Arthur Brown Biography

[Ian Abrahams]

No, not one of mine this time! (Turns attention away from space rock to other music forms right now!), but my great friends at SAF Publishing have a biography of Arthur Brown, written by journalist Polly Marshall, about to arrive. Pre-order discount from the publishers (www.safpublishing.com) is £3.00 off the RRP (order direct and tell them 'em I sent you!). I know Arthur has a lot of fans round these lists and being SAF it'll be a really well put together book. Here's the spiel:

 "I don't remember the Floyd as vividly as I remember Arthur Brown, 'cos I mean Arthur Brown, at that time, used to just stand there and insult the members of the audience in much the same way as people like Johnny Rotten." John Peel

"We saw Arthur Brown and his Crazy World and the whole thing was just an eye-opener to me. He used to sing 'I am the God of hellfire' and then he'd set fire to his fuckin' head. That told me a lot. I knew where I was heading from then on." George Clinton

In 1968, wearing a flaming helmet and sacrilegious robes, Arthur Brown hit the number-one slot worldwide with his hit single "Fire." The English singer has rained a volcano of influence on pop culture ever since. The original shocker has influenced everyone from Jimi Hendrix to Marilyn Manson, stopping off at Prodigy, Peter Gabriel and Alice Cooper en route.

Polly Marshall has produced an in-depth biography that probes every facet of Arthur Brown's complex personality. What emerges is not only a portrait of a counter culture icon and sixties pop star, but also spiritualist, free thinker, painter and decorator, as well as notorious outlaw arrested for firearms offences and public nakedness.

Arthur Brown is one of England's true eccentrics.

· Polly Marshall and Arthur Brown will be undertaking a major publicity tour to coincide with the book's publication including national TV, press and radio. 
ISBN: 0-946719-77-2
Publication date: June 2005
A Hardback original
50 B&W illustrations and photographs
156 x 234mm, 256 pp
UK £18.99 US $30.00