Peter Christopherson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Peter Christopherson
Peter Christopherson in 2007
Background information
Birth name	Peter Martin Christopherson
Also known as	Sleazy
Born	(1955-02-27)27 February 1955 Leeds, Yorkshire, England
Died	25 November 2010(2010-11-25) (aged 55) Bangkok, Thailand
Genres	Industrial experimental electronic
Occupation(s)	Musician songwriter music video director commercial artist photographer
Instruments	Keyboards synthesizer electronics sampler cornet
Years active	1975–2010
Labels	Threshold House Eskaton Chalice Industrial

Peter Martin Christopherson (also known as Sleazy, born 27 February 1955 – died 25 November 2010) was an English musician, video director, and photographer. He was also a member of the British design company Hipgnosis.

He helped start the band Throbbing Gristle, which was known for creating a new type of music called industrial music. After Throbbing Gristle broke up, he joined Psychic TV with Genesis P-Orridge and John Balance.

Later, Christopherson and Balance formed their own band called Coil. This band lasted for nearly 23 years until Balance passed away. Christopherson also rejoined Throbbing Gristle for a while. In 2005, he moved to Thailand and started a solo music project called The Threshold HouseBoys Choir. Peter Christopherson died peacefully in his sleep on 25 November 2010.

Early Life and Interests

Peter Christopherson was born in Leeds, Yorkshire, England, on 27 February 1955. His father, Derman Christopherson, was a professor of engineering. After finishing school, Peter studied computer programming, theatre design, and video at the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, New York. There, he became very interested in performance art and the unique photos taken by artists like Robert Mapplethorpe and Arthur Tress.

Music Career: Throbbing Gristle, Psychic TV, and Coil

Christopherson was one of the original members of Throbbing Gristle. This band is famous for starting the industrial music style before they split up in 1981. After the band broke up, Christopherson and Genesis P-Orridge formed a new group called Psychic TV with John Balance and other musicians.

John Balance was a big fan of Throbbing Gristle and became close friends and musical partners with Christopherson. Christopherson worked on Psychic TV's first two albums, Force the Hand of Chance and Dreams Less Sweet. Balance also joined in on the second album. They performed live with Psychic TV several times before starting their own project, Coil.

Coil was mainly Christopherson and Balance. Sometimes, Steven E. Thrower played bass guitar and drums with them. Balance wrote the lyrics and also played some instruments.

Over more than 20 years, Coil released many recordings. They also helped other artists with their music. They recorded parts of their album The New Backwards at Nothing Studios in New Orleans. This studio was owned by musician Trent Reznor at the time. Christopherson thanked Reznor in the album notes for making it possible.

Even though Christopherson had a long music career, he only released two songs under his own name. One was called "In My Head A Crystal Sphere of Heavy Fluid" and the other was "All Possible Numbers."

In 2005, after John Balance passed away, Christopherson moved from England to Bangkok, Thailand. There, he started his solo project, The Threshold HouseBoys Choir. He also released Coil's last CDs, including The Remote Viewer and Black Antlers, on their own record label, Threshold House. He also put out a special 16-DVD box set called Colour Sound Oblivion.

Throbbing Gristle also got back together for some concerts in 2005. They announced a new album called Part Two and played more shows in 2007 to promote it.

Other Musical Projects

In 2007, Christopherson released the first album by The Threshold HouseBoys Choir, called Form Grows Rampant. This album had five songs and came with a DVD. The DVD showed videos of Thai rituals filmed in Krabi, Thailand. One person who organized a concert for the group said it was "easily the most shocking thing I have ever experienced."

In 2008, Christopherson and Ivan Pavlov (also known as CoH) started a new project called Soisong. They first performed in Tokyo in March 2008 and later played shows in Europe. They also released their first collection of songs, called an EP. As part of their tour, Soisong played live music for Derek Jarman's film Blue in Italy.

In 2009, Soisong recorded their first full album, xAj3z. After this, they went on a tour in Europe. In 2010, Soisong announced a break, but two solo EPs were planned. Christopherson didn't finish his part before he died. However, the Soisong Split was released in 2012. It included music by Pavlov and some unfinished ideas by Christopherson.

In 2010, Christopherson also started working with a group called Hirsute Pursuit. They created two songs together, "One Sleazy Night in Bangkok" and "One Sleazy Night in New Orleans." These songs were for the album Tighten That Muscle Ring.

Also in 2010, musician Trent Reznor sent Christopherson an iPad with music for a possible collaboration. Reznor asked for Christopherson's permission to use the name "How to Destroy Angels" for his new project. Christopherson had used this phrase in 1984 for Coil's first recording. Christopherson agreed and suggested they could work together. He said Reznor was a "perfect gentleman." Sadly, Christopherson passed away before he could send the iPad back with his music.

The very last music Christopherson recorded was in Bangkok, Thailand. It was for a project called "Electric Sewer Age" with musician Danny Hyde. An album called In Final Phase was released in 2013.

Influence on Music

Peter Christopherson in 2008

Many people say Peter Christopherson was a pioneer in music technology. For example, he used digital samplers on stage before they became popular. A sampler is a device that records and plays back sounds. Chris Carter, another member of Throbbing Gristle, even built a special sampler for Christopherson years before they were widely used.

Christopherson explained in an interview that Carter made him a box that could control six cassette machines. Each machine's sound went to a different key on a keyboard. He also used cassette machines that could play sounds backward and forward. He said he was using a very early sampling device on stage in 1979 or 1980, even before the first commercial samplers were available. This shows how ahead of his time he was.

Visual Art and Directing

Before his music career, Christopherson was a commercial artist, designer, and photographer. He was one of the three partners in Hipgnosis, a group famous for designing many album covers in the 1970s. These included covers for bands like Pink Floyd (for their album Wish You Were Here) and Peter Gabriel (for his first three albums). He also designed the logo for the UK fashion brand BOY London.

Christopherson continued to work in visual arts throughout his life. He directed over 40 music videos for artists such as Rage Against the Machine, The The, Van Halen, Sepultura, and Robert Plant. He also directed many television commercials. He filmed and directed the Threshold HouseBoys Choir DVD in Thailand. In November 2014, a large book called "Peter Christopherson - Photography" was published, showing many of his unseen photos.

Death

Peter Christopherson died in his sleep on 25 November 2010, at the age of 55. The exact cause of his death was not made public. When he passed away, Christopherson was working on a new version of Nico's 1970 album Desertshore. This was planned to be released as a Throbbing Gristle album called The Desertshore Installation.

Legacy and Tributes

Many people shared their thoughts and memories of Peter Christopherson after he died. Genesis P-Orridge wrote a long tribute, remembering Christopherson's kind nature and how he helped them through difficult times. P-Orridge said that Christopherson's "mastery of light went from cameras to hearts and souls."

Peter Gabriel also posted a short message on his website, saying, "We tip our hats to Mr Peter Christopherson." Musician Trent Reznor spoke about Coil's "Tainted Love" video, calling it "one of the greatest music videos of all time." He also said that Coil's album Horse Rotorvator greatly influenced him. Reznor described Peter as a "lovely guy" and said they had a respectful relationship.

Discography

Solo as Peter Christopherson

• "In My Head A Crystal Sphere of Heavy Fluid" on Foxtrot (1998)
• "All Possible Numbers" on Autumn Blood (Constructions) (2009)
• "Time Machines II" (Posthumously released in 2014)
• "The Art Of Mirrors - Homage To Derek Jarman" (Posthumously released in 2015)

Solo as The Threshold HouseBoys Choir

• ...It Just Is compilation contains the track "Mahil Athal Nadrach". (CD) (2005)
• X-Rated: The Dark Files compilation contains the track "So Young It Knows No Maturing". (CD) (2006)
• Form Grows Rampant debut album. (CD+DVD) (2007)
• Brainwaves 2008 compilation contains "Cap Rot Taxi" (CD) (2008)
• Amulet Edition limited release (200 pcs) 4 mini-cds in Amulet package (CD) (2008)

With SoiSong

• Soijin-No-Hi Octagonal CDEP / free download EP from www.soisong.com from March (2008)
• xAj3z Octagonal CD housed in fold out custom sleeve with colour inlay (2009)
• Soisong Octagonal COH CDEP / free download Sleazy EP from www.soisong.com (2010)

With Psychic TV

• Force the Hand of Chance
• Just Drifting
• Dreams Less Sweet
• Berlin Atonal Vol. 1
• Berlin Atonal Vol. 2
• N.Y. Scum
• Mein-Goett-In-Gen

Other contributions

Album Artwork Credits

Peter Christopherson worked as a freelance photographer and later became a partner at Hipgnosis. He contributed to many album covers, from helping out to being fully responsible for the design.

• A Certain Ratio – To Each...
• Dave Ball – In Strict Tempo
• Leather Nun – Slow Death EP
• Pink Floyd – A Nice Pair – "contributed photos as an assistant to Hipgnosis but did not do the design" – PC
• Pink Floyd – Animals (credited on LP and CD cover to Hipgnosis)
• Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here (credited on LP and CD cover to Hipgnosis)
• Peter Gabriel – Peter Gabriel, aka "Peter Gabriel I" or "Car" (credited on LP and CD cover to Hipgnosis)
• Peter Gabriel – Peter Gabriel, aka "Peter Gabriel II" or "Scratch" (credited on LP and CD cover to Hipgnosis)
• Peter Gabriel – Peter Gabriel, aka "Peter Gabriel III" or "Melt" (credited on LP and CD cover to Hipgnosis)