An Interview with Zeds Dead

This past wednesday, DC and Hooks, better known as Zeds Dead, descended upon Portland and brought out the freaks and the rage at the Roseland. Aside from the poor organization by the venue and a cynical sound guy that likes to leave kids hanging, it turned out to be a pretty solid night. Zeds Dead were kind enough to sit down with us and answer a few questions for a bit before taking the stage. Give it a read, peer into the personalities behind the hard working Toronto duo.
 

WestCoastLeak: You guys are on a massive North American tour. How has the tour inspired you or changed you as artists?

DC: I guess being on tour is always sort of inspiring, like seeing how people react to shit builds you as an artist. This has probably changed me by getting used to never being home.

Hooks: I don’t think I’ve changed.

WCL: There are endless amounts of dubstep acts, what sets you apart from any of the other DJs?

Hooks: I think we incorporate a lot more than dubstep into our sets, be it our remixes, rock songs, and just dropping in tracks that you normally wouldn’t expect like The Beatles. Alot of guys just smash it up constantly, I think our sets have more dips and peaks.

DC: Peaks and valleys.

WCL: After this tour ends, what’s next for Zeds Dead?

DC: When we get back the main thing we’re focusing on is working on an EP with our homie Omar Links. It’s probably going to be a five or six track thing that will span across different genres. We have a bit of it done so we’ve been testing them out on the tour and we had Omar with us down in Denver the other day and he fucking rocked it so that was sick. But yeah, when we get back, that is the main focus and then after that we’re going down to Australia and New Zealand for more touring, maybe a little time off here and there.

Hooks: Just yeah, touring and making tracks is all I’ve got on my mind after this tour.

WCL: If you could sit down and have a drink with anyone from history, who would it be and what would you drink?

DC: Well that’s tough because I don’t know what that person would drink. If I had a drink with any artist I’d definitely drink whiskey. I wouldn’t mind having a drink with Kurt Cobain or Jimmy Hendrix.

Hooks: Maybe, Hunter S Thompson….

DC: Yeah that’d be a dope dude to drink with.

Hooks: We’d probably do a bunch of stuff. I’d probably just not exist for a while. Just vanish from the planet.

WCL: What are you excited about with the recent popularization of dance music?

DC: Excited about? Our careers I guess. Right? It’s blowing up more than anyone expected I think. We’re just kind of a long for the ride.

WCL: If you could be sponsored by one clothing/sneaker company, what would it be?

DC: I don’t know.

Hooks: I just wanna be one of those guys that wears the full adidas track suits like all the time. I’d have the necklace and the chest hair showing. So yeah, probably adidas.

DC: LA Gear? Remember LA Gear, with like the lights?

Hooks: Maybe bring back Tommy Hilfiger.

WCL: What is your relationship with Pulp Fiction? Is it your favorite Tarantino film?

DC: Close tie, for me, with Reservoir Dogs.

Hooks: Yeah I always debate that.

DC: I would just say Pulp Fiction is at the top when you really think about it but they both hold a special place.

Hooks: Yeah I think it is definitely one of my top three favorite movies. Sometimes it could be my number one.

DC: I think people step away from calling their favorite movie just because its so popular and everyone says it’s their favorite movie, but it is that movie, you just can’t beat it.

Hooks: When we made the name it wasn’t like we were thinking, “what’s our favorite movie?”

DC: Yeah, we’re not huge Tarantino heads.

Hooks: That wasn’t really the selling point either.

WCL: What has been the best night of this tour? What is something ridiculous you’ve seen?

DC: Last night someone called in a fucking bomb threat to the show. They cleared out the whole place and evacuated it. That wasn’t the craziest thing we’ve seen but it was pretty interesting.

Hooks: The two nights in Denver were insane. They were definitely a big high point for us.

WCL: How are you products of your environment?

Hooks: In music, when we were in high school, it was all hip hop especially with all of our friends. So I would say we were products of that environment. The people we were around shaped what I’m into today just from the things we were exposed to together.

WCL: Where were you when Charlie Sheen fell into worldwide infamy?

DC: I don’t know man. That wasn’t a significant moment enough for me to remember where I was.

Hooks: I think I was at my parent’s house and I saw the headline on TV, “Charlie Sheen goes of the rails!” It was crazy how that became what anybody was talking about. I think that said a lot about our culture and how there are wars going on yet all people care about is some fucking actor, a guy who pretends to be other people. Who really gives a fuck what he does? Who gives a fuck about what any of these actors or musicians are up to?

DC: There is always something like that to take the focus away from the real problems, like the other day when everyone was talking about Michael Jackson’s doctor.

Hooks: Yeah exactly, one guy died and that is what everyone cares about yet there is so much suffering going on. Nobody cares. Society only cares about the people who are rich.

WCL: There are two types of people in this world, some people smell a skunk and think its awful but some find it strangely pleasant. Which are you?

Hooks: If you’re talking about the weed brand skunk then I would be in the pleasant category. I don’t really know though, I don’t mind skunk that much.

DC: It’s not the foulest smell but it isn’t good by any means.

Hooks: Yeah if you get sprayed it would be pretty bad.

DC: I don’t really know anyone that smells a skunk and loves it. Do you guys like the smell of skunk?

WCL: No no we were just going with the pot reference.

DC: Oh ok cool. Fair enough, I do smoke weed. We were just watching a Lil Wayne interview the other day and were just cracking up. We were saying it is kind of a cop out that he claims he smokes medicinally.

Hooks: It’s because the guy doesn’t want to go back to jail.

DC: That’s such a fucking cop out.

Hooks: Yeah that’s what Snoop Dogg said recently. “I smoke medicinally now.”

DC: It’s like “shut up.”

Hooks: To what, cure your boredom?

WCL: If your fans could get one thing out of your music, what would you want it to be?

Hooks: A stink face.

DC: No it’s definitely more than that. We make music for more than just the club. I think if anyone has at least one meaningful experience with our music then that is special enough. I don’t think about a message but if they feel the same way I felt listening to something I liked then that makes me happy.

Thank you to DC and Hooks, as well as Paul and Red Cube for making this happen.

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