Dirk on How he began playing the Bass

Dirk - I started out playing, you know, the guitar, and then the electric bass because I started listening to popular music, and the electric bass just really stuck out to me it's just a really cool instrument, and a, after that I started playing that, I played with a few other bands and stuff, and I think it was 1990 I saw a bass for sale like at a cult shop and I just love instruments anyway okay. I have a mandolin, and a trombone and an accordion and it's just like horrible because I've just always loved instruments and music because it's a big passion of mine. And I saw this bass for sale, and it was only seven hundred dollars. So I thought, well I can do that. So I bought it, and a, trying to learn to play it was a whole different story. Because I'm so used to the guitar style, like the electric bass guitar, the acoustic guitar, and then playing the string bass, is like wow! So it took me awhile to learn how to play it but then after I did I was getting calls left and right; everyone wanted me to play with them. It's like wow, you've got a string bass, come play with us, come play with us. So I did a couple of blues gigs for a while where I was originally at in Santa Barbara. And then I hook up with Scott and Kirk, because I had met them, actually during sound, I set up pieces for bands, back in the early nineties, and they had a band together with an electric bass player, and apparently they were having a falling out with the electric bass player, so Kirk called me up, and he knew I played the string bass, and said why don't you come down and check it out because we're going to put together a soul band. Okay, well that sounds great. So this is 1993, and that's how Voodoo Daddy came together.


Dirk on What makes BBVD's music different

Dirk - Well, I think what we have which is different from other swing bands is we don't. . we think of ourselves as a swing band, but there are so many other different types of instruments that we bring into the music as well. Like, you know, we have a deep root in rhythm and blues and like, early American music. One of our influences is like, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and some of the Texas, straight up blues rock. So we incorporate that, and Kirk and I basically have real, kind of a rock/pop background, like we listen to Led Zeppelin, and the Rolling Stones and the Beetles; things like that. And, so, you can't really escape like your very first early influences; they'll always be a part of you, and I think that really comes through in swing music because like swing is another genre of American music that we all love. But, then again if you look at the Voodoo Daddy stuff we do. Like a, Float Moves, and then we do like a motif, we do a fast, oh kinda, . it's kinda like rockin really covers, and then a, straight up classic swing style too. So I think it's like taking the style of swing, but then incorporating all the other types of music that were played in that era, and also kinda go along with the feeling as well. So it's not really swing persey, it like a swing but then a whole bunch of other stuff too. Almost like a rock'n'roll attitude. I think that's kinda what makes the difference.


Dirk on The Popularity of Swing

Dirk - I think, a, with the movie Swingers when it came out last year, it's what really kind of brought swing back to the twenty and thirty somethings. Because, like, a few years ago people thought of swing as the music that your grandfather or your parents listened to, like a Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey and all the big, the big swing bands with the orchestra, with the big stage music that's very predictable and very nice, you know, very nice in it's place. But then it's like, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, it's like picking a part of music and then like just giving it pizzazz. The dances are a little more faster, a little more edgy. We have a couple of songs that we write that have a little more, almost time, in a way, you know, 'cause it's kind of getting on the street, and I think the main part why people are diggin' on it now is because it's a lot of fun, and itj's a lot of energy, and it's bright and happy, but that also is a little classy too. It's stylish, like you need to know the dances. You need to dress up a little bit to go to these clubs. You need to have a sense of music appreciation to appreciate the music it's not the glossy guitars and not driving here to hear somebody yelling over a microphone, so it's got a style, you know, it's got a very good style that could fit in, pretty much anywhere, you know, it could be at your recital, and you could also play it on the streets too.


Dirk on Being a sex symbol. . . or not

Dirk - Well, it's kinda different, what I found out is pretty much if you see somebody doing what they enjoy and excelling at it and they're having fun doing it, it's attractive because it's something that comes easy to that person. Whether, you know, it's doing anything. If you’re a cocktail waitress and you're having fun being a cocktail waitress you're attractive, you know if you're selling tickets at a movie theater and you enjoy doing that and you're bright and spunky and you're doing it with a smile, doing a thing like a handshake or whatever, people are gonna like that. And I think what happens with musicians or anyone in the performance or entertainment industry is, essentially you're on display. Like, when you're up there, like performing on stage, or you're in show or you're coming across a lady who sings, um, you're only display and people are gonna look at you and if you look good and you're having fun, they're gonna be attracted to you. And it'd definitely a perk, like it's really fun and it's definitely a good ego stroke, and I don't think anybody can say they don't enjoy it. It is something that does have to be taken very seriously because you can get caught up in it and your ego can go through the roof you can try to have relationships with all kinds of different people and eventually everyone's not gonna be happy 'cause no one's gonna get what they really want which is, you know, a real satisfying relationship with somebody, so it has to really be taken with a grain of salt 'cause you need to be very quiet, very kind to these people, but then again you can't ignore them either. I think it's very. . it's definitely very enjoyable I like having a lot of people, like your music, and adore you and send you letters and stuff like that. It's really very nice, and uh, I love it! ( He he!) but I can't get carried away with it you have to, like, keep it in it's place, which sucks, you know cause it's a lot of fun if the people are coming' out to see you and the girls really dig you, they dig you for while you're performing. It's like that one Fleetwood Mac, that one lyric from their album , "The fans really love you when you're playing. " And it can go in reverse, the audience only loves you when you're singing too.


Dirk on Being Human

Dirk - Because I have had visions of being a performer and entertainer, I had visions doing that. Like constantly being acceptable, and you know, at least being friendly and kind. Because, I've come across these, you know, some of the performers that I've seen, or some of the interviews I've read from performers, or seen on television or whatever, they, a lot of them come off as really, Hollier than thou, and it really turns me off, you know, it just turns me off. You know, people are just people. It doesn't matter what you do, you're still a person, you still have to wake up in the morning, you still have to eat, still have to pay your bills, and, you know, you're just a person. (laugh) So , it's like, it's kinda tough, you know, it get's kinda tough on you're self-worth. When you get to a point, and can still be a good person. Be good to the people, like your boyfriend, be good to your friends, you know, deal fairly, and just maintain a good attitude, because more than likely that's what got you there in the first place. Having your good attitude and being a good person.


Dirk on The Old Album

Dirk - Yea, and it's pretty much outta prints. We did one pressing of it and then we sold it out, because we really wanted to kinda set the stage for our new CD. Um, over the past year we've sold more CD's than we've ever sold. And it's mostly due to the popularity of Swingers, the film, and a we're just riddin' on a really high wave. We wanna capitalize on that lift the new CD, because it's a better representation of what's standard now, and it took us five superior recordings, and the first CD is three years old and it features a different lineup and was recorded in a smaller studio. And it really is a lot more effort. We were together for less than a year when we recorded that, so it wasn't even what the band is now, so we really want to draw attention away from that to focus attention on the new CD. It could be a collectors item! Who knows? I mean, we definitely own that album, it's a Big Bad Record CD, which is all the CD's we own in which we, essentially started our own record company. We invested the money into doing it, so we own it outright. We own the master recordings, and the label. We feel as if we ought to repress if we can. But like, now, definitely now for '98, '99, we're not gonna be repressing any more. So, yea, if you have one, hang on to it.


Dirk's last words

Dirk - Basically, just have fun with whatever you do, and enjoy swing music, go out and have some fun. And, there's a lot of good music to listen to, but if you listen to Voodoo Daddy, thank you very much, we definitely appreciate all the patronage and all the support that everyone has given us. And, we're definitely looking forward to having a lot of fun in 1998, and exposing a lot more people to our music. And, I just wanna give a big thank you to all the people that have supported us in the past. Especially a big thank you to all the people in Santa Barbara, and Ventura, that's where we got our start, and came to all our gigs all the time. A big thank you to all the people in Los Angeles that came to the Derby for two and a half year when we played there. Um, just to everyone who has helped us out, a big thank you. And a, da da dada dat da! There you go!



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