We've always been slammed by most of the British press. They probably hate us because we're too normal and incredibly honest.
I find that albums generally tell a story. Because it's music, it doesn't have to be in chronological order.
For a lot of bands, the London club scene very much starts to become more important than the music they create. Which we never want to happen.
Naturally, in a band or duo, it's really about compromise which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
We really hated being in a band. The joy for us and why we slipped nicely and neatly into it was because we didn't need a band anymore. We became a duo because of technology.
Technology was changing just as we were getting started. You had these records by people like David Bowie and Talking Heads and Brian Eno that took production into a whole new direction. That really influenced us, and pushed us to find that early sound we had.
I think people forget even though we were labelled a synth band because of 'The Hurting,' but keyboards are not our native instruments. Roland's a guitar player and I'm a bass player.
New York was a fantastic place to disappear because no one cares who you are. No one bothers you. In my ten years living there I was never once asked for an autograph or stopped on the street. It was an absolute joy. I gave myself time and space to get to know myself more.
I like the country, the peace and quiet, because the music business is so hectic.
Normally doing an album you go from track to track and go, 'Let's not work on this one today, let's go work on the other one,' and I think you tend to get more self-indulgent that way.
MySpace is just spam central. I mean, every day I just get mail inviting me to gigs that are nowhere near Los Angeles!
The synth helped us in that it meant you didn't have to be a traditional four-piece band and basically, you didn't have to work too hard.
I think Roland read 'Primal Scream' first and then gave it to me. This was, I think, even prior to 'The Graduate' days. We both got heavily into and it offered a lot of questions about how screwed up our home life was.
We've influenced other artists, and when younger generations become fans of those artists and hear about us, they discover our music too.
