I Was There is a memoir by Alan Edwards, the godfather of modern music PR, whose stellar list of clients has ranged over the years from the Rolling Stones to the Spice Girls via the Stranglers, Blondie, Prince, Britney Spears, Robbie Williams, Amy Winehouse and, outside of music, David Beckham and Naomi Campbell.
Edwards describes getting his break in the mid 1970s as a scruffy, stoned 20 year old just back from the hippy trail; his encounter with London’s thriving punk scene, which inspired him to set up his own PR company; finding success and broadening his horizons as his work with the likes of Blondie and Bowie takes him to the US and beyond. He brings the reader up to the present day through a series of vivid, funny, always insightful behind the scenes vignettes, whether it’s playing a spontaneous game of football with Bob Marley, listening to Prince discuss the future of civilisation in a nightclub VIP area, or being used as a pawn in the power struggle between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
Along the way, we’re treated to all the entertaining tales of debauchery and rock-star antics you might expect, but more uniquely we’re privy to Edwards’ fascinating observations about the brilliant artists he has worked with, and what makes them tick. We also get a front-row seat to the rise of PR as a major force in British society, from the seven-figure media deal Edwards brokered for the Beckhams’ wedding, to the role of spin in the New Labour government.
Even as Edwards grows into the consummate PR, playing a crucial background role in the lives and careers of some of the world’s biggest stars, he retains a powerful sense of being an outsider – never forgetting how lucky he is to look back on decades of music and culture and say, ‘I was there’.