Interview: Chris Wolstenholme

British rock band Muse return to Barcelona next month as part of their Stadium Tour 2013. Formed in 1994 by Matthew Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard, their sixth studio album The 2nd Law (2012) was nominated for two Grammy Awards and a host of other awards and honours. Chris Wolstenholme—football aficionado, father of six and Muse’s bass player—spoke to me from the airport in Chicago, having just survived the hassle of airport security. “They tore apart my [effects] pedal board,” he said with a sigh. “But, what are you going to do? It happens.”

Muse’s upcoming Barcelona concert is their only show in Spain on this year’s tour. Of course, I had to ask the question, “Why Barcelona?” “It was the obvious choice!” Chris answered without hesitation. “Barcelona is always an amazing crowd, plus the city has a wonderful vibe. You just want to soak up the atmosphere… you know, take a day to walk around and enjoy the place.” He thought for a moment, and added, “You know, playing in Barcelona is almost like being at a football match. It’s just the kind of energy of the crowd here. Do you know what I mean? The people here are big into football, yeah?”

We talked about the differences between the kinds of places Muse has played over the years. “The stadium shows are just massive. You know that maybe half the fans in a stadium are hard-core fans, but the rest are probably just friends or girlfriends or cousins who came along for the ride, so you’re basically introducing yourself to people. It’s cool because you have more freedom to mix things up a bit.”

Some of the sounds on the latest record delve into electronica influences, which is new musical territory for a band known for its alternative/symphonic/progressive rock anthems. I asked Chris if the changes were a result of the band’s evolving tastes or if they were influenced by the other people involved in the studio process. Electronica icons Nero and Skrillex as well as famed composer David Campbell all had a hand in The 2nd Law.

“It was a pretty natural progression, but we also wanted to push ourselves. Having the guys you mentioned involved in the record just made it all the more interesting for us as a band as we created the sounds in the studio, but didn’t really affect our process.” In spite of the success of their previous five studio albums, the band agreed that it was time to go beyond their comfort zone. “We thought, we know we can play our instruments as well as anyone. Maybe it’s time to challenge ourselves. It’s rewarding as well as important to take a risk sometimes.”

Speaking of delving into new territory, Chris wrote and sang two of the songs on the record, which was a first for him. He mentioned that these are the first songs he’s finished on his own—completing songs is not something that comes naturally to him. “I’ve always struggled lyrically, but this time I just sat down and forced myself to do it.” But were the other band members supportive of his first attempts at composition? “Definitely, most definitely. I think that the other guys were keen to have someone else write some of the songs for once.”

The lyrics to Chris’s two compositions don’t so much reflect the post-apocalyptic, Brave New World-type themes that are typical of Muse songs. “That’s more Matthew than the rest of us, but that’s fine with me. Lyrics are really different than playing an instrument. I can adapt a bass line to make a song work, but the words to a song, those are one person’s feelings and opinions. Nobody has the right to mess with that. I feel like if you want to tell someone else how to write a song, the proper response is, ‘well, fuck off, you write it then!’”

Before heading off to sound check for their next concert, Chris added, “You know, everything about this record was us as a band intentionally breaking the formula a little bit. Returning to the places that know us, like Barcelona, and playing the new songs for those audiences is part of that process of evolution. It’s something we really look forward to.”

Muse perform at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on June 7th. We have a double set of tickets to give away to the concert—check out the Metropolitan Facebook page for details.