Half Japanese Co-Founder David Fair Dies at 74
David Fair, co-founder of the American art-punk band Half Japanese, has died at 74. His label, Thick Syrup Records, confirmed the death on Sunday, August 30. His brother and longtime bandmate Jad Fair, producer Don Fleming, and music press and fans have since posted tributes online. Fleming's post noted that Fair had been undergoing cancer treatment in recent years; a cause of death has not been made public.
Tributes from the scene
Thick Syrup Records founder Travis McElroy wrote on Instagram, "This one really hurts," adding that he was a fan of Fair's long before becoming his friend, and later got to release several of his records. He described Fair as a "genuinely good, one-of-a-kind human being."
Producer Don Fleming told Clash that Fair was "a pure artist and musician," calling him funny and gentle-natured. Jad Fair posted a photo of the two of them in tribute. Director Jeff Feuerzeig, who made a 1993 documentary about Half Japanese, also confirmed the death the same day. Outlets including Stereogum and numerous fan accounts shared tributes, with many summing up Fair's approach to music-making as "no rules."
Half Japanese and its lo-fi legacy
David and Jad Fair formed Half Japanese in the mid-1970s after moving from Michigan to Maryland, quickly building a following in the underground scene with an approach that ignored conventional chords and technique. The band debuted with the EP Calling All Girls in 1977 and released its first full album, 1/2 Gentlemen/Not Beasts, in 1980.
David Fair played on the band's subsequent albums Loud, Our Solar System, and Sing No Evil, before leaving the band's regular lineup in 1987. He continued to rejoin intermittently over the following decades and kept collaborating with his brother outside the band. He also released solo work and formed other groups, including Coo Coo Rockin Time.
Influence on alternative rock
Half Japanese is regarded as a key source for 1990s alternative rock, with both Sonic Youth and Nirvana citing the band's influence. Half Japanese opened for Nirvana's 1993 In Utero tour, though David Fair was no longer part of the band's lineup by that time.
What we don't know
The cause of David Fair's death has not been disclosed, and no funeral or memorial details have been announced.