Information AboutNico |
For the sequel to Ico see Shadow Of The Colossus Christa Päffgen ( October 16 , 1938 – July 18 , 1988 ) was a Singer - Songwriter , Fashion Model , Actress and Warhol Superstar , best known by her Pseudonym '''Nico'''. She is best remembered for a collaboration with '' The Velvet Underground '', in 1967 . The date and location of Nico's birth are disputed. Most sources state October 16 , 1938 , Cologne , Germany . However, at least two other sources have put her birth date at March 15 , 1943 , in Budapest , Hungary . CAREER Modelling Nico made her early fame as a Fashion Model . As a young girl she moved to Paris and met the photographer Tobias , who christened her "Nico" after his ex-boyfriend, filmmaker Nico Papatakis . Nico worked for '' Vogue '', '' Tempo '', '' Vie Nuove '', '' Mascotte Spettacolo '', '' Camera '', '' ELLE '', and various other fashion Magazine s in the late 1950s . She also claimed she was briefly hired by Coco Chanel . ''La Dolce Vita'' After appearing in several Television Commercial s, Nico landed a tiny role in Alberto Lattuada 's '' La Tempesta '' ( 1958 ), and then appeared in Rudolph Maté 's '' For The First Time '' with Mario Lanza later that year. In 1959 , she was invited to the set of Federico Fellini 's '' La Dolce Vita '' and attracted the attention of the acclaimed director, who promptly gave her a sizable role in his film. By this time, Nico had moved to New York to take acting classes with Lee Strasberg . After splitting her time between New York and Paris , she landed the lead role in Jacques Poitrenaud 's '' Strip-Tease '' (1963). For that film, Nico recorded the title track, which was produced by Serge Gainsbourg but not released. During this period she had a son, Ari (born 1962 ), with actor Alain Delon . Early films with Warhol In 1965 , Nico met The Rolling Stones ' Brian Jones and recorded her first single, "I'm Not Sayin'" for Andrew Loog Oldham 's Immediate label. Actor Ben Carruthers introduced her to Bob Dylan in Paris that summer; Dylan wrote a song about her, "I'll Keep It With Mine" shortly afterwards. She began working with Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey on their Experimental Film s, including '' Chelsea Girls '', ''The Closet'', '' Sunset '', and '' Imitation Of Christ ''. ''The Velvet Underground and Nico'' While appearing in the Factory films of Warhol, Nico was introduced to The Velvet Underground , at that time the backing group for Warhol's '' Exploding. Plastic. Inevitable. '', a Multimedia performance featuring Film , Music , Lights and Dance rs in a sort of total experience Theatre . Once Nico joined the Factory crowd, she gradually began to work with the Velvets, singing three songs ("All Tomorrow's Parties", "Femme Fatale", and "I'll Be Your Mirror") on their debut LP '' The Velvet Underground And Nico ''. Released in 1967 , the same year as her own solo debut LP named for Warhol's film ''Chelsea Girls'' (with the title-track penned by the Velvets), The VU & Nico album and its iconic Warhol cover-art, went on to become highly influential and critically lauded within Rock Music and art circles. Nico had a short-lived romantic relationship with the Velvet Underground's main singer and songwriter, Lou Reed , at this time, one of her several romances with prominent musicians including fellow Velvet John Cale , The Doors' icon Jim Morrison , Jackson Browne , Rolling Stones' founder Brian Jones , Tim Buckley and The Stooges' Iggy Pop . Shortly after the ''Exploding. Plastic. Inevitable.'' tour drew to a close in the Spring of 1967 , Nico and The Velvet Underground parted ways as a professional working group. The exact reasons for her departure have not been made clear, though both Lou Reed and the Velvet's multi-instrumentalist John Cale played significant parts in various aspects of Nico's solo career. Over the course of the next twenty years she recorded a series of critically acclaimed albums, working with the likes of Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera . Cale was particularly involved in Nico's music, producing four of her albums as well as arranging and playing various instruments on the recordings. Solo The Sixties For her debut album, , Tim Hardin , Jackson Browne and Velvet Underground members Lou Reed , John Cale and Sterling Morrison . ''Chelsea Girl'' is largely a traditional chamber-folk album in the vein of Leonard Cohen , complete with Strings and Flute arrangements superimposed by its producer. Nico was not wholly satisfied with the finished album but had little say in production matters. For her seminal LP, '', which became her signature instrument for much of the rest of her career. The album combines classical elements with a European Folk sound. The Seventies Nico released three albums in the , Synthesizer , acoustic Guitar , and Electric Piano . That album featured Brian Eno , who played on the ''June 1, 1974'' LP with Nico, Cale and Kevin Ayers . The Eighties Nico recorded her next studio album, '' collection that implemented Jazz instrumentation and featured Nico's version of the Richard Rodgers / Lorenz Hart song, " My Funny Valentine ". Nico lived in , for purposes of publicity. A substantial number of Nico's performances towards the end of her life were recorded and have been released. Most noteworthy of these are 1982 's '' Heroine '', 1986 's '' Behind The Iron Curtain '', and her final concert, '' Fata Morgana '', recorded on June 6 , 1988 . Philippe Garrel Between 1970 and 1979 , Nico made seven films with French director Philippe Garrel . She met Garrel in 1969 and contributed the song "The Falconer" to his film, ''Le Lit de la Vierge''. Soon after, she was living with Garrel and became a central figure in his cinematic and personal circles. Nico's first acting appearance with Garrel occurred in his 1972 film, ''La Cicatrice Intérieure''. Nico also supplied the music for this film and collaborated closely with the director. Her participation diminished with later films, which included the Silent Jean Seberg Biopic , '' Les Hautes Solitudes '', released in 1974 . Death On July 18 , 1988 , Nico was injured while riding her Bicycle while vacationing with her son, Ari, in her favorite haunt of previous years, Ibiza . She hit her head and was admitted to a local hospital. X-ray s revealed severe bleeding in her brain, and she died several hours later. She was buried in her mother's grave in Grunewald Forest Cemetery in Berlin, Germany. A few friends were playing a song from her album "'' Desertshore ''" on a cassette recorder RECORDINGS
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''(A more complete filmography .)'' EXTERNAL LINKS
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