Interview with Damon and Alex from early -97
Damon Albarn and Alex James from Blur have been sitting in a hotel room in London for four days giving interviews all days long. Even though they're tired they look as good as usual. Damon's walking round the room chatting and serving cookies before sitting down in a big armchair.
-You seem a bit tired. When was the last time you were out having fun?
- I don't go out as much now as I've done the last years, Damon answers. I was out with my friends a few days ago and we had a great time. We ended up in a strip club around four in the morning. It was a great night.
- A strip Club??
- Yes, but we came too late and all the strippers had gone home. I don't usually go to such places but sometimes when I'm out with my buddies and we're real drunk it can be OK. Those clubs are so depressive somehow, but no one ever recognizes me there and that's great.
- Do you think it's hard being recognized all the time?
- I'm quite used to it now, and I try to live a normal life as much as possible.
- Can you go shopping without people coming to you asking for autographs and such?
- Yes I can, but I always wear a hat when I'm going to get food or something not to be recognized. It's always a lot of fans outside my house in Notting Hill waiting for someone to come out.
- Have you ever invited a fan into your house?
- No, but sometimes I'd really want to, says Damon and looks tricky.
- When?
- Well, if it's a very pretty girl. But it would be unethical. My girlfriend Justine usually goes out and asks them to go away.
- You have a house on Iceland now. Can you get some time to your self there?
- Yes, absolutely. When I'm on Iceland I can be my self and act they way I like. No one cares. I rather go out in Reykjavik than in London.
- Why a house on Iceland?
- Iceland's an amazing place. I had a dream that kept coming back to me about Iceland and so it got to be Iceland.
Alex, who's been quiet for a long time just sitting there watching us behind his dark hair, suddenly wakes up.
- Damon has a lot of houses. Tell'em about all your houses Damon.
Damon smiles embarrassed and gives Alex a look over his shoulder.
- Well, I have the house on Iceland, a farm in Devon here in England, the house in London, and one I rather not tell where it is. Though the house in London actually is my girlfriends, and the farm's a gift for my parents.
- Do you have any animals on the farm?
- Some cows.
- Do you do any gardening when you're there?
- When I get the time I will, but that'll probably be a while.
- What do you guys do when you have some spare time?
- I like to play pool, says Alex and a smile comes over him. Though I'm not very good.
- And Damon?
- I'm into Tae Kwondo and I play football in Regents Park on Sundays. I think it's great to keep in shape. I feel a lot better then.
- Damon you had somewhat of a depression while you recorded the last album. Tell me?
- Oh, that's right. It was about ten months from now. I don't know why I got so depressed, but I did. It felt as if I wasn't really my self.
- How did you handle it?
- I started to get in shape, so I at least was comfy with my body. I didn't take any medicines or visited any shrinks I just had to work out the problem by my self and try to feel better. As simple as that.
- Alex, did you ever notice that Damon was depressed?
- Not much. He keeps stuff like that to himself. Many problems only gets bigger if you around babbling about them all the time. It's typical English to do that. Alex smiles his fantastic smile and sits back in his armchair.
One and a half year ago Damon's sister got a daughter, Lola, something that brought the Albarn family even closer together. And now, uncle Damon wants to have his own child, but his girlfriend since 7 years back, Justine Frischmann, doesn't.
- I absolutely want to have a child. The problem is finding someone who wants t with me. He smiles embarrassed and hides himself behind his arm so you can only see those lovely eyes.
- Do you "borrow" Lola from your sister?
- I see her as often as I can. It's fun to be with children, coz you can be yourself. I make funny faces and throw her up in the air, and we draw as well. Even though she's so young she knows I'm famous and that I'm on the TV.
To many people Damon's the man that has everything, but it's not quite so. He is happy with his life, but there's some things he wants to do.
- I'd love to learn how to drive. I'm not actually interested in cars but now, when I have a house in the country I need to get a drivers license and a car. When I was twenty I thought I shouldn't have a car, neither a child, to help save the planet and stuff like that. And look at me now: I'm planning on getting a car, and maybe even a child. Damon laughs out loud to himself.
- You both seem so self secure. What makes you nervous?
- I'm afraid of the dark, Damon confesses after some doubt.
- Highways, Alex says. I've never really figured out which mirror to look in when I'm driving, and that makes me nervous.
- Do you have a car Alex?
- Alex has no things what so ever, Damon interrupts. It's very weird.
- I guess I'm not really into shopping, says Alex and smiles. There's always something better to do. I get most of my clothes for free and other stuff don't interest me.
Damon's recently done a part in Antonia Bird's film "Face" where he plays a car thief. One scene is in a pub, and Damon got some advises from the other actors before the shoot.
- They told me to drink some beer an get a little high before shooting, coz it's almost impossible to play drunk when you're not.
Damon smiles, again, and looks at Alex who seems to have heard it before, coz he's already smiling a big smile.
- I smoked a lot of grass and I went paranoid, Damon continues. I didn't know where to go and it was extremely scary. But we did the shoot, and in some way I managed to remember my lines. If you ever see that scene you can always think of how sick I felt.
one of those blur pages
This is an English translation of an interview made by a Swedish magazine. I did the translation and I rather see that you e-mail me if you want it for your page. Thanks!