"Midwestern Songs Of The Americas" und "Versus God" gelten völlig zurecht als Veröffentlichungen, mit denen Dillinger Four die Punkrock-Szenerie seinerzeit von Grunde auf revolutionierten, hatte man es hier doch mit einer Band zu tun, die allem Anschein nach eine Sprache gefunden hatte, derer sich keine zweite Formation des Genres bediente. Und auch nach ganzen sechs Jahren Studio-Abstinenz hat sich der Vierer seine damalige Raubeinigkeit bewahren können, denn auch "Civil War", das nunmehr vierte Album des Quartetts, ist eines unverwechselbar und unverkennbar: Dillinger Four. Wir sprachen mit Erik von Dillinger Four über die Gründe, warum sich die Band derart lange Zeit gelassen hat mit einem Album:


SJM: First of all: After having released "Situationist Comedy", it took you six and a half years to record a new studio album. There have been rumours around here in Europe that Dillinger Four did break up in the meantime. Could you please tell us what exactly happened in the meantime?

Erik / Dillinger Four: We never did break up. We played shows locally every few months and got to other places in the US here and there, but we really just couldn't find the time to do loner tours. I have a bar in Minneapolis and we added on a Venue in 2003, and that took up tons of my time. Our drummer got his PhD and also got married and had a daughter last year. Paddy has been touring and recording on and off with other bands, like Blood Bath and Beyond, The Fuck Yeahs, Sean Na Na, Toys that Kill, and mostly The Arrivals, who he still plays with and they are an awesome band. Between all those things, we just found very little time to work on Dillinger Four, but we never planned to break up.

SJM: I'd like to know if you still feel like rebels. There's loads of people who – while growing older – see the world with different eyes. If you compare Dillinger Four right now with the band that recorded records like "Midwestern Songs Of America" and "Versus God" years ago – what eactly changed in your point of view?

Erik / Dillinger Four: I don't know that we ever did feel like rebels too much. We still do things basically the same way we always have though. We have never thought of the band as any kind of "career" or anything, and because of that, we let ourselves do it on our own terms. Outside of that, I think our politics and viewpoints are largely the same, but maybe a little better informed than when we were younger.

SJM: Please tell me if I'm wrong, but Dillinger Four has always been a band that played for old school punkrockers who also listened to bands like Black Flag and stuff like that. Let's just think about a 'target audience' for you – are you also interested in what younger people think about your band or is the older audience more important for you as a band?

Erik / Dillinger Four: We still try to only play all ages shows when we are out of town, since we dont get out of town too often. So many people have grown up with us. We are lucky that so many people who liked us in 98 or 200 still come to see us now. They were kids then, and now they are the old school punkers. I hope that younger kids still find our music relevant, but I hope older people do as well.

SJM: What punkrocker would you consider to be more important: the punkrocker in a business suit who is able to really change things or the one who is living the typical lifestyle for this kind of music?

Erik / Dillinger Four: I think both have their place and can make a positive change in their worlds. But really, I dont think of people as punks or not punks as much anymore. I think we used to think about that sort of thing more.

SJM: Let's talk about your new record "Civil War": What was more important while recording new songs after such a long time: the fun or the will to adress political and social topics in order to change something in the world?

Erik / Dillinger Four: I really wanted to make sure that I included some politics and social issues. But at the same time, I wrote most of the songs over the past year while I was watching my father in law die of cancer, and I think that had more of an impact on my lyrics than anything else. At a certain point, I felt like the songs were getting so depressing that I wrote one called Gainesville, which is easily the most poppy, happy, postive song we've ever done. I just needed that at the moment. Paddy came through with great social commentary on his songs too.

SJM: I have to admit that I definitely think that "Civil War" is one of your most fresh and vital sounding records. Is it a record you concider to be something special in your career or is it just "one more record" for you personally?

Erik / Dillinger Four: Thanks I'm glad you feel that way! I do consider it something special, because it was hard to get comfortable making a record after so long, and knowing that people would have exoectations we could never live up too. I'm glad to see people are giving the new stuff a chance.

SJM: From my point of view "Civil War" has got two major faces: There´s an optimistic view on the world and the need to become active and there´s a plain pessimistic, quite pissed off viewpoint on things we´ve got to deal with. Do you think I´m partially right with this? What would you retort to this?

Erik / Dillinger Four: I think thats right on. And like I mentioned before, my personal circumstances had a lot to do with that. Also, we had a very dear friend, who used to roadie for us and even sings a little on one of our earliest 7"s, kill himself on the day before we started recording. Paddy wrote a song called "Fruity Pebbles" about him. So you can see, we had a lot of good and bad happeneing while we were writing.

SJM: I´m talking to a lot of bands and most of them claim to not be interested in the hardcore and punkrock scene as such anymore. Do you still stick to that scene? Regarding all those stupid trends and the fact, that hardcore and punk has become some kind of a stylish scene, is it hard to still believe in the things you once did?

Erik / Dillinger Four: I think as individuals we vary with how much we participate in the Punk scene these days, but we don't know any other world than punk and hardcore. It's how we grew up. Paddy and I have been touring in punk and hardcore bands for 19 years now. Since we were kids basically.

SJM: When I pull out my Dillinger Four albums in ten years to force my kids to listen to them - how do you want to be remembered?

Erik / Dillinger Four: I hope you are pulling them out to get ready for an upcoming d4 show. All things must end, but I think we will be kicking around for a long time.

SJM: What do the Dillinger Four members do in their private life? Is Dillinger Four a full time-band in these days? What do you do in your spare time when you are not busy with the band?

Erik / Dillinger Four: We are very far from being a full time band. We all work and we always have. I don't think we could write the songs we do if we were a Professional band. It's part of who we are as a band to have jobs and blow off steam with music.

SJM: What are you about to do with Dillinger Four in 2008 and early 2009? Are you going to play in Europe?

Erik / Dillinger Four: We leave on tour tomorow for a few weeks with NOFX, which will be a different kind of experience for us. If we survive that, we will try to hit as many places as we can in 2009, including Europe. But sadly, the days where we can pile in a van for two months at a time are gone, and we have to do things in very small little bursts. When we do come over there, or when we go out here, it will be a week or two at most per trip.

SJM: Is there anything you´d like to add or just say? Please feel free to do so.

Erik / Dillinger Four: Thanks so much for the interview! Keep an eye out for us in Europe in 2009 in some way or another.

(Dennis Grenzel)