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Bit of a Blur

Author: Alex James
Publisher: Abacus
Category: Book

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

11 reviews
Sales Rank: 601

Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5 x 0.9

ISBN: 0349119937
Dewey Decimal Number: 782.42166092
EAN: 9780349119939
ASIN: 0349119937

Publication Date: July 3, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new book sourced directly from the publisher. Delivery in 3-5 days. Customer service 7 days per week

Also Available In:

•	Hardcover - Bit of a Blur
•	Audio CD - Bit of a Blur

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Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Highly entertaining July 23, 2008
I am surprised that so many people seem to be down on this book because it isn't a definitive story about Blur the band. As I see it, why would it be? This is a book that is about Alex James. As it is written by Alex James this makes it the definitive book about Alex James, and it's really rather good.

He is amusing, self-deprecating in many ways, honest and funny. He writes well and is full of enthusiasm, which spills out of the book at every page. It is the story of one man's life, loves and enthusiasms being filtered through the experience of being in one of the world's most successful bands.

I loved it and just hope he writes a lot more. A book about farming, a book about cheese, I don't care really. Just more of a very talented writer soon please. Thankyou.

4 out of 5 stars

If you want a detailed account of Blur, get 3862 Days June 7, 2008
As this is the autobiography of Alex James. Which he makes very clear. If you want an insiders memories of the band, Albarn or Coxons autobio is the one to wait for (probably Albarns if you want stuff about Think Tank).
There is very little focus on the band in the 2nd half of the book, whereas about half of the first involves aspects of the band. There isn't really a need for him to detail the band, there are 2 books already that do that, The Last Party (or Britpop, depending on which edition you get) and 3862 Days. The latter does go into far more detail as it's purely about the band, although it was published in 1999, so it does need an updated re-issue.
This is the book about HIS life, not the bands, and for what it is, it's very good. From the lifestyle he seems to have lead, he really must have written this down before hand, as events would be hard to remember after his nights.
Overall, a very funny book that shows the downsides of rock and roll hedonism, and how you can turn your life around. As he said, "It's horrid being in a rut, no matter how nice the rut looks from the outside."

3 out of 5 stars

Amazing band not an amazing autobiography June 1, 2008
I read this book thinking it would bring back memories of the time and give me an insight into the amazing band that was Blur, although as it developed it was clearly only going to be about the strange small world around Alex James. He was a very selfish man going through an unusual experience and, in my view, took a very arrogant view of the whole period in his life.
There are some very interesting sound bites - "if you know why someone likes you then they are not a friend but a fan" and "when you get what you want you lose what you had" - which give a hint of future promise if he continues to write.
Overall the book was a bit disjointed and it felt like he was trying too hard.

2 out of 5 stars

Very blurred May 20, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Although Alex James claim to fame is that he was the bass player for one of the nineties biggest selling bands, Blur feature little in this very disappointing autobiography.

Instead, Mr James prefers to write more about the hedonistic results of being part of a highly successful band. So what could have been an enlightening insight into the Britpop scene turns out to be a succession of superficial stories about women, drugs and booze. Unforunately even these stories are not that interesting as he chooses not to reveal anything that is too shocking, which renders the anecdotes both pointless and boring.

If this is the Rock & Roll lifestyle I think I'll pass on that audition for X Factor.

5 out of 5 stars

Give it some more cred! April 10, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

I have never written one of these amazon reviews before but I had to make an exception here as I really think this book is deserving of a bit more credit. I read this a few months ago and laughed out loud so many times at the stories it is full of anecdotes and bits of information and provides insight without too many lurid details.

While I agree his drug use is skirted somewhat it is acknowledged-but why does he have to detail about these things? We've heard about this kind of stuff many times before. Alex has a genuine flair for the written word and I hope this is not his only book. For any music fan of the Britpop era this will be a really good read. Alex was the dandy and playboy of Blur and his talk of how he made it from living in a small town to making it with Blur is charming, witty and laugh out loud funny. I think it is also about wisdom and growing up to the realisation that champagne and coke only remains interesting for so long.