Whenever you hear of a grown man being afraid of others you usually aren’t that impressed, and that’s the exact sentiment I feel when reporting upon such an incident. In the big bad world of entertainment, unless you aren’t willing to take a beating (and far worse) expect to never enter the fray. But there is one thing you should certainly never do and that it reveal to others, especially “fans” that you are afraid of them.
According to NME, in an interview with The Idler magazine, the guitarist recalled suffering insomnia and anxiety at the height of Blur’s fame in the 1990s due to unwanted, intrusive attention from some “unhinged” followers of the band. Well, if you cannot stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
He said:
“You get unhinged people. People who are obsessive,” he said. “And until it happens to you, you don’t quite realise just what a nightmare that is. Months and months of not sleeping. Worrying every day, every hour of the day. It was awful.”
Coxon also encountered men who would make advances upon his girlfriends. “You’d be on tour and your girlfriend would have all these suitors, trying to get with your girlfriend. Because fair enough, if they like your girlfriend, but if they’re trying to get with her because she’s with you … well, I found that a world of super meanness that I didn’t realise was there.” Now that is low down rotten dirty and completely disgusting. These sorts of men are the scum of the earth.
He also discussed turning a spare room in his North London house into a quiet space for him to work undisturbed, explaining that he “really needed” the peace and quiet to preserve his mental health. Understandable. Thank the good Lord above for new “remote” jobs. I truly believe they are the way of the future and the way to preserve peace of mind and a healthier way of living.
“My own space became very important to me over the last few years. It was a place of peace and quiet. I knew who I was in there. I really needed it. Because out there it’s out of control”, he continued.
Good for you.
