Barry Miles

For the American musician, see Barry Miles (musician).

File:Barry Miles.jpg

Barry Miles.

Barry Miles (or "Miles", born 1943, Cirencester, England) is an English author known for his participation in and writing on the subject of the 1960s London underground. He has written numerous books and his work has also regularly appeared in left-wing papers such as The Guardian. In the 1960s, he was co-owner of the Indica Gallery and helped start the independent newspaper International Times.

Life and work

In the 1960s, Miles worked at Better Books, which was managed by Tony Godwin. Godwin was friends with Lawrence Ferlinghetti with whom he would exchange Penguin books for City Lights publications. In 1965 Allen Ginsberg gave a reading at Better Books which led to the International Poetry Incarnation, a seminal event that was co-organised by Miles. Following the International Poetry Incarnation, Miles established the Indica Gallery and Bookshop, allowing him to meet many of the stars of the Swinging London social scene. Miles brought Paul McCartney into contact with people who wanted to start the International Times, which McCartney helped to fund. Miles would later become de facto manager of the Apple's short-lived Zapple Records label, and wrote McCartney's official biography, Many Years from Now (1998).

In 1965 Miles and his wife, the former Susan Crane, introduced McCartney to hash brownies by using a recipe for hash fudge which they had found in The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook.

With John Hopkins, Miles organised The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream, a concert on 29 April 1967 Alexandra Palace to raise funds for the International Times. It was a multi-artist event, featuring poets, artists and musicians. Pink Floyd headlined the event; other artists included: Yoko Ono and John Lennon, Arthur Brown, jazz-rock group Soft Machine, Tomorrow and The Pretty Things. In 1970 Miles moved with his wife to the United States living with Allen Ginsberg on his farm in New York state, but the couple's marriage soon ended.

Miles' book Hippie is a reminiscence of the Hippie sub-culture of the sixties and early seventies with interviews, quotes, and images. He co-wrote I Want to Take You Higher (documenting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum exhibit by the same name) with Charles Perry and James Henke.

In March 1978 Miles wrote an article critical of the band Rush and its drummer Neil Peart which falsely labelled the band as right-wing. Peart describes himself as a Left-libertarian. Miles was one of many rock critics who took exception to Peart's advocacy of the ideas of Ayn Rand. In the article published in UK's New Musical Express Miles noted Peart's politics and criticized the band's aloofness and libertarian rhetoric. In the same interview Peart labelled the Sex Pistols products of a "socialist" state. . Miles also criticised Frank Zappa over his business oriented approach to art and his attacks on labour unions..

Miles has written biographies of Paul McCartney, John Lennon, William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski and Ginsberg, in addition to books on The Beatles, Pink Floyd and The Clash. as well as a definitive history of London's counter-culture since 1945. London's Calling.

He is occasionally inaccurately credited as "Miles Mabbett", due to his co-authoring a book with Andy Mabbett, often listed as "by Miles and Andy Mabbett".

Bibliography

• Miles, Barry (1980). Pink Floyd. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780825639487.
• Miles, Barry (1982). The Rolling Stones: An Illustrated Discography. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780860017622.
• Miles, Barry (1984). David Bowie Black Book. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780860018087.
• Miles, Barry (1984). The Police: a visual documentary. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780860018018.
• Miles, Barry (1989). Ginsberg: A Biography. Viking. ISBN 9780670826834.
• Miles, Barry (1993). William Burroughs: El Hombre Invisible : A Portrait. Hyperion. ISBN 9781562828486.
• Miles, and Mabbett, Andy. (1994.). Pink Floyd : the visual documentary'. ISBN 0-7119-4109-2. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: year (link)
• Miles, Barry (1994). William S. Burroughs. Head Farm - Edition Kelln. ISBN 9783933444110.
• Miles, Barry (1997). Many Years From Now. Vintage-Random House. ISBN 0-7493-8658-4.
• Miles, Barry (1998). The Beatles: A diary. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0711963153.
• Miles, Barry (1998). The Beatles: A Diary : An Intimate Day by Day History. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780711963153.
• Miles, Barry (2001). Jack Kerouac: King of the Beats : A Portrait. Grove Press.
• Miles, Barry (2001). The Beat Hotel: Ginsberg, Burroughs, and Corso in Paris, 1958-1963. Grove Press. ISBN 9780802138170.
• Miles, Barry (2003). In the Sixties. Pimlico. ISBN 9780712689984.
• Miles, Barry (2004). Hippie. Cassell. ISBN 1-84403-269-8.
• Miles, Barry (2005). Zappa: A Biography. Grove Press. ISBN 9780802142153.
• Miles, Barry (2005). Charles Bukowski. Virgin. ISBN 9781852272715.
• Miles, Barry (2005). The Beat Collection. Virgin. ISBN 9781852272647.
• Miles, Barry (2008). Peace: 50 Years of Protest, 1958-2008. Anova Books. ISBN 9781843404576.
• Miles, Barry (2009). The British Invasion: The Music, the Times, the Era. Sterling. ISBN 9781402769764.
• Miles, Barry (2010). London Calling: A Countercultural History of London Since 1945. Atlantic Books. ISBN 9781843546139.

External links

• Miles entry at Zappa Wiki Jawaka