Biography
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Born
28 May 1959
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Born In
Newbridge, Caerphilly, Wales, United Kingdom
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Died
12 February 2015 (aged 55)
Steve Strange (born Steven John Harrington on 28 May 1959 in Newbridge, South Wales; died 12 February 2015) was a British pop singer, best remembered as the lead singer and frontman of the 1980s pop group Visage. Since the late 1970s, he was also a prominent nightclub host and promoter.
Punk era
In mid-1977 Strange formed the punk band The Moors Murderers along with future Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde. The band also included drummer Vince Ely (later with The Psychedelic Furs) and drummer Nicky Headon (later with The Clash). They recorded a song called "Free Hindley". After a number of gigs, the band split up around early 1978.
Later he briefly joined the punk/new wave band The Photons, from Liverpool, as vocalist and co-songwriter in 1978 at the behest of David Littler (ex The Spitfire Boys). The band were managed by Punk impresario Andy Czezowski.
Steve Strange was also imortalised by the fellow punk band Combat 84 in their song "Poseur", in 1982.
Visage
Shortly after leaving The Photons and now using the alias "Steve Strange", he formed Visage with then Rich Kids members Rusty Egan and Midge Ure. Intended as a studio-based project, they signed to the small label Radar Records and released their first single "Tar" in 1979. The single was not a success, but the following year, Strange appeared in the video for David Bowie's no.1 hit "Ashes To Ashes", a song which helped to propel the burgeoning New Romantic movement into the mainstream. Later that year, Visage signed a new record deal with the major label Polydor and released their second single, "Fade to Grey". The single became a top 10 hit in the UK and topped the charts in several other countries. Being the public face of the band, Strange shot to stardom in Britain and Europe, and Visage enjoyed a string of hit singles and two hit albums before later commercial disappointments led to their breakup in 1985.
After the dissolution of Visage, Strange formed the band Strange Cruise with Wendy Wu and Elite model Leza Cruz, although this outfit failed to recapture the level of success he had enjoyed in the early 1980s.
Club host
In the late 1970s, Strange (and Visage partner Rusty Egan) began to make a name for themselves as a nightclub host and DJ respectively at 'The Blitz' in London. Adhering to Strange's strict door policy of admitting only the weird and wonderful, the club took off and became an essential location in the rise of what would become the New Romantic movement. Following this, Strange and Egan then ran the Camden Palace nightclub for two years, which became one of the most famous venues of the era, attracting major celebrities on a regular basis. However, after conflicts with the financial backers of the club, Strange and Egan left the Camden Palace and moved on to a new club named "The Playground", but this venue was not as successful.
Later in the 1980s, Strange went to Ibiza, Spain and quickly became an integral part of the budding Trance movement, hosting exotic parties for celebrities such as Sylvester Stallone. In the early 1990s he was the host at the Double Bass club.
Personal life
Strange has always been somewhat ambiguous about his sexuality, although he has made it known he has had relationships with both men and women.
For many years, Strange battled a heroin addiction. In later years he suffered a nervous breakdown and was also arrested for shoplifting. In court, he was found guilty and given a three month suspended sentence as the British media had a field day publicising the case of the once iconic star who had fallen on hard times
Recent years
Strange's autobiography, Blitzed!, was published in 2002. In it, he speaks candidly about his heroin addiction and his nervous breakdown, his sexuality, and the ongoing attempts to get his life back together. Following this, Strange attempted to revive his music career and formed a new version of Visage (dubbed Visage mk II) with various musicians from modern electronic bands (none of the other original members were involved in this new project). With a plan to re-record some of the older, classic Visage tracks as well as produce some new material, the project never seemed to fully get off the ground despite some television appearances. The first Visage Mark II original composition was named "Diary of A Madman", which was made available for download in 2007 in return for a donation to the Children In Need appeal. Prior to this in 2006, Strange had collaborated with electronic music duo Punx Soundcheck for their 2006 album When Machines Rules The World, co-writing and performing on the track "In the Dark".
In 2005, Strange appeared in a Channel 4 documentary called Whatever Happened To The Gender Benders?, which reflected on the advent of the New Romantic movement of the early 1980s and the prominent roles that Strange, Boy George and Marilyn each played in its creation. In stark contrast to the relative glamour of the New Romantic era, interviews with all three stars in the present day highlighted the sheer devastation that fame, fortune and drug addiction had taken on each of them during the past 25 or so years, with Strange and Marilyn in particular being openly candid about the mental health problems they now try to cope with each day.
Taboo
Boy George reflected on the New Romantic scene of the early 1980s in his 2002 stage musical Taboo which featured actors playing Steve Strange, Marilyn, Leigh Bowery, and other peers from the era.
Celebrity Scissorhands
In November 2006, Strange took part in, and went on to win, the BBC reality series for Children in Need Celebrity Scissorhands (featuring top celebrity hairdresser Lee Stafford). He has returned to the show for the subsequent two series (2007 and 2008)as Assistant Manager/Image Consultant. In that role, he is in charge of the catwalk, showing all of the best haircuts of the series and also people dressed in 80's style clothing and make-up.
Ashes to Ashes
Strange made a brief appearance in episode two of the 1980s-themed BBC TV series Ashes to Ashes, which was aired on 14 February 2008. He played himself performing the Visage song Fade to Grey at the "Blitz" nightclub in which he was once host
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