Interview: Will Birch
The author & drummer talks power pop, pub rock and books
When it comes to a successful life in music, Will Birch has pretty much done it all. He was the drummer/lyricist for pub rock outfit The Kursaal Flyers and power pop heroes The Records (he wrote the lyrics for one of their best-known songs, “Starry Eyes”). He later produced albums by a variety of acts including Yachts, Dr. Feelgood, and The Long Ryders.
He then had a successful career in music journalism before publishing several successful books including No Sleep Till Canvey Island, Ian Dury: The Definitive Biography and Cruel To Be Kind: The Life & Music of Nick Lowe. His essay about his time in The Records is featured in the new collection, Go Further: More Literary Appreciations of Power Pop.
Interview: Will Birch
I loved your first book, No Sleep Till Canvey Island. What was it like to revisit the pub rock era in such depth?
It was very enjoyable to research the pub rock scene, with its roots in the late-1960s through 1975 when…
