Jobriath
Encyclopedia
Jobriath was an American
folk
and glam rock
musician and actor. He was one of the first pop musicians in the United States to openly identify as gay, and one of the first professional musicians to die of AIDS complications.
, Pennsylvania
, he showed exceptional talent for playing the piano and was once introduced to Eugene Ormandy
as a child prodigy
. Conscripted to the military in the mid-1960s, he went AWOL within months. Renaming himself Jobriath Salisbury, he relocated to Los Angeles
. When he arrived to play piano for a friend's audition for the musical, "Hair
", he also secured the role of Woof, an implicitly gay teenager. He appeared in the West Coast
production, at the Aquarius Theater, on Sunset Boulevard
. He left the production in 1969 to form the folk-rock band Pidgeon, which was signed to Decca Records
. They released one single, "Rubber Bricks", as well as a self-titled album, before disbanding. Both were produced by Stan Farber. At this time he was traced by the military police
and arrested, spending nearly six months in a military psychiatric hospital after suffering a breakdown. During this period he began writing the songs that would result in his next musical incarnation.
, Carly Simon
's former manager, overheard a demo tape being played by Clive Davis
at CBS Records
. Davis rejected the tape as "mad, unstructured and destructive to melody", but Brandt was quick to step in. Jobriath later remarked "that coming from a man who discovered both Patti Smith
and Barry Manilow
...so much for sanity and structure!". Brandt located Jobriath in California, where he was living in an unfurnished apartment and working as a prostitute. Brandt: "In walked this beautiful creature dressed in white. I said, Why don't you come out to Malibu and hang out? web |url=http://www.crapfromthepast.com/jobriath/mojo.htm |title=I'm ready for my Close-Up |author=Rob Cochrane |publisher=Ron Gerber |accessdate=24 May 2010}} This became a feature of the mythology used to promote Jobriath, and helps to explain the acrimony that followed the dissolution of their professional and personal relationship.
Newly named Jobriath Boone, Brandt signed him to Elektra Records
for a reported $500,000; allegedly the most lucrative recording contract of its time. The label's president, [David Geffen signed Jobriath for a 2 album deal ,November 1998 issue of Mojo Magazine (pp. 69-70) A huge marketing campaign and media blitz ensued, including full-page advertisements in Vogue
, Penthouse
and Rolling Stone
magazines, full-length posters on over 250 New York City
buses and a huge, 41’ by 43’ billboard in Times Square
. All featured the forthcoming debut album sleeve design by noted photographer Shig Ikeda, which featured a nude Jobriath, made to resemble an ancient Roman statue. Plans were announced for a lavish three night live debut at the Paris Opera
that December, at a cost of $200,000 and a subsequent tour of European opera houses. Jobriath informed the press
that the show would feature him dressed as "King Kong being projected upwards on a mini Empire State Building. This will turn into a giant spurting penis and I will have transformed into Marlene Dietrich." Elektra, concerned about spiraling production costs, postponed the Paris Opera shows until February, later canceling them due to expense.
Amidst this barrage of promotion, the debut album Jobriath was released, garnering mostly positive reviews. Rolling Stone stated that Jobriath had "talent to burn", Cashbox called it "truly one of the most interesting albums of the year" and Record World
hailed it as "brilliantly incisive", referring to Jobriath as "a true Renaissance man who will gain a tremendous following". Esquire
disagreed, calling it "the hype of the year". The album was co-produced by Eddie Kramer
and Jobriath, featuring string arrangements by Jobriath, recorded at Olympic Studios
with the London Symphony Orchestra
. Kramer described Jobriath in Mojo
as "a romantic soul, really. He wanted orchestrations like old film music, though he knew nothing about scoring. So he bought a book on orchestration and within a week he'd come up with scores of a haunting quality". Peter Frampton
is also credited on the album, though his contribution is unclear.
During this period, Brandt continued making extravagant statements such as "Elvis, the Beatles, and Jobriath" and declaring that both he and Jobriath had booked flights on Pan American's first passenger flight to the moon. Meanwhile, Jobriath declared himself "rock's truest fairy", a comment that did little to increase his popularity at the time but has since confirmed his status as the first openly gay
rock singer to be signed to a major record label.
Jobriath's debut public performance was made on television, when Brandt secured him an appearance on the popular show The Midnight Special
. The costumes were designed by Jobriath and the choreography was by Joyce Trisler, of the Joffrey Ballet
. Two songs were performed, "I'maman" and "Rock of Ages", the latter substituting for "Take Me I'm Yours" which was pulled after the producer objected to its overtly sado-masochistic theme. The long awaited live performance finally came in the summer of 1974 with two sold-out shows at New York's Bottom Line
club. Sales for the album however, were poor and it failed to secure a chart placing.
Six months after the release of the debut album, Creatures of the Street was released, again featuring Peter Frampton, as well as John Paul Jones
, of Led Zeppelin
. The costumes were by Stephen Sprouse
. Compiled from the extensive sessions for its predecessor, it was launched without any fanfare or media promotion and failed commercially. A US tour followed, during which recordings took place at local studios for a projected third album. Both Brandt and Elektra abandoned Jobriath midway, but despite this the band completed the tour, continuing to bill Elektra for expenses. A final show, at the University of Alabama
, ended in five encores and the fire brigade being summoned, due to the excited audience setting off the alarm.
in New York City. He attempted to resume his acting career and auditioned for the role of Al Pacino
's lover in the film Dog Day Afternoon
without success. Calling himself 'Cole Berlin' (a play on both Cole Porter
and Irving Berlin
), he worked as a cabaret singer at a restaurant called The Covent Gardens, as well as clubs and cabarets, augmenting his income with occasional prostitution.
In a rare magazine article for Omega One during the late 1970s, he stated "Jobriath committed suicide in a drug, alcohol and publicity overdose". He went on to explain that "Schizophrenia is my lifestyle. I think everyone is schizophrenic. I, or should I say we, are not fighting it. Come over and I'll ask some of us out to play." Upon their arrival, he greeted them as Cole Berlin and went on to introduce both Joby Johnson and Mr. Broadway. Only with reluctance would he talk about Jobriath: "Mister 'P.T. Barnum' Brandt was so busy getting his name on posters and buses, he neglected to get me on tour or my album played". It was to Mr. Broadway that he credited the ongoing writing of a musical, entitled Popstar. "It's about a pop star and about hype. It's about America."
By the time his 10 year contract with Brandt was finally up, Jobriath was sick with AIDS
. He began to feel ill in late 1981 but still managed to contribute to the Chelsea Hotel's 100th birthday celebrations in November 1982. On August 3, 1983, one week after the end of his original 10 year contract with Jerry Brandt expired, Jobriath died, becoming one of the first musical casualties of the disease. It was nearly a week before his body was discovered.
oversaw Jobriath's first CD re-issue, a compilation called "Lonely Planet Boy".
Both Jobriath's original studio albums were officially reissued on CD in Japan
in late 2007 being remastered and issued in mini-vinyl replica sleeves. They were released in the U.S. in standard jewel-box packaging in 2008 by Collectors' Choice Music
.
The group 'Balcony' released a semi-tribute track entitled "Jobriath" as a free MP3
anonymously on the internet in 2000 that was later included on their second album Before Needs. Jobriath has also been referenced by the indie-folk band Okkervil River
on the final song of their 2008 album The Stand Ins
, entitled "Bruce Wayne Campbell Interviewed on the Roof of the Chelsea Hotel, 1979".
Def Leppard released a cover of “Heartbeat” on some versions of their 2006 album Yeah!.
"Morning Starship" was sampled by hip-hop artist Ill Bill
on the title track to his 2007 mixtape album "Black Metal".
Filmmaker Kieran Turner (24 Nights) is currently shooting a feature documentary about the late singer called "Jobriath A.D."
Jobriath was listed at #1 on the Something Awful
list of "The Worst Rock Stars Ever".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
and glam rock
Glam rock
Glam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
musician and actor. He was one of the first pop musicians in the United States to openly identify as gay, and one of the first professional musicians to die of AIDS complications.
Early life & career
A native of King of PrussiaKing of Prussia, Pennsylvania
King of Prussia is a census-designated place in Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 19,936. The community took its name in the 18th century from a local tavern named the King of Prussia Inn, which was named after...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, he showed exceptional talent for playing the piano and was once introduced to Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy
Eugene Ormandy was a Hungarian-born conductor and violinist.-Early life:Born Jenő Blau in Budapest, Hungary, Ormandy began studying violin at the Royal National Hungarian Academy of Music at the age of five...
as a child prodigy
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
. Conscripted to the military in the mid-1960s, he went AWOL within months. Renaming himself Jobriath Salisbury, he relocated 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...
. When he arrived to play piano for a friend's audition for the musical, "Hair
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
", he also secured the role of Woof, an implicitly gay teenager. He appeared in the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
production, at the Aquarius Theater, on Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...
. He left the production in 1969 to form the folk-rock band Pidgeon, which was signed to Decca Records
Decca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
. They released one single, "Rubber Bricks", as well as a self-titled album, before disbanding. Both were produced by Stan Farber. At this time he was traced by the military police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
and arrested, spending nearly six months in a military psychiatric hospital after suffering a breakdown. During this period he began writing the songs that would result in his next musical incarnation.
Jerry Brandt, the hype and Jobriath Boone
In mid-December 1972, Jerry BrandtJerry Brandt
Jerry Brandt is a club owner, promoter, and manager, active since the 1960s. He is known chiefly for discovering Carly Simon and serving as her first manager, as well as for his work with Lori Petty...
, Carly Simon
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
's former manager, overheard a demo tape being played by Clive Davis
Clive Davis
Clive Davis is an American record producer and music industry executive. He has won five Grammy Awards and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. From 1967 to 1973 he was the President of Columbia Records. He was the founder and president of Arista Records from 1975...
at CBS Records
CBS Records
CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...
. Davis rejected the tape as "mad, unstructured and destructive to melody", but Brandt was quick to step in. Jobriath later remarked "that coming from a man who discovered both Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
and Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
...so much for sanity and structure!". Brandt located Jobriath in California, where he was living in an unfurnished apartment and working as a prostitute. Brandt: "In walked this beautiful creature dressed in white. I said, Why don't you come out to Malibu and hang out? web |url=http://www.crapfromthepast.com/jobriath/mojo.htm |title=I'm ready for my Close-Up |author=Rob Cochrane |publisher=Ron Gerber |accessdate=24 May 2010}} This became a feature of the mythology used to promote Jobriath, and helps to explain the acrimony that followed the dissolution of their professional and personal relationship.
Newly named Jobriath Boone, Brandt signed him to Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
for a reported $500,000; allegedly the most lucrative recording contract of its time. The label's president, [David Geffen signed Jobriath for a 2 album deal ,November 1998 issue of Mojo Magazine (pp. 69-70) A huge marketing campaign and media blitz ensued, including full-page advertisements in Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
, Penthouse
Penthouse (magazine)
Penthouse, a men's magazine founded by Bob Guccione, combines urban lifestyle articles and softcore pornographic pictorials that, in the 1990s, evolved into hardcore. Penthouse is owned by FriendFinder Network. formerly known as General Media, Inc. whose parent company was Penthouse International...
and Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazines, full-length posters on over 250 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...
buses and a huge, 41’ by 43’ billboard in Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
. All featured the forthcoming debut album sleeve design by noted photographer Shig Ikeda, which featured a nude Jobriath, made to resemble an ancient Roman statue. Plans were announced for a lavish three night live debut at the Paris Opera
Paris Opera
The Paris Opera is the primary opera company of Paris, France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the Académie d'Opéra and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and renamed the Académie Royale de Musique...
that December, at a cost of $200,000 and a subsequent tour of European opera houses. Jobriath informed the press
News media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
that the show would feature him dressed as "King Kong being projected upwards on a mini Empire State Building. This will turn into a giant spurting penis and I will have transformed into Marlene Dietrich." Elektra, concerned about spiraling production costs, postponed the Paris Opera shows until February, later canceling them due to expense.
Amidst this barrage of promotion, the debut album Jobriath was released, garnering mostly positive reviews. Rolling Stone stated that Jobriath had "talent to burn", Cashbox called it "truly one of the most interesting albums of the year" and Record World
Record World
Record World magazine was one of the three main music industry trade publications in the United States, along with Billboard and Cash Box magazines. It was founded in 1946 under the name Music Vendor, but since 1964 changed it to Record World, under the ownership of Sid Parnes and Bob Austin, both...
hailed it as "brilliantly incisive", referring to Jobriath as "a true Renaissance man who will gain a tremendous following". Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
disagreed, calling it "the hype of the year". The album was co-produced by Eddie Kramer
Eddie Kramer
Edwin H. Kramer is an audio engineer and producer who has worked with, among others, Led Zeppelin, Triumph, Kiss , Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Spooky Tooth, Peter Frampton, Curtis Mayfield, Santana, Anthrax, Carly Simon, Loudness, and Robin Trower.-1960s:Eddie...
and Jobriath, featuring string arrangements by Jobriath, recorded at Olympic Studios
Olympic Studios
Olympic Studios was a renowned independent commercial recording studio located at 117 Church Road, Barnes, South West London, England. The studio is best known for the huge number of famous rock and pop recordings made there from the late 1960s onward....
with the London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
. Kramer described Jobriath in Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
as "a romantic soul, really. He wanted orchestrations like old film music, though he knew nothing about scoring. So he bought a book on orchestration and within a week he'd come up with scores of a haunting quality". Peter Frampton
Peter Frampton
Peter Kenneth Frampton is an English musician, singer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold over 6 million copies...
is also credited on the album, though his contribution is unclear.
During this period, Brandt continued making extravagant statements such as "Elvis, the Beatles, and Jobriath" and declaring that both he and Jobriath had booked flights on Pan American's first passenger flight to the moon. Meanwhile, Jobriath declared himself "rock's truest fairy", a comment that did little to increase his popularity at the time but has since confirmed his status as the first openly gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
rock singer to be signed to a major record label.
Jobriath's debut public performance was made on television, when Brandt secured him an appearance on the popular show The Midnight Special
The Midnight Special (TV series)
The Midnight Special is an American musical variety series that aired on NBC during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Burt Sugarman. It premiered as a special on August 19, 1972, then began its run as a regular series on February 2, 1973; its last episode was on May 1, 1981...
. The costumes were designed by Jobriath and the choreography was by Joyce Trisler, of the Joffrey Ballet
Joffrey Ballet
The Joffrey Ballet is a dance company in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1956. From 1995 to 2004, the company was known as The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. The company regularly performs classical ballets including Romeo & Juliet and The Nutcracker, while balancing those classics with pioneering modern...
. Two songs were performed, "I'maman" and "Rock of Ages", the latter substituting for "Take Me I'm Yours" which was pulled after the producer objected to its overtly sado-masochistic theme. The long awaited live performance finally came in the summer of 1974 with two sold-out shows at New York's Bottom Line
Bottom Line
The Bottom Line was a music venue at 15 West Fourth Street between Mercer Street and Greene Street in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City...
club. Sales for the album however, were poor and it failed to secure a chart placing.
Six months after the release of the debut album, Creatures of the Street was released, again featuring Peter Frampton, as well as John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (musician)
John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
, of 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...
. The costumes were by Stephen Sprouse
Stephen Sprouse
Stephen Sprouse was a fashion designer and artist credited with pioneering the 1980s mix of "uptown sophistication in clothing with a downtown punk and pop sensibility" .-Career:...
. Compiled from the extensive sessions for its predecessor, it was launched without any fanfare or media promotion and failed commercially. A US tour followed, during which recordings took place at local studios for a projected third album. Both Brandt and Elektra abandoned Jobriath midway, but despite this the band completed the tour, continuing to bill Elektra for expenses. A final show, at the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, ended in five encores and the fire brigade being summoned, due to the excited audience setting off the alarm.
Cole Berlin, schizophrenia and The Chelsea Hotel
In January 1975 Jobriath announced his retirement from the music industry to an uninterested press and moved into a pyramid topped rooftop apartment at the famous Chelsea HotelHotel Chelsea
The Hotel Chelsea, also known as the Chelsea Hotel, or simply the Chelsea, is a historic New York City hotel and landmark, known primarily for its history of notable residents...
in New York City. He attempted to resume his acting career and auditioned for the role of Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
's lover in the film Dog Day Afternoon
Dog Day Afternoon
Dog Day Afternoon is a 1975 drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Frank Pierson, and produced by Martin Bregman. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, Penny Allen, James Broderick, and Carol Kane. The title refers to the "dog days of summer".The film was...
without success. Calling himself 'Cole Berlin' (a play on both Cole Porter
Cole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
and Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin
Irving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
), he worked as a cabaret singer at a restaurant called The Covent Gardens, as well as clubs and cabarets, augmenting his income with occasional prostitution.
In a rare magazine article for Omega One during the late 1970s, he stated "Jobriath committed suicide in a drug, alcohol and publicity overdose". He went on to explain that "Schizophrenia is my lifestyle. I think everyone is schizophrenic. I, or should I say we, are not fighting it. Come over and I'll ask some of us out to play." Upon their arrival, he greeted them as Cole Berlin and went on to introduce both Joby Johnson and Mr. Broadway. Only with reluctance would he talk about Jobriath: "Mister 'P.T. Barnum' Brandt was so busy getting his name on posters and buses, he neglected to get me on tour or my album played". It was to Mr. Broadway that he credited the ongoing writing of a musical, entitled Popstar. "It's about a pop star and about hype. It's about America."
By the time his 10 year contract with Brandt was finally up, Jobriath was sick with AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. He began to feel ill in late 1981 but still managed to contribute to the Chelsea Hotel's 100th birthday celebrations in November 1982. On August 3, 1983, one week after the end of his original 10 year contract with Jerry Brandt expired, Jobriath died, becoming one of the first musical casualties of the disease. It was nearly a week before his body was discovered.
Legacy
In November 2004, long-time fan MorrisseyMorrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
oversaw Jobriath's first CD re-issue, a compilation called "Lonely Planet Boy".
Both Jobriath's original studio albums were officially reissued on CD in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in late 2007 being remastered and issued in mini-vinyl replica sleeves. They were released in the U.S. in standard jewel-box packaging in 2008 by Collectors' Choice Music
Collectors' Choice Music
Collectors' Choice Music is a company primarily in two businesses. They are best known for re-issuing albums originally recorded in LP record form as compact discs...
.
The group 'Balcony' released a semi-tribute track entitled "Jobriath" as a free MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
anonymously on the internet in 2000 that was later included on their second album Before Needs. Jobriath has also been referenced by the indie-folk band Okkervil River
Okkervil River
Okkervil River is an indie rock band from Austin, Texas. Formed in 1998, the band takes its name from a short story by Russian author Tatyana Tolstaya. They self-released their first album, Stars Too Small to Use, which led them to the South by Southwest music festival. After recording their first...
on the final song of their 2008 album The Stand Ins
The Stand Ins
The Stand Ins has received positive reviews. The album currently has a score of 78 out of 100 on the review aggregate site Metacritic, indicating "Generally favorable reviews."...
, entitled "Bruce Wayne Campbell Interviewed on the Roof of the Chelsea Hotel, 1979".
Def Leppard released a cover of “Heartbeat” on some versions of their 2006 album Yeah!.
"Morning Starship" was sampled by hip-hop artist Ill Bill
Ill Bill
William Braunstein, better known as Ill Bill, is a American rapper and record producer from Brooklyn, New York. Having gained notoriety in the underground hip hop group Non Phixion, Ill Bill is known for his hardcore lyrics and as the producer, founder and CEO of Uncle Howie Records...
on the title track to his 2007 mixtape album "Black Metal".
Filmmaker Kieran Turner (24 Nights) is currently shooting a feature documentary about the late singer called "Jobriath A.D."
Jobriath was listed at #1 on the Something Awful
Something Awful
Something Awful, often abbreviated to SA, is a comedy website housing a variety of content, including blog entries, forums, feature articles, digitally edited pictures, and humorous media reviews. It was created by Richard "Lowtax" Kyanka in 1999 as a largely personal website, but as it grew, so...
list of "The Worst Rock Stars Ever".
Studio albums
- 1969 Pidgeon - Decca (DL 75103 WLP)
- 1973 Jobriath - Elektra (EKS-75070)
- 1974 Creatures of the Street - Elektra (7E-1010)
Singles
- 1969 Rubber Bricks / Prison Walls (with Pidgeon) - Decca (832545)
- 1974 Take Me I'm Yours / Earthling - Elektra (EK-45878)
- 1974 I'maman / Rock Of Ages - Elektra (EK-45888) / Barclay (620 062)
- 1974 Llévame, Soy Toyo (Take Me I'm Yours) / Rock De Las Edades (Rock Of Ages) - Elektra (45 1046) (Spain)
- 1974 Liten Up / Ooh La La - Elektra (E-45210)
- 1974 Street Corner Love / Rock Of Ages - Elektra (EK-12146)
- 1974 Ooh La La / Gone Tomorrow - Elektra (K-12156)
- 2004 I Love a Good Fight + Scumbag - Attack / Sanctuary (ATKXS012)
External links
- Jobriath Resurrection
- Band member Hayden Wayne's recollections
- [ Jobriath's Allmusic biography]
- Jobriath at Find-A-Grave
- Jobriath page at Ron "Boogiemonster" Gerber's Crap from the Past site
- Jobriath page at Rate Your Music
- Lonely Planet Boy review
- Unofficial MySpace page featuring unreleased recordings
- Jobriath article at Classic Rock
- Jobriath article at Perfect Sound Forever
- Jobriath article at The Independant
- Jobriath article at PopMatters