BLURRED VISION: American rock fans didn’t greet...

BLURRED VISION: American rock fans didn’t greet British sensation Blur’s recent U.S. tour with much enthusiasm--and the feeling is mutual.

Blur singer Damon Albarn was downcast and uncomplimentary about the American rock scene upon his return from a tour that saw the band playing at the kind of venues (including the 1,200-capacity John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in L.A.) that it has far outgrown at home and elsewhere.

“[America] did have a period where there was some kind of agenda [in rock], and you did get a sense that bands were playing because they felt something inside themselves,” he told Melody Maker. But, he said, “it’s not happening over there at the moment, and in a way that makes it harder on us because what is selling and what is popular is really bland. . . .

“I think they like our accents, but in America you do have to give that sense that you’re rockin’ ! It does pose problems for us, because whenever that conversation comes up I always say we’re a pop band, we don’t rock. It’s a point of principle!”