WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.799 Hello, I'm Robin Wilson of Gin Blossoms, and 00:00:02.799 --> 00:00:05.599 you are listening to my weekly mixtape with Brian 00:00:05.599 --> 00:00:20.289 Culber. Rock away. Welcome to My Weekly Mixtape, 00:00:20.390 --> 00:00:23.170 a podcast that takes the classic mixtape approach 00:00:23.170 --> 00:00:26.129 to building a modern playlist. I'm your host, 00:00:26.230 --> 00:00:28.890 Brian Colburn. Tonight, I'm super excited to 00:00:28.890 --> 00:00:31.489 welcome a singer -songwriter who I hold a great 00:00:31.489 --> 00:00:34.850 deal of respect for, as many of his songs are 00:00:34.850 --> 00:00:36.850 part of the soundtrack to my high school and 00:00:36.850 --> 00:00:39.090 college years, and that would be the one and 00:00:39.090 --> 00:00:41.549 only Robin Wilson of the Jim Blossoms. Robin, 00:00:41.670 --> 00:00:44.509 thank you so much for joining me, man. Thank 00:00:44.509 --> 00:00:47.539 you for having me, Brian. Good to see you. And 00:00:47.539 --> 00:00:49.600 right back at you, my friend. And I'd like to 00:00:49.600 --> 00:00:51.899 start by asking you the question I ask all of 00:00:51.899 --> 00:00:54.679 my first time guests. And that is, what does 00:00:54.679 --> 00:01:00.439 the word mixtape mean to you? Well, for me, literally, 00:01:00.740 --> 00:01:05.620 it means a tape, a cassette tape that I would 00:01:05.620 --> 00:01:08.980 put into the tape deck and then record individual 00:01:08.980 --> 00:01:13.000 songs from my record collection. And I always 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:16.689 took it as a sort of art form and wanted. the 00:01:16.689 --> 00:01:20.109 songs to flow really well from one to the next 00:01:20.109 --> 00:01:25.290 or retain some sort of sonic theme, you know, 00:01:25.329 --> 00:01:29.870 like all guitar bands or all metal or just, you 00:01:29.870 --> 00:01:33.250 know, songs that I would listen to a song and 00:01:33.250 --> 00:01:35.250 then I would think, oh, you know, it'd be great 00:01:35.250 --> 00:01:37.390 right after this and I would pull something else 00:01:37.390 --> 00:01:39.670 out of my record collection. And then, of course, 00:01:39.670 --> 00:01:43.090 I would always give my mixtapes like a really 00:01:43.090 --> 00:01:48.040 pretentious name. you know like the the dawning 00:01:48.040 --> 00:01:52.140 of time or whatever you know some silly pretentious 00:01:52.140 --> 00:01:55.879 poetic name to my mixtapes and then you know 00:01:55.879 --> 00:01:58.379 and then of course if you were trying to impress 00:01:58.379 --> 00:02:01.799 a girl uh you would make a mixtape for her songs 00:02:01.799 --> 00:02:05.780 you uh kind of wanted this new girl that you're 00:02:05.780 --> 00:02:07.959 trying to impress a lot songs you wanted her 00:02:07.959 --> 00:02:11.360 to hear and to think of you when she hears them 00:02:11.360 --> 00:02:15.129 so you know i have a long long history with the 00:02:15.129 --> 00:02:18.650 mixtape and now of course, you know, we do it 00:02:18.650 --> 00:02:21.110 on our phones and there's no tape anymore but 00:02:21.110 --> 00:02:23.870 it holds a special place in my heart. And then 00:02:23.870 --> 00:02:26.250 also in addition to that, a few years ago I went 00:02:26.250 --> 00:02:29.889 to see the New Kids on the Block mixtape tour 00:02:29.889 --> 00:02:34.210 and that was very cool where the New Kids were 00:02:34.210 --> 00:02:37.490 performing with Rick Astley, En Vogue and Salt 00:02:37.490 --> 00:02:40.870 -N -Pepa and it was a great, great time, a really 00:02:40.870 --> 00:02:45.830 fun concert so... But yeah, mixtape, go back 00:02:45.830 --> 00:02:49.750 to the 80s and actually like make a tape of various 00:02:49.750 --> 00:02:52.189 songs, various artists and put them on a cassette. 00:02:52.830 --> 00:02:55.270 Well, to start talking about the Jim Blossoms, 00:02:55.270 --> 00:02:57.270 I am going to start in the 80s because I want 00:02:57.270 --> 00:03:00.550 to talk about your debut album, Dusted, which 00:03:00.550 --> 00:03:03.569 was released on an indie label, both on LP and 00:03:03.569 --> 00:03:07.500 cassette in 1989. Four of the songs from that 00:03:07.500 --> 00:03:10.680 album will become future staples on the band's 00:03:10.680 --> 00:03:14.240 major label debut, 1992's New Miserable Experience, 00:03:14.340 --> 00:03:17.780 with those tracks being Hey Jealousy, Found Out 00:03:17.780 --> 00:03:21.120 About You, Cajun Song, and the album opener in 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:25.159 both instances, Lost Horizons. Can you talk about 00:03:25.159 --> 00:03:28.419 the evolution that those songs took from the 00:03:28.419 --> 00:03:31.900 indie label renditions to the versions that most 00:03:31.900 --> 00:03:35.080 people recognize as heard on New Miserable Experience? 00:03:36.199 --> 00:03:38.479 Sure. Well, the biggest difference is the tempo. 00:03:38.680 --> 00:03:41.180 You know, we had no discipline when we recorded 00:03:41.180 --> 00:03:45.620 Dusted. We were doing it for a very small budget. 00:03:46.120 --> 00:03:48.379 We didn't have a lot of time. And so we just 00:03:48.379 --> 00:03:51.439 kind of stormed through the songs, more or less 00:03:51.439 --> 00:03:53.560 playing them live. And then, of course, when 00:03:53.560 --> 00:03:55.639 the record came out, we were all like, God, everything 00:03:55.639 --> 00:03:59.639 sounds so fast. Why didn't we think to slow everything 00:03:59.639 --> 00:04:02.800 down a little bit? So by time we actually got 00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:05.490 around to recording. New Miserable Experience. 00:04:05.949 --> 00:04:09.310 A few years later, we had a bit more discipline 00:04:09.310 --> 00:04:13.770 and we learned to experiment with the tempos 00:04:13.770 --> 00:04:18.569 to see what was the best vibe. And aside from 00:04:18.569 --> 00:04:20.990 the tempos, the only other thing that really 00:04:20.990 --> 00:04:25.069 would have changed is that we changed the bridge 00:04:25.069 --> 00:04:29.189 on Lost Horizons. There had been an earlier version 00:04:29.189 --> 00:04:33.100 of that song that Doug had... Don, Doug was our 00:04:33.100 --> 00:04:36.199 founding guitar player and songwriter. He had 00:04:36.199 --> 00:04:40.779 had that song for a few years before he formed 00:04:40.779 --> 00:04:43.720 Jim Blossoms, and they had a slightly a conversion 00:04:43.720 --> 00:04:47.600 of the bridge. And when we were recording New 00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:50.660 Miserable Experience, we decided to experiment 00:04:50.660 --> 00:04:55.300 with the original format of the bridge, and it 00:04:55.300 --> 00:04:58.139 worked out really well. So that's what you ended 00:04:58.139 --> 00:05:00.889 up hearing on the... on the record but we had 00:05:00.889 --> 00:05:04.269 never played it live with exactly that arrangement 00:05:04.269 --> 00:05:08.129 until we made new miserable experience and then 00:05:08.129 --> 00:05:11.290 we had to we had to sort of relearn the song 00:05:11.290 --> 00:05:13.829 so we were doing the same arrangements as on 00:05:13.829 --> 00:05:17.189 the record so uh mostly i would say the big difference 00:05:17.189 --> 00:05:20.009 between those two records is our discipline and 00:05:20.009 --> 00:05:24.870 our tempos well the original 92 release of new 00:05:24.870 --> 00:05:27.730 miserable experience features an arizona themed 00:05:28.319 --> 00:05:31.399 artwork. But after Hey Jealousy took off and 00:05:31.399 --> 00:05:34.860 the label re -released the album in 93, it features 00:05:34.860 --> 00:05:37.439 the artwork that most folks are familiar with 00:05:37.439 --> 00:05:39.879 today. And that was something you personally 00:05:39.879 --> 00:05:42.980 took artistic control over. Am I not mistaken? 00:05:43.560 --> 00:05:47.480 No, you are correct. We really didn't like the 00:05:47.480 --> 00:05:49.540 first version of the album cover. We were really 00:05:49.540 --> 00:05:53.699 upset about it. And we had given them a few ideas 00:05:53.699 --> 00:05:57.009 for what we wanted. And, you know, they didn't 00:05:57.009 --> 00:05:59.569 really want to spend a lot of money. So they 00:05:59.569 --> 00:06:01.689 kind of slapped something together. We thought 00:06:01.689 --> 00:06:04.949 it was terrible. And I remember getting into 00:06:04.949 --> 00:06:07.709 something of an argument with our product manager 00:06:07.709 --> 00:06:11.449 at the label and explained to her that we hate 00:06:11.449 --> 00:06:14.490 the cover. We don't want this cover. And she 00:06:14.490 --> 00:06:17.610 kept trying to say, well, you really don't understand 00:06:17.610 --> 00:06:20.389 marketing and you need to see this from our point 00:06:20.389 --> 00:06:24.009 of view. And it was really, really an insulting. 00:06:24.860 --> 00:06:28.399 conversation and I remember saying to her, are 00:06:28.399 --> 00:06:31.399 you telling me that we've worked our whole lives 00:06:31.399 --> 00:06:35.699 to make this record and it's going to come out 00:06:35.699 --> 00:06:38.180 with a cover that we all hate and there's nothing 00:06:38.180 --> 00:06:41.519 we can do about it? And she just said, well, 00:06:41.800 --> 00:06:45.920 you really don't understand marketing. And I 00:06:45.920 --> 00:06:49.920 was so pissed off because I had been a lifelong 00:06:49.920 --> 00:06:53.740 fan of rock music. I had been drawing album covers 00:06:53.740 --> 00:06:56.879 since I was a little kid. I had experience in 00:06:56.879 --> 00:06:59.579 record retail. I worked at three different record 00:06:59.579 --> 00:07:04.759 stores through the 1980s. And so I was as immersed 00:07:04.759 --> 00:07:10.060 in album cover artwork as any fan anywhere. And 00:07:10.060 --> 00:07:13.759 so to be told by the label, well, you just don't 00:07:13.759 --> 00:07:19.939 understand marketing. I was like, fuck you. It's 00:07:19.939 --> 00:07:24.860 our album. We know what we want. And so several 00:07:24.860 --> 00:07:28.399 months after that, when the label decided to 00:07:28.399 --> 00:07:32.379 relaunch the record, I got into a fight with 00:07:32.379 --> 00:07:34.959 her again. And I said, no, we're going to stick 00:07:34.959 --> 00:07:37.959 this out. You told me that I didn't know anything 00:07:37.959 --> 00:07:40.699 about marketing. And now you're telling me you 00:07:40.699 --> 00:07:43.139 want to redo the album, you know, the way I was 00:07:43.139 --> 00:07:45.939 saying in the first place. And, you know, you 00:07:45.939 --> 00:07:50.060 made it such a miserable experience to put the 00:07:50.060 --> 00:07:53.129 album cover together. So I said, no, we're going 00:07:53.129 --> 00:07:56.189 to keep the album. And she said, well, Robin, 00:07:56.290 --> 00:07:58.470 we really want you to just kind of relax and 00:07:58.470 --> 00:08:01.550 let us, we're going to redo it. So, and I said, 00:08:01.589 --> 00:08:03.449 okay, well, if we are going to redo the album 00:08:03.449 --> 00:08:08.029 cover, you're going to do what I want and what 00:08:08.029 --> 00:08:12.069 we want as a band. And so for the relaunched 00:08:12.069 --> 00:08:15.290 version of the album cover, I basically had. 00:08:15.930 --> 00:08:19.269 almost full control over it. I, I did the layouts. 00:08:19.370 --> 00:08:21.810 I turned in the photographs. I wrote, I hand 00:08:21.810 --> 00:08:26.850 wrote all the lyrics and the credits and I built, 00:08:27.089 --> 00:08:31.670 I constructed a prototype and we ended up like 00:08:31.670 --> 00:08:35.129 they followed my advice and we did the album 00:08:35.129 --> 00:08:38.190 cover that, that I really wanted to do, you know, 00:08:38.190 --> 00:08:41.730 based on my, my bandmates and myself, uh, ideas 00:08:41.730 --> 00:08:44.929 and our input. So all of those photographs on 00:08:44.929 --> 00:08:47.769 that cover, are pictures that I personally took 00:08:47.769 --> 00:08:51.269 and I still have all the negatives for all that 00:08:51.269 --> 00:08:53.870 stuff. Well, while we're talking about photographs, 00:08:53.970 --> 00:08:56.230 I actually want to bring up another photograph 00:08:56.230 --> 00:08:59.769 because one of my favorite songs from new miserable 00:08:59.769 --> 00:09:04.389 experience is Alison road. And the song was based 00:09:04.389 --> 00:09:08.629 off of a photograph that you took off of interstate 00:09:08.629 --> 00:09:12.789 10 in Roosevelt, Texas. I'm really curious behind 00:09:12.789 --> 00:09:15.700 because back in the nineties, We didn't have 00:09:15.700 --> 00:09:18.200 digital cameras to take endless photos. So there 00:09:18.200 --> 00:09:20.799 must have been something significant about this 00:09:20.799 --> 00:09:23.440 road sign that made you want to capture that 00:09:23.440 --> 00:09:26.940 moment. Yes. Well, and it actually wasn't me. 00:09:27.019 --> 00:09:29.740 It was a friend of ours who had followed us out 00:09:29.740 --> 00:09:33.000 to Austin. We were performing at South by Southwest. 00:09:33.539 --> 00:09:36.679 And a couple carloads full of our friends followed 00:09:36.679 --> 00:09:40.379 us out there. And in one of those cars was a 00:09:40.379 --> 00:09:43.549 guy who had a sister. named Allison. And when 00:09:43.549 --> 00:09:46.549 they passed this street sign that said Allison 00:09:46.549 --> 00:09:51.129 Road, my friend took a photograph of the street 00:09:51.129 --> 00:09:54.009 sign. And again, you're right, this wasn't digital 00:09:54.009 --> 00:09:57.610 cameras. So it was some weeks later that the 00:09:57.610 --> 00:10:00.169 photos got developed and for whatever reason, 00:10:00.210 --> 00:10:03.610 the art copy of the photograph of the Allison 00:10:03.610 --> 00:10:06.549 Road street sign, somehow it ended up in my apartment. 00:10:07.149 --> 00:10:11.669 And I remember stumbling across this photograph 00:10:11.669 --> 00:10:16.590 and seeing the sign. It said, exit here, Allison 00:10:16.590 --> 00:10:22.649 Road. And immediately in my head, I started singing 00:10:22.649 --> 00:10:27.230 the chorus to the song. The song hit me immediately. 00:10:27.710 --> 00:10:31.509 And I kind of knew from that moment what the 00:10:31.509 --> 00:10:35.090 song was, what the lyrical structure should be, 00:10:35.169 --> 00:10:37.659 what the melody was. And I had just immediately 00:10:37.659 --> 00:10:41.120 started writing. And within 20 minutes, basically, 00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:46.019 the whole song was done. And it was the first 00:10:46.019 --> 00:10:49.440 song that I had turned in as a songwriter in 00:10:49.440 --> 00:10:51.919 Jim Blossoms. It was the first song that I turned 00:10:51.919 --> 00:10:57.399 in that the band really liked and was excited 00:10:57.399 --> 00:11:01.879 to perform. Up to that point, the songs of mine 00:11:01.879 --> 00:11:04.679 we were doing, they were just kind of throwing 00:11:04.679 --> 00:11:08.340 me a bone. you know, especially the Doug did 00:11:08.340 --> 00:11:10.539 really, really didn't like playing my songs. 00:11:11.139 --> 00:11:16.159 And I was the, I had joined the band as the least 00:11:16.159 --> 00:11:19.700 experienced member. Jim Blossoms was my first 00:11:19.700 --> 00:11:23.320 real band. I had only ever done like jam sessions 00:11:23.320 --> 00:11:26.019 and open mic nights and things like that. So 00:11:26.019 --> 00:11:30.620 they looked at me as like a junior member and 00:11:30.620 --> 00:11:34.440 they really didn't want to do my songs. But when 00:11:34.440 --> 00:11:37.690 I turned in Allison road, it became clear to 00:11:37.690 --> 00:11:41.669 everyone that I had the potential to write hits 00:11:41.669 --> 00:11:45.830 as well. And it was the first time I really got 00:11:45.830 --> 00:11:49.090 any respect as a songwriter in the band. And 00:11:49.090 --> 00:11:52.309 everyone around us, from our close friends and 00:11:52.309 --> 00:11:55.090 other groups to my younger brother, when they 00:11:55.090 --> 00:11:57.529 heard the song, they were all like, wow, Robin 00:11:57.529 --> 00:12:03.110 can write too. Go figure. So as a songwriter, 00:12:03.269 --> 00:12:05.870 you know, it was a great accomplishment. It was 00:12:05.870 --> 00:12:09.250 a coming of age moment for me. There was a review 00:12:09.250 --> 00:12:12.710 that came out once that said that Allison Road 00:12:12.710 --> 00:12:15.429 was the best Tom Petty song that Tom Petty never 00:12:15.429 --> 00:12:19.250 wrote. I was always so proud of that. And then 00:12:19.250 --> 00:12:23.230 a couple of years back, we actually had an event 00:12:23.230 --> 00:12:26.909 in our hometown of Tempe where they renamed a 00:12:26.909 --> 00:12:31.169 street. In our hometown, they renamed it Allison 00:12:31.169 --> 00:12:36.649 Road. And we received that honor. And now I've 00:12:36.649 --> 00:12:39.529 got one of the street signs hanging up in my 00:12:39.529 --> 00:12:43.509 kitchen in New York. So, you know, I'm perhaps 00:12:43.509 --> 00:12:47.990 the only songwriter from Arizona to have a street 00:12:47.990 --> 00:12:51.129 named after one of their songs. So it's a great, 00:12:51.210 --> 00:12:53.710 great accomplishment and a very proud moment 00:12:53.710 --> 00:12:57.450 for me. Well, I want to touch on that. Arizona 00:12:57.450 --> 00:12:59.649 music scene for a moment, because one of my favorite 00:12:59.649 --> 00:13:02.950 aspects of the Jim Blossom's music is the band's 00:13:02.950 --> 00:13:06.330 ability to weave different styles and influences 00:13:06.330 --> 00:13:09.809 into tracks across your albums. And I'll use 00:13:09.809 --> 00:13:13.309 the earlier mentioned Cajun song to the country 00:13:13.309 --> 00:13:15.929 leaning cheating at the end of New Miserable 00:13:15.929 --> 00:13:19.190 Experience, as well as the Americana Memphis 00:13:19.190 --> 00:13:22.269 Time, both of which those last two songs. saw 00:13:22.269 --> 00:13:24.850 significant airplay on my country radio show 00:13:24.850 --> 00:13:30.610 on 90 .3 WMSC in the mid to late 90s. Were those 00:13:30.610 --> 00:13:33.789 influences that were woven through the tracks 00:13:33.789 --> 00:13:37.370 a nod to the eclectic music scene in Tempe, Arizona, 00:13:37.649 --> 00:13:40.350 where the band had their beginnings? Well, we 00:13:40.350 --> 00:13:44.190 didn't really overthink things. We didn't ever 00:13:44.190 --> 00:13:48.769 have a discussion where we would say, let's try 00:13:48.769 --> 00:13:52.350 to sound like... you know, this band that's happening 00:13:52.350 --> 00:13:55.049 right now or whatever, you know, but we were 00:13:55.049 --> 00:13:58.629 very much into bands like The Replacements and 00:13:58.629 --> 00:14:02.409 Cheap Trick. And we wanted to be a fun, upbeat, 00:14:02.830 --> 00:14:06.370 raucous rock and roll band. And so we were always 00:14:06.370 --> 00:14:09.970 just kind of chasing that without really overthinking 00:14:09.970 --> 00:14:13.169 it. There was a moment where Doug and I had a 00:14:13.169 --> 00:14:17.210 conversation about what should be our first single. 00:14:18.039 --> 00:14:20.559 And I remember saying to Doug, we should write 00:14:20.559 --> 00:14:23.340 like a rock and roll song, like a cheat trick 00:14:23.340 --> 00:14:28.399 song. And Doug took that bit of information and 00:14:28.399 --> 00:14:32.700 came up with the riff and the first bit of lyrics 00:14:32.700 --> 00:14:36.460 for Hold Me Down. And then he gave that to me 00:14:36.460 --> 00:14:40.259 and I helped him finish the song, came up with 00:14:40.259 --> 00:14:43.580 the intro and the bridge and finished the lyrics. 00:14:43.620 --> 00:14:46.850 Doug had written... about half of the lyrics, 00:14:46.929 --> 00:14:48.529 maybe a little more than half of the lyrics, 00:14:48.669 --> 00:14:51.149 but it was up to me to write a couple of verses 00:14:51.149 --> 00:14:55.970 and help him figure out how the melody landed 00:14:55.970 --> 00:14:59.250 over the chords. But that was one of the few 00:14:59.250 --> 00:15:02.389 times where the only time I can think of where 00:15:02.389 --> 00:15:05.350 we specifically referenced another band when 00:15:05.350 --> 00:15:08.730 we were writing a song. And that was my saying 00:15:08.730 --> 00:15:10.730 to Doug, we should write something like a cheap 00:15:10.730 --> 00:15:12.990 trick song, something kind of upbeat and fast. 00:15:13.659 --> 00:15:17.080 And in my head, I was thinking like On Top of 00:15:17.080 --> 00:15:21.120 the World or Surrender or He's a Whore, those 00:15:21.120 --> 00:15:27.159 kind of cheap trick songs. And what Doug and 00:15:27.159 --> 00:15:31.360 I ended up writing was Hold Me Down, which has 00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:33.759 a much darker tone than a typical cheap trick 00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:37.360 song. But that was a really proud moment for 00:15:37.360 --> 00:15:40.740 me. And to this day, I really enjoy performing 00:15:40.740 --> 00:15:44.570 Hold Me Down. In the 90s, people talk about the 00:15:44.570 --> 00:15:47.169 Seattle music scene for grunge. They talk about 00:15:47.169 --> 00:15:50.409 the Orange County music scene for ska punk music. 00:15:50.669 --> 00:15:53.549 But Tempe, Arizona had a sound of its own with 00:15:53.549 --> 00:15:56.870 groups like the Jim Blossoms, the Meat Puppets, 00:15:56.870 --> 00:16:00.129 and the Refreshments. Could you talk about the 00:16:00.129 --> 00:16:03.129 music scene that was happening in Arizona in 00:16:03.129 --> 00:16:06.850 the 90s and how significant it was? Well, sure. 00:16:07.110 --> 00:16:10.090 Well, we all really, all of us, for the most 00:16:10.090 --> 00:16:13.409 part, were Starting our bands back in the 80s, 00:16:13.409 --> 00:16:16.669 so we were more a product of that time than anything 00:16:16.669 --> 00:16:20.490 else. I mentioned the replacements, but there 00:16:20.490 --> 00:16:24.590 were also groups like, say, The Church and REM 00:16:24.590 --> 00:16:27.970 that were guitar -based rock bands, very melodic. 00:16:28.669 --> 00:16:33.350 And I always felt that we were a lot like The 00:16:33.350 --> 00:16:35.590 Church. I think they had a really big influence 00:16:35.590 --> 00:16:41.370 on Doug and our bass player, Bill. you know we 00:16:41.370 --> 00:16:43.529 were really you know we were looking at bands 00:16:43.529 --> 00:16:46.549 like specifically like rem and the replacements 00:16:46.549 --> 00:16:50.450 and wanting to emulate what those groups had 00:16:50.450 --> 00:16:56.730 done so um our scene in tempe you know there 00:16:56.730 --> 00:16:59.350 were there were dozens and dozens of bands it 00:16:59.350 --> 00:17:02.149 was a big college town so there were plenty of 00:17:02.149 --> 00:17:07.109 clubs to play and musically it was just sort 00:17:07.109 --> 00:17:10.170 of independent of what was happening in other 00:17:11.069 --> 00:17:14.710 At the time, the big music scenes were Minneapolis, 00:17:15.329 --> 00:17:21.210 Austin, Texas, Seattle, Los Angeles. And we weren't 00:17:21.210 --> 00:17:23.670 a part of any of that. And we were just kind 00:17:23.670 --> 00:17:29.730 of following our own muse. And, you know, I think 00:17:29.730 --> 00:17:35.509 looking back, groups like, say, the Eagles, which 00:17:35.509 --> 00:17:38.980 were really strongly influenced. the direction 00:17:38.980 --> 00:17:44.079 of the songwriting of bands in Arizona. But if 00:17:44.079 --> 00:17:47.279 you would ask us at the time, we were all really 00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:50.940 trying to be more like REM, you know? Got it. 00:17:51.160 --> 00:17:54.140 Well, I am a huge sucker for cover songs. And 00:17:54.140 --> 00:17:56.000 one of my favorite tribute albums that came out 00:17:56.000 --> 00:17:59.599 in the 90s was the 1994 compilation, Kiss My 00:17:59.599 --> 00:18:03.829 Ass. Classic Kiss Regrooved, which featured both 00:18:03.829 --> 00:18:06.190 you and this summer's touring mates for you, 00:18:06.250 --> 00:18:09.150 Toad the Wet Sprocket, reworking songs from the 00:18:09.150 --> 00:18:12.029 Kiss catalog with Toad taking on rock and roll 00:18:12.029 --> 00:18:14.589 all night and Jim Blossom's covering Christine 00:18:14.589 --> 00:18:18.470 16. Did the band have complete artistic freedom 00:18:18.470 --> 00:18:21.009 to take that song where you wanted to go with 00:18:21.009 --> 00:18:23.549 it creatively? Or was somebody from the Kiss 00:18:23.549 --> 00:18:26.470 camp kind of involved in that entire process? 00:18:27.210 --> 00:18:30.269 Actually, they... They were encouraging us to 00:18:30.269 --> 00:18:33.349 do whatever we wanted. And I think that's why 00:18:33.349 --> 00:18:36.269 you've got that amazing version of Rock and Roll 00:18:36.269 --> 00:18:38.430 All Night by Toad the Wet Sprocket, which is 00:18:38.430 --> 00:18:40.470 just so completely different than the original. 00:18:41.230 --> 00:18:45.009 With our take on Christine 16, we really didn't 00:18:45.009 --> 00:18:47.710 do anything all that different. We just wanted 00:18:47.710 --> 00:18:52.529 to do a spirited rendition of the song. And I 00:18:52.529 --> 00:18:58.109 was really the only big Kiss fan. in Gin Blossom. 00:18:58.210 --> 00:19:02.230 So if it hadn't been for my enthusiasm, the band 00:19:02.230 --> 00:19:05.109 probably would have turned it down. Whoa. Because 00:19:05.109 --> 00:19:11.549 Jesse and Bill were particularly Kiss fans. But 00:19:11.549 --> 00:19:14.410 for me, they were my first favorite band. That 00:19:14.410 --> 00:19:17.250 was the first concert I ever saw was Cheap Trick 00:19:17.250 --> 00:19:23.789 and Kiss in 1977. And they were a huge influence 00:19:23.789 --> 00:19:27.150 and inspiration to me. So when we were offered 00:19:27.150 --> 00:19:29.849 that, I flipped out and I was super excited. 00:19:29.990 --> 00:19:33.789 And my bandmates were like, well, what can we 00:19:33.789 --> 00:19:38.710 do? We really don't know their songs. So I went 00:19:38.710 --> 00:19:41.630 through the catalog and picked a song that I 00:19:41.630 --> 00:19:46.130 felt like my bandmates could stomach and would 00:19:46.130 --> 00:19:50.609 be able to perform well, was sort of more in 00:19:50.609 --> 00:19:53.759 our wheelhouse. Certainly Christine 16 is more 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:56.799 of like a straight pop rock song than say something 00:19:56.799 --> 00:20:02.579 like God of Thunder. So, you know, I purposely 00:20:02.579 --> 00:20:04.500 looked for something that I thought that they 00:20:04.500 --> 00:20:06.519 would enjoy playing. And so that's why we came 00:20:06.519 --> 00:20:09.660 up with Christine 16. And as I said, we didn't 00:20:09.660 --> 00:20:13.180 really try to reinvent it. We just set out to 00:20:13.180 --> 00:20:16.779 do a nice competent version of it. So that was 00:20:16.779 --> 00:20:20.279 very exciting for me. I got to spend a day in 00:20:20.279 --> 00:20:23.880 the studio with Gene and Paul when we were mixing 00:20:23.880 --> 00:20:27.279 the song. And so I got to spend a whole day just 00:20:27.279 --> 00:20:29.900 hanging out with them and listening to them tell, 00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:33.920 you know, stories. And I peppered them with every 00:20:33.920 --> 00:20:36.480 question I ever would have wanted to ask Kiss. 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:40.079 And, you know, I got them to autograph my lunchbox 00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:43.440 and my best friend's copy of Love Gun, which 00:20:43.440 --> 00:20:46.160 to this day, my best friend has framed in his 00:20:46.160 --> 00:20:52.009 office. And, you know, it was a big deal for 00:20:52.009 --> 00:20:55.970 me to get to hang out with Kiss and, like, be 00:20:55.970 --> 00:21:00.130 in the studio with them as a peer, as, you know, 00:21:00.130 --> 00:21:04.109 someone that they had some respect for. And then 00:21:04.109 --> 00:21:06.210 it was just a few weeks after that that we were 00:21:06.210 --> 00:21:10.509 asked to join them and perform with them on Letterman. 00:21:10.910 --> 00:21:14.630 And so you can find it on YouTube if you search 00:21:14.630 --> 00:21:19.569 for Kiss Gin Blossoms. You can see our performance 00:21:19.569 --> 00:21:23.190 where basically I got to front Kiss on Letterman. 00:21:23.289 --> 00:21:27.829 And this was literally my sixth grade dream come 00:21:27.829 --> 00:21:32.410 true. So, you know, I hold that up as one of 00:21:32.410 --> 00:21:37.109 the great moments of our career. Well, this summer 00:21:37.109 --> 00:21:41.410 is the 30th. anniversary of that kiss tribute 00:21:41.410 --> 00:21:44.190 and you and toad the wet sprocket are going to 00:21:44.190 --> 00:21:46.869 be on the road this summer together is there 00:21:46.869 --> 00:21:50.509 any chance you guys revisit these kiss songs 00:21:50.509 --> 00:21:54.470 in celebration that would be that's a great idea 00:21:54.470 --> 00:21:56.950 but no that ain't gonna happen but we are we 00:21:56.950 --> 00:22:00.670 are learning an rem song oh nice so we're planning 00:22:00.670 --> 00:22:04.470 to uh perform together on an rem song and then 00:22:04.470 --> 00:22:07.490 also we're uh we're probably going to learn a 00:22:07.490 --> 00:22:12.519 song by the birds And we will hopefully be doing 00:22:12.519 --> 00:22:15.819 that as part of the encore on most nights on 00:22:15.819 --> 00:22:20.009 the tour. Fantastic. Yeah. Well, after the huge 00:22:20.009 --> 00:22:22.609 success of New Miserable Experience, the band 00:22:22.609 --> 00:22:25.789 is now tasked with writing the main song for 00:22:25.789 --> 00:22:28.670 Empire Records, which is a beloved movie for 00:22:28.670 --> 00:22:31.150 anybody that is around my age. It feels like 00:22:31.150 --> 00:22:33.789 it was one of our coming of age movies in the 00:22:33.789 --> 00:22:37.210 90s. And as somebody who worked in a record store 00:22:37.210 --> 00:22:40.769 for as long as you did, I have to ask, did Empire 00:22:40.769 --> 00:22:45.230 Records get it right? In a lot of ways, yeah. 00:22:46.119 --> 00:22:48.579 It was exciting to be asked to be part of that 00:22:48.579 --> 00:22:53.180 movie because our bass player Bill and I both 00:22:53.180 --> 00:22:56.680 worked together at Tower Records. Working at 00:22:56.680 --> 00:22:59.819 record stores was a big part of my youth and 00:22:59.819 --> 00:23:03.259 my 80s experience. My life in the 80s was like 00:23:03.259 --> 00:23:07.319 a John Hughes movie. And working at the record 00:23:07.319 --> 00:23:11.190 store was a big part of my identity. So when 00:23:11.190 --> 00:23:14.150 our band took off and suddenly we had the lead 00:23:14.150 --> 00:23:17.369 single for the soundtrack for a movie about working 00:23:17.369 --> 00:23:21.349 in a record store, I thought that was kind of 00:23:21.349 --> 00:23:26.210 cool poetry and symmetry to the way things worked 00:23:26.210 --> 00:23:31.869 out. And honestly, working at Tower Records was 00:23:31.869 --> 00:23:36.029 a little more chaotic than the Empire Records 00:23:36.029 --> 00:23:39.849 movie. You know, of course, they have to take... 00:23:40.119 --> 00:23:43.539 artistic license and dramatize things. So they 00:23:43.539 --> 00:23:45.940 played up certain aspects of working in a record 00:23:45.940 --> 00:23:48.839 store, but they didn't really get the level of 00:23:48.839 --> 00:23:54.859 sort of chaos and disorganization. And it didn't 00:23:54.859 --> 00:23:59.000 really capture for me how important the music 00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:03.599 itself was to being an employee at a record store. 00:24:03.859 --> 00:24:08.289 We were immersed in music all the time. We were 00:24:08.289 --> 00:24:10.970 hearing every single record that came out, all 00:24:10.970 --> 00:24:16.190 different genres. And one of my favorite things 00:24:16.190 --> 00:24:18.589 about working in the record store is when someone 00:24:18.589 --> 00:24:21.750 would come in and say, well, what do you suggest? 00:24:21.950 --> 00:24:25.230 What do you recommend? What's good right now? 00:24:25.349 --> 00:24:28.549 And then you could just ask them one or two questions. 00:24:28.690 --> 00:24:30.430 Well, what was the last record that you bought? 00:24:31.170 --> 00:24:34.890 Did you like it? Or what groups do you like listening 00:24:34.890 --> 00:24:38.109 to? And then being able to... Take them around 00:24:38.109 --> 00:24:40.089 the store and say, well, if you like that, then 00:24:40.089 --> 00:24:42.190 you're really going to like this new Joe Jackson 00:24:42.190 --> 00:24:45.730 album. Or, oh, if you like Skinny Puppy, then 00:24:45.730 --> 00:24:50.009 you're really going to like Ministry or whatever, 00:24:50.329 --> 00:24:53.710 Sisters of Mercy, whatever it is. Recommending 00:24:53.710 --> 00:24:58.130 music to people was my favorite part of working 00:24:58.130 --> 00:25:00.769 at the record store, being surrounded by music 00:25:00.769 --> 00:25:04.890 all of the time. And then... Because we knew 00:25:04.890 --> 00:25:07.390 all the reps from the record companies, we were 00:25:07.390 --> 00:25:11.930 constantly getting free concert tickets. So you'd 00:25:11.930 --> 00:25:14.509 be working at the record store and then you'd 00:25:14.509 --> 00:25:16.769 go home and you'd listen to music all night or 00:25:16.769 --> 00:25:19.289 you'd go to a concert. That's all we did was 00:25:19.289 --> 00:25:22.990 listen to music, play records, make mixtapes. 00:25:23.029 --> 00:25:26.950 We were constantly seeing local bands and participating 00:25:26.950 --> 00:25:31.329 in open mic nights and just dreaming about starting 00:25:31.329 --> 00:25:36.680 a band. And that was our obsession. All of my 00:25:36.680 --> 00:25:40.380 friends, that's all we wanted to do was play 00:25:40.380 --> 00:25:44.200 music and go to shows and hear the latest records. 00:25:44.480 --> 00:25:48.220 And that's all we did. And I think that's how 00:25:48.220 --> 00:25:51.799 you become a musician, or at least like a rock 00:25:51.799 --> 00:25:56.420 and roll musician, is you immerse yourself in 00:25:56.420 --> 00:26:01.119 it and it feeds into your songwriting and performances. 00:26:02.220 --> 00:26:05.240 uh you know i'm just so grateful that i ended 00:26:05.240 --> 00:26:08.400 up in the right band and that we all had the 00:26:08.400 --> 00:26:12.099 ability to write decent songs uh because that's 00:26:12.099 --> 00:26:14.140 what it always comes down to having good songs 00:26:14.140 --> 00:26:18.220 so agree i'm not sure exactly what the last question 00:26:18.220 --> 00:26:21.119 was i think i sort of just started rambling there 00:26:21.119 --> 00:26:23.730 but No, I think you hit the nail on the head. 00:26:23.809 --> 00:26:26.029 And I liken when I worked in a record store, 00:26:26.190 --> 00:26:29.250 when I tell my kids about my experience, I basically 00:26:29.250 --> 00:26:31.710 explained to them I was the human algorithm. 00:26:32.029 --> 00:26:35.289 We didn't have Apple Music or Spotify to tell 00:26:35.289 --> 00:26:38.450 us what other songs. You had to rely on other 00:26:38.450 --> 00:26:41.630 people's opinions and other people's knowledge. 00:26:41.829 --> 00:26:44.549 And the people that worked in record stores cared 00:26:44.549 --> 00:26:47.589 enough about music that they wanted to give you 00:26:47.589 --> 00:26:49.269 the right opinion because that kept you coming 00:26:49.269 --> 00:26:52.769 back. When you were writing Till I Hear It From 00:26:52.769 --> 00:26:56.829 You for Empire Records, were you given any context 00:26:56.829 --> 00:26:59.490 of how the song was going to be utilized in the 00:26:59.490 --> 00:27:02.910 movie? Because you and co -writers Jesse Valenzuela 00:27:02.910 --> 00:27:06.470 and Marshall Crenshaw came up with the perfect 00:27:06.470 --> 00:27:08.829 fit for the movie. I'm curious, did you write 00:27:08.829 --> 00:27:12.130 that in tandem as the movie was being made? Or 00:27:12.130 --> 00:27:15.750 did you see the scene and say, here's our idea? 00:27:16.759 --> 00:27:21.660 No, we didn't write the song with anything specific 00:27:21.660 --> 00:27:25.599 in the movie in mind. Our goal was simply to 00:27:25.599 --> 00:27:31.720 write a good, catchy pop song. We weren't given 00:27:31.720 --> 00:27:35.359 any instructions other than go write a hit, go 00:27:35.359 --> 00:27:40.200 write something good. And so we really just set 00:27:40.200 --> 00:27:42.940 out to come up with a good song. And we knew 00:27:42.940 --> 00:27:45.349 that if it was a... decent enough song they'd 00:27:45.349 --> 00:27:50.069 be able to fit it in somehow into the album and 00:27:50.069 --> 00:27:53.210 into the movie and we did know going in that 00:27:53.210 --> 00:27:56.250 it was going to be the main single from the soundtrack 00:27:56.250 --> 00:28:00.009 so there was a good deal of pressure on us to 00:28:00.009 --> 00:28:02.109 make sure we delivered something really really 00:28:02.109 --> 00:28:06.390 good but though that was pretty much our only 00:28:06.390 --> 00:28:08.869 instruction was just go write something good 00:28:09.680 --> 00:28:13.880 Well, between 1992 and 1995, the band lived on 00:28:13.880 --> 00:28:16.299 a roller coaster with many ups and downs, including 00:28:16.299 --> 00:28:18.619 the massive success of New Miserable Experience, 00:28:19.220 --> 00:28:22.160 to the soundtrack and the compilations like we 00:28:22.160 --> 00:28:25.279 talked about, to the tragic loss of Doug Hopkins, 00:28:25.480 --> 00:28:29.799 and that's referenced in the album title to 1996's 00:28:29.799 --> 00:28:32.910 Congratulations, I'm Sorry. Is it true that the 00:28:32.910 --> 00:28:35.890 lead single from that album, Follow You Down, 00:28:36.130 --> 00:28:39.029 came together at the tail end of the recording 00:28:39.029 --> 00:28:44.509 sessions? Yes, it did. We thought we were done 00:28:44.509 --> 00:28:46.690 with the record, but then the label came to us 00:28:46.690 --> 00:28:48.910 and said, you need to go write another hit single. 00:28:49.509 --> 00:28:52.910 And once again, they were very clear that it 00:28:52.910 --> 00:28:55.890 had to be a hit single. So it was a great deal 00:28:55.890 --> 00:28:58.049 of pressure on us because we knew the label was 00:28:58.049 --> 00:29:00.390 waiting for the record. They were waiting for 00:29:00.390 --> 00:29:03.690 one more song. And this was the first album we 00:29:03.690 --> 00:29:06.910 had made without our founding guitar player and 00:29:06.910 --> 00:29:10.049 songwriter, Doug Hopkins. So we were under a 00:29:10.049 --> 00:29:12.329 lot of pressure from ourselves to make sure we 00:29:12.329 --> 00:29:15.890 lived up to Doug's legacy and the quality of 00:29:15.890 --> 00:29:20.710 his music. So I look at the success of Follow 00:29:20.710 --> 00:29:25.349 You Down as perhaps our single greatest achievement. 00:29:25.990 --> 00:29:29.470 Because you can never be under more pressure 00:29:29.470 --> 00:29:32.480 than... that moment where you're following up 00:29:32.480 --> 00:29:36.460 a massively successful debut record with your 00:29:36.460 --> 00:29:40.140 second album, and then you add in the additional 00:29:40.140 --> 00:29:43.900 pressure of not having our founding songwriter, 00:29:44.000 --> 00:29:47.519 Doug Hopkins, to rely on. So now it was up to 00:29:47.519 --> 00:29:52.779 me and Jesse really to prove that we could write 00:29:52.779 --> 00:29:56.819 hits too. And I had already turned in a couple 00:29:56.819 --> 00:29:59.000 of songs that were hits, so I was fairly certain 00:29:59.000 --> 00:30:02.230 that we... had it in us. But it was still a great 00:30:02.230 --> 00:30:06.690 deal of pressure to live up to. There was a huge 00:30:06.690 --> 00:30:13.329 backlash when we lost Doug. And especially back 00:30:13.329 --> 00:30:18.470 home in Tempe, people were really doubtful that 00:30:18.470 --> 00:30:22.410 we would be able to live up to Doug's legacy 00:30:22.410 --> 00:30:26.250 without him. And there was a lot of backlash 00:30:26.250 --> 00:30:30.539 and a lot of pressure. It was a difficult, difficult 00:30:30.539 --> 00:30:35.299 time. It's hard to understate or overstate just 00:30:35.299 --> 00:30:40.319 how frightened we were, how terrifying it was 00:30:40.319 --> 00:30:43.640 to be in that position where we had to go right 00:30:43.640 --> 00:30:47.859 ahead. And then we turned in Follow You Down, 00:30:48.079 --> 00:30:51.200 and we knew that we had pulled it off, and the 00:30:51.200 --> 00:30:54.480 label was confident that we had pulled it off. 00:30:55.019 --> 00:30:58.059 And the song came out and it went straight to 00:30:58.059 --> 00:31:02.160 the top of the charts. And it was a top 10 single 00:31:02.160 --> 00:31:05.700 and we did it on Saturday Night Live. And it 00:31:05.700 --> 00:31:08.039 was a number one hit in a few different countries. 00:31:08.839 --> 00:31:14.019 And again, I look at it as perhaps our single 00:31:14.019 --> 00:31:19.059 greatest accomplishment as a band under such 00:31:19.059 --> 00:31:22.519 intense pressure. I'm very, very proud of us 00:31:22.519 --> 00:31:25.400 for Polly Udap. Well, when I listen to Congratulations, 00:31:25.799 --> 00:31:28.440 I'm Sorry, the song's seventh inning stretch 00:31:28.440 --> 00:31:31.279 is simply the introduction to my car for me. 00:31:31.400 --> 00:31:34.140 However, there's a music nerd part of me that 00:31:34.140 --> 00:31:37.660 always wants to dig a little deeper. And seventh 00:31:37.660 --> 00:31:40.440 inning stretch, besides the fact that it's track 00:31:40.440 --> 00:31:43.900 seven on the album, was recorded at the time 00:31:43.900 --> 00:31:48.259 the Arizona Diamondbacks were awarded their expansion 00:31:48.259 --> 00:31:51.809 franchise. Would that happen to have anything 00:31:51.809 --> 00:31:56.609 to do with the song being in that slot? No, no. 00:31:56.829 --> 00:32:02.490 We had a great keyboard player, Art Neville of 00:32:02.490 --> 00:32:04.529 the Neville Brothers was there in the studio 00:32:04.529 --> 00:32:07.710 with us because we actually were not only label 00:32:07.710 --> 00:32:10.450 mates with the Neville Brothers, we had toured 00:32:10.450 --> 00:32:13.170 with them a little bit, but we also had the same 00:32:13.170 --> 00:32:16.069 management, Bill Graham management out of San 00:32:16.069 --> 00:32:18.980 Francisco. They handled both. Jim Blossoms and 00:32:18.980 --> 00:32:21.859 the Neville brothers. So when we wanted to bring 00:32:21.859 --> 00:32:24.200 in a keyboard player, it made perfect sense to 00:32:24.200 --> 00:32:27.619 turn to the Neville brothers. And I wasn't there 00:32:27.619 --> 00:32:31.400 that day, but I think, you know, Jesse and Bill 00:32:31.400 --> 00:32:34.640 are both huge baseball fans. And to this day, 00:32:34.720 --> 00:32:38.960 if we're on tour and we have a day off, we often 00:32:38.960 --> 00:32:41.900 will go to a baseball game at least once a summer. 00:32:42.400 --> 00:32:44.619 We'll end up at a minor league baseball game 00:32:44.619 --> 00:32:47.000 or a major league game, depending on where our 00:32:47.000 --> 00:32:51.079 days off are. And so baseball, especially for 00:32:51.079 --> 00:32:53.039 Bill and Jesse, was something that they were 00:32:53.039 --> 00:32:56.559 really into. And again, I wasn't there that day, 00:32:56.660 --> 00:33:00.500 but I think they were just laughing and said, 00:33:00.619 --> 00:33:04.039 hey, play the seventh inning stretch big. And 00:33:04.039 --> 00:33:07.400 then for whatever reason, we decided to mix it 00:33:07.400 --> 00:33:12.420 into the record. Again, we didn't really overtake 00:33:12.420 --> 00:33:14.880 things like that. We just did what entertained 00:33:14.880 --> 00:33:18.430 us. Awesome. Awesome. Well, I guess my conspiracy 00:33:18.430 --> 00:33:21.549 theory will have to rest then. But I want to 00:33:21.549 --> 00:33:24.789 fast forward to 2006 when the band released Major 00:33:24.789 --> 00:33:28.309 Lodge Victory, which featured amazing Jim Blossom 00:33:28.309 --> 00:33:30.869 tracks like Learning the Hard Way, The End of 00:33:30.869 --> 00:33:33.910 the World, and Come on Hard. Thankfully, I own 00:33:33.910 --> 00:33:37.130 a CD copy of this because that's just ingrained 00:33:37.130 --> 00:33:40.470 in my DNA for 46 years, but it's currently not 00:33:40.470 --> 00:33:42.789 available on streaming. Is that something that's... 00:33:43.039 --> 00:33:45.579 out of your hands because it's a great album 00:33:45.579 --> 00:33:49.940 thank you um yeah thanks no it's not available 00:33:49.940 --> 00:33:53.160 to streaming because there was a you know we 00:33:53.160 --> 00:33:56.420 worked with the independent label and that label 00:33:56.420 --> 00:34:00.579 went under and then it was somehow purchased 00:34:00.579 --> 00:34:06.480 by some kind of investment company and then that 00:34:06.480 --> 00:34:11.789 company went under and so the rights to that 00:34:11.789 --> 00:34:16.210 album are just kind of lost and so nobody knows 00:34:16.210 --> 00:34:20.110 who exactly or at least none of us know exactly 00:34:20.110 --> 00:34:25.849 who owns the rights to that album and is so it's 00:34:25.849 --> 00:34:29.530 out of print and i don't even have a copy of 00:34:29.530 --> 00:34:32.650 it uh if i if i actually wanted to hear it i 00:34:32.650 --> 00:34:36.289 would have to go on youtube and someone has uploaded 00:34:36.289 --> 00:34:39.409 it to youtube and that's as far as i know the 00:34:39.409 --> 00:34:41.989 only place you can really hear it if you don't 00:34:41.989 --> 00:34:45.789 own a copy so um that's just one of those things 00:34:45.789 --> 00:34:48.710 you know when you're when you're in a band you 00:34:48.710 --> 00:34:52.710 just lose control over certain things your recorded 00:34:52.710 --> 00:34:55.369 music being one of the first things you really 00:34:55.369 --> 00:35:00.809 lose control over so um yeah that album we just 00:35:00.809 --> 00:35:07.619 don't uh we don't know who owns it Well, thankfully, 00:35:07.699 --> 00:35:10.179 some of the songs from it live through the live 00:35:10.179 --> 00:35:13.159 sets, because as much as I love the classic 90s 00:35:13.159 --> 00:35:16.679 albums, I'm glad to see songs like Miss Disarray 00:35:16.679 --> 00:35:20.340 from 2010's No Chocolate Cake, as well as Break 00:35:20.340 --> 00:35:24.119 and Face the Dark from 2018's Mixed Reality still 00:35:24.119 --> 00:35:27.239 living in the band's set lists. Because as far 00:35:27.239 --> 00:35:29.820 as I'm concerned, across the decades, these are 00:35:29.820 --> 00:35:33.739 all vintage Jim Blossom songs. With so many fan 00:35:33.739 --> 00:35:37.840 favorites and obviously radio hits, it's a good 00:35:37.840 --> 00:35:40.739 problem to have, mind you. How do you guys strike 00:35:40.739 --> 00:35:44.300 a balance between the hit songs and the deeper 00:35:44.300 --> 00:35:47.019 cuts to kind of provide that live experience 00:35:47.019 --> 00:35:50.960 for any level of fandom? Well, you know, I'm 00:35:50.960 --> 00:35:53.300 the one that puts together the set lists and 00:35:53.300 --> 00:35:58.099 we usually will reinvent the set like once a 00:35:58.099 --> 00:36:02.789 year. But we kind of know what works well in 00:36:02.789 --> 00:36:06.349 what sections. There's no doubt that the best 00:36:06.349 --> 00:36:09.409 way to start our show is with Follow You Down. 00:36:10.030 --> 00:36:14.670 So, you know, I kind of space out the hits. I 00:36:14.670 --> 00:36:17.650 don't want to lose people's interest, so we've 00:36:17.650 --> 00:36:20.750 got to make sure we're doing a recognizable hit 00:36:20.750 --> 00:36:24.829 song like at least every three tunes or so. And 00:36:24.829 --> 00:36:28.599 for there to not be any... giant stretches of 00:36:28.599 --> 00:36:32.500 the show like six songs where the fans aren't 00:36:32.500 --> 00:36:34.599 hearing something that we are certain they're 00:36:34.599 --> 00:36:38.579 familiar with so you kind of space the things 00:36:38.579 --> 00:36:42.460 out and then through one or two shows you can 00:36:42.460 --> 00:36:45.460 kind of figure out what songs work really well 00:36:45.460 --> 00:36:49.159 next to each other and it's better to lead you 00:36:49.159 --> 00:36:52.119 know have the fifth song do this one and then 00:36:52.119 --> 00:36:55.599 the sixth song kick it off in this other direction 00:36:56.280 --> 00:37:00.460 So it's just a balancing act of trying to satisfy 00:37:00.460 --> 00:37:06.739 the fans and also just present a cohesive set 00:37:06.739 --> 00:37:11.780 that flows really well. And as you said, it needs 00:37:11.780 --> 00:37:15.199 to represent the entire history of the band and 00:37:15.199 --> 00:37:18.820 it has to be packed full of the familiar hit 00:37:18.820 --> 00:37:22.059 songs that we get hired to play. So I think the 00:37:22.059 --> 00:37:26.369 set we have right now is one of the best. that 00:37:26.369 --> 00:37:30.949 we've ever had in terms of its flow and its momentum 00:37:30.949 --> 00:37:34.710 and how it represents the different stages of 00:37:34.710 --> 00:37:38.610 our career. So I'm enjoying the set as it is 00:37:38.610 --> 00:37:41.510 right now very much. And people will be able 00:37:41.510 --> 00:37:43.730 to catch that set this summer when you're out 00:37:43.730 --> 00:37:46.269 on the road with Toad the Wet Sprocket. Is there 00:37:46.269 --> 00:37:48.750 going to be any new music in the set or maybe 00:37:48.750 --> 00:37:51.730 some new music from the Jim Blossom's post -tour 00:37:51.730 --> 00:37:56.840 on the horizon? I hope so. I've begun negotiations 00:37:56.840 --> 00:38:00.039 with my bandmates to come up with a plan for 00:38:00.039 --> 00:38:04.019 us to make another record. I've got songs in 00:38:04.019 --> 00:38:08.099 the can that I'm ready to show the band and I 00:38:08.099 --> 00:38:12.480 would like to record. And Jesse is always writing. 00:38:12.519 --> 00:38:15.900 He's always got songs ready to go. He's a very 00:38:15.900 --> 00:38:19.619 prolific songwriter. So I think we have material. 00:38:19.880 --> 00:38:23.329 It's really a matter of... of finding the time 00:38:23.329 --> 00:38:26.250 and the motivation you know we recently we had 00:38:26.250 --> 00:38:28.590 a conversation about it and one of our members 00:38:28.590 --> 00:38:31.190 when i said well let's make a record he's like 00:38:31.190 --> 00:38:36.010 why what is what is the point we go through all 00:38:36.010 --> 00:38:38.829 the effort to make the record and then two years 00:38:38.829 --> 00:38:41.949 later we're not even really doing any of those 00:38:41.949 --> 00:38:45.110 songs maybe one or two of them you make 12 or 00:38:45.110 --> 00:38:47.530 14 song record and maybe two of them will end 00:38:47.530 --> 00:38:50.489 up on the set and the rest of it's just kind 00:38:50.489 --> 00:38:54.510 of forgotten So that was the point that he was 00:38:54.510 --> 00:38:57.389 trying to make. And I combated that by saying, 00:38:57.429 --> 00:39:00.309 I just think that it's an important part of being 00:39:00.309 --> 00:39:03.530 a band is to, from time to time, create new music, 00:39:03.570 --> 00:39:07.789 regardless of its commercial potential or how 00:39:07.789 --> 00:39:10.750 many people are going to hear it, just for what 00:39:10.750 --> 00:39:14.590 it means to me to be in a band and to be a songwriter 00:39:14.590 --> 00:39:19.400 and to have this legacy. It's important to me 00:39:19.400 --> 00:39:22.099 that we continue to make new music, even if it's 00:39:22.099 --> 00:39:26.940 something that nobody ever hears. So we'll figure 00:39:26.940 --> 00:39:31.360 it out. As I said, I've just begun pressuring 00:39:31.360 --> 00:39:35.039 my bandmates to come up with a plan. So I would 00:39:35.039 --> 00:39:37.099 like to hope that within the next few months, 00:39:37.219 --> 00:39:40.420 we'll actually have a timeline for when we are 00:39:40.420 --> 00:39:43.809 going to be recording. Well, Robin, this has 00:39:43.809 --> 00:39:47.090 been an absolute honor talking music with you 00:39:47.090 --> 00:39:49.590 tonight. Thank you so much for joining me on 00:39:49.590 --> 00:39:52.210 my weekly mixtape, man. No, thank you. Thank 00:39:52.210 --> 00:39:54.050 you for having me. This has been fun and very 00:39:54.050 --> 00:39:56.639 cathartic. Yeah. And to those listening, you 00:39:56.639 --> 00:39:58.599 can hear all the songs we talked about tonight 00:39:58.599 --> 00:40:01.579 in a playlist that's embedded over on the episode 00:40:01.579 --> 00:40:05.500 page at myweeklymixtape .com. There you can also 00:40:05.500 --> 00:40:08.780 hear the full catalog of my weekly mixtape episodes. 00:40:09.139 --> 00:40:10.900 And if you like what you're hearing on the show, 00:40:10.960 --> 00:40:12.800 you can help me out by either telling a friend, 00:40:12.980 --> 00:40:15.159 leaving the show a five -star review wherever 00:40:15.159 --> 00:40:18.739 you're tuning in, or becoming a Patreon mixtaper 00:40:18.739 --> 00:40:22.510 at patreon .com. forward slash My Weekly Mixtape. 00:40:22.690 --> 00:40:24.969 There you can enjoy ad -free episodes of the 00:40:24.969 --> 00:40:28.050 show, become a future guest, chime in on future 00:40:28.050 --> 00:40:31.289 episode topics, and so much more. That's all 00:40:31.289 --> 00:40:33.150 for this week. Thanks again for listening. And 00:40:33.150 --> 00:40:35.329 until next time, enjoy the tunes.