the goo goo dolls

By Suzanne Kehoe

     By now if you are unfamiliar with the Goo Goo Dolls, you've
been living under a rock...or maybe you've been in Asia for
awhile or something. At the highest point in their career so far
these hometown heroes have been everywhere from Europe to Shea's
Buffalo, to the Billboard Awards, to upcoming appearances on
Letterman and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve.
     Many of us watched with pride as the guys took the stage on
live national TV recently at the Billboard Awards. "I was so
scared I was having a heart attack," admits John, "It was live TV
and Stevie Wonder was there and everything." And as he explained,
it's far from playing your own show. "You're sitting in this
chair and this guy comes along and goes  all right, come on,
let's go,' and then you have a commercial break, right, and then
you're running. They run you backstage, throw a guitar around
you, put you behind a movable wall and go  Go!' That's it, no
warm up, nothing." Well even against such odds they did well -
and got to meet Stevie Wonder - not bad for some boys from
Buffalo.
     They certainly have come a long way from their "punk" days
playing at the Continental and opening for the Dead Milkmen at
Buff State. Nowadays their shows draw crowds made up of all sorts
of people. "You know, there's not enough hipsters to fill and
auditorium," jokes John. "But seriously, I want everybody to come
see us, we still get some of the punks and stuff, we're just
reaching a lot more people now." John attributes this widespread
acceptance to the "new" radio in Buffalo. "I don't know if
anybody's noticed but alternative is mainstream Top 40 music now,
the hip thing to do, but it's great. It's breathed a lot of new
life into radio. It's exciting and fun again, whereas it wasn't a
couple of years ago."
     Starting out, many bands have illusions of grandeur, about
making it big and hitting the jackpot, but it's not really like
that. There are always some rude awakenings. "Gosh, when you sign
deals with people, when you realize how many records you actually
have to sell before you pay back all the money you borrowed,
that's a pretty rude awakening," explains John. But even when
success is in arms reach it's still no joyride. "People think
that you live in a castle and drive a Jaguar, that's just not
true at all. But we've been fortunate that all the people at
Warner Brothers have a lot of faith in me as a writer, so they
don't mind lending us the money and watching the records flop.
This is the first record that is even coming close to paying back
all the money that we borrowed."
     Obviously, not all roads traveled are smooth. The band has
had some rough times. Parting ways with the drummer George was
one. Although John declines discussing that topic, he is eager to
say he is happy with the new drummer, Mike. "He's a real positive
source of energy. He loves playing the drums." Mike is also happy
to be where he is, although who wouldn't be. It seems Mike has
been a big fan of the Goos since 1987 when his friend recommended
buying their CD after seeing them open for Gang Green in Dallas,
where he is from. Then, at the beginning of this year, Mike was
in LA trying to get discovered when the Goos manager called him
and asked him to audition. He was a show-in for the job. "He knew
all of our songs, the first day we played 20 songs. He had to be
our drummer." says John. And Mike feels right at home with the
band. "Everyone's been really nice, it's been great, although I
didn't think anyone noticed, I am just the drummer," he laughs.
     The Goo Goo Dolls have many achievements but the one they
are most proud of is the recent show at Shea's. It seems the
Shea's people were a bit nervous about booking the band, visions
of moshing and kids destroying the place danced in their heads.
But that didn't happen. And not only did everyone behave, lots of
food was gathered for the area's needy. "I was so proud of all
the people that came to see us, everybody respected the place,"
says John, "and not only that they brought over a ton of food for
people that needed it. For me that was a huge accomplishment.
Everybody got together, had a great night in a beautiful place
and we did something all right for somebody who needed it. That
was a great, great achievement."
     As that show indicated, John and Robbie still maintain their
hometown roots and are loyal, family oriented guys. John has been
happily married for several years and Robbie is getting married
to his long-time girlfriend on New Year's day in Las Vegas. Their
lifestyles are pretty tame compared to some "rock stars." "Well
that stuff is pretty fleeting," says John, "the most important
thing, especially now, is hanging on to the people who will love
us whether we are on MTV or sweeping streets." Not one known to
be found hanging out on the local scene, John explains, "some
people mistake that for arrogance, because I never go out or am
never  in on the scene,' but I just want to stay home and hang
out with my wife."
     What's next for the Goo Goo Dolls? The new year will see
them doing a few weeks of college shows and then going on tour
with Bush. After that, they head back to Europe. It's been long,
hard struggle, but the Goo Goo Dolls are making it. But no matter
what happens from here, their heads and hearts are in the right
place, as John says, "We're having fun, and that's the most
important thing."