Being a fan of… Depeche Mode

Continuing the series about music fan, I met Mariola a couple of years ago, she’s a big fan of Depeche Mode (DM). It’s always very interesting to discover how a big music fan feel about a band and their music, to see how her life is influenced by the band. There always are amazing stories in each fan, nice anecdotes, funny moments to share. Mariola told me how she fell in love with DM, how their videos influenced the choice for a career and how their music opened her to other music genres.

How and when did it start between you and Depeche Mode?

It was when I was 15… ten years ago. I used to watch loads of MTV, when it was still a music channel.. and I watched a video called Barrel of a Gun.. and I loved it and then it came It’s no good.. and I became a fan. It was hard because I lived in a small town and no one, at least not the guys my age I knew, liked Depeche Mode too much. Of course with the time, I started to meet people who loved Depeche Mode too, but at the beginning I felt a little bit lonely about my obsession.

Do you have a big collection of their records? Any rarities among that?

I have all Depeche Mode Cd’s.. and most of the videos (mostly in VHS) but no rarities. Some of my friends have many rarities, really cool ones, but I have never been the collector kind. But I do have a Depeche Mode treasure, something that I really value, and it is the drumstick of the drummer who was with David Gahan on the Paper Monster’s tour and the one touring with Depeche Mode in Playing the Angel. He threw the drumstick at a concert in Copenhagen. Of course everyone around me was fighting to take it because it fell on the floor, and I couldn´t reach it… but then the bodyguard took it, told all the guys to calm down and he gave it to me. It was an amazing feeling and it surpasses all the rarities.

How much do you follow their news (TV documentaries, books, website) ?

Until I was 18 I bought all the magazines, recorded all their TV shows and documentaries and had all the DM books. But now my interests are wider and I don’t really have the time to follow their news too much. Of course I visit their website once in a while, but that`s it.

What is your best memories related with Depeche Mode?

Many of the good memories in my life are related with Depeche Mode. I met many of my friends because we love Depeche Mode.
One of my favorite recent memories are the concert in Monterrey MX, another is the David Gahan concert in Copenhagen, in which we sang together (DG and me) the chorus of the song I Need you.. uf.. I almost fainted. And another is about a Depeche Mode tribute me and a friend organized in Uruapan when we were 16. The place had never been that full, singing Depeche Mode and having a great time.

What is the craziest thing you’ve done for that band?

mmm. nothing really.. besides the normal things like going to concert and scream, or going alone to a cold city for a concert.. that´s all.. maybe if i lived in England or something, I would stand outside their record studios or their houses but I live faaar faar away.. (lucky them )

What do you think of Dave Gahan solo career?

Paper Monsters is brilliant, it was a very good chance to hear what Dave has to say and to hear his own compositions. I think it was a very healthy thing for the band and for him.. and now he is more confident and he could write some songs for the Playing the angel album. But I must say it´s pretty difficult to separate his work from DM music and even in the Paper Monsters concert, it was more like a Depeche Mode concert than a Dave Gahan solo concert. Anyway, I love this guy and whatever he does.

You now have started a career in the picture and movie industry, to which extend does the videos form DM (and others) have an influence on your work?

One of my main interests in my professional and personal life are music videos and photography, and actually I decided that I wanted to be a video director after I saw Anton Corbijn´s work with Depeche Mode. One of the Depeche Mode´s videos that has influenced the most is Never Let me Down again (see video below) and Barrel of a Gun. I love the black and white imagery, the use of the grain, the natural light, the eastern Europe style, the Berliner style, the makeup, and the contrasts.
Also, when I take photos as a hobby, I think that many of them reflect the style and the lyrics of Depeche Mode, at least that is what I want to reflect on them. Of course, Depeche Mode and Anton Corbijn are not my only influences, I am also very influenced by the works from Chris Cunningham, Floria Sigismondi, Mark Romanek and art and music in general. Other videos that are a main inspiration for me are “Perfect Drug” from Nine Inch Nails, “This is Hardcore” from Pulp and “Untitled no. 1” from Sigur Ros.  
 

Thanks to Mariola for her brilliant words about Depeche Mode. If you want to see how depenche mode and other videos might have influenced her, here are some of the art work she did: on deviantart and baklight.
Depeche Mode – Never let me down again