Coldplay isn’t all about Chris Martin as Michael Cheang finds out after chatting with the band's drummer.

When this writer first found out that an exclusive interview with Coldplay in Singapore last week was confirmed, I was ecstatic. I couldn’t wait. Then I found out that I was going to be interviewing not Chris Martin, but the drummer, Will Champion. Ok, well, that’s like getting to interview the Beatles, but getting Ringo Starr. It’s still not too bad. Well, it turns out that talking to Champion the Drummer was almost as good as talking to Martin the Lead Singer. According to the man himself, Coldplay is not a one-man band.

 

“The other three of us are not as well known as Chris, which is natural because he’s the lead singer,” said Champion during our interview at the Sentosa Hotel and Spa in Singapore last Monday, a few hours before they were due to perform at the Singapore Indoor Stadium as part of their Twisted Logic world tour.

 

“But we’ve been together for eight years now, and we are all aware of how the dynamics of a band works – Chris is the figurehead of our band since he’s the songwriter, but we also learnt early on that each part is very important as well. Take one part away, the rest of the band kind of collapses, so we are under no illusion that one of us is more important than the other.”

 

Nevertheless, most people do still tend to associate Coldplay with Mr Gwyneth Paltrow; and so it was that when their last album was released, there was a conscious effort to increase the visibility of the other three members – Champion, guitarist Jon Buckland and bassist Guy Berryman. “I suppose it was intentional in a way, because we were trying to push the image of the band more. People had come to associate Coldplay with just Chris, and we wanted to explain to push the fact that Coldplay is a band,” added Champion, who also plays the guitar and piano but ended up as Coldplay’s drummer simply because “my friends needed a drummer”.

 

Not that he is complaining about the relative lack of fame compared to the band’s lead singer, mind you. “We don’t have to handle or deal with it (fame) and that’s fine. But when Chris gets so much attention that he gets really cross or upset because people are chasing after him or his wife; that’s when we have to support him.”

 

Good causes and future sounds

 

The band is making full use of their popularity for a good cause, however, by supporting the global Make Trade Fair campaign that fights for fair-trade practices to combat worldwide poverty. “We’d made the decision to use our fame or our position for a good cause rather than just make money. After all, we could either use it to sell fizzy drinks or use it to promote a concept that would help a lot of people around the world,” said Champion.

 

“There are so many countries in the world that are crippled by international trading laws, implemented by rich Western countries. Our job is just to attract support for the movement, and raise awareness by mentioning it on our website, albums, and handing out leaflets at our concerts.”

 

Spreading the word during their concerts shouldn’t be that big a problem for the band, especially since Coldplay tend to sell out almost every venue they play in these days, and have gained a reputation worldwide for their electrifying concerts. This is mostly down to the band’s love of performing in front of an audience.

 

“We love playing live, because it’s a chance to do things in a slightly different way sometimes, and to experiment with songs that people are familiar with,” said Champion.

 

“We work very hard on our live performances, with the lights and the videos; and also put a lot more energy into them to make them more edgy and rough. Some of the songs that people may not love on the record, they might love live, because it’s more energetic.”

 

So after the tour, what’s next for the band?

 

“We’ve been together for 8 years, sold 30 million records, recorded three records, which is more than we thought we’d ever make,” he said. “Right now we feel like we’ve earned the right to do whatever we want, after working very hard for eight years.”

 

So would they do a Radiohead and come up with their own version of the highly experimental Kid A?

 

“Who knows? We definitely want to try and make a new sound, something that isn’t just another Coldplay record. “We are now trying to get away from the ‘Coldplay sound’. I think we’re finished with that. We’ve taken that sound to its logical conclusion – we’ve had enough of it, and I think probably the world has had enough of it too.

 

“We want to make something that still has a focus on great melody and lyrics and to present our songs in a way that you wouldn’t necessarily expect a Coldplay song to sound. It will still be a Coldplay song, but it’ll just be ... different.”

 

Being the Beatles

 

That said, the band also has some pretty lofty ambitions – they want to be like the Beatles. “We want to try and be like the Beatles and make something amazing that no one has ever heard before,” Champion proclaimed. According to him, the Beatles were extraordinary, and nothing like that will ever happen again.

 

“It was an extraordinary period in history, because they were the first kind of super pop group that everyone knew about. What people tend to forget is that from their first to last record, the Beatles were together for only nine years; but they made so many records and have a catalogue of thousands of amazing songs,” he said enthusiastically. “There are probably 100 Beatles songs I’ve never heard! Every song is incredible – a real Beatles expert can take something out of some old bootleg session, and it’ll blow your mind.

 

“That’s the kind of legacy that they left behind, and which we want to emulate. It’s the kind of thing we want to aim for – consistency and quality. The Beatles were unrivalled in that aspect and we want to be like that too.”

 

There is a definite hunger in Coldplay even after the hard touring and ensuring X&Y establishes itself as a classic Coldplay record. “We want to be a band that’s made something interesting and different and enjoyable and meaningful in each record, something that will last, and which people will look back on in 50 years time, and say, that was a great song or great album.”

 

High aspirations, indeed. But as Champion puts it, what harm is there in aiming high? “You have to aim to be the best otherwise there’s no point in doing it. You can’t say that we only want to be the eighth or fifteenth band in the world. We always want to be the best – not necessarily the most successful – but the best.”

 

An Asian tour edition of Coldplay’s X&Y, complete with a bonus DVD, is available through EMI Malaysia now.

 

Source: http://www.star-ecentral.com

Great interview with Will! :nice:

Thanks!

:D

 

I really can't wait to see what they come up with.

“We want to be a band that’s made something interesting and different and enjoyable and meaningful in each record, something that will last, and which people will look back on in 50 years time, and say, that was a great song or great album.”

 

Aww..:heart:

Thanks for posting. :nice:

 

Will always does such great interviews. *nods*

That's a really good interview. I can't wait to see what their next album is like. How exciting.

Great interview. Will is so articulate... what a hottie. :laugh3:

 

And I seriously cannot wait for the next album.

Great to hear so much from Will.

 

And indeed, he´s now made us all totally excited. :smug2:

ooh thanks! totally missed this! hehe Willuv!!

Awesome interview! I think they are well on their way to leaving a lasting legacy.

Champion, who also plays the guitar and piano but ended up as Coldplay’s drummer simply because “my friends needed a drummer”.

 

Awww dont ya just love him :nice:

:) i lurves Will.

^lol...I keep thinking Guy's saying whatever you say, with his face all smushed up like that.....:lol:

Pahahahaaaa :laugh4:

 

 

Great, now im gonna do it too! :lol:

:laugh3:

Will has reason...Coldplay is not a band of a musician alone

 

Chris,Will,Jonny and Guy :cool:

 

:drummer: :guitarist: :singer: