Career
Barnes started a course at Ealing Art College at the same time as Townshend and the two of them shared a flat together, bonding over their mutual love for old Rhythm & Blues and soul records. Townshend subsequently said that Barnes "has traveled with the band more than any other writer I know and was really there at the beginning." When Townshend"s group, The Detours, needed a new name, the pair sat up all night suggesting joke names, until Barnes came up with The group"s singer, Roger Daltrey endorsed the new name the next day. In early 1964, Barnes was working as a promoter for the Railway Hotel, Wealdstone.
He removed all the lights in the public apart from two pink ones, and turned up the heating to create a sweaty atmosphere.
Barnes believed should have split up around the mid-1970s, and believes the only reason they stayed together was for the money. In 1977, Barnes & Townshend collaborated on a book to coincide with the Ken Russell film of "s rock-opera Tommy, entitled The Story Of Tommy, a stylised part graphic/part written account of the story behind the opera and the Russell film.
1982 saw the first publication of: Maximum R & B, an officially authorised biography of the band with photographs. After multiple pressings, the book is still in print.
In 1993 Barnes was listed as director and collabrator on Townshend"s "Psychoderelict solo album and theatrical American solo-tour that followed.
Barnes was featured in the official and definitive documenary of the group: Amazing Journey - The Story Of, directed by Murray Lerner and given a 2007 worldwide theatrical release. Barnes was featured in the 2013 documentary on the making of the band"s 1973 Quadrophenia album: Quadrophenia: Can You See the Real Maine, as well as many other documentaries focussed on the band"s and also specifically the members Pete Townshend and Keith Moon. In 1979 Barnes wrote and compiled the book Mods!, in which he described the mod movement with particular emphasis in London.