Neil McCormick

For the movie character, see Mysterious Skin § Plot.

Neil McCormick (born 31 March 1961) is a British music journalist, author and broadcaster. He has been Chief Music Critic for The Daily Telegraph since 1996,^[1] and presented a music interview show for Vintage TV in the UK, Neil McCormick's Needle Time.^[2] McCormick is a close associate of rock group U2.^[3]

Early life

McCormick was born in England but later moved with his family to Scotland, then Ireland. He attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin at the same time as all the future members of U2.^[4]

Career

McCormick was songwriter and vocalist in a succession of unsigned bands: Frankie Corpse & The Undertakers (1978),^[5] The Modulators (1978–79)^[6] Yeah!Yeah! (1980–83)^[7] and Shook Up! (1985–88).^[8] He released one solo album, Mortal Coil, under the pseudonym The Ghost Who Walks in 2004.^[9] His song, "Harm's Way", features on the album Songs Inspired by The Passion of the Christ (2004). Writing in The Daily Telegraph, McCormick said, "I should probably quit while I'm ahead."^[10]

As a journalist, he worked for Irish music magazine Hot Press from 1978.^[11] He returned to journalism in the early nineties after an unsuccessful music career, becoming a contributing editor at British GQ (1991–96).^[12] He has been chief rock critic for the Daily Telegraph since 1996, and a regular guest on BBC TV and radio shows as an expert on the music business.^{[citation needed]}

His memoir of an unsuccessful career in the music business, I Was Bono’s Doppelgänger (retitled Killing Bono in the US) was published in 2004.^[13] Elton John called it "the best book I have ever read about trying to make it in the music business."^[14] It has been translated into several languages.^[15][16][17] A 2011 film of Killing Bono starred Ben Barnes as McCormick and Martin McCann as Bono.^[18]

McCormick was ghostwriter of U2 by U2, the band’s bestselling 2006 autobiography.^[19]

His first novel, #Zero, was published in 2019.^[20] To accompany the book, he released an album of tracks from the book's fictional musicians.^[21][22]

References

1. . Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
2. Neil, McCormick (7 May 2013). "Neil McCormick's Needle Time on Vintage TV". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
3. . Harper Collins. Archived from the original on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
4. McCormick, Neil; Adam Clayton; Bono; The Edge; Larry Mullen Jr. (2005). U2 by U2. New York: HarperEntertainment. pp. 40-46. ISBN 0-06-077675-7.
5. "Frankie Corpse & The Undertakers". Irishrock.org. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
6. "The Modulators". Irishrock.org. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
7. "Yeah! Yeah!". Irishrock.org. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
8. "Shook Up!". Irishrock.org. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
9. Cummins, Steve (29 October 2004). "Mortal Coil, Hot Press review". Hot Press. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
10. McCormick, Neil (8 April 2004). "Mel Gibson made me a pop star". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
11. McDermott, Roe (25 March 2011). . Hot Press. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
12. McCormick, Neil (2004). "Chapter 21". Killing Bono. Penguin. pp. 273–277. ISBN 9780241953808.
13. "Killing Bono,". simonandschuster.com. Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
14. . Amazon. Archived from the original on 1 November 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
15. . sammakko. Archived from the original on 23 December 2011. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
16. . Neues Leben. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
17. "Killing Bono, Italian". Amazon. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
18. Catsoulis, Jeannette (3 November 2011). "Killing Bono (2010)". New York Times. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
19. McCormick, Neil. U2 By U2. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 9780060776756. Retrieved 27 September 2013.
20. #Zero. ISBN 9781783526635.
21. "#Zero", Spotify, retrieved 19 April 2019
22. "#Zero [Explicit]". Amazon Music. Retrieved 19 April 2019.