Crispian Mills
The psychedelic rock frontman who fused Eastern mysticism with Britpop swagger, creating 90s anthems of spiritual yearning.
Born 1973 (age 53)·English rock musician and film director·Birthday: January 18·Generation X
Biography
Crispian Mills emerged in the mid-1990s as the flamboyant, spiritually questing leader of Kula Shaker, a band that stood out in the Cool Britannia era for its unabashed embrace of 60s psychedelia and Hindu philosophy. The son of actress Hayley Mills and film director Roy Boulting, Mills channeled his theatrical heritage into a stage persona of cosmic proportions. With hits like 'Tattva' and 'Govinda,' sung in Sanskrit, and the chart-topping 'Hush,' he injected pop with a dose of mysticism that was both earnest and irresistibly catchy. The band's rapid rise was met with controversy over Mills's comments on swastika symbolism, leading to a media storm. After a breakup, he explored filmmaking and led the garage-rock trio The Jeevas before reuniting Kula Shaker. His career is a persistent exploration of the intersection between rock music and spiritual inquiry, maintaining a dedicated cult following drawn to its unique, devotional energy.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Crispian was born in 1973, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Crispian Was Born
The biggest hits of 1973
#1 Movie
The Exorcist
Best Picture
The Sting
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Crispian's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1973Born
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1978Started school
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1986Became a teenager
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Could drive
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1991Could vote
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Turned 21
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2003Turned 30
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 40
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 50
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 53 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led Kula Shaker to a UK number one album with 'K' (1996), which sold over a million copies.
- Wrote and performed the hit single 'Hush,' a cover that became a worldwide top 10 hit in 1997.
- Directed the feature film 'A Wonderful Christmas Time' and several music videos for his band.
- Reformed Kula Shaker in the 2000s, releasing several critically acclaimed albums that sustained their distinct sound.
Did You Know?
He is the son of actress Hayley Mills and the grandson of actor Sir John Mills.
He named his band after a 9th-century Indian emperor, King Kulasekhara.
He is a practitioner of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, a branch of Hinduism, and often incorporates its themes into his music.
Before Kula Shaker, he was in a band called The Objects with future actor James Purefoy.
“The music is a vehicle for something else, a higher vibration.”
