Long Live Life

Whereabouts on the front row? (centre/ Jonny's ramp/ Guy's ramp?)

I was thinking the other day how much the music of Coldplay has been synoymous with the current decade. Not just in the sense of the band's huge commercial success and critical acclaim, but how much the songs reflected the mood of the moment. For me, I look at the songs Yellow (the song that got me hooked on their music) to Viva La Vida (the song that made me a real fan) as bookends for the current decade: Yellow, 2000: start of the decade. An optimistic, upbeat song that reflected the mood of the year 2000. Everyone was so optimistic about the new Millenium, the song really reflected the prevelant mood at the time and our aspirations for the future. Coldplay were new, young, fresh and upbeat, just like the shiny new decade. Viva La Vida, 2008 - a deeply melanchony song about analysis of a past life, a great loss, and a kingdom based upon deceit. It reflected the mood of the world too: we'd been lied to by our leaders - we had a kingdom (an economic boom) based on "pillars of sand" (debt) and we know that "St Peter won't call" their names Perhaps unwittingly or deliberately, or skillfully, Coldplay's songs captured or reflected the mood at the time.

I don't think that perception is unique to White Lies: it's Joe Public's too. Just look at Brian Eno's take on the band (from the SBS) as well if you want further proof.

Hi pete, Given your symptoms (coming down so quickly) it sounds like the swine to me! Speedy recovery from your severe illness! :)

LOL, it either looks like sore feet or sore throats on Sunday! :)

One last bump before Sunday - if anyone would like to join the 3! of us!

Being very big, they have got distant from their fans - I get the impression that the band themselves are great with fans, but they are surrounded by an inner circle who "shield" them from both publicity and fans. Unfortunately, this generates bad karma from those who are genuine fans and just want to say hi. That's a shame. I often get the impression that despite their fame - the 4 members of Coldplay are genuinely nice, down to earth guys, yet some of those that surround them have an over-blown importance of themselves, which in turn puts the band in a not so great light relative to their fans. It's rather like some of the people that surround the Monarchy that believe themselves essential to the nation :rolleyes: One thing about the band I was shocked to discover this week though was about the song Viva La Vida. This song has generated so much controversy over the last year, but I stumbled across something on LinkedIn (just logon and search for "Coldplay" and "strings") The arranger of the strings for VLV is a freelance violinist who also arranged for the Verve as well. Remember all the controversy with Bitter Sweet Symphony (and Martin's admiration for that song). Well Mick Jagger sued the Verve (and won) for over-sampling one of his own songs. That got me thinking about VLV. If Coldplay had actually outsourced the arrangement of the strings to someone who had been subject to plagiarism before..... hmmm I feel a little cheated because over the last 18 months I've staunchley been defending Coldplay in pubs when this topic comes up. We all knew Brian Eno worked on the album and that Coldplay (save for Will) cannot play the stringed instruments in VLV. I always naiively thought though that the band had had a big input into the arrangement... this was a shock to discover they hadn't.

I doubt whether this is a slur on the UK, more of its a shop and there's more moeny to be made out of the US market! I do think though some band members are better disposed to the the US than the UK, but I have a lot of theories as to why that may be, none of them popular!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrosexual

Could two pics not more sum up the difference guy Guy is (pun not intended!) these days from 2005? He really has changed....lost weight, more chiseled looks. Definitely more metro. I think though his behaviour has changed too also. Back then, I didn't really notice him, except for hearing about tales of heavy drinking. Nowadays I see more the fashion side of Guy. I think back then he came across (rightly or wrongly) as the band member you'd be most likely to get a thump from, whereas these days I think of him as the band member most likely to talk about fashion to! :)

C'mon... even Chris makes fun of Guy in interviews... :rolleyes:

Bump..as it'll soon be Sunday!

:laugh3: One who desparately wants to tell us something! ;)

Whilst I don't necesarily agree with Lady Gaga, howyousawtheworld has a point. The top 10 is a mess these days for the most part, and where other than Britain can Girls Aloud (who don't write their own music, nor can they perform) win best song over Viva La Vida? I wondered if that event was the reason Chris invited them to their UK gigs (or was it before Feb '09), since I noticed Chris both takes the populist view to heart and keeps on top (or his advisors do :D) on what's happening in the UK (Strictly Come Dancing, X-Factor, etc). We used to sneer and jeer at the supposed "lack of taste" in the US, yet they are the ones that recognised Coldplay for their worth: solely on merit, where as in the UK they vote for songs that they believe sound nice as ringtones.

I was referring to him being caught drunk, lying on the floor of a club with a shoe missing. It was the sort of thing drunken "lads" of the 1990's used to get up to! :)

What is it about journalists that make them such twisted souls? Maybe it's because they failed at every creative alternative in life, and in trying to make themselves feel better, they knock the successful creative ones.

I heard about that. The sitting was involuntary though! :laugh3: :P

No, but it did seem an odd request for part of the tour! My plan was just to check out a few pubs and places Coldplay played at over the years in Camden. I don't recall them playing on Hampstead Heath just yet... (well except one member, perhaps :laugh3:)

Well: 1) You're posting from Canada.... 2) [David Williams] You're a lady! [/David Williams] :)

Is there any reason you wanted to check out that location? Is there a particular sight there you are hoping to see that makes it a favoured spot? :)

It's an interesting point, you won't get many US men sitting like that unless they wish to make a statement! ;) Mind you, not too long ago here it was much the same. Guy's stance does seem to be very much his natural pose and not adopted though for metro reasons!

You prefer "laddish Guy" or "metro Guy"? Re "Guy sits like a lady".... I can see a sketch potential with Little Britain and Guy Berryman for Comic Relief next Feb.... :)

It Couldn't Happen Here? It sounds a good idea but does anyone here recall the Pet Shop Boys' 1987 film It Couldn't Happen Here? It was released in 1987 and made by Derek Jarman. It attempted to tie together all their songs from this period. It was also supposed to be a scathing attack on the Catholic Church. It was very arty but commercially a huge disaster. Coldplay does the former, but not the later! :)

Coldplay pub crawl? Actually, I've also missed of Monkey Chews as well....which gives me an idea! As you just want to drink, why don't we make this a Coldplay pub crawl, visiting the other locations in between pubs? :drunk:

To Wembley or Coldplay?