The Future

1) Would you tell me if in your coming none-too soon book about Gnostic Rock’n’Roll, will you give us some enlightened comments about Armand Schaubroeck, John The Postman and David Ackles? (I know this fantastic trilogy through your talk in the press). Thank you very much. (Daniel Renne)

2) Julian! Can you give us a preview of whom you’ll write about in this Gnostic Rock & Roll book that’s mentioned in Unsung? That way, we can have a head start buying the music before the prices go crazy like they did after Krautrocksampler. (Simon C, Dorset)

Obviously I can’t give away too much. But I’ll be writing about the rise of what I term proto-metal, with everything from the Groundhogs and Blue Cheer, through Hairy Chapter, Mahogany Brain and other obscurities. Proto is the phenomenon which came out of the rise of 1969’s heavy music (Led Zeppelin, Iron Butterfly and the Jeff Beck Group), and led to the formation of Funkadelic — who will also have their own chapter. It was also a contributor to the rise of Glam, so I’ll investigate later post-Ziggy utopian artists such as Neil Merryweather. Still later groups such as Rocket from the Tomb and the Electric Eels will hopefully also have their own chapter, and, of course, John Sinclair, the MC5, the Stooges, the Rationals, the Up. And, yes, Kiss will have their own chapter. The book will almost certainly also feature a chapter on Armand Schaubroeck, whom I was in touch with during the late ’70s, and who I’ve already written about in Unsung on the site. I’ll probably also make one of his albums into a Head Heritage Album of the Month, and sooner rather than later. I won’t give any more clues away, and don’t advise you to rush out wantonly buying related stuff, as the whole point of the book is to create the same effect as I did with the Scott Walker compilation Fire Escape in the Sky. Like Scott solo albums, all these artists need to be introduced in a good psychological manner. For example, when Rizla Deutsche bought his first Can album in 1979, he accidentally bought a later Rebop/Rosko Gee period release, and took another five years before he could bring himself to check anything else out.

Does the current explosion of the internet inspire you or scare you? (Markybov)

I love the Internet in its current anarchic state and freak out at the sheer amount of instant information I can access.

What about the third part of your autobiography, Propheteering? (Daniel Renne)

I would guess that it would be forthcoming in about six years, though I’m currently up to my neck in it with the writing and research for Let Me Speak to the Driverand Rock’n’Roll.

Did you keep a notebook to assist you with the writing of Head-On and Repossessed and will there be a third instalment? (Alan Tonge)

Both books were written with the help of my wife, my friends and my many lyric and notebooks of the past 20 years. Also, so much press was available that it was always easy to access just when and where some particular thing took place.