| Everett True | |
|---|---|
 Everett True in 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jeremy Andrew Thackray |
| Also known as | Jerry Thackray The Legend |
| Born | (1961-04-21)21 April 1961 (age 63) Chelmsford,Essex, England |
| Genres | Rock |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Labels | Thick Syrup Records |
Everett True (bornJeremy Andrew Thackray on 21 April 1961) is an Englishmusic journalist and musician. He became interested in rock music after hearingThe Residents, and formed a band with school friends. He has written and recorded asThe Legend.
In 1982, he went to a gig by The Laughing Apple and met the group's lead singerAlan McGee. According to McGee: "there used to be this guy who'd stand at the front of all the gigs and dance disjointedly". They became friends and when McGee started the Communication Blur club, he offered Thackray the role ofcompėre, stating that Thackray "was the most un-enigmatic, boring, kindest, shyest person you could ever meet – and it just appealed to my sense of humour to make him compère."[1] He was originally billed as "the legendary Jerry Thackray", eventually shortened to simply "The Legend".[1] McGee also offered him a column in his newfanzine, also calledCommunication Blur, but Thackray left after two issues, because he objected to McGee's proposal to put aflexidisc ofThe Smiths on the front cover. He instead started his ownzine,The Legend!, under which name he recorded the single "73 in 83", the first to be released by McGee'sCreation Records.[2] In 1984, he released a second single, "Legend Destroys the Blues", but his performing career did not take off. He puts this down to that he "didn't like to perform a song more than once", although he has continued to make occasional appearances.[3]
In 1983, Thackray began working at theNew Musical Express. In 1988, he was sacked from the paper, and instead took a job at its rival,Melody Maker. He was told to adopt a new pseudonym, as the "Legend!" name was too closely associated with theNME. He chose "Everett True", from the early twentieth century cartoonThe Outbursts of Everett True.[4]
Within months, he was sent toSeattle to cover the emerginggrunge scene. In 1989, as The Legend!, he performed guest vocals on a single withCalvin Johnson andTobi Vail's bandThe Go Team. In 1991, he introducedKurt Cobain toCourtney Love at aButthole Surfers andL7 gig. The three became close friends, and, in 1992, True wheeled Cobain on stage at theReading Festival.[2] In 2006, True publishedNirvana: The True Story, a book about his personal relationship with the band and thegrunge scene.[5][6][7]
In the early 1990s, True lived inBrighton, East Sussex, with members of the bandHuggy Bear.
Leaving MM in the late 1990s, he became editor ofVox, reverting on this occasion to his real name. It has been claimed that the bandtheaudience were formed after founder memberBilly Reeves bet True £100 that he could form a band and get it signed.[8]
In 1998, True returned to Seattle, where he worked for a year as music editor forThe Stranger,[9] before heading for Australia, where he freelanced at Melbourne broadsheet,The Age. He also recorded an album under the name The Legend!. Back again in the United Kingdom, he set up the magazineCareless Talk Costs Lives in 2002. Issues of this publication began at No. 12 and counted down, claiming that "we have set out to replace the decaying music press in Britain, so by issue zero we will either have achieved our objectives or given up trying".[10] By the twelfth issue (#1), it was clear that it would not achieve its ambitions, and True instead foundedPlan B.
Between 2004 and 2009, True has also written books, including ones on theRamones,The White Stripes, as well as an account of his time with Nirvana. In 2008, he relocated with his family toBrisbane in Australia. Up until the start of 2009, he wrote a weekly column for VillageVoice.com,[11] andThe Guardian – with the latter, entering into conflict with Australia's music street press.[12] There was also a fair amount of controversy over some unguarded remarks True made on Twitter with regard to the usage of Kurt Cobain's image inGuitar Hero 5.[13][14] These led to immediate furious denials fromDave Grohl andKrist Novoselic.[15] Later, Courtney Love denied that she had anything to do with the matter, but it was then revealed that Love had worked withActivision on crafting Cobain's look for the game.[16] The family subsequently returned to the United Kingdom.
True currently contributes columns to Sweden's Go Magazine, New York City's Bust magazine, the Something Awful website and writes for various Australian online publications including Mess And Noise and The Vine.[17] True also fronts two Brisbane bands: The Deadnotes andThe Thin Kids,[18] the latter of which caused some controversy when they picked up a plum support toKate Nash midway through 2010.[19] For several years, he was the main editor and writer for the Brisbane-based online magazine, Collapse Board.[20]
His most recent project is Rejected Unknown, a media/publishing company set up in response to the33⅓ series of music books; it takes its name from the album byDaniel Johnston. The first book came out in 2016, and is entitled101 Albums You Should Die Before You Hear, a critique of the sacred cows of the rock music canon.[21] This was followed in 2017 by his biographyThe Electrical Storm: Grunge, my Part In Its Downfall,[22] and in 2018 by the short story collectionEd Sheeran Is Shit.[23]
As Jerry Thackray, he is Course Leader in BA (Hons) Music Journalism at BIMM London.[24] He still performs on stage as The Legend!.[25]
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