Alan G. Parker is an Emmy-nominated British documentary film director best known for his films ''

Who Killed Nancy? ''Who Killed Nancy?'' is a British documentary film directed by Alan G. Parker. The film was produced by Ben Timlett and Christine Alderson. It had its US theatrical opening at the Cinema Village in New York City on 30 July 2010. The film exami ...

,'' ''Monty Python: Almost The Truth - The Lawyers Cut'' and ''It Was Fifty Years Ago Today! The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper & Beyond.'' He also wrote a number of books about rock musicians and their lives.

Early life and career

Parker was born in

Lancashire, England Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashir ...

. As child he was diagnosed with

macrocephaly Macrocephaly is a condition in which circumference of the human head is abnormally large. It may be pathological or harmless, and can be a familial genetic characteristic. People diagnosed with macrocephaly will receive further medical tests to ...

. Prior to becoming a filmmaker, Parker worked as a press officer and spent a number of years in the catalogue department at

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. At EMI, Parker worked with various punk and rock bands such as the

Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independen ...

Public Image Ltd Public Image Ltd (abbreviated and stylized as PiL) are an English post-punk band (and incorporated limited company) formed by singer John Lydon (previously known as the singer of Sex Pistols), guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and dr ...

and

Stiff Little Fingers Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977 at the height of the Troubles, which informed much of their songwriting. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star (named after the De ...

. During that time he also wrote for magazines and published books about

Sid Vicious John Simon Ritchie (10 May 1957 – 2 February 1979), better known by his stage name Sid Vicious, was an English musician, best known as the bassist for the punk rock band Sex Pistols. Despite dying in 1979 at age 21, he remains an icon of the ...

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

and Stiff Little Fingers. In 2009 he directed ''Who Killed Nancy?'' and made ''Monty Python: Almost The Truth - The Lawyers Cut,'' the latter being nominated for six Emmy awards. Parker also directed the documentary ''It Was Fifty Years Ago Today! The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper & Beyond,'' released in 2017''.''

Films directed

*''Who Killed Nancy?'' (2009) *''Love Kills'' (2007) (documentary included in a 2007 DVD-reissue of ''

Sid and Nancy ''Sid and Nancy'' (also known as ''Sid and Nancy: Love Kills'') is a 1986 British biographical film directed by Alex Cox, co-written with Abbe Wool, and starring Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb. The film portrays the life of Sid Vicious, bassist of t ...

'') *''Monty Python: Almost the Truth (Lawyers Cut)'' (2009) *''The David Essex Story'' *''Hello Quo'' - The Official

Status Quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. W ...

Movie (2012) *''Rebel Truce'' - The History of

(2007) *''Never Mind the Sex Pistols'' (2005) *''The Making of All Mod Cons'' -

The Jam The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 198 ...

(dir.

Don Letts Donovan "Don" Letts (born 10 January 1956) is a British film director, disc jockey (DJ) and musician. Letts first came to prominence as the videographer for the Clash, directing several of their music videos. In 1984, Letts co-founded the band B ...

, contributor) (2006) *''It Was Fifty Years Ago Today! The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper & Beyond'' (2017)

Books published

* ''The Who by Numbers: The Story of The Who Through Their Music'', 2009 * ''Sid Vicious: No One Is Innocent'', 2007 * ''Cum On, Feel the Noize: The Story of Slade'', 2006 * ''Vicious: Too Fast to Live'', 2004 * ''Stiff Little Fingers: Song by Song'', 2003 * ''The Clash: Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg'', 2003 * ''John Lennon & The FBI Files'', 2003 * '' Satellite: Sex Pistols'', 1999 * ''Sid’s Way: Sid Vicious'', 1991 * ''Hardcore Superstar: Traci Lords'' Young Flesh Required: Sex Pistols 2011

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Alan G. 1965 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) People from Blackburn English music journalists English biographers