MARIANNE FAITHFULL - BIOGRAPHY
became the artist people turned to, to lead them through dark times. Throughout the early eighties she continued to build a repertoire that fulfilled this part, but despite her new creative vigour, Marianne was not entirely free of the chemicals that had ravaged her in the sixties she finally entered recovery in 1985.
Something besides her acquired wisdom helped Faithfull survive these rough years and move on to her next quantum leap. It's not often mentioned, but obvious to anyone who has met her: her vibrant sense of humor. "She was a bit like Dorothy Parker on acid, she had a great wit." said Barry Reynolds, Faithfull's long time collaborator and guitarist. Fans allow her to speak their grief because she is strong enough to not be smothered by it, and her sadness is tempered by optimism, her despair by humour. This balance between sadness and optimism expands the emotional range of her singing, and is the quality that renders Faithfull adept at classic pop, blues and art songs. When she turned to such material for STRANGE WEATHER (1987), this gift for stepping back and gaining perspective on extreme emotions in the midst of conjuring them, made the album shine. The recording was critically lauded and secured her reputation as an important artist.
This interest in older material continued with explorations into the of music of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht: Marianne appeared in the Threepenny Opera, at the Gate Theatre in Dublin and recorded a selection of Kurt Weill and other music from the Weimar Republic for 20TH CENTURY BLUES (1996). This was followed, in 1998 by her important recording of the Kurt Weill / Bertolt Brecht opera THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS. More pop albums followed throughout the nineties including A SECRET LIFE (1995) co-written with the Italian composer Angelo Badalementi, and in 1999, one of her most acclaimed recordings; VAGABOND WAYS. Marianne's lyrics and vocals had never been better.
The new millennium ushered in a period of renewed creative vigour that saw Marianne return to her acting career, co-starring in director Patrice Chereau's Intimacy, (winner of the Best Film Award at the 2001 Berlin Film Festival) and Far From China (2002), a film by the reclusive director Christian Leigh. More recently Marianne has starred in French film Nord-Plus (2004) and will soon be seen in Sofia Coppola's biopic of Marie Antoinette (2006). This was followed by PARIS, I LOVE YOU (2006) in which Marianne was directed by Gus Van Sant.
Marianne's music career continued with Kissin Time (2002), another musical change of direction, with collaborations that put her firmly back in the pop idiom. Joining Marianne on the album were Billy Corgan, Beck, Etienne Daho, David A Stewart, Pulp and Blur.
Marianne returned to the stage in 2004 in The Black Rider. The musical was produced by Robert Wilson and written by old friends Tom Waits and the late William Burroughs. Marianne played Pegleg the devil character at the centre of this reworked Faustian fable. The musical broke new ground, and was well received, playing to sell out houses in London and San Francisco.
Marianne's most recent album was again underpinned by collaborations, this time with PJ Harvey, Nick Cave, Damon Albarn and Jon Brion. The result, Before The Poison (2004) is an album full of powerful songs about love, friendship and living in the world today that has netted her some of the best reviews of her career, and is easily among the finest in Marianne's rich back catalogue. 2005 saw the release of the DVD/CD set MARIANNE FAITHFULL LIVE IN HOLLYWOOD (2005), a performance which comprised songs from every period of her career.
In 2006 Marianne took the lead part in the forthcoming film 'Irina Palm' by Sam Garbaski, but was then forced to pull out of a new tour due to her being diagnosed with cancer. Marianne has subsequently beaten cancer, and will be back at work this spring. The re-scheduled tour starts in March, and a comprehensive boxset reflecting Marianne's entire career will be released this summer. 'Irina Palm' premiers at the Berlin film festival on February 13th 2007.
While the defining statements of many artists are made during their early years, Marianne Faithfull continues to develop her own voice, with each album adding something new and vital to her work. She sets herself aside from her contemporaries in her continuing quest to explore new creative areas and so her career continues to remain a positive process of self-assertion.