David Gahan
Encyclopedia
Dave Gahan is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the baritone
lead singer for the British electronic music
band Depeche Mode
since their debut in 1980. He is also an accomplished solo artist, releasing albums in 2003 (Paper Monsters
) and 2007 (Hourglass
). Despite his bandmate Martin Gore
continuing to be the main Depeche Mode songwriter, Gahan has contributed a number of songs to the band's most recent albums, Playing the Angel
(2005) and Sounds of the Universe
(2009). Two of these songs were released as singles, including "Suffer Well
" in 2006 and "Hole to Feed
" in 2009.
, United Kingdom
. Born into a working class family, to parents Len Callcott (a bus driver) and his wife Sylvia (a conductress or "clippy" on London's buses), Dave was six months old when his father left the family. Sylvia and Len divorce
d two years later and his mother moved Dave and sister Sue (born 1960) to Basildon
, Essex
, after Sylvia met and married her second husband Jack Gahan (an administrator with Shell Oil). The Gahan family continued to grow with the birth of two more brothers Peter (born 1966) and Phil (born 1968). Dave and Sue were raised under the impression that their mother's second husband, Jack, was their natural father.
In 1972, when Dave Gahan was ten, his stepfather died. Gahan recalls how he "came home one day and found this bloke [his biological father] at home". Of the incident, he has said: "I'll never forget that day. When I came home from school, there was this stranger in my mum's house. My mother introduced him to me as my real dad. I remember I said, that was impossible because my father was dead. How was I supposed to know who that man was? From that day on, Len often visited the house, until one year later he disappeared again. Forever this time. Since then he had no contact with us. By growing older, I thought about him more and more. The only thing my mother would say, was that he moved out to Jersey
to open a hotel". "Mum had kept it back from me 'til there was a need to tell me about my birth father, it's a different generation and you can understand I guess she thought she was doing the right thing".
Within six months of leaving Barstable School in July 1978, Gahan found and lost something in the order of twenty jobs, from selling soft drinks, working in a greengrocers in Basildon Bus Station, working as a cashier in Sainsbury's petrol station in Savacentre, to working on a construction site. Gahan also applied for a job as an apprentice fitter with North Thames Gas. He was told by his probation officer to be honest with the interviewer, and as a result, he admitted his criminal record but claimed he was a "reformed character". As a result, he did not get the job. Eventually, he earned a place at Southend Art College, which he enjoyed immensely. After three years, he gained the British Display Society Award, which allowed him to get jobs doing displays in shop windows and shopping centres.
, Martin Gore
and Andy Fletcher formed the band Composition of Sound, with Clarke on vocals/guitar, Gore on keyboards and Fletcher on bass. Clarke and Fletcher soon switched to synthesizers. The same year, Gahan joined the band after Clarke heard him perform David Bowie
's "Heroes". The band was soon renamed Depeche Mode, a name suggested by Gahan after he had come across a fashion magazine by the name of Dépêche-mode.
Originally a new wave
/synthpop
pioneer of the early eighties, for over 30 years, Depeche Mode has explored new musical directions, and their sound has remained immensely diverse since their inception. They have released twelve studio albums, four greatest hits compilations and a remix album. The band has achieved global sales in excess of 100 million.
In the past, Gahan had expressed some resentment about never writing songs for Depeche Mode. In a 2003 interview he shared, "During the making of Exciter, sometimes I felt a bit frustrated that there was a lack of experimentation." This led him, in 2004, to tell his bandmates that he wanted to write half of the songs on the new Depeche Mode album, and there was "no way" he could be involved in the band without contributing. Eventually there was a compromise, and three of Gahan's songs appeared on 2005's Playing the Angel
: "Suffer Well
" (nominated for a Grammy award), "I Want It All" and "Nothing's Impossible". "Suffer Well" was released as a single in 2006, reaching #12 in the UK.
Three more Gahan-penned songs, co-written with Christian Eigner and Andrew Phillpott, appeared on the band's 12th studio album, Sounds of the Universe
, released on 20 April 2009. The songs are "Hole to Feed", "Come Back" and "Miles Away / The Truth Is". Gahan also wrote the lyrics to the B-side "Oh Well" but the music was done by Martin Gore. It is the first and currently only collaboration between the two. "Hole to Feed
" was released along with Gore's "Fragile Tension" as a double A-side single in late 2009.
In 2003, he released his first solo album, Paper Monsters
(which he co-wrote with guitarist and friend Knox Chandler), followed by the Paper Monsters Tour (including a performance at 2003's Glastonbury Festival
), singing both his new solo tracks and Depeche Mode fan favourites. His touring band included Knox Chandler
on guitar, Martyn LeNoble
(Porno for Pyros
, Jane's Addiction
, The Cult
) on bass, Vincent Jones (Sarah McLachlan
, The Grapes of Wrath
) on keyboards, and Victor Indrizzo
(Beck
, Macy Gray
) on drums.
The album was a moderate success. The first single "Dirty Sticky Floors
" hit the Top 20 in the UK Singles Chart
. The album itself became a Top 10 hit on the European album chart and a Top 40 hit in the UK Albums Chart
. This success was backed by a world tour and a live DVD titled Live Monsters
which was released in 2004. A year later, he also appeared as model and spokesperson of the Swedish mid-range fashion retailer J. Lindeberg and its S/S 2006 menswear line. The ads featured both him and seemingly random quotes like "What would happen if we all told the truth", "You can tell he's lying because his lips are moving", etc. These ads appeared prominently in international fashion press.
Gahan did a collaboration in 2003 with Junkie XL and handled the vocals for a song called "Reload" for this Dutch DJ's album "Radio JXL: A Broadcast From The Computer Hell Cabin".
In 2007, Dave Gahan announced he was working on a new album via a video greeting for Depeche Mode's official website recorded at the 2007 MusiCares Charity event on 11 May. The album, titled Hourglass
, was accompanied working by Andrew Phillpott and Christian Eigner. According to Gahan, they were to be producing it together. The material was recorded at Gahan's 11th Floor Studios in New York City. The material was mixed in July by Tony Hoffer, best known for his work with Beck, The Kooks and Air. According to Gahan, Hourglass is more electronic-sounding than Paper Monsters. The album made the UK Top 50, the French Top 20 and narrowly missed going to #1 in Germany.
The first single to be pulled from Dave Gahan's second solo record Hourglass was "Kingdom". The single came in the following versions: a download-Single, a CD single, a Maxi-CD single and 12" vinyl besides a 7" picture vinyl. According to the second press release for the second album, the release day for the single "Kingdom" was 8 October, but a download was available way before on 27 August. Side-Line Magazine also reported that a first preview for the song had been leaked online. The second studio clip on Dave Gahan Dot Com had "Kingdom" playing throughout. The single also spent a week at #1 on the US Dance Chart.
On 17 December 2007, iTunes released the iTunes exclusive live EP "Live from SoHo" holding the seven tracks played during an instore set at New York's Soho Apple store on 23 October.
The second single from the Hourglass album was the double A side "Saw Something / Deeper and deeper", released on 14 January 2008. The accompanying video was artistically shot in the Chelsea Hotel, New York, notable for the death of Sid Vicious' partner, Nancy.
In July 2007, Side-Line
magazine revealed that Gahan had been working with Thomas Anselmi
on a project called called Mirror, which was produced by Vincent Jones. Along with Jones, who played with Gahan's touring band and mixed the live DVD Live Monsters, Mirror featured another Gahan collaborator, Knox Chandler (Siouxsie & the Banshees
, the Psychedelic Furs), as well as piano by Bowie favourite Mike Garson, and a monologue by Warhol superstar Joe Dallesandro. Gahan sang vocals on the track "Nostalgia". The song was released in October 2008, and the album released via download at the start of 2009. He also appeared in the accompanying video for the song.
Dave Gahan also contributed vocals to a track called "Visitors", after walking in while producer and ex-Clor
guitarist Luke Smith was working on the song in his New York studio. The song was released under the artist name of frYars.
since 1997. He currently lives with his third wife, Jennifer, their daughter, Stella Rose (named after Jennifer's mother, Stella), and Jennifer's son, Jimmy, from a previous relationship. He also has a son, Jack, (named after his stepfather) from his first marriage to Joanne. Gahan's marriage to his second wife, Teresa, a former Depeche Mode publicist, lasted four years. Both Joanne (Gahan's teenage sweetheart), and Teresa can be seen in the 101
documentary. Jennifer is featured in the "Suffer Well
" music video, once as the angel and once as herself.
Gahan is a recovering heroin addict. He has survived four brushes with death, living up to the nickname, "The Cat", that paramedics gave him during his roughest years in LA. In 1993, Gahan suffered a small heart-attack during a performance in New Orleans, leaving his bandmates to improvise an encore without him. His doctors advised him to take a break from the tour, but he refused. The second brush came when he attempted suicide by slashing his wrists in August 1995: “It was definitely a suicide attempt,” says Gahan. “But it was also a cry for help. I made sure there were people who might find me.”. On 28 May 1996, Gahan overdosed on a speedball
at the Sunset Marquis Hotel
in Los Angeles, which resulted in his heart stopping for two minutes until he was revived by paramedics. Gahan said of the experience, "All I saw and all I felt at first was complete darkness. I've never been in a space that was blacker, and I remember feeling that whatever it was I was doing, it was really wrong." He has also claimed he saw/heard his then-girlfriend, his current wife Jennifer, calling him back. The album Ultra was eventually released once Gahan had completed a spell in rehab.
On 12 May 2009, shortly before the band were due onstage in Athens, Greece for a concert on Depeche Mode's Tour of the Universe
, Gahan fell ill in his dressing room. He was rushed to hospital where it was confirmed that he was suffering from a bout of gastroenteritis
. A number of dates were either postponed or cancelled as further tests were conducted, revealing a low grade malignant tumour in his bladder. Gahan underwent an operation to successfully remove the tumour. After doctor-ordered time to fully recover, the tour resumed in Leipzig, Germany, on 8 June. Gahan later suffered a torn calf muscle while performing in Bilbao, Spain, on 9 July 2009, resulting in two further cancellations. After two-weeks break, he and Depeche Mode returned to the tour for their North American leg. While performing in Seattle on 10 August 2009 Gahan again suffered injury, this time straining his vocal cords. Doctors ordered Gahan on complete vocal rest, resulting in two more cancelled shows. The band returned to the stage in Los Angeles on 16 August. According to press and fan reports, Gahan is performing as well as ever, despite the string of health setbacks. Depeche Mode returned to perform in Latin America in October 2009. In October 2009, Depeche Mode performed at Mexico
, Costa Rica
, Colombia
, Peru
, Chile
and Argentina
without Gahan showing any signs of stress.
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
lead singer for the British electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
band Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
since their debut in 1980. He is also an accomplished solo artist, releasing albums in 2003 (Paper Monsters
Paper Monsters
Paper Monsters is the solo debut album by Depeche Mode lead singer Dave Gahan. It was released by Mute Records on June 2, 2003 in Europe. The album was produced by Ken Thomas, who is best known for his work with Icelandic band Sigur Rós...
) and 2007 (Hourglass
Hourglass (Dave Gahan album)
Hourglass is the second solo album by Depeche Mode's singer Dave Gahan. It was released by Mute Records on October 22, 2007 in Europe, and received generally favorable reviews...
). Despite his bandmate Martin Gore
Martin Gore
Martin Lee Gore is an English songwriter, lyricist, singer, guitarist, keyboardist, remixer and DJ. He is a founding member of Depeche Mode and has written the vast majority of their songs...
continuing to be the main Depeche Mode songwriter, Gahan has contributed a number of songs to the band's most recent albums, Playing the Angel
Playing the Angel
Playing the Angel is the eleventh studio album by English electronic band Depeche Mode, released in the United Kingdom on 17 October 2005 by Mute Records and in the United States and Canada on 18 October by Sire Records and Reprise Records. It was supported by the Touring the Angel...
(2005) and Sounds of the Universe
Sounds of the Universe
Sounds of the Universe is the twelfth studio album by English electronic band Depeche Mode, released in Europe on 20 April 2009 and in the United States and Canada on 21 April 2009...
(2009). Two of these songs were released as singles, including "Suffer Well
Suffer Well
"Suffer Well" is the third single off the album Playing the Angel by Depeche Mode, and their forty-third single overall. It was released in the UK on 27 March 2006.It is the first Depeche Mode single whose lyrics are written by Dave Gahan...
" in 2006 and "Hole to Feed
Fragile Tension / Hole to Feed
-CD: Mute / CDBONG 42:-Digital Download: Mute / iBONG 42:-iTunes Download: Mute / LiBONG 42:...
" in 2009.
Childhood and early years
David Gahan was born in North Weald, EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Born into a working class family, to parents Len Callcott (a bus driver) and his wife Sylvia (a conductress or "clippy" on London's buses), Dave was six months old when his father left the family. Sylvia and Len divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d two years later and his mother moved Dave and sister Sue (born 1960) to Basildon
Basildon
Basildon is a town located in the Basildon District of the county of Essex, England.It lies east of Central London and south of the county town of Chelmsford...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, after Sylvia met and married her second husband Jack Gahan (an administrator with Shell Oil). The Gahan family continued to grow with the birth of two more brothers Peter (born 1966) and Phil (born 1968). Dave and Sue were raised under the impression that their mother's second husband, Jack, was their natural father.
In 1972, when Dave Gahan was ten, his stepfather died. Gahan recalls how he "came home one day and found this bloke [his biological father] at home". Of the incident, he has said: "I'll never forget that day. When I came home from school, there was this stranger in my mum's house. My mother introduced him to me as my real dad. I remember I said, that was impossible because my father was dead. How was I supposed to know who that man was? From that day on, Len often visited the house, until one year later he disappeared again. Forever this time. Since then he had no contact with us. By growing older, I thought about him more and more. The only thing my mother would say, was that he moved out to Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
to open a hotel". "Mum had kept it back from me 'til there was a need to tell me about my birth father, it's a different generation and you can understand I guess she thought she was doing the right thing".
Within six months of leaving Barstable School in July 1978, Gahan found and lost something in the order of twenty jobs, from selling soft drinks, working in a greengrocers in Basildon Bus Station, working as a cashier in Sainsbury's petrol station in Savacentre, to working on a construction site. Gahan also applied for a job as an apprentice fitter with North Thames Gas. He was told by his probation officer to be honest with the interviewer, and as a result, he admitted his criminal record but claimed he was a "reformed character". As a result, he did not get the job. Eventually, he earned a place at Southend Art College, which he enjoyed immensely. After three years, he gained the British Display Society Award, which allowed him to get jobs doing displays in shop windows and shopping centres.
Career in Depeche Mode (1980–present)
In March 1980, Vince ClarkeVince Clarke
Vince Clarke is an English synthpop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been involved with a number of successful groups, including Depeche Mode, Yazoo, The Assembly and Erasure....
, Martin Gore
Martin Gore
Martin Lee Gore is an English songwriter, lyricist, singer, guitarist, keyboardist, remixer and DJ. He is a founding member of Depeche Mode and has written the vast majority of their songs...
and Andy Fletcher formed the band Composition of Sound, with Clarke on vocals/guitar, Gore on keyboards and Fletcher on bass. Clarke and Fletcher soon switched to synthesizers. The same year, Gahan joined the band after Clarke heard him perform David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's "Heroes". The band was soon renamed Depeche Mode, a name suggested by Gahan after he had come across a fashion magazine by the name of Dépêche-mode.
Originally a new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
/synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
pioneer of the early eighties, for over 30 years, Depeche Mode has explored new musical directions, and their sound has remained immensely diverse since their inception. They have released twelve studio albums, four greatest hits compilations and a remix album. The band has achieved global sales in excess of 100 million.
In the past, Gahan had expressed some resentment about never writing songs for Depeche Mode. In a 2003 interview he shared, "During the making of Exciter, sometimes I felt a bit frustrated that there was a lack of experimentation." This led him, in 2004, to tell his bandmates that he wanted to write half of the songs on the new Depeche Mode album, and there was "no way" he could be involved in the band without contributing. Eventually there was a compromise, and three of Gahan's songs appeared on 2005's Playing the Angel
Playing the Angel
Playing the Angel is the eleventh studio album by English electronic band Depeche Mode, released in the United Kingdom on 17 October 2005 by Mute Records and in the United States and Canada on 18 October by Sire Records and Reprise Records. It was supported by the Touring the Angel...
: "Suffer Well
Suffer Well
"Suffer Well" is the third single off the album Playing the Angel by Depeche Mode, and their forty-third single overall. It was released in the UK on 27 March 2006.It is the first Depeche Mode single whose lyrics are written by Dave Gahan...
" (nominated for a Grammy award), "I Want It All" and "Nothing's Impossible". "Suffer Well" was released as a single in 2006, reaching #12 in the UK.
Three more Gahan-penned songs, co-written with Christian Eigner and Andrew Phillpott, appeared on the band's 12th studio album, Sounds of the Universe
Sounds of the Universe
Sounds of the Universe is the twelfth studio album by English electronic band Depeche Mode, released in Europe on 20 April 2009 and in the United States and Canada on 21 April 2009...
, released on 20 April 2009. The songs are "Hole to Feed", "Come Back" and "Miles Away / The Truth Is". Gahan also wrote the lyrics to the B-side "Oh Well" but the music was done by Martin Gore. It is the first and currently only collaboration between the two. "Hole to Feed
Fragile Tension / Hole to Feed
-CD: Mute / CDBONG 42:-Digital Download: Mute / iBONG 42:-iTunes Download: Mute / LiBONG 42:...
" was released along with Gore's "Fragile Tension" as a double A-side single in late 2009.
Solo albums (2003–present)
In 1997, Gahan contributed to the tribute album "Dream Home Heartaches: Remaking/Remodeling Roxy Music" with the song "A Song For Europe".In 2003, he released his first solo album, Paper Monsters
Paper Monsters
Paper Monsters is the solo debut album by Depeche Mode lead singer Dave Gahan. It was released by Mute Records on June 2, 2003 in Europe. The album was produced by Ken Thomas, who is best known for his work with Icelandic band Sigur Rós...
(which he co-wrote with guitarist and friend Knox Chandler), followed by the Paper Monsters Tour (including a performance at 2003's Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
), singing both his new solo tracks and Depeche Mode fan favourites. His touring band included Knox Chandler
Knox Chandler
Knox Chandler is mostly known as a session guitarist and cellist, he has worked with such acts as Depeche Mode , Lori Carson, The Golden Palominos, The Psychedelic Furs, Ultra Vivid Scene, The Creatures and R.E.M....
on guitar, Martyn LeNoble
Martyn LeNoble
Martyn LeNoble is a Dutch bassist and founding member of Porno for Pyros.LeNoble started his musical career by playing bass in a Dutch punk rock band when he was 14. In 1989, he moved to Los Angeles and played with the likes of Thelonious Monster and The Too Free Stooges...
(Porno for Pyros
Porno for Pyros
Porno for Pyros was an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1992, following the initial break-up of Jane's Addiction...
, Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band's original line-up featured Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2001, both times...
, The Cult
The Cult
The Cult are a British rock band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love...
) on bass, Vincent Jones (Sarah McLachlan
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...
, The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath (band)
The Grapes of Wrath are a Canadian folk rock band, who were one of Canada's most successful pop bands in the late 1980s and early 1990s before disbanding in 1992. With the band name tied up in litigation, most of the band continued to record through the 1990s as Ginger. The Grapes of Wrath briefly...
) on keyboards, and Victor Indrizzo
Victor Indrizzo
Victor Indrizzo is an American session musician, primarily known for playing the drums, as well as a songwriter and producer.Indrizzo was born in Freeport, Long Island, New York...
(Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, Macy Gray
Macy Gray
Macy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
) on drums.
The album was a moderate success. The first single "Dirty Sticky Floors
Dirty Sticky Floors
"Dirty Sticky Floors" is the first solo single by Depeche Mode vocalist Dave Gahan and is the lead track on his 2003 debut album, Paper Monsters. It was released in late May 2003 as the lead single from that album, reaching #18 in the UK Singles Chart . The song would also reach #5 in Billboard...
" hit the Top 20 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The album itself became a Top 10 hit on the European album chart and a Top 40 hit in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. This success was backed by a world tour and a live DVD titled Live Monsters
Live Monsters (Dave Gahan)
Live Monsters is a live DVD by Depeche Mode's singer Dave Gahan. It was released by Mute Films on March 1, 2004. The DVD was filmed on July 5, 2003 at the Paris Olympia during Gahan's Paper Monsters Tour.-Track listing:# "Hidden Houses"# "Hold On"...
which was released in 2004. A year later, he also appeared as model and spokesperson of the Swedish mid-range fashion retailer J. Lindeberg and its S/S 2006 menswear line. The ads featured both him and seemingly random quotes like "What would happen if we all told the truth", "You can tell he's lying because his lips are moving", etc. These ads appeared prominently in international fashion press.
Gahan did a collaboration in 2003 with Junkie XL and handled the vocals for a song called "Reload" for this Dutch DJ's album "Radio JXL: A Broadcast From The Computer Hell Cabin".
In 2007, Dave Gahan announced he was working on a new album via a video greeting for Depeche Mode's official website recorded at the 2007 MusiCares Charity event on 11 May. The album, titled Hourglass
Hourglass (Dave Gahan album)
Hourglass is the second solo album by Depeche Mode's singer Dave Gahan. It was released by Mute Records on October 22, 2007 in Europe, and received generally favorable reviews...
, was accompanied working by Andrew Phillpott and Christian Eigner. According to Gahan, they were to be producing it together. The material was recorded at Gahan's 11th Floor Studios in New York City. The material was mixed in July by Tony Hoffer, best known for his work with Beck, The Kooks and Air. According to Gahan, Hourglass is more electronic-sounding than Paper Monsters. The album made the UK Top 50, the French Top 20 and narrowly missed going to #1 in Germany.
The first single to be pulled from Dave Gahan's second solo record Hourglass was "Kingdom". The single came in the following versions: a download-Single, a CD single, a Maxi-CD single and 12" vinyl besides a 7" picture vinyl. According to the second press release for the second album, the release day for the single "Kingdom" was 8 October, but a download was available way before on 27 August. Side-Line Magazine also reported that a first preview for the song had been leaked online. The second studio clip on Dave Gahan Dot Com had "Kingdom" playing throughout. The single also spent a week at #1 on the US Dance Chart.
On 17 December 2007, iTunes released the iTunes exclusive live EP "Live from SoHo" holding the seven tracks played during an instore set at New York's Soho Apple store on 23 October.
The second single from the Hourglass album was the double A side "Saw Something / Deeper and deeper", released on 14 January 2008. The accompanying video was artistically shot in the Chelsea Hotel, New York, notable for the death of Sid Vicious' partner, Nancy.
In July 2007, Side-Line
Side-Line
Side-Line is an online music magazine specialising in electronic music, and electro-goth/industrial in particular. It was founded in 1989 as a print publication, and had a circulation of 6,000 in Europe and America...
magazine revealed that Gahan had been working with Thomas Anselmi
Thomas Anselmi
Thomas Anselmi was the lead singer with Canadian bands Slow and Copyright . He is currently the creative force behind the multi-media project MIRROR.-Slow:...
on a project called called Mirror, which was produced by Vincent Jones. Along with Jones, who played with Gahan's touring band and mixed the live DVD Live Monsters, Mirror featured another Gahan collaborator, Knox Chandler (Siouxsie & the Banshees
Siouxsie & the Banshees
Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bassist Steven Severin. Initially associated with the English punk rock scene, the band rapidly evolved to create "a form of post-punk discord full of daring rhythmic and sonic experimentation"...
, the Psychedelic Furs), as well as piano by Bowie favourite Mike Garson, and a monologue by Warhol superstar Joe Dallesandro. Gahan sang vocals on the track "Nostalgia". The song was released in October 2008, and the album released via download at the start of 2009. He also appeared in the accompanying video for the song.
Dave Gahan also contributed vocals to a track called "Visitors", after walking in while producer and ex-Clor
Clor
Clor were a short-lived five-piece band from Brixton, England, formed in 2003. In the UK they were signed to Parlophone. Their music is angular in melody and jerky in rhythm, and is often compared to Devo and Gary Numan. Their breakthrough came with the release of their self-titled first album,...
guitarist Luke Smith was working on the song in his New York studio. The song was released under the artist name of frYars.
Personal life
Gahan has lived in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
since 1997. He currently lives with his third wife, Jennifer, their daughter, Stella Rose (named after Jennifer's mother, Stella), and Jennifer's son, Jimmy, from a previous relationship. He also has a son, Jack, (named after his stepfather) from his first marriage to Joanne. Gahan's marriage to his second wife, Teresa, a former Depeche Mode publicist, lasted four years. Both Joanne (Gahan's teenage sweetheart), and Teresa can be seen in the 101
101 (album)
-Disc one:A Side# "Pimpf" – 0:58# "Behind the Wheel" – 5:55# "Strangelove" – 4:49# "Something to Do" – 3:54# "Blasphemous Rumours" – 5:09B Side# "Stripped" – 6:45# "Somebody" – 4:34...
documentary. Jennifer is featured in the "Suffer Well
Suffer Well
"Suffer Well" is the third single off the album Playing the Angel by Depeche Mode, and their forty-third single overall. It was released in the UK on 27 March 2006.It is the first Depeche Mode single whose lyrics are written by Dave Gahan...
" music video, once as the angel and once as herself.
Gahan is a recovering heroin addict. He has survived four brushes with death, living up to the nickname, "The Cat", that paramedics gave him during his roughest years in LA. In 1993, Gahan suffered a small heart-attack during a performance in New Orleans, leaving his bandmates to improvise an encore without him. His doctors advised him to take a break from the tour, but he refused. The second brush came when he attempted suicide by slashing his wrists in August 1995: “It was definitely a suicide attempt,” says Gahan. “But it was also a cry for help. I made sure there were people who might find me.”. On 28 May 1996, Gahan overdosed on a speedball
Speedball (drug)
Speedball is a term commonly referring to the hazardous intravenous use of heroin or morphine and cocaine together in the same syringe. The speedball can also be taken by insufflation. The original speedball used cocaine hydrochloride mixed with morphine sulfate, as opposed to heroin...
at the Sunset Marquis Hotel
Sunset Marquis Hotel
Sunset Marquis Hotel is a hotel in West Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California. Owned by George Rosenthal, and located at 1200 Alta Loma Road, it is situated just off the Sunset Strip, several hundred yards northeast of the Viper Room. Described by Time as "an old rock-"n"-roll hotel", it is...
in Los Angeles, which resulted in his heart stopping for two minutes until he was revived by paramedics. Gahan said of the experience, "All I saw and all I felt at first was complete darkness. I've never been in a space that was blacker, and I remember feeling that whatever it was I was doing, it was really wrong." He has also claimed he saw/heard his then-girlfriend, his current wife Jennifer, calling him back. The album Ultra was eventually released once Gahan had completed a spell in rehab.
On 12 May 2009, shortly before the band were due onstage in Athens, Greece for a concert on Depeche Mode's Tour of the Universe
Tour of the Universe (Depeche Mode Tour)
Tour of the Universe was a 2009/2010 worldwide concert tour by English electronic band Depeche Mode in support of the group's 12th studio album, Sounds of the Universe, which was released in April 2009....
, Gahan fell ill in his dressing room. He was rushed to hospital where it was confirmed that he was suffering from a bout of gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis is marked by severe inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract involving both the stomach and small intestine resulting in acute diarrhea and vomiting. It can be transferred by contact with contaminated food and water...
. A number of dates were either postponed or cancelled as further tests were conducted, revealing a low grade malignant tumour in his bladder. Gahan underwent an operation to successfully remove the tumour. After doctor-ordered time to fully recover, the tour resumed in Leipzig, Germany, on 8 June. Gahan later suffered a torn calf muscle while performing in Bilbao, Spain, on 9 July 2009, resulting in two further cancellations. After two-weeks break, he and Depeche Mode returned to the tour for their North American leg. While performing in Seattle on 10 August 2009 Gahan again suffered injury, this time straining his vocal cords. Doctors ordered Gahan on complete vocal rest, resulting in two more cancelled shows. The band returned to the stage in Los Angeles on 16 August. According to press and fan reports, Gahan is performing as well as ever, despite the string of health setbacks. Depeche Mode returned to perform in Latin America in October 2009. In October 2009, Depeche Mode performed at Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
without Gahan showing any signs of stress.
Discography
- Paper MonstersPaper MonstersPaper Monsters is the solo debut album by Depeche Mode lead singer Dave Gahan. It was released by Mute Records on June 2, 2003 in Europe. The album was produced by Ken Thomas, who is best known for his work with Icelandic band Sigur Rós...
(2003) - HourglassHourglass (Dave Gahan album)Hourglass is the second solo album by Depeche Mode's singer Dave Gahan. It was released by Mute Records on October 22, 2007 in Europe, and received generally favorable reviews...
(2007)