I used to go and see bands like the Orb and Orbital every time they came down, and I’ve seen Aphex Twin a couple of times. I was really into all that stuff, but it didn’t speak to me. – Matt Bellamy
When I think about my teenage years, when my parents broke up, and feeling alone and being out of control and having to survive… And then other times when you’ve had to find your own way… that’s always been a dominant theme in what I’ve done. – Matt Bellamy
Rachmaninov has some kind of weird dark edge to his music which I don’t think I’ve heard with any other kind of music before. – Matt Bellamy
The universe, in a big bang mode, is still expanding, which means it’s cooling down, and evolution seems to be going against this; we’re almost battling it. That led me on to a more creative, philosophical way of thinking, which is what led into influencing some of the songs, which is, maybe this is what our struggle is. – Matt Bellamy
Money and success haven’t really changed my beliefs or opinions over the years. When I was growing up, my mum and dad split when I was 13 or 14, during the early-Nineties recession. At that time, my dad went bankrupt, and it played a huge part in it all at home. – Matt Bellamy
I have been lucky to experience a lot of the spoils that can happen in a rock band. But being with the three guys in this band from such a young age, we aren’t going to let any of the spoils change us. – Matt Bellamy
As soon as you pick up a guitar, you’re up against the legends of rock. The same goes with stadium drum kits and electric bass. Essentially, you’re already in a soundscape that’s very familiar and has a lot of established legendary material recorded using those instruments. – Matt Bellamy
I was going out dancing in clubs around New York, and that helped create ‘Supermassive Black Hole.’ Franz Ferdinand would have done it very well with that dance-type beat going on mixed with alternative guitar, and I’ve always wanted to find that. – Matt Bellamy
I love Tom Waits because he’s an artist who makes me not afraid to get old, and that’s rare. I think it’s a rare kind of thing to have that level of wisdom. And his lyrics are just astounding; everything in life is inside his lyrics. – Matt Bellamy
Two hundred years ago, industrialisation ruined the labour force. In the modern age, especially in the West or America, people who are ‘efficient,’ who can bracket their emotions off, tend to win. But at what cost to the rest of us? – Matt Bellamy
Apple, iTunes, and streaming services have made the single a more easy thing to access. What that’s done has made the album as a collection of songs almost meaningless. But an album that has a concept or story or reason to be an album, if anything, has more meaning now than it ever has. – Matt Bellamy
Being an atheist means you have to realise that when you die, that really is it. You’ve got to make the most of what you’ve got here and spread as much influence as you can. I believe that you only live through the influence that you spread, whether that means having a kid or making music. – Matt Bellamy
I’ve got my interests and my life experiences as I’m putting lyrics together. And if you start looking at patterns, you start thinking, ‘Well, what am I really singing about here?’ A lot of it seems to be a battle for some freedom against oppressive forces. That seems to be a theme in a lot of the albums I’ve done. – Matt Bellamy
I don’t totally buy or believe the paradigm that’s constantly presented to us and the financial news is obsessed with, which is growth. There seems to be this paradigm which is: There has to be growth. I’m watching it and thinking, am I the only one who recognises this is a small planet isolated in a gigantic universe? Where are we growing to? – Matt Bellamy
I’ve spent important times of my life in Spain and Greece, and various deep things happened there – falling in love, stuff like that. – Matt Bellamy
I experienced the sharp end of a tough time, living with a single parent, my mum, and she was really struggling to get a job. These are the things that form your views in life. They are established when you are growing up and being raised. That stuff doesn’t really go away; that stays with you. – Matt Bellamy
