Hi this is Dick Valentine, singer of Detroit’s most influential band ever, Electric Six. Yes, I wrote Gay Bar, yes that was me in the Abe Lincoln get-up, yes I still party like it’s 2003, and YES for the last time, that’s fkn Jack White on that on...

I have never been on Reddit before. this is neat.

That's it! Over an hour of fielding your questions. Thank you for your interest. See you out on the road.

My new album is called Illuminati Bees, btw. It came out this month. People seem to like it.

Given that the band has covered 5 1/2 David Bowie songs at this point, how about we all just jump to the logical conclusion and you do a full album of them?

That's a very good idea!

I've seen E6 at least annually since around Switzerland; I remember at some of the earlier shows, you'd wear a cape - sometimes even multiple - when you first came out on stage; any chance of a comeback? :D

It's not on the agenda, but there is a chance.

How do you keep starting fires?

My desire.

You have such a unique stage presence. Was that a conscious decision on your part or something that evolved over time from nervousness?

The latter.

How wonderful is Reddit?

Would you and Mark Mallman ever do a full studio album together? I loved I love you I steal your gas!!

We talk about it all the time. Just need to find the time to get it done.

We talk about it a lot! Hopefully trying to find the time.

what was your favorite music video to shoot?

Psychic Visions.

Psychic Visions.

Where is the spiritual home of E6? (hint: The Blind Pig!!)

Let's go with The Blind Pig.

How much practice was required to do the amazing stunt where all members swapped instruments a few shows back?

Not a whole lot. We can all play all the rock instruments at a basic level.

When you say this guy are on stage and say "I heard this guy say Electric Six isn't cool anymore, and you point at them..." Has anyone you pointed at ever got their ass kicked?

Not that I am aware...but I am blissfully unaware.

Isn’t LSD great? 🤩

It is.

Is John Travolta a personal hero of yours or more of a father figure?

He is a working actor whom I have never met.

Oh shit! I'm late. hey DV!!!! Lyrically what is your favourite song you've written? Love Illuminati Bees. 😊🤘

It changes a lot but right now I'd go with Litterbug.

what do you think of the rumour that australian prime minister scott morrison violently shit his pants at the engadine mcdonalds in 1997?

I'm willing to stay on it and see about verification.

What's the chance we'll get another Evil Cowards or another formation popping up? Your work goes well with something groovy.

I just saw Wills a couple months ago. We always talk about doing a third record, but this time I really felt like we sort of meant it. It might be something we actually attempt to do sometime within the next five years.

Hi. Is there any possibility to hear "Bite Me" OST? at least in acoustic cover form or something?

Stick around a couple of months.

Hey man, me and some friends saw you at the Nashville show some time last year and then the next week went to Clarksville and I said hello first because my two other friends were too nervous to approach the lead singer of Detroit's most influential band ever. Of course all I could do was ramble about how we were big fans - been a fan of yours since 2006 when I was literally 12, wow! Illuminati Bees is brilliant btw, Duran Duran & Gay Colors are great songs.

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My question: What is the creative process like for E6? Any chance for a curveball-type album like Vampyre? Not expecting musique concrete or a harsh noise/industrial album or anything, but...well, maybe that would be interesting, actually. I always thought KILL had this very dirty synthy/kind of experimental feel to it (Egyptian Cowboy, Body Shot, and the proletarian anthem I Belong In a Factory come to mind immediately). I mean that in a very good way... Vampyre felt like a pretty experimental album in a way as well and while the albums after that I've enjoyed (particularly Bride of the Devil) they felt fairly "straightforward" (again, in that classic E6 way, so they were of course very good).

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looking forward to the hopefully inevitable October release....

We just bounce music ideas off each other over the period of a few months and then pick the 11-15 best songs and get to recording for real. No real overthinking or conceptualizing.

Hey hooker! What's your favourite music project your band members have been involved in other than E6/wildbunch? Belle Ghoul? Nash? Flogging Molly?

They're all good, but I really miss Mighty Tiny.

Is there any chance of you busting out your cover of "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga when you play Jimmy's in Manchester on Tuesday?

Ha ha. It's doubtful.

Thanks for being a major part of my life, I remember the gay bar video in high school my buddy found it on the internet and we bought Fire and then proceeded to buy every album after that.

2 questions for you:

When's the next Electric 6 album?

When are you coming back to Norfolk VA area?

Hopefully next year and the band has never played in Norfolk.

What happened to the songs you recorded as part of your (seemingly abandoned) Songs for Meals project? Did they get released on other albums? Did they get reworked into something else? Are they sat in a vault, somewhere?

Ha! Well, that was just something that I didn't have time for once we had a kid. One of those songs was a version of "I've Seen Rio in Flames". The other two songs are on my iTunes and perhaps I will release them.

Hi Dick! I was at Liverpool last week and I’ll be seeing you in Manchester on Tuesday! Always good to meet you and every time I want to ask this question but just can’t find the nerve!

Whenever you guys play McDonnelz live, you always end by saying ‘WJMB’ or something to that effect. What does it mean?

WJLB. It's the call letters to a radio station in Detroit.

What’s the most underrated Electric Six song that you really enjoy?

French Bacon.

Would you ever go on tour with a Kwaii Metal band like baby metal?

Yes. Yes I would.

I will get back to you on that!

Hello there. How do you feel about the Star Wars Prequels?

I saw the one where Adam Driver beats up Harrison Ford. It didn't have to go that way.

Favorite non-pornographic magazine to yank it to?

Never thought of it that way.

Hey man, I've heard rumours of a potential Australia tour in the future. Got any details on that?

I am looking at coming to Australia in January for solo acoustic action, yes.

If you could go back in time and change/fix anything about one of the band’s songs/records, what would you change/fix?

I'm not really critical and I don't really look back.

Hi Dick, big fan from Nova Scotia here. Thank you for namedropping us in Rip It and Transatlantic Flight. Have we been mentioned because of any personal affinity or is it because the province rhymes with Potion?

The latter. But I really do want to visit.

Hey Dick, I've seen you and the rest of E6 a bunch of times in the UK, what's your favourite UK venue?

My favorite UK venue would be Concorde 2 in Brighton.

Seen you a few times in Boston, always great thanks! Whats been your favorite location in the Boston area?

Favorite location to play a show?

Are you coming back to Cardiff anytime soon?

I am playing a solo acoustic show at Moon Club on May 30!

What is honestly the worst part about being famous?

I'm semi-famous. So it's only a semi-worst part....but I think it is when I get put in a rib-crunching death hold by a moronic meathead after a show and then he jumps up and down saying dance commander over and over before breaking into a moronic cackle...

Do you require a baguette for tonight’s show?

No. But if you feel like bringing one as a sort of tithing, that's fine

Are you still in touch with surge & Indian, will there ever be a chance of an original line up reunion?

No I am not and it's very unlikely.

I’m pretty sure either me or Andy have asked you this before (hey buddy) but what song has been your favorite to cover?

Stand Back by Stevie Nicks.

How do you feel about the band KISS?

5 out of 10. Style points. I do not like rock and roll.

Hey Dick, what do you think the driving force behind Gay Bar and Danger! High voltage was while some of your other songs like Improper dancing, Synthesizer and I'll be in touch never quite made the mainstream whilst IMO being just as good if not better?

I don't exactly know how record companies/radio pluggers pick singles...but they are the ones who decide.

When are we going to get to see your strong cape game again?

It looks like people like a cape. We'll look into it.

Hey Dick! So cool to meet you in Blackpool last week. How’s the rest of the tour going and what’s been your favourite place in the UK? - Catlow

Hello Catlow. Tour's been great since I last saw you. Played an intimate house party, got absolutely cooked in Sheffield, great show in York and a very interesting and rewarding night at a golf club in Belford last night. Now I'm in Glasgow.

So, when are you coming to Brazil? Why'd you stop screaming SOLO before the solos after some time?

I'll come down there eventually. I recently said SOLO on the song How Dare You, so fairly recently.

Will you ever play Maneater, or any of the other Kickstarter incentive cover songs, live?

We have done Maneater live once, yes.

Is there a chance you'll ever re-release the Wild bunch albums?

What bands did you like best at the Gold Dollar? Did you know Cranford Nix?

I always enjoyed They Come In Threes and The Immigrant Suns back in those days. The Hentchmen as well.

Hey Dick. I don't have a question but Just wanted to let you know how stupidly amazing all the music with E6 is. ISEEAMTRMFBTM is one of my favourite albums of all time and beyond that, Cheryl vs. Darryl and Cranial Games are just top tier shit. I get that there is a lot of tongue in cheek in E6 songs but some of these are just genuinely amazing songs. Your music has had a special place in my loins heart since 11 years old when I first heard gay bar in a video on ebaums world to what I think I remember to be cats playing instruments. And then hearing Danger! High Voltage in that charlies angels movie. OH and I had completely forgotten about it all until I heard I Don't Like you in a xbox game called MX vs ATV and then just started listening to this huge ass backlog of E6 music.

Oh I do have a question now that I think of it. Is it your ass on the cover of Mustang?

Anyway, high from Australia. If you do end up doing that acoustic tour you mentioned, will you be playing E6 tracks and can you play Cherryl vs. Darryl at the melbourne show? Thanks homie, appreciate the music.

That is not my ass but I am flattered you think it could be mine.

Did you ever work at McDonalds?

No. Olga's Kitchen for a bit. Also Max & Erma's.

I’ve got one more question: Out of all the band’s albums, which album cover art do you like best, and why?

Heartbeats and Brainwaves. I like the way it looks.

What happens if you accidentally take your girl to a straight bar?

We look to make the best of it.

What's the inspiration behind I Need A Restaurant? It's my favourite song but I can't figure it out man

Once upon arriving in Russia, we got to the hotel and Nash said, "I need to find me a pectopah". Pectopah is the Cyrillic spelling of restaurant. So that stuck with me.

My 3 year old adores Lucifer airlines; she constantly sings 'sit back, relax....' and does a robot dance.

Can you say hi to her? Her name is Eden. She's here beside me and would love that!

I saw you for the first time in Dublin over 10 years ago and get to see you every time you come. Always such fun gigs. Thanks for the consistently brilliant releases!

Hello Eden. This is your captain speaking.

How is touring with Kyle been? I’m a big fan of The Sword as well, and I’m really looking forward to seeing you guys with him!

I really like Kyle! But we are yet to do a show with him...that starts in June.

In your opinion, what are E6's most over-rated and under-rated albums ?

I personally like all of them.

I introduced a friend to E6 by playing "Formula 409", to which he exclaimed "Oh my god, it is ACTUALLY about fuckin' Formula 409!?!" My question to you, sir, is 'Which rock star made the superior disco hit - The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, KISS or someone I'm not remembering at this early hour?'

Let's go with Rod Stewart

some years ago the Stop/Continue interlude in Improper Dancing standardized on Call My Phone; I remember hilarious political rants, asking everyone to sit down while you told a story, weird covers etc. in years past - any chance of a return to that?

We do all those things from time to time, yes.

Being a highly influential and successful rock star, you likely have run into many different types of drugs, possibly even accidentally! What are your favorite and least favorite recreational drugs to take? Thank you for your time.

Marijuana can be fun. Bath salts not so much.

Have you ever had a lyric in a song and listen to it back and be like wtf did I really put those lyrics in a song?

Pretty much all of Vibrator.

Where do you get the inspiration for your thriller novels?

I just always loved detective noir and wanted to have fun with the genre/lampoon it. I throw in the gratuitous filth and sex just to be ridiculous.

What was your favorite album you made?

With the band, Heartbeats and Brainwaves. Solo would be Illuminati Bees

Which country have you found the most success in?

England for sure

Has Iggy Pop ever spit on you?

No.

Live in Liverpool was touted as the final E6 Kickstarter project, but if you have a really good idea for a new one in a few years time, could you see yourselves ever going back to those waters?

Yes.

One more: When's your next book coming?

Hopefully next year!

Hey Dick, my dad and I have been longtime fans and havw bonded over the albums together. We try to go to every show we can...so many I've lost count. Can you tell me what it is that makes your songs so catchy and genius? Everytime I listen I find a new clever lyric to appreciate or get a different song stuck in my head. Why is it so addictive?

Also can you give my dad a shout out because its his birthday?

I just try to have a good time with my lyrics. Hello dad and the happiest of birthdays to you...dad.

If you could tour with any other band who would you pick?

Depeche Mode.

Do you think those songs you recorded for Bite Me will ever see the light of day or should we just get over it and move on with our lives?

Stick around a couple of months.

What’s your workout routine?

40 pushups a day.

Last question from me: what’s the furthest you’ve travelled to see one of your favourite bands? I travelled from Cardiff to London to see you a few years back, and in July will (hopefully) be seeing you in Santa Cruz for my birthday! What’s the furthest you’ve travelled to watch a gig?

Not sure I've ever traveled specifically to see a gig. I think maybe I drove from LA to SF to visit friends and the White Stripes were playing in SF coincidentally so I took my friends to see them.

What's your favourite meal and drink to wash it down?

Taco night in America con Desperados in a sixer.

If your kids decided one day when they are older that they wanted to be rockstars, what would be your advice for them?

Give it a go! It can be very rewarding.

You were in Denver in the early 2000s, and the top floor WHERE THE BAR WAS LOCATED was designated for people under 21 (I was under 21 at the time). While the main floor was for 21+ only. Many of us were kicked out for trying to rush the bottom floor when you guys came on. So... was it a good show?

I believe it was, yes.

How excited are you for the new Tool album?

Trying to get there.

Also....what are the chances you’ll play either “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” or “I Want It That Way” during your Chicago solo show?

Chances are high!

There was a debate among fans as to what the lyric is at the start of "Daddy's Boy". Can you settle it? "Combing out the tangles in your _____ hair"

Chewy.

Now if for some reason a film producer wanted to turn one of your novels into a movie, how much would you want to be involved? Do you have any dream actors or directors in mind or would you just take the money and let them do with it whatever they want?

I think there's a $$$$/involvement ratio there. The more money, the more I'm willing to look the other way.

Who’s idea was the video for High Voltage and how high were they?

It was the concept of Tom Kuntz and Mike Maguire, the directors. They may have been high...but don't really know to be honest.

how long did it actually take to film the Gay Bar video, with all the costume changes and positional changes?

23 hrs and 59 minutes. Seriously. We filmed one entire day minus one minute so they wouldn't have to pay the union people accordingly. Standard practice I guess.

What's the most fun place you've been to on tour?

There are so many fun places, if we adhere to the meaning of the word 'fun'. That said I have fond memories of Japan and would like to return there.

What is your favorite movie?

Dr. Strangelove

What are your feelings on pineapple as a pizza topping?

5 out of 10. It's not bad. I like anchovies, olives and hot sausage better. Mushrooms and onions as well.

Hi Dick, what's your opinion on German beer?

Looking forward to seeing you in Munich this year!

It goes down smooth.