Interview (20080305 Virgin Radio France programme)

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An interview published on the Virgin Radio (France) website on 2008-03-05, transcribed by 'saoirse' of the official Muse forum. The recording was dubbed over in French but the English remained audible.


Matthew Bellamy: I think every album we've done has had a certain defining concert or certain defining moment you know the first time it was probably when we played the Zenith in Paris that was kind of the biggest concert at that time and we saw that as kind of possible direction of where we might go in the future. Then I think the second album we did i think the Docklands arena which was our first arena concert and the third album I suppose it was the Glastonbury festival 'cause it was the first time we had headlined a big festival and I think I suppose with this album it was Wembley stadium because it was sort of a defining concert in the way it was one of the highlights of the tour and I think that it inspired us more to maybe do that more in the future in other places and I suppose maybe make it bigger and maybe better as in you know but then maybe bigger is not always better but it would be nice to play maybe other stadiums around the world possible but I think but at the same time I think we'll be increasing our desire to play some smaller concerts to sort of contrast this.

Dominic Howard: I think we were, eh, we were really really scared well I was anyway when we were coming out from this little hydraulic lift and I think just nervous you know my chest was like pounding and eh I probably I was just worried about you know thinking about not falling down the steps you know in front of all those people but also just trying to focus on the first song Knights of Cydonia and focus on the music and remember how to play it and not forget anything.

B: I think there was a small aspect of comedy in terms of our disbelief in the situation and kind of you almost kind of like at the end of the day we are just normal guys and it just felt very strange to have that kind of tension just right in the centre you know it felt like sort of a little being thrown into a gladiator situation or something and so I think that for that reason that there was a little bit of I suppose you can see our faces smiling or laughing at some kind of of form of the ridiculousness of the situation. Its a mixture of this and nerves.

B: I suppose I tend to be a little bit dominating with the set list but you know I mean everyone has their favourite song I think we try to sort of we try to listen to you know sometimes people complain on the message boards who say they want certain songs and we do respond to that you know so sometimes we're willing to include certain songs you know that I think people think we're missing 'cause it seems that a lot of hard core fans they want to hear sort of songs from early albums more often than our newer fans and I think we sort of you know we have our own favourites so we listen to what people want as well you know the message board and things and I think we just try to find a balance you know and sort of you know it makes everyone feel a little bit happy.

B: Well I think we're just playing massive concerts and you can never take all the credit do you know what I mean because there is so many people involved so many crew, so many creative aspects that you cannot take the credit for being just just... you, you know but I think that's what happens when you play a big concert and I don't think it's, I think sometimes you miss, if you play too many concerts, I think sometimes you miss the rawness you know the simplicity of a smaller concert you know, but I like both.

B: I like eh I think Jimmy Hendrix at the Isle of Wight, I think thats the one where he sets fire to his guitar isn't it?
H: Yeah.
B: Yeah, I think thats really cool and I like eh Queen live at Wembley.
H: Thats a good one yeah.
B: And recently? Something new? Um, I don't know really um I'm a little bit out of touch.
H: I like the eh
B: I like the eh, I haven't seen the, I'm not too sure if they have a DVD but I really like Daft Punks you know the show with the pyramid the pyramid of light like I saw a video of this on tv and I don't know if it was a DVD or not but it was a good show.
H: I thought the eh Nine Inch nails live album was a good one, the one before last. I think around that time we were actually touring not with them but we were doing quite a few festivals together so we got to see them quite a lot and I remember them releasing a DVD and that was a good one you know it looked great and you know a lot of it was filmed on DV cameras as well so it was kinda maybe low quality camera but it had a really kind of good rawness to it.

B: Yeah, I think I quite like this kind of show really and maybe its not really expected of rock I don't know but I think when I was younger I remember going to this sort of dance concerts you know I remember seeing I remember in Glastonbury I think it was '94 or something and I was dancing along and I remember being very impressed with the light show you know and strangely enough I think we have something in common with them because around the time they were doing that we were looking to do sort of like a drum riser that was in sort of a pyramid shape [makes pyramid shape] you know and we were gonna have like it was gonna be kind of a triangle like this with a drum riser there [points to the bottom of the air triangle he is drawing with his hands] and then another area above where me and Chris could stand and then above that there was gonna be a area where one person could stand and it was gonna be sort of a triangular stage so if we did do that it would have been a very strange eh strange similarities so it was lucky we didn't.

See also


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