Random Musings of a Curious Mind

all credit as always goes to www.muse.mu

(Matt Bellamy, Dom Howard and Chris Wolstenholme from MUSE in Rock One Magazine)

Invited in Italy, on Lake Como shore where Matthew Bellamy settled down, we had the privilege to listen to “The Resistance” in the studio where Muse recorded it. A 5th album, incisive and blowing away. The English trio doesn’t seem to be decided to disappoint us at all. An exciting reunion with a Matt in top form.

At first listening, this new album is perhaps more accessible, simple and straight…

MB: Really? Super! I think that it was a very good idea to produce it on our own. We did exactly what we wanted to and I hope that people will hear it. I think some ideas on the two previous albums were put aside; we wanted to bring them back on this album. Finally, that’s pure Muse, if there must be a sound, this is this one, and this is us. All decisions were made by the 3 of us.

Becoming “1984”. Even the title “The Resistance”, simple and explicit, we are far away from “Black Holes and Revelations”

MB: Yes, this title is of an appalling obviousness (laughs)

As the album is?

MB: clearly. There’s no confusion, well, not too much, a little bit even so. The meaning of this album is quite strong. In the past, I would have told about conspiracies. On this album, I wanted to do something firmly rooted in reality, speaking of what’s happening in England since the last seven years.

The English are tired of the situation: a disastrous parliamentary system, a prime minister who everybody loathes, who we can’t get rid of and who we didn’t elected. Thanks to him, we’ve been involved in 2 wars because Mister Tony Blair is a friend of America, without speaking of the crisis. People are tired and surely ashamed of this situation (laughs). In the past, I was rather non-committal and oblivious of that kind of things. Today, I want things to change and I mean it clearly. England is becoming “1984″; we have more surveillance cameras than any other country in the world. The split between the people and the authority is blatant. We haven’t any control. Basically, England needs a revolution. Things must change and that’s what I express on this album. There’s also a love story in “The Resistance”, a little bit lost in the middle of the turmoil. Our lyrics have always been a bit more spectacular rather than concrete. This time I felt strong enough to speak more clearly. I read 1984 again one year ago and my perception of this book changed. This time, I was more interested in the relationship of the 2 heroes, Winston and Julia, their love story is their only freedom space, love becomes a kind of resistance, I think that’s the central emotion of the album. The idea of a romance inside a chaotic situation, this is a theatrical version of my life (laughs)

You haven’t been living in England since several years, is that what made you stand back to assess the situation?

MB: Yes. I think that when people are leaving their homeland they adapt their selves to their new environment or they are holding extreme identity, you see what I mean? I met people who left to USA and got a American accent, adopted a new dress style or on the contrary who became embarrassing cliché of the typical English who drinks tea each day and read newspaper, maybe because they feel lost and they find their selves back in this comforting image. I think I’m part of these last ones. Since I’ve been living in Italy, I caught myself watching English TV news, there’s surely a part of me who is homesick.

A DESIRE OF CHANGE AND REVOLUTION

From the first song “Uprising” we’re feeling the revolt, it’s a bit like an appeal to take weapons…

MB: Yes a glam rock weapons appeal (laughs) with claps, choirs, that’s true. It sounds like hooligans in a stadium.

It is well representative of the urgency feeling in the album…

MB: Yes it’s a feeling I always had concerning things that have to change, my thoughts in our previous albums have always been quite abstractive, a bit confused but with emotions, a desire for change and revolution but not being able to put the right words on the ins and outs of the problem. Instead of confining myself to generalities, I succeed in concentrating on a well précised thing that matters a lot to me and said it straight. I’m telling what it is to be English through my English eyes. Living here or even in France or in the USA, the English disconnection became blatant to me.

Did it come naturally for you to stop hiding behind stories or metaphors?

MB: Yes I believe this album is more “open”. I think it’s a matter of age (laughs) I don’t know how it is for the others, I’m speaking of me, but, when you’re an adolescent and you go through your 20’s you try to change or be something you’re not. When you’re getting older you realize: Shit! I can not change. You have to accept who you are. That’s what growing means to me.

It seems to be many different parts in “The Resistance” ….

MB: Yes, yes. The first two songs are the spine of this album, they were very easy to play and to understand for us and we recorded them first to get self confident, to have something strong and real to enable us to do more crazy things such as the symphony which took us a so long time. I believe that with Undisclosed Desires, which came later on we wanted to do something opposite to what we’re normally doing. Dom choose to do it with electronic drums only and programmed it all, Chris choose to play slap bass like Flea (Red Hot Chilly Peppers’ bassist) and that was very risky (laughs). I thought that the most unusual thing for me would be to not play any instrument at all and just sing. It’s the only song in which I don’t have an instrument in my hands. It was a very pleasant experience. That won’t turn the music world upside down but it did a bit for our world.

It might be weird to play it live for you; I can’t imagine just you and a mic …

MB: I’m going to find an 80’s keyboard that can put on shoulders or something like that (laughs). I’m too much afraid to stand on without a guitar (laughs).

Can you tell me about the surprising song “I belong to you” where you’re trying some French?

MB: Yes, very mediocre (laughs)! My pronunciation is awful. We stole some bits of a classical music. The outro of this song is from Chopin and the middle is from Camille St Saens opera “Samson and Delilah”. I say:” Ah! Réponds à ma tendresse, verse-moi l’ivresse”. That’s all I say and it’s well hazardous enough. I took the original lyrics, maybe that’s old French, I listened to it from opera singers and I tried to copy my pronunciation with theirs. The result is what it is! (laughs). It is my preferred bit of an opera in the world, it is magnificent in French!