Viva La eBay for Coldplay

One of my eBay co-workers sent this in to The Chatter last week. Amy is a huge fan of Coldplay and had the opportunity of meeting the drummer when the band performed recently in San Jose. Her excitement doubled when she learned about Coldplay's eBay connection! Here's what Amy (looking suitably thrilled next to Will Champion) wrote:

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Coldplay is one of my favorite bands and is currently touring to promote their new album Viva la Vida. I had the chance to interview drummer Will Champion when they came to San Jose to play at the HP Pavilion. I asked him a series of questions ranging from what food he would eat if he could only eat one thing for the rest of his life (answer: lasagna) to the significance of a smallish tattoo of a hand on his forearm (his baby daughter's). I also asked about their pre-gig routine which he jokingly said was pretty tame ("We don't sit around and do shots of Jagermeister or anything"). Actually before every show the band sits together quietly for a while and then spends a few minutes singing to get warmed up and ready to perform.

But the BEST part of my visit with him came when I asked him if he had ever bought or sold anything on eBay. Here is what he said:  "Well, for our new single, Viva La Vida, we needed to find a big bell for me to ring.  So we looked on eBay and found an old school bell that we bought. We used it in the studio and we use it during the concerts too. You will see it later on during the show on stage." I was absolutely thrilled that not only had they bought something but that they actually had the item with them. My only regret is that I didn't ask what their User ID was, so I could go check out their Feedback!

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I myself was interested to see Coldplay's art influences. Their latest album, Viva la Vida, takes its name from a painting by Frida Kahlo, and the album cover is based on Eugene Delacroix's famous painting Liberty Leading the People. Needless to say, prints of both paintings can be found on eBay.