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photo credit: Donnie Kungfuriot
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ALESANA
interview by Adneris
So sometime in July I went to a show that a few bands were doing off of warped tour and hung out a bit with them. During this time the boys needed to wash their clothes so we drove around to find a laundry mat and when we did we also found a bunch of the guys from the other bands playing the night doing their laundry as well. This is where the amazing Dennis Lee ( Denny Diablo) entered my life. Denny is the frontman for Alesana, an amazing band if I do say so myself… You can catch them on tour right now with As Cities Burn. Also check them out on myspace @ www.myspace.com/alesana
Adneris: so admit it, you're only doing this interview so you can see me naked?! Pervert... hhaha but seriously... what are your thoughts on godsgirls?
Denny: Alright you got me, but I am sure it will pay off in the end, and yeah you are right about the pervert thing too. I love GodsGirls, there is just something about free-thinking, confident, independent women that will turn most people's heads. Now you take that type of woman, dye their hair, throw on some tattoos and piercings, give them a lot more attitude and them take off all their clothes, well now you have everybody looking. That's why I love GodsGirls, they really are the rockstars of the modeling world. And you know how much everyone loves a rockstar ::wink:: they have always captivated me.
Adneris: you're on the road a lot so I'm sure you see all sorts of things, what would you say was the strangest thing you've seen while on tour?
Denny: This one time we were at a gas station and in the parking lot there was a dirty, crazy-looking bum guy in a wheelchair and on his lap was a dirty, crazy-looking bum girl. Oh and they were going at it haha like full on make out session with hair-pulling and boob-grabbing and the whole nine yards. They were loving it, and so was every dude in my band.
Adneris: what's your least and most favorite things about being on tour?
Denny: My least favorite things are probably sleeping in the van a lot of nights and not being able to eat good food. The van smells pretty bad and sleeping in it with 8 other dudes is a pretty tight squeeze haha it's much better when we get peoples houses to stay at or if we have a really good show we get a hotel room :) As for the food, I just love to eat. I'm a southern guy and I live off of sweet tea and barbeque and those are hard things to come by on the road it ever, usually we eat at McDonald's or something. My favorite things are getting to play shows and meeting new people. I really enjoy what I do, I just like entertaining people and trying to get them into the music. It is really rewarding especially when you win people over and they have never heard of you before. Meeting people is my other favorite thing. Like at warped tour I got to hang out and drink and meet people and sometimes they were GodsGirls and they beat me savagely for no reason haha. I may have deserved it, not sure. But anyway yeah, I like meeting people and this is a great way to do it.
Adneris: describe your life at home
Denny: Haha I sit and play guitar hero on my xbox, and play halo, and play oblivion :) a lot of video games. And I ride my scooter a lot. I have a Honda Ruckus and it is too sweet for words to describe and if you are ever in Raleigh you will probably see me flying by you at 35 mph just looking incredible.
Adneris: if you were a super villain who would be your best friend and why? :)
Denny: Well there is only one superhero I really know and her name is Adneris and she is actually also a GodsGirl! I know, who would have thought? But anyway I believe her powers include invisibility and teleportation and I would harness my powers with hers and make touring a lot cheaper haha blipping from show to show will help on gas prices. The invisibility would really make for a good entrance to the stage too haha it would be super.
Adneris: if you could take me out on a date, where would we go and what would we be doing?
Denny: Alright, my dream date would be going out in New York City and getting some grimy Chinese food and then running around to different Kinkos and making photocopies of our faces all smooshed together and stuff haha its lame but that has been my dream date forever and I still have yet to achieve it, but I would if I could take you out!
Adneris: when life hands you lemons what do you do?
Denny: Keep a positive mental attitude and hang tough. That's what you've got to do if you don't want to be miserable all the time. Everybody has it hard at one time or another, but there's always light at the end of the tunnel so I just hang in there.
Adneris: do your friends have any nicknames for you? If so what are they and why...
Denny: Yeah, my older brother nicknamed me "Denny Diablo" one day when he was in my car and I was screaming along to a cd haha and that has stuck forever. My old roommate added "the Metal God" to the end of it a while ago because I truly do like metal to an unhealthy degree. Um "Useless Frontman" is a popular one in my band, and "Trunk Monster" because I live in the trunk and I rarely leave it.
Adneris: you're trapped in a room for a week and you're allowed 1 godsgirl to keep you company ,a mini fridge stocked with your favorite food/drinks, a stereo with 1 cd, and your favorite outfit.... what would they all be?
Denny: Well let's see, I would pick you as my GodsGirl so I wouldn't have to meet a new one and waste any time awkwardly trying explain how we have to stay in this room for a week and how I can't be held responsible for it. I would fill the fridge with barbeque (I hope you aren't a vegetarian haha) and ice cold Budweisers. There would be Judas Priest in the CD player blaring and I would lounge around in a tuxedo.
Adneris: what's worse than soggy bread?
Denny: Peanut butter, I hate it so much. And jelly isn't far behind it. Put those both together on soggy bread and I will be forced to resort to extreme measures to escape.
Adneris: when you were young what did you what to be when you grew up?
Denny: I wanted to operate a steam shovel. I have a thing for big machines and I wanted to be the best steam shovel driver of all time.
Adneris: do you have any special talents?
Denny: Um not really, I am really good at this game called snaps where you confuse everyone around you with telepathic powers haha it's super.
Adneris: what are some things you're really good at and things you're really bad at? And no sex is not an option for this question ;-)
Denny: Oh come on! Well now the really bad at section is going to be one shorter haha. I am really good at sudoku puzzles, most video games, and publicly embarrassing myself. I'm not so good at remembering stuff like dates or what city I was in yesterday, doing laundry, um and doing interviews.
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photo credit: Kenton Spohr
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Adneris: ok so these questions have been sorta random and fun but lets get serious for a second... tell me a little bit about your life at the moment. Where are you? How are you living? Anything interesting going on?
Denny: Well, right now I am sitting in Memphis, TN about to play another show with Silverstein, Poison the Well, As Cities Burn, Cancer Bats, and Mayday Parade. I am doing alright, a little tired and I definitely need a shower but other than that I am fine. The only interesting thing is that I went to a party the other night with a really disturbing mask on and wore it all night and some of those kids are here tonight and they are giving me strange looks haha.
Adneris: do you just sing or do you play any instruments as well?
Denny: Just scream haha that's about it. I played cello for a few years in middle school and I shred on Guitar Hero but other than that it's just me and a mic.
Adneris: if you could trade places with anyone else in your band who would it be and why?
Denny: Probably our guitarist Pat because he doesn't have to do any vocals and I would just hit a really low power stance and headbang if I were him.
Adneris: who do is it that you admire most in life?
Denny: My parents first of all for always being awesome and putting up with me. Then probably Clint Eastwood because he is my idol and he completely innovated a genre of film and that is why he is the greatest in my book.
Adneris: as far as interviews go... how do feel about this one? Am I doing ok? haha :)
Denny: Actually surprisingly well haha most interviews are pretty dull and the same as others I've done but this one is quite entertaining. You are knocking this one out of the park.
Adneris: explain to me your tattoos on your right arm, what's that about?
Denny: Hahaha this will always haunt me. So I wasn't always the glamorous rocker that I am today, long ago (well not that long ago) I played a game called Warhammer 40,000. Yeah I am a big dork and it was a table top strategy game where you put together miniatures and paint them and there's a lot of dice and rulers, it was sweet. Well my sleeve on my right arm is my Warhammer 40K army, the Death Guard Plague Marines who are the chosen of the chaos god Nurgle. Haha it is quite disappointing to most people when they like my sleeve.
Adneris: word on the street is you love to play mariokart, whose your favorite character to play with? I also hear you're pretty good at it, is there anyone who you can't beat?
Denny: Oh yes, I play way to much mariokart. And I am a nefarious evil villain so I race with the big boy, Bowser. And I have yet to meet anyone who I couldn't absolutely destroy, much less simply beat :)
Adneris: if life is truly like a box of chocolates what kind of chocolates would your box contain?
Denny: Wow, that is quite the question haha. Hmmm, well with my luck they would probably have shards of glass in them and rocks and stuff, I am one of the more unlucky people that I know. Hopefully I'd score some of those ones with cherries in the middle - those are really good :)
Adneris: is it true you let girls beat you up?
Denny: Um I don't know if "let" is the correct term, but yes there are certain GodsGirls from Orlando, FL that take it upon themselves to give me a proper thrashing. So I guess the answer is yes Adneris, you have beaten me up.
Adneris: you're at a bar, you can only order 1 drink and 1 shot, what would they be?
Denny: A tall cold Budweiser and a shot of Tequila.God I need a beer and a shot after this interview haha no but that is what I would order hands down, and have many times before.
