Alan Bermowitz was raised in a Jewish household in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Until the announcement of the 70th birthday release of his recordings in 2008, Vega was widely thought to have been ten years younger; the 2005 book Suicide: No Compromise lists 1948 as his birth year and quotes a 1998 interview in which Vega talks about watching Elvis Presley on The Ed Sullivan Show (1956) as a "little kid". A 1983 Los Angeles Times article refers to him as a 35-year-old, and several other sources also list 1948 as his birthdate. Two 2009 articles confirmed his 1938 birth date, one in Le Monde about the Lyon exhibit and one in the magazine Rolling Stone. Vega also long claimed to be half-Catholic, and part Puerto Rican, but in a 2008 interview with The Jewish Chronicle admitted he lied about his religious heritage to "fuel the myth".
In the late 1950s, he attended Brooklyn College where he studied both physics and fine art under Ad Reinhardt and Kurt Seligmann and graduated in 1960. In the 1960s, he became involved with the Art Workers' Coalition, a radical artists group that harassed museums and once barricaded the Museum of Modern Art. In 1969, funding from the New York State Council on the Arts made possible the founding of MUSEUM: A Project of Living Artists—an artist-run 24-hour multimedia gallery at 729 Broadway in Manhattan. Calling himself Alan Suicide, he graduated from painting to light sculptures, many of which were constructed of electronic debris. He gained a residency at the OK Harris Gallery in SoHo where he continued to exhibit until 1975. Barbara Gladstone continued to show his work well into the 1980s.
Seeing The Stooges perform at the New York State Pavilion in August 1969 was an epiphany for Vega. In 1970, he met and befriended Martin Reverby. Together, the two began experimenting with music and formed the band Suicide along with guitarist Paul Liebgott. The group played twice at MUSEUM before moving on to the OK Harris Gallery. Calling himself "Nasty Cut", he used the terms "Punk Music" and "Punk Music Mass" in flyers to describe their music, which he adopted from an article by Lester Bangs. In 1971 the group dropped Paul Liebgott and added Mari Reverby on drums, though she didn't play in their live performances. With Bermowitz finally settling on Alan Suicide as a working name, they began to play music venues. Suicide went on to perform at the Mercer Arts Center, Max's Kansas City, CBGB and ultimately, achieve international recognition.
In 1980, Vega released his eponymous first solo record. It defined the frantic rockabilly style that he would use in his solo work for the next several years, with the song "Jukebox Babe" becoming a hit single in France. In 1985, he released the more commercially viable Just a Million Dreams, but was dropped from his record label after its release. The album originally was set to be produced by Ric Ocasek as a follow-up to the critically acclaimed Saturn Strip (1983), but production switched over to Chris Lord-Alge and Vega ran into several difficulties during the recording sessions. The album eschewed many of Vega's experimental traits in favor of power pop songs and he later lamented, "They took all my songs and turned them into God knows what."
Vega teamed up with Martin Rev and Ric Ocasek again in the late eighties to produce and release the third Suicide album, A Way of Life (1988). Visual artist Stefan Roloff produced a music video for the song Dominic Christ which was released by Wax Trax! Records and Suicide went overseas to promote the album by performing the song "Surrender" in Paris which was aired on French television. Shortly thereafter, Vega met future wife and music partner Elizabeth Lamere while piecing together sound experiments that would evolve into his fifth solo album, Deuce Avenue (1990). Deuce Avenue marked his return to minimalist electronic music, similar to his work with Suicide, in which he combined drum machines and effects with free-form prose. Over the next decade he would release several more solo records as well as perform with Suicide.
In 2002, art dealer Jeffrey Deitch tracked him down after a couple of his young gallery employees "gushed" over a Suicide gig at the NYC Knitting Factory. Vega constructed Collision Drive, an exhibition of sculptures combining light with found objects and crucifixes.
Vega's tenth solo album, Station, was released on Blast First Records in 2007 and was described by his colleagues as "his hardest, heaviest album for quite a while, all self-played and produced." In 2008, British label Blast First Petite released a limited edition Suicide 6-CD box set and monthly tribute series of 10" Vinyl EP's, to mark the occasion of Alan Vega's 70th birthday. Musicians who contributed to the tribute series included The Horrors, Lydia Lunch, Primal Scream, and Miss Kittin.
In 2009, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Lyon, France, mounted Infinite Mercy – a major retrospective exhibit of Vega's art. This included the screening of two short documentary films: Alan Vega (2000) by Christian Eudeline, and Autour d’Alan Vega (extraits) (1998) by Hugues Peyret.
In 2012, Vega suffered a stroke. That, and problems with his knees, led him to focus on less physical art, such as painting, rather than music. He continued to live in downtown New York City.
In 2016, Vega made a low-key comeback to music by contributing vocals to the song "Tangerine" on French pop veteran singer Christophe's album Les Vestiges du chaos.
Vega died on July 16, 2016 at the age of 78.
sister
Alan Vega Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Took him back to her place
Where all the saints adorned the walls.
To never ending from grace
He knew he should leave
And this could only turn cold
She was a bad bad girl
So he told her so
Under the shadows engulfed
He had the whisper of lust
He said 'no touching tonight'
She closed her eyes in his trust
She said 'tuck me in'
He knew his judgment was sound
Still he pulled back the sheets
And said
[Chorus]
You better lie down 'cause the angels are watching
She closed her eyes and said with the talking
You can hurt me do whatever you like'
Her every word was in italics
As it would fall from her lips
The walls were made of broken promises
He hoped this wouldn't be his.
She said 'tell me what to do'
He knew right then he was done
Felling lonely and confused
He said
[Chorus]
You better lie down the angels are watching'
She closed her eyes and said with the talking
You can hurt me do whatever you like'
So he said 'shut your mouth girl the angels are listening'
She crossed herself now the moments are missing
You can hurt me do whatever you like'
Glancing through the curtain
Questions unheard of
She spoke in third person
And he had seen everyone
Awkward and embittered
Said 'shut the door when you go'
Perhaps he should've reconsidered (oh no)
When he said
[Chorus]
You better lie down the angels are watching
She closed her eyes and said with the talking
You can hurt me do whatever you like'
So he said 'shut your mouth girl the angels are listening'
She crossed herself now the moments are missing
You can hurt me do whatever you like'
The song "Sister" by Alan Vega Alex Chilton Ben Vaughn is a story of a man who meets a woman who takes him back to her apartment, where there are pictures of saints hanging on the walls. He contemplates leaving her, because he knows she is a "bad, bad girl," but eventually decides to stay. She asks him to tuck her in, and despite his better judgment, he does. The chorus then kicks in, with the man warning the woman that the angels are watching, but she seems unconcerned and tells him he can do whatever he likes.
The lyrics in the second verse imply that the woman is saying things that are bold and italicized, and that the walls are made of broken promises, indicating a sense of danger lurking beneath the surface of their interaction. The man hesitates, wondering if he should reconsider being with her, but still ends up staying despite his reservations. The final chorus has the man warning the woman to keep quiet because the angels can hear her, but she crosses herself and tells him he can do whatever he likes.
Overall, the song seems to be a cautionary tale, warning against the excitement of temptation and the consequences that can come from indulging in it. The use of angels and saints as imagery throughout the song conveys a sense of moral judgment, with the man warning the woman that her actions have consequences that extend beyond their private moment together.
Line by Line Meaning
She smelled like two am
Her scent resembled the early morning hours; a mixture of nocturnal activities and exhaustion.
Took him back to her place
She brought him to her home, implying a willingness to be intimate.
Where all the saints adorned the walls.
Her living space was decorated with religious iconography, hinting at her inner conflict between her desires and her beliefs.
To never ending from grace
The implication that indulging in carnal desires could lead to a permanent state of spiritual downfall.
He knew he should leave
He was aware of the unwise nature of the situation, and recognized the risk of becoming involved with her.
And this could only turn cold
He sensed that the affair was doomed to end in bitterness and bad feelings.
She was a bad bad girl
She was not a pure, virtuous woman, but rather someone who actively pursued temptation and danger.
So he told her so
He expressed his judgment of her character, implying that he did not approve of her ways.
Under the shadows engulfed
The surroundings were dark and murky, evoking an atmosphere of secrecy and danger.
He had the whisper of lust
He was consumed by sexual desire.
He said 'no touching tonight'
He attempted to set boundaries, perhaps out of a desire for self-preservation.
She closed her eyes in his trust
She demonstrated faith in him by abiding by his rules, even though it may have been against her own wishes.
She said 'tuck me in'
She requested for him to physically cover and protect her, implying a vulnerability and trust in his care-taking abilities.
He knew his judgment was sound
He had earlier recognized the danger of the situation and felt that his decision was wise.
Still he pulled back the sheets
He chose to indulge in his desire, despite the risks and against his better judgment.
[Chorus]
Repetition of the chorus throughout the song evokes a sense of inevitability and the consequences of one's actions.
Her every word was in italics
The emphasis placed on her words demonstrated her manipulation and control over the situation.
As it would fall from her lips
Her words were seductive and alluring, beckoning him towards her.
The walls were made of broken promises
Her home symbolized the disrepair of her soul, and the consequences of her past actions.
He hoped this wouldn't be his
The artist felt a sense of unease and concern, worried that he would become entrapped in the same cycle of broken promises and pain.
She said 'tell me what to do'
Her submissiveness demonstrated a vulnerability and desire for guidance and control.
He knew right then he was done
He recognized the manipulative nature of the situation, and that he had become ensnared in her trap of seduction and temptation.
Glancing through the curtain
An act of furtive glance, emphasizing the secrecy and illicit nature of the affair.
Questions unheard of
Unknown, forbidden thoughts and inquiries were on his mind.
She spoke in third person
By referring to herself in the third person, she pretended to be separated from her actions and presented herself as less responsible for her behavior.
And he had seen everyone
The singer had experienced similar situations before, indicating that he was not a stranger to the darkness and risks of forbidden love.
Awkward and embittered
Their interactions had become marked by an uncomfortable atmosphere of tension and resentment.
Said 'shut the door when you go'
He attempted to assert a sense of independence and control over the situation, but it was unclear whether it was too late.
Perhaps he should've reconsidered (oh no)
A moment of regret, wondering whether he should have made different choices earlier in the story.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JUSTIN WARFIELD, ADAM BRAVIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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