Contemplating New Life
[The Source, date unknown (September 1998). Words: Uncredited. Picture: Marina Chavez.]
A few years ago Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan thought it would be heroic to go out in a blaze of glory. The Basildon boy tells The Source how he cleaned up his act.
If you wanted to make it big as a New Romantic group back in the eighties one move seemed to guarantee success – a double-barrelled name.
Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Haircut 100, Depeche Mode, Culture Club they all did the business, even if the odd rogue like Strawberry Switchblade got torpedoed along the way.
There’s a downside, of course, which includes: Losing it, sad comeback attempts, getting ceremoniously dumped by your record label, pro-celebrity football, not being recognised at film premieres and getting ridiculed on Never Mind The Buzzcocks’ ID parade.
Hardly any of those bands escaped punishment except perhaps Depeche Mode who flummoxed us all by moving to Los Angeles, getting rock cred, selling wagonloads of records and nearly losing it when singer Dave Gahan over-dosed in 1996.
“Kurt Cobain and Michael Hutchence? It could so easily have been me,” says 36-year-old Gahan, reflecting on his extraordinary transformation from Essex pop bloke to heroin addict.
“I thought it would be so heroic and courageous to go out in what I thought would be a blaze of glory.
“It was the whole ‘better to burn out than fade away’ idea.
“I lived out my wildest dreams and some of my worst sort of nightmares.
“I really believed all that, but the idea you can’t produce without pain, it’s artistic bull****.
“But at the time I didn’t realise that I was hurting myself – it’s amazing I managed to survive at all.”
Thankfully Dave’s pulled back from oblivion, moved to New York, got his head together and the band – Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher – are about to play their first live dates since 1994.
Two Wembley gigs will help plug the Basildon boys’ new singles album, a disc which doesn’t include early synth gems like Just Can’t Get Enough but does feature darker stuff such as Everything Counts and Personal Jesus.
“We were slightly wary about going back on the road because we’ve got no idea of what the outcome will be,” says Gahan.
“That’s what’s exciting.
“I don’t exactly know how it will be walking out on stage without having had a drink first. But it will be a massive challenge.
“I’ve been teetotal for a couple of years but I can’t do this on my own. I have a lot of help from my friends.
“On tour before the only ‘friends’ I had were my dealers. And of course, when I asked them for help they just gave me more drugs.
“It’s different today, I’m a responsible human being.”
He adds: “It’s taken me three years just to get back to a place where I don’t resent everything and I also no longer feel the world owes me a living.
“But my voice is now in better shape than it’s ever been and we’re ready to go.”
Depeche Mode are playing Wembley Arena on September 28 and 29.
[The Source, date unknown (September 1998). Words: Uncredited. Picture: Marina Chavez.]
A few years ago Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan thought it would be heroic to go out in a blaze of glory. The Basildon boy tells The Source how he cleaned up his act.
If you wanted to make it big as a New Romantic group back in the eighties one move seemed to guarantee success – a double-barrelled name.
Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Haircut 100, Depeche Mode, Culture Club they all did the business, even if the odd rogue like Strawberry Switchblade got torpedoed along the way.
There’s a downside, of course, which includes: Losing it, sad comeback attempts, getting ceremoniously dumped by your record label, pro-celebrity football, not being recognised at film premieres and getting ridiculed on Never Mind The Buzzcocks’ ID parade.
Hardly any of those bands escaped punishment except perhaps Depeche Mode who flummoxed us all by moving to Los Angeles, getting rock cred, selling wagonloads of records and nearly losing it when singer Dave Gahan over-dosed in 1996.
“Kurt Cobain and Michael Hutchence? It could so easily have been me,” says 36-year-old Gahan, reflecting on his extraordinary transformation from Essex pop bloke to heroin addict.
“I thought it would be so heroic and courageous to go out in what I thought would be a blaze of glory.
“It was the whole ‘better to burn out than fade away’ idea.
“I lived out my wildest dreams and some of my worst sort of nightmares.
“I really believed all that, but the idea you can’t produce without pain, it’s artistic bull****.
“But at the time I didn’t realise that I was hurting myself – it’s amazing I managed to survive at all.”
Thankfully Dave’s pulled back from oblivion, moved to New York, got his head together and the band – Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher – are about to play their first live dates since 1994.
Two Wembley gigs will help plug the Basildon boys’ new singles album, a disc which doesn’t include early synth gems like Just Can’t Get Enough but does feature darker stuff such as Everything Counts and Personal Jesus.
“We were slightly wary about going back on the road because we’ve got no idea of what the outcome will be,” says Gahan.
“That’s what’s exciting.
“I don’t exactly know how it will be walking out on stage without having had a drink first. But it will be a massive challenge.
“I’ve been teetotal for a couple of years but I can’t do this on my own. I have a lot of help from my friends.
“On tour before the only ‘friends’ I had were my dealers. And of course, when I asked them for help they just gave me more drugs.
“It’s different today, I’m a responsible human being.”
He adds: “It’s taken me three years just to get back to a place where I don’t resent everything and I also no longer feel the world owes me a living.
“But my voice is now in better shape than it’s ever been and we’re ready to go.”
Depeche Mode are playing Wembley Arena on September 28 and 29.