As John Lennon once said: “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” And no-one can accuse Alan G Parker of not following his dreams. JASON KAYLEY spoke to the writer, film-maker and director from Mill Hill about his remarkable career to date.

FROM his bedroom in Blackburn to rubbing shoulders with some of the most influential musicians and artists in the world, it’s been quite a journey for Alan G Parker.

Alan, not to be confused with the director with a similar name whose work includes Mississippi Burning and The Commitments, came from humble beginnings, but now the former St Aidan’s Primary and St Wilfrid’s High School pupil’s contacts book reads like a who’s who of the rich and famous.

It’s a far cry from his early life in Blackburn.

As a child, Alan was diagnosed with macrocephaly, a condition which leaves the sufferer with an abnormally large head.

This made the slight Alan a target for bullies.

And it was in music that Alan found his solace and his inspiration.

He said: “I was always known as the music kid as St Wilfrid’s. I always had a different album under my arm. I used to get bullied a lot but when I was at St Wilfrid’s. I hung about with older kids, because of our interest in music, and they really stuck up for me.

“That really gave me a lot of confidence and made me feel like I fit somewhere.

“When I was younger, I was always in record shops in Blackburn. There were five or six at that time. I just loved music and listening to new bands.

“My first gig was going to see Slade in 1973, it just blew me away totally.

“I’d never seen or heard anything like it. That experience stuck with me for the rest of my life.”

As time went on, Alan’s obsession became a labour of love with the 4,000 Holes fanzine - a nod to the Beatles lyric from their hit A Day In The Life.

The fanzine covered the local music scene, which gave Alan the chance to promote bands all over East Lancashire.

He added: “We did shows at King George’s Hall, Colne Muni, Burnley Mechanics, all over the place and beyond.

“We had no problem with getting good names like Gary Numan and UK Subs onto shows.

“And through our Talking Primates Management we were also managing local acts. It was a mad time.”

But it was a visit to the fishmongers on King Street that was to change Alan’s life forever.

He said: “My mum and dad used to go every Friday and get their fish from the stall on King Street. They knew I was looking for a job in music and the chap who ran the stall mentioned a magazine called The Stage. At £4 it was very expensive but it had a good jobs section.

“So I started getting it and in the third week I got it, there was a job that I quite fancied as a press officer in London. I caught the train down to London and got the job. I didn’t live there so it was a very hurried move down to London.”

Helping to promote the likes of Three Colours Red, Big Country and the Wildhearts, Alan stayed with Judy Totton PR for 10 months before he made the switch to become a catalogue consultant for EMI Music, looking after bands such as the Buzzcocks, Public Image Ltd and Northern Irish punk band Stiff Little Fingers - who Alan had a great affinity with later in his career.

While working with EMI, Alan did some writing for lads’ mags like Loaded and authored a number of books, including tomes on Sid Vicious, The Clash and SLF.

But Alan’s life was set to take a new course in film.

He said: “I was a researcher on a Sex Pistols film called The Filth and the Fury, working with Don Letts and Julien Temple. I knew Malcolm McDowell [Sex Pistols’ manager] and thought that Julien’s documentary was only one side of the story.

“So I called Malcolm, and [former Sex Pistol] Glen Matlock was in the other documentary so I called him as well, as we did Never Mind the Sex Pistols and it got picked up.

“I was still working with EMI and writing books and I got involved with Don Letts again on a documentary on The Jam.

“His inspiration really gave me a boost.”

In 2009, Alan made Monty Python: Almost the Truth (Lawyer’s Cut) to celebrate the Pythons’ 40th anniversary, which has been shown all over the world including Sky Arts and BBC 2 and was nominated for six Emmys.

He also directed Who killed Nancy? a documentary surrounding the death of Nancy Spungen, the girlfriend of Sex Pistol Sid Vicious in 1978.

And in 2012, after being diagnosed with a form of Asperger’s Syndrome, he charted the career of Status Quo in Hello Quo.

He said: “I was back up in Lancashire and I checked into Stanley House and a mate of mine called me about going to see Quo at King George’s Hall. I still knew a few people so I was able to get us on the guest list. We met up with the Quo lads and the idea came from there.

“We started filming in 2011 and got it out the next year. It was a great experience and the Quo boys loved it.”

Next he embarked on his best-known work to date, bringing his life full circle.

“If someone would have told the teenage Alan Parker, sat in his bedroom, listening to the Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, that one day I’d be directing a film about its 50th anniversary, I’d have laughed in your face.

“I’ve always been Beatles daft. I’m a fan, a collector, a writer on The Beatles so I knew everything inside and out and I wanted to tell the back story of that album - the LSD, John’s ‘We are more famous than Jesus’ quote, the Maharishi, the summer of love. Everything.

“We had some legal wranglings with Apple over the film but as we used the Bootleg Beatles for the soundtrack, who composed 24 incredible pieces, they weren’t able to touch us. It was a real pleasure and a labour of love.

“We were able to obtain enough third-party unseen footage to make it new to the real diehard fans.

“I know Ringo and Paul saw it, and Giles Martin (son of Beatles producer George Martin) loved it. And it did more business than the official Ron Howard film that came out.

“To know that Paul and Ringo loved it was amazing.”

And now, as Alan works on a number of projects, through his A Geezer and A Blonde Productions company, he knows he’s come a long way from his East Lancashire roots.

“My work has been nominated for six Emmy awards, I’ve written a number of books, worked with some of the greatest musicians and artists of all time and followed my dreams,” he said.

“Not bad for a dyslexic kid from Mill Hill, is it?”