20 • On Board BOARD MEMBER PROFILE March 11, 2013 My other side Punk music-loving board member is still ‘Jamming’ after all these years

Editor’s note: School board members tend to be pas- His first book, Never sionate about their interests. In this occasional feature, Stop, about Echo & The Bun- board members tell On Board about their “other side.” nymen, is no longer in print. Fletcher still does some Name: Tony Fletcher writing as a freelance music Age: 48 journalist, but these days, he School District: Onteora Central School District, Ul- finds books more satisfying. ster County “I’m willing to put in the School Board Tenure: Four years work it takes to do a book, His Other Side: Author, blogger, music journalist and I’m more interested,” he said. Currently he’s between By Cathy Woodruff writing projects and is pursu- SENIOR WRITER ing various music-related hobbies. He plays occasional gigs on keyboards, guitar and In the 1970s, Tony Fletcher was a vocals with a band of his teenager captivated by and the countercul- local contemporaries, the ture bands that defined the genre. While still in school, Catskill 45s, and does a turn he even created a fan magazine he called Jamming in now and then as a DJ. honor of one of those groups, . He enjoys keeping up Now a 48-year-old married father of two sons and with new music and sharing the vice president of the Onteora school board in Ulster some of the older stuff with County, Fletcher is still writing about rock. With the his sons, ages 8 and 17. In same enthusiasm for the subject that he had as a teen, mid-February, they traveled he makes his living as a music journalist and biogra- to Long Island to see The pher. He also has a personal website and blog called Who at the Nassau Coliseum. iJamming! “My 8-year-old is a massive Fletcher’s latest book, A Light that Never Goes Who fan, and he can play Out: The Enduring Saga of , was published many of their songs on his in December in the U.S. by Crown Archetype, an affil- guitar,” he reported a few iate of Random House, and in the U.K. by another hours after the show. Random House affiliate, William Heineman. Occasionally, Fletcher’s The timing could hardly have been better. The popular culture and school book on the 1980s band is arriving just as U.S. interest board worlds collide, as they in the Smiths seems to be reviving. The group’s highly- did poignantly on Dec. 14, regarded guitarist, Johnny Marr, recently was honored the day of the shootings at as a “Godlike Genius” by the British music magazine Sandy Hook Elementary NME and is releasing his first solo album, “The Mes- Onteora school board member Tony Fletcher makes his living as a music journalist and biographer. School in Newtown, Conn. senger.” E Photo by Cathy Woodruff Fletcher was scheduled for a As a result, along with his busy schedule of read- 2 ½-hour guest DJ spot that ings and interviews about the book, Fletcher also has afternoon on WGXC, a radio been asked to comment for coverage of Marr. He was cluding his school board service, also played a part. station serving Columbia and Greene counties in the quoted last month in a New York Times story about the Fletcher laughed as he recalled that Marr once Catskills. guitarist. joked to him: “If you’re not careful, Tony, you are going He decided to stick with his plan to present an “The reaction here (in America) has been wonder- to spend more time on this book than I was in the eclectic mix of favorites from his extensive personal col- ful,” Fletcher said during an interview at Oriole 9, the Smiths.” lection, but pondered carefully how he should open the Woodstock café where he did much of his reading while Fletcher’s previous books on rockers include a best- show. he was researching A Light that Never Goes Out. selling biography of drummer , “I have to say I didn’t feel as if I could just jump in The Smiths were a phenomenon in Britain but less published in 1998 and updated in 2005; Remarks Re- with happy-go-lucky music here,” he told his listeners. so in the U.S. Their lead singer, Morrissey, has a U.S. made: The Story of R.E.M.; and : The Music “I’m the parent of a young kid, as well as a senior, and following and might be better known here than the band, that Matters. I’m also on my local school board down in Onteora. We which lasted only five years before breaking up in 1987. Fletcher still pays attention to new music and young always fear for something like this. It doesn’t matter The book takes its title from one of the Smiths’ performers. Does it make him a better board member? how much security you put in place, what policies you best-known songs, “There is a Light That Never Goes Fletcher isn’t sure, but it can’t hurt. put in place, people get their hands on guns and bad Out.” “I’ve written a lot about youth culture,” he said. “I things happen.” The band’s music and emotional lyrics, full of dis- don’t go to clubs anymore, but I still feel engaged in The song Fletcher selected was an anti-violence an- tain for the conservative political institutions of their youth culture.” them from the early 1970s, a version he said he has on time, reflected the members’ working-class upbringing He has written one novel, Hedonism, inspired by his original green vinyl. It was “Happy Xmas (War is and schooling in the gritty northern industrial city of years working in the music club scene Over)” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Manchester, Fletcher says. Researching the book gave during the 1990s, and a history of music in New York “I just wanted to start the show by paying respect him an opportunity to indulge his lifelong fascination City from 1927 to 1977 called All Hopped Up and and desperately trying to find something that could with the social and political influences that shape young Ready to Go, which he points to with particular pride. cleanse a little bit,” Fletcher said. “I make no apologies musicians and their art. “This one was probably more a labor of love, be- for how corny it is, whatsoever.” Fletcher estimates he spent about four years re- cause I knew it would not be as big a success from a searching and writing the Smiths book, due, in part, to publishing point of view,” he says of the musical history his exhaustive research habits. Other responsibilities, in- of New York.

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