Best Local Band ~ Goo Goo Dolls Shameless Self-Promotional Editorial Choice: The Tails Get “Dizzy” Wit It
Buffalo Beat
September 21, 1998

Actually Jeff Miers, Beat-staff- and Tails-member, rescued himself from this vote nobly, but he has fans around here. We really love the music, ‘cause we know Jeff can write, but he’s not just screwing around when it comes to music. And he’s very uncomfortable that we put this in here, but he’s just going to have to lump it, because this is a REAL POLL, dammit.

The Goo Goo Dolls, on the other hand, could probably give a rat’s ass about being named BB best local band. On the eve of the release of their new WB album Dizzy Up The Girl, our favorite Buffalo rock guys (and that other guy from, I think, California) have got to be more excited about decorating their tour bus, lining up dealers and finding wrinkled groupie numbers. With Dizzy, the boys have “taken it to the next level” by recording the mature, post-REM album they’ve been hinting at since “2 Days in February.” Strings, more complex arrangements and a more varied stylistic palette.

Hold Me Up, the Goo’s 1990 masterpiece (I’m supposed to write arguably, but I don’t feel there’s really any argument to be had) perfectly captured life in under 40 minutes: girl goes out west, girl goes out west, Goo’s get drunk. While their earlier work focused more on the drunk angle, Hold Me Up began the band’s journey into a humanistic approach. Relationships the Westerbergian way (I suppose they’re sick of that but John Rzeznik’s gargle-mouth is reminiscent) for a cult of fans who were growing up with the band. In that sense, Dizzy Up The Girl is a Doctoral thesis, menopause and marriage therapy all rolled up into one. So, many of the suburban punks who used to “break bread” with the Goo’s may call them a sell out, but that theory is bunk. The Goo Goo Dolls were always more Cheap Trick than Husker Du anyway. Populist pop is supposed to be popular.