Finally, a Dave Rowntree story that is guaranteed to make you laugh (and perhaps admire how terribly witty Dave's sense of humour is). Dan Rolling Stone Brain, a Yahoo! Answers user asked a question on the Q/A website about Blur's music video for the single 'On Your Own', that goes:
Yahoo! Answers: Open Question
What is Dave Rowntree doing in the Blur-On Your Own video?
If you watch the video to Blur's On Your Own (single- '95), Damon is jumping around, Graham is playing guitar behind walls and Alex is just walking around. Dave Rowntree, however, is in a sort of booth, playing on a keyboard. I don't understand why. The video has no story or plot, and what he's doing has no relevance/correlation to the song or the lyrics. I'm confused. Why is he messing around on a keyboard? And why is he in a metal shelter/booth? (Oh, and it's like a typewriter/computer keyboard, not a piano-like keyboard)
2 days ago
- 2 days left to answer.
Believe it or not, the actual Dave Rowntree answered the user's question! We learned from Dave's official twitter pagethat he "spent breakfast" this Wednesday typing a lengthy, detailed response to the question about what he was doing for the music video shoot.
We had to make this video while on tour on a day off, so our options were pretty limited - it basically had to be some kind of performance. To make it even vaguely interesting, it would have to be in an interesting location.
I couldn't swear to it, but I think we were in Portugal at the time, and there was a power station nearby that was in the process of being demolished. The director had taken a look, and thought there were enough odd locations there to keep an MTV viewer from switching over for 3 minutes or so.
To add extra interest, Damon had bought an unusual hat, which he decided to wear.
While filming, we found a metal trap door in the ground. On opening, we found it concealed a large underground bunker. There was a metal bar across the entrance, and it was decided that I would sit on it for my close-up.
My turn came.
"Action" shouted the director.
I sat on the bar, smiled and waved."STOP F***ING WAVING!" suggested Damon.
"Well what can I do?" I asked, "I can't fit my drums in here!"
A moment passed while heads were scratched.
"Why not play this?" said one of the crew, and gave me a tiny Casio keyboard.
So that's what I did.There's no real story to the video, if you're yearning for one, think of it as the story of a man playing keyboards in a bunker while another wears an unusual hat.
Source(s):
Dave Rowntree
7 hours ago
Well, at least now we all know why Dave's sitting in that tiny cellar-like, cramped space jamming on the keyboards in the 'On Your Own' music video. And we learned that Damon has a very strange taste in hats.
Enjoy what is probably one of the strangest Blur music videos ever below. Thanks to Dave and his boring Wednesday morning internet surfing, that's two more Blur mysteries solved.
Order the new Blur vinyl HERE August 2012 Maida Vale gig full coverage HERE
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The Blur 21 exhibition - Londonewcastle Project Space, Shoreditch, 27th July - 14th August 2012. Many fans went, but many simply can't make it to London this summer.
But good news- for the latter group of people, you can STILL enjoy the exclusive Blur exhibition by checking out pictures, reviews and articles in the Blurry cyberspace. Here's our complete guide as to what not to miss, what to read, watch and the highlights of this rare Blur event.
Early Blur logos (Credit: Blurcast)
Blur in 2012 (Credit: Blurcast)
First ever Blur photoshoot for Food Records (Credit: Blurcast)
Test shoot for Modern Life is Rubbish (Credit: Blurcast)
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The 100 Club, London. Exclusive, small, intimate, sweaty, bloody, amazing, "the best Blur gig ever" ... these are just some of the words used by the audience and press to describe the warm up gig in the small venue on August 2nd 2012.
Needless to say, Blur performed at their very top form. Highlights include 'Bugman', where Graham Coxon was just mashing it out on the guitar, and the song turned into something punk-like and fantastic. 'Oily Water' from Modern Life is Rubbish was also brilliant - it always is and sounds better live.
100 Club Blur Photos from NME
'Colin Zeal' surprisingly was also played - an unconventional track, but it has it's merits. Blur's reviving songs they rarely play live and favouring them over the normal singles collection. No 'Song 2' or 'Country House' this time, but 'Trimm Trabb' and 'Young & Lovely' was again played.
Forum member Goldilocks wrote: That was so awesome!! All the fun of being there but with A/C and room to move. And DAVE!! Nice to see him in these ones and he is just letting it rip. The Trimm Trabb drumming was epic.
Forum member damon4president alsosaid: Dave has been drumming better than ever at these gigs, he is on fire! During Trimm Trabb Damon just stopped and looked at him in awe, and started a chant of 'Dave! Dave' over Graham's guitar solo
Setlist was:
Credits to Tom
Girls & Boys Jubilee Beetlebum Young & Lovely Colin Zeal Oily Water Advert Bugman The Puritan Trimm Trabb For Tomorrow Under The Westway
Blur performed at Margate Winter Gardens on August 1st 2012. The show was met with great reviews from the fans in the audience, and although Graham Coxon's amp had some problems at times, the band managed a really long, really good show.
Blur forum member 'simonn' reported:
Band was very happy. Damon said 'first gig in three years so we're scared'. Lots of smiles, Damon kissed Graham on the back of his neck halfway through one solo, very touching! Damon appeared to play a kazoo solo during (I think) Sunday Sunday, made a change from the jogging...
Dave sported headphones for at least two songs...Grahams amp went out a couple of times, in particular just before the finale to Trimm Trabb, cue lobbing of pint glass at his amp, crowd tried to perk him with 'Graham' chants, and Damon gave him a big hug....which helped. Great gig, great crowd, wish I had more tickets!
- The beach at Margate - posted on Twitter by a fan who went -
Blurcast also posted:
Absolutely awesome gig tonight. A really great set too - definitely a different feel to the 2009 shows and feeling a little less "greatest hits". Caramel is just amazing and I am baffled as to why it was always omitted on the 13 tour. The revamped stop-start Intermission is a belter with the crowd chanting "ole!" in the gaps. London Loves is another great inclusion and will go down a storm in Hyde Park.
And while I am no big fan of Country House either, when it's being played live and you are jumping about with hundreds of people all singing the words with you, it's a blinder. So to everyone who wasn't there and are complaining that it wasnt a 20 min version of Battle, stop your f**king moaning and start understanding how gigs like this actually work.
Poor old Graham had some serious problems with his amp tonight though and was visibly reall pissed off when it kept cutting out. I think he got through at least 3 guitars before slamming one of them into the stage and chucking water all over his amp. Not a great thing do with electrical equipment but Damon gave him a big hug to calm him down. It was really looking like it might have to continue as an acoustic set but things got sorted eventually.
The sound at the venue is not the best and I couldn't really hear the backing singers too well or the brass section for that matter but that didn't spoil my enjoyment at all.
I am now thouroughly sweaty and disgusting but secretly chuffed that I have ended up with a big 4 person room at the Margate YHA for only £16. Bargain.
'Caramel', 'Sing', 'Young and Lovely' and the two new Blur songs were also amongst the favourites that were played. The band also played 'London Loves', a track from Parklife, which was a rare sight in live ensembles. Setlist : a long one, 25 songs totalling 2 hours and 10 minutes.
Girls & Boys London Loves Tracy Jacks Jubilee Beetlebum Coffee & TV Out of Time Young & Lovely Sunday Sunday Country House Parklife Trimm Trabb Caramel Advert The Puritan Song 2 No Distance Left To Run Tender This is a Low Sing Under The Westway Lot 105 End of a Century For Tomorrow The Universal
Looks like 'Caramel' is here to stay in the upcoming live concerts. And Damon's gig ritual, the water flinging, really soaked up the audience! Watch ALL of the 25 songs in the videos below *uploads by a1999f.
PHOTO ESSAY:Blur played a miraculous set list yesterday during the first full gig they did in 3 years on July 31st 2012.
Stage was lit up as the small crowd waited for Blur - most viewers, however, were streaming from online
Trimm Trabb guitar chords, taken from the set
Gorillaz - Coxon spares ?
In the two intimate BBC Maida Vale gigs (BBC 6 music: 6pm-7pm, BBC Radio 2: 8pm-9pm) the audience witnessed several moments that will completely rewrite Blur's musical history.
'Young and Lovely', a B-side of single 'Chemical World' (Modern Life is Rubbish, 1993) was also performed for the second and third time in Blur history, the first being the legendary B-sides gig in 1999.
New single 'Under the Westway' got two more plays. The accompanying 'The Puritan' was also performed once live, the second time since the premier on the roof a month ago.
'Caramel' (album '13') was played live for the first time ever. Although the song never made it to the live setlists for Blur's past gigs, the first (and perhaps the last) performance of 'Caramel' was absolutely stunning.
Damon crooned and the song shone out brilliantly, intense with emotion.
HIGHLIGHT- 'CARAMEL' LIVE:Uploaded by BlurBalls.com - enjoy this stunning debut, never played live before since the beginning of Blur.
Recorded by Blurballs.com - Caramel live debut in 13 years
VIDEO GALLERY:Watch the full Blur Maida Vale shows below. The broadcast is owned by BBC and uploaded by fans to Youtube. *Update: Videos no longer available - download the mp4 video below
First gig - 6pm to 7pm, for BBC 6 Music (Jul 31st 2012)
First gig - 8pm to 9pm, for BBC Radio 2 (Jul 31st 2012)
