Fried & Justified: Hits, Myths, Break-Ups and Breakdowns in the Record Business 1978-98

by Mick Houghton

We arrived in a fleet of white stretch limos at a clearing in a wood near Woking. Here the K Foundation was exhibiting a million pounds in cash, while Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty circled the perimeter in two orange Saracen armoured vehicles, blasting out Abba's 'Money Money Money' . . .

The list of bands and artists Mick Houghton worked with in an illustrious career in the music business reads like a Who's Who of some of the greatest, most influential and downright dysfunctional cult groups of the post-punk era and beyond - Ramones, Talking Heads, The Undertones, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Felt, Sonic Youth, The Wedding Present, Spiritualized and Elastica among them. Often judiciously (or unintentionally) sidestepping the major trends in music - baggy, grunge and Britpop - his reputation for attracting outsiders led to him working with artists as disparate as Sun Ra, Andrew Oldham, Ken Kesey, Bert Jansch, Stereolab, Mercury Rev and Gorky's Zygotic Mynci.

But the three acts Mick is most closely identified with are Echo & the Bunnymen, Julian Cope (and the Teardrop Explodes) and the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, KLF in all their guises. Between them, these three played a significant role in shaping the musical landscape of the eighties and nineties, and - as confidant and co-conspirator - Mick was with their chorus along the way, carefully navigating the minefield of rivalries and contrasting fortunes. It is Mick's indefatigable belief that it was always the music that came first, and it is his knack of attracting so-called difficult and troubled artists that makes Fried & Justified such an amusing, honest and insightful tale.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Biography Memoir

300 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2019

Reviews

[Alex Sarll]

In much the same way that too good an intro song or film can poleaxe the gig it's meant to be setting up, so it's entirely possible to sink a book with too good an introduction. Bill Drummond does the foreword here, talking in his usual wry, prophetic manner about secret histories and occult symmetries, the sort of thing you expect a hare would tell you if it deigned to talk, setting up something special. And then his former publicist Chris Houghton takes over for the book proper, and it's very much the voice you'd expect from a guy who worked in the music industry, and liked pub rock but thought punk was a bit much. One can't prove a negative, and most books have a dull sentence somewhere, but I'm honestly not quoting selectively when I point at plodding prose like "In 1979 there was no doubting that the extreme work ethic and spirit of adventure that had characterised Talking Heads for the last eighteen months was paying off in spades." On top of which, I wouldn't like to state categorically that I've never liked a piece of music writing which refers to 'sides', but it certainly doesn't help. The abiding impression is of an affable chap who's met everyone (the Ramones, Tom Waits, the Undertones) and still come out of it all without a decent anecdote about any of them. Certainly one wouldn't wish him any ill; if he can be blokey in places, he was suitably unimpressed by the fellow who nicked a pair of Suzi Quatro's knickers. And he seems to have done good work selling these acts, many of whom can't have been easy to pitch at the time. But in terms of selling his own story now, no. What makes it more frustrating is that I went to such lengths to get this. Granted, it's not as if I had to pluck the withered scroll from a liche's hand, but the first time I reserved it from the library some swine stole it from the shelf, and then when I re-reserved it I was down to fourth in the queue. And if you think that's not much of a story, well, try reading the first hundred pages of this.

In short, I was right on the edge of bailing out, when Houghton's story reaches the point where he goes freelance, and then gets tangled up with Drummond and his Zoo. And suddenly it's a whole other book. Not one to compare with Copey or Drummond's account of the same events, sure, but a deserving companion piece. It still has some skimmable stretches, as when Houghton falls in with Creation; he's less impressed by their bullshit than most were in the eighties and nineties, but still ends up giving a gaggle of ornery pricks far more attention than they deserve. The story of the rise of the JAMs is hampered by Houghton fundamentally being on a different wavelength ("Bill and Jimmy are their own worst enemies. They take what they do very seriously but don't behave in that way." – this is not their problem, this is their genius), but I'm deep enough in the mire of their mythology that I find the extra fragments here fascinating all the same. Similarly, I imagine fans of the likes of Birdland, the Wedding Present and Cud, less written about these days (well, except for that curious Black Crown strip), might enjoy even their fairly cursory appearances. And if nothing else, when people have always been so happy to throw around accusations of 'hype' when discussing pop, it's good to read a hypeman's own account and learn that even he doesn't really know why it worked so much better for some acts than others.

[Kurt Reighley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having spent 30+ years in the trenches of the music industry, and loving/appreciating most of the acts Houghton represented during his PR career, I relished every word of this book. It was particularly gratifying to see some of the more "eccentric" artists I grew up admiring (Julian Cope, in particular) portrayed in loving detail, rather than just as cartoon characters. Houghton clearly loves "music that matters" and the people who make it, and that passion imbues this entertaining read throughout.

[Iain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite a reasonably healthy relationship with music, Mick Houghton was pretty unknown to me and I bought this on a whim at a music festival, drawn in by the heavy KLF references on the front page.
Other reviewers have suggested it is a book of two halves: the first difficult and ungainly, the second more flowing and fulfilling. I would concur, but I’m not sure whether the style is any different or whether it takes half a book to get in to Houghton’s Maxim gun style.

A music history of the 80s and 90s it is not, so if you’re looking for contextual insight, look elsewhere. This is Houghton putting on paper what amounts to a stream of consciousness from his early days in the music press through to his lengthy stint as an independent PR handler who specialised in the independents who - for the most part - remained on the arty fringes of the era.
If your music library is full of Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, The Teardrop Explodes, Julian Cope, Sonic Youth and their ilk, you’ll probably get more out of this book than I did.

I certainly don’t regret reading it, but at times it felt like an effort which was rewarded occasionally by a nugget of interest which I would otherwise have been denied.

[Mark Farley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The one lasting aspect of Mick Houghton’s excellent FRIED AND JUSTIFIED is just the sheer volume of incredible and groundbreaking artists and groups he has worked with in a career spanning decades contributing to the output and legacy of the likes of The Ramones, The KLF, Echo and the Bunnymen and The Teardrop Explodes, to name a few.

Because if that doesn’t already amaze you, here are some more: Elastica, Sonic Youth, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Spiritualized, The Undertones and Talking Heads. A veritable rock and roll hall of fame line up, so the fact that there are so many acts here that I love alone is incredibly mouth watering. And Houghton is no mere bystander at all. Publicist, manager, record executive, he has done more in the industry than most could even imagine. Unprecedented access, fascinating behind the scenes stories and he writes with a clever candour and antagonistic approach. Which I’m sure he needed to have to even survive around the likes of those above.

Really, really great book.

[Mark Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even the musically minded amongst you may not have heard of Mick Houghton, but you've certainly heard of the bands he worked with - The Ramones, Talking Heads, Undertones, Echo & The Bunnymen, Teardrops/Cope, JAMC, House of Love, Wedding Present, KLF, Sonic Youth, Spiritualized, and others.

This is a true insider's account of working with crazed egos in a crazed industry at it's peak, from a man who couldn't be more down to earth, which is probably why he survived so long, when many others didn't. Fascinating, insightful and wonderfully written.

[Gary Fowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mick Houghton is a PR person who seems to share (some) of my taste in music. On top of that he's got stories to tell and knows how to put words next to each other to tell them. The Mary Chain, Wedding Present, The Bunnymen, Ramones, Sonic Youth, Julian Cope, The KLF - Houghton has worked his magic for all of them and has a wry anecdote about all of the above and more.
One of those books that is impossible to put down once you start reading it.

[Steve Gillway · Rating 5 out of 5]

So what does a publicist do? This book involved quite a few bands and artists that I have a strong interest in and so it is a great excuse to play the old stuff. But in the end, It left me feeling a bit down. Is it in the words of P Weller "The public gets what the public wants or the the public wants what the public gets"

[Jonny Brick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-told and absorbing series of war stories, told without fear or favour. Very good on the way the New York scene and the proto-grunge scene came to the UK, and the rise and fall and rebirth of both Echo & The Bunnymen and Julian Cope. Plus the well-worn KLF/JAMs stories, which are always welcome. Note the subtitle: 'record industry'. It's a different world now.

[Keith Astbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mick was the publicist for the like of Julian Cope, the Bunnymen, KLF and so many more. Judging by his profession and the company he kept, I was expecting this to be a book choc full of outrageous behaviour with Houghton full of big ideas, but this was not the case. It is a calm and measured account of an interesting life, at times almost coming across like the voice of reason. I loved it x

[Jon Bounds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent tales, well told, but probably nothing new for fans of the bands. Could have used more about Mick.

[Nate Krenkel · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Gorky was school slang for dim wit...”

[Mancman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into the world of music via a publicist, and the many stories he shares are wonderful. He’s been fortunate to work with a plethora of interesting and unique artists.

[fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The KLF, Julian Cope, The Triffids, Echo and the Bunnymen, Sonic Youth, Sun Ra, etc etc.

some of the greatest artists ever? or just mick houghton's resume. excellent read, could have been longer.

[Jennie Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting anecdotes. I particularly liked reading more about Julian Cope and KLF.