Bit Of A Blur: The Autobiography

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The Autobiography

Most helpful customer reviews on Amazon. I had only gotten into Blur a few months ago after deciding to give them a second listen. Needless to say I became a fan and this book does not disappoint! Reading through Bit Of A Blur was a rather pleasant book front to back. Alex writes of his introduction to music, early life, parklife, midlife, farmlife, and cheese of course. Joking aside its a rare and honest book that'll always stand out to me in the genre of music autobiographies. From the beginnings of blur, to the chaotic life of the party, to the interests of Alex James, post Think Tank, and building a home for a future family this book covers it all and goes through every emotion imaginable.

I enjoyed this book all the way through and plan on reading A Life Less Blurry in the future as well. This wouldn't be a review if it didn't have any cons which my only con really is is that me being American there is foreign slang and terms which some are unfamiliar to me but honestly I do also love that about this book. I would recommend this book to any Blur fan who wants to simply know more, about the band, about the members, Alex himself. I found it thoroughly interesting, enjoyable, and I will most likely read it more than once in the future. I really enjoyed the astronomy sections, that was such a pleasant surprise.

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 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.

'Bit of a Blur' - Alex James Interview

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. 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.

Bit of a Blur: The Autobiography

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. Alex James has had a rather intersting life as a rock star. This memoir is well-written and enhanced by the author's somewhat, self-deprecating sense of humor. There are plenty of adventurous anecdotes that will keep the reader entertained and intrigued.

Alex James fell headlong into the opportunities offered by the fame and wealth of a successful rock band, In his case his activities involved consuming great quantities of alcohol, encounters with numerous women and hanging out with like-minded people at private clubs in London and the rest of the world. However, he also had interests in flying, astronomy and space travel that deviate significantly from the path of most rock and roll musicians.

I really enjoyed this book and can highly recommend it. Now updated for the twentieth anniversary of the collapse of Barings, this is his story of a broken system; of a cast of characters blind to anything but profits - whatever the cost. Leeson's tale of boom and bust is an important reminder of the immense power the banking system held and, worryingly, still holds. The Lost Gospels is both ugly and captivating, revealing a character who has lived a hard life his way, without compromise. Jourgensen, one of the most innovative and prolific artists ever to pick up a guitar, mandolin, harmonica, or banjo, wanted to be a musician, yet became a rock star.

And fame and fortune almost killed him. An IV drug abuser from the age of fifteen, Jourgensen delved deeper into heroin, cocaine, methadone, and alcohol for twenty-two years before cleaning up, straightening out, and finding new reasons to live. Filled with humour, heart, decadence, and tragedy, Ministry depicts the epic life of a renegade iconoclast. Demanding and enigmatic, patriarch Conrad Hilton's visionary ideas and unyielding will established the model for the modern luxury hotel industry. But outside the boardroom, Conrad struggled with emotional detachment, failed marriages, and conflicted Catholicism.

Then there were his children: Playboy Nicky Hilton's tragic alcoholism and marriage to Elizabeth Taylor was the stuff of tabloid legend. Barron Hilton, on the other hand, deftly handled his father's legacy, carrying the Hilton brand triumphantly into the new millennium. Eric, raised apart from his older brothers, accepted his supporting role in the Hilton dynasty with calm and quiet - a stark contrast to the boys' much younger half-sister Francesca, whose battle for recognition led her into courtrooms and conflict.

The cast of supporting players includes the inimitable Zsa Zsa Gabor, who was married to Conrad briefly and remained a thorn in his side for decades, and a host of other Hollywood and business luminaries with whom the Hiltons crossed paths and swords over the years. India's lost emperor Ashoka Maurya has a special place in history. In his quest to govern India by moral force alone he turned Buddhism from a minor sect into a world religion, and set up a new yardstick for government.

But Ashoka's bold experiment ended in tragedy and he was forgotten for almost two thousand years. In this beautifully written, multi-layered journey Charles Allen describes how fragments of the Ashokan story were gradually discovered, pieced together by a variety of British Orientalists: In doing so, they did much to recover India's ancient history itself. The Lost Emperor tells the story of the man who was arguably the greatest ruler India has ever known.

What happens when you swap 'I do' for pastures new? When twenty-three-year-old shepherdess Emma Gray breaks off her engagement, the chance to take over an isolated Northumberland farm seems just the fresh start she needs. But while the beautiful scenery certainly offers plenty of scope for contemplation, a night out with an eligible bachelor soon seems more remote than the farm itself.

And once you add fugitive sheep and freak blizzards into the mix, Emma's dreams of a happy future at Fallowlees Farm quickly begin to fade. Throughout the long nights of lambing, the highs and lows of the local sheepdog trials and the day-to-day chores of maintaining a large, ramshackle farm, Emma's collies are her most loyal companions. With Bill, Fly, Roy and Alfie by her side, she'll never really be alone. Emma's remarkable first year at Fallowlees - the triumphs, the disasters, the heartbreak and the glimmer of romance on the horizon - is an inspiration for anyone who has ever dreamt of changing their life and starting all over again.

A must for all thinking of living of the land, or looking to be inspired by a hard working courageous young woman' 'What a little gem of a book, I loved it. Emma has given us a little taste of her life in the remote Fallowlees Farm in Northumberland, her knowledge of lambing is just astonishing to me and her beautiful dogs are amazing, I must admit to shedding a tear now and then, but there was plenty to chuckle at too' 'An admirable book''Very entertaining and readable.

A brave girl who made the decision to become a sheep farmer and farm in a lovely and lonely spot''This story is written in such a way that you feel you are actually on the farm and going through the trials too. Wonderful empathy with her dogs and an excellent storyteller'. At seventeen Lori Schiller was the perfect child - the only daughter of an affluent, close-knit family.


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Six years later she made her first suicide attempt, then wandered the streets of New York City dressed in ragged clothes, tormenting voices crying out in her mind. Lori Schiller had entered the horrifying world of full-blown schizophrenia. She began an ordeal of hospitalizations, halfway houses, relapses, more suicide attempts, and constant, withering despair. But against all odds, she survived. Now in this personal account, she tells how she did it, taking us not only into her own shattered world, but drawing on the words of the doctors who treated her and family members who suffered with her.

In this new addition, Lori Schiller recounts the dramatic years following the original publication - a period involving addiction, relapse and ultimately, love and recovery. Our Books See all Books. Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman.

Bit Of A Blur

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Review: Bit of a Blur by Alex James | Books | The Guardian

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