Blur bassist Alex James sat down with Channel 4 News and discussed the 20 years he spent working on his farm after Blur’s success.
“I remember thinking we were taking a huge, reckless, romantic leap into the unknown buying a farm. I’ve since come to realise it’s just literally the next cliche in the book of rock cliches,” the bassist said. “You either die or you end up living on a farm.”
When Guru-Murthy asked James what he thinks of Labour’s planned changes to the inheritance tax laws, “When does the inheritance tax kick in?,” he responded.
He then jokingly shared his concern that his kids might kill him: “I’m slightly concerned my children are going to try and kill me before that kicks in. Daddy’s slipped on some cheese, it’s been a terrible accident.”
The bassist traded Blur for cheesemaking on his Cotswolds farm and now has five children: Geronimo, Artemas, Galileo, Sable and Beatrix. “My daughters always wanting to have a party, and 16-year-old parties are the absolute worst to deal with, because 16-year-olds – all they want to do is get pissed and shag,” the rocker said of his children in a previous interview. “You can actually drink legally in a home setting at 16… but not everyone is 16, so in terms of liability it’s an absolute nightmare.”
“In all the years of rock and roll with Blur, nothing comes close to the mayhem and carnage of [parenting teenagers]. It’s absolutely terrifying, but it’s actually wonderful,” he added.
Though he is now a farmer, James hasn’t completely moved on from rock and roll. Last year, he got back together with his Blur bandmates, Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, and Dave Rowntree. They made the new album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ together, and played a series of gigs, including a headline show at Wembley Stadium.
