When the topic of best pop-rock bands of the last 15 years comes up, the Goo Goo Dolls might not be the first name that comes to mind. Of course, to discount the trio's contributions to the pop-rock sphere -- including megahits like "Iris," "Name," and "Slide" -- would overlook the fact that the band has placed more Top 10 singles on the AC Pop Charts than any band in history.
Goo Goo Dolls will showcase a number of those hits, and some of their new material as well, when they play Woodlands Pavilion on August 22. The band has also partnered with USA Harvest, and is encouraging fans to bring canned goods to the show, with the fan that brings the most canned goods to earn a meet-and-greet with the band after the show.
Before Goo Goo Dolls hit the Houston area next month, I caught up with bassist Robby Takac to talk about success, paying one's dues, and touring sober.
CH: You're going on 25 years as a band. That has to blow your mind.
RT: It's crazy dude. Someone told me not long ago that we've released albums in four different decades, and we'll get fans come up and say, "Man, when I was born, 'Iris' was playing." I never thought it would last this long, but we're incredibly lucky.
CH: Unlike other bands that stick around for a long time, you've never really taken an extended break between records. How do you guys keep it going like this?
RT: It's been four years between each of the last three of our records, and people always wonder what we're doing during those breaks. It's not like we're hanging out in the Bahamas or something. We're out working, trying to hit every market. We'll do up to 275 shows a year sometimes.
CH: Is touring getting tougher as you get older?
RT: Well, I don't drink anymore, and haven't for six years. It was getting tough, but I've got my health back, so it's not much harder now.
CH: How tough was it paying your dues for a decade before hitting the mainstream scene with "Name?" Or were you simply happy having a record deal and playing club shows?
RT: The bands we always followed were smaller bands like the Replacements, bands that would sell 30,000 records and call it a success. Then, the 90s came along and bands like Nirvana started selling millions of records. We try not to think about that though, though it was interesting at first hearing our music on the same station where they played Christina Aguilera, or sharing a bill with N'SYNC.
CH: If you could go back and talk to yourself circa 1995-1998, what would you tell him?
RT: I'd tell him not to sweat the small stuff. I spent way too much time on the little details back then, because I was trying to keep my mind busy. We always had a good work ethic, but we had to learn to trust the people around us, because we really do have a good team of people around us.
CH: How surreal is it walking through a record store and seeing a Goo Goo Dolls greatest hits album?
RT: I tell you what did freak me out, was the time Warner Bros. put together a movie-like trailer of our career, and assembled a press kit to go with it, and we got to see our entire career on one page -- 14 singles, tons of tours, playing sporting events. It was so odd to see it written down.
CH: With all those hits, how do you mix the old and new in assembling a set list?
RT: Well, we've got the 15 songs we have to play (the hits), so that leaves about four or five, and those mostly come from the new record. From there, it gets down to choosing what those songs will be, which can be a passive-aggressive experience.
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