DEPECHE MODE IS CHANGING A COURSE OF HISTORY or english musicians
haven't found a decent place to stay overnight (Evening paper dated 15.07.98)
Thanx to Ilja Judeikin <ilja@va.ee>
English group DM is taking a direct flight from London to Tartu and will land at Ulenurme
airfield.
This is really a case for a concert that is not being held in Tallin. Originally it was
planned that the group waould ride to Tartu by bus from Riga. But yesterday they have
found a way to land the plane in Tartu. Currently, only private/sports planes arrive
there. According to Vahur Kase, who is the concert promoter they have sent technical
specifications to London experts and they found nothing wrong about them. Now one can be
more or less sure that DM will actually arrive/land in Tartu. said Vahur Kase. The
airplane does not belong to the group but is being rented for the tour. It may carry up to
15 people. Customs and security officers will be brought directly to the airfield
specifically for the group arrival. Also the working day for the airport personnel will be
extended, as the concert
will last till late evening. No place to stay overnight in Estonia
---------------------------------------------------
The group will arrive, spend 1 hour and 45 minutes on stage and move on to Riga. The
reason is obvious the Depeches are willing to stay only in a 5-star hotel. Since we don't
have any, they will spend their night at Radisson Hotel in Riga. The support team will
ride to Riga separately and stay at TARU hotel. The Depeches have requested a limousine
with air conditioning for transportationg. But, as one cannot fit 15 people inside a limo,
there will be a nice clean bus with all the conveniences. Tartu shows Europe the way
---------------------------------------------------
Tartu now has a chance to get into sight of European music world. This is the first DM
concert for the last few years and therefore a big number of mass media and people
involved in music business is expected to be there. Vahur Kase has accented that before
this very time the band never used live drums. They will be used for the first time in
Tartu. The stage will be local, lighting and sound equipment and also technical support
team the group is bringing from Britain.
Estonian -> Russian translation: Ilja Judeikin
Russian -> English translation: Anatoly "Sam White" Stefanovich
Depeche Mode will play in Riga
By Uldis Rudaks
Thanx to Ilja Judeikin <ilja@va.ee>
Riga, 18 June. World-famous British rock group Depeche Mode (DM) will give a
concert in Riga at the Mezhaparks Song Festival Grounds on the 3rd of September as a part
of their Greatest Hits 3 tour. The official news were imparted to Diena on Thursday night
by Arvids Murnieks, Director of BP!, a distributor company for Depeche Mode in Latvia.
The rumours concerning this concert have been already spread about by different mass media
though officially that was not yet confirmed. This is actually the first time in history
of Latvia when a rock group that is still popular all over the world gives a concert in
this country. In the end of the last year during the Annual Prize Presentation Ceremony
for Records Companies Murnieks' promise to bring DM to Riga was considered a bad joke and
caused merely laughter.
The founding members of DM Dave Gahan, Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher as well as 13 tour
musicians and 34 technicians will arrive in Riga already on the 1st of September. They
will give a concert in Tartu, Estonia, at 7 p.m. on the 2nd of September. All necessary
equipment will be brought in 5 trucks and group members and administration staff will be
travelling in 3 buses brought along. From local equipment only acoustic systems
(loudspeakers) will be used. Companies Prestige Music (Latvia) and A.M.I.A. (Estonia) will
co-ordinate concerts.
Tickets will fall under three groups: first 10 000 tickets will be sold for 10 Lats
(around 17 USD), another 10 000 for 15 Ls and the rest for 20 Ls. To prevent ticket -
forging they will be printed in London by applying 8 security levels.
Thanx to Ilja Judeikin <ilja@va.ee>
Dave: David
Tv man: Eric
Dave: Hi, how are you doing?
*handshaking*
Eric: How are you doing?
Dave: Very good! Thank you.
Eric: So, you’re on tour less than a week from now. And you haven’t
been on tour for a five years. Are you nervous or are you happy or both?
Dave: hmm… Both, both actually. Today I feel good. Someday I can feel
very nervous, terrified. But it’s a mixture of feelings. It’s like….. Excited and
you know… But most of the time… Just excited now, it sounds good, really, it’s going
well! I’m feeling good shape and… It’s a good show. It’s the first time when
we’re coming out to Estonia, Russia, places where we’ve tried to play before in the
past and been denied the possibility because of various reasons. Now it’s cool, you
know, looking for a tour. I wanna see some faces, people, you know, coming and listening.
Eric: What do you know about the new countries you’re playing now for
the first time – Estonia, Russia? What do you expect from ?
Dave: I don’t know. I like to go with my own impression. I don’t
really want to go with any kind of expectations, like… That’s gonna be like… In the
past when we’ve been in Eastern European countries it’s been great! And audience is up
for having a good time. Hopefully I feel the same.
Eric: How do you plan to spend a time during the tour?
Dave: I want to get out more, you know, I spent a lot of time staying in.
On tour you have an extensive work and don’t like to get out. You can’t do all the
things you were planning and you’re staying a lot in hotel. You get pretty isolated.
This time I wanna make an effort kind of getting out every day, go for a walk, to see the
cities. I sounds weird - - I did that probably the first five years of the band. But for
10 year-period, the last 12 years it was just kind of sleeping in hotel.
You know, what I’m saying. All what I can say – I don’t know what gonna happen. I
don’t wanna have any expectations. I’m really very excited, I’m grateful that I can
sing again and perform. It’s been a 5 years – a long time… Just it feels good now
– I feel very grateful, you know.
Eric: Now “The Singles” compilation is out and tour is also kind of
singles based. Do you like to sing all these old songs again?
Dave: Well, majority of the show is from the last 3 albums, from
Violator, SOFAD and Ultra, and a little bit from BC, some from MTFTM and not much from
older than that stuff. I think it’s our best work, you know. That we actually… We’re
performing songs from the best period of our work. And the majority of the set is from
point we do MNLDA through IYR – and it’s like my favourite part of the set. My
favourite songs is like WIMS, IYR and Condemnation. I like to sing nice songs!
Eric: Do you like the new songs?
Dave: Do I like the new songs? Hmmm…Yeah, I like BOAG, I like to sign
it, It feels good to sing it. What about OWILM…yes, it’s.. You know songs usually take
awhile to grow on me. I have to live with them for awhile. It’s great to make music,
that’s the most important thing. The outcome isn’t to us, you know. I’m just
enjoying being a part of the process of making music, my voice creating in emotion and
mood of the song. It’s fun to do that.
Eric: What do you think about when recordering your songs, singing in the
studio?
Dave: Different things, depending on a lyrics, I have experienced a lot
of different things in my life - to draw from to sing about my own personal kind of
feelings, about thing I’ve been through.
Eric: However, you haven’t written lyrics for a song?
Dave: Nor for DM, no.
Eric: Do you agree with the songs that Martin writes for you?
Dave: hee-hee sometimes.. especially the last 3 albums. You know, we’ve
been very much in tune.
Eric: You’re living in NY right now. How often you communicate when
you’re recordering something?
Dave: We stay together wher we’re doing that, when we are in process.
Eric: Are you happy with the fact that DM doesn’t make any of cover
version from other ppl work?
Dave: I don’t know… We haven’t thought about that too much. Martin
has done cover version for Leonard Cohen tribute album, I did a cover version as well for
Roxy Music tribute record recently. I’ve been recently singing with a couple of friends
in NY on a project as well. And sometimes I do stuff like that, but I don’t put my name
to it. It’s fun to do it, it’s nice to work with other ppl.
Eric: Who are you idols or heroes, can you name some?
Dave: I don’t have any idols and heroes, you know, it’s a ridicolous
thing.
Eric: I just heard that you really loved Cliff Ricahrds? Is it true?
Dave: I used to be having him as an idol, but I just wanted to imitate
what I thought he was about.
Eric: What was the feeling?
Dave: Sex, drugs and Rock’n’Roll!
Eric: Do you like when fan or group of fans stops you on a street and
tries to chat up?
Dave: It depends on the situation. When I’m working – I don’t mind,
but if I’m with my girlfriend or with my son, and sitting, talking with them….. And
someone comes over – it makes me angry!
Eric: What do you talk about with them?
Dave: Me? hmmm… I don’t really dictate the conversation. Usually
they’re asking questions and I answer in the best of my ability. But I never have a
relationship with strange ppl who comes uo to me on the streets. They think they know me,
but they know only a part of me and that’s far as it goes.
Eric: Do you get letter from them?
Dave: Sure, yeah.
Eric: Read them?
Dave: Yes, sometimes. Especially for the last few years I received many
supportive letters from different ppl. You know, it’s nice to be back in my life, to see
that a lot of ppl cares about…. It’s another life.
Eric: Have you ever been at Andy’s restaurant?
Dave: Yeah, sure.
Eric: Is it good?
Dave: It’s okay ha-ha-ha
Eric: Do you have any kind of outside music making activities?
Dave: I like to paint.
Eric: Big pictures?
Dave: Yes, sure. I was painting before I was making music. I spent 3
years in art-college. You know, it’s nice to paint for myself. I haven’t had done it
for sometime, but I started doing it again. And I have a good response from ppl. Very big
oil-painting I do.
Eric: Has any of them been on exibition so?
Dave: Who know.. maybe in the future… would be fun… hee-hee…
Eric: Do you planning a stage diving on tour?
Dave: NO!!!! I don’t! I have a bad memories from SOFAD tour about 2
broken ribs and I don’t intend I’m going to do that. I don’t wanna be in hospital on
this tour. I want to go home with my head on my shoulders.
Eric: What kind of new bands do you like? What kind of music you’re
listening at the moment apart from DM?
Dave: Hmmm… I don’t really listen to DM, because once we finished –
it’s finished, you know. I don’t really like much the new music. I don’t even search
so much anymore. I can mostly be moved by R’N’B and Blues record – stuff like Buddy
Guy, Robert Johnson, I like to listen to Billy Holiday, some others… I like Soul music
– music that touches my soul, that moves me, feeling of the sound, voice…. that moves
me… I found a lot of music, modern music, very cold – it doesn’t move me.
Eric: One more question: How do you feel – are you a happy person right
now?
Dave: Yes, very much so !!!
Eric: Can we make a sort of ID for Estonian fans and TV? That you’re
coming over – it’s the 2nd of September, Tartu, in Estonia.
Dave: Estonia? Okay……
Hi, I’m Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode and make sure you’re coming to see us on the 2nd
of September. Now I’m saying “HI!” to all of Estonian fans !!!!!!!!