Brian Routh - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Biography

Brian Routh was born March 9, 1948 in Gateshead, County Durham, United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. He grew up in a working class family with parents that were considered rebellious talkers and story tellers. Brian Routh's, mother's grandfather “James Diston” was a bare knuckle prize fighter who ran a circus in his later years. Routh attended the Bifron's Secondary Modern School in Barking, Essex, UK, graduated in the year 1963. In Brian Routh's youth, he participated in boxing, poetry and singing. He also had a strong musical interest which lead him to learning the piano, harmonium, organ, and later progressed to the drums. Brian Routh played in a rock group as a drummer in the early 60’s before moving on to a folk/blues singer/guitarist in the mid to late 60’s.

He attended East 15 Acting School

East 15 Acting School

East 15 is a British drama school in Debden, Loughton, Essex. At the main campus, Loughton, it occupies an 18th century mansion, Hatfields, and has its own theatre, the Corbett, which is adjacent. The Corbett Theatre is an adaptation of a 15th-century barn...

in 1970 and met a student named Martin von Haselberg. They became good friends and had the same interest in performance arts in which they wrote plays and performed sketches for the school. They were both asked to leave after the first year because of there rebellious encounters with the school. Both Brian Routh and Martin von Haselberg continued to perform in small theaters, clubs and festivals across Europe in Holland, 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...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

and Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

. They had gotten an invitation to perform at the Munich Olympics as the Kipper Kids in 1972. This was an exciting venue for the Kipper Kids

The Kipper Kids

The Kipper Kids are contemporary artists who live and work in New York, USA, and Scarborough, United Kingdom.-Biography:Martin von Haselberg and Brian Routh are a performance duo...

, but was marred by the Munich massacre

Munich massacre

The Munich massacre is an informal name for events that occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Bavaria in southern West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by the Palestinian group Black September. Members of Black September...

.

Brian Routh met and married video artist Nina Sobell in 1975 to 1981. Routh had taught at the San Francisco Art Institute

San Francisco Art Institute

San Francisco Art Institute is a school of higher education in contemporary art with the main campus in the Russian Hill district of San Francisco, California. Its graduate center is in the Dogpatch neighborhood. The private, non-profit institution is accredited by WASC and is a member of the...

where he met Karen Finley

Karen Finley

Karen Finley is an American performance artist, whose theatrical pieces and recordings have often been labelled "obscene" due to their graphic depictions of sexuality, abuse, and disenfranchisement...

. They were married in 1981, which ended in divorce in 1987. In 2008, Brian Routh started a relationship with artist Patricia Wells in which they work and collaborate together in creating videos and soundtracks that are broadcasted on a variety of different musical outlet on the internet.

Performance artist

Routh started his career in 1971 as a performance artist. Inventing the character of Harry Kipper and later appeared as one of the Kipper Kids

The Kipper Kids

The Kipper Kids are contemporary artists who live and work in New York, USA, and Scarborough, United Kingdom.-Biography:Martin von Haselberg and Brian Routh are a performance duo...

. Brian Routh and Martin Von Haselberg had taken a short break from “The Kipper Kids” in the mid 1970s. They came back together in 1977 to started work on a film by Richard Elfman

Richard Elfman

Richard "Rick" Elfman, , is an American film actor, director, producer, screenwriter, author, and magazine publisher.-Family:...

, called “Forbidden Zone

Forbidden Zone

Forbidden Zone is a 1982 musical comedy film based upon the stage performances of the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo. The film stars Hervé Villechaize, Susan Tyrrell and members of the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, and features appearances by Warhol Superstar Viva, Joe Spinell and The...

” released in 1982. Brian Routh with Von Haselberg appeared as robot like boxers.
In 1980 Brian Routh began to perform as a solo artist/entertainer in between appearances as The Kipper Kids

The Kipper Kids

The Kipper Kids are contemporary artists who live and work in New York, USA, and Scarborough, United Kingdom.-Biography:Martin von Haselberg and Brian Routh are a performance duo...

. Routh was also involved in writing and starring in three projects for HBO and Cinemax and acted in a number of movies as "The Kipper Kids". The most successful show was promoted by HBO, entitled "Mondo Beyondo."

Collaborations

Routh has collaborated with and appeared with the Blue Man Group

Blue Man Group

Blue Man Group is an organization founded by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton. The organization produces theatrical shows and concerts featuring popular music, comedy and multimedia; recorded music and scores for film and television; television appearances for shows such as The Tonight...

, Nina Sobell, Karen Finley

Karen Finley

a tour of Italy and Germany (1981), Henry Rollins

Henry Rollins

Henry Rollins is an American singer-songwriter, spoken word artist, writer, comedian, publisher, actor, and radio DJ....

in Arizona USA(1987), Public Image, Genesis P. Orridge, Sex Pistols

Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...

in Reading University UK (1975), Joanna Went at the Theate Carnival, Sequel Cafe LA USA, Eric Bogosian

Eric Bogosian

Eric Bogosian is an American actor, playwright, monologist, and novelist of Armenian descent.-Personal life:Bogosian, an Armenian-American, was born in Woburn, Massachusetts, the son of Edwina, a hairdresser and instructor, and Henry Bogosian, an accountant. After graduating from Oberlin College,...

, Anne Bean

Anne Bean

Anne Bean is an internationally-known installation and performance artist whose work is managed by Artsadmin.-Life:She is resident in the UK...

, Bow Gamelan, Lol Coxhill, Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Ian Hinchcliffe.

The Kipper Kids

The Kipper Kids

The Kipper Kids are contemporary artists who live and work in New York, USA, and Scarborough, United Kingdom.-Biography:Martin von Haselberg and Brian Routh are a performance duo...

Filmography and television

> > > >

Year	Movie-Television Show
1991	The Addams Family
1991	Spirit of '76
1990	Mum's Magic Mulch
1989	Moonlighting
1988	UHF
	Mondo Beyondo
	K.O. Kippers
1981	Theatre In Trance - Rainer Werner Fassbinde
1981	No Holds Barre
1980	Forbidden Zone Forbidden Zone Forbidden Zone is a 1982 musical comedy film based upon the stage performances of the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo. The film stars Hervé Villechaize, Susan Tyrrell and members of the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, and features appearances by Warhol Superstar Viva, Joe Spinell and The...
1979	Dress Rehearsal-Werner Schroeter
1977 & 1978	Chuck Barris Rah-Rah Show

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Biography

Performance artist

Collaborations

Filmography and television

External links