These are some of the older letters we've received. Send us yours.
Like most american fans, "Laid" was the first james song I heard, at the time I was in some music video club where every month you get a tape with 10 or so videos, and if you wanted to buy it it was only like $3 or something. Anyways, February '94, "Laid" was one of the videos. I loved it, i thought it was just funny as hell, but it took me a while to buy the CD, cuz i just thought, that it was a fun little song with guys in dressess, and the rest of the CD would be silly like that. Over the next couple monthes I heard "Say Something" on the radio (not that they played it all that often, as long as i can remember I've only heard James on the radio less than 10 time) but anyways, I _loved_ say something, and that's what finally convinced me to buy the CD. Soon after ward I bought "Seven", not having heard a single song off of it, I just loved "Laid" so much. Then i got "Wah Wah" and then "Whiplash" when it came out, and alas, that's all I can find in stinking redneck capital of the world known as the midwest. every blasted music store i go to usually only has laid and whiplash. damn it, damn it, damn it. *sigh* anyways, that's my how-i-became-a-fan story.
I thought it would be neat to find out how fellow James fans out there first became James fans. I "got started" after the Laid album came out and I saw "Laid" on MTV, in the dorms of San Jose State. First time away from home and I had never really watched MTV till then. The video was fascinating, which is why the group stuck in my head. I had been in a local used CD store when I saw a copy of "Laid," so I took it for a test listen on one of the CD players. I was hooked after the first track! =) Everything kind of snowballed from there, and I went on to get the other albums, a few singles, etc. In other words, I tried to make up for lost time, scouring the local music stores and coming up with some goodies on occasion. I even saw my first concert ever, and it was a James concert, probably a week or so after I first bought "Laid." The concert was a couple of days before my birthday, too, so I believe it was fate that I saw James live. That and I lived across the street from the local BASS ticket outlet! =)
Thanks,
Imagine my disappointment (accompanied by your's, I'm sure) when James had to cancel at the Fillmore in San Francisco earlier this year. After having held tickets for three months, I was grief stricken to arrive outside of the club, with my ever-faithful neighbor, to see the sign reading "James will NOT be playing tonight. Free Third Eye Blind show". *Bleck*
To my dismay I begrudgingly purchased Lollapalooza tickets - in an attempt to get a semi-personal view of Tim and the boys. When we arrived at Shoreline, the weather was hot and I was fighting with my better half over whether or not to bring the camera. In the end, the decision was to leave it behind because, although we had reserved seats, they were miles away fromthe stage. Besides, James was the only band we were there to see.
We then approached will call and produced ID for our tickets. We headed toward the main gates when Tom chimed "Jenn, look at your ticket". That's right, front row - center. And James was fabulous. I wish that I could say that I was a bold as some, but feeling my age (which I guess makes me long time James fan) simply danced in the fornt row, sat, sang, cried and joyed over the experience. And believe me, the eye contact with Tim that everyone claims... I was an eye witness to it!! (so to speak)
Cheers to everyone who was brave enough to get up on stage or to approach Tim in aisles! I wish I were so confident (or perhaps 5 years younger)... but, the experience was one to last a life time. And hey to James, the guy in the red -- I saw you dancing! Sorry I left my camera behind.
Atlanta's Roxy-Coca Cola show during the LAID tour was bizarre. Do you remember the Canadian guy who everyone in the line out front was asking questions to? It was me and my friend Sarah (she had the scarf on that hot day)
We told the punters about Sit Down and the freakish thing was, the people immediatley around us were the first onstage and were thanking us afterwards! If you remember the show, Sarah and I were the ones singing Johnny Yen so loud that Tim and Jim couldn't continue becasue they were laughing so hard! We were the two who had to be lifted into the backstage area over people's heads by JAMES' bodyguard to get backstage. When I (with the aid of 4 security people) opened the door to get some friends in, about two dozen girls claimes/offered to be my girlfriend to get backstage! ATLANTA WAS SO BIZARRE!
Gary
I have been following James for 4 years and had the chance to see them in concert FINALLY yesterday at Lollapalooza at the Blockbuster Palladium in so Cal. I have to tell you this. i worship this group like a religion... They came out on stage in these sparkly sequined shirts and Tim in a black cowboy hat and neck brace said "just so you know were wearing these sparkly gay shirts for all you fucking homophobic rednecks out there..." i was about to pass out...and not from the heat ...THERE THEY WERE! within the mile of me!!! wait this gets better... 2nd to last they played "Sit Down" and he came into the audience wich at that time there was only about 1/4 of the seats filled and most people werent paying attention. I was. Tim walked to the center and down some aisles....he came towards mine and i jumped out of my chair and ran to the middle of the aisle he was coming towards...i thought "no way is he coming down this way!" and he just kept getting closer, giving people high fives and such coming strait for me. people were catching on and running behind me to see him. he stopped right infront of me. i only glanced at his face cuz i was embarassed...he has the most beautiful icy blue eyes i have ever seen... i looked down and he handed me a beaded necklace with clear, green and black alternating beads and those letter beads in the front spelling "WHIPLASH"....then i could think of nothing else...i leaned forward and put my arms around his waiste and i hugged him, and he hugged me back! it was so awesome! i could smell him! i could feel him! my God touched me! i was giddy. it was a short hug cuz i didnt want to be rude. i knew he would get irritated if i wouldnt let go. he walked down the aisle towards the back of the staduim...another girl tried to hug him and he pushed her away...why didnt he push me away? i dont know. she was certainly prettier then me. so i had this necklace that i will wear for the rest of my life...that was yesterday and i know i will never forget those 3 seconds in my entire life... never had i DREAMED that i would get that close!!! now what can i dream for? to meet the band i guess.. how to go about that? i will spend the rest of my given life figuring that one out!!
8-9-97
I went to Lollapalooza with my brother the other day. We got in the car and drove there. In the parking lot, I donned my skirt and drew on my face. We were set. We walked in.
The skirt drew immediate looks. First they looked at my face, then at my skirt, then at my face again. Weird people can be so straight sometimes. One girl saw me and immediately declared that I had to sign her. Many others had done so already (her shirt, not her skin, duh) but I got a hug owing to the fact that I was wearing a skirt. I seemed to be the only guy in the place in a skirt. I didn't mind. I had a mission.
Joe and I found our seats. We sat through Failure. We got tempura and came back for Da Marleys. Then they left and I bounced down the aisle to where Joe was standing, shrieking "They'renextthey'renextthey'reNEXT!" Some people in the aisle asked me who was next, and I tried hard to keep from squealing outright as I told them, "James!"
Joe went to get a drink, and I just paced up and down the aisle. I was in the 200 seats, the back seats, and on the other side of the security goon was the 100 seats, and in front of those was a small open area where people could stand and dance. I knew that before Tool, that area would be packed, but for now it was pretty empty. I tried bribing the goon, but to no avail. So I just paced up and down the center aisle, waiting, waiting, w a i t i n g . . .
I'd followed set lists of other shows, and while they changed them from show to show, I was hoping and praying for Five-O. I was already half-dancing and singing under my breath. "If it lasts forever" (my arms stretched out, rigid, people looking at me as I strode up the aisle for the one hundred and seventeenth time) "hope I'm the first" (I spun around, lifting my arms to the heavens, gazing upon the banner on the stage proclaiming the imminent arrival of the minstrels I was waiting for) "to die..."
There they were, in shining spangled shirts
(except Saul, who wore a shining spangled short dress). "Hi,
we're James from Las Vegas." I and the other four people who
got the joke laughed. "We've pulled out our best shirts just
for you." Then they began to play a few random notes. I
assumed a position at the edge of the aisle, near some empty
seats I could take if I were forced out of the walkway. The notes
solidified...
...into Five-O.
I danced. People looked at me. I just danced some more.
They played Say Something. They played Tomorrow, the song that convinced me in forty seconds flat that I must have their latest album. A security chyk tapped my shoulder and pointed to the seats, and I obliged. Someone sat down in front of me and I moved back a row so I wouldn't have to worry about hitting his head. They played some songs from Wah Wah _ why do I not have that album yet? They went back to Seven for Don't Wait That Long, and I danced through them all, my arms stretching out to Tim, up there, on stage, he must see me, there are 20,000 people sitting down and here I am standing and dancing and the ones not looking at him are looking at me and...
"This is a song about fucking." (cheers) "We know that's all you're into, so we wrote all our songs about drugs and fucking." I knew they were going to play Laid. And they did.
Then Tim said, "This is the last mellow song you get all day. It's all testosterone for the rest of the show." Fuck it, I thought. I'm not spending the last song confined to seats. So I moved out, just a little, til I was just in the aisle. And they played the song I want to die to, Out to Get You. "What I need, what I need, what I need" (my arms outstreched on either side of my head, palms facing in, hands open and reaching to Tim) "is you" (my arms fall back).
And at the end of the song, he was looking
at me. I was 100 yards away, and not sure, but he was still and I
was still and we made eye contact, we must have, we must have
because...
... it wasn't the last song.
"I hate these huge places. It feels like you're a mile away." and the band started playing and he walked behind the curtain and down the stairs and up the right aisle, as dozens of people ran out to him, and he sang Sit Down, and I twirled and jumped and spun to the song that made me fall in love with this band three years ago. All around me, the people who were looking at me before were urging me to go down and meet him, but I stayed there. He's coming to me, I hoped, but maybe he's not and I don't want to find out until the end.
He went up the right aisle, out to the lawn, where he serenaded a large Korn fan. He worked his way across, through a throng of people standing around him, while I danced, and he went past me to the left aisle and went down, and I danced and tried not to think that he saw me and was ignoring me, reminding myself that dancing is not an entitlement to attention.
When the song ended, he was at the same distance from the stage as I was, one section over. "I have this brace on my neck," he said, "and I can't dance on stage. I need someone to come dance for me." The people around me started yelling and pointing at me, while I resigned myself to watching some chyk go up on stage with him.
"Where's the guy in the red?"
A hundred hands were pointing at me, and security parted as I floated down the stairs to meet him. "What's your name," he asked me, and I told him, and he spoke into the mic again. "This is James, he's going to be dancing with us." And I went onstage and he placed me in front of the drum kit (which was off to the side) and they played Sound and I danced, wondering where the hell my brother was.
Then it was over, and I and two girls who'd gotten onstage during the song were given passes and taken to the catering area, and after 15 minutes we got to chat with the band. I got to talk soccer with Tim Booth, and came THIS -->-- CLOSE to getting him to come to the Burn game across the parking lot that night: "Saul! There's a soccer game tonight! The Dallas, uh, Cowboys are playing Kansas City! Mo Johnston is playing! Richard Gough is injured!" (They're famous Scottish players.) Saul, still in the dress, laughed. "All those players do their cocaine and come over here to play out their last years!"
I left an hour later, having totally missed Tricky. I went back to my aisle, looking for Joe, and received applause from the people sitting there. I found my brother, and was famous the rest of the day. ("Hey man, you were up on stage, right? Do you have any drugs on you, or do you just dance like that naturally? I really respect that, man.")
On July 20,1997 at Lollapalooza I met the band James! I love groups such as JAMES, COUNTING CROWS, DMB,OASIS,U2,PRODIGY,and RADIOHEAD! Anyway on this wonderful Sunday afternoon I was walking with a friend and looking at the stands with clothes or food or whatever. I first noticed Saul walking by himself just looking around. Later I would meet the tour manager of JAMES. He told me if I was dancing and singing while JAMES was performing I would get to meet the band. I was so excited! After their wonderful performance I was sitting and I spotted David, the drummer and the band's DJ named Edge. Without a hesitation I walked up to them. We talked for a while. After several minutes David handed me a backstage pass. I hung out with some of the band members for over TWO HOURS! It was the best time of my life! Saul and David were so outgoing, Jim joined in after an hour or so and even let me play his bass guitar, he was so nice. The band JAMES are very outgoing and are so cool. They act like normal people living normal lives. They aren't stuck up rock stars. They are the best. I love them and their music. They make concerts fun and exciting.
I've seen James only twice, the second time was in my home town of Seattle. Tim Booth had hurt his back, so he couldn't dance as be usually does. Of course his heart and soul in his lyrics made up for it. My friend and I were right up front and center stage during the concert with no bouncers. I could reach out and touch him and I did. He was three feet away. Afterwards we got the Evian water bottle he had only taken a few sips out of. We don't know what to do with it; any suggestions. I was thinking about watering a nice plant that I own and watch it grow with the thought that Tim is a part of the whole plan. Does that sound kinda kookoo. I don't know. The first time I saw James the headlined over the Violent Femmes at EndFest; a musical festival sponsored by a local "in" radio station. That was in the summer of 1994. All I have to say about that was it was pouring rain and he puts so much into his music physically and emotionally that from that day on I have been a huge fan.
Shortly after I graduated from college, when I was still a chap, at a loose end, not wanting to leave behind the hedonism of heady youth for the darker pastures of responsibility…this was the summer of 1991. At that time I occasionally went to an amusement arcade in a seaside town near to my hometown on the west coast of Ireland to play the video games there. They had a crappy old jukebox there. One song that was repeatedly played, despite the fact that the needle skipped past the first minute of the record from continuous play, had a chorus that went 'oh sit down, oh sit down, sit down next to me…' The sheer energy of the song struck me…I wanted to jump out there in the middle of that arcade and scream, I AM ALIVE! But then my self-consciousness took hold and I knew that my conservative colleagues would not look upon such behaviour without resorting to the men in the white coats.
I asked my brother (younger, in touch with the pulse) who it was - and never before, fellow fans, had I felt compelled to ask who the singer of a song was (and it's only happened once since). He answered James. I said, James Who? I got a (withering) look that I have since come to give to many a philistine…
I was surprised I hadn't heard it before but then I never listened to the radio since there was nothing but shite on it anyway. So, anyway, I bought Gold Mother a month or two later out of curiosity. The lyrics were incredible…They said everything I had been trying desperately to articulate… 'Do you really need that drink to disarm defenses…I don't believe my luck, I am defenseless. Do with me what you want but don't tell a soul, DONT TELL MY SOUL!' I bought Seven around 1993 after playing Gold Mother to death, convinced that Gold Mother could not be improved upon. But it WAS! Seven was incredible. The force of the music struck me first; when I finally paid attention to the lyrics, they were unbelievable - 'no such place as hell…'. This first struck me when I was in Greece for two weeks holidays with only a couple of tapes for company as I lay on the beach each day (with one other friend). Also on Ring the Bells, listening to Tim's voice soaring, 'My spirit's free, there's nothing challenging meeeeeeee'. I could go on all day!
The spirituality of James' lyrics has always struck a chord with me - it seems that they often reflect what is going on in my life. Tim said in a recent interview, 'To me, finding one's spirit or finding your true nature - that's my purpose in life.' I agree with him, but sometimes I wish it wasn't so fucking hard.
I have never seen James live though they've come to Ireland twice. The last time was four years ago, when I couldn't go because of work commitments (that responsibility again!).
I have all the albums now, with the irritating exception of One Man Clapping. I'm not the only one either! The other albums ( besides Gold Mother & Seven) are different but it seems to me that spirituality has been an oft-explored theme throughout them all.
How was it for You?
James is the greatest! I first fell in love in 1992 with Seven. I saw James in concert in 1994 at Peabody's in the Flats in Cleveland. I was right in front of the stage-- I was so close. It was truly amazing. I have the daisy tattooed on my hip!!
I first got into James in about 1991 my brother always used to play his music really loud in our house so all you could do was listen to it!!He was always trying to get me into his sort of music so he gave me some records to listen to.One of them was How Was It for You and that was it.I stole all of his records and tapes and kept listening to them and I was hooked.I remember people at school always used to ask "Who's James" I got sick of telling them. I went to see them at Alton Towers and then again in the same year at the T & C in London.I used to hate going with my friends because they would always moan about queing up for hours before - well I wanted to be at the front!!! I finally got the ultimate tribute to them a few years back when I had the daisy tatooed on my arm!!!
I work at a music industry publication, and before "Booth And The Bad Angel" was to be released, Tim and Angelo Badalamenti came by our offices to discuss the project with one of our editors. The editor told Tim that there was a girl in the office who was a really big James fan and asked him if he would mind saying hello to me. (The editor later told me that Tim's reply was, "Well, is she cute?" but I don't know if I believe him!)
Anyway, I was SO nervous as I saw Tim walking down our hallway toward me. I took a deep breath, walked toward him, and introduced myself, saying how much I loved James and their music. (I told Angelo I love his work, too -- which I do -- but I didn't want him to feel left out!) Since I knew about the visit a few days ahead of time, I was all prepared with my stack of James CDs to be autographed. But how tacky would that have been for me to say, "Um, would you mind signing every single one of my James CDs?" So I thought I'd play it cool by asking Tim, "Which is your favorite James album, because I'd really appreciate it if you'd autograph that one for me." He said he had two favorites: "Laid" and "Strip-Mine." Well, imagine my EMBARRASSMENT when I had to say, "Oh ... I don't have 'Strip-Mine'!" Yikes!
I tried to cover my tracks by saying, "Since I don't have one of your favorites, would you mind also signing my favorite -- 'Wah Wah'?" He was sincerely stunned that "Wah Wah" was my favorite. The Mercury label rep who accompanied him even went so far as to say, "I can't believe you OWN 'Wah Wah'!" When Tim started to sign the first CD, he asked me to repeat my name. And when I told him, he said, "I say the name 'Julie' in the song 'Are You Ready.'" The blank look on my face prompted him to add, "It's on 'Strip-Mine.'" I'm sure all of you can guess what I went out and bought that night!
Meanwhile, I proceeded to talk his ear off about "Wah Wah." I told him that I thought "Honest Joe" was brilliant and that I recognized the bits of "Arabic Agony" that were used in the movie "Heat." ("But there was so little of it used in the film," he said ... to which I replied: "When you listen to a CD 24 hours a day, it's pretty easy to recognize music after one note!") He asked if I'd heard an advance of "Booth And The Bad Angel," and when I said I didn't have access to a copy, he promptly walked over to the label rep and secured a copy for me.
You know how sometimes you don't want to meet the celebrities you idolize because you're afraid they won't live up to your expectations? Well, I can gladly say that Tim Booth was one of the nicest celebrities -- forget celebrity ... one of the nicest PEOPLE -- I've ever met. Thanks Tim!
Julie :)
First song I heard from James was "Sit Down". I bought Gold Mother hoping "Sit Down" would be on it and because it was the only disc in the James category. I loved the Gold Mother disc and it turned me into a James fan. After Gold Mother I began buying more of their work and the one element of James that I loved the most was the lyrics. Tim seems to stress bipolar disorders and insecurities - two things to which everyone can relate.
I was disappointed with Wah Wah. It was too much Eno airplane sound and not enough James. In my opinion, the Seven disc is the best. The band is together, the lyrics have depth and the instruments are diverse.
Overall, James are talented, but they seem 5 years behind. Their late 80's stuff sounds like popular early-mid 80's; early 90's sounds like late 80's and so forth.
I also personally think Tim is insecure and fears commitment. He has not found himself yet and runs to find quick satisfaction women, and sometimes songs. Don't get me wrong- His lyrics are honest, original, and passionate but his vanity gets in his way.
I had the weirdest James dream. This was back before Whiplash came out and I was eagerly anticipating its release. I was watching eMpTyV and they were interviewing Tim Booth. At the time, I was about to blow my savings to see James play in Manchester, so I was praying the new album would be as amazing as the last. Anticipating my anxiety over a problem with my trip, the camera was only shooting Tim from the chest up. He had grown his pretty curls back, even though I know that he cut them off last year as a result of his 37 year-old hairline, and he was wearing that hideous leopard print rock-star-esque shirt he wore in all the promos for the album he made with Angelo Badalamenti. But I was also seeing this IV tower behind him. He sounded ok, going on about the upcoming album and tour, but that IV tower made my skin crawl. And then the camera finally zoomed out and I saw why it was there. His Legs Were Misssing! Just gone. He was torso, head, arms, and these 2" stumps where his legs should be. He was sitting in a wheelchair looking like death warmed over babbling about being on stage. I nearly started crying. I kept picturing myself flying all the way to Manchester for my dream concert only to see Tim as half a person, unable to do that uncontrolable, uninhibited, crazy dancing of his. Imagine him living his life unable to dance. The thought is unbearable. I couldn't imagine me knowing that he couldn't dance. Watching Tim Booth dance is like watching a human being fly. Complete freedom and sheer ecstasy. I can only hope to reach that place that he goes when he is on stage, arms outstretched, just convulsing wildly wrapped up in Sound. When I woke up this morning it was the first thing I thought of. At first I did not realize it was only a dream. It kept me shivering for at least a week thinking about it. So imagine my suprise when I got to Manchester and Tim Could Not Dance! He had on the neck brace. Of course he was still dancing, but not the same way. It was like watching a cheetah try to run while shackled to an iron fence. I just hope my next James dream has Tim knocking on my front door asking if I'll drive the bus on the next tour.
I have been a huge James fan since before the Empire was established but no matter how hard I tried I just could not find a copy of *One Man Clapping* and I was desparate to hear it because all the reviews were amazing. So imagine my surprise when I opened my copy of *Goldmine* and saw it advertised as being for sale at Jabba Records on Tatooine. Of course I phoned right up and asked how much they were charging. As I expected, the price was high - the owner of the establishment, one Jabba the Hut, was only willing to part with the album in exchange for the successful capture and return of his record buyer, one Han Solo, who had evidently been ripping him off for quite some time.
Unfortunately for me, Han had taken up with the rebels and was hanging out under the protection of the last living Jedi Knight. But eventually, after chasing him around the galaxy I managed to capture Han and bring him back to Jabba to exchange for my CD. Fate being against me, however, while I was waiting for Jabba to bring me *One Man Clapping* CD, Han's friends came and trashed the store and rescued him.
So I was denied possession of my very own copy of that oh-so-rare and long-desired live James album. Today I sit, my empire destroyed, my job prospects slim, with no future, no *One Man Clapping*, and no chance of James ever coming to play live in this arse end of the galaxy. I lie lonely in the dark and listen to the dark soothing melodies of *Laid* and the tortured catcalls on *Wah Wah* dreaming of the time when I almost achieved my James fantasy.
A few of the letters have been edited slightly for grammar and flow.
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