Publicity guru Alan Edwards, known for staying behind the scenes, steps into the spotlight with his new memoir, I Was There: Dispatches From a Life in Rock and Roll. The book spans over four decades of his work with legendary figures such as The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Blondie, Prince, and the Spice Girls.
Edwards, 68, recounts how he fell into London's punk scene as a "scruffy, stoned 20-year-old" and founded his own PR company, The Outside Organisation, in 1977. He shares memories of playing football with Bob Marley, being grilled by Mick Jagger, and a brief stint trying to make Gary Barlow look "more edgy".
Trained by pioneering rock PR Keith Altham, Edwards was taught to avoid becoming the story. However, he decided to write the memoir after hearing unsubstantiated claims from others who said they had worked with David Bowie. "It got on my nerves because I'd never heard of them," he told The Independent. "Roger Daltrey told me I should have done it years ago!"
Edwards describes Blondie's Debbie Harry as "the most lovely, special, eccentric person you could wish to meet". He bonded with her over their shared experience of being adopted. "The band became something of a surrogate family to me," he writes.
Reflecting on changes in music journalism, Edwards notes that journalists used to spend two or three days with artists, a practice now unimaginable. He recalls Jagger's rigorous interview style and Bowie's love for writers, often calling journalists for a chat after interviews.
