Freek de Jonge
Encyclopedia
Frederik "Freek" Jan Georg de Jonge (born August 30, 1944) is a Dutch cabaret
performer, singer, comedian and blogger.
as son of a pastor. His family moved to Workum
, and later to Zaandam
and Goes
. At age 11, Freek had his first performance on stage. After barely making it through high school, he studied cultural anthropology in Amsterdam
. During his studies he met Bram Vermeulen and Johan Gertenbach, and they formed a group of comedy performers, Neerlands Hoop in Bange Dagen.
In 1978, Neerlands Hoop, by the show "Bloed aan de paal" ("Blood on the Goalpost"), became famous for its fight against the participation of the Netherlands national football team
at the football world cup in Argentina
.
In 1979, Neerlands Hoop split up and Freek de Jonge started his solo career.
.
In 1994, Freek de Jonge started to work with Nits
. Under the name Frits, they performed covers of old Neerlands Hoop songs, translated Nits songs and newly written material. An album was released in 1995 : Dankzij de Dijken. Freek de Jonge continued to work with their keyboard player
Robert Jan Stips
: Stips released two albums : Gemeen Goed in 1997 then Rapsodia in 1998. A cover of Bob Dylan
's Death is not the end reached the first place of the Dutch
charts in 1997. The musical co-operation with Robert Jan Stips
continues to this day.
He started a new experiment during the year 1999 : under the name "De Jonge", he gave ten different shows from every variety of the cabaret scene.
In February 2004, he went to Iraq
for a week to perform for the Dutch
troops.
On 12 November 2005, he received the Groenman prize from the Genootschap Onze Taal; this is a society which works with the Dutch language.
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
performer, singer, comedian and blogger.
Early life and career
He was born in the village of WesternielandDe Marne
De Marne is a municipality in the northeast of the Netherlands.- Population centres :Broek, Eenrum, Hornhuizen, Houwerzijl, Kleine Huisjes, Kloosterburen, Kruisweg, Lauwersoog, Leens, Mensingeweer, Molenrij, Niekerk, Pieterburen, Schouwerzijl, Ulrum, Vierhuizen, Warfhuizen, Wehe-den Hoorn,...
as son of a pastor. His family moved to Workum
Workum
Workum is the largest town of Nijefurd in Friesland. It received city rights in 1374. It lies within the municipality of Nijefurd. Currently has around 4000 inhabitants....
, and later to Zaandam
Zaandam
Zaandam is a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the main city of the municipality of Zaanstad, and received city rights in 1811...
and Goes
Goes
Goes is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands in Zuid-Beveland, in the province Zeeland. The city of Goes has approximately 27,000 residents.-History of Goes:...
. At age 11, Freek had his first performance on stage. After barely making it through high school, he studied cultural anthropology in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. During his studies he met Bram Vermeulen and Johan Gertenbach, and they formed a group of comedy performers, Neerlands Hoop in Bange Dagen.
In 1978, Neerlands Hoop, by the show "Bloed aan de paal" ("Blood on the Goalpost"), became famous for its fight against the participation of the Netherlands national football team
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
at the football world cup in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
.
In 1979, Neerlands Hoop split up and Freek de Jonge started his solo career.
Writer and musician
Besides performing in cabaret, Freek de Jonge has written the novels Zaansch Veem (1987), Neerlands Bloed (1991) and Opa's Wijsvinger (1993). He has been the host of some television shows and wrote two films: The Illusionist (1983) and De Komediant (1986). He also wrote a hip hop song with Dutch rapper BrainpowerBrainpower
Gertjan Mulder, professionally known as Brainpower, is a bi-lingual rapper, who writes, records and performs in both the English as well as the Dutch language. The Dutch audience mainly knows him as a Dutch language rapper. He was born in Belgium and grew up in the Netherlands. He started making...
.
In 1994, Freek de Jonge started to work with Nits
The Nits
Nits are a Dutch pop group, founded in 1974. Their musical style has varied considerably over the years, as has their line-up with the core of Henk Hofstede , Rob Kloet, drummer, Robert Jan Stips , keyboards.Their biggest hit in the Netherlands was "Nescio" , a tribute to...
. Under the name Frits, they performed covers of old Neerlands Hoop songs, translated Nits songs and newly written material. An album was released in 1995 : Dankzij de Dijken. Freek de Jonge continued to work with their keyboard player
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
Robert Jan Stips
Robert Jan Stips
Robert Jan Stips is a Dutch musician born in The Hague the 4 February 1950.He initially found fame as a keyboard player, arranger and producer with the group Supersister. This led to an invitation to join Golden Earring, one of the most successful Dutch groups of the time.In 1975 Stips appeared on...
: Stips released two albums : Gemeen Goed in 1997 then Rapsodia in 1998. A cover of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's Death is not the end reached the first place of the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
charts in 1997. The musical co-operation with Robert Jan Stips
Robert Jan Stips
Robert Jan Stips is a Dutch musician born in The Hague the 4 February 1950.He initially found fame as a keyboard player, arranger and producer with the group Supersister. This led to an invitation to join Golden Earring, one of the most successful Dutch groups of the time.In 1975 Stips appeared on...
continues to this day.
1997-present
From 1997 to October 2000, Freek de Jonge was a columnist of the daily newspaper Parool.He started a new experiment during the year 1999 : under the name "De Jonge", he gave ten different shows from every variety of the cabaret scene.
In February 2004, he went to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
for a week to perform for the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
troops.
On 12 November 2005, he received the Groenman prize from the Genootschap Onze Taal; this is a society which works with the Dutch language.
Personal life
De Jonge is married to Hella Asser, daughter of Dutch writer Elis Asser. The couple had three children; their third child died after three months.With Neerlands Hoop
- 1970 : Neerlands Hoop In Bange Dagen
- 1971 : Live In Wadway (n.h.)
- 1971 : Neerlands Hoop In Panama
- 1972 : Plankenkoorts
- 1973 : Weerzien In Panama
- 1974 : Neerlands Hoop Express
- 1975 : Ingenaaid Of Gebonden
- 1977 : Interieur
- 1978 : Bloed Aan De Paal
- 1979 : Offsmboet Ippq Dpef (Neerlands Hoop Code)
One man's shows
- 1980 : De Komiek
- 1981 : De Tragiek
- 1982 : De Mars
- 1983 : De Mythe
- 1983 : De Openbaring (Oudejaarsconference)
- 1983 : Stroman en Trawanten (with Willem Breuker Kollektief)
- 1984 : Een verademing (Oudejaarsconference)
- 1985 : De Bedevaart
- 1985 : De Finale (Oudejaarsconference)
- 1986 : Het Damestasje
- 1987 : De Pretentie
- 1988 : De Goeroe en de Dissident
- 1989 : De Volgende
- 1989 : De Ontlading (Oudejaarsconference)
- 1992 : Losse nummers
- 1992 : De Estafette (Oudejaarsconference)
- 1994 : De Tol
- 1994-1995 : Frits (with NitsThe NitsNits are a Dutch pop group, founded in 1974. Their musical style has varied considerably over the years, as has their line-up with the core of Henk Hofstede , Rob Kloet, drummer, Robert Jan Stips , keyboards.Their biggest hit in the Netherlands was "Nescio" , a tribute to...
) - 1996 : Langzame Liedjes (with StipsRobert Jan StipsRobert Jan Stips is a Dutch musician born in The Hague the 4 February 1950.He initially found fame as a keyboard player, arranger and producer with the group Supersister. This led to an invitation to join Golden Earring, one of the most successful Dutch groups of the time.In 1975 Stips appeared on...
) - 1996 : Het Luik (Oudejaarsconference) de brand (nieuw jaarsconference)
- 1997 : Gemeen goed (with StipsRobert Jan StipsRobert Jan Stips is a Dutch musician born in The Hague the 4 February 1950.He initially found fame as a keyboard player, arranger and producer with the group Supersister. This led to an invitation to join Golden Earring, one of the most successful Dutch groups of the time.In 1975 Stips appeared on...
) - 1998 : Rapsodia (with StipsRobert Jan StipsRobert Jan Stips is a Dutch musician born in The Hague the 4 February 1950.He initially found fame as a keyboard player, arranger and producer with the group Supersister. This led to an invitation to join Golden Earring, one of the most successful Dutch groups of the time.In 1975 Stips appeared on...
) - 1998 : Papa Razzia (Oudejaarsconference)
- 2000 : De Conferencier, Het Boekenweekgeschenk En De Leugen
- 2000 : De Gillende Keukenmeid (Oudejaarsconference)
- 2001 : Het Laatste Oordeel (Oudejaarsconference)
- 2002 : Parlando (with het Metropool Orkest)
- 2003 : De Stemming (Verkiezingsconference)
- 2004: De Vergrijzing
- De Ganse Schepping
- Het Offer
- De Ontgroening
- De Loods
- (De Hond Van) Jonas
- De Vergrijzing
- De Waan
- The Happy Few
- Hunebedrock
- Hollywooddream
- De Sterfscène (with Theo MaassenTheo MaassenTheodorus Wilhelmus Maassen is a Dutch comedian and actor who grew up in Zijtaart in the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant. He currently lives in Eindhoven...
) - Neerlands Hoop In Memoriam
- De Grote Normen En Waarden Show
- FRITS 2 (with NitsThe NitsNits are a Dutch pop group, founded in 1974. Their musical style has varied considerably over the years, as has their line-up with the core of Henk Hofstede , Rob Kloet, drummer, Robert Jan Stips , keyboards.Their biggest hit in the Netherlands was "Nescio" , a tribute to...
)
- 2005 : Cordon Sanitaire
- 2005 : Freek Doet De Deur Dicht
- 2006 : Wat Is Er Nog Heilig?
- 2006 : De Stemming 2006 (Verkiezingsconference)
- 2007 : De Toeschouwer
- 2008 : De Laatste Lach
Books
- 1987 : Zaansch Veem (about his youth in Zaandam)
- 1990 : De Brillenkoker
- 1991 : Neerlands Bloed
- 1993 : Opa's Wijsvinger
- 1995 : De Rode Draad
- 2000 : De Hoekvlag
- 2004 : Door De Knieën
- 2004 : Leven Na De Dood
- 2006 : De Toeschouwer