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" Alex James's life was always chaotic, but he 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 Björk, 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, this is the picaresque tale of one man’s search to find meaning and happiness in an increasingly surreal world. Pleasingly unrepentant but nonetheless a reformed man, Alex James is the perfect chronicler of his generation—witty, frank and brimming with joie de vivre. A Bit of a Blur is as charming, funny, and deliciously disreputable as its author.

James, bass player of the British group Blur-which rose to stratospheric fame in Britain and had varying degrees of success worldwide in the 1990s-has penned a roguish portrait of his hedonistic and compelling life that also illuminates the music and art worlds of the time. James recounts his childhood in middle-class England and the early years of Blur with tales of touring and promotional jaunts. As success and fame increase, his bustling social life takes center stage and is rendered with bons mots on topics ranging from art and travel to astronomy and cheese that illustrate a pleasure in discovery and an unabashed joy in living. James's amiable storytelling of a wild life lived without remorse concludes with the portrait of a man who has ultimately achieved stability and contentment. Fans of Brit pop and music of the 1990s will find this essential reading, but it should also appeal to those who appreciate popular culture, as James's writing transcends the traditional music memoir with freshness, humor, and pithy social observation. Recommended for larger public libraries.

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      • Rock