Get Smashed

Book excerpt: They were young. They were making it up as they went along. They introduced the world to Smash Martians, Honeymonsters and a beer that refreshes the parts that others cannot reach. And pretty soon, they were millionaires. As one survivor put it: 'No one in the real world knew who the f*** we were. But we'd sit in the first-class departure lounge with rock stars and Hollywood actresses and we convinced ourselves we were celebrities. It probably wasn't a very healthy state of mind.' Some, including Ridley Scott, Alan Parker, David Puttnam and, of course, Charles Saatchi, became famous. Others OD'ed on sex, drugs and 30 second commercials. This was advertising as it had never been before. And has never been since. GET SMASHED is a story of ambition, obsession and excess and how the ads that began by reflecting British culture came to define it.