My message for Tarlos is that I feel sorry for him! - Brian Molko (Placebo) interview

My message for Tarlos is that I feel sorry for him! - Brian Molko (Placebo) interview

So, my first question concerns the 20-year old anniversary of Placebo. I think it's a good theme for the conversation. And I think that the most amazing thing about your band is that it's still productive: you have tours, new albums. Moreover, as far as I know you have developed in a personal way (the interviewer means that Brian lives with dignity), your life's getting better, you have stopped using drugs and have a son. How do you think if young Brian Molko, twenty years ago, could be proud of today Brian Molko?

Brian: I hope so. Twenty years ago I was very arrogant. Y'know, I hope he could be. But I'm really trying not to look back. There's an adverb in English: ‘Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift. That’s why it's called the Present’. And I try to live my life in the day, in the now. There's one book called 'The Power Of Now' by Ekhart Tolle, very interesting. I find it unnecessary to look back. Y'know, If the now is good, then it's a big chance that the future will be good.

So, are you happy now?

Brian: Happiness is relative, happier.

 I see, you have a tattoo. I thought, you were afraid of this, had a phobia about such things?

Brian: No, no, I don't have such a phobia. I'm afraid of height. This is my first and I want more.

What kind?

Brian: I like writing. I like texts. I would tattoo a text on my arm.

The band consists of three absolutely different personalities. That's what you said about them: Stefan is a Scandinavian restraint one, Steve is a happy one and you are the emotional one. How do you get along with each other so well?

Brian: Well, y'know, being in the band is like being in a family. You love each other, but you don't know what you like in each other. And we are three very different characters. But we understand the value of what we create together, which makes us individual and makes us a whole.

And what is the common bond between you? Something that makes you the whole?

Brian: Probably, our passion about art. I mean not only music, but also other kinds of art. For example, painting. Painting of different types: High art as well as the popular art. Common interests, probably, pull together.

Let's talk about your new album. The lyrics has seemed to me very strong.

Brian: Thank you.

The images are almost tangible. How do you feel have you improved as an author?

Brian: Yes, that's what I feel. Well, I would even say I have become better at writing stories. There is something paradoxical. The more frank your words, the more realistic your characters are and the more valuable the story itself is. In the past I neglected to do this, the words came to mind themselves. Now I think, that audience should feel what the narrator feels. Only being sincere you can affect the mass audience, to cut to the heart. My purpose is to show my vision, to present the problem in different aspects. Personally, as a narrator, you may realise the core of the situation. But to influence on the audience, you need to show plenty of circumstances and humans' morals, that impressed you once. You need to be sincere, to be open. There is you, me and there are many other people around. And each of us is a very complicated person. Sometimes it's very difficult to show.

In one interview you said that each song is a separate story. But there's a bond that unifies them...

Brian: When we started working on LLL, I had an intention of doing something unlike with Placebo. But then I looked narrowly to our old songs and understood that they all are about love. Of course, our songs were not like Justin Bieber's ones, after all we had something different. But nevertheless. What else makes sensе, beside politics? Love.

Each song there has a video, either official or made by an alternative director. What is the idea?

Brian: It was a decision of the record label. The fact is that no-one buys music anymore. But people have to understand that music isn't free. That's the basis of capitalism. If everything was free, soon no one would have anything. To create something you need money. Capitalism - the most optimal economic system in this world - tells us that consumer is always right. And to motivate people to buy CD, you ought to suggest them something more than just music. Like these videos, for instance.

You've also done a behind the scenes for the ‘LLL’ video. Has it been an idea of the record label too?

Brian: I will tell you a secret about these video shootings: they are unbelievebly boring. To make such behind the scences video interesting you have to be a great editor. Action scenes are the merit of the video editors. You're just sitting around, stand up for a few minutes and do something, and then you can sit around again.

The song ‘Too Many Friends’ critisizes the social networks and the way of communication by use of modern technologies. But I suppose when you are on tour you are forced to use it to stay in contact with your beloved ones. So I have such question: don't you feel that you contradict your song?

Brian: Well, no. There are some mismatches between reality and the song, but in the relation of the Internet everything more or less unambiguous. For me it's quite difficult to keep in touch with people I love, so why do I need 1000, 2000 more or even 5000 more people that I will never meet?

Very often this is the way of self-satisfaction for people, who enjoy their bright and excentric images created by themselves. But I would like to say some important things: first of all, this song is about Loneliness, not about social networks and there's no any criticism of these technologies, because we benefit of them. If I said I am against, I would be a hypocrite. Secondly, the technologies are important, for example, evolution in medicine.

The other question is how we do use them. The bond between technologies and relationships is a human being, it's his resposibility. Today our society has a hole generation of obsessed people, who believe, that social networks will make our world better. They even don't question such statement. As for me, it's very naive. But in reality these networks exist for making money for a small bunch of people. That's what Facebook, Google and the other stuff is about.

So you avoid such media? Then how do you keep the track?

Brian Molko: After all, it's impossible, that's why I do use Google to find some information. But it's not the case like with YouTube, where many people, who are obsessed with the idea to show themselves to the world, so they share everything, their private life. Come on, that is, whatever, just share it! Don't keep it around. What does it mean to you? Nothing. So It looses the real value.

Yeah, those who share whatever they can.

Brian: Exactly! «Come on, what else do you have? Come on, just share! Share everything, more! Don't restrain yourself, share! More!» What do they keep for themselves? Nothing. Everything becomes available, so it looses any value.

But you have Placebo official Facebook page where you ask people for signing petitions.

Brian: Yes, I only use it for it. To make this world a little bit better.

You have recently finished the Russian tour which has been an important experience. What problem is more urgent? What would you change first in the world?

Brian: I believe that one of the most devastating factors is still hatred. People hate things they don't understand.They hate other human beings. No mater what anyone says, nowadays, world is extremely cruel. Rasicm, sexism, homophobia... That is why people should become more tolerant.

So how has it been in Russia? It's known that these things still happen to be there.

Brian: At any point of our destination we come with the idea of Love, Tolerance, Solidarity and Mutual Understanding. So that we've toured the places, where such terms are not widespread in the society. I am sorry, I have to go.

Then the last question. In 2001 you had a conflict with Istwan Tarlos, those days mayor of district of Obuda. He made a kind of homophobic statement in relation to you, and standing on the stage you called him a cretin in respond. So I have bad news for you: now he is a mayor of Budapest.

Brian: That proves exactly, what I have just said.

Would you like to send him a message?

Brian: (a long pause). Yeah. I feel very sorry for you...I feel sorry for him. He must be a very unhappy person.

Hungarian Brain Molko interview translated into English by Xenia Gerasimova.

 Layout SusanneCk – Placebo Anyway