That he survived so long may well be a miracle.

Mick Farren spent more than four decades in the thick of the culture wars as a commentator, activist, essayist, poet, performer, and rebel with multiple causes. Being a founding figure in the 1960s underground press, who was forced to defend his work at The Old Bailey, might well be sufficient laurels on which to rest, but, instead, he careered on through the London birth pangs of punk, the intoxicated madness of Lower Manhattan under Ronald Reagan, plus earthquakes and urban insurrection in Los Angeles. He wrote for International Times (IT), OZ, NME, the Village Voice, the Los Angeles Times, and countless other publications great and small. And as if that wasn’t enough, Farren took time out to publish some two dozen novels and create an entire catalogue of rock’n’roll songs, not only for his own band the Deviants but also for Hawkwind, Pink Fairies, Motörhead, and Metallica.

Elvis Died For Somebody’s Sins But Not Mine is a collection of Mick Farren’s own favourite pieces, blistering extracts from his writing beginning with the underground press through to short stories and novels.

“Within these pages you’ll meet the likes of Frank Zappa, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry and Gore Vidal, and steam open correspondence between the author and Pete Townshend. And, much more importantly, you’re about to go one-on-one with a world-class raconteur… If this kind of mess-around seems like your cup of meat, then prepare your relaxant of choice, kick back and dig in. The greasy ’oodlums are at your door.” Charles Shaar Murray (from his foreword)