1983-xx-xx Unknown, UK

Notes

This is an interview from the bootleg interview disc Depeche Mode 83-85 Interviews. No information on any of the interviews on the disc was provided, but by listening to the interview it can be deduced that the interview took place in the UK, and quite possibly on a TV show. But it would have to be a TV show that has not been shared in video form among fans, so further details are unknown. The file seems to miss the beginning of the interview, and has been transcribed for your convenience.

Audio

Transcript

Interviewer: What did you think before joining the group?

Alan: Well Vince left, as you probably know, to join Yazoo. The band already had a lot of commitments at that point. There was already a tour in America planned, and everything, you know. I had to be drafted in a very short notice.

Interviewer: So how did you find him?

Martin: We advertised in a music paper.

Interviewer: In England?

Martin: In England, yeah.

Interviewer: Did you get stumped?

Martin: Not really, we had about 5 applicants, I think, 5 applicators.

Interviewer: Oh really, so little? People aren't very interested in joining bands even?

Martin: Obviously not, no. (laughs)

Interviewer: Oh, who would have thought. Let's, ehm, can you tell me working with video, because nowadays everybody with a name uses video, how do you go about it?

Martin: Every single we make, we make a video for.

Interviewer: Why?

Martin: Why? Just to promote the single, really.

Alan: You have to because everybody else does it. And really, you can't get away with not doing video.

Interviewer: Yeah, but does it come back only writing a song, and you think "Oh, if this song it going to be a hit, we're going to have to have to do a video for it, so I'll get some visual images", do you think?

Alan: Well, yeah, we started thinking like that, but unfortunately, before, we've kind of let that slip, because we've left it to the last minute, thinking "Oh God, this is a single, it better get a video", and get it quick, and we handed the record to a few companies and said "come with a few scripts for that and see what you can do". And this time around, like for our next single, we're gonna try and produce the script and see if we're gonna actually do it virtually ourselves, obviously getting professional people to work the cameras, etcetera.

Interviewer: Now, you've already told me before, in contacting the people in making the videos, you can have a little bit of trouble with the people you're working with, what sort of trouble?

Alan: Well, I don't know, it's just that some of the big video companies, like, I shan't mention any names, but the big companies that do all the videos, seem to be a bit too concerned with promoting themselves as well, I mean the artist they're trying to promote. And I think, you know, most musicians aren't really active, and I think-

Interviewer: But even though you prefer being on stage?

Alan: Yeah, because in videos you're often expected to act in a way that you wouldn't act on a stage. I think it's probably better to try and avoid that and get around that, and that's probably where we've made mistakes in the past.

Interviewer: Well do you feel about performing on stage? Because I know you like writing the songs, but you don't actually perform them, you give them to... Mark?

Martin: Dave.

Interviewer: Dave, right, Dave. Why?

Martin: Why?

Interviewer: Well why don't you actually get up to the front and perform the songs that you write?

Martin: I don't really see myself as a frontman, I think I'm a bit too shy for that sort of thing, you know? I'd rather just hide, you know, hide behind the keyboard or something.

Interviewer: So how is it all like, so how is it all like to be on a successful band and have world exposure and who comes on television shows like this, and ever bigger ones, and radio shows, if you feel quite shy about what you're doing?

Martin: Ehm...

Alan: Well it's all part of mastering something basically, isn't it? If we want to be successful we've got to do something to make it happen. It's not, I mean, I think we enjoy it, but, writing your songs in the studio is simply the most enjoyable part.