By Tina Houser
It’s not every day you find yourself in conversation with a man who has casually sold over 40 million records, written some of the most defining synth-pop anthems of the ‘80s, and been directly responsible for shaping the sonic palette of both generations past and present. But that’s exactly where The Don of Press Play Radio and Tina, CEO of Song Mates, Inc., recently found themselves: in a candid, charming, and delightfully nostalgic chat with Paul Humphreys of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD).
For those who’ve lived outside the orbit of pop history, Humphreys is not only the co-founder but also the creative architect behind OMD’s groundbreaking sound. From the hypnotic hooks of “Electricity” to the immortal heartbreak of “If You Leave” (immortalized in John Hughes' Pretty in Pink), Humphreys has been part of the global soundtrack for over four decades. Fresh off OMD’s double-header at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, Humphreys laughed when asked about squeezing in any “fun” on the road. “When you’re on tour, there’s no such thing as fun. The fun is the show at night. The rest of the time you’re traveling or resting.” Days off aren’t just days off—they’re financial hemorrhages. “A single day off can cost ten thousand dollars in wages, hotels, crew.”
When talk turned to the instruments behind the magic, Paul revealed a story that feels ripped from the pages of rock folklore. In the band’s early days, synths like the Korg Micro-Preset were purchased on installment plans. Fast-forward to their 2000s reunion and a need to recreate those exact sounds for live audiences led to an unexpected twist: “I’m bidding on eBay for this old synth we needed. I finally win it. I call Andy and say, ‘I got it!’ And he says, ‘Oh my God, I just lost out on one.’ Turns out—I’d been bidding against Andy.”
In a music trivia fact few would guess, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top counts OMD as a key influence—something Dean Baldwin of SiriusXM’s Classic Vinyl, Deep Tracks, and Classic Rewind wanted confirmed. Not only did Humphreys confirm it, he expanded on it with a story so surreal it demands retelling. OMD and ZZ Top once shared a bill on the iconic Old Grey Whistle Test in 1980. “We thought they were these weird hairy rockers from America, and they thought we were these strange synth guys from England,” Humphreys recalled. “But they loved our music. Years later, we found out they started adding synths to their own sound. Apparently, Billy plays OMD tracks before going on stage. Oh, and that little Sharp Dressed Man spin? Billy told Andy he nicked it from him.”
OMD’s latest release, Bauhaus Staircase, proves that Humphreys and McCluskey aren’t content to rest on nostalgia. Tracks like “Veruschka”—a haunting, elegant centerpiece on the album—trace their origins to Humphreys' time in France during the pandemic, rediscovering a song initially written for his project OneTwo with Claudia Brücken of Propaganda fame. “Andy took it, rewrote the lyrics, tweaked the chorus, and there it was—my favorite track on the album.” For The Don, the album experience is sacred: “Track one to the end, like reading a book.” Humphreys agrees. “We’re still writing songs that mean something, and people still want to hear them. What more can you ask for?”
Kraftwerk’s “Autobahn” was “the first day of the rest of our lives,” said Humphreys. He and McCluskey scoured Liverpool’s indie shops, specifically Pete Burns’ (Dead or Alive) store, for German imports: Neu!, La Düsseldorf, Kraftwerk. “Music was our art. By accident, we became successful.”
And for those keeping track: the first record Paul ever purchased with his own money? Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel’s “Come Up and See Me (Make Me Smile).” Not a bad choice for a future synth-pop innovator.
As for whether OMD has another album left in them? Never say never. “One of us gets bored, sends the other a track… next thing we know, we’ve got an album. What else are we going to do? I’ve got my studio in France. When I get bored, I make music.”
For more information about Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) and Paul Humphreys, visit www.omd.uk.com or check out their full history and discography on Wikipedia and Paul Humphreys' Wikipedia page. You can also follow OMD on social media platforms for tour updates, new releases, and more behind-the-scenes stories.
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