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Damon Albarn doesnt stop.
The result is a wonderfully gloomy chunk of heartache.
Albarn called from a moving train somewhere in the wilds of his homeland.
Im actually moving to London next month.
Weird time to go?Oh, really?
Uhhh … well, it depends, what youre hoping to get out of it!
If you come interested in social upheaval and discontent, its a great time.
Where do you think youre gonna move to?
She moved to New York in September.
Shes only 18 and shes found thats the hardest thing.
I think they almost speak a different language.
But as Ive told her, its up to her up to adopt their language.
Equally fascinating time to be in America.
You have the craziest president of all time, dont you?
I think probably, yeah.I dont think theres any ambiguity.
Craziest president of all time, genuinely.
You found inspiration for this album by wandering around parts of England you werent familiar with.
What was that like?
People dont even notice you.
It shouldnt have been, Should we leave the EU?
It should have been, Who are we?
Why are we not getting on?
Ive spent most of this year out of the country.
Its been kind of amazing spending these last few months digging [back] in.
Im playing in some little villages.
Whats it like?Its really, really different.
You get a lot more hecklers when its that small.
What are they saying?Well, you know, with some of them its Play the Blur song!
Play the Clash song!
I had one guy who said, Stop patronizing us!
I was taken quite aback by that.
Were you doing some stage banter at the time?No, I was singing my song!
He was addressing the nature of the song.
So you never know what youre gonna get.
What are these small villages like?
Are they fulfilling the cliches you had in your head?Yeah, basically.
They are both what I dislike about my country and what I love about it at the same time.
I mean, its a wholelistof likes and dislikes.
Its amazing how much is going on in a small space.
Were not even the size of Texas and weve got 60 different regional languages.
And thats not taking into consideration the multicultural factor.
you could find every single global community in the British Isles.
Its brilliant for that.Its one of the best things about this country.
And its slightly in danger at the moment.
Its not that I have lost my wanderlust.
Its really strong still.
But Ive enjoyed changing my perspective and coming back and enjoying … simple things.
Twenty-five years have passed.
I didnt consciously do that.Parklifewas created with the Cool Britannia and all that social change in mind.
I actually bumped into Tony Blair last Sunday.
It was really weird.
I was doing a TV program and he happened to be on it.
I mean what do I do.
Do I address the [situation]?
Or do I just say, Hi, how are you?
Its just strange that he reappeared again in my life.
Hello?Hello, yes.
[Pause] With less connectivity comes great skies.
In a way, this is sort of a breakup album.
Thisisan actual emotional upheaval.
I wanted this to last outside of this moment.
I havent named any names.
Did you ever make a run at write lyrics that rhymed with Brexit?No.
Or [prominent Conservative Party politician] Jacob Rees-Mogg.
I definitely wont be wearing a baseball cap on stage.
Maybe a cricket hat.
You know, honestly, if America has any interest in this, thats great.
But my responsibility with this record is just to play the United Kingdom as much as possible.
Cause were at such a critical moment.
I think its necessary just having something like this out there.
Its not going to change anything.
But it can sort of help add some sort of emotional intelligence to the whole debate.
Oh my goodness, yeah.
This is the craziness of the whole Brexit thing.
And you know, thats alongtime ago.
You tend to be inspired by travel.
Do you know where youre traveling to next?In the New Year, Im going to Guinea.
Im actually going to a small village in rural Guinea and Im looking for the first balafon.
I dont know whether Ill actually find it or not.
Whether I even see it.
Its a very sacred instrument.
Its a sort of closely guarded secret, where it is.
Thats what Im doing next.
Youre an artist whos never stopped making good stuff.Which seems impossible.
You are surely aware of creative peaks and how most artists at some point just stop making good things.
Whether I achieve it or not, hard to say.
Probably not all the time.
And maybe one day Ill run out of things that Im interested in.
If I do then Ill try and read the danger signs and [pauses] bow out gracefully.
You know the rapper, Drake?Obviously.
Thats actually what I wanted to talk about.
Me, I write everything myself.
Im limited to what I can do.
I know people who have fallen on the wrong side of that thing.
But its difficult, isnt it?
The young artist comes up with a really cool beat.
Do they sell it or do they use it themselves?
If they sell it to Drake, its gonna be a hit.
But are you gonna get the credit for it?
Its a decision you make as an individual.
And everybody wants their music to be heard.
Thats the point of it.
So it is difficult.
But it certainly affords people like him and Beyonce a very high hit-rate, to say the least.
So, you know: good luck to them.
But they dont write it all themselves.
