James Greer
Encyclopedia
James Greer is an American
novel
ist, screenwriter
, musician
, and critic
. He lives in Los Angeles
but spends much of his time in France.
magazine in NYC in the early 90s. He then moved to Dayton, Ohio
, where in 1994 he joined the influential Indie rock
band Guided By Voices
, contributing bass guitar and vocals to the albums Alien Lanes
(Matador, 1995) and Under the Bushes Under the Stars
(Matador, 1996) and touring extensively across the U.S. and in Europe. Greer wrote and recorded the song "Trendspotter Acrobat" for the Guided By Voices EP
Sunfish Holy Breakfast
, released by Matador Records
on November 19, 1996.
He was engaged to Kim Deal
of the Pixies/Breeders
from 1991 until their break-up in 1996.
, 2006) and The Failure (Akashic
, 2010). Artificial Light won a California Book Award Silver Medal for First Fiction. Noted American novelist Dennis Cooper
has written about Greer's latest novel that "James Greer, one of the nimblest and most multilayered American fiction writers, has, with his latest novel The Failure, pulled off a sublime and shivery-smooth literary hat-trick-cum-emotional-gotcha. I defy anyone to come up with an equation to explain how this book's first impression as a ridiculously clever, funny crime story can gradually disclose a metanovel built from far more encyclopedic scratch only to reveal upon its conclusion a central, overriding thought so heartfelt literally it trembles your lower lip. This is one stunning piece of work." Greer also wrote a biography of Guided By Voices, Guided By Voices: A Brief History (Black Cat/Grove Press
, 2005).
(Disney, 2001), Just My Luck (20th Century Fox, 2006) starring Lindsay Lohan
, the Jackie Chan
vehicle The Spy Next Door
(Lion's Gate, 2010) and the forthcoming Cleo (2012), a rock musical directed by Steven Soderbergh
starring Catherine Zeta-Jones
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, and critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
. He lives in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
but spends much of his time in France.
Career as a musician/critic
Greer was Senior Editor and Senior Writer at SpinSpin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
magazine in NYC in the early 90s. He then moved to Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, where in 1994 he joined the influential Indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Guided By Voices
Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band originating from Dayton, Ohio. Beginning with the band's formation in 1983, it made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard...
, contributing bass guitar and vocals to the albums Alien Lanes
Alien Lanes
Alien Lanes is a 1995 album by lo-fi band Guided by Voices, their eighth full length album.Pitchfork Media included Alien Lanes in their 'Top 100 Albums of the 90s' polls, at No. 27. Magnet named it the best album of 1995....
(Matador, 1995) and Under the Bushes Under the Stars
Under the Bushes Under the Stars
Under the Bushes Under the Stars is the ninth Guided by Voices album overall, and the last until 2012's Let's Go Eat the Factory to feature the "classic" lineup including Tobin Sprout, Mitch Mitchell, and Kevin Fennell in addition to leader Robert Pollard...
(Matador, 1996) and touring extensively across the U.S. and in Europe. Greer wrote and recorded the song "Trendspotter Acrobat" for the Guided By Voices EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Sunfish Holy Breakfast
Sunfish Holy Breakfast
Sunfish Holy Breakfast is an EP by Guided by Voices, a band from Dayton, Ohio. It was released on 19 November 1996.-Track listing:All songs written by Robert Pollard except where noted.# "Jabberstroker" – 2:39# "Stabbing a Star"– 1:41...
, released by Matador Records
Matador Records
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of indie rock artists and bands.-History:Matador was started by Chris Lombardi in 1989 in his New York City apartment. The following year, Lombardi was joined by former Homestead Records manager Gerard Cosloy, and the two of them have...
on November 19, 1996.
He was engaged to Kim Deal
Kim Deal
Kimberley Ann Deal is an American singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the bassist of the alternative rock band the Pixies and the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for The Breeders. Deal first joined the Pixies in January 1986 as the band's bassist, adopting the stage name Mrs...
of the Pixies/Breeders
The Breeders
The Breeders are an American alternative rock band formed in 1988 by Kim Deal of the Pixies and Tanya Donelly of Throwing Muses. The band has experienced a number of line-up changes; the current line-up consists of Kim Deal , her twin sister Kelley Deal , Jose Medeles , Mando Lopez Todd the Fox...
from 1991 until their break-up in 1996.
Career as a novelist/author
Greer has published two novels, Artificial Light (Little House on the Bowery/AkashicAkashic Books
Akashic Books is a Brooklyn-based independent publisher. Akashic Books' collection began with Arthur Nersesian's THE FUCK UP in 1996, and has since expanded to include Dennis Cooper's "Little House on the Bowery" series , Chris Abani's Black Goat poetry series, and the internationally successful...
, 2006) and The Failure (Akashic
Akashic Books
Akashic Books is a Brooklyn-based independent publisher. Akashic Books' collection began with Arthur Nersesian's THE FUCK UP in 1996, and has since expanded to include Dennis Cooper's "Little House on the Bowery" series , Chris Abani's Black Goat poetry series, and the internationally successful...
, 2010). Artificial Light won a California Book Award Silver Medal for First Fiction. Noted American novelist Dennis Cooper
Dennis Cooper
Dennis Cooper is an American novelist, poet, critic, editor and performance artist.-Career:Cooper grew up the son of a wealthy businessman in Arcadia, California. His first forays into literature came early, focusing on imitations of Rimbaud, Verlaine, de Sade, and Baudelaire...
has written about Greer's latest novel that "James Greer, one of the nimblest and most multilayered American fiction writers, has, with his latest novel The Failure, pulled off a sublime and shivery-smooth literary hat-trick-cum-emotional-gotcha. I defy anyone to come up with an equation to explain how this book's first impression as a ridiculously clever, funny crime story can gradually disclose a metanovel built from far more encyclopedic scratch only to reveal upon its conclusion a central, overriding thought so heartfelt literally it trembles your lower lip. This is one stunning piece of work." Greer also wrote a biography of Guided By Voices, Guided By Voices: A Brief History (Black Cat/Grove Press
Grove Press
Grove Press is an American publishing imprint that was founded in 1951. Imprints include: Black Cat, Evergreen, Venus Library, Zebra. Barney Rosset purchased the company in 1951 and turned it into an alternative book press in the United States. The Atlantic Monthly Press, under the aegis of its...
, 2005).
Career as a screenwriter
Greer has written or co-written several movies, including Max Keeble's Big MoveMax Keeble's Big Move
Max Keeble's Big Move is a 2001 Disney live-action teen comedy film directed by Tim Hill, written by David L. Watts, James Greer, Jonathan Bernstein, and Mark Blackwell, and starring Alex D. Linz as the title character. The film is set in University Place, Washington. It was released in North...
(Disney, 2001), Just My Luck (20th Century Fox, 2006) starring Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Lohan is an American actress, pop singer and model. She began her career as a child fashion model before making her motion picture debut in Disney's 1998 remake of The Parent Trap at the age of 11...
, the Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
vehicle The Spy Next Door
The Spy Next Door
The Spy Next Door is a 2010 American spy comedy family film starring Jackie Chan, Amber Valletta, Billy Ray Cyrus and George Lopez. Filming started in late October in New Mexico and was finished in late December 2008. The film was released on January 15, 2010 in the United States. The film was...
(Lion's Gate, 2010) and the forthcoming Cleo (2012), a rock musical directed by Steven Soderbergh
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh is an American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, and an Academy Award-winning film director. He is best known for directing commercial Hollywood films like Erin Brockovich, Traffic, and the remake of Ocean's Eleven, but he has also directed smaller less...
starring Catherine Zeta-Jones
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Catherine Zeta-Jones, CBE, is a British actress. She began her career on stage at an early age. After starring in a number of United Kingdom and United States television films and small roles in films, she came to prominence with roles in Hollywood movies such as the 1998 action film The Mask of...
.
External links
- North of Onhava — James Greer's Official Site: http://www.jamesgreer.net/
- GBVDB - Guided By Voices Data Base http://www.gbvdb.com/
- Guided By Voices Official Website http://www.gbv.com/
- Grove/Atlantic page for Greer's Guided By Voices: A Brief History http://www.groveatlantic.com/#page=isbn9780802170132
- Akashic Books page for Greer's novel Artificial Light http://www.akashicbooks.com/artificiallight.htm
- Akashic Books page for Greer's novel The Failure http://www.akashicbooks.com/failure.htm
- Cleo at the Internet Movie Database http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1314173/combined
- Cleo at AllMovie http://www.allmovie.com/work/473550