Alan G Parker

Biography


“Alan Parker has forgotten more about the Sex Pistols and Punk Rock than most writers could research in a lifetime!”
(London Evening Standard)


Alan Parker was born in Blackburn, Lancashire in 1965. In his own words it was a good year for selling Beatles records! Parker had a genuine working class up bringing, in a cotton town brought to its knees by three day weeks, power cuts and strikes. His passion to get out and do something different is evident all 17 of his published works. His love of music began in 1973 (aged just 8) with Glam Rock, and despite his tender age he was soon no stranger to gigs, having witnessed Slade (countless times), Bowie, Mud, Bay City Rollers, Sweet and Bolan by the age of 15. Often accompanied by older relatives, but always on the ball at school the next day with a tour T-shirt on his back, and a tale of last nights gig for eager ears in the school yard.

When Punk came along, Parker was truly hooked, his own fanzine 4,000 Holes from Blackburn, Lancashire ran to 16 issues, and in its rough photocopied pages he began to learn his craft. By the age of 21 most of his heroes were now his friends and he was already promoting shows for up and coming groups, while also managing bands across the North West via his own Talking Primates Management company. The name for the company came about one night when Parker told a pal; “If we can get a monkey to talk we can finally say we did everything!”

“I own hundreds, probably thousands of books. I am obsessed with them. I enjoy women’s literature (Jane Austen, Iris Murdoch, Virginia Woolf, Louisa May Alcott, Fay Weldon, etc.) and British literature (William Blake, Dylan Thomas, Oscar Wilde, and of course Shakespeare). I collect biographies and autobiographies. I think Legs McNeil and Danielle Willis are both geniuses and Bret Easton Ellis and Alan Parker are far more interesting in terms of cultural relevance than Chuck Klosterman will ever be”.
(Natalie Coleman/Rolling Stone Magazine)

The first truly life changing thing, happened to him in the summer of 1985 when he was first introduced to Anne Beverley (mother of Sid Vicious). This would result in three published books; The critically acclaimed Sid’s Way (Omnibus Press), Worldwide best seller Vicious: Too Fast To Live (Creation Books) and most recently, his master work on the subject No One Is Innocent (Orion Books) which is currently being made into a big screen movie Who Killed Nancy? (Moxie Makers/Soda Pictures) due for release in October 2008. Parker has talked about Sid and the Pistols in every corner of the world. His book Satellite: Sex Pistols (Abstract Sounds Publishing) is the only one to date to be given the collective blessing of Rotten, Jones, Matlock, Cook & McLaren. While he has appeared as a talking head/expert in numerous documentaries for TV, DVD and Radio.

“Alan Parker, the author of ‘Satellite’ has decided to analyze the short history of England’s foremost Punk idol. Friend of all those once active in the 70s, he has completed the most intensive study of Sid’s life and the world he inhabited”. (Malcolm McLaren)

But the lad is no one trick pony either, other published titles include; The Great Train Robbery Files (Abstract Sounds Publishing), Cum on Feel the Noize: The Slade Story (Carlton Books), The Who by Numbers (Helter Skelter Books), Stiff Little Fingers: Song by Song (Sanctuary Books), Rat Patrol From Fort Bragg: The Clash (Abstract Sounds Publishing), John Lennon & The FBI Files (Sanctuary Books), And Now For Something Completely Digital: Monty Python (Disinformation Books) and in the USA a biography of porn star Traci Lords titled Hardcore Superstar (Private Books).

“I imagine that all Parker’s school friend’s work on building sites, or in any number of day to day jobs that they hate! There is just something about the man that screams, I want this badly and I want it now! I guess it’s only a matter of time before we find ourselves using the word genius,
I just finished reading his latest book, I want more and I want it NOW!”
(Jack Kane/Record Collector Magazine)

Having worked for various music and lads magazine titles, including; Spiral Scratch, Record Collector, ICE, Loaded, Rolling Stone, Front, Penthouse and Bizarre. More recent years have seen his increased involvement in film, originally as a backroom boy with established director and DJ Don Letts, the pair completed All Mod Cons: The Jam (Universal Music) and Still Burning: Stiff Little Fingers (Fremantle Media). Before Parker came into his own, as a director, with Never Mind the Sex Pistols (Demon Vision/2 Entertain), Love Kills (Momentum Pictures) and Rebel Truce: The Clash (Eagle Vision/Sky TV).

“If you thought the other Alan Parker was just a great writer, you’ve obviously never seen any of his documentaries!”
(Alex Hunt/Empire Magazine)

Parker moved to London in 1999 following more book titles and a short stint as a record company press officer, he has been a label consultant at EMI Records since 2000. Currently he is planned more rock biographies, a big screen documentary and trying to find more space for tattoos. He lives in Maida Vale and drinks in Cambridge Circus!

For more information please see: www.myspace.com/aparker01