Were you a fan of the band prior to working with them?

Totally. My first exposure to the band was hearing "Paranoid", although I don't remember where or when. Since I was a huge fan of George Romero's films, the "Dawn of the Dickies" cover art parody of "Dawn of the Dead" caught my eye in the record rack, but didn't inspire me to actually purchase the album. What really convinced me was hearing "Rosemary" for the first time, probably in late 1984. I just thought it was one of the best songs I've ever heard (and still do).
Ironically, it was on a New York City radio station WNEW-FM known for its dinosaur-rock format. How The Dickies got on the playlist is a mystery to me. So, "Stukas.." was the first album I got, quickly followed by the "Dawn of.." and "Incredible Shrinking". What escalated the group into my "Favorite Band" status was my first experience of seeing the band live. The gig was Irving Plaza, N.Y.C., October 1985.

Why were you chosen for the job of roadie?

I was working for Kramer Guitars in the artist endorsement department (1987), and got sick of seeing nothing but hesher (metal) bands getting all the endorsement deals. So, I heard that the Dickies were playing City Gardens in Trenton, and without even getting approval from the company, decided to go to the show and offer Stan an endorsement deal (which is essentially a free guitar, providing that it will be used in a video or photo shoot). Stan was beside himself when he received the first Kramer, and invited me out to L.A. to go to the N.A.M.M. show (the big musical instrument trade show) that January. (The guitars made their debut in the "Killer Klowns" video later that month.) Stan and I became good friends, and that summer I ended up moving to L.A. with the band I was in at the time.

I'd wondered why Stan went for Kramer guitars to be honest, up until that point he'd always been seen with a Gibson of some description.

If you had tuned in to MTV at that time, the majority of guitar players were playing Kramers. This was largely due to Kramer's effort to get maximum exposure through artist endorsements. It kept them on top of the market for about 3-4 years, then ultimately killed them. Personally, I believe they saturated the market to the point where people were looking for a change. The trend turned more toward vintage equipment, and suddenly no one was interested in the modern guitars. Fender and Gibson are probably the biggest sellers these days.

What would have been your first show working with them?

The first tour was the Killer Klowns tour in the summer of 1988. I had just moved to L.A. from New Jersey three weeks prior, and somehow got talked into driving the gear to North Carolina with this other guy who was the drum tech.
Actually, the tour manager Kit Mira (ex-Fear roadie) was the guitar tech. Stan, not aware of my abilities, had me selling merch on that tour. The first gig I worked as tech was probably Bogart's in Long Beach 10/29/88. After a while it became pretty much a steady gig, when I wasn't busy with my own band.

What exactly does being Stan's guitar tech entail?

Since Stan's gear is minimal- he doesn't use effects or pedals onstage, it's actually just a matter of positioning the amp, doing a line/volume check and fine tuning the guitars. He usually gets two nights out of a set of strings (opposed to Enoch, who could destroy a new set of strings in under an hour). The Floyd Rose tremolos on the Kramers required some maintenance and more attention to tuning, but once they're balanced they stay pretty consistent night after night.

Could you talk us through a typical day 'on the road' with the Dickies?

It starts by getting up as late as possible (a ritual that I rigidly adhere to- to this day). Then, dining in one of the finer establishments, like Denny's or Waffle House, depending on what state we're in that morning. Usually the distance to the next gig dictates that most of the day is spent driving. Upon reaching the venue the gear is set up and, time permitting, soundchecks are done. As far as extracurricular activities are concerned, I'll have to stick with Jim Locke's policy on that!

Have you worked with any other bands worthy of note?

No, actually I think Stan would have been jealous. He had a lead on a Quiet Riot tour, and ended up recommending a friend of mine for the job. This didn't bother me much, since I had a band of my own at the time and if I were to take a job as a guitar tech I'd rather work for Stan than someone I didn't know.

I would think that during your service you've seen a few band members come and go, who were your favourites to work with, and which line up of that time period would you say to have been the definitive Dickies?

Not wanting to start any conflicts over personalities, I can say that the band as it was when I first met them (Laurie, Enoch, Cliff) possessed a chemistry that I don't think has been surpassed in other incarnations of the band before or since.

Do you subscribe to the opinion that no matter who has played with the band they have always retained "that Dickies sound"?

I think the band has evolved musically and has refined its sound both live and in the studio, despite the line-up changes over the years. Unfortunately this can't be said of most bands who've been together as long as they have.

What's your fondest memory of the time you spent with the band?

I feel fortunate for having been able to get to know them and tour with them. Not many people can say they've been on the road with their favorite band. Sure the novelty wears off eventually, but my admiration for the band and its music still remains.

And the worst?!

Definitely the GWAR tour of '94. It was plagued with problems from the word go. First, having to replace Charlie (Alexander) within two weeks of starting. Then, missing the second gig in Las Vegas, because we couldn't raise the money to rent the van and trailer. Then the guarantees got lowered after picking up with GWAR in New Jersey. Then the Melvoin incident... it was just a total nightmare.

Gwar and the Dickies - quite a strange pairing don't you think?

Yes. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Oderus (Dave) from GWAR is a Dickies fan, so he may have had some influence on getting the band on the tour.

I got the impression from the liner notes of Idjit Savant that it might have been the band's final album - all of the thank you's seemed like the band were saying "See ya" - then they have a miserable time touring with Gwar, how close do you think the band were calling it all quits?

I believe that Leonard was only alluding to the band's tradition of releasing a new album every five years. The record was released while the tour was in progress, so the fate of the trip had yet to be revealed. They took a short hiatus after the tour, and during that time it seemed the future of the band was questionable, but Leonard and Stan came to their collective senses and weren't ready to give up. (What else would they do with themselves?)

Were you working alongside Marc Aver on the Gwar tour?

Yeah, he was a close friend of Jonathan Melvoin's, and was Jon's tech off and on. Mark's mother, Jan Chamberlain, is married to legendary actor Mickey Rooney (his eighth and current wife). Mark's presence on the 1994 tour was really the reason we were able to finish the trip after Melvoin split. What happened was, we had gotten as far as Providence, Rhode Island, and Jonathan was pretty fed up with the situation. He was living in New Hampshire at that point, and Rhode Island was as close as we were going to get. So, right after the gig he disappears and doesn't return to the hotel. The next morning it was evident that he wasn't coming back. We had another show in Connecticut that night and had no drummer. Mark volunteered for the job. Everyone agreed to go ahead with the show. I don't think I was the only one that was amazed at Mark's performance. We rented a drum kit in Brooklyn the next day, got some rehearsal in, and finished the rest of the tour. He stayed on with the band for a short while after the tour ended, but only played a couple more gigs with them before Travis stepped in. Mark is a really nice guy, and he is almost as funny as Leonard (that's a big compliment). He had a knack for singing along with the radio in the van and changing the lyrics in the most hilarious of ways. He could also imitate his step-dad perfectly. Great comic-relief for such a dismal outing. I haven't seen Mark in several years, last I heard he was living in Florida.

What backline would Stan have been using back then in his Kramer period?

The amp that Stan had when I first met him (and continues to be his main amp) is a 1987 Marshall 25th anniversary Silver Jubilee model-50/100 watt head and 4x12 slant cabinet with the silver/grey vinyl.
Prior to that he was probably using the JCM 800 series.

Stan's guitar collection fluctuates continually (the only constant being Spidey).
His Kramers included:
* black 1987 "Liberty" model aka "Libby"
* white 1987 "Liberty" model
...(both seen in 'Killer Klowns' video)
* candy apple red "Stagemaster" 1 pickup model aka "Red" (his ..main axe for most of the 90's)

Also in his collection at one time:
* Paul Reed Smith - green
* Jackson Randy Rhodes - custom painted powder blue with ..Gigantor airbrushed art.
* Carvin-melody maker type - green

His current arsenal consists of:
* Spidey (of course)
* Gibson Limited Edition SG metallic blue with EMG pickups, aka .."Blue"
* Gibson Thinline Les Paul - metallic pink aka "Ru Paul"
* Gordon Smith 'Batwing' SG - black (English made)

Strings - .010's, usually D'Addarios or Ernie Balls
Picks- Dunlop Nylon .60mm

Do you know the origins of his Spiderman guitar?

It is actually a 1961 Gibson Melody Maker SG that was in Stan's collection for a while prior to its transformation. If you've ever seen the Music Machine gig from 1985 on video, Stan is playing Spidey with its original walnut finish. The modifications included swapping the dot marker finger board inlays for parallelogram type inlays, & a re-fret with taller, rounder fret wire. Then of course, is the awesome paint job. The narrow-style headstock sports a "Swee'Pea" decal beneath the gold "Gibson" logo decal, then clear-coated over. Also, there was a chrome truss-rod cover custom engraved "Stan Lee" (since lost, I'm told). The airbrush work is flawless. According to Stan, the Spidey art took 30 hours to complete. The tuning machines are chrome Schallers. I'm not aware of the exact type of pickups, except that they are PAF type humbuckers (minus the chrome cans). Also, the input jack was moved from the front of the guitar to the side (like a Les Paul).

I've been to many shows, heard many bootlegs, and watched many live videos of the Dickies and the one thing that seems to be a recurring theme is the breakdown of the backline! Was it really that commonplace?!

I've had my share of complications, but overall I'd have to say I was fortunate, considering the circumstances. At times managing the stage at a Dickies gig is like trying to conduct a three-ring circus. My motto was "hope for the best, but expect the worst."

Is there one particular Dickies show that sticks out as being particularly special to you?

There are many to choose from, I do recall they played the 9.30 Club in Washington D.C. in '88. The band sounded great in that room (not surprisingly) and the house bubble-machine gave the gig a "Lawrence Welk Show" vibe. Another that comes to mind was around Christmas time (maybe 1990) at the Coconut Teaszer in Hollywood (they were playing there about every six months for a while, and broke attendance records). Leonard shows up with a giant (5 feet high) bag of Styrofoam beads (the kind you would find in a bean-bag chair). Anyway, shortly into the set they launch into "Silent Night" and Leonard rips open the bag in front of a couple of industrial fans on stage. The indoor snowstorm that resulted was pretty amazing.

Do you have any last words for all the people out there in Dickie-land?

As a band the Dickies have endured hardships that would have broken up most bands long ago. After 25 years, it's great to see them still recording and performing. Rock on!