Coffee & TV

This is a great Coxon song, a true unappreciated legend, one of the best guitar players and musical influences this country has spawned, although I'm sure he'd squirm, play with his hair, “um and ahh” at any suggestion of him being a legend!

I come from the same town that Graham grew up in and this song strikes a chord (read Essex Dogs) and you'll know what I mean. I never met him, know him or profess to, but if I did, I’d like a cup tea and a chat with him.

The great thing about song writing is you can write it to mean something, nothing or a bit of both. There are always three sides to every story.... your side, their side and somewhere in-between is the truth!

My take on this song is about him growing up in Colchester and his younger years, being a pads brat, no real home, an Army life but trying to fit in.

Do you feel like a chain store, practically floored?

Graham used to work in Colchester Sainsbury, it’s a chain store, boring and very practically floored

One of many zero’s, kicked around bored

Perhaps a reference to himself, basic job and no prospects. However, the suggestion of being bored, means he has some intelligence and is thinking of something better, dreaming of a new world? He knows he can break out

Your ears are full but you’re empty, holding out your heart

Tricky, whose ears are full? A reference to basic check out chit chat? Holding out your heart? People you don’t know, telling their life story in 3 minutes? Perhaps his ears are full of music but the people he interacts with are empty and can’t hear what he hears inside of his own head.

To people who never really, care how you are

A double meaning maybe, customers or his boss? No one really cares how you are on most occasions; did anyone ask him how he was? Just a factory churning out goods for cash in return, brings back memories of chemical world.

So give me coffee and TV

Lots of references to Graham’s alcoholism on here, maybe it is, I’m not so sure. Personally I think he’d prefer a cup of tea. “So give me Tea and TV” don’t go, so could be. I do believe its getting home, chilling and having some time on you own

History, misery, easily?

Which one, I’d always heard it as misery until I read these blogs, think it maybe easily now?

Seen so much I’m going blind and I’m brain dead virtually

Total over load, bored

Sociability, hard enough for me

Graham struggles with himself, on one hand he’s shy but on the other and by the very nature of what he does, he’s really confident. Deep down I feel he knows he’s worked hard, perfected his craft, but still is very insecure with how good he’s become. There lies the problem, he’s not what he wants to be, I think he was born ten years too late and should have been a punk. We all want him to be the most interesting person you could ever meet, I'm sure he is, but only a very small circle of friends will ever truly know him and even they never will.

Take me away from this big bad world and agree to marry me, so we can start over again

I’m getting bored

Do you go to the country, it isn’t very far

Colchester is in the country, not far from London, but far enough.

There’s people there who’ll hut you, because of who you are

Growing up in the late 70’s early 80’s in a squaddie town, as gentle as Graham is, there will be people who will want to hurt you because you sound different. If he’s looking back later in life, penning the song from his London pad, it makes sense, the country is not far, but still he remembers the hard old days.

Your ears are full of their language, there’s wisdom there you’re sure

Starting fights, going out in town, getting picked on but trying to make sense of it

Till the words start slurring and you can’t find the door

Mine are now, and the handle has moved!

Errr, time for a cup tea!!

I still think in years to come generations will still listen to Blur and love their songs and try and make sense of them like we do now with” The Kinks”

My only negative comment on Blur is how they have shunned their home town, Colchester, and pretend to be Londoners. Dave was born in Colchester, but all bar Alex, grew up in that town from a young age and their songs show that. I feel they have a lot of angst toward the town and county that was their home. Wherever you were nurtured in that period of time, it was the same, bullying, non PC, racist etc.

It’s now a great place to live and has a fantastic history that we only just now understand, I think Graham will come back and love it. The 2000 year old Roman wall, the largest and most complete Norman Keep (Colchester Castle) ever built in Europe (ordered by William the Conqueror) It was built upon the foundations of the Roman temple of Claudius, destroyed some 1000 years earlier by Boadicea. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star was penned in Colchester, Humpty Dumpty was written here about the English civil war, oysters, Old King Cole, The Roman race track, and Blur! So much inspiration, come home Gray Ho!!

History, yes. Inspiration for the future, yes.