Verse, Chorus, Monster!

by Graham Coxon

Overview

Among the noise and clamour of the Britpop era, Blur co-founder Graham Coxon managed to carve out a niche to become one of the most innovative and respected guitarists of his generation - but it wasn't always easy.
Graham grew up as an Army kid, moving frequently in his early years from West Germany to Derbyshire and Winchester before settling in Colchester, Essex. A shy child, he had a thing for eating soil and drawing intense visions; his anxiety was tempered by painting and a growing love of music.
These twin passions grew into obsessions, and as he honed his artistic skill at school, Goldsmiths and beyond, his band with school friend Damon Albarn, fellow student Alex James, and a drummer called Dave Rowntree began to get noticed.
But there are things they don't tell you before you get famous. There are monsters out there. And some may even be lurking inside yourself.
Verse, Chorus, Monster! is an intimate, honest reflection on music, fame, addiction and art by one of Britain's most iconic musicians.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780571374328
Publisher:	Faber and Faber
Publication date:	10/04/2022
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

Graham Coxon is an English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and visual artist. One of the most innovative guitarists of his generation, best known as being a founding member of Blur, Coxon has also released eight solo albums and frequently composes for film and TV. He lives in London.
The Waeve, composed of band members Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall, made their live debut in May 2022, along with the release of a new track titled 'Something Pretty'.

Graham Coxon is an English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and visual artist. One of the most innovative guitarists of his generation, best known as being a founding member of Blur, Coxon has also released eight solo albums and frequently composes for film and TV. He lives in London.
The Waeve, composed of band members Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall, made their live debut in May 2022, along with the release of a new track titled 'Something Pretty'.

Table of Contents

List of Plates ix

Odyssey of an Earworm 1

Guitar on the Stairs 7

A Dodgy Pair of Brogues 31

The Kids Are Sort of All Right 49

Bowling with the Popscene 59

Brit Explosion 85

Milkman at the Junket 117

Too High the Sky 151

Just Freaked Out. Back Soon 169

Fingerpicking Good 189

Beetle Under a Rock 203

Rounding Bends at Illegal Speeds 215

Consider This a Spell 231

Thick-Skinned Workhorses 249

Moving Pictures, Jaded Hearts 267

Escape from LA 283

A Ticket to Heaven 291

Editorial Reviews

[Coxon] tells his self-aware, self-analytical tale with a disarming, unfiltered honesty . . . A bizzarely engaging read.” ― Classic Rock Magazine

“Refreshingly modest . . . [A] very rare thing: a memoir by a rock star who doesn't have too much of an ego.” ― The Times

“Charting the hedonism of his Nineties heyday and the ensuing fallout, Blur's reluctant guitar hero is finally making himself heard.” ― Evening Standard

“Covers a huge amount of ground - everything from [Coxon's] early years as a kid growing up in army barracks to his current musical incarnation, the Waeve . . . Compelling.” ― Irish Independent

“Verse, Chorus, Monster! breaks off with Coxon, a classically tortured artist, on a blessedly even keel.”  ― Observer

“Coxon paints a picture - specifically, a self-portrait - of the tortured artist perpetually at odds with his bandmates, the escalating demands of success and the abject horror of being shackled to the runaway train that was Britpop.”  ― i newspaper

From the Publisher