Pet Sounds #71: Truculent Frontman/ Strange Mono Label Owner’s Dog Fears His Food Bowl
Bad Penny readers met Dan Timlin, the folk-punk connoisseur who performs as the artist Truculent and also owns and operates record label Strange Mono, when he participated in a stand-out installment of our On Tyranny series almost exactly a month ago. We had a heavy discussion about the current state of affairs in the U.S. – and, at least from our own part, learned a hell of a lot from it.
Much to our delight, Timlin was up for talking with us again, this time about a much lighter (and softer … and more loving) subject: his three cats and one dog. Just as Timlin didn’t disappoint with his insightful remarks about Authoritarian America, he also exceeded our expectations in wanting to know about his animals and the critical role they play in his life.
So, without further ado, here is Dan Timlin’s installment of Pet Sounds. Enjoy!
Thanks for participating in Pet Sounds, Dan! How did Hank, SG, Peach Pie and Abel Warhound enter into your life?
Thanks, Kurt! Peach is the oldest, and she’s been with my spouse Jess for close to 15 years, born during a house party.
SG (Stoner Girlfriend) was a stray that lived in the alley behind our house in Point Breeze. She would come to our window and start purring anytime we were smoking weed which, is how she got her name. She was then, and still is, the sweetest cat I’ve ever known and is really affectionate. When Hurricane Sandy was about to hit us, I convinced my reluctant roommate to let me rescue her. She’s been with us ever since.
Hank is the most recent addition, we rescued him about two years ago. Everyone at the rescue said that he was a hound/lab mix and going to be about the size of a beagle. Now he’s over 100 lbs, and you don’t have to bend over to pet him. Turns out he is a hound mixed with Great Pyrenees.
Abel was rescued from the Delaware Humane Society. He was my first dog as an adult and a wild little punk.
Have they always gotten along, or have there been any scrape-ups over the years?
For the most part, our cats have always just ignored the dogs. SG used to cuddle with Abel when it was cold outside. But the cats didn’t really get along with each other for quite some time after Jess moved in with Peach. Now they tolerate each other, and they have been together for so long that when they do fight, it’s pretty half-hearted. We always joke about how they kind of have a Grey Gardens vibe as they get older.
Do any of them eat out of the same bowl simultaneously? Trying to determine if it’s just my dog and her close companion who do that.
Oh wow! Abel would eat literally anything that was in front of him, so he never shared. Hank is afraid of his food bowl, so he just takes little bites and runs to his bed to chew. Peach and SG have separate bowls and used to have to be separated when they ate so that Peach didn’t steal everything. But they’re easier now. Before Hank, they all used to share the same water bowls and would take turns. So there would be a line of pets waiting to drink.
What’s the funniest anecdote involving one or more of your pets that you can share?
The house that we used to live in was next door to an abandoned row home with a collapsed roof. A colony of opossums moved in. They were usually pretty chill, except for one time when Abel was in the backyard and a mother possum accidentally dropped down into the yard. He started barking and acting tough, which I heard from inside.
As I was coming out to the backyard, his tone changed, and he started crying and whining. Turns out somehow he had gotten himself stuck in a corner of the yard with the mother opossum standing her ground, hissing and blocking his escape. They were both completely terrified of each other, and neither would move a muscle. Just a full stalemate. So I held the possum down with a broom – not to hurt her – and scooped Abel up out of the corner and [brought him] back inside. For the next two years after that incident, he was terrified of any bottle of seltzer or soda opening. The hiss of the carbonation reminded him of the possum, and he would hide.
What quality do you value most in each of your pets?
Stoner girlfriend has yet to figure out how doors work, but she has mastered the art of cuteness. She has maybe one brain cell, and it is completely dedicated to the art form; we’re talking belly-up-air–biscuits-with-her-tongue-out level cuteness.
Peach Pie is very sure of herself and isn’t shy to express her feelings. I wish I could be more like her, honestly. She doesn’t let anyone give her shit!
Hank loves strangers. He just wants to smell everyone’s breath and stare directly into their souls. I’m not sure how he does it, but it seems like he can see the best in everyone.
What aspect of their personality or behavior do you wish each of them would work harder to improve upon?
Is this a trick question? You can’t change a cat. In fact, they aren’t even the pet – you are. Hank could stand to be a bit braver, but otherwise they’re all perfect.
Have any of them run away?
Luckily, no. Keep your fingers crossed! I’ve had it happen with previous pets, and it’s the most anxiety-inducing [thing imaginable].
What’s Peach Pie’s deal? Doesn’t seem like she should have much to complain about.
Her screaming is less about complaining and more about attention-seeking. But now that I think about it, it’s also a lot of complaining. Mostly about food and her grievances with her perceived lack of it (she’s on a diet).
Does Hank get most of the attention, because you have to walk him and he’s the youngest of the bunch? Do the cats resent him for it?
He definitely gets the most attention, since he’s just coming out of the puppy phase. So much so that he even came along on the most recent batch of [Truculent’s] tour dates. At one of the shows, every time the audience clapped for the band, he started wagging his tail assuming everyone was clapping just for him.
So sorry to hear about Abel’s passing. When you see the Strange Mono logo, what memory of Abel comes to mind most frequently?
Thanks. it’s always hard to lose a companion, and we are lucky to be able to keep his memory out there as the mascot/logo for our label. Obviously, there are so many memories from the nine years we had with him, but one has been on my mind a lot recently. Abel was definitely a punk, so he was pretty reactive with dogs he didn’t know. He also had a tendency to bolt after squirrels or other critters that piqued his interest. Pair that with his stubbornness and living in South Philly, that meant he was always on leash.
In the winter, we would often stay at this cabin on the eastern shore in Maryland as a way to break up the gray Philly weather. The property was a small farm with some livestock and private trails. During our last trip there (we didn’t know it would be the last at the time), we decided he was old enough to just let him have some freedom and let him hike around off leash with us. Barring a few chases, he was perfectly behaved, and it was really sweet to see him running and playing happily, without having to be on leash or behind a fence.
Also just wanted to shout out the time that he managed to get to and eat an entire pizza that was in a box 7 feet off the ground on top of our fridge. He was a very resourceful boy.
For recent installments of Pet Sounds, check out:
Pet Sounds #65: Friendship Commanders’ Cats Are a Boxer and a Drummer … Sort Of
Pet Sounds #66: Sangre de Muérdago Frontman Lives in Paradise With His Dogs
Pet Sounds #67: Miracle Blood Draw Love From Their Guinea Pigs, Cats
Pet Sounds #68: Temple of Love Open Their Hearts to Fulci the Cat
Pet Sounds #69: Push Puppets Frontman Loves His Puppies
Pet Sounds #70: Saxophonist for the Band Pets Adores His … You Guessed It …
Go here for the full Pet Sounds archive.
Go to Strange Mono’s Bandcamp page to pick up a copy of Truculent’s Born for the Gallows or the Wheel. We recommend you snag the vinyl version, as it comes packaged with tuning diagrams and a manifesto written by Timlin.
The Bad Penny (beta) 
Leave a comment