On their first album in 23 years, The Dictators let loose with bursts of pure, lively, and raucous energy. The bright, rollicking songs that inhabit the punk pioneers’ eponymous effort are a joyous celebration of rock music’s wonderful ability to inspire, nourish, and rejuvenate the soul.
The Dictators, the new self-titled LP from the rockers, is a more than worthy entry into a canon spanning 50 years. From the good-natured, sarcastic humor of album opener, “Let’s Get the Band Back Together,” to “Sweet Joey,” the sentimental, uplifting Joey Ramone tribute that ends the proceedings, the band proves to be vital and relevant – a punk rock beacon no matter the decade.
Bassist/singer Andy Shernoff and guitarist Ross the Boss founded The Dictators in 1973, quickly adding guitarist Scott Kempner to the fold. The New York band today includes Shernoff, Ross the Boss, former Blue Öyster Cult drummer Albert Bouchard, and lead singer-guitarist Keith Roth.
The Dictators are synonymous with proto-punk, having laid the blueprints for the genre. Their 1975 debut The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! pre-dated the Ramones and helped spawn the punk rock sound we know today. This is still one of the most historically significant and enduring musical and cultural movements.
The story behind the band’s reformation is both celebratory and heartrending. Guitarist Scott Kempner, while in failing health, sparked The Dictators’ new album. Shernoff, initially reluctant to revive the band, moved forward as a result of Kempner’s enthusiasm to make new music. Kempner would die in 2023 due to complications from frontal lobe dementia, but not before laying down spirited guitar tracks on “Let’s Get The Band Back Together” and “God Damn New York.”
Fans who snapped up The Dictators upon its release in October now eagerly await Live in Spain – a limited edition, double A-side single – available on Friday, November 29, (Record Store Day/Black Friday) with more live tracks to follow in April 2025.
The Dictators converged by Zoom to share their thoughts on the new album, the band’s place in punk rock history, the iconic Joey Ramone, and what lies ahead (on vinyl and on stage). We covered a lot of ground with our truly classic friends.
On How the Band Got Back Together
Andy Shernoff: “Ross called me and Scott up in 2019 and says, ‘Hey, let’s reform the original band.’ Believe me, the last thing I ever wanted to do was play in The Dictators again. I had a really great life. Scott got to me, he convinced me. That’s his final gift, because he convinced me to do it.”
Ross the Boss: “I called up Andy and said, ‘Let’s get the band back together, whaddya think?’ I knew it was the last thing he was thinking about, but then Scott chimed in and said, ‘Yeah, let’s do it,’ so it would be the original three guys, and that’s how we restarted it. Unfortunately, as we progressed, Scott left the planet, and then Albert came and then Keith came, and here we are.”
Andy: “When it became evident Scott was not going to be able to perform with us, we had to get somebody to play guitar and someone had mentioned Keith. He came down and it was immediate chemistry. Keith is a compadre in many ways. His sense of humor, his attitude about music – it’s worked and we’re all happy.”
Albert Bouchard: “I met Keith about 10 years ago when I was playing with [original Alice Cooper bassist] Dennis Dunaway. He introduced me to Keith and said he was really good and had a great band.”
Keith Roth: “Getting back to Scott and the beautiful gift of getting the band back together and also being a part of it, he played on ‘Let’s Get The Band Back Together’ and ‘God Damn New York.’ That’s really the foundation of the record starting right there.”
On the Creation of and Views About the Album
Albert: “We started talking about doing this record in 2019. Andy, Ross, and myself got together. We started doing some demos. Andy’s stuff was right on; it was exactly what you would expect from a Dictators record. It wasn’t as teenage-oriented, but it was still punk. I don’t think sarcastic is the right word. It was uplifting and had an attitude.”
Keith: “There’s no filler on the record. The beauty of this album to me is there’s nothing to cherry pick on it. You hit play, it’s 10 songs, and by the end of the record people are like, ‘Oh, that’s too short. I want more.’ You leave them wanting more and that was the beauty of it. And they’re going to get more new music sooner than waiting another 23 years!”
On Opening Track ‘Let’s Get the Band Back Together‘
Andy: “I had the song lying around. I recorded it on my own. Once we decided we were going to reform the band I said, ‘This seems like a perfect song to lead off a record,’ especially for a band that hasn’t made a record in 23 years. I thought the song was kind of classic Dictators and had a wise guy attitude. We’re making fun of ourselves. We’re making fun of everybody. It seemed really appropriate as the leadoff track. And Ross, his second solo in ‘Let’s Get The Band Back Together,’ is the best solo he’s ever done. I don’t know if he knows that.”
Ross: “We cannot fail to mention that Ed Stasium did such a phenomenal job on our mixes. He was just brilliant.”
On Album Closer “Sweet Joey,” a Tribute to Joey Ramone
Andy: “It’s more emotional because we close the album with it. If we had it in the middle somewhere, I don’t think it would have been as powerful. I don’t want people to forget him. He used to come see us at The Coventry [club in Queens]. This is back in the glam rock days, though we weren’t glam rock. He was always in the audience. He was so tall. He looked like the guy who got beat up in high school, because he was the guy who got beat up in high school, and then he formed the band and we did some shows early on and we always respected each other. Then I played with him. I played on some Ramones records, then I played on his solo records. We knew each other a long time and he was just one of the guys I always interacted with.”
Ross: “He was the head of the scene. It wasn’t just the Lower East Side. There was a whole New York scene that came up, not just at CBGB. Every week he would have something going on, and he included all of us. He always wanted to include all of us in his parties and his gigs. Everything was so exciting when he was around. And now that he’s gone, it’s like a vacuum. We loved him so much and he was so beloved in New York. There’s definitely a vacuum still.”
On the Band’s Longevity
Andy: “We won’t go away. I’ve been a musician my whole life. Every day you make music is a good day, so why wouldn’t I make music? That’s what I do. That’s what we all do.”
On the Long-Time Connection Between the Dictators and Blue Öyster Cult
Albert: “I met the Dictators before anybody else in the band met them, because (producer/manager) Sandy Pearlman had hired my girlfriend at the time to film The Dictators rehearsing. I went with her to help her with her camera stuff. I met all the guys then and I was like, ‘Wow, these guys are great.’ I liked them immediately.”
Andy: And we were managed by Sandy Pearlman and Murray Krugman. Our very first show ever was opening for Blue Öyster Cult and Iggy and the Stooges at Prince George Community College in Maryland. There’s a long connection.
On Being Dubbed Proto-Punk, the Inventors of Punk Rock and a Rock & Roll Band
Andy: “Our sound varied between punk, hard rock, garage, and metal. It’s hard to tag us. The Ramones were primarily one sound from the first album to the last. They created the classic punk sound which itself was based on two songs, ‘Communication Breakdown’ and ‘Paranoid.'”
Ross: “I’ve always seen us as a rock and roll band, a hard rock band. When we started, we had no idea of any type or any genre. We’re the same as we always have been.”
Albert: “Go Girl Crazy! easily may have been the first punk album, but The Dictators’ style is much more eclectic and varied than what was recorded on that first burst of creativity captured at a pivotal moment in rock history. For me, it’s hard to articulate what really is the thing that The Dictators have, but it is a real thing and it’s a great, great thing – it is unique! You talk about bands that have musical structure and, you know, sound a little bit like the Beatles.”
Keith: “I’ve always loved bands that are legit – not following trends, not corporate made. You knew by the sound that their main focus in life was the music. When I bought Go Girl Crazy! I heard the love of The Beach Boys and the rawness of The Stooges, but it was undeniably original and infectious. It’s like the Velvet Underground, the MC5, the New York Dolls, and The Stooges. The masses didn’t pick up on it, but the bands and musicians and artists did.”
On Feeling a Sense of Accomplishment Over the Course of Their Career
Andy: “We have a sense of pride and I think musicologists recognize our role, plus it has helped sustain the band. I would call the late seventies punk/new wave movement the last great period in rock and roll. I just don’t think hair metal or grunge had the gravitas or impact on society that my contemporaries did.”
Ross: “The fact we were a year ahead of the Ramones – who we love – I can’t believe it. It’s an amazing thing. We didn’t get the acclaim the Ramones did, but the musicians and bands who’ve fawned over The Dictators is a real source of pride for me. It’s an amazing accomplishment.”
On Predating the Ramones Yet Not Receiving the Accolades as the Inventors of Punk Rock
Andy: “There are many reasons why. We’ve had personnel problems, drug issues, poorly recorded records, bad timing, but I have no complaints or regrets. I’ve been a working musician for most of my life, and the reward has been to be able to make music for all these years. My mantra is every day you make music is a good day, and I’ve had many good days.”
Ross: “I always thought the band’s image got in its own way. I think people thought we were too metal for punk and too punk for metal. No one could put their finger on it. You look at the Ramones and people immediately knew what they were all about. We’re our own worst enemies for that; our image didn’t help us in the early years, but as time has gone by, people have come to understand.”
Albert: “I do wonder why. It could have been that the ideas in the songs were too sophisticated and did not lend themselves to Top 40 radio as much as some songs by the Sex Pistols, Ramones, and other punk pioneers. I don’t know about The Dictators, but I do know that Blue Öyster Cult would not have received the recognition we got if it wasn’t for the success of some of our songs on Top 40 radio.”
On Many Bands That Say They Don’t Make New Music Because the Fans Only Want to Hear the Hits
Andy: “Probably true, but great rock and roll bands don’t coast on their past success. The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and Bruce Springsteen continually release new music. People see them for the old songs, and their new records don’t garner the attention like their old releases did, but it’s a statement that they are creatively engaged. We aspire to those ideals.”
Ross: “That’s a matter of opinion. Of course, people want to hear the old songs, but our audience is 100% behind our new record. They love it. Making new music is the lifeblood of any musician and any rock and roll band, and I definitely think we’ve proven ourselves again.”
Albert: “It depends on the band. Many new bands are not bands at all but one person in his or her bedroom creating rock symphonies. For legacy artists, the old fans only want to hear the old songs, but they still like to think the creative spark of their favorite artist still burns even later in life. People tell me I’m a hero for still putting out records well into my seventies. I’m their role model. Sometimes they even listen to them.”
On the Dictators Sound
Andy: “We have a tremendous depth of experience. Collectively we have over 100 records and thousands of shows under our belt. We use our experience along with our influences, which are sixties and seventies rock, to create the music that represents us. It’s just old school rock and roll.”
Ross: “It starts with the song; The Dictators have always been about songs. The songs craft themselves. Andy sends ideas around; we get the basic track together and we’re off and running. The band’s sound at its core is rock and roll.”
On Touring in 2025
Andy: “We will be touring in 2025 and have just started recording a new album. A release date is hard to promise at this early stage. It’s a very slow process. I describe it as chipping away at a stone to make a statue. We trade files and it takes time, but we’re going to get it done.”
Ross: “We’ve already started the next record. Once we start playing out more regularly, people will love it. We are a great rock and roll band. The reaction we got to the new material when we toured with The Damned earlier this year was fantastic, so this new record will be even better.”
Albert: “We have some offers for shows in 2025, but the only one we have confirmed is Little Steven’s Underground Garage Cruise. We will most likely be supporting other acts in the near future, so our ability to play shows that include all the new songs plus all the old favorites will not be possible. If we get headlining shows here and there, we will be allowed to play two-hour sets and I am ready for that.”
ON the Latest Wave of Rock Bands
Andy: “I do listen to Spotify, check out new bands, and I see these bands and they’ve got like, five million plays a month, five million streams a month, and they’re hard rock bands. I listen to the hard rock playlist. I guess it’s hard rock, it’s guitars, it’s screaming – not what we do. The song structures are different. Bands I’m hearing now, they don’t write in the song structure of a traditional rebelling kind of thing… or even Beatles of verse chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, solo, outro. And, you know, we stick to two guitars, bass, and drums. We’re not too fancy. I don’t know if I’m just being self-conscious, but I don’t hear bands that sound like we do.”
FOR ALL THINGS DICTATORS, VISIT THEIR WEBSITE!
