Last night, Depeche Mode joined the Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, Notorious B.I.G. and T. Rex as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2020. Charlize Theron inducted the band and Arcade Fire‘s Win Butler and Chvrches‘ Lauren Mayberry gave honors before founding members Dave Gahan, Andrew Fletcher and Martin Gore shared an acceptance speech recorded at each of their respective homes.
“Congratulations to all our fellow inductees. It’s incredible now to be in this club. There’s so many other musicians, artists that are a part of this that we have grown up listening to. David Bowie, Iggy Pop and the Stooges, the Clash, just to name a few,” Gahan said.
“You know, growing up, listening to music on the radio and having music, it really kind of helped us to feel normal, feel part of something,” he continued. “That’s what music does for people and I think that’s what Depeche Mode has done for many people. I think music really brings people together, and God knows we need that more today than it seems any other time.”
Elsewhere in their speech, the trio acknowledged former members Vince Clarke and Alan Wilder, calling them “part of the DM family and the DM history and the success of this band.” They also thanked creative director Anton Corbijn, Mute Records’ Daniel Miller, manager Jonathan Kessler and longtime touring members Christian Eigner and Peter Gordeno.
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The two-hour broadcast also included a tribute to Eddie Van Halen from Slash, Tom Morello, and Metallica’s Kirk Hammett. Watch Depeche Mode’s induction speech below.
