Nicky Wire

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Nicky Wire in the late 90s

Nicky Wire is the lyricist, bass guitar player and occasional vocalist with the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers.

[edit] Career

[edit] Biography

Born Nicholas Allen Jones on January 20, 1969 in Tredegar, Wales, he attended Oakdale Comprehensive with James Dean Bradfield, Sean Moore and Richey James Edwards. He excelled at football, was captain of the Welsh national schoolboys' team aged 14 and was offered a trial at Arsenal Football Club. Nothing became of this because of his back and knee problems. He took A-levels in politics and law. He later attended the University of Wales Swansea, starting his course a year after Richey. He graduated with a 2:2 grade; he felt that he was capable of much better but the band's career had started to take off by this point so his education fell by the wayside to some extent.

He was originally the band's rhythm guitarist, but changed to playing bass guitar after original bassist Flicker left the band. He co-wrote the band's lyrics with Richey between 1989 and 1995, taking over sole responsibility following Edwards' disappearance. Some of Richey's lyrics were used on 1996's Everything Must Go album, making 1998's This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours the first album of lyrics by Wire alone.

Nicky usually plays the Gibson Thunderbird, Rickenbacker, Fender jazz bass and most recently the Italia Mondial. He often dons a dress for the Manics' gigs although he has curtailed his glam since Richey's disappearance. His cross dressing dates back to his teens, when he would go to local pubs in Blackwood wearing a dress; he has however been keen to emphasize that he is not a transvestite. He puts his attraction to glam and women's clothes at least in part down to his very close relationship to his mother.

He is famous for his outspoken attitude and has been known to cause controversy in the press. He once stated during a gig, “In this season of goodwill, let’s pray that Michael Stipe goes the same way as Freddie Mercury pretty soon.”

Nicky is the younger brother of poet and author Patrick Jones.

[edit] Solo career

On Christmas Day 2005, the Manics official site posted a solo track by Nicky called "I Killed the Zeitgeist", however the song was only available to download for one day. A Nicky Wire solo album was released on 25 September, 2006. In early May, the rumored first single entitled "Break My Heart Slowly" from his debut solo album premiered on 6music with Phill Jupitus.

Wire played an intimate solo gig at the "Hay on Wye festival" on June 5, 2006. The set list consisted of material from his forthcoming album. Also included was a short acoustic rendition of "Condemned to Rock 'N' Roll" from the Manic Street Preachers' debut album Generation Terrorists. It was mentioned after the gig that a solo tour was being considered. [1] On the following day, Wire released the free track "Daydreamer Eyes" on his new web site. [2] His debut solo album, entitled I Killed The Zeitgeist was released on September 25, with a single - "Break My Heart Slowly" - released on September 18. He released his first single "The Shining Path" as an exclusive iTunes only download on July 17.

[edit] Trivia

• He married his childhood sweetheart, Rachel, in September 1993. He missed the band's appearance on Top Of The Pops because of the honeymoon; he was replaced on the day by a suitably tall Manics roadie wearing a Mickey Mouse mask.
• He lives in the plush Newport suburb of Allt-yr-yn with Rachel, their daughter, Clara and their dog, Molly.
• Wire doesn't live up to the typical rock and roll image and until recently still lived in an end of terrace house in the village of Wattsville, near Blackwood. Although he was annoyed when a UK tabloid revealed that he lived there - they even printed a picture of his house with the number clearly visible - he later paid public tribute to his home in the title of the track "Wattsville Blues," on the Manics' Know Your Enemy album.
• The other band members call him the boring one and he is extremely fond of hoovering. He has even name-checked Dyson hoovers in the song "Prologue To History".
• He is referenced in a song by The Art Goblins entitled 'Fuck The MSP'

[edit] Attacks on other musicians

• He has apologized on a number of occasions for the public deathwish he pronounced on Michael Stipe in 1992. Although it is one of a very small number of times such an attack has been taken back.
• Despite clearly sharing many of the outspoken opinions of Morrissey, and being a Smiths fan, Wire has has attacked the controversial alternative icon referring to him as a "sad old bitter man who just likes irritating people".
• "I fucking hate the Beastie Boys. It's so much emphasis put on the quality of a sound loop. If you talked like that in rock about a guitar sound, everyone would take the piss out of you, but people will wax lyrical about Beck no end." (Nicky speaking in 1996)
• "Their lyrics are some of the most fifth-form pile of student drug shit that I've ever heard. Mary J Blige has got more soul than they'll ever have." (Nicky in 1999, referring to British band Gomez)
• He has also been critical of other artists including Billy Bragg, Chapterhouse, Blur, Kula Shaker, Terrorvision, The Beta Band, Coldplay, and Stereophonics (and more specifically their lead singer Kelly Jones).

[edit] Quotes

• "In this season of goodwill, let's pray that Michael Stipe goes the same way as Freddie Mercury pretty soon." (At a gig at the Kilburn National in December 1992, in response to the music press' fascination with Michael Stipe's supposed illness)
• "If you're going to commit suicide, at least do a decent job of it, don't try five times!" (Commenting about Princess Diana's personal problems at a gig in June 1992)
• "I say build some more fucking bypasses over this shithole" (On stage at the Glastonbury Festival, 1994.)
• "Boys and girls, mums and dads, I think you're at the wrong night. This isn't Slowdive or Chapterhouse or another one of those nothing bands, you lazy lazy people." An example of Nicky verbally insulting the audience.
• "I do consider myself to be something of a pretentious wanker." (1993)
• "The difference between me and Richey is he always wanted to be understood, and I prefer being misunderstood. I don't feel the need for people to love or respect me, whereas Richey did."
• "Right now I don't want to go out, I don't want to make any friends. All I want to do is make enemies. I've never felt this much contempt for everyone and everything in my entire fucking life. I don't feel the need for anyone to like me anymore. Jesus, it's hard enough to like myself." (1994)

[edit] Solo Discography

[edit] Albums

I Killed The Zeitgeist (September 25, 2006) - #130 UK

[edit] Singles

• "Break My Heart Slowly" (September 18, 2006) - #74

[edit] Exclusive downloads

• "I Killed The Zeitgeist" (Free download from the official Manics website, Christmas Day 2005)
• "Daydreamer Eyes" (Limited free download from official solo site, June 2006)
• "The Shining Path" (Exclusive iTunes only download, July 17 2006)

[edit] External links

• Official Solo Site
• Official Manic Street Preachers Site

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