There are about 9 million people in the United States that consume raw milk and one of those people is Dan Deacon. Although he's generally better known for his fuckedup pilly-peppy pop songs or for being the dude from Baltimore that stopped the show three times to curate some dance routine than he is for his dairy preferences, we decided it still might be fun to ask him some questions about his unpasteurized milk.
How did you first get into raw milk? Where did you first hear about it and how did you figure out where to buy it?
My friend Ben O'Brien from Show Beast and Wham City Comedy Tour fame introduced me to it. I would order it through him and pick it up from him.
Cow-shares are the only legal way to purchase raw dairy in Maryland, right? Are you a member of one? How has that experience been?
Cow-shares are rad, but I seek wares through more secret means.
Do you keep up on any of the legal battles facing raw dairy producers and distributors? The food co-op raids and, more recently, Wisconsin farmer Vernon Hershberger facing up to two and a half years in prison?
Yes, I try to blast them out on Twitter as I see them. It's insane how I can buy whiskey, cigarettes and pesticides, but I can't buy milk that hasn't been to a factory. It's totally insane.
What's your take on the FDA and the harassment of small dairy famers?
It's all a way to scare people and to keep all of the attention in the media on how it's dangerous. That way people will go on buying that shit they call milk at the store from the massive corporate dairy industry.
Do you think it's a matter of protecting the public or protecting industrial dairy?
The FDA has one goal and that is to regulate commerce, it doesn't give a shit about public safety, that's a load of shit. The dairy industry is a massive beast and like all massive beast industries, it doesn't want any competition and it doesn't want to get fucked with by the little guy or to be undermined by the growing grassroots movements/awareness.
Do you ever buy raw dairy on tour? Is it easier to find in Europe? I could usually find some raw cheese, but could never get my hands on raw milk on tour.
I've gotten it on tour a few times, mainly in California. But it's insanely expensive out there when you buy it in a store. Europe is often just as hard unless you already know a spot. It's better for cheese but not so much for milk.
Are you into any other “politically incorrect” foods? Organ meats or coconut oil or anything?
I have a lot of battles with food and addiction. I go through periods where I only eat raw and sustainable and direct from the farm and I also go through dark periods where I treat my body like a landfill and fuck it with a thousand snacks of shit. I'm on the upswing of a more healthy period, getting ready for the big tours this fall and winter.
Dan Deacon's newest record, America, will be released by Domino August 28. This is the first single, “Lots”.
