What do you think?
Rate this book
The Light Pours Out of Me: The Authorized Biography of John McGeoch
John McGeoch was the unsung hero of the post-punk era. Blazing a trail with some of Britain’s biggest bands and most revered artists – Magazine, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Armoury Show and Public Image Ltd. – John left an undeniable and indelible mark on music. The Light Pours Out of Me examines John’s life and legacy, drawing on original interviews with the likes of Siouxsie Sioux, Howard Devoto, Johnny Marr, Billy Idol, John Frusciante, Keith Levene, Jonny Greenwood, Nick Launay, Ed O’Brien, Peter ‘Hooky’ Hook and many others. Illustrated with unseen photographs, this moving biography – authorised by the family – celebrates the remarkable guitarist who helped provide the soundtrack to a generation.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published June 23, 2022
19 people are currently reading
157 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 22, 2022
As a fan of Magazine, Siouxsie & the Banshees, and Public Image Ltd, I was attracted to a book dedicated to the guitarist who was a key part of their best work. I knew very little about John McGeoch before reading.
Ultimately The Light Pours Out of Me: The Official John McGeoch Story (2022) is a cautionary tale. I had no idea that he essentially killed himself through years of excessive drinking and drug taking. It's a familiar tale but made even more tragic given John was so ridiculously gifted. All that was good about his life stemmed from his extraordinary talent, passion and selflessness. It's such a shame that he was so ill equipped to handle the pressure. He died at a painfully young 48 years.
New writer Rory Sullivan-Burke has written a very enjoyable and thorough biography. The great and the good line up to lavish John with praise. The only absentee is John Lydon of Public Image who emerges with little credit. The story feels comprehensive with additional contributions from family and friends.
When John left Public Image in the 1990s, music had changed. Guitars were out, dance and beats were in. John’s guitar playing was no longer in demand. He retrained as a nursing assistant and in addition to spending time doing this, he was a house husband. Tragically John was clean and enjoying a quieter and more sober life when one of his increasingly frequent epileptic fits killed him.
Obviously the music speaks for itself, that we now have this excellent biography to celebrate his life, legacy and musical contribution, is a real bonus. Thanks Rory Sullivan-Burke.
4/5
Ultimately The Light Pours Out of Me: The Official John McGeoch Story (2022) is a cautionary tale. I had no idea that he essentially killed himself through years of excessive drinking and drug taking. It's a familiar tale but made even more tragic given John was so ridiculously gifted. All that was good about his life stemmed from his extraordinary talent, passion and selflessness. It's such a shame that he was so ill equipped to handle the pressure. He died at a painfully young 48 years.
New writer Rory Sullivan-Burke has written a very enjoyable and thorough biography. The great and the good line up to lavish John with praise. The only absentee is John Lydon of Public Image who emerges with little credit. The story feels comprehensive with additional contributions from family and friends.
When John left Public Image in the 1990s, music had changed. Guitars were out, dance and beats were in. John’s guitar playing was no longer in demand. He retrained as a nursing assistant and in addition to spending time doing this, he was a house husband. Tragically John was clean and enjoying a quieter and more sober life when one of his increasingly frequent epileptic fits killed him.
Obviously the music speaks for itself, that we now have this excellent biography to celebrate his life, legacy and musical contribution, is a real bonus. Thanks Rory Sullivan-Burke.
4/5
August 29, 2024
Oh, if only weird guitar could rule the world. In my life, wherever it has been lived and under whatever circumstances, the beauty of angular, contrapuntal, dissonant, blues-free guitar has been the most consistent and endless source of unmitigated joy. And no one played a weird guitar better than John McGeoch. All tension and release, his inability to approach any song head-on first ensnared me in the middle-80s. “Into The Light” was every bit as responsible for me starting to play at 9 as Jeff Hanneman was (an underrated soloist himself). There is a clutch of unassailable players that I carry in the deepest chamber of whatever I am; Robert Fripp, Tom Verlaine, Ivan Julian, Sonny Sharrock, Neil Young, Phil Manzanera, and, of course, McGeoch. I have a ridiculously physical reaction to all, but McGeoch hits me in a way that only the most original artist can. A more sensitive, song-serving guitarist never walked the earth. His work, especially in Siouxsie and the Banshees and Magazine, will last for generations of players. This book may not be perfect, but McGeoch’s life was not the stuff from which mythology is made. It is a labor of love that he deserves a hundredfold, and the list of contributors to his tale is testament to the ardent fidelity of we all who so worship and love him. The paradoxical, empathetic, omnivorous genius of the Mad Scotsman, John McGeoch, is writ enormously large in that dumbest of all stones, Rock. You just have to know where to look. Sleep well, big man.
May 7, 2022
The first year I was at university in Glasgow, Magazine's first album, Real Life, was released and I bought it same day. That began my love of John McGeoch's unique guitar-playing. From Magazine to Siouxsie & The Banshees, PiL and The Armoury Show I was mesmerised by John's music.
This book goes some way to giving John the recognition he so richly deserved, although there is the tragedy of the man who enjoyed the excesses of the rock'n roll lifestyle and the alcoholism and substance abuse.
As Richard Jobson says "I refuse to just remember the crap stuff."
John Lydon was approached by the author but did not respond, which is sad really given McGeoch's impact on PiL as a songwriter, producer and guitarist. Say's a lot about Lydon's narcissism and ego.
This book goes some way to giving John the recognition he so richly deserved, although there is the tragedy of the man who enjoyed the excesses of the rock'n roll lifestyle and the alcoholism and substance abuse.
As Richard Jobson says "I refuse to just remember the crap stuff."
John Lydon was approached by the author but did not respond, which is sad really given McGeoch's impact on PiL as a songwriter, producer and guitarist. Say's a lot about Lydon's narcissism and ego.
May 7, 2022
One of the best music biographies I have read. John McGeoch was, without a doubt, one of the best post punk guitarists. Didn't see him in Magazine (never did see them live) nor Siouxsie and the Banshees (saw them with John McKay on guitar) but did see him with PiL. As for the Armoury Show, I have only seen the current line up which needs two guitarists to recreate the sound of John McGeoch, (recommend seeing them).
Until reading this I really didn't know what happened to him after he was eased out of the music industry. A fascinating and interesting if ultimately sad life was the one of John McGeoch. Many interviews with friends, family and contacts from his time in music. Notable by his absence is John Lydon, who was approached.
Well researched and very well written.
Until reading this I really didn't know what happened to him after he was eased out of the music industry. A fascinating and interesting if ultimately sad life was the one of John McGeoch. Many interviews with friends, family and contacts from his time in music. Notable by his absence is John Lydon, who was approached.
Well researched and very well written.
December 17, 2022
I've been a huge fan of Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees for well over four decades now, yet I only began to understand and appreciate John McGeogh's contributions to those bands' finest work in about the past five years. As this biography shows, there's plenty to appreciate.
Sullivan-Burke was able to interview family, friends, bandmates, and admirers (Johnny Marr and John Frusciante, anyone?) to paint a picture of a complex man who was taken from us far too soon. Unquestionably one of the most innovative post-punk guitarists, McGeogh was no showboat -- whatever he did with his guitar was in service of the song at hand, and not to bloat his own ego. In fact, he didn't really seem to *have* much of an ego, preferring drinks with the crew over shmoozing with the stars. To be honest, he didn't need to do much shmoozing during the peak of his career -- people sought him out. People like John Lydon.
There are tasty nuggets about gear and techniques, as one would hope. Possibly the most engaging part of the book -- and I was not really expecting this, given how much I was looking forward to stories about his playing, the bands he was in, etc. -- is the recurring theme of John as a loyal friend, caregiver (he trained as one before his music career took off, and returned to it in the 90s), and most of all, enthusiastic, fun-loving, and utterly devoted father to young Emily.
The theme running alongside this, tragically, is John's alcohol addiction, which ended his involvement with the Banshees, undermined some collaborations, and affected his personal life.
This book is a labor of love, written not by a music journalist with decades of publications under his belt, but by an utterly devoted fan. As such, it's not quite as tight as it might otherwise be, but it is an absolutely essential read for anyone with even a passing interest in this genre of music. I have to commend the author and publisher for their work in bringing so much fascinating information about one of the unsung (or at least undersung) musicians of post-punk into the public eye.
I did my best to create a Spotify playlist of all the songs mentioned in the book, in order of appearance. Unfortunately the Armoury Show material isn't available there but you can find it on YouTube. Here's the Spotify list, to hopefully enhance your reading experience.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/55k...
Sullivan-Burke was able to interview family, friends, bandmates, and admirers (Johnny Marr and John Frusciante, anyone?) to paint a picture of a complex man who was taken from us far too soon. Unquestionably one of the most innovative post-punk guitarists, McGeogh was no showboat -- whatever he did with his guitar was in service of the song at hand, and not to bloat his own ego. In fact, he didn't really seem to *have* much of an ego, preferring drinks with the crew over shmoozing with the stars. To be honest, he didn't need to do much shmoozing during the peak of his career -- people sought him out. People like John Lydon.
There are tasty nuggets about gear and techniques, as one would hope. Possibly the most engaging part of the book -- and I was not really expecting this, given how much I was looking forward to stories about his playing, the bands he was in, etc. -- is the recurring theme of John as a loyal friend, caregiver (he trained as one before his music career took off, and returned to it in the 90s), and most of all, enthusiastic, fun-loving, and utterly devoted father to young Emily.
The theme running alongside this, tragically, is John's alcohol addiction, which ended his involvement with the Banshees, undermined some collaborations, and affected his personal life.
This book is a labor of love, written not by a music journalist with decades of publications under his belt, but by an utterly devoted fan. As such, it's not quite as tight as it might otherwise be, but it is an absolutely essential read for anyone with even a passing interest in this genre of music. I have to commend the author and publisher for their work in bringing so much fascinating information about one of the unsung (or at least undersung) musicians of post-punk into the public eye.
I did my best to create a Spotify playlist of all the songs mentioned in the book, in order of appearance. Unfortunately the Armoury Show material isn't available there but you can find it on YouTube. Here's the Spotify list, to hopefully enhance your reading experience.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/55k...
January 24, 2023
Another Manchester band that the Bunnymen likely shared a few gigs with was Magazine who, from 1978 to 1980, featured the most singularly celebrated guitarist in the post-punk scene, John McGeoch. Born in Scotland, McGeoch seemed to have natural talent for everything he tackled — his studies, martial arts, visual arts, piano, and ultimately guitar. Throughout the book, Burke relies heavily on quotes from a not-so secret society of McGeoch admirers like John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Dave Navarro (Janes Addiction), Ed O’Brien and Johnny Greenwood (Radiohead) and Johnny Marr (The Smiths). U2’s The Edge should have spoken up too, as he owes a lot to McGeoch.
As great as McGeoch’s work was on the first three Magazine albums, three Siouxsie & the Banshees albums (his artistic peak is arguably on Juju), Visage, Generation X’s “Heavens Inside,” The Armoury Show, Peter Murphy and Public Image Ltd., I see his greatest failing, aside from his descent into drugs and alochol, was he never had his own band. He really needed to be an equal partner with a co-songwriter, and as important as innovations were to making those Magazine and Siouxsie albums great, he was just passing through. Alas, such is the nature of some forms of genius — delicate and fleeting.
As great as McGeoch’s work was on the first three Magazine albums, three Siouxsie & the Banshees albums (his artistic peak is arguably on Juju), Visage, Generation X’s “Heavens Inside,” The Armoury Show, Peter Murphy and Public Image Ltd., I see his greatest failing, aside from his descent into drugs and alochol, was he never had his own band. He really needed to be an equal partner with a co-songwriter, and as important as innovations were to making those Magazine and Siouxsie albums great, he was just passing through. Alas, such is the nature of some forms of genius — delicate and fleeting.
July 23, 2022
A devotional labour of love for John and his daughter. I wish I had read the afterword earlier because it gave context (and empathy) to the length, repetitiveness and reportage style.
McGeoch was so centrally influential to post punk sound, it was great to follow the chronological order of his career whilst intensely sad to already know the destination.
For me the wonderful element of the book is that JM was an incredible creative force in collaboration. JM seemed to excel at lifting others around him in service to the song. Adamson, Formula quotes capture the experience and the essence is captured by a Frusciante quote I've shared elsewhere. It's obvious JM was a man of heart, of deep caring and (as the book reminds), therefore in need of care too.
The villains of the book are: the parasitic industry feeding off artists, the brutality of touring, the narcissists and the willful indifference to the mental health issues caused.
So a bit long and repetitive for me but am grateful for the author having the generosity, passion, drive and decency to document an understated and under celebrated master.
McGeoch was so centrally influential to post punk sound, it was great to follow the chronological order of his career whilst intensely sad to already know the destination.
For me the wonderful element of the book is that JM was an incredible creative force in collaboration. JM seemed to excel at lifting others around him in service to the song. Adamson, Formula quotes capture the experience and the essence is captured by a Frusciante quote I've shared elsewhere. It's obvious JM was a man of heart, of deep caring and (as the book reminds), therefore in need of care too.
The villains of the book are: the parasitic industry feeding off artists, the brutality of touring, the narcissists and the willful indifference to the mental health issues caused.
So a bit long and repetitive for me but am grateful for the author having the generosity, passion, drive and decency to document an understated and under celebrated master.
March 20, 2025
John McGeoch was, for those of us who like post-punk music, one of the greatest guitarists of that time and genre. His guitar playing with Magazine and Siouxsie & the Banshees was phenomenal, but unfortunately he pretty much seemed to disappear from music after his time with late 80's/early 90's period Public Image Ltd before sadly dying way too soon in 2004.
Amazingly, there had been no John McGeoch book until this was published. The Light Pours Out of Me certainly rights that wrong, but it suffers from the lack of the man himself. Obviously he wasn't around to contribute, but there is little in the way of old quotations which I guess is understandable as he didn't exactly seem to court publicity. All the same, it feels like something is missing.
Nonetheless, it was interesting to read about the making of those seminal albums and the opinions and recollections from friends, family, former colleagues and famous fans, although it's not without sadness as McGeoch repeatedly struggled to overcome his alcohol addiction x
Amazingly, there had been no John McGeoch book until this was published. The Light Pours Out of Me certainly rights that wrong, but it suffers from the lack of the man himself. Obviously he wasn't around to contribute, but there is little in the way of old quotations which I guess is understandable as he didn't exactly seem to court publicity. All the same, it feels like something is missing.
Nonetheless, it was interesting to read about the making of those seminal albums and the opinions and recollections from friends, family, former colleagues and famous fans, although it's not without sadness as McGeoch repeatedly struggled to overcome his alcohol addiction x
August 5, 2022
This is a book I never thought would happen, and I was overjoyed to hear it was being released and my expectations were high. After just finishing, I am filled with emotions of great joy and despair amidst the beauty of this man’s creative guitar work, and the perfect pitch of the author and his research and writing style. Read this book of you love post punk guitar music, or if you know about this guitar player and can’t find much information about him. Thank you John McGeoch for your understated genius.
November 17, 2023
This story needed to be told and needs to be heard much louder. One of the most criminally overlooked guitarists in the history of rock - who influenced just about everyone in the wake of punk (directly or indirectly). I’m so happy this book was written.
October 30, 2023
Although this is some ways a sadly familiar tale of great talent being destroyed by drink / drugs, this new author has assembled detailed testimonies from a wide range of friends, family and musical colleagues to create a vivid and sympathetic portrait of an unsung hero of the post-punk movement - convincingly arguing that John McGeoch was in fact one of the most influential musicians of his generation. Aside from the stories about the bands he was part of and the collaborations and session work that were also important in his career, there's a really full picture of John's background, family life and the other interests and talents he had, including being a gifted visual artist. The only person to emerge from the story with little credit is John Lydon, of Public Image Limited, with whom John McGeoch worked during the later part of his career. However, John Lydon doesn't get to tell his side of the story either - I'm assuming he refused to speak to the author. Others, including Siouxsie of the Banshees, Richard Jobson, of Skids and The Armoury Show and Johnny Marr of The Smiths, make important contributions to the book.
July 2, 2022
A beautifully written and well researched book on one of the most original and inspiring guitarist of his generation. A list of his bands is a whose who of the post punk genre. The contributions from extensive interviews and how they are used in the story really make this something special to a very special talent. From life long friends, fellow band mates and very touchingly his daughter Emily and second wife Denise. ( The book is authorised by his family). John Frusciante (red hot chilli peppers) along with Johny Marr(Smiths) explain how musically John was such an admired and innovative musician. Whereas most rock music guitarists were really structured around the blues, chords and structures John played patterns and colours. The book does deal very respectfully but truthfully with John's demons and I personally thought it was a brilliant book to be recommended.
July 18, 2024
Contemplating McGeoch’s career always astounds me. It was freaking unbelievable - three iconic bands, three albums with each, over a ten year span. Magazine, Siouxsie & The Banshees, and PiL. The mind reels. And that guitar work, oh man. ‘Into The Light’ is still one of the most crazy guitar sounds I’ve ever heard, blows me away every time I listen to it. Juju, man, what an album! A very good read, with input on McGeoch’s genius from lots of other legends - Siouxsie, Johnny Marr, John Frusciante…
July 12, 2022
John McGeoch is the greatest guitarist ever! I always had the greatest respect for him and the music he made, especially with Siouxie. This book offers perspectives from colleagues and friends that were there to experience this force of nature. If you’re a fan of early Siouxie and the Banshees and the Post Punk era in general then this is for you. Highly recommended.
September 17, 2023
Excellent read
Rory's book is a must read for anybody interested in the post punk era, but also for anybody interested in a very creative era for rock music. I was fortunate to see John play in both Magazine and the Banshees - I found this book fascinating - recommended.
Rory's book is a must read for anybody interested in the post punk era, but also for anybody interested in a very creative era for rock music. I was fortunate to see John play in both Magazine and the Banshees - I found this book fascinating - recommended.
October 11, 2025
What an amazing person. I mean just LISTEN to his work, especially with Siouxsie and the Banshees. One thing that annoyed me about the book is that as you read, it seems like his demise would be due to alcohol. It was not! He had a seizure.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2022
A fine biog of a brilliant guitarist
December 25, 2022
absolutely love mcgeoch’s work and i’m so grateful this book was published
July 2, 2023
A thoroughly researched, well-written, and moving biography of an underrated guitarist. Bravo.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews