The American, Directed by Anton Corbijn

Anton Corbijn is teaming up with DeviantArt for a contest to promote his new movie, The American. Inspired by the movie’s main character played by George Clooney, photographers are to capture undercover, slice-of-life photos in and around their neighborhoods for the contest. 25 finalists will be chosen by DeviantArt staff, and Anton will choose the final winner.

DeviantArt is a popular online community for artists of all disciplines to share and promote their work. Members are mostly independent creators, but a few professionals also have accounts there. If you haven’t seen the trailer for The American, check it out!

July 23rd marks Mr. Martin L. Gore’s 49th birthday. To celebrate, this week’s freebie is a Martin wallpaper with a nice, relevant quote from him regarding getting older. There are two high resolution sizes available: 1280×800 and 1280×1024.

[ Download them both here. ]

Martin, I hope you have a wonderful birthday weekend! Thanks for all that you share with the world through your words and music, and thank you for being so kind and patient with fans on. You are truly a warm soul.

Southend Tech, 1980

Today’s freebie is a very early unreleased track played during the Speak and Spell era. I’m not even sure where or when it was recorded, as it came as part of a Speak and Spell Live comprehensive collection. I have my fare share of early unreleased songs, but I’d never heard of “Tomorrow’s Dance” until last year. It’s a pretty cool track, so enjoy!

Depeche Mode – “Tomorrow’s Dance” (Live, 1980)

• 10/18/10 Recoil in Seattle at Triple Door
• 10/19/10 Recoil in Portland at Aladdin Theatre
• 10/21/10 Recoil in San Francisco at Mezzanine
• 10/22/10 Recoil in Los Angeles at El Rey Theatre
• 10/27/10 Recoil in Toronto at The Opera House
• 10/31/10 Recoil in Baltimore at Bourbon Street
• 11/01/10 Recoil in New York at Highline Ballroom
• 11/03/10 Recoil in Santiago at Club Amanda
• 11/04/10 Recoil in Buenos Aires at Niceto Club
• 11/05/10 Recoil in Rosario at Patio De La Madera

(Thanks to Susie for the tip on Facebook!)

However, June marks the 1st year anniversary of this blog! Yay! In celebration, I’ve updated the look a bit. The blue was just to harsh, I think. I’ll be trying to learn how to tweek a few more things here and there, but until then, I hope you enjoy the new look and you should see some more posts and special features coming your way.

PS. Finally Andy has some representation! I was never able to get my hands on some good fan-shot photos from the tour. Boo. Sorry, Andy!

Left: My birthday card. Middle-Right: A creation for more DM friends.

One of the things I love about passionate fans is creativity and industriousness. Stephanie Dawson has a unique medium in which she often applies her love of Depeche Mode: hand-made cards! Stephanie (also known as @depmodechick) combines her love for creating crafty cards of all kinds and her love for the band to bring smiles to her friends and fellow fans across the country. I was lucky enough to receive a lovely birthday card from her yesterday (first card, from left to right above), which is now proudly displayed on my “shelf of happy” at work. Her DM card creations are diverse and include birthday greetings, get well and just because cards. She’s rounded up all the fun and well-crafted Depeche cards she’s created so far over at her blog, so check them out! While you’re there, take a look at her non-Depeche creations, and her useful video tutorials for the creatively inclined.

(Special thanks to Jam007 on Home for posting about these!)

Birthdays tend to be a day of reflection on one’s life and the journeys travelled. This past year has been one hell of a road travelled, and a little under a year ago I think so many of us wondered whether we’d even be able to sit around now, reminiscing over a great tour, another great Depeche Mode era and the obstacles overcome. Despite the uncertainty, the frustration, the ongoing damage, the unfounded rumors and lack of faith from some corners of the universe, you refused to give up or give in.

It seems the older we get, the more concerned people are with the ever-increasing number, but a number that is just that – an arbitrarily assigned counter. People aren’t remembered for how long they lived, but for what they did with the time they were given. The spirit never ages and music never dies. 47 was a difficult year for you, and every fiber in my spirit hopes 48 and beyond will treat you (and yours) much better.

This post is going up late in the day, but I hope you had a fantastic birthday!

Sincerely,
Amanda