Editing James Shaffer

{{for|the church leader|James Shaffer (pastor)}}
{{Short description|American guitarist}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{BLP sources|date=July 2009}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name                = James {{nobold|"}}Munky{{nobold|"}} Shaffer
| image               = Korn Rock Im Park 2016 (12 von 14) (1).jpg
| caption             = Munky with Korn at [[Rock am Ring and Rock im Park|Rock im Park]] 2016
| landscape           = Yes
| birth_name          = James Christian Shaffer
| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|1970|6|6}}
| birth_place         = [[Rosedale, California]], U.S.
| death_date          =
| alias               = {{flatlist|
* Munky
* Munk
* the Gorilla
}}
| genre               = {{flatlist|
* [[Nu metal]]
* [[alternative metal]]
* [[funk metal]]
}}
| occupation          = Guitarist
| current_member_of   = {{flatlist|
* [[Korn]]
* [[Fear and the Nervous System]]
* Venera
}}
| past_member_of      = [[L.A.P.D. (band)|LAPD]]
| years_active        = 1989–present
| website             = 
}}

'''James Christian Shaffer''' (born June 6, 1970), also known by his stage name "'''Munky'''", is an American musician best known as a co-founder and guitarist of the [[nu metal]] band [[Korn]]. He was ranked at No. 26 of [[Guitar World]]'s 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blogcritics.org/music/article/guitar-worlds-100-greatest-metal-guitarists/ |title=Guitar World's "100 Greatest Metal Guitarists of All Time" – Blogcritics Music |publisher=Blogcritics.org |access-date=June 8, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605132029/http://blogcritics.org/music/article/guitar-worlds-100-greatest-metal-guitarists/ |archive-date=June 5, 2011  }}</ref> 

Shaffer set up the side-project band [[Fear and the Nervous System]] in 2008 and is also the founder of Emotional Syphon Recordings, who have signed acts like [[Monster in the Machine]] and [[Droid (band)|Droid]].

==Early life==
Shaffer was born June 6, 1970, in [[Rosedale, California|Rosedale]], California.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Larkin |first1=Colin |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |date=1 January 2009 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-531373-4 |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195313734.001.0001/acref-9780195313734-e-62764 |access-date=29 May 2024 |chapter=Korn}}</ref> He was adopted by his parents as an infant, along with two other siblings. Shaffer and the other members of Korn grew up in an agricultural town of [[Bakersfield, California|Bakersfield]], California, two hours north of [[Los Angeles]]. When trying to sneak out to a party, the tip of one of his fingers was severed by the chain on his three-wheeler, and, as part of his rehabilitation, Shaffer picked up a guitar. 

==Career==
===Early musical career===
Shaffer, along with fellow future Korn members, [[David Silveria]] and [[Reginald Arvizu]] formed a band called [[L.A.P.D. (band)|L.A.P. D]]. with singer Richard Morill. When the band moved from Bakersfield, California<ref>{{Cite web |first=Jack | last=Flemming | date=2021-05-14 |title=Korn's James Shaffer tries to record a Beverly Hills home sale |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/real-estate/story/2021-05-14/korn-james-shaffer-selling-beverly-hills-home |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chamoff |first=Lisa |title=Munky Business: Korn's James Shaffer Lists Beverly Hills Home For Sale |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-global-properties/2021/05/19/munky-business-korns-james-shaffer-lists-beverly-hills-home-for-sale/ |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> to Los Angeles, Silveria dropped out of high school and Shaffer stayed in Bakersfield. When Shaffer reunited with the band, they found a manager and released an EP entitled Love and Peace Dude in 1989 through [[Triple X Records]]. L.A.P.D. released their first full-length studio album on May 3, 1991, which consisted of eleven tracks. The album was entitled Who's Laughing Now. After releasing two albums, L.A.P.D. broke up. They were also briefly known as Creep, recording a demo with a singer named Corey until Shaffer, Arvizu, and Silveria enlisted [[Brian Welch]] and [[Jonathan Davis]] to form the band that went on to become Korn.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://musicianguide.com/biographies/1608004092/Korn.html|title = Korn Biography}}</ref>

===Korn (1993–present)===
{{Main|Korn}}
When thinking of a band name, someone suggested "corn", but the band rejected that name, so Shaffer had the idea to spell the name with both a "K" instead of a "C", and a backwards "R", so the band's name would appear as "KoЯn". The idea of using a backwards "R" came from the logo of toy retailer Toys R Us, for which many of the band members had previously worked.

On February 22, 2005, [[Brian Welch|Brian "Head" Welch]] left the band. Shaffer accepted his friend's choice and the two remained on good terms. When drummer [[David Silveria]] left the band, Shaffer said in an interview that he had a strong friendship with him and was very sad to hear that he had to leave.

On an interview about Welch's departure, Shaffer said he felt pressure because they were always working together, writing songs, and creating albums. But when Welch left, he had to write all the guitar parts into one part, so Korn could play live, and he continued to play like that until Korn got a backing guitarist. Welch officially returned to the band on May 2, 2013, to work on the album ''The Paradigm Shift'' that was released in October 2013.

===Fear and the Nervous System (2008–present)===
{{Main|Fear and the Nervous System}}
[[File:James Munky Shaffer of Korn.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Shaffer on stage in São Paulo, Brazil in April 2010]]
On March 4, 2008, it was announced that Shaffer would be releasing a solo record on August 8, 2008, with his solo band Fear and The Nervous System which would feature Shaffer doing vocals and guitars, [[Brooks Wackerman]] of [[Bad Religion]] (who also performed on Korn's eighth album) on drums, [[Leopold Ross]] on guitars and programming, [[Bill Gould]] of [[Faith No More]] fame, and Zac Baird (Korn's keyboardist) on keyboards and programming. The record would be produced by Shaffer and [[Ross Robinson]]. Guitarist and friend [[Wes Borland]] originally recorded guitars for two songs on the album but they would not make the final cut. Borland also created cover art that would still be used on the album. The band's debut album was originally due out August 8, 2008, but was pushed back multiple times until its release in 2011.

On Modlife in October 2009 (Korn.com), Shaffer explained that he would not be doing vocals on the Fear and the Nervous System album because he is not "very good at singing." It was later announced that Steve Krolikowski of [[Repeater (band)|Repeater]] would be handling vocal duties.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://korncentral.com/news.php?default.571.689 |title=News |publisher=KoRn Central |access-date=December 7, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315065012/http://korncentral.com/news.php?default.571.689 |archive-date=March 15, 2012 }}</ref>

===Emotional Syphon Recordings (2006–present)===
In 2006, Shaffer founded Emotional Syphon Records to give daring and diverse bands a chance to be heard. The first bands to be signed were [[Droid (band)|Droid]] and [[Monster In The Machine|Monster in the Machine]], however Shaffer says he does not want to limit himself to only releasing metal acts but to create a multi-genre label.

===Venera (2023–present)===
In 2023, Shaffer announced the formation of Venera, an [[glitch (music)|glitch]] music project with Chris Hunt; the self-titled debut album came out on [[Ipecac Recordings]] on October 13.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.metalsucks.net/2023/08/16/dark-electronic-band-venera-is-a-collab-between-korns-munky-and-composer-chris-hunt-new-single-hologram-out-now/|title=Dark Electronic Band Venera is a Collab Between Korn's Munky and Composer Chris Hunt, New Single "Hologram" Out Now|first=Hesher|last=Keenan|date=August 16, 2023|website=MetalSucks}}</ref>

==Personal life==
On January 15, 2000, Shaffer married Stephanie Roush. Together, they had a daughter. In 2004, Shaffer and Roush got divorced. Shaffer then started to date actress and model Evis Xheneti in 2005. They were married on January 2, 2012, in Paris, France.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2012/01/korn-guitarist-james-munky-shaffer-marries-actress-evis-xheneti-paris|title=Korn Guitarist James Munky Shaffer Marries Actress Evis Xheneti in Paris|access-date=January 16, 2012|date=January 6, 2012}}</ref> They have three children together, born in 2012, 2015 and 2019.

==Equipment==
{{Quote_box|
 width=35%
|align=right
|quote="Yeah, I don't burn guitars, that's a [[Jimi Hendrix]] thing, man. But I'd wanted to do something that he did. I've broken guitars, everyone breaks guitars, but you have to be crazy to try and burn one, after someone did it at the Monterey Pop Festival. I was actually nervous about doing it, because during the last song, I found out that my guitar tech had a bottle of lighter fluid on his desk. So I said, I have a lighter in my pocket, let's do this. That's how it happened, and I was nervous, because I realized when I was going to do it, I started to get nervous and overanalyze it, and I thought, Just do it; have fun, man."
|source=James Shaffer, January 2008<ref>{{cite web|url=http://genres.artistdirect.com/nad/news/article/0,,4536523,00.html |title=Artist Direct Interview: James Muky Shaffer of Korn |publisher=Genres.artistdirect.com |access-date=December 7, 2011}}</ref>
}}
Shaffer predominantly uses [[Ibanez]] guitars,<ref>[http://www.uberproaudio.com/content/view/204/38/ Korn – Munky Guitar Gear Rig and Equipment ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090604050751/http://www.uberproaudio.com/content/view/204/38/ |date=June 4, 2009 }} Uberproaudio.com Retrieved: 20099-05-15</ref> most often his signature [[Ibanez Apex]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ibanez.com/eg/series.aspx?s=apex|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002071358/http://www.ibanez.com/eg/series.aspx?s=apex|url-status=dead|title=Ibanez APEX|archive-date=October 2, 2008}}</ref> 7-string model and [[Mesa/Boogie]] [[Mesa/Boogie Rectifier|Triple Rectifier]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mesaboogie.com/gallery_artist/video/korn.html |title=Munky and Fieldy of Korn |publisher=Mesa Boogie |access-date=December 7, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120102152508/http://www.mesaboogie.com/gallery_artist/video/korn.html |archive-date=January 2, 2012 }}</ref> and [[Diezel]] [[guitar amplifier]]s. Like Welch, he uses many pedals and effects to shape the distinct Korn sound. Shaffer describes his live pedal board as a "spaceship" because of the large, diverse quantity of effects he uses.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guitarfxdepot.com/rigs/james-munky-shaffer-korn-guitar-rig/ |title=James "Munky" Shaffer |publisher=Guitar FX Depot |date=August 2, 2010 |access-date=December 7, 2011 |archive-date=May 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160521095119/http://www.guitarfxdepot.com/rigs/james-munky-shaffer-korn-guitar-rig/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Discography==
{{See also|Korn discography}}

;With L.A.P.D.
*1989 – ''Love and Peace, Dude''
*1991 – ''[[Who's Laughing Now (album)|Who's Laughing Now]]''
*1997 – ''L.A.P.D'' ([[Compilation album|Compilation]])

;With Korn
*1994 – ''[[Korn (album)|Korn]]''
*1996 – ''[[Life Is Peachy]]''
*1998 – ''[[Follow the Leader (Korn album)|Follow the Leader]]''
*1999 – ''[[Issues (Korn album)|Issues]]''
*2002 – ''[[Untouchables (album)|Untouchables]]''
*2003 – ''[[Take a Look in the Mirror]]''
*2005 – ''[[See You on the Other Side (Korn album)|See You on the Other Side]]''
*2007 – [[Untitled Korn album|Untitled album]]
*2010 – ''[[Korn III: Remember Who You Are]]''
*2011 – ''[[The Path of Totality]]''
*2013 – ''[[The Paradigm Shift]]''
*2016 - ''[[The Serenity of Suffering]]''
*2019 - ''[[The Nothing (Korn album)|The Nothing]]''
*2022 - ''[[Requiem (Korn album)|Requiem]]''
;With Fear and the Nervous System
*2012 – ''[[Fear and the Nervous System (album)|Fear and the Nervous System]]''
;With $UICIDEBOY$ x Travis Barker
*2019 – ''Live Fast, Die Whenever''
;With Venera
*2023 – ''Venera''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{cc}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0787313|name=James 'Munky' Shaffer}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080216025322/http://www.bakotopia.com/home/ViewPost/28025 Bakotopia interview with James 'Munky' Shaffer]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130806103414/http://www.guitargeek.com/munky-korn-guitar-rig-and-gear-setup-2002/ "James 'Munky' Shaffer's 2002 Korn Guitar Rig"]. GuitarGeek.Com

{{Korn}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaffer, James}}
[[Category:1970 births]]
[[Category:Alternative metal guitarists]]
[[Category:Alternative metal musicians]]
[[Category:American experimental guitarists]]
[[Category:American heavy metal guitarists]]
[[Category:American industrial musicians]]
[[Category:American male guitarists]]
[[Category:American people of German descent]]
[[Category:Record producers from California]]
[[Category:Eight-string guitarists]]
[[Category:Guitarists from California]]
[[Category:Korn members]]
[[Category:American lead guitarists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Musicians from Bakersfield, California]]
[[Category:American rhythm guitarists]]
[[Category:American seven-string guitarists]]
[[Category:Virgin Records artists]]
[[Category:Fear and the Nervous System members]]