Tonight something different. In the studio I have one of the artists of the band Half Japanese AND they may be one of the most influential bands of all time.
Jad Fair is well known for playing an untuned electric guitar. After 30 years, he still does not play in any traditional manner; in the documentary Half Japanese: The Band That Would Be King he states that “you do need cords to plug the guitar in but that’s pretty much it.”
Their lyrics often deal with monsters and the supernatural (especially as influenced by “creature feature” and scifi movies), in addition to more conventional themes, such as young love. They have stated that all their songs are either “love songs or monster songs.”
The band released their first single Calling All Girls in August 1977, followed by a triple album 1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts that gave them a near-instant cult status. It is possible they were the first band to begin with a triple album.
The band played and recorded as a duo until the early 1980s when they began incorporating additional members into the group: Mark Jickling (guitar and vocals) and brothers Ricky and John Dreyfuss (drums and saxophone). Since that time, dozens of musicians have come and gone under the Half Japanese banner, including Howard Wuelfing, Don Fleming, Jay Spiegel that are both from the band Velvet Monkeys, Shockabilly bass player and Shimmy Disc impresario Mark Kramer and many, many others. Jad is the only member who has been with Half Japanese from the beginning. David Fair eventually left the band in the early 1980s to focus on his family. He has continued to make guest appearances with the band from time to time.
Find Jad Fair Online
https://www.jadfair.net/
https://www.jadfairfunstore.com/
https://www.jad-fair.org/
https://jadfair.wixsite.com/jad-fair-paper-cuts
https://www.zazzle.com/s/jad+fair
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I am Cameron Brauer and this is my alien life…!!