It’s Nice That (INT): In the book’s intro you mention that a lot of your memories of Blur’s early days are quite foggy. I’d love to know what has the process of returning to all these images and writing the book been like?
Dave Rowntree (DR): It’s been interesting, seeing what I do and don’t remember – quite eye opening, really. I mean, some of the pictures I don’t even remember who the people in the frame are, and it’s not even like the ones that do stick out are particularly meaningful or of important events.
Also, when I see my bandmates, I see the people in the pictures – they’re the people I visualise. I’m aware that we’re all a little bit older these days, and when I get flashes of us as we actually are, it’s jarring! Like, oh, my God, no, you’re not these 20 year olds anymore. But in my mind’s eye, I kind of supplant the pictures of those young men onto the faces of Graham, Alex and Damon now.
INT: Have there been any images or moments that might have slipped your mind that have been particularly nice to return to?
DR: They’re not really those kinds of photos – I didn’t take pictures of the big events that happened. I didn’t have a camera with me at the Brits, or on stage at the various events. These are all pictures of us doing all the other stuff that being in a band involves. This is us traveling around on buses, this is us backstage, this is us out at restaurants, at bars, at clubs, that kind of thing. All the other stuff that being in a band involves, all the stuff that isn’t the work, that’s stuff I got pictures of.