011. The album was recorded in Salem, Oregon, and was the second by the band to be produced by Frank Black, best known as the frontman of Pixies. To accompany the album, a comic book version of Brilliant! Tragic! was released at the same time.
Everybody Was in the French Resistance...Now! are a band dedicated to writing responses to popular songs, featuring Eddie Argos of Art Brut and Dyan Valdés of The Blood Arm. They have released one album, Fixin' the Charts, Vol. 1 in 2010.
Art Brut Live At Schubas 11/15/2005 is a live album by British indie rock group Art Brut. At present, it is only available in mp3 format. The album was recorded at Schubas Tavern in Chicago, Illinois, during the promotional tour for the band's first album. Although the majority of tracks on this live album are taken from Bang Bang Rock & Roll, it also contains early versions of St.Pauli and Blame It On The Trains, which later appear on the second Art Brut album It's A Bit Complicated.
Art Brut Top of the Pops is a compilation album by the band Art Brut. As well as a 'best of' set, the two-disc collection includes two new songs, "Arizona Bay" and "We Make Pop Music", as well as B-sides, cover versions, demos and live material.
Ciccone were a London-based indie rock band active in the 2000s, fronted by Rebekah Delgado and Micky Ciccone, both on vocals and guitar.
Matt Wilson is an American artist and colorist working in the comics industry. According to CBR, he is "one of comics' most in demand colorists".
Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out! is the fifth album by Art Brut released on 23 November 2018. The album is the band's first album in seven years after the 2012 release Brilliant! Tragic!. The lead-off single from the album was the eponymously-titled "Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out!", the first new Art Brut material to be released since 2011. A second single, with video, "Hospital!" was released on 2 October 2018, along with full details of the album.
Gurr are a German garage rock duo, consisting of Andreya Casablanca and Laura Lee. Their debut album, In My Head, was released in 2016, and was the Independent Music Companies Association album of the year.
Red Hood vs. Anarky is a 2018 comic book one-shot published by DC Comics. The comic depicts the character Anarky trying to crash Selina Kyle's bachelorette party all the while Jason Todd is running security. It was written by Tim Seeley and illustrated by Javi Fernandez.