Al Jourgensen
Al Jourgensen | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Alejandro Ramírez Casas |
Also known as | The Alien, Alien Jourgensen, Alain Jourgensen, Hypo Luxa, Dog, Alien Dog Star, Buck Satan, Buck Santa, Uncle Al, Enchanted Al, Al F***-ing Jourgensen |
Born | Havana, Cuba | October 9, 1958
Genres |
|
Occupation(s) |
|
Instrument(s) |
|
Years active | 1978–present |
Member of | |
Formerly of | |
Website | ministryband |
Alain David Jourgensen[6][a] (born Alejandro Ramírez Casas;[11] October 9, 1958) is a Cuban-American singer, musician and music producer. Closely related with the independent record label Wax Trax! Records, his musical career spans four decades. He is the frontman and lyricist of the industrial metal band Ministry, which he founded in 1981 and of which he remains the only constant member. He was the primary musician of several Ministry-related projects, such as Revolting Cocks, Lard, and Buck Satan and the 666 Shooters. Jourgensen is a prominent figure in industrial music,[sources 1] influencing numerous other groups and musicians, both in alternative and industrial-associated acts.
Born in Havana shortly before the Cuban Revolution of 1959, at the age of three Jourgensen moved to the United States with his family, and was raised mainly in Chicago and Breckenridge, Colorado. He developed an interest in music at a young age, and was involved in several short-lived bands, as well as briefly performing in the backing band of drag performer Divine.
Jourgensen formed Ministry in 1981 in Chicago and received significant attention from music press regarding the band's 1983 debut studio album, With Sympathy. His subsequent releases in the 1980s, most prominently Ministry's The Land of Rape and Honey (1988) and The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste (1989), showcased his stylistic transition; in the early 1990s, he achieved mainstream success with Ministry's fifth studio album, Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs (1992). The next few years were marked by publicity surrounding Jourgensen's substance abuse which negatively affected his creative output and resulted in a period of severe depression; during this time, Jourgensen and Ministry appeared in the 2001 Steven Spielberg film A.I. Artificial Intelligence.
In 2005, Jourgensen established his own record label, 13th Planet Records, through which several Ministry records, among others, were released until the early 2010s. Currently Jourgensen and Ministry are signed to Nuclear Blast Records
Early life
Alejandro Ramírez Casas was born in Havana, Cuba,[17] on October 9, 1958,[17] the son of Margarita "Maggie" Brouwer (born c. 1942) and Gualberto Ramírez Casas (born c. 1936), and the grandson of Julio Brouwer, a biologist.[18] Jourgensen's extended family has Dutch and Spanish heritage.[12] In 1961, following the fall of Fulgencio Batista's regime and rise of Fidel Castro to power, his family relocated to the US. In 1964, Brouwer married Ed Jourgensen, a stock car driver and mechanic for Formula One driver Dan Gurney. She adopted his surname for herself and her son.[12]
Jourgensen was raised in Chicago, Illinois and in Breckenridge, Colorado. He graduated from Summit County High School in Frisco, Colorado, in 1976. He was a fan of a wide range of artists including the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Hawkwind, Led Zeppelin, Hank Williams and George Jones. After seeing the Ramones on stage in Denver, Jourgensen decided to be a punk musician.[12]: 2
Jourgensen eventually attended the
Professional life
Ministry
Jourgensen formed Ministry in 1981 after leaving
The band broke into the mainstream with 1992's
Ministry's next albums, Rio Grande Blood (2006) and The Last Sucker (2007), as well as the 2006 Revolting Cocks album Cocked and Loaded, were released on Jourgensen's new record label, 13th Planet Records, which he formed after falling out with the mainstream agendas of major industry labels.[20]
At the specific request of director
Well, first of all, I hung up on him. I thought it was a crank call. His secretary was calling and I was like, 'Yeah, right.' Click. And then he called back personally and then talked to me, and I was just freaked out. I mean, who wouldn't be freaked out? Here's this eccentric American God living in the countryside of England, and he's calling me up in Austin, Texas, and saying he wants me to do the music for his film and he wants me to be in his film and he's famous and all that. I didn't even believe it.[21]
Ministry continued its involvement with the film project after Kubrick's death, and Jourgensen revealed that after initial tension with Steven Spielberg, partly due to Jourgensen's prank when he claimed being told that "A.I." stood for "Anal Intruder" and threatening to walk off production because it was not a porn film,[citation needed] he and Spielberg enjoyed a friendly relationship,[22] with two compositions appearing on the soundtrack: "What About Us" and "Dead Practice".[23]
A number of his songs also appear in other films, such as Wicked Lake (2008)—produced by
In a November 2008 issue of
At his 57th birthday listening party in Chicago he announced a new project called, SMM or Surgical Meth Machine. In an interview with In The Loop Magazine, Jourgensen stated, "I can't wait to get this record out. If you're a fan of Ministry, you're gonna freak out on this. It's got the whole range of my career as a musician in it even sound of earlier stuff from the beginning."[28]
In 2016 March, Jourgensen noted he had a project with Arabian Prince;[29] this collaboration was later confirmed for a new Ministry album.[30][31]
In February 2024, Jourgensen announced that he would like to make one last Ministry album. That pending swan song will also find the outfit reuniting with Paul Barker, who served as their producer/bassist/keyboardist/programmer, etc. throughout Ministry‘s commercial peak from 1986 through to 2003.[32]
Revolting Cocks
The band have changed lineups several times. RevCo currently features Jourgensen (guitars, keyboards, programming, background vocals, producer), Josh Bradford (vocals, background vocals), Sin Quirin (guitars, bass, keyboards) and Clayton Worbeck (keyboards, programming, mixing, bass). Their seventh album,
Other bands and projects
During the late 1980s, Jourgensen started a short-lived side project named
- More side projects
Production work
Jourgensen and his Ministry bandmate
Musicianship
Jourgensen has played a multitude of instruments throughout his career, including guitars, bass, violin, banjo, keyboards, piano, pedal steel guitar, trumpets and drums to name a few. However, he claims he is "not really good at any of them." He said, "I'm jack of all trades and master of none. But I can collage bits and pieces together musically."[41]
Jourgensen's singing style has varied throughout the years. On Ministry's early releases such as With Sympathy and Twitch, he sang with a fake British accent, which he regrets.[42][43] Inspired by The 13th Floor Elevators, Jourgensen started utilizing vocal effects beginning with The Land of Rape and Honey to distort his voice using Eventide.[44] In 2006, starting with Rio Grande Blood, Jourgensen switched to a more thrash metal approach.
Personal life
Relationships and family
Jourgensen was married to Patty Marsh from 1984 to 1995 and the relationship produced one daughter.[45]: 15 [46] In 2002, he married Angelina Lukacin.[47] In July 2014, he announced that they were divorced.[48]
Jourgensen's autobiography, Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen, was released in July 2013.[49]
As a result of the divorce from wife and business partner, 13th Planet Records officially shut down [citation needed]. In 2015, Jourgensen closed his residence and recording studio in El Paso, Texas and moved to Los Angeles to pursue new music endeavors.
Legal and health issues
In 1995, police raided Ministry's Texas headquarters and Jourgensen was arrested for possession of
Jourgensen almost lost his arm and foot in two separate incidents, the first due to a spider bite,[52] the second the result of a hypodermic needle wound.[53][54]
Body art
Throughout the years, Jourgensen has amassed a large number of tattoos. In 2012, he underwent facial piercings after a bet with his daughter; she called him a "pussy" for not having any piercings, while Jourgensen called her the same thing for not having any tattoos. They then decided to have their tattoos and piercings done respectively to create a "pact". He had 16 facial piercings done in one sitting.[55][56] In February 2024, Jourgensen was seen without his facial piercings.[57]
Discography
with Ministry
Date of release | Title | Label |
1983 | With Sympathy | Arista Records |
1986 | Twitch | Warner Bros.
|
1988 | The Land of Rape and Honey | Warner Bros.
|
1989 | The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste | Warner Bros.
|
1992 | Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs | Warner Bros.
|
1996 | Filth Pig | Warner Bros.
|
1999 | Dark Side of the Spoon | Warner Bros.
|
2003 | Animositisomina | Sanctuary |
2004 | Houses of the Molé | Sanctuary |
2006 | Rio Grande Blood | 13th Planet/Megaforce |
2007 | The Last Sucker | 13th Planet/Megaforce |
2012 | Relapse | 13th Planet |
2013 | From Beer to Eternity | 13th Planet |
2018 | AmeriKKKant | Nuclear Blast |
2021 | Moral Hygiene | Nuclear Blast |
2024 | Hopiumforthemasses | Nuclear Blast |
with Revolting Cocks
Date of release | Title | Label |
1985 | No Devotion (12") | Wax Trax!
|
1986 | Big Sexy Land | Wax Trax!
|
1986 | "You Often Forget" (12") | Wax Trax!
|
1988 | You Goddamned Son of a Bitch – Live | Wax Trax! |
1986 | Stainless Steel Providers (12") | Wax Trax!
|
1990 | Beers, Steers, and Queers | Wax Trax! |
1993 | Linger Ficken' Good | Warner Bros. Records
|
2006 | Cocked and Loaded | 13th Planet Records/Megaforce Records |
2007 | Cocktail Mixxx | 13th Planet Records/Megaforce Records |
2009 | Sex-O Olympic-O | 13th Planet Records/Megaforce Records |
2009 | Sex-O MiXXX-O | 13th Planet Records/Megaforce Records |
2010 | Got Cock?
|
13th Planet Records/Megaforce Records |
2011 | Got Mixx? | 13th Planet Records/Megaforce Records |
with Lard
Date of release | Title | Label |
1989 | The Power of Lard | Alternative Tentacles |
1990 | The Last Temptation of Reid | Alternative Tentacles |
1997 | Pure Chewing Satisfaction | Alternative Tentacles |
2000 | 70's Rock Must Die | Alternative Tentacles |
Other releases
Date of release | Band | Title | Label |
1987 | Pailhead | "I Will Refuse" b/w "No Bunny"
|
Wax Trax!
|
1988 | Pailhead | Trait (EP) | Wax Trax!
|
1989 | Acid Horse | No Name, No Slogan (12") | Wax Trax!
|
2011 | Buck Satan and the 666 Shooters | Bikers Welcome Ladies Drink Free | 13th Planet Records/AFM Soulfood Records |
2016 | Surgical Meth Machine | Surgical Meth Machine | Nuclear Blast Records
|
Featured releases
Date of release | Band | Title | Label | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1981 | Special Affect | Too Much Soft Living | None (Special Affect Music) | Full member (1979-1980). |
1983 | Alan Vega | Saturn Strip | Elektra | Keyboards on Saturn Drive (track 1). |
1989 | Skinny Puppy | Rabies | Nettwerk | Production, engineering, mixing, guitar and additional vocals. |
1992 | Skrew | Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame | Metal Blade | Engineering and guitar. |
1994 | The Reverend Horton Heat
|
Liquor in the Front | Sub Pop / Interscope | Production, pedal steel guitar, piano and vocals. |
2008 | False Icons[58] | God Complex | 13th Planet Records | Mixing and production. |
2010 | Front Line Assembly | Improvised Electronic Device | Metropolis | Production, vocals, lyrics, string arrangements, additional programming and mixing
on Stupidity (track 9). |
2015 | Coal Chamber | Rivals
|
Napalm | Additional vocals on Suffer in Silence (track 4). |
2018 | Beauty In Chaos | Finding Beauty In Chaos
|
None (Bandcamp) | Vocals on 20th Century Boy, originally composed by T. rex (track 4) |
2020 | Static-X | Project Regeneration
|
Otsego Entertainment Group | Additional vocals on Dead Souls (track 12). |
Solo releases
Date of release | Title | Label |
---|---|---|
2009 / 2010 | Alien Christmas/It's Always Christmas Time (with Mark Thwaite) | 13th Planet Records |
Notes
Commentaries
Reference notes
References
Cited sources
- ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (March 27, 2013). "Ministry's Last Stand Brings Al Jourgensen 'From Beer to Eternity'". Noisey Vice. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
- Consequence of Sound. 7. Al Jourgensen (Ministry). Retrieved October 29, 2017.
- ^ Kaufman, Spencer (January 19, 2014). "Ministry Mastermind Al Jourgensen to Enter Rehab for Alcohol Abuse". Loudwire. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
- ^ Dean, John (October 14, 2013). "Before They Were Metal". Noisey Vice. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
- ^ Rod Smith (March 27, 2014). "Wax Trax: An Introduction". Red Bull Music Academy Daily. Red Bull Music Academy. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- ^ Cadrey, Richard (March 1996). "Avalanche in 4/4". Pulse! – via Prongs.org archive.
- ^ a b Heim, Chris (December 29, 1989). "Ministry's Musical Vision Goes Beyond The City Limits". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
- ^ a b Blush, Steven (October 1991). "Cult of Personality". Spin Magazine. Vol. 7, no. 7. pp. 77–78. Retrieved December 17, 2017 – via Google Books.
- L.A. Weekly. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
- ^ "Ministry". Metal Storm. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-306-82464-7.
- ^ a b c d Hilburn, Robert (August 2, 1992). "The Face of Fame, The Face of Anger". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
- CMJ New Music Report. No. 870. June 28, 2004. p. 6. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
- ^ Jourgensen & Wiederhorn 2013, p. XIII.
- ^ Graham Hartmann (November 4, 2016). "10 Greatest Industrial Rock + Metal Bands [Watch]". Loudwire. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
- ^ Sean Edgar (November 15, 2017). "Photos: Death Grips & Ministry Combined for a Post-Industrial Maelstrom". Paste. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
- ^ a b James Gill (August 16, 2016). "My Life Story | Ministry's Al Jourgensen". Metal Hammer. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ Jourgensen & Wiederhorn 2013, pp. 7–8. Jourgensen writes that his mother was 16 years old when she had him.
- ^ Murphy, Tom (June 12, 2012). "Ministry's Al Jourgensen on his ties to Colorado: living in Breckenridge, attending Greeley High School and his ill-fated attempt at a rodeo career". Westword. Retrieved May 17, 2021.
- ^ [1] Archived May 21, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ MacIntosh, Dan (February 18, 2012). "Al Jourgensen of Ministry". Songfacts. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
- ^ "Remember When: Ministry protested against robots in 'A.I. Artificial Intelligence'?Metal Insider". July 5, 2016.
- ^ Jourgensen & Wiederhorn 2013, pp. 192–193.
- ^ "The Wicked Soundtrack By Al Jourgensen (Based on the Film "Wicked Lake") Various Artists". iTunes Preview. Apple, Inc. November 25, 2008. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
- ^ "Wicked Lake (2008)". IMDb. 1990–2013. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
- ^ "none". Hustler. November 2008.
- ^ Greg Prato (March 25, 2012). "Ministry 'Relapse' Once Again". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
- ^ Currie, James (October 15, 2015). "Interview : Al Jourgensen Of Ministry And New Project Surgical Meth Machine". In The Loop Magazine. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- ^ "Interview with Al Jourgensen – Surgical Meth Machine – March 4th, 2016". Lithium Magazine. March 11, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ^ "Ministry". www.facebook.com.
- ^ Ministry [@WeAreMinistry] (February 28, 2017). "Another night in the studio with @OGArabianPrince and Kelly Keys ... thanks for stopping by!pic.twitter.com/fE67xP9Wej" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ wookubus (February 21, 2024). "Al Jourgensen Says One Final Ministry Album Is Planned, Paul Barker To Be Involved". Theprp.com. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
- ^ SuicideGirls.com. March 12, 2009. Archivedfrom the original on March 16, 2009. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
- ^ CYRUS_CRASHTEST (March 12, 2010). "CD Review: Revolting Cocks – 'Got Cock?'". soundsphere. soundsphere magazine. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
- ^ Raggett, Ned. "1000 Homo DJs – Supernaut". AllMusic. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
- ^ True, Chris. "Acid Horse". AllMusic. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
- ^ Hartmann, Graham (February 26, 2015). "Ministry's Al Jourgensen Announces Speed Metal Project Surgical Meth Machine Read More: Al Jourgensen Announces New Project Surgical Meth Machine". Loudwire. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
- ^ Dimitris Kontogeorgakos (February 14, 2012). "RIGOR MORTIS Tap Al Jourgensen As Producer". Metal Kaoz. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
- ^ "Ministry – The Lost Gospels According To Al Jourgensen With Jon Wiederhorn (Da Capo Press)". Ave Noctum. July 8, 2013. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ^ jason (September 15, 2008). "AL JOURGENSEN'S 13TH PLANET TO RELEASE "WICKED LAKE" SOUNDTRACK". The Gauntlet. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
- ^ Acharya, Kiran. "Revolting Lots: Al Jourgensen's Favourite Ministry Albums". The Quietus. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
- ISBN 978-0-316-24718-4.
- ^ Jourgensen & Wiederhorn 2013, pp. 50–51, 65.
- ^ Jourgensen & Wiederhorn 2013, pp. 85, 230.
- OCLC 1225857589– via the Internet Archive.
- ^ danlowlite (October 9, 2002). "Al Jourgensen". Everything2. Everything2 Media, LLC. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
- ^ Dennis M. Kelly (September 9, 2004). "Ministry Interview". Chicago Music Guide. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
- ^ "MINISTRY's AL JOURGENSEN: Divorced, Happy And Starting New Project Called DUBWEISER". July 14, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
- ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (September 6, 2013). "Outtakes from 'Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen' | NOISEY". Noisey.vice.com. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ^ "Ministry's Al Jourgensen Arrested On Heroin Possession". MTV. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ^ "Ministry's Al Jourgensen on how playing in a band is like 'Naked and Afraid'". Revolver. July 1, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
- ^ Jourgensen & Wiederhorn 2013, pp. 193–194.
- ^ Jourgensen & Wiederhorn 2013, pp. 185–186.
- ^ "Ministry Founder Jourgensen Undergoes Foot Surgery". Contactmusic.com. Contactmusic.com Ltd. December 14, 2009. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
- ^ Yücel, Ilker (March 3, 2012). "Al Jourgensen InterView: Surviving into Relapse". Regen Magazine. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ^ Slug Magazine (October 30, 2013). "Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen Al Jourgensen with Jon Wiederhorn". Slug Magazine. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ^ Mills, Matt (February 29, 2024). "'My first death was the weirdest …' Ministry's Al Jourgensen, metal's great survivor". The Guardian. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
- ^ Blabbermouth (September 19, 2008). "FALSE ICONS Debut Produced By MINISTRY's AL JOURGENSEN". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ "Goth titans united for supergroup Beauty In Chaos". The Big Issue. October 26, 2018.
Bibliography
- Jourgensen, Al & Wiederhorn, Jon (July 9, 2013). Ministry: The Lost Gospels According To Al Jourgensen (loan required). Boston, MA: Da Capo Press. OCLC 811206550– via the Internet Archive.
Further reading
- Wiederhorn, Jon & Turman, Katherine (2013). Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal (loan required). New York: itbooks. ISBN 978-0-06-195828-1– via the Internet Archive.
- "Jourgensen, Allen (Al)". International Who's Who in Popular Music (10th ed.). London: Routledge. 2008. p. 265. OCLC 1035717574– via the Internet Archive.
External links
- Al Jourgensen discography at Discogs