The Closest Thing to Crazy My Life of Musical Adventures

"Fabulously readable," declares Stephen Fry. "Wildly entertaining," says the Daily Express. "Rollicking ... ebullient ... Christmas present problems are instantly solved," raves the Mail on Sunday. This critically acclaimed book, also nominated for a 2025 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Award, promises a biography that is as vibrant as its subject.

Often described as a "polymath," a "renaissance man," and "one of the most colourful characters in the music business," Mike Batt has led an extraordinarily vibrant life filled with both glorious victories and bitter failures. He is a man who has always lived on his own terms: idiosyncratic yet mainstream, complicated yet compassionate, a steadfast maverick in spirit with a commercial outlook. He is a man of great contradictions and even greater talent.

After starting out in the music business as a teenager, Batt shot to fame in the early 1970s for his part in the creation of The Wombles pop group. This success, however, was just the beginning. He went on to work with a huge range of artists as a songwriter, composer, and producer, including Art Garfunkel, George Harrison, Cliff Richard, Andrew Lloyd-Webber, and Katie Melua.

Featuring cameos from some of the biggest stars in the business, from Paul McCartney to Prince, The Closest Thing to Crazy takes us on more than just the rocky and classical journey of Mike Batt's life. It is also a fascinating tour around the inside of his mind, offering a glimpse into the unique thought process of a true musical genius.