Blur‘s Alex James has weighed in on Labour’s planned changes to the inheritance tax policy for farms.
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The bassist of the Britpop group, who released the memoir Over The Rainbow: Tales Of An Unexpected Year earlier this month, turned to farming during their hiatus in the 2000s. He’s since carved a name for himself in the cheese world, even launching one named after New Order’s Blue Monday.
In a new interview with Channel 4 News‘s Krishnan Guru-Murthy, James has reflected on his “cliche” decision to buy a farm post-Blur, as well as the recent news that the government would be introducing an inheritance tax on some farmer’s assets.
James recalled entering the industry during a precarious era. “Every time you saw a farmer on telly he – and it was always a man – was in tears,” he said, referencing the foot-in-mouth outbreak and mad cow disease as challenges facing farmers.
“It had been a really really tough time,” he added. “And when you think of a farmer now, it’s Jeremy Clarkson laughing his head off.”
He went on to detail how they’d spent 20 years putting effort into the farm but admits his move wasn’t as original as he thought at the time.
“I remember thinking we were taking a huge, reckless, romantic leap into the unknown buying a farm. I’ve since come to realise it’s just literally the next cliche in the book of rock cliches,” he said. “You either die or you end up living on a farm.”
Later in the interview, Guru-Murthy asks him what he thinks of Labour’s planned changes to the inheritance tax laws, to which he responds: “When does the inheritance tax kick in?”
The bassist then jokes: “I’m slightly concerned my children are going to try and kill me before that kicks in,” before adding: “Daddy’s slipped on some cheese, it’s been a terrible accident.”
Guru-Murthy then asks if he’s friends with Clarkson, whose own farm is close to the Blur bassist’s. “I love Jeremy to bits, yeah,” James responds.
This year, he hosted Big Feastival – an annual food and music festival held at his farm in the Cotswolds. Headliners included Becky Hill, Ministry Of Sound Classical and Snow Patrol.
Elsewhere in the interview, James said he “burst into tears” when he saw his teenage daughter in the crowd at a recent Blur show.
It’s been a big year for Blur, following the release of To The End – a documentary directed by Transgressive Records founder Toby L – in July.
The film traced the reunion of James with Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon and Dave Rowntree on their return to record 2023 comeback album ‘The Ballad Of Darren’ ahead of a tour culminating in a pair of shows at London’s Wembley Stadium last summer.
Reviewing To The End, NME concluded: “They bicker, they hug, they call each other c**ts, they get the job done. While Blur’s last doc and accompanying live movie No Distance Left To Run was a portrait of a band celebrating their legacy and giving a nostalgia-hungry world exactly what they craved, this spiritual sequel shows a band simply supporting each other.”
“Whether they return again or not remains to be seen. But even if they don’t, this was one hell of a final fling.”
