Betty/Beverley profile picture

Betty/Beverley

Former rock hack parachutes into 21st century to reclaim Eighties pop heritage

About Me

I am the accidental journalist. I first started writing about music in 1979, for the long-extinct Sounds, but never really meant to be a rock hack. It all got out of hand and I ended up pretty much discovering Duran Duran (although perhaps they discovered me), and enjoying the company of Spandau Ballet, Soft Cell, Depeche Mode, Japan, Visage, Ultravox, the Human League and many, many more. I went on to become editor of the pop magazine Record Mirror, then went back to my rock roots, working for the NME in the early 90s. In 1993 I left music journalism behind and got my first job on a national newspaper (The Observer), then went on to work for the Sunday Telegraph and the Sunday Express, where I still work, as a commissioning editor. Sadly for all you great unsigned bands out there, I no longer have connections in the music business. As you might have deduced my pen name in the Eighties was Betty Page. I have written a book about that time called Hit Girl and I am looking for the right publisher. Read more plus a sample chapter in my blog and let me know if you'd like to see more...

Myspace Layouts at Pimp-My-Profile.com / Purple galaxy - Image Hosting

My Interests

Listening to evocative, moving music of all types, but especially dark ambient and electronic sounds, astrology, the zeitgeist, creative writing, connecting with random souls, gym bunnying, fighting preconceptions, applying electric blue nail varnish, buying kinky shoes, travelling the world, psychology, Neuro Linguistic Programming, eccentrics, talking to people who believe in the distinct possibility that aliens are already among us...

I'd like to meet:

People who think 50 is the new nifty, people who are wise but don't believe in getting old, people who like to ask intelligent questions, people who are much funnier than me, people who are interested in the mysteries of the universe, people who are interested in astrology, gentle, respectful kindred spirits, people who were involved in or have an interest in the early years of Skin Two, photographers who have pictures of me from the
Skin Two years that I've never seen, bands and musicians I interviewed in the Eighties, anyone who is interested in reading a book about Eighties pop groups, just curious and interesting types who think life is a journey not a destination...

Music:

Current contents of iPod include everything from Autechre to Billy Mackenzie to XTC by way of Blancmange, Brian Eno, Depeche Mode, Mescalinaeden, Massive Attack, Mogwai, Rachmaninov, Soft Cell, Spandau Ballet, This Mortal Coil and William Orbit......

Movies:

The Notorious Bettie Page, Field Of Dreams, Maitresse, The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, Thelma & Louise, Lost In Translation, Sideways, Pan's Labyrinth, Some Like It Hot, Secretary, Pandora's Box...

Television:

Television is dead, long live people vision...

Books:

Platform by Michel Houllebecq, anything by Anais Nin, anything by my friend Lauren Henderson, The Time Traveler's Wife, Sideways, and endless astrology, spirituality and self-help books......

Heroes:

Don't believe in heroes, but Bettie Page is obviously a total goddess, as is Louise Brooks (the hair, the hair) and Anais Nin, even though she was a bigamist and, of course, Debbie Harry......

My Blog

Happy 50th birthday to Marc Almond...

It was Marc Almond's turn to join me in the ranks of half-centurions this week... so, happy 50th birthday to you, my dear old chum...Anyone who has read the synopsis of my book Hit Girl will know that...
Posted by Betty/Beverley on Sun, 15 Jul 2007 07:18:00 PST

Picture this: Blondie going grey...

Went to see another Seventies American post-punk band last week - Blondie, of course - at the Hammersmith Apollo.I haven't been there for years and didn't know they'd ripped the seating out and t...
Posted by Betty/Beverley on Sun, 15 Jul 2007 06:51:00 PST

We are Devo...

I hardly ever go to gigs these days (too many years of having to do reviews) but did say yes to Devo at the Shepherd's Bush Empire last week.I went with Tony Mitchell, who interviewed the band back in...
Posted by Betty/Beverley on Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:55:00 PST

See feature about me on www.thefetishistas.com....

My pals at the recently launched, beautifully designed and expertly written website www.thefetishistas.com ("a new voice for the fetish world") have very kindly featured me in their Webwatch...
Posted by Betty/Beverley on Mon, 18 Jun 2007 10:47:00 PST

More information about Mescalinaeden, who provides my soundtrack

I've had several friend requests from unsigned bands whose music I really like, and I can't believe they don't have an outlet for their material. I often think, if only I was still a music journalist ...
Posted by Betty/Beverley on Sun, 27 May 2007 03:32:00 PST

Duran Duran interview from Sunday Express 2004

In a cool, dimly-lit room in a west London recording studio, a scented candle sits flickering on a low table. The door opens and in walks a founding member of one of the Eighties' biggest bands. It's ...
Posted by Betty/Beverley on Wed, 25 Apr 2007 03:22:00 PST

She's back...

Hi all sorry I've not posted anything for a week or so, I've been busy travelling (to Switzerland) and meeting very interesting new people (you know who you are...)Having posted the synopsis of my boo...
Posted by Betty/Beverley on Thu, 19 Apr 2007 01:24:00 PST

Meeting Mr Andy Taylor....

  Adventuring on MySpace has made me feel as if I have been hiding in a dark cell for years. Contact has been made with old sparring partners and new angels have found me, so it has been a quantu...
Posted by Betty/Beverley on Mon, 09 Apr 2007 01:53:00 PST

My article about virtual networking in Sunday Express

Adventures of the Virtual Me, Sunday Express, April 1 I tried to scan this in but in the end thought it would be...
Posted by Betty/Beverley on Sun, 08 Apr 2007 12:56:00 PST

My feature about New Romantics in Record Collector, 2004

New Romantics  I Was ThereIt wasn't an auspicious start to a new decade. The winter of discontent was still raw in British minds; unemployment was soaring; Cruise missiles were arriving on our doorst...
Posted by Betty/Beverley on Mon, 02 Apr 2007 04:16:00 PST