#Oh god he'd hate me for this | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

rhadinesthes · 1 year ago

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[I decided to make a compilation post of Martin's stim/tic. 'Cause that's a perfectly normal thing to do. It's a lot of text, but if you just want to see the moments, I made all the relevant timestamps blue, 'cause that's a fun color. Honestly, this is becoming A Problem for me.]

So here's the deal. Recently, I was made aware that Martin has this stim/tic where he sticks his tongue out and bites at his lips, often without seeming quite aware of it. It sorta fascinates me (and it's cute), so I decided to keep an eye out for it.

(Usually I tend to rather closely watch his gaze dart around in every direction as if he has no idea where to look. I definitely think it's at least partly an anxiety thing, but now I wonder if it's also an eye contact issue. Ah yes, that thing I never do and always forget about.)

Actually, it's not hard to find footage showing this behavior, so I've compiled a list. As I was watching these vids, I observed actions that I would place into three rough categories: Martin outright sticking his tongue out, Martin biting/pulling at his lips with his teeth/lips, and Martin sort of... very visibly licking his lips, I guess. The third category is hard to describe, which makes the timestamps I've listed quite useful for comparison. Additionally, I've noticed that sometimes he looks down just before or while he does these things, as if he's a bit self-conscious. Other times, he just goes for it. There are also moments whether by angles or video quality or just his movements, one doesn't necessarily see his tongue, but his mouth moves in this very characteristic way which strongly implies to me that he's doing something of this sort. Many of those (some from videos not featured here) seemed too minor to list, so I didn't. I think he has a lot of mouth tics that are just difficult to describe. Interestingly, I also noted Dave and even Fletch licking their lips, though they (usually) did it less often and more discreetly than Martin. (I've colored Dave's timestamps green and Fletch's yellow.) Frankly I don't know what the threshold is for it to cross over from being done in an average/normal way to being done in a tic/stim way. I likely didn't even catch all of the times Fletch and Dave do this sort of thing, as whenever Martin is visible, he has my complete attention.

As an aside, I also have the impression that the way he's always raising his eyebrows is also part of this to some extent. I also noticed that he rubs the sides of his nose a lot. In addition, it seems to me that much of his laughter is very… nervous. Forced, even. Seeking approval, even. It wouldn't surprise me if those are also tics/stims. It's as if he's always laughing things off that he otherwise… wouldn't. I know it's been >40 years, and there's absolutely nothing I can say that hasn't been said 100 times before, but man. I feel alone in this anyway.

The list included here is certainly not exhaustive, however, since I haven't seen every video... and frankly, I don't really want to. I'm being insane enough as it is. Might not stop me in the end, though... The major thing I wanted to do here is showcase it across the decades. The vids from the 80s do seem more... plentiful? Easier to find? I will say they're definitely easier to comb through despite the often very poor quality.

But anyway, I digress. On to footage of Martin doing the things.

First up is a vid from 1985 that's split into two parts. In the first part, he does it at 1:43. In the second part, he does it within the first second (and someone even commented on it) and then again at 0:05 and 0:54. Poor baby really seems like he's dying of boredom this entire time, constantly wiggling and fidgeting with his bracelets and staring off into the middle distance. But I do appreciate him knowing the name of (one of) the diacritics they dropped for the band name, and him hiding behind his hand at the end is extremely cute.

This next one, dated May 4, 1985, is a treasure trove. He does it twelve times in just under nine minutes-- and that's just what's actually visible! I doubt there's a video in existence with a higher rate of Martin doing the thing. It did occur to me that the second part of the previous interview is quite a short video itself, so I actually did the calculation. It turns out that this video's rate is ever so slightly higher. [2x60+16=126 seconds and 126/3=45.333... (once per 45 seconds on average) vs 8x60+49=529 and 529/12=44.08333... (once per 44 seconds on average)] Here's the whole list: 0:28; 1:03; 1:33; 1:43; 1:57; 2:33; 2:37 (though obscured by the potato quality); 5:20; 5:47; 6:37; 7:34; 8:34. There could also be a subtle one at 3:14, but I can't tell for sure due to the quality. He must be spectacularly bored and uncomfortable. The talk about Martin's A-Levels is also intriguing to me. My limited understanding is that they're preparatory classes for university, which leads me to liken them to all of the advanced/college prep classes I took. I thought I read somewhere else that he did do five of them, but he only admits to two here (French and German, I think?). I wonder where the five number came from, then. Perhaps just people's tendencies to exaggerate.

Next is a French TV interview dated May 7, 1986. One of the commenters was even nice enough to list all of the times for us: 1:36, 3:51 (though I'd rather link 3:49), and 5:23 (though I'd also rather link 5:22). Incidentally, 3:49 is the second gif from the post I linked up top.

The next example is from 1987. Martin does the thing at 0:16 and 0:55. 0:16 is the first gif from the post linked up top.

I also found a video of an MTV interview plus the band recording IDs ahead of the Rose Bowl concert, dated April 26, 1988. There's another video that's just the IDs, amusingly notable because its thumbnail features Martin sticking his tongue out. Times when Martin does the thing are: 0:16; 6:32; 9:14; 10:09; 10:38; 11:31.

The next vid is dated September 7, 1988. Martin only does the thing at 1:29, but it's right when the interviewer sticks the mic in his face, which greatly amuses me. This vid also has the acid house moment.

Next up is a VH1 interview from 1997. The subject matter here is pretty rough, but my German isn't good enough and the dub is too dominant to fully understand what they're saying. That remark Martin made about Dave's family, though... holy fuck. That whole exchange was just brutal to behold. Timestamps featuring Martin are: 3:36; 6:06; 19:03; 24:21; 27:13; 28:23; 29:34. Interestingly, I also spotted Fletch doing it at 8:48 and Dave doing it at 9:42 and 19:53.

Following that is the Singles Tour press conference, dated April 20, 1998. I found the subject matter pretty boring, but it has plenty of relevant moments: 4:25; 11:00; 12:24; 14:45; 17:00; 17:50; 18:34; 20:43; 21:59; 23:20; 25:15; 25:22; 28:46. I spotted Dave doing it thrice, at 13:24, 16:01, and 19:03.

Here's a vid consisting of B-roll footage from 2000. This vid is of particular note because it consists of footage not from any public appearance. Martin does the thing while he's on the phone at 5:12, and Anton even zooms in on it (which I find highly amusing). At 6:44, he appears to start running his tongue around the inside of his cheeks. Aside from those, Martin in the rocking recliner is just adorable to watch. Makes me want a rocking chair/recliner to rock in. It's been so long. Is it even possible to not rock in a rocking chair?

Next up is an interview from 2005. We get to see Martin's tongue right out the gate, but it turns out that we don't get to see much of him in this vid-- it's really a montage of Dave doing the thing, and does he ever: 8:00; 8:57; 9:41; 10:45; 13:04; 13:43; 14:29; 14:43; 16:17; 17:15; 18:14; 21:25; 22:07; 22:49. Fletch joins in at 11:46 and 19:32.

Here's a short vid from 2009. We see Martin do the thing at 0:10. This segment was painful to watch. I get the impression the host is fishing for something lurid from Martin, and Martin's not having it. Maybe there's some culture clash at play, like there might be regarding the next example.

That example being one from 30 March, 2013. Hoo boy, do I have some words for this. Even aside from the culture clash debate about the questions themselves (which are primarily directed toward Dave), no part of this interview landed with me. In particular, the swipe at Martin at the beginning really rubs me the wrong way. Dave comes off unbothered on the whole, but Martin seems so uncomfortable the entire time. Anyway, I noticed the thing at 5:27, though it's somewhat obscured by the angle here.

Here's another French TV one from 2017. The camera cuts to him with his tongue out at 3:57, and he does it again at 7:48.

To sidestep for a moment, I noticed something in an interview from 10 October, 2022. Strictly speaking, what I observed at 11:36 is that he seems to go for it and then stop himself. Honestly, that in itself is also rather interesting, but I'm not quite sure how to articulate that interest. Maybe that it seems to clash with the rest of what I've compiled? I do wonder if in this instance, I'm seeing something which isn't actually there. On the other hand, watching a few current vids, it seems that he tends more to do more subtle things that are harder to describe and leave me uncertain as to whether I should list them. Considering what originally drove me to make this list, though, I chose not to. I've still noticed his gaze darting around plenty, though.

Lastly, here's the first part of an Apple Music interview from (I think) March 2023. You can see Martin stick his tongue out at 10:49, and at 5:36 he also does something with a similar vibe but more subtle. I think that first timestamp of him doing it even now in this very year really shows how ingrained and not quite conscious it is, as well as it being a lifelong habit.

I'm certain I could go on finding more and more footage of these behaviors, but I think I've made the major points well enough for these informal purposes. Now, as for why this is A Problem for me in particular. Watching him do this, observing it so closely and cataloguing it in this way, has made me realize all of the similar (and in some cases the same) things I and I'm pretty sure one of my parents do. There was a particular moment a couple weeks or so back when I suddenly caught myself licking my lips sort of like these moments, and now I'm super aware of it and can't stop. I don't even know whether it's something I've always done and never really realized before or if it's new or what-- I certainly don't want to think I'm that impressionable... I've noticed I do it most often when I'm about to start chewing on my lower lip. Because that's a big thing of mine: chewing on my lips and cheeks and tongue. And I do it (and have done it for many, many years) nearly constantly. I think I actually replaced chewing on necklace chains and shirt collars with this at some point in my youth. Considering Martin's tics/stims has really brought to my attention the sheer number of little tics and habits I have and have had throughout my life. I don't know what any of that says about me-- it's not something I get to know, and that troubles me when I think about it. So like. This topic fascinates me, but it also stresses me out.

But ah, that's enough getting personal for now. I don't have anything more to say at the moment, so I'll call it done. Props to anyone who bothered to read all of this. It's definitely my tumblr magnum opus in terms of both depth and sheer insanity of chosen subject matter.

I got so stressed making this post. Please validate me.

#Depeche Mode #Martin Gore #Martin does the thing #And apparently so do I #And maybe Dave and Fletch as well #Poor Marty's losing his damn mind in most of these #I would also lose my damn mind #So not an ounce of blame from me #Oops got pretty personal there #Analysis #That no one asked for #Oh god he'd hate me for this #Even though I do it with only affection in my heart #>_>#Art of Content

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