Martyn Jacques (born 22 May 1959) is a British musician, singer and songwriter, mostly known as the founder and front man of cult British trio

The Tiger Lillies The Tiger Lillies are a British musical trio formed in 1989 by singer-songwriter Martyn Jacques. Described as the forefathers of Brechtian Punk Cabaret, the Tiger Lillies are known for their unique sound and style which merges "the macabre m ...

Life and career

Martyn Jacques grew up in

Slough Slough () is a town in Berkshire, England, in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4, M40 and M25 motorways. It is part of the historic county of Buckinghamshire. In 2021, the ...

. His song on the 1996

release "The Brothel to The Cemetery" concerns his childhood memories, echoing

John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman, (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architect ...

's 1937

poem Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

. As a child, he had piano lessons from Florence De Jong. In his early 20s he dropped out of Lampeter's Theology and Philosophy course and headed to London where he initially lived in a squat in Finsbury Park and then in a flat in Soho's Rupert Street where he got a pretty good taste of the lowlife which became his main source of inspiration. He spent his whole 20s training as a musician and singer and developing his characteristic

falsetto Falsetto ( , ; Italian language, Italian diminutive of , "false") is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ...

voice,"The Tiger Lillies set to test limits at Royce Hall on Halloween"
By Emily Baraff, '' The Daily Bruin'', Oct. 30, 2009. Retrieved Jan 20, 2010. which has led to him being known as the infamous Criminal Castrat

a description first coined by Ken Campbell. In his Tiger Lillies appearances, Jacques commonly sings about "sexual perversions, seedy underbellies, the gruesome, macabre and visceral". Jacques has been described as enjoying when audience members walk out of his shows, noting "It's always funny when people are offended by what I do ... after all, I'm just an entertainer." Jacques' songs range from hilarious, dark, up-beat music, even darker, strange and mysterious songs and some cover versions, such as " My Funny Valentine" and " Send in the Clowns". He is the musical director of the junk opera ''Shockheaded Peter''.

Discography

* Various Artists - ''Дед Мороз Против Анти Деда Мороза Bad Taste Новый Год'' (2002) "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" * The Real Tuesday Weld - ''I, Lucifer'' (2004) "Someday" * The Real Tuesday Weld - ''Les Aperitifs Et Les Digestifs'' (2004) "Someday" * Various Artists - ''Blood, Muscle & Air: The Intimate Voice'' (2008) "The Pedophile in the Park" * The Real Tuesday Weld - ''Seasons Dreamings'' (2010) "A Song for December" * Têtes Raides – ''L'An Demain'' (2011) "Marteau-Piqueur", "So Free" * Various Artists - ''Opera North - The Lullaby Project'' (2013) "Rock-a-Bye Baby" * The Real Tuesday Weld & Friends - ''In Memorium'' (2014) "Someday" * Opera Chaotique – ''Bukowski: Poems of a Dirty Old Man'' (2015) "As Hank Said II", "The Genius Of The Crowd"

References

''The Independent On Sunday'' (14 May 2006), "The Tiger Lillies: Funny. Peculiar."

Life and career

Discography

References

External links

Further reading