Interviews

Dillinger 4

Interview with Lane on Nov 30, 1999 by Archive Bot

PB: First thing I thought you when I heard your new album "Siuationist Comedy" is your sound reflects that of The Lawrence Arms. You are also going on tour with them in August. Who are some of your influences and how did they influence you.... besides Chris Farley?
D4: Y'know, we may share some influences with Lawrence Arms, Erik and I both grew up in Chicago. Chicago bands like Articles Of Faith, Naked Raygun, The Effigies, Lost Cause, Out Of Order,Gear and Screeching Weasel were, and still are, some of our favorites. I'd say especially Naked Raygun and Screeching Weasel, actually. But when you get down to it 3 of the 4 of us collect records and have been playing in punk bands since we were 12, so our influences are kinda all over the place; Stiff Little Fingers, Lip Cream, Leatherface, Scream's first album, The MC5, Motorhead, Billy Bragg, Wat Tyler, Kurt Vonnegut, not being able to pay the rent...etc.

PB: Lane, I read that you like to tell really long stories. Tell me one about one of your band mates that not a lot of people know?
D4: I actually can't get a hold of Lane right now, he rented a house boat to drink beer on for the week. He's a special kinda doctor...

PB: With Fat Mike at the helm, you guys must be pretty damn proud of yourselves to be able to work with him and his wife. Who's hotter.... Mike or Erin? Also, what made you leave Hopeless?
D4: Y'know, I've never met Erin, so I'm not sure who's hotter. I know Mike's hung like a fucking ape so he's got that going for him. We decided to do records with Fat because Mike offered us a one record deal. That way we can take our time writing songs (and he can get rid of us when no one buys them). It's freed us up in a lot of ways because there's other "projects" we've always wanted to do but couldn't make the time. I fucking hate using the word "project", it sounds so....um, "assholey", but I couldn't think of anything else. There's no bad blood between us and Hopeless, we still have a great deal of respect for Louis and consider him our friend.

PB: The cd book to your new album is one of the funniest I have ever seen. From the girl on the back cover holding a cake with a gun in it, to the band looking like terrorists who like to play music. Whose idea was the cover art and what is it's meaning?
D4: I thought up what the images should be, but most of the credit should go to our friend Dan Monick who did such a great job actually taking the pictures. The images themselves are trying to be a mish-mash of how America likes to see itself and what's really going on. 'Nuff said.

PB: I think it's safe to say you've set a world record with the longest title of a song in the history of music. Track 5 "SELLTHEHOUSESELLTHECARSELLTHEKIDSFINDSOMEONEELSEFORGETT I'MNEVERCOMINGBACKFORGETIT" is quite a name. how the hell did that one come about?
D4: The title is actually a quote from Apocolypse Now. The note that it's taken from is symbolic of the point where Col. Kurtz comes to realize that the reality he has eased into in Vietnam will never mesh with the reality he left at home and is expected to return to someday. A perfect metaphor for someone spending their life working jobs they hate and then realizing one day that they don't have shit, it does something to your mentality towards other people.

PB: Do you guy ever participate in the ritual of tea-bagging each other, or have you been tea-bagged in the past?
D4: I'll just say we've "participated" in many things. I will say, however, that tea-bagging is kinda passe at this point, y'know? I suggest the "spitadisma", the ancient Greek insult of waking up a sleeping friend by smacking them in the face with your dick. We've been very fond of this one lately. Well, some of us....

PB: Biggest highlight, biggest lowlight of Dillinger Four's existance?
D4: The biggest highlight would be hard to peg, in some ways everything we have going on is a highlight. I mean, we've had the oppertunity to travel the world, have beers with new friends and play music that we wrote for people that are excited to hear it. We've managed to maintain control over how we're presented and sound without apoligy and that feels really good. The flipside,or lowlight , however, would be anytime someone calls you a "sell-out" or somehow insinuates you're taking everything for granted. All you can think is how much it sucks that they won't be able to see you at work washing dishes at 2am just to pay the rent.

PB: Did you think it was funny when George Bush choked on a pretzel. I was pissed it didn't remain stuck in there. Who would be the ideal president in your book.
D4: Y'know, GW is such a goddamn jackass ALL the time it's hard for me to single out any one particular moment as being any more silly than another. My vote would go to Var, who runs No Idea Records out of Gainesville, Fla. He's good with money without being a spendthrift, he's great at unifying people, and goddamnit, he a dashingly handsome leader! RIDE FREE YOU FUCKING PRICKS!!! 

PB: You guys have nine releases including cd's, 7" 's, etc..... How do you think your sound has changed if you feel it has. Also, where do you see the band going with your next release?
D4: We're going where we were, man, seriously. Motorhead doesn't change very much, neither has ACDC. We think we're doing just fine.

PB: Sometimes when you have to fart and your stomach hurts a little squirtage occurs if you know what I mean. Does that ever happen on stage and how the hell do you deal with it. It's gotta be a tough life up there sometimes.
D4: I've shit my pants on stage twice. We got nothing to hide.

PB: Worst cd's and best cd's of 2002 so far? I think it's all about Andrew W.K. because he likes it wet....
D4: I've been listening to that Grabass Charlestons/Billy Reese Peters split lp probably more than anything. It's really good, dirty and catchy punk shit from a bunch of good eggs from Florida, you can get that from No Idea actually. I also love the latest lps from both The Dirtbombs and The Beltones, but I think they both came out at the end of last year. The worst would be anything from one of those shit-hop bands, y'know Nu Metal or whatever they're calling it now? I just don't get that shit at all. Drawing a line from Black Sabbath to Limp Biszkit is like drawing a line from Otis Redding to Britney Spears. Actually, that Shakira chick really fucking irritates me as well...

PB: If I gave you guys a million dollars would you make out with Flloyd (the big guy) of Fat Wreck for a night?
D4: I'd do it for 4 tacos and cab fare.