I'm a Journalist...Get Me Out of Here!: 20 Years of Hacking Through the Media and Music Jungle - Softcover

Wellings, Paul

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0954612116 ISBN 13: 9780954612115

Publisher: The Progressive Press, 2004

Synopsis

THE book is a pulsating memoir of the author's 20 years as a journalist, working on papers such as the New Musical Express and the Mirror, and stints as a pirate radio DJ and fledgling Pop Idol. Paul Wellings weaves graphic personal reminiscence into the wider backcloth of media, music and political events over the past two decades, from the miners' strike to Tony Blair's 'Cool Britannia' and the Hutton inquiry.

About this title

Review

'A compelling memoir...' -- Lancashire Life, June 2004

'A great little memoir' -- Neil Spencer, Observer columnist, ex-Editor of NME

'At some times inspiring and at all times readable ... Passion in his veins' -- Morning Star, May 10 2004

'At some times inspiring and at all times readable ... Passion in his veins.' -- Andy Walpole, Morning Star, May 10 2004

'Brilliant stuff - The most important social commentary of the last 20 years.' -- Kevin Sampson, author of 'Powder'

'Brilliant stuff - the most important social commentary of the last 20 years' -- Kevin Sampson, author of Powder

'Immensely entertaining' -- Peter York

'The best interviewer I've had' -- Julie Burchill, interview with the author

From the Author

VERY few jobs pay you great money to rub shoulders with such diverse characters as Michael Jackson, Reggie Kray and Julie Burchill. There are very few professions that will tell you to go on a world cruise to countries such as Bombay, Hong Kong, Egypt and Papua New Guinea and write about what you see. And there are even fewer roles that let you rant and rave about your opinions on sex, power, drugs, music and the arts. But the ‘New Journalism’, as the great Tom Wolfe called it, allows you to live out all those fantasies.
I first got the hold-the-front-page rush on joining the regional press before progressing to Fleet Street for the Mirror and Evening Standard. But I thought my dream job was going to be when I joined the New Musical Express covering black dance music and the soulhead dream, whose lifestyle was echoed by the Robert de Niro line from Scorsese’s film King of Comedy: ‘I’d rather be king for a day than schmuck for a lifetime.’ Sadly it wasn’t. The NME was a great start and I had the very best of times and the very worst of times there. Before I joined the NME I thought the music business was going to be an endless bout of sex, violence, drugs and funky music—but found out that was only on the first day.
As I look over my 20 years in journalism, it’s like that rap song by Spooks where they say: ‘You won’t believe the things I’ve seen—far beyond your wildest dreams.’ My reporting led me to receive death threats, to run with football hooligans, to get a gun put to my head while MC’ing in a pirate radio nightclub, to meet the meanest gangsters, to visit crackhouses, to see DJs relieve women backstage while playing records, to see gay sex live in a club and to see the most unlikely celebrities wasted on illegal substances. All human lowlife was there. It was like a Damon Runyon world of underworld characters with sobriquets such as Horace the Chiv and Jimmy the Bubble. As William Blake said, the road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.
In all this I have learnt one vital lesson. Stay true to the things close to your heart and give a severe metaphoric kicking to the remainder. I look back at my irreverent, irresponsible, young self who had more chips on my shoulder than a tree surgeon and feel slightly embarrassed. In spite of that, I hope my column inches will leave you completely satisfied.

Paul Wellings
London 2004

Edition details

• Publisher: The Progressive Press
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0954612116
• ISBN 13: 9780954612115
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 112