Richey James Edwards
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Richey James Edwards is the missing member of the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers.
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About
Born on December 22 1968 he attended Oakdale Comprehensive and later (1986-1989) University of Wales Swansea where he graduated with a 2:1 degree in history.
He has one sister named Rachel and was raised by his grandmother because his parents were too poor to keep him.
Richey played the rhythm guitar, wrote lyrics and was responsible for the band's design and image.
Literature and other cultural influences
As well as a deep interest in rock music, Richey's other love was/is literature. He chose many of the quotes that appear on Manics records and would often refer to writers and poets during interviews. This interest in literature has been taken up by many Manics fans and has become as much a part of their appeal as the band's music.
Richey's lyrics have often been of a highly poetic nature, particularly on the bands third album The Holy Bible, and have often reflected his knowledge of political history.
Many of Richey's icons/heroes had a profound effect on him and his work. Many of them, like Kurt Cobain and Sylvia Plath, committed suicide at a young age following a short but exceptionally productive life; J.D. Salinger became a recluse, living a hermit-like existence after releasing his only novel, The Catcher in the Rye, now recognised as a classic. It was this interest in the unusual that helped shape Richey's own career, particularly during the early days, with the promise of releasing one classic album and then burning out.
Disappearance
He disappeared on February 1 1995 on the day that the Manics were due to fly to America for a promotional tour. He checked out of the London Embassy hotel at seven in the morning and was never to be seen again. His silver Vauxhall Cavalier car was discovered thirteen days later near the Severn Bridge with a flat battery. While his family had the option of declaring him legally dead in 2002 after being missing for seven years, they opted not to, choosing to keep it as a missing person case.
General
In the beginning Richey was basically the driver and roadie for the band, but after Flicker the bass guitarist left, he stepped in. More often than not he was miming on the guitar, although he did write about seventy percent of their lyrics on The Holy Bible.
1991 saw him gain notoriety when, on May 15, NME journalist Steve Lamacq questioned the Manics' seriousness at the Norwich Arts Centre. In response, Richey took out a razor blade and carved 4 Real into his forearm. The injury required a trip to the hospital where he received seventeen stitches.
He suffered severe bouts of depression and often self-harmed mainly by stubbing out cigarettes on his body and cutting himself. His frequent problems with alcohol and drugs were well known. After the release of the band's third album The Holy Bible, he checked into The Priory clinic, missing out on some of the promotional work for the album and forcing the band to appear as a three piece at the Reading Festival.
After coming out of the clinic Richey toured Europe with the Manics, Suede, and Therapy? but was never the same again.
His car was found close by to the river, and it has been rumoured that he committed suicide by jumping in, however this has never been proved because of lack of a body.
External links
- #8 in the NME's 100 rock moments (http://microsites.nme.com/rock100/site/8.html) - Richey's self-mutilation
- National Missing Persons official site (http://www.missingpersons.org/)