Graham Coxon has offered his thoughts on what his Blur bandmate Damon Albarn is like as a guitarist.
The Coxon and Albarn tandem is one of the most enduring songwriting partnerships to have come out of the Britpop scene, but that doesn’t stop Coxon from laying into his bandmate for not playing a “proper guitar”.
In Blur, they’ve crafted timeless anthems like Song 2 and Parklife, but speaking to Guitarist, Coxon has lifted the lid on the one side of Albarn’s guitar-playing tendencies that get under his skin.
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“He’s got his own thing, like everyone has,” Coxon ventures when asked about Albarn's guitar style, somewhat diplomatically. Indeed, when asked about what he made of Albarn’s guitar talents, Coxon fires back, “This is a stitch-up...”
But the question was serious. There’s an argument to say his chops are underrated. Coxon’s on the fence.
“You know, he rushes it a bit with his strumming,” he details. “He does that nice, simple kind of Elizabeth Cotten picking thing. But he always plays those little Taylors. I’m always like, ‘Come on, play a proper guitar.’”
Coxon’s guitar arsenal is vast and varied, comprising everything from Telecasters and Gibson SGs, through to a Burns Sonic and Yamaha Revstar. Coxon feels his co-writer needs to sort his own arsenal out and get something he thinks is a bit more serious.
Coxon also defended his own playing style, adding: “Despite what people say about me – that I just want to be noisy – that’s not always the case. I’ve also got an appreciation for people like Larry Carlton. I love his playing on [Donald Fagen’s] New Frontier.
“It’s like Donald Fagen has gone: ‘All right man, you got one take – go!’ And you can hear that he’s feeling his way through the song. Melody, for me, is very important. I like the idea of having a conversation with the guitar.
“I don’t know all my scales; [if I did] then I wouldn’t play so many naughty notes that do something emotionally interesting.
Coxon has had to learn to escape Albarn’s shadow. Now he needs to convince his partner to ditch the Taylors.
The full interview can be found in the new issue of Guitarist, with print and digital copies available to order from Magazines Direct.
