GET TO KNOW darrin ailes

HEIGHT
2 1/2 dwarfs (approx 5' 7'')

PIERCINGS/TATTOOS
None

INSTRUMENT PLAYED IN DEVILCAKE?
Drumz o' Destruction

WHAT GEAR IS IN YOUR CURRENT DEVILCAKE SETUP?
A primo 1988 Yamaha Power V 5-piece drum kit, color: BLACK
14'' HiHat, 18 Crash, 20 Ride Paiste ColorSound Cymbals, color: RED
Misc Sabian Cymbals ala Ian
1 sawblade (no blood... yet)
1 LP cowbell which does not get used
Lots of cheepo drumstix ala Sam Ash (20 pairs for $10)
Twinkie the Kid

FAVORITE DEVILCAKE SONG?
Wienermobile cause it's just fun, fun, fun to play!!!

SIDE PROJECTS?
Super Breakout - techno (with Ian and Toddly)
Second Floor - folky, weird, bizarre shite (with Todd)
Translucent Window - ambient (just me)
Remodeling the guest bathroom

WHEN DID YOU START PLAYING MUSIC?
I remember being like 4 or 5 and banging blocks while listening to music. My grandmother (who I loved hearing play the piano) told me if I wanted to bang the blocks, then I had to bang them in time to the music. So I did. 28 years later, I'm still working on it.

WHO WERE YOUR EARLY MUSICAL HEROES/INSPIRATIONS?
Grandma, Kiss, Motley Crue, Metallica, Billy Joel, Barry Manillow (hey, you asked)

WHAT OTHER INSTRUMENTS DO YOU PLAY?
Piano, Bass, Guitar

ALL TIME TOP TEN ALBUMS IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE?
in no order:

1) Woodstock: Music from the motion picture and more
Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a Woodstock junkie. Woodstock 1994 and 1999 sucked and will forever. This agressive world we live in just doesn't get it.

2) Queensryche - operation:Mindcrime
I had just gotten into Queensryche's Rage For Order (Screaming in Digital rules!), when they came out with this album. I liked the first few songs and it intregued me that it was a 'concept album', something I had not heard of until then.

3) Fates Warning - Parallels
I don't even remember how I got ahold of this album. Another concept album (sort-of) that used Q-Sound which was awesome in its own right. I just remember that one summer it was practically the only album I listened to.

4) Barry Manillow - This One's For You
So shoot me. My mom liked Barry Manilow and, thus, I grew up with it. It's the soft spot in my mama's boy heart.

5) Grease - Motion Picture Soundtrack
I remember seeing it in the theaters in 1978. My sister had the album and played it non-stop for a LONG time. Then, I was in the musical in high school so I had to learn it all over again (albeit it was the stage version not the movie version, which cut a few scenes and songs and added others).

6) The Murmurs - (self-titled)
Cutesy lesbo-folk. God love'em. They are so cute. The song 'You Suck' was my anthem of hate toward my ex-finacee for a LONG time. I always hoped I'd get to be a guest DJ on CD101 and dedicate the song to her. But there's not too many bad feelings anymore about the whole thing, at least not for me... however, I've haven't talked to her since the breakup so I have no idea how she feels. I assume she's over given the fact that she's married now.

7) Leatherwolf - Street Ready
I liked the triple axe attack. All the harmonies and whatnot interest me. Black Knight is a KILLER instrumental.

8) Green Day - Kerplunk!
I think this is the punk band's best offering (minus the last three songs which were cut earlier with a different drummer who had nothing on Tre Cool. 'Words I Might Have Ate' is a great song.

9) Metallica - ...And Justice For All
My first foray into HEAVY metal, none of that Bon Jovi bullshit. I identified with the song, so much that I carved the word 'ONE' into my arm. My friends didn't quite get it (... 'he's such a happy kid' ...)

10) Kiss - Alive II
I was a kindergartener listening to Kiss. I used to go into the basement and blare Kiss Alive II. We had these red and blue lights in the basement and I would turn those on (and turn the rest of the lights off) and play my air guitar and air drums for hours on end (well, when I wasn't flipping sides)

ALL TIME TOP FIVE BOOKS AND WHY?
I'm not sure that I've read five books. :P
1) Steven King - The Shining
The first book I read. I loved it cause I would get so into the moment in the
book that I would be scared outta my wits and breathing fast. BTW, the
Jack Nicolson movie sucks. The four hour TV version was WAY more like
the book. Again, the Jack Nicolson movie sucks.
2) Michael Crichton - Andromeda Strain
The second book I read. I lived all the science technical stuff. Just a
good story.
3) Mickey Hart - Drumming on the Edge of Magic
A great part-autobiographical, part-aura-of-the-drum, part drum history book.
Obviously I got into this one. It's all about drums, dumbass!
4) The Nearest Faraway Place - The Beach Boys Story
A very good history of the Beach Boys (which actually starts back at their
father's father's life.)
5) Clinton Heylin - Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recoding Industry
A good book describing the, duh, history of the other recording industry.

ALL TIME TOP FIVE FILMS AND WHY?
1) Pump Up The Volume
I love this movie. The whole idea of a pirate radio station and what-not. And Samantha Mathis pops her top.

2) Grease
You gotta love that skin-tight outfit Olivia Newton-John wears. Meow!

3) Death Race 2000
1. There's cars in it.
2. People get run over by cars.
3. Sylvester Stallone gets his ass kicked by David 'Cane' Caradine

4) West Side Story
Just a great musical. Also rates up there with my favorite albums.

5) tie - That Thing You Do! / The Commitments / Spinal Tap / Stir Crazy
Basically anything that has to do with a band in the making/falling

FAVORITE TV SHOWS?
Friends (Lisa Kudrow... meow!)
Will & Grace
ER
(gulp) Dawson's Creek (Hey! Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams and (more
recently) Sasha Alexander are HOTTIES!!!)
BattleBots
Junkyard Wars
A-Team
Knight Rider
Dukes Of Hazard
The Pretender

FAVORITE ACTORS/ACTRESSES?
Cristopher Walken (BTW, I still think he killed Natalie Wood. Too bad, she was hot.)
Samuel L. Jackson
Mike Myers
Natalie Wood
Any of the WB hotties (Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, Keri Russel, Charisma Carpenter)
Cathrine Zeta Jones (she's just waitng for Michael Douglas to croak... then she's hooking up with me)
Sandra Bullock
Tara Reid
Tiffany Theisan
Rachel Leigh Cook (Josie and the PUSSYcats! MEOW!!!)
Mena Suvari
Christina Ricci
Jessica Alba
Ashley Judd
Heather Graham

FIRST CONCERT YOU EVER ATTENDED?
Hmm... Motley Crue w/ Warrant ... 1990

BEST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED?
Hmm... Phish July 14th, 2000

LAST CONCERT YOU ATTENDED?
Mrs. Children @ high Five (we went on first and this is the only other band on the bill I was able to see. Damn Thursday night gigs!

WHAT'S THE FURTHEST YOU'VE EVER DRIVEN TO SEE A CONCERT?
Kentucky to see the Summer Sanitarium Tour in 2000.

YOUR FIRST LIVE GIG?
My first real, in-front-of-an-audience-with-a-band gig was with Devilcake on Saturday May 19, 2001 at Ruby Tuesday (the bar on campus on Summit, not the fuckin' restaurant you stupid twit). There were, I believe, 11 people in the audience... 7 of whom were in Kazowie. Though there was really nobody there, it was still fun. I was even excited with the whole soundcheck and the
anticipation that people might be showing up. While no one did show up, it was still fun. The whole thing was taped and you can even see part of my disjointed soundcheck elsewhere on this site. Yeah!!!

YOUR BEST GIG?
My best gig, so far, was my second gig on Thursday July 26th 2001 at High Five. We got there super early. So early that no one was there to open the damn door. Once we got in, it was a wee bit dark so set up was a little difficult. The original gig was for 3 bands, but by 10:30pm when we went on,
there were 5 bands. But we were on first, so who gives a flying-burrito flip. We did the sound check by playing Guacamole. People were screaming and yelling and shit and boy, do I thank them for that. There were about 50 or 60 in the crowd by my estimation (though the local goverment has reported estimated the crowd at 100 to 200 people to spawn interest in the Columbus music scene). We then went through the new-and-improved set list which contained 4 new tunes ('Wienermobile', 'Sacrificial Leg Of Lamb', 'Pizza Party' and 'Cereal And Beer'). The crowd really seemed to be into the whole thing and it was a lot of fun. At the end of our set, our fans had bought up 10 tshirts and 10 CDs, which is well, better than nothing. If you are one of the lucky people sporting a T or a CD, I give to you a big ol' Hee-Haw "SA-LUTE!!!"

WHO ARE YOUR MUSICAL HEROES + INSPIRATIONS NOW?
Devilcake :)
Fates Warning
Glenn Miller
Dream Theater
Billy Joel (so sue me)

WHAT MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?
Anything I can get my hands on. Most of the stuff that would embarass me has been mentioned above.

NAME THE LAST FEW CDS YOU BOUGHT.
Bond - Born: This is a quartet of hotties who combine classical music (they each play their own classical instruments: violin, viola or cello) with techo and whatnot. Not too bad.
Billy Joel - The Nylon Curtain: The is a remastered version that I got at Meijer for 7.98. Contains great songs "Allentown", "Goodnight Saigon" and "Pressure".
West Side Story - Orig. Broadway Cast: This is another remaster that I got at Meijer for 7.98. Honestly, I haven't listened to it yet.

FAVORITE FOODS?
Tater Tot Caserole
Pizza w/ Bacon (esp. Hound Dog's with Howling Hot Sauce. YUMMY!!!)
A big ol burger with everything on it (ala Dumbfuckers... I mean Motherfuckers... I mean Fudruckers)
7 Way Hashbrowns (Scattered, Smothered, Covered, Chunked, Topped, Diced and Peppered) _plus_ Ranch Dressing from Waffle House

CAN YOU COOK?
No... unless you count CoCo Wheats.

FAVORITE BEVERAGES?
Jolt (which I can't find anymore)
Josta (which they don't make anymore)
Dr. Pepper
Diet Dr. Pepper
Pepsi One
Strawberry Quik
Amber Bock beer

TRAVEL - WHERE'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE ON THE PLANET?
1) Crater Lake in Oregon
2) Redwood Forests in California
3) Grand Canyon

I HAVE TO ASK, WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE COLOR?
Blue

DARRIN AILES | MIKE CHUCK BILL | TODD SKAGGS | IAN C STEWART