Nicky Wire of Manic Street Preachers on the death of rock'n'roll

[@cenkkmusic]

Nicky Wire is one of loveliest rock stars on earth.

[@sarrystylesofficial]

his ranting is so comforting to listen to for some reason

[@melissawright1979]

Nicky and Richey were joined at the hip. Nicky must miss him terribly 😕😢

[@gunks_getaway]

"Coldplay have conquered the world, yeah, by turning themselves into Enya." (5:00)

[@garrieleepeck8753]

God I hate cold play

[@melissawright1979]

Thomas Gunkler I cracked up when he said that lol x

[@SiLatics56]

Thomas Gunkler Awww I like Enya. Have to be in a certain mood for it though. I guess this isn't a swipe at Enya though, it's about Coldplay selling out. Enya never sold out to be fair to her ☺

[@Stryker146]

There's nowt wrong with Enya.

[@johncodee9175]

I like Enya and her style of music since being a kid, but CAN'T STAND COLDPLAY!! That whiney voice of Chris Martin goes through me and all their songs want to be U2!!

[@lisanneolthof4419]

Nicky is such a sweet guy

[@leemorgan8478]

The Manics are the best rock band that had come out of Britain since the the last death rattle of rock in the early 70's they say something about how we live .

[@LUFC123]

Oasis and manics best since the beatles

[@LUFC123]

@Lynchology101 They've had more than two good albums. Yes the first two are the best but be here now is a great album so is heathen chemistry don't believe the truth and dig out your soul also the masterplan b side album is better than most albums nowadays.

[@Stranglerxx77]

@BecksBolero17 Yea definitely !

[@luvparc6787]

Babyshambles and libs

[@lunachickfringe5319]

Just saw him in Chicago Nov 2022. He was directly in front of me, about 6 rows ahead. He's amazing and put on a great show!!

[@pushon10]

He's such a lovely guy.

[@empav1971]

Never forgotten, always in the hearts of their fans! MSP 4ever!

[@johnny5805]

He's very humble. As a lyricist, he's magnificent.

[@effkyalex1941]

i love him the way a child loves his teddy bear

[@astrideavolta]

What a fantastic interview. Thank you!

[@lozza456789]

i thoroughly enjoyed that interview thanks

[@frizzman1991]

I'm a 21 year old rock and roll guitarist who will never give up, and neither will the rest of my comrades in Gang of Thieves. I believe Brian Johnson was right, rock n' roll ain't gonna die.

[@yesbwana]

...AND?

[@pushon10]

This was surprisingly moving.

[@ahagestedt]

I think he largely hit it on the nose: still good bands out there, pop in general is better......but I don't think ALL the attitude is gone. Granted, it's not real visible. And I don't think the Net is the problem....it's going to wind up the answer, really. the big corporate record companies are the problem....churning out the crap and forcing that on us. The Net allows the good stuff to come through. Still, however....hoping to find something as good as the Manics.

[@onecureforman]

We are here! Very alone but trying sincerely hard.

[@ruthieengleman7696]

love how he mentions the horrors

[@lysander1]

rock & roll isn't dead.... it's just hiding underground.... where it belongs.

[@caleron0]

the problem is that rock in invisible right now, the effect of this is that kids wont be inspired by the guitar and in general wont start playing guitar because of this. this is a problem on the long run

[@yourrealdad88]

Given the fact that I can hardly watch or listen to any manic songs without going through vevo, it's no wonder rock is dead, music companies have milked it for all it's really worth and the old or current mainstream artists arent doing it any favour's, but whatever, there are hundereds of great song;s already out there, so why worry

[@benogrady9572]

Looks like Rodney Trotter's son (the interviewer)

[@TheMichaelseymour]

Nicky has been an amazing writer to be able to fill the shoes of richey . He has more intellectual savvy that he gives himself credit for .... lets face it - they have spent 18 yrs without richey ...so credit is due. Good idea to replace james - why not ??? Or even get a lead singer ?

[@revol148]

2.24 - listening to your Lifeblood album made me sad as well Nicky!

[@eviltoastman]

It made them sad too. They hate it.

[@revol148]

.....I remember the interviews Nicky Wire gave around the time of the albums release - he said it was "the Holy Bible for the year 2004" ! The love of Richard Nixon is still a great single.

[@eviltoastman]

+revol148 last year on BBC Breakfast. Nicky and James said that they regret that album.

[@eviltoastman]

+revol148 it's called retrospect. I'm surprised you did not consider that possibility. Have you not listened to a song or album or indeed bought one and then get sick of it or start to dislike it? These are considerations a reasonable person would have made and therefore would not have replied with what appears to be an unnecessary and possibly obtuse rhetorical question with its own flawed assumed conclusion.

[@drexlspivey5828]

Empty Souls is probably my favourite Manics single

[@issyjas3309]

If you take longevity and output then they’re the best band of the last 40 years. No one else comes close

[@mojojojojuniper6122]

Rock n roll is still alive it's called playing 50s 60s 70s 80s and some 90s CDs and tapes and vinyl

[@emathurman]

wonder what nicky wire thinks of the 1975

[@leemorgan8478]

They are real rock n roll .

[@SpodFromspace]

Thanks to x factor, young people are not being exposed to rock music - rock`s not on the radio, not on sale in supermarkets (real "record shops" have all but become extinct) & therefore, there`s no money in being in a rock band getting zero airplay when you can just sing someone else`s song & get rich & famous. Kids want riches & fame for the least effort. Soon, rock WILL be dead because the music industry is letting it die. eg chase & status at download - wtf??

[@KennLau]

Rock n Roll will never die!

[@craignightingale8022]

'Docility'. 9 years ago. A lot has happened since then!

[@punkisinthedetails1470]

No one has any bollocks, nevermind. Englands Sleeping. Sheena is a checkout girl @ Tesco. We used to be In Bloom but now the Flowers are in the Dustbin. Council Style is no longer Going Underground and Rock n Roll has taken us half way up the Mountain.

[@BeyondSideshow]

I think Kate Tempest has some balls.

[@trowelarm]

Always great in interviews is Mr Wire. A good point about rock being in the doldrums, with the exception of the Arctic monkeys, the scene is pretty poor.These things tend to cyclical, for most of the 1980's the guitar disappeared from view only to return with a bang in the 90's.

[@sivakaproductions]

The metal scene is huge and healthy, open your minds to it rockers!

[@maryreilly5102]

dat smile

[@123Helterskelter123]

1. rock is a too vague term for it to ever die unless the world loses interest in post clsssical music altogether 2. people told the beatles guitars were on the out... in 1960. weve heard this one before

[@OctaveWar]

We wouldn't be able to handle GT, Gold or Holy Bible right now, a new version of that would blow us away. I'd love to know where all the rock bands are, because unless you wait for the Manics, Muse or even metal Metallica to release something, there are no new bands who played loud, fast and do solos like James Dean.

[@BeatlesN01]

I keep Rock n Roll alive

[@OctaveWar]

I agree with Nicky Adams, Rock and roll is dead!!! When the Darkness came out and battered Radio 1 and all tv screens with their rock, as silly as the high pitched vocals and outfits were, rock was back then, guitars turned up loud and not played on a clean setting were all over the place but now its just like pop, rnb is in and any bands who do well are playing their guitars clean. I like White likes and Block party but certainly the latter is what rock is all about now, more indie, more clean.

[@justcallmesando]

And that was 2011... it´s 2018 and rock hasn´t reawakened. Instead Gibson is in bankrupt cause there is no more "I want to be in that band" feeling. It´s more of a "I want to look like that" trend. That´s the way it is now.

[@steventhomas231]

Too true. I want to be popular on social media and get my own products.

[@ebonycocozza9145]

There are many kids nowadays thinking they can pick up a guitar and write souless music and claim to be rock & roll. That's not what rock and roll is about and yet they claim to be about it. Rock and roll certainly isn't dead it's just not popular anymore. Queen, Pink Floyd etc aren't in the charts and they're still very much alive? Another thing to mention, perhaps I'm out of order here but is it necessary to call Nicky Wire a dick because he has a different opinion? Na I don't think so. NEXT!

[@ELONut]

-Rock n Roll Is King!

[@burkezillar]

I hope to christ the Manics dont die.

[@uk1988tb303]

Has there been any decent original guitar music in the last 15 years? Surely everything possible with a traditional rock group has already been done, and done better.

[@Harvester236]

The White Stripes?

[@mebeasensei]

Girls just don't dig the music, and so...But they still dig the special guys that all the other guys look up to - to an extent. So the last rock bands, which staged the revival of 2000-2002 were all super pretty boys, 'The Strokes' looked like models, 'The Vines' and 'The Hives' had singers who were beautiful and pretty and even the 'White Stripes' had Jack, and he is good looking, not to mention the sexual tension of him and the drummer. But the options a computer can deliver win now, and besides, even if Hip Hop is conservative musically, the ghetto is still real in our imaginations with their words. Facebook defines passive consumerism - or rather the opposite of consume, exumerism. We get tracked and cataloged with every key stroke. It defines our future . Noboby gonna sing about that. Would seem daft, but that is about all a middle class white rock 'n roll wannabe could really complain about. (Going bald also sucks, but no comment on that too)

[@therunaways13]

+TommyTwobats "girls just don't dig the music..." well i am girl and i dig music... mostly from 70,80 and 90's..... and i have my own band. Anyway,,,, i love music, and that's because i love the guys who is making music. :)

[@mebeasensei]

therunaways13 Awesome! I'm glad for you, and I wanna get some music goin too.

[@leeturbo2008]

nicky is a top bloke

[@Tinewashere]

baroque is dead too. styles will die and come back again, that's how it's always been.

[@therunaways13]

HE got beautiful eyes, why he hide them??? :D Anyway, he is cool at stage. I like his solo album...not the best but okay.

[@notanumberf7958]

agree with Nicky there isn't much "rock n roll" but there is the Palma Violets who have silly nicknames and everything!! but for bands with a real message there ain't much this generation has no Clash or Beatles. The Palma violets makes me to be in a band just as much as the Clash, Manics and the Pistols!

[@manicstreet.kasabian3332]

It isn't dead, have you heard Royal Blood.

[@Harvester236]

It's not dead, but it's definitely not mainstream. Royal Blood are one of the few genuine rock bands who've been very lucky, as the 2010s will be remembered predominantly for Grime and Hip Hop.

[@armv7-m603]

It's not dead but not mainstream. You have rap songs that rocket up to 100+ million views in a week and a half, but even some of the more popular rock bands struggling to get to 20 million views.

[@SpodFromspace]

They died years ago - where are the rock gods of NOW?? When the x-factor do rock, it`s NOT ROCK!!!! Rock IS dying out & there`s nothing we can do because there are fewer rock bands out there & of those less get signed only to recieve zero airplay on mainstream radio. We need young, impressionable teens to rebel NOT listen to the same music as their parents & I can`t see that happening anymore. I can`t even get "Scuzz" (music channel) on Virgin media! Metal/Rock Is getting harder to find!

[@OliverMarson]

He's basically just said that he has a problem with anyone thinking that they can be in a band...I don't see anything wrong with that? Its just another way of expressing oneself and if people don't want to pay for it then so what? Music was never about making money, and if he's finding it hard to do that then maybe he should look to the fact that his band have been making mediocre albums since 1998.

[@steves1460]

Musicians, footballers, actors and so on being politicians, cringe. Champagne socialism at its finest! At least this guy seems to have stayed humble and so fair credit to him.

[@LoLzZ85]

He looks like Olive from On the Buses.

[@BeatlesN01]

ROCK N ROLL IS NOT DEAD

[@huskvarsm]

he is right.....(;

[@rigsby1454]

After the libertines I don't think theres been anything else

[@davidattwell2574]

Some pop music 🎼 id alright 💵👍👍🎶🎶😃🤓🤓😃😃😎😆

I’m sorry, but rock isn’t dead or even dying. I work at a pretty successful record store, so I should know.

[@MarcioSilva-ssiillvvaa]

Progress is a comfortable disease. Remember that?

[@Jonny_Red]

👀 KABOOOOM! wow, 2 n a half years foresight.... 1st line of 2nd verse of Afterending from the Ultra Vivid Lament album 🙂🙂🙂

[@vistacruiser70s]

The whole world is dead.

[@foggybest]

Love Nicky Wire, but as he gets older he is starting to look a lot like Les McQueen, the character from League of Gentlemen. Needs to ditch those glasses.

[@MarcioSilva-ssiillvvaa]

Lol

[@ewennicolson4342]

Les McQueen

[@PhilSupernova88]

Ironic that someone who looks pretentious said that rock n roll is pretentious

[@natiunealternativa]

Richey was miming on guitar and you are talking about the death of rock n roll LOL :))

[@9000Lore]

mucho mucho barulho no se puede ouvir

[@greenmorris37]

And your point is ???

[@TheMichaelseymour]

hopefully ....it comes out of its coma .

[@totallytotal2010]

nope

[@danielthompson4463]

Talks about “hipsters” whilst dressing like one.

[@angrybrowncat]

Rock n' roll IS dead.

[@1Larry9Mullen1Jr2]

:)

[@SiLatics56]

Pop music is worse now than it's ever been and was just as bad at the time of this interview. Not sure what he's banging on about. Also, the Coldplay turning into Enya isn't exactly an accurate comparison. Yeah they've sold out a bit which is a shame but they still do the odd good song (oh and Enya is good too).

[@Sharkwhisperer]

Rock dead? depends how deep you dig...I mean Ty Segall, Swans, King Gizzard, Together Pangea certainly rock. Manic Street Preachers is an example of how rock could be dead, they tried to sound like U2, larger than life with every single guitar chord they pick. Manic Street Preachers absolutely is not rock n roll, so it is strange having Nicky Wire talking about this issue. In their view conquering the world is what rock n roll is about. Really? should that be what rock is about? Hell no!

[@merseybeast76]

I thought you were making some valid point until you wrote: (about MSP) "they tried to sound like U2"!!! How do you know they tried to sound like U2, have you spoken to the band about this? I've never seen anything by them referring to it. Did they ever sound like U2? MSP not rock and roll? What is R&R? I think you've made some ridiculous statements without offering any evidence to support them

[@Sharkwhisperer]

with every chord Manic Street Preachers tried to sound larger than life. Also their texts were quite pretentious. But maybe im biased.... : )

[@MrBassJon]

Swans and King Gizzard? But they were never relevant!!

[@Sharkwhisperer]

It does not matter if you fill stadiums or not, it does not matter if you sell albums or not, what matters is whether you are rock and are able to make great albums, if you do that, then you are relevant....

[@merseybeast76]

Sharkwhisperer Do you listen to any rock music mate, or are you just being deliberately obnoxious?

[@Rohmtschen]

who cares what musicians think about anything? Blah.

[@j8709]

Stupid questions. Rock n Roll should never be too political - sociological, yes, but not political. Take the Stones and The Who, for example - they did it well. Nothing was more primal and exciting at the time - and still is, if you appreciate what Rock n Roll actually is about - than Elvis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley...they weren't remotely political. Politics doesn't make Rock n Roll. It's all about attitude and the love of what is Rock n Roll. You either get it, or you don't. The interviewer hasn't got a clue himself.

[@mebeasensei]

God Save the Queen!

[@BeyondSideshow]

The Manic Street Preachers are doing it wrong, then? They don't have the right attitude? I thought this was a very solid interview, actually. But then I'm not in the habit of dictating to anyone else what a genre "actually is about". "Rock'n'roll should be sociological but not political" - do you understand how silly that sounds?

[@5piecekit]

U2 -In the name of love or MLK. Bob Dylan just wrote Murder most foul a 17 minute song about the assassination of JFK. The Sex Pistols wrote Anarchy in the UK. Rock music has a strong history of being political...

[@fitnesstodaymagazine6715]

carries on the lie...