Exclusive Coldplay Interview: MTV

[busybeeburns]

MTV News spoke to Chris Martin and Johnny Buckland about their love of Rihanna, working with Kylie and their awesome new album…

 

 

MTV News: When and how did you decide to start this new album?

 

Chris Martin: What normally happens with us and what definitely happened this time is as soon as we finish one record, we think we can do better and so we start working on another one because we feel like we have everything to prove again. You know what I mean? So as soon as we finished X&Y, we got straight back to work because we knew we could do something better.

 

How do you go about writing as a group?

 

CM: We have a team of 8 year olds who work in a factory just outside London all the time and we go there and see what they got, and often they have hits, and we take them.

 

CM: We try to take influences from everywhere and we try and not use any formulas especially on this record well, all the records we’ve done. But once you’ve done three albums there’s a danger of falling into formula and so we tried to avoid that at all costs.

 

Is there a temptation to reinvent yourselves?

 

CM: I think as much as possible we look at what other people are doing and try and steal all the good bits from all of them. So you look at ‘Umbrella’ by Rihanna and you think ‘oh that drum beat’s good’ and you look at ‘Stronger’ by Kanye West and think ‘oh those glasses are good’ and then you look at Greenday….so we are affected by everything’s that’s going on but we steal from so many different places that hopefully it becomes untraceable.

 

So then do you think lets pick a producer? For instance, Brian [Eno]? Tell us how that came about?

 

CM: We called up Brian to see if he knew anybody who could produce us. The words of the phone call were. “Please can you come in for a sandwich and tell us if you think you know anyone that could help us improve”. And he said, “Well I definitely agree you can improve and I think I can do it for you”. To which we said “Great…what flavour sandwich do you want?” and that was the beginning of the worst year of his life (laughs).

 

What was it like working with him?

 

Johnny Buckland: Well he’s an incredibly enthusiastic person, he just is full of energy for new ideas and new things, he’s not at all affected by

CM: The Weather

JB: Yeah, or his past achievements,

CM: He never mentions his past achievements

JB: No

CM: So when you’re working with someone like Brian who doesn’t mention his past achievements, you’d feel silly if you mentioned yours so it’s a good kind of restart. We thought ‘God we’ve gotta try and impress Brian today’, you know, and he doesn’t care how many Grammy’s you’ve won or whatever. In fact he couldn’t care less, so that’s quite liberating in a way, cos he’s not concerned with your past at all.

 

According to reports he had to bring you back together…any truth in that?

 

JB: I mean for me, he didn’t really fulfill that role. I think Phil our fifth member, if anything, he came back to us to working with us again, and that really brought us together, he’s like. If anyone’s ever upset or angry, he’s always there to put his arm around us, calm us down, bring us back.

CM: Our fifth member Phil…I don’t know if you’ve seen that Metallica film ‘Some kind of monster’, he’s like the therapist in that. Except, we’ve known him since we were kids. Every good band should have somebody like that.

 

How do you decide on the name of the album?

 

JB: We were on tour in South America last year and in Mexico we went to Frida Kahlo’s house and you saw that painting didn’t you? Called…

CM: Viva la Vida. And I saw this painting, and Frida Kahlo is this, she’s not alive anymore, but she was a Mexican Artist who paints in very bright colours, but there’s always real life within it and sadness and darkness, but it always looks very uplifting. And so when I saw that picture I thought, well that’s kinda what we’re trying to write about at the moment. And then a little voice in my head said, ‘Well it does sound like Ricky Martin’ and another voice said, ‘Well, don’t worry about it’. So it’s always been called Viva La Vida, despite everyone’s protestations, but that’s just what it had to be called.

 

Did that influence the artwork on the website etc?

 

CM:We had this idea for artwork that um, sort of felt that about our own band that we wanted to kill it and start it again, so we thought well how would it be in a revolution when people break in to a palace and get rid of the old institution? And we thought, maybe they’d paint over all the pictures and just kinda trash the place. So that’s where the idea for our Album cover came from, ruining a great masterpiece by scribbling on it.

 

Did that lead you to making your first track available for free on download?

 

JB: We made our first track downloadable for free because we didn’t want to be taking all the time. When you release an album, it can sometimes feel like you’re, you know, on the hard sell. So, I think we wanted to give something back to people who supported us

 

We’ve heard stories that some of the vocals were recorded in a Spanish church?

 

JB: We went on a kind of field trip to Barcelona to record some vocals. We wanted to do lots of group singing, lots of chanting and things. We wanted to do it somewhere sunny and interesting, so yeah we just decided to go to Spain and we found a really amazing old nunnery and we did some singing in it.

CM: we didn’t find any nuns though

JB: No

CM: We did try and invoke the spirit of a choir of nuns while doing those vocals.

JB: what’s that film?

CM: The sound of music?

JB: no with the choir of nuns

CM: Sister Act. And Sister Act 2 with Lauryn Hill. That’s classic.

 

Is there anything different about this album?

 

CM: the way we feel about our new album is that we’ve kind of thrown away our old tricks which makes us a bit nervous but it’s also potentially more exciting in the long run. We’ve tried very hard to write songs that people will want to sing along to but hopefully present them in a colourful way.

 

What’s the idea between the couple of ones that are like 2 tracks in 1?

 

JB: We limited ourselves to sort of 45 minutes of music on this album and so we wanted to fit in as many ideas as possible and do slightly more unexpected things so there’s some songs have complete right turns to somewhere else. We didn’t want to do a standard song structure every time.

CM: Also, we used to work in shops when we were younger and I noticed that every time they did a, I worked in a supermarket, and every time they had a packet of biscuits or something and did a special offer where you buy one packet and get another one free everybody liked those biscuits more, so we thought ‘lets try that with the album’ in a couple of places, we’ll have a buy one get one free.

 

Do you still get nervous when you’re about to release something?

 

CM: The answer tot hat question is – we’re more terrified than ever. Only because we tried really hard.

JB: Waiting for the release of this album is probably more nerve-racking than it ever has been. I’m not sure hwy. I don’t think we’ll ever enjoy this period.

CM: imagine, you know how in Rocky, you have the trainer Mickey. Imagine he felt like how we feel. You train something; you’ve done all you can on it then you have to let it go. So you’re just like ‘ok’ fingers crossed. But we definitely couldn’t have put anymore love into it than we did.

 

What can fans expect form this new series of live shows?

 

CM: think we’re mainly gonna play Bon Jovi songs and a couple of our B-sides. It’s not an essential night out. I take that back, it is an essential night out. We’re such hit whores. If we have the slightest hint of a hit then we’ll play it, you know. It’s about trying to make the perfect nights entertainment. In all seriousness we’re putting this concert together and we’re trying to make it as entertaining as anything that you can go and see and that obviously involves playing songs that people like.

 

What do you make of the Jay-Z headlining Galstonbury debate?

 

JB: I don’t know why there is a debate about whether it’s right or wrong that Jay Z should be playing, it’s ridiculous.

CM: I think it’s a bit like people complaining about Mozart playing the Camden Falcon. It’s like yeah it’s pretty different but don’t we want to go and see him? He’s brilliant! There’s not really any issue, only unfamiliarity. Anyone who isn’t into it is probably a c**t.

 

Is there anyone at the moment who you’re particular fans of?

 

CM: From our point of view since we’ve last been around, Amy Winehouse has appeared, who is the best singer I’ve heard in my life apart form Beyonce. Who else? We like a lot of things. We like the ting tings, we probably like the same stuff you do.

JB: Rihanna

CM: Rihanna of course, who else?

 

Another female, Kylie, you did a track together. It didn’t quite make it on the album. Is that true?

 

JB: Kylie sang on a track we did but we haven’t finished it.

CM: we just haven’t finished it. It will definitely come out one day. It’s pretty sexy. I just don’t know why we haven’t finished it yet. I do know why actually cos we’re waiting for one line of words.

 

From Kylie?

 

CM: No No. I just can’t come up with it.

 

http://www.mtv.co.uk/channel/mtvuk/news/06062008/423851/coldplay_jay_z_rihanna

[Fixed]

 

What do you make of the Jay-Z headlining Galstonbury debate?

 

JB: I don’t know why there is a debate about whether it’s right or wrong that Jay Z should be playing, it’s ridiculous.

CM: I think it’s a bit like people complaining about Mozart playing the Camden Falcon. It’s like yeah it’s pretty different but don’t we want to go and see him? He’s brilliant! There’s not really any issue, only unfamiliarity. Anyone who isn’t into it is probably a c**t.

 

That's the bit I saw on MTV News last week. Camden Falcon, of course! I knew it was somewhere in Camden he said. Maybe there is a video of this interview floating around somewhere?

[mynickismyname]

So, everything began while having a sandwich... Interesting!

[crazyduckette]

CM: think we’re mainly gonna play Bon Jovi songs and a couple of our B-sides.

 

I wish!

[Mimixxx]

Thanks Ian :D

[grids]

i wish coldplay can have a time to concert in indonesia this year.... hopefully :(

[melanieau]

Thanks Ian. Nice interview!

[Aleluvscp]

hahaha the beginning of the worst year of his life :laugh3:

 

great interview ..thanx Ian!!

[ApproximatelyInfinite]

chris's comments will never cease to crack me up. i love how he mixes in the ridiculous with the serious.

 

thanks, ian! :D

[Lore]

CM: We have a team of 8 year olds who work in a factory just outside London all the time and we go there and see what they got, and often they have hits, and we take them.

 

 

 

 

:laugh3:

 

love him

[CRYSTAL]

i wish coldplay can have a time to concert in indonesia this year.... hopefully :(

 

 

especially they've to go for India (yeah some people may deny but i guess

 

India is really a beautifull country.)

 

and its my mother country.

I am dreaming of it like anything really.:cry:

No one here can guess my pain.

they just have everything but i am sick.

And yeah first of all they've to play India.

 

And i liked this Chris quotes on interview like i do always.

[snowshine]

Great article, thanks for posting it. :)

[marianatsl]

Thanks Oh Mighty Ian!!

:nice:

[sebrat]

"We're such hit whores"

 

:laugh3:

 

that's goin straight to the siggy

[EnglishSilk]

Thanks for even more enlightenment:cool:

[TraceOddity]

"CM: We called up Brian to see if he knew anybody who could produce us. The words of the phone call were. “Please can you come in for a sandwich and tell us if you think you know anyone that could help us improve”. And he said, “Well I definitely agree you can improve and I think I can do it for you”. To which we said “Great…what flavour sandwich do you want?” and that was the beginning of the worst year of his life (laughs)."

 

For some reason, this was my favorite part...but I'm an Eno groupie, so what do you expect,lol. Great interview!:D

[Famous Old Painter]

Chris can be so funny, if not slightly disturbing sometimes!

 

He could do standup.