DEPECHE MODE
interviewsofrecordingartists.com
It was during Depeche Mode's "Violator" tour that lead singer David Gahan began losing
control of his personal life.
Gahan was a mess due to heavy drinking and womanizing. Soon his marriage was falling apart.
The band members began to worry that everything would collapse around them if Gahan didn't
work out his problems.
At that time, they felt the only right thing Gahan could do was to perform onstage night after night.
Looking back, Gahan's fellow band member Andrew Fletcher is grateful for the eventual change in
Gahan. "Dave has had a difficult time over the last few years," said Fletcher in a recent
telephone interview. "Like many people have."
Gahan finally divorced his wife and married Teresa Conroy, who helped Gahan turn his life
around. "Dave moved to America and found a new set of friends," said Fletcher. "He changed
his look and the style of music that he liked. At first it was hard for the band to take that in really,
but we're sort of used to it now."
Depeche Mode, French for "fast fashion", has been on the brink of major success for nearly 10
years. When the band first broke out of Essex, England, in 1983 with their debut release,
"Speak and Spell," they defied the "haircut band" trend sweeping the 'Billboard' U.K. charts at that
time. Subsequent releases achieved increasingly stronger sales each time out, and by 1987
Depeche Mode had grown from an alternative act with a cult following to mainstream success.
The most recent Depeche Mode release, "Songs of Faith and Devotion," was recorded in Madrid,
Spain, with songwriter Martin Gore virtually re-creating Depeche Mode's sound. This time out,
Gore takes Depeche Mode into a more positive direction on "Songs."
No longer content to dwell on the gloomy, angst-filled odes set to dark cryptic sounds, Gore's
seductive melodies find Gahan singing about hope and the pleasure of desire fulfilled.
"I think Martin just is writing about subjects that he's interested in," said Fletcher. "The fans seem
to be interested in them as well. They're looking for answers to certain questions and they look to
Martin to provide them with a clue of what's going on I suppose."
In a market known for fickle fans who may dump their favorite band overnight, Depeche Mode's
last tour in 1990 played to more that 1.2 million people around the world in just eight months.
Fletcher feels one of the reasons Depeche Mode has stayed a contender for 10 years is the
approach they have toward their music. Gahan (vocals), Gore (songwriter, keyboards), Alan
Wilder (computers, keyboards) and Fletcher (keyboards), want to explore the possibilities within
popular music and not let the limitations others have attempted to impose upon them restrict their
work.
"We've always tried to be different from the rest," Fletcher said. "We've always tried not to limit
ourselves and to try any idea. Any song can go in any direction. We don't limit ourselves and
hopefully we can still go ahead and do that."
END.
interviewsofrecordingartists.com
It was during Depeche Mode's "Violator" tour that lead singer David Gahan began losing control of his personal life. Gahan was a mess due to heavy drinking and womanizing. Soon his marriage was falling apart. The band members began to worry that everything would collapse around them if Gahan didn't work out his problems. At that time, they felt the only right thing Gahan could do was to perform onstage night after night. Looking back, Gahan's fellow band member Andrew Fletcher is grateful for the eventual change in Gahan. "Dave has had a difficult time over the last few years," said Fletcher in a recent telephone interview. "Like many people have." Gahan finally divorced his wife and married Teresa Conroy, who helped Gahan turn his life around. "Dave moved to America and found a new set of friends," said Fletcher. "He changed his look and the style of music that he liked. At first it was hard for the band to take that in really, but we're sort of used to it now." Depeche Mode, French for "fast fashion", has been on the brink of major success for nearly 10 years. When the band first broke out of Essex, England, in 1983 with their debut release, "Speak and Spell," they defied the "haircut band" trend sweeping the 'Billboard' U.K. charts at that time. Subsequent releases achieved increasingly stronger sales each time out, and by 1987 Depeche Mode had grown from an alternative act with a cult following to mainstream success. The most recent Depeche Mode release, "Songs of Faith and Devotion," was recorded in Madrid, Spain, with songwriter Martin Gore virtually re-creating Depeche Mode's sound. This time out, Gore takes Depeche Mode into a more positive direction on "Songs." No longer content to dwell on the gloomy, angst-filled odes set to dark cryptic sounds, Gore's seductive melodies find Gahan singing about hope and the pleasure of desire fulfilled. "I think Martin just is writing about subjects that he's interested in," said Fletcher. "The fans seem to be interested in them as well. They're looking for answers to certain questions and they look to Martin to provide them with a clue of what's going on I suppose." In a market known for fickle fans who may dump their favorite band overnight, Depeche Mode's last tour in 1990 played to more that 1.2 million people around the world in just eight months. Fletcher feels one of the reasons Depeche Mode has stayed a contender for 10 years is the approach they have toward their music. Gahan (vocals), Gore (songwriter, keyboards), Alan Wilder (computers, keyboards) and Fletcher (keyboards), want to explore the possibilities within popular music and not let the limitations others have attempted to impose upon them restrict their work. "We've always tried to be different from the rest," Fletcher said. "We've always tried not to limit ourselves and to try any idea. Any song can go in any direction. We don't limit ourselves and hopefully we can still go ahead and do that."
END.
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