I Wish I Made That is a segment where we invite some of our favorite voices in pop culture to dive deep into a work of art they did not make but they really wish they did. This time around we are joined by John Darnielle. John is a writer and frontman of the folk rock band the Mountain Goats. He recently released his third novel which is called Devil House. It is an epic story that touches on the true crime fad of today, the Satanic panic of the 1980s and a spooky home in Milpitas, California. When we asked John to pick something he wished he had made, he sent us a list of a few different things. After narrowing down the list, he eventually settled on Speak & Spell, the debut album by new wave legends Depeche Mode.
John Darnielle reflects upon Speak and Spell, Depeche Mode’s first album and only one written by Vince Clarke. He explains how groundbreaking the album was at the time as a stage full of guys with synthesisers and drum machines was not common. He also touches on how the success of the album and subsequent record contract allowed them to become what they did, even though you can hear in the following few records a band finding itself with Martin Gore taking over writing duties.