Modeling

Nico made her early fame as a model. After leaving school at 13, she started selling lingerie and soon was spotted by fashion people. A year later, her mother found her work as a model in Berlin. While on a modelling assignment in Ibiza, she met the photographer Tobias, who christened her "Nico" after his ex-boyfriend, filmmaker Nico Papatakis. She later moved to Paris, and worked for Vogue, Tempo, Vie Nuove, Mascotte Spettacolo, Camera, ELLE, and various other fashion magazines in the late 1950s. She also claimed she was briefly hired by Coco Chanel. Even after dropping out of school very early, Nico spoke German, English, Italian, Spanish and French fluently, due to working all over the world.

La Dolce Vita

After appearing in several television commercials, Nico landed a tiny role in Alberto Lattuada's La Tempesta (1958), and then appeared in Rudolph Maté's For the First Time with Mario Lanza later that year. In 1959, she was invited to the set of Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita and attracted the attention of the acclaimed director, who promptly gave her a sizable role in his film. By this time, Nico had moved to New York to take acting classes with Lee Strasberg. After splitting her time between New York and Paris, she landed the lead role in Jacques Poitrenaud's Strip-Tease (1963). For that film, Nico recorded the title track, which was produced by Serge Gainsbourg but not released. During this period she had a son, Ari (born 1962), with actor Alain Delon, although Delon for many years denied paternity of Ari.

Early films with Warhol

In 1965, Nico met The Rolling Stones' Brian Jones and recorded her first single, "I'm Not Sayin'" for Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label. Actor Ben Carruthers introduced her to Bob Dylan in Paris that summer; Dylan wrote a song about her, "I'll Keep It With Mine" shortly afterwards. She began working with Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey on their experimental films, including Chelsea Girls, The Closet, Sunset, and Imitation of Christ.

The Velvet Underground and Nico

While appearing in the Factory films of Warhol, Nico was introduced to The Velvet Underground, at that time the backing group for Warhol's Exploding. Plastic. Inevitable., a multimedia performance featuring film, music, lights and dancers in a sort of total experience theatre. Once Nico joined the Factory crowd, she gradually began to work with the Velvets, singing lead vocals on three songs ("All Tomorrow's Parties", "Femme Fatale", and "I'll Be Your Mirror") and backing vocals on another ("Sunday Morning") on their debut LP The Velvet Underground and Nico. Released in 1967, the same year as her own solo debut LP named for Warhol's film Chelsea Girls (with the title-track penned by the Velvets), The VU & Nico album and its iconic Warhol cover-art, went on to become highly influential and critically lauded within rock music and art circles. Nico had a short-lived romantic relationship with the Velvet Underground's main singer and songwriter, Lou Reed, at this time, one of her several romances with prominent musicians including fellow Velvet John Cale, The Doors' icon Jim Morrison, Jackson Browne, Rolling Stones' founder Brian Jones, Tim Buckley and The Stooges' Iggy Pop.

Solo

The Sixties

For her debut album, 1967's Chelsea Girl [1], Nico recorded songs by, among others, Bob Dylan, Tim Hardin, Jackson Browne and Velvet Underground members Lou Reed, John Cale and Sterling Morrison, co-writing only one song ("It Was a Pleasure Then", with Reed and Cale). Chelsea Girl is largely a traditional chamber-folk album in the vein of Leonard Cohen, complete with strings and flute arrangements superimposed by its producer. Nico was not wholly satisfied with the finished album but had little say in production matters. Jim Morrison is supposed to have helped her with her first solo album, but this is up for debate.

The Seventies

Nico released three albums in the 1970s: Desertshore (1970) [3], The End (1973) [4] and June 1, 1974 [5]. They were produced by John Cale, who also played on each of the albums. On Desertshore, Cale plays most of the instruments. Nico wrote the music, sang, and played the harmonium. On The End, Cale plays a wide range of instruments including xylophone, synthesizer, acoustic guitar, and electric piano. That album featured Brian Eno, who played on the June 1, 1974 live album with Nico, Cale and Kevin Ayers.

The Eighties

Nico returned to New York in late 1979 where her comeback concert at CBGB in early 1980 was glowingly reviewed in the New York Times. She began playing regularly at the Mudd Club and other venues with Jim Tisdall accompanying her on harp and Gittler electric guitar, and they went on a sold-out tour of twelve cities in the east and midwest. The Chicago appearance was voted best concert of the year by the alternative music press.

Philippe Garrel

Between 1970 and 1979, Nico made seven films with French director Philippe Garrel. She met Garrel in 1969 and contributed the song "The Falconer" to his film, Le Lit de la Vierge. Soon after, she was living with Garrel and became a central figure in his cinematic and personal circles. Nico's first acting appearance with Garrel occurred in his 1972 film, La Cicatrice Intérieure. Nico also supplied the music for this film and collaborated closely with the director. Her participation diminished with later films, which included the silent Jean Seberg biopic, Les Hautes Solitudes, released in 1974.

Death

For over 20 years Nico had been an on and off (though mostly on) heroin addict. In his book "Nico - Songs They Never Played on the Radio", James Young, a member of her band in the 80's, recalls many examples of Nico's almost fiendish behaviour due to her addiction. Ironically, just before her death, she had managed to kick the habit and had embarked on a regime of exercise and healthy eating.

Legacy

Nico has been highly influential in the music world to many Alternative Music acts. Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, Coil, Jocelyn Pook, Dead Can Dance and The Heaving Seas (whose name is taken from a verse in her song "Julius Caesar (Memento Hodie)") as well as numerous contemporary goth bands have all cited Nico as a seminal influence. Nico is featured in Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums" with two songs, "The Fairest of the Seasons" and "These Days," both featured on Chelsea Girl. (the latter of which was written for her by Jackson Browne)

Discography

Books

• Nico: The Life and Lies of an Icon by Richard Witts, (Virgin Books: London, 1992).
• Up-tight: the Velvet Underground Story by Victor Bockris and Gerard Malanga (Omnibus Press: London, 1995 reprint).
• Songs They Never Play On the Radio by James Young, (Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd: London, 1992).
• Nico: Photographies by Antoine Giacomoni, (Dragoon: Paris, 2002).

Film

• Nico Icon (1995), documentary directed by Susanne Ofteringer

(A more complete filmography.)