Mark “Bez” Berry, the anarchic maraca-shaker of Happy Mondays, reflects on giving up cocaine at age 49, his rural life in Herefordshire with his wife Frou, and celebrating the 35th anniversary of the landmark Pills ’n’ Thrills and Bellyaches album. details of his current lifestyle, and ongoing television work.
The Bottom Line
- Bez stopped using cocaine and sugar after Christmas, embracing intermittent fasting alongside his daily vegetable juicing and weight training.
- Happy Mondays recently returned from a tour of Australia and New Zealand to celebrate 35 years of their classic record.
- Beyond music, Bez remains active in television, appearing on shows like Gogglebox and Cooking With the Stars alongside his regular media projects.
From Salford Streets to Herefordshire Communes
The path to eccentric cultural icon is pretty much guaranteed if you’ve lived life as fully and wildly as Bez. Born Mark Berry in Salford, he survived multiple near-fatal motorbike crashes, including a 1999 collision that led to a month-long coma after contracting MRSA.
For several years around 2010, he lived on an off-grid commune in Wales before moving to a cottage down a rural track in Herefordshire about 12 years ago. There, he grows his own organic vegetables, juices daily, and maintains a permaculture lifestyle inspired by his time among Welsh hippies.
Thirty-Five Years of Happy Mondays and Maracas
Prompted by Shaun Ryder while both were on acid, Bez joined the band on stage at the Hacienda when Happy Mondays supported New Order, grabbing a pair of maracas and executing his wild-eyed dance style. He admits in his book that he initially felt like a bit of a fraud taking glory without traditional musical talent, but eventually embraced his identity as a dancer.
| Milestone / Event | Details | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Pills ’n’ Thrills and Bellyaches | 35th Anniversary | Marked by recent tour dates across Australia and New Zealand |
| Reality Television Wins | Celebrity Big Brother | Won the series in 2005, expanding his audience to younger viewers |
| Lifestyle Changes | Sober from Coke & Sugar | Adopted organic diet, juicing, and intermittent fasting |
The band fell apart in 1993 amid spending disputes before eventually re-forming. Bez notes that his friendship with Shaun Ryder is stronger than ever, characterizing their dynamic as a “sexless marriage.” While the music industry has shifted away from the supportive regional label ecosystems of Manchester’s analogue era, Bez and the band have continued touring and discussing potential new material.
Television Ventures and Esoteric Reading Habits
Beyond his musical legacy, television audiences have grown familiar with Bez through reality programming. He won Celebrity Big Brother in 2005, competed on Celebrity MasterChef and Dancing on Ice, and partnered with Shaun Ryder on Channel 4’s Gogglebox. More recently, he appeared on ITV’s Cooking With the Stars, where chef Kate Austen helped him expand his culinary repertoire.
A prolific reader rather than a writer, Bez divides his time between tending his polytunnel, exercising, and studying esoteric texts, allotment guides, and history. He plans to build a personal library for his family to ensure access to uncensored history away from artificial intelligence. Whether discussing permaculture, local farming, or his television appearances, Bez maintains the anarchic perspective that defined his decades on stage.
