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Goo Goos going strong - Guardian article
« on: Feb 4th, 2011, 3:16pm » |
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Goo Goos going strong
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/Arts/Entertainment/2011-02-04/article-21966 67/Goo-Goos-going-strong/1
By Doug Gallant
The Guardian
In an industry that is notorious for chewing up aspiring young bands and spitting them out faster than you can say adios muchachos, staying together for 25 years is something of an accomplishment.
But hitting that quarter century mark and still being able to turn out top 10 records is an even greater feat.
And that’s the way the story continues to play out for The Goo Goo Dolls, who play the Charlottetown Civic Centre Feb. 12.
Something for the Rest of Us, the band’s ninth album and first new studio recording in four years, debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart. Home, the first single from the record, became the band’s 14th top 10 single, extending its record for the most top 10 songs on Billboard’s Adult Pop Songs chart. That places them ahead of matchbox twenty, John Mayer, Nickelback and Sheryl Crow.
Having that kind of success has been very enabling for the band, which first saw the light of day in their hometown of Buffalo in 1985 as the Sex Maggots.
Guitarist/vocalist John Rzeznik, who’s also the band’s principal songwriter, says their success has made it possible for them to make records the way they want to — and on their own schedule.
“I’m at the point where I don’t feel that enormous pressure to produce another enormous hit,” Rzeznik said in an interview.
“With this record I wanted to go a little deeper than we have before. There are a lot of things going on out there that I feel I needed to say something about. I know people who’ve fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. I know people who’ve lost their jobs and their homes because of corporate greed, people who’ve been pushed to the breaking point. People are constantly under pressure of some kind. I wanted to examine the emotional underpinning of what people are going through.”
Rzeznik says, yes, he still writes songs that sound like singles and could be hits, but there are other songs on this record where he has really taken a left turn.
Recording Something for the Rest of Us was a labour-intensive, time-consuming project. The record was recorded over the space of two years in multiple studios in Los Angeles and at their home studio in Buffalo with a roster of producers and engineers that included heavyweights like Tim Palmer, John Fields, and Butch Vig.
“It had a lot to do with the time frame we were working with and who was available when. We did the majority of the record with Tim Palmer and then brought in Butch Vig. We wrote another song and went in again with John Fields.”
Palmer, whose credits include work with U2, David Bowie, the Cure and Pearl Jam, is Rzeznik’s favourite producer.
“He’s got a very English way of doing things and that shows on the album. He let me experiment with stacking vocals and big harmonies. I really wanted to do all that.”
But he also likes Vig’s style.
“Butch is one of those guys who can step into a room and get right down to work because you don’t have to negotiate with any egos. And he’s very meticulous.”
That being said, when the album was essentially finished the band sat down, listened to it and decided it wasn’t just right.
“I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it wasn’t quite right. So the band went back into the studio, stripped the tracks back and did some re-recording.”
All of that delayed the record’s release date, but Rzeznik believes the additional time was time well spent.
“We’re getting really great feedback.”
And with a new record that’s doing well, there’s no better time to tour.
The Goo Goo Dolls’ current tour takes the band further into Canada than it has ever been before.
“We were supposed to play a gig in St John’s once, but that didn’t happen because a storm was headed that way,” Rzeznik said. “This time out we have about 15 to 16 dates scattered across Canada. That’s still not as deep as I wish, but we’re going to all the places they could get us into.”
This album is expected to keep the band on the road for a while.
But that’s OK because Rzeznik, bass player Robby Takac and drummer Mike Malinin, who replaced original drummer George Tutuska in the mid-’90s, still like to hit the road and play for their fans.
As to what their Charlottetown show will offer, Rzeznik said fans can expect to hear pretty much all of their big radio hits, plus a smattering of material from the new record.
“We always play all the hits because we know that’s what people come out to hear. We’ll likely play about six songs from the new record. And what I’ve found works best is to intersperse the old with the new. If you play a new song, play one of your older hits right afterwards. It keeps everybody happy.”
AT A GLANCE
Secrets to success
Keeping a band together for 25 years requires a major level of commitment by all involved, but commitment is just part of the equation, The Goo Goo Dolls’ frontman John Rzeznik says.
“Certainly, it requires a high level of commitment, but it takes more than that. Mutual respect is key. You also need to know about boundaries, when to step back and give people space.”
Staying true to the musical vision of what the band should be doing also factors into that equation.
“We’ve never been trendy,” Rzeznik said. “We’ve avoided falling into that pit. We decided early on that we were in it for the long haul and would do what he felt was right for us. And that’s worked for us.”
Indeed it has — four Grammy nominations, 13 consecutive top 10 multi-format hit songs, 10 million albums sold.
Rzeznik has alo been the recipient of the Hal David Starlight Songwriter Award.
They’ve survived and they’ve stayed relevant. They have grown beyond their influences and have been able to spend their lives creating the kind of music they wanted to create.
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