Available Formats
Phew, Eh Readers: The Life and Writing of Tom Hibbert
By (Author) Tom Hibbert
Bonnier Books Ltd
Nine Eight Books
23rd April 2025
16th January 2025
United Kingdom
General
Non Fiction
Popular music
Music reviews and criticism
Reportage, journalism or collected columns
781.64
Paperback
384
Width 129mm, Height 198mm, Spine 23mm
266g
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.
Following his premature death in 2011 at the age of fifty-nine, Hibbert left behind a legacy in music journalism that is unrivalled over the past forty years. Phew, Eh Readers showcases some of Hibbert's greatest pieces, presenting them chronologically and thematically, and highlighting 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.
Tom Hibbert died prematurely 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.
Twelve years after his death, we're all living in a pop world created in Tom Hibbert's image.