He's said, unless you can show me otherwise, that they've had pop songs on their records, but i don't think he's ever generalized his music as being such.
You make some valid points no doubt. I think we have different idea's of pop, i'm looking at it from a consumer, pop music is selling sex to children, or subtle racism to southern people (
)
Pop music is usually over-produced, written by ghost writers, and more dance-oriented. Maybe i'm just looking at it on the surface..
Muse sounds like early bad radiohead to me, if they stuck with "creep" and never progressed they're sound.