In 1982, aged twenty-three, Simon Parkes paid 1 for a virtually derelict
building in Brixton. Over the next fifteen years he turned it into
Britain's most iconic music venue. And now he's telling his story: full
of fond - and wild - reminiscences of the famous musicians who played at
the venue, including Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, Lou Reed, The Ramones,
New Order, the Beastie Boys and The Smiths.
This is about one man's burning desire for success against the odds, his
passion for live music and the excitement of those wilderness years, a
far cry from the corporate world that controls the scene today. From
rock-star debauchery and mixing it up with Brixton gangsters to putting
on the first legal raves in the UK and countless backroom business
deals, this is the story of how to succeed in business with no
experience and fulfil your teenage fantasies."