Paul Wellings

PAUL 'MADHATTER' WELLINGS is fresh from the Milliners. For his many sins he is a British journalist, author, DJ, musician and broadcaster. Wellings was born and raised in the London overspill suburbs, the eldest son of a P.E. teacher and school assistant and grandson of a famously altruistic Miner.

After starting his journalistic career on regional newspapers, Wellings was fortunate to land a prestigious freelance job on the pop press with the New Musical Express, (NME), thanks to his best man Tony Parsons. He was the first to write about the R&B/Hip Hop scene and its links with the soccer casual movement. He also wrote about his close friendship with writers Tony Parsons and Julie Burchill in the book "I'm A Journalist ...Get Me Out Of Here".

He also worked on the Daily Mirror and London’s Evening Standard, writing about popular culture. He has appeared on TV shows discussing football, black music, youth culture, soccer casuals, and pirate radio. He has written six books: "This is the Modern Word", "East Ending", '"The Chaps", "I'm A Journalist... Get Me Out Of Here!", "Spend It Like Beckham" and the latest "Sex, Lines and Videotape", plus the screenplay "Thieves".

In the early 1980s his group the Anti Social Workers released an LP, produced by the legendary reggae producer the Mad Professor (of Massive Attack fame) spitting lyrics over his dub tunes, to rave reviews. The group were lucky enough to support reggae legends Peter Tosh (Bob Marley's partner) and Eek A Mouse on tour. As a sideline Wellings was a rare grooves DJ with London underground radio stations Laser and LWR (the station that launched Radio 1's Gilles Peterson, Tim Westwood and Pete Tong). In the 1990s he moved into Media Relations in the Charitable/Public Sector and now is a DJ / freelance journalist for The Independent as well as being a general dogsbody. His motto is 'agitate, educate and organise'.