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Alex: I speak to the drummer every week. We have a regular catch up on Tuesday, basically moan about Graham and Damon. "How do we make this ever happen again?"
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Damon: Nothing's gonna proceed unless firstly Graham is into it.
Graham: I remember listening to the demos and getting a pad and trying to jot down the chords and thinking bloody hell there's a lot of chords here. But good chords. Chords you can really get into. There's such a lot of opportunity for melodic stuff and more emotional things when chords are that much more deeper.
[...]
Graham: Damon has really allowed me on this record, and probably over the years, to play some of my favourite guitar stuff. That's because of his ebony ivories. It's what I was saying earlier on, what is given to you via those chords to explore, and the notes you come up with in the parts you put down eventually after many run-throughs and getting it right.
Damon: When I stopped playing the piano at the beginning of Blur, it was because my chords sound too rich. It's like we are like an indie band, it's not helpful. So I learned to play the guitar, obviously not very well and I still really haven't... I've got a little bit better but not much. But now I'm not worried about playing the piano.
Graham: I think that's a lot of what sets us apart from a lot of the other people that we may have been lumped in within the 90s. The songs are written on a piano, that's a completely different thing.
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Blur presenting The Ballad of Darren live at Eventim Apollo
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INT: I woke up yesterday singing The Narcissist. Do you have any kind of formula or tricks for making something go down easily?
Damon: Well how's that song on My Fair Lady? "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down"
INT: The sugar come with the melody?
Damon: I don't know. It's certainly not on the lyrics, the lyrics are rarely uplifting. Spike Milligan was a brilliant comedian writer and on his grave stone he had inscribed 'I told you I wasn't feeling well' (laughs) It's the joy and sadness of life. That final victory that makes people laugh. And that's kind of the essence of melancholy: the realization that you are living and dying your best life.
INT: What's the significance of the title of the album?
Damon: Darren is a friend of everyone in the band. He represents all of us. Darren is everyman.
INT: Well… did he go through something significantly recently?
Damon: Well we all go through significant things. Obviously as I wrote the songs I guess I went through some significant things as well. I am a certified sad-55-years-old. I'm not afraid of sadness you know.
INT: Is there an overall emotional framework to the album?
Damon: I think once they catch you certain songs will play with your emotions quite heavely. Songs like The Everglades will snap people on the face at one point.
INT: Do you have any kind of trepidation about writing vulnerable lyrics or exposing yourself?
Damon: I suppose that in many ways this (record) is my vulnerable. Vulnerability… by singing about it you're somehow easing it. The vulnerability is diminished by your ability to express it.
INT: Writing songs… does it help you to understand your emotions or talk about it?
Damon: Yes but I don't like to make it all about myself. I use where I am in my life and how I feel to talk about other things sometimes.
Via Broken Record podcast. 2023
Out of curiosity, have Blur ever before sworn on record, or is 2023 such a strange year that St. Charles Square is the first?
#Is Ballad of Darren going to be the first Blur album to receive a parental warning?#Blur band#The Ballad of Darren#obv. Gorillaz albums have been marked Explicit before but I can’t think of any Blur songs with swears in them#St. Charles Square opens with ‘I fucked up’ loud and prominent. A Blur first?#St. Charles Square#damon albarn#blur
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Blur in 2023 📸 Reuben Bastienne-Lewis
Oh my oh my... I'm not even the biggest Blur fan, but there's something about this song that's a bit of a tearjerker! They look happy to be back :)
Also because I am ultimately a Muse blog I have to point out, Matt's converted Graham to a Manson man! ;) This is apparently the first outing of this brand new bright green Manson, it's called the GC-3 (presumably GC standing for Graham Coxon?)
(@prttyinpvnk you're the local Manson expert, handing over to you if you like!)
#Blur band#The Narcissist#THIS SONGGG#the warm up gigs#the ballad of darren#blur#new music#Manson Guitar Works#I mean can you blame him? Matt Bellamy is 100% right on the fact that Mansons are v sexy guitars. They look SO GOOD they look so good#(none better than the Mirror series but that's me!)#Manson guitars#Damon Albarn#Graham Coxon#Alex James#Dave Rowntree#live#Instagram
oh god the Blur Lamacq interview. Do you want me to haw a midday cry
#Steve Lamacq talked to them on 6 Music and oh mate.#It’s already been a bit of a charged day. Yesterday finding out there’s new music from Blur#Then this morning finding out that Andy Rourke’s gone. The full spectrum#But it does make me glad for Blur I suppose; makes me appreciate that. Do it while you’re still here; do it while you still can#And just love and appreciate I guess#But also this Lamacq interview. Oh my.#Blur band#damon albarn#graham coxon#alex james#dave rowntree#The whole band were there#steve lamacq#BBC Radio 6 Music#Music Interviews#The Ballad of Darren#blur