Today I want to share an excerpt of a radio chat that Placebo did with their fans on BBC Radio 1 back in the year 2003. Enjoy reading!
Photo credit: Jesus Aparicio |
♦๐๐๐๐ง ๐ช๐๐ง๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข♦
๐๐๐: ๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐ฌ๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐จ๐๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฅ๐ค๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ง๐?
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป: “There's the loss of anonymity, the idea that thousands of people you've never met have made their minds up about you as a person. You meet a lot of people who have pre-judged you, and once you have a reputation for something it's difficult to shake it. Thankfully we can still walk on the streets, and I still take the tube a lot, so it's good to be able to do that. I think people who get into the music business because they want to be famous are doomed, and quite rightly so. I understand that it's every teenage boy's dream to strap on a guitar and go on stage, but you have to have something unique or honest to say. Something to communicate to people. Or even a very, very amazingly joyful way of making people escape from their everyday lives. The shallow plus points are being able to get tables at restaurants, but it is shallow. You get respect from your peers, which means you get to meet a lot of amazing artists who you can learn from.“
๐ฟ๐๐ฌ๐ฃ: ๐ฟ๐ค ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐จ๐๐ “๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐๐ฃ๐“ ๐๐จ ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ง๐๐ก ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐ง๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข “๐ฝ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐ข๐ช๐จ๐๐“ ๐ค๐ง ๐๐จ ๐๐ฉ ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ค๐ก๐๐๐ง ๐จ๐ฉ๐ช๐๐?
Steve: “It's fresh but there's a line that refers back to the first album. To us it still feels like a fresh, Placebo energy.“
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป: “After the thousandth interview, whenever anyone says representative it makes me feel very tense. Nothing's representative apart from where we are now. We have a history of releasing very unrepresentative singles of our new albums as the first singles, and we did that on purpose to confuse people, to not play that game. The other words that fill me with terror are 'natural progression' - I don't even know what they mean now.“
๐๐๐ก: ๐๐ค ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ'๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ “๐๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐ค๐จ๐ฉ๐จ“?
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป: “There are many themes. There's never a full unity to an album we make. Sometimes one presents itself, but there are songs that stick out like a sore thumb. On a songwriting level, I think we've gone back to what we do best which is writing twisted love stories. They have a certain darkness to them, an acid lullaby, which is important otherwise they become insipid and disposable.“
๐๐ช๐ข๐ข๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฃ: ๐๐ค๐ช'๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ช๐๐๐๐ '๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ค๐ซ๐๐ง ๐ซ๐๐ง๐จ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ'. ๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ค ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ฎ ๐จ๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช’๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ช๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ค๐ซ๐๐ง ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ค๐ ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐๐๐?
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป: “We're not gonna cover any Gareth Gates songs. Has he written any yet? We've covered T-Rex, Nick Drake, Robert Palmer - that was inspired, Kate Bush. I really wanna cover Total Eclipse of the Heart. I'll probably make it my life's work actually! If all three of us want to work on something, if it makes us laugh, then it works. If a cover version becomes too much like hard work you just have to give up.“
๐๐๐๐๐ฏ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ก๐ก: ๐๐ค๐ช'๐ซ๐ ๐๐ค๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ง๐๐ช๐ก ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ช๐ก๐ฉ ๐๐ข๐๐๐. ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐จ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐จ?
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป: “We haven't been teenagers for a long time, so I suppose it's gonna **** any adult off being a teenager. What did anger us for a while was that we were dismissed as a punky boy band or people who couldn't play their own instruments. You wanna be taken seriously.“
Photo credit: Kevin Cummins |
๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ป: “I don't know what he was like at 12. We met when we were 14 or 15. It was about five or six years after we went to school we got to know each other.“
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป: “How we meet is our most hated question! We had different social circles so we never hung out, not until we had a conversation and found out we had a lot in common.“
๐๐๐๐ฎ: ๐๐๐ฎ ๐๐ค ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐ฌ๐๐๐ง ๐จ๐ค ๐ข๐ช๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ก๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐จ?
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป: “We're wearing a lot of blue today. And wearing some grey. I dunno. It's difficult to live your life in leather in general. It can be quite restricting and it's really hot, you know? You can't spent a lot of time in bright lights. So clothes have to be functional as well. It's a particularly British thing, as soon as the first spring time sun comes out you see people walking around on a Friday night in shirts and shorts. Leather has to be functional too.“
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฝ๐๐๐ฎ: ๐๐ ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐จ, ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ค๐ฃ'๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐ซ๐๐ง ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐๐ง ๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐พ๐ฟ ๐๐ค๐ซ๐๐ง๐จ?
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป: “It's just a bit too boy bandy. It's very old school, reeks of marketing. I think your album cover should represent something else as well as who you are as people. It's important to make your album cover a work of art, not just a masturbation shot. This time we worked with a huge and well-respected artist, John Baptiste Mondino, who's done stuff for Prince and Bjork. He also did Madonna's Justify My Love video. So you want his interpretation of your album. You work quite closely but you want to set them free to do what they do best. And it's working out very well. There's only so far you can take that ghostlike motif which we're playing with at the moment. Eventually you have to subvert that a little bit. It's really lazy to just stick your face on the cover.“
๐๐๐ข๐ค๐ฃ: ๐ฟ๐ค ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐๐จ๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง๐จ๐๐ก๐ซ๐๐จ ๐๐จ ‘๐๐ค๐๐ ๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ง๐ค๐๐ ๐จ’?
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป: “I wear a lot less dresses these days than I used to. I think I understand androgyny a lot more now. It's not about transvestism, it's about a frame of mind, the way you carry yourself, an attitude. I think I've been guilty of many fashion crimes in the past, but that's okay. You live and learn! I had my hair cut on vacation and I wanted something very low maintenance. It took a long time to get my hair ready every day, and I'm a bit lazy. You have to stay a haircut ahead of your fans.“
๐ ๐๐ข๐ข๐ฎ: ๐๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ค ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐๐๐ฃ๐จ ๐๐ค๐ฌ๐ฃ๐ก๐ค๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ “๐๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐ค๐จ๐ฉ๐จ“ ๐ค๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฃ๐๐ฉ?
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป: “As long as you buy it that's okay, that's fine. I understand the feeling of urgency. The people we have a problem are the people on fan sites who make it available. That's an issue. I don't want to sound like a money grabbing idiot, but if you want your favourite band to survive you have to buy their records. We have children to support, and responsibilities to continue to make music and for you to enjoy it. If that ceases to be the case, your favourite bands won't be able to make music anymore because they won't be able to live from that.
๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ: “Downloading from the internet is good for rarities and things like that I guess.“
Photo credit: Mick Hutson |
๐๐ง๐ช๐๐ฝ๐ก๐ช๐: ๐๐ช๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐จ ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐. ๐พ๐๐ฃ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐๐จ?
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป: “Simulacrum. I like that one.“
๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ: “Beer.“
๐๐๐๐ง๐ฉ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ : ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ข๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐, ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ค?
๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ: “Spandex Luxury.“
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป: “Yoo-hoo!“
๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ป: “We tried a few out beforehand, they were all taken.“
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป: “Ashtray Heart, Peepshow.“
๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ป: “I preferred Placebo actually.“
๐ฝ๐๐ฃ๐๐ค: ๐๐๐ก๐ก ๐ช๐จ ๐๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐จ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ค๐ฉ๐๐ก ๐๐๐๐ง๐ค๐ค๐ข - ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ’๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ค๐ฉ๐๐ก ๐๐๐ก๐ก ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช’๐ซ๐ ๐ง๐ช๐ฃ ๐ช๐ฅ?
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป: “Which one?! The first, second, third, fourth, fifth we didn't get stung for it at all. A TV set once cost me £1200 though in the south of France. I think it was 'we're gonna make you pay' money.“
๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ: “I think things just generally erupt out of frustration cos of life on the road. Those pressures will push someone that far, just to break stuff. Crazy.“
๐๐๐๐๐ฏ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ก๐ก: ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ค๐ช๐จ ๐๐๐ง๐ก ๐ฌ๐๐ค ๐ฌ๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐?
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป: “Betty Boop. I've always adored her. She's fantastic. Uma Thurman maybe because she has amazing elegance and poise. Maybe Anne Widdecombe for a day.“
๐๐๐ง๐ก๐ ๐พ: ๐๐๐ค ๐ฌ๐ค๐ช๐ก๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช ๐ก๐๐ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ค๐ซ๐๐ง ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ค ๐ฉ๐ง๐๐๐ ?
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป: “Gareth Gates! Without a doubt. I'd love to see Gareth Gates do 'Nancy Boy'.“
๐๐๐ฃ: ๐๐๐๐ง๐'๐จ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ช๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐ฅ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช'๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ง๐ช๐๐ ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ?
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป: “On the toilet. Some of your good ideas come while you're on the loo. Sometimes you gotta finish quickly so you can go out and write it down. The music always comes first before the lyrics.“
๐๐๐จ๐จ ๐: ๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐จ ๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช’๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐จ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ค๐ฉ๐๐๐ง๐จ?
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป: “David Bowie told us never to lose our spontaneity and to read as much as possible on tour. I'm reading a book by Michael Faber called Under the Skin, about a civilisation of mutant dogs who kidnap humans and vivisect them. It's pretty funky.“
Post by Silke