Steve Malins profile picture

Steve Malins

Author of books on Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Gary Numan & Paul Weller

About Me

My new book, DEPECHE MODE: BLACK CELEBRATION - THE BIOGRAPHY by STEVE MALINS has just come out via Andre Deutsch in a revised, re-designed and updated hardback form. It takes the story right up to date with the release of Playing The Angel and their recent world tour. There are new interviews with Knox Chandler and producers Ben Hillier and Ken Thomas, to add to the likes of Daniel Miller, Alan Wilder, Flood, Anton Corbijn, Daryl Bamonte, Gareth Jones, Dave Bascombe, Sparks, Gary Numan, OMD, John Foxx, Stevo and Tim Simenon (Bomb The Bass) who all contributed to the original. Here's what the critics said:The first major work on the band the lack of official endorsement allows a refreshing distance. Q MagazineAn excellent narrative full of intrigue and excess. NMEMeticulously researched record of an unusual group fascinating stuff. Uncut . . .In late 2005/early 2006 my biography on Duran Duran, NOTORIOUS came out. Although in no way officially endorsed by the band it's the first in-depth biography on Duran Duran and both Nick Rhodes and John Taylor have been in touch to say 'thank you' for writing it. They said some nice things about it, for which I'm grateful. The paperback version came out in the summer and here are some recent reviews: It's the first ever in-depth book on the band: 'Packed with exclusive material and hitherto unpublished material . . . a gripping read' - The Sun; 'I read this with much enjoyment . . . They are such an extraordinary and so often misunderstood group' - Michael Bracewell, The Times; 'Amusingly told by Malins, nobody had as much fun in the '80s as the coke-snorting, supermodel shagging kings of new romantic pop, Duran Duran' - Q Magazine; 'Very impressive - this gives a great insight into the group' - Paul Berrow, Duran's manager until 1985; 'The research is meticulous . . . . This is the first comprehensive biography of Duran Duran' - The Guardian; 'I enjoyed this book a lot - things we didn't know before - by 1989 a failing, flailing Duran Duran were somewhat cash-strapped: Nick Rhodes' Coutts overdraft was into seven figures.' - Time Out. . . . . Also I've recently interviewed NICK RHODES and JOHN TAYLOR for their ONLY AFTER DARK compilation as they asked me to write the accompanying press release; I've written several other books including GARY NUMAN's autobiography PRAYING TO THE ALIENS; I have my own PR/radio plugging company and look after all of GARY NUMAN's press, TV and radio in the UK for his new album JAGGED (out on March 13); I've also recently been BAUHAUS's PR for their UK and European tour and I'm working with new band RUBICKS, electronic pioneer JOHN FOXX (I also run his page on myspace), producer ADE FENTON who just worked on the new Gary Numan album and MARC ALMOND who has a new album out this year. . . . . . other recent clients include Siouxsie Sioux, An Pierle, The Magnetic Fields, The Future Sound Of London, Curve, Trash Palace, Rico, Go Betweens, The Devils & Stephen Duffy.

My Interests

Music, films, books, magazines, restaurants, synthesizers, sci-fi, futurism, art, writing, cities - especially London and New York, travel, Coventry City FC, poetry, clubs, parties, cricket, Isobel, my son & step-daughter Lil

I'd like to meet:

I just wanted to thank all the people who have bought Notorious, my recent Duran Duran book. The feedback has been fantastic and I'm very grateful. x

Music:

Brian Eno, Velvet Underground, Nico, David Bowie, The Smiths, Roxy Music, Gary Numan, Kate Bush, Depeche Mode, John Foxx, early Ultravox!, Iggy Pop, Suede, Kraftwerk, The Devils (Stephen Duffy and Nick Rhodes), Arcadia, Duran Duran, Rubicks, The Faint, Bauhaus, Interpol, The Killers, Antony & The Johnsons, Editors, Siouxsie Sioux, Trash Palace, Dresden Dolls, Pulp, White Rose Movement, Ladytron, Air, Peaches, The Rapture, Japan, David Sylvian, PJ Harvey, Marilyn Manson, Neu!, T.Rex, Fad Gadget, The Magnetic Fields, Go Betweens, Cabaret Voltaire, Leonard Cohen, Cocteau Twins, Joy Division, Danielle Dax, Rico, Propaganda, Nine Inch Nails, Prodigy, Pet Shop Boys, Goldfrapp, Scott Walker, The Cure, Radiohead, Nick Cave, early Human League, Soft Cell & Marc Almond, Curve, PIL, The Jam, Prince, Future Sound Of London and interested in anything electronic.

Movies:

Blade Runner, The Man Who Fell To Earth, Beauty & The Beast, Mirror, Las Valseuses, Chinatown, Belle De Jour, Repulsion, The Hitcher, Apocalypse Now, Lost Highway, Night Porter, Alien, Nomi Song, 5 Easy Pieces, Subway, The Shining, Christiane F, The Trial, Jaws, Betty Blue, Nikita, Rosemary's Baby, La Dolce Vita, Mulholland Drive, A Clockwork Orange, Touch Of Evil, Orphee, The Illustrated Man.

Television:

League Of Gentlemen, Funland, The Mighty Boosh, Little Britain and from the past - X-Files, Twin Peaks & Millennium.

Books:

William Burroughs, Iain Banks, Philip K Dick, music biographies, The Day Of The Locust by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Anthony Burgess, Ishiguro, Murakami, George Orwell, Joseph Conrad, F Scott Fitzgerald, Graham Greene, Jean Cocteau, Elmore Leonard, Raymond Chandler, Jonathan Coe, Michael Marshall Smith

Heroes:

People like Leigh Bowery, Klaus Nomi and Robert Moog.

My Blog

Black Celebration released in UK, Europe and America

I've been told that the U.S. release of Depeche Mode: Black Celebration - The Biography by Steve Malins is now out in the States. Not sure which book stores have taken it but it is definitely ava...
Posted by Steve Malins on Wed, 17 Jan 2007 05:51:00 PST

Bauhaus Press

As Random PR I look after Bauhaus - these were the reviews of their recent UK tour... it was brilliant by the way. You can check out Random PR on myspace.    Steve THE GUARDIAN Rated: Five...
Posted by Steve Malins on Wed, 03 May 2006 10:00:00 PST

This is my press release for JT's & Nick's Only After Dark album

This is the press release Nick Rhodes and John Taylor recently asked me to write for their Rum Runner compilation, Only After Dark. It's a fantastic album and I was very honoured that t...
Posted by Steve Malins on Sat, 29 Apr 2006 07:01:00 PST

Duran Duran book B+ in Spin Magazine

My Duran Duran biography, NOTORIOUS, has just been reviewed in Spin Magazine in America. The writer awarded it with a B+. It's like being back at school! Here's some of what he said: 'The pop quintet ...
Posted by Steve Malins on Mon, 03 Apr 2006 08:13:00 PST

Interview on artistinterviews.com about the Duran book and other stuff

Steve Malin's biography of Duran Duran   AN INTERVIEW WITH STEVE MALINS Artist Interviews Magazine spoke with Steve Malins in a fascinating interview. Malins is a musician...
Posted by Steve Malins on Thu, 23 Mar 2006 02:16:00 PST

My Depeche Mode book is out now in the UK

Depeche Mode: Black Celebration: The Biography by Steve Malins is being published by Andre Deutsch in a revised, re-designed and updated hardback form in late April. Priced at 12.99 it takes the stor...
Posted by Steve Malins on Thu, 23 Mar 2006 01:06:00 PST