FAN CLUB - BAUHAUS

I got to know Gabor Nemeth through a web page dedicated to Bauhaus. At the time, I was looking for their TV appearances in good quality. At one point, it was planned to release them all on DVD. But, as is often the case in the music industry, this project fell through. So, as usual, enthusiasts helped each other out, and with his help I was able to get them. Since then, to my great pleasure, we've kept in touch. He was kind enough to share his passion with us.

How did you discover BAUHAUS?

I got a copied tape from a friend, it was just labeled as Bauhaus - Burning from the inside (but actually it also had The Sky's Gone Out on side A) and he told me it was sort of art rock music, although he had no idea about the art school roots of the band. Incidentally he also became an art school student later. I remember I described them to another friend as 'avantgarde'...I still like to think of their music that way rather then goth. And you know, Perry Farrell described David J once as the "Avant of the Avant-garde"...

David J reel from 1979

What were you listening to at the time, and why did their music catch your attention?

It was very early on in the high school, I was just 14 or 15 I think. Being a fucked up, stupid, depressed kid, searching for the answers for the big questions of life, mostly approached from the dark side so I was into bands like The Sisters of Mercy, The Cure, New Model Army, Joy Division but also loved the rage of punk, UK Subs, Exploited and of course the Pistols. Also loved the Hungarian alternative / underground music scene, my fav band was Galloping Coroners, also one of the favourites of Jello Biafra who released their first albums. Still think that their Hammering On The Gates Of Nothingness is one of the best records ever made (OK just play this piece VERY LOUD in a darkened room, it would wash your brain out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt6dC2q3gxI )
I found Bauhaus amazing as it was a strange mixture, raw and powerful but still hauntingly beautiful and sensitive…and pretty weird at some point...

Pre-Bauhaus tape w/ Grab A Shadow etc, signed by Dave Exton

Since when are you interested in BAUHAUS and why?

I think it must have been 1990 or 1991 when I got the first tape and although I liked it at the first listen they became my favourite band just about a year later, around 1992 I think. It was time of big changes here, the occupying Russian army had left the country the previous year and we were about to exchange communism for capitalism (that seemed like a good choice back then)…the new government has just announced the copyright law as we had no such thing before, so the only record shop in Budapest that used to sell punk/alternative music has just started to sell out their huge stock of pirate cassettes before the law would come to force…there were several big pirate cassette companies in Poland, they manufactured large amounts of cassettes…funny thing that before that copyright law I thought they were official releases, which seems nonsense now as they were very poorly produced stuff…so I bought about 10 cassettes for low price, including In The Flat Field and Mask, and still remember how shocked I was when I first heard In The Flat Field …Oh my god, WTF it is? It was so different…I remember listening to A God In An Alcove, Spy In The Cab, Stigmata Martyr and thought, “Oh man, that guy is really suffering”… as I said I was stupid :-) So I had all the 4 LPs then, listened to them million times in the next years and the songs became soundtracks of my life…

Another pre-Bauhaus tape by The Submerged 10th and lyrics sheets signed by Vince Venom (the singer)

What makes Bauhaus different from other bands?

I always loved the dark themes and melancholy in music and Bauhaus has its darkness too but there is a great deal of humour in their work which is my favourite combination in every art form.
I also love their experimental side, their "arty-farty" musical adventures that made all of their albums different…

Are you in contact with any of the musicians in the band? Do you think it's possible to go from fan to friend?

I’m in touch with David. I transferred his tape collection to digital some years ago and sometimes he asks me to send over this or that for an upcoming release…like the bonus tracks for the recent Urban Urbane 2XLP reissue.
I also helped out Kevin with some bits for his coffee table book and been in touch with Daniel too but I have never contacted Peter.
As for the second question, yes I think it is possible..I know David’s manager Darwin was a fan before they became friends and band mates in Night Crickets.
David even calls me a friend but I wouldn’t say we are friends in the traditional sense as we have met only once. But we exchanged lots of emails over the years and he gifted me several stuff. Last time I got a nice surprise parcel just before Christmas, with 6 or 7 signed vinyl records including a test pressing of an upcoming demo set that had been collected from my transfers.

What do you think about unofficial recordings from Bauhaus?

I’m against the commercial bootlegs of any kind and I would never pay for them as bootleggers stole money from the pocket of the artists.
But I love audience recordings and I was very active in tape / CDR trade about 15-20 years ago. I have a huge collection of hundreds of Bauhaus / related bands / solo live recordings.
It has nothing to do with money but the love of music and it helps keeping the enthusiasm for the band.
Actually, I got in touch with David for the first time when I put together a 3xCDR compilation from my David J solo live recording collection and sent it to him. He liked it and it was eventually offered as a bonus reward in his Kickstarter campaign.

My David J live rarities compilation that was used for a Kickstarter project, signed by David

Is this the only band you are interested in?

I still love the bands I grew up on, The Sisters of Mercy, New Model Army etc and I also collected them for a while but eventually gave it up due lack of time.
Same with the Pixies.

How often have you seen the band and what is your best memory of it?

Unfortunately I had no chance to see Bauhaus as I live in Hungary and they have never played here. The closest city where they performed was Vienna in 1998 but I didn’t even know about it as I didn’t have Internet back then. I wanted to travel to Italy in 2006 to see them but I couldn’t make it. But David had a solo show in Budapest a couple of years ago, it was great to meet him in person after the years of email communication.

What is your worst memory of Bauhaus?

There were a couple of odd shows in 2006 when Peter refused to sing…it must have been really embarrassing to see

Transferring the reel

What is your favourite period of the band and why?

I prefer the 79-83 period, especially the first 3 years. In The Flat Field is a great album but I think they were at their peak in 1981, just check the This Is For When live album

Do you like everything they've done, or are there any songs that don't speak to you?

I like almost everything they did but my least fav stuff are some songs from their Go Away White LP like International Bulletproof Talent and Undone. As you said, they just don’t speak to me.

Do you have many contacts who are passionate about this band, is there a Bauhaus community?

I know some other fans, mostly from my live recording trade years, but we are not in regular contact anymore. Sometimes we exchange an email but that’s all.
The only exception is Andrew Brooksbank, the official historian of the band, we have been in touch for very long time and although we have never met I consider him as a friend.
There are some Bauhaus groups on Facebook but I’m not really interested in being a member and read the “I love Peter” type of posts, stupid memes and photos I have seen million times.

Have Bauhaus been with you all your life, or have there been times when you stopped listening to them?

I have never really stopped listening them, but I must say that I rarely listen to their LPs this days. But I often listen to David’s solo stuff as he is very active and I was really into Peter’s Ninth album years ago.

When did you start collecting items related to the band?

I started to collect around the millenium when the Internet came in and I discovered that they had more stuff that the four albums I had. Also started to collect their live recordings shortly after that.

Unused pix Gabor took for the Analogue Excavations project

Could you tell us about your Bauhaus collection and what are your best pieces ?

I’m a fan of music so I only collect things that I could listen to, I’m not really interested in other objects related to the band.
I know there are fans who would be over the moon to have a jacket that Daniel once wore on stage but such thing just leaves me cold.
I have lots of tapes, CDs and vinyls, test pressings, rare promo CDs and unreleased recordings.
One of my most cherished piece is a live tape of David’s and Kevin’s pre-Bauhaus punk band, The Submerged 10th. There are only two existing copies, my one and David’s own copy. And I have the only surviving copy of their original lyrics sheets. I also have another tape including songs from other pre-Bauhaus bands like Grab A Shadow etc.
Another one I’m really proud of is David’s original tape of the last Bauhaus concert from 1983 with his original setlist, another gift I got from him.

David J's tape and setlist of the last Bauhaus gig from 1983

How many objects are in your collection?

It’s hard to tell, never counted them to be honest. I think I have about 600-700 live tapes / CDRs / DVDs and hundreds of official CDs and vinyls. And I also have several external HDDs brimmed with digital stuff.

Are you also interested in the aftermath of Bauhaus?

Yes, I like most of their other bands and solo stuff, my favourites are Tones On Tail (Daniel’s project with Glenn Campling) and The Sinister Ducks (David’s fun project with comic writer Alan Moore)

The Submerged 10th lyrics sheets for 'Raw Power'

What do you think of their sporadic reformations? If you read the books or articles about them, they don't seem to be doing it for fun.

Well, they have never made a secret of the fact that they did those reunion tours because they got a good offer they couldn’t refuse. And that’s fair enough, they all make a living from music. I don’t really mind the reasons as they put their heart and soul to the shows.

Do you have any outstanding anecdotes about this passion?

One funny thing that David often mentions me as the “mad Hungarian” in interviews :-)
But the best story I used to tell that I have a song with two of my favourite musicians, David J and Pixies frontman Frank Black.
Well, that’s a poetic exaggeration, but the fact is that David used some bits that I digitised from his old home demo tapes in a song called Tiny Gun and Frank Black provided some guest vocals too. I’m really proud of that album, Analogue Excavations & Dream Interpretations, as it was me who suggested them the idea of creating something new from the unfinished pieces and music ideas from those tapes. I also took the front cover picture of the first LP.

Super rare handmade promo CD signed by Daniel Ash

What does your family think of your passion?

They tolerate it, to a certain degree at least :-)
My wife likes Bauhaus too, we grew up listening the same bands, but she can’t really understand what is the point in buying the same stuff over and over again, or having all the 10 Instant Live double CDs from the 2005 tour while they did almost the same set every night.

Would you like to write an article or book about Bauhaus?

Actually, I have been working on something for very long time that may (or may not) see the light of day once.
It’s not about Bauhaus but Alan Moore’s music projects and performances, but David had several projects with Alan so it could be interesting for the Bauhaus fans as well.

Octopus painting by Daniel Ash, received as a gift from the man.

What do you think would have been different in your life if you hadn't known Bauhaus?

I bet my life would be much more boring. I met a lot of interesting people over the years, fans, collectors, musicians and realised that most of them are kind and helpful, especially if you approach them with good intentions. And I learned that this world is a small place.

How would you introduce this band to the current younger generation?

Forget all the clichés that you heard about them, the Godfather of Goth and other nonsense. Just put on their LPs, be open minded and let the music speak to you… ;-)

Thank you a lot Gabor

(interview from june 2023)

Gabor on the way to the Budapest airport w/ David