Bez reflects on cocaine, Happy Mondays and life after addiction

Bez, the dancer and percussionist known for his association with the band Happy Mondays, discussed his history with drugs and drink and his current, markedly different lifestyle in an interview with The Guardian.

Bez, whose real name is Mark Berry, became known during the Happy Mondays era for a chaotic, free-wheeling public persona built around partying and dancing rather than conventional musicianship. His bandmate Shaun Ryder has described him as a bad influence, according to the report.

The interview recounts a series of dramatic incidents from his past, including losing teeth in a motorbike crash at age 16, being threatened with a gun while attempting to buy crack in New York, being kidnapped during another drug deal, and suffering a serious motorbike crash in 1999 that led to a MRSA infection and a month-long coma.

The report describes Bez's present-day routine as centred on filtered water, intermittent fasting and dog walks, a contrast with the chaotic image that made him a recognisable figure during the Madchester music scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The interview took place during one such dog walk, with the writer noting Bez's continued taste for minor risk-taking even in his changed circumstances.