Nico, enigmatic figure of the 60s and the cross-pollinating West
This article is mainly written for people who only know Nico through her singing on three tracks of the cult record The Velvet Underground & Nico.
I’m hesitating here. Should I make a portrait of Nico through the people she collaborated and hung out with in the sixties, or by focusing on herself and her own work ?
Writing about Nico through the angle of the people she surrounded herself with is in the 60s is very tempting given how beautifully rich and diverse that entourage was.
The sixties, as most people know, were a time of great change in behavior, ideologies and lifestyle. Travel between western countries exploded, helping in a cross-pollination between countries like France, England, the US and Italy, most notably in the artistic circles. Well Nico is a perfect example of these cultural confluences.
Here’s a patchwork of tidbits from her wiki page :
Christa Päffgen (1938 –1988), better known by her stage name Nico, was a German singer-songwriter, actress and fashion model.
At age 17, she was contracted by Coco Chanel to promote their products, but fled to New York City and abandoned the job.
In 1959, she was invited to the set of Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita, where she attracted the attention of the acclaimed director, who gave her a minor role in the film as herself.
She took acting classes with Lee Strasberg.
She played in the 1961 film A Man Named Rocca alongside Jean Paul Belmondo.
She got the lead in Jacques Poitrenaud's Strip-Tease (1963). She recorded the title track, which was written by Serge Gainsbourg
She gave birth to her son, Ari, commonly held to have been fathered by French actor Alain Delon.
In 1965, Nico met the Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones and recorded her first single, I'm Not Sayin produced by Jimmy Page.
Actor Ben Carruthers introduced her to Bob Dylan in Paris that summer
She began working in New York with Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey on their experimental films.
When Warhol began managing the Velvet Underground, he proposed that the group take on Nico as a "chanteuse". She’s the lead singer on three tracks of their debut album.
In California, Nico spent time with Jim Morrison of the Doors. Morrison encouraged her to write her own songs. (You can read here a fascinating account of the summer they shared as “soul brothers” in the Californian desert of 1967) For some context, their time together was during the recording sessions of The Doors’ Strange Days.
A promotional film for the song "Evening of Light" featured the now red-haired Nico and Iggy Pop of the Stooges
She gave concerts in Amsterdam as well as London, where she and John Cale opened for Pink Floyd.
Her song The End featured Brian Eno on synthesizer
Nico made about seven films with French director Philippe Garrel.
On 13 December 1974, Nico opened for Tangerine Dream's infamous concert at Reims Cathedral in Reims
It really seems like Nico was everywhere collaborating and meeting everyone in those days. But that name dropping would remain quite hollow if we didn’t delve into her own work. (after the following picture)
I don’t pretend to be a Nico expert by any means. But if you’re already familiar with the Velvet’s debut album and are interested in discovering Nico’s solo work, I can only invite you to lend an ear to her first two LPs : Chelsea Girl (1967) and The Marble Index (1968). (links for full album on youtube)
Why those two records ? Well first cause I’m a sixties cocksucker, let’s get that out of the way, and if an artist has a career spanning several decades including the 60s, I always go for the records from that period first.
Also because the contrast between those to albums is quite striking. The first one I would describe as folk, somewhat catchy, melancholic. It’s a great, tender listen for everyone, except for Nico herself. Apparently she hated the album mainly because of the chamber pop arrangements (and the flutes) that was done without her knowing. And hence a second record that is darker, more avant-garde, and probably closer to her own tastes.
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