But if Blur have realized a bold new sound, relations among the band members have suffered. They chide each other frequently backstage, and even childhood friends Albarn and Coxon admit that they’re not as tight as they once were. “Damon is a self-centered fucker sometimes,” says Coxon flatly. Albarn pins the blame for their strained relationship on the guitarist’s former drinking problem. “It totally wrecked our ability to get on with each other,” Albarn says. “When he was drunk, he’d be likely to tell a journalist to fuck off, or I’d hear reports of him being unconscious at 4 in the morning somewhere in London. That was upsetting because he’s my closest male friend.” Coxon quit drinking last summer, after nearly getting into a fistfight with Albarn during a drunken sound check. Coxon sings about the experience in “You’re So Great,” the only song on Blur that Albarn didn’t write. “It’s a minor miracle that I stopped drinking,” says Coxon. “Alcohol made me relaxed enough to have the most awful fights with people. I was very negative, and I would lash out because I was angry about feeling terrible all the time. I had lost a part of myself. Now that I’m sober, I’m very glad to have that part back.”

[In Alex's book], the only hint at complex dynamics comes at a show in Mexico City, during which Albarn won’t even make eye contact with his bass player. James is crestfallen until he discovers that the singer is actually just trying hard to fend off a bout of food poisoning.

Paul McCartney Composer/Artist