STEFAN OLSDAL'S LOVE LETTER TO LGBTQ COMMUNITY

I want to share a “love letter to the LGBTQ community” written by Stefan. It was published in billboard.com on June 30^th 2018 to celebrate Christopher Street Day (or Gay Pride) which is annual held on on June 28^th.

STEFAN'S LETTER

Isolation was a big part of my adolescence. I was head over heels in love with my roommate at school, but I felt terrified to tell him or any of my friends for fear of not only rejection but also bigotry and aggression. The forbidden love I felt became burdened with secrets, lies and shame, and the pure love I felt was poisoned.

I have since recovered from my broken heart, and along the way I have found I have not been alone with my experiences. From my dad cracking homophobic jokes, to a bed and breakfast hotel refusing me and my boyfriend a room because we were two men, or having been at risk of jail when I first started having sex in the UK, the stories of homophobia are unfortunately endless.

But from feeling that being different is a weakness, a curse, and a disease, the LGBTQ community has empowered me to feel the exact opposite. I am perfect as I am and there is NOTHING wrong with the way that I am, or feel. What was my Achilles heel is now my armor. For this I owe it my life!

As long as human rights aren't given to everyone, there is work left to be done. I wear this glove which I designed with British Glover of the Year Gizelle Renee (proceeds on each pair of gloves sold will be evenly allocated between the Peter Tatchell Foundation and LGBT Foundation), with pride. We all deserve equal respect and the right to love without persecution no matter what. Whether it's through a hand held up high, a clenched fist or a loving touch, this glove serves the message that still needs to be heard!

Love and PRIDE,

Stefan Olsdal

Photo credit: Gizelle Renee

Post by Silke

Placebo lyrics: Peeping Tom vs. Kitsch Object

♫✨ 𝙒𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 - 𝘽𝙖𝙧𝙚 - 𝙁𝙖𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 - 𝙎𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 ✨♫

These four words are well known for being part of the lyrics of "𝑷𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒐𝒎", the beautiful and melancholic ballad which closes the third 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒃𝒐 album, "𝑩𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕 𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒄"(2000); but curiously, they had already appeared before in the lyrics of another 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒃𝒐 song called "𝑲𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒄𝒉 𝑶𝒃𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕".

"𝑲𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒄𝒉 𝑶𝒃𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕" is an energic and rare song that 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒃𝒐 only played live seven times during 1997 and that they planned to include it on their brilliant second album "𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑰’𝒎 𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈"(1998), however, they never recorded it officially. In the following quote they explain why:

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧: Because it's in the trash!

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞: This song works well on stage, but it becomes absolutely none when we try to record it. We never liked the end result, so in the end we left it. Maybe one day it will appear ...

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧: We tried fifteen times, but nothing came out. Also, I couldn't record the voice correctly, it was a miserable sound. Something didn't work with this song all the time: one thing, then another. I think this is just a "live track".

▪️𝙿𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚋𝚘, 𝙰𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚘𝚝𝚎, 1998

A few years later, the only thing that survived from "𝑲𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒄𝒉 𝑶𝒃𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕" were these four words that were taken up again for the lyrics of "𝑷𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒐𝒎", resulting in a totally different song and one of the most touching in the entire catalogue of the band.

🎙️"Well yes, we are all a little voyeur. All these Big Brother broadcasts taking place in Europe today ... For some reason, people like to watch the lives of others, and I find it stupid. [general laughs] As for 'Peeping Tom', his goal, again, is to bring you into awareness of this Peeping Tom so that you can feel the emotions of this character and the fact that the only ray of light in his life is the ability to observe the object of your passion.

▪️𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝙼𝚘𝚕𝚔𝚘, 𝙽𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚎 𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝙰𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚞𝚛𝚜, 2000

🔹𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘣𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴!

🎵🔹𝑲𝑰𝑻𝑺𝑪𝑯 𝑶𝑩𝑱𝑬𝑪𝑻🔹🎵

🎥 𝑲𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒄𝒉 𝑶𝒃𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 - 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒃𝒐 𝑳𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒙𝒕𝒐𝒏 𝑨𝒄𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒚 1997

https://youtu.be/kCbflpgltio

🎶 𝐋𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐬 🎶

Just like every lichen, how you stick to me

If your luck is dying, go and plant a tree

With artistic license, always comes for free

Just like every lichen, how you stick to me

Snook your way backstage

Paris sets the rage

coursing on your brain

so now I slip away

Just like every lichen, how you stick to me

If your luck is dying, go and plant a tree

With artistic license, always comes for free

Just like every lichen, how you stick to me

Weightless.. Bare.. Faithless... Scared

Know that b*tches face??

All seen better days

So quick to blow your fuse

But that's the life you choose

Just like every lichen, how you stick to me

If your luck is dying, go and plant a tree

With artistic license, always comes for free

Just like every lichen, how you stick to me

Weightless.. Bare.. Faithless... Scared

Snook yourself backstage

Paris sets the rage

coursing on your brain

so now I slip away

Just like every lichen, how you stick to me

If your luck is dying now, go and plant a tree

With poetic license, always comes for free

Just like every lichen, how you stick to me

Weightless.. Bare.. Faithless... Scared

*•♫•♬•♫•♬•*✭*•♫•♬•♫•♬•*✭*•♫•♬•♫•♬•*

🎵🔹𝑷𝑬𝑬𝑷𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑻𝑶𝑴🔹🎵

🎥 𝑷𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑻𝒐𝒎 - 𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒃𝒐 𝑳𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒕 𝑽𝒊𝒆𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒖𝒆𝒔 2001

https://youtu.be/ZWFcNWyl-PI

🎶 𝐋𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐬 🎶

I'm careful not to fall

I have to climb your wall

'Cause you're the one

Who makes me feel

Much taller than you are

I'm just a peeping tom

On my own for far too long

Problems with the booze

Nothing left to lose

The face that fills the hole

That stole my broken soul

The one that makes me seem to feel

Much taller than you are

I'm just a peeping tom

On my own for far too long

Troubles with the gear

Nothing left to fear

With every bet I lost

And every trick I tossed

You're still the one who makes me feel

Much taller than you are

I'm just a peeping tom

On my own for far too long

Problems with the booze

Nothing left to lose

I'm weightless

I'm bare

I'm faithless

I'm scared

📷 Photo Credits:
Pic 1 - Carole Epinette / Screenshot Pure Morning video / Julian Broad / Kevin Cummins / Edit by Rita
Pic 2 - Mary Scanlon

Post by Rita

Placebo songs inspired by books

Some of Placebo's songs are inspired by books as you may know. Today we'll have a closer look on three of these books and authors that Brian has revealed as source for his lyrics in interviews.

"I'VE STOLEN BOOK TITLES FOR MY SONGS"

Photo credits: Silver Rocket, Scarlet Page, unknown (3)

Firstly let's talk about “Lady of the flowers” from Placebo's self-titled 1996 debut album. The inspiration for this song came from the book “Notre dame des fleurs” (Our lady of the flowers) by French writer Jean Genet. It was his debut novel and first published in 1943. The book is largely autobiographical, it tells the story of draq queen Divine and was a quite scandalous release due to its content. Jean-Paul Sartre even called it "the epic of masturbation". Genet also performed a transvaluation of values in this novel, making betrayal the highest moral value and murder an act of virtue and sexual appeal. Death and ecstasy accompany the acts of every character. 

Jean Genet worked on the story while he was in prison. The first version of “Lady of the flowers” was written on brown paper that was given to the inmates with the intention that they would make bags of it. A prison guard discovered Genet's “unauthorized” use of the paper and confiscated the manuscript which then was burned. But this setback couldn't stop Genet and so he wrote it all over again and took the pages with him when he was finally set free from prison.

PLACEBO - LADY OF THE FLOWERS

https://bit.ly/2VietLd

Plot
Divine lives in an attic room which she shares with various lovers, the most important of them is a pimp called Darling Daintyfoot. One day Darling brings home a young hoodlum and murderer, dubbed Our Lady of the Flowers. Our Lady is eventually arrested and executed.

BRIAN ON “LADY OF THE FLOWERS”
"When I sing 'Lady of the flowers' people think I'm talking about a woman when actually it's about a transvestite."(P.A.T., 1996)


Placebo's 2003 success single “The bitter end” is inspired by the book “Ninteen Eighty-Four”, later often published as “1984”. It's a famous dystopian novel by English author George Orwell which perfectly fits in the time and society we're living in right now. The book was first published in 1949 as Orwell's ninth and final release. It was first planned to be published under the title “The last man in Europe”. Then “1984” crossed Orwell's mind, allegedly because it was an inversion of 1948, the year in which the novel was written.
“1984” had a great cultural impact and also an enormous effect on the English language.Among many others the concepts of  Big Brother, Room 101, Thoughtcrime, Doublethink and Newspeak have become common phrases.The practice of ending words with "-speak" (such as mediaspeak) is drawn from the novel. “Nineteen Eighty-Four” has been adapted for the cinema, radio, television and theatre as well as for other art media, such as ballet and opera.

PLACEBO - THE BITTER END

http://bit.ly/2YsP0yn 

Plot
The story takes place in an imagined future in the year 1984 when most parts of the world has fallen victim to perpetual war, omnipresent government surveillance and propaganda. Oceania, a totalitarian superstate where the protagonist Winston Smith lives in, is ruled by The Party who employ the Thought Police to persecute individuality and independent thinking. The leader of The Party is Big Brother (hence the saying “Big Brother is watching you”), who is maybe a real person but could also be a fiction invented by The Party. Winston secretly hates The Party and dreams of rebellion. He begins a forbidden relationship with Julia, but both of them get captured and imprisoned. Winston is tortured and forced to "cure" himself of his "insanity" (which means their relationship), the same happens to Julia. Finally he is taken to Room 101 which contains each prisoner's worst fear. Confronted with this Winston betrays Julia. He is now re-educated and being released. One day Winston meets Julia again and both reveal betraying the other and having no feelings for each other any more. The novel ends with Winston accepting his full conversion and reflecting that he loves Big Brother.

There are a lot of references to “1984“ in the lyrics of “The bitter end“. You can read everything about them here https://bit.ly/2Yvrd2W

BRIAN ON “THE BITTER END”
“Two people trying to come out of a relationship with the least scars. Very fuck you.“
(Rock Sound, April 2003)


Last but not least let's have a closer look on “A million little pieces” from the album “Loud like love”. This song was inspired by a same-titled book written by American author James Frey. It was originally released as a memoir but had to be marketed as a semi-fictional novel later because of accusations of litarary forgery (it emerged that many of the events described in the book never really happened). "A million little pieces" tells the story of a alcoholic alcoholic and drug addict and how he copes with rehabilitation in a twelve steps-orientated treatment center.
A notable feature of the book is its lack of quotation marks to indicate direct quotes or dialogues. Instead of them a new line starts each time someone speaks. The fact that the author uses this same method to indicate his internal thoughts gives the book a unique but sometimes confusing writing style, which intention is maybe to reflect the nature of the main character's experience in the treatment center. 

There's also a movie based on the book. You can read more about it here https://bit.ly/2CFulkx

PLACEBO - A MILLION LITTLE PIECES
https://bit.ly/2Nq1G59

Plot
James is a 23 years old alcoholic and a crack addict who wakes up on a flight to Chicago with injuries and no idea of how he ended up on the plane. His parents pick him up at the airport to take him to a rehabilitation clinic. As he checks in he is forced to quit his substance abuse, a transition that later probably saves his life. The treatment is an agonizing process for him. The book follows James through this painful experiences that lead up to his eventual release from the center. He meets many interesting people in the clinic, with whom he forms relationships and who play an important role in his life both during and after his time in the clinic. These people include a mafia boss who plays a vital role in his recovery (subject of Frey's subsequent book My Friend Leonard), and a female drug addict with whom he falls in love despite strict rules forbidding contact between men and women at the clinic. James finally recovers and never relapses.

BRIAN ON “A MILLION LITTLE PIECES”
“This song is about desperation and hopelessness. I have stolen the title from from the memoirs of the American author James Frey. He describes his experience with addiction and the following rehabilitation. This song is about feeling totally lost and astray. They want to end the situation but it's not easy. I recommend everyone to read the book and play our music behind it.”
(Krone, 2013)


There are many other Placebo songs with references to books. Uncle Tom in “Blue American” for example refers to “Uncles Tom's Cabin” by American writer Harriet Beecher Stowe. This anti-slavery novel was published in 1852, but still has a relevance nowadays as the recent events and the protests all over the world clearly show.
Photo credits: Scarlet Page, Silver Rocket, unknown (3), covers of the books / edit by me

Post by Silke

Brian Molko and the Cat from Hell

As a true “cat person”, or “cat’s mom”, today I want to share with you this amazing photo of Brian handling an adorable white cat with a different-coloured eyes.

There are a lot of quotes by Brian about appreciating and treasuring any kind of uniqueness proved, in fact, by all his life and career. I think this special cat could be pretty nice symbolic illustration for that.

By the way, most of you probably know that David Bowie had seemingly different coloured eyes. Bowie's right eye was blue, while his left appeared dark or brown. This unusual appearance was the result of an injury, happened to David when he was 15, that caused anisocoria, a condition of a pupil being permanently dilated.

So, Bowie didn’t have true heterochromia when humans, or animals, have two different-coloured irises genetically, but in terms of uniqueness it doesn’t really matter. David Bowie admitted that he was actually happy about that injury that gave him gave him “a kind of mystique”.

Back to this exact picture, it’s taken from the photoshoot commissioned to British photographer Neil Cooper in 1998 for October issue of Select magazine. The whole article was written in a very specific manner though, and the white beauty was called “Cat From Hell": a fluffy white bag of pure evil, which has clamped its jaws around the thumbs of nearly everyone in the room at some point. It hates all humanity, it exists solely to bring pain”. Well, the journalists’ visions, as well as their hunting for some hot topics, get mostly lost in time but great pictures stay, living their own life, and may be interpreted in different ways - just like the songs sometimes…

PHOTOGRAPHER INFO

Being an owner of Jet Studios in London now, Neil Cooper has been taking original and inspiring photographs for over 20 years creating a lot of iconic images of the 90’s Brit Pop era.

As we can see his collaboration with Placebo who never belonged to the mainstream worked out perfectly as well.

In a field of fashion, beauty and advertising Cooper’s editorial credits include Q Magazine, Cosmopolitan, You Magazine, Sunday Times Style, Reveal, Now, Instyle, Marie Claire, Elle plus many international titles. Commercial credits include Jaguar, Louis Vuitton, Clarks, Terminal 5, and Formula 1.

“Photography is all about team work and I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the most talented Art Directors, Stylists and H/M artists in the business – for me photography’s not a job it’s a passion.”

(Neil Cooper Photography official website)

BRIAN ON ACCEPTING YOUR UNIQUE SELF

“Don’t let small minded people dictate how you should look like and be free”.
(Arte France, September 2001)

Everybody is trying to be so trendy. I think not being trendy should be the next trend.
(NY Rock "Interview with Placebo", January 1999)

"Imitation is the highest form of flattery," says Molko, "but clones kind of get it wrong because we are promoting individuality and being proud of being yourself.
(Hit Music "Outside The Line", April 1999)

”Uniqueness, not homogenization, is what pushes culture and music forward”.
(The US Vault Online, 2001)

“I like the fact that people either think I'm incredibly gorgeous or flippin ugly”.
(Melody Maker, January 2nd, 1999)

"...When people hear the word “beautiful”, they expect something to be pretty. And for me that's not always necessarily the case, y'know..."

“I feel very comfortable with the way I look, and I feel very comfortable with the kind of confusion that it creates in people's minds”.

Photo credits: Neil Cooper
Post by Olga

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH BRIAN MOLKO

YOU RECENTLY PLAYED WITH YOUR FRIEND MARYLIN MANSON. HOW WAS THAT?

“It was good to catch up and insult each other again. We drank a lot of absinthe together, the green stuff (Vincent) Van Gough used to drink. Its an extremely strong liqueur that sends you sideways.“

YOU'VE RE-RECORDED YOUR SONG “WITHOUT YOU I'M NOTHING“ WITH DAVID BOWIE. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

“David fell completely in love with the song when we played it together at the Brit awards. We were in New York at the same time, and he came in the studio to record it. It was quite surreal telling him, 'David I think you can sing it a little better'".“

YOU'RE FANS ARE VERY DEVOTED. WHAT'S THE WEIRDEST GIFT YOU'VE RECEIVED?

“I get a lot of nail polish, lipstick and pornographic photos. People give me their antidepressants. I don't particularly need them right now. They probably need them more than i do. People send me notes begging me not to kill myself. I've no intention of going away.“

IS IT TRUE YOU'RE THE NEXT CALVIN KLEIN MODEL?

“Yes, along with Shirley Manson (garbage), Kim Gordon (sonic youth), and Melissa from hole. Were part of the new Calvin Klein line campaign. Being in a successful band opens up so many new doors, from modeling to movies to musical collaborations. Once you get to a level where that happens its great.“

WHAT WAS THE LAST ALBUM YOU BOUGHT?

“'The soft bulletin' by the flaming lips. I recommend everyone buys it.“

WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY?

“At a festival. Its good to know music still moves me to tears. During a particularly pumping set by faithless i felt the old waterworks coming on.“

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ABBA SONG?

“Dancing Queen, the ultimate perfect pop moment of all time.“

WHAT'S THE MOST FAMOUS PHONE NUMBER YOU HAVE?

“Is anyone more famous than David Bowie?“

MADONNA?

“Well, if I had her phone number I'd be calling up and leaving lots of dirty messages on her answerphone.“

(The Sun Herald, July 22nd 1999)

Photo credits: Robin Francois, Karen Mason

Post by Silke

Steve Hewitt's handwritten personal profile

Today I will show you Steve Hewitt's handwritten personal profile. It is the third and last part of the series that was printed in Silver Rocket in the late 90ies.
Steve reveals his favourite subject in school, his musical influences, best and worst Placebo moments, pre gig superstitions... Enjoy reading!

Credit: Scan taken from Silver Rocket fan magazine, photo credit unknown

Post by Silke

Vice interview with Brian Molko, 2017

Time for another INTERVIEW with our favourite singer!
In this one from 2017 Brian talks about his special show pants, reveals in which time period he would like to live if he could choose one and confesses why he used to pee on his fingers before Meets & Greets. The last question is about lying in interviews. ;-)

IS THERE ANYONE, APART FROM YOUR PARTNER, THAT YOU’RE COMFORTABLE BEING COMPLETELY NAKED AROUND?
Brian Molko: “My father used to walk around the house naked when I was a kid, and I didn't need to see that first thing in the morning! So yeah – I don't do that around my son. I suppose the only other person who really sees me in a state of undress is my make-up and wardrobe assistant. But we've been working together for six years now, so she doesn't really bat an eyelid. I change my pants – I put on new pants when I go on-stage. Clean pants!“

DO YOU HAVE “ SPECIAL“ PANTS?
“Yeah! I have show pants. I used to have a pair of lacy women's underwear, which used to be my lucky pair of panties. I used to wear them on-stage when I felt like I needed a little bit of extra mojo.“

DID IT WORK?
“Yeah, psychologically it helps! You're sat there wearing an elegantly cut suit and underneath it you're wearing women's underwear. You're playing guitar and singing in front of five to ten-thousand people, and they don't know it!“

REDRESSING THE POWER A LITTLE BIT.
“We used to do quite a lot of meet-and-greets for competition winners, until I got molested by one of the competition winners, then we had to stop. Since then, I do them very rarely. But what I used to do before the meet-and-greets, is I would go to the bathroom and purposefully pee on my index finger and then not wash my hands. All the competition winners and Placebo fans that I met that day would walk away with a bit of my pee on their hand. And they never knew it! They're all walkin' away with a bit of Molko DNA… I don't do that any more…“

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAID “NO“ TO SOMETHING RELATING TO YOUR CAREER?
“Yesterday. Unfortunately, I can't say what it was but it was a very significant business choice – one that could have been incredibly profitable, but myself and Stefan [Olsdal, Placebo bassist] said no.“

IS THAT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS OFTEN, THEN?
“Yes, very much so. Otherwise we'd end up on boxes of fake Nespresso capsules like my dear old friend Robbie Williams. I think a band is defined more by what they say "no" to than what they say "yes" to – and to a degree, an individual human being as well. The easy thing to do is to say yes, especially if there's a great deal of money involved. I turned down The X Factor in France. I'm bi-lingual, I speak French, but there isn't enough money in the world that would get me to do one of those karaoke competitions.“

WAS THAT TO BE A JUDGE?
“Yeah – they offered me a million euros. But based on the fact that I think these karaoke competitions are a majority shareholder in the ruination of pop music as an art form, there isn't enough money in the world to make me want to do that. So yeah – I'm the guy who turned down a million euros. We're driven by doing what we think is the right think artistically, rather than financially or in a careerist way.“

IS THAT DIFFICULT?“I don't know. You just know that you wouldn't be able to able to look at yourself in the mirror in the morning. Being able to look at yourself in the mirror in the morning – you can't put a price on that.“

IF YOU COULD LIVE IN ANY TIME PERIOD, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU PICK?
“Oh, that's easy! I would be about 22 in 1967. I'd live in San Francisco and I'd live the hippy dream. I always used to think that I was a punk at heart, but that was the drugs. When I gave up the drugs, I got shitloads less angry and started studying Buddhism and meditating. I just turned into an absolute hippy! That's probably my true nature – I think the drugs were making me angry. So yeah, I would live the hippy dream. I'd try to make my way into the front door of the Grateful Dead house in San Francisco.“

WHEN DO YOU THINK YOU WERE IN YOUR SEXUAL PRIME?
“Ooh! My sexual prime has to be with whoever I'm with. I'm in a relationship now and I have been for over two years, so I'd say now! I'm also genuinely very, very, very much in love, which Is really important. In the old days, when we used to indulge in the whole groupie thing, nine times out of ten you'd discover that for them it was all about the thrill of the chase. Once they got you into bed, they just turned into a plank. It's very much dependent, for me, on the emotional connection and on love.“

WEEING IN THE SHOWER – YES OR NO?
“Of course! I don't understand people who think it's disgusting. They're washing their ass while they're in there… What's the big deal?“

AND TO ROUND UP – HOW OFTEN DO YOU LIE IN INTERVIEWS?
“Actually, this has been one of the most honest interviews I've done – I haven't told a single lie! When I lie in interviews, it's usually through omission, rather than bare-faced invention… or wording something to make it sound more glamorous than it actually is. But I've been completely honest in this one.“
(VICE, 23^rd October 2017)

Photo credit: Maud Maillard, Marco Vittur

Post by Silke

Stefan Olsdal's handwritten personal profile

Last week I uploaded a handwritten personal profile of Brian that was printed in Silver Rocket. Today I want to show you Stefan's profile that he filled out especially fot his fans.
He reveals the name of his first band, his musical influences, favourite films, best and worst Placebo moments, pre gig superstitions... Enjoy reading!

Credit: Scan of the profile taken from Silver Rocket fan magazine, photo credit unknown

Post by Silke

On the couch with Brian Molko, NME 1997

What is Brian's greatest fear? Who was the first love of his life? What would he do if he was invisible for one day? You can find the answers to those and much more questions in the following interview that was printed in NME under the title “On the couch with Brian Molko in November 1997. Enloy reading and let me know what you think about it.

ON THE COUCH WITH BRIAN MOLKO 

PICK A SONG THAT DESCRIBES YOU BEST.
“’Hang On To Your IQ’ , because it's so fragile. That's very much how I feel at the moment.”

WHAT IS HEAVEN?
“I'm cynical, so I think that life ends when you die. But there's the optimist in me that thinks maybe we pass into something else.“

WHAT IS HELL?“Other people.“

WHAT’S YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY?
“When I was young I lived in Liberia. I remember being in my cot and it seeming like a jail cell, and there was a large and lovely black woman sweeping up around me.“

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST FEAR?
“To be alone.“

WHO IS YOUR ALL TIME HERO?
“Bowie, probably. When I was a teenager I listened to 'Ziggy Stardust' and 'Hunky Dory' obsessively. Having met him, I know he is the man who has the answers.“

WHAT’S THE WORST TROUBLE YOU’VE BEEN IN?
“I'm going to see Dream City Film Club on Friday and apparently my stalker is bringing her dad and the police to arrest me. That's the worst trouble I'm ever gonna be in.“ - (Fortunately, the evening passed without incident).

WHO WAS THE FIRST LOVE OF YOUR LIFE?
“Her name was Carole, she was french - we were both virgins. I was 14 she was 16, and we went out for a year.“

WHAT’S YOUR GREATEST TALENT?
“I can skin up faster than anyone I know.“

UPON WHOM WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO EXACT REVENGE, WHY AND HOW?
“My stalker.“

WHAT HAVE YOU MOST REGRETTED DOING WHILST DRUNK?
“Not challenging Gavin (Bush) to a pop quiz. He was going on about how Bush were the new Sex Pistols and I was like, 'Grow up man'.“

WHAT CAN YOU COOK?
“I'm an excellent pasta cook. I can do stuffed peppers and a tiny bit of french and greek too.“

WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED? 
“From Bowie, 'Never lose your spontaneity'.“

CAN YOU READ MUSIC?
“I used to be able to - I used to play the saxophone. Now I just follow when Stefan plays piano. I want to learn how to play the piano because secretly I want to be Elton John.“

IF YOU WERE INVISIBLE FOR A DAY, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
“I'd float around like an astral projection and look at everybody that has a place in my heart making love. I'd probably get a hard-on. Or I'd float around and see Bowie, Lou Reed, Liam Gallagher and that bloke from Embrace take a dump. But I'd have a better time watching them shag.“

WHAT ARE YOUR FINAL THREE WISHES?
“This time next year, I want to be very much in love and very solidly with somebody. Secondly, I want the band to be f**king huge. I won't rest until we're larger than the Smashing Pumpkins. And I would like to learn to control my depression.“
(NME, November 1997)

Photo credits: Gilbert Blecken, Julian Broad

Post by Silke

Brian Molko interview with GMA News

Today I want to share an interview with you again. In August 2009 Brian and Stefan chatted with a journalist of GMA News. They chatted about the band's new sound on “Battle for the sun”, their new drummer Steve Forrest and why they call him Baby and how it was to collaborate with David Bowie. Enjoy reading!

YOUR MUSIC IN “BATTLE FOR THE SUN“ SEEMS LIGHTER THAN YOUR PREVIOUS ALBUMS.Brian: Probably in theme and what we're trying to get across, which is hope. I think we felt that the last album (Meds) didn't offer the listener a great deal of hope and we wanted to do something that was less somber and more colorful. The actual process of making the record was the least chaotic, the most disciplined and the most stress-free recording process so far. I think a lot f that had to do with our producer's incredible people skills and his understanding of the psychology of a rock band.
Stefan: Compared to the last one, there's a few major differences. One is the lineup. I think when we made Meds, it was kind of the beginning of the end of that lineup, really. Making this record was kind of purging the past and kind of reaffirming the fact that we really want to be in a band. There's still a lot left to fight for. It's kind of finding some of that renewed energy.

THERE'S ALSO BEEN SOME CHANGE TO YOUR GENERAL SOUND IN THIS ALBUM AS WELL. FOR EXAMPLE, YOU USE A MARCHING BAND IN SOME SONGS, WHILE BEFORE YOUR MUSIC TENDED TOWARDS ELECTRONICA.Brian: We wanted to make a big sounding record. We wanted to make and anthemic record and an epic record. We also wanted to use instrumentation which we felt was timeless. The problem with electronic music is that technology moves so quickly that the more electronics you use, the quicker your music becomes dated. You have to wait another 20 years until that sound is fashionable again, to become slightly retro. We chose to use the type of instrumentation like piano, string and horns, brass because we've always been trying to make a timeless record and this time around... you now you're always trying to make a record that transcends the genre as well. And we also try to make records that don't have a type of blanket sound, (it should have) a lot of variation.

HOW IS YOUR WORKING RELATION WITH STEVE [FORREST]?Brian: Sometimes it's great. Sometimes it's amazing. And sometimes, you just want to put him in a bag and drown him. You know? (laughs) There's a massive age difference between us.
Stefan: There's a massive cultural difference. He's American. Born and bred.
Brian: From California. You know, he's 22. We're in our mid-30s and you know we're from Northern Europe. We're more contemplative and quiet. Steve can be very excited about being in the band as well. But he is an extremely talented musician. And there's a real synergy between us when we play as Placebo. When we play onstage. It kind of feels like being in a band with your little brother and (laughs) little brothers can drive you crazy.
Stefan: If you talk to him for two minutes, then you're his best mate. He's very friendly. He's a good kid.

YOU CALL HIM KID TO HIS FACE?Brian: Oh yeah.
Stefan: We call him many things.
Brian: One of his nicknames is the baby. We call him that to his face so he knows.
Stefan: Blondie.

WHAT'S IT LIKE COLLABORATING WITH DAVID BOWIE?Brian: It's a lot of fun. He's a legend. Being in the same room with him... you pick up his...
Stefan: His bacteria.
Brian: You learn just by being around him. The good thing about David is that he's a raconteur. It's a lot of fun. He knows everybody. He knew everybody. You get to hear a lot of funny and sad stories about people who are no longer with us and are still with.

WHAT CAN FANS EXPECT FROM PLACEBO IN THE NEAR FUTURE?Brian: We're just touring and touring and touring. We don't plan to stop.

ANY PLANS OF COMING TO MANILA, MAYBE NEXT YEAR?Brian: Hopefully. (GMA News, "Backstage with Placebo", August 3^rd 2009)


Photo credits: Scarlet Page, 2009

Post by Silke