Andy Richardson: Rock‘n’roll diaries are the best by Miles

Inspired by an uncle who played with some of the hairiest, lairiest rock‘n’rollers of the 1970s, Miles propelled himself into the charts, on to headline slots on festival stages and the covers of such music titles as NME before running away to Shropshire to drink beer, walk the hills and, in simple terms, prolong a life that mightn’t have run its full course had he continued his London-centric, Hunter S Thompson-esque existence. And none of us would have wished a late Miles to be blasted from a canon the way Gonzo journalist Thompson was by his acolyte Johnny Depp.

From Stourbridge to London to Shropshire – via New York, Tokyo, Sydney and, famously, Walsall – Miles has led a remarkable life that has enabled him to make a reasonable living iunto his 51st year.

The son of a TGWU union official who played as a drummer in From Eden with other future members of Pop Will Eat Itself before switching to his frontman role with The Wonder Stuff has walked the walk and talked the talk.

Miles once said, apropos nothing, that his idea of a good time would be reading poetry at the Royal Albert Hall. And, though he’s no doubt forgotten saying that – for he’s given thousands of interviews during his time – there’s a grain of truth in that.

For apart from his talents as a fiery and entertaining singer, his gifts as a songwriter – the case features such gems as Room 512, On The Ropes, Mission Drive, Golden Green, Fixer and pretty much all of 30 Goes Around The Sun and Hairy On The Inside – he’s also a remarkable writer.

Mile’s literary aspirations have long been clear. He titled his band’s greatest hits If The Beatles Had Read Hunter – an allusion to Hunter S Thompson – and in the past couple of years he’s published his debut book, Diaries 1986-89. It was a revelation. Capturing moments that men and women of a certain age from across our populous region would have delighted to, back in the day, it was one of the best rock biographies of the year.

Eschewing the usual – this is where I grew up, these were my parents, this is me at school – schtick, Miles went straight for the jugular. Writing from the heart details that were based on road diaries, it was riotous, funny and insightful.

He’d kept scrapbooks of any press mentions his band got, posters, flyers and back-stage passes. The contents of his first book of mine are drawn directly from those diaries and scrapbooks, giving the reader not only a detailed look into what went on in and around The Wonder Stuff during its first four years, but also a detailed personal view of how I was feeling about our journey onto rock‘n’roll’s uneven path.

And now there’s more. Later this year, Hunt will publish two more volumes – diaries that cover the period from 1990-1994. And – thanks to the power of pre-release copies – we can tell they are stunning. You’ll hear more from Miles in coming months, as he’s interviewed about that era prior to publication. There’ll be anecdotes, he’ll tell us what really went through his mind when he was playing to a stadium full of people at Walsall FC and he’ll answer questions about what it’s like to be number one on the pop chart with his mate, Vic Reeves.

He’ll tell us about the pain of separation – and, quixotically, the joy – as his band fell apart. And he’ll tell us why he took flight from a band that remained enormously popular so that he could follow his muse, present TV shows on MTV, form his own band and, ultimately, reform The Wonder Stuff and enjoy a fruitful and creatively-brilliant solo career.

It’s not odd that Miles is identified most closely as being a brilliant rock’n’roll star. The Wonder Stuff provided the soundtrack for a generation of indie rock-lovin’ kids from Black Country housing estates, Birmingham suburbs, Shropshire hills and many more market towns.

There were gigs that live long in the memory of those who attended them – from JB’s and Junction 10 to Aston Villa Leisure Centre and Bescot Stadium. There were tunes that people still play on their iPods, hard drives, YouTube accounts and record players.

Later this year, Miles will give his version of events as he opens his diaries – and his heart – to public scrutiny. Loving, funny, romantic, wilful, daring and extreme – he’s lived a remarkable life that is chronicled honestly, with remarkable wit and in excoriating detail.

Start saving yer pennies. His forthcoming books are electric.