Screen Name?  daveh1701. The 1701 part comes from being and old fan of Star Trek!

And what is your real name? Dave.

Where are you from?  I was born in the Steel City of Sheffield (South Yorkshire) in 1968. Moved to Leeds (West Yorkshire) in 1991 and have been here ever since.

Please tell us a little more about yourself (Job, hobbies, etc.):  I work for the NHS at St James’ Hospital in a small department called the Equipment Pool. The job involves supplying Medical Infusion Devices, a variety of Medical Gasses and stock for Crash Trolleys to the whole site….which is huge.

I am attempting to make a living from photography. I’d love to make it all from photographing gigs and bands but there is no money in it so I am concentrating on weddings at the moment. In the last few days I actually launched a “basic” website (www.davidharrisonphotography.co.uk) to try and get a little more work.

When I’m not at work or editing photographs I love sports but only as a fan, I’m very unfit. I love films and TV series and due to the hours I work my wife and I regularly watch TV until around 4am (every night) Lastly I love my music, once again only as a fan, I can’t play an instrument to save my life. Going to a concert is always a highlight for me but recently I have had to pick and choose who I see more carefully as it can get very expensive. Oh, I love going to Las Vegas!!

How/when and why did you get into L.A. Guns?  I was an original fan (not bragging) I bought L.A Guns on vinyl within a couple of months of its release. It was actually an ex-girlfriend who introduced me to the band, playing me Sex Action one weekend in 88. I got into the band for one reason, the first album was awesome! (I also loved the cover) The first album was released as rock music was coming into it’s own with the likes of Guns n Roses, Motley Crue, Poison all making an impact . To me L.A Guns had that extra edge over all their counterparts. The sound was raw, the image was so cool and the band just had that “we’re from Hollywood” aura.

What is your favourite song/album?  I always thought that the first album would always be my favourite but now I would have to say it is Tales From The Strip. I remember buying it thinking it would be either fantastic or awful….it was one of those rare times that within minutes of loading up the CD and pressing play I knew the album was a classic. It is also one of the few albums I play regularly where I don’t skip over tracks, there are no fillers. My favourite song would be between two and I can’t decide so I’ll have both. Electric Gypsy and Electric Neon Sunset.

What is your favourite art work/cover out of the entire L.A. Guns catalogue?  Has to be L.A Guns. The shield cover is an icon to me. It reminds me of better days (things are great now) when I might hear my favourite bands on the radio or catch a video on TV (I’m talking mainstream stations….no way would I ever see an L.A Guns video on the BBC these days)

Now share your favourite L.A. Guns story/memory, please:  It would have to be from a gig back in 2001 at Bradford Rio. I hadn’t seen the band for years….possibly 10. The evening of the gig I thought “F*** It”, I’m gonna dress in all my old rock gear, which hadn’t seen the light of day for years. I used to have long hair but by 2001 it had all gone and so had my “rock look” so getting the old clothes out was a big deal.

I pulled on my red and black lace spandex, tight ripped jeans over the top and then my boots on the outside of the jeans. I then pulled on my 1988 tour shirt and a tassled leather jacket….I felt like an idiot.

After the show I took the T-shirt off to get it signed. As soon as Phil saw it, it was as if he had found a long lost brother. He grabbed the shirt and shouted to Tracii and Steve to come and see it. They all hugged me and thanked me like I was an old friend….it was great.

Also………last September I’d seen the band in Leeds and had some good pictures. I printed a few and took them to the Manchester gig a couple of days later. I handed Phil the one I wanted him to sign and he went nuts. He actually asked me if he could have it. One of my biggest heroes is asking me if he can have MY picture. Naturally I said yes but only if he got Steve to sign a pic (he wasn’t coming out after the show) The deal was done and to make things even better a few days later that same picture was the avatar on the bands myspace page, I was thrilled!!

What other bands do you like?  Queensryche, Tesla, Tyketto, Rammstein, Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold, Love/Hate, Dokken, Vain, Hanoi Rocks, Danger Danger, Electric Boys, Dan Reed, Alice in Chains, Marillion, Pink Floyd, Thin Lizzy, Jorn, WASP, Bonfire, Enuff z Nuff, White Lion, Ratt, Scorpions, Wig Wam, The Cult, Velvet Revolver, Stone Temple Pilots, Van Halen (Roth), Linkin Park, 30 Seconds to Mars and so on…….

Have you ever met any "celebrities"?  I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many members from the bands listed above so I won’t bother with names. Outside the music world I have met a few English sportsmen but I doubt most board members would have heard of them. If I could meet anyone it would be Johnny Depp!

What is /are your favourite book(s)?  The honest truth is that if you don’t count books I had to read at school (Macbeth and The Mayor of Casterbridge) I have only read one book. I doubt anyone will have heard of it though, it’s called Snake Eyes and is by a fella called Stacey Blades.

And which is/are your favourite movie(s)?  I own many hundreds of films so this is a tough one. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, 12 Angry Men, The Thing, Shawshank Redemption, anything with Johnny Depp, Minority Report, The Shining, A Few Good Men, Crimson Tide (most Denzel Washington films) Alien and Aliens. I’ll leave it there…..too many more to choose from.

Any famous last words?   Thanan

And now on to the questions the board members have for our Fan of the Month:

soundfx:
Okay Dave, I wanted to ask you, being from the UK - have you ever met Phil, or do you know anybody that has. 
Or have you ever run into anybody that knew Phil back in the Girl/Tormé days or heard any stories we on the board might not know of Phil in his early UK days?

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Phil and the rest of the band several times. With the exception of the very 1st time I saw the band (1989 I think) the guys have always spent time chatting and having a drink with the fans. I never got into Girl, not through disliking them, simply through not hearing them. I have no doubt there are many juicy stories from Phil’s Girl days, alas I don’t know them.

Also - ever been to one of those crazy football (aka soccer) games where the crowd goes bananas?  That looks like a trip and proves without a doubt that the UK is pretty heavy duty.

Years ago I used to go to a lot of matches but these days not so much (I’d rather spend my money on a concert) The team I support are called Sheffield Wednesday and in the days before standing at matches was banned it could get pretty crazy. Sometimes back then I’d compare it to being at the front of a Hanoi Rocks concert when they played Up Around The Bend.

phryque:
why oh why do the ppl from the UK like beans in red sauce so much?!?!?

Because they just taste so nice!!!!. Are they an English thing?? I’d always thought you could get them everywhere.

oh, I really need to know this (I'm wondering about that for so long): Why do english streets often have so little (to none) trees?!?!?!?

I suppose that all depends which streets you are on. I’d guess that some of it is due to the fact that there are so many people trying to squeeze into a small island. When a lot of houses were built after the war I’d guess that many many trees were felled to make way for the buildings. In the “nicer” areas of our cities the streets are always lined with trees.

Zac:
So Dave, I would like to know if you - being a rock fan - never felt the need of having a rock band or play any instrument?

I never had the patience to learn to play guitar. I’ve owned 3 (including a nice BC Rich Warlock) but never got to grips with it. I’m one of those that must do things very well and because I didn’t put enough time into learning I was always crap, so I gave up. I always saw myself as lead singer but although I can hold a tune my voice isn’t powerful enough to sound convincing on stage.

Plus:
2.What is the thing that you love most in LAG besides their music?

The whole package. I love how the band treat their fans, I love their attitude, image….all of it. Not many bands that I know of meet their fans after every show and also take an active interest in their forum. Maybe part of it is also the LA/Hollywood/Sunset Stip connection. I just loved the days when Kerrang was full of sleazy LA bands and LA Guns were and still are the best.

Kinda cliché but surely is fun to answer:
3. If you found a bag with 5 million dollars what was the first thing that you will do?

Get on a flight to Las Vegas ( I’d only blow a bit of the money but I love the place and I’d be there in a flash)


LadyJayne:
my questions are:

You are a photographer  ....it's only a passion or it's your "real" job? 

A bit of both, it’s always been a passion but over the last year I have started photographing weddings. My dream is to be a gig photographer…but it’s hard. I reckon I have around 25,000 concert pictures!!

Do you have visited Italy? 

Not only have I never visited Italy, I have never visited Europe. There is no good reason why, I just haven’t. I’d love to visit many places that have a good history. Places such a Florence and Venice

MissMaritha:
What is your favorite place in the UK? And why?

Scarborough. For those who don’t know it’s a small coastal town on the East coast. All of my childhood holidays were there and I still love it to this day.

I also love Scotland but don’t get much chance to visit. London is fascinating but is soooo big and soooo crowded in the tourist areas.

UncleFestersChildren:
Will you ever visit America again and if so, where would you go?

I’ll be touching down in America at about 6pm on May 19th next year. My wife and I try to visit America once a year but because we have ploughed all our money into my photography and her side business (permanent cosmetics) we have had to miss a couple of years.