Enjoy reading!
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| Photo credit unknown |
๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฆ ๐ช๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐ข๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐ง๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ๐, ๐ช๐๐ง๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ ๐ก๐๐ช ๐๐๐๐จ๐ , ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐ช๐ข๐จ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ช๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ง ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ก๐ง ๐๐ก๐ ๐ข๐ก๐ ๐๐ง ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐๐?
๐ข ๐ฝ๐ง๐๐๐ฃ: (laughing) Our previous album, BFTS was a stadium album. It followed Meds, which was a very claustrophobic one and say…very narcoleptic (smiles). We always react to the mood of the previous one.
When we started working on LLL, one theme came up very quickly, the oldest theme in music: love. Not very close to Placebo, isn’t it? We had two possibilities: either we went against the surge or we fully embraced it and didn’t hide our own vulnerability.
๐ข ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ฃ: Even the title came up rapidly. When we were done with an album, we would say: ‘oh shit, what name are we going to give to that one?’ (laughters)
“๐๐ข๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐“, ๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ฃ๐๐ก๐๐ก๐ ๐ง๐ฅ๐๐๐, ๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ก ๐๐จ๐ง ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐๐ก ๐ฆ๐ข๐๐ฆ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ข๐ ๐ช๐๐ง๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐จ๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ก๐ “๐๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ข“. ๐๐ข๐๐ฆ ๐๐ง ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ฆ?
๐ข ๐ฝ๐ง๐๐๐ฃ: I think these two songs underline how much we reject what we did in the past….
๐ก๐ข ๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ '๐ก' ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ ๐ช๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐?
๐ข ๐ฝ๐ง๐๐๐ฃ: You know, I’m a father now. My son is 7. It changes your views on life. It’s something that prevents you from behaving like a dickhead rock star. When you grow up in the public eye, you can very easily shut yourself up in a bubble and lose yourself. There was a time when I got lost, very often….
๐๐ก “๐ง๐ข๐ข ๐ ๐๐ก๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ก๐๐ฆ“ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ก๐: “๐ ๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ฃ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐'๐ ๐๐๐ฌ“. ๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐๐ข ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ก ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ฃ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ง๐ข ๐ฆ๐จ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ง ๐ฆ๐จ๐๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐?
๐ข ๐ฝ๐ง๐๐๐ฃ: One day my computer sent me targeted ads as if I were gay. I wondered : ‘what have I done? What kind of porno have I watched so my computer thinks I’m gay (laughs)’. In the meantime, I had friends who decided not to take any more new friends on social networks because they already had ‘too many friends’. How can you have too many friends?
It made me consider our relationship to modernity. Aren’t we losing the ability to communicate in real life? For instance, we know many guys who use Grindr. It’s weird because they can’t focus on you longer than 5 mn without checking their app!
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| Telekom Street Gigs 2013. Photo credit unknown |
๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐ข๐ก๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐?
๐ข ๐ฝ๐ง๐๐๐ฃ: (smiles) I don’t know if I’m really straight. I’m not a much more different man than the one I used to be. I haven’t been in a relationship for a long time, either with a man or a woman. So if I had to come out, that’d be as an abstinent!
๐๐ข ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ ๐ช๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐ค๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ก๐?
๐ข ๐ฝ๐ง๐๐๐ฃ: That’s fine with me! I’d rather that than be a macho band!
๐ข ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ฃ: If we have to be tagged, then yes. That’s a part of us. In the past, we’ve always been honest about our lifestyles and sexual orientations but we don’t get into a recording studio thinking ‘we’re a queer band so let’s play music for fags!
๐ฆ๐ง๐๐๐๐ก, ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ'๐ฉ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ง ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ง ๐ข๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ. ๐ช๐๐ฆ ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐?
๐ข ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ฃ: I thought it was a good thing to do. Nowadays, more artists acknowledge their homosexuality but at that time there were few homosexuals in music. I soon reckoned that if I could reveal who I was, then I’d have played my part in setting more tolerance. I’ve received a lot of mails from young gays who wanted to thank me. However, despite being successful, I’ve also suffered from a fair amount of intolerance…
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| Photo credit: Scarlet Page |
๐ข ๐ฝ๐ง๐๐๐ฃ: No way! Though playing in Russia can be troublesome… But we’ve never been told: ‘you’re not allowed to play such and such songs”
๐ข ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ฃ: It’s a bit more risky when we perform in Indonesia or Muslim countries. Sometimes we’re warned about using some words; we’re told to avoid provocative clothes and any sexual intercourse on stage!” (laughters)
๐๐ง ๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐ก๐ฆ ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐ฅ๐๐ฃ?
๐ข ๐ฝ๐ง๐๐๐ฃ: I think so! I just could have shown better taste and more sense when I chose my dresses! (laughs). I feel at ease with all this and I think we were right. Even more so nowadays with all those assholes who are demonstrating against gay wedding.
๐ข ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ฃ: Exactly! The debate gets very close to the bone. It’s amazing to see that our society which pretends to be civilised and liberal, finally wallows in intolerance. It’s just blowing hot air!
(Tรชtu, July-August 2013)
Post by Silke
