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Deadsy

Deadsy is an American industrial rock band from Los Angeles. The band is known for its visual appearance and unique musical style the band self-describes as "undercore". The band has released two major studio albums.

The band was initially signed to Sire Records, but the band's self-titled debut album for the label was shelved shortly before its 1997 release. After attempting to re-work the album, they were ultimately dropped from the label in 1999. After eventually signing to Jonathan Davis' Elementree Records, and finally releasing the album, now known as Commencement, in 2002, Deadsy toured across the United States, most notably performing on the Family Values Tour. After the release of Phantasmagore on Immortal Records/Elementree in 2006, the band took a hiatus in 2007. In 2020, it was reported the band had plans for a 2021 release of its third album titled "Subterfugue", ahead of its re-release of Phantasmagore. The album has not yet been released. However, on February 8, 2024, the band would release their first single in 18 years, titled "(study for a portrait of) Napolean In Rags".

Early years and formation (1995–1996)
Deadsy formed in the summer of 1995, when Elijah Blue Allman (son of Cher and Gregg Allman) started recording a handful of demos (including "Flowing Glower", "Dear" and a cover of Pavement's "Texas Never Whispers") with Alec Puro on drums and producer Josh Abraham. He later sent a Juno 106 keyboard to his longtime friend from prep school Renn Hawkey (Dr. Nner) as an invitation to join the band. The three members evolved their sound in the studio and sought out a record deal out of, among other things, "adolescent necessity".

Sire Records (1996–1999)
While Deadsy shopped for its first record deal, Seymour Stein, President of Sire/Elektra Records, signed the band. Because they had no bass player at the time, Jay Gordon (of Orgy) was asked to play bass for their short self-titled album. After the album was recorded and released for promotion, the band temporarily relocated to New York City. Deadsy performed an impromptu showcase at Coney Island in 1997. Deadsy's self-titled album was slated for a release in the Spring of 1997, but due to Sire Records separating from Elektra Records, Seymour Stein halted plans for the release, and the band continued recording with Abraham. They also contributed the song "Replicas" to the Gary Numan tribute album Random on Beggars Banquet Records. London Records absorbed Sire Records and folded the label, leaving Deadsy at Warner Bros. They gave the band the option to leave with full ownership of their master recordings.

In 1998, Craig Riker joined as the bassist full-time and the band would continue writing and recording songs (including "Commencement", "She Likes Big Words" and "Seagulls") for the album which would now be titled 'Commencement''.

Commencement (1999–2003)
In April 2000, Deadsy signed to Elementree Records, a label owned by longtime supporter Jonathan Davis of Korn, and by June 2000 the band secured the album's widespread distribution through DreamWorks Records. Ashburn Miller replaced Riker on bass in January 2002. With help from friend and Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, they filmed a music video for "The Key To Gramercy Park". After multiple delays, Commencement was released on May 14, 2002, and the album debuted at number 100 of the Billboard 200 chart. A second video was filmed for their second single, a cover of Sebadoh's "Brand New Love". They were invited to perform on the 2001 Family Values Tour, and the band toured throughout 2002 with bands including Korn and Mindless Self Indulgence. The band recorded additional songs for the album with Jay Baumgardner and Josh Abraham (including a cover of Rush's "Tom Sawyer", "Winners" and the lead single "The Key to Gramercy Park").

Phantasmagore (2003–2007)
After DreamWorks Records was merged into Interscope in late 2003, Deadsy moved on from Dreamworks Records and signed with Immortal Records in 2006. Phantasmagore was released on August 22, 2006, and featured the 5 band members on the album cover in black and white. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 chart and Deadsy was asked back to appear on the Family Values Tour in 2006. Deadsy co-headlined a nationwide tour with the Deftones and also appeared at Lollapalooza that year. In January 2007, Deadsy parted ways with bassist Ashburn Miller, and added Jens Funke to their tour line up.

Hiatus (2007–2017)
In February 2007, a short statement from Allman confirmed that the band was taking a hiatus. Carlton Bost then joined The Dreaming full-time. On April 16, 2007, a MySpace bulletin was posted with a statement by Alec Puro, who wrote, "As you all know we are going to be taking a short break from Deadsy so Elijah can make a solo record and I can continue scoring projects I wasn't able to do from the road". In early 2008, Elijah Blue and the Trapezoids was revealed as the name of Allman's solo project, though as of 2016, the project has yet to release anything more than three demos on its MySpace page. He also was reported as following a career in visual art.

In February 2010, Allman claimed, "Deadsy is sleeping at the moment". Ashburn Miller and Carlton Bost joined Orgy's new line-up in September 2012.

Reformation (2018–2024)
On November 16, 2018, Deadsy (Allman, Hawkey, Puro and Bost) played a semi-acoustic show alongside Queens of the Stone Age at San Quentin State Prison. This marked the band's first appearance since 2006.

On July 14, 2020, Deadsy (now stylized as DÆDSY) announced on social media that their forthcoming album titled "Subterfugue", is to be released in early 2021. They also announced that Phantasmagore would be remastered and returning to digital platforms and receiving a vinyl release. Craig Riker rejoined the band on bass, and Phantasmagore was re-released on Deadsy's own Tran Kilo label on November 2. The album was expected to receive a vinyl release, which never materialized after three years of pre-orders and waiting. In April 2023, Hawkey announced on Instagram that he was no longer a member of Deadsy. On January 9, 2024, Allman apologized to Deadsy's fanbase for the Phantasmagore vinyl reissue and took sole responsibility for the delays, saying that he had "dishonored you all, and dishonored myself by my inaction and silence". On February 1, 2024, Deadsy's official Instagram page posted an announcement for their first release since 2006. A single titled "(study for a portrait of) Napolean In Rags", which was released February 8, on Spotify. Q said that the song title may be a reference to the Bob Dylan song "Like a Rolling Stone".

Musical style and lyrical themes
Allman describes the band's low and dissonant style as "undercore". His baritone singing style and guitars, Hawkey's synthesizers, Puro's drums and Bost's Z-Tar all contribute to the sound. Allman stated, "We wanted to make something that was transcendental, really rule-defying, and very against the grain and when people listened to it at first, it would just feel very like a sense of foreignness, almost like watching a David Lynch film.

The lyrics and imagery of the songs sometimes focused on many subjects in either sexual, religious, magical or popular culture contexts. Occasionally, there are references to esoterica, secret societies, The Urantia Book, The Holy Mountain (1973 film), the novel Dune by Frank Herbert, and even Walt Disney's 101 Dalmatians.

Members and visual appearances
Allman has often called the band an "art project" complete with a manifesto and visual iconography. The band was once described as "monied prep school secret society crossed with teenage fascist group." Each band member represents one element or "entity" that drives human society. Each entity is also represented by their own color and unique appearance. Many of the multi-color ideas were influenced directly from the 1955 film This Island Earth. Blue represented International Klein Blue and academia, Puro represented green and leisure, Hawkey represented yellow and science and medicine, Bost represented grey and war, and Riker represented red and horror. The band members also carry a white plastic chain accessory.

Blue and Hawkey, former students at Maine's Hyde School, stated being "fascinated by Skull and Bones and other secret societies and all that stuff that people are very curious about that create an air of mystique". Blue continued by saying: "I often call this band 'a perversion of privilege'."

Current members

 * Elijah Blue Allman – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, programming (1995–2007, 2017–present)
 * Alec Puro – drums, programming (1995–2007, 2017–present)
 * Carlton Bost – lead guitar, Z-Tar (1999–2007, 2017–present)
 * Craig Riker – bass (1998–2002, 2020–present)

Former members

 * Andy Trench – bass (1997)
 * Jay Gordon – bass (1997–1999)
 * Ashburn Miller – bass (2002–2007)
 * Jens Funke – bass (2007)
 * Renn Hawkey – keyboards, synthesizer (1995–2007, 2017–2023)

Timeline

Extras

 * "Asura" (demo clip) (1:24)
 * "Asura" (demo) (3:27)
 * "Avalon" (demo) (4:49) cover song originally by Roxy Music. Track originally appeared on an early cassette demo but was not in broad circulation.
 * "Babes In Abyss" (demo) (3:23)
 * "Better Than You Know" (demo clip) (1:58)
 * "Better Than You Know" (unmastered) (6:14)
 * "Book of Black Dreams" (demo clip) (1:03)
 * "Brand New Love" (radio mix) (3:42)
 * "Carrying Over" (live) (4:24) from Family Values Tour compilation 2006
 * "Colossus" (demo) (4:25) featuring Aimee Echo made available to participants of a MySpace promotional effort
 * "Crimson & Clover" (3:37) song originally from the 1999 film A Walk on the Moon featuring Allman's mother, Cher
 * "Dear" (demo) (6:47)
 * "Do You Want It All?" (unreleased) (0:00) Unreleased Phantasmagore song, it is known to have been played once at the Roxy in 2004
 * "Dreamcrusher" (demo clip) (1:13)
 * "Fox on the Run" (Sweet cover) (3:24), originally to be released on Commencement (it's on the 1999 promo of the album), later released on the Whatever It Takes soundtrack
 * "Friends" (3:58) available for purchase through iTunes
 * "Girl" (live) (2:32) cover song originally by T.Rex, it is known to have been played at Vintage Vinyl Records in 2006
 * "Just Like Heaven" (demo) (6:02) cover song originally by The Cure
 * "The Thing That Should Not Be" (unreleased) (0:00) cover song originally by Metallica, it is known to have been played once at the Whisky A Go Go in 2001
 * "The Key to Gramercy Park" (demo) (3:11)
 * "The Key to Gramercy Park" (Instrumental) (3:36)
 * "Mansion World" (Deepsky remix) (7:41)
 * "My Only Friend" (3:26) cover song originally from The Magnetic Fields for Winter Passing soundtrack
 * "Replicas" (5:12) was featured on a Gary Numan tribute album in 1997
 * "Sands of Time" (demo clip) (1:17) demo clip for a track eventually known as "Time"
 * "Sleeping Angel" (unreleased) (0:00) Stevie Nicks cover song that appeared on the first demo tape, the song has yet to publicly surface
 * "Strength of Mind" (demo) (3:27) was made available by Immortal Records by mistake. Several purchases were made before it was quickly taken down
 * "Texas Never Whispers" (3:43) cover song by the band Pavement
 * "Tom Sawyer" (live) (4:11) from Family Values Tour compilation 2001

title: Deadsy


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Pete Doherty

Peter Doherty (born 12 March 1979)  is an English musician. He is best known for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he formed with Carl Barât in 1997. His other musical projects are indie bands Babyshambles and Peter Doherty and the Puta Madres.

Early life
Pete Doherty was born in Hexham, Northumberland, to a military family. His father, Peter John Doherty, MBE, was a major in the Royal Signals, while his mother, Jacqueline Michels, was a lance-corporal in Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps. His paternal grandfather was an Irish immigrant from Cheekpoint in County Waterford; his maternal grandfather was Jewish, the son of immigrants, Moise Michels and Chana Peress, from France and Russia. He was brought up a Catholic. He grew up at a number of army garrisons across Britain and continental Europe, with his sisters, AmyJo and Emily. Doherty was the second of the three children. While living in Dorset, aged 11, Doherty began playing guitar, originally in an attempt to impress a female classmate, Emily Baker. He achieved 11 GCSEs, 7 of which were A* grades, at Nicholas Chamberlaine Comprehensive School in Bedworth, North Warwickshire, and four passes at A-Level, two at grade A. At the age of 16, he won a poetry competition and embarked on a tour of Russia organised by the British Council.

After his A-levels, he moved to his grandmother's flat in London – where he said he felt 'destined' to be – and got a job filling graves in Willesden Cemetery, although most of his time was spent reading and writing while sitting on gravestones. In a clip later available on YouTube, an 18-year-old Doherty can be seen in an interview with MTV, on the day of the release of Oasis' third studio album Be Here Now (1997). He attended Queen Mary, a college of the University of London, to study English literature, but left the course after his first year. After leaving university, he moved into a London flat with friend and fellow musician Carl Barât, who had been a classmate of Doherty's older sister at Brunel University.

The Libertines
Doherty and Barât formed a band called the Libertines in the late 1990s, although it was not until 2002, with the release of their debut studio album Up the Bracket, that they began to achieve widespread mainstream success.

The group achieved critical and commercial success and gained a dedicated cult following, with Doherty, in particular, being praised by fans and critics alike as one of the most promising songwriters to emerge on the British music scene for some time. However, Doherty's increasing drug problems led to his estrangement from the band. In 2003, he was jailed for burgling Barât's flat. The two initially fell out over this incident, but made up whilst Doherty was in prison. He was originally sentenced to six months, but his sentence was cut to two months. Upon his release, Doherty immediately reunited with Barât and the rest of the band to play a gig in the Tap 'n' Tin pub in Chatham, Kent; known among Libertine fans as "The Freedom Gig".

Following his rejoining of the band, Doherty sought treatment for his drug addiction. He attended the alternative detox centre Wat Tham Krabok, a temple in Thailand, famous for its rehabilitation programme for crack and heroin users. He left after three days and returned to England. As a consequence of this, the Libertines cancelled appearances that they were due to make at the Isle of Wight and Glastonbury festivals.

However, while post-production work was taking place on the Libertines second studio album in June 2004, Doherty was again asked to leave the band. The band cited Doherty's continuing drug addiction as the reason for his dismissal but emphasised their willingness to take him back once he had addressed his addiction. Although Barât had previously stated that the Libertines were merely on hiatus, pending Doherty's recovery, the group effectively disbanded with Doherty's departure at the end of 2004. The remaining members became involved in other projects (see Yeti and Dirty Pretty Things). On 12 April 2007, Doherty and Barât played 13 songs together at the second of Doherty's "An Evening with Pete Doherty" gigs at the Hackney Empire, London.

In 2010, the Libertines reformed for appearances at the Reading and Leeds Festivals. They performed on 27 August at Leeds Festival and on 28 August at Reading Festival. The festival appearances were preluded by two gigs at the HMV Forum on 24 and 25 August. In November 2014, the band signed a recording contract with Virgin EMI Records and released their third studio album, Anthems for Doomed Youth, on 11 September 2015.

The Libertines played an arena tour across the UK in January 2016, followed by a European tour and then dates in South America.

The Libertines toured Europe and the UK in November and December 2019.

Collaborations
Prior to the disbanding of the Libertines, Doherty collaborated with local poet Wolfman. Together they recorded the single "For Lovers", which entered the top 10, charting at number 7, in April 2004. Despite the success of the single, which was nominated for a prestigious Ivor Novello Award for songwriting, Doherty and Wolfman received relatively little money, having already sold the publishing rights for a small sum in a pub.

Later in 2004, Doherty provided guest vocals to the song "Down to the Underground" by the English electronic music group Client. The song was released in June 2004 as a B-side to the group's single "In It for the Money" and appears on their second studio album City.

In 2005, Doherty collaborated with the English alternative rock band Littl'ans on the single "Their Way".

In 2006, Doherty was featured on the charity single "Janie Jones", which was released to raise funds for Strummerville. A number of artists and bands, such as Dirty Pretty Things, We Are Scientists, the Kooks and the Holloways, also featured on the track.

In August 2006, it was announced that Doherty was recording with the Streets frontman Mike Skinner on a new version of "Prangin' Out", from Skinner's studio album The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living. In 2015 he recorded the theme tune to the Sky One sitcom After Hours.

In May 2020, during COVID-19 lockdown, he provided vocals for the single "Uncle Brian's Abattoir" released as Trampolene featuring Peter Doherty.

Babyshambles

Doherty founded Babyshambles towards the end of his time with the Libertines. The group has released three studio albums: Down in Albion, in November 2005, Shotter's Nation, in October 2007, and Sequel to the Prequel, in September 2013. The band's touring schedule and releases have occasionally been disrupted by Doherty's ongoing legal problems. The line-up of the band has changed several times: drummer Gemma Clarke left the band due to Doherty's drug problems and was replaced by Adam Ficek, and guitarist and co-songwriter Patrick Walden has also left the band and was replaced by Mick Whitnall. In August 2006, Babyshambles signed up with major record label Parlophone, on which they released The Blinding E.P. on 9 December 2006. In January 2007, they signed a long-term recording contract with Parlophone.

In November 2007, Babyshambles played their first arena tour, taking in dates at Manchester Arena, the Nottingham Arena, Bournemouth International Centre, London's Wembley Arena and Birmingham's National Indoor Arena.

Solo work and guerrilla gigs
In 2004, Doherty was voted the joint No. 1 on NME's 2004 Cool List. The following year he was placed at No. 6, and on 10 May 2006 was voted No. 2 in their poll depicting 50 of rock's greatest heroes.

On his own, and often with his band, Doherty has continued the Libertines' tradition of performing on short notice guerrilla gigs in small venues. On New Year's Eve 2005, Doherty held a guerrilla gig in his North London flat where he showcased some of his solo works, many of which later leaked onto the internet. 31 March and 1 April 2006 Doherty was performing two surprising solo gigs, his first in mainland Europe, at the NonStop Kino pornographic cinema and venue in Graz, Austria, after he failed to turn up for an earlier arrangement in January. For this occasion he produced, at the suggestion of Bettina Aichbauer, friend of Doherty and owner of the NonStop Kino, a film with the title Spew It Out Your Soul which he showed on-screen during his performance. On 12 July 2008, Doherty played a solo gig at the Royal Albert Hall. It was his biggest solo show so far. The concert was originally scheduled for 26 April, but had to be rescheduled due to Doherty's being sentenced to 14 weeks in prison for breaching probation on 8 April. The solo show received mixed reviews. Jon Swaine of The Daily Telegraph criticised that "whole chunks of the set ... passed by as listless noodling, with neither Doherty nor the audience appearing to know quite how to behave" and that – without a full band – Doherty seemed out of place at such a big venue. Betty Clarke of The Guardian described Doherty as "focused" and "on good form". Friend and collaborator Peter Wolfe had a guest appearance on stage when Doherty performed "For Lovers". Swaine stated Wolfe ruined the song with "some especially tuneless backing vocals". The gig was forced to an abrupt end during the encore due to a stage invasion by the fans.

On 13 January 2009, NME announced that Doherty's debut solo studio album, entitled Grace/Wastelands would be released on 16 March, preceded by a single, "The Last of the English Roses", on 9 March. The website also revealed the track listing of the album and credits. In 2009 Doherty was made an honorary patron of the University Philosophical Society.

Whilst performing a solo gig at the Grimsby Auditorium in March 2009, Doherty declared Grimsby a "shit-hole" midway through his set after being continuously pelted with coins and drinks by a harsh crowd.

In March 2015, Doherty released a new single entitled "Flags of the Old Regime" through Walk Tall Recordings. All proceeds of single went to the Amy Winehouse Foundation.

In May 2016, Doherty was joined on his 'Eudaimonia' tour by Drew McConnell (bass guitar), Miki Beavis (violin), Katia de Vidas (keyboards), Stephany Kaberian (accordion) and Rafa (drums). He was also joined by Jack Jones of Trampolene on guitar, who was support on the tour. He shared new track 'The Whole World Is Our Playground' on 4 May 2016.

In early December 2016, Doherty released his second solo studio album Hamburg Demonstrations, which had been recorded in the city over a six-month period, using mostly session musicians. It was produced by Johann Scheerer and received favourable reviews.

In 2021, Doherty teamed up with French musician Frédéric Lo to release "The Fantasy Life of Poetry & Crime", a single inspired by Maurice Leblanc, the creator of the fictional gentleman thief and detective Arsène Lupin. The single was recorded in Étretat and Paris, and has a video filmed by documentary maker Thierry Villeneuve.

Painting and writing
In June 2006, Doherty announced that he had signed a deal with Orion Books to publish his journals, in which he had recorded poetry, drawings and photos over the course of his career. Most of Doherty's journals are freely available on the internet. The book, titled The Books of Albion: The Collected Writings of Peter Doherty, was released on 21 June 2007.

On 15 May 2007, Doherty exhibited his paintings for the first time. The art exhibition took place at London's Bankrobber Gallery and was on show for one month. The collection featured 14 paintings.

An exhibition of Doherty's paintings titled, "Art of the Albion", took place at the Galerie Chappe in Paris from 25 April to 25 May 2008. The exhibit caused controversy due to artworks made with Doherty's own blood. According to newspapers, anti-drug campaigners were enraged and accused Doherty of glamorising illegal substance abuse. Art experts were similarly unimpressed. David West, the owner of London's Decima Gallery, for example, slammed his work: "It's not got any artistic merit. He's using his blood to make them interesting, but when you look at them they're what any four-year-old can do."

Music journalist Simon Spence collaborated with Doherty for his biography A Likely Lad, published in 2022. Writer Antonella Gambotto-Burke called it "a strange and unreliable memoir by a strange and unreliable man."

The Janinebeangallery in Berlin curated an exhibition of Doherty's art, lyrics and artefacts entitled "Contain Yourself (seriously)", which opened in September 2022.

Modelling
Following in the footsteps of model and ex-fiancée Kate Moss, Doherty became the face of Roberto Cavalli's Fall 2007–2008 fashion advertising campaign. The photos gained praise for depicting a much cleaner and more handsome Doherty. The '50s-style photographs have been compared to images of Marlon Brando.

Acting
Doherty played Octave, the lead role opposite Charlotte Gainsbourg's Brigitte in Confession of a Child of the Century (2012), Sylvie Verheyde's film adaption of Alfred de Musset's autobiographical novel La Confession d'un enfant du siècle (novel) (1836). Although the film was screened at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival it suffered an ignominious record as the lowest-grossing film of the year in US box office takings when finally released there three years later.

Peter Doherty and the Puta Madres
In November 2016, Jack Jones was announced as lead guitarist in Doherty's new band the Puta Madres, joining Drew McConnell (bass guitar), Miki Beavis (violin), Katia de Vidas (keyboards) and Rafa (drums), who had previously been his touring band. Peter Doherty and the Puta Madres played a gig in Argentina, followed by a week of shows in France including two nights for the reopening of the Bataclan. They played Kentish Town Forum in London and Albert Hall, Manchester in December 2016 and several dates across Europe in February and March 2017.

Following European and South American tours and festival appearances, the band recorded their debut studio album in France during the summer of 2018. The band played a short tour of the UK in February 2019.

The self-titled studio album was released on 26 April 2019 and after instore signings the band set off on a UK and European tour.

Influences
In interviews, Doherty has listed his favourite books as George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), Brighton Rock (1938) by Graham Greene, Our Lady of the Flowers (1943) by Jean Genet, Flowers of Evil (1857) by Charles Baudelaire and the complete works of Oscar Wilde. He has also mentioned Emily Dickinson and Tony Hancock as influences; Doherty and his father were once members of the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society. Doherty mentions Hancock, and makes an allusion to his catchphrase 'Stone me!', in a Libertines song entitled "You're My Waterloo", which appeared on their 2015 album, Anthems for Doomed Youth. The band's debut album, Up The Bracket, is also named after another one of his catchphrases. However, numerous literary and musical allusions occur throughout Doherty's ongoing Books of Albion. He places particular importance on the Romantic poets and on existential philosophers such as Albert Camus and Miguel de Unamuno. Doherty has also alluded to work by the Marquis de Sade and Thomas De Quincey. On the Babyshambles debut studio album Down in Albion, there is a track entitled "À rebours", which is significantly influenced by the novel of the same name by Joris-Karl Huysmans.

Doherty has supported up-and-coming British bands, such as indie bands the Paddingtons and the View.

A frequent lyrical theme for Doherty is Albion, the ancient name for Great Britain. Doherty also uses 'Albion' as the name of a ship sailing to a utopia called Arcadia, a place without rules or authority. Doherty and Barât shared a run-down flat in London, at 112a Teesdale Street, Bethnal Green, affectionately known as 'The Albion Rooms'. Doherty named his diaries, in which he writes poems and other thoughts, the Books of Albion.

Musical equipment
Doherty prefers vintage equipment. Many of his vintage guitars and amplifiers have been destroyed in various domestic incidents.

Guitars

 * Epiphone Coronet – Doherty often used the rare one pick-up model ('New York Coronet' made in 1957) in the early years of the Libertines, as well as in some later gigs. It is affectionately known as 'heavy horse' also Doherty's username in online band related forums. His father held the guitar 'hostage' during 8 years of Doherty's chaos and carnage, allowing it to be used in recent Puta Madres studio album recording sessions.
 * Gibson ES-330 – One of Doherty's first known guitars. Used throughout the early Libertines gigs.
 * Epiphone Casino – Used with Babyshambles at recent concerts.
 * Rickenbacker 360 – Used a lot in Babyshambles, live and in the studio.
 * Gibson ES-335 – Used during the later years of the Libertines.
 * Epiphone Olympic – Another rare one pick-up Epiphone. Seen on the cover of the "I Get Along" single (The Libertines).

Amplifiers

 * Vox AC30
 * WEM ER-30
 * Unspecified Matchless models
 * Marshall 1974X and JTM45

Relationships and children
Doherty had a tumultuous relationship with Kate Moss that was frequently covered by the press. They met in January 2005 at Moss' 31st birthday party and had an on-off relationship for several years. Moss had also taken to singing at some of Doherty's shows. On 11 April 2007, Doherty announced Moss as his fiancée during the first of his solo gigs at the Hackney Empire, London, at which Moss also performed. Doherty planned to marry Moss during the summer 2007. Moss and Doherty later broke up.

In October 2007, Doherty was briefly engaged to Romanian-born Canadian model Irina Lăzăreanu.

On 28 September 2021, Doherty announced his engagement with his Puta Madres bandmate, Katia de Vidas. The couple married two days later.

Doherty has a son, Astile (born 13 July 2003), with singer Lisa Moorish. Doherty's second child, a daughter, Aisling Erin, was born 26 December 2011 to South African model Lindi Hingston. In May 2023, Doherty's third child and second daughter, Billie-May Doherty, was born to Katia de Vidas.

Interests
Doherty is a socialist. In 2004, he said, "I do have utopian fantasies. A lot of them are more – I wouldn't say spiritual, but they relate more to the imagination and the individual. But for me socialism is a way of trying to put far-fetched ideas into everyday use, trying to find a way to bridge the gap between that fantasy and reality, and reaching out across that gap to the people who can actually do something to make the change." Prior to the 2019 United Kingdom general election Doherty endorsed Jeremy Corbyn while performing and chanted "oh Jeremy Corbyn" and "fuck the Tories".

Doherty is also known to be a devoted follower of Queens Park Rangers Football Club (QPR). As a youth (1995–96) he wrote a fanzine dedicated to the club, entitled "All Quiet on the Western Avenue".

Drug use and legal problems
Doherty has been repeatedly arrested for drug offences and offences arising from drug use, such as drunk driving, car theft, and driving with a suspended licence. He has pleaded guilty to possession of crack cocaine, heroin, cannabis and ketamine. His addictions have resulted in jail time and multiple trips to rehabilitation facilities. Drugs had been so important at some points in his life that in his younger days Doherty worked as a drug dealer to pay for his drug habit, as he admitted to author Peter Welsh in his biography. Doherty stated that he had been a rent boy, and that during that time he robbed one of his male clients.

In 2003, while Doherty's first band the Libertines were performing in Japan without him, he broke into Carl Barât's flat and stole various items, including an old guitar and a laptop computer. On 7 September Doherty was sentenced by Judge Roger Davies to six months in prison; the sentence was eventually shortened to two months on appeal. Doherty was released from jail on 8 October 2003.

On 2 February 2005, Doherty was arrested after an altercation with documentary filmmaker Max Carlish, who was making the rockumentary Stalking Pete Doherty about the singer and sold photos of a heroin-smoking Doherty to the tabloids. Doherty and his friend Alan Wass were charged with robbery and blackmail. On 7 February, he was released on bail after his record company Rough Trade put up £150,000 in bonds. All charges against him were later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) due to a lack of evidence.

In October 2007, Doherty explained in an interview with the BBC Radio 4 show Front Row that he had briefly reconciled with his father after three years when his father visited him in rehab, but were estranged again over drugs. Doherty's mother, Jacqueline, has published a book about Doherty and his drug problems entitled Pete Doherty: My Prodigal Son.

In late 2007, a photo was published in several newspapers of Doherty allegedly forcing his pet cat to inhale from a crack pipe.

Doherty made another attempt to fight his drug addiction in September 2007, when he underwent drug rehabilitation for six weeks at Clouds House. However, he relapsed in November 2007 following his appearance at the 2007 MTV Europe Music Awards in Munich.

On 8 April 2008, Doherty was jailed for 14 weeks for breaching a probation order after a string of brushes with the law for drugs and driving offences. On 18 April, he was moved to a private area of Wormwood Scrubs prison after learning that fellow inmates were planning to attack him. On 6 May, he was released after his sentence was cut in half and a further 18 days were remitted due to a government plan to reduce overcrowding. He also had another two days off for being in police custody (after serving just over four weeks of a 14-week sentence). He described prison life as "a lot of gangsters and Radio 4" and showed a certificate confirming he had passed a drugs test while inside.

In June 2009, Doherty was arrested in Gloucester and charged with driving dangerously while drunk and in possession of heroin. He was released on a £50,000 bail and after 'guilty' pleas were entered, was asked to return to court on 21 December for sentencing. He was spared jail but was ordered to pay £2,050 in fines, and was banned from driving for 18 months, despite the court hearing Doherty had 21 previous drug offences and six motoring offences. Following his release from court, he was escorted by officers to the nearest police station and re-arrested for possession of a controlled substance, later revealed to be heroin. While Doherty was in Gloucester court on 21 December, heroin fell out of his coat pocket. He was arrested for possession and was convicted for this offence at the same court on 27 January 2010. He was fined £750 and ordered to pay £85 court costs.

In November 2009, Doherty caused a scandal during a concert organized by Bayerischer Rundfunk: He sang the first four words first verse of Deutschlandlied – presumably under the influence of alcohol – and was booed by the audience. The concert and the live radio broadcast were interrupted a short time later. Doherty had tried to continue the concert, but was asked by an organizer to leave the stage. Later, a spokesperson of Doherty explained that Doherty was not aware of the historical background of the line and that he apologized. According to The Guardian, Doherty had earlier "raised a fascist salute as a joke at a concert in Spain last year, and the Libertines were criticised for a 2004 song, Arbeit Macht Frei, a phrase that was emblazoned above the entrances to concentration camps including Auschwitz."

On 11 March 2010, Lowestoft magistrates fined Doherty £500 and banned him from driving for 12 months for allowing his Daimler car to be used uninsured by his manager. On 19 March 2010, he was arrested on suspicion of supplying controlled drugs. He was reported to be on bail until April 2010.

In June 2010, Doherty was refused entry into the United States after spending 10 hours in detention in John F. Kennedy International Airport, despite having a visa.

On 18 October 2010, Doherty was summoned to court for cocaine possession. In March 2011, he pleaded guilty to possession, and was granted unconditional bail until sentencing on 20 May. On 20 May, Doherty was sentenced to six months in jail for possession of cocaine following an inquiry into the death of Robin Whitehead.

In October 2014, Doherty was admitted to the Hope Rehab Centre in Thailand. He announced plans to start a foundation with the centre to help struggling addicts. In January 2015, it was announced that Doherty had successfully completed his rehabilitation.

In August 2017, it was revealed that Doherty had been found with heroin in his car while travelling through Italy. He was also found to be driving with an invalid licence. Doherty received a fine.

In a 2019 interview, when asked whether he would like to be drug-free, Doherty responded: "Yes, a part of me would. Just so I can feel things. There are so many people in my life who deserve better. It really is a mental deficiency... I'd be a force to be reckoned with! I'd have money and self-respect and clean hands."

In November 2019, Doherty was fined €10,000 in Paris and given a three-month suspended prison sentence for cocaine possession and affray.

In a 2022 interview with NME, Doherty stated that he had "been clean since December 2019."

Death of Mark Blanco
In December 2006, actor and magician Mark Blanco died after falling from the first-floor balcony of a flat in Whitechapel belonging to Doherty's friend and literary agent Paul Roundhill, during a party at which Doherty was present. After an altercation, Roundhill set Blanco's hat alight, punched him and evicted him from the flat. Blanco returned to the flat and was shown on CCTV falling to his death less than a minute later. After initial police investigations concluded there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Blanco's death, a coroner's inquest in October 2007 recorded an open verdict and requested that police reopen the investigation. Doherty's bodyguard at the time, Jonathan Jeannevol, revealed he had confessed to police that he pushed Blanco to his death after Doherty had asked Jeannevol to 'have a word' with him; Jeannevol later retracted his confession. Doherty, who was not called to give evidence at the inquest, was also seen on CCTV footage passing by Blanco's body and jogging away from the scene before an ambulance arrived.

An eight-month BBC Newsnight investigation in 2012 concluded that CCTV evidence suggested Blanco had been dropped from the balcony rather than jumped or slipped. In 2014, Blanco's friend, the comedian Jerry Sadowitz, played a video appeal at the beginning of his UK tour dates from Blanco's mother for the Crown Prosecution Service to reopen the case. In 2023, Channel 4 released a documentary about Blanco's death titled Pete Doherty, Who Killed My Son?

As lead artist

 * "The Last of the English Roses" (9 March 2009) UK No. 67
 * "Broken Love Song" (3 August 2009)
 * "Flags of the Old Regime" (9 March 2015)
 * "I Don't Love Anyone (But You're Not Just Anyone)" (27 September 2016)

As featured artist

 * "For Lovers" (Wolfman featuring Pete Doherty) (12 April 2004) UK No. 7
 * "Their Way" (Littl'ans featuring Pete Doherty) (17 October 2005) UK No. 22
 * "Prangin' Out" (The Streets featuring Pete Doherty) (25 September 2006) UK No. 25
 * "Uncle Brian's Abattoir" (Trampolene featuring Peter Doherty) (22 May 2020)

Other appearances

 * "Down to the Underground" (Client, featuring Pete Doherty). Taken from the studio album City (2004).
 * "Tinkertoy" (Sarasara featuring Peter Doherty) produced by Liam Howe of Sneaker Pimps and released by One Little Indian.

Filmography

 * The Wrong Ferarri (2011)
 * Confession of a Child of the Century (2012)
 * Amy (2015)
 * Peter Doherty: Stranger in My Own Skin (2023)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Pete Doherty


text:
Pope John VI

Pope John VI (Ioannes VI; 655 – 11 January 705) was the bishop of Rome from 30 October 701 to his death. John VI was a Greek from Ephesus who reigned during the Byzantine Papacy. His papacy was noted for military and political breakthroughs on the Italian Peninsula. He was succeeded by Pope John VII after a vacancy of less than two months. The body of the pope was buried in Old St. Peter's Basilica.

Greek papacy
A Greek from Ephesus, John VI succeeded Sergius I. His selection occurred after a vacancy of less than seven weeks. John assisted Exarch Theophylactos, who had been sent to Italy by Emperor Tiberius III, and prevented him from using violence against the Romans. John VI's interventions prevented Theophylactos from being injured, having come to Rome to "cause trouble for the pontiff".

In 704, after being expelled, yet again, from his see, the elderly Bishop Wilfrid of York went to Rome and pleaded his case "before the apostolic Pope John [VI]". Wilfrid had visited Rome in 654 and 679 and witnessed the progressive transformation of the Church administration to a Greek-dominated hierarchy. Because of this, John VI convened a synod of Greek-speaking bishops to hear Wilfrid's cause, a linguistic hurdle that much perturbed Wilfrid. Nonetheless, the synod exonerated Wilfrid, restored him to his see, which he occupied until his death in 709, and sent him back with letters for King Æthelred of Mercia for papal mandates to be implemented. John also sent the pallium to Berhtwald, whom Sergius I had confirmed as archbishop of Canterbury.

Relations with Lombards
John succeeded in inducing Duke Gisulf I of Benevento to withdraw from the territories of the empire through tactics of persuasion and bribery. According to some sources, he "single-handedly convinced the Lombard duke Gisulf of Benevento to withdraw his forces and return home" after the duke had devastated the neighboring Campanian countryside and constructed an encampment within sight of the city walls of Rome. Distressed at the sufferings of the people, Pope John sent a number of priests furnished with money into the camp of the Lombard duke to ransom all the captives whom Gisulf had taken.

Other significant events during John VI's pontificate include the Lombard king Aripert II returning the Cottian Alps to their former status as a papal patrimony. Numerous construction projects also occurred, including a new ambon in the Basilica of St. Andrew the Apostle, a new altar cloth for San Marco, and "suspended diaphonous white veils between the columns on either side of the altar in San Paolo." John VI also promoted easterners within the episcopal hierarchy, including Boniface, the papal counselor.

title: Pope John VI


text:
Pope John XVII

Pope John XVII (Ioannes XVII; died 6 November 1003), born John Sicco, was the bishop of Rome and nominal ruler of the Papal States for about seven months in 1003. He was one of the popes chosen and eclipsed by the patrician John Crescentius.

Family
John Sicco was the son of another John Sicco, and was born in the region of Rome then referred to as Biveretica. Before entering the priesthood, Sicco had been married and had three sons who also entered holy orders: John, bishop of Praeneste; Peter, a deacon; and Andrew, a secundicerius.

Pontificate
John XVII succeeded Silvester II as pope on 16 May 1003. He was nominated to the papacy by John Crescentius, a Roman noble who held power in the city in opposition to Emperor Otto III. John XVII approved of a mission led by Bruno of Querfurt to Eastern Europe. Bruno also requested John XVII to authorize his companion Benedict to evangelize among the Slavs.

John died on 6 November 1003 and was buried in the Lateran Basilica between the two doors of the principal façade. According to John the Deacon, his epitaph began by stating that "here is the tomb of the supreme John, who is said to be pope, for so he was called." John XVII's successor, John XVIII, was also selected by Crescentius.

Literature

 * John N. D. Kelly: Reclams Lexikon der Päpste. 2nd edition, Reclam, Stuttgart, 2005 ISBN 3-15-010588-9, sub voce.
 * John N. D. Kelly: Reclams Lexikon der Päpste. 2nd edition, Reclam, Stuttgart, 2005 ISBN 3-15-010588-9, sub voce.

title: Pope John XVII


text:
Julien Temple

Julien Temple (born 26 November 1953) is a British film, documentary and music video director. He began his career with short films featuring the Sex Pistols, and has continued with various off-beat projects, including The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, Absolute Beginners and a documentary film about Glastonbury.

Early life
Temple was born in Kensington, London, the son of Landon Temple, who organised the travel company Progressive Tours. He was educated at St Marylebone Grammar School (from which he was expelled), William Ellis School, and King's College, Cambridge. He grew up with little interest in film until, when a student at Cambridge, he discovered the works of French anarchist director Jean Vigo. This, along with his interest in the early punk scene in London in 1976, led to his friendship with The Sex Pistols, leading him to document many of their early gigs.

1970s
Temple's first film was a short documentary called Sex Pistols Number 1, which set out to show the rise of the band from 1976 to 1977, in a series of short clips from television interviews and gigs. This led to Temple making The Great Rock And Roll Swindle, another documentary. As band members Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious had left the band by this time, the story of the group is told from the viewpoint of their manager, Malcolm McLaren.

The Great Rock And Roll Swindle tells of the rise of The Sex Pistols, apparently as manipulated by McLaren, and how he had shaped the band throughout their short career. Many of the 'facts' given by McLaren were disputed by John Lydon (who had dropped the Johnny Rotten name after leaving the band), who accused McLaren of using the film to attack him personally. This helped split opinion on the film as, although it was praised for attempting to capture some of the punk scene of the time, it was seen as too skewed towards McLaren's vision. Controversy aside, Temple was praised for his mix of animated scenes, documentary footage, and specially shot footage which he used to tell McLaren's story. This helped launch Temple into a career making music videos, something for which he would be best known for much of his career.

1980s and 1990s
In 1983, Temple directed a film for the BBC Arena series called It's All True, named after the 1942 unfinished Orson Welles film. Compered by Welles himself, the film comprised many short segments about the state of the video industry, both real and imagined, many featuring cameos by celebrities including Mel Brooks, Grace Jones, Ray Davies, and Koo Stark. This was followed by Temple's next theatrical release, the short film Jazzin' for Blue Jean featuring David Bowie which was released as a support feature to The Company of Wolves. By 1985, Temple was now well known for being a director of successful music videos by the Kinks, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie and other British artists, several of which were early, groundbreaking, videos for the new MTV channel, but he was yet to direct a major film.

In 1986, Temple directed the film version of Colin MacInnes' book Absolute Beginners. One of the most expensive films in British history, the fate of the studios involved (as well as several careers) were dependent on the success of the film. The film was critically panned in the UK. As it was a musical, rather than a straight adaptation of the book, it was attacked for a lack of narrative; it was also called "a series of badly-linked music videos". Absolute Beginners was financially unsuccessful and was partly responsible for the Goldcrest company going bankrupt. Temple found himself being blamed personally for the failure. He moved to the United States, where he was offered the film Earth Girls Are Easy, as well as a series of music videos for such artists as Duran Duran, Janet Jackson, Neil Young and Tom Petty.

Temple returned to the UK in the late 1990s, where he continued to make films and music videos. Vigo: Passion for Life (1998) recounts the passionate relationship between French film maker Jean Vigo (1905–34) and his wife Lydou, who both suffered from tuberculosis. The film was not well received. A reviewer in Sight & Sound commented that the film "although absolutely faithful to the facts, is absolutely dreadful".

2000s
Films which followed included Pandæmonium (2001), a critically acclaimed film about the friendship between Romantic poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth, and The Filth and the Fury (2000), another documentary about The Sex Pistols. This time the film was made with the full cooperation of the surviving members of the band and told the story of the band from their viewpoint. This film mixed newly shot footage and interviews with footage culled from The Great Rock and Roll Swindle and previously unseen interviews. The film was a critical success and was seen as setting the record straight in regard to the history of The Sex Pistols.

Between 2002 and 2005, Temple completed a feature-length documentary about the Glastonbury Festival. This involved him shooting footage at the festival as well as drawing on the vast amount of archival footage, as well as footage sent in by fans of the festival. It was released in the UK in April 2006.

In 2006, Temple made a film of the life of his friend, in Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten. It premiered in January 2007.

In November 2007, Temple filmed several of the Sex Pistols' comeback shows at the Brixton Academy in London. This was followed by several filming sessions with each member of the band as they re-visited their old London haunts. The footage was assembled into a new documentary film released on DVD in 2008 as The Sex Pistols: There'll Always Be An England, bringing Temple's association with the Sex Pistols up to date.

In June 2008, Temple filmed three concerts by Madness at the Hackney Empire. These concerts were previews of the band's forthcoming album, The Liberty of Norton Folgate.

In 2009, Temple directed the third film in his punk trilogy, Oil City Confidential, which celebrated the Canvey Island legends Dr. Feelgood, and a hymn to the Motor City entitled Requiem For Detroit? (2010).

2010s
In 2010, Temple directed the biography Ray Davies: Imaginary Man. Previously, he had directed several Kinks videos. Also, he was referred to by name in The Kinks song Too Hot from their Word of Mouth album: "Julien's on the street today/ Scouting out locations..."

In 2011, Temple returned to Glastonbury to further document the legendary festival. The resulting 75-minute film, titled "Glastonbury After Hours: Glastopia", was shot on location in the Shangri-La, Arcadia, the Unfair Ground, Strummerville, Block 9 and the Common areas. It was premiered on BBC4 on 15 June 2012.

On 4 March 2013, it was announced that Jesse L. Martin would replace Lenny Kravitz as Marvin Gaye in Sexual Healing, directed by Temple, and produced by Vassal Benton and Fred Bestall. With approximately 70% of the film completed and only three weeks to go on a planned nine-and-a-half-week shoot, production was stopped on the biopic, primarily due to financial problems (crew members were said to have not been paid fully for their work on the film ).

Personal life
With his wife, Amanda (Pirie) Temple, Temple has a daughter, the actress Juno, (born in 1989) and two sons, Leo (born 1993) and Felix (born 2000).

His sister, Nina Temple, was the last General Secretary of the Communist Party of Great Britain.

Filmography

 * The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1979)
 * UK Subs: Punk Can Take It (1979)
 * Biceps of Steel (1980)
 * The Secret Policeman's Other Ball (1982)
 * It's All True (1983)
 * Mantrap (1983)
 * Running out of Luck (1985)
 * Absolute Beginners (1986)
 * Aria (segment Rigoletto) (1987)
 * Earth Girls Are Easy (1988)
 * Stones at the Max (1991)
 * Bullet (1996)
 * Vigo: Passion for Life (1998)
 * The Filth and the Fury (2000)
 * Pandæmonium (2000)
 * Glastonbury (2006)
 * Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007)
 * The Sex Pistols: There'll Always Be An England (2008)
 * The Eternity Man (2008)
 * Oil City Confidential (2009)
 * ¿Requiem For Detroit? (2009)
 * Ray Davies - Imaginary Man (2010)
 * Paul Weller: Find the Torch (2011)
 * Dave Davies - Kinkdom Come (2011)
 * London: The Modern Babylon (2012)
 * Glastonbury After Hours: Glastopia (2012)
 * You Really Got Me (forthcoming)
 * Christmas with the Sex Pistols (2013)
 * Rio 50 Degrees: Carry On CaRIOca (2014)
 * The Clash: New Year's Day '77 (2015), largely at the official gala opening of The Roxy club on 1 January 1977
 * The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson (2015)
 * The Strypes: Best Thing Since Cavan (2015)
 * The Origin of the Species (2016)
 * Habaneros (2017)
 * Ibiza: The Silent Movie (2019)
 * Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan (2020)
 * Sexual Healing (post-production)

title: Julien Temple


text:
Pope John XVIII

Pope John XVIII (Ioannes XVIII; died June or July 1009) was the bishop of Rome and nominal ruler of the Papal States from January 1004 (25 December 1003 NS) to his abdication in July 1009. He wielded little temporal power, ruling during the struggle between John Crescentius and Emperor Henry II for the control of Rome.

Family
John was born to the Fasano family in Rome. His father was a priest, either named Leo according to Johann Peter Kirsch, or Ursus according to Horace K Mann.

Pontificate
John owed his election to the influence and power of the Crescentii clan. During his whole pontificate, he was allegedly subordinate to the head of the Crescentii, who controlled Rome, the patricius (an aristocratic military leader) John Crescentius III. This period was disrupted by continuing conflicts between the Ottonian Emperor Henry II and Arduin of Ivrea, who had claimed the Kingdom of Italy in 1002 after the death of Emperor Otto III. Rome was wracked with bouts of plague, and Saracens operated freely out of the Emirate of Sicily ravaging the Tyrrhenian coasts.

As pope, John XVIII occupied his time mainly with details of ecclesiastical administration. He authorized a new Diocese of Bamberg to serve as a base for missionary activity among the Slavs, a concern of Henry II. He also adjudicated the over-reaching of the bishops of Sens and Orléans regarding the privileges of the abbot of Fleury. John was successful in creating, at least temporarily, a rapprochement between the Eastern and Western churches. His name could be found on Eastern diptychs and he was prayed for in Masses in Constantinople.

John XVIII abdicated in July 1009 and, according to one catalogue of popes, retired to a monastery, where he died shortly afterwards. His successor was Pope Sergius IV.

title: Pope John XVIII


text:
Duce

Duce is an Italian title, derived from the Latin word dux 'leader', and a cognate of duke. National Fascist Party leader Benito Mussolini was identified by Fascists as Il Duce ('The Leader') of the movement since the birth of the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento in 1919. In 1925 it became a reference to the dictatorial position of Sua Eccellenza Benito Mussolini, Capo del Governo, Duce del Fascismo e Fondatore dell'Impero ('His Excellency Benito Mussolini, Head of Government, Leader of Fascism and Founder of the Empire'). Mussolini held this title together with that of President of the Council of Ministers: this was the constitutional position which entitled him to rule Italy on behalf of the King of Italy. Founder of the Empire was added for the exclusive use by Mussolini in recognition of his founding of an official legal entity of the Italian Empire on behalf of the King in 1936 following Italy's victory in the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. The position was held by Mussolini until 1943, when he was removed from office by the King and the position of "Duce" was dismantled, while Marshal Pietro Badoglio, 1st Duke of Addis Abeba was appointed Presidente del Consiglio.

This position was the model which other fascist leaders adopted, such as the position of Führer by Adolf Hitler and Caudillo by Francisco Franco. In September 1943, Mussolini styled himself as the "Duce of the Italian Social Republic" (Duce della Repubblica Sociale Italiana), and held the position until the collapse of the Italian Social Republic and his execution in April 1945.

History of the term
The title was used outside its traditional noble sense in some of the publications praising Giuseppe Garibaldi during the Italian unification in 1860, though not taken up officially by Garibaldi himself.

Duce Supremo was more formally used by Victor Emmanuel III in 1915, during World War I, referring to his role as the commander in chief of the armed forces. The term was also used by Gabriele d'Annunzio as dictator of the self-proclaimed Italian Regency of Carnaro in 1920, and most significantly by Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. The first record of the term being used in reference to Mussolini dates to a banquet held in his honor in Forlì in 1912, celebrating his new position as editor-in-chief of Avanti!

Because the title Il Duce has become associated with fascism, it is no longer in common use other than in reference to Mussolini. Because of modern anti-fascist sentiment, Italian speakers in general now use other words for leader, mainly including the English loanword. Duce survives as an antonomasia for Mussolini.

Succession
Mussolini intended that the Grand Council of Fascism would choose a successor from a list of three men chosen by him, and submit the name for approval by the king. As of 1940 he may have been preparing his son-in-law Galeazzo Ciano for the role.

title: Duce


text:
Bruce Foxton

Bruce Douglas Foxton (born 1 September 1955) is an English singer, songwriter and musician.

Foxton's music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as bassist and backing vocalist of mod revival band the Jam. He occasionally performed the lead vocals, such as on the songs "Carnaby Street", "News of the World", "David Watts" and "Smithers-Jones". After the band's break-up, he pursued a brief solo career releasing one studio album, Touch Sensitive, in 1984. The album's single "Freak" became a UK Top 20 hit in 1983. He played in several bands, including Sharp with former Jam member Rick Buckler, before joining Stiff Little Fingers in 1990.

After leaving SLF in 2007, Foxton joined Rick Buckler and members of his tribute band, The Gift, to tour under the name From the Jam.

Early life and education
Bruce Douglas Foxton was born the youngest of three boys on 1 September 1955, in Woking, Surrey, England, to parents Henry and Helen. He grew up at 126 Albert Drive, Sheerwater where he was born, and attended Sheerwater Junior and Secondary where he showed great skill in football and technical drawing. In 1972, he left school to work with his brother Derek at a printing firm. While there, he formed a band with his colleagues at work but he abandoned the project out of frustration due to lack of progress and instead chose to join The Jam, although at the beginning he had doubts about the band's frequent covers of old hits.

Career
Together with drummer Rick Buckler he formed the rhythm section for The Jam, which was fronted by singer, guitarist and songwriter Paul Weller. Foxton initially joined the band as lead guitarist (Weller played bass), but the pair switched roles following the departure of guitarist Steve Brookes. During his time with the band Foxton performed lead vocals on several tracks, most notably the singles "David Watts" (a cover of a Kinks track) and "News of the World", which was his own composition. Foxton also penned a number of other tracks, the most notable being "Smithers-Jones", done as a straightforward rock take for the B-side of "When You're Young" and later reworked with strings for the Setting Sons album. After Foxton joined Stiff Little Fingers in 1990 the band would regularly perform the song live.

Whilst in The Jam, Foxton discovered the new wave band the Vapors and offered them two appearances on the May 1979 tour of The Jam. The band was managed by John Weller, Paul's father. The Vapors enjoyed greater success in the US than The Jam, with the Top 40 single "Turning Japanese", but broke up shortly thereafter.

After The Jam broke-up in 1982, Foxton pursued a brief solo career and released the studio album, Touch Sensitive, in 1984. The album's single "Freak" became a UK Top 20 hit in 1983. He had other minor UK hits in 1983 and 1984 with the singles "This Is the Way" and "It Makes Me Wonder", and played in several bands, including Sharp with former Jam member Rick Buckler, before joining Stiff Little Fingers.

He stayed with Stiff Little Fingers for 15 years, during which time they recorded five albums, namely, Flags and Emblems, Get a Life, Tinderbox, Hope Street and Guitar and Drum. During his time with the band, he wrote and co-wrote several tracks and, along with lead singer Jake Burns, managed the band for a while after Russel Emmanuel relinquished the role.

In 1994, Foxton and Buckler collaborated on Our Story, a biography of their years in The Jam. It was around this time he became a source of fascination for comedians Stewart Lee and Richard Herring on their BBC Radio 1 music shows.

In 2006, Foxton toured with Bruce Watson, Mark Brzezicki and Simon Townshend as the Casbah Club. When this band supported the Who in the UK, Foxton encountered Paul Weller backstage for the first time in nearly 25 years.

In February 2007, Foxton and Buckler announced they would be touring together again as From the Jam, with members of Buckler's Jam tribute band the Gift. In March 2008, they toured Australia and New Zealand – a first for Foxton and Buckler. A complete concert (recorded at the London Astoria in December 2007) was released on DVD in 2008 through the London-based indie label Invisible Hands Music.

On 5 May 2009, Foxton attended the funeral of Paul Weller's father John, who had been instrumental in The Jam's success. Foxton played bass and contributed backing vocals on the songs "Fast Car/Slow Traffic" and "She Speaks" included on Weller's solo album, Wake Up the Nation, released in April 2010. On 25 May 2010, at the Royal Albert Hall, Foxton joined Weller onstage for the first time in 28 years, to perform three songs, "Fast Car/Slow Traffic", "The Eton Rifles" and "The Butterfly Collector".

On 1 October 2012, Foxton released Back in the Room, his first album in 30 years. It was funded by fans through PledgeMusic and released on Absolute via Universal. Co-written with From the Jam singer Russell Hastings and featuring drummer Mark Brzezicki, guest musicians included Paul Weller. Weller performed on three tracks, the single "Number Six", "Window Shopping" and "Coming on Strong".

In November 2016, Smash the Clock, a second collaboration with Russell Hastings, was released on Absolute to generally favourable reviews. Once again it featured a number of well known guest musicians, including Paul Weller. "Get Ready to Rock" online magazine/blog in their review wrote "Foxton and Hastings may not thank me for saying it, but this is probably the best album Paul Weller never made" In December 2017, Foxton released the album From The Jam Live! with Hastings. In 2020, Foxton and Hastings celebrated the 40th anniversary of The Jam’s 4th album Setting Sons with a From The Jam tour that involved The Vapors as the original support act on The Jam's 1979 Setting Sons tour. Because of the Covid pandemic, the tour was eventually postponed to 2021. In October 2022, The Butterfly Effect, Foxton's third collaboration with Hastings, was released on Absolute.

Personal life
In early 2009, Foxton's wife of 25 years Pat, who had worked in public relations for United Artists and CBS, died of breast cancer.

Bruce is now married to Kate Foxton (nee Farrow).

Solo
Studio albums

Singles

title: Bruce Foxton


text:
Julian Clary

Julian Peter McDonald Clary (born 25 May 1959) is an English actor, comedian, novelist and presenter. He began appearing on television in the mid-1980s. Since then, he has also acted in films, on television and in stage productions, including numerous pantomimes. He was the winner of Celebrity Big Brother 10 in 2012.

Early life and education
Clary was born on 25 May 1959 in Surbiton, Surrey, to Brenda ( McDonald) Clary, a probation officer, and Peter J. Clary, a police officer. He was brought up in Teddington, Middlesex, with two older sisters. By his own account, he was conceived "in broad daylight" in Clacton-on-Sea in 1958. Two of his great-grandparents were Germans who had immigrated to Britain at the end of the nineteenth century. He and his siblings were raised as Roman Catholics. He attended St Benedict's School, Ealing and, later, he studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths' College, University of London.

Stand-up comedy
Clary is gay, and his sexuality forms the basis for much of his comedy. He refers to himself as a "renowned homosexual" and is known for his outrageous and flamboyant costumes and make-up, and interactions with his audience such as looking in their bags, commenting on their attire and flirting with straight men in the audience. For those who get too close he is quick to respond "Don't touch me". He has been assisted by Hugh Jelly and others in audience participation segments.

Clary began his career under the name Leo Hurll, a fake keyboardist for pop band Thinkman (a recording project conceived by Rupert Hine). He entered the alternative comedy scene in the early 1980s, firstly under the alias Gillian Pieface and later as The Joan Collins Fan Club. He wore heavy glam make-up and dressed in outrageous clothes, often involving leather/PVC and hinting at bondage. His pet dog Fanny the Wonderdog, a whippet mongrel, also featured in performances.

Since then, Clary has undertaken several tours of his stage act, some of which have been released on home video, including:
 * The Mincing Machine Tour (1989)
 * My Glittering Passage (1993)
 * Natural Born Mincer (2003)
 * Lord of the Mince (2009–10)
 * Position Vacant: Apply Within (2012–13)
 * The Joy of Mincing (2016)
 * Born to Mince (2019)

He was named Ambassador for the 2016 Adelaide Fringe, responsible for promoting the festival internationally.

Television
After a number of appearances on Friday Night Live in the mid- to late 1980s, Clary co-hosted the short-lived ITV game show Trick or Treat in 1989 with Mike Smith, before achieving greater success later that year with his own high-camp Channel 4 game show, Sticky Moments with Julian Clary. More a vehicle for his brand of humour than a genuine gameshow, Sticky Moments was a light-hearted "non-quiz" satire, with him often awarding points because he liked the contestants, rather than because they possessed a particular skill or aptitude. He later starred in the 1992 audience participation sitcom Terry and Julian with Lee Simpson, again for Channel 4.

Also in 1992, he played a cameo guest star part in the BBC drama Virtual Murder. In the episode "A Dream of Dracula", he played an undertaker, alongside other guest stars including Alfred Marks, Jill Gascoine, Ronald Fraser and Peggy Mount. In the same year, while visiting Australia, he made a controversial appearance alongside Rex Mossop on Tonight Live with Steve Vizard, during which Mossop espoused homophobic opinions. He also appeared in an episode of the improvisational comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? in 1991.

On 12 December 1993, he made an infamous appearance at the British Comedy Awards, where he made a joke comparing the set to Hampstead Heath (some of which is known as a cruising area for gay men) and stated he had just been fisting the former Chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont, who had presented an award earlier in the ceremony. Due to the instant audience reaction, the punchline ("Talk about a red box!") was widely overlooked. Although the joke was met with uproarious laughter from the audience and Lamont himself did not complain over it, he was criticised in some newspapers, particularly by the Daily Mail and The Sun, who both launched a campaign to have him banned from television. Despite these attempts, Clary's next series was the BBC's studio-based All Rise for Julian Clary in 1996, in which he played a judge in a mock courtroom setting.

From 1998 to 2001, he hosted three series of the Sky TV show Prickly Heat, the first two series with Davina McCall, the last one with Denise van Outen. Additionally, from 1999 to 2002, he was the face of Daz laundry detergent, taking over from Shane Richie, Michael Barrymore and Danny Baker. He is a recurring performer and one of the most popular performers in the ITV Pantos. He played "First Henchman" and "Tim" in 1998's Jack and The Beanstalk; "The Good Fairy" in 2000's Cinderella; "The Genie of the Lamp" in 2000's Aladdin and "Chris the Cat" in 2002's Dick Whittington. In 1999, he became a team captain on the quiz show It's Only TV...but I Like It, alongside Phill Jupitus and Jonathan Ross. In 2003, he presented the first series of the Japanese TV clip show, Sushi TV for Challenge. In 2004, he took part in the BBC series Strictly Come Dancing, finishing third with his partner Erin Boag. In 2005, he hosted Come and Have A Go for the National Lottery.

He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 2001 when he was surprised by Michael Aspel during the curtain call of the pantomime Cinderella at the Richmond Theatre.

On 1 February 2006, he appeared on the BBC programme Who Do You Think You Are?, a genealogy series which traced his ancestors to a World War I flight engineer and German immigrants among both his mother's and father's forebears. In May 2006, and again in April 2008, he hosted an episode of the topical quiz show Have I Got News for You.

In September 2006, he returned to primetime TV as presenter and judge on Channel 5's brand new celebrity performance programme The All Star Talent Show. He was joined by two guest judges every week to assess celebrity performances and co-presented with Myleene Klass and Andi Peters. He also narrated the Channel 5 children's series The Little Princess with Jane Horrocks.

In November 2006, he appeared on QI, a panel game/comedy show hosted by Stephen Fry and also appeared on an episode of The New Paul O'Grady Show.

In 2007, he made a cameo appearance in the Australian soap opera, Neighbours, in scenes filmed in London with Natalie Bassingthwaighte.

From 20 March 2007, Clary presented a brand-new show for the BBC called The Underdog Show. Celebrities and children were paired up with rescue dogs. They then commenced training and competed against each other in obedience and agility trials in a live arena. The show ran until 26 April 2007.

He also appeared on television regularly in 2008, starting in January when he was drafted in as a relief presenter for This Morning, co-presenting alongside Fern Britton and Ruth Langsford during Phillip Schofield's absence. In April, he once again fronted the BBC One series Have I Got News for You, and he filmed an episode of Celebrity Bargain Hunt in May. He was also a short-notice guest on The Paul O'Grady Show in October 2008, after Peter Andre and Katie Price could not appear (Clary and O'Grady were friends and neighbours).

In 2012, Clary was one of the contestants in Celebrity Big Brother 10 and went on to win the series. In 2013, he was a judge on the ITV entertainment series Your Face Sounds Familiar, alongside Emma Bunton.

In March 2015, it was announced that Clary would take part in ITV's Give a Pet a Home show which works alongside the RSPCA in Birmingham. The series began airing on 15 April 2015 for six episodes.

From 1 August 2015, Clary presented Nature Nuts with Julian Clary, a new three-part nature show for ITV.

Clary was a contestant on the 16th series of Taskmaster, along with Lucy Beaumont, Sam Campbell, Sue Perkins and Susan Wokoma, which started broadcasting in September 2023. He came second.

Theatre and pantomime
Clary played Leigh Bowery in the West End of London musical Taboo in 2002. He also took part in the touring production in 2004.

From 2 October 2007, he played the much coveted role of 'Emcee', in Rufus Norris's Olivier Award-winning production of Cabaret, which was in its second year in the West End. Clary was with the show until 19 April 2008. The following year he took part in the Strictly Come Dancing Tour in January and February 2009. He was partnered with Lilia Kopylova.

Clary starred as Michael in Le Grand Mort, a play written specifically for him by playwright Stephen Clark (prior to his death in 2016), opposite James Nelson-Joyce as Tim from 20 September to 28 October 2017 at Trafalgar Studios 2 in London's West End.

Clary was due to appear as Norman in a UK tour of The Dresser by Ronald Harwood, alongside Matthew Kelly as 'Sir' in September 2020, however due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the production was postponed to 2021.

Clary has appeared in numerous Christmas pantomimes and has recently become a regular star of the London Palladium pantomimes. In December 2019, Clary was inducted in a ceremony held by Andrew Lloyd Webber onto the Wall of Fame, joining the many stars that have appeared at the Palladium.

In 2023, Clary joined the cast of Jesus Christ Superstar for the UK tour, playing the part of Herod from 11 September onwards.

Film
Clary appeared in the film Carry On Columbus (1992), an unsuccessful attempt to revive the "Carry On" series of films. It was widely panned by critics, but was more financially profitable than the two other Columbus films released the same year: 1492: Conquest of Paradise and Christopher Columbus: The Discovery.

Clary returned to film in 2001 in the film The Baby Juice Express which starred Lisa Faulkner, Samantha Womack, Ruth Jones and David Seaman, about a prisoner who is desperate to find some way of conceiving with his wife whilst he is in prison, but the sperm ends up getting hijacked. It was released on DVD in 2004.

Radio
Clary appeared on The Big Fun Show in 1988.

In 1992 Clary hosted a radio show for the BBC called Intimate Contact, the premise of which was for him to act as a genial 'Mr Fix-it' for a wide range of 'punter' problems. Clary attempted to solve these issues over the telephone, with the assistance of roving reporter "Hugh Jelly" (actor Philip Herbert). It originally aired on BBC Radio 1 for two series; the pilot and 6-part first series have since been repeated on BBC Radio 4 Extra a number of times.

He is also often a guest on Just a Minute, the BBC Radio 4 comedy show.

Writing
Clary has released two large-format comedy books: My Life With Fanny The Wonder Dog (1989) and How To Be A Man (1992). Between 2005 and 2008, Clary wrote a fortnightly column for the New Statesman magazine.

Autobiographies
He published an autobiography, A Young Man's Passage, which covers his life and career up to the 1993 "Norman Lamont incident" at the British Comedy Awards (see above). Then in 2021 The Lick of Love: How Dogs Changed My Life, telling his life through his pets to more recent times.

Novels
In 2007, Clary released his first novel, Murder Most Fab, published by Ebury Press. His second novel, Devil in Disguise, was published in 2009.

Children's books ("The Bolds")
Since 2015 he has written a number of books for children:

Music
Clary often performs comical renditions of musical numbers in his stage and television appearances, ranging from old classics to original material. He released a music single in 1988 (credited as the Joan Collins Fan Club), a humorous rendition of "Leader of the Pack", which he often performed in his stage and television appearances at the time. The single was produced by Rupert Hine and reached number 60 in the UK Singles Chart. Another single, "Wand'rin' Star", was released in 1990. The single was backed with the self-penned track, "Uncanny and Unnatural".

Personal life
Clary's boyfriend Christopher died of AIDS in 1991. Clary has been in a relationship with Ian Mackley since 2005, and the couple were married on 19 November 2016. They lived at Goldenhurst Farm, a seventeenth-century manor house once owned by Noël Coward, in Aldington, Kent until 2018. Clary also has a house in Camden, North London.

On 7 September 2005, the University of London's Goldsmiths College made Clary an Honorary Fellow. In July 2014, the University of East Anglia awarded Clary an honorary Doctorate of Civil Law.

title: Julian Clary


text: Talk:Texas root rot

title: Talk:Texas root rot


text:
Church of Iceland

The Church of Iceland (Þjóðkirkjan), officially the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland (hin evangelíska lúterska kirkja), is the national church of Iceland. The church is Christian and professes the Lutheran faith. It is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the Porvoo Communion, the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe, and the World Council of Churches.

The church is organised as a single diocese headed by the Bishop of Iceland. Agnes M. Sigurðardóttir, appointed in 2012, held this post, the first woman to hold this position. The church has two suffragan sees, Skálholt and Hólar, whose bishops are suffragans or assistant bishops to the Bishop of Iceland; unusually, each has a cathedral church despite not being in a separate diocese.

Pre-Christian era and the adoption of Christianity
Christianity was present from the beginning of human habitation in Iceland. The first people setting foot on Icelandic soil were Chalcedonian Irish hermits (see Papar), seeking refuge on these remote shores to worship Christ. Later, Norse settlers are thought to have driven them out. Some of the settlers were Christians, although the majority were pagan, worshipping the old Norse gods. When the Alþingi was first convened in 930 CE, it was based upon Norse paganism. In the late 10th century, missionaries from the continent sought to spread Catholicism (pre-Great Schism) among the population.

Ari Þorgilsson, in his historical work Íslendingabók, recounts that the society was deeply divided between the adherents of the different religions that would not tolerate each other. At the Alþingi in Þingvellir, in the year 1000, the Icelandic Commonwealth was on the brink of civil war. The different leaders realized the danger and found a solution. They chose a person that everybody respected for his wisdom, the heathen priest and chieftain, Þorgeir of Ljósavatn, to decide which way the people should go. Þorgeir retired to his dwelling and lay there all day meditating with a cloak covering his face so that nobody would disturb him. The next day he called the assembly together and made his decision known. "If we put asunder the law, we will put asunder the peace," he said. "Let it be the foundation of our law that everyone in this land shall be Christian and believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit." His conversion decree included three pagan practices that would be tolerated and only practiced in private. These practices were pagan sacrifices, the exposure of infants, and the eating of horse flesh. The people agreed and many were subsequently baptized in the waters of Vígðalaug hot springs. Once Þorgeir was baptized he returned to his farm in Ljósavatn, gathered the images of his gods, and threw them into a waterfall to show his commitment to the new law.

Before Reformation
At the inauguration of Christianity in Iceland, missionary bishops and priests from Germany, England, and Eastern Europe worked among the population. The first Icelandic bishop, Ísleifur Gissurarson, was consecrated in Bremen in 1056, and he made Skálholt the episcopal see. Thereafter, Skálholt was the centre of Christian learning and spirituality in the country through the 18th century. In spite of all the upheavals of history there is a marked continuity within the church of Iceland. For the first five centuries, the Icelandic church was Roman Catholic. In the beginning of 1056, it was part of the province in Bremen. Later, the Icelandic church came under the archbishops of Lund and in 1153 it became a part of the province of Nidaros. Iceland was divided into two dioceses, Skálholt, established 1056, and Holar in 1106. These continued until 1801, when Iceland became one diocese under one bishop of Iceland, residing in Reykjavík.

The country was an independent republic from 930 until 1262. Then Iceland, having suffered civil war and anarchy, came under the rule of the Norwegian Realm and in 1380 with Norway under the Danish crown. In 1944 Iceland regained its independence as a republic.

Three Icelandic churchmen were revered as saints, even though none of them was actually canonized. The most famous of them is Saint Thorlak (Þorlákur Þórhallsson) of Skálholt (1133–1193). He was educated in Lincoln, England, and in Paris, France. Returning to Iceland, Þorlákur became an abbot of the Canon Regular monastery of Þykkvibær, soon gaining a reputation for his sanctity. As a bishop of Skálholt, he sought to enforce the decrees of Rome regarding the ownership of church property and morality of the clergy. The Icelandic calendar has two days dedicated to Þorlákur, 20 July and 23 December. The other two saintly bishops are Jón Ögmundsson (1106–1121) and Guðmundur Arason (1203–1237).

There was great literary activity during the 12th and 13th centuries, producing extensive religious literature in the Icelandic language as well as the well-known sagas. Clergy doubtless wrote most of them. Parts of the Bible were already translated into Icelandic in the 13th century. This powerful and enduring literary tradition with its strong national character has shaped the Icelandic language and inspired literary activity. Icelandic has had a continuity that makes it the oldest living language in Europe. The Icelandic hymnal contains hymns from the 12th century and the 14th centuries in their original linguistic forms.

Reformation
In 1540, the Lutheran Reformation was established in Iceland, enforced by the Danish crown. The monasteries were dissolved and much of the property of the episcopal sees confiscated by the King of Denmark, who became the supreme head of the church. A dark spot in the history of the Reformation is the lawless execution in 1550 of the last Roman Catholic bishop of Hólar, Jón Arason, and his two sons. Most of the Roman priests continued in their parishes under the Lutheran church ordinance. The Reformation unleashed renewed literary activity in the country. The publication of the Icelandic translation of the New Testament in 1540 and the entire Bible in 1584, marks important milestones in the history of the Icelandic language and is a major factor in its preservation. The "Hymns of the Passion", 50 meditations on the cross by the 17th century poet and minister Hallgrímur Pétursson (1614–1674), were for generations the most important school of prayer and wisdom. The same can be said of "The Postil", the sermons of Jón Vídalin, Bishop of Skálholt (1698–1720). His eloquent and dynamic sermons were read in every home for generations.

The Icelandic Bible Society was founded in 1815. Its foundation was the fruit of the visit of a Scottish minister, Ebenezer Henderson, who travelled around the country distributing Bibles and New Testaments.

The 19th century witnessed the beginning of a national revival in Iceland and a movement towards political independence. Many clergy played an important part in that movement.

Modern era
The constitution of 1874 guarantees religious freedom, but the constitution also specifies that the "Evangelical Lutheran Church is a national church and as such it is protected and supported by the State." This provision was retained in the constitution of the Republic of Iceland of 1944. Around the start of the 20th century, the church legislation was reformed, parish councils were established and the congregations gained the right to elect their pastors. A new translation of the Bible was printed in 1912, and revised in 1981. The most recent translation of the Bible was published in 2007 by the Icelandic Bible Society. In the early 20th century, liberal theology was introduced in Iceland, causing great theological strife between liberal and conservative adherents. Textual criticism of the Scriptures and radical theological liberalism was quite influential in the Department of Theology within the newly founded University of Iceland. Spiritism and theosophical writings were also influential in intellectual circles. Opposed to this were the inner mission, the YMCA/YWCA, and missionary societies with a pietistic leadership. This conflict marred church life in the country well into the 1960s. At the start of the 20th century, two Lutheran free churches were founded, based on the same confessions as the national church and using the same liturgy and hymnal, but structurally and financially independent. Earlier, Roman Catholic priests and nuns had established missions and founded hospitals. In the early decades of the 20th century Seventh Day Adventist and Pentecostal missions were quite successful.

Until the 20th century, most Icelanders were rural farmers and fishermen who enjoyed a traditional lifestyle. The church was a part of this way of life, with prayers and devotions in every home and everyday life influenced by religious customs. Modern social upheavals have brought with them problems for the church in Iceland. Iceland is a modern and highly urbanized society, highly secularized with increasing pluralism of belief.

About 62% of the population belong to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland and over 90% of the populace belong to Christian churches. Nine out of 10 children are baptised in their first year, more than 90% of adolescents are confirmed, 85% are married in the church and 99% of funerals take place in the church. Regular Sunday morning worshippers are a much lower percentage of the population, even though church festivals and special events frequently draw large crowds.

In 2000, the Icelandic people celebrated the millennium of Christianity in Iceland. In a 2004 Gallup poll of Icelanders, 51% of respondents described themselves as "religious". Ordination of women and blessing of same-sex marriages are allowed while allowing individual priests to not go against their conscience is discussed.

Assembly and Council
On 1 January 1998, a new law came into effect defining the status of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland and its relations to the government. The annual Church Assembly (Kirkjuþing) is now the highest legislative authority of the church, making most church law previously enacted by the Alþing. The Kirkjuþing has 29 elected representatives, 12 ordained and 17 lay-people, and a lay President.

The highest executive authority is the Church Council, Kirkjuráð, with two clergy and two lay-persons elected by the Kirkjuþing, and presided over by the Bishop of Iceland. The Bishop's Office in Church House in Reykjavík also serves as the office of the Kirkjuráð. Besides dealing with financial matters and personnel, it also has departments of education and diaconia, ecumenical affairs, church and society and communication. The church's publishing house is also situated in Church House.

Ministry and Synod
After the Reformation, the Icelandic church retained the two traditional dioceses of Skálholt and Hólar until 1801, when the sees were united into a single bishopric. The bishop of Iceland is based in Reykjavík, where the cathedral and bishop's office are located. New bishops were traditionally consecrated by Danish bishops until 1908 when, with growing demands for independence from Denmark, the outgoing bishop consecrated his own successor.

In 1909, two assistant or suffragan bishoprics (vígslubiskup) were created by reviving the old episcopal sees of Skálholt and Hólar. Although they are not diocesan bishops, they are responsible for the cathedrals of their sees and the building up of these as centres of study and spirituality. In 1990, new legislation was passed to give the suffragan bishops greater responsibility as assistants to the bishop of Iceland in pastoral matters and together the three bishops form the Bishops' Council.

Annually, the bishop summons all the pastors and theologians of the church to the Pastoral Synod, to discuss the affairs of the church and society. The synod has a say in all matters of theology and liturgy to be decided by the bishop and Kirkjuþing. There are about 150 priests and 27 ordained deacons in the church. Fourteen priests work in non-parochial ministries in hospitals and other institutions. The Church of Iceland also has priests serving Icelandic congregations abroad.

Local parishes
There are about 300 Lutheran parishes nationwide. Each parish is a financially independent unit, responsible for the construction and upkeep of its church buildings and all the work of the congregation. Besides worship services, parish work covers wide range of educational and diaconal activities, children and youth work. In rural areas several parishes may be served by the same priest.

Theological education
The theological faculty of the University of Iceland, founded in 1911, educates the clergy (priests and deacons) for the Lutheran Church. Many theologians go abroad for further studies in seminaries and universities on both sides of the Atlantic. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland is far from being isolated and is open to all contemporary influences and theological trends.

Ecumenical alliances
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the World Council of Churches, the Conference of European Churches, and the Communion of Protestant Churches in Europe. In 1995 the church signed the Porvoo Communion Statement, entering into full communion (a close relationship with acknowledgement of shared doctrines and common ministries) with the Nordic and Baltic Lutheran churches and the Anglican Churches of the British Isles.

The Missionary Federation of Iceland in cooperation with the Norwegian Missionary Federation has operated missions in China, Ethiopia, and Kenya. The Icelandic Church Aid has worked in cooperation with international agencies in relief and development work in various parts of the world.

The church has historical connections with the other Nordic churches including the Church of Sweden, Church of Norway, Church of Finland, and its former parent church, the Church of Denmark. All Nordic state churches are of the Lutheran Christian tradition.

title: Church of Iceland