John Rogan (14 February 1953 – 21 January 2021) was a British author of Irish descent best known for his books about music and popular culture.
His writing was characterised by "an almost neurotic attention to detail", epic length (the first volume of Requiem for the Timeless is more than 1,200 pages long) and an ambivalent, sometimes positive and sometimes hostile response, from the subjects of his biographies.
[11] His first book Timeless Flight, an acclaimed biography of The Byrds was published when he was still a student at Oxford's Lady Margaret Hall.
With its detailed research and fascinating interview material, Timeless Flight Revisited is a compelling portrait of collective turmoil, peopled by characters who win our sympathy at the same time as they earn our disbelief.
Neil Young is quoted praising Rogan's work on the back of the biography along with a five-star review from Uncut and several other prominent music publications.
[16] The Severed Alliance has remained in print without interruption since first publication in 1992 and frequently appears in listings of all-time great music biographies.
Rogan wrote two major biographies of Van Morrison and the acknowledgement page of VM: No Surrender states: "This book has probably had the longest gestation of any I have written."
He also worked as a freelance editor and indexer, for example on Colin Larkin's Encyclopedia of Popular Music, and wrote book reviews.
Time Out's lead review noted: "Building on the brick-like Timeless Flight Revisited, Rogan has now collated everything he knows and everything even the staunchest psych-rock aficionado will ever want to know about the group.
Speaking to former wives and managers, band members, brother Dave and [Ray] Davies himself, he gives as definitive a view of the man as anyone could hope for.
Both Mojo and Record Collector awarded the book a maximum five stars, the former concluding: "Rogan's dogged devotion, evocative descriptions and eternal quest for truth behind the myths shines from each of its 1,200 pages to create an essential companion to Volume 1.