Music Questionnaire- No. 5 -Dan Whaley

Dan Whaley is a self proclaimed purveyor of "sinister stripped down instrumental" music. For many years Dan played lead guitar in the instrumental "mondo wray" band The Charles Napiers releasing several albums and touring Europe regularly as well as a stint as the house band at The Comedy Store. He also spent 6 years being the only male member of fuzz-spattered garage band The Diaboliks.

These days he does solo gigs of moody film-noir soundtracky stuff as Evil Jack McDeath, whose name is also attached to a more energetic trio, with added drums and bass. He's also taken a somewhat unpredictable turn into folk music with The Flaming Czars, a duo with accordionist Geoff Graham, performing sets of Russian and East European traditional music.


Who are you?

Dan Whaley aka Evil Jack McDeath aka Big Ron Turner aka Mrs Edna Watley

Where are you based?

Sussex

What instruments do you play?

Guitar, Bass, Drums, Assorted other bits and pieces

What is your current or most recent project?

Two current projects: The McDeath Trio & The Flaming Czars

Name a record that had a big effect on you in your youth-

Songs The Lord Taught Us by The Cramps

What was the last record/CD you played-

Baby Let Me Follow You Down by Bob Dylan

List three records or CDs by artists other than yourself we should all hear-

It’s Alive by Ramones, Early Recordings by Link Wray, Goldfinger Soundtrack by John Barry

Describe a live performance that had a big effect on you-

First time I saw The Cramps in 1984. I was 14 years old and really had no idea that 4 people could make that much noise.

Your favourite live venue-

Atomic Café in Munich

What's the strangest place you've performed in/at?

Either a car showroom in Holland supported by a puppet show or a restaurant in Italy where we were attacked by spacemen

Tell me about your worst experience as a performer-

Playing to a packed Garage in Islington, but we had consumed too much stagger juice, so half the band started playing one song and the other half started playing a different song. The promoter quickly hopped on stage and pulled the curtains in front of us. 6 years later, that same promoter hopped on stage mid set to announce that the bingo was starting in the other room

Tell me about a great experience as a performer- Playing in front of 1000+ manic Italians in Florence and watching them jump around to songs that I’d had a hand in writing

Is improvisation important to you?

Absolutely. I could never entertain the idea of playing to backing tapes or a drum machine, as you would not be able to, say, play another verse if the fancy took you

Name three heros or heroines-

Link Wray, Poison Ivy Rorschach, Blixa Bargeld

What is your favourite city?

Amsterdam. I lived there for 18 months in the early 00s and still miss the place

A couple of favourite books-

Feast of Snakes by Harry Crews, anything by Richard Stark

A couple of favourite films-

Faster Pussycat Kill Kill, Blazing Saddles

What makes you laugh?

Most things. I laugh a lot

A favourite website?

http://www.danwhaley.co.uk

Is there a pop song you feel sentimental about, and can you name it?

Not really, I don’t really do sentimentality. Or pop songs for that matter.


Thanks Dan
The Music Questionnaires are a continuing series