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Foreword by Bruce Foxton Plenty has been written about The Jam over the years. Some of it has been true, and some of it I didn't recognise at all. When Graham told me he was going to write a history of the band I was surprised, as I didn't think there was much more to add to what has already been written. But he seems to have found plenty more, some of which I had even forgotten myself. When I have been interviewed in the past I have always partly regretted it as much of what I say gets edited or used in a context other than I would have liked. In this case, however, Graham has stuck to the facts as I remember them and told the story of The Jam as it actually happened. This shouldn't be too surprising as Graham is a Woking Jam fan. He saw the band play live on countless occasions and was at many of those small gigs we played in the 1980s in venues such as the YMCA and The Cricketers. Much of what he has written is from first-hand experience. Over the years the attention for many has often focused on The Jam's so-called acrimonious split, or the supposed bitterness between myself, Paul and Rick. In fact The Jam didn't break up badly at all. And as for the bitterness - we were young when we started, schoolkids in fact. We grew up together, made some pretty decent music, saw the world and had the time of our lives. That's nothing to be bitter about at all, and none of us are. The Jam were mainly known as a singles band, and as a result all the 'best of' compilations have focused on the very well known songs. After you have read this book I hope you might pick up a couple of the albums and discover some of the lesser known tracks, or perhaps some of those hidden away on B-sides. I think you could be in for a few surprises. The level of interest there still is in The Jam always pleasantly surprises me. It is, after all, over 20 years ago now. It must mean the three of us did something right together, and that is something to be very proud of. I hope you enjoy reading the story of The Jam and taking a look behind the scenes, so to speak. Thanks for continuing to make it all so worthwhile.
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