The Wild Life is Wildly Overrated

The Dictators are one of the punk forefathers that never got the recognition they deserved. D.F.F.D., their first studio album since 1978 shows that the band still knows how to rock. In the interview mastermind Andy Shernoff talks about the old times, Joey Ramone and the current record industry.

Robert Pally: What or who made you reunite?

Andy Shernoff: The truth is the band never really broke up and never stopped playing. In the 1980's we continued playing New York City every other year and in 1991 we did a 20 city American tour. It was at one of those New York shows that a Spanish promoter saw us and invited us to tour Spain. That was very successful and when he invited us back the next year, a Swedish promoter heard about it and invited us to tour Scandinavia. As a result of the touring, the audiences got bigger which meant more touring. It inevitably became boring doing only old songs so I started writing new ones which led to the new CD.

RP: The Dictators have been one of the punk forefathers. But you never got the recognition you deserved. You were before the Ramones. Did that ever bother you?

AS: No, I'm a very realistic and pragmatic person....I know the music business has a short memory and since we stopped making records 20 years ago, I'm surprised anybody still cares about the band. Fame is fleeting, my reward is that I can continue to make music and perform around the world.

RP: Looking back, what do you think was responsible for that? Maybe the image you had?

AS: Well we certainly didn't have as focused an image as The Ramones, that might have confused some people. There are elements of punk, hard rock, metal and pop in our sound. But I also think the old records lacked a certain punch. They never sounded powerful to me. I always felt the audience had to work too hard to understand the songs.

RP: Your last studio album appeared in 1978. From the recording side what is different now for you compared to then?

AS: I now have 25 years of experience in the studio. I have probably been involved in the recording of over 100 records (Ramones, Barracudas, Guided by Voices, Fleshtones and others) in my lifetime. When the early Dictator records were being recorded, I was just an inexperienced kid with some music in his head. Now I have the skills to get the sounds and make the record I envision. Obviously the technology has changed also, but I really didn't take advantage of it. I didn't want people to hear the technology, I wanted them to hear the songs. We made a classic, old fashioned, rock and roll record.

RP: What other bands and projects did the band members have since the late '70s?

AS: Scott Kemper played with Dion, The Brandos and the Del-Lords. Handsome Dick Manitoba did Manitoba’s Wild Kingdom with Ross The Boss, J.J. Patterson and me. Ross played also in Manowar and in the French band Shakin' Street (band of Fabienne Shine, the girlfriend of Damon Edge). J.J. Patterson played with the Bel-Airs (with Andy Shernoff) and Michael Fredo. Mark Mendoza joined Twisted Sister. And I mostly produced other bands.

RP: In how many days did you record D.F.F.D.?

AS: We went into the studio numerous times over the past 4 years. After I had written 4 or 5 songs we would enter into the studio to record them. When we accumulated about 20 songs we chose the 12 best for the CD. We recorded in various studios in New York City though some of the songs were mixed in Boston with Sean Slade who produced Radiohead and Hole. All the songs not
chosen for this CD will eventually be released on another CD in the future.

RP: Was it done pretty much live?

AS: The production goal was to make a record that sounded like a band playing live onstage. I didn't want a CD that sounded as if it was recorded in the year 2001. I wanted it to be timeless and sound fresh 20 years from now. Most records today use Pro Tools, a popular computer program that puts vocals in
tune, and drums and guitars in rhythmic time. We used none of that in the recording of the CD. It's just the sound of a band playing live in the studio, warts and all, though we did overdub vocals and solos.

RP: Do you have something against Pro Tools?

AS: Absolutely nothing...it's a great tool and it is certainly here to stay...I just didn't think it was appropriate for this Dictators CD. What it does is remove imperfections in performances. Those imperfections can give a recording, character and personality, a human element that I find very appealing. With Pro Tools you don't know if you are hearing a person or a machine playing. Personally, I prefer music made by human beings.

RP: Is there something you wanna tell the people with D.F.F.D.?

AS: Kids, eat your vegetables!!!

RP: What made you write "Who Will Save Rock 'n Roll"?

AS: Rock and roll is not the musical, cultural and artistic force it used to be in the 1960's and 70's. Now it's music for parent's, kids today listen to rap, skateboard or whatever. I relate The Dictators to John Lee Hooker or Buddy Guy....trends come and go, but those guys continued to keep the blues alive. Our job is to keep real rock and roll alive, but as I say in the song, "My Generation is Not the Salvation".... Hopefully one of these young, trendy, good looking bands like The Strokes will take it up the charts again.

RP: What made you write "Pussy and Money"? Is it an ironic reference on the old days?

AS: What's the greatest motivating factor on the planet?...sex and money. It's an honest observation making fun of people who search for the deep meaning of life when it really comes down to our primal animal urges and the quest for power.

RP: What do you think about the recent hype about the Strokes and the comparaisons to the CBGB sound?

AS: The music business lives on hype and I suspect The Strokes are just another band who have a publicist working overtime. I've seen the band and I think they are pretty good but certainly not "the next big thing". Pop culture moves in cycles and hopefully guitars and 1970s New York rock is coming back in fashion.

RP: What do you think about the current punk scene with bands like Green Day, Off Spring, Blink 182, Sum 41 and others?

AS: How could I dislike bands inspired by The Ramones? I don't own any of their records but I do like the songs I hear on the radio.

RP: What do you think is different compared to the time when you started?

AS: The music business has changed tremendously since the Dictators first started. When we first became a band there was no MTV, no Ramones, no Nirvana, no Sex Pistols. Rock and roll was still on the cutting edge. There were many small innovative record companies while today there are only 5 major record distribution companies in the whole world. They are basically banks and marketing companies. In America if your record is not immediately successful on the radio or MTV they drop you from the record companies roster. Artist development is not on their agenda. The successful artist in the new millennium has to have business vision as well as an artistic vision.

RP: You will be on the upcoming Joey Ramone record. What did you contribute?

AS: I played bass and I co-wrote a song with him. The first single is coming out in December and the full CD will be released in February on Sanctuary Records. It is a very melancholy and moving record.

RP: How was your relationship to Joey Ramone?

AS: Joey was my friend and collaborator. I knew him for almost 30 years and was the bass player on all his solo projects. I was with him in the hospital when he died. I miss him everyday.

RP: What made you write "In the Presence of a New God"?

AS: "In the Presence of a New God" is a little more cryptic than most of my other songs. It’s about things way more powerful than we are… guns and god. I had the title first, then I wrote words that created some strong imagery and sounded good. The first verse is vaguely about a subway mugging and the second is about people who perform shameful and illegal acts and then cash in on their fame. I specifically mention priests who sexually molest children
because it is so common in America.

RP: How is the response of the crowd at your concerts? In front of how many people did you play?

AS: Our concerts are big Dictators parties. We thrive on audience interaction, everybody sings along to the songs. We get a lot of our energy from the audience. It's been very satisfying recently to see our audiences growing in size with more teenagers and women than ever before. At the moment our audiences range in size from 300-700 depending on the city. I believe with the release of our first new music in 25 years we will see more people coming out for The Dictators experience.

RP: How much is left from the wild life you had when you started?

AS: The old days were different because sex was safe and drugs were fun.....but I can honestly say I enjoy life much more now...the wild life is wildly overrated.

RP: Are all the Dictator members married and have a kids?

AS: Two are married with kids.

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Visit the Dictators website at www.thedictators.com

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