Guggi
Derek Rowen, better known as Guggi, is an Irish artist and musician who was once a member of the post-punk band Virgin Prunes.
Also recorded as Derek Rowen
Guggi
Dublin International Film Festival · CC BY 3.0
- Name
- Guggi
- Birth Name
- Derek Rowen
- Birthplace
- Dublin, Ireland
- Occupation
- Vocals
- Born
- 1959 · Dublin.
- Nationality
- Ireland
- Fields
- post-punk
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Documentary summary
Derek Rowen, better known as Guggi, is an Irish artist and musician who was once a member of the post-punk band Virgin Prunes.
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Note VALÉORINE
Guggi (born 1959) is an artist, musician and painter, among other activities, of Irish nationality. The artist was born in Dublin. The work spans post-punk.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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Documentary evidence
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Authority files
wikidata · Q977402 · wikipedia · Guggi
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Guggi • Birth Name — Derek Rowen • Birthplace — Dublin, Ireland • Genre — Post-punk • Occupation — Vocals
Early life
Early life
Derek Rowen grew up with and remains best friends with U2's Bono, who gave him his nickname.
Career
Career
The Virgin Prunes were founded in 1977 by vocalists Guggi, Gavin Friday (né Fionan Hanvey), and Dave-iD Busaras; guitarist Dik Evans (brother of U2's The Edge); bassist Strongman (Trevor Rowen, brother of Guggi); and drummer Pod (Anthony Murphy). Known for their outrageous and controversial stage performances, the band began playing small shows in Dublin and gained a cult audience. The band released a single, "Moments and Mine (Despite Straight Lines)", on 27 June 1981. In November 1982, the Virgin Prunes released their debut studio album,...If I Die, I Die (produced by Colin Newman of Wire), as well as the double 10" EP Hérésie, a French box set. In 1984, Guggi left the band. Guggi left the Virgin Prunes to dedicate himself to painting.
Personal life
Personal life
Guggi has five sons, the eldest with his first partner and four with his ex-wife Sybille. He lives in Killiney with his partner Gabriella Janni.
Guggi, Bono and the Edge at DIFF 2026, from the video: 'That's A Wrap! Looking back on DIFF 2026'. Uploaded to YouTube by Dublin International Film Festival under YouTube CC BY 4.0 Unported licence on April 3, 2026.
Dublin International Film Festival
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1959
Guggi born at Dublin.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Bowling for recognition.
- 2.Egan, Barry. 'We promised each other we would never grow up' - Bono and Guggi on their lifelong friendship. Irish Independent. January 13, 2020.
- 3.Colin Larkin. The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Virgin Books. 1220/1. 1997. 1-85227-745-9.
- 4.Discogs. Virgin Prunes - Moments And Mine (Despite Straight Lines). 29 November 1981.
- 5.Gimarc, George. Post Punk Diary: 1980-1982. Macmillan. 174. 15 October 1997. 9780312169688.
- 6.Guggi on surviving a brush with death: 'I didn't feel an ounce of fear. There were far greater forces at work'. independent.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 20 August 2026.
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