…Alan Wilder…Recoil…formerly of Depeche Mode…over the holidays i was cleaning negatives, slides, and prints that occupy half of my home in New York. i found prints of Alan Wilder that i photographed in September 1999. i haven’t looked at them since shortly after they were photographed.
Alan left Depeche Mode four years earlier and was doing press for the Recoil album “Liquid.” i was commissioned by Outburn Magazine to photograph a portrait. it turned out to be my first cover in a national magazine. a different portrait from this session was used on the cover. this portrait has never been published.
late September in New York used to be raw and gray. the weather forecast hit a bullseye that morning. i stood on the record label’s rooftop as the wind whipped above Broadway, with Alan, his wife, and Lisa, the publicist who was the first to hire me in New York to photograph bands for Beggars Banquet. rooftop shots in New York City were the “thing” during the late 90’s, and i wasn’t experienced enough to suggest other options.
Alan was a nice guy which helped. it was obvious that i was nervous. the conversation calmed both of us. he spoke about his fear of flying. a few years prior he had witnessed a small plane crash while driving in the countryside. it’s probably difficult being in a famous band like Depeche Mode while having a fear of flying.