1994-04-11 Radio Aircheck, KWOD 106.5, Sacramento CA, USA

Notes

Radio Aircheck host Giles Hendriksen interviews Dave Gahan over the phone, who had just performed in Santiago, Chile, in anticipation for the 1994-05-12 Sacramento concert. This interview was uploaded on YouTube in 2023 by Giles' co-host Alex Cosper and re-uploaded in MP3 format. A transcript has been typed out by DMLiveWiki below.

• Duration: 05:43 minutes.

Audio

Transcript

Dave Gahan: Hello yeah, hi there, how's it going? I was just checking on me Porn cocktail, and to make sure I had some Thousand Island sauce.

Giles Hendriksen: So we're interrupting your tea time, your dinner here or something? What time is with you?

Dave: Actually we were in Chile here, that's right, and we had done a fantastic show there last night, to 25,000 people. It was fantastic, it's true what everyone says about down here, the fans really appreciate it when you come down here. We're definitely going to be coming back, it's so cool, it's a great show.

Giles Hendriksen: So what can we expect when you come up here? Is it going to be different from the last performance you did in November, music wise? Are you going to be playing a lot more older stuff or? I guess you haven't had a chance to write anything?

Dave: We do some different stuff, yeah, I don't know if we've been doing 'A Question Of Lust' before, there's some different things now. It's nice because Martin is singing some songs that I sing and I sing songs that he sings and we've always sort of done that. As I said before, there's more emphasis on the performance and I think that's really the key, it's a lot more fun with it. It's a very, very different show and really you have to just be there, to be quite honest. I'm plugging myself of course, but you know, I'm one of the best, haha.

Giles Hendriksen: Fire away, you're right.

Dave: No, you should really come out and have a look, it's such a different show. So come along and have a look, see what you think, you won't be disappointed. We didn't let you down then, did we?

Giles Hendriksen: No, you didn't, you got the place rocking like nobody else, last time around. What has happened to Andy Fletcher?

Dave: Andy's a little unwell at the moment. He's had to go off to various different places, New York and stuff, to eat and to kind of get his head together and stuff, basically. He's doing business, and his wife is having a baby, so there's a lot of things going on in his life at the moment [for which] he needed to be away to do. And, we've been on the road for a year. So I wish him well. At the moment, Daryl Bamonte is playing with us, who is a long-time friend and comrade for the last I don't know how many years. I've known him probably for about 20 years and he's been working with the band since we began. He used to sort of hump things around on stage when we were playing little clubs all over the place. So there wasn't anyone else that would fit the job at all, really. It was obvious to a couple of us at first that it was going to be Daryl. We talked about it together, and then he spent some time rehearsing, a lot of time rehearsing with Alan. He learned all the parts, because he's a very capable player. So he's sitting in really well, and because he's a friend we still feel same. It's totally fun now, we really have a lot of fun up on stage together. He looked round and everyone's smiling and laughing, it's a completely different vibe and I think that flows into the audience.

Giles Hendriksen: That's going to be real visualizing, visually stimulating.

Dave: Yeah, it's a lot more visual excitement and energy coming from the band, I would say. That's the difference. And it's a band thing. It's not like I'm on my own on a big huge stage and everybody else is up on some kind of 14 foot pedestal. I feel now like I have a lot of support from my gang.

Giles Hendriksen: It must be amazing to be on the road for such a long time that you've been on the road. Have you had any break? Have you managed to get away at all since you've been...

Dave: Not really. I mean, we're really just wrapped up in it, and this is what I'm doing now. Sometimes you're really having a great time, other times you're really missing the people you love. You just got to... it's up and down. We're just four guys playing a rock and roll band, but we've been on the road for a year now and yes, everybody does need a break. We get a few weeks off before we start the next leg. I think everybody needs that. So we're still having a lot of fun, you know, and I think we've all learned a great deal on this tour.

Giles Hendriksen: So what about these malicious rumours about this being your last tour? Is there any truth to that?

Dave: I think every tour we kind of go away and wonder if it's our last tour. I mean, especially the band, to be honest, because we kind of leave it like that. We just go see "See ya" and then we don't see each other for maybe six months or a year. But we talked about it quite a bit this time and at different times. There's drunken times in bedrooms when you just sit in there, chatting with Martin and go, "I love you man", and then talking about things, as you do. I think we'll all go away and probably do some little projects on our own, whatever it may be. But I know that we might have tentatively said we're going to get back together at the end of the year and talk about what we want to do. And we need to spend time with our families and loved ones. And then regroup as we always do. And if it's not there, we won't do anything; if it's there, then we'll get back together. It's been a tough couple of years. It's hard for me, to be honest, to be expected to say how I'm going to feel in six months' time. Because it's a state of mind being on the road completely.

Giles Hendriksen: What part of Sacramento does the wife come from? Whereabouts in town is it?

Dave: Oh, that's a tough one. You'd have to ring up Bob or something, there. You'd have to ring up either Diana or Rath to find out. I'm not sure actually. I'm sure it's from the same sort of dire place that I came from in Basildon. I think Basildon and Sacramento are probably very equivalent, but in different countries.

Giles Hendriksen: The sun always shines in Basildon, doesn't it?

Dave: And it always smells of cows.

Giles Hendriksen: We're looking forward to it, May 12th in Sacramento. Dave Gahan, thank you very much indeed. Good luck with the tour up until now.

Dave: Thanks very much, mate.

Dave: Until a couple of weeks, take care.