Jimmy Pop
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jimmy Pop (sometimes Jimmy Pop Ali) (born James Moyer Franks, August 27, 1972 in Trappe, Pennsylvania) is an American songwriter and the lead singer of the band The Bloodhound Gang.
[edit] Biography
After graduating from Perkiomen Valley High School, he studied mass communications and history at Temple University where he met The Bloodhound Gang bassist Jared "Evil Jared Hasselhoff" Hennegan. He also founded the Jimmy Franks Recording Company, a label on which The Bloodhound Gang releases albums, as well as other bands such as Helltrain , Isabelle's Gift, and, more famously, HIM.
Jimmy Pop Ali is the only original member of the Bloodhound Gang left in the group, having formed it in 1992 (Lüpüs Thünder joined in 1994). He writes the music for, and produces, every album; producing originally out of necessity (they couldn't afford a real producer in the beginning), and then because he wanted more control (and it's still cheaper and easier). Additionally, because he organizes his CDs in alphabetical order and makes grammar corrections to the Bloodhound Gang's website, Lüpüs has said that he is a little on the anal retentive side.
Jimmy Pop's humor is extremely juvenile and relies heavily on bodily functions and sexual activity. To this end, some describe his behavior as homoerotic (including, but not limited to, sticking his finger up Spanky G's rectum and fellating a banana). It seems that, in addition to his usual bodily humor, he pretty much will do anything for a laugh or just for shock value, this includes wearing a Backstreet Boys shirt onstage, raising a cymbal stand (with the cymbal still attached) above his head and dancing for Willie The New Guy (until the cymbal fell off, anyway), and putting out a cigarette on his tongue. He also finds it amusing to tear off Evil Jared Hasselhoff's shirt at random intervals, and one time, during a live performance of I Wish I Was Queer So I Could Get Chicks, actually attempted to bite off said shirt.
Like most of the band, Jimmy Pop is reputed to have a heavy drinking problem, and, as of 1998, smokes three packs of cigarettes a day.
Jimmy Pop Ali is the public face of the Bloodhound Gang, and it is almost always he and Evil Jared that do the interviews. Unlike the others (most notably DJ Q-Ball), he does take the actual output of the band very seriously, and does not joke about leaving or breaking up.
According to an article (http://www.newstimes180.com 2005-12-30) by David Friedman, Jimmy Pop is not Jewish. "I have the blood in me, but I'm not considered part of the tribe. When my family came over here, on my father's side they were all rabbis. They changed their name from Hershell to Hershey and one of their younger grandchildren or whatever became the Hershey Bar guy. I never got any money out of it... I have American Indian in me and lots of German, which works really well with the Jew. It's just a big mixed bag. Somewhere along the line, my parents were raised Lutheran and as soon as I didn't have to go anymore, I wasn't into it. So I wasn't raised Jewish, but being in the music business, of course, I have Jewish managers. So I'm always up for the holidays."
He plays Gretsch guitars and Marshall amps and bass guitar. He used to play a custom guitar (made by a former Paul Reed Smith employee; it is actually Lüpüs' guitar, and is no longer used) through an Orange amplifier. He started playing guitar live for the tours supporting Hooray for Boobies, and does not play them on the albums.
[edit] Notable appearances in film
Made an appearance in the CKY series of films, during a shopping cart race scene. Recently appeared in an episode of Viva la Bam; Pop borrowed Bam Margera's Lamborghini without telling him, thus causing Bam Margera to accuse his close friends of doing the deed. He has also appeared on The Dudesons, being one of the people throwing darts during the human dart board stunt with Jarppi. Jimmy Pop also appeared for a total of about five seconds in the "State Of Bam" episode of Viva La Bam, but Evil Jared Hasselhoff had a much longer part in that particular episode.
[edit] Side projects
Jimmy Pop is a member of a Christmas band called The DiCamillo Sisters, which consists of Bam Margera, Brandon DiCamillo, Jess Margera, and himself.
Jimmy Pop collaborated with dance artist Tomcraft for a song called "Broadsword Calling Danny Boy" in 2006. The song is featured on Tomcraft's official MySpace.[1]
