You Cox!

GRAHAM COXON has hit out at FATBOY SLIM following his comments about the guitarist's role in BLUR.

As reported this week in NME, Blur have stood by Fatboy Slim and will continue to work with him on their new album - despite his outspoken remarks about his relationship with Coxon.

Blur are currently working on their seventh studio album in Morocco without Coxon, and plan to release the record at the start of next year. Last week Fatboy Slim, aka Norman Cook, who is working as a producer, claimed the guitarist had left, not recorded with the band at all, and he felt "relieved" because of personal differences between the pair.

This went against an official statement, which claims that Coxon still has a future. "Blur and Graham are contemplating and deciding among themselves what the future arrangements will be", the statement concludes.

Some observers have suggested that by speaking out against Coxon, the band would've been within their rights to ditch Cook altogether.

Slim said. "He was the only one that I didn't feel comfortable with. And when I went into the studio and he wasn't there, I was basically quite relieved...When we were talking about the album, he was the one who was very suspicious of why I'd be working on it, he was like, 'So you're going to come in and turn us into awful pop dance band are ya?''"

Yesterday, Coxon spoke to Radio 1's Evening Session, and hit out at Cook, saying he "doesn't really know what he's talking about".

"No-one can really say much at the moment - particularly Fat Mouth Slim!", he said. "Just ignore what he says. I've got nothing against him. I don't understand why he was so tense about meeting me - I thought it was me being tense about meeting him.

"He doesn't really know what he's talking about. He's come in right at the tail end of an album, and he's professing to know about everything that was involved with making the album. I'm on the album. I'm just not working on it at the moment. I've played lots of guitars in it."

Five tracks from the record are currently circulating amongst music industry executives and close friends. Those who have heard the songs have revealed the songs at times show a darker, dance direction more reminiscent of Albarn's Gorillaz. William Orbit and The Chemical Brothers are also involved in the project.

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