Blur’s Alex James Recalls Getting Kicked Out of a Church Party for Using a “Naked Baby Jesus” Figurine as an Ashtray

Incident at the Church Party

Blur’s Alex James recounts a rather unusual experience where he was ejected from a church party for using a “naked baby Jesus” figurine as an ashtray.

• READ MORE: Graham Coxon on Blur’s return: ‘We can’t leave it for long because we’re already knocking!’

In his newly released autobiography Over the Rainbow: Stories from an Unexpected Year, published on December 5, James shared this amusing story via Metro. This incident occurred during a church Christmas party in 2023.

“I was smoking in the room filled with art and objects as usual,” James wrote. “Someone I didn’t know politely said, ‘I’m not sure if you can smoke here.’ I obediently grabbed a small ashtray from the sideboard I was leaning against and extinguished my cigarette.”

He continued, “Unfortunately, unlike some cabins, not everything in this one could actually serve as an ashtray.”

“I stumbled across an antique figurine of a naked baby Jesus and, completely unaware, I put out my cigarette by rubbing it against my leg.” Unfortunately, James then accidentally broke the figurine.

“When the person who asked me to stop smoking informed me of my actions, I attempted to put a positive spin on it,” James wrote. “I picked up baby Jesus once more to demonstrate his durability by pulling on one of his little arms. The hand popped off, leaving a trail of remarkably fine, shiny, powdery dust.”

“I managed to reattach it,” he explained.

Life Beyond Music

In another part of the book, James revealed that he ventured into farming during Blur’s hiatus in the 2000s. In a recent interview, he commented on Labour’s proposed changes to inheritance tax policy for farms and mentioned he “burst into tears” upon seeing his daughter in the crowd at a recent Blur concert.

This year has been significant for Blur, especially with the release of Until the End – a documentary produced by Transgressive Records founder Toby L. – in July.

The film chronicles James’s reunion with Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, and Dave Rowntree as they came together to create their comeback album, The Ballad Of Darren, leading up to a tour that concluded with two shows at London’s Wembley Stadium last summer.

Reviewing Until the End, NME noted: “They fight, they hug, they call each other crap; they get the job done. Blur’s latest documentary and its accompanying live film There’s No Distance Left to Run painted a picture of a band celebrating their legacy and delivering precisely what a nostalgia-hungry audience craved. This spiritual sequel showcases the band supporting one another.”

“Whether they will return again or not remains uncertain. But regardless, it was an extraordinary journey.”