He is already a renowned bass player, cheesemaker and diarist. And now Alex James has added director to his list of going concerns. The Blur bassist has just unveiled his debut short film, named, A Slice of Life. The two-and-a-half-minute film also features a new solo track from James, called Superordinator.
Shot in California, where Blur played Coachella in April, the film shows James waking up in his hotel room and goofing around the swimming pool and the streets of LA, while listening to the track on his headphones.
Speaking about his foray into directing, James said: "Like everything else, it starts with an idea, and as music is so much part of my life, it quickly became the focus of the short. I was in LA listening to the track on my headphones. The more I listened to it, the more it chimed with the sunshine and the atmosphere of the city.
"So I decided to make a film about being carefree and happy, with a punchline that brings it all back to Earth – the concept being life is short, but music endures. I really enjoyed the whole film-making process, it was very accessible and a lot of fun."
The film was not made on a whim, however. James created A Slice of Life to help launch the Virgin Media Shorts competition. With the aim of discovering new British film-making talent, the contest gives budding directors the chance to get their work shown in cinemas, on television and online. The overall winner will be given £30,000 to fund their next project.
It also emerged this week that Blur could be on the verge of releasing a new studio album in Hong Kong, after Damon Albarn made a cryptic announcement from the stage.
