Albums of Purgatory interview Jeff Dahl

Firstly, what's the band up to right now?
I'm working in a new drummer at the moment. We'll begin playing out again in July with release parties in Phoenix & Los Angeles for the upcoming Best Of Jeff Dahl album.

How would you describe the Dahl sound?
3 chords and a bad attitude! Glampunk rocknroll...

Can you remember your first gig (how did it go)?
In all seriousness, it was at a mental hospital in Hawaii. I was a drummer at the time and the crazies loved us. We got paid too!

What sort of a reaction have you been getting so far for the new album?
I always seem to get mainly good reviews but this new one is over the top. Very positive and the fans have been very hyped up on my website also. So the album must be all right.

What are your favourite Jeff Dahl tracks?
Hmmmm... A lot of the ones I play out on tour which tend to be the fan faves as well. I've got over 13 albums out so it's usually just a track or two from each record but Lisa's World, Ashes, Goin' Underground, Junkies Deserve To Die and there's one off the new album called Transvestites, Transsexuals And Chicks With Dicks that still cracks me up every time I hear it. That's getting some radio play here and there. People just love the lurid stuff...

What are your favourite all time songs?
Geez, I'm a major music fan and I've always been a huge record collector, I've got a massive collection, so it's difficult to just list one or two. But here are five: Jigsaw Puzzle by the Stones, The Moon Upstairs by Mott The Hoople, Needle And Spoon by Savoy Brown, Thirty Days In The Hole by Humble Pie and Motor Cities Burning by John Lee Hooker. But I could list another 500... easy.

What the first record you ever bought?
Twistin' At The Peppermint Lounge by Joey Dee & The Starlighters. It's got the Ronettes on it and I still have the album though its in rather sad condition.

Which album was it that got you into metal and can you explain why?
Well, the first record that really nailed me in a lifechanging way was The Stooges, Funhouse. It still hits me the same way over 30 years later.

What's the last album you purchased and what did you think of it?
I've been buying or rebuying a lot of remastered reissues so the last couple I bought were Robin Trowers, Bridge Of Sighs and Muddy Waters, Real Folk Blues 1&2. Both are absolutely brilliant and even better with the remastering and extra tracks. Of current bands the last album I bought was The Cynics, Living Is The Best revenge which is their best ever. And the last Diamond Dogs album, from Sweden, blew me away. Both bands are raw, raunchy and they rock.

What would be your dream band line-up?
Cheetah Chrome of the Dead Boys on guitar, Charlie Watts on drums, Bill Wyman on bass, Mike Garson on keyboards... I don't know if that would work but I'd love to try!

If you could do a cover for a tribute album to any band, which song of which
band would you pick and why?
Actually, I've done many tribute covers... it's always something that I seriously love. I would never do one of these cutsie concept cover albums. Its got to mean something to me. Stones, Johnny Thunders, The Sweet, Mott, Ramones, Alice Cooper, Lou Reed... those are all my favorite bands and my favorite songs. I love to play that stuff any chance I get.

What do you think of the position of metal and music in general today?
As far as the mainstream goes it's just so unrepentantly corporate and commercial. Not to mention safe. The underground is healthy and thriving. But then that's the way it always goes, right?

Which other bands stand out for you at the moment?
The Superbees, The Dragons, The Hangmen, Lucinda Williams...

And finally, what do you see in the future for Jeff Dahl?
The Best Of album is out on Triple X Records this summer and I'll be hitting the club circuit on the West coast of the USA and I'll be recording the next album before the end of the year as well.