Interview with Thomas Duggan, Musician
(Wasteoid Workforce)
conducted on: December 2, 2007
Interviewed: Paolo P. Gujilde
Date Last Accessed:
Thomas' music with Wasteoid Workforce for
inclusion in the Local Artists Collection:
11 songs with lyrics.
Interviewer's note: This interview was conducted through e-mail. Wasteoid Workforce consisted of
Thomas Duggan (2003-2007), Dave "Daisy" Willis, and Aaron Blythe.
PG: Who are the guys behind Wasteoid Workforce and how did the group
started? TD: We all knew each other from high school and had
played in different bands manifesting in various lineups, particularly
Smoke Aggression, a rock cover band, and the punk rock band The
Failures.
Aaron had drummed for both groups. Dave
played bass in The Failures, and I played lead guitar with Smoke
Aggression. After The Failures disbanded and I quit Smoke
Aggression, Dave and Aaron
continued to play music together and invited
me to join. Eventually we all contributed songs and worked out
our sound. Having a band with no natural "frontman" personalities
involved was refreshing and
liberating to our creativity.
PG: What's with the band name? TD: We brainstormed for a band name for a few weeks, and
finally came up with "Wastoids." Urban Dictionary defines the
term as "1. A burnout of a burnout. 2. A dregg who's eyes are cased
with the dried tears
of their life, as they've realized all their dreams are unattainable
except for the drinking part." We added "Workforce" for the sake
of memorable alliteration and comedic juxtaposition. When
Aaron registered the band email
address, he typed "wasteoid" with an 'e', so we had to keep it spelled
that way.
PG: How would you describe your music?
TD: We can be classified as alternative rock, power pop
and grunge. Audience members at live shows have favorably noted a
"mid-'90s era" rock sound.
Dave and I are the primary
songwriters/singers, each with different styles. Dave tends to do
more bass-centric songs with unconventional lyrics and spooky grooves.
My songs tend to be more melodic,
major key and heavy on guitar riffs and chord
progressions. So there are two dimensions to the overall sound of
the band. We consider that variety one of our strengths, and it's
an opportunity to
showcase the talents of each
member without any one person always in the spotlight.