China Kantner
Encyclopedia
China Wing Kantner is an American actress of television, theatre and the cinema. She is also a former MTV
VJ.
and Jefferson Starship
bandmembers, singer Grace Slick
(born Wing) and guitarist Paul Kantner
. She is a native of San Francisco, living first in the city itself, and later in Marin County, just north of the city, and is an alumna of Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California and Redwood High School, Larkspur, California. She has an older half-brother, Gareth Alexander Kantner, who works in the film industry, and a younger half-brother, Alexander Kantner, who occasionally appears on-stage with Jefferson Starship playing bass guitar
.
A common misbelief is that her name was originally "god" (with a small "g"), and was only later changed to "China". However, Jeff Tamarkin's 2003 book on the history of Jefferson Airplane, Got A Revolution: The Turbulent Flight Of Jefferson Airplane, explains this resulted from a sardonic remark made by her mother to a nurse.
While working for MTV, she was sometimes credited on-screen as "China Slick Kantner", although this was never her legal name. Later in her MTV career, she was credited simply as "China Kantner". In January 1988, she was interviewed by Jonathan King
for the BBC
TV show Entertainment USA as part of a feature on the children of rock stars working as MTV VJs. During this interview, she stated that, while she initially did not like her name, she grew to like it as she got older.
She first appeared as an infant on the sleeve of the Kantner/Slick 1971 solo LP Sunfighter
. She has also been given co-songwriting credits by her father on several of his songs. She also sang a song on his 1983 album Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra
.
, The Stoned Age
and The Evening Star
), television sitcoms (notably Home Improvement) and stage plays. Between acting roles, she studied psychology at Santa Monica College
, having relocated from San Francisco to Los Angeles
in the early 1990s. Her 1998 appearance in season seven of Home Improvement as the recurring character Willow Wilson was her final professional acting role, and she has now retired from acting. In late 2001, following an interview in Vanity Fair
, she also stopped giving interviews. She did, however, provide a few brief quotes for Jeff Tamarkin's book on the history of Jefferson Airplane.
. She has been sober
since about 1998. She contributed a section to the book Playing It Straight by David Dodd, alongside her mother and other recovering substance abuse
rs, such as Dennis Hopper
, Steven Tyler
and Ozzy Osbourne
. In 1999, she married a dentist, Jamie Azdair, although the couple is now divorced.
After retiring from acting, she studied art history at UCLA. In 2007, she obtained a degree in Christian theology (with a minor in English) at Loyola Marymount University
. In a 2007 interview, her mother stated, "My daughter loves studying Jesus. Some friends of hers turn their nose up at that. They don't understand that she is not talking about churches and what churches say; she is studying the actual words and message of Jesus."
as both songwriter and singer. However, she has also commented in interviews that she has no real musical aspirations of her own, claiming that she cannot sing very well. She has also said that having well-known musicians for parents actually lost her several parts, as directors automatically assumed she was also musical.
Kantner has several songwriting credits on various Jefferson Starship albums. The first is for the song "Don't Let It Rain", from the 1976 album Spitfire
. This was followed by further credits for "Things To Come" (Freedom at Point Zero
, 1979), "Out of Control" (Winds of Change
, 1982), and "The Sky Is No Limit" on her father's 1983 solo album Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra
.
Kantner appeared as credited lead vocalist on the song "Declaration Of Independence", and contributing vocalist on "The Sky Is No Limit" and "Let's Go", all of which appear on Planet Earth Rock And Roll Orchestra. She also made an uncredited appearance on the songs "Wooden Ships" and "Volunteers" on the 1995 live album, Deep Space/Virgin Sky, which was later re-released in an expanded form as Deeper Space/Extra Virgin Sky.
In 1983, she also appeared alongside both her parents in the video for the song Planet Earth Rock And Roll Orchestra.
She has also appeared as herself as a guest or contributor on the following shows:
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
VJ.
Biography
Kantner is the daughter of Jefferson AirplaneJefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
and Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship is an American rock band formed in the early 1970s. The group is a spin-off from the iconic 1960s psychedelic/folk group Jefferson Airplane. The band has undergone several major changes in personnel and genres through the years while retaining the same Jefferson Starship name...
bandmembers, singer Grace Slick
Grace Slick
Grace Slick is an American singer and songwriter, who was one of the lead singers of the rock groups The Great Society, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship, and was a solo artist, for nearly three decades, from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s...
(born Wing) and guitarist Paul Kantner
Paul Kantner
Paul Lorin Kantner is an American rock musician, known for co-founding the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane and its spin-off band Jefferson Starship.- Overview :...
. She is a native of San Francisco, living first in the city itself, and later in Marin County, just north of the city, and is an alumna of Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, California and Redwood High School, Larkspur, California. She has an older half-brother, Gareth Alexander Kantner, who works in the film industry, and a younger half-brother, Alexander Kantner, who occasionally appears on-stage with Jefferson Starship playing bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
.
A common misbelief is that her name was originally "god" (with a small "g"), and was only later changed to "China". However, Jeff Tamarkin's 2003 book on the history of Jefferson Airplane, Got A Revolution: The Turbulent Flight Of Jefferson Airplane, explains this resulted from a sardonic remark made by her mother to a nurse.
While working for MTV, she was sometimes credited on-screen as "China Slick Kantner", although this was never her legal name. Later in her MTV career, she was credited simply as "China Kantner". In January 1988, she was interviewed by Jonathan King
Jonathan King
Jonathan King is an English singer, songwriter, impresario and record producer. He is also the author of three novels, Bible Two and The Booker Prize Winner , and Beware the Monkey Man , and an autobiography, 65 My Life So Far .King first came to prominence as an...
for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV show Entertainment USA as part of a feature on the children of rock stars working as MTV VJs. During this interview, she stated that, while she initially did not like her name, she grew to like it as she got older.
She first appeared as an infant on the sleeve of the Kantner/Slick 1971 solo LP Sunfighter
Sunfighter
-Personnel:*Paul Kantner – vocals, rhythm guitar*Grace Slick – vocals, piano*Jack Traylor – guitar on "Earth Mother", vocals on "Earth Mother"*Jerry Garcia – guitar on "When I Was a Boy I Watched the Wolves", "Million", and "Holding Together"...
. She has also been given co-songwriting credits by her father on several of his songs. She also sang a song on his 1983 album Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra
Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra (album)
-Personnel:*Paul Kantner – vocals, guitars, banjo, glass harmonica, synthesizers on "Circle of Fire", lead guitar on "Underground"*Grace Slick – vocals, piano on "The Mountain Song" and "The Sky Is No Limit"*Jack Casady – bass...
.
MTV and radio
In July 1986, she appeared as a guest VJ on MTV, which led to her making regular appearances for the next four years during her summer vacations. When she started working for the station at the age of 15, she was, at the time, the youngest ever MTV VJ. As an MTV VJ, she interviewed her father for the MTV Summer of Love 20th anniversary celebrations. For a while around 1989, she also presented a Saturday night phone-in request show on a local Bay Area radio station, KRQR-FM.Acting
Having started off acting in school plays, Kantner has appeared in several movies (such as AirheadsAirheads
Airheads is a 1994 American comedy film written by Rich Wilkes and directed by Michael Lehmann. It stars Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi and Adam Sandler as a band of loser musicians called "The Lone Rangers" who take a radio station hostage, just so that their song would get played on the radio...
, The Stoned Age
The Stoned Age
The Stöned Age is a 1994 American comedy film directed by James Melkonian, set during the 1970s about two long haired stoners named Michael Hubbs and Joe Connolly and one night cruising Southern California looking for alcohol, parties, and chicks.-Plot summary:The story takes place in Torrance,...
and The Evening Star
The Evening Star
The Evening Star is a 1996 sequel to Academy Award for Best Picture-winning Terms of Endearment, starring Shirley MacLaine, who reprises the role of Aurora Greenway she played in the original film. The movie takes place about fifteen years after the original following the characters from 1988 to...
), television sitcoms (notably Home Improvement) and stage plays. Between acting roles, she studied psychology at Santa Monica College
Santa Monica College
Santa Monica College is a two-year, public, junior college located in Santa Monica, California.Santa Monica College was first opened in 1929 as Santa Monica Junior College. Current enrollment is over 30,000 students in more than 90 fields of study...
, having relocated from San Francisco to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in the early 1990s. Her 1998 appearance in season seven of Home Improvement as the recurring character Willow Wilson was her final professional acting role, and she has now retired from acting. In late 2001, following an interview in Vanity Fair
Vanity Fair (magazine)
Vanity Fair is a magazine of pop culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast. The present Vanity Fair has been published since 1983 and there have been editions for four European countries as well as the U.S. edition. This revived the title which had ceased publication in 1935...
, she also stopped giving interviews. She did, however, provide a few brief quotes for Jeff Tamarkin's book on the history of Jefferson Airplane.
Personal life
Like her mother, Kantner has, over the years, struggled with alcoholismAlcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. She has been sober
Sobriety
Sobriety is the condition of not having any measurable levels, or effects from, alcohol or other drugs that alter ones mood or behaviors. According to WHO "Lexicon of alcohol and drug terms..." sobriety is continued abstinence from alcohol and psychoactive drug use...
since about 1998. She contributed a section to the book Playing It Straight by David Dodd, alongside her mother and other recovering substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
rs, such as Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
, Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, best known as the frontman and lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the harmonica, and occasional piano and percussion. He is known as the "Demon of Screamin'", due to his high screams...
and Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
. In 1999, she married a dentist, Jamie Azdair, although the couple is now divorced.
After retiring from acting, she studied art history at UCLA. In 2007, she obtained a degree in Christian theology (with a minor in English) at Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...
. In a 2007 interview, her mother stated, "My daughter loves studying Jesus. Some friends of hers turn their nose up at that. They don't understand that she is not talking about churches and what churches say; she is studying the actual words and message of Jesus."
Musical career
Kantner has, over the years, made several contributions to the music of Jefferson StarshipJefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship is an American rock band formed in the early 1970s. The group is a spin-off from the iconic 1960s psychedelic/folk group Jefferson Airplane. The band has undergone several major changes in personnel and genres through the years while retaining the same Jefferson Starship name...
as both songwriter and singer. However, she has also commented in interviews that she has no real musical aspirations of her own, claiming that she cannot sing very well. She has also said that having well-known musicians for parents actually lost her several parts, as directors automatically assumed she was also musical.
Kantner has several songwriting credits on various Jefferson Starship albums. The first is for the song "Don't Let It Rain", from the 1976 album Spitfire
Spitfire (Jefferson Starship album)
Spitfire is Jefferson Starship's 1976 follow-up to the chart-topping Red Octopus . This album quickly scaled the charts, spending six consecutive weeks at number three in Billboard and going platinum.-Track listing:-Personnel:...
. This was followed by further credits for "Things To Come" (Freedom at Point Zero
Freedom at Point Zero
-Personnel:*Paul Kantner – vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards on "Things to Come"*Pete Sears – bass on "Things to Come", "Awakening", "Girl with the Hungry Eyes", "Rock Music", and "Freedom at Point Zero", keyboards on "Jane", "Lightning Rose", "Awakening", and "Just the Same", organ on "Fading Lady...
, 1979), "Out of Control" (Winds of Change
Winds of Change
Winds of Change is a fantasy novel by Mercedes Lackey. It is the second book in the Mage Winds Trilogy, in order between Winds of Fate and Winds of Fury. The book was first released in August 1994.- Synopsis :...
, 1982), and "The Sky Is No Limit" on her father's 1983 solo album Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra
Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra (album)
-Personnel:*Paul Kantner – vocals, guitars, banjo, glass harmonica, synthesizers on "Circle of Fire", lead guitar on "Underground"*Grace Slick – vocals, piano on "The Mountain Song" and "The Sky Is No Limit"*Jack Casady – bass...
.
Kantner appeared as credited lead vocalist on the song "Declaration Of Independence", and contributing vocalist on "The Sky Is No Limit" and "Let's Go", all of which appear on Planet Earth Rock And Roll Orchestra. She also made an uncredited appearance on the songs "Wooden Ships" and "Volunteers" on the 1995 live album, Deep Space/Virgin Sky, which was later re-released in an expanded form as Deeper Space/Extra Virgin Sky.
In 1983, she also appeared alongside both her parents in the video for the song Planet Earth Rock And Roll Orchestra.
Stage plays
According to her agency resume, Kantner is known to have appeared in the following stage plays:- Batman - The Ensemble Theatre Company, San Francisco, California.
- Flying Hormones - The Ensemble Theatre Company, San Francisco, California.
- Touch Me - The Ensemble Theatre Company, San Francisco, California.
- The Two Orphans - The Ensemble Theatre Company, San Francisco, California.
Television shows
Kantner has appeared as an actress in the following TV shows:- MontyMonty-People:*A nickname for Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, who led all allied ground forces during Operation Overlord*Montagu "Monty" Don, British horticulturist and television presenter....
, as Geena (series regular), Touchstone/Fox Broadcasting, 1994. - Murphy BrownMurphy BrownMurphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television...
, as Beth (guest star), Warner Brothers/CBS TV, 1996. - Too SomethingToo SomethingToo Something is an American sitcom that aired on the Fox network in October 1995 and again from May, 1996 to June 23, 1996.-Premise:The show centered on Eric McDougal, a would-be author, and Donny Reeves, a photographer, who were roommates in Manhattan....
(aka New York Daze), as Jennifer (guest star), Warner Brothers/Fox Broadcasting, 1996. - LA Firefighters, as Flame (recurring character), 20th Century Fox/Fox Broadcasting, 1996.
- Grace Under Fire, as Waitress (guest star), Carsey-Werner/ABC TV, 1997.
- Home Improvement, as Willow Branch Leaf Wilson (recurring character), ABC TV, 1998.
She has also appeared as herself as a guest or contributor on the following shows:
- China Kantner's Guest VJ Hour, MTV, July 1986 to circa 1990.
- Behind The Music - Jefferson Airplane, VH1 TV, April 5, 1998.
- The Home & Family Show, The Family Channel, July 6, 1998.
- Politically Incorrect, ABC TV, November 26, 1999.
Movies
Kantner has appeared in the following movies:- Three of Hearts, as unknown character, New Line Films, 1993.
- The Stoned AgeThe Stoned AgeThe Stöned Age is a 1994 American comedy film directed by James Melkonian, set during the 1970s about two long haired stoners named Michael Hubbs and Joe Connolly and one night cruising Southern California looking for alcohol, parties, and chicks.-Plot summary:The story takes place in Torrance,...
(aka Tack's Chicks), as Jill, Trimark Films, 1994. - AirheadsAirheadsAirheads is a 1994 American comedy film written by Rich Wilkes and directed by Michael Lehmann. It stars Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi and Adam Sandler as a band of loser musicians called "The Lone Rangers" who take a radio station hostage, just so that their song would get played on the radio...
, as Female Rocker, 20th Century Fox, 1994. - S.F.W.S.F.W.S.F.W. is a 1994 film directed by Jefery Levy. It is based on a novel by Andrew Wellman, and stars Stephen Dorff, Jake Busey and Reese Witherspoon, in one of her first lead roles.-Plot:...
, as Female Pantyhose Gunman, Black Dog Productions, 1994. - Grace of My HeartGrace of My HeartGrace of My Heart is a 1996 film written and directed by Allison Anders, set in the pop music world, starting off in New York's Brill Building early 1960s era, weaving through the California Sound of the mid '60s and culminating with the adult-contemporary scene of the early 1970s.The plot follows...
, as Singer on beach, Universal Pictures, 1996 - The Evening StarThe Evening StarThe Evening Star is a 1996 sequel to Academy Award for Best Picture-winning Terms of Endearment, starring Shirley MacLaine, who reprises the role of Aurora Greenway she played in the original film. The movie takes place about fifteen years after the original following the characters from 1988 to...
, as Jane, Paramount Pictures, 1996.
With Jefferson Starship
Kantner has appeared as a special guest singer at the following concerts by Jefferson Starship and related acts:- Grace Slick, 7th Bay Area Music Awards, San Francisco, California, 2 March 1984.
- Jefferson Starship, Mile Square Park, Fountain Valley, California, 25 October 1992.
- Jefferson Starship, The Bandshell, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, 25 September 1993.
- Jefferson Starship, House Of Blues, Los Angeles, California, 21 January 1995.
- Jefferson Starship, House Of Blues, Los Angeles, California, 2 June 1996.
- Jefferson Starship, Glendale Street Party, Los Angeles, California, 22 June 1996.
- Jefferson Starship, House Of Blues, Los Angeles, California, 26 May 2000.
- Jefferson Starship, Galaxy Theatre, Anaheim, California, 14 June 2001.
- Jefferson Starship, Starlight Amphitheatre, San Diego, California, 16 June 2001.
- Jefferson Starship, Canyon Club, Agoura Hills, California, 3 August 2001.
- Jefferson Starship, Centre for Performing Arts, Cerritos, California, 6th or 7 September 2001. (Two shows played at this venue on consecutive days, but it is presently unclear which one featured China's appearance.)
- Jefferson Starship, Arrowfest, Long Beach, California, 29 September 2001.
- Jefferson Starship, Balboa Park, San Diego, California, 28 April 2002.
- Jefferson Starship, Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, California, 29 August 2002.
- Jefferson Starship, Love Ride 19, Glendale, California, 10 November 2002.
- Jefferson Starship, Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, California, 11 July 2003 (Early show).
- Jefferson Starship, Santa Cruz Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, California, 11 July 2003 (Late show).
- Jefferson Starship, Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, California, 12 July 2003.
- Paul Kantner & Friends, Jenner Playhouse, Jenner, California, 13 July 2003.
- Jefferson Starship, Humphrey's Concerts On The Bay, San Diego, California, 31 August 2005.
Sources
- Baker, C. (1996). "Fine China", People, December 6, 1996.
- Brown, A. (2000). Moon, I'll Get It - The China Kantner Story. Liverpool, UK: Holding Together magazine, November 2000.
- Dodd, D. (1996). Playing It Straight. Deerfield Beach, FL:HCI.
- Kantner, C. (2008). Official MySpace profile.
- Tamarkin, J. (2003). Got A Revolution: The Turbulent Flight Of Jefferson Airplane. New York: Atria Books.
- Unknown. (1998). China Kantner's Agency Resume, Los Angeles:Paradigm Talent and Literacy Agency.
External links
- The almost official China Kantner website (Last updated, 2001)