Interview: The Wankers’ David Fagin

Stefani M.C. Janelli sits down with David Fagin, better known as “Damon Gallager,” the cheeky mastermind behind The Wankers, a Brit-pop and New Wave tribute act that delivers a full-on experience equal parts comedy show and concert. Decked out in full Austin Powers-style gear, the band stays in character the entire night, turning every show into an experience you won’t soon forget.

SJ: “The Wankers” is, shall we say, not your typical band name. What made you bold enough to go with it, and did you ever worry it might ruffle a few feathers?

TW: We’re a pretty bold group, Stefani. Actually, we get a kick from the folks who turn their noses up at such an “off-color” name. Meanwhile, their six-year-old daughter is running around singing Cardi B. lyrics at the top of her lungs. Not to mention bands like the Cherry Poppin Daddies play theaters all across Main Street, U.S.A., and their name is a tad more risque than ‘Wanker.’ Actually, we’ve been quite surprised at how many folks love the name, especially since it pales in comparison to ninety-nine percent of what we yanks say to each other. We play several township concerts and fundraisers every year and call the kids “little Wankers.” The parents love it. The organizers love it. Most folks get the joke. The ones who don’t wouldn’t like us, no matter what we were called.

SJ: What brought you all together and led you down the tribute band rabbit hole? Was this always the plan, or did it evolve organically?

TW: I’ve always loved Britpop and British New Wave, so when I was thinking about starting another project, it seemed like a no-brainer. We could’ve done yet another classic rock tribute, i.e., Eagles, or Allmans, or Fleetwood, or (insert classic rock icon here), but why be just another copycat in a sea of copycats? Sure, it’s a slower burn, and our shows usually don’t sell out our first time in town, but no one else in the biz is doing what we’re doing, and once folks see us, they flip out and tell their friends.

SJ: Your on-stage wardrobe is Austin Powers-inspired. What was the creative process behind the outfits, and who’s responsible for putting those outfits together?

TW: We were very impulsive, actually. We went out and shot a very expensive promo video just weeks after forming. Because the concept wasn’t fully fleshed out yet, we shot it in our street clothes. Literally the day after the shoot, my ex-manager said something like “Be funny if you guys dress up like Austin Powers,” and it hit me like a ton o’ bricks. That promo looks and sounds amazing, and we never use it because we’re not in costume. Four grand down the drain. C’est la vie.

SJ: You’ve described yourselves as “kind of like a combination of Spinal Tap and Monty Python.” That’s a fun mashup! What inspired you to blend comedy and theatre with the music? Does anyone in the band have a background on the stage?TW: I can’t speak for the others, but I come from a very musical family. My mother was signed to Decca Records back in the sixties when she was just 19 and got caught up in the Payola scandal. No one would play her record due to fear of being accused of taking a bribe, so she wound up singing at the hotels in the Catskills for forty years. Thus, my sister and I grew up around legends like Buddy Hackett, Alan King, Jackie Mason, Robert Klein, The Smothers Brothers, etc. So, comedy and schtick have been in my blood since I was pooping on the floor in front of the company.

SJ: The British humour is clearly baked into everything you do. Is that something you had to study and learn, or does it come naturally, and are any of you actually from the UK?

TW: I’ve always found the English to be a superior People when it comes to class. Their police don’t carry guns, even when they don’t like you, they’re polite about it. The worst thing they can think of saying to each other in a fit of rage is “Wanker.” For some reason, talking in a Brit accent comes naturally to me. The others not so much. Not to mention, I grew up watching Benny Hill and Monty Python and transitioned to The Office and Extras (best comedy of all time). Ricky Gervais is God. Re: UK, we’re from Jersey, but we say we’re from Manchester and don’t break character the entire night. Recently, I was pulled over by a Pennsylvania trooper for doing 90, and didn’t break character. Both the trooper and his partner cracked up and let us go.

SJ: How has your home market embraced this very, very British act?

TW: Folks who haven’t seen us have no idea what to make of us. As mentioned, if we were yet another Eagles tribute, we’d sell out on day one, so it takes a bit longer for folks to get to know us and for word to spread. In Jersey, all they care about is Brit Invasion, i.e, Beatles, Stones, Zep, etc., so, outside of smaller venues like Crossroads in Garwood, where they love us, we turn our attention elsewhere. For whatever reason, the folks in and around Philly took to us on day one, and we sell out almost everywhere we play in the Philly area. Same thing with Boston. The ex-pat community loves us and organizes meet-ups around our shows on social media. We just played in Baltimore, and they flipped over us, so we’re hoping to return this fall. The NYC crowd, however, is a bunch of wankers. The NY Brits kicked me off their chat group for being too snarky. They’re the textbook definition of the stuffy Brit. That being said, we know there’s an audience for us in every city/town, but cutting through the noise when you don’t have a million followers, and/or major money, is a tall order.

SJ: What’s the biggest show you’ve played to date? Tell us about it: the crowd, the venue, the chaos.TW: Musikfest, Bethlehem, is amazing. We’re back co-headlining Brit Invasion Day this year for the third year in a row alongside Strawberry Fields- Beatles tribute. Seeing three thousand people chanting “WAN-KERS! WAN-KERS!” is pretty incredible. We sell out of merch in five minutes. It’s amazing how many folks have no issue walking around their town in a t-shirt that says “Wanker” on it.

SJ: If you could have written any British rock song in history — just one — what would it be and why?

TW: Well, you said ‘rock’, so that nixes ‘Yesterday.’ Probably either ‘Live Forever’- just the quintessential Britpop anthem-or anything off Dark Side of the Moon. Greatest album of all time.

SJ: Dream gig. Paint us the picture. Where is it, what’s the venue, who else is on the bill, and what does that night look like?

TW: We love listening to First Wave on Sirius. So, if we can get that wanker Richard Blade to add us to one of his festivals, that would be pretty cool. The line-up wouldn’t matter, as by the time it happens, the bands we love will most likely be dead. We’ve gotten tons of requests to play in the U.K., so we’re currently working on it.

SJ: Your setlist spans decades of Brit rock from The Smiths and Echo and the Bunnymen all the way through to Coldplay. How do you decide what makes the cut, and is there a song you’ve been dying to add but haven’t tackled yet?

TW: It’s interesting. Our set is usually comprised of what we call “Britpop Lite.” Most American audiences aren’t familiar with the hardcore Britpop bands, i.e., Pulp, Travis, Stone Roses, etc., so we rely heavily on the ‘beyond’ part of our name; Echo, Smiths, Cure, Depeche, etc. Mostly new wave with a bit of Oasis, Blur, Coldplay, etc, thrown in. We pretty much planned for this since day one, so if we play to a room full of ex-pats, we can flip the switch and do a Britpop-heavy set. But most nights, we lean on the ‘beyond’, as our job is to cater to the crowd in front of us. As far as adding songs, one of the great things about this band is that everyone is open to trying anything anyone else wants. No egos. If Hellie (bass) suggests a song that I can’t stand, I’m still willing to try it. Then I kill it after.

SJ: Tribute bands can sometimes get a bad rap, seen as imitations rather than artistry. How do you respond to that, and what do you think The Wankers bring to the table that goes beyond just covering songs?

TW: Funny, when I was on the original scene, I used to think the same thing about cover bands. These days, I don’t give a shit what anyone says. What’s wrong with a bunch of people celebrating the legacy and repertoire of bands that were/are the soundtracks to their lives? Music is the one thing that brings us all together. No matter our differences. Having said that, I’m not joking when I say many of our fans tell us we play Oasis better than Oasis. Plus, we’re not dodgy sticks in the mud like those two geezers. I’d like to take this moment to put out an open invitation to the Brothers Gallagher; Anytime they want to see how to make their songs the best they can be, feel free to come to a Wankers show.

SJ: The Brit rock era, you celebrate Oasis, Blur, Radiohead, Supergrass, was such a culturally specific moment in time. Why do you think that music still resonates so strongly with audiences today, especially American ones?

TW: It’s music back when music had balls. Before AI, DJs and TikTok ‘Jazz hands’ ruined it for everyone over the age of 12. And it’s ridiculously fun. When we see twenty-somethings at our shows singing Wonderwall at the top of their lungs, we know their parents did a good job.

SJ: If The Wankers could share a stage with any one of the original artists you cover, living or otherwise, who would it be and what would that moment mean to you?

TW: Obviously, Oasis. So we could show them how to play their songs.

SJ: You’ve got an upcoming gig at Daryl’s House in Pawling, NY, on May 28. What can fans expect from the setlist that night? Any surprises in store?

TW: There are always surprises. The one thing about a Wankers show: most tribute acts come out, play their songs, say ‘thank you’, then leave. The audience stays seated pretty much the entire night. A Wankers show is a totally immersive experience. By our second or third song, there’s usually a mosh pit of fifty-somethings letting loose to The Smiths, completely ignoring the incessant beeping coming from their glucose meters. Which is why we move the tables downstage before every show and keep paramedics on hand. I’d like to apologize in advance to all the tossers in the back who’ll be sitting for the duration of our show, as they probably won’t be able to see a thing over all those dancing wankers.