OMD in an interview

“… the creative power of boredom.” (Andy McCluskey)

Andy McCluskey from OMD is a bundle of energy. And not just on stage. He is surprisingly alert when he opens the door to my hotel room in Cologne on Monday morning after a gig and invites me in for an interview. His packed suitcase is ready and he has already made his bed. We settle down at the small desk in his room, his eyes fall on my laptop. “Is that a Tardis?” he points to the sticker. A short shop talk about “Doctor Who” follows, then Andy treats himself to a decent sip of coffee before we talk about the upcoming album “Bauhaus Staircase”.

Lockdown. And now?
The creative process for the album took three years from the initial idea to the release. Andy was so bored during the first corona lockdown that he came up with the idea for new songs. But how does something so creative emerge from boredom? “It reminds me of the time when I was still living with my parents as a teenager,” he explains. “My father was at the dog races and my mother sat down after chores to watch ‘Kojak’ or another American series. I would then retire to my room to draw or write a song. Because there was nothing else to do. That’s the creative power of boredom.”

Diving into the computer instead of smelling the roses
“However, I didn’t expect that there would be another OMD album,” he looks back. “But because of Covid, one will now appear.” He pauses thoughtfully. “In my mid-60s, I didn’t really want to sit in the studio again, stare at the computer, dive into my head, my heart and my feelings and pull the ideas out of there. We’ve released over 200 songs. I don’t even know if there’s anything new to say. Or if I had enough passion left in me. ‘Bauhaus Staircase’ is being released exactly eight years after our 45th anniversary. Do I still have the energy to keep OMD going? I didn’t really think so. I wanted to smell the roses, as they say in England. Just enjoy things.” But then came the pandemic and with it, boredom. “Luckily I always have ideas on my computer,” he grins. “These are melodies, for example, for which there are no lyrics yet. So I just dived into my computer and explored the ideas. Because there was absolutely nothing else to do.”

Against oppression
The title of the album is borrowed from the painting “Bauhaustreppe” by Oskar Schlemmer. Why did Andy decide to do this? “I actually wanted to study art and even had a place at university. However, I took a gap year and that’s when the band started. And so I never went to university,” he laughs. “But I still love art and often use it as a metaphor. I’m a curator at the National Museum Liverpool. I see art and creativity, but also politics. What’s remarkable is that whenever there’s a political or financial crisis, people think they can save money by cutting back on art. But when times are tough, we need something to feed the soul: Art. Music. Or dance. I’ve always liked the Bauhaus style,” he explains. “The crazy thing about it is that it is actually applied art. As architecture or furniture. Practical art. And yet the Nazis wanted to abolish it. ‘Bauhaus Staircase’ is a metaphor for the beauty and power of art against oppression and criticism of it.”

Katrin Hemmerling

For the last time: the “Dark Mystery” calendar 2024

Listen to OMD in our “Electronic Pop” playlist on Spotify: