2000-04-12/19 Kultkomplex, Radio Eins, Berlin, Germany

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Notes

Alan Wilder was a guest on Radio 1Live. The interview was recorded early March and broadcast in the week of the 12th till 19th of April. This file was previously available on Shunt, the official Recoil site.

• Duration: 14:18 minutes

Audio

Transcript (German dub re-translated into English):

Q: I had said that you spent most of my puberty with the music of Depeche Mode. Do you feel today that you finally left puberty behind?

Alan: I don't quite think of it this way. Of course, I've grown so much older during this time that now I realise that my time with Depeche Mode is truly behind me. I think there really wasn't much more I could do in this pop format with this band, so I wanted to move on and make more experimental music - and that is what Recoil is all about.

Q: So, let's have a short look back at the past: in 1995, everybody was surprised about your departure from Depeche Mode. There were a lot of rumours about your departure. Please, tell us right here, right now, once again what the main reasons were.

Alan: Actually, it was very simple. All bands have problems with each other and between each other, and, of course, we had difficulties in our relationships, but that wasn't my main reason. I had a feeling that I basically no longer fit into a band. It was like being in a teenage gang, and when you get a little older, it feels a little strange; it felt wrong. It has worn yourself out, and I just wanted to make new things.

Q: Are you in touch with your ex-bandmates?

Alan: Funnily enough, I just saw Dave in New York two weeks ago. It was really good. It was fun to see him again. He also has a new baby now, he is doing well. We spent the whole day exchanging memories. We had a really good time.

Q: Do you miss them?

Alan: I don't miss being in the band. Of course, there are moments when I think how great it would be to be on tour again and all that, but I don't regret leaving. I don't miss it. As I said, I spent a lot of time with Depeche Mode, and it was an amazing experience that I am proud of, but I am also happy with doing what I am doing now.

Q: How do you feel when you hear that sound, when you hear 'Policy Of Truth'?

Alan: It still sounds like a good pop song. The whole album, 'Violator', was a time when Depeche Mode released a record that was right for the time. That is why it was so successful: it fit in really well, I think, in 1990. The next album sounded completely different, but I like it too - there were some really good songs on there that just fit the time.

Q: After leaving depeche Mode, you did some big changes in your life. You got divorced, found a new partner, got a child. Which are the main differences between a life with Depeche Mode and a life without Depeche Mode?

Alan: Well, today, there is more space in my life and less pressure on me, and I am simply feeling much happier - exactly for the reasons you mentioned. There is less expectation about what I am doing, and the commercial aspect is not that important. It is nice when new records are played on the radio, but that is not the most important thing. With Depeche Mode, the pressure to be successful was enormous, especially after 'Violator', and even though we tried to do things differently, you could just feel that we were hugely successful. Today, that is not the case, and I like it. I don't tour anymore, I just have more space for myself.

What did you detest the most about being in Depeche Mode, and what did you really adore?

I couldn't really say that I "detested" anything. That's a very strong term for something that was essentially a lot of fun, most of the time. But, maybe when we had to do a lot of photographs, and interviews, and promotional activities, that was tedious for me. For all of us it wasn't something we were naturally great at. We had some great fun on the road. Some things could become very routine, but it could be a lot of fun at the same time. So, most of my memories are good ones, and as I said before, I look back at them with a lot of fondness.

Q: You've been credited as being the architect behind the Depeche Mode sound. Is that same cloud of darkness hanging on your new music and new album? Why it is darker? Are you such a dark and morbid person?

Alan: It is a common myth that people who make music that has a darker side therefore must be dark personalities or difficult, serious people. That is actually often not the case. I don't think I am particularly morbid or depressed. As I said before, I am happier than I've ever been. There is something about this music that I feel is important - it is just what I need. It is more about a subconscious process that I try to follow; what comes out of it is this dark atmosphere.

Q: Recoil is not a band, but a project, with a lot of different musicians. Do you need a change in your life?

Alan: Well, the funny thing is, although I used to be in a band with other people, now I have to work more with other people, even though it is a solo project. Depeche Mode were very isolated: we didn't really have something to do with other musicians. I guess I finally got the chance to work with a lot of people. I believe that working with new people is very good for me. That is where I am most successful, and I don't take the easy way out. Working with new people is just fun.

Q: How did you find your singers and musicians for the new album?

Alan: It depends on the music. Usually, the music comes first, and for me, it is like a framework in an atmosphere that works for me. And when that happens, there is a certain direction for the music, and the question is, who fits in with that? And then I look for people who might like this music and who might write something interesting. If they are interested, the next step is to invite them to my studio to record. And then the next phase - I bring all the music together, with vocals and instrumental parts.

Q: For the new album, you were inspired by a plane crash. Was that a personal experience of yours? What happened?

Alan: Recently, I was travelling with my wife in Scotland when a military aircraft crashed right in front of us. It was a strange, surreal experience to witness a crash right before your eyes. I used it on one track: it was the starting point for the whole album. The connection is that these are the pilot's memories shortly before the crash. It is certainly different from my own experience.

Q: So, you weren't injured yourself, or something like that?

Alan: The thing is, if we had been ten seconds further, it would have fallen right on top of us. We weren't injured, but it is something you never forget.

Q: Is that true that you collected all the Depeche Mode memorabilia, like posters, t-shirts and so on, in a special room for your daughter?

Alan: I have quite a big collection, it is true, actually. At least one edition of each album, and all of the tour programmes. I think it would be great to pass it on.

Q: Your daughter made a small appearance in the Recoil video. Are you planning a big career for your daughter, or was it just an exception?

Alan: Oh, it was just a little bit of fun. We needed a small child, and we already had one on our hands. It was really fun. You can see her mother in it too.

Q: All the first Recoil CDs didn't sell that well. Are you a little bit disappointed about that fact? After all, you know how it is to have success?

Alan: Selling albums is always good, but that is not the main reason I am doing what I am doing. If that were my only criterion, I would still be in Depeche Mode. As you probably know, the problem is being able to play unconventional music on the radio, and radio is always the number one channel; it is just difficult for Recoil, and you are one of the few stations that plays this kind of music. I need to find other ways to get people involved. We do it on the internet and so on to get people's attention. I realise that not everyone will like this kind of music. But if you at least know about it, you can form your own opinion.

Q: So what's about the future? Do you plan a tour with Recoil?

Alan: For practical reasons, it would be very difficult to organise all this with all my vocalists. At the moment, there are no plans for a tour. I think I would rather record a soundtrack for a film. That is something I would like to do in the near future. I've had offers, but always at the wrong time. So I am looking towards soundtracks.

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