EP01 – Stuart Deabill – Soul Deep (Adventures with The Style Council) – "Getcha mining soul deep – with a lesson in history…" – Paul Weller Fan Podcast : Desperately Seeking Paul
Stuart Deabill was (and always will be!) Guest Number 1 on The Paul Weller Fan Podcast.
I’ll be forever grateful to him for joining the ride so early on, when even I wasn’t really sure how it would all work out or what it really was.
He shares a great love for The Jam, The Style Council and Paul Weller Solo and has been hugely supportive of this whole podcast venture too (even bringing me to tears when he gave a shout out on stage at a recent Style Council themed event in London!).
Stuart has suggested great guests, hooked me up with his connections, emailed me with ideas, and sends regular notes sharing his love of the podcast and how much he has enjoyed the amazing guests that are coming on board. He’s also the one that suggested and set up our first live show at London’s Cockpit Theatre in March 2022.
Stuart’s story is an interesting one too. A Watford-based author who came to publishing in very recent times.
His first 3 books were co-written with Ian Snowball as part of a series called ‘Personal Situations ‘.
It all kicked off with Thick as Thieves: Personal Situations with The Jam which reflected the aspirations and celebrations of growing up in the 1970’s with rare photographs and sharp insights on The Jam.
Two other books, Supersonic (about Oasis) and From Ronnie’s To Ravers (London’s iconic nightlife) followed, sharing fans experiences of gigs, nightclubs, music, fashions, alongside the major players involved in each subject.
His long standing obsession with music, football (a fellow Chelsea Fan!) and casual attire, has enabled Stuart to dress well, have good ears and a foul mouth for the best part of 45 years now.
In our podcast chat we took a dive into Soul Deep his 2021 publication on The Style Council…
West Side Stories – Notes From Northolt (2022)
Stuart’s debut solo book is a mini collection of autobiographical short stories, written with humour, passion and a pure love of the ‘holy trilogy’, music, football and clothes.
The funny, poignant and carefree working class tales mirror many lads paths who grew up in the 1970s and 80’s – discovering a team to follow, bands to love and the clobber that automatically put you into one of the many iconic youth movements of the era.
Stuart also regales the readers with his personal experiences of his first Glastonbury, following Chelsea FC, auditioning for TV’s Opportunity Knocks, following The Stone Roses around Europe, deportation from Bruges and getting caught up in a infamous international incident at 30,000 feet.
You can order the book here
Soul Deep (2021)
Soul Deep – Adventures With The Style Council was a 2021 publication from Stuart with Ian ‘Snowy’ Snowball and Steve Rowland.
Celebrating “probably the best pop group in the world” with words, images and love from former band members, fans and associates.
The Book featured new and exclusive interviews with Mick Talbot, Steve White, Camelle Hinds, Simon Halfon, Nicky Weller, Billy Bragg, Gary Crowley, Tracie Young, Dennis Munday, Zeke Manyika, Eddie Piller, Norman Jay MBE, Daniel Rachel, Wendy May, Mark Baxter, Brendan Lynch and many others.
Thick as Thieves (2012)
Thick as Thieves explores just how influential The Jam were through interviews with the band, journalists, creatives, unusual celebrities and most importantly, the fans.
It is perfect reading for the many thousands of fans still hungry for more.
You can buy the book here
Supersonic: Personal Situations with Oasis (2013)
This book charts the Manchester bands meteoric rise from the tiny venues of their hometown to playing to 250,000 people over two days in the Summer of 1996, as told by the fans and people who worked closely with the band during these formative years. The book features unseen photos and unheard stories as we’re taken back to the nights of riotous gigs, Definitely Maybe, Oasis vs Blur, the mammoth-selling second album What’s The Story (Morning Glory) and how over an eighth of the UK’s population applied for tickets for the band s record-breaking gigs at Knebworth.
You can buy the book here
From Ronnies to Ravers: Personal Situations in London Clubland (2014)
Focusing over 5 decades on the ever changing nature of clubbing in one of the world’s most exciting cities with the people who lived it.
From Ronnies to Ravers documents some of London’s best known and favourite clubs.
It also shines a spot-light on the clubs that have made the biggest impact and gained worldwide reputations- such as the Wag, the 100 Club and Global Village and as well as the individual nights such as Special Branch , Talking Loud and Saying Nothing and UFO.
The book includes interviews and personal memoirs from some of the people that experienced London’s clubbing scene from any of the decades since the 1950’s.
You can buy the book here