Dan Whitesides (The Used)
Ari Gold talk with Dan Whitesides of The Used about family life on the road and how he started out on drums.
Transcript of INTERVIEW WITH Dan Whitesides on Hot Sticks Drum Show below.
Plus, see more about The Used on the “Adventures of Power” Official Site.
anything down there? I'm like, yeah, there's a drum set is like that. So and then that just kicked it off.
Ari Gold
And did you have neighbors who were willing to accept the sound coming from? From the basement?
Dan Whitesides
Yeah, no, not really. Like, it's funny, because in my dad's basement, it was really dark and like it was underground, so I'm sure they could hear it. But my mom's basement was very wide open and we the cops are always coming over and like when we talk to our neighbors, he's like, Dude, you got guys two miles away calling us about your band like oh, sorry, you know, but always getting the cops called on us.
Ari Gold
Were you wearing earplugs? No way. Yeah. Yeah, I blew my ears in high school playing drums too. Yet so buyers are bad. Really bad. Yeah, it's too bad. But yeah, live and learn too late, I guess. Yeah. But so were you in we growing up outside Salt Lake Are you in Orem or where were you?
Dan Whitesides
I was in well, I've it was all over. It was mainly like Davis County and Weaver County, which is like Layton, Utah and Ogden Valley, Utah. Okay. And so yeah, my dad still lives in the same house and Layton that I that I grew up in. So yeah, always just outside and then as I when I got older, I moved to Ogden and it was really cool music scene in Ogden. Tell it really, until we moved to Salt Lake. And then that scene in Salt Lake just kicked off though.
Ari Gold
And did that mean the Oregon scene kind of died or?
Dan Whitesides
Yeah, everybody moved.
Ari Gold
She better watch your tongue but no, yeah. For real. It did die out. Yeah.
Dan Whitesides
But I mean, like I said, it's not like music scene would just be like, from what I remember. It blew up.
Ari Gold
Right right. You Yeah, I was surprised when I went to shoot adventures to power, the airdrome movie, we shot in Utah. And I, you know, it was filling in for New Mexico because the there was a copper mining town that I wanted to shoot in, in New Mexico. And then they found out we were going to be doing stuff about the unions and the air drummers that are in a union and craziness and like, and so we got shut down there. So then we moved up to Utah. And I was surprised, you know, in our prep weeks and hanging out there, how much of a cool scene there was in around Salt Lake, what is that? We shot in 2007. And then we finished it in Oh, eight in New York, because I I shot it like for short films in different locations. Because I didn't have a to do like it all as one big movie. But it allowed me to really kind of get the texture replays. So we would go and shoot it like a short film. So I had Michael McKean and Jane Lynch, and some of the other big actors up in, in Salt Lake and then up in a town called help her, you know, help her? Yeah, yeah. So that the the main town was shot in to help her. And then a lot of the interiors was the bars scene and stuff like that, but we shot in Salt Lake. And then there was a whole section that takes place in Mexico that we shot. Remember that in the town, but it was about 45 minutes do west of Salt Lake City. So we got a lot out of Utah, and the crew was all from Utah, and the vibe was very, Utah in a in a beautiful way. Like, I mean, it's such a specific flavor. You know, people have a kind of like, willingness to be really weird in Utah, but that if you've never been there, you wouldn't think that you'd think it's kind of straight laced, and boring, or that might be the reputation outside. But actually, something about that it opens in the air or the water, but like, people are pretty wacky,
Dan Whitesides
probably because of how Moerman is and can be, it's like when you break out of that you kind of Yeah, you can go. You know, that's, I think that's why the music scene was so cool there for so long. I don't know if it is anymore. But I mean, like the time when you when you guys were there, like that was like probably the peak of it all. You know what I mean? Like, there were just so many different types of bands and great players, you know, I moved back not long ago and only lived there for about a year. But there was nothing going on. But it was kind of like right when things were starting to open back up.
Ari Gold
Yeah. So when you were before you joined the used, like, were you kind of chasing a big gig like that, wanting to get into like a band that was already established.
Dan Whitesides
Um, I mean, I wanted to be in a band that made money playing music, you know what I mean? Everybody, you always, we would always say, I just want to make enough money to survive. But later on, you realize that like, that means forever. So that's kind of, you know what I mean? So some of the bands that I was in, I believed in and they, you know, we all did, but it wasn't to be so I wasn't really searching out to be in the US or in a in a band. It was already going. I was actually about to be done trying so hard. You know, I mean, like, I was like, I was 28 years old. I'm like, I'm, I need to like get my shit together. And you No,
Ari Gold
go back to Brick Lane.
Dan Whitesides
Yeah, you know, exactly. So yeah, I wasn't at that point. I was about John.
Ari Gold
And then what I mean, it did what happened, you got a phone call that they wanted someone to jam with to like work cracks, or
Dan Whitesides
I was I became really good friends with Quinn, who was who at the time was a guitar player. And we would just start jamming has that word, we would just play he'd come down to my rehearsal spot, and we'd play. And we play with just a bunch of people. Sometimes Jeff would come down, we would just play. We never really wrote a song, we would just kind of just play, you know, just let it go. And he was a huge fan of the band that I was in at the time called the new transit direction. And the US took us out on probably two three different to three week tours. So we just became friends. And then when he decided that he wanted a new drummer. I was first on the list. So yeah, good gig. That's kind of a funny story, how he even saw my band play because there was this place I think it was called up rock in Salt Lake City was like a hip hop shop upstairs and then downstairs. They did shows. And it was a dungeon man it was it was just, but whatever. We're just doing some shows. I was sick, sicker than I've ever been. And I tried to get the band that was supposed to play I was trying to play with Oh, this one man and I know we're not going on before you guys are going on last. Oh my god, man fine. So we ended up playing in Quinton got to the show Wally and only saw us and just loved our band. So it was kind of a blessing in disguise.
Ari Gold
So what's and where's where are those guys? Now from that point,
Dan Whitesides
um, they're around. I don't know if any of them are playing much I know they play but not in bands. I do talk to our guitar player, Josh quite a bit. He and I wrote some stuff over the pandemic. But like, like I said, when I moved, I was living in Pasadena for like, eight years, we moved to Utah bought a house. And then my wife got a job after she graduated college and MLA. So we sold our house and move back. So I didn't really get a chance to see anybody because it was the pandemic, you know, so stand aside. And, but as far as I know, that, yeah, they're all still kind of playing, but not really like
Dan Whitesides
out, you know, right. Right. Yeah. They all of them work@overstock.com.
Ari Gold
Oh, right. Because that's based out there. Yeah,
Dan Whitesides
I worked there for a minute too.
Ari Gold
Well, so that could have been you.
Dan Whitesides
Yeah. It could have been there. But they manage it now. And you know, they've moved up in the company and stuff. I quit working for my dad for like, I don't know, maybe a month. And I remember, I was working at the call center at overstock. And I remember just sitting there thinking this is the most boring thing I've ever done falling asleep on the phone talking to people
Ari Gold
like God. And so what you were you were laying bricks for your dad before that? Yeah. I mean, I want to say maybe there was something, you know, like the physical labor. You know, a drummer is a different kind of musician, because the drummer has to be in shape. So maybe it was training it right.
Dan Whitesides
Maybe so I was built like a brick shooter.
Ari Gold
So how long are you gonna be on tour on this? On this one?
Dan Whitesides
Let's see this tour. We have a week left. So on this tour, we've been out for almost a month. We had we were out a month with rise against we're home for a month. Now we're out with a data remember for a month and we're one week left? And we have shows in Lubbock tonight. And then oh, Lord, I think Arizona somewhere, somewhere. Yeah. Yeah. And then Irvine and then the when we were young festivals.
Ari Gold
Okay, that's cool. Are you meeting up at all with my chemical romance?
Dan Whitesides
No, no plans to meet up with him. I, we I think Bert reached out but Gerard has a different number. Like we were talking about maybe doing under pressure or something. But I mentioned it to him. But it's kind of one of those things where a they plan on at 1045 at night like I want to. I was back at the bus stop ready to go to bed. But yeah, we ran into a bunch of other people. We ran into Tucker from Thursday.
Ari Gold
Night. I talked to Tucker a few weeks ago. Yeah.
Dan Whitesides
So we ran into a bunch of Anthony Green from Circa Survive. Every class people popped in to saw like all American reject guys. Chris karamba. From dashboard. And yeah, but as far as collaborations go with Avery that there's no plans really
Ari Gold
what inspired the under pressure recording? Was that something you jammed on on tour, and then it just happened? You decide that
Dan Whitesides
for me, but it was it was one of those things that they were like, do the used Burke kind of helped my hand, you know, up when he when they were first starting to like take taking them out on tour everywhere all over Europe all over the US, you know what I mean? And that they just blew up, you know, he helped him get signed to the label. You know what I mean? Right? Okay. They're a&r guys. So when they under pressure was just kind of like everybody loves queen and David Bowie from both from both bands. So it was just kind of
Ari Gold
Yeah, yeah, that's fun. Yeah. Well, so what are you looking forward to most in the next week of playing? And what do you look forward to about not being on tour?
Dan Whitesides
Well, I get to go home and be with my family, which is I'm excited about that. They came out to the last one, we were young, they're gonna come on to this one. And I got a 10 month old and an 11 year old. So my wife, my wife and my daughter, the 11 year old went off and watched bands and I took the baby happily, and went back to the bus and just hung out with him. Let him crawl all over the place. Right. Nice. And then I'm excited to go play when we were young in Ghana. It's it's fun. It's kind of it's really it's chill for us as huge as it is. I had my daughter come up and play. If you look on my Instagram, she came up and played the snare drum on pretty handsome awkward 1000 people it's cool. It's amazing. Yeah. So yeah, I'm excited to do that and that's we have
Ari Gold
great that you're able to integrate the integrate your family into your life. That's that's not a lot of musicians, you actually figure out Do that.
Dan Whitesides
It's hard. Like, look, for example, after Irvine, I'm going to leave that night and just drive straight to Vegas just so I can bring my family. Just because our bus is so full and I don't think it'd be good. It's not a good atmosphere for the baby and things like that. But you got to do what you got to do to make it work otherwise. It's funny my my daughter's soccer coaches, like Is everything okay? We haven't seen fair in a while. I'm like, I'm so sorry. I just, I bring my family I want to Cam and she came to San Diego with me. It was just it was just her and I we just drove down. I live in Studio City. So it's only an hour and a half drive or whatever. Or whatever.
Ari Gold
We said, I'm in Venice, when I'm here, although I'm off to Spain in an hour. But we should a have a whiskey or a coffee or a serve. Absolutely.
Ari Gold
I'm all about it. For sure. Yeah. Whiskey and coffee. Why not? The light The light drugs for those of us who want to live
Dan Whitesides
that's what that's about. All I do is drink you know that. Water and beer.
Ari Gold
Yeah, yeah, that works for me, too. Yeah. So I, I am off to Spain. So I'm gonna sign off. We, we will cut this together and figure out how to deal with that Instagram, we may need to have you download or save the Instagram if you didn't already. And if it's gone, then then we'll survive.
Ari Gold
I apologize for the technical
Dan Whitesides
words. And it's probably half my fault.
Ari Gold
We have like this thing where we do multiple channels at once since last year, because we got lazy and now I remember why we got lazy because it's it's a pain in the ass. But it's cool because some people are on different you know, some people on YouTube, some people are on Facebook, I don't use Facebook at all, but there are people who use it so so hello. But I really appreciate you taking the time to talk about music. And I think it's clearly from seeing the comments a lot of people who are inspired by by you and inspired by the you know, the the kind of emotional release that your band provides. And certainly with like the new tracks you're talking about, like it's a noble thing to give people an outlet. And that's, that's why that's why we make art. So thank you.
Dan Whitesides
Absolutely. Thank you, man, I appreciate that. And you got my number. So if you ever want to hang out, hit me up.
Ari Gold
Yeah, I'll be back after Thanksgiving. So let's
Dan Whitesides
say you're going on vacation, you got a house there too, or both? No
Matt Greiner
are going I'm going to a film festival in Spain. And then I'm going to Germany to record the voiceover for a Netflix show where I'm like doing the voice from the 1940s for like on the news. It's like World War Two and I'm doing the guy who's like the Germans are invading France, you know, like, you know, whatever.
Dan Whitesides
You know, I looked up why everybody talks like that back then once and it was the microphones they were that's just what they would pick them when
Ari Gold
they were yelling but also there was you know, it's a completely manufactured accent. People didn't talk to that and daily life. So the American actors were taught to do a semi English accent to make them sound more elegant. And that's why it's called a mid atlantic accent because it's neither American nor British accent. And it's totally put on it's fake. Yeah, but the highness of it all to everybody. Oh, the yelling Yeah, the yelling. Yeah, we're talking about this. Well, that's cool, man. So anyway, I'll doing that in Germany. And then I'll then I'm going home for Thanksgiving. And we'll be back here.
Dan Whitesides
So. All right, we'll have a safe trip.
Ari Gold
Thank you. Really nice to meet you and, and catch YOU on the flipside.
Dan Whitesides
All right. See ya. All right.