Article :: Depeche vs. Drugs (long)

The following article appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press for
May 1 accompanied by a large picture from the SOFAD era.

DEPECHE VS DRUGS - Techno leaders find silver lining in new album
(Mark Brown - The Orange Country Register)

Depeche Mode was determined to not let drugs stand in the way of music.
After all, that had gone on long enough.
So the band members had their PR firm track down every negative article
written concerning the group and drugs, suicide attempts, arrests, etc.,
and send them out to every rock critic in the nation. With singer Dave
Gahan now clean and sober, and a strong new album, Ultra, they figured
they'd face the music once and get it over with.
Guess Again.
"We sort of had the idea if we did one main feature, we could clear the
air and move on. Obviously, it was a very naive idea," chief songwriter
Martin Gore said by phone.
"We've sort of resigned ourselves to the fact that people are
interested in sensationalism," he continued. "It wasn't the main point.
But Dave feels a need to be honest in interviews, and maybe it has a
therapeutic quality. Obviously, we realize the damage it does to us.
That's what people focus on and they disregard the music."
That'll change. After two years of nothing but trouble -- including
Gahan's highly publicized West Hollywood arrest for heroin and cocaine
possession last year -- Depeche Mode returns with the timely album
Ultra. The leaders of techno music are back just as the movement is
getting new respect and fans.
To be fair, Gahan wasn't the only one in trouble. The Denver Police
Department has Gore's mug shot on file from a 4 a.m. hotel-hallway
arrest involving a loud boom box and a bad attitude.
But Gahan's antics, including drug arrests, overdoses, and more than
one near-death experience, far overshadow Gore's misdemeanor
disturbing-the-peace beefs.
"I'm trying to set some better priorities in my life," Gahan explained
separately. "It can all go away tomorrow. I'm talking about my life,
really. I have my life back today. One of the things was definitely the
process of getting through and making Ultra and finishing up with an
album that is very good and we're all very proud of. It's kind of
against all odds, you know?"
Gahan wasn't concerned that the British band -- which first hit big in
the early 80's with songs such as Just Can't Get Enough, People are
People, and Master and Servant -- would possibly lose everything just as
electronic music has finally come around to the mainstream.
"Trends come and go. They make no difference to us. We had our biggest
success ever at the height of grunge," Gore said. "We created a niche
for us at the height of our career. Whatever happens to be in or out is
irrelevant."
And despite the pain and wasted time that Gahan's problems caused the
band, there is a silver lining.
"In some ways it maybe takes a bit of pressure off us, because no one
expected an album at all, let alone a good one," Gore said.
Ultra was recorded in 15 months, with sessions breaking down after
Gahan was unable to perform.
"There was a time there when everyone, myself included, wondered what I
was trying to do here," Gahan recalled. "I was sitting on the fence for
a long time. I'm very grateful today that I can get up in the morning
and make a choice. It didn't feel like that for a long time."
What did it feel like?
"There were a lot of personal things going on in my life. It wasn't any
one thing. I created a lot of the war zones that were around me. A
junkie is the most self-centered, selfish person in the world. They just
can't help it. It's just the way they are."
In addition, keyboardist Alan Wilder left, leaving Gore and Andy
Fletcher to carry much of the load.
"Because there were so many changes this time around, we didn't set
ourselves and great goals," Gore said. "We went into the studio with a
very relaxed attitude: Let's get back together, see how we're getting
on, see how things go in the studio without Alan."
The band had been hanging by a string for years, and Gahan thought he
could tough it out, despite his addictions.
"I'm very driven. I always showed up, no matter what was going on,"
Gahan said. "Fletch brought that up. It was hard for the to point the
finger at me and say 'Man, you're looking really bad,' because I was
always showing up and doing the show and giving it my all. I'm a great
showoff. I can stand up there and be king for two hours."
But sessions for Ultra proved to be too much.
"When we started this album, 90 per cent of the time I was still strung
out, and the rest of the time I was sick from kicking," Gahan recalled.
"It became very obvious that physically I wasn't able to stand up in
front of a microphone for more than an hour without wanting to lay down
and die."
"There were definite times during the recording of this record that I
felt we wouldn't get it finished. I had to start thinking about
finishing it as a solo artist, which I don't really want to be," Gore
said.
So Gore and Fletcher kept working on the music. It was during this time
that Gahan left for his overdose in Hollywood. That led to his momentary
death and lingering drug charges.
But it was that episode that forced him to deal with his addition. When
he finally rejoined the band, he was renewed.
"Most people tend to ignore the fact that Dave was clean and healthy
for half the recording of this record, because that's not news," Gore
said. "The last six months of this record were a breeze."
Despite Gahan's seemingly healthy lifestyle, the band is avoiding all
temptation, including what would undoubtedly be an insanely lucrative
summer tour.
"We decided not to tour this time, which is a very big decision. And
we've walked away from it. We don't feel we can survive another tour,"
Gore said. "Our last tour was 14 months long. When we got to the end of
it, we had massive band communication breakdown problems. We lost a band
member, and we don't want to go through that again."