Latest Channel 4 News:
New poll suggests hung Parliament
Fears for hacker facing extradition
UK and Ireland optimistic over NI
Bono and soccer stars in Aids drive
NHS targets defended after failings

Blur guitarist predicts bright future

Updated on 07 May 2009

Source ITN

Blur's Graham Coxon believes the Britpop kings could keep on playing together long after this summer's much-hyped reunion gigs.

The 40-year-old guitarist was kicked out of the band in 2002, as he battled to overcome the alcohol problems which led him into rehab.

But he says he and the three other members - Damon Albarn, Alex James and Dave Rowntree - have been refreshed by their years apart.

And weekly rehearsals ahead of their sell-out shows at London's Hyde Park in July are apparently going well.

"Damon's still a maniac, making us laugh and it's good. I like it," he said.

"There's all the little quirks of each other's personalities that I didn't even realise I'd missed really until I saw them all again.

"It's nice to look over at Alex and he's still doing the same sort of his hip swinging and hair swinging and being a groovy, groovy person."

Coxon - whose seventh solo album, The Spinning Top, is released this week - believes the band could continue working together for years to come, as long as they don't work as hard as they did during their first incarnation.

He said: "So long as we all know when to have a rest I think we'll be alright because I think that was the problem before.

"We were so desperate to keep things going and we had this pressure to keep things going, to maintain the sort of success we had, that it drove us all mental, I think. That was the problem."

© Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved.

These news feeds are provided by an independent third party and Channel 4 is not responsible or liable to you for the same.

Send this article by email


Watch the Latest Channel 4 News

Watch Channel 4 News when you want

Latest Arts & Entertainment news

Nowhere boy

John Lennon (credit:Getty images)

Sam Taylor-Wood's biopic on John Lennon opens in Liverpool.

Paranormal Activity

Paranormal Activity

What makes shoestring budget horror films so popular?

Museum revamp

The Ashmolean museum

The Ashmolean museum reopens after renovation.

U2 live online

image

U2 join the internet age and stream their latest gig live online.

Olympic art

Olympic art

The artworks to represent the UK at the 2012 London Olympics.

Jane Bown's portraits

The beatles (credit:Jane Bown)

60 years of portraits from the veteran Observer photographer.

Lost Guthrie recordings

Woody Guthrie (credit:Getty Images)

Woody Guthrie masters found in New York basement.

Jammin' with Led Bib

image

Jon and Krishnan play with Mercury nominees Led Bib.

Most watched

Most watched

Find out what's getting people clicking online this week.




Channel 4 © 2009. Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of external websites.