by Chris Parcellin A few years back when Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan stuck a fork in Rock'n'Roll and declared it "dead". It almost looked like the cue-ball headed bastard might be right. The radio was ruled by grungy shoegazers with no soul and no grasp of the power of such bands as the Stooges, the MC5 and the New York Dolls. Real rock'n'roll bands were few and far between, and the future looked pretty damned bleak.
Fortunately, nobody bothered mentioning this to Jeff Dahl. Probably otherwise best-known for his stint as lead singer of the Angry Samoans, Dahl has been cranking-out CDs filled with piss, vinegar and screaming electric guitars for the better part of a decade for indie titans Triple X Records.
And Dahl's international fanbase simply continues to grow on the
heels of his 1999 release All Trashed Up.
D-FILED was able to corner the busy guitarist
long enough to get this exclusive interview.
Which rock'n'rollers influenced you the most when you were growing up?
JEFF DAHL: A lotta the early stuff like Little Richard and Chuck Berry. Also 60's garage stuff from the Stone to the Standells. Then, of course, that glam stuff that preceeded punk. The Dolls, the Stooges, the MC5, Alice Cooper...Anything with a lot of guitars.
How'd you get your start in the music biz?
JD: As a fan. Just going to concerts and buying records. That's still how I think of myself. I still buy too many records!
It seems fair to say that you're a big Dead Boys fan. Did you ever get to hangout with Stiv?
JD: Yeah, huge Dead Boys fan. When I first heard Young, Loud And Snotty I thought it was the long lost follow-up to Funhouse. It still sounds great. Yep, I knew Stiv. Wonderful cat. And Cheetah (Chrome) and I are talking about trying to do some shows together in September. It's always fun to play with him.
A younger, hairier Dahl
(second-from-left), 1989
How was working with Cheetah?
JD: He's a wildman. Also the best guitarist I've ever played with. Just an amazing talent. The greatest compliment I can pay someone is to say that they've got an original sound, and he definitely is an original. He's doing really well these days. I just spoke to him a week ago.
Do you plan to do anymore MF666 recordings?
JD: I doubt it. Mike Metoff has pretty much retired from playing music anymore. Which is a pity. He's another fantastic guitarist. So without him I can't see the point it doing it.
Do you think your sound has changed much over the years?
JD: Oh, probably. I mean, I can play guitar better than when I started. But I'm still rooted in the same ol' 3 chords and a bad attitude RnR that I've always been into. I still listen to the same records so I doubt I've changed too much.
How'd you get into Willie "Loco" Alexander?
JD: I'd read a bad review of him comparing his sound to
Mott and "glam." That sold me! Willie is so brilliant,
so under-rated. My old tune, Boom Boom Willie is
about him.
What's on your
website?
JD: It's kinda the standard band site. The latest
news, photos, a bio, press-clippings, links,
merch...All the regular stuff that people want to
know about or see. I do keep it very current and
update it several time a month as new stuff comes in.
That's probably the main difference. That I do it
myself and always keep it current.
Dahl onstage, '99
Are you going to be touring this summer?
JD: I doubt it. The fall is a possibility. I've
just got a ton of production and recording work coming
up. I'll be recording the new Peeps record for
Sympathy this month, and I just finished the new
Chicken Hawks CD for RAFR.
How do feel about the current state of rock'n'roll?
JD: I think there are a lot of great new, young bands happening all over the world. I think it's really healthy right now for real underground rock n roll music. The mainstream stuff I can't comment on, because I don't listen to any of it. I haven't got a clue as to what's going on there.
