Short Answer:

Blur’s bassist. Britpop’s posh boy. Cheese magnate. Professional anecdote in human form.

Long Answer:

Full Name

Steven Alexander James. Dropped the Steven. Kept the mischief.

Born

21 November 1968, Boscombe, Bournemouth. But always sounded more Chipping Norton.

Occupation

Musician. Columnist. Cheese farmer. Occasional walking PR stunt. Played bass in Blur. Still dines out on it. Sometimes literally.

Known For

Bass player in Blur. Resident champagne socialist of Britpop. Wrote songs, toured the world, smoked tabs in first class.

Later reinvented himself as a gentleman farmer. Bought a country estate. Started making cheese. Called it things like "Blue Monday" and "Farleigh Wallop". Wrote books about the whole thing and got very comfortable on daytime telly.

Also played in WigWam with the bloke from ABBA. No one asked, but it happened.

Voice

Smooth, drawling, permanently amused. Like someone doing a good impression of a clever person being slightly drunk.

Family

Wife: Claire Neate. Met during Blur’s peak. Married before the hangover set in.
Children: Five. Yes, five. That’s not a typo.
Lives on a farm in Oxfordshire surrounded by goats, kids, and good PR.

Career Highlights

Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993). Gave the band backbone. Quietly groovy.
Parklife (1994). Spent most of it smirking while the country exploded around him.
13 (1999). Got weird. He kept it grounded.
Basslines on Girls & Boys and Coffee & TV. Subtle but essential.
Left the rock star life without leaving the spotlight. Ended up with a Waitrose-approved dairy empire.
Once claimed he spent a million pounds on champagne. Possibly true. Definitely believable.

Signature Look

Louche. Suits with open collars. Bottle in hand. Hair always too perfect to trust.

Signature Move

Standing slightly apart from the chaos, looking like he’d already written the memoir in his head.

Public Image

The posh one.
The charming one.
The one most likely to get invited back on Question Time.
Knows how to laugh at himself. Also knows how to get paid while doing it.
Less interested in the music than the story about the music. That’s not a criticism. That’s the brand.

Legacy

Held Blur together musically more than anyone gave him credit for.
Made basslines that walked rather than shouted. Let the rest of them posture.
Cheesemonger

Who is Alex James?