Johnny Rogan - Career

Career

Rogan's first publications were in the late 70s with writings on West Coast American music. Rogan spent his early childhood in the Pimlico area of London. His parents emigrated to London from Waterford (Ireland) in the 1930s. He is a cousin of the actor John Rogan. Rogan's adolescence during the 'Swinging 60s' was vividly captured in the chapter 'The Ghost Of Electricity' from his book 'Timeless Flight Revisited'. There was no mention at all of his tragic family history which included his father (fatal heart attack, late 50s), brother (drowned), sister (fatal brain haemorrhage) and mother (emaciation), among other fatalities.

Rogan attended St Vincents, RC, and Pimlico School and spent the entire 70s as a student, obtaining his first degree in English Language & Literature at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, after which he completed an MA at Acadia University in Canada, specializing in Spenser's The Faerie Queene. This was followed by postgraduate study at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.

His first book Timeless Flight, an acclaimed biography of The Byrds was published when he was still a student at Oxford's Lady Margaret Hall. This work has since been rewritten as the 700 page plus volume, 'Timeless Flight Revisited'. The work won considerable acclaim, including biography of the year in 'Record Collector', in which it was described as "One of the best biographies ever written...Expansive enough to rival War And Peace, Johnny Rogan’s definitive Byrds biography comes close to matching the emotional, if not geographical, range of Tolstoy’s epic novel. One of the achievements of Timeless Flight Revisited is the way in which it matches its narrative flair with the incisiveness of its critical comment... But it’s the narrative drive that makes the book so extraordinary. With its detailed research and fascinating interview material, Timeless Flight Revisited is a compelling portrait of collective turmoil, peopled by characters who win our sympathy at the same time as they earn our disbelief.”, Similar accolades were forthcoming from Billboard, Time Out and Q Magazine ("This is, at least, the best biography of a group ever written"). Unusually, the book has been revised extensively in every decade since its original appearance.

Rogan went on to write more than 20 other books, mainly in the field of music and popular culture. These included epic biographies of Neil Young (Zero To Sixty) and Van Morrison, plus work on John Lennon, The Kinks, Wham!/George Michael (Virgin Yearbook "Book of the Year"), Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and The Smiths. Neil Young is quoted praising Rogan's work on the back of the biography along with a five-star review from Uncut and several other prominent music publications.

The best-selling Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance attracted considerable attention not least from Morrissey who famously said: "Personally I hope Johnny Rogan ends his days very soon in an M3 pile-up." The comment was made prior to the book's publication and Morrissey claimed he had yet to see a copy of any of its contents. Morrissey later mentioned the book on the witness stand in his famous High Court dispute with former Smiths' drummer Mike Joyce and under cross examination testified that comparing some items of witness statements in relation to facts contained in the book that the 'book was correct'; he and Rogan also spoke about matters at the High Court during a recess. The Severed Alliance has remained in print without interruption since first publication in 1992 and frequently appears in listings of all time great music biographies. Rogan continues to write extensively about Morrissey, most recently with 2006's Morrissey: The Albums.

Rogan has written two major biographies of Van Morrison and the acknowledgement page of VM: No Surrender states: "This book has probably had the longest gestation of any I have written." (20 years). However, this is likely to be eclipsed by Rogan's continuing work on the careers of the Byrds and Neil Young. Morrison on his part is quoted as saying: "Rogan's got something to hide. What's he hiding? I'd like to do a book on him." However, this quote emanates from an interview in 1984. No Surrender featured in The Sunday Times Top 10 books of the year and also featured for two consecutive years in hardback and paperback in Mojo's music books of the year. Among the many favourable press notices attached to the paperback edition was an extravagant review concluding: "Van Morrison: No Surrender is the best book about popular culture written about any Irishman living or dead, and it's certainly the best social history of Belfast in the mid-60s ever written."

Rogan has also written lengthy studies of football management and pop management (Starmakers & Svengalis), the latter of which was adapted for a BBC series. He has also contributed to numerous television documentaries, DVDs and anthologies, including Oxford Originals a collection of writings from authors, including Rogan, who studied at Lady Margaret Hall.

Rogan is known for his eccentricity. While working on a book, he once spent one year in isolation without speaking to another human-being.

In December 2011, the 1,200 page 'Byrds: Requiem For The Timeless' was published.

In the summer of 2012, 'Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance - The 20th Anniversary Edition', an expanded and rewritten version of the original was released.