Tuesday, 12 April 2005
From The Barracks
James Blunt has seen more than many of us would care to imagine. An ex-army officer, he turned his back on conflict in favour of songwriting. Three years on and with a debut album under his belt, he talks to uk-fusion about his remarkable journey
 Let’s start at the beginning. How were you discovered?
It’s been a long process, lots of little steps along the way but I had a few false starts which pushed me in the right direction. I was offered a publishing deal very early on, which was a really crap deal, and then a production deal by various people, which was again a real rip-off. Fortunately through those people I was introduced to someone who gave my demo to my manager and for me the management arrangement was the first really positive step and that’s led on to all of the other connections that I’ve then made.
Is it true you didn’t listen to any music when growing up?
Yeah, I didn’t hear much music, just because my parents didn’t have much music at home, they just had a couple CDs which obviously we just listened to again and again, but my mother did push me to learn musical instruments, so I learned the recorder from a very early age, the violin from the age of five (although I don’t remember doing anything apart from playing hot cross buns all the time) and then I learned the piano at seven. Finally I met a guy at school who played the electric guitar and that’s when I realised that was what I wanted to do. So I saved up a hundred quid and bought a really shitty guitar! But school was the first time I started listening to popular music because all the other kids had it.
What musicians and songs have had the biggest impact on you and your song writing?
I was listening to Led Zeppelin, the Pixies, Hendrix and the Doors, that’s what was just around at school, but I’ve enjoyed not really knowing that much about music and in a way that’s kind of how my song writing goes, I don’t know the rules and therefore I’m not gonna be blocked in by the boundaries that rules set up so I’m naïve to those things and enjoy that naivety.
You previously served in the army. When was this?
In Kosovo in ‘99.
How did that affect your song writing?
I have a stutter! No, I did one song in Kosovo called ‘No Bravery’. It’s the last song on the album and it took 10 minutes to write. There are so many things there which you can just take in and regurgitate in words so you don’t need much imagination out there, and in another song, ‘Cry’ indicates towards the relationships you build up with other people there.
Have you always used writing as an outlet?
Yeah, I’ve never been very good at expressing myself emotionally in conversation as any ex-girlfriend would tell you! But yes, I find songs really good for letting myself go. It’s the most honest you’ll ever find me.
 Have your family and friends reacted well to your decision to be a musician?
Yeah, absolutely. My father in particular was really nervous when I said I said I was leaving a steady job with a decent income and a career path to go and do music. He told me it was a really bad idea, but now that they’ve seen everything, got the album, heard it on the radio, they’re my number one fans and my mother calls me every day to ask how I’m doing.
What are your plans for the next few months?
Well I’m touring more, but on a day-to-day basis. I’ll be going to Texas to play the South By South West Music festival, which I was at two years ago and that was where I got my record deal originally. Then I’ve got a video shoot in Spain before a European tour for three weeks. After that I’m gonna head over to America and start pushing the album out there.
Comparisons are inevitable, which have you had?
Damien Rice got the David Gray thing, and there are a whole group of singer/songwriters out there including me who’ve all been given the label of ‘the next Damien Rice’. I kind of enjoy the early 70s comparisons that I’ve heard – a bit of early Elton John, maybe a bit of Lou Reed or even Cat Stevens. Some people said Tracy Chapman – I mean, I do sing like a black girl! But that’s all a good thing.
Have you had any crazy fan experiences?
Yeah, we have a couple of stalkers on board! And yeah it’s mildly frightening!
What’s happened with them?
Stupidly I gave my number to this one person, and I got three text messages a day. I have not seen this person in nine months! The texts sometimes start getting aggressive, sometimes kinky and sometimes weird! Then there are others who are just a bit over enthusiastic, but I guess you have to have an occasional stalker!
So what kind of audience do you see yourself aiming at?
Really anyone who has conscious thought! I mean there are songs that are about what it is to be a conscious human being and it’s all about life’s path, and how lonely it can be or the connections you make with people along the way. I guess sometimes audiences have a fraction more girls than boys and I like that!
 What is your favourite city to play in?
I really enjoy New York; there are some great vibes. It’s a real 24 hour place and you kind of step out on the street and anything could happen and that is really exciting. For me I always enjoy coming back to London because that’s where my friends are but then I’m going round the UK and we’re playing places like Manchester and the crowds are just so up for it that I’m kind of taken aback. It’s amazing! That and Dublin and Glasgow, sometimes getting away from home, it’s kind of shocking in a way how enthusiastic people can be.
So how would you sum up all your music to the people out there?
Mainly miserable but with a dash of hope.
 Back To Bedlam
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