Nina Hagen
Posted by Thurston in CBS, Nina Hagen, punk
Nina's parents are Hans Hagen (also known as Hans Oliva), a scriptwriter, and Eva-Maria Hagen, an actress and singer. Her paternal Jewish grandparents lost their lives in Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Her parents divorced when Nina was two years old, and growing up she saw her father infrequently. At age four, she began to study ballet, and was considered an opera prodigy by the time she was nine.
When Nina was eleven, her mother married Wolf Biermann, a revolutionary anti-establishment singer-songwriter. Biermann's political views incalculably influenced young Nina: she was "dishonorably discharged" from the Free German Youth group at age twelve, and active in political protests against the socialist East German government.
Nina left school after completing the 10th grade (at age 16), and joined the cover band "Fritzens Dampferband" (Fritz's Steamboat Band, together with Achim Mentzel and others). In part, she dropped out because she felt constrained by what the oppressive regime considered to be "acceptable" music, and added songs by Janis Joplin and Tina Turner to the "allowable" setlists during shows.
From 1972-3, Nina enrolled in the crash-course performance program at The Central Studio for Light Music in East Berlin, and upon graduation, formed the band AutomobilMore info available from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
