BRYAN MORRISON

Have A Cigar! The Memoir Of The Man Behind Pink Floyd, T. Rex, The Jam & George Michael QUIlleR

aLate impressario’s vivid, uproarious autobiography with plenty of prog.

fter rising from East End poverty to work his way up to become one of the late 60s’ foremost manager-booking agents turned publishers, Bryan Morrison wrote his memoir to coincide with his 50th birthday in 1991, then withdrew it when he didn’t approve of his publisher’s edit. Now seeing print thanks to his son Jamie, it’s a frequently cornflakesspluttering romp through very different times, when old school cigar-chomping agents ruled the music business Morrison helped reshape for modern times. Although it’s Floyd who’ll attract prog fans, any major band will have benefited from moves Morrison made as Floyd’s manager on the cusp of their ascension (the Syd Barrett memories are priceless and shocking). There are brushes with the Krays, Bee Geesrelated death threats, the rise of Marc Bolan, The Jam and Wham, and many escapades that could never happen in today’s sanitised world. Sadly, after turning polo into a popular sport, Morrison never awoke from his coma after a 2006 accident and died in

2008. At last, he has this engrossing monument to his achievements.