Barry Miles (born 21 February 1943) is an English author known for his participation in and writing on the subjects of the 1960s

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...

underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground ...

and

counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Hou ...

. He is the author of numerous books and his work has also regularly appeared in leftist newspapers such as ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

''. In the 1960s, he was co-owner of the

Indica Gallery Indica Gallery was a counterculture art gallery in Mason's Yard (off Duke Street), St James's, London from 1965 to 1967, in the basement of the Indica Bookshop. John Dunbar, Peter Asher, and Barry Miles owned it, and Paul McCartney supporte ...

and helped start the independent newspaper '' International Times''.

Biography

In the 1960s, Miles worked at

Better Books ''Better Books'' was an independent bookstore. It was founded by Tony Godwin and was located at 94 Charing Cross Road, London. The shop was a significant location in the 1960s counterculture movement in London. History It was founded by British ...

, which was managed by

Tony Godwin Anthony Richard James Wylie Godwin (17 December 1919 – 15 March 1976) was an influential British publisher of the 1960s/1970s. His contribution to the publishing industry is recognized in the form of the Tony Godwin Memorial Trust. Born in Ledb ...

. Godwin was friends with

Lawrence Ferlinghetti Lawrence Monsanto Ferlinghetti (March 24, 1919 – February 22, 2021) was an American poet, painter, social activist, and co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers. The author of poetry, translations, fiction, theatre, art criticism, an ...

, with whom he would exchange Penguin books for City Lights publications. In 1965

Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...

gave a reading at Better Books that led to the

International Poetry Incarnation The International Poetry Incarnation was an event at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 11 June 1965. Background In May 1965, Allen Ginsberg arrived at Better Books, an independent bookstore in London's Charing Cross Road, and offered to read an ...

, a seminal event co-organised by Miles. In 1965, Miles and his wife, the former

Susan Crane Sue Miles (born Susan Crane, 20 March 1944 – 8 October 2010) was an Anglo-American counter-culture activist and restaurateur. With her husband Barry and the support of celebrities such as Paul McCartney, she started the Indica Gallery and the ...

,Jonathon Gree
Obituary: Sue Miles
''The Guardian'' (website), 13 October 2010. introduced

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

hash brownies A cannabis edible, also known as a cannabis-infused food or simply an edible, is a food product (either homemade or produced commercially) that contains decarboxylated cannabinoids (cannabinoid acids converted to their orally bioactive form) f ...

by using a recipe for hash fudge that they had found in '' The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook''.Miles, ''London Calling: A Countercultural History of London Since 1945'', 2010, p. 233. Following the International Poetry Incarnation, Miles established the

and Bookshop, allowing him to meet many of the stars of the Swinging London social scene. Miles brought McCartney into contact with people who wanted to start '' International Times'', which McCartney helped to fund.Miles (2010), p. 232. With John Hopkins and Dave Howson, Miles organised

The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream was a concert held in the Great Hall of the Alexandra Palace, London, on 29 April 1967. The fund-raising concert for the counterculture paper ''International Times'' was organised by Barry Miles, John "Hoppy" Hopkins ...

, a

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...

on 29 April 1967 at Alexandra Palace to raise funds for '' International Times''. It was a multi-artist event, featuring poets, artists and musicians. Pink Floyd headlined the event; other artists included:

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

and

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

Arthur Brown Arthur Brown may refer to: Entertainment * Arthur William Brown (1881–1966), Canadian commercial artist * H. Arthur Brown (1906–1992), American orchestral conductor * Arthur Brown (musician) (born 1942), English rock singer * Arthur Brown, ak ...

, jazz-rock group Soft Machine, Tomorrow and

The Pretty Things ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

. Miles became the ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

'' manager of the Apple's short-lived

Zapple Records Apple Records is a record label founded by the Beatles in 1968 as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Ma ...

label in 1969. While temporarily living in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, Miles produced an album of poetry readings by Richard Brautigan entitled ''Listening to Richard Brautigan'' for Zapple. Miles's friendship with Brautigan ended when Miles became involved in an affair with Brautigan's girlfriend Valerie Estes. By the time, the album was completed Miles and Brautigan communicated to each other only through their respective lawyers. Zapple was closed before it could release the Brautigan album, but it was eventually released in 1970 by the U.S. division of

Harvest Records Harvest Records is a British-American record label belonging to Capitol Music Group, originally created by EMI in 1969. History Harvest Records was created by EMI in 1969 to market progressive rock music, and to compete with Philips' Vertigo ...

. Miles also produced Ginsberg's ''

Songs of Innocence and Experience ''Songs of Innocence and of Experience'' is a collection of illustrated poems by William Blake. It appeared in two phases: a few first copies were printed and illuminated by Blake himself in 1789; five years later, he bound these poems with a ...

'' LP, recorded in 1969 and released the following year. In 1970, Miles moved with his wife to rural

New York state New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

, where he lived with Ginsberg on his farm. However, Miles's marriage soon ended and he returned to England. Miles currently lives in London and is married to travel writer Rosemary Bailey. Miles's book ''Hippie'' is a reminiscence of the Hippie sub-culture of the 1960s and early 1970s, with interviews, quotes, and images. He co-wrote ''I Want to Take You Higher'' (documenting the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music an ...

exhibit by the same name) with Charles Perry and James Henke. Miles wrote Paul McCartney's official biography, ''

Many Years from Now ''Paul McCartney: Many Years from Now'' is a 1997 biography of Paul McCartney by Barry Miles. It is the "official" biography of McCartney and was written "based on hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews undertaken over a period of five years", ...

'' (1998). Miles has also written biographies of Frank Zappa, John Lennon,

William S. Burroughs William Seward Burroughs II (; February 5, 1914 – August 2, 1997) was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular cultur ...

, Jack Kerouac,

Charles Bukowski Henry Charles Bukowski ( ; born Heinrich Karl Bukowski, ; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of his adopted ...

and Ginsberg, in addition to books on The Beatles, Pink Floyd and

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 ...

, as well as a definitive history of London's counterculture since 1945, ''London Calling''.

Politics

In March 1978, Miles wrote an article critical of the band Rush and its drummer

Neil Peart Neil Ellwood Peart OC (; September 12, 1952 – January 7, 2020) was a Canadian-American musician, best known as the drummer and primary lyricist of the rock band Rush. Peart earned numerous awards for his musical performances, including an ...

, which contentiously labeled the band as

right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...

;"Is everybody feelin' all RIGHT? (Geddit...?)"
. ''New Musical Express'', 4 March 1978. Peart described himself as a " left-libertarian." The article, published in UK's ''

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'', took exception to Peart's advocacy of the

Objectivist Objectivism is a philosophical system developed by Russian-American writer and philosopher Ayn Rand. She described it as "the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement ...

philosophy of

Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum;, . Most sources transliterate her given name as either ''Alisa'' or ''Alissa''. , 1905 – March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and p ...

. Peart had also described the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

as products of a "socialist" state. Miles also described Rand (a Russian

anti-communist Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...

who had become an American citizen) as an "ultra right-wing American." Miles focused on Peart's politics and criticized the band's perceived aloofness and

libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

rhetoric. In a 2005 biography of Frank Zappa, Miles criticized Zappa regarding his business-oriented approach to art and complaints about inefficient labor union regulations. Zappa regularly described himself as "a devout capitalist" and attempted to broker joint commercial ventures with business interests in the former

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

following the end of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

in 1991.

Works

* Miles and Pearce Marchbank, ''The Illustrated Rock Almanac'' (1977), Paddington Press * ''Bob Dylan'' (1978), Big O Publishing * ''Bob Dylan in His Own Words'' (1978), edited by Pearce Marchbank,

Omnibus Press Omnibus Press is a publisher of music-related books. It publishes around 30 new titles a year to add to a backlist of over 250 titles currently in print. History Omnibus Press was launched in 1972 as a general non-fiction publisher to complem ...

* ''Beatles in Their Own Words'' (1978, compiler), edited by Pearce Marchbank,

* ''Bowie in His Own Words'' (1980, compiler),

* ''John Lennon in His Own Words '' (1980, compiler),

* ''David Bowie Black Book'' (1980),

* * ''Pink Floyd: A Visual Documentary'' (1981 revised edition, and 1988 as 21st anniversary edition),

* ''The Beatles: An Illustrated Discography'' (1981),

* ''The Jam'' (1981),

* ''The Pretenders'' (1981),

* ''The Ramones: An Illustrated Biography'' (1981),

* ''Talking Heads'' (1981),

* * ''Pink Floyd: The Illustrated Discography'' (1981),

* * ''Mick Jagger in His Own Words'' (1982, compiler),

* * * ''Pink Floyd: Another Brick: The Illustrated Pink Floyd Story'' (1984),

* * * * * * ''Frank Zappa in His Own Words'' (1993, compiler),

* ''Frank Zappa: A Visual Documentary'' (1993),

* ''The Rolling Stones: A Visual Documentary'' (1994),

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Notes and references

External links

Barry Miles' websiteFinding aid to the Barry Miles papers at Columbia UniversityThe Papers of Barry Miles
at the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miles, Barry Apple Records Celebrity biographers English biographers People from Cirencester 1943 births Living people British psychedelic drug advocates Date of birth missing (living people)