This article is about the band called Half Japanese. For people of mixed Japanese and non-Japanese descent see: Hafu

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Half Japanese
Half Japanese at the SXSW Festival, March 2008
Background information
Origin	Ann Arbor, Michigan
Genres	Post-punk, experimental rock, indie rock, alternative rock, punk rock
Years active	1975–present
Labels	50 Skidillion Watts, Safe House
Website	http://www.halfjapanese.co.uk/
Members
Jad Fair
Past members
David Fair John Sluggett Howard Wuelfing Don Fleming Jay Spiegel Jason Willett Gilles Reider Henry Beckmeyer

Half Japanese is a punk rock band formed by brothers Jad and David Fair in their Coldwater, Michigan bedroom around 1975. Their original instrumentation included a small drum set, which they took turns playing; vocals; and an out of tune (but quite distorted) guitar. Both Fair brothers sang, although over time Jad moved into the frontman role.

Band history[link]

Jad 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 "the only chord I know is the one that connects the guitar to the amp."

Their lyrics often deal with monsters and the supernatural (especially as influenced by campy "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 played and recorded as a duo until the early '80s 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, 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.

The next line-up of Half Japanese came together in the late 1980s, proving to be a long-lasting and stable unit recording several albums and touring frequently throughout the U.S., Europe and Japan. This incarnation featured guitarist/multi-instrumentalist John Sluggett (also a longtime member of Moe Tucker's band), multi-instrumentalist Jason Willett, and drummer Gilles Reider. Since then, the group has worked with Moe Tucker from The Velvet Underground, who produced and performed on Fire In the Sky (1992), Fred Frith, and John Zorn, among others.

Fans of Half Japanese include Penn Jillette, who helped the band release some of their albums on his label, 50 Skidillion Watts, and Kurt Cobain, who had them open for Nirvana on the group's 1993 tour. According to reports, Cobain was wearing a Half Japanese t-shirt when he died.^[1]

The band's history and influence are chronicled in the 1993 documentary Half Japanese: The Band That Would Be King by Jeff Feuerzeig. The band have been chosen by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival that he will curate in March 2012 in Minehead, England.^[2]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Half Gentlemen/Not Beasts (Armageddon, 1980)
• Loud (Armageddon, 1981)
• Our Solar System (Iridescence, 1985)
• Sing No Evil (Iridescence, 1985)
• Music To Strip By (50 Skidillion Watts, 1987)
• Charmed Life (50 Skidillion Watts, 1988)
• The Band That Would Be King (50 Skidillion Watts, 1989)
• We Are They Who Ache with Amorous Love (TEC Tones, 1990)
• Fire In The Sky (Paperhouse, 1992)
• Hot (Safe House, 1995)
• Bone Head (Alternative Tentacles, 1997)
• Heaven Sent (Emperor Jones, 1997)
• Hello (Alternative Tentacles, 2001)

Live albums[link]

• Half Alive (Cassette - live at DC Space and the Red Door, Baltimore^[3] - 50 Skidillion Watts, 1977)
• 50 Skidillion Watts Live (Calypso Now, 1984)
• Boo: Live in Europe 1992 (TEC Tones, 1994)

Compilation albums[link]

• Best Of Half Japanese (Timebomb Japan, 1993)
• Greatest Hits 2 CDs / 3 LPs (Safe House, 1995)
• Best Of Half Japanese Vol. 2 (Timebomb Japan, 1995)

EPs[link]

• "Calling All Girls" (50 Skidillion Watts, 1977)
• Horrible (Press, 1982)
• Real Cool Time/What Can I Do/Monopoly EP (Overzealous Editions, 1989)
• Everybody Knows, Twang 1 EP (Seminal Twang, 1991)
• 4 Four Kids EP (Ralph, 1991)
• Postcard EP (Earl, 1991)
• Eye of the Hurricane/Said and Done/U.S. Teens are Spoiled Bums/Daytona Beach EP (1991)

Singles[link]

• "No Direct Line from my Brain to My Heart"/"(I Don't Want to Have) Mono (No More)" 7" (50 Skidillion Watts, 1978)
• "Spy" (Armageddon, 1981)
• "How Will I Know" (Press, 1982)
• "U.S. Teens Are Spoiled Bums" (50 Skidillion Watts, 1988)
• "T For Texas"/"Go Go Go Go" (X.X.O.O. Fan Club, 1990)

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Half Japanese Fan Site
• Half Japanese entry at the Trouser Press website
• Half Japanese band page at Alternative Tentacles label website
• Jad Fair's official website
• Interview to Jad Fair

Listening[link]

• Epitonic.com: Half Japanese featuring tracks from "Hello"
• Myspace Page featuring tracks from various albums