IAmA Has-been rock star who sold 5 million+ records and lost twice at the Grammys AMA

In ~4th grade someone asked me if I knew who "The Presidents of the United States of America" were. I started naming George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, etc. They laughed at me. Thanks for making me feel like a loser.

It's my job.

Have you ever thought of adding any extra D's, E's, or R's to your name?

That is actually the funniest thing anyone has ever said about my unwieldy surname. And I've heard a lot.

Draver Drederered.

What do you think?

Derdever Deredereder.

DR. Derdever Deredereder

Daver E. Derederevad is a palindrome.

A palindrome sounds like a place where shotgun wielding soccer-moms fight to the death.

Now THAT'S funny.

New feature film: Beyond Palindrome, starring Sarah Palin.

I just got "Lump" stuck in my head. Thanks. :)

Edit: My question, as a touring musician, did you ever get tired of the songs that you played?

you're welcome

Your song was one of the first songs I have ever pirated. This was during the days even prior to Napster.

I just looked it up:

"Prez of USA - Lump.mp3"   Modified: Sat 29 Jul 2000 12:58:02 AM PDT

I'm sorry. Can I paypal you some money now?

no worries

How do you feel about piracy, anyhow?

Please answer this.

Asking how a musical artist feels about piracy is like asking a sailor how he feels about the weather. At this point, it just IS.

Never got tired of the songs, esp. "Lump." Every night is different, every stage is different, every crowd is different.

I love peaches, such a good song.

Man, that is a great jam. I love PotUSA.

Question: Why do you think of yourself as a hasbeen? Do you no longer play music?

self-deprecating humor can be therapeutic

So, back around 1996 I saw you guys play the EMU ballroom at The University of Oregon in Eugene. Great show, but someone knocked my hat off in the mosh pit and it ended up on Ballew's head for the last few songs. Do you know if he still has it? It was white and said "U of O Ducks" on it.

I was there too and was planning on posting it. Super fun show. I don't have your hat though.

I remember that show. I got a sweatshirt from the organizing team that I wore for a long time. Long live Pre!

That show started one of the craziest touring legs we ever did...next morning flew from Eugene to LA but got stuck in SF...barely made it to LA for KLOS radio show at the Troubadour...flew out of LA to do Mount Rushmore show the next day for MTV...got stuck in Vegas...Sony sent the private jet in the middle of the night (only time THAT ever happened, unfortunately), made to to S. Dakota the next day...got back on the private jet and flew back to SF to play a gig at the Warfield.

That's pretty cool.

But seriously, now I'm curious about the hat. Do you remember it?

Yah, do you? If you do, I think I was at that show and left a million dollars on the ground. Could I have it back? Thanks!

I left the hat and kept the million bucks. Finders keepers, losers weepers!

I found The Presidents of the United States of America CD when I was 15. I had bought my first car, a 1997 Ford Thunderbird for $5000. While washing it the first time going over every detail, I found the CD between the seats. I debated returning it to the owner, but after listening I kept it.

I like this story a lot. I like the idea of being found in a T-Bird.

Once and for all: Is "peaches" a song about marxist economic theory?

Dude.

I guess "Dude" means "no."

besides, everyone knows it's about pussy.

hansk said it. Isn't that what all songs are about? At least the ones guys write and sing?

If I may...

Part of the genius of the POTUSA lyrics was that they put ambiguous, but very suggestive images next to unambiguously non-suggestive lyrics.

Ex. I poked my finger down inside (highly suggestive) make a little room for a ant to hide (unambiguously non-suggestive). Lots of other examples of the same.

This created some of the WTF in the songs that made them so much fun.

You rule.

How was it having Weird Al cover your song?

The highest of pop culture honors. Actually met him a few times and he's now buddies with my bandmate Chris. Last time the band was in LA they did Boston's "More Than a Feeling" with Weird Al. Amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7Qh2H36DZ4

Do artists actually consider not winning a grammy "losing"? I always thought you were either a nominee or a winner - never a loser.

Lost to the Beatles and Nirvana. I can handle that.

I'm planning on moving to the country...can you perhaps suggest me a diet rich in fruit to better adjust to the rigors of country life?

But seriously -

Were you in any other bands prior to POT USA?

Do you still write/record with a band or on your own projects?

What is your favorite band/album/song (or favorites)?

Can you tell me a crazy story from the road? Just something that sticks out.

Do you play other instruments?

Would you have any recommendations for a multi-instrumentalist (me) who wants to take my playing to the next level?

Wanna collaborate with a pretty nasty Sax/Keys/Guitar player? ;)

I realize I totally just asked a metric shit tonne of questions, answer what'd you like. Many thanks in advance if you take some time to answer.

Oh and congratulations on your success. Way to kick ass at the profession with one of the highest failure rates

EDIT: OH, what's your middle name (or just initial)...if its "A" then we have the same initials!

I'm planning on moving to the country...can you perhaps suggest me a diet rich in fruit to better adjust to the rigors of country life?

I think being a fruitarian is probably a good idea in general.

But seriously -

Were you in any other bands prior to POT USA?

One billion other bands.

Do you still write/record with a band or on your own projects?

Not so much. Play a lot of music for my children at home. Just played a song for my nuTsie co-workers at lunch. A few odd gigs around town, usually just with an acoustic guitar.

What is your favorite band/album/song (or favorites)?

I like music.

Can you tell me a crazy story from the road? Just something that sticks out.

Naked chick climbing out of one of the bunks of our bus as we are pulling out of Hamburg at 2:00 a.m. one cold winter night. Left her standing on the curb, naked, in sub-zero weather in the dark.

Do you play other instruments?

any stringed/fretted instrument (gtr., bass, mandolin, banjo, dulcimer, etc.); not bad on the drums for certain kinds of music when I've practiced up; suck on the piano

Would you have any recommendations for a multi-instrumentalist (me) who wants to take my playing to the next level?

Technique is secondary at best. Find your own voice. Santana, Jerry Garcia, Hendrix, Ray Charles...think of the people you can recognize after one or two notes. That's the dream goal.

Wanna collaborate with a pretty nasty Sax/Keys/Guitar player? ;)

In my spare time!

removed......

Yes. It's one of the first search returns for my name and it needs to be accurate.

How much money did you make per record sale? How much money have you made from the band? Do all band members make the same amount?

In the good/bad old days, artists made 12%-16% of the retail price of a CD on record royalty plus $.75 - $1.00 per record for the publishing rights (if they wrote all the songs). So about $2.00 per record. Which then gets commissioned by your manager and split up and otherwise diminished before it gets to you.

The labels were getting $5-$8 per CD. Sony made a lot of money off of us.

Do you think this was a fair split? What kind of sales do you think you'd have attained with a different or no record label?

Totally fair. We wouldn't have made shit without them.

would you agree then that the majority of your income came from touring (as it kind of is nowadays), or was $2/record a good source of income, after all the commissions and such.

We made most of our money from record sales back in the day. That was a more common paradigm then. Touring supported radio play and record sales. Not so now.

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Art = magic. No rational explanation. An idea is a seed...sometimes it grows, sometimes not.

You just blew my mind with those words of wisdom. Just putting that out there.

Better than a long-winded, boring and reasonable explanation, which always exists for everything. We get to do enough of that in our lives. Why bother when it's about music? Talking about playing music is like farting about making a sandwich. No connection. If you could explain it, you'd just explain it, rather than write a song about it.

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I don't know how to PM a moderator. I'm old and I'm not a geek. If the mod wants to take this down, he/she can. No skin off my back. I was already a rock star and i'm not doing this for attention.

No worries. I am a moderator here. We have a policy where we need verification from "celebrities", considering how many people come here and fake people's identities.

You could upload a picture to http://www.imgur.com and link to it in the message

Here is a link to message me: http://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=mercurialmadnessman

Thank you for posting!

edit: Guys, Don't be jealous... there's no pics :] different confirmation method

edit 2: Confirmed! Star added to the title.

replied with a message to you that I hope confirms

How did you get your music in Rock Band?

We looked for them and they looked for us. It's all about keeping a big net of relationships open...the requests and pitches go both ways and you really just need to be visible and in the mix at all times. That's what artist managers are supposed to do, and that's why they're paid on commission. You never know when a chance meeting with someone at a conference or a gig will lead to something like a licensing offer. Sometimes you work very hard to get a deal and get nothing, sometimes it falls into your lap.

It helped that we had a few massive Top 40 hits.

Is licensing for Rock Band set in stone by previous agreements for licensing or is it a whole new negotiation process.

Whole new process. We had what passes for good money in the 21st Century business of music. Small beans compared to getting the title track for a movie, for example.

Which bands/artists do you listen to?

White Stripes, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Bach, Beethoven, Gordon Lightfoot, Sam Cooke, Weezer, Led Zeppelin...that's within the last few days.

Gordon Lightfoot

The other names on that list don't surprise me, but that one does. Have I been missing something all these years?

Every once in a while you just have to get your Edmund on.

TOTALLY! One of my favorite songs of all time. Period.

Did you purposely name your band for the abbreviation POT USA?

Nope. We were all pretty well finished with our dope smoking by the time the band started.

I have no question I would just like to say I am an enormous fan, have seen you guys many times and met you a couple. My band (not nearly as famous) was with Columbia around the same time as yours. I was/am definitely influenced by you guys and hope you're still keeping creative.

What band were you in?

My question, too.

'round about '93, '94, it seems like you guys were in Bellingham Every.Single.Weekend. Which leads me to believe you were Everywhere Every.Single.Weekend. How much touring did you guys do initially, and how important do you think that was in building critical mass?

Also, will you sign this photo? I took it at a certain unnamed private event held for a certain unnamed company about five years ago. No, I don't have any idea how you would do that.

We DID play Bellingham a lot before we had a record deal. I dunno -- we were huge in Seattle at that point but we couldn't get arrested in Portland, Bham, Olympia.

What do you think of the music that the current PUSA is creating?

Excellent. Still an excellent band, both live and in the studio. Doesn't quite have the same crazy level of greatness that we had on our first record, but that's not something any band can sustain long-term.

Let me start off by saying that PUSA is one of my favorite bands of all time. I'm truly a big fan. That being said, I have a few questions!

• Which is your favorite version of Munky River? It seems like you guys have played this song forever, have so many versions of it; once I heard a live version where you guys break into some Led Zeppelin tunes over top of it. (that one is my favorite)

• The song on Love Everybody, Clean Machine; I have heard an extended version of this song, and it was very sexual in nautre. Why was the dirty verse taken out of the record release?

• Is Chris really goofy in real life too?

• You guys released an album online through a web based label, Freaked Out and Small, so I feel like you are well equipped to deal with this question. How do you feel about music piracy?

• Do you think you'll ever do another The Giraffes album?

Thanks a lot, and I can't wait for your new album to come out. Your music helps me get through the day.

*

  Which is your favorite version of Munky River? It seems like you guys have played this song forever, have so many versions of it; once I heard a live version where you guys break into some Led Zeppelin tunes over top of it. (that one is my favorite)

I like the first one (b-side from our first album with Barrett Martin from Screaming Trees on stand-up bass and marimba).

*

  The song on Love Everybody, Clean Machine; I have heard an extended version of this song, and it was very sexual in nautre. Why was the dirty verse taken out of the record release?

I don't know. Artistic de-licensing.

*

  Is Chris really goofy in real life too?

Yes. Goofier. And smarter and better organized, too. He's very professional.

*

  You guys released an album online through a web based label, Freaked Out and Small, so I feel like you are well equipped to deal with this question. How do you feel about music piracy?

Can't fight it. The only way out is through.

*

  Do you think you'll ever do another The Giraffes album?

That was the bald guy, not me.

How was Letterman?

Any other memorable talk show or late-night talk show experiences you can remember?

Playing on TV is scary. You get no warm up and you have to go out there and be amazing for 2-3 mins. in front of a huge audience.

It's freezing on Letterman's set.

They still play you guys on FM 103.9 (formerly known as The Edge) in Phoenix all the time, and people still make requests.

Why so humble?

If I ever believed in all the rock star B.S. I would be crazier than I already am.

How difficult was it was it when it all stopped, the concerts the fame, the constant "love" you get from the crowds and all that? Did you take your time to adjust?

It took time to adjust.

Metaphorically speaking, being a rock star is something like this:

Imagine you have the hottest girl in the world (this is from a guy's perspective) following you around 24 hours a day telling you how great you are, constantly giving you blow jobs and stuffing thousand dollar bills into your pockets.

Huge fan here. Saw the guys in Madrid 3 years ago. Fantastic gig.

I think PUSA is one of the most underrated bands of all time. My theory is because you never took yourselves too serious and never adopted the hipster posse mandatory in the post-grunge 90's. What do you think?

We didn't care and decided that we would live by the sword and die by the sword. We weren't going to pose or play the game. Did it all on our own terms.

So why'd you quit touring?

And on a more serious note, you refer to yourself as a has been... isn't that a kinda depressing label to give yourself? How do you feel about yourself? Do you think the best times in your life are behind you now?

Touring with a rock band and being a rock star definitely were not the best times in my life.

Be careful what you wish for.

Wow, it looks completely different from the view of the fan. What was the worst part of being a rock star and touring?

just floating...not connected to anything or anybody...

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In some cases, yes. They are a combination of Billboard charts, group sourcing at our affiliated site digitaldreamdoor.com and editorial input from me and others at nuTsie.

I don't really have any questions for ya, I just wanted to let you know that your band was rather influential back in the 90's. I'm proud to say that you're one of the reasons I am now a musician. Thank you!

Happy to be of service. Music is good. Music gets people our of their heads and into their hearts and souls, which is a much safer place for all of us.

Were there any songs you wish became hits or any hits you didn't like and never became hits?

I'm not terribly fond of the song "Kitty."

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Live show was truly killer.

Hey, I used to go to school next to the asteroid cafe (seattle), my friend said the drummer worked there.

the drummer was one of the owners

Do have any regrets the little guys might want to know? Maybe regarding label woes?

Didn't I hear a thing about a thing with Sir-Mix-A-Lot? Did that ever go anywhere?

Did you have any problems with your music being a little off from the genre standard at the time? I'm running into that problem with mine.

Is there a way to submit my music to nuTsie, or do I just have to hope my iTunes/Amazon sales do the trick?

Your music is funnier than most. Do you have any words of wisdom on humor in pop music? Also, dude, you were nominated for the Grammys twice. That's amazing. Scorcese didn't win his Academy Award until he was 64.

Thanks for the music, and thanks for posting.

Bonus question: Do you the "thank yous" ever get tiring?

Do have any regrets the little guys might want to know? Maybe regarding label woes?

Nope. Being on a major label was great for us. They ended up owing us a bunch of money that we never got paid, but that's part of the deal. We got paid enough.

Didn't I hear a thing about a thing with Sir-Mix-A-Lot? Did that ever go anywhere?

See posts here re Subset.

Did you have any problems with your music being a little off from the genre standard at the time? I'm running into that problem with mine.

That's what got us noticed in the first place. The last thing you want to be is just like everybody else.

Is there a way to submit my music to nuTsie, or do I just have to hope my iTunes/Amazon sales do the trick?

Send me a disc: Dave Dederer Melodeo, Inc 701 Pike St, Suite 1100 Seattle, WA 98112

Your music is funnier than most. Do you have any words of wisdom on humor in pop music? Also, dude, you were nominated for the Grammys twice. That's amazing. Scorcese didn't win his Academy Award until he was 64.

Ummm...most Chuck Berry (greatest rock and roll songwriter ever) and The Beatles songs were funny. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is funny. Normal.

Thanks for the music, and thanks for posting.

Bonus question: Do you the "thank yous" ever get tiring?

Never. It's hard work making music and touring.

You guys rock.

I went to see you in '96 in Sydney, Australia when I was 13 with 3 of my friends. It was my first concert.

A fourth friend was going to come along but he got into a fight with his brother over white-out before school that morning (I don't know why, either) and his mum decided that a good punishment was to not allow him to attend. We still make fun of him for it.

Also, I was stoked as a kid that the bonus CD in your second album had live tracks from the concert I was at. :)

So, thanks!

We LOVED touring in Australia. Kindred spirits.

Would winning a Grammy actually matter to you? The utter garbage that they give those to would make me less than impressed with receiving one.

This is not a stab at PoTUS whom i liked when i heard it on the radio but never got more into you than that.

The only good thing about winning a Grammy is that you sell an absolute shitload (technical term) of records for the next few months after winning.

Are you the guys who did a cover of Ca Plain Pour Moi? I love that song, and every time I drive to to France I play that on the way over the border!

Yep. Got used in a Pepsi commercial here in the States and in a car commercial in UK and Italy.

I'd like to know about your rider. Did you have any crazy requests? What happened when the terms of your rider were not adhered to?

Also, do you collect anything? I don't know why I want to know. Just curious.

(Had your CD with "Lump" and "Peaches". It was great.)

Rider and consequences:

If we don't get our bottle of Bushmill's we get back at the promoter by not getting drunk.