We interviewed members of the rock
group, The Goo Goo Dolls (singer-guitarist Johnny Rzeznik, bass player,
Robby Takac, and drummer Mike Malinin) at Hofstra University recently.
Their CD "Dizzy Up the Girl" produced two hit singles, "Iris" and "Slide."
They allowed us to do the interview on their tour bus, and it was neat!
Q. How did you get the name,
The Goo Goo Dolls?
A. Robby: We found
it in a comic book. At that time we were a really loud, fast band.
Now I'm a 34 year old Goo Goo Doll, and that's weird.
Q. How did you get your band
together?
A. Johnny: We met
each other in college, and after college, we just kept at it. I think
that's how you get anything you want. Just keep doing it, even if
you don't succeed. Hopefully someone will start paying you for it.
Q. When you first performed,
how did it feel?
A. Johnny: It felt
like we were making new friends. It was a lot of fun to hang out
and play music with people that I had things in common with.
Robby:
Well, I wasn't scared. I felt like Superman. It was like a
club that we had put together.
Q. How do you feel right before
a show?
A. Robby: Sometimes
you have to take your real life and put it somewhere else, so you can be
entertaining and do a good job. If you are having a bad day, it can
be hard.
Q. What took you so long to
make it to the top?
A. Johnny: It was
a slow build. Each record sold a few more copies, but they were never
a commercial success. But then we had a hit with "Name" in 1995,
and then the soundtrack of "City of Angels" got popular. Then we
recorded "Dizzy Up the Girl".
Q. Do you ever get homesick
when you travel?
A. Johnny: Yeah,
all the time. I miss my dog, my cat, and my favorite pizza place.
Robby:
We have this nice bus now, so we can travel around in comfort for two months
at a time.
Mike:
It has a TV, too. And a favorite thing for me to watch when I'm relaxing
are biographies on the History Channel. I love that type of show.
Q. Where is your favorite
place to play?
A. Johnny: I like
to play in Buffalo, NY. That's where Robby and I are from.
Mike:
I think Chicago rocks.
Q. How was it touring with
the Rolling Stones?
A. Mike: It was
fun, especially when Mick Jagger walks in your dressing room and starts
hanging out.
Q. How do you feel when you
hear "Iris" or "Slide" being played on a radio station?
A. Johnny: I get
happy, but then I turn it off.
Robby:
Yeah. You don't want to be caught driving down the street listening
to your own band.
Q. How has stardom changed
your life?
A. Robby: The way
it has affected what we do is that there is a lot more to do. The
one think I notice most is that we are playing for a lot more people.
Q. What sports do you like
to watch?
A. Johnny: I'm
bad at playing all sports, but i like to watch hockey and car racing.
And I like those World's Strongest Man contests, as well as professional
wrestling.
Robby:
That's a good list.
Mike:
I like baseball and football, in that order.
Q. How does it feel to have
fans that love you?
A. Johnny: It feels
good. It's nice to be appreciated for what you do. But people
know only one part of you, and that's what they think they know about you.
I don't think they actually love me. I think they love what I do.
There is a big difference.
Q. Do you have any advice
for kids that want to be professional musicians?
A. Johnny: You
have to find music that you like, find an instrument that you like to play,
and that you can connect with, and you have to stick to it. Don't
listen to anyone that might criticize you and tell you that you aren't
going to make it. As long as you love what you are doing, and it
makes you feel good, do it. That's all that matters.