There has to be an interaction of musicians on stage. Otherwise I feel too alone up there. When performing is really good, when it really works, maybe once every 15 shows, it’s very special, and you realize that’s why you do it. – Dave Gahan
Joy comes from places you least expect it. It’s usually the simple things, like watching my son play basketball or going through Central Park when the blossoms are blooming. – Dave Gahan
I really believe that the more distractions and fixes I remove from my life, the better I’ll feel about myself. The biggest of those is Depeche Mode. It’s the one marriage that survived, but I’m not sure it works – for me, anyway. Jumping on a plane to go somewhere else and be told how wonderful I am doesn’t feel good any more. – Dave Gahan
Certain songs like ‘Enjoy the Silence’ – to me, it always fits anywhere. There’s something about that song that’s really timeless, and I never get bored or feel like I have to muster something up. – Dave Gahan
The whole ‘serious artist’ thing is very damaging. The powers that be will steer you towards your own demise. One thing I’ve learned is that it’s not very glamourous, and my problems are no different from anybody else’s. – Dave Gahan
I do use texting as a great way to communicate quickly, but I don’t Twitter or anything. – Dave Gahan
When I was growing up in the early ’70s and really getting into music, waiting outside the record store for that 45, waiting for a single from The Dead, The Clash, David Bowie, or T-Rex or something to be there. There was something about that that was so special. – Dave Gahan
I go to a very visual place when I’m singing. It’s very cinematic and I get this feeling of space. I love when music does that. – Dave Gahan
To me, it’s always been a challenge to look for the light: to look for those spaces in your heart where there is hope and faith and try to embrace that rather than crush it. I’ve spent so many years trying to crush those feelings of hope, and I certainly succeeded for quite a while. – Dave Gahan
The possibilities are endless now, with performing, getting your music online, getting your own website and getting your music out there. I think that’s very cool and amazing. – Dave Gahan
I have a very addictive personality, so I’m even careful about wanting more of anything than I need – even chocolate. – Dave Gahan
I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community. There’s something sort of spiritual about it in a lot of ways. It’s like we’re all doing this together. – Dave Gahan
If you ask me who the members of the Rolling Stones or Led Zep or the Clash were, I’d be able to tell you every member. But I couldn’t name a single member of Arctic Monkeys. – Dave Gahan
I go to see some big shows of other bands, and I feel like I’m so bombarded and over-stimulated that I lose interest in the music. There has to be light and shade, and less stimulating moments. There has to be an arc to the show. – Dave Gahan
I think there’s a great strength in having the courage and also having the support to do what you want to do when you’re an artist in any way, shape or form. – Dave Gahan
I had a few brushes with death, where I nearly chose to go. The final one in 1996 did it for me. I suddenly had that feeling that I wasn’t indestructible. There was no big white light experience, I just felt this complete blackness and a huge voice inside me saying, ‘This is not right.’ – Dave Gahan
Making a record with ‘Depeche Mode’ is not a simple process. It’s quite complicated and long. We have the luxury of time. I’m not sure that’s such a good thing when you’re being creative. – Dave Gahan
Growing up in a band is weird – you get stuck hanging on to what it is you think you are. But what I took into Depeche was that punk ethic, that you don’t have to be accomplished to be a musician. If you’ve got ideas, you can do this. – Dave Gahan
L.A. is always great. There’s something special about L.A. And New York, for me, because it’s home. There’s nothing quite like walking onstage at Madison Square Garden. – Dave Gahan
‘Presence of God’ is really that understanding that sometimes when you step out of your own shoes and just open your ears and listen to what’s going on around you, you get answers to the questions you were asking. – Dave Gahan
You’ve got to put interesting people around you; you’ve got to work with people who are gonna inspire you to take the songs you’ve written into a completely different direction, because there’s nothing more boring than going to the studio and predictably knowing what is going to happen. – Dave Gahan
