Totally Wired

The Rise and Fall of the Music Press

Paul Gorman

• Publisher: Thames and Hudson Ltd
• Year: 2022
• eBook ISBN: 9780500777435
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Popular Culture in Art

Totally Wired is the definitive story of the music press on both sides of the Atlantic, tracing the rise and fall of the creatively fertile media sector which grew from humble beginnings nearly 100 years ago to become a multi-billion business which tested the limits of journalistic endeavour. Covering the music presss evolution from the 1950s to the 2000s, through rock & roll, Mod, the Summer of Love, Glam, Punk, Pop, Reggae, R&B and Hip Hop, Paul Gorman chronicles the development of individual magazines from Tin Pan Alley beginnings and the countercultural foundation of Rolling Stone, the underground press and the 70s heyday of NME, Melody Maker and Sounds. Illuminated by the authors first hand interviews, Gorman paints a complete picture of the scene exploring the role played by such writers as Lester Bangs, Charles Shaar Murray and Nick Kent in the development of the careers of the likes of David Bowie, The Clash and Led Zeppelin, and tackling head on the entrenched sexism and racism faced by women and people from marginalized backgrounds by shining a spotlight on those publications and individuals whose contributions have often been unfairly overlooked. Evoking the music presss kaleidoscopic visual identities, Totally Wired is illustrated with rare and legendary magazine artwork throughout. What emerges is a compelling narrative containing conflicting stories of unbound talent, blind ambition and sometimes bitter rivalries which make Totally Wired a rollercoaster and riveting read.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• About the Author
• Other titles of interest
• Contents
• Prologue
• 1 In the Beginning: The Melody Maker and the Origins of the Music Press
• 2 ‘Everyone thought I was crazy’: 16, NME and the Birth of Rock
• 3 ‘Everything was possible’: Gloria Stavers and the Teen Scene
• 4 The Aesthetic of Rock: Jann Wenner Launches Rolling Stone
• 5 ‘They didn’t realise it was a men’s club’: Taking on Macho Critics
• 6 ‘The first time a critic topped the artist’: Oz, IT and Friends Reflect the Counterculture
• 7 Boy Howdy!: Creem Unleashes Lester Bangs and Blues & Soul Champions Black Music
• Plate Section One
• 8 ‘We’re happy to stick pretension where it belongs’: NME Makes a Deathbed Recovery
• 9 ‘You would call it blatant misogyny’: Caroline Coon Upsets the Melody Maker Applecart while Black Music Champions Carl Gayle
• 10 ‘I felt I could conquer’: Street Life, Black Echoes, Pressure Drop, Punk and Temporary Hoarding
• 11 ‘I didn’t want to write anything literary’: Savage, Goldman and Suck at Sounds as Nick Logan Launches Smash Hits
• 12 ‘Oh! Marvellous time!’: Danny Baker Joins NME and Felix Dennis Makes Mischief with New Music News
• 13 ‘No focus groups’: The Face Breaks the Mould
• 14 ‘You could say, “I love this”’: From i-D, Collusion and WET to Flexipop, Star Hits and Kerrang!
• 15 ‘I should be doing that!’: Smash Hits Soars and Boy’s Own Gets on One, Matey
• Plate Section Two
• 16 ‘We’ll take chances’: Spin Spins a New Line and Grand Royal, Ray Gun and Ben Is Dead Fly the Freak Flag
• 17 ‘I remember thinking, “He doesn’t dance”’: Sheryl Garratt Steers The Face, Nelson George Does It First at The Village Voice, and The Source and Vibe Reshape Music Media
• 18 ‘Club culture seemed more stylish’: From Superclubs and Jockey Slut to Loaded and the New Lad
• 19 Sex and Hollywood Spell Danger: FHM Roars while The Face Crashes, Select Spirals and Time is Called on Melody Maker
• Epilogue
• Notes
• Acknowledgments
• Picture Credits
• Index