Depeche Mode Monday

Even though I've been up since four in the morning and my 401K is probably losing tons of value as our stock market continues to slide, I'm still a happy girl. You see, I got up this morning to watch a Depeche Mode press conference.

As I type, I'm on the phone with my sister and she's telling me how she got up to go work out at 5 AM. So, of course, I tell her that I got up at 4 AM to watch the press conference. Her response? "There's nobody I like that much to get up and watch anything of theirs."

I know, I sound a little crazy. I just told her I typed that I sound crazy and she says, "You do!" Well, I'm happy to enter a plea of total Depeche insanity!

If this is your first time visiting this blog, yes, yours truly is a huge Depeche Mode fan. They're in the 28th year of their musical career and I've been in love with them for 25 years. Given that, how could I not get up to watch their press conference?

The conference was in Berlin, Germany and was to announce their new tour, kicking off in Tel Aviv next May. I, clearly, am not in Germany so I could seriously kiss whichever tech geeks invented live streaming via the Internet. I wish I could embed the video but the Live Nation site won't let me. You want to see it? Go here!Indulge me while I tell you that the band members, my biracial brother, Martin Gore (on the left), Andrew "Fletch" Fletcher (middle) and Dave Gahan (on the right) looked very happy and seemed to be in such great spirits. They're also still very funny. The conference started out with the typical formal announcements of the tour and album, but the longer the Q & A went on, the more it descended into pure hilarity:

The laughter really began when a reporter asked about the name of the tour.

Czech Reporter: "What is the meaning of tour, Tour of the Universe title. Is there any mystery or something behind?"
Andrew Fletcher: "We have actually been told by some very important people in the US Military that we will be finding life from other planets so we wanna be the first group that actually goes there."
Dave Gahan: "We're just trying to keep all the options open, just in case."

And, my goodness, we think our press is incompetent here in the States... let me tell you, right after the band said they had no idea what the tour set lists will look like or what the background tour graphics will look like, Martin got asked what he's going to wear on tour. I was like, seriously? They just said they don't know about that stuff yet!

Reporter: The clothes you wear on stage are always something to look forward to. Have you already decided what it will be on next tour.
Dave Gahan (answering for Mart): Just thongs. We're just gonna wear thongs.
Martin: (laughing hysterically)
Dave: With some studs.
Martin: In fact, silver diamante.
Dave: His'll be silver of course, with some wings.
Fletch: Mine are baggy thongs.
Dave: And mine'll be black leather... tight.

And that's what that reporter gets! Sadly enough, the very next question was just as moronic.

Romanian TV News Channel Reporter: (You're playing) Bucharest again next year. I remember I fainted at your show, because of the heat of course. What do you remember about Bucharest?
Fletch: You sure it was the heat? It wasn't us looking so hot?

Dead silence from the reporter, which only made the band and the audience laugh harder. I guess she thought they were going to say, "Yes, we totally saw you faint three years ago and it was etched into our memories."

Seriously, the Romanians made themselves look even worse with the next question.

Romanian Magazine Reporter: We managed to build a huge banner for you at the concert in Bucharest. Do you remember the text on the banner?
Dave: Well, uh, there's a lot of banners. Could you just give us a little hint?
Reporter: Yes... it was a huge one.
The entire band (and a huge part of the crowd) loses it, laughing!
Dave: Well, that narrows it. Let me see... Another hint?

Goodness, I love those guys. And you know why? In a nutshell, because, they make fabulous music that touches my soul, they don't take themselves too seriously, and they rock the house in concert.

The record won't come out till April and then they're touring in Europe first, so it'll be awhile till they come to the States. That's alright because it gives me some more time to save up $$ for concert tickets. Obviously, I want to go to shows here in LA, but I also really want to go to the Chicago show with my sister so then she'll understand why I get up at four in the morning to watch them online.

I have no idea what ticket prices will be, but I'll admit I was getting all stressed out yesterday over how some folks on the Depeche Mode message board were talking about paying brokers $500 a piece for great seats here in Los Angeles. What the ham sandwich???

Look, I'm a fan but I don't have it like that! Not at all, and especially not in this economy. My kids need new clothes and food to eat more than I need to pay a grand for concert tickets.

The only way some great seats like that would happen for me is if one of y'all decides to be my sugar daddy or mommy and hooks a sistah up. "Gosh, I just love that Los Angelista's blog. I think I'll gift her with some Depeche Mode tickets just as a way of saying thanks for hours of reading pleasure!"

And, well, sniff, if that doesn't happen, I'm gonna have to be satisfied just being in the same venue that Depeche Mode's playing, even if I'm up in the rafters, watching the show with binoculars.

Anyway, I'm warning you now that you may hear me talking about Depeche Mode a lot in the next few months. Like, more than ever. I'm just excited. I can't help it. It's been a good three years since the last record and tour. So, new record, new tour... and the official website is being reworked. Lots of new stuff coming in the new year. (Hopefully for me as well as Depeche Mode!)

What about you? What band would you get up at four in the morning for? Depeche Mode, right?