He is one of the most prominent music journalists in England. He has written for a wide variety of music publications and was the founder of the ZTT Records label, which released groups like Frankie Goes to Hollywood. He was a member of the Art of Noise group, and has been a manager, promoter and television presenter. He is the author of a dozen books, including Words and Music: A History of Pop in the Shape of a City (2004) and The Age of Bowie (2016).