Latest Release: Speed of Darkness
Label: AFM
Site: http://www.d-a-d.com/
Tour: https://metropolistouring.com/d-a-d-2025/
Danish band Disneyland After Dark aka D-A-D, recently reached a rare milestone, celebrating forty years as a band, in a sometimes volatile and ever-changing music market landscape. Their legacy consists of a wide and varied discography that exceeds the expectations set by their fantastic worldwide breakthrough album from 1989, No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims.
D-A-D last returned to our shores in 2022 for incendiary shows that educated many about their wide-ranging discography, celebrating their pandemic postponed 35th Anniversary World Tour show. They’ve since put out another new album with the 2024 release Speed of Darkness, and their recent live albums can attest to their enduring appeal. We caught up with frontman, and guitarist Jepser Binzer to discuss the coming tour, and anything else music related that he felt like talking about.
Hello, sir. I saw the last tour, which was fantastic, but one of my mates went to your first tour here in Sydney in 1989 or 1990, which I believe was at an underground venue, Centrepoint Tavern. It was so hot and humid that with the first tune you played, everything was out of tune.
Jesper Binzer: I remember it being chaotic. I can remember the thing about being out of tune. I think we were playing on even guitars that weren’t ours because it was some kind of a charity gig as a roadie guy had died. I can’t remember the details, but I remember chaos. I remember it was not really a gig or a tour, it was something in between.
When you do shows like that on the other side of the world, does it feel like building up from scratch again?
JB: Oh, yeah, definitely. We were brought up in the old punk scene, and we never thought that our audience should surpass 150 people. So, it was definitely back to the roots. These gigs are some of the funniest where you get new jokes and you get a new take on life as a wrong role when you play shows like that. I think it’s very inspiring.
You’ve had a new album out recently. So, with this tour that’s coming to Australia, being that it’s titled a Greatest Hits Tour, how much of that new material can you actually fit into the set?
JB: That was the promoter’s way of booking us. Of course, don’t tell anyone, but we play what we want to play. So, we’ve got at least four of the new songs with us. But we’re going to throw in a couple of different No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims songs as well, just for Australia’s sake. But it’s going to be a pretty normal to what we play all over the world, since the start of the summer season is approaching. So, this set that we are doing right now that we’re rehearsing right now is going to be more or less the backbone of the summer shows, including the trip to Australia.
You mentioned that you came from the punk scene, and I suppose that when you look at No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims, it was different. Even though you got lumped in with all the hair metal, the sound was very obviously different. Was that something you had to push?
CC: We had to push ourselves because the whole thing about the punk movement is that it’s more music police than actually embracing stuff. So, we had to move ourselves out of, ‘You can’t do that. You don’t do that. You must not do that kind of thing. That’s not cool. That’s not punk.’ So, we had to move ourselves out of it. Of course, there were fractions in the band that someone wanted to go this way, and someone go that way. But in the end, it was because, you know, the two first D-A-D albums were like country punk, where we were wearing cowboy hats and singing, ‘Yippee.’ We had a great time because we didn’t have anything inside of us. We just thought, ‘Let’s see what happens.’ So, we were having fun and touring and finding out, ‘Okay, this is not the kind of fun you want to do when you’re actually in it 24 hours a day.’ Then you want to do something that feels good, that feels like it mirrors who you are. So, we had to change and we
had to find out what’s going on. We knew it had to be the same kind of energy, but we also knew that we had to go big, be closer to our roots, real roots. The real roots were Thin Lizzy, the Ramones, Gun Club and AC/DC. That’s the real roots. That’s the music that we were putting on when we were having a party.
I gather that once you signed to a major label, all these producers start coming out of the woodwork and wanting to push you this way and that.
JB: I mean, of course people are and the best story I have about record companies is when we had an old song called “Marlboro Man” that didn’t have any chorus at all. But the record company liked it anyway. But the, you know, the. The. The head of the record company told us, ‘Hey man, shouldn’t you? We need something to release this power. Let’s… Hey man, listen. Oh, you mean of course? Yes, I mean of course,’ and we did it, and it worked, and it was perfect. So, I’ve never really had this anti thing about record companies because I’m happy to listen many times. People are allowed to come with suggestions, and I think that we should be strong enough not to succumb to any record industry demand. I think being a Danish band, you’re definitely away from the really manipulative record company executives. So, you can actually do what you want to do, and we came from the punk scene. I mean, talent wise, we couldn’t even do what they maybe asked for because our talent didn’t really go that far.
Having said that Jacob [Binzer – lead guitar] has clearly got a Chet Atkins influence. Those solos that are in there are quite good to very good. That goes against the flavour of day when you had all these Edward Van Halen clones.
JB: Yeah, definitely, definitely. We were so lucky to have this aspect. That was the only thing that survived the whole country punk era. That was a train guitar style because we just knew that we had something there. Jacob as a person is introverted. He doesn’t want to go out there with wind in his hair and you know, be at the end of the catwalk. He wants to write you a poem with his guitar.
In that case, do you find that when you’re writing lyrics that you have to think about how it’s going to go over in say, ten years time, within a different social climate?
JB: Yeah, it’s…you can’t really do it. I think it’s very important to always know that it’s emotions, you need to stay in the emotion you write about. You must not think about the past or the future. I mean, none of us are stupid in the sense that we do anything to try to do anything false or you know, try to point fingers in that sense. But it’s very important to stay in the emotions that you write about and get rid of all kinds of framing because it has to be three and a half minutes of some kind of truth, and it’s very important, that. Then on this side and this side and maybe so, and maybe not and you have to be like straight in, and in the feelings.
For the guitars you use live, I was interested to see how you had your Gibson Flying V sound versus Jacob’s Gretch guitars. Is that intentional to get different sounds?
JB: No, we’ve been doing this for 40 years, so when we maybe started out, we wanted to be similar and now we just want to get as far away from each other as possible. So, it’s just an artistic life. You need to try to find out who you are and what are your dreams. Each of us as individuals. So, my dream is definitely wearing denim and playing Flying V’s whilst Jacob’s is definitely something else. It is the same for Stig [Pedersen – bass] and Laust [Sonne – drums] as well. In that sense, we are funny, like a boy band of old men, in that sense that we have definitely each got our own character.
Well, in that light, do you ever say to Stig, ‘No, we’re not taking this massive bass on tour.’ That’s going to cost too much?
JB: No, no, there’s no chance in that, and it’s funny because, like, there’s no one in D-A-D that can tell anyone else what to do, and there’s no one in D-A-D that could fire anyone. It’s like we just have this one big game of acceptance.
Okay, but that Red Baron bass? Putting that thing together and touring it, must be like carting around Vai’s three neck guitar from the 80s.
JB: I mean, first time he was playing the Red Baron in Germany, he was a little pale. He didn’t really know if it was okay or not, but it turned out well. People accepted it.
Yeah, it could be taken the wrong way, I suppose but you get that.
JB: Definitely, definitely.
If you look back at the most recent album, is there a particular track that you’re quite proud of that represents where D-A-D has grown to now?
JB: Oh, yeah, definitely. The song called “The Ghost”, is actually built on one of Laust’s riffs. So, that is totally practical and down to earth. One of the ways that the idea growing is that Laust contributes with a lot now and I’m really happy for him that he found his inspiration. So, definitely “The Ghost” is still D-A-D, but also something new. I mean, there’s a lot of songs where I cannot choose one over the other. But I can tell you the story about Laust’s influence with “The Ghost” and also with “Speed of Darkness”. I really enjoy that he interferes more and says, ‘Okay, guys, maybe it should be like this?’
That’s interesting because for most bands, you’ve usually got the core duo songwriters and the rhythm section. If the rhythm section is part of that or not, it really depends.
JB: Definitely, but it’s always been free for all, and it’s just very important that either we all agree that we can disagree, or we let the producer have the final word. It’s. It’s very much that everybody has a say. Free for all, and let’s finish everybody’s ideas and then in the end, choose the best songs. So that’s been like that all the time. It’s just been hard for Laust to have, like, a way in. But this time around, he really does. It’s a great experience, a new chapter.
How’s he been coping with having Marshall Stacks in his ears for years as a drummer?
JB: Yeah. Oh, he is a jazz guy and slowly but surely, we manipulate him into understand the sweetness of the metal community. But he still rolls his eyes when we drive into a festival or something. So, for black metal festivals he’ll ask, ‘What am I doing here?’ and we’ll say, ‘Don’t worry, La, it’s going to be all right.’
How do festivals in Europe compare to touring the States and places like that?
JB: Yeah, I mean, the festivals in Europe are filled up with sweet, sweet people. So that’s like, the main thing of it, I think, that it’s just great big parties. But it’s very oriented towards heavy metal, and we still feel out of place. Every time we show up at one of those very black [metal] festivals, we’re going, ‘Should we change the set list? Should we play only the hot songs?’, and then we just said, ‘No, no, let’s do D-A-D,’ and people are so happy that we do it. They understand that the energy fits perfectly with the metal festival and metal people are always sweet, loyal and loving. So, it turns out that it’s the best place to be.
Understood. Are there any of the live albums that you’ve got in your catalogue that stand out for you more than others?
JB: Good question. I think that people really enjoyed Psychopatico in the old days. I think that this new one Live from the Arena is great and that’s been streaming maybe for maybe a week or so only now. Yeah, we are very happy about that, of course, because that’s more up to date for us. So, that’s definitely the best in my ears at the moment. But that’s just me being me because I just want it to be up to date and current.
Well, you mentioned Thin Lizzy and Live and Dangerous is a classic.
JB: Yeah, that’s beautiful.
It’s interesting how it’s all changed because it used to be people would flock to buy physical format and I guess now you’ve got to focus on vinyl as a means to get that return, versus streaming. Has that caused you any concern or is it just you’ve got to adapt?
JB: Of course, you just adapt, and it’s only framing because you need to make some great songs, and you need to present them live just like any other decades of the music business. The funny thing is though, not only did this live album go to number one on the vinyl charts, but also on the total physical charts and, the streaming as well. So, it was like suddenly with a live album, it couldn’t be more analogue, but we actually made it into the digital charts. So, I mean, never say never. You’ve just got to do what you do and don’t mind the framing.
It’s funny you mention that because if you look at the metal bands lately, a lot of them are using a whole stack of digital gear. Is that something that you’ve adopted in any capacity, or you just shy away from it?
JB: No, no, no. I mean some of the guys, when we do like fly out gigs, some of the guys, and the roadies are saying, ‘Hey man, you should try this Line 6. You should try this one. It’s only blah blah, blah, blah blah,’ and I would and then, ‘Nah.’ Jacob is very particular with what he’s playing. But me, not so much. They could rack mount anything for me, and I wouldn’t know the difference. But for Jacob, who’s got that big sound, he needs it to be real. He’s tried all those digital ones and there’s nothing has ever made him happy.
Okay, well, I guess aside from when you’re using acoustics, you’d be happy with Flying V and a distortion pedal on your Marshall JCM800, right?
JB: Definitely, but not even with the pedal, boom, I’m straight in.
You can crank the transformer up enough that you get that distortion.
JB: Yeah, yeah, definitely.
What got you into Flying V’s and particularly three pickup variants versus two pickups?
JB: I think that for me, the Flying V thing was something about embracing the 70’s. It was something about trying to get a feeling of when hard rock was young. It’s also that we always played hard rock and classic rock as opposed to metal and whatever. I think that the Flying V is that for me; a Gibson Flying V is definitely classic rock. So, maybe that was like a picture of that. I’ve found out now that I can’t really wear a big guitar anymore. I used to play those semi acoustics, and I think it’s one big monster to have hanging around your neck. Yeah, I think that’s V’s, as I’ve grown into it and I’m not going to change. I was buying new guitars for every new tour, saying, ‘Let’s do this, let’s do that, let’s do this,’ only to find out that it’s the Flying V that really makes me happy.
Has your approach to songwriting changed over the years?
JB: To start off, it’s a good question because when Laust joined, he was saying, ‘Hey, man, hey guys, all the new bands are making songs at home and then meet up every week and then play with each other, so let’s do that.’ He was saying, ‘I can’t stand being in the rehearsal space with you like five days a week, months on end.’ So, we tried it, and it never really worked. But this time around, he succumbed. This time around he said, ‘Okay, I’m here for Monday to Friday,’ and all the good stuff happened again. So, definitely we more or less write, as we did in the old days. One guy plays a riff, the other guys plays another riff. We record it, we wait until no one remembers who wrote what and then we find out if it’s good stuff. That’s tedious but also, it’s very important for us to be on the same page. I mean, we’ve got different lives now and it’s very important that we figure, relatively speaking, that we try and look forward to getting our period in the same time. It’s very important that we are on the same page.
Finally, what’s your recollection of being on Australian television decades ago? I recall you appeared on Hey, Hey, it’s Saturday, back when Stig had fireworks out of his helmet.
JB: I can’t remember a thing. I need to see it; I need to re-watch it. I’m going to go on YouTube, see if it’s still there. I can’t remember, I’m a goldfish.
I gather that once you had that success, it was just go here, play, go there, play, repeat.
JB: Yeah, we’ve been scratching at the door of Australia ever since the early 90s and it’s been definitely disheartening not to come. But now we are here, and this is the second time around in the new age and we’re so happy that we get time to do so. I’m going to hang out for a couple of days in Melbourne afterwards, and we’re going to take a couple of days off in Perth before. So, we’re just going to enjoy it now.
Perth is great. Look, we will see you on tour very soon. Thanks for having a chat.
JB: Thank you so much, it’s been a pleasure.