{{short description|German singer-songwriter (born 1961)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Tom Liwa | image = Tom liwa.JPG | caption = Performing at Zeche Zollverein in 2007. | birth_name = Thomas Greiner | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|10|25|df=y}} | birth_place = Duisburg, Germany | instruments = Vocals, guitar | genre = rock | occupations = Singer-songwriter | years_active = 1985–present | label = Glitterhouse, Ludwig (Indigo), Normal (Indigo), Scratch'N' (Indigo), Moll (EFA), V2 (Universal), Rough Trade | associated_acts = Flowerpornoes, Tim Isfort Orchester, Klee | website = [http://www.tomliwa.de/ Tom Liwa's website]<br>[http://www.flowerpornoes.at/ Flowerpornoes website] }} '''Tom Liwa''' (born '''Thomas Greiner''', 25 October 1961) is a German singer-songwriter who has been performing as a solo artist in addition to being a founding member and frontman of the band Flowerpornoes. While his artistic solo output long went unnoticed by German mainstream news sources and radio stations, he was recognised early on for his work with the band.<ref>{{cite web | last = Hoff | first = Hans | title = Stiller Tröster mit Gitarre | publisher = Die Welt | date = 1 April 2005| url = https://www.welt.de/print-wams/article126509/Stiller_Troester_mit_Gitarre.html | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}</ref> In recent years, he has been receiving increased attention due both to a steady fan-base<ref name="Brüggemeyer">{{cite web |last=Brüggemeyer |first=Maik |title=Der Wim Wenders unter den Troubadouren |publisher=Rolling Stone.de |url=http://www.wagenmeister.ch/neu/artist_info.php?ArtistID=337 |accessdate=14 February 2008 |language=de |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707004826/http://www.wagenmeister.ch/neu/artist_info.php?ArtistID=337 |archivedate=7 July 2011 }}</ref> and various collaborations and contributions, e.g. to Klee's 2006 album ''Zwischen Himmel und Erde''.<ref>{{cite web | last = Brunster-Introzzi | first = Nina | title = Deutschpopper Klee: Ihre kaum hörbare Stimme singt von Liebe | publisher = Westdeutsche Zeitung | date = 5 March 2007 | url = http://www.wz-newsline.de/?redid=148434 | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}</ref> Liwa has cited Joni Mitchell's ''Hejira'' as one of his favourite albums and as a major musical influence, and has named Neil Young as an early idol.<ref name="musicmagnet.de">{{cite web |last = Neumann |first = Fiete & Arne |title = Das Leben als Tom Liwa-Song (interview) |publisher = musicmagnet.de |url = http://www.musicmagnet.de/magazin/specials13.html |accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language = de |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080619080411/http://www.musicmagnet.de/magazin/specials13.html |archivedate = 19 June 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last = Liwa |first = Tom |title = über Joni Mitchells HEJIRA – eine autobiografische Plattenkritik |publisher = Superstar magazine |url = http://www.tomliwa.de/Nostalghia/westfluegel/texte/joni.html |accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language = de |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080126231905/http://www.tomliwa.de/Nostalghia/westfluegel/texte/joni.html |archivedate = 26 January 2008 }}</ref>

==Biography== In 1986, Tom Liwa was a founding member and became frontman of the band, Flowerpornoes, in his native Duisburg.

The four albums released during this period mainly featured English lyrics. Liwa has stated that he had in fact already begun writing German lyrics but that at the time German songtexts were considered "unhip". Although his English texts had received praise in music magazines, the later decision to begin recording songs in German rather than English was made in a conscious effort to address what Liwa perceived as a failure to communicate the deeper meanings in his lyrics to an audience beyond music critics.<ref name="musicmagnet.de"/>

After unfruitful attempts to score any major popular success and with mounting tensions between the band members and differing artistic visions, the Flowerpornoes disbanded shortly after the release of the 1990 album, ''As Trivial As Life And Death''. Subsequent bids for a contract from a major record label failed, to Liwa's retrospective relief.<ref name="liwa_historie">{{cite web |last = Liwa |first = Tom |title = Historie – Flowerpornoes 1 |url = http://www.tomliwa.de/historie.html |accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language = de |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20071225150646/http://www.tomliwa.de/historie.html |archivedate = 25 December 2007 }}</ref>

After the breakup, Tom Liwa toured with Blumfeld on their first tour. Other than that, he played only very minor gigs during the time. In his own retrospect account, he states that he considered his career finished at that point.<ref name="liwa_historie"/>

The Flowerpornoes project was revived in 1993, culminating in the release of ''Mamas Pfirsiche (Für schlechte Zeiten)''. Two more albums followed, 1994's ''Red' nicht von Straßen, nicht von Zügen'' and ''Ich & Ich'' in 1996, before the band members parted ways again.

From 1995 to 1997, Liwa also contributed to the eponymous first album by the Tim Isfort Orchester project alongside Blixa Bargeld, Eva Kurowski, Katharina Thalbach and others.<ref>{{cite web |title = Biographie von Tim Isfort |url = http://www.tim-isfort.de/biographie.php |accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language = de |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080209235941/http://www.tim-isfort.de/biographie.php |archivedate = 9 February 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Tim Isfort Orchester | publisher = Discogs | url = http://www.discogs.com/release/1060241 | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}</ref>

After the second breakup of the Flowerpornoes, Tom Liwa began work on his first solo album. Due to participation in a number of other projects, it took four years to complete and publish ''St. Amour'' in 2000. The earlier ''Voeding'', released in 1998, was a collection of songs released as mailorder only. The final track of ''St. Amour'' is a non-musical piece called ''"Wir haben die Musik"'' ("we have the music"), spoken by Christian Brückner, whose voice is well known throughout Germany as the dubbing voice for Robert De Niro and other actors.<ref name="Brüggemeyer"/><ref>{{cite web |last=Liwa |first=Tom |title=Wir haben die Musik |url=http://www.tomliwa.de/Nostalghia/sprachland/ressources/wirhaben.html |accessdate=14 February 2008 |language=de |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719095130/http://www.tomliwa.de/Nostalghia/sprachland/ressources/wirhaben.html |archivedate=19 July 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last = Ding | first = Oliver | title = Wir haben die Musik (''St. Amour'' album review) | publisher = Plattentests online | url = http://www.plattentests.de/rezi.php?show=121 | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}</ref> Also during the time, Liwa featured on Kevin Coyne's ''Knocking On Your Brain'', published in 1997.<ref>{{cite web |title=KEVIN COYNE R.I.P. |work=arthurmag.com |date=4 December 2004 |url=http://www.arthurmag.com/magpie/?m=2004&w=49 |accessdate=14 February 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224043150/http://www.arthurmag.com/magpie/?m=2004&w=49 |archivedate=24 December 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

More solo albums followed since then, 2004's ''Dudajim'' being the latest of those that have not been published as mailorder only.

On 25 July 2005, the Flowerpornoes performed together for the first time since the 1996 breakup. The occasion was a concert in Cologne, organised as part of the campaign ''"nrw retten, taz abonnieren"'' ("save NRW, subscribe to taz") by newspaper ''die tageszeitung''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s North Rhine-Westphalia edition, which at the time was struggling financially.<ref>{{cite web | last = Rosenkranz | first = Boris R. | title = Der Soundtrack zur Rettung | publisher = taz.de | date = 2 June 2005| url = http://www.taz.de/index.php?id=archivseite&dig=2005/06/25/a0026 | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}</ref>

In 2007, after a hiatus of more than ten years, a new Flowerpornoes album was released, ''Wie oft musst du vor die Wand laufen bis der Himmel sich auftut?'' The album has received considerably greater mainstream attention than any prior work of Tom Liwa.<ref>{{cite web | last = Wigger | first = Jan | title = Wie oft musst du vor die Wand laufen bis der Himmel sich auftut? (album review) | work = Die wichtigsten CDs der Woche | publisher = spiegel.de | date = 6 March 2007 | url = http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/musik/0,1518,470075,00.html | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last = | first = | title = Die Rückkehr der Flowerpornoes | publisher = businessportal24.com/dpa | date = 2 April 2007| url = http://www.businessportal24.com/de/Die_Rueckkehr_Flowerpornoes_175501.html | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last = | first = | title = Flowerpornoes: "Wie oft musst Du vor die Wand laufen ...?" (album review) | publisher = Der Standard.at | date = 2 April 2007| url = http://derstandard.at/?url=/?id=2827346%26_range=6 | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Tom Liwa schickt die Flowerpornoes erneut in die Spur | publisher = maerkischeallgemeine.de | date = 1 March 2007| url = http://www.maerkischeallgemeine.de/cms/beitrag/10891878/63369/ | archive-url = https://archive.today/20070804234412/http://www.maerkischeallgemeine.de/cms/beitrag/10891878/63369/ | url-status = dead | archive-date = 4 August 2007 | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}</ref>

One of the songs on the album is called ''"''Österreich''"'', an allusion to the band's website being located within the Austrian top-level domain .at because the German top-level domain URL (flowerpornoes.de) is registered by someone not related to the band in any form.<ref>{{cite web | last = Weber | first = Julian | title = Gute alte Säcke, böse alte Säcke | publisher = taz.de | date = 1 March 2007| url = http://www.taz.de/index.php?id=archivseite&dig=2007/03/19/a0146 | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}</ref>

== Personal life == Tom Liwa is married to former fellow Flowerpornoes member Alexandra Gilles Videla, the couple has three children.

==Discography== {| class="sortable wikitable" ! Year || Album name || Project || Label |- |style="text-align:center;"|1987 || ''Make Up'' || Flowerpornoes || Scratch'N' |- |style="text-align:center;"|1988 || ''Stardust Kiddies'' || Flowerpornoes || Scratch'N' |- |style="text-align:center;"|1989 || ''Pumpkin Tide'' || Flowerpornoes || Scratch'N' |- |style="text-align:center;"|1990 || ''As Trivial As Life And Death'' || Flowerpornoes || Scratch'N' |- |style="text-align:center;"|1993 || ''Mamas Pfirsiche (Für schlechte Zeiten)'' || Flowerpornoes || Moll |- |style="text-align:center;"|1994 || ''Red' nicht von Straßen, nicht von Zügen'' || Flowerpornoes || Moll |- |style="text-align:center;"|1996 || ''Ich & Ich'' || Flowerpornoes || Moll |- |style="text-align:center;"|1998 || ''Voeding'' || solo || Glitterhouse |- |style="text-align:center;"|2000 || ''St. Amour'' || solo || Moll |- |style="text-align:center;"|2001 || ''Evolution Blues'' || solo || Normal |- |style="text-align:center;"|2001 || ''Staefa CH'' || solo || Glitterhouse |- |style="text-align:center;"|2002 || ''Lopnor'' || with Florian Glässing || Normal |- |style="text-align:center;"|2002 || ''Two Originals of Tom Liwa'' (double album with ''Ich reite ein Pferd auf dem sonst nur Frauen reiten'' und ''Nostalgia No Existe'') || solo || Normal |- |style="text-align:center;"|2004 || ''Dudajim'' || solo || Normal |- |style="text-align:center;"|2005 || ''Glauberg/California'' || solo || Glitterhouse |- |style="text-align:center;"|2005 || ''Ich Könnte Mir Ein Fahrrad Leihen'' || with Werner Muth || Ludwig |- |style="text-align:center;"|2007 || ''Wie oft musst du vor die Wand laufen bis der Himmel sich auftut?'' || Flowerpornoes || V2/Rough Trade |- |style="text-align:center;"|2012 || ''Ich Liebe Menschen Wie Ihr'' || Flowerpornoes || Gim Records/Soulfood |} ;Other featured contributions * He featured as an extra, portraying a musician in the 1999 film ''Pola X''.<ref>{{IMDb name|0515389}}</ref> * The song ''Julianastraat'' from the 2000 album, ''St. Amour'', is featured on the soundtrack for the film ''The Edukators''.<ref>{{cite web | title = The Edukators | publisher = Discogs | url = http://www.discogs.com/release/557019 | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}</ref> * Among other prominent German-language authors, Tom Liwa contributed to an anthology called ''texttourimus'' (the title being a pun on sex tourism). The entire revenue generated by the volume, published in November 2005 in collaboration with UNICEF, was donated to a charitable organisation.<ref>{{cite web | last = Kleofas | first = Andreas | title = Lesereiseempfehlung | publisher = Visions | date = 1 November 2005| url = http://www.visions.de/news/6007/ | archive-url = https://archive.today/20070814152641/http://www.visions.de/news/6007/ | url-status = dead | archive-date = 14 August 2007 | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist|2}}

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==External links==

;album reviews

{{cite web | last = Rosenkranz | first = Boris R. | title = Songs wie Zuckersirup (''Dudajim'' album review) | publisher = taz.de | date = 1 September 2004| url = http://www.taz.de/index.php?id=archivseite&dig=2004/09/11/a0020 | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}

* {{cite web | last = Brüggemeyer | first = Maik | title = Flowerpornoes "Ich & Ich" (album review) | publisher = Rolling Stone.de | url = http://www.rollingstone.de/content/web-magazin/wiederhoeren/wh_23.htm | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}

;gigs

* {{cite web | last = Degener | first = Peter | title = Tom Liwa saß und sang im Waschhaus | publisher = maerkischeallgemeine.de | date = 2 March 2007| url = http://www.maerkischeallgemeine.de/cms/beitrag/10894232/60709/ | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}

* {{cite web | last = | first = | title = Traurige Songs, die die Welt retten | publisher = Hamburger Abendblatt | date = 2 January 2007| url = http://www.abendblatt.de/daten/2007/01/24/675268.html | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}

* {{cite web | last = Meyer | first = Jörg | title = Tom Liwa präsentiert sich in der Hansastraße 48 als leiser Prediger | publisher = Kieler Nachrichten | date = 2 October 2006| url = http://www.kn-online.de/artikel/1975305 | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}

* {{cite web | last = | first = | title = Rockpoet Tom Liwa auf Solotour | publisher = maerkischeallgemeine.de | date = 2 January 2008| url = http://www.maerkischeallgemeine.de/cms/beitrag/11119243/63369/Rockpoet_Tom_Liwa_auf_Solotour_Konzert.html | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}

* {{cite web | last = | first = | title = Tom Liwa | publisher = maerkischeallgemeine.de | date = 2 January 2008| url = http://www.maerkischeallgemeine.de/cms/beitrag/11095763/66109/TOM_LIWA-_1.html | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}

* {{cite web | last = Niemann | first = Carsten | title = Wachschlaf eines Wiedergängers | publisher = tagesspiegel.de | date = 7 May 2007 | url = http://www.tagesspiegel.de/kultur/;art772,1969056 | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}

;misc * [http://books.google.com/books?id=7bUfAAAACAAJ&dq=%22tom+liwa%22 Google books search] * {{de icon}} http://www.grauwerte.de/polysensuell/fotografien.php?topic=12 * {{de icon}} http://www.gebaeude9.de/info01.html * {{cite web | last = Steinbrink | first = Christian | title = Low live Mit Tom Liwa | publisher = intro.de | date = 2 December 2002 | url = http://www.intro.de/news/23004593 | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}

* {{cite web | last = Tietz | first = Jürgen | title = Der Ingenieur und die ideale Fabrik | publisher = tagesspiegel.de | date = 2 February 2006| url = http://www.tagesspiegel.de/kultur/;art772,2152684 | accessdate = 14 February 2008 |language=de}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Liwa, Tom}} Category:Living people Category:1961 births Category:German male singer-songwriters Category:German singer-songwriters Category:People from Duisburg Category:20th-century German male singers Category:21st-century German male singers