FEBRUARY 2000
Article featured on Blur in this February 2000's issue of Flipside here.
Damon Albarn record criminal solo album (From dotmusic - 9.2.00)
Damon Albarn has written five tracks for a soundtrack album to the new Kevin Spacey film, 'Ordinary Decent Criminal'.
The soundtrack includes a collaboration between Albarn and Massive Attack's '3D' Del Naja.
The album will be released on March 13 and features two instrumentals and three with vocals.
The tracks recorded by Albarn are titled: 'Kevin On A Motorbike', 'Chase After Gallery', 'Bank Job', 'Dying Isn't Easy' and 'One Day At A Time', the collaboration with '3D' and a reworking of Lena Mertell's 1979 original.
Other bands included on the album are Bryan Ferry, Shack, Bis,
Lowfinger and Yma Sumac.
Elastica's Justine makes up with ex Damon from Blur! (From NME - 8.2.00)
ELASTICA'S JUSTINE FRISCHMANN has made up with former lover BLUR'S DAMON ALBARN - just weeks after saying how his hit single 'TENDER' made her "squirm."Speaking exclusively to nme.com at the NME Premier Awards last week, she said she felt "okay" when it was announced that 'Tender' had been voted Best Single by NME readers.
Only last month, she blasted Damon for the personal nature of the lyrics on Blur's current album '13', as most tracks allude to the painful break-up of their long-term relationship - particularly 'Tender' and 'No Distance Left To Run'.
At the time, she said she felt he'd "milked" the situation and continued: "I squirmed when I heard about it. I was really surprised at how personal it was. We were breaking up and Damon was very sercretive about what he was recording....It I'd heard it, I would have asked him to tone it down. I've always had a horror of my private life being exposed for all to see like that."
But last week, the singer said: "'Tender' winning Best Single, that was okay. Apart from my neck swivelling round really fast and then my tongue came out, green shit came out my ears," she joked. "No, not really. They're good, they're alright. I saw Damon the other night when I was really drunk and we had quite a good laugh. I'm cool about it now."
Otherwise, Justine said that she'd agreed with most of the other awards, apart from Travis winning Artist Of The Year which she thought was a "bit bizarre" and that she's have given Album Of The Year to Super Furry Animals.
"I thought the Super Furries album ('Guerilla') was absolutely brilliant, fucking amazing. 'I've Got A Mobile Phone' ('Wherever I Lay My Phone, That's My Home') has been a bit of an anthem for us. Godlike genius, well, Shaun Ryder! Gotta be."
NME have posted up a Real Player interview with Alex after the NME Premier Awards, where Blur won 3 awards.
Damon's lawyers are planning to sue the record company who have placed the old Circus track, 'Hippy Children', on their website for sale. The Scottish record company, Over18, have been ordered to be closed down within 14 days. However, the owner has said Damon Albarn gave him the tape for this song during a meeting in 1989, and has refused to close down.
Cabbage + TV (Taken from dotmusic)
Blur star Alex James has started the new millennium with a bizarre diet designed to flush the excess of the New Year festivities out of his system. And what's more, as we head into February, the lovable bass player is sticking to it.
Alex's diet consists of mountains of cabbage and fresh fruit and he admits it makes for a 'windy' digestive tract. "You should smell my breath," he told dotmusic, as he sipped a large decaffinated coffee at one of his favourite Soho night spots. "I haven't had a drink since New Year's eve and I feel much better for it."
The band are currently taking a break from all things Blur - guitarist Graham Coxon and singer Damon Albarn both having recently become dads.(??)
Blur have won Best Single for Tender, Best Band and Best video for Coffee + TV in the NME Premier Awards.
Blur have been nominated for 2 Brit Awards: Best Band and Best single for Tender. Vote for Blur for best single here. This means Blur have been nominated for 12 Brit Awards since 1995.