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Biography
Infobox musical artist|name = Alex James|image = Blur Newcastle 2009 Coxon James.jpg|background = non_vocal_instrumentalist|birth_name = Steven Alexander James|birth_date = Birth date and age|1968|11|21|df=y|alias = A. James, Alex James, Steven James, Steven Neate-James|death_date =|birth_place = Boscombe , Bournemouth , England |instrument = Bass guitar|Bass , double bass , vocals , guitar |genre = Alternative rock , Britpop |occupation = Musician , songwriter , cheesemaker , author , columnist , TV personality , Model (person)|model |years_active = 1988–present|label =|associated_acts = Blur (band)|Blur , Fat Les , WigWam , Me Me Me , Sophie Ellis Bextor , Bad Lieutenant (band)|Bad Lieutenant |website =|notable_instruments = Fender Precision Bass Music Man StingRay Stephen Alexander James (born 21 November 1968) is an English musician , songwriter , journalist and cheesemaker . He is best known as the bass guitar|bass player and occasional vocalist of band Blur (band)|Blur . He has also played with temporary bands, Fat Les , Me Me Me , WigWam and Bad Lieutenant (band)|Bad Lieutenant .
Biography
main|Blur (band)Born in Boscombe , Bournemouth , he attended the state grammar school Bournemouth School for Boys. In 1988 James met future bandmate Graham Coxon at Goldsmiths College , where James studied French. Introductions with Coxon’s old school friend Damon Albarn and Dave Rowntree soon took place; at the time Albarn and Rowntree were part of a band called Circus. In 1989 James joined Coxon, Albarn and Rowntree's new band, Seymour, which would later be renamed Blur. While he has been in the band ever since, he now describes the experience as "a past-life". http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/7200749.stm Cocaine - Alex James in Colombia on the BBC Despite this, Blur got together with returning band mate Graham Coxon to perform at Glastonbury Festival , Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park , Oxegen and T in the Park during the summer of 2009. They also played shows at Goldsmiths, Essex Museum and other venues around the UK and Europe.
Musical collaborations
Unlike his band mates Albarn and Coxon, James has not released any solo material, although he has been involved in other collaborative side projects. In 1998 James formed Fat Les with actor Keith Allen (actor)|Keith Allen and artist Damien Hirst , releasing (excluding three others) the unofficial theme song " Vindaloo (song)|Vindaloo " for the 1998 FIFA World Cup , which reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart . He also worked on side project Me Me Me with Stephen Duffy , co-wrote songs for Marianne Faithfull (appearing in drag playing a double bass in the music video for her single "Sex With Strangers") and Sophie Ellis Bextor , and worked with Florence and The Machine and KT Tunstall . James worked with Bextor on her solo debut Read My Lips (Sophie Ellis-Bextor album)|Read My Lips , co-writing and co-producing " Move This Mountain ", and co-producing "I Believe" alongside Bextor and producer Ben Hillier . He also played bass on both tracks. Ellis Bextor's 2003 album, Shoot from the Hip also featured James as co-writer and bass player on track "Love Is It Love". He also joined his friend and singer-songwriter Betty Boo in a band called WigWam in 2005. In 2009 James appeared as bass player on debut Bad Lieutenant record Never Cry Another Tear . The band consists of former New Order lead singer Bernard Sumner and guitarist Phil Cunningham (rock musician)|Phil Cunningham , along with Jake Evans of Rambo And Leroy.
Writing
James writes a weekly food column for The Sun (United Kingdom)|The Sun and also contributes to a number of other British newspaper s including The Independent ,cite news|url= http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/alex-james/ |title=Alex James |publisher=The Independent |date= |accessdate=2011-07-14 |location=London The Observer ,cite news| url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/alexjames | location=London | work=The Guardian | first=Alex | last=James | date=4 February 2008 | title=Alex James profile The Times ,cite news| url= http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article6988355.ece | work=The Times | location=London | title=Alex James on reuniting with Blur | date=16 January 2010 | accessdate=23 April 2010 and The Sunday Times ,cite news| url= http://property.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/property/interiors/article6976419.ece | work=The Times | location=London | title=Beyond Soho House what Nick Jones did next | date=10 January 2010 | accessdate=23 April 2010 | first=Alex | last=James as well as Q (magazine)|Q magazine, The Spectator (1828)|The Spectator and The Idler (1993)|The Idler . An autobiography of James's experience with Blur, Bit of a Blur , was released in June 2007 by Little, Brown & Company . It has since been described as “the definitive guide to Britpop”.cite news|author=Caspar LLewellyn Smith |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/jun/03/blur.music |title=Review: Bit of a Blur by Alex James & #124; Books & #124; The Observer |publisher=Guardian |date= 3 June 2007|accessdate=2011-02-16 |location=London James is set to publish a follow up entitled All Cheeses Great and Small: A not so everyday story of country folk in September, 2011, charting his transformation from rock star to cheesemaker as he moves to a farm in Oxfordshire .
Television appearances
James represented The Idler on BBC Two 's University Challenge : the Professionals in 2005, alongside John Moore (musician)|John Moore of Black Box Recorder (band)|Black Box Recorder . They secured a heavy win over the Financial Times in their heat, but did not score highly enough to return for the tournament's later stages. In 2007 James was a judge on the Channel 4 show Mobile Acts Unsigned , and in November 2007 appeared as a panellist on the BBC One satirical news quiz, Have I Got News for You . In August 2008, James appeared in reality TV series, Maestro (TV series)|Maestro on BBC Two . cite press release | title = Eight passionate amateurs bid to become BBC Two's Maestro | publisher = BBC | date = 2008-05-23 | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/05_may/23/maestro.shtml | accessdate = 2008-05-24 He was voted out in the fourth episode of the series. In September 2008, a documentary television series called Cocaine Diaries: Alex James in Colombia premiered on BBC America , in conjunction with the BBC America Reveals program. As the documentary progresses, James - who admits to having used cocaine extensively during Blur’s Britpop heyday - learns about Colombia 's violent drug export trade. In October 2009 he presented an episode of Never Mind the Buzzcocks and, in January 2010, James participated in the ITV1 reality television programme Popstar to Operastar . On March 4, 2012 Alex appeared on the UK motoring program Top_Gear_(2002_TV_series)|Top Gear as a guest for their 'star in a reasonably priced car' segment. He clocked in a 1:45.2 in the reasonably priced car. On 16 March 2012, he appeared on The Bank Job (game show)|The Bank Job and made the final, where he was beaten by Rachel Riley . He is also the first Bank job contestant to find 2 "banktrupts" in a single game.
Radio
In 2007, James was featured on the BBC Radio 4 programme On Your Farm , and became a regular presenter alongside Elinor Goodman and Adam Henson . James currently presents The A-Z of Classic FM Music on Classic FM (UK)|Classic FM every Sunday at 3pm. The show was named Commercial Radio Programme of the Year at the Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards on 5 June 2009. http://www.classicfm.co.uk/on-air/blogs/mds-blog/mds-blog-saturday-6-june/ The MD's Blog - Saturday 6 June, Classic FM He has also contributed to the show’s accompanying memorabilia, writing the foreword to both the book and CD box set, published by Reader’s Digest in 2010.
Cheesemaking
James has recently become notable for his production of cheese . After his runaway success with Blur, he moved to the Cotswolds , purchasing a farmhouse and renovating it into a burgeoning cheese farm. The 200-acre cheese farm in Kingham , Oxfordshire , now produces award-winning cheeses. James has, to date, produced three cheeses: Blue Monday, Farleigh Wallop and Little Wallop. All three are distinct in their flavour: "Blue Monday" (named after his favourite New Order song) is a creamy Shropshire blue , sharp with a very faint sourness; "Little Wallop" is a soft goats’ milk cheese, washed in Somerset cider brandy and wrapped in vine leaves; and "Farleigh Wallop" is a goats cheese made in complete 115g rounds with sprigs of thyme . The latter was voted Best Goats Cheese at the 2008 British Cheese Awards,cite web|url= http://www.thecheeseweb.com/contentok.php? id=205 |title=British Cheese Awards |publisher=Thecheeseweb.com |date= |accessdate=2011-02-16 where James himself was a judge in 2010. James is now focused on developing an entire cheese range entitled ‘Alex James Presents’ that has hit shelves in 2011. The range will aim to promote technologically advanced cheeses, re-packaging cheese for the modern world.cite web|url= http://alexjamespresentsharvest.com |title=Alex James Presents Harvest Food and Music Festival & #124; Kingham, Oxfordshire 9th – 12th September 2011 |publisher=Alexjamespresentsharvest.com |date=2011-09-12 |accessdate=2012-01-03
;Alex James Presents James' new range hit the shelves of Asda in 2011. http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/alex-james-launches-cheese-range-with-asda/3029362.article. The flavour combinations include 'cheddar and tomato ketchup', 'cheddar and salad cream', and 'cheddar and tikka masala' http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/9293656.Blur_bassist_launches_cheese_range_at_York_supermarket/. The Guardian accused James of 'releasing bizarre flavour mash-ups in sliced, processed, plasticky form'. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/aug/24/alex-james-plastic-cheese-punk
Harvest Festival
James announced he would open up his Oxfordshire farm to host a new food and music festival. The event, entitled ‘Alex James presents Harvest’, http://www.alexjamespresentsharvest.com took place from 9–12 September 2011, in conjunction with organisers Big Wheel Promotions. Combining the best of the British food scene alongside a live music soundtrack, the first collaborators to confirm included KT Tunstall , The Feeling , Richard Corrigan , Mark Hix , Rachel Allen , Jay Rayner , Monty Don and Sarah Don and Stevie Earle .
Controversy
The festival turned out to be an unprecedented disaster with the ticketing company left out of pocket and stall holders and performers unpaid. http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/lostinshowbiz/2011/nov/03/alex-james-cheese-festival The local primary school Kingham primary is still owed £7000 for the entertainment it organised. http://www.cotswoldjournal.co.uk/news/9577817.School_is_still_waiting_for_money_owed_after_festival/ The headteacher of the school told the Guardian that "We are either going to have to lose the music teacher, or take it from other budgets which will reduce other parts of the curriculum". http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/lostinshowbiz/2011/nov/03/alex-james-cheese-festival The festival's organiser, big Wheel Promotions has abuptly ceased trading even though it has already taken ticket fees for 2012. The festival will be most remembered for a photo of Alex James with David Cameron and Jeremy Clarkson . http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/lostinshowbiz/2011/sep/15/day-the-festival-dream-died
Space interest
James has confessed he has “always loved looking up at the stars.”cite news|last=James |first=Alex |url= http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3385231/Alex-James-Turn-off-the-lights-to-see-stars.html |title=Alex James: Turn off the lights to see stars & #124; The Sun & #124;Features |publisher=The Sun |date=2011-02-02 |accessdate=2011-02-16 |location=London His subsequent space fascination led him to involve Blur in the ill-fated Beagle 2 project. In addition to the band producing the Mars probe's call-sign, James was also personally part of the campaign to get the project funded. His interest with space is further bookmarked by the track "Far Out" on the Blur album Parklife , on which James sings a list of moons and stars . On 25 January 2007 James became "Artist in Residence" in the Astrophysics department at the University of Oxford . He also joined the British Astronomical Association while Blur were still touring. James has recently urged the general public to stop light pollution in a bid to make it easier to see the stars at night, urging “there is nothing like staring at a star-lit sky to remind you what an amazing miracle the universe really is.”
Style accolades
James was recently voted eighth in GQ Magazine’s 'Annual Best Dressed List 2011'.cite web|last=Johnston |first=Robert |url= http://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/style/articles/2011-01/03/gq-style-news-best-dressed-men-in-britain/alex-james |title=Best-Dressed Man In Britain: 8. Alex James - GQ Style News - GQ.COM (UK) |publisher=Gq-magazine.co.uk |date=2011-01-04 |accessdate=2011-02-16 He continues to work with Aubin & Wills as both a designer and model designing selected limited edition pieces. His first collaboration – the Galileo jacket, sold out and Aubin & Wills will unveil his next design collaboration in Autumn 2011.
Honorary doctorate
Bournemouth University presented James with an Honorary Doctorate in November 2010.cite web|url= http://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/newsandevents/News/2010/november/ne003_alex_james.html |title=Alex James on Bournemouth and Cheese & #124; News & Events & #124; Bournemouth University |publisher=Bournemouth.ac.uk |date=2010-04-20 |accessdate=2011-02-16
Personal life
Hedonistic lifestyle
In his book he describes a long period of decadent lifestyle. To celebrate his birthday in São Paulo one year, he got the tour manager to find him a Wine bottle sizes|balthazar of Champagne (wine)|champagne which he shared with the five prettiest groupies who were at the hotel door. He estimates that he spent about a million pounds on Champagne (wine)|champagne and cocaine . He mentions a long list of favourite bars including the Groucho Club and The Colony Room .cite book |title=bit of a blur |last=James |first=Alex |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2007 |publisher= |location= |isbn= |page= |pages=192, 193, 228 |url= |accessdate=cite news |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/jun/03/blur.music |title=The drinks are on you now, Alex |author=Caspar Llewellyn Smith |date=Sunday 3 June 2007 |work= |publisher=The Observer |accessdate=25 March 2011 |location=Londoncite news |url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/jun/16/biography.blur? INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487 |title=Sex and drugs and bacon rolls |author=Leonie Cooper |date= 16 June 2007|work=Saturday 16 June 2007 |publisher=The Guardian |accessdate=25 March 2011 |location=London
Family
His father, Jason James, was sales director of a company selling waste compactors and baling machines. James married Claire Neate, a music video film producer|producer , in April 2003 in Cheltenham . They have five children: three boys, Geronimo and twins Artemis and Galileo, and daughters Sable and Beatrix. The family live in Kingham in Oxfordshire on a 200-acre (0.81 km2) organic farming|organic cheese farm, where James is considered a member of the Chipping Norton set . cite web|url= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/interactive-graphics/9124278/Whos-who-in-the-Chipping-Norton-set.html|title=Who's who in the Chipping Norton set|publisher= The Daily Telegraph |author=Caroline Dewar|accessdate=2012-05-06|date=2012-03-05
Equipment
Fender Precision Bass (Used for all albums until The Great Escape (Blur album)|The Great Escape and for all live performances)
Music Man StingRay|Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay (Used for albums Blur (Blur album)|Blur and 13 (Blur album)|13 and live for the period 1997 - 2000)
Gibson Les Paul bass|Gibson Les Paul Studio (Used for Think Tank (Blur album)|Think Tank and live performances in 2003)
Epiphone El Capitan Semi-Acoustic Bass (Used for some live performances in 2003, notable " Out of Time (Blur song)|Out of Time ")
Gibson Thunderbird bass (Used during live performances during the Leisure (album)|Leisure era)
References
Reflist
External links
commons category|Alex James
http://info.spectator.co.uk Alex James regularly contributes to The Spectator magazine
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/onyourfarm.shtml Alex James is one of the regular presenters of BBC Radio 4's On Your Farm
http://www.evenlodepartnership.co.uk Evenlode Partnership - Alex James and Julie Harbutt's cheese company
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2007/08/alex_james_the_cheese_diaries_2.html Alex James: the cheese diaries, episode 2
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2007/08/alex_james_the_cheese_diaries_1.html Alex James: the cheese diaries, episode 1
http://comment.independent.co.uk/columnists_a_l/alex_james/article2105925.ece Alex James gives up vegetarianism after 17 years
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly/story/0,,1948228,00.html Article on Alex James and cheese manufacture
http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=HP8Mmd6s k& NR=1 Alex James presents Never Mind the Buzzcocks (Youtube)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/1999/dec/10/top10s.alex.james Alex James's top 10 reads, The Guardian , December 10, 1999
http://www.classicfm.co.uk/on-air/presenters/alex-james/ Alex James presents on ClassicFM
http://www.spectator.co.uk/the-magazine/life-and-lives/2188661/slow-life.thtml Second-hand heaven The Spectator 308/9397 (4 October 2008) : 60
IMDb name|0416262|Alex James
BlurPopstar to Operastar Persondata | NAME = James, Alex | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH = 21 November 1968 | PLACE OF BIRTH = Boscombe , Bournemouth , England | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:James, Alex Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London Category:Alumni of the University of Bath Category:Blur (band) members Category:Cheesemakers Category:English farmers Category:English journalists Category:English male singers Category:English rock bass guitarists Category:English songwriters Category:English writers Category:Ivor Novello Award winners Category:People educated at Bournemouth School Category:People from Boscombe Category:Popstar to Operastar contestants
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