Podcast Summary: Ongoing History of New Music

Episode: Introducing "Uncharted": Depeche Mode and the Debauched Devotional Tour
Host: Alan Cross (Curiouscast)
Release Date: December 24, 2025

Episode Overview

This special crossover episode features Alan Cross introducing "Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry," focusing on the notorious 1993-94 Devotional Tour by Depeche Mode. Framed as "the most debauched rock tour ever," Cross unpacks the wild excesses, personal tragedies, and near-fatal moments that plagued this pivotal moment in the band's history. Drawing from band interviews, news coverage, and his signature storytelling, Cross reveals how Depeche Mode’s internal strife, addiction, and mental health crises nearly destroyed the band at the height of their fame.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Scene: The Wildest Rock Tours (02:00–04:14)

• Alan Cross contextualizes Depeche Mode’s Devotional Tour by referencing other infamously chaotic tours (Led Zeppelin, Ozzy Osbourne, ZZ Top, Sex Pistols).
• The Devotional Tour stands out due to the self-inflicted excess and near-death experiences of its members.
• Quote

  "It was a tour featuring so much alcohol, so many drugs, and so much stupid behavior that members suffered heart attacks, seizures, serious mental illness and overdoses so severe that one member was clinically dead for two minutes."
  — Alan Cross (03:00)

2. Depeche Mode’s Rise: From Synthpop to Superstardom (04:33–09:32)

• The band formed between 1977 and 1980, breaking through with "Music for the Masses" (1987) and "Violator" (1990).
• Massive US appeal is exemplified by the 1990 "Warehouse Riot" autograph event in LA, which turned violent when crowds overwhelmed security.
• News and firsthand accounts of the chaos (06:17–09:09).
• Quote

  "By the time Depeche Mode arrived on the scene, more than 5,000 fans were on hand... Bricks and rocks and bottles started flying."
  — Alan Cross (09:32)

3. Post-Fame Struggles: Dysfunction and Personal Demons (09:32–15:48)

• Fame led to intense pressure and fragmentation within the band.
  • Alan Wilder felt his musical contributions were undervalued.
  • Andy Fletcher struggled with OCD, anxiety, depression, and post-fame stress.
  • Martin Gore coped through heavy partying and video games, revealing possible autism traits.
  • Dave Gahan dove into LA’s rock star lifestyle, developing heroin and cocaine addictions and erratic behavior.
• Relationships within the band grew toxic, with members often avoiding each other.

4. Making "Songs of Faith and Devotion"—Chaos in the Studio (15:53–17:40)

• The album was difficult, marked by:
  • Little pre-production and frequent fights.
  • Dave Gahan often absent or incapacitated due to drugs.
  • Alan Wilder and Andy Fletcher both edging toward leaving or breakdown.
• Despite turmoil, the album was completed and plans for a massive tour began.

5. The Devotional Tour—Excess on the Road (18:41–34:39)

Tour Launched (18:41)

• Began May 19, 1993, in France; planned to cover 158 dates, 27 countries, 100,000 miles.
• The entourage included a psychiatrist and a personal "drug-sourcing guy."

Hedonism & Infighting (19:52–22:00)

• Luxurious hotels, endless wild parties, and rampant drug use insulated the band from reality.
• Gahan’s drug use escalated: rumors of a vampire phase and reportedly shocking fellow party-hard band Primal Scream.
• Quote

  "Dave did more drugs, more coke, ecstasy, heroin and alcohol than all of Primal Scream combined. And that is saying something."
  — Alan Cross, quoting Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream) (21:44)

Meltdowns & Medical Emergencies

• Dave Gahan: Multiple overdoses, required cortisone shots, arrested after hotel brawls.
  • In New Orleans, he overdosed backstage, missing the encore (24:05).
  • Weighed less than 100 pounds by summer 1994 and needed a roadie to recruit backstage party guests.
  • Quote

    "I overdosed. I had a heart attack. While all the paramedics rushed me off to the hospital, I heard the song Death's Door in the background."
    — Dave Gahan (24:22)

• Martin Gore: Heavy drinking led to panic attacks and seizures, one so severe it struck during a business meeting in LA.
• Andy Fletcher: Suffered a nervous breakdown, hospitalized for a month, missed the second tour leg.
• Alan Wilder: Suffered a kidney stone attack and a horrifying near-miss with a falling RAF jet post-tour—both pushing him toward quitting the band.
• Gore and Gahan wanted to extend the tour for more money, but the others refused.

6. Aftermath: The Band Falls Apart (34:39–39:03)

• When the tour ended, band members lost touch and retreated into personal chaos.
• Gahan descended further: increasing suicidal tendencies, criminal behavior, and total alienation.
  • Multiple failed suicide attempts and increasing paranoia (carrying a gun, withdrawing from reality).
  • Lost everything in a home robbery after leaving rehab.
• Alan Wilder quits Depeche Mode, citing a lack of respect and creative imbalance (36:36).

7. Rock Bottom: Near-Death, Recovery and Survival (31:03–37:45)

• Gahan describes the hopeless cycle of addiction and the "comfort in misery."
• Quote

  "It's almost like being comfortable in your own misery... I'd forgotten what it was like to just feel okay."
  — Dave Gahan (31:03)

• May 28, 1996: Gahan overdoses on heroin and cocaine, is clinically dead for two minutes, revived by adrenaline (the "Pulp Fiction" needle).
• Finally, serious recovery: enters the Exodus Recovery Center.
• Martin Gore: "Halfway through the recording of this record, Dave got clean and sober... once David made that choice and decision, we carried on and we did the vocals." (37:23)

8. Reflections and Legacy (37:45–end)

• Gahan survives; others patch up their lives:
  • Gahan and Gore remain sober and active in music.
  • Alan Wilder moves into a peaceful solo life.
  • Andy Fletcher recovers but dies unexpectedly of an aortic dissection in May 2022.
• Quote (on lessons learned)

  "Trying to destroy myself is... a permanent solution to a temporary problem. You know, a bit like suicide, you know, living a suicide, you know, all the time..."
  — Dave Gahan (37:54)

• By episode’s end, Cross highlights the perseverance and continuing legacy of Depeche Mode, emphasizing the extreme price paid for their 1990s success.

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• "It was a tour featuring so much alcohol, so many drugs... one member was clinically dead for two minutes."
  — Alan Cross (03:00)
• "I always showed up and done the show and I done my job... but it became very obvious I couldn't look after myself."
  — Dave Gahan (19:17)
• "Dave did more drugs, more coke, ecstasy, heroin and alcohol than all of Primal Scream combined."
  — Bobby Gillespie, quoted by Alan Cross (21:44)
• "I overdosed. I had a heart attack. While all the paramedics rushed me off to the hospital, I heard the song Death's Door in the background."
  — Dave Gahan (24:22)
• "It's almost like being comfortable in your own misery... I'd forgotten what it was like to just feel okay."
  — Dave Gahan (31:03)
• "Trying to destroy myself is... a permanent solution to a temporary problem."
  — Dave Gahan (37:54)

Highlighted Timestamps

• 02:00–04:14 – Introduction to the mayhem of the Devotional Tour and historical context.
• 04:33–09:32 – Depeche Mode’s rise to American superstardom, the LA riot.
• 15:53–17:40 – Recording the troubled "Songs of Faith and Devotion" album.
• 18:41–22:00 – Launch and insanity of the Devotional Tour, band’s coping methods.
• 24:05–26:00 – Gahan’s overdose in New Orleans.
• 31:03–33:54 – Gahan’s animated self-reflection on addiction and recovery.
• 34:39–35:00 – Wilder and Gore discuss the band’s exhaustion and final chances for Gahan.
• 37:23–39:03 – Recording post-rehab, Alan Wilder’s departure, summary of where everyone ended up.

Conclusion & Reflection

Alan Cross delivers a candid, hard-hitting account of Depeche Mode’s Devotional Tour, blending gripping storytelling with direct band testimonies and cultural context. Through this lens, listeners come to understand the psychological toll of fame, the dangers of unchecked excess, and the remarkable resilience needed to survive rock stardom’s darkest days. The episode stands as both a cautionary tale and a testament to Depeche Mode's enduring legacy.