AS HER NEW SINGLE FROM HER THIRD ALBUM ATTESTS, THE ATMOSPHERIC POP SINGER HAS AN AFFINITY FOR ALL THINGS DARK, SHINING, INTENSE, AND LOUD. IT'S NO WONDER SHE COUNTS DEPECHE MODE'S MARTIN GORE AS ONE OF HER PERSONAL HEROES. FOR V95, TAMARYN SPOKE WITH MARTIN ABOUT HIS NEW RECORD, FAITH, DEVOTION, AND OTHER THINGS.
When I was thirteen years old I bought a “Catching Up With Depeche Mode” 'Best Of' cassette tape at the Salvation Army and proceeded to listen to it on my walkman continuously until the tape itself warped and then completely broke. It was that moment in time that I was introduced to the power of song and soundscape and how you could lose yourself in music in a such a way that you find a whole new world perspective on the other side. Martin Gore, the lead writer for Depeche Mode, to this day remains my favorite songwriter of all time. He’s inspired me more than anyone else to attempt to write about the classic themes of sex and death in a deeply honest way, a catchy way and at times with a sense of the blackest humor. It’s been more than ten years since his last solo album Counterfeit 2 was released and he’s just now graced us with the cinematic opus MG. I had the honor of speaking with him about it on the phone where we also discussed his original musical influences and current spiritual viewpoint.
Tamaryn Hello Martin! It's an honor to speak with you. Thank you.
Martin Gore Thanks, and you.
T The first question that I'd like to ask is, the obvious question of what has inspired you to release a purely instrumental album after more than ten years since Counterfeit 2?
MG I've always been writing instrumentals and we've used them with the band quite a lot over the years. During the writing process for Delta Machine, I actually wrote four or five instrumentals, that we ended up not using, just because we had so many songs. Now that Dave writes songs as well, we just end up with far too many and we don't want to end up with a deluxe edition album that's two hours long. They were just sitting there, four or five tracks, so I thought that it would be a good idea to write some more and just release a full instrumental album. It's something's that's different, something I've never done. It's quite an exciting prospect.
T Vocals aside, I've noticed that, in the past with Depeche Mode you've layered many sounds to represent one instrument. For example, a kick drum could be the combination of several different elements. On this new work, the sounds are much more minimal and I was interested in what the appeal of that minimalism is to you? Do you consider this ‘minimal techno’ like the album you did with Vince Clarke?
MG I wouldn't call it techno at all. The VCMG project, that I consider a techno record. I really wanted to go for something more atmospheric and filmic. I could see it quite easily being used in films.
T Yes The album is very cinematic. I was curious if you were considering scoring films and this was sort of playing with that interest? If that is something you want to do are there any directors these days that inspire you?
MG It's something that I would definitely consider, if the right offer came along at the right time. That's always the tough thing, because we're usually on some kind of schedule. Depeche Mode's albums usually come out about, roughly every four years and during that 4 year period there's recording time, there's writing time and then a touring time. It would have to fit in right around the time where, like just now, i’ve finished this instrumental record. Someone would have to come along with a great film and say, "Are you interested in scoring it?" and it would have to hit right at that lucky moment. If that did happen, I would be interested.
T I know Trent Reznor is having a lot of success with that. I’ve scored a couple films myself and it’s really rewarding and totally different than making albums.
MG I was just thinking about the other thing you said. The one genre of film that I'm really obsessed with, and that I watch all the time, is documentary. I don't know how well the sort of stuff I'm doing would fit documentary. Probably some of the slower elk, or something like that maybe, would work well.
T Yeah. I just watched one of those Anton Corbijn documentaries last night actually, which had a lot of stuff about you and your work in it that I thought was really beautiful. Speaking of cinematic styles, there is also a very sci-fi feel to the album. I've always thought the idea of the future of the past was a really cool notion. A predicted future that never comes into reality. What about the science fiction sort of soundscape or style are you interested in?
MG It wasn't something that when I first sat down and did the first track, I thought it should definitely have a sci-fi feel, but I think it was after I listened to the first couple of things that I did I realized there was a kind of sci-fi feel to it and I just like that. Then I set that as a bit of a template.
T I love that you draw influence from so many different places but that you also seem to have carried some inspirations with you throughout your career. I know that you are a big fan of American music, from Elvis to Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop etc. and I was curious what you think of the continual conversation between American and British rock and roll?
MG Yes. I'm not sure how that still goes on these days.
T I agree unfortunately, but maybe from your personal experience back in the early days?
MG I think that when we were doing stuff, I mean obviously, I was so influenced by a lot of European music, but a lot of American music at the same time. The first thing that I ever heard was my mom's rock and roll collection and that was the first thing that hooked me to music. That was just before the glam explosion, so then suddenly I was really influenced by it and that was one of my biggest formative influences. Then it probably would have been more Europe again, because then things like Kraftwerk happened and that was the thing that got me into electronic music. Bowie was such a big influence and then through Bowie, the American stuff like Iggy Pop and then things like maybe MC5. the Velvet Underground were a huge influence, but beyond that, I don't know how the dialogue really continues today, because I find so much music unlistenable now. Obviously, there are a lot of people making music that they're putting their heart and souls into, and it's probably not getting listened to very much. Unfortunately, there's just so much music put together by people that the dialogue is going on between two crappy songwriters and there is no soul involved. There's no passion in it. It's just purely for sales.
T Yes! When you guys came up, that was a very particular time that I don't know could ever happen again. A window where a group with real soul, that was even a bit challenging could become global heroes. If a band anything like Depeche Mode ever existed again would they even have half a chance? It makes me very sad to consider. What do you think of the future for younger artists who might do something that you could potentially like? Do you think there will be an opportunity for something of value to rise again?
MG It's very difficult. My kids make music, but I think they're realists and I don't know they ever would think about trying to make it in the music business. Nephews that make music, who ask me for advice, and it's so tough giving advice these days, because everything changes and it changes all the time. It is tough, you can't say try and get a record deal, I mean, what does that mean anymore?
T Right. It's a strange time when the most a band can hope for is to get a spot in a shampoo commercial for success.
MG That's about the only industry that's thriving it seems. The commercial industry, for some reason, still has huge sums of money.
T Yeah, it's odd that is the status of success now for a band. Brands and syncs.
MG You hope it's a good one and it's not deodorant…
T Yeah, but see for my music, I don't even care. It's all the same to me. I think corporations run the world at this point, so it's their job to be patrons of the arts and pay for me to be free to create.
MG Yeah, that's right.
T Let’s talk about an age old Martin question. I was curious, at this stage in your life, if you consider yourself to be a spiritual man? I've never really seen you discuss that in-depth in interviews, but there's obviously Atheistic themes running throughout your career. Is there anything you would like to impart to fans, who have looked to your music over the years for insight on this topic?
MG I've never maybe gone into depth about it, and maybe that's because there's not really that much in-depth to say. I think that I am a spiritual man but I'm definitely not a religious person. I believe in something and I wouldn't consider myself an Atheist at the moment. There are definitely times where I think Agnostic is the best way to describe me. There are times when I believe that there must be something better than this and bigger because it all just seems so hopeless and futile. Then there are times when I also think, you know we're just fooling ourselves. We just can't deal with death. I'm still at that point really.
T Yeah. It sounds like you've had similar opinions for quite a while, and I think that's inspiring for someone like me who's a longtime fan of yours. Well God seems like the best place to end on. I do want to thank you Martin, and tell you that I think you're probably the greatest songwriter of all time and I know many people agree with me. Please always keep making music, we'll be here listening.
MG Oh thanks, Thank you very much.
Az eredeti cikk itt olvasható:
http://www.vmagazine.com/site/content/4297/tamaryn-meets-martin-gore
http://www.dmtvarchives.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=523902be2807f4cb17f7be9d6c4605f1&topic=874.75
