THE VISIONARY SONGS OF PETER HAMMILL AND VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR BY JOE BANKS (Kingmaker Publishing) (Available on 4th December, 2025

“With “The Charisma & Virgin Recordings 1971-1986”– an extensive Peter Hammill boxset – due for release at the end of September, and with Hammill playing his first UK shows since 2018 in support, the publication of Rock and Role is both timely and complementary.”

Rock and Role traces Hammill’s remarkable journey through the 1970s and beyond, providing an in-depth look at his music and lyrics, investigating the ideas behind his songs, and creating a portrait of Hammill as both artist and man. Drawing on new interviews with key collaborators and contemporaries, and extensive research in media and fan archives, the book affirms Hammill’s unique position as a pioneer and iconoclast. 

At over 500 pages, and illustrated with hundreds of images, including many rare and previously unseen photographs, Rock and Role is both a highly readable biography and a serious critical appreciation of one of rock’s great unsung heroes. 

Joe Banks is a respected music journalist and author of the widely acclaimed Hawkwind biography “Days Of The Underground” (Strange Attractor Press, 2020), described by The Wire as “entirely engrossing” and by The Quietus as “a tour de force”.