Breakfast with the Dickies
The Dickies in Blackpool—all photos are courtesy of ©dickslaughter.com
If you're an American, you may not realize that, legendary as the Dickies are in the United States, they're an even bigger deal in the UK.
Songs like "Banana Splits (Tra La La Song)" still get radio airplay, and rather than simply appearing at festivals, they're often asked to headline them. Like this year, they'll close the 30th anniversary of the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool, once again proving why they're one of Britain's most beloved American punk bands.
My own experience with The Dickies goes pretty much all the way back. I've long since lost count of how many times I've seen them, and I've watched them through countless incarnations over the years. With the only real constants being Leonard Graves Phillips on vocals, Stan Lee on lead guitar, and that trademark smart-ass sense of humor that constantly gets them into trouble. Yet, they never seem to learn their lesson, and thankfully they never change.
No matter how many decades go by, they're still as wonderfully chaotic, unpredictable, and entertaining as ever.
What has changed over the years is the professionalism. This isn't the same band I watched as their fans absolutely demolished a community center in Costa Mesa, California, during a show with The Muffs and The Mummies, where the riot police showed up. The Dickies are still gloriously erratic, but these days there are no flaky fill-in musicians stumbling through the set. Leonard and Stan have assembled what is arguably the best backing band in punk rock.
They play with incredible precision while still sounding loose, dangerous, and completely unhinged, which is exactly how a Dickies show should feel.
The rock of the Dickies Eddie Tatar
Eddie Tatar is one of the unsung heroes of today's Dickies. A veteran of the Orange County punk scene, he paid his dues playing with bands like D.I. and Aversion before joining The Dickies. He's the kind of musician every great band needs: solid, dependable, and always serving the song. Eddie quietly keeps everything locked in, making sure the music never misses a beat.
Drummer extraordinaire Adam Gomez of the Dickies at home in California—all photos are courtesy of ©dickslaughter.com.
Adam Gomez isn't just another drummer filling a seat. A Los Angeles native and graduate of the Musicians Institute with a degree in drum performance, he toured Europe with Bloodhook and co-founded the experimental metal band Jahmbi before landing with the Dickies.
In 2013, Eddie recommended Gomez to Leonard and Stan when they were looking for a new drummer. He got the gig and has been there ever since. Along the way, he's also played with mainstays like D.I., The Adolescents, and CJ Ramone, earning a reputation as one of Southern California's most reliable and versatile drummers.
An actual photo of Ben D. Seelig “appearing”with the Dickies at Rebellion.
Ben David Seelig is sort of the mystery man in the current Dickies lineup. Like Adam, he's a graduate of the Musicians Institute, but unlike many musicians, he seems perfectly happy to keep a low profile and never tries to steal the spotlight. That's exactly what this band needs. They've already got Leonard for that, and if you've ever seen him perform in a literal ape mask, you know there's no point trying to compete.
They don’t just give fancy gorilla masks away.
As you can see, the homemade Dick puppet days are long gone. They've got blow-up dolls, scuba gear, and even a store-bought plush puppy puppet.
No expense is spared on The Dickies' elaborate stage show these days. I figure the production budget has to be well over forty dollars.
One does not simply say, "I'm with The Dickies," and stroll backstage. Those days are also long gone. There are official laminated backstage passes worthy of FedEx Kinko's finest work, road managers, crew members, security, and a never ending stream of overzealous fans all trying to grab a selfie or offering the band handy J's or hard drugs before they've even had their first cup of coffee.
With this pass and £4.60, you can get a drip coffee at Costa Coffee.
The Dickies earned their legendary status the hard way. By gleefully crossing the line of good taste over and over again, they became, without question, punk pioneers. The Incredible Shrinking Dickies is a monument to everything that made the first wave of LA punk so great and should have earned them induction into the fake-ass Rock & Roll Hall of Fame years ago. The album still sells because it's one of those great drop-the-needle, good-end-to-end, rite-of-passage records that everyone, whether they're punk or not, either owns or should own.
I suspect Stan and Leonard don't see much of the money from those sales, but they can take comfort in knowing the influence of both the album and the band is impossible to measure.
They helped pave the way for countless bands that followed, and that's probably worth more than being rich... right?
The last time The Dickies played Rebellion, I managed to wrangle Leonard into a Rebellion Spotlight interview. What I discovered was that beneath decades of punk rock depravity and chaos lies a man with a deep appreciation for the nineteenth-century architecture of Blackpool.
After the show, the Dickies' people (yes, they have people) invited me to photograph and interview the band the following morning. I don’t think anyone knew this had been arranged, except perhaps Leonard. I had been instructed to be at the hotel by 8:30 am so we could do the photo shoot after breakfast and the band could be on the road by 10:00 am.
I naively assumed everyone would be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Instead, I discovered they hadn't even made it to breakfast yet. The maître d' kindly sat me at a table while I waited.
See what I mean? They look like a couple of goddamn male models. —All photos are courtesy of ©dickslaughter.com
I've come to think of Blackpool as something of a food desert. I think it's because I wake up, head straight to the Winter Gardens, and don't get out until late at night, when the only places still open are fish and chip shops or kebab shops. So when I saw a magnificent breakfast spread of meats, fancy cheeses, cereals, eggs cooked every imaginable way, pastries, and all the other breakfast delights, I didn't mind that the guys were running behind. I happily helped myself to the buffet while I waited.
The maître d' wandered back over and politely asked, "I assume we should bill the band for your meal, sir?"
"That is an excellent assumption," I replied.
Leonard was the first to arrive. He grabbed some food, sat down, and immediately started asking what I thought of the beautiful design of the hotel. Of course, he knew the architect’s name and quickly drifted into talking about other buildings he loved around Blackpool. “Isn’t the Winter Gardens spectacular?” he asked, clearly in his element.
Meanwhile, I was ready to hear stories about CPO Sharkey and getting kicked off the Warped Tour, but I figured we’d get there eventually.
Then Stan and the rest of the band showed up. It quickly became clear that he and Leonard had something important to discuss—something not meant for the pseudo press—so they excused themselves and moved to another table.
Just when you thought this punk couldn't get any hunkier, I hit you with this.
Adam and Eddie enjoyed their breakfast, and I'm still not even sure if Ben was there or not. I think he's able to decide whether he wants to be seen or not.
Adam told me it was a dream come true to be playing with the Dickies. He also explained the story behind his trademark bow tie. Years ago, he showed up to a gig straight from a friend's wedding, still wearing his groomsman's outfit. Stan thought it looked great and told him to keep it. From that day on, the bow tie became Adam's stage outfit and has been part of his look ever since.
Eddie chimed in and laughed, "Yeah, the best decision he ever made."
At that point, we were told it was time to get the photo shoot going because the band had a long drive ahead of them. We all made our way to the front of the hotel, in hopes of catching some of that beautiful 19th-century architecture in the background.
It is not easy wrangling the Dickies into position.
Before we even made it outside, Stan was already wandering the hotel lobby chasing Pokémon on his phone. Ben had disappeared again, and fans had begun stopping Leonard, Adam, and Eddie for selfies.
With a little help from the tour manager, we managed to corral everyone together and politely asked the fans to give us a few minutes. After Stan caught yet another Charizard and reluctantly relinquished his phone, I was finally able to grab a few shots in front of the hotel.
As we moved over to a nearby bench, the crowd began to grow. Before long, more fans had gathered.
Some people think an open mouth makes for a great photo. They're not wrong.
Then Papa Critical Candy decided he was going to photo bomb the shoot. As proof, he even helpfully filmed the entire thing himself. The incriminating video footage below not only captures his attempted sabotage but also shows a glimpse of the growing crowd of fans, all happily snapping away with their cell phones while I tried to get all five guys to look handsome at the same time. As you can see by the photo above, mission accomplished.
You can catch CRITICAL CANDY on Friday on the RIS in the PAVILION
Then we had to get a shot of all the Dickies—not just the band, but the entire crew, the people who make it all possible. They're the ones carrying the gear, inflating the blow up doll, keeping the show on schedule, solving a hundred problems nobody in the audience ever sees, and generally making sure a Dickies tour actually happens.
After a few more photos with the fans, the boys were ushered toward the van by the tour manager. Figuring this was my last chance, I walked over with Stan and started firing off the important Dickies questions before they got off to the next stop. I'd already learned enough about English architects from Leonard for one morning, and he was busy chatting with fans anyway.
This is where the band Mötley Crüe stole their name from. —all photos are courtesy of ©dickslaughter.com
Dick: Mind if I ask you a few questions?
Stan: Depends on what you ask.
Dick: What's your favorite color?
Stan: Blue. Dodger Blue.
Dick: What's your favorite candy bar?
Stan: Hershey's with almonds.
Dick: Which way should the toilet paper hang, over or under?
Stan: Over! Facing out.
Dick: How much were the drugs worth that you traded to Iggy Pop for his leopard jacket from the back of Raw Power?
Stan: Thirty-five dollars.
Dick: What kind of drugs?
Stan: Heroin.
You can collect your Stan Lee or Adam Gomez trading cards from any of our volunteer members at the Rebellion Festival.
Before I could ask how much he eventually sold the jacket for, Stan slid open the van door.
It was a chilly English seaside morning, but the moment it opened we were both hit by a thick wave of hot, sour stench. It smelled like a mix of farts, Deep Heat rub, and stale man sweat that had been trapped in there for days.
It's been three years, and I can still smell it in my nightmares.
Stan immediately announced that someone had fart-bombed the van and that we were all going to be late because it needed to air out.
Eddie was immediately questioned about the incident but strongly denied having any part in such a heinous act, instead suggesting that Adam was the more likely culprit. According to Eddie, Adam's flatulence had been an issue before, recalling an infamous incident while they were on tour with D.I.
Right under the bus without a moment's thought.
Whether the accusation was fair or not remains a matter for Dickies historians to debate. I will say that Ben chose this exact moment to make himself invisible again, while Leonard simply walked up, climbed into the van, sat down, and asked, "What's the hold-up?"
I should also point out that Adam steadfastly proclaimed his innocence, and it’s unfair to judge a man based on unproven accusations. That said, I did see what Adam ate for breakfast, and let’s just say there were an awful lot of Britain’s favorite breakfast side (baked beans) involved. Round two could be much worse and was perhaps inevitable.
Then again, it could have been Stan’s genius way of ending the interview before I got started asking him about CPO Sharkey.
This photo documents the exact portion of Adam's baked beans at breakfast—all photos are courtesy of ©dickslaughter.com.
THE DICKIES at Rebellion - 21:15-22:15 - Sun - EMPRESS BALLROOM
rebellionfestivals.com
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