Readers, Books and Conversations with Stuart Coupe

Stuart Coupe is an author, music commentator, independent artist publicist and radio broadcaster who has been involved with music all his life.

Over the years he’s has conducted thousands of conversations with musicians from around the globe - from Leonard Cohen to Tom Waits and every Australian artist you can think of. He’s written memoir (Shake Some Action), biography (Paul Kelly, Tex Perkins, Gudinski) social history, musical history (Roadies) books and his new one brings together organised crime in Australia and the music industry.

It focuses on Abe Saffron, known as the King of Kings Cross. It traces how Saffron became as powerful as he did, brings to life the music venues he owned, and also details some of the musical acts who performed there or who were brought to Australia through Saffron’s connections. In Saffron Incorporated: The First King of the Cross and Fifty Years of Sex, Murder, Music and Mayhem, Stuart Coupe takes us back to Kings Cross and across Sydney in the 1940s, 1950s. We spoke about what really goes on backstage at the clubs and stadiums, and the underbelly of the entertainment world. The book is also a frank look at how corruption manifests in different people and organisations. And it brings into vivid detail so many fantastic bands, musical venues and colourful identities in Australian history.