BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Some describe Nico’s story as “tragic”, according to cabaret artist Danielle Asciak. But in the life of this composer can be found a serious and revolutionary art.
Thirty years after the death of Nico, Danielle has partnered with Forest Collective to bring us Nico – Songs They Never Play On The Radio. It’s a show that tells the journey of Nico’s musical and personal story, and to do so Danielle brings to the stage her experience as “one of the most exciting new cabaret stars” in Australia.
Danielle, tell us the story of Nico and why she’s inspired you on a personal level.
Nico is widespread-known for her affairs, her heroin addiction, and her face (her modelling days). She was gifted with so many titles such as the Marlene Dietrich of punk, or Andy Warhol’s muse, or that Nico from La Dolce Vita. However, there is one title she was never publicly addressed as in media or press: a composer. All she wanted was to be recognised as a composer. But because she was a woman, in the time she lived, she would have never been seen equal to John Cale or Jim Morrison.
The story we want to tell is not how she journeyed through life, but how she became Nico the composer, and the life experiences that played a pinnacle moment in her song writing. Her real story, well, no one really knows because Nico was also recreating, rewriting, editing, and lying about every detail in her life. So to share anything that I’ve read feels untrue.
The truth of Nico and her story is in her composition and lyrics.
How have you teamed up with Forest Collective to share this remarkable narrative?
Forest Collective, under the baton of Evan Lawson, have a remarkable talent for interpretation and expression. Evan is just as passionate about Nico’s music as I, making it easier to come together explore the narrative on stage. The process started with Evan planting the seed, and over four years I explored Nico, her music, her life, her media interviews. Once I had a sense of what kind of show I wanted to tell, I chose the songs and passed them onto Evan who then split them among the arrangers and did the hard part. Then it was a matter of getting us altogether to share the interpretations and bring them together.
As a cabaret artist, in what ways have you found this storytelling medium fits the themes you’re exploring in this show?
Nico was inspired by the great cabaret artists including Marlene Dietrich and Zara Leander – both great alto story tellers. They were singers, but vocally they were not considered traditional or classical. What is unique about cabaret is that it can take any form you wish, as long as the fourth wall is broken and there is story, either throughout or in each song.
In this particular show, Nico’s lyrics, despite not being a descriptive story, are poetic. Matched with music that evokes a provocative and enchanting soundscape, almost, allows me to share the story Nico has planted in each song (knowing its context) as well as share the overarching story with Nico the heroine.
I break down the fourth wall to converse with the audience and invite them into my world, which shares the inner/outer world of Nico.
Why do the works you’ve chosen best represent the sound of Nico?
I selected these songs based on their context that pinpoint to important moments in Nico’s journey as an artist. For example, My Funny Valentine is a work that has been reimagined so many times by great artists. This was the very first songs Nico performed in a jazz venue in New York before her vocal career began. It also was incredibly relevant because she was close friends with Chet Baker and he died from a heroin overdose (it was said that Chet also introduced Nico to heroin – not supplying, just what it was). Therefore, when he died, Nico started to perform it regularly at concerts as an ode to Chet Baker and to her first foray on the stage.
Another song is Secret Side, which shares the deep secret of rape when she was 13 by an American soldier in Berlin. But she didn’t write about it until her later albums when she was able to write the music she wanted. Each of the songs in the program connect to a Nico moment – there are many – but unfortunately we have one hour to share the ones that stick out to us most right now.
How do you think Nico would have been accepted into today’s musical environment?
Knowing that Nico struggled with commercial record labels to sell her albums, if she were to be in today’s musical world, I would say she would be pretty niche. It would definitely be harder to sell a record especially with the digital age we are in using Spotify. Nico’s music would suit contemporary live performance and would most likely be performed in a collective like Forest or the Metropolis program. Had she been around today, I’m not sure if she would be identified as an icon or cult status, just because she would have come after those that paved the way for today’s musicians.
So why is it important to remember Nico today?
Nico is a reminder that humans love to relish in the downfalls and negatives of people, especially if – like in Nico’s case – [they] made an effort to hide it until it all came crashing down publicly. She is one woman in a long list in history that received a reputation that stereotyped them as a tragic: someone who was hungry to be famous and then ended in a humiliating end, receiving little income, and playing the sh*t small gigs (even thought she was happy with those) often at the hand of a stronger or more prominent male figure (insert #metoo here).
Likewise, her music is cult and shifted the boundaries of music making, the concept of rock ‘n’ roll, gothic, and classical genres – all forming a unique and free music.
See Nico – Songs They Never Play On The Radio from 14-16 September at Fringe Hub: Lithuanian Club – Main Theatre as part of Melbourne Fringe. CutCommon subscribers can receive discounted tickets to this Forest Collective event!
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