9. Manic Street PreachersThe Holy Bible
The Manics were touring this album, and Richey Edwards was a fan of my old band Dub War. There’s a story here. I’m from Newport in Wales and they’re from Blackwood. I saw James [Dean Bradfield] shopping one day, and I asked him to give me a tour as he’d heard of my band. I had a Manchester United top on, and he wouldn’t talk to me! I just kept on doing my thing, and the next thing I know we’d been asked to go out on tour with them. We went on the road, and I only knew the singles, ‘Motorcycle Emptiness’ and a couple more songs. Just being on the road with them every day was interesting. They weren’t friendly to us, I mean, they didn’t befriend us in any shape or form, but they would always say "hello" in the doorway as we were leaving. But watching Richie every night on stage, he was clearly in pain, and he was very ill. It was quite an awakening for me, because I thought we’d go on tour and be pals, but it couldn’t have been further from the truth. Punk rock for the Manic Street Preachers wasn’t just the imagery in the papers and stuff, they really felt it, and lived it. Every time I listen to that album, lyrically there’s a sobering nature to it for me. When it comes to rock & roll, that record sobers me right up.
