Tales from The Vaults, the German Democratic Republic and Albion's darkest hour with Attila The Stockbroker at Shoreham Wordfest

Ropetackle Arts Centre, Little High Street, Shoreham, Wednesday, September 30

“THE ADVENTURES of ME: stories about ME, for people who want to read about ME, written by ME” is how Attila The Stockbroker’s wife Robina lovingly refers to the man born John Baine’s autobiography.

The release of Arguments Yard coincides with the 35th anniversary of the Southwick-based punk poet’s premiere public performance, on September 8, 1980 at the Bush Fair Playhouse in Harlow.

A one-man cottage industry it is also Attila’s first release on an outside label since 1993.

His choice of publisher, Cherry Red, forms something of a neat circle though, as their record arm released his first album Ranting At The Nation in 1983, as well as three early EPs.

“They got me my biggest break,” says Attila, midway through a 40-date promotional tour for his new book. “They put me on the Pillows And Prayers compilation which has sold more than 100,000 copies. They are also the main sponsors of AFC Wimbledon, which makes them huge sponsors of grassroots football.”

That aspect is important to Attila – whose time as one of Brighton And Hove Albion’s most vocal supporters during their dark homeless period forms one of the latter chapters of the book.

During that period, as well as supporting moves to build a new stadium in Falmer, Attila also provided pre-match music and stadium announcements while the club was based in Gillingham and the Withdean Stadium.

“Quite a few people know about me through that activity with Albion,” says Attila. “It was relatively small part of my life in context of everything else I have done, but it was an important part.

“In that long battle that we all believed in made great friendships, and we had some great fun!”

Turning 19 in 1977, just as punk broke across the UK, Attila believes he was lucky to be in the right place at the right time. He was inspired to launch his first punk band, the Brighton Riot Squad, after seeing The Clash play London’s Rainbow Club.

The band lasted for one gig at the city’s legendary Vaults club under the Brighton Resource Centre in North Road. The venue had once been a 19th century burial vault - and on one occasion Attila found himself taking the door money in a small lead-lined children’s coffin.

Arguments Yard takes in the early pre-Attila days, playing bass in Brussels band Contingent, and becoming politically inspired by the Brighton Workers’ Bookstore in Gloucester Road and the Rock Against Racism movement.

But it also describes a time of division and tribalism on the UK’s music scene.

Attila’s early career as a “ranting poet” was punctuated with occasional violence at gigs, as the National Front targeted left-wing political bands.

On one occasion a thug even broke Attila’s own mandolin over his head after he played the anti-fascist poem Andy Is A Corporatist at a notorious London Nazi hangout Skunx.

“I’m grateful at the age of 57 I don’t have gigs attacked by Nazis now,” he says. “Things are different now. Some things have got a lot worse, like social division, while others have got better – there’s far less racism and homophobia. I talk about a time when bands like The Specials and The Redskins were regularly being attacked – you went to gigs knowing there would be trouble.”

He also gives an insight into another world long gone – that of the German Democratic Republic.

As well as being the first performer to play a punk gig in Albania, Attila was one of the few Western musicians to tour behind the Berlin Wall. He had joined forces with old mates Newtown Neurotics who had been invited to play alongside Billy Bragg at the Communist Party’s youth section’s Summer Song Festival Tour in 1986.

His tales of six tours, both before and after the wall came down, are some of the most fascinating parts of the book.

The most heartbreaking moment comes in one of the final chapters dedicated to his mother, who died in 2010 after battling Alzheimer’s Disease for five years.

It takes the form of a poem about her sad deterioration, The Long Goodbye, which Attila went on to read on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour.

It is one of many poems Attila has included in his autobiography.

“I bring out poetry books every so often and they almost always sell out of their 2,000 copies,” says Attila.

“Rather than reprinting my poetry books I felt I could tell my story via the poems. Many of my early poems are no longer in print.”

He has self-published five poetry collections, starting with 1998’s The Rat-Tailed Maggot And Other Poems, for largely financial reasons.

“I worked out having had two other books published by major publishers it was more cost-effective to do it myself,” he says.

That method - now adopted across both the book and music industry - coupled with a relentless touring schedule on the underground circuit has provided Attila with an income so he could live his dream.

“People say: ‘Don’t you wish you were more famous?,’” he says from his former childhood home in Southwick, which he was able to buy when it came back on the market in the 2000.

“All I wanted to do was earn my living on my own terms. I am in control of my own destiny, and I am proud of what I have done.

“I don’t want to be a celebrity – I want things to happen on my own terms.

“I loathe the concept of celebrity – this is an anti-celebrity book.

“I’m not within the corporate mainstream, run by agents and promoters. Ordinary people organise my gigs, and many are friends who want to put on a gig for me.”

That DIY approach helped with the structure of his book – because he was able to access his own extensive records from throughout his career.

“I don’t have a PA or manager, I’ve always done everything myself,” he says. “I had a management diary for everyday things. I’ve got a good memory, so when I looked back I only had to pick up the diary for the year in question and what I was doing on a particular day and it brought back memories.”

He sees Arguments Yard as being the voice of the underground – where you can build a career without having to go onto a talent show.

“Since the internet got going it has been 50 million times easier,” he says. “I used to be up at 3am sending faxes to Australia.

“I always say in major cities in the English-speaking world I can get between 50 to 100 people who turn up to see me. Through the internet I can connect with 11,000 people on Facebook, and a couple of thousand on Twitter. I have got an underground cult.

“With this autobiography I want people to discover me – to reach the mainstream to some degree. It’s more than just my story, it’s the stories of the times I lived in. They were interesting times if you compare the politics of the 1970s and 1980s to today.”

As he reveals at the end of the book he has recently had to battle the early stages of bladder cancer, and as he speaks to The Guide he is about to undergo another unpleasant procedure.

But he still has plenty of ambitions to fulfil.

“I want to travel to more countries, I want to write more new stuff,” he says.

“I’m inspired by the idea of Jeremy Corbyn being the head of the Labour Party – it will galvanise more people into politics, to write and create more.

“My band Barnstormer is important to me, I want to write another album of medieval punk music.

“And I would love to see Albion in the Premier League. After all the battles we have had it would be great to see that.”

*Attila’s Ropetackle launch features guest appearances by John Otway, TV Smith and former Albion chairman Dick Knight.

Starts 8pm, tickets £7. Call 01273 464440.

Attila also plays a London book launch show at The Borderline, Orange Yard, off Manette Street, Soho, on Friday, September 25, with Newtown Neurotics, Jeremy Hardy, Steve Lamacq, David Rovics, Janine Booth, Barnstormer and his first band Contingent. Doors 7pm, tickets £13.50, from theborderlinelondon.com.

Contingent and Barnstormer play the Duke Of Wellington, Brighton Road, Shoreham, to mark Attila’s 35th anniversary on Saturday, September 26, from 6pm.