Alex James (musician)
Encyclopedia
Professionally known as Alex James (Also known as A. James) (Birth name and date: Steven Alexander James on 21 November 1968) is an English musician
, songwriter
, journalist
and cheesemaker
. He is best known as the bass
player and occasional vocalist of band Blur
. He has also played with temporary bands, Fat Les
, Me Me Me
, WigWam
and Bad Lieutenant
.
, Bournemouth
, he attended the state grammar school Bournemouth School
in Charminster
. 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, who at the time were part of a band called Circus. He eventually joined the three's new band, Seymour, in 1989, which would later be renamed Blur. While he has been in the band ever since he now describes the experience as "a past-life". Despite this, Blur got together with returning band mate Graham Coxon to perform at Glastonbury Festival
, 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.
with actor Keith Allen and artist Damien Hirst
, releasing (excluding three others) the unofficial theme 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, 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 features 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 Alex 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
, along with Jake Evans of Rambo And Leroy.
s including The Independent
, The Observer
, The Times
, and The Sunday Times
, as well as Q
magazine, The Spectator and 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”. 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
.
's University Challenge
: the Professionals in 2005, alongside John Moore of 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 Alex was a judge on the Channel 4
show Mobile Acts Unsigned and in November 2007 appeared as a panellist on popular BBC One
satirical news quiz Have I Got News for You
. In August 2008 James appeared in reality TV series, Maestro
on BBC Two
. 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
.
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
every Sunday at 3pm. The show was named Commercial Radio Programme of the Year at the Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards on 5 June 2009. 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.
. After his runaway success with Blur, he fled 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. Alex 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 goat
s’ 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, 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.
farm to host a new food and music festival
. The event, entitled ‘Alex James presents Harvest’, took place from 9–12 September 2011, in conjunction with organisers Big Wheel Promotions. Combining the very 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
, Yotam Ottolenghi
, Jay Rayner
, Monty Don
and Sarah Don and Stevie Earle.
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. Alex 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.”
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.
presented James with an Honorary Doctorate in November 2010.
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
cheese farm.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and cheesemaker
Cheesemaker
A cheesemaker is a person who makes cheese.The craft of making cheese dates back at least 4,000 years. Archaeological evidence exists of cheesemaking by the ancient Egyptian civilizations....
. He is best known as the bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
player and occasional vocalist of band Blur
Blur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
. He has also played with temporary bands, Fat Les
Fat Les
Fat Les is a British band consisting of Alex James from Blur, actor Keith Allen and artist Damien Hirst. Vocals on their singles were provided by Keith Allen , Alex James , Lily Allen , Andy Kane , Lisa Moorish and Michael Barrymore .Fat Les created the...
, Me Me Me
Me Me Me
Me Me Me were a short-lived English supergroup, including several high profile Britpop musicians.The band was a collaboration between former Duran Duran/The Lilac Time member and solo artist Stephen Duffy , Alex James of Blur , Justin Welch of Elastica , and James' friend Charlie Bloor...
, WigWam
WigWam
WigWam are a duo comprising Alex James, the bassist from Blur and vocalist Betty Boo. With record producer Ben Hillier, and former Boo collaborators Beatmasters, WigWam were said to be creating an album which they described as "experimental yet accessible 21st century pop"...
and Bad Lieutenant
Bad Lieutenant (band)
Bad Lieutenant are an English alternative rock band formed in 2007 following the breakup of New Order. The band consists of Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, Phil Cunningham, Jake Evans and Tom Chapman....
.
Biography
Born in BoscombeBoscombe
Boscombe is a suburb of Bournemouth. Located to the east of Bournemouth town centre and west of Southbourne, It developed rapidly from a small village as a seaside resort alongside Bournemouth after the first Boscombe pier was built in 1888...
, Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, he attended the state grammar school Bournemouth School
Bournemouth School
Bournemouth School , is a boys' grammar school and sixth-form college occupying a site in Charminster, Bournemouth, Dorset, England and teaching children from years 7 to 13...
in Charminster
Charminster
Charminster is a village in west Dorset, England, situated on the River Cerne and A352 road one mile north of Dorchester. The village has a population of 1,940 . The village has a small church of St. Mary. These two things give the village its name, Cerneminster , which eventually evolved into...
. In 1988 James met future bandmate Graham Coxon
Graham Coxon
Graham Leslie Coxon is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and painter. He came to prominence as the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of rock band Blur, and is also a critically acclaimed solo artist, having recorded seven solo albums...
at Goldsmiths College
Goldsmiths College
Goldsmiths, University of London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom which specialises in the arts, humanities and social sciences, and a constituent college of the federal University of London. It was founded in 1891 as Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute...
, where James studied French. Introductions with Coxon’s old school friend Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who has been involved in many high profile projects, coming to prominence as the frontman and primary songwriter of Britpop band Blur...
and Dave Rowntree
Dave Rowntree
David Alexander De Horne Rowntree is an English solicitor, musician, animator, and political activist. He is best known as the drummer of the alternative rock band Blur...
soon took place, who at the time were part of a band called Circus. He eventually joined the three's new band, Seymour, in 1989, which would later be renamed Blur. While he has been in the band ever since he now describes the experience as "a past-life". Despite this, Blur got together with returning band mate Graham Coxon to perform at Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
, Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
, Oxegen
Oxegen
Oxegen is an annual music festival in Ireland held since 2004, sponsored by Heineken. As of 2007, 2008, 2009, the festival has been cited as Ireland's biggest music festival. And by 2009, the festival is cited as the greenest festival, being a 100% carbon neutral event in Ireland. It was previously...
and T in the Park
T in the Park
T in the Park is a major British music festival that has been held annually since 1994. It is named after its main sponsor, the brewing company Tennents. It was originally held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire but since 1997 has been held at a disused airfield in Balado, Kinross-shire...
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 LesFat Les
Fat Les is a British band consisting of Alex James from Blur, actor Keith Allen and artist Damien Hirst. Vocals on their singles were provided by Keith Allen , Alex James , Lily Allen , Andy Kane , Lisa Moorish and Michael Barrymore .Fat Les created the...
with actor Keith Allen and artist Damien Hirst
Damien Hirst
Damien Steven Hirst is an English artist, entrepreneur and art collector. He is the most prominent member of the group known as the Young British Artists , who dominated the art scene in Britain during the 1990s. He is internationally renowned, and is reportedly Britain's richest living artist,...
, releasing (excluding three others) the unofficial theme song “Vindaloo” for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
, which reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. He also worked on side project Me Me Me
Me Me Me
Me Me Me were a short-lived English supergroup, including several high profile Britpop musicians.The band was a collaboration between former Duran Duran/The Lilac Time member and solo artist Stephen Duffy , Alex James of Blur , Justin Welch of Elastica , and James' friend Charlie Bloor...
with Stephen Duffy
Stephen Duffy
Stephen Anthony James Duffy is an English singer/songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He was a founding member and vocalist/bassist of Duran Duran. He went on to record as a solo performer under several different names, and is the singer and songwriter for The Lilac Time with his older brother...
, co-wrote songs for Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
(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
Florence and the Machine
Florence and the Machine is the recording name of English musician Florence Welch and a collaboration of other artists who provide music for her voice. Florence and the Machine's sound has been described as a combination of various genres, including rock and soul...
and KT Tunstall
KT Tunstall
Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist from St Andrews, Scotland. She broke into the public eye with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland...
. James worked with Bextor on her solo debut Read My Lips, co-writing and co-producing "Move This Mountain", and co-producing "I Believe" alongside Bextor and producer Ben Hillier
Ben Hillier
Ben Hillier is a British songwriter and pop-rock music producer who is part of the creative team 140dB. He has produced such popular and critically acclaimed albums as Playing the Angel and Sounds of the Universe by Depeche Mode, Think Tank by Blur, Some Cities by Doves and Cast of Thousands by...
. He also played bass on both tracks. Ellis Bextor's 2003 album, Shoot from the Hip
Shoot from the Hip
Shoot from the Hip is the second album released by British pop–dance singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor. It was released by Polydor Records on October 27, 2003, and was produced by Gregg Alexander, Matt Rowe, Jeremy Wheatley and Damian LeGassick.-Background:...
also features James as co-writer and bass player on track "Love Is It Love". He also joined his friend and singer-songwriter Betty Boo
Betty Boo
Alison Moira Clarkson better known as Betty Boo, is an English singer, songwriter and pop-rap artist...
in a band called WigWam
WigWam
WigWam are a duo comprising Alex James, the bassist from Blur and vocalist Betty Boo. With record producer Ben Hillier, and former Boo collaborators Beatmasters, WigWam were said to be creating an album which they described as "experimental yet accessible 21st century pop"...
in 2005. In 2009 Alex James appeared as bass player on debut Bad Lieutenant
Bad Lieutenant
Bad Lieutenant is a 1992 crime-drama film directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Harvey Keitel as the eponymous "bad lieutenant". The screenplay was written by actress-model Zoë Lund. She also played a small role in the film. Lund had been discovered by Ferrara and had starred in his earlier film, Ms...
record Never Cry Another Tear
Never Cry Another Tear
-Personnel:Bad Lieutenant* Bernard Sumner – vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass* Jake Evans – vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass* Phil Cunningham – guitars, keyboards, bassGuest musicians* Matt Evans – backing vocals , drums...
.The band consists of former New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
lead singer Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner
Bernard Sumner , also known as Bernard Dickin, Bernard Dicken and Bernard Albrecht is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player and producer....
and guitarist Phil Cunningham
Phil Cunningham (rock musician)
Phil Cunningham is a British guitarist who is a member of the band Bad Lieutenant. He was previously a member of New Order, where he replaced Gillian Gilbert as a band member, but with a slightly different role, with less synthesizer and more guitar work.Cunningham was also a member of the...
, along with Jake Evans of Rambo And Leroy.
Writing
James writes a weekly food column for The Sun and also contributes to a number of other British newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s including The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, and The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, as well as Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
magazine, The Spectator and The Idler
The Idler (1993)
The Idler is a yearly British magazine devoted to its ethos of 'idling'. Founded in 1993 by Tom Hodgkinson and Gavin Pretor-Pinney, the publication's intention is to return dignity to the art of loafing, to make idling into something to aspire towards rather than reject.The magazine combines the...
. 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”. 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
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
.
Television appearances
James represented The Idler on BBC TwoBBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
's University Challenge
University Challenge
University Challenge is a British quiz programme that has aired since 1962. The format is based on the American show College Bowl, which ran on NBC radio from 1953 to 1957, and on NBC television from 1959 to 1970....
: the Professionals in 2005, alongside John Moore of Black Box Recorder
Black Box Recorder (band)
Black Box Recorder were an English indie rock group. They debuted in 1998 with England Made Me and followed this up with The Facts of Life, which gave them their first hit with the single of the same name in April 2000. Their third album, Passionoia, was released in 2003...
. They secured a heavy win over the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
in their heat, but did not score highly enough to return for the tournament's later stages. In 2007 Alex was a judge on the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
show Mobile Acts Unsigned and in November 2007 appeared as a panellist on popular BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
satirical news quiz Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
. In August 2008 James appeared in reality TV series, Maestro
Maestro (TV series)
Maestro is a 2008 reality TV talent show-themed television series produced by the BBC's Classical Music Department in the United Kingdom. It was shown on BBC Two in August and September 2008....
on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
. 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
BBC America
BBC America is an American television network, owned and operated by BBC Worldwide, and available on both cable and satellite.-History:The channel launched on March 29, 1998, broadcasting comedy, drama and lifestyle programs from BBC Television and other British television broadcasters like ITV and...
, 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
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
's violent drug export trade. In October 2009 he presented an episode of Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
and in January 2010 James participated in the ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
reality television programme Popstar to Operastar
Popstar to Operastar
Popstar to Operastar is a British television programme singing competition based around the training of pop stars of current to be able to sing opera. The show began airing on ITV on 15 January 2010 at 9pm. The show is repeated on TV3 Ireland on Saturday evening. The programme is produced by...
.
Radio
In 2007, Alex was featured on the BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
programme On Your Farm and became a regular presenter alongside Elinor Goodman
Elinor Goodman
Elinor Mary Goodman is a UK journalist, best known as Political Editor of Channel 4 News from 1988 to 2005. She was educated at the Manor House School, an independent school in Surrey, England....
and Adam Henson
Adam Henson
Adam Henson is an English farmer and television presenter.Henson's grandfather Leslie, was a comedian and actor. His farmer father Joe Henson, presented a countryside TV programme with Angela Rippon and Phil Drabble; while his actor uncle Nicky Henson has appeared in films and TV programmes...
. James currently presents The A-Z of Classic FM Music on Classic FM
Classic FM (UK)
Classic FM, one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations, broadcasts classical music in a popular and accessible style.-Overview:...
every Sunday at 3pm. The show was named Commercial Radio Programme of the Year at the Arqiva Commercial Radio Awards on 5 June 2009. 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 cheeseCheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
. After his runaway success with Blur, he fled to the Cotswolds
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, purchasing a farmhouse and renovating it into a burgeoning cheese farm. The 200-acre cheese farm in Kingham
Kingham
Kingham is a village and civil parish in the Cotswolds about southwest of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.-History:The Church of England parish church of Saint Andrew has a 15th century Perpendicular Gothic west tower. The remainder of the church was rebuilt in 1852-1853...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, now produces award-winning cheeses. Alex 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
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
song) is a creamy Shropshire blue, sharp with a very faint sourness; "Little Wallop" is a soft goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s’ milk cheese, washed in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
cider brandy and wrapped in vine leaves; and "Farleigh Wallop" is a goats cheese made in complete 115g rounds with sprigs of thyme
Thyme
Thyme is a culinary and medicinal herb of the genus Thymus.-History:Ancient Egyptians used thyme for embalming. The ancient Greeks used it in their baths and burnt it as incense in their temples, believing it was a source of courage...
. The latter was voted Best Goats Cheese at the 2008 British Cheese Awards, 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
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
for the modern world.
Harvest Festival
Alex James announced he would open up his OxfordshireOxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
farm to host a new food and music festival
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
. The event, entitled ‘Alex James presents Harvest’, took place from 9–12 September 2011, in conjunction with organisers Big Wheel Promotions. Combining the very best of the British food scene alongside a live music soundtrack, the first collaborators to confirm included KT Tunstall
KT Tunstall
Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist from St Andrews, Scotland. She broke into the public eye with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland...
, The Feeling
The Feeling
The Feeling are a BRIT award-nominated English pop band from West Sussex and London. The band categorise their music as "pop".Following a limited release of their first single "Fill My Little World" in late 2005, the band entered the UK Singles Chart at #7 with their first full release "Sewn" in...
, Richard Corrigan
Richard Corrigan
Richard Corrigan is an Irish chef born in Dublin but raised in Ballivor, County Meath.Corrigan achieved a Michelin Star in 1998 and has been awarded many other culinary accolades, including Outstanding London Chef at the London Restaurant Awards. He is Chef/Patron of Corrigans in Mayfair...
, Mark Hix
Mark Hix
-Career:In April 2008 Hix opened Hix Oyster and Chop House, in the Farringdon area of London. He also opened Hix Oyster & Fish House in Lyme Regis, Dorset and most recently Hix Soho in the West End...
, Rachel Allen
Rachel Allen
Rachel Allen is an Irish celebrity chef, known most widely for her work on television and as a writer.-Career as chef:...
, Yotam Ottolenghi
Yotam Ottolenghi
-Biography:Yotam Ottolenghi was born in Jerusalem, Israel, on 14 December 1968, son of Michael, a professor of chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Ruth, a high-school principal. He grew up in Jerusalem's Ramat Denya neighborhood. After serving in the Israel Defense Forces, he...
, Jay Rayner
Jay Rayner
Jay Rayner is a British journalist, writer, broadcaster, and food critic.Rayner is the younger son of journalist Claire Rayner and Desmond Rayner, and attended the independent Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School. He joined The Observer newspaper after graduating from Leeds University in 1988 where...
, Monty Don
Monty Don
Montagu Denis Wyatt Don is a British television presenter, writer and speaker on horticulture, best known for presenting the BBC television series Gardeners' World.-Early life:...
and Sarah Don and Stevie Earle.
Space interest
Alex James has confessed he has “always loved looking up at the stars.” His subsequent spaceSpace
Space is the boundless, three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction. Physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless four-dimensional continuum...
fascination led him to involve Blur in the ill-fated Beagle 2
Beagle 2
Beagle 2 was an unsuccessful British landing spacecraft that formed part of the European Space Agency's 2003 Mars Express mission. All contact with it was lost upon its separation from the Mars Express six days before its scheduled entry into the atmosphere...
project. In addition to the band producing the Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
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
Parklife
Parklife is the third studio album by the English alternative rock band Blur, released in April 1994 on Food Records. After disappointing sales for their previous album Modern Life Is Rubbish , Parklife returned Blur to prominence in the UK, helped by its four hit singles: "Girls & Boys", "End of a...
, on which James sings a list of moons and stars. On 25 January 2007 James became "Artist in Residence" in the Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
department at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. He also joined the British Astronomical Association
British Astronomical Association
The British Astronomical Association is the senior national association of amateur astronomers in the UK.-Function:It encourages observational astronomy by non-professionals in areas which cannot be covered by professional observatories...
while Blur were still touring. Alex 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
Alex James was recently voted eighth in GQ Magazine’s Annual Best Dressed List 2011.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 UniversityBournemouth University
Bournemouth University is a university in and around the large south coast town of Bournemouth, UK...
presented James with an Honorary Doctorate in November 2010.
Hedonistic lifestyle
In his book he describes a long period of decadent lifestyle.- To celebrate his birthday in São PauloSão PauloSão Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, he got the tour managerTour ManagerA tour manager is the person who helps to organize the administration for a schedule of appearances of a musical group or artist at a sequence of venues .-Background:...
to find him a balthazar of 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 and cocaineCocaineCocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
. - He mentions a long list of favourite bars including the Groucho ClubGroucho ClubThe Groucho Club is a well-known private social club located at Dean Street in Soho, London. Its members are mostly drawn from the media, entertainment, arts and fashion industries....
and The Colony RoomThe Colony RoomThe Colony Room was a private members' drinking club for artists and other creative people in Dean Street, Soho, London. It gathered a reputation akin to famous clubs of the past such as the Kit-Cat Club. According to Anthony Haden-Guest, it is "one of the fiercely eccentric clubs that make all the...
.
Family
His father, Jason James, was sales director of a company selling waste compactors and baling machines. Alex James married Claire Neate, a music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, in April 2003 in Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
. They have five children: three boys Geronimo and twins Artemis and Galileo and daughters Sable and Beatrix. The family live in Kingham
Kingham
Kingham is a village and civil parish in the Cotswolds about southwest of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.-History:The Church of England parish church of Saint Andrew has a 15th century Perpendicular Gothic west tower. The remainder of the church was rebuilt in 1852-1853...
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
on a 200-acre (0.81 km2) organic
Organic farming
Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...
cheese farm.
Equipment
- Fender Precision BassFender Precision BassThe Fender Precision Bass is an electric bass.Designed by Leo Fender as a prototype in 1950 and brought to market in 1951, the Precision was the first electric bass to earn widespread attention and use. A revolutionary instrument for the time, the Precision Bass has made an immeasurable impact on...
(Used for all albums until The Great Escape and for all live performances) - Ernie Ball Music Man StingRayMusic Man StingRayMusic Man StingRay is an electric bass guitar by Music Man, introduced in 1976.- History :In 1971, Fender employees Forrest White and Tom Walker, unhappy with the way CBS was managing the company, left their positions with Fender to start their own venture. First known as Tri-Sonic and then later...
(Used for albums Blur and 1313 (Blur album)13 is the sixth album by English band Blur, released in March 1999. The album reached number one in the UK Albums Chart and number 80 in the US Billboard 200. 13 spawned three hit singles: "Tender", "Coffee & TV" and "No Distance Left to Run"...
and live for the period 1997 - 2000) - Gibson Les Paul StudioGibson Les Paul bassThe Gibson Les Paul bass is a bass guitar first manufactured by Gibson in 1969, just after the relaunch of the Les Paul guitar in 1968. Initially it was a short scale bass guitar, like the EB0 and EB3...
(Used for Think Tank and live performances in 2003) - Epiphone El Capitan Semi-Acoustic Bass (Used for some live performances in 2003, notable "Out of Time")
- Gibson Thunderbird bass (Used during live performances during the LeisureLeisure (album)Leisure is the debut album by English alternative rock band Blur. The album was released on 26 August 1991 in the United Kingdom via Food Records, and peaked at #7 in the UK Albums Chart. It was released in the US a month later with a different track listing. The album was certified Gold in the...
era)
External links
- Alex James regularly contributes to The SpectatorThe SpectatorThe Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
magazine - Alex James is one of the regular presenters of BBC Radio 4's On Your Farm
- Evenlode Partnership - Alex James and Julie Harbutt's cheese company
- Alex James: the cheese diaries, episode 2
- Alex James: the cheese diaries, episode 1
- Alex James gives up vegetarianism after 17 years
- Article on Alex James and cheese manufacture
- Alex James presents Never Mind the Buzzcocks (Youtube)
- Alex James's top 10 reads, The Guardian, December 10, 1999
- Alex James presents on ClassicFM
- Second-hand heaven The SpectatorThe SpectatorThe Spectator is a weekly British magazine first published on 6 July 1828. It is currently owned by David and Frederick Barclay, who also owns The Daily Telegraph. Its principal subject areas are politics and culture...
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