Nice Interview from "The San Francisco Chronicle", Sunday, August 9, 2009
Q: Do you ever feel bad standing in the back pushing buttons while Dave Gahan is out there risking life and limb?
A: You can't exert much effort behind a keyboard, unfortunately. It's not the most rock and roll of instruments. And you can't have every single member of the band be going out there going crazy. A band is made up of different individuals. I like my backroom job and certainly wouldn't like to be in Dave's position. Definitely not. If you've seen my dancing moves you wouldn't want me to be in Dave's position.
Q: On this tour, Dave has had a cancerous tumor removed and seriously injured his leg. Why are you still on the road?
A: It's been an amazing tour, really. In some ways, certainly in Europe, it's been our most successful tour ever. But it's been our most calamitous as well. The great thing is we're up and running. Dave in particular has shown a lot of competitive spirit, you might say, to carry on the way he's doing.
Q: Most bands would have retreated to their private islands by now.
A: Well, the thought would have been if the bladder cancer prognosis was different but actually you couldn't get a better prognosis. It was caught very early and it was low grade. It was just a question of zapping it out.
Q: So what you're saying is, that for a guy who was once declared clinically dead, this was really nothing.
A: I said to Dave to other day, "I can't wait for your autobiography." It's quite a story developing.
Q: It's possible that some of the accidents are a direct result of getting distracted by Martin Gore's ridiculous outfits. Have you ever suggested that he tone it down with the leather skirts and silver suits?
A: I've given him lots of suggestions over the years like, "You can't do that," or, "You can't wear that." He's in his own world in regards to that. If you look at the three members, we haven't actually done it on purpose, I'm more the straight man in the back and everyone can look at and think, "I could be him." And then you've got Martin dressing in skirts and silver and looking sometimes quite feminine. And you've got the macho singer. So it's evolved into that and I think it's a good setup.
Q: Have you managed to keep out of harm's way?
A: Actually on the first gig of the tour in Israel, I had the first bit of bad news: My father died. So it's been calamitous for me as well. The good thing is we've been putting in some great performances. I would say Paris and Milan on this tour were our best-ever gigs. So there's been some high points.
--Aidin Vaziri
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta Interviews / T V / etc.... Mostrar todas las entradas
Mostrando entradas con la etiqueta Interviews / T V / etc.... Mostrar todas las entradas
A really nice interview with Andy for "North Bay Bohemian’s BohoBlog"
(North Bay Bohemian’s BohoBlog - August 4, 2009)
D.S.: Thanks for doing this, Andrew. How are you?
Andrew Fletcher: Good, thanks. We’re in New York at the moment, just having a couple of days break. We just started, three gigs over now, so it’s going pretty well.
D.S.: It’s great that you guys are back up and running. It’s unusual for you guys to be sidelines. You guys are known as the road warriors.
Andrew Fletcher: [Laughing] It sounds like a video game. [In fake trailer voice] “The Road Warriors”!
D.S.: I trust Dave has recuperated now.
Andrew Fletcher: It’s been pretty bizarre. The European tour has been one of the most successful tours we’ve ever done and the most calamitous as well, all in one go. But Dave has really got a competitive spirit in him. If anything, he thrives on these sorts of things.
D.S.: The challenge, right. Does touring ever get too grueling? You guys have been going on three decades now.
Andrew Fletcher: Well, we get treated pretty well these days [laughs]. You know, we get flown around, with nice hotels…but is it grueling? Well, I’m sure a lot of your readers have more grueling jobs than we do. Yeah, it’s tiring and not really nice being away from your family all the time. But it’s what we do, and we like it. We feel we’re still doing good shows, so it’s okay.
D.S.: How have things changed since, say, Music for the Masses Tour? Surely the backstage scene must be completely different now.
Andrew Fletcher: Of course your favorite stories and the real things you remember come back from those early days. We were very young, you know? All we had in our lives was Depeche Mode, and we made an album pretty much every year, we toured every year. And it was just a fantastic feeling, especially to break in America like we did, which was something completely unexpected for us, and one of the sort of nice things that’s happened in our career. But now, we’re domesticated; we’ve got families and stuff. And I think quite a lot of our fans are in that situation as well, so. It doesn’t mean you don’t love music; it’s just different, you know.
D.S.: You mentioned making a new album every year, but you guys are still pretty prolific–
Andrew Fletcher: –I don’t think our fans would say that we’re prolific [laughing]. Not now.
D.S.: Well, you’ve kept busy, without, say, a five-year break in between records.
Andrew Fletcher: No. We haven’t got anything planned for after the tour, but with the atmosphere at the moment being really good, I’m sure we are going to make another album & do another tour. We’re in a really good position. We sort of work for two years, then have a year off. It’s pretty cool.
D.S.: People are loving Sounds of the Universe, and one of the descriptions coming up over and over again is “return to your roots”, and there have been tales of the vintage equipment you guys used. How did the recording differ from Playing the Angel?
Andrew Fletcher: It didn’t differ very much from Playing the Angel because we were basically working with the same people, with a couple of changes. And we recorded it in pretty much in New York and Santa Barbara. But I think for some reason it seems to be a very easy record to make, and a lot of fun as well. I mean, the vintage equipment, for instance, that was good fun. Martin is buying up the whole world’s supply of vintage synthesizers and then turning up every day in the studio. It was fun. It was really fun, opening the box and getting a sound up. It was a bit like the old days, yeah, going back to the roots. Yeah, it was good.
D.S.: But it happened organically, right? It wasn’t a conscious decision?
Andrew Fletcher: No. I mean, no. We don’t really…we’re not sort of U2-like in that way. Nothing against U2, I think they’re a great band and we know them pretty well. But they seem to have a master plan, and we tend not to have much of a master plan, especially in the studio.
D.S.: A lot of people have this image of you in the middle, keeping the whole group–
Andrew Fletcher: In the back, you mean, not in the middle! Oh, you mean in the middle, keeping the warring factions apart. [laughing]
D.S.: Exactly, in addition to being the makeshift manager.
Andrew Fletcher: I was very much involved in the management during the first half of our career. We didn’t have a manager at that point, so that was the thing that I was quite interested in. But, like I said, I’m not the person in between the warring factions at the moment. I’m in the back, because there is no warring factions…touch wood…touching the desk here…and the atmosphere in the band is good, you know. I like being in the background. I think you can’t have a band when every single person in the band is going for the limelight.
D.S.: Was that awkward, those few years when Dave went solo? At the time, did it seem like the end of Depeche Mode?
Andrew Fletcher: Nope, it never was the end. It was important for Dave to do that because he’s always been a singer who doesn’t write the lyrics. Doing his own thing, I think, was very important because he’d talked about doing his own thing for years and he’d never ever done it. Really, if you look at it, the amount of stuff Depeche Mode has worked outside of Depeche Mode is not very much. Martin’s done two solo albums, Dave’s done two solo albums in 30 years, so it was never a…If Dave’s solo album was like a massive hit or something, and he said “bye bye, boys”, I don’t know. [laughs] But no, it was never like that.
D.S.: I understand Dave & Martin wrote together for this album. Would you ever consider joining in the process?
Andrew Fletcher: Not really, no. Actually they didn’t really write together. Martin did an instrumental and Dave separately put some words to it. So they didn’t actually write it together, and I really don’t have any interest in songwriting. I know I’m not a good songwriter, so I’m very lucky to be in a group with Vince Clarke, who’s a great songwriter, Martin, and now Dave’s writing some good songs. You know, not everyone, not every musician is a songwriter. And that might sound strange [laughs].
D.S.: No, I think it’s very refreshing, and you’re very humble because I’ve heard great things about your long-lost album Toast Hawaii.
Andrew Fletcher: It’s not “long-lost” now. Unfortunately Martin Gore’s got a copy of it…
D.S.: So it’s only a matter of time before–
Andrew Fletcher: Yeah, before…I have to be careful, if I annoy him to much he’s going to put it out there.
D.S.: Do you think it will ever get a proper release?
Andrew Fletcher: No, no, it was done as a bit of fun when we were recording probably Black Celebration or something like that, in Berlin, and it’s just me covering rock n’ roll songs with the band playing various instruments.
D.S.: How your Toast Hawaii record label going?
Andrew Fletcher: The label’s not doing anything at the moment. Again, I can only really work with the label when I’m not working with Depeche, because the role of the label is to be full involved with an artist I take on. But when we had our last year off, I didn’t find anyone in that year really, and I ended up deejaying for a few months. So you never know. I have next year off, so if I find someone hopefully, the label will be back on. It’s not like a label that’s “on the go” all the time; it can just start up at any point, you know.
D.S.: You brought up your deejaying, which is another reason you’re known as the member who’s always trying something new. You’ve been getting rave reviews for it. What is your style like?
Andrew Fletcher: I use about 50% vinyl, 50% CDs at the moment. I don’t know what I’m going to do next, maybe a bit more computerized, I don’t know. But it’s been a normal setup. I try and play sort of a lot of music that I feel is suited around Depeche Mode, but I really play anything. I enjoy it, and I tend to go to places that Depeche Mode doesn’t go much, like Bucharest and places like that.
D.S.: Have you ever been asked to guest-deejay at Popscene in SF? They sometimes have guest deejays and it seems right up your alley.
Andrew Fletcher: No I don’t think so. Martin deejays as well, he’s our west coast DJ. He does Santa Barbara, L.A., and I’m sure he does San Francisco.
D.S.: Are you still based in the U.K.?
Andrew Fletcher: I’m based in the U.K., Martin lives in Santa Barbara, and Dave lives in New York, so we’re spread around.
D.S.: Besides the deejaying, what do you do when you’re not working with Depeche Mode?
Andrew Fletcher: On the year off? I just see my family basically. For two years I haven’t seen them that much. They’re probably happy with that actually. You know, just see my friends, go on holiday. Decent things I need doing, quite a few things to do.
D.S.: Why do you think Depeche Mode has had such longevity while other bands – especially electronic bands – have fallen by the wayside?
Andrew Fletcher: A few reasons. I think obviously good songs are very important. We’ve worked very hard, especially on the touring side, which is very important for an electronic band because it’s very easy to be seen as being studio-fied. And just being surrounded by good people. Daniel Miller from Mute Records has been very important since the day we met him, kept us grounded as well as kept us evolving over the years. So, just to finish off, it’s amazing, it’s a dream come true for us to be still going strong after so many years. We were real realists in the beginning. We sort of thought our careers might only last two years or three years. So to be still going now is just a dream come true really. It’s really amazing.
—David Sason
http://www.bohemian.com/bohoblog/?p=2621
Six Questions for Andy
("The Washington Post", July 28, 2009)
Six Questions for ... Depeche ModeIt's been a bit of a rocky road for synth-pop pioneers Depeche Mode this year. More specifically, it's been rough for frontman Dave Gahan. First he was felled by a bout of gastroenteritis, causing the cancellation of a handful of gigs. Once he recovered from that, he promptly tore a calf muscle, leading to a couple more missed shows. But as the band comes over for the U.S. leg of its summer tour, it's been relatively smooth sailing. "Sounds of the Universe" is an impressive addition to the band's discography, hearkening back to the band's classic sound, with the songwriting to match. Keyboardist Andy Fletcher checked in prior to the band's gig tonight at Nissan Pavilion.
When all of these calamities happen do you ever feel like it's a sign to call it quits?
I should call it the Tour Leg of Doom. But the concerts themselves are amazing. Generally speaking we've never had to cancel hardly any shows so it's all a mystery, really. God's certainly not liking us at the moment. Actually, Dave was very lucky because he had gastroenteritis and they found this tumor very early. So I think he feels he's actually quite blessed that they found this thing so early. And he's been performing absolutely amazing. Sometimes I'm playing my keyboards and I just look up in awe. (Laughs.) He's really been in top form.
Every time you ask a band their favorite record they've done they always say it's the most recent one...
Well, I don't say that. I think it's very hard to judge. When you're speaking to bands at that point, when the album's [just] finished, it's really hard to judge it because you've heard every track about a thousand times over weeks and weeks in the studio. So I always give it a year or two before I can judge. My favorite albums of Depeche Mode are "Violator" and "Black Celebration," personally. [Ed. Note: Correct answers!] And I won't actually be able to judge this one until next year or something.
"Sounds of the Universe" has a bit more of a throwback sound compared to the last couple of albums.
It's quite analog. [Songwriter] Martin [Gore] has this obsession of buying vintage synthesizers on eBay. So there was a synthesizer arriving every day. We just open the box and there it is. So it's a lot more electronic sounding. It is interesting -- some of the synths we've used in the past, so it is catching up with our past a bit.
(More after the jump.)
You've been doing this for a very long time. What's the biggest thing that would have been a real shock to you in, say, 1985?
Obviously the Internet thing. We're live on the Internet when we're doing the gig. People start complaining about the set list when they're not actually at the gig. They're online somewhere in Nebraska. It's quite bizarre. We've always tried to keep on the cutting edge of everything but so much is happening so fast. When we were considering doing this album, the variety of ways we could have released it is just phenomenal. It's hard to find the best route. It's exciting stuff. Unfortunately, the recording industry is down a lot. But live music is still very, very popular. Music is more popular now than it's every been. It's just they're getting the music from different sources and generally not paying any money for it. But fortunately for groups live is really healthy. The amount of festivals in Europe is incredible. A band can make money just by doing three months of European summer festivals.
What songs would you say get the biggest responses from the crowd these days?
Well, I mean, "Enjoy the Silence." And "Never Let Me Down Again," which has this amazing crowd waving effect that Dave gets going that's pretty exciting. Some of the new songs -- "Wrong" is going down really well. The hardest thing about our set list is actually compiling it. It's so difficult with so many songs. We can't do a Robert Smith and play for three-and-a-half hours. I don't think Dave can run around and dance for that long. The problem with the Cure is they did it a couple of times and then when they went back to a normal set people complained.
That's another thing about the Internet. People sure like to complain.
Our forum is like one long moan. (Laughs.) They're supposed to be the biggest Depeche Mode fans and they moan about everything. And they know more about Depeche Mode than I do. It's incredible.
Beautiful Radio Interview - Andy & Martin - 1997
Radio interview for Dutch program "Naar Eer en Geweten"
Date: 06/02/97
Uploaded by FuellingObsession (Youtube)
Part 01
Part 02 (last)
Date: 06/02/97
Uploaded by FuellingObsession (Youtube)
Part 01
Part 02 (last)
Andy DJ
I’m always hearing/reading comments of angry DM fans saying how a "bad" and "terrible" DJ Andy is, mostly because of their ignorance; they think a DJ must mix music like, for example, DJ Sasha, but Andy is just another kind of DJ:
"A disc jockey (also known as disk jockey, DJ or deejay) is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience.
There are several types of disc jockeys. Radio DJs introduce and play music that is broadcast on AM, FM, shortwave, digital, or internet radio stations. Club DJs select and play music in bars, nightclubs, discothèques, at raves, or even in a stadium (...)"
Then, his work is to choose songs and play them on different events. His art resides in the songs he chooses, and the order in which he plays them, to create a good vibe and entertain people.
I find very joyful too heard his DJ sets; he has a great taste in music and always chooses great songs and creates a great vibe :-)
Fletch aclara algunas dudas... Parte 2
Entrevista para “Welt Am Sonntag” (periódico alemán), 5 Abril de 2009
-Parte 2-
-Para ir a la Parte 1, click aquí-
¿DM es una banda o una compañía?
Una banda, por supuesto. Pero te entiendo: también se podría considerar a DM como una compañía.
Las compañías se comunican con el mundo a través de un individuo. También DM ha llamado la atención del mundo por dos décadas a través del trabajo como fotógrafo y director de Anton Corbijn. ¿Qué tiene él que otros no tengan?
Él nos volvió “cool” en el ’89. Él expuso nuestro lado cómico. Sin él éramos una banda electrónica; con él nos convertimos en una banda de rock. Él es uno de los pocos que entendió nuestro peculiar sentido del humor, desde el principio. Yo lo declararía un miembro más de la banda.
¿Le molesta que sea también el responsable del diseño de otras grandes bandas de los ‘80s, ej. U2?
Simplemente demuestra que él piensa en otras categorías, que ha dejado lo pequeño de lado. Él se puede comunicar con las masas, cruzar barreras culturales. Y tambien hizo de los U2 lo que son ahora.
Han llamado a su nuevo disco "Sounds Of The Universe" , el tour se titula "Tour Of The Universe". ¿Es éste el sentido del humor del que hablaba?
Exacto. Queríamos parecer un poquito arrogantes, pero de una manera graciosa. Con el mismo sentido del humor, hace 22 años, titulamos uno de nuestros discos “Music For The Masses”.
Cuando dice que en su pueblo natal, Basildon, uno “o roba autos, o va a la iglesia los domingos”, ¿es una broma?
Bueno, todos tuvimos infancias seguras en Basildon. Yo era un Cristiano renacido, así que iba a la iglesia todos los domingos. Solo la infancia de Gahan fue un poco disfuncional.
¿Disfuncional?
Algo que ver con su padre.
¿Diría que una buena banda es como un grupo de bandoleros en una película del Oeste?
Como rockeros nosotros íbamos a una ciudad, éramos reyes por una noche, en especial en USA. Éramos los dueños de la cantina, de las mesas de juego, del alcohol y de las chicas. Y a la noche siguiente, otra ciudad se rendía a nuestros pies.
Habla en pasado.
Todo cambió. Ahora todos tenemos familias e hijos. Yo soy el único de la banda que sigue bebiendo. Todos los demás vicios se fueron yendo. No se puede sostener ese estilo de vida para siempre.
SOTU tiene un aura muy cálida. Ustedes usaron sintetizadores analógicos de los ‘60s.
Si. Una noche Martin tuvo un sueño: una orquesta de sintetizadores, afinando, como cuando los músicos de una filarmónica afinan sus instrumentos – esa cacofonía de sonidos, antes del concierto. Después descubrió Ebay, cambió su adicción al alcohol por la compra-por-internet, y empezó a comprar cientos de esos viejos equipos.
Cada día un nuevo paquete llegaba al estudio y como niños pequeños desenvolvíamos estas maquinas antiquísimas, las enchufábamos y chequeábamos como sonaban. Cada una tenía un sonido característico.
¿Siente la presión de que cada nuevo disco debe presentar un nuevo sonido?
Eso no sería posible. Por nuestras limitaciones, no somos capaces de reinventarnos a nosotros mismos. Pero lo que intentamos hacer una y otra vez es: desarrollar el sonido de un disco al otro un poco más allá.
¿Es ésa la formula del éxito?
Supongo. En todo este tiempo nos convertimos en la banda de culto más grande del mundo, de esta manera.
¿Qué quiere decir con “de culto”?
Que no somos mainstream. No tenemos gigantescos hits, seguidos por gigantescos vacíos. No somos perseguidos por los paparazzi, como Madonna.
(fin)
-Parte 2-
-Para ir a la Parte 1, click aquí-
¿DM es una banda o una compañía?
Una banda, por supuesto. Pero te entiendo: también se podría considerar a DM como una compañía.
Las compañías se comunican con el mundo a través de un individuo. También DM ha llamado la atención del mundo por dos décadas a través del trabajo como fotógrafo y director de Anton Corbijn. ¿Qué tiene él que otros no tengan?
Él nos volvió “cool” en el ’89. Él expuso nuestro lado cómico. Sin él éramos una banda electrónica; con él nos convertimos en una banda de rock. Él es uno de los pocos que entendió nuestro peculiar sentido del humor, desde el principio. Yo lo declararía un miembro más de la banda.
¿Le molesta que sea también el responsable del diseño de otras grandes bandas de los ‘80s, ej. U2?
Simplemente demuestra que él piensa en otras categorías, que ha dejado lo pequeño de lado. Él se puede comunicar con las masas, cruzar barreras culturales. Y tambien hizo de los U2 lo que son ahora.
Han llamado a su nuevo disco "Sounds Of The Universe" , el tour se titula "Tour Of The Universe". ¿Es éste el sentido del humor del que hablaba?
Exacto. Queríamos parecer un poquito arrogantes, pero de una manera graciosa. Con el mismo sentido del humor, hace 22 años, titulamos uno de nuestros discos “Music For The Masses”.
Cuando dice que en su pueblo natal, Basildon, uno “o roba autos, o va a la iglesia los domingos”, ¿es una broma?
Bueno, todos tuvimos infancias seguras en Basildon. Yo era un Cristiano renacido, así que iba a la iglesia todos los domingos. Solo la infancia de Gahan fue un poco disfuncional.
¿Disfuncional?
Algo que ver con su padre.
¿Diría que una buena banda es como un grupo de bandoleros en una película del Oeste?
Como rockeros nosotros íbamos a una ciudad, éramos reyes por una noche, en especial en USA. Éramos los dueños de la cantina, de las mesas de juego, del alcohol y de las chicas. Y a la noche siguiente, otra ciudad se rendía a nuestros pies.
Habla en pasado.
Todo cambió. Ahora todos tenemos familias e hijos. Yo soy el único de la banda que sigue bebiendo. Todos los demás vicios se fueron yendo. No se puede sostener ese estilo de vida para siempre.
SOTU tiene un aura muy cálida. Ustedes usaron sintetizadores analógicos de los ‘60s.
Si. Una noche Martin tuvo un sueño: una orquesta de sintetizadores, afinando, como cuando los músicos de una filarmónica afinan sus instrumentos – esa cacofonía de sonidos, antes del concierto. Después descubrió Ebay, cambió su adicción al alcohol por la compra-por-internet, y empezó a comprar cientos de esos viejos equipos.
Cada día un nuevo paquete llegaba al estudio y como niños pequeños desenvolvíamos estas maquinas antiquísimas, las enchufábamos y chequeábamos como sonaban. Cada una tenía un sonido característico.
¿Siente la presión de que cada nuevo disco debe presentar un nuevo sonido?
Eso no sería posible. Por nuestras limitaciones, no somos capaces de reinventarnos a nosotros mismos. Pero lo que intentamos hacer una y otra vez es: desarrollar el sonido de un disco al otro un poco más allá.
¿Es ésa la formula del éxito?
Supongo. En todo este tiempo nos convertimos en la banda de culto más grande del mundo, de esta manera.
¿Qué quiere decir con “de culto”?
Que no somos mainstream. No tenemos gigantescos hits, seguidos por gigantescos vacíos. No somos perseguidos por los paparazzi, como Madonna.
(fin)
Entrevista Fletch & Martin (?-?-2009 - Rumania)
Interview of Fletch and Martin by romanian news channel Realitatea TV.
Fletch aclara algunas dudas...
Entrevista para “Welt Am Sonntag” (periódico alemán), 5 Abril de 2009
-Parte 1-
Desde su habitación de hotel, Andrew Fletcher, de 47 años, pega un vistazo al Gendarmenmarkt en Berlin. Además del cantante Dave Gahan y del compositor Martin L. Gore, él es el desconocido tercer hombre de una de las bandas más exitosas del mundo. “Veo que pretendes hablar una hora entera con cada uno de nosotros?!”, dice Fletcher, “Yo no tengo nada que decir.”
Sr. Fletcher, su cantante dijo aluna vez “Yo soy solo famoso; no soy un músico.” ¿Cuál es exactamente su trabajo en DM?
Si me preguntas de esa manera, yo sería lo opuesto a Dave. Soy un músico, pero en la calle nadie me reconoce. Dentro de la banda contribuyo con el elemento pop. Martin, quién escribe la mayor parte de las canciones, ama al blues y a la música country norteamericana, y Dave está descubriendo el jazz. Yo, sin embargo, seré eternamente fiel a las melodías y a la simpleza del pop. Mis hijos también aman al pop.
Como una estrella pop ¿es capaz de dormir más que el hombre promedio? ¿o sus hijos lo despiertan cada mañana?
Siempre fui muy “madrugador”. Cuando no estoy de gira con DM, en casa, me voy a la cama a eso de las 7 pm, mientras que mi esposa no se duerme hasta la 1 am.
¿Al que madruga dios lo ayuda?
Simplemente me gusta el olor de la mañana. No hay nada como el café antes del amanecer, cuando todos en casa todavía duermen.
¿Y cuando vaya de gira, en Junio?
Entonces el reloj se da vuelta. Soy adicto a los bares de los hoteles.
¿Qué es lo que define a un buen bar de un hotel?
Que el ascensor a tu cuarto está cerca. Uno bebe sabiendo que solo tenés que llegar al ascensor para caer en tu cama. Así te podes tomar un trago más, sabiendo que ya estas prácticamente en tu cuarto.
¿Siendo una estrella de rock, uno se vuelve un personaje, una caricatura?
¿Cómo debo tomar tu pregunta?
Hay estudios que dicen que cada miembro de una banda exitosa -de U2 a los Beatles- en unas décadas, se reduce a un diseño, a una imagen, en la mente del público.
Me enteré de estos estudios. Primero que nada, quiero decir: la vida mediática, partiendo de los videos en los que uno aparece, las entrevistas que uno da, de alguna manera designan un rol a cada integrante de una banda, y uno crece en ese rol. Entonces uno se convierte en una caricatura de uno mismo, algún día. Pero eso es normal.
¿Y cuál es su rol?
El poste que sale del suelo, sin el cual este acto internacional de entretenimiento no podría funcionar. Está este gran malentendido que dice que en las bandas de rock hay hombres ‘reales’ detrás de los instrumentos, que se rompen el culo trabajando noche tras noche, mientras que en una banda de sintetizadores como DM nadie trabaja porque todo funciona solo.
¿Y qué diferencias específicas existen?
La ambigüedad. Aparte del cantante, la audiencia no sabe realmente qué rol tiene cada integrante en el grupo. Pero bandas como Kraftwerk o DM trabajan con divisiones de tareas. Las contribuciones de los individuos quedan invisibles. Y como no me pongo a mi mismo en primer plano muchos me toman como la quinta rueda del auto. (una parte innecesaria)n.t.
¿Crees que la gente percibe erróneamente a tu persona y a tu rol en DM?
No quiero tomármelo en serio, pero a veces es frustrante. Después de todo también se podría decir que mi trabajo es lo más importante, y que sin mi no habría más banda. Pero pasa lo mismo en los shows en vivo: los que trabajan tras bambalinas no reciben el mismo crédito que aquellos que hablan delante del micrófono.
-Ir a la 2da Parte-
-Parte 1-
Desde su habitación de hotel, Andrew Fletcher, de 47 años, pega un vistazo al Gendarmenmarkt en Berlin. Además del cantante Dave Gahan y del compositor Martin L. Gore, él es el desconocido tercer hombre de una de las bandas más exitosas del mundo. “Veo que pretendes hablar una hora entera con cada uno de nosotros?!”, dice Fletcher, “Yo no tengo nada que decir.”
Sr. Fletcher, su cantante dijo aluna vez “Yo soy solo famoso; no soy un músico.” ¿Cuál es exactamente su trabajo en DM?
Si me preguntas de esa manera, yo sería lo opuesto a Dave. Soy un músico, pero en la calle nadie me reconoce. Dentro de la banda contribuyo con el elemento pop. Martin, quién escribe la mayor parte de las canciones, ama al blues y a la música country norteamericana, y Dave está descubriendo el jazz. Yo, sin embargo, seré eternamente fiel a las melodías y a la simpleza del pop. Mis hijos también aman al pop.
Como una estrella pop ¿es capaz de dormir más que el hombre promedio? ¿o sus hijos lo despiertan cada mañana?
Siempre fui muy “madrugador”. Cuando no estoy de gira con DM, en casa, me voy a la cama a eso de las 7 pm, mientras que mi esposa no se duerme hasta la 1 am.
¿Al que madruga dios lo ayuda?
Simplemente me gusta el olor de la mañana. No hay nada como el café antes del amanecer, cuando todos en casa todavía duermen.
¿Y cuando vaya de gira, en Junio?
Entonces el reloj se da vuelta. Soy adicto a los bares de los hoteles.
¿Qué es lo que define a un buen bar de un hotel?
Que el ascensor a tu cuarto está cerca. Uno bebe sabiendo que solo tenés que llegar al ascensor para caer en tu cama. Así te podes tomar un trago más, sabiendo que ya estas prácticamente en tu cuarto.
¿Siendo una estrella de rock, uno se vuelve un personaje, una caricatura?
¿Cómo debo tomar tu pregunta?
Hay estudios que dicen que cada miembro de una banda exitosa -de U2 a los Beatles- en unas décadas, se reduce a un diseño, a una imagen, en la mente del público.
Me enteré de estos estudios. Primero que nada, quiero decir: la vida mediática, partiendo de los videos en los que uno aparece, las entrevistas que uno da, de alguna manera designan un rol a cada integrante de una banda, y uno crece en ese rol. Entonces uno se convierte en una caricatura de uno mismo, algún día. Pero eso es normal.
¿Y cuál es su rol?
El poste que sale del suelo, sin el cual este acto internacional de entretenimiento no podría funcionar. Está este gran malentendido que dice que en las bandas de rock hay hombres ‘reales’ detrás de los instrumentos, que se rompen el culo trabajando noche tras noche, mientras que en una banda de sintetizadores como DM nadie trabaja porque todo funciona solo.
¿Y qué diferencias específicas existen?
La ambigüedad. Aparte del cantante, la audiencia no sabe realmente qué rol tiene cada integrante en el grupo. Pero bandas como Kraftwerk o DM trabajan con divisiones de tareas. Las contribuciones de los individuos quedan invisibles. Y como no me pongo a mi mismo en primer plano muchos me toman como la quinta rueda del auto. (una parte innecesaria)n.t.
¿Crees que la gente percibe erróneamente a tu persona y a tu rol en DM?
No quiero tomármelo en serio, pero a veces es frustrante. Después de todo también se podría decir que mi trabajo es lo más importante, y que sin mi no habría más banda. Pero pasa lo mismo en los shows en vivo: los que trabajan tras bambalinas no reciben el mismo crédito que aquellos que hablan delante del micrófono.
-Ir a la 2da Parte-
Some interesting facts about Fletch:
(...)
Andy towers over the rest of the group by a head and shoulders, and is sometimes seen bending his knees ''so he can look little and cuddly, like me,'' according to Dave. Born on 8 July 1961, his first participation in music came when he sang ''Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep'' in the bath and his first record purchase was ''Back Home'' by the 1970 England Cup Squad. Not a promising beginning, but things improved when he latched onto T-Rex’s ''Bolan Boogie'', and the turning point came with ''Heroes'' by Bowie.
He was educated, like Martin, at Nicholas Comprehensive and he takes care of the bass synthesiser parts for Depeche. He’s indisputably the most impatient, almost neurotic, of the three original members and has been variously described as ''a bit tactless'', ''clumsy at times'' and ''argumentative''. He’s reasonable enough to accept these criticisms graciously, and feels that his worst characteristic is biting his fingernails – the mark of a true neurotic.
He has two sisters, one brother, likes video games, dislikes packing and unpacking and his favourite human being is King Arthur, legendary leader of the Knights Of The Round Table.
Stupidest thing he ever did was get run over by a moped. ''In fact,'' he admits, a little sheepishly. ''I ran it over. I just walked straight into the side of it.''
(...)
-- Kicks, 6th April 1982.
Andy towers over the rest of the group by a head and shoulders, and is sometimes seen bending his knees ''so he can look little and cuddly, like me,'' according to Dave. Born on 8 July 1961, his first participation in music came when he sang ''Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep'' in the bath and his first record purchase was ''Back Home'' by the 1970 England Cup Squad. Not a promising beginning, but things improved when he latched onto T-Rex’s ''Bolan Boogie'', and the turning point came with ''Heroes'' by Bowie.
He was educated, like Martin, at Nicholas Comprehensive and he takes care of the bass synthesiser parts for Depeche. He’s indisputably the most impatient, almost neurotic, of the three original members and has been variously described as ''a bit tactless'', ''clumsy at times'' and ''argumentative''. He’s reasonable enough to accept these criticisms graciously, and feels that his worst characteristic is biting his fingernails – the mark of a true neurotic.
He has two sisters, one brother, likes video games, dislikes packing and unpacking and his favourite human being is King Arthur, legendary leader of the Knights Of The Round Table.
Stupidest thing he ever did was get run over by a moped. ''In fact,'' he admits, a little sheepishly. ''I ran it over. I just walked straight into the side of it.''
(...)
-- Kicks, 6th April 1982.
Interview Fletch & Martin, March 2009
Entrevista en Alemania. Martin habla un poquito d Alemán al final, muy lindo n_n
Y parece q Andy anda leyendo cosas feas sobre DM en la web...
Tambien cuentan q el setlist para el TOTU va a estar enfocado en sus grandes hits.
El papel de Andy en DM
(Tanto se ha dicho sobre este tema, que me pareció inevitable escribir algo)
El lugar que ocupa Andy en DM siempre va a estar sujeto a elucubraciones. Si alguien le pregunta, él sale con un chiste -Andy no parece ser la clase de artista que necesita explicarse o reafirmarse frente al mundo; No es muy común encontrar a alguien con tan poco ego.
Nadie sabe a ciencia cierta que es lo que hace en la banda, y los hay quienes aseguran que no hace absolutamente nada (y que la única razón por la que está en la banda es la amistad que lo une a Martin -!!!). Pero no es mi caso.
Estoy segura que él es una parte fundamental de la banda, además de miembro fundador. Y haciendo la siguiente ecuación creo haber llegado a entender cuál es su trabajo:
DM - (Martin solista + Dave solista + Recoil) = lo que hace Andy
Puede que su trabajo sea dar su opinión cada vez que hay una duda; quizás el mayor aporte que le da a la banda sea su buen gusto musical; residirá ahí su talento, que no es poca cosa.
Alguien dijo por ahí que Andy aporta la elegancia del sonido de DM.
Dave dijo una vez que Andy vendría a ser el 'cerebro' de la banda.
Alan decía que el verdadero trabajo de Andy era ser la 'voz' de Martin.
Quién sabe. Cada uno tendrá que sacar sus propias conclusiones.
Lo seguro es que el tipo estuvo siempre, y sigue ahí.
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