1983-12-15 BFBS Radio 1, Cologne, Germany

Notes

The British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides information and entertainment for British troops stationed abroad. BFBS used to have many barracks in Germany in the last century and so it was widely available throughout Germany. An unknown host interviews Andy Fletcher, because Depeche Mode were to perform in Cologne at the Sartory Saal later that day.

• Duration: 9:01 minutes

Transcript

Interviewer: Yeah, 'Just Can't Get Enough'. I know the feeling well. The story of my life if you ask me, it could make that my theme tune, I suppose. that's Depeche Mode from 1981, a couple of years ago, a very big hit for them, in fact, I think the very first big hit. Well, with us in the studio to talk about the band is Andy. Hello Andy.

Andy: Hello.

Interviewer: Straight up from Frankfurt, eh?

Andy: That's right, yeah.

Interviewer: Yeah. 'Just Can't Get Enough', that was your very first hit single, wasn't it?

Andy: No.

Interviewer: Wasn't it?

Andy: No. It's the third.

Interviewer: But the biggest one.

Andy: Well, it's the most well-known.

Interviewer: The most well-known, the one that most people identify, "Well, it's from Depeche Mode."

Andy: That's right.

Interviewer: It is "Depeche Mode"?

Andy: That's right.

Interviewer: I'm hearing all sort of variations, saying "Depechay Mode", and all sorts of other connotations on the name. So you've been very interested in Richard [unintelligible]'s Pop Roulette Wheel.

Andy: Yeah, I like a lot of gambling. Red or black?

Interviewer: Red or black? I'll take the black. How long have you been out on tour with the band, [seeing] as you're in Germany at this time?

Andy: Well, we actually started the tour in Sweden about two weeks ago, and we hit Germany about a week and a half ago. We're sort of about halfway through. We'll end up on Christmas Eve at Hamburg, doing three nights at Hamburg, so that should be pretty good.

Interviewer: And fly back home...

Andy: And fly back, just in time for the Christmas Eve party.

Interviewer: Right. And is the tour going well for you?

Andy: Brilliant, yeah, all sold out. I think there's a few tickets left for the Düsseldorf gig tomorrow, if anyone wants to go along. But tonight sold out, Cologne. It should be quite good.

Interviewer: So it's going well. Do you find that you're getting more reactions from the continent, from Britain, with your music?

Andy: Well, I mean, the album has done much better in Germany than in England, although it went gold in England. We're still in the top 20, in German album charts, three months now, and we're doing well in Scandinavia, France, all over.

Interviewer: So it's not bad at all, is it?

Andy: No, it's going well for us now, yeah.

Interviewer: How long has the band actually been together?

Andy: About three years.

Interviewer: So you've made it almost to the top, certainly in the rankings for some time.

Andy: Well, we're in the top 100.

Interviewer: I mean, I would think you make it to the top when you're a success on both sides of the Atlantic. I think that's the criterium.

Andy: I think that's the problem, really, at the moment. Yeah, we're not doing too much over in America.

Interviewer: What, through choice or through circumstance?

Andy: Well, both really. I mean, we're not prepared to go over there for about six months, and nothing much is happening anyway, so we're just happy to do well in Europe, really.

Interviewer: I suppose really you want to sort of keep your...

Andy: Look at Status Quo, they've been big in America.

Interviewer: That's definitely true. I suppose you want to establish yourself really in Europe before you get over to the States. Where did the band get together?

Andy: Straight from school.

Interviewer: Straight from school?

Andy: Yeah, it must have been about three years ago, I think, Vince, me, then Martin and Dave.

Interviewer: Vince, of course, Vince Clarke who left you and went on to form Yazoo and now the Assembly. Why did he leave?

Andy: Well, I think he just didn't like what the band was becoming, what he thought the band was becoming, like public property. He hated interviews, hated TV, any sort of press. And I think he just wanted to write songs.

Interviewer: Well surely he had to expect that because, you know, after the success-

Andy: Well basically, he hated success.

Interviewer: Well, exactly. He must have some magic ingredient, you know, with Yazoo, which he then also left.

Andy: He made a pact with the devil.

[laughter]

Interviewer: What was the band's reaction when he formed Yazoo and became also successful?

Andy: We were upset, obviously, but we had to fight up to it. There was a good spirit in the band and we just carried on.

Interviewer: You don't think it was the case of him being so terribly imaginative, which he obviously must be, and very clever, to be able to have three different successful bands under his belt, that he felt perhaps felt that Depeche Mode was too cramped for him and didn't allow him that much freedom?

Andy: You're probably right, there. I don't think he liked the pressure of just coming up... With a working band, you see, you have to come up with material regularly and tour regularly, and things like that. I mean, for instance, with Yazoo he had quite some time off before he came out with 'Only You'. And then, subsequently with The Assembly, he's really taking his time over that as well. I just think he really likes to take his time.

Interviewer: You've had a fair success of succession of hits, and fairly close together. You don't think that's a bad thing that you can get overexposure?

Andy: Well, no. To date, we only have about three singles out in a year. I mean, we've had about eight hits so far in about three years.

Interviewer: That's an awful lot by anybody's standards.

Andy: I know, but we try to keep it to about three singles a year when some bands release five or six. That is overexposure. Our last single was out in November, 'Love In Itself', which we're just [about] to play. We won't have another out till March, so that's six months, five or six months [later].

Interviewer: I'm surprised you're waiting until March: you get three months to recover after Christmas and New Year.

Andy: Yeah. [laughs]

Interviewer: Where do you get your material from? Is it a joint effort from all members of the band?

Andy: No, actually Martin and Alan who write the songs, they both like to work alone in their bedrooms. They just write the songs and come up with rough demos, and we record them in studio.

Interviewer: What part do you play?

Andy: We just all muck in. We used to have set roles, like I used to play the bass and Martin the rhythm, Vince the lead, the lead synths. But now we just muck in and do everything, really.

Interviewer: So that's obviously a much more flexible and agreeable situation. Very interested in synthesizers, aren't you?

Andy: I suppose, yeah. We work with all types of instruments. On the last album there was guitars, flutes, lots of acoustic instruments such as, you know, stones and metal and everything really. Cars, trains.

Interviewer: Oh, really? That's just a fascinating idea. And with this tour in Germany and indeed through Europe, as you have been, once you release the next single in March, what are you going to be doing then?

Andy: Well, hopefully we're trying to organise perhaps a trip to Japan, and Israel, you know, exotic places. We don't sell much records [there] but it's quite nice going.

Interviewer: Japan is a big market, isn't it? Oh yeah, that is supposedly the biggest market after the States.

Andy: That's right, yeah, you go from America, Japan and then Germany and Britain. But, you know, we went to Japan last year, we enjoyed it. We didn't sell many records through it, but we had a good time.

Interviewer: What are Japanese audiences like?

Andy: Very small. No, actually they're quite fanatical, they follow you around. We had about 50, 60 people following us around everywhere.

Interviewer: All the groupies.

Andy: That's right, yeah, just a bit too small.

Interviewer: And of course with all their sophisticated technology and hi-fi, I suppose you if walk down the street to have hi-fis blaring out from every shop.

Andy: Well, it's not that bad.

Interviewer: When you go on tour, are you on your own? Do you have a support band with you?

Andy: Yeah, we've got a British band called Sense. They were very good. They've been going down very well.

Interviewer: Where did you meet them?

Andy: Well, they sent a tape to us, we listened to it and liked it so, why not?

Interviewer: It's always a bit of a predicament sometimes.

Andy: Oh yeah, of course, getting the right sort of band.

Interviewer: Exactly. And sometimes it has been known that the support band gets more credit than the main act.

Andy: Well luckily it's not happened to us. Although, we've had some quite good support with the Blancmange who toured with us for two tours. That was very good, we got to know them very well. And also Matt Fretton, for the last two tours in Britain. And they've both got good receptions. They've both gone to better things after us, as well.

Interviewer: So all in all, things are looking up for you.

Andy: Of course, yeah. Its about time.

Interviewer: Well, for the last three years you've certainly been riding on the crest of a wave. What do you think will be the format of the band in the next days and months? Do you think the sound will change at all? Have you got new plans to develop the theme of your musical sound?

Andy: Well, I can't really say at the moment. It's pretty secretive stuff.

Interviewer: A lot of competition.

Andy: What we get up to in the next 18 months, there's a lot of bands around that are sort of waiting on their tenterhooks.

Interviewer: Like vultures, to take it over from where you started.

Andy: No, honestly I don't know what we're going to do. We should have a new album out within the next year. That's all I can say, really.

Interviewer: Alright, well, we look forward with eager trepidation, I suppose. Andy, many thanks indeed. Tonight you're in Cologne at the Sporthalle.

Andy: No, the Sartory.

Interviewer: Oh, the Sartory. And that's sold out, as you said. And tomorrow night, there are tickets available for your concert.

Andy: That's right, only a few though. So you better get on early. It should be pretty packed anyway.

Interviewer: Good. Well, I wish you continued success.

Andy: All right. Thank you.

Interviewer: You're going to be at home over Christmas.

Andy: That's right, yes.

Interviewer: Jolly good. Well have a jolly good one. And I wish you all the best on tour. Thank you.

Lineage

Cassette recording by Maren Bode, unknown lineage > converted to MP3 by Angelinda, then merged together for DMLiveWiki.