‘Keeps me inspired’ - Ivan Doroschuk discusses the band Men Without Hats, writing new music

Ivan Doroschuk, foreground, wearing a black leather jacket, was born in Illinois but raised in Montreal, Canada. In 1977, he was a founding member and lead singer of Men Without Hats, a band that helped define the New Wave movement. They experienced much success with their songs “Safety Dance” and “Pop Goes the World” and continue to create new music and tour. Courtesy of Men Without Hats

Raised in a household that lived and breathed classical music, Ivan Doroschuk spent years learning to play the piano. But with the bands like The Beatles paving the way for the development of new genres, such as punk rock, he later found himself as part of the movement that helped create and define New Wave and synth pop music. Embracing an interest in keyboards and synthesizers, his band, Men Without Hats enjoyed two massive hits, thus inspiring the band to continue to make new music decades after its inception.
 
Doroschuk was born in 1957 in Champaign, Illinois, the oldest of three brothers. His father was at the time pursuing his master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Illinois. In 1960, after having finished his education, his father moved their family to Canada after being hired as faculty at the University of Montreal.
 
“My mother was a voice teacher at McGill University for many years and my brothers and I were all classically trained in music while growing up,” Doroschuk said. “My brother Colin and I learned piano while my other younger brother, Stefan, played violin.” He continued, “My parents were very supportive with respect to new music and told me that as long as I spent time playing piano, they weren’t really concerned with what kind of music I listened to. So, I started writing songs in high school and learning to play songs by The Beatles and other groups,” he added.
 
Doroschuk explained that the structure of his songwriting reflected much of the style of The Beatles, and that he and many of his friends wore Beatles hats and began to grow their hair out. Montreal, he further explained, was also becoming a hotbed for progressive music and was quite supportive of bands in the styles of Genesis and Yes.

His musical interests were further flavored by punk rock bands like the Sex Pistols, who demonstrated a do-it-yourself attitude and independent streak in a music environment often defined by commercialism.
 
“The late 1970s and into the early 1980s were truly exciting times because there was so much creativity across the full spectrum of art,” he explained. “New technologies like synthesizers were becoming more affordable and music videos were later being shown on MTV.”
 
Trending toward performing music relying heavily on keyboards, Doroschuk formed the band Wave 21 in high school. Embracing a punk mentality, the group was of a progressive mold with their lead singer quoting self-written poetry above the music of the band. During this time, Doroschuk’s younger brothers were also exploring music by playing in cover bands.
 
After graduating from high school in 1976, Doroschuk moved to France when being accepted into law school at the University of Nice. The following year, he returned to Montreal and enrolled in a film and communications program at McGill University. While in college, he joined his brothers, Colin and Stefan, in addition to Allan McCarthy, in forming Men Without Hats.
 
Chuckling, he explained, “I came up with the name Men Without Hats when the band formed in 1977. Montreal has real cold weather, but we had the theory that real men don’t wear hats in such weather.” Doroschuk added, “I was working full-time in the emergency department at Montreal General Hospital to help pay for college, going to classes and playing music in Men Without Hats. Things really started taking off for the band and I had to drop out of school and then quit my job to focus solely on the music.”
 
Men With Hats released their debut EP “Folk of the 80s” in 1980 and it included the single “Safety Dance,” which started receiving some action on the music charts. They were signed by Backstreet Records and the label encouraged them to make a 12-inch remix of “Safety Dance” that was featured on their second album, “Rhythm of Youth.”
 
When it rose to the top of the Billboard music charts, they “were yanked out of the studio and put on a tour bus,” he recalled.
 
Doroschuk said, “We made a video of ‘Safety Dance’ for MTV, and it became a big factor in the song’s popularity.”
 
Several years later, in 1987, Men Without Hats released their third studio album, “Pop Goes The World.” The album featured a song of the same title that skyrocketed in the music charts in several countries. Men Without Hats released several additional albums throughout the years with a different composite of musicians in addition to a solo album by Doroschuk in 1996.
 
Men Without Hats is currently on tour in support of two albums they have released in the last couple of years and is preparing for the release of more new music later this summer.
 
Since leaving college and quitting his job at the Montreal General Hospital more than 40 years ago, Doroschuk has focused his vision and efforts on Men Without Hats while also writing and performing new music. It is a passion, he affirmed, that is fueled by the reception he receives from his audiences.
 
“Songs like ‘Safety Dance’ have a message—live your life and don’t worry about what other people think about you … and that’s something that still resonates with people today.” He continued, “What keeps me inspired is seeing the audiences with smiles on their faces and those individuals who really enjoy the music. That’s why I’ve always continued to do what I do by performing our classics and continuing to create new music.”  
 
Jeremy P. Ämick is the author of the biographies of the rock bands Missouri and Shooting Star.   

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Doroschuk is pictured with Men Without Hats during the 1980s. As a child, he received a classical music education from his mother and learned to play piano. Courtesy of Men Without Hats