The Offspring: The Band Member Who Became a Doctor - James Lilja

The Offspring member who became a doctor after leaving the band SIGN UP for 10 of the Craziest Stories in Rock N' Roll [Secret Playlist]: https://bit.ly/3vVPAEF Check out our Top 25 Favourite Albums Here https://rockandrolltruestories.com/ Have a video request or a topic you'd like to see us cover? Fill out our google form! https://bit.ly/3stnXlN -----CONNECT ON SOCIAL----- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rocknrolltruestories Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RNRTrueStories Twitter: https://twitter.com/rocktruestories Blog: www.rockandrolltruestories.com #theoffspring #doctor I cite my sources and they may differ than other people's accounts, so I don't guarantee the actual accuracy of my videos. The Offspring’s original drummer and founding member James Lilja would end up leaving the band before they had mainstream success, opting to go into the medical field. However, he would soon be in the news again after a medical malpractice suit was in the news. Today let’s take a look at the Offspring drummer who became a doctor. Formed in 1984 under the monicker Manic Subsidal,. Lilja would serve as the band’s drummer from 1984 and 1987 and played on the band’s 1986 demo tape and their first single “I’ll be waiting’ which came out the same year. Lilja also contributed to band’s first album, which was released in 1989 co-writing the song Beheaded. But by the time the band gained mainstream recognition and a whole new fanbase, Lilja had long departed the group. Frontman Dexter Holland would tell an interviewer “This is where James Lilja came in. Now, James was our first drummer, and this was before we even recorded our first record. James is a great guy with a pretty warped sense of humor, and this guy was dying to get into medical school. In fact, he was so intent on getting into medical school that he didn‘t really even practice with us much – which is part of why he‘s not our drummer anymore! But anyway, James and I got together one day and I told him how I was trying to write lyrics for this song.I had the idea of calling it “Beheaded,“ and having it be about this crazy guy who enjoys that sort of thing. You know, actually, this kind of song is something that a lot of old punk bands did back then. There‘s tons of songs where the band talks about liking something that‘s gross or sick or whatever, but of course it‘s just a joke.And James? Yes, he got into medical school, and believe it or not, he‘s now a gynecologist! I hope his patients don‘t find out that he once helped write a song called ‘Beheaded‘! It was during his time in The Offspring Lilja attended the University of California, Los Angeles between 1984 and 1988, graduating with a bachelors of science. degree in Microbiology In 1993, Lilja was would graduate from medical school at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Since then he works as an obstetrician in San Jose nand Fremont and deals with cancerous and pre-cancerous treatments dealing with the female reproductive system. . In 2018 Lilja was in the news when Law360 reported that a medical malpractice suit was filed against the doctor in California by a patient and her husband who claimed he was negligent in his care. Then during the trial while juror’s were being selected one of the prospective juror’s collapsed hitting his head and was knocked unconscious. The prospective juror wasn’t said to be breathing and had no pulse. A person would run into the courtroom to ask Lilja and his nurse to assist with helping the prospective juror. Lilja and his nurse would use a defibrillator and administer CPR until an ambulance could arrive. Once the EMT’s arrived at the courthouse the prospective juror had a pulse but was still unconscious. The man would end up surviving and due to what happened at the courthouse the judge would declare a mistrial claiming the juror’s selected for the trial would be biased after seeing Lilja and his nurse save the man’s life. The case would end up going to arbitration and would be ultimately dismissed. Despite being busy with his practice Lilja played in a band during medical school called Oral Groove. Then in 2009 he formed a band called 11x and most recently in 2018 formed a band called Bunko whose debut EP Thought Patrol came out in August of 2019.

Added 12 Jul 2026