How punk led to Killing Joke’s Jaz Coleman conducting an orchestra in front of the president
Killing Joke is undoubtedly one of the most important post-punk outfits of all time, yet lead singer Jaz Coleman has successfully branched out far beyond that classification while always crediting his roots for allowing him to spread his wings.
It’s fair to say that their success has a lot to do with his vision, and what makes him such a unique character is that he is so much more than just the vocalist and keyboardist of a rock group.
With 15 full-length albums and six EPs to their credit, the English band has influenced some of the greatest acts in music history, from Metallica to Nine Inch Nails to Nirvana, and although each member adds their own unique touch to their combined sound, few would dispute that their frontman is the heart and soul of the operation, his eccentricities perfectly complementing the allure of Killing Joke.
Coleman has taken his talents to other spaces and demonstrated just how fluent he is in his craft, which is why it comes as no surprise that he has composed orchestral pieces and soundtracked cinematic productions with just as much panache as his work with Killing Joke. However, what makes his versatility so remarkable is the fact that he attributes it all to his punk beginnings, regardless of how different a symphony may sound from throbbing cuts such as ‘Eighties’.
During a 2015 interview with Louder, he discussed his confidence to branch out into spaces people don’t typically associate with the kind of music he made in his early years, revealing that leaving school at the age of 15 essentially made punk to him a “metaphor for self-education”. He emphasised this by pointing out how members of Killing Joke would exchange books to learn new things, adding that three of them were teaching at universities at the time as a result of those practices.
“Punk rock’s ‘have a go’ philosophy ensured I have no fear of failure,” he explained, adding, “Punk gave me the ability to do anything. I’ve conducted orchestras in front of presidents. I’ve done an opera for the Queen. I’ve designed and built a house. I’ve been a successful actor. But I still consider myself a punk, and always will.”
Since he has been a vocal critic of Western politicians from the beginning, it is important to note that the elected official Coleman referred to was Václav Havel, who served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until 1992, and while the exact details of the performance remain unclear, he did say in a 2019 interview with Rue Morgue that the first time he ever conducted a symphony was with the Czech Philharmonic.
“I didn’t have enough rehearsal time,” he admitted, “I was actually terrified to go out and conduct the orchestra for President Václav Havel. I get nervous before rock shows, but this is different. I’d never really conducted before, but only in the mirror.”
As for Coleman conducting a production for the Queen of England, details are also tough to pin down, but he did compose an opera titled ‘The Marriage at Cana’ for the Royal Opera House in London back in 2001, which was also his first full-scale project of the kind.
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