Johnny Rogan

 I only just heard from my chum Chris Charlesworth that our mutual and dearest chum Johnny Rogan has died following a suspected heart attack.

Johnny had been a significant person in my life for 46 years. We met when we both were contributors to the excellent music magazine Dark Star. Here we could all share our left-field music interests -- a lot of Airplane, a lot of Spirit and a lot of Byrds. A couple of years later when Johnny and I had built a friendship, we shook hands on a book deal. I ran a small publishing company and had previously published a Bob Dylan book. The imprint was Scorpion/Dark Star and we paid Johnny an advance of £200. He wanted cash as he did not have a bank account, and he said that this £200 would financially see him through the entire year he would take to complete the book. During the writing he would come to our office in Stratford, London and use our phone as he could not afford to call the USA. From our office at cheap rate in the evening he would call various Byrds. I recall sitting with him as he had long (and I mean LONG) calls with Camilla McGuinn, Roger McGuinn and even Dorothy McGuinn (Roger's mum). I had to point at my watch as Johnny was prone to never ending a call.

That book was Timeless Flight - and we ended up doing three editions and it eventually morphed under his own imprint as the gigantic 2 Volume -  Byrds: Requiem For The Timeless. He is unquestionably the world's leading Byrdologist. By this time Johnny had become one of the finest music biographer's of all-time. Superb and successful biographies of Ray Davies, Van Morrison, Neil Young and Morrissey & Marr have become standard works. His magnificent Starmakers & Svengalis is another gem that details British managerial Charlatans.

He was my original partner in the creation of my Encyclopedia Of Popular Music until he took a sabbatical to write the Morrissey/Marr book. That ended up taking him so much longer and when he came back the EPM bus had left the station. His contributions were important but more significant was his editorial ability. He was the best Editor I ever knew, and he taught me so much that I still use to this day. The art of never using 'like' as like this or that. Use 'such as' instead. Never use the word 'sophomore' as a second album -- it's crass! And I learnt about repetition and tautology from him. He made me a better writer and I am indebted to him for life.

Johnny experienced poverty, and over time, the death of all his direct family. He took over his mother's council flat in Pimlico, and it was here we would meet and work in the early days. He knew my passion for Pizza and would always have a Pizza ready for his tiny oven, ready for lunch. When we became flush we would use the Dean Street Pizza Express many many times, and then cross the road to the Nellie Dean pub and sink several pints of Guinness and chased with Bushmills. We never ran out of conversation.

We also shared romantic ups and downs over the years - and met our final partners in the same month - and it is to his partner Jackie that I send my deepest condolences. His birthday was Valentines Day.

Colin Larkin  Feb 13, 2021.