‘He is very charming’: Blur’s Alex James admires Britpop rival Liam Gallagher

Alex James says “it’s impossible not” to like Liam Gallagher.

The Blur bassist was branded “fat boy” by the Oasis rocker at the Q Awards back in 2000 but admits that he can’t help but admire the star despite the rivalry that existed between the two bands at the height of Britpop.

Asked if he and Liam are on good terms now, Alex told The Sun newspaper: “Certainly from my point of view.

“Liam is f****** fantastic, he’s got an incredible voice.

“Even when he was calling me fatty, or fat boy, I couldn’t help but like him. It’s impossible not to. He is very charming.”

Alex turned his hand to cheesemaking when Blur were on hiatus during the 2000s and confessed that his love for the dairy product left him needing to get fitter when the Parklife band reunited for stage shows in 2023.

The 57-year-old musician said: “I had to get back in my Britpop trousers for the Blur tour, and I think there wasn’t much to do in lockdown apart from eat and drink.

“I mean, I think we all got a bit better at cooking, and I don’t think anyone lost weight in lockdown.

“But you cannot point the Super Trouper (a powerful spotlight) at a lard a***.

“So I went to Decathlon on the second of January and said, ‘I need to get some running shoes’, and the guy looked at me and said, ‘Who for?’

“That was a low. I’ve still got them now, though, they’re f****** brilliant.

“Every time Blur got back together, it was like training for the Olympics – actually, you need a target.”

Alex’s task was made even harder as a genetic thyroid issue meant he needed to stop having weight-loss jabs.

He recalled: “My wife Claire and I just went to the gym. I was going to the gym in the morning, then getting in a car to the studio in London, recording with Blur, finishing about five, car home, gym again.

“Claire was like, ‘You’ve got to try this stuff’, about the jab, so I went on it for a bit and it was fine.

“But then I had a medical check-up with the doctor and we realised there were some issues with the thyroid in my family, which precludes you from going on it.

“So I pretty quickly had to stop. And then it was back to the gym.”