Michael Gira

Michael Rolfe Gira was born February 19, 1954, in Los Angeles to Alice (née Shulte), originally from Iowa, and Robert Pierre Gira. His mother was an alcoholic, and Gira spent much of his early life caring for his younger brother. Gira has commented that his parents were "not around much" during his early childhood. As an adolescent, Gira was arrested in California several times for petty crimes. Facing the risk of being incarcerated in a juvenile hall, he relocated with his father to Germany following a short stay in South Bend, Indiana. While in Germany, Gira ran away and hitchhiked across Europe, lived in Israel for a year, and spent four and a half months in an adult jail in Jerusalem for selling hashish. He turned 16 while in jail. Returning to California around age seventeen, Gira worked at a bakery on Redondo Beach Pier, completed his GED, went to community college, and then attended Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. He moved to New York in 1979, where he played in a band called Circus Mort, before forming the band Swans. In Manhattan, Gira found employment as a construction worker, doing demolition, sheetrock installation, and plastering.

Initially, Swans' focus was raw rhythm and abrasive textures, usually eschewing melody for visceral power, becoming known for their abrasive experimental and post-industrial sound. Their commercial success was limited, but Swans earned critical notice and had a devoted following. The band's lineup and sound evolved over time, and their music became somewhat more conventional. A marked shift in Swans' music came with inclusion of Gira's partner, Jarboe, who added her ethereal voice and synthesizers to the group in 1985. Gira and Swans spent the next twelve years releasing studio, live, and side-project albums. Gira's frustration with various record labels grew over time, and he disbanded Swans in 1997. However, in 2010, Gira decided to revive the band, with members new and old. They released a new album titled My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky. A second post-revival album, The Seer, was released in 2012. A third, To Be Kind, was released in 2014. All three were met with increasing critical acclaim. The Glowing Man followed and was released in 2016. Leaving Meaning followed in 2019, and then The Beggar in 2023. Their seventeenth studio album, Birthing, was released in 2025.

After dissolving Swans in 1997 Gira began a new musical direction with Angels of Light, which are a quieter, more acoustic-based group than Swans. Gira also spent time experimenting with soundscapes, found sound, and loops with The Body Lovers / The Body Haters project. He has also released several albums under his own name including Drainland (1995), a spoken word album called The Somniloquist (2000), and What We Did (2001), a collaboration with Windsor for the Derby's frontman Dan Matz. Gira founded his own record label, Young God Records, which has released albums from such artists as Devendra Banhart, Mi and L'au, and Akron/Family as well as Swans, The Angels of Light and The Body Lovers' back catalogues. Akron/Family served as Gira's backing band during the recording of and touring for The Angels of Light's 2005 album, The Angels of Light Sing 'Other People'. Gira has spoken of his decision to shift his focus from The Angels of Light back to Swans as a move based on impassivity. He has stated, "I had been doing this band Angels of Light for thirteen years, and had reached a kind of impassivity with that, sorta like I had reached an impassivity with Swans when I initially stopped it."

Gira dated pop singer Madonna before she was famous. He was married to Gunga Din vocalist Siobhan Duffy from 1999 until their divorce in 2011. He has been married to Jennifer Church Gira since 2014. In an interview with Pitchfork Media on 19 May 2014, when questioned about his musical influences over the years Gira noted it as being difficult to describe, but praised artists such as Nina Simone, James Brown, Fela Kuti, Can, and Led Zeppelin. Gira has also cited Suicide as an influence. Gira listed his 13 favorite albums as On the Corner by Miles Davis, The Man-Machine by Kraftwerk, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars by David Bowie, 20 Jazz Funk Greats by Throbbing Gristle, the Stooges self-titled debut album, the Doors' Strange Days, Freak Out! by the Mothers of Invention, Pink Moon by Nick Drake, Symphonie No.2 by Henryk Górecki, Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan, Tabula Rasa by Arvo Part, The Chess Box by Howlin' Wolf, and Ummagumma by Pink Floyd. Gira has stated that many of his songs were written by a voice that channels through him named "Joseph", which he says had stayed with him since his youth. Gira has three children; two sons, one named Swan according to Children of God album cover photographer Laura Levine, and a daughter. In 2016, Gira was accused of rape by Larkin Grimm, which she alleged took place in 2008. Although Gira admitted the encounter had happened, he described it as "an awkward mistake" and dismissed the rape allegation as "a slanderous lie". Grimm countered that she had never given consent to sex with Gira, and had "even made it a part of a verbal agreement" that they would never have sex when she signed a contract with his record label.

In 2006 issue of Tape Op, Gira said he is "pretty indifferent to gear" and uses anything that "sounds good" and has a "specific character". Gira is known for using a Guild antique burst electro acoustic guitar, and a Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus Guitar Amplifier during his solo concerts. With Swans, Gira has used a variety of instruments including Ovation acoustic guitars and a Westbury Track II bass guitar during early performances. During the Soundtracks for the Blind and Swans are Dead era, Gira can be seen with a Gibson Lucille, a Fender Telecaster and a Gibson Les Paul. Gira used Akai S900 sampler to make the major part of The Body Lovers and record all of the vocals on Drainland. He called it one of his favorite music tools.