Jian Ghomeshi
|
|
Jian Ghomeshi (born June 9, 1967 in London, England) is a Canadian musician and television presenter.
Ghomeshi was born in London, England, but moved to Thornhill, Ontario Canada with his family in the 1970s.
Joining together with Mike Ford, Murray Foster, Dave Matheson, he formed the band Moxy Früvous in 1990. As singer, songwriter, and drummer for Moxy, he used his talents to help the band to go multi-platinum. At the end of 2000, the band went on hiatus and has yet to get back together.
After the hiatus, Ghomeshi went on a solo tour with Erin Mckeown and Andy Stochansky, known as 3 Song Circus, and released his first solo EP, "The First 6 Songs", in July of 2001. A full solo album is set for release in 2005.
Beyond his music, Ghomeshi has become active in the TV broadcasting industry. In 2002 he was hired as the host of CBC Newsworld's >play, a show about the arts in Canada and abroad. >play ran for two seasons on Newsworld, but was cancelled in April, 2004 due to low ratings. Since >play's cancellation, there have been several one hour specials including Screw the Vote and >play Goes to Pot. Ghomeshi also contributed to the Toronto edition of Canada Now during its weekly entertainment report, however, in December 2004 he was replaced in order to pursue other assignments.
As of January 2005, Ghomeshi has become a regular reporter for CBC News: The Hour, hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos, and also hosted 50 Tracks on CBC Radio One and CBC Radio Two.
In February 2005, the National Post printed an article about the status of the CBC, in which it was suggested that Ghomeshi has become displeased with his current role at the CBC. The article also mentioned rumours of tension between Ghomeshi and Stroumboulopoulos. It was also suggested that he is upset with CBC's decision to promote Stroumboulopoulos as its "new hip talent", and giving Stroumboulopoulos more edgy pieces, while he has been delegated more "light and fluffy" arts and culture pieces.
Ghomeshi's energetic personality has made him a target of some sketch comedies, most notably This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Royal Canadian Air Farce. In 2004 during a segment on Rick Mercer's Monday Report, Mercer, who is reportedly a friend of Jian's, stated he felt Ghomeshi would be a perfect candidate for the next Governor General of Canada because he "has the eyes of an Arabian princess". While the joke was received with good humour by Ghomeshi, it reignited rumours that he is gay or bisexual (which he has never confirmed or denied.)
Ghomeshi has also taken stabs at producing and managing other musicians. Founding his own production company Wonderboy Entertainment, Ghomeshi is managing Martina Sorbara and Valerie. He has also produced for more well known artists, such as Dar Williams.
He holds a degree in Political Science and History from York University.
Discography
- The Independent Cassette (1992, demo, with Moxy Fruvous)
- Bargainville (1993, with Moxy Fruvous)
- Wood (1995, with Moxy Fruvous)
- The 'b' Album (1996, with Moxy Fruvous)
- You Will Go to the Moon (1997, with Moxy Fruvous)
- Live Noise (1998, live, with Moxy Fruvous)
- Thornhill (1999, with Moxy Fruvous)
- The 'C' Album (2000, with Moxy Fruvous)
- The First 6 Songs (2001, solo)
External links
- Jian's Official site (http://www.jian.ca)
- Moxy Fruvous site (http://www.fruvous.com)
- Moxy Fruvous fan site (http://www.fruhead.com)
- Wonderboy Entertainment (http://www.wonderboy.ca)