about me

I was born in Buckinghamshire in 1969, which sounds even longer ago than it is, but lived in Beverley, East Yorkshire, from the age of nine, before getting a degree in Philosophy And Politics from Warwick University and then wrote a fanzine to try and help me blag my way into gigs for free, which led to me writing for NME from 1992 under the ill-advised pseudonym of Johnny Cigarettes. You might find a Guardian feature explaining the tawdry origins of that name elsewhere on this site.

After working for them until 2000 I worked for loaded magazine then edited the launch of an intermittently amusing but underfunded humour magazine, Sour Mash, while also writing about music, entertainment, sport and lifestyle for the likes of The Guardian, Q, Mojo, Time Out, Four Four Two and many others.

I edited the high-brow gentlemen's monthly Front magazine from 2005-2006 and since then have worked on a number of projects for Haymarket publishing, including co-editing the launch of Sky Sports magazine and editing the RFL's Rugby League programmes, including the matchday magazines for the last four Challenge Cup Finals and Super League Grand Finals.

Meanwhile, I found time to spread my freelance wings as far as The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, London Lite, the London Evening Standard, Shortlist and BBC Online.

In 2007 I also found time to write the cryptically titled and critically acclaimed music book Crap Lyrics (Portico books), which is currently undergoing its fourth reprint. My second book, Mind The Bollocks, is released in June 2012. Nothing to do with the Sex Pistols – it's a celebration of 50 years of nonsense spoken, written and sung by musicians and us starry-eyed fools who follow them.

This site is intended to give you an idea of what I do, what I can do for you, and the wide range of work I've been involved in.

Contact me at johnny@johnnysharp.net

I reserve the right to be wrong...occasionally