Tony James on stage with Carbon/Silicon
Tony James (born 12 April 1958) is a British
musician,
best known as a bassist
of Generation X and Sigue
Sigue Sputnik.
After graduating with a First Class Honours Degree in
mathematics and computing, James worked as a computer
programmer. He was originally a member of the punk band London
SS, along with Brian James, (later of The
Damned), and Mick Jones plus Terry
Chimes (both future members of The Clash).
Tony James in the Sigue Sigue Sputnik days - San Francisco, 1986
Later James would join the early punk band Chelsea.
The band included Billy Idol (then William Broad) on the guitar, John Towe
on drums and Gene October on vocals. Soon they left
October to form Generation X (named
after a 1960s
paperback novel, by Jane Deverson, not to be confused with the 1990s book by the
same title by novelist Douglas Coupland), one of the more
popular British punk bands of the late 1970's.
Tony James, after penning "Russian Roulette" for Stiv
Bators and Lords of the New Church, and producing a Sex Gang Children
album, formed glam punk band Sigue Sigue Sputnik with fashion
designer cum singer Martin Degville in the 1980s as his grand
follow-up to GenX. His "space bass" became the "sput style" trademark.
At this time he was in a relationship with prominent journalist Janet
Street Porter.
In 1990
he became a member of The Sisters of Mercy, and
played bass on their Vision Thing
album, and the band's following live tours. But James wasn't happy in
this role and left the Sisters the following year.
He still tours today, and has reformed Sigue
Sigue Sputnik, crediting the internet for letting him see fans were
still interested, and has teamed up with Mick Jones of The
Clash to form Carbon/Silicon, now playing guitar.
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