EXCLUSIVE! Seether interview

On the eve of their first South African tour in years,Seether bassist Dale Stewart spoke exclusive from Los Angeles to The Beat about returning to their home country, taking a leak while playing live, his tattoos, weirdest autographs, WWE wrestling and his secret obsession.

Dale Stewart in action on stage during a Seether gig

You are playing OppiKoppi this year. Any memories of your first ever OppiKoppi festival? Geez man, there are loads! When we were stillliving in South Africa, we used to attend and play the festival. My bestmemories are not having any! (Laughs). There are the usual: drinking way toomuch, waking up with something drawn on your face and one shoe missing. But weare looking forward playing the 2012 OppiKoppi festival, having a few drinksand just checking out the scene.

This is your first local shw in  years! Why did it take you solong? Man, we always wanted to come back and play for the home crowd, butbetween recording, releasing a new CD (Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray)and touring, our schedule has just been hectic.

Yeah, you guys have been busy touring and you recently toured with Nickelback. That was pretty awesome! We are good friends from thelads of Nickelback so it was cool. We enjoyed the nice dressings rooms, thefood, the drinks and hanging out with Nickelback before and after the show. Itwas a gruelling tour schedule! Four nights a week, but we only played for about45 minutes.

Talking about rocking on stage, what do you do when you have to go to the bathroom during a performance? That usually happens with me!(Laugh). We usually have a couple of beers before a show and then 30 minutesinto our gig, I’ll realised, ‘The seal is broken! I need to get to a toilet’.Usually there is a drum solo in the middle of the gig and I can quickly sneakoff to the toilet, but other times you get creative. You’ll shout to a roadienext to the stage to bring you and empty dustbin next to the stage so you cango and take a quick leak.

Seether’s song ‘Tonight’ from Holding Onto Strings BetterLeft to Fray was recently used for WWE’s Adam ‘Edge’ Copeland’s tribute. Who is your favourite WWE wrestler? That was pretty awesome! We actually went to oneof the WWE shows and hang out with Edge. He is such a pretty cool guy.Backstage he’ll be laughing and talking away, and then as soon as he go on, he’llput on this serious WWE Edge look on his face, and when he’s off again, he’llbe laughing and chatting away. So we were really honoured when they chose thesong for his retirement tribute.

As a band, you guys get properly a lot of autograph requests. What’s the weirdest ones you have done? There are so many! From fakelegs, to any part of the body (you can just think for yourself), spray paint toautograph on a car, but the coolest one was in Japan where we were asked toautograph the landing gear of a F16 fighter jet.

We hear your quite a good cook in the kitchen. Your signature dish would be . . . My spicy buffalo chicken wings! Lately I’ve been trying myhand at making sushi and it’s coming on pretty well. I also like to braai – allkinds of meat. When I get homesick here in Los Angele’s, I’ll have a braai.

You have quite a tattoo collection. Yes, I love tattoos.Each has a special meaning, almost like a snap shot taken in time. I haven’thad one in some time, but each one is special.

You still have your Mohawk hairstyle? (Laughs) Yes, but it’snow more of a mull-hawk. Half Mohawk and half mullet.

What do people don’t know about Dale? That I’m a rockcollector. Everywhere we go on tour, I’ll take a rock back. Weird, I know, butthat’s my little secret.

Your favourite Afrikaans expression? Kakhuis! (laughs)

What’s the first thing you going to do when you arrive inSouth Africa? Visit my family and friends in Pretoria and eat as much biltonghumanly possible.