01/03/2026
My Depeche Mode Story
I heard my first Depeche Mode song in a school club for the first time.
I grew up in the GDR, where music like this was not easy to access.
But from that moment on, Depeche Mode became my lifelong companion.
In 2009 I emigrated to the USA for work and started a new life in New Jersey.
In 2013 I finally saw Depeche Mode live for the first time – at Jones Beach Amphitheater, right by the ocean.
We had seats, but when the first song started, I couldn’t stay seated.
I walked down to the front barrier and stayed there until the very last note.
I sang every song. My English was bad – but my emotions spoke louder.
I had tears in my eyes, because everything reminded me of where I came from.
My wife never listened to Depeche Mode before. She didn’t plan to stay, but she went inside with me anyway.
When “Should Be Higher” started, she was completely captured.
In 2017, by pure chance, I got tickets to a press conference in NYC – TimesTalks.
Sitting just a few feet away from my three idols is a moment I will never forget.
During the pandemic, New York City felt unreal.
Times Square was empty. I could park there like it was nothing.
With our camera and new gimbal, I filmed and photographed the city.
That’s when the idea was born:
I replaced the billboards with my favorite band – as a tribute.
These aluminium prints are not products.
They are memories.
They are gratitude.
They are Depeche Mode — through my eyes.
