The Blur Tease Timeline

Let's see if we can piece together what is actually been happening in the land of Blur, the best broken-up/not broken-up band in the history of music.

Sept. 2002: Graham Coxon leaves Blur or is kicked out during the recording of Think Tank. It's unclear who left who.

Feb. 2003: The Verve's Simon Tong takes Graham's place as the band's guitarist for the tour.

Nov. 14, 2003: Graham tells BBC6 that he's not going back to Blur.

May 13, 2004: Graham releases his best solo album, Happiness in Magazines, produced by former Blur producer Stephen Street.

May 25 2005: Damon is interviewed by BBC Radio and talks about missing Graham: “I grew up with Graham and it’s really confusing when you grow apart from someone who you grew up with. I’ve only got a sister so I did consider him for many years to be like my brother and it’s a real shame that there’s been such a breakdown in communication."

Oct. 19 2005: Damon speaks to XFM: "I think we’re gonna do an EP first, sometime by the end of this year. But you probably won’t know about it. It’ll just ‘come out’. It’ll be so, sort of, underplayed. It’ll come out but you won’t know it’s us as it’ll be so, well, not us. We’ve got the songs but we’re gonna record them in a few hours and just be very laid back about it." As of today, no Blur EP has come out.

Dec. 9, 2005: Alex tells BBC that the band (sans Graham) are ready for another album.

March 31, 2006: Alex tells XFM: “We all got together before Christmas. Damon, Dave and I and were making the most nasty, dirty, filthy rock music I think we’ve ever made...it was great. And then Damon’s been making his records, I’ve been busy with Wigwam and Dave’s got this multi-media empire going on, but I think there’s plans to reconvene really soon, I think probably towards the end of the year.” Hey, Alex. How did that Wigwam thing go?

Nov. 2, 2006: Alex tells BBC: “I’ve got high hopes that Blur will have a happy four-piece ending. I think it would be a shame if it didn’t really. I think we’d all like to make another record. We’d all like to do it with Graham. I’ve been talking to Graham a bit and hopefully I can persuade him. I’m going to have to beg him though."

Nov. 11, 2006: Dave tells the BBC; “The days of Blur doing a tour will not happen, most of the band have kids now, and when you’re a touring band you have to make a choice, so there will never be a return to that, but we have been talking about doing an album next year, we have even set a date for it.”

Jan. 7, 2007: Alex tells the Sunday Times "I've been talking to Graham and there might be some good news ... We've always left the door open for him, so that's what I'm hoping for."

May 1, 2007: Alex tells Dotmusic: "We're all heading into the studio together this summer – Graham's coming too. We're gonna see if we've still got it. If not, I think we'll just call it a day."

July 13, 2007: Dave Rowntree tells NME:  "There is a week in the diary in September. But it’s a very small thing -- it could either be a seed or a full-stop.”

Aug. 3, 2007: Speaking to NME, Alex says :“I think we are kind of stuck together forever- one way or another. There will always be Blur somehow or other, I think.”

Sept. 10, 2007: Alex tells NME that a reunion "is going to happen soon," he said. "It's looking promising. It's important for us emotionally not to leave Blur as an unfinished thing. It could be good musically as well.”

Sept. 17, 2007: Graham tells the NME, "Dave, Alex and I are all talking. I talk to Alex the most. But there’s four individuals in the band,” he said. “We’re all really busy, but there’s definitely a week [when we’re going to record] ... I’m just raring to record,” he added. “But anything could happen. An alligator could come out of the Thames and eat the Tate Modern while I’m in it, or a mosquito could come and kill us all.”

Oct. 1, 2007: Blur has lunch together for the first time since Graham left. Who paid? They posted this bit of news of their official website.

May 21, 2008: Alex tells BBC6 Music: "We're all pretty busy but I'd be surprised if it [a reunion] never happen, but I would be terrified if it was happening on Monday."

June 2008: Blur turns down the headlining spot at Glastonbury.

Sept. 5, 2008: Damon tells Argentinian newspaper Clarin that Blur is over

Sept. 21, 2008: On the Blur message board, Graham Coxon, who is/was on better terms with Damon, writes, "Damon didn't consult anybody else before he took it into his own hands to make this comment," he wrote. "Therefore I think it is nonsense. It isn't for him to decide ... The facts are like this really: there's no Blur at the moment. Damon probably ain't interested in a Blur  that's not the full head count so I think it comes down to me trying again to contact him and talk to him. I tried before, as I said, and left messages."

Nov. 6, 2008:Damon tells BBC Newsbeat while promoting Monkey: Journey to the West that "It's very possible I'll go back to Blur," he said, "it really is very possible."

Nov. 21, 2008: Alex James turns 40 and likes to sell cheese.

Nov. 24, 2008: Damon Albarn tells Radio 2's Janice Long that Blur will rehearse in 2009. "Blur are certainly going to rehearse and see if we're into it," he said. 

Well, can you be more vague D? Hey, if Chinese Democracy can be released, I think the gang can produce some quality tunes.

Comments

[Craig]

I hope when Blur tours Alex sells his cheese at the merch stand! Thanks for the detailed timeline!

Boooooooooooooooriiiiiiiiinggggggg. Blur's ship sailed in 1997.

[John D.]

The moment for Blur has no doubt passed, but as a Blur obsessive of course personally I would still LOVE to hear what they might come up with.

The one thing that makes me think this is actually going to happen is that there is a video clip of Damon and Graham laughing and joking at the London premiere of Damon's opera Monkey earlier this month.

It's blatantly the broken relationship between the 2 of them that has scuppered a reunion in the past. It looks like that relationship might now be fixed, or at least on its way to being fixed.

D.

[Craig]

BLUR are back! July 3rd Hyde Park! Tickets on sale friday! No joke!

http://emi.emreact.com/go.asp?/.parlophone.blur.forms/bEMU001