Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan on losing Mark Lanegan: “I had this sense that he was still around for a while”

nme.com:

Depeche Mode frontman Dave Gahan has spoken to NME about the late Mark Lanegan ahead of a special London gig in his honour this week.The former Screaming Trees frontman, Queens Of The Stone Age collaborator, grunge icon and solo pioneer passed away in February 2022 at the age of 57.

This Thursday (December 5), a tribute gig for Lanegan will be held at The Roundhouse – the venue of his last live appearance in the city – marking what would have been the legend’s 60th birthday.The night will feature performances from friends and collaborators including Gahan, QOTSA’s Josh Homme and Troy Van Leeuwen, Chrissie Hynde, Primal Scream‘s Bobby Gillespie, Greg Dulli, The Kills‘ Alison Mosshart, Soulsavers and more, all delivering songs from throughout Lanegan’s catalogue.Gahan became friends with Lanegan when they toured together in the ’00s, before going on to record together with Soulsavers and with the Depeche Mode man singing songs penned by and for Lanegan with Humanist.Having also lost Depeche Mode’s Andy Fletcher in the run-up to recording the band’s 2023 album ‘Memento Mori‘, Gahan explained how he was feeling the profound impact of his friends’ passing.“It’s time; you start thinking about time,” he told NME of the shadow cast by Lanegan’s death. “I knew that Mark was struggling with his health and was trying to take care of that in various ways.

I think everything just caught up with him. You get to a certain age where you find yourself asking, ‘Why does this hurt? Why can’t I do that?’ You don’t feel older in my mind, but you feel it.“To me, losing Mark was the same as when Bowie went.