When Tom Cheshire, the man behind the Drinks With interviews asked me to join him at El Myr for a sit down with Dave Railey, the man behind Corndogorama, I figured I’d bear witness to a one of a kind conversation. There’s something undeniably surreal about the idea of throwing down shots and having a frank discussion regarding a festival dedicated to deep fried tube steak on a stick.

Besides, it’s always a privilege to hang out with someone as genuinely affable and down-to-earth as Railey.

Tom and I arrived at El Myr on a Friday late afternoon. I noticed Railey’s black cruiser bicycle with red rims parked next to the entrance. Inside, Railey sat having drinks with some friends at Table Two. He ordered a round of Jameson shots for me, and Tom, and himself. The following is a transcript of a conversation we had at El Myr, just prior to the three of us moving on to two distinct wine bars, and hours prior to Railey’s return to El Myr to pick up his bike. Rumor has it that Dave engaged in fisticuffs with a Mercedes Benz station wagon, which was parked outside El Myr. The car won, and the driver gave Dave, his bike and Tom a lift home.

Dry Ink: Let’s start by talking about the history of Corndogorama. How and when did it all begin?

Dave Railey: Hang on. Let’s actually start with these shots.

DI: Sounds good. Cheers.

DR: Alright, so the first Corndogorama took place at Dottie’s 12 years ago. It was a birthday party to me, from me. My band at the time played. We plastered the bar with Chinese decorations, and served up a shit ton of corndogs.

DI: Chinese decorations! I like your style

DR: Ha! Thanks. Yeah, it was a blast. So, we did it again the next year, and it just kept going from there.

DI: So, from Dottie’s, Corndogorama went to the EARL, correct? When did that happen? And could you talk about how it evolved from a birthday party to yourself to the festival it is today. I’m ready for a cider. You?

DR: I’ll take a PBR draft, thanks. We were at Dottie’s for the first four years, and then it simply outgrew the space. The EARL had just opened up. They were still working out those new establishment kinks, but we decided to take chance with it. And really, it’s just grown year after year to the point where I’ve actually had to go legit with it. Just last week I went before the Events Committee of the Neighborhood Planning Unit for the Fourth Ward. There was this Atlanta Police Department sergeant on the board. I can’t remember his name, but he had this burly mustache that curled at the tips. He was really fucking cool. I think he could tell we were prepared.

DI: That’s awesome. So if you’re not cool talking about this, we’ll move on. You were at the EARL for six years. It’s no secret in this town that your departure from the EARL wasn’t exactly on friendly terms. What happened?

DR: Oh, it’s fine. There’s an allegiance to EARL, and I understand it. They’ve got it going on. And I’m happy to say that Patrick and I have made a truce. We really couldn’t stay mad at one another. But the issue I had wasn’t with Patrick, but with a manager there who I felt had a different set of priorities for the festival than I did, or, rather, a different measuring stick for the success of it. To him, it had become a question of turnout. Period. And I understand that the venue wants to make some money. But for me, the emphasis needed be on the entertainment, and selecting bands that fit the lineup and the spirit of the festival.

DI: And what would you say is the spirit or heart of the festival?

DR: It’s really just a big party around some great music. We started introducing the fun stuff early on, like in year two or three. Most of it was thinking how you could have fun with beer drinking. Things like the 40-Yard Flip-Flop Dash, Bobbing for Sea Life, and the Cricket Crunch. Winners usually get a $50 bar tab or something similar. Oh, this year, there’s added incentive: The loser of the Cricket Crunch has to shave my back.

DI: Sounds like a Mexican standoff!

DR: And of course there’s the Corndog Queen, the corndog eating competition, and The Brothers Swinks Stunt Show. I think you can keep it that simple and still make money. But this manager at the EARL saw it differently. And then things started to get ugly between us. I guess I felt like, in order to keep Corndogorama true to what it had been all along, I had to take it elsewhere. Lenny’s had just moved to its new location and I talked to Bean about booking the festival there. He was really helpful. It was a homecoming, in a sense.
(Note: Until three years ago, Lenny’s occupied the space that was once home to Dottie’s)

DI: So, what do you think went well at Lenny’s last year, the first year there? What do you think you’ll improve upon this year? Because, honestly, and this is nothing personal, the bottleneck at the door and at the main bar last year was kind of a pain the ass.

DR: I really appreciate the feedback. We hope that we’ve addressed those crowd control issues this time. For what it’s worth, I got thrown off the door. I was letting too many people in for free.

DI: I totally remember seeing 18 strippers follow you in the side door.

DR: Huh?!

DI: I’m totally joking. But, seriously, I tried to get my dad in, but this angry Samoan was like “no way!” I got up in his face, I was like “what the heck!” I thought he was going to kick my ass. So I paid for Frankie.

DR: I have no idea…

DI: Let’s order another Jameson!

DR: Sounds good. Then we should go drink some wine. It’s on me.

DI: This interview is going much better than I could have imagined. So, you’ve been getting in to wine lately?

DR: Yes. My girlfriend and baby mama is from Germany. I’ve spent some time over there with her family. I started learning German, and I started learning wines. The thing I love about wine is that it’s all in your taste buds. It’s intangible, like music. I still have a lot to learn, but I think I have a pretty discerning pallet.

DI: Right on. You have a baby girl, right?

DR: Yep. She’s almost 16 months old. Her mom speaks German to her, so she’ll be bilingual, and she’ll have dual citizenship. She’s just starting to call me by name, too. She’ll reach out for me and try to say ‘Da-Da,’ but she kind of struggles with getting out the ‘D.’ And this is going to sound a little sappy, maybe, but we’ve all had some shots, and we’re here to talk about the festival, so fuck it. But being a dad, obviously, your perspective and your priorities change. And I’ve been thinking about how, for the past 12 years, the festival has been my baby. And I’m starting to feel like it can stand up on its own. I don’t know if that makes any sense.

DI: That’s not sappy in the least. And, truly man, big ups to fatherhood and to the success of the Corndogorama. It really has grown up.

DR: Thanks, but I feel like I should also say that I don’t want to take credit for the festival. It’s really not about me. I mean, last year, with the move and all that went with it, I really had to own it. But I think it went well enough that the festival owns itself. The people decide whether it’s good or not.

DI: Which acts are you particularly excited about?

DR: Definitely Zoroaster. Those guys work so fucking hard and they absolutely tear up the stage. And Dan Deacon is one of my favorites, so I’m stoked that he’ll be playing. The list goes on.

DI: One more question, and then let’s finish this round and go try some wine. What do you see as the future of Corndogorama?

DR: Well, obviously, I want to keep it at Lenny’s as long as they’ll have it there. But I’ve also been throwing ideas of taking it on the road, kind of like a touring entity. We’ll see. I’m always open to new options. As long as it stays fun and has a home.

DI: Any parting words?

DR: No matter what happens with the future of Corndogorama, I suppose I just want to be known as a man who had a good run with it.

DI: Thanks for the chat. You still buying the wine?

DR: Let’s go!

(Corndogorama 2008, the Year of the Mustard King! 2 Late 2 Hate!, is scheduled for June 26-29 at Lenny’s Bar in Atlanta. Visit www.corndogorama.com for bands and more info.)