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Biography
Cleanup|date=February 2009Infobox musical artist | name = Living Things| image = Living Things band.jpg| caption =| image_size =| landscape = yes| background = group_or_band| alias =| origin = St. Louis, Missouri , USA| genre = psychobilly , punk rock , Dub (music)|dub | years_active = 2004& ndash;present| label = Dreamworks Records Brotherly Recordings | associated_acts =| website = http://www.livingthingsband.com/| current_members = Lillian Berlin Eve Berlin Bosh Berlin | past_members = Cory Becker| notable_instruments = Living Things are an American punk rock band from St. Louis, Missouri . The band consists of chief provocateur singer/songwriter/guitarist Lillian Berlin and his two siblings Yves Berlin (bass guitar) and Bosh Berlin (drums). Singer Lillian Berlin's lyrics and songwriting has been described as "fiercely political". Living Things were #42 on Rolling Stone magazine's top 50 album's of 2005 with their debut full length album "Ahead of the Lions" Recorded by Steve Albini. "Ahead of the Lions" was #31 on Spin Magazine's top 40 albums of 2005. Living Things' song "Bom Bom Bom" was featured in a Cingular cellular phone commercial. In 2009 Living Things second album "Habeas Corpus" was released to critical acclaim, though the band were unhappy with the record, and they wanted to release another version that was vetoed by their record company. Lead singer and guitarist Lillian Berlin composed the original score for The Runaways (film)|The Runaways , starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning in 2010, premiering at The Sundance Film Festival. The Living Things took root in the early 2000s, pairing punky songcraft with a fiercely political edge. The band's most outspoken figure was frontman Lillian Berlin, known for his comments, and scrutiny of George W. Bush|George Bush , and his writing of the broken "American Dream".
History
Lillian Berlin, born Jason Lillian Berlin, grew up in the suburbs of St. Louis alongside his brothers (and future bandmates), Yves and Bosh Berlin (born Joshua Berlin), and childhood friend, Cory Becker. Lillian, the oldest of the Berlins, took an interest in literature (chiefly the works of Mark Twain, Jim Carroll, Jack Kerouac, Anne Sexton,and Sylvia Plath), political history, and music. He picked up the guitar at an early age, along with singing, and his younger brothers learned the bass and drums, respectively. Lillian wrote his first song when he was 12 years old. They recorded their first album "A.D.H.D" on a four track cassette tape in their parents basement self released on their own Ozark Mountain Blood label. The album gained the attention of many record labels. The band eventually signed with Dreamworks Records, stating that they were big fans of Elliot Smith who was on the label's roster.
Lineup
Lillian Berlin - vocals, guitar
Yves Berlin - bass
Bosh Berlin - drums
Alleged controversy
Primary sources|date=June 2008Lillian Berlin has authored a book, Post Mortem Bliss (Apocrypha Press). It explores his life from 13 to 19, a period marked by his being diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder , his subsequent addiction to anti-depressants, and his tenuous coexistence with an anarchist mother and deadbeat father. An excerpt from this book was turned into a short film directed by Floria Sigismondi and broadcast on The Turner Classics channel in November 2005. A full screenplay is said to have been written. In 2003, Berlin was stabbed in the leg at a college concert in Kansas City while crowd surfing , because of anti- George W. Bush|George Bush remarks. In July 2004, Lillian Berlin was shot at by three men behind a Dallas rock club The Gypsy Tea Room. Berlin is known for his very outspoken remarks about the "American Dream" being broken, and has repeatedly written about this subject in his songs. Berlin has held debates onstage, and he was arrested for disturbing the peace at the 2004 Republican National Convention . He has celebrated the US Military at Living Things concerts with a salute and a toast to the military. Living Things' second full length album " Habeas Corpus" was recorded in Berlin, Germany at the Hansa Ton Studios in 2008 after 2 albums worth of material totaling 28 songs leaning in a more rootsy- americana direction recorded in 2006- 2007 were scrapped by the band. Two records remained unreleased " International Bloodsuckers" and " Family". Their first self released album "A.D.H.D" remains out of print. In 2011 the band released a free 7 song mixtape, "Malocchio", via their website. On May 13, 2011 Living Things via Spin.com announced that their third album will be a "Triple Album" to be released in 2012. On Nov 11, 2011 Living Things released the controversial video for a song called "Har Megiddo", where a man has sexual intercourse with his car. Singer/Guitarist Lillian Berlin stated that Ray Kurzweil's philosophy's on "Singularity" was the inspiration.
Discography
A.D.H.D (2003) Ozark Mountain Blood Records
Turn in Your Friends and Neighbors EP (2003) DreamWorks Records|Dreamworks
Black Skies in Broad Daylight (2004) Universal Records
Resight Your Rights EP (2004) DreamWorks Records|Dreamworks
Ahead of the Lions (2005) Jive Records
Habeas Corpus (Living Things Album)|Habeas Corpus (2009) Jive Records
Malocchio EP (Living Things Mixtape)|Malocchio (2011) Brotherly Recordings
