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JAMIE DELERICT
Jamie Delerict is a sober vegetarian who likes rock ‘n’ roll and wrestling. He’s in not one but two UK bands – Teenage Casket Co. and The Dangerfields, both of which are pretty damn good. Although juggling the two can cause slight stress at times as you’ll read below. With The Dangerfields in mind, we decided to ask Jamie a batch of ‘Danger’ inspired questions. Read on to find out when the last time he felt in danger was, what he thinks the world is most in danger of, and what the danger warning sign on his own head would read if he had to have one. |
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SBV: What sort of people are most in danger of becoming addicted to The Dangerfields’ music?
JD: Anybody that likes good, honest music is in grave danger. We’re a no frills, basic rock ‘n’ roll band and we’re not trying to re-invent the wheel or anything. We like it fast and we like it loud. Problem?!
SBV: Which song by The Dangerfields are people most in danger of getting trapped in their head?
JD: Well in the rare moments that we actually take our foot off the gas a little bit, we are known to do the occasional mid-tempo catchy classic sing-along - the most popular of those being ‘Rock Club’. It’s a crowd favourite, so who am I to argue?
SBV: You also play in Teenage Casket Co. Being in two bands have you ever been in danger of having band gig or practice clashes? How do you divide your time between the two bands?
JD: Oh my, yes indeed. The odds of two tours clashing was always going to be very slim. Or so I thought... In late 2007, The Dangerfields were out with the Dwarves and TCC were out with Sign. At the same time. My plans for keeping both bands happy backfired on me in disastrous fashion and in the midst of all this chaos and anger, whilst I was in Glasgow, my heavily pregnant partner suffered a suspected miscarriage and was admitted to hospital. It was a challenging time to say the least, but in the end my baby was ok and eventually everything else calmed down.
SBV: Do you think music or bands in general needs to become more dangerous? Is everything too safe at the moment?
JD: I love a dangerous band. A band that at anytime could just explode and go off the rails. It’s exciting to see from a fan’s point of view, but not much fun to be a part of. Trust me on that one! At this stage in my life, I’m more into the concept of having a ‘brotherhood’ - or sisterhood of course - though, with friends that I can trust, share common goals and make music with, with as little drama as possible.
SBV: When was the last time you felt in danger?
JD: I very recently felt in danger of turning into a person that I probably wouldn’t like very much. A “friend” of mine recently angered me so much that I became dangerously close to punching him. I used every single ounce of GOOD in my body to stop myself from becoming violent and I’m very proud of myself. After all, I haven’t punched anybody since I was twelve years old and twenty-two years is too good of a damn run to ruin on a simple dickhead.
SBV: Have you ever helped anyone or anything in danger?
JD: I have a very bad habit of wanting to interject myself into other people’s fights and arguments and trying to be the peacekeeper. It’s gotten me into quite a few scrapes in the past. I have a few co-dependency issues and I’m always wanting to save somebody from something! Nowadays though, I have a lot more to lose, so I try to keep myself to myself a little bit more.
SBV: If your house was on fire (heaven forbid) which five things would you rescue first?
JD: Once I’d made sure that my daughter, my dog and my girlfriend were safe, I’d probably scoop up my ridiculously large T-Shirt collection and throw them all to safety. I mean, I can replace my guitars, amps, CDs and DVDs, but some of my shirts mean quite a lot to me! The older I get, the less importance I seem to place on my material possessions - which is great, because I used to be a terrible hoarder.
SBV: You’re vegetarian. Are you in any danger of going back to meat eating?
JD: I honestly believe that I’ll be vegetarian for life. It’s been almost twenty years for me now and I’ve never been fitter or healthier. But I’m also very conscious of the people I have known that have returned to meat after many years of being a veggie. There’s been some vegan die-hards that have surprisingly been lost to the dark side I tell you! I went vegetarian in 1991. That was the same year that I discovered punk rock, bought my first guitar, joined a band and started watching professional wrestling. These things are all still HUGE parts of my life nearly twenty years later.
SBV: According to research, meat eaters are in danger of getting cancer as well as heart disease, diabetes, strokes and more. When you become vegetarian did you know of these dangers and how do you feel health-wise as a veggie?
JD: I stopped eating meat for two reasons. The first being that I had an awakening one evening whilst eating my tea. I realised that the lamb on my plate was the same lamb that I loved seeing bounding around a field. This may sound a little strange, but I’d never really put the two and two together and gotten four. Myself and my family had always been animal lovers, but I’d never actually questioned what exactly the liver and kidneys that I was eating actually were. The second reason, was being introduced to the hardcore punk scene. Straight Edge was a relatively new concept in the UK in 1991 and it went hand in hand with vegetarianism. I didn’t really connect with the other straight edge concepts until WAY later on in life, but I knew that I’d finally found something to believe in when I stopped eating meat. My Mum was fantastic too. She respected and supported my decision and even cooked me separate meals to the rest of the family. Bearing in mind how hard it was to get any interesting veggie ingredients back then, she did an amazing job. And still does whenever I go back home to visit! My brother turned a year or so after I did too and still remains a vegetarian today.
SBV: The earth is also in danger at the moment, meat eating being one of the biggest contributing factors of climate change. Are you environmentally friendly yourself in other ways other than by being vegetarian? What are your thoughts on climate change?
JD: I do all I can with regards to recycling and I’m getting better at trying to conserve as much energy as I can at home. We’ve started growing our own vegetables this year too which is pretty cool - although I’m starting to get a bit tired of courgettes. We need more awareness about climate change throughout the media, because we CAN change it if everybody does their bit. Unfortunately though, a lot of people are too selfish or lazy. As a parent, I have my daughter's future to think of, so I’m continuing to learn and change….
SBV: One thing they say that would help is ‘Meat Free Mondays’ something that Paul McCartney and others are trying to push. What are your thoughts on Meat Free Mondays? Do you think everyone should try and stop eating meat for a day, if they do eat meat?
JD: I think that it’s a brilliant idea and I would get behind it 100%, but after the recent elections and all of the BNP voting bullshit, I just don’t have that much faith in the human race right now. I think that a huge chunk of the population would probably order double everything at McDonalds just to spite the people trying to make the world a better place. I know that’s a very pessimistic view, but I also wonder how many people quit smoking on National No-Smoking Day compared to those who smoked twice as much in an act of pathetic defiance! Moving forward, I think that education is the key. We need to get people into schools, talk to the children about the facts, prove to them that it’s not only possible to be healthy and be vegetarian, but it’s actually BETTER for you. Ultimately, it’s then down to leaving the decision up to the kids themselves.
SBV: What do you think the world is most in danger of?
JD: Being destroyed through the ignorance of human beings.
SBV: Which of the following would you most prefer to do – watch Dangermouse cartoons on TV, listen to Michael Jackson’s ‘Dangerous’ album, go and watch the movie ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ at the cinema , or go to a Danger Danger concert?
JD: Dangermouse? I watched it again recently, and it hasn’t held up too well over the years. ‘Dangerous’? Balls to Michael Jackson. Dangerous Liaisons? It’s a decent film. Although I do prefer Cruel Intentions. Having said that, Michelle Pfeiffer is gorgeous in that flick and is still pretty damn hot now at fifty… Danger Danger? Steve West and Bruno Ravel always came out to see TCC when we played New York in the past and they are great guys. Can’t say that I’m the band’s biggest fan, but they’ve got a few good tunes, so I’ll go with the D2 concert!
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