Alex Kapranos

Kapranos performing live in 2009
Background information
Birth name Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley
Born (1972-03-20) 20 March 1972 (age 40)
Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England
Origin Glasgow, Greater Glasgow, Scotland
Genres Indie rock, post-punk revival, indie pop, art rock
Occupations Guitarist, singer-songwriter, producer, writer
Instruments Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards
Years active Early 1990s–present
Labels Domino
Associated acts Franz Ferdinand, The Yummy Fur, The Karelia, The Amphetameanies, Handsome Boy Modelling School
Website www.franzferdinand.co.uk
Notable instruments
Fender Telecaster Deluxe
Gibson Les Paul Junior Double Cut

Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley (born 20 March 1972 in Almondsbury, Gloucestershire), commonly known as Alex Kapranos, is a United Kingdom-based musician who is the lead singer and the guitarist of the Glasgow band Franz Ferdinand.[1]

Contents

Early life [link]

Alex Kapranos was born in Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England to an English mother and Greek father.[2] He moved to the North East of England when he was three months old, spending his early childhood in Washington, Tyne and Wear and South Shields,[citation needed] his mother's home town, and spent many summer holidays in his father's native Greece. Huntley is the name his father adopted from his father's aunt. He gets his middle name from Paul McCartney on whom his mother had a crush.

In 1980, he moved with his family to Edinburgh then to Glasgow in 1984 where he attended Bearsden Academy. At the age of seventeen, Kapranos attended the University of Aberdeen to study Theology. After dropping out, he continued his studies at the University of Strathclyde, eventually gaining a BA. He worked as a chef, barman, music promoter, driver, welder and lecturer prior to finding fame with Franz Ferdinand.[3]

Early musical career [link]

From the early 1990s, he was a fixture of the Glasgow music scene, running live nights at the 13th Note, most notably The Kazoo Club.[citation needed] While working as a chef, bartender, lecturer in IT at the city's Anniesland College, and other various jobs, he played in some of Glasgow's popular bands, including The Blisters (later known as The Karelia), The Amphetameanies, and The Yummy Fur. He is also known to have contributed to the noise act Urusei Yatsura and Lungleg recordings.[1]

Franz Ferdinand [link]

After dropping "Huntley" from his name, he formed Franz Ferdinand in 2001. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos, Nick McCarthy (guitar, keyboard, backup vocals), Paul Thomson (drums, backup vocals, sometimes guitar) and Bob Hardy (bass). The band saw chart success after their second single "Take Me Out (released 12 January 2004)[4] reached Number 3 in the UK Charts[5] followed by their debut album Franz Ferdinand (released 9 February 2004)[6] which debuted on the UK album chart at Number 3.[7] The band went on to win the 2004 Mercury Music Prize[8] and two BRIT Awards in 2005[9] for Best British Group and Best British Rock Act.

Alex Kapranos performing with Franz Ferdinand
Alex Kapranos

Writing [link]

In September 2005, Kapranos began Soundbites,[10] a weekly food column for G2 in the Guardian newspaper, which detailed his culinary adventures as Franz Ferdinand traversed the globe on their world tour. Sound Bites: Eating on Tour with Franz Ferdinand, a book of the column and unreleased material illustrated by Andy Knowles was released in 2006.

Sound Bites: Eating on Tour with Franz Ferdinand was read by Alex Kapranos on BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week for 4–8 December 2006, described as "his account about what he ate while touring the world."[11]

Production [link]

Kapranos produced "Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever" - the third album by British indie rock group The Cribs in Vancouver BC, released on 14 May 2007. He also produced their single only track, "Don't You Wanna Be Relevant?", which was featured with "Our Bovine Public" (from Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever) as a Double A side.

Kapranos makes a cameo appearance in the video for Our Bovine Public.[12]

His remix of the single, "New in Town", by British pop singer Little Boots was featured on various formats of the singles release.

Hobbies [link]

When not on the road, using his leather "jump rope",[13] recording in the studio,[14] Kapranos spends time in his carpentry workshop, crafting abstract furniture.[15]

Narration [link]

Kapranos narrated the 2008 BBC Scotland documentary Edwyn Collins: Home Again on the recovery of Orange Juice singer Edwyn Collins.

Also in 2008, Kapranos narrated the BBC Radio One documentary 'The Story of Kraftwerk'.

References [link]

  1. ^ a b [1][dead link]
  2. ^ Neil Scott. "The Mind’s Construction Quarterly » Alex Kapranos". Tmcq.co.uk. https://tmcq.co.uk/interviews/alex-kapranos/. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
  3. ^ Battaglia, Andy (2007-02-14). "Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand". The A.V. Club. https://www.avclub.com/content/node/58629. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
  4. ^ [2][dead link]
  5. ^ "Music Charts: "Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out". aCharts.us. Retrieved 12 January 2004.
  6. ^ [3][dead link]
  7. ^ "Music Charts: "Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand". aCharts.us. Retrieved 12 January 2004.
  8. ^ "Ferdinand win Mercury Music Prize". BBC News. 2004-09-08. https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3636272.stm. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
  9. ^ Kaufman, Gil (2005-02-10). "Franz Ferdinand, Scissor Sisters, Keane Win Big At Brit Awards". Mtv.com. https://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1496776/20050210/franz_ferdinand.jhtml. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
  10. ^ Kapranos, Alex (23 September 2005). "Whine tasting". The Guardian (London). https://www.guardian.co.uk/food/story/0,16525,1576764,00.html. Retrieved 23 April 2010. 
  11. ^ "Radio 4 Programmes - FM Schedule, Saturday 5 November 2011". BBC. 2011-10-31. https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/schedule/2006/12/04/day/. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
  12. ^ "The Cribs - Our Bovine Public". YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLKL6iUFSQQ. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
  13. ^ [4][dead link]
  14. ^ Marianne Dowling (2009-11-23). "CANOE - JAM! Music - Artists - Franz Ferdinand : Franz Ferdinand keeps it interesting". Jam.canoe.ca. https://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/F/Franz_Ferdinand/2009/11/23/11883701-jam.html. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
  15. ^ [5][dead link]

External links [link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alex Kapranos
Franz Ferdinand
Studio albums
Remix albums
Video albums
Extended plays
  • Scotland on Sunday
  • Exclusive 5 Track CD
  • iTunes Live: London 2009
  • Covers
Singles
Production
Related articles

https://wn.com/Alex_Kapranos

The Hours

The Hours can refer to:

  • The Hours (engraving), by Francesco Bartolozzi, based on a painting by Maria Cosway
  • The Hours (novel), by Michael Cunningham
    • The Hours (film), a 2002 film adapted from the novel of the same name, directed by Stephen Daldry
  • The Hours (film), a 2002 film adapted from the novel of the same name, directed by Stephen Daldry
  • The Hours (soundtrack), the soundtrack composed by Philip Glass to the film of the same name
  • The Hours (band)
  • The working title for Virginia Woolf's novel Mrs. Dalloway
  • "The Hours", a song by Handsome Boy Modeling School from the album White People

    • See also

  • Hour (disambiguation)
  • Hours (disambiguation)
  • The Hour (disambiguation)
    • Read more
    This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/The_Hours

    The Hours (engraving)

    The Hours is a stipple engraving by a master of the technique, Francesco Bartolozzi (1725-1815), published on April 4, 1788, from the print shop of Thomas Macklin, at No. 39 Fleet Street, London. The print is based upon a painting by Maria Cosway (1760-1838). The dancing hours, or nymphs of Greek mythology, were a pictorial representation of the poem "Ode on the Spring" by British poet Thomas Gray (1716-1771). The poem begins:

    "Lo! where the rosy-bosomed Hours,
    Fair Venus' train, appear,
    Disclose the long-expecting flowers,
    And wake the purple year!
    The Attic warbler pours her throat,
    Responsive to the cuckoo's note,
    The untaught harmony of spring:
    While, whisp'ring pleasure as they fly,
    Cool Zephyrs thro' the clear blue sky
    Their gathered fragrance fling."

    Maria Cosway sent a copy of the engraving to Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825), a highly influential French painter, who stated, "on ne peut pas faire une poesie plus ingenieuse et plus naturelle." ("One couldn't make poetry more ingenious and more natural.")

    Read more
    This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/The_Hours_(engraving)

    The Hours (soundtrack)

    The Hours is the original soundtrack album, on the Elektra/Nonesuch label, of the 2002 film The Hours, starring Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore. The original score was composed by Philip Glass.

    Not all of the music in the film was composed specifically for it: earlier music by Glass, including a theme from his opera Satyagraha, was also featured and credited separately at the end of the film.

    The album won the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score and the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (lost to the score of the film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers).

    Michael Riesman and Nico Muhly arranged the soundtrack for piano solo. This score was published in 2003 as a 64-paged book containing most of the tracks (excluding "For Your Own Benefit", "Vanessa and the Changelings" and "The Kiss").

    Read more
    This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - https://wn.com/The_Hours_(soundtrack)

    Podcasts:

    Alex Kapranos

    ALBUMS

    LateNightTales

    Released 2014

    Thirteen Lost & Found

    Released 2012

    Promo Only: Modern Rock Radio, October 2004

    Released 2004

    White People

    Released 2004

    The New Hour

    Email this Page Play all in Full Screen Show More Related Videos
    PLAYLIST TIME:

    The Hours

    by: Handsome Boy Modeling School

    (chino moreno)
    Why don't you come out
    Just wasting hours to call
    And say...
    No we're not gonna die!
    Thoughts evolve
    Shall we kill
    A lot say
    Tell them lies it's hard play
    And see my chest grow
    For hours and hours and hours and safe for hours
    The hours and hours and hours and hours...
    (chino moreno)
    Go tell
    Wasting hours to talk
    And say
    No we're not gonna stop!
    Thoughts evolve
    Shall we kill
    A lot say
    Tell them lies it's hard play
    And see my chest grow
    For hours and hours and hours and safe for hours
    The hours and hours and hours and hours...
    (el-p & cage)
    Don't let them take you alive,
    The city knows my name, number and address,
    There's no where to hide.
    You must all hear the merciful leader of big guns,
    Watching gotti and television talk to your son.
    At least this plane isn't corporated,
    To a sickness that will not be infiltrated.
    When you slip this, then you'll see it's automated
    Weather the ? Will be inaugurated
    And when tapped in the vein
    Clapped back automatic a vein snap
    But i just wanna boogie with a same plaque
    Weather men will bring the beast out of a cheeky creek,
    Some of these soldiers scream at the look of me (while
    i swing with an axe!),
    Meditated, my medicated state of my rate,
    I cant wait to shoot frank and loot the bank.
    And uh, it's automated gang otta take out the gator
    Pulling pranching on em' things and we breezing out of
    your brains some.
    For hours and hours and hours and safe for hours




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