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Along with his exploits with Blur and The WAEVE, Graham Coxon has released eight solo records and four film scores. Now he’s reissue that solo catalog, and also Castle Park – his album that was shelved due to Blur’s 2009 reunion.
“My situation is a lot different now, but I dig it,” Coxon says of the unreleased LP. “There’s some really good songs on there, so I said, ‘Get it out!’ I just wanted to put music out – there wasn’t much quality control. I just thought, ‘Hey, every year I should put something out.’”
Now 57, and with Blur back on hiatus, he’s exploring another aspect of his musical self. “The older I get, the more moved I am by music that’s more grown-up,” he reflects. “But I do still love My Bloody Valentine, Talk Talk, The Jam and Gong. I love any kind of exploratory, insane approach to music that has a perverse edge to it. It’s not always clean and tasteful things like Larry Carlton!”
He’s also working on The WAEVE’s third record, and still searching for new and exciting sounds. “I’m a late bloomer,” he laughs. “All these guitar players that other guitar players dig were off my radar. I just wasn’t grown up enough to appreciate them.”
What’s the story behind Castle Park, which was shelved around the time of Blur’s 2009 reunion?
I didn’t know what to do with it. I’d recorded this funny album called A+E from 20 songs that fell into two piles. A+E seemed to be based around bass riffs; then I had the other songs, which were kind of ‘60s influenced and old indie music.
Back then I thought, “I’ll hold onto them until that music becomes fashionable again.” Then I thought, “It’s never going to get fashionable, so better just release it!” I was getting hassled by fans, saying, “Where’s this Castle Park album?” But do I feel like a couple of songs on it are up there with my best.
Can you clock where you were as a player and songwriter back then?
As a guitar player and songwriter I was still learning, as we always are. I wouldn’t call myself a great guitar player – I listen to great guitar players and I’m nowhere near that. When people call me a great player, it’s just being nice!
Noel Gallagher has cited you as one of the greatest players of your generation, so many of us would beg to differ!
That’s very nice of Noel. But none of the really great guitar players have ever said that! As I get older I’m listening to more grown-up stuff like Steely Dan and Larry Carlton. I’ll be like, “What – does he have a 335 plugged into a little tiny Tweed Deluxe? That sounds good!”
You’re reissuing your solo catalog, starting with The Sky Is Too High, which came about while Blur were still active the first time around.
Because I had an album’s worth of rejected songs!
Is that why you started your solo career in the first place?
I had this disgraceful pedalboard during the Blur years; when we turned it on it was brighter than the stage lights
No, not really. A neighbor of mine was writing this film about an old bare-knuckle boxer in the Victorian era. He was like, “You’re in music. Do us a couple of songs!” I was like, “What?”
I tried to write a couple and I just got into it. so I wrote more. I wasn’t even going to put it out under my own name. I said to Damon Albarn, “Come over, check them out, and see if there’s anything we can use in Blur.” I played the songs and he said, “No, I don’t think we can use any of that.” I was like, “Right. Cheers!”
Then our manager said, “Graham, don’t worry. Just stick your name on it.” So, I have my old neighbor to thank – or apologize to the world about – for encouraging me to write music!
What inspired The Golden D, your second solo record?
I’d been watching a lot of skate videos, and heard how the soundtracks veered from Santana to Iron Maiden to A Tribe Called Quest to Sleep. It was a really interesting mix of doom metal, hip-hop and classic hard rock or heavy metal. With The Golden D I mish-mashed that all up, and did the ridiculous thing of doing two cover versions from one band, Mission of Burma. They made a massive impression on me.
Once Blur reunited and you had solo records under your belt, did you find it made you more versatile within the band?
I think it did. I can’t pretend Damon’s not a great fucking songwriter. He was writing songs when we met. That’s why we made friends. If you feel the need to write, like with my first album, it’s addictive. It’s like, “Wow, I feel so good when I get a chord sequence together, or a melody!’’
And if you get words to say something, you’re getting something off your chest in kind of a beautiful way – instead of just scribbling in your diary, “I fucking hate you!
“The more you do it the better you get. And Damon got very good, so it was pretty hard to be trying to write songs with Damon around – especially when he was rejecting your songs! It does take a while.
Did your outlook on gear change by breaking out solo?
No, it was much more recently than that. I had this disgraceful pedalboard during the Blur years; this big fucking thing that, when we turned it on, it would be brighter than the stage lights. I’d be stabbing my foot away, trying to turn on a Rat pedal, but you couldn’t see it!
Recently the pedal thing has taken off – unless I was just totally unaware of it. Back then I had everything I needed. I was fine. But now I’m thinking, maybe I shouldn’t have been playing Marshalls for 35 years!
That was fun times, forcing these poor young lads to do my songs the way they’re told to do them!
It seems many players reach a stage where Marshalls, while great, start rubbing one’s ears the wrong way.
I mean, mine sounded fucking great, but it was loud – it was a 100-watt mofo, right? So lately I’ve been thinking, “What about more Fender amps? What about headroom?” I’ve thought an awful lot more about it.
Have you gotten into boutique pedals?
With pedal-makers now, it’s so confusing. When I was growing up I had a Rat pedal and that was good. It was the only pedal I had when Blur started. I would just hit that in the chorus and turn it off for the verse. That’s how simple it was!
But then it got crazy. Now there’s phasers, flanges, compressors; crikey, everybody is making stuff. And now JAM Pedals – who I am absolutely chuffed to be affiliated with – have all this great stuff. Then there’s the Third Man pedal, the Plasma [Coil] thing. I can’t live without that!
The word is you’re putting together a band to celebrate your solo career this year.
It’s just the same as it was before: I’m dragging my old friends out. I see Owen Thomas all the time. He’s been running a recording studio in Brixton. I think Toby Macfarlaine has been chopping down trees near Brighton, so there aren’t many trees left!
But they’re very excited. It’ll be good because that was fun times, forcing these poor young lads – who are no longer young – to do my songs the way they’re told to do them! I’m a nice boss. We don’t take it too seriously, and we do the songs that lend themselves to two guitars, bass and drums.
I’m not quite sure whether to get the old Plexi out. Some of those old rooms need filling up, and the Plexi I got in the early ’90s; there’s nothing wrong with that. I used it all the time with Blur. It’s absolutely bulletproof, man.
If not the Marshall, then what?
Well, now I’m more concerned about headroom – when I turn my fuzz pedal off and on, I want it to take people’s heads off. So, it’s whether I should use a Marshall, a Fender, or a 20-watt Hamstead, which I use with The WAEVE.
Speaking of The WAEVE, what’s the latest?
We’re putting the finishing touches on a record, which is seen as quite optimistic and breezy. A lot of the legwork was actually taken up by one of those new T-style Yamaha Pacificas, which I was kind of involved with developing, with the Rupert Neve pickups. I’ve also been using one of the Reverend Greg Koch S-types, but I have a T-type too.
Last time, Blur couldn’t get onstage without crutches. We’re knocking on, and you have to jump around a lot in that band
And the old Mason, which I really can’t do without. I used it on the latest Blur album. It’s kind of like a steroidal Telecaster, with a Sustainiac and a switch you flick up for what harmonic you want, and to sustain at once. All of that is enough for me to be overwhelmed!
How about the almighty Blur?
It’s wait and see – but I can’t be arsed. It’s a bit like, “Do we all just sit around, twiddling our thumbs, waiting for somebody to have an idea? Or do we just get on with life?” So we do both.
It’s cool if it happens, but it’s not been enough years for me yet. And even the last time, we couldn’t even get onstage without crutches, you know? We’re knocking on, and you have to jump around a lot in that band. It’s painful!
- Castle Park is out on June 19 and available for preorder now.
