Nico/Christa Päffgen

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No problem! Some others:

Ron Asheton: "The next night or so, we went to Steve Paul’s club, the Scene, to see Terry Reid play. Jimi Hendrix showed up and jammed with him. After the show, Iggy and I had a beer with Hendrix. Iggy was walking around with Nico, and I was just sitting there snickering, because she was leading him around like he was her kid. She was so tall and he’s so short – they were holding hands, real lovey-dovey. She wouldn’t let him out of her sight."

Danny Fields: "You kind of expected that Iggy would be someone Nico would fall in love with. He was everything she would like in a guy: wounded, brilliant, fragile but made of steel, insane, demented. So it was no surprise. Nico fell in love with everyone who was extremely brilliant, insane, or a junkie. I don’t want to seem cyncical, and if I knew it was going to make such history I would have had a tape recorder, but at the time it was, “Ho hum, Nico’s in love with another poet."

Iggy Pop: "I was making love to Nico a lot. All day pretty much. Nico was really something special. I dug her a lot. I couldn’t fall in love with anybody, but I was really thrilled and excited to be around her. She was older and she was from somewhere else. I really liked that – her accent was from somewhere else, everything about her was from somewhere else. Also, she was extremely strong. It was like hanging out with a guy except she had girl’s parts; that was the only difference, otherwise it was like hanging out with a tough-minded, egotistical, artiste kinda guy. She’d be very opinionated about my work, and this, that, and the other thing – then all of a sudden that veneer would fall off and she would show tremendous vulnerability. And then I would see her: Here’s someone over thirty, not a model anymore, not a commercial entity of any kind in the big business called America, and what the (f)uck is she gonna do? Nico had a great sadness about her. You know, she had all the accoutrements of a really groovy international gal – the right boots, the right sheepskin coat, the right hair, and she knew people on the right level, and yet she was (f)ucked-up – she had a twist to her. She was a great, great artist. It was just a real kick to be around her. I’m absolutely convinced that some day, when people have ears to hear her, in the same way that people have eyes to see a van Gogh now, that people are just gonna go, “WHOAAAA!” Then she came with me to Ann Arbor and lived in the band house with me."

Ron Asheton: "When Iggy said, “Nico’s coming,” it was like, “Hey well cool, we don’t care.” When Nico moved into the Fun House, we hardly saw her, because Iggy kept her up in the attic. The only time we saw her was when we practiced, and we resented her being there because we had a big rule – nobody allowed in the practice room, especially a woman."

Iggy Pop: "The Stooges didn’t want any girls in the house, especially one who had a very deep voice. They would imitate how she talked. Nico would try to cook for us, but she would cook a pot of brown rice and pour half a container of Tabasco sauce in it. She had an ear infection and she felt the Tabasco would clear her ear out. And Nico liked to drink. She got me into that, too, and while she was living with us my shows started getting really, really bad. Because Nico was a bad seed. You know, she was not like the girl next door."

Ron Asheton: "Nico got some filmmaker to come to Michigan and make some sixteen-millimeter movie with Iggy. We all went out to this farm, and Nico got John Adams to be in it, too, because he looked like a sphinx: big, long, tight, curly red hair. It was the dead of winter and we were sitting looking out this picture window, laughing, while they put these mannequin arms all over the field – John with no shirt on, and Iggy with no shirt on, doing nothing. Boy, it was real artsy."

Iggy Pop: "We ran around and around this potato field and mimed with plastic limbs. I never made much sense of it. It was jive. But I needed dinner that day. What had happened was that Francois de Menil of Texas money wanted to do a film with Nico and she said, “If you wanna do a film, you gotta come out to Michigan and put Jimmy in it.” So he said, “Well, okay.”

Danny Fields: "Nico would call me all the time from Ann Arbor, saying, “I don’t know eeeff he loves meee enymore, he’s ignoring meee, oooh, he’s so meeean to meee!” I’d say, “Well, I guess you picked kind of a hard guy to have an affair with.” You know, sorry, but what else is new?"

Iggy Pop: "Nico used to say to me, “Zhimmy, oh Zhimmy, you must be totally poisoned to do what you do. You are only mostly poisoned, you must be totally poisoned.” She meant I had too much humanity. Then she’d feed me red wines with French names I never heard of. That’s how I learned all that bull(s)hit; that’s how I learned how to modulate my voice…wear light blue suits and speak to record company executives."

Ron Asheton: "Nico stayed a long time, about three months. Iggy never said if he was in love with her or not. But I remember after she left, Iggy came downstairs looking for some advice. He came up to me and said, “Well, I, I think something’s wrong, maybe you can tell me what this is?” So he whips out his (c)ock, squeezes it, and green goo comes out. I said, “Buddy, you got the clap.” Nico gave Iggy his first dose of the clap."
 
Does anyone else think this looks like Janis Joplin in this pic with Nico? I know Janis never lived in NY but I have seen a photo of her with Andy Warhol at Max's Kansas City so she may have visited the Factory:

 
Nico interview with Jim Condon (I typed it from an online book with pages missing, so it's not the whole thing):

Naturally, I jumped at the chance to do the interview, which Nico would only allow in person. We met in New York, December 13th, 1980, at a bar near the Chelsea Hotel. She more closely resembled the cover photograph of June 1 1974 than any of the more recent pictures I've seen. She was dressed in her own inimitable style, clad in black boots, a black Moroccan shawl, and the same scarf she wore in the liner photos of the Neuronium album. She seemed to be in good spirits, despite a bad cold. She proceeded to Ferdinand's, a Spanish restaurant nearby. It was here the bulk of the interview was conducted, while we were treated royally by our bartender Willie.

Is "Henry Hudson" going to be on the new album?

Of course. What do you think? Would you like an argument?

Are you putting "You're Lost Little Girl" on it?

(laughs) What makes you think that?

You said you were thinking of recording it with Bobby Kreiger.

When did I say that? Three years ago?

Yes. You said that you have seven or eight songs written for the album.

Oh no. I have exactly 13 - my lucky number. Today is the 13th that you're here - right on the spot! I'm not quite here - you understand? I mean I really want to give you a good interview. I don't want just to babble.

Feel free. Do you have a contract for this album?

It's right in there, yes. (Gestures towards a manilla envelope lying on a table). It's not signed yet.

Do you know who will be producing?

Officially, Adrian Barber, but it will be me mainly. I have some good ideas about doing it. I'm very well oriented. I mean I'm really into everything, and I'm mainly into jazz. Not from the very beginning because I grew up with opera. I guess a combination of what I'm doing.

Do you listen to medieval baroque?

Not at all. I like guitar players. I like Guitarists like Larry Coryell.

Did you see Bowie in The Elephant Man?

No, it was too difficult to get in. I don't want to pay 20 bucks to get in there. I mean in Paris I always had free tickets easily, but over here I don't know, he protects himself too well I guess.

Are you using Lutz Ulbricht on this album?

He's not here. I would use him, but it depends on how big the budget is. I would really like Christian Vander from Magma...Have you ever had a Planter's Punch? I prefer the Myer's rum best. I am a rum fanatic.

[Missing interview]

Andy wrote about the time you drove him up to Ann Arbor in his book...(Andy said, "Nico's driving was really insane when we hit Ann Arbor. She was shooting across sidewalks and over people's lawns.")

(laughs) Oh my God. He was the only one who wasn't scared. He just couldn't care less. He figured that if I could take charge of 15 people on the bus, I have to be a good driver not a land in a ditch or something.

Lou Reed has written songs based on life at the Factory. Did you get any inspiration or material from it?

I wrote "The Falconer" for Andy. Do you remember "Innocent And Vain" from the last one? That is partially about the "Wanted Series." He painted a "Wanted Series" - men in profile and men facing you. That's when you get caught in jail...I think that's the most interesting series he's ever done, to be honest.

Do you like his new work?

We are not friendly enough that I should say that. I mean, if I were a materialist, I would say he owes me a lot of money.

How did you meet Andy?

I really met Andy and the whole group in Paris...He is too much of a businessman to be a true artist.

Did you think that Andy's new book is accurate?

I've read a passage, maybe. (Nico stars to apply makeup from a small compact). Oh my goodness - I look absolutely terrifying. He is too much of a businessman. Now he is getting his own TV show.

What's the name of it?

"Andy Warhol's Show". It has the same lettering as InterView magazine.

[Missing interview]

When did you meet Bob Dylan?

In Paris, when he was 20. I met him through a friend.

Did he play the piano on "I'll Keep It With Mine"?

He sent me the acetate because he had promised me a song for my singing, but it never went on a single, it just went on Chelsea Girls...There is something about your eyes that reminds me of Bob Dylan at that same age.

I've never been told that. What was he like when you knew him?

He was on junk.

I thought he was known to be on speed at that time. Maybe it was a little later.

You mean when he broke his neck? That's very easily possible. I wouldn't know about that. I was in Spain then.

What do you think of Dylan's Christianity?

I think he's a little too late all of a sudden to be writing about Christianity 11 or 12 years later. I mean if this is the promised land, I've just been crucified the past two weeks. It really hurts. I'm not kidding. I wouldn't look the way I look.

You look better than photographs of you at CBGB's.

That was last year, yes? Which one? You mean the one in Wet magazine? That horrible picture where I look like Mama Cass?

Do you listen to Arabian music?

First Spanish, because that's more important. It's so hard to sing. Wee-ly! Por favor! (More drinks and shrimps in green sauce. Nico selects Spanish music for the jukebox).

Did you ever meet John Lennon?

Yes. He was a wise guy. It (his assassination) had to happen sooner or later. It will happen to me too...(Referring to the music on the jukebox): He used to be my favourite flamenco singer when I first went to Spain. I am going to get myself a fantastic flamenco dancer's suit. Not for women, but for men.

Are you going to wear a rose in your teeth?

No, that is for for women. I am talking about the men flamencos. They are so beautiful, the way it is designed.

Did you ever write any songs with Jim Morrison?

He told me that I should write songs for him and that he should write songs for me. One of them on the very first one - "Frozen Warnings." "Frozen Warnings" is about a hermit crossing the borderline...He was so much ashamed of his Christianity. He was a Jesus freak for a while. It was during the "Purple Haze" era. Were you already born then?

Yes, I was born in 1960.

You're only two years older than my son. I never knew I could write songs until I met Jim Morrison. He told me I should do this. He showed me how to do it, too.

When was the last time you saw him?

I knew him four or five years before he went to Paris. He only came to Paris because he had fallen off a roof and he hurt his lungs. He couldn't sing anymore. He was always coughing up blood. He was always climbing around the edge of the roof. It had to happen.

Do you think Brian Jones had a death wish?

Not at all. He was totally separate. Why Brian?

Some people have described him as being very self-destructive.

But a true artist must self-destruct.

Do you think that you're going to?

I think I'm already doing it. Don't you?

That's not for me to judge. I'd like to say that I don't see that happening.

Can't you tell by the way I live? It's a continual battle, a drama, being a stranger to myself. I don't have any references to know who I really am. I mean everyday.

I don't think anyone ever really knows.

I mean to be really always in exile. I'm a total stranger to myself. Expect sometimes when I get reminded.
 
Thank you for the interview! I've never read it before! What book was it in? I hate how books online skip pages!
 
You're welcome:flower:

I hate that about online books too, what's also annoying is they seem to have different pages available at different times. The book is called The Velvet Underground Companion: Four Decades of Commentary
 
Awesome, thanks! I think she also talks about Iggy in that interview, should be interesting.
 
I found the rest of the interview, damn online books keep changing what's available:

Who is the person with you on the cover of Desertshore?
Oh, that is Ari (Her son).
(Nico did not know that her albums were cut-outs. She didn't really know what one was so I showed her my copy of The Marble Index that had a hole punched through it. Several people in the bar offered to buy it).
That's funny, he wants to buy the album. If everybody walked around with my albums everybody would try to buy them. And I never get a peanut out of it. On my own albums I have not had royalties at all. Like Joe Boyd's pretense that Desertshore sold 3000 copies. That's the best joke. I learned that last night.
Have you seen Joe Boyd?
My manager tells me this.
How long have you know Anita Pallenberg?
Since we were first hanging out in London with The Rollling Stones. She was a real nasty person. She would do anything to upset her girlfriends. I don't know her anymore.
Have you see her since Le Berceau de Cristal?
I wasn't with her. I was in Rome and Barcelona when he was shooting that sequence. I was working in Barcelona, writing songs for this album. It is already two years - a year and a half ago that I got out of this contract finally after four painful years.
The Island contract?
It was Isle Of Man. Some guy that used to handle me in the beginning with Andrew Oldham. I did the "Ready Steady Go" show in London when I did a single with Andrew Oldham. Did you ever heard that? (C. Nods) You did? "I'm Not Sayin'?" What a terrible song!
Is Un Ange Passe in color?
Un Ange Passe? But I only had a small role in that. I am not even sure, maybe I'm wrong, because I made so many movies with him that I'm not sure which one I'm in.
Did Ash Ra Tempel release the soundtrack they composed for Le Berceau de Cristal?
Yes, that's one of my life stories. It's a version, one of the versions.
Which one of your songs was used in Le Lit de la Vierge?
Le Lit de la Vierge? It was "The Falconer."
Were you ever in The Living Theatre?
No, I studied with Lee Strasberg.
Have your films ever been shown in festivals?
Yes, at the New York festival one time, but I guess it wasn't advertised well enough.
Have you ever considered working with anyone else in films?
No, I don't think anybody is near as good as Garrel.
Do you have a favourite movie?
The Sea Wolf by Jack London.
(Nico was not aware that some of the Velvet Underground albums are out of print in America.)
They are? How come?
I presume because no one here was buying them.
Then how come Lou Reed has such a big house and how does he manage to live like this?
I'm not really in a position to answer that question (Nico and I have a short conversation about my trip to New York.)
Do you drive?
I drive like the devil.
Do you remember anything about a half-hour segment of Four Stars called "Nico-Katrina"?
A half-hour? It was 28 hours long.
This was only one part of it.
I know, but I never acted with her together. She acted separately.
Were you ever managed by Danny Fields?
No, he was my friend. I hardly see him anymore ever.
Did you meet Iggy through Danny Fields?
Yes.
You first went to Spain with your mother when you were 15?
Yes, to Ibiza.
How is your mother?
She has gone away. It is already some time ago, 11 years ago.
Did she influence you by introducing you to opera?
She didn't. The music did by itself.
Did your parents have any effect on your career?
Well, my father was an archeologist, so he may have influenced me in that sense.
Were you brought up as a Lutheran or a Catholic?
I was baptized a Catholic and I was brought up as a very strict Protestant.
You said that your music is intentionally pagan.
Well, it tries to be, I hope.
Do you consider yourself a pagan?
Sometimes. But there is a little bit of everything in everyone. It's just got to come out.
Have you ever used tarot cards?
No, that is one thing I cannot stand. I just don't like tarot cards. I mean, I like the four of swords. That's about all.
Are you familiar with Aleister Crowley?
Yes, but not that much. I think Houdini was a great man.
Have you seen Lou Reed recently?
No, I don't hang out in gay bars like he does.
But he's married now. Do you think that's just a ruse?
He likes to manipulate women. You know, like program them. I guess that's why he got married. He wanted to do that with me.
He wanted to manipulate you when you were in the Velvets?
He told me so. Like, computerize me.
Would you say that he was the leader of the group?
He always will be...Wee-ly! Por favour! (We pause to order Margueritas).
What happened at your concert at Rheims?
I was just thinking about that this morning. It was on December the 13th. It was in a cathedral, and there were 6000 there. I can't believe that it was only six years ago.
I read that they called in the local bishop to perform purification rites after the concert.
You know how small town people are. It needed to be resanctified. People were dropping works on the floor. People in the audience were shooting up. I didn't know it afterwards, until I read it. It was so cold in that place. They had to do something to keep themselves warm. Two thousand people were waiting outside, they couldn't all get in. It was so cold, they had to do something. Artificial heat.
Do you like Sabotage Live?
Yes, really. He comes across like a miner. He wants to be a miner. He is in Wales right now visiting his parents. His father is totally deaf and his mother is totally mute - can't talk. Isn't that strange?
I would suppose that would make a person somewhat withdrawn. Is Cale a withdrawn person?
Oh, not at all. He is very authoritarian. He likes to always point his finger at you. He likes to give orders.
Are your songs used without Cale's arrangements in La Ciatrice Interieure?
Except for "Evening Of Light", yes. "Evening Of Light" is the original.
Did John play Harpsichord on that?
No, it was me. It was a little spinet that somebody stole for me.
Do you play instruments other than keyboards?
No. I would play the trumpet. I can make sounds on brass instruments, but it just doesn't suit a woman these days.
Do you still use your harmonica?
Yes, what else should I use? That is the only instrument I have left. It's been busted up on the airplane.
Do you have a favourite out of your four albums?
I like all three of them. I don't like Chelsea Girls. I think it's a flop. I got so depressed when I heard the results of that album.
Do you read music?
I refuse to. I play by memory.
When did you make Evening Of Light?
1968. I didn't totally agree with the way it's edited. I liked the version before better.
Who edited it?
Francois De Menil. Who else? It was his attempt at being a movie director. He also made a full-length feature that cost him a fortune.
Doesn't he have a fortune?
Yes, but he likes to deny it.
There was another guy in the film from Ann Arbor.
Oh, him. I can't remember his name. We used to go up there to sing at the university. We stayed at this woman's house who had two sons. It was a child of movie makers.
So you knew Iggy before he was a recording star?
Oh, yes. But I told everybody he would be a big star and I took him to the Factory to see Andy and they all laughed at me, they were kind of teasing me for bringing him around. This little kid with a runny nose.
What did Andy think of him?
He thought he was a cute little thing. He didn't think much of him, I don't think.
When was the last time you saw him?
In Paris. last time. (Apparently not wishing to go into the subject any further...Iggy's side of the story is detailed in Nick Kent's interview in NME and Creem from around the time of New Values.)
 
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I know, that made me LOL too! She really was great at the underhanded jibes.
 
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Thank you for the rest of the article PinkGoddess!

Nico with Marie France in 1977
Site de fan de la chanteuse Marie France

Nico, Model and singer Nico at the Artkraft Strauss billboard factory, 1965.© Steve Schapiro/Corbis
 

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the second picture is soo beautiful! actually, both are :heart: thanks a lot babydoll, both are new to me
 
Nico: The Chelsea Girl pt. 1

I enjoy all the contributions to this thread! This was my impetus for membership.

I find this "Splendor in the Grass" shoot lovely:
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(elle.fr)
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(rexfeatures.com)
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(bbc.co.uk/radio4)
 
Nico: The Chelsea Girl pt. 3

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(scan from the Frozen Borderline CD back cover; I added the Nico text)
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(scan from Caught Between the Twisted Stars CD cover)
This is a great photoshoot series!
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(youtube.com)
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I love this one
(ebay.com; I cleaned it up on photoshop)
 
Nico: The Chelsea Girl pt. 4

2 pieces of Nico art I created:
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(images mostly derived from youtube.com)
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(image originally derived from the back of Chelsea Girl CD)
 
Nico: Chelsea Girls DVD Booklet

These are from the UK Chelsea Girls DVD release booklet.
 

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