Early life Born Nicholas Allen Jones in
Llanbadoc,
Monmouthshire, Wales, Wire is the younger brother of poet and author
Patrick Jones. He co-wrote the band's lyrics with
Richey Edwards between 1989 and 1995, taking over sole responsibility following Edwards's disappearance. Some of Edwards' lyrics were used on 1996's
Everything Must Go album, making 1998's
This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours the first album with lyrics by Wire alone. Wire remains the primary lyricist for Manic Street Preachers, though lead singer James Dean Bradfield has written a handful of songs, and the 2009 album
Journal for Plague Lovers contains lyrics by Edwards posthumously used by the rest of the band. Wire usually plays
Gibson Thunderbird,
Rickenbacker,
Fender Jazz and most recently
Italia Maranello basses, one of which is a custom acoustic model made by request for the band's 2007 acoustic sessions. Nicky chose the pseudonym Wire because of his lanky, "wiry" frame (he is 6'3" or 191 cm). He often dons a dress or a skirt for his group's gigs but has curtailed his flamboyance in recent years. Wire's cross-dressing dates back to his teens, when he would go to local pubs in
Blackwood wearing a dress; he has, however, been keen to emphasise that he is not transgender. He partly attributes his attraction to glam and women's clothes to his very close relationship with his mother. Wire is notorious for his outspoken attitude and has been known to cause controversy in the press. He once stated during a 1992 gig, "In this season of goodwill, let’s pray that
Michael Stipe goes the same way as
Freddie Mercury pretty soon". However, he has since expressed regret for the remark; stating that it was misinterpreted and "didn't come out the way [he] wanted it to." Wire has noted that his band has taken "inspiration from
Queen," Mercury's band, as well as being noted fans of
R.E.M.'s earlier albums. In November 2007, he was recruited as chair of the advisory board for the new commercial
Xfm South Wales Radio Station.
Solo career On Christmas Day 2005, the Manics posted a solo track by Wire called "
I Killed the Zeitgeist", available to download free for one day. In early May, the rumoured first single entitled "
Break My Heart Slowly" from his début solo album premièred on
BBC Radio 6 Music with
Phill Jupitus. Wire played an intimate solo gig at the
Hay Festival on 5 June 2006. The setlist consisted of material from his forthcoming album. Also included was a short acoustic rendition of "Condemned to Rock 'N' Roll" from Manic Street Preachers' début album
Generation Terrorists. Speaking to NME.COM before the gig, Wire confirmed that he was currently working on a solo album and he'd already written 25 songs. On the following day, Wire released the free track "Daydreamer Eyes" on his new website. He released the single "The Shining Path" as an exclusive
iTunes only download on 17 July. His solo album, titled
I Killed the Zeitgeist was released on 25 September, with the single "Break My Heart Slowly" released on 18 September. In an interview with
NME in March 2020, that also confirmed work on a 2021 Manic Street Preachers album and a solo album by bandmate James Dean Bradfield, Wire announced that he was working on more solo content, joking that he would not have to put in much work to meet fan demand. Bradfield later reconfirmed this, likening their simultaneous solo work to when they did the same in 2006. ==Personal life==