WHO IS JAMES W. HARRIS

ARTICLES: Harris has published hundreds of articles in numerous publications, ranging from some of the world's most influential publications to some of the strangest and most notorious. They include THE NATION, REASON, THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION (South's largest paper), CREATIVE LOAFING (largest "alternative" weekly in America), THE FREEMAN (from America's first free-market think tank), THE SPLATTER TIMES ("The World's Most Violent Magazine"), TRASHOLA, GALLERY, Larry Flynt's HUSTLER and CHIC, among many others.

Harris has been a Finalist in the Mencken Awards, given by the Free Press Association for "Outstanding Journalism in Defense of Liberty." His winning article, a look at censorship in America, led to the creation of a national anti-censorship trade organization.

Harris edits THE LIBERATOR ONLINE, the world's largest-circulation libertarian newsletter, which he co-founded a decade ago. Beginning with about 200 readers, it now has 70,000 subscribers in over 100 countries.

He has appeared on dozens of talk radio shows across America discussing his writing.

Visit www.AmazingTemple.com to read a selection of his articles.

POETRY AND SHORT FICTION: Harris has written poetry on subjects ranging from Tonya Hardings' butt to the evils of the State. He had three stories selected for the international 2007 55 Word Fiction contest, held by New Times magazine. Read his published and unpublished work at: www.AmazingTemple.com.

MUSIC: Harris started playing punk rock in 1973, in Columbus, Georgia. He formed the band Scum of the Earth, with him singing and playing guitar, Bob Swygert on drums, and, later, Chuck Barber on bass. Knowing virtually nothing about music or instruments, they played with near-total technical incompetence using amazingly bad equipment (tiny almost inaudible garage-sale amps that gave literally no distortion, a guitar that could not stay in tune, a bass that sounded like pieces of wood slammed together, etc.). Song titles -- "We Are Scum," "Attack of the Giant Turnip From Outer Space," "Nothing To Do," "Rubber Love"  -- give an indication of their punk sensibilities. At that time, pre-Ramones, pre-Sex Pistols, there were few bands in the world playing MC5- and Stooges- influenced music, and probably none in Georgia. So, as bad as the racket they produced arguably was, it at least put them well ahead of their time. Scum of the Earth left no recordings except some awful rehearsal cassettes, and never played anywhere except rehearsals. (Although two of those rehearsals were attended by two separate guests, so if those qualify as "shows" -- a huge stretch, granted -- then this was surely the first punk rock band playing in Georgia.)

In 1978 Harris moved to Auburn, Alabama, and Scum of the Earth became Last Exit, with Harris on guitar and vocals, Barber on bass, and Lloyd Malone on drums. This was, as far as Harris knows, the first overtly punk rock band in Alabama. They performed one concert at Auburn University, drawing a huge crowd, and unfortunately released no recordings. Last Exit moved to Atlanta in 1980, but exploded for various reasons without ever playing another show.

While living in Auburn Harris also created and dee-jayed the first known punk rock radio show in Alabama: "Best of New Wave Rock," WEGL,1978-1979. "New Wave" at the time was synonymous with "punk," but sounded less offensive, and the use of that term let the show -- which played Stooges, Sex Pistols, MC5, New York Dolls, Ramones, etc. -- get on the air.

Visit www.AmazingTemple.com for more information.

PAINTINGS, COMICS AND OTHER ART: Harris has created hundreds of paintings, drawings, and other artwork. Some can be found at this myspace page; for more, visit, you guessed it, www.AmazingTemple.com.

PHOTOGRAPHY: All kinds of weirdo photos are coming soon to AmazingTemple.com.

OTHER BACKGROUND:

Before entering the field of journalism, Harris delivered newspapers, sniffed out-of-date milk at a dairy to see if it was sufficiently unspoiled to be recycled into chocolate milk, scraped dried cement off construction poles, and did temp work in numerous warehouses.

In 1993, CRUD BOMB magazine named Harris "Bishop of the Gamera Flicks" for his passion for that distinctive Japanese monster movie series. Harris is an ordained minister in the Church of the SubGenius, and a card-carrying member of the International Order of Turtles (initiated in 1980).

Harris is a libertarian and Libertarian Party member He has run two historic races for statewide office in Georgia on a platform to abolish the office he was running for -- the Georgia Public Service Commission, a wretched and destructive cabal that victimizes consumers and shields fatcat utility monopolies from competition. In his first race he (and two other Libertarian PSC candidates) won enough votes to win statewide ballot status for the Libertarian Party in Georgia, the first time any third party candidates had achieved this in modern times, and something no other party has matched since. In his second run he was endorsed by the state's second-largest newspaper, the alternative weekly CREATIVE LOAFING, and received ten times the number of votes needed to swing the election.

In the past he has lifted his body weight overhead, run 26 miles, and swum 4 miles.

Search keywords: aka Jimmy Harris, Jim Harris. Attended Columbus High School, class of 1972. Attended Columbus College, 1972-1976. Started and operated "Jim's Newsstand" in Auburn, Alabama, 1978-1980.