Nicky Wire Remembers Richey Edwards

Interview: On the Genius of Richey and Rebirth of the Manics

Oct 4, 2009

The Manic Street Preachers have returned to North America after a 10-year absence with an astounding new album, Journal for Plague Lovers.

It’s okay to talk about Richey Edwards again. Touring a new album carved from gritty rock and lyrics left to the band by their guitarist before his 1995 disappearance, the Manic Street Preachers have steeled themselves for the inevitable barrage of questions about their former friend and bandmate. In the second-part of an exclusive three-part interview, bassist Nicky Wire talks about his past and what it means to be present in the Manics.

Fans always talk about Richey’s “genius.” Where do you start with lyrics bequeathed to you, and what do you think made your friend so unique?

It was his non-stop intellect, that’s how I like to think of it. We considered the lyrics from the view of a 27-year-old, like a man at his peak, really. Lyrics are an art form, and I’d like to see him recognized for that. To make lyrics like that you have to have that state of mind, and that can’t come from my lyrics. My lyrics don’t paint questions into musical corners. So for a brief, shining moment, we could become a different band again - we could become the band from 1994-95, all post-punk rhythms, which really doesn’t really lend itself to my words.

Nicky Wire on Richey as a Great Writer

Richey craved attention. He wrote letters to the music press in the UK. He carved ‘4 Real’ into his arm with a razor blade in front of a UK writer. What do you think Richey would have made of the Internet today?

I think it would have gone either one of two ways – either Richey would have been the ultimate blogger, the ultimate opinionated one, or the exact opposite ...It would have been interesting to see how he’d deal with all that noise made of us. He worked quite hard for knowledge in those days, reading books, magazines and that comes through. One of the things we wanted to do with this album is really frame Richey as a real writer and celebrate him as a great writer and lyricist.

But what set Richey apart from being just opinionated? What made him the genius beyond the myth that fans see?

His ability and all his thirst for knowledge was captured in his lyrics, and that’s the real thing about him. There’s the general aura and all the rest of it, and the way he looked was brilliant. But again it was his thirst for knowledge. It’s easy to talk about things but to put it into words and lyrics, that’s really unique.

Rebirth of the Manics and Richey Edwards' Lyrics

One Manics fan online wrote that he felt this album was a “rebirth” for the Manics...

It’s really odd for us, the whole rebirth thing – and I don’t want to disappoint but I don’t think we’re ever going to make another record like this. We can’t, because it captured a state of mind. We go through stages. We’ve wanted to make big, successful records and I think we enjoyed that for a few years. But with this record, we’re reconnecting with people who perhaps went off us. For someone who the [1994 Richey-penned classic] Holy Bible meant everything to, I don’t expect them to really like this as much, but you know, I’m the same way. There’s only certain Smiths albums I like or Bunnymen albums, and I think we’ve all thought the same thing. The real research for us was to put our minds into the context of a 27-year-old and try to capture that raw energy of playing live, and I think you can feel that.

Did you come at the album from a 1991-92-era Manics with Richey or did you look at it from later?

That phase was a when it was all about the band, we all wrote the lyrics...but this was his.

Wasn’t it painful to relive Richey’s voice, his lyrics, and bring him to the forefront again?

No, it isn’t painful at all. It was only the last 6-8 months with him when things were really bad. My memories are not just all about being in a band. Remember, I knew Richey since I was 5, so it’s of going to the pub, being in university and sitting around eating pies. I mean, really mundane stuff, and we did a lot of that, cos we’d known each other for so long. He is a rock icon and I really love the fact he is, but he’s also a friend, a brother, he’s someone’s cousin. He’s so many different things.

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