Alex James, the bassist of ‘90s Britpop band Blur, is not a fan of rock stars outliving their popularity. He’s tired of older, classic rock stars who keep touring, releasing albums, and acting like “teenagers.”
During a recent interview with the Mirror, James, an award-winning cheesemaker, criticized fellow countrymen such as Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones.
“I’d rather be on a cheese counter than pretending to be a teenager,” he explained, adding: “There are rumours of Led Zeppelin getting back together again and nobody really wants to hear their f****** new record, do they? They want to listen to Stairway to Heaven.
“How old were they when they did Stairway to Heaven? Like 20 or something? And how old are they now, they are f****** 70.
James, who produces a range of British artisan cheeses but is not as well known as Robert Plant or Mick Jagger, continued: “It’s insane. At least people want to come in and try my cheese as well as listen to Parklife [a 1994 Blur album].
“That is really important. I think it’s really good that I’ve got something else to talk about.
“You have to do it otherwise you become this weird, grotesque caricature of yourself by the time you get old like Mick Jagger.”
James doesn’t mind listening to music by the Rolling Stones but he doesn’t have any interest in watching them live.
“I’ve been listening to the Rolling Stones recently, but I wouldn’t f****** go and listen to them live, f****** hell,” he argued. “You can’t be Jumping Jack when you are 70 f****** 8.”
James founded The Big Feastival in 2012 alongside chef Jamie Oliver on his farm in Oxfordshire. It includes musical performances, cooking demonstrations, book signings and other events.
A Canadian version of the festival took place in 2017 in Burl’s Creek in Oro-Medonte, Ontario.
