Stanard "Stan" Ridgway (born April 5, 1954) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and film and television composer known for his distinctive voice, dramatic lyrical narratives, and eclectic solo albums. He was the original lead singer and a founding member of the band
Wall of Voodoo
Wall of Voodoo was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States. Though largely an underground act for the majority of its existence, the band came to prominence when its 1982 single " Mexican Radio" became a hit on MTV and ...
.
Early life
Stan Ridgway was born in Barstow, California, in the "high desert", and raised in Los Angeles. He claims to have been a budding ventriloquist who spent his first night in jail at the age of 12 for stealing street signs. Ridgway also had a childhood fascination with folk music, pestering his parents until they bought him a banjo at the age of 14.
Wall of Voodoo
The band was named
Wall of Voodoo
Wall of Voodoo was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States. Though largely an underground act for the majority of its existence, the band came to prominence when its 1982 single " Mexican Radio" became a hit on MTV and ...
by Ridgway before their first show, in reference to a comment made by a friend of Ridgway's, while recording and overdubbing a Kalamazoo Rhythm Ace drum machine, which was a gift from voice actor Daws Butler. While listening to some of the music that created in the studio, Ridgway jokingly compared the multiple-drum-machine- and Farfisa-organ-laden recordings to
Phil Spector
Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...
's
Wall of Sound
The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of session m ...
, whereupon the friend commented it sounded more like a "wall of voodoo" and the name stuck.
Wall of Voodoo's music was a mix of New Wave and
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...
's
Spaghetti Western
The Spaghetti Western is a broad subgenre of Western films produced in Europe. It emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's film-making style and international box-office success. The term was used by foreign critics because most o ...
soundtracks of the 1960s. Adding to the music's distinctiveness was percussive and textural experimentation, i.e. mixing drum machines with unconventional instruments such as pots, pans and various kitchen utensils, raw electronics with interlocking melodic figures as well as twangy spaghetti-western guitar. On top of the mix was Ridgway's unusual vocal style and highly stylized, cinematic narratives heavily influenced by science fiction and film noir, sung from the perspective of ordinary people and characters wrestling with ironies inside the American Dream.
Solo career
Ridgway embarked on a solo career in 1983, shortly after Wall of Voodoo's appearance at the
US Festival
The US Festival (''US'' pronounced like the pronoun, not as initials) was the name of two early 1980s music and culture festivals in southern California, held east of Los Angeles, near San Bernardino.
Background
Steve Wozniak, cofound ...
that same year. After collaborating on the song, "
Don't Box Me In
"Don't Box Me In" is a collaboration between the Police drummer Stewart Copeland and former Wall of Voodoo vocalist Stan Ridgway, recorded as part of the soundtrack for the Francis Ford Coppola movie ''Rumble Fish'' and subsequently released as a s ...
the Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police ...
for the soundtrack to
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...
's, ''
Rumble Fish
''Rumble Fish'' is a 1983 American drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It is based on the 1975 novel ''Rumble Fish'' by S. E. Hinton, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola. The film stars Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Vincent Span ...
Matt Dillon
Matthew Raymond Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including an Oscar and Grammy nomination.
Dillon made his feature film debut in '' Over the Edge'' (1979) and established himself as a te ...
and
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper (May 17, 1936 – May 29, 2010) was an American actor, filmmaker and photographer. He attended the Actors Studio, made his first television appearance in 1954, and soon after appeared in ''Giant'' (1956). In the next ten years ...
, he released his first proper solo album, ''The Big Heat'' (1986), which included the top 5 European (including UK) hit "
Camouflage
Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...
". This was followed by numerous other solo recordings: ''Mosquitos'' (1989), ''Partyball'' (1991), ''Black Diamond'' (1995), and ''Anatomy'' (1999), ''The Way I Feel Today'' (1998), a collection of big band standards, and ''Holiday in Dirt'' (2002), a compilation of outtakes and previously unreleased songs. Ridgway's album ''Snakebite: Blacktop Ballads and Fugitive Songs'' (2005), features the narrative song, "Talkin' Wall Of Voodoo Blues Pt. 1", a history of his former band in song.
Ridgway's album ''Holiday in Dirt'' was a quasi-cinematic project, with the release of the album accompanied by a showing of 14 short films by various independent filmmakers, each film a visual interpretation of one of the songs on the album. A compilation DVD of the films was released in February 2005.
In 1994, Ridgway began work on a new project in the form of a trio called Drywall, the other members of the trio being Ridgway's wife, keyboardist/vocalist Pietra Wexstun of the band Hecate's Angels (who had previously worked with Ridgway on ''Mosquitos'' and ''Partyball''), and former
Rain Parade
The Rain Parade is a band that was originally active in the Paisley Underground scene in Los Angeles in the 1980s, and that reunited and resumed touring in 2012.
History Rain Parade in the 1980s (1981–86)
Originally called the Sidewalks, the b ...
drummer Ivan Knight. In 1995, Drywall released its first album (first of a "trilogy of apocalyptic documents"), titled ''Work the Dumb Oracle''. A short film directed by Carlos Grasso titled ''The Drywall Incident'', was released the same year. An extended, instrumental soundtrack album for ''The Drywall Incident'' was released in 1996.
Ridgway and Wexstun also collaborated and forayed into new musical territory, composing a suite of mostly instrumental and orchestral pieces to accompany an exhibition of
postmodern
Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of moderni ...
Mark Ryden
Mark Ryden (born January 20, 1963) is an American painter who is considered to be part of the Lowbrow (or Pop Surrealist) art movement.Ken Johnson"Mark Ryden: ‘The Gay 90s: Old Tyme Art Show" ''The New York Times'', May 6, 2010. Retrieved 2013 ...
's paintings after being introduced by a mutual friend, Sean P. Riley, who toured with Wall Of Voodoo on their 1982 "Call of the West – Tour of Virtue" as the band's merchandiser. The album was released on CD in 2003 as ''Blood – Miniature Paintings of Sorrow and Fear'' in a unique 3-panel packaging design by the artist, which quickly sold out of its limited pressing of 7,500. Ridgway plays banjo and harmonica in Wexstun's group Hecate's Angels.
Stan Ridgway and Drywall regrouped in 2006 to release the album ''Barbeque Babylon'', the third "apocalyptic document" with the single "The
AARP
AARP (formerly called the American Association of Retired Persons) is an interest group in the United States focusing on issues affecting those over the age of fifty. The organization said it had more than 38 million members in 2018. The magazin ...
Is After Me". The new Drywall lineup features Rick King on guitars and bass and Bruce Zelesnik on drums and percussion. In 2008, Ridgway and Wexstun released "Silly Songs for Kids Vol. 1", a collection of children's songs that feature the duo and also saxophonist and woodwind player Ralph Carney.
Ridgway has also contributed to albums and projects by producer
Hal Willner
Hal Willner (April 6, 1956 – April 7, 2020) was an American music producer working in recording, films, television, and live events. He was best known for assembling tribute albums and events featuring a wide variety of artists and musical sty ...
,
Frank Black and the Catholics
Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies (band), Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Bl ...
Divine Horsemen
The Divine Horsemen were an American punk/roots band founded in 1983 by Chris D. (Desjardins), formerly of L.A. punk rock band the Flesh Eaters.The Ray Campi Quartet,
the Fibonaccis
The Fibonaccis were an American art rock band formed in 1981 in Los Angeles. The band consisted of songwriters John Dentino ( keyboards) and Ron Stringer (guitar), Magie Song (vocals), Joe Berardi (drums) and later Tom Corey (bass).
Formation
Th ...
Anatomy
Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...
'' (1999)
* ''
Holiday in Dirt
''Holiday in Dirt'' is an album by Stan Ridgway, released in 2002 through Ultramodern/ New West Records. It is a collection of leftovers, rarities, compositions for film soundtracks. A quasi-cinematic project, the release of the ''Holiday in Dirt' ...
Neon Mirage
''Neon Mirage'' is an album by Stan Ridgway. It was released on August 24, 2010 through A440 Records. It has been called his most emotionally revealing and mature work to date.Baker, CaryStan Ridgway's 'Neon Mirage' Album, Emotionally Revealing, ...
'' (2010)
* ''
Mr. Trouble
''Mr. Trouble'' is an album by Stan Ridgway, released on September 18, 2012 through A440 Music Group. The first six tracks are new recordings while the remaining songs are taken from Ridgway's performance on Mountain Stage in 2010.
Track listing ...
'' (2012)
* ''Priestess of the Promised Land'' (2016)
Film scores
* ''
Rumble Fish
''Rumble Fish'' is a 1983 American drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It is based on the 1975 novel ''Rumble Fish'' by S. E. Hinton, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Coppola. The film stars Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Vincent Span ...
'' (1983), directed by
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...
(end title song "Don't Box Me In" with Stewart Copeland)
* '' Terminus'' (1987), directed by Pierre-William Glenn (title song "End Of The Line")
* '' Slam Dance'' (1987), directed by Wayne Wang (song "Bing Can't Walk")
* '' Pump Up the Volume'' (1990), directed by Allan Moyle (song "Talk Hard")
* ''Future Kick'' (1991), directed by Damian Klaus (score)
* ''Floundering'' (1994), directed by Peter McCarthy (title song & "My Drug Buddy" (later renamed "Amnesia" when released on Holiday in Dirt))
* '' September Songs – The Music of Kurt Weill'' (1994), directed by Larry Weinstein (singer Cannon Song).
* '' Box of Moonlight'' (1996), directed by
Tom DiCillo
Thomas A. DiCillo (born August 14, 1953) is an American film director, screenwriter and cinematographer.
Early life
He was born in Camp Le Jeune, North Carolina. His father was Italian and his mother was from New England. He studied creative wri ...
(writer: "Mexican Radio" – as Stanard R. Funsten)
* ''
Melting Pot
The melting pot is a monocultural metaphor for a heterogeneous society becoming more homogeneous, the different elements "melting together" with a common culture; an alternative being a homogeneous society becoming more heterogeneous throug ...
'' (1997), directed by Tom Musca (score)
* ''Death Smokes a Big Cigar'' (1997), directed by Franco Riccardi (score)
* ''Error In Judgment'' (1998), directed by Scott Levy (score)
* ''Desperate But Not Serious'' (1999), directed by Bill Fishman (score)
* ''Speedway Junky'' (1999), directed by Nick Perry (score)
* ''The Keening'' (1999), directed by Alex & Andrew Smith (score)
* ''Simpatico'' (1999), directed by
Matthew Warchus
Matthew Warchus (born 24 October 1966) is a British theatre director, filmmaker, lyricist, and playwright. He has been the Artistic Director of London's The Old Vic since September 2015.
Personal life
Warchus is married to American actress Lau ...
(end title song)
* ''$pent'' (2000), directed by
Gil Cates Jr.
Gil Cates Jr. (born October 4, 1969) is an American producer and director, and former actor. His 2006 documentary film ''Life After Tomorrow'', which he co-produced and directed with Julie Stevens, won awards for both Best Documentary and Best D ...
(score)
* ''Vengeance'' (2001), directed by Brian Belefant (songs)
* ''Desert Saints'' (2002), directed by Richard Greenberg (song)
Related artists
*
Wall of Voodoo
Wall of Voodoo was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, United States. Though largely an underground act for the majority of its existence, the band came to prominence when its 1982 single " Mexican Radio" became a hit on MTV and ...
Hal Willner
Hal Willner (April 6, 1956 – April 7, 2020) was an American music producer working in recording, films, television, and live events. He was best known for assembling tribute albums and events featuring a wide variety of artists and musical sty ...
*
Frank Black and the Catholics
Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies (band), Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Bl ...
Divine Horsemen
The Divine Horsemen were an American punk/roots band founded in 1983 by Chris D. (Desjardins), formerly of L.A. punk rock band the Flesh Eaters.The Fibonaccis
The Fibonaccis were an American art rock band formed in 1981 in Los Angeles. The band consisted of songwriters John Dentino ( keyboards) and Ron Stringer (guitar), Magie Song (vocals), Joe Berardi (drums) and later Tom Corey (bass).
Formation
Th ...