The days, they seem to fall through you

No Distance Left To Run destroyed me. The gorgeously shot feature documentary chronicling Blur's career from the vantage point of their reunion tour last year was primarily a reunion in my head. It reintroduced me to this band of Brits that I haven't thought too much about since they meant so much to me during such formative time (late high school/early college years). The change in extremes was somewhat shocking. Instead of no-strings-attached nostalgia, though, Run confronted me with very tangible sense of the passing of time. 

We're a far cry from these days:

Beyond the superficial, No Distance Left To Run tells the story of a group of boys who became men in public, without much scandal. Graham Coxon's alcoholism and Damon Albarn's heroin dabbling (he confirms a longstanding rumor that "Beetlebum" is about smack) won't quite be enough to make a voyuer's eyes water with drool, and so I suspect that Blur's story may be a bit on the unremarkable side for the casual-to-non listener. For those of us who care (or cared), it's a poignant journey through the emotional lives of four men who were never afraid to be emotional, even with each other.

 

 

Their unqualified homoeroticism must have made them subconsciously attractive to me back in the day, as did the fey resistance inherent in their work (Brit pop, as devised by Damon on Modern Life Is Rubbish, was a conscious rejection of the garbage grunge unleashed in Nirvana's wake). Even before I understood everything that was going on with me, I picked up on how wise Blur's choice of wit as a method of protest was. Plus, they sang ridiculously, at times obnoxiously, catchy songs and Damon was dreamy. (Although, looking back on it and even though he's still not my type, Alex is clearly the best-looking of the bunch.)

A big part of their journey has involved learning which bullshit is worthy of attention, and which bullshit is worth discarding. Midway into their run (around the time of The Great Escape), they found themselves as teenage girls' heartthrobs du jour, a role they were not comfortable with as a band. So, they again protested  through their music, slightly more raucously this time and made the noisiest album of their career, Blur. They used their unease with their celebrity toward their creativity, instead of abandoning it all together. Because, whatever pond you were on whatever side of at the time, it was clear with their feud with Oasis, they knew how to play the fame game.

In the film, Damon explains how much that public battle traumatized him, while Graham attempted to jump out a window “to remind people there were actual human beings involved” the night that it was announced that "Country House" had beat Oasis' "Roll With It" to the No. 1 spot.

By the way, if Alex is the best-looking, Graham is the best, period. Like, really, he might be the best person in the world. At the very least, he says the best stuff in the movie.

 

 

 

And also, when things started to fall apart and he left the band, he thought:

 

He uses words like "twanners," and says things like, "Our shows were pretty crackers." I don't know what it means, but I love it.

Part of Graham's bullshit-sorting out involves himself. At the climax of the film, as Blur are playing two nights worth of shows at Hyde Park to a rapturous audience, he explains that he feels more "innocent" now than he did in his 20's. His best line in the entire film really could be, "I feel a lot more pre-mid ‘90s these days."

Of course, a sanctioned documentary is as self-serving as any album, and No Distance Left To Run isn't probing journalism by any means. Certain major events are merely mentioned (Dave Rowntree's divorce, Damon's courtship and split with Elastica's Justine Frischmann), and others are explored through a lens covered by a cataract (Graham's departure remains cloudy -- Alex himself seems all together uncertain what was going on there). But their obvious interest in keeping things for themselves, in refusing to sensationalize their own story feels wise and real. It's yet another reminder that there are actual human beings involved.

The film also reminded me of the person I used to be. Back then, music really mattered to me. It was a life force. Albums were something to cherish, not just something to listen to obsessively for a brief period, emote about and then move on from. The people who made them were superhuman. Blur was a group of people I looked up to in absolute awe before the cynicism of contemporary celebrity culture set in. I wouldn't necessarily trade my current grasp on the bullshit of it all for my naivete, but it was nice to be reminded how commonplace magic once was in my life. If I look at this movie removed and with the cynicism I'm prone to, it's the story of a bunch of privileged guys who conquered the world, bickered and then conquered it again without too much tragedy to speak of/gawk at. A band forming, un-forming and re-forming should barely make me bat an eye, and yet I wept a few times during No Distance Left To Run, unjaded and overcome with the joy of feeling a lot more pre-early '00s for the moment.

Comments

[xmissparanoidx]

This was a really beautiful piece. I wasn't aware that Blur were popular in America, but it is really nice to hear how touched you were by them.

Have you heard any of Graham Coxon's solo stuff? It isn't amazing but worth a listen if you were curious. Alex now just makes cheese now, he writes about food for a lot of papers. It is kind of annoying.

[kittens]

who would have thought, in the mid to late 90s, that 15 years later alex james would be a professional, award-winning cheese maker?

graham coxon is completely brilliant. damon albarn is also pretty brilliant. i hope they tour the us sometime.

[Lindsey]

This resonates with me so much, your feelings about Blur and what the documentary put you through.

[Sam]

What a great post, that last paragraph especially.

It's not specifically Blur for me but I've just not felt that intense connection with music I had as a teenager and young(er) adult. And now i feel old.

[grace]

i loved blur from about age 14 to 19 -- "13" was the soundtrack for so much angst and early love. and i was all about brit-pop in my music snob days. i must see this documentary!

[Meg]

I'm not sure where 1995 went. It feels like five minutes ago. And I can't listen to Blur's "Sing" without feeling some sort of ragingly powerful nostalgia for the '90s. Where I grew up, I felt as though Blur was my own little secret. Glad to see that they bring back such strong memories for other folks, too.

[Kate]

Oh this brings me back. I absolutely loved Blur too, one of the few bands I felt like a "fan" of. I got Parklife when I was twelve.

And Alex was most definitely the hottest. Dreamboat.

[meaghan]

i love your film reviews, although i kind of hate you for intriguing me into watching Salo. you should watch and review The Human Centipede next. it's called the most ~controversial~ film of the year and also features shit eating.

[kathleen]

Perfect. The last graf made me well up a bit. So true.

When I was 17 (in 1997), I saw Blur at the Denver airport the day after a show. I almost fainted I was so excited. I had a copy of "Parklife" in my bag, but I was so terrified I sent my little sister over with a notebook to ask Damon for an autograph. He obliged. Then I followed them onto the train between terminals and crowded in beside them. They smelled like sweat and whiskey, and looked utterly exhausted. I just stood silently next to them and their pile of instruments and grinned. No one else approached them.

Nowadays I'd probably go, "Huh. That's Damon Albarn. Anyway, what gate are we at?" It's kinda sad.

Finally: That photo of Damon kissing Alex is BRUTALLY hot.

[Jan]

When I met them, I was in front row on the show and kept shouting "ALEX! ALEX! ALEX!" for an hour straight and then he yelled back at me "WHAT?!" and I said "You're gorgeous". He cracked on laughing and I knew I was in love.

That night I had a copy of the NME's special edition of Blur. Damon, who was really out of it, wrote something like his name on the cover. Graham took the magazine and looked exactly for the page with Parklife as title. He crossed that, signed SHIT and left the "life" part intact. "SHITlife. Graham".
Alex was very drunk and just gave me a kiss.

I would never forget that night when I traveled alone 10 hours to see them live.
Thanks for the post. I know now I wasn't the only one crying over the clip.

[mfg]

I firmly believe that "13" is one of the most dangerous, emotional albums ever made. Gorgeous, like a serrated surgeon's knife - essential listening, but devastating.

Loved hearing your coming-of-age take on a band that's so dear to me.

[DarcyMcCarbomb]

Oh god, my ass was so in love with Blur 10 years ago and this post made my heart skip a beat. Did anyone catch Alex hosting "Never Mind the Buzzcocks?" He was as charming as ever.

[wideeyedgradstudent]

thank you for this...the funny thing is that a month ago, we took a little road trip, and i picked up some old blur, just because...
listening to that cd was so bizarrely nostalgic and emotional, as you suggest, it captured a certain point in my life.
funny thing is, i think that in the us, blur had sort of "hipster cred" or whatever it was back then, because they were british and clever and so on...versus the grunge crap of the post-nirvana years. i think in britain they were considered much more mainstream (which at the time, summoned some nice anglophilia over here--aka their pop music is smart! then of course came the spice girls, so um, yeah).

[Jennifer]

Back then, music really mattered to me. It was a life force. Albums were something to cherish, not just something to listen to obsessively for a brief period, emote about and then move on from. The people who made them were superhuman.

This is me, except it never left. Music is still the only thing for which I have any passion, and Blur is still one of my favourite bands ever. And I think my love of Damon is as strong as it was then (if far less squealy.) Although I love love love your blog, I can rarely relate to the music you talk about. So thank you for this; it actually means a lot, strangely enough. :)

[lawnjart]

Damon was the sexiest, you had it right the first time. He was beautiful, and listening to him whisper Strange News From Another Star to you through a set of ear buds is amazing.

[Jane]

"Finally: That photo of Damon kissing Alex is BRUTALLY hot."

He's kissing Graham, actually!

And I love this post.

[Jaclyn]

You gave the best review! I teared up while watching this documentary.. truly amazing. Blur is so much more than a band.

[Jacqueline Howell]

I posted my comment on the Oasis clip since it's newer and I want you to see it, but just thank you, thank you and thank you, always for Four Four. Much love.

[Dru]

I know I'm seeing this late, but some part of me just wants to howl from the sheer nostalgia of it. As a kid, Britpop was the first musical 'movement' (if you can call it that) that I really got into, and to this day, my love for Oasis and Blur and their contempraries (my heart mostly lay on the Oasis side of the fence, my head went with Blur) is everlasting. I really don't give a shit that America didn't pay attention, though.

And HOLY SHIT GRAHAM IS HOT. Coffee and TV was always my favourite Blur song, I'm off to watch some milk carton love now.

[Jen]

Rich. I saw the movie because of this post. I think I might have missed it altogether otherwise, so: thank you.

[Pixypool]

Totally agree with your last paragraph and what everyone else in the comments section had to say about it!

[www.victorianhorror.com]

Rich, the fact that you love Blur has just made my Friday night, I linked through to this from the Liam Gallagher post...so I'm a bit behind. I love your blog, and knowing now that you're a Blur fan has made me love it even more! I moved to America from England in 1996 and was already in full on Blur-mania mode, it was pretty sweet to go from loving Britain's. Biggest. Band to being sort of subversive in the US for loving Blur. I've never grown out of it, and although my interest in Blur waned slightly after they stopped making albums, it's been renewed with this film and the reunion. I've also never stopped loving Damon and am a huge Gorillaz fan. I just saw them at Coachella and they were amazing. I started a music blog a few years ago that has basically just devolved into full on Albarn worship. I tried to diversify it and remain somewaht credible, but I guess I'll just always be 14. I think the first band you really get into as a kid shapes the rest of your life and is really important in making you who you are. Aaaaand DAMON IS HOT.

[Zenobie]

Great article, I feel the same. I'm very nostalgic.
" Instead of no-strings-attached nostalgia, though, Run confronted me with very tangible sense of the passing of time." => Yes very tangible, I'm old, they are old too! :)

And yes the kiss is very hot! :D

[buy generic cialis]

Good article but show two guys kissed each other was a fail. hahaha it makes me puck in my mouth. Oh! little Alex: you are fag XD

[booster cable]

That would have made my day. Sounds like a cute kid. His behavior doesn't remotely resemble sexual harrassment.