PLEASE HELP!!!
I am a music journalist and author that started writing about Goth bands before many of you were actually born. While this makes me feel ancient you must simply look upon me as being much wiser than I actually am. Punk kicked it all of for me and I began with a fanzine, Panache, in 1976 with a group of friends, although by issue 3 I was effectively running it, then took it on as a constant passion and regardless of what else I was working on Panache continued into the early 90’s with issue 55 signifying actual death throes. For the music press in Britain I began with Record Mirror in 1978, then overlapped onto ZigZag in 1980, and joined the staff of a very weird set up there in 1981. By the end of the year I’d become Editor and within several months wasn’t even allowed into the office. It died a well deserved death in 1982, but a new publisher gave it a kiss of life in 1883 and I was offered the Editorship, turning it into a Goth crusade up until its next demise in 1986. From 1982 to about 1992 I worked for Melody Maker, with a very short stint on the boring NME. I edited Siren during 1991 and 1992. Goth-wise I write the Gothic Rock Black Book, followed that with Gothic Rock, extended it all further with Hex Files, and the most recent work was 21st Century Goth. I am currently hatching plans for a major publisher now for my fifth book. During the mid 90s I got fed up with being ripped off by music mags and stopped working for them, trying Record companies instead but that was duller than expected, and an unexpected relocation to the South Coast where there was neither a music magazine or record label that required my services meant I started developing plans of my own and switched to online activity. For many years now people read my reviews through my livejournal which is the easiest ways to produce copious reviews. You can follow all that weekly here (although most will be posted here too from now on): http://mickmercer.livejournal.com I do THE MICK, normally a monthly magazine stuffed full of interviews and photos, in pdf format, which is often huge: http://www.mickmercer.com/themick.html I have done a series of CD books of my Punk and Goth writings from the papers, which have not appeared in printed book form before. You can find those here: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Mick-Mercer-Gothic-Punk From 2007 onwards I will be doing self- published books through lulu.com. The first novel, about two grandmother paranormal investigators, Killing Is Naughty, will be out this Summer. I write, therefore I am vague and disturbed.
As proof of this vague disturbance I have started a myspace group for the finest UK group of my experience, The Dancing Did. Please join up if you like unexpected, pithily descriptive, visual lyrics and sombre romps and delicious, capering melodies. A true form of Goth but set in the limbo between Punk and Indie, and wholly unique.
http://groups.myspace.com/thedancingdid
While they are my all-time favourite dead band, I am also doing one for my current favourite living band, Ataraxia:
http://groups.myspace.com/ataraxiaitaly
