Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto was released today. Did you buy?

As you know, the band has been promoting the album extensively. Last week Chris Martin, in service of the new album, even talked about his wife Gwyneth Paltrow. And said that he won the lottery when he married her. It’s so nice when he’s nice to his wife, non?

But unless you’re a big outlet like CBS, Chris might not take well to being asked about the G. Chris might even, if he’s in a certain mood, hang up on you if you ask about the G. Even if the question is in direct relation to statements he made about himself. Here’s a 10 minute radio discussion that you should listen to when you have the chance, not only because it’s about the time Chris Martin hung up on the DJ and then called back, but because there’s a lot of insight here on how celebrity interviews happen, how they are managed, how they are politicked, and how they are damage controlled. The negotiating behind the scenes is the most interesting. The band’s people don’t want the interview to air. The producers want to air the interview. In my experience, this is where the subtle threats are thrown down. If you do, we will withhold this. If you do, you will never get this, that, and the other. In that respect, it means they don’t have to stand behind how they behave. You have a right not to like the question. You have a right not to answer on those grounds. Do you have the right to act like a brat and order a cover-up immediately after? Or would I respect you more if you at least stood up for your reaction, defended it publicly if that’s what you honestly believed was the appropriate response?

Click here to listen to The Bert Show’s account of their awkward interview with Chris Martin.

And on a somewhat related note - Avril Lavigne has banned a journalist from attending her show tonight in Toronto. He reviews music, that’s his job, and his last review of her album may not have positive. So now her label won’t issue him a ticket, per standard procedure. Does that mean a reporter can only report on her music if the report about her music is flattering? Click here for more on that story.

Attached - Chris Martin with Guy Berryman and Jonny Buckland at the Q Awards in London today.

(Thanks Louise!)