Depeche Drug Hell
[Melody Maker, 1st June 1996. Words: Uncredited. Picture: Uncredited.]
Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan faces multiple drugs charges after he overdosed on a lethal mixture of heroin and cocaine – commonly known as a speedball – in a Los Angeles hotel last Tuesday (May 28).
Police found Gahan unconscious in the bathroom of his room at West Hollywood’s Sunset Marquis hotel after his girlfriend called the authorities for help.
Gahan was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for treatment and released, at which point he was arrested by Hollywood Sheriff’s deputies and charged with one felony count of possession of a controlled substance and one misdemeanour charge of being under the influence of a controlled substance.
The police found a syringe and half an ounce of cocaine in Gahan’s room. Bail was set at $10,000 and Gahan was released by 12.30 that night. [1] He will appear in court for arraignment on June 18.
The troubled singer – who was treated for an apparent suicide attempt in Los Angeles last September – was on a break from recording a new album with Depeche Mode. The group, who had been working in New York with producer Tim Simenon of Bomb The Bass, had just started a two-month break while group member Martin Gore went back to England to continue writing material.
In an eerie coincidence, Gahan was treated by paramedics from the same crew – West Hollywood’s Fire Station Seven – that responded to River Phoenix’s fatal overdose at West Hollywood’s Viper Club three years ago.
It was a speedball that killed legendary comedial John Belushi in 1982 during a party at the Chateau Marmont, just down the road from Gahan’s hotel.
Depeche Mode’s US spokesman Michael Pagnotta would not comment on the incident.
“We’re not releasing any statement,” he said. “There isn’t anything I can add to the wire reports at this point.”
Gahan had reportedly been seeking treatment and attending rehabilitation centres and meetings since 1994. There are rumours that the overdose was his third suicide attempt since last September, but there is no evidence as yet to support that theory. [2]
Depeche Mode had begun work on the new album at the end of last year and had been recording in New York and Los Angeles. The group planned to continue work in London after the break, for a planned spring 1997 release. At least seven new tracks have been written and recorded so far. [3]
The songs have been described as “among the best songs Martin (Gore) has ever written” and that Tim Simenon’s influence “is definitely present in the music”.
There is no official word on how Gahan’s arrest and drug problems will affect the finishing of the record or its release date.
[Melody Maker, 1st June 1996. Words: Uncredited. Picture: Uncredited.]
Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan faces multiple drugs charges after he overdosed on a lethal mixture of heroin and cocaine – commonly known as a speedball – in a Los Angeles hotel last Tuesday (May 28).
Police found Gahan unconscious in the bathroom of his room at West Hollywood’s Sunset Marquis hotel after his girlfriend called the authorities for help.
Gahan was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for treatment and released, at which point he was arrested by Hollywood Sheriff’s deputies and charged with one felony count of possession of a controlled substance and one misdemeanour charge of being under the influence of a controlled substance.
The police found a syringe and half an ounce of cocaine in Gahan’s room. Bail was set at $10,000 and Gahan was released by 12.30 that night. [1] He will appear in court for arraignment on June 18.
The troubled singer – who was treated for an apparent suicide attempt in Los Angeles last September – was on a break from recording a new album with Depeche Mode. The group, who had been working in New York with producer Tim Simenon of Bomb The Bass, had just started a two-month break while group member Martin Gore went back to England to continue writing material.
In an eerie coincidence, Gahan was treated by paramedics from the same crew – West Hollywood’s Fire Station Seven – that responded to River Phoenix’s fatal overdose at West Hollywood’s Viper Club three years ago.
It was a speedball that killed legendary comedial John Belushi in 1982 during a party at the Chateau Marmont, just down the road from Gahan’s hotel.
Depeche Mode’s US spokesman Michael Pagnotta would not comment on the incident.
“We’re not releasing any statement,” he said. “There isn’t anything I can add to the wire reports at this point.”
Gahan had reportedly been seeking treatment and attending rehabilitation centres and meetings since 1994. There are rumours that the overdose was his third suicide attempt since last September, but there is no evidence as yet to support that theory. [2]
Depeche Mode had begun work on the new album at the end of last year and had been recording in New York and Los Angeles. The group planned to continue work in London after the break, for a planned spring 1997 release. At least seven new tracks have been written and recorded so far. [3]
The songs have been described as “among the best songs Martin (Gore) has ever written” and that Tim Simenon’s influence “is definitely present in the music”.
There is no official word on how Gahan’s arrest and drug problems will affect the finishing of the record or its release date.
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