22 December 1969 - Richey is born in Blackwood, a small South Wales town near Cardiff with strong socialist roots, the town was synonomous with the miners strike under Thatcher. He comments regularly in later life about the ack of anything to do in small Welsh towns. He goes to his local comprehensive secondary school where he meets the 3 other band members.
1989 - He joins the band after having served as a roadie and starts to primarily write lyrics with Nicky, the bassist. He was unskilled in playing guitar and would only do rhythm and often played live with his guitar unplugged.
May 15 1991 - In an argument with Steve Lamacq over the credibility of the Manic Street Preachers, Richey carves the word '4REAL' in his left arm with a razorblade in a public act of self harm. He self harmed regularly but was fairly open about it.
1992 - The first album is released.
June 21st 1993 - The second album is released.
25th September 1993 - Richey sees his best friend, Nicky get married. Richey never found love despite many one night stands and was described by James Dean Bradfield (singer and lead guitar) as being very cruel and scornful whenever he had a girlfriend.
October 1993- On a tour of Germany, Richey drinks copious amounts of alcohol and stubs cigarettes out on himself. He goes to a health farm.
8th April 1994 - Kurt Cobain kills himself. He was a big inspiration to Richey and the band were inspired by Nirvana's 'In Utero' when making their 3rd album. In the same period one of Richey's old friends hangs himself.
July 1994 - After an apparent suicide attempt Richey goes to the Priory where there is a heavy religious influence. Richey documents this in the song 'Journal for Plague Lovers'. He leaves in September.
29th August 1994 - Their darkest album, 'The Holy Bible' is released, written mainly by Richey the subject matter is very dark and the lyrics very harrowing. The bandhave described the state of mind that they were in when making this album as being the result of hating everything they saw around them as young people and that they could never return to that state of being afterwards.
November - December 1994 - The band tour in support of Suede where Richey is stopped from removing his fingers with a meat cleaver.
19-21st December 1994 - Richey's last gigs with the Manics at the Astoria where they smash all their equipment.
January - February 1995 - Richey's dog dies and he speaks to his parents expressing doubts about the upcoming american tour. He checks in to his hotel on the 31st and checks out on the next day and drives away. He is never seen again. His car is found near the Severn Bridge on 17th February.
23rd November 2008 - After numerous supposed sightings Richey is declared missing, presumed dead at the request of his family.
18th May 2009 - 'Journal for Plague Lovers' is released, an album containing words written by Richey and left to the band shortly before he dissapeared.
Since he disappeared the band continued to put 25% of their earnings into an account for him in case he returned. The case has never been solved.
After having produced this timeline to help me pinpoint how Richey was feeling in different periods and also to reinforce my knowledge of what his life was like I intend next to look at a basic outline of what each of my chosen lyrics mean in relation to the time.
No comments:
Post a Comment