“If you look at all the people involved—Ivo, Tony Wilson, McGee, Geoff Travis, myself—nobody had a clue about running a record company, and that was the best thing about it.” Daniel Miller, Mute Records
How Soon Is Now? The Madmen and Mavericks Who Made Independent Music 1975-2005
- By Richard King
- Faber and Faber
- 2012
Available formats
- Paperback
- eBook
Synopsis
One of the most tangible aftershocks of punk was its prompt to individuals: Do it yourself. A generation was inspired, and often with no planning or business sense, in bedrooms, record-shop back offices, and sheds, labels such as Factory, Rough Trade, Mute, Beggars Banquet, 4AD, Creation, Warp, and Domino began. From humble beginnings, some of the most influential artists were allowed to thrive: Orange Juice, New Order, Cocteau Twins, Depeche Mode, Happy Mondays, The Smiths, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, Aphex Twin, Teenage Fanclub, Arctic Monkeys. How Soon Is Now? is a landmark survey of the artists, the labels, and the mavericks behind them who had the vision and the bloody-mindedness to turn the music world on its head.
About the author: Richard King worked at the heart of the independent music industry for over twenty years. His second book, Original Rockers (2015), was shortlisted for the Gordon Burn Prize. His third book, The Lark Ascending, was published in 2019.