everything simon price - have i missed something???

[Librarian On Fire]

While loosely on the subject of music journalists, I’ve just finished reading “It’s Too Late To Die Young Now. Misadventures In Rock And Roll” by Andrew Mueller. For those who remember, Andrew wrote for Melody Maker. He was still writing for Melody Maker when Simon Price joined the paper. Mueller (a confessed non fan of the band) mentions one meeting with the band where he ended up being at the end of verbal tongue lashing by Wire. Mueller had said some negative things about having a Welsh uncle. Wire called Mueller “A racist prick”. The MSP’s get mentioned one more time. This time referring the large number of letters Melody Maker received after the disappearance of Richey. This outpouring from readers prompted Melody Maker to host its “Culture of Despair” forum where self confessed self harmers, the Samaritans and mental health expects were called in to discuss the recent suicide of Kurt Cobain and the missing Richey.

At the conclusion of his book, Mueller laments the death of the weekly music paper. He blamed its ending on two things. Both which I consider factual. After the death of Britpop there really wasn’t anything to take its place. The second. That thing that was once mention in an article in Melody Maker in 1994. The internet.

I used to buy both NME and Melody Maker weekly. Melody Maker was by far the better music paper. Simon Price when he was at Melody Maker really did do a lot to promote the band. Although Barbara Ellen’s two interviews with the band. The one when they went to LA and the doomed Bangkok visit, have becoming very important in the bands history. I always felt the Manics belonged to Melody Maker. It was a better fit. Does anyone know how many times they appeared on the cover of each individual paper? Also it was Melody Maker which got there with the last interview and photos of Richey.
A proper, well written biography on the band is well over due. Perhaps there has been interest but the band not yet to allow inner access to a writer.