SPREADING A PACK OF LIES ABOUT DEPECHE MODE

SPREADING A PACK OF LIES ABOUT DEPECHE MODE OR, NEW WAYS TO HAVE FUN

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by Jon Young

As you no doubt learned long ago, feature stories on your favorite pop stars often reveal next to nothing. Politicianstyle, most of these so-called artists have devised a standard canned rap that enables ’em to deflect even slightly probing questions. And if they haven’t, who’s to say these clowns will tell the truth anyway? Rock being founded on images, illusions, and the like, there’s precious little incentive for candor.

Well, so what? Stonewalling and evasiveness needn’t be obstacles to gaining a deeper appreciation of your idols. How’s that again, you ask? Allow moi to explain a simple technique. Next time you’re slogging through a bog of printed hogwash, rise above the mire. That is, make up your own answers! Put words in the star’s mouth! Your own responses may well be a darn sight more entertaining than the real ones.

It’s easy and it’s fun. And here’s a perfect opportunity: Yours truly recently conversed with Alan Wilder of the doomand-gloom synth combo Depeche Mode. The British lads are hotter than ever these days, thanks to their Music For The Masses LP, which shows off gleaming synths (courtesy of Wilder, writer Martin Gore and Andrew Fletcher) and coolly self-conscious vocals (by David Gahan) to best advantage. That is, if you’re prone to bouts of moping and existential angst, tunes like “Little 15” and “Never Let Me Down Again” offer the perfect backdrop.

Anyway, the boys are big, so we naturally want to know more. Notice how the agreeable Mr. Wilder really responds to the questions, and then compare them with my phony answers. (And once you’ve got the hang of it, try your own version.)

Depeche Mode is bigger than ever in the States these days. Is that because Music For The Masses is superior to your previous LPs?

Wilder: “No* I don’t think so. It’s a cumulative effect. I don’t think this album is particularly different from previous records. It follows the same direction.”

Now that’s a refreshingly no-nonsense statement. However, I can top it with this fake comment: “Why are we so popular now? Beats me! We’re just churning out more of the same gray pablum. Maybe the harmful rays burning through the ozone have started to affect people’s minds.”

Get the idea? Let’s continue.

Depeche Mode has often been criticized for performing downbeat material. How do you feel about that?

Wilder’s real answer: “I don’t find our music depressing at all. The problem is that most pop music tends to be escapist and unrealistic in its subject matter, if indeed there is any. A lot of pop music is just complete nonsense/What we do is deal with subjects that people can relate to from everyday life, and those aren’t always optimistic. We like to call our songs realistic and people interpret that as pessimistic because they’re used to escapism.”

“I don’t want to keep going on about it, but I don’t think our music is depressing. ”

—Alan Wilder

A little slippery there, Alan. If I were Wilder, I would have said, “Of course our music is gloomy! Wouldn’t you be, depressed to be one of us?”

Another recurring criticism of the band is that your heavy reliance on synths results in a cold, sterile sound.

You can tell Wilder’s parried this imaginative'query frequently. Observe his slick comeback. “I don’t feel the music is cold. We allow ourselves a variety of sound possibilities, which gives us more opportunity to bring out the emotion and honesty in Martin’s songs. There’s everything from live guitar playing to programmed blips and bleeps. We use analog synths from 20 years ago right up to the most modern sampling and computers.

“We don’t place a lot of importance on sticking to one particular technique. It’s the feeling that comes through that counts.”

Well and good. But if Wilder had been willing to admit there’s a big gray streak running through Depeche Mode’s music, he might have remarked: “I admit it—no matter how we play the songs, they all sound like the same electronic sludge. It’s pretty dadgum frustrating, actually.”

He’d never really say that in a million years, of course. So we move on to a discussion of Depeche Mode’s audience, which Wilder estimates to be an average age of 18. Isn’t that a young target to be hitting with somber songs?

His real answer: “I don't want to keep going on about it, but I don’t think our music is depressing, though certain subjects do lean toward the dark side. We like the idea of the individual making up his or her own mind about what the lyrics mean. That’s partly why Martin doesn’t like to explain his words—and it’s partly because he’s lazy and can’t be bothered.”

If I could read his mind, perhaps I’d discover hidden sentiments like the following: “So sue me! It’s not my fault if the music drives vulnerable people to the brink of despair. After all, they’re always free to use their imaginations and pretend those miserable tunes are happy”

“People who look at us sometimes see a doomy, rather depressed lot. ”

—Alan Wilder

So perhaps you’re wondering what kind of person this tunesmith Martin Gore, this vice of grimness, is. I did, and here’s what Wilder told me: “Martin’s a very difficult person to describe. I think he’s actually an extrovert, but he comes off as quiet and shy. He’s someone who cries out for attention, which I think comes across in his songs, which are nearly all drawn from his experiences and relationships. Saying he’s someone who cries out for attention can imply someone who’s obnoxious and annoying, but he’s not at all.”

Whoa, pardner! What’s he babbling about? Rather than create our own response, let’s translate Alan’s. Perhaps he’s trying to say the following: “Yes, only an utter goofball could compose our songs. We’re lucky that Martin’s life is in even worse shape than his hair, ’cause borderline psychotics tend to be creative.”

On second thought, maybe he’s not trying to say much of anything at all. Anyway, Wilder does in reality concede that Depeche Mode’s downbeat image is partly their own fault, remarking, “I don’t think we’ve been particularly good at putting ourselves across, although we’re getting better. People who look at us sometimes see a doomy, rather depressed lot, which we’re not at all.”

Right. Somehow, I can’t imagine these guys enjoying a pie fight. A skeptic might read between the lines and assume the following: “It’s true, we’ve put people off with our sourpusses. From now on, we’re pretending to be more normal so we can get even more popular.”

To his credit, Wilder seems to have a balanced view of pop stardom. Asked if he likes being in the spotlight, the boy remarks cheerfully, “We’d be lying if we said we didn’t enjoy it. But I don’t think we’ve let it run or ruin our lives. We’ve managed to say down to earth, maintain control of our situation and remain fairly normal as people.”

Fantasy answer: “We love pretending to be gods to underage girls! Haven’t you seen David’s bump ’n’ grind onstage? And fame can’t screw us up because we’re completely twisted already!”

Despite the popularity of Music For The Masses, Wilder is hardly complacent. “I wouldn’t say we’ve conquered America. We have a long way to go if you’re talking about simply selling records. We can play to 400,000 people on tour here, but not sell any more records than that, simply because we’re not getting our music on the radio.”

Bogus comment: “We’re never satisfied. We want more!”

Speaking about image, popularity, etc., how about that album title? Could easily be taken the wrong (or right) way, eh?

“It could be misconstrued,” agrees Wilder. “I would hope people would see the funny side—it was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. The idea that we don’t feel we’re making obviously commercial music, yet on the other hand, we would like to appeal to the masses. So that’s the irony.”

Pretty amusing, all right, though us dum-dums might miss the point. I’d rather have heard him say: “We came up with the most arrogant, condescending LP title possible just to see how much we could get away with. Me and the boys wouldn’t know irony if we tripped over it, y’know.”

Alan Wilder is a 28-year-old pop star playing primarily to a teenage following. Does that make him feel cut off from his audience?

He says not. “I don’t find that a problem. I can’t really work out whether I have the mentality of a 28-year-old, or a 35-year-old or an 18-year-old. I don’t feel particularly removed from the people who listen to our music; at the same time, I don’t feel particularly close to them, either. When you spend most of your time in hotels and airports, obviously you’re removed from the world, so I suppose I’m drifting further and further away from our audience. It’s important to be close to people, but they don’t necessarily have to be your fans.”

“I would hope people would see the funny side.”

-Alan Wilder

Well, well. It seems like isolation may bother young Wilder a teensy bit more than he’s willing to acknowledge. In a fictional scenario, he might indulge in an overwrought outburst, exclaiming, “Had I only known the unreality of fame beforehand, I would have held onto my day job at the sausage factory. I just hope to God I don’t end up like Elvis Presley!”

Fat chance he’d ever say such a thing, of course. However, even Wilder’s limited openness raises the question of how one remains sane in the hurly-burly world of rock. “It’s a pretty unhealthy lifestyle,” he notes. “It’s very difficult to go on the road and be in a different hotel every night and unwind without doing something to let yourself go. And about the only thing you can do is have a drink. If you sit in your room after a concert you go quietly mad. There’s times it can get very tense toward the end of a long tour, but I’m sure that happens to everybody.”

Finally, my last fake answer: “When we’re on the road we just can’t help ourselves—we’re just as gross and disgusting as any heavy metal band!”

So there you have it, friends: actual authenticated observations by Depeche Mode’s Alan Wilder, supplemented by phony, unfair comments from the author. I’m sure you’ll agree this approach adds some badly needed spice, so try it yourself sometime.

Next month, we’ll visit Stryper and pretend they’re singing the praises of (who else?) Satan. Don’t miss the excitement! ®