Started Out Just Drinking Beer is the official biography of Mental as Anything, by Stuart Lloyd.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Live It Up: The Mental As Anything Story the same as the book?
No. The documentary and the book explore the same band, but they are not the same work.
Live It Up: The Mental As Anything Story is a feature-length Australian music documentary designed for the cinema, bringing the classic line up of the band’s story to life through interviews, archival footage and performances.
The book, Started Out Just Drinking Beer: The Mental As Anything Story, goes much deeper, offering a long-form narrative dive into decades of stories, personalities, creative tensions and behind-the-scenes moments that simply can’t all fit on screen.
They are complementary rather than duplicative.
Why do the book and documentary share similar themes or headings?
Because they grew out of the same conversations.
During the development of both projects, author Stuart Lloyd and documentary director Matthew Walker spent years comparing notes, swapping stories and unpacking the inner dynamics of Mental As Anything.
That shared research means certain ideas naturally surface in both works, even though they are expressed very differently on the page and on screen.
If I’ve seen the documentary, should I still read the book?
Absolutely.
The film captures the spirit, energy and collective voice of Mental As Anything.
The book expands the story, adding detail, context and many yarns that never make it to camera.
If the documentary leaves you wanting more, the book is where that “more” lives.
If I’ve read the book, will the documentary feel repetitive?
No. The documentary offers a different experience altogether.
Seeing the band tell their own stories on screen, supported by rare archive footage and music, brings emotional texture and immediacy that even the most detailed book can’t replicate.
Many readers find the film deepens their understanding of the personalities they’ve already met on the page.
Which should I start with: the movie or the book?
Either works.
Some people will discover Mental As Anything through the documentary and then seek out the book for a fuller picture. Others will come to the film already familiar with the deeper story from the book.
Together, they form the most complete account yet of one of Australia’s most beloved bands.
Live It Up: The Mental As Anything Story
Coming to cinemas across Australia on 5 March 2026, Live It Up: The Mental As Anything Story is the long-awaited feature documentary celebrating one of Australia’s most iconic and irreverent bands: Mental As Anything.
Told largely in the band’s own voices, this definitive Australian music documentary traces five decades of songs, personalities, visual art, friendships, fractures and laughter, from the Sydney art-school scene to pub-rock immortality and beyond.
A Documentary Years in the Making
“This documentary might be the worst-kept secret in Australian rock ’n roll. When I started researching my book in 2022, I was told there was already a documentary in progress, and that I should contact the director, Matthew Walker. I did, and we hit it off immediately. The plan was to develop the two projects in parallel and launch them together. But he had a head start and I had a lot of catching up to do.
In the end, the critically acclaimed book came out in November 2023, a full two years before the movie.”
— Stuart Lloyd
That early phone call sparked a close creative dialogue between author and filmmaker. Over many colourful conversations behind the scenes, Lloyd and director Matthew Walker compared notes on band dynamics, personalities, creative tensions and the elusive chemistry that made Mental As Anything not just successful, but singular.
The result is a rare alignment: a documentary and a book that explore the same band from very different angles, each deepening the other.
About the Mental As Anything Documentary
Live It Up: The Mental As Anything Story is a celebration of music, visual art and irreverent humour, told by the band themselves and enriched with rare archive material, unseen footage and stories that have never previously been on screen.
This Australian rock documentary captures the full sweep of the "classic" band line-up while remaining grounded in character: the friendships, the clashes, the creative chaos and the enduring affection that carried Mental As Anything through five extraordinary decades.
Film and Book: Same Spirit, Different Depths
Some readers and viewers may notice that both the documentary and the book share similar subheadings or thematic touchpoints.
The film distils the story into a vivid, communal cinema experience.
The book, Started Out Just Drinking Beer: The Mental As Anything Story, goes way deeper, a riotous rollercoaster offering a long-form narrative dive into the yarns, the context, the contradictions and the quieter moments that simply can’t all fit on screen.
Together, they form a complete portrait of Mental As Anything:
the movie for the magic of seeing and hearing the glory years all again, the book for the full, unfiltered story behind the songs and the band until their demise in 2019. (Although excitingly they're on a 50th Year Reunion tour in 2026 with Reg Mombassa and Peter O'Dougherty.)
About Live It Up: The Mental As Anything Story
Live It Up: The Mental As Anything Story is a Beyond Entertainment production in association with People Productions.
Principal production funding is provided by Screen Australia, in association with Screen NSW. Local distribution is by Bonsai Films, with international sales handled by Banijay Rights. Post, digital and visual effects are supported by Screen NSW.
Written and directed by Matthew Walker, with Paul Clarke as supervising writer and post producer. Produced by Susanne Morrison and Carolina Sorensen, and executive produced by Mikael Borglund, Frank Chidiac, and Martin Fabinyi.
Go to Stu's page on the band and book here.
Listen to a Sneak Preview of the AudioBook here.
Read Stu's blog about Reg Mombassa's art here.
Kirk Pengilly, INXS
“Love it!!! Brought up lots of memories. Thoroughly enjoyable."
Jane Gazzo, broadcaster
“Takes us behind the showbiz curtain.
A deep-dive beyond the colourful personalities. Had me glued to every page.”
Anthony Field,
The Wiggles
"This book gives us a big gulp of one of Australia's most uniquely talented and popular bands."
Dave Warner,
From the Suburbs
"I loved the Mentals and I love this book. Captures the alchemy that saw Australian bands flourish from the arid plains of our suburban lives."
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