Guggi (born Derek Rowen) is an Irish artist and musician who was once a member of the
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...
band
Virgin Prunes.
Early life
Derek Rowen was born in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
in 1959. He is one of 10 children. He grew up with and remains best friends with
U2's
Bono
Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by the nickname Bono ( ), is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is a founding member, the lead vocalist, and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Bono is known for his impassioned voca ...
,
who gave him his nickname.
Career
The Virgin Prunes were founded in 1977 by vocalists Guggi,
Gavin Friday
Gavin Friday (born Fionán Martin Hanvey, 8 October 1959) is an Irish singer and songwriter, composer, actor and painter, best known as a founding member of the post-punk group The Virgin Prunes.
Early life
Fionan Hanvey was born in Dublin an ...
(né Fionan Hanvey), and Dave-iD Busaras; guitarist
Dik Evans (brother of
U2's
The Edge); bassist Strongman (Trevor Rowen, brother of Guggi); and drummer Pod (Anthony Murphy).
Known for their outrageous and controversial stage performances, the band began playing small shows in Dublin and gained a cult audience.
The band released a single, "
Moments and Mine (Despite Straight Lines)", on 27 June 1981. In November 1982, the Virgin Prunes released their debut studio album, ''
...If I Die, I Die'' (produced by
Colin Newman
Colin John Newman (born 16 September 1954) is an English musician, record producer and record label owner. He is best known as the primary vocalist and songwriter for the post-punk band Wire (band), Wire.
Early life
Newman was born in Salisbury ...
of
Wire
file:Sample cross-section of high tension power (pylon) line.jpg, Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample d ...
), as well as the double 10" EP ''
Hérésie'', a French box set.
In 1984, Guggi left the band.
Guggi left the Virgin Prunes to dedicate himself solely to painting. Since the early 1990s, Guggi's artwork has continued to explore the depiction of common everyday objects.
Personal life
Guggi has five sons, the eldest with his first partner and four with his ex-wife Sybille. He lives in Killiney with his partner Gabriella Janni.
References
External links
*
Virgin Prunes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guggi
Irish rock musicians
20th-century Irish painters
21st-century Irish painters
21st-century Irish male artists
Irish male painters
Musicians from Dublin (city)
Living people
1959 births
Virgin Prunes members
1970s in Irish music
1980s in Irish music
1990s in Irish music