he may be known for his evocative music
but there’s much more to this
singer-songwriter than meets the eye
hi I’m Rebecca Brayton and welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re speaking
with James Blunt about his military
career his charity efforts and his
friendship with Elton John sweet she was
always around you’ve supported a ton of
huge names through your career for
example when John comes to mind do you
want to just tell us kind of your
favorite experiences with that I’ve been
really lucky I’m knowing and touring
with Elton John that he’s he’s an
amazing person in an incredible musician
and then cuddled performer to me a great
support he was he took me out on tour
before my first album came out later
than that a couple years ago he took me
on tour with him around South America
and having you know plates my own
answers to play to the tens of thousands
of thousands of people is an experience
that’s you know it’s hard to describe
but also as a human being he’s an
incredibly generous person I’m gonna
think of an individual I think he’s the
most charitable give up with in Britain
his focus is not just supporting
musicians and new music that it’s just
supporting you know other people in the
world less privileged than the new me
now at what point did you decide that
you need to use your frame to support
altruistic causes like Doctors Without
Borders I was in the Kosovo war in 99 as
a soldier I thought I was doing a tough
job out there and I was always blown
away by when I would come around the
corner ahead of me
consistently all the time were these
amazing doctors and their teams from a
group called medicines or Thea Doctors
Without Borders and they were there
saving civilians lives and you could see
they were so proactive so selfless um
you could see that the money that they
were given from you know from various
people overseas was sent to the
frontline it wasn’t wasted on
administration they were out there doing
their thing and out there saving
people’s lives and I thought you know
wow that’s the most inspirational group
of people
arms outstretched into the sky she is
driving on their face
he has been here would you say your
military career prepared you at all for
your music career I think it prepared me
in many ways and it was also terrible
preparation for other aspects of it I
tour almost constantly and and you know
this year been in 200 cities all of that
time with a band and a crew on a tour
bus and that band and crew is very much
like you know am a platoon of soldiers
on the road with me as the air as the
vacant officer with silly ideas about
where to go with a tour manager who is
like a sergeant or sergeant major who
says okay I’m gonna make that happen for
your knows how to make it and then at
the same time the music business is a
strange one it’s at its heart is
something that I love his music and and
its really special the way but when can
we can communicate through music I love
but the music business
he’s lost slightly in the notion of fame
and fortune and those two constructs are
meaningless and shallow and and no great
depth compared to you know what his
music and I used to be in a business in
the army which dealt with life and death
and those were very real to suddenly
have to try and concentrate on him on
failure unfortunately I sometimes
struggle there
yes ironic that the juxtaposition there
between you know the music industry
which can be so shallow but the music
itself is so you know deep and
meaningful to so many people yeah it’s a
strange thing even the notion of charts
I find you know confusing sometimes
because you know to try and make music a
competition it seems like a bit of a
joke but you know that we create charts
in order to boost sales that’s the way
it goes and you know and I am part of
that I throw myself into that I throw
myself into it really because at the end
of a I love touring and you know and and
so if I can get a bit of visibility it
means I can turn up here and that’s the
bit that I really absolutely love
but there’s much more to this
singer-songwriter than meets the eye
hi I’m Rebecca Brayton and welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re speaking
with James Blunt about his military
career his charity efforts and his
friendship with Elton John sweet she was
always around you’ve supported a ton of
huge names through your career for
example when John comes to mind do you
want to just tell us kind of your
favorite experiences with that I’ve been
really lucky I’m knowing and touring
with Elton John that he’s he’s an
amazing person in an incredible musician
and then cuddled performer to me a great
support he was he took me out on tour
before my first album came out later
than that a couple years ago he took me
on tour with him around South America
and having you know plates my own
answers to play to the tens of thousands
of thousands of people is an experience
that’s you know it’s hard to describe
but also as a human being he’s an
incredibly generous person I’m gonna
think of an individual I think he’s the
most charitable give up with in Britain
his focus is not just supporting
musicians and new music that it’s just
supporting you know other people in the
world less privileged than the new me
now at what point did you decide that
you need to use your frame to support
altruistic causes like Doctors Without
Borders I was in the Kosovo war in 99 as
a soldier I thought I was doing a tough
job out there and I was always blown
away by when I would come around the
corner ahead of me
consistently all the time were these
amazing doctors and their teams from a
group called medicines or Thea Doctors
Without Borders and they were there
saving civilians lives and you could see
they were so proactive so selfless um
you could see that the money that they
were given from you know from various
people overseas was sent to the
frontline it wasn’t wasted on
administration they were out there doing
their thing and out there saving
people’s lives and I thought you know
wow that’s the most inspirational group
of people
arms outstretched into the sky she is
driving on their face
he has been here would you say your
military career prepared you at all for
your music career I think it prepared me
in many ways and it was also terrible
preparation for other aspects of it I
tour almost constantly and and you know
this year been in 200 cities all of that
time with a band and a crew on a tour
bus and that band and crew is very much
like you know am a platoon of soldiers
on the road with me as the air as the
vacant officer with silly ideas about
where to go with a tour manager who is
like a sergeant or sergeant major who
says okay I’m gonna make that happen for
your knows how to make it and then at
the same time the music business is a
strange one it’s at its heart is
something that I love his music and and
its really special the way but when can
we can communicate through music I love
but the music business
he’s lost slightly in the notion of fame
and fortune and those two constructs are
meaningless and shallow and and no great
depth compared to you know what his
music and I used to be in a business in
the army which dealt with life and death
and those were very real to suddenly
have to try and concentrate on him on
failure unfortunately I sometimes
struggle there
yes ironic that the juxtaposition there
between you know the music industry
which can be so shallow but the music
itself is so you know deep and
meaningful to so many people yeah it’s a
strange thing even the notion of charts
I find you know confusing sometimes
because you know to try and make music a
competition it seems like a bit of a
joke but you know that we create charts
in order to boost sales that’s the way
it goes and you know and I am part of
that I throw myself into that I throw
myself into it really because at the end
of a I love touring and you know and and
so if I can get a bit of visibility it
means I can turn up here and that’s the
bit that I really absolutely love
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