Paul Gorman
Encyclopedia
Paul Gorman is an English
writer
.
award for campaigning journalism for a series of investigative food industry articles and in 1990 was appointed west coast bureau chief of film trade Screen International
, based in Los Angeles
.
Between 1993 and 1998, Gorman was contributing editor at Music Week
, reporting on leading executives and artists such as Madonna
's manager Freddy de Mann, Creation Records founder Alan McGee
and U2
manager Paul McGuinness
. Between 1994 and 1999, Gorman was contributing editor at Music Business International. During this time he contributed regularly to magazines such as Mojo and conducted the first ever interview with the Spice Girls
.
In 1999 he directed documentary Las Vegas Grind for Channel 4
and in 2000 signed Mexican-American artist El Vez
to Alan McGee
’s record label Poptones.
with fashion consultant Max Karie through Topman
with three collections based on artist and designers featured in The Look: t-shirts by Wonder Workshop; t-shirts by Granny Takes a Trip
founder Nigel Waymouth
; and Priceless - a menswear range by Antony Price
, designer for Roxy Music
and Duran Duran
.
In 2011, Gorman collaborated with artists John & Molly Dove to present a special edition of their "Wild Thing" t-shirt, as worn by Marc Bolan
and Sid Vicious
.
The Look's online presence at www.rockpopfashion.com/blog has been hailed as "excellent and enlightening".
Reasons to be Cheerful, Gorman's biography of graphic designer Barney Bubbles
won Mojo magazine's Book of the Year in 2010,.
The second edition was published in October 2010, to coincide with Gorman's exhibition Process: The Working Practices Of Barney Bubbles at London gallery Chelsea Space.
Gorman is currently working with design entrepreneur Tommy Roberts on a book of his life, to be published in spring 2012.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
Career
From 1978, Gorman worked on weekly news for trade publications. In 1983, Gorman won the Periodical Publishers AssociationPeriodical Publishers Association
The Professional Publishers Association - formerly known as the Periodical Publishers Association - is a publishing industry body which promotes and protects the interests of companies involved in the production of consumer, customer and business media in the United Kingdom.The PPA's work is...
award for campaigning journalism for a series of investigative food industry articles and in 1990 was appointed west coast bureau chief of film trade Screen International
Screen International
Screen International is a multimedia film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by EMAP, a British b2b media company.The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global movie business...
, based in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Between 1993 and 1998, Gorman was contributing editor at Music Week
Music Week
Music Week is a trade paper for the UK record industry.Founded in 1959 as Record Retailer, it was relaunched on 18 March 1972 as Music Week . On 17 January 1981 the title was again changed, owing to the increasing importance of sell-through videos, to Music & Video Week...
, reporting on leading executives and artists such as Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's manager Freddy de Mann, Creation Records founder Alan McGee
Alan McGee
Alan McGee has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for The Guardian.McGee is best-known for co-forming and running the independent Creation Records label from 1983–1999, and then Poptones from 1999-2007...
and U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
manager Paul McGuinness
Paul McGuinness
Paul McGuinness is the main shareholder and founder of Principle Management Limited: an artist management company based in Dublin, Ireland, which has managed U2 from the start of their successful career...
. Between 1994 and 1999, Gorman was contributing editor at Music Business International. During this time he contributed regularly to magazines such as Mojo and conducted the first ever interview with the Spice Girls
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were a British pop girl group formed in 1994. The group consisted of Victoria Beckham , Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They were signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996, which hit number-one in more than 30...
.
In 1999 he directed documentary Las Vegas Grind for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
and in 2000 signed Mexican-American artist El Vez
El Vez
El Vez is the stage name of Robert Lopez, a Mexican-American rock and roll artist, who performs and records original material and covers classic rock songs...
to Alan McGee
Alan McGee
Alan McGee has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for The Guardian.McGee is best-known for co-forming and running the independent Creation Records label from 1983–1999, and then Poptones from 1999-2007...
’s record label Poptones.
Fashion
In 2008, Gorman launched fashion label The Look PresentsThe Look Presents
The Look Presents is a fashion label created by author Paul Gorman as a spin-off from his book The Look: Adventures In Rock & Pop Fashion.The Look Presents was available through British retailer Topman with three collections in 2008-10: T-shirts by the 70s label Wonder Workshop and Nigel Waymouth,...
with fashion consultant Max Karie through Topman
Topman
TOPMAN is the stand-alone fashion business counterpart of Topshop that caters exclusively to men’s clothing. A part of the Arcadia Group, which also owns Burton, Miss Selfridge, Wallis, Evans, British Home Stores and Dorothy Perkins, Topman has a chain of high-street men's clothing stores located...
with three collections based on artist and designers featured in The Look: t-shirts by Wonder Workshop; t-shirts by Granny Takes a Trip
Granny Takes a Trip
Granny Takes a Trip was a boutique opened in February 1966 at 488 Kings Road, Chelsea, London, by Nigel Waymouth, his girlfriend Sheila Cohen and John Pearse...
founder Nigel Waymouth
Nigel Waymouth
Nigel Waymouth is a designer and artist, a co-partner in the boutique, Granny Takes a Trip, and one of the two-man team, Hapshash and the Coloured Coat, which designed psychedelic posters in the 1960s. He has since had a solo career, including portrait painting.-Life and work:Nigel Waymouth was...
; and Priceless - a menswear range by Antony Price
Antony Price
Antony Price is a London fashion designer who is best known for glamorous evening wear and suits, and for the seventies icon of the cap sleeve t-shirt...
, designer for Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
and Duran Duran
Duran Duran
Duran Duran are an English band, formed in Birmingham in 1978. They were one of the most successful bands of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the United States...
.
In 2011, Gorman collaborated with artists John & Molly Dove to present a special edition of their "Wild Thing" t-shirt, as worn by Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan
Marc Bolan was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist and poet. He is best known as the founder, frontman, lead singer & guitarist for T. Rex, but also a successful solo artist...
and Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious was an English musician best known as the bassist of the influential punk rock group Sex Pistols...
.
Books
The result of more than ten year's research on post-war fashion and music, Gorman's The Look: Adventures in Rock and Pop Fashion, received a warm critical reception and was named in the top ten fashion books of all time by The Independent.The Look's online presence at www.rockpopfashion.com/blog has been hailed as "excellent and enlightening".
Reasons to be Cheerful, Gorman's biography of graphic designer Barney Bubbles
Barney Bubbles
Colin Fulcher aka Barney Bubbles was a radical English graphic artist, whose work primarily encompassed the disciplines of graphic design, painting and music video direction. He is most renowned for his distinctive contribution to the graphic design associated with the British independent music...
won Mojo magazine's Book of the Year in 2010,.
The second edition was published in October 2010, to coincide with Gorman's exhibition Process: The Working Practices Of Barney Bubbles at London gallery Chelsea Space.
Gorman is currently working with design entrepreneur Tommy Roberts on a book of his life, to be published in spring 2012.
- The Look: Adventures In Pop & Rock Fashion (Sanctuary Publishing 2001). Foreword by Malcolm McLarenMalcolm McLarenMalcolm Robert Andrew McLaren was an English performer, impresario, self-publicist and manager of the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls...
. - In Their Own Write: Adventures In The Music Press (Sanctuary 2001).Foreword by Charles Shaar MurrayCharles Shaar MurrayCharles Shaar Murray is an English music journalist. His first experience in journalism came 1970 when he was asked to contribute to the satirical magazine Oz...
. - Nine Lives with GoldieGoldieClifford Joseph Price, better known as Goldie is an English electronic music artist, disc jockey, visual artist and actor. He is well known for his innovations in the jungle and drum and bass music genres, having previously gained exposure for his work as a graffiti artist...
(Hodder & Stoughton 2002). - Straight with Boy GeorgeBoy GeorgeBoy George is a British singer-songwriter who was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early 1980s. He helped give androgyny an international stage with the success of Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by...
(Century 2005). - Blood & Fire: The Story Of UB40UB40UB40 are a British reggae/pop band formed in 1978 in Birmingham. The band has placed more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. One of the world's best-selling music artists, UB40 have sold over 70 million records.Their hit singles...
's Ali & Robin Campbell with Tim Abbot (Century 2005). - The Look: Adventures In Rock & Pop FashionThe Look: Adventures In Rock & Pop FashionPublished in May 2006 by Adelita, The Look: Adventures In Rock & Pop Fashion is Paul Gorman's definitive account of the inter-connected developments of style and popular music from Elvis Presley to the present day....
(AdelitaAdelita (imprint)Adelita is an independent United Kingdom book publishing imprint which specialises in design, fashion, music, photography, art and film.The publisher's founder and owner Jenny Ross named the company after the soldaderas who fought in the Mexican Revolution...
2006). Introduction by Paul SmithPaul Smith (fashion designer)Sir Paul Smith jr, RDI, is an English fashion designer, whose business and reputation is founded upon his menswear. He is both commercially successful and highly respected within the fashion industry....
, foreword by Malcolm McLaren. - Cry Salty Tears (Arrow Books 2007). Ghostwritten for Boy George’s mother Dinah O’Dowd.
- Reasons to Be Cheerful: The Life & Work Of Barney Bubbles (Adelita 2008).