Martin Gore Quotes

I didn’t write songs for a very long time.

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

I love being in the studio. If I’m at home, I will go to the studio pretty much every day anyway. It’s just something that I like to do.

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.

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

I tend to like songs that are very emotional, that strike a chord with me emotionally.

It was so exciting to go to the record shop and buy a piece of vinyl and hold it, read the liner notes, look at the pictures. Even the smell of the vinyl.

Our music over the years has been very cinematic. It’s surprising we never really got into film soundtracks.

I’ve not worn a dress since about 1985. It always amazes me how there is still a fascination for it in England. The rest of the world doesn’t seem to care. I’m not sure whether they don’t remember or whether they’ve just moved on from it. I was brought up in the glam era.

I don’t write poems and put them to music. Just let things flow.

There’s something insane about this business – about the cycle of making albums and going on tour to promote them.

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.

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 think being in a band is probably the only job when you’re actively encouraged to be out of it most of the time.

Songwriting is a mysterious art. When I sit down to write a song, the end result should be mysterious and have this dark quality.

Anything that I write comes from the soul.

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

There haven’t been many credible electronic covers records.

Technology is a bit of a double-edged sword. Used right, it’s a wonderful tool, but unfortunately, it makes it easier for a lot of mediocre people to get really crappy ideas out.

I find it odd seeing a DJ playing to huge audiences. I know that people have been doing it for a while, but the fact that it’s been embraced so much in America now and it’s become like this new, big thing, I find it slightly odd.

I sit down and create atmospheres, start playing guitar or piano and just sing whatever comes out of my mouth.

I wasn’t ever a massive David Essex fan, but I liked a few of his tracks, and Stardust was one of them.

I like their darkness but I also like the pop-side of the Velvet Underground.

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

I loathe the idea of going onstage in a T-shirt and jeans.

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

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.

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.

I’m not particularly prolific.

Record covers helped me discover a lot of music that I wasn’t aware of.