A Wire FAQ

Why is this faq hidden in this web page?
Why does this faq contain so little information?
Who or what is Wire?
How might I have heard of Wire without knowing it?
How do I get Wire stuff?
Why care about Wire at all?

Why is this faq hidden in this web page?

Because it contains so little information.

Why does this faq contain so little information?

A much better question. A faq should contain answers to frequently asked questions. But the most frequently asked question I receive is, "How can I get Wire bootlegs?" (The answer is to email me and work out something.)

I have provided below some answers to questions which people who have not heard of Wire have asked of me. If you want more details, then check out Eden's book (for up to Wir) and the WMO newsletters (for everything after).

Who or what is Wire?

Wire is (are/was/were) Colin Newman (vocals and guitar), Graham Lewis (vocals and bass), Bruce Gilbert (guitar), and Robert Gotobed (drums). They formed during the punk movement, released 3 studio albums and a live album, and then broke up. Colin went solo, Bruce and Graham did a number of different projects, and Robert made some guest appearances. Wire reformed and released 5 more albums with a more electronic bent. Eventually Robert left, having felt redundant. The remaining members released another album as Wir, with the "e" having been dropped in Robert's honor, and then returned to their individual projects.

Colin, with his wife Malka Spigel, is running Swim~ records in London. Graham works in Sweden on various projects, most notably He Said Omala. Bruce does solo work and is still signed to Mute. Robert is a farmer or something (I don't know his current whereabouts or occupation).

How might one have heard of Wire without knowing it?

  1. R. E. M. covered "Strange" on Document (the album which contains "The One I Love" and "It's The End Of The World As We Know It"). The original version is on Pink Flag.
  2. In the movie The Silence Of The Lambs, when the basement is first shown, "Alone" by Colin Newman (co-written with Graham Lewis) is playing in the background. This song is from A-Z. The lesson to be learned from this is that serial killers listen to Wire!
  3. Elastica made an out of court settlement with EMI, because the melody in "Connection" is identical to, although twenty years later than, that in "Three Girl Rhumba", also from Pink Flag.

How do I get Wire stuff?

The easiest and most obvious thing to do is to trod over to your local record store. I have had the best luck with used record stores. There are also several online stores given in the OTHER LINKS section of this page.

But the recommended way is to go to the WMO page. Some items are available only through them and others might as well be. If an item is not on their merchandise list, then ask them if they can locate a copy. Also, they put out a quarterly newsletter via email.

Why care about Wire at all?

Good point. But if you like Wire, then you are in good company. Below is a list of bands who have covered Wire songs or have been produced by Wire.

It's beginning, to, and back again.

qwerty@cmu.edu