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| Photo: Q magazine photoshoot by Marco Vittur |
BY ROD YATES | OCTOBER 18TH, 2016 3:18:PM EST
Following the recent release of Placebo's 20th anniversary compilation LP, A Place For Us To Dream, we caught up with singer-guitarist Brian Molko for his nostalgic list of lasts, including stories of love, death and browser history.
All words below by Brian Molko.
The last time I said, "Don't you know who I am?"
"I can safely say that I have never said that. I have said, I'm so-and-so from Placebo, will you let me in, please? And that's worked. But when it hasn't worked, I've never uttered the dreaded phrase. I'd much rather walk away."
"I can safely say that I have never said that. I have said, I'm so-and-so from Placebo, will you let me in, please? And that's worked. But when it hasn't worked, I've never uttered the dreaded phrase. I'd much rather walk away."
The last time I went on a blind date
"Maybe three years ago. I went on a blind date with a lady who worked for a madam who runs an exclusive escort service for extremely rich businessmen. It was an absolute disaster. One of the girls that her company hired had agreed to do a job and was now causing a fuss and saying she didn't want to do the job, so [my date's] cellphone was ringing every seven minutes, and she had to deal with that situation. We never really managed to have a conversation that lasted longer than seven minutes at a time. "
"Maybe three years ago. I went on a blind date with a lady who worked for a madam who runs an exclusive escort service for extremely rich businessmen. It was an absolute disaster. One of the girls that her company hired had agreed to do a job and was now causing a fuss and saying she didn't want to do the job, so [my date's] cellphone was ringing every seven minutes, and she had to deal with that situation. We never really managed to have a conversation that lasted longer than seven minutes at a time. "
The last time I deleted my browsing history
"Yesterday. For what reason? I'm not going to say. [Laughs]"
"Yesterday. For what reason? I'm not going to say. [Laughs]"
The last time I cooked for someone
"Probably about two weeks ago. I've been doing a juice cleanse recently, so my diet's been liquid for the past week. Otherwise I'd be in the kitchen more often."
"Probably about two weeks ago. I've been doing a juice cleanse recently, so my diet's been liquid for the past week. Otherwise I'd be in the kitchen more often."
The last time I trashed a hotel room
"Probably in the Nineties. The most spectacular was in 1998, I almost got arrested for that one. It was in Monte Carlo. I broke the TV, I broke a lamp. I was pissed off because they wouldn't let our crew in the bar of this hotel because they were too scruffily dressed. And I looked across the bar and saw Julian Lennon there drinking with his mates and he was dressed exactly the same way as the crew, so I made a bit of a stink about it. And I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned around and the boss of the bar was toking on a massive cigar, and he said, 'You want to spend the night in the bar, or do you want to spend the night in jail?' And that was like pouring petrol on fire [laughs]. So I went upstairs and trashed my room. And then the next day I talked myself out of going to jail!"
"Probably in the Nineties. The most spectacular was in 1998, I almost got arrested for that one. It was in Monte Carlo. I broke the TV, I broke a lamp. I was pissed off because they wouldn't let our crew in the bar of this hotel because they were too scruffily dressed. And I looked across the bar and saw Julian Lennon there drinking with his mates and he was dressed exactly the same way as the crew, so I made a bit of a stink about it. And I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned around and the boss of the bar was toking on a massive cigar, and he said, 'You want to spend the night in the bar, or do you want to spend the night in jail?' And that was like pouring petrol on fire [laughs]. So I went upstairs and trashed my room. And then the next day I talked myself out of going to jail!"
The last book I read
"The Girls". It's set in the late Sixties, and is very loosely based around the Charles Manson family murders. I don't know why but the whole Manson family story has always intrigued me."
"The Girls". It's set in the late Sixties, and is very loosely based around the Charles Manson family murders. I don't know why but the whole Manson family story has always intrigued me."
The last song I heard and thought, I wish I wrote that
"There's a song by a band called Minor Victories, they're opening for us on our UK tour. It's Stuart from Mogwai and Rachel from Slowdive, and they have a song called 'For You Always', which is xylophone, drums and strings-driven. I think it's amazing."
"There's a song by a band called Minor Victories, they're opening for us on our UK tour. It's Stuart from Mogwai and Rachel from Slowdive, and they have a song called 'For You Always', which is xylophone, drums and strings-driven. I think it's amazing."
The last time I was watching TV and heard one of my songs
"I'm not too sure if that's ever happened. But what's irritating for me is when you go [to a club] and people see you and they automatically put your song on. As if a) you want to hear it, and b) it's not embarrassing. [Laughs] What are you supposed to do? Get up and take a bow? It makes me feel unnecessarily under the spotlight. It's like, do you guys really think I listen to my own music?"
"I'm not too sure if that's ever happened. But what's irritating for me is when you go [to a club] and people see you and they automatically put your song on. As if a) you want to hear it, and b) it's not embarrassing. [Laughs] What are you supposed to do? Get up and take a bow? It makes me feel unnecessarily under the spotlight. It's like, do you guys really think I listen to my own music?"
The last time I broke someone's heart
"Maybe two years ago, but she fucking broke mine too. It wasn't purposeful, we just were not right for each other at all. And both of us were far too stubborn."
"Maybe two years ago, but she fucking broke mine too. It wasn't purposeful, we just were not right for each other at all. And both of us were far too stubborn."
The last time I thought about death
"Yesterday, probably. I think it passed through my mind. If one spends too much time thinking about this inevitability, though, it takes you very much out of the moment, and I'm very much one for trying to live in the day and live in the moment and be aware of the moment. So I'm aware of my finite time on this earth, but through mindfulness and the power of now I kind of try to stay within the day."
"Yesterday, probably. I think it passed through my mind. If one spends too much time thinking about this inevitability, though, it takes you very much out of the moment, and I'm very much one for trying to live in the day and live in the moment and be aware of the moment. So I'm aware of my finite time on this earth, but through mindfulness and the power of now I kind of try to stay within the day."
The last TV series I watched
"I've been getting back into The Sopranos recently, watching the box set. My girlfriend said she'd tried to watch it a couple of years ago, but wasn't really following the way they talk. I've been watching it with her, and pausing to explain what's going on."
"I've been getting back into The Sopranos recently, watching the box set. My girlfriend said she'd tried to watch it a couple of years ago, but wasn't really following the way they talk. I've been watching it with her, and pausing to explain what's going on."
The last time I exercised
"Today, I guess. Stationary bike. I'd usually just ride my bike but it snowed today for the first time."
"Today, I guess. Stationary bike. I'd usually just ride my bike but it snowed today for the first time."
The last book I read
"The Amy Poehler book [Yes Please]. It's OK. It's not as good as the Tina Fey book, I guess, which is probably what she's being compared to. I like Amy Poehler a lot, but there's not much dirt in there. It's a bit fluffy.
"The Amy Poehler book [Yes Please]. It's OK. It's not as good as the Tina Fey book, I guess, which is probably what she's being compared to. I like Amy Poehler a lot, but there's not much dirt in there. It's a bit fluffy.
From issue #780 (November 2016), available here.
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