Defend the Indefensible: James Blunt

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I've rarely heard more self-conscious use of swearing in rock.

― Mippy (Mippy), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 15:20 (twenty years ago)

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0009I7JFC.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 15:21 (twenty years ago)

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000A2ESK6.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 15:22 (twenty years ago)

Oh come on, he's a sensitive singer-songwriter with a 'hard man' background, not Tortured Pete (C. all broadsheets ever)

― Mippy (Mippy), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 16:12 (twenty years ago)

Actually, what irks me about the Babyshambles single is the thrown-in reference to New Labour.

― Mippy (Mippy), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 16:14 (twenty years ago)

I think even in the posh bit of the army young James may have encountered the odd bit of blue language.

― Tom (Groke), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 16:19 (twenty years ago)

Yes, but could you imagine that nice young man David Gray coming out with a rude word?

It reminded me of those young NME writers who throw 'fuck' in every sentence as an indication of their rock cool but come across like prefects on a night out with the rude boys. I diskard them uterly.

― Mippy (Mippy), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 16:26 (twenty years ago)

what i hate most about this sonmg is the way he comes out with the first line a few bars early, but it seems whoever produced it decided to leave it in, presumably as some "hey, this is real, maaan" quirky afterthought. CUT IT, YOU TWUNT.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 18:24 (twenty years ago)

three months pass...

shhiiiite

he was on SNL today (feel free to make fun of me for watching SNL, but there was actually a good sketch tonight with lettuce!)...

I'm afraid he's taking over America now....

― Tape Store (Tape Store), Sunday, 4 December 2005 06:19 (twenty years ago)

The lettuce sketch was awesome.

The only thing funnier than Blunt's voice/songs are his facial expressions as he's singing them.

― Joe (Joe), Sunday, 4 December 2005 15:33 (twenty years ago)

He would be the face of shite '05 if it weren't for Coldplay, who quadruple-team him with him finally pinned by their abhorent front man who could take him out on his own. How long is the current fashion for twats who can't sing falsetto and so do at every given opportunity going to last. Bob Dylan technically can't really sing but dammit he's knows his boundaries.

― Nick H (Nick H), Sunday, 4 December 2005 17:26 (twenty years ago)

i saw SNL last night. my first actual exposure to Mr. Blunt. jeez, his voice is terrible and the remark about his facial expressions is OTM. do people actually like this shit?

― biz, Sunday, 4 December 2005 19:24 (twenty years ago)

biggest selling album of 2005 in the uk, 37 weeks in the top 10 apparently. shameful.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Sunday, 4 December 2005 19:33 (twenty years ago)

last week i came home, and i turned on the television. james blunt was on it, doing a cover of the pixies where is my mind

i didn't like it much. but it was strange to hear him do another song,

― terry lennox. (gareth), Friday, 16 December 2005 23:41 (twenty years ago)

two months pass...

fucks sake

― Sororah T Massacre (blueski), Thursday, 2 March 2006 10:59 (twenty years ago)

This Blunt fuckwad doesn't know how to pronounce diphthongs. "I saw your fehs in ah crowded plehs..." What ever happened to the days when we could kill someone for that?

― Okeigh, Thursday, 2 March 2006 11:06 (twenty years ago)

I thought the cnut said he was going to South America to become a (different type of) mercenary?

Not a lot of defending going on here is there?

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Thursday, 2 March 2006 11:22 (twenty years ago)

Looks like we're all wrong and it is a great song!

How else could it defeat all borders and take over like that?

1) Is he 'fit'? (Not especially)
2) Interesting personality? (uncheck)
3) stunning vocal performance? (strongly disagree)
4) Speak of a shared experience that the listener may well empathise with? (ah now....!)

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 2 March 2006 11:22 (twenty years ago)

OK, Defend time:

"High" isn't too bad.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 2 March 2006 11:28 (twenty years ago)

I can't be the only person who clicked on this thinking it was about James Blount.
-- Al (hoteloper...), June 30th, 2005.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was WONDERING when someone would make the joke. First thing I thought of too.
-- Ned Raggett (ne...), June 30th, 2005.

haha.

but does he REALLY say 'fucking high'?

― The Man Without Shadow (Enrique), Thursday, 2 March 2006 11:31 (twenty years ago)

The most alarming thing about Blunt is not his singing voice, it's his actual speaking voice.

― tissp! (the impossible shortest specia), Thursday, 2 March 2006 12:05 (twenty years ago)

You know those statistics that say, like, in the UK ex military are four times more likely to die of a drug overdose, eight times likely to be homeless, and twenty three times more like to commit murder? At least we can hold onto some hope in that knowledge, right?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 2 March 2006 12:07 (twenty years ago)

One more defence:

He changed his name so's as not to get people confused with our own.

but does he REALLY say 'fucking high'?

Yes.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 2 March 2006 12:12 (twenty years ago)

He's so edgy.

― tissp! (the impossible shortest specia), Thursday, 2 March 2006 12:16 (twenty years ago)

Dom, are you Calum in disguise?

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Thursday, 2 March 2006 12:29 (twenty years ago)

IF X = Pearl Jam THEN Y = Creed
IF X = Oasis THEN Y = Shed Seven
IF X = David Gray THEN Y = James Blunt

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:10 (twenty years ago)

We need Bertrand Russell in here.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:11 (twenty years ago)

James Blunt has certainly known conflict -- he was a member of the British Army and served in Kosovo -- but now, as a singer and songwriter, he goes out of his way to avoid conflict, tension, or any other kind of distinguishing energy. His repetitive and well-mannered ballad "You're Beautiful" is creeping toward the top of the American charts as part of its obligatory life as a song before it becomes the perfume commercial it was born to be. Blunt's assets, if you can call them that, are a weak falsetto and a fearless decision to include the word "fucking" in this under-annotated composition about seeing a woman once and falling in love. It happens, sure, but Blunt's description of the fateful moment is as banal as the music: a Starbucks-friendly quilt of nylon-string classical guitar, mandolin, neutered drums, and a timid, depressive chord sequence. Those of us old enough to remember England Dan and John Ford Coley miss them terribly.

--Sasha Frere-Jones in this week's New Yorker

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:18 (twenty years ago)

This Blunt fuckwad doesn't know how to pronounce diphthongs. "I saw your fehs in ah crowded plehs..." What ever happened to the days when we could kill someone for that?

Actually, you aren't supposed to do that when you sing; if you do, you are much more likely to fall off-pitch.

So, um, he can form his vowels correctly when he sings. I guess that's a defense.

― Dan (Fucking Irritating Pusbag Of A Musician) Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:23 (twenty years ago)

I have a question: At the end of the video, is he committing suicide (presumably because he'll never be with this beautiful woman) or is he just going for a swim?

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:41 (twenty years ago)

(And btw is there a worse pejorative in the modern pop critical vocabulary than "Starbucks-friendly"?)

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:51 (twenty years ago)

(Which is odd because most of the music that I hear at Starbucks is far from terrible.)

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:52 (twenty years ago)

(xpost) Um. Yes?

― Dan ("Terrible" "Horrible" "Stultifying" "Horrendus" "Worthless" Etc Etc Etc) Pe, Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:52 (twenty years ago)

("Horrendus" is Latin.)

― Dan (Oops) Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:54 (twenty years ago)

It just seems like the two quickest ways to demolish a piece of music are to associate it with either Starbucks or NPR.

― o. nate (onate), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:56 (twenty years ago)

As our Amber said after seeing the video "He'll never be with anyone if he carries on like that!"

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 2 March 2006 19:57 (twenty years ago)

Ha, yeah, It's like America has collectively decided to buy Blunt's schtick in hopes that he'll spend the money on a decent hooker.

― darin (darin), Thursday, 2 March 2006 20:05 (twenty years ago)

Bob Dylan technically can't really sing but dammit he's knows his boundaries.

hahahaha SO not otm!

― swvl (vozick), Friday, 3 March 2006 01:36 (twenty years ago)

Can't stand the man, he belongs on a Dawsons Creek soundtrack alongside David Gray and Dido circa 2000-2001. Please go away Mr Blunt.

― Miranda Leigh (Miranda Leigh), Friday, 3 March 2006 03:09 (twenty years ago)

you go away!

― j blount (papa la bas), Friday, 3 March 2006 03:15 (twenty years ago)

Don't get your knickers into a twist, everyone has their own opinion and i think he's crap.

― Miranda Leigh (Miranda Leigh), Friday, 3 March 2006 03:19 (twenty years ago)

-- jaymc (jmcunnin...), March 2nd, 2006. (jaymc)

Yeah, Sash, but the same accusations of banality & timidness could easily be directed towards your pet artiste, Keren Ann. It don't get more Starbucks than that, dude!

(i have yet to hear Mr. Blunt, but his name is classic if only as an irritant to Mr. Blount)

― timmy tannin (pompous), Friday, 3 March 2006 09:08 (twenty years ago)

if by 'irritant' you mean 'endless source of amusement'

― j blount (papa la bas), Friday, 3 March 2006 09:14 (twenty years ago)

if you say so, jb.

― timmy tannin (pompous), Friday, 3 March 2006 09:17 (twenty years ago)

I can't be the only person who clicked on this thinking it was about James Blount.

But his real name IS James Blount!

― Rotatey Diskers With Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 3 March 2006 12:10 (twenty years ago)

There's been other blunts before, there will be more in the future. Just ignore this one and it will go away.

― blunt (blunt), Friday, 3 March 2006 12:14 (twenty years ago)

Almost certainly no relation:

http://www.cbmr.org/pro/images/Sun-Ra.jpg

― Rotatey Diskers With Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 3 March 2006 12:19 (twenty years ago)

http://www.megascreen.ca/art/snoop.gif

― Onimo (GerryNemo), Friday, 3 March 2006 12:22 (twenty years ago)

Unfortunately no images available of "Bertie Blunt, His Parrot's a Cunt"

― Rotatey Diskers With Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 3 March 2006 12:26 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

Ha ha WHAT THE FUCK:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=26931089&blogID=52032004&MyToken=14240ca5-75ed-4b29-9505-e65c503f2051

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Saturday, 18 March 2006 11:25 (twenty years ago)

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