Dizzy Mizz Lizzy

Formation and early years (1988–1994)

Dizzy Mizz Lizzy was founded after Christensen's family moved from Espergærde to Valby, a suburb of Copenhagen, and Christensen became classmates with Nielsen at the Hanssted Skole, where they became friends on the first day of school, and already cared more about music than about their school work. Nielsen picked up the bass because Christensen already played the guitar, and a friend recommended Friis to them. Christensen received his first Fender Stratocaster as a gift. For a while they did search for another band member. For one because Christensen, as the band's songwriter, was too shy to sing. They practiced instrumentally in the first year until they got Noller from Hvidovre to audition, but he sang so badly that they sent him home after a glass of cola. The other band members felt that when Christensen sang to demonstrate how he wanted the melody, they felt it sounded exactly the way it should, causing Christensen to start singing in the absence of better and while awaiting a real singer. The other reason was that perhaps the band could do with a second guitarist: "We previously did try to expand to a quartet with an extra guitarist. But that didn't work at all, so we stayed a trio." As critics explain: "From the outset it was clear that Tim Christensen was the group's undisputed center, but the band benefited significantly from the collective dynamics." They practiced in a cheap youth club in Hvidovre in search of their own style, making "porn rock with nauseating choruses," inspired by poodle rock bands such as Europe, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard. They won the competition "Rock Træf" in 1990, using the 5,000 kr (about € 700, or US$ 1,000) prize money to record a demo. The band entered Denmark's largest music championship DM i Rock in 1991 and came in fourth.

Inspired by Nirvana's 1991 album Nevermind, and especially their breakthrough hit "Smells Like Teen Spirit", their style swayed to grunge-inspired music. As the band would explain, "Suddenly there was something about playing rock music the old-fashioned way," and they would throw themselves onto "Hey Joe" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, "Rock and Roll" by Led Zeppelin, and The Beatles' cover of the Larry Williams song "Dizzy, Miss Lizzy", from which the band's name was derived. Prior to choosing "Dizzy Mizz Lizzy" as their band name, they had also considered "Heaven", "King's Cross", "Battlefield", "After the Storm" and "Boyazont" as band names. They started writing some potential songs and decided to dedicate themselves to a career in music. Christensen received a Marshall 4x12 G1275 amplifier from his parents for his 18th birthday, which helped him writing heavier music and would shortly thereafter result in the riff to the hit song "Waterline". Their style would frequently be linked to Led Zeppelin and Pearl Jam, even though critics admitted that "the trio wants, and inexplicably even manages it, to create their own musical identity;" a style that would become known as power rock, which the band would later also use to describe themselves and were more comfortable with than the term grunge: "We are not so wild about the descriptor grunge, as it has become a predicate for a variety of dimensions. We focus on the music, not the descriptions. What we play is genuine, vivid, and with the energy in high gear." As a reviewer would put it: "[It is] 'Grunge light' perhaps - but well-composed, well-acted, engaging and above all different and personal. Dizzy Mizz Lizzy had the pedal to the metal, and it did something." Christensen explains: "It's like The Police who came out of the punk-wave without being punk, and still did well. It's the same with us. We came out of the grunge-wave, without being grunge."

Their new-found sound took them to the "DM i Rock" semifinals in 1992, where they were beaten by Passion Orange. With their third attempt on 30 April 1993, the trio won because of "their obvious talent and charisma," beating such bands as Kashmir, who came in second, Inside the Whale, and Impotators, who all have had a significant place in the 1990s revival and further development of rock in Denmark, but of which Dizzy Mizz Lizzy has been the most successful. They have all become friends, which is also evident from Christensen's later contributions to Kashmir albums, his songwriting with Inside the Whale frontman Marcus Winther-John which continues until today, and having Inside the Whale guitarist Lars Skjærbæk as his lead guitarist ever since he went solo in 2000. Part of the grand prize was a recording session for a 4-track demo at Sweet Silence Studios, which spawned the songs "Waterline" and "Silverflame" that became huge hits on DR P3 and DR P4. The grand prize also contained a spot in the travelling Rock Show '93 and performances at the L'Europe d'Art d'Art festival in Niort, France, the Nordic Rock '93 competition that they also won, and all the major Danish summer festivals. A reviewer from that time remarked, "They are not quite as extroverted as one might have expected, but in return they play much better than one might dare hope for. Dense and energetic, making one wonder why there are only three men on stage. One is tempted to look into the back room to see where the rest of the band is hiding." They would also entertain with ironic covers of among others "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees.

Dizzy Mizz Lizzy (1994–1996)

The high expectations set by the demo put enormous pressure on the band, especially as the demo was in limited circulation and demand grew as the band took a long time to release their debut album. Dizzy Mizz Lizzy had declined various offers from foreign labels, waiting for a Danish label to come forward. They "quite literally felt on home soil" when they were contacted by Nick Foss, head of A&R at EMI-Medley, and known by the band as the producer of several albums by D-A-D and The Sandmen. He signed them to the label and went into the studio with them for three months. At long last, the eponymous debut album Dizzy Mizz Lizzy was released on 4 March 1994. It was a huge success in Denmark, selling 220,000 copies, making it the best selling rock album ever in Denmark. This record still stands, while it has by now has sold over 250,000 copies. One notable fan is Crown Prince Frederik, who is an outspoken lover of rock music, and who has attended many of their concerts. By accident the CD ended up with someone at EMI's Japanese division, who was excited about the album and had it released in Japan where it sold about 100,000 copies. Five singles were released from the album and all got much radio play: "Silverflame", "Barbedwired Baby's Dream", "Love Is a Loser's Game", "Glory" and "Waterline".

Interviews paint a picture of rather well-behaved musicians; they kept living with their parents until their debut album and ensuing tour had earned them enough money to each buy their own homes in Copenhagen. The closest they ever came to typical rock star misbehavior was a backstage food fight in Aalborg with Inside the Whale, and trashing a disappointing hotel room in Germany at a time they felt depressed and homesick. The band members rehearsed 3–4 times a week but also received choreography lessons since at that time they considered themselves "an incredibly boring band to watch," in terms of performance. They were the support act of the Spin Doctors on their October/November 1994 tour through Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, and Switzerland. before playing three sold-out shows in the Japanese cities Sapporo, Osaka and Tokyo. The performance in Osaka on 16 July 1995 was recorded and released as Japan-only CD as One guitar, one bass and a drummer, that's really all it takes — Live in Japan. Dizzy Mizz Lizzy performed for four consecutive years at the Roskilde Festival, from 1993 through to 1996. The 1994 performance was on frontman Christensen's 20th birthday, when sales of their debut album had just crossed the 50,000 mark. In 2003, Christensen considered that particular performance a special highlight in his career. Dizzy Mizz Lizzy won the 1995 Danish Grammys for "Danish group of the year", "Danish newcomer of the year", "Danish rock album of the year", and the "People's choice award" which included a fee of 25,000 kr (about €3,350) to help cover travel expenses. In the time leading up to the release of the band's sophomore album, it was speculated the band would be changing their name to "Dizzy". Although this abbreviation is in widespread use among both band members and fans, it was never considered by the band to use it as an official name.

Rotator (1996–1998)

Nick Foss had made an agreement with Christensen that if their debut album won gold (equal to 40,000 copies at that time), the next would be recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London, which was Christensen's boyhood dream as he is an immense fan of The Beatles. As a result of the album having sold over four times that amount by 1996, the follow-up album Rotator was recorded at this place that breathes history. However, the other band members did not share Christensen's enthusiasm, nor could they appreciate the unique symbolism recording in these legendary studios as much as Christensen. This meant Christensen had no one to share his palette of emotions with, causing him to turn to Pernille Rosendahl, his girlfriend since 1995, in and out of the studio. This further added to the crisis and caused Christensen to become increasingly estranged from the band. Nielsen and Friis even went as far as labeling the couple as "John and Yoko", referring to the supposed detrimental influence of Yoko Ono on John Lennon that contributed to the break-up of the Beatles. This period furthermore showed the first signs of the band members heading in different musical directions, about which Christensen explained in 2000: "I needed change while the others wanted to continue in the same style, and that was actually the most important reason we split up." This can especially be heard in the song "Rise and Fall"; although songs were always a collaborative effort by the band, Christensen requested Nielsen and Friis to allow him to be in full control over this song, and as a result it is distinctly different from all other songs on the album.

The record was less carefree than its predecessor, with a hint of bitterness especially in regard to the state of the music industry. The album reached gold status the very day it went on sale on 24 May 1996, and appeared to live up to the notorious expectations of creating a worthy sequel to their debut album. Reviews were generally positive and it sold 100,000 copies in Denmark, "which is exceptionally high for a guitar rock album in Denmark," but was not nearly as much as the debut album had sold. Another 100,000 copies were sold in Japan. The singles "11:07 PM" and "Rotator" became a hit, the album won the 1997 Danish Grammy for "Rock album of the year" and Nick Foss received the prize for "Best producer". They played on festivals in Denmark, Norway and Germany, and went to Japan in September 1996 for shows in Tokyo (2×), Sapporo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. In Denmark, they played dozens of shows which fatigued both the band and the fans, while the problems that arose during the recording of Rotator also pursued the band on tour.

After five years of non stop recording and touring and having lost touch with reality, the band decided to take a sabbatical in 1997. They worked on some demos in January 1998, but did not find the band dynamics revitalized, and the trio decided to split up on 10 March 1998 while discussing their future on a bench in the Rosenborg Castle Gardens. The split occurred amidst a wave of prominent Danish bands disbanding. Critics would later explain their decision as the band having the courage to stop in time despite enormous success, although it was largely due to fatigue that the trio could not bring themselves to continuing to play. Their tastes in music had also become less compatible, with Christensen wanting a more vintage Beatles-like sound and Nielsen and Friis preferring to make heavy metal music.

Disbanded (1998–2009)

Eighteen days after the breakup, the Japan-only release The Greatest was released. The song "Waterline" was included on the 1999 charity record Grænseløs Greatest in support of refugees of the Kosovo War. In 2000, the Danish dance-pop duo Infernal used samples of the 1994 song "Silverflame" for the song "Sunrise". It was released as the second single from their second studio album, Waiting for Daylight.

Due to the breakup, Christensen became even more introverted than he usually was, while his girlfriend could not handle him being in a crisis. After a difficult time of coping with both his breakup with the band as well as Rosendahl, and after spending some time finding his musical style, Christensen released his debut solo album Secrets on Parade in 2000, of which some songs were based on the Dizzy Mizz Lizzy demos from 1998. The songs on the album were rather ambiguous as to whether they referred to Dizzy Mizz Lizzy or Rosendahl. The album was a success, and allowed him to further pursue a career in music. Nielsen and Friis initially also intended to continue in music, but turned to a normal working-class life. To walk off the extra weight he had gained from being at home for a long time, Nielsen took a job as a postman, while Friis became a truck driver delivering gas containers. Despite their different paths, Christensen explained in a 2000 interview that the trio remained friends: "We meet occasionally and have great fun together. Of course we talk about the old days and amuse ourselves with it, because we experienced a lot of great things together and I simply can not remember anything bad from back then. (...) But we just developed ourselves in three different directions, and we kept growing further apart, so it was simply the time to stop."

On 29 April 2002, the band released a greatest hits collection including a live performance recorded in Aarhus on 11 May 1996. The band's only performance during their 1998–2009 break was a charity concert called Brandalarm (Fire Alarm), held on 16 August 2006 in the Copenhagen venue VEGA for musicians whose studio had burned to the ground. Here, they played 5 songs in about 20 minutes ("Thorn in my Pride", "When the River Runs Dry", "Waterline", "Silverflame", and "Glory"). Christensen commented in 2008 that this was a one-off event, but that the band would be open to do a reunion tour at some point in the future for nostalgia's sake, but without the aim to go back into the studio to record a new album. The band would later refer to the charity concert as the first germ towards the band's reunion.

First reunion (2009–2010)

On September 15, 2009, the band announced the Danish reunion tour taking place in Spring 2010 with concerts in Odense, Aarhus (2 shows), Aalborg, Esbjerg (2 shows) and Copenhagen (4 shows). The idea was spawned while Christensen, Nielsen and Friis went bowling, which they often did when meeting up. EMI suggested the reunion to be paired with the release of a box set containing their collected works. Although the band were sceptical about it at first, Dizzcography was released on March 29, 2010 as a 4-CD or 8-vinyl record box set, containing remasters of all previously released material (the band's two studio albums Dizzy Mizz Lizzy and Rotator and the live album Live in Aarhus '96), and the compilation album The Rest of Dizzy Mizz Lizzy which comprises the original 1993 demo, two B-sides and the live album Live in Japan. The renewed interest for Dizzy Mizz Lizzy inspired the Danish producer and DJ Morten Breum to release a remix of "Waterline" on 5 April 2010.

Dizzy Mizz Lizzy were overwhelmed when the tour's first show on 9 April at the K.B. Hallen had sold out in less than 15 seconds on 20 September 2009, and less than 45 seconds for the other shows. They realized the demand for their shows was far greater than expected. The band subsequently expanded the tour to a total of 52 dates, including a Japanese leg to the tour in May and another in September, making this one of the most successful comebacks in the history of Danish music. Their performance at the Roskilde Festival coincided with Christensen's 36th birthday. The band definitively quit after the tour's final show in Tokyo on 29 September 2010.

The documentary Lost Inside a Dream: The Story of Dizzy Mizz Lizzy about the band's rise, break-up and return premiered at the Copenhagen International Documentary Festival on 4 November 2010. The band's last public appearance to date was at the film's second screening on 8 November 2010, where they answered questions from the audience. For this documentary, Danish film maker Theis Molin received the Politiken Publikumspris (People's choice award). On the same day, the 2CD/DVD and 2CD/Blu-ray set Live in Concert 2010 was released, which includes the documentary and features a live recording of two concerts in the K.B. Hallen on 16–17 April 2010, making it the first Danish performance to be released in Full HD. The moment where Dizzy Mizz Lizzy were awarded a platinum record for this live recording would later be considered the turning point towards a more permanent comeback.

Second hiatus (2010–2014)

After the reunion, Nielsen and Friis returned to anonymity and resumed their jobs as truck driver and postman. while Christensen continued his solo career. On November 12, 2010, EMI released the compilation album Big-5: Dizzy Mizz Lizzy as part of their Big-5 series, containing their artists' five best tracks. In the case of Dizzy Mizz Lizzy, these were all taken from their eponymous debut album. Christensen released his fourth solo album, Tim Christensen and The Damn Crystals on November 25, 2011. In interviews, he was often asked questions about Dizzy Mizz Lizzy. Christensen admits that one week after the last show, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy was already out of his system again. On the question whether the people have stopped asking about a Dizzy-reunion, Christensen answered: "No, they haven't. Except that now, it's no longer: 'Will Dizzy ever reunite?' but instead: 'Will you do it again?' And I won't exclude the possibility, but it won't be any time soon. But I have stopped asking that question to myself." He released The EP Series, Volume 1: Acoustic Covers in 2012, and performed a Paul McCartney tribute with Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham and his solo band The Damn Crystals in 2012, which was released as Pure McCartney in 2013. Together with Mads Langer, he recorded the EP "Side Effects" in 2014, of which "Bringing Back Tomorrow" became a hit. He was expected to also be working on his fifth solo album (or the second volume of The EP Series), which Christensen still plans despite the Dizzy Mizz Lizzy reunion.

Second reunion (2014–current)

On October 20, 2014, Christensen wrote the abbreviation "DML2015" on his Facebook wall, indicating a second reunion of his former band Dizzy Mizz Lizzy. Two days later, they revealed that they had written new songs and that six shows in Denmark were booked for April–May 2015, though at that time they indicated it was not yet known if the band would release an LP, an EP, or just one or two singles, as that would depend on how the mood and creativity are. However, they later revealed that they had worked on the album for several years in secret.

The band explained during a concert on June 5, 2015 that they do not consider themselves a reunited band, but a re-activated band. The band's first new single in 19 years, "I Would If I Could but I Can't", was aired on the Danish radio station DR P3 on January 5, 2015. Their first performance of their second reunion was during "Sport 2014", a Danish sports ceremony, where they also played their single. The second single, "Made to Believe", was released on April 10, 2015 in honor of their tour start. The band among others toured through Denmark, played at Bospop in the Netherlands, and held several concerts in Japan. Before the tour, a secret rehearsal concert was performed in the same small club in Valby where they held their first larger performance in 1989. The invited guests consisted of former classmates of the band members.

On November 6, 2015, a biography of the band was released entitled "Dizzy Mizz Lizzy – en drengedrøm" ("Dizzy Mizz Lizzy – A Boy's Dream"), written by Jan Poulsen. On November 7, 2015, they performed at the Danish Grammy ceremony, where Christensen won the IFPI's Ærespris (Honorary Award), which is considered the most prestigious prize a Danish musician can be awarded. On March 12, 2016, they performed a show for Rockpalast. Their third studio album, Forward in Reverse is expected to be released on April 29, 2016. It is their first collection of new material in 20 years, after Rotator from May 24, 1996. In anticipation of the album, "Brainless" was released as the third single on 1 April 2016.

Mascot

From the band's early days on, they have been using the photo of a young "dizzy" girl as mascot, which has been used in varying ways. Christensen explains: "The photo is from around 1920. It depicts the older sister of my grandmother on mother's side. She died around the age of 12-14 of tuberculosis. Her real name is Vera. There are two or three copies of the photo in my family. I have one hanging in my apartment. The same photo hung in my home, and when we were searching for a cover for our first release (the 1993 promo), we felt it was a great idea to use the picture of her as a sort of mascot or logo." On their demo's cover, the photograph was colored with fluorescent colors. Danish designer MandOverBord subsequently used the picture for the band's eponymous debut album and singles, coloring the girl with more natural colors but also adding red laser beams to her eyes. The 2002 compilation album The Best of Dizzy Mizz Lizzy superimposed the mascot over the cover art from the band's second album, Rotator. During the band's 2009 reunion, the mascot was used in promotional material and on stage, and appeared in a duotone black and white portrayal on the front of the 2010 Dizzcography box set, which contained all previous albums of which the artwork (including the mascot) were completely redrawn because the original designs had not been saved. The live DVD Live in Concert 2010 features a black and white rendering of the original photo amidst text in a theater poster design. After the band reunited in 2014, the mascot was again used, this time in the form of an anaglyph 3D rendering for promotional material, on stage, and for their new singles and the 2016 studio album Forward in Reverse.

Equipment

For the 2010 reunion tour, Christensen and Rasmus Meyer of the Danish guitar pedal manufacturer Carl Martin designed his signature Dizzy Drive with knobs for level, tone, drive and edge. Its production was limited to 250 pedals, and went on sale on 16 May 2010. Christensen's effect pedal board during the reunion tour was quite small and only contained the following stomp boxes:

Awards

Singles