Daniel Anderson: happy to be out of the van.

++Each week Daniel Anderson, guitarist for electronica/rock duo Idiot Pilot, will be checking in with Guitar World to offer his thoughts on a range of guitar-related topics. This week: The Filthy Van!++

To most people, the thought of going on a tour with a band is probably wrought with legions of screaming fans, backstage parties, and droves of beautiful women. While in some cases that may be true, most of the hours of any tour are spent in a very different way, which most people who haven’t gone out themselves may not even think of. This, of course, is driving. The reality of being a band on tour, specifically one without yet the success to afford a bus and therefore a driver, is that a vast majority of the time is going to be spent in a cramped van hurling down the road at all hours of the night trying to get to the next gig on time. It is in that spirit that I would like to extend the limited advice I have on how to successfully drive 24 hours straight in a van.

First of all, make sure you have multiple activities lined up that you are going to use to keep yourself busy. This is a perfect time to write or to read. I personally read very rarely when I am at home because I always just have so much to do, but when you’re locked up in a bunk in a van, a book is an amazing use of time. Just be sure to bring a reading light. Another thing to make sure that you have is a laptop and plenty of DVDs to watch. Remember that you are probably going to be spending countless hours out on the road total, so I would recommend TV on DVD which will last for much longer. iPods are also a must, but remember before you leave to install a CD player with an audio input that will work with your Pod. For musicians especially, a drive this long without a treasure trove of music could be mind shattering.

“But how am I going to keep all these things powered?” You might ask, “On this long and horrifying journey.”

Good question. There are basically two kinds of power inverters that you can buy for your van. The first plugs right into your cigarette lighter (or preferably, your “power port” which looks identical but can sustain a significantly higher amount of devices being plugged into it) and will usually get the job done for a while, but they inevitably become overloaded and you will blow a fuse, which is an easy replacement but somehow only fixes the problem so many times, until eventually you are just without power. The other kind of inverter plugs directly into the battery of your vehicle and then a wire is run into your cab where you will receive power. This way is more expensive but not by much, and can support significantly more people charging their stuff at one time without breaking something.

And, of course, the most enjoyable pastime that you will always have
handy is the conversation of those around you. On a truly grueling
drive there will be points when you need to rely on each other to keep
awake and thinking straight. Eventually, road games will start to sound
like a better idea than you ever thought possible.

Now that you
have something to do with yourself, keep these things in mind. Everyone
needs to sleep at some point, so regardless of how cramped everyone is
make room for at least one person to attempt snoozing (preferably a few
people at a time, actually). Make sure to rotate at a set interval of
time, and it is often good to organize who is going to drive in what
order very far in advance, so that when 4 in the morning rolls around
and everyone wants to kill each other you can be saved an argument.
Most importantly, if it is at night you must always have someone stay
up with the driver. Never let someone sit up all by themselves and try
to stay awake.

But the only way to really prepare is simply to go
out there and do it. If you are in a band with your friends, regardless
of how successful, I implore you to hit the road. You will probably
encounter drives unlike anything you have ever done, through mountains
and snow and deserts with a broken air conditioner, but every minute
will be worth it. Not only will you spread your music far and wide, you
will create memories that will stick with you for many times longer
than one outrageous drive.

Photo by Paul Turpin