Romy Haag
Encyclopedia
Eva Maria Verbaarsschott (born January 1, 1951), professionally known as Romy Haag, is a dancer, singer, actress and former nightclub manager. She is regarded one of the best known transsexuals in Germany
and Europe.
Verbaarsschott started his career with Circus Strassburger, he led children's matinées working as a clown. At the age of 16 he left the circus, joining a trapeze artist working at the Strassburger and relocated to Paris, where he began his career as an exotic dancer and female impersonator at famous nightclub Alcazar. It was during this time Veerbaarsschott took the stage name Romy Haag, and started her life as a woman both on and off stage.
In 1972 an American show manager offered Haag a tour booking and she performed with her show "Berlin Chanson" at Fire Island, in Long Island
and Atlantic City. Here she met and fell in love with a street musician from Berlin and decided to move back to Europe to live in the German capital with him.
In 1974, at the age of 23, Haag opened the club and cabaret Chez Romy Haag in Berlin, which became Germany's most popular nightspot during the disco
era. Many celebrities were regular guests, such as German singer Udo Lindenberg
, Zizi Jeanmaire
, Bryan Ferry
, Freddie Mercury
, Lou Reed
and Mick Jagger
with whom Haag also had a brief romance. Also David Bowie
was struck by Haag's beauty and the two had a love affair which resulted in him moving to Berlin. At the same time Haag went on her first nationwide German tour with her cabaret.
In 1977 she released her first single "Liege-Samba", composed by Udo Lindenberg
and later she joined him on tour. The following year saw her second single "Superparadise" being released. In 1979 New York's Profile Gallery presented a photographic exhibition in honour of her and in 1981 she released her first album, entitled "So Bin Ich" (translated as "That's Me"), a collaboration with renowned German composer Klaus Hoffmann
.
In 1983 she sold her nightclub and set out on a year-long discovery journey of the world. As gender-changing surgery had become more advanced, she finally decided to undergo a complete sex change operation in Switzerland at the age of 33. Back in Germany she started another phase in her career in 1986 as she toured Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the United States with her show City In The Night.
Haag has acted in 26 movies in Germany, among them "Plastik Fieber", "Zum Beispiel Otto Spalt" and "Mascara“ with Charlotte Rampling
, and has released 17 albums, such as "Flugblatt" and musical "Tell". In the mid 80's she became the lead figure of Queen Zero, a performance art
video installation at New York's Museum Of Modern Art.
Today Romy Haag is mainly working as an actress, entertainer and chanson singer.
In 1997 she received the "Jackie O. Music Award" in New York in recognition of her personal and thoughtful interpretations of Berthold Brecht's music. The same year she accepted the prestigious Teddy Award
at Berlin's International Film Festival, in honour of her lifetime achievements in films concerning gay, lesbian and transgender issues.
In 1999 she released her autobiography Eine Frau und mehr (translated as A Woman And Then Some), in which she tells her life story, about her many famous acquaintances in the world of music and entertainment as well as her somewhat complicated relationship with French entertainer and also alleged transsexual Amanda Lear
.
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...
and Europe.
Life
Haag's birth name was Edouard Frans Verbaarsschott. Her father was a billboard painter and her mother a shop assistant. Soon after her birth, the issue of gender-transitioning has been discussed several times since Haag appeared very feminine and went as far as naturally developing breasts. As a boy, Haag was severely bullied at school and had issues with her parents; she decided to walk away from home at age 13, leaving to Paris, where she would perform in a string of circuses and entertainment venues.Verbaarsschott started his career with Circus Strassburger, he led children's matinées working as a clown. At the age of 16 he left the circus, joining a trapeze artist working at the Strassburger and relocated to Paris, where he began his career as an exotic dancer and female impersonator at famous nightclub Alcazar. It was during this time Veerbaarsschott took the stage name Romy Haag, and started her life as a woman both on and off stage.
In 1972 an American show manager offered Haag a tour booking and she performed with her show "Berlin Chanson" at Fire Island, in Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
and Atlantic City. Here she met and fell in love with a street musician from Berlin and decided to move back to Europe to live in the German capital with him.
In 1974, at the age of 23, Haag opened the club and cabaret Chez Romy Haag in Berlin, which became Germany's most popular nightspot during the disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
era. Many celebrities were regular guests, such as German singer Udo Lindenberg
Udo Lindenberg
Udo Lindenberg is a German rock musician and composer.-Career:Lindenberg started his musical career as a drummer. In 1969 Lindenberg founded his first band Free Orbit and also appeared as a studio and guest musician . In 1970 he collaborated as a drummer with jazz-saxophonist Klaus Doldinger in...
, Zizi Jeanmaire
Zizi Jeanmaire
Zizi Jeanmaire is a ballet dancer and widow of renowned dancer and choreographer Roland Petit. She became famous in the 1950s after playing the title role in the ballet version of Carmen, produced in London in 1949, and went on to appear in several Hollywood films.-Background:Born in Paris,...
, Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
, Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
, Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
and Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
with whom Haag also had a brief romance. Also David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
was struck by Haag's beauty and the two had a love affair which resulted in him moving to Berlin. At the same time Haag went on her first nationwide German tour with her cabaret.
In 1977 she released her first single "Liege-Samba", composed by Udo Lindenberg
Udo Lindenberg
Udo Lindenberg is a German rock musician and composer.-Career:Lindenberg started his musical career as a drummer. In 1969 Lindenberg founded his first band Free Orbit and also appeared as a studio and guest musician . In 1970 he collaborated as a drummer with jazz-saxophonist Klaus Doldinger in...
and later she joined him on tour. The following year saw her second single "Superparadise" being released. In 1979 New York's Profile Gallery presented a photographic exhibition in honour of her and in 1981 she released her first album, entitled "So Bin Ich" (translated as "That's Me"), a collaboration with renowned German composer Klaus Hoffmann
Klaus Hoffmann
Klaus Hoffmann is a German singer, songwriter and actor.- Career :Klaus Hoffmann started his career as a singer-songwriter during the late 1960s in the alternative Berlin club culture...
.
In 1983 she sold her nightclub and set out on a year-long discovery journey of the world. As gender-changing surgery had become more advanced, she finally decided to undergo a complete sex change operation in Switzerland at the age of 33. Back in Germany she started another phase in her career in 1986 as she toured Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the United States with her show City In The Night.
Haag has acted in 26 movies in Germany, among them "Plastik Fieber", "Zum Beispiel Otto Spalt" and "Mascara“ with Charlotte Rampling
Charlotte Rampling
Charlotte Rampling, OBE is an English actress. Her career spans four decades in English-language as well as French and Italian cinema.- Early life :...
, and has released 17 albums, such as "Flugblatt" and musical "Tell". In the mid 80's she became the lead figure of Queen Zero, a performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
video installation at New York's Museum Of Modern Art.
Today Romy Haag is mainly working as an actress, entertainer and chanson singer.
In 1997 she received the "Jackie O. Music Award" in New York in recognition of her personal and thoughtful interpretations of Berthold Brecht's music. The same year she accepted the prestigious Teddy Award
Teddy Award
The Teddy Award is an international film award for films with LGBT topics, presented by an independent jury as an official award of the Berlin International Film Festival . Here, an "independent jury" implies that its members are not officially selected by the committee of the Berlinale...
at Berlin's International Film Festival, in honour of her lifetime achievements in films concerning gay, lesbian and transgender issues.
In 1999 she released her autobiography Eine Frau und mehr (translated as A Woman And Then Some), in which she tells her life story, about her many famous acquaintances in the world of music and entertainment as well as her somewhat complicated relationship with French entertainer and also alleged transsexual Amanda Lear
Amanda Lear
Amanda Lear is a French singer, lyricist, composer, painter, TV presenter, actress and novelist....
.
Discography
- 1977 - Tell! (MusicalMusical theatreMusical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
with Udo LindenbergUdo LindenbergUdo Lindenberg is a German rock musician and composer.-Career:Lindenberg started his musical career as a drummer. In 1969 Lindenberg founded his first band Free Orbit and also appeared as a studio and guest musician . In 1970 he collaborated as a drummer with jazz-saxophonist Klaus Doldinger in...
, Alexis KornerAlexis KornerAlexis Korner was a blues musician and radio broadcaster, who has sometimes been referred to as "a Founding Father of British Blues"...
, Su Kramer and Jürgen Drews - 1981 - So bin Ich
- 1983 - Flugblatt
- 1985 - City in the night
- 2000 - So bin Ich (remastered)
- 2001 - Balladen für Huren und Engel
- 2004 - Reichtum-Chill-Inn-Music (Meditation)
- 2005 - Frauen, die ich nicht vergessen kann
- 2010 - Moving on
External links
- Official website. www.romyhaag.de
- Die Welt: Jochen BreiholzJochen BreiholzJochen Breiholz is a German music critic and dramaturge. Born in Oldenburg, Germany, Breiholz studied in Berlin before interning at the Metropolitan Opera. For more than two decades he has written music criticism for Opera News magazine. From 1997-2002 he worked as a writer and editor of the Arts...
: Wie Onassis sich Romy angelte, 8 September 1999. - Buskeismus