Alexander Kapranos

Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley (born March 20, 1972 in Almondsbury, Gloucestershire) is the lead singer of the Glaswegian band Franz Ferdinand. He was born to a Greek father and a English mother.

Related Topics:
March 20 - 1972 - Almondsbury - Gloucestershire - Glaswegian - Franz Ferdinand - Greek - English

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Kapranos spent his early childhood in Sunderland and South Shields, his mother's hometown, and spent most summers in his father's native Greece. Huntley is the name of the aunt who adopted his father when he moved to South Shields from Greece in the early '60s. His mother insisted on the middle name Paul, because of a long-term crush on Paul McCartney.

Related Topics:
Sunderland - South Shields - Greece - Paul McCartney

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In 1980, he moved with his family to Edinburgh, then to Glasgow in 1984. At the age of seventeen, Kapranos attended the University of Aberdeen to study theology. He continued his studies at several different universities, including the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. From the early '90s, he was a fixture of the Glasgow music scene, running live nights at the 13th Note. While working as a chef, bartender, lecturer in IT at the city's Anniesland College, and other various jobs, he played in some of Glasgow's popular bands, including The Amphetameanies, The Yummy Fur, and The Karelia (formerly known as The Blisters).

Related Topics:
Edinburgh - University of Aberdeen - University of Strathclyde - Glasgow - Anniesland College - The Yummy Fur

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Eventually, after dropping "Huntley" from his name, he formed a new band in 2002 with old friends and new acquaintances called Franz Ferdinand, which has received international attention. Three hit singles have charted in the United Kingdom and their eponymous debut album won the Mercury Music Prize, two Brit Awards, an MTV Award and an Ivor Novello.

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Alex has asthma and is allergic to peanuts, which he likens to arsenic.

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Alex cut his fringe off early in 2005, much to the outrage of his devoted fangirls. He is now in the processes of growing it back.

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In September 2005 he began Soundbites http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/story/0,16525,1576764,00.html, a weekly food column for G2 in the Guardian newspaper, which details his culinary adventures as Franz Ferdinand traverse the globe on their world tour.

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