Q&A: James Blunt

On July 10th, 2005, James Blunt was in Switzerland when he got the call saying that his debut album, Back to Bedlam, and his smash hit "You're Beautiful" had catapulted past Coldplay to the Number One slot on the British pop charts. "I spent the afternoon going, 'Fuck,'" says Blunt, 28, who organized a proper champagne toast on the roof of a Holiday Inn. "My band turned up a couple hours later, and they spent the rest of the afternoon going 'Fuck' as well." "You're Beautiful" -- written about an ex-lover he spied in the London underground with a new man -- soon stormed the U.S. charts as well, and the album jumped to the Top Twenty in early January. In addition to songs about lost love, Blunt lends his gravelly voice -- which at times sounds like a young Rod Stewart's -- to tunes like "No Bravery" and "Cry" that reflect on his four-year stint in the British army, during which he served in the war in Kosovo. But he doesn't get into specifics. "The ideas I'm writing about are ideas that any human being should be able to relate to," says Blunt, whose speaking voice sounds weirdly like Star Wars' C-3PO. (Incidentally, Carrie "Princess Leia" Fisher was an early fan and housed Blunt while he recorded Bedlam in Los Angeles.) Blunt checks in from Lyon, France, at the start of a seven-month world tour that hits the States in March.

What is your earliest musical memory?

Being forced to take up the violin by my mother when I was five, and taken to class with a whole group of other children. We were made to dance around some hot-cross buns, playing the tune "Hot-Cross Buns" -- it's an English thing.

That sounds awful.

I think we were involved in some satanic ritual. I should probably sort that out with a therapist. I took up the piano when I was seven, and that was much more constructive.

You got a guitar at age fourteen. Why and how?

Well, I saw a guy at school playing an old Strat, and I just thought it was amazing! I'd been learning the piano at the time, having these boring lessons, getting really pissed off and thinking, "This is a miserable experience." So I was inspired. I got a holiday job, saved up a hundred pounds and got myself a really high-street copy of a Strat. I made some pretty bad sounds, but I found it was the first time I had my own ideas. It was like freedom.

Do you still own the guitar?

No, I sold it to my friend after about three years and I got myself one of those yellowish Fender Telecasters.

What's the most played song in your iPod?

I've been listening to this song by Micah P. Hinson called "Don't You," and Cat Power's "Maybe Not." I saw her three years ago. She can have on and off days performing live, but she was amazing. The audience was singing the backing vocals.

Your original name is James Blount. Whose idea was it to change the spelling?

I manufactured that idea myself. When I went into music, I didn't want to have to spell my name for people all the time, so it just seemed easier to make it B-L-U-N-T.

Do you smoke blunts before the show? Or after?

I'm actually pretty sober for shows. I just get more of a rush that way -- I might as well be there rather than be mentally hung up. Y'know, I enjoy a party after.

Your first shows were opening for Elton John -- in stadiums! Did that scare the shit out of you?

[Laughs] They were great fans. Our second gig ever was to 25,000 people! It felt like a summer festival, outdoors and sunny. We had the time of our lives. Elton has always been incredibly supportive. He took me out on tour and he told me, "Make sure you enjoy it." I've taken that advice very seriously.

And you played at Elton's wedding. What did you play? Any gossip?

I just got a guitar out and went up onstage and played "You're Beautiful." It was amazing. Even the flowers -- I'm a bloke, so that's not the first thing I'd notice -- it was like, "Wow!" It was an incredible party. There were a lot of beautiful people, so it was nice to sing them that song.

My mom is a big fan of yours. Is it weird to see older people in the crowd?

I'd guess that there are people in their fifties sweating it out in the mosh pit and making out in the corner. Definitely a few of those.

I heard a snippet of "Riders on the Storm" in your song "So Long, Jimmy."

There's a little nod in that direction. That song's more about Jimi Hendrix, but I was in L.A., playing these great old instruments. I've listened to massive amounts of the Doors before, and I couldn't resist. That band is not talked about that much, but they were great. Particularly the way they recorded. They were dreamers in the way they portrayed their music.

"You're Beautiful" is a smash. In hindsight, is there anything you'd change about it?

I guess not [laughs]. It seems to work. I love it as a song. For me, it's about a magical moment on the underground in London. But playing it at shows around the world, each audience has its own character, so it's amazing to hear people singing this song all at once. And everyone holding up their cell phones.

When the ladies come over, do you seduce them with the piano or the guitar?

If I do that, it's like, "Come on! We know you're a musician. I don't want you playing the fucking Beatles. Now get your kit off!" I seduce them with alcohol.