BOOK: Muse, Inside the Muscle Museum

Written by: Staff Writer

If you’re looking for a definitive biography on Muse, this is it – mainly because at the moment it’s the only one, but also because it’s a bloody good read. Documenting the lives of both the band members and the band itself, with a particular focus on Matt Bellamy (considering he’s the brains of the operation/captain of the good ship Muse) author Ben Myers has spoken to/stolen quotes from just about everyone connected to the band to catalogue their astounding rise to superstardom.

Myers’ style is clear and simple, making the book quick to finish and easy to understand. He is informative while funny, and gives you a real sense that you’re being spoken to by someone who knows what they’re on about. His mentions of reviews he’s submitted to music magazines over the years see to this, although pose a question at the same time: why, if he is a journalist, is the book littered with so many mistypes, inaccuracies (such as calling The Offspring’s album Conspiracy of One ‘Minority of One’) and punctuation and spelling errors? This is the only beef with the book.

Through short-lived and shit band names, comparisons to Radiohead, sampling the ‘wares’ of far-flung countries, to headlining the world’s biggest gigs and making the most innovative music our universe has heard in years, Inside the Muscle Museum offers a comprehensive insight into the development of the band and a microscopic view of Matt Bellamy’s weird and wonderful mind.

Of most interest to Muse fans will perhaps be the insight gained into the band’s albums – how they were conceived and recorded, and what the songs mean. Muse lyrics aren’t the easiest to digest at times and it’s satisfying to have them explained from the horse’s mouth.

Also worth reading are the accounts of past gigs – ones that the band will always remember as well as the ones that they’d rather forget. While reading about the awesome gigs that you missed out on will no doubt inspire some jealously, you’ll get an idea of how they honed their now legendary live performances.

Buy this Muse-tastic tome here.

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Author: Staff Writer

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