Theory of a Deadman Interview: The Truth Revealed

Theory of a Deadman reveals the inspiration behind their latest album.

For Theory of A Deadman, honesty is always the best policy. The platinum-selling Vancouver band has recently released their fourth album, The Truth Is. Youthink wanted to hear nothing but the whole truth and sat down with Theory of A Deadman’s guitarist, David Brenner and bassist, Dean Back. We got the scoop on Theory of a Deadman’s views on the good, the bad and the ugly of pursuing a music career and life on the road.

YT: The Truth Is is your fourth album released.  Was truth and honesty originally the main theme you had in mind for this album, or did that just end up being the direction the album headed since all the songs are about personal experiences?
DBA: It kind of just happened, I think. We started coming up with an album title and then Tyler sent us all his lyrics. The Truth Is just fit the theme of the record and encompassed the stuff that he was singing about. We were just talking about how Tyler is obviously a messed-up individual and needs some serious psychiatric help. I think it started with the last record too. The last record really felt honest to who we are as a band. It’s just the way that our records are going now. It feels true to us.

YT: How has music helped you cope with experiences or situations in your life?
DBA: When I was growing up, I remember my parents getting divorced and stuff like that. For me, it was like an escape. It was awesome. I’d crank my music in my room with my door locked and nobody could get in. That’s where I went to get away. I’d listen to Alice and Chains and be like, “Oh yeah, my life isn’t that bad at least." I'd be listening to all the terrible songs they were singing about, all the people dying and all that stuff. And then I’d think, “Oh yeah, this isn’t so bad, I guess. It’s just parents getting divorced, big deal.” I think any kind of emotional event for me was like, go find some music and listen to music. I’ve always found that listening to really depressing stuff made me feel better because it felt like whatever I had going on wasn’t as bad.
DBR: Music for me was a passion and a goal. I saw what they were doing on stage and on TV and that’s what I wanted to do. That’s what music gave me as a kid — it gave a focus and a dream.

YT: Has music helped you become a more honest person, with yourself and with others?
DBA: I think going on tour for 10 years and living your life through a telephone, that’s the only thing that connects you to your family, friends, girlfriends and wives and kids. It gets to the point where you have to be honest with yourself and with the people that you’re talking to. I felt like being on tour is something that really made me appreciate honesty more than I ever did prior. Honesty is one of the things that is so hard to come by in this world. It becomes more and more of an important thing when you’re older.

YT: When I watched your band interviews on YouTube, I got the sense the band is like brothers. What’s the relationship like between all of you?
DBA: It’s pretty good. It takes a good sense of humour to live on a bus with 10 guys. You have to be able to laugh at yourself, and laugh at the bandmates and at the crew guys. You live in such close proximity to each other. I think we have a good relationship. I can literally count the fights that this band has had on two fingers. We just get along and none of us have egos or anything.

YT: How do you make your sound unique from other rock bands but still contemporary and relevant to the current style of rock?
DBA: I don’t listen to radio. I don’t know what the trends are. I just play what’s natural, I guess. 
DBR: We just keep to what we grew up listening to. We listen to our influences that got us to where we are. That’s all I listen to.

YT: The band formed in 2001. How challenging is it to find the balance between reinventing and evolving as a band, but still creating music that you are proud of that is true to the band’s sound? For example, the horns on the new album!
DBA: We do that to keep it fresh for us. When we’re in the studio, we always try to pick a few songs that we feel need something and they need something that the four of us wouldn’t normally bring. We did that on the second record, we put some sitar into a song. It just seemed to us that the horns were required. It’s cool for us. It just keeps it fresh. It’s exciting to try new stuff and hear how it sounds. We’ve done music where we’ve tried with different instruments and weird stuff and then scrapped it. Sometimes it works and when it works, it pays off and it’s rewarding. It’s fun to do something unique and not have everything be the same.

YT: How do you stay true to yourself in an industry where it’s so easy to lose who you are?
DBA: That’s easy now... I think a lot easier now than it once was. You just stick to it and fight for what you believe in. Now that we’re older we feel like we have more control over those things. We just go with our guts. I even say it to younger bands: “Remember that you’re the band and you have more control than your label wants you to think you have.” Just be in control.

YT: What advice would you give to aspiring bands looking to have a long and successful career?
DBA: We always say write good music.
DBR: Yeah, music comes first.
DBA: Yeah, it doesn’t even matter if you have the best looking singer in the world, or whatever, just write great music and the rest will come. You don’t even need to be an awesome live band because once your label puts you on tour,  you will get better because you’ll be playing five nights a week for two years straight, so you’ll get good. Just write great music.

YT: What can fans expect next from Theory of a Deadman?
DBR: We’ll be on the road for the next two years.
DBA: Yeah, we love touring and we love connecting with our fans and meeting them at shows and hanging out. We’re going to be doing some European stuff, hopefully. Yeah, we just want world domination, so we’re just going everywhere.