Comments on: RIP Steven Wells: The Best That Ever Did It.

By: Steven Wells: 1960 – 2009 | Roomyverse

Steven Wells: 1960 – 2009 | Roomyverse — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:12:46 +0000

[...] His old writing partner David Quantick’s Guardian obituary column – in which we discover that Mr Wells invented the word ’saddo’ – is here, and Akira the Don pays his tribute here. [...]

By: Swells: A Tribute « ¡Oye Billy!

Swells: A Tribute « ¡Oye Billy! — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:47:30 +0000

[...] people have done tributes, so I am going to post this instead, a music video he was involved [...]

By: melissa

melissa — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:35:45 +0000

FUCK.

(As John Peel had his moment of noise, I somehow think it fitting to have a moment of FUCK for Swells.)

By: Rich

Rich — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:15:04 +0000

Fuck. Why do all the wrong people die too soon?
You’ll be missed, big guy.

By: marsamgod

marsamgod — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:45:44 +0000

He made the NME a bible ot me in his time there, at a time when I was an impressionable young man, bring me bands like Extreme Noise Terror and erm, Daphne And Celeste.

His confrontational style and amazing wordplay marked him above the staffers there at the time such as David Quantick.

Sadly missed already and although the term Legend is often misuded these days it surely applies to Swells

By: Jonas

Jonas — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:39:49 +0000

A sad loss. And, more to the point, where else in major print vehicles are mavericks like this accommodated these days?

By: carl loben

carl loben — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:49:09 +0000

Steven Wells RIP
Swells’ bludgeoning purple prose was what inspired me to take up music journalism myself. When I was trying to get in on the inkies in the early 90s I sent him some stuff I’d written, having met him at a gig. He sent back a three-page critique pointing out where I was going wrong, and soon after I got in on the rival to NME at the time – Melody Maker.
Whenever I ran into him after that – in the lifts at IPC (MM was a floor above NME), at gigs, on the football pitch (NME used to play MM at six-a-side once a week for a while) – he provided some inspiration in some form or other. Whether spouting some blurb about an attitude to adopt, quipping about a social more or just having an unsolicited rant, it was impossible not to be affected by the man.
His foaming-at-the-mouth punk style – using plenty of hyphens in a can’t be-arsed-to-think-of-the-academic-word-so-I’m-just-gonna-rant stylee – was inspirational, as well as the way he contextualised bands in the politicosphere, made up words, championed the margins, lampooned the mediocre, railed against perceived wisdom…
I didn’t always agree with him – at times he appeared too much like a paid-up member of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) – but generally he was spot on, and I loved the way he wound people up and polarised opinion. Constantly kicking against the pricks.
I’ll never forget him exposing the sexism and homophobia of the Happy Mondays when all the other middle class NME writers were fawning over their laddism in a cultural tourism kinda way. He championed the riot grrrl stuff, extreme metal, queercore, bands like Cornershop and Skunk Anansie and loads more, and generally wound up a load of indie bands by slagging off students, liberals, Travis and other such pet hates.
The last time I saw him was at a film preview in Soho near the beginning of the decade. He had a hilarious rant about ecstasy and rave music (by now I’d moved onto DJ magazine) and I looked forward to running into him somewhere else in the future.
It’s strangely fitting that he’s passed away just before Glastonbury festival. I ran into him there one time when he was doing a piece for the NME on all the alternative stuff up in the green/healing fields. He was taking the piss – obviously – but really he had a great heart and was on the side of the underground against the establishment.
He got into writing (provocatively) about sport, moved to Philly, yet still blogged for the Guardian and I’d be pleased to catch him provoking and entertaining on the GNL pages.
Swells, you were an inspiration and you will be sorely missed.