Rhoda Rohnstock
Seminal punk band MDC's founder/singer Dave Dictor's life has been richer thanks to punk rock, and now he's written a memoir full of stories and musings, trials and tribulations titled MDC—Memoir from a Damaged Civilization: Stories of Punk, Fear and Redemption. Dictor appears twice on Saturday, Oct. 15, once at a book signing at The Matador (6 pm, free, 116 W San Francisco St.) and later that night at The Underground (9 pm, $10, 200 W San Francisco St.) with his full-on band. MDC hasn't appeared in Santa Fe since 1983, so ... Get on that.
What the hell took you so long to come back?
I raised a kid somewhere in there, and to be honest, Santa Fe kind of fell off the map. I'm covering networks I haven't played in some time, and we've got over 100 gigs on this tour. I really like the idea that we're doing smaller or medium American cities; I'm glad Santa Fe made the cut.
What was your writing experience like?
I wanted to capture me. I wanted to see what made me tick. Somehow, my path led into it. I took care of my brother in hospice, and he passed, and three or four months on I was breaking down my parents' house in New York—they had passed, too—and I was realizing I had no energy and was feeling worse and worse, and I wound up in the hospital. I had gotten this MRSA infection from my brother, and I'm laying there in this hospital in New York and I realized how mortal we are and that I should get these snippets down. I was posting them on Facebook and got this really warm response so I had to go for it. Even after I was out of the hospital I had to take it easy another month. ... There's nothing like being stuck in bed for a month to get creative.
Do you think punk rock is still a sustainable ethos or viable path?
I think punk rock is going to be around 300 years from now. I think as long as kids are feeling alienated there's going to be punk rock. I do think it's viable, and I'm just so proud to be doing it and to be a part of it. I think the angst and energy of punk will sustain itself.
