Koos Kombuis
Encyclopedia
Koos Kombuis is a South African musician
, singer, songwriter
and writer
who became famous as part of a group of anti-establishment maverick Afrikaans
musicians, who, under the collective name of Voëlvry (directly translated meaning "Free as a bird"; in Afrikaans
"voëlvry" is synonymous to the word "fugitive"), toured campuses across South Africa
in the 1980s, to "liberate Afrikaans
from the shackles of its past". Fellow musicians of this movement were Johannes Kerkorrel
and Bernoldus Niemand (James Phillips).
They were a younger generation Afrikaner
who didn't believe in apartheid and didn't toe the ruling National Party
line. This movement coined the term Alternative Afrikaner for themselves. Kombuis is somewhat of an icon among certain South Africans who consider him the guru of Afrikaans
rock music
and father of non-conformist Afrikaans
culture.
as well as his pen name
. Koos (sounding like "koo-iss") is a shortened version for the common name "Jacobus" / "Jakobus", but is also Afrikaans
slang
for a chamber pot
. Kombuis means "Kitchen" in Afrikaans
. His childhood nickname was "Koos", and he got his last name from a time when he squatted in the kitchen of former drug-dealer and author Al Lovejoy
http://www.litnet.co.za/indaba/acid_alex_foreword.asp. The name also alludes to the Afrikaans
language derogatorily being known as "Kitchen Dutch" in its early years.
Du Toit started out as a poet and novelist in the early 1980s writing under the name André Letoit, (a non-intentional anagram
for "toilet") but wanting something more colloquial-sounding for his musical career, settled on Koos Kombuis.
He has introduced an A in his stage name, now being Koos A. Kombuis. The A is for Andre, formed part of his first stage name, Andre le Toit. He claims the fact that the spelling of his initials, K.A.K ("shit" in Afrikaans), is purely coincidental.
, Wellington
, Kuruman
and in Bellville
, before the family settled in Stellenbosch (and later in Pretoria
, where he spent the last year of high school at Die Hoërskool Menlopark
). After school, Du Toit did his compulsory military service: apparently he was so bad at shooting that he was posted in the fire brigade. After this, Du Toit went back to the fire brigade several times, the only job he claims he was never fired from (Kombuis 2000: 78).
After the army, he wanted to study at the University of Stellenbosch with his childhood friends, but his parents insisted he attend the University of Pretoria
instead. He left after two years, never finishing a degree, and moved to Johannesburg
where he settled in an apartment in Hillbrow. Here he was involved in a lot of different fringe churches and religious denominations, but got increasingly worried about his own mental
health.
He finally went back to his parents in Pretoria
and asked to get medical help. After seeing several psychologists and being severely medicated, the decision was taken to give him shock therapy
. Du Toit claims that after ten treatments, he suffered amnesia
and effectively can't remember the year 1976 to date. After this treatment his parents had him committed to Weskoppies psychiatric hospital
in Pretoria
(wrongly) diagnosed as having schizophrenia
. This was decided after a questionnaire and a single rorschach test
http://www.boekwurm.co.za/blad_skryf_klmno/kombuis_koos.html. After psychiatrists realised that he wasn't sick, he'd spent a year in a ward with drug addicts and schizophrenics
.
At this point he started sending his short stories to Afrikaans
weekly Huisgenoot
, and spent the next few years as a freelance writer, publishing several novellas, volumes of poetry and short stories. His first (semi-autobiographical) novel Somer II ("Summer II") appears in 1985. His last autobiography
, Seks & Drugs & Boeremusiek: die memoires van 'n volksverraaier ("Sex, drugs and Boere (folk) musiek: the memoires of a national traitor") appears in 2000. In this book he corrects many of the more far-fetched claims he made in Somer II.
, Neil Young
as well as ex-Beatles
George Harrison
and John Lennon
as musical influences. His musical style is raw, and Kombuis often accompanies himself only with his acoustic guitar, but sometimes uses his backing rock band known as "Die Warmblankes" ("The Almost Drunk / Mellow Whites").
Koos Kombuis is considered by some as one of the best lyricists in South African music today. One of his most popular hits is "Lisa se Klavier" ("Lisa's Piano"), which has been covered by Laurika Rauch
and The Parlotones
.
Short Stories & Collections:
Poetry & Lyrics:
Memoirs:
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
who became famous as part of a group of anti-establishment maverick Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
musicians, who, under the collective name of Voëlvry (directly translated meaning "Free as a bird"; in Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
"voëlvry" is synonymous to the word "fugitive"), toured campuses across South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in the 1980s, to "liberate Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
from the shackles of its past". Fellow musicians of this movement were Johannes Kerkorrel
Johannes Kerkorrel
Johannes Kerkorrel was an Afrikaner singer-songwriter, journalist and playwright from South Africa....
and Bernoldus Niemand (James Phillips).
They were a younger generation Afrikaner
Afrikaner
Afrikaners are an ethnic group in Southern Africa descended from almost equal numbers of Dutch, French and German settlers whose native tongue is Afrikaans: a Germanic language which derives primarily from 17th century Dutch, and a variety of other languages.-Related ethno-linguistic groups:The...
who didn't believe in apartheid and didn't toe the ruling National Party
National Party (South Africa)
The National Party is a former political party in South Africa. Founded in 1914, it was the governing party of the country from 4 June 1948 until 9 May 1994. Members of the National Party were sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a...
line. This movement coined the term Alternative Afrikaner for themselves. Kombuis is somewhat of an icon among certain South Africans who consider him the guru of Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and father of non-conformist Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
culture.
Humorous stage name
Koos Kombuis is a humorous stage nameStage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
as well as his pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
. Koos (sounding like "koo-iss") is a shortened version for the common name "Jacobus" / "Jakobus", but is also Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
for a chamber pot
Chamber pot
A chamber pot is a bowl-shaped container with a handle, and often a lid, kept in the bedroom under a bed or in the cabinet of a nightstand and...
. Kombuis means "Kitchen" in Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
. His childhood nickname was "Koos", and he got his last name from a time when he squatted in the kitchen of former drug-dealer and author Al Lovejoy
Al Lovejoy
Al Lovejoy is a South African writer.His first novel is an autobiography, detailing his life as a child in reform school, conscript, prisoner, international drug smuggler and addict.-External links:* *...
http://www.litnet.co.za/indaba/acid_alex_foreword.asp. The name also alludes to the Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
language derogatorily being known as "Kitchen Dutch" in its early years.
Du Toit started out as a poet and novelist in the early 1980s writing under the name André Letoit, (a non-intentional anagram
Anagram
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
for "toilet") but wanting something more colloquial-sounding for his musical career, settled on Koos Kombuis.
He has introduced an A in his stage name, now being Koos A. Kombuis. The A is for Andre, formed part of his first stage name, Andre le Toit. He claims the fact that the spelling of his initials, K.A.K ("shit" in Afrikaans), is purely coincidental.
Early life
Du Toit grew up in Riversdal, PaarlPaarl
Paarl is a town with 191,013 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its the third oldest European settlement in the Republic of South Africa and the largest town in the Cape Winelands. Due to the growth of the Mbekweni township, it is now a de facto urban unit with Wellington...
, Wellington
Wellington, Western Cape
Wellington is a town in the Western Cape Winelands 45 minutes from Cape Town, in South Africa with a population of approximately 58,300. Wellington's economy is centered around agriculture such as wine, table grapes, citrus fruit and a brandy industry. The town is located 75 km north-east of...
, Kuruman
Kuruman
Kuruman is a town with 12,701 inhabitants in Northern Cape province of South Africa, famous for its scenic beauty and the Eye of Kuruman, a geological feature bringing water from deep underground to the surface in the Kalahari Desert....
and in Bellville
Bellville, Cape Town
Bellville is a former city in the Western Cape province of South Africa; it is now part of the greater Cape Town metropolitan area. It falls within the area of the City of Cape Town municipality....
, before the family settled in Stellenbosch (and later in Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, where he spent the last year of high school at Die Hoërskool Menlopark
Menlo Park, Pretoria
Menlo Park is a suburb in the city of Pretoria, South Africa. It borders other upmarket areas Waterkloof, Brooklyn and Lynnwood. When it was first established between the 1950s and 1970s, it was the most eastern suburb of Pretoria, but the city has since considerably expanded eastwards...
). After school, Du Toit did his compulsory military service: apparently he was so bad at shooting that he was posted in the fire brigade. After this, Du Toit went back to the fire brigade several times, the only job he claims he was never fired from (Kombuis 2000: 78).
After the army, he wanted to study at the University of Stellenbosch with his childhood friends, but his parents insisted he attend the University of Pretoria
University of Pretoria
The University of Pretoria is a multi campus public research university located in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto capital of South Africa...
instead. He left after two years, never finishing a degree, and moved to Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
where he settled in an apartment in Hillbrow. Here he was involved in a lot of different fringe churches and religious denominations, but got increasingly worried about his own mental
Mind
The concept of mind is understood in many different ways by many different traditions, ranging from panpsychism and animism to traditional and organized religious views, as well as secular and materialist philosophies. Most agree that minds are constituted by conscious experience and intelligent...
health.
He finally went back to his parents in Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
and asked to get medical help. After seeing several psychologists and being severely medicated, the decision was taken to give him shock therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy
Electroconvulsive therapy , formerly known as electroshock, is a psychiatric treatment in which seizures are electrically induced in anesthetized patients for therapeutic effect. Its mode of action is unknown...
. Du Toit claims that after ten treatments, he suffered amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
and effectively can't remember the year 1976 to date. After this treatment his parents had him committed to Weskoppies psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
in Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
(wrongly) diagnosed as having schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
. This was decided after a questionnaire and a single rorschach test
Rorschach test
The Rorschach test is a psychological test in which subjects' perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both. Some psychologists use this test to examine a person's personality characteristics and emotional functioning...
http://www.boekwurm.co.za/blad_skryf_klmno/kombuis_koos.html. After psychiatrists realised that he wasn't sick, he'd spent a year in a ward with drug addicts and schizophrenics
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
.
At this point he started sending his short stories to Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
weekly Huisgenoot
Huisgenoot
Huisgenoot is a weekly Afrikaans-language general interest family magazine. It has the highest circulation figures of any South African magazine and is followed by sister magazine YOU, its English language version. A third magazine, Drum, is directed at the black market...
, and spent the next few years as a freelance writer, publishing several novellas, volumes of poetry and short stories. His first (semi-autobiographical) novel Somer II ("Summer II") appears in 1985. His last autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, Seks & Drugs & Boeremusiek: die memoires van 'n volksverraaier ("Sex, drugs and Boere (folk) musiek: the memoires of a national traitor") appears in 2000. In this book he corrects many of the more far-fetched claims he made in Somer II.
Musical style
He cites Bob DylanBob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
as well as ex-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...
George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
and John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
as musical influences. His musical style is raw, and Kombuis often accompanies himself only with his acoustic guitar, but sometimes uses his backing rock band known as "Die Warmblankes" ("The Almost Drunk / Mellow Whites").
Koos Kombuis is considered by some as one of the best lyricists in South African music today. One of his most popular hits is "Lisa se Klavier" ("Lisa's Piano"), which has been covered by Laurika Rauch
Laurika Rauch
Laurika Rauch is a South African singer who sings in the Afrikaans as well as English language.She had a hit single in 1979 with Kinders van die Wind , written by the late Koos du Plessis...
and The Parlotones
The Parlotones
The Parlotones is a rock band based in Johannesburg, South Africa. They have achieved multiplatinum-selling status in their home country. They experiment with their sound and various structures in their songs, incorporating the typical doo-wop or traditional folk structures. The Parlotones are...
.
Sponsorship
Koos Kombuis was long sponsored by budget South African red wine blend Tassenberg, an ever-present bottle of "Tassies" on stage with him. By 2004 Tassenberg's management ended their association with the arts.Trivia
- Lives in Somerset West with wife Esné ("Kannetjie") and has two children (born 2000 and 2002), a boy Simon and a girl Marleen.
- Is childhood friends with AfrikaansAfrikaansAfrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
author Etienne van HeerdenEtienne van Heerden-Biography:Van Heerden was born in 1954, six years after the official advent of apartheid. His mother was an English speaking mathematics teacher. His father, an Afrikaans speaking merino stud breeder, farmed the family farm in the Karoo...
.
- His grandfather was P.C. Schoonees, one of the editors of the AfrikaansAfrikaansAfrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
dictionary HAT or "Verklarende Handwoordeboek van die Afrikaanse Taal" ("Concise Dictionary of the Afrikaans Language").
- A song by Die AntwoordDie AntwoordDie Antwoord is a hip hop group from Cape Town, South Africa, consisting of three members: Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er and DJ Hi-Tek.-Background:...
, entitled Evil Boy (2010), contains a reference to Koos Kombuis in the line "Koos Kombuis se ma se fokken poes".
Discography
- Ver van die Ou Kalahari (1987)
- Niemandsland and Beyond (1990)
- Elke Boemelaar se Droom (1994)
- Madiba Bay (1997)
- Blameer dit op Apartheid (1997)
- Mona Lisa (1999)
- Greatest Hits (2000)
- Blou Kombuis (2000, live with Albert Frost)
- Equilibrium (2002)
- n Jaar in die Son
- Bloedrivier (2008)
- Koos Kombuis (2009, self-titled)
Writings
Novels:- Somer II (1985 - as André Letoit)
- Suidpunt-Jazz (1989 - as André Letoit)
- Paradise Redecorated (1990)
- Hotel Atlantis (2003)
- The Secret Diary of God (2003)
- Raka die Roman (2005)
- The Complete Secret Diaries of God (2008)
Short Stories & Collections:
- Nou is die Kaap weer Hollands (1982 - as André Letoit)
- My nooi is in 'n tikmasjien (1983 - as André Letoit)
- Breekwater en ander kortverhale (1986 - as André Letoit)
- My Mamma is 'n Taal (2001)
- Afrikaans my darling (2003)
- Die diepr dirs: 'n innerlike gesprek (2006)
Poetry & Lyrics:
- Suburbia (1982 - as André Letoit)
- Die Geel Kafee (1985 - as André Letoit)
- Die Bar op De Aar (1988 - as André Letoit)
- Koos se Songs (1998)
- Die tweede Reën (1998)
Memoirs:
- Seks & Drugs & Boeremusiek: Die memoirs van 'n volksverraaier (2000)
- Die Tyd Van Die Kombi's/Short Drive to Freedom (2009)
External links
- Official Koos Kombuis website
- Koos Kombuis weblog
- http://www.litnet.co.za/koospens/vorige1.aspKoos Kombuis columns on Litnet (in AfrikaansAfrikaansAfrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
)] - Koos Kombuis column on Kagablog
- Foreword to Al Lovejoy's Acid Alex by Koos Kombuis
- Afrikaans article about Koos Kombuis