Ep484: John and Robby of The Goo Goo Dolls
The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds
Nate Goyer
4.7 • 579 Ratings
🗓️ 3 February 2025
⏱️ 51 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
John Rzeznik and Robbie Takac of The Goo Goo Dolls discuss their early punk rock roots, record labels, writing unexpected mega-hits, their harrowing plane crash, vinyl reissues and lots more.
Topics Include:
- John recently recovered from pneumonia and multiple hand surgeries
- Goo Goo Dolls were heavily influenced by punk rock
- They listened extensively to The Replacements and Hüsker Dü
- Band started by renting VFW halls for shows
- First record cost $750 on Mercenary Records
- They signed contracts despite lawyer's warning not to
- Metal Blade discovers and signs band
- Learned touring lessons watching mistakes of other bands
- Being rejected by their favourite labels – SST & Twin Tone
- Band's sound evolved away from early punk style
- "Name" unexpectedly became their first big hit
- Legal issues followed success of "A Boy Named Goo"
- John retreated to LA hotel during difficult period
- "Iris" and the "City of Angels" soundtrack
- "Iris" released year before "Dizzy Up The Girl"
- Taylor Swift later covered "Iris"
- Survived plane crash in Sicily during USO tour
- Pilot attempted landing multiple times in storm
- Band got drunk to fly home next day
- John took up skydiving to overcome flying fear
- Initially feared appearing on Howard Stern's show
- Relationship with Stern's show improved over time
- John doesn't collect vinyl or music memorabilia
- Robbie runs Good Charamel Records label
- John collects vintage recording equipment instead
- Band criticizes Spotify's payment model
- Few B-sides exist because John discards incomplete songs
- Covered Lime Spiders song – will be on upcoming release
- Record store clerks were important musical mentors
- "A Boy Named Goo" 30th anniversary edition coming
- Australian tour planned for February
- Playing seven Australian cities on upcoming tour
- John grew up on greatest hits albums
- Learned to appreciate Led Zeppelin at age 50
Tickets and vinyl available here!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Before we start today's episode, I gotta tell you about this amazing vinyl furniture I just got from sidetracked workshop.com. |
| 0:07.6 | I now have the double sidekick model in my front room, and it's absolutely killer. |
| 0:12.1 | It holds a couple hundred records and looks beautiful. |
| 0:15.1 | Check it out on my Instagram. |
| 0:16.5 | It's very handsome indeed. |
| 0:17.9 | And when you get a moment, check out sidetrackedworkshop.com and show off your |
| 0:23.1 | vinyl in style. That's sidetracked workshop.com. Welcome to the vinyl guide. The podcast for |
| 0:30.7 | record collectors and music nerds. Here's your host. The biggest record nerd of them all, |
| 0:35.5 | Nate Goyer. Oh, that's me. Hey, everyone, it's Nate. |
| 0:38.8 | Welcome to episode 484 of The Vinyl Guide. |
| 0:43.3 | The podcast for record collectors and music nerds. |
| 0:45.7 | And ladies and gentlemen, this week, we're very proud to welcome to the show, |
| 0:49.3 | John and Robbie, of the Goo Goo Dolls. |
| 0:51.7 | And today, the fellas reflect on their hugely successful and absolutely |
| 0:56.6 | wild musical journey, from their early days and their punk rock roots, to the creation of |
| 1:02.2 | mega hits like Name and Iris, to absolutely traumatic moments, like being in a plane crash, |
| 1:09.6 | a near career crippling case of riders' block, and of course, |
| 1:13.7 | being pursued by one Howard Stern. John and Robbie have seen a lot, and today they share it on the |
| 1:19.9 | Vinyl Guide podcast, as well as discussing their upcoming Australian tour. If you're in Canberra, Sydney, |
| 1:25.8 | Newcastle, Brisbane, Adelaide, or Melbourne, or |
| 1:28.5 | close to any one of those, check it out February 2025 tickets at gougooddolls.com. And no matter where |
| 1:35.5 | you're at in the world, Australia or otherwise, there is a 30th anniversary edition of a boy |
... |
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