Claudio Sanchez, Coheed and Cambria
We have a natter with the massive-haired genius
With the release of their fifth studio album ‘Year of the Black Rainbow’ due on 13th April and a UK tour planned for June, Rocklouder thought this was the perfect opportunity to have a good natter with Coheed and Cambria’s Claudio Sanchez. We spoke to him about the future of the band, golf, and, er, Jimi Hendrix on Twitter.
The new single, ‘Broken’, why was that your choice as first release from the new album?
I don’t know, it just felt like the most appropriate to come out with and use as the flagship song from the album to act as an introduction. The main single will be ‘Here We Are Juggernaut’, though.
So ‘The Broken’ will ease people into the new album?
Exactly.
It’s been a while since your last album (2007’s Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow) where does ‘Year of the Black Rainbow’ fit into the larger story of ’The Amory Wars’*?
Well, it’s the origin story of the main characters Coheed and Cambria. The Black Rainbow is not a literal black rainbow but it’s actually an absence in reality that sparks a divide between all the inhabitants in the mythology, and thus the creation of Coheed and Cambria to basically correct it. It’s the beginning story. It’s the last story but yet the beginning. The Amory Wars story is now finished.
So I guess the natural question is, what comes after?
It’s a tough one. Right now I’m just so proud of this record and everything we’ve accomplished - I’m kind of just living in the moment.
You’ve released comics as tie-ins to the previous albums. Are you planning something similar with this album?
Yeah, we’re releasing a 352 page prose novel with the record, written by myself and Mr. Peter David, and that’ll be released with the album. I always liked bands growing up that had that conceptual element to them, although it’s not been a conscious decision to follow on some tradition, some route others have followed.
Do you think telling the story about others has allowed you to weave elements of yourself into the music without people necessarily thinking it’s autobiographical?
Yeah, for me when I became a lyricist in a band, I found that I was a bit shy to immediately convey my feelings in song, so I think that’s kind of why most of the songs have become very fictional. Because though they start from a very personal place they’re warped a bunch. I don’t think it was until ‘Good Apollo I’ that I brought that element into the picture and let the audience know that, though it is a work of science fiction, it's from a place very real and very personal.
You’re setting off for a huge tour of the States soon, are you looking forward to coming back and touring the UK in June?
I am, very much, actually. It’s been a while since we’ve been over - the last time we were here was for the ‘Neverender’ concert series. I’m just excited about the new record and the ability to share it with people, I am very proud of it. I think it’s a huge accomplishment for the band so just anywhere and everywhere I want to be able to share it.
Coheed and Cambria have been together 15 years – do you think you’ll be together for another 15?
I don’t know. This is the last part of ‘Frames’, the Coheed and Cambria story, so part of me just doesn’t really know what the future holds, do I want to leave it untouched and leave it as is? Or do I want to expand on it? It’s a question I guess I’ll answer when the future comes.
You’re already lined up for BBK festival in Bilbao – do you enjoy festivals?
I do, I love doing as many different festivals as possible because I think the band can cross into a lot of worlds. The BBK one has a more heavy line-up but it’s a great way to reach a lot of people not necessarily familiar with your music.
Obviously because of the nature of the band you have a strong artistic aesthetic, do your fans get involved with that?
Yes, we’ve seen a lot of tattoos and band related artwork. Concept related artwork. I actually display a bunch of it at my house; I have a room of all toys, comic books and art work. It’s very flattering.
Nothing too crazed then?
No, but there was one tattoo I found very interesting which was me naked riding a dragonfly. Flattering, but funny. I took a picture of it and I have it on my computer.
Have you been playing more golf?
Ah – you saw that on Twitter? I actually did that on my Sundays when we were recording the record. I would go with our manager, just to try something new. It was fun but unfortunately the weather isn’t really fit for it right now. I used to play baseball, so it’s nice to kinda swing a club or bat. Twitter’s fun, I know if growing up I’d have had that window on my heroes it would have been exciting to me to be able to participate in some small fraction of their lives. Back in the day I would have loved to follow Hendrix on Twitter.
Are you enjoying married life – is it treating you well?
I’ve been married now 4 months. We’ve been together 7 years – a lot of the records are written about her – ‘Good Apollo I’ being one and that was a very dark record. This new one really reflects how strong we’ve become as a team and I’m really enjoying it.
*For the uninitiated amongst you, Coheed and Cambria’s albums tell the story of a carefully plotted science fiction tale, ‘The Amory Wars’.
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