Paul Weller - The Changing Man

The definitive Weller book, written by the man who knows him best

Paolo Hewitt has known Paul Weller since they were both teenagers in the depths of Woking, through his ascent to fame with The Jam, the halcyon years of The Style Council and for all of his critically acclaimed solo career. Hewitt has even been the inspiration for some of Weller’s songs – and he has extraordinary in-depth knowledge of the inspiration behind the rest.

Once, when Hewitt interviewed Weller for a music magazine, he complained – ‘I don’t know why people ask me all these questions. All the answers are in my songs.’ Largely unnoticed, Weller has used thirty-years of lyrics to explore his personal history and beliefs. Taking as his starting point these lyrics, alongside a lifetime’s friendship, Paolo Hewitt shows us the real Paul Weller, the man inside the music.

Author Biography

Paolo Hewitt grew up in care in Woking in the 1960s and 70s, an experience he chronicled in his acclaimed memoir, The Looked After Kid. He moved to London in 1980 to become a music journalist and worked for Melody Maker and NME. In the early 1990s Paolo gave up full-time journalism to write his first novel, Heaven’s Promise. He has since written biographies of The Jam, The Small Faces, Oasis and Steve Marriott. He lives in London.