Bunnyman

The Sunday Times bestseller

Growing up in Liverpool in the 1960s and '70s, when skinheads, football violence and fear of just about everything was the natural order of things, a young Will Sergeant found the emerging punk scene provided a shimmer of hope amongst a crumbling city still reeling from the destruction of the Second World War.

From school-day horrors and mud flinging fun to nights at Liverpool's punk club, Eric's, Sergeant was fuelled by and thrived on music. It was this devotion that led to the birth of the Bunnymen, to the days when he and Ian McCulloch would muck around with reel-to-reel recordings of song ideas in the back parlour of his parents' council estate house, and to finding a community - friends, enemies and many in between - with those who would become post-punk royalty from the likes of Dead or Alive, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and the Teardrop Explodes to name a few.

It was an uphill struggle to carve their name in the history of Liverpool music, but Echo and the Bunnymen became iconic, with songs like 'Lips Like Sugar,' 'The Cutter' and 'The Killing Moon'. By turns wry, explicit and profound, Bunnyman reveals what it was really like to be part of one of the most important British bands of the 1980s.

“When I first heard Will Sergeant I knew it was a new time for guitar playing. He's one of those people that music fans know is just great - Johnny MarrWill Sergeant is one of the most enthralling, enchanting, inventive and innovative guitarists I have ever heard - he is a true original. - Robert Smith, The CureWill is a sonic master of the universe - Courtney LoveWill has all the colours of the rainbow at the ends of his fingers; he plays with a glacial dark elegance. He's a unique and truly brilliant guitarist no one else gets close to . . . he's one of the all-time true greats . . . and one my all-time guitar heroes . . . the f***r!! - Richard HawleyEcho and the Bunnymen brought a look and a sound that were otherworldly - their album sleeves seemingly shot on other planets. With lyrics like poetry from a different time - and those guitars. They gave a generation the desire to be in a band, but with the thought you couldn't be anywhere near as good as them - Tim BurgessWill Sergeant will always be the perfect guitarist for the perfect band; no more, and no less - Billy Corgan, Smashing PumpkinsI first saw the Bunnymen at Womad in 1982. I last saw them in London in 2019. Nothing changed . . . still one of the greatest bands that this country has produced. Effortlessly cool - Terry HallEcho and the Bunnymen were a massive band for me . . . They had an utterly unique sound and perspective . . . and as an aspiring teenage guitarist I was especially drawn to and influenced by Will Sergeant's playing and sound . . . hypnotic and other-worldly . . . filling my head and inspiring me with beautiful melodies and sounds. Thank you Will . . . - Ed O'Brien, Radiohead”

With his dry, droll, vivid storytelling, Will Sergeant makes very clear the factors that shaped him, and therefore his band, into such a unique force . . . Sergeant sharply evokes the neurotic importance of music and clothes, his relief at seeing light alter so much darkness especially palpable in the aftermath of his new band's first gig -- Keith Cameron Mojo
Sergeant's acerbic sense of humour in the telling of these tales means the memoir sometimes reads as if you're in the pub with him . . . Bunnyman manages to do what Echo & the Bunnymen did so brilliantly: be part of a wider story but create an autonomous enclave within it, subject to almost magical laws and precedents Louder Than War
Engagingly down-to-earth . . . fondly nostalgic picture of 1960s and 70s Merseyside Classic Rock
Evocative Irish Times
Wonderfully vivid . . . brings to life an ordinary suburban existence and how music can offer new dreams and visions . . . fascinating . . . His pre-Bunnymen musical experiences are hilarious and self-deprecating Caught By The River
An engaging coming-of-age story -- Ian Rankin New Statesman
Wonderful . . . an evocative ride through childhood and teenage years . . . Sergeant writes with such atmosphere you can practically smell the chimney smoke and hear the rattle of glass bottles on milk floats . . . It's all recounted with generous helpings of the author's dry wit, as sharp and seductive as the innovative guitar lines he's contributed to so many great records Record Collector
Will's story is peppered with evocative detail of growing up in the 60s and 70s . . . a strikingly honest journey . . . Bunnyman is an enthralling and funny book which, simply by coming from an insider's perspective (probably THE insider), throws new light on the birth of the Bunnymen Manic Pop Thrills

Sergeant's memoir takes an earthy stroll through his early years, unafraid to tell it like it was

Mail on Sunday
A fine, keenly observed memoir that offers moments of pure joy Times Literary Supplement *

Will Sergeant is a founding member of iconic rock band Echo & the Bunnymen. He has been cited as an influence for many bands and artists from around the world, including U2, Moby, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Coldplay, Richard Hawley, Radiohead and many others.

The Sunday Times bestseller Growing up in Liverpool in the 1960s and '70s, when skinheads, football violence and fear of just about everything was the natural order of things, a young Will Sergeant found the emerging punk scene provided a shimmer of hope amongst a crumbling city still reeling from the destruction of the Second World War. From school-day horrors and mud flinging fun to nights at Liverpool's punk club, Eric's, Sergeant was fuelled by and thrived on music. It was this devotion that led to the birth of the Bunnymen, to the days when he and Ian McCulloch would muck around with reel-to-reel recordings of song ideas in the back parlour of his parents' council estate house, and to finding a community - friends, enemies and many in between - with those who would become post-punk royalty from the likes of Dead or Alive, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and the Teardrop Explodes to name a few.It was an uphill struggle to carve their name in the history of Liverpool music, but Echo and the Bunnymen became iconic, with songs like 'Lips Like Sugar,' 'The Cutter' and 'The Killing Moon'. By turns wry, explicit and profound, Bunnyman reveals what it was really like to be part of one of the most important British bands of the 1980s.

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