Modern Rock – A Radio Interview with Dave Gahan (May 10th, 1994)

10 мая 1994

Just two days before kicking off the USA'94 Summer tour, Dave was interviewed by Modern Rock [US radio station]. Here's the transcription.

HOST: Live from New York City and Los Angeles this is MODERN ROCK LIVE. The nation's only alternative music call-in show that gives you the chance to interview modern rock's biggest stars.

Tonight we are pleased to present a very special DAVE. From our L.A. studios, Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode. If you'd like to speak to Dave give us a call toll-free at 1-800-223-ROCK.

Depeche Mode. Need we say more? Dave is here. Thanks for spending the time with us, we appreciate it.

DAVE: Hello.

HOST: How's it been. You've been on tour for years now.

DAVE: Just over a year.

HOST: How's the band feeling?

DAVE: Really good. At the moment we've just come back from Australia and the Far East, and we went to South Africa.

HOST: Have you played South Africa before?

DAVE: No.

HOST: What's the vibe like there right now?

DAVE: It's difficult to say. Africa is a really big country. The place was beautiful, but the feeling there was like just before the riots in Los Angeles. We left there and you know the rest. History's been made.

HOST: Well, the success of the tour has brought you onto another leg of the United States. What can people expect this time around?

DAVE: What we discovered was that we enjoyed playing together this time more then any other time before. We pulled everything together and decided not to be so separated on the stage. We wanted to get rid of some of the theatrics and be less of a big, swamping show. I think things were getting out of control.

HOST: I'm glad you're keeping the video portion of the show. Although you may be scaled down a bit, the video portion was really interesting. We're going to take some phone calls now. A lot of people want to speak to you. Let's go to Maple Park, Illinois and speak to Debbie. Hi, Debbi, you're on with Dave.

CALLER: Hi, Happy Birthday!

DAVE: Thanks, Debbie.

CALLER: Is it true that Andy won't be playing with you guys on the U.S. tour?

DAVE: No, Andy will not be playing with us for the rest of the tour.

HOST: Do you want to talk about it?

DAVE: I might get in trouble. He's in New York at the moment. He's not been feeling well and his wife's about to have their second baby and he's got to sort some stuff out so he won't be doing it. He'll be attending to other things that he's got to attend to.

HOST: Robin in Missouri on the Point in St. Louis.

CALLER: Hi. What has kept Depeche Mode together for such a long time?

DAVE: I think all of us wanting to get better at what we do and striving to make better records and become better musicians.

HOST: Do you still get along as well with the band as you did in the early years?

DAVE: I think now at the moment we're having a lot of fun. I think we've been having more fun on stage this time then we've ever had before. Everything seems a lot more organic and a lot more powerful.

HOST: We're going to go to Phoenix and The Edge. Hi, you're on the air with Dave.

CALLER: Hello, David. What are your favorite songs to perform and who are some of your favorite artists?

DAVE: "Never Let Me Down" and "Condemnation." Those are really good. "Waiting For the Night to Fold" and "I Want You Now." All these songs move me all the time.

HOST: Anything you listen to currently?

DAVE: Soundgarden album, pretty cool. But other then that, just the old favorites. Zeppelin, Stones, that kind of stuff.

HOST: Let's talk to Tony in New Lexington, Ohio. Hi, Tony.

CALLER: Hey. I was wondering if you were going to have a solo album coming out?

DAVE: Not at present, unless someone's done it behind my back.

HOST: Have you ever thought about it?

DAVE: I've been thinking about it a little bit. I've got some ideas but been nothing's been planned.

HOST: Kara in Phoenix, Arizona. Hi, Kara.

CALLER: Hey. I was wondering how having kids affects your lifestyle?

DAVE: I only have one and I haven't seen him for a while. It's almost impossible if you're on the road for a long time. You can't take kids on the road. I'm going to see him soon and I got a report from his school and he's doing great. That was interesting to read.

HOST: How old is he?

DAVE: He's 7 this year.

HOST: Is he a fan of the band? Does he take an interest in what you do?

DAVE: He does now. He came to see us for the first time this tour at Wembley. He also saw us at the Crystal Palace Football Grounds in London and I think he just tripped out completely. He suddenly realized what dad does and that I wasn't a complete loser. He's got all my moves down and he really enjoyed watching. That made me feel real good.

HOST: That's great. Let's go to Philadelphia and speak to Tom. Hi, Tom.

CALLER: Hi. I wanted to ask you about your live album.

DAVE: We just didn't want to do a live album. We wanted to do something special. So we put out an album that was a live performance of one of our studio albums. We thought the fans would really get into it. This is one of the things that has kept the band together over the years.

HOST: We're talking to Dave of Depeche Mode. Let's talk to Baldwin City, Kansas. This is Dale.

CALLER: Hi. With the latest album, "Faith and Devotion," there seems to be a lot of emphasis on guitar and accoustical type of sounds. Is this a trend for the band?

DAVE: No, it's not a trend. It's just a conscious effort to perform more things live in the studio and then to play around with the technology afterwards. But we have to get the feel first. We use the technology, we don't let it use us. And then it works.

HOST: Christiana in Cotton Town, Tennessee. Hello, Christiana.

CALLER: Hello. I wanted to wish Dave a happy birthday. I was wondering if the band was planning on making another album after this tour was over?

DAVE: Everybody's gonna split and do their own thing for a while. We need to have a break and go home to our families after the tour is finished, whenever that will be. Then we'll get together at the end of the year and talk about recording.

HOST: On MODERN ROCK LIVE we go to Jersey City, New Jersey and talk to Lorraine.

CALLER: Hi, Dave. Happy Birthday. I was wondering if you've gotten any strange things in the mail?

DAVE: What kind of strange things? Let's get down to it. What do you mean?

CALLER: Birthday things, you know.

HOST: What is the most bizarre thing you've ever received in the mail?

DAVE: It was a limb and I'm still waiting to find out who put it there!

HOST: Well, obviously they care about you very much!

DAVE: I get some very strange things. Mostly requests. Some of them I can do, but only in my spare time. So keep the letters coming in.

HOST: Hey, Dave. Thanks for spending time with us. I know it's been a real rough year and a half being on the road. But I know you guys are having fun. But I know you need some rest so I really appreciate you taking the time to be with us.

DAVE: Yeah. But we're really having a great time. Come out and see the show and rock with us.

HOST: Make sure you see this show the second time around. Dave, thanks a lot. MODERN ROCK LIVE on the Global Satellite Network.

Source: Modern Rock Radio (May 10th, 1994)