Review: Bit of a Blur - Alex James
The story of British Band Blur in the Eyes of the Bass Player
An explosive autobiography from Alex James leaves out no details on the adventures of Blur's bass player rising fame and fortune in the 90s.
Bit of a Blur is an autobiography by Alex James, the bass player for one of Britain's biggest bands of the 90s, Blur.
The book follows James’s childhood in Bournemouth and later his move to London to study French at Goldsmiths College. There he meets Graham Coxon, the guitar player from Blur, and the band is formed. Along the way, James meets an eclectic mix of characters and lives in a squat in Camberwell.
As Blur gains popularity, James moves to a flat in Covent Garden and the band tours extensively in Europe and the USA. Bit of a Blur draws the reader into the 90s indie music scene with James’s natural and unassuming writing. He doesn’t hold back, declaring at one point that he must have spent £1 million on champagne and cocaine.
Alex James and Blur
The various characters in the book are captured with all their imperfections, and James is witty and funny in his storytelling, where he recalls dancing to Sister Sledge with Bjork and being bitten on the nose by the lead singer of Iron Maiden.
As the "second drunkest member of the world's drunkest band", James has many stories to tell from the chaotic beginnings of Blur, nights at the Groucho Club drinking with artist Damien Hirst and comedian Keith Allen, and the crazy touring of Blur across the world.
From riding ponies with Vikings in Iceland to leaving a nightclub in Mexico City to climb the Pyramid of the Sun and watch the sunrise, James’s life hasn’t been short of adventure. He has an obvious curiosity and enthusiasm for life and his life has been nothing if not extreme.
Blur and the Rise of Britpop
What James shares most passionately though is his love of music and his band. He writes about Blur’s highs and lows, the Britpop scene, the huge success of Nirvana’s 1991 record Nevermind, and the attitudes of a certain member of Coldplay.
His second passion (or maybe his first!) is James’s love of women and he tells of many rendezvous with women around the world. Women seemed to love him too, with two exceptions, Faye Dunaway and Marianne Faithfull. James hilariously writes about the time Dunaway told him to ‘piss off’ after he winked at her and when Faithfull laughed in his face when he tried to kiss her.
Sometimes James’s selfishness and extravagance is almost unbearable, but he is not blind to his high opinion of himself and his voice rings clear and honest. James rarely does the right thing and his actions are by all means questionable, yet reading Bit of a Blur readers can’t help but like him.
Blur Music, Magnets and Mars
James’s love of music doesn’t stop him from pursuing other interests. He read about astronomy, learned to fly planes, became obsessed with the workings of magnets, and supported the (now failed) Beagle 1 space mission to Mars.
The larger theme of the book though is really about what most people are searching for, the meaning of life and happiness. James’s curiosity and enthusiasm makes the world he describes one of beauty and wonder, debauchery and drugs. It’s crazy, but in the rock star world, it’s real. James’s honesty is refreshing in Bit of a Blur. He is unapologetic for his rock star behaviour and he regrets nothing.
Bit of a Blur was first published in 2007 by Little, Brown.
