Dan Pifer is the handsome and always popular bassist for GSW. Here in his own words is...

All About Dan

I first began to play music when I took up the alto saxophone at the age often. I played throughout junior high and high school. I played in the school band, jazz band, marching band,and pit orchestras as they came along. In about ninth grade [age thirteen] I joined my first band playing the bass guitar. Not that I knew anything about the bass, but I wanted to hang out with these guys because they were really cool and smoked pot. So I learned by listening to records - mainly classic rock stuff like Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Beatles, and so on. We played our first gig at the Westport Youth Center and I got to sing 'The Night Before' by The Beatles. Many illustrious shows followed , but the band dissolved as we entered high school due to 'creative differences'. In high scool I played in a variety of bands. One of these was an 80's pop/new wave cover band called Psuedo Bleu fronted by Carry Pierce from the band JackoPierce. Carry and I lost touch after high scool but we've played some gigs together in recent years, and we always reminisce about our high school days. Around this time I was in another cover band called The Acquaintances, whose lead singer was named Jen Durkin. I recently discovered that she is now the singer for a band called Deep Banana Blackout. There were a few others but I can't remember too much about them.

After high school , I entered the music program at N.Y.U. This was to appease my folks who insisted that I receive some sort of college education. Because there was little else I enjoyed in high school, we compromised on music school. I still have mixed feelings about this decision. I originally told my parents that all I needed to get an education in music was an apartment in New York City and a small stipend, and I still feel that I probably would have learned more by just diving in to the music scene than by 'studying music'. On the other hand, I probably wouldn't have met the band and a lot of other people who I'm still friends with. Ultimately, my parents decided that I was too immature to be trusted on my own, and they were probably right. During my freshman year I got a part time job at a small recording studio near Times Square called Sounds of Joy. I met a guy there, named Ed Kleefield, who was doing some demos. I successfully auditioned for his band, and got my N.Y.C. debut at the Chippendales night club in the fall of 1986. We performed in some strange 'battle of the bands' contest which we lost. I think we played one or two more gigs and then broke up for some reason I can't remember. Later on that year I met Lo through a drummer who lived in our dormitory. We all jammed together, and though things didn't work out with him, Lo and I began hanging out and playing Lo's early songs like Imogene and Electrocute with these two German guys named Arno and Enno in the basement of a Columbia University fraternity house. However, they soon had to leave the country when their visas ran out, so we began jamming with Lo's childhood friend, Tomo. Every week we'd throw our amps in Lo's bug and drive down to Tomo's farm house in New Jersey to play. Eventually, we met Aaron at the Manhattan School of Music where Lo and I had transfered after my freshman year. Jon was the new roommate of my roommates from freshman year. He played keyboards and seemed like a nice enough guy so we asked him to join the band. My job at the recording studio provided us with a late-night rehearsal space and in the fall of 1988 we played our first shows.

VITAL STATISTICS:

Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 155 lbs
Eyes: blue
Hair: brown
Date Of Birth: November 26, 1968
Astrological Sign: Sagittarius
Where you were born: Norwalk, Ct.
Where you grew up: Westport, Ct.
Nickname: Sweets

READERS WANT TO KNOW:

Strangest God Street show ever? ....The Marquee Theater in Norwalk, Connecticut, Thanksgiving weekend, November 1993. My parents and a lot of friends from high school were in the audience and the combination of circumstances just kind of blew me away. Our road manager at the time, Eddie Ryan, pulled off a rather amazing feat during the show which probably shouldn't be discussed on such a wholesome web-page.
When not thinking about music....I like to hang out with my family and friends, go to the beach, snowboard, and go to the movies.
Who did you look up to as a kid?....My dad, Clint Eastwood, and the Beatles.
What is the best thing about being in GSW? That I get to play music for a living and don't have to drag my butt to a boring job that I hate.
If I wasn't in GSW....I'd be traveling around the world with a backpack.
Re Touring, Most People Don't Realize....that the concept of time doesn't exist when you're touring. It's like the theory of light speed travel. Everyone at home ages normally but when you return you're still the same age as when you left. I'm really about 22, and have been for years.
My Advice To Aspiring Musicians....would be to keep an open mind. When I was in music school I liked to think that good musicians and music were based on technical skill, but I've realized over the years that this is only one facet of musical expression. Many great songs have been written by people with little musical training--chops are not the be-all and end-all of good music.

FAVORITES:

MEALS: I guess pasta because I eat so much of it. My mom makes a mean Beef Wellington with roast potatoes which is definitely a favorite.
BEVERAGES: Cranberry and grapefruit juices. Strawberry/banana smoothies, and chocolate shakes. Coffee.
MOVIES: Dirty Harry, The Longest Yard, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Blazing Saddles, The Godfather I & II, Miller's Crossing, Brazil, Escape From New York, The Warriors.
TV SHOWS: Sunday NFL games, Seinfeld, Homicide, The Simpsons.
BOOKS: "All The Pretty Horses", "100 Years Of Solitude", "A Farewell To Arms", "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy".
PHILOSOPHER: C. G. Jung.
ALBUMS ROCK/POP: "Abbey Road", "Sgt. Pepper", "Animals", "Waiting For Columbus", "Who's Next", "What's Going On", "So", "Sticky Fingers", "Let It Bleed", "Houses Of The Holy", "Achtung Baby", "The Joshua Tree", "Motor Booty Affair", "In The Jungle Groove", "Moondance", "Odelay", "Love Deluxe".
ALBUMS, OTHER: Bunny Wailer "Blackheart Man", Bob Marley & The Wailers "Catch A Fire", B.B. King "Alive And Well", Miles Davis "Kind Of Blue", Debussy "Afternoon Of A Fawn", anything by George Jones.
GSW SONGS: Into the Sea, Nightingale, Epilog, Stranger, Maybe, Wall, Don't Speak Of These Things, Run To You, Crashing Down.
CURRENT BANDS: Pink Floyd, Tom Petty, The Stones, James Brown, P-Funk, Fun-Lovin' Criminals, Francis Dunnery, Allman Brothers, Black Crowes, Beck, Ominous Seapods.
SPORTS TEAMS: The Jets.
VIDEO GAME: "Cruisin' USA".

COMPLETELY TRIVIAL:

Wear to bed: Boxer shorts (and during the day).
Worst habit: Reminding people to do things when they don't need reminding. I usually get a response like, "Okay, Dad"....
Car: I borrow my Dad's Subaru station wagon occasionally.
Pets: I have no pets now, but I'd love to have a dog someday.
Medications: None.
Condoms: I like Sheik Ultra-Thin condoms, Lubricated.
Animal: I'd like to be an otter.
Unknown Talents: I can juggle a soccer ball (with my feet). I'm an OK golfer and a pretty good snowboarder.
Breakfast: Lately, a bowl of Sugar Corn Pops, coffee, fruit, orange juice, or sometimes just a bagel with butter.

PARTING PHILOSOPHY:

Enjoyment of life comes from paying attention to its details.