Chris Martin is a rather uppity fellow. The Coldplay frontman has long had a rule that he won’t discuss his wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, or their kids. Yet during a recent interview with the BBC’s Radio 4, he walked off the show when asked a question he didn’t like – which had absolutely nothing to do with his family.
It’s tough at the top. The new Coldplay album may be steaming towards number one but the pressure is telling on Chris Martin. The notoriously highly-strung frontman always makes clear he will not discuss his famous wife – Gwyneth Paltrow – or their children. However, when lobbed a straightforward question on the inspiration for Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends on Radio 4, the singer lost the plot.
‘Did you start with the song Viva La Vida and the idea within that song of the disposed dictator looking back at his life?’ asked John Wilson, the Front Row presenter.
To which Martin replied: ‘I’m not enjoying this. Can I have two minutes?’ and walked out of the studio.
The presenter pressed him for more. ‘Are you feeling under pressure?’ The singer replied: ‘I just don’t like talking about things.’ The interview continued with Will Champion, the band’s drummer, who insisted his colleague was not upset. But when Martin returned, he refused to give full answers and little more light was shed.
[From the Daily Mail]
Martin did break his rule and give an in-depth interview to Rolling Stone recently, in which he admitted that he felt competitive with Brad Pitt, Paltrow’s former fiancé . And really, who could blame the guy? Perhaps he regrets divulging anything personal and has become even more introverted.
While I understand that some people “just don’t like talking about things,” you probably shouldn’t go on a show to be interviewed if that’s the case. The question Martin was asked was not only not personal, but it was a really well thought out, introspective question. I’d imagine it was one of the better ones bands get, and you’d think someone passionate about his music would be eager to answer it.
If we all got to walk out whenever we were “just not enjoying” things, no one would get anything done. Martin’s behavior sounds incredibly immature, over dramatic, and completely uncalled for.
Here’s Chris Martin leaving the BBC Radio One studios in London yesterday. Images thanks to WENN.
It seems like he’s just trying to be called out for douchebag-ness just to cultivate an image. Anything works besides “That weird guy with the girly voice that never hangs out with his wife.”
He walked off a Radio 4 programme!?! (they have a generally older demographic from the pop stations for those who haven’t heard it)
How utterly odd. Especially for someone who comes off as pseudo-intellectual that is really quite odd. Unless he was feeling ill or something?
I never cared for him. He thinks too highly of himself were in reality he, his music and band are way overrated and to tell you the truth I never heard of him and his band until he married Gwyneth Paltrow.
Pig who thinks he owes nothing to the people that put him on the top of the charts.
It would be great if no one ever interviewed him ever again. What a chump!
I don’t understand what his issue was here… He definitely could have handled that much better and with some class. I hope he can offer some explanation.
I know this is OT to this topic, but since it hasn’t been posted here yet I just wanted to say R.I.P Tim Russert, who passed away of a heart attack this afternoon and who always handled himself with class and humor! Politics won’t be the same! I may have to go out and buy an erase board in his memory! RIP!
He is weird. Just like his wife. They are so well suited those two.
That photo makes me laugh. It looks like he got up from the interview chair, whipped his head around and sashayed on down the road.
Every time I see the ad for ITunes with him I am reminded of these two facts: He’s a douchemaster and his music blows.
Let this type of strange behaviour be a warning to anyone considering going macrobiotic – too much healthy living can be detrimental to your health.
looks like someone needs to get over himself.
While i do like Coldplay, i can’t stand this guy.. talk about ego.. and why does he think it’s such a huge deal with his wife. she’s a loser too. no bette davis, that one.. does he think she’s ROYALTY? They deserve each other, esp since they like naming their spawn after fruit and biblical characters !! arrrrhhhhhggggg
@ Alexis’ comment: Jesus that was the loudest laugh EVER coming out of me. At work. For everyone to ‘gopher’ up in our cubicle farm to see what in the fuckkity fuck I was laughing at. That comment was a riot thanks.
‘I just don’t like talking about things.’
Gosh, what a douchebag. I totally can’t stand this guy!!
A legend in his own mind………
He strikes me as being imperious. You can see it on his face.
I used to halfway like him, but now I think he’s a dickweed. A dill hole. Dude, if you don’t enjoy talking to people, then DON’T DO INTERVIEWS. Is that too hard to understand?
Gah. Not buying the new Coldplay CD, either.
I bet he and Gwyneth privately bitch about the fact that they’re forced to exist alongside the little people. And how they’re both these evolved deities in a world of ignorant cretins who don’t follow macrobiotic diets or appreciate weepy, nonthreatening pop songs.
I feel like I am missing part of the story. What was going on before that point? It all seems a little strange.
Maybe he had to go snort something before he could answer.
Both he and his wife are so over-rated. I didnt mind him when the first Coldplay album came out but now his just so full of himself. Its pretty disappointing when normal folk find fame and just become douchebags…..
Chris Martin doesn’t have a self identity. That’s the reason he tries to be Bono. He calls himself Crono. No suprise girls didn’t like him, he’s nothing special. He even tries to sing like Bono. I think his marriage is going down the tubes and he probably feels helpless about his wife’s secret drinking problem. Doormen don’t talk to the press but they do talk to friends.
Well at least he signed an autograph on his way out which means he does care for his fans…
I think he’s your typical musico – introspective and desperate to leave his mark. I think his music is awesome, he’s an exceptionally talented young guy and if you all dont think that then you need your heads checking.. Sure, he walked out of a radio interview – big fucking deal. As far as he’s concerned, that’s good free publicity. And whether he did it for that reason or because he was feeling shit who cares?
Over the years, people have done much worse things to get their albums/films/whatever promoted (at least he hasnt gone round flashing his willy, although I wouldnt mind if he did that either!!!!). I’m still going to buy the album because there’s not that many good bands around any more who make truly good music. It’s usually always so manufactured.
And I want the jacket Chris is wearing on the album cover – so cool! Rock on dude! 🙂
I have to say, I agree with Best of British. Big Deal! People have done FAR worse, especially “famous” people. I mean- hello?
Plus, I thought he was quite polite about it. He asked to have a few minutes, he wasn’t enjoying himself, no biggie. People are taking this out of context.
I expect no one else has ever had a day that has been one big ride down the shitter?
That’s what makes him pretentious, his desperation to leave his mark. Everything he does appear to be calculated even his marriage to that cold fish Gwyneth, they are so mismatched. His music is not profound, ground breaking or even good most of the time. Coldplay is a group of marginal musicians and a less than average singer.
“Martin’s behavior sounds incredibly immature, over dramatic, and completely uncalled for.”
Sums it up pretty well! I was driving home when this interview aired, and I couldn’t believe it when he flounced out. It was an interview all about the music (rather than personal stuff); the rare sort of interview that you’d think most musicians would cherish!
My thoughts here:
http://www.cherriesontop.co.uk/2008/06/13/coldplay-viva-la-vida-and-the-bbc-why-chris-martin-needs-to-get-a-life/
What I don’t get is why the guy who NEVER goes out with his wife and swears NEVER to talk about his family suddenly did that weirdly personal interview with Rolling Stone, and then flounces out of this entirely professional-sounding interview as though they asked him which position he and Gwyneth enjoy most. Maybe Gwynnie was angry about the RS article and had him by the balls…?
this guy is a tool. he goes about spewing communist and socialist ideals, yet is all about capitalism. which is it chris? LOSER. go back riding your wife’s frigid coat tails.
Thanks for that, Queen of Puddings, I think you’ve summed it up very micely! He’s such a pretentious twat. Don’t know where and what they stem from, (apart from being a pretentious twat), but this guy really has problems.
Continue like that and he’ll have a career even less worth talking about than it already is.
An example of an overrated singer. Chris Martin can’t even sing. He is hopeless live, and he also thought that Kylie Minogue was ‘too sexy’ for the Coldplay album.
*nicely, not micely. 🙄
He and Gwyneth must have contest on who’s the snottiest of the two. I’d say it’s a tie.
Can’t stand the arse covering prig. Don’t like his music
Don’t like his wife.
Don’t like those self-important psuedo-intellectual idiots who think they are better than everyone else.
Don’t like the kids names (Apple isn’t even original, the manager of Coldplay’s daughter is named Apple as well)
They should have locked him out of the studio. He may not be enjoying himself. But he does have fans and they should be treated with more respect. He wants them to buy his CD the least he can do is answer a question about one of it’s songs.
he claims he was tricked into doing the interview. whatever…
tricked!!! what a load of crap, surely doing interviews about their music so their fans could get more insight into what inspires them is part of their bloody job description!!! the line of questioning was valid and professional, chris martin is just a twat!!!
What about listening to the interview first before judging a person you don’t even KNOW? Come on, get over it. You all rail against someone you don’t even know, this is unacceptable.
Anyone who has listened to the entire interview would understand Chris as a musician. The interviewer constantly misinterpreted the band’s songs, calling it morbid, and constantly having a sarcastic undertone. Like I said: ANYONE who has actually LISTENED to the interview would have recognised that the interviewer was being rude and Chris had a reason to be upset.
I don’t want to defend what he did, he could have handled it better, but we all have our bad days, and when an interviewer pretends like he understands every lyric Chris writes, without actually having LISTENED to the songs and just having read the TITLES that had the word “death” in it, I’d be walking out, too.
Get over it, and don’t react to every sh*t the media makes such a big buzz about.
Thank you.
Hate Coldplay!
What’s the difference between ABBA, Culture Club and Coldplay? Nobody wants to f*cking sing Coldplay at a bar when they’re trying to have fun. 😆
Hey guys,
let’s take a moment and think about our responses.
I agree with all of you that Chris could have handled it differently, but also;
As a composer myself, i can understand how difficult it is to defend your work when someone wants to put their own reflections on your work, which is fine normally because that is what music is for, you put it out to the world and it has its own life, but when a radio interviewer or a magazine writer does that for you, it is hard to take because it generalizes their point of view and robs future listeners from the opportunity to make up their minds separately.
when someone is interviewing you trying to understand your work, yet they seem like they have made up their minds about it and are asking you the same damn question over and over again, what’s the point of talking to them !!
cheers
Once you put your work out their you loose control over how its perceived. All this proves is that he’s temperamental, pompous, and completely lacking a sense of humor. He should be happy someone is interested in talking to him about his mediocre work.
D-O-U-C-H-E.
I am shocked, their album is actually superb. I guess behind every genius is an insane mind.
Well, I certainly hope he walked out because he felt guilty about producing a very sub-par album. Can’t believe I waited 3 years for it…
It’s good though, people won’t think I’m such a douche when I end up in his position 😀
snot just about sums it up. not that talented is somewhere in there too. competition with brad? Well… she did refuse to marry him… good for her… cause angelina would have taken him anyway. Either way, the Danner/Paltrow/Martin clan are very in love with themselves. Unfortunately they forgot to clue the rest of us in on what it is that we are supposed to love about them.
Not condoning unprofessional behavior, but giving interviews as a musician seems like it would be the weirdest thing ever, even if you hadn’t already spent years being harassed by the media.
Music isn’t at all cerebral, so talking about it and disecting it seems to me to be…like who cares?
The sweat probably mainly comes in, writing it, recording it, then touring it and then dealing with 20 cameras following you around daily.
Promoting the thing…other than performing the music – the chatty chatty thing, seems very odd indeed.
‘Is it true that you’re obsessed with death?….Isn’t it also true that you enjoy frolicking in the alltogether through farmer’s fields having just bathed yourself in olive oil?’
I wonder if Gwyneth will want to stay with Chris when Coldplay is no longer a popular band. I just can’t picture her being married to a flash in the pan.
And the irony of all your comments is that if Johnny Depp were to trash a hotel room tonight you’d think he was the coolest thing on earth. Yet poor old Chris Martin who’s won tons of awards and sells millions and millions of albums walks out of an interview because he doesnt like the questions/does feel well or whatever and you give him the finger. One word – numpties.
Uppity little fellow is one thing, but an uppity little fellow who cancels on Calgary is a whole another.
I feel bad for the band who now has to suffer for his little indiscretion — oh and Martin, never forget how you slapped Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg across the face.
Wow what a bunch of haters! The guys is having a bad day and people decide they hate him and aren’t going to purchase his music? Get over yourselves. You can’t know someone based on a small segment of their lives…sheesh….besides he used to rule the world!
My gosh..Why don’t you all put this negative energy into something else.
I’m sure you have had days that you didn’t feel like answering “certain” questions and then have someone twist and turn things around..come on people!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7452850.stm
check out the link..and then go from there.
What a nerd! Interviewers are sometimes criticised for being too tough, rude etc – vide Robin Day, Jeremy Paxman and John Humphreys. But here we had an interviewer who loved the music and asked polite and intelligent questions. What does Martin do? Insults him, accuses him of twisting everything – Untrue! The interviewer was just asking questions – then walks out. I thought his behaviour childish and immature. Above all uncool! Compare the behaviour of this 31-year old pop star with someone half his age – Tom Daley. The diver boy is only 14, but he’s infinitely more mature, articulate and intelligent than Martin. Chris Martin did himself immense harm with his childish antics. He needs to grow up. Martin has no class. He’s cheap, stupid and an embarrassemnt.
This is what actually happened when Chris Martin left the interview:
Chris: ‘come on, pick up, pick up….Gwynnie! that you?!’
Gwyneth: ‘Yes, Chris, what is it NOW!?’
Chris: ‘Yeah, sorry babe. Listen babe, I’m in the middle of this interview here and the guy starts talking about disposed dictators and s**t……what the hell is a disposed dictator???!!!! I had to walk of the interview and now I look even more ridiculous than I did when I first arrived!’
Gwyneth: ‘Um….I think he’s talking about one of those eh…….uhhh……….the err………..oh, you’re breaking up, BYE!!!!’
Give him a break everyone has a bad day whether it was childish or not. And if he doesn’t feel comfortable talking about the new album then he doesn’t have too. Musicians have the right to hide they’re art as much as they want to and not say a word to anyone about it. That’s his decision. He’s still a great musician and an amazing song writer in my eyes.
ok listen up. all you idiots who said he is a douche bag…..well your the douche bags. maybe he was just having a bad day. it happens to the best of us. just give the man a break.
maybe the question reminded him of something personal. And its not like he walked out of the interview and went home….he just had to have a minute to himself….thats all. so lighten up and leave him alone… chris martin is the best and always will be.
you people don’t even know this man, just because he doesn’t want to talk about his pirvate life doesn’t mean he is weird.
We must remember that even celebrities are normal people just like the rest of us and they are not perfect every single day.
From interviews he seems like an extremely nice guy, and he makes wonderful music and does lots of great things in this world.
ROCK ON CHRIS!!!
People always making a big screne out of everything. Just let the guy makes albums, thats what he does!
Give him some slack, wankers.
Calling him a douche and all those other disrespectful words just shows how immature some of you are. Check out ANY other interview with him and you will see what a happy and funny personality he has. I think both he and Gwyneth are beautiful people both on the inside and outside.
I feel qualified to comment on this because I am a collector of Chris Martin’s interviews on Youtube (look it up, my channel name is beigecamouflage.) On my channel I have a playlist of about 200 interviews of Coldplay and Chris Martin. (This is still a work in progress, as I am still collecting and organizing them.) I can tell you from having listened to many of his interviews that Chris Martin is a gentle, soft-spoken, and beautiful man. He is never rude and has every right to assert himself and to walk out of an interview if it is appropriate.
Having studied the theme of Viva la Vida and other songs on the album, I believe that Chris is very wise to remain indirect about its meaning. First of all, Viva la Vida has many meanings and references. It has strong political implications relating to the current state of American international politics. Coldplay is wise to only hint at this. If you listen to Chris’ subtle comments, he does tell you what and many of the other songs on the album mean. He does not wish to be blatant about it, though because he is more effective staying in the role of artist, not politician, and he is a great artist.
Give him a break; he’s done over 200 interviews, all available on Youtube for anyone who wishes to look into it. I myself was very surprised to find the prolificity of Coldplay’s allowing interviews, and at how open and honest they have always been, especially Chris, who speaks from his heart.
Coldplay has performed countless concerts in the couple years, pouring their heart, soul and passion into each one. I have never heard of a fan who was not ecstatic after seeing their performance. They are a great inspiration for me and for millions of others. They deserve the highest respect, not criticized.
Finally, please don’t speak ill of Gwenyth when it is clear you don’t know her at all. She has a new website at http://www.goop.com , in which she generously shares her vast knowledge in many areas, including health and cooking. From the quality of her writing in her newsletters, I can tell you she is very articulate, and indeed “brilliant”. She is a great match for the equally bright and intelligent, Chris Martin. I predict that their children will be prodigies.
Whatever the case, Chris Martin can’t sing live. He doesn’t have a voice. Perhaps in a studio and tweaked up he sounds fine on an album… But the man has no voice on stage. It’s a torture watching him try to hit the high notes and it sounds like a disaster.
I have all the Coldplay albums, I’m a fan I will admit… but I also think that if you have such a bad voice, then you should leave the singing to someone who can and just stick to music and lyrics…
All of you suck, Coldplay kicks ass. Chris Martin is not a douche. All of you dickheads commenting on someone you don’t even know. Everyone has their own opinion about things and I personally think you all dissing Chris are the ones being immature. None of you know what his life is like. I don’t thnk he has an ego problem, he just lives his life the way he wants to just like all YOU douchebags do. I hope all of you rot in hell. I love Coldplays music and Chris Martin and all he believes in.
Coldplay Rocks !!! And so does Chris Martin.
He does a lot of good to the world by being a non-veg, by not smoking and drinking, by creating great music and by using his music to support charity.
His music truly reflects his personality.
So what if doesn’t wants to answer some bulsh** questions in an interview. I don’t give a damn about it.
For me he is still a great musician and a very good person at heart.
And if that is not enough for all you Chris haters, it doesn’t surprise me.
Coz as said in Vedas, we are living in Kaliyug, where people have lost their minds and don’t understand what is good and bad.
OI WHOEVA IS BAD MOUTHING CHRIS MARTIN WHY DON’T YOU LOSERS JUST GROW UP AND GET A LIFE, HE IS AN AMAZING MAN AND DOESN’T DESERVE TO BE RIDICULED AND IT IS NONE OF SOME SNOBBY REPORTERS BUSINESS WHAT IS GOING ON IN HIS LIFE SO THEY SHOULDN’T BE ASKING!!! AND TO THE PEOPLE THAT SAY HE OWES US FOR PUTTING HIM AT THE TOP OF THE CHARTS, HE DOESN’T OWE YOU ANYTHING HE HAS ALREADY GIVEN YOU THE PLEASURE OF LISTENING TO SOME AMAZINGLY COMPOSED, WRITTEN AND PERFORMED MUSIC!!! SO LEAVE HIM ALONE!! OK????
You guys who are bashing Chris haven’t heard the whole interview. The interviewer was being a total douche the whole time, kept making really snarky comments. Chris wasn’t at fault here.
Wonderful points altogether, you simply won a new reader. What could you suggest in regards to your submit that you just made a few days in the past? Any sure?
You guys keep pounding on him because he doesn’t talk about his family to the media…ARE YOU KIDDING ME? If I was famous I wouldn’t want my family to get caught up with the media. THEY CORRUPT PEOPLE.