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Us: Graham Lewis.

Graham Lewis

Graham Lewis

Edvard Graham Lewis, currently a resident of Uppsala in Sweden, is Wire's bassist, and is responsible for the bulk of the band's lyrics. Having originally graduated in 1974 from Middlesex Polytechnic with a degree in fashion design, he initially worked as a freelance designer. Successful collaboration with the Jeffrey Rodgers company led to his designs appearing in the editorial pages of Elle, Cosmopolitan,19, and more, and his collections were available in a number of high-street boutiques.

Things all changed in 1976, when he was asked to join—as bass player—an unnamed group consisting of George Gill, Colin Newman and Bruce Gilbert. Robert Grey soon also joined, and the band became known as Wire. However, Gill's departure led to the remaining quartet having to create an entirely new set of material, and so Graham formed a writing partnership with Colin, with Graham primarily acting as lyricist. Subsequently, Graham also wrote and sang many of his own compositions, and with Bruce, Graham managed and created much of Wire's visual identity, including record sleeves and stage design.

Outside of Wire, Graham has been prolific, working on a number of other projects. He's released solo and collaborative CD works with Bruce Gilbert, Russell Mills, C.M. von Hausswolff, John Duncan, Leif Elggren, Jean-Louis Huhta, Thomas Öberg, Andreas Karperyd, and Mattias Tegnér. He's also co-founded the groups Dome, Cupol, P'o, Duet Emmo, He Said, He Said Omala, H.A.L.Ö, Ocsid, Hox, 27#11, and UUUU.

Graham has composed music for modern dance (including for the Michael Clark Company, Stephen Petronio Company, and Su-en Butoh Company), and for film (including Brothers Quay, Bigert & Bergström, and Gunilla Leander). Also active in the arts scene, Graham's installations have graced The Waterloo Gallery, MOMA (Oxford), Fargfabriken (Stockholm), Baltic Art Museum (Goteland), and Podevil (Berlin). He also held the Krevian post of Minister of Wholey Smoke.

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