Tom Liwa

Infobox musical artist
Name = Tom Liwa


Img_capt = Performing at Zeche Zollverein in 2007.
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Thomas Greiner
Born = birth date and age|1961|10|25
Duisburg, Germany
Influence= "Hejira" von Jonie Mitchell
Instrument = Vocals, guitar
Genre = rock
Occupation = Singer-songwriter
Years_active = 1985 – present
Label = Glitterhouse, Ludwig (Indigo), Normal (Indigo), Scratch'N' (Indigo), Moll (EFA), V2 (Universal), Rough Trade
Associated_acts = Flowerpornoes, Tim Isfort Orchester, Klee
URL = [http://www.tomliwa.de/ Tom Liwa's website]
[http://www.flowerpornoes.at/ Flowerpornoes website]

Tom Liwa (born "Thomas Greiner", October 25, 1961) is a German singer-songwriter who has been performing as a solo artist in addition to being a founding member and frontman of the band "Flowerpornoes". While his artistic output has long gone unnoticed by German mainstream news sources and radio stations, he was recognised early on for his work with the band. [de icon cite web
last = Hoff
first = Hans
title = Stiller Tröster mit Gitarre
publisher = Die Welt
date = 2005-04-10
url = http://www.welt.de/print-wams/article126509/Stiller_Troester_mit_Gitarre.html
accessdate = 2008-02-14 ] In addition, he has been receiving increased attention in recent years, due both to a steady fan-basede icon cite web
last = Brüggemeyer
first = Maik
title = Der Wim Wenders unter den Troubadouren
publisher = Rolling Stone.de
url = http://www.wagenmeister.ch/neu/artist_info.php?ArtistID=337
accessdate = 2008-02-14 ] and various collaborations and contributions, e.g. to Klee's 2006 album "Zwischen Himmel und Erde". [de icon cite web
last = Brunster-Introzzi
first = Nina
title = Deutschpopper Klee: Ihre kaum hörbare Stimme singt von Liebe
publisher = Westdeutsche Zeitung
date = 2007-03-05
url = http://www.wz-newsline.de/?redid=148434
accessdate = 2008-02-14 ] Liwa has cited Joni Mitchell's "Hejira" as one of his favourite albums and as a major musical influence, and has named Neil Young as an early idol.de icon cite web
last = Neumann
first = Fiete & Arne
title = Das Leben als Tom Liwa-Song (interview)
publisher = musicmagnet.de
url = http://www.musicmagnet.de/magazin/specials13.html
accessdate = 2008-02-14 ] [de icon cite web
last = Liwa
first = Tom
title = über Joni Mitchells HEJIRA - eine autobiografische Plattenkritik
publisher = Superstar magazine
url = http://www.tomliwa.de/Nostalghia/westfluegel/texte/joni.html
accessdate = 2008-02-14 ]

Tom Liwa is married to former fellow "Flowerpornoes" member Alexandra Gilles Videla, the couple has three children.__FORCETOC__

Life and career

;Flowerpornoes 1In 1986, Tom Liwa was a founding member and became frontman of the band "Flowerpornoes" in his native, Duisburg.

The four albums released during this period featured mainly English lyrics. Liwa has stated that he had in fact already begun writing German lyrics, but that at the time, German songtexts were considered "unhip". Although his English texts had received praise in music magazines, the later decision to begin recording songs in German rather than English was made in a conscious effort to address what Liwa perceived as a lack of effective communicating of the deeper meanings in his texts.

After failed attempts to score any major popular success, and with mounting tensions between the band members and differing musical visions, the "Flowerpornoes" disbanded shortly after the release of the 1990 album "As Trivial As Life And Death". Following attempts at being contracted by major record labels failed, to Liwa's retrospective relief.de icon cite web
last = Liwa
first = Tom
title = Historie - Flowerpornoes 1
url = http://www.tomliwa.de/historie.html
accessdate = 2008-02-14 ]

After the breakup, Tom Liwa toured with Blumfeld on their first tour. Other than that, he played only very minor gigs during the time. In his own retrospect account, he states that he considered his career finished at that point.

;Flowerpornoes 2The "Flowerpornoes" project was revived in 1993, culminating in the release of "Mamas Pfirsiche (Für schlechte Zeiten)". Two more albums followed, 1994's "Red' nicht von Straßen, nicht von Zügen" and "Ich & Ich" in 1996, before the band members parted ways again.

From 1995 to 1997, Liwa also contributed to the eponymous first album by the "Tim Isfort Orchester" project alongside Blixa Bargeld, Eva Kurowski, Katharina Thalbach and others. [de icon cite web
title = Biographie von Tim Isfort
url = http://www.tim-isfort.de/biographie.php
accessdate = 2008-02-14 ] [de icon cite web
title = Tim Isfort Orchester
publisher = Discogs
url = http://www.discogs.com/release/1060241
accessdate = 2008-02-14 ]

;Solo careerAfter the second breakup of the "Flowerpornoes", Tom Liwa began work on his first solo album. Due to participation in a number of other projects, it took four years to complete and publish "St. Amour" in 2000. The earlier "Voeding", released in 1998, was a collection of songs released as mailorder only. The final track of "St. Amour" is a non-musical piece called "Wir haben die Musik" ("we have the music"), spoken by Christian Brückner whose voice is well-known throughout Germany as the dubbing voice for Robert DeNiro and other actors. [de icon cite web
last = Liwa
first = Tom
title = Wir haben die Musik
url = http://www.tomliwa.de/Nostalghia/sprachland/ressources/wirhaben.html
accessdate = 2008-02-14 ] [de icon cite web
last = Ding
first = Oliver
title = Wir haben die Musik ("St. Amour" album review)
publisher = Plattentests online
url = http://www.plattentests.de/rezi.php?show=121
accessdate = 2008-02-14 ] Also during the time, Liwa featured on Kevin Coyne's "Knocking On Your Brain", published in 1997. [cite web
title = KEVIN COYNE R.I.P.
work = arthurmag.com
date = 2004-12-04
url = http://www.arthurmag.com/magpie/?m=2004&w=49
accessdate = 2008-02-14 ]

More solo albums followed since then, 2004's "Dudajim" being the latest of those that have not been published as mailorder only.

;Flowerpornoes 3On July 25, 2005, the "Flowerpornoes" performed together for the first time after their 1996 breakup. The occasion was a concert in Cologne, organised as part of the campaign "nrw retten, taz abonnieren" ("save NRW, subscribe to taz") by newspaper "die tageszeitung"'s North Rhine-Westphalia edition, which at the time was struggling financially. [de icon cite web
last = Rosenkranz
first = Boris R.
title = Der Soundtrack zur Rettung
publisher = taz.de
date = 2005-06-25
url = http://www.taz.de/index.php?id=archivseite&dig=2005/06/25/a0026
accessdate = 2008-02-14 ]

In 2007, after a more than ten year hiatus, a new album Flowerpornoes album was released, "Wie oft musst du vor die Wand laufen bis der Himmel sich auftut?" The album has received considerably greater mainstream attention than any prior work of Tom Liwa. [de icon cite web
last = Wigger
first = Jan
title = Wie oft musst du vor die Wand laufen bis der Himmel sich auftut? (album review)
work = Die wichtigsten CDs der Woche
publisher = spiegel.de
date = 2007-03-06
url = http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/musik/0,1518,470075,00.html
accessdate = 2008-02-14 ] [de icon cite web
last =
first =
title = Die Rückkehr der Flowerpornoes
publisher = businessportal24.com/dpa
date = 2007-04-20
url = http://www.businessportal24.com/de/Die_Rueckkehr_Flowerpornoes_175501.html
accessdate = 2008-02-14 ] [de icon cite web
last =
first =
title = Flowerpornoes: "Wie oft musst Du vor die Wand laufen ...?" (album review)
publisher = Der Standard.at
date = 2007-04-29
url = http://derstandard.at/?url=/?id=2827346%26_range=6
accessdate = 2008-02-14 ] [de icon cite web
last =
first =
title = Tom Liwa schickt die Flowerpornoes erneut in die Spur
publisher = maerkischeallgemeine.de
date = 2007-03-19
url = http://www.maerkischeallgemeine.de/cms/beitrag/10891878/63369/
accessdate = 2008-02-14 ]

One of the songs on the album is called "Österreich", in an allusion on the band's website being located within the Austrian top-level domain .at because the German top-level domain URL (flowerpornoes.de) is registered by someone not related to the band in any form. [de icon cite web
last = Weber
first = Julian
title = Gute alte Säcke, böse alte Säcke
publisher = taz.de
date = 2007-03-19
url = http://www.taz.de/index.php?id=archivseite&dig=2007/03/19/a0146
accessdate = 2008-02-14 ]

Discography

;Other featured contributions
* He featured as an extra, portraying a musician in the 1999 film Pola X. [imdb|0515389]
* The song "Julianastraat" from the 2000 album, "St. Amour", is featured on the soundtrack for the film The Edukators. [de icon cite web
title = The Edukators
publisher = Discogs
url = http://www.discogs.com/release/557019
accessdate = 2008-02-14 ]
* Among other prominent German-language authors, Tom Liwa contributed to an anthology called "texttourimus" (the title being a pun on sex tourism). The entire revenue generated by the volume, published in November 2005 in collaboration with UNICEF, was donated to a charitable organisation. [de icon cite web
last = Kleofas
first = Andreas
title = Lesereiseempfehlung
publisher = Visions
date = 2005-11-17
url = http://www.visions.de/news/6007/
accessdate = 2008-02-14 ]

References