Depeche Mode Interviews

1983-07-01 BFBS Radio 1, Berlin, Germany

Stop Asking This Question

Host: 'Just Can't Get Enough' by Depeche Mode, a band at the forefront of the electronic music boom over recent years. They've recently returned from a tour of the USA and Japan, and, as I speak, two of the guys, David Gahan and Martin Gore, are in our studio. Gentlemen, good afternoon.

Dave and Martin: Good afternoon.

Host: Now, this one you have been asked a million times, I'm convinced, either of you can answer it: is it Depeche or is it Depech-ay?

Dave: [laughs] Ehm, we don't really mind, actually, ehm -

Martin: - You're dead right, by the way, we have been asked a million times. [laughs]

Dave: We have been asked a million times!

Host: Oh, I'm quite sure, yeah.

Dave: We don't really mind Depeche or Depech-ay. It doesn't really matter that much to us.

Host: Where does the name come from originally then?

Dave: It was picked up from a magazine when I was at college. We was looking for a name and it just seemed to have a good ring and we decided to go with it.

Host: What did you call yourselves originally? I'm determined to get this out of you. Was it "-ay" or just "Depeche"?

Dave: Ehm, Depech-ay.

Host: Depech-ay.

Dave: Yeah.

Host: So that's the more correct of the two, but you're not bothered?

Dave: Yeah.

Martin: The least correct but -

Dave: - It's the least correct.

Martin: But that's how we used to say it.

Dave: Yeah we used to say it wrong, but it doesn't matter, yeah.

...

Vince and Alf

Host: Now, can I just back to the record we just started with, 'Just Can't Get Enough': I can't pretend to be completely au fait with your history. I know it was written by Vince Clarke, who is or was with Yazoo. Was he a member of the band, to start with?

Dave: Yes, he was an original member. But after that, he of course went with Yazoo, and now he's left Yazoo, and eh...

Host: He and Alf have gone their separate ways.

Dave: Yeah.

Host: They're now on the same label as you, with Mute, so you must know them as well as anybody.

Dave: Yeah.

Host: What's happening to them two, then?

Dave: Well, Vince, I think, is gonna be working with some other people. Maybe not actually being a member of a band, but helping other bands maybe to get on. And I think Alf will probably go for more of bluesy things in some ways, I think that's what she wants to do, and maybe get out on the road or-

Host: -She's certainly got the voice for it.

Dave: Yeah.

...

Host: Now, Martin, since Vince has left, I know you have taken over most of the songwriting duties, I think, haven't you?

Martin: Yeah, that's right. 

Host: Now, what inspires you to write your songs? Because they're certainly fairly individual, there's no mistaking the Depeche Mode sound.

Martin: Yeah, well, nothing in particular, everything, really. I'll go through stages when something might be on your mind, so I'll just write about that for a while, some sort of topic. but nothing really, nothing in particular.

Host: How long does it take you to write a song on average? I'm always very interested when I'm talking to composers and musicians as to where their ideas come from. Is it a case that you just got to sort of ram it all down, or does it take days and weeks?

Martin: It's difficult to answer that, really, because I might get an idea and write down the basics in five minutes, then to actually complete it, I might spend two weeks working on a porter studio or something. So basically I can write a song in ten or fifteen minutes, say, but to finish it completely it might take roughly two weeks or so.