I've always defended Damon, but his latest comments..

[tenement funster]

Songwriting credits and percentages rarely tell most of the story anyway. A lot of it is down to inter-band politics than anything else. Unless the main songwriter takes in a fully composed and arranged piece, then they shouldn't really get 100% of the writing and therefore royalty credit - I think band members have got a lot more wise to this than in the 60's and 70's for example.

[Pulp are better]

yes, it is funny that somebody who so stringently divides both songwriting credits and royalties equally feels placed to make the solo announcement that the band is over...

I don't think royalties are equal. I read years ago that Damon gets around 50%, Graham 25%, Alex 15% and Dave 10%.

What people perhaps don't realize is that songwriting royalties are always split 50/50, 50% for the lyrics and 50% for the music. I'm a registered songwriter and have been for some time, so I know that's just the way it works. I might be wrong but I believe that Damon wrote all the lyrics (except for songs like Tender and Coffee & TV etc...) and he therefore would automatically be entitled to 50%. If anything, Damon probably should've been getting a larger percentage as he obviously had a big hand in the music as well, but he's being generous by giving that cut to Graham, Dave and Alex. Everyone getting 25% wouldn't have made a lot of sense as that would've implied everyone had an equal part in writing the lyrics for all the songs, not just the music.

Additionally, a song is legally considered something you can print on a piece of sheet music. That means the lyrics, the melody, chord progression and anything else you could transcribe to sheet music. Everything else is considered arrangement, which does not entitle you to royalties. For instance a drumbeat, as nice as it may sound, cannot be transcribed to sheet music and therefore counts as arrangement. It's like if you cover a song and add your own spin to it by replacing the guitars with saxophones and whatnot, it might sound completely different but you still didn't write the song. So when people are going on about Damon's 4-track demos being the songs, they are technically correct. I'm not saying this is right or wrong, but that's just the way it works. Ask any music industry lawyer.

[tom_cas1]

^ Wrong, of course drums can be transcribed to sheet music.



Drums can also be written in a full score. I wrote and finished one just the other day, it's not hard at all and every musician who writes music does this.

It's not hard to split royalties to 25% each either. Towards the end of the Beatles Lennon and McCartney rarely wrote together anymore however their songs were still credited Lennon/McCartney. It's all down to what's in the contract.

And whoever thinks Alex and Dave have no musical input obviously know nothing whatsoever.

Regarding Damon's comments, who knows if what was written really reflects what he actually said. But I agree that his latest solo output hasn't been much cop, his last good album probably being The Good, The Bad and The Queen. Let's be honest, Plastic Beach was a disappointment compared to Gorillaz and Demon Days and don't get me started on The Fall. I don't care much for his world music albums either. Some people here would buy an album of farts if Damon was connected to it.

Whether Blur carry on I not, I don't care. An actual answer that all four of them can agree on would be nice. I don't think it's a good sign that all four of them are coming out with different answers regarding Blur's future, kind of suggests they aren't in touch much.

[AdvertBreak]

^ Wrong, of course drums can be transcribed to sheet music.



Drums can also be written in a full score. I wrote and finished one just the other day, it's not hard at all and every musician who writes music does this.

It's not hard to split royalties to 25% each either. Towards the end of the Beatles Lennon and McCartney rarely wrote together anymore however their songs were still credited Lennon/McCartney. It's all down to what's in the contract.

Yep. This is what i use for my drums.

[Airstrip 1]

Damon's comments don't really bother me. Or at least don't seem surprising to me after following the dude for two decades. And you have to keep in mind that a journalist edited and arranged his quotes. It's still miles away from the animosity between Mick and Keith. And those geezers still get together for the business of gigs.

I agree with the notion that Damon thrives on spontaneity. And therefore any predictions of the next few years from him should just be ignored. I also get where he's coming from. Alex has a ton of other commitments. Dave has a busy new life. Damon likes to just pop in every day and see what happens. It must kill the joy for him to have to have managers and handlers look at everyone's schedule and go, "Oh, hrm, Alex is on Top Gear and then touring grocery stores. Dave's due at court. But there's a Tuesday that might work..."

[andym]

his last good album probably being The Good, The Bad and The Queen..

True. and i never cared for Gorillaz. In reality, in don't like that band.

[Rob_Graves]

If Damon doesn't want to do blur again that's just fine. It's his choice. Blur have given us a lot of amazing music through the years and we're all greatful. He should just be a little more tactfull about it, that's all. Show some respect. Same goes with Gorillaz. Jamie made some great art. Don't be a little B about it.

[blurdamongorgeous]

can anyone tell me what he said about jamie ???

[sledge hammer]

his last good album probably being The Good, The Bad and The Queen..

True. and i never cared for Gorillaz. In reality, in don't like that band.

Yup....

[damon4president]

yeah, anyone who thinks that drums cannot be transcribed to sheet music clearly does not know the first thing about drumming, it was one of the first things I learnt as a teenager... really basic stuff... secondly, Damon didn't write all of the lyrics, as I said, Graham wrote the verse lyrics for She's So High, Justine Frischmann came up with the opening line for End of a Century etc., so it's not as clear cut as many groups, where the singer does single-handedly deal with that side of things, although Damon did write the majority. Also, Alex Graham and Dave did a lot more than 'arrangement' - they wrote the parts for their respective instruments.

anyway, I don't even know how we got into the legal side of things, because the point is that, whether he means it or not, it's incredibly irresponsible to say these things in interviews. Damon has dealt with the music industry for twenty years now, he should know that these things always get blown out of all proportion. How must have the rest of the band felt reading that? Completely sidelined, I should imagine.

[davidsutter]

Yeah, I'd say that's right.
The Blur sound is a Damon song with embellishments by Graham, maybe some drum and bass things coming from Alex and Dave.

[silentbob69]

It is worth remembering that we don't know exactly what things were asked of Damon in this interview to receive those answers. The press is always cutting up an interview for it's own agenda...for example..

Question...So Damon,are there any plans for Blur after these two gigs?

Damon..Not at the minute....it should be the end as it would make a nice ending for Blur.

Article headline = Hyde Park gig is the end of Blur says Damon.

I take it all with a pinch of salt. I think some of us are also looking at what ha said about Alex and Dave the wrong way as well. I think he means that because Graham is a full time musician then it is easier to immediately get things going whereas A&D are not full time anymore so it may take them a bit more rehearsal...I doubt Dave goes in his garage every day and starts playing his drums.

And for anyone who thinks that Damon's output without Blur has been somewhat substandard I suggest you go and listen to TGTB&TQ and the Dr Dee tracks and Poison and have a think about it. I love Blur and have seen them over 30 times (first time was Manchester Boardwalk) and I would love more material but I think that Damon and Graham have both fhad valid and interesting musical careers outside of Blur so if there's no more, then I can live with it as long as they carry on making music.

I have seen enough of Damon to know that he may feel totally differently in 6 months time and there may be some more Blur music. I wouldn't put it past him to be purposely putting everyone off the trail so he stops getting asked questions about it.

And myself I thought that Plastic Beach was excellent and have always thought that Jamie was a bit of a tit. I loved his comic work like Hewligan's Haircyt etc but how many of us would know of his work if it wasn't because he was connected to Damon?

[Lee Jaxsam]

While I too can see Damon's comments as disappointing and insensitive, I'm also not bothering worrying about them or reading too much into it all.

Having watched and read enough interviews with Damon, you get a sense for his personality. Is he evasive about personal questions and deliberately vague or oblique quite often? He's and artist, not a political spokesperson. He's never liked interviews and media, so it's a bit like pulling teeth in the first place. And we know what a lovable, mercurial spaz Damon is, so he is going to be honest and say whatever comes out of his mouth. There's not much of a filter, certainly plenty of ego, and he's speaking off the cuff. So taking what he says as literal or sacrosanct is just inviting needless worrying.

Seeing as how William Orbit tweeted about Damon being a shit to the others in Blur (check the front of Veikko's Page), it may all be true. Damon's a cocky type A personality, not necessarily the lovable type IMHO. Lots of great artists are complete dicks as people. Nevertheless. I'm excited for Graham's album and continued solo work, and whatever Damon comes up with. A new Blur album would be unreal, but I've survived just fine nearly a decade without it.

[Villa_Rosie]

A new Blur album would be unreal, but I've survived just fine nearly a decade without it.

Yeah, that's my conclusion too, even though I'll always hope for a new album. If this really is the end then we've kind of had the end for a couple of years already. I just wish I could get to see them one last time..

[tenement funster]

Yeah, I'd say that's right.
The Blur sound is a Damon song with embellishments by Graham, maybe some drum and bass things coming from Alex and Dave.

The "Blur sound", if you want to put it that way, is Damon taking rough ideas into the rehearsal room and those ideas being realised by the band as a 4 piece. End of. He could have taken some of those ideas and kept them as Gorillaz and they would bear no relation to what it would have become with Blur.