Damon Albarn

[The Nal]

Absolutely. He shouldn't have done that advert for the Sunday Times though

Edited April 28, 2013 by The Nal

[thewayiam]

So he's appearing with Bobby Womack on Sunday at West Holts...

So he's about at glasto! Likelihood of him appearing elsewhere? With no UK dates announced for Blur but them being bloody everywhere else, I'd be surprised if Damon didn't do something somewhere.

...didn't he recently perform with Noel Gallagher? ;-)

[Wooderson]

Damon has no issue with selling his music for ads. I cant think of a credible artist who has licensed his music more than him. Wave a note of any currency at him and you can use his music to sell any old tat seemingly. Cars, perfume, coca cola, gas, credit cards, computers, dogfood.

Puts me right off. Ruins the songs for me. Especially as hes such a righteous bloke himself. Under the Westway is one of my favourite songs of the last few years but Ill never really love it as Im sure it'll end up being used to flog cabbage or whatever at some stage.

[Wooderson]

Like all artists, Albarn is responsible for heinous commercial use of his output. Despite not appearing in any ads unlike Suggs, Iggy or Lydon.

[Wooderson]

Gimme a break etc.

[The Nal]

Madness are a fun band. They dont claim to be anything else. Bit of a laugh.

Iggys ads pissed me off. Awful rubbish.

Lydon did the ad to get the band back on the road. Hes never had money.

Blurs music being used for ads, a shitload of ads, spoils it all a bit for me. When I go see them in August and they play The Universal Ill be listening to the British Gas ad more than a Blur song.

Not saying I hate him, or Blur are shit, or they should be removed from the artistic world like Bill Hicks said. It just ruins it a bit for me. I can turn a blind eye to the odd one here and there but Blur do it a bit too much.

Hes one of the few who seem to be beyond criticism in the eyes of his fanboys. Similar to Radiohead. Hes not beyond criticism. Nobody is. And I don't believe that a tune of his being used to flog Australian dog food doesn't ruin the tune (to some degree) for all concerned.

Edited April 28, 2013 by The Nal

[Mardy]

I can see that, Nal, I know you've got strong feelings on this. I think cos I'm not exposed to adverts etc I probably don't feel this in the same way as you. I suspect if I were bombarded with ads, my attitude would be similar to yours.

[The Nal]

I can see that, Nal, I know you've got strong feelings on this. I think cos I'm not exposed to adverts etc I probably don't feel this in the same way as you. I suspect if I were bombarded with ads, my attitude would be similar to yours.

[Trebor]

He was in the Sunday Times ad though, bigging up the paper. Which annoyed me more than just giving his music to it. Songs I love in ads doesn't annoy me as much as it used to, but some do when they're used so much, for example I'll never be able to disassociate the Universal from British Fucking Gas. Iggy made a tit of himself but he's redeemed himself in my eyes with that lovely response to a fan letter I saw on Twitter this week. I love Madness but my god Suggs has put his name to some shit! Night Fever on 5 anyone? Lydon's butter ad doesn't annoy me for some reason, maybe because he's such a contrary old sod or maybe because it helped fund PiL

[ads1980]

I guess you win. Well done. Do you always take every comment made on here so personally? That must drive you mad. Go for a walk or something, get some fresh air, live a little.

[Morse Code]

Madness are a fun band. They dont claim to be anything else. Bit of a laugh.

Iggys ads pissed me off. Awful rubbish.

Lydon did the ad to get the band back on the road. Hes never had money.

Blurs music being used for ads, a shitload of ads, spoils it all a bit for me. When I go see them in August and they play The Universal Ill be listening to the British Gas ad more than a Blur song.

Not saying I hate him, or Blur are shit, or they should be removed from the artistic world like Bill Hicks said. It just ruins it a bit for me. I can turn a blind eye to the odd one here and there but Blur do it a bit too much.

Hes one of the few who seem to be beyond criticism in the eyes of his fanboys. Similar to Radiohead. Hes not beyond criticism. Nobody is. And I don't believe that a tune of his being used to flog Australian dog food doesn't ruin the tune (to some degree) for all concerned.

[Morse Code]

I only take it personally when someone calls me a fuckwit. Anyway, lets move on.....

[Trebor]

I didn't call you one personally until things got out of hand, I said there are too many fuckwits on eFestivals these days originally. Anyway, yeah let's move on

Edited April 28, 2013 by Trebor

[Wooderson]

Singling out Albarn/Blur betrays a bias held long before any ads hit the airwaves.

[somecoolusername]

He was in the Sunday Times ad though, bigging up the paper. Which annoyed me more than just giving his music to it. Songs I love in ads doesn't annoy me as much as it used to, but some do when they're used so much, for example I'll never be able to disassociate the Universal from British Fucking Gas. Iggy made a tit of himself but he's redeemed himself in my eyes with that lovely response to a fan letter I saw on Twitter this week. I love Madness but my god Suggs has put his name to some shit! Night Fever on 5 anyone? Lydon's butter ad doesn't annoy me for some reason, maybe because he's such a contrary old sod or maybe because it helped fund PiL

[somecoolusername]

I may be being naive here, but did Albarn not have enough money to make up the difference from the pay-cut package. If it was a choice between that and appearing in ads.........

[Mardy]

After my above post I've read the rest of the thread and realised nothing's changed. I have to say Mardy, this is something I thought would bother you tbh. Especially with your outrage against the cash-in reformation mentality of the 90's has-beens.

I reckon selling out to ads is even worse than Shed Seven playing the exact same setlist to the exact same fans for the last 5 years.

[Zoo Music Girl]

For THAT 2009 set Damon can appear at Glastonbury as offen as he wants for me. I still get goosebumps whenever I hear any Blur song.

[Northernsoul45]

_{albarn is easily the most interesting & talented of the (brit) popular artits that came out from the early 90's. (i always loved blur more than oasis...quite a controversial position in the britpop wars at my school back then!:-)lol}

_{his work on gorillaz, the monkey opera, the dr dee stuff, his record label, his african music albums, the good the bad & the queen, and the numerous other side projects he does, not all are to my tastes, but at least he's doing/trying other things out,( and i'd imagine a lot of it it requires the finance derived from his share of the licensing from the blur records to make it happen..(much like coxon's solo albums, alex james's farm...or dave's animation company..)}

_{i ws lucky enough to see the monkey opera when i was in paris a few years ago...quite the spectacle (especially if your a fan of the tv show:-)lol...weird to think it ws done by the writer of jubilee / tracy jacks/ bank holiday...}

Edited April 29, 2013 by Northernsoul45

[Homer]

I'm a fairly big Blur fan (saw them last year and am going to see them next month) so it would jump out at me probably more than the average person if their music was in ads, but off the top of my head I can only think of the Universal and British Gas (which was everywhere in fairness). What other ones have their been? Have there really been that many?

[Ed209]

Song 2 been used on all kinds of stuff. Remember something about Parklife and Nike also

[MEGABOWL]

He was in the Sunday Times ad though, bigging up the paper. Which annoyed me more than just giving his music to it. Songs I love in ads doesn't annoy me as much as it used to, but some do when they're used so much, for example I'll never be able to disassociate the Universal from British Fucking Gas. Iggy made a tit of himself but he's redeemed himself in my eyes with that lovely response to a fan letter I saw on Twitter this week. I love Madness but my god Suggs has put his name to some shit! Night Fever on 5 anyone? Lydon's butter ad doesn't annoy me for some reason, maybe because he's such a contrary old sod or maybe because it helped fund PiL

[russycarps]

Damon is great, don't like all his stuff, sometimes he makes some bad choices, but overall, fucking great. He's trying, he's exploring things, he has a go at different things, he's engaged with loads of different stuff, can't knock him for that. Rather that than some c**ts knocking out the same album a dozen times over.

Edited April 29, 2013 by russycarps

[Ed209]

There's a difference between the person appearing on an ad, and their music appearing on an ad. When the person appears in an ad its just themselves they're making a tit of, they're not damaging the music. Iggy was just himself and that fucking puppet. If he wants to cash in then don't really care. Non of his music was used (I don't think).

Its when a great song is used that it fucks me off. It genuinely devalues the art and changes that song for ever. That's fairly indefensible.

Then there's just c**ts like Moby.

Edited April 29, 2013 by Ed209

[Wooderson]

That ape Dylan not only let some bank use "The Times They Are A Changin" in some poxy Bank advert (hahaha!) and the Co-Op (!) used "Blowin' in the Wind" but then the man appeared himself in some heinous Victoria's 'king Secret ad!!!

Artists allow their music and likeness to make them money. If this then spoils it all for you well boofahkinghoo & all that as you'll soon have only a couple of your heroes left to listen that havent been defiled - cuz theyre all in on it.