Alf Klimek
Encyclopedia
Alfons "Alf" Joseph Klimek (born 3 February 1956) is an Australian musician.
Klimek was born in Melbourne
and is the older brother of Johnny Klimek
and Jayney Klimek
. In June 1977, he joined the "Stuffed Puppets" under the guidance of Neville Tranter as a puppeteer
and comedy
script writer
. The group flew to Amsterdam
to take part in the Festival of Fools
. 1979 saw him leave the puppets and join the crazy cabaret group, "The Busby Berkeleys" writing shows and performing all over Europe
and in New York City
, and one year later again joined the ex-Nina Hagen Band in Berlin
, Germany
who renamed themselves Spliff
as front-man and co-writer for the "Spliff Radio Show".
Klimek returned to Australia and joined forces with his brother Johnny Klimek. Together they returned to Berlin in 1983 and, joined by Johnny's twin sister Jayney Klimek
, started the pop group, The Other Ones
. In 1987, they had two single hits, "Holiday" and "We Are What We Are" which charted in Germany and the USA. ("Holiday" peaked at number 29 on the Billboard top 100 chart)
Klimek left the band in 1990, moving his home base several times between Berlin and Melbourne. He owned his own studio, Birdland with producer
Lindsay Gravina and worked in event musicals for a number of years until, in 1998 was asked by Klaus Baumgart to create a series of musical and audiobook productions for the successful "Laura's Star
" series.
Klimek was born in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and is the older brother of Johnny Klimek
Johnny Klimek
Johnny Klimek is an Australian film and television composer, currently based in Los Angeles. He is known by association with German filmmaker Tom Tykwer, with whom he and longtime partner Reinhold Heil have collaborated on seven films, including Run, Lola, Run and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer...
and Jayney Klimek
Jayney Klimek
Jayney Klimek , is an Australian singer and songwriter.-Family background:Jayney comes from a family steeped in music. Brother Alf Klimek was a founding member of The Other Ones / Spliff Radio Show. Her twin Johnny Klimek is a successful Hollywood composer...
. In June 1977, he joined the "Stuffed Puppets" under the guidance of Neville Tranter as a puppeteer
Puppeteer
A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, such as a puppet, in real time to create the illusion of life. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or...
and comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
script writer
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. The group flew to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
to take part in the Festival of Fools
Festival of Fools
The Festival of Fools is an annual Street Festival held in Belfast , usually during the May Bank Holiday weekend. It first started in 2004 and includes performances from around the world...
. 1979 saw him leave the puppets and join the crazy cabaret group, "The Busby Berkeleys" writing shows and performing all over Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and one year later again joined the ex-Nina Hagen Band in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
who renamed themselves Spliff
Spliff (band)
Spliff was a Neue Deutsche Welle rock band, active in the 1980s. The members were already playing together before they were 'adopted' by Nina Hagen when she came to West Germany in 1977. They recorded two albums with her as the Nina Hagen Band before continuing under the name Spliff when Hagen...
as front-man and co-writer for the "Spliff Radio Show".
Klimek returned to Australia and joined forces with his brother Johnny Klimek. Together they returned to Berlin in 1983 and, joined by Johnny's twin sister Jayney Klimek
Jayney Klimek
Jayney Klimek , is an Australian singer and songwriter.-Family background:Jayney comes from a family steeped in music. Brother Alf Klimek was a founding member of The Other Ones / Spliff Radio Show. Her twin Johnny Klimek is a successful Hollywood composer...
, started the pop group, The Other Ones
The Other Ones (Australian-German band)
The Other Ones was a band that consisted mainly of Australians, but was based in Berlin, Germany in the late 1980s. The band consisted of Alf Klimek , Jayney Klimek , Johnny Klimek , Andreas Schwarz-Ruszczynski , Stephan Gottwald and Uwe Hoffmann .-History:After traveling throughout the world in...
. In 1987, they had two single hits, "Holiday" and "We Are What We Are" which charted in Germany and the USA. ("Holiday" peaked at number 29 on the Billboard top 100 chart)
Klimek left the band in 1990, moving his home base several times between Berlin and Melbourne. He owned his own studio, Birdland with producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Lindsay Gravina and worked in event musicals for a number of years until, in 1998 was asked by Klaus Baumgart to create a series of musical and audiobook productions for the successful "Laura's Star
Laura's Star
Laura's Star is a 2004 German animated film produced and directed by Thilo Rothkirch. It is based on the children's book Lauras Stern by Klaus Baumgart. It was released by Warner Bros. Family Entertainment.-Plot:...
" series.