James Yoshinobu Iha [also known as James Jonas Iha although that isn't, yes isn't, his real name] was born on March 26th, 1968, in the Chicago suburb of Elk Grove, Illinois. He says as a child, he "learned to deal early with being a minority, being called names." He has one brother [or so eRin thinks] who is disabled. James attended Elk Grove Village High School, where he took French and got average grades. He then attended a junior college where he received high marks, and went on to major in graphic arts at Loyola University Chicago. He never graduated though, due to spending time with the band.
THE band being the Smashing Pumpkins, but James was in bands before that, such as Astro and the Go-Go Girls, and Snake Train, who were also referred to as the Feds. When he was eighteen, he and Billy got together and wrote 'doomy goth-pop songs.' When they played their first show in a Chicago-area Polish bar, it was Billy, James, and a drum machine. James, of course, played lead guitar. This embryonic formation later became known as the Smashing Pumpkins
James' favourite guitar is his Gibson J-100XTRA, which he rented for an acoustic KROQ Xmas show, and later ended up buying. He also likes Gibson models. James owns one of those 'Made by Betsy' guitar straps, with pictures of Kate Moss on it. We don't know why, so don't ask us. The bands that influenced James to pick up a guitar were many, including Syd Barrett, Big Star, the Rolling Stones, Gram Parsons, Neil Young, Morricone, the Who, and other bands of '70s ilkage. Besides bands, his favourite songwriters are Kevin Shields and Belinda Butcher, Gram Parsons, Neil Young, Kurt Cobain, and John Lennon and Paul McCartney. His favourite albums are the Beatles' "White Album", about which he says "Great songs and great voices. It has a homeade, intimate sound that draws the listener in. It also has a cool album cover!!!" A few more of his favourites include Pussy Galore's "Sugar Shit Sharp" and My Bloody Valentine's "Isn't Anything." James likes the singles "Highlights" by the band Courtney Love, "Tumbling Dice" by the Rolling Stones, "Chestnut Mare" by the Byrds, and "Starpower" by Sonic Youth.
James has a life besides music. Really. He likes to watch movies and TV shows such as The Thing, Manhattan, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Fawlty Towers. He likes to dye his hair all different colors such as brown, blonde, red, and blue. Right now, it's a bit short on top and longer around the neck, with certain chunks dyed blonde. He called it the 'Asian Cat' once, and now everyone calls it that. Oh well.
He got to parade his hairstyles on the runway for Anna Sui. No, he didn't decide to become a model. He still sticks by his statement that "Music's more important." Just remember, he was thrown into a car and forced to model. Speaking of Anna Sui, she is one of James' many rumoured love interests, among Stella Tennant and a few others. The only one we can be sure about is D'Arcy, but she and James broke up. D'Arcy is now married to Kerry Brown. We all know James has only one true love anyway, and that would be...
Bugg. Yes, Bugg Superstar. The only one who has been through it all with James is his dog. Bugg was originally his roommate's dog, but she neglected him, so Bugg turned to James, and they became best friends. [I know, it sounds dorky, but it's true.] Anyway, why should we care who James is dating anyway? It's none of our business.
So, there you have it. James' life, or as much as eRin can tell you about it. If you have any questions, mail modvinyl@aol.com and ask away. For the last time, quit asking who he's dating. I don't know. I don't care!
Most of this info courtesy various print sources [Guitar World, Spin, Rolling Stone, and Kerrang magazines], and The Smashing Pumpkins Website.
