A couple of years ago, in a room in Sweden at a festival called Deadfest, I met Dave Heck. In the space of the night, in his words, "we became friends, loved each other, hated each other, were awkward with each other...and then we were friends again".
I decided that Dave would be the first person I interviewed for this blog. He is known by everyone, loved by everyone and literally one of the best men in the world. That, and you all can never have enough Dave Heck in your life.
Name: Dave Heck
Vital Statistics: i've been to more continents than i have had sexual partners.
Location: Lansdale, PA, USA. philly suburbs.
Current Occupation outside of music: master of stolen goods on ebay.
Describe yourself in 3 sentences. EXACTLY 3.
I am a hermit that likes to travel. that makes sense i swear. i really, really like reptiles.
Hi Dave.. whats up?
ahoy.
So why Reign Supreme out of all the bands that are around at the moment? And I ask this question with a double meaning.. Why should we listen to them and why did you decide to join them out of all the hardcore bands that are around at the moment?
Well, when originally asked to be in RS, i was still in palehorse. i was actually in the van on tour with palehorse, with palehorse sitting all around me...so it was kind of awkward. either way, at that time i had my plate full with palehorse and my girlfriend already hated me for being away so much. either way, palehorse broke up and i talked to jay (singer of RS) on the way home while driving through NYC from connecticut. he said we'd meet up and discuss shit. i went to sweden the next day and came back about a week later. i tried out and i fit in with the guys in RS pretty well. Some members were old friends and some i had never met before. we're all pretty different but for the most part, we get along very well. i wanted to play with them because they wanted to tour and just play as much as possible, and that's exactly what i wanted to do.
as for why you should listen to RS, i don't know. we're really heavy and our singer looks good naked (like, seriously). the rest of us are kind of slobby retards with bad tattoos. on the whole, there are a lot of great bands out there right now. perhaps we are one of them, who knows.
You have been in a number of bands, which, at 25, these days, is not a big deal for someone into hardcore. Which one was the most fun being in, including your current band, Reign Supreme, and why?
I think my "old" bands were (and still are) the most fun bands i have played in. I play trombone/sing in a thrash/punk/pop punk band and we have been playing since 1998. our live show is interesting to say the least. Leavenworth is still a band, although none of us ever really hang out with each other because of school/work/other bands/drugs. these things take up time and shit. either way, i've had some of the best times of my life with those guys. palehorse was an experience and a half, but it was bittersweet more often than not. RS is fun as hell but i think some of the other guys take the band way too seriously compared to me, but i also don't really care about like, anything. so who knows.
The best person you met because of music (other than myself, which i'm sure would be your first answer, heh)?
honestly you are one of my favorite people i have ever met, and i'm really not just saying that. your follow countryman, xsheepx, is another favorite. i feel like we are the same person, just with different accents...and i'm fat. all of my friends in sweden are like family to me as well. it's really hard to put a thumb on the best person i've met because of music. joey, the singer of the now-defunct Fight Like Hell, is an amazing dude. i could really go on forever. i suck at this.
You have a deep love for Scandinavian cities. And you have been all over the world. What is it about scandinavia that stands out above all the other countries in the world?
well, i'll start at the beginning. my dad is norwegian, but he was raised in new jersey so he's basically just a shitty american like myself. either way, i was always really into the whole norwegian thing growing up. i've always listened to a lot of swedish bands (like my favorite, raised fist. shut up.) and had a thing for the nordic languages. after taking a pretty long vacation by myself in norway/sweden (when i met you) i learned to love the quality of life that scandinavians enjoy. not just the whole healthcare thing or the ridiculously hot girls...but everything. they (as well as most europeans) focus on different things in life than americans do. the concept of wealth, spirituality, community and just general, civilized behavior is much different. i don't know, it's weird. i really liked japan a lot too, but i'm not exactly japanese, so it's harder for me to be into their culture as much as i am into the nordic one.
honestly, i think how i saw the world changed a lot as i grew up (just like anyone else, haha). americans constantly have a false sense of pride shoved down our throats, it's fucking weird. we are taught that our lives are the best of anyone on earth. once i finished a couple world cultures books i kind of thought to myself "yo, america sucks". scandinavia was and still is much more appealing to me. everything i have in life i have because i was raised in a privileged home in a privileged country in a very un-privileged world. i can't really do much about it, but i can always see the world for what it is.
You are into reptile rescue. How many snakes do you have and how did you come to get into this?
i have 4 pythons, 3 boas, 3 kingsnakes, 2 ratsnakes, 2 milksnakes, 2 cornsnakes, 2 leopard geckos, a blue-tongued skink, a bearded dragon and an american alligator.
between being a vegan and just a fairly compassionate dude, i've always been into animal rights and trying to make life better for those who can't help themselves. i worked at a pet store that closed and basically kept all the reptiles that were in the store. i started taking in various animals (reptiles mostly) from vets, other rescues, schools and such. i've studied reptiles basically since i was like, 2. from over 20 years of experience, i'm just a snake dude or whatever.
You have a choice of erradicating one hardcore band off the planet and propelling one into superstardom (this band cannot be one of yours). Who would you choose in both instances and why?
i would eradicate too pure to die and basically any of the seventh dagger-type bands that make straight edge such a joke. it's nothing personal, i just miss when hardcore was, you know, hard.
i would shoot Trapped Under Ice into superstardom. i feel they will get there on their own. such a breath of fresh air in this day and age. best guys, totally deserve everything they get. check them out/support the fuck out of them. tell them i said yo.
and in the same breath, you can bring a band back, and im not talking a lame reunion tour. Im talking, bringing them back so they were the same age, and had the same enthusiam as when they were together.. who would you bring back?
i guess i would have to say the cro mags. i was never a worshiper of them like a lot of people were/are, but in their rawest form i feel they were untouchable as a band. they had so much right, it wasn't even funny. i know it's kind of a generic answer, but it's the truth.
Kevin wants to know when you are going to break edge?
probably right before i kill myself. couple years, max.
and he also wants to know who you think the best hardcore band is and the best topic on b9 ever was? hahaha
i'm guessing he means current bands, but i don't know. currently i would say that when it comes to heavy hardcore, death before dishonor has the world on lockdown. for more punk hardcore, wisdom in chains is doing very well. i'd also give honorable mention to blacklisted and have heart. those 2 bands work hard as fuck and it has payed off for them.
You have been to england a bunch of times. Whats your favourite thing about it, and whats your favourite UK band?
The girls in Scotland. hands down. haha. for me it would be the people in the hardcore scene there. from the By My Hands guys to you, XsheepX and company, i have some of my best friends in the UK. honestly i don't like much else about the UK besides the hardcore scene, the people it involves and scottish girls.
My favorite UKHC band is knuckledust, duh.
and whats your favourite memory of Sheep?
so many. us pissing into the english channel together...him ripping trash cans off the wall and throwing them into the channel (same ferry ride, haha). so, so many. i would say on the whole though, him teaching me how to play conkers (sp?) outside Deadfest 2005. him and i getting to know each other, wandering around linkoping and making fun of people. it ruled. that whole weekend changed my life, kinda weird to think about.
Thats about it. Thanks for your time, dude. Any last words?
check out my zine (myspace.com/gtrzine), everyone from the UKHC scene has a place to stay at my house whenever you need, listen to millencolin and nasum. buy records, support sincere bands. live the punk rock dream.
thanks may!
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