Editing Dave Dictor

{{short description|American singer}}

{{BLP sources|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = David Dictor
| image           = Dd232.png
| caption         = Dave Dictor sings in Buffalo, New York, April 23, 2009
| birth_name      = David Scott Dictor
| birth_date      = {{birth date and age|1955|12|04}}
| origin          = [[Glen Cove, New York]]
| death_date      =
| genre           = [[Hardcore punk]]
| occupation      = Performer, Musician, Songwriter
| website         = [https://web.archive.org/web/20180606022756/https://www.davedictor.com/ davedictor.com (archived 26 May 2019)]
| instrument      = Voice, Guitar
| associated_acts = [[MDC (band)|MDC]]
| years_active    = 1979–present
| label           = Primordial Records
}}

'''Dave Dictor''' (born December 4, 1955) is an American musician, singer of the punk rock band [[MDC (band)|MDC]] (of which he is a founding member), and founder of the band's label, R Radical Records. Dictor is known for his political lyrics, involvement in the [[Rock Against Reagan]] campaign in the 1980s and being [[vegan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.davedictor.com/single-post/2016/06/03/Hello-World-I-am-Dave-Dictor|accessdate=December 9, 2018|title=Hello World! I am Dave Dictor!|date=June 3, 2016|first=Dave|last=Dictor|website=Dave Dictor|archive-date=December 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210111224/https://www.davedictor.com/single-post/2016/06/03/Hello-World-I-am-Dave-Dictor|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.australianpunk.com/dave-dictor |title=Dave Dictor |website=Australian Punk}}</ref>

== Biography ==
David Scott Dictor was raised on Long Island, New York and attended Boston University and the University of Texas in the 1970s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.davedictor.com/davedictorbio|title=The History Of Dave Dictor|website=Dave Dictor|accessdate=December 21, 2017|archive-date=December 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222052548/http://www.davedictor.com/davedictorbio|url-status=dead}}</ref> Dictor's father "Teddy" Dictor, was [[Jewish]], while his mother was a Catholic from an [[Italian American]] family.<ref name="origins">{{cite news |url=http://oyoyoygevalt.com/mdc/|title=Memoir by MDC's Dave Dictor|author=OyOyOyGevalt.com|date=10 September 2019}}</ref> His parents divorced when he was two years old, with Dictor raised by his mother, while his father moved to [[Florida]].<ref name="origins"/> Dictor is bisexual.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://s-usih.org/2022/08/kevin-mattson-responds/|title=Kevin Mattson Responds|website=s-usih.org|access-date=June 30, 2024}}</ref>

In 1979, Dictor formed the Reejex, which morphed into a band called the Stains, with long-term musical partner Ron Posner. This later evolved into [[MDC (band)|MDC]] in the fall of 1981. Dictor and MDC later relocated to San Francisco, California in 1982 and finally to Portland, Oregon in 1995.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pehling |first=Dave |date=May 20, 2023 |title=Iconic UK punk band GBH headlines Berkeley's Cornerstone - CBS San Francisco |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/iconic-uk-punk-band-gbh-headlines-berkeley-cornerstone/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230528103053/https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/iconic-uk-punk-band-gbh-headlines-berkeley-cornerstone/ |archive-date=May 28, 2023 |access-date=March 28, 2024 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref> 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 Submissives' "An Anvil Will Wear Out Many A Hammer".

Dictor also appeared in the 2006 film ''[[American Hardcore (film)|American Hardcore]]'',<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q464841|title=American Hardcore (2006)}}</ref> the film based upon the book of the same name. The song "I Remember" <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/Various-American-Hardcore-The-History-Of-American-Punk-Rock-1980-1986/release/1234358 |title=American Hardcore: The History Of American Punk Rock 1980-1986  |website=Discogs|year=2006 }}</ref> also appears in the film and on the soundtrack.

== Career ==
Dave Dictor is the front man for [[MDC (band)|MDC]], a [[punk rock]] band formed in 1979 in [[Austin, Texas]]. Among the first wave of bands to define the sound and style of American [[hardcore punk]], MDC originally formed as The Stains<ref>{{cite book|last=Ibarra|first=Craig|title=A Wailing of a Town: An Oral History of Early San Pedro Punk and More|publisher=END FWY|year=2015|page=224|isbn=978-0-9860971-0-2}}</ref> and periodically changed the meaning of "MDC" - the most frequent being '''Millions of Dead Cops'''. The band's lyrical content expresses [[Far-left politics|radical left]] political views and has proven influential within the punk subculture.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/mdc-mein-trumpf-dave-dictor-interview/|title=Listen to 'Mein Trumpf,' the First Album from Punk Legends MDC in 13 Years|website=Vice.com|date=27 November 2017 |access-date=18 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/no-trump-no-kkk-no-fascist-usa-the-punk-history-123861/|title='No Trump! No KKK! No Fascist USA!': The Punk History|first1=Kory|last1=Grow|website=Rollingstone.com|date=21 November 2016|accessdate=18 September 2020}}</ref>

MDC released material through ex-[[Dead Kennedys]] singer [[Jello Biafra]]'s independent label [[Alternative Tentacles]]. In the 1990s, vocalist Dave Dictor published editorials for the internationally distributed fanzine ''[[Maximumrocknroll]]''. MDC's initial run ended in 1995, and the band spent five years on hiatus, before returning in 2000 with some new band members.

In 2016, MDC released a video for the forthcoming release of a new recording of "Born to Die",<ref>{{cite web|last=Gentile|first=John|title=MDC: "Born to Die 2016" (Punknews Exclusive)|url=https://www.punknews.org/article/62338/mdc-born-to-die-2016-punknews-exclusive|website=Punknews.org|date=7 November 2016 |accessdate=June 17, 2019}}</ref> made to protest the [[Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016|Donald Trump presidential campaign]]. The song's slogan "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA" was reported to be heard at anti-Trump demonstrations in Chicago.<ref>{{cite web|last1=St. Clair|first1=Stacy|last2=Moreno|first2=Nereida|last3=Crepeau|first3=Megan|title=5 arrested after largely peaceful anti-Trump protests downtown|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-trump-hotel-protest-chicago-20161109-story.html|publisher=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=November 20, 2016|accessdate=June 17, 2019}}</ref>  At the [[American Music Awards of 2016|2016 American Music Awards]] on November 20, the band [[Green Day]] adopted the anti-Trump slogan for a controversial impromptu chant during their live on-air performance, which Dictor applauded and encouraged.<ref>{{cite web|last=Grow|first=Kory|title='No Trump! No KKK! No Fascist USA!': The Punk History |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/green-days-anti-trump-amas-chant-the-punk-history-w451677|publisher=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=November 21, 2016|accessdate=June 17, 2019}}</ref> The media spotlight Green Day's action put on MDC inspired the band to create new material based around the current political climate.<ref name="bayer">{{cite web|last=Bayer|first=Jonah|title=Listen to 'Mein Trumpf,' the First Album from Punk Legends MDC in 13 Years|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/mdc-mein-trumpf-dave-dictor-interview/|publisher=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]]|date=November 27, 2017|access-date=June 17, 2019}}</ref> The album, entitled ''Mein Trumpf'', was released in 2017.<ref name="bayer"/>

== Books ==
In 2016, Dictor wrote his punk memoir ''MDC: Memoir from a Damaged Civilization: Stories of Punk, Fear, and Redemption'',<ref>{{Cite book |title=MDC: Memoir from a Damaged Civilization: Stories of Punk, Fear, and Redemption |isbn=978-1933149981 |last1=Dictor |first1=Dave |year=2016 |publisher=Manic D Press }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.akpress.org/mdc-memoir-from-a-damaged-civilization.html |title=MDC: Memoir from a Damaged Civilization  |website=Akpress.org}}</ref> on his life rebelling against conformity, complacency, and conservatism through MDC.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bendbulletin.com/lifestyle/d-o-a-mdc-fight-back-in-bend/article_e8aede77-b0a0-5155-ac08-5e207b97705d.html|title=D.O.A., MDC fight back in Bend|author=Brian McElhiney|website=Bendbulletin.com|date=15 November 2018 |accessdate=18 September 2020}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.davedictor.com/ Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221041441/https://www.davedictor.com/ |date=2018-12-21 }}
*[https://myspace.com/mdc/ MySpace Official]
*[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCknEkaiYJy__Fit9gCDtgyQ/ YouTube Official]
*[http://www.operationphoenixrecords.com/flipsidemillionsofdeadcops.html Flipside Interview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061106054748/http://www.operationphoenixrecords.com/flipsidemillionsofdeadcops.html |date=2006-11-06 }} - MDC interview from 1982
*[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29363293-mdc Goodreads] - MDC: Memoir from a Damaged Civilization: Stories of Punk, Fear, and Redemption on Goodreads

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dictor, Dave}}
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American male singers]]
[[Category:American punk rock singers]]
[[Category:American people of Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Anarcho-punk musicians]]
[[Category:Jews in punk rock]]
[[Category:Singers from New York (state)]]
[[Category:People from Glen Cove, New York]]
[[Category:American political music artists]]