spotlight
There is something to be said about a band that Corbijn of band shots and another of candid shots
has sold over 100 million albums and spent close to from the studio, and that’s just something you can’t
30 years together. Depeche Mode is just such a band download. The better you make the package, the
and could be content to rest on their laurels after such more likely people will go out and buy it, and we’re
worldwide success. Instead the mega men of electro- really proud of this album. We’re in rehearsals right
pop are back in business with their 12th studio record- now for the tour, trying to put the set list together,
ing called Sounds of the Universe. Dave Gahan, Martin and it’s the first time we feel we could and should just
Gore and Andy Fletcher are a winning combination. go out and play the whole album. But we realize we
Martin Gore, the group’s chief songwriter, spoke with can’t do that because that’s sort of indulgent.
The Rage Monthly about why he thinks gays relate to
the band, the process of making the new CD and their Rage: There is a song called “Oh Well,” on the box-set edition
upcoming tour. Though sold out in two of the L.A. and also the flip-side of the “Wrong” single, is this the first
venues, tickets for San Diego at the Cricket Wireless song that you and Dave wrote together?
Amphitheatre on August 14 and Anaheim on August MG: Well, we didn’t sit down in a room and write
19 (Honda Center) were still available at presstime. a song together. It started out as a techno track that
I wrote. When I first played it for Dave, he liked it so
Rage: What else could go “Wrong” in your video for that man much that he went back to the hotel that night and
stuck in the car going backwards? What started writing some words and melody on top of it.
a disturbing night. But this album is actually the most relaxed one we’ve
Martin Gore: I think it was prob- ever made, and there was a really great atmosphere
SOMETHInG SO RIGHT
ably more than a night. [Laughs] in the studio. Everybody was a bit sad when the
I hope people don’t take it in a whole project finished; we wanted to carry on, and
really depressing way, because that’s never happened before.
THE SEnSITIVE SIDE OF
I like to think that I’ve somehow
made it into a bit of a comedy mo- Rage: What fashion statements do you have in store for your
ment. There’s a bit of black humor upcoming tour?
DEPECHE MODE’S
in there. It makes me laugh when I MG: I’m going to be a cosmic Teddy Boy. I don’t
say that “there’s something wrong think the term “Teddy Boy” exists in America, does
Martin
with me chemically, something it? It’s like a ’50s rock ’n’ roll look where they have the
wrong with me inherently.” pompadours and the drape jackets. Me and a friend
of mine, Sara Freegard, came up with the idea, and a
Rage: I’ve already heard some punk tailor in London, Tom Baker, made all the stuff.
incredible remixes of “Wrong.” As a And I’ve got these amazing shoes that were made by
Gore
songwriter, how do you feel about Terry de Havilland.
other artists remixing your tracks?
by bill biss
MG: We put a lot of time into Rage: Do you feel that Depeche Mode has ever made a
choosing the re-mixers who fashion faux-pas?
actually work on the tracks. We MG: When we first started out, we were just young
generally use an artist that we genuinely like, an artist kids, really, who had put a band together. Suddenly
whose work we think is challenging, and we’ve always we were rushed into the spotlight. If there was a
managed to catch people who are just about to break. photo session and the photographer said, “Put on
I totally think our remixes over the years have been of these stupid outfits,” we said, “Okay.” We just went
a very high caliber. along. We have to take some of the blame for some
of the stupid outfits as well, because we didn’t have
Rage: Sounds of the Universe will be released as a special a stylist styling us; we just wore what we felt was ap-
edition CD/DVD and a deluxe box set with loads of exclusive propriate, which was totally inappropriate.
extras, including demos, behind-the-scenes interviews
and other bonuses on creating the new music. Why was it Rage: I read that it’s not one of your favorite tracks, but did
important with this album to share so much of your process? you have any idea that “People Are People” would become
MG: One of the ways you can try to get around an anthem for the LGBT community?
people just downloading stuff on the Internet is MG: I didn’t realize that at the time because I was writ-
by providing quality and something the fans really ing more generally about hatred I’d seen. At one point
want to get a hold of. The music will all end up on I was chased for absolutely no reason whatsoever by
the Internet, no question about that, but here there guys who decided they wanted to beat me up. They
are three DVDs and special booklets, one by Anton ran up behind me and started kicking and punching
54 RAGE monthly | MAY 2009
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