Speed Round Dan Weyandt & Scott Mellinger Zao

Zao's vocalist, Dan Weyandt and guitarist, Scott Mellinger Metro 10/5/04 Interviewer: Karma E. Omowale Photos: Sharita Lumpkin

Click here for part I of the interview w/Dan & Scott

Karma: Here's a quick Speed Round of Questions for you guys.

Dan & Scott: Ok!

Karma: Spiritual or religious?

Dan & Scott: [Answer simultaneously] Spiritual

Karma: Do you believe in life after death?

Dan & Scott: Yes!

Karma: What’s your mantra?

Dan: That's a harder question!  [Smiles]

Scott: Yeah!  [Silence] 

Scott & Dan: [Long pause]

Sharita: Stumped!  [We all chuckle deeply]

Scott: [Turns to Dan]  Give me an example of what your mantra is.

Dan: A mantra is like a spiritual…something that you tell yourself to get you through things…

Karma: …kinda like a saying on how you live your life…

Dan: I would almost say it's spiritual as opposed to physical like I think that you can smoke a cigarette and drink a beer and have proper focus.  I think it's more like your heart than your actions in sense of putting on a suit and a tie and going to church is less important than just having a good heart, you know what I mean?!

Karma: Yes, I do!

Dan: Definitely that the inside is way more important

Karma: This is true!  So are you going to pass, Scott?

Dan: Well, we agree on a lot of things.

Scott: Yeah, we do!  I would say…

Dan: It's a nice thing.

Scott: My mantra would be, no matter where you are in life stay humble about what you have because there is always someone who is better than you and has more than you…

Dan: There's a saying that goes 'The proud comes before the fall'

Scott: Exactly!!

Dan: That's another thing we're all pretty humble guys none of us think that we're special; we're just happy to be on this tour. 

Scott: We get to meet new friends.

Dan: Believe it or not, it fun for us to meet new people, these are the type of people we would befriend as opposed to a lot of society.  It's important to us!

Scott: [Laugh]

Karma: Best live show you've seen?

Scott: I saw Radiohead when they were on their OK Computer Tour.

Dan: The best I ever saw was a band called The Black Keys. Actually, they played here either about a week ago; it's a two piece band and they sound like 50's Blues.  They are just 2 white guys from Akron, OH…and they're like… I saw them; I mean just their tightness and energy just from the 2 guys.  The singer is a 25-year-old white guy that sounds like an 80-year-old black guy.

Scott: [Laughs]

Dan: [Smiles] When I first heard the album I was like, there has to be some effect or something they are putting on his voice and I saw them live with my friends…and they blew me away!  It was like the energy… [Imitates passing out]  [We all laugh] And I got to see Pink Floyd on their Division Bell Tour and that was probably one of my favorite tours.

Karma: [Laughs] How old were you?

Dan: I'm 27 but I was 16 or 17 at the time.  So that was fun…

Scott: [Bobs head up and down] Yeah!

Dan: They sound just like the CD live; we got good seats like 20 rows back.

Karma: Back in Pennsylvania?

Dan: [Smiles] Yeah, it was back at The Civic Arena…well that's what it was back then…it has since changed names to the Mellon Arena now.

Karma: As all of the major arenas have changed names…

Dan: Every thing in Pittsburgh has like 5 new names…when we were in high school everything had different names.

Karma: What's your favorite color?

Scott: Blue

Dan: I would have to say light blue

Karma: Croutons or bacon bits?

Scott: Bacon Bits

Dan: Bacon Bits

Karma: Do you find that you over-compensate for time or are do you run late?

Scott: [Chuckles deviously]

Dan: Late!!

Scott: I over-compensate for time!

Dan: I'm late!  [We all laugh]  I'm a late person!!

Karma: First album ever purchased?

Scott: Megadeth Peace Sells…But Who's Buying?

Dan: Run DMC The King of Rock

Karma: So now I have to ask this question: Megadeth or Metallica?

Dan & Scott: Metallica!

Karma & Sharita: [Hiss]

Dan: [Laughs] OLD METALLICA!!

Karma & Sharita: Okay!!  [We all laugh]

Scott: Ride the Lightening, Master of Puppets, And Justice For All, Black Album…

Dan: That's where it started to get iffy. [We all chuckle]

Karma: First job?

Scott: I worked at a supermarket, I was a bagger.

Dan: Janitor, 15-years-old cleaning up after doctors.

Karma: Was it in a hospital?

Dan: No, it was like a high-rise office building that just so happens to have doctors and dentists and meeting offices.  I just went in afterwards, took out garbage, and put new garbage bags in.  It was a pretty simple job!  [We all chuckle]

Karma: Favorite holiday?

Dan: Halloween!

Scott: I'd say Halloween too!

Dan: Where we're from I'd say we have the most fun parties and good times and all of that!

Scott: Dan & myself are huge horror movie fans so when you get a chance to dress up like Leather Face.  It's awesome!!

Karma: Do you speak a different language?

Dan & Scott: NOPE!

Scott: I wish I did!

Karma: Well if you could, which one you chose?

Dan: Well we know a game called Snaps and that's like a different language.

Scott: If I could speak a different language, which one would I speak?

Dan: It would be Japanese for sure!

Scott: YEAH!! [Smiles with wide doe eyed look]

Dan: 'Cos a lot of the movies and cartoons I'm into

Karma: Like anime?

Scott: Yeah!

Dan: I'm into that and the samurai and karate movies, it would be nice to sit there and watch it without the subtitles.

Karma: Introvert or extrovert?

Dan: Introvert

Scott: Definitely introvert!!

Dan: I think I could speak for everyone in the band, we're all introverts!

Karma: If your best friend were to give you a nickname off the fly, what would it be?

Scott: [Laughs] Probably "Shorty" because I'm 5'6'' and I'm a grown man and I should be tall!  [The room erupts with laughter]

Dan: My middle name is William and everyone just calls me "Willie" [Smiles]

Scott: [Smirks] Yeah, we just call him Willie!  [We all snicker]

Karma: [Smiles] Morning, afternoon or evening persons?

Scott: Evening!  I hate mornings!!

Dan: I would say night as opposed to evening, late night!

Scott: [Laughs]

Karma: Night owl?

Scott: [Laughing] Oh yeah!!

Dan: Midnight – 4 O'clock in the morning!  [Laughs]

Karma: Okay!  If stranded on a Desert Island, who would you take with?

Scott: [Without hesitation] My fiancée

Dan: Roy Kindleburg, [Smiles]

Scott: [Smiles] Yeah!!  He's like the best human being we've ever met in our lifetime.

Dan: He like the next in line after Jesus!  Roy Kindleburg, he is like one of those guys who walks into the room and smiles…and it's like 'You're the best dude I ever met in my life!'  I can't explain it…he's like a natural

Scott: Awesome!  [Laughs]

Dan: I can't explain it!

Karma: And you have a choice of 3 CD's!

Scott: OHHH!!  I hate this question!  [Laughter erupts]

Karma: You can do it!!

Scott: All right, I'll do mine…[turns to Dan] In fact, you want to do yours first?

Dan: Yeah, yeah! I mean there will be some things left out since we can only take 3 but…I'd say Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds The Boatman's Call, Metallica Master of Puppets and the Butthole Surfers Independent Worm Saloon.

Scott: I would have to say Johnny Cash Unchained, Danzig Danzig II: Lucifuge and what else do I listen to a lot?

Dan: Oh it hurts!!  [As he puts his hand up to his head]  [We all die laughing]  If I was stranded on a Desert Island and I could only take 3 albums with me, I'd just jump in the ocean and end it there!  [We all laugh hysterically]

Scott: I know right!!  And Led Zeppelin II

Karma: All right!!  And if you could travel back in time, which era would you return to?

Scott: 70's.

Dan: Late 60's early 70's.

Scott: Yeah, like when Zeppelin was huge.

Dan: And to see Jimi Hendrix.

Scott: Setting his guitar on fire!  Yeah, I would definitely go back to see that!

Dan: '67 – 73 is key! That was a great time in music and to be a part of it.  In my opinion, there hasn't been music like that since then. With instruments and songwriting, I don't think we have seen another wave a talent like that since!

Scott: True!

Dan: A little bit of that here but overall just a wave of bands in the late 60's and 70's and to this day I think was the strongest wave of music that we've ever seen!

Scott: It would be nice to see the Beatles too!

Dan: The Beatles, Zeppelin, Hendrix, The Doors…I was a huge Doors fan and I would love to see them live.  I'd give it up just to see those bands and to go to their shows and some of the old flyers that you'd see!  [Eyes widen as his voice deepens]  They'd have 5 bands on the bill and they'd play music like you wouldn't believe!  I just don't think there's music like that anymore today!  I mean there's good music but…

Scott: Not THAT good!  [We all chuckle]

Dan: Music was MUSIC back then!