Let me tell you something, daddy-o, I’ve seen lots of rock and punk bands but none with the heart of The Dictators. These guys play music with a fervor usually reserved for teengenerate garage bands, not a band in its third decade of kicking ass.

The Dictators are better than ever and have not mellowed with age, as the twisted lyrics of “Burn Baby Burn” and its politically incorrect stance on eating meat, or their latest tribute to NYC, “Avenue A,” attest. These are men on a mission, and even as they ask the musical question who will save rock and roll, the answer becomes clear. The Dictators will.

They are the guardians of the three chords and the energy and verve which they impart into their music have finally made them the critic’s darlings. Their latest, DFFD, has scored incredible reviews all over the world and the CD has seen da boys from the Bronx come full circle.

After inspiring hundreds of wannabes with the sonic fury of The Dictators Go Girl Crazy, Manifest Destiny and Bloodbrothers, they have returned with their greatest record to date, DFFD. But this is not just another punk reunion act looking to cash in. They are the whole f’n show. Where others are content to rest on their laurels, The Dictators boldly tread on new ground with the screaming dual guitar attack of Ross The Boss and Scott “Top 10” Kempner. Songwriter/bassist Andy Shernoff still has a lot to say, even if it has taken 23 years between studio LPs to say it.

Shernoff’s first flirtation with rock writing came during his high school days when he struck up correspondences with his favorite rock critics, eventually leading him to publish the legendary fanzine Teenage Wasteland Gazette, which reviewed fictional bands and featured articles from rock notables that were too out there for even Creem Magazine.

Eventually, he decided to make music - not just write about it - and teamed up with his college pals Ross The Boss and Top 10. After going through some 50 names including Beat The Meatles, Cancer of The Penis, Vomit On The Nuns, Tommy The Truck and The Fabulous Moolah, they settled on The Dictators.

“We wanted to be a ‘the’ band,” Shernoff explains. “There was a period where bands had names like Yes or Kansas, all those lame 70s bands we all hated, so we wanted to be a traditional band. The great bands we liked were all ‘the’ bands, ya know, like The Beatles, The MC5, The Kinks, The Byrds, The Who. We wanted to be in that tradition. We’re a classic rock band, which is three chord guitar rock, always emphasizing a good guitar riff, Ross’ solos and a catchy chorus.”

Shernoff’s warped sense of humor is apparent in his songwriting, but he is quick to state the band was not a joke, there was something deeper there. Some was tongue in cheek but they were all blessed with the convictions of a man who wanted to carve his name in the sun. “I think it’s a little more sophisticated, in particular, like every song besides having its silly front had something serious behind it,” Shernoff explains. “Every song was communicating something, an idea or an emotion. ‘The Next Big Thing’ was funny but it was really about ambition. There was something there; it was about something. It was about an emotion and humor was just a way of communicating.

“I always thought that people like songs for the music but love them for the lyrics. For some reason, our songs have lived on with the fans and we have expanded our audience ’cause we have been playing live.”

The early part of The Dictators career was marred by disappointments, both in sales and in management choices. Their first record came out to a total non-reaction. “There was no MTV yet, there was no Ramones, no Nirvana, CBGB’s was just starting to have a few bands but there was no regular schedule. Patti Smith and Television had played there and we just sort of stopped playing,” Shernoff recalls. “Then the other guys started to get back together but I was reluctant to get back. They got another bass player, Mark ‘The Animal’ Mendoza was the guy. I forget exactly where he came from. Eventually, I rejoined, Mark left the band and joined Twisted Sister and I went back to bass. A short story…”

By 1978, the band, frustrated from years of touring and not receiving their due, broke up shortly after the release of the scorching Bloodbrothers LP. Shernoff and the guitar duo tried to make a go of it as the Rhythm Dukes, but without charismatic frontman “Handsome” Dick Manitoba, the magic had been lost.

After several years of drifting in and out of various projects, they finally decided to give it another shot in 1981. But again, they were stifled by management difficulties and a protracted legal battle prevented the band from moving forward for several more years - unless they were willing to pay a large settlement to the managers.

Most of the band preferred to sit out the waiting period before reforming or starting new projects. Ross The Boss, however, finally got the chance to explore his heavy metal roots in Manowar after EMI agreed to pay off his contract.

The band continued to play on and off over the years with various members drifting in and out of the lineup as their solo careers and producing duties allowed. Shernoff started a band called the Bel-Aires and began a new career traveling worldwide to produce new bands.

“I was never happy with The Dictators records,” he explains. “I had this vision and I was frustrated. How come I can’t get it to sound like I want on a record? So I just sorta got involved, worked in recording studios and learned how to do it. I made a lot of records over the years - no million sellers, again a lot more success in Europe, but I don’t really do it that much anymore.”

Meanwhile, Ross The Boss had left Manowar and rejoined his old pals Shernoff and Manitoba for the classic 1989 record by Manitoba’s Wild Kingdom, And You. This CD received a great deal of college airplay but strangely, the band never really toured to promote the record. Instead, they preferred to hang around their old stomping grounds in their favorite city - New York, New York.

During this stretch, Top 10’s working man’s band The Del-lords released several records and he even recorded a solo LP before coming back into the Dictators fold.

The band reunited for good in 1995 when a Spanish promoter saw the band at their “last show ever.” “We played a show at CBGB’s and there was a Spanish promoter there. He said, ‘Hey, why don’t you guys come do some shows in Spain?’” Shernoff recalls. “We went and it was a really successful tour. We were shocked. We were playing these little towns to bigger audiences then we had in America.”

But with the current gravitation towards all things New York rock and roll, should Shernoff really be so surprised by The Dictators’ resurgence in popularity? During these hectic times, songs penned in the 70s still offer elements to which people can relate. “Here [are] songs I wrote when I was 19-20 years old - 25-27 years ago - and we still have 18-year-old kids wanting to hear them, so something’s communicated. They are not all across the board hits but the purpose of art is to communicate and my songs communicate in their own small way. It’s satisfying. We haven’t struck it rich but the bills are paid.”

The following year, The Dictators were asked once again to return to Europe, this time playing to rock hungry audiences in Sweden and Scandinavia. The crowd reaction of these overseas gigs was so intense, Shernoff states that the band almost has carte blanche to play there as often as they’d like.

“We make more money over there; we’re mainstream over there, if that makes sense,” he states. “There’s a Spanish magazine, Popular #1, the biggest rock mag in Spain, and they have their polls. The Dictators are the eighth most popular group and Ross is the ninth most popular guitar player and when the writers picked their favorite records, eight picked DFFD as their number one album of the year.

“It’s different, we’re looked on in a different way. Here in America we’re a cult band. You know, I can relate to those jazz guys that were popular in Europe but never made it big over here. Of course we’d love to be bigger in America, but it’s harder in America. Those countries are smaller and you can concentrate your energies. Here, the audience is more jaded.”

Since then, it has been nonstop The Dictators as the voracious demand in Europe for the band has seen them release a new CD, DFFD, on their own label, Dictators Multimedia, several 45s and rerelease a pair of their 1970s full lengths.

“We started playing more and more and you gotta keep doing new songs,” Shernoff states. “The first time we went to Spain, the promoter wanted us to make a vinyl single to help promote the tour. He was going to get us on the radio and then next year we went over he said do another song and we did that. Ya know, we couldn’t just do old songs. To make it interesting, you gotta do new songs and we just said hey let’s do another record. It ended up being more difficult then you could ever imagine, because I hated it when bands would do these reunion tours and reunion records and they always stink, right down the line. I can’t think of a good one… Honestly, please if somebody knows of a good one, let me know. I’m always willing to be informed. They were great back in their time, but when they reformed they stink. I didn’t want to do that.”

The Dictators are so popular in Spain that there have been two tribute compilations of Dictators classics recorded by bands as diverse as the Fleshtones, Mad Daddys, Electric Frankenstein and the Hellacopters.

The current year has seen the band at their best as they have played their longest American tour in over two decades, allowing fans that had never expected to roll in the thunder to experience the glory that is The Dictators.

“I think we’re better [now, as compared to the 1970s incarnation],” Shernoff says. “I hate to toot my own horn, but I think we play better, have a better show, better songs and I think our new record is our best yet.”

When asked about the motivation for the recent tours, Shernoff replies, “Well, look, obviously money plays a role, if we weren’t getting paid we wouldn’t be doing it, but I feel we have to protect our legacy and it’s always fun. It’s not like we are on the road for 260 days a year. We’re on the road for 30 days a year.”

And it ain’t over yet as the tour continued in August with their first visit to Australia and New Zealand as well as a triumphant return to Spain where they co-headlined the Serie-Z music festival. The band has also recorded several smokin’ sets in the past few months for a possible live CD.

This is a band in its prime, not just a pale retread from the 70s. The Dictators finally have the creative control they craved for years and it shows. DFFD showcases all the sides of the group as they tear through 12 readymade classics, effortlessly blending genres to create the distinctive Dictators sound.

Finally, it seems the stars are in alignment as this self produced and released inferno of sound stomps a new mudhole through the overproduced slush called rock today.

“Our only problem is that we are our own record company and distribution is a little harder,” Shernoff says regarding the latest release. “We don’t have any power to get our CDs into stores but we make more per record sold. I know what other bands have sold … but they never see the money. They get the advance and that’s it. We are at a level of bands of our ilk. All the bands that are our contemporaries, we’re doing as well and we make more money because we have our own label. But it’s a lot of work.”

Ross the Boss is only now getting his due as one of the best rock guitarists ever and DFFD has found a permanent home in many CD players. The band also has a great website at thedictators.com where fans can find out about upcoming releases and tour dates. There are even plans to finally release some of the demos which have circulated among die-hard fans for years in a special package, probably with Rhino Handmade.

“We got a bunch of stuff in the can, demos, out takes from the LPs,” Shernoff states. “It will all come out, like “16 Forever,” “Backseat Boogie,” “America the Beautiful.”

Regarding future recording projects, Shernoff laughingly states it will be “20 years more” before the next record comes out. “It’s hard writing new songs now,” he says. “You know, we’re adults, we have lives and we are not little kids. It’s hard to write songs and organize everything. I never thought this one would be this hard. Of course we recorded more songs then we used and some never made it to the recording stage. The record is coming out in Australia with a bonus track, ‘Sonic Reducer.’ We just wanted it to be a great record and I think we made a great one. To come up with another one would be tough. The Dictators wouldn’t be around unless there was an audience. We are pretty thankful we have that audience.”

With 30 years of history under their collective belts and chapters of worldwide tour stories lodged into their collective minds, The Dictators believe that their legend is still growing. Is it time to chronicle their exploits for posterity? Ask Shernoff.

“I don’t know. We’ll see,” he says. “The story’s not done yet. It ain’t time for the book, there’s more stuff coming. We’ll be surviving. We were never the big drug band or the trendy band, we’re just out there doing what we do.”