Bez from Happy Mondays to publish ‘completely mad’ memoir

Bez, the Happy Mondays’ chief maraca-shaker and an undisputed national treasure, has written a new memoir – and it will be published this autumn.

Mark Berry – forever known to the world as Bez – became the so-called Chemical Generation’s bug-eyed pied piper, every weekend leading millions out to oblivion and beyond, as they adopted his E-gobbling party lifestyle.

Neither an accomplished musician nor even a very good dancer, Bez was a prime candidate for fleeting celebrity, soon to sink into ‘Where Are They Now?’ obscurity.

That, however, never happened – nor does it show any sign of happening.

Through Black Grape, the second band he co-fronted with the Mondays’ Shaun Ryder, and his ever-presence in the mass media, Bez’s popularity has grown exponentially, his star rocketing ever upwards.

When he bowled into Celebrity Big Brother in 2005, he ended up winning the series, as viewers came to understand his fundamental decency and sunny outlook.

His adult life has been extraordinary: unbelievable scrapes with mortality, periods of financial ruin, mindf**k moments like when David Bowie genuflected before him, and enough narcotic-strewn hi-jinx to fill several more volumes of memoir.

Written with the assistance of estimable rock and roll ghostwriter, Andrew Perry (John Lydon, Tricky), Buzzin’ is the story of a bad lad who has turned his life good, tracing his passage from early-thirty-something casualty to middle-aged politician, eco-warrior and bee-aficionado.

“I’m well happy to unveil the full, unexpurgated truth behind my life story so far,” says Bez.

“It’s a 24 hour party between two book covers!

“Like the title says, I’m totally buzzin’ to get it out there for everyone to read.”

For a non-musician, Bez’s influence on pop culture has been “immeasurable,” says Lee Brackstone from White Rabbit, the book’s publishers.

“First in the Happy Mondays, then Black Grape, and later on TV, in politics, and bee-keeping, Bez is a true rock and roll revolutionary and the very embodiment of acid house.

“Buzzin’ simply has to be true because the stories in it are too wild and improbable to exist as fiction.

“All Hail The Lord of the Dance, Mark Berry… and welcome to White Rabbit.”

Buzzin’ by Bez will be published by White Rabbit on 27th October 2022, available in Hardback, Trade Paperback, eBook and audio.