Theo Hakola (born 1954) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, novelist and actor.

Personal life and education Hakola was raised in Spokane, Washington, USA. He is of Finnish and Swedish descent.

In 1975 Hakola studied at London School of Economics and Political Science and earned a BA in political history from Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio in 1977. The following year he settled in Paris.

Books The Way of Blood (La Route du Sang) (2001) Pub. Le Serpent à Plumes and in Finnish by WSOY (2002) Blood Streams (La Valse des Affluents) (2003) Pub. Le Serpent à Plumes and in Finnish by WSOY (2005) The Blood of Souls (Le Sang des âmes) (2008) Pub. Éditions Intervalles Rakia (2011) Pub. Éditions Intervalles The Snake Pit (Idaho Babylone) (2016) Pub. Actes Sud Over The Volcano (Sur le volcan) (2022) Pub. Actes Sud Non romanesque (2022) Pub. Les Fondeurs de Briques

Music

Solo recordings Hunger of a Thin Man (Bondage-France, 1994) The Confession (Absinthe/Bondage-France, 1995) Overflow (Grosse Rose/Musidisc, 1997) La Chanson du Zorro Andalou (Grosse Rose/Kerig, 2000) Drunk Women and Sexual Water (Wobbly Ashes Records/Anticraft, 2007) This Land is Not Your Land (Wobbly Ashes Records/Disques du 7e ciel, 2012) I Fry Mine in Butter (Wobbly Ashes Records/Médiapop Records, 2016) Water Is Wet (Wobbly Ashes Records/Microcultures/Médiapop Records, 2020) Shalalalala (Wobbly Ashes Records/Microcultures/Médiapop Records, 2024)

With Passion Fodder Hard Words from a Soft Mouth (Barclay/PolyGram-France/Beggars Banquet-World, 1985) Fat Tuesday (Barclay/PolyGram-France/Beggars Banquet-World, 1986) Love, Waltzes and Anarchy (Barclay/PolyGram-France/Beggars Banquet-World, 1987) Woke Up This Morning (Barclay/PolyGram-France/Beggars Banquet-World, 1989) What Fresh Hell is This? (Barclay/PolyGram-France/Beggars Banquet-World, 1991) Songs Sacred and Profane 1985-1991 (Barclay/PolyGram-France/Beggars Banquet-World, 1993) And Bleed That River Dry 1985-1991 (Barclay/PolyGram-France/Beggars Banquet-World, 1998)

With Orchestre Rouge Yellow Laughter (RCA-France, 1982) More Passion Fodder (RCA-France, 1983)

Production Noir Désir - Où veux tu qu'je r'garde (Barclay/PolyGram-France) (1987) E.V. - Reuz (Lola Label/PolyGramFrance) (1994) Les Hurleurs - Bazar (Barclay/Universal) (1996) Les Malpolis - La Fin du retour de la chanson (Willing/Mosaic Music) (2005) Gecko Palace – Tout va si bien (New Track Music) (2008)

Film music Babel metropolite dir. Beajena Borakova (1988) Peaux de vaches dir. Patricia Mazuy (1989) Perpetua dir. Claudia Neubern (1999) La Fille préférée dir. Lou Jeunet (1999) Les Petites Mains dir. Lou Jeunet (2001) The Wind dir. Victor Söjström (ciné-concert) (2007) La Vallée de larmes dir. Agathe Dronne (2011) Au bonheur des dames dir. Julien Duvivier (ciné-concert) (2013)

Actor Theatre Mahagonny (Bertolt Brecht/Kurt Weill) – actor (Alaskawolf Joe), Paris and on tour in France... – 1983 Directed by Hans-Peter Cloos. La Chanson du Zorro andalou (Theo Hakola) – author/actor/composer/director, 1999–2000, Rennes, Lille, Paris... Ellen Foster (Kaye Gibbons) – composer/musician and translator in Dijon (Festival Frictions) and Lille (l’Aéronef) – 2002 then, as co-director, Bagnolet (l’Échangeur) and Lyon (Théâtre de la Renaissance) – 2005. Une Dizaine de Morts (based on the works of Michael Ondaatje), adapter-author/composer/musician... Lyon, Manosque – 2003, Paris, Lille – 2004 Les Chansons de ‘La Valse des affluents’ (Theo Hakola) scored reading based on the novel, author/composer/musician... Manosque, Poitiers – 2004, and Lyon – 2005. La Thébaïde (Jean Racine) – composer/musician, Centre dramatique national de Montreuil and the Atelier du Rhin in Colmar – October/Novembre 2007. Directed by Sandrine Lanno. Le Chant des âmes scored reading based on Le Sang des âmes, author/composer/musician... Finnish Cultural Center, Paris – 2009. Chroniques du bord de scène - Hello America 2009/10, followed by USA, d'après Dos Passos – composer/musician/actor – at the MC93-Bobigny – 2009/10. Directed by Nicolas Bigards. L'Invention du monde (Olivier Rolin) – composer/musician – at the MC93 Bobigny – 2010. Directed by Michel Deutsch. La Ballade de Carson Clay (Theo Hakola) scored reading based on La Valse des affluents, author/composer/musician... Grenoble, Bobigny – 2011-2015 Sur la route scored reading based on Jack Kerouac's On The Road, composer/musician... Manosque, Toulouse, Grenoble, Caen, Vendôme, Vincennes, Rennes – 2012–2015... Rakia (Theo Hakola) scored reading based on the novel, with Dominique Reymond; author/composer/musician... Dijon – 2013 American Tabloid (James Ellroy) composer/musician – MC93-Bobigny – 2013. Directed by Nicolas Bigards. Idaho Babylone (Theo Hakola) scored reading based on the novel, with Dominique Reymond, Bénédicte Villain and Simon Texier; author/composer/musician... Grenoble, Frontignan – 2017

Film and TV La Fille Prèfèrèe (1999) Dir. Lou Jeunet Ma Mère (2004) Dir. Christophe Honoré Une Famille Parfaite (2006) Dir. Pierre Trividic The Portuguese Man 'O War (2008) Dir. Lauren Makael Suerte (2010) Dir. Jacques Séchaud Pictures (2011) Dir. Florent Quint Curiosa (2019) Dir. Lou Jeunet Vampires (2019) Netflix Alien Crystal Palace (2019) Dir. Arielle Dombasle La Bête (2023) Dir. Bertrand Bonello Truth or Consequences (2023) Dir. Philippe Prouff

Radio and journalism D.J./producer on France Inter, Radio Monte Carlo (RMC Côte d'Azur), France Culture, Radio Nova and Radio Cité 96. Publication of articles on European culture and politics in In These Times and in Cinéaste (USA) and in La Règle du jeu, Libération, Actuel, Globe, Les Inrockuptibles.

References