Placebo

[Ass Turkey]

I like their music

but would have sex

with every member of the band

[Modern Method.]

gravedigger89 said:

I like their music

but would have sex

with every member of the band

Stefan Olsdal is my ultimate dream! haha

I have at least 600 pictures of him saved on my computer.

*sigh*

[ghosts of joy]

I've never thought of any of the members like that. Brian is definitely a sexual creature, but I would never...

One of my best friends, though... oh, she'd eat him up in less than a second.

[Modern Method.]

I see Brian more as my idol. But Stefan is my 6'4 Swedish God! lol

[Modern Method.]

Larry Nichols from the Philadelphia Gay News adds to the wealth of interviews flowing out from America during the Projekt Revolution tour. Bass player, Stefan Olsdal, talks about touring with such bands, the gay community and taking a break after September to recharge their creative batteries.

Placebo administer ‘Meds’ to the Projekt Revolution tour
August 17, 2007

The members of Placebo want you to know that they would like to be huge in America. And they just might achieve that goal soon.

Placebo, like many U.K.-based rock and pop acts who are insanely popular in most of the Western world but only marginally famous here, are trying to figure out the formula to American blockbuster success so they can cut in the line ahead of acts like Robbie Williams, Oasis and Blur, all of whom have spent the better part of the last decade in a holding pattern here.

But Placebo isn’t a band content to rest on its collective laurels. Given that the band has a dedicated following all over the world, they’ve been on the road almost constantly since their album “Meds” came out in early 2006.

Placebo’s openly gay bass player, Stefan Olsdal, said the band doesn’t mind the grueling amounts of traveling and performing.

“The world is a big place and we don’t want to miss out on any part of it,” he said. “Hence our long tour schedules. We’re a year-and-a-half into touring for ‘Meds.’ It’s taken us to China, South Korea, Australia, all over Latin America, Central America, the States and all over Europe. We’re really hitting as much of the world as possible. We feel with this album, we had a bit more of a chance because we had a couple tracks on a couple of TV shows [i.e. ‘Queer as Folk’] that have raised our profile, along with our cover version of ‘Running Up That Hill’ by Kate Bush. It just seems to be more ammunition for us to work on.”

Olsdal said that although Placebo isn’t household name here like it is in other countries, their American fans have been very loyal.

“We’re more of a cult band here,” he said. “One of the stronger followings for Placebo is the gay community. That’s been really supportive.”

The band has been focusing on breaking through to a wider American audience with this tour. To bolster this effort, Placebo has put together a new EP, the recently released “Extended Play ’07,” featuring a handful of studio and live versions of the hits to give new and old fans alike an audio crash course in the band’s 10-year history.

“We’ve been coming here for every album that’s been released since 1996,” Olsdal said. “For this album, this is the third time in nine months. We’re giving it a good shot. We’re putting the hours in. Sometimes all you need is a lucky break, that one song that is going to break you on the radio.”

Part of that effort to break out finds Placebo stepping out of the comfort zone of their own headlining shows and teaming up with different bands on the package-tour circuit. The band is in the middle of a run of U.S. shows as part of the Projekt Revolution Tour, which pulls into town Aug. 25 at Camden’s Tweeter Center and features modern-rock heavyweights like Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, H.I.M., Taking Back Sunday and others on the day-long concert bill.

“Linkin Park asked us,” Olsdal said of how Placebo came to be on the tour. “There’s been some stuff in the press about them and My Chemical Romance being big into Placebo. I think they like us.”

The package tours that make the rounds every summer tend to be male- dominated, testosterone- laden affairs casting the widest net possible in the genres of arena rock, country or heavy metal. Projekt Revolution, even with its high hipster factor and more that a few guys on stage wearing women’s jeans, eyeliner and product in their hair, is still, at its core, like every other big-budget package tour on the scene.

That fact isn’t lost on a band like Placebo whose members are very open about their sexuality and whose musical style is very eclectic (considering the chances anyone else on this tour having a Kate Bush cover in their repertoire is 1,000-to-one).

“We kind of stick out like a sore thumb,” Olsdal said. “First of all, we’re from Europe and half this band is gay.” (Of the other band members, vocalist Brian Molko is bisexual and drummer Steve Hewitt is heterosexual.)

Olsdal said that with their extensive catalog of songs, the band is more than up to the challenge of taming and winning over the average big American rock audience and plans to bring out the big guns on this tour.

“The kind of music on this tour is hard, almost metal in some places,” he said. “That kind of audience, you have to hit them with a big slab of rock. We changed our set to accommodate this kind of audience. We play the more guitar-heavy tracks. Two weeks into the tour, we feel that we’re starting to make a bit of a dent and get the attention of the predominantly rock crowd.”

Olsdal also said that, on a tour with so many mainstream and radio-friendly rock acts, their sexuality and androgynous image aren’t an issue with the people behind the scenes.

“The vibe backstage is great,” he said. “There’s no homophobia. In the music industry, it’s very common. There’s been nothing but a great vibe backstage and homosexuality has not been an issue or come up.”

Placebo is used to playing stages of all sizes — from the intimate theaters and club shows of their recent American tours to the massive stages of the music festivals in Europe. Olsdal said that when it comes to putting on a show, each setting has its unique advantages and challenges and he finds it hard to pick one over the other as a favorite.

“They’re different,” he said. “What we have to do now is play to the guys that are sitting almost half a mile away from the stage. You basically have to project a lot more. There’s a lot of drama and acting that comes into the whole thing to make your actions and your sounds a little bit larger than life in order for it to reach everyone. It’s a more physical show when you play a tour like this. Whereas, when it’s a club show, it’s dark, you have more control over the sound and the lights and you can also afford to be a bit more adventurous in the selection of songs. We like to mix it up and play more of the slower and downbeat tracks.”

After the Projekt Revolution Tour, the band plans to head home to the U.K. to recharge and regroup.

“This is the last leg of the ‘Meds’ tour,” Olsdal said. “We finish in September and then we take a break. We’re going to need to get away from this touring situation for us to get some new experiences and to get away from this bubble to get inspired.”

[Modern Method.]

Back in April, Brian Molko did a phone interview with smitten Ryan Hamilton of Texan band Smile Smile. Suckerlove has discovered that the lads reunited for a second and more lengthy phone interview and one of particular interest to our visitors. This time around, the guys got much more in-depth, talking about the ’80s, disco, Henry Rollins, the Iraq war and homosexuality. We finally get to hear a decent length conversation with Brain and his opinion on the Lithuania ‘incident’ and much more. To listen to the interview, go here:

blahblahblah.beloblog.com/archives/2007/08/ryan_vs_brian_pt_2.html

[stef19]

Thanks for the interviews andy! and back on this subject

gravedigger89 said:

I like their music

but would have sex

with every member of the band

I would totally do Brain!!then Stefan, if he'd have me lol and Steve...I don't know... he just doesn't do it for me...not sure why.

[Modern Method.]

Oh no, Steve does do it for me, just to a lesser degree.

[dupacrash]

looks like i'm going to see them in a few weeks during the project revolution tour. my sister works for a local tv station and can get me free tickets.

[Modern Method.]

^^ You lucky so and so!

You're in for a very big treat!

[Mysteron]

ive been playing 'Spite & Malice' and 'Post Blue' a lot the past few days, great tunes!

[Modern Method.]

i ADORE 'Spite and Malice'. Such great lyrics and an amazing rythmn. A great blend of rock and rap.

[Mysteron]

andy said:

i ADORE 'Spite and Malice'. Such great lyrics and an amazing rythmn. A great blend of rock and rap.

very true!

[Modern Method.]

Placebo's set from their Projekt Revolution show at the Detroit DTE Music Centre on Wednesday 22nd August will be streamed live on MySpace, this is going to be available worldwide to view at 5.15pm (EST). Check out www.myspace.com or www.placeboworld.co.uk for further details.

For those attending the show be sure to show the boys some love.
Show them how much we love them and want them to continue touring the U.S.

[Modern Method.]

If you're hitting up Projekt Revolution, be sure to text any of your
Placebo praise to "96035" and you'll see your messages displayed
on the jumbo trons at the fest

[Modern Method.]

New pics uploaded! Go have a look-see...

www.placeboworld.co.uk/archive/projrevg_2007.html

[Modern Method.]

Placebo are currently being featured on Myspace's 'behind the scenes' section.

Nice little vid here:

vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=10289046

[Modern Method.]

Brian Molko speaks with Paul Maldonado of the Albuquerque Tribune.

Even before releasing its fifth studio album, ¡°Meds,¡± in April 2006, the members of the British trio Placebo ¡ª Brian Molko on vocals and guitar, bassist Stefan Olsdal and drummer Steve Hewitt ¡ª had been out on the road. And since the record came out, they¡¯ve put a heavy concentration on the Americas.

The band has been trying to break in the United States since forming 10 years ago. It gained a foothold with 2003¡¯s ¡°Sleeping With Ghosts.¡± For ¡°Meds,¡± the band ditched the synths and went with the basics ¡ª guitar, bass, drums. But its brand of Euro-rock ¡®n¡¯ roll didn¡¯t lose any of its passion or bombast.

And hewing to that fine U.S. marketing tradition, the band¡¯s label, Virgin Records, re-released ¡°Meds¡± in December with three ¡°bonus¡± tracks, including a cover version of Kate Bush¡¯s ¡°Running Up That Hill.¡±

All this set Placebo up for its biggest U.S. show to date ¡ª Sunday night at the Coachella Music Fest, where an incendiary performance enhanced its reputation while garnering beaucoup fans.


The group is on Linkin Park¡¯s ¡°Projekt Revolution 2007¡å tour ¡ª 29 shows in 40 days ¡ª which comes to an end Labor Day at a shed outside Denver.

Molko, 34, called The Tribune from Sacramento during a day off from the tour. He comes across as soft-spoken, with a not-too-thick British accent. In fact, he says he has a hard time understanding my accent more then once.

Tribune: Hey, Brian, how¡¯s it going? Enjoying your day off?

Molko: It¡¯s an off day (laughs), but I have three interviews today. You¡¯re my second.

Tribune: My son told me to be sure to catch your show at Coachella. I¡¯m glad I did; it was great.

Molko: We had a great time at Coachella. It was our first American festival ever. What a way to start, huh? We had a fantastic time.

Tribune: What kind of fan base do you have in America?

Molko: We¡¯ve toured the U.S. extensively during the past 10 years, but we¡¯re not quite above a cult following here. Which is perfectly fine with me.

Tribune: Do you like coming to the U.S.?

Molko: We have a tendency, as a band, to go anywhere to play for any number of people. We¡¯ve toured Eastern Europe extensively and gone to places other bands wouldn¡¯t even think of.

For us, it isn¡¯t so much . . . or always about the money; the music comes first. We¡¯re taking our music to the people.

Tribune: Why do you think you haven¡¯t broken in the States?

Molko: I think it¡¯s because we have a very European sensibility, really; we¡¯ve spent all our lives there, grew up there.

Sure we¡¯ve been influenced by the Pixies, Sonic Youth, Jane¡¯s Addiction . . . to name a few. But we¡¯ve no constant presence in the U.S. We¡¯re not readily identifiable in America.

We didn¡¯t grow up here; we weren¡¯t listening to Journey on the radio growing up. I think it¡¯s just a question of geography, really.

Tribune: How would you describe your music?

Molko: That¡¯s a difficult question. When I started the band more than a decade ago, I had this idea of it being a cross between Sonic Youth and P.J. Harvey. So there, you have some idea of where I¡¯m coming from.

But I don¡¯t think about it, really; the music is what it is. I¡¯m not settled on a specific identification, (because) that leads to self-censorship. Like I can¡¯t pick up a tuba for our next album ¡¯cause we¡¯re a ¡°rock¡± band?

Tribune: Do you have any new music coming out anytime soon?

Molko: It¡¯s going to be a little while before we put out another record (laughs). We¡¯ve been on the road over 18 months now. I think we¡¯ve had too much exposure to our own music (laughs).

Tribune: Virgin sent me a copy of the ¡°Extended Play ¡®07¡å EP. (The eight-song disc features tunes from each of the band¡¯s five studio albums, including three previously unreleased live tracks.) Is that just a stopgap?

Molko: It¡¯s just a little something for our fans . . . for the time being.

Tribune: Do you guys write on the road?

Molko: We used to during sound check. But we¡¯ve been doing mainly festivals lately, so we don¡¯t do many sound checks now. We have a great crew who know what to do to make us sound great live. We do have more ¡°daily time,¡± though (laughs).

Tribune: Which do you prefer: festivals or your own gigs?

Molko: I like things about our own (tours) more ¡ª artistically and on a more satisfying level. At our shows, we¡¯re preaching to the converted. Festival shows are fast; they can be like being on a converter (sic) belt.

But it¡¯s a great thing, a day in the park. We get to spend lots of time with interesting people ¡ª musicians ¡ª people you admire. I know some people are going to think I¡¯m crazy, but I¡¯m serious; I really am. We get to make friends with other bands.

Tribune: Why did Placebo agree to be on the Projekt Revolution tour?

Molko: I think of it as a way for us to gain some new fans, absolutely. If we turn just one person on to our music and they share it with their friends, that¡¯s good for us; we¡¯ve done our job.

Tribune: What¡¯s been the reception, so far? (Placebo is second on the main stage, between Julien-K and H.I.M.)

Molko: The Linkin Park crowd is a hard bunch (nervous laughter). They¡¯re there to see Linkin Park. We have to convince them, bring them to our side. But it¡¯s a good thing; it makes us a better band.

Tribune: Any regrets for going on this tour?

Molko: There have been some tough crowds. Like I said, they¡¯re not really there to see us. We just have to try to win them over.

But backstage is really cool. There¡¯s no problems; there¡¯s no egos. It¡¯s a really, really positive vibe.

Tribune: What¡¯s your favorite song to to do live?

Molko: When we do our own shows, we do a more experimental rock encore, more ¡°space rock.¡± I mean there actually are some ¡°songs¡± in all that noise (laughs). But at the moment, there¡¯s ¡°Twenty Years¡± and ¡°Running Up That Hill.¡±

Tribune: What¡¯s next after this, your own tour?

Molko: Nothing at the end of this tour (laughs). We¡¯ve been going on two years on the road. I think it¡¯s time to go home.

[scottishgarbagefan]

Shoulders, toes and knees....

[ALTERNAT1VE]

andy said:

Brian Molko speaks with Paul Maldonado of the Albuquerque Tribune.

Tribune: What¡¯s your favorite song to to do live?

Molko: When we do our own shows, we do a more experimental rock encore, more ¡°space rock.¡± I mean there actually are some ¡°songs¡± in all that noise (laughs). But at the moment, there¡¯s ¡°Twenty Years¡± and ¡°Running Up That Hill.¡±

Those are my two favourites