Rogan's first published work was in music magazines such as
ZigZag and
Dark Star in the late 1970s, with writings on
West Coast American music. 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. This work was subsequently rewritten as the 700-page-plus volume
Timeless Flight Revisited. The work won considerable acclaim, including biography of the year in
Record Collector, in which it was described as "One of the best biographies ever written...Expansive enough to rival
War And Peace, Johnny Rogan's definitive Byrds biography comes close to matching the emotional, if not geographical, range of Tolstoy's epic novel. One of the achievements of
Timeless Flight Revisited is the way in which it matches its narrative flair with the incisiveness of its critical comment... But it's the narrative drive that makes the book so extraordinary. 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." Similar accolades were forthcoming from
Billboard,
Time Out and
Q Magazine ("This is, at least, the best biography of a group ever written"). Like several of Rogan's other books, the book was revised extensively in every decade since its original appearance. Rogan's view was that writing a biography was a continuing commitment, and he maintained archives of material with which to revise his books over the years. The comment was made prior to the book's publication and Morrissey claimed he had yet to see a copy of any of its contents. Not long afterwards Morrissey expressed a desire that the author should die in a hotel fire. However, in 1996 Morrissey testified under cross examination that he had not read the book, only "bits of it". He also testified that comparing some items of witness statements in relation to facts contained in the book that the "book is correct"; he and Rogan also spoke about various matters at the High Court during a recess.
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 continued to write extensively about Morrissey, most recently with 2006's
Morrissey: The Albums. 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." (20 years). However, this was thought to be likely to be eclipsed by Rogan's continuing work on the careers of the Byrds and Neil Young. Morrison on his part is quoted on the 'Dedication Page', saying: "Rogan's got something to hide. What's he hiding? I'd like to do a book on him." However, this quote actually emanates from an interview in 1984.
No Surrender featured in
The Sunday Times Top 10 books of the year and also featured for two consecutive years in hardback and paperback in Mojo's music books of the year. Among the many favourable press notices attached to the paperback edition was an extravagant review concluding: "
Van Morrison: No Surrender is the best book about popular culture written about any Irishman living or dead, and it's certainly the best social history of Belfast in the mid-60s ever written." Rogan also wrote lengthy studies of
football management and
pop management (
Starmakers & Svengalis), the latter of which was adapted for a
BBC series. He has also contributed to numerous television documentaries, DVDs and anthologies, including
Oxford Originals a collection of writings from authors, including Rogan, who studied at
Lady Margaret Hall. He also worked as a freelance editor and indexer, for example on
Colin Larkin's
Encyclopedia of Popular Music, and wrote book reviews. Rogan was known for his eccentricity. While working on
The Severed Alliance, he said that he once spent one year in isolation without speaking to another human being. In December 2011,
Byrds: Requiem For The Timeless was published.
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. Rogan's insight is, as ever, razor-keen, and the book is crammed with hilarious anecdotes and brilliant deconstructions of the music.
Requiem For The Timeless may yet prove to be one of the key works of rock journalism – it's certainly set to be the definitive book on the Byrds." In the summer of 2012,
Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance – The 20th Anniversary Edition, an expanded and rewritten version of the original was released. Rogan's 750-page biography
Ray Davies: A Complicated Life was published in March 2015, with a revised paperback following one year later. According to the London
Times: "Ray Davies is an eccentric, singular artist, but does anyone need to read more than 700 pages on him? Rogan, an obsessive, has form with this kind of thing. This makes for a lot to wade through but Rogan’s strength is in his dispassionate approach. He’s not in awe of Davies, nor does he have an axe to grind. 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." In August 2017,
Byrds: Requiem For The Timeless, Volume 2 was issued. 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." ==Death==