Dive into the riotous world of Adrian Edmondson with his memoir Berserker!. This book takes you from his boarding school days to the anarchic 80s comedy scene, offering a hilarious and honest account of a British comedy legend.
From brutal schooldays to 80s anarchy, through The Young Ones, Bottom and beyond, Berserker! is the one-of-a-kind, fascinating memoir from an icon of British comedy, Adrian Edmondson.
Ade Edmondson smashed onto the comedy circuit in the 1980s, stormed The Comedy Store and, alongside Rik Mayall, brought anarchy to stage and screen. How did a child brought up in a strict Methodist household - and who spent his formative years incarcerated in repressive boarding schools - end up joining the revolution? Well, he is part Norse. Could it be his 'berserker' heritage?
With wisdom, nostalgia and uniquely observed humour, Ade traces his journey through life and comedy: starting out on the alternative scene, getting arrested in Soho, creating his outrageously violent characters and learning more about his curious (possibly Scandinavian) heritage. With star-studded anecdotes and set to a soundtrack of pop hits which transport the reader through time, it's a memoir like no other.
Berserker [noun]: A Norse warrior frenzied in battle and held to be invulnerable; often off his tits on henbane and large quantities of alcohol; one who is out of control with anger or excitement.
Other Information: Adrian Charles Edmondson is an English actor, comedian, musician, writer and television presenter. He studied drama at Manchester University where he met his comedy partner Rik Mayall. The influence of the absurdist dramatists he studied and his early love for The Goon Show, The Muppets and Monty Python are all reflected in his comedy practice. He and Rik were part of the first wave of Alternative Comedy where their glorious pursuit of laughter and anarchic performances changed the comedic landscape forever.
He starred as Vyvyan in The Young Ones, the series that blasted its way onto our screens tearing into our preconceptions of what television comedy could be. Adrian has since had a very significant career. A career that has taken him in later years into 'straight' acting as well, at the RSC, BBC TV's War and Peace and EastEnders, and as a writer of books for adults and children. He has also had an award-winning music career with his band The Bad Shepherds, which fused punk and folk.
