Viva La GRIND-CORE!!

Interview with ex. DROGHEDA member, Dan Haynes (& extra input by Carolyn Wheeler of Torture Chamber Music Reviews), by Dea.

**This interview took place on May 15, 1999, at the Ohio Death Fest, in Cleveland, behind the Phantasy, under the broken down falling roof thingy!**

(Dea): OK. SO, DAN...
(Dan): Yeeesssss???

TELL US WHAT HAPPENED WITH YOU AND DROGHEDA!
Well, let's see...we played a show in...when did we go to West Virginia? July. Ok, so we played a show in July of '97. We didn't play another show until January or February of '98 & then we played the metalfest in July of '98, so that was lke 3 shows in 2 years. Well, no, in over a year. And I was pissed off and I was always bitchin' about it. I think it's a waste of time to do a bunch of practicing & put out shit if you're not gonna play shows. So, I used to fight with my band mates & then one day while I was at work, Buddy came in and said, "I can tell that you're not happy, blah, blah, blah...and if you wanna go & play in another band or do whatever, that's fine". And I said, "cool", 'cuz I thought he meant, "in addition to"...because we had cancelled a couple of shows & all that crap, and I was mad. So, I didn't think nothin' of it, and then I heard from Carolyn that Richard C. told her that I was kicked out of the band. So, I called Buddy & he's like, "Well yeah, that's what I came to talk to you about that one day while you were at work", which that went right over my head. And, that's it. I haven't talked to, or seen anybody. Well, I've talked to Buddy a couple times on the telephone, but I haven't seen or talked to anybody since August or September of '98, and now i hear that shit's being talked about me in fanzines and stuff like that.

OK, WE'LL GET TO THAT IN A SECOND...DID THEY EVEN GIVE YOU A REASON??
No. Not really. Just because...no one really told me I was fired. It was just one of them things, I guess, where I was let go!! 'Cuz then later, when I was talking to 'em about it, Buddy said something about that we just parted ways or whatever, but I didn't know anything about it. All I know is that I got fired. heheheheh (evil laugh).

WELL, I DON'T THINK THEY'RE GONNA MAKE IT VERY FAR WITHOUT YOU, BECAUSE YOU WERE THE BAND.
Well, that's not entirely fair to say, because like Buddy wrote the vast majority of the music and John took care of the vast majority of the business, and I just did my thing.

(Carolyn): YOU WERE THE ONE WHO GOT THE SHOWS, THOUGH.
Nah, I had the biggest mouth. I think that was my function in that band, was I had the biggest mouth. I made the biggest commotion when we were out places.

SO, WHO'S DOING THE VOCALS NOW?
Buddy. See, before all that shit happened, we weren't playing any shows and we practiced all week for hours & we weren't playing any shows, and if we'd get a show, somebody would cancel it, and all that stuff. So, I said, "Well, fuck it, if we're not gonna be playing any shows, why should I even bother practicin' singin' every week?" So, I just said for Buddy to do all the singing, and then we were going that way, but then we recorded that 7" and we didn't really have time for him to learn all the parts that I'd been doing. So, I sang all my parts on that, and he sang all his parts, and then I sang at the metalfest, ofcourse. So, now though, Buddy's doing all of the vocals. Then he's playing the guitar and the bass & John's doing the drums and since they're recording, it works.

HOW MANY SHOWS HAVE THEY DONE?
None.

NONE? WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS??
They don't want to. John don't like playin' shows. I mean, I've been in the car with him many times, and he's said, "We've never playing another show again". So, he gets mad.

SO, HE JUST WANTS TO SIT ON HIS ASS AND...
Well, he wants to put stuff out and run the distro..

HE JUST WANTS TO MAKE MONEY?
Oh. Well. Yeah. That's probably the most important thing. He wants to make money with the distro., and all that other stuff, 'cuz like, we would have fights about that, because we were gonna play some show, and we weren't gonna get paid. Then, there would be a big thing about whether we were gonna do it or not, and stuff like that. He loves to make money. But, he's good at that. That's what he cares about. That's his thing. That's not my thing.

I READ IN CANADIAN ASSAULT WHERE JOHN WAS...UMM..SAYING THAT YOU TOOK EVERYTHING AS A JOKE, INCLUDING THE BAND, AND THAT'S WHY YOU WERE KICKED OUT.
Well, you know....I have (pause)...a more intense sense of humor than most people. I know I have a more intense sense of humor than him. He takes everything really seriously. He's not happy unless he's unhappy, and I'm totally the opposite. I mean, if something bad happens to me, even if it happens to me, I think it's funnier than Hell, usually. Everybody else will be all pissed off about something & I'll be making jokes about it and stuff. So, that caused tension, especially on long car trips and stuff. It's not that I didn't take it seriously, it's just that, I don't know. I don't get bent out of shape about stuff. You know, what the fuck? You gotta laugh about it.

PLUS IN THE WHOLE INTERVIEW, HE WAS ACTING REALLY CONCEITED & ARROGANT, AND PUTTING DOWN EVERY BAND IN OHIO. DOES HE THINK YOU GUYS ARE LIKE GODS OF THE UNDERGROUND, OR WHAT?
Well, we were!! No, I'm kiddin'. But, uhh (pause)..he doesn't like to cooperate with people. That's just the way he is. He wants to do everything his way and by himself.

SO, HE'S A CONTROL FREAK?
Yeah. Which is good for some things, but I think it's not so good when you're trying to set up shows with bands. You should not be working against them, you should be working with them. But, it was always like an us against them thing. But, I still feel a little bit of that, I think, but not to the extent, you know, where I like didn't want to do a show with somebody, 'cuz someone might come see them (laughs) or something!

IS IT SURPRISING TO SEE THAT HE IS ACTING LIKE SUCH A...DICK?
Uhhh, well, no!! He's done that to just about everyone who's been in and out of the band. He's had some shit to say about them later. I kinda felt left out, because it took me 8 or 9 months for me to start hearing shit about myself. So, i am just glad that after not seeing or talking to somebody for like 9 months, I still irritate them enough that they have to talk about me in an interview. It makes me feel successful!!

SO, WHAT ARE YOU UP TO, NOW?
Trying to get issue 8 of Torture Chamber finished. Like a cat tryin' to bury a turd on a frozen pond. It doesn't feel like it's ever gonna get done. Stuff keeps comin' in, and I don't want to leave anything out, and I'll listen to the stuff and if I like it, I'll keep listening to it, instead of writting a review. So, something will sit in my thing, cassette player, or whatever, for like a week at a time. So, I'll get like one review done, because that's all I'll isten to. Shit like that. I don't want to leave nothin' out. It's gonna be humongous, so I wanna make sure it's nice. So, I'm tryin' to do that, and then I just moved, so that's kinda screwed me up. I've been working on some songs and all that crap. Have to have something out by the end of summer to show for myself.

WHAT'S IT LIKE?
It's heavy. Got big ass guitars and stuff, but you can dance to it. So, I mean, you know, all the death metal people will be like, "Hey, you sell outs!", but I like it. It's what I like. It's still heavy, it'll still have blasts in it. It'll still have scary vocals, but you can shake your ass to it.

(Carolyn): I WANNA KNOW HOW YOU MANAGED TO GET ALONG WITH THEM (DROGHEDA), WHEN YOU DON'T GET ALONG WITH THEM.
Well, I always got along with Buddy. He acts pretty much just like I do, like comedy on parade. I don't know. It's not that I ever really disliked John. When we were in grade school together, we didn't like each other. In high school, we didn't like each other. When we were in the band together, we just didn't like each other!! But, we had to do what we had to do. It worked for awhile.

SO, NOW YOU'RE TAKING OVER TORTURE CHAMBER?
Yeah, it looks that way, 'cuz Carolyn sucks, and she's gonna quit. So, I'm gonna take it over, and I'm probably gonna change the name, 'cuz that's kinda not fair.

WHAT ARE YOU GONNA CALL IT?
I don't know yet! I don't know what I'm gonna call it yet. Something similar, but different.

(Carolyn): MUSIC IS STILL A PART OF MY LIFE, I JUST CAN'T AFFORD IT.
You don't wanna sit and do any reviews, or anything like that either. You wanna go out all the time. You like the music part, you don't like the work part (evil laugh). So, anyways, back to your question...I don't think it's fair to call it Torture Chamber Music Reviews if I take it over by myself, because Carolyn started it herself & built it up, and blah, blah, blah. But, it'll be named something similar, but different probably, so you know, people who have been with the first 8 issues will know that it's still kinda the same, but it's something different.

(Carolyn): BUT IT'S NOT WRITTEN IN STONE YET. IT CAN STILL CHANGE, IF I GET MY ACT TOGETHER.
Ok, um..whatever she says.

WHO'S GONNA BE IN THE NEXT ISSUE?
The one that's comin' out now? Um, when are you puttin' yours out, Dea? When's your next one coming out?

LIKE THE END OF THE SUMMER, PROBABLY.
This one will probably be out by then, I hope. If it's not, someone needs to give me a beatin'. Let's see....Lee from Extreme Noise Terror, John Christ, some fucker from Hate Plow. The Morbid Angel one was on the website, and it's a piece of shit, because Trey's stupid. So, we're not gonna waste any space on that. It's the same interview that he gave every magazine, where he's talking about the triumverant of...ball, or..sack, or something like that. Whatever that shit is. I've read the same interview 5 or 6 times in different magazines. Like they ask him questions and that's the answer he gives. It's like some shit that he's got already. It's a waste of space. I'd rather have a band that nobody's heard of in there than waste 3 pages on that.

MORBID ANGEL DOESN'T NEED MORE EXPOSURE ANYWAYS.
Right. That's right!!! Their music is still good, but Trey's an asshole. Next question damn it! Don't get me started!!!


UM, I THINK THAT'S IT. I JUST WANTED TO KINDA GET THE SCOOP ON WHAT HAPPENED WITH YOU AND DROGHEDA.
You know....if someone finds out what the Hell that was all about, they can let me know! Because I still don't know (laughs). I just know that I don't have to get up and go to band practice on Monday's anymore. So, you know, it's all good, I suppose. I mean, if they're not gonna play shows and stuff, then it wohld have been a waste of my time anyways, because that's what's important to me. So, they're doing their thing and I do my thing, and everybody stays out of each others way and it works out for the best, I suppose.

OK, COOL. WELL, THANK YOU FOR THE INTERVIEW!
THAAANK YOU..for interviewing me!!!

Dan Haynes
341 Collier Dr.
Doylestown, OH 44230
USA
DanBehavingBadly@hotmail.com