I think there should be, one day, an official biography of NMA... anyone agree?

[Master Ray]

Yes.  I know that NMA aren't a 'backward looking' kind of band.

But, although it pains me to say it, the band have far more days behind them than are forthcoming. And some people who were there right from the start aren't with us anymore... and that situation isn't going to improve itself over the coming years.  I'd love to read some definitive history of the band, from those who were there at the time and have stories to tell, the good and the bad, all bound up in a nice book with plenty of rare pictures and stuff like that.

I can imagine that there wouldn't be much interest from major publishers for a band who aren't that well known amongst the general populace nowadays. But some bands in such a position have done such a thing... Therapy? did a book a few years back that was an excellent read and Paradise Lost self published a superb biography, clearly written from a position of love by the writer.

I think NMA deserve such commemoration and I'll bet it's something that'd sell a good few thousand copies if not more.  I'd be happy to pay £30 or so for such a thing.  Heck, I'd be happy to get involved with some crowdfunding thing, paying a year in advance to get the production costs going, anything like that.

Hey, maybe the inner NMA circle have got something in mind that hasn't been announced yet!  If not, I'll bet everyone on here would be queueing up for an official biography, waving their money in the air!   

What can I say, this stuff is important to so many of us.  It should be documented.

[Ghosttrain]

Excellent idea.....and some very good and interesting suggestions how this could happen..

[Anna Woman von NRW]

Yes, good idea 

[Gaijin]

I'd be interested.

Would rather have new songs though.

[Master Ray]

Yes, but one thing wouldn't interfere with the other if a writer was willing to take this project on board... unless Justin wanted to write an autobiography that'd take him away from writing new music.

 

[MaoLee]

Justin once said at a concert that he didn't have time for a biography and that lots of his songs were biographical anyway. Joolz once wrote a kind of unfinished biography called "The Memory Box" about her early days and her beginings with New Model Army and published it in installments on Facebook.

I've always wondered whether the song “Great Disguise” refers to this biography.

[Guillaume]

It would be great to have a book on the band indeed (the special magazine on NMA released at the time of "Between dog and wolf" was already very good), we should see if there would be a way to finance that at least in part? A beautiful, well-illustrated book, with lots of pictures, interviews, reviews of the albums when they came out, etc. A few years ago there was a french fan who had a project to write a book on NMA, she had done her thesis I think--on the band, but no news of her book:

https://webtv.univ-lille.fr/video/6651/serre-solveig-cnrs-arias-cnrs-ens-paris-3-france

https://shs.cairn.info/revue-corps-2015-1-page-19?lang=fr

[Master Ray]

Justin once said at a concert that he didn't have time for a biography and that lots of his songs were biographical anyway. Joolz once wrote a kind of unfinished biography called "The Memory Box" about her early days and her beginings with New Model Army and published it in installments on Facebook.

I've always wondered whether the song “Great Disguise” refers to this biography.

Yes, but I'm not talking about an autobiography, I'm talking about a writer writing with permission from the band and access to personal material.

[Shush]

Yes, I believe it would make a good book, not a biography, but more like a history of the band book. I am sure I suggested such here in the distant past. I remember saying Dean White would be a good candidate to write it; after all, he has been in the band the second longest, over 30 years now, so what he hasn't seen himself, he must have heard about.

[Gary Tompsett]

Imagine this: Fans are encouraged (by whom?) to upload their written memories (and personal photos and memorabilia) to an online publishing site, perhaps synchronised to an end completion date. Anyone can then leaf through these collected memories and nostalgia. I have a many such strong memories locked into boxes in the loft - an uninterrupted journey since about 1982! I’ve often thought to do this for myself as a self-published coffee-table book.

[Winterwulf]

Why not here? I've been meaning for quite a few years to get my memories from the 90s (when I lived in Bra'fud) written down, there's been other good posts on this forum with recollections of past experiences, some quite exceptional. New sticky thread needed?

[Master Ray]

Why not here? I've been meaning for quite a few years to get my memories from the 90s (when I lived in Bra'fud) written down, there's been other good posts on this forum with recollections of past experiences, some quite exceptional. New sticky thread needed?

I appreciate what you're saying but that's the difference between owning a physical copy of an album or listening to it on Spotify.

I've got shelves groaning with books that I love, I'd really like to have a nicely put together book that's a definitive history of NMA from the people who were there.

But I'm perfectly OK with your concept if a big old book wasn't a viable option!   

[mudgeek]

A few days ago I wrote to the band with a proposal to write a Brazilian NMA book myself. This is what they wrote back:

"We have to say that, at the moment, we would NOT support a project like this. We have had many, many offers and requests to write a New Model Army biography, but the band, and in particular Justin, want to choose a moment for this and that moment is not now. Sorry.

Best Regards,

NMA"

Let me now your thoughts on this.

[Guillaume]

Let me now your thoughts on this.

I completely understand the band's answer. Justin Sullivan has said many times over the years that he's not interested in revisiting the past, so there will be a band biography when the band wants to allow themselves a moment of self reflection. The band is  very active, too busy with various projects (writing new songs, recording new albums and touring, among other things) to be able to spend weeks/months/years on a retrospective work. Even though there are quite a few artists who write their autobiographies around the age of 60 or 70!

I think the 2013 documentary BETWEEN DOG AND WOLF THE NEW MODEL ARMY STORY is very good; its only major drawback, for me and I suppose for those who like the band, is that it's not exhaustive. For example, NMA's discography from IMPURITY to TODAY IS A GOOD DAY isn't covered, nor are Justin's solo albums. A (auto)biography, perhaps a more "conventional" illustrated book, could fill in these "gaps".

[Gaijin]

If you want a book you may just have to make it yourself.

A fan project that collects gig flyers, press adverts, cover scans and reviews is a place to start. Another would be to contact people that were part of various sessions; engineers, tape ops etc. Or tour personnel, venue owners and booking agents. There are always a lot of people involved with a touring band.

Then there's NMA sleeve art too.

Justin doesn't have to write the book. There are other people that may want to look back and tell their part of the story, someone just needs to find them.