bands that started at art schools

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my school is asking for suggestions for visiting artists to come and give talks. i thought it would be great to get bands that started in art school to come tell us how to be rock stars too. It is my theory that all art students wished that they were really rock stars. My list is meager and i know there are tons more. Help!

The Sex Pistols - ?
Fischerspooner - SAIC
Forcefield (black dice, too?) - RISD
Blur - Goldsmiths
David Bowie - ?
Brian Eno - ?
REM

― tiiiiiiiiiim (tiiiiiiiiiim), Saturday, 4 October 2003 01:59 (twenty-one years ago)

I guess this can include artist who simply "went to art school" but didn't necessarily start their careers in school (although this would be the ideal).

― tiiiiiiiiiim (tiiiiiiiiiim), Saturday, 4 October 2003 02:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Pink Floyd started at an architecture school, I believe.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 4 October 2003 02:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Talking Heads??

― Phil Dokes (sunny), Saturday, 4 October 2003 02:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Laurie Anderson? Roxy Music? The Rolling Stones? (well, Jagger.)

― retort pouch (retort pouch), Saturday, 4 October 2003 02:28 (twenty-one years ago)

REM: UGA isn't exactly an art school, is it?

I seem to remember Simple Minds forming this way, though.

― johnny fever (johnny fever), Saturday, 4 October 2003 02:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Pussy Galore.

I think Sonic Youth went to art school also, but I'm not sure about that one.

― Charlie Rose (Charlie Rose), Saturday, 4 October 2003 02:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Henry's Dress.

― svend, Saturday, 4 October 2003 02:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Six Finger Satellite
Lightning Bolt
Arab on Radar
all the other RISD bands.

― Famous Athlete, Saturday, 4 October 2003 03:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Tod Ashley and Dave Ouimet of Cop $hoot Cop first met at RISD.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 4 October 2003 03:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Pete Townsend went to art school i think. jeff mills studied architecture for a while.

― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Saturday, 4 October 2003 03:44 (twenty-one years ago)

David Byrne went to Rhode Island school of Design and another one in Maine I beleive.

― David Allen, Saturday, 4 October 2003 03:49 (twenty-one years ago)

didn't syd barrett go to camberwell college?

― gaz (gaz), Saturday, 4 October 2003 04:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Gang of Four

― sucka (sucka), Saturday, 4 October 2003 04:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Bonzo Dog Band
the Who
Ian Dury (ex art school teacher)

― Jack Battery-Pack (Jack Battery-Pack), Saturday, 4 October 2003 05:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Jagger went to LSE.

― g--ff c-nn-n (gcannon), Saturday, 4 October 2003 06:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Life Without Buildings.
Belle & Sebastian started as a school project (release a record for end of year assessment or something)

― Sasha (sgh), Saturday, 4 October 2003 06:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Roxy Music to thread

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 4 October 2003 07:14 (twenty-one years ago)

raincoats

― A Nairn (moretap), Saturday, 4 October 2003 07:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Belle & Sebastian started as a school project (release a record for end of year assessment or something)

Not exactly. The project was for the students of Stow College's Music Business course to find an artist, release a single by them and market it etc. However as the band (B&S) that year's students elected to champion had far too many songs, they decided to go for an album instead, the result being Tigermilk. The band weren't the students, the students were the A&R /record company / PR and so on. And Stow College isn't an art college anyway.

― ailsa (ailsa), Saturday, 4 October 2003 08:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I think Ray Davies was in art school as well.

― King Kobra (King Kobra), Saturday, 4 October 2003 09:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Travis, if I remember right.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 4 October 2003 10:47 (twenty-one years ago)

organized konfusion!!!

― trife (simon_tr), Saturday, 4 October 2003 10:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Is it OK to call Blur an art school band for forming at Goldsmiths, even if only one of them was actually studying art?

Ride also formed at an art school, though I'm not sure which one. It was technically in Banbury, not Oxford, though, I know that much.

― kate (kate), Saturday, 4 October 2003 11:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Mobb Deep (graphic arts i think)

Air (architecture)

― Etienne (Etienne), Saturday, 4 October 2003 11:10 (twenty-one years ago)

mobb deep formed at the manhattan arts and design high school

― trife (simon_tr), Saturday, 4 October 2003 11:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I believe GWAR were also art students, I am not sure from where...

― p.j. (Henry), Saturday, 4 October 2003 14:34 (twenty-one years ago)

ANTARCTICA

― Siegbran (eofor), Saturday, 4 October 2003 14:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Didn't most of the 70's prog rock bands like Genesis start at art college? I'm not sure what the British distinction between art college and regular college is.

― Maxwell von Bismarck (maxwell von bismarck), Saturday, 4 October 2003 18:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Les Savy Fav

― pip, Sunday, 5 October 2003 11:18 (twenty-one years ago)

David Gray (!) and Bill Drummond both went to the same art school in Liverpool and both dropped out.

― Jim Robinson (Original Miscreant), Sunday, 5 October 2003 13:48 (twenty-one years ago)

wire -- watford art college

― geeta (geeta), Sunday, 5 October 2003 15:10 (twenty-one years ago)

AMM.

― jon abbey, Sunday, 5 October 2003 16:16 (twenty-one years ago)

From Duran Duran: Their Story by Kasper de Graaf and Malcolm Garrett:

John [Taylor] went in for his A-levels but failed them all for lack of incentive: he'd already been accepted into art college on the strength of his folio. It was around this time that Nick and John combined their creatvie talents to swim an elegant backstroke against the tidal wave of punk....

John did a year's foundation course at art college and gained top marks for his first end-of-term display:

"Actually, I used a lot of early Duran Duran posters. I did the whole thing on black plastic and just only used red, black, and white, 'cos I was on a red, black, and white trip at the time. You know, I've always been into that, the Russian constructivist thing, and I just used those colours all the way through and they loved it. Well, I thought, we're well away here...."

But the rebeillion against academic discipline soon resurfaced and his final end-of-year presentation consisted of nothing but the very first Duran Duran tape.

"I suppose I was testing them up to a point, because art college teachers think they're so progressive. But when you say to them, look, I've created this out of nothing -- isn't this the same as writing on paper? -- they don't quite know how to handle it. But they had to give me the benefit of the doubt and just about pass me for the course."

Don't know if that exactly counts because the band didn't start at an art school, but John was beginning at an art school when the band was formed and, as you can pretty much tell by what I've quoted, he did use what he was doing with the band as a basis for a lot of what he was turning in as "work" for his art school coursework.

― Many Coloured Halo (Dee the Lurker), Sunday, 5 October 2003 19:33 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

revive

― Milo Smiley (nordicskilla), Thursday, 10 March 2005 23:12 (twenty years ago)

I'm prtety sure Bowie didn't go to art shool..

― The Brainwasher (Twilight), Thursday, 10 March 2005 23:15 (twenty years ago)

Arab on Radar did NOT start at art school.

― Ian John50n (orion), Thursday, 10 March 2005 23:16 (twenty years ago)

what's his face from the homosexuals

― jake b. (cerybut), Thursday, 10 March 2005 23:25 (twenty years ago)

Didn't John and Stu go to art college together in Liverpool somewhere? Maybe him and Paul were playing together already though.

― appara, Thursday, 10 March 2005 23:31 (twenty years ago)

black dice.

― jane (jane), Thursday, 10 March 2005 23:32 (twenty years ago)

Shrimp Boat

― Mila, Friday, 11 March 2005 00:12 (twenty years ago)

Ikara Colt, I believe. And aren't Franz Ferdinand art school graduates? Or did I make that up?

― Seuss, Friday, 11 March 2005 13:57 (twenty years ago)

White Zombie went to Parsons.

― mike a, Friday, 11 March 2005 16:22 (twenty years ago)

Coctails

― appara, Friday, 11 March 2005 17:27 (twenty years ago)

THE CLASH!!!

Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Joe Strummer all went to art school (different ones, though)

― Ben Dot (1977), Friday, 11 March 2005 19:18 (twenty years ago)

And aren't Franz Ferdinand art school graduates? Or did I make that up?

No, I think they did...

― KeithW (kmw), Friday, 11 March 2005 19:35 (twenty years ago)

black dice

― Darius Rucker Lookalike (deangulberry), Friday, 11 March 2005 19:53 (twenty years ago)

Why doesn't Rhode Island School of Design just cut the shit and officially declare themselves a rock star school?

― David Allen (David Allen), Friday, 11 March 2005 20:16 (twenty years ago)

you mean a bartender school, right?

― Darius Rucker Lookalike (deangulberry), Friday, 11 March 2005 20:22 (twenty years ago)

2/3's of White Magic = art school drop-outs.

― ianinportland (ianinportland), Monday, 14 March 2005 22:05 (twenty years ago)

Mercury Rev were film school students, if that counts - and their initial recordings were for each others' films.

― Steve Gertz (sgertz), Monday, 14 March 2005 22:20 (twenty years ago)

It would be more fun if we just listed bands and the colleges they met at. Steely Dan - Bard, Interpol - NYU, Royal Trux - Brown, etc

― roberton, Tuesday, 15 March 2005 00:09 (twenty years ago)

White Magic only has one member now

did Jennifer Herrema go to Brown ?

― Russell (Russell), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 05:01 (twenty years ago)

What happened to White Magic? Who's the one remaining member?

― ianinportland (ianinportland), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 17:37 (twenty years ago)

they fell out over one obvious member grabbing all the Tylenol "Ouch!" campaign cash.

― The Argunaut (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 17:44 (twenty years ago)

Which is the "obvious member"?

― ianinportland (ianinportland), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 18:22 (twenty years ago)

the singer-songwriter one who'd pull all the royalties anyway?

― The Argunaut (sexyDancer), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 18:25 (twenty years ago)

royal trux (jennifer and neil) formed in dc, moved to nyc
some of pussy galore went to brown

― jb, Tuesday, 15 March 2005 18:26 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

I believe most, if not all of Ozomatli met at CalArts.

― mish, Monday, 1 May 2006 23:01 (nineteen years ago)

Thee Hydrogen Terrors!!

― Tracey Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 1 May 2006 23:06 (nineteen years ago)

Pink Floyd, Sonic Youth,Wire (i think)

― brown skies, Monday, 1 May 2006 23:07 (nineteen years ago)

The Mekons, I think.

― Harrison Barr (Petar), Monday, 1 May 2006 23:20 (nineteen years ago)

Boston

― Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Monday, 1 May 2006 23:24 (nineteen years ago)

(sorry)

― Steve Shasta (Steve Shasta), Monday, 1 May 2006 23:24 (nineteen years ago)

Melt-Banana met at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.

― shieldforyoureyes, Tuesday, 2 May 2006 00:38 (nineteen years ago)

haha so i already posted mobb deep & organized konfusion 3 yrs ago

― -+-+-+++- (ooo), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 01:39 (nineteen years ago)

BANDS THAT STARTED ART SCHOOLS

― lf (lfam), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 01:40 (nineteen years ago)

Devo was started in kent state art school

― andrew b (klik99), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 04:14 (nineteen years ago)

This is a little late, but:

REM: UGA isn't exactly an art school, is it?

It has an art school, but REM didn't start there by any means - Stipe IIRC met Pete Buck due to the latter's record store job, and Mike Mills and Bill Berry were old buddies from Macon that moved into the dorms together and were studying things like journalism.

Pylon is the Athens art school band - at least a couple of the guys (Michael Lachowski and...Randy Bewley?) connected through art classes, and the whole band concept came out of some vague scheme of Lachowski's. Not to mention the obsession with pylons for their aesthetic qualities, etc...

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 04:22 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, and it goes without saying that these days a fair number of bands are formed out of art school social linkups, but none of them have made it big, and anyway Athens is such a "scene" town now that it's kind of hard to distinguish "the band started out of art school" between "the band all went to the same parties," "the band lived together and decided to be a band," "the band all got wasted one night at some wack burlesque thing and decided to be a band," etc. This isn't really different I guess from the olden days, so I wonder how much it's ever true that a band can "start at" any kind of school... Blount might have some thoughts on this, I don't know.

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 04:25 (nineteen years ago)

the roots formed at Philly's high school for the creative and performin' arts.

― 4 5 and 7 (4 5 and 7), Tuesday, 2 May 2006 04:45 (nineteen years ago)

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