Steven Wells
Encyclopedia
Steven Wells was a British
journalist, author, comedian and notable punk poet born in Swindon
, Wiltshire
. He is best remembered for ranting poetry and his provocative, unapologetic music journalism. In June 2006, he wrote in the Philadelphia Weekly about his treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma
. Ater being in remission for a short time, he was diagnosed with enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma
in January 2009 and died on 24 June 2009 in Philadelphia.
at an early age. The son of a company director, he attended Hanson comprehensive school in Bradford, but left with minimal qualifications in 1977 and later worked in a factory and as a bus conductor. It was at this time that he became involved with punk rock
, including the radical socialist Leeds
art-punk band The Mekons.
In 1984, he began performing as a ranting poet and stand-up comedian
under the names Seething Wells, Swells and Susan Williams. He was a support act to various northern English punk bands, such as The Fall, The Mekons and Gang of Four
, along with fellow ranting poets Attila The Stockbroker
, Swift Nick and Porky The Poet
.
After moving to London
, he began to write for NME
, initially under the name Susan Williams. He championed socialist soul/punk band The Redskins
; American hardcore punk
bands such as Black Flag
and the Butthole Surfers
; British bands that merged thrash
, hardcore and heavy metal
, such as Extreme Noise Terror
, Napalm Death
; and certain pop
artists, such as Daphne and Celeste
. In the 1990s, he diversified, occasionally writing comedy (for shows such as On the Hour
and The Day Today
) and other non-music related journalism.
In 1992, he and Nick Small formed GobTV, a music video directing partnership. GobTV videos were characterised by extreme visuals, rapid edits, a political agenda and humour. GobTV made promos for The Wildhearts
, Manic Street Preachers
, and Skunk Anansie
amongst others, and were the top UK directors in 1994 and 1995. The partnership ended in 1996. In 1999 he started the Attack! Books
publishing house and his debut novel was Tits Out Teenage Terror Totty. His illustrated history Punk: The Stories Behind the Songs was published in 2004. In 2009 he contributed a story to the Love Hotel City anthology.
Wells became a sports columnist for The Guardian
, FourFourTwo
, 90 Minutes
, The Quietus
music website and the Philadelphia Weekly
, and was in the process of writing several books.
wrote: "The antithesis of the bonehead racist, he was in fact an articulate left-winger and unlike the bully boy who only picks on those weaker than him, Swells chose to target the powerful, the popular, the hip and the cool."
Music journalist Everett True
described Wells as "a tastemaker. He informed people’s opinions, challenged them, led them, changed them…most of this by default, by sheer force of his personality and peerless ability to entertain.".
Boff Whalley
, of anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba
wrote: "Seething (Steven) Wells died two days ago. Then tonight, starting to write this, I find out that Michael Jackson has died. One of these two men owned a ranch called Neverland and had three children called Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II. The other one was the King of Pop."http://www.chumba.com/blog/index.php?itemid=12
Gareth Campesinos!, singer for the indie rock band Los Campesinos!
wrote on his band's website that "...[T]here have been a few things that have stood out above others in Los Campesinos!’ short history that have made me think "shit, we’re really doing this", and one of them was the first time I read Steven Wells ranting against us. That we were on his radar, and that he deemed us worthy of his bile was an honour".
Welsh rapper Akira The Don
, devoted an entire mixtape to Wells shortly after his death, with the song "He Was The Greatest" entirely about Steven Wells in particular. The Wildhearts
' 2009 album Chutzpah!
is dedicated to Wells.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
journalist, author, comedian and notable punk poet born in Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. He is best remembered for ranting poetry and his provocative, unapologetic music journalism. In June 2006, he wrote in the Philadelphia Weekly about his treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma
Hodgkin's lymphoma
Hodgkin's lymphoma, previously known as Hodgkin's disease, is a type of lymphoma, which is a cancer originating from white blood cells called lymphocytes...
. Ater being in remission for a short time, he was diagnosed with enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma
Enteropathy-Associated T-cell Lymphoma
Enteropathy-Associated T-cell Lymphoma , also enteropathy-type T-cell lymphoma , is a type of T-cell lymphoma that affects the small intestine. It is the most common primary gastrointestinal T-cell lymphoma, arising from the T cells that are found between the cells that line the small intestinal...
in January 2009 and died on 24 June 2009 in Philadelphia.
Career
Wells was born in Swindon but moved to BradfordBradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
at an early age. The son of a company director, he attended Hanson comprehensive school in Bradford, but left with minimal qualifications in 1977 and later worked in a factory and as a bus conductor. It was at this time that he became involved with punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, including the radical socialist Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
art-punk band The Mekons.
In 1984, he began performing as a ranting poet and stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
under the names Seething Wells, Swells and Susan Williams. He was a support act to various northern English punk bands, such as The Fall, The Mekons and Gang of Four
Gang of Four (band)
Gang of Four are an English post-punk group from Leeds. Original personnel were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Dave Allen and drummer Hugo Burnham. They were fully active from 1977 to 1984, and then re-emerged twice in the 1990s with King and Gill...
, along with fellow ranting poets Attila The Stockbroker
Attila the Stockbroker
Attila the Stockbroker is a punk poet, and a folk punk musician and songwriter. He performs solo and as the leader of the band Barnstormer...
, Swift Nick and Porky The Poet
Phill Jupitus
Phillip Christopher Jupitus is an English stand-up and improvised comedian, actor, performance poet, musician and podcaster....
.
After moving to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, he began to write for NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, initially under the name Susan Williams. He championed socialist soul/punk band The Redskins
The Redskins
The Redskins were a 1980s English band, notable for their left-wing politics and catchy, danceable songs. Their music combined influences from soul, rockabilly, pop and punk rock.- History :...
; American hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
bands such as Black Flag
Black Flag (band)
Black Flag was an American punk rock band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band...
and the Butthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers
Butthole Surfers is an American alternative rock band formed by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in San Antonio, Texas in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has been consistent since 1983. Teresa Nervosa served as second...
; British bands that merged thrash
Thrash metal
Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that is characterized usually by its fast tempo and aggression. Songs of the genre typically use fast percussive and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead work...
, hardcore and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, such as Extreme Noise Terror
Extreme Noise Terror
Extreme Noise Terror are a British crust punk / grindcore band originally formed in Ipswich, England in 1985. The band are widely considered one of the earliest and most influential European grindcore bands, and particularly the forefathers of the crustgrind subgenre.Notable for one of the...
, Napalm Death
Napalm Death
Napalm Death are a death metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1981. While none of its original members remain in the group, the lineup of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway, bassist Shane Embury, guitarist Mitch Harris and drummer Danny Herrera has remained consistent for most of the band's ...
; and certain pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
artists, such as Daphne and Celeste
Daphne and Celeste
Daphne and Celeste were a pop duo whose most famous songs were "Ooh Stick You" and "U.G.L.Y.". Daphne is Karen Imogen DiConcetto...
. In the 1990s, he diversified, occasionally writing comedy (for shows such as On the Hour
On the Hour
On the Hour was a British radio programme that parodied current affairs broadcasting, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 1991 and 1992.Written by Chris Morris, Armando Iannucci, Steven Wells, Andrew Glover, Stewart Lee, Richard Herring and David Quantick, it starred Morris as the overzealous and...
and The Day Today
The Day Today
The Day Today is a surreal British parody of television current affairs programmes, broadcast in 1994, and created by the comedians Armando Iannucci and Chris Morris. It is an adaptation of the radio programme On the Hour, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 1991 and 1992...
) and other non-music related journalism.
In 1992, he and Nick Small formed GobTV, a music video directing partnership. GobTV videos were characterised by extreme visuals, rapid edits, a political agenda and humour. GobTV made promos for The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as The Beatles and 1980s-era Metallica...
, Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers are a Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 1986. They are James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire, Richey Edwards and Sean Moore. The band are part of the Cardiff music scene, and were at their most prominent during the 1990s...
, and Skunk Anansie
Skunk Anansie
Skunk Anansie is an English rock band whose members include Skin , Cass , Ace and Mark Richardson .Skunk Anansie formed in March 1994, disbanded in 2001 and reformed in 2009...
amongst others, and were the top UK directors in 1994 and 1995. The partnership ended in 1996. In 1999 he started the Attack! Books
Attack! Books
ATTACK! Books was an avant-pulp imprint of Creation Books founded in 1999. Partly a homage to the raw pulp writing of Richard Allen and the world of British action comics, part surrealism and part ultraviolence, the titles were overseen by former NME journalist Steven Wells, with the following...
publishing house and his debut novel was Tits Out Teenage Terror Totty. His illustrated history Punk: The Stories Behind the Songs was published in 2004. In 2009 he contributed a story to the Love Hotel City anthology.
Wells became a sports columnist for The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, FourFourTwo
FourFourTwo
FourFourTwo is a football magazine published by Haymarket. Published monthly, costing £4.50, and at about 164 pages long, it published its 200th edition in February 2011...
, 90 Minutes
90 Minutes
90 Minutes is a soccer/football video game for the Dreamcast console. It features full field action, as well as sim elements such as the ability to make an all-star team. It was only released in Europe....
, The Quietus
The Quietus
The Quietus is a British online rock music and pop culture magazine, focusing on arts news, reviews, and features. The site is an editorially independent publication led by John Doran and a group of freelance journalists and critics, some of whom have worked for other media outlets...
music website and the Philadelphia Weekly
Philadelphia Weekly
Philadelphia Weekly , is an award-winning alternative newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, published every Wednesday.The paper was founded in 1971 as a sister publication to the South Philadelphia Press. In 1995, the paper became Philadelphia Weekly...
, and was in the process of writing several books.
Tributes
There were many tributes to Wells after his death. Musician Billy BraggBilly Bragg
Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
wrote: "The antithesis of the bonehead racist, he was in fact an articulate left-winger and unlike the bully boy who only picks on those weaker than him, Swells chose to target the powerful, the popular, the hip and the cool."
Music journalist Everett True
Everett True
For the cartoon character, see The Outbursts of Everett True.Everett True is a British music journalist, who grew up in Chelmsford, Essex...
described Wells as "a tastemaker. He informed people’s opinions, challenged them, led them, changed them…most of this by default, by sheer force of his personality and peerless ability to entertain.".
Boff Whalley
Boff Whalley
Allan Mark "Boff" Whalley is the lead guitarist for the band Chumbawamba.-Early life and education:Whalley was born Allan Mark Whalley in 1961 in Burnley, Lancashire...
, of anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
wrote: "Seething (Steven) Wells died two days ago. Then tonight, starting to write this, I find out that Michael Jackson has died. One of these two men owned a ranch called Neverland and had three children called Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II. The other one was the King of Pop."http://www.chumba.com/blog/index.php?itemid=12
Gareth Campesinos!, singer for the indie rock band Los Campesinos!
Los Campesinos!
Los Campesinos! are a seven piece indie pop band from Cardiff, Wales, formed in early 2006 at Cardiff University. Although the band formed in Wales, none of its members are Welsh. They released their debut album, Hold on Now, Youngster..., in February 2008 and followed this up by releasing a record...
wrote on his band's website that "...[T]here have been a few things that have stood out above others in Los Campesinos!’ short history that have made me think "shit, we’re really doing this", and one of them was the first time I read Steven Wells ranting against us. That we were on his radar, and that he deemed us worthy of his bile was an honour".
Welsh rapper Akira The Don
Akira the Don
Akira The Don is an independent British musician. Born in West Bromwich and raised in North Wales, in recent years he has lived in Hackney, East London....
, devoted an entire mixtape to Wells shortly after his death, with the song "He Was The Greatest" entirely about Steven Wells in particular. The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts
The Wildhearts are a British rock group originally formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as The Beatles and 1980s-era Metallica...
' 2009 album Chutzpah!
Chutzpah! (album)
¡Chutzpah! is the eighth studio album by The Wildhearts. Recorded in Denmark with producer Jacob Hansen, it was released in Europe on August 31, 2009 and in the USA on September 1, 2009.-Track listing:-Japanese Track Listing:...
is dedicated to Wells.