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Hi, everyone! It's been years since I last posted and this could be the last time I do so. I understand that Mick Duthie has published a book about the Sweet and that it is supposed to be great. I shall take your word for it as I may never read it. To me this book will always stand as a symbol of betrayal, deceit and indecency - and here is why ...

For years I've been researching for a book about the Sweet. I've done countless interviews with band members and people around the band, and people started to look forward to this book! From 1996 on I did an edited and strongly shortened version in the form of a series of articles for the Scandinavian fan magazine and I took a leading part in organizing fan conventions in Denmark from 1997 up untill 2000. In 1998 I produced a 2-hour radio special, which was aired locally, celebrating Sweet's 30th Anniversary and at the same time promoting the book I was doing the final polishing to.

Then I was approached by Mick Duthie who offered to help me with material and research for my book. I didn't even have to give him credit - he would be happy just to be helping out! I told him that if what he had to offer was as good as he said, he would naturally be credited and should he earn the right I was ready to share credits with him. That would only be fair I thought.

We corresponded, exchanging emails and letters, for a while and finally ended up with an agreement - and not only that but a "Gentlemen's Agreement" which in my part of the world is at least as binding as a written document. According to this we agreed that whatever research either part did should exclusively be used for our combined venture, and that neither was to go public with anything - not even on any web forum - until our book had been published! Consequently I held back my script as a major reediting was about to be the result of Mick living up to his end of the deal.

Within weeks I received some material Mick Duthie had written, which in fact was nothing more than a sort of synopsis of what he would like to be exploring, and in return I sent him chapters of the script I had almost finished, edited and reedited for the ...th time. Mick was - in his own words - very impressed, not least by the chapter in which I talk about the whole glam theatre period. He had so many ideas of what he wanted to do to deliver his part of what should be "the ultimate Sweet bible" and where he would go to do research following up on things I had already mentioned in my script. At some point he even informed me that he was going to England to interview some people and suggested he and I met in London. He would email me as soon as he had a date! He never reported back. One day he wrote me that he had already been to England and had done som "very interesting interviews for our book." He would mail me the material as soon as he had put all his notes in order. I never heard anything.

Then one day Mr. Duthie emailed me that he was "oh so sorry" that he hadn't sent a word yet, but he was very busy at work. I told him not to worry - we'd get there anyway! At that particular time I was very busy myself starting my own company and everything. Mick told me that it was just a matter of days then he'd be ready with the first part of the work, he was supposed to put into this combined script. I never received anything.

Weeks and months went by and still not a sign of anything from Mr. Duthie. Then suddenly one day I received an email in which he told me that he had been ordered abroad for two years in connection with his job and that unfortunately he wouldn't really be able to do any of the work he had been promising according to our mutual agreement. He was "ever so sorry" and told me that he would understand if I chose to move on and publish the script I had already finished. Again I told him not to worry. I still wanted to honour our Gentlemen's Agreement, otherwise I would inform him if I chose to publish on my own.

Years went by and I was still waiting for Mick Duthie to finally fulfill his obligations. Nothing ever happened!!! Unfortunately, what I have to tell you now is rather sad but please don't waste any tears on my behalf.

At this point I had become quite a successful businessman - with much to much to do! At the same time most of my relatives, including my mother, and no less than 5 of my close friends had died within a few years. From old age, illness or accidents. One day lightning struck, I had a stroke and became seriously ill from stress! Part of my body and half of my face was paralysed for a number of months and I went into a depression. I had to sell my company and live on my life's savings.

For three years I was "climbing walls", fighting my way back "among the living" and, to make things even worse, I ended up having lost my marriage as well. All this time, trying to hold on to a bit of sanity, when I could find the energy I buried myself in research and endless reediting for this Sweet script, hoping that some day soon I would finally receive something from Mr. Duthie, so that we could get this thing published - but nothing ever happened!

Finally, fully recovered and fit for fight I'm embarking on a completely new life. Then one morning I woke up, made myself a cup of coffee, and went to check my email and there I had received a newsletter informing me of "a new Sweet book!" THAT, Ladies and Gentlemen, is how I learned that my "partner in crime" who had been ever so sorry that he hadn't been able to fulfill his part of our mutual agreement due to lack of time, in fact had managed to find sufficient time and energy to actually do the work, he was supposed to be doing for our combined script, that he deliberately had chosen to withhold the material, and finally publish the whole thing in his own name!!! And he couldn't even find it in his heart to inform me of his decision to neglect his obligations towards me.

Initally I was chocked. I couldn't believe this. Then I was disappointed before I became very sad. This really hurt. 25 years of serious research flushed down the toilet! Following this I became very angry and finally furious! Right now I'm p... off because I feel I've been p... on!

Again, I'm not looking for anybody's sympathi and I'm aware that I'm not being very nice here. Yes, some may even think I'm being very unsympathetic and I realize the tone is very harsh but - sadly - this is also the truth! And I've got the correspondance to prove it.

I'm sure that Mick Duthie is a popular person who hangs around in all the right places and has become part of the Sweet fan in-crowd, whereas I've mostly kept myself to myself. I understand that it might be difficult for people to learn the "everyone's darling" (judging from this forum) has acted like a two-timing cheat and a fraud, but nonetheless this is what has happened ... No matter what they say!

Well, there it is. Out in the open. Just felt you ought to know. I've gotten it off my chest and out of my system - and still I can't believe this has happened.

Happy reading everyone!

Karsten Boriths