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Fort Bravo
“It’s a song about being a Jesus for somebody else, someone to give you hope and care.”
Martin Gore, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist and singer of Depeche Mode at Spin Magazine in 1990.
Inspired by the book Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley, published in 1985, in which the ex-wife of the King tells her relationship with Elvis and in particular this impression to have at home her “personal Jesus“, Martin Gore composes then the song Personal Jesus. The title quickly becomes one of the most iconic of Depeche Mode.
For the video clip, the group called on Anton Corbijn. If he is already the author of the videos of A Question of Time in 1986 or Strangelove in 1987, it is however the first time that he turns in color for Depeche Mode.
Wishing to parody the old westerns, the director takes the musicians to the studios of Fort Bravo in the Tabernas Desert in Spain. Corbijn manages to beautifully exploit his locations once frequented by some of cinema’s most iconic cowboys. The atmosphere is jovial. During the shoot, the crew makes Andrew Fletcher, the keyboardist and co-founder of the band, believe that he will have to ride a horse. Panicked by this idea, the musician finally discovers that the famous nag is actually a rocking toy.
A real horse, on the other hand, was at the heart of a controversy. Once the clip was sent to the various TV stations, the close-up of the mammal’s hindquarters in the middle of the intensive and equivocal breathing sequence shocked many broadcasters. It is then quickly cut. Martin Gore defended his director by explaining, “I don’t know if Anton was consciously trying to be perverted, I think it was more coincidental that it happened at that point. These video people see things very strangely”.
Personal Jesus was, at the time of its release, the best-selling12-inch vinyl single in the history of Warner Bros.
Texas Hollywood
Also known as Fort Bravo, Poblado de Juan Garcia, Poblado Paco Ardura, Pueblo Mexicano or Decorados Cinematograficos, Texas Hollywood is one of the three western set villages still in operation.
Located in the middle of the Tabernas Desert in Andalusia, Texas Hollywood is an attraction in itself. A small town of the American West composed of a Mexican village, an Indian village, a cavalry fort and sets of saloon, prison and other businesses. These open-air studios have been the location of many film and TV shoots. This is also where the Almeria Western Film Festival is held. It is possible to go there for free during the festival to enjoy open-air film screenings.
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Cult! music: 100 mythical music places [French Edition]
Embark immediately on an exhilarating world tour with some of music’s most iconic bands and artists!
Head to Melbourne, Australia for a stroll along AC/DC Lane before crossing the iconic Abbey Road pedestrian crossing in the company of The Beatles. Visit Janis Joplin‘s home in San Francisco and find out how Johnny Cash ended up playing his greatest hits to a crowd of prisoners in San Quentin. Travel the winding roads of Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and stop in Japan to catch up with Deep Purple, Phil Collins and Daft Punk. Drive down the Tina Turner Highway before entering some of the most legendary studios in music history. Go back to the troubled origins of Billie Holiday and make a pact with Robert Johnson at the famous crossroads in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Embark immediately on an exhilarating world tour with some of music’s most iconic bands and artists! Relive the Jimi Hendrix concert on the Isle of Wight before paying tribute to Bob Marley in Jamaica.
Produced by a team of pop-culture specialists and enhanced by numerous anecdotes, Cult! musictells the secrets of the places that made the history of music.
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By Damien Duarte
Passionné par la culture pop depuis son enfance, ses références vont de Donald Duck à Batman en passant par Marty McFly. Fantripper dans l'âme, voyager sur les traces de Ghostbusters, James Bond ou des héros de romans comme Cotton Malone fait partie d'un séjour idéal et réussi !