My Dad Is Dead Interview: SXSW 2010

Posted on Feb 23rd 2010 8:00PM by Seano Barry
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Chapel Hill-based band My Dad is Dead is a rarity in this day and age of modern music. Twenty six years into a passionate musical journey and impressive output, they are still at it. As the post punk-inspired brainchild of Mark Edwards, the band spawned from Cleveland in 1984 with a first draft of guitar and drum machine, slowly purging songs that were wired together with the chords of struggle and the lyrics of unrest. With ten albums and several EPs to their credit, they will come to SXSW to play that history out live. We talked to Mark about the long and industrious path he's taken as a songwriter and performer.

How did My Dad Is Dead form?

Well, it came from the old motto, if you want something done right, do it yourself. In the early '80s I was in a lot of different bands as a drummer, but we really didn't record or release anything. That was something I wanted to do, so I basically started my own band, and played all of the instruments, figuring if I wanted to get a record out that's what I was going to have to do. For about three or four years, I played exclusively with a drum machine, before adding a drummer in '89-'90.

Can you describe your sound, in your own words?

It's pretty much a mix of post punk from the early '80s with avant-garde from the early '80s Cleveland--basically pop songs for industrial wastelands.

What are some of your influences?

I was influenced by '60s 'Top 40' radio, '70s heavy metal, prog-rock and of course, the punk and post punk from the '80s. If you've got a lot of influences like that, it's a pretty mixed bag.

How did you come up with your band name?

Well it's not a big mystery. My dad died. I didn't get along with him really well. Around the time when it was happening, people had a lot of expectations, you know, I should be very sad about his passing and everything. There was this reverential quality to the conversation any time anybody ever brought up the fact that he had just passed away.

It was right around the time that I was forming this notion of having my own band and to me, band names always seemed kind of silly and meaningless. I wanted to name it something that would communicate something personal about me that was true. People think it's some smart ass punk thing. A lot of people get offended and think, "What a horrible thing to name your band." I'm not saying your dad is dead, I'm saying my dad is dead.

What is in your festival survival kit?

A bottle of Nexium and my CPAP machine (for sleep apnea).

What are some of your musical guilty pleasures?

Well I hate to admit this but there's a song out right now by Major Lazer that I really like and everybody thinks I'm crazy for liking it, including my wife. I also like heavily produced rap stuff with the catchy choruses.

You've toured with the Pixies and have played shows throughout the states and overseas. What's the craziest thing you've experienced on the road?

We were playing a CMJ show at the Knitting Factory in New York and had our van broken into. We were standing in the middle of the floor watching a band, when a phalanx of New York City cops came in and began asking people questions. And they started pointing at us. The cops came over and told us that our van had been broken into. Apparently there were a couple of guys selling boxes of our records on the street corner, which is how they knew who it was. We had to go down to the police station and spend half the night going through stuff that had been stolen from our van. It was a bit of a scary moment because we didn't know what they had found in our baggage and what they hadn't found in our baggage.

Beatles or Stones?

Stones, of course. Definitely the Stones.

As a prolific songwriter, you've experienced ups and downs, triumphs and trying times. What part of your history have you culled the best lyrics from?

I like to think that I am still writing lyrics that people can relate to. I think if you go back and look at the lyrics of my records at any given time, you can probably get a good sense of where my life was. I'm not the kind of writer who writes good songs when I'm, you know, happy with life. A lot of my lyric writing comes from conflict and in a way, that's how I deal with them. Some people buy guns. Some people play sports. I write music.

You are still very passionate about Cleveland from what I've read. Why did you leave there and move to Chapel Hill?

I met my wife in Chapel Hill in 1997 when we did a show here. I'd been in Cleveland for 40 years and regretted leaving all of the friends and contacts I had made, but felt it was time for a change. I was tired of the cold weather and the snow, so obviously it was a big attraction for me with North Carolina being a much warmer, less wintry climate. We played many times here in our career and it was always a great experience and a lot of fun.

I just read today that Cleveland was on the top of Forbes Magazine's list of Most Miserable Cities. What's up with that?

Yeah well, that makes sense. The funny thing is that there's a lot of misery there, but there's also a lot of hope. There's always this undercurrent of things really suck, but, tomorrow might be better.

Have you ever actually said to a crowd: "Hello Cleveland!" [Spinal Tap]?

Probably not. I probably never said that.

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