POW! : When UK Punk Went Pop, 1980-84

POW! is the fascinating memoir of a precocious English teen in the early 1980s who published a music magazine, interviewed many of the era's top artists, befriended rock stars, ran a record label, appeared on television, played in a band and found first love -- all at the same time! In this sequel to his Boy About Town (2013), Tony Fletcher's incredible adventures in the world of British post-punk make for a compelling adventure of highs (an exclusive interview with Paul McCartney, friendship with Paul Weller of the hugely successful Jam, playing to huge audiences, discovering love and sex) and lows (heartbreak, learning the financial challenges of running a label the hard way, the collapse of his band). Despite the passage of time, he summons up all the enthusiasm he felt for the music and women he loved and marvels at the incredible experiences he had as a hard-working young striver. The generation raised on MTV, the New Musical Express and bands like Madness, Wham!, the Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen, Dexy's Midnight Runners and Killing Joke will love reading this inside view of a knowledgeable fan who got to know them all. “Tony Fletcher, one of the great post-punk inspirational writers and thinkers: his fanzine Jamming! inspired me to start Creation. This early '80s memoir POW! is his story of that period. Take a bow Tony, you always were a cool chap.” Alan McGee, author of Creation Records: Riots, Raves and Running a Label “Tony writes with the energy of the music he loves and knows. Forward motion: it’s the life he’s lived.” Johnny Marr, author of Set the Boy Free: The Autobiography “What makes POW! special is that it captures the early-'80s UK music storm not from the top of the industry but from knee height, through the eyes of a 16-year-old who had somehow blundered into the middle of it.” Mark Jay, author of The Nudniks of 1977 “Anyone who ever fell in love with pop music will be enthralled by Tony Fletcher’s Access All Areas adventure. Packed with anecdot