Writer/musician/journalist/editor Mick Farren collapsed on stage and died 27 July 2013 (he was the lead singer of the 1960s’ and revived punk band The Deviants). Born Michael Anthony Farren on 3 September 1943 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK, he was one of the motive forces in the early days of the punk rock movement, both as a musician and as a journalist, first with the New Music Express. His obituary in The Guardian focuses almost exclusively on Farren’s role in music.

Farren’s first sf novel, The Texts of Festival, appeared in 1973. It was a surreal post-apocalyptic novel with early hints of virtual reality. It was followed by his Jeb Stuart Ho trilogy, which partially bridges the gap between written sf and punk music. His later writings turned sometimes to horror, to urban fantasy, and YA novels. The SF Encyclopedia discusses the themes in his sf work in this article.

Farren’s blog and Facebook page are both available.