Why do people gotta be hatin' on Nickelback? That's what Chris Martin wants to know. The Coldplay frontman says he has "nothing but respect" for the Chad Kroeger-fronted foursome.

Martin gave props to the Canadian rockers in a new interview with Absolute Radio, the national pop and rock station formerly known as Virgin Radio. "They take a lot of flack from people who have never done f--- all in their life," he says. "I think they're great. That's my final word."

And when Martin isn't humming 'Someday' or extolling the brilliance of 'How You Remind Me,' he's praising his own band's hard work. In the interview, Chris says that Coldplay is "better than we used to be."

"I think our concert is the least s--- Coldplay concert at the moment that you could have possibly ever seen." Um, thanks?