Andy Fletcher 2003-01-28 Interview on the phone by Daniel Barassi

[demoderus]

2003-01-28 Interview on the phone by Daniel Barassi
Interview with Andy Fletcher
Interview conducted on the phone by Daniel Barassi (site webmaster). Additional editorial comments will be [in brackets].

QUESTION:
How is the Client project coming along?

ANSWER:
I think it's coming on very well. It's quite interesting working with an act from a very beginning, organic stage. Obviously with Depeche Mode, I'm used to working with a band that is sort of at the top, and to go back to an earthy level is really good fun. I'm involved in every single thing of the project, from the writing of the songs, to the music, to the management, to the record company, and everything.

QUESTION:
How did you come to meet with the members of Client?

ANSWER:
I knew Client A from a Depeche Mode tour [Client A, in a previous incarnation, was in a band that opened up for Depeche Mode at some shows]. I knew Client B a little bit before then, from the local pub.

QUESTION:
Have you got your eye on any other acts at the moment?

ANSWER:
Well, it's a difficult one, really, because this is something I've always wanted to do. But, obviously with Depeche Mode being busy all the time, it's been very difficult to find the time. I'm a person that dedicates myself totally to the project that I've got on at the moment. With Depeche Mode taking up most of my time over the past twenty years, it's been hard to do something else. At the moment, I'm fully concentrating on Client, but in the back of my mind I always know that at some point I will get the calling from above, saying that Depeche is starting again (but I don't think that will be until the end of the year, probably). I'm looking for good songwriters and bands that I can give my worldly advice to. Client is obviously taking up a lot of time at the moment, but there will be a P.O. box on the [Toast Hawaii] web site, where people can send CD's. I'm pretty good at listening to things. The good thing for everyone at the moment - I'm DJ'ing quite a bit at the moment, with Client - if there are some good tracks, I might play them when I'm DJ'ing. So even if it doesn't go into anything like a [record] deal, there's still that option.

QUESTION:
What direction do you want to have with this label?

ANSWER:
There isn't a particular direction. Client, with my Depeche Mode connection, might seem like quite an obvious direction. Sort of electronic pop music, with a difference. But, I'm actually interested in good songs. I don't mind what style the music is in, as long as the songs are good. I've been blessed to be in a group with two very good songwriters, Vince Clarke and Martin Gore, so my standards are quite high. I believe good songs are what make good records, in whatever style. I'm just looking for some good songs, really.

QUESTION:
So if someone submitted a demo to you, they wouldn't have to worry about making the record sound "Depeche" enough for you to consider it?

ANSWER:
No. It's the complete opposite, really. I don't like just electronic music. It's what I've been generally involved in throughout my career. As you know, even with Depeche Mode, there is quite a lot of other influences - Blues, Gospel, Soul. That's the same with me. I listen to all sorts of records. I'm just looking for good songs.

QUESTION:
How long have you wanted to do something like this Toast Hawaii project? What made you feel that now was the right time.

ANSWER:
I've wanted to do it for a long time. Over the years, I've sort of been considering certain artists. This is why I think it's going to be difficult for me to have a big label. I'm very picky, and I'm looking for the right sort [of person or band]. Someone that I can improve. Someone that is enthusiastic. Someone that is talented. Over the years, I've [come] close to being involved with some other artists, but I've always sort of backed out at the end, sometimes due to Depeche Mode pressures, or sometimes due to it not being right. This time, everything has fallen brilliantly into place, with the Depeche Mode tour finishing, and me coming in contact with this really good group. Yes, I've been thinking about it for a long time, but it's only now that everything has fallen into place.

QUESTION:
Do you feel the web is helpful, or hurtful, to up and coming bands, like Client?

ANSWER:
I think the main problem with the web is with more established artists. If you use it correctly, it is a star when it comes to bands like Client. We are very active with our site. We've got this young kid who runs it, who is very enthusiastic. We're basically getting ridiculous amounts of hits. I know some of that has to do with Depeche Mode fans, but for a band that's never released a record, we're creating a buzz. We don't have to be as concerned as we are with Depeche. With Depeche, you're talking about big record companies around the world, simultaneous release, and worries about leaking. We don't have any of that. We're starting from nothing, so the web is very good promotion for us.

QUESTION:
When you were recording in the Hansa studios, it was said that your favorite meal was Toast Hawaii. When was the last time you actually had Toast Hawaii, and, for those who do not know, what exactly is Toast Hawaii?

ANSWER:
Toast Hawaii is, for some bizarre reason, a German dish. It is cheese, ham and pineapple, on toast. It was a big favorite of mine when we were recording in Hansa studios - in the 80's - where there was a restaurant downstairs. I tended to have that everyday for breakfast. We I say breakfast - by the time we got up from clubbing the night before - it was actually lunchtime.

QUESTION:
Do you think the people at Hansa Studio will be flattered you named your record label after their "cuisine"?

ANSWER:
The restaurant closed years ago. It was in the middle of nowhere. It was near "The Wall" [Berlin], with Russian soldiers looking over, probably smelling my Toast Hawaii. I don't think the restaurant is there anymore.

QUESTION:
Is there any chance of a release of your two solo projects, "Toast Hawaii" and "Life In The So-Called Space Age", now that you have your own label?

 

[demoderus]

ANSWER:
There's only actually one album - Toast Hawaii. The masters (i.e. the masters being one cassette) had been lost for twelve years, until - unfortunately for me - it turned up when Martin came over to London four or five weeks ago. He found it in his apartment. Since then, he has been playing it to as many people as possible. It's actually similar to the new Erasure project, funnily enough. It's a cover versions album, with me singing, Martin on guitar, Dave on drums and Alan on Keyboards. It's quite a lot of songs - about 15 or 20 songs. It was made when we were bored. When Daniel Miller was doing all these electronic "bleeps" in Hansa Studios, we did this. It really is awful. It is not releasable. I'd like to think it could be a number one record, but the others don't think so.

QUESTION:
So we won't find this as a hidden MP3 download on depeche mode dot com anytime soon?

ANSWER:
Well, I think it could be, only because Martin is liable to leak it. Leak it for the wrong reasons - not the right reasons. For a laugh, rather than a serious attempt at showing my musical abilities. I tell you one thing - it's going to be worth a lot of money if it does get out there. People won't believe it.

QUESTION:
How do you find the day to day duties of running the record label? Any surprises?

ANSWER:
Funnily enough, it's just starting to get into the difficult stage. Up to now, it's all been fun - basically making and producing the music, which is always the best part. Now we are having to get into the nitty gritty of making sure the cover is done, everything is on time, and getting the project to the record companies. Now it's in the serious stage. It's starting to build up now. This is not going to be a massive push. We're trying to promote and produce the music differently to how most music is promoted and produced. That's one of the reasons I've formed the record company - to do things differently. We've got good songs all the way through. We've kept our costs low. We recorded everything in Client A's bedroom. It's going to be a slow campaign. We're not going to be very public, but we're going to be around.

QUESTION:
What was the reaction from the other members of Depeche upon hearing that you were starting the label?

ANSWER:
Dave said something like "I hear you're becoming a music mogul", and Martin's comment is "quite good". If anyone knows Martin, "quite good" means "very good". Martin's views on things generally range from "all right" to "ok" to "pretty good" on everything. I just think everyone is excited that we're all doing our individual project, and I think it will bode well for the next Depeche Mode album. Hopefully we can learn a lot of different things, for when Depeche Mode goes on tour again.

QUESTION:
Are you surprised with the positive reaction to your first Toast Hawaii signing, Client?

ANSWER:
Not really, because I think it's really good. I'm not being over the top there - the music is good. We've just got to keep it to a high standard. With Depeche Mode, we always thought we could improve as a band. Improve our live shows. Improve our songwriting. Improve our records. That's the same with Client. We feel we can get better. There's a good spirit among us. We're just getting to the stage now where we will be starting to rehearse for live gigs. We're going to different countries in Europe, and maybe America later on, for DJ nights. I'm pleased, and I hope it carries on.

QUESTION:
Do you ever see a triple live bill, with Client opening, then Martin and David?

ANSWER:
No, because I wouldn't really want Client to blow them off the stage. I think it would be a bit bad on them, really. They're my mates. When you have Client A and Client B in their military uniforms - short skirts and everything, I don't think David and Martin would live up to it. Well, Martin could, if he went back to his old garb.

QUESTION:
You've had a restaurant, and now you have a record label. Are there any other business ventures you are thinking of taking part in?

ANSWER:
I'm sort of in a weird situation. I get these gaps when Depeche aren't working, and something has to fall into place. With another Depeche project looming, it's very hard to say "I'll start a business with you, and, oh, by the way, you won't see me for two years". It doesn't go down too well, so I have to be careful and realistic. I'm just enjoying what I'm doing at the moment. Depeche Mode is the love of my life, so I have to be realistic.

QUESTION:
When Exciter was coming out, the U.S. label had remix competitions for the tracks "Dream On" and "I Feel Loved". Usually, Depeche has been rather selective on who remixes their tracks. What made the band decide to do this, and how many of the mixes did you guys actually listen to?

ANSWER:
What happened is some person at Warners had to listen to all of them, and then narrow it down to twenty-four. When we were on tour, we were given these mixes on CD. I've actually been playing a couple of the mixes when I have been DJ'ing, including yours ["Dream On" - The BRAT Mix]. Of course your mix was not actually in the competition, 'cause if you had won, it would have been deemed unfair (laughs). I thought there were a lot of interesting mixes. One of the reasons we had not done it before is technology. It was good fun, and they're something we'll do more in the future.

QUESTION:
Before the release of the Depeche Mode single "Dreaming Of Me", how long did you really believe the band would last? Did you think any of the success the band has achieved in the last 20 plus years was destined to be?

ANSWER:
Of course, some artists are destined for huge success. We never believed in our wildest dreams that this sort of success and acceptance would be there. We were just very happy to have a record out, for the record to be played on the radio, for our record to go on the charts, and - amazingly - our boyhood dreams of going on Top Of The Pops. We realized that most pop bands lasted two or three years. We thought ours would last two or three years. Perhaps we took a different attitude to other groups. We didn't let it go to our heads. We stuck to our guns with the type of music we were making, even when it was unfashionable for a while. And again, because of people like Daniel Miller, and ourselves, we worked hard on improving. If you listen to the first few albums, they sound good. But each album after that sounds better. Again, it's about improvement. That's why I am looking for artists that can improve, that aren't the best band ever when they've released their first record.

QUESTION:
If Depeche had failed, what do you think you would be doing right now?

ANSWER:
Again, we've had many sorts of discussions in the bar after gigs about this, as you could imagine. After many beers, "what would we have done" [said in pondering voice]. I've just decided now that I haven't got a fucking clue. My whole aim when I left school was to work for a couple of years, go to university, and then "don't know". I think if you ask Dave or Martin, I think they'd give you the same answer.

QUESTION:
You've been spotted DJ'ing at a few Mute Records release parties lately. Is this yet another future career for you.

ANSWER:
I don't see it as a career. It's good fun. It's quite nice. I'm playing sort of a combination of Client stuff, real old electro favorites, some new electro favorites, and some obscure Depeche mixes as well. It all seems to go together in quite a nice evening. I have a big charity thing I'm doing tomorrow with a lot of the big BBC Radio 1 DJ's tomorrow night. I'm more nervous about doing this DJ'ing than I am going on stage [with Depeche]. Going back to what David and Martin are doing, these are all new things we are doing in our solo projects. I think it's all very good for us, and for Depeche Mode. I think it bodes well for our next album.

QUESTION:
"DJ Gore" has been spotted spinning here and there. Any chance of you two DJ'ing together?

ANSWER:
To be honest, his music is for the graveyard, really. He isn't the happiest DJ in the world. He refuses to play one track that anyone's ever heard of. I'm a bit looser than that.

QUESTION:
To sum up, what would you like to tell fans about your Toast Hawaii project that we haven't covered so far?

ANSWER:
All I'm trying to do with Toast Hawaii is produce interesting, good music. This is for the long term. Watch out for Client, because I think people might - and do - like them.