Manic Street Preachers...

& the most beautiful and missed man in music, Richey James

This article is a personal story written by Nicci Foster about the tragic dissapearence of Richard James Edwards. Now just over 4 years since he left his hotel in London without a trace, this article is a reflection on why we should never lose hope...

On February 1, 1995, Richard James Edwards left his room at the London Embassy Hotel, and disappeared. He left a box in his room with notes stuck to the side. One of the notes simply said, 'I love you'. Richey drove his Silver Vaxhaul Caviller to his flat where he left his passport, and bottles of Prozac. His car was found on the Severn Bridge in Wales. The police now say that they do not hold much hope that he is alive.

Then, how can they explain the £2000 that had been taken out of his account before he left? How can they explain the many sightings that people have reported in Goa, India? For the many dedicated fans of Richey, the belief that he has passed on will never enter their heads, for Richey James is far too strong for that. Perhaps Nicky Wire has the best thought when he said "I don't believe he is dead. There is no evidence to suggest he's dead."

For me personally, I think that Richey's disappearance is not so much a tragedy, but an awakening. It showed nearly everyone, that even rock stars have problems, Brian Jones proved it for his generation. In fact, perhaps it made people think that their idols are not immortal, that they do run away. I think Noel Gallagher (surprisingly!) put it well, when in 'Don't Look Back In Anger', he wrote, 'Please don't put your life in the hands / Of a rock'n'roll band / Who'll throw it all away". This does not mean of course, that we should not get deeply involved with our favourite bands, but perhaps remember that they are people too.

Richey was forever attracting all types of people. He would get girls discussing suicide backstage, and at one gig in Asia, a girl gave him a set of knives and asked if she could watch him cut himself. To me, this is insane. It just shows that escaping would be his only option. Wherever he turned, he had people that adored the self abusing Richey. How could he try to get better, when he had so much encouragement and attention to do the exact opposite.

He got so much attention from the press about the '4REAL' incident. It made him a trend setter in a really bizarre way. People were not going to let that slip away. If he escaped, he would be left as an icon. He would go out as the mystery man. Could you imagine what would have happened if one day Richey just turned up all clean cut and drinking water?

The Manics would have lost that original fan base. Now, the Manics keep their original fan base, and pick up the people that like the clean cut look. It has worked out extremely well. The 'cult of Richey' will keep turning up because they love 'You Love Us', because they can wear their feathers and leopard skin. They can do this because "Richey lives on." In fact, Richey could have gone all spiritual and be wearing caftans and beads, at one with the earth. You just don't know.

I would like to think that he is still writing and that one day his manuscripts will be discovered and we will find out, just what happened, and why. Because if one thing was certain about Richey, he was the most talented lyricist around. Just sitting there and listening to the Manics with your eyes closed is an experience in itself. The words just mean so much and are so open and honest. To me a band is very special when they say what they think and don't give a flying fig what anyone thinks. It is a rare and sadly dying talent.

The Manic Street Preachers are one of my favourite bands, for just so many reasons. The music, the melodies, the lyrics, the image, the personalities. The way that in their first interview they said "We are the decaying flowers in the playgrounds of the rich." You have a statement there that shows exactly where the band stands. They are not out to suck up to people, or to be polite to people they should respect. They are there to prove a point, and to make great music in the process.

The highlight for me is when you are feeling down, and you just can't pick yourself up. You put 'Generation Terrorists' on, and instantly, when the guitar kicks in on 'Slash'n'Burn', you get a feeling inside that lifts you up and carries you away. That feeling that Embrace could never give you. That thing that only rarely occurs, every so often with a truly exceptional band. This makes you hold your head high and keep believing. For an instant there, you can forget about the fact that the man who made this all happen, is no longer there.

The most important things are that the music is still there, and that no one will ever forget what Richey meant to the Manics, his fans, and the music world in general. We can be thankful for that. We can be thankful that since then, there have been bands that have been influenced by the Manics. That Richey was a part of something very special.

But sometimes it's just not enough. Sometimes I will sit there and just want to leave. I just want to go to India and scan the streets, looking. I know that I probably wouldn't have a hope in hell of finding him, but to know where he is and if he is happy, would be fantastic. I know though, that wherever he is, he went there for a reason. So, lets just respect his wishes, and move on.