[2015-12-18] Guy Berryman interview with Toronto Sun

[gai]

I wish our whole forum could be filled with discussions like these :)

i really enjoyed this discussion :) here's to more. but for now, i'm off to sleep. it's pretty late over here.

[Jedi Leo]

I wish our whole forum could be filled with discussions like these :)

 

Lets keep the ball rolling! hehe

 

Sleep time for me too...good night :)

[gentleparachute]

sadly, as a whole, this album is not my cup of tea. i'm enjoying several individual songs though :) love birds! giving some time off for most of the album. it is such a mixed bag, with several real (potential) gems. but the tour is bound to be good!

 

Hopefully you find enough in there that you like - which albums do you really like, which ones less so/not?

 

So you´re basically liking your own comments lol Hey nice to find people one can relate to :) I do like the diversity and the discussions, but I probably love even more geeking out about all the Coldplay stuff I like with others who like it too at the same degree of geekiness hehe

 

Hey Gai, thanks a lot for such a nice comment! I think the exact same thing about you, gentle and quite a few others.

 

Hey, what (about liking my own comments lol)??? Well, I tend to give thumbs up to thoughtful comments, as well as comments I agree with, in addition to comments I actually like / represent how I feel - but yours seem to just be what I think / the way I perceive things... I just thought thumbs-upping is a nice way of letting people know - most people like to know that someone agrees with their point at a forum...

And thanks for the compliment (2nd paragraph)!

 

I actually think they are 10 times harsher on themselves than we will ever be as critics! hehe Thats why they tinker until the very last minute, they are never happy lol

And I dont think it would be helpful to be objective about creative output, to me its there to reflect what you feel, what comes through you and what resonates , so the whole thing is a product of subjectivity hehe I think they are capable to say the things from their work they like less (clearly X&Y and Talk for example hehe, probably others too we dont know about but they never play live haha)

 

Yes and no... I do think they are perfectly capable of nitpicking every bit of their musical imperfections, however sometimes some fans (here) are excessively critical to the point of incoherence. But yeah, I agree that this is the reason they keep tinkering until the last minute - they're still like uni students - tinkering on their thesis until time's up to hand it in... :) I think with this album maybe they decided to set a shorter deadline (than their usual 3 years) and see whether it makes a difference to their musical output (and find out what sort of a difference it makes).

 

The thing I find interesting about this band is that imo they seem to be more objective than most others about their own creative output... They may not be able to say so / express it well, but often their creative decisions (evident in the resulting music) lead me to think that they have made pretty objective decisions about their own music - AHFOD would be the only album where this may not exactly be the case. Otherwise everything else they have ever done as Coldplay has been deliberate and thought to death, down to sound / production / design etc.

 

On a side note RE: production of AHFOD, I noticed the other day the predominance of the drums / percussion in this album... It is more deliberate and prominent than in their previous works, it really sounds like they've decided to put Will's drumming at the forefront with this album - in some ways it sounds less dynamic than usual (I blame production/compression), but there is so much more texture, variety and colour in his drumming... It almost sounds like he is trying to single-handedly produce and conduct his own percussion orchestra (in service to the songs of course ;)). Each song has it's own distinct percussive sound (and beat), some even have at least 2 or 3... I think some production decisions eg muted guitars in Up&Up may have been to fit his percussion sounds (or do I have this totally wrong and he still managed to get some well-matched percussion in despite the production? o_O)

 

I wish our whole forum could be filled with discussions like these :)

 

It did use to be good discussions like this in the earlier days (up to about X&Y), then after that there started to be significant fan backlash with less supportive / more critical comments and general band-bashing. It's probably the reason why I still keep returning here even though the forum seems to have fundamentally changed - it's a learned response over the years lol - like a homing pigeon circling base even though home is now a pack of wolves :rolleyes:

[Sparky]

It's probably the reason why I still keep returning here even though the forum seems to have fundamentally changed

 

If anything, there's less moaning than there was before! Well, on the Coldplay official forums during X&Y era, it was constant moaning and there were probably more Radiohead fans than Coldplay fans! haha.

 

In 10 years, so much has changed but one thing that never changes is very high expectations and moaning. Every forum that has passionate fans, whether it be music or sports related has this all the time. Can't say I've ever used a forum where everyone universally agrees with everything!

[Jedi Leo]

Hey, what (about liking my own comments lol)???

 

Haha yes I was joking :) Since you said that what I post is often something you would actually say, then if you like my post its like liking your own comments (coming through me LOL). Sorry if that came out wrong :) I use the liking feature often myself, I think its a great way to say “hey i hear ya! getting what you mean and i agree” :)

 

They may not be able to say so / express it well, but often their creative decisions (evident in the resulting music) lead me to think that they have made pretty objective decisions about their own music - AHFOD would be the only album where this may not exactly be the case. Otherwise everything else they have ever done as Coldplay has been deliberate and thought to death, down to sound / production / design etc.

 

I was not getting what you were saying about their decisions being objective, but maybe you mean conscious deliberate decisions? Which I agree with, but objective would be kinda impossible let alone detrimental of a piece of art, which is often a direct expression of personal feelings,opinions, etc. Yes I also agree that each album they make is being thought to death until the very last minute! I dont see AHFOD as an exception, if anything I still keep finding small little deliberate things throughout :)

 

On a side note RE: production of AHFOD, I noticed the other day the predominance of the drums / percussion in this album...

 

Yeah I totally hear that too, not sure if its more or less than other albums, but its certainly varied percussion throughout with surprising beats popping up (like the drum roll leading to Fun chorus, the glasses in Hymn, the cymbal galore in Adventure :), but I also think Jonny is more unhinged and varied than ever before and I also noticed myself nodding happily along with Guy bass (which honestly I dont think I ever did before, as bass is not my favourite instrument ). So I´d say they brought their A-game to AHFOD for sure and anyone can see that I think, independent of whether you like their musical direction or not.

 

And yes the production I think is too sterile at points compared to the live version, but then I ask myself if there are actually studio versions of any Coldplay song I like better than live…and …I cant think of any off the top of my head LOL I must say that even in the places I think Stargate are trimming the organic too much, it still sounds like a very polished work.

 

 

It did use to be good discussions like this in the earlier days (up to about X&Y), then after that there started to be significant fan backlash with less supportive / more critical comments and general band-bashing. It's probably the reason why I still keep returning here even though the forum seems to have fundamentally changed - it's a learned response over the years lol - like a homing pigeon circling base even though home is now a pack of wolves

 

Aww the last sentence! I can relate and it used to bother me, but now I think its actually possible to have these discussions again, they might not be predominant, but then it just means we have to talk more :P

[Jedi Leo]

If anything, there's less moaning than there was before! Well, on the Coldplay official forums during X&Y era, it was constant moaning and there were probably more Radiohead fans than Coldplay fans! haha.

 

In 10 years, so much has changed but one thing that never changes is very high expectations and moaning. Every forum that has passionate fans, whether it be music or sports related has this all the time. Can't say I've ever used a forum where everyone universally agrees with everything!

 

I was never here during the X&Y era, it was constant moaning back then too? Oh dear haha

 

I have to disagree though about your last sentence. Its not about the criticism or disagreement (which obviously is to be found in all fan forums and thank god for that!), its just the level of disappointment and bitterness here sometimes which I must say I find surprising. It kinda reminds me of how it must be (I've never been) to visit a star wars forum and the whole pro and con prequels camps, with a good chunk of fans moaning about getting "A new hope v2" hehe

 

It is totally understandable because Coldplay changed so much its bound to split the fan base, but I still find the tone of some comments and inherent belittling of others musical taste unnecessary. I still think a discussion can be pleasant even if you strongly disagree. I generally have a rule that when I feel Im about to flare up or get upset or am hurt I go flaring my nostrils away from people and keyboards until they flare no more LOL

[alisbe]

In case they are peeking through this forum from time to time...A Rush is not my favourite album, just for the record, not everyone agrees on that hehe

 

I´d say I am with Guy on this. I honestly was thinking about that yesterday briefly after I finished listening to AHFOD for the Nth time I thought to myself "hmm is this actually my favourite Coldplay album?" and then I immediately concluded "no its not, I like most of the others just the same because each has a different mood".

 

I would not mind them going back to a rock vibe (we had a few of those on Mylo), but I hope they never repeat any of their albums and that they always strive for something new or a good mix.

 

Exactly my thoughts... You and I seem to have a lot of thoughts and sentiments in common lol (that's why I keep liking your comments - it's like hearing myself say it :p) I still find it difficult to rate all the albums - I can say (prior to AHFOD) MX was my emotional favourite just coz the first half of the album is so immediate with 7 hits in a row one after the other (minus the interludes), but then every album is the best at something in its own special way - Parachutes is so emotionally wrought and heartfelt, AROBTTH is great brit-pop/rock, X&Y has sonic density and well-developed musical motifs within each song, VLV is probably the most musical and creative, etc...

And I agree with both of you. I find difficult to choose my favorite Coldplay album. I think I can choose my least favorite one which I think is Parachutes but sometimes I feel like it's unfair to say it because there isn't anything wrong about it. Each album represent different emotions that lead me to a specific moment in my life at the same time it represents a group of 5 friends working on what they love. That's why I choose to follow this band even when Guy hates "talk" lol

[Jedi Leo]

Each album represent different emotions that lead me to a specific moment in my life

 

This most of all probably. Thats why I cant pick an album, not even the least favourite though I did attempt to like you did haha

 

I must say though that generally and this goes for all music Im noticing I am much more likely to listen to the recent outputs than revisit the old albums. I very rarely revisit old music (unless its part of a live concert or something), even though I still like it. I kinda concluded that perhaps I just tend to live more in the present/future than the past and that reflects in the music I listen to too.

 

(Mozart Requiem being the great exception but hey there is no modern mozart so we are stuck with whatever the guy put out hundreds of years ago LOL)

[alisbe]

This most of all probably. Thats why I cant pick an album, not even the least favourite though I did attempt to like you did haha

 

I must say though that generally and this goes for all music Im noticing I am much more likely to listen to the recent outputs than revisit the old albums. I very rarely revisit old music (unless its part of a live concert or something), even though I still like it. I kinda concluded that perhaps I just tend to live more in the present/future than the past and that reflects in the music I listen to too.

 

(Mozart Requiem being the great exception but hey there is no modern mozart so we are stuck with whatever the guy put out hundreds of years ago LOL)

Perhaps that's why you're called a "newplayer" lol.

It's better to look at the future, live the present and learn from the past. I guess that's what Coldplay is trying to do. Because any time they're asked if this is their last album they don't know what to say. They're just happy with the things they are doing. If they get awards it's just a plus.

[nvdmm]

Great interview! I've always found Guy and in particular Will to be much more interesting both as musicians and as individuals.

If anything, there's less moaning than there was before! Well, on the Coldplay official forums during X&Y era, it was constant moaning and there were probably more Radiohead fans than Coldplay fans! haha.

 

In 10 years, so much has changed but one thing that never changes is very high expectations and moaning. Every forum that has passionate fans, whether it be music or sports related has this all the time. Can't say I've ever used a forum where everyone universally agrees with everything!

There is noticeably less criticism and disapproval than years before. A large number of people left and even more stopped caring about the band's output. I think the forum will continue to evolve into a more monolithic and uniformed community. Whether that's positive or not depends on your perspective.

[Jedi Leo]

Perhaps that's why you're called a "newplayer" lol.

 

I have little idea about what those terms mean. I thought newplayers were fans of recent years. If thats the definition , I dont fit in hehe If there is another meaning to that term, then i have no idea :)

 

There is noticeably less criticism and disapproval than years before. A large number of people left and even more stopped caring about the band's output. I think the forum will continue to evolve into a more monolithic and uniformed community. Whether that's positive or not depends on your perspective.

 

Ok maybe Im seeing things differently here, but let me say this. If I went now into a Taylor swift biggest fan base forum I´d expect to find the greatest group of people supporting and liking her music. Thats just simple logic. So I dont think its particularly odd for a specific fan base of an artist to, for the large majority, support and like that artist work, ergo the fan base :)

 

Just because they are fans and like the music/ band, that doesn't mean they hang on every word the band says and will blindly chant their support no matter what they do. To me this kind of view does do disservice to the community and does not acknowledge that its formed by people with an independent head over their head...Honestly Ive not met one Coldplayer who does not have at least some criticism or things they dont like about the band, so what you see is certainly something I dont see.

 

If uniformed though means unanimously agreeing on discussing different opinions in a respectful and friendly manner that includes and acknowledges everyone, then Im all for that kinda of uniformity :)

[alisbe]

I have little idea about what those terms mean. I thought newplayers were fans of recent years. If thats the definition , I dont fit in hehe If there is another meaning to that term, then i have no idea :)

I guess it is related with fans who like Coldplay's resent albums. But I think it's ridiculous to rename a fandom. All of us love Coldplay and that's we are here, if that wasn't the case we wouldn't be writing our opinions in a Coldplay forum.

[Jedi Leo]

I guess it is related with fans who like Coldplay's resent albums. But I think it's ridiculous to rename a fandom. All of us love Coldplay and that's we are here, if that wasn't the case we wouldn't be writing our opinions in a Coldplay forum.

 

So is there a term for fans who like all the albums? LOL

[alisbe]

So is there a term for fans who like all the albums? LOL

Believe or not but indeed there is, crazy right? I remember something like allplayer or goldplayer, don't trust me. If there is a term I'm part of that sub-fandom lol :D

[Jedi Leo]

Believe or not but indeed there is, crazy right? I remember something like allplayer or goldplayer, don't trust me. If there is a term I'm part of that sub-fandom lol :D

 

No way...Mine was just a rhetorical question. I never imagined it´d actually have an answer haha But you know...I kinda like Goldplayer, makes me feel I dont know....shiny LOL

[alisbe]

No way...Mine was just a rhetorical question. I never imagined it´d actually have an answer haha But you know...I kinda like Goldplayer, makes me feel I dont know....shiny LOL

I know! And if we are Goldplayers then we're brilliant! Lol I love this forum, Coldplay's new albums has brought diversity of opinions and new terms!

[nvdmm]

I have little idea about what those terms mean. I thought newplayers were fans of recent years. If thats the definition , I dont fit in hehe If there is another meaning to that term, then i have no idea :)

 

 

 

Ok maybe Im seeing things differently here, but let me say this. If I went now into a Taylor swift biggest fan base forum I´d expect to find the greatest group of people supporting and liking her music. Thats just simple logic. So I dont think its particularly odd for a specific fan base of an artist to, for the large majority, support and like that artist work, ergo the fan base :)

 

Just because they are fans and like the music/ band, that doesn't mean they hang on every word the band says and will blindly chant their support no matter what they do. To me this kind of view does do disservice to the community and does not acknowledge that its formed by people with an independent head over their head...Honestly Ive not met one Coldplayer who does not have at least some criticism or things they dont like about the band, so what you see is certainly something I dont see.

 

If uniformed though means unanimously agreeing on discussing different opinions in a respectful and friendly manner that includes and acknowledges everyone, then Im all for that kinda of uniformity :)

You seem to have entirely missed my point! And comparing a Taylor Swift or One Dimension forum to that of a band who originally started out as an alternative rock band is strange to say the least.

[Jedi Leo]

You seem to have entirely missed my point! And comparing a Taylor Swift or One Dimension forum to that of a band who originally started out as an alternative rock band is strange to say the least.

 

I dont think I missed your point. I picked Taylor Swift out of complete randomness, I could have picked the Beatles or a fan forum for Harley Davidson, didn't matter...my point was that in a fan forum the majority will be positive towards the artist or the thing they like, so I would never expect a majority of heavy criticism or division in a fan forum, in a general forum yes but not in a fan forum. That was my point. My mentioning Taylor had nothing to do with the music.

[I ran away]

There is noticeably less criticism and disapproval than years before. A large number of people left and even more stopped caring about the band's output. I think the forum will continue to evolve into a more monolithic and uniformed community. Whether that's positive or not depends on your perspective.

 

Yes, I fear that too. Currently there is so much fighting in the forums because people loving very different musical styles are "united" by their interest in Coldplay. But in a way, Coldplay is two bands: The one pre-Viva and the one after. As the former band fades into the forum's oblivion (but everlasting legacy, of course :D), I predict that in a few years from now the forum will consist of more members who love the current band and not even necessarily the former band.

But there will always be the pigeons that keep returning to circle above home, of course :D

[alisbe]

Yes, I fear that too. Currently there is so much fighting in the forums because people loving very different musical styles are "united" by their interest in Coldplay. But in a way, Coldplay is two bands: The one pre-Viva and the one after. As the former band fades into the forum's oblivion (but everlasting legacy, of course :D), I predict that in a few years from now the forum will consist of more members who love the current band and not even necessarily the former band.

But there will always be the pigeons that keep returning to circle above home, of course :D

They aren't two bands. They're the same group of people (including the people who works for / with the band), they have always wanted to have a different album with different sounds, they have the same goal which is enjoy making music, there is passion in their songs (even in the simplest lyrics and oooos, just watch Chris singing Amazing Day) and so on. If new fans don't pay attention to their early years that would be a shame because they'll miss an amazing repertoire of songs. But I'm not sure that will happen because I discovered Coldplay just 4 years ago and something that made me join this forum was the ability Coldplay has to make great songs with different styles and with the same passion pour in each one.