Nicky Wire biography
Nicholas Allen Jones, known as Nicky Wire, is the lyricist, bassist and occasional vocalist with the Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers.
Biography
Early life
Born Nicholas Allen Jones on January 20, 1969
[
] in Blackwood, Wales, Wire is the younger brother of poet and author Patrick Jones. He attended Oakdale Comprehensive School with James Dean Bradfield, Sean Moore and Richey James Edwards. He excelled at football, was captain of the Welsh national schoolboys' team aged 14. Offered a trial at both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal football clubs, back and knee problems brought his career to an end. Wire took A-levels in politics and law. He later attended Portsmouth Polytechnic, and after one year transferred to the University of Wales Swansea, starting his course a year after Richey. He graduated with a Lower Second-Class Honours degree in Political History.
Career
He was originally the band's rhythm guitarist, but changed to playing bass guitar after original bassist, Flicker, left the band. He co-wrote the band's lyrics with Richey James between 1989 and 1995, taking over sole responsibility following Edwards' disappearance. Some of Edwards' lyrics were used on 1996's
Everything Must Go album, making 1998's
This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours the first album with lyrics by Wire alone. He chose the pseudonym Wire because of his "wirey frame" (he is 6'3").
Wire usually plays Gibson Thunderbird, Rickenbacker, Fender Jazz and most recently Italia Maranello basses, one of which is a custom made acoustic model made by request for the band's 2007 acoustic sessions. He often dons a dress or a skirt for the Manics' gigs[
] although he has curtailed his flamboyance somewhat since Richey Edwards' disappearance. His cross-dressing dates back to his teens, when he would go to local pubs in Blackwood wearing a dress; he has however been keen to emphasize that he is not a transvestite. He puts his attraction to glam and women's clothes at least in part down to his very close relationship to his mother.
He is famous for his outspoken attitude and has been known to cause controversy in the press. He once stated during a gig, "In this season of goodwill, let's pray that Michael Stipe goes the same way as Freddie Mercury pretty soon."[
] However, it has since been said that the remark was misinterpreted and that it "didn't come out the way I wanted it to." Wire has stated that the band has taken "inspiration from Queen," Mercury's band, as well as being noted fans of R.E.M.'s earlier albums.
In November 2007, he was recruited as Chair of the Advisory Board for the new commercial Xfm South Wales Radio Station.
On Christmas Day 2005, the Manics posted a solo track by Wire called "I Killed the Zeitgeist", available to download for one day. A Nicky Wire solo album was released on 25 September 2006. In early May, the rumoured first single entitled "Break My Heart Slowly" from his début solo album premií¨red on 6music with Phill Jupitus.
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