💓𝐀 𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐔𝐏𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒…💓

Birthday isn’t just an opportunity for partying, having fun, and giving presents. It’s a moment to remind ourselves what makes us admire, respect, and appreciate the person most.
What I want to do today, is to put together a symbolic list of some (I stress – some!) 𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐁𝐀𝐋 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐒 which bother 𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏 most. Too many world’s problems weight down on the shoulders of this extremely intelligent man who THINKS and CARES.

Photo credit: Photo credit: Mads Perch

𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐦𝐚 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡
It’s always been important for Brian to take part in activities by 𝑪𝑨𝑳𝑴, 𝑪𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒈𝒏 𝑨𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕 𝑳𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑴𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒚. In March 2015, Brian and Stefan hosted an after-party DJ set after their Leeds O2 Academy show with all proceeds going to CALM. An auction of iconic Placebo items, rarities, and memorabilia was held in October 2017, around 20th anniversary celebrations.

 📢 “We need to remove the stigma surrounding depression, and one of their goals is to get more men to talk about their feelings instead of keeping it all inside and isolating one’s self – and eventually ending up with quite a tragic outcome.
CALM is a charity that’s close to my heart because depression is a condition which I suffer from myself. […] There’s still a stigma attached to depression, and a lot of men in particular feel that it’s a sign of weakness to talk about it. What we’re trying to do with CALM is remove that stigma in society.”
(𝑁𝑀𝐸, 𝑂𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑏𝑒𝑟 3𝑟𝑑, 2017)

𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐚
The whole Brian’s career is connected to this topic in some way! Pages can be written and multiple stories can be told!..
📢 “I wanted to challenge the homophobia that I was witnessing in the music scene” says Molko. “I wanted anybody who was slightly homophobic to show up at our gigs and think 'Oh, I really fancy the singer. She's hot!' only to find out later that the singer was called Brian, which would hopefully lead them to go home and ask themselves a few questions. Of course the cross-dressing was an aesthetic choice but for us, it was also a political act; that was a very big part of what we were trying to achieve at that time.”
(𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐼𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑂𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑏𝑒𝑟 2017)

Earlier this year, Brian shared messages of support for trans and non-binary people.
https://bit.ly/3FAvXHo
https://bit.ly/3CAcfd3

Photo credit: Anthony o‘Dwyer

𝐒𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠
📢 “We've been in Cambodia in December 2008 to play a very special concert. We were in front of a 12th century Buddhist temple which is called 𝑨𝒏𝒈𝒌𝒐𝒓 𝑾𝒂𝒕. We've been there because we're collaborating with a charity, MTV Exit. What we're trying to do together is essentially to stop human trafficking. There are at least 2.5 millions of people whenever, who are being trafficked.”
(𝑆𝐹𝑅, 𝐴𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑀𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑒 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑖̂𝑐ℎ𝑒, 2009)

📢 "I don't know if a lot of our fans and the wider audience of young people are aware of human trafficking. I don’t think they understand that slavery still exists today. I think if we can make them aware that this happens on a daily basis around the world and there are people around the world undergoing these forms of slavery, and if it deeply touches them then I hope they will be inspired to get more involved in trying to change the situation.
[…] It might seem that what we’re doing here is a drop in the ocean but every drop helps."
(𝐹𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡, 𝐷𝑒𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 2008)

𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐨𝐥𝐤𝐨’𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐭 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐤𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐭, 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐚, 𝐌𝐓𝐕 𝐄𝐱𝐢𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟖
https://bit.ly/3CzDWmc

𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐲
In 2005, Placebo performed at Live 8 concert in Paris in support of the UK's Make Poverty History campaign and the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. Ten simultaneous Live 8 concerts were aimed to put pressure on the leaders of G8, the eight richest countries in the world, to end global poverty which claims the lives of 50,000 every day [2005 data].
📢 “Our performance was not the most important. Above all, we had to be there and participate in this great concert against poverty. […] Placebo fans who hadn't thought about this problem may have started to take an interest in it. The fact that we can speak openly about famine and poverty in the world is a good thing.”
(𝑅𝑜𝑐𝑘 𝑇𝑜𝑢𝑐ℎ, 𝑀𝑎𝑦-𝐽𝑢𝑛'06)

𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝
We all remember Brian's Instagram posts - as well as the lines…
Hey you in your ivory tower
I know where you live
Hey you with so much power
I know where you live
(𝑰.𝑲.𝑾.𝒀.𝑳.)

The world's an unforgiving place, we've all heard this before
But we want hospitals and equal rights instead of bloody wars
(𝑻𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝑯𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒚 𝑯𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔)

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬
On the first sad anniversary of the tragedy in Bataclan, Brian shared a memorable message on Placeboworld Instagram account.
📢 “...THINKING OF MY FRIEND THOMAS TODAY, WHO DIED IN THE PARIS ATTACKS ONE YEAR AGO. SENDING LOVE AND HOPE TO THE SURVIVORS AND THE FAMILIES OF THE VICTIMS. IT IS ONLY THROUGH LOVE, COMPASSION, SELFLESSNESS, UNITY AND ACTION THAT WE CAN FIGHT THE FORCES OF FEAR, TERROR, PREJUDICE AND ANAESTHETISATION AND THEIR ATTEMPTS TO ROB US OF OUR TRUE HUMANITY. BROTHERS AND SISTERS, PLEASE DO NOT SURRENDER TO THE MYTH OF THE INDIVIDUAL WHOSE PURPOSE IS TO RENDER US DISCONNECTED, PACIFIED AND UNABLE TO ENGAGE. WE ARE ONE PEOPLE, ONE SPECIES. IT IS ONLY TOGETHER THAT WE CAN MAKE OUR PLANET A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE. PEACE. #bataclan”

Photo credit:  Stuart Mostyn

𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧
In 2013, Placebo played a charity concert to help The Mercy Center in Bangkok. Brian personally greeted the audience with a beautiful explanation of what NAMASTE means.
https://bit.ly/3l0WDsS

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐛𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐲 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞, 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐤𝐨𝐤
https://bit.ly/3nDrc9O
Here, it needs to be said that when it comes to true kindness and compassion, it doesn’t really matter what religion, if ever, is involved…

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬
You may remember that a few months ago, Brian asked us, Placebo fans, to help protect Tibetan Buddhist monastery 𝑺𝒂𝒎𝒚𝒆 𝑳𝒊𝒏𝒈 in Scotland. The peaceful valley was supposed to be used for target practice by the US Army special forces…
https://bit.ly/3FC3HnF

Happily, it worked out! The military backed down on their plans of using the area. “I AM PERSONALLY EXTREMELY GRATEFUL”, wrote Brian in his filled with love message.
https://bit.ly/3oNb8Sl

𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬
It’s already clear that this is going to be the key topic of the upcoming album 𝑵𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑳𝒆𝒕 𝑴𝒆 𝑮𝒐. However, it was over two decades since Brian tried to encourage people to the keenly necessary mindset transformation.
📢 [About Allergic (To Thoughts Of Mother Earth)] “It's me having a go at Christians for not giving a sh*t about the environment basically because to them their rewards will always be in heaven and not on this earth, so it really doesn't matter that we're using this place as a f*cking garbage tip, you know. […] but it's also kind of like saying that Mother Earth is stronger than you and Mother Nature will have her own back."
(𝑃𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑏𝑜 𝑖𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑆𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑛, 1998)

📢 “Have you ever been to the Maldives? […] Well, I have and I’m very aware that in 50 years the island [where] I caressed little baby sharks will not be there anymore - because of rising sea levels. We as a species have completely used this planet as a garbage zone. People are so into the latest app that they can get on their tablet that they don’t give a sh!t about the world they live in.
(𝐽𝑢𝑖𝑐𝑒, 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ 2010)

📢 “The other thing that annoys me about this whole focus on our economic woes is that nobody is talking about the environment anymore, and if anything is going to get us in the ass, it's going to be that. The hole in the ozone layer is still there, 20 years after they discovered it, and it's getting bigger and bigger, yet this isn't news. I want to be involved in the world. I think it comes from being a parent; you want to try and contribute to make a place for your children to grow up in that's hopefully a little bit better than where you were.”
(𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑆𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑦, 𝑁𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 24𝑡ℎ, 2009)

Photo credit: . Maud Maillard

For 𝑳𝒊𝒇𝒆’𝒔 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑴𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝑰𝒕 video, Brian first had in mind an anti-utopian world where e-waste would totally replace nature… It turned out to be a documentary from a terrifying place which already exists on the planet.
📢 “We do, however, hope that it will make the viewer think about the repercussions of just throwing away tech that doesn't work anymore. There are several new and ingenious ways to recycle tech these days. Some companies will even give you money for it. All it takes is a little more effort.”
(𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐼𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝐽𝑢𝑛𝑒 2, 2017)

𝑩𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏 takes an action himself, with his bandmates, and uses his voice to speak about injustice and crisis loud – to call others to action, too!
📢 “For me, it’s about not existing in the problem and trying to live in the solution. I wanted to express something visceral, something very human. I just hope that other people will understand it and that it will move them. […] It might help them stand up for what they believe in.”
(𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛, 𝑁𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 12𝑡ℎ, 2021)

Dear soulmates, let’s work on ourselves, re-think our daily routine, learn more on the topics Brian draws our attention to, strengthen our belief in power of love, tolerance, and compassion – and act according to this belief!
I’m sure the best 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕 every one of us could give Brian is taking another personal step to thoughtful, empathetic, and respectful way of living – towards each other and our planet.
𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐘 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐃𝐀𝐘, 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍! 💓

𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐘 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐃𝐀𝐘, 𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐋𝐄 𝐇𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐍 & 𝐌𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋!💓

Post by Olga

⭐️𝐈𝐍 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍'𝐒 𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒: 𝐐𝐔𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒⭐️

Here is a collection of statements from Placebo's beginnings in 1995 up to the latest interview in 2021. Enjoy reading!.

Photo credits at the end of the text

📢 "The thing is it's your dream and you are aware of the fact that your dream could fuck up and that's scary, But you have to keep going otherwise you wouldn't be able to live with yourself. If you try your dream out and it doesn't work out and you become a casualty then at least you can say you tried. It's a risk. But in order to do it properly and put your whole heart into it you have to burn your bridges behind you."
(NME, November 1995)

📢 “My style is a blurring of boundaries rather than straightforward glamour. It's about making things more ambiguous and more mysterious, using shades of grey rather than black and white. Especially when it comes to emotions.”
(NME, 1996)

📢 “What interests me in playing live is the vulnerability. The passion and emotion, exploring them in as naked a way as possible because you can feel more if you're not hiding behind things.”
(NME, 1996)

📢 "People want me to be very f**ked up, but they’re too late. I already am."
(Kerrang, January 1997)

📢  "My problem is, for somebody so small my mouth is way too big. I've always said too much and it's often got me into trouble."
(Kerrang, May 3rd 1997)

📢 "I don't know if monogamy is possible. It's a concept that I've really struggled with in the past. I think it's possible, if you're lucky enought to be completely blown over by somebody and want to immerse yourself in them. That's happened to me; quite a few years ago, but I would like it to happen again.“
(Kerrang, May 1997)

📢 "I feel uncomfortable about being public property."
(Melody Maker, August 16th 1997)

Photo credit: Scarlet Page

📢 "I really want this band to be more than just a footnote in the history of rock. I want us to be significant, and hopefully to have brought something to music that helps the development of it."
(NME, June 27th 1998)

📢 “I want to be a better person. I want to be a stronger person. I want to be someone who hurts less.”
(NME, August 8th 1998)

📢 "I've always written songs from both a heterosexual and a homosexual standpoint. I write about them because it's part of me, and it's a part of the band. It's out there. Rock'n'roll can be a very, very laddish and straight medium, and it's just part of who we are. I don't see why it shouldn't be expressed."
(NME, January 16th 1999)

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

📢 "Indifference is the killer. If you inspire extreme emotions in people then that's really positive. If people despise you, you've found a raw nerve and your rubbing salt in the wounds."
(Hit Music, April 29th 1999)

📢 "You've got to stay one haircut ahead of your clones."
(Hit Music, April 29th 1999)

📢 "In fact I'm stronger than I've ever been. And now it's all about karma for me - it really is. You can't upset the karmic balance; otherwise things start to go haywire. And it's a philosophy that we apply to our everyday lives and our attitudes as musicians and artists.
(Pulse, April 2000)

📢 "Love, drugs and religion - these are the things that people have a tendency to lose themselves inside, a tendency to become addicted to. Being a lapsed born-again Christian gives me an interesting perspective on that."
(Sunday Times, July 16th 2000)

𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶?
📢 “No! I'd be a nightmare!“
(Boyz, September 2000)

📢 “I don’t believe in God, I’m not a religious person. The spiritual side that exists in everything we do is the humanity, the honesty, the passion, and our own personal truth. There’s a humanist kind of approach to things. When writing the lyrics, my approach to the characters of each song is sympathetic, and that’s what makes it human. That’s the only attitude I believe in.”
(The US Vault Online, 2001)

📢 “My father was a workaholic banker that made my family very wealthy and privileged. I was labelled as a lazy rich kid because I was on the dole, but once I left to London, I was cut off. I didn’t have anything handed to me after that.“
(Alternative Press, 2001)

Photo credit: Stefan Malzkorn 

📢 “The interesting thing is that realizing I was attracted to men increased my attraction to women, because I felt like when you're having sex with somebody of your own gender, you're exploring the similarities. When you're having sex with someone with the opposite gender, you're exploring the differences.“
(LA Weekly, May 2001)

📢 ”I have been in successful fulfilling relationships. But I've also been in many unhealthy ones. And that's an exciting mixture of ten chaotic years. What I've learned from it is that nothing lasts forever and it isn't always your fault.”
(DNAsix, March 2003)

📢 ”It takes more energy to act like an asshole than to act like a gentleman.”
(DNAsix, March 2003)

📢 ”I've been in some bad situations is my life. I reckon my guardian angel has been very busy with protecting me these last 10 years.. I'm giving him a well deserved break now.”
(DNAsix, March 2003)

📢 ”If there’s anything I’d say to myself at 22 it would be one, drink more water, and two, hang on in there because it does get better.”
(Rock Sound, April 2003)

📢 ”I'm still a freak. Only I've accepted it now.”
(Samsonic, December 2003)

  ”Love hurts sometimes. Nothing is ever simple when it comes to human relationships. No one is perfect, everybody makes mistakes and struggles with their own selfishness and their own ego. It's very difficult sometimes to live with someone, to share your life with someone, but it's also an amazing thing that gives you so much more, fills your life up with so much joy. But there is a balance to everything that you have to keep. And there is a double side to everything cause you know, the closer you are to someone, the more you have the capacity to hurt them.”
(Rockwave Festival, June 22nd 2004)

Photo credit: Alex Vanhee

📢 “I just figured that if the media is going to manipulate you, then the intelligent thing to do is to manipulate it back. A lot of those quotes where practised, to be honest, I had them ready… Could you tell?”
(Classic Rock, January 2005)

📢 ”I'm a very private person off stage because I don't want to be the gossip of the moment. But I show myself as a very open person through my songs.”
(Scars, 2006)

📢 ”Well, I've always thought that love is quite a narcistic thing. You like to see yourself reflected in your lover.”
(Humo, March 2006)

📢 ”I have a four-month-old son - not planned, but more than welcome. I know for certain: my son is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I myself have a very difficult relationship with my father, and I've certainly never dreamed of fatherhood. But it happened to me and I've never felt to happy. And never so scared either.”
(Humo, March 2006)

📢 ”I think people expect Placebo to be a rock band, and we understand that. We're ok with that. We know that's who we are; we're comfortable with that. However, the definition of what a rock band is very, very fluid. As far as we're concerned, it's very, very open.”
(Suicide Girls, September 11th 2007)

📢 ”Your field of vision grows as you grow older and when you become aware of the fact that you are not the centre of the universe and aware that every action you have has an effect on your fellow man.”
(Female First, December 1st 2008)

📢 “I have to look after me and be good to myself. To be precise, that means for me: I have to stop pushing constantly the self-destruction-button. I have to find something …. (he pauses and tries to find words). It is just love, I think. To carry love in yourself. To try to better understand your inner self, to protect yourself better and to look after yourself. There are many things in me, that I don’t understand, that are too much for me. Basically that means to me, I have finally to meet my life, instead of running away.“
(Teleschau, 2009)

📢 ”I need the public's feedback, its recognition. Here I am in doubt, the confusion, it kills me. I need to be on stage, financially, of course, but psychologically above all. This exhibitionism is as necessary for me as drinking and eating. Without the stage I could not be happy, accomplished.”
(Les Inrockuptibles, May 26th 2009)

📢 ”Let me make this very clear. We don’t do drugs anymore. It’s very important for us as a band to be drug-free and we believe that we can be better musicians, better personalities, better people if we’re drug-free. I’ve been to rehab twice. It was very difficult for me and I’ve learnt how to deal with life without drugs.”
(Juice, March 2010)

Photo credit unknown

📢 ”I don't listen to our music once it's been released and, unless we're putting a live DVD together, I try to avoid it ... You watch it for all the wrong reasons and you see all the wrong things. You see all the imperfections and it makes you very self-conscious. It's like when you hear your voice on a tape recorder - it's exactly the same thing.”
(Today Online, March 2010)

📢 ”We’re artists and we hold up a mirror to the world, we hold up a mirror to society and it’s not always pretty. But beauty does not necessarily equal truth so it doesn’t have to be pretty in order to be truthful.”
(Junk Online, March 2010)

📢 “I was definitely crumbling under the pressure of continuously performing for people and giving and giving and giving. There comes a point where you just feel so empty that you can’t give any more.”
(The Music Network, November 10th 2011)

📢 ”I hope that the day that we stop – if we ever do, and I hope that it’s not very soon – that at that point we sound completely fucking different to how we sounded before. Otherwise, I will be horribly disappointed. I’d quite like to be big enough to keep trying to redefine it every time.”
(The Fly, July 26th 2013)

📢 ”I don't own a TV. I don't listen to the radio and I don't read music magazines, so I have no idea what's hip!”
(The Nation, August 23rd 2013)

📢 I’m interested in Buddhism because it is a philosophy of life rather than a religion. In Buddhism, there’s no god and that is a big part of the attraction for me. Right thoughts, right action. No god, no attachments—no worries.”
(BK, August 22nd 2013)

Photo credit: Harley Weir 

📢 "I'm still getting to know myself, I'm still getting to like myself. It's been a long journey for me to get to this point and a great deal of character development was lost or stunted because I completely embraced the rock 'n' roll lifestyle. That stops you from growing, really. I feel like I'm a 42-year-old man who's about 16 years younger and still getting to know myself. Ten or 15 years ago I thought the sun shone out of my ass. I was filled with bravado and supremely confident, which are qualities I do not carry around today."
(Herald Scotland, 26th February 2015)

📢 "For me, writing's a journey of self discovery and a way to find out what's going inside of me emotionally. It's also a cathartic experience, a form of self-help or of therapy. I get to know myself better through doing it, and that's a good thing."
(Herald Scotland, 26th February 2015)

📢 “I'm very much one for trying to live in the day and live in the moment and be aware of the moment. So I'm aware of my finite time on this earth, but through mindfulness and the power of now I kind of try to stay within the day."
(Rolling Stone Australia, November 2016)

📢 “It is easier to have a conversation with someone through technology than face to face, because it does not carry any vulnerability. And vulnerability implies a very important part of what it means to be a human being. So if we continue to exist without vulnerability, without truth, without physical contact, without physical exchange in the real world, I believe we will become more disconnected and solitary beings within society. Since the multinationals are telling the world that they create a better place to connect people and we believe their lies … It’s really rubbish.“
(MondoSonoro in Mallorca, 2017)

📢 “We were just kids who just wanted to make music. But we couldn’t do it without going onstage in a dress, without talking about our sexuality. It was very, very important for us to not be ashamed. And inadvertently, hopefully, we perhaps created something within people who listened to us where they felt that the necessity for shame was decreased.”
(The Guardian, November 12th 2021)

📢 “I think my reaction to most things is just disappointment.”
(The Guardian, November 12th 2021)

📢 “If the tech billionaires get their way, we’re just going to colonise other planets and repeat our mistakes there. The thing about running away is that you’ll always take yourself with you.”
(The Guardian, November 12th 2021)

Photo credits: Joseph Llanes, Benni Valsson, Alex Vanhee, Francis Tsang, Laetitia Forget, Stefan Malzkorn, Scarlet Page (3), Spiros Politis, Stefan De Batselier, Gill Flett, Placeboworld, Mads Perch (2), David Titlow, Kevin Westenberg, Olaf Heine, Harley Weir, unknown (5) / edit by Silke

Post by Silke

✨𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗕𝗢 𝗢𝗡 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗦✨

“𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 '𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒔' 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒅𝒓𝒖𝒈𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒆”(Brian Molko, Les Inrockuptibles, 2009)

I think we all know that Placebo's fifth studio album “Meds” (2006) marked a turning point in their career. Things had gone downhill for quite a while, there was a lot of drug use and alcohol involved before and during the production of the record. The friendship between Brian, Stefan and Steve Hewitt had become a dysfunctional working alliance. The world tour that followed the release of “Meds” was the death knell for the triangle, and as result Steve had to leave the band. But that's not the topic of this post.

Today we will have a closer look at what Brian and Stefan said about “Meds” from shortly before its release on March 13th 2006 until the follow-up album “Battle for the sun” came out in 2009.

Photo credit unknown

📌 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐅𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐍 “𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐒” 📌
📢 “We went to the studio with electronic ideas, with hip hop influences, but what was finally recorded is completely different! I dunno what happenned, but we immediately started with simplicity… Instead of doing something very cerebral, we did something instantaneous. A return to Placebo’s roots.“
(Brian, Rock Magazine, December 2005)

𝘛𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘋𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘳𝘪, 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘳?
📢 “Yes, it is! We had an argument the first week, the kind of « Why do you treat me this way? I’m your friend! » But after the first week, it became very easy. Since the clash was ended, we take the roles established between producer and artists, then it become really easy because no one is afraid of hurt the ego of the other.“
(Brian, Rock Magazine, December 2005)

📢 “When we started we had twenty songs for the album, and from there, by an elimination process, we left the ones included in the album. Fortunately, our record label gave us the freedom to work at our own pace, contrary to the release of the singles compillation. With 'Meds' we had more freedom regarding time and preparation, and more in things such as releasing dates and other things, because the six week previous to the album's release are the hardest for us because we sometimes have to be in different cities in the same day.“
(Brian, Scars, 2006)

📢 “While I was writing the songs, I was interested in what the people in the modern world need to survive the day and what they use as medication. The meds could be religion, love or a variety of medication that allows them emotional survival… I’m talking about those kinds of meds.“
(Brian, OK!, 2006)

📢 “The album is bizarre, we let the pieces obtain what they wanted, what they needed. The album will be different to what we’ve been able to do, but you’ll still be able to recognise our sound: melodic, fast, punky in places and depressing in others. The fans should feel comfortable with it, while being surprised… hopefully!“
(Stefan, Rock Magazine, January 2#meds

Photo credit unknown

🎬 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗕𝗢 – 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗔𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝟮𝟬𝟬𝟲
🎵 https://bit.ly/3Drkuc7 🎵

📢 “I think it kinda makes sense, you know. All the people who live and inhabit the songs in the album are under some form of anaesthetic, whether it's chemical, emotional or spiritual. And I think during the song writing process, it sort of interested me - the different form of anaesthetic that people use in order to get through the day, to survive. I suppose this album to a certain degree explores that.“
(Brian, Bangkok Post, March 1st 2006)

📢 ”When I started working on this record, I only had two subjects to write about: love and addiction. I don't want to follow the path of Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix or Kurt Cobain. Or even worse: Pete Doherty. I've also always had a problem with the glorification of addicted rock stars. A junkie in the gutter is a junkie in the gutter. But I can't deny it: I had also taken that dead-end road - one day I realised there was a chance I might be the next rock casualty.”
(Brian, Humo, March 2006)

📢 “I think the group’s image has evolved a bit over the years. Placebo became something slightly obscure, a bit too intelligent, a band with a dark and simultaneously complex side. This return to the roots was necessary. ... We’ll soon see what the media makes of this album. But nobody will be able to say that this album was made with this or that goal, that it’s commercial or something else. It’s just a breath of fresh air, and most importantly, an album that feels like us.“
(Brian, Rock Sound, March 2006)

📢 “Well, actually, I think this is probably our darkest, most tortured record. But I think there's a freshness and an immediacy and a directness about it sonically that probably makes it a bit more accessible. I think in the past we've kind of been wilfully obscured or purposefully oblique in our approach, and now we've stripped everything down and returned to the core or the essence of this band, which is a tight, urgent rock band.“
(Brian, Boyz, April 2006)

📢 ”There wasn’t a generational gap or a cultural gap between us [Dimitri Tikovoi]. In fact, we were born on the same day of the same year so we were very good friends before we started working on this record. He realized that we’d found a comfort zone which was Vince’s synthesizers. He wanted to pull us out of that comfort zone and make us stare at ourselves in the mirror to make us realize that in essence we are a rock band.”
(Brian, Suicide Girls, May 14th 2006)

📢 "I mean, 'Meds' is an album about anesthesia and addiction. It's an album that I don't think we could have made five, six, seven years ago, simply because the negative effects of the rock lifestyle weren't as apparent then, y'know? Perhaps we were too young.”
(Brian, Sydney Morning Herald, September 8th 2006)

Photo credit:  Benni Valsson

📢 ”I think with 'Meds' we explored personal human pain, it was quite under the microscope and so, it is really hard to get any darker and bleaker than 'Meds'.”
(Stefan, Clic Music, April 2009)

📢 "Now i can look at it from a distance, 'Meds' was a bit of a bleek/pale record in which you'd find a lot of pain and hardly any hope. Now i wanted to make something with a lot of light and neon. I believe in that, that is my state of mind at the moment. At the time i also believed in 'Meds', but you have to be alert/carefull that you don't lose yourself in the darkness."
(Brian, De Limburger, May 28th 2009)

📢 “'Meds' sounded claustrophobic, without a sparkle of hope. The album felt like a grainy black and white film.“
(Brian, De Standaat, May 30th 2009)

📢 “If you look back at our last album 'Meds', it sort of looks like a black and white grainy film. This time we wanted to make something in 17mm technicolour wide screen.“
(Brian, OK! Magazine Australia, June 2009)

📢 “The recording of 'Meds' was a veritable orgy of drugs and abuse. This was the way we draped ourselves in the veil of denial, refusing to see that Placebo was not doing well ... I was totally addicted to drugs and alcohol, I went to a clinic to heal (silence). Four days after I left the hospital, I went on tour. In solidarity, Stefan has also stopped to drink, it was the first time we were touring sober, it was terrifying [...]”.
(Brian, Les Inrockuptibles, May 26th 2009)

📢 ”We left the studio without pride, disunited, washed out. But there was a tour to achieve, then we marched to the front lines, as if nothing had happened. I hoped it would heal the wounds: it bruised them. For two years on the road, I really felt alone.”
(Brian, Les Inrockuptibles, May 26th 2009)

Post by Silke

⭐𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗠𝗢𝗟𝗞𝗢 𝗤𝗨𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗦⭐

💠A French magazine from 2005 gathered several quotes by Brian Molko around differents topics entitled "𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠, 𝑀𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑀𝑜𝑙𝑘𝑜'𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑠" . Some are funny, others serious. Let's have a look at it !

Photo credits: Scarlet Page, edit by Laetitia

✨𝑵𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔...

"Honestly, who cares about the Stones today? These people leave their living rooms once in a while, go to football stadiums, play a bit of rock'n'roll and go home to put on their slippers with a little more money in their bank account." (1999)


✨𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔

"I'm a fucking broken heart." (1997)


✨𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑸𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏

"Socialist England is looking more and more like the States. I'd like to see Buckingham Palace turned into a homeless shelter, and the royal family into a council flat."


✨𝑻𝒐𝒖𝒓 1997

"I read Marylin Manson's autobiography, The Long Hard Road Out Of Hell, and it really made me want to go out and do as many drugs as possible and fuck as much as possible. It didn't go as far as it did for Manson, though, when he was throwing bits of cold meat at disabled people and pissing on them. There's a line you can't cross, and that line, for me, is cold meat..." (2000)


✨𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒚

"The ability of this business to ingest people, bribe them and then spit them out is impressive." (2004)

Photo credit: Kevin Westenberg

✨𝑺𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎

"I'd like to be in a girl band. We could pass around make-up turks, and talk about things that don't revolve around p*ssy all the time (...) If I were a girl, I'd be a bomb, I'd use my sexual power to destroy men. I would be a man-eater! (1999)


✨𝑱𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒔

"When I meet them, I get the impression that half of British rock journalists never get laid. That's why they reacted so strangely to my songs." (1998)


✨𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅

"If I had to play Russian roulette with five people? I'll take Eminem to start with. Fred Durst to start... Britney Spears will be invited too, and Marilyn Manson, just because he's nuts enough to like it. Last one? Tony Blair." (2000)


✨𝑻𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔

"Our sexual proclivities haven't changed, and we still wear make-up. It's just more expensive and better applied." (2003)


✨𝑴𝒚 𝒕𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒉

"Of course I'm perfectly aware of how much money I make, but I would never reveal any details, it would be far too vulgar." (2004)


✨𝑺𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔

"I wanted to be taller, I wanted to be sexier, I wanted to have fewer pimples. I can be all that. When I'm on stage, I'm all that." (1997)

Photo credit: Robin Francois

✨𝑱𝒐𝒚𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒋𝒐𝒃

"After a year of touring, we'll have disgusting skin from eating too many sandwiches and drinking too much alcohol, we'll be foaming like cancer patients and probably not have a single friend anywhere! (1997)


✨𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝑩𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂

"As an American, I've always lived in Europe, and I feel like a stranger there. This country gets on my nerves. It's supposed to be the land of the free, and you can't smoke anywhere. Placebo may never work there because they're too smart for them. (2000)


✨𝑮𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒔

"Groupies? I've never heard of that. Ha! Ha! Ha! Normally we pick the best looking people in the audience, cram them into a backstage room, keep pouring them alcohol and wait to see what happens." (2000)


✨𝑵𝒆𝒖𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒔

"I'm quite happy with all my neuroses. They keep me awake, on the move. If I had to get rid of them all, I could become Sting. My God! I can't imagine anything worse on this planet." (2003)


✨𝑭𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒉 𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒔

"Over there, the groupies are real 'psychos', they are very young, very 'bad'. They all lie about their age. And they are very determined, like: 'How dare you come to my country without fucking me? (1998)


✨𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕

"The world doesn't need another rock'n'roll victim. Cobain, Jim Hendrix, Janis Joplin... We don't need any more victims like them. I don't want that to happen. It doesn't mean I'm stronger than they were, but it's that I have this image of myself with Stef and Steve at sixty. Not playing, but sitting quietly and saying, 'Do you remember?'

(𝐼𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑀𝑎𝑔, 𝑛°2 - 2005)


💠Don't you think the last sentence is touching ? 💕
What's your favorite amongst these ? 

Imagining Stefan and Brian remembering the old times makes me want to listen to 𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑵𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔... 'Remember me through flash photography and screams / Remember me, special dreams' 🎶

🎥 https://bit.ly/3kFaXI5

Post by Laetitia

♦️𝗤𝗨𝗢𝗧𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗬♦️

Photo credit: Thomas Geffrier

“I have to look after me and be good to myself. To be precise, that means for me: I have to stop pushing constantly the self-destruction-button. I have to find something …. (he pauses and tries to find words). It is just love, I think. To carry love in yourself. To try to better understand your inner self, to protect yourself better and to look after yourself. There are many things in me, that I don’t understand, that are too much for me. Basically that means to me, I have finally to meet my life, instead of running away.“
(Brian, Teleschau, 2009)

Post by Silke

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 about the Placebo MTV Unplugged concert in London 19.08.15

"We wanted to do something extraordinary, something that would challenge us. The process has been interesting, because we were creating something while we were performing it. That was something we had never done before. The simultaneity of the performance and the creation process was completely new for us.” 

Brian Molko

http://mtvunplugged.placeboworld.co.uk/

PLACEBO - MTV UNPLUGGED - 19.08.15

PRE-ORDER LIVE 

http://mtvunplugged.placeboworld.co.uk

Sources: Placebo

Happy Birthday Brian Molko

Our Wish For You Brian

When you are lonely

We wish you love.

When you are down

We wish you joy.

We you are troubled 

We wish you peace.

When things are complicated

We wish you simple beauty

When things are chaotic

We wish you inner silence.

When things look empty

We wish you hope

We wish you a very 

Happy Birthday

Placebo Anyway & soulmates 

Here are all the little presents and gifts our soulmates from Placebo Anyway send us to take part on this birthday special dedicated to Brian!

"Here's my greeting for Brian's 42nd birthday". Rina Chetrit, Israel

If you cannot see the video here on the blog, use this link  

Happy birthday Brian with this wonderful tribute video by Rachel Etrog, Israel 

"I would Really like to give Brian some gift-mascot. But he is very far away, so I'll try to do something else .

And the photo- is my mascot." 

by Olga Proskurnina

by Martina Kappa, Greece 

Happy Birthday!

Dear Brian, I wish you a wonderful day full of joy, pleasant moments and simple happiness. I wish you to spend this day with your lovely son Cody, your family and closest friends.

I wish you serenity and harmony.

I also wish you a successfull year, new experience in your life, luck in your music career as well as in Placebo band and in your own.

The only tools that a real musician possesses are beautiful mind, voice and maturity. I consider you as a really professional musician with a subtle soul and excellent mind and a wise heart. 

Please, go on with making music. This is your calling. 

All you're doing is valuable and does make sense for many people. 

Thank you for the concert in Moscow in July this year. A great time I had there.

Thank you for everything 'a small and gentle man'!

Xenia Gerasimova, Russia 

 

Thanks Brian, come a mi life
Marie Hayes 

To me you are pure perfection. Happy birthday Brian!

Silke Spacegirl

Birthday wish for Brian by by Despoina Spanou

"Lieber Brian 
Es gibt eine Magie, die nur DIR gelingt.
Ich suche ein schöneres Wort für 'schön' und ein dankbareres Wort als 'Danke' und ein lieblicheres als Brian - es gelingt mir nicht.
Dir gelingt, der Schönheit Millionen Gesichter zu geben.
You open(ed) my mind and my heart.
Schön, dass Du geboren wurdest. Schön, dass Du da bist.
Wir feiern den Tag Deiner Geburt.
Thank you"

Deine Angelika

Hey
Brian you r so amazing I liaison to all of your music, and it has helped me through hard times, the song that has helped me the most would be running up that hill the cover, I have only got one eye that work a little , and sometimes I wish placebo could be with me to tell me it's going to be ok when I get upset, you r the best man on this earth, say hello to Steve for me and stef, I love you all, have a fantastic birthday.

By Mary Rachel 

A little poem for Brian’s birthday

Happy Birthday Brian

The idea of this poem comes from my summer walks. I used to go to the ruins of a Roman ancient theatre in the offing, but I couldn’t walk in. One time I saw a little white cat on a stone, but I couldn’t see him/her anymore and I was sorry because of both the entry prohibition and not seeing the cat anymore.

On the 10th of December as a white little cat as an epiphany

Is it spring? Is it summer?

It’s hot, white little cat

And I come here every day

To give you my short hair, my freckles, my dancer’s legs.                              

But you are so young and beautiful,

Wings are on your feet,

Leaves in your hair

And I can’t bestride this fence, this stone, these ruins, this theatre.

Is it fall? Is it winter?

It’s cold, white little cat.

My hair is long, my skin white, my clothes grey

And I stare at your shadow:

Please don’t leave me, don’t leave me, don’t leave me. 

Caterina Gagliardi

HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU GORGOUS MAN

LOTS OF SOULMATE KISSES 

ALLWAYS SARAH J X X X X

Sarah Jayne Molko Tolley

Happy birthday Brian

Alice Astrayxheart

And that's the end and that's the start of it.
That's the whole and that's the part of it.
That's the high and that's the heart of it.
That's the long and that's the short of it.
That's the best and that's the test in it.
That's the doubt, the doubt,
The trust in it.
That's the sight and that's the sound of it.
That's the gift and that's the trick in it.

You're the truth not I.

Happy Birthday Brian

Na.Ma.

Olga Proskurnina from Omsk, Russia

Happy Birthday dear Brian
Uni Uni 

 by Gaby from Germany

by Maja Polańska

All we love Brian and Placebo. I think they are the best band of the World for me!
Kathrin Kd

Amazing and so funny!! By Kiko Prks from Greece 

Brian Molko Birthday Special from 1995 - 2014

by SusanneCk - Placebo Anyway 

"People are so lazy, aren't they? People just saw that I dyed my hair black , wore black nail varnish and heard that element of darkness about what we do, but - hey - it's nothing to do with sleeping with corpses!" 

Brian Molko 1996

Well, whether that was true or not, I’d keep wearing makeup. I really love wearing makeup. I enjoy every second of it. I think it’s fun to see how my action can influence people in some ways. We call them ‘Brian clones’ or ‘Molko clones’. All of a sudden, there are men wearing makeup and skirts in London. 
Brian Molko 1999

May your birthday be as special as you are special to us in every way!

- Do you think real love hurts or can it be just happiness and understanding?

It hurts some times. Nothing is ever simple when it comes to human relationships, yeah. No one is perfect, everybody makes mistakes and struggles with their own selfishness and their own ego. It's very difficult sometimes to live with someone, to share your life with someone, but it's also an amazing thing that gives you so much more, fills your life up with so much joy. But there is a balance to everything that you have to keep. And there is a double side to everything cause you know, the closer you are to someone, the more you have the capacity to hurt them.

Brian Molko 2004

My favourite holiday destination is Angkor Wat in Cambodia. One of the most spiritual and beautiful places that I've ever been to.
Brian Molko 2009

I like arriving, you know. Not so much the actual process of traveling. Arriving somewhere is better. But I really do like playing; I really like performance. There’s a dubious psychology to a person who needs affirmation and reassurance and recognition from thousands of strangers. I am actually a shy person, but there is a need for the flamboyant aspect of myself to express itself. The context for that is the live show.

Brian Molko 2013

Let’s celebrate all the wonderful things that make you so special Brian— not just on your special day, but on every day of the year!

By SusanneCk - Placebo Anyway