Joachim Nielsen (8 September 1964 – 17 October 2000), better known as Jokke, was a Norwegian rock musician and poet.
He was the frontman of Norwegian rock band
Jokke & Valentinerne
Joachim Nielsen (8 September 1964 – 17 October 2000), better known as Jokke, was a Norwegian rock musician and poet. He was the frontman of Norwegian rock band Jokke & Valentinerne, the brother of cartoonist Christopher Nielsen, and son of the ...
, the brother of
cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...
Christopher Nielsen, and son of the artist John David Nielsen. He is considered to be one of the greatest songwriters in Norway.
By the mid-1990s, Jokke had developed a heroin addiction, and had several stays at rehabilitation clinics. By the turn of the millennium, many of his close friends believed that he had conquered his addiction. However, he died suddenly of a heroin overdose in October 2000, aged 36.
In 2005, a double tribute album entitled ''Det beste til meg og mine venner'' (''The best for me and my friends'') was released, which featured cover versions of Jokke's best known work from Norwegian artists.
Later that year (around Christmas time) a single was released featuring three previously unreleased songs, called ''Tomgang''.
In November 2005 a proposal came up in the "old town" of
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
that Nielsen should get a street in the new part of Oslo (Bjørvika) named after him. In December this proposal was declined. The committee agreed instead that he could get a street in
Grønland, Oslo. This street is now called "Joachim Nielsens gang" ("Joachim Nielsen's aisle") and the sign for it came up in September 2006. The closest neighbor is a bar and a theater. They also suggested to put up a statue of him, but his family did not approve of this.
Jokke and Valentinerne
Jokke & Valentinerne (''Jokke and the Valentines'') were formed in 1982 consisting of Nielsen on guitar and vocals, his longtime partner May-Irene Aasen on drums and Håkon Torgersen on bass. The band went on to become one of the most popular bands in
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
's underground rock scene. Their first album ''Alt kan repareres'' (''Everything can be repaired'') was released in 1986. The band is regarded as one of the "Great Four" Norwegian-language rock bands of the 1980s, along with
deLillos
deLillos is a Norwegian poprock band formed in Oslo in 1984. They are generally regarded as one of the "Four Greats" in modern Norwegian pop music, i.e. one of the four 1980s groups that founded a new tradition for rock music with lyrics in Nor ...
,
Dum Dum Boys
DumDum Boys are a Norwegian rock band from Trondheim. They are one of the most successful Norwegian rock acts of all time, and are considered one of the "four great" bands who popularized modern rock with Norwegian lyrics in the mid-to-late 1980s ...
and
Raga Rockers
Raga Rockers is a Norwegian rock band from Oslo with Michael Krohn on vocals. The band was formed in 1982 by front man Michael Krohn. The other original members were Livio Aiello on bass, Bruno Hovden on guitar, Jan Arne Kristiansen on drums, Hugo ...
. The band drew their influences mainly from
punk and American
Southern rock.
Much of the band's lyrics were about alcohol, and Jokke had a reputation of frequently getting drunk on stage. In 1992, he created a scandal when he received Spellemannprisen (the Norwegian equivalent of the
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
awards) visibly drunk and/or under the influence of drugs. Still, one must not dismiss his lyrics as being shallow drinking songs. All his lyrics, including the much-played and catchy ''Øl'' ("Beer"), have a deeper tone describing a harsh lifestyle with drugs, alcohol and general anxiety towards the society and the people close to him. Nielsen's lyricism is closely related to the American writer
Charles Bukowski, in describing societal underdogs, misfits and so-called
anti-hero
An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...
es. Nielsen's lyrics show strong sympathy for people who are somewhat scarred by life, and in addition, are deeply working class-conscious. The Norwegian poet
Rudolf Nilsen and musician
Alf Prøysen are two other influences, in both a literal and a musical sense.
JEPS
JEPS is short for "Jokke's Eget PlateSelskap" ("Jokke's Own RecordCompany"). Joachim Nielsen used this abbreviation on some of the CDs he released.
Last line-up
*Joachim Nielsen – vocals and guitar (1982–1994)
*
Petter Pogo – guitar, bass (1990–1994)
*
May-Irene Aasen – drums and percussion, vocals (1982–1994)
Former members
*
Håkon Torgersen – bass (1984–1990)
*
Lars Lothe – guitar, vocals (1982–1983)
*
Waldemar Hepstein – piano (1985)
*
Trygve Johansen – piano (1982–1983)
*
Christian Ellingsgård – bass (1982–1983)
Discography
Jokke and Valentinerne
Albums
*''Alt kan repareres'' (1986)
*''Et hundeliv'' (1987)
*''III'' (1990)
*''Frelst'' (1991)
*''Alt kan repeteres'' (1994)
Singles
*''To fulle menn'' (1987)
*''Gnukk'' (1991)
*''Ta meg med'' (1994)
Compilations
*''Spenn!'' (1995)
*''Prisen for popen'' (2002)
*''Levende (Så Lenge Det Varer)'' (2009)
Soloalbum
* ''Nykter'' (1996)
Jokke med Tourettes
* ''Trygge Oslo'' (1997)
* ''Billig Lykke'' (1999)
* ''Tomgang'' (2005)
References
External links
*
Hans Petter Blom
Hans may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People
* Hans (name), a masculine given name
* Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician
** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans
** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi a ...
.
20 år uten Jokke NRK">0 years without Jokke
20 år uten Jokke NRK
Jokke discography– A complete discography.
Fra Jokke til Joachim
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nielsen, Joachim
1964 births
2000 deaths
Norwegian rock musicians
Norwegian rock music groups
Accidental deaths in Norway
Drug-related deaths in Norway
Musicians from Oslo