Dirty Rotten Imbeciles, or DRI as they are known to legions of fans worldwide, have cemented their status as pioneers of thrash and a band that truly rocks forever. For nearly thirty years, they have relentlessly toured the globe, creating a body of work that stands as timeless classics in the hardcore and metal scenes. While many bands from their era have long since faded, DRI’s fire still burns brightly. Almost three decades later, they continue to bring their high-octane energy to stages everywhere and are even in the process of crafting new music. Time has proven to be no match for these Dirty Rotten Imbeciles; in fact, it seems to have only amplified their intensity, making them faster, louder, and more formidable than ever. This interview delves into the heart of DRI’s enduring legacy, exploring their journey from the early days to their current reign as kings of crossover thrash, a testament to a band that will truly rock forever.
In this insightful conversation, we hear from:
Spike: Guitarist and a founding pillar of DRI’s sound.
Kurt: Vocalist and the unmistakable voice that has driven DRI from the beginning.
Harold O: Legendary thrash metal photographer who has become an integral part of DRI as their bass player.
Mike Beer: Let’s start by talking about The Farm. Can you describe playing there and what made it special?
Spike: The Farm was a unique spot in San Francisco during the early 80s punk scene. It was more than just a venue; it was a place where they actually grew vegetables and had farm animals right there. I think some people even lived on the premises.
Kurt: Yeah, it was located right in the Mission District, in the heart of the city!
Spike: We played there quite often, and one show really stands out – the one with Discharge. The energy was insane, the crowd went completely wild. We had so many memorable gigs at The Farm.
Kurt: For me, the Bad Brains show was the ultimate. The place was packed, and everyone was just losing it. The Farm was basically a big metal building, and with all the people and the craziness, condensation would build up. It actually started raining inside because of the heat and the crowd’s energy!
Spike: It was a classic San Francisco weather clash – hot inside, cold outside, and with that tin roof, it literally rained indoors!
Mike Beer: It’s a shame the vegetables weren’t inside; they could have gotten watered by the sheer energy of your fans.
Kurt: You calling our fans vegetables?
Spike: Some of them are now! [Everyone laughs]
Mike Beer: Speaking of longevity, how many years has DRI been going strong?
Spike: Let’s see, two, maybe three years… [laughs] No, seriously, 2012 marked our 30th anniversary!
Mike Beer: It’s been a while since a new album. Are there any plans for new music on the horizon for DRI fans who rock forever with you?
Spike: New music is always in the plans. We’ve actually got five new songs demoed already. We’re currently playing one of them live, called “Against Me.” The other four are still waiting for lyrics. We’re aiming to release them as an EP sometime. The challenge is that touring so much and having band members spread across four different states makes it tough to get together to write and rehearse new stuff.
Mike Beer: Does that geographical challenge make it difficult to keep things tight musically?
Spike: We’ve adapted to it. We don’t get to practice much in the traditional sense, but we tour constantly. In a way, playing live becomes our practice. It takes up most of our time, but it keeps us sharp. To rehearse traditionally, we’d all have to fly to one location, which is costly and time-consuming.
Mike Beer: Have you noticed any shifts in the crowds at DRI shows over the years, from the early days to the ’80s crossover era, and now?
Kurt: In the beginning, our crowds were primarily punk rock. When crossover hit in the mid to late ’80s, we started seeing more metalheads and rockers at our shows. For a while, it was pretty intense, almost like different tribes clashing. During that crossover period, there was some tension between punk and metal crowds. But now, it’s really cool. We see older fans who were there from the start bringing their kids, younger people who are just discovering us, and die-hard fans who have been with us since day one. It’s a much broader mix of people now.
Mike Beer: Do you often hear things like, “My dad was a huge fan,” or “I brought my kids to see you, I remember seeing you back in the day?”
Kurt: All the time, every show. We really prefer playing all-ages shows because you get to see that age range in full force. It’s awesome to witness!
Spike: The age range at our shows now is incredible, from six to sixty. It’s a huge spectrum of people and ages, all united by the rock forever spirit of DRI.
Mike Beer: Many DRI lyrics possess a timeless quality. Do you ever find that certain lyrics don’t resonate with you as much now that you’re older, perhaps with families and different life experiences?
Kurt: We still play songs like “Couch Slouch” and “Mad Man,” which we wrote when we were practically kids, railing against our parents. Then there are songs like “Slit My Wrist” that, unfortunately, always seem to remain relevant, right? [Everyone laughs.]
Spike: There are definitely some songs that feel dated, like “Reaganomics,” and we just don’t play those anymore.
Kurt: People still request them, but we’ve moved on.
Mike Beer: Have you ever reached a point where fan demand for certain songs forces you to say “fuck it” and bring them back into the setlist?
Spike: Fan requests definitely influence our setlist choices, but there are some songs we just don’t feel like playing anymore.
Kurt: We used to put out a list at the merch table and ask people to write down songs they wanted to hear. We’d review those lists and use them to help shape our setlists.
Spike: With around 140 songs in our catalog, playing everything is impossible. So, we have to select what we think is best for each show. We still manage to pack in around thirty-seven songs every night!
Mike Beer: Have the songs themselves evolved over time in terms of how you play them?
Spike: Absolutely. In the beginning, we were all about short, fast, hardcore songs. Then we got more influenced by metal bands and started writing heavier, longer, and sometimes slower songs. We’ve tried to blend both styles into our sound. All our musical influences have surfaced over the years, contributing to our evolving sound that still rocks forever.
Kurt: Changes in band members have also played a role in shaping our sound.
Mike Beer: Have specific songs changed in sound since you first wrote and performed them?
Spike: For me, definitely. Almost every song has evolved. I might change a riff slightly, play it a little differently, or add new elements because I think it enhances the song.
Kurt: Not really for me.
Spike: I’d argue yes for Kurt too! [laughs]
Mike Beer: What are DRI’s and your personal top five bands – bands that truly rock forever in your book?
Spike: As a band influence: Black Sabbath, Slayer…
Kurt: Pink Floyd, The Beatles.
Harold O: Trouble, COC.
Spike: We only get five, Harold, not six! [Everyone laughs]
Mike Beer: And personally?
Spike: Prong, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix. Kurt would probably say Patsy Cline.
Kurt: No! Is Spike making up mine now?
Spike: Well, you’re always playing her music.
Kurt: It’s too personal to discuss!
Mike Beer: DRI brought a distinct tone, sound, image, and attitude to the ’80s hardcore, punk, and metal scenes. Do you see any new bands today that are doing something similar, or perhaps even copying DRI? And if so, is that flattering or frustrating?
Spike: No, I don’t really hear it in newer bands. Most bands seem to be doing their own thing. Sure, bands play fast, short songs, but we’re not the only band to ever do that or to mix metal with punk. I do think we have a unique sound, and I don’t hear many bands directly copying it. I don’t really think about it much, either.
Kurt: I don’t hear it either.
Mike Beer: When DRI started incorporating heavier elements and slowing things down, did you get any backlash from hardcore purists?
Spike: Yeah, we got a lot of hate mail. But we were determined to do what we wanted musically and didn’t really care what anyone else thought. One guy wrote us a letter saying, “I used to like you guys, but now you’ve sold out,” and signed it with a swastika. I thought, well, I’m definitely glad that guy doesn’t like us anymore!
Kurt: Someone actually told me we single-handedly ruined punk rock forever.
Spike: When we first got into the hardcore scene, it was supposed to be about anarchy, anything goes.
Kurt: Anything was considered acceptable and part of the scene.
Spike: But then suddenly, there were all these rules about what you could and couldn’t do, especially regarding metal influences.
Mike Beer: Which is ironic, because in the early days, you’d have bands like DRI, The Big Boys, and Die Kreuzen all on the same bill. It was all considered hardcore/punk, but everyone was doing their own distinct version of it. Then, suddenly, it had to be just fast and short to be acceptable.
Spike: We didn’t want to be part of that restrictive scene anymore. It felt too confining and controlling. We said, “fuck that,” and decided to do our own thing, to rock forever on our own terms!
Mike Beer: Hardcore was supposed to be about breaking rules, not creating new ones!
Spike: Exactly! But then, all of a sudden, there were more rules than you could stomach. We didn’t swallow it; we threw it right back up!
Mike Beer: What’s the most memorable DRI show you’ve ever played and why does it stand out?
Spike: There are so many, it’s hard to pick just one. Playing on July 4th in Washington D.C. with the Dead Kennedys in front of the Lincoln Memorial in ’84 was incredible. In ’86, we played The Olympic in L.A. with Anthrax, Possessed, COC, and No Mercy. Harold actually broke his leg at that show! That’s the show we recorded, made our own video, and sold for years. We’re actually re-releasing it on BeerCity on DVD very soon. It will include that show, plus our show at The Ritz and some bonus material.
Kurt: That Olympic show was amazing. They turned the house lights on for a few seconds while we were playing. It went from feeling like we were on a small, dark stage to suddenly seeing this massive crowd with five giant mosh pits!
Spike: Another show that comes to mind was a huge festival we played in Europe in 2002. Slayer, Dead Kennedys, Motörhead, Machine Head, The Dickies, Biohazard, Cannibal Corpse, and tons more bands all on the same bill!
Mike Beer: Was there a particular era that you feel was the peak for DRI?
Spike: No, not really. Each era had its own unique and good aspects.
Kurt: For me, right now feels like one of the best periods. We’re smarter about the business side of things. Our shows are consistently great. The way we tour now, we do shorter runs, a few days at a time, come home, and then go back out again. We’re not trying to kill ourselves with three-month U.S. tours anymore, even though those were fun in their own way. At one point, we had a tour bus and eleven roadies – it was a huge party! Now, it’s just the band traveling together, no road crew. We’ve cut the fat, and I like it this way.
Mike Beer: You guys are more DIY than many bands out there.
Kurt: We do everything ourselves. We were always DIY, right from the beginning. But over time, we got to a point where we needed to let other people help us. We could still use help now, but we’ve also proven we can do it all ourselves. It’s pretty cool; we’ve learned a lot over the years, proving that DRI’s spirit will rock forever, independent and strong.
Mike Beer: We all know Kurt’s dad famously busted down the door on your Dealing with It album. What do your families think about DRI after all these years? Did they ever imagine DRI would still be going, still be recognized, all this time later?
Kurt: My parents were actually happy when we left Texas and moved to California. Then, they became really proud of us once we started making money from the band. That’s what most parents worry about. Once they saw we were making a living doing this, they were very supportive.
Spike: My family has always been incredibly supportive too.
Mike Beer: So, Kurt, your dad – the inspiration for “Mad Man” – did he know he was the “Mad Man” and that there was a song about him?
Kurt: No, my brothers and I had that nickname for him even before DRI started. He was “mad” for understandable reasons. He’d come home from work every day and we’d be there, jamming, blasting music and shaking the walls. We eventually soundproofed the room enough that he stopped complaining as much.
Mike Beer: Are the lyrics in the song specifically about him?
Kurt: Yeah, pretty much entirely about him. He wasn’t too fond of my friends, didn’t like the girls I brought around, didn’t like Spike or anyone else hanging out when he got home from work. I can’t really blame him now. When my son gets older, I’ll probably become the new “Mad Man.”
Mike Beer: Who came up with the iconic DRI logo and drew it?
Kurt: That was my brother Eric. He was actually the original drummer for DRI. He and I were both in art school at the time. He created the logo for a school project. We ended up using it later as the logo for the record company we started to release DRI records.
Spike: The project was to design a logo for a company. Initially, he drew it for the record label, Dirty Rotten Records.
Mike Beer: Did you give him any direction, or did he come up with it all on his own?
Kurt: He came up with it entirely on his own. The original design had a mohawk. We decided to remove the mohawk later. These days, Eric is a successful commercial artist. He works for Mead paper as a lead designer.
Mike Beer: A lot of skaters are big DRI fans. You’ve played at skateparks many times since DRI started. In the ’80s, you had skate decks on Concrete Jungle, and more recently on BeerCity and 1031. Do any of you skateboard?
Kurt: There used to be an old, closed-down skatepark from the ’70s in Houston. It had these massive, deep bowls. It was insane.
Spike: I used to drive my pickup truck into it at night, turn on the headlights and stereo, drink beer, and skate around. I was never very good, though.
Kurt: Neither was I, but we all used to skate it and have fun. It was a great time. Then we got so busy touring and playing shows, and eventually we moved away, so we stopped skating as much.
Mike Beer: People have been painting and drawing the DRI logo on everything since you started. Have you ever spotted your logo somewhere totally unexpected?
Kurt: On an Elvira movie DVD cover! Our sticker is on her suitcase. And in that Seinfeld episode – the one with the Pez dispenser – you can see a flyer in the background with our logo. It’s amazing to see how far the DRI logo has traveled, a testament to a band that truly rocks forever in the cultural landscape.
Mike Beer: Any last words for the fans who rock forever with DRI?
Spike: We want to sincerely thank all our fans over the last three decades for their incredible support, for making it possible for us to continue as a band for this long. We truly appreciate it, and they are the greatest fans in the world! Thank you all.
Mike Beer: One last, crucial question. Who am I?
Kurt: DRI!
Alt text: Energetic live performance shot of DRI band members Spike, on guitar, and Kurt, on vocals, rocking out on stage.
Alt text: Dynamic stage photo of Harold O, bassist for DRI, performing with intensity and passion during a live show.
