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        Goo Goo Dolls >> Goo Goo Dolls >> The Gateway talks to rockers GGD exclusive interv
        
(Message started by: Shannon on Feb 16^th, 2007, 9:27am)

Title: The Gateway talks to rockers GGD exclusive interv
Post by Shannon on Feb 16^th, 2007, 9:27am

The Gateway talks to rockers The Goo Goo Dolls exclusive interview
Angi Sada

Listening to old Goo Goo Dolls albums is like listening to the evolutionary process. Hearing the changes on each album, while subtle when done chronologically, becomes more pronounced when certain titles are removed from the order.

Looking at the development of the chart-topping Top 40 pop-rock band, it's easy to say they went changed. It could be easy for old-school fans to wonder, "What the f@#$?" What's hard is charting the course and understanding the journey the Buffalo, New York trio has made.

Bassist Robby Takac explained it as a natural part of the band's path and as a part of an increasingly cold recording industry machine.

"There's no longer any interest in artist development," he said during an early morning phone call from San Antonio, Texas. "You need the corporate enthusiasm [to survive]."

And the Goo Goo Dolls, rounded out by drummer Mike Malinin and singer-guitarist Johnny Rzeznik, know all about survival. From their days as just a couple of buddies making music on hijacked studio time to days of number one hits, they've been about surviving while within the belly of the industry beast by not being fully digested by it.

"We survive in our little realm and the industry survives in its little realm," Takac said.

Their time in rank has also helped them avoid some of the more demeaning aspects of the changing atmosphere. Their contract, inked several years ago, has allowed them more control over the direction they've taken. Takac said that has enabled them to focus on a lot of the development they have without being forced into a rut.

It's paid off. Several of their contemporaries from the early 90s have ended on tragic notes. Chicago's Material Issue came to a grinding halt when their vocalist Jim Ellison's life was cut short in 1996. The equally ill-fated Gin Blossoms, with whom the Goo Goo Dolls toured, disintegrated on the road right before Takac's eyes.

But the Goo Goo Dolls are still standing. They're still making music, still selling out shows and still riding the high end of the pop charts.

Takac believes it's the bands desire to stay true to itself and its music keeping them rising to the top with each disc.

"The key is being honest about what we're doing. Not being honest is the worst thing that could happen to us," he said.

Takac is excited about the crowds filling the rows at the shows. For a while there was a graying of the audience as longtime fans held on, but younger faces seemed to trickle in more slowly. This tour has seen a return of that youthful energy, Takac said.

And yet there are still some folks wanting to know what happened to the edgy sound that got the band on the radar in the first place. Takac said it's a simple answer: they grew up.

"We had a chance to grow up. We had a chance for our music to grow up around us. I'm sure there's a guy in Buffalo wearing Dr. Martens and red suspenders pissed off at me still," he said with a sly little laugh. "I probably wouldn't be hanging around with anymore. It's about growing."

The band is currently on the road in support of their tenth album, Let Love In. They are playing a sold-out show at the Orpheum Theatre on Saturday, Feb. 24. For those with tickets, the band will be accepting donations for the charity USA Harvest. For more information go to googoodolls.com.

http://media.www.unogateway.com/media/storage/paper968/news/2007/02/16/ArtsLeisure/The-Gateway.Talks.To.Rockers.The.Goo.Goo.Dolls.Exclusive.Interview-2725477.shtml

Title: Re: The Gateway talks to rockers GGD exclusive int
Post by DWG on Feb 16^th, 2007, 11:39am

Don't get me started. :-X