Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s

by Lori Majewski

Once we’d exhausted our music knowledge, we started talking about our families. I told him my father died in 1969, that he fell down outside of Oslo. He said his family was on a bridge and saw that plane go down. It was weird to realize he had been witnessing my father’s death 10 years before we met. I remember walking away from that meeting thinking either he’s a pathological liar or it was just the strangest coincidence that we had this kind of connection straight off the bat.

Sad, Sniveling Slices of Self-Pity 1. “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out,” The Smiths 2. “10:15 Saturday Night,” The Cure 3. “Heaven (I Want You),” Camouflage 4. “Victims,” Culture Club 5. “Voices Carry,” ’Til Tuesday

Voices Carry is hardly sniveling it’s about being beaten up by your lover

We became insular after Songs from the Big Chair. It was so huge everywhere, and when we were on the road, we were getting a bit cocky. We realized, in retrospect, the downside of having that much success, which is you’re then surrounded by yes men who are making a living off you and coaxing you into doing it again without consideration for the music, just purely to capitalize on the money they’ve already made.

Gregorian chants mixed with drunken pub sing-alongs.

DES BARRES: I’ve never had to struggle since. When I got the first check, I remember looking at [my ex-wife] Pamela and our baby, and we just sank to our knees. It’s put my kid through college, [supported] two wives, and more besides. One song enters the lexicon of American consciousness, and it will take care of you for the rest of your life. PLANE: We are still in debt to the record company to this day.

Then Bob and I met up. He’d written something the Boomtown Rats had turned down—which shows you how good it was. He turned up with this half-baked song and played it at me, and every time he played it, it was different. He had the basic lyrics, except his original version was, “There won’t be snow in Ethiopia this Christmas,” which, even for him and his rubbish timing, doesn’t fit. You can’t make that scan.