Martin Gore Quotes

I always hate explaining away songs, because for me they mean something, and for other people, they'll mean something absolutely different.

I lead two totally separate lives. There are times when I have to slip into rock star mode.

I don't think I've ever tried to be anything other than a weirdo.

When I write love songs, people think they're really soppy - but I see love as a consolation for the boredom of life.

Anything that I write comes from the soul.

I'm not advocating violence but I think somebody should shoot Simon Cowell.

If you took music out of my life, I don't know what I'd do. It's the one thing that I have a real passion for.

God knows why - no pun intended - but every time I write a song, I feel a need to touch on religion.

I was born with the wrong sign In the wrong house With the wrong ascendancy I took the wrong road That led to The wrong tendencies I was in the wrong place At the wrong time For the wrong reason And the wrong rhyme On the wrong day Of the wrong week Used the wrong method With the wrong technique Wrong Wrong.

If you go into the eastern bloc countries we are huge, and in Russia. Maybe there is something about the depressing nature of our music and lyrics that some people find an affinity with.

There are Depeche Mode parties around the world where people listen to our music all night long. The more remixes we can give them, the more interesting those nights have got to be.

Music is really all about experimentation and lots of trial and error. It's just mind-numbingly boring until you hit on something that works well.

The only things we have to worry about are really stupid things.

When you first sit down to write the first song, until you've maybe got three or four under your belt, it's always, to me, like a mountain to climb. You look at that one blank piece of paper and you think, `God, how many songs do I have to write here?' It always feels like pressure.

Once I'd chosen the songs, it seemed like it would just be a question then of recording them. But it's a case of trying to re-invent the songs; taking them in different directions.

I don't like to think 10 years down the road.

It creates a conflict of interest - what songs would I use for me, and what would I use for the band.

I knew at quite a young age that I had an issue with drinking.

I didn't expect us to be around after 25 years.

For years, I was stuck behind a keyboard rig. When I started playing guitar onstage, it was a bit of a release - not to be stuck in one spot the whole night. It's really enjoyable having the freedom to move around. You just have to remember to end up somewhere near a microphone.

I don't know if it's cool to say this anymore, but I grew up listening to Gary Glitter. A majority of his songs were in that shuffle-blues beat, and I think that's probably why I tend to write like that.

As part of Depeche Mode, I don't think it's right for me to be using my own songs for a solo project. I'm not a very prolific songwriter, so I keep those for Depeche Mode.

More than accepted, it's encouraged for rock stars to be out of control.

I live in Santa Barbara. My wife's American, and she lived in England for 11 years and then told me she'd had enough.

England never felt claustrophobic for me at all. I think it would feel more difficult for me if I lived in mainland Europe. America I think is really easy because Los Angeles has film stars everywhere and musicians and Santa Barbara a lot of people have homes there even if they don't live there. You are kind of inconsequential, no one cares.