„Everything Must Go” was the title of the album and the single as well released by the Manic Street Preachers back in 1996. It was their first work released as a trio without Richey Edwards just after his disappearance, with album’s title being an evident reference to Richey. But who exactly was (order changed) Edwards? And what has happened to him? 

 

Richey James Edwards, born in Gales in 1967, was the rhythm guitarist of Welsh band Manic Street Preachers. Although initially he was just a friend and a driver of the band’s coach, he soon was accepted as a member of the band, becoming the band’s lyricist by excellence.

 

Since the initial years of the band Edwards had always been an iconic member of the britpop era and his writings were highly politicized and reflected Edwards’ life experiences and situations which dealt mainly with depressing situations. He was a highly emotionally unstable person.

 

When back in 1991 Manics released their first album „Generation Terrorist”, Edwards soon bounced into the media when in an interview for the NME magazine his band’s punk/ alternative attitude was questioned by the interviewer; Edwards’ response to this accusation was to grab his arm and, using a blade, cut the words 4REAL on it just in the middle of the interview.

 

On the 1st of February of 1995, one day before the U.S. tour to promote their new album „The Holy Bible”, Edwards disappeared from the hotel room where he was checked in. For two weeks before his disappearance he kept on withdrawing £200 per day. It has been proved that he had drove back to his apartment in Cardiff and in the next two weeks from his disappearance he was supposedly seen in the surroundings of Newport. On the 7th of February a taxi driver stated that he had taken Edwards from a hotel in Newport and had driven him around the valleys which were his childhood home. Edwards had stopped the taxi at the Sever View service station and he had payed the fare in cash. One week later his car appeared abandoned at the same service station which is near a commonly known suicide location.

 

Some people has reported with the years that Edwards had been seen in Lanzarote (Spain), in a market in Goa (India) but nothing has been confirmed yet. Edward’s body has never appeared and with the years his writings have been highly acclaimed, leading the Manics to release an album in 2009 with all the lyrics by Edwards, taken from his last writings.

 

fot. Markus Unger/ wiki.commons.org

 

Ander Uribarri