Well…what
can I say about Depeche Mode that other devotees
haven’t said already? I can’t
pinpoint what it is that I like most about Depeche Mode.
The lyrics and music…yes, that is a factor. Martin Gore knows how to write a song that stays with me
wherever I am. Or is it Dave
Gahan’s sultry voice and sexy persona? Yes,
that’s a factor as well. It is a
combination that each member brings to the group which makes DM unique.
What
can I say about me…the DM devotee…I’ve been and on/off fan since 1984;
more on that off the past four years though.
I don’t mean that I never liked DM, but they weren’t always on the
front of my mind or their tapes in my cassette player in my car until recently.
I
have to thank one of my very first internet chat partners, nocturn, for waking
up my dormant Depeche Mode cravings. I
can remember many nights sitting in a chat room with nocturn typing lyrics to DM
songs. You could say it was almost
like a bolt of lighting hitting me…I now have this obsession/compulsion with
the boys from Basildon and I just can’t get enough. Over the last 4+ years I have just about completed restoring
my DM music catalogue. (Yaknow…your
fave DM tape is left in an ex-boyfriends car and then it’s lost forever or you
leave that Violator CD sitting in your car and it’s 90 degrees outside so it
slightly warps.) I have began to
work on collecting some boots (thanks to other devotees) plus other various items such
as pictures, posters, videos and tour paraphernalia.
Turning
the clock back to 1983, I can remember a television show in the Los Angeles area
called MV3…kind of like a MTV cross with American Bandstand.
KROQ’s Richard Blade was one of the hosts of this show and if my memory
is correct, this is where I got my first taste of early Depeche Mode.
I wish I could exactly remember what songs/videos I saw on that show, but
I remember the distinct “techno” sound of this band which made me want to
dance around my parent's living room.
Were they a flash in the pan or were they going straight to the top?
“Some Great Reward” released in 1984 is what did it for me.
I can remember the summer of 1984 hanging out in clubs dancing the night
away to “People are People” and “Master and Servant”.
The song(s) that really hooked me from this album were “Somebody” one
of the most beautiful ballads I can think of (plus Martin does a wonderful job
singing this song) and the haunting “Blasphemous Rumors” which brought tears
to my eyes the first time I heard it.
1986-1989
were real non Depeche Mode years for me even though 2 of my favorite albums were
released in that time period “Black Celebration” and “Music for the
Masses”. I can’t explain
why…it’s just the way it was. One
of the break through years for me was 1990 when “Violator” was released.
I was struggling in my junior year in college and was almost ready to
give up when I first heard/saw “Personal Jesus” on MTV.
I scraped up enough money to purchase the cassette and that tape was
literally played every day when driving to/from classes.
Some how the songs on “Violator” got me through that year and I did
graduate college the following year.
I
couldn’t appreciate the “Songs of Faith and Devotion” period until 1998. At the time when SOFAD was
released, I didn’t care for direction that the music turned and went into
another “off phase” for DM. However
when I was going through some rough times with my career, I could find
some solace in the music of SOFAD. In
fact whenever I am feeling down or have had a bad day, this is the disc that I
turn to first to lift my spirits.
Which
brings me to 1997 when “Ultra” was released…I fell in love with
"Barrel of a Gun" and “It’s
No Good” from the first moment I heard them broadcast on KROQ. I knew that Depeche Mode was back with a healthy Dave Gahan
and they were on a roll. This was
the time when I met my chat friend and the obsession begins. I made myself stay awake then night that DM appeared on the
Jay Leno show. Of course they were
last on the show and I paid the price for staying up too late on a work night.
What a performance though! It
was worth it. I was hungry for a tour as I had never seen them live before.
Rumors were flying that a mini tour would take place in 1997, but it was
only a rumor. I began to wonder if
I was ever going to have my chance to see my favorite band perform live….and
then the Singles Tour was announced…..
What else can I say about myself? I am a rabid Los Angeles Kings fan. You will find me down at ice level during warm-ups or in the upper concourse during the games wearing either a #20 (Luc Robitaille) or #33 (Ziggy Palffy) jersey. It's not hard to spot me because I am the one going crazy whenever any Depeche Mode song is played. One of my favorite times at Staples Center was being able to sit in a luxury suite during the Kings/Calgary game in March 2000. When Enjoy the Silence was played, my friend and I did our best (or worst depending on how you want to look at it) impression of Dave Gahan. So my dance moves are not tip-top, but I knew all the lyrics! I've also been known to be dancing up the stairs to section 316 singing Strangelove or in the ladies room singing Everything Counts with my friend.
Lately my mission is to convert all my friends to being fans of Martin Gore, Dave Gahan, Andy Fletcher, Alan Wilder and Vince Clarke. Am I successful? I like to think so as I have one friend who insisted that she hates DM going to one of the Exciter shows with me. It's a slow process at times, but it does work ;-)
If you are also an ice hockey fan or just curious about the Los Angeles Kings, please stop by and visit my other webpage, Ladypuck's LA Kings Page.
Get Excited and Keep Moding :-)
Back to In Devotion to Depeche Mode
updated 27 May 2001