There's a new article from me titled "Rock Star Richey Manic and His Mysterious 1995 Disappearance: A Book Reviewed." And here's how it begins:
"Sara Hawys Roberts’ Withdrawn Traces is, without a doubt, one of the best, and most absorbing, books I’ve read in a very long time. It tells the story of a man born Richard James Edwards in Pontypool, South Wales in 1967. In the 1990s Richard became famous as both Richey Edwards and Richey Manic. He was one quarter of one of Wales’ most successful rock bands, The Manic Street Preachers. In 1995, things changed. That’s when – depending on your own perspective – Richey took his life or carefully staged a suicide and made a new life for himself. Either way, he vanished. Since then, numerous words have been written about Richey. Withdrawn Traces sets the record straight. And, not only that, the book has the support of Richey’s sister, Rachel. The band has been in existence since 1986, now as a trio. As you might guess, over a period of more than thirty years their guitar-driven music has gone through a few changes and styles. For me, their biggest and best moment was the 1992 album, Generation Terrorists. Imagine a combination of The Sex Pistols, The Clash, maybe a bit of Hanoi Rocks, and the Michael Monroe band, and you’ll get the picture."
Here's the link to the full article...