No Distance Left To Run

Back in the early 90s I remember seeing the videos on MuchMusic. I remember one particular interview on the nations music station with these four young kids from Britain who were completely messed up! Not just tired or drunk, but on some sort of drug unfamiliar to me. The band was Blur, lead by Damon Albarn and his boyhood bestfriend Graham Coxon. To me this was a band whose identity seemed to change with each video or single. In the beginning it was all about "boys and girls" and "Parklife", two songs that introduced me to Britpop. I know there were plenty of other artists at the time under the moniker of Britpop, but this was new to me. I wasn't complety sure if i liked it or not, but that interview where they were all fucked up had me completly intrigued. I have tried to find this interview on Youtube, but so far to no avail. Now I never purchased the albums at the time, and downloading was not in the picture as of yet, so in my mind Blur kind of went away. That was until a few years later when "Song 2" hit the airwaves and the tele. Wow! Now who was not singing and bopping along to Woo Hoo!! In all of its 2 minute glory the song was a powerhouse. What the hell happened to the somewhat androginistic quirky british pop songs. This was a rock and roll track in all its power!! Again though, i did not purchase the record. In 1999 I was living in Vancouver BC and my first roomate at the time purchased the record "13" from Blur and it was in constant rotation at our house. The track "Battle" was headphone candy that i was not experienced with but could not get enough of. Of course the single and chart topper "Tender" was a beautiful song to which the story was lost on me till now.
Fast forward a few years and the band breaks up and Damon Albarn leads the charge in a mysterious hip hop group the Gorrilaz. Graham Coxen releases a solo record, and once again Blur is off the map for me.
Approximately three months ago it was recommended to me that i should watch the Blur documentary movie "No Distance left To Run." This movie came about during a reunion tour of the band that I was familiar with involving festival dates in England and smaller intimate club shows. Upon watching this movie I came to realize why they were fucked up in that interview I had seen so many years ago. Why the stylistic changes came about from album to album. And just what an amazing friendship was really between Damon and Graham. I think whether you are a fan or not this movie if you are a music lover is something to be seen. Beautifully shot, candid, and without reservation, it is a must see in my eyes. I will also admit to having a wee bit of a man crush on Damon Albarn.
check it out....
http://youtu.be/VJsGq5Znxag