Rusty Egan: The Autobiography

Rusty Egan is one of the most iconic and influential figures in the electronic music industry. His career began in the music industry as a runner at DJM studios, followed by a stint at WEA Records. Rusty collaborated with former Sex Pistols member Glen Matlock, alongside Steve New and Midge Ure, to establish the new wave band Rich Kids. Their debut album, Ghosts of Princes in Towers, released in 1978, achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success. During the Rich Kids tours, Rusty met Steve Strange. This encounter led to Rusty's concept for a club night at Billy's, a Soho venue, catering to fashionable punks and showcasing the music they were passionate about. In 1979, they moved their club night to the Blitz in Covent Garden. As the resident DJ at the Blitz, Rusty played a pivotal role in introducing British, German, and Japanese electronica to the British club scene, essentially curating the soundtrack for the burgeoning New Romantic movement. Rusty Egan was instrumental in the formation of the band Visage with Midge Ure. Steve Strange joined them as the frontman (face and voice), and the lineup was completed by Billy Currie on keyboards, along with John McGeoch (guitar), Dave Formula (keyboards), and Barry Adamson (bass), all from the band MAGAZINE. Beyond his band work Rusty co-founded the incredibly popular Camden Palace nightclub in London with Steve Strange, where he continued to champion and shape the development of electronica in the UK. He also established Metropolis Music, a publishing and production company, allowing him to create music as well as perform it. In more recent news, Rusty released his album Welcome To The Dancefloor in 2017, which featured collaborations with Midge Ure, Tony Hadley, and Peter Hook. Furthermore, in June 2024, Demon Records Rusty Egan is still regularly DJing and in September 2025 will be releasing his new album Romantic to coincide with this autobiography and the Design Museum's Blitz Club Exhibition centred of course, around Rusty. AUTHOR: Rusty Egan is one of the most iconic and influential figures in the electronic music industry. His career began in the music industry as a runner at DJM studios, followed by a stint at WEA Records. Rusty collaborated with former Sex Pistols member Glen Matlock, alongside Steve New and Midge Ure, to establish the new wave band Rich Kids. Their debut album, Ghosts of Princes in Towers, released in 1978, achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success. During the Rich Kids tours, Rusty met Steve Strange. This encounter led to Rusty's concept for a club night at Billy's, a Soho venue, catering to fashionable punks and showcasing the music they were passionate about. In 1979, they moved their club night to the Blitz in Covent Garden. As the resident DJ at the Blitz, Rusty played a pivotal role in introducing British, German, and Japanese electronica to the British club scene, essentially curating the soundtrack for the burgeoning New Romantic movement. Rusty Egan is still regularly DJing and in September 2025 will be releasing his new album Romantic to coincide with this autobiography and the Design Museum's Blitz Club Exhibition centred of course, around Rusty.

About the Author :

Rusty Egan, co-founder of Visage and resident DJ at London's iconic Blitz Club, helped define the New Romantic music movement. His autobiography captures the birth of British electronic music, 1980s London nightlife, and collaborations with Midge Ure, Steve Strange, and other pioneers.

Rusty Egan is one of the most iconic and influential figures in the electronic music industry. His career began in the music industry as a runner at DJM studios, followed by a stint at WEA Records. Rusty collaborated with former Sex Pistols member Glen Matlock, alongside Steve New and Midge Ure, to establish the new wave band Rich Kids. Their debut album, Ghosts of Princes in Towers, released in 1978, achieved both critical acclaim and commercial success. During the Rich Kids tours, Rusty met Steve Strange. This encounter led to Rusty's concept for a club night at Billy's, a Soho venue, catering to fashionable punks and showcasing the music they were passionate about. In 1979, they moved their club night to the Blitz in Covent Garden. As the resident DJ at the Blitz, Rusty played a pivotal role in introducing British, German, and Japanese electronica to the British club scene, essentially curating the soundtrack for the burgeoning New Romantic movement.

Rusty Egan is still regularly DJing and in September 2025 will be releasing his new album Romantic to coincide with this autobiography and the Design Museum's Blitz Club Exhibition centred of course, around Rusty.

Praise for Rusty Egan

'I grew up with Rusty and his passion for music has never wavered. He's still as obsessed about music as he was when I first met him and I find that really inspirational.'

Boy George

'Rusty reinvented what it meant to be a DJ. He completely transformed London nightlife, and his influence just grows and grows. Rusty is genuinely legendary.'

Dylan Jones, author and journalist

'Rusty was the foremost contributor to the foundation of the New Romantic movement. He was a mover and shaker of the time.'

Sheila Rock, photographer

'Rusty was light-years ahead, the Neil Armstrong of electronic music.'

Ian Tregoning, Founder of DO-IT Records, record producer

'Rusty was a true maverick who completely transformed the club scene, always staying true to his belief in music and innovative ideas. Rusty had one of those personalities where you either loved him or you didn't, but there's no denying he lived life at a million miles an hour. You either kept up, or you got left behind! He was incredibly good at spotting talent and helped many people along the way.'

Carol Hayes, founder of talent agency Carol Hayes Management

'It would be a cliche to say Rusty dances to the beat of his own drum, but it's true. His depth of knowledge of music of all types is unrivalled. His enthusi asm for the music is infectious. He's like chaos theory, like the butterfly that f laps its wings and causes a hurricane. He can't help himself, I'm not even sure he knows he's doing it.'

Michael Donald, film director and author

'What a life! What a story! Absolute legend!'

Rough Trade, independent record store

'Rusty is one of the most driven people I've met in all my life in music. He has always had enormous energy and enthusiasm for something he believes in. And he sees it through! I'm really not sure that without these attributes the whole New Romantic movement would have happened in the way it did. Maybe a less focused and diverse version. Without the Blitz and his 'ahead of the wave' musical choices for the re cords he played, in the clubs he and Steve ran - plus his astute selection of musicians he drew together to create Visage was the focus for everyone else to bounce off from.'

Dave Formula, keyboardist with the bands Magazine and Visage

'As well as being a drummer for Rich Kids and The Skids, drummer and orig inal member of Visage, Rusty Egan co-founded the now legendary Blitz Club in late 1970's London. He provided the soundtrack that sparked an entire global cultural phenomenon. His reputation for curating and performing exquisite DJ sets and natural aptitude for discovering groundbreaking music from under-the-radar artists is unrivalled to this day. Generations continue to be inspired by the depth of Rusty's musical knowledge, experience and ap petite for introducing new talent to the world. Blitzed Magazine is delighted to pay homage to Rusty, one of the great pioneers of electronic music whose passion to create, innovate and inspire remains as vivid as it was in 1979.'

Blitzed Magazine

'Rusty is a legend to those of us who were on the scene in the early '90s. He's a drummer who helped create the band Visage, as well as a top DJ, club owner, and trendsetter. I liked him immediately when we met. Rusty took a lease on a restaurant club that I had started, Embargo on the King's Road. I owned a chain of gyms, Soho Gyms, so I didn't have the time to deal with obtaining a late licence for the club. He got the licence and made Embargo the trendy nightclub it still is today, although now in other hands. I came to respect Rusty as a man of his word - and indeed, a friend.'

Jeremy Norman, entrepreneur, Embassy and Embargo nightclubs and author

'Rusty Egan was my teenage hero. Not that I knew at the time. The first album I bought was the debut by Visage. Listening to it on my own at home, deep in rural Bavaria, I fantasised about far-away London and that mystical place called The Blitz Club. Little did I expect what would result from my continued love affair with "Visage" decades later. Discovering Rusty's leading role in the emergence of the album, and the huge influence Kraftwerk had on the Blitz sound, made me invite him to speak at my Kraftwerk conference in Birmingham in 2015. Rusty gave a brilliant talk and DJed at the wrap party. These days, Rusty not only remains my teenage hero, but has also become my adulthood friend.

Uwe Schutte, author of Kraftwerk. Future Music from Germany

'To me, Rusty is the No. 1 go-to source if you need to know anything about Punk, New Wave, or the New Romantics. And if London had a soundtrack between those decades, Rusty was the DJ - he played and lived it louder than anyone else. He was London's restless pulse - a man who listened beyond the noise of Punk while discovering Germany's future electronic sounds. He travelled to Dusseldorf and Berlin and never judged Germany by its past, but by its music. For Rusty Egan, Germany wasn't a dark shadow - it was the spark that lit the synth revolution. Thank you for this. And if you call him the Jack Nicholson of electronic music - you might be right. He's loud and sometimes outrageous, often right - but always worth listening to - in other words: a real good friend of mine.'

Rudi Esch, bass player for bands Die Krupps and Male, author

'I was in a fight one night at Tiffany's in Edinburgh after my friend, who was the DJ, was attacked. I stepped in to defend him and ended up with a cut over my eye - and even lost a tooth! I hid backstage afterward, as a gang was waiting for me outside. And yes, that was the moment we became friends for life! I also have great memories of the flat we shared in Notting Hill!'

Richard Jobson, filmmaker and singer-songwriter for the Skids

'Those who really know and love Rusty know he is many extraordinary things (even with his naive and trusting faults, and machine gun verbiage), that he would be extraordinary again, and again...no matter what. He's an unstoppable force and ahead of his time. A music creative visionary. A renaissance man.

Max Kirsten, designer and author

'Rusty Egan, the London gentleman with an uncanny ear for music and a fearless commitment to creativity, has long been driven by his instinct to explore the uncharted. Musically, he embarked on one-man treasure hunts - journeying to Dusseldorf in search of Kraftwerk and to Berlin after David Bowie - returning to the UK with sounds that would stimulate and inspire listeners far beyond London. As a co-founder of Visage alongside former Rich Kids bandmate Midge Ure, Rusty allowed individual creativity to flourish, shaping a sound that would define a generation. Beyond the music, he was instrumental in creating a safe, expressive art space through the Blitz Club in the 1980s - a sanctuary for the New Romantic scene, where fashion, self-identity, and musical experimentation thrived, and where embracing difference was celebrated. Rusty Egan's vision and influence foreshadowed the house music movement we cherish today.'

Vintage Disco Biscuit author of The Art Of Ecstasy

'I first saw Rusty at the Nashville Rooms in London in January 1978 playing drums in the Rich Kids, with Midge Ure, Glen Matlock and Steve New. I still remember that show as if it were yesterday. We've been friends ever since he was a DJ at the infamous Blitz club in London, where he played some of the most incredible music! Rusty is such a kind and warm hearted man, who will keep you entertained forever with his incredible stories and escapades and his love of music is legendary! This book will be an incredible read.'

Tony Hadley, lead singer of Spandau Ballet

'Having known Rusty for over four decades, our friendship has spanned generations, from the Blitz days and our children's early bond to creative collaborations like the recent Rusty Presents evening and my book New Romantics. His generosity and loyalty shone brightest when he gifted my daughter Jasmine his late wife Penelope's camera, revealing childhood photos of Jasmine and Rusty's son Kain - a true heart-of-gold moment. Rusty's loyalty is renowned within his vast network of friends, and yes, he loves to talk - but then, so do I.'

Iain McKell, photographer

'I first met Rusty in person when he quietly entered the foyer at the Hammersmith Apollo during a fan meet-and-greet session with Ultravox on their second reunion tour in 2010. Having heard him enter, I couldn't resist wandering across to say hello and when our paths next crossed at a documentary launch, he immediately placed me. I've interviewed Rusty on several occasions since for re:VOX magazine, and you know it's always going to be an entertaining hour or two. Rusty's contribution to promoting new types of music and invigorating the club scene at the turn of the 1980s is beyond question. But none of that should ever overshadow the fact that he's also a damn fine drummer too! Of course, anyone acquainted with the Top Of The Pops theme 'Yellow Pearl', or steeped in the Visage back catalogue, already knows this.'

Rob Kirby re:VOX magazine