World in My Eyes: The Autobiography

by Richard Blade

  I had one more ceremony in store for 1988; marriage.

  In March of that year I asked Karen to marry me. There was no hesitation or doubt from either of us that this would happen. We had dated since MV3 went off the air and for the past year I had turned over a new leaf and not strayed from her once. And why should I? Karen was wonderful. She had started as the pretty girl next door but had grown into a beautiful woman. She was stunning to look at and a talented actress. She had appeared in TV series like The Love Boat, Perfect Strangers, The Larry Sanders Show and many more. She was constantly being sent out for auditions and usually getting callbacks, Hollywood’s way of saying “we like you.”

  And for all her good looks she didn’t mind getting messy when it came to sports; she’d join me on the slopes in a snowstorm or jump into murky water in the hope of a fun dive. I like that. I’ve never been one for prissy people. Who cares about your hair, “let’s get wet” is my motto.

  Karen with Angel

  Karen and I tied the knot in Santa Barbara on September 11, 1988. My mother was there but not my brother. I had asked Stephen to be my best man and he readily agreed but two days before the wedding there was no sign of him.

  Mum made excuses that he was busy writing another book and meeting with his publisher, but unless his publisher had opened a branch office in a nearby pub then that story was bullshit. The truth was Stephen’s alcoholism was getting worse and worse. It was causing major problems between his girlfriend and their two kids back in London and now had left me hanging in the lurch in California.

  My second choice for best man was a no-brainer; Peter Facer. Peter stepped in at the last minute with no reservations or conditions. He stood by my side that day just as we had stood together so many times over the years. The programs for the service had already been printed so we had to slip a note inside each of them explaining that Peter was replacing Stephen.

  I joked with Karen that it was like going to a play on Broadway and when you sit down you find out the lead actor is off that evening because of the note in your playbill that says “For tonight’s performance…” She didn’t think it was funny when I suggested that the printing on our inserted note should read, “Today the part of the best man will be played by Peter Facer.”

  Nonetheless it was a beautiful ceremony but I knew that my mother’s heart was breaking that her two boys weren’t up there together in matching tuxedoes. That would have made her so proud.

  WAITING FOR THE NIGHT

  It all started innocently enough. Howie Klein from Sire Records called me in late January 1990 and asked me to come over to see him at Warner Brothers as he had the new single from Depeche Mode for me. Howie’s offices were literally less than 200 yards from the KROQ studios in Burbank and I would often go over there to meet with Howie’s artists, everyone from Erasure to Morrissey, but nine times out of ten the subject matter would turn to Depeche Mode.

  After I finished my mid-day show I wandered into the Warner Brothers building which was nicknamed “the Ski Lodge” due to the wood paneling and steeply sloping roof, and sat down in Howie’s office. Howie handed me the new DMode single that wouldn’t be released for another week. It had a cool blue cover and an interesting title, “Enjoy the Silence.” I told Howie I would debut it on my show the next day.

  Even though the new management at KROQ was now very restrictive with the station’s playlist there were certain artists that they knew I had special friendships with which gave me access to their music ahead of anyone else and they allowed me to put those records on without having to get them pre-approved or researched first. The list included Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys, New Order, The Cure, Moz and, of course, Depeche Mode.

  “Enjoy the Silence” was to be the second release from their upcoming album Violator. The first single, “Personal Jesus,” had come out five months before at the end of August, 1989, and quickly broke all of Warner Brothers’ existing sales records and become the biggest selling twelve-inch single in the label’s history. The buzz around Depeche Mode was now huge and that was the real reason that Howie called me in to his office that day, to work out ways to capitalize on it and take the group to the next level.

  “I want to make a statement with the band. I want to do something that everyone, everywhere will be talking about,” Howie said.

  “So not just a free concert or a showcase?” I asked.

  “No, something big, really big.”

  “That’s hard,” I said. “The Rose Bowl was massive. You can’t get much bigger than that.”

  “Yes,” agreed Howie, “but it was a concert and if you were there it meant something, but if you read about it you say ‘I wish I had gone’ but it’s still just a show you missed. That’s why we put out the DVD. For this I want to do something different.”

  “That rules out a rooftop performance because The Beatles then U2 did that, and a day-long Depeche Mode takeover of KROQ would only mean something to our listeners here in Southern California,” I said.

  “Yes, and that would be no big deal to the press. It’s a big statement I’m looking for,” said Howie.

  “To get the press involved there has to be something going on, something like a car chase or a bank robbery or a riot,” I was thinking out loud.

  Howie sat up. Something had occurred to him. “How many people would come to see Depeche Mode if they did an in-store?”

  “A record signing?” I asked.

  Howie nodded.

  “That would be nuts. You couldn’t do it. I did one with Billy Idol about six years ago at Music Plus in Hollywood and more than 2,000 people showed up and it got crazy. With Depeche now? No. It would be out of control.”

  “But hopefully in a good way, right?” asked Howie.

  “Yeah. I mean it’s not like DMode fans are heavy-metal rockers who get into fights. They just want to see their heroes. I mean if 70,000 paid to see them at the Rose Bowl just how many would come to get a chance to actually meet them and shake their hands and get a picture with them for free? Too many. They would have to close the streets down where they were doing it.”

  “And if they did that…?” said Howie.

  I realized where he was going with this, “Then the press and TV would have to come out to see what was going on,” I paused as I took it in, “and right there you would have your statement – British band closes down LA streets.”

  “Then that’s what we’ll do.” Howie grinned. “Don’t mention this to anyone. Let me put this together with the guys and we’ll get it going. This will be fun.”

  Over the next two weeks and several more meetings, everything was locked into place. The worldwide release date for Violator was set as March 19, 1990, and the in-store appearance and signing for the band was locked in for Tuesday, March 20 at The Wherehouse record store on Beverly and La Cienega. I would do the broadcast live on KROQ starting at 8pm with the band joining me there and the doors opening one hour later at 9pm. We kept everything under wraps until one week before when Andy Fletcher and Alan Wilder came onto my show on March 12 and broke the news.

  “In studio with me are Andy Fletcher and Alan Wilder from Depeche Mode to help me with this special announcement. In just over one week you can meet the band when they do an in-store appearance at The Wherehouse at The Beverly Center on Tuesday March 20. We’ve been keeping this a secret until right now,” I announced.

  Fletch laughed, “You’ve certainly been hinting about it a lot!”

  “Yes,” I said, “everyone wanted to know what you were going to do to mark the release of Violator. Alan, do you have any tips for the fans who want to come down to meet you?”

  Alan nodded, “We’ve done in-stores before and this works best. We’ll only sign one thing per fan to keep the people moving through because hopefully they’ll be a good turnout.”

  Fletch jumped in, “We hope there will be!”

  “You’ll start the signing at nine o’clock. How long are you planning to stay?” I asked.

  “
Maybe all night.” joked Alan. “We’re having our sleeping bags taken down there for us.”

  With the word out the excitement spread amongst the Depeche Mode fans like wildfire.

  People drove in from as far away as Arizona and Colorado to be there and the lines started forming outside The Wherehouse as early as Sunday afternoon in anticipation of the signing. By mid-day on Tuesday the 20 more than 7,000 people were waiting in a line that stretched six city blocks. And that was just the beginning.

  For the rest of the afternoon thousands of cars carrying devoted fans poured into the area. The intersection of Beverly and La Cienega became so congested that special traffic police were brought in and detours had to be posted. It quickly became the top story on all the afternoon newscasts who sent their remote camera trucks down to cover the rapidly growing crowds.

  By 7pm four of the streets in the area had to be closed down to all traffic and the newsreaders were reporting that the number of fans present numbered over 15,000 but that there were still more flooding in on foot to avoid the road closures.

  I was already there and inside The Wherehouse with Scott Mason who was running the technical side of the live broadcast. It was impossible to walk outside of the store without getting mobbed, and looking through the plate glass windows at all the antennas of the multiple TV trucks parked in the now-closed street I realized that the plan Howie and I had made was succeeding beyond either of our dreams.

  When I went live on the air at 8pm Scott handed me a note. The word from the police was that the number of people in line was now being estimated in excess of 17,000 and that a tactical alert had been issued. This meant that police from various departments across the city were being rushed to the scene, including fifty mounted police and three helicopters, to control the ever-growing crowd.

  Depeche Mode arrived at 8:15 and entered unseen through the high-rise parking lot and the loading entrance behind the store. They had seen the helicopters above, both the police and the news choppers, and couldn’t believe how huge the event had become. They were excited and nervous.

  Just before we opened the door the word on the police scanner was that the line of fans now stretched over fifteen city blocks and every street in the area was being closed down and a secure perimeter established. I looked at the band and we all knew that this could get out of control very quickly.

  I went on the radio and made a final plea to the fans.

  “We are about to open the doors here at The Wherehouse. Please remain calm and orderly and everyone will get to meet the band. I know many of the thousands waiting in line have a radio with them and are listening right now so please spread the word; Depeche Mode have no time limit. They will stay as long as it takes to meet all of you and sign something for you. But please do not push or shove or cause any trouble because the police are here and we are told they will have zero tolerance for that.” I could see the security moving to the twin doors.

  “Here we go. We are opening the doors. Depeche Mode are here to meet the fans so let’s keep this mellow and all have a good time.”

  With Depeche Mode, hosting The Wherehouse instore March 20, 1990

  With those words the doors were opened and the first of the almost 20,000 fans who had been waiting for the night to fall to meet their heroes were ushered inside.

  The first ten minutes went perfectly; security let in a steady stream of fans who were thrilled to be standing there with their favorite band and to get something signed, but then the people waiting outside starting doing the math in their head. Four people a minute, 20,000 fans in line…..that would take 5,000 minutes or more than three and a half days for everyone to get through. That’s when the pushing and the screaming started.

  Chaos during the first seconds of The Wherehouse riot

  We felt the vibe change even inside of the store. The head of security immediately took charge.

  “Close the doors now!” he commanded.

  It was easier said than done. Hundreds of kids rushed forward and tried to force the doors open even as the burly guards struggled against them. Record company reps and store employees raced to the door to aid the overwhelmed security personnel. I jumped on the radio and pleaded for everyone to remain calm. Outside the temporary barricades were toppled as the fans surged towards The Wherehouse doors, and now sirens and searchlights mixed with screams and yells.

  The head of security yelled at his men inside who were battling at the doors, “I want the band out of sight now. NOW!”

  Four guards manhandled Dave, Alan, Fletch and Martin to their feet and half-lifted, half-carried them to the office at the rear of the store. His hope was that if the fans couldn’t see Depeche Mode through the huge windows that they would calm down. It was a good idea but unfortunately it didn’t work.

  Police continued to line the streets after the instore

  Outside the huge crowd began pounding on the windows to try to get Depeche Mode to come back out and now there was real fear that the floor-to- ceiling sheets of plate glass would shatter and people could get seriously hurt. Seeing the situation rapidly spinning out of control more than one hundred riot police lowered their visors, lifted their Plexiglas shields and marched side by side in two unbroken lines that stretched across the street like a Roman legion assembled for battle against a warring tribe.

  Fans climbed trees and scrambled up lamp posts to avoid the approaching ranks of police but most were driven back without a fight. With the street clear the limo carrying Depeche Mode sped out of the closed parking lot and raced away into the darkness.

  It was two hours before anyone inside The Wherehouse was allowed to leave and when we did it looked like a war zone with police on watch in the middle of the still-closed streets and circling helicopters illuminating the menacing scene with their two-million candlepower Nightsuns.

  For the next few days I was in the eye of the storm as Warner Brothers, Sire Records, Depeche Mode, myself and KROQ were all accused of instigating a riot. I was on TV every day that week as the station’s spokesman (and fall guy!) and finally had to defend myself and KROQ against Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky who wanted to initiate a major lawsuit against us.

  Throughout the week the guys from Depeche Mode called in to my show to apologize to all the thousands of fans who had waited in line and couldn’t get in. We all met up at Howie’s office and we came up with an idea to hopefully make things right with everyone who had been there but had not been able to meet the band. Depeche Mode would put out an album for those disappointed fans and it would be distributed through The Wherehouse stores across Southern California and by KROQ. Flood would produce one side and I was asked to produce the other side. I was stunned. Produce an album side for Depeche Mode? That was beyond my wildest dreams.

  As I went to work on the production in the studio, The Wherehouse stepped up and put an end to the threats of lawsuits from the city by paying $25,000 for any cleanup involved. The most important thing was that no one had been hurt. As I’d said to Howie more than two months before, Depeche Mode fans aren’t the type to start any violence.

  In early May I finished my production on the album Depeche Mode…. The Wherehouse 3/20/90 and 50,000 were pressed and distributed across the southland to make sure all the upset fans received a copy. Having my name as producer on an official Depeche Mode release remains one of my proudest achievements.

  With all of the resulting publicity for Depeche Mode generated by the news media around the globe, Violator became DMode’s biggest album to date entering Billboard’s Top 10 in its first week of release. I asked Dave on the radio about this new success in America and this is what he told me:

  “There’s a lot of people that want to talk to us now, but Depeche Mode as a group has the same policies; it doesn’t matter how big we get, we’re going to have the same attitude to what we do. You know, we care about what we do, and we’re not going to just change anything in the way we do things. The people that have got us where we are so far we won’t forge
t.”

  Dave was true to his word. He didn’t forget. Two months later they flew me and Scott Mason out to Florida to cover the start of the World Violation tour live on the radio and when Depeche Mode wrapped up their North American dates with a sold-out concert at Dodger stadium in

  Dodger stadium August 5th, 1990 before and during World Violation

  Onstage introducing the final date of US World Violation tour

  Los Angeles on August 5, 1990 the band invited me to come onstage and introduce them on that swelteringly hot August night in front of fifty-five thousand fans.

  LIVING ON VIDEO

  As the ’80s raced by I found myself doing more and more television. Video One had become a staple of afternoon viewing in Southern California and when after more than 700 episodes, Channel 9 decided to move away from music programming in favor of syndicated reruns, the show was immediately snapped up by KDOC in Anaheim and continued without even a one-day break in its programs.

  In early 1987 I received a call from Larry Namer who I had worked with several years before on LA Music Guide. Larry was in the planning stages to launch a new 24-hour cable network that was based around films, celebrities and everything Hollywood. It was to be called Movietime and would feature hosts introducing clips and previews and interviewing the stars.

  “Think of it as MTV for movies,” said Larry.

  I understood the concept right away and along with Larry’s partner, Alan Mruvka, reached a deal to be one of the on-camera hosts.