Blur Bassist Is Royally Cheesy

07/17/09 1:05pm

by Steve McLean (CHARTattack)

Blur bassist Alex James may be bandmates with a member of The Good, The Bad And The Queen, but he has a more legitimate link with royalty via his cheese-making enterprise.

James got involved with farming after Blur went on their recently ended hiatus in 2003 and has won awards for his cheese. It's so good, in fact, that he's been appointed to convert 500,000 litres of organic milk into a product that will be sold through Prince Charles' Duchy Of Cornwall estate.

"Duchy Originals is delighted to be working with Alex James, one of Britain's most exciting and passionate new cheese makers, to produce a cheese using the milk from the herd of Ayrshire cows on the Duchy Home Farm," a spokesperson for the big-eared heir to the throne said to Britain's The Times.

"It will be the poshest fucking cheese in the world but it's only going to cost £3 (about $5.50 Canadian)," James told The Times. "I think everyone should be able to afford royal cheese."

James did video cheese diaries for The Guardian's website two years ago that can be viewed here.

Blur and EMI issued a double-disc best-of set titled Midlife: A Beginners Guide To Blur in the U.K. on June 15.

Blur have completed their run of European shows and will release recordings of their July 2 and 3 concerts at London, England's Hyde Park later this year.

North American shows are still a possibility, and I'm hoping they'll include a cover of The Rainmakers' "Government Cheese" in their set out of respect for James if they do.