Muse frontman Matt Bellamy has revealed details of a rather unusual and awkward meeting with former US Secretary Of State, Colin Powell. A conspiracy theory obsessive, and a member of George Bush's administration - what could possibly go wrong?
The singer and guitarist was at the White House Correspondents Dinner three years, as guest of his then-partner and actress Kate Hudson. But what on Earth did they talk about?
“I asked him about hollow-point bullets," Bellamy told NME. “Because Homeland Security had purchased millions of them. They explode when they hit you - I think they are banned under the Geneva Convention. This was widely reported in the conspiracy press, and the question was why were they buying so many. It looked like they were preparing for massive riots.”
He continued: “And so [Colin Powell] said - it was an amazing deflection, and also a chilling insight into the military mindset - ‘When you’re out in the field and you want to shoot, you want to kill: quickly and cleanly’...And that was it… on to dessert…”
When quizzed on what it was like to meet someone in such power, Bellamy replied: “It’s hard to say in one meeting. But you know, there’s a power structure there that is intoxicating to be a part of, and I think when people get offered the chance to become a part of that, they are willing to sacrifice a part of their inner morality. It becomes a culture of peer pressure - of ‘this is how we do things around here… didn’t you know?’ And before you know it you’re making kill decisions before breakfast…”
Hear all about the 'kill switch before breakfast' on Muse's brilliant new album, Drones - released on 8 June.
They headline Download Festival alongside Slipknot, Kiss, Marilyn Manson and many more. See here for tickets and information. Bellamy has also said that the band will be headlining Bestival in September. Read about why that will be awesome here, and for tickets and information, visit here.
