âWe found it hard to get anything done musically, because we were both so acutely aware of the other personâs suffering,â he said. He described his dynamic with Healy as the kind you have with a romantic partner: âYou love them more than anyone else in the world, and you cut them less slack than anyone else in the world.â
â George Daniel to Jia Tolentino for The New Yorker's Who Is Matty Healy (May 29 2023)
"Oh God, it's hard being the best band in the world. [Matty waits for a cue that doesn't come] Dude, George⌠people think that - I don't control the songs, George controls the songs. If I say something like "we're the best band in the world", don't make me stand here with my fucking dick out, play the song. [George says something in Matty's earpiece] Say it again? It's a different thing every night? No, but it's the same type of thing. Okay. It's 20 years we've been doing this. [audience cheers] No no no, it's not a round of applause, it's fucking embarrassing that we can't get it right. So, okay, is this obvious enough for you? Ladies and gentlemen, the thing about us - we just keep getting better! [Matty gestures to the audience, still nothing from George] FUCK ME."
â Matty Healy before singing It's Not Living (If It's Not With You) in Pittsburgh (x)
"Ladies and gentlemen! I can talk to you, how you guys feeling? This is a fun show. You all look really good, yeah, what've we got? [starts scanning the crowd's costumes] Oh we've got some stuff. You're dressed as our head of security Mark, you're dressed as our camera man, Robbers, Phoebe Bridgers, Change of Heart, guy from Spirited Away, two clowns from - no, two cows from When We Are Together, cows wearing sweaters, very clever, from [??], a slutty bunny or something, yeah okay! Pikachu! Oh sorry, that's a real hijab. I was like yo, not now [laughs]. You look beautiful ladies, nice to see you guys., What have we got over here? Ah this is good. You're dressed as Hann! Oh it's just a lesbian. [laughs] This is fun. What is this fucking guy [skeleton on stage] going on about? What's he say? [skeleton starts singing Nickelback's How You Remind Me]. Oh, bizarre. Did you buy this? [skeleton starts singing Maroon 5's Payphone and the audience continues the singalong]. Hey listen, the front row of my show knowing all the words to Payphone is not a good look, so let's just bring that to an end. All joking aside, we should probably talk about the Mid-"
â Matty Healy before singing It's Not Living (If It's Not With You) in Detroit, MI (October 31, 2023)
"Alright. You know how when you break up with someone, and everyoneâs trying to give you advice and you listen to them. But youâre like, âyou donât really get what our love was like, because that was special love, that was a special thingâ. Donât be stupid. Get over it."
â Matty Healy before singing Somebody Else in St. Louis (October 23, 2023)