Lots of gigs, lots of interviews… Well, some parties in-between, probably, too but… Let’s change perspective a little bit.
I’ve intentionally chosen an ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ that definitely wasn’t Brian’s best one (with some good answers though!) And I want to share it right next to super powerful and energetic performance. Yes, to make you feel the contrast. To make you understand, or try at least, that at times, there’s nothing left after giving everything of yourself on stage…
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| Photo credit unknown |
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐, ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐Cardiff is uninspiring at the best of times. Today it's even worse. The drab weather conditions have lent a distinctly grey ambience and everyone feels the effect. Two and a half hours after the appointed time, Placebo singer Brian Molko finally ambles into view looking more gaunt than usual. As tall as Prince, as thin as an anorexic lamppost, and as blackly made-up as Siouxsie, his demeanour is curt, his mood bordering on the irascible. "Look," he begins, "I'm tired, I'm hungry, I'm hungover. Shall we get this outta the way…?" Well, hello!
[…]
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐ข๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐จ๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ฒ
David Bowie is a huge Placebo fan. He's already had them support him twice in America, and invited them to play at his 50th birthday bash in New Yaork recently, where they performed alongside heroes Lou Reed and Sonic Youth. "David's been really supportive. He's a real sweetheart, a lovely man, a true gentleman." He breaks off, looks away, looks back. "I absolutely love the bloke." We must do lunch sometime.
๐๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฅ ๐๐๐ณ๐
Brian, the product of an American father and a Scottish mother, lived for a while in Luxembourg where he attended a private American school. Smaller and far more delicate than his peers, and positively hopeless at sport, he failed to fit in and was branded a "faggot". "I've always felt outsider," he says. "But everything I got beaten up for at school, I'm now using to positive effect, making me richer, sexier and more popular than those f***ers will ever be. I was obviously born to do this job."
๐๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ …
"You know what?" Molko suddenly reveals, "I really dislike the way interviews eat into my time." We have been speaking for all of 14 minutes. "It doesn't help that, right now, I'm not exactly in the best of moods, either. But even at the best of times, interviews are just a necessary evil, y'know? I've got far better things to do." And it was such fun waiting for two and a half hours for you!
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| Photo credit: Claudia Schmรถlders |
Perhaps, just ten more minutes? "No! No, man, I haven't got ten minutes to give you. I'll give you two more questions, then I'm gone. Okay?"
A recurring theme in Placebo interviews is drugs. Brian Molko takes them. Quite a lot of them. Sure, he says, he probably doesn't do as many drugs as Oasis, but he does love them, nevertheless. He smokes joints, he's done cocaine, speed, he's tampered with shooting up, and has even experimented with crack, which, he says, was "dangerously nice". In the light of public outcry over East 17's Brian Harvey and Noel Gallagher, should he not think twice before speaking so freely? "Oh Jesus. Look, I'm gonna stop talking about drugs because it just gets me into a whole lot of trouble. I'm bored on the subject and I wish people would stop asking me about it. And anyway, I don't do very many drugs, not compared to some people I know, and not as many as I used to, okay?"
A short, agitated silence. Then: "And anyway, drugs have always gone hand-in-hand with rock'n'roll. The Beatles were so fucking high that they even let Ringo sing a couple of songs. So, y'know…"
๐๐จ๐ง๐
Sadly, it seems as if the straw has just snapped the poor old donkey's back. "Look," he says with barely disguised exasperation. "I've really got to go. See ya." Up out of his chair, Molko disappears round the corner with impressive, um, speed. Hey, everyone has a bad day, right?
(๐โ๐๐ก'๐ ๐๐ "๐โ๐ ๐ต๐๐ก๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐ก ๐๐๐๐", ๐น๐๐'97)
Placebo - Portsmouth, UK, 1997
The very same day this interview was published, ๐จ๐ง ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ญ๐ก, ๐๐๐๐, Placebo played at ๐๐ฒ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก.
It’s a great complete show of 13 songs.
“๐พ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐,” says Brian and breaks the air with the opening riff of ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐...
Honestly, I think that back in the days, this not very kind interview worked out quite okay for Brian’s image
But let’s take a look from another point of view.
Was it easy for a young band to get into such a crazy intense routine of performing and touring? Was it easy to learn getting your emotions or bad mood under control? Over the years, experience and professional level obviously help, but the fact is, it never becomes too easy.
“๐ฐ’๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐.” Remember?
Post bny Olga
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