Alex Cox
Alexander Cox (born Bebington,Cheshire, 15 December 1954) is a British film director, screenwriter, nonfiction author and sometime actor, notable for his idiosyncratic style and approach to scripts. Cox experienced success early in his career with Repo Man and Sid and Nancy, but since the release and commercial failure of Walker, he has focused his career in independent films.
Background
Cox has cited Luis Buñuel and Akira Kurosawa as influences, as well as the great Western film directors Sergio Leone, Sam Peckinpah and John Ford. Cox also wrote a book on the history of the genre called 10,000 Ways to Die. While he once directed films for Universal Pictures, such as Repo Man and Walker, since the late 1980s, he has found himself on a self-described blacklist, and turned to producing independent films. Cox is an atheist and is decidedly left wing in his political views. Many of his films have an explicit anti-capitalist theme or message. He was originally set to direct Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas but was replaced by Terry Gilliam due to creative differences with Hunter S. Thompson. By August 2009, Cox had announced completion of Repo Chick, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival the following month, but he remained ambivalent as to whether the film would ever be distributed to cinemas. His previous film, Searchers 2.0, was not released theatrically, and only appears on DVD in Japan and North America after a televised screening in the UK on the BBC.
Vincent Vincent and the Villains
Vincent Vincent and the Villains were an English rock 'n' roll group. They were signed to EMI.
History
Vincent Vincent grew up in Hatch End, an area in the London Borough of Harrow. He later moved to East London's Bethnal Green and after leaving Art College decided to start a band. In 2003 he formed Vincent Vincent and the Villains and released a limited edition single on Smoking Gun Records in 2004 called 'On My Own'. With the band gaining local notoriety they were then talent spotted by Young And Lost Club, who signed the Villains and put out their second release, 'Blue Boy'. As well as Neill Kidgell on bass and Alex Cox on drums, the band at this time had two frontmen (Vincent himself and Charlie Waller) Waller left shortly after in 2005, to pursue his ambitions with his childhood band, The Rumble Strips. The final months for the original lineup of the Villains were described as "stifling, unpleasant and impossible" and inspired the song 'Johnny Two Bands' which would be the band's first major release, taking the melody from a previous song 'Making Raindrops'. Vincent Vincent found a new bassist and guitarist in Will Church and Tom Bailey (who were friends from college, and with whom Vincent worked in the Ten Bells pub), and the third single - 'I'm Alive' - was released on Young and Lost Club Records in April 2006. This secured a record deal with EMI, with 'Johnny Two Bands' being chosen as the debut single. This was performed on Top of the Pops in October 2006. The band re-released 'On My Own' the following year in October 2007. The next single 'Pretty Girl' was released on 25 February 2008 on CD/7”/digital download. The album 'Gospel Bombs' was released on March 10, 2008. A third single off the album was planned for May 2008, but due to ongoing problems at EMI Records these plans were shelved.
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