Phew, Eh Readers: The Life and Writing of Tom Hibbert

(Hardback)

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Idiosyncratic.

Iconoclastic.

Acerbic.

Hilarious.

The influence of Tom Hibbert's music writing across print, radio, TV and podcasts is incomparable. From his genre-defining work at Smash Hits to his 'Who the Hell ... ' profiles for Q magazine and beyond, this book brings together many of Hibbert's funniest writings.

Compiled by Barney Hoskyns and Jasper Murison-Bowie at Rock's Backpages, the archive of music journalism, Phew, Eh Readers showcases some of Hibbert's greatest pieces. Presented thematically and chronologically, they highlight his marvellously eccentric perspective on life and popular culture.

Many leading writers and journalists attest to Hibbert's genius. This compendium supplements his writing with new reflections on Tom from some of his peers, colleagues and admirers, including Mark Ellen, Bob Stanley, Tom Doyle, Chris Heath, Sylvia Patterson, along with his widow Allyce.

Phew, Eh Readers is a must-read homage to one of the most influential writers of our time, a man who left an indelible mark on our cultural landscape.

Reviews

''The funniest and most revealing of all music journalists.'' - Neil Tennant

''I'd never met anyone like Tom in my life: wry, impossibly witty and confecting the maximum of amusement out of everything around him.'' - Mark Ellen

''The creative genius behind Smash Hits. My writing hero.'' - Bob Stanley

''Hibbs was the most brilliantly creative mind I'd ever encountered.'' - Sylvia Patterson

Author Bio

Tom Hibbert died in 2011 at the age of fifty-nine, but he leaves behind a legacy unrivalled in music journalism over the past forty years. Hibbert created a mode of humour whilst at Smash Hits that is still used and embraced by writers, fans and critics to this day. He redefined what music journalism could be - recognising and celebrating the inherent absurdity in pop music and picking apart its pomposity at any opportunity.

A man of singular passions - his great musical loves were limited to a handful of cult figures - ensured that the self-righteous were never far from being skewered by Hibbert.