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| Photo credit: Kevin Westenberg |
๐น๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: ๐'๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐น
You expect many things from Brian Molko, the androgynous alien sex fiend who fronts Placebo. Arrogance and sleaze. Paranoia and perversion. Mouthy soundbites and tales of hedonism strewn with the "blood and spunk" of his conquests. What you aren't quite prepared for, however, is his laugh. Half gleeful cackle and half evil snigger, it sounds like Carry On's Sid James reincarnated as a mischievous gothic imp. It sounds like a man having fun.Lost in a big black sofa, in an East London recording studio, The Notorious Walking Tantrum Known As Brian Molko actually turns out to be engaging, intelligent company. Point out an instance of perverse nonsense in the lyrics on Placebo's new album, "Black Market Music", and, rather than spit molten venom, he smiles knowingly, raises an eyebrow, and talks about "adding to the rock myth". And then he laughs. The gleeful, contagious laugh of a man who thoroughly enjoys winding people up for a living and doesn't take himself too seriously at all.
๐๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ฌ ๐ช๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐ก๐๐ช ๐ฅ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐?
๐ข “I'm very happy, it's the most accomplished record that we've done so far. It feels like a much more complex and sophisticated album musically and it's like a distillation of everything we've attempted to do in the past. As a band, we were conscious that we really wanted to make a bigger-sounding rock record and maybe have a few less slow tracks on it. More upbeat and more accessible.“
๐ฌ๐ข๐จ'๐ฉ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐ช๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ ๐ข๐ก ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ก๐๐๐ "๐ง๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ ๐๐ก ๐ ๐๐ก". ๐๐ข ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ก๐ข๐ช, ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐๐ก ๐๐จ๐ง๐ข๐๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐ฌ?
๐ข “Well, my lyrics are definitely getting less and less autobiographical, less like a diary and more like stories. But at the same time, I identify with all of the characters within the stories. It's just that the narrator's voice isn't always mine. I try to make the characters sympathetic and put in as much of me as possible in order to make them personal. I'm interested more in writing stories now about strange people with intense emotions.“
๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ช๐ก ๐ง๐ข?
๐ข ““Peeping Tom“ is interesting. That's about voyeurism. Again, I try to place the listener inside the emotions of the voyeur himself and try to portray this character in a sympathetic manner. To show the love that he has for the person he spies on. The fact that this person is the only ray of light that exists in the voyeur's life. "Peeping Tom" is like "Burger Queen" pushed one step further. And it's quite beautiful and it's packed full of pathos and it's quite touching. It's trying to show the sympathetic side of the pervert. Because I don't believe everything is black and white when it comes to human emotion.“
๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ง.
๐ข A pervert perhaps, but like the Momus record, a tender pervert. Hahahahaha! In every reputation, there's a grain of truth, but often it's a case of your reputation preceding you, and the whole thing is blown out of proportion. Which is funny. It's all part of the rock myth, so it's OK.“
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Photo credit: Kevin Westenberg |
"๐ง๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ ๐๐ก ๐ ๐๐ก" ๐๐ก๐ "๐ฃ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐ ๐ง๐ข๐ " ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ก๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ข๐ก ๐ข๐๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ก๐ ๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ฅ.
๐ข Yeah, I think on the album as well, "Special K" compares the rush of falling in love with the rush of coming up on drugs. There's a theme that runs through the album and that's that what people get addicted to most in life is love and drugs. And that they are often the same. People have the same reactions to both. That theme runs though our work. This idea of addiction, whether it be to people, emotions, substances or situations.“
๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐๐๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ, ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐๐๐ก๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐?
๐ข “Well, take a song like "Haemoglobin". That's our version of [legendary chanteuse] Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit", but where Billie's walking around observing fruit [dead slaves] hanging from the trees, we've actually placed you inside the man's head. It starts off with him hanging from a tree - he's in a state of resignation. In the second verse, he gets cut down and that resignation turns into confusion. And by the third verse, that confusion has turned into anger and a lust for revenge. It's a simple moral thing, prejudice breeds prejudice and violence breeds violence. We started this band in our early 20s and now we're getting towards our 30s and you look at the world around you a bit more. And it touches you, what people are prepared to do to each other for religion, for land. Violence still exists. There's a war every day, people getting murdered every day. If you watch the news, you get affected by that.“
๐๐ฆ๐ก'๐ง ๐๐ง ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ง ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐, ๐ ๐ข๐ฉ๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ก๐ ๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐ช๐๐ฆ ๐๐ก๐๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ง ๐ฆ๐ข๐๐๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฅ๐?
๐ข “Sure. That's true. But I was trying to make a bit more of a universal point. The things that happened in the American South, from slavery onwards, we're still feeling the repercussions of them today. The L.A. riots. There was something recently in America that made the Rodney King incident seem like "The Simpsons". So, it's just placing it in a historical context to make people think about whether or not it's still around today. And it is.“
"๐ฆ๐ฃ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐" ๐ช๐๐ฆ ๐๐ก๐ฆ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฆ. ๐ช๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐ฆ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ง๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฆ?
๐ข “Absolutely. Churchill's mohican was one of the funniest things we've seen in a long time. Opening up the paper and seeing such an inventive disrespect for tradition and for the establishment was quite inspiring. I started running around and shouting, "Dope, guns, and fucking in the streets" and that made its way on to the record. I actually put the picture of Churchill's mohican in front of me when I was doing some of the recording of the lyrics.“
๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ฃ ๐ช๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ก ๐ช๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ "๐ฆ๐ฃ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐". ๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ก/๐๐๐ ๐ฃ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐๐ง'๐ฆ "๐๐๐ ๐๐ก ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฌ"?
๐ข “We're not very fond of that and we were aware of that when we were doing "Spite and Malice". I guess in the back of our minds we wanted to do something that was quite anti that. I find that kind of music extremely negative, homophobic and chauvinistic. We've dealt with difficult emotional issues and intense emotions, but there's always been a strain of positively and optimism within that. Which those bands lack, really. And also our music has a variation, whereas Korn, Limp Bizkit and Kid Rock are extremely repetitive. I find it gets a bit boring after two songs.“
๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ง๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐ง๐ฆ ๐ข๐ก ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐ . ๐ช๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐ก ๐ ๐๐ก๐ฆ๐ข๐ก ๐๐ก ๐๐ก๐๐๐จ๐๐ก๐๐?
๐ข Not really. More of a drinking partner, hahahahaha, than an influence, hahahahaha! And I haven't seen him in a while. A song called "Wish" off the "Broken EP" by NIN was a bit of an influence. We listened to that while we were doing "Taste in Men", going, “Let's make it that nasty, let's make it that unlistenable““.
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Photo credit: Kevin Westenberg |
๐ช๐ข๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ง ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐ง๐ข ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐'๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐ข๐ง ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ก ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐?
๐ข “Probably, yeah. "Haemoglobin" deals with death and lynching. "Salve to the Wage" is a song about not working yourself into an early grave. The day I recorded the vocals to that track was the day that I found out that Scott Piering, the legendary plugger and our friend, had died and I was thinking about him that morning. There was a cloud that was hanging over us that day. I strangely felt his presence.“
"๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฉ๐" ๐๐ฆ ๐ช๐๐๐.
๐ข “Yeah, yeah. That's a song about grabbing your mate by the scruff of the neck and telling him that he's walking down a rocky road to ruin. It's basically, "You're my mate and I love you, but if you don't watch out you're going to fuck up pretty bad." It's autobiographical in the sense that there have been certain points in my life where the band or other friends have had to do that to me. Which was very beneficial. I love that song because musically it's like a really sweet lullaby and lyrically it's quite a filthy number. It puts a smile on your face.“
๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐ฃ๐ข๐๐ก๐ง ๐ช๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐๐ง ๐ช๐๐๐ก ๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐๐ข๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐ง๐ข ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ?
“Times on the second album. It was a place when I was emotionally... personally I had quite a lot of... sometimes you search for solace in the wrong places. It was a schizophrenic time and a time of identity crisis for me. That was a tough one. But I feel better now, thank you.“
๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐ช๐๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฆ?
๐ข “Like, just not recognizing yourself in interviews. The extreme side of your personality which I chose to sort of display was snowballing and getting a life of its own. It was like looking in a mirror and not recognizing myself, looking in magazines and not recognizing myself.“
๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐ช๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ข๐ข๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ก ๐ง๐๐ ๐ช๐ฅ๐ข๐ก๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ, ๐๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐ก'๐ง ๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ก ๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐ข๐ก๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ฌ?
๐ข [Pause] “Hahahahahahahaha! Yeah, sure, certainly there is. Yeah, yeah. That's just, that's a bit of artistic licence, you know? Hahahahahahaha! It's just a... yeah, yeah, how filthy can you get? Hahahahahahahaha! But for the record, I've never indulged in it myself. I've seen a couple of movies.“
๐ฌ๐ข๐จ'๐ฅ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฌ๐๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ฃ ๐ง๐ข ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐๐, ๐ง๐๐๐ก?
๐ข “Yeah, there's definetely a certain amount of irony in "Commercial for Levi", especially if it's directed towards me. I'm smiling wryly at people's opinions of me and what they imagine my lifestyle is like or what I must get up to.“
๐๐ง'๐ฆ ๐ข๐๐ฉ๐๐ข๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ฐ-๐๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ฌ.
๐ข “Yeah. And bingeing. Yeah. Hahahahaha!“
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Photo credit: Kevin Westenberg |
๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ก๐ก๐๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ข๐จ๐๐ "๐ก๐๐ฅ๐๐ข๐๐๐ฃ๐ง๐๐"?
๐ข “When I first wrote down the tracklisting of the album, I wrote underneath each track a second title. They didn't make their way on to the album, but they were a summing up in one phrase of what those songs represent to me. And the one I wrote for "Narcoleptic" was "Love And Drugs Are One Big Pillow". Again, like "Special K", it explores the link between drugs and love. "SpecialK" is uppers and the rush of falling in love. "Narcoleptic" is more like downers and more like relationships, relationships that reach that point of familiarity breeding contempt.“
๐ช๐ข๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ง ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ง ๐ง๐ข ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ง ๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐ก ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ก ๐ข๐ฅ๐๐๐ฅ ๐ง๐ข ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐?
๐ข “Fallen in love, fallen out of love, fallen in love, fallen out of love,
Hahahahaha. Etc. Ad infinitum. Or ad nauseam. Whichever you prefer.“
"๐๐ข๐ ๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฉ๐": ๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐'๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐จ๐?
๐ข “Levi's our sound man. There was this one time in Milan when I got a bit too drunk at dinner and left the restaurant which was right opposite the venue and there were some fans waiting outside, and I climbed on top of this Fiat Uno, and started screaming "Nancy Boy", doing a performance for the fans. And Levi dragged me off the Fiat Uno, as the owner was approaching and waving the keys. I thought I was going to cross this road in between the two parked tour buses and took off, and Levi just grabbed me as a car zoomed by. So it's quite possible that he did save my life. If I was a Samurai, I would have to follow him around for the rest of my life and take care of him until I saved his life. But my little payback for that is to put his name in a song.“
๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐ ๐๐ก๐ง๐๐ข๐ก๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ'๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ฌ๐ฆ. ๐๐ฆ ๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐ข๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐๐ก๐ง๐ข ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐ ๐๐ก๐?
๐ข “I've always been conscious of mortality. Who isn't? It can happen any time. I don't really like flying and if I refused to fly, I wouldn't have a career, so every time I get on a plane I think about death. Fucking stewardess on Air Portugal said to me, "Would you like Time magazine, sir?, and on the cover was the Concorde crash! I went, "Are you nuts? Get that thing away from me!" And she took it back and just started laughing. So every time I get on an airplane, I feel like it's a confrontation with mortality. But we enjoy ourselves and enjoy life and have a lust for life and certainly we're having a good time being in Placebo at the moment. Maybe being conscious of your mortality makes you live your life to the full a bit more. On a daily basis.“
๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ข๐จ๐ง "๐๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ก" - ๐ช๐๐๐ง'๐ฆ ๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐๐๐ข๐จ๐ง?
๐ข “It's a kind of self-disgust. Three and a half minutes of pure self-disgust, American style. The person in the song is at such a low point in his life emotionally that he's started to hit out at everything that is a part of him. He's attacking his parents, his culture, his culture's history, self-help, psychiatry. It was written when I wasn't in a particularly good mood.“
๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐๐ก๐ฆ๐ฃ๐๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ง?
๐ข “The strangest things can inspire lyrics. I was watching a documentary on TV about novelists trying to get their first novel published and how difficult it was and I often sit and play acoustic guitar when I watch TV. And I thought of "I wrote this novel just for you/It sounds pretentious but it's true". There's a little, I would say self-deprecation in that lyric but I often try and get to a place before my detractors. Hence the "I'm so pretentious, yes it's true" line that comes at the end of the song. It's just saying, "I know exactly what you think about me"“.
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Photo credit: Kevin Westenberg |
๐๐ฆ๐ก'๐ง ๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ก๐๐ ๐ง๐ข ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ก ๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐?
๐ข “Yeah. I wanted to say hi to my mum. I'm the anti-Eminem! Hahahahahaha!
That's really genuine, you know. Hi, Mom. It's so American. And, you know, I still love my mother. And it just fitted. When it came out, I thought it would be really nice to make her quite happy. Because I'm sure most of the subject matter of our songs doesn't make her very happy. So, at one point, maybe for one verse at least, she might think, "Oh, that's nice. My son still loves me."“
๐๐๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ก๐?
๐ข “Not yet, she hasn't, no. So journalists get to hear it before parents.
Hahahahahahaha!“
๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐ช๐ข๐จ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ง ๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐๐ข?
๐ข “Plane crash. For us to lose our spark and to lose our spontaneity. But I think a lot of it comes from the fact that we're still incredibly good mates. And that will help to sustain that. I think what we enjoy most is playing music with each other. It's the most satisfying thing.“
๐๐ข๐จ๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐ง ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ง๐, ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฃ ๐๐ก ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฆ?
๐ข I don't know. I hope we'd be more like Bowie, more like several processes of reinvention along the way. Keep a healthy desire for change in our music and a healthy contempt for formula. And to not self-censor yourself, in the way you say, "This is not a Placebo sound." We don't really have that kind of attitude. We're very open. If it comes out of us, then it's Placebo.“
(Melody Maker, "I'm the anti Eminem", October 2000)
Post by Silke
