The Dillinger Escape Plan is interviewed by Southspace.com

Q: "What does the name DEP actually mean. There are some rumours about it?"
A: (Craig) "It has no real meaning. It was just a long name, you know. John Dillinger was a bankrobber in the early part of the 20th century. The name Dillinger came from him, but we don't have any special obsession with him. It's just the name. It sounded cool, was kind of long.

When this band was formed, we were playing a show and we needed a name, we didn't have a name, and the show was like a few days from then. We had a some ideas and that one was the most exiting one we had. So we went with it.

Q: "The first record you got on Relapse Records, is really Jazz influenced! Do you have your roots in Jazz or do you listen to that kind of music?"
A: (Craig) "Our roots definetly aren't in Jazz. We all listen to Jazz and things like that. We listen actually everything. Rootswise we definetly come from metal hardcore. You know, background originally that's what everyone listened as kids. That was definetly what everyone was into."

(Liam): "Before anyone picked up an instrument that was mostly that stuff maybe some pop stuff here and there. But when you pick up an instrument you start to understand things like Jazz. You're getting certain aspects of that. Sometimes it's the sound, sometimes it's the theory!"

Q: "What is your motivation for playing this kind of music? Is it a bit the frustration of what metal hardcore turned into?"

A: (Craig) "I think this type of music is pretty planed nowadays.Its not pushing the level going and going on. People in heavy and extreme music don't seem interested in doing things new.

It's all about like cashing in or making quick bugs. We're trying a little territory and we're really decided to use the influences we have in different types of music in different backgrounds and we put it in this type of music and trying to make extrem music exciting. You know what I mean. Not doing something that has already been done!"

Q: "At the beginning of the band, I read your first aim was to please your harshest critics, yourselves. Did this change a bit?"
A: (Craig) "No. Our music is definetly self-stimulating. All we've done wasn't to make money or quick bug. We could certainly start to make more money than this. But that's definetly just to stimulate us.

Writing things that we find exciting personally, and hopefully other people that find it exciting and stimulating too, you know what I mean. But it's most my very selfish reasons for writing!"

Liam: "It's kinda going in a CD store, looking through the CD collection, but looking for something that doesn't exist. So you make it yourself!"

Q: "You had fast growing success since '97. This year you've played with 'System of a Down' which are really hype here overseas. How was this experience for you?"
A: (Craig) "It was pretty unbelievable. That band has never ever done anything on that scal. And it was the first time we saw how things run on that scal. It was faszinating. There are maids and people that do anything, you know. For everything you can imagine there was a person who was supposed to do it. I mean we have a two man crew, the soun guy and one guy just to help us out things.

But there were like hundreds of people involved in this tour. But on a musical level there are not a lot of bands, heavy bands, that are so big we wanna tour with. But I think it was just a good tour. The reaction we've got was better than we thought. We thought to be bood- off stage every night. And it wasn't quite off-stage.

It was better than we thought. And it did a lot of force. When we see kids here come to our shows, wearing a System of a Down t-shirt they were obviously gotten from the tour. It's awesome cause SoaD they could have taken Papa Roach they could have taken anybody.

But instead they exposed their listeners something more challanging. And i think that's definetly respectable.

Q: "You played first basement shows and now that big. What do you prefer?"
A: (Craig) "You know, the energie in the basement-shows is sometimes so great. You have so much energy people right there. But when you play on the big stages you have a lot more control over things. It's a bit more organized. And if we want to go to the people, we had to play 20 basement-shows in one city. You can't do that. But on the other hand, when we played with SoaD, I felt glad cause in a stadion with 15000 people, you feel so bad for the people all the way in the back.

They couldn't receive a concert experience! It's just like watching TV, you know. But when you get to that point, it's something you have to do. It definetly has its positives and negatives. But we haven't the choice any more, you know. We never expected to come to this point. But now that it is, you know it's hard. Physically we can't do 20 basement shows!"

Q: "How come the corporation with Mike Patton for your new EP? "
A: (Craig) "We did a tour with his band 'Mr. Bungle' and we pretty much maintained the friendship with Mike Patton. And when Dimitri, the previous singer and the band split away there rested 3 songs lying around for the next full length. And the search for a new singer was pretty difficult and there was no one we seriously considered.

And then we sent an e-mail weather he was interested in doing vocals. And he said yeah. Then we made music and sent him a tape and him laying down vocals. When we came back from SoaD, we got into the studio together, and all went pretty smoothy. The songs have been done for a little while.

Q: "Why did it broke up, with the old singer? Was it a peacefully broke up?"
A: (Liam) "It was just the band had different priorities, and him included. It was just: Ok, we are at this level, we can go to this level. Are you all willing to go there. You know, are you all willing to work harder. So we all sat down to talk, what we would do, he had some doubts.

He was like: I wanna do this, you know. I wanna start a business with my brother, go back to school. I wanna learn guitarre and start my own band. And we wanted someone who's a little more versive than how he was willing to be!"

Q: "Your new EP is on Epitaph. That's just for this EP, I heard. Will you go back to Relapse after that, or something else?"
A: (Liam) "Propably. But that's accuring do a contract. But we like to work with Epitaph in the future. They were good."

Q: "But how come this together. Cause Epitaph is known for the melodic kind of Punk."
A: (Liam) "It was like, we sat down, the songs was made, and we concidered different labels. And we decided, if they were willing to do, then we should concider them, because it's a different audience. And we don't wanna be concidered a metal band only. I think we're a good band flat out.

And we liked to see what happend, Punkrockkids, you know. And they put out stuff like Tom Waits and Refused, they put out some weird good stuff. And I liked to be included on that raster!"

Q: "Thanks a lot for taking the time to do this interview."

by Michi, vom 2.9.2002

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