"I was a dreamer, and so was Thom. Our dreams were set in motion right there in that bar."

Before debut album Pablo Honey arrived on the scene, there was Paul McCarthy ? Radiohead's promoter, booker and close friend of Thom Yorke. But just as the band were finding fame, Paul found himself on the brink of self-sabotage. What happened next would leave an indelible legacy on the band's back catalogue − and change the course of his life forever.

Told with unflinching humour and, at times, brutal honesty, this is the story of an enduring love of rock 'n' roll against unthinkable odds − a quest for recognition in the face of silence. McCarthy's pure passion for music and poetry propels you along in this vivid, visceral memoir of the 90s rock and rave scene − even during his drug-fuelled descent into crime.

For the first time, the inspiration behind some of Radiohead's earliest singles is revealed, together with a touching portrait of one of music's most-respected singer-songwriters before he made it ? and a highly personal take on Radiohead's music by their first-ever fan.