Max Décharné
Max Décharné is an English rock'n'roll musician and singer, and the author of nine books, mostly non-fiction, and numerous short stories.
Music and writing
Max Décharné has written about music regularly for Mojo magazine since 1998, prior to which he wrote extensively about film for Neon. In addition, his work has also appeared in The Spectator, the Sunday Times Colour Magazine, the Observer, the Guardian and the TLS, among others. He has interviewed a wide variety of cultural figures, including Mary Quant, Nick Cave, Christopher Lee, Wanda Jackson, Mick Farren, Colin Wilson, The Trashmen, Ingrid Pitt, Dion DiMucci, John Peel, Cynthia Plastercaster, Sonny Burgess, Wreckless Eric and Dick Dale. Décharné has also produced sleeve notes for numerous record reissues of box sets, albums and singles by artists such as Gene Vincent, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran, Little Richard and Sparkle Moore, and also the acclaimed 6-CD Nikki Sudden box set The Boy From Nowhere Who Fell Out Of The Sky.In 1985 he started writing short stories and in 1986, inspired by the postpunk DIY ethic, co-founded the Malice Aforethought Press with Frank Key. Over the next few years they published a large number of short-run pamphlets. Titles by Décharné included "The Importance of Being Harnessed" and "The Night They Invented Shampoo". Most of these texts were later collected in paperback. He also appeared as a guest on Frank Key's weekly Resonance FM Radio show "Hooting Yard on the Air" in which the former publishing partners discussed their love of unusual literature.
In his musical career, Décharné has released eleven albums and something in the region of twenty singles since 1989. He played drums with his friend Nikki Sudden before joining Gallon Drunk in 1991, with whom he toured the world. Since 1994, he has been the singer and principal songwriter with The Flaming Stars. In a long and varied career in the music business, he has also recorded nine John Peel Sessions and played shows all across the US, Canada, virtually every country in Europe and also in Japan. One of his songs made the 1995 John Peel Festive Fifty, then two more of his songs were in the 1996 John Peel Festive Fifty.
Décharné is probably one of the only people currently writing about music to have played on BBCTV's Later... with Jools Holland show, on the main stage at the Reading Festival, at Madison Square Garden and at the Hollywood Bowl.
Books
- Vulgar Tongues: An Alternative History of English Slang, Serpent's Tail, 2016
- Capital Crimes: Seven Centuries of London Life and Murder, Random House Books, 2012
- Rocket In My Pocket, Serpent's Tail, 2010 NB Ace Records issued a compilation CD with sleeve notes by Max to tie in with this book.
- King's Road: The Rise And Fall of the Hippest Street in the World, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005
- Hardboiled Hollywood – The Origins of the Great Crime Films, No Exit Press, 2003
- Straight From the Fridge, Dad: A Dictionary of Hipster Slang, No Exit Press, 2000
- I Was A Teenage Warehouse & Other Stories, Thirst Editions, 1997
- The Prisoner Of Brenda & Other Stories, Malice Aforethought Press, 1991
- Beat Your Relatives To A Bloody Pulp & Other Stories, Malice Aforethought Press, 1989
Selected Reviews of his Books
- Vulgar Tongues – An Alternative History Of English Slang, Serpent's Tail, 2016
- *"Max Décharné's engaging book Vulgar Tongues is a spectacular feat, collating information from a mind-boggling range of sources - from jazz lyrics to dime novels, from 18th century brothel directories to 1960s criminal autobiographies." - Lynne Truss, New Statesman
- A Rocket In My Pocket – Serpent's Tail, 2010
- *"The definitive book on rockabilly.. tells you all you need to know." - Andrew Weatherall, BBC 6 Music
- King's Road – The Rise And Fall Of The Hippest Street In The World, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005
- *"As a trawl through the glitz and glamour of the King’s Road, this is hard to beat. Décharné’s research, which takes in everything from political weeklies to underground pop magazines, is impressive and unimpeachable, and he whisks the reader along in brisk and witty prose." - Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times
- Hardboiled Hollywood – No Exit Press, 2003
- *"Full of "unauthorised cash withdrawals" and people dying of "lead poisoning", this tome thankfully eschews the pompous subtext and strained metaphors of most film books, leaving what any good detective wants: just the facts, ma'am." - Phelim O’Neill, The Guardian
- Straight From The Fridge, Dad – No Exit Press, 2000
- *"If you are the kind of hep cat who harbours a burning urge to gas the slobs, then the righteous Max is the man. He shoots the works to fascinating and often hilarious effect." - Esquire
Malice Aforethought Press Booklets
- The Petrified Florist, pamphlet, Malice Aforethought Press, 14 February 1991
- The Little Sheep of Horrors, pamphlet, Malice Aforethought Press, 30 September 1990
- Slogans for the Unhinged, limited edition pamphlet of 50 copies, Malice Aforethought Press, 29 September 1990
- UFOs - Who Gives a Flying One?, limited edition pamphlet of 50 copies, Malice Aforethought Press, 3 August 1990
- Epigrams, limited edition pamphlet of 50 copies, Malice Aforethought Press, 3 August 1990
- The Sheep of Things to Come, limited edition pamphlet of 47 copies, Malice Aforethought Press, 3 February 1990
- Hello Jung Lovers, Wherever You Are, limited edition pamphlet of 27 copies, Malice Aforethought Press, 3 April 1989
- Beat Your Relatives To A Bloody Pulp, limited edition pamphlet, Malice Aforethought Press, 1988
- The Night They Invented Shampoo, limited edition pamphlet of 35 copies, Malice Aforethought Press, 1988
- The Importance of Being Harnessed, limited edition pamphlet of 25 copies, Malice Aforethought Press, February 1987
- Smooching with Istvan, - limited edition journal of 100 copies, with hand-painted covers, Malice Aforethought Press, Spring 1987
- Stab Your Employer, - limited edition journal of 50 copies, Malice Aforethought Press, Autumn 1986
Stories by Max in various anthologies
- Midget Submarines in the collection Bullman, Janine, ed., Punk Fiction - An Anthology of Stories Inspired By Punk, Portico, 2009.
- Chelsea Three, Scotland Yard Nil in the collection Unsworth, Cathi, ed., London Noir, Serpent's Tail, 2006.
- The occasional magazine Massacre, compiled by Roberta McKeown, contained several stories by Max - namely I Was a Teenage Warehouse, The Black Shape of the Family and Dining Out in Paris and London
Discography
Solo Albums
- New Shade of Black
The Flaming Stars
Studio albums
- Born Under a Bad Neon Sign
- Named and Shamed
- Sunset & Void
- A Walk on the Wired Side
- Pathway
- Sell Your Soul to the Flaming Stars
- Songs from the Bar Room Floor
Singles / EPs
- "Stranger on the Fifth Floor" / "New Hope for the Dead"
- "Spilled Your Pint" / "Sixty Nine"
- "A Little Bit Like You" / "The Man Who Would be B.B. King"
- "One Lonely Night" / "Days Like This"
- "You Don't Always Want What You Get" / "Saturday Night Special"
- "Only Tonight"
- "Sweet Smell of Success" / "The Day The Earth Caught Fire" / "Never Missed You Tonight" / "A Place in the Sun"
- "New Hope for the Dead" / "Are You Being Served"
- "Bury My Heart at Pier 13" / "Down to You"
- "Ten Feet Tall" / "Spaghetti Junction"
- "Downhill Without Brakes" / "Broken Heart" / "Eat Your Heart Out" / "Burnt Out Wreck of a Man"
- "Money To Burn / Bandit Country" / "A Hell of a Woman" / "New Shade of Black"
- "The Face on the Bar Room Floor" / "Get Carter"
- "Hospital, Heaven or Hell"
Other albums
- London After Midnight: Singles, Rarities and Bar Room Floor-Fillers 1995–2005
- Ginmill Perfume,
- Tijuana Bible,
- The Six John Peel Sessions
- Bring Me the Rest of Alfredo Garcia
Tracks on other compilations
- The Flaming Stars contributed a cover of Brickfield Nights to the Boys tribute album Satisfaction Guaranteed
- A Hell of a Woman appeared on "Plan Boom"
- Like Trash appeared on "What Did You Come Down Here For? Music from Club Zitt"
- Back of My Mind appeared on "Cowpunks"
- Bring Me the Rest of Alfredo Garcia appeared on the 'CD magazine' "Volume 15"
- The Face on the Bar Room Floor appeared on "Various Artists do the Nuclear Tests in Paris and Beijing" NB The Earls of Suave track "A Cheat" also appears on the same CD. The Earls featured many of The Flaming Stars.
Holly Golightly
Single
- Sand / Lonesome Town – Max sings uncredited duet with Holly on Sand. Holly returned the favour with the duet on the title track of the Flaming Stars album Born Under a Bad Neon Sign.
The Earls of Suave
Studio Albums
- The Basement Bar at the Heartbreak Hotel
10 inch Compilation LP
- THE KING AND I - PURR Magazine 10 inch compilation, Blueyedog Records, 1994. The Earls of Suave appear on this with the song Yabba Dabba Doo.
Singles
- In My Dreams / Somebody Buy Me a Drink
- A Cheat / Who Will the Next Fool Be?
Gallon Drunk
Studio albums
- From the Heart of Town Clawfist/Sire
- You, the Night... and the Music Clawfist
10 inch LP
- Clawfist: The Peel Sessions - the Gallon Drunk Peel session, plus one by the band Breed. Gallon Drunk tracks: Ruby / Some Fool’s Mess / Drag ’91 / Two Wings Mambo.
Singles
- Live At Madison Square Garden Promo – Just One More / Some Fool’s Mess / Two Wings Mambo
- Bedlam / Look at That Woman / Solitaire
- Some Fool’s Mess / May the Earth Open Here / Rolling Home
Nikki Sudden
Studio Albums
- Egyptian Roads, Indies Records, 1997
- Seven Lives Later, Glitterhouse, 1996
Compilations
- The Boy From Nowhere Who Fell Out Of The Sky, Easy Action, 2013. Max is on various tracks, three previously unreleased
- The Point & The Rays, Barracuda Blue, 1991 – A Marc Bolan tribute compilation, including Nikki's version of Bolan's Buick Mackane, recorded live in Germany in 1990
Filmography
Appearances
- Pervirella, Alex Chandon, 1997 - Max plays the part of the Curator
- One For The Ladies - Gallon Drunk live video, which contains a complete show filmed on 21 December 1991 in London. Released on VHS in 1992 on the Jettisoundz label, and then on DVD in 2005 on Cherry Red.
- Grand Union: A Short Film - Frank Tovey - shot in 1991 and released in 2006 as part of the Fad Gadget by Frank Tovey CD/DVD package. Max was producer and principal cameraman.
Soundtrack Contributions
- Crust - Mark Locke, 2001 - includes Max's song 3.a.m. On The Bar Room Floor by The Flaming Stars
- The Jolly Boys Last Stand - Christopher Payne, 2000 - includes Max's songs Like Trash and The Face On The Bar Room Floor by The Flaming Stars
- Dust Devil - Richard Stanley, 1992 - includes the song which Max co-wrote, You Can Call by the Earls Of Suave