Well, I suppose there has to be some explanation as to why I'm devoting this space to Alex. Okay, really I'm just looking for an excuse to extol his numerous virtues, but it all amounts to the same thing.

First off, Alex's hair

The only member of Blur who looks good with long hair, Alex has lovely dark locks that tend to be cut in a fringe style, short with long bangs. This makes for good hair-flipping when Alex shakes his head back and forth while playing his bass. It also makes it much easier for him to ignore the audience when those gorgeous strands of hair fall in front of his equally gorgeous face. However, the fringe is not so dense as to completely obscure Alex's beautiful face... that would never do. No, the bangs merely help to create a laissez-faire appearance, a sort of careless image of someone who is so cool that he need not worry about little things such as his looks. It's quite effective.

Next, Alex's eyes

Although they tend to be hidden by the above-mentioned hair, Alex has beautiful dark brown orbs, with which he likes to look skyward when playing his bass. It has often been noted by people who've attended Blur concerts (myself included) that regardless of whether or not Alex is looking at you (and he never is), his eyes will appear to follow your every move. You know, like the eyes in really spooky portraits. Fear not, though, Alex is not trying to see into your soul... he's just staring off into space and you happen to be in the way.

And of course, there's... Alex's body

Hmmm, where to start? Ah yes, the height. Can't ignore that one. Alex is by far the tallest member of Blur... in fact, he is probably the tallest person in England. And, as he himself points out, "You can't underestimate the importance of long legs and a good haircut in this business." Well, he certainly has both of those items in stock. Not to mention the hips. The hips are essential to full appreciation of Alex's loveliness... you see, his primary stage movement is a combination of shaking his hips while swinging his head back and forth (see Alex's hair)... oh, and playing the bass of course.

Moving right along... Alex's attitude

Alex James is very intelligent, and highly educated. He likes being famous. He likes being drunk. He hates David Bowie. He likes it "when the girls go 'fuck me, fuck me, fuck me!'". He didn't notice when his apartment was robbed. He loves cheese. And he doesn't care who knows it. When Blur play a show, Alex doesn't seem to realise that there's an audience of screaming fans a few feet away from him... in fact, sometimes he doesn't even seem to know that he's awake, let alone in the middle of a concert. He's lazy, he's arrogant, he's been called "the annoying one" on more than one occasion. Does it matter to him? Of course not. After all, he's Alex from Blur. And you're not.

Oh, but then there's the other attitude...

Never mind what I wrote about him being a lazy, arrogant bastard. Alex can also be very sweet and he's definitely quite an adorable person. Never ashamed to be silly, Alex refuses to conform and be boring. Even his style of bass playing is unique. He can always be counted on to liven up an interview with bizarre quips that seem to come out of nowhere ("Talent, genius, BOLLOCKS!"). He prefers pebbles to meteorites, and draws maps of the solar system for his friends. As far as I know, he's never fallen into the habit of slagging off other popular bands ("I don't like arguing. I aspire to agree with everybody. That way I don't get beaten up... it's Damon who likes arguing."). (Oh wait, but then there's Suede. Well, nobody's perfect.) He smiles like nobody else can... and after all, nobody else is Alex from Blur.

Well, of course all the above is true (well, mostly true), and it certainly is part of the reason why Alex is so interesting. But why, you ask, do I, your humble webkeeper, love Alex James so darned much? Ok, here's the short list:

He has a beautiful forehead
He writes songs about planets
His voice is calm and deep and lovely
He says things like "You may have been jumping up and down - I was destroying the fabric of the music industry."
That smile
That hair
He makes zip-up jogging tops look cool
Intelligence is sexy
He says things like "Music is merely the temporary escape from the tyranny of conscious thought."
He plays the bass
The Parklife video
He looks stunning in black (and red, and blue)

Read what others have said about the one and only Alex James

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© 1997 cait@england.com