Beck

Artist Image: Beck
Attribution

Biography

Beck Hansen (born Bek David Campbell, July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck. The four-time platinum artist rose to underground popularity with his early works, which combined social criticism (as in "MTV Makes Me Want to Smoke Crack" and "Deep Fried Love") with musical and lyrical experimentation. He first earned wider public attention for his breakthrough single "Loser", a 1994 hit. Beck is known for creating musical collages of different styles. Two of Beck's most popular and acclaimed recordings are Odelay (1996) and Sea Change (2002). Odelay was awarded Album of the Year by the American magazine Rolling Stone and by UK publications NME and Mojo. Odelay also received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. Both Odelay and Sea Change appeared on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed 1988
Number of Albums 55
Record Label Capitol Records
Website www.beck.com
Wikipedia Beck on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Trivia

What is Beck's real name?

Bek David Campbell

...rammywinning cutandpaste recording artist of Loser fame Beck (aka Bek David Campbell ) has blessed the music press with some of the most hilarious and ...
How many ideas does Beck have?

a million

...quotes in recent pop history. Prime time has not come on yet. I've got a million ideas. It's a sound bite that Jovanovic, a rock writer based in Engla...
What country is Jovanovic based in?

England

...million ideas. It's a sound bite that Jovanovic, a rock writer based in England , should have taken to heart before embarking on this first fulllength ...
How many majorlabel albums has Beck released so far?

four

... seems just too young to merit a biography. Thus far, he's only released four , albeit inventive, majorlabel albums: Mellow Gold (1994), Odelay (1996),...
What was Beck's first album called?

Mellow Gold

...us far, he's only released four, albeit inventive, majorlabel albums: Mellow Gold (1994), Odelay (1996), Mutations (1998) and Midnite Vultures (1999)....
When did Jovanovic release Midnite Vultures?

1999

...ellow Gold (1994), Odelay (1996), Mutations (1998) and Midnite Vultures ( 1999 ). Jovanovic dedicates a chapter to each, blandly recounting the trials a...
Who is Beck's maternal grandfather?

Al Hansen

...cal aside (e.g., Beck's maternal grandfather is the late Fluxus artist Al Hansen ). Exactly how Beck taps his schizophrenic muse remains a mystery. A n...
Who is unable to synthesize the plethora of magazine, radio and TV interviews upon which he relies so heavily?

Jovanovic

...s his schizophrenic muse remains a mystery. A noticeably stiff writer, Jovanovic is unable to synthesize the plethora of magazine, radio and TV interv...
How many studio albums has Beck released?

14

..., electronic, alternative rock, country, and psychedelia. He has released 14 studio albums (three of which were released on indie labels), as well as ...
How many of Beck's albums were released on indie labels?

three

...native rock, country, and psychedelia. He has released 14 studio albums ( three of which were released on indie labels), as well as several nonalbum si...
Where was Beck born and raised?

Los Angeles

...everal nonalbum singles and a book of sheet music. Born and raised in Los Angeles , Beck grew towards hiphop and folk in his teens and began to perform...
What genre of music did Beck gravitate towards in his teens?

hiphop and folk

...k of sheet music. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Beck grew towards hiphop and folk in his teens and began to perform locally at coffeehouses and club...
What was the name of a hit single that he released in the early 1990s?

Loser

...urning to Los Angeles in the early 1990s, he cut his breakthrough single Loser , which became a worldwide hit in 1994, and released his first major alb...
Where was he based when he moved to?

New York City

... and began to perform locally at coffeehouses and clubs. He moved to New York City in 1989 and became involved in the city's antifolk movement. Return...
What year did Mellow Gold come out?

1994

...s, he cut his breakthrough single Loser, which became a worldwide hit in 1994 , and released his first major album, Mellow Gold, the same year. Odelay,...
Which album was inspired by electrofunk, hip hop and psychedelia?

The Information

...elay, released in 1996, topped critic polls and won several awards. The Information in 2006 was inspired by electrofunk, hip hop, and psychedelia; 200...
What album was inspired by '60s pop music?

Modern Guilt

...n 2006 was inspired by electrofunk, hip hop, and psychedelia; 2008's Modern Guilt was inspired by '60s pop music; and 2014's folkinfused Morning Phase...
What album won Album of the Year at the 57th Grammy Awards?

Morning Phase

... Modern Guilt was inspired by '60s pop music; and 2014's folkinfused Morning Phase won Album of the Year at the 57th Grammy Awards. His 2017 album, Co...
Who was a pioneer in video technology and image processing?

Stephen Beck

...ioneer in video technology and image processing, artist and engineer Stephen Beck developed one of the first video synthesizers the Beck Direct Video ...
When was the Beck Direct Video Synthesizer designed?

1969

... first video synthesizers the Beck Direct Video Synthesizer. Designed in 1969 , this device electronically fused moving color imagery with recorded vis...
What did Beck's synthesizer fuse in real time?

moving color imagery with recorded visual material

...esigned in 1969, this device electronically fused moving color imagery with recorded visual material in real time. Beck used his synthesizer to merge ...
What was the Video Weaver based on?

traditional textile looms

...Weaver, a digital video computer with warps and wefts based on traditional textile looms . Fusing art and technology, Beck's pure abstractions of movin...
Where did Beck study music and electronic engineering?

University of Illinois, Urbana, and the University of California at Berkeley

...ic and electronic engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana, and the University of California at Berkeley . His work has been exhibited at the ...
In what year did Beck acquire UNION and CYCLES from the Smithsonian American Art Museum?

2016

...ION and CYCLES were acquired from the Smithsonian American Art Museum in 2016 . Beck has received grants from Pix Italia, the CINE Gold Eagle, the Nati...
What year was Beck Hansen born?

1970

...Beck Hansen (born Bek David Campbell, July 8, 1970 ) is an American musician, singersongwriter, and multiinstrumentalist. Becks music is known for its ...
Who is Beck's father?

David Campbell

...d heady sound effects. Beck was born in Los Angeles, California, to David Campbell (a musician and son of a Presbyterian minister) and Bibbe Hansen (a...
Where was Beck born?

Los Angeles, California

... live instrumentation and heady sound effects. Beck was born in Los Angeles, California , to David Campbell (a musician and son of a Presbyterian minis...
What band did Bibbe Hansen form?

Black Fag

...ncer for The Velvet Underground, founding member of the satirical band Black Fag , and visual artist). After dropping out of high school in the mid1980...
Where did Beck spend time with his grandfather?

Germany

...h school in the mid1980s, Beck educated himself and traveled widely. In Germany , he spent time with his grandfather, fluxus artist Al Hansen. His arti...
In what year did Beck begin his musical activity?

1988

...album art and sense of musical collage. He began the musical activity in 1988 . The late80s found him in New York City as part of the punkinfluenced an...
What type of venues did Beck visit during his time in Los Angeles?

punk clubs to coffee shops

...de, destitute but motivated. During this time, Beck sought out (or snuck onto) stages at venues all over Los Angeles, from punk clubs to coffee shops ....
What kind of clubs did Beck frequent?

punk

...de, destitute but motivated. During this time, Beck sought out (or snuck onto) stages at venues all over Los Angeles, from punk clubs to coffee shops....
What has been released as a bootleg?

Banjo Story cassette

...l talent by working as a busker. Early Career: Beck released the Banjo Story cassette in 1988, which has subsequently been released as a bootleg. At t...
What band did Chris Ballew belong to?

The Presidents of the United States of America

... He sometimes busked with Chris Ballew, of the band The Presidents of the United States of America . Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf, of Bong Load Records...
Who did Beck sign to after a record label bidding war?

Geffen

...llege Radio, KCRW. A record label bidding war ensued and Beck signed to Geffen , who offered him the least money, but the greatest amount of freedom. T...
Who released Stereopathetic Soulmanure?

Flipside Records

... Around the same time, he also released Stereopathetic Soulmanure on Flipside Records as well as One Foot in the Grave, on Calvin Johnson's K Records....
What year was Odelay released?

1996

...ing on new forms with every release. He had a creative breakthrough with 1996 's Odelay, a coproduction with the Dust Brothers that touched upon his ob...
What did Odelay serve as for the fading '90s?

cultural keystone

...ge music, and all other manner of found sounds. Odelay served as a cultural keystone for the fading '90s while telegraphing all of Beck's future moves...
In what year was Modern Guilt released?

2008

...ity throughout the 21st century, sometimes fusing the two emotions as on 2008 's Modern Guilt. Adopting the Hansen surname after his father left, Beck ...
In what grade did Beck play as a street busker?

tenth

... father left, Beck grew up in Los Angeles, dropping out of school in the tenth grade to play as a street busker and attend poetry slams. Bashing out b...
What was Beck's home tape called?

The Banjo Story

...ing out blues and folk, Beck wound up assembling a home tape called The Banjo Story before departing for New York, where he operated on the margins of...
In what city did Beck operate on the margins of the antifolk scene without breaking into it?

New York

... up assembling a home tape called The Banjo Story before departing for New York , where he operated on the margins of the antifolk scene without ever b...
Who operated Bong Load Records?

Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf

...e attention of Bong Load Records, an independent operated by Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf . All parties agreed to pair Beck's fledgling folk with hipho...
What was the name of the label that Beck gained the attention of?

Bong Load Records

...re he continued to play clubs, eventually gaining the attention of Bong Load Records , an independent operated by Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf. All par...
Who assembled the beats for Beck's first album?

Karl Stephenson

... pair Beck's fledgling folk with hiphop beats assembled by producer Karl Stephenson , whose kitchen provided the studio for their first efforts, includ...
Who was the embodiment of the hipster folk minstrel in the age of hiphop and sampling?

Bob Dylan

... Los Angeles, California, U.S.), American singersongwriter who brought Bob Dylan s embodiment of the hipster folk minstrel into the age of hiphop and ...
How did Beck achieve culture hero status?

Odelay

... (both were released in 1994). But he achieved culture hero status with Odelay , his 1996 major label followup. It established Beck as the leading alte...
What was Beck's next album called?

Mutations

... explored the sophistication of Brazilian pop on his next album, 1998s Mutations (in part named after the psychedelic Brazilian group Os Mutantes); th...
Beck dabbled in funk, lovelorn acoustic and what other genre of music?

Tin Pan Alley sheet music

... and early 2000s, dabbling in funk, lovelorn acoustic and even Tin Pan Alley sheet music . Even as recently as 2014, Beck has been releasing music that...
What year did Beck release music that transcends time and genre?

2014

...ovelorn acoustic and even Tin Pan Alley sheet music. Even as recently as 2014 , Beck has been releasing music that transcends time and often even genre...
What was Becks Latintinged release in 2005 called?

Guero

...he latter would serve as inspiration for Becks Latintinged 2005 release, Guero , in which he recalls his youth as one of the few Caucasians in the barr...
When did Beck drop out of high school?

ninth grade

...Not one for traditional education, Beck dropped out of high school in ninth grade . Bred on a smorgasbord of Scientology, Presbyterianism, hiphop and f...
Where did Beck bounce around?

between his immediate family in L.A. and his grandparents in Kansas

... hiphop and folk, the teen bounced around between his immediate family in L.A. and his grandparents in Kansas . He took odd jobs as a leafblower operat...
When did he first pick up the guitar?

16

...d a videostore clerk, finally picking up the guitar for the first time at 16 . He then pingponged from New York City, absorbing the influences of Sonic...
What did Beck try to play at Jabberjaw?

Son House classics

...nment Weekly, Beck recalled jumping on stage at Jabberjaw and other notable venues, trying to play Son House classics , but no one would pay attention....
What is the name of Beck's 1996 multiplatinum selling album?

Odelay!

...tect irony, sarcasm, cynicism, and hope. His multiplatinumselling album Odelay! (1996) brought Beck into the mainstream pop world. Beck is adept at co...
Where did he grow up?

East Los Angeles

... based on roots music such as blues, jazz, and folk. He grew up in East Los Angeles , a section of the city known, at the time, for its crime problems....
What was East Los Angeles known for at the time?

crime problems

...East Los Angeles, a section of the city known, at the time, for its crime problems . East L.A., however, was fraught with colorful characters and music...
Where did Beck spend some time as a child?

Kansas

...al influence. Beck also spent some time living with his grandparents in Kansas as a child and became deeply influenced by church hymns and gospel musi...
Beck credits his youth in Los Angeles as being what?

a huge musical influence

...African, and Mexican. Beck credits his youth in Los Angeles as a huge musical influence . Beck also spent some time living with his grandparents in Kan...
What was his grandfather's profession?

Presbyterian minister

...with his grandparents in Kansas as a child and became deeply influenced by church hymns and gospel music; his grandfather was a Presbyterian minister ....