Carol Clerk

Carol Clerk

Carol Clerk wrote extensively for Melody Maker in the 80s and 90s, and then for Uncut and Classic Rock. In 1985 she won a journalist of the year award from the Professional Publishers Association for her coverage of the Live Aid concert at Wembley. She ghostwrote gangster Reggie Kray's autobiography and was the author of books about Madonna, the Pogues, Hawkind and others, as well as Vintage Tattoos: The Book of Old-School Skin Art. She died in March 2010.

Articles by: Carol Clerk

Hawkwind circa 1970 with a psychedelic overlay on the image

"About halfway through the gig, I got down on my knees and prayed that God would forgive me and release me from this situation": The psychedelic early days of acid overlords and space travellers Hawkwind

By Carol Clerk published

Leading lights of the UK's psychedelic revolution, Hawkwind's early days were a fug of good trips, bad trips, free-form chaos and dancing gazelles

Rolling Stones posing for a photograph in the early 1960s

“The combination of music and sex was something I had never encountered in any other group”: How the Rolling Stones married sex, blues and rock’n’roll and launched themselves to notoriety

By Carol Clerk published

The story of the exhilarating early ’60s birth of the Rolling Stones

AC/DC pose behind ah office desk at their record label, 1976

"I went out expecting to see Kiss at Hammersmith Odeon and instead spent the evening in a pub with Bon Scott and Angus Young": An AC/DC story

By Carol Clerk published

When AC/DC headed off on their Lock Up Your Daughters Tour in the summer of 1976, a future Classic Rock writer was there every step of the way

Janis Joplin leaning on her hand

"She was a much more joyful, humorous, entertaining, alert kind of person than is generally described": The epic story of the real Janis Joplin

By Carol Clerk published

A look back at the career of the First Lady of rock, a short career marked by extraordinary music, terminal insecurity and the search for happiness

Billy Idol in 1982

How Billy Idol turned a song of crazed vengeance into the hit that made him a star

By Carol Clerk published

From going nowhere in London with Generation X, to pop star and transatlantic hits, all it took Billy Idol was 15 minutes in a studio, and his sister getting pregnant

The Damned horsing around backstage in 1986

The story behind Eloise by The Damned

By Carol Clerk published

A premonition? A hunch? Destiny? In The Damned’s first ever interview, they said they wanted to cover the highly unlikely Eloise. Ten years later it gave them their biggest ever hit

A portrait of Siouxsie Sioux

The story behind the song: Dear Prudence by Siouxsie And The Banshees

By Carol Clerk last updated

Originally a Beatles song on the White Album, the Banshees’ version passed that important cover acid-test: "Quite a lot of people thought Dear Prudence was our original,” says Siouxsie

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss: Raising Sand

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss - Raising Sand review

By Carol Clerk published

In which Robert Plant finds direction with a startling collaboration with Union Station singer Alison Krauss

The Who in 1968

The Who: from purple hearts to power chords

By Carol Clerk published

How The Who threw away their mod trappings and became the voice of a whole new rock g-g-generation

Uriah Heep

Uriah Heep, Splodgenessabounds, and the most ridiculous prank in festival history

By Carol Clerk published

While Jim was fixing it for Uriah Heep fan Martin, it was actually Max Splodge who was really fixing it for Heep. Confused? Read on...

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN Photo of Alice COOPER , 1976

Alice Cooper: "I used to carry a gun around with me"

By Carol Clerk published

Shock rock’s foremost practising Christian, the artist formerly known as Vincent shares his thoughts on snakes, guns and Bible study

Aerosmith – The Story Behind Sweet Emotion

By Carol Clerk published

The true tale behind one of Aerosmith's most iconic songs

Rory Gallagher: Goodfella

By Carol Clerk published

Known for his musical integrity and down-to-earth approach, he was the workingman's guitarist. To mark the 10th anniversary of his 1995 death, CR talks to the people who knew Rory best.

(Billy) Idol Gossip

By Carol Clerk published

Twenty years on from Rebel Yell and 10 years after overdosing on crack, Billy came back in 2005 with trademark sneer, guitarist Steve Stevens and an album of him doing what he does best.