Martin Gore
Martin Gore
Martin Lee Gore is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, producer, remixer, and DJ. He is a founding member of Depeche Mode and has written the majority of their songs. His work now spans over four decades. Gore's best-known compositions include hits such as "Personal Jesus", "Enjoy the Silence", "Stripped", "It's No Good", "In Your Room", "Strangelove", "I Feel You", "People Are People", "Precious", "A Question of Time", "Policy of Truth", "Everything Counts", "Behind the Wheel", "Shake the Disease", "Never Let...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionGuitarist
Date of Birth23 July 1961
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 even have nephews who make music, my daughter makes music. I don't know what advice to give them these days. It's really a tough industry to break into.
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.
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.
I find songwriting a really personal process, so I don't know if I would actually like to sit in a room with somebody else and write songs.
I feel like I'm making myself a lot more vulnerable when I'm writing songs. Doing cover versions is almost like being able to hide behind things.
I've got a really small studio set up at home. It's not like a big, old fashioned recording studio, it's just like a home set-up.
There are definite reference points to older Depeche Mode records.
I like the idea of doing cover versions. I think it's always interesting when people from bands because it shows people some of their influences.
If I had spent seven or eight months of last year in a studio working stupid studio hours, I wouldn't have seen my family for that whole period.
I don't think I ever worry too much about what our target audience is, what we should be releasing. I just write naturally and organically and try to write from the heart.
I like their darkness but I also like the pop-side of the Velvet Underground.
The majority of the time I'm at home with my family, I play football three times a week.
The only things we have to worry about are really stupid things...