BIOGRAPHYDAVID GAHAN
David Gahan (who more than likely has a second name since his entire brothers
and sisters do, but has left it out) was born on May 9, 1962 in Chigwell.
Similar to Fletch's and Martin's story, there were different places (Basildon,
of course, and quite often: Epping) mentioned regarding where David was born, but David
himself said in two or three articles "Chigwell".
"I was born at 5.00am on 9th May 1962 weighing in at 8 1/2 lbs. We lived in Romford
Road, Chigwell in Essex in a semi which is also where I was born."[1]
(By the way - David's birthday would become some kind of national celebration day for
Russian fans later, called "Dave Day". To the Russian fans who read this - please, send me
an e-mail and tell me how this day is celebrated.
dmbiographie@hotmail.de)
David's birth father left the family when David and his elder sister Susan Christine,
born in 1960, were very young. Doubtful sources say that the name of his birth
father was Leonard William F Callcott, a man who is listed in a British register of
deaths and whose life data would fit.
(See this
thread for more information.)
David's Mother, Sylvia Ruth, got married again and "we moved to another semi in sunny
Basildon."[2] He always thought his stepfather, whose name he got, was his real father.
By the way, Gahan is Irish and pronounced 'Gaan'. "But my blood father has Malaysian
ancestors.[3] My stepdad died when I was nine.[4]" (Other sources quote he was seven.)
David's two younger half-brothers, Peter Eric, born in 1966, and Philip Michael,
born in 1967, come from his mother's second marriage.
(with friendly permission of © Anja - compositionofsound)
"When I was young I was rather tubby all round and a bit of a moaner, always crying
in fact", David says about himself, "my earliest memory of my childhood is being
made to drink hot milk with the skin on at nursery school, but I can't remember if
I liked it or not."[5]
In the course of time he revealed a lot of small things about himself. For example
that he was scared of many things when he was a child and that he still is a person
who is stopped by fear, so he's not always doing what he would like to. He also admitted
that he had always been a person who is trying to attract other people’s attention.
"When I was really young the aunts would come round and I would entertain my mum by
doing my best Mick Jagger or Gary Glitter impression across the room, make everybody
laugh. I wasn't really good at anything else, but I saw that it really got a reaction."[6]
The first time he was mentioned in a newspaper was for winning a prize for a home-baked
cake with the boy scouts. He had his first appearances as a singer of Christmas carols
with the Salvation Army to which his mother belonged.
"I've never been religious although she stuck to her beliefs. I used to go down to
Sunday School with my sister on our bikes and instead of going in we'd just ride around
for a couple of hours, and when we got back we'd say it was great."[7]
Problems started when his stepfather died and his blood father appeared. "Then I came
home one day - I was about 11" [in other sources it was said he was 10] "and found this
bloke at home who turned out to be my father. I was very upset and we all had a huge
argument because I thought I should have been told.[8]" In some sources it is said
that this was the first and the last time he saw his father while a Belgian
teenage-magazine quoted him with: "From that day on, Len often visited the house
until one year later, he disappeared again, forever this time. Since then he gave
no sign of life anymore. By growing older I thought about him more and more.
The only thing my mother wanted to say, was that he moved out to Jersey to open
a hotel.[9]" However, it wasn't a positive experience. "There was always distrust
for people you were meant to feel safe with after that - teachers, getting into
trouble with the police. I'm still a bit like that."[10]
In fact he got totally out of control and in a lot of trouble. His drug career had
actually begun at the age of 12 when he stole barbiturates from his mother. Then the
alcohol came, later all possible pills, speed and even heroin.
"I first took heroin when I was probably 17, when I was living in a squat in King's
Cross. But I didn't like it, 'cos speed was the thing at that time. I realise now
I've had a very addictive nature when it comes to getting off my head and escaping
from myself."[11]
As a pupil David wasn't very successful. "I hated school. It's really funny because
I can remember everything over the last seven years or so really vividly, but I can't
remember a thing about me school life. When it was a quarter to four and we finished
at four, that last quarter of an hour seemed to last forever. That's my lasting image
of those days.[12] All I was interested in was going out every night to see a gig.
I was 15 and refused school because I was being dictated a way of behaving so as to
bury me in a boring, stupid, repetitive job. I left everything and fled to London.[13]"
He described himself as a very destructive teenager, and instead of studying for
school, he preferred to hang around. "First I was a soulboy, I've done it all, I've
been everything. I used to like soul and jazz-funk like The Crusaders. I used to go
to soul weekends and hang around with the crew from Global Village and I went to,
like, The Lyceum on a Friday night.[14]" Then punk came across. "I, much to my mum's
dismay became involved in it, dyeing my hair various colours and sporting clothes
from Seditionaries. I saw many bands that year in Chelmsford, Southend and London.[15]
But I ended up being bored by punk because everybody looked the same: same clothes,
same haircuts, it had become the norm, it was a pain.[16]"
And he got into conflict with law over and over again. "From the age of about 12 I was
getting into trouble. I was a proper tearaway. I was nicking cars, joy-riding,
writing graffiti. I wasn't such a bright graffiti artist either. Used my surname as
my graffiti tag. There weren't too many Gahans in the whole of England never mind
Basildon. I was arrested a fair few times. Not a very good villain.[17] I got into
trouble with the police and mixed with a lot of people who got into trouble.[18]
I just wanted attention. I put my mum through a rough time, in and out of juvenile
court."
He ended up in weekend custody at a sub-Borstal 'attendance centre'. "It was a real
pain in the arse. You had to work - I remember doing boxing, stuff like that. You
had to have your hair cut. It was every weekend, so you were deprived of your
weekend, and it seemed like forever. I was told very clearly that my next thing was
detention centre."[19]
And there was another disappointment that could be described as a crucial experience: "The one girl I did end up falling for as a teenager, my best mate Mark ended up shagging. I was at this party and I couldn't find my girlfriend anywhere. Everyone was looking at me. They knew. I pushed open the bedroom door and there's Mark's white a*** bouncing up and down. That was my first reality check. It set me on this idea that I'm not good enough. I've been battling it ever since."[20]
He left school at sixteen because he was so bored of it and didn't like being pushed around. "My qualifications in art and technical drawing didn't seem much use. I went through loads of jobs. In eight months I had twenty occupations from Yardley's perfume factory to labouring to Sainsbury's soft drink man.[21] I never held out very long and my bosses hated my rebellious attitude.[22] Finally, I realised I had no career so I went for a job as apprentice fitter with North Thames Gas. My probation officer told me to be honest at the interview, say I had a criminal record but I was a reformed character blah blah. Course I didn't get the job because of that. It cost me a lot of confidence, having been through so many IQ tests and been shortlisted. I went back and trashed the probation office."[23] (I couldn't find out if he really did this. Only one thing is sure: Sometimes David tends to exaggerate stories a bit.)
Finally, he went to "art college". Here I would like to clarify that the words
"college" and "study" seem to refer to studies at a higher level than they actually
were in this case. If I have understood this correctly, David's qualifications would
never been enough to attend a university. He told the story a little different from
time to time and embellished it a bit, so at the end it sounds as if he had studied
fashion design or art. Actually, it probably was more geared towards a
manual/technical education with the aim of learning the profession of a window
dresser. As such, the subjects of fashion design and art are applicable.
Some sources said he would have completed this. Another source said he "was asked
politely to leave the school" because he was absent too often. I think the last
one is correct.
"I liked art school. The teacher was a nice geezer who let us smoke. Good times.
I enjoyed college, I was designing clothes for mates, going off to see Gen X and
The Damned.[24]" At a Damned concert he also met Joanne, his later first wife.
He wanted to become a punk front man actually. "I rehearsed a couple of times with
a few bands. I have never given a concert, practised only with a band named The
Vermin after school."[25]
When punk was no longer interesting he went to the clubs in London and listened
to music like David Bowie, Roxy Music, Kraftwerk and Gary Numan. "A gang of us hung
out together all living for the weekend, saving up for a bag of blues (pills),
going without dinner all week. We’d go to London all night, end up at some party then
catch the milk train from Liverpool Street to Billericay. It was a bloody long
walk home! I got bored with that, but for a while it was exciting. I had a double
life, mixing with the art school mob then going home to Bas. I'd go to the pub
wearing makeup, but cos I knew the local beer boys, the spanners, I was OK."[26]
Finally his ways crossed those of Vince, Fletch and Martin and he took the chance
to become a member of a band that played the music he liked.
(with friendly permission of © Ulrike Müller)
Today David is the father of son Jack, born in 1987, from his first marriage to
Joanne. David's second marriage was to Theresa, with whom he had no children.
Since 1999, David has been married to Jennifer and adopted her son Jimmy
in 2010 officially. Together they have a daughter, Stella Rose, born
in 1999.
In addition to DM, David has also had some solo projects. He contributed a single
song A Song For Europe to the Dream Home Heartache Sampler (1997),
solo albums are: Paper Monsters (2003) and Hourglass (2007).
References:
[1] A Broken Frame Tour Programme, 1982
[2] A Broken Frame Tour Programme, 1982
[3] Ask Dave, Bong 7, October 1989
[4] Facing my Monsters, Daily Mirror, 27th June 2003. Words: Gavin Martin
[5] A Broken Frame Tour Programme, 1982
[6] Just Can't Get Enough, Uncut, May 2001. Words: Stephen Dalton
[7] Blasphemy Rewarded, Melody Maker, 22nd September 1984. Words: Mark Jenkins
[8] Dave Gahan: The Wild Boy, No. 1, 4th May 1985
[9] Depeche Mode begs for a vacation, Joepie, 1984, author unknown
[10] Facing my Monsters, Daily Mirror, 27th June 2003. Words: Gavin Martin
[11] Dead Man Talking, NME, 18th January 1997. Words: Keith Cameron
[12] Intimate Details, No. 1, 12th September 1987
[13] 80's, Mode d'Emploi, Best, October 1987. Words: Gerard Bar-David
[14] Three Modes in a Boat, NME, 22nd August 1981. Words: Paul Morley
[15] A Broken Frame Tour Programme, 1982
[16] 80's, Mode d'Emploi, Best, October 1987. Words: Gerard Bar-David
[17] The Basildon Bond, The Times Magazine, 14th April 2001. Words: Paul Connolly
[18] Coming up Smiling, The Face, February 1985. Words: Sheryl Garratt
[19] Just Can't Get Enough, Uncut, May 2001. Words: Stephen Dalton
[20] The Ten Commandments: Dave Gahan, Q, November 2005. Words: Dave Gahan / Johnny Davis
[21] Dave Gahan: The Wild Boy, No. 1, 4th May 1985
[22] Depeche Mode prive (Part 2 : Dave Gahan), unknown author, media and date
[23] Dave Gahan: The Wild Boy, No. 1, 4th May 1985
[24] Dave Gahan: The Wild Boy, No. 1, 4th May 1985
[25] Just Can't Get Enough, Uncut, May 2001. Words: Stephen Dalton
[26] Dave Gahan: The Wild Boy, No. 1, 4th May 1985
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