The interview with Matt Bellamy takes place at the Hotel de Rome in Berlin, in the Renaissance suite with 85 square metres of antiques and plush, fresh fruit and a butler's service. Everything for 1500 Euro per day. But the British are also superstars with 15 million sold albums, stadium tours, Hollywood friends, beach apartments and exclusive hobbies. It is only fitting that the talk time should be estimated at 15 minutes in advance, that private questions are a no-go and that selfies should be sent off immediately. Fortunately, the artist is more relaxed than his surroundings, which is why he simply talks as long as he likes and also has a lot to say..
eclipsed: Matt, are we all drones driven by drones that are controlled by other drones?
Matt Bellamy: (laughs) You could say that.
eclipsed: Reminiscent of the "1984" concept of your album "The Resistance"..
Bellamy: Totalitarian control has always been an important issue for me. Maybe because my parents broke up when I was a teenager. It was a phase in which my life was completely out of control because I had been deprived of my family security. To found a band was therefore nothing more than an escape. And I also had those thoughts when it came to this album. But the title comes from the fact that I've read a lot about drones.
eclipsed: Like what?
Bellamy: A book called "Predator Drones: The CIA's Concealed Warfare" that documents the drone operations that took place in western Pakistan and Afghanistan. I was shocked at how many there were and how advanced the technique was. Even worse, I found the term "kill decision" - how decisions for such attacks are made and by whom. Sometimes it is even Obama who nods them off shortly after breakfast. What's scary is what distance is created: The technology ensures an enormous distance between the client and the goal, even emotionally. And it's getting bigger and bigger. Because what the US is developing at the moment amounts to completely self-sufficient drones that make their own decisions about killing without anyone being involved.