Lead singer Dave Gahan reveals in outspoken phrases the internal power struggles in the super group.
STOCKHOLM (Ekstra Bladet): Dave Gahan radiates with an energy as if he had recently escaped a 20 year old straight-jacket. And he probably feels that way too. Instead of sitting and complaining that I haven't had enough influence in Depeche Mode, I've decided to do something about it. - I've made a record with my friends. The singer of Depeche Mode is in Stockholm to launch his upcomming solo-album, 'Paper Monsters', but actually it seems more as if he has taken over the hotel suite because the english supertanker is dangerously close to shipwreck. The relationship with childhood friend Martin L. Gore, who is writing the band's songs, has obviously reached a turning point. If Martin wants to make another record with me he will have to open up to my ideas. That's all. A simple wish. We have to reinvent ourselves, bring in new people and change our routines. But I don't know how he feels about it and at the moment I don't really care.

READS NEWSPAPERS

After the extensive world tour that followed Depeche Mode's succes-album 'Exciter' from 2001, most people probably thought that 2003 would be a sabbatical year for the trio, so that Andrew Fletcher could get time to launch his record company 'Toast Hawaii' while Gore and Gahan each created their solo albums. But in Stockholm, Gahan claims that he just went ahead on his own and that Gore only began his project when he heard what the singer was up to. Fletcher has never been an actual musical force in the band, and according to Gahan he does nothing else than reading newspapers when they are in the studio.
- My frustration has been growing over a long period of years. I have always felt that I've deceived myself - that I ought to have more influence. The reason (why I haven't) is both that I haven't been aggressive enough towards Martin, but also because I know that he simply isn't susceptible to advices and ideas of any kind.
- I would describe my relationship with him as work related. I care about him a lot and I think a lot about him, but we have been together for so long... We've known each other for 22 years and he has survived 3 of my marriages, so there must have been something between us, ha ha! We will probably have a talk sometime next year, but there are no guarantees that we will make another record.

EXTREMELY LAZY

Gahan insists that Gore's lack of openness was the main reason that the creative sound arcitect of the group, Alan Wilder, left the band. Martin wouldn't acknowledge that Alan contributed incredibly much to Martin's songs. And now I think you can easily say Alan's input is missed. I actually think that even Martin would admit that today. And that is something he probably ought to call and tell Alan after all these years. He would definately appreciate it.

- In the studio Martin is extremely lazy and self-satisfied. He expects that he can just lean back and wait to be swept away by the work of the producer or by my vocal. Our producer on 'Exciter', Mark Bell, said that he really wouldn't make the entire album for us.

- So then i had to tell him some news: "Yes you f'u'c'king are!". And then he just pulled up his sleeves and went to work with the computer and Martin would look him over the shoulder and mumble "o.k."...

STARDUST

It wasn't possible to get a comment from Gore. Possibly he thinks he has said everything that is to say by recording the song 'Stardust' on his solo album. A song about a fallen rock star that could easily have been Gahan who was far out on the ropes on heroine in the late nineties. The track is written by a certain David Essex. Aside from sharing his first name with Gahan his last name is the same as the name of Gahan's home area. Perhaps it's a coincidence. Perhaps not.

Something will fall and smash on the floor..."?

Dave & Mart: Three stars in Uncut I don't know whether to put this in Dave's or Mart's forum or in both of them, so I'll post this here. In the new Uncut (Pink Floyd on the cover) Stephen Dalton gives Dave's and Martin's solo efforts both three stars. I left my mag home, so I can't quote directly, but the review is balanced, well-argumented and puts the albums in a proper context instead of just blathering on how doing cover albums is a sign of creative death and how ex-junkies should not be allowed to make records or stuff like that.
Alongside the review there are very short interviews with Martin and Dave. Dave says again, that he wants to have more creative input in DM in the future, but doesn't blame Martin for not letting him do more in the past. He also says that Dirty Sticky Floors & Bottle Living are about him looking from the outside the character he was seven years ago and taking the piss out of that character.
Martin on the other hand gets asked directly, if the solo albums mean the end of DM. He says, that if he suspected so, he would have released a self-written solo album, not a cover one. He also says, that if Dave's album is huglely succesful, he may not want to be in DM anymore, but Martin says he trusts that Dave and him will have a fruitful discussion on the subject in the future. If I have quoted something wrong out of memory, I'll correct it tonight, when I have the mag in my hands. So typical quality Uncut stuff. It really is a good mag, although it has gone a bit too retro during the last couple of years.
(Thomas Treo, Ekstra Bladet, 27th of April, 2003)