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Alan Charles Wilder was born
in 01.06.59 in London. Actually, he is the only member (ex-member) of Depeche
Mode who has learned playing piano. He has join DM in 1982, after Vince
Clarke decided to start his new project. There was an advertisement
in a newspaper that says : "Group needs a keyboard-player". So they have
started there... From 1983 until 1993 Alan was on keyboards and was in
charge for technical side and effects, rarely playing drums, but in 1993's
album "Songs of Faith & Devotion" the main part of live-played drums
and percussion was taking by Alan. In addition, Alan had wrote several
songs for DM' albums, like "Get the Balance Right" ('83), "Work Hard" ('83),
"And Then..." ('83), "If You Want" ('84) and others.Like it said in interview
from 1984: "When I joined Depeche Mode, I didn't like their music at all",
says Alan Wilder surprisingly. "Martin, Dave and Andy were really nice
fellows, so I decided to stick with them for a few months, I've never had
any regrets." Depeche Mode's most recent gain tells about himself...
Q: You're the quiet guy in Depeche
Mode, Alan. Are you in private like this too ?
A: Actualy I am. I was born
in Acton in West-London. The youth isn't so rebellion there like in Basildon,
where the others come from. My parents weren't rich nor poor. In school
I mostly stayed in the background.
Q: Were you a gifted student
?
A: I was doing quite good, but
I wasn't interested in most of the subject-matter. I only found music and
languages to be absorbing, but I really hated the piano-lessons my parents
obliged me too.
Q: Wasn't music in your blood
then ?
A: It was sort of a familymatter.
My parents wanted their kids to have a musical education. My one brother
is a pianist and accompanies all kinds of singers, the other teaches music
in Finland.
Q: Did you ever have any other
jobs ?
A: No, after school I was unemployed
all the time. My parents advised me to apply to recordingstudio's. I think
I got rejected about 40 times. In the DJM-studio's I finally got a job
as a thee-guy. Not very exciting, but I did get the chance to meet my idols
of that time, The Rubettes (laughs).
Q: Did you play in any groups
at that time ?
A: Yes, I played in a little
soft-rock-band wich was called The Dragons. I moved to Bristol to get the
chance to rehearse more. After that I played in several jazz- and blues
bands. Until I read an ad in the paper back in 1982. A famous group were
looking for a keyboardplayer who was younger than 21. They were Martin,
Dave and Andy who just lost Vince Clark. I was 22 but after a white lie,
they took me.
Q: How would you describe your
task in Depeche Mode ?
A: I am, musically, certainly
the most experienced DM-member. I'm also their confidential agent. If either
one of them has any problems, he mostly comes to me. This however doesn't
mean I'm the boss of the group. I'm just a little to sensitive for that.
Martin Gore is the one in charge.
Q: Your haircut is at the least
to call "striking". Who's responsible for that ?
A: My girlfriend Jeri. She isn't
only the mother of my child, but also a great hairdresser. Every morning
she spends 20 minutes to get my hair fixed. It takes a whole bottle of
hairspray.
Q: What are your other interests
?
A: Photography. It started as
a hobby and it's now a real passion. On tour I hardly do anything else
on the bus. I even recorded our American tour on video, which won't ever
appear in any cinema, I'm afraid...
About 1989 Alan has started
his own musical project called "Recoil". When "Devotional Tour" has ended,
Alan decided to leave Depeche Mode, explaining this by being tired of many
tours and many other problems, he said: "Due to increasing dissatisfaction
with the internal relations and working practices of the group, it is with
some sadness that I have decided to part company from Depeche Mode." From
1995 Depeche Mode has only three members. Some current information you
can find on Recoil Site
.
