Arjen Lubach

Arjen Lubach

Arjen Lubach, 2015
Born Arjen Henrik Lubach
(1979-10-22) 22 October 1979
Groningen
Occupation Writer, comedian, television presenter
Nationality Dutch
Alma mater University of Groningen
Notable awards Republican of the Year 2015
Arjen Lubach's voice
Recorded February 2015

Website
arjenlubach.nl

Arjen Henrik Lubach (born 22 October 1979) is a Dutch writer, comedian and television presenter. He mainly attracted notability through his weekly VPRO television show Zondag met Lubach ("Sunday with Lubach").

Biography

Youth and education

Lubach was born in a hospital in Groningen, and was raised in Lutjegast, where he lived until age 15.[1][2]

His parents are both lawyers and came from outside of Groningen. His father was a professor at the University of Groningen.[1] The three sons were raised outside of the village centre of Lutjegast. Lubach felt like an outsider because, unlike the villagers, his family did not speak the Gronings dialect. He describes his younger self as "complex" and a "kid who stayed indoors". Although he was bullied, he considers his youth to have been enjoyable. His family was religious: the children went to the Protestant primary school School met de Bijbel ("School with the Bible")[note 1], they prayed every day, read from the Bible (which was used to find a solution to pretty much any problem), and went to church every Sunday.[1][3][4]

Arjen Lubach was 11 years old when his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and 12 when she died.[3] The loss of his mother, with whom he had a good relationship, had a great impact on him. [note 2] It accelerated his doubts about religion.[3] After primary school, he went to the Maartenscollege in Haren.[5] The choice was made also because his father had to make the promise to raise the children religiously on his mother's deathbed.[4]

At the Maartenscollege, Lubach met his first great love, on whom many of the fictitious characters in his later work were based.[5] Lubach went on to study Spanish at the University of Groningen. When he lost his religion, he concluded that life is pointless, which temporarily led him into an "existential crisis". Later he could fill up the void by creating his personal sense of meaning.[4] He quit his studies and worked as a taxi driver in Groningen for several months, and after that a while as a harbourmaster on Vlieland. Next he commenced studying philosophy. During the second year, when he also studied Swedish, he met Janine Abbring. With her he made a spontaneous trip to Denmark, where they wrote their first hit single.[5]

Views

Lubach described himself as "a republican to the core",[6] and spoke out against the Dutch monarchy.[7] He considers believing in a God to be something remarkable, and is taking an assertive attitude against the excesses of religion.[4] Looking back on his own time as a believer, Lubach calls it "the biggest brainwash ever. Absolute nonsense".[3] According to him, religion gave him a great feeling of guilt about living in sin. He calls it "outrageous" that he was taught to pray, but he does not fault his parents.[4] He experienced relinquishing faith as "an enormous liberation" and giving him calm.[note 3][4]

Writer

In August 2006, Lubach's debut novel Mensen die ik ken die mijn moeder hebben gekend ("People I Know Who Knew My Mother") appeared, and in April 2008 his novel Bastaardsuiker ("Brown Sugar"), both at Meulenhoff publishing. In March 2011, Lubach's new novel Lubach Magnus was published by Podium, followed by the thriller IV in 2013, which was nominated for the Gouden Strop. Furthermore, he writes for the VPRO radio, columns for CJP magazine, opinion pieces for NRC Next and scenarios for film and theatre.

Lubach previously worked as a freelance textwriter for radio and television, including Vara Laat, Koppensnellers and De Wereld Draait Door.

Theatre

Performing with Het Monica da Silva Trio, Zwarte Cross 2010.

In 2001, Lubach became part of the theatre fellowship Op Sterk Water (with Roel van Velzen and others), with whom he performed at, amongst others, Lowlands, Hard Gelach, Laughing Matters and in theatres in the Netherlands and Belgium. In June 2014, he left Op Sterk Water to present a talkshow.

In the summers of 2009, 2011 and 2013 Arjen performed together with comedian Tim Kamps at the itinerant festival De Parade with the show Het Monica da Silva Trio. In theatre season 2011 and 2012 they played their show in theatres throughout the Netherlands and Belgium.

Radio

Lubach started his radio career at OOG Radio, the local broadcasting organisation of the city of Groningen. As a volunteer, he presented a daily programme for two years.

In 2003, Lubach got a late night programme as Arjen L at 3FM, at first for the NPS and later for the VARA, and he could be heard as the sidekick of Claudia de Breij and Giel Beelen.

In 2007, Lubach did a weekly contribution for the VPRO in the radio programme De Avonden on Radio 6.

Internet and television

In 2015, Lubach succeeded Joanna (left) as Republican of the Year for satirising the Dutch monarchy.

Since 2005, Lubach – together with Edo Schoonbeek and Pieter Jouke – has maintained the comedy website Buro Renkema. Some of their items were shown at Pauw & Witteman, Koppensnellers and De Wereld Draait Door. In June 2007, ABN AMRO threatened to sue them, because they created a parody of ABN AMRO online banking. The bank eventually backed off when Buro Renkema refused to take the flash video down.

Early 2007, Lubach was part of the jury in the show Lama Gezocht. From late 2007 on, he presented De Nieuwste Show for BNN from Monday till Thursday together with Patrick Lodiers. Since September 2009, Lubach and Edo Schoonbeek co-produce the "Rap service" under the name "MC T-Lex" for the AVRO show Koefnoen. Arjen Lubach participated in the TV show Wie is de Mol? in 2010, dropping out in the seventh episode. In June 2010, he and five friends founded the website Recensiekoning ("Review King"), for which he writes regularly.

For the NTR and IJswater Films, Lubach wrote the scenarios De Goudfazant ("The Golden Pheasant") and Midzomernacht ("Midsummer Night"). The latter premiered at the Netherlands Film Festival in 2011, and was shown at other film festivals in Uruguay, Brive and Leeuwarden, and was broadcast on Nederland 2 on 2 December 2011. In 2012, Lubach wrote for Talent United Films the scenario for the television film Honderden Brommers ("Hundreds of Mopeds").

On 31 August 2012, he won the finale of the television show De Slimste Mens ("The Smartest Human") against Mark Huizinga and Jan Rot.[8]

From the 13th season of Wie is de Mol?, Lubach presents the programme MolTalk on Radio 1 and on the second screen, where he looks forward to and back on every episode of that day.

In 2013, Lubach and linguist Paulien Cornelisse started a monthly language segment on De Wereld Draait Door.

On Sunday 9 November 2014, the first episode of Zondag met Lubach aired. It is a satirical talkshow, in which he takes a critical look at the last week's news. Because of 22 March 2015 episode in which he mocked the Dutch monarchy by proclaiming himself "Pharao of the Netherlands" and launched a citizens' initiative to confirm it,[9][10] Lubach was awarded the title of Republican of the Year 2015 by the New Republican Society.[11]

Music

In 2001, Lubach and Janine Abbring scored a number 3 hit under the pseudonym of Slimme Schemer ft. Tido. This song, Jelle, originated as a joke at the Noorderslag festival, and is a parody of American rapper Eminem and British singer Dido's song Stan. It is about a fan, Jelle, who disappointedly sings (in second person singular) about De Kast singer Syb van der Ploeg, blaming him for not replying to his messages.

In 2015, Lubach secretly released the song "Justified (Sunrise Funk)" under the pseudonym Hartebees, which became a hit. Lubach was found out as the artist by radio host Domien Verschuuren, because his name was mentioned as 'producer' on Deezer.[12]

Bibliography

Awards and nominations

Trivia

Notes

  1. ↑ Lubach's former primary school is now called Basisschool 't Fundament, located in the Zeehaanstraat in Lutjegast, Grootegast
  2. ↑ "As I later heard from my grandma, my mother recognised in me 'I understand this child'. When someone who claims she is the only one who understands you disappears, that does have an impact on your life." With the death of his mother, his faith in God and religion began to crumble."[4]
  3. ↑ "When I started thinking and discovered there was no God, it did feel like an enormous liberation. That I've been thinking all this time I had to live a certain way, while actually there is no moral basis at all."[4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Joep van Ruiten (10 March 2011). "Arjen Lubach wil niet kiezen – waarom zou hij". Woest en Ledig. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  2. ↑ Koos Tervooren. "Interview: Arjen Lubach". GroningenLife. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Arjen Lubach Ik moet blijven reiken, anders ben ik er al". Trouw. 20 April 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Tijs van den Brink (8 March 2015). "Arjen Lubach". Adieu God?. NPO. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Cunera van Selm (15 December 2013). "Boven het Maaiveld [15-12-2013] – RTV Noord". YouTube. RTV Noord. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  6. ↑ Dirk Koppes (24 March 2013). "Arjen Lubach: ‘Ik vond lang dat ik mislukt was.’". ThePostOnline. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  7. ↑ Arjen Lubach (29 April 2013). "Tien argumenten vóór de monarchie ontkracht door Arjen Lubach". NRC Handelsblad. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  8. ↑ Jory Vijfschaft (1 September 2012). "Arjen Lubach is De Slimste Mens 2012". Televizier. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  9. ↑ "Lubach zet benoeming farao op Kameragenda". de Volkskrant. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  10. ↑ "Cabaretier wil farao van Nederland worden: parlement moet er zich over buigen". De Morgen. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  11. ↑ "Arjen Lubach gekozen tot dé republikein van 2015". Algemeen Dagblad. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  12. ↑ "Arjen Lubach is maker dancenummer 'Justified'". Nu.nl. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2015.

External links

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