Biography

Career

Born on February 21, 1969 in Pontypool, he attended the local Oakdale Comprehensive school in Blackwood where he suffered years of cruelty and bullying (he claims he was like a "nerdier version of Woody Allen") for his name, lazy eye (a popular nickname was "Crossfire") and small size (another nickname was "He-man" - this was ironic as James is still only 5"5). Because of this James formed a rather exclusive relationship with three friends: his cousin Sean Moore, who lived with James and his family throughout their childhood after his own parents' divorce, and future bandmates Nicky Wire (real name Nicholas Jones) and Richey James Edwards. Bradfield is named after James Dean - his father wanted originally to call him Clint Eastwood Bradfield, but this was vetoed by his mother.

Solo career

In late April, a track from Bradfield's debut solo single entitled "That's No Way To Tell A Lie" premiered on Janice Long's show on Radio 2. It became the first single from the album and was released on July 10 while the album, entitled "The Great Western", was released on July 24. The single debuted at #18 in the UK single charts while the album debuted at #22 on the album charts. The positions were considered relatively successful considering the lack of promotion.

Personal life

• During the early 90s, Bradfield was engaged for almost 2 years, but the relationship broke up in 1993.
• James' mother died of cancer in 1999 (the song Ocean Spray, James' first published lyric, is about her passing).
• He currently lives in London, but also has a house in the dock area of Cardiff.
• He finally settled down (despite previously saying “I always get bored of the company of women really quickly”) with PR woman Mylene Halsall, and the pair were married in a secret ceremony in Florence, Italy on the 11th of July 2004.

Trivia

• He supports Nottingham Forest football club.
• He supports Cardiff Blues Rugby club.
• His favourite record ever is Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra. His favourite album is London Calling by The Clash.
• His favourite films include Heat, La Haine, Elephant, The Apartment and Rumblefish.
• His favourite places are Vienna, Brussels, Tokyo and Wales.
• He is a fan of singer Kylie Minogue (he wrote and produced 2 tracks on Kylie’s critically acclaimed album (which flopped commerically in the UK), Impossible Princess).
• His two tattoos are of a dolphin and the Søren Kierkegaard quote 'Anxiety is Freedom'
• His childhood nicknames were Joe 90, Crossfire and Terence McCann due to the large glasses he wore to correct his cross-eyed appearance.

Solo discography

Albums

Singles

• "That's No Way To Tell A Lie" (10 July, 2006) - #18
• "An English Gentleman" (25 September, 2006) - #31