Depeche Mode Interviews

1982-xx-xx BAKTABAK Interview Picture Disc

Yazoo

Interviewer: Hello Martin.

Martin: Hi.

I: Yeah. You've got a new album out. It's called A Broken Frame, right?

M: Yeah.

I: What does that specify, A Broken Frame, what do you mean exactly by A Broken Frame? Are things being now more serious?

M: No, it's just a represent of breaking away from our limitations from before. We felt sort of enclosed, and that's just sort of breaking out of what we were doing before.

I: Do you think now that finally, Depeche Mode with this album and material and this current tour, that you have shaken off the myth that was attached to the previous member of the band Vince Clarke, with all that "Vince is leaving", "Vince has left"... Do you think people have mostly forgotten about all of that?

M: I think a lot of people have, but I think we're not going to get away from that for a long time. People had forgotten it at one time. Just after Vince had left, we had "See You" [and it] was successful, and Vince hadn't released a single, people didn't sort of remember it then. Now, Yazoo is successful, people are obviously gonna remember it, and keep asking us about it in interviews, especially foreign interviews, I think, where we get it more. Because, I think Yazoo have done well in most countries abroad. A lot better than us, even. So obviously people are going to ask us about that. I think in a lot of places we're the Heaven 17 of that country, the same sort of situation.

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Song Lyrics'

I: Yes, because, at one time, they found themselves as being very much the antidotes, but I think that in this case you have proved that you can continue even though Vince was the main songwriter, because now you are the main songwriter and you're doing everything and you're capable of writing songs, at least. Do you find it difficult to write songs? I mean, have you always written songs on your own?

M: Yeah, I've always written songs, but not prolifically. I used to write one or two a year, perhaps. And never seriously, they were just... I've been in a band since I was 13 or so, but it was never serious, it was just a play to a few friends or youthclubs and things like that so I've always written songs but just not seriously before. Now I've got to write more seriously.

I: The responsibility of the material lies in your hands, really, at you the most. Do you get any help from the others at all?

M: Not in actually writing the songs, like the words and the chords and things like that. But I only write the basic structure of the songs before we get to the studio, and then we sort of work on it as a team in the studio. We'll try different things out to see what works, and we decide together what works best.

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Lazy Mart

I: Depeche Mode has been one of the most, like one of the pioneer bands, as such, to come up with this so-called electropop band that have been by many described. How do you feel about it, now that there are other bands [which are] not necessarily playing the same format, but using very much the same skeleton as you have already used on your songs?

M: I don't mind that. I think that as long as they've got good ideas and write good songs, it's alright. I think the songs are the most important thing.

I: What do you call for when the song is written? I mean, obviously, now you've been playing since you're 13 years old, you said. Are you a bit of a perfectionist yourself?

M: No. (laughs) I'm far from a perfectionist, because I'm very lazy. A lot of the time I have to be pushed by the others and pushed by Daniel to do things. If we record a part, for instance, [and] it's not quite perfect, almost perfect but not quite, I'll tend to say "Well that's alright, we'll get away with that, no one will notice", and the others or Daniel might say "No, we better do it again", something like that.

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New and Hot Guy

Interviewer: You're the new guy, eh?

Alan: Yeah, I'm Alan.

I: How is it happening, is it good? Is it going good for you?

A: Yeah, it's ehm... So far, up until this album I'm finally being actually employed by the band. I'm not on any of the records, and I haven't played on the album or earlier singles this year. But now I've joined the band full-time, as a permanent member.

I: So you were doing session work but now you're full time.

A: Yeah, I don't like to call it session work, because it wasn't really sessions, but I mean, I was in the band, as such, but not recording-

I: -Oh, sorry-

A: That's alright. I did tours and TV, and some interviews and things like that, and photos, but just not recording. But as I said, it's now full-time and we're all like a proper band now.

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I: Was it difficult for you to write songs?

M: Quite difficult to write, because, I've always written songs but I've never really written that many. I write one every six months or something. Whereas now I've got to write 14 a year, I have to write 12 to 14 a year. All the B-sides, the singles, the album.

I: What about help from the rest of the band? Does that come along at all now?

M: Well, Andy and Dave don't write songs, but Alan, who's joined in - he has just explained the situation to ya - he's gonna be writing some songs as well now, we might be writing together.

I: When you write on your own, like on this first album, I should imagine that there's what by men bring you frightening - it's not really frightening, it's pressure on you, because, if something is not liked, or something is liked, or something is like great, you've got the credit up, something not liked, the finger points at you. I should imagine that's the thing what you felt you had to get out of the way, yeah?

M: Obviously you do feel that sort of pressure, but you have time to sort of do your best, really. And if you ehm -

A: -The thing is, it's very easy to get carried away into thinking "Oh God, I've got to write something that's gonna please these people."

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