David Dictor | |
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Birth name | David Scott Dictor |
Born | December 4, 1956 |
Origin | Glen Cove, New York |
Genres | Hardcore punk |
Occupation(s) | Performer, Musician, Songwriter |
Instruments | Voice, Guitar |
Years active | 1979–present |
Labels | R Radical Records |
Associated acts | MDC |
Dave Dictor (born December 4, 1956) is an American musician, founder and singer of the punk rock band MDC and the band's label, R Radical Records. Dave is known for his political lyrics and putting his political beliefs into practice, including involvement in the Rock Against Reagan campaign in the 1980s and for being vegetarian.
David Dictor was raised in Long Island, N.Y. attended Boston University and the University of Texas in the 1970s. He spent a period of time drifting, song writing and strumming guitar in the American Rockies till in early 1976 he returned to Austin, Texas to finish his education and becoming part of the budding punk scene taking place at Raul’s Club a Chicano bar that started having punk acts.
In 1979, Dictor formed the Reejex that morphed into a band called the Stains with long term musical partner, Ron Posner. This later evolved into MDC in the fall of 1981. Dictor and MDC later relocated to San Francisco, California in 1982 and finally to Portland, Oregon in 1995. MDC has always been an outspoken political band writing songs and speaking out against, economic inequality for animal rights and human rights. The band gave various projects different names with the MDC moniker, including Millions Of Dead Cops, Multi Death Corporation, Millions Of Dead Children, and Millions Of Damn Christians. In Portland, Dictor teamed up with Tom Roberts ( Pig Champion) in 1997 and put out The Submissive’s "An Iron Will Wear Out Many An Anvil".
MDC experienced a brief lull between 1997 and 2001 in which he focused on raising a son as a single parent and attaining a teacher’s degree. In the early 2000s, MDC returned to a heavy touring schedule. Yearly performing between 60 and 120 performances a year with the exception of 2014 where Dictor became deathly sick with a staph infection becoming bedridden for much of the year.
Dictor also appeared in the 2006 film American Hardcore, the film based upon the book of the same name. The song "I Remember" also appears in the film and on the soundtrack. MDC lyrics have always decried racism and homophobia, for instance in the song "Born To Die" and in "America So Straight?"[1]
Over the years Dictor has been working on an "acoustic project" releasing a split EP with John the Baker in 2007 on Tank Crimes Records." He is working on his own biographical version of the American Hardcore story that he hopes to release 2015-2016.
MDC has just completed, this summer of 2015, a 46 date tour of Europe (MDC’s 19th European Tour with other major tours to Russia, South America and Australia through the years) and is working on a new album with Felix Griffin of DRI fame along with original guitarist Ron Posner and bassist Mike Smith. Dictor, Mike Smith with new comer Erin Cookman are working on a full acoustic album release for 2016 with Die Laughing Records.