INTERVIEW: Goo Goo Dolls

We chatted with bassist, Robby Takac of the Goo Goo Dolls. Read our interview to find out more about their tour with Daughtry, their record Magnetic, and more!

How is your tour going with Daughtry so far this summer?

It's going good! We are probably about eight shows in, or something like that. Yeah-yeah, it's going great. You know, the crowds are great. The weather's been alright; it's always a risk on these summer tours man. The weather can be a little crazy. But it's been great. I mean, everyone's happy, we've been getting along, which is what you want. 

What can fans expect from your set when they come out to see you guys?

Lots of hit songs. You know, lots of songs that they'll know from the radio. Lots of flashy-flashy lights. We got some new videos which is pretty cool. We'll reach back into the old record. We wanna do songs off of Superstar Car Wash record, which we haven't done in a long time. It's a fun summer man. 

You guys have gone on numerous tours. If you could go back in time to when you first started touring that you know now. What would you tell yourself?

Uhh- I'd tell myself to take it easy a little bit. You know, we were out livin' the dream when we were kids, so I would tell myself to pace myself a little bit better. That's all.

What is your favorite part about playing live shows?

I just love the completions of you know, that cycle. When you know an idea thats in your bands head, then it gets to tape, then gets to a record, than in a store or internet and then gets in peoples' heads. Then all of a sudden they've purchased a ticket and are standing there in front of you and singing along. That's sort of the completion of you know, the whole cycle. So, I think that there is something great about that. 

You guys are currently touring to support your latest album Magnetic. What songs are you most excited to be performing live every night?

We've been doing about four or five songs off of the record every night. There is actually one that we haven't been playing called "Keep The Car Running", that I would like to though. We have been talking about trying to get that into the set pretty soon so-- but yeah we play a bunch of songs off that record actually.

So after releasing 10 albums, and selling more than 10 million copies. What do you think has changed and hasn't changed about the Goo Goo Dolls' sound?

Well, I mean we were obviously, when we started out, we were a bunch of kids trying to play punk rock. But now it's 30 years later and were adults, for the most part, trying to keep this thing that we do relevant, and a relatively honest part of our lives. You know, it's a hard thing to do as you kind of progress with your band in this business, you see business- ah I don't know, I don't know if it's business, I don't know what it is ha. But you know, it's tough, because you see a lot of bands implode as the years go on, for one reason or another, but we've been lucky enough to stick around and make it happen so, i'm pretty proud of that.

What is your writing/recording process like, and how has it changed throughout the years when you first started making records?

We just used to sit around and write a bunch of demos and play them in our practice space. Then go in and as quickly as possible try to write a record. The process for this last record was a lot different. We'd sort of work on one song at a time until it was done, a couple at a time at the most, until we felt like they were done, and then we moved on to the next idea. And it sort of didn't feel like we were trapped under a pile of half finished ideas, you know. We liked finishing an idea, and then moving on with a fresh perspective, which I think is pretty cool.

Your music video for "Come To Me" released about 7 months ago, but I have to ask what was the influence behind the video/song?

Yeah- you know, that's a song that John wrote for his wife, so it touched on relationship and stuff like that. I think we sort of feel like it turned out looking like a Viagra commercial, it didn't really turn out like we hoped haha. 

I thought it was cute!

Yeah well, it's kinda cute. But you know, it's just short of two people holding hands in two bath tubs on a cliff- you're not too far off. It should be a commercial on TV... anyway.

After this tour, what are your guys plans for the Goo Goo Dolls?

A few months ago we did a thing called the Otis Midnight Sessions, which are these acoustic tours that we did on the East coast with some friends of our in a band called Run River North. They actually performed with us during the show, so I think we are going to go out and do more of those maybe on the West coast. We got some colleges coming up. We filmed a bunch of those shows, the Otis Midnight shows, so I think we are gonna work on doing a DVD or some kind of release for that. And a new record, and probably another tour, and then hopefully be talking to you again. Then doing the whole thing all over again.

Haha, a never ending cycle.

Yeah exactly!

Alright, anything else you would like to add?

Nah, everything's great, everything's great. Thank you very much for talkin.