31 Facts About Alan McGee

Alan McGee has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for The Guardian.

Alan McGee co-founded the independent Creation Records label, running it from 1983 until its closure in 1999.

Alan McGee subsequently founded the Poptones label, running it from 1999 to 2007.

Alan McGee has managed or championed acts such as the Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, Oasis, and the Libertines.

Alan McGee grew up in Glasgow and attended King's Park Secondary School, where he met future Primal Scream founder Bobby Gillespie.

Alan McGee said that his intention with Creation "was to merge psychedelia with punk rock".

Alan McGee began managing then-unknown The Jesus and Mary Chain, whose first single was issued on McGee's label in November 1984.

Alan McGee was largely responsible for changing government legislation in relation to musicians being able to go on the New Deal which gave musicians three years to develop and be funded by the government instead of having to take other jobs to survive.

Alan McGee was awarded by the NME 'Godlike Genius' award in February 1996 and Creation Records was awarded "independent label of the year" every year between 1995 and 1998 by Music Week.

Alan McGee returned to making music in 1997, collaborating with Ed Ball under the name The Chemical Pilot, releasing the album Journey to the Centre of the Mind in 1998.

Two books were written in the wake of Creation Records: One, by David Cavanagh, which Alan McGee calls "the accountant's tale" and one by Paulo Hewitt.

Alan McGee closed Creation Records for good, selling the rest of the shares to Sony in 2000 for an overall price that was staggered through the 1990s of around $30,000,000.

The dissolution of Creation Records led to Alan McGee forming Poptones in 2000.

Alan McGee had no further involvement with Death Disco after 2009.

In May 2007, Alan McGee told The Independent newspaper that he was winding down Poptones for financial reasons.

On 12 September 2008, Alan McGee retired from band music management and being involved with record companies after 25 years.

In 2007, Alan McGee was made a Companion of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, in recognition of the work that he has carried out with students.

In interviews with the Glasgow's Daily Record in September 2010 and the UK's The Independent in October 2010, McGee stated he had lost interest in music and was more interested in the esoteric and occult teachings of Aleister Crowley and Peter J Carroll, particularly Carroll's book Liber Null.

In October 2012, Alan McGee stated that he was going help curate the Japanese rock festival Tokyo Rocks in 2013 and through working with Tokyo Rocks had become interested in starting up an as yet unnamed record label in 2013.

In May 2013, Alan McGee announced the new label as a joint venture with Cherry Red Records called 359 Music.

Alan McGee stated he saw it as launch pad for new artists.

Alan McGee announced in May 2014 he had restarted Creation Management with Simon Fletcher and signed The Jesus and Mary Chain as his first clients.

In 2020 Alan McGee set up the Creation Day festival, in collaboration with the City of Wolverhampton council.

From 2006 to 2010, Alan McGee wrote for The Guardian's weekly music blog.

Alan McGee's autobiography was optioned by Burning Wheel Productions and has been adapted into a film screenplay by Irvine Welsh and Dean Cavanagh, due to be introduced at the next Cannes Film Festival.

Alan McGee appears in Svengali, which premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2013.

Alan McGee has said he has no idea how many drugs he was taking at this point, but that he can't remember anything of the year 1993 other than the signing of Oasis.

Alan McGee added that Oasis were 'cool' about his cleaning up, but that his sober state made his relationship with Primal Scream difficult.

In 2005, Alan McGee told The Independent that his son, whom he had not seen since he was a baby, had contacted him and they had reunited, though they were later reported to be estranged again.

Alan McGee has since appeared as a guest on Devine's radio show.

Since 1998, Alan McGee has been married to Kate Holmes, of the band Client and formerly of Frazier Chorus and Technique, who now runs the fashion label Client London.