Paul Williams (author)

Paul Williams (aka Willo) (born Paul Edward Williams, 15 January 1967, York, England) is an author, promoter, commentator and lifelong devotee to 2-Tone, ska music and the British skinhead subculture. He is best known for writing the book You're Wondering Now - A History of The Specials (ST Publishing).

Biography

Willo's love of ska and 2 Tone started in 1980, when he snuck out of his parents' home in York and travelled to nearby Bridlington, where he saw The Specials perform live when he was 13 years old. This event had a long-lasting and profound effect on him. Throughout the 1980s, Willo played briefly in the ska band "The 'Matics," and began hosting a regular ska night "Pressure Drop" in York. In the 1990s, he created, wrote and distributed his own quarterly ska and 2 Tone fanzine Street Feeling (1994-1998) from his back bedroom. In 1995, Willo wrote You're Wondering Now - A History of The Specials (ST Publishing). It received many favourable reviews, including three stars from "Q Magazine", and was used to compile the band history section on the official Specials website. The book is now a collectors' item.

Willo is a ska specialist, often consulting with media outlets including TV companies such as VH1(satellite) and Channel 4(UK terrestrial TV). He has been featured on BBC4 Radio's celebration of 2-Tone music, "Fashion Music" and was interviewed by Radio Coventry for which he contributed rare Specials tracks to the programme. His work can now be seen online, as the co-administrator for the official Specials website and as the administrator for Roddy "Radiation" Byers' official artists MySpace profile In 2007 he designed and maintained the Ska Splash website for the UK's first International Ska Festival. Willo continues to promote and review ska and punk rock bands in the North of England under the banner of "YorkSka Promotions". In 2009,to coincide with the 30th anniversary of The Specials,Willo re-wrote his Specials book (which coincidentally appeared on a centrespread picture gallery in The Specials official tour 2009 programme) to include some fantastic unseen band photos, the first sketch in 28 years of The Specials by cartoonist Nick Davies,the man behind the Specials Illustrated Songbook and the first ever published gig list of the band from 1978-1981 in the new edition called " You're Wondering Now- The Specials From Conception To Reunion".The book is due for release from the distinguished company Cherry Red Books on 3rd September 2009. He now runs "Do Nothing PR & Media Services",where he has clients such as Skaville UK [UK ska band made up of ex members of Bad Manners & The Selecter] amongst others on his books with his partner Ruth.

Bibliography

• You're Wondering Now - A History of The Specials, 1995, ST Publishing, ISBN 189892725
• You're Wondering Now- The Specials From Conception To Reunion, 2009, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 1901447510

External links

• Official new site dedicated to "You're Wondering Now-From Conception To Reunion"
• the official site of Willo's publishers
• [http://http://marcoonthebass.blogspot.com/2008_12_01_archive.html Interview with Marco On The Bass
• Paul Willo Myspace profile
• YorkSka Myspace profile
• Street Feeling
• Roddy "Radiation" Byers Myspace profile
• Ska Splash
• The band's offcial fan forum