Sucker love....Well, I'm getting better at HTML (slowly). Here are some placebo pics (there will be more soon, and some info/interviews etc.... enjoy!!
Brain Molko TalksPlacebo is a hard-rocking trio from London taht's been making the scene in the UK. WIth their recent eponymous release on Caroline Records/Elevator Music, they're hoping to break this side of the big pond. Brian Molko, celebrated "androgyne" who's taken gender-bending to the breaking point, spoke with Request Line editor Hans Eisenbeis at the tail end of their major US tour in support of Weezer. This is your second tour of the US. How are you like it? I'm really enjoying it. I like playing over here, I like traveling around America. It's good because we're still a breaking band here, it's another challenge, and we have to put in the effort. ANd we can't rest on our laurels. I saw you on your first, really short tour. You playedh ere on a MOnday night, and it was pretty quiet. Do you get a pretty mixed bag in terms of crowds, depending on what city you're playing, and when? Yeah, we do. But now warming up for Weezer, they must be all sold-out shows, right? Yeah, they are selling out. You know their audience is filled with kids. When you saw us, we were still playing the set that we were playing in France, and that was a set designed for our fans. The first couple of gigs [on this tour] didn't really work that well, so we changed the set around to something much more punky. We decided to sort of blow their heads off, as opposed to trying to seduce them. They were just standing there waiting to mosh and hear "Buddy Holly". So we proceeded to knock peoples' heads off by playing adrenaline-fueled punk. And it ended up working. What's been the high point on the tour? To be honest, one gig in one town starts to kind of melt into the last one. Montreal was pretty good. Probably Cleveland was pretty amazing too. Boston was filled with frat boys, it was quite disconcerting. How do you describe your band to someone who hasn't heard it before? This month, I call it "Glam-Sex-Punk with a melodic twist." Are you working on any new material? Yeah, we've been writing new material. And we've been playing quite a bit of it in the set. We have a backlog of ideas, but also a whole bunch of fresh new ones. I'd say we have a lot of the next album already written. It's just when are we going to actually get the chance to put the finishing touches on it, and also get a chance to record it. We ahve a very low boredom threshold, which forces us to be prolific. Which is a good thing, I guess. So when can we expect album number two? Well, I'm not sure. It doesn't seem that we're going to have a great deal of time to record it until next summer. I really don't know, I'm asking myself that question as well. I'd like to get it out as quickly as possible, really. I gues smarketing comes into it, stuff that we musicians don't understand and don't give a fuck about. As soon as we get the time, then it will get done, and I'm pushing for as soon as possible, really. You replaced your drummer recently. What's up with that? Well, let's just say that Robert and I always had a lot of personal problems with each other, and it had reached a point where we just could not be in a band anymore, let alone in the same room together for more than five minutes. Is Placebo really jsut Brian Molko, and the other players are interchangeable? No, that's absolutely not true. Quite the opposite, actually. We've never operated internally that way, it's very much a coming together of equals. People put a lot of focus on singers, which is partly down to you journalists out there. Not partly, mostly. So I have no control over what people say and write about me, or how they will interpret me as a person. You just have to get on with it really. Like the other guys don't like doing interviews, so I do the interviews, so I come across as the mouthpiece, even though I'm not really. On an idea level, it's very much spread across the board. You can't blame the press for attaching such significant interest to you, though. Maybe not, because I'm quite colorful, that's quite natural (laughing). We feel very strongly about our personal relationships, we feel very secure, so it doesn't really matter that sometimes the focus is on me more than them. And it means when I've got an entire day of interviews they can go shopping. Bastards. What's the difference between the UK and the US music scenes, why do some bands do so well there and nothing here, and vice versa? I really don't know. I think the bands that are quintessentially british have a harder time over here which is completely understandable, really. Because it's a very insular attitude to have. Sometimes the British sort of feel like they invented rock'n'roll, that some of the most significant bands have come out of Britain, so therefore it carries a certain arrogance with it. But I feel very detached from that, because we're a bit more cosmopolitan, maybe too cosmopolitan for our own good. Where do you think the Brits are now, in terms of music trends? Have you heard of a band called Kula Shaker? Fucking hell, I hate Kula Shaker. Kula Shaker and us tied for a competition once in the UK for the best unsigned band in Britain. You couldn't have found two bands that are more different. Yeah, we finally found a Blur to our Oasis (laughs). I have no problem with speaking my mind about them. Frank Zappa said you have to be a tasteful thief; they suffer fromt hieving with bad taste. Anybody who has good taste knows that if you're going to steal from the Beatles, you steal from John Lennon, not from George Harrison. And if you're going to steal from Pink Floyd, you steal from Sid Barrett, not from fucking Dave Gilmore. I think that's their problem, and part of the reason why I detest them. What do you think about all the sexual speculation about you as an "androgyne"? I have no problem with that. To a certain degree, I am. It is who I am, as a person. I feel very comfortable with the way I look, and I feel very comfortable with the kind of confusion that it creates in people's minds. A certain sense of unsureness about me. Which I think is positive, because it's very much a part of what we're about as a band. Our thing is to blow away a lot of preconceptions people have, and not offer any answers, but just ask more questions. Play with people's heads on what you would call a gender-bending level. I believe very strongly that when it comes to desire, when it comes to attraction that things are never black and white, things are very much shades of grey, and that sexuality is something that is a lot more fluid and in flux than a lot of people think. People who disagree with me, I would probably class as being very repressed. You know, it's the end of the millennium and these things are blurring, and I think that's a positive thing.
BIOS AND INFORMATION
BRIAN MOLKO
NAME: Brian Molko: 
(brian's signature)====> DATE OF BIRTH:10th December 1972 INSTRUMENT(S): Guitars, Bass, and Voice. Brian Molko as born to American and Scottish parents on 10th December 1972. Brian's father was an international banker, which meant that Brian had to do a lot of travelling when he was young, going to places such as Luxembourg, where he stayed to go to a private American School. Stefan Olsdal (soon to be placebo's other guitarist) also went to this School, but they didn't know each other, as Stefan was in with a different crowd, where as Brian was actually in with a less popular crowd. At the age of 11, Brian started to train as an actor. By the time Brian was 17, he decided to leave and go to a Drama Course in London. His father wanted him to follow him a career in banking, but Brian didn't want to. He decided that make-up, nail polish, long hair and a guitar was a good career path to take - and boy is he right! Brian Molko says that he is "Incredibly paranoid", he was so unprepared for fame, that his phone number was in the phone book. After getting fans calling all day, and death threats, he decided to move! Brian and Stefan used to collect prostitute advertisement cards, and at one time, Stefan and Brian were going to decorate the whole bathroom wall with the cards, and put a fake mobile phone above the toilette roll! His favourite colour nailvarnish's are; "she" (coppergold) from Germany and his other favourite, Stargazer has been discontinued. Brian is also "un-hip with technology", and didn't know the address to the official Placebo site when asked on radio 1! Steve (Placebo's drummer) used to be in a band called "Breed". Brian and Stefan watched them a lot, and that inspired them to start a band. Brian also admits to being vain, but I think just about every-one in theatre and on stage is. He has worn make-up since he was about 11, just in plays, but has been dressing like a queen for the last few years. Brian has also found a spot in a film called "Velvet Goldmine", and is available on Video and DVD. The film is based on Glam rock after the Swinging 60's period. Brian's advice for focusing on stage is firstly; putting on the makeup. This gives you the atmosphere and mood. Also one or two LARGE Jack Daniels and Coke! Before and after going on stage Placebo always "Group Hug" Brian Molko adds a unique look to Placebo, which probably makes the band so different to all the others.
PLACEBO BIOGRAPHY.Placebo are a three man band. They are:
The word Placebo: How The band Placebo use the word: Placebo means "We Will Please" in Latin. Placebo have said in recent interviews that there is no hidden meaning to "Placebo", but the Latin word. What you will find in an Encyclopaedia-[PLA-SEE-BO]- An inactive substance as a drug given to a patient, who may benefit from the belief that the drug is active. Because patients can improve under this illusion... This is an extract from an encyclopaedia, basically saying that a placebo is a pill/drug with nothing in it. The patients are led to believe that it makes them feel better. So, Placebo are just an fake drug, so, why don't you sit back and swallow a whole dose of; PURE PLACEBO. THE BAND PLACEBO: Placebo are a three man band, who are "50% Gay". Brian is Bisexual, Stefan is Homosexual, and Steve is Heterosexual (straight). They formed up by Brian meeting Stefan (who he went to the same school in Luxembourg with - see Brian's bio) by chance in London at a tube station. Shortly after, Stefan went and watched Brian Molko play his guitar, and they both decided to form a band. All they needed was a drummer, so Stefan introduced Brian to Robert Schultzberg. Although Robert was their Drummer, It was actually Steve Hewitt (their current drummer) who played on Placebo's original Demos, but he couldn't become a full time drummer due to other commitments. Robert stayed in the band between 1994 - 1996. Then, Placebo ditched Robert and picked up Steve in 1996. Placebo got their record deal in late '95. They released one single with Fierce Panda (Bruise Pristine 7") then went to Hut records (Virgin). So far, Placebo have released two albums, The self titled "Placebo", and "Without You I'm Nothing", along with 11 Official Singles. The highest Chart Position was number 4, this was Pure Mourning. The next highest place was 11 (Every you, Every me). Placebo have recently hitched up with David Bowie, ever since they sang "20th Century Boy"-live together. Bowie is on Placebo's latest release "Without You I'm Nothing"
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Brain's got a secret.....
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What a babe!! Umm.. wait a sec!!
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The guys....
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