John Moore: An Archived Biography

This biography is based on an archived self-description from 2007. It presents only what that archived page said, without implying anything about John Moore's current activities or status.

Early Life and Musical Beginnings

The archived biography states that John Moore was born at a quarter past midnight on 23 December 1964. At school, he reportedly acquired the nickname Mussolini because he scowled at classmates and refused to come out from under a table. According to the archived account, he began guitar lessons at age ten. A family friend, apparently to avoid further renditions of 'Street of London' and 'Scarborough Fayre', gave him LPs by Muddy Waters, Little Richard, and Bo Diddley to learn, which he did.

The Jesus and Mary Chain and Expressway

The archived biography says that in 1985, owing to a remarkably similar dress sense to The Jesus and Mary Chain, he was asked to join the band, eagerly abandoning his degree course before it abandoned him. He left in 1988, then released two albums as John Moore And The Expressway, and squandered his advances in New York. Having explored Rock'n'Roll in great detail, he returned to England.

Revolution 9 and Absinthe

Just as Grunge was sweeping the nation, the archived page states, he formed the minimalist trio Revolution 9. Critically applauded but out of sync with the times, they released an album called 'You Might As Well Live.' While on tour in The Czech Republic, Moore discovered Absinthe. He fell in love with the stuff, and the feeling was mutual. Having managed to persuade the distiller that he should be allowed to import it, he came to the attention of The Idler Magazine, with whom he set up a company called Green Bohemia. Right in time for the Millennium they started the Absinthe craze, and did well out of it.

Black Box Recorder

At the same time, according to the archived biography, Black Box Recorder, the group he founded with Luke Haines and Sarah Nixey, hit the top twenty with The Facts Of Life, and a mere eleven years after his previous appearance, he was back on Top Of The Pops. Black Box Recorder released three albums: England Made Me, The Facts Of Life, and Passionoia, as well as a Worst Of Black Box Recorder compilation.

Half Awake and Other Activities

The archived biography states that in 2005, Moore released Half Awake on his own label, The Germ Organization, which despite critical success confirmed to him that he was not best suited to the DIY approach. However, archived pages conflict on the year of release, with some indicating 2004; this biography does not choose between those years. In May 2006, the archived page says, he became the first man to have appeared on Top of the Pops, and been interrogated by Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight and University Challenge. It also states that he lived in central London, wrote music and fiction, and played the Musical Saw. He was described as a regular contributor to The Guardian Arts And Entertainment website and as having written for periodicals including The Idler and The Erotic Review, contributed to books such as The Decadent Handbook and Crap Holidays, and written one novel, Bad Light. The archived page adds that he would very much NOT like to release a new LP called Floral Tributes, loosely themed around death and decadence, but would be delighted if a record company would release it for him.

All details above are drawn from the archived 2007 self-description and are presented as historical claims, not as statements about any current situation.