“We hear about these books, like the Motley Crue book… so what, man,” says Ben Weinman. “We have stories that will make that look like shit.”
It’s a hot spring day outside Chain Reaction in Anaheim and The Dillinger Escape Plan guitarist Ben Weinman is talking crazy things he’s seen on tour. From fans drinking bottles of spit for vinyl records to hippies having sex onstage at festivals, Weinman’s tales are wild and extreme.
You’d be a fool, however, to expect anything less from The Dillinger Escape Plan. Having recently completed a US tour with The Faceless, the band’s new record One of Us is the Killer continues their mission of scorching posers and assassinating bullshit. This weekend they’ll be making an appearance at Metallica’s Orion Music + More festival, will cross the pond to Europe later this month, then will embark on a headlining run on this year’s Summer Slaughter Tour. And to top it off, Weinman’s projects Giraffe Tongue Orchestra (featuring members of Mastodon, ex-Jane’s Addiction, ex-The Mars Volta) and Cut Throat Tactics (a collaboration with Thursday frontman Geoff Rickly where he lends his drumming talents) are making progress.
In this interview Weinman opens up about his days as a teenage musician, the time he tried out for Nine Inch Nails and didn’t make the cut, and shares outrageous stories that would put Tommy Lee to shame.
Glancing over at a group of kids ready to bombard him for an autograph after our interview, he says nonchalantly, “We used to tase fans for T-shirts.”
Photos by Dorothy Gilbert