While Molko was brought up in a strict household that disapproved of artistic expression (his father wanted him to become a banker) he rebelled by affecting an androgynous image, wearing nail polish, lipstick and eyeliner, and listening to punk and glam rock. In his late teens, he came out as bisexual.
Molko and Stefan Olsdal both attended the International School of Luxembourg in Luxembourg, but they were never friends. When Molko moved to London to study drama at Goldsmiths College, where he graduated with a degree, he met Olsdal at South Kensington Tube Station. Molko invited Olsdal to one of his gigs in a club, which he played with Steve Hewitt. Olsdal was impressed with Molko's voice, and together they formed Ashtray Heart; eventually they changed the name to Placebo. Together with drummer Robert Schultzberg (a friend of Olsdal's from Sweden) performed together in 1996. Schultzberg did not fit in the band, however, and was soon replaced with Steve Hewitt, who played on Placebo's demo tracks.
Molko's musical influences include David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Dead Kennedys, Bad Religion, Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey, Nick Drake, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Joy Division, The Cure and The Pixies. Molko taught himself to play guitar. At the age of 16 he got a Telecaster replica as a present from his parents. Soon After, he bought a real telecaster. He plays other instruments such as bass, harmonica, keyboard, saxophone, drums and turntables. Occasionally, Molko works as a disc jockey at clubs, he's definately not very good at it. Nowadays Molko listens to electro-clash artist Peaches, his old favourite, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and many others.
Along with Hewitt and Olsdal, he had a small role in the 1998 film Velvet Goldmine, for which Placebo performed the T. Rex song 20th Century Boy. He played Malcolm, a singer of the fictional glam rock band, The Flaming Creatures.
In 2005, Molko's long-term partner, Helena Berg, gave birth to his first child, Cody. He said he named the child after his long-time friend who died in a car accident.
He has performed as a guest vocalist on tracks by:
Timo Maas - Pictures, Like Siamese and First Day
Alpinestars - Carbon Kid
Trash Palace - The Metric System, Je t'aime, moi non plus (duet with Asia Argento)
the AC Acoustics - Crush
Kristeen Young - No Other God
Dream City Film Club - Some
Jane Birkin - Smile.
He also wrote the English lyrics to 'Pink water' version 3, a song by Indochine from the album that is due to be released at the end of 2006. Molko is friends with David Bowie, with whom he sang Placebo's Without You I'm Nothing and 20th Century Boy live. He has used a Fender Jaguar, Fender Thinline Telecaster, Gibson SG in the past and currently plays Gretsch guitars .
He lives in London but frequently travels to Paris.
The April 17th, 2007 Placebo show in Omaha, Nebraska, at the Sokol Auditorium was canceled after Molko was rushed to the emergency room after fighting flu symptoms for a number of days. The band has promised to re-schedule that show near the end of the summer.
Pictures
Brian Molko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So get in the car
And I won't hurt you
Unless you ask me to
Hurt you
Boy
I won't hurt you
Hurt you
Boy
And take off your clothes
I wanna take pictures of you
I wanna capture you in digital
I wanna take pictures of you
You wanna go for a ride
So get in the car
And I won't touch you there
Unless you ask me to
Touch you there
Boy
I won't touch you there
Unless you ask me to
Touch you there
Boy
And take off your clothes
I wanna take pictures of you
Boy
I wanna capture you in digital
I wanna take pictures of you
Boy
You won't age a day
In freeze frame
You won't age a day
In freeze frame
You won't age a day
In freeze frame
Take off your clothes
I wanna take pictures of you
Boy
I wanna capture you in digital
I wanna take pictures of you
Boy
Take off your clothes
I wanna take pictures of you
Boy
Take off your clothes
(I wanna take pictures of you)
(Boy)
The lyrics of Brian Molko's song, "Pictures," are quite provocative and disturbing. The singer is addressing a boy, asking him to get into a car with him, promising not to hurt or touch him unless he asks for it. The lyrics indicate a sense of control and power that the singer feels he has over the boy, as he is the one asking for pictures and wanting to capture him in digital format. The line "You won't age a day In freeze frame" suggests the singer's desire to keep the boy young and frozen in time.
The song appears to be exploring the themes of desire, power, and control. The singer's repeated use of the word "boy" suggests a power dynamic between two individuals, where the singer is the one exerting control and dominance over the boy. The singer is asking the boy to relinquish his power and give in to his desires by taking off his clothes and allowing the singer to take pictures of him.
The lyrics overall suggest a very dark and unsettling scenario, where an individual is exploiting another individual for his own personal gratification. While it is unclear whether the relationship between the two individuals is consensual or not, the lyrics do suggest a sense of manipulation and control that is unsettling.
Line by Line Meaning
You wanna go for a ride
The singer is inviting the listener to join them on a ride.
So get in the car
The singer is telling the listener to get into the car for the ride.
And I won't hurt you
The singer is reassuring the listener of their safety during the ride.
Unless you ask me to
The artist is suggesting that the listener may have a hidden, unexpressed desire to be hurt or harmed.
Hurt you
The artist is referring to causing physical pain or harm to the listener.
Boy
The singer is addressing the listener as 'boy.'
And take off your clothes
The singer is requesting that the listener remove their clothing.
I wanna take pictures of you
The artist is expressing a desire to photograph the listener.
I wanna capture you in digital
The artist wants to digitally preserve an image of the listener.
You won't age a day
The artist is suggesting that the act of being photographed will preserve the listener's youth and beauty forever.
In freeze frame
The singer means that freezing the image in time will keep the listener appearing youthful and unchanging.
Take off your clothes
The artist is once again asking the listener to remove their clothing for the purpose of being photographed.
Boy
The singer addresses the listener as 'boy' again.
(I wanna take pictures of you)
The singer repeats their desire to take photos of the listener.
Contributed by Muhammad D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@AEONZOE
I hold an image of the ashtray girl
As a cigarette burns on my chest
I wrote a poem that described her world
That put our friendship to the test
And late at night whilst on all fours
She used to watch me kiss the floor
What's wrong with this picture?
What's wrong with this picture?
Farewell, the ashtray girl
Forbidden snowflake
Beware this troubled world
Watch out for earthquakes
Goodbye to open sores
To broken centerfloors
You know we miss her
We miss her picture
Sometimes it's faded
Disintegrated
For fear of growing old
Sometimes it's faded
Assassinated
For fear of growing old
Farewell the ashtray girl
Angelic fruitcake
Beware this troubled world
Control your intake
Goodbye to open sores
Goodbye and furthermore
You know we miss her
We miss her picture
Sometimes it's faded
Disintegrated
For fear of growing old
Sometimes it's faded
Assassinated
For fear of growing old
Hang on
Though we try
It's gone
Hang on
Though we try
It's gone
Sometimes it's faded
Disintegrated
For fear of growing old
Sometimes it's faded
Assassinated
For fear of growing old
Can't stop growing old
Can't stop growing old
Can't stop growing o
@georgemisheladze2899
I hold an image of the ashtray girl
Of cigarette burns on my chest
I wrote a poem
That described her world
And put our friendship to the test
And late at night
Whilst on all fours
She used to watch me kiss the floor
What's wrong with this picture ?
Farewell the ashtray girl
Forbidden snowflake
Beware this troubled world
Watch out for earthquakes
Goodbye to open sores
To broken semaphore
You know we miss her
We miss her picture
Sometimes it's fated
(We) disintegrate it
For fear of growing old
Sometimes it's fated
(We) assassinate it
For fear of growing old
Farwell the ashtray girl
Angelic fruitcake
Beware this troubled world
Control your intake
Goodbye to open sores
Goodbye and furthermore
I know we miss her
We miss her picture
Hang on
Though we try
It's gone
I can't stop growing old
@tonilarios
This song hits so much more deeper when you listen to it again almost twenty years later...
@originofskillgaming
Yep. 16-35 in no time for me.
@kevinhostert3048
@Gareth Tattersall 50 is only 2 weeks away...
@darkNGL67
"Can’t stop growing old"
@brianwilliams2637
52 years old, still young at heart, but certainly don’t look it…. Still love Placebo
@ellapetrarca644
Lol can’t relate I’m 15 and I just found this band
@onrode
As long as I'm alive I'll always return for more Placebo, thanks for existing and making my life better.
@entrenamientodeverdad.2453
NEW 2021 SI SUENA A PLACEBO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KudGpbfWYrI
@AlejandraSongs
The spoken part at the beginning is my favorite, Brian's voice is beautiful. Placebo brings special memories from my 20's
@mariadelourdesesparzaherna1322
No conocía a Placebo, un día llegando a mi casa de la universidad, hace casi ya 20 años la radio estaba encendida en la sala, yo estaba en la cocina preparando mi cena y sonó This Picture. Me jaló como un imán: esa voz, esa melodía, esa tonada... me envolvió. Dejé lo que estaba haciendo y corrí a la sala para subir el volumen y escuchar mejor esa maravillosa canción y esperar a tener suerte para que dijeran quien la cantaba. Desde entonces mi amor por siempre para Placebo y a esta que fue la canción que me hizo descubrirlos. Recuerdos.