I don't know when this was from or who the journalist is, but it's a great interview. Enjoy!
ROCKSTAR: I know you are on tour with the Goo Goo
Dolls, but let's start out with C.O Jones. What are
you doing with them; what's this project all about?
DAVE:I wanted to put the material out, because it
really shows our progression as a band. We had a
coupke of songs that were older and we reworked them.
The rest is mostly brand new, plus one live track.
Putting it out also gives us the opportunity to thank
and credit all the musicians we've worked with, and
who've put up with my crap. I haven't lost sight of
the desire to do my own music, even in spite of all
that has happened. My ultimate goal is still to have
my own music. Steve is my ultimate writing partner.
ROCKSTAR: How did you hook up with Steve in the first
place?
DAVE: I met him fighting over a t-shirt in the Am-vets
Ladies line. Right there, I knew what his dress size
was. Just kidding! Actually, we maet a Lance Diamond
gig, where he was filling in. We like alot of the same
music, and has the same influences I do. More
importantly, I guess, was that everything I couldn't
do, he could and everything he coudln't do, I could.
We compliment each other, and we're trying to go in a
different direction than before. The new record comes
out Dec. 4th, with a record release party at the
Calumet. It's called 'Who Knew?'.
ROCKSTAR: How is it different from your first cd?
DAVE: It's alot hookier. It wraps alot of the music I
have been listening to: Peter Gabriel meets Earth,
Wind and Fire. Everything that's powerful to me. A
couple of the songs were done for Almo Records,
Garbage's label.
ROCKSTAR: What did Almo want you to do?
DAVE: We got a 5 song demo deal. We just finished the
5 songs when the Goos called. I had been going to
school for Comouter Science, and had just got a real
job. I get through training & the first day of real
work, I'm complaining how much I hate it. I get home,
& there's a message from Robby. He's like "Dude, can
you do us a favor? We need you to play with us at
Woodstock, you've got to leave tonight." So basically,
I hate my job, & he think I'm doing him a favor? I fly
out to Hollywood that night,& had to call work and
tell them I'd be gone for a week. The Goos needed me
for Iris. Originally, it was just 3 shows: Woodstock,
Hard Rock Live and Arpark. After that, I'd be hoem in
Buffalo. They called me in the hotel after the second
day of practice & asked if I'd like to play with them
permanently. My whole life changed in one day. It was
at the perfect time, like a dream.
ROCKSTAR: Anything really stand out from the first 6
months you were in the band?
DAVE: All of my high school dreams of being a rockstar
were shattered when Boy George hit on me!
ROCKSTAR: What?
DAVE: You think you are going to marry a supermodel &
play in front of 35,000 people. It ends up being Boy
George hitting on you in a bar at 4 o'clock in the
morning. John & I were hammered. I'm playing the
piano, & we're doing weird songs. In walks Boy George
& 2 of his freaky cronies, some kind of weird
bisexual, all clad in a leather thing. I start playing
"Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" polka style. Boy
George comes over & sits down right next to me, starts
rubbing my lower back & singing "Do you really want a
b, job". I was outta there. He walks over to John,
winds up & slaps him on the ass, & I found out later
he whispered in his ear "I want to f*** your keyboard
player". John blows his drink all over the piano, & we
get kicked out of the bar. That was the day I realized
we're living in a different world.
ROCKSTAR: I saw you at the GQ awards last night
DAVE: I had seen American Beauty that day, & while we
were settign up, Kevin Spacey was accepting his award.
I love that guy! Claudia Schiffer was standing 10 feet
away
ROCKSTAR: You've known these guys a long time. When
did you become friends?
DAVE: On tour really. I've know Robby for about 5
years, I got to know him through Lance Diamond. I've
known John since I was 9 & he played in a band with my
older brother. I'm really close to them now, we've
been out for 14 months, & the tours ends in March
2000, after which, I'm moving to LA. These guys saved
me, I can't say enough about them. The comedy arounds
these guys never ends either. At the Grammy's, Robby
was sitting behind Kenny Rogers. He taps him on the
shoulder and says "I love your chicken". When that
happened, I realized that we all had the same sense of
humor.
ROCKSTAR: You were telling me that you went to see
Springsteen.
DAVE: His management invited us in Boston. It keeps
you in check to see someone like him in concert. It's
a total dream. None of this would've been possible
without the Goos, & my loyalties are to them.
ROCKSTAR: Are you now officially a member?
DAVE: No. It really depends on how things end up in
the future. I'm playing on their next cd. I'm still
doing stuff with C.O. Jones actually. I got our
website going, it has .wav samples of all the songs.
It's linked to "The World of Goo". I'm selling the
record through the site, and locally, through Home of
the hits and New Word Records. This record represents
me finding out what I'm all about, and delving deeper
into that.
ROCKSTAR: What do you think you are all about?
DAVE: In alot of ways, the rock world is really
different. It's so full of contridictions & little
paradoxes. I'm interested in layers of meanin, in
things that appear one way on the surface, but once
you start digging deeper, you find so much more.
Digging in the dirt. That's what I'm all about. That's
the stuff i'm interested in, the irony inherent in all
of this stuff.