Alex James: 'Flying is better than drugs'

Alex James has announced that he thinks flying is better than taking drugs.

The Blur bassist said that he regularly takes his friends for rides in light aircraft because it gives them an amazing "natural high".

Talking about a recent trip with his farmhand Paddy, James told The Independent: "We bundled Paddy into the front of the airplane and had taken off before he knew what was happening. He was only a bit green afterwards."

He continued: "Cheaper than horses, more expensive than drugs, but better! From now on I'm only travelling by plane."

The 40-year-old musician added: "Other people's amazement is the best thing about flying. As we zoomed around the valley, I watched his head turn from left to right and back again."

James recently built an airstrip at his Oxfordshire home.