Mick Karn
| Mick Karn | |
|---|---|
Mick Karn, London, November 1982
|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Andonis Michaelides (Greek: Αντώνης Μηχαηλίδης) |
| Born |
24 July 1958 Nicosia, Cyprus |
| Died | 4 January 2011 (aged 52) London, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Avant-garde, experimental rock, post-punk, new wave |
| Instruments | Bass, bass clarinet, keyboards, saxophone, oboe |
| Years active | 1977–2011 |
| Labels | Virgin, CMP, Medium Productions |
| Associated acts |
Japan, Dalis Car, JBK, Polytown, NiNa, No-Man, the d.e.p., David Torn, Andy Rinehart, Yoshihiro Hanno |
| Website | mickkarn |
Japan, Dalis Car, JBK, Polytown, NiNa, No-Man, the d.e.p.,
Andonis Michaelides (24 July 1958 – 4 January 2011), better known as Mick Karn, was a British multi-instrumentalist musician and songwriter, who rose to fame as the bassist for the art rock/new wave band Japan, from 1974 to 1982.
Karn was born into a Greek Cypriot family, in Nicosia, Cyprus, as Andonis Michaelides, which was later modified to Antony Michaelides. He had an older brother and sister. In late October 1961, the family emigrated to London, England, when Andonis was three years old. He was educated at Catford Boys' School and remained based in London until 24 May 2004, when he moved back to Cyprus with his wife and son, remaining there for six years before moving back to London in late 2010.
The band Japan, whose other members included David Sylvian, keyboardist Richard Barbieri and Sylvian's brother Steve Jansen as drummer, began as a group of friends, who all studied at Catford Boys' School. As youngsters they played music as a means of escape, playing Sylvian's two-chord numbers – sometimes with Karn as the front man, sometimes with Sylvian at the fore. Guitarist Rob Dean joined the band later.
They christened themselves Japan in 1974, signed a recording contract with German disco label Hansa, with whom they recorded three studio albums and became an alternative glam rock outfit in the mould of David Bowie, T.Rex, and The New York Dolls. They switched to Virgin Records to record their subsequent albums Gentlemen Take Polaroids and Tin Drum.
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