DUEL PERSONALITIES
[from No.1 6/1/85]
[transcribed by Mark Wasiel]

THEY MAKE "RADICAL BUT ENTERTAINING POP MUSIC".
THEY CALL THEMSELVES "ABBA IN HELL".
THEY ARE PROPAGANDA.
STUART HUSBAND SORTS THE FACTS FROM THE FICTION.

THE MISSION

Propaganda -- two boys and two girls from Dusseldorf, West Germany --
have a burning desire. They want to make "radical pop music --
entertaining, but with a twist".

So far they've only released two singles, but some would say they've
already achieved their goal. Their first, 'The Nine Lives Of Dr
Mabuse', was an explosive mixture of shrill chanted vocals over a
threatening electro backing which reached No. 26 in the UK last year.

Their new single 'Duel' is something else. A fragile, haunting song
reminiscent of Abba in their more reflective moments, it's backed by
'Jewel', a frenzied electro-punk version of the A-side.

So the record has a 'light' and 'dark' side. A concept single!

But the four Propaganda people stress that the singles show just a
little of what the group is capable of. "None of our songs sound
alike. We want to cover as many different areas and appeal to as many
people as we can."

Their debut LP 'A Secret Wish' produced by Trevor Horn [exec. prod. -
m.], should prove their point.

THE PLAYERS

Ralf Dorper, 27, and Michael Mertens, 31, are the men behind the
Propaganda sound, writing and arranging the music.

With his wiry thatch of hair and small pebble glasses, Ralf has the
look of a slightly mad professor.

"I started the group in 1982," he recalls. "I'd been doing lots of
experimental stuff with tapes, but I was getting fed up. I met Michael
when he was working in an electronics shop, and he tried to sell me a
microcomputer. We both wanted to make pop muic, and started making
tapes.

"I asked Claudia and Suzanne to sing on one of our tapes, which we
then brought to England to look for a deal."

Why England? "London is still the main city in the world for pop,"
says Ralf. "People here are much more open-minded. In Germany, people
would rather listen to rock -- like Genesis!" [I find that hard to
believe!]

A new label named Zang Tuum Tumb loved Propaganda's tape, and signed
them at the beginning of 1983.

"You could say we have grown up alongside ZTT," says Ralf. "I don't
think any other label would have supported us as strongly as they
have."

Ralf was born and brought up in Dusseldorf, where Propaganda have
their own recording studio.

Michael is originally from East Germany. His parents defected to the
West when he was 12.

"I trained as a classical percussion player, and I've played in a
symphony orchestra. But it was The Beatles who first turned me on to
pop."

The main inspiration for Propaganda, however, was the English punk movement.

"We weren't inspired by any group in particular," says Ralf. "We want
to make good pop songs, but we don't want to repeat anything that
other people have done, even though we're going for the mainstream.

"That's why we chose the name -- if no one was listening to Propaganda
it wouldn't have any effect!"

So why is 'Duel' split into a poppy and a hardcore side?

Ralf: "The idea was to have two fighting extremes. The listener can
decide who is going to win. We were trying to show the light and the
dark side of a love affar.

"The chorus, 'The first cut won't hurt at all', is saying that a
relationship can turn sour without you really noticing it, and it
gradually builds up until you're screaming.

"We are very painstaking about what we do. We don't want things to be
too clear.

"We want people to be able to return to one of our songs in ten or 20
years' time and still find it fresh and exciting."

THE SINGERS

Claudia Bruchen, 21, and Suzanne Freytag, 27, are enjoying the spring
sunshine on the roof of the ZTT building, home of Frankie Goes To
Hollywood. Claudia is small and spiky, occasionally showing flashes of
irritation' Suzanne is shy and reserved.

They are quick to deny that their contribution to the group is limited
to singing Ralf's lyrics.

Suzanne: "Ralf and Michael build the foundations == we have the ideas
for vocals and melodies."

How do they feel about the comparisons with Abba? (Propaganda have
described themselves as "Abba in Hell".)

Claudia: "It was a conscious thing to model ourselves on them. Even
when there were five people in the group [A. Thein], we only used four
in the photos -- so that we could look like a warped version of them!"

The pair are excited about Propaganda's coming live appearances as
part of ZTT's package at the Ambassador's Theatre in London.

Claudia: "They'll be our first experiences of playing live, apart from
The Tube."

How much of their lives does Propaganda take up?

Claudia: "At the moment, with the single out and an LP coming, a
lot. But we really enjoy it -- we've always liked showing off!

"We'll carry on Propaganda until it gets boring, and I think we'll all
know when it's reached that stage."