Page 24 - Black Velvet Issue 90

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me away. It was really interesting, because to being self-destructive that I was like, “I wasn’t so sure it would work. He tells Black
I’ve been in a rock band for 30 years. I’ve can’t do this”. Luckily, I had a couple of good Velvet, “When the producer, Gregg, wanted
been the centre of attention. I’ve been the friends, and my wife, that really helped me to get Sydney of Echosmith to sing on
baby,” he laughs. “I’ve been the centre of at- out.” ‘Flood’, I was sort of like, “I don’t know if I
tention for everything and I’m looking at this We’re so glad that he had people around like that idea,” and we sort of went back and
tiny person and it moved around and I who were able to help him. And fingers forth on it. It wasn’t like an argument but we
thought, “Oh my God”. It felt like, “Wow, crossed, he can stay strong and stay sober. both had our own opinions about it. I walked
she’s going to be the centre of attention now, away and then I was like, “Listen man, this
this is awesome.” And then the other two etting back on to the subject of is the wrong time to close your mind to
thoughts that ran through my head when I Gmusic, we ask if John thinks the what’s out there. Just listen. And if you don’t
saw her was, “Don’t fuck this up,” and songs on ‘Boxes’ are as anthemic as previ- like it, then don’t do it, but you can’t have
“You’d better work a lot harder,” he laughs ous releases. “I don’t think I intended to contempt for something that you haven’t
again. make them that way but they sort of have tried”. I am guilty of having a tendency to en-
“I never wanted a family,” he reveals. “I that feel to them,” John replies. “I just said, vision it in my mind and making my mind up
was determined… Everyone in my family “Fuck it, I’m going out on a limb,” and I got before it ever happens. The difference be-
died prematurely from alcohol. It’s strange together with some guys and said, “Listen, tween a reaction and a response is like a few
because I’m coming up on the age in about if I want to play a synthesizer I’ll play a syn- deep breaths and counting to ten. And it’s
five years of when my father died, and I was thesizer. If I want to use a drum machine, I’ll much better to respond in life than react.
always of the opinion that he committed sui- use a drum machine. Or I’m going to bring in And when I become a reactionary I’ve just
cide on the installment plan. He just did it a string quartet. I don’t want to put any limi- got to walk away and then really think it
very slowly over the course of 20 years, tations or expectations on how the album is through and then be a grown up about it. So
and… I don’t know… something has ‘supposed’ to be, because we could have then Sydney came into the studio and after
changed in me over the last couple of years easily remade ‘Dizzy Up The Girl’ or what- about ten seconds of her first take, I was like,
where I’m like, “I don’t have to be like my fa- ever, I could have easily made the next Goo “Oh my God, this is perfect.” She’s so good;
ther, I don’t have to die like that. I don’t have Goo Dolls record to sound like that last Goo such a great kid. Such a beautiful voice, so
to live his life, which I really thought I was Goo Dolls record and I just wanted to do much soul, she’s fantastic. You know what I
going to. But I never wanted children. I never something different. I was listening to all loved about her, because we were thinking
wanted anything. Once I got my shit together these albums that were very pivotal, where about all these different people, and I didn’t
and got my head out of my ass, it’s like, people were making a conscious decision to want to get anybody that had this R&B slant
“Wow, life is fucking amazing when you get change it up. You’ve got to remember, this is that every female singer seems to have
the fuck out of the way”. our 11th album. I’m fucking bored, I don’t nowadays. She’s just her. She has no affec-
‘So Alive’, more specifically, is about want to play the same shit. I want to try new tations. The voice that comes out of Syd-
John quitting drinking. And the world tour things, I want to learn. I only worked with ney’s mouth is Sydney’s soul, and it’s not an
for ‘Boxes’, which started in USA in early people that I knew had strengths that I didn’t, affected thing that she puts on so she fits
July, is John’s first sober tour. He tells us who I knew perceived music and the world into the radio. That’s what I loved about her.
how it’s been going. “Everybody’s pretty in a different way than I did. And it was amaz- She’s got a pure voice. It really is a reflection
supportive because nobody wants to be ing because you just put your ego at the of who she is.”
around me when I’m drinking!” he laughs. “I door and listened to what other people had
was such an asshole at the end of my drink- to say. Remember, I was sitting in a room for ne of our favourite songs, and
ing career. You know what? I can’t really say 20 years by myself and it sort of became this OJohn’s, is ‘The Pin’. John comments
anything, I might start drinking tomorrow painful isolation. I’m like, “Fuck this, I want that it is the “weirdest song”. “We were lis-
again, I don’t know… I’ve been trying to get to have fun doing this.” I was like, “This is tening to Bowie and Roy Orbison and just all
sober for 15 years. I haven’t had a drink in al- not me anymore, I can’t take sitting in a room this crazy, weird music, and I was really look-
most two years. When I feel like I’m going to alone for 15 hours a day.” So I wanted to go ing at that period of Bowie where he transi-
have a drink I call my wife, I’m like, “Tell me out and explore the world. And there are writ- tions from… what was the album right before
some crazy, stupid shit I did when I was ers that I love and they’re cool people. ‘Let’s Dance’? Was it ‘Scary Monsters’? That
drinking,” and she’ll remind me. I call it my They’re not like music industry hustlers. period where it went from ‘Scary Monsters’
Greatest Hits List and it’s just some ridicu- They’re just great songwriters and good to ‘Let’s Dance’ and I was thinking “Oh my
lous shit that I pulled when I was drinking friends. And it was really nice to get together God,” it was like a complete metamorphosis,
and don’t remember. Or she reminds me with Robby and the other guys in the band it was like a different person came out of
when it got really dark, when it was just no and write songs. It was a great time. I don’t that. But I love that. That song has elements
fun anymore. And then I go “Thank you very mean to dwell on the alcohol thing, again, of that Ziggy Stardust era, old Roy Orbison
much,” and then I get through the day with- but if I was still drinking that would have records and then it goes into this crazy cho-
out one.” never happened because my eyes would rus with this synth thing and I’m like, “This
We tell John we’ve never drank. have still been completely closed.” is the craziest mash-up I’ve ever heard in my
He says, “I got the ism. It’s just one of There are some new electronic elements life. Let’s do it!” It’s beautiful too because I’m
those things. And I don’t avoid people who on ‘Boxes’. John says everything has trans- in the position too where I’m allowed to go
drink but there’s times when I’m sitting down ferred well to the live setting. “Craig, our to the record company, I gave them the
at dinner and I’m looking at all the beautiful drummer, he’s amazing with that. He uses record and they were like, “OK, cool, this is
Italian food and the wine comes out and I’m electronic drum pads during the show. good. We can do this.” “Fantastic.” Because
like, “Fuck… Fuck…” and then I’ve got to re- There’s some programmed stuff that we play. I’ve had other records that they’ve been like
mind myself, “You’re not going to have one But it’s actually worked out really good. And “No,” and then you’ve got to go back, and it
glass of wine, you’re going to have 20 and the new stuff, we had to obviously adapt can be really soul-crushing. Then again, I’m
then you’re going to take your pants off at them to a live situation; some of the produc- still there and those people have gone!” he
the table and think it’s funny. You just can’t tion is over the top – we were just having so laughs.
go through life like that.” much fun throwing shit all over the record, We’ve heard in the past of bands getting
You may think that social events are the throwing them into the tracks. “We can’t do told by record companies to go away and
worst, but John says being alone is equally that live,” “Well, OK, we’ll let them modify it.” work on more songs, because they’re not
as bad, if not worse. “It just wasn’t a social It’s cool. It’s fun. People are really digging convinced by them. John says, “I watched
event for me. My favourite times drinking at the new songs, which I feel is a good sign one guy who was running the show over at
the end there was locking myself in a hotel just because a lot of times you’ll play new Warner Bros about eight years ago, before
room for two or three days and not coming material and a lot of times people will just Rob Cavallo took over. I saw him dismantle
out and just fucking shit up. I think the sad- stand there, looking at you confused. artists, just break them down, just crush
dest part about it was that I really, really They’re not sure if they’re supposed to like them. He was poison to the creative body
wanted to stop but couldn’t. That’s what’s it or not.” that actually feeds the corporate machine.
fucked up. That’s a sad place to be and that’s ‘Boxes’ is the first album that has had a That song, ‘Soul In The Machine’ – a lot of it
when I had to make that decision; what are female singer singing alongside John on a is a reference to, “Hey, you still need human
you going to do? Are you going to take a song. Sydney Sierota of Echosmith sings on beings to make this work”. All these stream-
chance of being a human being again or are ‘Flood’, a song with quite a romantic feel. Al- ing music companies, they’re content-driven
you going to die? But my brain was so wired though before hearing Sydney’s voice, John companies. If the person isn’t there to pro-
GOO GOO DOLLS