January 30, 2008 0:36
Blur's Alex James calls cocaine 'a trail of death' Blur Tickets
Bassist speaks out about South American drug trade
Photo Gallery: Blur
Photo: Pa Photos
Blur's Alex James called cocaine a "relentless trail of death".
The bassist recently visited Colombia to film a documentary about its drug trade. After seeing the situation there, he told Newsbeat: "It's a relentless trail of death, it's just not stopping and it did start to wear me down."
James has publicly admitted to using cocaine himself, mentioning in his autobiography that he spent "a million pounds on champagne and cocaine," but the star has since quit using.
James was invited by Colombian president Alvaro Uribe along with other celebrities linked to cocaine use to witness first-hand the harm it has done to the South American country.
"My heart started beating faster when I was met at the airport by heavily armed security guards and escorted to a bomb-proof monster truck," he said, adding, "The cash generated by coke basically has been funding a civil war that's been raging for decades."
James said that drug use among musicians has almost become acceptable, but he hopes that shedding light on the negative impact it has on others may change people's attitudes.
"It's seen as a victimless crime I suppose taking drugs, but if you follow the trail of dots back to Colombia it's pretty horrible."
--By our Los Angeles staff.
[url="/about"] Find out more about NME.[/url]
The Shockwaves NME Awards 2008 are coming soon -- and it's time to have your say. Vote now by heading to NME.COM/awardsvote and you could win VIP tickets to the ceremony, which takes place in London on February 28.
Visit NME Video for the latest music videos and artist interviews
- Previous: Paul Simon schedules special shows in Brooklyn
- Next: Shockwaves NME Awards Tour kicks off in Belfast
| Date/Time | Venue | Town/City | Seetickets | Viagogo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 01, 2012 19:00 | Margate Winter Gardens | Margate | Tickets not currently available. |
Buy Blur Tickets |
| Aug 05, 2012 19:00 | Civic Hall | Ormskirk | Tickets not currently available. |
Buy Blur Tickets |
| Aug 06, 2012 19:00 | Civic Hall | Ormskirk | Tickets not currently available. |
Buy Blur Tickets |
| Aug 07, 2012 19:00 | Plymouth Pavilions | Plymouth | Tickets not currently available. |
Buy Blur Tickets |
You may need to upgrade your Flash Player
You can download the latest flash plugin here.
If you have installed flash but keep getting this message:
1. Try to bypass flash plugin detection here.
2. Ensure you have javascript enabled in your browser.
3. Try using Firefox
Listen to more Free Music at we7.com| Date/Time | Venue | Town/City | Seetickets | Viagogo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 01, 2012 19:00 | Margate Winter Gardens | Margate | Tickets not currently available. |
Buy Blur Tickets |
| Aug 05, 2012 19:00 | Civic Hall | Ormskirk | Tickets not currently available. |
Buy Blur Tickets |
| Aug 06, 2012 19:00 | Civic Hall | Ormskirk | Tickets not currently available. |
Buy Blur Tickets |
Comments do not always reflect the views of NME, or IPC Media, for guidelines visit our Ts & Cs page