This is the true story of a Welsh schoolboy, Richard Fry, who befriended Richard Edwards in 1981 before he found fame as the lyricist of the Manic Street Preachers rock band.  Edwards vanished in 1995 and it was presumed that he had taken his own life.  The rock star's body has never been found and a quixotic mystery has developed surrounding his disappearance.  In this story, Fry describes his friendship with Edwards and later in 2017, his quest to discover his whereabouts.

Foreword by Richard D. Hall ...

I met Richard Fry when he spoke to me after I gave a public lecture in Merthyr Tydfil on 13th April 2017.  He explained that he was friends with Richey Edwards of the Welsh rock band the Manic Street Preachers.   I had heard of the band but did not know that band member Richey disappeared on 1st February 1995 and was presumed by many to have committed suicide probably by jumping off the Severn Bridge.  Richard explained to me that he had been very close childhood friends with Richey and had suspicions about the supposed suicide.  He said he thought the police had covered up certain details about the disappearance.   He had nagging doubts and questions and wanted to know if I would be able to help him.   

A number of things immediately piqued my interest about what Richard Fry told me.  Firstly, I have an interest in the music industry, not because I am interested in music, but because I am interested in how music is used to manipulate young people.  I follow the research of Neil Sanders and Mark Devlin.  Both have written books about how the music industry is controlled by hidden forces and music itself is often used for purposes of psychological manipulation.  If the music industry is controlled by hidden forces, it means the musicians who work for the music industry are also controlled by hidden forces.  Could such hidden forces be responsible for or have helped make Richey Edwards disappear, I wondered.

  The second reason my interest was raised, is that Richard Fry said to me he thought Richey’s disappearance could have been a well organised conspiracy.  He thought that some of the things left behind seemed staged in order to persuade fans of a suicide rather than a disappearance. Anyone who follows my work will know why that was interesting to me; check out my films about Madeleine McCann!

Thirdly, I was now living in Merthyr Tydfil, just a few valleys away from Blackwood where Richard Fry and, “The Manics”, originate. So, for these reasons I decided to help Richard Fry in his quest for truth.

I arranged to go and see him some weeks later and he explained in more detail why he believed Richey was probably still alive.  One piece of evidence, although this was not the only piece of evidence, was a photograph of a, “hippy”, in southern France, sitting smoking a cigarette which had been discovered in an online article about a particular place where people go to live who want to escape the rat race.  Richard seemed convinced this person was his long-time friend Richey Edwards.   He went through other evidence and explained how he had been asked to provide contributions for an “official” book which was currently being written about Richey.  The book project, “Withdrawn Traces”, had the approval and help from Richey Edwards family.   I looked up some details of the unpublished book, which was due to be launched in January 2018, and was available for pre-order from Amazon.

I consider myself to be an intuitive person, and in my work, I have developed some skills in statement analysis.   When I read the original (2017) synopsis of the “official” book, there was no doubt in my mind why this book was being prepared.   This is only my opinion and may not be the opinion of Richard Fry.    After reading, “Withdrawn Traces”, my opinion was: their book was a cover up exercise.   A cover up not just about the details of Richey’s current whereabouts, but perhaps a cover up about why it was necessary to make him disappear from public view.  I repeat these are only expressed as opinions.  I have read some of the lyrics that Richey is alleged to have written not long before he disappeared, and they make disturbing reading.  Check out the lyrics for the song, “Yes”, from, “The Holy Bible”, album.  Those lyrics, in my opinion sound like they’ve been written by someone who has suffered sexual abuse.  Did a powerful person or group need to convince everyone he was dead or could not be traced?   

  When I met Richard Fry, I could see he was in torment, a torment which spanned all the way back to his childhood.  He explains his torment in this book, which he does very graphically, and I am sure his words will touch many hearts.  I advised him that the only way to resolve his state of mind was to get off his arse and go and find Richey.  “Just do it”, “Don’t hesitate, just do it.”  I tried to invoke positivity into him.  “What have you got to lose”, I told him.  “Just think of it as a holiday.  If you don’t find him, you’re no worse off, you’ll just have a suntan.”  

I am the same age as Richard and Richey, I was born one month before Richey Edwards.   This means I grew up in the same era, and some of Richards observations took me back in time to my own adolescence.   Richey Edwards wasn’t the only one who used to piss in his sink at university for example.   Something else I learned from Richard’s book was the immense challenges he has faced coming to terms with his sexuality. When you are, “straight”, you don’t realise what a huge challenge it can be, especially back then, for those who are, “gay.”  On top of that Richard was separated from his natural mother shortly after he was born and endured a challenging home life without the love of a natural parent.   

If something is, “4 REAL”, it means it is true.  Richey Edwards (assuming he was not under mind control) wanted people to think he and his band were, “4 REAL.”  In other words, true to themselves and true to their art.   But what was the truth about Richey’s disappearance?  Did he deceive his fans by wanting them to believe his suicide was, “4 REAL”?  In this book, Richard Fry searches for the truth.   He searches so he can come to terms with the fate of his best friend and explains what he knows is  “4 REAL” about Richey Edwards.

Richard D. Hall