Blur Fun Facts, Quotes and Tweets


24th June 2015

Quote: "Taylor Swift is bigger than The Beatles... She’s bigger than anyone ever and if you've got little girls you can't resist The Swift. They’re great tunes, she’s smoking hot, what’s not to like?" Blur star Alex James is a big TAYLOR SWIFT fan.


15th June 2015

Fact: Blur have announced their first ever show at the fabled Hollywood Bowl in California. The British group will perform at the venue on 20 October (15), capping a five-day run for headline U.K. acts at the Bowl, including alt-J and Florence + the MAChine. Duran Duran have also announced their first Bowl gig, which is set for 1 October (15).


26th April 2015

Quote: "There came a point around 2003 where we all needed to go off and do our own things and be other people, rather than being this four-headed monster. I wouldn't call it animosity, but there was a little bit of ill feeling. We needed time out and to reconcile." Blur bassist Alex James opens up about the band's split in 2003. The four-piece reunited in 2008.


19th April 2015

Quote: "Does music say anything today? Music and young artists generally talk about themselves; they don't talk about what's happening out there. It is the selfie generation in every sense of the word." Blur frontman Damon Albarn slams modern pop stars for failing to address social issues and politics in their music.


2nd April 2015

Quote: "Yesterday I was wrangling five kids onto a plane. Believe me, this is a day off." British rocker Alex James loves promoting his band Blur's upcoming album The Magic Whip as it gives him a break from his hectic family life.


13th March 2014

Fact: Blur star Damon Albarn's new song Mr. Tembo was inspired by a baby elephant the singer/songwriter met in Tanzania.


8th March 2014

Fact: Blur and Gorillaz star Damon Albarn has signed up to headline a castle festival in Serbia. The singer will front the EXIT Festival in July (14), joining a line-up that includes Disclosure, Rudimental and Skrillex. The event will take place over three days at the Petrovaradin Fortress in Novi Sad.


27th February 2014

Quote: "NME were (sic) the first magazine to write about Blur and it meant so much to me." Blur star Damon Albarn was flattered to receive the Innovation accolade at the Nme Awards in London on Wednesday (26Feb14).


10th February 2014

Fact: Blur star Damon Albarn will be honoured with the first-ever Innovation Award at the NME Awards in London later this month (Feb14). Announcing the news, Nme editor Mike Williams says, "Damon's enduring popularity is a testament to his unrivalled talent. He is somebody who is always pushing things forward, always operating in his own sphere and forever innovating via experimentation and collaboration... We're lucky to have him, and it's an absolute honour for us to be giving Damon the Nme Award For Innovation."


9th January 2014

Fact: Blur drummer Dave Rowntree will begin hosting his own radio show on British station Xfm on Thursday night (09Jan13). Rowntree promises to play an "eclectic selection of music" as well as sharing stories from his own career.


18th December 2013

Fact: British rockers Blur have added a few unusual items of merchandise to their official website just in time for the holidays - among the odd new additions are branded china tea sets and flat caps.


1st October 2013

Fact: Blur star Damon Albarn is set to make his debut as a radio Dj on Saturday (05Oct13) when he steps in for BBC Radio 2 presenter Dermot O'Leary for the day. The rocker will welcome a number of special guests during the show, including The Wire star Idris Elba and The Clash's Paul Simonon, who was also a member of the singer's Gorillaz collective.


10th August 2013

Fact: Blur rocker Alex James is to receive an honorary degree from the University of Gloucestershire in England in November (13).


8th August 2013

Tweet: "I am going soon so bye... This space will remain but run by official more responsible folk." Blur rocker Graham Coxon is giving up control of his Twitter.com page.


26th July 2013

Quote: "Ironically, Noel and Damon are, like, best mates now. They go off and smoke cigars together. I think we realised we're all on the same side eventually." Blur star Alex James insists the band's rivalry with Oasis is now a distant memory.


5th March 2013

Fact: British rockers Blur are set to play a gig in the grounds of the Irish Museum of Modern Art (Imma) in August (13). The Dublin concert will mark the band's first in Ireland for four years.


8th February 2013

Fact: Universal Music has sold off its iconic Parlophone label, the home of legendary bands including Blur, Coldplay and Pink Floyd, to Warner Music Group in a $767 million (£487 million) deal. The agreement does not include a licence for The Beatles' archive owned by Parlophone.


16th July 2012

Fact: British rockers Blur are celebrating their 21 years of chart success by staging an exhibition of photographs taken throughout their career. The event, called Blur 21: The Exhibition, will launch in London later this month (Jul12).


21st June 2012

Fact: Blur rocker Alex James and veteran actress Vanessa Redgrave are celebrating after a 'deli-to-the-stars' in the heart of London's West End theatreland was saved from closure. James and Redgrave campaigned successfully to persuade local officials to allow Gaby's Deli to stay open amid a regeneration of the area.


22nd May 2012

Fact: Blur star Damon Albarn has teamed up with Portishead's Beth Gibbons for a track on Jj Doom's new album Key To The Kuffs.


22nd May 2012

Tweet: "If you have my number please text me your name. I have lost all contacts. It's both liberating and anxiety inducing." Blur star Graham Coxon has suffered a technology meltdown.


8th May 2012

Quote: "This week we're mucking around with these Russian synthesizers in a very loose mind of doing some kind of record under my name. I suppose you could call it a solo record, but I don't like that word. It sounds very lonely - solo. I don't really want to be solo in my life. But yeah, I'm making another record." Blur star Damon Albarn is hard at work in the studio.


28th March 2012

Fact: "Being in Blur is the best job... You go into the dressing room and someone's laid on some super-duper food, there are flowers and the odd freebie. With my solo stuff, there are c**ks drawn on the wall and the loo (toilet) has no seat..." Blur guitarist Graham Coxon notices the lack of luxury on his solo tours.


26th March 2012

Quote: "For about 24 hours, many years ago, I was making a record with David and Ray. It's not the case anymore. I've played around with a lot of ideas and most don't come to fruition." Blur star Damon Albarn was once planning to collaborate with rock legends David Bowie and THE KINKS' RAY DAVIES.


5th March 2012

Quote: "We've got a new song to unveil. I just listened to it this morning - it's like a hymn, a real tear-jerker." Rocker Alex James reveals Blur will debut an emotional new track when they perform at special gig in August (12) to mark the end of the London Olympics.


1st March 2012

Quote: "It's good to see Noel win. We had a rivalry in the 90s but that's all in the past. It's good for him and I'm pleased. He seems to be enjoying himself at the minute, too." Blur star Graham Coxon is pleased to see his one-time chart rival, former Oasis star Noel Gallagher, honoured with the Godlike Genius award at Britain's NME Awards on Wednesday (29Feb12).


20th February 2012

Quote: "I'm a cheesemaker now. I did meet the chef James Martin at the Nantwich International Cheese Show this year but I have to say it wasn't quite the same as sitting between Prince and Helena Christensen at the aftershow party in 1995." Blur rocker Alex James admits his new career doesn't live up to the glamour of the music industry.


20th February 2012

Quote: "I was looking forward to a quiet Christmas with my family when I heard the news that Blur are being honoured with the Outstanding Contribution To Music award at this year's show. It made the Christmas tree and the tinsel seem a bit ordinary." Blur star Alex James was overwhelmed to hear the band will be the recipients of a special prize at Tuesday's (20Feb12) Brit Awards.


2nd February 2012

Fact: Rockers Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon will warm up for the forthcoming Brit Awards by playing an intimate London show for charity. The Blur legends, who will receive the Outstanding Contribution prize at the ceremony on 21 February (12), are set to take to the stage for War Child at the Shepherd's Bush Empire on 19 February (12).


7th December 2011

Quote: "I don't think Blur would be signed if they were around today. It's a shame, but you can't really be in an indie band these days." Blur star Alex James feels sorry for aspiring rockers.


2nd November 2011

Quote: "We've always wanted to play in America again. Yeah, we do still meet up regularly. And we think there might be an audience over there." British rocker Damon Albarn and his Blur bandmates haven't given up on their dream of finding fame in the U.S.


15th September 2011

Fact: Rocker-turned-cheesemaker Alex James is to write a weekly column for British newspaper The Sunday Telegraph. The Blur bassist will update readers about life on his dairy farm in Oxfordshire, England.


17th August 2011

Quote: "It was just sickeningly sad watching it on the TV. It was really compelling." Blur star Alex James on the riots that broke out in the U.K. earlier this month (Aug11).


23rd June 2011

Quote: "As soon as you become a father, you get the phone book out and say, 'Get me Eton'. You want your kids to have the best education." Blur star Alex James is hoping to enrol his sons at the U.K.'s prestigious Eton College, which boasts Prince William, Dominic West and Hugh Laurie among its past students.


26th May 2011

Quote: "Every day, my kids say, 'Dad, are Blur getting back together?' We all love each other and something will happen eventually." British rocker Alex James is keen to team up with his former bandmates again in the future.


11th November 2010

Quote: "I am still so pleased for Take That. They were always such delightful, gentle boys. They were outstandingly nice and have been whenever I've bumped into them since. Howard is my favourite. They've all struggled with demons. It's great to see them reunited..." Blur rocker Alex James hopes the TAKE THAT reunion will allow the pop stars to finally put their past problems behind them.


11th November 2010

Quote: "TITANIC was the most expensive film ever made. I went to the launch party and was sick on Kate Winslet's sister's shoe." Blur star Alex James caused trouble at the height of the band's fame in the 1990s.


17th August 2010

Quote: "They're guaranteed to drive you to your wits' end. Especially the boys - they can gang up on you. One will try to eat your cheese while the other will try to get you to put the telly (TV) on." Blur bassist Alex James struggles to cope with his brood of five children.


26th May 2010

Fact: Former THE AUTEURS frontman LUKE HAINES is set to spit more vitriol at his Britpop rivals - he's releasing a follow-up to his 2009 autobiography, BAD VIBES. The as-yet-untitled book, due for release next year (11), is a sequel to his first tome, in which Haines slammed fellow 1990s British bands including Oasis, Blur, and Radiohead.


26th March 2010

Quote: "We have a young lad called Jeff who funnily enough is in Liam's new band. I just thought that was quite funny." Former Blur frontman Damon Albarn has recruited a member of Liam Gallagher's new band to play with Gorillaz. Gallagher previously fronted Blur's arch-rivals Oasis.


22nd March 2010

Quote: Gorillaz have announced their first U.K. gigs in five years. The British band, led by former Blur frontman Damon Albarn, will play at London's Roundhouse on 29 and 30 April (30), with guest spots from De La Soul and Shaun Ryder.


15th January 2010

Quote: "Noel used to take the p**s out of me constantly and it really, really hurt at the time. Oasis were like the bullies I had to put up with at school." Blur frontman Damon Albarn on the band's Britpop rivals OASIS.


22nd December 2009

Fact: Blur bassist Alex James is to become a fifth-time father. The British rocker is expecting a baby girl with his wife Claire. The couple is already parents to three sons and one daughter.


25th November 2009

Fact: The site of Blur's first ever gig is to be commemorated with a plaque. The British rockers hosted their debut concert at the East Anglian Railway Museum in Essex, England in 1989 and the spot will be marked with a famed blue plaque, which mark significant historical sites all over Britain.


15th October 2009

Fact: The members of Britpop group Blur have been turned into LEGO versions of themselves for the upcoming music video game LEGO Rock Band. Blur join Iggy Pop and David Bowie, whose LEGO avatars have already been revealed.


18th September 2009

Fact: Oasis are set to battle it out against rival Britpop group Blur at the forthcoming Q Awards, despite announcing their split last month (Aug09). The WONDERWALL hitmakers will go head-to-head with the PARKLIFE stars for the Best Live Act honour, alongside U2, Arctic Monkeys, THE Prodigy, Kasabian and Take That.


4th September 2009

Fact: Fans of Brit pop band Blur are fuming after a council in London accidentally painted over a famous graffiti cartoon by street artist Banksy which was featured on the cover of the band's 2003 single Crazy Beat.


31st August 2009

Fact: DAME VERA LYNN has become the oldest living artist ever to appear in the U.K.'s top 20 album chart. The 92 year old's WE'LL MEET AGAIN - THE VERY BEST OF VERA LYNN beat off competition from the likes of U2 and Blur to score the number 20 slot - 70 years after her Second World War heyday.


27th August 2009

Quote: "Flying is more expensive than drugs but better." Blur bassist Alex James enjoys a natural high from travelling on airplanes.


19th June 2009

Quote: "DAMON (ALBARN) will be jangling along with some chords and I'll start banging along and you (Graham Coxon) will join. Our musical cup overflow-eth at the moment. It’s all good." Blur bassist Alex James is looking forward to the reunited group's live dates this summer (09).


13th June 2009

Quote: "We went into the studio to do a full run through and I started crying. We were so tight and it's got better every day. It's been emotional." Blur bassist Alex James is getting tearful as the rockers prepare for their comeback concerts.


13th June 2009

Quote: "We went into the studio to do a full run through and I started crying. We were so tight and it's got better every day. It's been emotional." Blur bassist Alex James is getting tearful as the rockers prepare for their comeback concerts.


11th June 2009

Quote: "I think my dad made it hard for the rest of Blur because he was out getting f**ked with ALEX (James) and I think that probably annoyed them." Lily Allen thinks her actor dad Keith contributed to tensions within the band before they went on hiatus in 2003.


22nd May 2009

Quote: "We've rehearsed about 40 songs so we're having to take it down to around 20 or we'll be on stage for four hours." Damon Albarn warns fans to prepare to rock all night at Blur's comeback shows this summer (09).


5th May 2009

Quote: "I celebrated Blur's first number one single by trying to jump out of a window. Our record company threw a huge party, I felt like I was being forced into enjoying the moment. I couldn't handle being part of that crowd so I tried to jump out of a sixth-storey window. It was DAMON (ALBARN, frontman) who talked me out of it." BLUR star Graham Coxon on celebrating their track COUNTRY HOUSE topping the charts in 1995.


5th May 2009

Quote: "I've got nothing positive to say about Britpop. The whole thing was a grotesque travesty. It was meant to make Britain look cool but made us all look like a joke. The scene was full of dirty little b**tards trying to get off with my girlfriend all the time." Blur star Graham Coxon hated the 1990s indie-rock era.


13th February 2009

Fact: Blur guitarist Graham Coxon is the new face of classic English men's clothing company CORDINGS.


5th February 2009

Fact: Reunited rockers Blur have added another performance to their schedule. The Britpop pioneers will headline Scottish music festival T In The Park on 11 July (09), along with Kings Of Leon, Snow Patrol and Katy Perry.


19th January 2009

Quote: "Waking up on a Sunday at boarding school and my dad and DAMIEN HURST and Alex James from Blur were on the cover of a magazine, naked. On a hill. With sheep. That was the most embarrassing moment of my life." Pop star Lily Allen on her actor father Keith.


12th December 2008

Fact: Newly-reformed British rock band Blur are to play a second show at London's Hyde Park next year (09). They will perform on 2 July after their first scheduled show on 3 July sold out within hours.


3rd December 2008

Fact: After his concerts in London last month (Nov08), Kanye West unwound by playing a game of Connect 4 with Gorillaz creator and Blur frontman Damon Albarn.


31st July 2008

Fact: Former Blur frontman Damon Albarn is obsessed with table tennis - and has played against members of the British Olympic squad.


11th July 2008

Fact: Paul Weller has brought the once-feuding members of Blur and Oasis together in the studio. The former The Jam rocker asked Oasis' Noel Gallagher and former Blur star Graham Coxon to join him as he recorded his new album 22 DREAMS.


26th January 2008

Fact: Blur rocker Alex James will be the first guest on pop star Lily Allen's new BBC chat show LILY ALLEN AND FRIENDS.


12th December 2007

Fact: Blur star Alex James will be a member of the judging panel for the 2007 Costa Book Awards - the accolades formerly known as the Whitbread Prize. The winners will be announced in January (08).


18th September 2007

Fact: Blur bassist Alex James will write a fortnightly column for British political magazine The Spectator.


4th August 2007

Quote: "I think we are kind of stuck together forever... There will always be Blur somehow or other, I think." Alex James dismisses reports his band are on the verge of splitting up.


19th July 2007

Quote: "Why would I want to listen to Hard-Fi piffling around when there is Rossini? Bring me cellos. Being me French horns. Bring me a choir. And some cannons, maybe, for the end." Blur bassist Alex James is excited about presenting British radio station Classic FM's new series When Classic Meets Pop.


13th July 2007

Quote: "I was drunk and called Bruce Dickinson a devil-worshipping, Satan's c**k-sucking w**ker. And he just came over and put my nose in his mouth. It was the first encounter I'd had with a famous person, too." Blur star Alex James didn't make a good impression on the Iron Maiden frontman when they met.


5th July 2007

Fact: Paul Weller and former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon have enlisted the help of ex-Stone Roses bassist MANI and Oasis drummer Zak Starkey to perform tracks from their new special edition single on a British TV chat show. The supergroup will play on FRIDAY NIGHT WITH JONATHAN ROSS later this week (06Jul07).


21st November 2006

Fact: Former Blur and Gorillaz star Damon Albarn recently spent three days in Algiers producing local group EL GUSTO's new album. The project will be released on his own Honest Jon record label next year (07).


18th November 2006

Quote: "There was a small gene pool around us and the girls that were with Oasis one night were with us the next." British rock rivals Blur and Oasis had at least one thing in common in the late 1990s, according to former Blur bassist ALEX JAMES.


7th April 2006

Quote: "I wanted to be a footballer or do something with UFOs. But I wasn't much good at football and decided I didn't believe in UFOs." Former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon's early ambitions were over before they even began.


7th March 2006

Quote: "Part of me wants GRAHAM to be a f**king disaster so he'll come back." Blur bassist Alex James considers sabotaging his former bandmate Graham Coxon's solo career in a bid to lure back the estranged guitarist.


26th February 2006

Quote: <p>"Elisha Cuthbert? That might do it. No not really. Everything I want would be too supernatural really." Graham Coxon admits it would take a lot to tempt him back to Blur. </p>


9th November 2005

Quote: <p>"Michael Moore helped get (US President GEORGE W) Bush back into power. I don't care what anyone says." Blur and GORILLAZ star Damon Albarn is not a fan of controversial movie-maker Michael Moore. </p>


21st August 2005

Quote: <p>"There are three reasons to be a rock star - travelling, drinking and shagging." Blur bassist Alex James reconfirms the reason why boys dream of becoming rock stars. </p>


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