I’m used to fake. That’s a very popular word lately, “fake.” You see, I’ve been in entertainment for years, where hustling and smearing the truth can work to your advantage, but what I’m not used to is fake being mainstream. You expect it from record executives, up and coming artists, and even your hick uncle returning from a lake you’ve never heard of with wild tales of oversized fish. You know he was just at the bar all weekend. He needed the break from his wife and you enjoy the good story that comes along with it. What you don’t expect, or at least I don’t, is fake from nearly everything around.

And the tall tales these days, they are-a-wild. I heard a really crazy one. Recently a neighbor claimed to have seen a real life honest politician in the wild. Ha! That’s a good one. Big foot … I’d believe that over an honest politician. Ancient aliens, sure why not? I’m reasonably comfortable with a little crazy. I mean, hell! America is supposed to be a Christian nation. We based our laws on fairytale no one completely agrees on.

So when David’s interview came back I got a little man-crush.

He gave wonderfully honest and refreshing answers to my questions.

And I don’t really know David personally. I only spent roughly a week around him in the late 90s touring with Bauhaus; it was toward the end of their big return. But I’m going to go out on a limb and say that his thoughts and ideas are captivating. He’s clearly a deep thinker, whose awareness transcends the backyard barbeque that is now the national news. He’s not a curbside knucklehead judging the world from a lazy-boy, but rather a person with genuine experience. I would guess that he’s been poor and reasonably well off and maybe even poor again. He has the outlook of a person who’s worked for what he has.

And there’s a funny thing that happens with age, at least for some people. They fall into a predictably negative outlook. It’s the “things aren’t what they used to be,” perspective. You’ve seen it. Some old fella waving his fist in the air exclaiming, “Kids these days.” Well fella, life changes, that’s what it does. And you get a sense from David of a time when a firm handshake, holding a door open for a stranger, or simply saying hello with no agenda meant something.

A sense of a deeper time without the negativity.

Without further, ado David J.

Q: What is your favorite sandwich and who makes the best one?

D.J. When I was in LA recently, mastering my new album, ‘Vagabond Songs’ (Available soon via Last Hurrah Records, indie kids!) I discovered a great little local sandwich place called ‘Wax Paper’. All their sandwiches are named after PBS radio personalities. My favourite is the Ira Glass: Avocado, cheddar, sprouts, pickled & raw onions, cucumber, garlic aioli served on “Bub & Grandma’s seeded wheat.” Well tasty! (Wax Paper – 2902 Knox Ave. LA.)

Q: What is your favorite meal your mom makes?

D.J. My mum was a fantastic cook. Sadly she is no longer with us which makes the memory of her wonderful dishes achingly poignant. Her desserts were out of this world! My favourite was her pineapple upside down cake. It had this delicious caramelized crust and a golden light soft sponge center with juicy pineapple slices on the top and would be served with rich double cream. Amazing!

Q: How did you meet your best friend?

D.J. Well, I could tell you the story of how I met my wife but ‘best friend’ doesn’t really describe all that our wonderful relationship is, so instead I’ll tell you the tale of when I met my manager, Darwin Meiners. He was actually playing me in a Love and Rockets tribute band and I was DJing. It was in a club in El Centro called ‘The Owl’. I was having a drink with the band and at one point Darwin said to me: “I want to thank you for not suing us for playing your music!”

I responded with: “It’s early!” They actually did a great job and I was sufficiently impressed that I suggested that I join them onstage for a version of ‘No New Tale To Tell’. We’ve been great pals ever since.

Q: When or how did you find what you wanted to do?

D.J. Up until the age of 14, I wanted to be a professional footballer (That’s ‘soccer player, you Yanks!) or I wanted to be George Best to be specific and ridiculous! Then I had a really bad accident while playing and broke my leg and ankle and had my cartilage ripped to shreds. When I was recovering in hospital they had the radio playing in the ward and ‘Hot Love’ by T-Rex came on and blew my little teenage mind. From then on I basically wanted to be ‘The Bopping’ Elf’ instead of ‘The Belfast Boy’.

Q: How did you pursue it?

D.J. I bought a cheap electric guitar and joined what could very loosely be described as ‘a band’. Nobody wanted to be the bass player (they all wanted to be the show off lead guitar hero of course!) so I volunteered. I took the top two strings off of my horrible guitar, turned all the treble down and the bass up on my amp and that was that!

Q: Did you have a mentor/mentors in pursuing it? Who were they and what did they do for you?

 D.J. I have been fortunate enough to have had a couple of great mentors. One was Derek Tompkins who was the engineer who ran Beck Studio in Wellingborough, which is where we recorded ‘Bela Lugosi’s Dead’ and other tracks. He also worked on the Bauhaus album, ‘Burning From The Inside’ and Love and Rockets’ ‘Earth, Sun, Moon’. He was a lovely man with a very dry sense of humour and a philosophical bent (which he never had straightened!) He had a great ear and was very open-minded. He died in 2013 and I dedicated my memoir, ‘Who Killed Mister Moonlight?’ to him in memoriam.

Before Derek there was my old English teacher, Mister Elderkin. He was something of a rebel, a real John ‘Dead Poets Society’ Keating type character and would abandon the syllabus and instead tell us about the Beats, and the contemporary Liverpool poets and educate us in the ways of the world and gentlemanly conduct, how to treat a lady when taking her for dinner, which wine to choose to go with which meal. etc. He would throw the conventional text books across the room in disgust at the curriculum and once played Dylan’s ‘Hard Rain’s a Gonna Fall’ and The Beatles’ ‘Eleanor Rigby’ on a record player as a way to introduce us to the work of Dylan Thomas. There would be periods where he would disappear having had yet another row with the headmaster and other teachers. It was always a great relief when we would see his little sports car parked back in the teachers car park which would signal the return of this handsome young man with a penchant for Chelsea boots, blazers and long(ish) hair. All the girls were in love with him!

Q: What do you dream of doing or are you doing it? If so then what is the goal?

D.J. I have been very fortunate in that, since the age of 21, I have been doing exactly what I have always wanted to do; namely, be an artist. It is something that I do not take for granted. Prior to be becoming a professional musician, I worked in factories, warehouses and offices so I know the mind numbing hell of that 9 to 5 world and thank my lucky stars on a daily basis that I’ve never had to go back.

Q: What would your 15-year-old self say to you now?

D.J. Please can I have a go on that guitar?

Q: If life were a person what would you say?

D.J. God! You’re complicated!

Q: If you were in charge of the world and you have no restrictions, real or imagined, what is the one thing you would give it?

D.J. Compassion.

Q: Has morality disintegrated to the point that we now need Yelp for people?

D.J. Nope!

Q: How is society getting things right?

D.J. By questioning authority which is what was printed on the sticker on Joe Strummer’s coffin as it went into the flames. “The future is unwritten!”

Q: What do people need in order to see each other as equals?

D.J. Humility.

Q: Do we still need religion?

D.J. We need spirituality, which is quite a different thing.

Q: Do you have hope for the future?

D.J. Yes, I have great faith in the young people coming up. The so called ‘millennials’, the majority of whom seem to be a lot less prejudiced and bigoted than their forbearers.

Q: Hot topic of the week: This is an open discussion. Could be Gay marriage or Confederate flag, Donald Trump, for example?

D.J. Trump and his band of villains are an abomination, but I think that ironically they have galvanized those on the opposite side of the political spectrum and that the world will ultimately be a better place because of this. Vive La Resistance!

Q: What are three things that work for you: For example, I can’t find a good razor. Because of an excessive requirement for massive profits I find that many products don’t live up their advertising. What works for you?

Books

Vinyl

Ink pens

More thought-provoking questions:

1: Do Americans have the right to complain about immigration?

D.J. Yes, of course!

2: If our value system is based on scarcity, then what of a human life, now that the population is in the billions?

D.J. Everyone is still unique.

4: What would you like to see written about you on your gravestone?

D.J. Probably the first verse of my song, ‘Not Long For This World’:

 Whether in a cameo

         Or as the star of the show

         We’re only actors here

         Pissing in the snow

         We try on costumes

         Accents and masks

         We learn our lines

         Sufficient to the task

         Of taking on a major role

         Or just a walk on part

         And when we take our final bow

         It’s just another start