Verse, Chorus, Monster! by Graham Coxon review – Britpop’s unlikely lad

In a disarmingly candid memoir, the Blur guitarist relates the madness of fame and habit, his unease with Britpop, and how people led him to greener pastures

As Blur bossed the 90s, and Damon Albarn’s bouncy songs about Englishness got here to exemplify Britpop, Graham Coxon might often be found scowling behind the band’s group photographs. Coxon’s MO as their guitarist typically involved lobbing “anti-solos” into the equipment, the band’s sceptical counterweight.

The two had met at college in Colchester, Essex, decamping to art school in London where they found themselves on the centre of two artistic movements: the Goldsmiths’ artwork set that may turn into the YBAs, and the bands who would spearhead a brand new sound. One look at the music press back then would have revealed that Coxon, bespectacled, sharp and into American music as a lot as the Kinks, was not all the time thrilled at his band’s path of journey.