Blur’s Graham Coxon: ”The X Factor’ and ‘The Voice’ are disgraceful’

Blur‘s Graham Coxon has hit out at TV talent shows such as The X Factor and The Voice by labelling them as “disgraceful”.

Speaking to the Independent, the guitarist said that he disapproved of the idea that aspiring artists could achieve immediate success in the music industry and claimed that he believed in “doing things right”.

“To get better at anything you have to practice a lot,” he said of his approach to songwriting. “It doesn’t just appear.

“I’ve only got myself to please. When I’m on my own in my front room with a guitar, there’s no one going to say to me, ‘That’s really great’ if I play some old rubbish,” he added. “I do believe in doing things right. Which is why The X Factor and The Voice are so disgraceful to me.”

He then went on to say: “That’s how I feel about it. Perhaps I’m old-fashioned in that sense – that I believe you have to pay your dues. Being a musician is not something you can become overnight.”

Coxon also paid tribute to his Blur bandmate Damon Albarn’s varied musical projects and said he would like to challenge himself in a similar fashion by working outside of his comfort zone. “Damon’s gone off to Mali and worked with all sorts of different people,” he said. “Musically, he’s put himself in some weird areas where he might have struggled. He’s made some brave and adventurous moves and that’s probably what I want to do.”

Coxon released his eighth solo album ‘A+E’ in April of this year, and will join up with Blur again to play the Olympic closing ceremony concert on August 12.