Bit of a Blur: The Autobiography [Hardcover]

Alex James (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'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

About the Author

Alex James is the bass player with Blur. He is also a Visiting Scientist at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Europe's largest space research facility. He lives with his wife and children in the Cotswolds.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316029955
• ISBN-13: 978-0316029957
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,520,200 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Apt Title, mostly enjoyable apart from a few irrelevant excursions, March 19, 2011

By 

C. D. White - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bit of a Blur: The Autobiography (Paperback)

As an American Blur fan, I am pretty unfamiliar with the 4 personalities within Blur. Since they have never been huge over here I have not been bombarded with press about them. So, the vague impressions I had of the bassist were that he was a life of the party archetypal rock star. This impression is fleshed out in his autobiography. His personality comes through as he relays what it was like to be in one of the biggest bands in the world through the 90s. And a major plus about this book is that it isn't bogged down with too much back story of his life as a child...just enough to give you a taste of where he came from. But that brevity is somewhat of a double edged sword because he also gives only cursory recollections of the recording process of Blur's music. As a fan of the band I felt a little short changed by that. Make no mistake though he does talk about it to some degree but not as much as I would have liked (for instance I don't recall him even mentioning "The Universal" much less go into detail about it). He does however go on at length about French literature, space travel, and flying among other topics that I could really take or leave. This is not to say that I only want to read about his musical ventures, but when entire chapters are devoted to these aforementioned other topics, wading through it does get a bit trying.

That being said, all in all this was an enjoyable read for someone interested in Blur. James is witty and recalls things with a style that will put a smile on your face as you read what it was/is like to be in Blur whether it's in front a mass of adoring people in Sweden or walking through a snake infested wilderness in Montana. His personal insight into his other bandmates; Damon, Graham and Dave is also even keeled and gives you a more well-rounded perspective than any outside source could. Also, his observations on the nature of celebrity are quite eye opening.

I would recommend this to any fan of the band curious to get an up close and personal account of the band. However for those wanting to read a book that concentrates mostly on the musical output of the band I would recommend reading Blur: 3862 Days: The Official History first.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite good, March 24, 2008

By 

Lovblad (Geneva, Switzerland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bit of a Blur: The Autobiography (Hardcover)

Very nicely written book by the bassist of Blur, who was probably one of the less interesting figures of that group. It does however show a man's life during his tenure in a very very popular group during the golden Britpop movement. The cover is very beautiful and worth the price alone. recommended. It shows the excesses of life in a rock band in a mush more intelligent way than what you can read in the recently published books that I have also reviewed.