Graham Coxon announces autobiography ‘Verse, Chorus, Monster!’

Blur‘s Graham Coxon has announced details of his autobiography, Verse, Chorus, Monster!.

The memoir is described as “an intimate, honest reflection on music, fame, addiction and art by one of Britain’s most iconic musicians.” It will be published on October 6 this year via Faber.

A press release for the book reads: “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.

Advertisement

“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.”

It adds: “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 art 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.”

Back in April, Coxon announced a new duo called The WAEVE with Rose Elinor Dougall, the former Pipettes member-turned-Mark Ronson collaborator.

Last month (May 4), THE WAEVE played a pair of intimate launch shows at The Lexington in London, returning the next day with first single ‘Something Pretty’.

Advertisement

Ahead of their debut gig, the duo said: “We are greatly looking forward to unleashing our new sound live at the Lexington. We’ve been locked away, busy translating the varied sounds of our songs into a dynamic live show, with the help of some great musician friends. We invite you to surrender to the world of The WAEVE.”

The WAEVE came together after exchanging messages during the lockdown Christmas of 2020. They soon started writing songs before their collaboration “gave rise to an unexpected sonic universe”, per a statement.

Last year saw Graham Coxon release the comic book score album ‘Superstate’, as well as tease more activity from Blur. After bandmate Damon Albarn claimed that the band had been in talks and “had an idea” of how to make their comeback, Coxon told NME: “I was privy to that discussion. It started as a discussion, but didn’t really end as one.”