FAQFAQ

  1. WHAT'S THE STORY BEHIND THE NAME?
    Well, there's the obvious one -- my last name's long enough -- but it's actually taken from an Iggy Pop line ("I'm bored, I'm the chairman of the bored"). A proverbial lightbulb clicked off, and the rest is history.
  2. DESCRIBE YOUR STYLE, ALREADY.
    Ah, the eternal question! If pressed, I'll say, "folk-punk," since I've played both types of bills. My other flags of convenience have included "left-field folk," "modern alternative folk," and "untamed folk"...which is just my way of saying, "It's about one guy and his guitar, no tricks, no gimmicks, everything played straight to the point."
  3. SO WHAT KIND OF STUFF DO YOU PLAY, EXACTLY?
    My own songs talk about what's happening today, from idiot bosses ("Fetch 'N' Step') to the idiot box ("Moral Decay On TV") and how people use and lose each other like so much discarded Kleenex ("I Fired The Dog," The Adult Schoolyard," one of several cowritten with my wife, Lisa).

    Other nights, depending on my mood, the crowd and the room, I'll throw in '60s/'70s-style instrumental themes ("Action Budgie," "Budgie Is A Spy"), improvised medleys of classic rock tunes and commercial parodies, as well as classic Brit band covers...from Kevin Ayers ("I Don't Depend On You"), Billy Bragg ("To Have And To Have Not"), the Clash ("Clampdown," "Koka Kola"), the Who ("The Kids Are Alright"), and beyond. Ny gigs are like fingerprints: no two are alike!
  4. WHO ARE YOUR INFLUENCES?
    If you mean, "What's in your CD player right now?", I'd point to Michael Bloomfield (Live Boot: The Catalyst Club, 1/31/81), The Chords (SO FAR AWAY reissue), Carbon/Silicon (THE CRACK-UP SESSIONS EP) and Patto (ROLL 'EM SMOKE 'EM PUT ANOTHER LINE OUT)...I could go on forever.

    Personally speaking, though, my biggest influence has been my late friend, Anthony Salazar, who taught me those first chords (A, C, D) and helped me to take it from there. Without him, I wouldn't even be holding a guitar, let alone playing one. After he died in '05, I figured it was time to get serious about what I did, without losing the fun. Every show that I do is for him, in a way.
  5. WHAT ARE YOUR IMMEDIATE PLANS?
    There's never been a grand master plan: I don't have to conquer the world by lunchtime. That said...since starting up again in 2005, I've focused on shaping my 40- to 50-odd-song set in live performance...I have recorded two shows at Manifesto! (Niles, MI), for a possible live album. a live album. I'd also like to record a handful of my originals for an EP, and self-publish my spoken word material. And, finally, I'm strongly interested in releasing the Clash book that has (off and on) consumed 20 years of my life. Which ones are realized first come down to finances: I'll post updates as I get closer.
  6. WHAT DO YOU DO ON YOUR DOWNTIME?
    I've covered a lot of ground as a newspaper editor, reporter and author, too: my first book, UNFINISHED BUSINESS: THE LIFE & TIMES OF DANNY GATTON (2003), offered the first comprehensive look at the late, lamented "Master Blaster Of The Telecaster" from Washington, D.C., and continues to sell on eBay (and other fine online outlets, like amazon.com). Put another way -- when I'm not playing or covering an event, I prefer to be home!