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PAVEMENT,
16th APRIL 1997
[Author:
Unknown.]
" "I don't particularly like to vocalise about my personal problems," Gore answers. "Whether I'm an alcoholic or not, that's up in the air. I drink quite a lot. But virtually everybody I know does. Even if I do drink too much, it's a personal thing. It's not something I should be going into in every interview or talking about." "
Summary: Article from a New Zealand magazine or possibly e-zine (can anyone give me further information?) interviewing Martin about Ultra and, inevitably, the band members' recent personal problems. Very refreshing in that it gives Martin's perspective, knocking down a few misconceptions and giving a sober view on aspects of the band that have at times been blown out of proportion. Required reading for a balanced view of what really happened. [2918 words]
Try
also: "Synth And
Sensibilities" [NME, 25th January 1997]
"They Just Couldn't Get Enough"
[Q, March 1997]
"60
Second Interview: Martin
Gore" [Metro, 28th April 2003]
After a period of extreme instability in which the closest Depeche Mode got to new tracks were those on singer Dave Gahan's arms, the musical violators have emerged from the mire relatively intact, boasting their ninth studio album, personnel changes and, finally, much better fashion sense.
MARTIN GORE IS EMBARRASSED. Somewhere along the way, his band, Depeche Mode, have watched their image change from terminally wimpy synth popstars to terminally wasted synth rockers: a kind of Guns 'n' Roses of the keyboard world. Mention of the band's name now comes with headline-grabbing baggage: heroin overdoses, suicide attempts, rehab treatment, drug-induced heart attacks, arrests, divorce, inter-band turmoil, changing line-ups and endless touring. And, despite global record sales of over 40 million, further down the list, it seems, is the music itself.
Now, as they prepare to start the band rolling again with Ultra, their first album in over four years, Martin Gore finds himself dissecting the actions of Depeche Mode's wayward singer and publicly-exposed heroin addict, Dave Gahan. In a nutshell, Gahan's addiction reached its zenith on the marathon Songs of Faith and Devotion tour during 1993 and '94, irrevocably dividing the band. It even brought keyboardist Alan Wilder's many years with the band to an end at the conclusion of the tour. But Gahan's habit didn't stop with the tour over. Indeed, his drug problem became the band's. Work on the new album was held up when Gahan was arrested for drug possession and almost died in what was an apparent suicide attempt after slashing his wrists. Several attempts at rehabilitation failed. And the closest the band got to new tracks were those on Gahan's arms.
"It does come to a point where, yes, it is embarrassing," admits Gore. "I have a five year old daughter; Dave has an eight year old son. At the moment my daughter is only five but I imagine by the time she gets to Dave's son's age it becomes a problem because kids start reading newspapers and they get stick from other kids. We've got a few years to sort it out in regards to my daughter and I hope we do. I hope drugs aren't such an issue in three years time."
Today, however, drugs have become synonymous with Depeche Mode, much to Gore's disgust. Thanks to Gahan's unfortunate public outing as an addict, larger than life rumours have circulated about the band. And Gore is keen to address these.
Firstly: No, they didn't have a drug dealer on the staff during the Devotional tour. "All these things are totally blown out of proportion," declares Gore. "I think that on every tour there's probably a dealer who turns up because he knows he can make some money. But he was never one of our fully paid-up staff. There were probably several dealers who turned up along the way because they know that someone in the huge touring organisation is going to buy off them."
Secondly: Yes, Gore did spend time in jail. He denies it sullied his image ("I think our image has been pretty much dirtied over the last few years") and says his arrest, for disturbing the peace, was a farce. "The night before I got arrested, I had a party in my room and there were about 50 people and it was really loud. The night of the arrest, it was me and a friend and the music was really quiet. They rang me and asked me to turn it down, so I did. They rang me again and asked me to turn it down, so I turned it off. Next thing I know there's complete silence and the police knocked on the door. I stupidly opened it. They burst in, threw me on the bed and handcuffed me. There was no music whatsoever playing. I think they were out to get me for the night before. I can't remember much about it. I was really drunk at the time and it seemed like fun. The next day, when I sobered up, I realised why some of the people in there weren't too happy with me. I'd just been done for disturbing the peace. If you've got this really jovial person in the cell next to you, singing and being really happy, and you're about to go down for 25 years, it's not that amusing. I had a good time but I only had the one night, not 25 years."
Thirdly: No, his lyrics aren't about Gahan and his problems. Far from it. "Everyone seems to think all I do is sit down and write songs about Dave and it's really not the case," laughs Gore. "I always write from a first-person perspective. I don't know what's going on in someone else's head. I always hate going into exactly what was going through your head when you wrote a song. It takes away all the mystique. I think there should be some mystery there."
Fourthly: Yes, Gahan does seem to think Gore's lyrics are therapy for him. "He does seem to get some therapeutic value from singing the songs," admits Gore. "He does definitely feel passion for the songs and obviously feels some connection. I don't think it's surprising he relates to the songs. We come from a very similar upbringing and we've been in a band for 17 years. We must have some points of reference along the way."
Fifthly: Yes, Gore and keyboardist/businessman Andrew Fletcher did support Gahan during his ordeal, despite claims by Gahan to the contrary, including: "I didn't get any support at all, verbally, from Fletch or Mart at any point." "I think even Dave will admit it didn't matter what kind of support we tried to give him, he was isolating himself," explains Gore. "He admits he was a clever junkie; he hid as much as he could from us. We knew there was a drug problem but we didn't know its magnitude until way too late anyway. But we've given Dave chance after chance after chance and fortunately he's actually taken us up on one of those chances this time."
Sixthly: No, Gore isn't an alcoholic, despite Gahan basically outing him as one in current interviews. "I don't particularly like to vocalise about my personal problems," Gore answers. "Whether I'm an alcoholic or not, that's up in the air. I drink quite a lot. But virtually everybody I know does. Even if I do drink too much, it's a personal thing. It's not something I should be going into in every interview or talking about. Dave has come to realise that he may not have made the right decision to go into interviews and open his heart about his private life, especially the drug aspect. It's getting very boring. Every interview he goes into now, all they want to talk about is drugs. The fact that he happens to make music seems to be irrelevant for most people."
MUSIC: DEPECHE MODE MAKE IT FOR the masses. After beginning life as a fluffy new wave synth act under the songwriting guidance of Vince Clarke, Depeche Mode became progressively more subversive during the '80s, when Martin Gore took over principal songwriting duties. Gore wrote about bondage, religion, suicide, death and royalty and still managed to score pop hits in both Britain and Europe. They banged metal objects on stage over stark electronic beats in a manner that inspired countless industrial bands. Then, after years of touring they finally cracked America with the singles People Are People and Never Let Me Down Again and the album Music for the Masses, capturing the breakthrough on a film, 101, shot by former Bob Dylan documentary-maker D. E. Pennebaker. Violator, the 1990 follow-up to the documentary's companion live album, then went on to sell six million copies in America alone. A lengthy tour to accompany the album saw the band sporting guitars for the first time ever and Gahan relishing the role of rockstar.
Unfortunately, Gahan didn't stop the act once he'd left the stage. By the time Songs of Faith and Devotion was being written and recorded, Gahan was hanging out with the likes of Primal Scream, Guns 'n' Roses and Nine Inch Nails and complaining that Depeche Mode's music was too lightweight. Perhaps in response, that album opened with over a minute of feedback and contained some of Gore's darkest songs, both lyrically and musically. Meanwhile, the Devotional tour saw the increasingly-tattooed Gahan transform himself into a '90s Jim Morrison, goading the audience, striking Jesus Christ poses and chanting "let me see those hands" at completely inappropriate moments. Industry insiders not only hinted at drug problems within the band but also suggested a serious deterioration in relations between band members, provoked by a seemingly eternal tour. The Devotional tour was, Gore now admits, way too long.