Random Musings of a Curious Mind

“Having two friends who’ve known you since you were a spotty teenager has to help when you’re on stage in front of 100,000 people.”

Like marmite, sprouts and sex with the light on, Muse are one of those things in life that you love or you hate.  Black Holes And Revelations, Muse’s fourth studio album split THE WORD office, but some of us found its OTT parade of electronic-poppy-stadium prog, obsessed with conspiracy theories, futuristic cities and outer-space to be just the ticket.  Hoovering live band awards all over the shop, Muse have hardly been off the road this year, and are sure looking forward to hanging up their paranoid fantasies in exchange for some festive jollity.

– What a year, Matt, you’ve hardly been off-stage.

“I know it’s been pretty heavy.  We were making the album at the start of it, then touring.  Our low point was probably May when we played our first gig in a year – we were awful.  By Reading, we were shitting ourselves.  And we’d set ourselves a bit of challenge trying to get all the new stuff working.  We’ve always been playing around with different bits – this time it was electronica, early modern classical like Steve Reich, making musicians sound like machines, and early Romantic music.  Although that sounds a bit Spinal Tap.  A bit Like My Love Pump, doesn’t it?”

– But Muse are Spinal Tap!

(Laughs outrageously)  “The drumkit this tour is very Spinal Tap actually.  It looks like a 1940’s satellite that orbits the earth.  Or like an Italian coffee-maker.  It takes off.  But we are secretly planning a gig when it doesn’t take off.  It’s Dominic’s (Howard, the drummer) birthday soon, so probably then.  And we have a song called Knights Of Cydonia, so obviously we have a sense of humour…”

– Don’t you get bored of touring?

“A bit; we’ve not stopped since May.  But we go through cycles.  Sometimes we’re getting drunk every night and out at too many parties and then we get bored, so we go teetotal.  Last time that happened we bought a load of gym machines and were sitting around drinking orange juice in our shorts.”

– You lot like your conspiracy theories about the world at large.  What do you think about the state of international politics in 2006?

“It’s pretty scary.  That’s why we wrote City of Delusion, expressing what it’s like to live in a world where you have no power or control.  December 2000 was a turning point really, wasn’t it?  When Bush was elected – well, he wasn’t elected, was he?  I don’t think 9/11 would have happened if Bush hadn’t been in power.  I think all that was part of a grander plan.  We’re going to become a corporate fascist state where big companies define policy, if we carry on like this.  There are dark people in high power, dark forces out there.  God, that sounds a bit Darth Vader.”

– You’ve been friends since childhood, in a band together since 1994, and you are household names in 2006.  Has knowing each other helped or hindered you?

“Having two friends who’ve known you since you were a spotty teenager has to help when you’re on stage in front of 100,000 people.  You catch each other’s eye and start laughing.  It’s funny when we go home (to Teignmouth, in Devon).  Some of our old friends haven’t moved, they’re still exactly the same.  Some of them are all, “Ooooh, you’ve changed.”  We’re like, yeah, well, you haven’t.”

– And are you going back for Christmas?

“We’re going home, yeah, I can’t wait.”

– And what’s Santa bringing you?

“A new coat would be nice.  A nice new winter coat.  And some new shoes, actually, I haven’t had a new pair in two years.  So some shoes, please, Mum.”

– Have you had any weird Christmas presents from fans?

“Lots of teddy bears for some reason.  And way oversized XXX-style girl’s knickers.  But more bears than knickers.  That’ll have to change in 2007.”