The Closest Thing to Crazy
My Life of Musical Adventures
Published on 26. September 2024
Book
Hardback
368 pages
978-1-78512-084-8 (ISBN)
Description
'Fabulously readable' STEPHEN FRY
'Wildly entertaining' DAILY EXPRESS
'Rollicking ... ebullient ... Christmas present problems are instantly solved' MAIL ON SUNDAY
Nominated for the 2025 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Awards for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research
Described variously as a 'polymath', a 'renaissance man' and 'one of the most colourful characters in the music business', Mike Batt has led an extraordinarily vibrant and challenging life that has been full of both glorious victories and bitter failures.
For better or for worse, he is a man who has always lived life on his own terms. Idiosyncratic but mainstream, complicated but compassionate, steadfastly maverick in spirit but avowedly commercial in outlook. He is a man of great contradictions, but even greater talent.
After starting out in the music business as a teenager, Batt shot to fame in the early 1970s for his part in the creation of the Wombles pop group. But this success proved to be just the beginning as he then went on to work with various artists as a songwriter, composer and producer, including Art Garfunkel, George Harrison, Cliff Richard, Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Katie Melua.
Featuring cameos from some of the biggest stars in the business from Paul McCartney to Prince, The Closest Thing to Crazy takes us not only on the rocky (and classical) journey of Mike Batt's life but also on a tour around the inside of his mind.
'Wildly entertaining' DAILY EXPRESS
'Rollicking ... ebullient ... Christmas present problems are instantly solved' MAIL ON SUNDAY
Nominated for the 2025 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Awards for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research
Described variously as a 'polymath', a 'renaissance man' and 'one of the most colourful characters in the music business', Mike Batt has led an extraordinarily vibrant and challenging life that has been full of both glorious victories and bitter failures.
For better or for worse, he is a man who has always lived life on his own terms. Idiosyncratic but mainstream, complicated but compassionate, steadfastly maverick in spirit but avowedly commercial in outlook. He is a man of great contradictions, but even greater talent.
After starting out in the music business as a teenager, Batt shot to fame in the early 1970s for his part in the creation of the Wombles pop group. But this success proved to be just the beginning as he then went on to work with various artists as a songwriter, composer and producer, including Art Garfunkel, George Harrison, Cliff Richard, Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Katie Melua.
Featuring cameos from some of the biggest stars in the business from Paul McCartney to Prince, The Closest Thing to Crazy takes us not only on the rocky (and classical) journey of Mike Batt's life but also on a tour around the inside of his mind.
Reviews / Votes
'What a life, what a talent. Very funny and very quirky, but don't be fooled: just as remarkable musicianship lies behind the sweet accessibility of his best-known tunes, so a fearsome intelligence and a huge heart lie behind the immortal battiness of Batt. A fabulously readable and enjoyable ride from first to last' -- Stephen Fry 'Brilliantly told, the fascinating life of one of Britain's greatest songwriters' -- Matt Lucas 'A brilliant, funny, emotional book - I really enjoyed reading it' -- David Quantick 'I've known Mike Batt for half a century. I've seen his ups and downs (mainly ups) at close quarters and have been fascinated and staggered in equal measure, as readers of this memoir will be. I write words. He writes both words and music, conducts, produces, orchestrates and sings. Very annoying. Luckily he's also a good egg and a very funny one' -- Tim Rice 'The Closest Thing to Crazy makes clear that if there is one thing Batt possesses it is the spirit to bounce back ... full of enthusiasm' * Independent * 'Crazy and unstoppable. A riotous romp that, like the career it chronicles, never pauses for breath. An unputdownable read' * Record Collector * '[A] mind boggling autobiography. Batt emerges as a born risk taker, willing to stake everything on even the most reckless gamble' * the Telegraph * 'Batt's storytelling is sharp, his humor is infectious, and his willingness to laugh at himself is refreshing. Think of it as Spinal Tap meets the Muppet Show 10/10' * All About the Rock * 'We've never read anything like it - it's fantastic!' -- Mark Ellen * Word in Your Ear * 'Fabulous....a fund of funny stories' * Daily Mail *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bonnier Books Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 239 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 36 mm
Weight
584 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78512-084-8 (9781785120848)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Mike Batt is a singer, songwriter, producer and composer who has been making hit records for more than fifty years. He was the lead singer and creator of the Wombles pop group in the early 1970s and is a multi-Ivor Novello Award winner, who has written and produced music for many artists, including Art Garfunkel, Cliff Richard, David Essex and Katie Melua, conducted many of the world's great orchestras and worked across many art forms, directing, designing, conducting and engaging in entrepreneurial activities in the entertainment industry.