Simon Parkes is the co-author of Live at the Brixton Academy: A Riotous Life in the Music Business.  In 1982 Simon paid £1 for a virtually derelict building in Brixton, and over the next 15 years and against all expectations he turned it into Britain's most iconic music venue.

His story is full of fond and wild reminscences of the famous musicians who played at the Academy, including The Clash, The Rolling Stones, The Pogues, Diana Ross, Public Enemy and the Smiths.  It's also about one man's burning desire to succeed against the odds, and his passion for the live music scene.  Today Simon lives in Brixton with his wife and three sons.