Sitting in the waning sunlight with Denver Dalley just before his band, Statistics, was to play at the fairly-new Showroom was such an excellent time. The day couldn't have been more gorgeous and there was so much going on, what with the Cirque Du Soleil getting underway just behind us, and the music from the Roots concert drifting across the harbour to us from the nearby Plaza of Nations. Dalley himself proved to be an easy-going and insightful guy, and gave some of the most intriguing Ten Questions answers we've had to date...

(Cord Magazine's questions are in blue. Artist responses are in grey.)


We have um a little ten question segment that we ask every band.

Okay.

So we'll just roll through that um. What do you do on your downtime… I was gonna say between recording and touring, but since you haven't been home a lot (laughter), I guess when you're waiting for stuff to happen on the road.

Um I love to go to movies. Big film buff. Um, I loooove… I like jogging. Kind of weird. Uh, I like skateboarding too but try not to when I'm on tour cuz I'm paranoid I'm gonna like…

Get injured.

Break my finger or something… you know, something stupid and like, "oh sorry I can't finish this tour."

Makes a good story anyways.

Yeah. (laughter) I like that. I love just walking around in towns and cities you know. Like I love to just kinda experience it like on that level instead of just like driving through or whatever... you just see so much more. Yeah that's pretty much it.

I was gonna say like be careful when you're driving through Thunder Bay, if you go in that direction. I talked to some guys who like hit a patch of black ice up there.

Oh!

Just like a few weeks ago and uh spun out and their van hit a mountain.

Yikes.

Their van pretty much blew up, gear all over the road like…

Try not to do that.

(laughter)

Yeah don't do that.

Note to self.

Uh, what is your vice of choice?

Vice of choice. Like…

Whether a literal vice or just something that could replace it. Like coffee… or…

Uh, oh man I dunno. Sushi.

(laughs)

This is a good city for sushi!

Really?

Better than Japan.

Fair enough! I love sushi. I don't, I mean, I don't smoke, I don't… I drink every once in a while you know, but it's pretty random. Um… I'm pretty boring actually.

Noooo!

I really am. But I really love sushi.

Cool, well make sure you have some sushi while you're here.

(laughs)

I will definitely.

I mean I don't eat sushi myself, but I like other Japanese food. But it's like… I mean we have such a huge…

Supply!

Yeah, well we have such a big Japanese and Chinese community over here for sure, like Asian in general. Um it's about half the population right now actually in Vancouver.

Oh yeah.

Well [The Cirque] is going on in there. Let's see if we can break in!

Yeah. Sneak in the back of the tent! (laughter)

Put on some makeup and… wear some colourful tights or something. Um. What's your favourite venue or city so far to play in?

Um well, I'd like to state for the record that I haven't played any shows in Canada yet so you can't hold that against me. Um, I really like Phoenix a lot. I really like Salt Lake a lot for some reason. I… going in to both of them like I didn't know what to expect. And I just really had a good time with the crowds there both times. We played both of those places twice on that last ten week tour and both times just had a really great time. I think I like that a little bit more than playing New York and LA. Just because like New York and LA kinda stress me out. Like even though I love both places like as places, but I don't like to get around there and everything is so expensive and it's such a headache to know where to put the van. I dunno, I just like those places a lot.

Um what issues and aspects of the world most concern you these days?

Oh wow uh… hah. I dunno uh, well just like everyone else there, I want everyone to get along. I don't wanna... I always hope that issues can be resolved swiftly and without, you know, bloodshed on either side or you know… I dunno. I do know why every country needs a military and I do know that sometimes war is necessary and stuff but you know… again I'm just being very idealistic. I want… I don't want anyone to have to… have to do that.

Is it kind of weird living in America right now?

Kinda. Yeah I mean there's like a lot of mixed emotions you know, like a lot of people just totally resent the fact that we're at war and a lot of people wanna be supportive of the guys that are over there and our leaders you know, but there's just a lot of confusion I think. I guess there's always confusion.

Yeah. What's one interview question you could care less to hear again? Not including that one.

Uh… hehe. What's Conor [Oberst, Dalley's bandmate from his previous project, Desaparecidos] up to? … kinda thing you know like. No… people don't reeeally flat-out say that but you know they'll ask me stuff and sometimes it's just like, "IIII dunno. You know like… call him. I dunno." And at the same time like I'm glad to answer any question that I can answer. I am truly honoured like that anyone wants to talk to me you know like, and I look at all interviews the same whether it's like some kid who's starting up an online 'zine in his bedroom, or if it's like a major publication or whatever like it's all just as important to me and it's all an honour that people want to hear what I have to say or you know, wanna ask me things. So really there's no question.

What was your favourite Saturday morning cartoon?

Oh man! Too many to choose. I was really into Voltron. Did you guys have that up here? And I'm not too proud to admit, I was really into the Care Bears. I had like, I still…

I think a lot of people did. They don't say that but…

Oh, Care Bears and Gloworms. I still have, at my parents' house, I have like every Care Bear.

(laughter)

I was so into it.

Sooo gooood. Are you all right? Are you cold?

I'm all right. Chilly.

Okay. Um. Aside from musician, what did you want to be when you were growing up? Like what kind of other aspirations did you have?

Well I come from a long line of doctors. So I think I went through a stage, go through the doctor stage. And sure I really went through the fireman and astronaut stage. All that sort of thing. But um I don't know. Sometimes when I'm home, a buddy of mine owns his own painting company and I'll paint houses as like a day job. And um I've always wanted to uh take a course on like massage therapy. I thought that would be fun. That'd be something that I'm actually interested in. You know, it's so hard, like besides music, I'm not… I dunno, I'm only interested in like music and film really. And I was actually gonna go to film school in North Carolina but um I got put on a waiting list and ended up going back to Omaha and starting Desaparecidos. So that worked out. But yeah that's… I'd probably say massage therapy.

Okay. If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would it be and what would you hope to accomplish?

Definitely a woman. I've always wanted to know what that's like.

(laughter)

I've always wanted to know what it's like from their point of view and like... I mean beyond like anatomically. You know I'd just want to know like how, if everything seems the same like… I dunno. I've got a pretty low opinion of men as it is you know. Like I can see the facts are kind of against us you know. So many guys are just bad news, like between the ones that are abusive, whether it's verbally or physically, you know and, or the guys that will um, get a girl pregnant and not father the child. Or you know… it seems that there are an overwhelming amount of guys out there that are um, not real men or whatever. But I've always wanted to know what it's like for a girl as well. And not to sound at all sexist or anything but I do think that there are more… not all girls but I think a lot of girls can know more emotions than guys, if that's fair to say. I know that, I'm not trying to like…

No I see what you mean.

…generalize but like… me and my brothers were taught like… not even… my dad didn't really teach it to us but it was just kind of a thing like you aren't really supposed to cry, you know what I mean? And that's not either… it has nothing to do with like the make… the chemical makeup of the person, but just like the condition that they were growing up in. Does that make sense?

Yup.

I dunno.

Gender conditioning.

So I guess, woman…. I got off the track here I realize. Suddenly I wasn't talking about who I'd be for a day at all. um… at any point in history?

Yup.

I would be Hellen Keller.

(laughter)

Or someone uhhh… then I could know what it's like to be blind and know what… or uh. Who else? Marilyn Monroe. Hehehe. Two like furthest… I dunno. I don't have a good answer for that. What are the clichés? Is it like, Jesus or Einstein or something?

No, George Bush.

George Bush, okay.

People want to be George Bush and change things.

Ohhh yeah.

And other than that there's been a lot of guys who… haha… want to be a particular female, some like supermodels or something…

Oh right.

…and like "I'll make rude videos of myself and send them to me," or, "I'll stand in front of a mirror," or…

(laughter)

Oh. That's pretty smart. I love how that spectrum, it's like, "I would either do greater good for the world or I would just do something totally for me."

(lots of laughter)

Well it's that curiosity factor as well. I would be the same way kind of.

Yeah.

Um. A shark and a bear fight. Here are the rules. There's just enough water for the shark to exist, swim around, keep himself slightly alive. There's a small rock in the middle of the water that the bear is standing on. Neither's been fed for a few days, neither's been trained. It's the baddest of grizzly bears against the baddest of great white sharks. They fight to the death. Who wins?

I wanna say the bear. I know that's… I'm just gonna say the bear just cuz he's got like so many more weapons I feel like. I know sharks' skin is kinda like sandpaper but he's pretty much just got that… his jaws you know. but the bear's got his jaws, and the paws and everything.

Yep.

I'll go with the bear.

Bear? Okay.

Hehe. It's like, "that's a good answer but you're wrong."

There's no right or wrong!

(laughter)

It's all opinion!

I say the bear.

Okay. I think we're… the bear started out on top for sure, like everyone went for the bear. Lately the shark's been gaining ground. We've had a few people who were saying like they'd avoid each other, or they become friends and have a weird shark-bear child…

Ah!

…or the rock will win or whatever.

(laughter)

It's an interesting question though. It sparks big debates when you have a whole band worth of people.

Yeah. I'll bet.

They just get into these big arguments… It's gonna break up a band one of these days.

(huge laughter)

"Shut up man you know nothing about bears!"

And finally! If you could ask me one question what would that be?

Who do you think… do you think Indi… cuz we talked about Indiana Jones. Do you think Indiana Jones is hotter when he's a teacher or when he's out in the field?

Uh yeah when he's out in the field, when he's all sweaty and his shirt's being ripped off and stuff.

Okay fair enough. (laughs)

Interesting question. All right!

Inter… yeah.

Thank you very much. That's the end of it.

Thank you!

Elsewhere

By Andy Scheffler
Photos : Andy Scheffler
Published : June 29, 2004.