Bit of a Blur

For Alex James, music had always been a door to a more exciting life: a way to travel, meet new people and, hopefully, pick up girls. But as bass player of Blur - one of the most successful British bands of all time - his journey was more exciting and extreme than he could ever have predicted. Success catapulted him from a slug-infested squat in Camberwell to a world of private jets and world-class restaurants. As 'the second drunkest member of the world's drunkest band' life was always chaotic, but Alex James retained a boundless enthusiasm and curiosity at odds with his hedonistic lifestyle. From nights in the Groucho with Damien Hirst, to dancing to Sister Sledge with Bjork, to being bitten on the nose by the lead singer of Iron Maiden, he offers a fascinating and hilarious insight into the world of celebrity. At its heart, however is the picaresque tale of one man's search to find meaning in an increasingly surreal world. Pleasingly unrepentant but nonetheless a reformed man, Alex James is the perfect chronicler of his generation - witty, observant, frank and brimming with joie de vivre. BIT OF A BLUR is as charming, funny and deliciously disreputable as its author.

'Alex James is a witty, engaging guide to the mad goings-on behind the scenes of Britpop. Blur's bassist famously estimates that he blew around GBP1m on champagne and cocaine during the Nineties. Here's how.' INDEPENDENT 'Bright, passionate . . . James writes with wit and flair' TIME OUT *'The definitive guide to Britpop . . . this effervescent memoir emerges as the most fascinating, as well as hilarious, document to date of those times' OBSERVER 'Guaranteed to bring a tear to your eye - in a good way ' ELLE 'A mischievous romp through Nineties excess from the eye of that peaceful decade's most inventive pop band' EVENING STANDARD 'For anyone seeking confirmation that being a pop star is the best job going, dive in' Q 'A dreamy, witty spin on his life as a supremely debauched rock star . . . James's inquisitive nature makes him eminently and continuously likeable' GUARDIAN 'James is more than happy to reveal the nitty-gritty in a surprisingly honest and almost humble way . . . you get a really good sense of what it was like being him, of finally being in the right place at the right time and hell-bent on having a blast' DAILY MIRROR

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