Al Jourgensen
Encyclopedia
Alain David Jourgensen is a Cuban-American musician best known as the founder and frontman of the industrial metal
band Ministry
. He is sometimes credited as Alain Jourgensen, Alien Jourgensen, Hypo Luxa (his alias as a music producer), Dog, Alien Dog Star and Buck Satan. He is a member and/or founder of several industrial rock bands, working as a singer, guitarist or keyboard player.
n mother and father in 1958. Soon after, he came to the US to live with his mother and his Norwegian stepfather, who changed his name to Jourgensen. Growing up, he was a fan of such artists as The Beatles
, Black Sabbath
, Hawkwind
, Pink Floyd
, Can
, Kraftwerk
, The Rolling Stones
, Led Zeppelin
, Kitty Wells
, Buck Owens
, George Jones
, Charlie Parker
, Charles Mingus
and Miles Davis
. His stepfather was a stock car driver
, and also a mechanic
for Formula One
driver Dan Gurney
. Jourgensen was raised in Chicago, Illinois and Breckenridge, Colorado
, eventually attending the University of Illinois - Chicago, after briefly enrolling at the University of Northern Colorado
as well as the University of Colorado
. He worked as a radio DJ out of college, until becoming a professional musician by joining the band Special Affect, which included My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult
founding member Groovie Mann
. Jourgensen formed Ministry
in 1981.
Jourgensen was married to Patty Marsh from 1984-2002. He has a daughter from the marriage, Adrienne, born April 13, 1985. He remarried in September 2002 to Angelina Lukacin at Graceland
mansion.
His lyrics reveal many aspects of his life, such as his heroin and cocaine addictions, alcoholism and his political opinions. These were greatly influenced by the beat generation (William S. Burroughs
collaborated on some of his tracks).
Jourgensen had been a life-long drug user, which culminated in the 1995 police
raid of Ministry's Texas
headquarters and Jourgensen's arrest for possession
. He received a five year probation
sentence, a time that he recalls as the darkest in his life. As of 2003, he maintains that he has been drug-free, ever since a bite from a venomous spider
nearly caused him to lose an arm. Jourgensen currently lives and records in El Paso, Texas
.
and drummer Harry Rushakoff of Concrete Blonde
). Early singles by Ministry and Jourgensen's other projects were released on Wax Trax! Records
. He was also produced Skinny Puppy
Rabies album. During that time, it is said that Jourgensen befriended Nivek Ogre
, who later joined Ministry.
The band broke into the mainstream with 1992's legendary Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs
album. One of its tracks got nominated for a 1993 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance
, losing to Nine Inch Nails
' "Wish
". However, its next album, Filth Pig
(1995), divided their fanbase, leading to a commercial decline that became evident when Warner Bros. Records
dropped Ministry from the record label in 2001.
Ministry's newest albums, Rio Grande Blood
and The Last Sucker
, as well as the 2006 Revolting Cocks
album Cocked and Loaded
were released on Jourgensen's new record label, 13th Planet Records
. He formed this label after falling out with the mainstream agendas of major industry labels.
Jourgensen appeared as a fictional musician in the film A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, and has had a number of songs appear in other films, including the 2008 Wicked Lake, produced by Fever Dreams
, for which he composed the entire sound track. He also makes a small appearance in the film as an art school teacher.
In a November 2008 issue of Hustler Magazine, Al Jourgensen announced that the end of Ministry
was official. The reasons behind this were Ministry "takes up so much time" as well as the hassle of getting out new albums. He also said he was responsible for six other bands and can get seven albums done a year when he is not working on new Ministry material.
Despite Jourgensen's previous insistence that Ministry would never return, a reunion was announced on August 7, 2011. The band will play their first show in 4 years at Germany's Wacken Open Air
festival in August 2012. A new album, entitled Relapse
, is also in the works. Ministry is as well informed to play in Tuska Open Air Metal Festival
in Helsinki in 1st of July 2012.
, now known as RevCo, is an American industrial rock band that began as a musical side-project for Richard 23 of Front 242
, Luc Van Acker
, and Al Jourgensen of Ministry. The band got their name after a fight in a Chicago bar in 1983. Jourgensen, Richard 23 and Luc Van Acker celebrated the formation of their new band with a few drinks. The evening ended in a brawl, with bar stools thrown through the windows. As he ejected the trio, the owner, a man Jourgensen recalls was named Dess, shouted, "I'm calling the police! You guys are a bunch of revolting cocks!" The trio decided to use the name for their band.
The band have changed lineups several times. RevCo currently features Al 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, called Sex-O Olympic-O
, which was produced by Jourgensen at his studio, was released on his 13th Planet label in March 2009. Their newest album, Got Cock?, was also released on April 13, 2010 on the same Label.
of Ministry worked as a music production team under the names Hypo Luxa and Hermes Pan, producing their own work as well as other Wax Trax! Records acts. He has also done production work for Reverend Horton Heat, Nine Inch Nails
, Dessau
and GWAR
.
Jourgensen has set up a recording complex for his 13th Planet label in his home in El Paso, TX. He is currently working with longtime cohort and Dead Kennedys
frontman Jello Biafra
on new music for the duo's Lard
project. Jourgensen is also scheduled to produce the new album from Prong
.
. Beginning with Ministry's 1992 album Psalm 69, continuing with the 2004 album Houses of the Molé
, 2006's Rio Grande Blood
, and 2007's The Last Sucker
. His favorite targets have been former U.S. Presidents
George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush
. Ministry also contributed a song to the first Rock Against Bush
album. The theme continues on Ministry's 2007 offering
and in Jourgensen's various side projects.
Jourgensen expressed support for Barack Obama
during the 2008 election, speaking in favor of progressive taxation.
Industrial metal
Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...
band Ministry
Ministry (band)
Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...
. He is sometimes credited as Alain Jourgensen, Alien Jourgensen, Hypo Luxa (his alias as a music producer), Dog, Alien Dog Star and Buck Satan. He is a member and/or founder of several industrial rock bands, working as a singer, guitarist or keyboard player.
Biography
Jourgensen was born in Havana to a CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n mother and father in 1958. Soon after, he came to the US to live with his mother and his Norwegian stepfather, who changed his name to Jourgensen. Growing up, he was a fan of such artists as The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, Hawkwind
Hawkwind
Hawkwind are an English rock band, one of the earliest space rock groups. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes. They are also a noted precursor to punk rock and now are considered a link between the hippie and punk cultures....
, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, Can
Can (band)
Can was an experimental rock band formed in Cologne, West Germany in 1968. Later labeled as one of the first "krautrock" groups, they transcended mainstream influences and incorporated strong minimalist and world music elements into their often psychedelic music.Can constructed their music largely...
, Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Kitty Wells
Kitty Wells
Ellen Muriel Deason , known professionally as Kitty Wells, is an American country music singer. Her 1952 hit recording, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", made her the first female country singer to top the U.S. country charts, and turned her into the first female country star...
, Buck Owens
Buck Owens
Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. , better known as Buck Owens, was an American singer and guitarist who had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music charts with his band, the Buckaroos...
, George Jones
George Jones
George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
, Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
, Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. was an American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist.Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third stream, free jazz, and classical music...
and Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
. His stepfather was a stock car driver
Stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, Brazil and Argentina. Traditionally, races are run on oval tracks measuring approximately in length...
, and also a mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
for Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
driver Dan Gurney
Dan Gurney
Daniel Sexton Gurney is an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner.The son of a Metropolitan Opera star, he was born in Port Jefferson, New York, but moved to California as a teenager...
. Jourgensen was raised in Chicago, Illinois and Breckenridge, Colorado
Breckenridge, Colorado
Established in 1859, the historic town of Breckenridge is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Summit County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the town had a population of 4,540. The town also has many part-time residents, as many people have vacation homes in the area...
, eventually attending the University of Illinois - Chicago, after briefly enrolling at the University of Northern Colorado
University of Northern Colorado
-Organization:The University of Northern Colorado offers 100 undergraduate programs and more than 100 graduate programs. The university has a satellite campus in Denver, Colorado...
as well as the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
. He worked as a radio DJ out of college, until becoming a professional musician by joining the band Special Affect, which included My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult
My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult is an American electronic industrial rock band originally based out of Chicago, Illinois.-History:...
founding member Groovie Mann
Groovie Mann
Groovie Mann is a founding member of industrial disco band My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult.-History:Nardiello was in a band called Special Affect with Ministry founder and frontman Al Jourgensen. While touring with Jourgensen's band in 1986, the two wrote a few songs together for a film...
. Jourgensen formed Ministry
Ministry (band)
Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...
in 1981.
Jourgensen was married to Patty Marsh from 1984-2002. He has a daughter from the marriage, Adrienne, born April 13, 1985. He remarried in September 2002 to Angelina Lukacin at Graceland
Graceland
Graceland is a large white-columned mansion and estate that was home to Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee. It is located at 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard in the vast Whitehaven community about 9 miles from Downtown and less than four miles north of the Mississippi border. It currently serves as...
mansion.
His lyrics reveal many aspects of his life, such as his heroin and cocaine addictions, alcoholism and his political opinions. These were greatly influenced by the beat generation (William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
collaborated on some of his tracks).
Jourgensen had been a life-long drug user, which culminated in the 1995 police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
raid of Ministry's Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
headquarters and Jourgensen's arrest for possession
Drug possession
Drug possession is the crime of having one or more illegal drugs in one's possession, either for personal use, distribution, sale or otherwise. Illegal drugs fall into different categories and sentences vary depending on the amount, type of drug, circumstances, and jurisdiction.A person has...
. He received a five year probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
sentence, a time that he recalls as the darkest in his life. As of 2003, he maintains that he has been drug-free, ever since a bite from a venomous spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
nearly caused him to lose an arm. Jourgensen currently lives and records in El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
.
Ministry
Jourgensen formed Ministry in 1981 after he left the band Special Affect, which was a new wave/synthpop band (notably including Frankie Nardiello, founder of My Life With The Thrill Kill KultMy Life With the Thrill Kill Kult
My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult is an American electronic industrial rock band originally based out of Chicago, Illinois.-History:...
and drummer Harry Rushakoff of Concrete Blonde
Concrete Blonde
Concrete Blonde is an alternative rock band based in the United States. They were initially active from 1982 to 1995, and again from 2001 to 2004, and once again in 2010.-Biography:...
). Early singles by Ministry and Jourgensen's other projects were released on Wax Trax! Records
Wax Trax! Records
Wax Trax! Records was an independent record label in the United States. Wax Trax! began as a record shop in Denver, Colorado opened by Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher. They sold the store in 1978 and, in November of that year, opened a new one under the same name at 2449 North Lincoln Avenue in...
. He was also produced Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial musical group, formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1982. The group is widely considered to be the founders of the electro-industrial genre....
Rabies album. During that time, it is said that Jourgensen befriended Nivek Ogre
Nivek Ogre
Nivek Ogre is a Canadian musician, performance artist and actor best known as a founding member of the industrial band Skinny Puppy. Since that band featured another Kevin and was produced by another Ogilvie Nivek Ogre (born Kevin Graham Ogilvie December 5, 1962) is a Canadian musician,...
, who later joined Ministry.
The band broke into the mainstream with 1992's legendary Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs
Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs
-Samples:Samples.N.W.O.*"All right! It's all right!" - Apocalypse Now*"What we are looking at is good and evil, right and wrong." "A new world order!" "We're not about to make that same mistake twice." "God bless America! [crowd cheering]" "Wait...watch and learn." "I believe in freedom." -...
album. One of its tracks got nominated for a 1993 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for works containing quality performances in the heavy metal music genre...
, losing to Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
' "Wish
Wish (song)
"Wish" is the second promotional single from Nine Inch Nails' Broken. The most successful song from the EP, "Wish" cemented Trent Reznor's image as a rage-fueled star to the public. "Wish" won the Best Metal Performance in the 1993 Grammy Awards. Reznor later joked that his epitaph should read:...
". However, its next album, Filth Pig
Filth Pig
Filth Pig is the sixth studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, released in 1996 on Warner Bros. Records. The title was allegedly derived from a statement made in the British Houses of Parliament, where bandleader Jourgensen was described as a filthy pig by MP Teddy Taylor...
(1995), divided their fanbase, leading to a commercial decline that became evident when Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
dropped Ministry from the record label in 2001.
Ministry's newest albums, Rio Grande Blood
Rio Grande Blood
Rio Grande Blood is the tenth studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, released in 2006. It is their first release through 13th Planet and Megaforce Records.- Overview :The album is the 2nd part of the band's anti-George W...
and The Last Sucker
The Last Sucker
The Last Sucker is the eleventh studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, released in 2007 through 13th Planet Records. For three years until their reformation in 2011, it was band's last studio album featuring new material....
, as well as the 2006 Revolting Cocks
Revolting Cocks
Revolting Cocks, also known as RevCo, is an American–Belgian industrial rock band and sometime supergroup that began as a musical side-project for Richard 23 of Front 242, Luc Van Acker, and Al Jourgensen of Ministry.-History:...
album Cocked and Loaded
Cocked and Loaded
-Retail:-Revolting Cocks:*Alien Jourgensen - lead guitar , guitar , bass , keyboards , chorus guitar , chorus bass , percussion , background vocals , slide guitar , vocals , drums , drum programming , programming , fiddle , production, mixing*Gibby Haynes - vocals , background...
were released on Jourgensen's new record label, 13th Planet Records
13th Planet Records
13th Planet Records is a record label founded by Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen and his wife, Angelina Jourgensen in 2004. In addition to its function as an artist-run, artist-friendly independent label, 13th Planet encompasses several realms of the music industry including artist management,...
. He formed this label after falling out with the mainstream agendas of major industry labels.
Jourgensen appeared as a fictional musician in the film A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, and has had a number of songs appear in other films, including the 2008 Wicked Lake, produced by Fever Dreams
Fever Dreams
Fever Dreams is an album by the American ambient musician Steve Roach. The music consists of bizarre, hallucinatory textures and tribal percussion...
, for which he composed the entire sound track. He also makes a small appearance in the film as an art school teacher.
In a November 2008 issue of Hustler Magazine, Al Jourgensen announced that the end of Ministry
Ministry (band)
Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...
was official. The reasons behind this were Ministry "takes up so much time" as well as the hassle of getting out new albums. He also said he was responsible for six other bands and can get seven albums done a year when he is not working on new Ministry material.
Despite Jourgensen's previous insistence that Ministry would never return, a reunion was announced on August 7, 2011. The band will play their first show in 4 years at Germany's Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air
Wacken Open Air is a summer open air heavy metal music festival. It takes place annually in the small town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany...
festival in August 2012. A new album, entitled Relapse
Relapse (Ministry album)
Relapse is the twelfth studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, to be released on March 30, 2012 through 13th Planet Records. It was recorded in the wake of their three year hiatus from November 2008 to August 2011.-Background:...
, is also in the works. Ministry is as well informed to play in Tuska Open Air Metal Festival
Tuska Open Air Metal Festival
Tuska Open Air Metal Festival, shortly Tuska , is the largest music festival dedicated only to metal and related styles of music in the Nordic countries. The history of Tuska began in 1998 and it has grown larger every year. The location of the festival has been in Kaisaniemi park in the middle of...
in Helsinki in 1st of July 2012.
RevCo
Revolting CocksRevolting Cocks
Revolting Cocks, also known as RevCo, is an American–Belgian industrial rock band and sometime supergroup that began as a musical side-project for Richard 23 of Front 242, Luc Van Acker, and Al Jourgensen of Ministry.-History:...
, now known as RevCo, is an American industrial rock band that began as a musical side-project for Richard 23 of Front 242
Front 242
Front 242 is a pioneering Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. They are known for being the premier pioneer of electronic body music and as a major influence on the electronic and industrial music genres.-Formation:...
, Luc Van Acker
Luc Van Acker
Luc van Acker is a musician from Tienen, Belgium. He began writing and releasing solo material in 1982, and worked with a few other bands and with Anna Domino over the next few years. Then in 1985, he met Richard 23 of Front 242 at the DNA Club in Brussels, Belgium, and thereby became a founding...
, and Al Jourgensen of Ministry. The band got their name after a fight in a Chicago bar in 1983. Jourgensen, Richard 23 and Luc Van Acker celebrated the formation of their new band with a few drinks. The evening ended in a brawl, with bar stools thrown through the windows. As he ejected the trio, the owner, a man Jourgensen recalls was named Dess, shouted, "I'm calling the police! You guys are a bunch of revolting cocks!" The trio decided to use the name for their band.
The band have changed lineups several times. RevCo currently features Al 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, called Sex-O Olympic-O
Sex-O Olympic-O
-RevCo:*Alien Jourgensen - production, drum programming, guitars , horn arrangements, keyboards , harmonica , programming, background vocals *Josh Bradford - vocals, background vocals*Sin Quirin - guitars , bass , keyboards...
, which was produced by Jourgensen at his studio, was released on his 13th Planet label in March 2009. Their newest album, Got Cock?, was also released on April 13, 2010 on the same Label.
Production Work
Jourgensen and Paul BarkerPaul Barker
Paul Barker , also referred to as Hermes Pan, is the former bass guitarist, producer and engineer with the industrial metal band Ministry from 1986 to 2004...
of Ministry worked as a music production team under the names Hypo Luxa and Hermes Pan, producing their own work as well as other Wax Trax! Records acts. He has also done production work for Reverend Horton Heat, Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
, Dessau
Dessau
Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...
and GWAR
GWAR
Gwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...
.
Jourgensen has set up a recording complex for his 13th Planet label in his home in El Paso, TX. He is currently working with longtime cohort and Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys
Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1978. The band became part of the American hardcore punk movement of the early 1980s. They gained a large underground fanbase in the international punk music scene....
frontman Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra
Jello Biafra is an American musician, spoken word artist and leading figure of the Green Party of the United States. Biafra first gained attention as the lead singer and songwriter for San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys...
on new music for the duo's Lard
Lard (band)
Lard is a hardcore punk/industrial band founded in 1988 as a side project by Jello Biafra , Al Jourgensen , Paul Barker , and Jeff Ward . Biafra is perhaps best known as the former frontman of the punk rock band Dead Kennedys...
project. Jourgensen is also scheduled to produce the new album from Prong
Prong
Prong is an American heavy metal band formed in 1986. Prong had two independent releases, Primitive Origins and Force Fed. The albums attracted the attention of Epic Records, who signed the trio in 1989. The group disbanded in 1997 after the Rude Awakening tour, but re-formed in 2002...
.
Political views
Jourgensen frequently offered scathing criticism of the Bush familyBush family
The Bush family is a prominent American family. Along with many members who have been successful bankers and businessmen, across three generations the family includes two U.S. Senators, one Supreme Court Justice, two Governors, one Vice President and two Presidents...
. Beginning with Ministry's 1992 album Psalm 69, continuing with the 2004 album Houses of the Molé
Houses of the Molé
Houses of the Molé is the ninth studio album by industrial metal band Ministry. The album was released on June 21, 2004 internationally and a day later in the United States through Sanctuary Records.-Album information:...
, 2006's Rio Grande Blood
Rio Grande Blood
Rio Grande Blood is the tenth studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, released in 2006. It is their first release through 13th Planet and Megaforce Records.- Overview :The album is the 2nd part of the band's anti-George W...
, and 2007's The Last Sucker
The Last Sucker
The Last Sucker is the eleventh studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, released in 2007 through 13th Planet Records. For three years until their reformation in 2011, it was band's last studio album featuring new material....
. His favorite targets have been former U.S. Presidents
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. Ministry also contributed a song to the first Rock Against Bush
Rock Against Bush
Rock Against Bush was a project mobilizing punk and alternative musicians against the 2004 U.S. Presidential re-election campaign of George W. Bush...
album. The theme continues on Ministry's 2007 offering
The Last Sucker
The Last Sucker is the eleventh studio album by industrial metal band Ministry, released in 2007 through 13th Planet Records. For three years until their reformation in 2011, it was band's last studio album featuring new material....
and in Jourgensen's various side projects.
Jourgensen expressed support for Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
during the 2008 election, speaking in favor of progressive taxation.
with Revolting Cocks
| Date of Release | Title | Label |
| 1986 | Big Sexy Land Big Sexy Land Big Sexy Land is a studio album by Revolting Cocks released in 1986. Big Sexy Land is the band's first major release. At that time Revolting Cocks were Luc Van Acker, Richard 23 and Alain Jourgensen.-Releases:... |
Wax Trax! |
| 1988 | You Goddamned Son of a Bitch - Live You Goddamned Son of a Bitch - Live Live! You Goddamned Son of a Bitch is a concert album and video by the Revolting Cocks, consisting of live material recorded at the Cabaret Metro in Chicago, on September 4, 1987... |
Wax Trax! |
| 1990 | Beers, Steers, and Queers Beers, Steers, and Queers -Additional information:The album opens with a telephone conversation between two southerners discussing an upcoming local appearance by the Revolting Cocks. They are unfamiliar with the band and interpret the name as belonging to a male strip show.... |
Wax Trax! |
| 1993 | Linger Ficken' Good Linger Ficken' Good -Singles:Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? # "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?"# "Sergio Guitar"# "Wrong Sexy Mix"Crackin' Up # "Crackin' Up "# "Crackin' Up "# "Gila Copter "-Revolting Cocks:... |
Sire Sire Records Sire Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer, each investing ten thousand dollars into the new company. Its early releases as a... /Reprise Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:... /Warner Bros. Records Warner Bros. Records Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies... |
| 2006 | Cocked and Loaded Cocked and Loaded -Retail:-Revolting Cocks:*Alien Jourgensen - lead guitar , guitar , bass , keyboards , chorus guitar , chorus bass , percussion , background vocals , slide guitar , vocals , drums , drum programming , programming , fiddle , production, mixing*Gibby Haynes - vocals , background... |
13th Planet Records 13th Planet Records 13th Planet Records is a record label founded by Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen and his wife, Angelina Jourgensen in 2004. In addition to its function as an artist-run, artist-friendly independent label, 13th Planet encompasses several realms of the music industry including artist management,... /Megaforce Records Megaforce Records Megaforce Records is an American independent record label which was founded in 1982 by Jon and Marsha Zazula to publish the first works of Metallica. It has offices in New York and Philadelphia. The label is distributed in the U.S. by Sony Music Entertainment/RED Distribution... |
| 2007 | Cocktail Mixxx Cocktail Mixxx -Personnel:*See original album credits to Cocked and Loaded*Clayton Worbeck - remixing *Luc Van Acker - remixing *Phildo Owens - remixing *Josh Bradford - vocals... |
13th Planet Records/Megaforce Records |
| 2009 | Sex-O Olympic-O Sex-O Olympic-O -RevCo:*Alien Jourgensen - production, drum programming, guitars , horn arrangements, keyboards , harmonica , programming, background vocals *Josh Bradford - vocals, background vocals*Sin Quirin - guitars , bass , keyboards... |
13th Planet Records/Megaforce Records |
| 2009 | Sex-O MiXXX-O | 13th Planet Records/Megaforce Records |
| 2010 | Got Cock? Got Cock? -RevCo:*Al Jourgensen - keyboards, programming, background vocals, production*Josh Bradford - vocals*Sin Quirin - guitars, bass, keyboards*Clayton Worbeck - programming, audio remix -Additional personnel:*Sammy DAmbruoso - drum programming... |
13th Planet Records/Megaforce Records |
with Lard
| Date of Release | Title | Label |
| 1989 | The Power of Lard The Power of Lard The Power of Lard is the 1989 EP released by Lard.-Lard:*Al Jourgensen - guitar, production*Paul Barker - bass guitar, production*Jeff Ward - drums*Jello Biafra - vocals, production, sleeve concept-Additional Personnel:*Keith Auerbach - engineer... |
Alternative Tentacles Alternative Tentacles Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label originally based in San Francisco, California and was established in 1979. It was originally used as the label name by the Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single "California Über Alles", and after realizing the potential for an independent... |
| 1990 | The Last Temptation of Reid The Last Temptation of Reid The Last Temptation of Reid is an album by Lard, released in 1990.The CD includes a cover of "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!", originally performed by Napoleon XIV, with the addition of a guitar part and an extra verse to the original song's setup... |
Alternative Tentacles |
| 1997 | Pure Chewing Satisfaction Pure Chewing Satisfaction Pure Chewing Satisfaction is an album by Lard released in 1997.- Track listing :All songs written by Biafra/Jourgensen/Barker/Rieflin except as noted.#"War Pimp Renaissance" - 4:19#"I Wanna Be a Drug Sniffing Dog" - 3:17#"Moths" - 4:57... |
Alternative Tentacles |
| 2000 | 70's Rock Must Die 70's Rock Must Die 70's Rock Must Die is an EP by Lard that was released in the year 2000.- Track listing :- Lard :*Al Jourgensen – guitars, keys, programming, production*Paul Barker – bass, keys, programming, backing vocals , production... |
Alternative Tentacles |
External links
- www.thirteenthplanet.com/ministry/
- fumaga.com/10807/
- Ministry @ prongs.org
- Al Jourgensen is featured in VanityFair.com's article, 'The Best Little Music City in Texas', from March 2009.