DAN DONEGAN Talks FIGHT OR FLIGHT, Future Of DISTURBED

Jason Tanamor of Zoiks! Online recently interviewed DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan about Dan's new project FIGHT OR FLIGHT. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Zoiks! Online: You're best known for the band DISTURBED. DISTURBED is currently on hiatus. Your side project is called FIGHT OR FLIGHT with DISTURBED member Mike Wengren. How did this project come together, specifically regarding the non-DISTURBED members?

Donegan: I had really no intention in forming a band, really to be honest with you. I was speaking with Dan Chandler from EVANS BLUE and we talked about maybe collaborating and trying to write a couple songs together and before I knew it we had a lot more than just a couple songs. It just kind of evolved from there and at that point I said, "Hey, let's get Mike in here and go track some drums and make an album."

Zoiks! Online: How did you come up with the name FIGHT OR FLIGHT?

Donegan: Once we established that we were excited about the material and wanted to put it out and tour and make this another band, we had to come up with something. I was just thinking about it one day… actually my wife suggested it to me. She said, "What about FIGHT OR FLIGHT?" And then like two days later I was watching an episode of "Dexter" and Dexter had said it in there. I got all superstitious because I get crazy like that and thought it was a sign because I heard it twice in a matter of days. [laughs] And tying that in, most bands out there know that you have to be a fighter in this industry. Bands are driven out of passion and they go out there even if it's only to make enough money to make it to the next town. You just continue fighting; you never give up on that.

Zoiks! Online: I would be remiss if I didn't ask about DISTURBED returning. As of today, is there any news on when the band will start recording again?

Donegan: Unfortunately, not. I don't want to disappoint DISTURBED fans, but truthfully, as long as a career as we've had, we're very fortunate and we appreciate the fans and we feel very close and connected to them and I just need to be really honest with them and say that there has been nothing talked about at all. I know we ended things with people assuming that nobody is leaving DISTURBED, nobody's quitting and it's not done, but on the other hand, nobody is really rushing to get back to it either.

Zoiks! Online: I only bring that up because I read an open letter you wrote to fans. I'm sure you got a huge response because it appeared that DISTURBED was taking a hiatus but then here you all are starting different bands so it kind of sent mixed signals. Do you see a lot of upset fans finally coming around to embrace the new project?

Donegan: I totally understand how some of the fans could get a mixed reaction or be disappointed or upset because I would be the same way [laughs] if it was one of the bands I was into and wanting it, but we all agreed in DISTURBED that we wanted to take a break from each other, a break from the routine, but not necessarily take a break from making music or doing different things. We didn't want to become predictable with DISTURBED and it started to feel like an assembly line with the music — not predictable with the music but predictable of our moves. We would write, record, do an album, come out, do the big summer tours, which was a great and awesome stepping stone throughout our career, but I think everyone knew that, "OK, it's going to be DISTURBED doing this and DISTURBED doing that," and we just wanted to break up that feeling of punching the clock. However long that takes — whether it's a year or two, or five or 10 — I have no idea. I'd like to think that if you talked to us all individually we'd all say the same thing that, yes, some day we do plan on doing DISTURBED again. If anything, the fans can look forward to an optimistic response to it. Until then, we're just fulfilling our needs with other things.

Read the entire interview at Zoiks! Online.