The Dickies have shown incredible staying power since they came into the punk rock music world in 1977.
You can catch their hyper-speed cover of Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” and smokin’ originals with twistedly amusing lyrics and themes — plus some R-rated stage props — at The Garage in Ventura Saturday, Feb. 27.
Tickets are available from Bad Sam Presents.
Dickies singer Leonard Graves Phillips answered Noozhawk‘s questions about the upcoming show by email. It ended being a short interview, but size doesn’t matter, right?
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Jeff Moehlis: What can people look forward to at your upcoming show? Any old props? Any new props?
Leonard Graves Phillips: Even the new props are old so it’s all covered.
JM: The Dickies have outlasted almost every other punk rock band. What is the secret to your longevity?
LGP: Heroin.
JM: Can you tell us how The Dickies formed?
LGP: I can but my fingers will cramp up.
JM: You guys started out strong with The Incredible Shrinking Dickies. What are your reflections on that particular album?
LGP: It was done as a series of sessions, and I’ve always regretted we didn’t get a real producer for it.
JM: Dawn of the Dickies came very quickly afterwards, and then there was a four year gap before the next album. What happened?
LGP: See answer No. 2.
JM: Any stories from the early LA punk rock scene that you’re willing to share? Maybe about The Masque, playing with other bands, etc?
LGP: Darby Crash was a great kisser.
JM: I find it interesting that The Dickies seem to have had more early success in the U.K. than in the U.S. Any thoughts on why that was the case?
LGP: Our sound has always been somewhat Anglocentric and juvenile.
JM: What advice would you give to an aspiring musician?
LGP: Practice and have fun.
JM: What are your plans, musical or otherwise, for the near future?
LGP: Finish that opera.
JM: Do you want to set the record straight on anything related to The Dickies?
LGP: We don’t remotely sound like Green Day.
For an interview with Dickies guitarist Stan Lee before a previous concert, click here.
— Jeff Moehlis is a Noozhawk contributing writer and a professor of mechanical engineering at UC Santa Barbara. Upcoming show recommendations, advice from musicians, interviews and more are available on his web site, music-illuminati.com. The opinions expressed are his own.