A new book looks set to shed some new light on the theory that missing Manic Street Preachers member Richey Edwards is alive and well.
Ask anyone about some of the most confounding musical mysteries of the modern age, and they’ll likely mention Richey Edwards. Joining the Manic Street Preachers in 1989, Edwards served as the group’s primary lyricist and rhythm guitarist, performing on their first three albums.
On February 1st, 1995, Edwards went missing and has never been seen since. Despite a multitude of theories about his whereabouts over the years, the widely-accepted theory is that Edwards tragically took his own life, with experts pointing at his history of depression, alcohol abuse, self-harm and erratic behaviour.
Despite dozens of supposed sighting over the years, November 23rd, 2008, saw Richey Edwards officially presumed dead, with law enforcement effectively closing the case as best as they could. However, a new book is set to reopen the debate about the famed musician’s fate.
As Wales Online reports, Withdrawn Traces: Searching for the Truth About Richey Manic is set to go on sale this week and seeks to present an alternative narrative as to what really happened to Richey Edwards.
Authored by Sara Hawys Roberts and Leon Noakes, and published with the full support of Edwards’ sister Rachel, the the book features interviews with close friends and family, and reportedly shows a pattern of behaviour that appears to indicate Edwards might have faked his own death as a means of escape.
Some of the new evidence includes members of Richey’s family that had disappeared, a growing fascination with books on the topic of disappearing, meeting a “mysterious woman” who “later left for Israel”, and reports he too had expressed a desire to head to Israel in his final weeks.
Check out Manic Street Preachers’ ‘Roses in the Hospital’:
“There was another book, a book of poetry by Hart Crane,” explains Sara Hawys Roberts. “There was a poem called Exile, with the page turned down. That was another.”
“There were a couple of books like that and it did feel odd that he would turn the pages over on ones that were about disappearance or exile. It did feel quite leading in a way.”
“I was 24 years old when I last saw my brother. 24 years have passed since the day that he went missing. I have been without him for half of my life,” writes Rachel Edwards in the book’s introduction. “I am almost the same age that my mother was when her son disappeared.”
While we’re no closer to finding out what really happened to Richey Edwards back in February of 1995, this new book hopes to reignite the debate that he could possibly still be alive.
Of course, chances are very slim, though friends, family, and fans are undoubtedly holding out hope that the information in this new book could be the first step towards a positive resolution.
Check out Manic Street Preachers’ ‘Motorcycle Emptiness’:
