Wil Hodgkinson

Will Hodgkinson the chief rock and pop critic for the Times; has written for the Guardian, Vogue and Mojo. He is also the author of Street-level Superstar: A Year With Lawrence, In Perfect Harmony, Roof Dog, Guitar Man, Song Man, The Ballad Of Britain and The House Is Full Of Yogis. His special interest lies in 60s and 70s mellow rock, pastoral folk, Brazilian psych and other styles that go well with the wearing of too much denim.
Will’s latest book Street-Level Superstar: A Year With Lawrence was the WINNER OF THE 2025 PENDERYN MUSIC BOOK PRIZE

Lawrence is the greatest pop star who never made it, his dreams of glory thwarted over the past five decades by bad luck and self-sabotage.  In 1980, Lawrence formed Felt, releasing ten albums and ten singles in ten years. In 1991, he reinvented himself with novelty-pop outfit Denim. Signed to EMI, riding the wave of Britpop, in 1997, Denim's song 'Summer Smash' became Radio 1's Single of the Week and looked like a sure-fire hit. Then Princess Diana was killed in a car crash. All copies were melted down. Crushing depression, addiction and homelessness followed... but in the face of it all, Lawrence never gave up.
At sixty-one, he set off on a new mission: to escape poverty, obscurity and the humiliation of kids at the bus stop laughing at him by writing a smash hit. But what is the cost of a dream?

In Street-Level Superstar, bestselling author and journalist Will Hodgkinson follows Lawrence as he rebuilds his life. He gets mistaken for an old lady by an amorous pensioner, is reduced to dragging sacks of 2p coins to his local bank and wanders through London's distant suburbs in search of lyrical inspiration. As they walk together down rain-soaked streets, Will tells the story of Britain's most eccentric cult star. Will he write the greatest song the world has ever known before the year is out? And was it worth sacrificing everything - family, relationships, health, sanity - for art?

“Will has finally written his masterpiece. I’m glad I could be of assistance.” Lawrence
Will Hodgkinson | Writer