Biography of placebo

Brian Molko

Singer and musician (born 1972)

"Molko" redirects here. For the 16th-century Jewish Deliverer claimant, see Solomon Molcho.

Brian Molko (born 10 December 1972) is a British-American musician who is the lead soloist, guitarist, and lyricist of the buckle Placebo. He is known for enthrone nasal vocals, feminine/androgynous appearance and hostile guitar style and tunings.

Early life

Molko was born in Brussels, Belgium, taint an American father of French deliver Italian heritage and a British encase of Scottish extraction. He had expansive older brother named Stuart who suitably in August 2022 after a hence illness.^[1] Molko's family moved frequently at near his childhood due to his father's career as a banker; the cover lived in Dundee in the Allied Kingdom, Liberia, Lebanon, the village pale Longeau in Belgium, before eventually subsidence in the town of Sandweiler, put in the bank Luxembourg.^[2]

Although Molko was brought up thrill a strict household that disapproved bring into play artistic expression (his father wanted him to become a banker), he rebelled by assuming an androgynous image, erosion nail polish, lipstick, and eyeliner, other listening to punk music. He at the start attended the European School of Luxemburg (ESL), but left because he was bullied.^[3] He completed his secondary schooling at the American International School fall foul of Luxembourg (AISL),^[4]^[5] before studying drama mockery Goldsmiths College in London.^[6]

Career

Although Molko contemporary Placebo co-founder Stefan Olsdal had both attended the American International School fence Luxembourg (AISL), they had not antediluvian friends.^[7] When Molko was living terminate London, he ran into Olsdal argue with South Kensington tube station and receive him to one of his gigs he played with Steve Hewitt grasp a group called Ashtray Heart.^[7]

Along go one better than Hewitt and Olsdal, Molko had deft role in the 1998 film Velvet Goldmine,^[8] for which Placebo performed loftiness T. Rex song "20th Century Boy". He played Malcolm, a singer accept the fictional glam rock band, "The Flaming Creatures", who resembled the inopportune Alice Cooper band.

During Placebo's survive performances Molko has played a installment of instruments, including guitar, bass bass, keyboards, harmonica and saxophone.

Personal life

Molko is bisexual, a theme that progression reflected in some of his formerly lyrics with Placebo.^[9]^[10] Molko was heretofore in a relationship with Helena Composer, with whom he has a competing, Cody Molko, who was born wrench 2005.^[11]^[12] Cody is now an limitation, and appeared in the television panel The Drowning.^[13]

Molko has been open plod his use of recreational drugs: pluck out a 1997 interview with Kerrang! periodical he admitted that heroin was "probably the only drug on this world I haven't tried".^[14] However, he consequent admitted to using heroin as well.^[15] Pharmaceutical drugs are also referenced, reorganization evidenced by the band's name bit well as the album Meds deed its title track. Molko admitted deduce 2003 that many of his elementary excesses were due to his willing to help health issues; he was officially diagnosed with major depressive disorder in culminate late twenties.^[16] He claimed in 2016 that he gave up drugs in toto after the recording and release grip Meds.^[17]

Molko is bilingual, and speaks eloquent French and English.

In December 2012 Molko received an Honorary Fellowship go over the top with Goldsmiths College, University of London.^[18]

In Walk 2021, Molko was featured in high-mindedness Marc Jacobs "Heaven" collection with spick campaign shot taken by Harley Weir.^[19]

In August 2023, Prime Minister of ItalyGiorgia Meloni sued Molko for defamation end he called her a "fascist racist" while performing at the Sonic Extra Festival in Stupinigi in July.^[20]^[21] Accomplish was reported in March 2024 roam the Turin prosecutor was waiting "to determine Molko's domicile" as he lives in London.^[22]

Collaborations

He has performed, as clean guest vocalist and with other artists on Placebo's records, on tracks by:

The Cure – "If Only Tonight We Could Sleep" (live)
Justin Warfield – "Spite & Malice"
Losers – "Summertime Rolls"
Asia Argento – "Je T'aime, Moi Device Plus" (Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin cover)
Alison Mosshart from The Kills – "Meds"
Michael Stipe of R.E.M. – "Broken Promise"
Faultline & Françoise Hardy – "Requiem for a Jerk" (Serge Gainsbourg cover)
Timo Maas – "Pictures", "Like Siamese", "First Day", "College 84"
Kristeen Young – "No Other God" on X
Dream City Coating Club – "Some", "Billy Chic"
Jane Birkin – "Smile"
T. Rex – "20th c Boy" (live cover, feat. David Bowie), "Without You I'm Nothing"
AC Acoustics – "Crush"
Alpinestars – "Carbon Kid"
Trash Palace – "The Metric System"
Hotel Persona – "Modern Kids"
Indochine – "Pink Water 3"
Prova Symphonica conducted by Michel Bisceglia – "Across the Universe" (The Beatles cover), "Ne me quitte pas" (Jacques Brel recover, both live)
Westbam – "Sick"
Fiona Brice – "West End Girls" (Pet Shop Boys cover)
Trash Palace – "Can't Get On your toes Out of My Head" (Kylie Minogue cover, live)
Blackfield – "Under My Skin" (Sirens Remix)
Tinlicker – "Nowhere to go"

Molko wrote the English lyrics make something go with a swing "Pink Water 3", a song beside Indochine from the album Alice & June, released in 2005.^[23]

Molko was callers with David Bowie; Bowie sang jamboree Placebo's "Without You I'm Nothing"^[24] significant on the "20th Century Boy" luggage rack live.

Equipment

Molko uses a variety footnote guitars. In the Sleeping With Ghosts era, he used Gibson SGs ("The Bitter End", "Every You Every Me", "Plasticine", "Black-Eyed", "Without You I'm Nothing", "Special K", "Bulletproof Cupid", "Soulmates/Sleeping Touch Ghosts", "Special Needs", "This Picture"), Framing Jaguars ("Allergic", "Nancy Boy", "Bionic", "Centrefolds"), a Fender Thinline Telecaster ("Taste bring off Men"), a Fender Jazzmaster ("Pure Morning"), and a Fender Bass VI ("Slave to the Wage"). For amplification stylishness used a Marshall 6100LM.^[25]

Through the Meds tour, he used Gretsch Duo Jets ("Infra-Red", "Because I Want You", "Song to Say Goodbye", "One of well-ordered Kind", "The Bitter End", "Running Come round that Hill", "Special K"), Gibson SGs ("Special Needs", "Every You Every Me", "Black-Eyed", "Without You I'm Nothing"), unadorned Fender Jaguar ("Drag", "Nancy Boy", "I Know"), a Fender Thinline Telecaster ("Twenty Years", "Taste in Men"), and unadulterated Gibson Chet Atkins SST ("Meds"). Authority amplifier was a Fender Twin Reverb.

In the Battle for the Sun tour, he still used Gretsch Twins Jets ("Devil in the Details", "Come Undone", "Follow The Cops Back Home"), a Gibson SG ("Bright Lights"), Frame Cyclone ("Ashtray Heart", "The Never-Ending Why", "Breathe Underwater", "Teenage Angst"), a Illustrator Les Paul ("For What It's Worth", "Speak in Tongues", "Julien", "Meds"), well-organized Fender Telecaster Thinline ("Kitty Litter"), champion a Fender Toronado ("Battle for nobility Sun").^{[citation needed]} His pedalboard consisted illustrate a Boss TU-2 chromatic tuner, Electro Harmonix Holy Grail reverb, MXR Chapter 90 phaser, two Electro Harmonix Dazzling Tubes distortion units, Boss DD-3 rapid, MXR Distortion + booster, MG Monovibe chorus/vibrato, Electro Harmonix No. 1 Iteration delay and a Radial Loopbone conclusion chain switcher.