The trio from Buffalo, in Upstate NY. have been around for a while. Founded in '86, they started out as what they call now a 'cover bar band'.
They played in bars for almost 10 years, recorded a couple of albums, kept day jobs and never really believed they'd make it big. Then singer-songwriter-guitarist Johnny Rzeznik penned the sad, strmmy ballad 'Name' and sequel 'Iris' - recorded for the soundtrack of 'City of Angels', which was number one in five formats and the Goo Goo Dolls became a household name.
The three Buffalo natives, John Rzeznik - vocals, gutair, Robbie Takac - vocals, bass, and Mike Malinin - drums, have always blended power rock and acoustic sounds since their 1987 debut, and John seems to be slightly confused, that all of a sudden they're labled as genre crossing. While the rest of their material clearly shows punk roots, their two number one hits are ballads.
Johnny Rzeznik, singer and songwriter, who resembles a younger version of Jon Bon Jovi, isn't all that happy with critics. He's very aware of the fact that the Goo Goo Dolls have been more of a band for the fans instead of the critics, and he voices his opinion of critics loudly.
"I don't like cirtics, I really don't like them, I think most of them are ignorant and don't have a clue!"
He doesn't even try to hide the fact that he's carrying quite a grudge and explains why. "We got a lot of shit from them, you know. Most of them don't even play an instrument, they can't even pen a song, but they rip us to shreds. Look at them, most critics get 75 bucks for an album review, I'd gladly give them 100 bucks if they'd just sht up and wouldn't write about us at all. I don't care what they think of me. We're writing songs and the people seem to like it, some critics just don't seem to be able to understand it. If they're trashing you and keep on trashing you, of course you start to develop a grudge, I would have to be some sort of superior being not to get phased by it at all, it wouldn't be human anymore. As a musician, you have a special relationship with your songs, you feel them. If somebody comes along and trashes them, that just doesn't really endear them to your heart, you know!"
The Goo Goo Dolls have been around for a while, they even toured with Bush and No Doubt, but Rzeznik doesn't care to be reminded of that tour. Not because there were any frictions between the bands, as he hastens to explain, but the audience wasn't very compatible.
"We got on with Bush and No Doubt, but it was more or less the audience. It just wasn't our audience at all. the people who wanted to se eus didn't want to shell a lot of money to see Bush and No Doubt, and their audience is different from ours. It just felt so bizarre.."
It's strange, that the Goo Goo Dolls, a band with a punk rock background, made their big break through single with a ballad. Even John seems to be a bit puzzled by that fact.
"We didn't plan to write something that was radio compatible, but it introduced us to a broader audience because there are so many different radio stations who are playing it. It really kind of hit off with so many different people, really more than I expected. I had that song [Iris], I really liked it, and then all of a sudden everybody liked it, and then all of a sudden everybody liked it, it was a bit mind blowing. From the moment we submitted it to the soundtrack for City of Angels, it really took off in a way that I never thought was possible!"
The original version of "Iris" was written for the soundtrack of City of Angels, as an acoustic ballad. Rzeznik explains how a punk rocker wrote a ballad for a movie.
"Our management is involved with the film industry and they asked me to write a song for the soundtrack. After I saw the screening I just wrote "Iris", I thought it would be a great song for the movie and appearently everybody else agreed. I think I really got the mood and everything right, it felt right! Sometimes those things just happen, things have a strange way to happen!"
He's reather quick to deny the rumors that he wrote the song for the country singer Iris Dement, or that there is some serious involvment there.
"That's not quite right, I wrote the song for the movie but I saw the name Iris Dement somewhere and I remember that I thought 'Iris, what a beatufil name'. So I titled the song Iris."
With a hearty chuckle, he confesses that he doesn't even know her personally. "But the name, Iris is really such a beautiful name!" While "Iris" more or less founded the fame of the Goo Goo Dolls, it also turned out to be a double edged sword. While it was a huge success, a lot of their earlier fans and quite a few critics decided to accuse them of selling out. Being mellow wasn't really something the Goo Goo Dolls were famous for, but Jon stresses, that they always wrote mellow songs and he's quite annoyed with people who are not aware of that fact!
"That is so stupid, we always had mellow, acoustic songs, always! I won't say that we're still a punk band, but I think we've still got out roots in punk and it's one of our main influences. To call us sell outs because we don't sound like we used to do when we were 18 is ridiculous. People grow, people change and the music reflects thsoe changes. That's really natural and normal. I think it would be ridiculous to try and sound like we're still 18. There are enough bands out there who try to do that.
Actually, I would consider that selling out, you know if you don't dare to change because you're afraid to lose your audience."
The Goo Goo Dolls started out from Bufallo, NY. in the mid 80's as teh Sex Maggots. "Yes, we started out as the Sex Maggots, then became the Goo Goo Dolls, well, and we're still the Goo Goo Dolls!" Johnny Rzeznik still remembered that Sex Maggots was not a name that went down well in conservative Buffalo, and laughs about the frictions it used to create.
"A promotor 'strongly advised' us to change our name. Buffalo is not exactly metropolis and it was considered offensive, so we changed it to Goo Goo Dolls. Some people still find that offensive, but hell, you can't really please everybody!"
When asked about their humble beginnings, he almost gets a bit reminsicent, muses and grins, when he thinks back to the early days, when they were just a couple of guys who wanted to play music to escape the feeling of a small town.
"I think we got started like all bands start, we wanted to make some noise, hang out, and have some fun. Remember we're from Buffalo, there isn't really much to do. When we started we were a cover band and slowly developed our own material."
While a lot of other bands would be bitter about the fact that it took them longer than most bands to hit it big, Johnny Rzeznik stays level headed and even finds an advantage in it.
"It was pretty good that it took a while for us to make it, I think it fave us more experience. For a long time we never really thought about making it big, going anywhere, it was more or less a hobby who became a job at some point along the road. Of course you always dream about making it big, every band does, but we never expected it. I see it as a learning experience. A lot of bands who had a quick success just lost perspective. Look at all the one-hit-wonders who lost their heads. We did the circuit and we paid our dues. It's been sucha slow build up, we grew into it and kept our heads.
Of course things are better now, better hotels, better busses, but I rather have it like this than going from a fast success back to dingy little hotels and dirty vans. On the other hand, I wouldn't have minded having a bit of that some time ago, but I don't complain. It worked out for us, and that's really what counts I still prefer the going from rags to riches instead of the other way 'round. From riches to rags would be a lot worse."
While bands are busy complaining about the pressure that comes with success and losing their privacy, Rzeznik just shrugs it off. "Success has it's hassles, but playing in shabby bars has it's hassels too. If you're scrounging around for your next meal, it isn't exactly fun. I don't understand the guys who complain about that all the time. If you don't want fame, it's easy enough to avoid it, it's a lot harder getting it than avoiding it. I really get fed up when I hear somebody whining 'Oh God, I'm rich and famous, I never wanted it...' Well, there's an easy solution for that. Give away your money and move to some quiet place somewhere in suburbia. Don't record another song, get a day job and give all your money away. Soon nobody's going to care for you anymore anyway. There are enough bands who disappear into oblivion and who don't really want it."
But he confesses that fame didn't really pass him by without changing him, instead of the big ego boost and believing he's invincible - like a lot of artists seem to do - he became almost withdrawn.
"One thing that really got to me was, that after we had a hit, I started to be far more critical about my song writing. It almost blocked my song writing. It almost blocked me completely, but I got over it, now I don't care anymore who likes it and who doesn't. Now it's just back to normal, and that's making the best music we can!"
