Everett True
Everett True is the professional pseudonym of Jerry Thackray, an English music journalist, musician, and author recognized for his influential role in promoting alternative rock, punk, and grunge music during the late 1980s and 1990s.[1][2] As assistant editor of Melody Maker, True was among the first UK journalists to document the emerging Seattle music scene in early 1989, conducting one of the earliest interviews with Nirvana and helping introduce the band, along with acts like Hole and Pavement, to British audiences.[3][4] His writing, often characterized by passionate advocacy and unfiltered opinions, contributed to his reputation as a contentious yet memorable figure in music criticism, with contributions to publications including NME and The Stranger.[1][5][2] True has authored books such as Nirvana: The Biography and Hey Ho Let's Go: The Story of the Ramones, drawing on his firsthand experiences with these artists.[6][7] In addition to journalism, he performs and records music as part of the band The Legend!, reflecting his deep personal engagement with the scenes he covered.[8]Early Life
Childhood and Initial Influences
True, born Jeremy Andrew Thackray on 21 April 1961 in Chelmsford, Essex, England, developed an early interest in music during his school years.[9] His exposure to rock music began after hearing recordings by the experimental group The Residents, which profoundly impacted him despite his limited prior engagement with recorded music.[10] At around age 16 or 17, influenced by friends' enthusiasm for esoteric sounds, he formed his first band prior to owning any records himself, marking the onset of his hands-on involvement in music creation.[11] These formative experiences in a rural English setting laid the groundwork for his later pursuits in music journalism and performance, emphasizing unconventional and underground aesthetics over mainstream pop.[12]Entry into Music and Pseudonym Adoption
Jerry Thackray, better known by his professional pseudonyms, entered the music scene in the early 1980s through self-publishing the fanzine The Legend!, initially under a moniker derived from a nickname friends gave him for his outspoken personality.[13] He also formed a band with school contemporaries and recorded music as The Legend!, reflecting his burgeoning involvement in underground rock.[14] These activities marked his transition from listener to participant, amid influences like avant-garde acts that shaped his affinity for non-mainstream sounds.[15] Thackray's fanzine efforts led to freelance contributions for New Musical Express (NME), where he continued writing as The Legend!, covering indie and alternative scenes.[1] This period established his reputation for passionate, contrarian advocacy in British music journalism. In the late 1980s, upon securing a staff position at Melody Maker, editors required a fresh pseudonym to avoid overlap with his NME association, prompting the adoption of Everett True.[14] The name Everett True drew from the irascible comic strip character created by A.D. Condo in 1905, embodying blunt, outraged commentary that aligned with Thackray's writing style.[16][17] This choice facilitated his emergence as a prominent critic, distinct from prior identities, and underscored the performative aspect of music journalism he later emphasized.[13]Journalism Career
Early Positions and Melody Maker Era
True's initial foray into music journalism occurred in 1982, when he co-founded and edited the fanzine The Legend! alongside Alan McGee, future founder of Creation Records.[18] McGee, whom True met at a gig by The Laughing Apple, commissioned him to write a regular column critiquing music he despised, marking his earliest published output on the subject around 1982–1983.[11] This self-published venture emphasized raw, opinionated takes on underground and alternative acts, reflecting True's punk-influenced disdain for mainstream rock conventions.[1] Transitioning to professional outlets, True contributed reviews and articles to New Musical Express (NME) under his fanzine pseudonym, The Legend!, focusing on indie and post-punk scenes through the mid-1980s.[1] His tenure at NME ended abruptly in 1988 when he was dismissed from the publication, prompting a shift to its rival weekly, Melody Maker.[19] Upon joining Melody Maker that year, True adopted his current byline to avoid associations with his NME work, establishing himself as a staff writer known for passionate, contrarian advocacy of non-commercial rock.[20] During his early years at Melody Maker (1988–early 1990s), True rapidly ascended to roles including acting editor, contributing feature articles that championed emerging alternative sounds over polished pop-rock.[18] Notable early pieces included a March 18, 1989, spread mapping the Sub Pop Records roster in Seattle, which highlighted raw, feedback-laden bands like Mudhoney and Soundgarden ahead of broader media attention.[21] His writing style—blunt, experiential, and dismissive of industry hype—differentiated Melody Maker's coverage from NME's, prioritizing visceral live energy and anti-establishment ethos.[4] By late 1988, he was already profiling European acts like The Young Gods, underscoring his focus on experimental noise over chart fare.[22] This period solidified True's reputation as a gatekeeper for underground credibility, though his subjective enthusiasms occasionally drew internal pushback for favoring passion over detached analysis.[1]International Coverage and Grunge Promotion
During his tenure at Melody Maker, Everett True played a pivotal role in introducing the Seattle grunge scene to international audiences, particularly in the United Kingdom and Europe, through a series of enthusiastic dispatches that predated the genre's mainstream breakthrough. In early 1989, Sub Pop Records sponsored True's trip to Seattle to showcase its roster, resulting in his seminal article "Sub Pop: Seattle: Rock City," published on March 18, 1989.[23][21] This piece profiled emerging acts including Mudhoney, whom True hailed as "the standard bearers for Seattle's new generation," alongside Nirvana and others, emphasizing the raw, punk-infused energy of the local underground.[24][25] True's coverage extended to on-the-ground interviews, such as his February 1989 session with Nirvana—featuring Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Chad Channing—which captured the band's unpolished potential before their major-label signing.[25] These reports in Melody Maker, a influential British music weekly, contrasted sharply with the era's dominant glam and hair metal trends, positioning grunge as a visceral antidote rooted in Seattle's DIY ethos. By amplifying Sub Pop's hype strategy, True's writings generated early buzz abroad, contributing to the label's transatlantic appeal and laying groundwork for grunge's export.[26][27] His advocacy continued through subsequent features on bands like Mudhoney and Soundgarden, framing Seattle as a rock epicenter and fostering fan interest that influenced European tours and imports. True's unreserved praise, often verging on evangelical, helped demystify the scene for non-American readers, though critics later noted his selective enthusiasm sometimes overstated individual bands' immediate viability.[28] This international spotlight via Melody Maker proved instrumental in grunge's 1991 explosion, as UK audiences were primed for Nirvana's Nevermind following years of True's groundwork.[29]Post-Grunge Writing and Digital Transition
Following the closure of Melody Maker in 2000, True launched Careless Talk Costs Lives, an independent music magazine, in September 2001, in collaboration with photographer Steve Gullick, emphasizing raw, unfiltered coverage of underground acts.[30] By issue twelve, recognizing its limited commercial viability, True shifted efforts to Plan B, which he founded in June 2004 as a monthly publication dedicated to independent and alternative music, featuring contributions from writers focused on non-mainstream scenes.[31] [32] The magazine ceased operations in 2009 amid financial challenges typical of print media in the digital shift.[33] Amid these editorial ventures, True authored several books revisiting grunge-era influences and beyond, including Nirvana: The Biography in 2007, which drew on his firsthand experiences with the band while critiquing the commercialization of their legacy.[34] He also published works on the Ramones and the White Stripes between 2004 and 2009, maintaining a contrarian voice against polished industry narratives.[35] True's transition to digital platforms accelerated post-2009, with contributions to Collapse Board, an online music criticism site he helped establish around 2011, prioritizing subjective, anti-hype reviews over consensus-driven analysis.[36] He maintained a personal WordPress blog for essays and lists, such as his 2018 advice to aspiring critics emphasizing unapologetic opinion-forming.[37] This era culminated in his 2020 PhD thesis, The Slow Death of Everett True: A Metacriticism, which self-reflexively analyzed the diminished influence of traditional music critics in Web 2.0's democratized, audience-driven landscape.[38]Key Associations with Bands
Relationship with Nirvana
Everett True, writing as assistant editor for Melody Maker, first covered the Seattle music scene in early 1989 and conducted one of the band's earliest interviews with Nirvana shortly thereafter, establishing himself as an early advocate for their sound amid the burgeoning grunge movement.[39] He attended over 70 Nirvana performances and interviewed the band members extensively, including sessions in June 1992 in Los Angeles, October 19, 1992 with Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love defending their marriage, and April 24, 1993 with Cobain at his residence following a San Francisco concert.[40][41][42] True developed a personal friendship with Cobain and the band, partying with them and gaining insider access that positioned him as a confidant within their circle.[4][43] He famously introduced Cobain to Courtney Love, facilitating their romantic relationship, and joined Nirvana onstage for performances on multiple occasions, including pushing a reluctant Cobain to perform at the 1992 Reading Festival.[6][44] Cobain once sarcastically referred to True as the "biggest rock star critic in the world," reflecting their close yet candid dynamic.[45] True's advocacy extended to defending Nirvana against detractors in print, emphasizing their raw authenticity over commercial pressures, though his proximity to the band later drew scrutiny for potential biases in his accounts.[34][46] Despite this, his role in amplifying Nirvana's UK breakthrough via Melody Maker coverage from 1989 onward remains credited with helping propel them from underground obscurity to international prominence before Nevermind's 1991 release.[4][47]Advocacy for Other Acts like Hole and Pavement
Everett True championed Hole as an emerging force in the alternative rock scene during the early 1990s, providing one of the band's earliest major profiles in Melody Maker's "Sidelines" section on June 15, 1991, where he detailed Courtney Love's background and the group's raw, confrontational style.[48] This coverage highlighted Hole's punk influences and Love's volatile persona, positioning the band as a vital counterpoint to polished mainstream rock amid the rising grunge wave. True's advocacy extended beyond writing; he facilitated personal connections, including introducing Kurt Cobain to Love, and joined Hole on tour, later appearing onstage with them and inspiring elements of their songwriting.[49] His live reviews, such as the November 19, 1994 Melody Maker account of Hole's St. Louis performance with Veruca Salt, praised their chaotic energy and onstage intensity, reinforcing True's role in elevating the band to international notice.[50] True's support for Hole aligned with his broader emphasis on authentic, uncompromised expression, crediting the band—particularly Love's charisma—with embodying punk's disruptive spirit, as noted in his later reflections on their live prowess equaling acts like Calvin Johnson.[51] Through repeated interviews, including a 1999 Melody Maker piece titled "Sleepless in Seattle," he documented Hole's evolution from underground obscurity to commercial breakthrough with Live Through This, while critiquing media sensationalism around Love's personal life.[1] This consistent platforming in Melody Maker helped bridge American alternative acts to UK audiences, though True's personal involvement drew occasional scrutiny for blurring lines between journalism and friendship.[52] For Pavement, True advocated their lo-fi indie aesthetic as a refreshing antidote to overproduced rock, conducting key interviews like the February 12, 1994 Melody Maker feature "R U Ready 2 Unrock?!," which traced the band's shift from experimental weirdness to broader appeal without sacrificing eccentricity.[53] He is credited with introducing Pavement to international audiences alongside other underground acts, emphasizing their slacker-noise innovation in Melody Maker dispatches that predated mainstream indie hype.[4] True's promotion underscored Pavement's influence on subsequent indie scenes, later lamenting in interviews how imitators diluted their raw edge, yet affirming the original band's role in redefining accessible experimentation.[6] His writings portrayed Pavement as intellectually subversive, aligning with his first-principles critique of industry norms favoring slickness over substance.[54]Authorship and Publications
Books on Nirvana and Grunge
Everett True authored Live Through This: American Rock Music in the Nineties, published in 2001 by Virgin Books, which provides an insider's perspective on the grunge movement originating in Seattle, encompassing bands such as Nirvana, Hole, Soundgarden, and Babes in Toyland.[55] The book features exclusive interviews with key figures from the scene and rare photographs, framing grunge as a cultural phenomenon that peaked with Nirvana's success and influenced global alternative rock.[56] True, who claims to have introduced Kurt Cobain to Courtney Love, positions the narrative around his direct involvement in promoting the genre through Melody Maker.[57] In 2006, True released Nirvana: The True Story via Omnibus Press in the United Kingdom, retitled Nirvana: The Biography for its 2007 U.S. edition by Da Capo Press, spanning 656 pages and detailing his personal interactions with the band alongside broader insights into the Seattle grunge ecosystem.[3] The work emphasizes True's role as one of the earliest journalists to cover Nirvana, starting with a 1989 Melody Maker interview, and critiques mainstream misrepresentations of the band's trajectory and Cobain's life.[6] A remastered edition appeared in 2024, including a foreword by Benjamin Myers, reinforcing its status as an anecdotal chronicle rather than a strictly chronological biography.[58] These publications draw heavily from True's firsthand experiences but have drawn scrutiny for blending memoir with journalism, with some observers noting potential embellishments tied to his self-described centrality in grunge's discovery and popularization.[52] True has discussed plans to update Live Through This with additional Nirvana-focused material as of 2021, though no such revised edition had materialized by late 2024.[59]Other Writings and Blogs
True has authored biographies on other influential acts, including Hey Ho Let's Go: The Story of the Ramones (2002), which draws on interviews with band members, crew, and contemporaries to document the group's formation and career from the mid-1970s onward.[60] He also penned works on the White Stripes and Supergrass, expanding his coverage to garage rock revival and Britpop-adjacent scenes.[61] Additionally, Live Through This: On Creativity and the Ever-Expanding Present (2011) explores broader themes of artistic process and cultural persistence, informed by his decades in music journalism.[49] Beyond books, True contributed to alternative print publications, co-founding or editing efforts like Careless Talk Costs Lives and its successor Plan B (2005–2009), which emphasized independent music and critique amid declining traditional media.[33] These outlets prioritized raw, opinionated coverage over mainstream consensus, reflecting True's advocacy for underrepresented acts. In the digital era, True shifted to blogging, maintaining sites focused on live reviews, personal essays, and meta-commentary on criticism. His active blog, How NOT to Write About Music (launched around 2018), features serialized posts on performances by artists such as Beach Bunny (October 26, 2025), Robert Forster (October 13, 2025), and The New Eves (October 10, 2025), blending anecdotal detail with defenses of subjective evaluation.[62] An earlier venture, Music That I Like (2017), documented song recommendations, festival recaps like At the Edge of the Sea, and critiques of established acts such as Arcade Fire, ceasing regular updates after August 2017.[63] True has published advisory pieces online, including revised guides for aspiring critics emphasizing unapologetic opinions, concise prose (ideally 400 words), and resistance to industry pressures, updated as late as 2018.[37] These writings underscore his role in mentoring amid music journalism's fragmentation, as seen in guest editorships like Drowned in Sound's 2009 "Music Journalism R.I.P?" series.[64]Musical Career
Formation of The Legend
Jerry Thackray, later known by the pseudonym Everett True, developed an early interest in rock music after encountering the experimental group The Residents, prompting him to form a band with school friends around age 16 or 17, before he had even purchased his first record.[11] This initial foray into music predated his professional journalism career but laid the groundwork for his creative pursuits under the alias The Legend!. In the early 1980s, Thackray adopted the moniker The Legend! for both fanzine publishing and musical endeavors, collaborating closely with Alan McGee, whom he met in 1982 at a gig by The Laughing Apple.[10] The duo drew from songs originating in a band they had formed together, culminating in The Legend!'s debut single "73 in 83," released in 1983 on McGee's nascent Creation Records label, with McGee handling drums and guitar.[65][66] The Legend! functioned primarily as Thackray's solo project or loose collective alias, encompassing a cappella experiments—such as the New Wave group The Legend! And His Swinging Soul Sisters, formed with his brother and work colleague Dave Smith—and subsequent recordings that blurred lines between performance and provocation.[51][19] This formation reflected Thackray's DIY ethos, intertwining his roles as musician and tastemaker in the British indie scene.[2]Discography and Releases
The Legend!, Everett True's early musical project formed in the early 1980s as a New Wave a cappella group initially named The Legend! And His Swinging Soul Sisters, released a series of singles and EPs primarily on independent UK labels, reflecting his pre-journalism forays into post-punk and experimental sounds.[67] These early efforts aligned with his involvement in the nascent indie scene, including connections to Creation Records founder Alan McGee.[66] Key releases include the debut single "'73 in '83" in 1983 on Creation Records, featuring the track "You (Chunka Chunka) Were Glamorous," which received airplay on John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show.[68] This was followed by "Destroys the Blues" in 1984, also on Creation, showcasing a raw, blues-deconstructing style.[69] In 1985, the mini-LP Some of Us Still Burn appeared on Vinyl Drip Records, with tracks like "I Want Somebody to Love Me" again played by Peel; the 12-inch format emphasized its underground, limited-run nature. [70]| Release Title | Format | Year | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| '73 in '83 | 7" single | 1983 | Creation Records (CRE 001) | Debut; includes "You (Chunka Chunka) Were Glamorous"[14] [68] |
| Destroys the Blues | 7" single | 1984 | Creation Records (CRE 010) | Experimental take on blues tropes[69] [14] |
| Some of Us Still Burn | 12" mini-LP / Vinyl LP | 1985 | Vinyl Drip Records | Core album-length release; Peel session tracks featured[71] |
| Everything's Coming Up Roses | EP | 1986 | Vinyl Drip Records | Follow-up EP continuing post-punk aesthetic[72] [73] |