Andy Fletcher, one of the founders of Depeche Mode has passed away on May 26th, 2022. He was 60 years old.
Depeche Mode was a seminal band for me in my late teens, early twenties. The albums “Violator”, “Speak And Spell”, “Black Celebration” were favourites, especially the last, eponymous “Black Celebration”, with Violator’s “Personal Jesus” being another dance floor thing that let me sweat out frustrations like not much else. The song, “Fly On The Windscreen” was another one you could get lost in. “Enjoy the Silence” was virtually everyone’s favourite song, it seemed. We sang along while we danced, anyway. There was always a rush for the dance floor when “Master And Servant” came on, of course. :-)
Depeche Mode did things with sounds and samples that, at the time, I’d never heard before, and got me eventually into darker, heavier music, like Industrial. Loops, background soundscapes that built up the environment of the piece, set the tone for what was to come. I loved it.
We’d go to the Die Maschine, our local Goth/Industrial club, dressed in black, leather and PVC, silver studs all over our clothing, black eyeliner, Punk hair, ears throbbing to the pounding beat of Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Bauhaus, Wumpscut, Skinny Puppy, Numb, The Cure, Front Line Assembly, Assemblage 23, Icon Of Coil, Dead Can Dance, Switchblade Symphony… and Depeche Mode. Folks would chatter about the next albums coming out, who was gonna go to the next concert—always in Toronto, or Minneapolis, or as far away as Montreal, never in Winnipeg, where we were, because the bands NEVER came to us, then, except for maybe Skinny Puppy, when they were starting out. Those of us with money—not many, to be honest—always had to travel. Most of us in the scene were University students, so money? Damned-near mythical, except what was dribbled away for rent and the ramen noodles we all lived on.
To be frank, I don’t know much about the members of the bands I listened to, certainly didn’t know many of their names. I didn’t follow them as closely as many of my more fanatical friends did. They had more money than I did and could actually buy the CD’s and tapes. I recorded what I could on audio tape (I have over a hundred tapes in a crate at home) off of the college radio so I at least had something to listen to. Most of what I knew came from my $2 cover a night stints on Saturdays at Die Maschine, the times I’d hang out with buddies, and the few CD’s I’d manage to find at the pawn shop for cheap when I had a few extra bucks.
I was the original “Po’ Goth-Punk boi”. LOL
But, I did eventually build up a smallish collection over time of CD’S and tapes of my favourites, and Depeche Mode were definitely in the Top 20.
I’m an old Goth/Industrial guy, and we’re not supposed to die. We’re supposed to just put on more make up! (Old Goth joke) But, I’ll miss Mr. Fletcher, sometimes known as “Fletch” to his friends. There wasn’t a cause of death given, and I’ll respect that. Sad that he was only six years older than me, though. Kinda scary, actually.
I’ll end off this short, if thin, tribute to the Fletch with some of my favourite songs by the band: