Alan Edwards has represented some of the biggest names in music like David Bowie, Spice Girls, The Rolling Stones and Prince, and he’s revealed what his secret to success is.
On a new episode of Mumbrella’s one-on-one podcast, “the godfather of modern music PR” said the secret to working with iconic brands is all about “storytelling”, not about the achievements.
“You need to look at [the artist] as a product and you need to analyse it. And I go through this process with all of them,” Edwards told host Neil Griffiths.
“I feel like Sherlock Holmes for a few days. What is the brand? What is it you represent?”
ADVERTISEMENT
Edwards shared that he sometimes must be “dispassionate” from his clients so as to not get swept up in superficial success like an artist who has sold millions of albums or won a bunch of Grammys and Oscars.
To stamp his point, the legendary publicist shared a story about meeting a former England goalkeeper whose son was dating his grandchild.
Alan Edwards (left) and Keith Richards (right)
“His dad said, ‘Oh, you know, I’ve played for England. I’ve saved all these goals,’” he recalled.
“Yeah, yeah. But what is it? What can I find? And I talked to him and he said, ‘You know, when I’m on my own, what I do is I love painting and I get my easel out and I paint.’
“And I said, well, that’s it. That’s what I’m looking for. I don’t give an F about all the achievements on the field. The goalkeeper that paints… that was my angle. So it’s always to find the story.”
Listen to the full episode here.
Edwards’ new book, I Was There: Dispatches from a life in Rock and Roll is out now.
Subscribe to the daily newsletter
