Fried & Justified

by Mick Houghton

Overview

A Book of the Year, Uncut


‘A wild rock ‘n’ roll fairground ride of the damned.’ Observer


***




A candid frontline account of an illustrious gonzo career as an independent music publicist during the post-punk heyday of the 80s and 90s, featuring an introduction by Bill Drummond and new cover artwork by Jimmy Cauty.



We arrived in a fleet of white stretch limos at a clearing in a wood near Woking. Here the K Foundation was exhibiting a million pounds in cash, while Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty circled the perimeter in two orange Saracen armoured vehicles, blasting out Abba’s ‘Money Money Money’ . . .



Mick Houghton worked with some of the greatest, most influential and downright dysfunctional cult groups of the post-punk era and beyond – Ramones, Talking Heads, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Undertones, Felt and Sonic Youth among them.



But the three acts Mick is most closely identified with are Echo & the Bunnymen, Julian Cope, and the KLF. As confidant and co-conspirator, he navigated the minefield of rivalries and contrasting fortunes which make Fried & Justified such a candid, amusing and insightful picture of an exciting and inspirational period for music.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780571336838
Publisher:	Faber and Faber
Publication date:	05/04/2021
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.80(h) x (d)

About the Author

Mick Houghton began his career writing about music before starting out in PR at WEA in 1978. Two years later he set up the independent Brassneck Publicity. He began writing again in 2001 for Mojo and later Uncut, and has since published two books, I’ve Always Kept A Unicorn: The Biography of Sandy Denny and Becoming Elektra: The True Story of Jac Holzman’s Visionary Record Label, as well as being one of the Grammy-nominated compilers of Forever Changing: The Golden Age of Elektra Records, 1963–1973. He’s also compiled and written extensive notes for countless reissues by such artists as Nico, Judee Sill, Richard Thompson, Marianne Faithful, Bob Dylan, Billy Fury, John Martyn, Donovan and Pentangle. Mick finally retired from PR work four years ago, and he’ll only consider coming back if the Teardrop Explodes reform in their original lineup.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements xi

Foreword Julian Cope xiii

Foreword: Billy Fury Versus the World xv

Introduction 1

1 Found a Job 9

2 Road to Ruin 24

3 Beyond Good and Evil 44

4 Do It Clean 67

5 Crisis of Mine 83

6 Christ vs Warhol 96

7 The Happy Loss 114

8 In a Hole 133

9 Nothing Short of Total War 154

10 They Don't Want to Upset the Apple Cart 173

11 Lots of Little Osmonds 193

12 K Cera Cera 210

13 Upwards at 45 Degrees 235

14 Knocking at the Door of the Cosmos 256

15 My Patio's on Fire 277

Sources 297

Editorial Reviews

"An entertaining memoir recalls twenty heady years at the centre of the British music business." — Financial Times



"Excellent . . . Remind[s] us that the best pop culture often comes together thanks to accidental, passionate heroes, standing out against the crowd in the most brilliant way." — New Statesman



"Houghton’s unfussy affection for his charges makes it a celebration of life on the musical margins rather than a compendium of gossip . . . As parallel histories of the UK alternative scene go, this one leaves them all behind." — Uncut



"Fried and Justified sheds light on a bygone industry that, although flawed, occasionally nurtured genuine misfit-creatives." — Observer

From the Publisher