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Dean Friedman




Dean Friedman is an American Singer-songwriter who plays Piano , Keyboard , Guitar , and other instruments including the Harmonica .

He was described as a . Unlike most so-called one-hit-wonders, Friedman is still (as of 2005 ) writing and performing songs.


INFLUENCES


The songs of Dean Friedman have been covered by several contemporary bands, including The Barenaked Ladies , Ben Folds Five , and The Blenders . The lead singer of Barenaked Ladies, Steve Page , sings background vocals on Friedman's latest album.

The British band Half Man Half Biscuit had a hit in 1986 with the song ''Bastard Son Of Dean Friedman'', a claim Friedman emphatically denies.


TV AND FILMS


Friedman has written, performed and produced the theme music to several TV Series including '' Boon '', starring Michael Elphick . Other TV credits include '' Nick Arcade '' ( Nickelodeon ) and '' Eerie, Indiana '' ( NBC ).
He also composed, performed and produced the soundtrack to the Cult Horror Film '' I Bought A Vampire Motorcycle '' in which he performs the track ''She Runs on Blood, Not Gasoline''.


OTHER (NON-MUSICAL) WORK

In 1985, Friedman produced a seminal work on the newly emerging synthesiser industry called "Complete Guide to Synthesizers, Sequencers, and Drum Machines". Whilst dated this tome is still of use in evaluating devices that crop up on the second hand market.

In 1986, Friedman saw a demo of a powerful Virtual Reality program that put the user right inside a video game using a video camera (similar to the technology used by the Eye Toy ).

Friedman was impressed by the technology and wrote an article for ''Electronic Musician'' Magazine . In 1989 he designed a game called ''Eat-A-Bug'' which was licensed to Nickelodeon TV and served as a prototype for the series Nick Arcade, for which Friedman produced a dozen games. He is now the President and Creative Director of '' InVideo '' games.


CONTROVERSY


The record label which produced ''Ariel'' insisted Friedman change the song's second verse which refers to the Eponym ous Ariel as "...a Jewish girl", believing that Radio Station s may use it as an excuse not to play the record. The third verse was also removed to make the single shorter for radio. The management company received threats from the Jewish Defense League protesting against the edit, and at Friedman's insistence, the original version was put on the album.

Friedman's second single '' McDonald's Girl'' was officially banned by the BBC because the chorus mentioned the name of the Fast Food restaurant.


REVIVAL


Friedman's latest album, ''The Treehouse Journals'' was financed entirely by his fans via his website. Friedman invited people to finance the cost of the as-yet unrecorded album by making an advanced purchase, and by making limited edition signed copies available. This tactic has been adopted by other bands, including Marillion .

  • "The internet makes it possible to get rid of the middleman, once and for all!" — ''Dean Friedman''



DISCOGRAPHY


  • The Treehouse Journals (2002)

  • Songs For Grownups (1998)

  • Dean Friedman In Concert – Sheperds Bush Empire (1998)

  • Bloomsbury Live! (1995)

  • Live! At The Duke of York (1985)

  • Rumpled Romeo (1981)

  • 'Well, Well,' Said The Rocking Chair (1978)

  • Dean Friedman (1977)


  • Music From 'Boon' - TV Soundtrack

  • I Bought A Vampire Motorcyle - Soundtrack

  • Dean's 'Kids Songs'

  • A Million Matzoh Balls



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