Handsome Dick Manitoba, the leather-lunged dynamo who fronted The Dictators with a ferocity that could melt steel, is still tearing up the stage like a hurricane on a rampage.

With a history steeped in punk rock glory and a voice that could set fire to a freight train, Manitoba isn’t just performing—he’s leading a sonic blitzkrieg. For decades, this guy’s been the punk rock pirate king, steering the ship through wild seas, be it on stage, on the airwaves, or behind the bar at his legendary NYC tavern. The Dictators were the original wrecking crew of punk, slashing through the ’70s music scene with the subtlety of a sledgehammer and a sneer that left its mark on every stage they obliterated. They weren’t just a band; they were a gang of rock ‘n’ roll marauders, flipping the bird to the mainstream and carving out a legend with every snarling riff.

“Breaking away from the norm”

You’ve been igniting stages with your punk rock legacy for decades. What keeps you motivated and energized to continue touring and performing?

Richard “Handsome Dick” Manitoba: It’s really sort of a simplistic answer. It’s something I do, and it’s something that gives me great joy.

I love music. I get a chance to entertain people with music. I love connecting with an audience, with a back-and-forth sometimes that’s almost like comedy. That makes me very excited, and it’s one of the main things that thrills me about being alive and breathing without an external apparatus.

The Dictators have left an indelible mark on punk rock history. How do you feel your music has evolved over the years, and what elements of punk do you still hold dear to your heart?

Basically, it’s like anything that you do for years and years and years—if your craft doesn’t get better, then what are you doing? So just by doing it, working on it, caring about it, your craft will get better. Your music will get better.

I don’t believe that any one genre means the same thing to everyone. People say, “rock ‘n’ roll, that’s a rock ‘n’ roll band.” No, it’s not. “That’s a hard rock band, that’s a punk band.” No, it’s not, that’s a hardcore band. It doesn’t really matter; only what you believe matters. What you think punk always meant to me was breaking away from the norm, in a sense, from those big bands playing Madison Square Garden that had no rock ‘n’ roll soul to them. We like to think of ourselves as an answer to that. We like to think of ourselves as being funny and outrageous and pushing things a little more to the edge. Although we weren’t known as a political band, we had a social/political aspect to us, a snottiness and know-it-all attitude that I think made us a punk band. I don’t think we would be considered the quintessential punk band, but I thought we were a punk band nevertheless.

Your tour promises to be electrifying. What can fans expect from your live performances, especially those who might be experiencing your music for the first time?

The same qualities we’ve always had. I get ready to go on stage, and that’s when it hits—adrenaline, the great rock ‘n’ roll drug of them all. Once I’m up there on stage, I get so excited. I look at the people’s faces—more often than not, happy faces, having a few drinks, ready to have a great time—and we are there to deliver. It’s just a physical thing that comes flying the fuck out.

You’ve had an illustrious career spanning multiple decades. Are there any standout moments or performances that hold a special place in your heart? Could you share one with us?

Well, one time Bruce Springsteen was playing the Palladium in New York City. He finished his 2 1/2 hour concert, went off stage, got ready to do an encore, came back on stage having changed into a Dictators T-shirt, and dedicated ‘Born to Run’ to HD and the boys!

We love the fact that the girl who won a contest called the Ms. All Bare America pageant, in which the Dictators were the house band—we love the fact that two weeks after we played this concert, the winner came up on stage at CBGB, pulled up her shirt, pulled down her pants, and was naked on stage. That was a good one.

In addition to your musical career, you’ve also run your own tavern in New York City and hosted a radio program. How have these experiences influenced your approach to music and performance?

Well, my bar was basically a rock ‘n’ roll clubhouse.

People would come from Texas, California, England—pretty much all over the globe—into my little shithole rock ‘n’ roll bar with 80 pictures nailed into the wall, and inevitably they would comment that this reminded them of their hometown tavern where they hung out.

That gave me a real-life chance to be on stage, entertain people, tell stories, and connect with people without being on stage.

The radio job was completely different from anything I had ever done. It was basically me in a telephone booth with a bunch of machinery around me, but mentally I knew I was connecting with people all over the country—four hours a night, five nights a week, for 14 years. I was connecting with people, but I’m used to seeing them. That was what was different about radio—I couldn’t see them, but I got used to it, and I learned how to do the Handsome Dick Manitoba version of radio, played amazing music, told stories, had a lot of fun, and got paid well.

Your bandmates for this tour hail from diverse musical backgrounds. How does this eclectic mix contribute to the dynamic energy of your live shows?

One door closed with the ex-members, and it seems like a bad thing, but what I learned is that when something ends, it doesn’t mean it’s the end. It means you move on, and in this case, another door opened. And they’re not all that eclectic to me. What I love about this band is that everybody has a really distinct style, is really talented, and physically exciting. So, it makes the band different in that way, and after all these years, you know what? Different is good.

Punk rock is often associated with rebellion. How do you see the role of punk music in today’s society, and what message do you hope to convey through your performances?

I don’t personally believe we are the epitome of rebelliousness. If we are pushing boundaries and being rebellious, it’s because our music is different, outrageous, funny, and crazy in an entertaining way. I don’t know the role of punk in today’s society—I really have no idea how to answer that question. What we convey to our audiences is: go to work, come on down to the show, have a couple of drinks, come up front, let us play our music for you. Let us get you excited as only rock ‘n’ roll can. Let’s throw some barbs back and forth with each other, laugh, and have some fun. It’s entertainment, baby, it’s entertainment.

Klemen Breznikar

Headline photo: The Dictators promotional photo

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