(thing) by mblase Wed Sep 04 2002 at 20:50:39

Walking round this dirty town
Drinking up till we fall down
Don't want to live forever this way
But it's gonna have to do for today
I'm addicted as I want to be

"I'm Addicted", First Release


In 1985, Johnny Rzeznik, Robby Takac and George Tutuska -- three young punk fans in Buffalo, New York -- decided to honor and imitate their favorite band, the Replacements (circa Sorry, Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash), wrote a few of their own songs, and called themselves the Sex Maggots. Fortunately for all concerned, they renamed themselves the Goo Goo Dolls (from an ad seen in True Detective magazine) when they were spotted and asked to sign with a record label. (The band has since said that that name was probably the greatest thing holding them back in these early years.)

Their first self-titled recording, later reissued with the title First Release, came out on Mercenary Records on a $750 budget. They performed. college radio played their songs, and kids in general liked them. A second album titled Jed came out on a different label, Death Records, to the same general praise. So far, so good.


It's a beautiful night, I guess everybody's right
This day belongs to all of us
Even still I like mine with a chill
That ain't so obvious

"We Are The Normal", Superstar Car Wash


Before long the band and their first two albums were signed to a larger company, Metal Blade Records, for a multi-album contract. College radio still liked them, local fans still came to see them, and each of the band members held down other part-time jobs while they played. The band still wasn't a hit, even in Buffalo, but they were doing well enough for Metal Blade. Their third CD, Hold Me Up, kept them there, but things started to change in 1993 following their fourth -- the single "We Are The Normal" from Superstar Car Wash started appearing on rock stations across the United States, to the band's mild surprise.

That punk rock song, as well as "Fallin' Down", paved the way for generous sales of Superstar Car Wash and their next Metal Blade album, A Boy Named Goo. And here's where everything started to change, because of three major events in the band's life: massive airplay for the new single "Name", their drummer was fired and they sued their own label for breach of contract.


And I'll do anything you ever dreamed to be complete
Little pieces of the nothing that fall

"Slide", Dizzy Up The Girl


The departure of drummer George Tutuska wasn't a friendly one, and his own assertion (the other band members remained silent on the matter) was that it was over royalty payments -- specifically, the fact that he wasn't getting any. According to him, as quoted in Rolling Stone, the royalty payments for radio play of "Fallin' Down" were going directly into John Rzeznik's pocket instead of being distributed among the three band members equally. Tutuska demanded an equal split; Rzeznik fired him, after they'd finished recording A Boy Named Goo but before its release. Mike Malinin replaced him, and Tutuska continues to receive royalty checks for the songs he co-wrote and co-recorded with the band. He currently works in a home improvement company back in Buffalo while not drumming for a newer band there, Bobo.

Things still weren't all that great on the money front, though. The multi-album contract the young band had signed with Metal Blade turned out to be more than a little exploitive; A Boy Named Goo sold two million copies by 1996 but each band member was still only pocketing $6,000 for it. After seeking legal advice, they sued Metal Blade for breach of contract; Metal Blade and their parent company, Warner Bros., filed their own suits in response. After nine months they won liberation from their contract and signed a new one with Warner Bros. directly.


You grew up way too fast and now there's nothing to believe
And reruns all become our history
A tired song keeps playing on a tired radio
And I won't tell no one your name

"Name", A Boy Named Goo


"Name", a comparatively mellow love ballad which suited Rzeznik's voice perfectly, was an obvious (and sometimes hated) break from the band's punk-alternative roots. But people liked it, and so did the record companies. They were nudged into writing and recording another ballad, "Iris", which appeared on the soundtrack to the motion picture City of Angels as well as their first Warner Bros. album, Dizzy Up The Girl. If "Name" was a hit, "Iris" was a phenomenon, enjoying eighteen weeks at the number one spot on Billboard's weekly airplay charts and three nominations for the 1999 Grammy Awards -- Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Performance (Group).

Note that the band was now officially classified as "pop", or pop rock anyways. Their albums continued to hold on to their original punk sound, but it was watered down a fair bit. In response, Warner Bros. issued a CD compilation three years after Dizzy Up The Girl while the band was on an extensive tour. This compilation was titled What I Learned About Art, Ego, Opinion & Commerce (or the shorter Art, Ego, Opinion & Commerce when released internationally) and spotlighted their punk-influenced songs from their pre-Goo albums, including "Fallin' Down" and "We Are The Normal". Ironic, actually -- since what the band learned about those things is evidenced in their pop-rock albums rather than their earlier punk-rock ones.

Gutterflower, their sixth album, was released in early 2002, with pretty much the same sound as the two which preceded it. Hey, whatever sells.

Discography (through 2002):

Members:

  • Johnny Rzeznik (guitars/vocals)
  • Robby Takac (bass/vocals)
  • George Tutuska (drums, former member)
  • Mike Malinin (replaced George Tutuska in 1995)

Sources:

  • All Music Guide biography by Steve Huey (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Bkxk9ikc6bb79~C)
  • Matt's Music Page (http://www.mattsmusicpage.com/goobio.htm)
  • RollingStone.com (http://search.rollingstone.com/bin/search/?st=music&section=&query=goo+goo+dolls)
  • Goo Goo Dolls FAQ v4.03 (http://www.musicfanclubs.org/googoodolls/misc/faq.htm)
I like it! 4 C!s