Bez
Encyclopedia
Mark Berry commonly known as Bez (and occasionally credited as Bez "Bez" Bez), is a British
dance
r, percussionist
, author
and media personality
. He is best known as a member of Happy Mondays
and Black Grape
Detective Inspector. He was a maraca player, dancer and the mascot
of Salford band Happy Mondays
, having been invited in by lead singer Shaun Ryder
shortly after the band was formed. He is chiefly remembered for his bizarre style of dancing, and use of the maracas - the Mondays' second single was called "Freaky Dancin'" in tribute.
After the Mondays broke up, Bez became a member of Black Grape
, a group founded by Mondays band-mate Shaun Ryder
, but he left in 1997 over artistic differences. In 1997, he had a feature on the BBC Two
television programme The Sunday Show
called Science with Bez. When both faced large tax
bills, he and Ryder reconciled and reformed the Happy Mondays in 1998, but the reformed band was short-lived.
A book about his experiences in both bands, Freaky Dancin (ISBN 0-330-48197-5), was published by Pan MacMillan in 1998. In the opening chapter Bez detailed a revealing incident during a Happy Mondays gig at Manchester's The Haçienda
nightclub in 1986. In the middle of the set he fell off the stage and cut his forehead. In the book he writes: "The doc tells me to take it easy and put my feet up. I thought, 'I'm not fucking havin' that'. I got some of [lead guitarist] Moose's acid, dripped it in the cut and ran back out with me shakers. Fuckin' raz!" He appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in the UK in 2005, in order to pay off his outstanding tax bills, and was voted as the winner of the series. He was formally bankrupt at the time under his real name. He used some of his winnings to improve the engine of his London black cab; the television show Pimp My Ride UK
customised it to make it suit him. After the cab was "pimped", it had twenty speakers, eight amps, two DVD players, fifteen TV screens and a camera on the grill linked to one of the screens, the sign saying TAXI on the top was changed to PIMP, and it had purple paint on the outside.
Bez now co-fronts his new band, Domino Bones, with Monica Ward. On guitar is Wags of Black Grape
and Paris Angels
fame with Rob from the Boo Radleys on drums and the Bodines Winker on bass. Their single "Rattle My Head" was produced and guested on by Shaun Ryder
. They were the first unsigned band to be shown on and supported by VH2 and MTV2.
The British popular music newspaper the New Musical Express (NME) carried a series of articles about famous members of bands whose musical contribution to their bandmates' success was negligible. The newspaper used the name "Bez" as a generic label for the likes of Chas Smash
of Madness
, Andrew Ridgely of Wham!
, Paul Morley
of Art of Noise, Linda McCartney
of Wings
, and Paul Rutherford
of Frankie Goes to Hollywood
.
Bez lived for some time next to Shaun Ryder
in Padfield
, Derbyshire
and in 2006 was promoting a compilation album called Bez's Madchester Anthems: Sorted Tunes from Back in the Day
.
The Happy Mondays have again reformed: this is the 3rd incarnation of the group and currently Bez is touring with them. On 2 July 2007, they released their first studio album in 15 years entitled Uncle Dysfunktional
.
On 4 September 2007, Bez went head-to-head with royal correspondent James Whitaker
on ITV
television programme Don't Call Me Stupid and beat him. Bez and James taught each other about their respective specialist subjects: the Manchester music scene and royal etiquette, and then they were quizzed on what they had learnt. This was followed by a general knowledge round. Despite not knowing that the Queen has two birthdays, Bez still managed to win. His prize, as selected by James, was a bottle of posh red wine and a decanter so he didn't have to drink any cheap "poor person's" supermarket plonk
.
Bez was again declared bankrupt on 31 March 2008.
He took part in Series 4 of Adrenaline Junkie (aired on 1 October 2008 on ITV2), the tasks involved taking on the world's biggest bungee down the front of the dam which featured in Goldeneye
, building his very own ice hotel in the mountains, and undertook a terrifying mid-air jump from one cable car to another.
in London
in November 2010 for breaching a restraining order his former partner was granted following the prior assault, and escorted back to the North West to appear before magistrates in Manchester
.
On the 23 December 2010, the Sun newspaper published an article complete with photographs of Berry in an organised bare-knuckle
brawl in a scrap-yard office with Dom Morrison, bass player with Manchester band Space Monkeys
. The accompanying article claims the brawl was organised as a 'straightener' between love rivals; Morrison is reported to be in a relationship with Ward. The Brawl was ended by a referee after 15 minutes with both men walking away. The photographs show Berry bleeding from the eye and mouth.
, 4 miles away from Manchester City Centre . He is a fan of Manchester United F.C.
, named after the Happy Mondays song, Bez is played by actor Chris Coghill
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
r, percussionist
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and media personality
Infotainment
Infotainment is "information-based media content or programming that also includes entertainment content in an effort to enhance popularity with audiences and consumers." It is a neologistic portmanteau of information and entertainment, referring to a type of media which provides a combination of...
. He is best known as a member of Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays are an English alternative rock band from Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1980, the band's original line-up was Shaun Ryder on lead vocals, his brother Paul Ryder on bass, lead guitarist Mark Day, keyboardist Paul Davis, and drummer Gary Whelan...
and Black Grape
Black Grape
Black Grape were a 1990s rock band from England, featuring former members of Happy Mondays. The group's music was funky and eclectic, using varied instrumentation and samples.-History:...
Career
He is the son of a policePolice
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
Detective Inspector. He was a maraca player, dancer and the mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
of Salford band Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays are an English alternative rock band from Salford, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1980, the band's original line-up was Shaun Ryder on lead vocals, his brother Paul Ryder on bass, lead guitarist Mark Day, keyboardist Paul Davis, and drummer Gary Whelan...
, having been invited in by lead singer Shaun Ryder
Shaun Ryder
Shaun William Ryder, aka X, is an English musician, occasional newspaper columnist, actor, author, singer-songwriter and television personality, best known as lead singer for Happy Mondays and Black Grape – and more recently as the runner-up of the 2010 version of the British TV Show I'm a...
shortly after the band was formed. He is chiefly remembered for his bizarre style of dancing, and use of the maracas - the Mondays' second single was called "Freaky Dancin'" in tribute.
After the Mondays broke up, Bez became a member of Black Grape
Black Grape
Black Grape were a 1990s rock band from England, featuring former members of Happy Mondays. The group's music was funky and eclectic, using varied instrumentation and samples.-History:...
, a group founded by Mondays band-mate Shaun Ryder
Shaun Ryder
Shaun William Ryder, aka X, is an English musician, occasional newspaper columnist, actor, author, singer-songwriter and television personality, best known as lead singer for Happy Mondays and Black Grape – and more recently as the runner-up of the 2010 version of the British TV Show I'm a...
, but he left in 1997 over artistic differences. In 1997, he had a feature on the BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
television programme The Sunday Show
The Sunday Show
The Sunday Show is a British television entertainment programme that was broadcast live on Sunday lunchtimes on BBC Two between 1995 and 1997. Four series of the show were produced. Donna McPhail and Katie Puckrik hosted the first two series, with Puckrik was replaced by Paul Tonkinson for the...
called Science with Bez. When both faced large tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
bills, he and Ryder reconciled and reformed the Happy Mondays in 1998, but the reformed band was short-lived.
A book about his experiences in both bands, Freaky Dancin (ISBN 0-330-48197-5), was published by Pan MacMillan in 1998. In the opening chapter Bez detailed a revealing incident during a Happy Mondays gig at Manchester's The Haçienda
The Haçienda
Fac 51 Haçienda was a nightclub and music venue in Manchester, England. It became most famous during the "Madchester" years of the late 1980s and early 1990s, during the 1990s it was labelled the most famous club in the world by Newsweek magazine...
nightclub in 1986. In the middle of the set he fell off the stage and cut his forehead. In the book he writes: "The doc tells me to take it easy and put my feet up. I thought, 'I'm not fucking havin' that'. I got some of [lead guitarist] Moose's acid, dripped it in the cut and ran back out with me shakers. Fuckin' raz!" He appeared on Celebrity Big Brother in the UK in 2005, in order to pay off his outstanding tax bills, and was voted as the winner of the series. He was formally bankrupt at the time under his real name. He used some of his winnings to improve the engine of his London black cab; the television show Pimp My Ride UK
Pimp My Ride
Pimp My Ride is a TV show produced by MTV. Each episode consists of taking one car in poor condition and restoring it and customizing it.The original United States version was hosted by rapper Xzibit...
customised it to make it suit him. After the cab was "pimped", it had twenty speakers, eight amps, two DVD players, fifteen TV screens and a camera on the grill linked to one of the screens, the sign saying TAXI on the top was changed to PIMP, and it had purple paint on the outside.
Bez now co-fronts his new band, Domino Bones, with Monica Ward. On guitar is Wags of Black Grape
Black Grape
Black Grape were a 1990s rock band from England, featuring former members of Happy Mondays. The group's music was funky and eclectic, using varied instrumentation and samples.-History:...
and Paris Angels
Paris Angels
Paris Angels were a seven piece band, hailing from Guide Bridge, Ashton-under-Lyne, England, associated with the Madchester scene of 1989 -1991. Their music fused indie guitars with electronic dance music...
fame with Rob from the Boo Radleys on drums and the Bodines Winker on bass. Their single "Rattle My Head" was produced and guested on by Shaun Ryder
Shaun Ryder
Shaun William Ryder, aka X, is an English musician, occasional newspaper columnist, actor, author, singer-songwriter and television personality, best known as lead singer for Happy Mondays and Black Grape – and more recently as the runner-up of the 2010 version of the British TV Show I'm a...
. They were the first unsigned band to be shown on and supported by VH2 and MTV2.
The British popular music newspaper the New Musical Express (NME) carried a series of articles about famous members of bands whose musical contribution to their bandmates' success was negligible. The newspaper used the name "Bez" as a generic label for the likes of Chas Smash
Chas Smash
Cathal Smyth, also known as Chas Smash is an English musician, best known as the backing singer and dancer in the ska/pop band Madness. He also plays trumpet, acoustic guitar and various percussion instruments...
of Madness
Madness (band)
In 1979, the band recorded the Lee Thompson composition "The Prince". The song, like the band's name, paid homage to their idol, Prince Buster. The song was released through 2 Tone Records, the label of The Specials founder Jerry Dammers. The song was a surprise hit, peaking in the UK music charts...
, Andrew Ridgely of Wham!
WHAM!
Wham! were a short-lived British musical duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in the early 1980s. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with an American band....
, Paul Morley
Paul Morley
Paul Morley is an English journalist, who wrote for the New Musical Express from 1977 to 1983, during one of its most successful periods, and has since written for a wide range of publications...
of Art of Noise, Linda McCartney
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
of Wings
Wings (band)
Wings were a British-American rock group formed in 1971 by Paul McCartney, Denny Laine and Linda McCartney that remained active until 1981....
, and Paul Rutherford
Paul Rutherford
Paul Rutherford is the former backing vocalist, dancer and occasional keyboardist with 1980s pop band Frankie Goes to Hollywood , one of the group's two openly gay singers....
of Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Frankie Goes to Hollywood were a British dance-pop band popular in the mid-1980s. The group was fronted by Holly Johnson , with Paul Rutherford , Peter Gill , Mark O'Toole , and Brian Nash .The group's debut single "Relax" was banned by the BBC in 1984 while at number six in the charts and...
.
Bez lived for some time next to Shaun Ryder
Shaun Ryder
Shaun William Ryder, aka X, is an English musician, occasional newspaper columnist, actor, author, singer-songwriter and television personality, best known as lead singer for Happy Mondays and Black Grape – and more recently as the runner-up of the 2010 version of the British TV Show I'm a...
in Padfield
Padfield
Padfield is a small village, near Hadfield in High Peak, Derbyshire, England. The village is on the west side of the Peak District National Park, and the nearest town is Glossop where many local amenities and services are based...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
and in 2006 was promoting a compilation album called Bez's Madchester Anthems: Sorted Tunes from Back in the Day
Bez's Madchester Anthems: Sorted Tunes from Back in the Day
Bez's Madchester Anthems: Sorted Tunes From Back In The Day!. is a Madchester compilation album, compiled by Bez and released in 2006.-Disc one:#"Step On" - Happy Mondays...
.
The Happy Mondays have again reformed: this is the 3rd incarnation of the group and currently Bez is touring with them. On 2 July 2007, they released their first studio album in 15 years entitled Uncle Dysfunktional
Uncle Dysfunktional
Uncle Dysfunktional is a studio album from Happy Mondays. Their first album since Yes Please! in 1992. The album has a hidden track which is the second of the two untitled tracks...
.
On 4 September 2007, Bez went head-to-head with royal correspondent James Whitaker
James Whitaker
James Whitaker is a British journalist, specialising in the British royal family.-Biography:Formerly a pupil at Cheltenham College, Whitaker is best known as the Royal Editor of the Daily Mirror. He broke the story of the eating disorder of Diana, Princess of Wales...
on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
television programme Don't Call Me Stupid and beat him. Bez and James taught each other about their respective specialist subjects: the Manchester music scene and royal etiquette, and then they were quizzed on what they had learnt. This was followed by a general knowledge round. Despite not knowing that the Queen has two birthdays, Bez still managed to win. His prize, as selected by James, was a bottle of posh red wine and a decanter so he didn't have to drink any cheap "poor person's" supermarket plonk
Plonk (wine)
Plonk is an unspecific and derogatory term in British and Australian English for wine that is notably inexpensive or judged to be of poor quality. It is believed to come from Australian slang, in reference to blanc , before it became naturalised in Britain...
.
Bez was again declared bankrupt on 31 March 2008.
He took part in Series 4 of Adrenaline Junkie (aired on 1 October 2008 on ITV2), the tasks involved taking on the world's biggest bungee down the front of the dam which featured in Goldeneye
GoldenEye
GoldenEye is the seventeenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was directed by Martin Campbell and is the first film in the series not to take story elements from the works of novelist Ian Fleming...
, building his very own ice hotel in the mountains, and undertook a terrifying mid-air jump from one cable car to another.
Assault
In August 2010 he was convicted of physically assaulting his ex girlfriend, Monica Ward with whom Berry has a son, by throttling and threatening to kill her. He was sentenced to four weeks in prison after having first received a community service sentence but refusing to co-operate. He was arrested at Euston StationEuston station
Euston station may refer to one of the following stations in London, United Kingdom:*Euston railway station, a major terminus for trains to the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and part of Scotland...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in November 2010 for breaching a restraining order his former partner was granted following the prior assault, and escorted back to the North West to appear before magistrates in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
On the 23 December 2010, the Sun newspaper published an article complete with photographs of Berry in an organised bare-knuckle
Bare-knuckle boxing
Bare-knuckle boxing is the original form of boxing, closely related to ancient combat sports...
brawl in a scrap-yard office with Dom Morrison, bass player with Manchester band Space Monkeys
Space Monkeys
The Space Monkeys were a four-piece alternative band from Manchester, England, signed to Factory Too and Interscope Records in the US. The band members were Richard McNevin-Duff, Tony Pipes, Dom Morrison and Chas Morrison...
. The accompanying article claims the brawl was organised as a 'straightener' between love rivals; Morrison is reported to be in a relationship with Ward. The Brawl was ended by a referee after 15 minutes with both men walking away. The photographs show Berry bleeding from the eye and mouth.
Personal life
Berry currently resides in Chorlton-cum-HardyChorlton-cum-Hardy
Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a suburban area of the city of Manchester, England. It is known locally as Chorlton. It is situated about four miles southwest of Manchester city centre. Pronunciation varies: and are both common....
, 4 miles away from Manchester City Centre . He is a fan of Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
Fictional portrayals
In the film 24 Hour Party People24 Hour Party People
24 Hour Party People is a 2002 British film about Manchester's popular music community from 1976 to 1992, and specifically about Factory Records. It was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and directed by Michael Winterbottom...
, named after the Happy Mondays song, Bez is played by actor Chris Coghill
Chris Coghill
Christopher "Chris" Coghill is an actor and writer from Prestwich, Greater Manchester, England. Coghill is best known for his deep voice and has a history of portraying criminals.-Career:...
.