When life was loud

 

c. Friday, August 25th 2000 Q: How you doing? MATTHEW: Fine, good, good, good, yeah, happy to be here. Reading Festival is probably one of my favourite festivals I reckon. 'Cos we come from down Devon, and down there bands never tour, it's like in the middle of nowhere. Very rural area. And we used to come to places like this to see international bands play. I love festivals, and it's nice to get the chance to headline the second stage here. Q: So as like experienced festival goers, what's your tip for punters to keep alive during the day? MATTHEW: Plenty of booze... CHRISTOPHER: Plenty of water for the next morning... DOMINIC: Plenty of erm...plenty of erm...good bands to watch MATTHEW: Plenty of sex...and plenty of drugs, which are grown naturally Q: Much sex go on in the camping grounds? MATTHEW (with a chuckle) Of course, yeah...I suppose raging out there. Q: Have you got first hand experience with this?  MATTHEW: Uh...actually...first time experience with this... Q...

c. July 2001 (Note - unfortunately the questions have been taken out, so this is fragmented) CHRISTOPHER: Yeah it's been...I mean the last couple of years we've done a lot really. We've sort of started off again in 99, just doing our own little tours, and just gradually building up to sort of going up to bigger tours with other bands, and then getting to the point where we can go out to do our own gigs. You know, gradually getting bigger and bigger.  MATTHEW: 2001... DOMINIC: No, year 2000... MATTHEW: 2000, last year...it's when we sort of found out who we were I think... DOMINIC: Yeah, a little bit more you know. We travelled around the world. Saw a lot of new countries and things like that, so we sort of learnt a lot of things about the band. You know who you are, you change as people, and I think the band just developed and moved forward.  MATTHEW: I think we spent the rest of the whole time touring. We spent the whole year touring, and for the first time headlining ...

Kerrang!  January 8th 2005, Issue #1038 SUNDAY Rating: Fair  In the window of Tower Records on Sunset Boulevard on LA, there is a picture of Muse advertising the fact that the band had sold out two nights at that city's Wiltern Theatre on December 5 and 6, letting those that don't already know into the secret that three noisy boys from the West Country have made plans to take over their country. Six thousand miles east in London, Muse are at it again: tonight and tomorrow the sold out signs are out front of the biggest room in London, as 34,000 fans gather to celebrate the fact that in 2004, surely, has been this band's year.  The ascent from nothing to this has been remarkable, and tonight the three of them even make a first* of appearing in a venue that might as well be named Bad Sightlines R Us. With its over-fussy security and antiquated facilities, Earls Court is not really the place where dreams come to life. But with a stage-set that looks as if it were stolen from...

Dudley & District Chronicle -  Thursday 4 September 2003 Muse (via Clear Channel Entertainment) appeared on the 3rd December. Their support was billed as "plus special guests". Tickets were £15.00

c. May 1999 (?) I am told this is from the “Welcome To Our Neighborhood” home video. INTRO COREY: This is Slipknot. (Intro) SHAWN: We're just an army (Concert footage continues) CHRIS: Hi Mom, look at me... (Concert footage continues) SHAWN (to a blonde skinny presenter type): Smack me in the face...harder man...come on...harder... SID (smacking himself in the head): Like this SHAWN: Come on dude... Mick demonstrates by hitting Shawn on the head SHAWN: Like that (Concert footage) COREY: Craziest people live in Des Moines, Iowa. Not a lot of people know that, but they are going to now.  INTERVIEW SLIPKNOT - THE BAND SID: My names Sid. I'm the DJ guy, and I'm the filth epitome number zero. JOEY: Joey. Number one. And I play drums. PAUL: Paul. Number two, and I play bass. CHRIS: Chris. Number three. Percussion. JIM: Jim. Number four, and I play guitar CRAIG: 133. Number five. Sampling. SHAWN: Clown. Number six. Percussion. MICK: Mick. Number seven. Guitar. COREY: Corey. Number...

Muse have finally ditched their unjustified Radiohead-esque tag to become headliners in their own right (picture: Tony Haresign) The Scotsman  Friday 30 June 2000 Next weekend, a field near Kinross will be transformed into the festival capital of the UK - and Muse could well prove to be the main attraction, says Paul Whitelaw.   Pretentiousness, as someone probably very pretentious once said, is the enemy of tiny minds. Muse, the UK's latest great white hope, have encountered countless tiny minds upon their vertiginous rise, minds ill-disposed to their Devonshire three piece's giddy, ostentatious mix of Radiohead-esque pomp and Nirvana-splattered viscera.   Derided as mindlessly derivative and windily pompous, Muse wear the mantle of misunderstood pioneers with thinly-veiled pride. For Muse-and in particular their skinny front-chap Matt Bellamy - know that vindication is but a chart-beat away. Bristling with an assurance and self-belief which is a million miles ...