Creation Stories: Riots, Raves and Running A Label - Alan McGee (2013)

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

1. Aged eight months, with my mum Barbara, in May 1961.

2. With my sister Laura, Mum and Dad. My dad had dark Cary Grant hair and piercing blue eyes.

3. Posing happily for the camera. I’m five and Laura is three.

4. In Bobby Gillespie’s bedroom, 1980. Bobby’s my oldest and best friend.

5. As The Laughing Apple, Andrew Innes and I put out singles through Mayking Records. Bobby designed and printed the sleeves.

6. The back of my head today, complete with scar.

7. Yvonne and me on our wedding day, December 1981 with Mum and Dad.

8. One of the bands that changed my life: Television Personalities in 1981. From left to right: Dan Treacy, Ed Ball and Mark Sheppard.

9. Communication Blur! 1982. The fanzine through which Jerry Thackray and I unleashed our bile at the world.

10. A Jesus and Mary Chain poster from 1984. Twenty minutes? More like fifteen!

11. November 1984, Germany. It was the first tour for the Jesus and Mary Chain and after a couple of gigs trying to follow them, we agreed they should be headlining.

12. With Bobby on tour in 1985. By now I was the Mary Chain’s manager.

13. Jim Reid, William Reid and Bobby at the North London Polytechnic March 1985, before the bottles started flying and the gig turned into a riot.

14. On the road with the Mary Chain, trying to create rock ’n’ roll history. I enjoyed the overseas tours - in this case America 1985 - most of all.

15. Relaxing at the Franklin Plaza Suite in LA in 1985. From left to right: me, Bobby, William and Jim, and Douglas Hart.

16. Primal Scream, 1985. Bobby, Robert Young and Andrew Innes (who joined in 1987) were also from Cathcart. We had the same nasty sense of humour.

17. The Weather Prophets in 1985. From left to right: Pete Astor, Dave Morgan, David Greenwood Goulding and Oisin Little.

18. Posing for a cardboard cut-out to be hung up in record shops, 1988.

19. The Pastels (Katrina Mitchell, Annabel Wright and Stephen McRobbie) would stop over with me and Yvonne at our house.

20. We signed My Bloody Valentine in 1988, and by the end of the year they were on the road to greatness it seemed. From left to right: Kevin Shields, Colm Ó Cíosóig, Bilinda Butcher and Debbie Googe.

21. Biff Bang Pow! in 1989, in the hallway outside Creation’s office on Clerkenwell Road. From left to right: Dick Green, Ken Popple, Alan and Phil King (on the floor).

22. Performing at the ‘Doing it for the Kids’ concert in 1988.

23. House of Love 1989, all set to become the new British band and under too much pressure. Left to right: Chris Groothuizen, Terry Bickers, Guy Chadwick and Pete Evans.

24. In 1990 Ride had the world at their feet. From left to right: Loz Colbert, Steve Querait, Mark Gardener and Andy Bell.

25. With Bobby in Birmingham, reading The Face on the Screamadelica tour 1991.

26. A Boo Radleys radio session in 1994. From left to right: Martin Carr, Sice and Timothy Brown.

27. Oasis in 1994 on a tour of the Netherlands. From left to right: Tony McCarroll, Bonehead, Noel, Liam and Paul McGuigan. I was in no state to keep track of the business but was still interested in Oasis.

28. Re-signing Teenage Fanclub in 1995, with Dick Green on the left, Gerard Love, Norman Blake and Raymond McEinley. I was starting to involve myself with Creation again after my breakdown.

29. Winning Independent Label of the Year at the Music Week Awards, 1995.

30. With Tim Abbott the same evening. I loved his attitude to the world.

31. On stage with Oasis at the Brits in February 1996 where they won Best Band, Best Album, Best Single - solid proof of how big they were.

32. Oasis in performance Maine Road 28 April 1996. I felt flooded with energy - and finally wanted to go back to work again.

33. Super Furry Animals in 1996 - perhaps the last great Creation band. From left to right: Gruff Rhys, Guto Pryce, Dafydd Ieuan, Cian Ciaran, Huw Bunford.

34. Helping get the Tories out! I was asked to give Tony Blair a platinum disk of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? at the Labour conference in September 1996.

35. When Noel’s girlfriend tells you to buy him a Rolls, that’s what you do!

36. I love Courtney Love - like me, she’s a square peg in a round hole.

37. With Kate Moss in New York 2004.

38. Pete Doherty and Carl Barat, best friends and worst enemies, at the NME Awards February 2004 where the Libertines won best UK Band.

39. My cool wife Kate in her band Client in 2009.

40. With Kate and our daughter Charlie in Spain, 2005.

41. At my gaff in Wales in 2008. I love the place.

42. Dean Cavanagh’s logo for my new indie label, 359 Music.

1. Aged eight months, with my mum Barbara, in May 1961.

2. With my sister Laura, Mum and Dad. My dad had dark Cary Grant hair and piercing blue eyes.

3. Posing happily for the camera. I’m five and Laura is three.

4. In Bobby Gillespie’s bedroom, 1980. Bobby’s my oldest and best friend.

5. As The Laughing Apple, Andrew Innes and I put out singles through Mayking Records. Bobby designed and printed the sleeves.

6. The back of my head today, complete with scar.

7. Yvonne and me on our wedding day, December 1981 with Mum and Dad.

8. One of the bands that changed my life: Television Personalities in 1981. From left to right: Dan Treacy, Ed Ball and Mark Sheppard.

9. Communication Blur! 1982. The fanzine through which Jerry Thackray and I unleashed our bile at the world.

10. A Jesus and Mary Chain poster from 1984. Twenty minutes? More like fifteen!

11. November 1984, Germany. It was the first tour for the Jesus and Mary Chain and after a couple of gigs trying to follow them, we agreed they should be headlining.

12. With Bobby on tour in 1985. By now I was the Mary Chain’s manager.

13. Jim Reid, William Reid and Bobby at the North London Polytechnic March 1985, before the bottles started flying and the gig turned into a riot.

14. On the road with the Mary Chain, trying to create rock ’n’ roll history. I enjoyed the overseas tours - in this case America 1985 - most of all.

15. Relaxing at the Franklin Plaza Suite in LA in 1985. From left to right: me, Bobby, William and Jim, and Douglas Hart.

16. Primal Scream, 1985. Bobby, Robert Young and Andrew Innes (who joined in 1987) were also from Cathcart. We had the same nasty sense of humour.

17. The Weather Prophets in 1985. From left to right: Pete Astor, Dave Morgan, David Greenwood Goulding and Oisin Little.

18. Posing for a cardboard cut-out to be hung up in record shops, 1988.

19. The Pastels (Katrina Mitchell, Annabel Wright and Stephen McRobbie) would stop over with me and Yvonne at our house.

20. We signed My Bloody Valentine in 1988, and by the end of the year they were on the road to greatness it seemed. From left to right: Kevin Shields, Colm Ó Cíosóig, Bilinda Butcher and Debbie Googe.

21. Biff Bang Pow! in 1989, in the hallway outside Creation’s office on Clerkenwell Road. From left to right: Dick Green, Ken Popple, Alan and Phil King (on the floor).

22. Performing at the ‘Doing it for the Kids’ concert in 1988.

23. House of Love 1989, all set to become the new British band and under too much pressure. Left to right: Chris Groothuizen, Terry Bickers, Guy Chadwick and Pete Evans.

24. In 1990 Ride had the world at their feet. From left to right: Loz Colbert, Steve Querait, Mark Gardener and Andy Bell.

25. With Bobby in Birmingham, reading The Face on the Screamadelica tour 1991.

26. A Boo Radleys radio session in 1994. From left to right: Martin Carr, Sice and Timothy Brown.

27. Oasis in 1994 on a tour of the Netherlands. From left to right: Tony McCarroll, Bonehead, Noel, Liam and Paul McGuigan. I was in no state to keep track of the business but was still interested in Oasis.

28. Re-signing Teenage Fanclub in 1995, with Dick Green on the left, Gerard Love, Norman Blake and Raymond McEinley. I was starting to involve myself with Creation again after my breakdown.

29. Winning Independent Label of the Year at the Music Week Awards, 1995.

30. With Tim Abbott the same evening. I loved his attitude to the world.

31. On stage with Oasis at the Brits in February 1996 where they won Best Band, Best Album, Best Single - solid proof of how big they were.

32. Oasis in performance Maine Road 28 April 1996. I felt flooded with energy - and finally wanted to go back to work again.

33. Super Furry Animals in 1996 - perhaps the last great Creation band. From left to right: Gruff Rhys, Guto Pryce, Dafydd Ieuan, Cian Ciaran, Huw Bunford.

34. Helping get the Tories out! I was asked to give Tony Blair a platinum disk of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? at the Labour conference in September 1996.

35. When Noel’s girlfriend tells you to buy him a Rolls, that’s what you do!

36. I love Courtney Love - like me, she’s a square peg in a round hole.

37. With Kate Moss in New York 2004.

38. Pete Doherty and Carl Barat, best friends and worst enemies, at the NME Awards February 2004 where the Libertines won best UK Band.

39. My cool wife Kate in her band Client in 2009.

40. With Kate and our daughter Charlie in Spain, 2005.

41. At my gaff in Wales in 2008. I love the place.

42. Dean Cavanagh’s logo for my new indie label, 359 Music.