I am represented by RML – contact here.
Here’s a selection of my books:
TOTALLY WIRED: THE RISE & FALL OF THE MUSIC PRESS (THAMES & HUDSON 2022/paperback 2023)
“‘Paul Gorman has given us the book that the music press deserves: fun, factual, glamorous, gritty, packed with mad anecdotes as well as cold-eyed truth. Essential.” – Miranda Sawyer
“The music press as we knew it barely exists any more, which makes ‘Totally Wired’ the perfect eulogy – a broad, deep, fascinating exploration of its 100-year lifespan” – Alexis Petridis
THE WILD WORLD OF BARNEY BUBBLES: GRAPHIC DESIGN & THE ART OF MUSIC (THAMES & HUDSON 2022)
“”The Wild World of Barney Bubbles all but bursts apart with delight. Gorman has been working for 15 years to preserve and promote Bubbles’ legacy and has authored books on Malcolm McLaren and The Face magazine. (His next book, a narrative history of the American and British music press, is due later this year.) His knowledge of the English music, fashion, and art scene of the second half of the 20th century is authoritative.” – Popmatters
A BOX OF BUBBLES (VOLUME 2022)
“This is the collector’s edition of Paul Gorman’s definitive monograph, containing hundreds of rare and previously unpublished photographs, working sketches, notebooks and original artwork. Only available on Volume, the centrepiece of A Box of Bubbles is the revised and updated edition of the book, with an exclusive cover design, an essay by American designer Clarita Hinojosa and sixteen new pages of rare material painstakingly retrieved by the author, together with five specially re-created pieces of Bubbles memorabilia in a truly covetable celebration of one of the greatest creative minds in design history.”
THE LIFE & TIMES OF MALCOLM McLAREN: THE BIOGRAPHY (CONSTABLE 2020/paperback 2021)
“Paul Gorman’s book is the Citizen Kane of rock biography. It’s a brilliant story, an unforgettable tour of art, culture and British eccentricity. Just a terrific read. My advice is this: If you go to someone’s house and they fail to have a copy of The Life & Times of Malcolm McLaren on their bookshelves, don’t sleep with them.” – Andrew O’Hagan
THE STORY OF THE FACE: THE MAGAZINE THAT CHANGED CULTURE (Thames & Hudson 2017)
“This huge, rich book is a celebration not only of the style bible but British pop culture in the late 20th century” – The Guardian
DEREK BOSHIER: RETHINK/RE-ENTRY (Thames & Hudson 2015)
“As an artist, Derek Boshier has never lost his sense of wonder” David Hockney
“I love your book – your work cascades down the decades” David Bowie
EYES FOR BLOWING UP BRIDGES: JOINING THE DOTS FROM THE SITUATIONIST INTERNATIONAL TO MALCOLM MCLAREN (John Hansard Gallery 2015)
MR FREEDOM – TOMMY ROBERTS : BRITISH DESIGN HERO (Adelita 2012)
“Tommy Roberts is an inspiration, a real character and one of Britain’s true eccentrics. He has always been at the forefront of what is new in retailing, fashion and design” Sir Paul Smith
REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL: THE LIFE AND WORK OF BARNEY BUBBLES
(Adelita 2008/second edition 2010)
“Surprisingly moving and lovingly researched” Dylan Jones, The Independent
“Fascinating, definitive” Sunday Times
“Joyous, playful and rich in meaning” Alice Rawsthorn, New York Times
“Sumptuous, stylish, informed…Book Of The Year” Mojo
THE LOOK: ADVENTURES IN ROCK AND POP FASHION
Adelita 2006 (2nd edition)
“One of the top ten best fashion books of all time” The Independent
“Beautifully presented and meticulously researched” The Guardian
BLOOD & FIRE: THE STORY OF UB40’S ALI & ROBIN CAMPBELL (Century 2005)
STRAIGHT WITH BOY GEORGE (Century 2005)
“Communicates and expresses the energy of an intelligent anarchist holding an anti-bullshit device” The Guardian
“Painfully tender…I loved it” Daily Telegraph
“The best book I’ve read in a long while. It made me howl with laughter and burst into tears” Paul O’Grady
“Bitchy, opinionated and fabulously indiscreet” Q
NINE LIVES WITH GOLDIE (Hodder & Stoughton 2002)
“Gorman has done a good job in making sense of Goldie’s Nine Lives…a fascinating life story”
Lynn Barber, Observer
“Candid, outspoken, occasionally harrowing, often hilarious and frequently inspirational” The Scotsman
IN THEIR OWN WRITE: ADVENTURES IN THE MUSIC PRESS (Sanctuary 2001)
“The definitive story of the collective madness known as the music press” Tony Parsons
“You’ve brought it all back. You bastard. You’ll be hunted down and strangled like a dog for this” Charles Shaar Murray
THE LOOK: Adventures In Pop & Rock Fashion (First edition: Sanctuary 2001)
“No crease is left unironed” Vanity Fair
“This is the book” Robert Elms, The Times
“Gorman covers everything from The Beatles to Bowie, bringing the styles to life by talking to designers, tailors, stars and style icons past and present” The Face, April 2001
EXHIBITIONS
I have curated, contributed to and/or participated in the following exhibitions:
PRINT! Tearing It Up June 8 – August 22, 2018 Somerset House London UK Role: Co-curator with Claire Catterall See here.
Barney Bubbles: Optics & Semantics August 31 – September 23, 2017 Rob Tufnell Lambeth Walk London UK Role: Curator See here.
Barney Bubbles Artworks August 3 – 18, 2017 Fred Perry Henrietta Street London UK Role: Organiser See here.
111 Inspirational Interiors April 14 – 29, 2016 Windows Gallery 1 Central Saint Martins London UK Role: Contributor See here.
The Conformist February 23 – April 16, 2016 Belmacz Gallery 45 Davies Street London UK Role: Consultant/contributor See here.
Eyes For Blowing Up Bridges September 26 – November 14 2015 John Hansard Gallery Southampton UK Role: Curator with David Thorp See here.
Derek Boshier: Rethink/Re-entry October 7 – November 7 2015 Flowers Gallery London UK Role: Curator with Guy Brett
Let It Rock: Malcolm McLaren at Art In Pop October 11 2014 – February 5, 2015 Le Magasin CNAC Grenoble France Role: Curator with Young Kim See here.
Let It Rock: The Look Of Music The Sound Of Fashion Aug 4 – Aug 8, 2014 Bella Center Copenhagen Denmark Role: Curator with Young Kim See here.
Glam! The Performance Of Style October 19 2013 – February 2, 2014 Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz Austria Role: Consultant/contributor See here.
Glam! The Performance Of Style October 19 2013 – February 2, 2014 Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt Germany Role: Consultant/contributor See here.
Glam! The Performance Of Style February 8 – May 12, 2013 Tate Museum Liverpool UK Role: Consultant/contributor See here.
Barney Bubbles: The Past, The Present & The Possible May 26 – June 10, 2012 Les Subsistances Chaumont France Role: Curator with Sophie Demay and Etienne Hervy See here.
British Design 1948–2012: Innovation in the Modern Age March 31 – Aug 12 2012 V&A London UK Role: Advisor/contributor of exhibits See here.
Lloyd Johnson: The Modern Outfitter Jan 24 – March 3 2012 Chelsea Space London UK Role: Curator See here.
Postmodernism: Style & Subversion 1970 – 1990 September 24 2011 – January 15 2012 V&A London UK Role: Contributor See here.
Mindful Of Art September 19 – September 26 Old Vic Tunnels London UK Role: Contributor See here.
Process: The Working Practices Of Barney Bubbles Sept 21 – Oct 23 2010 Chelsea Space London UK Role: Curator with Caz Facey See here.
Recent Comments