MF: The opening line of Too Many Friends stands out to me – “My computer thinks I’m gay“. There’s always a sexually open tone to Placebo songs and as a band you take a pretty strong political stance on things like gay marriage and equality. How did this help define the record’s message?
SF: It’s funny with that line; it’s kind of androgynous and with Stefan being gay and everything… But that line itself, Brian was just on the internet one day and he was getting pop-ups as if he was a gay man, for all these gay websites and stuff, you know what I mean? So he comes up and says, “My computer thinks I’m gay”, and that’s where that line came from (laughs). What a great line to start a song out with, what an androgynous line! It’s gonna grab people’s attention, you know?
The whole thing with the gay message and everything, Placebo are definitely not shy about backing the freedom for people to live their life exactly how they want to. I think with our music, that message is always there… Brian with his lyrics would be able to tell you a lot better than I would… But the songs, even though they are speaking from our personal experiences most of the time, and are about our own lives, it does reflect on that as well, and our viewpoints and how things happening in the world affect us. Especially for people like Stefan, you know?
MF: Too Many Friends deals with a feeling of disconnect in the digital age. How do you think this emphasis on personal image and social media has impacted people’s lives?
SF: I think the song is about asking the question, “Do social media networks bring people together? Are they actually doing that?” On one hand, yeah, we can have a chat on Facebook, you’re in Australia and I’m in London, that’s cool. But it’s also taking away from people sitting down and having a chat face-to-face. We are spending more time looking at screens than actually seeing things… Have you ever been to a gig? There used to be lighters in the air and shit, yeah? Now all you see is all these screens, people filming through their iPhones or whatever. It raises questions.
As a musician, with the whole social media thing, it can be a double-edged sword. Many people can experience your music and you really can reach a much wider audience because of things like Twitter and Facebook. I use them to keep in touch with family and all the fans. But at the same time it’s making things a lot harder for a lot of smaller bands. Things are so available that people aren’t as interested because it’s so easy to get. I can get this, and this, and this. I have a lot of friends in smaller bands that are really struggling to get out there because of the availability of music now with all the social media, Spotify and things like that.
Placebo – Too Many Friends
MF: The band is anti-streaming services like Spotify. What are your thoughts on this? How do you feel about releasing a record in the industry’s current state?
SF: I think that it is getting better. I’ve noticed it’s getting more and more uncool to steal music nowadays. If someone says, “Oh, I ripped this record,” it’s kind of like, “Bad form, man!” I think 1991 is coming back; musically it’s the way things are. People are getting into records again, and some really great records are coming out… [There’s] a lot of psychedelic rock with great guitars.
The whole Spotify thing, man… I think it’s a good concept but I don’t think they’ve perfected it yet. At the moment, it’s still a complete piss take in my own personal opinion. I’m not reflecting on Brian’s opinion or anything, but I think it’s a piss take. You pay 10 pound a month and you get all the music you want… A friend of mine’s band, a pretty decent-sized band, got a check from Spotify for their plays. They had a shit-tonne of plays… but the amount of money was a fraction. It didn’t even cover their plectrum bill.
It’s such a piss take. Basically, people are listening to music for free, but they put a bit of lipstick and rouge on it and say, “It’s fine, it’s fine.” I think it’s a good idea but, in terms of your question, yes, I am hopeful about the future and I do see things getting better gradually. It was a massive impact, the whole downloading and streaming thing, it fucked everything up so bad. So many record shops are closing now, and I think it’s just starting to get people’s attention.
MF: So do you have a favorite record shop?
SF: Yeah, there’s two places in London that I go to. One’s called Rough Trade, where I buy all my vinyl, and the other one is called Intoxica. These two places have all the gems. I go in there and I’ll buy all the new bands and music that I love. Everything that I love on vinyl, I’ll buy it twice, because I love having it in the digital format as well. I don’t usually buy CDs but I have a shit ton of vinyl. I’ll get the old stuff as well, so at least once a month I’ll spend half a day there sifting through and coming out with a stack of vinyl.
