After months of haggling and persuasion, I have finally agreed to have a book about my life published! I am writing it together with one of the unofficial Iron Maiden biographers named Stjepan Juras. He has already had about 11 or 12 books published about Maiden, the band, the men, the albums and all things Maiden generally, as well as a host of other titles as well.
The story covers my life from my earliest years, thru school days, my earliest interests in music, my life as a London club DJ in the late 60s, my work in West Berlin as a DJ in the Playboy club out there, in fact just about everything that I have done before, during and after my arrival at the Bandwagon and the subsequent Soundhouse Years. The Wagon, of course played only one part of my career, but obviously takes up quite a lot of pages on its own!
Also, my time with the Colindale Motor Cycle Club, better known as the CMCC is well covered, as my rise to club President came as quite a shock at the time!
After the Wagon, the Soundhouse on the road with our 7 tonner Ford D series Black Bess and crew led by the great Ken Childs, John Lights, Richard and Big Andy, my work in East London and elsewhere, then managing Samurai Studio Complex at London Bridge for Nazareth manager Jim White, all my band work, my work in Portugal, in fact most things that seem to be a part of my life in music.
As the result of an amazing hour and a half phone chat with my old true friend Steve Harris, he has written the forward to the book and that it is really a very nice piece indeed. But to everyone's probable surprise there are no smutty bits in there, no tales of our "life and loves" on the road, but plenty about some of the great characters that made the Bandwagon such a unique place.
And I do feel that all my early work as a DJ was but one long apprenticeship for learning the trade in preparation for firstly taking on the Wagon, then of course Donington and all that followed, including touring to Japan with Praying Mantis and working latterly as an arranger/producer/orchestrator with my band down in Portugal, which is why it is both relevant and important to this history.
So I hope this story, complete with a whole host of private photos and interviews from friends and music business acquaintances will at last be able to let all know more about the real person behind the man on the stage.
Advance copies will be expected out by the end of the year, and the full release some time in early 2022.
