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Verse, Chorus, Monster!
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.
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.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published February 21, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
September 7, 2022
This is a review of the F & F uncorrected proof.
This should have been called Imposter Syndrome & I, because it's clear from very early on in the book that Coxon's opinion of himself couldn't get any lower.
An incredibly intuitive and talented musician, Coxon spends most of the book writing as if he's anything but, afflicted with crushing doubts about his own abilities both as a musician and a Human Being.
I like much of Blur's music, but I always got the impression that Coxon wished he were the guitarist in a cooler band (and many times I thought he should), perhaps a band like Pavement or Yo la Tengo, who he writes about with a passion that is largely missing from much of his chapters about Blur. For example, Parklife, Blur's 'breakout' third record, barely warrants a mention here, even though it catapulted the band into the pop mainstream. If anything, Coxon appears embarrassed about it all.
Coxon comes across as a lovely bloke with a voracious appetite and passion for new sounds and words that I wish I could have a chat to and bond over music, films and books. As is it, for much of the book Coxon appears to be searching for inspiration and validation that he can't find within the orbit of his Blur bandmates, who are sketched here precisely as we would expect to find them.
I've read a ton of music bios and it's a pity that this follows a straight, 'I did this, and then I did that, and then this happened' chronologically ordered outline of Coxon's career as a musician. I think a cut and paste lo-fi This Is Memorial Device splatter blast of influences and incidents would have been more engaging; like much of the book, I get the impression Coxon needs steering towards the things he feels but cannot grasp.
It's commendable that Coxon is as honest as he is here, and perhaps for a man hobbled by mental illness, Coxon skims over relationships and only vaguely hints at the reasons for his relationship breakdowns as best and as comfortably as he can. One could be generous and say that it's Coxon's admitted anxiety issues that prevent him from revealing more, or perhaps things remain unsaid because of Coxon's loyalty and sense of chivalry. Or maybe things are left unsaid for legal reasons. Whatever the case, I finished the book knowing less about Coxon than I thought I would, especially given the use of the word monster in the title; I was expecting spiky critiques of the risible Country House hit single and the paucity of bonafide thrashers in Blur's back catalogue, but overall Coxon seems quite apologetic about it all, even if he is whining.
If you're into Blur and Coxon's solo career it's not going to tell you anything you probably don't already know or guess at. But if you like the idea of sitting at Graham's kitchen table while he makes a pot of tea and ruminates over his career whilst admiring Van Der Graaf Generator with you, it's a nice if disappointingly unchallenging read.
This should have been called Imposter Syndrome & I, because it's clear from very early on in the book that Coxon's opinion of himself couldn't get any lower.
An incredibly intuitive and talented musician, Coxon spends most of the book writing as if he's anything but, afflicted with crushing doubts about his own abilities both as a musician and a Human Being.
I like much of Blur's music, but I always got the impression that Coxon wished he were the guitarist in a cooler band (and many times I thought he should), perhaps a band like Pavement or Yo la Tengo, who he writes about with a passion that is largely missing from much of his chapters about Blur. For example, Parklife, Blur's 'breakout' third record, barely warrants a mention here, even though it catapulted the band into the pop mainstream. If anything, Coxon appears embarrassed about it all.
Coxon comes across as a lovely bloke with a voracious appetite and passion for new sounds and words that I wish I could have a chat to and bond over music, films and books. As is it, for much of the book Coxon appears to be searching for inspiration and validation that he can't find within the orbit of his Blur bandmates, who are sketched here precisely as we would expect to find them.
I've read a ton of music bios and it's a pity that this follows a straight, 'I did this, and then I did that, and then this happened' chronologically ordered outline of Coxon's career as a musician. I think a cut and paste lo-fi This Is Memorial Device splatter blast of influences and incidents would have been more engaging; like much of the book, I get the impression Coxon needs steering towards the things he feels but cannot grasp.
It's commendable that Coxon is as honest as he is here, and perhaps for a man hobbled by mental illness, Coxon skims over relationships and only vaguely hints at the reasons for his relationship breakdowns as best and as comfortably as he can. One could be generous and say that it's Coxon's admitted anxiety issues that prevent him from revealing more, or perhaps things remain unsaid because of Coxon's loyalty and sense of chivalry. Or maybe things are left unsaid for legal reasons. Whatever the case, I finished the book knowing less about Coxon than I thought I would, especially given the use of the word monster in the title; I was expecting spiky critiques of the risible Country House hit single and the paucity of bonafide thrashers in Blur's back catalogue, but overall Coxon seems quite apologetic about it all, even if he is whining.
If you're into Blur and Coxon's solo career it's not going to tell you anything you probably don't already know or guess at. But if you like the idea of sitting at Graham's kitchen table while he makes a pot of tea and ruminates over his career whilst admiring Van Der Graaf Generator with you, it's a nice if disappointingly unchallenging read.
May 7, 2023
Just so disappointing in many ways. Firstly because I thought Coxon was an alright bloke but he really hasn’t held back in showing everyone his true self. So it’s equally cringeworthy (the comment above about Uriah Heap is so true) but also very revealing in that he devotes more space to his pedal set up to telling us anything about his children. Or detailing how his home recording system works but failing to mention a single thing about any of his partners. The mother of his first child is just ‘Anna’ and not fleshed out beyond her name. Soraya, the mother of his second daughter, is given no identity whatsoever - and all from this ‘feminist’ of a man who calls women “girls” and jealously ponders how other men manage to walk down the street with amazing “creatures” on their arms. Some of this stuff astounded me - did no one think that the “Escape from LA” chapter should be renamed given its depiction of Graham effectively abandoning his wife and child in another country? No one knows what goes on in other people’s marriages but he does not paint a great picture of himself. The Blur years are very unsatisfying, with big chunks missing - he was also quite mean spirited towards Damon, I felt, if not very bitter. Even going forward into the future we find out nothing about Rose Elinor Dougall as a person. I’d forgive all this if it were a good book but it’s poorly written with a lot of repetitive language and contradiction. At least I know all about his guitar set up though. I’d strongly recommend “A Bit of a Blur” by Alex James instead.
October 11, 2022
I'll start this by saying Blur are my favourite band and have been for over 25 years, so I may have more pre-existing knowledge than the average reader and as such this has probably shaped some of my thoughts around this book. Those with a passing interest in Graham and/or Blur may find this book a better read.
Firstly to start with the good stuff - I really enjoyed reading Graham's take on the Blur years, a lot has been written over the years about what people thought Graham felt/thought but until now there has been very little directly from Graham. It was often said that he struggled with the 'lad-band' image that was projected on to the band during the mid-90's peak of Blur and Graham acknowledges this is true within the book, it was particularly interesting to read how Graham's dislike of this image then influenced Blur's sound through him rebelling in the studio with things such as his Indie guitar section across Alex's jangly-pop bassline in Girls & Boys and his later influence on the self-titled Blur album.
Similarly it was nice to hear Graham discuss things that were never really acknowledged at the time such as how a lot of the Modern Life is Rubbish/Parklife/The Great Escape era of Blur was actually a parody, but somewhere along the line this all got very confused and taken at face value and as a result the band then attracted the same fan base that they were actually parodying. This was something that I hadn't heard directly from the mouth/pen of any of the bands members except for in interviews from around the time. For fans of Blur there are also some nice anecdotes about Blur in their early years.
I debated rating this book higher but I settled on 3 stars because I felt he held back far too much. I didn't think or want this book to be Graham slagging off the other band members but he says nothing bad/negative about any of them (or anyone else) at any point and it leaves you feeling that he has held back. Much has been written about the tensions within the band at certain points but this is largely skimmed over within the book, very little opinion is ever given, Graham sugar coats the facts. If you're a Blur fan there isn't much here that you won't already know and you'll probably also know there is a lot he has skimmed over, for example his split from Blur is brusquely covered in a few lines where he claims he just took a break and never technically left. There were also many times throughout the book where I felt he skimmed over any of his own short-comings and the impact that he may have had on situations instead I felt he chose to quietly point the finger at whoever the other person was without directly saying so. For me, it just led to me feeling the book lacked honesty.
Whilst I felt Graham held back when discussing Blur he didn't hold back when discussing his ongoing battle with alcoholism and the book gives an honest insight in to his relationship with alcohol. I got the impression he was more honest during these sections, maybe because there was no one else involved so he could really open up without worrying about upsetting other people, as a result he writes with insight and I imagine that this book could be a comfort to others who find themselves in a similar situation.
It's a nice enjoyable read, if you're interested in Graham's musical influences then he talks about these quite a lot within the book and I particularly liked his discussion about his later work as less has been publicised about that. I just wish he had been more open as I don't feel I know him any better for having read the book but maybe that is how he wanted it to be. Recommended for any fans of Graham, Blur or 90's guitar music in general.
Firstly to start with the good stuff - I really enjoyed reading Graham's take on the Blur years, a lot has been written over the years about what people thought Graham felt/thought but until now there has been very little directly from Graham. It was often said that he struggled with the 'lad-band' image that was projected on to the band during the mid-90's peak of Blur and Graham acknowledges this is true within the book, it was particularly interesting to read how Graham's dislike of this image then influenced Blur's sound through him rebelling in the studio with things such as his Indie guitar section across Alex's jangly-pop bassline in Girls & Boys and his later influence on the self-titled Blur album.
Similarly it was nice to hear Graham discuss things that were never really acknowledged at the time such as how a lot of the Modern Life is Rubbish/Parklife/The Great Escape era of Blur was actually a parody, but somewhere along the line this all got very confused and taken at face value and as a result the band then attracted the same fan base that they were actually parodying. This was something that I hadn't heard directly from the mouth/pen of any of the bands members except for in interviews from around the time. For fans of Blur there are also some nice anecdotes about Blur in their early years.
I debated rating this book higher but I settled on 3 stars because I felt he held back far too much. I didn't think or want this book to be Graham slagging off the other band members but he says nothing bad/negative about any of them (or anyone else) at any point and it leaves you feeling that he has held back. Much has been written about the tensions within the band at certain points but this is largely skimmed over within the book, very little opinion is ever given, Graham sugar coats the facts. If you're a Blur fan there isn't much here that you won't already know and you'll probably also know there is a lot he has skimmed over, for example his split from Blur is brusquely covered in a few lines where he claims he just took a break and never technically left. There were also many times throughout the book where I felt he skimmed over any of his own short-comings and the impact that he may have had on situations instead I felt he chose to quietly point the finger at whoever the other person was without directly saying so. For me, it just led to me feeling the book lacked honesty.
Whilst I felt Graham held back when discussing Blur he didn't hold back when discussing his ongoing battle with alcoholism and the book gives an honest insight in to his relationship with alcohol. I got the impression he was more honest during these sections, maybe because there was no one else involved so he could really open up without worrying about upsetting other people, as a result he writes with insight and I imagine that this book could be a comfort to others who find themselves in a similar situation.
It's a nice enjoyable read, if you're interested in Graham's musical influences then he talks about these quite a lot within the book and I particularly liked his discussion about his later work as less has been publicised about that. I just wish he had been more open as I don't feel I know him any better for having read the book but maybe that is how he wanted it to be. Recommended for any fans of Graham, Blur or 90's guitar music in general.
May 5, 2024
I always like a good rock 'n' roll tale - or a good rock 'n' roll cautionary tale. This book is neither. That's not to say it isn't a good book, although it's a bit boring in places. Actually there is very little rock star behaviour or youthful debauchery in the book.
What it is, is a very honest account of Coxon's struggles with self-image and anxiety, alcoholism and being in a band. And though it drags a bit in places and can sometime appear scatterbrained, the honesty is admirable, and Coxon comes across as very considerate, considered and sympathetic.
What it is, is a very honest account of Coxon's struggles with self-image and anxiety, alcoholism and being in a band. And though it drags a bit in places and can sometime appear scatterbrained, the honesty is admirable, and Coxon comes across as very considerate, considered and sympathetic.
December 16, 2022
The news that Graham Coxon had written a book would have been intriguing years ago. What came out as 'Verse, Chorus, Monster' this October is difficult to evaluate dispassionately and solely out of interest in his work.
"I just didn't want it to be like a normal memoir". He didn't lie here, because this is so much worse. The whole book feels like he's retelling old (and mostly not even his own) interviews. And he does it so boringly, as if he too had been retold those interviews 20 minutes before he opened his laptop and tried to reproduce it all from memory, like a high school outline.
For years he has coddled his image as a mysterious humble man who opens his mouth and spits out some nonsense, which for some reason seems extremely sweet to many people. 'Verse, chorus, monster' is licked to the bone, so that his almost patented image does not fall apart. If he would be honest with himself and the reader, the book would come out something like 'Diary of an Oxygen Thief'. Only no one would publish it under the name of a relatively famous person. So forced are all these passages about how beautiful women are and how he respects their rights. Especially if you don't drop the book at this point and read a little further, where there are several statements about how all the women in his life were mentally unstable. And his wife was so abusive that he had to run away from home at the height of the pandemic, leaving his child, for whom he is VERY, VERY worried. Leaving your own offspring with an unstable person is dangerous for everyone, but he did anyway. Something doesn't quite add up, but okay.
There are occasional appearances of the very "monsters" that any self-respecting man struggles with. He has two demons: alcoholism and his inflated ego. As it turns out, he doesn't really struggle with either one.
Probably the only really unexpected information in the whole text is that during the recording of The Spinning Top he started drinking again and supposedly finally quit in 2017. This generally changes the perception of, for example, the Blur reunion. It's a whole other can of worms on its own.
Otherwise it is 'Welcome to my twisted mind', which is not particularly twisted, and looks ridiculous when performed by an adult. Why, then, did this book come out in the first place? Information surfaced that Comrade Coxon was communicating with his young female fans a little closer than is considered appropriate. This isn't the first time such allegations have been brought up, but this time the scope has changed. Quite a few people from all sides got involved in the situation, except the person responsible for the festivities. He disappeared for a while, then reappeared with a new band and a memoir.
A memoir that really looks like an attempt to get away with what happened.
In short, dissapointed, but not surprised.
"I just didn't want it to be like a normal memoir". He didn't lie here, because this is so much worse. The whole book feels like he's retelling old (and mostly not even his own) interviews. And he does it so boringly, as if he too had been retold those interviews 20 minutes before he opened his laptop and tried to reproduce it all from memory, like a high school outline.
For years he has coddled his image as a mysterious humble man who opens his mouth and spits out some nonsense, which for some reason seems extremely sweet to many people. 'Verse, chorus, monster' is licked to the bone, so that his almost patented image does not fall apart. If he would be honest with himself and the reader, the book would come out something like 'Diary of an Oxygen Thief'. Only no one would publish it under the name of a relatively famous person. So forced are all these passages about how beautiful women are and how he respects their rights. Especially if you don't drop the book at this point and read a little further, where there are several statements about how all the women in his life were mentally unstable. And his wife was so abusive that he had to run away from home at the height of the pandemic, leaving his child, for whom he is VERY, VERY worried. Leaving your own offspring with an unstable person is dangerous for everyone, but he did anyway. Something doesn't quite add up, but okay.
There are occasional appearances of the very "monsters" that any self-respecting man struggles with. He has two demons: alcoholism and his inflated ego. As it turns out, he doesn't really struggle with either one.
Probably the only really unexpected information in the whole text is that during the recording of The Spinning Top he started drinking again and supposedly finally quit in 2017. This generally changes the perception of, for example, the Blur reunion. It's a whole other can of worms on its own.
Otherwise it is 'Welcome to my twisted mind', which is not particularly twisted, and looks ridiculous when performed by an adult. Why, then, did this book come out in the first place? Information surfaced that Comrade Coxon was communicating with his young female fans a little closer than is considered appropriate. This isn't the first time such allegations have been brought up, but this time the scope has changed. Quite a few people from all sides got involved in the situation, except the person responsible for the festivities. He disappeared for a while, then reappeared with a new band and a memoir.
A memoir that really looks like an attempt to get away with what happened.
In short, dissapointed, but not surprised.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2022
All done-zo! An interesting read, although at times veering strongly into areas of Graham’s fixations, which are not as entertaining for the reader. I personally felt unsatisfied after finishing the book - seems like there’s a lot he left unsaid and held back. Which is sad, because in a sense this book was quite revealing too. Just got the feeling that he had more to say on a subject, but then stopped. Not sure why, but I liked him more before reading this book🙁
January 23, 2023
So boring and whingey. I’m a big blur fan and this was such a disappointing read. Someone else wrote in their review that they ended up liking him less after reading the book and I know exactly what they mean. Really pushed myself to finish as it was a Christmas present, was not engaging or well written.
October 17, 2022
Having been heavily influenced by Graham both as a musician, and as a person, I could not wait to read this book.
It was everything I hoped it would be and more. He is really open about his anxieties and insecurities, which for a "rock" memoir, was really refreshing (a world away from Alex James' approach which was almost the polar opposite).
The book does skim over his personal relationships a bit, but they're personal for a reason, and there are other people to think about.
He also skims over blur a little, but it's not a blur autobiography, it's a Graham Coxon one. Just because he's known for being in blur doesn't mean he should dedicate most of the book to them.
If Graham is reading this, I hope he knows how many lives he has changed for the better, and how many people he has influenced. His outlook and self-analysis will resonate with a lot of people, and he should be proud that he took this step to air his thoughts when he didn't have to.
He has lived a rich and varied life, and that's why his story is so interesting. Long may he continue to be a presence in his followers lives.
It was everything I hoped it would be and more. He is really open about his anxieties and insecurities, which for a "rock" memoir, was really refreshing (a world away from Alex James' approach which was almost the polar opposite).
The book does skim over his personal relationships a bit, but they're personal for a reason, and there are other people to think about.
He also skims over blur a little, but it's not a blur autobiography, it's a Graham Coxon one. Just because he's known for being in blur doesn't mean he should dedicate most of the book to them.
If Graham is reading this, I hope he knows how many lives he has changed for the better, and how many people he has influenced. His outlook and self-analysis will resonate with a lot of people, and he should be proud that he took this step to air his thoughts when he didn't have to.
He has lived a rich and varied life, and that's why his story is so interesting. Long may he continue to be a presence in his followers lives.
January 5, 2023
2.5
Entertaining enough read for the casual Blur/Coxon fan. Poorly written at times and suffers from lack of insight into Coxon’s relationships, and even those with the mothers of his children are very thinly sketched. At its best when detailing Coxon’s approach to the creative process, and his discovery of a new confidence in his post-Blur solo albums and soundtrack work.
Entertaining enough read for the casual Blur/Coxon fan. Poorly written at times and suffers from lack of insight into Coxon’s relationships, and even those with the mothers of his children are very thinly sketched. At its best when detailing Coxon’s approach to the creative process, and his discovery of a new confidence in his post-Blur solo albums and soundtrack work.
November 27, 2022
one of my favourite autobiography, cried at some moments as it captures the 90’s and blur’s journey so well. Graham portrayed mental well-being as well as mental illness in a way that everyone can relate and i absolutely love him. even if you do not listen to blur or grahams music, you should definitely read this as it talks more about sobriety and struggles through fame than the music itself.
March 14, 2025
my shayla
October 22, 2022
I read the uncorrected proof (which means I’ll refrain from commenting on what seem like errors, and it’s possible that a postscript has been added since Coxon became a father for the third time in August).
Probably the book you would expect from Graham, which doesn’t mean it’s any better than that. I’d forgotten, perhaps, that his solo career has lasted twice the length of his original Blur tenure, and Coxon gives equitable space to all his releases. This means that classics like ‘Parklife’ get as much space as minor diversions like Bloodwitch or the Jaded Hearts Band, and ‘Beetlebum’ - a number one - gets no coverage at all. Coxon covers his alcoholism and trips on and off the wagon honestly, but he is also circumspect about the rumoured topic of ‘Beetlebum’ (Damon and Justine Frischmann’s heroin use), although this may be down to ignorance given the band’s inexpressive friendship. The book indicates that love in the 90s is paranoid, but friendship in the 90s was closed off from emotional expressiveness, to Coxon’s detriment.
Graham is more forthcoming when talking about other people’s music or about some of his own methods, which makes me wonder whether this banal A-Z chronological memoir was the right approach. I suspect he’d rather have written a Lamacq-style Under The Influence book, where he could elaborate on his love for King Crimson, Wire, Bert Jansch and others, and add autobiographical detail where suitable without feeling the need to return to describing the grind of tour-record. It is, like its author, what it is: practically flawed.
Probably the book you would expect from Graham, which doesn’t mean it’s any better than that. I’d forgotten, perhaps, that his solo career has lasted twice the length of his original Blur tenure, and Coxon gives equitable space to all his releases. This means that classics like ‘Parklife’ get as much space as minor diversions like Bloodwitch or the Jaded Hearts Band, and ‘Beetlebum’ - a number one - gets no coverage at all. Coxon covers his alcoholism and trips on and off the wagon honestly, but he is also circumspect about the rumoured topic of ‘Beetlebum’ (Damon and Justine Frischmann’s heroin use), although this may be down to ignorance given the band’s inexpressive friendship. The book indicates that love in the 90s is paranoid, but friendship in the 90s was closed off from emotional expressiveness, to Coxon’s detriment.
Graham is more forthcoming when talking about other people’s music or about some of his own methods, which makes me wonder whether this banal A-Z chronological memoir was the right approach. I suspect he’d rather have written a Lamacq-style Under The Influence book, where he could elaborate on his love for King Crimson, Wire, Bert Jansch and others, and add autobiographical detail where suitable without feeling the need to return to describing the grind of tour-record. It is, like its author, what it is: practically flawed.
September 6, 2024
3.5/5
Overall, I enjoyed reading through Graham Coxon's life and musical journey chronologically from his early days to his heydays being in Blur to his solo/other collaborative ventures. I appreciate his ability to be open, humble, and brutally honest when it comes to his perspective on music, Blur, his identity, and his struggles. That being said, Coxon is downplaying himself HARD. He's truly one of the greatest guitarists from the 90's hands down and throughout this entire book he acts like he's an amateur at best. For Christ sake, man! It's very disappointing and also frustrating to read about this, especially his lackluster and grumpy attitude towards Blur and his bandmates. I wanted to rip the pages out when I read his pissy attitude towards having to go record their excellent comeback record 'The Magic Whip' in Hong Kong instead of relaxing at The Four Seasons. Like what the hell dude?! Anyways... I still enjoyed this book regardless and it's interesting to read about Blur from his perspective since he's the more quiet and subdued member of the group compared to Damon Albarn. Graham's unabashed honesty and introspection, as frustrating as it can be at points, is unlike other musicians memoirs out there.
Overall, I enjoyed reading through Graham Coxon's life and musical journey chronologically from his early days to his heydays being in Blur to his solo/other collaborative ventures. I appreciate his ability to be open, humble, and brutally honest when it comes to his perspective on music, Blur, his identity, and his struggles. That being said, Coxon is downplaying himself HARD. He's truly one of the greatest guitarists from the 90's hands down and throughout this entire book he acts like he's an amateur at best. For Christ sake, man! It's very disappointing and also frustrating to read about this, especially his lackluster and grumpy attitude towards Blur and his bandmates. I wanted to rip the pages out when I read his pissy attitude towards having to go record their excellent comeback record 'The Magic Whip' in Hong Kong instead of relaxing at The Four Seasons. Like what the hell dude?! Anyways... I still enjoyed this book regardless and it's interesting to read about Blur from his perspective since he's the more quiet and subdued member of the group compared to Damon Albarn. Graham's unabashed honesty and introspection, as frustrating as it can be at points, is unlike other musicians memoirs out there.
March 1, 2023
Embarrassed to admit how excited I got when he mentioned his love of Eames furniture I was fully ready to invite him for a tour of the collection. Otherwise a fascinating insight into his own personal history outside of Blur, which I had known nothing about!
October 24, 2025
I don't get why people are surprised when they say this book is written self consciously... fork found in kitchen.
And the on-going Odyssey allegory was a nice touch!
June 10, 2023
The 1990s are now far enough away to reminisce about. For those of the era, it means taking a trip down memory lane through the songs of their youth, while those born before it can lap up books and articles from the famous faces of the time. Some are still kicking around, churning away quality works with staggering consistency. Graham Coxon manages that with his solo work, Blur reunions and his recent memoir, Verse, Chorus, Monster!. Three articulate pointers of how he perceives his work and where it takes him. His desire for victory over “the eternal challenge of the pop song” is well-maintained throughout this 300-page reflection. Imposter syndrome and self-doubt rears their ugly head time and again for Coxon, who is tasked with dispelling it frequently.
He does so throughout Verse, Chorus Monster!, from his early days in Seymour (soon to be a little band named Blur) to his recent works through The Waeve and beyond. A scattershot recollection of moments which touched Coxon or made him fear and fight for who he was at a time when his life was in the public eye and under scrutiny. He puts himself under the same high bar here and brings about an honest and inoffensive, humbling presentation of his own works. Skipping through the glory days of Blur and their Parklife period, Coxon instead focuses on the music which means the most to him and the processes which pulled him from the personal tumult. His influences are recorded sharply and piecing them together like a jigsaw as all good autobiographies set out to do, they give readers a chance for a song to click in a new way.
Take Coxon’s solo works as an example, his brief explanations and the influences of the time, from folk music to Sylvia Plath and his back-and-forth with alcoholism, are pasted throughout. His openness hits on the very mark he hopes to achieve with a project such as this. He wishes for his work to be open and in doing so provide some help to those who need it, as his music does, particularly Superstate. Help reaches back to those early days of Blur, the intricate professionalism of the four-piece understood with clarity and a respectful amount of detail shone on Damon Albarn, Dave Rowntree and Alex James. This is not the book to tattle, but then Blur never had much of an in-fighting problem, or so it would seem that way through Verse, Chorus, Monster!.
Gut-wrenchingly honest and open in all the right ways. Coxon comes across as a well-read, in-touch artist hoping to marry his interests together despite the weight of his doubts. He did so successfully for decades and still does now, with The Waeve, with Blur’s reunion, with this book. A hard-working musician and broad creative who cemented his personal legacy years before but cannot help contributing more to an already stuffed case file of quality. Influence is not the be-all and end-all, but Coxon details where he finds himself, particularly on his solo records, and the need to kick up a storm and noise. It reflects nicely on his equally loud and bombastic social life during the heyday of Blur and within its reunion, the personal highs and lows of a man whose influence and talent far exceeds the modest appraisal he presents throughout.
If you liked this review, you can read more of my work on my website, Cult Following.
He does so throughout Verse, Chorus Monster!, from his early days in Seymour (soon to be a little band named Blur) to his recent works through The Waeve and beyond. A scattershot recollection of moments which touched Coxon or made him fear and fight for who he was at a time when his life was in the public eye and under scrutiny. He puts himself under the same high bar here and brings about an honest and inoffensive, humbling presentation of his own works. Skipping through the glory days of Blur and their Parklife period, Coxon instead focuses on the music which means the most to him and the processes which pulled him from the personal tumult. His influences are recorded sharply and piecing them together like a jigsaw as all good autobiographies set out to do, they give readers a chance for a song to click in a new way.
Take Coxon’s solo works as an example, his brief explanations and the influences of the time, from folk music to Sylvia Plath and his back-and-forth with alcoholism, are pasted throughout. His openness hits on the very mark he hopes to achieve with a project such as this. He wishes for his work to be open and in doing so provide some help to those who need it, as his music does, particularly Superstate. Help reaches back to those early days of Blur, the intricate professionalism of the four-piece understood with clarity and a respectful amount of detail shone on Damon Albarn, Dave Rowntree and Alex James. This is not the book to tattle, but then Blur never had much of an in-fighting problem, or so it would seem that way through Verse, Chorus, Monster!.
Gut-wrenchingly honest and open in all the right ways. Coxon comes across as a well-read, in-touch artist hoping to marry his interests together despite the weight of his doubts. He did so successfully for decades and still does now, with The Waeve, with Blur’s reunion, with this book. A hard-working musician and broad creative who cemented his personal legacy years before but cannot help contributing more to an already stuffed case file of quality. Influence is not the be-all and end-all, but Coxon details where he finds himself, particularly on his solo records, and the need to kick up a storm and noise. It reflects nicely on his equally loud and bombastic social life during the heyday of Blur and within its reunion, the personal highs and lows of a man whose influence and talent far exceeds the modest appraisal he presents throughout.
If you liked this review, you can read more of my work on my website, Cult Following.
October 21, 2022
Reflections and lessons learned:
“Ok, so musically we were ripping off The Who and The Beatles, but at least we were upfront about it…”
Being in the midlands in the 90s, I couldn’t help but admire the Manchester bands, but I also loved EMF from the south, Carter from London, a lot of the Stourbridge and midlands bands, and then there was Blur. Beautiful bowl shaped, messy haired, art students bedecked in strings of love beads and t shirts. When ‘She’s so high’ was released, it was as though they were issuing the permission to join their cool gang to stare at the floor, and gently reflect on life whilst noticing the beauty of the world… and then as I grew, they evolved and boy did they look up from the shoe gaze, and fully embrace/part dictate 90s culture… but the quiet guitar player was still the shoe gaze, introspective talent on the side, that didn’t seem to be as naturally lairy through the changes - how unfair was the Frankie Boyle description that left this influencer at the end of the comedy descriptive list as an unknown quantity?
This is a great book for any fan of the band or the era, casting light on an alternative side of the phenomenon that was easy to take against, but still made me singalong and dance like a fool. Coxon felt the chord sequences, the art, the books, the love, the detached adoration, the distortion and the mess. He was fairly quiet in my often watched video copy of Starshaped, compared to the two floppy haired running attractive flirts. But he came up with the line that I repeated the most, perhaps feeling the tension that he’d genuinely meant in the chaos of it all - “please don’t kill our singer…”. He may not have been the one that we were all doodling about on our folders, but he was the sound of the band, and for that I thank him, and am glad that he was the artistic driving dichotomy - essentially the noise before the voice
“Ok, so musically we were ripping off The Who and The Beatles, but at least we were upfront about it…”
Being in the midlands in the 90s, I couldn’t help but admire the Manchester bands, but I also loved EMF from the south, Carter from London, a lot of the Stourbridge and midlands bands, and then there was Blur. Beautiful bowl shaped, messy haired, art students bedecked in strings of love beads and t shirts. When ‘She’s so high’ was released, it was as though they were issuing the permission to join their cool gang to stare at the floor, and gently reflect on life whilst noticing the beauty of the world… and then as I grew, they evolved and boy did they look up from the shoe gaze, and fully embrace/part dictate 90s culture… but the quiet guitar player was still the shoe gaze, introspective talent on the side, that didn’t seem to be as naturally lairy through the changes - how unfair was the Frankie Boyle description that left this influencer at the end of the comedy descriptive list as an unknown quantity?
This is a great book for any fan of the band or the era, casting light on an alternative side of the phenomenon that was easy to take against, but still made me singalong and dance like a fool. Coxon felt the chord sequences, the art, the books, the love, the detached adoration, the distortion and the mess. He was fairly quiet in my often watched video copy of Starshaped, compared to the two floppy haired running attractive flirts. But he came up with the line that I repeated the most, perhaps feeling the tension that he’d genuinely meant in the chaos of it all - “please don’t kill our singer…”. He may not have been the one that we were all doodling about on our folders, but he was the sound of the band, and for that I thank him, and am glad that he was the artistic driving dichotomy - essentially the noise before the voice
April 19, 2024
Para mi estos libros son interesantes en tanto uno se entera de otro canon, menos estandarizado que el que se suele conocer cuando se miran las historias típicas. Así, llegué a escuchar cosas como The Lambrettas o Folk inglés (dicho sea de paso, con eso me hizo sentido que la traducción al español la hiciera Rodrigo Olivarría, a quien le gusta latear con la tradición de música/poesía medieval que llega hasta Dylan, por ejemplo. Y hay algo de eso acá). El día del níspero hubiese escuchado cosas como esas sin pasar por este libro.
Claro, queda como un personaje medio patético, que se lamenta de haber sido exitoso y que insiste en que las cosas buenas que hizo son los lados B de Blur; que quiere mostrarse como una suerte de aliado feminista, pero en los noventa; que sufre por no ser considerado un artista indie; etc. Tonterías así.
Si yo fuese un jovenzuelo simpatizante del frente amplio, sería una insufrible moralista y me preocuparía de la indisoluble vinculación ética entre el artista y la obra y qué sé yo. Pero como, creo, no padezco de subdesarrollo mental, puedo convivir perfectamente con que alguien sea talentoso y paralelamente un completo imbécil.
Y ocurre, además, que el personaje que aparece acá no me parece un completo imbécil. Es más o menos el mismo manojo de nervios, vanidad y ganas de ser querido que las personas con las que uno se topa fuera de los libros. Y eso es una gracia, hallo yo.
Claro, queda como un personaje medio patético, que se lamenta de haber sido exitoso y que insiste en que las cosas buenas que hizo son los lados B de Blur; que quiere mostrarse como una suerte de aliado feminista, pero en los noventa; que sufre por no ser considerado un artista indie; etc. Tonterías así.
Si yo fuese un jovenzuelo simpatizante del frente amplio, sería una insufrible moralista y me preocuparía de la indisoluble vinculación ética entre el artista y la obra y qué sé yo. Pero como, creo, no padezco de subdesarrollo mental, puedo convivir perfectamente con que alguien sea talentoso y paralelamente un completo imbécil.
Y ocurre, además, que el personaje que aparece acá no me parece un completo imbécil. Es más o menos el mismo manojo de nervios, vanidad y ganas de ser querido que las personas con las que uno se topa fuera de los libros. Y eso es una gracia, hallo yo.
Read
August 27, 2024me quedan claras cuatro cosas:
este weon o d verdad es gay o es como no binario be whoo you aaaaareee
esta es como la mejor compilación de recomendaciones ahora soy fan de tortoise
yo digo de webeo lo de que es wekito pero si sí lo es que se de cuenta rápido pq la polola que tiene ahora me cae bien y no quiero que terminen y lo funen de nuevo como con la soraya
tengo mucha pena
este weon o d verdad es gay o es como no binario be whoo you aaaaareee
esta es como la mejor compilación de recomendaciones ahora soy fan de tortoise
yo digo de webeo lo de que es wekito pero si sí lo es que se de cuenta rápido pq la polola que tiene ahora me cae bien y no quiero que terminen y lo funen de nuevo como con la soraya
tengo mucha pena
July 12, 2023
A very candid, engrossing autobiography from the Blur guitarist, Graham Coxon.
Explodes a few myths or, at least, widely held misconceptions along the way.
I hope Graham is continuing to keep on his straight and narrow.
Explodes a few myths or, at least, widely held misconceptions along the way.
I hope Graham is continuing to keep on his straight and narrow.
November 23, 2023
What a beautifully modest and insightful memoir by one of my favourite musicians in the world. Blur has always had a special place in my heart, and Coxon has just confirmed why in this book. Coxon is very relatable and depicts this relatability through his dry and absurd humour throughout.
August 25, 2023
Graham Coxons självbiografi är inte ett mästerverk, en poesisamling eller en bok värd att vinna nobelpris. Men ser man den för vad den är, en bok om han själv, så uppnår den precis det. Och eftersom jag tänker att ingen som följer mig här kommer läsa den själva kan jag summera det mest värdefulla här, så slipper ni all bullshit där emellan.
"From my teenage years until well into adulthood I didn't allow myself to exist quite as much as other people around me did. [...] Other people seemed to do that naturally. People like the boy in the year above me whom I saw on stage singing 'Gee Officer Krupke' from West Side Story at a school assembly. I just could not get over the confidence of the bloke - it was unbelievable. His name was Damon Albarn, and his cooleness, coupled with his brilliance as an actor and performer, blew me away".
Graham Coxon och Damon Albarn möttes första gången under sin skolgång, mest för att Coxon var den enda på hela skolan att spela saxofon, vilket redan då resulterade i starten på ett gemensamt musikprojekt och senare ett band.
Seymour var orginal namnet på deras nystartade band, som senare bytte namn till Blur. "That rounded Blur typefacez with the 'r' that bleeds of the edge of the sleeve was how we originally designed it".
Graham Coxon beskriver deras tidiga spelning som något i stil med Broder Daniels misär, publiken var där främst för att se om bandet skulle klara sig genom hela setet. "We hardly ever reached our last number without Damon being sick or the amps kneeling over and smashing". https://youtu.be/Vha8UmAmNI4 när Seymour, 1989, på the Square Harlow.
"Damon was very different to me, a cocky Londoner who didn't give a shit what people thought of him."
Under en period levde Coxon på billigt rödvin och ost, efter att han fått för sig att bli vegetarian p.g.a hans tjej och Morrissey (det sistnämnda en ganska kul anledning) vilket slutade med att han fick anemi, en bra story i efterhand men säkert hemskt då.
Det roligaste är att läsa om Coxons inspirationskällor till musiken och det bara regnar namn av stora musiker han stött på genom livet. Blur spelar med band som Jesus and the Mary Chain, Dinosaur Jr och My Bloody Valentine. Han älskar också Pavement, och Bob Hund konstigt nog. Senare i sin karriär nämner han Yo La Tengo som en inspirationskälla, inte minst deras låt 'Stockholm Syndrome' som gett inspirationen och den övergripande känslan till Coxons låt 'Coffe and TV'.
Paul Weller från the Jam nämns också flertal gånger, vilket är gulligt med tanke på hans senaste medverkan som förband på deras Wembley gig. Coxon spelar också gitarr på Pete Dohertys debutalbum och pratar väldigt varmt om honom, trots allt som skett kring the Libertines och Doherty som privatperson. (Tänk er the Libertines som förband på Wembley?!)
Under Blurs sämsta period, då bandet var splittrade i sina privatliv, umgicks Coxon i en slags riot grrrl krets. Han tog avstånd från lad kulturen, därav randiga tröjor? "In the daily Star, for instance, Linda Dugg wrote some fake news about me having an affair with Emma Anderson from Lush."
"The tours climax came with a huge event in London's Hyde Park [...]. It was a really enjoyable show that took place in a pre 'broken Britain', pre Brexit London - a city that already seems to have vanished." (2009, Hyde Park).
Efter mycket fram och tillbaka angående splittringar i Blur som band får man tillbaka känslan av att deras vänskap måste betyda mycket. "But deep down we knew we where brothers who just needed to follow our seperate paths for a while". Efter år av turnerande tillsammans är det inte orimligt att vilja testa något nytt på eget håll, men det är fint att dom hittar tillbaka till varandra. Alla rock'n'roll historier behöver inte sluta i total misär, det går bra för dom tillslut!
Coxon på Gorillaz konsert, bakom scenen; "We arranged to meet up straight away and bonded over an Eccles cake. Everything was fine. Remind me, what's the problem again?"
"From my teenage years until well into adulthood I didn't allow myself to exist quite as much as other people around me did. [...] Other people seemed to do that naturally. People like the boy in the year above me whom I saw on stage singing 'Gee Officer Krupke' from West Side Story at a school assembly. I just could not get over the confidence of the bloke - it was unbelievable. His name was Damon Albarn, and his cooleness, coupled with his brilliance as an actor and performer, blew me away".
Graham Coxon och Damon Albarn möttes första gången under sin skolgång, mest för att Coxon var den enda på hela skolan att spela saxofon, vilket redan då resulterade i starten på ett gemensamt musikprojekt och senare ett band.
Seymour var orginal namnet på deras nystartade band, som senare bytte namn till Blur. "That rounded Blur typefacez with the 'r' that bleeds of the edge of the sleeve was how we originally designed it".
Graham Coxon beskriver deras tidiga spelning som något i stil med Broder Daniels misär, publiken var där främst för att se om bandet skulle klara sig genom hela setet. "We hardly ever reached our last number without Damon being sick or the amps kneeling over and smashing". https://youtu.be/Vha8UmAmNI4 när Seymour, 1989, på the Square Harlow.
"Damon was very different to me, a cocky Londoner who didn't give a shit what people thought of him."
Under en period levde Coxon på billigt rödvin och ost, efter att han fått för sig att bli vegetarian p.g.a hans tjej och Morrissey (det sistnämnda en ganska kul anledning) vilket slutade med att han fick anemi, en bra story i efterhand men säkert hemskt då.
Det roligaste är att läsa om Coxons inspirationskällor till musiken och det bara regnar namn av stora musiker han stött på genom livet. Blur spelar med band som Jesus and the Mary Chain, Dinosaur Jr och My Bloody Valentine. Han älskar också Pavement, och Bob Hund konstigt nog. Senare i sin karriär nämner han Yo La Tengo som en inspirationskälla, inte minst deras låt 'Stockholm Syndrome' som gett inspirationen och den övergripande känslan till Coxons låt 'Coffe and TV'.
Paul Weller från the Jam nämns också flertal gånger, vilket är gulligt med tanke på hans senaste medverkan som förband på deras Wembley gig. Coxon spelar också gitarr på Pete Dohertys debutalbum och pratar väldigt varmt om honom, trots allt som skett kring the Libertines och Doherty som privatperson. (Tänk er the Libertines som förband på Wembley?!)
Under Blurs sämsta period, då bandet var splittrade i sina privatliv, umgicks Coxon i en slags riot grrrl krets. Han tog avstånd från lad kulturen, därav randiga tröjor? "In the daily Star, for instance, Linda Dugg wrote some fake news about me having an affair with Emma Anderson from Lush."
"The tours climax came with a huge event in London's Hyde Park [...]. It was a really enjoyable show that took place in a pre 'broken Britain', pre Brexit London - a city that already seems to have vanished." (2009, Hyde Park).
Efter mycket fram och tillbaka angående splittringar i Blur som band får man tillbaka känslan av att deras vänskap måste betyda mycket. "But deep down we knew we where brothers who just needed to follow our seperate paths for a while". Efter år av turnerande tillsammans är det inte orimligt att vilja testa något nytt på eget håll, men det är fint att dom hittar tillbaka till varandra. Alla rock'n'roll historier behöver inte sluta i total misär, det går bra för dom tillslut!
Coxon på Gorillaz konsert, bakom scenen; "We arranged to meet up straight away and bonded over an Eccles cake. Everything was fine. Remind me, what's the problem again?"
January 27, 2024
if you've read up on any blur lore then this doesn't introduce anything new into the equation, save for a few anecdotes and insight on graham's non-blur process, however i did enjoy hearing ab some of these events from graham's pov immensely, especially since i find him painfully relatable. also this served as a great wake up call for someone like me who saves pins of this man on pinterest while listening to blur 24 7 cuz this made me realize that he is in fact an irl man, and some of this writing made me raise my eyebrow at how male manipulator this dude can sound at times, even if he didn't mean to come off that way. bit pretentious, bit cocky but ig if i wrote riffs like that I would be the most annoying person ever so i can't judge.
i do have a gripe to pick w the way the "insight" was handled. felt like it wasn't committing to anything. i would love a more of a deep dive in his inspo and process, otherwise here it just ends up sounding like an endless list at times and just a paragraph dedicated to a particular project that doesn't rlly get to the essence of anything at all. this tries to balance being a light read (which I do believe it partly achieves, this is super easy to read - and this is coming from a person who is allergic to nonfic) and serving as a look into the creative process.
i do have a gripe to pick w the way the "insight" was handled. felt like it wasn't committing to anything. i would love a more of a deep dive in his inspo and process, otherwise here it just ends up sounding like an endless list at times and just a paragraph dedicated to a particular project that doesn't rlly get to the essence of anything at all. this tries to balance being a light read (which I do believe it partly achieves, this is super easy to read - and this is coming from a person who is allergic to nonfic) and serving as a look into the creative process.
November 26, 2025
It's nice to read about my favourite artist's favourite artists; a nice yap, indeed. I enjoyed it. That said, there are parts where Coxon came off as making a victim of himself. It's very evident he tried to blame his time in blur for adding to his alcoholism but I think it was because of his alcoholism that he couldn't enjoy his time in blur. Also, the bits where he mentioned damon sounded very bitter lol it gives the impression he never really appreciated damon the way damon did to him.
He held back, a lot. There's a chapter in the book where he mentioned feeling frustrated (in blur) because he wanted to be heard but was ignored, and the moment everyone actually shed light on him to hear what he had to say, he'd shy away and stutter and end up saying nothing. That's exactly what he did here.
I'm not saying it's a bad book, as I said, I enjoyed very much, but I was kinda expecting him to speak up. There's nothing there that his audience doesn't know already.
He held back, a lot. There's a chapter in the book where he mentioned feeling frustrated (in blur) because he wanted to be heard but was ignored, and the moment everyone actually shed light on him to hear what he had to say, he'd shy away and stutter and end up saying nothing. That's exactly what he did here.
I'm not saying it's a bad book, as I said, I enjoyed very much, but I was kinda expecting him to speak up. There's nothing there that his audience doesn't know already.
November 8, 2023
Interesting account of Coxon's life and the days before, during and after Blur.
July 3, 2023
I am more fan of Graham after reading it!
December 11, 2022
read my full review here on my blog! :-)
June 23, 2024
As I Blur fan I was hoped for insights into how the band were formed and the relationships between the band members. This was all in the book but not covered in a way that I expected. Verse, Chorus, Monster begins with Graham's childhood. Their family moved around due to his Dad being in the Army band. There's wonderful stories of first meeting Damon at 13, and how Graham was welcomed and built a relationship with Damon's artistic parents. Although there are great tales of the formation of Seymour (later to change their name to Blur), and the heady early days of touring and recording. The insights come from Graham's discomfort with being famous and the laddish britpop persona the band was locked into.
Much of Graham's book focuses on his outsiderness, and dealing with alcohol and additiction. Descriptions of being in the Priory (rehab) were interesting and made me feel a little voyeristic. He touches on relationships and marriages blossoming and wilting, his daughters, and ultimately needing to step away from Blur. He pulls no punches regarding his own behaviour within the band, but gives context to a group of people ill-equipped to support each other or understand the impact of stardom on mental health.
Graham goes into great detail about his solo recordings, his embracing of english folk music and his work creating music for Netflix series which allow him greater artistic freedom. I think what surprised me most about the book was his deeply personal sharing of his mental health struggles. Reading his self reflection through therapy, I actually felt a connection to Graham's experience. How an emotionally distant father can create a sense of worthlessness and a life ruled by anxiety. Perhaps there's something about reaching your early 50s where you don't want to keep carrying the weight of your childhood around. As someone going through something incredibly similar, this aspect of the book felt profoundly helpful.
Ending with the creation of his current musical project The Waeve, I hope there are better times ahead for Graham and more wonderful music to come.
Much of Graham's book focuses on his outsiderness, and dealing with alcohol and additiction. Descriptions of being in the Priory (rehab) were interesting and made me feel a little voyeristic. He touches on relationships and marriages blossoming and wilting, his daughters, and ultimately needing to step away from Blur. He pulls no punches regarding his own behaviour within the band, but gives context to a group of people ill-equipped to support each other or understand the impact of stardom on mental health.
Graham goes into great detail about his solo recordings, his embracing of english folk music and his work creating music for Netflix series which allow him greater artistic freedom. I think what surprised me most about the book was his deeply personal sharing of his mental health struggles. Reading his self reflection through therapy, I actually felt a connection to Graham's experience. How an emotionally distant father can create a sense of worthlessness and a life ruled by anxiety. Perhaps there's something about reaching your early 50s where you don't want to keep carrying the weight of your childhood around. As someone going through something incredibly similar, this aspect of the book felt profoundly helpful.
Ending with the creation of his current musical project The Waeve, I hope there are better times ahead for Graham and more wonderful music to come.
January 10, 2023
I don't exactly want to give this one a rating because, as with most memoirs by musicians, this is a book for the heads. I think this one lands above Will Sergeant's (first) volume and below Jeff Tweedy and Johnny Marr's for me. It has a decent amount of personality and honesty to it and feels like it flows well enough.
That being said, another review I've seen as I glanced at the page here pointed out that it feels rather straightforward. I'm inclined to agree, really. I think the work is at its strongest when Coxon finds himself focusing in on one of his interests, suddenly talking about his artistic influences (a world I admittedly know little about) or his musical ones (a world that I know considerably more about) and his philosophies regarding expression in the two fields.
I think I'm rating this one a bit highly because I see so much of myself reflected in Graham Coxon that it's a bit scary and I have for a couple of years now. I tend to think of the whole "guitarist in a decent band who went on to work with other interesting people and maneuver himself to reasonable happiness" story as one of the few paths I look up to. While I never had the worst of Coxon's life by any stretch, I find something relatable in his lack of confidence and admirable in the fact that he's working on it.
What I'm saying is, "Graham Coxon's story gives me a bit of hope and that's definitely coloring my review." As someone who's gone back and watched various interviews with him again and again, I'm the book's target audience. It doesn't feel guarded, but, on the whole, it feels a bit like Coxon wrote it with the task of telling his history, rather than telling us about himself. Again, the strongest moments for me are the personal musings rather than the history.
That being said, another review I've seen as I glanced at the page here pointed out that it feels rather straightforward. I'm inclined to agree, really. I think the work is at its strongest when Coxon finds himself focusing in on one of his interests, suddenly talking about his artistic influences (a world I admittedly know little about) or his musical ones (a world that I know considerably more about) and his philosophies regarding expression in the two fields.
I think I'm rating this one a bit highly because I see so much of myself reflected in Graham Coxon that it's a bit scary and I have for a couple of years now. I tend to think of the whole "guitarist in a decent band who went on to work with other interesting people and maneuver himself to reasonable happiness" story as one of the few paths I look up to. While I never had the worst of Coxon's life by any stretch, I find something relatable in his lack of confidence and admirable in the fact that he's working on it.
What I'm saying is, "Graham Coxon's story gives me a bit of hope and that's definitely coloring my review." As someone who's gone back and watched various interviews with him again and again, I'm the book's target audience. It doesn't feel guarded, but, on the whole, it feels a bit like Coxon wrote it with the task of telling his history, rather than telling us about himself. Again, the strongest moments for me are the personal musings rather than the history.
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