Books by Kris Needs

After running the Mott The Hoople fan club in the early 70s, Kris started contributing to Zigzag, horrifying the old guard with his coverage of the nascent punk scene. Founder-editor Pete Frame ran his interviews with groups like the Sex Pistols, Clash, Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers and Flamin' Groovies before, acknowledging the new movement, he asked Kris to take over as Editor in June 1977. For the next five years, Kris reported from the front line with The Clash, Ramones, Slits, Siouxsie and the Banshees, John Lydon, Motorhead and Blondie, also up close encounters with Keith Richards, Bob Marley, U2 and Kate Bush. He interviewed a new band called U2 in return for what turned out to be the last UK interview with Bob Marley. Throughout this period, Kris also contributed to Sounds and NME while acting as New York Rocker's UK correspondent. After Zigzag became victim of shady publishers, Kris helped run the Bat Cave goth club and became UK correspondent for Creem, moving to New York in '86 to become their Manhattan correspondent. Arriving back in the UK in 1990, Kris dived into the club scene for the rest of the decade, writing for NME, Mixmag, Echoes, DJ and Muzik, making records as Secret Knowledge and Delta Lady, producing over 100 remixes and DJing around the world with Primal Scream and Prodigy. After forming a disco group with Irvine Welsh, running Creation's dance arm Eruption and becoming resident DJ at Ibiza's notorious Manumission club, Kris chose writing over an early grave and wrote his autobiography Needs Must before books on Primal Scream, Keith Richards, The Clash, New York Dolls, Blondie, George Clinton and Suicide. He contributes to MOJO, Record Collector, Classic Rock, Prog, Electronic Sound, Vive le Rock and Shindig!. After finishing his 1969 teenage memoir, Just A Shot Away:'69 Revisited, Kris is currently working on the official biography of Alex Paterson, aka The Orb.